Mumbai Diary: Saturday Dossier

His cross to bearOn Good Friday a man tries to adorn the pillar outside St Michaelrsquos church in Mahim with a garlandMohini the cover girlAce bassist Mohini Dey was in for a pleasant surprise recently when she found herself on the cover of Bassiste a French music magazine along with nine legendary bass players ldquoI had no idea I was going to be featured and found out through the Internetrdquo she told this diarist The others include big global names such as Pino Palladino Lee Sklar and Nathan East That is exalted company indeedFarewell Ashwin DeoPicFacebookYesterday the alcoholbeverage industry mourned the loss of winemaker Ashwin Deo who died of heart failure Deo 57 had spearheaded Moeumlt Hennessy operations till 2008 After that he launched Trinity Vintners Pvt Ltd that set up Turning Point Indiarsquos first readytodrink sangria aimed at removing the fuss out of wines His last stint was as cofounder at Pipeline FnB Pvt Ltd Delhibased sommelier Magandeep Singh remembers Deo as someone who achieved many milestones for Indiarsquos fine beverages industry ldquoWe interacted at a very early point in my career he was a mentor who taught me about working in this trade even as he remained a true and extremely jovial friend He was a modernday gentleman classy eloquent elegant erudite but also one who knew when to loosen that tie and have a blastrdquo Chandni Dhundia category head wines Pernod Ricard India recalls that it was Ashwin who hired her at Moeumlt Hennessy in 2005 ldquoHe introduced me to the world of wines and champagnes He was a stickler for details whether in a PPT or at a VIP event He taught us the magic of champagnerdquo said DhundiaBTS heaven in Mira RoadKpop continues to garner fans across the world and wersquore happy to report that a Mira Roadbased eatery is attracting Karmies with its BTSthemed interiors Bang Tan Shefs coowned by Riya Goon and Vivek Chandaliya opened its doors in March and serves a mix of Chinese Korean Thai Continental and Indian food Goon told this diarist that the idea is to turn the space into a communitydriven centre especially for BTS armies to come hang out catch screenings read books and display their products ldquoI became a BTS fan during the lockdown all thanks to my sister We wanted a fun young place for the youth especially for teens to feel at homerdquo she addedA new way to go greenTo restore the forest landscape of the Mulund range of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park SGNP charitable trust iNaturewatch Foundation is working on a project that incorporates an effective but lowcost method for the first time Itrsquos called Assisted Natural Regeneration ANR and is said to improve the productivity of deforested or degraded land Supported by DCB Bank and SGNP the initiative will be carried out in coordination with the forest department over three years ldquoThe site is unique because it promotes natural regeneration and so the hurdles against it mdash like fire or grazing mdash have to be removedrdquo founder Dr V Shubhalaxmi sharedIndian modern art rulesTyeb Mehta Untitled oil on canvas 1981 Pic courtesyAstaGuruVS Gaitonde was the star of AstaGurursquos recently concluded Modern Indian Art online auction with his Untitled masterpiece from 1971 commanding the highest price at approximately Rs 1413 crore Overall the auction registered an impressive Rs 7068 crore in sales with 100 per cent lots soldThe auction catalogue featured 30 artworks by leading modernists including Tyeb Mehta with most pieces being auctioned for the first time ldquoThe results show an evergrowing demand for works by eminent Indian modernists They are a testament to the fact that despite the uncertainty of the pandemic the art auction market has stood its ground through the last yearrdquo said CEO Tushar Sethi