<h2>Walk the food talk</h2>
<p>An idli vendor serves breakfast to an eager crowd at Mahalaxmi</p>
<h2>The sea beckons</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2023/jan/Swimathon-a_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>Now&rsquo;s a good time for swimmers to step out of pools and soak in the sea. Mumbai Sea Swimmers&rsquo; Swimathon 2023 is calling upon swimmers &mdash; beginners, intermediate and advanced &mdash; to embrace the open waters. Minesh Babla, who runs the group with Mehul Ved, revealed that registrations for the March 12 event are now open. &ldquo;It will take place at Silver Beach and there are different lengths &mdash; one-km, two-km, three-km and five-km. This year, we have drawn up a new opportunity. Till the event, we have a panel of coaches who can help swimmers tailor a programme for the swim. The coaching will be for every level as we believe that this sport is about competing with yourself,&rdquo; he shared. Extending his invite to newcomers too, he added that the idea is to build a community of sea swimmers. To take the plunge, log on to mumbaiseaswimmers.com.</p>
<h2>Diljit will make the world groove at Coachella</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2023/jan/Diljit-Dosanjh-a_e.jpg" alt="Diljit Dosanjh performs at a concert. PIC COURTESY/FACEBOOK" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Diljit Dosanjh performs at a concert. Pic Courtesy/Facebook</em></strong></p>
<p>Diljit Dosanjh&rsquo;s year is starting with a bang! The pop star and actor who has been putting Punjabi music on the world map, will headline the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California in April. Dosanjh, the only Indian name on the line-up this year, will play alongside contemporary musical greats like Gorillaz, BlackPink, Frank Ocean, among others, apart from Pakistani musician Ali Sethi. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s one of the best starts to this new year! A heartfelt thank you to all who have supported me. I look forward to sharing this journey. I can&rsquo;t wait to perform at Coachella,&rdquo; he told this diarist.</p>
<h2>Found in translation</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2023/jan/Ashutosh-Potdar_e.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>Here&rsquo;s a session that will tempt the seeker of fascinating tales. Kitabkhana in Fort will host Dr Ashutosh Potdar&rsquo;s discussion with literary translator Uma Shirodkar, over the former&rsquo;s latest book, The Greatest Marathi Stories Ever Told. A compilation of 28 stories, Potdar shared that the book contains fables by Marathi writers such as Jayant Narlikar, Vyankatesh Madgulkar, Chi Vi Joshi and Shri Ma Mate, among others. &ldquo;In Marathi, there are different forms of storytelling like gosht, akhyaan and katha. I have focussed on modern stories from the print era,&rdquo; he told us. The author added that he scoured for tales that experimented with form, style, language and context over a period of three years. &ldquo;There are also different socio-political conflicts and situations that emerge through these tales,&rdquo; he noted.</p>
<h2>Meet the lavanyavatis</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2023/jan/Lavanyavati-a_e.jpg" alt="A still from the performance at  Serendipity Arts Festival in Goa" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>A still from the performance at Serendipity Arts Festival in Goa</em></strong></p>
<p>From tamasha to banner shows, the performing art form of lavani has evolved over time. What has not changed is how lavani artistes consider the form a way of life, and not just art. Last December, theatre-maker and documentary filmmaker Savitri Medhatul captured the journey of lavani through different social, cultural and political changes with a documentary theatre performance, which travelled to the Serendipity Arts Festival in Goa. This diarist has now learnt that Lavanyavati will come to Mumbai, for a performance at the NCPA on February 4. But before that, the production is set to be staged at The Box, Pune, on January 28. In the performance, practitioners Seema and Sudhakar Pote, Akansha Kadam, Akshay Malvankar, along with Medhatul trace the idea of a lavanyavati through their own journeys. &ldquo;Our show in Goa got a tremendous response,&rdquo; shared Medhatul, adding, &ldquo;The show explores the representation and identity of lavanyavati &mdash; the one who performs lavani.&rdquo;</p>
<h2>One author for another</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2023/jan/Hanif-Kureishi-a_e.jpg" alt="PICS COURTESY/ GETTY IMAGES" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Pics Courtesy/Getty Images</em></strong></p>
<p>Anyone who has been tracking goings-on in the literary world would have learnt about Hanif Kureishi&rsquo;s (left) unfortunate accident in Rome in December, and its aftermath that left the celebrated British-Pakistani playwright-author in a debilitating condition. The South Asian literary icon might not be able to walk again, or even hold a pen, as he&rsquo;s revealed in some brutally honest tweets. Kureishi has been using the social media platform to stay connected with his well-wishers. From sharing about his trysts with physiotherapy to staying positive, they offer a tiny window into his traumatic routines. What caught our attention was his mention about friend, Salman Rushdie. The 68-year-old saluted the author, who faced a near-fatal attack last year, as, &ldquo;one of the bravest men I know,&rdquo; revealing that he wrote to him every day, encouraging him to stay patient. &ldquo;He should know. He gives me courage,&rdquo; he signed off.</p>

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Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

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