<h2>On track in 2026</h2>
<p>Perhaps keeping up with his New Year resolutions, a man performs Surya Namaskar near the railway workshop at Prabhadevi railway station</p>
<h2>A century of change</h2>
<p><img src="http://admin.mid-day.com/images/2026/jan/Del-House_e.jpg" alt="(From left) The first iteration of the Del House; the new plaque commemorating the centennial. Pics Courtesy/Debasish Chakraverty" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>(From left) The first iteration of the Del House; the new plaque commemorating the centennial. Pics Courtesy/Debasish Chakraverty</em></strong></p>
<p>In A city that is constantly undergoing a makeover, a few addresses manage to survive change. For history enthusiast Debasish Chakraverty, the Del House on <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-crime-news/article/mumbai-woman-invites-lover-to-celebrate-new-year-with-her-in-santacruz-attacks-him-with-knife-manhunt-launched-to-nab-suspect-23610235?celebrity-life-pawrenting-article-breakingnews" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Santacruz</a>&rsquo;s Central Avenue is one such place. &ldquo;The first iteration of Del House was a mansion named after Delphine D&rsquo;Sa. It later became the apartments where I grew up in the late 1970s. Over the years, I had spoken to many old residents to learn about the history of the place. When I found out that 2026 marked 100 years of Del House, we thought it would be nice to commemorate it with a plaque,&rdquo; he shared with us.</p>
<h2>Ode to a master</h2>
<p><img src="http://admin.mid-day.com/images/2026/jan/Shanmukhananda_e.jpg" alt="A moment from a previous performance" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>A moment from a previous performance</em></strong></p>
<p>Seventy musicians will join a tribute to Saint Thyagaraja in <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/mumbai-sion-school-swaps-annual-day-glamour-for-real-world-skill-training-23607366" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Sion </a>this evening. Considered to be one of the musical geniuses who laid the foundation of Carnatic music in India, the homage will be hosted at the Sri Shanmukhananda Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi Auditorium, a longstanding cornerstone of the art form in the city. &ldquo;One of the highlights is a rendition of Pancharatna Kritis (five gems), in the ragas Nattai, Gowlai, Arabhi, Varali and Sri, sung in unison,&rdquo; revealed V Shankar, director, Shanmukhananda Fine Arts Society.</p>
<h2>Cocktails on course</h2>
<p><img src="http://admin.mid-day.com/images/2026/jan/Fielia_e.jpg" alt="A view of the the new cocktail space" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>A view of the the new cocktail space</em></strong></p>
<p>The Mahalaxmi Racecourse has a new invite-only cocktail-forward aperitivo bar, Fielia. Designed by Gauri Khan, and helmed by Afsana Verma, Amit Verma, and Dhaval Udeshi, the &lsquo;cinematic and modern design&rsquo; resides inside a newly transformed century-old racecourse mill to mirror the ambience of vintage theatre galleries.</p>
<p><img src="http://admin.mid-day.com/images/2026/jan/Dhaval-Udeshi_e.jpg" alt="Dhaval Udeshi" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Dhaval Udeshi</em></strong></p>
<p>&ldquo;Fielia is meant to be more than a bar,&rdquo; shared Udeshi, Afsana Verma added, &ldquo;The <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/mumbai-mahalaxmi-racecourse-to-transform-into-central-park-indias-tallest-viewing-tower-planned-in-thane-23607859" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Race Course</a> has a certain romance to it &mdash; a history, an aura, a sense of old Bombay that still lingers. For us, it was the perfect setting for a bar that&rsquo;s intentionally intimate and invitation-only.&rdquo; The bar is designed to cater to the concept of cocktail cinema, held up by the cocktails by Fay Barretto, and the indulgent culinary design by chef Hitesh Shanbhag. &nbsp;</p>
<h2>Tagore for Mumbaikars</h2>
<p><img src="http://admin.mid-day.com/images/2026/jan/Shahana-Tagore_e.jpg" alt="Annusree Bonnerjee at a performance. Pic Courtesy/Instagram" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Annusree Bonnerjee at a performance. Pic Courtesy/Instagram</em></strong></p>
<p>The city will welcome a celebration of the cultural legacy of Rabindranath Tagore with Shahana Tagore Centre&rsquo;s Tagore Lit-Arts Fest in February. The two-day festival, in collaboration with PCAAM&rsquo;s Banga Sanskriti Sammelan, will be held on February 20 and 21. From discussions to musical and classical dance performances, the festival promises a new flavour to the city&rsquo;s festivities in 2026. &nbsp;</p>
<h2>Eye on cinema</h2>
<p><img src="http://admin.mid-day.com/images/2026/jan/Asian-Film-Festival_e.jpg" alt="A moment from the film, Sabar Bonda" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>A moment from the film, Sabar Bonda</em></strong></p>
<p>The city is preparing for the 22nd edition of the Third Eye Asian Film Festival that begins on January 9. In addition to films in Marathi, Chinese, Kyrgyz, Japanese, Indonesian, among other languages, the festival will also host screenings of critically acclaimed hits like Sabar Bonda (right), Uttar, and Mayasabha. Readers might want to log on to @thirdeeyeasianfilmfestival for more details.</p>
<h2>White Roses take root in Bandra</h2>
<p><img src="http://admin.mid-day.com/images/2026/jan/White-rose_e.jpg" alt="Heidi Kuhn and Dr Abraham Mathai at the plantation. PIC/BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Heidi Kuhn and Dr Abraham Mathai at the plantation. PIC/BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT</em></strong></p>
<p>On Tuesday morning, the Harmony Foundation in collaboration with St Andrew&rsquo;s College of Arts, Science and Commerce in <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/photo/in-photos-new-skywalk-in-mumbais-bandra-east-nears-completion-features-escalators-modern-staircases-and-improved-access-109018" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Bandra </a>West, launched the White Rose Campaign &mdash; a global peace initiative led by Roots of Peace founder Heidi Kuhn, who is 2023 World Food Prize Laureate. A white rose plantation, symbolising peace and harmony, was also done at St Paul&rsquo;s Institute of Communication Education in Bandra West. USA-based Kuhn spoke about the devastating impact of landmines across nations. Dr Abraham Mathai, founder-chairman, Harmony Foundation referenced current conflicts like Israel-Palestine and Russia-Ukraine, stating these realities remind us that peace is essential to human survival and dignity. It was a moving morning, where hopefully students in attendance realised the importance of &lsquo;rooting for peace&rsquo;. As for Kuhn we learn she has a vision to transform &lsquo;Mines to vines,&rsquo; by replacing deadly landmines with bountiful vineyards. From mines to vines &mdash; pretty fine, one may say.</p>

As city rapidly changes, the century-old Del House on Santacruz’s Central Avenue is remembered for its history, residents’ memories and enduring architecture

Mumbai Diary | Wednesday Dossier: Santacruz’s century-old Del House gets a commemorative plaque

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Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

On track in 2026

A century of change

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