Mumbai Diary: Tuesday Dossier

Pic/Satej Shinde

Ladies dabba gets a paws-enger

A woman carries her pet dog on a local train from Vikhroli to Dadar.

Canvas of celebrations

(Left) A scene from Shaista Khan's duel with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

Thane's Pranjali Anaji Chavan (@pranj_jelly) celebrated a year of starting her venture into zoom art yesterday. "I made my first-ever zoom art on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's birth anniversary last year, where I covered highlights from his life. It is said that you must seek blessings from your God before starting something new.

For us, Shivaji Maharaj is our Aaradhya Deva," the 26-year-old told this diarist, "And so without any other thought, this was the first story I narrated through my art." She made another portrait this year to celebrate the national hero's 394th birth anniversary. "Every year, I visit Pratapgad, where people from my village run with a mashal (torch) in their hands one by one, among other rituals. This year, I couldn't be there, so I celebrated his legacy with my art. His dedication to preserve culture inspires me to explore themes of identity, heritage and diversity in my artwork."

Desi naach

Om Tarphe's and Ed People at the steps of the Town Hall

As SoBo's 22-year-old dancer Om Tarphe's routine on Banthan chali continues to be re-made across the globe since it first went viral in 2020, Belgium's dance-travel vlogger Ed People reached the city to get Tarphe to show him some moves. "My routine on Banthan has continually hit views in millions every time I dance to it with other creators; one such video on YouTube now has over 60 million views," Tarphe beamed. Such was its demand that he has taken workshops in 11 cities across India to teach the routine till now. He added, "When Ed agreed to collaborate with me, Banthan was a must, along with two other songs. Ed and I had never met before and yet it took him a few minutes to learn the steps and pull it off!"

Redefine victory 2.0

The play was a two-hour-long modern retelling of the epic

Despite having over 100 versions of Mahabharata, each with cultural interpretations of their own, at the core of the storylines of this Indian epic is one common burning desire - victory. But at what cost? Exploring the meaning, or rather the aftermath of this term, director and actress Lillete Dubey's play Jaya! The Victory received a thunderous round of applause at its final show last weekend in Bandra's Bal Gandharva Rang Mandir. To witness the modern adaptation of the play, what Dubey also refers to as the Mahabharata for Gen-Z, this diarist reached the venue to find a full house willing to hear yet another retelling. This one was a quick-paced musical with live singing, dance sequences (that were an amalgamation of kathak and kalaripayattu), action, drama and a brilliant retro set and styling. It slowed down towards the end to make way for monologues of guilt, post the war; where Duryodhan rests in heaven and the Pandavas suffer in hell. "It takes a tribe to make this kind of a play," said Dubey at the curtain call. This diarist, in awe of the heart-stopping spectacle, couldn't agree more.

Hashira training begins

A moment from the trailer of the episode. Pic Courtesy/Youtube

For those unfamiliar with the world of anime, the crowd of colourfully dressed Japanese-samurai wandering through suburban Andheri might seem odd. But these might be just fans of the popular series, DemonSlayer, who have been waiting for the launch of its next story arc on February 21. Comic Con India is hosting a special fan premiere for legions of fans who will attend in costume. "There is a lot of excitement for the upcoming movie among fans. The screening is an omnibus where we have the finale of the previous season - swordsmith village arc and the opening episode of the upcoming season - To Hashira Training - which will launch this spring season," said Jatin Varma, founder Comic Con India.