Mumbai Diary: Tuesday Dossier

Pic/Atul Kamble

Eyes on the sky

The batsman and onlookers have their eyes set on the ball during a cricket match for the Fortcha Maharaja Trophy 2023 on Karwar Street, Fort.

They are going live and loving it

Debayan Ghosh (left); Gajraj Rao with his caricature. Pic/@carrythecaricature

Cartoonist Debayan Ghosh, who helms art platform Carry the Caricature, has been away from his hometown, Kolkata for over 20 days now. With their live creations in tow, the platform was busy touring India. The tour ended on a sweet note for Ghosh when actor Gajraj Rao paid a surprise visit at their last stop - Kishanchand Valecha Sabhagruha in Juhu. "What better way to celebrate a person you have long admired than by making his live caricature? He [Rao] and his wife were easy to interact with and even filmed the creative process. While Rao was surprised and overjoyed with the outcome, we were astonished by his fluent Bangla," the artist told us. The art initiative is currently in Dubai to host live cartoon-drawing sessions at the Ramadan Night Market. Ghosh added that Dubai was providing him with a new canvas to explore new people, a new culture and work environment.

When dreams take wing

The land for a model butterfly garden in Tembhare, Karjat

Those who often visit Karjat for a quick detox from city life will soon have another addition to their list of tourist attractions. iNaturewatch Foundation, a charitable trust working in the field of urban biodiversity and animal welfare, has joined hands with Ladybird Environmental Consulting to develop a model butterfly garden in Tembhare village. Founder Dr V Shubhalaxmi told this diarist, "The land belongs to butterflyman Isaac David Kehimkar. When we moved to Karjat, we thought of starting this project since we had a ground team to work with. We named it after him as a tribute to his legacy.

Also read: Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

The work on the land began on Easter with the removal of clumps of Siam weed. We are yet to survey the land, but will retain native wildflower species and remove all invasive species." Apart from its aesthetic, ecological and educational purpose, Shubhalaxmi hopes that the garden will inspire private owners to manage their lands in an eco-conscious manner.

Marvel at this idea

Did you know that Mickey is the next invincible Iron Man? With Disney fans celebrating 100 years of the company, Disney and Marvel have launched a set of exclusive covers, featuring Disney characters as superheroes or villains. You can check these out at Bandra's The Comic Book Store. Its owner Hamza Sayed shared with us, "I have been amazed with fun crossovers - be it cartoons [Johnny Bravo in Scooby-Doo] or television shows [Jess from New Girl in Brooklyn 99]. How can Mickey Mouse and friends as Avengers not be interesting?!"

Relive the party that was

Relive the party that was

The city's first cocktail, according to writer-city chronicler Priyanko Sarkar, was derived from the Hindi word, ‘paanch'. "It included five ingredients needed to make a good cocktail - sweet, sour, spice, spirit and water. The now-shuttered Café Samovar was a hub for the socialist movement in the 1960s and was frequented by Satyajit Ray, Girish Karnad and MF Husain," Sarkar shared. If you are keen to know such fun trivia, Sarkar has a walk planned from Flora Fountain to Taj Mahal Palace hotel.

The next move to beat Parkinsonism

Today, on World Parkinson's Day, Dr LH Hiranandani Hospital, Powai, is launching The Next Move Program, an integrated rehabilitation. The intent is to bring together a team of specialist doctors including physiotherapists and neurologists who will treat patients not only with Parkinsonism, but also stroke disability, orthopaedic conditions and age-related decline of function. A representative from the hospital told this diarist that they hope the initiative offers help with routine activities of patients. "It has a holistic approach towards improving their quality of life," he mentioned. Dr Sachin Adukia, neurologist, will head this programme. A seminar detailing its functions will be held at the Hiranandani sales office in Powai today.