<h2>Phool Power</h2>
A Lavani performer prepares to take the stage at Lokrang Mahotsav 2026 at YB Chavan Auditorium in <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/mumbai-matunga-building-redevelopment-gets-hc-nod-eviction-challenge-dismissed-23616026" rel="nofollow">Matunga</a>
<h2>Malhar magic</h2>
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/jun/Malhar-BTS_e.jpg" alt="St Xavier&rsquo;s College decked up for a previous edition. PIC COURTESY/Malhar" width="1280" height="720" /> St Xavier&rsquo;s College decked up for a previous edition. PIC COURTESY/Malhar
It has been a busy month for St Xavier&rsquo;s College (Autonomous). With the annual festival Malhar returning on August 13, preparations are already in full swing. &ldquo;The idea for Malhar is always to bigger, grander, and more creative with every year. This year, we opted for the theme Iridescence-The Spectrum of Expressions. It captures the diverse range of performances, arts, and expressions that will be staged at the festival,&rdquo; shared Vibhuti Arshi, media volunteer at the college. The new logo captures the idea through a moth, &ldquo;It is an homage to the process of change and evolution,&rdquo; added Arshi.
<h2>Photographic memories</h2>
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/jun/Lizard-a_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" />
Flocks of wildlife photographers landed at the <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/mumbai-mayor-ritu-tawde-writes-to-gujarat-cm-to-bring-two-pairs-of-asiatic-lions-at-byculla-zoo-in-mumbai-23619445" rel="nofollow">Mumbai Zoo in Byculla</a> last weekend for a special meeting. The inaugural Wild Lens Summit at the zoo saw experts dissect their best clicks for a packed auditorium of amateur and professional lensmen. Organised by the community Photowalks Mumbai&rsquo;s wildlife arm, Wild Lens, the summit saw vibrant photographs of amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals flashed on the screen.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/jun/Wild-lens-a_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" />
There were lessons to be learnt, said zoo biologist Dr Abhishek Satam, who presented his collection alongside Anupam Thombre and community founder Anurag Kukrety. &ldquo;You have to be a naturalist first to be a wildlife photographer. To know where to be, at what time, and how to capture a frame without disrupting habitat are all extremely important, especially in Mumbai&rsquo;s marine ecosystems,&rdquo; he told this diarist. Those keen to join the community can log on to @thewildlens.in on Instagram.
<h2>AI called it!</h2>
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/jun/RCB-prediction_e.jpg" alt="Sujay Nadkarni reviews the prediction. PIC COURTESY/@thenadcoder" width="1280" height="720" /> Sujay Nadkarni reviews the prediction. PIC COURTESY/@thenadcoder
While RCB fans will swear they knew their team would lift the IPL trophy this year, Texas-based techie Sujay Nadkarni knew it first. In a video dated April 17, Nadkarni used AI chatbot Claude to correctly predict the winners and the runners-up using the Large Language Model&rsquo;s (LLM) abilities. &ldquo;I provided ball-by-ball data, historical results, and player statistics, along with external inputs,&rdquo; Nadkarni said in a follow-up video. After the video went viral this week, Nadkarni has promised to run the procedure for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup. We&rsquo;re glad that Paul The Octopus, the OG who predicted the 2010 World Cup results, isn&rsquo;t around to see AI steal his job.
<h2>The Deccan campaign</h2>
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/jun/Izumi-Hyderabad_e.jpg" alt="A view of the new space. PICS COURTESY/IZUMI" width="1280" height="720" /> A view of the new space. PICS COURTESY/IZUMI
Chef Nooresha Kably (below) has found her way to Hyderabad&rsquo;s heart, and its through bowls of ramen and nigiri. After a successful run in Mumbai and Goa, Kably&rsquo;s Izumi is now set to open its third outpost in the Deccan food hub.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/jun/Shoyu-Ramen_e.jpg" alt="Shoyu Chintan Ramen" width="1280" height="720" /> Shoyu Chintan Ramen
The restaurant will arrive with a uniquely focused approach to Japanese dining, set against a view overlooking the Durgam Cheruvu Lake. If that were not enough, the Hyderabad outpost is notably larger than its Mumbai and Goa counterparts, we learnt.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/jun/Nooresha-Kably_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" />
Kably shared that the space felt &ldquo;especially personal,&rdquo; owing to her own beginnings in the city. With a live sushi bar, robata grill, ramen bowls, and thoughtfully curated cocktail menus, diners can dive into fare ranging from Scorched Scallop Nigiri to Curry Ramen, and the restaurant signature cocktail, Yuzu Penicillin. It is time the Biryani had competition.

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

Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

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