17 May,2025 06:54 AM IST | Mumbai | Team mid-day
Pic/Kirti Surve Parade
Amused commuters watch as a boy climbs on a railing during a ride on the Aqua Line (Line 3) of Mumbai Metro.
For regular commuters of the city, taxis are probably just a mode of conveyance, but for Ghatkopar-based visual artist Manish Mansinh, they are reminders of olden days. With a series of AI artworks, Mansinh has tried to capture the iconic typography of Mumbai's taxis - an artistic culture that is slowly fading away. "When I was in college, we would notice these vinyl prints on every taxi and I have always been fascinated by them. It was quite nostalgic for me to revisit and recreate these prints," he told us.
While Guns N' Roses fans might be prepping for the big concert tonight, acapella group Aflatunes is humming to their own tunes. With two of their members heading down to Mahalaxmi, the group also composed their own tribute to the iconic Sweet Child O' Mine. Vocalist Devashri Manohar shared, "When we heard Guns N' Roses were finally coming to India, it felt surreal. We grew up headbanging to their music, and Sweet Child O' Mine, in particular, was the anthem of our school and college days. It's our way of welcoming the band. Some of us are lucky enough to be attending the concert, while the rest of us are pretending we're not jealous; but we totally are."
Slash might be wandering down the streets of SoBo, but the quartet of Girish and The Chronicles just arrived in town on Friday afternoon. "We just got off the plane," shared bassist-songwriter Yogesh Pradhan over a phone call with this diarist. The Sikkim-based rock group will open on the night before Axl Rose, Slash and co. take to the stage. This is not the first time the Pradhan brothers have done so. "We opened for them at Abu Dhabi in 2023. I guess our music and style of hard rock suited their style," the bassist added. Unfortunately, the Indian group has yet to get time to jam with the rock legends. "Even in Dubai, it was a tight schedule. It depends on whether they have more time in India. We have a 45-minute set, and hope to do our best," shared Pradhan, who will set out on their next European tour to Portugal in August.
Children look for love, guidance and mentoring, where senior citizens want the company of a dear one. Kandivli-based NGO We Can We Will Foundation has found a solution that unifies the two facets. Having worked for the upliftment of underprivileged children in need of financial aid, the organisation has now opened its first old-age home in the same vicinity. Pankaj Harish Thakkar, founder-director, said, "We decided that children at the NGO needed love and affection, as do many seniors who struggle with loneliness. By clubbing the old age home and the students' NGO, we can solve a major problem. These students need constant guidance and mentoring, whereas the senior citizens need love and company."
On the occasion of Endangered Species Day (observed on every third Friday of May) the Nature Interpretation Centre of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) released a list of endangered species of plants, birds and fishes in Mumbai, Thane and the Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary. "We noted down the flora and fauna in and around the city from the iNaturalist app, which is a citizen science portal and then checked the status of the species with the list released by the International Union for Conservation of Nature," Akash Mhadgut (inset), nature education and extension officer at SGNP, North Division shared.
