Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

Pic/Sneha Kharabe

Put your game face on
Going by this picture, you'd never imagine the vitriol two of Mumbai's most powerful men, (left) CM Devendra Fadnavis and (second from right) Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray spew about each other. Off duty, the CM says a warm hello to the Thackeray vahini, Rashmi, at a celebration to mark a real estate magnet's 50th wedding anniversary on Saturday.

When will you get the GST, Ms De?
While jokes abound about GST being renamed Government Self-promotion Tax, author and columnist Shobhaa De did her bit to add a touch of humour to Twitter timelines. She posted a photo of a bill at Chennai's Murugan Idli Shop, with the caption 'GST ke side effects. Unaffordable idlis'. What cracked people up was the fact that De may have mentioned idlis and even visited a place known for the South Indian favourite, but she actually ate only Ghee Pongal.

A copy of the bill

Others advised her to brush up on her math, and to stop grumbling about a Rs 13 tax on just an '88 bill. Our favourite was a follower who told her to 'Enjoy homemade GST-Free idlis and stop whining'.

(From left) Dr YV Reddy, Ashok Shankar Ganguly, Viral Acharya and Amish Tripathi at the launch. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

An economist looks back
In 2008, in the face of the financial meltdown, India managed to stay afloat, thanks to the policies of former RBI governor, Dr Y V Reddy. But before the policies proved useful, they were met with opposition. These and many other stories from the economically significant years (2003 to 2008) were discussed at the launch of Dr Reddy's book, Advice & Dissent - My Life in Policy Making, over the weekend. A panel discussion organised by the Asia Society India Centre as part the event, saw participation from Viral Acharya, deputy governor, RBI; Dr Ashok Shekhar Ganguly, former director of the Central Board, RBI; former CAG Vinod Rai and author Amish Tripathi, in the presence of the who's who of the financial sector.

Now, an online feminist library
Need to update your feminist vocabulary? We've found a new resource to help you out. Zubaan Books, in an effort to make feminist knowledge and academic research more accessible, has introduced the e-Essays project. It offers Zubaan's individual essays in e-format, all for under Rs 100. The initial months of this pilot programme, on the 1st, 11th and 21st of every month, will feature a collection of three essays. This month's e-essays are quite fascinating, focusing on Indian women's movements. We are particularly keen to read Restoring Order in Manipur: The Drama of Contemporary Women's Protests by scholar Deepti Priya Mehrotra, which looks at how two protests in Manipur by women, including Irom Sharmila (in pic), brought to national attention the brutalities committed under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act.

A platform for Bollywood
Who says PSAs at railway stations can't be witty? A Twitter user posted a series of pictures he took at Howrah station in West Bengal, each carrying an iconic still from popular Bollywood films. One had a picture of Gabbar from Sholay, warning people of the Rs 500 fine for littering, with a play on the iconic dialogue from the movie.

Pics Courtesy/Scyhlops on Twitter

Another was a poster of Amitabh Bachchan and Shashi Kapoor in Deewaar, which spoke about paan and had the quip: "Deewar par mat thukna". Our favourite was the DDLJ scene featuring Simran running alongside the train towards Raj as he extends his hand out to pull her in. The message read: "Ja Simran Ja. Platform bhi saaf rakhte hue ja." We hope the copywriter got a well-deserved promotion.

Pic Courtesy/Sonali Bendre on Twitter

Universal favourite
Who doesn't love Orlando's Universal Studios? The latest to fall under its charms is actress Sonali Bendre Behl, who recently tweeted a picture at the entertainment destination, with the caption, 'A magical experience is made even more special when it's shared with the ones you love.' The loved ones in the frame included Hrithik and Sussanne Khan and their children, and Gayatri Joshi. Bendre is on a vacation with her kids, and had earlier shared a picture of the family at Walt Disney World.