Mumbai Diary: Saturday Dossier

Pic/Shadab Khan

A clean sweep

Housekeeping staff prepare the ramp for the FDCI x Lakme Fashion Week 2022 at Jio World Centre, BKC.

Lit in Govandi

Lamplighters Parade at Church Road, Bristol; arts engagement with the youth group of Govandi by the agency. PIC COURTESY/Community Design Agency

In August this year, we told you about how a wave of art is taking over Govandi, with six months of artist mentorships and residencies taking place in the neighbourhood for the Govandi Arts Festival. An initiative of the city-based Community Design Agency (CDA), Lamplighter Arts CIC (UK), and Streets Reimagined (UK), the festival will take place between February 15 and 19, this diarist learnt. A part of British Council's India/UK Together, a Season of Culture, the festival will literally light up the area. The Lamplighters is a Bristol-based artist collective which creates sculptural lanterns to encourage social interaction. The artists will be working with Govandi residents to create giant sculptural lanterns that will be brought alive in a spectacular parade in Govandi. Dee Moxon from The Lamplighters shared, "We will translate our skill of working with traditional basket-making materials to local produce like rattan and bamboo and hopefully, leave the skills with Govandi residents." Co-curator Natasha Sharma added that the lanterns will be site-specific to create an identity that is unique to Govandi. "We'll open up workshops for other citizens to join and make lanterns so we can create something unique together," Sharma told this diarist.

Keep it type

A type design studio from Mumbai is making the ‘write' noise globally. Ek Type's multiscript variable typeface Anek, one of the largest projects comprising 40 static fonts (per script) in 10 scripts, has won the D&AD Graphite Pencil award, the TDC Certificate of Typographic Excellence and most recently, was picked as the Communication Arts 2023 Typography Winner. "Anek brings together 10 Indian scripts which form a matching font family. This has weight and width axes, meaning you can condense and expand it, or use lighter or bolder variations," said co-founder Sarang Kulkarni, adding, "Such awards give designers like us encouragement to see our project being recognised across the world."

A song for her

Dr Dube with students at the launch

From sports and science to business and the arts, Indian women are making waves across the world. However, gender discrimination, an unequal sex ratio, lack of education and female foeticide continue to be a part of our lived reality in India. To honour women, and raise awareness about these social evils, a group of doctors from across the country came forward to launch an anthem, which features female achievers from different walks of life. The poster of the anthem was released on the International Day of the Girl Child, which was observed on October 11. The song was conceptualised by Mumbai-based radiologist Dr Sunita Dube who runs the non-profit MedScapeIndia and composed by Vardhan Singh. "The idea is to celebrate the girl child. When you have a song, it is easier to get the message across to the layman in a simple language," shared Dr Dube, who started the Save the girl child programme 15 years ago. She shared that they would also sponsor the education of girls from underprivileged communities till their higher education. "A girl should be given equal opportunities, as she plays a crucial part in the development and growth of the nation. And setting up a role model in every field is important so they can inspire little girls," she added.

Business as usual

Rana Safvi. PIC COURTESY/FACEBOOK

Fort's much-loved book nook, Kitab Khana, is finally opening its doors for in-person events, for the first time since the pandemic. And it's doing so on a spiritual note, with author and historian Rana Safvi joining BookTuber Smriti Sant to talk about her new title, In Search of the Divine. The book traces the roots of Sufism, as well as its impact on people from all communities. Chief operating officer of Kitab Khana, T Jagath, sounded relieved and happy with the return of on-ground events. "We are planning another one in November. We had been doing online events but business-wise, in-person events are better for us," he shared.

Lifetime of literature

Days after the announcement of its itinerary, Tata Literature Live! has its first major award winner. Writer-playwright Mahesh Elkunchwar will be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement award for 2022 at the festival in November. The stalwart has transformed Indian and Marathi theatre through his works. With dramatic expressions that ranged from creativity to life, social structure and death, his plays are pioneering and experimental. Well deserved, we say.