<h2>Ek, do, ek</h2>
A ceremonial command parade at <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/mumbai-diary-sunday-dossier-film-reflections-cricket-nostalgia-and-cultural-histories-23632910" rel="nofollow">INS Shikra</a> marked the change of command to Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command, Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan
<h2>Star struck by Sonny</h2>
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/may/Sonny-Rollins_e.jpg" alt="Sonny Rollins. Pic courtesy/Wikimedia Commons " width="1280" height="720" /> Sonny Rollins. Pic courtesy/Wikimedia Commons&nbsp;
Although jazz legend Sonny Rollins&rsquo; passing on May 25 left many jazz enthusiasts distraught, he will continue to be remembered by people like author and jazz aficionado <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/mumbai-diary-friday-dossier-theatre-influencers-book-cover-glory-and-kamshets-paragliders-in-protest-23632658" rel="nofollow">Sunil Sampat</a> who found himself in the musician&rsquo;s company in 1978 during Jazz Yatra.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/may/Sunil-Sampat_e.jpg" alt="Sunil Sampat. Pic courtesy/Facebook" width="1280" height="720" /> Sunil Sampat. Pic courtesy/Facebook
&ldquo;When we met him for <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/mumbai-diary-tuesday-dossier-from-shivaji-park-nets-to-midnight-ragas-and-feline-creativity-23632193" rel="nofollow">Jazz Yatra</a>, he was a humble soul. Quiet, unassuming.&rdquo; he recollected. &ldquo;I remember hearing about him first when someone told us about an American musician who would spend time in Powai, meditating. We did not know that it was Sonny Rollins. Imagine our surprise at it,&rdquo; Sampat revealed to us.
<h2>The power of paani</h2>
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/may/Cat-paani_e.jpg" alt="Animals drink water from the community bowls. Pics courtesy/SnoutClout" width="1280" height="720" /> Animals drink water from the community bowls. Pics courtesy/SnoutClout
Let&rsquo;s face it, the heat is unbearable, and a bottle or, in this case, a bowl of water can make all the difference on a scorching Mumbai afternoon. That simple idea lies at the heart of <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/mumbai-diary-saturday-dossier-23631802" rel="nofollow">Paani For Praani</a>, a hydration initiative by Chembur-based NGO SnoutClout, which helps ensure stray animals and birds have access to clean drinking water across Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/may/Siddhant-Rao_e.jpg" alt="Sidhant Rao" width="1280" height="720" /> Sidhant Rao
Sidhant Rao, founder of SnoutClout, told this diarist, &ldquo;We place cement bowls and PVC water units across the city, aiming to create a sustainable network of hydration points maintained with the help of <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/mumbai-diary-sunday-dossier-from-london-buses-worli-sunsets-to-ghost-villages-and-football-glory-23631876" rel="nofollow">local feeders</a>, residents and volunteers.&rdquo; According to the NGO, over 450 water stations have already been installed.
<h2>Taken by the typography</h2>
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/may/Typography-1_e.jpg" alt="Street lettering on Chapel Road" width="1280" height="720" /> Street lettering on Chapel Road
There is no end to Mumbai&rsquo;s charms. No wonder this Pune-based designer was smitten by its typography that led her to document it on her Instagram (@unseen1nbox).
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/may/Typography-2_e.jpg" alt="Signage outside a Bandra store" width="1280" height="720" /> Signage outside a Bandra store
Nineteen-year-old Shravanee Kirtane&rsquo;s recent Mumbai visit was marked by observations of the typography found in Bandra.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/may/Shravanee-Kirtane_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" />
&ldquo;Every nook and corner of Mumbai carries its own story, personality, and <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/mumbai-diary-monday-dossier-hustle-heritage-and-creativity-shine-on-international-museum-day-23630907" rel="nofollow">rhythm</a>, and this identity echoes through the typography that surrounds it.&rdquo; she reflected.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/may/Typography-Bandra_e.jpg" alt="Kirtane&rsquo;s observation at Bandra terminus. Pics courtesy/Shravanee Kirtane" width="1280" height="720" /> Kirtane&rsquo;s observation at Bandra terminus. Pics courtesy/Shravanee Kirtane
One can tell that she put on her design-goggles for this one as she explained how typography shapes identity, &ldquo;Nothing feels more powerful than creating the <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/mumbai-diary-thursday-dossier-23628111" rel="nofollow">right typography</a> for a place or a brand because type does not simply represent; it offers a voice.&rdquo;
<h2>Twelve years of sisterhood</h2>
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/may/Girls-loiter_e.jpg" alt="Women reclaim public spaces as they read books in a park at Versova. Pic courtesy/Why Loiter" width="1280" height="720" /> Women reclaim public spaces as they read books in a park at Versova. Pic courtesy/Why Loiter
While Neha Singh and Devina Kapoor&rsquo;s Why Loiter campaign completed 12 years yesterday, we weren&rsquo;t sure if congratulations were in order. The long run of the movement that aims to end patriarchy in <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/mumbai-diary-saturday-dossier-23626308" rel="nofollow">public spaces</a> says something about the city&rsquo;s readiness to change, we think. &ldquo;Few things have changed, while a lot remains the same,&rdquo; Singh told us. Women themselves have grown aware of their rights, are more unabashed, and have shed the &lsquo;damsel in distress&rsquo; tag that society pushes on them, she revealed.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/may/Neha-Singh_e.jpg" alt="Neha Singh" width="1280" height="720" /> Neha Singh
The community has grown, opening doors for <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/mumbai-diary-wednesday-dossier-finding-pause-purpose-and-paint-in-the-citys-chaos-23624624" rel="nofollow">queer individuals</a> who identify as women. However &ldquo;outside the group, things are changing at a snail&rsquo;s pace. We still face flak from security guards and authorities for something as simple as congregating in a garden and painting together,&rdquo; she added. An anniversary is an anniversary, after all, and the sisterhood marked it with a special hangout in Aarey Forest; right in the lap of Mother Nature.

The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce

Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

Ek, do, ek

Star struck by Sonny

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