Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

Waiting for good timesA Whitethroated Kingfisher perches on a branch near Powai LakeFriends indeedA moment from the 2025 Mumbai Pride march PIC COURTESYMUMBAI QUEER PRIDECome August and the LGBTQiA community will find a new way to thank its trusted allies Dil se Ally a new awards programme will recognise friends families activists and supporters who stood by the queer communityrsquos side this year ldquoUsually we host an acceptance meet every year to express our gratitude to our allies This year we believed they deserve something more than a pat on the backrdquo Dhruv Goenka advocacy officer at The Humsafar Trust told this diarist To nominate an ally log on to yaariyan_lgbtqAwadhi legacyKhade Masale ka Gosht from the Awadhi menuWith the culinary showcase Women of Awadh at Waarsa writercurator Anubhuti Krishna inset and home chef Sheeba Iqbal will present dishes that highlight a nuanced narrative passed down through culinary traditionAn allvegetarian fare beginning on August 2 will highlight stories of these uncelebrated chefs ldquoThanks to chef Rahul Akerkar and chef Mukhtar Qureshi this festival is my chance to present the traditions passed down from my grandmothers mother and auntsrdquo Krishna saidlsquoWersquoll play harder in his memoryrsquoRavi Iyer extreme right at the 2024 Black Sabbath tribute concert in Mumbai PICS COURTESYOZZY OSBOURNE ON INSTAGRAM RAVI IYERThis diarist remembers getting disqualified from a city collegersquos band event in 2018 for attempting Ozzy Osbournersquos Mr Crowley 1980 ldquoItrsquos too heavy for usrdquo the organiserrsquos words perfectly describe our hearts today following the veteran heavy metal iconrsquos death The lsquoPrince of Darknessrsquo Osbourne passed away in Birmingham late evening on July 22 For citybased guitarist Ravi Iyer the news of his idolrsquos passing came at a bittersweet momentOzzy OsbourneldquoWe had scheduled a tribute concert for Black Sabbath in Mumbai for August 24 We were to remember Ozzyrsquos illustrious career after his recentlyconcluded farewell tour It was his final tour before retirement The news has left us heartbroken but wersquoll play harder in his memoryrdquo Iyer told this diarist Iyerrsquos core memories with Osbourne are a shade brighter than the icon would have preferred ldquoWhen I heard Ozzy for the first time in 1982 my mind was blown We would rent out VCRs of Black Sabbathrsquos live performances and watch them on looprdquo he reminisced As for the skeletons from Osbournersquos closet that have come tumbling out with the news Iyer summed up his life ldquoHe lived a rollercoaster of a life on the professional and familial front Difficult times affect people differently I wish people didnrsquot feel the need to dissect his past actions at this timerdquoBalletrsquos in our courtOvie Jogalekar PIC COURTESYINDIAN ACADEMY OF RUSSIAN BALLETIf yoursquore reading this yoursquove been called upon to cheer for a young Mumbaikarrsquos big ballet dreams Thirteenyearold Ovie Jogalekar of Mumbairsquos Indian Academy of Russian Ballet IARB has tiptoed her way to the prestigious Masters of Ballet Academy in London for an intensive programme this week ldquoBut Ovie called me yesterday and she seemed a bit disheartened Turns out the Russian instructor at the academy is somewhat of a perfectionist But honestly thatrsquos how you learn the ropes Shersquos now ready to take on the challengerdquo Jogalekarrsquos instructor and IARB founder Apeksha Bhattacharya told this diarist As part of the programme Jogalekar will train at the academy that has close ties with Agrippina Vaganova the late pioneer of Russian ballet While this diarist has got two left feet wersquore applauding the young ballet dancerrsquos adventure across seasThe last jamPatrons at the Versova diner FILE PICPopular eatery Jamjar Diner in Versova is shuttering after 13 years Restaurateurs Anup Gandhi Sahil Timbadia Nevil Timbadia of Auriga Hospitality and Entertainment opened the eatery in December 2012ldquoWe feel like wersquove done everything we can with Jamjar as a brand and itrsquos time for something new There are a lot more amazing restaurants that have come up over the years and the customers experiment more now enabling restaurateurs to take more risksrdquo Timbadia shared with this diarist The place is flocked by creative professionals of Aram Nagar by day and by diners at night who vouch for their sharing punch bowls The Flower Pot Dessert right on the menu is sure to taste bitter sweet as DDay August 13 draws near