The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Pic/Satej Shinde
Walk the talk
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A man passes by a banner in Jogeshwari East that urges Mumbaikars to exercise their right to vote tomorrow.
Thane’s ode to the dabbawalla
The new bus stop in Kasarvadavali. Pic Courtesy/Instagram
If, like this diarist, you are chasing a bus near the Haware Citi housing society in Thane’s Kasarvadavali area, chances are that you might spot the new dabbawala-themed bus stop. The renovated stop features elements from the lives of Mumbai’s iconic delivery men. The artwork depicts two dabbawalas in their traditional outfits and the Gandhi topi, carrying a tray stacked with dabbas, while the surrounding artwork includes a dabbawala on a bicycle; Mumbai’s iconic historical landmark, the Gateway of India and the local train. The poles replicate dabbas stacked together. This is the second such artwork in the city, after the one in Dahisar. “I think the artwork appeared for the first time in the city nearly four months ago. One of our dabbawalas actually came across the bus stop en route to a delivery. He was delighted, as were we. It’s a matter of pride, and we were quite surprised at how accurately all the elements have been portrayed,” said Ulhas Muke, the president of the Mumbai Dabbawala Trust.
Ulhas Muke
Get inked, and then indulge
Rachel Goenka
The National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) has launched an initiative to encourage people to vote in the upcoming assembly elections. The special ‘democracy discount’ will offer a 20 per cent discount on the total bill to dine-in customers who will show authorities their voter ID and an inked finger as proof of their participation in the election process. “The whole idea behind the discount was for our industry to do its bit in this election,” Rachel Goenka, president of NRAI’s Mumbai Chapter shared with this diarist. The initiative has collaboration with 50 brands, and will cover 85 eateries across the city and its suburbs. “Our previous initiative during the Lok Sabha election was successful. We’re hoping for a similar response this time,” Goenka concluded.
He will rock you!
Sanidhya Das in performance. Pics Courtesy/Instagram
Lovers of all things metal and rock were in for a headbanging surprise when 10-year-old drumming prodigy Sanidhya Das took stage at the Mahindra Independence Rock festival in SoBo last weekend. Das, who joined rockers Indus Creed (and got the crowd roaring, from what we hear) has a longstanding history with the band. “Sanidhya’s father has been sending us videos of Sanidhya drumming to our tracks from home for two years now. We have been in awe of his talent. The collaboration had been a long time coming,” revealed Zubin Balaporia of Indus Creed.
Indus Creed members and Girish Pradhan (centre) with Das at the event
The prodigy, whom his father calls shy and reserved offstage, shared, “I practised tirelessly before heading to Mumbai. The band’s support gave me the confidence to give it my all. I also met veterans like Girish Pradhan, Sachin Banandur, Shannon Pereira and Sidd Coutto. Some even talked about jamming together in the future, which I’m really excited about.” Playing the drums live, for a metal band at that, is no easy task, believes Balaporia. “Playing for YouTube is one thing. But acing it live is an artiste’s litmus test. When I closed my eyes midperformance, I felt like I was playing with a professional,” added Balaporia, who now looks forward to the Me Gong festival later this month in Meghalaya, where a reunion with Swedish band Europe (whom the rockers opened for at their 1988 tour in Mumbai) awaits them.
In Farrukh Dhondy’s words
Farrukh Dhondy
For this diarist, picking the brain of author, playwright and screenwriter, Farrukh Dhondy before the start of a session at Godrej Literature Live! The Mumbai LitFest will remain etched in memory. In the green room, despite the buzz before going on-stage, and countless interruptions by volunteers and friends, the 80-year-old remained ebullient as ever, sharing snippets of quirk and candour, reminding us of his effortless storytelling, the old-fashioned way. Anecdotes rolled out: “At an edition of the Karachi Literature Festival, I was whisked away by the wonderful resident Parsi community there, post my session; they insisted I feast with them — bhonu and booze; it was a delight!” Another tidbit had us in splits. He had created names of British characters for the TV show Family Pride, heavily borrowing from Hindi expletives (which cannot be printed here). Later, on stage, he regaled all, narrating the surprised reactions of his Poona relatives when they learnt of his reporting assignment on godman Rajneesh and the (in)famous Osho Ashram. It was vintage Dhondy, tongue firmly in cheek, as the audience lapped up every word of one of their favourite bawa writers.
Cosplay to win
Molankar in the neoprene suit
Andheri-based cosplayer Jeet Molankar has put on seven kilos since landing in Hyderabad; and it’s not the biryani that is to be blamed. At the ongoing Comic Con Hyderabad, Molankar topped the gaming category with his seven-kg-heavy recreation of protagonist Prophet from the old-school video game Crysis 2. “It’s the first time I was surrounded by more millennials than Gen Z-ers,” Molankar told us.
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