Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

Pic/Ashish Raje

A tale of two cities

A man from the Dombari community whips himself to make a living at Dadar Chowpatty, while a girl and a boy leisurely sit by the sea

Styling a quick visit to the city

Quick Style performing Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast. Pic courtesy/Instagram

This diarist remembers every social media user twerking to the beats of Kala Chashma not long ago. And while the different takes on the hit song were well appreciated, Quick Style, a Norwegian dance crew, who started this trend, still takes the cake. The members have since then been spotted on the internet, showing off some cool moves to some more iconic Indian songs. After some fun videos with stars including Anil Kapoor, the dance crew will be in the city to meet their Mumbai fan base. They will be seen at their meet and greet at Dublin Square, Phoenix Market City on Wednesday. Sharing their excitement about the visit, the crew echoed, "Since last year, we have been receiving so much love and support from India. So, visiting this incredible country and meeting the people behind all this love and support face to face, was long overdue."

Byculla church wins again

Our Lady of Gloria Church underwent extensive restoration. File pic (right) Ainsley Lewis at the ceremony

In 2019, when Our Lady of Gloria Church in Byculla won the Award of Merit conferred by the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation, it was a massive victory for the restoration of a landmark church on the global stage. Ainsley Lewis (Dean-M.Arch) of Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture and Environment Studies, along with David Cardoz, were the architects of the project. Recently, Lewis was bestowed with the Indian Institute of Architects Award for Excellence in Architecture 2021 for the same project. The presentation ceremony was held at Ramoji City, Hyderabad. The award was in the Conservation category. Lewis cites it as a "special win" because it was conferred by a professional institution. "Unlike other awards, here every shortlisted project has to be presented to a jury of fellow architects. With this church, which took six years to restore, it was quite challenging to present our work in the allocated 10-minute-slot." The jury chose it because it followed a systematic and accurate documentation, where the principles of conservation were fully in place. Lewis calls it his ‘labour of love' that came together, thanks to the efforts of specialists including structural engineers, glass conservationists and architects, the parish priest and its parishioners.

Can and able

Pashilkar and Dabade

Ever heard of baking, or web-design at the Olympics? The International Abilympics to be held in France later this month will test such vocational skills for the differently-abled globally. Among the 13 Indian representatives are three Mumbaikars - Chetan Pashilkar,Priyanka Dabade and Kashif Khan.

Khan have hearing impairment

Dabade, who will compete in embroidery, said that the competition was the best platform to showcase talent, but added, "Society needs to maintain an amicable approach towards us, while providing facilities so we can study or work." Dr Jitender Aggarwal, secretary general of National Abilympics Association of India, remarked that the competition will kick off efforts to provide better opportunities to differently-abled people according to their many skill sets.

Is this is a crepe-tic clue?

Sophie Ecclestone (left) with Alyssa Healy. Pic courtesy/Twitter

While we are busy applauding their swinging sixes and googlies on the field, the cricketers in the ongoing Women's Premier League (WPL), are also trying to soak in a bit of Mumbai in between their hectic schedules. During one of our browsing sprees for updates, we came across some witty banter between UP Warriorz captain, Alyssa Healy and her teammate, Sophie Ecclestone. "I've seen you at a certain café at Nariman Point that may or may not sell crêpes every single day," Healy said, to which Ecclestone replied, "Well, actually I could ask you the exact same question because you have been with me every single time." And while the foodie in us went on a clue hunt, we were tempted to hazard a guess that it could be Suzette Creperie & Cafe that Healy and Ecclestone have taken a liking for.