<h2>Sound business</h2>
<p>A flute vendor at Kandivali&rsquo;s Thakur Village arranges his pipes in the shape of a bouquet.</p>
<h2>A sting of blue</h2>
<p><img src="http://origin.mid-day.com/images/2024/aug/Blue-Bottle_e.jpg" alt="A Bluebottle that was spotted last week" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>A Bluebottle that was spotted last week</em></strong></p>
<p>The monsoon might be past its July fury, but Girgaon Chowpatty and Juhu beach witnessed a few Bluebottles aka Portuguese Man o&rsquo; War, best known for their painful stings. &ldquo;The Bluebottle is a siphonophore i.e. a colony of specialised zooids,&rdquo; shared Pradip Patade, marine researcher and co-founder of Marine Life of Mumbai. With its balloon-like sac, it is often called &lsquo;fuga&rsquo; by locals, Patade said, &ldquo;They are a regular feature every monsoon, and we spotted them last weekend. Thankfully, when I went to Girgaon this morning, they had moved away.&rdquo; Recalling an occasion in 2018 when close to 50 people were stung by a colony of Bluebottles, Patade said, &ldquo;The best cure is sea water or hot water on the skin. Do not rub the skin, or it can get inflamed.&rdquo;</p>
<h2>Stop and listen to the tunes</h2>
<p><img src="http://origin.mid-day.com/images/2024/aug/Talents-Club_e.jpg" alt="A previous performance by the Time and Talents Club" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>A previous performance by the Time and Talents Club</em></strong></p>
<p>It is a busy August for conductor Alfred D&rsquo;Souza of the Stop Gaps Choral Academy. They are rehearsing thrice a week for the Dramatic Effect concert on September 1 at NCPA to commemorate 90 years of the group&rsquo;s Time and Talents Club. The academy joins hands with choristers from Faith and Harmony, The Paranjoti Academy Chorus and The Victory Chorus Line, with dances choreographed by the Institute of Classical and Modern Dance (ICMD).</p>
<p><img src="http://origin.mid-day.com/images/2024/aug/Alfred-Souza_e.jpg" alt="Alfred D&rsquo;Souza" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong>Alfred D&rsquo;Souza</strong></p>
<p>&ldquo;The club has brought the best music talent to India over the years to support charitable causes. They were the pioneers to showcase the (YSL) Yves Saint Laurent Fashion Show in India and also the first to host Zubin Mehta and the LA Philharmonic orchestra. It was a herculean task to bring everyone together, but we are working hard,&rdquo; he shared, adding that the fashion show will feature designs by James Ferreira.</p>
<h2>Packing the pandemic in a case</h2>
<p><img src="http://origin.mid-day.com/images/2024/aug/Artwork-FF_e.jpg" alt="An artwork by Pawar at the exhibition (right) Rohan Pawar" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>An artwork by Pawar at the exhibition (right) Rohan Pawar</em></strong></p>
<p>We witnessed their relentless struggle, yet the secrets of their sorrow remain buried beneath the weight of survival. Through his installation, Body Valise, artist Rohan Pawar captures the displacement and struggle of migrant workers during the pandemic. The artist used only materials that were available in his studio during the lockdown. &ldquo;I want my art to reflect the COVID-19 era&rsquo;s struggles and mistakes for future generations to learn from,&rdquo; Pawar shared. The preview begins tomorrow, and the exhibition will run till August 18 at Colaba&rsquo;s Strangers House Gallery.</p>
<h2>All eyes on her next move</h2>
<p><img src="http://origin.mid-day.com/images/2024/aug/Smish-designs_e.jpg" alt="The illustration by SmishDesigns. Pic Courtes/Instagram" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>The illustration by SmishDesigns. Pic Courtes/Instagram</em></strong></p>
<p>With the much-talked about Broadcasting Bill still under debate with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, creators are taking to the internet to register their unique take on its nature. For illustrator and artist, Smish, the bill has struck up a nerve of fear in the community. Her latest work is an expression of that sentiment. She said, &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve shown a CCTV camera positioned towards a woman from which at least a hundred eyeballs flow; all pointing towards the woman who is busy looking at her phone. It is to depict the stringent surveillance carried out by the authorities on its netizens who are unaware of the impact of where their online content might land them.&rdquo; Describing it as a challenge to the existing freedoms enjoyed by creators, the artist said, &ldquo;These little acts of freedom that we were currently enjoying might also be snatched away from us provided this bill comes into action.&rdquo; Till then, art will speak for us, the artist told this diarist.</p>
<h2>Take note of this</h2>
<p><img src="http://origin.mid-day.com/images/2024/aug/Sefi-George_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>Sefi George, a Dahisar-based illustrator, is the only Mumbaikar to have been chosen by The Wild Wonder Foundation as one of the panellists at the International Nature Journaling Conference which will be held online. &ldquo;I will be focusing on how to interpret colours that we see around us in nature, through the right knowledge of colour theory&rdquo; George (below) explained. She is looking forward to meeting other nature journalists. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s an art form that you learn best by observing methods and techniques of others,&rdquo; she told the diarist. She is currently working on her new nature journal book, filled with sketches, and hopes the conference will inspire her process and techniques.</p>

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