Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

Ringside ViewA group of policemen take shelter from the incessant rainfall that brought the city to a virtual standstill despite the part unlocking of MumbaiTilakrsquos courtroom exploitsDuring his lifetime Bal Gangadhar Tilak was such a thorn in the flesh of the British colonists that they had dubbed him lsquoThe Father of the Indian unrestrsquo No wonder that the government of the day arrested him thrice for sedition in 1897 1909 and 1916 A webinar this weekend will shed light on these cases which stemmed mainly from the articles that he wrote in Kesari the newspaper that he editedDid you know that Tilak once made submissions himself before the court on his own behalf when he couldnrsquot find an Indian barrister to represent him Rajan Jayakar a Bombay High Court advocate who will present the virtual talk added that Mohammad Ali Jinnah also represented Tilak twice But he was up against a judge Dinshaw D Davar who was vehemently against Tilak ldquoHe was acting just like a British judgerdquo Jayakar told this diarist Email contactpleagmailcom for further details and to registerMarking 83 years of Metro CinemaOn June 8 Metro Cinema at Marine Lines turned 83 Built by one of the worldrsquos largest studios at the time Hollywoodrsquos MetroGoldwynMayer MGM Corporation its inauguration was marked by the premier of the musical comedy Broadway Melody The cinema is also noted for its Art Deco design which was created by New Yorkbased architect and noted theatre designer Thomas White Lamb shared Atul Kumar a trustee at Art Deco Mumbai Trust ldquoIt was designed as a fourstorey mixeduse building The double height entrance foyer was an epitome of luxurious Art Deco aesthetics with Italian marble flooring Burmese teak wood panelled columns streamlined furniture and 15foottall Belgian chandeliers The cinema came to be known for the large murals in the auditorium which were executed by students from the Sir JJ School of ArtrdquoMixing up a stormBengalurubased mixologist Rohan Matmary has won first place at the nationwide World Class 2021 mixology event He will go on to virtually represent the country at the global finals in July Speaking about his preparations for the upcoming competition Matmary said ldquoI want to change the way Indian cocktails are perceived internationally While most come heavily laced with desi ingredients such as chaat masala I want to combine modern techniques with indigenous ingredients such as sandalwood and turmeric to create worldclass drinksrdquo Three cheers to thatSearch for homeNobel laureate Amartya Senrsquos memoir titled Home in the World will hit bookstore shelves early next month It chronicles his formative years in Dhaka the village of Santiniketan where he was raised Calcutta where he first studied economics and Trinity College Cambridge to which he came at the age of 19 It also touches on key experiences that had a profound impact including the Bengal famine of 1943 and his family members being imprisoned for their opposition to British ruleScripting honoursScript House an incubator by Soho House to support emerging talent is inviting applications for their 2021 edition Two candidates will get to turn their scripts into short films with one of them eventually being announced as the overall winner ldquoOur goal is to help produce uplifting short films that resonate with a global audience Our judges are all Soho House members from across the world including Sikhya Entertainment CEO Guneet Monga in picrdquo said Jo Addy its film and entertainment director