Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

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

#Nofilter

A woman sums up the spirit of World Photography Day by clicking an offbeat selfie at Juhu Beach.

For the green girls of Mumbai

(From left) A karvi bloom spotted during the walk; participants on the trail  

A new women-run community in the city is making sure female nature enthusiasts are always in great company. All Women Nature Walks held its inaugural trail with nearly 30 members at the Bombay Natural History Society’s Conservation Education Centre in Goregaon last Saturday. “Women often have apprehensions while stepping out into the wild with a mixed gender group. We wanted to eliminate that anxiety and ensure a safe and judgement-free environment,” shared Dipti Humraskar, organising member. The community operates through a WhatsApp group that is open to women from all walks of life. “We’re already 90-member strong. You don’t have to be a trekker or a hardcore naturalist to join us,” she revealed, adding that the group will aim to conduct a trail every month. Those keen on joining the club can visit @awnw.mumbai.

Bond with nature

A child ties a rakhi to a plant 

Last Saturday, the Youth of Aarey Foundation, in collaboration with other foundations, celebrated Vriksha Bandhan by tying rakhis to the plant life of Aarey Forest. “It honoured our age-old bond with the ecosystem that sustains us,” said Aparna Bangia, co-founder of Earth4ever Conservation Foundation, one of the collaborating organisations. 

Aparna Bangia

Voices for justice from Kurla 

Shafi Shaikh (in grey) performs with a crewmate

As the country finds itself at a loss for words over the developments coming in from RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, city-based rappers are channelling their protest into poetry. A cross-community rap cypher held on Kurla West’s New Mill Road yesterday, saw rappers from artiste collectives across the city join hands to demand swift justice for the victim. “We haven’t been able to get over what has transpired over the last week. But it is also our responsibility to not let the protests die any time soon,” shared Shafi Shaikh, organiser. While rappers like Vedant Chorge, an Aarey resident, made the short drive to the cypher, others like Uttarakhand-based Lucky Hundal flew in to join the four-hour-long protest. A prominent voice at the protest was that of Shaikh’s septuagenarian mother. “My mother has been restless since she heard the news. While the artistes performed, spectators like her raised slogans for justice,” Shaikh revealed to 
this diarist. 

An artiste performs at a woman’s special hip-hop showcase in Kurla earlier this year  

Made in India, 2.0

Sushant Divgikar and Mayur Jumani in a moment from the music video. Pic Courtesy/Instagram

Musician Mayur Jumani and Sushant Divgikar, aka Rani Ko-He-Nur, both fans of Nineties’ music, jammed recently to recreate Alisha Chinai’s ’90s pop hit, Made In India. “We have been wanting to work together for some time, and this felt like the perfect project,” Jumani shared. They infused Rani’s strong vocals and used water-filled wine glasses as musical instruments to introduce a modern twist to the original track. “The subtle, resonant sound gave the tune a surprising and unique touch and blended flawlessly with the song,” Jumani explained. “It was the perfect canvas to honour the songs original’s legacy while adding our creative touch,” he concluded.

New spin on the OG stars

Students pose with their vinyl records 

At the recently concluded Malhar Fest in St Xavier’s College, all eyes were on Freddie Mercury, Michael Jackson and Radiohead. These were just a few of the many iconic artistes whose vinyl records made their way to the cultural fest courtesy of The Revolver Club. “This is the first time we ventured into a college to set up a pop-up store and a listening booth, but the response was phenomenal. Students spent hours browsing through and understanding how vinyls work. I’m glad Gen Z-ers are bringing back the lost tradition of physically owning music,” a core team member told this diarist.

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