<h2>Dance with danger</h2>
<p>Despite official warnings, a commuter risks his life by hopping between two stationary trains at <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/wadala-footbridge-exposes-bmc-maintenance-lapses-despite-pedestrian-first-policy-23645428" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">Wadala railway station</a></p>
<h2>Mind it!</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/aug/Dog-cold_e.jpg" alt="Kalyan&rsquo;s streeties in their Onam fits. PICS COURTESY/PAW DIARIES" width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>Kalyan&rsquo;s streeties in their Onam fits. PICS COURTESY/PAW DIARIES</em></strong></p>
<p>The festivities of Onam and International Dog Day coinciding on August 26 meant double the fun for Kalyan&rsquo;s streeties. Thanks to Team Paw Diaries led by Taniishi Masand, resident strays draped shiny white mundus and indulged in mounds of treats. &ldquo;Onam is all about happiness, togetherness, good food, beautiful traditions and celebrating everyone around us. Our doggos deserve all of it too,&rdquo; said Masand.</p>
<h2>When Bruno said bravo</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/aug/Bruno-Fernandes-ik_e.jpg" alt="The artwork featuring Bruno Fernandes (left) the footballer&rsquo;s comment. PICS COURTESY/SHANMUKH SRIPADA" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>The artwork featuring Bruno Fernandes the footballer&rsquo;s comment. PICS COURTESY/SHANMUKH SRIPADA</em></strong></p>
<p>Manchester United&rsquo;s 2026-27 season might be off to a rocky start, but there&rsquo;s nothing some Mumbai magic can&rsquo;t heal. Mumbai-born and Bengaluru-based Shanmukh Sripada&rsquo;s (right) artwork depicting captain <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/football/article/fifa-world-cup-2026-bruno-fernandes-opens-up-on-portugal-shocking-exit-from-marquee-event-23639171" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">Bruno Fernandes</a> leading his team from the front received the nod from the Portuguese star on Monday. &ldquo;The meaning behind the painting and the kind words make me very proud,&rdquo; Fernandes commented.</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/aug/Shanmukh-artist_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>&ldquo;I have been a lifelong Manchester United fan. I started sketching sport stars during the 2020 lockdown, and it has been a long journey from there. From quitting my engineering job [Sripada is a BITS Pilani graduate], to being invited to Old Trafford earlier this year. It&rsquo;s a dream come true,&rdquo; he told us. Those keen to view more artworks can log on to @shanmukh.art.</p>
<h2>Dear Dolly</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/aug/Dolly-Parton_e.jpg" alt="Dolly Parton. Pic courtesy/@dollyparton" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Dolly Parton. Pic courtesy/@dollyparton</em></strong></p>
<p>Agewas nothing but a number for the late Dolly Parton in more ways than one. Ask musician Akanksha Sethi (left), who aced Parton&rsquo;s Coat of Many Colors at a school talent hunt when she was all of seven. &ldquo;My father chose the song for me. I was nervous, but I ended up bagging the first prize,&rdquo; said Sethi, who has Bollywood collaborations under her belt now.</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/aug/Akanksha-Sethi_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>&ldquo;In 2025, I was in for a full circle moment at bookstore in New York. My father and I stumbled upon My Life In Lyrics, a visual and lyrical memoir of Dolly&rsquo;s life. We spent hours reading it together,&rdquo; she told us. A fitting way to remember Parton today, who famously said, &ldquo;If I&rsquo;m remembered a hundred years from now, I hope it is not for my looks, but for my books.&rdquo; &nbsp;</p>
<h2>Not a fire, but a walking hazard</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/aug/Water-pump_e.jpg" alt="Is that a mushroom or a Dachshund? No, it is a hydrant. PIC/HEMAL ASHAR" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Is that a mushroom or a Dachshund? No, it is a hydrant. PIC/HEMAL ASHAR</em></strong></p>
<p>Is that a mushroom, sprouting in the middle of the pavement at Tardeo, opposite the Bhatia Hospital? This is a defunct fire hydrant, close to a <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/raksha-bandhan-2026-best-to-run-136-additional-buses-across-mumbai-and-suburbs-on-august-28-23646766" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">BEST bus stop</a>. This diarist has spotted some of these hydrants, neck-deep in cement, but this one, as low as a Dachshund, the sausage-shaped, vertically challenged dog breed, is certainly a tripping point. Hurrying pedestrians are in danger of tripping over these obstacles. Meanwhile, the sinking or burial of this piece of infrastructure is symbolic of these hydrants, which have disappeared, been removed or buried under concrete. Rest In Peace (R.I.P.) we say, and as for your ankles, be wary and do not let them Rest In Pieces.</p>

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Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

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