24 April,2025 08:37 AM IST | Mumbai | Team mid-day
Pic/Kirti Surve Parade
A vintage car makes a surprise appearance on the Sion-Kurla-Santacruz Road
Naval Jijina with his wife Gool Jijina (right) Landscape, oil on canvas by Naval Jijina. Pics courtesy/Sumesh Sharma; Gallery art and soul
A silent but powerful creative voice in the city's sea of artists, painter and textile designer Naval Jijina breathed his last on April 22 at his Andheri residence. From textile designing to photography and priesthood, Jijina, 96, donned many hats throughout his life yet it was his passion for painting and particularly, the technique of aerial perspective that led to some of his best creations.
Dr Tarana Khubchadani (inset), director of Gallery Art and Soul, which hosted his artworks in March 2023 along with curator Sumesh Sharma, recalled his legacy, "My initial connection with him [Jijina] was born out of a curiosity to celebrate a senior yet unsung artist. He belonged to a genre of artists who strongly believed in their visual vocabulary."
A moment from the musical gathering at Jogger's Park. Pic courtesy/Prashant Magar
On his Sunday jaunt to Joggers Park in Bandra last weekend, Prashant Magar, a tutor was impressed by a group of seniors who were belting out retro hits. The Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar resident, who is on a visit to the city, shared, "They were happily singing hits like Bombay meri jaan and encouraging onlookers to join in. A few of them played the harmonica as well. They seemed very happy and peaceful singing songs. Their enthusiasm made one smile automatically."
Abhishek Satam with his collection of memorabilia. Pic courtesy/Abhishek Satam
As fans across the globe celebrate Little Master Sachin Tendulkar's birthday today, we got wind of a rather wild fan in the city. Zoo biologist Dr Abhishek Satam of the Mumbai Zoo is revisiting his mammoth collection of memorabilia on the cricketing icon's birthday. "Like any young boy growing up in the 1990s, I was obsessed with Sachin's style of play. It soon turned into a habit of collecting cut-outs from newspapers and magazines. One of my most prized possessions is a miniature bat made in gold, inscribed with Sachin's autograph. The highlight came in 2018, when a 40 ft x 20 ft artwork I created for him was reposted by his Instagram page after it came to his notice," Satam told this diarist, adding that he now plans to create a mural for Tendulkar's 55th birthday in 2028.
A moment from a previous edition of the festival. Pic courtesy/DGTL India
While 2025 might have given us some of the best music events and artiste collaborations, the latter half of the year will prove to be a delight for music lovers as global festival, DGTL, returns to the city for its fifth edition. With the dates scheduled in October, this year's theme, New horizons, will feature global as well as home-grown artistes in the genre of techno and house music with the full list of acts scheduled to be released in June.
"This time, it is all about going back to the basics of electronic music. Besides being the financial and entertainment capital of the country, we believe Mumbai is also the electronic music capital. The energy has always been electric from the city that never sleeps. This year is no different. We expect Mumbai to show up and show out," Arnab Banerjee (inset), organiser, revealed to this diarist.
A screenshot of a reel that depicts teleportation. Pic courtesy/MANOJ OMRE
As Mumbaikars struggle to navigate the city's choked roads and the health hazard posed by construction work spilling out to pavements, visual and motion designer Manoj Omre (inset) took to generative AI to release a series of reels on social media to voice his opinion.
From reimagining Mumbai traffic with a teleportation portal to air-borne roads, the illustraions provide reflections on the problem of urban infrastructure with a pinch of satire. "The main problem is that we have limited space and we cannot keep building more things to resolve existing issues. We need better public transport and walkable infrastructure," Omre shared with this diarist.
