Mumbai Diary: Sunday Dossier

Pic/Shadab Khan

In good company

A flock of seagulls provide scenic support as a man plays football at Versova beach

The Holocaust tale in Marathi

During World War II, Nazi Germany systematically murdered millions of Jews across German-occupied Europe. The story of this atrocity known as the Holocaust has been consumed worldwide through the official exhibition, besides other literary and artistic work, which has been translated in many languages. Now, to make it more accessible to the locals here in Maharashtra, the Consulate General of Israel in Mumbai is getting it translated into Marathi.
"As Israeli diplomats, we see great importance in commemorating the terrible tragedy that befell the Jewish people. When we found that people in India are interested and want to learn more about it, we thought the exhibition ‘Shoah' [Hebrew for Holocaust] is a wonderful way to do so," says Consul General Kobbi Shoshani. The exhibition, he says, reviews the major historical aspects of the Holocaust, "beginning with Jewish life in pre-Holocaust Europe and ending with the liberation of Nazi camps across the continent."

Of happy and sad seasons

Colaba boy Zain Calcuttawala released the first single Better Place from his new album Seasons, the entire length of which comes out in January 2023. The single, featuring Shalmali Kholgade, is one that explores grief and loss. Calcuttawala, who also hosts a podcast called Marbles Lost & Found, seems to be making spreading awareness about mental health his responsibility. "Both with the podcast and the album, I really felt like I had something to say. I realised only in hindsight that the album carried a strong mental health theme. At the time of writing/composing, I was just writing from a space that felt very raw and honest." He believes that there's something in this album for everyone, both thematically as well as sonically. "It's about a myriad of emotions and feelings we each experience as human beings. The first single, Better Place, was a ballad based on loss, which I wrote after I lost an old friend to suicide last year. It was very deep and very personal, which one might argue is a risk to take for a single."

Wasim Akram emulates mentor Imran Khan!

Pakistan's cricket legend Wasim Akram's new book, Sultan: A Memoir promises to be a bestseller. Not only does it have a good amount of controversy (teammate Salim Malik treating him like a servant and Rameez Raja dropping more catches than he took), it is also well written - in collaboration with Gideon Haigh - the world's best cricket writer in the opinion of several cricket pundits. Our in-house cricket nut can't wait to get his copy, which he says will be a spicier version of Akram's story as compared to Wasim-The Autobiography of Wasim Akram, published in 1998. In that, Akram revealed how he would dread returning to the pavilion after playing a poor shot because captain Imran Khan would demand to know, "what the hell was that?" In a way, Akram has emulated his mentor Imran Khan when it comes to autobiographies. The great all-rounder wrote his first one in 1983 (Imran-The Autobiography) and then came up with All-Round View in 1988. Who knows, the wounded tiger in Pakistan politics could well be tempted to come on for a third spell as it were.

Wishing Dabul a happy 150th

The Goans of Chira Bazaar are in the middle of a big, fat celebration. The St Francis Xavier's Church in Dabul, which was built in 1872 after the "Goan exodus into Bombay kept exploding" turned 150 this year. To celebrate the milestone, the parish church and its Catholic population have gone all out with nine-day novenas in honour of its patron saint, St Xavier, and a fete celebration coinciding with these days. The festivities end today with an invite-only reception for the parishioners. The highlight was a musical play staged by the children of the parish. "Dabul church, as the parish is also known in Christian circles, was the original settling ground of the Goans who migrated to Bombay decades ago in search of better prospects. The parish school St Sebastian Goan High School counts a couple of civic leaders among its alumni, as well as yesteryear Hindi film stars Jeetendra and Rajesh Khanna," says Fr Joshan Rodrigues, assistant parish priest.

When will the Windies see a Freddo-like innings?

Roy Fredericks. Pic/Getty Images

Perth used to be a venue where the West Indies cricket team were at their best when they ruled world cricket. Now, more than ever, they are generally at the receiving end at the Western Australian venue. A new ground notwithstanding, the Australians took 598 runs off the Windies bowlers in the opening Test on Thursday. The West Indian quicks thrived in the 1970s and 1980s at the WACA ground. But when it comes to batting, opener Roy Fredericks's 169 in the second Test of the 1975-76 series is considered an epic innings. And for good reason. For, the Australian pace attack comprised Dennis Lillee, Jeff Thomson, Gary Gilmour and Max Walker. Spin bowler-turned-journalist Ashley Mallett too was part of the attack and he put it aptly in an article for Cricinfo, written many years after Freddo pulverised the hosts with his match-winning knock. "The sky was blue and the sun shone over Perth, but the fours rained in a torrent, telling all and sundry that this was an innings for the ages; a knock that would have delighted the likes of Trumper, Bradman, Harvey and Gilchrist," the late Mallett wrote. It's unreasonable to expect an innings of the same quality from a West Indies player, but we can hope for a well-contested series. On second thoughts, maybe that's unreasonable too.