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Mumbai: Lake levels in seven reservoirs that supply water to city at 99.18 pc
In Mumbai, the collective lake levels in the seven reservoirs that supply drinking water to the city is now 99.18 per cent, as per the BMC data. According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) data, on Sunday, the collective water stock in the seven reservoirs that supply drinking water to Mumbai is now at 14,35,458 million litre of water or 99.18 per cent. The Modak Sagar lake, one of the seven lakes that supply water to Mumbai, started overflowing on July 27 at 10.52 pm, the civic body said. Earlier on July 20, the Tulsi lake overflowed following heavy rains in the city and suburbs. Mumbai draws water from Tulsi, Tansa, Vihar, Bhatsa, Modak Sagar, Upper Vaitarna, and Middle Vaitarna. As per the data shared by the civic body, the water level in Tansa is at 98.93 per cent. At Modak-Sagar, 99.99 per cent of water stock is available. In Middle Vaitarna 99.23 per cent, Upper Vaitarna 99.36 per cent, Bhatsa 98.97 per cent, Vihar 100 per cent and Tulsi 100 per cent of useful water level is available. Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday predicted predicted 'light to moderate spells of rain' in Mumbai and its suburbs. For Sunday, the IMD has issued a 'green' alert for Mumbai, predicting light to moderate rainfall. "Partly cloudy sky with possibility of moderate rainfall and thundershower likely towards evening and night in Mumbai and suburbs today," the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said on Sunday. A high tide of about 4.63 metres is expected to hit Mumbai at 12.48 pm today, stated Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The civic body also said that a low tide of about 0.08 metres is expected at 7.02 pm today. The island city, eastern and western suburbs received an average rainfall of 17.67 mm, 7.67 mm and 7.13 mm respectively in 24 hours ending at 8 am, the civic body's data showed.
01 October,2023 09:55 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Mumbai weather update
Partly cloudy sky with possibility of moderate rainfall likely in city today
Mumbai weather update: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday predicted predicted 'light to moderate spells of rain' in Mumbai and its suburbs. For Sunday, the IMD has issued a 'green' alert for Mumbai, predicting light to moderate rainfall. "Partly cloudy sky with possibility of moderate rainfall and thundershower likely towards evening and night in Mumbai and suburbs today," the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said on Sunday. A high tide of about 4.63 metres is expected to hit Mumbai at 12.48 pm today, stated Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The civic body also said that a low tide of about 0.08 metres is expected at 7.02 pm today. The island city, eastern and western suburbs received an average rainfall of 17.67 mm, 7.67 mm and 7.13 mm respectively in 24 hours ending at 8 am, the civic body's data showed. Meanwhile, after subdued rainfall resulted in India experiencing the driest August since 1901, the Southwest Monsoon is expected to revive over the weekend bringing rain to central and southern parts of the country, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on August 31. Addressing a press conference virtually, India Meteorological Department Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said September was likely to witness normal rainfall in the range of 91-109 per cent of the long period average of 167.9 mm. However, Mohapatra said even if the rainfall in September was to remain on the higher side, the June-September seasonal rainfall average is expected to be below normal for the season. After excess rainfall in July, the south-west monsoon played truant for most of August which witnessed 20 break days from August 6-17, August 21-22 and August 26-31 on account of El Nino conditions in the equatorial Pacific Ocean and unfavourable Indian Ocean Dipole conditions. He said development of El Nino conditions in the equatorial Pacific Ocean was the most important factor behind the deficient rainfall activity in August. However, the Indian Ocean Dipole the difference in sea surface temperature of Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal has started turning positive, which could counter the El Nino impact, Mohapatra said. He said the Madden Julian Oscillation -- the eastward moving pulse of cloud -- and the rainfall in the tropical region too was turning favourable and plays a role in the revival of monsoon. With a 36 per cent deficit, India recorded the driest August since 1901. August receives 254.9 mm of rainfall, accounting for around 30 per cent of the precipitation during the monsoon season. The actual rainfall recorded in August was 162.7 mm. India recorded a rainfall deficit of 25 per cent in August 2005, 24.6 per cent in 1965; 24.4 per cent in 1920; 24.1 per cent in 2009 and 24 per cent deficit in 1913, according to the IMD data. Mohapatra said above-normal maximum temperatures were likely to prevail over most parts of the country, except over some areas in south peninsular India and some pockets of west-central India, where normal to below-normal maximum temperatures are likely. He said above-normal minimum temperatures were likely over most parts of the country, except for some areas in extreme north India, where normal to below-normal minimum temperatures are likely. (With inputs from PTI)
01 October,2023 09:47 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Mumbai: Fire breaks out in industrial estate building in Dahisar
A fire broke out in an industrial estate building in Mumbai's Dahisar area on Saturday night. According to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), there was no report of anyone getting injured in the blaze, which started at 11.10 pm. The incident was reported by BMC's Mumbai Fire Brigade. The fire broke out in a ground-plus-one-storey industrial estate building in Dahisar East. The incident occurred at Vardhaman Industrial Cooperative Society, near S V Road, Dahisar East, said BMC. The fire was confined to three to four galas on the ground and first floor of the industrial estate building. Approximately eight to nine LPG cylinders were removed from galas, said the civic body. Earlier on Saturday, twenty-seven persons were rescued from a fire that broke out in a high-rise in Girgaon in south Mumbai, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said. There was no report of anyone getting injured in the blaze, which started at 2:25 pm and was doused 15 minutes later at 2:40 pm, the Mumbai fire brigade said. "The fire broke out in a duct on the first floor of the ground-plus-14-storey building in Sikka Nagar. There was dense smoke but we managed to rescue 27 occupants, comprising 17 women, five men and five children," the fire brigade said. The fire was confined to the wiring, and power installations in the duct and the rescue operation of occupants of different floors was carried out after opening the terrace door, the fire brigade said. According to the official, the incident occurred at Ganesh Krupa CHS, near Dr Deshmukh Lane, Girgaon. The MFB firefighters took control of the situation. The firefighters cut off the electric supply to mitigate any further escalation of the fire.
01 October,2023 09:21 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Maharashtra: Badly injured vulture looked after, released back into wild
The efforts taken by the Nashik Forest Department and the NGO RESQ Charitable Trust team have paid off as the White-rumped vulture was successfully released back into the wild. The vulture was rescued in June after it was found lying flat on the road in June. A surgical procedure was performed to fix the leg fracture and a after rehabilitation period of over two months, it has been released back into the wild. In the month of June, the forest department team along with NGO RESQ Charitable Trust rescued a white-rumped vulture. The emergency treatment was provided by the RESQ Nashik Division team, stabilising it for transport. In Pune at the RESQ Wildlife TTC, a detailed diagnosis revealed a fracture in the vulture’s left leg and internal lung bleeding. With antibiotics and fluid therapy, the vulture’s condition stabilised. After four days, it began eating again. A surgical procedure was performed to fix the leg fracture, followed by intensive post-operative care and rehabilitation. “Being a sub-adult, he took long to gain confidence to fly and for pre-release conditioning he was placed in an aviary where his perch levels were gradually increased over time. Finally, he aced his flight tests and his release process began. On Thursday, it was released and it was extremely gratifying to see him fly beautifully as if he owned the skies,” said Neha Panchamiya, founder and president of RESQ Charitable Trust. Such interventions are crucial for species whose population has greatly declined. Every animal matters, and each successful vulture rescue and rehabilitation brings with it hope for the preservation of this critically endangered species. There is a total of nine species of vultures are found in India. Out of these, six species are resident (white-rumped vulture, Indian vulture, slender-billed vulture, red-headed vulture and Egyptian vulture) and three species are migratory (cinereous vulture, griffon vulture and Himalayan vulture). Vultures were very common in India till the 1980s having an estimated 40 million of the three resident vultures. The overall population, however, crashed by over 90 per cent during the mid-nineties.
01 October,2023 07:50 AM IST | Mumbai | Ranjeet Jadhav
Gory game of thrones at tony clubs
Come September and gymkhana members across the city start sharpening their knives. The elections for managing committees for these clubs, whose memberships can touch vertigo-inducing Rs 1 crore, are held in this month. As campaigning begins, poisonous (only figuratively, yet) letters start flying around, “leaked” messages make the rounds, mudslinging and slander are routine, and the police also receive complaints of attempted murder and abuse, and are pressured to investigate them. Many clubs, in fact, muzzle members from speaking to the media, election or no election. Most are simply too wary to speak about these going ons except on condition of anonymity, afraid of consequences—the loss of the privilege of mulligatawny soup and Eggs Kejriwal on the lawns. And there rises new legion—whistle blowers—who get shriller as elections near. Some members have even requested protection for these whistle blowers, ie keep them anonymous and protect them from any action by the committee. The Bombay Presidency Radio Club (also known as Radio Club) is a sports club was founded by Giachand Motwane, the first programmed radio broadcast in India was made from here. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar “The candidates have become immensely power hungry,” a senior member of a South Mumbai club said, “Consider the crores, sometimes in the region of Rs 500+crores as corpus these clubs have. Then there’s the hunger for memberships [with its potential bribes to secure them], the capacity to award tenders, etc. As a decision maker, this is a very significant heft to have with a 5,000-plus member base.” Viren Shah, President of the National Sports Club of India (NSCI) in Worli, has an interesting take on the fighting that has crossed lines of decency in many clubs. “In the very near future,” he says, “many upscale housing societies will emulate club politics. So many are already facing allegations of financial irregularities and corruption, the run-up to housing society elections is going to go, well let me say, club class.” And victory does not bring peace, adds Shah. “Many candidates think once they are on the committee, they will have it very easy. Yet, with great power comes great responsibility, work and time. Not all can give that, and when they realise they may be removed through voting, they do everything they can to retain their seats.” While agreeing that campaigning is cut-throat, Mohit Chaturvedi, of the Manish Ajmera Dynamic Group which carved out a win in the recent Garware Club House (Churchgate) elections by crushing the Sharad Pawar panel, says, “Members saw ground reality and mismanagement. While Sharad Pawarji is president unopposed, his panel was defeated as members were fed up with fabricated renovations, arrogance and sycophancy. They answered with the most potent weapon they have—the vote.” (From left) Narendra Shah, Manish Ajmera, Cyrus Gorimar, MLA Rahul Narwekar and Mohit Chaturvedi, The Dynamic Group Many observers remark, only half-humorously, that club elections are now so fierce that they can make national election run-ups pale in comparison. Earlier, parties were used to lure the electorate. The manicured lawns of a gymkhana hosted wine ’n’ dine evenings. Today, though these parties remain, they are overshadowed by the presence of politicians and the police. Former Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) chairman Vivek Jain said, “Winning club elections has become about egos and one upmanship. The electioneering starts months before and is usually broken into two sides. I successfully fought for and convinced the state government to introduce a code of conduct that put a halt to extravagant parties and even gifts from candidates. Some clubs are registered as companies and the election process has to follow their rules by and large.” The win-at-all-costs approach, has led to registration of quite a few First Information Reports (FIRs) against members of battling groups. These charged ammunition span allegations such as attempt to murder, sexual abuse, defamation, financial irregularities, criminal breach of trust, cheating, forgery, and criminal conspiracy. A senior police officer in the Mumbai police force said that most cases are, “bogus, but filed under pressure of political heavyweights or influential persons. Such [bogus] cases add to our work. Complainants hardly ever pursue them post elections. Then our officers have to make rounds of the court to file a closure report.” Case in point: A charge of attempted murder against the incumbent president of the Bombay Presidency Radio CLub, Ltd at Apollo Bunder. “Opposition is always healthy for any institution, but in this case, it has been filing cases to disturb the management. They have filed a criminal defamation case against me,” says Harish Kumar Garg. “Garg tried to murder me inside the premises of the Radio Club,” counters Advocate Ravi Goenka, member of the rival group, “I filed an attempt to murder case against him at Colaba police station, following the directive of the court.” However, the Colaba police closed the case for want of evidence. Viren Shah and Ravi Goenka “We checked all the CCTV footage of the Radio Club, and nothing as alleged in the FIR was found in our investigation,” said an officer. “So, we had to close the file.” But Advocate Goenka still persists and has moved court, and filed a protest petition. Things are just as bad in the suburbs. “Defamatory anonymous letters were circulated—not even sparing my daughters—to discourage me and my team,” says Dr Cheryl Misquitta, President, Bandra Gymkhana. “But the members gave them a befitting reply as I emerged victorious. I said earlier these [elections] are as ugly as national polls, change that to even worse.” An excerpt from one letter, similarly “leaked” and circulated, cites a club suite used for personal dalliances. It alleged that the suite was the scene of “rest and recreation, other unmentionable purposes or wild orgies” by guests. Cornel Gonsalves, Secretary of the Salsette Catholic Housing Society Ltd, agrees about things getting beyond ugly: “One female member supporting the Bandra Gymkhana president has filed a sexual harassment case against me, 500 days after the alleged date of incident. The cops told me they succumbed to political pressure to register the FIR against me. This is just becoming ugly.” Welcome to politics at the gentrified gymkhanas. Enjoy your sweet lime soda by the pool.
01 October,2023 07:47 AM IST | Mumbai | Diwakar Sharma | Hemal Ashar
Sniffing out the pestilence: India shows ’em how it’s done
Skylar, a Belgian Malinois, sniffs around a date palm tree intently. The canine is on a mission that is, quite literally, of national importance to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Every time she finds her quarry, she is rewarded by a round of fetch with her favourite tennis ball. Skylar and Lexi, a Belgian Shepherd, are Indian-trained dogs tasked with detecting the arch nemesis of date palms. The beetle, named Red Palm Weevil/ Red Stripe Weevil (Rhynchophorus Ferrugineus or RPW), is about the size of half of the average human finger, and has been the date palm’s nemesis for the last 30 years, leading to the industry bleeding anywhere between $5 million to $25 million annually. Skylar and Lexi form a team that was assembled after the Saudi Arabia’s Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) sought solutions. Shirin Dhabhar Both the work dogs are trained by Shirin Dhabhar, a dog trainer and canine behaviourist, and President of India Award winner, whose team bagged the Innovation in Agriculture award from SABIC this week, for the most accurate and cost-effective solution. The Kingdom’s Ministry of Agriculture had already spent a considerable amount in trying to find a solution for the same, including a $10,000 audio device, and another that used thermal imaging. “The audio device would detect the presence too late, while thermal imaging wasn’t accurate enough either,” Dhabhar, a resident of Dadar Parsee Colony tells mid-day over the phone. This, she adds, is where our dynamic duo came in. “We trained them in Navi Mumbai, working on their breed’s superlative sense of smell. Since the weevil is actually indigenous to India, we introduced the dogs to the pests. We began by placing the larvae in a tree and rewarding them with the tennis ball for every successful attempt,” Dhabar says. After a year’s training, Skylar was able to detect the larvae with 100 per cent accuracy at a Saudi date farm. According to Dhabhar and her team’s observations, a single dog can cover up to 200 trees in a day. So, if the initiative gains impetus and 10 dogs are trained to do the same, an average date farm, with approximately 30,000 trees, will see detection of larvae in 2,000 trees per day. “Sometimes,” muses Dhabhar, “the solutions lie in what our ancestors used to do.”
01 October,2023 07:44 AM IST | Mumbai | Arpika Bhosale
Mumbai: Minor held for molesting female constable
The Parksite Police has nabbed a minor for allegedly sexually assaulting a 30-year-old woman on Friday night. The survivor is a constable attached to the Local Arms Unit. The incident occurred around 9.30 pm on Friday. The constable, a resident of Vikhroli, was walking with her cousin and friend towards her uncle’s house for dinner, when an unknown person came from behind and groped her. Her friend and cousin immediately got hold of the person, but two men riding a bike accosted them. They got hold of the accused, slapped him, and asked him to leave at once. After the incident, the woman registered an offence against the unknown person. “Teams were formed to track the offender,” said DCP (Zone 7) Purushottam Karad, adding, “We spotted the suspect in footage from one of the CCTV cameras.” Based on the footage, the police nabbed a minor living in Vikhroli on Saturday. He has been booked under various sections of the IPC. Meanwhile, news of the incident went viral, with many claiming that the accused who groped the woman was part of an Eid procession. Hindu organisations protested on Saturday morning urging arrest of the culprit. As a preventive measure, additional manpower of the local arms division, Riot Contol Force, Home Guard were positioned at sensitive points in Vikhroli West. At the time of going to press, the police also managed to trace the men on the bike. They have been made co-accused in the case. 03No of persons booked in case
01 October,2023 07:41 AM IST | Mumbai | Anurag Kamble
Good news! No water cut for Mumbai till next monsoon
Though the city experienced long dry periods during the monsoon this year, the lakes supplying water to the city are almost full on the last day of September, technically the last day of the rainy season. The BMC has hence, assured that there will be no water cut till the next monsoon. There are seven lakes, two in Mumbai and five on the outskirts, which have a combined capacity of 14.47 lakh million litres of water. The lakes are 99.23 per cent full, with the stock reaching 14.36 lakh million litres on Saturday. “If the stock reaches 100 per cent on the last day of monsoon, then the city gets an uninterrupted supply of water,” said an official from the hydraulic department of the BMC. “As the lakes are filled up to their capacities, the city won’t face water cuts till the next monsoon,” said Iqbal Singh Chahal, commissioner and administrator of the BMC. Last year, the lakes had 98.5 per cent stock on the same day and the city didn’t face a water cut till the end of June, 2023. The water cut was imposed on July 5 due to delayed rain, and lasted for a month due to the dry spell of monsoon. The lake levels went deep to merely seven per cent in the first week of July. But the heavy rain in July and then intermittent showers in August and September helped fill up the lakes by the end of September.
01 October,2023 07:38 AM IST | Mumbai | A Correspondent
Mumbai: Chandivli residents give BMC a dose of Gandhigiri
Fed-up with inaction of the BMC to clear the garbage in front of a public garden in Chandivli, residents have decided to take up the issue in their own hands. The residents have decided to clean the spot on Sunday, even as the BMC has organised the Swachta hee Seva campaign at 178 locations across the city. mid-day had raised the issue of garbage piling up on city roads through a series of reports in August. After CM Eknath Shinde took up the issue, the BMC launched a cleanliness campaign. However, Chandivli residents don’t seem to have benefitted from this campaign. They have been repeatedly raising the issue of garbage being dumped in front of Meenatai Thackeray ground, but despite repeated assurances from the BMC, which also has a dispensary there, no work has been done. “The BMC is inefficient in keeping the entrance of their own premises clean. How can there be garbage in front of a BMC dispensary where people come for treatment? The road is choked up due to garbage and children cannot enter the ground,” said Anil Sonkar, a resident of Chandivli. Mandeep Singh Makkar, founder, Chandivli Citizens Welfare Association (CCWA) said that after their complaints, the BMC workers sweep the spot, “but garbage starts piling up within minutes”. “We need a permanent solution,” he said. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs of the Union Government has organised Swachhata Hi Seva at the national level on Sunday, at 10 am. As part of the initiative, the BMC has organised cleanliness activities at 178 places across the city. “As the BMC does not have the time to work out a plan to clear our spot, we will clean the spot on our own,” said Makkar. 178No of spots the BMC has organised cleanup drives
01 October,2023 07:36 AM IST | Mumbai | Prajakta Kasale
Mumbai: Cops help reunite 22 children with parents
The DB Marg Police has traced 22 children who were lost during the Ganesh visarjan celebrations at Girgaon Chowpatty on Thursday, and handed them over to their families. ASI Suryakant Sathey and constable Deepali Kandalkar were tasked with finding any missing children in the crowded beach. “Constable Deepali was making regular announcements about missing children, while ASI Suryakant was scouring the beach, looking for children who were on their own and scared,” said Senior PI Vinayak Ghorpade of DB Marg Police. Speaking to mid-day, Kandalkar said that a lot of people approached them, informing them about children who were crying or lost. “After we identified the missing children, we brought them to the police station. Many of them were frightened. We tried to calm them down and let them sleep for some time; we also gave them food and water.” Once they were in a position to talk, the police requested the children to write their parents’ contact details down. “But many seemed clueless. We then gave our mobile phones to them, and they called their parents immediately,” she added. One girl dialled six wrong numbers—on her seventh attempt, she remembered her father’s number. ASI Sathey said it was challenging to trace the parents, as they had very few leads. “Most of the children were between the ages three and 14. The younger ones gave us very basic details,” he said. Sathey narrated the case of a young girl, who couldn’t provide any contact details or address. “We clicked her photos and circulated them. She was later reunited with her uncle on the beach,” he said. Another three-year-old, Kandalkar said, kept saying that he lives near a Ganesh pandal in Nagpada. “We took the boy to that pandal and traced his family,” he said. Last year, during the visarjan celebrations, the DB Marg Police were able to trace 31 missing children.
01 October,2023 07:34 AM IST | Mumbai | Apoorva Agashe
Mumbai Diary: Sunday Dossier
Firls just wanna have fun A group of female police personnel huddle for a quick selfie while managing crowds during Ganesh immersion at Girgaum Chowpatty Chappell’s 1983 pain in the neck Greg Chappell. Pic/Getty Images Greg Chappell ended his international cricket career spanning 13 years, as an all-time great. However, he figured in a solitary World Cup—the inaugural one in England in 1975. Chappell’s best score in five games was a half-century against Sri Lanka at the Oval. By the time the next World Cup came along, Chappell had been part of Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket (WSC) and the Australian board didn’t include any of the WSC players in their 1979 World Cup team, led by Kim Hughes. Chappell was still playing when the 1983 edition was close at hand [he retired at the end of the 1983-84 Australian season], but had to pull out due to a neck injury. In a preview article in The Sportstar by Bob Simpson, written before Chappell decided not to tour, the former captain decided to highlight Chappell’s waning ways in one-day cricket. “Chappell these days has lost that keen edge and desire and as a result, a note of panic is creeping into his one-day game and he is attempting strokes totally out of keeping with his strengths, training and instincts. A few years ago Chappell was a dynamic one-day player, on occasions impossible to bowl to,” Simpson wrote. Wonder whether Simpson’s view caused Chappell more discomfort or the pain in the neck itself. For, by and of the public Alan Abraham Volunteer-driven Love Your Parks Mumbai (LYPMumbai) and not-for-profit Bombay Greenway have always been at the forefront of championing open spaces. Now, with the BMC seeking inputs for the purpose of developing a revised Garden Adoption Policy for third parties to adopt, maintain and upkeep open spaces in the city, the two platforms have put together a “policy suggestions and objections” document. The LYPMumbai website lists a range of suggestions, requesting readers to also send their own recommendations to the municipal corporation. Architect Alan Abraham of Bombay Greenway says, “We have to ensure that access to open spaces in the city is uniform, and equitable across the board. At the end of the day, the city’s public spaces should remain public.” Anca, on her part, expressed concerns about the Garden Adoption Policy, as the BMC wants third parties to maintain these public spaces, but even they will want to make a profit out of it. According to LYPMumbai, at some point, people will have to pay to access these public spaces and private players coming in might encourage corruption, which needs to be avoided. This is war! Like always, it’s shoot first and ask questions later on the internet. The India–Canada stand-off might still be ongoing on the diplomatic front, but war has already been declared in cyberspace. Since Wednesday, Indian Cyber Force, a group of Indian “hacktivists” have been going hammer and tongs at Canadian government websites, taking them offline for short periods of time. The group, which has slotted itself on X, formerly known as Twitter, in the ‘Non Governmental and Non Profit Organisation’ category, has over the last three days targeted the Canadian Air Force and the Canadian Election and Democracy website before finally calling off their onslaught on Saturday. “Canada government is just damaging their image in India by promoting anti India activities by supporting Khalistani terrorists which are disrespecting Indian Flag in Canada. We want to see a good relation between Canada and India in future. #OpCanada has been stopped. Jai Hind (sic)” they stated in their latest update on Saturday. Indian television in the house! If you thought Indian entertainment was not rising on the international entertainment graph fast enough, you may want to think again. Recently, producer Sidharth Jain, who produced Netflix’s Trial By Fire, was elected as a Member of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (International Emmy Awards), which involves a global network of over 900 television executives. Although India has seen a lot of representation in cinema, the television industry has been an uphill climb for those like Jain, who want Indian content to reach an international audience. Talking about just how valuable his appointment is, Jain says, “My hope is that Indian series will soon be available to the international audiences, who might not know what kind of content we are making here, only because it has not reached them yet.” The producer will be wining and dining with the who’s who of the television entertainment industry from all over the world, and says that he hopes Indian television gets its long overdue appreciation. Well, so do we, Sidharth. Real estate at unreal prices A Whatsapp post spinning delightful nostalgia on some groups is evoking so many “ooooh really?” reactions. This advertisement from the GIP Railway magazine is headlined, ‘Why not use part of your Provident Fund to secure your own house and garden in the suburbs?’ It offers plots at Bandra, Khar, Chembur, Ghatkopar for houses and gardens. The plots cost Rs 3 to Rs 6-8 per square yard and bungalows at Rs 5,400 to Rs 10,000, prices nearly extinct now. Exactly why we love WhatsApp-induced daydreams, and may we never ever wake up from that sweet switch-off.
01 October,2023 07:23 AM IST | Mumbai | Team SMD