Mumbai Diary: Tuesday Dossier

Watch your mouthA caretaker shares a lighthearted moment with his pet German Shepherd at Oval MaidanLet the record playVisitors browse through a collection of vinyl records PIC COURTESYJOURNALThis Sunday already sounds like a good idea Pun firmly in cheek this diarist was happy to learn that Journal a cafeacute in Santacruz is hosting a vinyl listening programme featuring homegrown Indian indie music along with brunch ldquoThe idea for Soulful Sundays came from wanting to create an experience that felt true to Journal since itrsquos a space where food music and community naturally come together Music has always shaped how I see the world and we try to carry that same energy through the cafeacuterdquo said Ateet Singh the cofounder of Journal Nehal Shah director of India Record Co added ldquoThe energy that this vinyl session brings is what makes it specialrdquoWritten between the linesThe book includes limericks for each station on Mumbairsquos railway lines PicSatej ShindeWe always knew Mumbairsquos local trains moved to a rhythm Itrsquos pretty close to the singsong meter of a limerick if you ask linguist Raamesh Raghavan below who has penned a new book titled Suburban Limericks Jotted down on notepads and the back of train tickets during his travels the collection includes one limerick each for every station on Mumbairsquos Western Central Harbour TransHarbour and Port linesA limerick dedicated to a rather healthy eater from SoBo goes lsquoThere was a lady of Marine Lines who subsisted chiefly on green vines With lettuce to munch shersquod spend hours at lunch mdash that ruminant lady of Marine LinesrsquoMama Kanersquos misal PIC COURTESYMama KaneldquoI have been scribbling down my limericks during my travels for the past 15 years It began with a visit to Dadar Westrsquos Mama Kane Upahar Gruha where I wrote a limerick on the inimitable missal the eatery whips uprdquo Raghavan revealed to usRun it to win itParticipants complete a task at the outdoor gym on Carter Road Pic CourtesyManalikadam on InstagramRunners from the Bombay Running club couldrsquove given your favourite Hollywood action hero a run for his money last weekend Nearly 40 participants racked their brains and pulled off acrobatic feats in groups at an outdoor treasure hunt in Bandra ldquoThe hunt featured cryptic clues to famous landmarks like the Bat of Honour installation Joggerrsquos Park and Mehboob Studio It was an engaging session where the runners also ended up learning about Bandra and its icons along the wayrdquo shared cofounder Priyanca Walanju To keep an eye out for upcoming sessions log on to bombayrunning on InstagramThanks Mr ThaparValmik Thapar and Sahir Doshi PicGetty ImagesA crop of young citybased green crusaders are reminiscing memories of an old teacher this week ldquoI was part of Valmik Thaparrsquos Kids for Tiger programme as a schoolgoing kid in the early 2000s We stepped into the dense green covers of Tadoba and Ranthambhore under his wings Mr Thapar spoke with a fiery passion and uninhibited anger much like a child Perhaps that is why his words stuck with me foreverrdquo recalled naturalist and science educator Sahir Doshi inset For young enthusiasts keen to draw inspiration from Thaparrsquos life Doshi recommends watching the Land of The Tiger series an exhaustive documentary on the natural history of IndiaNo sticky businessThe rescued myna in Ashok Nagar Mulund PIC COURTESYKUNAL THAKKARWersquod be pretty bummed if we woke up drenched in industrygrade adhesive to be frank Itrsquos not much different for the cityrsquos birds says animal rescuer Kunal Thakkar who recently rescued a myna from a household glue trap in Mulundrsquos Ashok Nagar ldquoPeople often place these traps for rodents but birds looking for shelter in the monsoon inadvertently fall prey The glue seeps into the feathers and does irreversible damagerdquo Thakkar shared After a long bath in vegetable oil to dissolve the glue the myna was released in its natural habitat ldquoThis one was lucky but many of them arenrsquot The ethical solution is to let fauna thrive in your neighbourhood Naturersquos food pyramid has its own way of eliminating pests and parasitesrdquo Thakkar reminded us