Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

Pic/Sameer Markande

What children want

A kid sitting with his father on a watermelon cart looks eagerly at a balloon seller at Mulund East on Wednesday.

Konkani notes

O'luv Rodrigues at an edition of the festival before the pandemic

The Sao Joao festival is held annually in Goa to celebrate the birthday of St John the Baptist. But it also serves as an excuse to celebrate Konkani music, since songs in the language are an integral part of the festivities. "The festival's main song, which everybody sings, is a Konkani tune that C Alvares composed 80 to 90 years ago," recalls Goan singer O'luv Rodrigues. He will play a virtual set today as part of the 2021 edition of Sao Joao. Tune in to the O'luv page on Facebook to get into the mood.

A table of plenty

Father Warner D'Souza (centre) prepares food packets with volunteers

One of St Stephen's responsibilities, according to The Bible, was to serve food to widows. In the present day, the parish priest at the church under his name in Cumbala Hills widened that legacy to carry it forward. Father Warner D'Souza started an initiative called St Stephen's Table last week, as part of which food is served at the premises thrice a week. Benevolent Christians from the area sponsor the dishes, though anyone from any community can partake of the fare. The menu keeps changing, featuring items such as vegetarian biryani and egg curry. Not just that, church volunteers step outdoors to feed the needy in these difficult times. D'Souza added that they also send hampers with gifts such as shrikhand and rasgullas to people who have lost a loved one or a job due to the pandemic. Explaining the initiative's name, D'Souza told this diarist, "When you say, ‘Welcome to my table,' what you mean is that the other person is welcome to share your food." That's a nice thought.

Saved by the ball

The group that walked 40 km in the UK

Last week, the official Liverpool Supporter Club of Mumbai made sure that relief activities in the city were lent a helping hand during the pandemic. With the support of the Liverpool Football Club (LFC) of the UK and The Anfield Wrap podcast, the group conducted a charity walk in the UK to raise funds for Mumbai-based NGO Khaana Chahiye. "We've been trying to help communities out whenever possible. When we reached out to the club with the idea of doing this initiative they were very supportive of it. They have a huge global fan base, and they helped us put a word out in many regions through their Twitter handle," Simaab Hashmi, chairman of LFC Mumbai, told us. Conducted over nine hours, the group covered 40 km and raised nearly '13 lakh to support the NGO's on-ground activities. "An interesting aspect was that rivalries were kept aside and other clubs reached out to Liverpool FC to amplify their needs," said Neeraj Shetye of Khaana Chahiye.

Indian title for kids gets UN nod

Nearly three years since the Kerala floods, we're happy to hear that a children's title revolving around the calamity, Big Rain (Tulika Publishers), has been selected by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Book Club. Penned by Gayathri Bashi and illustrated by TR Rajesh, the book was created when the author was trying to explain the phenomenon of the devastating floods in Kerala to her three-year-old, recalled senior editor Deeya Nayar. "This news came as a surprise. We're heartened to see that the UN is looking out for such books and giving them recognition. The book is a lovely way of explaining a natural disaster to kids. The illustrations are beautifully done; the whole book is awash with shades of rain. There's a refrain in the book; it starts with ‘lots and lots and lots of rain', and ends with ‘lots and lots and lots of hope'," shared Nayar, adding that the title also reminds children to look after our rivers, forests and environment.

A filmmaker's French connection

A filmmaker's first film always holds special meaning, but it gets even more special when the movie gets selected for a highly esteemed international programme for debutant directors from emerging countries, aimed at helping them gain a foothold in the international market. That's what has happened with Mumbai-based Suman Sen and Eka (Solo), his film that has been selected for La Fabrique Cinema, an annual programme based in France that invites 10 directors from across the world to help them gain international exposure. Bangladesh-based Goopy Bagha Productions and DW Productions from France are jointly producing the film, meaning it's truly an international effort. The plot revolves around a man in Kolkata who sees a huge under-construction statue on his way to work every day. That statue is supposed to represent ‘The Common Man'. But it becomes a metaphor for the protagonist to express his own helplessness about life. "The film reflects and documents the kind of time I have been living in for the past couple of years - a time of hatred, intolerance and violence," Sen shared before leaving for France.