Mumbai Diary: Saturday Dossier

Pic/Satej Shinde

What a gai

Stray cattle is not just a nuisance in UP, as this cow demonstrates at Khar West station on Friday

This one is for the album

On the occasion of the album's 42nd anniversary, rock legend Billy Joel asked his followers on Facebook to name their favourite track from Glass Houses. A majority felt You may be right was top of the pile, while others nominated Sleeping with the television on, and It's still rock and roll to me. For one American lady, Joel's latest post provided her good reason to download the album on her phone and listen to it for old times sake. She then recalled her growing-up years: "I walked to the mall at 15 years old with a pocket full of baby-sitting money just to buy this [album]." The post evoked one particular response that had nothing to do with Joel. A guy looked up her Facebook profile and admitted liking her "cute smile" and "beautiful profile picture". We are in no position to tell you whether those two music buffs struck up a friendship, but music sure can bring people together. And by the way, our Glass Houses favourite is, Don't ask me why.

Rang de Dahanu

People heading to Parnaka Beach in Dahanu are in for a visual treat. Walls in the area have been covered with art ahead of the Dahanu Festival that takes place every year to celebrate the chikoo season. These artworks depict different elements of the Palghar district. "They showcase the local trains that come to Dahanu Road station, the fort of Jawhar, the famous Mahalaxmi temple, the Palghar collector's office and the life of fisherwomen. The wall art also depicts [tribal leader] Birsa Munda, and tarpa instruments that the Warli tribals play," shared Ashima Mittal, assistant collector, Dahanu.

Smell the coffee at Kitab Khana

There has been a brewtiful development at Kitab Khana, the iconic SoBo bookstore. The owners have joined hands with the folks behind Subko Coffee to launch Subko Mini, a café within the bookstore that will open its doors this weekend. The vegetarian menu comprises focaccia sandwiches, jackfruit haleem quiche, and sweet and savoury bakes. Drinks include various types of coffee including canned brews, with a special section meant for kids. The place will be open for dine-in and takeaways from 10 am to 6 pm every day. "An appreciation for the many virtues of the Subcontinent, and a desire to build new ideological enclaves forms the bedrock of this alliance," shared Neha Joshi, operations director at Subko Coffee Roasters and Bakehouse.

Booked for a win

The International Booker Prize is a prestigious award for translated fiction, and the longlist has been announced for this year's edition. The title that caught our eye among 12 others is Gitanjali Shree's Tomb of the Sand, translated by Daisy Rockwell (in pic). It is the first ever time that a book translated from Hindi has b een included in the list. It tells the story of an elderly woman whose life changes after her husband's death. And if Shree and Rockwell win, they will get a cool £25,000 each.

Sweet beginnings for these sisters

Nikita (left) and Eureka Araujo

Here's some sweet news for Mumbaikars, quite literally. Sivako, a new cloud kitchen based in Mahim, has started delivering high-end French pastries, viennoiseries, pralines and more. It's the brainchild of two sisters, Eureka and Nikita Araujo. Eureka is a professional pastry chef who's won the title of India's Pastry Queen and represented the country at the World Pastry Championships in Italy. "It has always been my dream to open something of my own. And during the pandemic, my sister also started baking with me, and we thought why not use [this venture] as an opportunity to showcase what we do," Eureka shared, while Nikita added that the eventual plan is to graduate from the cloud kitchen and open a bakery or a dessert bar.