Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

Heart on his sleeve
Probably inspired by Saif Ali Khan, Aayush Sharma flaunts a tattoo of his wife's name as he flings a T-shirt into the crowds while promoting his debut film, at a Churchgate college on Wednesday. Pic/Bipin Kokate

End of an era
As mid-day had first reported, after decades of serving scrumptious Chinese cuisine, Flora, the legendary restaurant in Worli, faced closure after the building it is housed in was declared unsafe. And ahead of August 31, the final day, a hoarding put up outside the entry serves as a personal thank you to loyal patrons. It is short, sweet and touched a chord with all the people who have sworn by the eatery. The best bit? It is signed "Mrs Leo", wife of Anthony Leo, who first launched the restaurant in 1967.

Upcoming chapter
With his latest book, Peshwa: War Of The Deceivers, ready to hit the stands early next month, scientist and historical fiction writer Ram Sivasankaran was in conversation with author Amish recently in the city.

And what interests us the most is that Amish disclosed that the duo are working together on a book that will chronicle the tale of what he called "one of his favourite historical heroes", Rajendra Chola of the Chola dynasty that ruled over vast tracts of India in the 11th century. Watch this space for more.

Why Haves has faith in India
After a scintillating performance at the just wrapped-up fashion week, Cirque Du Soleil has left us longing for November when they return. However, this diarist was told that its comics act designer and global director of Cirque, Stefan Haves (below) still has his interests in the city. This one, however, isn't entertainment-related.

The designer, who has been instrumental in bringing the group to the country, will be attending the India Chapter of the International Advertising Awards on Friday. He will then drop by the Rotary Club's Lighthouse Project, instituted for child welfare in Machimar Nagar, Cuffe Parade, for a half-hour session where he will discuss ways to build communications skills with children from the neighbourhood.

A welcome guest
Here's a photograph that was always bound to get the goat of the legion of right-wing trolls. Activist Kanhaiya Kumar was in the city recently, and gave a talk at the Mumbai Press Club, where he took the present dispensation to the cleaners. He later dropped in to visit Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar, two people who are also not afraid to speak their mind. Azmi put up this photo of the three of them together, and guess what? The trolls saw red and started spewing venom. These are predictable times.

Fashion before Partition
Clothes aren't just about fashion, but memories too. And designer Sanjay Garg knows how to translate this nostalgia to tangible designs. His latest collection, called Heer, after the medieval heroine from Punjab who challenged patriarchy, is set against Patiala's Baradari Palace and looks at a shared history and culture of pre-partition Punjab.

"For my younger brother, Pankaj's wedding last year to Daman - a Sikh girl from Chandigarh - I was looking to curate something simple yet beautiful, be it for the decor or the outfits of the bride and family. Tradition and ritual is important to me, but I wanted to present that in a fuss-free manner while retaining the values and culture of both our families. I began to look back at my archival textiles and the visual imagery of Punjab, as I have always been struck by the uniqueness and the memories of pre-partition. This bygone era became the inspiration for our festive collection as it was a place of composite cultures. The campaign recalls this through Heer's bridal festivities, where she celebrates a unified tradition and heritage, through a rich palette of colour, textile and silhouettes," explains Garg.

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