Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

Pic/Satej Shinde

Fare and lovely

Varun Dhawan turns auto rickshaw wallah for Shraddha Kapoor during promotions for their upcoming film in Andheri on Wednesday. Pic/Satej Shinde

A safe haven

Andy Kumar is a man who wears many hats. Having first gained popularity as VJ Andy hosting television shows, he later went on to act in films, did a cameo in a web series, took part in Bigg Boss, and even became an investor in a quick-service restaurant. Now, he's assuming yet another role.

The UK-born Kumar is launching a club night called Dirty Little Secret, meant for the LGBTQ+ community, of which he is a member. Talking about the initiative, he told this diarist, "I've always wanted to do a club night and so when the opportunity arose, I grabbed it. I want Dirty Little Secret to be a place where LGBTQ+ people can come and be who they want to be. And all well-wishers of the community are also welcome."

Flower power in Mumbai

In a world where ancient traditions are often destroyed or forgotten, it is always refreshing to see those who make room for it. The history of ikebana or the art of flower arrangements in Japan can be traced back to the 7 AD. And Mumbaikars are certainly warming up to it. The Mumbai Sogetsu Ikebana Branch conducted an ikebana and ballet programme at St Andrew's Auditorium recently that was helmed by director Renu Saraf and Madhu Jhunjhunwala.

The city-based branch was founded in 1979 and conducts ikebana workshops and demonstrations; (from left) Mario Sonsini, Michio Harada, Rajashreeji Birla, Renu N Saraf, Amlaji Ruia and Madhu Jhunjhunwala

An international master Mario Sonsini of Italy did the ikebana demonstration. The chief guest in attendance was Rajashree Birla while the guests of honour were Amlaji Ruia and Michio Harada, Consul General of Japan. Flower and ballet lovers attended the function. Unique styles of ikebana flower arrangements were displayed at the venue. Elaborating on the grand success, Saraf told this diarist, "We had bamboo installations on stage combined with light, sound and special effects. The Consul General was surprised as soon as the curtains opened. It was the first time that something of this scale related to ikebana was done in Mumbai, or even in the country. After the event, Amlaji Ruia sent us beautiful bamboos to work with as well."

We'll take the sports, please

A travel booking site recently revealed in its survey that Indian sport fans (in the age group of 18 to 29) will go a long way (literally and metaphorically) for a sporting event. As many as 42 per cent may even cancel a honeymoon for it.

This isn't all, the survey results have other interesting revelations like 82 per cent of the respondents travelling between one and five times a year for a sporting event. A whopping 41 per cent would rather lose a job than the chance to watch an event live. Assuming the numbers here are skewed towards men, could we have the television remotes back please?

Prateek's taken

If you've been listening to Prateek Kuhad's music and wondering who could have inspired his love-struck yet sad lyrics, then he may have revealed the answer with his latest Instagram post. He has just announced that he's in a relationship, posting pictures with his bae, gynaecologist Niharika Thakur. The post is captioned, "Got a few days off the middle of my tour to go back and see my love. Missing you already @dr.niharika...!"

And it comprises a few pictures of the couple stealing some alone time. The comments section has girls declaring how upset yet happy they are, with someone even writing, "I'm crying because you are the one lucky girl in the whole wide world." On her part, Kuhad's object of affection, who's a stunning gynaecologist, commented, "You're my whole heart." Even actor Rahul Khanna posted a high-five emoji. The question, though, is, will Kuhad's melancholic tunes now take on a happier note?

This meme has taken flight

Dad jokes are classic but thanks to Twitter, a new one has got people all over the world - from those who run meme accounts to celebrities - hooked. The template is based on a medical emergency taking place in a flight, and a parent disappointed with you and your career choices. The attendant asks if there's a doctor on the flight and basically "dad" picks on you, saying, "That should've been you."

So, it's got personalities from different fields imagining how their dads would react. Vir Das, for instance, tweeted, "Flight attendant: Is there a doctor on this flight? Dad: 'nudging me' that should've been you. Me: Not now Dad. Dad: Not asking for a comic, are they? Me: I got an honorary doctorate last year. Dad: Go see! Maybe he's just honorarily dying."

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