Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

A striking idolArtists Akash Kambli and Dhanshree Salunke put finishing touches on a Ganesh idol playing carrom at Girgaum for the Maghi Ganesh Jayanti festivalBDL Museum reopens todayLast week we had reported on this page that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya will be reopening its doors to the public tomorrow February 16 Today the Dr Bhau Daji Lad BDL Museum is set to welcome visitors too ldquoWe are very happy to be opening after such a long time We are following all the required protocols to ensure the safety and protection of our visitors We are planning to host an exhibition in early April on Sir JJ School artists from our collection as the Museum and the School had a symbiotic relationship We will also be active on our social media platforms so that people who are stuck at home can continue to enjoy our collections and learn more about themrdquo director Tasneem Mehta told this diarist The museum will stay open from 10 am to 5 pm on all days except WednesdaysNoteworthy artNehru Centre Art Gallery in Worli is gearing up to welcome visitors for the first time after the pandemic with an exhibition called Saaj Shringar featuring artist Gopal Swami Khetanchi It has paintings that depict divine women holding a musical instrument Speaking about his inspiration Khetanchi told this diarist ldquoI love music there is some song or the other always playing when I paint Thatrsquos why I thought why not combine my two passionsrdquo Head to the gallery between February 16 and 22 to check out his workA shot at loveA study that a dating app conducted among its users in Indian cities including Mumbai Delhi and Pune has thrown up some interesting revelations about how people view dating during the pandemic While 54 per cent men said that they would cancel their date with people who are opposed to the idea of getting a vaccine shot 67 per cent of the men replied that they have no such reservations Moreover 56 per cent of the women and 49 per cent of the men said lsquoyesrsquo when asked if they would get vaccinated themselves ldquoMillennials today are willing to step out of their comfort zones but that doesnrsquot necessarily transcend into changing themselves completely to cater to what the society at large and their family or friends want them to berdquo said relationship expert Dr Rachna Khanna Singh while decoding the studyAll for the love of MumbaiOne of the photos thatrsquos part of the contest PicAslam SaiyadCycle Chala City Bacha is a group that was formed after there was an upsurge of cyclists in Mumbai during the lockdown in order to sustain that momentum They organised a contest called Romancing the City to mark Valentinersquos Day to show how it neednrsquot necessarily be about showing love for your partner People were asked to send photos of landmarks and other places in the city with the caveat that a cycle must be in the frame Three winners received medals and a certificate while two lucky winners received a bicycle each ldquoThere was also a cycle rally that was held in Thanerdquo added organiser Firoza SureshA salute to desi cookbooksWe are living in an era when India has opened its doors to cuisine from all across the world be it Italian Thai or Japanese But consequently a lot of traditional recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation are at risk of fading into oblivion This diarist has learnt that a group on social media called Angat Pangat seeks to change that equation Saee KoranneKhandekar its founder revealed that the idea is to encourage people to return to ingredients they have forgotten or never used The group has now started an initiative called Cook from Cookbooks where participants are being encouraged to post photos of dishes they have created after following recipes in traditional Maharashtrian cookbooks including Gruhini Mitra and Rasachandrika They also need to post the recipe with details about the book and its author ldquoIf you have any specific association with a cookbook wersquod also like to hear about thatrdquo KoranneKhandekar in pic added