Mumbai Diary: Saturday Dossier

20 April,2024 06:58 AM IST |  Mumbai  |  Team mid-day

The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce

Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi


Our kind of makeshift visor

Young boys at Nariman Point use their smartphones to escape the heat.

Super find, this

Sharma's signed Action Comics #1 copy

As a tribute to Superman's 86th birthday on April 18, director of the upcoming iteration, James Gunn, actors David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan were pictured reading Action Comics #1. The edition is a prized possession with writer-illustrator Alok Sharma, who told us, "I already have Superman No. 1 Treasury Edition signed by both Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster; it's an extremely rare title, limited only to 250 copies. After spotting the picture, through a common connection, I reached out to Siegel's Estate, and discovered they still have some more copies of the first edition signed by him in 1993. After some persuasion, I was able to secure a copy for myself."

Alok Sharma

The Gulzar meet-up

Gulzar with (right) Parth Vasani

They say the best things in life emerge when you don't go looking for them. For Parth Vasani, creative director, a visit to veteran lyricist Gulzar's Pali Hill residence for a promotional shoot turned poetic when the maestro discovered Vasani was an aspiring poet himself. "He asked me to recite one of my poems. I was left speechless. I grew up looking up to him. I got myself together, and presented one of my nazms, which he listened to with much intent. He expressed his appreciation for new-age poets bringing fresh perspectives to the fore," Vasani shared.

Never too old for gaming

A participant tries her hand at air hockey

An outing to Malad's InOrbit mall on Wednesday led to the emergence of a new group of passionate gamers. Twenty senior citizens, accompanied by city-based senior citizen companion programme Goodfellows made their way to popular gaming arcade Timezone as part of the organisation's mind and movement workshop series. "While the games and activities at the arcade seem fun and easy for younger players, they are actually a great form of occupational therapy and help stimulate movement in senior citizens," Niki Thakur, co-founder, Goodfellows, informed this diarist. The day-long trip saw the pensioners try their hand at games like air hockey, whack-a-mole, driving simulators and indoor basketball. "The excitement was off the roof. This was the first time a lot of them were stepping into a gaming arcade. We were surprised to find that they were just as enthusiastic and competitive as our young volunteers who accompanied them, and wanted to explore all the games available at the venue" Thakur laughed, adding that at the end of the day, the group was all smiles and even invited each other to their homes for a hearty meal.

The mountains are calling

Visitors at the 2023 edition of the film festival in Dadar

The 2024 edition of the Banff International Mountain Film Festival makes its way to Dadar right in time for city folks who have been daydreaming about escaping to the mountains this past week. The one-day festival will screen award-winning films from the USA, UK, France and Switzerland. "These stories deep-dive into the complexities of mountaineering and other adventure sports. I suggest every enthusiast must watch them at least once," Divyesh Muni, vice president, The Himalayan Club informed this diarist. The festival will also host the launch of The Sherpa Trail, a collection of stories from the Sherpa tribe of the Himalayas written by Nandini Purandare, editor, The Himalayan Journal, and illustrator and storyteller Deepa Balsavar.

Nandini Purandare

Pink in Prabhadevi

The flamingos at Prabhadevi's shoreline. Pic Courtesy Ketan Mahadeshwar

Mother nature has kept us all guessing this month with her surprises. Prabhadevi-based photographer Ketan Mahadeshwar received a pleasant one early morning on Thursday when a group of pink flamingos flocked to the shoreline near his home. "Flamingos prefer migrating to the wetlands of Navi Mumbai. The last time I spotted them here was two years ago but they were juvenile, grey flamingos; unlike the vibrant ones this time," the 59-year-old shared, adding that the chance sighting was most probably a result of a navigational goof-up by the winged visitors.

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