Mumbai Diary: Saturday Dossier

Pic/Suresh Karkare

Break ke baad

Media persons on duty in front of the headquarters of the Narcotics Control Bureau in Ballard Estate take a breather at a bus shelter on Friday.

A lit event

Raghu Rai takes part in a panel discussion at the festival

Kitaab Festival is a literary event that Prabha Khaitan Foundation organised in New Delhi, which ended yesterday and was available for Mumbaikars to view online. It saw the launch of a number of high-profile books across four days. These included Satyajit Ray by celebrated photographer Raghu Rai, and Sugata Srinivasraju's Furrows in a Field: The Unexplored Life of HD Deve Gowda. The latter shared about the title, "When I started working on this book, in early 2019, people scoffed at me… Now, at the end of 2021, when they hold a 600-page book they say this is a ‘rehabilitation' of his legacy."

A pound party

The folks running the kennel of NGO The Welfare of Stray Dogs at Sewri want to make it a cheery affair for their four-legged residents this Christmas. Calling it the Ulti-Mutt Christmas Pawty, this Sunday bash from 10 am to 4 pm is open to well-wishers who can drop by and show them some love. There's also a wish list to pick from, so you can play Santa for these adorable indies. The kennel will sport Christmas decorations and stockings, and interested visitors can maybe even take a few doggos for a quick walk. With yummy food to sample, music to enjoy and a range of WSD products to take back home, it promises to be a woof-happy day. To follow Covid-19 protocols, pre-register by mentioning the preferable hourly slot at wsdindia@gmail.com or call 9819100808.

The spirit of giving in Bandra

The initiative is aimed at underprivileged kids. Representation pic

Bandraites now have an opportunity to do a good deed while getting into the festive spirit. The newly formed Mumbai chapter of The Indasda Foundation, which works for the vulnerable sections of society, is calling on people from the suburb to buy Christmas gifts that they will pass on to children living on the streets. "We are not taking any donations in cash, but encouraging people to buy gifts that we will segregate into categories meant for different age groups and genders," shared Shachi Nelli, the foundation's executive director. She added that on December 21, their team will join the people who donated the gifts for a walk that starts from Bandstand, from where they will start handing out the gifts to kids on the street.

Words meet food

The spice box has so many names in India. Some call it masal daan and some peti, shared culinary chronicler Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal. From dal to meal, other food-related terms also have several regional variations. It has prompted her to start compiling Indian Food Vocabulary. "I've shortlisted 15 terms, which I will post online for a fortnight. People can respond with what it translates to in their language. I'll compile them."

City's Art Deco is going places

The International Coalition of Art Deco Societies (ICDAS) is a US-based organisation that works actively towards the preservation and conservation of Art Deco structures around the world. It now has Indian representation after Atul Kumar, founder-trustee of Art Deco Mumbai, was elected to its board of directors recently. Roberta Nusim from New York was elected as the new president, while the board also includes Pascal Laurent from Paris and Robin Grow from Melbourne. Kumar told this diarist, "It's a huge honour for me because this is the first time that anyone from India is representing an international body like this one. It will give the country access to a global exchange of ideas and resources for conservation and outreach. There is a lot of shared learning and collaboration, with people pitching in all the way from Sydney to New York." He added that his inclusion also amounts to recognition for the rich history of Art Deco structures in Mumbai.