The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Pic/Ashish Raje
Go little rockstar
Children train their speed, strength and stamina with exercises at the Shree Samarth Vyayam Mandir at Shivaji Park in Dadar.
Life lessons in blackout
Despite the ceasefire declared last Saturday, blackouts and sirens mean memory time for a generation who have lived through previous wars. One of those is Dr Shekhar Salkar who graduated from Tata Memorial Hospital, Parel in 1988. The Goa-based surgical oncologist started private practice from 1990. The 65- year-old chief of Department of Oncology, Manipal Goa hospital recalled to this diarist recently, “I heard stories about how the Portuguese were thrown out of Goa as the Indian Army entered Goa from Dodamarg in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra, just a few kilometres from our home in Bicholim.”
A view of the Mayem lake in Bicholim. The home town of Dr Shekhar Salkar would often resound with sirens during the Indo-Pak War of 1971. Pic Courtesy/Wikimedia Commons
Dr Salkar said, “Though I was just a fifth standard student at the time, I also vividly remember the 1971 War, especially the blackout that enveloped our small town [of Bicholim]. Every evening, houses in the neighbourhood including ours would plunge into darkness as people diligently switched off their lights and drew curtains to comply with blackout rules. Occasional sounds of the siren and fighter jets making rounds were frightful!” he recounted, adding, “We children would gather around kerosene lamps or candles, sharing stories and playing indoor games.
Shekhar Salkar
The blackout became a part of our daily routine; we learned to find joy in simple things, like storytelling and bonding with family and friends. The blackout may have been a safety measure, but it also taught me the value of resilience and adaptability during challenging times.”
Young at art
An artwork by Pehel Birawat (right) Kimaya Singhania’s work
If you think curating an art showcase in Mumbai is a walk in the park, ask 17-year-old Peddar Road-based artist Kimaya Singhania (inset), who will present a three-day exhibition starting May 16 at the Cymroza Art Gallery. With Sahayog Art Foundation, the teenager has been sifting through artworks for a greater cause.
A part of the proceeds from the exhibition, Singhania revealed, will go towards Cuddles Foundation, an NGO enabling the welfare of young cancer patients. “I gave the artists complete creative freedom because a greater purpose could have been achieved only if we all came as who we are. I’ve realised you don’t have to wait till you’re older to make a difference,” Singhania told us.
Voices for the changing world
Himali Kothari
While the concern about climate change keeps growing, a few voices look to spread the awareness beyond the scientific spaces. In August, playwright Himali Kothari’s Friends for Life and fellow theatremaker Nikhil Katara’s The Mermaid, will find space among 50 plays to be performed in the lead up to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which is scheduled for August 25. “The two plays are part of 40 works published last year by Chantal Bilodeau, one of the founders of Climate Change Theatre Action (CCTA).” CCTA is a non-profit initiative at the forefront of bringing climate change into conversations on the stage. “Every year, they commission plays on the subject, and compile 50 plays to be shared online for readers all over the world to use and stage, as part of their efforts to spread awareness,” shared Kothari, who will be travelling to Edinburgh.
Teen confidence
A moment from the exercise enabling children to tell a story from their experience. Pic Courtesy/Ang Tarang
Last Friday, at the Nirmik Cultural Centre in Kandivli, teens rediscovered their voices in a unique way. This was hosted by Ang Tarang, an initiative by Shruti Ganesh (below, left) and Shruti Suvarna (below, right) that trains children in movement and self-expression. Ganesh, the co-founder and co-facilitator of the initiative, shared, “We understand the importance of dance and movements, and have been positively impacted by it. Since the participants were young adolescents from the marginalised sections, the exercise was designed to help them regain presence, confidence and a positive body image.”
She added that the facilitators used melodrama as a tool to enable catharsis and self-expression among the children. “We are bringing them together as a group because when they step on stage, or even otherwise, they need to understand group dynamics. They learned spontaneity through small activities where the children came up with their own story, and presented it in dramatic fashion,” she told this diarist.
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