Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

Salaam bombay

After spending 11 months in New York for medical treatment, Rishi Kapoor returned to Mumbai looking healthy with wife Neetu on early Tuesday morning. Pic/Datta Kumbhar

Walk down memory lane

In 1761, Mount Mary's chapel was re-built and the first-ever procession of carrying the statue of the Mother was conducted by locals of the area. This Saturday, the Mobai Gaothan Panchayat will organise a procession from Mahim's St Michael Church to the Mount to revive these memories.

Celebrating the day as East Indian Community Traditional Day, the organisation has requested that people come in traditional attires or East Indian T-shirts/lugra outfits. In the hustle and bustle of the city, it often becomes a challenge to celebrate local history. Here's hoping other communities follow suit.

Sarbh's on fire

Actor Jim Sarbh's star seems to be on a constant rise these days. Further proof of that lies in the fact that he's now been nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category at the International Indian Film Academy Awards aka IIFA, for his role as Malik Kafur in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's controversial film, Padmaavat. Sarbh took to social media to make the announcement.

Interestingly, he ended the caption with a mention of LCD Soundsystem's smash electronica hit, Daft Punk is Playing in my House, to indicate his mood. It goes with the actor's penchant for electronic music (he is regularly seen attending gigs in the city). In fact, even last weekend, he was at a Khar pub dancing his feet off as Peruvian DJ Dengue Dengue Dengue played some banging tunes.

Through the eyes of Kabir Bedi

It was at Juhu Beach where Kabir Bedi experienced the sea for the first time, and it is at this sandy stretch of Mumbai that he will introduce six visually impaired teenagers from various states of India to the Arabian Sea.

As honorary brand ambassador of Sightsavers India, a global development organisation working in India to eliminate avoidable blindness since 1966, the veteran actor will support the Breaking Barriers - Bombay with Kabir Bedi initiative, where he will accompany the children to iconic locations in the city and narrate the view to them.

"When you lose one sense, other senses become more acute. I will be telling the partially and wholly blind kids how far the sea goes to the horizon, as they feel the sand under their feet, and the sound of waves lapping on the shore. The visually challenged are often seen as separate citizens of society. The theme we are pursuing is that of inclusion," Bedi told this diarist. Also on the itinerary are the Gateway of India and the Taj Mahal Palace hotel, where Bedi will share with the children the stories behind their construction.

Stories to treasure

On International Literacy Day on September 8, non-profit children's publisher Pratham Books conducted 100 reading sessions in Mumbai across libraries, bookstores and NGOs.

The initiative was part of its One Day One Story campaign to encourage reading aloud among children across India. While Maharashtra Dyslexia Association and Muktangan hosted volunteer storytellers, Kahani Tree and Kitab Khana played host to some sessions, too. The books introduced under the initiative include The Weightlifting Princess by Sowmya Rajendran, and Gappu Can't Dance by Menaka Raman.

Remembering Uncle Pai

In 1967, when he saw a contestant on a quiz programme struggle with a question on Indian mythology soon after he had scored a tough point with a question on Greek myths, Anant Pai quit his cushy job in a daily newspaper to start Amar Chitra Katha to acquaint young readers with India's myths and folktales.

The rest, as they say, is history. September 17 marks Pai's 90th anniversary, and ACK is celebrating the milestone as Uncle Pai Day. For this, they are inviting readers to share memories of how Pai influenced them while growing up. The treasure will then be shared online.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates