21 things to do around Mumbai from December 6 - December 12

For the love of a sketch book
1 - 4 PM: It's Sketchbook Sunday, so carry your pens, pencils, watercolours, and sketchbooks over to Kulture Shop and fire away on paper. Joining you is Mumbai's nifty illustrator and art zine-maker Sameer Kulavoor, who will launch his latest project, Kalaghoda Musings. The accordion-fold art print is a collection of his sketches that pay homage to the lingering beauty of the bylanes in the heritage district of the city. Get inspired and get doodling.
Where: Kulture Shop, near Mehboob Studio, Bandra West
Call: 9004180703

Munch on brunch
12 PM - 4 PM: Unwind at Woodside Inn with the new happy brunch menu, which has a live station for waffles, eggs and pastas. There is also craft beer from Independence Brewing Company to glug.
Where: Woodside Inn, Oshiwara Link Road, Andheri West
Entry: Rs 1095 (non-alcoholic); Rs 1695 (alcohol)
Call: 26328963

View Bhopal 1984
11 AM - 7 PM: Facing 30 by Francesca Moore recalls Union Carbide's environmental disaster in 1984. The award-winning photographer portrays the continued effects on the people and architecture of Bhopal.
Where: Jehangir Art Gallery, Kala Ghoda
Call: 22843989

Fall for a flautist
5.30 PM: Prepare yourself for a evening of music with Padma Bhushan awardee Hari Prasad Chaurasia, as he weaves a spell with his flute. Accompanying him are Yogesh Shamshi on
the tabla and Bhavani Shankar on the pakhawai.
Where: Palava Tarang, Rio Amphitheatre, Kalyan-Shil Road
Entry: Rs 300 - Rs 650

Join a merry race
12.00 - 10.30 PM: The Christmas Racing Carnival by the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce is back. Shop from NGO stalls, get candid with Santa Claus, skate on the ice-rink and try your luck at the horse races.
Where: Royal Western India Turf Club, Mahalaxmi
Register: www.indien.ahk.de

Work it out
3 PM - 10 PM: Make your day at the mall a different one by trying out a health and fitness routine at the Fit Fest. There's The Melt by Sucheta Pal; Heat 1000 with Zaheer Khan; a happiness session by The Art of Living; and self-defense by Sandhya Shetty. Pick up passes from the Nike or Puma outlets at the mall.
Where: Phoenix Marketcity, LBS Marg, Kurla West
Call: 61801100

Front row
It's play-time in the city, and here are four options - one Urdu and three English - to choose from

Ek Punjabi Ye Bhi
5 PM & 8 PM: Watch four contemporary Urdu tales of human frailty inspired by Western Punjab by Ali Akbar Natiq. The musical drama by The Hoshruba Repertory, is directed by Danish Husain and stars Sadiya Siddiqui, Kunal Kapoor, Imran Rasheed, Gagan Dev Riar among others.
Where: Prithvi Theatre, Juhu Church Road
Entry: Rs 500
Call: 26149546

The Moustache & Immaculate Conception
6.30 PM & 8.30 PM: Shyam Kishore and Kamal Virk explore man and woman in today's world of open relationships and alternate sexualities. How easily do gender equations change by the presence or absence of a symbol of masculinity?
Where: The Hive, 50A, Chuim, Khar West
Entry: Rs 250
Call: 9619962969

Still Life
8.30 PM: KC Shankar will enact The Tell-tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe, while Anita Salim will enact Kunti and Nishadin, written by Mahasweta Devi, which speaks of women survivors from the Mahabharata war.
Where: The Jeff Goldberg Studio, Gazebo House, 133 Hill Road, Bandra West
Entry: Rs 300
Call: 7506906927

Little Red Riding Hood
6.30 PM: Watch a fairytale musical about Little Red Riding Hood who goes through the forest to see her sick grandmother. Except, this one has comedy mixed with music.
Where: Whistling Woods Andheri Base, Andheri West
Entry: Rs 300
Call: 30916248

Order of the day

Say abracadabra!
DEC 11, 8.30 PM: Witness mind-boggling tricks by renowned magician PC Sorcar (Junior). In a career spanning four decades, Sorcar has made the Taj Mahal disappear for two minutes in broad daylight, and made the Victoria Memorial vanish during its 300th anniversary celebrations in Kolkata.
Where: Dinanath Mangeshkar Natya Gruha, Mongibhai Road, Vile Parle East
Entry: Rs 300 - Rs 1,000
Call: 26184027

Bite into a cheesy pizza
DEC 7, 12 PM - 12 am: Who wouldn't like a crusty pizza laden with mozzarella and fun toppings, especially when there's a flat 25 per cent discount on the final bill? Grab this offer at Playlist Pizzeria every Monday. Vegetarians can try Poker Face, a margherita pizza or Hips Don't Lie (Rs 440) that has cheese, arugula leaves, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach and jalapeños. Non-vegetarians can try Firestarter (R460) with white sauce and chicken salami.
Where: The Playlist Pizzeria, Shop No 1, Gloria Apartments, St Baptist Road, near Mount Mary Steps, Bandra West
Call: 65554151

Catch Anjolie
Till DEC 31, 11 AM - 7 PM: Anjolie Ela Menon is showcasing her work in Mumbai after a gap of nine long years. Menon was around 17 when she held her first exhibition in Mumbai at the Bhulabhai Desai Institute. Her recent work is in continuation of the Divine Mother series, depicting mothers of deities like Krishna, Jesus and portraits of family members.
Where: Art Musings, Admiralty Building, Colaba Cross Lane
Call: 22163339

Meet the weavers
Dec 11, 11 AM - 7 PM: Liz Williamson, a renowned Australian textile artist, is in the city for a cross-cultural collaboration organised by the Australian Consulate General. Led by Williamson, a young group of designers Down Under have been working with artisans in Gujarat and Bengal to create innovative textile designs.
Where: Artisans', 56, 52, VB Gandhi Marg, Kala Ghoda, Fort
Call: 9820145397

Let music be the healer
Attend a Shankar Mahadevan concert, aid the farmer's relief fund

DEC 13, 5.30 PM: Music, they say, can spread peace, stir positive emotions and transcend boundaries. Attend a charity concert, Spirit of India, organised by Chinmaya Mission, Where singer and composer Shankar Mahadevan and his troupe will present bhajans and patriotic numbers. While there, do watch the screening of Chinmaya Pradeep, a film about an upcoming park in Powai. The concert is part of ChinmayaAnandaUtsav, the centenary celebration of Swami Chinmayananda Saraswati. Funds raised through the concert will go towards offering scholarships to deserving students and towards the Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyaan for farmers' relief in Maharashtra. On December 19 at 9 am, take part in a conclave titled, I Transform India Transform, that will see eminent personalities like Swati Piramal, Amish Tripathi and Kumar Mangalam Birla share their thoughts on leadership, excellence and self transformation.
Where: Sri Shanmukhananda Chandrasekarendra Saraswati Auditorium, Sion East
Entry: Rs 750 - Rs 10,000
Call: 24078888

Take home royal artifacts
DEC 8 - 9, 11 AM - 7 PM: Get a glimpse of the opulent life of the maharajas and maharanis of yore at Royal Fables.
The exhibition includes oleographs from HH Maharani Radhikaraje Gaekwad of Baroda, gold-woven saris by Thakurani Darshana Kumari of Mandawa and organic cotton ensembles by Kanwarani Kamini Singh of Seohara.
Where: The St Regis, 462, Lower Parel
Call: 61628000

Demystify contemporary dance
6.30 PM: Dr Ileana Citaristi, a doctorate in philosophy, an Odissi, dancer, teacher and choreographer, will crack the confusion that looms over contemporary dance. The disciple of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra will shed light on how to define experimental pieces.
Where: Stuart Liff Library, NCPA, Nariman Point
Call: 66223737

Time travel with art
11 AM - 6 PM: One show, four international artists and two years of planning. Titled In & Out Of Time, the exhibition curated by Jane Neal, features works by Diana Al-Hadid, Idris Khan, Adrian Ghenie and Michael Kunze. They are a mix of abstract, self-portrait and modern art.
Where: Gallerie Isa, 27,Great Western Building,Opp Lion gate, Fort
When: Till Feb 3 (Sunday closed)
Call: 66373432

Watch three dance forms in one
Watch Contemporary Dance Season (Crossing Oceans) by Odissi dancer Daksha Mashruwala and her troupe. Crossing Oceans is an exploration of mythology and folklore from Greek, Japanese and Australian
Aboriginal cultures.
Where: Experimental Theatre: NCPA, Nariman Point
Entry: Rs 300 - Rs 400

Take a tiffin, gift a tiffin
In April this year, Yash Charitable Trust and Simply Ghar Ka Khana set up a kitchen Where adults with developmental disabilities got a chance to work with non-disabled colleagues in a healthy kitchen environment. With the vegetarian thalis priced at R120, and non-veg at R180, founder of the trust, Sushama Nagarkar says they have earned many a regular customer. The menu comprises dishes like aloo mutter, baigan aloo and chicken curry. "Latest on our menu is vegetarian cakes in walnut, carrot and date flavours," she adds. Starting next week, the NGO is hoping to take a step further and tie up with the Robin Hood Army, a group that works to get surplus food from restaurants across to the less fortunate. "We want people to come forward and sponsor meals for the poor. Now, this will happen only if we get funds." You know what to do next.
Call: 9892418057
Email: sushama@arpanmumbai.co.in

Enjoy a colonial Christmas meal
7 PM - 11 PM: Chef Jenny Malin, author of A Grandmother's Legacy, will whip up a pre-Christmas meal in Anglo-Indian flavours passed down over five generations. The feast will be a combination of British flavours and spicy Indian ingredients. Think rumble tumble and grandpa's fudge.
Where: Lake View Café, Renaissance Mumbai, Powai
When: Dec 6 - 9
Call: 9820558369

Listen to the maestros
7.30 PM: The word ‘Upaj' literally means ‘harvest'. Tabla Maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain and Sitar exponent Niladri Kumar will blend rhythms and melodies of their respective instruments. You don't want to miss this performance.
Where: Shanmukhananda, Comrade Harbanslal Marg, Sion
Entry: Rs 229 - Rs 2,290
Call: 24078888

Head to a beach festival
Asia's longest beach festival is on. Book a tent for this Saturday and hear Neeraj Sridhar sing pop and rock hits with Rashid Ali as they strum their guitars and set the party mood. If you are in for a longer haul, check out their schedule on the website.
Entry: Rs 7,799 - Rs 9,000
Log on to: www.festadiu.com

Pay an ode to spring
TILL Dec 11 , 11 AM - 8 PM: Attend Colours of Spring, an exhibition organised by Aakriti Art Foundation, Where paintings and sculptures by sixty established as well as emerging artists from India, Bangladesh and America will be on display. The plethora of works, made in oil on canvas and watercolours, are a tribute to spring.
Where: Art Gate Gallery, Satyam Collection, 1st floor, Churchgate
Call: 8652676888