Mumbai Diary: Saturday Dossier

Podcasting 101On World Podcast Day September 30 podcasting production company Bound India had released a comprehensive guide on the topic The guide explained cofounder Tara Khandelwal features insights from 200 podcast creators and listeners and will teach readers the nittygritty of podcast production and promotion ldquoWersquove also included case studies from the two podcasts wersquove produced ourselves Books and Beyond and The Book People as well as our predictions about the future of this field We believe that newcomers and veterans will find the guide usefulrdquo she said To download the guide visit boundindiacomPenning solidarityOn the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti Mission Green Mumbai a citizenled movement is conducting a drive to donate stationery to children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds Titled Pen For a Cause the campaign is currently focusing on 100 children at Charkop village who do not have the means to purchase supplies These children will be provided with pens pencils and four notebooks each today ldquoOur idea is to ask people to send us stationery that they already have in their homes We will even take in broken or empty pens mdash we either repair these or responsibly recycle them so as to minimise their environmental impact Most people donrsquot know that the ink contained in the refills releases toxic fumes when burned and that discarded stationery can choke landfillsrdquo explained its founder Subhajit Mukherjee Over 500 citizens are currently involved in this initiative Theyrsquove also enlisted a local teacher to educate the students in a classroom environment To donate pens or volunteer email them at pen4causegmailcomSubhajit MGreen cyclingThe proposed cycling track at Powai lake has become a bone of contention between the local authorities and ecoconscious citizens The reason for the resistance is because a portion of the track will enter the lake and affect the local biodiversity ldquoThe lake is not just a water body mdash it is the pride of Mumbai and home to turtles crocodiles and even leopardsrdquo explains one of the organisers requesting anonymity The track he adds is redundant because a parallel road for cyclists already exists While work on the track is halted they hope to make Mumbaikars aware about what they can lose should this project go ahead The Pedal to Powai initiative invites participants to wear the slogan SavePowaiLake and decorate their bicycles to raise awareness It begins at 11 am on Sunday and will include songs talks and other interactive elementsAn urgent call for changeIn their latest petition campaigning organisation Jhatkaaorg are demanding certain online marketplaces to stop selling creams that promise to lsquotighten the vaginarsquo Sexuality educator Apurupa Vatsalya who is supporting the cause says that such products perpetuate harmful notions about human anatomy and sex ldquoThe whole notion of the vagina having to be lsquotightrsquo is problematic and rooted in fallacy and this is compounded by the fact that such products should consumers opt to purchase them donrsquot really work In fact owing to their chemical makeup they can cause damage if used over a period of time In the absence of regulation manufacturers and sellers have zero accountability when it comes to making good on their claims Now consider that many of the websites selling these creams are online grocery stores or worse pharmacies mdash this lends unwarranted legitimacy to such dubious productsrdquo she told usBuilding blocks for stray dogsNavi Mumbaibased environmental student body Urvari which was recently featured on this page for converting plastic waste into shelters for stray dogs is inviting participation for a second shelter ldquoIn association with Rotary Club Heirloom we are conducting a twoday event in Worli from October 3 where volunteers can help us to create the 150 ecobricks required They can bring their own plastic waste or will be provided the samerdquo Vasundhara Gupte its cofounder told us The organisers will be providing the bottles needed for the ecobricks