Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

14 May,2020 07:58 AM IST |  Mumbai  |  Team mid-day

The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce

Pic/Suresh Karkera


Baby steps to home

The child of a migrant worker boards a BEST bus that will take her to the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus to get on a train to her home in UP. Pic/Suresh Karkera

Four for deco


Pic courtesy/Art Deco Mumbai

Public charitable trust Art Deco Mumbai that has been chronicling the city's art deco structures, has turned four. So far, they have surveyed 1,769 buildings and documented 661. Last month, they partnered with Google to put up a virtual exhibition on Google Arts & Culture.

Speaking about the milestone, founder-trustee Atul Kumar said, "It's been an exciting year of collaborations, taking the outreach for Bombay's Deco across the city, the country and to the rest of the world. Our city's Deco is firmly on the world map. It's a proud moment for Mumbai."

End of chapter for publishing

Known for her stellar work in publishing as part of Simon and Schuster, CEO Carolyn Reidy breathed her last on Tuesday. She had first joined the publishing house in 1992 and was regarded as a visionary in the field. Tributes have since poured in from publishers and authors alike including those by the likes of Stephen King. She is remembered for her handwritten notes to writers and her infectious sense of humour.

Rahul Srivastava, MD, Simon and Schuster India, recalled her connect with India, "Carolyn's keen vision for expanding Simon and Schuster's international business led to the India office being established in 2011, and a small but ambitious local publishing list was inaugurated in 2016. It was her dearest wish that India should publish a bestseller that would be a success globally. We will continue to strive to achieve her goal and, indeed, it will now be our mission to do so in the shortest time possible."

He went on to add that she was curious about developments in India's digital business landscape, and was perplexed why e-books didn't grow here like in the rest of the world. "It saddens me that as e-book sales in India surge during the pandemic, Carolyn is no longer here to witness this. Her legacy, however, will continue to
inspire us."

Getting quizzical

Comedians are known for the gift of the gab, making us laugh with their witty repartees. But a bunch of them will now display their quizzical side, by participating in a quiz competition titled Kvizzing.

The format involves a group stage before the participants make it to the semi-finals and the grand finale. The participating comedians include Sapan Verma, Rohan Joshi, Mallika Dua and Kenny Sebastian. Some of them have dabbled in quizzing before, but others like Aishwarya Mohanraj are in a completely new territory. "I have never been part of any quiz before and I am only doing it because of KV [host Kumar Varun] and because it seems like a lot of fun," she told this diarist.

From a women's point of view

Author Sreemoyee Piu Kundu, has been holding a live talk show titled Status Single with Shree that addresses issues pertaining to women as part of Status Single, a unique platform for single Indian women.

Its third episode yesterday was themed on Women Artists in the Lockdown featuring musician Parvathy Baul, actor Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal, artist Seema Kohli, choreographer Madhu Nataraj and Arundhati Ghosh, executive director, IFA. "Arts at a time like this comes at the lowest rung of sponsorship. There are no large gatherings and it is a difficult time for practitioners," Kundu said. The session is available on Kundu's YouTube channel.

Poetic stirrings

The lockdown has inspired people to try different things, and chef-restaurateur Manu Chandra (of Toast & Tonic and Monkey Bar fame) has taken the poetic route. The heartfelt attempt in verse laments the state of the hospitality industry under lockdown. "Pans hanging forgotten, chairs and floors covered in dust, scrambled hopes of hundreds, who had put all their trust," read some of the lines.

"I studied English Literature and History for my Bachelor's degree. I do dabble in writing occasionally. These circumstances have led me to find expression in poetry. I am happy to know it has resonated with people in the industry," he told this diarist.

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