Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

Pic/Anurag Ahire

What's so funny?

The heat doesn't stop a Mumbaikar from sparing a moment for himself at Carter Road.

He's just Lava'in it!

Subhash Motwani in Iceland

Travel professional Subhash Motwani has just come back to Mumbai from Iceland. The Colaba resident considers himself lucky, as he was witness at the lava field where a volcano erupted at the Reykjanes Peninsula on May 29. "Iceland is known as the land of fire and ice for its glaciers and volcanoes as much as how well-managed a country is, with almost 60 to 80 earthquakes a day on a magnitude of 1 to 3 on the Richter scale. Some result in volcanic eruptions too," he told this diarist. He witnessed that no matter what, life goes on as it normally would for Icelanders. Motwani added, "I will not forget though, as the fissure erupted, seeing the sky turn from a clear blue with white clouds, to one with an orange tinge. It was almost like the divine power looking down at his white and blue canvas, deciding it needed a bit of orange too… I drove past it enroute to the Keflavik International Airport for my flight back home. I had a window seat and I could see the lava from the sky as the plane took off. I thought to myself - kudos to the safety measures adopted by a country that has more sheep than humans. I would have enjoyed an extended stay, as it is much safer to be on a pollution-free volcanic island than to cross the streets of Mumbai. Such is harsh reality!" Touché.

Tubby Taylor, are you serious?

Ex-Australia cricket captain Mark Taylor. PIC/GETTY IMAGES

Even in contemporary cricket, where sides are coached by foreigners, we have the case of former Australia captain Mark Taylor (nicknamed Tubby), who recently said that he would not want to see Ponting coach India. Taylor said on Channel Nine after listing out Ponting's coaching assignments recently: "But now, the Indians are after him. I'm delighted to read he is probably not taking it up. I don't want to see Ricky Ponting go coach the Indian side because he's obviously a great captain of this country, great player. India is coming here this year to play against Australia. Ponting… stay right away from that… stay right away." If Taylor, otherwise a balanced and much-liked observer of the game, is serious, we seriously believe he is being naive, childish and narrow-minded in a sporting sense. For the record, Taylor led two Australian Test teams to India - in 1996 and 1998 and lost three of the four Tests.

Celebration of love and fashion

Pride is not just a celebration of love and freedom, but also an emblem of inclusivity and self-acceptance, which Indian designer Mayyur Girotra hopes to reflect through his second Ride to Pride collection at the New York Pride. As the first Indian-South Asian designer to showcase his collections at the event, his collection caters to the broader community of individuals who prefer gender-neutral clothing while bringing an enriching line of Indian and contemporary textile blends. "Blending Indian textiles and traditions with gender-neutral designs has been an exhilarating yet a fun journey. The challenge comes with respecting and preserving the traditional craftsmanship while pushing the boundaries of conventional design to create inclusive, gender-fluid fashion," Girotra told this diarist. Along with an all-LGBTQiA+ model cast for the show, one can look forward to the seamless embellishment of his signature embroideries with Gujarati Kutchi patchwork, thread work from the brand's archives, ikat patterns, and custom prints in the line. For Girotra, the collection was incredibly significant on personal and professional levels. "Being part of this moment allowed me to honour the journey of the LGBTQiA+ community, reflect on our shared experiences, and contribute to the ongoing dialogue of acceptance and equality, all in a space that values authenticity," he signed off.

Have ‘pride' in your own story, own destiny

Prithvi Vatsalya

It's Pride Month, and the Godrej DEI Lab is celebrating it with a special event - Telling Our Own Stories. There will be a screening of the movie Laila Majnu (directed by Kamya Nai), which will be followed by a conversation with queer creators at Godrej who are owning their narratives. "The idea sprang from a genuine desire to spotlight LGBTQIA+ voices and stories within Godrej. The intention was to situate queerness in our everyday lives, rather than portraying it as something alien and removed from us. In the month of June alone, our calendar is packed with activities such as sessions on allyship, queer relationships, and a newly revised trans healthcare policy," Prithvi Vatsalya (he/him), filmmaker & co-writer of Lailaa Manju, Research and Media Catalyst at the Godrej DEI Lab, told us. For Vatsalya, the aim is to make queer folks and allies who are attending feel more comfortable in their own skin and confident about telling their own stories. "For too long, others have tried to dictate what we should be feeling and whom we ought to love. No more, I say. We are more than capable of writing our own stories and destinies."