Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

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

It’s a beautiful day to save lives

Kindness doesn’t cost a thing, but it’s the richest gift you can give, they say. Mid-day photojournalist Satej Shinde witnessed the maxim come to life when Saleem Muleem, a waste-picker, took a great egret under his wing at the Carter Road promenade last weekend. An immigrant who moved to the city from Bangalore in search of employment in 2021, Muleem told mid-day that the egret would have been vulnerable to attacks from stray dogs and aggressive crows had it been left unattended. After spotting the egret near the Bat of Honour installation on Carter Road, Muleem set on a journey northward to the Khar Danda fish market where the bird was released; to its delight, we are sure.   

Some Parisian charm in BKC

Consul General of France in Mumbai, Jean-Marc Séré-Charlet (left) with Aashika and Tanishaa Cunha

There is something about Paris, they say, and the Consul General of France in Mumbai, Jean-Marc Séré-Charlet, would agree. On his visit to the luxury store of Hermès at the Jio World Plaza in Bandra Kurla Complex, Séré-Charlet could not help but be teleported to the streets of Paris. City-based designers Aashika and Tanishaa Cunha’s new installation, The Faubourg Fairground, features mosaic designs and inventive creations that pay tribute to the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris. “There is a street in Paris called Faubourg St Honoré that is considered to be one of the most fashionable streets in the world with its elegance, ambience and charm! They want to portray the same charm, chic style and typical French elegance through its carefully thought-out façade and its tasteful collection,” the Consul General told this diarist.

An installation at the luxury store. Pics Courtesy/FranceBombay on X; Instagram

A song for women

Actor Urmila Krishnan in a still from the music video. Pic Courtesy/Youtube

The latest song from Raghav Meattle’s label, first.wav is not just a song. Titled Beqarari, the track sung by Aditi Raj and composed by Ashish Zachariah is based on the ghazal, Beqarari si beqarari hai by Jaun Elia. “We wanted to show the life of a sex worker and what happens once the working hours end. The aspirations, small joys and mundane stuff, all included,” shared Meattle who was involved in the execution of the idea with Zachariah and Raj. “We made several visits to Kamathipura to understand how things work there. We spoke to a few sex workers about their aspirations. It was heartbreaking to learn that most didn’t have any,” Meattle shared. Nevertheless, the song hopes to change that by including a link to raise funds for the NGO Kshamata, and help women break the cycle. 

Raghav Meattle

Skate to the podcast party 

Sameer Ansari and Brandon Turner discuss the sport during the episode

American skateboarder Brandon Turner has a thing or two to say about Mumbai’s growing skateboarding community. In a new podcast series, Turner sat across Mumbai-based skateboarder Sameer Ansari of Formiga Academy for a candid chat. “Turner made his first trip to Mumbai last month to judge a competition at the Carter Road skatepark. He was amazed by the community’s dedication, so I pitched the idea of a podcast episode,” Ansari recalled. The athlete, who most recently bagged the Trick of the Year accolade with his switch hard flip trick in 2020, can be seen sharing tips about injuries, recovery, mentorship, and physical fitness, concluding with a promise to come back to the city with bigger plans.

Great snakes!

Spectacled cobra; (right) Pankaj Jadhav

Nature enthusiasts got a peek into the lives of Mumbai’s creepy-crawlies at a World Snake Day seminar at Sanjay Gandhi National Park yesterday. In addition to an introduction to snake species like the rat snake and the Asian water snake that can be spotted across the city, field researcher Pankaj Jadhav busted some popular myths around the reptiles. “People often believe that offering milk to a snake will bring good luck. Snakes belong to the class reptilia, and have not evolved to consume milk. In fact, many even die after they are unethically fed milk,” he revealed to us. Another myth that Jadhav believes has been popularised by Bollywood is the spiteful, vindictive nature of the reptiles. “Snakes do not, and cannot identify faces. Let alone remember them and set out on a killing spree,” Jadhav laughed.

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