Following the law
A Home Guard official gives a traffic constable’s stalled bike a push near Mumbai High Court
Build spiritual highways too
Gadkari with Acharya Upendraji (right) at the book launch
Earlier this week, Antar Yog Gurukul in Fort was the venue for the book launch of Guru Gita on the revered guru shishya (teacher-pupil) tradition by Acharya Upendraji, founder Antar Yog Foundation. The launch was by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways said, “With our rich, diverse history, culture and ancient wisdom, India can play a pioneering role in establishing world peace. The world is recognising our lifestyle, and there is a need to combine scientific knowledge with spiritual awakening.” Meanwhile, Upendraji urged Gadkari to pay some attention to “spiritual highways. You are known for making big highways and creating infrastructure. We need to invest in spiritual well-being too.” In the age of highways and super highways, Internet Superhighways and people literally losing sight of themselves in a dizzy, fast-paced world, perhaps we need to find our way back to spiritual highways too.
Five times the fun
(Left) Carolina Brusse, Pacharee Sa-nguanprasert and Mahesh Babu. Pics Courtesy/Banyan Tree
It is a journey through India for the latest group of international performers at Banyan Tree’s World Jazz Festival this April. Commencing tomorrow, the festival will travel across five cities — Delhi, Pune, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Mumbai (April 12). The five-city tour is a commemoration of the festival celebrating its fifth anniversary this year. The line-up will feature artistes from The Netherlands, Suriname, Thailand, Brazil, Spain, South Africa and Venezuela among others. “The curation began almost eight months ago, with several partners of the World Jazz Network meeting in Amsterdam. The performances will also feature a special collaboration between these international artistes and Indian musicians. The uniqueness of our World Jazz Festival lies in this interplay of multiple cultures of Jazz, set alongside Indian sounds as well,” managing director, Mahesh Babu told this diarist.
Digging deep in New York
An Untitled photograph from Leia Tyebjee’s (right) photo project, Mumbai Is Upgrading
The Big Apple will get a bite of Mumbai’s dug up streets at the Brooklyn Art Haus (BAH) Gallery in New York this month. Mumbai Is Upgrading, a photography project by city-based artist Leia Tyebjee will be part of an exhibition, The Human Layer, till May 29. “The work emerged from observing the tensions between progress and neglect in Mumbai’s urban landscape. The project expands on the call for collective reflection and response,” shared Tyebjee adding, “Given its deep connection to Mumbai, I hope that we can bring it to the home city.”
Green panthers arrive
A moment from the group’s recent sessions in Goregaon and Sion. Pics Courtesy/Green Panther Club
There is a new group of greeners in town. The Bengaluru-based children’s nature initiative, Green Panther (@green_panther_club), have now branched out to Mumbai and Pune. “After four years in Bengaluru, we noticed the need for nature-based experiences for urban kids. We thought Mumbai would be the next best place where parents and children love to step out and explore nature around them,” shared founder Shruti Jha (inset). With Mumbai’s green cover different to that of Bengaluru, Jha admitted that the community will adapt to the city. “Nature is not limited to forests and sanctuaries. The park around your neighbourhood and even, gardens in housing complexes are great observation spaces. The objective is to make nature exciting for kids so that they are motivated to spend time outdoors,” she pointed out. The next session on Sunday will be centred on a tree walk in Powai.
Wheelie good time in Lonavala
The latest addition to the club is a 1936 Fiat 500 Topolino micro car. Pics Courtesy/Bombay Fiat Club
Come April 26, vintage and classic Fiat cars will become harder to spot in the city. That’s only because they’ll be cruising to Lonavala to celebrate the Bombay Fiat Club’s first anniversary in the hills. Founded by city-based colorectal surgeon Sambit Patnaik (inset) with the aim to bring Fiat owners together, the club has now grown to accommodate more than a thousand members across the country.
“While we have been welcoming full-time members from Mumbai with open arms, we also recently opened membership to owners from as far as Punjab, Mizoram and New Delhi who join our rides. Fiats are my passion and the motto of the club remains the same. It’s not about the cars, it’s all about the feeling,” Patnaik told us. Owners of classic Fiats who wish to join the club can log on to @bombayfiatclub.
