08 October,2026 07:51 AM IST | Mumbai | Team mid-day
Pic/Ashish Raje
An early bird perches on the Lady of Progress statue atop Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus as the monsoon covers come off.
Nearly 180 fans donned their â10 Messi' jerseys at an Andheri venue in the wee hours of Wednesday. Interestingly, many of them left in crisp formals as the clock struck nine. Gathered to catch the âGOAT' Lionel Messi's last match for Argentina, which was telecasted at 4.30 am, the fans had little time to rest before heading straight to work. "The mood was emotional. With teary eyes, we bid the little boy from Rosario adieu. It leaves a void, but we'll continue to support Argentina in the upcoming matches," shared FCB Mumbai co-founder Anand Mishra.
Syndey is in for a tryst with Devanagari calligraphy this weekend. An enthusiastic Padma Shri-awardee Achyut Palav (above) revealed to us that he will be part of a unique music-meets-calligraphy showcase as part of the Publisher's Internationale starting October 12. "If promoted globally and the new generations are introduced to its basics, the art form as well as the language will continue to thrive," he shared with this diarist.
Well begun is half done, they say. For columnist and author Bachi Karkaria, it all began with a well. Karkaria was all smiles on Tuesday evening as she regaled KitabKhana's audience with tales from her book, Waternamah: 300 Years of Mumbai's Bhikha Behram Well (1725-2025). "The commemorative anthology was written not just to mark the well's 300th anniversary last year, but also as a reminder that this is a Grade1 Heritage structure in the city. All proceeds from its sale go to the Bhikha Behram Well Trust," she told this diarist.
From Bhikhaji Behramji Panday's dream to a keystone of a community's faith, the well's journey reflects the city's journey, Karkaria shared. "Water is not just a sacred duty, but a secular imperative. Life and civilisation both began in water, and today, both are under threat from climate change," she told us.
This diarist is giving his bookshelf a squeaky clean deep scrub this week. Word is that a new English translation (Penguin Random House India) of Tukaram Mundhe's biography Tukaram, originally written in Marathi by Shafi Pathan and translated by Vikrant Pande, is set for an early 2027 release. While we're keen to read about the current Commissioner of the Maharashtra Food and Drugs Administration's crackdowns on food safety offenders, we're told that the book traces his childhood journey in rural Maharashtra, and concludes with his first appointment upon joining the Indian Administrative Service. "The story of his life will not only inspire many who wish to take up a career as an IAS officer but for anyone who believes doing the right thing matters," Pande shared.
