Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

Tailing alongA motorist and his canine copassenger navigate the traffic at Mumbai CentralThe stuff of culinary legendDr Chef P Soundararajan and Ranveer BrarVeteran Dr Chef P Soundararajan who was the general secretary of the Indian Federation of Culinary Associations passed away last week after suffering a heart attack A graduate of IHM Chennai he was a mentor to several leading chefs Chef Ranveer Brar who idolised Soundararajan reminisced how he grew up reading about him ldquoHe belonged to a breed of chefs who stood out for their sense of purpose sincerity and professionalism which he representedrdquo he told us Brar recalled that Soundararajan was one of the mentors who gave him a push early on in life ldquoIn college I heard so much about what a legend he was and when I met him later I wasnrsquot disappointed mdash he was warm professional and thorough He was a firm believer in the power of food and educationrdquoJoin the clubGurugramrsquos lifestyle club The Quorum which opened in 2018 is launching a chapter in Mumbai this week It will be located in Lower Parel The club will feature an FampB programme Cafe Reed that will be open to all patrons and an arts programme among other avenues Founder and CEO Vivek Narain shared that culture and programming has always been at the core of their identity ldquoOur monthly calendar will piece together thought leadership programming and events across the spectrum of art music literature current affairs business technology and lifestyle Wersquore excited about our FampB programming as well curated by our creative director Sonya Jehan and chef Pranay Kumar We look forward to our Mumbai chapterrdquo he told this diaristReunion gone wrongClockwise from top left A still from the trailer of Admission starring Tillotama Shome Rasika Dugal Noah Luce and Kunaal Roy KapurIn the past year like many of us standup comedian Anuvab Pal had been stuck in an endless loop of Zoom calls of ldquooldschool reunions which started off well but went to hell eventuallyrdquo And so when the time came to ideate for a Zoomformat play he banked on his experience and decided to write a script on a reunion that goes wrong Titled Admission itrsquos directed by Rohan Sippy and is produced by EnActe Arts and Rage Productions Starring actors Tillotama Shome Kunaal Roy Kapur Noah Luce and Rasika Dugal the play revolves around four college friends who reunite over Zoom in the middle of the pandemicAnuvab PalldquoThese friends in their 40s went to college in the USA and havenrsquot been in touch in the past 20 years They start out the reunion with the best intentions but slowly realise that everyone has their own agenda to be on the callrdquo shared Mumbaibased Pal The play aired online in the US last weekend and wersquore told show times for India are coming soon Wersquoll be waitingMumbai is on her mindPicFacebookAuthor and poet Anju Makhija has written numerous play scripts over the years and she told this diarist that she will publish a collection of them in a few months Makhija has lived in global cities like Montreal and New York and even in remote Indian villages But while curating this collection she realised that the plots have one connection mdash they are all based in Mumbai where she has spent a majority of her life Thatrsquos why she chose the title Mumbai Traps Dhauli Books The scripts are in English though Makhija said that her characters also speak in Marathi and Hindi street lingo sometimes ldquoThe plays span over 20 years and are about situations that Mumbaikars from different walks of life find themselves in There is one called The Last Train which was written after the blasts in 1993rdquo she sharedRebuild KonkanBuses submerged in Chiplun PicPTINGO Muse Foundation is setting up collection centres across the city to help regions on the Konkan belt recover from the devastation caused by incessant rain over the past few days The group is looking for support in the form of money or supplies ldquoWersquove set up centres in Thane Malad Vikhroli Lower Parel Airoli and Kamothe The catch however is that because of the pandemic people are afraid to step out Wersquore also urging people to organise minidonation drives in their housing societies so that we can pick up these donationsrdquo said founder Nishant Bangera Visit musefoundationwts on Instagram to lend them a hand