Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

We love the sound of this musicIts a film that doesnt get old no matter how many times you watch it In fact The Sound of Music is one of our favourite things in moviemaking history with melodies that are as hummable today as when the film was released in 1965 Now a Broadway version is being brought to the Subcontinent or Sri Lanka to be precise Colombo is the lucky city that gets to host it but Indians neednt fret since a tour package of two nights at a luxury property is up for grabs So if the story of Maria Captain Von Trapp and the kids gives you a warm fuzzy feeling we feel that its time for you to say So long farewell to Mumbai between February 14 and 18 which is when the musical will be staged in the neighbouring island nationIntroducing the paint policeBack in December last year NGO Chal Rang De initiated a slum beautification project in Asalpha Ghatkopar About 400 volunteers helped paint 120 walls in various bright shades Since January 20 the team has once again taken up a new area to splash colours with this time its the Sakinaka police stationThe theme is Villains of Bollywood Under Arrest Dedeepya Reddy director of the project tells us that they had visited the police station for permissions for the Asalpha project and thats when Senior PI Avinash Dharmadikari suggested that they paint over the police station tooPeople have a negative perception about the police the inspector felt that only criminals should fear the police and not civilians This will give the area a welcoming secure vibe For the art we have put popular Bollywood goons behind bars and tweaked famous dialogues such as Mogambo na khush hua says Reddy Hum bhi khush haiPlaques to boast aboutIts a sign of changing times At least its what this diarist a heritage buff would like to believe Gone were the days when any honour conferred on a heritage building or project would go unnoticed let alone create a buzz in print or social media In a refreshing departure from the inactive BMC babus of yore a senior civic official attached to A Ward is breaking this stereotypeHis team and senior bosses played a key role in restoring a few landmarks in pic in his ward When they were complete he took to social media to share the news and now after the world governing body for heritage restoration sent its stamp of approval once again the mediasavvy gent posted photos of the newlyminted plaques meant to be installed at these landmarks NiceCan we see the itinerary pleaseThe Elephanta Festival organised by our state tourism board will take place this weekend and this time the organisers sounded pretty kicked with their itinerary The big performers include Sufi artistes Wadali Brothers Puranchand and Pyarelal and Punjabi singer Hans Raj Hans All we could gather from the initial bytes was that visits to the cave sites treasure hunts and painting sessions will be a part of the itinerary Curious for more dope we clicked on the official website of the festival only to be informed that it had been blocked And to think we imagined things would be different this time SighBanners no moreFor this diarist who has covered the Mumbai marathon for 15 years which is from its inception one of the sad parts is the vanishing banners that would line the route with their witty posters which would provoke a laugh or a smile We recall a runner who sported a small branch of a shrub stuck on to the back of his shirt to reinforce the Save the Environment messageA couple of bystanders with banners at a previous edition of the marathonQuirks like these are becoming few and far which is unfortunate because they were part of the charm This time we did spot a few spectators with banners like one near Haji Ali that read Sweat is Sexy What is sexy is taking the trouble to create posters and make a statement en route Do that again MumbaiPicSatej ShindeArre baba Look who is part of a dance showBaba Ramdev and actor Hema Malini step out of a vanity van in between shoots for a dance reality show at a studio in Malad yesterdayCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news current affairs from Mumbai local news crime news and breaking headlines hereDownload the new midday Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go