<h2>In the name of God</h2>
Customers shop for religious-themed fabrics ahead of <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/news/india-news/article/ram-navami-2026-when-is-ram-navami-here-are-all-details-about-how-ayodhya-plans-to-celebrate-shri-ram-janmotsav-this-year-23622510?button=next" rel="nofollow">Ram Navam</a>i in Lalbaug
<h2>Stirring change in the kitchen</h2>
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/mar/Poonam-Goa_e.jpg" alt="A moment from the cooking challenge. Pics Courtesy/Veruschka Foundation" width="1280" height="720" /> A moment from the cooking challenge. Pics Courtesy/Veruschka Foundation
Talk about scaling up. The third season of Cook for Change Challenge hosted by the Veruschka Foundation spread across four cities &mdash;Mumbai, Bengaluru, Goa, and Pune. &ldquo;We are championing skill development and disability, and inclusion in the food and hospitality sector. We aimed to show that for students that skill development in the food and hospitality industry is as beneficial as any other degree,&rdquo; shared founder and CEO, Dr Tatyana Dias (left).
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/mar/Dr-Tatyana-Dias_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" />
With rounds held at RPH Institute of Hotel Management, BGS Institute of Hotel Management, Excellence Education Academy, Goa; and DPGU School of Hospitality in Pune, produced 12 finalists and four wildcard participants. &ldquo;Pune took the first spot, the team from Goa was second, while Mumbai finished third,&rdquo; Dias added.
<h2>When Dev Patel went unnoticed</h2>
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/mar/Dev-Patel-a_e.jpg" alt="Dev Patel. Pic Courtesy/Instagram" width="1280" height="720" /> Dev Patel. Pic Courtesy/Instagram
AMIDST a crying baby, annoyed uncles, and a few upbeat GenZers on holiday, a certain familiar Hollywood face was returning from Jodhpur to Mumbai earlier this week. While on a return flight back into the city on Tuesday afternoon, this diarist spotted actor-filmmaker <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/hollywood-news/article/the-peasants-dev-patel-resumes-shoot-in-mumbai-to-head-to-rajasthan-next-23621499" rel="nofollow">Dev Patel </a>quietly waiting at the gates of the Jodhpur airport. The talk is that the actor was busy shooting for his upcoming project, The Peasant, in the Blue City. Quiet, and surrounded by a few close members of the squad, the actor hung back till the rest of the crowd had boarded the plane. While the BAFTA award-winner still maintained his distance, it is a miracle that only a few people recognised him on the flight. Talk about going stealth.
<h2>Matheran mystery</h2>
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/mar/Matheran-mystery_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" />
You&rsquo;ll never guess who just checked in to Matheran. In Shabnam Minwalla&rsquo;s (inset) eerie new murder mystery, Death Comes to Matheran (HarperCollins India), quite literally. The new title follows a daughter&rsquo;s quest to unveil an eleven-year-old mystery around her father&rsquo;s death in the hills. &ldquo;I have always been fascinated by the slippery nature of memory &mdash; the utter randomness of what we remember, what we forget, what we misremember. I also enjoy the game that writers of murder mysteries play with their readers. I thought it would be interesting to bring the two together in this book,&rdquo; Minwalla shared. This high-altitude drama is already giving us the chills.
<h2>A knight in Mumbai</h2>
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/mar/Himalayan-Club-space_e.jpg" alt="A collection of books on display; visitors at the new space" width="1280" height="720" /> A collection of books on display; visitors at the new space
The Himalayan Club moved to a new space in <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/photo/in-photos-mumbai-celebrates-gudi-padwa-with-temple-visits-and-gold-shopping-110217" rel="nofollow">Mahalaxmi</a>. With mountaineer and 19-time Himalayan expeditioner and CBE Sir Chris Bonington in attendance, the opening of the space was certainly special.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/mar/Bonnington-1_e.jpg" alt="Sir Chris Bonington (in white) inaugurates the new Himalayan Club space" width="1280" height="720" /> Sir Chris Bonington (in white) inaugurates the new Himalayan Club space
&ldquo;He had been invited for the Himalayan Adventure Festival, and agreed to attend the opening,&rdquo; shared mountaineer Divyesh Muni, vice president of the club. &ldquo;We are looking to build it into a space that adds new media, podcasts to reach out to a younger generation, and spread awareness,&rdquo; added Ketan Jani, honorary secretary.
<h2>Honey! Don&rsquo;t create a buzz</h2>
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/mar/Ajanta-Cave_e.jpg" alt="A view of Cave 26 in Ajanta. Pic Courtesy/Wikimedia Commons" width="1280" height="720" />A view of Cave 26 in Ajanta. Pic Courtesy/Wikimedia Commons
The officials of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) looking after the world-famous caves of <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/news/india-news/article/maharashtra-tourist-footfall-decreases-at-ellora-other-asi-sites-in-chhatrapati-sambhajinagar-23460531" rel="nofollow">Ajanta and Ellora</a> have got more than one bee in their bonnets with visitors who have quite an impressive fragrance routine, apparently. Over the last few weeks, forest officials discovered that visitors to the famed Ajanta Caves in the area were facing attacks from bees. A PTI report stated that forest officials confirmed the presence of three honeycombs &mdash; one near cave 26, and two near cave 10. The solution? Skip the perfume. &ldquo;We have decided to launch an awareness campaign for tourists visiting the Ajanta cave complex. Visitors are advised not to use strong perfumes, as these attract bees. They should also avoid speaking loudly. To spread the message, banners will be put up in the cave area within the next couple of days,&rdquo; the official was quoted in the report.

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

Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

In the name of God

Stirring change in the kitchen

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