Bright spots on a rainy day The rain over the weekend, coming as it did completely out of season, took many unawares. Though many streetside vendors are equipped with oversize umbrellas provided by retail outlets, financial service companies and the like, many don&rsquo;t have their old umbrellas and others find that theirs are in a tattered condition. After all, monsoon was a long way off.
<img title="The promotional umbrellas came in handy. Pic/Shrikant Khuperkar" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2015/mar/Dombivili-umbrella.jpg" alt="The promotional umbrellas came in handy. Pic/Shrikant Khuperkar" /> The promotional umbrellas came in handy. Pic/Shrikant Khuperkar
Coincidentally, vegetable vendors at Dombivili East were pleasantly surprised on Saturday morning when a goods tempo arrived bearing some 30-odd brand-new umbrellas, a cheerful red colour with a major retailer&rsquo;s name stamped all over. The workers in the tempo took away the vendors&rsquo; old umbrellas and gave everyone the nice new ones. And not a moment too soon, as the clouds had already descended darkly, and the entire day was a drizzly one.
Solid gold at a secondhand bookstall OUR in-house book scavenger got lucky again. On Friday, he stopped by to visit his friendly book-sellers in the Flora Fountain area and discovered a copy of The Making of a Cricketer: Formative Years of Sachin Tendulkar in Cricket, written by Sachin&rsquo;s brother Ajit in 1996.
<img title="The book cover" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2015/mar/Sachin-Tendulkar.jpg" alt="The book cover" /> The book cover
On looking out for some more gems, he found two more copies all in mint condition. His delight did not end there because each of the three books were autographed by the master batsman with a black sketch pen. We wonder who would dispose of these three books of such great value.
<img title="The flyleaf signed by Tendulkar" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2015/mar/Sachin-Tendulkar-sign.jpg" alt="The flyleaf signed by Tendulkar" /> The flyleaf signed by Tendulkar
We also wonder what our book hunter would do with three autographed copies of a book, which in our opinion, is the best book written on the batting icon because it tells a very simple yet inspiring story. By the way, this newspaper figures in the credits section for providing a few images. Alas, this book is out of print.
Dance like a woman Therapy comes in many forms, such as laughter and exercise, both designed to make you feel good. Dance therapy is another form, and aims to free the mind and body, acting as a stress-buster as well as a way of dealing with one&rsquo;s emotions.
You can give dance therapy a try on Women&rsquo;s Day, March 8 (it&rsquo;s a Sunday), as the Navras Art Academy, led by Kathak exponent Radhika Phanse, has organised a free dance therapy workshop for women of all age groups at Sane Guruji Vidyalaya, opposite Dadar Catering College. The workshop will be conducted in two batches 11am to 12 noon, and 5pm to 6pm. For enquiries, call 9869512200.
Driving away disease The fight against disease begins at home, but in many localities of our city, living conditions are so dire that infections spread faster than gossip. Medical and educational trust MedScapeIndia took an initiative on the weekend, to educate the residents of Thakkar Bappa Colony in Kurla East about the importance of hygiene and ways to minimise the spread of disease.
For the estimated 800 homes in the area, diseases like TB, malaria, dengue and HIV, as well as recurring fever and chronic breathing difficulties, are part of daily life. The residents are mainly engaged in shoe and slipper making, which adds to the conditions that breed disease-causing germs.
During the awareness campaign, some 60 doctors associated with the trust helped to educate and inform the residents, while schoolchildren and other volunteers also participated by disseminating information and distributing pamphlets and other material. With Mayor Snehal Ambekar also attending, along with other known faces such as TV celebrities, we hope the message has been driven home. Good health does not begin at the doctor&rsquo;s clinic but right at our doorsteps.

The city &mdash; sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce

Mumbai Diary page: Monday musings

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Home / Mumbai / Mumbai News / Article / Mumbai Diary page: Monday musings

Mumbai Diary page: Monday musings

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Ganeshotsav 2026