<h2>Balancing act</h2>
<p>A dancer performs a spin using his hands as a fellow dancer watches in awe during a practice session at Five Gardens, Matunga.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Marked for reading&nbsp;</h2>
<p><img title="The collection of unique bookmarks brought by the readers" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/jan/dos-eighteen-jan-b_e.jpg" alt="The collection of unique bookmarks brought by the readers" width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>The collection of unique bookmarks brought by the readers</em></strong></p>
<p>SGNP Reads, a silent reading community born in the city, turned a new page last weekend by recording a turnout of 24, the highest at a session since its conception. &ldquo;The number has seen a sustained rise, and it&rsquo;s purely by word of mouth,&rdquo; Amanda D&rsquo;Souza, co-curator, told this diarist. The community celebrated the milestone with an impromptu photoshoot of the unique bookmarks that the readers brought with them. &nbsp;&ldquo;We noticed our readers use all kinds of contraptions as bookmarks. From fallen leaves to boarding passes to even currency notes, we had quite an interesting mix. It called for a proper photo shoot,&rdquo; D&rsquo;Souza told this diarist.</p>
<h2>A silver lining</h2>
<p><img title="A duo performs at a previous edition of the talent show " src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/jan/dos-eighteen-jan-c_e.jpg" alt="A duo performs at a previous edition of the talent show " width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>A duo performs at a previous edition of the talent show&nbsp;</em></strong></p>
<p>Silver Innings, a senior citizens&rsquo; community, and the Rotary Club of Mumbai, Nariman Point, are calling for old-timers with hidden talents for the latest edition of their talent show, Umang 2024. &ldquo;Our aim is to show the fun side of ageing. We have enough people talking about problems,&rdquo; Shailesh Sharma, founder, shared. The event is accepting auditions for dance, street plays, music, stand-up comedy and other performances till January 31, following which, the practice phase will commence, leading up to the main event on March 3. &ldquo;We do not follow a competitive format. There will be no first prizes. The experience of sharing your talent is the reward,&rdquo; Sharma added. Interested individuals aged 55 years and above, can send their audition videos to silverinnings@gmail.com.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Get moving with the music&nbsp;</h2>
<p><img title="Noisy Pots perform at an event.  Pic Courtesy/Instagram" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/jan/dos-eighteen-jan-d_e.jpg" alt="Noisy Pots perform at an event.  Pic Courtesy/Instagram" width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>Noisy Pots perform at an event. Pic Courtesy/Instagram</em></strong></p>
<p>After giving the suburbs one of its go-to spots for live gigs, Nevil Timbadia, co-owner, Bonobo Bandra, brings a new venture that will make transcending boundaries with music a tad easier. &ldquo;Around India, my new project, will aim to showcase great music and make it easier for bands to tour. We aim to tour once a month, traversing four cities per tour, and reach nearly 10 as we grow,&rdquo; Timbadia told this diarist. The project will debut with a four-city India tour by the Czech electronic dance band Noisy Pots on January 31.&nbsp;</p>
<p><img title="Nevil Timbadia" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/jan/dos-eighteen-jan-e_e.jpg" alt="Nevil Timbadia" width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>Nevil Timbadia</em></strong></p>
<h2>Jap mould for Mumbai</h2>
<p><img title="Binal Dharod; (right) Kazuya Ishida demonstrates his technique of moulding a pot at the workshop" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/jan/dos-eighteen-jan-f_e.jpg" alt="Binal Dharod; (right) Kazuya Ishida demonstrates his technique of moulding a pot at the workshop" width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>Binal Dharod; (right) Kazuya Ishida demonstrates his technique of moulding a pot at the workshop</em></strong></p>
<p>The city caught a glimpse of Japan&rsquo;s unique and ancient culture last week when Japanese ceramic artist Kazuya Ishida introduced participants to Bizen pottery at Studio White &amp; Gray&rsquo;s workshop. &ldquo;Bizen is one of the six ancient kilns in Japan and is known for its traditional and unglazed high temperature-fired pottery. It is rare to find practitioners of the art form as it is a highly specialised technique that can take years to master,&rdquo; Binal Dharod, founder of the Byculla-based studio, shared with us. &nbsp;</p>
<p>The session began with a talk by Ishida about how potters can understand and familiarise themselves with new forms of clay by feeling it in their hands. &ldquo;The clay in India differs from what Ishida is used to in Japan, and so, it was a learning experience for him as well,&rdquo; Dharod revealed, adding that that the potter trained the participants in his unique style of moulding clay from the inside which lends it a distinctive shape and form.</p>
<p>Dharod shared how a visit to Kumbharwada, the potters&rsquo; cluster in Dharavi, was the highlight of the trip for Ishida. &ldquo;He was fascinated by the size of pots that the potters were moulding there. His amusement grew when he witnessed diyas being made in bulk,&rdquo; she shared, adding that the Japanese potter was introduced to Indian seafood to end the trip. &ldquo;India and Japan share their love for seafood. He loved Mumbai&rsquo;s flavours,&rdquo; she concluded.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>These Catholics are funny, men!</h2>
<p><img title="Samantha D&rsquo;Souza" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/jan/dos-eighteen-jan-g_e.jpg" alt="Samantha D&rsquo;Souza" /></p>
<p>Samantha D&rsquo;Souza launched her joke account @probablyrela tablecontent in May 2020, with what she calls generally relatable content that shifted specifically to content about the Catholic community. D&rsquo;Souza&rsquo;s comedy isn&rsquo;t stereotypical or offensive; instead it&rsquo;s filled with inside jokes that the community bonds over &mdash; the church aunties and vindaloo jokes are endearing and funny, take it from a community member. After the 23-year-old bid her goodbyes, the page retained over 5,000 followers. Those 5,000 received a pleasant surprise when a new post hit their social media feeds this week with a quip around Maldives, Lakshadweep and a feast celebration at Erangal beach. &ldquo;She&rsquo;s alive!&rdquo; someone commented. &ldquo;My brother Gavin brought me back. I didn&rsquo;t expect over 5,000 people to stick. Witnessing people celebrating my return as if it is Easter is heartwarming,&rdquo; D&rsquo;Souza joked.</p>

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Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

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