<h2>It&rsquo;s beginning to look a lot like Christmas</h2>
<p>Two boys listen intently as a choir sings carols during the Christmas tree lighting ceremony at a five-star in <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/bmc-cracks-down-on-illegal-constructions-at-kamla-mills-in-lower-parel-in-mumbai-demolishes-two-places-inspects-7-outlets-23587420" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">Lower Parel</a></p>
<h2>Story time in Udaipur</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/dec/Meiyang_e.jpg" alt="Meiyang Chang will be in attendance for the 2026 edition of the festival. Pic courtesy/@MeiyangChang" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Meiyang Chang will be in attendance for the 2026 edition of the festival. Pic courtesy/@MeiyangChang</em></strong></p>
<p>The 2026 edition of the Udaipur Tales International Storytelling Festival will open on January 9 next year. The three-day event is dedicated to reviving the art of oral storytelling. The 2026 lineup features some familiar theatre names including Arif Zakaria, Meiyang Chang, and Danish Husain among others, and will also witness a unique performance by inmates from Udaipur&rsquo;s Central Jail. As an effort to foster inclusivity, the 2026 edition of the fest will also include sign language interpreters and participation from students of the blind school. Co-founder Sushmita Singha shared, &ldquo;Storytelling is the purest form of human connection and Udaipur Tales is about raw, real, and human stories that connect us.&rdquo;</p>
<h2>A genius who loved words</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/dec/Tom-Stoppard_e.jpg" alt="Sir Tom Stoppard. Pic courtesy/Wikimediacommons" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Sir Tom Stoppard. Pic courtesy/Wikimedia Commons</em></strong></p>
<p>The past weekend was a heavy one for the extended theatre world. The passing of Sir Tom Stoppard marked the end of an era for English, and world theatre. A playwright who won the Oscar, Golden Globe, Emmy and Tony awards, Stoppard passed away in Dorset on November 29. But across the pond, the writer seems to have left a mark on theatremaker Anahita Uberoi (below). &ldquo;I was in my early 20s, when I worked as assistant director on the play, The Real Inspector Hound and the 15-Minute Hamlet,&rdquo; she shared. In the 1990s, the theatremaker was working as assistant to television director Gloria Muzio who helmed Stoppard&rsquo;s Broadway production. &ldquo;I was so charmed by the fact that he was so elegantly witty, kind, dignified and a beautiful human being. He would sit every night with Gloria and me to discuss the play. It was my job to take notes, and he never ever made me feel like an insignificant kid, or that he was a genius,&rdquo; she revealed. Incidentally, Stoppard himself had a very Indian connection as he spent his early years in Darjeeling. The playwright mentions it in his early work, India Ink.</p>
<h2>Kozhikode gets lit</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/dec/Kerala-fest_e.jpg" alt="Crowds at the 2024 edition of KLF " width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Crowds at the 2024 edition of KLF</em></strong></p>
<p>The ninth <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/lifestyle/culture/photo/literature-live-mumbai-litfest-2025-check-these-lesser-known-facts-about-mumbai-oldest-literary-festival-108122/2" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">Kerala Literature Festival</a> (KLF) will light up Kozhikode&rsquo;s beachfront in January. The festival will bring together 400 speakers across 250 sessions over four days from January 22 to 26. Germany has been announced as the Guest Nation for the edition. &ldquo;The German participation will feature a dedicated pavilion, a writing residency in Vagamon for German writers, as well as a creative writing workshop for young creatives writing in Malayalam,&rdquo; revealed Dr Michael Heinst, director of the Goethe-Institut/ Max Mueller Bhavan, Bengaluru. Ravi Deecee, chief facilitator, added, &ldquo;KLF has evolved into a platform where literature and art coexist with science, cinema, and social thought, continuing the exchange of ideas and celebrating cultural diversity.&rdquo;</p>
<h2>Home, sweet home for streeties</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/dec/Kid-with-dog_e.jpg" alt="A child pets a pup at the adoptathon in Bandra. Pic/Atul Kamble" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>A child pets a pup at the adoptathon in Bandra. Pic/Atul Kamble</em></strong></p>
<p>Pups and kittens found their forever homes on the weekend of November 29 and 30 at St Theresa&rsquo;s Boys High School in <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/bandra-residents-form-human-chain-in-mumbai-s-first-air-quality-protest-of-the-year-23605643" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">Bandra</a>, as part of Adoptathon 2025, an adoption camp for rescued Indian breeds. At the many stalls, celebrities including Urmila Matondkar, Cyrus Broacha, and Soha Ali Khan were spotted interacting with these four-legged cuties. Mr. Taronish Bulsara, Co-founder and President of World for All Animal Care and Adoptions, shared with this diarist that a total of 82 adoptions were conducted over the span of two days, including 58 dogs and 24 cats. &ldquo;Adopting, instead of shopping [for pets], reduces the number of shelter animals, and gives them a second chance at life. By spreading awareness [about their plight], we want to encourage more people to choose compassion, and support ethical, humane options to find a new furry family member,&rdquo; he emphasised. If you&rsquo;re keen to know more about adoptions, check @worldforallanimaladoptions.</p>
<h2>Equality in design</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/dec/Typewriter_e.jpg" alt="A view of the pop-up exhibit the antique Braille typewriter. Pics Courtesy/AccessForAll" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>A view of the pop-up exhibit the antique Braille typewriter. Pics Courtesy/AccessForAll</em></strong></p>
<p>Having consulted on creating better sensory experiences at museum exhibits, the accessibility initiative, AccessForALL, has now designed its own pop-up exhibit, Museum Access, Support and Systems (MASS). The exhibit, curated by founder Siddhant Shah (right) and curator Rohan Marathe, features objects that highlight the role accessible design plays in society.</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/dec/Siddhant_e.jpg" alt="Siddhant Shah" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>&ldquo;We have collected these objects over the past five years, including one of the first Braille typewriters manufactured in the 1930s. The idea is to highlight how design can either impede or assist individuals. We opened the first pop-up at the Assistive Tech Conference hosted by Godrej DEI Labs on November 28,&rdquo; Shah told us. Now, the exhibit is set to travel to Delhi, followed by a showing at Jaipur and Kathmandu.</p>

The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce: Two boys listen intently as a choir sings carols during the Christmas tree lighting ceremony

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