Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

The wheels have changed

A chair makes for an unusual vehicle travelling down a road in Airoli on Wednesday.

Write time to salute heroes

This year has been a difficult one for students, with physical classes coming to a standstill. But those in Maharashtra who have a literary bent of mind now have something to look forward to. Social storytelling platform Wattpad has collaborated with the state government to launch a creative writing competition for them, with topics such as 'What do you think of the year 2020 and how can 2021 be better?' and 'Story of Covid heroes that I have seen around'. The competition is open to students aged 13 years and above, who can mail their entries in Hindi, English or Marathi. "There's been a surge of people turning to storytelling as a way to connect and cope during the pandemic," said organiser Devashish Sharma. Log on to wattpad.com to send your writing.

Lights out

The decorations at the Damian showroom last year

For a long time now, the Damian showroom's Christmas display has been the cornerstone of Bandra's Christmas festivities. Featuring intricate decorations and larger-than-life recreations of festive tales, the store's window themes were a talking point. But this year, the furniture showroom has decided to pause their festive tradition after several uninterrupted years. Frederick Pereira, partner at Damian and designer of the Christmas display, said, "With consideration to the ongoing pandemic, we decided not to put up our display this year because of government restrictions and social responsibility on our part." Bandra will sorely miss the visual treat.

A prize for being kind

The Mother Teresa Memorial Award was constituted in 2005, to honour people who have made a stellar contribution to bringing in social harmony and alleviating injustices in our society. Past awardees include activists Vandana Shiva and Medha Patkar, and businesswoman Kiran Mazumdar Shaw. The list of winners for 2020 includes Vikas Khanna, the US-based chef revealed on social media recently. Khanna had launched the Feed India campaign in March, which resulted in over 40 million meals being delivered to underprivileged people across 100 Indian cities, apart from initiating other similar initiatives. Speaking about the honour, he said, "This means a lot. I accept this award on behalf of all those who stood up and supported each other during this very tough year. It's because of your compassion that we survived. So, thank you."

Tree of plenty

The wooden tree with gifts under it

Dahanu's Le Marcel Café is encouraging visitors to ring in the festive season by giving back to those in need. The café has tied up with the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage's local chapter to set up a hollow wooden installation shaped like a Christmas tree, where visitors can drop off presents for the lesser privileged. Prachi Aiman, owner of Le Marcel, said, "Since our café is very busy during this time of the year, we decided to involve our visitors in a small community initiative. The gifts we collect will be donated to children from tribal communities studying at our local ashramshalas. The schools often do not have enough books, toys, or warm blankets for the children. Many visitors are also donating sarees for its teachers. To promote sustainability, we are asking visitors to give us something they already own, instead of buying new items."

Be Santa Cause

Annapurna Sen is a Juhu resident who had volunteered with the Live to Give foundation during the height of the lockdown, to help people affected by the pandemic. She later started a home chef venture, which she has now turned into a tool for further charity. Sen has joined forces with NGO The Robin Hood Army, and will deliver 30 hot meals to underprivileged people on Christmas Day. The best part? "My husband, Arjun, and I are going to sustain this," Sen assured. Call 9820736931 to place orders.