<h2>Worth the salt</h2>
<p>A Great Egret fishes for worms in the saltpans of <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/maharashtra-civic-elections-2026-mira-bhayander-will-turn-saffron-after-civic-polls-says-eknath-shinde-23611641" rel="nofollow">Bhayander </a>as the setting sun paints the waters a dark shade of orange</p>
<h2>Pink carpet ride</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/feb/Vikhroli-ride_e.jpg" alt="Cyclists under the Pink Trumpet trees. PIC COURTESY/CHIRAG SHAH" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Cyclists under the Pink Trumpet trees. PIC COURTESY/CHIRAG SHAH</em></strong></p>
<p>The Pink Trumpet flowers along the Eastern Express Highway are drawing in some unlikely visitors to local cyclists&rsquo; usual route. Chirag Shah (below), who led his group Wheels &amp; Barrels on a ride early morning on Wednesday shared, &ldquo;We were surprised to see children, families and photographers by the dozen along the route.</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/feb/Chirag-Shah_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>The cherry on top was a couple who showed up for a pre-wedding shoot under the picturesque trees. The craze is unprecedented. We&rsquo;re hoping at least some of them return in running gear or on wheels soon. The Vikhroli stretch of the highway is an excellent running track. One of the best you&rsquo;ll see in Mumbai.&rdquo;</p>
<h2>Pardon meow French</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/feb/Versova-cafe_e.jpg" alt="Cats at the Versova caf&eacute;; a message is placed in the litterbox scoop; the note is tossed in the bin. PICS COURTESY/CAT CAFE STUDIO" width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>Cats at the Versova caf&eacute;; a message is placed in the litterbox scoop; the note is tossed in the bin. PICS COURTESY/CAT CAFE STUDIO</em></strong></p>
<p>Revenge will be served cold (and stinky) this <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/valentines-day/" rel="nofollow">Valentine&rsquo;s Day</a>, thanks to the cats of Versova. A unique initiative by the Cat Caf&eacute; Studio is looking for heartbroken lovers who have unvoiced hate messages for their toxic ex-lovers. Team member Pooja Iyer (above) revealed that the messages will be written down on notes, and carefully placed on freshly collected piles of cat poop from the litterbox, before being ceremoniously tossed in the trash. &ldquo;We have received some hilarious messages from across age groups.</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/feb/Pooja-Iyer_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>&lsquo;To the epic sh*t we did together&rsquo;, &lsquo;Rot in the bin, a**hole&rsquo;, &lsquo;For your disappearing act&rsquo;, &lsquo;Thank you for leaving. It&rsquo;s the best thing that&rsquo;s happened to me&rsquo;, &lsquo;Wish you a very stinky Valentine&rsquo;s Day&rsquo; are some of the more memorable ones,&rdquo; she revealed. The cat-hartic release comes at a cost: A R100 fee that will go towards the welfare of the cats. Those keen to participate can log on to @catcafestudio. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll send you a video of the complete act so you can rewatch it on bad days,&rdquo; Iyer assured us.</p>
<h2>Lost your horse, sir?</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/feb/Local-train-groom_e.jpg" alt="Amit Kumar Sharma promotes his film onboard the local train" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Amit Kumar Sharma promotes his film onboard the local train</em></strong></p>
<p>This diarist had to rub his eyes in disbelief when a bridegroom dressed in full desi wedding attire, complete with a garland of currency notes, politely asked to sit next to us on a local train. Were we witnessing a runaway groom on the loose? Or had we inadvertently become part of a Bollywood rom-com shoot? Our fellow commuters seemed equally perplexed. The suspense finally broke when he pulled out a signboard &mdash; a plea to watch his new film 1982 A Love Marriage. Turns out it was actor Amit Kumar Sharma promoting his new independent budget flick. Come to think of it, we wouldn&rsquo;t be surprised if grooms started ditching horses for fast locals, given the state of Mumbai&rsquo;s roads and streets.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>When the master artist was in Mumbai</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/feb/Gurucharan-Sunil_e.jpg" alt="(From left) Sunil Chauhan gives Gurcharan Singh a walkthrough at the Kala Ghoda gallery. PIC COURTESY/SUAN ARTLAND GALLERY" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>(From left) Sunil Chauhan gives Gurcharan Singh a walkthrough at the Kala Ghoda gallery. PIC COURTESY/SUAN ARTLAND GALLERY</em></strong></p>
<p>It is a special day when a modern master casually walks through the lanes of Kala Ghoda. For gallerist Sunil Chauhan, it was such a moment when artist Gurcharan Singh walked through the doors of Suan Artland located in the art district on Monday. &ldquo;I had invited him to the opening day of the exhibition, Nature Scapes by Bengaluru-based artist Vaman Pai. Unfortunately, he could not make it, and dropped by when he passed by the gallery on Monday,&rdquo; Chauhan shared. The courtesy call aside, the 77-year-old master might have his own reasons. &ldquo;He mentioned in passing that he is planning a large-scale exhibition in Mumbai later this year,&rdquo; the gallerist revealed. Suffice to say, we shall be ready for it.</p>

The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce

Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

Worth the salt

Pink carpet ride

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