Mumbai Diary: Saturday Dossier

The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce

Yoga benefits all

A cat peacefully naps above a yoga signboard inside Brabourne Stadium at Churchgate. 

Special thanks from Matharpacady

A moment of prayer at the thanksgiving service

The historic village of Matharpacady hosted a thanksgiving service on December 30, 2024 as the year was drawn to a close. The village was grieving the loss of a beloved resident who passed away on the morning of December 25. “Under those circumstances I was asked to conduct service. Abandoning canned, formula and prepared prayers I decided to go off script and elicit genuine prayers of thanksgiving from people,” Roydon Gonsalves, resident and organiser, told us. The service began with an introductory prayer by Fr Nigel Barrett, parish priest, Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Dockyard Road. This preceded a thanksgiving segment where testimonies were shared by members of the community. The second part of the service was a session of individual petitions and prayers made by the people of Matharpacady. “I was indeed surprised at the spontaneity of the response. After a brief hesitation in the beginning, the crowd got into the spirit of sharing and their feelings and expressions of thanks and relief flowed,” Gonsalves told this diarist. Since it was during Christmas season, a small social event with carols, food, soft drinks and a few rounds of housie was conducted after the service to conclude the event on a festive note.

Roydon Gonsalves

Have a safe flight

Pawan Sharma nurses an injured Black Kite; (right) A girl flies a kite on Makar Sankranti

This Makar Sankranti, help will be one call away for Mumbai’s winged inhabitants navigating the deadly manjha maze. A three-day camp (January 13 to 15) by animal welfare organisations RiWild, Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare, and MIAM Charitable Trust will witness veterinarians, paramedics and nearly 50 volunteers tend to cases of manjha-related injuries at an animal clinic on 16th Road in Khar West. “Glass-coated manjha is a killer. A lot of birds lose their wings, or even worse, get entangled and die a slow death around this time of the year. The camp will provide end-to-end care right from rescue to first aid and surgery to postoperative care,” shared Pawan Sharma, founder, RAWW. Once fit, the rescued birds will be released in their natural habitat in collaboration with the Maharashtra Forest Department. If you spot a bird in need of immediate care, dial 7666680202 or 9967782829.

Community drumbeats

Members participate in a community drum jam at Thane

Divine Drummers, a drumming community with around 400 members spread across the city, is gearing up for a vibrant performance at a festival in Lokhandwala this weekend. With people across the age spectrum as its members, the community is planning to use African instruments like the djembe, dunun, kenkeni, and shakers, to stage a medley of different beats at the event. “Our motive has always been to celebrate diversity and create a community that beats in harmony with one another. We will be performing a drum jam at the event which will introduce people to traditional African rhythms. There is also a set where we have planned to team up with a harmonica player for Bollywood songs, and another singer who will join us to perform traditional folk songs,” Pradeep Ghumre, co-founder, told this diarist.

Books and beyond on SoBo campus

A girl browses books at a previous edition of the fair

The English literary society of Sophia College for women is back with the second edition of its book fair on January 17.The society consists of 10 students who will oversee the entire event. “We will have a wide collection of fiction, historical fiction, non-fiction, translations, autobiographies, as well as interactive zines and other magazines. It’s hard to get this sort of literary exposure under one roof,” shared Sreejita Kar, secretary, English literary society. With exclusive access to the students of this college, the fair will host bookstores including Fictionary, and publishers like Zubaan, Speaking Tiger and Seagull Books. The fair however, will not be limited to books. Other stalls are given to vendors to sell accessories and food items. “These stalls are given out to businesses owned by the students of ex-students of Sophia College,” Kar added.

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