To Mumbai's naari
At the recently concluded Nari Shakti Puraskar ceremony in New Delhi, where President Ramnath Kovind conferred the award on 44 women, and public and private institutions working towards women empowerment, several ladies from Mumbai were honoured. Among them are Dr Seema Rao, India's first woman commando trainer, and Seema Mehta, director of the kathak academy, Chhandam Nritya Bharati.

"I dedicate the award to my parents and guru, Pandit Chitresh Das. Post Independence, our classical dance and music forms were revived, but dance is still not considered as important as the study of languages and science for it to be included in school curriculums. This award will help me and other members of the community reach out to educational institutions and students," Mehta told this diarist.