Mumbai Diary: Saturday Dossier

Join the DotWhen indie musician Aditi Dot released a viral track called Everybody dances to techno in 2017 she created such waves that people couldnrsquot get enough of her But she vanished from the scene soon after to pursue academics in Wales The good news for her fans is that she will now perform a live set tomorrow from her living room in the UK in order to raise funds for Covid19 relief work The proceeds will be donated to an NGO called Digital Empowerment Foundation ldquoShe has her debut EP coming later this year which was recorded in the UK and has a completely new set of music She will play some songs from it at the gigrdquo Bann Chakraborty who manages her told this diarist Log on to skillboxescom get a ticket and get ready to be enthralled by this elusive talentApplause from LAA still from Fire in the mountainEarlier this week the 19th Annual Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles announced their Grand Jury and Audience Award winners in a virtual event The festival showcased 40 films this year spanning 17 languages It also featured 16 female directors Among the winners was Ajitpal Singhrsquos film Fire in the Mountains which took home the Audience Awards title It is a 82minute drama about a mother who is struggling to save money to build a road in a remote Himalayan village to take her wheelchairbound son for physiotherapy her husband on the other hand believes that a shamanic ritual is the remedy and steals her savingsAjitpal SinghBetter to be weather wiseAnd a point to ponder just a day before the Mumbai Marathon was supposed to be run this year on May 30 It could not be held in January like it is traditionally because of the pandemic The revised date in May was also scratched as the second pandemic wave hit us with virulence Approximately a week ago we read that 21 ultramarathoners an ultramarathon is any distance over the 42km full marathon died in China while running in very cold conditions Reports said that runners clad in Tshirts and shorts faced a sudden hailstorm and icy winds Running in extreme weather hot or cold does have its dangers With unforgivable searing heat in the city right now Mumbai marathons are best where they belong the third week of January when the weather is more benign Maximum city minimum riskSuburban call for Swati SnacksAfter whipping up its magic in SoBo Tardeo and Nariman Point for decades the muchloved Swati Snacks is crossing the Sea Link to bring its panki handvo panoli and more to the suburbs Karan Shah director Swati Snacks shared that their Santacruzbased cloud kitchen opens on May 31 He added that the idea has been on their minds for the past two years but finally materialised now as people from the suburbs canrsquot take a trip down to SoBo for a bite anymore ldquoBeing an iconic brand for years wersquove had people even from the suburbs visiting us who kept enquiring about how to order in during the lockdown So we decided to launch a cloud kitchen to meet this demand In Bandra you can continue to expect the same quality and consistency that has become synonymous with Swati Snacksrdquo he promisedWill Louvre lead the wayOn September 1 Laurence des Cars will make history by taking up the position of head of the worldrsquos largest museum the Louvre mdash she will be the first woman in this position in the 228yearold history of the institution Puja Vaish director of the Jehangir Nicholson Art Foundation is among the many who view this as being indicative of muchneeded change in the arts space ldquoHer appointment is important not only because she is a woman but also because she is known for her role in introducing greater diversity in her exhibitions and programming at the Museacutee drsquoOrsay where she is currently serving as director There are women in positions of power who can be patriarchal in their outlook Heads of institutions who focus on diversity and inclusion in their programming is what will herald positive changerdquo she told this diarist adding that itrsquos important to understand diversity not just from the perspective of gender identity but also the representation of marginalised cultures classes communities and castes ldquoThat is how we will weave more complete stories in the way we tell historyrdquo she saidPuja Vaish and Laurence des Cars