Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

Pic/Anurag Ahire.

Will the slow and steady win this race?
Two men jog beside a herd of cows at Aarey Milk Colony over the weekend.

Takeaway to Mysore

Mukesh Ambani at Café Mysore, which he has stated is his favourite restauarant. File pic

Cafe Mysore in Matunga is an absolute institution when it comes to South Indian food in Mumbai. Started in 1936, it's one of the oldest running restaurants in the city that serves food from that region. But to keep up with the times, the place has now started a new service of curbside pick-ups of order. Vijay Kamble, an attendant at the eatery, told this diarist, "People first have to place an order on our website, where they have to make their payment and leave a phone number. We will call them when the order is ready, and they can then pick the food up from in front of a bus stop on Bhau Daji Road that's next to Maheshwar Garden." That takes care of any parking hassles customers might face, so log on to cafemysore.com to make the most of it.

Salute, Sniffer Spike

Pic/Twitter

They may be man's best friend but dogs are to the police what Dr Watson is to Sherlock Holmes. That's why when it was time for Sniffer Spike, a canine who served the Nashik Police for 11 years, to retire, the force gave him a fitting farewell. Spike was given a seat on the bonnet of a police jeep, and a garland was tied around his neck. He was surrounded by red roses, and red and white balloons. As the jeep was driven slowly, officers stood at either side of it and gave the canine a round of applause. Home Minister of Maharashtra Anil Deshmukh shared the video on Twitter, saluting the labrador, who contributed "immensely in detecting explosives", for his service to the nation. The video went viral, of course. Who can resist saying "aww"?

Looking at the year gone by

Lockdown Series 2020 by Santosh Jain. Pics courtesy/Tao Art Gallery

If you're looking to explore art that particularly reflects the day and age we live in, you can certainly make a stop at Worli's Tao Art Gallery. Its creative director Sanjana Shah (in pic) has a penchant for staying relevant. Only last October, she put together a virtual showcase delving into what ‘home' really means. Now, as we approach the first anniversary of the pandemic's arrival in India, the gallery is asking viewers to contemplate on what unfolded in its upcoming show.

The exhibition titled Gaze, Reflect & Gather opens on March 6. It features works by 10 artists including city-based Akshita Gandhi and Illesha Khandelwal. "The artworks reflect the way we deal with the cards we've been dealt with, how we make sense of the absurd and how it all comes together beautifully in the end to prove the point that the only thing certain in life is uncertainty," Shah told this diarist.

Big win for Indian non-profit

In 2015, the Stop Slavery Award was instituted by the Thomson Reuters Foundation in collaboration with Turner Prize-winning artist Anish Kapoor as well as in consultation with leaders in the anti-slavery domain. The award comprises eight categories including the Impact Award, which is conferred on organisations who have successfully created a positive impact in the fight against slavery via policy or legislation. And we're happy to report that Kolkata-based non-profit Sanjog has received it this year. Commenting on the honour, executive director Uma Chatterjee (in pic), shared, "Trafficked survivors continue to have to negotiate and fight their way through the corridors of justice, many times without being successful. So this award is about how we are making sure that these negotiations and efforts of those women, men and children are successful. I feel proud and fulfilled that our work is being recognised and celebrated today."

Truckloads of fun

Mrinmai Parab and Lance Lewis

Andheri seems to have a new spot of cheer in these gloomy times, with the addition of a food truck - A Hot Tin Roof - that's parked itself at Vicino Mall on New Link Road. In sync with the rise in demand for grab-and-go meals, thanks to the rising cases, the truck offers the eternal quick fix - sandwiches, from across the world, be it a katsu from Japan or the aamchi Bombay sandwich. Co-founder Lance Lewis shared that the truck allows more flexibility. "It also works as a delivery kitchen, and helps us reach more people." Smart move.