Woof, Don`t toy with me!

A stray dog chases an animal-shaped stuffed toy, while a boy tries to drag it away in Bandra.

Mumbai, done and dusted?

Morning-walkers brave smog at Mahalaxmi Racecourse

If a clear and bright horizon of the city hasn’t been visible to the eye, it is not your eyesight but the air quality (AQI) of Mumbai that is the worrying factor. Waatavaran, an NGO working towards creating a healthy and sustainable environment, has filed a petition to demand that the BMC and state government ensure strict adherence to the construction and road dust mitigation rules. Bhagwan Kesbhat, its founder, revealed to this diarist that road dust makes up most of the city’s particulate matter and that stricter rules by the government could lead to a decrease in these levels. “The BMC should start cleaning the roads with vacuum trucks that help get rid of the dust,” he suggested. Citizens can view the petition on jhatkaa.org.

Also Read: Mumbai Diary: Tuesday Dossier

Bhagwan Kesbhat. Pic Courtesy/Facebook

A temple run tradition

A view from Kamnath Mahadev Mandir from across the Mumbadevi Tank at Mumbadevi Temple, 1890. Pic Courtesy Collection of Mrinal Kapadia, India Visual Art Archive

She resides in the heart of Mumbai, as its guardian goddess, lending the city its very name. But today, the idol of goddess Mumbadevi will be out on a palkhi, taking a round trip, broadly along the original outline of the Mumbadevi tank, where she will stop at a lesser-known temple. This is where Mumba Devi or Mumba Aai (a form of goddess Parvati) and Kamnath Mahadev (a form of lord Shiva) catch a glimpse of each other through the corridors of Shri Kamnath Mahadev Mandir, city chronicler Mrinal Kapadia, founder, India Visual Art Archive, told this diarist. The annual tradition on February 1 is less than a decade old, but the link between the two temples goes back hundreds of years, although much of the history is shrouded in legends, admitted Kapadia, whose family is part of the Kamnath Temple trust. “The Kamnath temple was the original temple of the temple-tank complex. The idol of Mumbadevi was shifted from near CST to its current location; the ceremony commemorates their link and pays tribute to the Kamnath temple,” he added.

Community pit stop

East Indians in Mumbai needn’t wait for festivals to shop for community ware and treats anymore. Mobaikar: The Gaothan Store is the first of nine outlets that will stock masalas, pickles, dry fish, lugras (top, left), ready-to-drape lugra sarees, sling bags and more. Gleason Barretto, ideator of the project, shared, “This has been our dream project for almost a decade. We wanted to start this store as a one-stop shop to offer articles which have a great connection to our culture and tradition. There are stores selling some articles but they are limited to a particular category like lugras.” Alphi D’Souza from Mobai Gaothan Panchayat (MGP), which anchored the initiative, said the first store has opened in Kalina (in pic, left). “We will also sell books about the community,” he added. 

Rise as one

Young footballers at a match in Govandi

The Next Page — a community centre for and by Govandi residents — instated the Foxpassers Football Club to create a safe space for the youth of Shivaji Nagar to participate in sports. Recently, the club was selected as a member of Football for the Goals initiative by the United Nations which builds up on football’s global reach to effect change. Happy about the recognition, founder Anoop Parik shared, “Apart from raising awareness about Sustainable Development Goals, we are working on incorporating sustainable practices in the game itself. When we applied, we aimed for gender equality, well-being and skill development for the youth. Now, we’re working towards creating a playground in Shivaji Nagar as women-only for a few hours daily.”

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