26 September,2021 07:21 AM IST | Mumbai | Team mid-day
Pic/Atul Kamble
A boy selling cotton candy gets himself selfie-ready using the rear-view mirror of a car in Matunga.
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Bollywood lyricist Prashant Ingole, who has worked on films such as Bajirao Mastani, Mary Kom and Race, is set to release his debut English album in collaboration with Russian singer Angel Levada. The album titled, Angel, comprises 10 songs and showcases the journey of an artiste. "The songs, all of which were recorded in a Goan studio, are inspired by life, and have been tailor-made for Levada, who is an amazing human being. She has worked hard for a whole year on this album and on her English pronunciation. The album has a ballad, a party number, a song about winning... I feel everyone will have something to take home," says Ingole.
Class VII student from Mumbai, Karnav Rastogi, has become the youngest author in the world to write a book on, and using, artificial intelligence. The book titled Kartik, Mixie and Europa: Creating adventure with Artificial Intelligence, released this month. Karnav also conducts creative writing workshops for kids in the city. He tells this diarist, "I have always been fascinated with technology. I have used a robot, drones, a bird voice translator, danger-detecting stick and more in my previous books. As a chess player, I have played games with bots and got games analysed by chess tools. When I started exploring AI, I came across an AI writer which fascinated me. I started writing this book during the lockdown last year and I am really proud that I have managed such a novel feat."
Dav Whatmore. Pic/Getty Images
Twenty-five years after guiding Sri Lanka to their famous 1996 World Cup victory in the sub-continent, Sri Lankan-born Australian Dav Whatmore is still making news as a coach. Whatmore, 67, who played a Test series in India as part of Kim Hughes's 1979-80 team, has arrived in Baroda to train their cricketers for the upcoming domestic season, which hopefully will not be disrupted by the pandemic. Baroda is one of the many teams Whatmore has on his CV. Sample this list and you will get an idea of Whatmore's passion for coaching and him being such a sought-after man by cricket bodies: Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Nepal, Kolkata Knight Riders and Kerala apart being involved in the National Cricket Academy at Bengaluru. Pardon the pun, Dav but we can't help saying, what more can you do?
Viji Venkatesh, who is just a year shy of 70, has spent the last three days on the go. The Regional Head of Max Foundation in India and South Asia, she enrolled for a marathon walk (Maxathon) that ended today, retracing the footsteps of a cancer patient, Kailash Ingale, a farmer living in a remote village, in his journey to access treatment. As part of the awareness walk, she covered three routes, which covered key hospitals, including Tata Memorial and Jaslok. "It is not easy raising funds or awareness, but with this campaign we're trying to personalise the whole experience. Giving to the donor a sense of worth and value. I registered myself to know exactly how involved a donor can feel. Kailash, like so many of our patients, is very dear to me. It costs them so much to make this trip any number of times a year. So I thought I would let his experience inspire me," she says, "At my age I'm so privileged to be in good health. But, I've seen many men and women older than I am, make this kind of journey. If they can do it, so can I. I want to lead by example."
Pilot Sameer Sewak, who left big-city life to shift to Dehradun a few years ago, had become a chef now. And his dishes are finding favour with with celebrities who have visited the hill station recently. Be it Rekha and Vishal Bhardwaj, Swara Bhaskar, Mrunal Thakur or Ankur Tiwari, Sewak's biryani, kebabs and mutton korma have warmed everyone's hearts and tummies. His Instagram feed is also full of videos about cooking al fresco, and truly, it's apt advertising for the once-popular city in Uttarakhand. Last spotted: Sewak was trying to entice Radhika Apte, who is rumoured to be in Dehradun at this time, to order some dal bukhara. Well, Apte may not bite the bait, but one of us surely will.
