Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

17 July,2024 06:49 AM IST |  Mumbai  |  Team mid-day

The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce

Pic/Ashish Raje


B.E.S.T Advice

Amid the city's unpredictable weather, a signage on a bus passing through Bandra suggests that people should keep good health.

Smoking good news, anyone?

American band Cigarettes After Sex. Pic Courtesy/Instagram

Kandivali-based artiste Shivam Thakkar (@shiva.s.art) expressed his exhilaration at the announcement of American pop band Cigarettes After Sex's upcoming India tour which includes a show in the city on January 25, 2025. Having first experienced their music at Lollapalooza, Thakkar reminisced, "The band played for a short period, but I loved them," he recalled the moments, "Their songs create a zone where you're plugged out of reality." As an artiste, (below) Thakkar finds inspiration in their music, often listening to them while painting or working. He cited Heavenly, Sweet, and Apocalypse as his favourite tracks, highlighting that it creates a zone for him and his creative process. With equally enthusiastic friends, he eagerly awaits the band's live performance in Mumbai. Tickets go on sale from July 19 on in. bookmyshow.com.

Shivam Thakkar

Listen to Polly

Fest mascot, Polly the purple cow, engages with the participants

After it arrived in Mumbai last year, Polly, a purple cow, returns to its homeland, The Enchanted Forest. When it reaches there, it notices that the trees are in danger. It heads back to the city, and will be spotted on a billboard facing Girgaon Chowpatty, at Wilson College. Polly urges citizens to help save our ecosystem. "All of this will be displayed in Augmented Reality in our upcoming fest, Polaris [July 26 to July 27]. Participants will be able to walk across the Enchanted Forest by scanning a QR code. It might be the first time a college is using AR in a fest,' revealed fest chairpersons Tanishtha Kotian and Shenelle Canice Dcosta. The call-to-action will be implemented in their plantation drive in Malabar Hill on July 22. "Polaris is one of our oldest inter-college festivals. Its focus has always been on the environment, while hosting other activities for media students. Last year, we introduced a zero-waste policy that included digitised banners. This time, we are taking it a step forward, and continuing the story with our now-mature mascot, Polly," says former co-chairperson, Grace Dsilva. For more details, head to @polarisfest.

Students from over 30 colleges participate in the media festival each year

Chakyar, objectified

The self portrait was made with (right) objects like scissors, Jew harp, shells, buttons, and paper, among others

Art is everywhere, and artist Hari Chakyar found it scattered as separate elements around his house - in the nuts and bolts, a Jew harp, scissors, medicine foil, sunflower seeds, and a feather. "I recently signed up for an art course that popped up on my feed. There was an offer going on," Chakyar justified. This course was taught by Israeli artist Hanoch Piven. "It was divided into four sections. Piven is known for portraits made of random objects from his daily life; that is what he taught us," he said. The result was Chakyar's self-portrait made of things he found around his house, or those he collected years ago lying near his building but didn't know how to put them to use. "It was an entire process. For instance, I first used black ribbons to make my beard, but it wasn't giving it the shape I wanted. I replaced it with sunflower seeds that I feed to the parakeet who drops by my window daily," he revealed.

Hari Chakyar

Best out of waste

Three eco-warriors will gather in Malad on July 20 to celebrate non-profit organisation, 5RCYCLE Foundation's expansion into a larger 3,000 sq ft facility. Two of them are 16-year-olds Jiya Gada and Atharva Shinde. "Jiya and Atharva have been an integral part of our community, and have supported our recycling endeavours from time to time. These children have an amazing body of work to their credit. Jiya, for instance, has written a book on her environmental journey. Atharva, on the other hand, upcycles all kinds of clothes like sarees into quilts for his initiative, QWilt," revealed director Sachchidanand Chaturvedi. The duo, along with another upcycling initiative Kupikkali that turns waste beer and alcohol bottles into home decor, will share their journeys at the inauguration.

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