Mumbai Diary: Friday Dossier

The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce

Coined for the ages

The Last Supper was Jesus Christ’s final meal with his disciples, which he partook on the eve of what is now commemorated as Good Friday — the day when he was crucified. In 2016, a silver coin was issued by Niue, an island nation in the south Pacific Ocean, to commemorate The Last Supper, shared Pascal Roque Lopes, a Vasai-based historian and coin researcher. The silver coin is a part of Lopes’ personal collection. “Inspired by imagery from Leonardo da Vinci, and other famous depictions, the coin’s inscription captures a teacher surrounded by his closest pupils. Although among his friends and believers, Jesus reveals that one of them has betrayed him and another will deny him, he accepts his disciples’ actions as a means to his inevitable sacrifice, offering his body and blood both at the meal and for eternity. This coin, therefore, symbolises guilt, forgiveness and the promise of a better future,” he said. 

Pranksters, all

Relationship-themed pranks were frequently searched. Representation pic

April 1 is globally recognised as Fools’ Day, when practical jokes and hoaxes are unleashed on unsuspecting victims. This year, Indian users took their love for the tradition online by bingeing on prank videos, a report released by a UK-based online marketplace revealed. Indian pranksters had an affinity for the paranormal, with ghost pranks topping the list with 46,200 monthly YouTube searches. This was closely followed by gold digger pranks (46,000 searches) and kissing pranks (43,000 searches). 

Interestingly, sex and relationships  were a predominant theme, with sex and Viagra-oriented pranks securing their place on the list, and many users seeking novel pranks for their girlfriends.  All in all, Indian online users registered an average of 342,000 searches per month for ‘pranks’ on the platform. 

Remembering Foy

Nearly two years after his passing, a new tombstone has been erected at Sewri cemetery in memory of Foy Nissen, renowned city historian and Bombaywallah. Of Danish descent, he was one of the first members of the Bombay Local History Society (BLHS). He made the city his home and had a deep interest in its history and architecture. He was also well-regarded for his intimate knowledge of the design and sculptural detail of the city’s colonial past, recalled Rajan Jayakar, curator of BLHS. 

“Foy was an ardent lover of the city. I personally interacted with him and was taken aback by his humility. He was the go-to person for all things Bombay. Many architects sought him out for his nuanced understanding of the cityscape. His photography was marked by his eye for detail — he would capture minute elements that most others would miss,” Jayakar told this diarist.

Rajan Jayakar; Foy Nissen in his younger days

Asprey speaks

American tech entrepreneur Dave Asprey is better known as the inventor of bulletproof coffee. A self-described bio-hacker, he will be sharing his secrets on how to live to 180 years of age in a webinar on April 10. In the past, Asprey has made headlines for using controversial techniques such as a cold cryotherapy chamber and is an advocate of intermittent fasting. To date, he claims to have spent $1 million on techniques and hacks to improve his body’s functioning. Catch him speak at tedxgateway.com 

A fort date

There are nearly 350 forts in Maharashtra, many of them built in the 17th century at the behest of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. A Nagpur-based bikers’ group called Orange City Bikerz is visiting 25 of these ancient structures. The itinerary includes important points such as the hill fort of Shivneri in Pune district, Shivaji’s birthplace, and Raigad fort. “We selected only those forts that are connected by motorable roads. We started our trip at Nagpur and will end at Durgadi fort in Dadar,” its founder Akash A Salve said.

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