The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Pic/Satej Shinde
The weight of the world
A public enactment of Jesus Christ’s journey to Golgotha as part of the Good Friday rituals in Santacruz.
Green and clean
Volunteers at the clean-up drive in Nerul. Pic Courtesy/Rudra Singh
Mangroves are key custodians when it comes to protecting us from flooding, and providing clean air. They act as green lungs for Mumbai’s citizens. Dharmesh Barai, founder of the Environment Life Foundation, realised the problem and took up the mission to clean our precious mangroves. Barai will be conducting a mangrove cleaning drive tomorrow at Palm Beach Road, Nerul West. He shared his journey, “I started the drive in 2020 during the lockdown; we will be completing 244 weeks this Sunday. People join us from all age groups and we have 90,000 volunteers. We work across Navi Mumbai, from Vashi to Kamothe.”
From Bengal, with love
Bratati Bandyopadhyay. Pic Courtesy/Wikimedia Commons; (right) Pritam Chakraborty
It’ll be a star-studded affair in Dadar this weekend, but not without a noble cause. The iconic Bengal Club of Shivaji Park will bring together eminent Bengali performers including Pritam Chakraborty, Bratati Bandyopadhyay and Debshankar Haldar, at the Banga Sanskriti Utsav 2025 on this weekend. “As the tradition has been over the years, all proceeds from the concert will go towards supporting cancer patients,” shared president Dilip Das. Those keen to attend the festival can log on to @bengalclub_shivajipark.
Uttan’s unique traditions
Moments from the choir at practice in Uttan. Pics Courtesy/Mogan Rodrigues
The Christian community in Uttan brought in Good Friday in an interesting, traditional form. “We have one of the largest Marathi-speaking congregations on the islands of Uttan, Gorai, Manori and Dharavi,” shared Mogan Rodrigues, who joined the choir of Our Lady of the Sea on the occasion. “We had been rehearsing for the service for the last two weeks. It might be surprising, but the chaste Marathi in the service is often different from the dialect that most of us speak,” he shared. Unknown to most, Rodrigues said that these songs trace their roots back to the 16th Century, with the arrival of the Portuguese in India. “It was then that some of the songs and sermons were translated into Marathi, and they have been a part of the islands’ history. Even yesterday, we had a recitation of the East Indian purans — tales from Christian liturgy that have been passed down through the years,” he added.
A spiritual evening
A moment from the performance by the choir at Afghan Church in Colaba. Pic Courtesy/The Stop-Gaps Choir
Next Sunday, the Stop-Gaps Choral Ensemble has plans for a musical evening at St Anne’s Church, Mazagaon with a difference. Alfred J D’Souza, the chairman and musical director of the ensemble, said, “The Day He Wore My Crown is the story of Christ’s Resurrection in songs; it’s a church concert presented by us over the years. The works include pieces by Dallas Holm, Dottie Rambo, Phil Johnson, Tim Sheppard, Bill and Gloria Gaither among others. There are 13 songs in this presentation, and include Cornerstone, Calvary and The Day He Wore My Crown.”
Salute to Chaplin
A moment from a Charlie Chaplin skit on stage. Pic Courtesy/Zafar Warsi
Earlier this week, nearly 25 young actors took to stage in Andheri to enact and perform skits to celebrate Charlie Chaplin’s birth anniversary (April 16). Zafar Warsi, director, Mitraa Theatre, shared, “Chaplin gave the world a dictionary of body language, and we wanted to help kids find expression through him.”
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