*Thane: *In a major crackdown on illegal dredging of sand along the Thane creek, the district administration seized vehicles, boats and other material worth over Rs two crores, officials said on Thursday.The officials seized vehicles, boats, suction pumps and also sand collected from the creek during raids held yesterday.
The action was carried out by the respective SDOs in Mumbra Retibunder, Ganesh Ghat and Mira Bhayander-Ghodbunder region, under the supervision of District Collector Dr Mahendra Kalyankar, an official release said.
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Following a report in mid-day on May 9 on blind students of Mumbai University being left to look for writers for their examinations at the eleventh hour (‘This exam season, a blind chase for writers, thanks to MU’s apathy’), many citizens have come forward to volunteer for the task.
Turns out, all that was needed was getting the word out. Organisations helping blind students say many volunteers didn’t have an inkling of such students’ plight. The search for writers is largely a lonely, individual task; the students have to often make arrangements themselves in the absence of a set mechanism. The organisations have demanded that a pool of writers be created to avoid future hassles.
Since mid-day’s report, 20-25 volunteers have come forward for the exams, which are underway.
*Willing, but clueless*
Ummehaani Bagasrawala, a blind social worker who has been helping several organisations scout for writers, says the mid-day report helped reverse the tide of apathy. “People are willing to help, but they often don’t know if their help is needed. We usually rely on word of mouth, especially through social media platforms and known associates, in our search for writers.”
She suggests the establishment of a database, wherein volunteers can register themselves and suitable candidates can be contacted as and when the need arises. “The task of finding writers will not be maddening then,” she adds.
*Demand for mechanism*
Amol Mane from Team Vision, an organisation helping blind candidates find writers for the examination, says finding a suitable writer is a time-consuming and arduous task, since several parameters and conditions must be met.
“There are times when we have a person willing to volunteer as a writer, but s/he is deemed an unsuitable candidate for not falling under the prescribed category. For many examinations, a writer has to be the student’s junior or from a lower educational background in a different stream. If there is a central mechanism in place, with the data of volunteers, the task can be less tiring.” This, as Mane points out, requires a massive awareness campaign.*Volunteers’ experience*
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*Heena Ansari, finance sector*
It was a satisfying experience. There is scope for the process to be made easier at the exam centre since there is already confusion among writers and we are nervous. I was tensed because I was writing the exam for someone else. I could not afford to make any mistake. I am sure other writers feel the same. It’s disheartening that these students’ colleges or the university is not willing to help them even though they have a pool of junior students.
*Mitali Bannerjee, recruitment professional*
Blind students not only face a dearth of writers but also adequate study material. They can’t learn at the last minute from notes that are not actually prepared for them. Although there is new rule that states that a writer can be of any age or stream, there isn’t much awareness about it. When I went to write the Hindi exam, I was questioned because I have a post-graduate qualification. But my post-graduation was not in Hindi.
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http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/may/19-Construction-s.jpg*The Bhendi Bazaar redevelopment, phase 1 and 3 is currently on. Pics/Sameer Markande*
This is going to be their home, till the mammoth Bhendi Bazaar redevelopment project is over. The transit accommodation, which has all amenities is a small hardship to bear. Post the redevelopment, slated to be over by 2019, residents will catapult from tenancy status to ownership.
*Hakimuddin Bootwala with his wife at the transit home*
Yoga teacher, Zahra Petiwala (45) lives with her son and daughter in this complex. She says, “I lived for almost 23 years in Bhendi Bazaar, since I got married. We had rats, and cockroaches for company! The toilets were outside our homes. We could not afford a new house, but how, we will be proud owners of a redeveloped house and our standard of living will improve when the building is ready.”*Zahra Petiwala, happy to be an owner*
The family moved to Ghodapdeo in 2012. Petiwala, who recently lost her husband, recalls, “My husband and I were happier here than there. He was very excited about the new house we would move into. Unfortunately, that was not to be,” she adds with a twinge.*Boxing coach Parvez Khan with his daughter Nausheen*
Out of the 20,000 residents living in Bhendi Bazaar, 70 per cent live as tenants in an area of less than 300 sq ft each. The area has no greenery and most buildings have been declared dilapidated and unfit for living by the MHADA.
The late Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, the Dawoodi Bohra community’s spiritual leader, was disheartened to see these living conditions and decided to give a new lease of life to its inhabitants. “The redevelopment endeavour will provide its residents with ownership homes,” said Murtaza Sadriwala, of the SBUT. Hakimuddin Bootwala (72) who has a stationery business at Lamington Road, says, “Living in Bhendi Bazaar meant key destinations were more accessible, but here, we have lifts, toilets in our houses and there is more privacy. Our children have more place to play, which is such a huge plus. Our new Bhendi Bazaar will also be like this and I am impatient to get there soon.”
Boxing coach Parvez Khan who teaches at the Nagpada Neighbourhood House (NNH), and trained Priyanka Chopra for the movie, ‘Mary Kom’ is also a Bhendi Bazaar resident, who now lives in Byculla. He lives with his wife, son and two daughters.
Khan says, “My daughter Nausheen is studying in her third year Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com). She has been able to study more peacefully as compared to my older children could. Here, everyone keeps to themselves, unlike in Bhendi Bazaar, which was very noisy; it is nice and calm here.”
Nausheen encapsulates how aspirational residents are, “I can’t wait for the new Bhendi Bazaar to be ready. The swimming pool and gym will be a different experience as will the parking space. My friends are excited about our new home. Earlier, I was ashamed to get them home because of the area, now I think they will all love coming home.”
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/may/Gandhi-Tekdi-s.jpg*Visitors to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park take a break at Gandhi Tekdi on Wednesday. Pic/Prabhanjan Dhanu*
The bougainvillea garden is part of the facelift planned for Gandhi Tekdi, which is a hit with visitors for its exhaustive view of the SGNP and provides ample space for relaxation.
SGNP authorities have zeroed in on bougainvillea as it flowers for almost nine months a year and requires minimal water, said horticulturist Suhas Joshi, who has been tasked with developing the garden. They hope that the garden will be a hit with photographers, especially those dealing with weddings, for one-of-a-kind shoots, besides the hordes of tourists.
A plot near Gandhi Tekdi has been selected for the garden and the plants will be set off in a contrast pattern, depending on the colour of the flowers. The name of each of the 100 species and their discoverer will be displayed near the plants.
Gandhi Tekdi already has a garden, but many of its plants were eaten by spotted deer as they grazed. Spotted deer have no appetite for the bougainvillea.
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/may/Harshvardhan-Kadam-s.jpg*Artist Harshvardhan Kadam paints the compound wall of Planet Godrej to mark the launch of the Byculla Memory Project on Monday. Pics/Ajinkya Sawant*
A mural, painted by artist Harshvardhan Kadam (aka Ink Brush N Me), is the first to come up as part of the Byculla Memory Project. Painted on the compound wall of Planet Godrej, it geographically marks Jacob Circle on one end with Byculla on the other, and depicts, in a Mario Miranda-ish fashion, the different communities that once inhabited the stretch — Jews (Jacob Circle is named after Sir Jacob Sassoon, for instance), Muslims, Hindus and Christians. It also takes into account the notable architectural gems strewn around, such as Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum, the Khada Parsi statue and the Gothic Gloria Church.*Planet Godrej residents Harjith Bubber (left) and Sandeep Gadodia (right), and BIT Chawl resident and fireman Dharmendra Agarkar*
Explaining Kadam’s mural to us, industrialist Harjith Bubber, who has been at the forefront of the project, says that the space beneath the mural will be cleaned up and street furniture will be brought in for the residents of the Bombay Improvement Trust (BIT) Chawl who live opposite. On Tuesday’s windy evening, we saw BIT Chawl residents sit on tiled platforms near a memorial to Dr Amebdkar on one end of the wall.
“People from across the street can come and use this space more if there is a proper seating arrangement,” says Bubber.
Seated near a vast aquamarine pool in Godrej Planet, Bubber says that in terms of urban place-making, this a win-win situation. “Residents from Godrej Planet may not physically use the seating outside or the mural. However, we can use it mentally as a space that we are arriving in,” he says.
The mural has become a hit with those within and outside the colony as a great selfie point.
*Beauty in history*
Taking the project further ahead, say Bubber and former industrialist Sandeep Gadodia, there will be a stress on the textile mills and the unionised movements that Byculla has witnessed over the last century. On Wednesday morning, we are joined by Dharmendra Agarkar, a fireman in E Ward, who lives in the BIT Chawl opposite Planet Godrej. Enthused by the mural when it was getting made earlier in the week, Agarkar shares childhood memories of how workers from Simplex Mills rejoiced in between shifts. “With dhols and lezims, the workers would play music or play games like kabaddi,” says Agarkar, who has been living in BIT Chawl since his birth, 49 years ago.
Agarkar could lay claim to Byculla as he swiftly points out its various historical aspects. He points to a flat in BIT once occupied by poet and activist Namdeo Dhasal. Further down the lane towards Jacob Circle lived Bhai Sangare, a Dalit Panther leader. Byculla Fish Market is where Ambedkar was married; the Elphinstone High School where Ambedkar was schooled is also in the precinct. “Right from the Samyukta Maharashtra Movement to gang wars, Byculla has seen it all,” says Agarkar. BIT Chawl, for instance, was built in 1923.
Gurbir Singh, an award-winning senior journalist and resident of Planet Godrej, says, “This project is for residents of Byculla to come together as communities in creating a more friendly neighbourhood. There is an onus on new properties and residents of gated communities to link with other residents as part of the city transform, from the industrial age to residential areas.”
The residents of Planet Godrej, including Nisaba Godrej, executive director at Godrej Cosumer Products Ltd, have collaborated with The Urban Vision, a think-do tank on livable cities, to make various urban elements.
Prathima Manohar, the founder of The Urban Vision, says, “Currently, development in the city is monoculture; several things in the neighbourhood may seem commonplace but we have to build public opinion around these things.” The long-term goal will include outdoor spaces, such as a reading corner for children in a garden, quality footpaths, and heritage markers in the area.
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/may/18Aruna-Shanbaug-s.jpg*Aruna Shanbaug*
“We will be getting R5 lakh from Shiv Sena MLC Neelam Gorhe’s legislator fund and with this amount, we plan to start a library named after Aruna and also improve the gymnasium in the KEM hospital,” hospital Dean Dr Avinash Supe said.
Aruna died at the age of 68 on May 18 last year at KEM hospital, after being comatose for 42 years. She was suffering from pneumonia and was on ventilator support.
Pinky Virani, who authored ‘Aruna’s Story’, had petitioned the Supreme Court to stop force-feeding of Aruna, to “allow her to die with dignity”.
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/may/Amitav-Ghosh-s.jpg*Amitav Ghosh*
In July, his book on this challenge, The Great Derangement, will hit bookshelves. He explains why and how the human race has failed to face up to the threat of climate change, and how this inability to deal with reality will cost us everything.
*Goodies for cops*
The next time you need to lodge a complaint at Bandra (W) police station, don’t be surprised to spot one of the cops noting details on a new laptop or desktop computer. Recently, three computers, a laptop and three printers were donated to the station by the Kangaroo Kids School’s CSR initiative.*(Left to right) Police Inspector Kalundre, Divya Punjab (culture custodian), Lina Ashar, DCP Satyanarayan Chaudhary and Shuklaji*
“Our first pre-school started in Bandra, and for 23 years, the Bandra police have helped us with permissions, field trips to police stations and security for our children during special events,” said founder Lina Ashar, who was granted the opportunity by DCP Satyanarayan Chaudhary, who is also a parent of the preschool. Here’s to more student efforts for a tech-savvy force.
*Here comes the hotstepper*
Kangana Ranaut made for a confident picture when she was spotted at Mumbai’s international airport on her arrival from Dubai. Pic/Tehniyat Fatima
*Not feeling the seven-year itch*
Kashish 2016, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) film festival will kick off from May 25, and this incidentally, marks its seventh year.*(Left-right) Sridhar Rangayan, Manav Gohil, Parvathi Balagopalan, Rajeshwari Sachdev, Kaizaad Kotwal and Pallav Patankar (rear row) at the Mumbai Press Club*
At a conference organised at the Press Club on Wednesday, Sridhar Rangayan, festival director, announced that Parvathi Balagopalan, Manav Gohil, Rajeshwari Sachdev, Kaizaad Kotwal and Andrea Kuhn will be jury members, watching the 182 films from 53 countries, including 27 films from India.
The oooh factor came when Rangayan revealed, “There have been at least three if not more people who have become couples at Kashish.” As hearts were turning to mush, Kotwal struck a serious note (ah! cupid’s arrow is cast aside), saying, only half joking, “The festival is revolutionary in itself. It is a political rebellion in a sense.”
*Floyd’s culinary diplomacy*
Yesterday, US-based celebrity chef Floyd Cardoz did his bit for Indo-US culinary diplomacy at a session with students from the Sheila Raheja Institute of Hotel Management.*Chef Floyd Cardoz (left, seated) judges a culinary competition at a Bandra college. Pic/Shadab Khan*
They were spotted dashing around to put finishing touches to their creations and have them plated in time to be judged by Cardoz. Organised by the US Consulate General Mumbai and the United States Foreign Agricultural Service, the competition was aimed at strengthening US-India ties and understanding through culinary diplomacy.
The owner of restaurants in the US and India, Cardoz pushed the hot button topic of sustainability telling students about his passion for sustainability, in the kitchen. Students watched attentively as he shed light on what it was like to be a professional chef in the US. We liked the Amreeka-desi culinary confluence and diplomatic duet idea.
*Woof salute to this initiative*
For years now, gallerist Priyasri Patodia has been working with The Welfare of Stray Dogs (WSD) and The Bombay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA). Now we hear that with help from The Rotary Club, Patodia has donated an X-Ray machine to BSPCA. The gallerist lost her nine-and-a-half-year-old dog in Baroda due to lack of medical treatment.*Artwork by Harisha Chennangod*
This, however, strengthened her resolve to realise a project for animal welfare that she’s been working on for a year and a half. Patodia connected with 50 artists to create artworks themed on animals for a fundraiser show; the proceeds of which will go to BSPCA and WSD.*Priyasri Patodia*
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The ‘this is not a biopic’ disclaimer at the start of the movie notwithstanding, the cricketing fraternity and journalists did not expect to see so much fiction and dramatisation outweigh so little fact. Mess with cricket facts, and discerning enthusiasts won’t take it kindly.
*Former India captain Mohammed Azharuddin (left) is played by Emraan Hashmi in the new release Azhar. File pics*
The most astounding of misinterpretations was Ravi Shastri in the movie telling Azharuddin that he could go home if he didn’t want to play a domestic game when the news of his grandfather’s death was broken to him. I’d like to ask the director what the need was for this distortion. Isn’t the real story (which is in Azharuddin’s official biography co-written by Harsha Bhogle) fascinating? Bhogle writes about a telegram that lands up in the hands of India under-25 captain Ravi Shastri. Knowing it is for him, Azharuddin insists on reading the words: ‘Grandfather serious. Start immediately.’ Shastri talks him into playing the game against David Gower’s 1984-85 Englishmen. Azharuddin, who scores a century, has no doubt that his grandfather is no more, but confirmation of his death comes only when he meets his father in Hyderabad after the Ahmedabad match.
Watching ‘Azhar’ prompted me to turn back the clock to the first time I interacted with him in the winter of 1994. He was casual and relaxed, just like when I’d first seen him, sitting on the steps of the Taj in Colaba, the day before India faced England in the 1987 World Cup semi-finals at Wankhede Stadium. As a freelance reporter, I headed to the same ground to interview Ali Irani, the team physiotherapist, on the last day of practice before the Azharuddin-led outfit left for New Zealand for a one-off Test and one-day series. I approached the captain for an interview and to my great surprise, not only did he agree, he also answered my questions in the dressing room, with other players giving me that ‘what’s a reporter doing here?’ look. He was not obliged to speak to an unknown reporter, but as I discovered along the way, that was Azharuddin.
Four years later, I happened to be staying in a room just opposite his Taj Samudra suite during the 1998 triangular series in Sri Lanka. On the night of June 23, a good couple of hours after India were nearly done in by the rain rule against New Zealand at Colombo’s Premadasa Stadium, I drummed up the courage to knock on his door and ask him how he felt about the possibility of losing a game had the rain come down four balls later and India were cruising to victory when it did. There were no so-called mandatory press conferences those days and the best place to get hold of the captain was at the hotel. He opened the door with a towel around his neck. If he was irritated, he didn’t show it, but he was surprised to see me. He didn’t lash out at the rain-rule, but called for it to be simplified and fairer to the side that was on the ascendancy. I got my story.
Around 1997, Azharuddin became the media’s whipping boy. Success, they said, got to his head, to his feet, to his entire body that was covered with designer wear after cricket hours. He would frustrate the media — tuck into his sandwich as they got set to ask their questions, clip his toe nails and mumble something to give the ‘take your quotes and get out of here’ impression. In Rajkot in 1995, during the Board President’s XI vs New Zealand game, Azharuddin spent close to an hour on the phone with someone while veteran journalist SK Sham waited to file his reports for an international news agency.
But Azharuddin was a successful captain and a batsman who could have an orgasmic effect on some. And there was a human side to him. There is an apocryphal story about him giving away his expensive wristwatch to a cricketer who was merely marvelling at it. He has a heart too — the only Test cricketer who made it for Raj Singh Dungarpur’s funeral at Dungarpur, Rajasthan in 2009, according to reports. Raj Singh — sunglasses and all — is in the movie, uttering his famous words, ‘Miya, captain banoge?’ while offering Azharuddin the India captaincy. Unfortunately, Raj Singh is shown as the BCCI president and not the chairman of selectors as he was in Bangalore in 1990.
At the end of the movie, I was left wondering why there was a warped ring to so many scenes, but I reminded myself that this was just a movie, not a documentary. Even a brilliant one like Fire in Babylon had flaws.
*mid-day’s group sports editor Clayton Murzello is a purist with an open stance. He tweets @ClaytonMurzello. Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com* Reported by Mid-Day 14 hours ago.