Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

Ready for Republic DayFemale cadets of the Maharashtra Police take a break during the full dress rehearsal ahead of the 77th Indian Republic Day parade at Shivaji Park in DadarA tribute in verseThe passing of the respected ecologist and academic Madhav Gadgil earlier this year was a reminder of the few names who fight for the increasingly shrinking natural resources of the country ldquoThe late Maruti Chitampalli right was among those names He was not just a naturalist but also a writer quite a brilliant one at thatrdquo shared Revati Jogekar cofounder Yellow Door StudiosA moment from Swapnil Phadkersquos reading Pic CourtesyYellowDoor StudioFor birders in Mumbai Chitampalli might be a familiar name owing to his contribution to the Karnala Bird Sanctuary To commemorate the Padma Shri Awardwinnerrsquos contributions the studio hosted a reading of his poetic works Aranya Akshar Hotana and recalled his contributions to conservation efforts on Sunday January 25ldquoIt was incidental that we ran into Swapnil Phadke a nature conservationist and someone who had closely worked with Chitampalli in his early years During the conversation we realised that few people remembered him and even those that did talked of his conservation efforts but not his writing So we decided on hosting the session We had a narration of his stories and works followed by readings from his verses by Phadkerdquo shared cofounder Sanveed JogekarPoetic break from the cityPriya Malik at a performanceThe calm reservoir of Panshet will play the venue for the 4M Festival that will open doors on February 14 Hosted by Tape A Tale the twoday event will combine storytelling music and community experiences amidst nature to offer a new experience away from the rush of the cityCofounder Kopal Khanna shared ldquoThe festival will transform Panshet into a living breathing cultural playground Set against a lakeside backdrop and open skies the festival brings together mountains music mic and magic that unfold from day to nightrdquoKabir Cafe jams on stage Pic CourtesypriyasometimeskabircafealiveHeadlined by names such as Priya Malik Amandeep Singh Vanika Sangtani Kabir Cafe Yahya Bootwala Divyam and Khwab among others the events cater to a diverse range of creative performances ldquoPanshet wonrsquot just be the location It is also an unplugged intimate setting designed for conversations stargazing and shared moments away from the rush of the cityrdquo Khanna told this diaristBelly good newsThe wall of the new space also sports a map of the state of NagalandAfter a brief break to increase their space goto Naga food spot Naga Belly reopened on January 23 The restaurant has now shifted to a larger address in the same building in AndheriFrom left An arrangement on the wall Watirenla Longkumer Zhuvikali AssumildquoWe were a small setup and wanted a comparatively larger area The space crunch at times used to make people stand in queues outside leading us to disappoint them at times We also plan on expanding the menu to more indigenous ingredientsrdquo revealed founders Watirenla Longkumer and Zhuvikali AssumiThe Constitution in the limelightA moment from the performance in SolapurWhat goes into the making of a document that reshaped an entire Subcontinental culture For Darshan Mahajan this curiosity led to the creation of the play Rashtragranth Backed by the artist support initiative The ShubhLab the production toured Maharashtra in 2024 and finally opened at the Ravindra Natya Mandir in Prabhadevi on the eve of Republic DayDarshan Mahajan Pic CourtesyArtistic HumansMahajan founder Artistic Humans shared ldquoOur objective has been to work with marginalised and struggling groups of India using arts as a medium of expression The play was envisioned as a project that empowers the younger generation of college students through the story of the Indian Constitution and how their rights came into beingrdquo