The city continued experiencing hot and humid weather on Monday, with the maximum temperature reaching 34.1 degrees Celsius. According to the latest Mumbai weather updates from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Mumbai is expected to experience a mainly clear sky on Monday, April 28. Temperatures will range from a cool 25 degrees Celsius in the morning to a warm 34 degrees Celsius during the day. The sun rose at 06:13 AM and will set at 07:00 PM. According to the Mumbai weather updates of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Santacruz observatory in suburban Mumbai recorded a maximum temperature of 33.8 degrees Celsius and a minimum temperature of 26.8 degrees Celsius. The weather department's data showed that the city observatory in Colaba recorded a maximum temperature of 34.1 degrees Celsius and a minimum temperature of 26.2 degrees Celsius. The IMD’s latest Mumbai weather update forecasts a "mainly clear sky" for the city and its suburbs over the next 24 hours. Mumbai weather updates: City's AQI in 'good' category On April 28, the Central Pollution Control Board’s SAMEER app reported in its latest Mumbai weather updates that the city’s air quality remained in the 'good' category, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 83 at 9:05 AM. As per the SAMEER app dashboard, many areas across Mumbai showed 'good' AQI. Bandra Kurla Complex recorded 'good' air quality with an AQI of 81. Byculla, Malad and Borivali recorded 'good' air quality with an AQI of 63, 68 and 67, respectively. Chembur, Ghatkopar and Mazgaon recorded 'good' air quality, with an AQI of 63, 66 and 75, respectively. Meanwhile, Kurla recorded 'moderate' air quality, with an AQI of 105. According to data from the SAMEER app, Navi Mumbai recorded air quality in the 'good' category with an AQI of 98, while Thane registered a 'good' AQI of 66. The air quality index from 0 to 100 is considered 'good', 100 to 200 'moderate', 200 to 300 'poor', 300 to 400 'very poor' and from 400 to 500 or above 'severe'.
28 April,2025 09:49 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentA massive fire that broke out at the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) office building in south Mumbai in the early hours of Sunday was doused after 12 hours, officials said. The ED office is located at the Kaiser-I-Hind building in the Ballard Estate area. According to officials, the fire broke out at around 2.30 am and escalated to level III at approximately 4.21 am. Eight fire engines, six jetties, water tankers, and other equipment were deployed at the spot, said a fire department official, adding that the major blaze was doused around 2.10 pm. Chief Fire Officer Ravindra Ambulgekar said the fire was confined to the fourth floor and mezzanine floor of the building, but the presence of files and furniture intensified it. Officials said that though no one was hurt in the incident, several documents and pieces of equipment may have been gutted or damaged. Explaining why it took so long to douse the fire, Ambulgekar said that poor ventilation caused the smoke to get clogged inside the building, which in turn posed great difficulties to firefighters during entry. Firefighters had to break down doors and smash windows to gain entry into the structure, he said. “No one was injured in the incident. A probe is on to ascertain the cause of the fire,” the fire chief said. A senior police officer said a short circuit had caused the fire. He said police teams were at the spot and conducting panchnama (assessment as per legal norms) as part of the inquiry into the incident. No complaint has been registered by the ED, he said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
28 April,2025 08:21 AM IST | Mumbai | AgenciesAparna Gupta, who has been admitted to Kokilaben Hospital after the massive fire in the Brooklyn building near Ashok Academy Lane, at 2.40 am on Saturday, felt relieved after learning that her son Vihan, 3, was completely out of danger and had been shifted to the general pediatric ward on Sunday morning. “I am still facing some level of dizziness and have difficulty breathing, which is why they have continued my admission in the ICU. Also, my husband (Paulam Gupta) is a bit better and has not needed nebuliser treatment throughout the day. However, as he too is unable to breathe normally, he is in the ICU. But we are very happy and tension-free as Vihan is doing well,” said Gupta. She further said that if the fire was caused due to the AC blast in the first-floor Wadia apartment, then strict action must be taken as they had been warned about its excessive use. “We would always notice an abnormal quantity of water dripping from their AC. My husband and I had alerted them several times. This was bound to happen. Innocent people suffered because of someone else's irresponsibility,” said Gupta. While the building did have fire extinguishers, fire officials were unavailable to confirm if all fire safety norms had been followed. Chakrapani Alle, additional commissioner, K-West ward, refused to comment, saying it was his day off. Meanwhile, Kartik Sanjanvalia, 40, who was in a critical condition on Saturday, has shown signs of improvement but is still undergoing treatment in the ICU at Nanavati Hospital. 01No. of people killed in fire
28 April,2025 08:14 AM IST | Mumbai | Ritika GondhalekarIn a landmark case, a division bench of the Bombay High Court, on April 21, upheld the decision of the Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal (MAT), Mumbai bench, of February 2024, which was in favour of daily wage forest labourers who sought a 10 per cent “parallel reservation” for appointment by “direct recruitment” in response to an advertisement to fill in over 6000 posts (forest guards) across Maharashtra. The respondent applicants would now be appointed to the post of forest guard. They have been working as daily wagers for a meagre amount of R8000 per month since 2014. As many as 200-plus daily workers from Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), Borivli, Pune and Nanded districts of Maharashtra, will benefit from the high court verdict. The case The respondent applicants (six of them had filed two separate cases, which were merged as one) were working as daily wage forest labourers in different territorial jurisdictions of the Chief Conservators of Forest, and were residing in SGNP (Borivli), Pune and Nanded districts of Maharashtra. They sought direction to allow them to avail of 10 per cent, parallel Reservation as provided by Government Resolution (GR) Revenue and forest department dated October 16, 2012, for appointment by direct recruitment to Group-C post of forest guards as per the advertisement dated June 8, 2023, issued by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, said Advocate Rajeshwar Panchal, who represented the workers. Panchal further stated that the said advertisement was issued for appointment by direct recruitment to 2138 posts in Group C of forest guards across the territorial jurisdictions of all eleven limits of the Chief Conservators of Forest. “Nearly 266 posts were to be filled in SGNP. For Thane district, out of 266 posts, there are 24 posts of forest guard, which are reserved under 10 per cent parallel reservation for daily forest labourers. However, to avail of this 10 per cent parallel reservation, they need to produce a certificate from the respective divisional forest officers/deputy conservators of forests as per provisions of the GR dated October 16, 2012,” Panchal added. The advocate further stated that the minimum education qualification prescribed for the appointment of forest guards is Std XII. The minimum age for daily wage forest labourers is 18 years, while the limit is 55 years. Daily wage forest labourers who did not fulfil the criteria of at least 240 days work in any five years during November 11, 1994, to June 30, 2004, to be entitled for the newly created 5089 supernumerary posts in Group D, were serving as on June 30, 2004 in the forest department. He emphasised that it was for these daily wage forest labourers that 10 per cent parallel reservation came to be provided at the time of direct recruitment to all posts of Group C and Group D. HC observation The division bench of Bombay High court, after hearing both sides and going through the MAT order, stated, “Taking an overall view of the matter, we find that the MAT was justified in holding the circular dated August 31, 2013, issued by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Nagpur, to be discriminatory as it restricted the opportunity of public employment to daily wage forest workers, who were engaged after June 30, 2004 and had fulfilled the eligibility criteria of annual service of 240 days in any five years. Hence, for all these reasons, we do not find any case made out to interfere in the exercise of the writ jurisdiction. The writ petition therefore stands dismissed with no orders as to costs. Accordingly, the interim application also stands disposed of.” AdvocateSpeak Advocate Panchal said, “We are very happy as ultimately our long battle has been successful with the Bombay High Court dismissing the petition filed by the state of Maharashtra against the decision of MAT that was given almost a year ago. The applicants would now get appointed to the post of forest guard. The applicants have been working as daily wagers for a meagre amount of R8000 per month since 2014. As a lawyer, I can’t express how happy I am because I could render justice to the applicants who come from marginalised communities and a scheduled tribe. I expect the state government and its officers to honour the decisions of MAT and the HC and issue appointment orders as early as possible; otherwise, the applicants would again be forced to pursue contempt proceedings before MAT, which were already instituted.” 6000Approx. no. of vacant forest guard posts in Maharashtra
28 April,2025 08:10 AM IST | Mumbai | Vinod Kumar MenonAfter wintering in Botswana in South Africa, the famous satellite-tagged Manipur Amur Falcon, Chiuluan 2, has taken off his return non-stop journey of about 3000 km over the Arabian Sea back to India. Dr Suresh Kumar, senior scientist at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), told mid-day that Chiuluan 2 is following the predicted path, and at this rate, the falcon is expected to arrive along the Gujarat coast by April 28. Its fascinating journey has surprised researchers and wildlife lovers. “Chiuluan 2 is flying fast. Fueled by tailwinds, the male falcon has been flying at a speed of 47 km/hr and flying non-stop for 21 hours and has covered 1000 km from its last location (on Friday),” said Dr Kumar. In November last year, two Amur falcons—Chiuluan 2 and Gwangram (female)—were fitted with satellite transmitters and released into Chiuluan village in Manipur’s Tamenglong by the local forest department in the presence of Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Kh. Hitler Singh and Dr Kumar. The local forest department also fitted several other Amur falcons with identification rings and released them. The main objective of the project is to study the migratory route of these birds. DFO Singh from the Manipur forest department told mid-day that in the past, the Tamenglong forest division had done Phase-I satellite transmitter tagging of Amur falcons during 2018 and 2019. “We collected very important migration information in Phase-I. The migration studies not only equipped the scientists and forest department for a long-term conservation plan of wildlife, but they also generated wide-ranging awareness among local communities and wildlife lovers all over the world. That was a great achievement.” Migratory species conservation needs support from many nations. India is also a signatory country to CMS (Convention of Migratory Species). It may be noted that Manipur’s Tamenglong forest division is planning to tag a few more Amur falcons next year to further strengthen the database and create more national and international awareness of the fascinating and ecologically important bird species. Amur falcons migrate from breeding grounds in eastern Asia to wintering grounds in Southern Africa. To fuel up for their big open-water crossing, which is the Indian Ocean, they stop over for two months in Doyang Dam Reservoir, Nagaland. The bird covers over 20,000 kilometres between Africa and northern China, flying over the Arabian Sea.
28 April,2025 08:04 AM IST | Mumbai | Ranjeet JadhavA significant amount of water is being released from the Bhandardara and Nilawande dams to help farmers in the northern region of the state’s Ahilyanagar district, officials said on Sunday. Both reservoirs are located in the district on the Pravara river. According to sources in the Water Resources Department, 3700 cubic feet per second (cusecs) of water is being released from both dams—2400 cusecs from Nilawande and 1300 cusecs from Bhandardara. Such a water release cycle usually continues for 15-20 days, they said. The influx of water is expected to greatly benefit the downstream areas surrounding Ahilyanagar, enhancing irrigation and agricultural productivity, the officials said. Farmers in the northern region of the district rely heavily on the water supply from these dams for their crops, particularly during crucial growing seasons. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
28 April,2025 07:58 AM IST | Mumbai | AgenciesThe Elphinstone bridge will remain open today morning as usual, as motorists and activists are now pushing for the bridge to be closed after the monsoon to avoid inconvenience. A day before meeting Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to resolve the issue of their relocation, residents along the Elphinstone bridge on Saturday night followed up on the issue with BJP leader and Minister of Cultural Affairs and Information Technology Ashish Shelar, who is also the Mumbai suburban guardian minister, by visiting his Bandra office. “We met Shelar and briefed him about the issue, and he has taken all the data from us. Being the Mumbai suburban guardian minister, he will be conducting a joint meeting with the chief minister today so as to resolve the issue faster,” local resident Sriram Pawar, who attended the meeting, said. The two-deck bridge, with the upper deck being built by the MMRDA and the lower deck built by the BMC and MahaRail will affect 19 buildings in the vicinity. Though authorities said only two buildings—Haji Noorani and Laxmi Niwas—will be directly affected, residents said that it was not the case as per notices received by locals. Sources said that the bridge may not shut immediately now and residents and motorists are now pushing for closure of the bridge after the monsoon. “The bridge is going to be shut for another three monsoons, so instead of that, if the bridge shuts post this monsoon season, it will be just for two monsoons instead of three. As it is being delayed, the authorities should spare Mumbaikars this monsoon at least,” Ramnivas Shetty, a local motorist, said. A local resident, Swapna Gaokar, said that the plan to rehabilitate locals must be made clear. “Until then, we will not allow the bridge to be closed.” Authorities said that the plan to bring down the bridge in two phases, with the non-railway portion and railway portion of the bridge, is already in place with the demolition expected to be completed by July 10 this year. Any further delay will affect the construction timelines of the bridge. Meanwhile, Shelar said that he would discuss the residents’ issues with the chief minister. “I have assured that the issues of the residents living in the Elphinstone bridge area will be resolved by talking to the officials concerned and the chief minister. The old Elphinstone bridge will be demolished and a new bridge will be constructed in its place.” “Two buildings in the vicinity may be damaged in this work. Also, the citizens of the area will have to face some inconvenience during this demolition and construction. The residents of the area met me at my Bandra office and discussed their problems. I shall discuss the issues with MMRDA officials and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis,” Shelar said. July 10Day bridge demolition is expected to be completed
28 April,2025 07:49 AM IST | Mumbai | Rajendra B. AklekarFollowing the incident where around 18 dogs were illegally relocated from a housing society in Kandivli to Aarey Milk Colony over a week ago, a total of ten canines have been rescued from Aarey, and efforts to trace the rest are underway. Vijay Rangare, honorary animal welfare officer and Mumbai president of the NGO People For Animals, told mid-day, “Out of a total of 18 dogs, ten have been rescued and the bodies of two puppies have been recovered. Search operations to find the remaining six dogs are in progress at the location where the canines were relocated [on April 13].” The location where the dogs were relocated is near a forested patch haunted by other stray dogs and even wild animals. A still from a viral video showing the canines being released in a wooded patch at Aarey Milk Colony earlier this month On April 17, mid-day shed light on a video that had surfaced on social media showing a group of stray dogs and puppies being relocated via a small goods carrier to Aarey Milk Colony. The clip had left animal lovers fuming. It is believed the canines were shifted from a housing society in Kandivli. Four individuals have been booked in connection with the matter under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and Section 173 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. According to wildlife conservationist Dr Jalpesh Mehta, releasing stray dogs in large quantities in the area could lead to an increase in leopard attacks and impact biodiversity. “The dairy department needs to monitor Aarey Milk Colony’s three main entry points to put an end to such illegal practices,” he had told this newspaper. 2No. of puppies whose bodies were found
28 April,2025 07:43 AM IST | Mumbai | Ranjeet JadhavThe Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has approved a proposal to hike BEST bus fares by a minimum of R5 to a maximum of Rs 15. With this, the minimum fare of non-AC buses will be Rs 10 and for AC buses it will be Rs 12. The BEST had, in 2019, reduced the bus fares to increase ridership. Currently, the minimum fare for travelling in a non-AC bus is Rs 5 and the maximum is Rs 20, while the fare for the AC bus is a minimum of R6 and a maximum of R25. After the revised fare structure, the minimum fare will be Rs 10 to Rs 35 for non-AC buses and Rs 12 to Rs 40 for the AC buses. Mumbai’s BEST bus ridership currently sits at around 31 lakh passengers daily in its fleet of 2186 buses. The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) owns 847 buses. A commuter pays his fare via a smartcard. Pic/@myBESTBus The increase in ticket fares was proposed by BEST General Manager S V R Srinivas in February. BEST currently generates a revenue of Rs 845 crore annually, and it is expected to reach around Rs 1400 crore with this hike in ticket prices. Official sources claim that the fare hike would generate Rs 590 crore more in revenue. Civic Chief Bhushan Gagrani, who recently confirmed the proposal of a fare hike, said, “The BMC’s resolution is a statutory requirement. We have done that. Now it is up to BEST.” However, the implementation of new fare will start after approval from the Mumbai Regional Transport Authority (MRTA). Rupesh Shelatkar, a commuter rights activist, said, “Fare hike is not wrong, but it should be lower for shorter distances.” Rajesh Gupta, transport expert, said, “There is nothing wrong with increasing the ticket fare due to increasing operational costs. However, the administration should tell commuters what additional facilities they will get along with the increased ticket price. Will the waiting period of the passengers be reduced?” 31 lakh Volume of daily ridership Rs 40Maximum fare for AC buses
28 April,2025 07:13 AM IST | Mumbai | Sameer SurveWhile the India Meteorology Department’s (IMD) Santacruz and Colaba units recorded daytime temperatures of 35 and 33 degrees Celsius, respectively, on Sunday, and the mercury is expected to touch 40 degrees Celsius as May draws near, none of the four major civic hospitals have any special cooling facilities for treating heatstroke cases. This could be attributed to the vagueness of the 2019 Maharashtra State Action Plan on Climate Change and Human Health, which does not give specific directives to hospitals about addressing heat-related risks. The Mumbai Climate Action Plan, which includes heat resilience strategies, was announced by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in March 2022, but apart from mandating that heatstroke victims be prioritised and ORS be kept on hand, it doesn’t mention measures such as ice baths and cooling blankets. “Though the temperature may not cross 40 degrees Celsius, for the city, this reading is quite high considering that Mumbai is a humid city,” said Bhagwan Kesbhat, founder, Waatavaran Foundation. Pedestrians attempt to shield themselves from the scorching afternoon heat at Dadar on April 26. File pic/Ashish Raje The major civic-run hospitals in the city that lack special facilities for heatstroke cases altogether are the Topiwala National Medical College and BYL Nair Hospital, Seth Gordhandas Sunderdas Medical College and KEM Hospital, Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College and Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital (Sion Hospital), and Hindu Hriday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray Medical College and RN Cooper Hospital. Dr Mohan Joshi, dean, Sion Hospital, said, “We have the regular basic treatment available, such as ORS and IV fluids that help control and bring down body temperatures. So far, we have not seen any patient who has required hospitalisation. However, in case anyone needs it, the patient can be treated with IV fluids and other oral care.” Surprisingly, JJ Hospital, one of the 18 sentinel hospitals across the state and the only one in Mumbai designated to deal with acute respiratory infection cases, also does not have any special services other than AC rooms. “We do not have cold-water bath facilities or cooling blankets. We do not have any orders to procure them. Whenever we have patients with heat-related issues, they are moved to AC rooms, instead of general wards, and given IV fluids and ORS, which helps reduce body temperatures quickly,” said Dr Vidya Nagar, HOD, Medicine, JJ Hospital. The situation was similar at KEM Hospital, where the same sort of treatment is provided. The only civic hospital in the city that is doing a bit better is KB Bhabha Municipal General Hospital at Bandra, where cold saline (chilled intravenous fluids) is available for severe heatstroke cases. “We have not had to use them this season yet. However, we keep a few pints of saline under refrigeration and, thus, we have cold saline available round the clock,” said hospital superintendent, Dr Vinod Khade. Why such a cool attitude? Doctors at the civic hospitals say special facilities for heat-stroke cases are not required owing to the city’s climate! “Mumbai is a humid city, and we do not see any major heatstroke cases. Thus, it is not necessary to make such extreme and expensive facilities available,” said Dr Nagar. Doctors also mention that since the symptoms of heatstroke cases are quite vague, not all cases can be put into the category of heatstroke. “People who experience heatstroke show symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, dry skin, racing heart rate and severe headache, which can be symptoms of any other illness as well. For instance, if a married young woman walks into our OPD [outpatient department] with these symptoms, she can be considered to be pregnant as well,” said Dr Rawat. Private hospitals to rescue Some private hospitals in the city, however, do have these special facilities. “The best way to rapidly reduce the body temperature of a heatstroke patient is ice-cold water immersion, a facility that is available at our hospital. Besides, we also have ice packs, water sprinklers and ECMO [extracorporeal membrane oxygenation] for severe cases of heatstroke. Though not many cases of heatstroke, we have definitely seen a rise in the number of patients suffering from heat exhaustion in the last two years,” said Dr Sandeep Gore, director of emergency medicine at Fortis Hospital in Mulund. Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital also provides ice-water baths and has cooling blankets. “In case the patient shows a temperature of above 102, we have trained our doctors to immediately put on the cooling blanket, even before putting an IV line. This is because once the body understands that it is in a cool place, mentally the patient starts relaxing. And then the regular treatment of saline and fluids shows faster results,” said Dr Divya Gopal, consultant, internal medicine. Vidarbha situation Meanwhile, all cities in the Vidarbha region have already reported temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius except Buldhana, which was not much further behind at 37.6 degrees Celsius, as of Saturday. However, the majority of the government hospitals in the region lack special cooling facilities. “Every year, we see a maximum of seven to eight cases which are severe and need admission at the hospital. We keep such patients in AC rooms and give them the regular treatment of ORS and saline. We neither have cooling blankets nor cold water baths,” said Dr Meenakshi Gajbhiye, dean, Government Medical College and Hospital, Akola. The Vasantrao Naik Government Medical College of Yavatmal also provides the same basic line of treatment. “We see heatstroke cases every summer. But all of them can be treated with ORS, IV fluids and by keeping them in a cool atmosphere,” said Dr Girish Jatkar, the dean of the hospital. Ahmedabad shows the way Ahmedabad was the first city to have a heat action plan in place, and that has been seen as a model plan by many other cities in the country. However, surprisingly, hospitals there, too, do not have many special facilities. However, they do have other ways to help patients suffering from heat-related illnesses. “Considering the rising heat levels, we have installed 70 coolers across all our non-AC wards. We also have an e-auto that goes around the campus providing drinking water during the daytime. Though we do not have an ice-water bath facility, we ensure that enough ice and cold water are stored to provide sponging in cases of low-level hyperthermia. These facilities are above the regular facilities of ORS, cold saline and IV fluids,” said Dr Rakesh Joshi, medical superintendent, Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad. 35°c Daytime temperature recorded in Colaba yesterday
28 April,2025 06:57 AM IST | Mumbai | Ritika GondhalekarIn my upside down world A swimmer takes respite from the soaring temperatures by attempting a few tricks in the sea off Girgaon Chowpatty. Happy feet in town The penguins, Tom (left) and Pingu (right) at the Zoo. Pic Courtesy/The Mumbai Zoo On the occasion of World Penguin Day (April 25), biologists at the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan and Zoo in Byculla reported a total of 21 Humboldt penguins — with the birth of three little penguin chicks last month. “In 2016, we brought eight penguins into the zoo. Over the years, we have made sure that their habitat is taken care of so that they can live properly and breed as well. We also created rocky crevices in their habitat where the penguins could build their nest and lay eggs. Though we did not have any new hatchlings last year, three chicks joined the family in March. All of them are healthy, and will start swimming as well in about three months,” Dr Abhishek Satam, zoo biologist told this diarist. Dr Abhishek Satam Chai for a cause Vijayalakshmi Venkatesh (in black) interacts with participants during a previous session. Pic Courtesy/Viji Venkatesh Chai for Cancer is raising a toast to its 12th edition of fundraising events for cancer patients on May 11. The initiative has served over five lakh cups of chai and raised over R6 crore in the last 11 years. “We organise Chai for Cancer on the second Sunday of May every year. Usually there is fear and stigma attached to cancer and chai is a calming and soothing drink. The idea behind the adda is to bring people together and offer them a fun and informal platform to engage and donate to the cause,” Vijayalakshmi Venkatesh, organiser, revealed to us. To know more about the event, log on to chaiforcancer.org or @chaiforcancer on Instagram. For the love of beats and music Navin Bhat works on a console at the institute. Pic Courtesy/DJ institute Spinning the decks with passion and panache at 51 years, Prabhadevi-based garment trader Navin Bhat is proving how age is indeed just a number. Enrolled at the DJ Institute in Kandivli, Bhat is pursuing a long harboured love for music. “I have been interested in music since I was in school where I used to play the side drums. During college I was introduced to rock music and rap. So, the love and sense for rhythm was always there. Then, I was tied up for almost two to three decades, handling the family business before I thought of reviving this passion. While I am still learning, it has been a fun experience working with everyone,” Bhat shared with this diarist. Jamming it up Purbayan Chatterjee (in black) with the group. Pic Courtesy/Aflatunes City-based acapella ensemble Aflatunes recently teamed up with sitar maestro Purbayan Chatterjee for an electrifying rendition of Garaj Garaj, a track from the webseries Bandish Bandits season two. “We met during a concert in Khandala and that is when the idea of a possible collaboration was discussed. The song is quite trendy these days, and we had great fun vibing to the track,” Chatterjee shared with us. Devashri Manohar, vocalist of the band added, “This was the first time we worked with an actual instrument as we have always identified as a no-instrument band. The process was filled with fun and learning.” Devashri Manohar Sonali prefers to go by the book Sonali Bendre Behl speaks at the launch of her new title at Crossword Bookstore in Kemps Corner over the weekend. Pic/Kirti Surve Parade Bookstores get all sorts of readers these days; a big chunk are the distracted variety; then, there are those who prefer instant literature, while others need to be wowed by a magical something to pick up a book from an aisle. This diarist, the proverbial fly on the wall at the release of Sonali Bendre Behl’s newest title, A Book of Books, at a SoBo bookstore, noticed that all the above reader types were in attendance as Bendre Behl doled out simple gems, encouraging the audience about why reading matters. “It’s the cheapest way to travel,” she answered a young geeky fan’s question, during the Q&A session, adding, “You get to understand another country while being in your own home.” Another gem was about the impact of her family, and how reading was part of their ecosystem. While Gen Alpha and Gen Z-ers seemed intrigued by the ‘physical book’ as they gave their tablets and phones a break, it was reassuring to note that most, including older generations of readers, were holding on to every bit of relatable advice. Her book offers 13 reasons on why everyone should read, and is an easy-breezy guide, particularly with suggestions for unsure, wannabe readers on how to take baby steps into the universe of the written word. Going by the number of young people queuing up for signed copies later, here’s hoping her peppy gyaan makes them hang out in bookstores, albeit in a less-distracted avatar.
28 April,2025 06:38 AM IST | Mumbai | Team mid-dayADVERTISEMENT
