Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

Pic/Bipin Kokate

Hitching a ride

A hawker gives a friendly pooch a lift on his cart at Jama Masjid, near Crawford Market.

Saluting our state's green sentinels

Lesser flamingos at the Thane Creek flamingo sanctuary

Last week, the Mangrove Foundation published a coffee table book titled Bio-Sentinels of Coastal Maharashtra, to mark World Environment Day. The book examines the state's coastal and marine biodiversity, while also highlighting the various sustainable livelihood activities around mangrove areas initiated by the Mangrove Cell and Mangrove Foundation under the Mangrove Conservation and Livelihood Generation Scheme.

Mangroves at Achara, Sindhudurg

"Coastal Maharashtra's pristine beaches, thick mangrove forests and coral reefs are home to several species of flora and fauna - from various species of dolphins and whales to marine invertebrates, migratory birds, and sea turtles, the region's rich biodiversity give it a high potential for eco-tourism. The local communities have always played an important role in conservation.

We have started several livelihood programmes to further involve them in conservation activities and provide alternate sources of income," shared Harshal Karve, a marine biologist associated with the Mangrove Foundation. E-copies of the book can be downloaded from mangroves.maharashtra.gov.

Reading the artistic print

(From left) The cover of the first issue; Tarini Sethi

The Irregular Times, which claims to be India's first art and design newspaper, has launched its very first issue. The idea behind this publication, shared Tarini Sethi, its editor-in-chief, is to both revive print media at a time when art is increasingly turning to digital platforms, and make art and design more accessible. "This newspaper isn't just for artists. It is for everyone. The content is very diverse and written in easy-to-understand language," she told us. The first issue includes a thought piece by conservationist Cara Tejpal, dystopian art by visual artist Anpu Varkey, an anecdotal recipe by chef Pallavi Mithika Menon, and more. You can order your copy at theirregulartimes.com.

Bring her into the fold

In a bid to employ women who have lost their bread-winners to the pandemic, the Tata group has launched their SCIP (Second Careers Inspiring Possibilities) initiative. Through this, women re-entering the workforce or working for the first time will be offered skill development training and career counselling before being placed in appropriate job positions within the Tata group of companies. To register, visit tatasecondcareer.com.

Adieu, Surekha

Pic/Medium

Warm, funny and generous - this is how comrades of Delhi-based communications consultant Surekha Pillai, who lost the battle to Covid-19, remember her. Writer and journalist Nilanjana Roy, who got to know Pillai in 2008-2009 in Delhi, shared, "At a time when forces of hatred are sweeping over India, she embodied real goodness. I wouldn't call her an activist, although she supported a lot of causes; she just put her heart into everything she did. At the [CAA] protests, she made sure to talk to and understand the students. She had the greatest capacity for pragmatic compassion."

Memories of the pandemic

Paro Anand, a Sahitya Akademi Award-winning author, has announced the release of her next book, titled Unmasked. The book, she shared, is about, inspired by and written during the pandemic and contains 19 short stories, in keeping with the Covid-19 virus. "This virus was a common thread that bound us all, while also dividing us in the way we responded to it. These stories reflect that," she said. Sharing that she was deeply moved by a poem written by a 13-year-old at a writing workshop, she has left the 19th chapter to be authored by the reader: "I wanted to offer readers the chance to pen down their own pandemic experience. This will make every copy unique."