<h2>Goddess on the move</h2>
<p>A young girl carrying an idol of a goddess walks past mannequins outside a showroom in Dadar</p>
<h2>What&rsquo;s in a name?</h2>
<p><img src="http://origin.mid-day.com/images/2025/apr/Garden-Chair_e.jpg" alt="Benching beautiful at the PDP" width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>Benching beautiful at the PDP</em></strong></p>
<p>We live in a take-credit-for-any-and-everything world, and what&rsquo;s more &mdash; shout it out from the rooftops. So, this pleasant surprise brought us to a screeching halt right in our tracks. On a recent visit to Priyadarshini Park, that green and very pleasant garden at Nepean Sea Road, this diarist noticed benches with a small plaque nailed to the backrest. These boards or labels usually have the name of a company or donor. These plaques though only said: &lsquo;From PDP well wishers&rsquo;. That struck a humble note. It also proved that the Park which glows like a green emerald in that SoBo pocket, has so many supporters who give back to the space that gives them so much. Power to those well wishers who believe in staying unheralded and unsung. You certainly have bench strength.</p>
<h2>Reading by the bay</h2>
<p><img src="http://origin.mid-day.com/images/2025/apr/Beach-readers_e.jpg" alt="Readers at Juhu Beach. PIC COURTESY/MUMBAI BOOKIES ON INSTAGRAM" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Readers at Juhu Beach. PIC COURTESY/MUMBAI BOOKIES ON INSTAGRAM</em></strong></p>
<p>This diarist feels that one of the best ways to enjoy summer is by reading a book by the sea. Last weekend, Mumbai Bookies held a reading session where participants read their favourite picks on Juhu&rsquo;s shoreline. &ldquo;The city&rsquo;s beaches are some of its most beautiful spots, and with summer here, we felt tempted to return to those sweet moments from our childhood by inviting people for a reading session at the beach. We began at 7.30 am to avoid the scorching heat. The idea was also to get people to read and engage with each other while also exploring different parts of the city. There was coconut water for everyone,&rdquo; revealed Gargi Sandu, co-founder.</p>
<h2>Madrid mania gets real</h2>
<p><img src="http://origin.mid-day.com/images/2025/apr/Signed-jerseys_e.jpg" alt="(Left) The signed jersey; (above) fans welcome the team outside DY Patil Stadium. PICS COURTESY/JITESH SHAHANI" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>(Left) The signed jersey; (above) fans welcome the team outside DY Patil Stadium. PICS COURTESY/JITESH SHAHANI</em></strong></p>
<p>Football stars from Real Madrid Legends registered a win even before kick-off against Barcelona Legends at DY Patil Stadium on Sunday. &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve won our [Real Madrid fans] hearts with their warm gestures. The team invited us to a special meet-and-greet with legends like Pepe, Luis Figo, and Predrag Mijatović before the match. Honestly, we were expecting a rushed interaction, but the team was patient with us and also signed a special jersey for us. We are indebted to them,&rdquo; shared Jitesh Shahani, founder, Pe&ntilde;a Madridista De Bombay (the Spanish team&rsquo;s official fan club in Mumbai). The team&rsquo;s arrival brought back some special memories for the founder, who had interacted with the squad&rsquo;s star striker Fernando Morientes years ago at an online fan interaction. &ldquo;I had invited him to India back then. When I went to receive the team at the Mumbai Airport last weekend, I asked him if he remembered the request. &lsquo;Of course. I&rsquo;m here now,&rsquo; he smiled. I was starstruck and made one simple request: Please score for us tomorrow,&rdquo; Shahani told us. The game on Sunday concluded with &nbsp;the team winning 2-0 &mdash; sure enough, with Morientes sending one to the back of the net.</p>
<h2>Sound-Czech from the suburbs</h2>
<p><img src="http://origin.mid-day.com/images/2025/apr/Sound-Czech_e.jpg" alt="The band performs in the Czech Republic. PIC COURTESY/ETERNAL RETURNS" width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>The band performs in the Czech Republic. PIC COURTESY/ETERNAL RETURNS</em></strong></p>
<p>Thane&rsquo;s metal band Eternal Returns is striking chords far from home in the Czech Republic as part of their Dawning Sins Europe tour. &ldquo;The metal culture in Eastern Europe is distinct. By the time we hit the stage, the crowd was already charged and ready to rock. For a new band from foreign land, we were welcomed with open arms. I think we were able to connect with them through the mutual love for heavy metal music,&rdquo; shared Narendra Patel, band member. Formed in 2010 in the eastern suburb, the band got a timely reminder of the metalhead community&rsquo;s hospitality post a show in Ostrava, Czech Republic. &ldquo;We were walking back to our hotel after the power-packed gig when a fan joined us. We had endless conversations about the genre that night,&rdquo; Patel recalled.</p>
<h2>Game on for the gaothans</h2>
<p><img src="http://origin.mid-day.com/images/2025/apr/Gaothan-area_e.jpg" alt="A view of Matharpacady gaothan in Mazagaon. FILE PIC" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>A view of Matharpacady gaothan in Mazagaon. File pic</em></strong></p>
<p>Come May, The Gaothan Games 2025 by Mobai Gaothan Panchayat will have Mumbai&rsquo;s East Indian gaothans sweating it out for the champion&rsquo;s trophy. But rest assured, the fugias and papris are still making the cut. &ldquo;The games might sound familiar but we&rsquo;re adding a traditional spin on them.</p>
<p><img src="http://origin.mid-day.com/images/2025/apr/Gleason-Barretto_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>The food relay, for instance, requires teams of 10 members to sprint, and gorge themselves on traditional East Indian snacks to win the title. Another segment includes a tyre race which will make for a fun throwback to the childhood stick-and-tyre pastime,&rdquo; shared Gleason Barretto (inset), member, MGP. Those keen to represent their gaothans, can reach out to 8886225903.</p><p><script type="text/javascript">atOptions={'key':'d0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7','format':'iframe','height':90,'width':728,'params':{}};</script></p><p>
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