Loss sharpens gratitude. The passing of Pritish Nandy takes me – and dozens of colleagues under his editorship of The Illustrated Weekly of India – back to the 1980s. Fresh from college, and hungry for journalism, we lucked out with this helmsman. Who brought politics and poetry to the post in good measure. Who called a spade a spade, no matter the consequences. Who believed enough in the youngest team members, sending them to confidently interact with the most famous and fearless. If he broke candid interviews with every reigning public figure, he as generously trusted us with those we held in gawping awe, typical of journos wet behind the ears. I trod with trepidation filing a first half-pager on Aubrey Menen, whose Rama Retold was among the earliest books banned in the country. Followed by a detailed profile of Pranab Mukherjee on becoming Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha after his finance minister tenure. “What’s to worry? Ace it. Just get your facts damn right,” Nandy said, emboldening rookie reporter me. Pritish Nandy during a book launch in Mumbai in 2011. File pic When Wole Soyinka won the 1986 Nobel Prize for Literature, I was assigned a salutary story. His editorial brief suggested I go with the idea the Swedish Academy cored in its statement: “In a wide cultural perspective with poetic overtones Soyinka fashions the drama of existence.” He loved my title to the piece. “The Maverick”. After all, wasn’t that quintessential Nandy too? That was the time I handled the copy for Maneka Gandhi’s column called “Heads & Tails”. I enjoyed the fire and ire with which she championed animal rights. Yet, quaked to the tips of my Kolhapuris when she strode into the magazine’s fourth-floor office unannounced one morning, “to meet the person producing my page”. I needn’t have shivered. Standing beside my table in a crisp blue chikan kurta, she said, “Nice.” Expectations ran high at the Weekly desk. Parallel with the insistence on rigour of thought and expression, Nandy (with deputies Sailesh Kottary, Sherna Gandhy and Nikhil Lakshman), dinned into us the vital importance of thinking visually. Nothing available online; even chunky box computers hadn’t made an appearance. We scurried to the reference library for pictures. Alongside, brilliant photo essays were commissioned by lensmen and women of the international ilk of Ram Rahman and Jaywant Ullal. A very young Dayanita Singh would quietly visit. Not to mention our ed’s several painter friends, led by Husain himself. So, we surrendered writers’ darlings with ease. Till today, seldom will Illustrated Weekly proteges get huffy about cutting their own text in order to fit a fine photo or other artistic image. We wound text compatibly around the creativity of in-house illustrators and caricaturists. Equality over ego. Rare in subsequent editorial and art departments we worked with. Thinking visually is a lasting lesson. Also essential to being a Weekly-ite was another quality exhortation: think laterally. Out of the box. Kaafi hatke. He’d say, “Think laterally” at the start of each gathering in his cabin to plot the next week’s pages. A fat 72 of them. Packed with inspiration. Replete with exposes of crooked chief ministers, fake godmen and similar holy cows. Conceived by a man in his brave prime then. No doubt certain later exposes slanted towards personal ambition and controversial scoops. We’re able to separate the debate and questions surrounding some of his editorial policies, to appreciate much else. Mainly, how he had every writer’s back. The readiness with which he granted carte blanche to feature writers and investigative reporters helped critique innumerable establishment excesses. Never did we dare submit sloppily dashed-off opinionated pieces. “What are you really saying here!” he’d storm. The rage was undeniably there. But as strong came the compliments on a job well done. It was great learning all the way. Mere months before the death of AFS “Bobby” Talyarkhan in July 1990, I panicked. Nandy had slotted me to write a 10-page cover story on the legendary commentator at the Cricket Club of India over a series of Sunday afternoons. “I know little about sport, especially this game,” I pleaded. “Exactly why you should be doing it,” he responded. Touche. Thank you, man of many surprises and mentor to more than you realised.
10 January,2025 08:29 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher MarfatiaMotorists travelling via the Santacruz-Chembur Link Road (SCLR) towards Andheri via the Western Express Highway (WEH) can look forward to seamless travel without stopping at the Vakola signal. The elevated connector road passing over the WEH is expected to open for traffic by May. The crucial construction of the girder over the northbound stretch of the Kalina-Vakola flyover on WEH has been completed, and the girder launch over the southbound stretch of the WEH and Kalina-Vakola flyover is scheduled for completion by January 20. “The work on the connector, including the cable-stayed bridge passing over the WEH and Kalina-Vakola flyover, will be completed by May, after which it will be opened for traffic. The launching of the girder over the northbound stretch of the Kalina-Vakola flyover is complete, and the 40-metre girder work over the southbound carriageway will start next Saturday and finish by January 20,” said an MMRDA official. During a recent visit to the site, this reporter observed that the girder over the northbound carriageway has been completed. The structure will feature a cable-stayed bridge over the Western Express Highway and Kalina-Vakola flyover. This elevated connector is notable for incorporating India's first sharp curvature span with an orthotropic steel deck supported by cable stays. The landing ramp, including safety walls, has been completed, and street lamps are currently being installed. The orthotropic steel deck (OSD) of the connector weighs 1,780 tonnes, measures 215 metres in length, and has a width of 17.5 metres, taking into account a 7.5-metre-wide carriageway. The cable-stayed bridge stands 22 metres above ground and nine metres above the Vakola flyover. Currently, motorists travelling from the SCLR to the Vakola junction via the Western Express Highway face significant traffic congestion near the Vakola signal due to the ongoing construction and traffic signals. Once completed, the bridge will enhance connectivity from the Vakola nullah to Panbai International School on WEH and provide faster access to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.
10 January,2025 08:19 AM IST | Mumbai | Ranjeet JadhavThe terrace of ‘The Chambers’ at The Taj Mahal Palace hotel in Colaba was a picturesque backdrop for US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti's talk—’Peace and the role of the US-India defence and security partnership’. Garcetti's tenure concludes in India this month. The Gateway of India stood like an imposing sentinel in the background and Thursday's late morning sunbeams glanced off the sea water. Garcetti began, “India is a place that touches my heart. In Mumbai, one can see the past, reflect on the present and get a glimpse of the future.” For humanity The ambassador referenced the late former US president Jimmy Carter and his ties to India, as he said, “This is not just any other day but a National Day of Mourning in the USA.” Carter was honoured at a State funeral in Washington on Thursday. Garcetti recalled, “One of Carter's famous service to humanity projects was volunteering with ‘Habitat for Humanity’.” Habitat for Humanity is a global non-profit housing organisation with a vision of a world where everyone has a place to live. People matter Of the Taj Mahal Palace hotel, Garcetti stated: “This, the Taj is sacred ground. This is an iconic hotel, rich with history. It has immense significance. We recently marked 16 years of the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai. This was one of the places where we also witnessed the bravery of this country.” Looking beyond Mumbai, Garcetti said that India and the US “are two great nations that know they have a responsibility that goes beyond their borders. We take care of our own whether it be through vaccines, international trade... but we think of the world too.” The crux of Garcetti's speech was peace, with him stressing, “Peace is not just military. It is also about people-to-people contact and understanding.” Defence ties Having said that, Garcetti did touch upon the US-India defence partnership, with, “…developing weapons together and the fact that today, we are not just selling systems to India, we are making systems ‘with’ India. At one meeting with President Joe Biden and PM Narendra Modi, one statement that was made stuck with me. It was: ‘The next 10 years will change how we fight wars and maintain peace more than the last 100 years have’”. This underscored Garcetti's point that it is technology and people that make a partnership, not just one factor. Robust military partnerships between both nations underlined the people-to-people relationship. He added, “We are the two largest democracies in the world and have allegiance to certain shared values. It is not about might is right, but right is might.” Terrorism The ambassador highlighted combating ills like the drug trade, trafficking and call centre scams together and facing the threat of terrorism, including on the Red Sea. Garcetti spoke about terror groups who operate beyond borders, deradicalisation through reaching out to communities on the periphery, and how peace is linked to prosperity. One example of partnership in combating terrorism, Garcetti said was the Tahawwur Rana case. In August 2024, a US court approved sending the 26/11 Mumbai attacks accused Tahawwur Rana to India under the India-US extradition treaty. India is speeding up the process of bringing him to face trial. Economic growth When Garcetti spoke about how peace is linked to prosperity, he highlighted the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC)—a planned economic corridor to bolster economic development by fostering connectivity and economic integration between Asia, the Persian Gulf and Europe. He reminded that peace “is a daily exercise” at the end as he signed off stating, “At the core, India and US share one heart.” Pigeons sailed into view in the distance around the Gateway of India, as an interaction session began, the birds flying high, symbolising that challenges and differences may crop up in this partnership, but the resilient relationship will soar to heights.
10 January,2025 08:16 AM IST | Mumbai | Hemal AsharThe latest police investigation into the Sanpada shooting incident in Navi Mumbai, which took place on January 3, reveals that 40-year-old Santosh Gawli, who has been identified as the main accused behind the incident, and another unidentified shooter have frequently been changing locations to evade capture. Police said that the accused had fled towards Panvel after the incident, where their digital trail ended. Through technical investigations and informants, police have managed to locate the duo near the Maharashtra border, where they are suspected of hiding. “Gawli has been using a burner phone to contact his family to let them know he is doing alright and occasionally asking for money. He is changing SIM cards and sometimes using WhatsApp calls, thinking it won’t allow us to track him. However, we have his tower location, and they will soon be apprehended,” said a police officer on the condition of anonymity. Police scrutinised over 100 CCTV cameras to identify the suspects Two unidentified assailants on a motorcycle opened fire at Rajaram Thoke, 48, Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) market's garbage disposal and collection department contractor. The assailants had fired five to six rounds before fleeing the scene. Currently stable, Thoke was shot four times near D-Mart. Gawli, a former contractor at the APMC, is also suspected to be the mastermind behind the incident. According to the police, Gawli was driven by jealousy after losing the contract, which was his sole source of income. Two years ago, after losing the contract to Thoke, Gawli began driving an auto rickshaw to make ends meet. Further investigations have revealed that two months ago, Gawli started planning to end Thoke’s life. He enlisted the help of a shooter, who guided him in sourcing a pistol and devising a plan to execute the crime.Gawli and the shooter conducted reconnaissance to track Thoke’s daily movements and routine, police sources revealed. The Sanpada police and the Navi Mumbai Crime Branch are collectively investigating the case.
10 January,2025 08:14 AM IST | Mumbai | Aishwarya IyerIn a relief for contractual teaching and non-teaching staff at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), the institute has planned to further extend the contracts of 115 employees until 2026. The announcement comes on the heels of additional funding assurances from the Tata Trusts, averting the earlier deadline of March 31, 2025, set just last month. The development follows months of uncertainty for 55 faculty members and 60 non-teaching staff. Their contracts, initially funded by the Tata Education Trust (TET), were terminated on June 28, with services slated to end on June 30. TISS officials cited a funding lapse as the reason for the layoffs, explaining, “These staff were appointed under projects funded by the Tata Trust. The funding for these projects has stopped in the last few months.” Criticism from the TISS community, including protests by the Progressive Students Forum (PSF), prompted TET to step in, providing enough financial support to extend the contracts until December 31. As that deadline approached, TISS granted another extension to March 31, 2025. Now, with a fresh infusion of funds, TISS has confirmed a further extension up to March 2026. A senior TISS official said, “Tata Education Trust has provided assurance that resources will be made available to TISS, and a grant of R5 crore is expected. TET has committed to releasing more funds for the salaries of TET project/programme faculty and non-teaching staff, which will be sufficient up to 2026. The current extension will end on March 31, 2025.” In the meantime, TISS has formed a committee to develop a “new, sustainable education model,” aiming to maintain the services of these staff members well into the future. Student representatives from PSF have welcomed the move, emphasising that retaining these employees is crucial for preserving academic quality and continuity across TISS’s multiple campuses.
10 January,2025 08:10 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentA 60-year-old woman died after a branch from a banyan tree collapsed in a garden in Ghatkopar’s Garodia Nagar, 90 Feet Road on Thursday evening. Another woman was injured and admitted to the civic-run Rajawadi Hospital. The women, identified as Minakshi, 60, and Vandana Shah, 56, were injured. Minakshi was declared dead at Rajawadi Hospital, while Vandana Shah is receiving treatment. The two women had come to the garden for their evening walk. A civic official stated that the garden is privately owned and managed by the local residential association. A source from the BMC’s N Ward office said, “We issued a notice to the association in April to trim the tree. At that time, the tree was healthy.” Meanwhile, a Garden Department official said, “We will confirm all documents to check if the notice was served, and then we will take action.” Meanwhile, four people were injured in a fire that broke out in a scrap godown at Darukhana Mandvi, near Rey Road. According to the civic Disaster Control Report, the fire was reported at 3.25 pm on Thursday and was extinguished by 3.56 pm. The fire was contained to electric wiring, scrap materials, and other combustible items. The four injured were taken to the state-run JJ hospital. Rajendra Prasad, 40, is in critical condition, while Babaulal, 35, Dharmendra Gaund, 40, and Mohammad Riyaz, 3.
10 January,2025 08:06 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentA two-year-old girl, Vidhi Agrahari, lost her life after two college students jostled and accidentally fell on her in Juhu on January 2. An FIR has been registered in the matter and the police are investigating the case further. Vidhi’s father, Vinay Agrahari, told mid-day, “My wife warned them that our daughter was playing and that she was too small and could get hurt, but they ignored her warnings. They intentionally continued their rough behaviour and killed my daughter.” Vidhi, who lived with her parents at Amrutlalwadi on Juhu Church Road, was just days away from her second birthday, which her family had planned to celebrate with a grand gathering of family and friends. One of the college students involved is Harshad Gaurav. Both are residents of the Juhu area. The Juhu police have registered an FIR against Harshad Gaurav and initiated an investigation into the matter. Vinay Agrahari recounted the incident, saying, “On January 2, around 1.30 pm, I was at my shop while my daughter was playing outside with her mother. Harshad Gaurav and his friend, who live in the area, were fighting and running behind each other. My wife, Vidya, told them not to jostle near our child, but they didn’t listen. While running, Gaurav accidentally pushed my daughter, and she fell. Instead of stopping, they continued making fun and eventually fell on her, crushing her.” He added, “My daughter suffered serious head injuries. I rushed her to Cooper Hospital, but doctors declared her dead before admission. She would have turned two on January 8, and we had planned a big celebration. These youths took our happiness for their amusement. I want justice for my daughter.” Police Inspector Mahadeo Kunbhar of Juhu police station, currently handling the Senior PI Charge, said, “We have registered the FIR and issued a notice to the accused to present themselves for investigation. We will take appropriate action.”
10 January,2025 07:44 AM IST | Mumbai | Shirish VaktaniaOn top of the news A man reads the newspaper under a patch of sunlight in a chawl in Parel A reading haven A moment from a previous reading session of the club As part of the Architecture and Design Film Festival starting today, city-based reading club Juhu Reads will be hosting a reading session at NCPA on January 12. Focussing on the idea of availability and accessibility of public spaces for community-based activities, the co-curator of the club, Shrishti Khanna (inset) told us, “This session is just another way of continuing what we’ve been doing with Juhu Reads — recreating public spaces as places of connection and leisure. The festival’s themes of sustainability, design, and public spaces feel like a natural extension of what we’ve been doing. It will be a silent reading circle where anyone can bring anything they’d like to read. The focus isn’t on formal discussions but rather on coming together in stillness and turning a public space into a little haven.” Nostalgia times with Shabana and Kaifi Azmi Kaifi Azmi (right) with his daughter, Shabana Azmi. Pic courtesy/Instagram On the occasion of Kaifi Azmi’s birth anniversary (January 14), Bhendi Bazaar-based cultural association, Urdu Markaz is organising a Kaifi Azmi Walk from Madanpura to Byculla this Sunday, to be led by his daughter, Shabana Azmi. “This is the first edition of a six-month-long series of culture walks that we have planned, starting with Kaifi Azmi. The idea is to take people through iconic spots and places in the city which have a connection to him. Kaifi Azmi was an extremely important figure in the literary scene of the past century, and this is our way of honouring his indelible impact on the cultural fabric of the country,” Zubair Azmi, founder, told this diarist. The battle of poets begins After creating a platform for spoken verse enthusiasts to find a creative outlet, Tape A Tale founder Kopal Khanna (below) is now taking the initiative to the next level. Collaborating with stand-up comic Samay Raina, Khanna has set out to begin an inaugural poetry show, India’s Kavya Samrat. “We have already received a lot of submissions, and hope to shoot it sometime this month for a release early this year in Mumbai. As a platform, we have always hosted new talent who could send us emails, and reach out for an opportunity. This is a turn to a wider search akin to Indian Idol, but for poetry. We will have entrants from all over the country competing across several rounds,” Khanna told this diarist. Those who are interested can check @tapeatale on Instagram for more details. We run the show Akshada Patil (right) in a moment from a previous running session City-based runner Akshada Patil is inviting Mumbaikars to a lively party in Juhu this weekend. The kicker? You’d have to finish a 4km run to be on the guestlist. “The Run and Rave concept has been around for some time in Europe. I reckoned Mumbai could use a similar incentive to get off their couches,” Patil told us. Those who wish to participate in this unique initiative can log on to @overlydaa on Instagram. Nature on our mind A volunteer clears a trail of dry leaves (right) a signboard at the forest With the increase in pollution levels and a highly unpredictable weather, we think it is high time to start reparations with nature, starting with the lungs of our ecosystem — forests. iNaturewatch Foundation, an organisation working in the field of urban biodiversity recently put up sign boards warning people of forest fires at the Taloja Hill forest in Kharghar. “We have been engaged in the process of reforestation and eco-restoration for quite some time now. Every year, during the winter months we hear news of forest fires due to the collection of dry foliage on the ground. Last month, a fire burnt close to 100 saplings that we had planted in the forest. We have placed signboards warning people of potential forest fire activities in both Marathi and English. We have also cleared forest trails with dry grass and marked spaces where birds reside, so as to preserve the biodiversity of the forest,” Dr V Shubhalaxmi (inset), founder, signed off.
10 January,2025 07:41 AM IST | Mumbai | Team mid-dayThe Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has initiated a survey of commercial slums and plans to start collecting property tax from the next financial year. After waiving property tax on residential properties up to 500 square feet, the civic body has been losing around R300 crore in revenue annually. Meanwhile, it has launched various mega projects worth approximately Rs 1.5 lakh crore. To fund these projects, the BMC is now exploring new revenue sources, including collecting property tax from commercial slums. Until 2006-07, the BMC charged Rs 100 annually as a service fee for residential slum structures and Rs 250 for commercial ones. In 2016, it revised these charges to a range of Rs 2,400 to Rs 18,000 annually, depending on the area and type of hut. At that time, then-BMC Commissioner Ajoy Mehta proposed levying property taxes on slum properties in the budget. However, in 2018, the BMC abolished property tax for residential properties up to 500 square feet, putting the collection of property tax from slums on hold. Now, the BMC has decided to resume this tax collection for commercial slums. The survey of commercial slums is currently underway. Deputy Municipal Commissioner Vishwas Shankarwar said, “Yes, we have started a survey of the commercial slums for property tax. After the survey, we will know how many commercial slums are in the city.” Another official explained that the property tax will be calculated based on the size and ready reckoner rate of the area. The BMC estimates that this tax could generate around Rs 200 crore in revenue. As of December 2024, the BMC has collected Rs 5,847.68 crore in property tax, achieving 68 per cent of its target for the financial year. The collection target for 2024-25 is approximately Rs 6,200 crore. Notably, the BMC collected Rs 433.87 crore in just two days—Rs 173.59 crore on Monday, December 30, 2024, and Rs 260.28 crore on Tuesday, December 31, 2024. However, the decision to tax commercial slums has drawn criticism from stakeholders. Sureshchandra Rajhans, president of the Congress Slum Cell in Mumbai, said, “At the moment, not much is known about this proposal. However, this decision will be unfair to a slum dweller who runs a small shop in his house. It is wrong to compare a shop being run in a slum house with one being operated in a building.”
10 January,2025 07:40 AM IST | Mumbai | Sameer SurveCommuters are struggling with overcrowding after the Mumbai Central-Valsad fast double-decker passenger train was replaced with old single-decker rakes. The crowding has become the new norm, prompting passengers beyond Virar to file complaints with Western Railway (WR). They are demanding the introduction of newer double-decker rakes on the route to alleviate congestion. Prathamesh Prabhutendolkar, a regular commuter, told mid-day, “The train was already crowded when it was a double-decker. Now, with the same crowd but fewer seats, the situation has worsened. Earlier, the train could accommodate at least 300 passengers at a time. Now, the capacity has been halved.” He further said, “The previous double-decker rakes had wider doors, making boarding and alighting easier. With the old rakes now in use, the door size has also decreased, adding to the inconvenience. During the up journey from Valsad to Mumbai Central, it’s challenging to board the train from Dahanu to Borivli due to the crowd. Similarly, disembarking from Boisar to Borivli is equally difficult. In the down journey from Mumbai Central to Valsad, the rush makes it tough to board right from Virar to Boisar.” Prabhutendolkar added, “We, as commuters, have been campaigning for newer Linke-Hofmann-Busch (LHB) double-decker non-AC coaches on this train. Another train on the same route till Ahmedabad already has LHB double-decker AC coaches. We’ve even emailed the railway minister regarding this. The old single-decker Integral Coach Factory (ICF) coaches currently in use are outdated and inadequate.” Western Railway Chief PRO Vineet Abhishek said, “Safety and convenience of our passengers is our top most priority. The codal life of the double-decker coaches had been completed, and hence it was replaced with normal ICF coaches. To enhance passenger convenience, we have increased the number of coaches from 18 to 22.”
10 January,2025 07:38 AM IST | Mumbai | Prasun ChoudhariThe Bombay High Court on Monday (January 6) directed the Mumbai police to examine the conduct of a police sub-inspector (PSI) attached to the Samta Nagar police station in Kandivli West, who allegedly sent a Facebook friend request to a woman petitioner whose theft complaint he was investigating. According to the woman, she had filed two complaints with the Samta Nagar police station in August, 2024, for theft, but no progress was made in the investigation. She said that her mother had also approached Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar with a complaint, but no response was received. Frustrated by the inaction, the woman’s mother moved the HC, further alleging that the PSI investigating the theft case sent a friend request to her daughter on Facebook instead of conducting a proper inquiry. On Monday, the HC directed the Zonal Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) to take appropriate action against the PSI. A division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Neela K Gokhale remarked, “We fail to understand how an officer investigating the case of the petitioner, a lady, can send such a friend request to her or, in fact, to anybody whose case he is investigating.” The court’s order stated, “Considering the manner in which the case is being handled, we direct the DCP of the zone to look concerned into the petitioner’s complaint and take appropriate steps. The DCP must also examine the conduct of the PSI who sent a friend request to the petitioner and take necessary action.” Advocate Vijay Kantharia, representing the complainant, argued that the police acted “high-handedly, unreasonably, and illegally” by deliberately failing to register an FIR for the theft of the petitioner’s movable properties. He added, “The petitioner had no choice but to approach the Bombay HC after being denied justice.”
10 January,2025 07:35 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentADVERTISEMENT
