02 October,2026 08:36 AM IST | Mumbai | Team mid-day
Pic/Ashish Raje
As the city prepared for citizen protests, the Mahatma Gandhi statue on Madame Cama Road in Churchgate received a deep scrub on the eve of Gandhi Jayanti.
A dated photograph of Karfule from the first decade of operations
Pumped' would be the right word to describe Daniel Sequeira's mood this week. The third-generation owner of Karfule, one of the city's last surviving Art Deco fuel pumps, will ring in its 88th anniversary on October 3.
A 1920 Fiat at the fuel pump in 2024. PICS COURTESY/DANIEL SEQUEIRA
"Owing to a packed schedule, I'll celebrate with a short walk around Ballard Estate with the Art Deco Mumbai Trust. The walk will end at Karfule. And there will be cake, of course," a cheery Sequeira informed us. Amid rampant redevelopment across the city, Sequeira hopes the walk will spark a renewed interest in preserving Mumbai's design and architecture marvels.
Abhijeet Dipke and Ashutosh Ranka at Bandstand; Dipke grabs breakfast on the go during the visit. PICS COURTESY/@ABHIJEETDIPKE
Team CJP landing up on your doorstep might be a worrying sight for most public figures. Unless, of course, you're Shah Rukh Khan. In Mumbai to join the CJP protest today, Abhijeet Dipke and his team made the customary Mumbai Darshan pit-stop at SRK's abode in Bandra, Mannat. All smiles, alongside CJP colleague Ashutosh Ranka, the duo received an enthusiastic welcome to the Bandstand Promenade. A witty passer-by quipped, "No one is interested in Shah Rukh today; everyone's looking this way."
Austin Coutinho with his late wife, Rina Coutinho. PIC COURTESY/AUSTIN COUTINHO
Caricaturist, coach, and former fast bowler Austin Coutinho is adding a heartfelt spin to his 42nd wedding anniversary today - the first in the absence of his late wife Rina. Familiar to our readers as the name behind mid-day's engaging crossword puzzles, Coutinho is now turning to a new generation of artists in Chembur. "I have invited 15 students for a live painting session at the Jawahar Vidya Bhavan, to mark the anniversary this year," he revealed to us. We tip our hat to this artistic tribute.
A photograph from the collection. PICS COURTESY/HARPERCOLLINS; Wikimedia
Dic you know that the late Raghu Rai (right) had a keen eye for wildlife? Rai's first posthumously published book, Animals (HarperCollins), featuring an introduction by Maneka Gandhi (above) is set for an October 12 release.
Gandhi shared, "Animals are not commodities and Raghu Rai captured that sacred dialogue between humans, and our fellow creatures well, reflecting the spiritual maturity of our own species."
