The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Pic/Atul Kamble
Praying for smooth passage
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A woman offers prayers as the traffic moves on below at Girgaon Chowpatty.
Celebrating art with style
Untitled, mixed media painting; (right) Bina Aziz and Simone Arora
The heritage structure of Amerchand Mansion in Colaba has been hosting some masterpieces as part of The Art Show at SIMONE. Scheduled to be a one-day exhibition, the show has now been extended till October 31. “Hosting the exhibition has been a profound honour and a deeply enriching experience. It has been a privilege to offer a stage for such extraordinary artists and to display their creations to our vibrant community,” shared designer, curator and founder Simone Arora. Curator Bina Aziz added, “I have curated a special collection of artists, each showcasing their narrative through their specialised mediums. The highlight is a stunning blue painting piece d’resistance by MF Husain, created in 2005 at Pundole Art Gallery — truly a collector’s item,” she remarked.
Siblings, Bappa, and banter
A moment from the short film by Sathaye. Pic Courtesy/YouTube
Producer and founder of BhaDiPa, Sarang Sathaye, believes something is amiss in the city’s fervour for Ganeshotsav this year. “The sibling rivalry that often peaks during the festive season has slowly subsided with increasingly nuclear families,” he shared, revealing the inspiration behind the new short film, Sajavat. Featuring actors and real-life siblings Mrunmayee and Gautami Deshpande, the film is a peek into the quintessential banter and one-upmanship between siblings. “The story also sheds light on the difference between ornamentations and the loud and flashy displays that define the festive season,” he added.
Primal connect
Prarthana Banikya; (right) UK-based facilitator Kate Copeland
This September, Prarthana Banikya’s Poetry Popsicles will host a free online workshop focused on animal and nature writing to build empathy and promote respectful language towards animals. “We often use phrases like as dirty as a dog and insult animals despite being animal lovers,” Banikya explained. Co-facilitator, Kate Copeland, also specialises in linguistics for animals, analysing how they react to language. The duo will explore participants’ connections with animals. “All donations will be forwarded to animal charities,” she shared. For more details, readers can log on to @poetrypopsicles.
Retelling lost tales
Cassette covers of Aesop’s Fables and Bolte Guddu aur Ramdas Padhye; Ramdas and Satyajit Padhye
Ramdas Padhye and his faithful puppet Ardhavatrao are all smiles today. The veteran ventriloquist’s 1991 recording of Aesop’s Fables in Marathi has now been digitally restored by his son, Satyajit Padhye, as part of a restoration series online. “We were looking for good Marathi stories for my granddaughter Neeva. But we could only find mediocre stories with poor animation and subpar narration. So, we decided to go back to my old work. I’m excited for Neeva to hear these stories in my voice,” shared Ramdas. Satyajit is now working on restoring other cassettes such as Bolte Gudde aur Ramdas Padhye, a recording featuring Ramdas and late actor and talk show host Tabassum. “It’s a complex, time-consuming process, but the results are worth it,” he told this diarist.
Changing with the times
Urvika Kanoi; (right) A view of Cafe Duco at Pali Hill
Change, they say, is the one guarantee in life. For Bandra’s café regulars, it is starting to become a habit. The Pali Hill-hub of Cafe Duco closed down its dining space last weekend after a run of three years. Founder-chef Urvika Kanoi (below) shared that Saturday witnessed diners and patrons arrive to savour the cafe’s now familiar Latin American menu. But Kanoi has no intention of leaving the patrons in a lurch. “We are opening a cloud kitchen that will go live in the next 10 days. It might not be in the same location, but it will be in Bandra,” she revealed. In addition to the cloud kitchen, the chef confirmed that there are bigger plans underway. “Once the cloud kitchen is settled, we will be exploring the possibilities of a new dining space, perhaps with a bar,” she revealed. This transition might take some time, Kanoi told this diarist, adding that the new space will be different and more expansive. “One thing is certain that we will be looking for something different in terms of cuisine,” she said.
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