Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

Ho Ho Ho Mee MumbaikarAn inflated Santa Claus balloon at a divider on Hill Road Bandra West is a reminder that Christmas is around the cornerWhen Queen Marians assembleThe Tata Theatre at the National Centre for the Performing Arts Nariman Point will see an assemblage of wellestablished women from The Queen Marian Association of exstudents today December 11 who will gather to celebrate 150 years of their alma mater Queen Mary School located in GirgaonPersis Madon Pravina Mecklai and Brinda MillerPravina Mecklai veteran gallerist convener of the event and a school alumna was excited about the big celebration ldquoThe idea for this gettogether stemmed from the desire to tap into the abilities and accomplishments of our alumnirdquo she informed usGeeta Kantawala in a rehearsal Pic courtesyManasi Sheth right Shaina NC File picShadab KhanldquoThe evening begins with an Art Walk on the upper foyer of NCPArsquos Tata Theatre by Queen Marian artists Ayesha Taleyarkhan and Brinda Miller among others The Alumni Choir will perform hymns followed by a chat with authors Shobhaa De and Bhawana SomayardquoShabana Azmi PicGetty Images right Shobhaa DeMecklai herself will have a natter alongside Dr Shirin Irani a womenrsquos health specialist ace swimmer Persis Madon corporate law expert Rea Zaiwala and entrepreneur Devita Saraf ldquoEminent fashion designer and politician Shaina NC will also attend her outfits will be showcased in a fashion show by Queen Marians alumnae of all ages the eldest being 80yearold Geeta Kantawala ldquoThe finale will witness actor Shabana Azmi in her acclaimed play Broken Imagesrdquo Mecklai revealed Now thatrsquos what we call a queensized gatheringParkinsonrsquos canrsquot bother BorderAllan Border PicGetty ImagesWhat happens when old foes like legendary England allrounder Ian Botham and iconic Australian captain Allan Border both 70 meet Nostalgia flows of course with legpulling thrown in and some talk about the notsogood present times Border was recently invited as a guest on the Beefy amp Beaumont Old Boys New Balls podcast Bill Beaumont is an English rugby stalwart Botham was also Borderrsquos teammate at Queensland in 198788 Border has been battling Parkinsonrsquos since 2016 and typical of the gritty former captain he isnrsquot complaining ldquoItrsquos very hard to control as a result of the problem of parts I call it living with Parkinsonrsquos rather than suffering from itrdquo says Border ldquoItrsquos not a bad life cycle People still play a game of golfrdquo That Border is a commentator for the ongoing Ashes series is proof that he isnrsquot allowing Parkinsonrsquos to affect his life too much slight slurring notwithstanding And thatrsquos no surprise considering Border is the captain who in the words of celebrated cricket writer Mike Coward gave ldquoAustralian cricket the kiss of liferdquoThe magic of Mahakali CavesDr Suraj A Pandit centre addresses participants during the walk Pic courtesyDepartment of AIC and Archaeology Sathaye CollegeIt is imperative that citizens know and learn more about the richness of our cultural heritage in this cityrdquo this diarist was told by Dr Suraj A Pandit Vice Principal of Parle Tilak Vidyalaya Associationrsquos PTVA Sathaye College Vile Parle The academician conducted a heritage walk at Mahakali Caves Andheri East last week Recounting the visit Dr Pandit shared ldquoIt was part of the Archaeology Fortnight Celebration held in honour of renowned Indian archaeologist Professor HD Sankaliarsquos 117th birth anniversary I introduced participants to the sitersquos archaeological history highlighting its significance in the context of ancient Indian art and how the architecture within reflects the evolution of BuddhismrdquoWords that spark changeSafeena Husain Nandita Das and Inakshi Sobti File picsIt was a busy Wednesday in Worli as the Asia Society India Centre and Dalberg launched Re Orient a series of six episodes featuring 26 experts across diverse fields to discuss the developmental challenges facing South Asia The first session witnessed filmmaker Nandita Das joining Apar Gupta founder director Internet Freedom Foundation and Safeena Husain founder of Educate Girls in a riveting conversation ldquoEach episode brings together voices that do not often share a platform and invites them to think across their own fieldsrdquo Inakshi Sobti CEO Asia Society India Centre told this diarist