A while back, The Guide in mid-day had written about a young illustrator, Garima Gupta, and interestingly, a non-Mumbaikar, who had made a short animation on the Khada Parsi. In course of that chat, it was refreshing to learn that the city heritage bug bit her in course of her research and she was hooked. The nice part she is keen to feature many other treasures from the city as part of her documentary series. The not-so-nice part she is saddened by the neglected state of statues in Mumbai

Nothing new, really. For years, as we’ve walked past countless amazing reminders of the past across the city, only to be pained by their decrepit condition; in fact, it’s a rarity to spot a statue (with a recognizable face) that hasn’t been plastered with layers of crow and pigeon poop. In some cases, the shoddy cosmetic facelift done in the name of restoration would make some cringe at the sight. A classic case in point is the iconic Flora Fountain that surely deserves an aesthetically sensitive facelift.