Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

Pic/Anurag Ahire

This is how we dry our fish

A child and a man share a warm moment as the latter lines up fish to dry at Versova Koliwada.

Now, that's what we call a cool idea!

The AI-generated artworks by the artist give quick summer hacks

It's that time of the year when advertisements of winter creams have conveniently been replaced by those of sunscreens, ice creams and cooling beauty products. It also happens to be the ideal time for (inset) Sahid SK, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) artist, to go all out on the creative front. His latest viral carousel of AI-generated images, which has garnered nearly four hundred thousand likes within days, gives quick solutions for the city to cope with soaring temperatures. Think ice scooters, ice-cube filled helmets, small fans on T-shirts, sunglasses, sneakers and umbrellas, an AC man and vehicle making rounds in the market, and a bench made of crystal-clear ice. "This unbearable heat is a plight that most of India is facing currently. So, this post became relatable to the people of Delhi, Maharashtra, Kolkata, among many other parts of the country," Sahid shared over a phone call. Another series of similar images explores the ongoing IPL with a touch of coolness. Here, players have ice bats, gloves and balls. Fans have their own set of giant fans and a VIP cushion of ice in the front row of the stadium.

So long, Dhas the rockstar

Madhukar Chandra Dhas in performance. Pic courtesy/Wikemedia Commons

The news of Madhukar Chandra Dhas' passing last week opened a floodgate of memories for Mumbaikars from a certain vintage. Dhas was among the first true rockstars of Mumbai in the golden decade of the 1970s. He was lead vocalist for Atomic Forest, and portrayed the role of Jesus in Alyque Padamsee's iconic production of Jesus Christ Superstar. Singer Sharon Prabhakar who was witness to the spectacle, recalled, "His voice was heavenly. There was a timbre, quiver and resonance like you never heard.

Ehsaan Noorani, Sharon Prabhakar and Joseph Alvares

Madhu's presence when he walked among the crowd [in the show] was incredible. I have never seen an artist have such a hypnotic effect on the audience since." Joseph Alvares, who played Simon Zealotes in the play, and later followed Dhas as lead vocalist for Atomic Forest, shared, "Madhu was an explosive singer with a range of dramatic expressions. A trailblazer, but such a humble man." It was stories like these that Ehsaan Noorani grew up on. He collaborated with Dhas when he returned to India to record an Indianised cover of The Beatles album in the late '80s. Noorani reminisced, "I played guitar for him on the track, Got to get you into my life. When he hit the vibrato, your soul could feel it. Plus, he was such a funny man. I will truly miss him."

Hindi goes global

Spoken poetry group Tape A Tale's initiative Manch has reached international borders with Hindi poetry. "There is a growing interest in Hindi spoken word poetry overseas. We performed in Melbourne and Sydney, and selected two of our best poets Amandeep Singh and [below] Nayab Midha for this. We also picked six Indian poets from Australia who opened at the shows. Our aim is to go international quarterly. Our next tour will be in the UK in May," shared founder Kopal Khanna (inset).

Help is a tap away

Pawan Sharma, founder, Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW), is playing his part in making Mulund a safer home for its fauna. Co-founded by Sharma, a new WhatsApp community of vets, rescue teams, caretakers and pet parents called the Mulund Animal Welfare Network aims to co-ordinate rescue efforts in the neighbourhood. "On several occasions, people call us [RAWW] with rescue requests and we direct them to other organisations that are closer to them, and equipped to deal with the load. The community will bring organisations and caretakers under one roof to catalyse this process," he shared over a call. Those interested in joining, can leave a message on @rawwmumbai.