<h2>A sister's guidance</h2>
Even Bollywood&rsquo;s biggest star takes notes from family. During Ganesh visarjan rituals in Bandra on Tuesday, we spotted Arpita Khan showing brother Salman the proper clockwise rhythm for Bappa&rsquo;s farewell aarti.
<h2>Design beyond borders</h2>
This weekend we were chuffed to discover Mumbai&rsquo;s own Nachiket Barve being celebrated on an international stage, featuring prominently on Culture by Design, broadcast by the ABC &mdash; Australia&rsquo;s largest public broadcaster. The series is steered by architectural luminary Anthony Burke, celebrated globally as a design professor and familiar to many as the charismatic host of Grand Designs Australia.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/sep/Nachiket-Barve_e.jpg" alt="Nachiket Barve" width="1280" height="720" /> Nachiket Barve
While the debut season of Culture by Design spotlighted visionaries shaping Asia&rsquo;s design landscape &mdash; including Bangalore&rsquo;s master block printers and Hyderabad&rsquo;s wickerwork trailblazer Priyanka Narula &mdash; Season 2 widens the lens. Traipsing through Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia, Burke&rsquo;s focus in India lands on a single fashion visionary: Nachiket.
Chatting with Burke about modern Indian design and his dual practice spanning fashion and costume design, Nachiket emerges as an exemplar of traditional craftsmanship reimagined. His&nbsp; work remains deeply respectful of indigenous heritage, yet deliberately refuses to be &ldquo;bound and trapped in the past.&rdquo;
&ldquo;There are so many things we take for granted that come to the fore in conversations like these,&rdquo; Nachiket tells yours truly, recounting the experience of filming with Burke last September. &ldquo;For instance, having access to a plethora of skilled craftspeople in our own backyard, unlike so many places in the world that have to outsource these tasks.&rdquo;
Even from the limited footage we&rsquo;ve been able to view so far, it is evident that Nachiket puts his finest foot forward &mdash; and not just for his own atelier, but for the evolving industry that is contemporary Indian fashion.
<h2>Bappa in the big Apple</h2>
Bhumi Pednekkar has a genuine penchant for prayer. Temple visits dot her timeline just as frequently as high-fashion shoots, and take it from someone who once sat beside her through an entire aarti &mdash; she recites every verse with the effortless cadence of a seasoned pandit.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/sep/Bhumi-az_e.jpg" alt="Bhumi Pednekkar" width="1280" height="720" /> Bhumi Pednekkar
This Ganeshotsav, however, the quintessential Mumbai mulgi found herself far from home, soaking in the skyline of New York City instead of the familiar rhythm of local festivities. But missing out was never an option. Determined to bridge the miles, she tracked down a Ganesh temple in downtown Manhattan, proving that devotion travels remarkably well across time zones.
Tapping into that quiet, grounding energy amid the Manhattan rush, Bhumi noted that while being away made her realise just how much she missed the celebrations back home, &ldquo;He finds you wherever you are.&rdquo; One heartfelt darshan across the Atlantic, and suddenly home didn&rsquo;t feel quite so far away after all.
<h2>Modak Thief 2.0</h2>
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/sep/Alanna-Panday_e.jpg" alt="River, Ivor, and Alanna Panday" width="1280" height="720" /> River, Ivor, and Alanna Panday
If you thought Lord Ganesha&rsquo;s loyal mushak was the only mischievous modak thief around, it seems he has competition from an equally adorable contender &mdash; Alanna Panday&rsquo;s two-year-old son, River. Making an appearance at uncle Chunky Panday&rsquo;s house for the festivities, parents Alanna and Ivor found River rushing off to grab some prashad from the resident deity&rsquo;s stash. Amused, Alanna called her tot a &ldquo;professional modak thief,&rdquo; but I can tell you River&rsquo;s antics prove both parents got something right. Instead of going for the ladoos, this little lad lunged for the fruit. Naughty, curious and already making healthy choices &mdash; River may just be the cutest prashad thief around!
<h2>From pandals to plutocrats</h2>
The sheer, infectious energy of Mumbai&rsquo;s Ganesh Chaturthi has a way of sweeping everyone up &mdash; diplomats firmly included. US Ambassador Sergio Gor dove headfirst into the festive whirlwind on Monday, trading New Delhi&rsquo;s quiet embassy corridors for the electric devotion of Lalbaugcha Raja and Mumbaicha Raja. Navigating the sea of devotees in a crisp navy-blue suit, Gor came away visibly awed. &ldquo;Not many places&hellip; are this vibrant,&rdquo; he confessed after the darshans.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/sep/Sergio-Gor_e.jpg" alt="US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor" width="1280" height="720" />
US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor
From pandals to plutocrats, the envoy then decamped to Antilia, where Bappa and Bollywood sparkled. Gor held his own at the Ambani residence, mingling effortlessly with the likes of Ranveer Singh and Sanjay Dutt. The evening offered no shortage of glamour, with Mumbai&rsquo;s glitterati turning out in force for the celebrations and adding their own star power to the festivities.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/sep/Ranveer-a_e.jpg" alt="Ranveer Singh" width="1280" height="720" /> Ranveer Singh
While Bollywood brought the festive high fashion, Gor stuck to understated Western tailoring. It was a surprising detour for an envoy who clearly understands sartorial diplomacy &mdash; he famously donned a custom Shantnu &amp; Nikhil bandhgala during Marco Rubio&rsquo;s India tour in May. Still, even if his threads missed the ethnic memo this time around, his impressive enthusiasm scored top marks.

The series is steered by architectural luminary Anthony Burke, celebrated globally as a design professor and familiar to many as the charismatic host of Grand D

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Sonali's Society: Salman Khan's religious guidance, and Ganeshotsav celebrations

A sister's guidance

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