At a time when the reading habit is fast vanishing, the initiative taken by a remarkable corporate trainer, Vasundhara Jakka, from Navi Mumbai is drawing good response. On the first Sunday of each month she invites people for a book reading session at Nerul gymkhana. Yesterday, Jakka got Poonam Arora, a businesswoman specialising in corporate gifting, to speak on the book ‘Mahabharata Unravelled’ by Ami Ganatra, an alumni of Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. Despite heavy rains, around 60 book lovers made it to the venue. At least two had come all the way from Pune. The whole thing is free. It was a rewarding experience which helped the audience gain new insights into the popular epic. The participants belonged to different professions. There were software engineers, teachers, an astrologer, entrepreneurs, etc. What brought them together was their sheer passion for books. May their tribe increase.
Marine Drive teems with visitors on International Friendship Day, which is celebrated on the first Sunday of August | Vijay Gohil
Melodious Savouries
The other day I went to the venerable Shanmukhananda Hall at Sion to attend a music programme after a long time. Was pleasantly surprised to bump into a little fast food joint called Madras Talkies opposite the hall. The place was neat and the staff super efficient. It’s a self-service eatery where you pay first at the cash counter and pick up your snack in a jiffy at the delivery counter nearby. The menu boasts of several varieties of dosas, idlis, vadas, uttappas, etc. I ordered a plate of butter idlis, Davangere dosa and filter ‘kaapi’. The taste was very good and the prices reasonable. Outlets like these are becoming increasingly popular because people are looking for different tastes even in traditional food.
Free Rein To Netas Defacing City
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is appealing to people time and again to keep Mumbai clean. However, right in front of Mantralaya, the law is being flouted by netas with perfect impunity. On any given day, one can find hoardings and banners wishing some neta or the other happy birthday. These are tied to street lights and even traffic signals. No action is taken against the culprits. Navi Mumbai is currently swathed with hundreds of hoardings greeting a local netaji, Sanjeev Naik, a happy birthday. An insider said often the leaders themselves erect these hoardings on their birthdays to show how “popular” they are among the people. Fed up with these garish hoardings, some residents of Pune had put up a large hoarding, wishing a donkey happy birthday. The hoarding showed a garlanded and smiling donkey at the centre. The protest made an impact for some weeks, but after that it was business as usual.
Tail Piece
Commenting on the rains, which have been lashing the city, a wag asked in an X post, “Why can’t the rains WFH?”
Complied By S Balakrishnan
