Mumbai Diary: Sunday Dossier

Getting the VIP treatment
(From left) Asha Bhosle's daughter-in-law Anuja and Dr Anjali Tendulkar on their way to the Bandra store launch of Bhosle's granddaughter Zanai (in black). Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

Karnam Sekar

Forest Gumps
This Sunday morning, Aarey Colony in Goregaon will see four SBI managing directors undertake a seven kilometre long "nature walk" with a view to promote sustainability. The walk will be conducted under the supervision of experts from Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS). This event is first among the series of activities that the bank has planned this year to increase awareness on sustainability among its staff and stakeholders. This is also the first time the top brass management have personally involved themselves in a project of this sort.

PK Gupta

The four MDs who will be participating are Rajnish Kumar, B. Sriram, DK Khara and PK Gupta. "Nature walk helps you experience the beauty of the forest and better appreciate the privilege that we enjoy. The objective of the walk is to help build that awareness," Gupta said. "When we interact with nature, we are able to appreciate and value its bounty. A walk in the forest will help reinforce the importance of sustaining the environment,' said Karnam Sekar, deputy managing director.

Coastal callings
Riyas Komu, one of the co-founders of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, is busy in Kochi with another project. He has turned curator for the inaugural exhibition of URU Art Harbour, a cultural hub situated in Mattanchery. The exhibition is named after this very neighbourhood in Kochi and Komu has chosen artists to respond to "the premise, the place and the people".

"I have been in Kochi for the most part of the last seven years. But in all this time it was Mattancherry that attracted me, not because of its 'glorious past' but because of the spirit of that place," he says. Meanwhile, the artist is also spending time on Serendipity Arts Festival, which debuted last year in Goa. While the focus continues to be on young Indian artists, Komu says this year there is likely to be a Portuguese artist as well, considering the connect between Goa and Portugal.

Daadu Dolma

Join 'Daadu' on a book trip to India
With India in the throes of celebrating 70 years since the tiranga unfurled at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the excitement in the publishing world is already palpable. The sudden spurt in books related to the freedom struggle, what caught this diarist's attention was Puffin India's Discover India series for kids, which releases on August 15. The series, which comprises 29 books, on each state of India, will see the wise and witty Daadu Dolma traverse the country with puzzles, crosswords and dozens of other activities. The idea, the publishers tell us, is to familiarise kids with the culture, geographical features, history and famous personalities of each state.

Imtiaz Khatri with actor Sooraj Pancholi

Batting for a cause
Producer and cricket enthusiast Imtiaz Khatri has decided to take his love for the sport a notch up. This September, he will roll out a new cricket league called INK Cricket Blast in the city. The revenue generated will be donated to the cause of cancer patients. "I am passionate about sports and fitness, and want to promote good talent in the field.

The aim is also to help maximum cancer patients," says Khatri, who has roped in actors Pooja Hegde, Adaah Sharma and Sooraj Pancholi to lend support to the initiative.

Fred Trueman

This wasn't true, Trueman!
Fred Trueman was a truly great England fast bowler. The first man to reach 300 Test wickets was also a great 'I specialist' in a funny way. We stumbled upon a 1970s talk show on YouTube featuring Trueman and heard him criticise the then current England pacemen Bob Willis and John Lever's long run-ups.

"Christ, I don't go that far on my holidays," he said. That caused a good amount of chuckles from the audience. Trueman, in his quest to further humour his audience, described the tailend batting of his Yorkshire colleague Michael J Cowan against the West Indies in 1963. Cowan may have been a rabbit with the bat, but Trueman didn't have to say that Cowan took guard for the first time in his life against the West Indies.

Trueman also didn't have to make up this story. He could have come up with another anecdote which was true. The record books show that Cowans didn't feature in this game at all. How could he? He had played his last match for his beloved county the season before.

Looks like Trueman loved telling fairytales. A character nonetheless.