Mumbai Diary: Saturday scene

Zitar, zany huh?
It's not a bird, it's not a plane, it's Jonty Rhodes. Cricket followers will remember this zany catch line featuring the mercurial South African fielder, who defied gravity to take breathtaking catches.

Niladri Kumar

Now, in that same vein we say it's not a sitar, not a guitar it is a zitar. Today, Mumbai's music connoisseurs can keep an ear out for a musical evening, Niladri Kumar's Zitar Live in Concert.

The fusion gig will feature musicians such as renowned sitar/zitar player Niladri Kumar, special guest Rashid Ali on guitar, Gino Banks (drums), Satyajeet Talwalkar (tabla), Sheldon D'Silva (Bass Guitar) and Agnelo Fernandes (Key Board).

It is scheduled to take place at the ‘Dublin Square' in Phoenix Market City, Kurla at 6.30 pm. Organisers claim it is a blend of Indian Classic with global music. Those who are curious for a dash of desi mixed with pardesi, click on www.bookmyshow.com

Tell me a story, Mr Bond
Vashi girl Anushka Tripathi was the Mumbai winner at the end of a storytelling competition by Landmark for children across Indian cities. Participants were judged by renowned authors as a part of the panel.

Six titles from Puffin were used for the activity where children were allowed to pick from any one of these titles, from which they read out a story on the activity day, to other children. Tripathi was one of the five winners who met with iconic author Ruskin Bond at his residence in Mussoorie on July 30.

'Sunny' remembers Ricey
Mumbai-based former India all-rounder Yajurvindra Singh has a special reason to remember South African cricket legend Clive Rice, who passed away earlier this week.

Yajurvendra Singh. Pic/Suresh KK

According to ‘Sunny' (Yajurvindra's nickname), Rice, playing for English county side Nottinghamshire, was impressed with his batting in the Indians vs Nottinghamshire game held a few days before the final Test against England at the Oval in 1979.

Yajurvindra top scored for the Indians with 29 in a total of 149 all out. This was the same game in which Mohinder Amarnath was hit on the head by Rice's opening partner Richard Hadlee. In fact, Rice went up to India captain S Venkatraghavan and suggested Yajurvindra should open the innings.

That didn't happen but the all-rounder was in the playing XI at The Oval all right. He vindicated Rice by scoring an unbeaten 43 in the Test which India nearly won, but like in the second innings against Nottinghamshire, Yajurvindra didn't trouble the scorers too much.

Get inked for friendship?
It's that time of the year when our email inboxes get spammed with brands trying to sell all sorts of products in the name of ‘Friendship Day,' that happens to take place on the first Sunday of August, every year.

One such email however, caused a few shrieks in our office. While we are used to seeing teeny-boppers tie different colours (symbolic of their emotions) of satin bands to each other, the subject of the mail that read, ‘Instead of getting friendship band get a friendship inked', made this diarist raise an eyebrow.

A tatoo parlour is offering a 25% discount on any tattoo of your choice and suggesting that you get inked to show your friends that you care because cards, flowers and friendship bands are passe. What's next?