Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

Pic/Ashish Raje

Babies' day out

A child in a Matunga chawl looks on as a doll lies on a toy scooter.

The seeds of democracy

A photograph from the Farmers' Protest NFT

Farmers' Protest NFT is a collection of photographs and videos of the historic farmers' agitation, which have been put up for sale. All proceeds from these sales will go towards supporting more than 750 families who lost a loved one during the protests, making the collection the largest social movement to be minted to the blockchain. In an effort to record and bear witness to history, the remaining funds will help build the first-ever Metaverse Museum open to the public and dedicated to this pivotal movement in the history of democracy. Terence-Hari Fernandes, co-champion of the project and founder of Lekh-Haq - a film collective, explained that blockchain technology ensures that vital information is protected within the ideals of democracy. He said, "The Farmers' Protest NFT collection represents just that - a people willing to stand together and use technology to ensure that the struggle does not go in vain." The collection currently consists of work by veteran journalist Saba Naqvi and documentary filmmaker Neera, but will continue to grow with contributions from journalists and visual artists, who documented the protests on the ground.

Terence-Hari Fernandes

A legal eagle's jazzy side

Most people know of the late Soli Sorabjee as a legal eagle who served as the Attorney General of India. But not all of them know about his deep interest in jazz music, an aspect that was celebrated yesterday at a tribute event held for him in Delhi. It featured a band playing Sorabjee's favourite jazz tunes, poetry recitals, and people like singer Usha Uthup and jazz aficionado Sunil Sampat sharing their memories of him via video clips. "He once told me about how he and a couple of others travelled to Karachi in 1967-68 to listen to [jazz legend] Dizzy Gillespie play a concert there. Remember that this was two years after the war with Pakistan in 1965, so there was real bad blood between the countries," Sampat reminisced to this diarist.

An ally of equality

Mumbai-based sports journalist Harini Rana has made us proud. She was recently selected by United Nations Women as Generation Equality Ally for India and Asia. Chatting with this diarist about her achievement, Rana said, "The selection was surreal, because when I started out as a journalist, I didn't think I would reach this point and be inducted by the UN as Generation Equality Ally. The recognition gives me a platform to passionately work in the field of sports with women at its centre - something I love." Rana feels it is also a reflection of her dedicated work over a decade and the sacrifices she has made in the process. We wish her the best.

Count your stones

Summers are synonymous with mangoes. To not miss the peak season of mango-eating, Mission Green Mumbai has started a drive asking for mango seeds that can be used in plantations around this time of the year. Last year, the drive called Aam Ke Aam Gutliyon Ke Daam was able to garner public attention through social media. "We had received as many as 40,000 seeds in 2021, of which 8,000 have germinated into plants. This year, we have set a target of getting at least 10 lakh mango stones. We need those many, as our end goal is to grow 18,000 mango trees. The seeds will be sown at a centre in Thane's Murbad," said Subhajit Mukherjee, founder of the chapter. Those who want to be part of this mango-licious initiative can send an email to trees.subhajit@gmail.com.

Sole goals in Worli

Wall art is springing up all around in Mumbai and we are loving it. Look at this art egging on people to walk, ride or run, near the Worli Sea face turn. This is the wall turning from China Bistro restaurant towards the sea face, opposite the Love Grove pumping station. Runners will remember this point well; it was the half-way mark (10 km) for the Mumbai half-marathon 21-km runners. This was when the half marathon also began at CSMT, like the full-marathon (42 km). The route has changed today. The wall though is a cheery cheerleader for all SoBo runners doing their long runs, on that route. More power to legs and lungs.