Light of the world
Women carrying lights march during a Buddha Purnima procession at Kurla West.
Of shared stories and more
Makarand Deshpande at a previous exchange
The Kitaab Exchange Mela, held on May 3 at Third Bell Studios felt easy and unhurried, with books quietly changing hands through the day. Visitors placed their own reads on a common table and picked up others, creating a simple, trust-led exchange.
Yahya Bootwala. Pics Courtesy/Third Bell Studios; @yahyabootwala
Around this, poetry, storytelling and music unfolded, with voices like Divya Dubey and Yahya Bootwala upping the tempo. “We wanted the exchange to stay open and simple,” said Aishwarya Rajan, the event’s chief operating officer, adding that such formats will continue alongside their plan of hosting monthly fleas with curated cultural prog-ramming.
Meet the OG tick-tockers of Mumbai
Visitors browse the collection of watches during a meet-up in Mahim. Pics Courtesy/The Revolver Club
Retro was in vogue at Mahim this past Sunday, as analogue watch enthusiasts thronged to the HMT meet-up organised by The Revolver Club. For generations, the watchmaker was known as the ‘Timekeeper to the Nation’. “In January, HMT (Hindustan Machine Tools) filed an application to officially strike off its wholly owned subsidiary, HMT Watches Limited, on January 5, 2026, marking the final closure of the iconic, state-owned watchmaking entity.
HMT Jawan Military, HMT Janata Notebook and HMT Sherpa
This is the year HMT officially shut down forever,” shared illustrator, and organiser, Mihir Lapalikar. As a last hurrah, collectors met up with their precious accessory to show, with over 100 rare pieces making an appearance. “It [HMT] is a special name for collectors. Also, the club has a really extensive collection of HMTs out there such as the rare Sherpa, or the nostalgic Janata pieces that we wanted to showcase,” he told us.
Sounds from raaga to rap
Hruday Satam
Hruday Satam seems to have made the most of his classical music training when he stepped into the gritty world of rap. The 23-year-old rapper, who hails from Vashi, is currently working on Hyper Yakshini, the third part of his album trilogy. He described it as having, “a very Gen Z rage and a hyper-pop sound that draws from the US underground scene, fused with Marathi lyrics and classical compositions.” What draws a young man trained in Hindustani classical to rap? Satam shared, “There is a strong influence of hip-hop culture brewing in this neighbourhood, and my involvement in musical theatre in college led to the creation of this unique fusion of sounds.” One of these influences is Marathi Natya Sangeet. “It is a key part of the upcoming album. We shall be ready to launch it by the end of this month,” he revealed to this diarist.
Mumbai is the best
A moment from the travelogue at CSMT. Pic Courtesy/Jetlag Warriors on YouTube
IF you put a Mumbaikar and a Delhite in the same room, the debate would most likely centre on the better city. However, Steve from JetLag Warriors, a Canadian-Indonesian YouTuber backs Mumbai. Currently touring the city with his family, he used his travel vlog to declare, “Mumbai is the best city for a tourist,” adding that in Delhi he was swamped by auto drivers, which felt uncomfortable. He praised CSMT (formerly VT) as among the nicest architecture he has seen, and concluded, “In Mumbai, I feel like I’m a fly on the wall in a totally different city.”
