Mumbai Diary: Sunday Dossier

Pic/Satej Shinde

Hot Wheels!

He doesn't have a car, but this man at P D'mello Road does have a pair of wheels

A hidden legacy

While magistrate's courts and higher courts always hog the limelight, be it in the news or in cinema, the Small Causes Court in south Mumbai is hardly talked about. Which is why a recent social media post by senior lawyer Abha Singh grabbed this diarist's attention. The law veteran found a plaque on a wall of the court building, with Mahatma Gandhi's picture on it. "I saw it when I had gone there for a case. To my amazement, it said that Mahatma Gandhi had argued his very first case in this building. I have been practising for so many years but I didn't know this," Singh recalls. According to the plaque, Gandhi represented a tenant in a dispute with his landlord in 1891, and charged a fee of Rs 30. He also refused to pay commission to a tout who was helping the client. "Goes to show that corruption existed even in those days!" Singh remarks.

It's Punjabi the(rap)y

If they said music is the best way to spread a message, we wouldn't argue. On MTV Hustle 03, contestant Burrah presented a powerful rap on depression and music therapy. "I wrote ‘Mein Sochi Javaan' when I was in depths of my depression. There were lot of trauma I was struggling with. I felt that through this song, I could express myself. It genuinely helped me, it healed me and the moment it did, I let it go. It left my system." He feels that what the song did for him, it would do for others. "I will continue working on that, aur ek din jeetenge, Grammy bhi jeetenge, Oscar bhi jeetenge, Nobel Peace Prize bhi jeetenge, sab karenge. Ek Punjabi music wave will come. I have lots of dreams and aspirations and I will make them happen."

Sparking a fountain out of a molehill

Dr Sunil Keswani, plastic and cosmetic surgeon, medical director, National Burns Centre in Navi Mumbai is not making a fountain out of a molehill but talking from experience when he says asks us not to light Anars or fountains. At least eight to 10 burn injuries occur due bursting of the Anar, he says. The doc also warned against ‘diya's' on the floor as loose flowing clothes catch fire. "Keep a bucket of water near you when bursting crackers, as the best first aid for burns is pouring water on them till the burning sensation subsides." The expert adds, Even those with major burns can survive, as we have adequate skin in skin banks and we also have artificial grafts available to cover a patient's burn wounds and save his or her life." Thanks for that much needed advice, Doc.

Welcome Dr Rohan Kanhai, Dr Reds Perreira!

As this year's cricket World Cup heads towards its final week, we are still hurting over the fact that 1975 and 1979 winners West Indies didn't qualify to compete in it. But there's some good news emerging from Guyana about Rohan Kanhai, who alongside fellow Guyanese Clive Lloyd, played a critical role in West Indies winning that first World Cup final against Australia. Kanhai and renowned commentator Joseph ‘Reds' Perreira will soon be honoured with doctorates from the University of Guyana for their contribution to Guyana and West Indies cricket. Apart from entertaining his listeners for well over 50 years, Reds, a friend of this newspaper, even ensured the 1975 World Cup winners were felicitated in some way (which the West Indies board couldn't do), on the Lloyd-led team's return from England later that year. To say both these gents are merely deserving of their latest honour would be as obvious as saying Kanhai was a good batsman.

Frogs gone, lamps on

The Shivaji Park is a changed place right now. Gone is the canopy of umbrellas over the popular ground, replaced by rows of kandeels in keeping with the festive fervour. Gone, too, are the mushrooms and frogs. The artificial decorations under the Park's trees are now replaced by large diyas, part of the overall stunning Diwali makeover of the maidan. We like the adherence to the season. Just keep your sunglasses on when you go to the brightly lit park.