Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

Messenger BirdA birdshaped installation on Carter Road created using repurposed water bottles to mark Environment Day last week reminds Mumbaikars to recycleLankan groove in GhatkoparDamithri Subasinghe left performs a dance routine with students at the Ghatkopar venue Pic courtesyGULLY CLASSES FOUNDATIONLessprivileged students of the Gully Classes Foundation GCF in Ghatkopar gave Sri Lankan actor and dancer Damithri Subasinghe a memorable welcome to the city last weekend Visiting Mumbai as part of the Association internationale des eacutetudiants en sciences eacuteconomiques et commerciales AIESEC a United Nationsrecognised youth movement Subasinghe spent the day dancing singing and discussing shared dreams ldquoDamithri taught our students a few moves to her favourite Lankan songs and the children added their own twists She eventually asked the children about their aspirations I was surprised to learn that many of them wanted to be YouTubers actors and educatorsrdquo shared Abdul Munaf founder GCFGlobal honour for Brinda SomayaThe American Institute of Architectsrsquo honorary fellowship medal was conferred uponIt was a proud moment for both Mumbai and India when Brinda Somaya respected architect and urban planner was conferred with the American Institute of Architectsrsquo honorary fellowship in Boston over the weekend In an exclusive interaction with this diarist she shared that the recognition was deeply humbling and profoundly meaningfulBrinda Somaya in Boston PICS COURTESYBRINDA SOMAYAldquoTo be elevated to the College of Fellows is not merely a personal milestone mdash it is a collective celebration of the values ideals and work that have shaped my architectural journey over the past four decadesrdquo She added ldquoArchitecture has always been an act of service It goes beyond constructing buildings mdash it is about healing spaces conserving collective memory and empowering communities It is about holding a dialogue between the built and the unbuilt the past and the futureWhether through the careful restoration of sacred heritage or the design of inclusive contemporary institutions my work has remained anchored in sustainability cultural continuity and social equityrdquo Somaya felt honoured to be acknowledged on a global platform for these principles by a jury of distinguished peers ldquoIt is a powerful affirmation that voices from India with all their layered histories and aspirations have a vital place in global architectural discourserdquo For the celebrated pathbreaker ldquoThe journey continues mdash with purpose humility and renewed dedicationrdquoRun for precedentA previous session in BandraMany of the new running clubs that have mushroomed in the city are just excuses for social mingling and networking says exprofessional 200m sprinter Daksh Shinde The athletersquos new nofrills run club City Stride Club involves none of the usual postrun cafeacute shenanigans ldquoThe idea was to make fitness the first priority Our session last weekend ended with an introductory boxing sessionrdquo Shinde told usRajinder Singh in action PIC COURTESYCITY STRIDE CLUBThe club has already found inspiration in its own runners ldquoAt our second run in Carter Road Rajinder Singh a 79yearold Indian Armed Forces veteran who had served in the Kargil War joined us It made us wonder what was stopping our fellow young Mumbaikars from getting fitterrdquo Shinde added To join the next run head to citystrideclubGrey is Mumbairsquos new greenLeft A panel depicts thriving wildlife in the area right One of the concluding panels features the infamous JCB excavator ILLUSTRATIONS COURTESYSEFI GEORGEDahisarbased illustrator Sefi Georgersquos new illustration series might hit too close to home for many urban residents The 12part series follows the transformation of a lush green patch of land along Dahisarrsquos mangrove zone into barren land ldquoEvery monsoon the area would turn into a home for mongooses birds like drongos and bee eaters butterflies caterpillars and beetle species I was disheartened to see that none of them have returned this monsoon Their home is now barren land ready to be concretised for a highrise It is a colossal loss for the neighbourhoodrsquos microecosystemrdquo George left shared It is a tad ironic we think that not far away from the location that features in Georgersquos artworks a swanky new Mangrove Park in Gorai is being touted as a masterstroke in inculcating environmental awareness among Mumbaikars