Kurla might be the unlikely headquarters for chess lovers in the city this week. ChessBase India is hosting a week-long winter camp till November 26 at Phoenix Marketcity for beginners and amateur chess players. With no registration required or an entry fee, the camp is an extension of their first event held back in May this year, shared co-founder Sagar Shah. “When someone enters the arena, they have the choice of either signing up for the basics or for a slightly advanced session,” Shah said. To help cater to each individual interest, the team has designed training sheets that outline each pawn, their roles and powers based on skill levels. “Every person learns chess at their own pace, and in their own way. The idea of the sheets is to help them to absorb the game using simple instructions, and allow them to take their own time to learn. The volunteers will also be present to help them if needed,” he said. 

Sagar Shah

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A splash of pink and red

The mural on the walls of the bus depot; (right) Zain Siddiqui

For those who are used to the local bus commute, the Marol Maroshi bus depot might be a familiar sight. Last weekend, the location acquired a stamp of style, thanks to a fresh new mural by the city-based graffiti community Wicked Broz. The artwork included their signature Pink Panther driving the BEST signage in Devanagari script. “We had recently participated in a weekend clean-up drive by the Dream Marol project and spotted this wall by the depot. I asked them for permission, and they finally agreed last week,” co-founder Zain Siddiqui revealed. But why add the Pink Panther? “It is just something I like leaving behind,” he added. Incidentally, this is the first time the team has created graffiti artwork in Devanagari, he said. “We always hoped to create something that connects to BEST,” he remarked. Moreover, the focus was not on the mural as much as on making people feel better about the space while championing the cause of cleanliness. “The area near the wall had a lot of trash around it; we felt this could help brighten it up a little,” Siddiqui concluded.

About the other marathon

With traffic restrictions (road closure from 4 am till 10 am) for the annual Navy Half-Marathon on Sunday released less than 24 hours before the event, it meant that the common man was caught largely unawares. Several busy SoBo roads including Madame Cama Road, DN Road, and Veer Nariman Road, were shut for vehicular movement. The lack of adequate signage and a truant Google Maps meant that this diarist had to abandon the kaali-peeli, and walk the last stretch to reach her destination in Fort. Our hearts went out to clueless and stranded out-of-town passengers near CSMT as they tried to figure alternate means of transport. With traffic police working overtime to guide traffic, we noticed how average Mumbaikars went out of their way to help these overwhelmed out-of-towners find a taxi or a BEST bus. Our salaams to the aam aadmi. 

String theories across conflicts

Yuki Ellias; (right) A moment from the rehearsal

Theatremaker and writer Yuki Ellias is turning to the slow, but nostalgic system of post to tell a story of an indigenous culture, war, loss and humanism. Ellias’ upcoming artist-in-residence session at the G5A Warehouse, which begins today, will see her direct The Far Post, an audio-visual performance that blends puppetry, mask work, contemporary dance and indigenous music to unravel a unique concept. “The story is about a postwoman who delivers mail to soldiers on both sides of the conflict. In the afterlife, these soldiers have to face the results of their actions together,” she told this diarist. The play has been in work since the pandemic, Ellias added, saying, “I had come across a traditional mask during the pandemic. I wanted to create a mask-based show, but slowly the other elements such as puppetry and dance fell into place with the story. It is quite a physical performance that way.” A two-man show, the performance will play out in the indigenous language of Lepcha, with subtitles for the audience to follow. To that end, even the music by the Sikkim-based fusion band, Sofiyum, will be in the same language. “They have performed alongside AR Rahman in the documentary, Harmony. That’s how I came across the band. I reached out to them while on a trip to Gangtok, and they agreed,” she shared.