Mumbai Diary: Sunday Dossier

Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Baby's day out

A man and toddler share a moment on a crowded road in Kurla.

Oviyos 2.0

Historian-researcher Heta Pandit who spent over two years documenting and studying the origin of oviyos - folk songs sung by rural women in Goa while at the milling stone - for her 2019 book Grinding Stories: Songs from Goa, is out with a second volume, Grinding Stories Retold. "The second one has more songs, more stories and most importantly, songs sung by the Christian gavda community of Goa," Pandit tells this diarist. Documenting these songs took time and effort, as the Portuguese government had banned the singing of oviyos in Konkani as early as 1684. "The amazing thing is that the songs, the sub culture survived the ban and the passage of time."

What a fine way to honour Mike Marqusee!

Australian photo journalist Mark Ray's image of Mike Marqusee outside Lord's Cricket Ground in 1997

Have you ever fallen in love with a book that you want the world to read? Indian cricket writer Siddhartha Vaidyanathan, who now lives in America, fell in love with Mike Marqusee's War Minus The Shooting, the brilliant account of the 1996 cricket World Cup held in the sub-continent, and now can get cricket fans the world over to read it. Vaidyanathan (or Sidvee as he is known on Twitter) has managed to republish the book under 81allout Publishing, which he founded with his friend Mahesh Sethuraman. "I felt it was a classic cricket book that is as relevant today as it was then," said Siddhartha when we asked him what caused him to revive War Minus The Shooting. There'll be a lot of smiling faces among cricket enthusiasts, many of whom got hooked on to the willow game when the World Cup was held here in 1996. There'll be another smiling face albeit on another ‘wicket' - Marqusee, who succumbed to cancer in January 2015. It is apt that Gideon Haigh, probably the world's best cricket writer, has penned the foreword to the e-book available in India on Amazon, because Gideon himself revived and revised Ray Robinson's classic On Top Down Under in 1997. The world of cricket literature just got richer!

Flurys will woo you with a yummy new avatar

Kolkata's iconic tearoom Flurys has opened a new outlet in Navi Mumbai this week. Two outlets of the brand - started originally in 1927 by Swiss couple Joseph and Frieda Flurys among the glitzy clubs and restaurants on Kolkata's Park Street - had been operational since 2013 in Seawoods Darave and Inorbit Mall in Vashi. This British-era tea and cake shop's old-world charm and legendary breakfasts have drawn generations of Kolkata's residents, and visitors, to its doors. Its famous location has been ideal for a quick refreshment stop, its familiarity as valuable as the sugary delights. Everyone from actors Uttam Kumar and Soumitra Chatterjee have been regulars, and Vyjayanthimala was said to have been addicted to the caramels. For Mumbaikars, on offer is a larger range of items this time around. "All our heritage products like rum ball, cubes, chocolate boats and baba cake remain the highlight, but the new outlet also has our iconic all-day breakfast, eggs benedict, mushroom/beans on toast and sandwiches. The menu has been jointly designed by Priya Paul, chairperson, Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels Ltd, and Vikas Kumar, executive chef, Flurys," says director Rajesh Kumar Singh.

Opening up Australia to Indian cinema

Ricky Singh, CEO, producer and founder of Passion Film, an international award-winning Indian film production house, is currently in Australia for the Sydney Film Festival. After being in talks with the Australian government, Singh finally got the go-ahead to enable small-budget Indian filmmakers to release their films in Australia. "There is no category as such. We are looking to identify deserving films and projects," he says. Singh also adds that due to COVID-19, not many people could travel to Australia but now, "In 2022, filmmakers can come to Australia and shoot at beautiful unseen locations."

Mahim to get a slice of Bandra fav, Andora

If you're a Bandra local, Cafe Andora needs no introduction. The quaint eatery that is hugely popular among old timers, and school and college-going crowd within the area, has been doling out delicious snacks for years now. This is the reason why the news of its owners launching another outpost near Canossa High School, Mahim, is a big deal.

Brian Tellis

"I've been very close to the Rana family, and in the early days, the members themselves would be behind the counter," remembers radio veteran and Bandra resident Brian Tellis. "Their approach to the project was always driven by values and passion; the humane, interpersonal touch made the difference." What also worked in its favour was the emphasis on taste and the sheer variety of the fare. "From spring rolls and burgers to hot dog and wafers, you could quickly pick up whatever you wanted without spending too much time. I also believe that it was, and continues, to be serious value for money."