<h2>Silent night, holy night</h2>
<p>Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Bombay, Oswald Cardinal Gracias, blesses a statue of Infant Jesus during midnight mass on Tuesday at The Holy Name Cathedral</p>
<h2>The cradle of life</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/dec/Kenyan-statues_e.jpg" alt="The crib with traditional Kenyan dolls" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>The crib with traditional Kenyan dolls</em></strong></p>
<p>City-based theatre maker Omkar Bhatkar&rsquo;s Christmas crib returned to the continent where Christmas traditions were born. Traditional cardboard Kenyan dolls made an appearance alongside dried flowers and rangoli in the miniature crib at his residence this season.</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/dec/Omkar-Bhatkar_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>&ldquo;I have been collecting dolls and setting up cribs since I was six-years-old. Earlier this year, one of my friends was in Kenya and brought back traditional nativity dolls. I have been itching to assemble them ever since. Paired with dried flowers and a rangoli powder base, the installation is environment-friendly as well,&rdquo; Bhatkar (inset) told this diarist.</p>
<h2>Board moves with nature</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/dec/Sustainable-zoo_e.jpg" alt="Children participate in the game at the zoo" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Children participate in the game at the zoo</em></strong></p>
<p>Visitors at The Mumbai Zoo rolled the dice on conservation, quite literally, through an ingenious installation by a city-based NGO, The Recycling Company. Using a &lsquo;sustainability snakes and ladders mat&rsquo; they engaged participants with positive prompts such as &lsquo;used steel spoons&rsquo; and &lsquo;segregated school waste&rsquo; to progress along the board. Instead of the dreaded snakes, participants were faced with pressing questions like &lsquo;mixed e-waste with dry waste?&rsquo; or &lsquo;used only one side of a sheet of paper?&rsquo;. &ldquo;The idea was to plant the seed of environmentalism in the children&rsquo;s minds. For a lot of them, the zoo is where they are first introduced to the city&rsquo;s flora and fauna. The message we left the children with was that conservation isn&rsquo;t confined to the forests, and can be practised in homes, schools, and your neighbourhoods,&rdquo; shared Ashwini Jadhav, senior executive, TRC.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>An ode to Rafi</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/dec/Bandya_e.jpg" alt="Satyajit Padhye performs with Bandya " width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Satyajit Padhye performs with Bandya</em></strong>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Ventriloquist Satyajit Padhye&rsquo;s puppet Bandya joined the many voices paying tribute to the Mohammed Rafi on his centennial birth anniversary on December 24. &ldquo;I was at an event at the Chhatrapati Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya last week when someone requested a song in Bandya&rsquo;s voice. I had never sung with a puppet before, but I put on an impromptu performance of Yeh Hai Bombay Meri Jaan. For Rafi sahab&rsquo;s centenary, I decided to re-record it,&rdquo; shared Padhye. Hearing a puppet belt out a Rafi tune was not on our holiday checklist; but as the great man said, yeh hai Bombay, meri jaan.</p>
<h2>United we art</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/dec/Miriam-Badjo_e.jpg" alt="Miriam Badjo and Gangu Bai " width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Miriam Badjo and Gangu Bai</em></strong></p>
<p>An unexpected collaboration between Australian Aboriginal artist Miriam Badjo and Bhopali artist Gangu Bai in the city served as a reminder that it is indeed a small world that we live in. The two artists found a common ground while painting a wall mural at Sassoon Dock as part of a collaborative project by St+Art India, initiated by the Australian High Commission in India.</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/dec/Wall-paint_e.jpg" alt="The mural stands out with its intricate dot patterns. PICS COURTESY/SOHIL BELIM " width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>The mural stands out with its intricate dot patterns. PICS COURTESY/SOHIL BELIM</em></strong>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&ldquo;Gangu Bai is a veteran Bhil artist and Miriam is an expert in First Nations art traditions. Over the seven-month-long collaboration, facilitated by translators and supporting artists, we realised that the technique of dotting, and themes of community and environment were mutual across the divide,&rdquo; revealed Arjun Bahl, co-founder, St+Art India. With the cross-cultural effort reaching fruition earlier this week, the mural is now open to view at the docks for visitors and enthusiasts.</p>
<h2>A paw-some X&rsquo;mas</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/dec/Collaring-dogs_e.jpg" alt="A volunteer attaches the collar to a dog" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>A volunteer attaches the collar to a dog</em></strong></p>
<p>For members of the Create Together Foundation (CTF) and the Inner Wheel Club of Thane Hills, this festive season was one for their furry friends. The members spent Christmas day around the Happy Valley Circle in Thane helping accessorise stray dogs with reflective collars.</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/dec/Deepak_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>&ldquo;Accidents are common during festive periods. We wanted to ensure that the stray animals in the neighbourhood stay safe and sound this season. We attached nearly 100 collars and distributed 30 upcycled bed sheets for the animals,&rdquo; Deepak Vishwakarma (right), founder of CTF, told this diarist.</p><p>
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