Mumbai Diary: Friday Dossier

Pause for PowaiThis morning frame of Powai Lake offers a rare serene contrast in our otherwise buzzing citySee the lightGoan indie band Tammy amp Roy are bringing their music to Mumbai digitally for a cause The band known for its folksy tunes is going to perform at an online fundraiser organised by Sightsavers which works to eliminate avoidable blindness and helps visually challenged persons ldquoWe have been supporting Sightsavers for the past two years This year we thought we could share our talent and create awarenessrdquo shared Roy Dsa adding ldquoWe will be playing Bollywood music as itrsquos Holi timerdquo Head to tammyandroy on Facebook on March 29 to tune inAssamrsquos Hargila makes a national sweepFor nearly a decade wildlife filmmakers and brothers Ajay and Vijay Bedi have strived to shed light on the lesserknown species of India One such endeavour is a documentary on the Hargila a critically endangered bird in Assam and the efforts of conservation biologist Purnima Burman to save the species After kicking off a conversation about the bird largely considered unclean and Burman and the allwomen Hargila Armyrsquos campaign The Stork Saviours has bagged the Best Environment Film award in the nonfeature film category at the recently announced 67th National Film AwardsAjay and Vijay Bedi Pic CourtesyThe FilmmakersVijay told this diarist that Assam has shown how to delicately deal with animalhuman conflict ldquoTo see the local women come together as the Hargila Army and to witness a researcher like Burman breaking stereotypes got us interested in this storyrdquo he said ldquoItrsquos a proud moment for us as the bird is mostly known for its ugliness If through the film and the award we can change the perspective of people then we can save the speciesrdquo the filmmaker addedMasque on Asiarsquos top 50 listChef Prateek Sadhursquos Masque has been pushing the envelope in the culinary world since 2016 Wersquore happy to report that it was ranked No 32 on the prestigious Asiarsquos 50 Best Restaurants 2021 list Delhirsquos Indian Accent No 18 being the only other entrant from India Sadhu who was expectedly in the middle of celebrations shared that the achievement has filled him with gratitude ldquoAt one point last year I was sceptical if I would even have Masque So this award brings hope and energy to the entire team Itrsquos all because of my team their dedication and trust in what we do They own this awardrdquo he addedBombay Deco on the cardsA postcard featuring Kanti Mahal Matunga PicFacebookArt Deco Mumbai is offering a set of eight illustrated postcards each of which features a colourful collage of hand renderings of various features of the cityrsquos Art Deco buildings Each card represents a different theme including architectural lettering mythology native stories and religious symbols About the project foundertrustee Atul Kumar said ldquoArt Deco is unparalleled in its ability to absorb existing cultural symbols and imagery into its fold This high level of cultural negotiation took Bombay by storm in the 1930s yielding a string of Bombay Deco buildings that boast of classic deco elements interwoven with strands of the Indian visual traditionrdquo Check them out on their social media handlesLoborsquos steps for climate changeClimate change is a problem impacting the whole world And choreographer Ashley Lobo is set to create a piece that will depict the way all forms of life are interconnected and what affects one will affect all The recital is going to be one of the pieces being created by four choreographers to address climate change as part of a concert organised by Company E a Washingtonbased contemporary repertory dance company dance education and interdisciplinary arts organisation The world premiere of the live performance in Washington DC will be held on June 4 ldquoThe piece will explore the elements of air fire water and earth within the body and the planet Even in what seems like chaos it is not nature that is imbalanced but us who have tampered with its natural state To bring it all back to a state of harmony we must first begin with usrdquo shared Lobo about the theme We wish him luck