Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce

Tunnel vision 

A girl creates an illusion of sorts while standing before a poster publicising the ongoing coastal road project at at Marine Drive.

Championing art from the region

The India Art Fair will feature artists from South Asia

The India Art Fair is an annual event that is held in Delhi, and is aimed at celebrating artistic endeavours from across South Asia. The event will take place from April 28 to May 1 this year, and features a host of Mumbai galleries including Tarq, Akara Art, Jhaveri Contemporary and Galerie ISA. New additions to the fair’s programming include a focus on digital art and NFTs in a dedicated space called The Studio, an expanded artists-in-residence programme, book presentations and releases, and large-scale outdoor art projects. Jaya Asokan, who was appointed as the fair’s director last year and is leading the team for the first time at the 2022 edition, told this diarist, “[We] will champion new trailblazing voices alongside established household names, giving local and international audiences an opportunity to engage in innovative ways with the cultural history and fast-changing identity of the region.”

Local band takes wings

“It’s truly the best feeling in the world to be back and performing after two long years.” That’s what Samron Jude, vocalist of Systemhouse 33, had to say about a multi-country European tour that the Mumbai metal act has embarked upon. It marks the return of extensive international tours for Indian bands after the pandemic. Systemhouse 33 will support Brazilian metal outfit Nervosa and their Swiss counrterparts, Burning Witches. They will travel to countries including France, Germany and Poland, and we couldn’t be happier for them. 

Feeling blue in Mazgaon

The Mahindra Blues Fest is one of the biggest events for the genre in the country, and it made a comeback in a physical avatar last weekend after 2020. But the fest had a different look, shared Arinjoy Sarkar, one of the performers, telling us how the venue has shifted from Bandra’s Mehboob Studios to Bayview Lawns at Mazgaon’s Princess Docks. “It’s an incredible space since that’s right beside the sea, and we could see all the ferries and boats docked there,” he shared, adding that the acoustics were as good as it gets. The line-up this year was all Indian, though, with Shillong-based Soulmate headlining the event.

Publishers bound for the UK

Attendees at the Edinburgh International Book Festival 

Six publishing professionals from India now stand a chance to expand their horizons in the UK, after the British Council joined hands with Mumbai-based Art X Company to launch International Publishing Fellowship: India 2022. The programme will entail local publishers exchanging ideas with their UK counterparts, meeting each other at cross-border events like the Edinburgh International Book Festival and the Jaipur Literature Festival. “It’s a year-long fellowship and throughout, people from both sides will engage in a series of conversations that focus mainly on publishing and literature,” shared Rashmi Dhanwani from Art X Company. Interested? Visit art-x.co for more details.

Gecko dekho

Cnemaspis tigris

Here’s a reassuring update from the Western Ghats. Tejas Thackeray, wildlife researcher and son of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, along with researchers Akshay Khandekar and Ishan Agarwal, has discovered three new species of dwarf geckos from the Ghats in Karnataka. A scientific paper, titled Three new cryptic species of South Asian Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Squamata, Gekkoni-dae) from Karnataka, by the trio was published in the scientific journal Vertebrate Zoology a few days ago. Khandekar, from Thackeray Wildlife Foundation, confirmed the update: “I am pleased to share the news about the discovery of the three newest dwarf geckos from Karnataka.” Cnemaspis tigris was discovered from the granite-dominated habitat near Kaiwara, in Chickballapur district, and named after its tiger-like pattern in males. Cnemaspis sakleshpurensis was discovered from the semi-evergreen forests in the central Western Ghats and named after its type locality — Sakleshpur in Hassan district — while Cnemaspis vijayae was discovered from CWG in Honey Valley, Kodagu district, and has been named in honour of India’s first woman herpetologist, late Jagannathan Vijaya, for her inspiring contribution towards the ecology of rare Indian turtles.

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