Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

The healthier sipA woman prefers a glass of sugarcane juice in contrast to the poster where the woman is downing an aerated drink at Goregaon EastColours of traditionWith Holi just around the corner Red Earth an arts organisation dedicated to reviving narratives surrounding the countryrsquos cultural heritage is bringing back gulaal gotas traditional colour bombs made of lac ldquoThese gotas are created in Jaipur by artisans who also make lac bangles In the past these gotas mdash which are a byproduct of the lac banglemaking process mdash were found across North IndiaHowever with the demise of banglemakers these colour bombs also faded away from popular memoryrdquo said Himanshu Verma its founder The colour bombs are much like dry water balloons mdash they are filled with organic gulaal and revellers can throw these at each other for a colourful explosion The delicate nature of the lac balloons makes these gotas safe even for young children They are available for home delivery in Mumbai Log on to redearthindiacom to check them outPretty in pinkMumbaikars especially those driving down the Eastern Express Highway from Bhandup towards Sion can view their traffic woes through a rosetinted lens mdash the entire stretch is awash in the prettiest pink huesThe trees responsible for these blossoms shared naturalist Sachin Rane are named tabebuia rosea or more befittingly rosy trumpet trees owing to the shape and colour of their flowers ldquoThis exotic species was brought to Mumbai by the British from the Americasrdquo he told this diaristMemories of a baithakThe G5A Foundation for Contemporary Culture is hosting the last baithak of its Morning Riyaaz series on March 28 ldquoThe goal of this series is to highlight the rigour that informs the artistersquos journey by paying homage to this predawn discipline Each artiste helps the audience to understand the unique form and the nuances of their particular method and practicerdquo said Anuradha Parikh founder and artistic director of G5A Among the audience members at the last baithak was Stefania Costanza Consul General of Italy Costanza attended Tejeshree Amonkarrsquos morning riyaaz session which inspired her to create an impromptu sketch ldquoMorning concerts like this directly enter the heart the way the artiste explained her music stressing the pauses and just leaving the breath flowing in between mdash it is a philosophical lesson for all of us in our livesrdquo said CostanzaNaming those who were forgottenJeet Thayil the Booker Prizeshortlisted author of Narcopolis has announced his next book scheduled for release early next month About the book which is titled Names of the Women Penguin Random House Thayil said ldquoItrsquos a retelling of the New Testament in which many of the female characters mdash pivotal to the story though theyrsquove traditionally been relegated to the margins mdash are returned to the centre of the narrativerdquo The story begins with Christ crossaddressing Mary of Magdala asking her to bear witness to his death It chronicles 15 women whose lives overlapped with that of Christ These women including Lydia and Assia Martha and Mary of Bethany Susanna the Barren and Ariamma the Canaanite have hitherto been spoken of only in passing or not at all They stayed with Christ through his crucifixion when his other disciples had abandoned himDrive through and eat in BKCAfter a Mahalakshmibased eatery itrsquos now the turn of a health cafeacute in BKC that is replicating restaurant meals in the comfort of dinersrsquo cars ldquoThis is our way of encouraging diners to be safe You can park your car as per our staffrsquos instructions You will be given a sanitised table in your car and our team will deliver the food to yourdquo said Kaneesha Shah Jain owner of Santeacute Spa Cuisine They also have an updated global menu