Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

Daddy's li'l boys
Actors Sunny and Bobby Deol share a sweet moment with father Dharmendra, during the promotion for their upcoming film at an Andheri studio on Wednesday. Pic/Sneha Kharabe

Who's a good boy?
"We are always playing with street dogs and have so many of their photos. So we thought, 'Why not create an account that talks about dogs, Humans-of-New-York-style?'" says stand-up comedian Sahil Shah, who created Goodest Boys of Bombay, an Instagram account that profiles the four-legged denizens of Mumbai.

Shah runs the account with his girlfriend, Meghana Bhogle, who recently lost a pet and to be around more animals, visited the shelter of Animals Matter To Me. This visit triggered the couple to spread awareness about adoption and they even managed to collect funds for the animal care NGO via the page.

He-woman, She-man
The gender narrative is not a revolutionary, new concept, especially in the free-spirited world of fashion. Yet, it makes for an important conversation piece that Indians prefer to stay comfortably numb to. Designer Sohaya Misra turned India's idea of gender identity upside-down with her showcase for her label, Chola, on the first day of Lakme Fashion Week in the city.

Gathering a motley crew of friends from Bandra, she put up a show modeled by boys who flaunted make-up and girls who paraded the ramp in moustaches. Actor Prateik Babbar walked the ramp at the end as showstopper, a fitting fun one at that. A black and white colour canvas for the collection seemed perfect then, disrupted sometimes by the houndstooth print. The beautiful essence of misfits shone through in broken shoulders on a crisp white shirt and overall that Misra decided to turn into a dress. Stories of diverse self-expression are wanting in India, and for that Misra gets our vote.

Pic/Atul Kamble

A photo crusade for faith
While members of the Parsi community are tense over the ongoing legal tussle with the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation at the Bombay High Court over the possible damage the tunneling of the Metro Line 3 will cause the Wadiaji and Anjuman fire temples, messages have been doing the rounds on Whatsapp, appealing to them to turn vigilantes. They have been asked to keep an eye out for signs of damage and record their observations. Members have been asked to look for cracks in the walls, floors and the ceiling on a daily basis as well as check the water level in the wells within the premises and document them in the form of photographs.

When asked about the initiative, the chief petitioner in the case, Jamshed Sukhadwalla who is also a structural engineer, however, was discouraging of the idea. "Only people like civil engineers and structural engineers who have the relevant knowledge should take this up. It doesn't make sense for everyone to turn inspector, especially when photography is prohibited within the fire temple premises," he said.

Kalanagar ka Taj
The humble folks of Kalanagar have often wondered what's wrong with it - a clean, green, friendly locality that is easy to reach and yet, KFC won't deliver. But Kalanagaris are rejoicing as news of a Taj Ice Cream outlet opening spreads. The iconic ice-cream parlour that has become a part of the city's legacy has so far remained a single shop standing tall. So now that they have decided to branch out, many of us asked ourselves "Why here?" This diarist reached out to Aamir Icecreamwala (that's right), director, of Taj Ice Cream. "My friend Ashish Sachdeva and I are opening our very first 'second' outlet together. We will be supplying the ice cream and it'll be the same as the one at Tank Street. We zeroed in on Kalanagar because, frankly, it fit our budget. It's just as commutable and friendly as any other place. There's also a college close to the new shop, so we thought that will be an advantage. It's expected to be up and running by September 1," Icecreamwala said.

United for Kerala
"Mani's calls off Onam feast over widespread floods in Kerala. We unfortunately have to cancel this year's Onam Feast Celebration" read a message by KS Narayanaswamy (in pic), owner of the iconic Mani's Lunch Home. Other eateries in the city too have been raising funds to help the victims of the disaster. A call to Vashi's Kerala House revealed that they won't have any Onam celebrations this year and have been collecting donations from walk-ins too. Chembur's Hotel Sunny will be serving the sadhya thali, and are also donating proceeds from all of their sales with the help of St Joseph's Parish in the locality. However, Mahim's Sneha restaurant won't be serving the thali for a different reason, inconvenience due to the ongoing Metro work is what we are told.

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