Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

Pic/Sameer Markande

The Swing thing

With parks closed, these children decide to make best use of the trees uprooted by Cyclone Tauktae at Sanjay Gandhi National Park.

Ode to the hills

Home chef Jasleen Marwah has announced an online cooking class this weekend focusing on Kashmiri fare. All the proceeds will be donated to an NGO working in the Tons Valley of Uttarakhand. "Over the last three weeks, I have been raising money in various ways for charitable causes. For the Eid weekend, I was making and selling sheer khurma and halwa. We raised R25,000 for the Hemkunt Foundation," she shared. Marwah will be teaching mutsch, a mutton meatballs dish, and yakhni, a yogurt-based sauce, both classic Pandit dishes. Attendees can either watch or cook along with Marwah. To sign up, visit @namakswaadanusaar on Instagram.

Celebrating Eve's legacy

It's impossible to think of feminist theatre or literature without the mention of The Vagina Monologues and its playwright Eve Ensler. With Ensler celebrating her 67th birthday yesterday, theatre veteran Dolly Thakore, who has been involved in Indian renditions of the play since 2003, spoke fondly of her association with the play and its writer. "This has been the longest innings of any play I have been involved in. Our entire cast called to wish her yesterday. We all admire her for her strength, grit, vivaciousness and honesty. I remember reviewing the book [on which the play is based] in the Sunday Observer when it first came out. I then contacted [late] socialite Parmeshwar Godrej, who was hosting Goldie Hawn - she had starred in the first staging of the play in 1998. I asked for Goldie's number so that we could stage it here as well. My fax went unanswered but a year later, there was a knock on my door. It was Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal asking if I would be interested in acting in it! I needed no further convincing. Over the years, the play has evolved beautifully."

Dressing up for the spotlight

The NCPA has announced a virtual workshop on reimagining dance costumes with costume designer and curator Sandhya Ratnam, on June 18. "When classical Indian dances were reconstructed and reintroduced, the costumes worn by dancers were standardised. There was very little room for deviation. However, more recently, exponents have been reinterpreting and reimagining costumes to essay different roles and convey their themes visually. This is important because while dancers typically tend to focus more on the content of their performances, the costume is what grabs the attention of the audience. In classical dance texts, costumes are actually a part of abhinaya," explained Swapnokalpa Dasgupta, head of dance, NCPA. The first day will focus on the basics of costume construction. There's also a design lab, where participants can share their costume ideas and have them evaluated by Ratnam. Call 8879114939 to register.

Answering the call of Everest

In the run up to Everest Day (May 29), entrepreneur Aditya Gupta has launched a book titled 7 Lessons from Everest. The book documents his April 2019 ascent. "I was eager to leverage this experience for the greater good. What you learn on Everest is not only about climbing a peak - it is about conquering a challenging goal and dealing with uncertainty. At 50, and with no experience in playing any sport, I know that if I could reach Everest, people can achieve their dreams, no matter how intimidating," he told us. Gupta has joined hands with CRY Foundation and proceeds from the sales of the book will be donated for Covid-19 relief.

Seefah, the baker

If you've been following chef Seefah Ketchaiyo's culinary trails on the Gram, you'd know that she's been whipping up a lot of bakes, apart from her signature Thai and Japanese fare, these days. This has now led to the launch of Seefah Bakery, a delivery venture where she will craft pork and chicken buns, Japanese fluffy cakes, coffee custard profiteroles, and more. "We plan for a shop, but given the current circumstances, we'll focus on delivery only for now. The idea was prompted by the desire to keep my team together. We started looking for more sources of revenue," she shared. Their menu rolls out soon, so keep an eye out.