The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce.
Pic/Satej Shinde
Bridging the gap
Labourers work on constructing the six-lane Mankoli-Mothagao bridge on Ulhas creek at Dombivali on Friday.
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All’s well for Molly
Back in September, in these pages, we had written about the then five-week-old donkey Molly who had been hit by a vehicle and was found abandoned. She was rescued by Thane-based NGO Pet Owners and Animal Lovers (PAL) Foundation but couldn’t stand. By putting word out on social media and steadily gaining financial contribution from people, the NGO managed to raise Rs 70,000 for her treatment for two months. And we are happy to report that Molly has recovered quicker than expected — now she is spotted running and climbing the stairs at the NGO’s farmhouse. “People wanted to help her in every way they could; someone even tried to send a physiotherapy machine for her. She was hospitalised for two and a half months, where the staff did her daily dressing. Donkeys put a lot of pressure on their front legs, so the change of terrain — from indoors at the hospital to the farmhouse now — also mattered in her recovery,” co-founder Aditi Nair shared.
Virtual reality in Jaipur
Noam Chomsky. Pic/Wikimedia Commons
A frame from the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) would typically include teeming crowds sipping on steaming cups of chai in the wintry sun as the whiff of literal alchemy sweeps across the Diggi Palace grounds. This edition (February 19 to 21; 26 to 28) will be different, however, as the festival takes on a virtual avatar, in the aftermath of the pandemic. “It’s the first time that we are able to represent all the 21 Indian languages, with over 280 writers and speakers representing different perspectives and shades of opinion.
Namita Gokhale. Pic/Facebook
From the brilliant professor Priyamvada Natarajan in conversation with the iconic bestselling astrophysicist Carlo Rovelli to the stellar Priyanka Chopra on her inspirational book Unfinished, from Noam Chomsky to Shekhar Pathak and Ramchandra Guha, Chitra Mudgal, S. Hareesh, Bibek Debroy, Robert Macfarlane, Maya Jasanoff and Colm Toibin, the festival will present a living library of our times,” Namita Gokhale, festival director, JLF, shared with this diarist. Gokhale is grateful that some of the world’s finest writers, thinkers and speakers will be accessible to audiences across continents. “The pandemic has changed how we understand our world. We have curated a virtual programme that looks at our transformative times to understand the future through the lens of the present and the past. We share the learnings of some of the most incisive minds, through one of our strongest line-ups ever,” she signs off. Log on to jaipur literaturefestival.org to register.
Let’s listen to some equal music
Madame Gandhi. Pic/Facebook
Indo-American musician Madame Gandhi had launched a song called Waiting for me last year, for which city-based director Misha Ghose had created a hard-hitting video. The narrative had focused on how young girls need to shape their own futures, instead of becoming pawns in a patriarchal society. The colour palette for it had consisted of grey and fluorescent green themes, and Ghosh shared, “The idea was to show that the girls could eventually lead a subjugated existence [grey], or one that’s of their own making [green].” The song has now been nominated for The Best Music Video Awards at the Oregon Short Film Festival Winter 2021 in the US. Here’s hoping it comes up trumps.
Sea-ze the past
While many don’t look at Thane as more than another suburb and Revdanda (Chaul), as another camping sight, there’s much to learn about its maritime history. And this evening, historian Dr Fleur D’souza will put the spotlight on these two creek-side port settlements at a talk with the Maritime Mumbai Museum Society (MMMS).
Revdanda Fort. Pic/Wikimedia Commons
Detailing what the online session will cover, D’souza told this diarist, “Thane and Chaul’s historic links with a focus on trade, ship-building and its silk and cotton textile industry, the cultural diversity that characterised their populations and altered the architectural landscape, and the naval engagements that impacted their histories will be considered.” Head to MMMS’ page on Facebook and Instagram for registration details.
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