Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

A wild winThe award honours defenders of the wild including teachers forest guards researchers photographers etc Representation picThe Sanctuary Wildlife Service Awards were instituted by Sanctuary Nature Foundation in 2000 to recognise those striving to protect Indiarsquos wildlife species and their habitats In its 21st year the award has become more relevant than ever pointed out Nishita Kanojia senior manager client servicing and fundraising ahead of the event on January 30 She added that the award celebrates defenders of the wild ldquowho displayed extraordinary courage dedication and determination in protecting wild naturerdquo They could be a teacher wildlife veterinarian grassroots community member forest guard or even a childRaising the barKharrsquos tipplers will be happy to read this one The popular bar 3 Wise Monkeys is relaunching today at a spot further down the road from where it used to be next to Khar station Owner Meghnesh Salian told this diarist that the new space is bigger and also has an al fresco section ldquoWe wanted a bigger space after the pandemic hit and this will be an upgraded versionWe have also redesigned the entire menu and introduced desserts such as cheesecake for the first timerdquo he said Salian added that he expects business to be better than ever before after April ldquoPeople canrsquot travel much because of restrictions but they still have to spend their money which they will do in their own city So we felt that this was the right time to make the moverdquo he reasoned That seems like sound logicKeeping Karnadrsquos legacy aliveGirish Karnad was one of the greatest cultural icons India has ever produced But there is an interesting anecdote around his birth Karnadrsquos mother had three children before him His parents thus had a fleeting thought about not having him and even went to a doctorrsquos clinic to complete the process But the doctor wasnrsquot in They waited for an hour and went back home never to return again since they eventually decided to have Karnad after allThese are the sort of insights that readers will gain after This Life at Play A Memoir by Girish Karnad HarperCollins is launched in May Itrsquos the English translation of Karnadrsquos memoir in Kannada which he had started writing himself before his death in 2019 Srinath Perur then picked up the mantle and finished the job Speaking about Karnadrsquos legacy Udayan Mitra the bookrsquos publisher told this diarist ldquoI wouldnrsquot pinpoint one thing that he is remembered for The actual cultural impact of Girish Karnad will unfold over the course of the 21st centuryrdquo Shoppers and foodies take creditWe may have exercised great control over swiping our credit cards during the harsher days of the lockdown however a new survey by a digital platform has revealed that Indians have started to indulge post the festive season Having analysed the credit card spends of over a million of its members across Indian cities including Mumbai the survey found that 36 per cent of total credit card expenditure was done on shopping and food While folks in Chennai spent 4025 per cent on shopping and food in 2020 Punekars spent the highest on travel 12 per cent Mumbaikars meanwhile have been responsible by opting for contactless means of payment 28 per cent of their expenditure has been on securing finances and business onlineStrumming up joyKeep your chin up even when the chips are down Thatrsquos what Goan guitarist Sebastian Almeida did after a fire destroyed 72 guitars from his collection in 2018 Almeida had given up hope of restarting the collection initially But then his friends and family started gifting him guitars one by one telling him not to lose courage That egged him on and he has now amassed 82 guitars even more than what he had before His feat got a nod on social media from country music icons The Bellamy Brothers We couldnrsquot be happier for him