The city — sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Pic/Shadab Khan
Nothing’s mushkil for Devgan
Far away from the ugly spat over film release dates with Karan Johar that erupted a few days ago, Ajay Devgan looked cool when he was spotted at a commercial shoot in Malad last evening.
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Modi, the Gujarati Elvis
Many resident Indians harbour a secret wish to become an NRI. Suketu Mehta is back with a novella, What is Remembered, that offers insights on the NRI’s love for PM Narendra Modi and now, Donald Trump, which may allow aspiring NRIs to feel better. His protagonist is a man with a perfect life in the US.
So perfect that he has forgotten about his life in India. In a recent interview, Mehta says the NRI in the US is happy with his orderly life and feels India has too much corruption and democracy. Modi, he says, comes across as a strongman to them who will bring order.
On his rockstar-like reception at Madison Square, he says, for the NRI, he is the Gujarati Elvis. We’ll wait to see if the title makes it to an NRI bestseller list.
Rangoli with macarons
Last Sunday, if you happened to drop by Angel Express Foundation’s centre opposite SRK’s bungalow on Bandstand in the morning, you would have spotted 20 kids from the NGO getting creative with cupcakes and macarons.
Kids having a blast at the event. Pic/Datta Kumbhar
Not eating them creatively but actually filling up large frames of Ganpati designs with the bite-sized desserts. The activity was organised by Sanjana Patel of La Folie in collaboration with the NGO.
In fact, the patisserie will also be offering a variety of Ganpati-special desserts, including quirky chocolate modaks till September 9 at all its branches. The proceeds from the sale will go directly to the foundation.
Mini-thon, maxi-headache
Organising a marathon is no mean feat, and planning one with children is fraught with peril. The Chembur Track Masters were caught unawares when they added a 1-km run for children to their marathon on Sunday. While the 10-km run was flagged off at 7.20 am, the 1-km minithon set off around 7.45 am.
Angry marathoners surrounded the police vehicle
Around 200 metres into the run, a parent realised that her son was missing. The organisers, who had countless volunteers on call, sent out 15 of them to look for the boy. He couldn’t be located, the run was halted and the frantic mother called the police. Just as the police arrived, the volunteers found the boy playing with a few kids at Gandhi Maidan.
All was well but the organisers had to pacify the angry crowd because the 5-km run had been cancelled and 10-km runners learnt that there were no medals at the end of their run. Finally, the organisers were taken away by the police. When we called the organisers the next day, they informed us that the medals for 10-km runners could be collected or couriered.
But, it is unlikely that Mumbai’s runners will register with the organisers again. Moral of the story: Sometimes, it is wise to not venture where no man (or child) has gone before.
A woof-happy birthday bash
Every now and again we find a heartwarming story in this city. This time, you can be part of a birthday party for 1,200 stray dogs. Organised by Animals Matter To Me (AMTM), an Animal Welfare charitable trust, established in 2010 by Ganesh Nayak and Dheeraja Nayak, the event will allow you to cook, pack and also feed needy strays.
“A 12-year-old girl told her parents that she didn’t want a lavish party for her birthday and wanted to feed strays instead. The Gujarati family doesn’t want to reveal their identity,” shares Nayak. “We have been feeding strays for the last five years. These days, people are more sensitised.
They realise that strays are the most ignored during celebrations and offer to share their special days with them. This month, a couple has decided to feed a 1,000 strays on their anniversary,” he adds. The NGO will feed strays in the area around Marve and Aksa beach apart from the 150 dogs in their 18,000 sq ft rehabilitation centre.
The strays will be tagged with illuminated collars to identify them when the van will neuter them. For more on their big birthday bash in Malad, check out their website.
Whose twin is she?
Activists who won the right for women to access the sanctum sanctorum of the dargah received the recent High Court verdict for the Haji Ali dargah with much fervour. Before this verdict, dargah trustees had stopped women for accessing the ‘mazhar’ of the sanctum sanctorum. While the community awaits the next step, it is expected that the trustees will approach the Supreme Court.
Justice Mohite-Dere
The High Court judgement was read by Justice Revati Mohite-Dere. What few are aware of is that Mohite-Dere is none other than the twin sister of Vinita Kamte whose husband, the late Ashok Kamte, was one of the heroes of the 26/11 terror attacks on Mumbai.
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