Mumbai Diary: Saturday Dossier

Point of breakdown: A man attempts to repair a stretcher in the middle of the busy LBS Marg, in Ghatkopar West. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Gilbert Hill and other highs

The first session will shed light on Mumbai's geological heritage, touching upon the Gilbert Hill in Andheri which was declared a Grade II Heritage Structure

There's some good news for heritage buffs. The Indian Heritage Society Mumbai has curated an initiative, Heritage Ambassador Program, as part of which they will host a series of webinars which will shed light on various aspects of heritage in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). Simultaneously, they are running an assessment to pick heritage ambassadors of Mumbai. Honorary secretary Preeti Vanage shared that the initiative was promp-ted by the idea to reach out to younger people, but it's also open to all heritage enthusiasts. With speakers including Dr Suraj Pandit, Shardul Bajikar, Sneha Nagarkar, Dr Kurush Dalal and Dr Mohsina Mukadam, the webinars will address topics such as geological heritage, natural history, economic history, intangible heritage, culinary heritage and more. "We're concentrating on the pre-Portuguese history and heritage of Mumbai. We've identified 12 topics that cover the landscape of MMR," Vanage told us. For instance, the webinar on July 10 will deep-dive into the history of the 200-ft Gilbert Hill, a monolithic column made of black basalt that dates back to the Mesozoic Era. To tune in, head to @ihsmumbai on Instagram.

Dr Kurush Dalal and Dr Mohsina Mukadam are among the speakers

Keeping kabaddi on our minds

Ajay Thakur. Pic courtesy/Instagram

India, as a nation, is of course obsessed with cricket. But kabaddi is another sport that defines the country's identity, as evidenced by the enormous success of the Pro Kabaddi League. The pandemic has affected players of the contact sport adversely, and Kabaddi Adda, a digital platform that promotes the game, has now stepped in to ensure that the mental health of the sportsmen involved is not affected, with an initiative titled Mann Ki Jeet. It involves leaders within the sport's ecosystem - including former captain of India's national kabaddi team, Ajay Thakur - join-ing hands to spread awareness about mental health issues. There are also doctors on board to offer guidance. "This has been a hard time for all of us and I'm truly hoping that the upcoming events will rescue us from this dry run," Thakur shared.

Disabled and proud

(Left) Anusha Misra; Samidha Mathur

"Disability Pride has been a huge event in the USA to mark the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act's passage. However, in India, disability is still seen as something to be shunned and hidden rather than being proud of," shared Anusha Misra, author, founder and editor-in-chief, Revival Disability Magazine. To change this narrative, the magazine is curating the Disability Pride Digital Festival in July. Through posts, videos and panel discussions, the festival aims
to explore the theme of disabled joy and dissent. "It's often thought that disability and joy are mutually excl-usive, a myth partially propagated by the idea that disabled people need ‘pity' and are living a ‘low quality of life'. This can't be farthest from the truth: like everyone else, we are multi-dimensional," Misra said. Samidha Mathur, content curator and editor, added that in the first week, they're exploring disability and sexuality. "We begin by looking at our bodies and our sexualities. Here we tell stories of our sexualities and our bodies - both happy, sad and everything in between," Mathur said. Log on to
@revivaldisabilitymag to join in.

Teen rising

A 17-year-old baker from the city, Nysa Adurkar, has authored her debut recipe book, Whip and Whisk (The Write Place). From Halloween-special recipes to movie-themed cakes, the book is packed with over 65 recipes that Adurkar has tried and tested. The teen told this diarist that the book is a labour of her love for baking, a hobby she took up as a child. "As a young baker, I was overwhelmed by the complicated steps and foreign ingredients. Over the years, I developed recipes and decorating styles that were simpler. I wanted to share these recipes to show how to make these desserts with locally available ingredients," she shared.

Flower power

Bandra-based Method art gallery's upcoming exhibition is a dreamy exploration of the relationship between the synthetic and natural world. From tomorrow till July 26, visual artist and zine-maker Eeshani Mitra will be showcasing her solo exhibition Synthetic Flower Dreams at the gallery, wherein she has played around with the natural beauty of a flower. "I wanted to bring out the innate beauty of the flower by placing it in an unnatural medium removed from any natural influences. I aimed to create a surreal landscape, while using natural elements that we can see around us. Through this exhibition, I hope to present a dreamy take on what I perceive my surroundings as, in images," Mitra told us.