Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

Earning its stripesA pooch makes sure to observe pedestrian discipline at a busy intersection on the KurlaBKC freewayStep up make a differenceldquoWhen we talk to youngsters about climate action our conversations are often focused on what they can do individually We want to move to a stage where we provide them with means to think about systemic change for climate actions to happen Policies play a very important role However the policymaking process is often not well understood Few youngsters know that the participation of citizens is invited by the government to make policies togetherThere are also several platforms available to facilitate such participationrdquo shared Arpita Bhagat campaign lead at Ministry of Mumbairsquos Magic Accordingly theyrsquove launched a programme to help the youth especially from underrepresented communities to participate with the government in the civic decisionmaking process Their Step Up policy action programme is open to all Mumbaikars between 16 and 35 years with demonstrated interest in climate change policy action and community building To apply visit mumbaismagic on InstagramMaking wavesA still from Tanwi Battacharyarsquos video entry last yearThe virtual water museum Living Waters has put out a call for applications for the second edition of their Paani Ki Kahaani fellowship The initiative invites musicians dancers thespians poets and actors to submit their proposals by August 31 ldquoWe launched this initiative last July when we realised that the performing arts were badly hit during the pandemic We got a great response with entries from across the world This year it will be more of an applicationbased call where we want to know how performers will portray aspects of water Wersquoll be selecting five applications for the fellowshiprdquo said Sukrit Sen the museumrsquos art and outreach coordinatorFarewell the champion RuiaiteNandu Natekar with Shamali Gupta at Ruia CollegeldquoRuia College was celebrating its 75th anniversary in 201213 and so we decided to connect with our alumni Students of the BMM department were entrusted with making a film Kalaeidoscope of Memories to mark the occasion Since Mr Nandu Natekar who was in his late 70rsquos at the time was living in Pune we decided to travel to his home to film his segment but much to our surprise he readily agreed to drop by his alma materrdquo Shamali Gupta former head of department BMM Ruia College told this diarist after she heard the news of the former badminton championrsquos demise ldquoOn the day when Mr Natekar dropped by younger students were practising on our badminton courts The Arjuna Awardee played a few rounds and shared valuable pointers with the youngsters who couldnrsquot believe their luck of having interacted with the former World No 3 and an Indian sporting legendrdquo she recalled For the five hours that Natekar was on the campus he regaled the alumni association about the gymkhana and the canteen being his favourite hangouts The latter was popular for its vada pav and was the adda for budding musicians who sang the latest film numbers over cups of cutting chai In the film Natekar pays tribute to his teachers and principal who helped him in those formative yearsWith Mumbai as our museThe Things We Carry is a new oral storytelling podcast by G5A forum Theyrsquore currently inviting submissions for powerful textbased stories ldquoWe hope to launch the first season in October with nine compelling stories in multiple languages For the first season we are looking at Mumbai as a theme its multiple layers and facets How any normal day in Mumbai demands a certain level of resilience and yet amidst the frustration there are moments that make the city endearingrdquo said Ishan Benegal in pic associate artistic directorCoffee with a conscienceEarth Cafe on Waterfield Road has now joined the ranks of ecoconscious cafes in the city by encouraging patrons to bring their own mugs instead of opting for disposable paper cups Theyrsquore sweetening the deal by throwing in a slice of complimentary red velvet cake ldquoCoffee and cake are a timeless combination and instead of discounts we wanted to give our guests a sweet treatrdquo owner Vik Khatwani told this diarist