Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

I've got your back

Two dogs bask in the winter sun at Shivaji Park in Dadar.

Leopards in my backyard

The man-animal conflict between leopards and human beings has been a recurring problem in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and its outskirts, which this newspaper has diligently covered. But a Bengaluru-based publication called Current Conservation has now chosen to highlight the issue as well, through a series on Instagram that's titled Leopards of Mumbai. It involves pictorial stories of specific leopards that are trapped in a concrete jungle. The first one, for example, chronicles the journey of a people-friendly spotted cat called Bindu, who's been spotted at Aarey Milk Colony and its surroundings.

Manini Bansal, managing editor and art director at Current Conservation, shared, "A Goregaon resident, Ananya Mishra, was inspired by a leopard-sighting in her apartment complex. She started this campaign as a way to help the city's residents understand and further embrace the urban biodiversity of the city. She combined lovely visuals with some witty content to appeal to a larger audience. This is a series that we wish to continue as and when we have news of leopard sightings. So, make sure to keep an eye out." To be a part of this idea and learn more about Mumbai's leopard population, check out @currentconservation on Instagram.

Power to kids lit

Jeeva Raghunath and Prachi Kalra

The Parag Honour List is an annual curated collection of outstanding books in English and in Hindi, for children and young adults, by the Parag Initiative of Tata Trusts. They've announced the jury panel for this year, which includes Anita Balasubramanian, Jeeva Raghunath and Manjiri Nimbkar for the English list and Prachi Kalra, Arun Kamal and Gurbachan Singh for the Hindi list. Speaking about her vision for children's literature, Raghunath, who is an author herself, said, "To me children's literature is fun, adventure, thoughts and awareness, given in a subtle way. There is so much to explore in the child's world, but sometimes we get conditioned by social issues."

Galloping for smiles

Imran Khan with his unicycle, sherwani and the puppet horse

If you happened to find yourself near the Gateway of India or Marine Drive on Sunday, chances are that you came across a groom on horseback. Only, the horse in question was a puppet, and the groom was perched atop a unicycle. The performer in question is Imran Khan, who enjoys displaying his skills to Mumbai's citizens. "My idea is to offer some comic relief to people. In the past, I've undertaken several cause-driven rides to raise awareness about ailments related to children's development. This ride was inspired by Daler Mehendi's song, ‘Tainu ghorhi keehne chahraya… bhootni ke'. I decided to pick up one of these horses that are seldom used in theatre. I went to the dresswala and, on an impulse, also picked up a sherwani to go with it. If nothing else, it will bring a smile to the faces of those I encounter," he said.

Pride goes virtual

For those who've missed the Pride Month celebrations in 2021, Yaarian, the LGBTQ youth initiative of Humsafar Trust, is taking the event to virtual screens to ensure maximum participation without compromising on COVID-19 guidelines. "Gulabi Mela is a fair that occurs as a part of Pride Month. The goal of this fair is to support businesses owned by LGBTQ individuals. This year, we wanted to design an event along the lines of the mela. We want all our activities to be youth-oriented and hence include an element of fun. We started with the virtual Q games, which included a ludo tournament and a housie evening and a movie screening on Republic Day. We're now looking forward to a movie quiz and a talent show in the days to come," shared Sudhanshu Dikshit, part of the organising team. To participate, contact them on Facebook at TheHumsafarTrustOfficial.