When Muhammad Ali made Mumbai laugh
Muhammad Ali will be long remembered for his dominance in the boxing ring and as the man who won more than he lost in front of a world audience. The fourth estate, too, have a lot to thank him for since there the 'Louisville Lip' never fell short when it came to dishing out the most quotable of quotable quotes.

Muhammad Ali with his wife, Veronica. Pic/mid-day archives

Ali enjoyed trading punches with the media. Writer Tooshar Pandit's elaborate reporting of Ali's 1980 India visit in Sportsworld magazine included 14 questions from journalists who attended Ali's media conference at Taj Colaba on January 28, 1980.

Journalist No 1 asked Ali if he can pose him a question, to which Ali queried: "That ugly man wants to ask a question?" As the embarrassed journalist turned his face, Ali exclaimed, "See, I call him ugly and he thinks he is beautiful and turns around."

During the briefing, after a sip of water, Ali indicated he has a headache. "I've also brought my wife (Veronica) here and I am having  some trouble," he said. The press wondered what the problem was and he explained, "She likes Indian sarees. Some friends' sisters gave her two beautiful sarees and now after spending $3,000 to buy her American dresses just before our departure from the States, she tells me she does not want them. She now wants to wear only the sarees." The Crystal Room was in splits.

City designer helps Kutch artisans
On a trip to Kutch in 2014, Mumbai-based designer Kuheli Bhattacharya was blown away by the karigari of women artisans from communities of Ahir, Rabari and Soda. "Each community sticks to their distinct style of work," the 43-year-old says. The work was done only on pillows and bags.  She coaxed them to try their designs on silk and tussar sarees.