Mumbai Diary: Tuesday Dossier

Pic/Atul Kamble

When a child is born

Oswald Cardinal Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay, blesses the statue of baby Jesus during midnight mass on Christmas Eve at Holy Name Cathedral in Colaba

Keeping the spirit alive

Thane's 67-year-old Swadesh Arora has miles to go; and she is making it up one marathon at a time. In her second attempt, at the Aamchi Mumbai Marathon, which took place last Saturday, the sexagenarian completed a distance of five km within 54 minutes; making her the first to complete the marathon in the above 60 age group category. A diabetic patient who was reliant on insulin till a few years ago, Arora told this diarist that the key is to live a healthy lifestyle. "It felt good to be able to run among nearly 250 people and win the race," she said, adding that she hopes to be a regular at marathons across the city.

Restoring ancient fountains

Anand Vithhal Kohli pyaav in 2021; (right) the restored pyaav. Pics Courtesy/Vaastu Vidhaan

Of the 22 pyaavs or Mumbai's colonial-era fountains that the conservation initiative Vaastu Vidhan took up for restoration nearly a decade ago, seven are now functional.

Appointed consultant to the project by the heritage department of the BMC, Rahul Chemburkar said that the Anand Vitthal Koli pyaav in Dadar was worked on this year, and can now dispense water. He said, "We have added a foot paddle for dispensing drinking water through the spout."

Spreading the holiday cheer

A volunteer dressed as Santa Claus distributes gifts

This is the festival of giving and on Christmas Eve, a hundred volunteers transformed into Santas on the streets of Mumbai, Jaipur, Kolkata and Pune as part of the 100 Santa Project by non-profit organisation Sounds of Silence. Project coordinator Akanksha Singh, expressed her enthusiasm, saying, "Choosing to be Santa Claus for a day and wrapping these gifts can be a rewarding experience." Founder Sumit Singh Gandhi added, "We distributed gifts like stationery sets, tiffin box water bottles, puzzles, bags and more. It took us around a month to collect all the gifts and donations. The contributions help bring a smile onto the children's faces. We were able to make Christmas better for over 10,000 kids this year."

Old is gold

A sketch of the Matharpacady Village

For Christmas Eve on Sunday, illustrator Zainab Tambawalla spent the day sketching the Matharpacady Village. "The village is very vibrant during this time of the year.

Zainab Tambawalla

However, there are towers cropping up in the area, and there is unrest among the residents about losing their heritage. My aim was to capture the beauty of old amid the new," she said.

Greening the city

An illustration from the BMC handbook

Not exactly flying off the shelf, but certainly seeing a flurry of clicks. Red ‘n' white may be the colours of the season, yet, green never goes out of style. The BMC's Garden Department has drafted guidelines called Greening Mumbai: Citizen's Handbook for Greening Initiatives: from balcony gardens to large spaces. Jeetendra Pardeshi, Superintendent of Gardens and BMC Tree Officer, Mumbai, said, "The handbook is drafted to do as it says - guide individuals and housing societies to enhance greenery in their own way even if they have a balcony [Utopian by Mumbai standards, we say] or just a corner in their home which they can fill with plants. It's a tool for enhancing greenery from an individual household to large public/private. spaces." Those interested can look for Greening Mumbai: Citizen's Handbook for Greening Initiatives on portal.mcgm.gov.in.