30 December,2021 07:07 AM IST | Mumbai | Team mid-day
Pic/Anurag Ahire
A young man shines the glass façade of an optician's store in Malad East.
Earth Day Network-India is inviting nominations for the first edition of their Young Earthpreneurs Awards, which invites young entrepreneurs to showcase their innovative green ideas aimed at preventing climate change from its critical tipping point. "This is a new initiative and comprises two segments. For the first, we're inviting college and university students who want to be a part of the green economy and are eager to start their own ventures after graduating or in their final years of college. The submissions will be judged on the basis of their feasibility, innovation and financial viability. The winners will be offered mentorship from leading industry experts and prizes that give them a head start when they launch," said Rumit Walia, assistant manager - outreach. There's also a second segment planned for later this year, which will focus on home-grown ventures that have been in operation for more than six months. To nominate yourself, email officeofregionaldirector@earthday.org.
Even as the city preps for its (muted) NYE celebrations, Muse Foundation, a youth-led NGO, is urging Mumbaikars to spare a thought for those who are deprived of even the basics. In association with the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC), they will be conducting a drive to collect blankets and jackets, which will be distributed among the homeless in Thane. "We recently learned that a few homeless people in Nagpur had died because of the cold weather. This moved us to do something to avoid such fatalities in our city. Under the aegis of TMC, several youth organisations, including ours, are collecting and distributing warm blankets and jackets. With each donation, we will also provide a pair of warm socks, to help such individuals tide through the cold spell," shared Nishant Bangera (in pic), founder and president of the NGO. They're also accepting cash donations and have asked TMC to coordinate between all the participating NGOs, to avoid duplication. The first donation drive has benefited 70 recipients. To do your bit, visit @ musefoundationwts on Instagram.
By the looks of it, 2022 is off to a busy start for music lovers in the city. The NCPA is gearing up for their Citi-NCPA Aadi Anant festival, which will feature concerts by acclaimed artistes including TM Krishna, Akkarai Subhalakshmi, Shantanu Moitra, Kaushiki Chakraborty and Ani Choying. Further, the Citi-CSMVS Museum on Wheels, a mobile museum project, that's been curated under the guidance of the NCPA's Indian Music department, will be parked in the NCPA's premises for the festival's duration. The exhibition aboard the bus, In Tune: The Journey from Sound to Music, makes an array of musical concepts accessible to children, and is equally interesting for adults.
Pet parents in Bandra can mark their calendars for what's pegged to be one of the âfanciest' events for the coming year - the Carter Road promenade will serve as the venue for a day full of treats, fun games, contests and yummy eats for four-legged visitors. "The event is a part of the Neighbourhood Winter Festival, which is now in its 12th year. Our last edition was cancelled because of the pandemic, while this year's festivities are also quite subdued given the rising caseload. We hope pet parents will bring their pets along to participate in the games, where they can win prizes. Every pet will take home a goodie bag and there's also a fancy dress competition on the cards. It's a day of complete pampering for all pets," said Derek Talker, its organiser.
In what counts as good news for Mumbaikars, the prestigious Kolkata International Film Festival will also be accessible online from January 7 to 14 next year. Apart from the list of films, the organisers have announced that a special tribute will be paid to Dilip Kumar among other events. The movies being screened include international productions like Pedro Almodovar's Madres Paralelas and Indian ones including Jhilli, directed by Ishaan Ghose. The latter shared, "[The film's about] Bokul, a fourth-generation manual labourer who works in a bone crushing factory in the middle of Kolkata's largest dump yard [Dhapa]." Head to kiff.in for the full list of movies.
