Mumbai Diary: Sunday Dossier

Pic/Satej Shinde

Still life

A rooster observes an artist make an idol of Lord Ganesh in preparation for Ganesh Chaturthi at Rohit Arts Workshop in Kandivli.

London chef is step closer to Goa dream

London-based Goan chef and illustrator Emma Diniz Ryan has been shortlisted for the prestigious Yan-Kit So Award, hosted by the Oxford Cultural Collective, which enables aspiring food writers to fulfil their dreams to research, travel and create original work about any aspect of Asian food. The award honours the legacy of Yan-Kit So (1933-2001), one of the most acclaimed writers on Chinese food. Ryan, who runs the page Yesterday's Curry, has been hoping to write a cookbook, which explores the cuisine of Goa. "Being shortlisted for my proposal of a Goan cookbook is a huge honour, and I am delighted that the committee sees the potential in it. On a personal level, this research trip would enable me to explore the cuisine of my heritage and connect with my roots," Ryan told this diarist.

In memoriam

Pic/Facrbook

Mumbai boy Akshay Deodhar, who studied at Campion School in Fort, passed away last week in Pune. The musician, who was known for bands such as Spook, Zephyr and Left Hand Drive, was also brother to Advait Deodhar, one of India's only racing car drivers. Akshay was loved by those who knew him and his Facebook wall was testimony to that. Demonic Resseruction vocalist Sahil Makhija wrote, "He was there to light up the room and ask how you are doing", and Albatross and Primitiv bassist Riju Dasgupta wrote, "Irrespective of what he was going through, he always had time for those he cared about".

Names and numbers that John wanted to see

John Crasto

The contribution of brothers, Joe and John Crasto to the profession was brought up on Facebook during World Sports Journalists Day on July 2. Joe was an accomplished 200m runner before he took up coaching and journalism, while John was a certified athletics coach, who excelled in reporting on boxing, athletics as well as rugby. When John turned freelancer in the early 1990s, a newspaper assigned him to cover the 1994-95 Ranji Trophy final contested between Mumbai and Punjab at the Wankhede Stadium. Cricket was unfamiliar territory for John and he had some trouble identifying the players on the field. He suggested that players should sport a name and number at the back of their shirts which will make it easy to identify them. What is he talking about, some of us thought when John uttered those
words in that open-air press box, but now we do have the names of players at the back of their jerseys in red-ball cricket too. Had John been living today, he would have been pleased although that wouldn't mean he would accept cricket assignments at Wankhede Stadium with glee. He would rather be at the neighbouring hockey stadium.

A phool-proof tribute

Dr Mukesh Kawtra, an environmentalist from Delhi, is paying a green tribute to his favourite cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar. He has created a vertical garden, where hundreds of used plastic bottles have been recycled into planters. The bottles are lined up in four rows with flowers like salvia, peutonia, gazania and dianthus planted in them. Each bottle is a memorabilia for a century scored by Sachin, he tells us. "There is a sticker on each bottle depicting the runs scored, the country he was playing against, date and place where he scored the century." His NGO, Smiling Tree, has also applied to the forest department of North Delhi for adoption of a 200-year-old banyan tree in Chandni Chowk. "If approved, it will pave the way for more such adoptions across the country."

The Vadra behind the lens

Raihan Rajiv Vadra, son of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Robert Vadra, is a budding photographer. Raihan runs an active photography page on Instagram. The 20-year-old regularly shares his photos on his social media account. And now, he is set to host an exhibition of his works titled, Dark Perception at Bikaner House-Delhi from July 11. On exhibit will be his collection of wildlife, metaphysical and cityscape photos. Speaking to this diarist, he said, "Dark Perception is an exhibition that hinges on perception as a function of light, organisation, memory and imagination, all of which are manipulated in order to define the visitor's journey. It is a commentary on modern life and how easily, human beings can be influenced and exploited."