Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

Pic/Sameer Markande

Ab... BUS!

Some of the 2,200 additional MSRTC buses that will ply to Konkan for Ganeshotsav, stand parked at the Mulund bus depot.

Therapy for all

Taking cognisance of the growing importance of mental wellbeing during the pandemic, One Future Collective has devised several free programmes to offer professional help to those in need, regardless of their economic capacity. "Those struggling with their mental health can sign up with us for four to six free therapy sessions. The costs will be covered through our fundraising efforts.

We're also hosting sharing circles, which are safe and confidential spaces for people to share and work through their emotions and experiences together. These are facilitated by mental health professionals. Further, we have community spaces that help people cope with social isolation and foster feelings of belonging," Anvita Walia, programme officer, told us. To register, visit them at onefuturecollective on Instagram.

Art for smiles

CRY Foundation is conducting their annual art fundraiser at Tao Art Gallery in Worli. On offer is a selection of 90 paintings with children as the central theme, as interpreted by over 40 artists. Dr Gunjan Shrivastava, a contemporary artist, is contributing a cyanotype (slow stitching on paper) titled A Million Stitches. "I wanted to depict puzzle pieces showing the happy times we spend with our friends and the layers of memories we create. The concentric circles are a metaphor for these memories coming together to create a happy childhood," she explained. The artworks are on display till tomorrow, and can also be viewed on the CRY website.

Heritage on vintage wheels

Industrialist and car collector Yohan Poonawalla recently exhibited several cars from his collection at leading international events Salon Prive (Blenheim Palace, UK) and Concours Of Elegance (Hampton Court Palace, UK). Among these are Poonawalla's 1949 Bentley Mark VI, which was awarded the prestigious Duke of Marlborough Award at Salon Prive (Blenheim Palace) and had been originally built for the Maharaja of Mysore. There's also the 1927 Rolls-Royce Twenty HP by Barker, which was awarded the Most Exceptional Coachwork Award at Salon Prive. "The collection represents the rich automotive heritage of India, and this is a proud moment for all involved," Poonawalla told us.

Doughy matters

Roughly a year ago, sourdough bread became one of the most popular trends to come out of the lockdown. A self-confessed sourdough-head, Aditi Handa, head baker and co-founder of The Baker's Dozen, along with co-founder Sneh Jain, has conceptualised Sourdough Summit, a one-of-its-kind virtual congregation to celebrate the bread. "The last decade of my life has been dedicated to only one mission: a sourdough in every home. The summit is an extension of this vision," she added.

Flexing for a social cause

Moved by the plight of homeless children during the pandemic, Krish Singh, a 15-year-old student from SoBo, devised the novel solution of creating raincoats for them using discarded flex material. It helped that his older sister, Aashna Saran, runs a luxury wedding design studio and was also seeking to reduce the significant environmental impact of her enterprise. "The wedding industry creates a lot of waste, including flex which isn't biodegradable; hence, we wanted to focus our attention on that," Aashna shared. With the help of a local tailor, the two converted the flex they had at hand into colourful raincoats and distributed them to 30 children. "Since flex is durable, they can use these raincoats over several monsoons. We also experimented with several styles and settled on Velcro fasteners, which last the longest, instead of zips. The bright colours brought a smile to their faces," added Krish. The duo is planning to expand their Flex Project to include backpacks and wallets, for the benefit of more children.