The stoned path across the Maidan is always windy. And it always has at least 20 people crossing at any given point. In the morning, people can be seen hurrying along, noisily, in pairs, groups or alone. On the phone, listening to music or just sauntering along. If you look up while crossing the Oval, as it is fondly known, you’ll see a huge expanse of the sky. With cottony white clouds tinged with blue floating across lazily. Or on an overcast day you’ll be able to spot an sulking grey sky, with dark hued clouds gobbling it up. And observing the sky while walking on the path feels like you are crossing the sky and not the Maidan.

On the greens around the path, there’s always some activity happening. Even in the sweltering sun of the afternoon, little children struggle with footballs in one corner. A group of mothers sit in a corner, waiting for their children’s class to get over, with duppattas pulled down on their heads to protect them from the sun. In another corner, young men in whites are practising their batting swings and bowling arms. Setting up teams for a cricket match. Near the High court end, their is a group of girls and a few boys in jeans and tee-shirts. Huddled in a small circle, playing a match of under-arm Box Cricket.

While one end of Oval Maidan, faces the street opening out to Oxford, the book shop, and K.C College, the other end opens out to the campus of Mumbai University, adjacent to the High Court. The Rajabhai Tower inside the University Campus can be seen from any corner of the Maidan. Palm trees, Gulmohars and lots of other shrubberies line the sides of the Maidan. They shed their browned leaves in March, but still don’t look bare. “Its autumn”, the trees seem to be saying, “but we are not gonna leave you without any shade.”

But the best time to walk across that path is in the evening. After Seven. The path is not lit and nor is the vast Maidan. Its just the sides of the Oval that are lit by street lights. Every evening, in the bleak darkness, numerous shaded figures can be spotted lounging in the darkness of the maidan. And another few, crossing the windy path in a hushed silence and beautiful navy blue inkiness.

Walking across the Maidan, in the windy lifts and lulls of the breeze, its a pleasure. A pleasure, which I wonder if I’ll get when I leave this city of mine. I don’t love Mumbai, I had once said, but now its time to back-track. I do. I don’t love it enough to live here forever, that’s true. But I love it enough to have loved all the 22 years I have lived here.

And I love every new part of it that these years have shown me.

The Mahotsav, to be staged between March 22 and April 1, 2007 at the Kalina Campus of the University of Mumbai , will present plays by renowned directors like Ratan Thiyam, Ramesh Verma and Ranjit Kapoor.

Famous Indian theatre groups like the Chorus Repertoire Company from Manipur, The National School of Drama Repertoire Company and the Mysore Rangayan will be performing in Mumbai after a long time. “This is the speciality of the festival. There will be plays in various Indian languages by some of the prominent directors this country has produced,” says Mr Waman Kendre, Director of the Academy. Along with this, several theatre luminaries like Anupam Kher and Naserrudin Shah too might grace the festival. Professor Waman Kendre himself is a very famous Marathi Theatre artist.

Some of the outstanding plays that Mumbaikars will have the pleasure of watching are:

Chakravyuha directed by Ratan Thiyam. This Manipuri play has been staged over a 100 times around the globe by the Chorus Repertoire Company.

Maya Sita Prasanga directed by Ramesh Verma from Kerala. This Kannada play is one of the more famous works of Mr Verma.

The NSD Repertoire Company will bring its famous plays Ram Nam Satya Hai and Shortcut.

Shri. Ratan Thiyam’s equally important play Ritusamharam will also be presented in this festival.

Mr Kendre will present his famous play Janeman, which is based on the life of Hijras or Eunuchs. The adaption of the Greek Tragedy Oedipus too will be presented twice. This play is called Vedhapashya .

The entry for this festival is free. But the catch being that interested people need to pick up the Free Entry Card at the Kalina Campus of Mumbai University. The passes will be available from 20th March,2007 between 11 a.m. to 5 a.m. at Academy of Theatre Arts, Dr.Babasaheb Ambedkar Bhawan, 2nd floor, Vidyanagari Campus, Kalina, Santacruz(E), University of Mumbai. The organizers of this festival are available on these numbers for any other detailed inquiry: 022-26508200, 9869115199, 9820686506.

The festival will take place at Marathai Bhasha Bhawan as well as at Muktakkash Rangamanch, Lecture Hall Complex,Vidyanagari, Kalina Campus.

On the occasion of Women’s day tomorrow, a protest against Dowry has been undertaken by Nupur Jagruti. The plan is to form a human chain and pledge Anti-Dowry support. This event is going to take place at Gateway of India. FM channels have been broadcasting this from quite some time. Men, women, young and old, all are welcome.

C’mon guys, its just a matter of an hour. I think everyone who can make it, should try to. If you are in the vicinity or around it, please try to hold a couple of hands!!

See you all at 9 am, everyone who is interested…

Mulund and Matunga, nearer home to the heart of the city, had been complaining of fluctuating power the entire day yesterday, until it finally went off for good between the 4 to 5 slot. Bandra to Borivali experienced the power cut too. But it has been noticed, surprisingly so, that the time the power cut lasted receded towards the South of Mumbai. The phase out started at and around 5 in the Western line. While Bandra residents got the electricity back within half an hour, Santacruz residents were illuminated after an hour or two. Andheri and Juhu suffered for three hours while Laxmi Industrial Estate area had another half an hour extended to that Malad and further north got their electricity back even later.

Interestingly, Town, or South Bombay, did not experience the blackout at all.

An employee of Laxmi Industrial Estate said, ” Load shedding has started. This is going to be the case everyday now from 5 to 8″
A fruit Seller at Andheri Station said, ” The Municipal people had warned us that this will happen. We dint know that it would actually happen.”
And a fuming resident from Juhu said, ” The papers announced Load Shedding in Mumbai the day before, and it started today. But other things they promise never start on time. Take the Metro Rail for example!!”

An official from Prakashghad, or MSEB, under the condition of anonymity said that that malls were eating up into the power limit of Mumbai, but they cannot be stopped. He also said that they might even have their own generators. But when the blackout happened, all the malls too were devoid of light.

A Times of India Pune link claims that the blackout was all over the western region of Maharashtra. Pune, Konkan and Mumbai.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Pune/Blackout_in_state_students_hit_hard/articleshow/1680368.cms

While the sky takes on a deep hue of a dark maroon at the edges and a deep blue-black spreading from the center.. while the horizon erupts with a riot of lights and colors…

I would like to welcome 2007 at Mumbai Metblogs!!

Farah Khan (I never did like her style of dancing too much anyway) has erased whatever little bit respect she had from the minds of any dancer. Any Bharat Natyam dancer or a Latin Ballroom dancer can point out the smallest of mistakes and crimes(for the lack of a better word) that Khan has committed by choreographing this song.

Was she trying to mix Indian and Latino style dancing?? Was she trying to commercialize India’s much-respected folk dances, or was she trying to simply make a mark in the international arena with the thought that “Any publicity is good publicity”. Did she forget that Indians too would be seeing this performance?? Did she forget her own sense of (however little) styling and polishing in dances?? It looks like Khan just jumped and grabbed the chance to choreograph an international star and in the process, she completely, completely forgot her dance moves and the art too.

Shakira is a good performer because she has a good stage presence(even in a shiny pink Ghaghra Choli). She can pull off anything, and still leave her mark, but even from the initial steps one can make out that what she is doing, is really not her cup of tea.

The girls behind are.. never mind.
They add a certain touch to the performance. The touch of vulgarity. I was thoroughly, thoroughly shocked when I observed their moves. They are made to wear orange Ghaghra Cholis and Mang Tikkas and everything only to gyrate Indian-style to the number. Don’t get me wrong, I do like the song myself, but only when it falls strictly in the realm of Western Music. I mean, don’t the Event Managers see the dance to be performed and comment on it or anything, or don’t they try to monitor each performance??

What, for heaven’s sake, is happening to Indian artists.. Sheeeeesh!!

Farah Khan is better off judging celebrities who dance to entertain the TV Masses, losing weight and gaining pimples on her skin.

It would be better if Indian choreographers would give due regard and respect to Indian arts and Dances and understand Western arts and Dances too and not mix the two to form a terrible concoction.
Cross posted on Mumbai Metblogs

PS: I’m cribbing so much because I cant do without Star Movies, HBO and Star One. All are stellar channels. Does anyone have a way of getting around this too?? Speaking with reference to the advice I got for getting around the recent Blog Ban in its post…

While entire BMC and other scientists too tried to warn the public to not even touch the water, Mayorsaab encourages people.

Makes me wonder if this man is sane enough to hold his office. He’s been in the news only for his stupidity recently, which seems to be occurring with alarming frequency.

Most newspapers, as usual, have carried out surveys among students, actors, politicians, sports personalities et all spouting knowledge or questionable knowledge about when or how we got Independence, when the flag was hoisted first, who Mahatma Gandhi was, or who composed Vande Mataram. Most newspapers also show that majority of people surveyed did not know the correct answers.

Most news channels are showing rushes of patriotic clippings from all Hindi films, with patriotic songs playing the background and encouraging the youth of today to respect the glory of today. Actually this has been playing from the last couple of days, and the patriotic sucker that I am, I have been diligently following all of them. Entertainment channels have been repeatedly telling us how different TV actors with their true names wish us such a Happy Independence Day.

And all I can ask my fellow Indians today is .. feel.

Roobaru Roshni…(face-to-face with light)