Mumbai Diary: Saturday Dossier

Pic/Sameer Markande

City silhouettes

A worker watches the sun set at Marine Drive near the Coastal Road construction site.

Super-sized loving in Bandra

(Left) Srushti Bansode paints on the glass façade of the store; (right) the final mural

Love is still lingering in Bandra as the month of love draws to a close; all thanks to Srushti Bansode's latest artwork at The Comic Book Store (TCBS) in Bandra. Last week, the artist painted a retro mural depicting Superman and Wonder Woman in a warm embrace on the doors of the store. "I'm used to painting large murals on walls. Painting on the glass door of the store was a challenge and I had to work through a lot of layers to get the solid vintage comic book look right," Bansode told this diarist, adding that the artwork took three days to complete with sessions lasting five hours each. "I was approached by Hamza Sayed, founder of TCBS to paint the mural; I'm a big superhero fan so I took up the challenge," she revealed. The artist informed us that her upcoming project next month will be a black-and-white wall portrait that will aim to raise awareness about women's rights through visual storytelling.

Srushti Bansode

Taking baby steps in music

Children experiment with instruments at a previous session

Today, music educator and author Shyama Panikkar will take children and parents on a musical trip with sargam at a unique workshop in Juhu. The tour guide will be her new book - A Musical Roadtrip. "I will introduce them to sargam [Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa] through a reading from my book, as they sing along. It is a story of a girl who goes on a road trip where she finds musically inclined animals who sing the notes for her," Panikkar shared. The workshop will see children between one and five years engage with music. "The earlier you introduce them to music, the better. They won't be able to grasp or understand ragas, but basic rhythm and notes can be picked up; and DIY music instruments can be a great way to get kids to groove. Boxes or buckets, spoons, and even containers of salt can turn into drums or shakers. The workshop will encourage them to make such contraptions at home and explore music the natural way," she added.

Shyama Panikkar

The canvas is for everyone

Learners from the community closely observe the exhibits at the gallery

Skill Shakti Community, a city-based skill building programme for adults with neurodiversity believes that everyone can learn, if you use the right language. The community's visit to Jayeeta Chatterjee's ongoing exhibition of hand block-printed saree scrolls at Chemould Prescott Road on Thursday saw expressions and interpretations of the artworks flow freely. "Adults with neurodiversity find it easier to learn when you use simple sentences or graphics. Art helps them articulate what they might otherwise find difficult to express. At the gallery, they asked us a plethora of questions about the works, some even took to Google to find out more. Their interpretations that followed reflected the values of empathy and compassion," Sangitaa Advani, founder and director, Skill Shakti, told this diarist.

The team sits down for a group discussion at the exhibition

Picture perfect

A still from the short film Beach; (right) Suhail Abbasi

The city's queer community has a new feather in its cap. Beach, a queer short film written by Vedant Mishra and produced by Suhail Abbasi, co-founder, The Humsafar Trust, will make its way across continents to the Indian Short Film Night, Auckland 2024 on March 3. The film follows a trans man's struggles with everyday tasks. "It's our attempt to show how simple activities can sometimes be a luxury that trans people can only dream of. To have the film screening in Auckland is a mammoth step in representation of queer lives," Abbasi admitted.

Marathi vibes in the house

Krunal Ghorpade

After carving out a niche for himself with his brand of Marathi house music, Krunal Ghorpade, AKA Kratex is now all set to give back to the community. The music producer has put out a call for emerging undiscovered Marathi musicians to collaborate with for his newest venture, Nusta Vibes SZN. "The idea is to give these artistes a platform through my radio show. I am looking for music that resonates with the changing tastes of the regional audiences," Ghorpade shared. The musician revealed that genre is no bar, and anyone from a Hindustani classical musician to a rapper is welcome to be a part of the venture. "I am already working with a handful of musicians, and I hope to see the number grow with this venture," he concluded.