Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

Pic/Sameer Markande

Local blooms

Colourful flowers bloom next to the railway tracks at the Dadar Railway Station

SRK is wife's jabra fan

Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan at the book launch. Pic/Satej Shinde

It was a day when King Khan celebrated his Queen, and her love for design. On Monday evening, the couple launched Gauri Khan's book, My Life in Design at a suburban five-star. The title includes backstories of her décor projects, design tips and unseen images of the family and their home, Mannat. Khan began his keynote speech by thanking the audience for waiting (he was quintessentially an hour and a half late) and joked that he normally doesn't have a choice when his wife does something fabulous, like launching a book. But the real reason for his excitement was because it represented the family's go-getter attitude. "We have known each other since she was 14 and I was 18, and sometimes, when you know each other for that long, the sense of appreciation for each other's work starts diminishing because you take it for granted. [As the wife of a star] Gauri has played her part in the best way possible," shared SRK who added that he was proud of Gauri who began her career in interior design at 40; the extra love was because she couldn't pursue a formal degree in design due to their early marriage, he shared, adding how she rose to fulfil her dreams from a 10x20 ft space in Lower Parel, and continues to solely manage her company. "She is the busiest person in the family. I often ask her, ‘Why so much work? And she replies, ‘Because it satisfies me.' A happy day is a satisfying day. This book stands for that; whatever your age, follow that dream. Gauri has given this success mantra to our family."

Also Read: Mumbai Diary: Tuesday Dossier

Turning art Instagrammable

Ashutosh Mohanty

This diarist has often heard jokes about art being worthy only if it was Instagrammable. City-based curators Ashutosh Mohanty and Aric Master are set to explore the idea in their upcoming show, Omniverse: AI Art Exhibit next month. To be held at the La Gwa Bistro in Andheri, the show will focus on augmented reality and art viewed through the lens of social media.

A previous exhibit with people trying out the virtual reality experience

"Utilising Instagram's features, we have crafted an interactive experience, allowing you to actively participate in the art, blurring the lines between creator and audience," Mohanty remarked. While most galleries would ask you to put your phones aside while looking at art, Mohanty's exhibit would require the opposite. The augmented reality artworks will come to life when viewed through Instagram filters, the curator revealed. "We have also written to Meta, in the hope that the social media giant might be interested in examining the works," he added.

March with pride, Vasai

Representation pic

As Pride Month (June) approaches, rainbow flags everywhere are being readied to flutter in the sky. And while Mumbai has been organising pride marches regularly, the far corners of its suburbs are yet to be a part of the movement. Looking at it as another hill to climb, few members of the queer community got together to organise what will be Vasai-Virar's first pride march. Actor and filmmaker Nakshatra Bagwe (inset) is one of the members who is working towards bringing this together. "These parts of the city have never been a centre for pride marches so we planned the Vasai-Virar Pride Festival. While we will kick things off with the march, we also have plans to conduct film screenings and health camps for the community. We will take these initiatives across Palghar district," he told this diarist. But what Bagwe and the rest thought would be a difficult task turned out to be an enriching experience. "We thought getting permissions wouldn't be easy. But all three police stations that we approached gladly helped," he revealed.

Gymboree near the Jambori

Gym equipment made from wood near Jambori Maidan

It is all about flex and pecs, but done differently. This diarist spotted a roadside gym, just next to Jambori Maidan in Worli that is open to the skies and open to all, too. It has equipment made of wood. We presume it has been carved out of dead tree barks. There are dumbbells, a dumbbell stand and barbells for your deadlift (watch that form) and bicep curls. There were some pull-up bars too; perhaps, one of the most challenging bodyweight exercises. The space also has a few benches that are not meant for you to sit and look into your mobile screens but for the chest press, and to exercise your abs, triceps and other body parts. While the weights may not seem very heavy for regulars, they were not too light either, and give an interesting dimension to workouts. The overall message seems to be: work out here and become as tough as teak, what else?