Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

Pic/Anurag Ahire

Shell we make music?

Two morning-walkers blow conch sea shells in a park in Goregaon West.

Spread some Christmas cheer

The Culinaris Cookery Institute, an initiative of The Veruschka Foundation which skills and employs differently-abled individuals is accepting orders to deliver the Peace, Love and Joy hampers this Christmas season. With Santa-approved treats from around the world, these include an assortment of baath cakes, cookies, fudge and fruit mince truffles. "We received an overwhelming response to our Diwali hampers. So our students are working hard to bring you treats for Christmas too. We are accepting orders until December 18. The proceeds from the sale will go towards employing adults with special needs," Rohan Dias, co-founder of the institute, told this diarist. Place your orders on 9833025477.

Are you ready for Wagle ki nayi duniya?

Aanjjan Srivastav (left) with Shah Rukh Khan in Wagle Ki Duniya. Pic/Twitter

If you grew up in the 1980s, your ears will perk up on hearing this bit of news. Doordarshan's iconic show Wagle Ki Duniya, produced by Durga Khote, directed by Kundan Shah and based on characters conceptualised by legendary cartoonist, RK Laxman's "The common man" is coming back to the screens. This time in an all-new avatar with the addition of actor Sumeet Raghavan alongside veteran actor Aanjjan Srivastav, who essayed the lead character of Wagle, a sales clerk at a multinational firm and Bharti Achrekar who played his wife in the original series. "We are excited to bring the magic back to the screen. It was this show that made me a household name. Ahead of its time, it set a benchmark for Indian television shows. I hope people love the new generation just as much, and the characters continue to make them smile, like the original makers intended," Srivastav shared with this diarist.

Singles' choice

Matchmaking might be fun for all, except singles looking for a match. Shaadi.com recently conducted a study to gauge the mindset of single women between 25 to 34 years. Eighty-one per cent preferred to find their partner independently, 54 per cent complained about zero privacy, and 45 per cent found the matchmakers' know-it-all attitude to be the most annoying part of the process. "The singles of today are very clear on what they want from their future life partners. Traditional matchmaking creates an environment of pressure, limited privacy and an unnecessary sense of urgency," Adhish Zaveri, the site's senior marketing director shared.

Comedy fest returns to the city

The Mumbai Comedy Festival that debuted last year is back but in a smaller format. Sumendra Singh, founder of Bandra-based That Comedy Club and organiser of the festival shared, "Last year, we held shows for 21 days with a line-up of the biggest names on the comedy scene as the festival was at the Royal Opera House, St Andrew's Auditorium and our club simultaneously. This year, given the situation, we didn't want to completely rule out the festival, and so we will kick it off in a small way from Christmas Eve, running up to the first Sunday of January 2021." All shows will be held at the club, with 20 seats per show following COVID-19 protocols. The line-up currently has Anirban Dasgupta (in pic) and may see other participation including club regulars Sonali Thakkar, Masoom Rajwani, Shashwat Maheshwari and Biswa Kalyan Rath, among others.

From Sri Lanka to Maharashtra

Restaurateur Zorawar Kalra seems to be wrapping up 2020 with a unique culture trip, one that brings the best of Sri Lankan and regional Indian cuisines together. Opening this week at Palladium, Lower Parel, will be +94 Bombay, the founder and director of Massive Restaurants confirmed with this diarist. Headed by chef Dipesh Shinde, the restaurant is a celebration of his years in Sri Lanka and his Maharashtrian background. "It's based around Sri Lankan and regional Indian cuisine, mainly Maharashtrian fare. A unique feature is that it's got a juice bar, run by a street vendor whom we trained. The food has come from Dipesh, and it's his journey; we have encapsulated his core cooking sensibilities," Kalra shared, adding that the +94 stands for Sri Lanka's country code.

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