13 August,2026 07:29 AM IST | Mumbai | Team mid-day
Pic/Satej Shinde
A White-throated kingfisher perches on an overhead wire near Santacruz Railway Station
Sameer Shaikh dresses up as Monster Hunter. Pic courtesy/Sameer Shaikh
LO and behold, cosplayer and artist Sameer Shaikh (right) has created his own Azure Star Blade sword from Monster Hunter Rise. Coincidentally, with Monster Hunter Wilds' Global Exhibition coming up in September, the seven-foot-two-inch prop took over 45 days to build and can be detached into six pieces.
"As a cosplay artist, I love making weapons and outfits, but the real challenge was the sword which was made entirely of PVC pipes, glue, EVA foam and diffusible foam," points out Shaikh. This diarist hopes to spot this quirky weapon at the exhibition as well.
Let's be honest, the city's traffic is starting to feel like something straight out of a movie. If you're lucky, you'll be moving within five to 10 minutes, but if not, rest assured, it can take up to 30 minutes. That's what Dakshata Parkar, a Bhandup-based artist, thought too.
A sketch of a bird during a long traffic jam in Airoli
"I travel from Bhandup to Ghansoli every day, and since most of my time is spent on the bus, instead of being on my phone and getting hooked on to reels, I decided to sketch whenever I get stuck in a traffic jam, which unfortunately, usually occurs around Airoli," said Parkar.
Dakshata Parkar
From painting bus stops to birds on the footpath and daily commuters, you'll find them all in this artist's sketchbook. For Parkar, what began as a way to pass time has turned into a visual record of her art, capturing people and the city in their most natural moments.
If you love someone, plant a tree. That is the simple idea behind Wilson College alumnus Jaydatta Nikalje's 100 Trees for Friends, an initiative that brings together friendship and a love for nature. Started two years ago, the initiative sees Nikalje plant a tree whenever he wants to, dedicating it to a friend.
Jayadatta Nikalje
With more than 350 trees already planted this season, the upcoming Independence Day planting is set to bring together more people to make Alibaug a little greener. When this diarist asked Nikalje about the initiative, he said, "I plant a tree and then name it after a friend or someone that means something to me because of a friend, and this started with the mentorship under Professor Sudhakar Solomonraj, and let's hope we get to 100 by the upcoming Independence Day." For more information, check out @100treesforfriends.
Purbayan Chatterjee performs at a gig. Pic courtesy/@purbayanch
Among a crowd of business leaders, social entrepreneurs, and political analysts, Purbayan Chatterjee will stand out at the upcoming Global Impact Forum in September in Mumbai, "I am happy to see the Government of India taking cognisance of the changing music industry. We are a booming gig economy, with many international bands taking notice," he said. Naturally, the topic will centre on music, the sitarist shared. While others might complain about algorithms and numbers defining musc genres, Chatterjee observed, "It is a choice. But these factors force artistes to create music that are aimed to achieve these numbers," he added. Something to ponder about.
