05 June,2026 08:57 AM IST | Mumbai | Team mid-day
Pic/Rane Ashish
Classical dancer Suravi Handel performs Bharatanatyam along the walkway near King Circle flyover in Matunga East.
A scene from the play that celebrates the fishing community. Pics courtesy/Mumbai Meri Jaan foundation
With the monsoon knocking on Mumbai's doors, the East Indian community is gearing up for Sao Joao, a vibrant celebration marking the birth of Saint John the Baptist and giving thanks for the season's rains.
Agnelo Fernandes and Lorna Cordeiro
Organised by Mumbai Meri Jaan Foundation, this year's festivities will begin with a floral and fruit crown ceremony, followed by a lively procession at Shivaji Park on June 24 led by an East Indian band. "Apart from an enactment of the story of Sao Joao, the event will also feature a special performance by Goa's celebrated nightingale, Lorna Cordeiro," said founder Agnelo Fernandes.
Participants try out a prototype of the game
Don't you wish your daily commute could earn you points? On SimblyCity, a new board game created by Sajna Sangeeth Sivan, Deepak Thomas, and Malvika Sharma, it might. The game set to launch in November this year, was designed to help understand the city's travel routes in a fun way. "The three-to-four-player game features a detailed map of Mumbai, including all possible modes of transport.
The game challenges players to travel across Mumbai using its public transport network. Pics courtesy/simblycity
Players have to travel from one location to another using the money they collect along the way," the Chandivli-based resident explained. However, contrary to the city's fast-pace, speed is not the objective. "The catch is that it's not about who reaches the destination first. It's about being frugal - the winner is the player who ends up with the most money," Sivan told this diarist.
Young footballers take part in a friendly match at Shivaji Nagar, Govandi; (right) the trophy was made entirely from recycled newspapers and papier-mache. Pics courtesy/the next page
World Environment Day arrived early in Govandi this year. A football tournament organised by the Fox Passer's Club, showed that climate education can be both meaningful and fun. The one-day event on June 3 saw close to 120 children from Govandi participate in a football tournament, alongside environmental awareness activities.
Led by community coaches Shweta Shetty and Kulsoom Qureshi, the "purposeful play" sessions used games and discussions to teach children about global warming, pollution and conservation. "We wanted to ensure that the children learn practical ways to care for the environment while having fun," said co-founder and director, Anoop Parik.
Omkar Bhatkar performs The Olive Harvesters, a poem by Miguel Hernández. pic courtesy/Omkar Bhatkar
Poetry's transcendental nature is not lost on Omkar Bhatkar who bridged the gap between continents through his poetry-theatre production Entre Dos Orillas (Between Two Shores). An amalgamation of poetry from three nations namely, Persia, India, and Spain, Bhatkar presented the show at Madrid's Espacio Ronda, where he also had a week-long painting exhibition. "Last year, while performing the poetry of the Spanish mystics in Spain, a woman in the audience asked if I could also bring the verses of Antonio Machado and Juan Ramón Jiménez to the stage. That singular request became the seed for the play," he shared.
