Mumbai Diary: Sunday Dossier

Pic/Satej Shinde

Friends in need
With COVID cases on the rise again, going to a barber may not be a safe choice. But one BEST bus conductor, whose family has his own barber shop, has a solution. He cuts his colleagues' hair at the Kandivli bus depot for a discounted rate.

Mumbai NGO gets international shoutout

Apni Shala, a Mumbai non-profit that works with children and educators, is earning laurels for their approach towards mental health. A podcast produced by the Chicago School of Professional Psychology has dedicated an entire episode to discuss the work done by the NGO during the pandemic. "Before the outbreak, Dr Breeda McGrath, PhD, Associate Campus Dean Online at the Chicago institute, happened to visit us and was impressed with our promotive and preventive mental health strategy," says Rohit Kumar, CEO, Apni Shala Foundation. In the podcast, he talks about his experiences with the education system and the need for mental health support at school.

New year, new dreams

Arpana Gvalani is set to move to the next chapter of her life. The founder of Bandra's popular Gostana restaurant has a new venture on the cards this year. A little birdie told this diarist that Gvalani is soon going to launch Acoustic Flavors. When this diarist spoke to Gvalani, she said, "Gostana started out when I was already 12 years into the hospitality industry. I have been a part of the hospitality industry, for which I studied and trained in Australia. The work culture which I inherited was to always be hands on, casual but precise, and make work fun. I guess that's what made the spot a popular hangout, with a relaxed ambience and delish burgers. I took a break as I had worked non-stop for 12 years. Last year, I started my own recipe video channel (Arpana's Cooking on You Tube). The next step was to start a delivery kitchen. This is a small start with a weekly curated dining menu and a few of my signature dips and spreads."

Silver jubilee celebrations for Kenyan cricket

The Kenyan cricket team celebrate their win over the West Indies at Pune on February 29, 1996. Pic/MID-DAY ARCHIVES

Yesterday was 25 years since Mumbai hosted its first floodlit one-day international - the India v Australia 1996 World Cup game - at the Wankhede Stadium. The match was an exciting one and Australia ended up with the bragging rights. The Kenyans will soon celebrate 25 years of their greatest ODI win - a February 29 upset victory over the mighty West Indies - in the same tournament at Pune. There was more interest in the Pakistan v South Africa game at Karachi that day, but all attention shifted to the Nehru Stadium in Pune as the Kenyans threatened to bowl out West Indies despite putting up only 166. Ultimately, Kenya stunned the two-time world champions by 73 runs. Mid-day did not miss out on opportunities to provide its readers with a plethora of exclusive stories. The main scoop was accompanying victorious Kenyan captain Maurice Odumbe to his hotel room for an interview as soon as the team bus landed at Blue Diamond. Odumbe opened his room to a flood of congratulatory calls and messages from all over the world. The last question in our interview was about how he planned to celebrate this victory. "We are going to get pissed," he said. Let's just say the mood did justice to the achievement.

Vaccination on-the-go

Vijay Cavale

In an attempt to ensure speedy administering of the COVID-19 vaccine, a Mumbai resident, Vijay Cavale, has launched a crowdfunding campaign for a first-of-its-kind mobile vaccination clinic on wheels, on the Impact Guru website. Cavale has even identified a vehicle, and is currently in talks with a manufacturer. The ambulance, which he calls, mVAC, would include a small cold storage (refrigeration unit) for storing of the vaccines in low temperatures for up to 48 hours at a stretch, and a capacity of up to four staff or healthcare professionals along with all other required functional fit outs.

The mVAC ambulance

He is looking to raise Rs 25 lakh, and believes that the van could eventually be used to administer vaccines in far flung regions, especially the rural and hilly areas. "This pandemic has battered our spirits perhaps more than our bodies and it is time for everyone-not just the government-to be a part of the [drive] to bounce back to normalcy. Crowdfunding activates and empowers the belief that ‘I can make a difference'. A small personal financial contribution, forwarding the message to one's peers is all the action required to move a few mountains," Cavale told this diarist.

Breaking gender stereotypes one boy at a time

Boyish, founded by engineer-turned-creative-maker, Rajat Mittal, is bringing to us an 11-part essay series, which brings to light different stereotypes that Indian boys often have to deal with, and then tells the story of a successful individual who defied them. Mittal interviewed 11 Indian men who have broken into and excelled in traditionally non-masculine fields, ranging from ballet dancer Manish Chauhan to make-up artist Elton Fernandez. Before Boyish, Mittal has also co-authored books like Menstrupedia: Friendly guide to healthy periods and two editions of She Can You Can: The A-Z Book of Iconic Indian Women. "By working on projects focused on education and empowerment of girls, I slowly began to realise that gender stereotypes hurt not just girls but boys as well. This is honestly why I created Boyish. With Boyish, my aim is to unlearn my own conditioning and to invite others to think more deeply about masculinity and how we raise boys in India," says Mittal. Through the series, Mittal hopes that readers can discover newer role models. and also realise that in today's world, our lives should not be limited by the genders we were born with. Boyish can be subscribed to for free by visiting boyish.in.