<h2>Once in a supermoon</h2>
<p>The supermoon sighted in <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/mumbai-sees-82-missing-children-cases-in-36-days-with-sharp-gender-disparity-23606693" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Mumbai</a> on December 4 forms a rare juxtaposition with the Statue of Progress atop Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus.</p>
<h2>Skimmer for the win!</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/dec/Sanctuary-Asia-awards_e.jpg" alt="Award winners (from left) Venkatesh Charloo, Rittwika Roychowdhury (on behalf of Siddharth Agarwal), Rumna Mukherjee, Parveen Shaikh, Dr Sonali Ghosh, Dr Rajendra Singh, Saroj Kumar Panda, Sahil Bhisso Gaonkar with Sanctuary Nature Foundation founder Bittu Sahgal. PIC COURTESY/PARVEEN SHAIKH" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Award winners (from left) Venkatesh Charloo, Rittwika Roychowdhury (on behalf of Siddharth Agarwal), Rumna Mukherjee, Parveen Shaikh, Dr Sonali Ghosh, Dr Rajendra Singh, Saroj Kumar Panda, Sahil Bhisso Gaonkar with Sanctuary Nature Foundation founder Bittu Sahgal. PIC COURTESY/PARVEEN SHAIKH</em></strong></p>
<p>India&rsquo;s finest environmentalists traded their usual day in the wild for a formal venue at the Sanctuary Wildlife Awards at NCPA last Friday. Among awardees from across the nation, Mumbai-based Dr Parveen Shaikh&rsquo;s (right) cause for the Indian Skimmers soared high. Over a chat with this diarist, the avian ecologist credited her days at the city&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/twins-top-science-scores-at-ruia-college-23535645" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Ramnarain Ruia College </a>for sparking an interest in ornithology.</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/dec/Parveen-Shaikh_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>&ldquo;My study in <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/news/india-news/article/mumbai-university-s-zoology-department-offers-flexible-syllabus-news-18152166" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Zoology </a>in college paved my path to the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) in 2012, where I discovered the need to protect the Skimmer,&rdquo; she revealed. For over a decade, Shaikh has been leading efforts to save the migratory bird that lives on India&rsquo;s riverbanks. Other awardees included Dr Rajendra Singh who won the Lifetime Service Award for his work in water conservation, and 19-year-old Sahil Bhisso Gaonkar who bagged the much-anticipated Young Naturalist Award for his rescue efforts in Goa.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Letters to Santa</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/dec/Santa-box_e.jpg" alt="The postbox and dropbox (right) the letter template. PIC COURTESY/Carl Mascarenhas Jr on FACEBOOK" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>The postbox and dropbox (right) the letter template. Pic Courtesy/Carl Mascarenhas Jr on Facebook</em></strong></p>
<p>Have you been good this year, dear reader? A Christmas post box on St Andrew&rsquo;s Road in Bandra will let you write directly to Santa Claus this year. Placed outside De Lima Apartments near Bandra Gymkhana, the bright red-and-gold post box is accompanied by a collection box for those who wish to donate pre-loved toys and clothes to less-privileged children in the neighbourhood. Those keen to post a letter and make a wish, or play Santa for a good cause this Christmas can drop by the apartment complex&rsquo;s main gate any time between December 12 and 24. After all, it&rsquo;s the season of giving.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Indigo blues on the guitar</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/dec/Indigo-musician_e.jpg" alt="Zayn Raza performs at CSMIA while waiting to board his flight to his hometown in Bihar. PIC COURTESY/ZAYN RAZA" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Zayn Raza performs at CSMIA while waiting to board his flight to his hometown in Bihar. PIC COURTESY/ZAYN RAZA</em></strong></p>
<p>When the Titanic sank in the early hours of April 15, 1912, a group of violinists is said to have played music to calm down anxious passengers for as long as they could. We couldn&rsquo;t help but remember those violinists when we heard about Mumbai-based musician Zayn Raza, who brought a guitar to the proverbial gunfight between airline Indigo and furious passengers last week. &ldquo;I was stuck for nearly four hours at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport [CSMIA]. Slowly but surely, my co-passengers ran out of patience. At the request of another passenger who spotted my guitar bag, I pulled out the instrument and played a few familiar songs. In an instant, phones came out and people were swaying as they recorded my impromptu performance,&rdquo; Raza told us. Initially scheduled for 5 pm, Raza&rsquo;s flight to his hometown in Bihar finally took off at 9 pm. &ldquo;You have to feel sorry for the ground staff. I believe they were caught in a battle where they weren&rsquo;t even the ones calling the shots,&rdquo; the musician added.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Let&rsquo;s toast to Sofia</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/dec/Sofia-bar_e.jpg" alt="The new Italian-style bar in Bandra" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>The new Italian-style bar in Bandra</em></strong></p>
<p>Something new is brewing behind the walls of Bandra&rsquo;s Olive. The F&amp;B landmark now houses a new Italian style-aperitivo bar, Call Me Sofia. Conceptualised by restaurateur AD Singh (right), and guided by Italian chef Alessandro Piso, it offers an Italian drinking culture through low ABV flavour-forward cocktails.</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/dec/AD-Singh-a_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>&ldquo;She is designed for closeness, where the ambience, the cocktails, and the conversations blend to create evenings that feel magical, meaningful, and deeply personal,&rdquo; shared AD Singh.</p>
<h2>Step up for a good cause</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/dec/Disability-walkathon_e.jpg" alt="Members at a previous public rally.  PIC COURTESY/Nav Divyang Foundation" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Members at a previous public rally. PIC COURTESY/Nav Divyang Foundation</em></strong></p>
<p>Thakur Village in Kandivli East will host a special Walkathon on December 21, under the philosophy, &lsquo;Walk so no one&rsquo;s left behind&rsquo;. Organised by Nav Divyang Foundation, a platform providing specialised <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/hundreds-of-teachers-protest-across-mumbai-over-tet-and-sanch-manyata-rules-23606484?celebrity-life-breakingnews" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">education </a>and therapy for neurodivergent people, the walk draws awareness towards the needs of differently-abled children. &ldquo;Many people remain unaware of the true potential of differently-abled and neurodiverse youngsters, and the milestones they can achieve in their unique way. This is our first Walkathon, and it aims to celebrate and advocate for that human potential,&rdquo; Gopal Bhagwat, founder of Nav Divyang Foundation, shared. Registrations close on December 10, so head to @nav_divyang_foundation_2017 to book a spot.</p>

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