Mumbai Diary: Friday Dossier

What a viewA hot body at an openair gym and the waves fringed by tetrapods at Mahim beach vie for our attentionMusicians itrsquos time to listen upLast year digital music distribution platform OK Listen had started a singersongwriter contest where they called upon musicians to compose an original track They are now back with the second edition of the same contest and the platformrsquos cofounder Vijay Basrur inset shared ldquoYou may or may not be able to play an instrument thatrsquos fine All it needs to be is your own composition in your own voice and which you need to send us a video recording ofTwo runnersup will win a properly produced track that will reach streaming stores and also a video asset that will go up on the YouTube page of Compass Box Studio our partners They will also win other goodies while the winner will also get a guitar and a onesong label deal with Big Band Indie who will produce and market the trackrdquo The judges are artistes Hanita Bhambri below Dhruv Visvanath and Shalmali Kholgade The deadline is October 10 Visit oklisten on Instagram to find out more about how to applyOld and specialHow are you doing to celebrate World Elders Day this October 1 Citybased initiative Womenrsquos India Trust WIT has got its female workforce to create hampers that are available to buy for 300 They contain a bottle of WITrsquos famed strawberry jam a pack of cloth serviettes and a handstitched case that holds both spectacles and a mobile phone Buy one to gift it to a senior you love or let the good folks at WIT donate one on your behalf to three institutions that support the aged Gool Udwadia the organisationrsquos tobechairperson told this diarist that the response to a similar initiative for Childrenrsquos Day inspired the idea ldquoItrsquos not a large amount and will encourage people to help outrdquo added Neeta Joshipura of WIT Call 8657768210 for inquiriesWhy there are 21 reasons to love modakMost of us are aware of the longstanding Ganesh Chaturthi tradition of offering Lord Ganesha 21 modaks But why the number 21 This week Dr Sherline Pimenta founder of storytelling platform Kathanika will narrate the backstory of this tradition to children through a virtual storytelling session hosted by the Bhau Daji Lad MuseumldquoBy the end of the story I feel like all the kids will start feeling hungry So to make it more interactive and fun Irsquom going to get them to make modaks through a fireless cooking tutorialrdquo she saidThe puri kahani of the Met GalaItrsquos not just some of the outlandish outfits that celebrities wore to the Met Gala in New York that made the headlines this year The menu for the banquet also raised eyebrows since it featured completely plantbased and sustainable items for the first time including jerk corn with coconut confetti and awaze jar noodles But the one dish that caught our eye were the panipuri crackers Yes an avatar of the classic Mumbai street food made it to the gala event and talking about it citybased chef Ajay Chopra shared ldquoLike really wow The great humble water ball puffed crisp bread and whatever else it was called internationally has finally found its place in the panache world Come to think of it it has a better texture than many crisps around the worldrdquo We concurLittle by littleAs part of their Mumbai Plastic efforts this year the folks at NGO Project Mumbai are encouraging young children to donate plastic and ewaste items on October 2 and 8 ldquoThis year wersquore urging people in buildings and societies to get their children to give away such waste As an incentive all kids who choose to donate will be given a recycled plastic pencil boxrdquo said Shishir Joshi founder of Project Mumbai Those wishing to donate can head to projectmumbaicom and register before September 26