Mumbai Diary: Friday Dossier

Pic/Atul Kamble

Be all eyes

Students of St Francis D'Assisi High School in Borivali return home on Thursday

Gary is bindaas

(Right) Gary Mehigan at Cafe Irani Chaii. Pic Courtsey/Instagram

Crispy fried chicken farcha, decadent mutton keema, luscious akuri and sweet pavs welcomed Australian masterchef Gary Mehigan in Mumbai. The former judge of Masterchef Australia was spotted digging into this hearty breakfast with chef Saransh Goila, washing it all down with some chai. This diarist learnt that he also met chef Sanjeev Kapoor and had a chat with chef Ranveer Brar. Mehigan said the end of monsoons is a lovely time to be back in the city - after over two to three years - as the air hangs heavy with the sights and sounds of Bombay. "I have not eaten out a huge amount yet but have enjoyed my time at the cafés and restaurants I have visited. I loved the sweet tea, sweet rolls, akuri and chicken farcha at Cafe Irani Chaii. Meeting the team at O Pedro was great fun, too. I like how everything they serve is fresh. They have lots of seasonal products and a great cross-section of ingredients," he told us. While he said that he needs to survey the coffee shops, he finds everything else about the city to be "bindaas".

A cuppa art in Bandra

Art and Charlie will also host music shows, talks, film screenings and cultural events

After starting off as a "nomadic gallery", flitting from one space to another to curate shows, Art and Charlie had pivoted online amid the pandemic. This diarist has now learnt that the gallery has found a permanent roof in Bandra. Led by founder Ayesha Parikh, the space is coming up in the busy neighbourhood of Pali Naka and opens doors in October. It aims to bring together a community of artists and art-lovers from all sections of society.

"I have been playing around with the idea of how art can exist in a way that is more approachable. Somehow, over the years, conventional galleries of the world have made art more elitist. But art is supposed to be for the people. The white cube gallery space makes it intimidating," said Parikh about the inspiration. She wanted to create a space where visual arts, theatre, films, music and different other forms of art can co-exist. "The cultural house is a flexible space that will function as an art gallery, but for events, the partitions will go away and the whole area will become available. Secondly, not everyone can afford art worth millions. So, we have a small gift shop within the space from where you can take a little part of the art away and support the artists." Coffee will keep visitors fuelled as they have joined hands with a roastery, too. Watch this space to find out how the cultural house fares.

So long, Gulabbai

Gulabbai Sangamnerkar during a rehearsal where her son Ravi was teaching lavani to girls at Aryabhushan Theatre in Pune. Pic Courtesy/Kunal Vijayakar

The passing of artiste Gulabbai Sangamnerkar this week marked the end of an era for the artform of lavani. Known as the empress of lavani, she was among the last of her generation well-versed in this regional dance form. Theatre producer and writer Bhushan Korgaonkar told us that Sangamnerkar was born into, and had mastered the iterations of the dance form. "Having learned from her mother and aunt, she also spent time in Khandesh, then a centre for the art. It was here that she picked up the local dialect and different songs specific to the region," he said, adding that she also went on to form her own troupe, Gulab Mira Sangamnerkar Party, with her sister and actively mentored young lavani performers. "I met her and saw her perform, and it was fabulous," he recalled.

Holy smoke!

The relentless monsoon hasn't been able to dampen the spirit of visitors at Bandra's Mount Mary Fair, this diarist noted during her drizzly visit. And to catch the attention of these revellers - who have much to choose from at the slew of shops selling everything from crochet mats to Agra's petha - a couple of vendors sought some smoky help. After noticing signboards of ‘Smoke Biscuits' that were drawing in hordes of kids and their wide-eyed adults, we gave in to our curiosity. Jafer Shaikh from Mumbra, who was scooping wispy smokes into paper cups like a local PC Sorcar, revealed it's just good ol' wafers served with dry ice. "It doesn't do much for the taste, but smoke will come out of your mouth while eating," he promised. And so it did, making us feel childish and happy. At R50 for six pieces, it sure was a smoke show.