<h2>Feline floral</h2>
<p>A cat lounges in front of a vibrant flower stall in Mahim as its owner strings together garlands</p>
<h2>Good news for Thane&rsquo;s readers</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/jan/Reading-club_e.jpg" alt="A reader at a silent reading session  " width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>A reader at a silent reading session</em></strong> &nbsp;</p>
<p>Thane&rsquo;s avid readers might want to relook their Sunday schedules. Stories Amore, a new silent reading club has kicked off their open-to-all sessions at the TMC Lake Garden in Thane West. &ldquo;We set up our space with a mat and a few books every Sunday at 7 am. Morning walkers, visitors, and students are all welcome to drop by, grab a book, and read in peace,&rdquo; shared co-founder Ansha Fernandes. In the bid to reignite the love for reading, the club will also host a curated collection of titles for passersby to choose from. &ldquo;Anything that gets people into the habit of reading,&rdquo; remarked Fernandes, adding that the club will also host creative writing and storytelling sessions to keep the participants hooked.</p>
<h2>Lessons from Savitribai</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/jan/Resource-centre-awareness_e.jpg" alt="Volunteers spread awareness about the Centre among locals in Chembur" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Volunteers spread awareness about the Centre among locals in Chembur</em></strong></p>
<p>Young volunteers from the All India Independent Scheduled Castes Association (AIISCA) paid a timely tribute to the late reformer Savitribai Phule on her 194th birth anniversary in Chembur yesterday. The new Savitribai Resource Centre (SRC) inaugurated in Siddharth Nagar will offer students from lesser-privileged households a safe space to study and receive free coaching for a range of competitive exams. &ldquo;We have two educators from the field of social sciences who are volunteering at the centre at the moment.</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/jan/Resource-centre_e.jpg" alt="Students at the venue" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Students at the venue</em></strong></p>
<p>For us, the Centre is more than just a repository of knowledge. It&rsquo;s a movement to make education more accessible,&rdquo; shared Rohini Bhadarge, vice president of AIISCA Maharashtra. The Chembur centre will add to the recently inaugurated centre in Nagpur, and an online SRC programme that has been working towards the same goal since October 2024. &ldquo;The impact has been tangible. Through our online programme, nearly 40 students have cleared entrance exams at various institutes across India this academic year,&rdquo; shared Bhadarge, adding that she hoped numbers would soar with localised efforts. &nbsp;</p>
<h2>Backyard treasures</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/jan/Meehir-Pawar_e.jpg" alt="Meehir Pawar (left) at a previous trail in Airoli. PIC COURTESY/Nandini Dubey" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Meehir Pawar (left) at a previous trail in Airoli. PIC COURTESY/Nandini Dubey</em></strong></p>
<p>Naturalist Meehir Pawar, who recently bagged the Young Naturalist Award at the Sanctuary Wildlife Services Awards has no plans to slow down on his journey in the field of wildlife-human interactions. Ahead of a beginner&rsquo;s trail at the Bombay Natural History Society&rsquo;s Conservation and Education Centre in Goregaon this weekend, the 22-year-old host told this diarist, &ldquo;I noticed that Mumbaikars plan treks to hills and forests far away, in southern and north eastern India, but draw a blank when someone asks them about the biodiversity in their own backyard here in Mumbai.&rdquo; Just in time to catch glimpses of the grey hornbill and langurs, the trail is open to all ages. Those keen on joining a breathtaking exploration in the city&rsquo;s green lungs can log on to @diplacodes_trivialis.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Business amidst climate change</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/jan/Shivaram-Rajgopal_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>The Columbia Global Centre Mumbai is organising a discussion on how businesses are reshaping their response to climate change with Shivaram Rajgopal (inset), professor of accounting and auditing, at the Columbia Business School as the speaker in a session moderated by Anjali Bansal, founding partner, Avaana Capital. Rachna Tahilyani, director of the centre, told us, &ldquo;As a coastal city and the financial capital of India, Mumbai faces a unique combination of risks. This session will empower business leaders and urban planners with insights to integrate climate resilience in their strategies.&rdquo; Those who wish to attend the event can register on @cgcmumbai.</p>
<h2>Driving a change</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/jan/Sticker_e.jpg" alt="The car sticker for senior citizens " width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>The car sticker for senior citizens</em></strong>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The recent spike in road rage incidents in the city has left Mumbaikars who remember simpler times, scouring for solutions. &ldquo;The most vulnerable groups in such situations are senior citizens who can&rsquo;t defend themselves,&rdquo; shared social activist Subhajit Mukherjee (inset), who has a simple proposition. Stickers that say: &lsquo;Please be patient. Senior citizen driving&rsquo;, will be distributed among senior motorists at various public spaces across Mumbai.</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/jan/Senior-citizen-sticker_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>&ldquo;I spoke with a few senior citizens in my neighbourhood, and they all shared the same fear of taking their vehicles for a spin owing to the recent trends. I hope the sticker reminds people of the virtue of patience, one that is slowly becoming extinct in the city,&rdquo; Mukherjee added. Those who wish to have the sticker delivered to their doorstep can write to missiongreen.ngo@gmail.com.</p><p>
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