Mumbai Diary: Saturday Dossier

Musical ministerKailash Khers rustic voice has a certain honesty to it which makes him a loved figure in the music sphere So whenever he announces an update about his work it receives love and curiosity Recently the 43yearold singer visited the residence of Kiren Rijiju the Union minister of state for home affairs and thanked the minister for being a part of his next project Rijijus cultural forte came to light when he participated in his younger days in the Festival of India in the USSR 1987 but the singing talent is not known I cant reveal much about this now Kher told this diarist Watch this space for moreIndia in the poundThe opening of Textile India 2017 in Gandhinagar which is being publicised as Indias first mega textiles trade fair was a melting pot where designers shared space with politicos including union minister for textiles Smriti Irani draped predictably in a Patan PatolaDesigner Manish Malhotra shoots a selfie in the exhibition areaAndhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu was all praise for Iranis initiative and referred to PM Modi as the personal ambassador of textiles someone who actively promotes khadi Dressed in a crisp shortsleeved kurta Modi did a quick round of the exhibition area before taking the podium where KM Birla Gautam Singhania and Sanjay Lalbhai were waitingSwitching between Hindi and English he discussed apparel growth while quoting Kabir And then there was a sweet revelation That India is the second largest exporter of cotton is known But did you know the British pound note is made from 100 per cent cotton sourced from India Richard Heald of UK India Business Council flicked a pound50 note from his pocket to announce this NiceThe queen roots for young gunsAll of 22 Suhani Jalota already has extensive experience in social entrepreneurship In 2015 she joined hands with three women involved in social work from Mumbais slums and set up Myna Mahila Foundation while she was still a studentThe Govandibased organisation works in the field of health sanitation and other initiatives that enable women to be independent Up north 25yearold Ankit Kawatra gave up a cushy corporate job to found Feeding India in Delhi that helps redistribute extra food to those in need It came as heartening news that the efforts of these driven youths have not gone unnoticedBoth Jalota and Kawatra won the Queens Young Leader Award for 2017 held in London on June 29 The award recognises people aged 18 to 29 from across the Commonwealth using their skills to transform lives Were being trained to adapt the best practices from Commonwealth countries I will be returning to India in December Jalota told his diarist about the Cambridge University course she is taking as part of the programme More power to the young gunsRun Mumbai runHeres some good news for fitness enthusiasts eager to discover the city Mumbai Road Runners a nonprofit that organises monthly halfmarathon runs has organised a 10K run tomorrow that starts from NCPA up to Babulnath and back The organisation is involved in various initiatives for the citys running community and has launched a fundraising campaign for the family of a runner who lost his life while returning from a race Theyve also launched an awards night for amateur runners usually held two weeks after the Mumbai marathon in JanuaryendNidhis got a viewIt looks like the chroniclers of society are increasingly taking to writing their own chronicles Joining a host of journalists who have recently released their books is senior television journalist Nidhi RazdanLeft Right and Centre The Idea of India drawing from her debate show is a title that marks 70 years of Indias Independence With contributors from all political standpoints including Yashwant Sinha Chandan Mitra Derek OBrien Mukul Kesavan Aruna Roy Pratap Bhanu Mehta and Shabana Azmi inset grappling with the idea of India this would make for one interesting readPicSneha KharabeJasoosi on the jasoosA midday photographer snapped Ranbir Kapoor step out of a shoot location in Bandra last afternoon where he was most likely shooting for the Sanjay Dutt biopic