Mumbai Diary: Sunday Dossier

Pic/Atul Kamble

Conscious coupling

A young couple supports each other on a beautiful Mumbai evening at Carter Road

Jimmy Amarnath's courage gets further validation in book

Among former great Indian batsmen alive, it's safe to say Mohinder Amarnath (Jimmy to family and friends) is the least in the public eye. He prefers to be low profile and is not one who you will find airing his opinion on television often. Recently, this diarist received a book from England titled Cricket's Hard Men by Richard Sydenham. It's a book on courageous cricketers. The Indians featured are Amarnath and Anil Kumble. How very tough Amarnath was, is illustrated in a quote from West Indies's ex-pace stalwart Michael Holding. "What separated Jimmy from the others was his great ability to withstand pain," said Holding, the world's fastest bowler in 1979. Jeff Thomson, himself the fastest thing going around at one time, too praised Amarnath's ability to cope with sheer pace. "Jimmy was very brave and he believed in himself a lot that he could play the quicks, which you have to do as it's no good going out there sh'''''g yourself," said Thommo. Indeed, beneath that pleasing personality lies a steely man.

Strumming her way to success

Bhajan singer Krishna Marathe is gearing up for an exciting year ahead. The singer is known for playing Indian spiritual mantras, chants, and bhajans on the electric guitar for the chautha ceremony at funerals and occasionally, for wedding rituals. Now, she will be debuting as an actor in the second season of musical romantic drama Bandish Bandits. Ask her how she is feeling, and she says she's thrilled. "I'm very excited. We've been shooting the entirety of last year, in various locations in India, and this is my first brush with acting," she shares. While the exact details of her role are under wraps, she says director Anand Tiwari made them all comfortable by urging them to act in character, in tune with their personalities.

Stamps that tell a historic story

(From top) 1967; 2010; 2024

As the general elections loom, zippy WhatsApp has been quick on the uptake. A postal stamp showing the mood of the general elections 1967 is whirring madly on mobiles. Said Mumbai's Kapil Gogri, secretary, Philatelic Congress of India.

"The 1967 postal stamp was released to raise awareness to get people to vote. You see people in suits and dhotis too in this stamp. In 2010, a postal stamp was released showing an EVM machine, the new election card and women queueing at a poll booth. The message was simple: more women should come out to vote.

It was also about familiarising people with EVMs." Gogri added the 2024 stamp about elections, "is all about inclusivity. You have men, women, different faiths and the disabled showing they have voted," he said. That is how a simple postage stamp gives a punchy picture about India's franchise story.

An author's dream come true

Andaleeb Wajib, one of our favourite authors, announced that her beloved children's book Asmara's Summer will soon be converted into a series on Amazon Prime, as Dil Dosti Dilemma. Wajid spoke to us about the hidden dream most writers have about seeing their work on screen. "Writing is a very isolating exercise. So, to see your imagination being converted into a series is beyond exciting," Wajid told this diarist. The story is set in Bengaluru where Asmara, our lead protagonist, is sent to her grandparents to live. "Many parents have reached out to congratulate me. They often talk about how reading my books made their children into readers."

Video games at the Oscars?

Art by Prateek Arora

Chatter at a recent panel discussion in the city revealed that much of Bollywood remains sceptical about AI; more afraid of it than curious about it. But some in the larger film industry remain hopeful: BANG BANG Mediacorp's VP Prateek Arora, who moderated the discussion, predicts a wave of immersive storytelling. The sci-fi creator, known for his stunning AI-driven art, says that machine learning will allow filmmakers to create interactive storytelling - the kind we see in video games.

"I wonder if there will be a time when video games are a category at the Oscars… The world-building and storytelling in them is rich and detailed. Consider The Last of Us - people say that as that game progressed, it was more moving than the show that it was adapted into," Arora said. Will this change Bollywood's mind, we wonder.