Mumbai Diary: Friday Dossier

Pic/Ashish Raje

Locked and loaded

Despite the day-long rain, a couple manages to balance heavy luggage on their two-wheeler on Lalbaug flyover.

An evening in Paris

Raghu Dixit

It will be a Parisian July for singer Raghu Dixit as his band, The Raghu Dixit Project has been invited to perform at The India House ahead of the upcoming 2024 Olympics in Paris. "It is great news, and I am thrilled about it," he confirmed to this diarist. The singer was on his way to Amsterdam, and is touring with his latest album, Shakkar. "I am yet to know all the details, and will get more information on it once I land in Amsterdam," he shared. Dixit will join a line-up of artistes that includes Shaan, a capella group Penn Masala, Tommy Khosla and Jawari at the India House on Parc de la Villette. Apart from jamming with the artistes, Dixit revealed that he was excited to meet some of the athletes on the trip. "I believe we will be performing over two evenings: one for the athletes, and a second gig that will be open to the public," Dixit revealed. The Paris performance will mark another European stop to the musician's ongoing tour which includes performances at Koln, Berlin, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Cambridge. "Of course, I will be performing songs from my new album. But we will also be playing some of my popular works. I want to also focus on poetry from the early 18th century Indian poets to emphasise on the deep roots of our artistic culture," the musician told this diarist.

A capella group Penn Masala. Pics Courtesy/Instagram

Decoding the digital life

Prarthana Mitra

The third edition of the Digital Everyday programme will bring a playlisting approach to learning this year. The residency programme for the year is now open to women, non-binary, queer and trans persons, shared Prarthana Mitra, project manager, knowledge and communications at the NGO, Point of View. "This was an opportunity to co-create a comprehensive learning journey for the key actors in the region to unpack the entanglements between bodies, technologies and social justice," Mitra told this diarist. The venture will also be hosting four action labs in November, aside from a podcast series and a feminist meme contest in the coming months, they added.

The story of a forgotten king

Raghu and Pushpa Palat; (right) A portrait of Marthanda Varma. Pic Courtesy/Raghu Palat

Co-authors Raghu and Pushpa Palat are set to turn another page about Kerala's history. After the publication of their last book, Destiny's Child in 2022, the Mumbai-based authors are now ready for their next, Against All Odds, which is about the key figure of the Kingdom of Travancore - Marthanda Varma. "In Indian history, there is a tendency to focus on conquests in North India. Varma was a rare ruler who defeated the Dutch, to prevent their takeover of the region," shared Raghu. "He also donated all his wealth to the Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram at the peak of his powers," shared Pushpa Palat.

Giving a voice to his art

Sahil with one of his designs at the exhibition in Bandra

While social media can often be toxic, it was a warm moment when digital creator Siddhesh Lokare hosted an auction-exhibition of hearing and speech-impaired Goan artist Sahil Mohammed in Bandra earlier this month. "I met Sahil during my visit to NGO Udant in Chimbel in Goa last month. I was introduced to his artistic skills, and duly impressed. When I went back a week later, I gave him an iPad to practice his art on. It took him two days to learn to create on the tablet, and catch on to ideas I had suggested," Lokare shared. Lokare decided to invite him to Mumbai. "It was his first trip to the city where he was accompanied by his father. The auction saw him make Rs 12,000 in two hours. We also have set up an online page and website for him to share his creations, with people online," Lokare added.

As you sow, so shall you reap

Mukherjee with his saplings

With 14 lakh seeds collected and sowed in nurseries, Subhajit Mukherjee wrapped up for the season in his mission to plant one lakh mango trees across India. "This is not just a tree plantation drive. When you plant mango trees, an entire ecosystem grows around it. The aim is to promote fruit-based cultivation among farmers," the environmentalist said. While major contributions came from Gujarat and Maharashtra, he added that youth played a key role in spreading the awareness, and collecting and donating seeds.