Mumbai Diary: Saturday Dossier

Who's the real Mccoy?
The wax statue of Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale inaugurated by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at Sahyadri Guesthouse on Friday looks every bit like the politician. Now, go figure who's who. Pic/Atul Kamble

Comedy at its best
It is frames like these that warm the cockles of our heart. Apart from his rib-tickling gags, Delhi-based stand-up comedian Papa CJ is also known for his happiness project, where he takes his acts to NGOs to perform for free. In a slight departure from the structure, CJ flew down to Mumbai to visit his childhood friends' father at the Parsi General Hospital. "I insisted on performing for uncle in his room. The smile on his face while I performed for that audience of two was the inspiration for the project this year," he said. Laughter indeed is the best medicine.

Let them eat cake
Royal weddings seem to have moved on with times. The Instagram account of the British royal family has constantly been uploading little details about the wedding of Prince Harry and actor Meghan Markle, set to happen today, much like a lifestyle blogger would.

One such detail that piqued the food writers' clan in the newsroom was the royal wedding cake, made with 200 Amalfi lemons, 500 organic eggs from Suffolk, 20kg of butter, 20kg of flour, 20kg of sugar and 10 bottles of Sadringham elderflower cordial. Keen on baking your own?

Past perfect stage
Imagine the setting. It's 1853 and Mumbai, then Bombay, is brimming with news and newsmakers. "The year 1853 was fascinating for Bombay. Professor Naoroji became a professor of Elphinstone College, Bombay Gas Company came up, the telegraph system was being planned..." says Murali Ranganathan at an engaging session by Mumbai Local. The researcher, historian and writer regaled an attentive audience at SoBo bookstore, Kitab Khana, with interesting anecdotes from a different time. He even read from a riveting review of an Indian performance that was printed in February 1853.

As real as it gets
Keeping up with the theme of wax statues, look what Mr Funny, Jose Covaco, found at Mumbai airport. "Never seen anything like it. So real it feels like he's actually sitting there. Incredible detail," said Covaco, speaking of a sculpture of Gandhi installed in a retail outlet that stocks khadi products at the airport's Terminal 1. Covaco isn't wrong. The detailing truly is impeccable and worthy enough to put something from Madame Tussauds to shame.

India booked
The diversity of India is such that it feels like you are travelling from one country to another if you travel from the Northeast to Rajasthan. Now, a new book, Hidden India, captures the essence of its different geographical features, history, and flora and fauna in a pictorial and autobiographical manner. The book is a joint effort between two cousins, Shloka and Latika Nath. Shloka provides the text content, merging her own interpretation of India with a larger context of protecting natural resources. Latika, on the other hand, captured the accompanying images, which make for a striking pictorial account of the country's myriad facets. It's a tad pricey though, tagged at Rs 10,000. But then again, some might argue that any bona fide documentation of our country's contours is priceless.

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