13 July,2023 06:47 AM IST | Mumbai | Team mid-day
Pic/Atul Kamble
A woman poses amid the garbage left behind after a high tide at Versova Beach
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A viral video that's been doing the rounds of an incident from earlier this month shows a trek guide tumbling down from a rock at Kalu waterfall, Malshej, in an attempt to save a trekker, and then being swept away by the force of the river. Digvijay Rathore, founder of Mischief Treks witnessed this episode first-hand.
"Ninety percent of today's guides are inexperienced. I have seen kids with 80k followers on Instagram organising treks. They take 200-300 participants in one slot, resulting not only in overcrowding but also littering.
Because the treks pay their bills, they do not care and risk grave danger," an outraged Rathore revealed to this diarist. "A certified trek guide or a trustworthy company will never take more than 20 people on a single trek. They will accept the responsibility for the litter, and always be prepared with a rescue plan as well as appropriate equipment. Help in such locations is hours away. Every second counts. A guide should know how to give CPR, if required. There's a difference between tourist locations and trekking sites," he reminded us before signing off.
Just as Austrian architect Martina Spies (right) describes Mumbai as a dynamic city, she believes that learning spaces should be dynamic and engaging, too. For this reason, Anukruti, the NGO that Spies founded in 2013 which works to build safe, free and joyful spaces for children from underserved communities, has teamed up with Thane's Signal Shala that provides education to children seeking alms at signal stops. This collaboration will include painting the walls of the container that has been revamped into a school under the flyover at Teen Haath Naka. The NGO requires volunteers to lend a hand on this weekend and the last weekend of July. "Six to eight volunteers can paint the container, and if we get more volunteers, we can paint the dining area, too," Spies shared. To volunteer, drop an email on martina@anukruti.org.
Pic courtesy/WIKEMEDIA COMMONS
The passing of Czech writer Milan Kundera (right) on July 11 in Paris marks the end of a distinct voice in post-war existentialism. The author, who achieved global fame with his novel The Unbearable Lightness of Being in 1984, passed away at the age of 94 years. For city-based playwright Omkar Bhatkar (inset), Kundera was an old love. "My personal favourite is Immortality," he said.
Bhatkar also used the late author's work in a play, Hope, Hamartia, and Books last year. Describing the choice, he said, "Who else wrote about existentialism like he did? What I love about Kundera is that even when he tried to speak about the universal self; a lot of it is personal." Comparing him to authors Gabriel GarcÃa Márquez and Haruki Murakami, Bhatkar pointed out, "All of them deal with the self. With Marquez, there is a high degree of surrealism. Kundera is the closest to realism."
As AlphaTauri announces the return of Daniel Ricciardo, in replacement to Nyck de Vries this season, F1 fans across the world rejoice over the announcement. Grant Road-based Shlok Jogani (below) chimed in.
"I started watching F1 because of Ricciardo. He has such an infectious personality. There's been a rumour like this for over two to three months now, but no one could tell for sure. Yesterday, when I came across the announcement on Instagram, I was delighted. I now wait for the day he completes his dream of becoming a RedBull Racing driver," Jogani excitedly shared with this diarist over the phone.
