Mumbai Diary: Tuesday Dossier

To New BeginningsWith religious places still to open a Parsi woman offers prayers on the occasion of Navroz outside the Rustom Faramna Agiary at Dadar Parsi ColonySix years of fostering felinesVersovabased Cat Cafe Studio held the distinction of being Mumbairsquos first cafe to offer guests the experience of interacting with and adopting rescued cats However the pandemic took a heavy toll and after experimenting with delivery the cafe had to shut down ldquoThe cafeacute was a means to support our NGO The Feline Foundation and aid our adoption efforts From seven adoptions a day wersquore down to two adoptions a month After six years wersquore now looking at a gradual restart given the financial and logistical implications of such an undertakingrdquo Charu Khosla its cofounder told usDigital lessonsAs part of the final round of events for their Cultural Management in the Digital Age programme the GoetheInstitut is conducting a fourday Summer School series starting August 23 that will involve sessions lectures and workshops focusing on areas like digital communities audience building narratives in digital information and more These events will be helmed by facilitators from the cities of Mumbai Berlin Minsk and Shanghai ldquoWersquore looking at audience engagement virtual collaborations and navigating misinformation online Our aim is to encourage networking and capacity buildingrdquo said Amruta Nemivant program managerBottling East Indian flavoursAfter more than two years of operating in a deliveryonly format Bottle Masalas an undertaking specialising in authentic East Indian flavours has launched a brandnew outlet at Ambedkar Road in Khar West ldquoWe had initially set up our restaurant in Manori last February However with the lockdown announced in March we had to close down We realised that many of our patrons would travel from the city to savour our food given the paucity of authentic East Indian restaurants in Mumbai At their behest we decided on the Bandra areardquo Sheryl Fonseca one of the restaurantrsquos cofounders shared Expect to find classics such as moile khudi lonvas indyal sorpatel and fugia as well as the famous bottle masala which they are selling by the packetBack to basicsIn their upcoming book holistic lifestyle coach Luke Coutinho and actor Tamannaah are celebrating timehoned Indian wisdom surrounding health Titled Back To The Roots Penguin Random House the book investigates the rationale behind over 100 practices that promote longterm wellness It also has a selection of traditional Indian recipes superfoods and solutions for ailments such as constipation acidity and fever ldquoThis book will help people to understand the importance of their roots and adopt simple lifestyle changes to see a difference in their health happiness and wellbeing India has such an assortment of cultural beliefs and practices and when this is understood and practiced with logic and understanding it has the immense power to change our healthrdquo Coutinho saidWhere coffee brewed around booksMoshe ShekWhen Crossword opened at Kemps Corner in late 2004 Moshersquos cafe opened on the mezzanine floor of the premises With news that the store is soon to shut chef Moshe Shek who runs Knead at Kala Ghoda recalls how he got involved with the space ldquoR Sriram founder of Crossword was a regular at our Cuffe Parade outlet One day he offered me the idea of opening an outlet at the upcoming Kemps Corner storerdquo said Shek When the time came he visited the site and made his decision ldquoThe cafeacute and bookstore opened on the same dayThe Kemps Corner bookstore PicInstagramThere were days when we would be prepping in the kitchen with people lining up for the store to open Parents would leave their kids at the cafe while they ran errands regulars enjoyed the bookmeetscoffee viberdquo Shek who prefers to read books on food and hospitality feels that the scene changed when Sriram stepped down in 2006 ldquoThen the businessmen came in We suddenly had toys stationery caps tees and even a shaving cream promotion kioskrdquo he recalled