Mumbai Diary: Saturday Dossier

Pic/Atul Kamble

Trick Shot

Manan Narkar (in dark grey tee) practises tricking - a combination of martial arts and breakdance - with his students at Five Gardens.

Stirring up Bandra

From James Bond to Shrek, martini is one of the most favoured cocktails across the world. And now, a new bar in Bandra is serving over 20 versions of the drink, apart from more than 70 shooters and other cocktails. The Dirty Martini is an ode to well-made cocktails, particularly the martini, that founder Dheeraj Melwani first opened in Hyderabad.

The Bandra outpost, which launched recently, is an extension of the love for his favourite drink. "I've travelled a lot around South-East Asia, where the cocktails stood out for me. I always wanted to bring my experiences back. With The Dirty Martini, we want to be synonymous with innovative cocktails and shooters," he added.

Seeing green

Andheri's Riddhi Siddhi Ganpati Mandal is celebrating Bappa in a unique and eco-friendly manner this year. The idol is made from natural materials like biodegradable tissue paper, alum and gum made of natural plant extracts. The mandal, which is in its 46th Ganeshotsav year, has made the environment-conscious switch for the first time, and plans to continue the cause going ahead. "We thought it was about time to change gears. The message we are trying to drive home is to go back to nature. The idea is to give coming generations something positive to sustain," Dinesh Chindarkar, one of the organisers of the mandal, told us.

This list is lit

TM Krishna

The New Indian Foundation (NIF) has announced their longlist for the fourth edition of the Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay NIF Book Prize 2021, an award that recognises non-fiction titles with diverse narratives on contemporary India, from writers across nationalities. This year's longlist of 12 books features titles like Sebastian & Sons: A Brief History of Mrdangam Makers by TM Krishna, Jugalbandi: The BJP Before Modi by Vinay Sitapati, Naoroji: Pioneer of Indian Nationalism by Dinyar Patel and more.

Niraja Gopal Jayal

"We've chosen books that draw attention to subjects that have not been written about previously, or draw upon new research and archival materials to enhance our understanding of a topic that has been studied before, or propose a new interpretation of familiar issues. These books are elegantly written. We value diversity of all kinds, including topics, time-periods, and perspectives," shared political scientist and prize jury member Niraja Gopal Jayal.

Rallying support for a choral cause

This Sunday, the Stop-Gaps Cultural Academy is all set to host a virtual fundraising concert, titled In His Time, to raise money for COVID-19 relief activities for the Centre For Social Action, Mumbai. Along with Indian artistes, the event will also feature talents from across the globe like Allegra D'Souza, Enrico D'Souza, Suzanne D'Mello and more. "We thought that we must do our bit to pitch in, so we have put together this concert, with singers from the city as well as talents from the global choir as part of this performance. The whole idea was created as a way to care for each other through these tough times and help those who need our support," said Alfred J D'Souza (in pic), director of the academy.

More Shakti

The Lonavala International Film Festival India will start on September 24 and the organisers have chosen to pay tribute to a man who directed numerous yesteryear classics, Shakti Samanta (in pic). The list of films to be screened includes hits like Aradhana and Kati Patang. "Due to the pandemic, we cannot organise a physical edition this year either, though we have put together an interesting selection that can be enjoyed from home," clarified festival director Madhav Todi. Download the Plexigo app to watch these movies and turn back time.