Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

Pic/Shadab Khan

Meal in the middle!

A family rests on the divider near Fashion Street after a shopping session

Mario drew for everyone

A sketch from Chakraverty's archive of Airport Centaur Hotel by Mario Miranda

Growing up, Mario Miranda's work was one this half-Goan diarist could connect with. It seems that a certain Rochelle Pinto shared a similar connection as detailed in her write-up, Mario puts Goa in a textbook on publicarchives.wordpress.com. Pinto's research led to a conversation with Debasish Chakraverty, a fellow member of Facebook's Indo-Portuguese History page. In addition to Miranda's Goa illustrations in textbooks, Chakraverty shared his own connection with the artist. The son of an Air-India pilot, Chakraverty recalled, "[Miranda illustrated] the December 1977 cover of the in-house publication where he sketched Air-India events of that year that you wouldn't know about if you didn't hail from the aviation industry; this included the arrival of two jumbo jets, and the jets' first flight to Calcutta [Kolkata] from Bombay [Mumbai]."

Artists, assemble

Fellowship students visit a studio

Immerse by Somaiya Vidyavihar University, a fellowship for artists and curators, begins its third edition in collaboration with Natasha Jeyasingh, founder of Carpe Arte, Al-Qawi Nanavati of Young Art Support, and Shaleen Wadhwana. The deadline for applying is September 1. "The programme includes travel stipends, skill-based workshops, interactions with Mumbai-based artists, and other activities," Jeyasingh informed us.

On the vulture watch

Vultures in Raigad, 2021. Pic Courtesy/Yogesh Gurav; (right) Rinkita Gurav

Non-profit organisation, WWF India is back with the third edition of the pan-India vulture count. This initiative aims at training citizens in identifying various vulture species and documents their observations. "In the long-run, through the collected data, we strive to comprehend vulture populations across different locations. Moreover, this initiative fosters a sense of birdwatching along with biodiversity conservation enthusiasm among birders, students, photographers, and others who partake," said Rinkita Gurav, manager of WWF'S raptor conservation programme. She informed us that over 450 wildlife enthusiasts volunteered in the last edition, including some from Nashik, Raigad and Gadchiroli. Log on to @wwfindia.

Govandi's cool caretakers

Signature drive for the bus stand shade at Shivaji Nagar in Govandi; (right) Salim Khan

The future might belong to the youth, but they are also proactive at ensuring a better today. Govandi Yuva Manch, run by the youth in Shivaji Nagar, works towards development of this neighbourhood. Member Salim Khan, 24, said, "Through signature campaigns and letters to the authorities, we have asked for facilities for the Shivaji Nagar bus stand. The response we received - that we have to approach another department to clear the hawkers on the pavement - was not justified. We have sent letters and met with authorities for lift and escalator facilities at Govandi railway station, which should have been completed; and a proper functional police chowk." Nasreen Ansari, 23, added, "Smaller issues like galli clean-ups get addressed but the response and action are slow for other issues. Just because this is a slum, it doesn't mean problems should be invisibilised; we should receive facilities as other areas of Mumbai."

Stop scrolling, start sketching

His sketch (left) Shishir Jha

This diarist would be lying if she said she doesn't spend hours at a time scrolling through that one dreaded app on her phone. You know which one. But should you look up from your screen in public, you will be more conscious than ever of this zombified act when you see almost everyone seated nearby sucked into their phones too. This is why Shishir Jha, seated at Versova's Leaping Windows sketching parts of the café in his view, and with his phone nowhere in sight, caught our eye. We struck a conversation with Bihar-born, Mumbai-based Jha, who is the filmmaker behind Tortoise Under The Earth, the story or a couple coping with the loss of their daughter in the uranium mining area of Jharkhand, and learnt that he carries brush pen with him everywhere he goes. "Sketching is my favourite hobby, so I practise it while waiting for my colleagues," he shared, "In fact, it's the best way I ensure I stay off my phone." Aha! So here's another way people pass their time. And what about avoiding excess screen time at home? "I like to play around with paint as well, so when I go back home, I fill in the sketches with colours," he said to us.