Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Nuts about you!

Zubair Sayed feeds a squirrel at the garden near Dadar beach. The student from Vasai carries biscuits, chips and pav every day for his furry friends

A festival that will make a mark

Tattoos might be all the rage today, but among many indigenous communities of the world, tattooing or mark-making is a traditional practice that's often considered sacred. To celebrate the ceremonial nature of the artform, Bandra-based Sister Library will host the Festival of Stories on Skin on August 15. The festival will round up a five-day workshop on tattooing and feature women artistes from India, New Zealand and the USA. Founder Aqui Thami (inset) told this diarist that they will exhibit images and installations of works by mark-makers, along with organising talks with the artistes. "As an indigenous person, my interest in mark-making comes from that place. It's a traditional, ceremonial practice that is much more than just drawing on skin. It's mostly a very sacred practice among indigenous communities, often associated with a coming-of-age ritual, or as a mark of protection or identification - it can have different significances. But the practice is becoming rarer. This is a good place to bring back attention to how the artform started," the artist added. Look out for more details about the workshop and the fest on @sister.library on Instagram.

Kamaal Kalam

Commemorating the death anniversary of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, the NCPA, in association with the Sanskaar Valley School, Bhopal, is presenting a musical drama based on the life of the Missile Man of India. It will be performed by 60 students from the school through lyrical dance movements as they enact various events that influenced and led the late national icon to his achievements.

Dr Suvarnalata Rao, head of Indian music at NCPA, shared, "The play is based on Dr Kalam's biopic - Wings of Fire - which was translated into Hindi by Gulzar Sahab as Parvaaz ka Agaaz. It is important to understand that Dr Kalam was not just an internationally reputed scientist but was also a down-to-earth human being. The integrity that he carried was phenomenal and is something that should be inculcated by today's officials." Even though this is not the organisation's first time working with Gulzar (inset), she noted that it is always an honour. The musical, which is recited in Gulzar's voice, will be staged at Tata Theatre on July 29.

Aa-ray of hope?

The Fridays for Future protest in UP. PIC COURTESY/Twitter

Even as the development versus nature debate intensifies, this diarist found a ray of hope among eco-warriors old and young from across the country answering the call of the Save Aarey movement. While environmentalists allege that the tree-felling at Aarey has started, youth from the Fridays For Future, Uttar Pradesh chapter, took to the streets recently to protest and protect Mumbai's urban jungle. Aravalli Bachao, a citizen's movement, also extended its solidarity to the cause. Are the powers that be listening?

Decode the method

Lee Strasberg. Pic/strasberg.edu

There's an interesting update for budding actors in the city. The G5A Foundation for Contemporary Culture has collaborated with The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute and will kick off a three-week course on Acting for Cinema. The renowned school was set up by Lee Strasberg, the father of method acting. G5A founder Anuradha Parikh shared, "With rapid technological advances, there are increasing opportunities for actors to work on screen and in front of the camera. This course will push actors to redefine how they interpret performance, portraying stories and characters on film within the Indian context." It will include classes based on method acting and scene study, along with a masterclass with David Strasberg.

Tech a Raja Ravi Varma home

Hamsa Damayanti Samvad. PIC COURTESY/Raja Ravi Varma Heritage Foundation

Amid the rising popularity of Non Fungible Tokens (NFTs), a series of lithographs by Raja Ravi Varma is set to go under the hammer at an online auction. It will offer art connoisseurs phygital NFTs of the late master painter's works. The auction is an initiative by gallery g in Bengaluru, in association with the Raja Ravi Varma Heritage Foundation and Singapore-based physical and digital art marketplace RtistIQ. Earlier this year, they presented the first-ever NFT drop of Varma's artworks. The auction is set to take place from tomorrow till July 31 on art.rtistiq.com. Gitanjali Maini (inset), founder-director of the gallery and managing trustee and CEO of the foundation, said, "We've realised that with Raja Ravi Varma's works, a person desires to see and own the physical artwork as well - such is the popularity and draw of this amazing artist. When we planned the second NFT drop, we decided to sell the works as physical prints and digital images."