Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

Pic/Satej Shinde

Love on wheels

From atop a children's double-decker London bus at Ghatkopar's R City Mall, a woman holds her man's hand

Say cheese

Mansi Jasani, cheese-maker and cheese-monger who runs The Cheese Collective, is now the first Indian to be part of the Guilde Internationale Des Fromages (the International Guild of Cheese). The guild aims to promote people working with dairy products worldwide and maintain cheese traditions in a modern world. The cheese expert was inducted at the 588th gala dinner in Paris where the setting, she said, felt grand and regal. Mumbai-based Jasani is not only representing India on a prestigious platform, she's also putting Indian cheese on the world map. As one of the 24 inductees, she said, "I'm so humbled to be part of the guild where world experts on cheese work together." What's next? Jasani said, "I'll be continuing The Cheese Collective journey by promoting indigenous cheese in India and across the world." She was also the first Indian judge and part of the super-jury at the World Cheese Awards in 2021.

Blabber away

The European aesthetic of working from a quaint café is something we missed during the lockdown. But with eateries operating at 100 per cent capacity again, the western suburbs have a new entrant that serves the purpose. Blabber - the name denotes spirited chatter - is a café-cum-bar at Borivali. Co-founder Kedarnath Shetty told this diarist, "I grew up here, and I always wanted the area to have a space where people can chill. At Blabber, this want has been paired with the youthful energy of a Parisian café." Tied together by a common mood board, the 4,000 sq-ft joint has a coffee shop on the ground floor and a bar above it. The restaurant specialises in Pan-Asian food, but also serves Italian and Mediterranean dishes. However, the special attraction isn't just the al-fresco dining, metal fixtures, plush velvet upholstery or bare vintage brick walls - Shetty shared that they have a coffee-printing machine that can print your face on a frothy cuppa.

Rising from The Ashes

A new book on cricket chronicles the historic contest between England and Australia - The Ashes. Titled The Ashes: This Thing Can Be Done, the book features more than 1,000 illustrations that take readers through the birth of the Ashes in 1882, the Invincibles Tour of 1948, and the miracle at Headingley in 1981. Apart from the detailed illustrations by Soumya Ganesh, it packs in researched commentary by Arunabha Sengupta (in pic) that we reckon will make for a compelling read. Cricket fans, are you listening?

For the simple joy of reading

They say it takes a minimum of 21 days to form a habit. Myth or not, those who have tried to rebuild their reading habit, but to no avail, can give this challenge a shot. Readathon has been organised by Kashmir-based BookLeaf Publishing. There are 50 slots and once participants register, their reading time will be clocked on a time-tracking portal. "Switch the portal on when you start reading. Participants need to read for at least an hour daily for 21 days in a row. We wanted to do something for reader groups on the Internet. As an avid reader, I know what it will mean to them," shared Shivangi Verma, co-founder of the publishing house. There's more - 15 participants, who make it to the last leg of the challenge, will get a certificate, a bookshelf with handpicked books, and The 21st Century Jane Austen Reader's Award. If you wish to sign up, head to bookleafpub.in.

Big win for mid-day journo

In a world where mental health continues to be a taboo and those living with it are routinely villainised, we are pleased as punch to share that an impactful series by mid-day's Special Investigations Editor, Vinod Kumar Menon, has won the SCARF Media for Mental Health Awards 2021, in the English category. The stories highlighted the rights and challenges of a woman with mental illness who struggled to gain custody of her child in December 2020. The woman from Bihar overcame mental illness under Ramon Magsaysay Award-winner Dr Bharat Vatwani's care, only to find that an influential Bollywood director, who had been fostering her child, wouldn't let go of him. "A feeding baby cannot be separated from the biological mother. Moreover, it's important for the mother to be with the child for her steady recovery," shared Menon, adding, "Our reportage created a major public outcry and support for the mother, and finally, justice prevailed. This award is significant because it creates awareness and encourages reportage on mental health." We say kudos.