Mumbai Diary: Sunday Dossier

Pic/Sameer Markande

Nap time

Take a cue from this autorickshaw driver, who is taking some time off for a nap in Chembur, and spend Sunday in snooze mode.

A sign of the times

Software engineer and romance author Ravinder Singh has started an Indian counterpart to Dude with Sign, an Instagram account launched in 2019 by two New Yorkers who took to its streets to hold cardboard signs with simple messages of protest. Singh, known for novels like I Too Had a Love Story, has been putting up regular posts on his Instagram page, where he appears with a message scrawled on a whiteboard. These range from true, honest and witty observations on love, heartbreak and how men and women behave, to books, skincare and faith. He also talks about the stock market and gives reminders about issues that may concern the average Indian youth.

He's only just Cummins!

Pat Cummins, who was installed as captain of Australia earlier this week, post the resignation of Tim Paine, is his country's first fast bowler-captain since Ray Lindwall stood in for Ian Johnson in the drawn Bombay Test of 1956. We wonder whether this theory of bowlers not making good captains holds true, but many pundits have gone to their grave believing so. Ian Botham is a prime example of an unsuccessful bowler-captain they said, but Botham was a top notch batsman too. And if he endured a treacherous time as captain of England in 1980 and 1981, it should be remembered that his first two series-assignments were against the West Indies (1980 and 1981), undoubtedly the best team in the world then. Botham was relieved of the responsibility after the second Test of the 1981 Ashes, but if you ask the cricket legend, he'd tell you that he had already resigned, hence "axed as captain" is not an accurate way for history to record the end of his captaincy. Meanwhile, good luck with the job, Pat. You deserve a decent run.

Put a smile on a kitty's face

Simona Terron with her adopted rescue cat, Debbie

Podcaster, voice-over artiste and food blogger Simona Terron is hoping to put a smile on the faces of cat lovers, with a calendar contest. Pet parents can send in cute pictures of their cats to catcrazychica@gmail.com and get featured in the 2022 calendar. Money collected from the sale of the calendar will be donated to Aman's Animal Rehabilitation Foundation, run by mother-daughter duo Aman Walia and Simran. "Animal welfare is a much neglected area in India and I wanted to somehow draw attention and support to the work of the selfless few who toil tirelessly despite personal struggles. Aman contracted COVID-19 recently and Simran had to be hospitalised for extreme exhaustion and dehydration, yet they never let this stop their work," says Mumbai-based Terron. "As a mom of three rescued and adopted cats, I think donating funds to such welfare workers is the best way to contribute towards a more humane society." You can send in your entries before November 30.

Pets need a home too

Ganesh Ramani

The beginning of the pandemic saw a widespread phenomenon of abandoning pet animals. But pet homelessness is a problem that has plagued the country long before the Coronavirus. It's no surprise that India has been ranked last out of nine countries in pet care by a new State of Pet Homelessness Indexby MARS Petcare. Using data from more than 200 global and local sources, the Index measures the scale of pet homelessness and identifies the factors in each country influencing why cats and dogs become, or remain, homeless. Ganesh Ramani, MD, MARS Petcare India, said, "Education around street dogs can play a large role in reducing stigmas and driving a culture of ownership. Vaccinations can reduce animal-human conflict and effective sterilisation can reduce the number of strays on the streets."

Punya Paap on the road

When musicians start touring, you know that the bad times might be behind us. Our favourite Mumbai rapper, Divine, is set to hit the road and embark on a massive 14-city concert showcase. He will be performing in Mumbai this Friday before travelling to cities such as Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Indore, Pune, Jaipur, Udaipur, Goa, Mysore, Bangalore, Hyderabad, New Delhi, Kolkata and Shillong. "Touring for me is the best way to really connect with my fans. The energy of the fans during a gig drives me to perform better and give them a great experience. The last couple of years, we've barely had any opportunities, so I'm glad to be back," Divine told this diarist. He will be singing all the hits - right from Mirchi to Mera bhai, as well as look forward to surprise on-stage appearances by frequent collaborators and fellow rappers. "I think we're all still taking it step by step. Hopefully we'll be able to come out of this pandemic soon."