<h2>Are we there yet?</h2>
<p>A cat scowls out from his pet parent&rsquo;s lap as he drives on the Western Express Highway near Vile Parle.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Could you be the next Baba Sehgal?</h2>
<p><img src="http://origin.mid-day.com/images/2024/sep/Sing-a_e.jpg" alt="Charles Vaz" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Charles Vaz</em></strong></p>
<p>Charles Vaz, the music arranger who has worked with artists like Alisha Chinai and Baba Sehgal in the 1990s, is now using YouTube via his channel&mdash;Charles Siqueira Vaz / Globe Studios&mdash;to promote local talent that you may have not heard of. My Guitar Sings, which has already completed five seasons, collaborated with artiste Joan Crasto, who is known for her smooth voice, Elizabeth D&rsquo; Souza who sings Konkani and Portuguese numbers, &nbsp;well-known pop and jazz artist Rashna Alphonso, Sarita Misquita Vaz and Edzil Gonsalves among others, this week. Vaz says, &ldquo;My hope is to promote new and upcoming talent through these weekly live shows.&rdquo; &nbsp;On his birthday on September 27, Vaz will host a special show as well, &ldquo;It will be a blast,&rdquo; he says. A good samaritan who knows how to have a good time as well.</p>
<h2>Mumbai&rsquo;s dancing queen</h2>
<p><img src="http://origin.mid-day.com/images/2024/sep/Saumya-Kamble_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>Mumbai dancer-choreographer Saumya Kamble, who became a household name on winning reality show India&rsquo;s Best Dancer Season 2, is now going to show off her moves at the global stage. The 19-year-old was recently unveiled as a wildcard participant in the world finals of Red Bull&rsquo;s Dance Your Style competition, which will be held in the city for the first time this year. With this, Kamble directly takes a spot as the Indian representative in the top 16, and will battle some of the world&rsquo;s best street dancers at NSCI Dome on November 9. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m filled with pride. Representing my country through my art has always been my dream,&rdquo; says the teenager, adding that the competition is a chance to &ldquo;showcase our true Indian street dance styles to dancers across the world&rdquo;.</p>
<h2>Kolis take over Masque Lab</h2>
<p><img src="http://origin.mid-day.com/images/2024/sep/Koli-food_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>Masque is celebrating its eighth year this weekend, and, they are going local. On Friday, September 20, the Chefs of Koliwada were busy cooking away at the Masque Lab. An initiative by The Heritage Project, a non-profit seeded by the RPG Foundation, Chefs of Koliwada aims to support the Koli community in showcasing their rich culinary heritage and culture. The initiative has several initiatives under its belt and works towards preserving the national and cultural heritage of the country. The organisation has been working with the Koli community and also hosts ample heritage walks and experiences at the Worli Koliwada.</p>
<p><img src="http://origin.mid-day.com/images/2024/sep/Radha-Goenka_e.jpg" alt="Radhika Goenka" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Radhika Goenka</em></strong></p>
<p>&ldquo;The idea behind launching Chefs of Koliwada is to raise awareness about the Koli community and their rich cultural heritage. The initiative looks at creating a platform for empowering women through employment generation, enabling financial growth within their communities,&rdquo; says Radha Goenka, director, RPG Foundation. &ldquo;Kitchen experiences like the collaboration with Masque Lab provide invaluable opportunities for these women to gain hands-on experience with industry experts, explore restaurant-style cooking and establish connections in the industry,&rdquo; she adds. They are also working towards setting-up platforms that allow these Koli chefs to run their own kitchens and businesses independently, the funds for which will be generated from events like the one at Masque Lab, as all proceeds have been donated to the Chefs of Koliwada.</p>
<h2>Two bad about these Test series!</h2>
<p><img src="http://origin.mid-day.com/images/2024/sep/Virat-Gill_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>Cricket is a game of ironies. On one hand, the experts talk about the need to keep Test cricket alive. On the other, the longest and toughest form of the game is being devalued by two-Test series like the ongoing India v Bangladesh contest. Indian fans, who are salivating over the forthcoming five-Test series in Australia, have had to endure meaningless two-game battles for a while now and things must change with Jay Shah all set for his term as ICC chairman. We understand that big decisions are taken collectively and the ICC is where member boards come together to run cricket. But what Shah can do is highlight the need to avoid two-Test series. For the record, four of India&rsquo;s last six Test series have been two-game battles. Will cricket home in on a change? Watch this space.</p>
<h2>Celebrating with a game</h2>
<p>The BMC has shelved its plans to convert Bandra&rsquo;s Patwardhan Park into a parking lot. And, the community is celebrating this Sunday. Organised by Love Your Parks Mumbai (or LYP Mumbai), an organisation that curates unique experiences in Mumbai&rsquo;s public spaces, in collaboration with local civic bodies and the local community, the event will see Bandra residents come out to practice zumba, play football, and other games. &ldquo;Parks are active spaces. And, Patwardhan Park especially is an old space that can be used for activities beyond walking or meditating. Through this event, we want to showcase its multiple uses and celebrate as a community&rdquo;, says Anca Florescu Abraham of LYP Mumbai.</p>
<p><img src="http://origin.mid-day.com/images/2024/sep/Anca-Abraham_e.jpg" alt="Anca Abraham" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Anca Abraham</em></strong></p>
<p>Abraham, along with architects and concerned residents of Bandra, had been pushing back on BMC&rsquo;s decision to build a parking lot in the place of the park. Her husband, Alan Abraham, an architect and urban planner, was one of the architects who joined the fight and also filed a PIL to protect the park. &ldquo;Had the BMC gone ahead with their proposed underground parking lot, it would have destroyed most of the parking lot. Patwarhan Park has a lot of old, tall trees which would have been destroyed. The BMC had also told us that they would build parking underground and then a park on top. But that would still mean that we would still have no trees,&rdquo; says Abraham.</p>
<p>Now that LYP Mumbai and the Bandra community have received a letter in writing from the BMC about their shelved plans, it&rsquo;s time to celebrate. The open-to-all event will commence at 3.30 pm in the playground, and hopes to see people in numbers coming out to enjoy the green public space.&nbsp;</p><p>
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