Mumbai Diary: Tuesday Dossier

Life in a metro
Sunny Deol's son, Karan, seems to be ruminating about life and the future during his daily commute from DN Nagar Metro station to Chakala, where he is shooting for his upcoming debut Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas. Pic/Datta Kumbhar

Making a marathon effort
The Goregaon Sports Club-organised annual marathon stands out from the slew of marathon events held across the length and breadth of the city every year for its sheer generosity and social responsibility. Last Sunday, over 35,000 participants flooded the northern suburb of Malad as they ran the Cancer Awareness Marathon, flagged off by actress Taapsee Pannu, to mark World Cancer Day, which was observed yesterday. "We like to call it an awarathon rather than a marathon as we continue our endeavour to support the battle against cancer," said the club's general secretary, Nigam Patel. He added that they have donated a sum of Rs 5 lakh to the Tata Memorial Hospital and even facilitated 100 free cataract surgeries while at it. Now that's what we call a socially beneficial marathon effort.

Paying a high cost
"Forests, wetlands, grasslands, mangroves, corals, shores, lakes are infrastructures that offer us more economic benefits than all other infrastructures put together. Their crime? They cost taxpayers nothing. Therefore offer no crony favours, nor bribes," wrote Bittu Sahgal on social media as he analysed the 2019 budget. While the tax break for those who earn up to Rs 5 lakh is what's garnering much attention, the environmentalist and editor trained the spotlight on the fact that the budgetary allocation to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change is lower than the cost of one coastal road being built in Mumbai. That's a lens not too many are viewing the budget through.

Music fest returns bigger and better
It has been a long journey for the folks who organise Control ALT Delete, a crowd-funded gig. For, after humble beginnings with just a handful of bands in its first year, the event returns this March for the 11th edition with a line-up of over 45 artistes spread across five stages. The focus is on promoting talented artistes from across the country, including Meba Ofilia from Shillong and Plastic Parvati from Kolkata. No wonder the festival enjoys immense goodwill among indie fans.

Here's sweet news for a chef
It was in July last year that we discovered pastry chef and a little bit of a maverick, Prateek Bakhtiani, whipping up desserts for Lower Parel's Cafe Zoe. A recent visit to the casual dining space, his absence behind the deli counter and the unavailability of the crafty desserts piqued interest. Now we reached out to the young chef, and that's when Bakhtiani revealed what's keeping him busy. Turns out, the chocolate atelier that he has been working on over the past year is finally going live online at the end of this month. "We rarely ever come by in the morning knowing exactly what we are going to make. That way, more often than not, what we are left with is magical. And I can't wait for people to be able to taste it," Bakhtiani said, speaking about the boutique that will specialise in confectionery like bonbon, palet, caramel and pate de fruits. And then he adds, there's something even more exciting to look forward to in August. Stay tuned.

Smell the coffee
Atria Mall in Worli is buzzing with F&B activity these days. We had reported not too long ago in these pages about the launch of South Bombay Bar right here. And now, there is another joint, called The Bombay Cafe that has opened up at Navjivan Society in Mumbai Central. Co-founded by Shankhesh Bhimani, and Krishna and Sharan Batra (in pic), this one's for coffee drinkers. The menu involves a mix of café staples such as pancakes and waffles, and has a South Indian section too

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