Mumbai Diary: Sunday Dossier

Pic/Shadab Khan

We are meant to soar

Ahead of Makar Sankranti, a kite maker is busy in his shop at Mohammed Ali Road

Chandra, the ‘eighth' wonder of the world

Roy Fredericks and BS Chandrasekhar

Jeff Lepps, a cricket-loving Guyanese, has done a fair bit to help build a good connection between UNICEF and India cricketers. Lepps lived in Delhi with his Indian wife for many years and shifted to Goa recently. The other day, in a reaction to cricket enthusiast and author Devendra Prabhudesai's Facebook picture post on a car's registration number (0169) being similar to West Indies' late Guyanese batsman Roy Fredericks's epic 169 against Australia in 1975-76, Lepps came up with an anecdote. On the West Indies' 1974-75 tour of India, Lepps urged some members of the team to travel to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. Opening batsman Fredericks, who didn't appear too keen on making the trip, remarked: "Why bother when we're playing against the eighth wonder of the world - Chandra." BS Chandrasekhar received many a mighty plaudit, but this one was, let's say, a wonderful tribute from a wonderful left-handed batsman.

Awesome Amarjeet is at it again

Amarjeet Singh Chawla

Amarjeet Singh Chawla, who is visually impaired, will be running his 141st half-marathon at the 18th edition of the Tata Mumbai Marathon (TMM) in Mumbai on Sunday, January 15. The 67-year-old Kandivli native has put ability over disability. He said, "I will be accompanied by two buddy runners on my 21-km route in Mumbai. They will be running alongside, guiding me as they warn me about potholes or speed breakers as I run." A seasoned runner, he has even run Ultrathons (a distance longer than the traditional marathon distance of 42-km) for fun and when he hears the ‘dhol' enroute, makes sure he breaks into a dance. We say this for the courageous warrior: "dar ke aage jeet hai; sabse aage Amarjeet hai".

Spend a positive Sunday morning

Anuradha Pal (right) and Sabir Sultan Khan. PICS/INSTAGRAM

Said to be a first-of-its kind combination of music, meditation and motivation, the Anuradha Pal Cultural Foundation (APCF) will be starting Positive Weekends from today. Starting at 7 am, these sessions will begin with yoga followed by a jugalbandi by musical maestros Anuradha Pal on the tabla and Sabir Sultan Khan on the sarangi and vocals. The sessions will be held at the sea-facing Birla Garden in Juhu, and are free. The organisers say they will accept voluntary donations. "APCF's mission is to propagate Indian culture and unity by bringing about social transformation, with the therapeutic powers of Indian music that are known to balance the chakras and reduce stress, in collaboration with socially conscious organisations and respected persons," says the foundation on its Instagram post. These sessions will be held on the second Sunday of each month. One can expect ragas, classical and folk-Bollywood music.

Art for all

Pics/Shadab Khan

Being observant is a trait most journalists swear by. And this diarist is not untouched by it. Having noticed activity at Juhu Scheme Road on her way home from work, this diarist found out that a new art installation by artist Rouble Nagi, supported by an Andheri West MLA, with the words ‘I Love Mumbai', is going to come up in about two weeks time. "This one will be different from the red or white hearts usually seen around the city. We have used myriad colours and abstract art," Nagi says. The artist believes in letting people get up close and personal with such pieces, and take selfies. "Art is not just for affluent people, but it should be accessible to all," she says.

In daddy's footsteps

Advocate Isha Singh who in 2021 took on the Maharashtra government to fight for the rights of the widows of manual scavengers is an inch close to her IPS dream. Singh, who is daughter of former IPS officer YP Singh and lawyer Abha Singh, recently took to social media to share a photo of hers in uniform. She is currently training in Hyderabad. "I was nine years old when my father quit the IPS. I was young, but I knew what he had to endure was unjust. He had spent his years as a dedicated and honest bureaucrat, taking a firm stand against systemic corruption occurring at the highest echelons. In return, he faced an extreme backlash from the system, which transferred him, denied him his promotions and till date hasn't released his pension or PF. I felt that the system needed principled officers exactly like him, and took a pledge to become one myself," says Singh, "Today, as I don the uniform, I feel a sense of pride."