Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

Amitav Ghosh's bad weather book
Fans of Amitav Ghosh can rejoice. The author of breathtaking historical novels is back with a non-fiction title. This time, he talks of one of the most pressing issues of the world. He has been speaking about about climate change and its imminent threats, including how cities like Calcutta are at a risk of going under water in years to come.

Amitav Ghosh

In July, his book on this challenge, The Great Derangement, will hit bookshelves. He explains why and how the human race has failed to face up to the threat of climate change, and how this inability to deal with reality will cost us everything.

Goodies for cops
The next time you need to lodge a complaint at Bandra (W) police station, don't be surprised to spot one of the cops noting details on a new laptop or desktop computer. Recently, three computers, a laptop and three printers were donated to the station by the Kangaroo Kids School's CSR initiative.

(Left to right) Police Inspector Kalundre, Divya Punjab (culture custodian), Lina Ashar, DCP Satyanarayan Chaudhary and Shuklaji

"Our first pre-school started in Bandra, and for 23 years, the Bandra police have helped us with permissions, field trips to police stations and security for our children during special events," said founder Lina Ashar, who was granted the opportunity by DCP Satyanarayan Chaudhary, who is also a parent of the preschool. Here's to more student efforts for a tech-savvy force.

Here comes the hotstepper

Kangana Ranaut made for a confident picture when she was spotted at Mumbai's international airport on her arrival from Dubai. Pic/Tehniyat Fatima

Not feeling the seven-year itch
Kashish 2016, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) film festival will kick off from May 25, and this incidentally, marks its seventh year.

(Left-right) Sridhar Rangayan, Manav Gohil, Parvathi Balagopalan, Rajeshwari Sachdev, Kaizaad Kotwal and Pallav Patankar (rear row) at the Mumbai Press Club

At a conference organised at the Press Club on Wednesday, Sridhar Rangayan, festival director, announced that Parvathi Balagopalan, Manav Gohil, Rajeshwari Sachdev, Kaizaad Kotwal and Andrea Kuhn will be jury members, watching the 182 films from 53 countries, including 27 films from India.

The oooh factor came when Rangayan revealed, "There have been at least three if not more people who have become couples at Kashish." As hearts were turning to mush, Kotwal struck a serious note (ah! cupid's arrow is cast aside), saying, only half joking, "The festival is revolutionary in itself. It is a political rebellion in a sense."

Floyd's culinary diplomacy
Yesterday, US-based celebrity chef Floyd Cardoz did his bit for Indo-US culinary diplomacy at a session with students from the Sheila Raheja Institute of Hotel Management.

Chef Floyd Cardoz (left, seated) judges a culinary competition at a Bandra college. Pic/Shadab Khan

They were spotted dashing around to put finishing touches to their creations and have them plated in time to be judged by Cardoz. Organised by the US Consulate General Mumbai and the United States Foreign Agricultural Service, the competition was aimed at strengthening US-India ties and understanding through culinary diplomacy.

The owner of restaurants in the US and India, Cardoz pushed the hot button topic of sustainability telling students about his passion for sustainability, in the kitchen. Students watched attentively as he shed light on what it was like to be a professional chef in the US. We liked the Amreeka-desi culinary confluence and diplomatic duet idea.

Woof salute to this initiative
For years now, gallerist Priyasri Patodia has been working with The Welfare of Stray Dogs (WSD) and The Bombay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA). Now we hear that with help from The Rotary Club, Patodia has donated an X-Ray machine to BSPCA. The gallerist lost her nine-and-a-half-year-old dog in Baroda due to lack of medical treatment.

Artwork by Harisha Chennangod

This, however, strengthened her resolve to realise a project for animal welfare that she's been working on for a year and a half. Patodia connected with 50 artists to create artworks themed on animals for a fundraiser show; the proceeds of which will go to BSPCA and WSD.

Priyasri Patodia

A preview of the exhibition, titled Basic Instinct, will be held at experimental space Yiamas on May 20, and the exhibition will continue at Patodia's Worli gallery May 23 onwards (till June 1). "We even had a one-day workshop for artists at the VCare shelter in Baroda. Even post the workshop, the artists continued to visit the shelter. I have fixed the dates of the exhibition keeping in mind that schools are currently on vacation and kids should also come to view the works," shares Patodia.