<h2>Before the climb</h2>
<p>Mallakhamb athletes warm up before practising the traditional sport at <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/shiv-sena-ubt-to-hold-mumbai-rally-in-support-of-sonam-wangchuk-and-protesting-students-23640092" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Shivaji Park</a></p>
<h2>Under Wangchuk&rsquo;s wing</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/jul/Sonam-Wang-illo_e.jpg" alt="The digital illustration features Sonam Wangchuk with a student.  PIC COURTESY/JAZYL HOMAVAZIR" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>The digital illustration features Sonam Wangchuk with a student. PIC COURTESY/JAZYL HOMAVAZIR</em></strong></p>
<p>In an interview with mid-day in 2017, educationist and reformer Sonam Wangchuk (right) had emphasised, &ldquo;Ladakh needs real heroes.&rdquo; It would be safe to say that <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/news/india-news/article/life-is-precious-monitor-sonam-wangchuks-health-daily-delhi-hc-tells-authorities-23640063" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Wangchuk </a>has shouldered the responsibility for students across India this month.</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/jul/Wangchuk-bb_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>Among those wishing for a positive outcome from the ongoing hunger strike in Delhi&rsquo;s Jantar Mantar, is Byculla-based illustrator and animator Jazyl Homavazir (left, below). A new artwork by Homavazir depicts Wangchuk shielding a student under his wings, as an angry mob descends into a frenzy. &ldquo;The least Sonam Wangchuk deserves right now is to be heard, if not agreed with,&rdquo; the artist sighed.</p>
<h2>Memories with maestro Mehta</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/jul/Mehta-Students_e.jpg" alt="Students of MMMF with maestro Zubin Mehta. PIC COURTESY/MMMF" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Students of MMMF with maestro Zubin Mehta. PIC COURTESY/MMMF</em></strong></p>
<p>It has been a busy month for students from the Mehli Mehta Music Foundation&rsquo;s (MMMF) Singing Tree choir. Recently, 32 students travelled to Germany on a <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai-guide/things-to-do/article/immerse-in-these-two-cultural-performances-in-mumbai-this-week-23639442" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">cultural exchange.</a> The 12-day journey included visits to Ulm, Neu-Ulm, Munich, Karlsruhe, and Stuttgart, and met a star along the way.</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/jul/Zubin-Mehta_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>The group participated in three concerts, including the opening performance of the India Weeks Festival at Karlsruhe. However, the visit was made more memorable when the group had a chance to witness, and later meet, maestro Zubin Mehta at a rehearsal of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, the Foundation shared. It sure makes for a milestone for the youngsters, many of whom were travelling overseas for the first time.</p>
<h2>Drum&rsquo;s the word</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/jul/Saha-drums_e.jpg" alt="Participants shake a leg at the drumming session. PIC COURTESY/SAHA" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Participants shake a leg at the drumming session. PIC COURTESY/SAHA</em></strong></p>
<p>RHYTHM is something you either have or don&rsquo;t have,&rdquo; Elvis Presley once famously proclaimed. The former was in majority at a special drumming circle for neurodivergent individuals in Vile Parle earlier this week. Organised by the Saha Togetherness (@saha_togetherness) community, the event saw percussionists from the Connect Drum Circle help individuals find a sense of calm, regulate their emotions, build social skills and express themselves through rhythm. &ldquo;More than 70 people attended the event, and many children continued drumming with the facilitators even after the session concluded,&rdquo; SAHA co-founder Aarti Parikh recalled. It reminded us of the second half of Presley&rsquo;s quote: &ldquo;...but when you have it, you have it all over!&rdquo;</p>
<h2>Let&rsquo;s go, Thespo</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/jul/Manvi-Gagroo_e.jpg" alt="Maanvi Gagroo. PIC COURTESY/@maanvigagroo" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Maanvi Gagroo. PIC COURTESY/@maanvigagroo</em></strong></p>
<p>It&rsquo;s that time of the year where Mumbaikars start creating a scene, quite literally. The Thespo 28 youth theatre festival by QTP and Theatre Group Bombay has announced dates for The First Call, its annual curtain raiser. We learnt that this year, Pune will witness the action first at an event on July 18, followed by the main event at Prithvi Theatre on July 20. Among guests at the <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/mumbai-monsoon-bmc-clears-1800-metric-tonnes-of-waste-from-juhu-beach-in-10-days-23639959" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Juhu </a>venue will be actor Maanvi Gagroo, a Thespo alumna herself. While the dates for the festival are in the pipeline, those under the age of 25 and keen to submit their plays can log on to @thespoindia.</p>

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Mumbai Diary: Friday Dossier

Before the climb

Under Wangchuk’s wing

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