May I fish In?
A cattle egret is perched beside a fisherwoman as she cleans the day’s catch at Malad West
Thane’s new house of books
A moment from the book club’s first session. Pic courtesy/House of Chapters
There is magic brewing in Thane. A new book club, House of Chapters, is moving away from silent reading to a community of opinionated readers. “We wanted to build a community of people who wanted to find and discuss their love for books,” shared co-founder Satabdi Paul. Along with co-founders Kenishaa Bagde and Abha Raverkar, Paul hosted the first session of the club in Thane last Sunday. The club is divided into four houses — House of Halo (romance), House of Lore (non-fiction), House of Silverlake (literary fiction and House of Stormquill (fantasy, sci-fi). “Not unlike Hogwarts,” Paul remarked.
Being (super)human is like being Soman
Milind Soman in Panjim is strong through the finish
Milind Soman, fitness icon, finished the Fit Indian Run 2025 from Mumbai to Goa on June 30 (Monday) afternoon 3 pm to be precise flying across the finish line in Panjim, Goa. Soman, the Shivaji Park running locomotive who started off from his home ground in Dadar West on June 26 early morning, with this newspaper reporting the start of his run, cycled and ran approximately 90 km (cycling) and 21 km (running) daily through the five days to complete the 558-km distance. Soman’s solo sojourn traversed the scenic but demanding terrain of the Konkan Coast, passing through Pen, Kolad, Chiplun, Ratnagiri and Kankavali, concluding in Goa on Monday noon. The land of sun, sand, sea and susegad also became one of sweat and spirit as Soman breezed through, in a feat of endurance and mental grit. Single-minded, stirring and strong, Soman can unwind with chicken soup for the soul and his soles too.
The India-Korea jam session
Acting on a special request from Indians in Korea, an organisation aiming to celebrate August 15, which happens to be the day of Independence for both nations, Snehil Dandwate (below), a city-based singer, reached out to Aty (inset), an independent artiste from Korea for a Hindi-Korean song that perfectly captured the essence of both nations. “We wanted to celebrate August 15 since it is special for India and Korea. It is one of the things that bridges both countries,” shares Dandwate. Donning a kurta and hanbok, both performers made sure that the important date was made even more special for Indians and Koreans. You can catch Dandwate on @snehilindo on Instagram. performing K-drama OSTs.
Toast for Tyson, the fast bowling guru
Ex-Mumbai all-rounder Amit Dani (centre), former India pacers Balvinder Singh Sandhu and Abey Kuruvilla, mid-day’s deputy editor Clayton Murzello, Paras Mhambrey, India fast bowler, who was the national team’s bowling coach until last year, cricket consultant Dr Makarand Waingankar and Salil Ankola, who made his Test debut alongside Sachin Tendulkar in 1989, at MIG Cricket Club, Bandra on Monday. PIC/Special arrangement; (in black and white) Frank Tyson
If fellow patrons were a touch surprised to see a group standing with their glasses raised at the MIG Cricket Club bar in Bandra East on Monday evening, they had good reason to be. For, it’s not often a bunch that includes four strapping former India pace bowlers stand up to pay homage to a mentor. The man they ‘stood up for’ was Frank Tyson, whose 95th birth anniversary was marked on June 6. The England pace terror helmed a bowling scheme in Mumbai during the early 1990s, which helped bring to the fore future India pacemen like Abey Kuruvilla and Paras Mhambrey. Salil Ankola, who played one Test in 1989, made a comeback into the side, thanks to the Bombay Cricket Association-Mafatlal Bowling Scheme. They were all present at MIG CC along with 1983 World Cup-winning swing bowler Balvinder Singh Sandhu, a coach in the scheme, ex-Mumbai all-rounder Amit Dani and Dr Makarand Waingankar, the scheme’s chief coordinator. All those at that table owed a lot to the late Tyson and they had no hesitation in saying so in unison. The gathering would have been larger had some of Tyson’s students been free. Quite a few of them are involved in cricket. Their absence for a genuine reason, told a tale — Frank Sir built stepping stones for their future careers too.
Theatre call in Chimbai
A moment from the performance at the new venue. Pic Courtesy/JGS
A different story has been wafting through the lanes of Bandra’s Chimbai village. This neighbourhood have acquired a new performance venue in Chimbai Village Theatre by the Jeff Goldberg Studio. “The idea was to create a new theatre space in the heart of Bandra. We realised that the neighbourhood has few performance venues, and those centred on theatre were located towards Juhu and Andheri. We held our first show with an original play on June 6 by our graduating batch. But the space will also be open for fellow theatre makers, performers and artistes for workshops, sessions and experimentations,” shared Melville Fernandes, business operations manager for Jeff Goldberg Studio.
