<h2>Getting ready to rumble</h2>
<p>Vishal Shinde, a Lower Parel-based Ganpati sculptor, gives a baby <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/ganesh-chaturthi-2026-western-railway-announces-additional-ganpati-special-train-trips-from-mumbai-details-here-23644675" rel="nofollow">Ganpati </a>its finishing touches.</p>
<h2>A new Mellow beginning&nbsp;</h2>
<p><img title="The band Easy Wanderlings has just turned 10 years old. Pic Courtesy/Sanyanth Naroth" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/aug/dos-sixteen-aug-b_e.jpg" alt="The band Easy Wanderlings has just turned 10 years old. Pic Courtesy/Sanyanth Naroth" width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>The band Easy Wanderlings has just turned 10 years old. Pic Courtesy/Sanyanth Naroth</em></strong></p>
<p>Ten years after forming, band Easy Wanderlings are celebrating a decade together with &ldquo;Ten Years on the Map&rdquo;, a nationwide tour which wants to do things a little differently this time. Founder and songwriter Sanyanth Naroth told us, &ldquo;Most of the time when you play in these bars, you cannot play the softest songs,&rdquo; he says, referring to a side of the band&rsquo;s music that can get lost in noisy venues. &ldquo;So this time we thought we&rsquo;ll play in spaces where people can really slow down, step away from the noise, and just indulge themselves and get lost in the music.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>
<p>The tour also marks the beginning of the band&rsquo;s next chapter, with the song Mellow, featuring singer-songwriter Mali. &ldquo;Writing the song with Mali was such a fun experience,&rdquo; says Naroth, &ldquo;We normally don&rsquo;t collaborate on the songwriting aspect with anybody else. But she is smart, and there is this unspoken chemistry in our creative process. It came so naturally.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>
<p>For Pune, the band has picked two intimate settings: Book Bar on FC Road, &ldquo;like a proper library vibe&rdquo;, and Gray Spark Audio for a Bring Your Own Headphones concert. Naroth said, &ldquo;What you&rsquo;re hearing will be as though you&rsquo;re hearing it from the album.&rdquo; <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/maharashtra-fda-updates-iit-bombay-canteens-eateries-in-mumbai-and-navi-mumbai-face-action-as-maharashtra-fda-continues-crackdown-23643701" rel="nofollow">Navi Mumbai </a>gets Brine Sessions on August 22, plus a little birdy told us that there&rsquo;s a show yet to be announced in Mumbai. Keep your ears open and catch them in the city soon.</p>
<h2>Can you see us now?</h2>
<p><img title="Kiss - A gift from Bhupen: A print by Inder Salim; (right) A portrait by Naman Kumar" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/aug/dos-sixteen-aug-c_e.jpg" alt="Kiss - A gift from Bhupen: A print by Inder Salim; (right) A portrait by Naman Kumar" /><strong><em>Kiss - A gift from Bhupen: A print by Inder Salim; (right) A portrait by Naman Kumar</em></strong></p>
<p>Weeks of protest and campaigning by the LGBTQIA+ community and its allies fell on deaf ears as the Centre pushed ahead with the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill in March. Those who fought for decades to be seen were made invisible again. But the fight is far from over, and queer artists staging a new exhibit at Apre Art House in Colaba insist on visibility, on their own terms. Titled Beyond The Binary, the exhibit is on till September 5, and spans paintings, photography, performance, and installation, as well as engaging with drag, cross-dressing, Hijra subjectivities, and the full spectrum of non-binary lived experience. &ldquo;At a moment when the right to gender self-determination is being actively contested, it is important to create spaces where these questions can be considered with nuance, dignity and openness. Beyond the Binary is our contribution to that conversation,&rdquo; says Prerna SM Jain, founder and director, APRE Art House. &ldquo;Art cannot legislate freedom, but it can change the way we see the person standing in front of us. That shift in perception can be profound.&rdquo;</p>
<p><img title="Prerna Jain" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/aug/dos-sixteen-aug-d_e.jpg" alt="Prerna Jain" width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>Prerna Jain</em></strong></p>
<h2>Rapido cutie</h2>
<p><img title="Rapido cutie" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/aug/dos-sixteen-aug-e_e.jpg" alt="Rapido cutie" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>A week ago, this diarist finished lunch at O Pedro and was trying to get a cab or autorickshaw to Tilak Nagar station, but no one was interested. Hesitantly, we chose the bike option and as we got on the scooty, rain hit hard, and we all know how windy BKC can get. Now, just so you know, this diarist was wearing a dress that was flying around, so when the Rapido driver abruptly stopped, it was worrying to say the least. The driver asked us to alight the bike and opened the seat and handed over a windcheater, making us feel protected from the rain that hit us in the next few minutes. Finally, we got even more comfortable when the man began to narrate how he worked as a fork lift operator in the Gulf and showed us his license when we finally reached the station. Asking for five stars, he drove away. Along with the rating, we added a line about how he was actually a decent human being.&nbsp;</p>
<p>This is why we still love the city. There is always someone with a helping hand.</p>
<h2>An ode to daily life</h2>
<p><img title="Priyanshu Modi" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/aug/dos-sixteen-aug-f_e.jpg" alt="Priyanshu Modi" width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>Priyanshu Modi</em></strong></p>
<p>Writer and filmmaker Priyanshu Modi has made his literary debut with <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai-guide/mumbai-food/article/new-book-of-poems-explores-maharashtras-vibrant-culture-through-its-food-23639443" rel="nofollow">Poems </a>For Cigarettes, a collection of poetry that he describes as &ldquo;a collection of those days in my life&rdquo; rather than simply a book of poems. The title had already gained traction, trending as an Amazon bestseller during its pre-booking phase.</p>
<p>Modi said his relationship with poetry became &ldquo;a way of looking inwards&rdquo; and an outlet to understand his emotions, observations, and experiences.</p>
<p>Calling the collection &ldquo;raw, honest, and imperfect,&rdquo; Modi said he intentionally avoided making the poems inaccessible. &ldquo;You don&rsquo;t need to know a lot to read it. I wanted it to be accessible to everybody who wanted to read it,&rdquo; he said.</p>
<p>Explaining the book&rsquo;s title, Modi said cigarettes have long occupied a unique place in literature and culture, becoming symbols of conversation, longing and contemplation. &ldquo;I would really want people to sit with these poems just as they would with a cigarette,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;If they stay at the poem long enough they&rsquo;ll see honesty looking back at them. That is exactly why I wanted to name it Poems For Cigarettes.&rdquo;</p>
<h2>Big Merv makes a statement</h2>
<p><img title="Merv Hughes. File pic" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/aug/dos-sixteen-aug-g_e.jpg" alt="Merv Hughes. File pic" width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>Merv Hughes. File pic</em></strong></p>
<p>We are so used to seeing cricket commentators immaculately dressed. If their blazers are abandoned for a while, they commentate in smart shirts and ties. But Triple M Cricket network (probably others too) in Australia don&rsquo;t believe in being all that formal. What we saw on Facebook was eye-catching if not surprising &mdash; &nbsp;former Australia stars Merv Hughes and Brad Haddin doing media work dressed in shorts during the Australia vs Bangladesh Test at Darwin. Ex-wicketkeeper Haddin was smart in a tee and black shorts, but Big Merv, the fast bowler wore a shirt that was abnormally long and akin to a robe. It was too glaring for users not to comment. &ldquo;Merv looks like he was just discharged from hospital,&rdquo; said one. Another user was funny too: &ldquo;You know what they say, the longer the shirt, the slimmer you look.&rdquo; One fan simply asked: &ldquo;What are you wearing, Merv?&rdquo; Hughes was a very popular fast bowler in the 1980s and 1990s for Australia. He enjoyed a cult following whenever he bowled at his beloved Melbourne Cricket Ground. He&rsquo;s also worn several hats &mdash; national selector, tour operator, and now as a pundit. And the best part of him is that he has a great sense of humour.</p>

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Mumbai Diary: Sunday Dossier

Getting ready to rumble

A new Mellow beginning

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