The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Pic/Satej Shinde
Beach bums, all
A canine soaks in the March sun as a group of girls have a blast taking selfies at Girgaon Chowpatty in Charni Road.
Color splash from Spanish coast
Alejandro Ruellan of Dale Color. Pic Courtesy/Wickedbroz on Instagram; a graffiti by the art collective. Pic Courtesy/dalecolor_official on Instagram
This weekend, Mumbai will witness vibrant hues of colour all the way from Spain. The graffiti artist collective of Dale Color, stopped by in the city as part of their ongoing Asia tour. Currently in Sri Lanka, Alejandro Ruellan of the collective shared, “We will be in India for the next couple of weeks. We are arriving in Mumbai tomorrow, and will be a part of a workshop at Marol Art Village in Andheri, before we head to Kolkata, and later to Agra. Throughout this journey, we will be looking to collaborate, create art and leave a signature of our own style and culture in the places we travel.” Zain Siddiqui, co-founder of Wicked Broz, shared that the collective had reached out to collaborate for the weekend workshop. “They also have plans to head to Vietnam and later South Korea. So, we were only happy to help them set up a weekend workshop for anyone interested in Mumbai,” Siddiqui shared with us.
Zain Siddiqui
City crisis finds a new canvas
Omkar Patil’s sketch on the dusty window of a car. Pic Courtesy/Omkar Patil; (right) Omkar
The city’s alarming pollution levels have been a matter of concern for a while now. With the entire city dug up for construction work, the condition has only gotten worse. Putting a satirical spin on the whole situation, visual artist Omkar Patil recently drew an illustration reflecting the city’s declining health on a dusty car near his residence in Worli. “Lately, I’ve been seeing many dusty car windows because of the ongoing construction in my area. Almost every parked car here is covered in dust, so I thought —why not draw on one?” Patil told this diarist. Drawn with an ear bud, the illustration sheds light on the alarming AQI levels of the city. “Construction sites should follow protocols and people should also wear masks to protect themselves,” he added.
Making Mumbai safer for women
Raëll Padamsee (in black) and Vivek Phansalkar (in white) with some members of the Nirbhaya squad at an event in December 2024. Pic Courtesy/ACE
Taking an important step towards women safety and security in the metropolis, city-based public charitable trust, The Create Foundation has collaborated with the Mumbai Police to amplify and spread awareness about the women safety helpline number (dial 103) for women in distress in the city. “The idea is to make Mumbai the safest city for women and children, not only in India but also globally. We had a meeting with the Commissioner of Mumbai Police, Vivek Phansalkar around two years ago, and have been dedicated towards amplifying the initiative since then,” Raëll Padamsee, managing trustee, told this diarist. She added that on dialing the number, Mumbai police’s Nirbhaya squad will immediately reach the location to provide assistance. “We want the whole of Mumbai to become aware of this initiative and avail of it, if the need comes,” she concluded.
Stories etched in ink
Participants at a previous event by the centre. Pic Courtesy/Ritesh Salve
For International Women’s Day celebration at the Chembur space, the Savitribai Resource Centre will host an art competition with a difference. “We are organising a competition that encourages participants to engage with the struggles and contributions of Dalit women in history and the present. The event includes discussions, art displays and storytelling sessions that highlight the role of women in the Phule-Ambedkarite movement. The idea is to create a platform where participants can engage with history representation, and the lived experiences of Dalit women through such creative expression,” Rohini Bhadarge, Maharashtra vice president, AIISCA, told this diarist.
Rohini Bhadarge
All eyes on Vidya
Members of Aflatunes with the actor. Pic Courtesy/Federal Bank on Youtube
If you want to woo Vidya Balan, all you need is a good voice. Beatbox emsemble Aflatunes got on stage in the city on Wednesday to perform songs featuring the actor Vidya Balan, with the actor in attendance. “We arranged her popular songs like Mere Dholna, Piyu Bole, and Pal Pal Har Pal for the performance. The response from the audience was amazing, but the cherry on top was when Balan took to stage to share her appreciation,” revealed group member Dany Marshal. On stage, Balan was ‘blown away’ by the fact that the group performed without any instruments.
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