<h2>Drumming up the festivities</h2>
<p>Bands practice with the dhol tasha ahead of Gudi Padwa near the Western Express Highway at Vile Parle East.</p>
<h2>The young and the talented</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/apr/SOI-Choir_e.jpg" alt="The SOI Academy Choir and Percussion Ensemble" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>The SOI Academy Choir and Percussion Ensemble</em></strong></p>
<p>The young talents from the Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI) Music Academy&rsquo;s choir and percussion ensemble had a gala time performing at the Museum of Solutions last weekend. &ldquo;We try to promote Western Classical music among younger audiences,&rdquo; shared head teacher, SOI Academy, Margarita Gapparova. The kids from the orchestra will return to action for their annual concert next weekend at the NCPA.</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/apr/Orchestra_e.jpg" alt="The academy orchestra with (centre standing) director Marat Bisengaliev" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>The academy orchestra with (centre standing) director Marat Bisengaliev</em></strong></p>
<p>&ldquo;It will feature the children&rsquo;s orchestra from the academy accompanied by the SOI orchestra. Many of the students are between the ages of seven and 18,&rdquo; she added. Among them will be 12-year-old from The Golden Spiral School, Kiyaan Engineer, the only French horn player in the academy, who said, &ldquo;I just feel very lucky to be part of it.&rdquo;</p>
<h2>Look who opened for Hannah</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/apr/Urooj-AShfaq_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>After her big win at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival last year, Urooj Ashfaq (inset) is making a splash at the ongoing Melbourne International Comedy Festival. She opened for Emmy Award-winner Hannah Gadsby at the festival. &ldquo;I was just working on my shows when they got in touch with me asking if I&rsquo;d like to open for them. It was a wonderful experience,&rdquo; she said. Describing her meeting with Gadsby, Ashfaq noted, &ldquo;They were very supportive, and encouraging.&rdquo; Ashfaq also hopes to do an Indian tour on her return next week.</p>
<h2>Patil puts India on the French stage</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/apr/Archis-Patil-a_e.jpg" alt="Patil executes  a move" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Patil executes &nbsp;a move</em></strong></p>
<p>Never tell Archis Patil that freestyle is not football. Having participated in global tournaments for a decade, Patil is set to make another attempt to change the perception of the art in India with his showcase at the World Freestyle Football Association event in France come August. &ldquo;I will be part of the battles, musicality and show flow this time,&rdquo; he told this diarist. The challenge, Patil revealed, is beyond titles. &ldquo;I am adding a lot more Indian style into my moves, whether that is in the way I balance myself, my poses or the juggling moves. I want to showcase our own ideas and culture on the global stage,&rdquo; he said.</p>
<h2>Racing to great heights</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/apr/Malesh-Narredu_e.jpg" alt="Season&rsquo;s special for trainer Malesh Narredu	" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Season&rsquo;s special for trainer Malesh Narredu</em></strong></p>
<p>It&rsquo;s a wrap for the Mumbai racing season. The curtains fell on a sizzler of a season, the past weekend. Seasoned trainer Malesh Narredu told this diarist at a party, part of the season&rsquo;s sign off, &ldquo;The Narredu family has had a sterling season. God has been kind,&rdquo; added Narredu graciously. The highlight for the professional was winning the Indian Derby with his son Yash, in the jockey&rsquo;s saddle. &ldquo;Two months later, I still have to pinch myself. It is a dream,&rdquo; he shared, with a grin and reminded us, &ldquo;There have been other Narredu family wins, group races and Classics In Mumbai. The season has given us reason to smile,&rdquo; he said. The horses will move to Pune where racing action will begin in approximately 2.5 months. The Narredus will be hoping to give life to the adage: &lsquo;Pune tithe kaayi une&rsquo; translated as &lsquo;There is no dearth of anything in Pune&rsquo;. &nbsp;For the Narredus, there is no dearth in winning races.</p>
<h2>When Kargil came calling</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/apr/Kargil-shooting-1_e.jpg" alt="Jayesh Banatwala, Jagdish Bhat, Shoyon Titina and Deshmukh before their departure to Kargil" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Jayesh Banatwala, Jagdish Bhat, Shoyon Titina and Deshmukh before their departure to Kargil</em></strong></p>
<p>The Mumbai Amateur Radio Institute (MARI) received the rare honour of being the first amateur radio club in the country to be selected for an invitation by the Indian Army. A team of four members including Shoyon Titina, Jagdish Bhat, Jayesh Banatwala and Shailesh Deshmukh have been invited to the Forever in Operations Division and the Indian Military and Department of Telecommunications (DOT) to broadcast from a base at Kargil to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Indian victory.</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/apr/Kargil-shooting-2_e.jpg" alt="The set-up for a ham radio broadcast from a previous session" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>The set-up for a ham radio broadcast from a previous session</em></strong></p>
<p>&ldquo;This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Vijay Diwas. To commemorate it, we will operate from 30,000 ft and talk about the battles and the sacrifices of the soldiers during this war,&rdquo; shared chairman Shailesh Deshmukh. Having landed in Leh on Monday, Deshmukh shared, &ldquo;None of us have had the experience of setting up operations at such an altitude. We will need to work on some research, and face new challenges,&rdquo; he admitted. With over 120 kg of equipment in tow, the team will begin their broadcast on April 11 to a special callsign AT25KVD.</p><p>
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