Mumbai Diary: Saturday Dossier

Feline Dry on a rainy dayTrying to escape the Mumbai rains a cat takes shelter underneath a fruit sellerrsquos cart in GoregaonWhat was your July 26 storyA dated photograph from July 26 shows people forming a human chain by holding each other as they try to make their way through the hiplevel waters near Manish Park in Andheri East PicRane AshishIs it any surprise that the clouds have loomed heavy on the city for the last couple of days Today marks 20 years since the day in 2005 Mumbai faced a cloudburst so heavy that it has since become a byword for the cityrsquos struggle On July 26 2005 Mumbai experienced 944 mm of rainfall in a single day mdash the heaviestever recorded rainfall figures in the cityMumbaikars wade past stranded trains at Mahim PicAshish Raje FotocorpThis diarist remembers spending a night at a municipal school in Ghatkopar among complete strangers huddled together Starting today a monthlong exhibition of photographs at the Mumbai Press Club at Fort commemorates such moments of the extent of the stormrsquos natural fury as well as the raw humanity where Mumbaikars reached out to complete strangers and found solidarity among each other The compilation of 22 photographs taken by 15 photojournalists across the city including midday photo editor Rane Ashish and principal photographer Ashish Raje offer testament to the cityrsquos famed and enduring spiritMahalersquos lyrical Himalayan odysseyAfter the critically and commercially acclaimed Milk Teeth Mumbaiborn Amrita Mahale below is back with her next Real Life a lyrical mystery set in the mighty Himalayas This diarist reached out to the writer to tell us more ldquoReal Life is about the mysterious disappearance of a wildlife biologist called Tara who studies wild dogs in the Himalayas Her best friend Mansi travels to the Himalayan backpacker town to find out what may have happened to Tara The main suspect Bhaskar has an unexpected connection with both women The novel unfolds through each of their voices Mansi Bhaskar and finally Tara herselfrdquo She goes on to add that the layered story delves into friendships guilt and redemption and about what it means to want a life that feels real in a world thatrsquos constantly trying to reshape women ldquoIt is about the ways in which women disappear both from the world and within itrdquo Mahale revealed that this book took her over six years to complete ldquoIt is very different from my first novel but I hope it gives readers the same joy comfort and catharsis that Milk Teeth didrdquo she signed offCoffee queue for tiramisuEnrico Signorelli and Yahvi MariwalaIf you happen to be at Horniman Circle today drop by Nandan Cafeacute for a chance to experience Enrico Signorellirsquos Mami teaming up with the cafeacute for a oneday popup ldquoWhat brought us together was more than tiramisu and coffee mdash it was a shared love for things done with carerdquo said Yahvi Mariwala founder Nandan Coffee ldquoThe story the energy the way it the cafeacute invites you to pause and enjoy mdash it mirrors everything we stand forrdquo he said Signorellirsquos madetoorder tiramisus will be available in dinein and takeaway choices With limited portions you might need to hurry It is after all first comefirst servedGrande femme indeedA moment from a gathering in Delhi Pic CourtesywomeninthehoodDisha Shrivastava Mumbai ambassador of Women in the Hood dreams of building a community of women who become each otherrsquos strength and companions in need in the city This weekend she plans to recreate the magic of the group first founded by Sohini Mishra in Delhi ldquoI want to just relate to the women and arrange a meetup to sit talk and offer comforting hugs to each otherrdquo Shrivastava shares Check out womeninthehood for more detailsPet boarding mattersShirin DhabharThere is more to pet sitting than just a deeprooted love for canines With her new course starting on July 28 canine trainer and behaviourist Shirin Dhabhar will help pet sitters and pet parents understand behavioural signs and help communicate with pets better ldquoPet boarding is an unregulated industry so even people interested in it hardly understand the complex nature of pet behaviour or ways to calm them The course is to plug the gap of knowledgerdquo she said For more details visit shirindogtrainingcom