<h2>Necessity is the mother of invention</h2>
A child sleeps in a tub under the watchful eye of its mother by a foothpath in <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/search/bandra-all" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">Bandra</a>
<h2>Unlike any other city</h2>
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2023/oct/Martha-Thorne_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" />
It felt serendipitous that this diarist could meet Martha Thorne, senior advisor of the Henrik F Obel Foundation just before World Cities Day (October 31). The United Nations General Assembly has designated the date to ensure that &ldquo;urban areas are not only engines of growth, but beacons of sustainability, resilience, and prosperity for all,&rdquo; to quote UN Secretary General Ant&oacute;nio Guterres. Thorne was here on behalf of the platform, The Henrik F Obel Foundation that grants the impactful, visionary Obel Award, and has also established a teaching fellowship. Thorne (below) revealed more, &ldquo;I wanted to listen to feedback from Mumbai&rsquo;s top opinion makers and influencers in the field of architecture, design and/or the built environment.&rdquo; The conversation threw up views and observations from some of the city&rsquo;s most respected urban planners, historians, architects and developers. The Obel Award annually identifies an inspired and adaptable project that makes a significant contribution to people and the planet. The teaching fellowship programme with a focus on localised urban thought hopes to encourage new voices and pedagogies in university-teaching about the built environment. After getting a sense of Thorne&rsquo;s dizzying schedule that criss-crosses continents, we nudged her to pick the city she considered most vibrant. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s Mumbai, hands down; it draws you in unlike no other city!&rdquo; she said in a flash.
<h2>Malay canvas</h2>
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2023/oct/Selection-ywo_e.jpg" alt="Mooz&rsquo;s artwork on display in Malyasia" width="1280" height="720" /> Mooz&rsquo;s artwork on display in Malyasia
Graffiti artist Raj Pathare AKA Mooz has painted <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/news/world-news/article/canada-evacuates-diplomats-to-malaysia-singapore-report-23313021" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">Malaysia</a> red, quite literally over last weekend. The artist was the only Indian who was invited to The International Meeting of Styles event. &ldquo;The meeting of styles brings together different artists from across the world,&rdquo; he explained.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2023/oct/Selection-one_e.jpg" alt="Grafitti Pavitra Prabhakar in Ulwe, Navi Mumbai" width="1280" height="720" /> Grafitti Pavitra Prabhakar in Ulwe, Navi Mumbai
Incidentally, the artwork that earned him a place on the two-day competition was one this page had noticed back in August. It is an artwork of Pavitra Prabhakar, the Indian Spiderman Pathare worked on in Ulwe.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2023/oct/Mooz-a_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" />
&ldquo;Graffiti refers to artworks and words. I was inspired by the film and that graffiti represented my style. The event was an exhibition where two artists worked on a wall to create something that captures their skills,&rdquo; he shared.
<h2>Look who came to dinner!</h2>
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2023/oct/Martha-Stewart_e.jpg" alt="Gauri Devidayal, Martha Stewart and Jay Yousuf post dinner" width="1280" height="720" /> Gauri Devidayal, Martha Stewart and Jay Yousuf post dinner
American business icon Martha Stewart is currently on her first-ever Mumbai visit. And among her many halts across the city was Colaba&rsquo;s eatery The Table, where owners Jay Yousuf and Gauri Devidayal hosted an intimate dinner for the food enthusiast. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t know what to expect,&rdquo; Devidayal, told us, adding, &ldquo;Martha completely bowled me over with her down-to-earth attitude and her genuine interest in learning about the city and its cultures.&rdquo; Devidayal revealed that the culinary icon has the ability to make people feel comfortable and get the conversation going. &ldquo;Even at 82, she is as zestful as she looked in her recent swimsuit cover, which I am sure inspired a lot of women,&rdquo; she remarked. The group shared conversations about wine, food, business, and lifestyle, as Stewart was served their regular menu with insights on which ingredients were sourced locally from India.
<h2>Where&rsquo;s the party going tonight?</h2>
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2023/oct/Fire-work_e.jpg" alt="The highlight of the concert was the fireworks that lit up the sky" width="1280" height="720" /> The highlight of the concert was the fireworks that lit up the sky
In a first-of-its-kind, the otherwise quiet gullies of the extended suburb of Vasai witnessed a bash over the weekend as nearly one thousand fans gathered to attend Sunteck Waves&rsquo; first two-day beach party. This diarist witnessed the fun and revelry that took over this new setting, which could become a haunt for music trippers starved of new spaces in the city. And safe to say, we weren&rsquo;t disappointed. In a refreshing departure from the smaller venues in SoBo and Bandra, at this location, this diarist didn&rsquo;t have to tiptoe to get a glimpse of the artistes, or avoid getting elbowed by fellow attendees owing to the crammed-up space.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2023/oct/Amit-Truvedi_e.jpg" alt="(Third from left) Amit Trivedi performs alongside his team" width="1280" height="720" /> (Third from left) Amit Trivedi performs alongside his team
In fact, we could shake a leg and even stretch if needed, without the fear of getting into an argument. &ldquo;Do you think this will become the next party adda?&rdquo; Our friend asked in the midst of Amit Trivedi&rsquo;s electrifying sequence, with fireworks, party poppers and confetti dominating the horizons. On the downside, the &lsquo;beach&rsquo; spectacle had no beach in immediate sight. All we could spot was a stretch of marshland that offered a scenic sunset view, and many Instagram-mable spots. It is a far-off location that required a lot of walking, and we had to struggle to locate an autorickshaw. But to answer our friend&rsquo;s question, yes, we see it as an option, provided that the organisers tweak their &lsquo;sea&rsquo;side location hook, and find solutions to overcome the public transport issues.
<h2>Memories on track</h2>
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2023/oct/Train-seat_e.jpg" alt="The notes by (right) Dhani Vyas. Pic courtesy/X" width="1280" height="720" /> The notes by (right) Dhani Vyas. Pic courtesy/X
Many moons ago, this diarist was at Victoria Terminus (today&rsquo;s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus) where she had seen a steam engine on display, in the backdrop of the stunning Gothic landmark &mdash; a happy memory. So, we were stoked to spot a photo on X (formerly Twitter) of a page, where a young girl had scribbled her happiness on experiencing something similar. Bhuleshwar-based eight-year-old Dhani Vyas, was at CSMT&rsquo;s museum, where she spotted a replica of a steam engine that ran on a dummy track. She told this diarist, &ldquo;I had heard about steam engines that were operational in the old days, but this is the first time I saw it. I wanted to remember the moment, so I wrote it down!&rdquo;

The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce

Mumbai Diary: Tuesday Dossier

Necessity is the mother of invention

Unlike any other city

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