Mumbai Diary: Sunday Dossier

Shade of steelPassengers take refuge from the April sun under a truck at the Lokmanya Tilak TerminusHerersquos to adapting and reinventionAs we all know small businesses have been hit hard by the spread of COVID19 which is why even a small act of altruism counts Brand strategist Nidhi Mehta and business partner Ridhi Gehlani are offering marketing assistance to small brands in hospitality and lifestyle free of cost Mehta who had recently put up an Instagram post on the same said ldquoWith the second lockdown and volatility of the situation several small businesses have been adversely impacted As marketing strategists we believe that in order to survive a brand must be ready to change its course of action and adapt quickly This is what we hope to bring to brands that are in need of guidance new ideas or even just need a sounding boardrdquoGoing placesAditya Kripalani awardwinning Indie filmmaker who has directed Tikli And Laxmi Bomb and Totta Pataaka Item Maal recently had a premiegravere screening of his film The Goddess And The Hero at the prestigious The Projector in Singapore The film is going to be screened yet again on April 25 at the same venue The themes of the film revolve around sexual assault and mental health Speaking to this diarist Kripalani says ldquoI wanted to make a film in which a woman and a man both have to help each other out I felt the need now was to go inside a manrsquos mind and see his journey of changerdquoOnce chubby now choosyA childhood image of Novak Djokovic PICMUTUA MADRID OPEN TENNIS SERBIATennis legend Novak Djokovicrsquos childhood image posted on social media earlier this week by Mutua Madrid Open via Tennis Serbia attracted huge attention We expected that and users were not wrong in calling him chubby Looking at kid Novakrsquos oversized Tshirt one commentmaker said that the photograph proved that getting the right fit for junior tennis players was a universal problem Well Djokovic 33 is not chubby anymore and his current images bear ample testimony to that but what you may not know is that he endured respiratory issues from the time he was chubby It all changed in 2010 when a doctor helped him drive away his health demons And what has he done to be the supreme athlete that he is A little YouTubing tells us that the Serbian greatrsquos diet is gluten and dairy productsfree zero consumption of refined sugar but lots of fruits and salads Oh yes he doesnrsquot only watch his diet he weighs 77 kg and stands 6 feet 2 inches tall He is also careful about how he conducts himself off the court In one of his several interviews he said ldquoAlways be kind no matter what because you never know what one person goes throughrdquo We sure get that lovemdashall feeling with DjokovicA newspaper of by and for the artsAt a time when print media has been severely hit not just because of the pandemic but also the overwhelming digital uptotheminute content it is competing with therersquos finally some good news A community of artists writers thinkers and designers have come together to start The Irregular Times a quarterly print publication aimed at building a culture around Indian vernacular art and design The publication will be headed by Tarini Sethi as editorinchief ldquoFor us The Irregular Times is an opportunity to provide new perspectives at the intersection of art media activism politics and contemporary culture Our desire to go back to print is deeply rooted in our own experiences with the digital world our love for the printing process and for all things handmade handheld and hand delivered Along with the quarterly issue we aim to amplify the endless possibilities of zine making and zine culture in our countryrdquo the team shared adding ldquoOur newspaper is for you your enemies your neighbours your friends and their friends We want you to love it to hate how much you love it to cut it up frame the art from it and even make art with itrdquo To subscribe you can log in to their website wwwtheirregulartimescomSkating her way to the topIt Is good news when someone from Mumbai qualifies for the World Championship for Skating after a gap of 12 years Khushi Shah 18 from the Skate Academy has earned her place in the official Indian team that will be representing India at the World Speed Skating Championships to be held in Columbia in September 2021 It all started when Khushi was a fouryearold but as she fell in love with the sport more she started participating in local competitions and the thrill of putting herself to the speed test kept growing ldquoIn 2021 I played in the selection trials and won two silver positions giving me the opportunity to represent India Although I am incredibly proud of myself being able to represent India has made me feel humbled This victory has been my ambition ever since the age of nine when I was inspired by my seniors particularly my brother I am also running short of words to express how grateful I am to my coachesrdquo she told this diarist