Damsel in distress
Linemen wade through knee-deep waters to conduct routine maintenance in the foreground of a vibrant mural at Andheri railway station
Home is where the art is
Colaba’s Strangers House Gallery hosted two special visitors from Kolhapur at artist Sachin Banne’s (right) solo exhibition last week. The artist’s father Lalaso, a plumber and mother Bhagyashree, a daily wage farm labourer in Kolhapur, had braved Mumbai’s heavy downpour to view their son’s first solo exhibition in person. “This was their first visit to Mumbai. They were overwhelmed by the towering buildings and fast-paced life here. I gave them a tour of Mumbai — including a BEST bus ride and a meal at The Taj Mahal Palace in Apollo Bunder — to make them feel at home.
Lalaso and Bhagyashree Banne pose with their son Sachin’s artwork. PIC COURTESY/SACHIN BANNE
Once we were at the gallery, they were understandably overcome with emotions,” Sachin told this diarist. The 27-year-old Kolhapur native is currently pursuing a Master’s degree from Sir JJ School of Art, while building a collection of artworks inspired by his experiences in rural Maharashtra. “It’s not easy to get a slot to exhibit your works in this city. Having my parents here for the big day was a non-negotiable from the first day. It’s a dream come true,” Banne shared with this diarist.
Singing in the rain
Satyawan Gite sings in his autorickshaw. PIC COURTESY/SWEENY DIAS ON INSTAGRAM
The red alert in Mumbai on August 19 failed to dampen Satyawan Gite aka the Karaoke Autowala’s parade in Andheri. In a video that has now gone viral on social media, Gite sings a classic Bollywood tune, seemingly unfazed by the relentless rain. “Singing has always been my passion. Why should the day’s work stop me from following my calling? I have been singing for the last 15 years now,” a cheery Gite told this diarist. The city might want to take another leaf out of Gite’s book. A closer look at Gite’s customised auto rickshaw will reveal its bright green interiors. “The grass mats are artificial, but the potted plants are as real as they get,” he revealed.
Shimla’s indies get a QR upgrade
(From left) Akshay Ridlan with an indie; the pendants feature scannable QR codes that reveal basic information about the wearer. PICS COURTESY/PAWFRIEND.IN
Sion-based engineer Akshay Ridlan will make a northward journey with his QR code-enabled tracking pendants this week. After helping Mumbaikars trace their displaced pet family members for two years, the pendants will now help Shimla protect its stray dogs. “I had been in talks with Dr Anil Sharma, the district nodal officer for Animal Birth Control, and Anti-Rabies surveillance for two months before the move. I’ll be flying out to Shimla on Friday to oversee a 25-day drive to tag the indies in the city,” Ridlan shared with us. Well, at least someone’s cracking the (QR) code to the stray dog dilemma in a more humane way.
Campus tales on rewind
Elphinstone College. File pic/Satej Shinde (right) members of the theatre group in performance. PICS COURTESY/EMPURPLE
College days can be the most memorable times of our lives. On August 23, playback theatre group Empurple will use their creative art form to take the audience on a trip down memory lane at the Victoria Memorial School for the Blind in Tardeo. A special performance dedicated to the Elphinstone College alumni, If Stones Could Talk, will reminisce their cherished memories from college on the theatre stage.
“Playback theatre involves telling a story through body movements, sound, poetry, metaphors, and basic props such as scarves or chairs. A member of our group is an alumnus of the college who often posts about our open shows, and as more people got curious about us, we received a proposal to conduct a show for the alumni,” shared founder and director, Preeti Birla Nair (below). Shaping the performance from the memories of the audience’s first romance, breakups or pranks pulled back then, the group will seek to find a common ground among the many passing batches. “Interestingly, we have received registrations from alumni as far back as from the 1960s to 1990s,” Nair told this diarist.
