Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

Pic/Satej Shinde

You are my sunshine

A couple on Aksa Beach in Malad takes shelter under a dupatta to avoid the direct heat of the sun.

There is a solution in a pot

A boy with a lobster pot in California. Pic Courtesy/Ganesh Nakhawa

Seventh-generation Koli Ganesh Nakhawa, who runs BluCatch - a platform that connects people to fresh and seasonal fish in Mumbai, was recently in California, US. During his visit to some of the fishing harbours there, he was pleasantly surprised to spot lobster pots or traps. "In lobster pot fishing, pots are placed on the ocean floor and allowed to rest before being pulled to the surface," he explained, adding that this is different from the gill net technique used in India. While both the techniques have their pros and cons, Nakhawa shared that pots make for a sustainable way as, unlike nets, they don't spread over large areas and mistakenly catch other marine life. "Pots ensure better quality haul as one can easily sort out the undesired size of lobsters. With nets, the undesired ones can die."

Also Read: Mumbai Diary: Sunday Dossier

Nostalgia is paramount

A section of the wall in Cafe Paramount that sports print ads from earlier decades

As the blistering May sun bore down on this diarist and his friend at Chowpatty, we popped into the century-old Cafe Paramount for some respite. The local trains near Charni Road station still thunder past its location. Looking around we noticed that the quiet Irani joint has been spared the redevelopment curse. As we sat down for chai and bun maska, we could not help but feel the old-world charm emanating from the restaurant. From its chequered black and white tiles to the wooden chairs, the restaurant held some interesting details for nostalgia-hunters. But it was the iconic ads framed and mounted on its walls that caught our attention. From Amitabh Bachchan as a Bombay Dyeing model, and the Gold Spot and Poppins classics, to the revolving Doordarshan logo, and the Liril girl - they all shared space alongside the sketches of the original Church Gate and the spire of St Andrew's church. These ads sent this diarist and his friend back to the '80s, as we instantly reminisced those jingles. "Everyone finds it nostalgic and interesting," our attendant remarked, overhearing our conversation. "It was a different time. Less distraction, you see." Indeed, the lone screen perched on the wall is a bulky old-school television. The only way we could capture the memory was by taking a photograph on our phone. Quite the irony.

Arsenal's birthday wish for Kasbekar

The personalised letter that was couriered to Kasbekar's home by the Arsenal Football Club; (left) Atul Kasbekar. Pics Courtesy/Twitter

Birthday wishes are special as is but imagine being wished by someone - (read: a person, band or team) - you ardently look up to. Wouldn't the excitement peak? When a belated birthday wish reached fashion photographer Atul Kasbekar all the way from London, he was thrilled and also, surprised for a funny reason. The letter, signed by their current coach, Mikel Arteta, the Arsenal Football Club wished Kasbekar on his ‘60th' birthday. "I have been a fan of the club since the '90s and have also visited London in the past to catch their matches. However, I have no idea how they knew about my birthday, which is in April," he told this diarist. While the photographer is touched by the club's old-fashioned timeless etiquette, he is puzzled why they assumed him to be 60 years old. "Maybe, it's time for me to consider hair dye," Kasbekar said in jest.

Because mothers like jokes, too!

Snehil Mehra and Ishitta Arun

Come Mother's Day and cloying messages flood our social media feed. Taking a detour from the usual, Kidstoppress hosted a comedy event on parenting last weekend. The show brought together actors and content creators such as Ishitta Arun, Snehil Mehra, Aditya Vashisht and Thara Gowda. Arun told this diarist that she was excited to witness the exchanges between the artistes on stage as they hadn't rehearsed together in person. About real life inspirations for the jokes, Mehra shared, "I had once made a joke that cracked up the audience but not my son. That's when I decided to dish out humour that makes kids laugh, too."