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Choreographer Bosco Martis attempts a dance step while riding a segway, much to co-judge Kareena Kapoor Khan's amazement, on the sets of a dance reality show in Goregaon on Friday. Pic/Shadab Khan
A safe and healthy web
The Internet can be dark cauldron filled with unknown terror. But a new month-long campaign called CyberSecs by Mumbai-based NGO Point of View (POV) has an interesting project in place — instead of viewing digital privacy as something to be paranoid about, they are highlighting how a safer and healthier Internet could foster free expression and exploration. The crowd-sourced survey that received 874 responses revealed that over 54 per cent of people had private images online that they didn't want to share with everybody and over 77 per cent felt that they spend too much time online.
Smita V and Ishaan Pathak of POV told this diarist, "A lot of the respondents also shared strategies which they used to keep themselves safe online, and to maintain their privacy at different levels. This included things like having multiple accounts for exploring their sexuality and gender identity, using strong passwords, having strong privacy and security settings on social media etc. We have more control than we think, and people are using this to be in charge of their online lives, which is really an extension and part of their life."
Blast from the past
Call it coincidence or irony. Yesterday happened to be the 38th anniversary of the day Kemps Corner was rechristened Ardeshir Godrej Chowk, in recognition of the contribution of the Godrej founder to India's industrial growth. The milestone came just a day after the news of the family being locked in a dispute over the development of the vast expanse of land it owns in Mumbai came out.
While the development has got observers wondering about the fate the 1,000 acres of mangroves, which stand on the family's privately owned land in Vikhroli, the picture of this Amul hoarding to mark the renaming of Kemps Corner takes us back to simpler times. Though the busy junction is still popularly known by its earlier name, there is an evident verdant touch to it with the wall of climbers that surrounds the landmark, and the planters maintained by the conglomerate on the flyover above. We hope this love for greenery and natural environs is something the group factors in among the ongoing legal talks.
Some page turner, this
Last year, as the #MeToo movement brought down several big names, writer Kiran Nagarkar emerged when he was accused of sexual misconduct. After the contract of his novel The Arsonist was cancelled by Penguin Random House, Juggernaut published the book. Sharing an article of Nagarkar's recent interview with a weekend paper on Twitter, journalist Amruta Byatnal stated that she wished the paper had asked Juggernaut why they decided to step in.
The publisher then issued a statement defending the writer: "... As publishers, we must find a balance between freedom of expression and our responsibility to not give a platform to those who have been accused of sexual harassment. In this instance, we felt that by not publishing Kiran Nagarkar's book we would be suppressing an important novel that compellingly addresses some of the major issues and debates in the country today." The statement received huge backlash. Writer Mahima Kukreja summed it up by posing a valid question. "There are other writers would could do the same. How about pay a woman to do it instead? Or they aren't qualified enough?"
State of the art
If you can't find interesting things at the airport, this bit of news might bring cheer. The International Airport (CSMIA) is hosting a three-month-long carnival called Paaoolkhuna, Imprints of Maharashtra.
The event will celebrate the heritage of five culturally bracketed regions — Konkan, Khandesh, Desh, Vidarbha, and Marathwada, and includes a human library, traditional cuisine, folk dance and music, exhibition panels, selfie points and traditional draping sessions. Installations at the exhibit have been made of upcycled and recycled materials, and include the India's tallest 3D printed installation shaped like a banyan tree, and a rock-cut monastery temple made from corrugated sheets, inside the terminal.
What a punchline
Newly anointed Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju was spotted in a boxing ring with a fellow Parliamentarian. Wait. This wasn't just another parliamentarian but six-time world boxing champion and sitting Rajya Sabha MP, MC Marykom. Rijiju, known to be a fitness freak, had visited a training session recently, and wasn't exactly prepared to face-off with the champion pugilist.
He admitted in his post that Marykom had invited him for a fight but he was so scared that he had to excuse himself from the possible match. He tamely threw in the towel, remarking, "I don't fight women." That's what we call true respect for a champion. Well, played Mr. Minister.
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