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Mumbai Diary: Sunday shorts

Updated on: 07 June,2015 08:23 AM IST  | 
Hemal Ashar, Phorum Dalal |

The city -- sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce

Mumbai Diary: Sunday shorts

A Bradman catch!
Anything on cricket legend Sir Don Bradman sells! Recently, our in-house cricket memorabilia collector discovered that a 1995 Christmas card handwritten by the late Australian batsman and sent to a friend in Victoria, was up for sale on a website.



Sir Don Bradman


Bradman informed his friend through the card that his wife Lady Jessie was diagnosed with “inoperable cancer.”
Bradman further wrote: “It happened suddenly and she is already having this cruel chemo treatment. I hate to see her suffering and fear 1996 will be sad for us.” Lady Jessie died in 1997 while Sir Don passed away in 2000. Four months before her death, they celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary. Bradman had no hesitation in calling it, “the greatest partnership of my life.”


The Christmas card fetched $228.49 (R11,000 approx). However, it did not have Bradman’s signature; just ‘From Don & Jessie.’

Happy birthday, Mumbai Metro
When the first Metro took off between Versova and Ghatkopar last year, it changed the way Mumbaikars travelled to and fro Versova and Ghatkopar. This diarist became a daily commuter, blessing the trains for cutting her travel time to Andheri station from Versova by 20 minutes. It brought an end to endless, sweaty auto rides.


To mark the occasion of Mumbai Metro’s first anniversary, a food mela has been set up at Andheri Metro station. pic/Phorum Dalal

Yesterday, all the Metro stations were decorated with purple and blue orchids, and a food mela greeted commuters at Andheri station. The mood was of a carnival — if only we didn’t have to go to work. We wish the Metro, a happy one. And, of course, many successful rides across the city in the future.

Irony on wheels
Recently, a press conference was held featuring a number of environmentalists, cyclists and urban transport experts who met at a Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) hotel. It was the fourth annual edition of The Smart Commute, a cycle to work initiative, which aims to popularise cycling in Mumbai and make people see the bicycle as a viable transport mode.

No cycles: The BKC cycle track could hang a ‘vacant’ sign. Pic/Shadab Khan

The irony though, was that the cycle track circling the hotel was vacant and has always been and vehicles were parked on it. When a transport expert was asked about how they could popularise cycling in the city, given that cyclists do not use a cycling track within the BKC, he said, “This is because a cycle track has to begin from a certain point and lead to a certain destination. Nobody will come to the BKC and go around in circles on the track.” Much more foresight is needed if the city ever wants to incorporate cycling tracks on its roads. 

 

 

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