23 July,2023 06:56 AM IST | Mumbai | Team SMD
Pic/Satej Shinde
A schoolboy carries a puppy to safety from the tracks near the Thakurli railway yard.
Our in-house cricket nut is in no doubt that the BCCI missed out on a great opportunity to publish a book to mark 100 Test matches between India and the West Indies. The ongoing Trinidad Test is the landmark one. Yes, the BCCI has produced publications in the past, so it wouldn't have been unprecedented. For their Golden Jubilee in 1980, the Board published a thick-ish souvenir and released a book on scorecards of every Test before the Golden Jubilee one in which India and England featured. There were also publications to mark 50 years of the Ranji Trophy in 1984-85. India v West Indies Test history could also make a grand documentary and it shouldn't be forgotten that the men from the Caribbean were the first team after England to play Test cricket on these shores. India and West Indies go back a long way. The journey, that began in 1948-49, when John Goddard brought his team (with stalwarts like George Headley and Everton Weekes), has been fascinating and it was great to hear the commentators talk about historic moments on Thursday night. If a book were to be published, one chapter would be dedicated to the feats of Gundappa Vishwanath in India v West Indies Tests. Some solace for history-minded cricket followers like our man. His two priceless India v West Indies related 1983 publications are pictured alongside.
July 18 was superstar Rajesh Khanna's death anniversary and Iqbal Sheikh, who retired from the Mumbai Police at Assistant Commissioner of Police rank in 2012 - the same year as his demise - has a memory to share. It had only been 47 days after his retirement and he had just stepped out of the shower when Sheikh received a call from the late Dr Dipak Galwankar of Nanavati Hospital, who was Khanna's personal physician. "Iqbal, come fast, Kaka is sinking," the doctor told Sheikh, who rushed to the Aashirwad bungalow in Bandra. "Ghalu, as I called him, was there with Kaka's close friends and family members. It was decided that this would not be announced in public till adequate security was in place, and I understood why I was there. I started calling up senior officers and explained the situation to them, requested them to arrange for the requisite bandobast. Within minutes, policemen started arriving, quickly but discreetly. As the house was anyway a popular spot, police deployment was always high here and we managed to give the impression that this was part of the routine," Sheikh tells this diarist. Only after everyone was sure that the bandobast was adequate was the news made public to a heartbroken world. A massive crowd of fans followed the superstar's final journey all the way to the cremation grounds in Juhu, despite a heavy July downpour.
Manish Bisht
Irsalwadi is hit by catastrophe, after the landslide earlier this week claimed 27 lives, and Mumbai's trekkers, who love the village in Raigad, are rallying around to support the people who have always welcomed them with open arms. A scenic village at the base of the Irsalgad fort, Irsalwadi is filled with villagers who work as local contacts for trekkers, says Manish Bisht, whose company, Banjaareyyyy, organises treks across Maharashtra round the year. "They let us use their small houses every time we go," Bisht says. "We park our buses there, change clothes in their homes, have breakfast cooked by them and then set out for our trek. And by the time we come back, there is piping hot lunch waiting for us. Irsalwadi has always been special and it's time for us to give back to the village that has given us so much love."Bisht spent two harrowing days since the landslide on Wednesday, as he was unable to reach his local contact. On Saturday, however, the villager called back and let Bisht know just how bad the situation was. Bisht is currently collecting medical supplies, food, water and clothes, which he shall personally take to Irsalwadi in a few days. Those interested can get in touch with him through the Banjaareyyyy Instagram page.
The Banyan may take up as much place as a Mumbai home but even in this city, with not an inch to spare, there is a concerted effort by Mission Green Mumbai to increase the numbers of the national tree. Subhajit Mukherjee of the Mission is gifting free Banyan saplings to those interested in planting the massive, lifegiving tree. While relatively low maintenance, the tree does require space. "One needs a 100 sq m (10m by 10m) space for it, and it should be at least 50 ft away from a building wall," says Mukherjee, adding that it shelters "a plethora of insects and birds, a literal community indicative of in India's diversity". You can write to Mukherjee at trees.subhajit@gmail.com for a sapling.
Sanjoy K Roy
Entrepreneur of the arts Sanjoy K Roy and historian and best-selling author William Dalrymple, were among the 10 leading figures who received honorary degrees from the University of York, England, last week. Roy, who is managing director of Teamwork Arts, which has been producing festivals all over the world, including the now iconic Jaipur Literature Festival, has been playing an important role in facilitating appreciation for the arts. Speaking at the occasion, Roy, who shared his speech with this diarist, said, "The arts is important because it allows you a window into another world. A different philosophy, a different way of life, a different religion. It allows you to understand and perhaps, in the understanding, it removes that ignorance. Ignorance, as we all know in some ways, is the cause of fear, and fear is the cause of hatred. And in pushing back on hatred and fear, we perhaps will be able to push back the violence that surrounds us today."
