27 August,2022 07:17 AM IST | Mumbai | Team mid-day
Pic/Ashish Raje
Dadar market flaunts its crowds looking for the best decoration as the city prepares for Ganesh Chaturthi.
The city might be a comfortable place to talk about feminism, but it is in the jungles that the movement is truly taking root. Sanket Jalgaonkar, founder, Vidhi Foundation, has been moving through the tribal settlements of Aarey's jungles to talk about menstrual hygiene. "There is a lack of knowledge about menstrual health among women here," he told us. In association with another non-governmental organisation, Padsquad, Jalgaonkar conducted sessions talking about the importance of menstrual hygiene. The sessions also introduced the community to the use of menstrual cups. "Surprisingly, many women opted for this choice over the usual," he admitted. With a clean-up drive to help women get rid of the pads and a helpline to attend to their queries, the organisation is also conducting drives to donate cups to women living in the tribal settlements. "We are focusing on tribal women, as they are often left behind," Jalgaonkar said.
An eminent gallery requires an eminent location. For a space like Galerie Mirchandani + Steinruecke, which has been showcasing India's leading artists for the last 15 years, shifting base from Colaba to a prime location like Ballard Estate seems fitting. Gallerist Ranjana Steinruecke shared, "Ballard Estate has a different atmosphere - the historical architecture with its beautiful balconies and old windows, wide avenues, and greenery lend grandeur to the place." The space, on the first floor of Commerce House, opened on Thursday with its first solo show, Everyday by Abir Karmakar. It reflects the atmosphere, Steinruecke describes, making this the perfect home for art to flourish.
Author Shobhaa De plans to enter her platinum years with a flourish. This diarist woke up to the news of the novelist ready with her latest book, Insatiable: My Hunger for Life (HarperCollins India), that will be launched in January 2023. "Food is a mood. I feel passionately about three aspects of my crowded life - family, friendships and food," De told us, adding that her relationship with food is far more emotional and deeply connected to memory.
If you think the price rise is killing your vibe, Riyaaz Amlani has a solution. The MD and CEO of Handmade Impresario Restaurants is celebrating 20 years of the restaurant chain in the city with a special Rs 20 menu of select drinks and dishes at popular outlets from Social to Slink & Bardot, Souffle S'il Vous Plait and Prithvi Cafe among others on August 29 and 30. He said, "Time flies when you are having fun." The restaurateur described the 20-year period in three cycles - the rise of fine dining outside five-star restaurants, evolution of nightlife in the city and quick service and casual dining. The city has come a long way from having little choice in fine-dining to a proliferation, he reminisced. Now, the restaurateur has eyes on the future. "Who knows what it holds, but we are very excited," Amlani said. Here's to 20 and more.
The city has a new music festival to look forward to. While Bengaluru has often been hailed as the destination for alt-rock in the country, the Maximum City is catching up with live music making a strong comeback after the lockdown. Days after the announcement of Independence Rock's return, news arrived that the ticketing platform, Skillbox, will hold a day-long music festival in the city, Live Box, on September 24. Roydon Bangera (below), head of west division and brand partnerships, Skillbox, told this diarist, "We are excited to bring Live Box Festival to Mumbai this September after the festival's debut in Bengaluru earlier this year." The Mumbai edition will be headlined by Australian progressive rock artiste, Plini. The other artistes on the line up include Taba Chake, Hindi rock band The Yellow Diary, electro rock act Corner Cafe Chronicles. Bangera explained, "Programming is at the core of how we shape our IPs and experiences." He added that the idea behind the programming was to rejuvenate the concept of musical events. "With artistes like Tanmaya Bhatnagar, Pinacolada Blues, Corner Cafe Chronicles, The Yellow Diary, Taba Chake and Plini, our effort was to put together an eclectic and fresh mix of sounds."
