Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Crowning glory

Gujarat Police officers conduct the final dress rehearsal ahead of the Independence Day parade at Mantralaya

IN PHOTOS: Full dress rehearsal held ahead of 78th Independence Day celebrations in Bengaluru

4 months agoPHOTO GALLERY

Seychelles calling

Uma Dogra during the performance at the Seychelles Museum

Mumbai-based danseuse Uma Dogra is on a four-day visit to the East African island of Seychelles to celebrate the Seychelles India Day leading up to India's Independence Day. "Like Mumbai, it's been pouring in the Seychelles. So, we performed a piece in Raag Megh, and another piece based on varsha rutu [monsoon]," Dogra shared excitedly following her performance at the Seychelles National Museum yesterday.

Making ancient cool again

Last week, at a SoBo venue, the city's famed collaborative spirit was at the fore, once again. Dressed in their sharp suits and classy chiffons, a select group of likeminded visionaries from its cultural milieu raised a toast to a blockbuster development. The Chhatrapati Shivaji Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) is in the advanced stages to establish a permanent Ancient World Gallery on site, which has been under development for four years. The mood was celebratory, given the paucity of immersive cultural experiences in the city.

Sabyasachi Mukherjee (right) Bull, Mohenjo-Daro, IV 220, Pic Courtesy/CSMVS, Mumbai

Sabyasachi Mukherjee (right), director general, CSMVS, revealed exclusive details to mid-day, "As a continuation of our Ancient World project, we will be collaborating with The British Museum, the State Museums of Berlin, the Museum Rietberg, the al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait, and numerous Indian museums to present a gallery dedicated to the world's first river civilisations. The gallery will open in late 2025, and be globally co-curated with its partner museums." The story of the Harappan Civilisation will be at the centre of this project, and will celebrate India's role in the ancient world geography, and its impact on contemporary society. "We look at this major exhibition as an educational endeavour."

CSMVS's lead curator-Ancient World Gallery, Joyoti Roy, and curator-education, Vaidehi Savnal; Dr Thorsten Opper, curator, department of Greek and Roman Sculpture, and Dr Paul Collins, assistant keeper (later Mesopotamia), department of Middle East, British Museum, were optimistic of this path-breaking project. Mentors Neil MacGregor and Mahrukh Tarapor, and Cyrus Guzder, chairman, board of trustees, CSMVS, also hailed this collaborative effort. That evening, the term ‘old-world' bore another meaning altogether, best summed up by Mukherjee in the words, "Whatever we are today, is because of our ancestors."

Bright new shoots

A white-breasted water hen at the mangrove. Pic Courtesy/Shubham Darekar

In the suburb of Mira Road, a culture of natural conservation is beginning to develop. The nature club of Royal College, Nisarg Green Club, conducted a monsoon birding session in the Red Wall mangrove. "It is close by, and we wanted students to be able to get home early in the monsoon. This small [patch of] mangroves near the west of Mira Road is a good spot for birding. It was an introductory session to teach students to appreciate nature," said associate professor and club convenor, Radhika A D'Souza (inset). Led by Wildlife Conservative Society research manager, Nikit Surve, the group of 25 freshers spotted 28 species of birds, including the rare tricoloured munia.

On your marks, get set, and animate

A moment from the animated Olympics

The 33rd Olympic Games might have drawn to a close, but the hangover of the Olympic spirit is still alive and kicking, or in this case, running. An alternate closing ceremony, animated by city-based Wolf Bread Animation Studios brings together childhood favourites like Mario, Shrek and the minions to the track for a final sprint. "We're a young animation studio of nearly 10 animators. We wanted to showcase our skill sets, and that's how the timely idea to blend existing animated characters with the Olympics came together," shared founder Taufiq Khan, who is also working on a custom character called Mr Wolf Bread, and a clothing line to follow in October. The short video ends with Mario bagging gold after the minion is left injured in an unfortunate slip. An exciting rivalry to watch out for in 2028, we'd say.

Anarkali's big bash

Anarkali enjoys her special fruit cake on Monday (right) Dr Abhishek Satam

Being the lone elephant at the Mumbai Zoo might be a drag on most days for 62-year-old Anarkali, but that also meant she had exclusive dibs on a special World Elephant Day treat on August 12. "The ‘cake' was part of an enrichment activity that we conduct regularly to stimulate wild instincts among the animals in captivity. Usually, the fruits include wild finds like sugarcane, and bananas, but the special occasion called for dragon fruit, watermelon, pineapple, and tender coconut," shared Dr Abhishek Satam, zoo biologist, Mumbai Zoo, adding that there were also activities such as origami-making stalls and a selfie booth with infographics for visitors.