22 March,2026 07:59 AM IST | Mumbai | Team SMD
Pic/Nimesh Dave
A man from Udaipur, Rajasthan, sells weaver nests on a bike on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway. The nests make for a safe haven for small birds during oppressive heat.
Dhurandhar: The Revenge album launch
Music is expected to be free in India," a musician friend had once told us. So we were surprised to see that a large crowd had paid to preview the new soundtrack to Dhurandhar: The Revenge this week at NESCO. What tickled our funny bone was when rapper Khan Saab brought out Yung, a Korean musician featured on the album. Khan Saab yelled into his mic, in his classic Punjabi accent, "Yung paaji, kaha reh gaye tussi? [Yung brother, where are you]". Yung played a rockstar medley on his guitar. Fans were lost in the music.
At the recent The Sportstar Aces Awards, former India hockey captain MM Somaya was delighted to meet the two Ranis of Indian hockey - Rani Rampal and Pritam Rani Siwaich.
MM Somaya with Rani Rampal and Pritam Rani Siwaich (right)
Rampal hit the high notes while captaining India to the semi-finals of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She had earlier received the prestigious World Young Player of the Year in 2010. Pritam played a lead role in India winning its only hockey gold medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.
Both hail from Haryana and have been exceptional forward line players; Pritam from Sonepat and Rampal from Shahbad. Both are now making big forays into coaching, says Somaya. "Pritam runs a successful academy in Sonepat that is churning out some of India's best hockey players and FIH-qualified coach Rampal is poised to make a mark as a mentor for the next generation of hockey players."
Somaya asked them what was the secret behind Haryana sportspersons excelling across multiple disciplines. "Doodh mein ghee aur badam ghol ke peetey hai [drinking milk that has almonds and ghee]," they said. Somaya gives the Ranis full marks for a simple and uncomplicated approach!
FILE PIC/SATEJ SHINDE
This week, we spotted our regular auto driver in a shiny new ride. He tells us that after years of grinding, he's finally bought his own auto. He looks so pleased, we tease him, "How will you part from it when you go home to Bihar for the summer?" He turns serious. "I haven't gone back in three years. My kids have never been. Because of the summer rush, I'd have to pay through my nose for tickets in black." This year, he says, "I might drive us down 1800 km to my village." A five-day journey in blazing heat just to get home. It's a sobering thought for us when so many around us are complaining about soaring flight fares to Sri Lanka or other exotic vacation spots.
The students send a no litter message at the Gateway
Clean Mumbai Foundation led a student initiative at the buzzing Gateway of India recently. Wilson College students from the Green Warrior group have joined the cleanliness awareness campaign with placards. Corporator Harshita Narwekar saluted the students and their efforts. Clean Mumbai Foundation founder Kunti Oza said, "The Gateway is a prime location. Tourists need to put away trash in the bins placed there. Hawkers also need to realise that immediate surroundings have to be tidy. When youngsters deliver this message they also subtly imbibe it," she said. Adding decibels to this is the fact that the BMC A ward has installed an announcement system reminding people about cleanliness. In these conflict-ridden times, the only war we appreciate is the one waged on litter and dirt.
Raja Ravi Varma's Yashoda and Krishna
This week, when this diarist heard about Saffron Art's collection for their Spring Auction 2026, we were instantly intrigued. It holds a collection of works that have supported the evolution of modern Indian art, including rare antiquities, sculptures, and contemporary masterpieces by Raja Ravi Varma, MF Husain, and Edwin Lord Weeks, among others. But the highlight is Raja Ravi Varma's Yashoda and Krishna, one of his most accomplished works. He skillfully merges European academic realism with Indian mythological narrative. Seeing it in person left us in awe, and it was a while before we moved to the next
painting. The auction goes live on April 1 in Mumbai and online.
