19 November,2022 07:19 AM IST | Mumbai | Team mid-day
Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
With his ladder strategically in tow, a man hitches an auto ride at Kherwadi in Bandra.
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While most of us wish for a break from the ebb and flow of constant thoughts, we don't have a way to achieve it. An app called Nispand (nispand.com), launched by the city's oldest yoga centre, aims to offer some tech support. "Nispand in Sanskrit means the lack of vibrations. Meditation enables one to master their mind. With this app, we have banked a thousand meditation modules. People can access these modules from anywhere and at their own pace. The app has binaural beats, solfeggio frequencies, mantras, sleep music and stress monitors, too," said Hrishi Yogendra, assistant director of The Yoga Institute, Santacruz.
A friendly smile, a bespectacled face and genial wit - every generation that walked into Bandra's iconic pub Toto's is familiar with the quiet, lingering presence of Ashok Totlani, or Toto uncle. On Friday, when news of Totlani passing away poured in, we reached out to his son, Aloke, who confirmed the news. Raj Acharya, who has spent 18 years managing operations at the pub, shared that Totlani senior would oversee the proceedings from a distance, while day-to-day interactions were handled by his partner, Laju Bhatia. "Mr Totlani, and Mr Bhatia in the dark glasses, were fixtures of our misspent youth. They stood guard as we listened to playlists featuring Pearl Jam and Pink Floyd while washing down masala peanuts with Old Monk and Thums Up. Mr Totlani ensured that Toto's famous rules [no dancing, no yelling, no joining tables] were obeyed. In later years, his smiles became more lingering, and handshakes firmer; he even engaged in banter," recalled author Rehana Munir to this diarist. Another loyalist RJ and entrepreneur, Brian Tellis, for whom Toto's is an integral part of Bandra's social life, shared, "He loved getting people together and having a wonderful time." Meanwhile, musician Neel Adhikari reminisced about the rocking legacy of the space which is a popular hangout among the music circuit. "Mr Totlani had a love for conversation, food and music. Toto's was not a place to hear a Justin Bieber song. It has been a place for the faithful," he noted.
Who wouldn't recognise a Raja Ravi Varma painting from its characteristic Indo-European style? But can you imagine any of his women subjects looking into a microscope or fiddling with a robot? Filmmaker Anand Gandhi believes that it's not possible that women of that era weren't curious about scientific explorations. To effect a malleable past, he recently created a series of AI-inspired artworks that celebrate women in STEM - all in Varma's style. "There's an exponential leap-frogging evolution of AI-based image-making. The impact of this on human culture and how we perceive art is vast. Researchers are training neural networks to understand and create art through text and speech prompts. Most of the art I now toy with follows that route. I either try to go back in time and recreate nostalgia or see old things in a new light," he shared.
Is reading a solo journey? Not if you're in a book club. Wayword and Wise's new treat, Let's Book Club, with Peek A Book, helps tweens develop the habit of reading. Aloka Ghambir, curation and marketing, shared, "The club is a way for kids to make reading social, meet other children and discuss books." Pinkoo Shergill Pastry Chef is the read for the first session that will be moderated by Lubaina Bandukwala, founder, Peek A Book.
