Mumbai Diary: Tuesday Dossier

Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Monsoon mood

A man and his pet are drenched in Monday's showers at Marine Drive

Umbrellas twirl at feast dance

Parshioners dance with their umbrellas open in Bandra West

In a pleasant mix of dance and devotion, parishioners of Mount Carmel Church in Bandra West celebrated the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel with a procession, followed by mass and a dance on Sunday, July 21. Fr Abel Fernandez, parish priest told this diarist, "This is an annual celebration. The actual date is July 16, so we marked the feast on the immediate Sunday following the 16th." The rain was certainly not a dampener on this one. As the East Indian band belted it out, the parishioners of the church at the ground, who did not have a protective canopy, were undeterred. They simply whipped out their umbrellas and put an extra pep in their step. That's called worship and weathering it with style, spirit ‘n' spunk.

Sharing is caring

The NGO will donate toys to over 1,000 lesser-privileged children

The Opentree Foundation's project Toybank is celebrating its upcoming 20th birth anniversary by distributing games and toys to over 1,000 children from government schools. Individuals can join the cause by donating old toys and games in good condition. Drop-off points are in Mahim, Mulund and Ghatkopar. "Write to 9699468235 or mail@toybank.org," CEO and co-founder Shweta Chari told this diarist.

Adele's got my back

Hand-painted denim jacket featuring Adele

As Adele announces a break from music, artist Shivam Thakkar makes a throwback post with all the jackets he has painted featuring the British pop sensation, including the most recent one which will be worn by a fan at an ongoing exclusive European show. "Adele's official account commented on that post, acknowledging my work!"

The Kandivali-based fan shared. "I was first introduced to her music in 2019, and have been a fan ever since. I am at a loss of words about how I feel. The fact that her team commented means there is a high possibility that Adele has seen it as well," he revealed excitedly, adding that he plans to send one of his hand-painted jackets to her soon.

Paint the city in new colours

A moment from the annual event. Pic Courtesy/@supsawitch

For the LGBTQiA+ community, last weekend was one of celebration and fun. The sixth edition of the Color Positive fashion pageant, an annual event hosted by the NGO, brought together members of the community with allies at an Andheri venue on Saturday. "The fashion pageant celebrated adaptive fashion and diversity across genders or age," shared Savio Mascarenhas, founder of Color Positive. With choreography by fashion director Sagar Kadrekar, the event saw participants crowned Mr Queen, Mr King, Ms Queen and Mx Queen. "This time, we also collaborated with Rex Karmaveer Chakra to honour members of the community for their contribution to the cause. This was not only to honour their work, but also to give them courage to do more," Mascarenhas (inset) added.

Look! A double rainbow in Mulund

Two rainbows appear in Mulund after a rainy day. Pic courtesy/@shamsjpeg

Of the many comments that make one think that social media is full of hate, occasionally, this diarist comes across posts that make her stop scrolling, and smile. One such magical post was made by photographer Sharmila Kurian; her most recent capture made the city look like it was straight out of a fairy tale. Last weekend, when Kurian stepped down from her home in Mulund, she was surprised to see the sun break through the heavy grey clouds in the evening.

"It had been raining the entire day. And just when the clouds cleared, a beautiful rainbow appeared. I ran to my terrace to click a picture," she recalled. Residing in a green neighbourhood assured that the skies are filled with birds. She waited for the moment when a bat flew by the rainbow. "When I went back home and saw the photo again, I realised that there was another rainbow right above that my eyes couldn't see!" she shared excitedly.