Two steps at a time
Young performers practise a dance routine on the steps of the iconic Asiatic Society of Mumbai opposite Horniman Circle
That’s the write way ahead
Achyut Palav with his calligraphy works. PIC COURTESY/ACHYUT PALAV
While Gen Z and Gen Alpha are tapping into ChatGPT to simplify their writing assignments, artist and calligrapher Achyut Palav is doing things old school. The Padma Shri-awardee has announced a new scholarship for young calligraphers. “It is my attempt to bring regional calligraphy to the fore. There are many scripts like Gurmukhi, Kannada, Urdu — beyond the more-recognised Devanagari script — that need to be kept alive. Currently, there is not enough incentive to look beyond the usual,” he shared. While a majority of the scholarship focuses on physical calligraphy, it will also make room for digital experiments like turning handwritten characters to digital typefaces. The artist assured us that more details will be shared for applicants on September 21 on @achyut_palav.
Brick by brick
Artistes prepare for the show (right) a view of Herbertpur in Uttarakhand. PIC COURTESY/AKLESH SUTAR
AMID news of destruction following the flash floods in Uttarakhand, Aarey-based rapper Aklesh Sutar (below) gave this diarist a sliver of hope. In the Tehri Garhwal district, Sutar is building an eco-friendly amphitheatre for an upcoming music festival in October. “The idea is to build a sustainable space that will serve the local artistes long after our festival. Today, we laid the foundation with help from the locals,” Sutar revealed. While the festival venue remains out of harm’s way, Sutar recalled a narrow escape from his temporary residence in Herbertpur: “We were surrounded by water. For a minute, it felt like I was stuck on an island. Thankfully, the water levels receded soon.”
Au revoir, monsieur
Consul General Jean-Marc Séré-Charlet bids adieu in a France-themed autorickshaw. PIC COURTESY/@franceinmumbai
Jean-Marc Sere-Charlet, Consul General of France in Mumbai, squeezed in one last visit to Eros Cinema, Marine Drive, and his favourite chai tapri in SoBo before bidding the city adieu. After four years in office, Séré-Charlet makes way for a new Consul General who will arrive in the city by November, we learnt from his office. “I came to Mumbai as a diplomat, and I leave as a true Mumbaikar,” he said in his final message to the city, before hopping in an autorickshaw sporting the French tricolour. While French language students, city-based artistes, and well-wishers shared their goodbyes on social media, his office (Team France in Mumbai) told this diarist, “We bid farewell to our Consul General, who is leaving Mumbai for his next adventure. He will be remembered not only for his commitment to France-India relations but also for how he embraced the spirit of Mumbai — from its energy, to its endless cups of cutting chai. His warmth, humour and openness made him a true Mumbaikar at heart. We now look forward to welcoming our new Consul General, who will undoubtedly discover very quickly that Mumbai has its own way of stealing your heart.”
Keep it green
Student volunteers de-weed the area. PIC COURTESY/INATUREWATCH
It has rained and poured a dark shade of green at the recently reforested Taloja Hills. But hidden between native species that have blossomed after a four-month-long wait, an invasive species called the American Mint is playing spoilsport, revealed naturalist Dr V Shubhalaxmi. “Help is at hand, nonetheless. Ninety-nine students from a city college recently cleaned the area of the weeds and reused it to create stream barriers along the slopes. The youth truly showed up to save the day,” she said.
Return gift from Bappa
School children at the Humboldt penguin enclosure. PIC COURTESY/MUMBAI ZOO
The BEST Nagarcha Bappa pandal in Goregaon this Ganesh Chaturthi was helmed by a group of gritty school children. As a gesture of gratitude, adults from the neighbourhood recently organised a tour of the Mumbai Zoo for them. Zoo biologist Dr Abhishek Satam, who volunteered as a guide, told this diarist, “I learnt that the children had helped in setting up the pandal tirelessly. When a friend from the mandal reached out to me with the idea, I was all in. They met the tiger, the gharials, the penguins… all of the residents at the zoo. They threw interesting questions at me during the four-hour-long tour. I hope more adults follow suit and bring their children to the zoo.”
