04 August,2025 07:06 AM IST | Mumbai | Team mid-day
PIC/SATEJ SHINDE
A lineman braves the dark to oversee late night operations on the tracks near Bandra Terminus.
Shashi Tharoor poses with the fellowship medal. PIC COURTESY/THE ASIATIC SOCIETY OF MUMBAI
Shashi Tharoor was in for a busy day, or should we say an unremitting cascade of obligations over the past weekend in Mumbai. Before the grand release of his book at a SoBo venue on Saturday, Tharoor dropped by the Asiatic Society of Mumbai (ASM) in Fort to receive an honorary fellowship in person. A small ceremony saw Dr Tharoor accept the fellowship medal and citation (which was previously conferred in absentia). The senior politician and author was all praise for the 1804-established institution, ASM vice president Dr Shehernaz Nalwalla revealed to this diarist. "He expressed his admiration not only for the impressive building, but also the work we are doing in digitising literary and cultural treasures for generations to come," she told us.
A view of the playing board. PIC COURTESY/@bstation.game
AVID boardgamers will recognise B-Station, the Mumbai-themed, two-player game designed for kids and adults alike to navigate the city through a series of mazes that lead to a destination. Released in January this year, the game is set to undergo a revamp in tandem with the city's ongoing transformation, creator Shanu Sharma confirmed to us. "It is not only educational, but intended to evoke a healthy competitive spirit to reach the destination before the opponent," shared Sharma. Having received positive feedback, the creator has plans to upgrade it into a four-player game with more graphics.
Hemwant Tiwari promotes the film in Dadar (right) the bottle with a QR code. PICS COURTESY/HEMWANT TIWARI; AFP
Mr Perfectionist Aamir Khan's decision to go the YouTube route with his new release gave this diarist some serious dejà vu. We reached out to independent filmmaker Hemwant Tiwari, whose one-shot YouTube film Krishna Arjun had hit a million views following a feature in this newspaper in April.
"People are loving it. I met Anurag Kashyap last week to talk about the film. He's had a keen eye on the film from Day 1. We discussed how the film can be taken to a larger audience," Tiwari shared over our call. The filmmaker isn't taking his foot off the gas, yet. Last weekend, in the Seven Bungalows neighbourhood, Tiwari distributed free water bottles bearing an introduction to his film. "You've got to do what you've got to do. It's fun and it piques people's interest. I'd love to see Aamir do something similar," he chuckled.
Since 2016, writer Niranjan Pednekar has observed his one-woman play, The Light Catcher, evolve. The production, starring actor and theatremaker Ritika Shrotri (left) will now travel to England, and later Scotland to make its debut at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival on August 18. "I'm particularly proud of this one. One of the most moving compliments I received was when an audience member said, âIt feels like it was written by a woman," shared Pednekar.
The new studio in Kharghar. PIC COURTESY/RUPESH BHAWAR
Navi Mumbai has a cool new dance studio dedicated to breakdancing in Kharghar called Young Rebelz. Ramesh Yadav (inset) aka B-boy Tornado, and founding collective, Flying Machine Crew kicked off operations in style last week.
The studio is open to all those aspiring to learn the dance form. "Breaking isn't tough; it can be learnt easily while knowing the true meaning of this dance style," Yadav told us.
