Mumbai Diary: Friday Dossier

Laughing stock
We wonder what it is that's made Raj Thackeray and Asha Bhosle crack up at an event held on her birthday, at a Vile Parle venue on Wednesday. Pic/Rane Ashish

No silencing him
It's now been a year since Gauri Lankesh was murdered in cold blood for having the courage to speak her mind. And some of those who supported the good fight she was engaged in gathered at an event in Bengaluru held in her memory on Wednesday. What caught our eye, however, was a placard that master playwright Girish Karnad had placed around his neck. It read, "Me too Urban Naxal." It referenced a viral Twitter thread that seeks to show solidarity with the five activists who were recently arrested. We have always known Karnad to be a person who, like Lankesh, isn't afraid of voicing his opinions. Only this time, he didn't even have to speak to send out a powerful message.

Dancing with gay abandon
As the Supreme Court verdict on Section 377 of the Indian constitution created history at 11.30 am on Thursday morning, it wasn't just members of the LGBTQ community who revelled in what can be called the new dawn for personal liberty in India. A heart-warming video, which has gone viral since the judgment was announced, is that of the jubilant staff of a five-star in Delhi breaking into a flash mob of sorts in the hotel lobby. Sporting rainbow-coloured scarves, the staff can be seen matching their steps to the beats of a popular number, inviting onlookers to join in the revelry. Incidentally, Keshav Suri, executive director of the chain of hotels, is a prominent LGBTQ activist. Now that's some way of showing solidarity!

Pic Courtesy/Komapnero

A model couple
What does it take to be a model and the face of campaign? Well, if your mentor/husband is a supermodel, not much. Back in April, when model Milind Soman married Ankita Konwar, their wedding frames were picture-perfect and many wondered when the couple would face the camera together, which they finally have. Dressed in an embroidered jacket and a black gown, Soman and Konwar are now the face of a bag label, where Soman is seen admiring his wife with looks of love and pride in various scenes. What next, we wonder. A showstopper couple for the fashion week?

Photo credit: Cory Goldberg

'The Junglist'
We remember how ace guitarist Randolph Correia aka Func had knocked our socks off when we first heard him in action, way back in 2008. So you can understand our excitement when we heard that he's coming out with a solo album later this month. In it, Correia channels his core musical interest - drum 'n' bass - for a personal journey of sorts. We also hear that the album, called The Junglist, will debut on the radio show that Nucleya hosts for BBC Asian Network. Correia adds that there are a couple of other exciting projects he's got lined up in the near future, including one with a big-name band. "But it's too early to reveal the name yet," he says, meaning you'll have to watch this space for more.

East vs West
The battle between rappers from the East coast and West coast is a typically American phenomenon. But an act from Kolkata has now come out with a track that replicates the same rivalry in a desi setting. Adiacot is a three-member rap outfit that dropped Gully mein apna kutta bhi sher hai a day ago. It is an absolutely brutal takedown of the gully rap circuit in Mumbai, with no prisoners taken. Most of the lines in the song are not fit to be published in a family newspaper, given the liberal use of cuss words. But sample this: "Vicks lele beta tera gale mein jo khaasi hain/ukhad tu kya lega tu toh Sony ka chaprasi hain". The track ends with the musicians issuing a challenge to their Mumbai counterparts to come up with a counter diss track in seven days. The clock is ticking.

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