Horses for courses  

A woman looks on as jockeys warm up the horses at Mahalaxmi Race Course. 

Stand up, Sloss is here

It sounds like an annual trip to the East for comedian Daniel Sloss. Having debuted his stand-up show, Can’t in India last year, the Scotsman is set to make a return to perform the show, and will open in Mumbai on March 16. “Hello India, it’s me, Daniel Sloss, the Scottish comedian who you’ve been threatening online for the past couple of years to come to your country to perform my stand-up,” Sloss announced in his trademark tongue-in-cheek humour on Wednesday. The comedian confessed that after the success of his 2023 tour, he did try to make a trip immediately in December. While that did not happen, he will now embark on an extended tour across eight cities with Goa, Pune, Jaipur, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata added to the destinations of Mumbai, New Delhi and Bengaluru. Ravina Rawal, founder-CEO of Deadant, who will host Sloss through their IP, The Loop’, shared that Sloss’ return is evidence of his success on the last visit. “Daniel’s unforgettable headline act at the first edition of our Laughing Dead comedy festival last year not only captivated the audience, but inspired and challenged what comedy can be in the hands of a master. His return isn’t merely a nod to the clamour from fans left wanting more — it’s a bold step forward,” she remarked.

Revive the terracota magic

Dinesh Kumhar (left) at a previous workshop; (right) a Molela terracotta work

This Valentine’s Day, Molela’s Dinesh Kumhar is coming to Mumbai to make you fall in love with art and culture again. A Padma Shri-awardee’s son, Kumhar continues his father Mohan Lal’s heritage of making Molela terracotta sculptures and idols the traditional way. “In times of so many technological advancements and machinery in the field of art, people find it hard to believe that a knife is the only tool we use to make the idols and sculptures,” Khumhar told this diarist over a video call from Rajasthan. For the first time, he will bring his expertise of this artform to a two-hour-long workshop at Khar’s 3 Art House. “The art had almost died out; it was restricted solely to our village [Molela]. In recent years, art enthusiasts started discovering it, and we have been getting more appreciation and acknowledgement,” Kumhar explained. He added, “It is extremely important for the youth to continue to practice and stay in touch with their culture, otherwise we stand to lose precious art forms of our country, like this one.” 

Walk the talk

Divya Palat

Getting yourself moving on nippy mornings is not an easy task, but for theatre maker Divya Palat, it is the cause that drives her. This Sunday, Palat will join her family members at Shivaji Park for a walk to raise awareness about Multiple Sclerosis (MS) by the Multiple Sclerosis Society of India (MSSI). “February is MS Awareness month, and the first weekend of February is celebrated as India MS Day,” Palat shared. Having suffered her first attack in 2005, the theatre maker was diagnosed much later in 2020. A regular walker, Palat is determined to go the distance. “The unique nature and symptoms of MS means that a lot of people go years before being diagnosed,” she revealed. The walk will see over 50 MS patients participate alongside 10 neurologists who will educate participants on the symptoms, and ways to spot the disease early. “Better awareness will ensure quicker diagnosis, and prevent progression,” she shared. 

The journey from waste to wow

The artistic recreation of Perkes’ plan. Imaging Courtesy/Aniket Umaria

Even as the debate to transform Mahalaxmi Race Course into a theme park continues, author of Bombay Imagined, Robert Stephens recalled how British engineer Samuel Perkes suggested a state-of-the-art waste disposal system in the low-lying area in the 19th century. “The idea was structured around two Ferris Wheel-like structures to enable sewage disposal,” he shared. While the idea never materialised, Stephens turned to artist Aniket Umaria’s imagination to recreate it. 

More power to Gen Next’s readers

Children at the session on Republic Day

The 75th Republic Day last week saw kids flock to the Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum to read Leila Seth’s We the Children of India with educator Priya Aga. The session also marked the beginning of the initiative Children’s Book Corner at the Museum Plaza where kids can read books in Hindi, English and Marathi for free. Director Tasneem Zakaria Mehta shared that the library includes material on art, history and natural environment and that they will collaborate with publishers to add new titles every month.

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