Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

That sounds heavenly

A young boy explores the Vishnu shankh installation at Kamala Nehru Park, Malabar Hill.

A musical spin

Bishan Singh Bedi in action. FILE PIC

As the world geared for the action-packed final week of the ICC Cricket World Cup, Sujit Sinha, a jazz enthusiast from the city revealed unlikely connections between cricket and jazz through a series of posts on Instagram. In one of the anecdotes, he shared how the late Indian spin wizard Bishan Singh Bedi helmed a Sunday Listening Club while playing in Australia in 1971 where he discovered his love for the works of Louis Armstrong.

(Clockwise from left) Vinyl record of Bradman's solos PIC Courtesy/AUSTRALIAN SPORTS MUSEUM; Donald Bradman PIC COURTESY/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

"Jazz was already well-established in England by the 1950s, which always made me wonder if there was an overlap that connected cricket and jazz," shared the vinyl record collector. The series includes stories featuring cricketing legends like Jim Laker, Vic Lewis and even Sir Don Bradman. Did you know that the Aussie legend was a trained jazz pianist with a rare vinyl record to his name featuring two piano solos he played in 1930? Now that's one record this diarist hopes no one breaks!

Pedal away to reach the top

Aparna Vinod at a stop during her solo journey to Gujarat

While few emerged from the pandemic unscarred, for 34-year-old Aparna Vinod, it was a moment of realisation that individual action can change the world. Starting out in Diwali this year, the sustainability and eco-friendly business entrepreneur is cycling her way from Kerala to Gujarat as a challenge to herself. "I am not someone who gives up easily. I used to love cycling when I was young, so I decided to set the challenge for myself," she remarked. While she aims to spread the word on sustainable measures of living through her journey, she is also plotting her way by speaking with cyclists from across the country. Vinod hopes to make it to Mumbai on December 4. "I am a little scared of the Mumbai traffic. I am a small-town girl, after all," she told this diarist.

Quiet revolution in Powai

Participants read at the event

The Pandit Deen Dayal Udyan in Powai has now become a reading spot for the latest chapter in the increasing suburban trend of quiet reading. Ananya Bhardwaj (inset), curator of the Powai Reads chapter, shared, "I am a voracious reader, and often followed the Cubbon Reads chapter. I was looking for a similar group around Powai, but didn't find any.

So, I decided to start one myself," she told this diarist. While they began a few weeks ago, the readings have slowly started to gather steam. "Earlier, it was just me and my friends, who were being supportive. Now, it is catching on. People find it easier to sit quietly by a stranger and read. It is supportive, and calming. They prefer this over having to sit and discuss every detail of what they are reading. It is the perfect way to enjoy a book," she concluded.

Ink our identity

Last year in January, this newspaper had featured the Kula Tattoo arts festival that brought together traditional and modern tattoo artists from across India. This time, the festival will focus on graffiti art. "We come together to pay respect to our traditions, ancient practices while connecting the contemporary and modern. We firmly believe in standing strong in our culture and keeping culture alive as the world goes through layers of changes," said Andre Tully, its founder.

A ton that left a mark

The two cancellations on the cover

While the country celebrated Virat Kohli's iconic 50th century, the officials at the Mumbai Philately Bureau found themselves in a peculiar fix. The body had just released a special cover and a cancellation [a postal marking used to deface a stamp to prevent its reuse] earlier that day to commemorate the India v New Zealand ICC World Cup semi-final being played at Wankhede Stadium.

Virat Kohli's 50th century special

"As we watched Kohli's innings, we realised something bigger was on the cards, so we rushed to the design team," Dr Sudhir Jakhere (inset), assistant postmaster general at IndiaPost, told this diarist.

Amitabh Singh, former postmaster general, released the new cancellation that displays motifs of a cricket ball juxtaposed with the number 50 as a tribute to the milestone. The collectible will be up for grabs only at GPO in Mumbai, till December 15.