The Year That Was

A year is a long span of time in our lives, but for a city that is centuries old, a year is just blip on the historical timeline. Time always seems to pass so slowly when we are going through the moment. But once the year is done with, when we look back, we always feel that the year came to an end quickly, time flew by without our noticing it. So here we are at the very end of the year that was, 2012, the time when we look back, reminisce, and we look forward to a year full of possibilities, full of hope, that 2013 will be what 2012 could not be.

Understanding Cities

You might have read in the papers about the ‘BMW Guggenheim Lab’ that is in town these days. This moving lab which has previously travelled to cities like New York and Berlin, before coming to the shores of Mumbai, likes to describe itself as urban think tank, a community center and a public gathering space. Its primary motive is to address issues pertaining to contemporary urban life through various programs and public discussions. We caught up with the Guggenheim Lab’s resident blogger ‘Christine Mclaren’, who has been trying to understand our magnificent city by unique ways like walking blind folded through the city and commuting in peak hour rush in a Virar local!

Christine McLaren

In Chat: Shakti Mohan 'The Dancing Queen'

You have been awestruck by her dancing skills and you have voted to make her the dancing queen. We are talking about the sensationally talented dancer from Mumbai, ‘Shakti Mohan’. With her exquisite dancing skills she won our hearts and the dance competition ‘Dance India Dance 2’ on Zee TV. But she didn’t stop there; she went on to shine on the silver screen with the song ‘Pritam Pyare’ from the movie ‘Rowdy Rathore’. Recently, she launched her own dance video ‘Move’ and a calendar called ‘NrityaShakti’. Here are the excerpts from our interview of Shakti Mohan, a dancer, artist and performer, poised to achieve great heights and success in coming times.

From Paris to Bollywood

The glamour, glitz, fame and moolah of Bollywood lure many to Mumbai to try their luck in the film industry. People from across the country, from big cities to the countryside; come to Mumbai with the dream of becoming a superstar. Some are spurred by passion, others attracted by its glamour. Those driven by the glamour and other ulterior motives find the struggle too hard; while those driven by passion keep trying to live their dreams. In the end only some succeed to achieve what they came for. Discovering Mumbai features Christie Bourcq, a French national and a passionate actor-dancer who flew down from Paris to take plunge in Bollywood. This is about her journey from Paris to Bollywood!

Christie Bourcq

The Networking Dinner

The fast life of Mumbai can prove to be a killer for many. Our modern live’s require us to Juggle too many balls at the same time, which eventually tires one out. What we need are endeavours which can help to break away from these monotonous lives that we live. The best way would be to go out and meet interesting people. Mumbaikars, an innovative lot, have experimented with various versions of networking, from dating meet-ups to foodie meet-ups, there’s a networking platform for every kind of interest. Discovering Mumbai features Megha Deokule, who organizes one such networking meet up called ‘Coral’, which allows people to network over great food.

Megha and Pawan, co-founders 'Coral'

The Fashionista

The debate for which city deserves the title of the ‘Fashion Capital’ of India has been raging for quite a long time now. Both Delhi and Mumbai claim the title as theirs and it really is a tough call as to which of these Indian cities deserves the top slot. Bollywood certainly adds glamour to Mumbai’s fashion industry but Delhi is where most of the top designers of the country have their base. Well, we are not here to decide which city deserves the crown, neither are we talking about those designers, supermodels etc. We are here to talk about the world of fashion bloggers and today we feature ‘Shubhangi’, a fashion blogger from Mumbai, who writes the blog ‘Shubhi’s Revels’. Make way for the fashionista!

Fashion blogger - Shubhangi

Queen of the Suburbs

‘Queen of the Suburbs’, that’s how the suburb of Bandra is descried, and rightly so! Everyone loves this suburb. It is the symbol of Mumbai’s cosmopolitan lifestyle. From the energetic nightlife, the seafronts of Bandstand and Carters Road and the celebrities, we are in awe of everything that Bandra has to offer. There’s so much happening in Bandra, so much life, so much excitement. It’s difficult to comprehend why just one suburb, in this huge a mega polis, has been blessed with so much. Well, we came across a Mumbaikar who is trying to understand what makes Bandra click. Discovering Mumbai presents Aalika who is working on a project, ‘The BandraProject’, which aims to unlock the mystery behind Bandra’s charm.

Photograph by 'The Bandra Project'