Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

Sea and smileA model poses for a fashion photographer at Dadar BeachA nonmeaty role for ArmaanEven people who didnrsquot know how to boil an egg were forced to navigate the kitchen during the lockdown last year Itrsquos when actor Armaan Jain too gave cooking a serious shot for the first time Jain has now turned his hobby into a business launching a food delivery service called Kitchen Tales near the Royal Opera House in Charni Road Itrsquos an allvegetarian menu that features classic dishes such as dhabastyle rajma masala and Amritsari chhole ldquoThe vegetarian market is big in the area where the cloud kitchen is located I genuinely feel that a lot of vegetarian and Jain people are averse to eating at restaurants that have nonveg items on the menu So I invested in a pure veg kitchen so that my clientele is comfortablerdquo Jain told this diarist adding that the eateryrsquos USP is a truffle dal Bukhara that he conceptualised and which costs only 390 In fact all the dishes on the menu are priced under 400 which means that you can place an order without burning a hole in your pocketScript a winning screenplayIf you have ever fancied yourself to be a screenplay writer here is a chance to prove your mettle Mumbaibased production house SD Motion Pictures is organising a screenplaywriting competition for short films Shubhankar Deshpande in pic who is a director with the company shared that the screenplays are expected to be about 20 pages long ldquoItrsquos genre fluid and there is no language barrier But we expect the treatment to be in Hindi or English just for referencerdquo he added February 10 is the deadline to send in entries Log on to shubhankardeshpandecom to find out morePawsome tails of SewriFluffy Whiskey Rambo Angel This quartet along with their fellow stray boarders at the Welfare of Stray Dogs has a lot to be bowwow happy these days Theyrsquore basking in their airy premises in a warehouse in Sewri This space became their new home after the NGO had to move from their original location in Mahalaxmi after two decades where a larger facility will be ready in a few yearsrsquo time The current sunlit space includes welldefined sections as well as a fully equipped medical room for surgeries and treatment for the 150odd doggies and a few cats Some are temporary visitors who are brought in for sterilisation or for their injuries On the day when this diarist dropped by it was work as usual The staff was cleaning the premises taking them for their morning walks or checking on their general wellbeing A family of volunteers were there eager to help with daily chores including giving a little cutie a bath Everyone enjoyed the moment The immeasurable warmth displayed by these straysrsquo wagging tails many of whom were either abandoned disabled or badly wounded is enough to make your day week month or even your year Log on to wsdindiaorg if yoursquore keen to volunteerThe business endWith a prize money of 15 lakh the Gaja Capital Business Book Prize founded by the citybased leading equity firm is the biggest business book award in the country With the aim to recognise the best titles on contemporary Indian business the shortlist has just been announced The six titles include Saying No to Jugaad by TN Hari and MS Subramanian Big Billion Startup by Mihir Dalal and The Making of Hero by Sunil Munjal in pic Commenting on the list chairman of the prize Manish Sabharwal told this diarist ldquoThe jury felt the shortlist this year has multiple stories of triumph and tragedy that mostly reflect a new breed of confident ambitious and rising corporate Indiardquo The winner will be announced on January 21 Our congratulationsPacked goodnessThe folks behind Cafeacute Arpan an eatery in Juhu that employs differently abled people as staff members have launched a dabba service called Arpan Food Services Ashaita Mahajan of Yash Charitable Trust which runs both places shared that the meals are prepared by their team members with help from support staff ldquoThere is a different menu for every day of the week and we deliver the food in our special red autordquo she shared with us Call 9821425273 and grab a bite