Mumbai Diary: Sunday Dossier

Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Just another day at ‘Bandar' Bandstand

A man dressed as a monkey entertains people at Bandra Bandstand

A round of a-paws for this teen

When 17-year-old Zara Mehta says she loves dogs, she means it. This Class 12 student at Hill Spring International School has turned a fun idea into support for Mumbai's streeties, raising over Rs 1 lakh through "twinning T-shirts" for pet parents and their fur children.

Zara Mehta and Max

The profits will go towards the sterilisation and care programme run by The Welfare of Stray Dogs, where Mehta has been volunteering since January. "There has been so much talk about the Supreme Court hearings on the relocation of stray dogs. Through my time volunteering at WSD, I have learnt that the one thing that helps control the stray dog numbers, and their behaviour, is sterilisation. I thought it would be fun to explore my interest in business and also help the dogs who need it most," says Mehta.

Looking for something new to do with her dog Max, she zeroed in on matching T-shirts. The response from pet parents turned that experiment into The Paw Project (@thepawproject.co on Instagram), a label making twinning t-shirts for dogs and their humans. Each pair of T-shirts - one for the human and another for the pet - comes with fun catchphrases and costs Rs 2150.

Mehta now hopes to add more products to the business and keep donating towards the care of Mumbai's community dogs. And, her success with this venture has inspired her to pursue behavioural economics or consumer psychology abroad once she graduates from high school. To quote one of her twinning T-shirt sets, we think that's pawsome!

Building up a storm

At 23, Sarah Thomas was already learning that age could speak louder than experience. She started STOM Productions in 2016, and the company turned 10 years old this week. At STOM she actively seeks women for technical and filmmaking roles when they are available. "If there is a female who is available for the particular role that we're looking for, I gravitate towards them.

Sarah Thomas

Women observe technical details a lot better than you imagine," she says. Alongside advertising, the company works on still shoots, editorials, and passion projects that it self-funds, including documentaries on issues close to her, such as acid violence against women. One of such projects is The Unsung, documented the disappearing traditions of Karnataka's Halakki Vokkaliga community.

Oh gold, as in gold medal

The Asian Games hosted by Japan will engage sports lovers for the next fortnight. Ditto journalists doing duty in Aichi-Nagoya. Apart from serious sporting action there will be occasions and individuals that will humour them. This diarist stumbled upon a snippet in Sportsworld magazine in one of their 1982 Asian Games (New Delhi) issues.

Representational pic/Wikimedia Commons

It concerned a journalist and an official: "Then there was the case of the journalist who was enjoying an informal chat with an official from Bahrain. The latter was initially quite taken aback that he was being singled out for what he thought was an interview and so he waxed eloquent on a variety of subjects. Towards the end of the conversation the journalist asked him what were Bahrain's prospects for the golds. ‘Oh, no problem,' explained the official, misunderstanding the question completely. ‘We've got plenty of gold back home.'"

The snippet for the magazine was filed in by their then 25-year-old chief sub-editor David McMahon. He's as amused by the incident as he was then.

PS: Bahrain only managed a bronze medal in the 400m hurdles.

The world is on his plate

There is something lovely about watching a young Indian talent find his way in the world through food, learning across borders and stepping into increasingly demanding kitchens and competitions.

At just 19, Andheri boy Caydn Louzado has already taken his culinary journey from Mumbai to Switzerland, Copenhagen and now South Korea, where he represented India at the 10th Jeju Local Cuisine Competition and WACS International Culinary Competition on Jeju Island.

Competing in the Individual Pasta category, Caydn earned an ‘Excellent' certification, competing alongside culinary professionals and young talents from Korea and other countries.

Caydn Louzado

His international exposure is equally impressive. Louzado is currently interning at Alchemist, the two-Michelin-starred Copenhagen restaurant led by Chef Rasmus Munk, known for its immersive, boundary-pushing approach to food. Alongside this, he is pursuing his culinary studies at the Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland.

For someone this young, it's already quite a journey: from Mumbai to culinary school in Switzerland to one of Copenhagen's most talked-about restaurants, and now representing India on the international stage.

Drive to change lives

After the Transgender Persons [Protection of Rights] Amendment Act, there is a loss of identity among trans folks," says Chandan, equity and inclusion manager at Humsafar Trust. "A lot of trans folk come from socio-economically marginalised backgrounds. They're displaced and thrown out of families. As a result, a lot of them do not finish formal education."

The Trust is starting a new initiative called ‘Changing Lanes', where they will pick 10 trans people and reimburse fees for driving schools for them. "The idea is to equip trans persons with vocational skills such as driving to help them with employment opportunities.

Driving is a much needed skill in today's day and age, and we believe this will really help the community," says Chandan, who's working on the project alongside project officer Yadnya. Applicants have to be transgender, over 18, and without a driver's licence. Apply at: tinyurl.com/Changinglanesreg