Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

Pic/Atul Kamble

Blue Moon rising

The moon casts its glow over Rajabai Tower at Mumbai University in Fort

A warm gesture

Volunteers collect clothes meant for distribution

Earlier this week, this diarist spotted a tempo filled with kids sporting Santa caps near Grant Road railway station. When we approached the group of nearly fifty 16-year-olds (some on their cycles), we learned that they were from the Rotaract Club of HR College. "This is the last phase of our initiative called Jingle All The Way, where we donate warm clothes to the needy across SoBo," shared Tanish Shivdasani, a student who was sitting in the tempo lit up with Christmas decor and filled with bags of clothes.

Christmas in Govandi

A moment from the session

The Next Page Community Foundation, an initiative that aims at uplifting children residing in the slums of Govandi, added festive lights to their weekly reading sessions for Christmas on Monday. "We saw nearly 60 children across various schools gather for the Christmas-special reading session. We also had a craft workshop that preceded the event," said founder Anoop Parik. The kids read Merry Christmas, Blue Kangaroo; exchanged notes for Secret Santa and decorated the Christmas tree. "This time, we introduced a real tree instead of a plastic one that the kids will plant during our new year plantation drive," Parik revealed.

Heights of humour

The comedian during the trip to Mount Everest Base Camp

Trust Aditi Mittal to find something to laugh about in everything. The city-comedian is set to begin a trial run of her new show, Bad Altitude in January 2024. "The show is based on my recent trip to [Mount] Everest Base Camp," shared Mittal over a phone call from Tokyo. This diarist had reached out to her earlier this year in May when she had made the impromptu decision to join her friends on a trek to the Himalayas. "I remember I went for the experience and jumped into the fire. I have been collecting these memories and slowly cooking them in my mind ever since," she shared. The shows, scheduled in the second week of January, will aim to paint an honest picture of her experience in the mountains with introspection and some of her signature humour. "In the end, I hope to get other people to try it as well," Mittal added. Despite the many physical exertions that she had experienced, she says, "Honestly, we live in a world where the idea of relaxation and self-care has been limited to avenues that are often expensive. Through the show, I hope to remind people that there are things so much larger than life," she explained. Mittal revealed that the details of the show are still being worked upon, "It touches upon the fact that you could run to the mountains, but you still have to return to yourself."

Celebrating creativity

A crib from last year's edition

The Mobai Gaothan Panchayat (MGP) has given the age-old tradition of crib decoration a competitive twist with a city-wide competition. "There is no set theme for the decorations because we want people to be as creative with their ideas as possible," Gleason Barretto (below), global ambassador, MGP, told this diarist. The submissions - often led by Manori, Uttan and Gorai - are open till December 31. The entries will be examined by a jury of members from within and outside the MGP. Those interested can submit at skj.mobai@gmail.com.

Chawl call in Girgaon

The author in front of Khatryachi Chawl on VP Road in Girgaon

It is doubly memorable for creative folk, when they are able to trace the locations that had inspired their works - be it a film, a documentary or a book. Recently, Tejaswini Apte-Rahm, author of the novel, The Secret of More, that won the Tata Literature Live! (Book of the Year-Fiction) Award 2023, was able to locate Khatryachi Chawl (or Khatri Chawl), on VP Road in Girgaon. Telling us about the connection, Apte-Rahm who resides in Europe, adds, "My novel spans the years 1899-1952, and was inspired by the life and times of my great-grandfather, Vaman Shridhar Apte [commonly known as VS Apte, the financier of filmmaker Dadasaheb Phalke]. He arrived in Mumbai as a migrant and lived in Khatryachi Chawl, sharing a room with two other men. I based the chawl in my novel on this real-life location." She adds, "Tatya, my novel's protagonist, also lives in a Girgaon chawl before finding success in the textile industry and silent film industry. My great-grandfather's career had followed a similar trajectory." To deep-dive into the plot, pick up a copy of this interesting historic chronicle set in the city of dreams.