Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

Ranvir Shorey and Sunil Chhetri

Kicking off a change

Actor Ranvir Shorey and Indian football team captain Sunil Chhetri interact with children of a non-profit at a sports complex in Bandra over the weekend. Pic/Bipin Kokate

Young artist bats for a cause

An exhibition held in the city last Friday proved yet again that age has nothing to do with the will to make a difference. A showcase of artworks by young artist Sanjana Elizabeth, it was her second exhibition to raise awareness about abuse, and set up NGR - No Gender Required, an initiative to help victims of abuse get help and justice. "The idea occurred to me when [I learnt that] my house help's daughter was a victim of domestic abuse.

Sanjana Elizabeth's paintings titled Comfort, Scream and Feminism showcased at the exhibition held on Friday

The simple task of collecting all the required information online and passing it to her, provided me with the incentive of creating an organisation that ran on just doing this," said Elizabeth, 21, about the thought behind the show. The initiative received a warm response, where she and her volunteers sold paintings, photographs and cupcakes by Harsha Gupta, along with live music by Atharva Phadke. Elizabeth calls NGR "a middleman centre for the sole purpose of protecting men, women and transgenders... Sexuality doesn't come into play here and neutral opinions, law advice and information on how to take the next step...shall be provided."

The East Indian way of life

"Sant Anthon saargan... pani partai dongran… Sant Anthon mafi kar… pani para shetavar." You might not hear this prayer as often anymore, but years ago, when Mumbai thirsted for rains, the East Indian community in the city would carry out processions in several gaothans, praying to Saint Anthony to bless their fields with rain.

This and several other East Indian traditions that are now quietly turning into memories of a bygone era will be part of Reetiñ Reevaj - Reviving Traditions, an ongoing book project by the Mobai Gaothan Panchayat, which aims to document these traditions with guidelines and release the book later this year.

A gem in Kalbadevi

Last week saw a quiet celebration of a gem in Kalbadevi, built during the British era. The Shree Nar Narayan temple, dedicated to Lord Arjuna (Nar) and Lord Krishna (Narayan) completed 119 years.

Apart from its unique location - it is nestled between high-rises and chawls - the temple is known for carvings on its roof that depict scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, and a beautiful chequered floor with vintage appeal. The next time you are in the SoBo neighbourhood, drop in for a visit.

Sleep matters

"How much sleep are you getting? I've been averaging 6.5 hours these last few weeks. And that's not ideal. In fact, it's not good at all. It's taking a toll on my productivity, my health, my exercise recovery, my temperament and my face..." wrote actor Gul Panag in an Instagram post with which she shared this picture.

Gul Panag and Deepika Padukone

Known to engage her followers on discussions on health-related subjects, Panag - who has a Private Pilot Licence - also spoke of how the aviation industry is particularly affected by inadequate sleep. Recently, Deepika Padukone, too, had shared a post drawing attention to sleep deprivation, which, had resulted in a useful discussion. Are you getting enough shut eye?

Indian calligraphy goes international

Well-known city-based calligrapher Achyut Palav was invited recently to conduct a special workshop and masterclass during the 6th Calligraphies in Conversation, an international calligraphy exhibition in San Francisco. Palav's session on Indian calligraphy was to teach American calligraphers the Devnagari script from an artist's point of view.

Achyut Palav with Rob Saunders, curator and publisher, Letterform Archive, San Francisco

For this, he chose the line from Sant Tukaram's abhang, Anadache Dohi Ananda Taranga, as a base for his painting. Palav's paintings will also be exhibited in the 11th World Calligraphy Biennale in South Korea in September.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates