Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

Pic/Satej Shinde

The human train

Commuters queue up cheek by jowl to board a local at Borivali.

Mughal-e-Olympics

AI artworks reimagine the Olympic Games in the Mughal miniature art style

If the modern costumes sported by international athletes at the ongoing Paris Olympic Games is something to remember this season by, Mumbai-based artist Varun Gupta's AI artworks takes it a notch forward, or in this case, backward, to the 16th and 17th century Mughal Empire. "I have been exploring the Mughal Empire as a theme in my artworks. As everyone is talking about the Olympics, I decided to create a series for the games," Gupta shared.

Varun Gupta

With a focus on treatment and miniature painting, the artist wanted the series to resemble the pictures the viewers grew up seeing pasted across history textbooks or museum displays. "There were no cameras then, and yet, we know when an artwork is from the Mughal era. I was aiming to create that," he explained.

Appliqué of love

Children learn about the diverse textiles of India at the workshop in Juhu

A recent workshop on appliqué in Juhu took children on a journey exploring the various textiles of India through a story about Partition and friendship. "As Independence Day is approaching, we wanted to introduce the kids to diverse textiles of India. Kutch is famous for its appliqué work, but so is Sindh. Hence, we read from the book, Mukand and Riaz. The illustrations in this book are in appliqué," revealed Gargi Sanghavi (inset), founder of the organising community Circle of Love. She was joined by Dipna Daryanani, co-founder of conscious clothing community for kids, Love The World Today. "Dipna introduced them to various textiles, and demonstrated how cotton turns into fabric. This was followed by a hands-on activity," Sanghavi revealed, adding that the second leg of this workshop will be hosted on August 3, where children will deep-dive into the world of Warli painting in a similar format.

O Pedro gets a makeover

Fans of O Pedro, Mumbai's Goan food destination, can celebrate. The all-day eatery that shuttered for a quick makeover on July 22, will reopen this weekend with a vibe in sync with the eatery's core. Expect some delicious new fare, apart from their favourites and classics to grace the menu. Yash Bhanage (inset), founder-COO, Hunger Inc. Hospitality, shared that since the space will complete their eighth anniversary in November this year, they wanted to refresh the ambience while ensuring that the "happy place" soul was intact. "The refreshed space is inspired by old Portuguese architecture and the regal rooms of Portugal. While our food philosophy remains unchanged, we're excited to introduce a new menu when we reopen, along with an eclectic cocktail menu featuring savoury flavours." New dishes include prawn curry crudo, choriz flatbread and ananas kaju curry. Additionally, coffee connoisseurs can sip on the brew from Veronica's, their Bandra West café.

Rare and precious

Saffronart's recently concluded Passages to India Auction 2024: A Journey Through Rare Books, Prints, Maps, Photographs, and Letters broke world and national records. Les Hindous: Ou Description de Leurs Moeurs, Coutumes et Ceremonies [Rothschild Collection] by François Balthazar Solvyns (lot 93) was sold for a R1.14 crore, achieving a world record for the highest price achieved for the book at auction. The first edition of The Constitution of India drafted by Dr BR Ambedkar (lot 91), sold for Rs 48 lakh, and the first printed edition of The Bhagvat-Geeta, translated by Charles Wilkins, from 1785 (lot 1) sold for R19.20 lakh, among others. "The auction paints a compelling picture of the growing market for collectibles. The value of several lots was enhanced by their impeccable provenance and personal histories - the leading lot by Solvyns [below], for example, came from Baron de Rothschild's library," said Minal Vazirani, president and co-founder of the auction house.