The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Pic/Kirti Surve Parade
Bow-Wow to the crow
Inter-species friendship is at play as these crows interact with a dog out on his walk at Carter Road, Bandra
Becoming a real Peepal’s person
Green power
Going green may have a reason, but certainly not a season. Plantation initiatives spiked on World Environment Day (June 5), but “monsoon is the ideal season for peepal plants,” said Ganesh Mahabal Shetty, president, Charlie Sports Club in Vikhroli. Shetty said, “The club is giving free peepal saplings to those interested in planting trees.” Both Ganesh Shetty and secretary Yuganand Shetty said, “Our goal is to enable people to plant as many trees as possible in Mumbai or wherever they live. Planting a tree is easy, but it requires proper care for the first 1-2 years.” The Club administration has asked people to call 9869058146/9869218266 for free peepal saplings.
We’re all Captain Planet
Climate change is real, and we’re not doing nearly enough to combat it, shows the CSE report. File pic/Atul Kamble
This has been a strange year, weather-wise. We saw one of the wettest starts to a year, long before the monsoon officially started. And now that it has begun, the rain clouds seem to have gone missing. It’s not by chance, suggest the findings in the Centre for Science and Environment’s (CSE) and Down To Earth magazine’s joint report, State of India’s Environment in Figures 2025. We’re not doing enough to combat the effects of climate change, the study suggests. “India’s most populous states — Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh — that are together home to 49 per cent of the country’s population, rank low on the themes [environment, agriculture, public health, and human development and public infrastructure] that our analysis has focused on. This means large segments of the country’s population remain vulnerable and exposed to multiple threats,” says CSE director general Sunita Narain, urging that “this is not the time for complacency”. Now, we can wait for the powers that be to read the report and wake up, but this diarist thinks it’s time we take matters into our own hands, and do what we can, be it cutting down plastic use, or saving water.
‘Hello, Charles…’
Madhukar Zende
This diarist was in college, in Goa, in the 1980s when the sensational news of the arrest of the notorious Charles Sobhraj hit the headlines. Top cop Madhukar Zende, at the helm of the operation, became a household name instantly with his calm greeting to the “bikini killer” before he nabbed him. The Sobhraj story is fascinating but only a part of Zende’s memoirs, the just-released HarperCollins publication Mumbai’s Most Wanted. The retired Assistant Commissioner of Police says, “It was a pleasure to ... relive my experiences as a Mumbai policeman.” This memoir reads more like a thriller, giving us a glimpse into the mind of “Zindadil Zende” as crime writer S Hussain Zaidi’s foreword calls him.
Semma shakes up New York
(L-R) Roni Mazumdar, Chintan Pandya and Chef Vijay Kumar. Pic Courtesy/Molly Tavoletti
In a historic first, Indian restaurant Semma has claimed the top spot as New York City’s number 1 restaurant, according to The New York Times. “Semma stands as a bold declaration that cuisine can speak for itself, unfiltered and unapologetic. This victory belongs to every chef who led with courage over convention, and every diner who embraced new flavours,” says Roni Majumdar, CEO, Unapologetic Foods. “There’s nothing more rewarding than making our motherland proud. We’ve set out to represent Indian cuisine with integrity and authenticity, and are proud to share our culture on our own terms,” says Chef Chintan Pandya. Chef Vijay Kumar adds, “I grew up in a small village in Tamil Nadu, and never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be cooking in New York, let alone see this kind of response to southern Indian cuisine. More than ranking, it is the emotional connection I can have with people by giving them a sense of home.” Semma’s success is not just a moment — it’s a movement that will shape the culinary landscape.
No trophy, but Pataudi’s legacy won’t be ignored
India captain Rahul Dravid receives the Pataudi Trophy from the late Tiger Pataudi at the Oval, London, in 2007. Pic/Getty Images
The Pataudi Trophy, going by reports, is retired. Now, there are plans to have India and England play for the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy and not the Pataudi Trophy which was instituted for the 2007 Test series which India won 1-0. The retirement news of the Pataudi Trophy was not exactly lapped up. The purists asked where was the need to retire the trophy which honoured IAK Pataudi and MAK Pataudi, both India captains. Sunday mid-day learns that the Pataudi legacy will be continued in some way, in India vs England Tests on English soil starting from Leeds on June 20. Tendulkar made five Test tours to England—1990, 1996, 2002, 2007 and 2011. Meanwhile, Anderson played 22 home Tests against India for his 105 wickets. Official announcements beckon. Watch this space.
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