Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

Pic/Anurag Ahire

Here's some water fur you

That's what this young woman seems to be telling a dog at Vasai Road train station on Tuesday.

The stage is set for Indian instruments

Nandini Mahesh

If we were to tell you to picture what a sarod, sitar, veena or a tabla looks like, you'd be able to do that literally with your eyes closed. But if we were to ask you to do the same for a jal tarang, israj, pakhawaj or nadaswaram, you'd probably struggle. These lesser-known Indian instruments will be showcased at a two-day festival called The Indian Music Conference. It will be held across seven cities, with the Vashi edition slated for next month. The idea is not just to highlight these instruments, but also bring back the old-school ethos of Indian classical music festivals where the performers had enough leisure to play their music, instead of playing short gigs. "In the old days, just the alaap of a performance would sometimes be an hour-long. We are trying to recreate that easy space for artistes," shared Nandini Mahesh, co-founder of The Banyan Tree, organisers of the festival.

The 2019 edition of the festival

Honesty pays

Those who follow social media trends wouldn't have missed the viral spoofs being made of songs and clips from Pushpa: The Rise, the hit Telugu film starring Allu Arjun. While celebrities like cricketer Suresh Raina have also jumped on to the bandwagon, what caught our eye is a heartfelt version that the creators of KhaaliJeb, a UPI-payment app, have made. In it, the youngsters talk about the struggles they have faced trying to enter this booming mobile-money market. "We work together in one flat, and more than 80 per cent of our lives are spent together. That's what we have tried to portray through this video," shared Pratham Devang, one of the co-creators.

No colours needed

Visitors at the opening day of the festival

The city lost a talented artist to COVID-19 when Daniel David Talegaonkar succumbed to the virus in 2020. But a dream that he had was realised yesterday, when an exhibition of his works opened at Jehangir Art Gallery. It's titled Life in Black & White, and consists of around 40 pieces that symbolise his characteristic black-ink sketches. "They give an idea of how he looked at different shades and facets of life, and the world around him, using just black ink," Talegaonkar's sister, Annie Jacob, told this diarist.

Raza coming to CSMVS

Yesterday was the 100th birth anniversary of celebrated Indian artist SH Raza. City-based Jehangir Nicholson Art Foundation (JNAF) has tied up with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS), Raza Foundation and Art Musings to organise an exhibition of his works in mid-2022, in order to mark the occasion. "Jehangir Nicholson and Art Musings had a personal connection with the artist and some of his most poignant works are held in the JNAF collection," shared JNAF director Puja Vaish, adding that Raza's birth centenary also coincides with CSMVS completing 100 years of existence.

Relaying grit, and a good swim

In a bid to make ultra-destination swims accessible to more swimmers, Mumbai Sea Swimmers is organising a relay swim from the Gateway of India to Vashi. Teams of four will compete in this tide-assisted swim, which the organisers described as a test of grit and teamwork. "Each swimmer will swim for roughly an hour. In addition to the actual swim, what adds to the difficulty of the activity is sailing on a boat for nearly six hours in the open sea. We are expecting more experienced swimmers to participate," shared Minesh Babla, the group's co-founder. Aspiring swimmers will also receive coaching and guidance from more experienced peers who have participated in relay swims of the English Channel. To learn more and register, visit mumbaiseaswimmers.com.