<h2>Just leafing through</h2>
<p>A child plays with cabbage leaves on a vegetable cart in Kalanagar.</p>
<h2>Crystal-gazing</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2021/dec/Crystal_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>If you have been around Girgaum Chowpatty, chances are that you have dropped in at Crystal at least once. The iconic adda that serves homely North Indian vegetarian budget eats has stood strong for over five decades. And so, we were disappointed to hear rumours of the much-loved eatery shutting down. Earlier this year too, there were reports of the restaurant facing closure as the building that it is housed in was declared dilapidated by the authorities. However, when this diarist reached out to its owner Poonam Mehra, she dispelled the rumours. &ldquo;We never shut down, and the restaurant is running with the same brand name,&rdquo; Mehra confirmed with this diarist.</p>
<h2>Coast along</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2021/dec/Swimmers-a_e.jpg" alt="The next swim organised by Mumbai Sea Swimmers will follow a brand new route" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>The next swim organised by Mumbai Sea Swimmers will follow a brand new route</em></strong></p>
<p>Mumbai Sea Swimmers will be conducting their amateur-friendly assisted swim from Sunk Rock to Prong&rsquo;s Reef this Sunday. &ldquo;This is a completely new route for us, and we are excited for our participants to explore newer tides in this journey,&rdquo; said co-founder Minesh Babla. The 2.5- to 3-km route will explore Mumbai&rsquo;s landmark lighthouse, Sunk Rock, and will venture out from the coast. &ldquo;It is important for our swimmers to enjoy the swim and take in the beauty of the water. Fear is fine, but never let it turn to panic. Breathe, pause and slow down, and one can truly enjoy the magic of sea swimming&rdquo;, Babla added.</p>
<h2>Since it&rsquo;s X&rsquo;mas</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2021/dec/Rachel-Goenka_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>The next time you walk into eateries like Mag St Caf&eacute; and Nara Thai, keep an eye out for QR codes tagged with the title Santa&rsquo;s Cause. It&rsquo;s an initiative that the National Restaurants Association of India has started with a bunch of popular joints in the city, where customers can donate money that will be directed to NGO Khana Chaahiye that helps feed the underprivileged. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s the busiest time of the year for our industry, and it&rsquo;s amazing to see this kind of support from the fraternity,&rdquo; shared Rachel Goenka, who&rsquo;s heading the project.</p>
<h2>Big little win for literary duo</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2021/dec/Prof-S-Sivadas_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>The Big Little Book Award honours a children&rsquo;s author and an illustrator who have done stellar work in the language chosen for each edition. This year, it was Malayalam, and the winners are Professor S Sivadas (in pic), who won the author&rsquo;s award, and illustrator Deepa Balsavar. The latter shared, &ldquo;To make books for children is both a privilege and a huge responsibility. This award gives me courage and hope to continue doing what I do. When we get children to read and think, we give them the tools to take charge of their lives and change their worlds.&rdquo;</p>
<h2>Texan sun shines on Indians</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2021/dec/Hanita-Bhambri_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>Indian independent artistes are going places, literally. Three popular local acts &mdash; Easy Wanderlings, Hanita Bhambri and Kavya Trehan &mdash; have been named in the line-up for South by Southwest (SXSW), one of the largest global gatherings of film and music industry leaders, which also has its own festival. It&rsquo;s scheduled to take place in the US in March next year, so the organisers had put out a call for entries in September. Delhi-based Bhambri (in pic) told this diarist that the curators of the line-up check for what sort of international audience the artistes have, what their digital presence is and, of course, what their music sounds like. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a really stringent process,&rdquo; she said, adding, &ldquo;They haven&rsquo;t done the scheduling yet, which I think will take place one month before the event. But Indians are usually given prominent spots since we travel a long distance. The people from SXSW also help you get shows in places like New York, which makes it a mini tour for us since we are already in the US.&rdquo;</p><p>
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Mumbai Diary: Saturday Dossier

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