Mumbai Diary: Sunday Dossier

Raindrops and RosesWhatever be the weather this rose vendor at the Marine Drive promenade is there to make sure you say it with flowersThatrsquos so Tuff on PhilNasser Hussain Phil Tufnell PicsGetty ImagesHowever skilled a spinner is selectors and teams look for that bit extra he or she can offer as a batter In short there is no room for rabbits with the batNasser Hussain the astute England captainturnedbroadcaster recalled how the England set up during his time preferred a spinner who could bat a bit instead of a fine tweaker who had no chance of sticking around at the crease ldquoMy former England coach Duncan Fletcher always wanted complete cricketers in his team I absolutely loved captaining Phil Tufnell who was a wonderful leftarm spinner but we had to move on from him because he didnrsquot bat and didnrsquot field and we picked Ashley Giles who was very good at gully and got you useful runsrdquo wrote Hussain in his Daily Mail column last ThursdayWonder what Tufnell who likes speaking his mind will think of his former skipperrsquos thoughts We think he wonrsquot be pleased but then Tuffers Tufnellrsquos nickname has a sense of humour and will probably laugh about it nowTile travails in the parkPosteriors park here and aesthetics need attentionWe are back at our favourite hunting ground mdash Shivaji Park We had previously flagged what one would call in local lingo the ldquokattardquo seating around the Park as its cheery yellow and orange tiles were showing signs of breakage wear and tear Today we see that the tiles have completely come off like the monsoon skies the seating is grey too and there is a need to redo the space either re install those tiles or do so in another way Maybe the rains are a deterrent right now but the shiniest diamond in Mumbairsquos cultural spine from Siddhivinayak to Mahim as it is called needs some attentionMahjong majja maThe Mahjong Network was founded by from left Maneka Daswani Ishira Kumar and Ria BajajIf yoursquore a mahjong fan or want to learn the game but canrsquot find partners to play with these Mumbai women have your back After all they went through pretty much the same thing before they decided to set up The Mahjong Network a community of hundreds of players across Mumbai Delhi and Dubai ldquoThe network was born out of the simplest need mdash we were three women constantly on the lookout for a fourth player to complete the table The idea was almost too simple what if you could just find your players on a WhatsApp chatrdquo says cofounder Ria BajajBajaj says she realised how keen UAE players are during a visit there ldquoThat was the push we needed One step forward a little faster mdash while expanding across Indiardquo she saysFor an evening of majja with mahjong the community will now come together on August 1 World Mahjong Day at Kathiwada City House in WorliTales from a winemeisterSonal C HollandA memior and a masterclass rolled into one is how the book was described to us and the story of Indiarsquos first Master of Wine Sonal C Holland is intriguing indeedOne In A Billion is Hollandrsquos telling of her journey from a ldquotraditionalrdquo corporate job to becoming the first recipient of the Master of Wine title in India A certified wine educator with globally recognised qualifications in spirits sake shochu and beer Holland is also a consultant broadcaster and the founder of the India Wines And Spirits Award competitionMaster of Wine is a title held by fewer than 450 people worldwide and One in a Billion captures the grit and grace behind Hollandrsquos quest for it as she balanced motherhood gruelling study sessions and years of travelThe book published by Westland Books and available on Amazon also offers glimpses into the fascinating world of wine how to develop wine tasting skills wine expertsrsquo experiences and Indiarsquos evolving wine culture Holland says ldquoThe book is a reminder to carve your own path and to realise that success isnrsquot where you stop itrsquos where you rise higher I hope it uncorks a fierce selfbelief within the readersrdquoCreating kindnessCommunity accountability is the key for Siddhesh Lokare PicIGsidiouslyMumbaibased influencer Siddhesh Lokare is changing the way we think about giving with Kindly Club Indiarsquos first influencerled fundraising platform Designed to make charity more transparent the platform offers realtime updates on how donations are spent even as the funds are being raisedldquoThere are enough stories of goodwill getting lost in paperwork and broken systems Kindly Club is my way of fixing that with honesty and community accountabilityrdquo says Lokare Kindly Club connects donors with the impact theyrsquore making from the first rupee to the final report In a space where trust is everything Lokare is proving that fundraising can be just as authentic and human as the causes it supports