Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

Valmik Thapar with master painters Gajanand Singh and Narayan Singh who created art works at Ranthambhore railway station, an initiative by Thapar

Valmik Thapar's day out with the tigers
Valmik Thapar first went to Ranthambhore in 1976, as a 23-year-old. He was a city boy and unsure of what lay ahead. When he entered the forest, which would go on to become one of the last strongholds of wild tigers, it had a profound effect on him, changing his life forever. For the next 40 years, he studied nearly 200 Ranthambhore tigers. Of the many he observed, a few became special, and it is these that are brought to life in a new title, Living with Tigers.

They include Padmini, the Queen Mother, the first tiger the author got to know well; Genghis, the master predator, who invented a way of killing prey in water, the first time this had been observed anywhere in the world; Noon, one of his all-time favourites, who received her name because she was most active at noon, Laxmi, a devoted mother, whose methods of raising her cubs revolutionised tiger studies; Machli, Ranthambhore's star, and many other striped beauties. A roaring bestseller, this.

Mall soccer league, really?
Some developments manage to leave us baffled. News of a being held at a city mall had us wonder which side of the fence we were on. While it is a positive sign that malls, known as shopping havens, are encouraging sport, we wonder if the lack of quality open spaces has resulted in such ideas. The football facility in the mall is available for a steep rent in other times, we hear. It had us wonder where the future Ronaldos of India will practice the beautiful game.

It wasn't me!
Like a pesky fly that refuses to go away, Whatsapp continues to buzz with a message from celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar, whose weight-loss wisdom, ‘eat what your daadi (granny) ate' is encapsulated in a slew of books with titles like Lose your Weight, Don't lose your Mind.

Kareena Kapoor with Rujuta Diwekar at the release of her book

This particular message was making its rounds on cellphones in the middle of the year. That seemed to have died down post July, but, once again, many phones are abuzz with this message, purporting to be from Rujuta Divekar.

A long message sharing points about Rujuta's weight loss philosophy were posted. Here's an example ‘Eat Local fruits. Like Banana, Grapes, Chikoo, Mangoes. All fruits have Fructose so it doesnt matter that u r eating a mango over an Apple. A Mango comes from Konkan n Apple from Kashmir. So Mango is more local to u.'

Such was the pervasive nature of these messages that it created a flutter in the fitness community. When this diarist contacted Diwekar for a comment, she didn't respond to calls seeking comment. Instead, she pointed out to her official Facebook page that read: "If I want to give out messages or tips, I will do so from my verified FB account, like I always do. And not as a Whats App forward." The message sounds like one Rujuta would frame. But, if the lady says no, it is no.

Poonam Pandey's soap opera

Pic/Nimesh Dave

The actress poses for the shutterbugs inside a bathtub as part of a promotional activity for her upcoming film in Andheri.

Goddess in the making
Artists are busy creating goddess Durga and other celestial idols for North Bombay Sarbojanin Durga Puja Samiti, one of the oldest puja mandals in the city, now in its 69th year.

Artists at work. Pic/Datta Kumbhar

It's being spearheaded by actors Sharbani Mukherjee and Bappa Lahiri, who has taken over the mantle from his father, Bappida. For the five-day festivities that begin on October 7, the idol will be installed at a Juhu five-star and later, immersed with the help of a fork lift and crane, the only one in the city to do so.

Cupcakes with a difference
Yesterday, a team from KidZania landed up at Ahura Support in Gamdevi to invite special kids at the Parsi NGO, with a box of cupcakes. These had invites to their indoor theme park to celebrate their third anniversary.

Kids at Ahura Support relish cupcakes. Pic/Datta Kumbhar

This gives the kids a pass to try their hand at making desserts in a makeshift or play the role of a director, fashion designer, RJ or even a dabbawala. The team also visited the old-age home at FS Parekh Dharamshala (run by the Bombay Parsi Panchayat) to share 100 customised cupcakes with seniors who ended up reliving their kiddie days. A case of sweet memories, indeed.