Mumbai Diary: Sunday Dossier

Pic/Nimesh Dave

Put a pen on it

A visitor to the Aksa Beach in Malad uses pens to hold her tresses in place.

Mumbai retirement puts Dhawal on common ground

Dhawal Kulkarni during a Ranji Trophy practice session

Just like domestic cricket triumphs are not rare for Mumbai (they won their 42nd Ranji Trophy on Thursday), post-title retirements like Dhawal Kulkarni's are not uncommon too. Our in-house cricket nut recalls how India all-rounder GS Ramchand quit after the victorious 1962-63 final against Rajasthan at Jaipur. Manohar Hardikar, the captain of the 1967-68 champion team, ended his Ranji Trophy career after beating Madras in the final. So did ML Apte, BP Gupte and AP Varde. Three years later, senior batsman Vijay Bhosale decided to put a full stop to his state cricket career after helping Mumbai beat his former team Maharashtra in the 1970-71 final at Brabourne Stadium. In 1972-73, Dilip Sardesai ended his Ranji career after Mumbai beat Tamil Nadu for yet another title. Sardesai, who began his Mumbai career in 1960-61, never knew what it was like to lose a Ranji final. Many years later, Ravi Shastri quit cricket after leading Mumbai to a championship win in 1994. Abey Kuruvilla was another stalwart who stopped playing for Mumbai after the 1999-2000 win. And Paras Mhambrey, India's current bowling coach, announced his retirement after captaining Mumbai to their 2002-03 victory over Tamil Nadu. While cricket nut assures us there could be more Dhawal-like departures, he wishes the fast bowler the very best for his post-Mumbai playing days.

True grit

Asha Patwal and her interpreter, Omita Nimngombam. PIC COURTESY/SENSE INDIA

At a recent event held to promote awareness around deafblindness, a dual challenge that around five lakh Indians suffer from, 21-year-old Asha Patwal stole everyone's hearts with her story of grit and determination. Hit by the condition at a very young age, Asha's care was taken up by Sense India, a non-profit. At the event, Patwal narrated how challenging it was for her. "Unlike those who are only deaf or only blind, we can't be trained in groups or pairs. And we need at least seven years of training with a special educator. But today, I am pursuing a career in physiotherapy. I do wish there were more awareness about us, ," Patwal told the attendees through her interpreter, Omita Ningombam. Is the government listening?

Facts in stats

At the recent Indian Merchants Chamber (IMC) Awards for Mumbai Police personnel, IPS officer Vivek Phansalkar, Commissioner of Police, Mumbai (in pic)used some serious number crunching to make his point. He said, "Such a pat on our back from citizens is more important than rewards. From 2018 to 2023, the Mumbai Police received missing reports for over 27,000 women over 18 years, and were able to trace and bring back around 94 per cent of these missing women. In the under-18 age group, 98 per cent of the 7,873 missing or kidnapping cases were resolved." Heartening news, for sure. The top cop has urged citizens to dial the 1930 helpline for reporting cybercrimes and the 103 helpline to report crimes against women.

Dog days are here

The Dogo Argentino, one of the names in the list, is bred to take down wild cats, a trait unsuited to urban homes

The proposed ban on dog breeds has pet parents clutching at their leashes, and there have been many valid arguments. Canine behaviourists set emphasis on training and education, saying they see more aggressive Labradors, Beagles and Indies per week than Rottweilers. Rescuers and NGOs are worried the ban will lead to mass abandoning of the breeds mentioned in the list. Another concern is that banning of anything raises its value (case in point: alcohol in our neighbouring state) sprouting a thriving underground economy. Here's a contrarian view: The government has a wider plan of action. All the breeds on the list are those bred for dog fights, which are banned, but still take place in every state. Rings come up overnight and crores of rupees change hands in betting under the protection of a powerful mafia. Pet dogs are stolen to feed it; many under the guise of rehabilitating pets who can no longer live with families. Backyard breeders in Punjab, Haryana, Pakistan, Thailand and former Eastern bloc countries supply these dogs. Dog fights stop only at death: The losing dog is left to bleed, pecked at by crows. The winning dog goes back to a life in a cage, bred to exhaustion to produce more puppies. So, for a dog to live - even for a short while - he has to kill. The ban will give authorities teeth to stop this blood sport. Eventually, it's the dog who suffers.

Brazil in a tropi‘cool' bowl

With this Sao Paulo brand opening its first franchise cafe in Bandra later this week, the city will now have its açaí berry bowls, smoothie bars, and Brazilian coffee straight from the source. Tropicool Cafe, with its interior and outdoor seating, rainforest mural, and mosaic flooring, lends an Amazonian vibe to a South American street art cafe. Randall Fernandes (in pic), Founder and CEO of Tropicool Cafe, tells mid-day, "We bought Tropicool products to India in 2022 and received a great response, which encouraged us to open a dedicated space where the city can savour fun Brazilian flavours, with something for everyone." We spotted Brazilian street food dishes like coxinah, pão de queijo and açaí skewers, and the famous surf and turf combination doused in a chimichurri sauce, on their menu. The flavours may not be for everyone's palate, but this city is always up for trying something new!