Mumbai Diary: Tuesday Dossier

Pic/Bipin Kokate

A flippin' good time
A man shows off his acrobatic skills at Girgaum Chowpatty on Monday.

Plate for a change

Jijo, an artist with Down Syndrome featured on The Plated Project page

March 21 is recognised as National Down Syndrome Day. To spread awareness about the genetic condition, city-based initiative The Plated Project that ropes in artists to fight social causes by creating art plates, has announced an open call. The theme is Trisomy - a celebration of individuality. Artists need to submit their entries by March 27 and get 25 per cent of the profits on each sale. The proceeds will also help sponsor meals for the needy. "Jobs and opportunities are a major issue for people with Down Syndrome. We don't have a limit as to how many entries will be selected. The idea is to raise awareness; if more people create art and share it on social media, then more people will ask questions such as, ‘What is Trisomy?'," founder Chitresh Sinha explained. Visit @theplatedproject on Instagram for submission guidelines.

Russian spirit

Dr Sergei Fandeev watches Maslenitsa's effigy being burnt. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

The Russian Centre for Science and Culture off Peddar Road was on Sunday agog with the festive spirit of Maslenitsa, the country's own spring festival. Russian compatriots settled in India attended the event with their families. Dr Sergei Fandeev, the centre's director, told this diarist about how the festival is similar to Holi. "We burn an effigy of Maslensita just like you burn an effigy of Holika. This is a really ancient Russian custom. We organise it in Mumbai so that our Russian compatriots here don't lose touch with their country's customs," Fandeev shared, adding that people feasted on bliny, a traditional Russian pancake, and puranpoli.

Too many chefs add to the fun

Seefah Ketchaiyo and Karan Bane

Cooking with Ranveer Brar is a YouTube channel that the celebrity chef hosts, where he prepares recipes that viewers can easily rustle up in their home kitchens. A recent episode had two special guests - city chefs Karan Bane and Seefah Ketchaiyo, his partner. It also happened to be Seefah's birthday, and it was fun watching the three culinary maestros share a laugh as Brar was absolved of cooking duties, since his guests showed what it takes to make a green Thai curry.

Ranveer Brar

Brar also prepared a game, where Bane and Seefah were taken aside and asked questions about each other, with the other person having to guess what the answers are. Bane also revealed that his favourite song is Zingaat from the Marathi movie Sairat, which he had made the guests at his wedding in Thailand dance to. "The most fun bit for me was that the shoot was casual. There was nothing scripted about it," he told this diarist.

So long, Laxman Pai

Laxman Pai receives the Padma Bhushan from President Ram Nath Kovind in 2018

Renowned painter Laxman Pai passed away at his home in Goa's Dona Paula on Sunday at the age of 95. An outspoken artist, he taught at Sir JJ School of Art before being expelled for standing up to the authorities, later shifting to Paris. Puneet Shah, founder of Akara art gallery in Colaba which has displayed Pai's works, shared, "His days in Paris were the most interesting; there was dialogue between him and people like Ram Kumar [Pai's peer] there."

A blooming idea
Unless your poetry-writing skills are - excuse the pun - verse than abysmal, send in your entries for a poetry and creative-writing contest that Blooming Kalakar, an artists' group, is organising. The poems have to be a minimum of 50 words, and the last date for submissions is March 21. But be warned; entries containing clichés like ‘Roses are red' will be immediately consigned to the waste bin, and only original works will be considered. Log on to bloomingkalakar.com if you have what it takes.