Mumbai Diary: Tuesday Dossier

A nutty embrace: A daredevil youth shimmies up a coconut tree alongside a street in Tilak Nagar, Chembur. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Get street smart

Mumbai banega Singapore, or make that Mumbai banega Bengaluru. Shop owners and residents of Colaba, locals and those who have their establishments on SoBo's landmark Colaba Causeway, are talking about how good it would be if Mumbai went the Garden City's way. Commercial Street in Bangalore got a facelift recently, and if pictures could talk, they would say, spiffy, nifty, appealing; you get the drift. Most shop owners on the popular street are upbeat and are applauding the move which they say will bring in more tourists and shoppers. Mumbai's Colaba shop owners, on specific chats, are sharing pictures of the street and talking about how "We need to do this to Colaba Causeway, if we want to make it a shopping destination." Another respondent said, "I agree. When will Colaba Causeway look like this?" Mumbai has a role model now, and we do not have to look as far as Singapore.

Green guardians

Yesterday, on International Day for Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem, the Mangrove Cell organised the first ever Mangrove Foundation Awards. Held to celebrate those who work to conserve the mangroves and marine biodiversity, the awards included prizes in five categories. "We want to acknowledge the contributions of our staff on the frontlines, and other community-based organisations implementing our mangrove-based livelihood generation scheme. We also recognise NGOs working in this sphere," said deputy conservator and joint director, Neenu Somaraj.

Slow riding is safe riding

Superbikes are notorious for speed and frequent run-ins with the law. However, at a recent free workshop for the big bikers over the weekend, a unique, slow-riding initiative to promote safe riding was well received. Around 30 mean machines, including the mighty Triumph Tigers and the Harley Davidson Fat Boys among others, were part of a Superbike Rider Training Safety Course conducted at the Super Car Club Garage's (SCCG) Superbike Division in Thane on Sunday. The bikers were instructed to do extremely slow runs and slaloms through traffic cones and even the figure-of-eight, but without touching their feet to the ground and rarely using their brakes. "It's easy to go fast on a bike but the actual control and safety aspects come into play when you ride your bike very slowly. That's the idea behind this slow ride. Slow riding is safe riding," SCCG's Sameer Samant, who conducted the workshop, said. We agree. Better safe than sorry!

Kashish turns 12

The 12th edition of Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival, which is South Asia's biggest LGBTQiA+ film festival, will be held virtually this year starting August 19. The festival is scheduled over three consecutive weekends and will screen 221 films from 53 countries. "Amidst the ongoing global challenges, we hope for the festival to be a celebration of life. These awards also offer encouragement to filmmakers who have made these films under challenging circumstances, sometimes in countries where being part of the LGBTQiA+ community is still dangerous. These films tell unique stories, representing the entire spectrum", said Sridhar Rangayan, festival director. To attend, visit mumbaiqueerfest.com

Skating for laurels

Momiji Nishiya skateboards at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Pic courtesy/Getty Images

Aged only 13, Momiji Nishiya is a Japanese skateboarder who created history by becoming the youngest ever Olympics medalist, and the fact that the sport has been included in the Tokyo Games for the first time is something that augurs well for it in India, shared Altamash Sayed, founder of the city-based Bombay SB group of skateboarders. Sayed said that the sport is still in a nascent phase in the country, and that we are at least 10 years behind countries such as Japan, Brazil and the US, which have all won Olympics medals for skateboarding this year.

Altamash Sayed

"In fact, an Indian skateboarder went to China to participate in an Olympics qualifier. In order to get to the Olympics, you have to attend these competitions and score points. Unfortunately, he was placed last among 120 competitors, so that should give you an idea of where Indian skateboarding stands globally. But the sport is definitely growing, and including skateboarding at the Games will inspire a lot of our kids to take it more seriously. Earlier, it was perceived as more of a recreational activity, but we now have competitions like Bombay Street League that awards prize money worth R1 lakh," Sayed told this diarist.