Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

Pic/Satej Shinde

Just chillin' in twos

Fishermen negotiate the calm waters, while two birds wade by the shore.

In the name of poetry

Poetry enthusiasts at a previous open mic

Rahul Saini, 26-year-old founder of city's book club PaperBackTalks, hosted his first-ever poetry open mic at Khar's Jeff GoldBerg Studio last weekend. He calls it Poetry Time, Season 1, because, "Open mics are generally a mixed genre that range from music and comedy to literature. I wanted to start a series that will be about and for poetry enthusiasts," he told this diarist. He has already hosted four casual poetry open mics at The White Crow Books & Coffee at BKC, but was pleased by the response each time. "People passing by the bookstore would join in to listen. It made me realise that so many people are keen about poetry. And so, I decided to offer my performers a stage that can give them the reach they deserve," the acting and reading enthusiast added. Budding poets Snygil Braganza and Ashima Syal were among the 20 participants.

Rahul Saini

Education above all else

Youth express their concerns through a collage on the 70th Vimukta Din last year

To celebrate Vimukta Din (Liberation Day) on August 31, after the Indian government lifted the Criminal Tribes Act in 1952, over 150 youth and women representing nearly 22 nomadic and denotified tribal communities gathered last Sunday. "We [NT-NDTs] are perceived as a hardworking, superstitious and backward class. The contributions we make to society are disparagingly considered as skills, and not something that requires intellect," explained Deepa Pawar, of the Ghisadi community and the founder of the organising group Anubhuti Trust. "So, we celebrate art and literature by inviting youth and women from these communities every year. This generation's children [of the tribal communities] are considered to be the first generation to receive education. We distributed a scholarship amount among those who have completed their 10th standard, or above," Pawar shared.

Deepa Pawar

Arriving shortly, in Paris

Tea set inspired from Indian artforms

Design entrepreneur Sonal Jetha will take Indian art and culture inspired luxury tableware to represent the country in Europe's premium design and decor show Maison & Objet, which will be held in Paris from September 7 to 11. Her six-series retail sheds light on the Indian heritage, and features phad art from Rajasthan, Indo-Saracenic architecture of the Mysore Palace and pichwai artforms, among other influences.

Sonal Jetha

Name tweak by the icon

As a theatre maker, Danish Husain has made a name for himself through his repertory. Yet, he owes that name, in more ways than one, to the great Habib Tanvir. The late playwright's birth centenary was on September 1. Recalling their first meeting, Husain said, "I used to work in a bank in Delhi back then. I knew him from his work, and met him for the first time when he visited the bank to withdraw money." Much later, when Husain turned professional as an actor, he played bit parts in Habib sahab's productions. "He would call me a walking stepney since I would read parts of actors who could not turn up, or during emergencies," Husain laughed. But it was during a performance of Agra Bazaar at the Bonn Biennale in 2006 that Husain's name got a tweak. "Till then we never really bothered, but because we had to put one on the poster, he shortened it from Murtaza Danish Husaini to Danish Husain. Since then, that's what I have been called," he shared. Recalling Tanvir's teachings, Husain said, "He disliked actors improvising, and would often say, "Who do you think you are? Bertolt Brecht or Shakespeare? Read the lines. He was, what Giorgio Agamben would call, a true contemporary."