Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

Pic/Satej Shinde

Movement in still life
A herd of spotted deer gaze at their reflection in the river water inside Sanjay Gandhi National Park at Borivali.

Unscripted black comedy

Vijay Tendulkar

Playwright Vijay Tendulkar's Jaat Hi Pucho Sadhu Ki has run into a row. The play, due to be performed at the Indian People's Theatre Association's festival in Chattarpur, MP, in February, had to be called off as certain locals claiming to be associated with a political outfit, termed it "anti-Hindu".

Sanjoy Roy

This prompted Sanjoy Roy, MD, Teamwork Arts, to start a petition calling for the festival and the play to be restored. The petition has been supported by over 8,000 signatories, including Shabana Azmi, Lilette Dubey and Sharmila Tagore. "People go on about culture, but they're quick to burn a book or stop a play. How have we moved so far from theatre, literature and the arts? This is like a black comedy," Roy told this diarist.

A bow-wow idea

A gourmet pet food service has joined hands with Welfare of Stray Dogs (WSD) to help pet parents support the city's strays. "For every subscription to our meal plans, we will sponsor a month's meal for a dog at the WSD centre," shared Nayan Shah (in pic), founder of Pet Chef. Call 9136946065 to do your bit.

Georgie heads for great gig in the sky

Merlin D'souza with Georgie Jacob

The city lost a music icon on Sunday evening, with the passing of jazz and soul musician Georgie Jacob. Remembered fondly for his expert piano skills and soulful voice, Jacob was an almost permanent fixture at The Oberoi (today's Trident), where he played for more than 40 years. "Since his first gigs at Bombelli's, Georgie made the Oberoi his second home and transformed it into a landmark venue for live jazz and soft rock music. As a mentor, he accepted you as his family and nurtured your growth in every part of life," shared bandmate and musician Natasha D'souza.

Natasha D'souza

Merlin D'souza, multi-instrumentalist and composer, recalled, "Georgie brought the international big-band feel to the country for the very first time. He had a rare eye for spotting talent - despite being a purist himself; he always told me that I had the right blend of ‘art meets commerce'. When a few of us surprised him at his home for his birthday, a couple of weeks ago, he told us that he was in the process of recording his music digitally so that he could share it with the world. Despite his age, he never stopped learning. He has been and will be an inspiration for all. As the song goes, Georgie [will always be] on our minds."

Justice for Sapna

Last year, we had reported on the legal battle that celebrity hairstylist and filmmaker Sapna Bhavnani (in pic) was fighting against Kabir Singh Chowdhry, who claimed to be a co-producer of her film Sindhustan. The Bombay High Court has issued an order rejecting ad-interim/interim relief sought by Chowdhry. About the development, Bhavnani stated, "The 45-page judgment of the Hon'ble Bombay High Court is a testimony to the blessings that have been bestowed on my film ‘Sindhustan'... I remember saying this in an earlier post which was in response to the social media tirade launched against me by Mr. Kabir Singh Chowdhry - ‘The wheels of justice may grind slow, but they grind fine!'"

Another art gallery reopens

Untitled by Akbar Padamsee

Starting March 19, the Jehangir Nicholson Art Foundation (JNAF) will reopen its doors to art lovers. The gallery has curated an exciting line-up. "We are reopening with an exhibition of noted artist Akbar Padamsee's work.

Works displayed at the gallery

On Saturday, March 20, we are hosting a Wikipedia Edit-a-thon which seeks to improve the content available online about Indian women artists, who are typically underrepresented," shared Puja Vaish, JNAF director.

Puja Vaish

To ensure safety, many associated events will be conducted virtually.