Mumbai Diary: Friday Dossier

Scenic Patrol: The scenic turn in weather has been attracting shutterbugs, like these two members of Mumbai Police’s force at Bandstand, Bandra. Pic/Sameer Markande

A brush with the big guns

Untitled (Shiva Asking for Alms) by Anonymous (Early Bengal). Pic courtesy/DAG

In good news for art enthusiasts, the DAG gallery has curated a new virtual show, titled The Centum Series - Edition 2, which features 100 artists from across the length and breadth of the Indian art landscape. The exhibition, which goes live today, is expected to lend viewers an insight into how Indian art evolved over the years, as it will feature works by stalwarts including MF Husain, Jamini Roy, Nandalal Bose, Ram Kumar, FN Souza and Bikash Bhattacharjee.

Kishore Singh, curatorial director of the show, added that it will also shed light on works by lesser-known artists who have pushed the boundaries, such as Gogi Saroj Pal, K Laxma Goud and Paritosh Sen, among others. "Putting together an exhibition such as The Centum is both challenging and exciting because it presents an overarching view of the history of Indian modernism with its extraordinary breadth. And there are such rare artworks [in the exhibition] that it is exhilarating to explore for seasoned connoisseurs as well as less-informed art-lovers," Singh told this diarist. Check it out at dagworld.com.

Missing rapper finally traced

Delhi-based rapper MC Kode's family can now let out a huge sigh of relief. We had reported on this page about how the 23-year-old had gone missing on June 2, after writing a post on Instagram that seemed like a cryptic suicide note. The musician had faced a vile backlash on the Internet after an old video of his went viral, in which he used cuss words in relation to Hindu symbols. But now, according to reports, he has been traced to a friend's house in Jabalpur, which is where he had been for the past week without informing anyone.

Raise the bar of support

Do we even remember what it was like to freely walk into a bar, and kick back with our favourite drink? With the hospitality industry suffering a huge setback in the past year and a half, bartenders are among those who've been cut a raw deal. To help unemployed bartenders get back on their feet, city-based Shatbhi Basu, known as the first woman bartender in India, along with Travel & Food Network and the Indian Flair Bartenders Association, is hosting a series of mixology and spirit workshops to raise funds. "Starting today, there will be three masterclasses on wine, whiskey and cocktails. It's called the Discovery Series and is aimed at enthusiasts who want to have hands-on knowledge about their drink. It'll be a fun, easy-going session where we'll explore the spirits, food pairings, and dos and don'ts," she informed us. Fifty per cent of the proceeds from the event will go towards the association. To raise your glass to these bartenders, log on to tfninternational.com/tfn-workshop.

Recipe for recovery

With rising levels of obesity, bariatric operations are getting increasingly popular all over the world, including in India. However, surgery signals a major change in the diet of the patient, shared city-based laparoscopic and bariatric surgeon Dr Aparna Govil Bhasker. In order to help patients of bariatric surgery with the dietary aspect of their recovery process, Dr Govil Bhasker, along with Mariam Lakdawala and Miloni Shah Sancheti, has released a book titled Bariatric Recipes (Notion Press). "A lot of recipe books are available in the West for bariatric surgery patients. Unfortunately till now, no such dietary resource was available for Indian patients. The Indian diet is different from Western diet, and the recipes in this book will go a long way in helping patients cope with post-surgery requirements," she assured.

Vax up for your next date

A vaccination drive at Nair Hospital

Although the inoculation drive against Covid-19 rolled out at the beginning of the year, it is in the aftermath of the second wave that vaccination became a part of our day-to-day conversations. And so what if Indians have been restricted to online dating in the age of lockdowns? Vaccination has become a key point of conversation among online daters. In fact, between March and June, dating platform OkCupid noted a 763 per cent increase in chats related to vaccines and its relevance to daters while selecting a match. To make it easier for users to declare their vaccination status and look for the same while finding a match, they've launched an ‘I'm Vaccinated' badge. Individuals can use the badge to announce their vaccination status on their profile, and also join the vaccinated stack which helps them match with like-minded users who've taken the jab. Neat.