16 November,2025 07:36 AM IST | Mumbai | Team mid-day
Pic/Ashish Raje
A pet dog takes the foot overbridge at Bandra Terminus.
Sunday mid-day's columnist Sumedha Raikar Mhatre has won the Laadli Media and Advertising Award for Gender Sensitivity 2025 for her compelling op-ed "Waste pickers script their future" (July 6, 2024) - a piece that reclaims the narrative of Pune's women waste pickers through Antarangatil Katha (The Stories Within).
The essay celebrates the dignity and resilience of these women, portraying them as agents of change and enterprise while challenging the systemic invisibility and stigma they endure. In conferring the award, the Laadli jury noted that her work "humanises the lives of waste pickers with empathy and insight, powerfully reframing their labour as one of dignity, agency, and social justice".
Also read: Waste pickers script their future
"Each waste picker face stands out as an open ledger in life's balance sheet. Wrinkled foreheads, weathered hands, unadorned feet, and the absence of makeup adds a unique sparkle to the women's smiles. The book becomes a bouquet of gorgeous women who were born in less than ideal circumstances, but have managed to draw meaning amidst life's inequities," says the writer, who will receive the award during the ceremony on November 19 at the Tata Theatre, NCPA.
Making a feature film is more collaborative", says independent short filmmaker Anuj Gulati. WingMan is his feature directorial debut and has already earned international validation, winning Best Indie Feature Film at the National Indian Film Festival of Australia (NIFFA) 2025.
WingMan follows Omi, played by Shashank Arora, a call-centre agent at a dating service who spends his nights fixing strangers' love lives while his own crumbles, awkwardly and hilariously.
Gulati says he had no intention to tell a story about modern relationships or a dating service.
He simply wanted it to be a metaphor that Omi's work revolves around matching people, yet he himself can't find love. The film also stars Trimala Adhikari and Auritra Ghosh, grounding Gulati's offbeat world with sharp performances. The mood is carried by Tajdar Junaid's evocative score and lensed by cinematographer Kumar Saurabh, with production design by Prashant Bidkar (12th Fail).
A messy love story, gentle character study, and a sly look at modern-day intimacy - WingMan is all of it, and a promising start to Gulati's feature-length chapter. It's available to watch on Lionsgate Play.
The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) are fine hosts, always keen to host former Test cricketers from across the world at international matches played at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
In 2012, they invited Ted Dexter and Nari Contractor to witness the India vs England Test match since they were the oldest surviving captains in the rivalry.
Dexter and Contractor were captains in the 1961-62 Test at Eden Gardens, where India won by 187 runs.
For the ongoing India vs South Africa Test, a little birdie tells us that the CAB were keen to have Barry Richards, the batting great from South Africa, as their special guest.
Richards, we believe had to turn down the invitation since he has a series of engagements in Australia. He did it with a degree of regret we are told because he has never witnessed a Test at the Eden Gardens. Hope an invitation is sent out for the next Kolkata Test, but it won't be soon. After all, the iconic venue has got a Test match after six years!
The who's who of French luxury gathered at Indian Accent in BKC last week. As an introvert, this diarist's first instinct was to make a French exit. Thankfully, good sense prevailed. Atout France had brought together 13 of the country's most prominent tourism stakeholders for an evening of delectable food, exquisite wine, and infectious laughter, all while reaffirming their commitment to strengthening ties with India.
From delegates representing the Eiffel Tower and Marseilles to the team from Disneyland Paris - who happened to be seated at this diarist's table - the room was a lively mix. The Disneyland contingent, charmingly on-brand, sported tiny Mickey Mouse pins on their outfits.
Most adorably, the restaurant served mini ice golas inside tiny pressure cookers. Colour us amused!
If ever Test cricket needed further endorsement that it's the best form of the game, it comes from screen great Russell Crowe.
Actor Crowe, a cousin of the late New Zealand batting great Martin Crowe, was seen recently on social media, explaining the game of cricket and its popularity across all formats to American podcaster Joe Rogan Jr.
"That five-day game⦠the way it ebbs and flows, once you are into it, it's the only way you want to watch cricket," said Crowe.
Not sure whether his view will attract universal acceptance especially among T20 cricket junkies, but Crowe has made his point. For him, Test cricket is the real thing.
