The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Pic/Pradeep Dhivar
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A policeman reaches out to a wandering duck at a market in Sion on Monday.
Art lends a helping hand
One of the artworks available for sale
Art can, of course, be for art’s sake. But sometimes, artists can also use their craft for a noble cause. That’s what Mumbai-based illustrator Maithili M, who runs the Instagram handle @bigfatbao, has done after she collaborated with two charitable organisations, The Blue Dawn and Swabhiman Society, to raise funds for disadvantaged people reeling under the effects of the pandemic. Maithili is selling sets (of three) of her artworks for '1,350 to interested people, and is donating all the profits from the sales to the two NGOs. “I have known Divya K of The Blue Dawn for a long time and had helped her in the initial days after it was started, while Manisha Mashaal of Swabhiman Society is someone whose work has always inspired me,” she told this diarist, adding that the artworks will be on sale till June. Visit her Instagram page to purchase a set.
Ensuring hospital beds for all
Kunal Vijayakar
A shortage of beds for Covid-19 patients is a critical issue facing not just the city, but the whole country at present. But a Mumbai-based youth organisation called Indian International Model United Nations (IIMUN) has now stepped in to alleviate the problem to some extent. They have started a website called findabed.in, which acts as an online source of information about available Covid-19 centres all over India. That apart, they are also calling on citizens to turn any free space they might have at their disposal into Covid-19 centres. “Many people have second homes that are lying vacant, which can be converted into places where patients can be treated. Empty offices can also be used for the same, and we will be taking help from the authorities to follow all the protocols required,” shared Abhishek Dhawan, who’s second-in-charge at IIMUN, which has roped in a number of cause ambassadors to highlight their initiative, including director Karan Johar and foodie-cum-funnyman Kunal Vijayakar. The latter told this diarist, “I have been involved with IIMUN for a long time, and I have great confidence that this young generation will change the world. They have a certain drive that energises the older generation I belong to. That’s why I wanted to be associated with them.”
Jab we met
Looking for a date before the pandemic ends? Better get yourself vaccinated. That is the clear message of a survey that a dating app has conducted among its users in major Indian metros, including Delhi and Mumbai, which shows that 70 per cent of the people within the age group of 18 to 30 will consider meeting a prospective partner only after he or she is vaccinated. “Vaccination has become an added quality for a person to be liked and chosen,” said Ravi Mittal, the app’s founder.
My prized cap, my adorable mum
Social media on Sunday was flooded with messages from sons to their mothers on Mother’s Day; cricketers included. One cricketer — former Mumbai off-spinner Mahesh Karanjkar — did not believe Monday was too late to celebrate the occasion. He posted this picture with his mother wearing his coveted Mumbai Ranji Trophy cap and posing with the salver which all Mumbai first-class players received from the Mumbai Cricket Association to commemorate its 500th Ranji Trophy game a few years ago. Satara-born Karanjkar, 49, played 10 first-class games across the 1992-93 and 1995-96 seasons. Well bowled, we are moved to say after this delivery.
Biodiversity park for Ambivli
A facelift is on the cards for Mohone, a small town in the Ambivli region that falls under the Kalyan-Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC). The civic body has joined hands with environmental organisation iNaturewatch Foundation to build a biodiversity park in a 25-acre plot of land in the area, with DCB Bank funding the effort as part of its CSR activities. iNaturewatch Foundation co-founder Dr V Subhalaxmi told this diarist that the proposed park will have different sections including gardens dedicated to birds, butterflies and medicinal plants. “We will also have multiple activity stations where visitors can gain practical knowledge about the environment,” she said, adding that the plan is to plant 10,000 saplings in total before the monsoon hits in June. “If we are unable to meet the target due to the pandemic this year, we will complete it in 2022,” she clarified.
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