Mumbai Diary: Friday Dossier

Who’s the good boy?

A street dog curling up in front of a poster of a pomeranian outside a pet shop in Borivli West reminds us of the stark contrast between the lives of Mumbai’s street animals and pets

Be a dog’s best friend

Jerry Pinto (in blue) and Abodh Aras with their furry friend, Aboli. PIC COURTESY/@WSDINDIA

Tails haven’t stopped wagging in Khotachiwadi this month, thanks to photographer Rohit Chawla’s ongoing photo exhibition, Rain Dogs at 47-A Gallery. Just last weekend, author Jerry Pinto dropped by the gallery for a conversation with Abodh Aras, founder of The Welfare of Stray Dogs around Aras’s book My City, My Dogs. “We had great fun interacting with children in the audience. Some of them revisited anecdotes from their favourite indies of Mumbai; like the one who loved to ride local trains,” an enthusiastic Aras told this diarist. As a farewell gesture before the exhibition’s conclusion on August 3, Aras is gearing up to helm a first aid workshop at the gallery. “People often draw a blank when they find themselves in situations where a stray needs help. Simple wounds can be easily treated with basic knowledge. We’ll also have a volunteer stray who will help us demonstrate the ideal usage of a muzzle,” he revealed. Those interested, can log on to @wsdindia.

Word’s out on Tharoor

Shashi Tharoor and Justice DY Chandrachud. PICS/ANI

Shashi Tharoor is set to face a jury of 600 law students and professionals at the public launch of his new book, Our Living Constitution, at a SoBo venue on Saturday. As part of student organisation IIMUN’s Author Series, Tharoor’s new title will be unveiled by former Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud in the presence of the legal fraternity. “We’ve been working meticulously to gather students from more than 20 law colleges for the launch,” an IIMUN member said. We’re still wondering, who gets to have the last word in this heavyweight pairing?

Rooted in resilience

The lush mangrove cover at Airoli Creek. PIC COURTESY/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

In a crucial step to conserve Mumbai’s mangroves, the Mangrove Mitras, an initiative of the Mangrove Coalition backed by Soonabai Pirojsha Godrej Foundation has joined hands with multiple green organisations to restore and protect the city’s mangroves.

“Mangroves are silent sentinels protecting millions. With this coalition, we hope to bring together science, policy and people and use technologies such as drones and geospatial AI to monitor mangrove health for nature and cities to thrive together,” Nyrika Holkar (right), executive director, Godrej Enterprises Group, told this diarist.

To the lower depths

Our very own Manu Joseph is taking a leaf out of Maxim Gorky’s books, by turning his attention to economic inequality in India with his first non-fiction title. The book, Why the Poor Don’t Kill Us: The Psychology of Indians (Aleph) will be released this month. “I thought I should write the book before the revolution begins,” shared the author of Serious Men. Describing its origins in ‘fragmented observations,’ Joseph wrote, “Almost everything we do is vulgar in a poor country, where in plain sight some of us lead lives of reasonable luxury when most people have nothing.” With the poor and marginalised workforce being treated badly by the rich and middle-class, Joseph noted that the conflicts will only escalate. “I have been building the arguments since,” he said. 

Silver linings are everywhere

Staffers sport shirts with (right) a message of inclusivity. PICS COURTESY/MIRCHI AND MIME

Earlier this week, the Daily Dossier had reported about the unfortunate closure of the Powai and Thane outlets of Mirchi and Mime, a popular fine dining restaurant that gained recognition for being run by speech and hearing impaired staff.

With concerns regarding the staff’s future employment prospects looming on social media, this diarist caught wind of an update that offers a silver lining. Dr Reddy’s Labs Foundation, an organisation working for the differently abled, stepped up to offer the staff a second chance at sustainability.

“The foundation configured a case for hospitality training and conducted a session in 2015, the year we opened the restaurant. After viewing the post announcing our farewell, they reached out to us and offered to give them a two-month training to polish their skills. Their resumes have been collected and will be placed in different companies post training,” Raja Sekar Reddy (left), co-owner of the restaurant shared with this diarist.

* This article was originally published here