The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Eyes, Eyes Lady: A cat strikes a pose that seems to correspond to the camera carried by the woman in the mural, at Bandra West. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar
Podcasting 101
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On World Podcast Day (September 30), podcasting production company Bound India had released a comprehensive guide on the topic. The guide, explained co-founder Tara Khandelwal, features insights from 200 podcast creators and listeners, and will teach readers the nitty-gritty of podcast production and promotion. “We’ve also included case studies from the two podcasts we’ve produced ourselves [Books and Beyond and The Book People] as well as our predictions about the future of this field. We believe that newcomers and veterans will find the guide useful,” she said. To download the guide, visit boundindia.com.
Penning solidarity
On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, Mission Green Mumbai, a citizen-led movement, is conducting a drive to donate stationery to children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Titled Pen For a Cause, the campaign is currently focusing on 100 children at Charkop village, who do not have the means to purchase supplies. These children will be provided with pens, pencils and four notebooks each, today. “Our idea is to ask people to send us stationery that they already have in their homes. We will even take in broken or empty pens — we either repair these or responsibly recycle them, so as to minimise their environmental impact. Most people don’t know that the ink contained in the refills releases toxic fumes when burned and that discarded stationery can choke landfills,” explained its founder Subhajit Mukherjee. Over 500 citizens are currently involved in this initiative. They’ve also enlisted a local teacher to educate the students in a classroom environment. To donate pens or volunteer, email them at pen4cause@gmail.com.
Subhajit M
Green cycling
The proposed cycling track at Powai lake has become a bone of contention between the local authorities and eco-conscious citizens. The reason for the resistance is because a portion of the track will enter the lake and affect the local biodiversity. “The lake is not just a water body — it is the pride of Mumbai and home to turtles, crocodiles and even leopards,” explains one of the organisers, requesting anonymity. The track, he adds, is redundant because a parallel road for cyclists already exists. While work on the track is halted, they hope to make Mumbaikars aware about what they can lose should this project go ahead. The Pedal to Powai initiative invites participants to wear the slogan #SavePowaiLake and decorate their bicycles to raise awareness. It begins at 11 am on Sunday, and will include songs, talks and other interactive elements.
An urgent call for change
In their latest petition, campaigning organisation Jhatkaa.org are demanding certain online marketplaces to stop selling creams that promise to ‘tighten the vagina’. Sexuality educator Apurupa Vatsalya who is supporting the cause says that such products perpetuate harmful notions about human anatomy and sex. “The whole notion of the vagina having to be ‘tight’ is problematic and rooted in fallacy, and this is compounded by the fact that such products, should consumers opt to purchase them, don’t really work. In fact, owing to their chemical make-up, they can cause damage if used over a period of time. In the absence of regulation, manufacturers and sellers have zero accountability when it comes to making good on their claims. Now, consider that many of the websites selling these creams are online grocery stores or, worse, pharmacies — this lends unwarranted legitimacy to such dubious products,” she told us.
Building blocks for stray dogs
Navi Mumbai-based environmental student body Urvari, which was recently featured on this page for converting plastic waste into shelters for stray dogs, is inviting participation for a second shelter. “In association with Rotary Club Heirloom, we are conducting a two-day event in Worli from October 3, where volunteers can help us to create the 150 eco-bricks required. They can bring their own plastic waste or will be provided the same,” Vasundhara Gupte, its co-founder, told us. The organisers will be providing the bottles needed for the eco-bricks.
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