Mumbai Diary: Sunday Dossier

Pic/Kirti Surve Parade

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A perch, the Mumbai skyline, and the Arabian sea make up the perfect frame at Dadar Chowpatty.

Gift of the jab, together

Eric Garcetti talks togetherness. Pic/ATUL KAMBLE

At a time when conflict grabs the headlines rather than collaboration, US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti reminded his audience that together this world can do much more. Talking at an event on driving success through diversity organised by the US Consulate in Mumbai, Garcetti pointed out that a first shipment of a malaria vaccine developed jointly had been shipped to Africa very recently, "where a child dies every minute of malaria." Applause broke out. Garcetti also said he always receives a warm welcome when he comes to Mumbai, "and I am not just referring to your weather," he said to laughs, proving the city's mercury had not sapped him of his humour.

Non-stop cricket, non-stop speculation

As always, a flurry of names appear as candidates for the Indian cricket team's head coach job as soon as the BCCI invites applications. The latest buzz on pre-coach selection is that Australians Justin Langer and Ricky Ponting are not interested, while Chennai Super Kings's chief executive Kasi Vishwanathan has said that his franchise's long-serving coach Stephen Fleming from New Zealand is unlikely to take up a job that will need him to spend nine to 10 months in a year with the team.

Yes, BCCI secretary Jay Shah has clarified that there has been no conversations with any Australian to be coach India, but our in-house cricket nut is sure that non-stop cricket may have prevented them from harbouring any thoughts about becoming India coach.

It can be recalled that ex-Australia opener Geoff Marsh arrived for an interview for the coach's post in 2000. He had one look at India's schedule for the next 10 months and expressed inability to take up the job. As of now, former Test batsman Gautam Gambhir is viewed as the favourite. Gauti has the credentials, but doesn't have the experience of coaching a national team. But then, there's always a first time.

PS: Tomorrow is the last date to submit applications.

Everybody will dance to techno, once again!

Dot and Bulli Bainbridge

Colaba boy Zain Calcuttawala, and Archies actor Dot (Aditi Saigal) have collaborated to recreate her first big musical hit, Everybody Dances to Techno. Indie music lovers can relive the awe they felt in 2017 when the singer-songwriter first put up the video of herself playing the piano and singing this adorable song. "I always knew Aditi has an affinity for music from the jazz era, and to me, it seemed natural to create an orchestral reimagining of Everybody Dances to Techno, which she too loved, thankfully. We enlisted an old school friend of mine from Tokyo to play the upright bass, and then the Skopje orchestra to play the strings and woodwinds. Finally, the song was mastered at the iconic Abbey Road Studios in London. This was exciting and enriching, and is a precedent I'd like to continue with any music I release," Calcuttawala tells this diarist. The song releases on May 31, and is the third installment of the Instagram series by Bulli Bainbridge (Calcuttawala's artiste name), Indie Remixed.

A mountain of wisdom

Lavanya and Kaamya at Everest Base camp in 2017

Mumbai girl Kaamya Karthikeyan, 16, who became the youngest Indian to scale Mt Everest from the Nepal side on May 20, is on her way back and expected in the city along with her father Cdr. S Karthikeyan at the end of the month. Kaamya's mother Lavanya, a mountaineer herself said, "This is an example of Kaamya's sincere interaction with the mountains. We are humbled by the mountains, and Kaamya knows that. We are at the mercy of the mountains, of mother nature. One does not conquer the mountain or feel elated at the summit. One conquers inner fears and there is a feeling of intense gratitude at the summit. That is the approach and attitude that Kaamya has as she climbs." Lavanya, who is the headmistress at a kindergarten, added, "That attitude will keep her safe and grounded even when many feet above the ground." We say there is a lot of mom and mountains of wisdom in that.