Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

Pic/Aishwarya Deodhar

Dreams are made of these

A man naps beneath a poster at Shivaji Park in Dadar.

Printed in Byculla

The printing company began as an entrepreneurial business in 1984

If you're heading to the usual and crowded haunts in Bandra, Fort and other locations that house the city's most famous eateries and event venues to unwind this weekend, you're missing out on the quieter yet cool hotspots in its south-central parts, like Byculla. Helping us uncover the hidden treasures of this corner of the city is an initiative called Because Byculla, which hosts guided walks that spotlight the past and present, culture and diversity of Byculla's thriving community. Among the various reasons that upholds and showcases Byculla's charm is a walk through a 39-year-old printing press JAK Printers Pvt Ltd. Established in 1984, the printing press has grown from a 250 sq ft area to a sprawling one-acre space. Second-generation entrepreneur spearheading production and business development, Zeenia K Patel will take art students, young designers and print enthusiasts through various pre and post-printing processes. She shared with this diarist, "It's beneficial for designers to understand the various processes that their work undergoes after design, like how colours merge and get translated on the page, how designs look when they move from screen or artboard to paper. We walk them through all the steps so that they can address limitations and ensure their work looks great. This is a two-hour walk that is often extended since we explore the processes and steps in depth." The trail ends with coffee, and a visit to a popular sweet shop for treats.

Advocating a better life

Anuhya Korrapati, founder of Beyond Blood, an online site that helps menstruators with evidence-based health information, took to her Instagram stories for an Ask Me Anything session earlier this week to raise awareness about Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), a severe extension of Premenstrual syndrome, that she was diagnosed with in 2019 since April is observed as PMDD month. "One question was how I deal with the disorder despite knowing there is no cure. I believe that in the future, those with PMDD will keep good health as science is working towards fighting this condition. The only thing I can do right now is further those outcomes by being a patient advocate."

Mirror on Marathi stage

The performance of Kalgitura

A memory that will be etched in the mind of this diarist for a while is that of watching the performance of Kalgitura. The winning play of NCPA's Darpan initiative that provides an opportunity to new stories to premiere at the festival, it will also be the opening performance of the annual Pratibimb Marathi Natya Utsav in May. Entering its tenth edition this year, the press conference held yesterday at the SoBo venue, witnessed the festival's ambassadors - Amruta Subhash, Swapnil Joshi, Makrand Deshpande and Mrunal Kulkarni cheer the Pratibimb team. "This festival is important for Marathi theatre. I did one of my first plays here, and it means a lot to have experienced that opportunity. This is a platform for those who wish to do something out-of-the-box," Subhash told this diarist. After a mesmerising performance, Datta Patil, the writer of Kalgitura said that the name is derived from folk culture. "It is a poetic debate between Shakti and Shiv,
and it brought together classes and castes. This culture is now slowly dying out with only a few left to celebrate it. I came across artistes who still perform this tradition in a village called Umbharai that inspired me to write this play," he shared.

Amruta Subhash, Makrand Deshpande and Swapnil Joshi. Pics/Shadab Khan

A residence for street art

The gallery will be inaugurated today. Pic courtesy/XXL gallery

Street art has an address in Mumbai. Gallery XXL that opened today is dedicated to urban and contemporary art. Backed by the names behind the St+Art Foundation, its opening exhibit - Outsiders - will feature Japanese artist AIKO, Filthy Luker, the Aravani Art Project and Martha Cooper among 26 curated names. "Gallery XXL aims to introduce post-graffiti and urban art to Indian audiences. With robust programming, residencies and travelling shows in partnership with international galleries, we will integrate the global art movement into India's contemporary art fabric," said Joe Cyril, gallery director and CEO.