Mumbai Diary: Tuesday Dossier

The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce

Meet SoBo’s soapy little Samaritan

Earlier this year, 11-year-old Altamount Road resident Nia Nariman decided to harness her passion for soap-making to raise funds for another passion — caring for stray animals. The inspiration, she says, came from her family adopting a stray dog. “I realised that there are so many other animals in the city, who need our help. And so, I collaborated with the NGO Welfare of Stray Dogs to raise funds to support their initiatives,” she told us. In June, Nariman was diagnosed with leukaemia and, during the course of her treatment, decided to extend help to afflicted children whose families did not have the financial means to support their treatment. She has now set a target of making and selling 1,000 soaps for this cause. The soaps are priced at R100 each, and all proceeds will be directed towards an NGO working in this sphere. Thus far, Nariman has already sold 200 soaps and many of her clients have vouched to match the funds she raises to make a more substantial donation. Visit @soaps_for_strays on Instagram to check them out. 

Gourmet ferry

Coffee house chain Provenance has taken sail for Mandwa Jetty, where they’ve retro-fitted two 20-foot shipping containers into a boutique café and store. Architects Rajeev Thakker of a-RT and Quaid Doongerwala of DCOOP explained, “With an eye for sustainability, we’ve designed the interior shell with wood ribs and panels that can be dismantled and stored, reorganised with minimal waste or damage to the container itself. The wiring is also scalable which makes the design very flexible.”

Creating art that preserves

For his latest exhibition at Bajaj Art Gallery in Nariman Point, miniature artist Suvigya Sharma will showcase 11 NFTs themed on endangered species such as lions, tigers, flamingos, leopards and polar bears. “This collection is a blend of Indian miniatures and Pichwai, with contemporary styles. My inspiration was preservation of both traditional Indian art forms and animals,” Sharma shared. Part of the proceeds will be dedicated to animal welfare. 

Women to the fore

Last Sunday, a women-only clean-up of Carter Road’s mangroves was conducted by Clean Sweeps in association with I Love Mumbai. About 25 women participated in the event, cumulatively gathering more than 50 kg of plastic waste. “We had participants from across the city — from Colaba to Mira Road. Cleaning the mangroves is a long and slow process, as the plastic that is entwined on their branches must be delicately unwound, without damaging the trees. We made substantial progress and hope to conduct further such drives every weekend,” said Sanket Jalgaonkar, co-founder of Clean Sweeps. 

Nostalgic flights of fancy

Pic courtesy/Farzana Instagram

The Tata’s recent acquisition of Air India inspired editor-publisher Farzana Contractor to share a vintage frame from the airline’s glory days on her social media. Posting a photo from 1971, when the first Jumbo arrived on Bombay tarmac, she shared a memory of Colleen Hai (in red), who is also her neighbour standing behind JRD Tata. Contractor said, “Colleen was Air India’s top flight-attendant, hand-picked by the icon himself. She was in charge of VIP flights, and always on board to supervise Indira Gandhi, when she was Prime Minister. It was at about the same time that director Zafar Hai fell in love with her. Zafar was shooting a commercial for Air India and the lovely Colleen was very much in the foreground in that film. Their wedding seemed straight out of a fairy tale.”

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!