<h2>Our kind of re-tail store!</h2>
A dog (we assume the store owner&rsquo;s pet) sits on the windowsill of a snacks stall at Cuffe Parade. Is he enjoying the breeze or minding the store? Either way, he&rsquo;s a very good boy!
<h2>Wings on Fire: Who your Diwali firecrackers affect&nbsp;</h2>
<img title="Mamta Kataria tends to an injured Scops owl. Pic/Special Arrangement " src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/nov/dos-fifteen-nov-d_1794693473_s.jpg" alt="Mamta Kataria tends to an injured Scops owl. Pic/Special Arrangement " />Mamta Kataria tends to &nbsp;an injured Scops owl. Pic/Special Arrangement&nbsp;
This Diwali, there was an increased number of animals and bird injuries due to firecrackers. Over the weekend, the Bombay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA) hospital had 15 cases of fire-related injuries, higher compared to previous years. Besides dogs and cats, birds like Jacobin cuckoo, Cockatiel, Scops owl, and parrots were brought in by passersby for treatment. Wildlife rescuer and Animal Welfare Officer at BSPCA, Mamta Kataria explains, &ldquo;We are actually not allowed to feed wildlife birds but we made an exception due to the severe nature of injuries.&rdquo; The treatment includes giving the birds a safe space, providing antibiotics, and dressing wounds. In some cases the birds are sent for further rehabilitation to a specialist.&nbsp;
<img title="Doctors tend to an injured dog at BSPCA. Pic/Shadab Khan" src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/nov/dos-fifteen-nov-c_1794693507_s.jpg" alt="Doctors tend to an injured dog at BSPCA. Pic/Shadab Khan" width="1280" height="720" />Doctors tend to an injured dog at BSPCA. Pic/Shadab Khan
Noise plays a big role here as animals have sensitive hearing and it is instinctual to flee. Kataria explains, &ldquo;Due to the noise, the relocation and abandoning cases rise. Local feeders, rescuers, and pet owners visit our hospital to report lost animals.&rdquo; Pranali Mhargude, animal welfare officer at BSPCA, also says that the injuries are inflicted intentionally sometimes.&nbsp;
&ldquo;If we don&rsquo;t bring them for treatment soon, the injuries will worsen.&rdquo; The animals will remain at the hospital until they fully recover, and the wild birds will be handed over to the Forest Department for relocation. While the dogs have full chances of survival, Kataria mentions that a Scops owl passed away due to injuries. There will be future implications of the injuries as the vets have had to perform amputations, neurological conditions, and traumatic reactions to noise.&nbsp;
While these are only some of the dogs and birds of the city that have been rescued it is a reflection of what is at stake when it comes to our voiceless friends.&nbsp;
<h2>Anything and everything is on the record</h2>
<img title="Pat Cummins and Ian Chappell" src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/nov/dos-fifteen-nov-e_1794693545_s.jpg" alt="Pat Cummins and Ian Chappell" width="1280" height="720" />Pat Cummins and Ian Chappell
Australia's cricket captain Pat Cummins&rsquo;s press conference on Friday to address the issue about former teammate Usman Khawaja&rsquo;s ball tampering claims in his new book (Sabr: Finding My Way in Cricket and Life, Penguin), started on a note that would find favour with most cricket journalists.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m happy to take all your questions about sandpaper, ball-tampering, change rooms, international cricket, whether my wife and I did have a spat out the front. Whatever you want, hit me,&rdquo; was what Cummins told the media before the question round began.
It showed that he had nothing to hide and even though there&rsquo;s a good possibility of him being thoroughly briefed on his utterances by a PR expert. Cummins did well to open all his cards.
Listening in to Cummins&rsquo;s press briefing, this diarist was reminded of another Australian captain&rsquo;s approach to straight talk. Roland Fishman was a journalist who covered Australia&rsquo;s tour of the West Indies in 1991. Captain-turned-commentator Ian Chappell granted Fishman an interview. After the session, Fishman asked Chappell whether there was anything in the interview that he didn&rsquo;t want to be quoted on. Chappell responded in typical Ian Chappell style. Laced with an expletive which we won&rsquo;t mention, Chappell said that he wouldn&rsquo;t say anything that wasn&rsquo;t on the record.
<h2>It&rsquo;s time to rice to the challenge!</h2>
<img title="Natasha Gandhi with 10K athlete Taronish Irani, who will be the run guide" src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/nov/dos-fifteen-nov-f_1794693578_s.jpg" alt="Natasha Gandhi with 10K athlete Taronish Irani, who will be the run guide" width="1280" height="720" />Natasha Gandhi with 10K athlete Taronish Irani, who will be the run guide
Regretting all the Diwali faral and sweets you&rsquo;ve eaten and feeling like it erases all the work you&rsquo;ve put in at the gym? Contrary to what many might think, you can have both fitness and food; one doesn&rsquo;t have to cancel the other out. Chef and author Natasha Gandhi (@natashaagandhi) is on a mission to spread this message by founding the &ldquo;Biryani Lovers Run Club&rdquo;. Their maiden run is set to take place this morning in Bandra West, and will end with biryani at the finish line. As for why a biryani run, Gandhi says, &ldquo;I got into running eight months ago and I love how it makes me feel. &nbsp;However, I still need a little motivation to get out of bed on a Sunday. I thought if a plate of biryani works for me, it might work for everybody.&rdquo;
She adds, &ldquo;Some people are joining us for their first ever run. &nbsp;Others just want an easy run with good company. &nbsp;That&rsquo;s why I&rsquo;ve also got a running coach, Taronish Irani. &nbsp;He is a 10K specialist and came in third in the Tata Marathon Open 10K race this year. He will ensure that everybody warms up properly, share tips on pacing and form. So this is for anyone who wants to run, or even anyone who loves biryani,&nbsp; everybody is welcome.&rdquo;
<h2>Capturing the chaos</h2>
<img title="Rayhaan Heredia" src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/nov/dos-fifteen-nov-g_1794693620_s.jpg" alt="Rayhaan Heredia" width="1280" height="720" />
At 17, Rayhaan Heredia has already turned his fascination with history into a book. Titled Chronicles of Chaos: Mistakes That Changed History, the book is a curated collection of 45 historical events that offer lesser-known perspectives on the past.
The idea took shape when Heredia was in Grade 8 and participating in the World Scholar&rsquo;s Cup. One of the competition&rsquo;s research themes introduced him to the lesser-known sides of history. &ldquo;I figured that if I hadn&rsquo;t been exposed to them before the competition, most people who don&rsquo;t actively explore history probably wouldn&rsquo;t have come across them either,&rdquo; he says. He wrote the book between the ages of 15 and 16. &ldquo;Every single rabbit hole I would chase behind a story led me to something else that I was not expecting. And that was the most enjoyable part of&nbsp; the process.&rdquo;

The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce

Mumbai Diary: Sunday Dossier

Our kind of re-tail store!

Wings on Fire: Who your Diwali firecrackers affect

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