Mumbai Diary: Tuesday Dossier

Pic/Sameer Markande

Signed, sealed, Delivered

Collegians celebrate Friendship Day on Sunday by signing each other's arms outside KC College at Churchgate

Run for heritage

(Left)The orchestra waits for runners at the Asiatic Society of Mumbai; (right) runners on the streets of Fort

A trail of tangerine coloured the streets of SoBo last Sunday when marathoners hit the road at the break of dawn as part of a heritage run organised by the Indian Navy. This diarist, who had participated in the first-ever edition last year, was glad to notice that the second edition was carried out with greater fanfare. This included an orchestra positioned on the steps of the Asiatic Society of Mumbai that played ‘We shall overcome' to cheer participants. The five and 10-km trails covered many landmarks, including the Reserve Bank of India and St Andrews' Cathedral. At the finish, an Indian Naval band belted out Vande Mataram at Grand Hotel.

Pandora is back in Khar

The new elevated bar at the centre of House of Pandora

In November last year, this section broke the news about the sudden and unexpected shutting down of Club Pandora in Khar. While regulars were left disappointed, the owners had promised a return. "We have kept that promise," informed Monish Rohra, partner and co-owner of the newly christened House of Pandora. The venue on SV Road opened its doors last weekend for the first time since they shut in 2022. The first gig saw over 300 patrons at the venue. Reborn in a new avatar, the space will now bring together food, music and beverage to the suburban neighbourhood, he revealed, adding, "Before, it was an underground music space. We soon realised that there is a market for bars that host quality gigs and live music events. This time, the vibe is very much overground."

Monish Rohra

The venue will also be open to the public throughout the week. "People want the atmosphere of a bar, with their favourite artistes playing live music and curated programmes. In addition to these, we will also host karaoke nights, football screenings with an exciting cocktail menu created by a mixologist from Dubai," Rohra told this diarist.

Look who's freestylin' in Prague!

Mumbai-based freestyler Archis Patil (below) is battling it out in Prague this week. The footballer has been invited to the Super Ball World Open 2023 that is currently underway in Prague, and continues till August 11. "I have been preparing for this event throughout the last year," he shared over the phone from the Czech Republic's capital city. Excited as he was, Patil revealed that it is also his first major championship since 2018. "This is my first competition overseas since the pandemic hit and I am super excited," he shared. Patil will be participating in the competitive battles category. The finals are set to take place on August 12, and he hopes to be part of it.

Meena Aapa's parting gift for Urdu

A young Sachin Pilgaonkar with Meena Kumari in Majhli Didi. Pic Courtesy/Instagram

Sachin Pilgaonkar's journey through cinema might be well known, but Urdu Markaz has chosen the actor to be honoured with Mohsin-E-Urdu award for his contribution to the language of Urdu come November. A poet himself, Pilgaonkar shared, "It began when I was doing a movie titled Majhli Didi by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, featuring Meena Aapa."

‘Meena Aapa' was the actress Meena Kumari, an Urdu poet herself, who took him under her wings to teach him the language. "She told me that someday you will thank me for the gift I gave you. I do that every day," he reminisced.

Breaking news at the bar

News plays on the television as patrons converse at the Bandra restaurant

There are city addas where you are more likely to find baby boomers and Gen X-ers. Here, playlists also organically sync with these loyal patrons' music tastes. However, we've noticed that in pubs and nightspots, panning age groups, sports coverage tends to be the hands-down favourite that gets aired on TV screens, with cricket or football matches being top preferences. There was also a time when music channels like MTV (in its OG avatar in India) and VH1 got good air time. Recently, when this diarist dropped by Bandra hangout Soul Fry, it came as a surprise when she noticed that NDTV was being aired on the telly. As a friend remarked, "It must be the only nightspot in Mumbai that airs a news channel." Talk about being a news-maker.