Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

Pic/Anurag Ahire

Blue is the warmest colour

A schoolgirl escorts a blind man in Andheri East

The good word

Designs inspired by Rumi - A New Collection by Farrukh Dhondy and A Full Circle by Namrita Bachchan. PICS COURTESY/THE PLATED PROJECT

How much power do words hold? Enough to lift one out from the clutches of hunger, believes Chitresh Sinha, founder of The Plated Project, a social impact initiative aimed at eliminating hunger through plate art. During their research last year, the team found that illiteracy was one of the biggest reasons behind hunger. To spread awareness about this reality, they embarked on a series that promotes the power of learning as a means for upward mobility.

They've tied up with Harper Collins India to create limited-edition plates inspired by three authors and their books - A Full Circle by Namrita Bachchan, Teething by Megha Rao and Rumi - A New Collection by Farrukh Dhondy. Each plate sponsors 25 meals for girls studying at Milaan Foundation School. "The idea is to keep them in school as the midday meal programme has been majorly impacted," he said. To lend them a hand, head to theplatedproject.com.

Calling on the A.R.M.Y

Pic Courtesy/Instagram

This diarist brings good news to the 40 million-member family of Korean pop music band, BTS. Fandom group Army or Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth has got a special invitation from YouTube to show their solidarity for the band where Army fans can now create a Short on their BTS story and upload it with the hashtag #MyBTStory. Did the pop passion begin with their fan chant or while attending a live concert? Say it in short, and become a part of the band's story.

On her own terms

Gita Ramaswamy and Naseeruddin Shah

A revolutionary? An activist? A writer? Gita Ramaswamy's life defies definitions. Born in a Brahmin household, she found herself joining the Naxals, suffered the dark days of the Emergency, witnessed her comrades getting jailed or killed, fought for the landless Dalits in Telangana, experienced disillusionment, but marched on. Like a tigress. She has poured her life out in her memoir, Land, Guns, Caste, Woman: The Memoir of a Lapsed Revolutionary (Navayana), which she will release at the G5A on Friday - the 27th anniversary of the declaration of Emergency. She will be in conversation with Jerry Pinto and Pradnya Daya Pawar, while actor Naseeruddin Shah will present a reading from the book. "The force of seeing my life spilling onto the pages didn't strike me when the book was first out. It was when the first responses began trickling in that I started getting hit," she told us. The book is not simply a memoir, she added. "It laid bare other people along with me. Was that worth it? At 68, the last thing I want to do is to offend or fight with anyone. Life is too short." Her favourite part? "I loved writing the initial foray into Ibrahimpatnam [Telangana] where everything was new, I was curious, innocent even. I like the part about the rocks all over the place, buying food from people and sleeping wherever convenient. I love the part where the people of Mirkhanpet come to visit us 25 years later and leave me with so much love. I also like the bit where I try to unpack the issues of development in villages and get myself out of the judgemental mode."

Chocolate dreams in Bandra

Here's some sweet news for chocolate connoisseurs in the city. Bengaluru-based luxury chocolate-maker Smoor is set to bring its drool-worthy collection of couverture chocolates, macarons, cakes and other baked goods to Bandra. The suburb will witness the opening of their standalone store on Chapel Road on Saturday. CEO Vimal Sharma told us that the 700-sq ft store will include a chocolate lounge and a signature chocolate studio. "The lounge is all about bringing to the fore the myriad possibilities one can have with chocolate and educating people along the way. Chocolate can be a healthy snack but one has to know how to consume it as real couverture chocolate. Our workshops will aim at chocolate education, expanding the scope of its application, taking handcrafting to the next level,"
Sharma told this diarist.