City watch
The silhouette of Sir Pherozeshah Mehta’s statue, a political, legal and civil visionary, stands tall at the junction of Dr DN Road and Mahapalika Marg.
Slip into the Gunda mode
Shivam Thakkar; (right) The villain jacket by Shivam Thakkar
We are not sure if it will inspire a “Mogambo khush hua” from Amrish Puri, but this Bollywood villain-themed jacket by Kandivali-based artist Shivam Thakkar
(@shiva.s.art) brought a smile to this diarist’s face. As part of a project for meme page @mogambochya, the 23-year-old’s recent work features popular Bollywood heroes like Bulla, Crime Master Gogo, Mogambo and Tyson, among others. “Denim jackets are my favourite type of apparel to paint on,” Thakkar (inset), who is known for his touch of popular culture in his customised clothes, bags and sneakers, exclaimed. “I took nearly two weeks to complete it. While the jacket sported characters from classic Hindi films, I decided to inculcate pop art in their features to give it a modern look. You can also see that I retained the old Bollywood charm by adding retro lights to the word ‘Gunda’ right above the famous villains,” he explained.
Soaring the skies for solidarity
The collective gathered in Bandra to show solidarity with Palestine
As kites take over the horizons of the city this weekend, some of these will take flight to show solidarity with the people of Palestine. Kites in Solidarity Mumbai is a group formed in December, inspired by the eponymous movement where people from across the globe fly kites to express their support for Palestine. They have called for Mumbaikars to take part in the Global Kite Flight tomorrow. “We hosted our first ever gathering on December 25 in Bandra, because the colours of Christmas are the same as the colours of the Palestinian flag. The collective is now calling Mumbaikars to fly kites, from wherever they are and let this Makar Sankranti be one of solidarity. If you fly a kite, send your photos to @kitesinsolidaritymumbai and we will repost it,” a spokesperson from the movement told us.
Bird call
Volunteers medicate a rescued pigeon
The most important person flying a kite is arguably the one who holds the chakri. Rescuing birds strangled in the manja left behind from that chakri is the Shree Shanti Kushal Mandal, a SoBo-based youth-led initiative. “This will be our seventh year of rescuing strangled birds during Makar Sankranti,” shared Ashish Jain, its vice-president. “Although we have 24 permanent members, each member brings along a group of friends to volunteer in rescuing these birds. The volunteers go around the city as and when we receive calls. This time, we are setting up a camp at Nanubhai Desai Road in Girgaon for two days, starting tomorrow,” the 24-year-old told this diarist. If you spot a strangled bird across SoBo, reach out on 7977384098/ 8369831224/ 8879748198 from 8.30 am onwards. “If we are unavailable, and for places we cannot reach, use this 24/7 helpline number (8655370005),” Jain suggested.
Sum total in Worli
A moment from the competition
Students and teachers from nearly 500 schools across the globe have gathered in Worli for a three-day mathematical championship, Infinity 2024, by Aditya Birla World Academy, in collaboration with BITS Pilani. “We are delighted to mark the milestone of the 10th edition of the competition. It continues to provide an engaging platform for aspiring intellects to immerse themselves in mathematics,” said Prodipta Hore, the academy’s coordinator for international initiatives.
Textile art by the book
A panel of artworks from the exhibition
The Constitution of India became the muse for 75 artists who contributed to Hamari Virasat, an initiative by Hand For Handmade Foundation which is showcasing a mural featuring 75 handmade textile artworks inspired by the Preamble to commemorate the Constitution’s 75th anniversary. Inaugurated yesterday at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, the mural will move to the Kala Ghoda Art Festival on January 20 before it makes its way to cities across India. “We hope that the initiative drives conversations around the artisan community and helps us reimagine the industry to create greater impact going ahead,” Shibani Dasgupta Jain, its founder, said.
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