Mumbai Diary: Saturday Dossier

Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

That's how you swing!

A girl gives her playmate a push on their dupatta-turned-swingset in Wadala on Friday.

In Kidwai's words

Pic courtesy/Wikimedia Commons

No conversation on the history of the storied queer rights movement in India is complete without the mention of historian, activist and writer Saleem Kidwai. After Kidwai passed away last year, Delhi's Nirantar Trust created a tribute to the veteran activist in the form of Queering the Pitch: Life and Times of Saleem Kidwai, a film which will be screened by Mumbai-based collective Point Of View, at the MCubed Library in Bandra tomorrow. "It will be followed by a discussion led by queer rights activist and author Parmesh Shahani who was friends with Kidwai and considers him his mentor. Although Section 377 is not in force anymore, it hasn't magically made queerness acceptable to society so it's important to have conversations about it, keep the history of queerness in our minds, and learn from our queer elders," shared Unmana, who handles communications at Point of View.

The canvas of Indian histories

Dulari Devi Khobar, 1991, ink on paper at Sarmaya. Pic courtesy/Sarmaya

Sarmaya, a digital museum with a physical archive in Mumbai, is back with a new talk. At today's talk, speakers Paul Abraham and Pavitra Rajaram draw inspiration for their studies from the museum's collection. A pop-up exhibition featuring artworks and rare items will be on display at Pundole's, too. Abraham, Sarmaya's founder, said, "I will be looking at the accounts of seven individuals against the backdrop of the European perception of India, which evolved from amazement and wonder, to avarice and opportunity, and then to a sense of superiority and dominance." Rajaram's talk will trace the documentation of botanicals from an Eastern and Western perspective. "A range of brilliant speakers have communicated ideas of art and history in a manner that pulls the audience into those worlds that make up the great jigsaw that is India," Abraham shared.

Island of calm in Santacruz

There's a new holistic wellness space in the suburbs to check out. With interesting options such as art therapy, hypnotherapy as well as restorative movement and relationship counselling, Abhyaasa is a swish studio in Santacruz that has holistic wellness at its core. Focused on alternative therapies, the 1,800-sqft space will offer classes, workshops and an outdoor café. Founder Varaz Printer shared, "Art therapy, akashic reading, karate, restorative movement, and sharing circles are a few of the sessions we're starting with. The space was designed with the idea of helping Mumbai and its people gain new perspectives and ideas about their relationship with themselves and their environments."

Shining star

The discerning critics of the Michelin Guide have landed in Dubai. And we hear that the anonymous inspectors have selected 69 restaurants; the Michelin Guide Dubai 2022 recognised two two-Michelin Star restaurants, nine one-Michelin Star restaurants, and 14 Bib Gourmand restaurants. Of these, Indian chef Himanshu Saini's Trèsind Studio made the country proud by earning a star. From smoky wood apple pani puri to padrón pepper and buttermilk curry ice-cream, Saini is known for his unique, contemporary interpretation of Indian flavours. This diarist remembers her 17-course degus-tation menu at the studio, which weaved nostalgia with drama. Our congratulations to the team.

Serving up a plate of hope

Twelve years ago, Mumbai restaurateur Pankaj Gupta found himself in the precinct of Amritsar's Golden Temple. He fell in love with the shrine, the city and of course, the cuisine. Gupta vowed to bring back a slice of Amritsar to the Maximum City; that's how his restaurant Oye Kake was born. Ahead of his birthday in July, and inspired by the langar culture, he is going to dedicate Thursdays at their Lower Parel and Ghatkopar outlets to the guru seva thali. The massive thali will feature highlights of their menu. For each thali that is served, a meal will be donated to those in need. "Whatever I am today, is because of that visit to the Golden Temple. I had planned this initiative before the pandemic but then everything shut down. I chose Thursday because it's guruvar - dedicated to the 10 gurus [of Sikhism]. We have joined hands with NGOs such as The Robin Hood Army and With Aarya for this. Every Thursday, we'll only be serving this guru seva thali," he told us about the initiative that kicks off on June 30.