The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Pic/Atul Kamble
Light will prevail
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As the city celebrates Diwali amidst a pandemic, a little boy in Lalbaug shows the way. Pic/Atul Kamble
Saluting a four-time winner
Sr Sneha Joseph receives the award from the Governor of Maharashtra Bhagat Singh Koshyari. Pic/Facebook
Sr Sneha Joseph, Executive Director at Andheri-based Holy Spirit Hospital became the first Indian woman to make four plasma donations after recovering from COVID-19. She was felicitated with the Corona Warrior Award by the Governor of Maharashtra, Bhagat Singh Koshyari recently.
Sr Joseph shared with this diarist, "I tested positive on May 13, and was recuperating for the next 18 days at our COVID ward. Having lived that experience, I witnessed critical patients in the ICU struggling with intense cough, chest pain and breathlessness, in isolation. When I recovered and first heard about plasma donation, I decided I wanted to help patients from disadvantaged backgrounds." On testing, her antibody count was higher than average donors and her blood group (AB) made her a universal plasma donor. "At this point, I just knew this was God's calling for me to save lives. I am elated to receive this award and would want to request other recovered patients to donate plasma too. It is completely safe and can be done every 15 days. Honestly, there is no greater gift than saving lives."
A spiritual collaboration
It isn't every day that we see some of the best musicians collaborate for a track, and that too, organically. But that's what sitarist Purbayan Chatterjee, singer Shankar Mahadevan and tabla exponent Ustad Zakir Hussain are about to do with a new piece that releases on November 22. It's called Shiva Shankara and is based on the philosophy of Shiva consciousness. Sharing how the collaboration came about, Chatterjee told this diarist that it all started with a conversation with Mahadevan over the phone. The 'bhakti' in Mahadevan's voice, Chatterjee said, is unparalleled. "In seconds he can take you to a different realm," he shared, adding, "When I reached out to Ustad Zakir Hussain sa'ab, it was beyond my wildest imagination that I could have both these iconic, legendary artistes in one song — especially since, both of them are not only mentors but also the greatest source of inspiration for me."
Game, set and match
Pic/Atul Kamble
While Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray and his son, Amit, have been swinging shots at the Shivaji Park Gymkhana during the lockdown, it was another Thackeray who scored a match point this Diwali. Although the MNS supremo was missing at the Diwali celebrations that the party hosts at Shivaji Park every year, Amit and his mother, Sharmila, after attending the function, made their way to the gymkhana where the former was practising. After he was done playing a set, Sharmila, dressed in a salwar suit and Kolhapuris, took up the racket. Needless to say, she impressed onlookers with her rally. Good sport.
A heady Times Square moment
Merlin D'Souza and Hamsika Iyer
Twenty years ago, city-based award-winning musician Merlin D'Souza had her Kodak moment at Times Square, New York. She jumped in glee as her little face lit up the big screen amid a crowd. Yesterday, her life came full circle, as her performance of the Ganesh Vandana and a medley of Bollywood hits with singer Hamsika Iyer beamed at the tallest screen at Times Square.
"Being part of the Light Up Times Square concert and performing alongside amazing global artistes was a dream come true. We performed a medley of songs including You are my soniya, Raabta, Chamak challo and Suraj hua maddham. I am thankful to Gina Lewis Fernandes, Neeta Bhasin, and the team behind Diwali at Times Square for making this happen," she told this diarist.
Monkey business
When caricaturist Rahul Patil first illustrated the woods, a cave and two characters chased by a bunch of angry monkeys for Instagram, little did he think it would lay the foundation for his dream project. Set in a mysterious jungle, his debut comic book Jambalaya will release next month. "I started working on the book in September. The title is inspired by an African dish with the same name that represents mess. This comedy of errors will take you on an adventurous trip with its characters Rahul and Kiri. And yes, there'll be a lot of monkeys and a monkey king," the artist shared.
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