Bandra book on Christian achievers released; clown play, queer theatre fest in November

A flock of sparrows was seen perched on a tree branch in the Bandstand area of Bandra, a small scene from the city.

First, a book. Did you know that the late journalist and editor Pritish Nandy was born in Bihar into a Bengali Christian family? Many may also not know that the mother of Prannoy Roy, a pioneer of television journalism, was Irish or English. Former India cricket captain Vijay Hazare (no longer alive) and Chandu Borde of Pune are also Christians. All this comes from the book Christians in India: The Nation's Vital Asset, published by St Pauls Publications and edited by Dr Louis D'Silva.

The book was released last Saturday at the St Pauls Media Complex in Bandra by Cardinal Oswald Gracias. The author, Dr D'Silva, and Father (Dr) Sajith Cyriac, chief editor of St Pauls Publications, were also present. Dr D'Silva, who lives in Bandra, spent 16 years profiling accomplished Christians. The book is heavy both literally and in content, weighing about two kilograms. It revives memories of well-known people who are rarely heard of now, among them singer Mervyn Rufus, known as India's Elvis Presley. The book was available on Sunday at a discounted introductory offer, but its printed price is Rs 700. Readers who want more such anecdotes can get a copy at the Title Waves bookshop in Bandra.

Now, theatre. What happens if a clown without words has a bag full of tricks? Theatre artist and actor Rupesh Tillu poses this question in Bags of Gags, a 60-minute comedy. The play will be staged with Clowns Without Borders on November 21 and 22. Actors Ankita Nikrad (Clown Mindy) and Akshaya Naik (Clown Gundi) will play the clowns. Tillu said: "This is the story of two wanderers who are friends and travel together. Their bag is full of surprises, and every time they open it they find something unexpected, and so does the audience."

In 2024, director Vikram Phukan led a tour of Mumbai's little-known queer history. His urge to bring forward queer stories has not diminished. Bambai Zara Hatke, a new theatre festival conceived by him and presented by Gaysi, begins on November 27. The festival will stage the plays Where is SSS? and Light in My Eyes. Phukan said: "Queer theatre has always existed, but there was no proper platform to present it. The recent Satrang festival in Pune gave us the inspiration to take the leap, and we are bringing a three-day festival to the city. We are drawing up a list of old and new productions."

Finally, a civic matter. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is trying out an AI-based monitoring system to catch and deter people who dump garbage illegally in public places. Alongside this, the non-profit Blue Ribbon Movement will continue its Community Connect Fellowship in 2027. The fellowship involves young people aged 18 and above in solving civic problems. Pankhuri Jain, programme manager at Community Connect, said: "In three months the fellowship reached more than 3,600 Mumbaikars, more than 1,400 civic issues were identified, and infrastructure repairs were made that benefited more than 3 lakh citizens."