<h2>Mind the gap</h2>
Civil labourers carry out high-altitude work on the upcoming cable-stayed Mahalaxmi Bridge
<h2>AI-la! What a finale!</h2>
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/jul/Messi-Yamal_e.jpg" alt="Lionel Messi and (right) Lamine Yamal will lock horns for the World Cup trophy (centre) on July 20. PICS COURTESY/FIFA ON INSTAGRAM" width="1280" height="720" /> Lionel Messi and (right) Lamine Yamal will lock horns for the World Cup trophy (centre) on July 20. &nbsp;PICS COURTESY/FIFA ON INSTAGRAM
Sujay Nadkarni is back at it again. This section had featured the Texas-based techie&rsquo;s prediction of RCB winning the IPL 2026 using Large Language Models (AI called it, June 3). Nadkarni, a <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/photo/in-photos-sunshine-breaks-through-clouds-over-mumbai-skyline-112004/1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Borivlikar </a>at heart, had promised to predict the FIFA World Cup&rsquo;s winners.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/jul/S-Nadkarni_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" />
Keeping his word, on June 9, he fed the AI chatbot Claude with data of the FIFA world rankings, the dataset of international fixtures between 2006 and 2026, and the schedule. Lo and behold, the AI accurately predicted the names of the now finalists, Spain and Argentina. What&rsquo;s more, it declared that the Spaniards might see out the challenge by the Albiceleste. Unless one Lionel Messi thinks otherwise.
<h2>Lessons from Oz</h2>
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/jul/Darren-Ballet_e.jpg" alt="Darren McIntyre. PIC COURTESY/@darren.c.mcintyre" width="1280" height="720" /> Darren McIntyre. PIC COURTESY/@darren.c.mcintyre
Whoever said ballet was pass&eacute; (Timoth&eacute;e Chalamet, we&rsquo;re looking at you) should meet Darren McIntyre. The globetrotting Australian ballet coach, who travels the world to promote the art form, will land in Mumbai later this year for a new challenge. McIntyre will teach intensive courses to young ballerinas and ballerinos at Worli-based Indian Academy of Russian Ballet (IARB).
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/jul/Apeksha-Bhattacharyya_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" />
The sessions will be centred on the classic The Nutcracker, set to the music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and will be open to beginners as well as senior artistes, shared founder Apeksha Bhattacharyya (inset). Those keen to register, can log on to @indianacademy-ofrussianballet to know more.
<h2>And now, a word from Purbayan</h2>
Purbayan Chatterjee&rsquo;s sitar usually does the talking for him. But starting next week, listeners will see a new side to the music maestro, who is planning to take the mic with a new project, Straight Notes with Purbayan. Chatterjee recently shared a cryptic post about the project on his social media, nudging fans to take guesses about his new idea. This diarist, for one, couldn&rsquo;t wait, and reached out to Chatterjee.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/jul/Purbayan_e.jpg" alt="Purbayan Chatterjee will release his new series next week. PIC COURTESY/@bigears-festival" width="1280" height="720" /> Purbayan Chatterjee will release his new series next week. PIC COURTESY/@bigears-festival
&ldquo;Through a new [tentatively] weekly series of videos, I&rsquo;ll talk about my observations of the evolving entertainment and gig industry. I want to make sure the dialogue is two way, and will open the conversation to listeners,&rdquo; he revealed. The talks will not only revolve around music, he assured us. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m an avid film fan, and I enjoy theatre plays. I&rsquo;m open to talking about a wide array of subjects. I might even invite guests for a live chat in my studio and stream it on YouTube for viewers,&rdquo; he added. Well, this maestro knows how to strike a chord with the digital-first generation. &nbsp;&nbsp;
<h2>What&rsquo;s in a name?</h2>
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/jul/Carl-Pinto_e.jpg" alt="Jassil Jamaludhin and Carl Pinto" width="1280" height="720" /> Jassil Jamaludhin and Carl Pinto
Have you heard of Politician Wings? No, we aren&rsquo;t talking about the audacity some of our office bearers seem to have developed recently. The quirky title is one of the many that you&rsquo;ll spot on the menu when <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/regional-indian-cinema-news/article/vijay-jana-nayagan-fans-flock-to-bengaluru-as-6-am-premiere-shows-sell-out-23640209?text-shots=" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Bengaluru</a>-based chef duo Jassil Jamaludhin and Carl Pinto of Sando Club set up a pop-up at Lower Parel&rsquo;s Permit &amp; Co this Sunday.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/jul/Oh-Cheesus_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" />
Other imaginative dishes that we&rsquo;re looking forward to are Oh Cheesus, and Cauli-fornication. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s exciting to be back in Bombay, where I started my culinary career,&rdquo; Pinto told us. We&rsquo;re glad he hasn&rsquo;t lost his sense of humour in transit.&nbsp;

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

Mumbai Diary: Saturday Dossier

Mind the gap

AI-la! What a finale!

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