Mumbai Diary: Tuesday Dossier

Pic/Ashish Rane

Waiting for the grand opening

Sculptor Amit Sawant's works, featuring two 15-feet tall elephants and warriors from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's army on horseback, were to be installed on a chowk in Panvel. They now lie abandanoned in Borivli East near Magha Thane bus depot amid the lockdown. Pic/Ashish Rane

Mastering the mind amid lockdown

Two months ago, mental health organisation Mpower tied up with the BMC and state government to launch a mental health helpline. In a recently released report, it found that 52 per cent of the callers were anxious about life post the lockdown, 22 per cent cited isolation and adjustment issues and 11 per cent spoke about depression. As much as 37 per cent calls were from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region and 60 per cent were from the rest of Maharashtra and Goa. "Setting time apart for ourselves and our family, pausing and reflecting are some of the key lessons of the past two months. I hope we carry these lessons forward," said Dr Sapna Bangar, psychiatrist and head, Mpower.

Out and proud this pride month

Mozez Singh (right) with guests from an episode of the podcast

Pride month is here, and it is a good time to listen to stories from the LGBTQi+ community through ordinary voices. Filmmaker Mozez Singh hosted Azaad Awaaz, an LGBTQ podcast with 10 episodes earlier this year, produced by Guneet Monga that is now available for streaming on Amazon Audible. "What excited me the most about the offer was that I would be able to tell the stories of the voiceless. I was clear about not wanting to do a celebrity-driven show. I wanted them to celebrate who they were, and the choices that they have made," Singh told this diarist about the show, adding, "The LGBTQ community is no longer going to accept being invisible. Never again."

The show must go on

This diarist had made a trip to the dusty roads of Naigaon in February this year to meet the members of V Unbeatable, a dance crew from the area crowned the winners of America's Got Talent: The Champions. The dedication and hard work that these lesser-privileged youngsters had put in to achieve their dreams, is now at risk of being futile, given how dance shows are a distant reality now. And it's not just their bread and butter, but also that of some of their family members that has been taken away. So, these youngsters who brought the nation glory, are now seeking your help. They have released a video where they have sought the support of PM Narendra Modi and state CM Uddhav Thackeray. "If some of the children return to their villages because of the situation, I will never be able to replace them, and all the hard work I have put in over eight years will have gone to waste," crew leader Omprakash Shankar Chauhan told this diarist. Log on to the V Unbeatable pages on Twitter and facebook to reach out to them.

Preparing for the virtual world

While the world is taking the virtual route to perform everything from music to theatre and storytelling, artiste Sheena Khalid will be hosting a series of workshops on Public Speaking for the Virtual World with the first one being conducted over Zoom this weekend. "When we do public speaking workshops otherwise, we tend to focus on body language, voice and other aspects. Since all our work has moved online, a lot of people are finding it difficult to navigate. It's much harder to engage your audience on screen owing to the distractions around. It isn't about just getting someone's attention but holding it too," Khalid told this diarist, adding, "I do public speaking workshops otherwise, but these will have different exercises even though the basic principles will be the same."

Inspire a cocktail

In an attempt to offer new experiences, Bombay Canteen and O Pedro will now let you be the inspiration for a new cocktail. Exchange notes with bar manager Rahul Raghav and help create a new drink that will reflect your taste and find a place on the menu, at a price, of course. "We wanted to introduce experiences that are enjoyable and keep people engaged with the brand once the government allows restaurants to resume regular operations. It's a fun process that starts with a phone call where Raghav gets to know you a bit, what cocktails you like and preferred flavour profiles, and then the team works their magic to create a drink that's all about you, which goes onto the menu. And yes, the person gets to do a trial session, when restaurants open," Sameer Seth, partner, Hunger Inc Hospitality (O Pedro, The Bombay Canteen, Bombay Sweet Shop), said

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