Curate & Celebrate

My personal favourite is Brown Paper Bag (BPB) which was originally only a Bombay-focussed portal and subsequently added Delhi to its radar. Curiously enough,BPB had a very short-lived Pune edition which disappeared from cyberspace one day without any explanation. I really,really hope it was because of logistical issues and not lack of engaging source material in our city.

Well-curated city centric websites are like a long corridor with many doors,leading to different experiences in art,music,cuisine,style and the other fine things of civilized life. They are fast supplanting the print media in cataloguing trends and events,with the unlimited space for glossy photos and multimedia clips plainly pushing them that extra mile.

While all the big news from a city’s cultural scene is still diligently documented in its local newspapers and magazines,it’s the dark horses one should keep a keen eye out for online. My latest precious find was a painstakingly put together list of old Bombay stores from where Lootera’s art director procured the stunning antiques showcased in the film. It was promptly forwarded to a soon-to-be-married friend who had been floored by the film’s sets.

How much cooler life in the town could be if somebody or somebodies dedicated themselves to sniffing out the latest trails blazed by Pune’s expanding landscapes. Exasperating how there’s so much to keep up with and so few ways for the average working person to stay in the loop.

Every locality has at least one redeeming fashion boutique,hobby class or hole-in-the-wall eatery,and the gentrifying of formerly far-flung suburbs (think Hadapsar) has turned us from confident know-it-alls to babes in the ever-growing woods. You’d think a fluid database of Stuff to Know,Do,and Run Away From would be in the offing by now.

Because it’s not just about knowing the names and ratings of a city’s attractions. Quality starts with the personalised stuff — sneak previews and inside tips,silly street experiments and random recons. Integrating all of these onto a single accessible platform lends cohesion to the mad jumble of traditional,neoliberal,artistic and anarchic spaces seen in any metropolis. Exploring a place is always fun but more so when you have a map!