Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

Pic/Anurag Ahire

Let's do the bubble wrap

A young girl smiles as she pops soap bubbles blown through a bubble gun on Abdul Rehman Street near Crawford Market.

Kej's got something going

Ricky Kej at the university site. Pic courtesy/Twitter

Composer Ricky Kej is going back to school. The Grammy Award-winner has teamed up with Chanakya University to set up a new institution focusing on the performing arts in Bengaluru. The discussions about the university began in 2022, the musician shared, adding, "Since then, I have been visiting conservatories and music schools in every country that I have travelled to understand the process. I spent a lot of time discussing how such education has helped musicians, or what is required of an artiste today." The university will have an interdisciplinary approach towards the field. "You cannot be isolated as an artiste today. One cannot be just a singer or a filmmaker. You have to also be an entrepreneur and a leader. We will have a 360-degree focus through our courses," Kej revealed. While they are still working out the details, the musician suggested that the first batch of diploma certificate courses might start later this year, with degree courses soon to follow. "The focus of the university will be to nurture and scout talent," he informed this diarist.

Also Read: Mumbai Diary: Tuesday Dossier

Can we get this on track?

Ranjit Gadgil; (right) An official from Parisar teaches a girl how to ride a bicycle

How many times have you wished to take a quick spin on your bicycle but were deterred by overcrowded city roads? While Mumbai has a few cycling tracks in Marine Drive, Worli Sea Face and Aarey Milk Colony, it lacks a comprehensive plan. A recent initiative by Parisar - a Pune-based advocacy group working towards environmental awareness, drew our attention to the matter. With a view to make Pune bicycle-friendly, the NGO taught 25 young girls to cycle and will donate cycles to them in June. Connecting the need in both cities, director Ranjit Gadgil (below) said, "The holistic plan should include not just the city-wide network, but also cycle parking, integration with other modes and cycle design guidelines that will ensure future Mumbai roads are cycle-inclusive. The plan will also need a budgetary layout and a timeline for implemen-tation."

Have you read up on the dhole yet?

Dhole artwork by; (below) A pair of Dholes. Pic Courtesy/Kalyan Varma

Ahead of May 28 and as a conscious citizen, how are we helping the endangered, is something you should ask your friends and family. The date that marks World Dhole Day - a day for the Asian wild dog - is being highlighted by a virtual art contest held by the Wildlife Conservation Society of India. About the impact of such a contest, leading conservationist for the Dhole project, Arjun Srivathsa, shared, "Creating art makes the subject more personal to the artist. Our hope with the contest is to encourage more people to discover facts about dholes and engage with them creatively to inspire a sense of admiration for the species."

Arjun Srivathsa

A school trip to Cannes

(Fifth from left) Cannes Classics head Gérald Duchaussoy with the students, FHF officials and Doon School teachers

While India has played a major part on the fashion and film front at the Cannes Film festival for many years now, a new set of guests created a buzz this time. Seven students from Doon School in Dehradun were invited for the Cannes Classics screening. This unique tie-up was made possible by Mumbai-based non-profit organization, Film Heritage Foundation (FHF). "Officials at Cannes had reached out to us to help with colleges but I insisted on a school. Initially, they were sceptical but agreed when they met the students," Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, director, FHF, explained. He added, "They watched classics of Hitchcock and other icons, went to pavilions and interacted with filmmakers." This tie-up will continue with more schools and colleges getting this opportunity in the
coming editions.

Walk this way

Visit the CSMVS museum next Saturday for a conversation about and a walkthrough of Rhizome: Tracing Ecocultural Identities, a curatorial project by Jesal Thacker. It will include 14 contemporary art installations that engage with the museum's aesthetics and artefacts. Thacker told us, "The focus is to rebuild the connection between past and present with the idea and awareness of nature, ecology, and eco-cultural identities."