Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

Pic/Satej Shinde

All in a day's work

A young boy dressed as Lord Krishna yawns as his mother gives him some last words of advice before Janmashtami celebrations at a school in Dombivali

Taking steps towards change

The new tiles on the bridge towards Bandra East

This newspaper had recently reported the demolition of shanties near Bandra station. Events that followed since had daily commuters like this diarist impressed. One day, we spotted workers fixing the railway tracks. On another day, we spotted work on the railings of a bridge leading to Bandra East. We were prompted to write this snippet after noticing that the old, slippery tiles that were cursed upon by rushed commuters including yours truly, were being changed for good. While most of the work has been completed, on-site workers informed us that a finishing touch was pending. We aren't sure what led to these active measures of change, but we're not complaining.

Also read: Ready since June, Navi Mumbai Metro awaits VVIP visit

This sounds like Tom and Jerry

A still from Tom and Jerry. Pic Courtesy/Twitter (right) Advait Nemlekar

Composer Advait Nemlekar has achieved a true childhood dream with his latest opportunity to score music for Tom and Jerry's upcoming series set in Asia. "I grew up with it. I loved the silly gags, but now I know the technical skill behind it - violin slides to accentuate the drama, entire pieces composed for each film," he remarked. The 34-year-old Mumbaikar shared that the idea is to ‘not reinvent the wheel'. "Since it is set in Singapore, they wanted to use Asian sounds. So, the promo has the title track set to the beats of tabla and the Chinese guzheng, with other elements to capture the essence of the Far East," he said.

Goodbye Dicky

Singh's photo of tigress Arrowhead was featured in the daily dossier dated June 22, 2020

The Indian wildlife community lost a custodian yesterday after the passing of Aditya ‘Dicky' Singh (inset, right), wildlife photographer and conservationist. Tiger Watch, a wildlife conservation NGO in the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan paid tribute to Singh, noting that he was a steadfast supporter of their work, and recalled his participation in Operation Cooperation, an anti-poaching project. Singh moved to Ranthambore in 1998, building a home on the boundary of the national park, where he began rewilding approximately 30 acres of land.

In June 2020, this section featured Singh's photo of tigress Arrowhead on the road to Ranthambore Fort from the Sawai Madhopur. Singh had then recalled the early morning sighting as a great start to the day. His friend, conservation biologist Dr Dharmendra Khandal shared, "I met Aditya 20 years ago; he guided me and was my big brother. Because he spent so much time in the forest, he was knowledgeable about tiger behaviour and Ranthambore." Dr Khandal continued, "We built our homes beside each other, and met seven times a week. He was the best tiger photographer."

Mandodari leads the way

Koral Dasgupta with her books

Author Koral Dasgupta will release Mandodari, her fourth in the five-part Sati series this Friday at Fort's Kitab Khana. The series follows the Panch Kanya through a perspective that champions women's leadership. Ahead of her discussion with Avantika Bahuguna of SheThePeopleTV, Dasgupta shared, "The role of women envisaged in Indian philosophy plays out as a strong reference point in society's gender dynamics. In these stories, women are pushed to the corner and warring men are glorified. It will be good for young adults and parents to read the books for a wider horizon that [debunks] certain gender conditioning we might've grown up with."

Thalassery to NYC

A sadya meal organised by the chef

This diarist has just learnt that chef Marina Balakrishnan who runs That Thalassery Girl will be taking Keralite cuisine to chef Sujan Sarkar's Baar Baar in New York, in an October edition of Oottupura. About catering to a new palate, she said, "I have not altered any recipes because I want to showcase traditional lesser-known vegetarian Keralite fare. My menu champions local produce, and since it is fall there, I will use gourds, squash, and pumpkins also seen in Keralite dishes."