Mumbai Diary: Friday Dossier

Gauri is in the detailsA shopper browses through figurines of Gauri at a shop in Lalbaug leading up to Gauri Pooja celebrationsNational recognition for the EI lugraA photograph featuring the lugra in right the new book PICS COURTESYSAVITHA SURI STYLING MY HANDLOOMIn an acknowledgment that textile experts would call long overdue citybased textile heritage chronicler Savitha Suri below mdash who has worked extensively on the East Indian EI lugra mdash has been featured in a dedicated chapter of a new textile tome titled Styling My Handloom Published jointly by NIFT Mumbai and the Union Ministry of Textiles the book chronicles the efforts of 15 individuals who have worked on lesserknown textiles from the subcontinent ldquoThe book was put together by Neena Lokare of NIFT who follows my work on social media When she reached out to me I realised it was a great opportunity to put the lugra on the national textile map simply because there is such little discourse about Mumbairsquos indigenous textilerdquo Suri shared of her association with the projectThe book is the third major initiative undertaken by the Union Ministry of Textiles this year with a view to preserve indigenous weaves mdash the first was the Kunj Store in Delhi that features curated retail spaces exhibitions live craft demonstrations and workshops The second was The Quest for the Sacred Cloth a comic book on heritage weaves by stylist Prasad Bidappa ldquoThese are great outreach initiatives to draw the layperson into the conversation What makes the book especially important is that it spotlights virtually unknown weaves including the Patti Kinar technique from Nagpur Simple cotton weaves receiving an equal platform as the very rich brocades of India is crucial in the broader context of conservation mdash these are the weaves of the common man that often slip through the cracks even as conservation efforts focus on heirloom fabrics favoured by erstwhile royalty and aristocratsrdquo Suri explainedMusic to Bapparsquos earsMayur Jumani left records a dhol in Andheri PIC COURTESYMAYUR JUMANIAndheribased musician Mayur Jumani is taking no days off this festive season Armed with a handheld microphone Jumani stepped into the heart of the action at a Ganpati pandal in Andheri East earlier this week to record his new song Sounds of Ganpati ldquoI recorded the dhols the cheers the ambience mdash everything that makes this festival so special The idea was to piece together a song using the individual elementsrdquo Jumani shared Popular television personality Shiv Thakare soon hopped onto the idea with a seemingly ambitious video idea we learnt ldquoWe asked the dhol players if we could try our hands at the drums for the video It was a big ask given the sentimental value attached to the instruments But they were more than happy to let us in on the funrdquo a cheery Jumani revealed to this diarist To watch the video log on to mayurjumani on Instagrammidday sunshine in VikhroliLeft Rajendra B Aklekar extreme left presents the trophy to students above the June 4 2025 midday report on the new EastWest connecter bridgeRail historian newsman and authorrsquo as his new trophy reads or deputy city editor Rajendra B Aklekar for our loyal readers has a new feather in his cap The Bombay Catholic Sabha BCS in Vikhroli felicitated Aklekar last Sunday for his relentless reportage on an erstwhile dangerous level crossing in the area Earlier this year in June the opening of the long overdue Vikhroli Road Over Bridge ROB put an end to the local residentsrsquo woes In a report dated June 4 a former member of BCS Vikhroli unit had recalled how an illegal food stall had been hampering progress ldquoAfter midday reported the issue it was removed We thank midday for keeping the pressure onrdquo he had said The felicitation coincided with a gathering of bright young minds who had performed exceptionally in their 10th and 12th grade exams ldquoI was pleasantly surprised by the sheer number of achievers in the neighbourhood Irsquom thankful for the recognitionrdquo Aklekar acknowledged Good Samaritan on autopilotSufiyan Shaikh in his autorickshawThis diarist recently witnessed a wholesome incident on their daily commute to work that restored some muchneeded hope in the famed spirit of Mumbai While travelling in a shared autorickshaw a family of three including a face masksporting child had boarded the vehicle who eventually alighted at Gurunanak Hospital Bandra East Surprisingly the driver refused to charge the family Curiosity got the better of this diarist and upon enquiring he simply pointed towards the child wearing the mask and said ldquoHersquos a patient and I donrsquot charge patients travelling to hospitalsrdquo Sufiyan Shaikh while revealing his name also shared how his mother once faced delays reaching a hospital a few years ago ldquoIt was her instruction that I never charge a patient needing to go to the hospital I follow her advice no matter what part of the city I am inrdquo Shaikh told this diarist hoping to offer some respite to those in need one ride at a time