<h2>Where more is not merrier</h2>
<p>Passengers throw caution to the wind and travel in an overcrowded boat at Arnala Jetty in Virar</p>
<h2>This sounds like India</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/feb/Alec-Veena_e.jpg" alt="Alec Goldfarb (left) jams with Ramana Balachandran in Tamil Nadu.  pic courtesy/Bhavajan Kumar" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Alec Goldfarb (left) jams with Ramana Balachandran in Tamil Nadu. Pic courtesy/Bhavajan Kumar</em></strong></p>
<p>American guitarist Alec Goldfarb is stringing together stories from across India with his guitar as you read this. After a quick jugalbandi with veena player Ramana Balachandran in Tamil Nadu&rsquo;s Tiruvannamalai, earlier this week, followed by a performance in Bengaluru yesterday, Goldfarb is now headed to Mumbai to perform at Bandra venue Two Extra Lives, on February 13. Known for his peculiar playing style that mimics a traditional sitar, Goldfarb revealed to us, &ldquo;Through my tour in India thus far, I have felt my style evolving in new directions, influenced by the musicians I have been interacting with. For my first ever performance in Mumbai, I am excited to present classical and jazz pieces, and a very conscious integration of new textures and techniques on the guitar.&rdquo;</p>
<h2>Bantai is back</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/feb/Emiway-badshah_e.jpg" alt="Emiway Bantai (centre) in a still from the recently released music video of the song, Badshah. pic courtesy/youtube" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Emiway Bantai (centre) in a still from the recently released music video of the song, Badshah. Pic courtesy/Youtube</em></strong></p>
<p>Fans of Antop Hill-based rapper Bilal Shaikh aka Emiway Bantai could be still reeling from a musical treat that dropped earlier this week. The new single, Badshah, features a medley of hip-hop and 1990s Bollywood music. &ldquo;Since childhood, I have been a fan of Shah Rukh Khan and when the opportunity came to create this song for the Badshah of Bollywood, I immediately went to the studio and got busy,&rdquo; the rapper shared. Inspired from the music and cultural temper of the 1990s, the new album borrows elements from Shah Rukh Khan&rsquo;s iconic song Baadshah O Baadshah from the 1999 film, Baadshah and infuses it with hip-hop beats. &ldquo;We have all grown up singing along and jamming to songs featuring him and some of our core childhood memories are linked with these songs. I took the opportunity to create the extended play, which is the best of both worlds, Bollywood and hip-hop. There are more iconic tracks coming up in the Bajis EP, which my fans are going to love,&rdquo; he told this diarist.</p>
<h2>For our furry friends</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/feb/Animal-trade_e.jpg" alt="Students create awareness about animal abuse" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Students create awareness about animal abuse</em></strong></p>
<p>Nisarg, the nature club of the Royal College of Arts, Science and Commerce in Mira Road recently held a two-day pet trade awareness campaign in its campus, in collaboration with Wildlife Conservation Trust&rsquo;s (WCT) #TrappedInTrade initiative. &ldquo;We had a session with WCT&rsquo;s president, Dr Anish Andheria in 2023. Inspired by his talks, we decided to start the campaign,&rdquo; Radhika Dsouza (inset), convenor of the club, told this diarist.</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/feb/NIsarg-club_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>The students also conducted research to understand the statistics behind illegal exotic pet trade. &ldquo;My research was a survey to understand the type and number of pets people owned. &nbsp;Then, we prepared a signing sheet and got people on-board, to spread awareness about animal abuse,&rdquo; Anindita Mukherjee, student, shared.</p>
<h2>Echoes of resistance</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/feb/Jai-Bhim-Nagar_e.jpg" alt="The group interacts with residents of Jai Bhim Nagar after a screening" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>The group interacts with residents of Jai Bhim Nagar after a screening</em></strong></p>
<p>Media students from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Chembur, will premiere their documentary, Ekjut, at the Bangalore Film Society on February 11. The film highlights the struggles faced by residents following last year&rsquo;s demolition in Jai Bhim Nagar in Powai.</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/feb/Ananya_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>&ldquo;We came across a report on the Reclaim the Night protest, which made us reflect on how women&rsquo;s safety discussions often exclude marginalised communities,&rdquo; said Ananya K (below), a member of the group. Through immersive research, the group spent days with displaced residents, documenting their resilience. A pre-release of the documentary was also screened in Jai Bhim Nagar, allowing the community to see their own stories represented on screen.</p>
<h2>Of water bodies in a city</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/feb/Postcards_e.jpg" alt="The postcards feature curated photographs and letters " width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>The postcards feature curated photographs and letters</em></strong></p>
<p>As part of a project started by Dr Sara Ahmed of Living Waters Museum, a series of postcards by architect Minaz Ansari, urban designer Jinisha Lodaya and Ipshita Karmakar provide reflections on Mumbai&rsquo;s water bodies as part of a research that started in 2020. &ldquo;The postcards depict the city&rsquo;s relationship with water through narratives that focus on communities whose livelihood depend on it,&rdquo; Ansari shared with us.</p><p>
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Mumbai Diary: Friday Dossier

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