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This match is lit

A friendly T20 game in progress at Bombay Gymkhana

Thoughts on paper

A participant pens down a heartfelt letter during the session

Writer and poet Shrutee Choudhary hosted her session, Letters from a Better Place, at Kitaabghar Reading Room in Andheri on January 25. Participants were randomly paired, and invited to pen their heartfelt emotions, later reading the letters aloud anonymously, creating an atmosphere of quiet solidarity.

Attendees read the heartfelt letters. Pics courtesy/Shrutee Choudhary

Choudhary emphasised, “The exercise was for people to write what they feel only to realise that they are not alone.” Log on to @lettersfromabetterplace for details about the next session.

Shake it like Shakira

Shakira at  a previous performance. Pic courtesy/@shakira

We come bearing news that will be music to the ears of Shakira fans. The multi-Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter will perform in Mumbai at Mahalaxmi Racecourse on April 10, after which she will head to New Delhi on April 15. The artiste is back in India after 19 years; her previous visit was a 2007 showcase in Mumbai. As the pre-sale of tickets opens on February 27, we suggest you make a beeline to watch the Colombian superstar.

This rap is about resistance

Mahi G performs alongside Flogen. Pic courtesy/Mahi G

February 21 at Spoken Fest unfolded without a single instrument in sight — yet the stage felt more alive than ever. Mahi G, aka Madhura Ghane (below), stepped up with beatboxing crew Flogen and ensured her voice carried across the room. The absence of music only sharpened the message. She opened with her song, Jungle cha Raja, tracing what the forest truly means to Adivasi communities — not a resource, but a home and inheritance.

Aao Na followed, addressing the Aravali conflict and people’s unresolved demands from both central and state government, and she concluded her performance with Bharat, which shifted the energy as it examined the growing divide between religion and politics in the country. Ghane told this diarist, “The experience was something extraordinary. This was my first time at the fest; the love I got from the audience was overwhelming. It almost felt like they’re here for the cause, and not just the music.”

Vaughan back at the Maidan

A photograph of people playing cricket at Oval Maidan, shared by  Michael Vaughan on Instagram.  Pics courtesy/@michaelvaughan

If you have followed former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan’s social media posts, like this diarist, you know he is just as comfortable getting a shave at a roadside barber’s in Colaba or trying his hand at gully cricket at Shivaji Park. Vaughan loves the Mumbai streets. This Monday, the former English captain took in a few games during his morning walk around the Oval Maidan. Describing the matches, including a women’s game, he seemed delighted. As for the weather, ‘Nice and warm’, he said. Whoever said the English do not tour well?