Mumbai: The summer is here in all its fury. It appears that God has deleted April from the calender and added May in its place. But then its not surprising that summer is getting hotter every year. This can be directly linked to the fall in the number of trees. Unfortunately, we have a garden department which doesn't love trees. How else do you explain the fact that the hundreds of saplings planted by the department are hardly watered. The poor saplings are left to fend for themselves. Most of them die unable to bear the heat. It's a different matter that most Mumbaikars are also sickeningly apathetic. Since nothing much can be expected from the department, citizens can take the initiative and water these saplings. Almost over the city's tree cover can be improved dramatically. Any takers?
Beyond The Boundary
Cricket enthusiasts playing at Banganga Tank where the renovation work is going on, in Mumbai | Salman Ansari
The Best Of Pickles From Across The Country
Summer is also the time for pickles. Earlier, homemakers used to buy raw mangoes, clean, sun-dry and pickle them. The achars were stored in large ceramic 'bharnis' and taken out little by little till the next summer. Then branded pickles like Bedekar, Ashoka, Mother's Recipe and Priya made their appearance.
Now thanks to online shopping we can order the best of pickles from across India. If your taste-buds are craving for gajar-gobi shalgum or katal achar or nimbu hing achar, then the go-to website is that of Sardarji papadwale. If it is fiery avakkai of Andhra Pradesh you are looking for then there is Godavari and other brands website where you can order not only avakkai, but gongura and other stuff. In fact you can get the speciality from any state delivered at home.
Cops Should Crack Whip On Uber, Ola
The rape of a 15-year-old mentally challenged girl by an Uber driver in Dadar last week should serve as a wake up call. The victim had stepped out of her house and was standing alone on the pavement when the driver spotted her, lured her into his cab and raped her at a distance from her home.
The question is whether the criminal background of the drivers hired by Uber and Ola are ever checked. Also, most cabs do not have the mandatory emergency buttons. This places women who hire these taxis in a vulnerable position. We hope the Mumbai police will crack the whip on these cab aggregators and force them to get their act together.
Tailpiece
Watching the antics of our political parties one can safely conclude 'Sarvapakshasamabhav' or, 'All Parties are the Same.'
(Compiled by S Balakrishnan)
