03 November,2024 07:10 AM IST | Mumbai | Team mid-day
Pic/Ashish Raje
To mark All Souls' Day on Saturday, Father Byron Mendonca of Our Lady of Fatima Church blesses the graves at Sewri Christian Cemetery.
For a generation of millennials, the purr of a Vespa brings back memories. Daniel Sequeira of the Karfule Petrol Pump in Ballard Estate received a special nostalgic gift this festive season. "A client of mine often brings his cars to the pump, and brought along a LEGO replica that his son, Shayan, built. He knew I had a Vespa myself, and thought it was a nice gift," Sequeira shared. Having bought his own scooter in 2015 as a project to restore, Sequeira said, "The Vespa and later, Bajaj Chetak, were symbolic of the middle-class. Everyone has either owned, or drove one."
The Film Heritage Foundation (FHF) has already begun work on a new space along Ballard Estate that will be the first-of-its-kind Centre of The Moving Image in Mumbai. Director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur confirmed with this diarist, "The objective is to create a centre that offers people a space to read, view and enjoy cinematic history." In addition to housing an archive, and acting as a venue for the conservation centre, training facilities, the space will also host exhibitions and film screenings. "The first phase will open in March 2025 with a public library dedicated to cinema literature," Dungarpur revealed.
A team of three swimmers (Minesh Babla, Deniska Ann D'Silva, and Ritam Sinha) from the Mumbai Sea Swimmers Club completed a 15-kilometre open sea swim, from the Gateway of India to the Atal Setu in four hours on Sunday. "We wanted to get an idea of the weather conditions for the event later this month. One needs to be physically fit to attempt such a long stretch without support," informed Babla, who along with co-founders Mehul Ved and Susrita Sen will host the MSS Ultra 2024 competition in the city on November 17.
The Sion Mulgami Welfare Foundation organised its 12th East Indian Marathi singing competition at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Sion. "We host this event every year for the members of the East Indian community. It is a great moment for us to get together and celebrate the songs of our caste," said Melanie Rodrigues, president of the foundation. With 10 judges from the community, the competition allowed participants in both solo and duet categories with a cash prize of Rs 10,000 for the winners in each category. "We don't want to restrict people. There is full freedom to choose the songs that people want to sing at the competition. We encourage them to come up with their own compositions. There are only 50 to 60 homes of East Indians in Sion. The initiative is a move towards preserving the history of the community," Rodrigues shared with us.
Kurla's Phoenix Marketcity turned into a cosmic wonderland this Diwali when shoppers were greeted by a 33-foot tall astronaut installation and an assembly of 10-foot planets revolving around the installation at the mall. Along with the celestial decor, the space had a series of interactive events planned out for the children as an educational opportunity as well. From DIY rocket-making competitions for kids, nebula art, and planetarium movie screenings to educational sessions on the cosmos and recycling lanterns to make them into planets, the mall kept the festive spirit high with its activities. "The Celestial Diwali celebration is truly unique. Our aim is to craft a festive atmosphere that delights visitors while also sparking curiosity," Mayank Lalpuria, senior vice president, marketing North and West, Phoenix Mills Pvt Ltd told this diarist.
