Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

Pic/Anurag Ahire

Pipe dreams

A man sitting inside a concrete pipe at Andheri West seems to be caught in contemplation.

Food and the future

A plate of food on our table sustains us for the day, but how many of us think beyond that? In the face of climate change or increasing wastage, for instance, what happens to food and our consumption patterns? These are some questions that an interesting virtual workshop by Praxis - a community where form, theory and practice meet across design and art - addressed recently. Titled How Do We Eat From Here?, the workshop last weekend was hosted by Mumbai-based graphic designer Vritika Lalwani, founder of Praxis, and Jashan Sippy, an architect, food designer and founder of Sugar and Space. "We looked at futures thinking through the lens of food. There was also a hands-on cook-along, where we created a zero-waste, single-ingredient dish. The idea was to get participants to think about what the
future of food is, and how their everyday decisions can impact it," Lalwani added. Now, that's some food for thought.

Gone for a six

The lockdown isn't a time to pay visits since that is frowned upon, but who is stopping one from revisiting the past? The Colaba WhatsApp chat groups are whirring with a black-and-white picture of the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in what was Bombay then. The advertisement signed by manager Louis Gapp says that the hotel opened on December 1, 1903, and has "all the latest comforts" at "moderate charges". Those charges are from Rs 6 upwards. Today, Rs 6 may not get you a packet of peanuts. But at that time, if we go by this photograph of the advertisement of the Apollo Bunder landmark, you could have stayed at the Taj for Rs 6 "upwards" or maybe just Rs 6.

Winging it for the flamingo

Flamingos at Thane Creek during migration. Pic/Ramen Kulkarni

Last week, The Mangrove Cell of the Maharashtra Forest Department put forth a proposal for the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary to be termed as a Ramsar site. The proposal, if approved, would deem 1,690.5 hectares of the area as the first such site in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. "This area is already highly protected as it comes under the purview of the Wild Life (Protection) Act. The Thane Creek is also an important route for migratory birds like the flamingo. Under the Ramsar Convention, wetlands of national importance are granted this title. Keeping this and the flamingos in mind, we've sent a proposal to the government. If declared a Ramsar site, the area will also get international attention," Neenu Somaraj, deputy conservator and joint director of the cell, told us.

One for Rashid

A condolence meeting will be held at The Mumbai Press Club today to celebrate the legacy of Rashid Irani, the film critic who passed away recently. Long-term friend and fellow film journalist Rafique Baghdadi shared, "People will share their stories about him, and I will go on for an hour myself." The meeting will be held at 6.30 pm in the Bar Hall of the Press Club at CST. It's open to all, so try and make it if you can, to find out more about a person who left an indelible mark with his honest writing about the movie industry.

Drum up funds for a cause

Rock Machine will go down in history as the first Indian band that released an album with completely original western songs, 1988's Rock n Roll Renegade. It opened the floodgates for the sort of authentic independent music we see in the country today, but the band's first ever drummer - Suresh Badricha - is going through a health crisis at the moment. He is admitted at Malad's Thunga Hospital with a large subdural hematoma, a condition where there is internal bleeding in the brain. His son, Zeal Suresh Badricha has started a fundraising campaign on milaap.org to raise money for the treatment. Meanwhile, there is also a concert being organised on August 15, the proceeds from which will be directed towards Badricha's treatment. It's a virtual gig that will feature Gary Lawyer and Usha Uthup, among others. "Uday Benegal [Rock Machine's vocalist] has contributed a video of the band, which we will screen. The artistes pre-recorded their sets and we put it all together for the event," shared Colin D'Cruz of Jazz Goa, which is organising the event, adding that the aim is to raise Rs 5 lakh in total, of which Rs 1.5 lakh has already been collected. Visit Jazz Goa's YouTube page to catch the gig and help raise funds for someone who helped sow the seeds for independent western music in India.