19 May,2025 06:31 AM IST | Mumbai | Team mid-day
Pic/Atul Kamble
Two men are lost in their work as they press clothes at a laundry in Walkeshwar.
This diarist had lost track of time looking at the same out-of-use railway coach parked outside Bandra Station's west exit since early last year. There had been whispers that it might be turned into a restaurant-on-wheels. Well, there's a good bit of news. Named Royal Carriage Bandra, the new restaurant has finally opened its doors. We were pleasantly surprised to see it buzzing with diners on a regular weeknight. It may have taken its own sweet time, but like they say about Mumbai's locals, better late than never.
Instrumentalists in Hindustani classical music need to step back, it is time for the vocalists to shine. This year, it is an all-vocalist format at the Aarohi 2025 scheduled to take place at Nariman Point on May 22 and 23. Presented by the GRACE Foundation and curated by Pancham Nishad, the festival has chosen six exceptional vocalists via the Gunijaan Bandish Rashtriya Pratiyogita. "Each of these artistes represents a different corner of the country, a distinct lineage, and yet what unites them is a rare maturity, depth, and artistic individuality at such an early stage in their journeys. In a city like Mumbai, where audiences are hungry for both legacy and freshness, the festival is more than a concert. It's a quiet, powerful invitation to witness the future of Hindustani music unfold," shared Shashi Vyas, founder, Pancham Nishad.
For young Sindhis keen to learn about their ancient heritage, Rakshita Manglani's new initiative might offer a quick guide. A practicing artiste, Manglani is hosting sessions that bring together members of the Sindhi community from across the globe. The main aim of these sessions is to reintroduce young people to the community's rich cultural heritage. To this end, she connects with Sindhis, both offline and online, from all over the world, including from Sindh, Pakistan. Manglani said, "We conduct sessions at people's homes, and every meeting has an agenda. For example, one of the recent sessions was centred on the upliftment of Sindhi women in India. We often get a mixed audience, ranging from Sindhi business people to educators. They often contribute to the sessions on their own volition. Unfortunately, a lot of youngsters from the community cannot speak the language. So, we will be conducting cultural programmes. These programmes will be in the Sindhi language, and even if they cannot speak the language, they can try to pick it up."
Armed with a love for STEM subjects and Physics, Cathedral and John Connon school student, Aryan Agarwal has designed kits and courseware to help under-privileged students. "Project Spark simplifies Physics and makes it accessible for every child through easy experiments [pendulum, circuit etc]," he shared. With over 680 books distributed to schools across the city, he is now sending resources to Bengaluru as well.
Months after the inauguration of the Ratan Tata Miyawaki Forest in Vasai's Sun City neighbourhood, Vasaikars will have to answer the call of duty once again. The forest, home to nearly 3000 trees of varying species faces the threat of animal grazing. "The trees were planted with the collective effort of Vasaikars. With green cover reducing this summer season, local cattle has resorted to trespassing into the forest," shared Sanjay Vaishnav, founder, Nanhe Haath Foundation, the organisation heading the initiative. For the uninitiated, Miyawaki forests entail purposeful planting of diverse species in a compact space. To restore balance to the forest, the organisation is now urging Mumbaikars to come forward. To know more, call 9545110685.
