The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Pic/sayyed Sameer Abedi
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For me, it's mann ki sundarta
Yoga guru Baba Ramdev gestures heavenward as actress Raveena Tandon touches up her make-up on the set of a reality show in Goregaon yesterday.
Pics Courtesy/fiazisafar.org
The hug collector
Nitesh Square is a man on a mission. The former journalist, now photographer, spends his days travelling, 'collecting hugs' and printing out pictures and gifting them to people. On the way, he is usually aided by well-wishers who pay for his tickets, travel or stay. We've followed his journey, Fiazi Safar 2016, where he travelled 15,000 kilometres on motorbike, across India for four months to collect hugs and spread happiness. He had with him a board, that said 'Give a hug, get a free picture'.
Today, he is taking his mission to the US, where his plan is to travel 12,000 kilometres across 30 cities, over a period of three months. Given the current political tension in the country, may be citizens could do with a hug from this earnest traveller. You can follow his journey on fiazisafar.org
A new innings for Harsh
Think Hindi television of the '90s, and the one name you're unlikely to miss associating the decade with is Harsh Chhaya's. But when the era of saas-bahu sagas took over, the actor found it increasingly difficult to relate to the small screen and took a conscious decision to choose quality over quantity. Now, Chhaya has chosen to go behind the camera to direct his first film, Khajoor Pe Atke, which he has also written. "It is a black comedy that revolves around an imminent death in the family," Chhaya told this diarist. The film has an ensemble cast that includes Dolly Ahluwalia, Manoj Pahwa, Seema Pahwa, Vinay Pathak and Suneeta Sengupta among others.
(From left) Siddhesh Lad, SVIS director Yogesh Patel and Shardul Thakur
Mumbai cricket heroes bat for alma mater
Rising Pune Supergiant's pace ace Shardul Thakur and Mumbai Indians' batsman Siddhesh Lad may have been in opposite camps during the Indian Premier League-10 final recently, but both are best of friends and got together for a good cause at their alma mater, Swami Vivekanand International School (Borivli) last week. It was the 51st birthday of the school's director, Yogesh Patel and the Mumbai Ranji players took time off not just to attend a small birthday party in the school premises but to also share some invaluable tips with the young school students. "This school is what made us what we are and we owe everything to it so we are always looking to give back in whatever small way we can," said pacer Thakur while addressing the young gathering.
Patel said he was touched by his wards' kind gesture. "My birthday is not important, but the fact that they spoke to the young school students is what matters. You may be a champion, but if you are not humble, you will not succeed. I'm glad that our school has passed on the quality of humility to its students. I'm sure their interaction would have left many of our students inspired to dream about making it big in sport just like them," Patel told this diarist.
Be a green foodie
When festivals call out for mass celebrations, the need to make them sustainable is only reasonable. An environmentally conscious community in Bengaluru has designed a poster with the support of the city's municipal corporation that urges people to go green this Ramzan. The poster advocates usage of non-plastic, reusable plates, segregation of wet and dry wastes before disposal, avoiding food wastage and ensuring litter-free iftaar areas for Ramzan celebrations. For all those planning a trip to Mohammed Ali Road, how about carrying your own plates to savour those kebabs?
Train ticket or Dubai visa?
We call it train humour. Given that the local train is the most important artery of the city's commuting network, it is only natural that it throws up what we call a few situations. Like last afternoon, when merciless mercury and searing humidity got to the commuters lining up at the Marine Lines station ticket window. As the ticket clerk was taking a bit too long to give tickets, one smart Alec shouted, "Ticket de raha hai ya Dubai ka visa?" (Are you giving tickets or a Dubai visa?) Some sniggers followed, after which a group of young men, irked at being shifted to another ticket window, started talking amongst themselves, "This is why people don't buy tickets. Then, we are caught by the TC. The TCs should catch Vijay Mallya. Apparently, he was seen in the stands watching the India-Pakistan match…" Many people within earshot were smiling at the conversation. It was something, after all, to put smiles into miles.