Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

Sea-Ze The Day

Lensman and Sufi poet Firoze Shakir (right) takes a moment during his morning walk at Bandstand, Bandra. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

Swimkhanas take over gymkhanas

Through all the pandemic problems and now power and water outage outrage, city slickers are still finding a way to chortle and chuckle. With SoBo submerged after last week's downpour, a video that reached this diarist revealed a submerged Parsi Gymkhana on Marine Drive.

The commentary goes, "New boating facilities at Parsi Gymkhana. This is the new Parsi Talao. All are welcome for a monthly rental of R100. Bring your personal boat. This is the end of cricket, and now, we will have the boating season…" Fierce floods cannot wash away our spirit, or falling trees crack our funny bone.

Step into Masterji's masterclass

Last month, Saroj Khan passed away leaving behind an important and groundbreaking legacy - from being the recipient of the most number of National Film Awards for Best Choreography to having a Filmfare award instituted in her honour post her work on Tezaab's Ek Do Teen which acquired cult status. This legacy will be the subject of the inaugural episode of a series titled MasterConnect by Craqit, an online platform empowering creatives.

The session that releases on August 16, features Khan in conversation with host Prabhjot Singh, talking about her journey from being a child artiste to Masterji. As part of the series, Singh also invites a young professional artiste to share their work with veterans. He tells us the episode with Khan was filmed back in June. "She spoke about dance with zeal - addressing how difficult it is for an artiste to survive as a dancer in Bollywood to how the industry changed over time," he said.

State salute for mangroves

Did you know that the mangrove species Sonneratia alba, which is found across the state coastline, has white flowers and bears an edible fruit? The species has been picked as Maharashtra's state mangrove tree, making it the only Indian state to do so. The reason, Virendra Tiwari, additional principal chief conservator of forests (mang-rove cell) and executive director of Mangrove Foundation, tells us is to promote awareness.

"While people are aware about Avicennia marina and Rhizophora mucronata species, not many know about Sonneratia alba," he said. As it is an evergreen species that prevents soil erosion and has an aesthetic value, it was chosen from 20 mangrove species in Maharashtra by the State Board for Wildlife, he explained.

Mumbai on wheels

Since the 17th century, the city's diverse transport systems have boosted its development. Fans of transport history, the Asiatic Society of Mumbai is launching a 10-day lecture series today, which will be inaugurated by state minister of higher education, Uday Samant.

"We'll look at transport from a historic and contemporary lens. From tramways to the BEST, Metro, and railways, the city wouldn't be what it is if not for its transport system," shared Dr Shehernaz Nalwalla, chairperson, Mumbai Research Centre.

Don't ignore that move

A survey by awareness enterprise Be.artsy, among 1,200 participants across India, has revealed that up to 50 per cent men and 32 per cent women are unaware that requests for sexual favours constitute sexual harassment. Up to 37 per cent men and 26 per cent women don't know that circumstances like coercion by threats/benefits in exchange for sexual favours are crucial in determining the crime.

The results of the survey, which was conducted in March, were released recently, and found physical acts of violence were more easily identified. While 57 per cent women and 17 per cent men said they were survivors, the study pointed out that redressal mechanisms don't inspire confidence. Looks like we have a long road ahead to ensure the problem is eliminated.

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