24 March,2025 08:05 AM IST | Mumbai | Team mid-day
Pic/Kirti Surve Parade
Actor Chandni Shrivastava portrays Lord Krishna during the performance of Karn, a show written and directed by Kulvindar Bakshish Singh at Nehru Centre Auditorium in Worli
Farrokh Jijina. Pic courtesy/Sarosh Daruwala
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It was a sombre Navroze for many members of the Parsicommunity as news of the passing of Farrokh Jijina trickled in late on Friday. He was 65. "It was a sad moment. He was a loved man, and took a genuine interest in the community, and the city of Mumbai," shared Jehangir Patel (inset), editor of Parsiana, the community periodical that Jijina contributed for over a decade.
A heritage expert, Jijina also worked last at a private heritage company, lending his knowledge. "Though he was a CA, Farrokh was well-rounded and knew the city's history well. In fact, his excellent grasp of Gujarati was impressive. He could fit in with anyone," Patel revealed.
A moment from a previous reading session. Pic courtesy/Collective Mumbai
Last weekend, Collective Mumbai and Ambedkar Reading Circle hosted the young learners of Mumbai for a reading circle session at Chaityabhoomi in Dadar. With discussions on the Mahad Satyagraha by BR Ambedkar, the Paris Commune of 1871 and other socio-political movements, the session had Dalit activist Subodh More in attendance. "We usually host these reading sessions and discussion circles with students from various colleges of the city. The idea is to initiate political and cultural conversations and engage with people from diverse communities. The month of March is historically important for many reasons. We discussed the social relevance of the Mahad Satyagraha, the Meerut Conspiracy Case
as well as their role in shaping a progressive society," Adarsh Priyadarshi, member of Collective Mumbai, shared with this diarist.
A moment from a previous reading session. Pic courtesy/Collective Mumbai
Though Andheri is infamous for its jammed roads, Saturday night saw a jam of a different kind. The Roland Artist Centre saw two female artiste-led communities - Women of Music India and Women Who Drum - come together for a collaborative music session. "While we have often hosted individual sessions, this is the first time the two communities came together," admitted Swarupa Ananth-Sawkar, founder, Women Who Drum. Following individual showcases by nearly 15 artistes, the groups also united for a collaborative jam session. "It was an organic coming together of performers to play something collective," Ananth-Sawkar told this diarist.
Sports and culture enthusiasts of the city have a new platform to attend fun events. Uhtend, a recently launched subscription-based website by Andheri resident Anthony Stephen Mendes (inset) will provide a single subscription to various local events in the city. "I loved how people connected with each other when Pokémon Go was launched. It's something I wanted to do with our website as well - a space where people can gather to do things they love or discuss the topics they're passionate about. With rising cost of event tickets, platform fees and scalpers, a fixed price subscription is affordable as it is easy to maintain," Mendes shared.
The caterpillar of the Common Mime or Papilio clytia. Pic courtesy/Niti Warkhandkar
Mumbai welcomed a new winged guest recently, when naturalists at the Maharashtra Nature Park (MNP) in Dharavi spotted the caterpillar of the Common Mime butterfly for the first time. "I noticed the caterpillar while I was working on the field. Although the butterfly is common in the southern parts of the country, we saw its caterpillar in the city for the first time," Yuvraj Patil, assistant programme officer at the Park informed this diarist.
Yuvraj Patil
The butterfly, which mimics the Blue Tiger butterfly usually feeds on plants of the cinnamon species. "Various host plants for different butterfly species were planted at Maharashtra Nature Park a few years ago. As a result, new species of butterflies have started appearing at the Park," Sachin Rane, naturalist, told us.
