Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

Pic/Atul Kamble

A waterproof workout

A man braves the heavy downpour in the city to exercise at Shivaji Park in rainwear

All about the history of the island city

Historian Sandeep Dahisarkar's new book, Śrī Bimbākhyāna, takes us on a journey by delving deep into what he considers the dark phase of the medieval history of Mumbai. It is a Marathi account that chronicles the changing political history of the island of Mumbai and its environs. This historical text concentrates more on the history of Sashti island (Suburban Mumbai). "It talks about local Marathi communities before the arrival of the Portuguese and the British," Dahisarkar revealed. "The book helps us understand the history of the islands before it became a cosmopolitan city," he told this diarist.

Flappy eighth anniversary!

The Humboldt penguins were brought to Mumbai from Seoul eight years ago

Many like this diarist might remember the arrival of Mumbai's first fleet of Humboldt penguins like it was yesterday. "It has been eight years filled with challenges, joy, and small wins," shared Dr Abhishek Satam, zoologist at the Mumbai Zoo, reminding us how fast time can fly. Satam was happy to report that out of the seven surviving penguins that arrived from Seoul on July 26 2016, six have naturally reproduced. Molt and Flipper, who were one and two-years-old respectively at arrival, are now parents to Oscar, Bingo, Siri, and Coco. As for what the future holds, Satam revealed, "The Mumbai Zoo can house only 25 penguins at a time. Currently, we have 18. If we reach the limit, we will turn to other zoos to help us accommodate them. For now, we are gearing to celebrate Flipper's birthday later this year. He's the oldest one of the lot. I think he deserves it."

Some reel-y good music in Mumbai

AJ Wavy in performance

After making waves on Instagram with his unique brand of Bollywood fusion music, London-based artiste AJ Wavy treated his Indian fans to a live show in Kurla last weekend. On the set list were mixes like Canadian rapper Drake's Hotline Bling remixed with Bollywood hit Laal Ghagra. With shoutouts from celebrities like Shahid Kapoor and Nicole Scherzinger, the artiste told this diarist that funnily, the pressure is barely even there. "Being famous on social media gives you a great buzz, but I make music for myself. I'm glad people love it, but either way, I'd be happy." About returning to the city for the second time, he shared, "Mumbai is one of my favourite cities. The last time I was here, my friends took me street food-hopping. I love how Mumbai makes its pani puris. This time around, I had it on my bucket list before I flew in."

Inking a win

The winning Medusa tattoo inked by Pranay Uikey

Kalyan's popular Jack's Tattoos and Piercings Studio has added another feather in their cap. Pranay ‘Jack' Uikey, founder, has secured third place in the minimalist category at the ongoing Miri International Tattoo Festival in Miri, Malaysia. "I was working on a minimal four-inch x four-inch tattoo that depicts the duality of Medusa, before and after Athena's infamous curse. I didn't intend for it to be my submission initially. It was a pleasant surprise when we bagged the third-place award," Uikey shared over a call from Miri. "I am learning new techniques and taking inspiration from the multicultural artistes here. It is a humbling experience. The love we received here was unexpected. When visitors realise we're from India, they instantly mention Bollywood references or even sing their favourite song," he laughed.

Just cosplaying around

The buzz-axe made using foam and a plastic foot ruler; the mask

City-based award-winning graffiti artist Raj Pathare aka Mooz (below) knows how to play with the rules, quite literally. A foot ruler, a PVC hose, and foam panels are some of the household finds that bring together the artist's new cosplay costume. Leading up to the release of the Borderlands movie based on the eponymous popular sci-fi action video game series, Pathare is working on recreating the character Krieg from the series.

"I had created a basic version of the costume in 2015, but when the trailer for the film adaptation released, I revisited it and tweaked it to match the upgrades in the helmet, the spinning buzz-axe and the chest piece," the Navi Mumbai resident told this diarist. Once the armour is repainted and the buzz-axe is whetted, Pathare will don the costume to the Mumbai premiere of the Kevin Hart and Cate Blanchett starrer early next month.