<h2>Silhouettes at Sea</h2>
<p>Fishermen aboard their fishing boat prepare to dock at Versova Jetty as the waves below them glint in the sunlight.</p>
<h2>May the best X&rsquo;mas crib win!</h2>
<p><img title="The title-winning submission from the 2023 edition of the competition" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/dec/dos-twnety-eight-decp-b_e.jpg" alt="The title-winning submission from the 2023 edition of the competition" width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>The title-winning submission from the 2023 edition of the competition</em></strong></p>
<p>If you think your Christmas decor this year is a showstopper, Mobai Gaothan Panchayat&rsquo;s pan-India competition might be right up your decked-out alley. Announced as part of the Sarvajanik Krist Janmotsav, the crib competition is open to participation from churches with outdoor crib installations across India. A city-level contest will see the households of Mumbai battle it out for the best indoor crib title. &ldquo;To be honest, the response in the past few years has been underwhelming. We received only 40-odd participants across the categories last year. But that has only encouraged us to multiply our efforts. Our goal remains the same &mdash; to encourage people to keep these festive traditions alive,&rdquo; core member Gleason Barretto shared with this diarist. Keen folk can send their submissions to skj.mobai@gmail.com before December 31.</p>
<p><img title="Gleason Barretto" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/dec/dos-twnety-eight-decp-c_e.jpg" alt="Gleason Barretto" width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>Gleason Barretto</em></strong></p>
<h2>Fresh harmonies in Colaba&nbsp;</h2>
<p><img title="The choir performs the Indian National Anthem during the midnight mass on  Christmas Eve at the recently restored Afghan Church " src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/dec/dos-twnety-eight-decp-d_e.jpg" alt="The choir performs the Indian National Anthem during the midnight mass on  Christmas Eve at the recently restored Afghan Church " width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>The choir performs the Indian National Anthem during the midnight mass on Christmas Eve at the recently restored Afghan Church&nbsp;</em></strong></p>
<p>Who would&rsquo;ve thought that the Indian National Anthem could go viral on social media one day, and on Christmas Eve at that? For the uninitiated, The Wild Voices Choir&rsquo;s rendition of Jana Gana Mana at the Afghan Church&rsquo;s midnight mass on December 24 is at the centre of the online buzz since that service. Over a chat with this diarist, choir director George John revealed, &ldquo;We started work on the piece two months ago. Carefully arranging each section &mdash; soprano, alto, tenor and bass &mdash; was quite the challenge. When we finally performed it at the iconic church surrounded by its ethereal interiors and acoustics, I felt the same goosebumps as the congregation at the church did.&rdquo; The 22-year-old choir that comprises choristers from across Mumbai and varying age groups also treated the audience to a rendition of AR Rahman&rsquo;s Oscar-winning track Jai Ho. &ldquo;We took the original arrangement and sprinkled it with a few festive phrases to fit the mood. We are constantly evolving in our style and approach. Next season, we&rsquo;ll be back with something even more exciting,&rdquo; John revealed to us.</p>
<p><img title="George John" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/dec/dos-twnety-eight-decp-e_e.jpg" alt="George John" width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>George John</em></strong></p>
<h2>Lit times are back in Kozhikode</h2>
<p><img title="Naseeruddin Shah; Paul Lynch and Dr Venki Ramakrishnan" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/dec/dos-twnety-eight-decp-f_e.jpg" alt="Naseeruddin Shah; Paul Lynch and Dr Venki Ramakrishnan" width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>Naseeruddin Shah; Paul Lynch and Dr Venki Ramakrishnan</em></strong></p>
<p>The eighth edition of the Kerala Literature Festival is set to wow readers in the country from January 23 to 26. It will be held in Kozhikode, India&rsquo;s first UNESCO City of Literature. With over 500 speakers expected from 15 countries around the world, the festival will feature sessions with personalities from India as well as overseas including Booker Prize-winner Jenny Erpenbeck, Nobel Prize-winner Esther Duflo, Philippe Claudel, Paul Lynch, Dr Venki Ramakrishnan, Dr Shashi Tharoor and Naseeruddin Shah, among others. With discussions on history, literature, politics, culture and environment, participants can also expect musical performances by Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Ustad Mukhtyar Ali, Ustad Waseem Ahmed Khan, and Priya Purushothaman. This year, the festival will welcome France as its guest country to highlight the literary and cultural traditions of France, and provide a platform for intellectual exchange between the two nations.</p>
<h2>Jap-happy crafting</h2>
<p><img title="Children show off their handcrafted pieces after the session " src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/dec/dos-twnety-eight-decp-g_e.jpg" alt="Children show off their handcrafted pieces after the session " width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>Children show off their handcrafted pieces after the session&nbsp;</em></strong></p>
<p>Children at the Gully Classes Foundation NGO in Ghatkopar got a glimpse of the Japanese philosophy of Shumei (finding harmony with nature through craft) earlier this week. As part of an ongoing Shumei exhibition in Koko, Japan, a team of Japanese instructors made their way to the suburb for a hands-on craft session. &ldquo;The children were pleasantly surprised when they found out that Japanese craftwork is not confined to origami,&rdquo; shared founder Abdul Munaf. The organisation is now in talks with the BMC to identify public spaces that can be transformed into public libraries to accommodate these curious minds.</p><p>
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