Mumbai Diary: Sunday Dossier

Pic/Atul Kamble

Outta my way!

A dabbawalla on his bicycle holds his own amid four-wheelers at Fort.

Making us proud

The past year ended on a high note for Mumbai native Harsiddhi Mody, now based in Australia. Born and raised in Malabar Hill, Mody had to forego her theatre dreams as a child because her parents wanted her to focus on her studies. After migrating to Melbourne in 1997 under the skilled migrant category, she got busy building a life. However, when her son completed his senior secondary education in 2018, she rekindled her passion for theatre and Hindustani Classical music, and has completed five years of her journey in December. "I founded Khelaiya Productions, a performers' theatre, in 2018 to promote regional music through engaging narratives or literary pieces from various regions of India in a musical format. All artists attached to Khelaiya are volunteers and we all are passionate about theatre, literature and music," she tells this diarist, adding that this is only the beginning.

Four 12-year-olds are making Bombay sway

The Treblemakers. That's the name of this young band which recently played at Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, comprising 12-year-olds Arnav Agarwal, Kabir Banerjee, Revaant Kothari, and Zayn Marker. The famous four, who attend The Cathedral and John Connon School in Fort, knew each other since they were six years old and decided to form a band over a year ago. Coldplay, Maroon 5, and Guns 'n' Roses, are some of their favourite musicians; Kabir, the drummer, enjoys classics like Sweet Child of Mine, and This Love by Maroon 5. All of them come from musically-inclined families and took up their respective instruments at an early age. But it's not just playing music that motivates them. Arnav, the electric guitarist and vocalist for the band, says he's glad to give back to the city in whatever way he can. The proceeds from their events are donated to various charity causes, such as animal welfare and environment-related causes. Zayn, the vocalist and keyboard player, says that they enjoy practising and playing around equally. And why the name? Kothari, the band's bass guitarist, says, "The Treblemakers is a play on the word ‘treble', one of the parts of music, and it felt right for us, considering our common love for music and mischief."

As in Mumbai, so in Singapore

The proposed plan for the Mahalaxmi Racecourse revamp

With the Mahalaxmi racecourse controversy simmering and efforts to save the green emerald of SoBo on with a fierce debate dominating the city's social media and other avenues, a look at turf clubs elsewhere is in order. Like the Kranji racecourse in Singapore for instance. Reports state that the Singapore Turf Club venue will hold its last race in October this year, after which it folds up and the land handed back to the government. Mohit Lalvani, founder 1play Sports, based in Singapore, but formerly an international horse racing presenter says, "It is unfortunate. Racing offers employment to so many. When you shut down a racecourse, you shut down an industry. This is not like a light switch, that you can click back on with a flick. A legacy is lost forever."

Diana deserved BCCI award too

Diana Edulji, former India women's team captain, during a podcast at the mid-day office last year. File pic

Being awarded the CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award this year would have been the perfect birthday gift for former India captain Diana Edulji, who turned 68 on Friday. But it was not to be. The BCCI decided to honour her fellow Parsi Farokh Engineer and Ravi Shastri, a similar spinner to Edulji who bamboozled batters - men and women with her left-arm spin. It must be said that all-rounder Edulji was in line for the award during her years as member of the Committee of Administrators (CoA) but didn't accept it as she was part of the inner ring that ran Indian cricket in a panel which had the blessings of the Supreme Court. Shastri and Engineer are thoroughly deserving of lifetime honours, but we say Edulji is as well. Edulji can be credited for introducing this lifetime award for women cricketers as a CoA member and we can't ignore the absurdity of no woman cricketer getting it this year. Better luck time, Diana Edulji!

This calendar is locked and loaded

Photographers Pravin Talan and Rupali Saagar have been shooting and creating the annual National Security Guard (NSG) themed calendar for the last eight years, but this year's is a special one for them. Because this time, they bring it out not as associates but as husband and wife, having tied the knot last year. Talan met Saagar ten years back, when she was a model. Coffee led to conversations, which led to photography together and finally, marriage. Saagar has carved her own niche, becoming one of the few women action photographers in the country, travelling alone to volatile territories like Kashmir and Gadchiroli to shoot the special forces posted there. "Working together as a couple is easy as long I let her have things her way," Talan chuckles. "On a serious note, it's fun. We get to travel a lot together and she provides a different and fresh perspective many times. She is many years younger to me, bursting with energy and excitement which is quite contagious rubbing on the entire team." This year's edition is more edgy, featuring the elite force's future-ready high-tech gear, including weapons and drones. The idea behind the calendar is to pay tribute to the NSG, which held a lion's share in defending the country during the 26/11 terror attacks of 2008.