30 June,2023 07:00 AM IST | Mumbai | Team mid-day
Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
Nauvari-clad ticket collectors pose for a picture with their male colleague in front of the Vande Bharat train at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus
Paul Abraham and Shobita Punja. Pic courtesy/Jaipur Visarat Foundation
Not all those who strive for history need to be Indiana Jones. Dr Shobita Punja's demise on June 28 brings the curtain down on a chapter that strived for and sought the truth behind the complex, multi-dimensional history of the Indian Subcontinent. Over the span of her career, Dr Punja authored 15 books, including her last, A New History of India alongside Rudrangshu Mukherjee and Toby Sinclair. "Till the end, her life was a constant quest to understand the cultural and historical context," remarked Paul Abraham (below), founder of Sarmaya Foundation. It was at an online meet to discuss the ideas of the book in May that Abraham last interacted with Dr Punja. "She was prolific and an extremely sensitive historian who has helped us to understand our past. Her search was to ground history with facts from all the sources possible whether they are cultural, artistic, or historical references," he shared. Her last work stands testament to that, he revealed. "The book runs through the history of India, its anthropology, geology, historical context of society formation and epochs and eras. In each of them, she would pick out factual nuggets sourced out from research, highlighted in boxes alongside the chapters. Now, that is very special," Abraham said.
Co-founder Anwar Khan on video call while Anannya Nautiyal (left) accepts the certificate from Ramesh Sippy
Applauding the work of Pawasana - Yoga for a cause, a socially-led city-based organisation, Media and Entertainment Skill Council (MESC) awarded them an appreciation certificate on June 28. Co-founder of Pawasana, Anannya Nautiyal revealed, "We felt so honoured when we got a call from MESC. The fact that they knew about our work around animal adoption is a bigger achievement for us." Filmmaker Ramesh Sippy, chairman, MESC, handed Nautiyal the certificate. "I got a chance to click a picture with Sippy sir after the ceremony. I barely mustered the courage to say, "Hello sir, I am a big fan". That's it," she laughed.
A recent encounter by comedian Aditi Mittal (below) left her wondering, "What is the value of art? Is it the applause after a performance? Or does the value depend on money?" After a successful show at London's Soho Theatre, Mittal recounted thanking the audience while standing outside the theatre.
"I felt fantastic after performing in front of a huge crowd after a long time since the lockdown, so I stood out to thank everyone who was leaving. A homeless man approached me for some change. Because I was busy, I dismissed him with a âno'. But he then told me "I'll give you my painting in exchange for money." That I thought was a fair bargain and could not ignore him anymore," the stand-up comic recalled. She brought back her souvenir (above). "It is right now on my desk. I have kept it safely," Mittal signed off.
When the roads seem as slippery as an eel/And walking on footpaths is as precarious as balancing on a banana peel/Watch out, be careful to yourself you mutter/Yet, it is possible you may break your leg in this gutter. This open drain or gutter is a straight invitation to visit the medical facility. It stands near a busy Prabhadevi crossroad, opposite a cake shop and beside a building which houses offices where substantial number of pedestrians use the pavement. We fail to understand why it cannot be covered as it is dangerous. Though it does not seem very deep, a little child may fall straight into this cavity. An adult may break a limb. If one cannot cover it (that itself is inexcusable), at least install a warning signage, a little red flag on a pole to alert passersby about it. The danger is compounded late evenings and nights when visibility dips. Clearly, monsoon mishaps don't teach our local representatives anything. This brings out the sarcastic poet in this diarist, as things go from bad to worse, or since we are talking about poetry, should that be verse?
Liferarian team with Pramod Pardeshi (third from left) and village elders
Mahim-based non-profit organisation, Liferarian Association recently opened a new library and community hall in Dhamakwadi, a small village near Igatpuri. Co-founder Kuntal Bhandare told this diarist, "We are a team of educators who fund small libraries through our course programmes and conferences. Pramod Pardeshi, the village's Zilla Parishad teacher, informed us about the lack of a reading space. So, with the help of the villagers, we built this library to promote education."
