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New Delhi: From decor options to the fabrics to colour code, tweaking your decor can help you keep your home feel cool in summer, say experts. Anuj Srivastava, co-founder and CEO of Livspace, and Adarsh Menon, Vice President and Head of Private Labels at Flipkart, share some tips to keep your home fresh and cool.

Decor options: Going Scandinavian is a summer-friendly choice to make. The emphasis is on creating a muted colour palette with clean lines, to allow the space to breathe and eliminate chaos. You can add plenty of greenery to the mileu that will help keep the temperatures from rising. Floating flower arrangements or installing a waterbody at home, along with muting the lighting to cooler options, will also help.

Keep it cool: Plenty of factors, apart from air conditioning, can aid in keeping your home cool. Replace the heavy rugs, blankets and drapes with lighter, eco-friendly materials in fresh colours like white, light blue, pink and green. If you do have an outdoor space, no matter how small, you should clean it up and set up seating options. If space permits, you can even set up a barbeque and move the party outdoors. As far as fabrics go, stick to cotton, linen and sheer materials to keep your home summer fresh. You can also opt for florals in cushions, accent pieces and paintings, or even get fresh cut flowers for the table to brighten up your living spaces.

Pastel palette: Doing up the home furniture in pastel shades adds a tinge of coolness to the eye that finds its way to the mind. Apart from making one feel cooler, pastel colours add that quirky look we so like. These colours can be incorporated in dining table chairs, bean bags, sofa sets, wardrobes and beds.

The forest look: One of the most refreshing looks for the summers is the forest look. Juxtapose the dark wood furniture with green plants. You can go for real or artificial plants and use them at the sides of your solid wood study table, dark wood TV units, bedsides, on top of dining table. For more adorned look, you could cover the flanks of your wardrobes, and even inside the bathrooms.

Cooling gel mattresses: They go a long way in making summers bearable. Gel memory foam mattresses do not trap heat like latex or ordinary foam mattresses. They are made using open cell technology which helps in air circulation resulting in a cool mattress for your comfort. Apart from giving a luxurious feeling, it also gives comfort.

Metallic accents and glass: Use of of luxe metallic touches in home decors is not new. The choice of metallic finish makes a huge difference. Think silver metallic finish with dark accents. It adds oomph and makes the area look neat and clutter-free.

Important tip for all: Invest in trendy, good quality, affordable furniture. When buying furniture, one major concern is durability. In a market that is largely unorganised the assurance of durability is hard to get.

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The Louvre Museum

The Mona Lisa. Pic/AFP

The Louvre: Also known as the Louvre Museum and the Musée du Louvre in French, it is considered the the world's largest museum and a historic monument in Paris, France. Housed in the Louvre Palace, originally built as a fortress in the late 12th century under Philip II, It is the world’s most-attended museum as of 2015. Opened on 10 August 1793 with an exhibition of 537 paintings, the majority of the works being royal and confiscated church property. Because of structural problems with the building, the Louvre was closed in 1796 until 1801. The Louvre's collections are divided among eight curatorial departments: Egyptian Antiquities; Near Eastern Antiquities; Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities; Islamic Art; Sculpture; Decorative Arts; Paintings; Prints and Drawings. Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa is the Louvre's most popular attraction.

The main entrance of the British Museum in central London. AFP PHOTO

British Museum: Located in the Bloomsbury area of London, the British Museum is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence with a permanent collection of over 8 million works. Established in 1753, the museum first opened to the public on 15 January 1759, in Montagu House in Bloomsbury. It was largely based on the collections of the physician and scientist Sir Hans Sloane. Some objects in the British Museum's collection, most notably the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon, have caused controversy and calls for restitution to their countries of origin. The museum's expansion over the following two and a half centuries has resulted in the creation of several branch institutions, the first being the British Museum (Natural History) in South Kensington in 1881. The centre of the museum was redeveloped in 2001 to become the Great Court, surrounding the original Reading Room. The Rosetta Stone and the Sumerian Queen's Lyre are popular exhibits.
The British Museum houses the world's largest[h] and most comprehensive collection of Egyptian antiquities (with over 100,000[58] pieces) outside the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

Grounds and entrance to the Smithsonian Institute Castle, Washington D.C.

Smithsonian Institution: Termed "the nation's attic" for its holding of 138 million items, the Smithsonian Institution chiefly located in Washington D.C. is a group of museums and research centers administered by the Government of the United States. The Institution has nineteen museums, nine research centers, and a zoo including historical and architectural landmarks, mostly in the District of Columbia. Additional facilities are located in Arizona, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York City, Virginia, and Panama. A further 170 museums are Smithsonian Affiliates. The museum has over 30 million visitors annually, who are admitted without charge. The Wright brothers' 1903 Flyer, the original Star-Spangled Banner at the National Museum of American History; the Gem Hall (including the Hope Diamond) at the National Museum of Natural History, and the Apollo 11 command module at the National Air and Space Museum are some of its main attractions.

The Acropolis Museum in Athens, Greece

Acropolis Museum: The museum, which was founded in 2003 in Athens, Greece was opened to the public on 20 June 2009. The Organization of the Museum was established in 2008. Nearly 4,000 objects are exhibited at the Acropolis Museum over an area of 14,000 square metres. It is an archaeological museum focused on the findings of the archaeological site of the Acropolis of Athens and was built to house every artifact found on the rock and on its feet, from the Greek Bronze Age to Roman and Byzantine Greece. The museum also lies on the archaeological site of Makrygianni and the ruins of a part of Roman and early Byzantine Athens. The Acropolis Museum has received numerous awards and accolades over the years. During the August full moon nights, the museum remains open until late at night and welcomes visitors for free. Also the same night concerts take place on the museum's courtyard. Excavation below ground level continues. The site and process are visible through the ground level glass flooring. The site will be available for visitation once the excavation is complete. The Silver Cup designed by Michel Bréal and awarded to the Marathon Winner Spyros Louis at the first Modern Olympic Games (1896), is displayed at the Acropolis Museum and will remain to the Acropolis Museum until the completion of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, where it will be permanently exhibited.

The Rijksmuseum

Rijksmuseum: Also known as the Imperial Museum, the Rijksmuseum is a Dutch national museum dedicated to arts and history in Amsterdam and has on display 8,000 objects of art and history, from their total collection of 1 million objects from the years 1200–2000, among which are some masterpieces by Rembrandt, Frans Hals, and Johannes Vermeer. The museum also has a small Asian collection which is on display in the Asian pavilion. It is also the largest art museum in the country and was the most visited museum in the Netherlands with record numbers of 2.2 million and 2.45 million visitors in 2013 and 2014. The Rijksmuseum is located at the Museum Square in the borough Amsterdam South, close to the Van Gogh Museum, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, and the Concertgebouw. The museum was founded in The Hague in 1800 and moved to Amsterdam in 1808, where it was first located in the Royal Palace and later in the Trippenhuis. The current main building was designed by Pierre Cuypers and first opened its doors in 1885. On 13 April 2013, after a ten-year renovation which cost € 375 million, the main building was reopened by Queen Beatrix. Frans Hals' Portrait of a Young Couple (1622), Johannes Cornelisz Verspronck's Girl in a Blue Dress (1641) are some of its popular exhibits.

The Winter Palace during the day

The Double Triumphal Arch, the General Staff Building

Hermitage Museum: One of the world's largest and oldest museums, the Hermitage Museum was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great and has been open to the public since 1852. It is located in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Also called the State Hermitage, its collections, of which only a small part is on permanent display, comprise over three million items including the largest collection of paintings in the world, which occupy a large complex of six historic buildings along Palace Embankment, including the Winter Palace, a former residence of Russian emperors. Of six buildings of the main museum complex, five, named the Winter Palace, Small Hermitage, Old Hermitage, New Hermitage and Hermitage Theatre, are open to the public. Entrance is free of charge the first Thursday of every month for all visitors, and free daily for students and children. The museum is closed on Mondays.

The Museo Nacional Del Prado in Spain

Museo Nacional Del Prado: Alternatively known as the Museo del Prado, it is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid, Spain and features one of the world's finest collections of European art, dating from the 12th century to the early 19th century, based on the former Spanish Royal Collection, and unquestionably the best single collection of Spanish art. Established in 1819, El Prado is one of the most visited sites in the world with over 2.8 million visitors in 2012 and is the largest in Spain. It is considered one the greatest museums of art in the world. The numerous works by Francisco de Goya, the single most extensively represented artist, as well as by Diego Velázquez, El Greco, Titian, Peter Paul Rubens and Hieronymus Bosch are some of the highlights of the collection. The collection currently comprises around 7,600 paintings, 1,000 sculptures, 4,800 prints and 8,200 drawings among others out of which 1,300 works were displayed in the main buildings by 2012, while around 3,100 works are on temporary loan to various museums and official institutions. The Museo del Prado authorities are planning a 16% extension in the nearby Salón de Reinos, to be opened in 2019.

Exhibits at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya. Pic/Sameer Markande

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya: Formerly known as Prince of Wales Museum of Western India it is Mumbai's main museum and was founded on 10 January 1922 by prominent citizens with the aid of the government to commemorate the visit of the then prince of Wales. Located in the heart of South Mumbai near the Gateway of India, the museum was renamed in the 1990s or early 2000s after Shivaji, the founder of Maratha Empire. The CSMVS houses approximately 50,000 exhibits of ancient Indian history as well as objects from foreign lands, categorized primarily into three sections: Art, Archaeology and Natural History. Indus Valley Civilization artefacts, and other relics from ancient India from the time of the Guptas, Mauryas, Chalukyas and Rashtrakuta are also housed there. In its recent modernization programme (2008), the Museum created 30,000 sq ft (2,800 m2) space for installation of five new galleries, a conservation studio, a visiting exhibition gallery and a seminar room, in the East Wing of the Museum and it also houses a library. a host of activities have been planned at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya. The events have been designed keeping this year's theme, Museums and Cultural Landscape in mind. Start the day with a guided walk through Fort and listen to stories about its history. (Read more)

Guggenheim-Bilbao

The Guggenheim Bilbao located in Basque Country, Spain, and was constructed in 1997 by Frank Gehry.
It overlooks the Nervión River, and it was created from glass, limestone, and Titanium. Meant to look like a bunch of flowers growing by the river. It is also known to have started what is poppularly known as the “Bilbao Effect”, an effect that is now used to describe the phenomenon of comissioning 'starchitects' to design structures in the city.

Jewish Museum in Berlin

The Jewish Museum in Berlin located at Lindenstrasse in Berlin was constructed in 2001 by Daniel Libeskind. The new building (pictured above) is meant to look like a zigzag pattern and feature sharp angles, dark and narrow paths, interior walls of bare concrete, as well as a titanium-zinc facade with minimal openings. It is meant to document the history of the Jews of Germany and commemorate the Holocaust

Louvre Abu Dhabi

Louvre-Abu Dhabi is located in Abu Dhabi and is a dome shaped structure overlooking the Arabian Gulf. Inspired by Al Ain, which is an oasis emirate, and Islamic and Arabic architecture, this structure was designed by Pritzker Prize winner Jean Nouvel

Museo-Soumaya

The Museo Soumaya, located in Mexico City, Mexico, was constructed in 1994. It was funded by
Carlos Slim and cost 47 million Euros to build. The avant-garde structure with a reflective outer wall brings to mind the sculptures of Auguste Rodin is constructed with an exterior wall of 16,000 polygonal Aluminium panels. It houses various types of art pieces from Europe and Mexico.

Museum of Islamic Art

The Museum of Islamic Art is located in Doha, Qatar and was constructed by I.M.Pei in 2008. Inspired by the mosque of Ibn Tulun in Cairo, Egypt and Islamic architecture, the museum overlooks the the Arabian Gulf, is composed of a 5-floor building that is linked to an education center by a vast courtyard.

Niteroi Contemporary Art Museum

The Niteroi Contemporary Art Museum, located in Niteroi, Brazil was built in the year 1996. A result of the collaboration between prominent architect Oscar Niemeyerand structural engineer Bruno Contarini, the museum was based on the futuristic design resembling an alien spaces ship. The Museum is encircled by a reflecting pool and has a very striking red ramp

The Louis Vuitton Foundation

The Louis Vuitton Foundation is located in Paris, France and was constructed by Frank Gehry in 2014.
The 143 dollar cultural center is not only a museum but is also a cultural centre that enourages the growth of contemporary art. The musum was designed so it looked as if it were floating against gravity.

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New Delhi: Apart from making healthy organic life choices, incorporating a night time skincare regime into our daily lives, will go a long way in keeping the skin looking healthy and glowing. Start your regime by thorough cleansing and do not forget to use a toner, suggest experts. Shankar Prasad, Founder, Plum, and Megha Sabhlok, Brand Director, Just Herbs, have given some inputs:

Cleanse: Going to bed with make-up on is the worst thing you can do to your skin. It leads to chemical accumulation, blocked pores and reduces the ability of skin to absorb nutrients. Make sure that you use a gentle cleanser first to remove make-up and grime. If required, follow up with a foaming face wash.

While the idea of cleansing the grime on your face with castor oil might seem unappealing to you, however, it not only can draw out the dirt from your pores and purge, it also has anti-inflammatory properties. People with all skin types can benefit from this method.

The best natural cleansing technique is to use one-third castor oil mixed with two-thirds of any oil of your choice; almond, sunflower seed, virgin olive or any other natural, organic oil. Massage the oil gently onto your face with firm strokes focusing on your problem areas

Use a soft washcloth soaked in warm water to cover your face. The warmth allows the oiled pores to soften and open up in order to gently release the toxins and impurities.

Gently wipe without scrubbing and repeat again. This should remove the oil along with the dead skin cells, bacteria and impurities from your face leaving you with deeply cleansed glowing skin.

Tone: This helps reduce pore size, balance skin pH and remove any leftover dirt and make-up still left. Toning will further nourish and hydrate your skin leaving it supple and refreshed. Rose water tops the list for its fragrant refreshing appeal and its universality in suiting all skin types.

Refrigerate a good organic brand and apply all over face and neck using a cotton ball. Green Tea with a few drops of tea tree oil makes for an antibacterial toner that especially suits oily skin types.

Anti-ageing serums: Address your anti-ageing concerns with elixir serums as they nourish and restore the natural glow and youthfulness to tired, ageing and pigmented skin. Plant polyphenols, carotenoids and flavonoids present in these serums slow-down skin ageing process. Once applied, let your skin fully absorb the serum for some time while you rest.

Massage with night cream or gel: Begin by spreading it across the forehead, down the nose, across the cheeks, the chin, neck and towards the chest. Gently massage the cream in upward strokes and circular motions by using your fingertips. This helps in evenly distributing the moisture all over your facial skin, increases blood circulation and minimises puffiness.

The facial oil: Facial oils repair and replenish the facial skin while you sleep. Apply 4-5 drops of facial oil on fingertips and gently massage it in circular motions from nose towards ears while applying horizontally, and always against the gravity while applying vertically.

It is usually applied after the gel/cream as it helps seal-in the moisture.

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This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

... [Read More]

A day before voting in the fourth and final phase for 48 seats in Maharashtra today, statistics available with the Election Commission of India (ECI) showed that the worth of drugs, alcohol, precious metals etc. seized here over the past 32 days, was Rs 156.52 crore. The total worth of seizures of such items across the country, is Rs 3,244.59 crore.

As per ECI data about the seizures (from March 26 to April 28), the worth of precious metals (gold, silver etc), Rs 70.12 crore, was the highest in Maharashtra. This was followed by cash worth Rs 52.91 crore. Liquor worth Rs 25.64 crore was also seized. Drugs worth Rs 7.33 crore and freebies worth R9 crore were also seized.

Mumbai specific data
As per a press release issued by the chief electoral officer, Maharashtra, cash worth Rs 18.14 crore was seized from Mumbai city alone and 15 cases related to the violation of the Model Code of Conduct were filed. As per ECI data, from the time the Code of Conduct came into place till date, there have been seizures worth Rs 3,244.59 crore across the country. Of these, the total cash seized was Rs 781.82 crore, the liquor seized was worth R245.738 crore, and the drugs seized were worth Rs 1,193.81 crore. The worth of the precious metals seized was Rs 970.953 crore and the worth of freebies etc seized was Rs 52.26s 7 crore.

Rs 18.14cr
Worth of the cash seized in Mumbai

Rs 52.91cr
Worth of the cash seized in Maharashtra

Rs 781.82cr
Worth of the cash seized across the country

Liquor sales spike this month
Liquor sales have increased in the past 25 days by 10% in Thane district. Last year this month, 19,62,000 litres of liquor was sold in Thane district, and this year this month 20,06,000 litres of liquor has been sold so far. According to an Excise Department official, despite the severe summer, people are consuming whisky, while compared to last year, the sale of beer has reduced.

Earlier this month mid-day had reported that the Thane Election Commission and ED have sent notices to wine shop owners regarding maintaining proper sale records, to avoid cancellation of licences. "We have told them that we will compare sales of this period during last year and take action if they have increased drastically," said an ED official.
The ED and EC have been extra vigilant due to illegal sales during elections.

ED official Y Rathod, said, "Owners usually keep their shops open for longer hours during elections and sell liquor illegally. We have extra teams this time and have followed with strict checking. Due to this the transportation of liquor reduced during the elections. Also wine shop owners have kept their records clear this time."

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The 'No Mobile Phones' diktat issued by the Election Commission for voters at polling centres had a rather ambiguous implementation. While some carried it along inside the polling booth, others were asked to keep it out. With directions about phones not being allowed in the 100 meters vicinity of polling stations, the Election Commission had not made any provisions for safekeeping of phones.

Also Read: Election 2019: Mumbai scrapes through in voting report card

The rule ended up confusing voters across the city. Many were unaware of the 'no phone' policy and were left waiting outside the polling centres. The EC had issued such orders after some voters were found clicking pictures while voting during the last elections.

Salman Khan, SRK, Ranveer Singh, Kangana, Bachchans step out for voting

While most polling stations had police officials preventing voters from carrying their phones inside, there was no security checking of the bags that some voters carried, "thus making it difficult to ascertain if they were carrying a phone or not," said officials. Some centres also saw the police asking voters to hand over their phones to people standing behind them in the queue.

Dhanraji Yadav, who was at the Manohar Joshi Mahavidyalaya in Dharavi along with her family, said that police officials at the gate asked them if they were carrying any phones. "I waited with all the phones while my family voted. But while I was waiting there, the same police officials allowed other people to carry them by switching them off," Yadav said. An official said that the directives had come from the Election Commission of India. "We couldn't be responsible for everyone's phones and asked them to not bring them."

Also Read: Elections 2019: Regular voters find their name missing at polling booths

100m
Distance around polling booth where phones were not allowed

Election 2019: Prominent personalities, other Mumbaikars come out to caste vote!

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One of the major issues faced by the voters of the Mumbai North West constituency was that most of their names were missing from the voters' list, and they did not get much guidance at the polling booths. Those who did not find their names on the list, had to return without casting their votes, and they even complained that the officials posted at the polling stations could not address their queries.

The fight in the constituency is between sitting MP and Shiv Sena – BJP candidate Gajanan Kirtikar and Congress NCP candidate Sanjay Nirupam. Due to the scorching summer heat, most people preferred to vote in the early morning and evening hours. Long queues were spotted outside polling stations at Jogeshwari East, Goreagaon, Dindoshi, Andheri East and Versova.

The Pathak family whose names were missing from the list

Missing names

A family of three — senior citizen Parashar Pathak, his wife Anju Pathak and daughter Silky Pathak had landed at the Gyan Kendra School in Andheri West early to cast their votes, however they were shocked to find their names missing from the list. Speaking to mid-day, Silky said, "My mother had a doctor's appointment, so we decided to first cast our votes and then head to the clinic. But we were shocked to see that our names were missing. The officials at the polling station could not help us in any way, and after wasting two hours we left."

Shilpa Ajgaonkar from Goregaon East, who faced the same problem, said, "Though my husband's name was there on the voters' list, my name was missing. I had no option but to return after two hours without voting because even the polling officials could not help." Forty-six-year-old Genevieve Da Silva said that the election officials at the entrance of the St Anthony High School told her that her name was not there on the electoral roll. However, her husband, Clinton, could vote.

Goregaon East resident Shilpa Ajgaonkar's name was missing from the list

Senior citizens enthusiastic

Even though senior citizens of the North West constituency showed a lot of enthusiasm this time, many of them said that the facilities at the polling centres could have been better. A residents' association in Juhu had arranged for a pick-up and drop facility for senior citizens and even wheelchairs were available at polling stations.

Speaking to mid-day, Juhu resident Shankar Adnani, 82, said, "We are happy that adequate arrangements had been made for senior citizens at our centre and we did not face any difficulty in reaching the polling booth." However a youngster, who voted at the Gyan Kendra School polling station in Andheri West, said, "At the Gyan Kendra school, ramps for senior citizens were kept only at one place. Some of them, who had to vote at the adjacent building, were made to sit on chairs, which were then carried to the booth."

First-time voter Devangshi Haria from Four Bungalows

No ink applied

Meanwhile, first-time voter Muskan Gupta, who cast her vote at the Gyan Kendra School, said that an official at the booth forgot to mark her finger with ink. "I have cast my vote but the official in-charge might have forgotten to ink my finger. Even I was not aware of the exact process."

First-time voters
Four Bungalows resident and a first-time voter Devangshi Haria said, "I always wanted to vote and I am happy that I could do it this time. More youngsters should come out and vote because this is the process of nation building." Versova resident Mahesh Babaji Padyal, who is also a first-time voter, said, "I have been waiting to cast my first vote since over a year now and finally I could do it. I feel happy that my vote will play an important role in deciding the fate of the candidate, who will represent us in the Lok Sabha."

First-time voter Mahesh Babaji Padyal from Versova

Kurla resident Rita Vishwakarma was a happy mother on Monday since both her children — 19-year-old son Chandraprakash Vishwakarma and 22-year-old daughter Komal Vishwakarma — voted for the first time. As no one had explained them the voting process, the brother-sister duo said they figured it out themselves.

Muskan Gupta, whose finger was not inked

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Haitham with Shah Rukh Khan on the sets of Dil Hai Hindustani where the two sang SRK’s chartbuster Jabra Fan

When we meet Haitham Mohammed Rafi inside the dimly-lit sets of a popular music reality show, he stands out from those sitting beside him. The white of his traditional dishdasha and the colourful turban — called the massar — make him look like an anomaly. The 23-year-old appears to be closely observing his fellow singer — a girl half his age — who is on stage and singing the famous DDLJ-towel song, 'Mere Khwabon Mein Jo Aaye,' when we raise our hand and call for his attention. There is instant recognition.

"Wallah!" he yells out in Arabic. "How come, you here?" he goes on, in his Middle-Eastern accent.

It has been three years since we first met Haitham. The last time it was in his hometown Muscat, the capital city of the Sultanate of Oman. "I will sing in Bollywood, someday, Inshallah!" he had then rapped, much to the amusement of this correspondent. At the time, we had wished him luck, without mocking his expectations or pointing out the risks.

Last week, when a video of filmmaker Karan Johar sitting in stunned silence after Haitham’s performance of Naina Thag Lenge, went viral on Arab social media, this writer was glad she had kept mum then.

Haitham, an Omani national, has just made it in the final 11 of the first season of music reality show Dil Hai Hindustani. Being an Arab, has only worked in his favour. For the judges, Johar, Badshah, Shalmali Kholgade and Shekhar Ravjiani (of Vishal-Shekhar fame), the first question on their mind was, “Can an Arab sing in Hindi?”

"Okay, maybe!" "But, that good!"

"I have Mohammed Rafi’s blessings," Haitham jokes. Not like, we hadn’t been meaning to ask him the story behind his namesake. Haitham al Balushi takes his middle name, Mohammed Rafi, from his father, who was surprisingly christened by the veteran Hindi singer himself. "Though Omani, my grandfather was a huge fan of Mohammed Rafi," he recounts. “When my father was born, Rafi saab was performing in Bahrain. My grandfather, who was working there, went for the show and managed to have a quick chat with him backstage," he says, adding, “He told Rafi saab, I want you to name my newborn.” The rest, as the Balushi family recalls, is history.

Until seven months ago, Haitham worked as a personal banker with a leading national bank in Muscat. “It was so boring. I hated going to work...it was suffocating," he says. Unable to take it anymore, Haitham put in his papers, and ferociously started looking for opportunities to sing. "I wanted to pursue my passion," he says. We ask him what that is? And, pat comes the reply, "I want to become the first Arab playback singer and composer in Bollywood." Haitham has been harbouring that dream since he was 11.

In Oman, Haitham says, there is no concept of vocal training. "If you're a good singer, you're a good singer." His only source of Bollywood music was audiocassettes and CDs as a child, and later YouTube. "So, when I told my Omani friends that I wanted to become a singer, they laughed. They said, 'You can’t make it big in India…it is so tough'."

On an Indian friend’s advise, he started listening to a lot of ghazals. "I was told that it would help me get my nuances and accent right," he says. His favourite ghazal singers are Jagjit Singh and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. But, that's how Haitham’s Bollywood dreams first took flight.

In 2012, he became the first Omani to win Muscat Idol, which sees participants mostly from the Indian Diaspora. From there on, due to dearth of a great body of work, Haitham started composing music for Omani TV shows. “But, I realised that I wasn’t enjoying Arabic music. Each time, I sang in Hindi, I was happier,” he says. Of the 500 songs he has composed, 450 were in Hindi. “My mum knew I wasn’t meant for Oman. So, she kept pushing me to try my luck at Indian reality shows,” he says. He tried thrice and failed. The fourth time, he decided to think practically and opted for 'The Voice Ahla Sawt', the Arabic version of the international music show. “Even there, I could not fit in,” he says. This December, after five years of working towards his dream, he got the call. And, that too, from India.

Here, he is still just another contender at the show. But, back home, things have changed for Haitham. After a video of his performance went viral, Omanis in Muscat, who he claims love Hindi cinema, have gone into an overdrive. “I’ve already signed 13 shows in Muscat and Dubai,” he says. “My friends are buying the Indian digital channels, just to watch my show.”

"I think it's a proud moment for my country," Haitham says. Just as we end, he gets his cellphone out, and shows us a photograph of his, clicked with Shah Rukh Khan, where the two are facing each other, striking the latter's signature pose. “India has already opened its arms to me," he gushes.

South Dandies Swaraj rappers, Tamizh (left) and Sean YKV (centre) who are working on their debut album, recently performed with Kadhal Jack (extreme right) of Kacheri Movement in the city. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

“I say what I want to say and do what I want to do. There’s no in between. People will either love you for it or hate you for it.” Eminem, the global Rap icon, had elucidated the fundamentals of the genre cogently, whose origins are in Africa and Jamaica. Owing to the free flow, it entered India on a blissful note.

Legendary actor Ashok Kumar offered its first glimpse with the song, Rail Gaadi (Aashirwad), in 1968. Within two decades, the genre found allies in AR Rahman and Ilaiyaraaja. South Dandies Swaraj — a Rap duo comprising Suresh Agailan Bose (Sean YKV) and Rahul Prasad (Tamizh) - are taking forward the legacy, albeit in the independent space. The Mumbai-based group raps in four languages, but their highlight is Tamil.

Message in music
Sean, the lead rapper, wants to bring about a change through an album, that’s in the making. “My motto is Rap for change and Hip-Hop for life. I try to convey a message through every song. I am looking for a producer,” says Sean. The name of the band is suggestive of their South Indian roots. Earlier, the group had more members. “We were a Hip-Hop Collective with nine people, including a miniature artiste and a graffiti artiste. We had to bid goodbye to some members,” he shares.

The 28-year-old from Tirunelveli (Tamil Nadu) resides in Mahim and believes that rapping in different languages will help him reach out to more people. “It helps me connect to more listeners who understand these languages. We want to take our regional languages abroad,” he adds. Sean also performed alongside Apache Indian and Shankar Mahadevan in his initial days. “I didn’t get any break after those shows. But kids would take my autograph while senior citizens would kiss my hand. They thought my Tamil was retro,” he says.

Society matters
“Our music talks about recycling, rape, terrorism, social media and other social issues,” says Sean, who can also rap in Marathi. His colleague, Tamizh, sticks to Tamil.

One of the singles from the Dandies’ kitty is Idli Vada, the traditional breakfast in South Indian households. “I observed Idli and Vada vendors and wrote a song around their daily struggle, and how they see the society through customers,” explains Sean. The track, Social Kadhal/Pyaar, dwells on the overuse of social networking sites. “The world has become dynamic with Facebook and Twitter. This song is about the youngsters who spend hours on it.” The group also has a track dedicated to the feminists, called Nari Meri Nari.

The Dandies also developed a brother culture, being close to Kacheri Movement, a Rap outfit from Dharavi. They are often seen playing gigs together.

Sean is hopeful about his music’s reach. “I am not a party person. I am interested in the social issues. We know how African Americans changed the face of Hip-Hop when they used music as a vehicle for their struggle. I will try to do the same,” he signs off.

RD Burman composed for more than 300 films in a career spanning 30 years

This weekend, a group of music enthusiasts is going to deconstruct the thin line between imitation and inspiration at a talk on Hindi film music. The works of RD Burman, Shankar-Jaikishan and OP Nayyar will be discussed at the event.

Shankar-Jaikishan ruled from 1949 to 1986

“Many tried to imitate a sound that worked well with listeners in that period. In fact, film producers would encourage music directors to do so. The music of Laxmikant-Pyarelal and Kalyanji-Anandji was close to the sound created by Shankar-Jaikishan and Burman,” says Ramesh KV, one of the speakers. “If you listen to the orchestration of a song, you will think it belongs to Burman, but it actually is by someone else,” he adds.

The full panel includes R Balaji, Shankar Iyer, Archisman Mozumder and Subramanian Iyer.

On: April 15, 7.30 pm
At: Pitaara – The Art Box, Yashwant Nagar, Goregaon (W).
Call: 9820393001
Entry: Rs 250

Why Cheat India
U/A: Drama Satire
Director: Soumik Sen
Cast: Emraan Hashmi, Shreya Dhanwanthary
Rating:

The 'curse of the second half' in Hindi pictures is simply so severe, especially when it comes to films with well-known faces, that even as I find myself really enjoying a movie, there's a radar at the back of the brain constantly cautioning one to only hope that the post-interval portions even live up to the first half — by half. If so, then as an audience, you're pretty much through.

Is this movie an exception in that regard? Well, it eventually starts descending to such levels of random, thoughtless spinning of the yarn that by the end of it you're not even too sure it's the same film that you had started with in the first place. And hell yeah, it begins really well, what with highlighting the academic strains of being a teenaged 'padhaku' kid, Sattu (the boy's so brilliantly cast), in a lower-middle class family in Lucknow, coaxed into cracking a coveted engineering entrance exam (they don't call it IIT for some reason). For, how else does the father who's invested all his money into his child's supposed dream see his pension scheme through?

The film shines much-needed light on a common Indian teenaged nightmare, as sincerely presented in stand-up comedian Biswa Kalyan Rath's rather under-rated Amazon Prime series, Laakhon Mein Ek (2018). While sticking to searing realism — getting its time-setting, the year 1998 right, down to baggy trousers, and Force 10 type sneakers — the filmmakers manage to give the hero, Emraan Hashmi, a filmy sort of entry, smartly slipping in a soothing ballad, as well. Well done!

Hashmi plays a one-man racketeer who sneaks in smart kids, with counterfeit hall tickets, to max entrance tests on behalf of rich children, sitting at home, paying their way to top colleges as a result. You sort of know where the film might be going with this. And, maybe, that's the problem. Proxy contestants at overcrowded competitive exams for key educational institutions, where even well-prepared students wait for Godot to get in, is a huge multi-crore, organised industry, involving a system wholly corrupted, from top to bottom. Technology would have plugged some of the holes already; one's unaware to what extent.

If you haven't heard as much about this underworld, one should legitimately blame the news media for it — particularly in the case of the 2013 Vyapam (Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board) Scam, for instance, where close to 40 people, most of them whistleblowers, have mysteriously died, while the investigations are still on (or not quite) —but largely under-reported in the mainstream press.

And I thought this is what the film could be about — unearthing an earth-shaking scandal that should ideally knock you off your head. But, no, this is a film that attempts to combine strong commentary on the education/examination system, with a high-paced, heist thriller, with belaboured twists and turns, while trying to balance all of it with the urban slickness and high-life that Hashmi's inevitably romantically inclined, unscrupulous characters aspire for, and achieve, in his typical capers.

Watch Why Cheat India Trailer

So whatever fault you may find in the film possibly exists in the story/script to start with. And perhaps the reason is Hashmi himself, for he can't help but get on the big screen with strong baggage of the sort of flicks that have made him the star he is. The audience is obviously to blame for it, and the fact that Hashmi remains still an under-rated actor, because he is hardly commercially lauded for parts where he wholly goes off the beaten path — Dibakar Banerjee's Shanghai (2012), I'm told, tanked; Danis Tanovic's Tigers (2018) went straight to OTT (Zee 5), both being his career's best works.

And so he goes back to being himself: the trademarked flawed hero, who eventually justifies his wily actions as a natural outcome of a multiple-choice, rote-learning system that gives very few kids a choice beyond acing it to get ahead. How a scamster like his character is the solution still, and not the issue, is beyond me. Have to say though, what the audience will empathise with is the fact that far too few fine courses/colleges exist for far too many desi children: a progressively massive problem staring us in the face and an even uglier future. This affects everyone. To be fair, the government is just as clueless on how to deal with it as this totally confusing 'pop-con' pic.

Also read: Emraan Hashmi: Change of Cheat India title is illogical, ridiculous

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One Less God

U/A: Drama, Thriller
Director: Lliam Worthington
Cast: Joseph Mahler Taylor, Sukhraj Deepak, Mihika Rao
Rating: 

As a film that hopes to capture the terror heralded by the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai, 'One Less God' is rather feeble, nondescript and ineffective. The scope is narrow and the budget too small to do justice to a disaster that is amongst the most unforgettable in recent history. This is drama written around a real-life crisis but at no point does it feel real. The 2008 Mumbai attacks included a series of terrorist strikes that felled 164 people across south Mumbai - carried out by 10 members of the Laskar-e-Taiba, an Islamic terrorist organisation based in Pakistan. But none of that drama or tragedy is captured here with any grit or enticement.

The Mumbai siege is presented in a slap-dash fashion that never really gets the audience involved. The focus is largely on the Taj Mahal hotel and what it's guests went through in the final hours before their falling victim to the terrorist onslaught. The film focuses its efforts on the men and women attempting to survive, while intermittently cutting across to the two men perpetrating the attack. The bits of humour that creep in at odd times appears to be in bad taste.

Check out the trailer here:

Everything here seems rather pretentious and ineffective. The general cross-national mix of characters, their touristy experiences and the aftermath of the siege may have some diverse moments but we never feel attached or interested enough to be affected. There are barely any validating moments here. The performances are bad, the direction is sloppy, there are continuity breaks that look ridiculous, the art direction and production values leave a lot to be desired. Even the attempt to go one-up on the much awaited Dev Patel, Armie Hammer, Nazanin Boniadi, Jason Isaacs starrer 'Hotel Mumbai'- (a film that covers the same territory), by releasing earlier, reeks of Opportunism.

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The Wife
Director: Bjorn Runge
Cast: Glenn Close, Jonathan Pryce, Christian Slater
Rating: 

The two lead performances are what make The Wife so special. In this unsettling drama - an adaptation of the 2003 Meg Wolitzer novel by Jane Anderson - Glenn Close plays Joan, the wife of a Nobel Prize-winning writer Joseph Castleman (Jonathan Pryce).

Directed by Bjorn Runge, The Wife opens in 1992 when Joe and Joan Castleman, in their Connecticut home, are trying to fall asleep when they get a call from the Nobel academy, informing them of the prize. It's their moment of triumph after 40 years of struggle with the written word, in which Joan, supposedly, has played a largely complementary role. Of course, there are flashbacks that hint at her own phenomenal ability to write prose, stifled by a marriage that demands she subjugate her talents to a life of reflected glory in a period (late '50s and early '60s), where women writers were not given the importance they command today.

There's no great suspense or mystery powering this tale of a breakdown that spirals into tragedy at the crowning moment of an author's accomplishments. In fact, Runge doesn't appear to be as interested in developing the suspense as he is in showcasing the unravelling of a suppressed human mind.

Close literally steals the thunder with her role as the devoted wife of a celebrated novelist. She is the keeper of his deepest, darkest secret; a stunningly nuanced expressionism that is more than likely to take your breath away. The restraint and modulation she brings to the role are simply phenomenal. It's a performance that is deservedly walking away with a slew of awards.

Pryce is no mean performer either. His role may not garner much sympathy, but his act complements that of Close so well that you begin to believe in their togetherness.

The Wife is a little compact and contrived, given its novel origins. The attempt to complicate matters for the Castlemans by showcasing their troubled relationship with their budding novelist son, David, seems passé. Also, Joan's seething frustrations don't seem completely justified, even whilst considering the period they take wings in. While the movie is not a great piece of work, the lead artistes definitely are worthy contenders for the awards.

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The Tashkent Files
U/A; Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Director: Vivek Agnihotri
Cast: Mithun Chakraborty, Naseeruddin Shah, Shweta Basu Prasad, Mandira Bedi, Pallavi Joshi, Rajesh Sharma, Vinay Pathak, Pankaj Tripathi, Vishwa Mohan Badola, Prakash Belawadi, Achint Kaur, Prashant Gupta
Ratings: 

Based on true incidents, director Vivek Agnihotri's Tashkent Files, is a fictionalised film with cinematic liberties. In form, it is a blend between a courtroom drama and an online game with different task levels. In purpose, while seeking answers to the mysterious death of India's second Prime Minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri, who died on January 11, 1966, in Tashkent, it implores you, as a citizen of the nation, to question for, "your right to truth".

The film has a kind of stark simplicity: Apart from a brief set-up and a briefer epilogue, a major portion of the film takes place within the four walls of an inquiry commission which is so akin to a jury room, as nine prominent and responsible citizens headed by politician Shyam Sundar Tripathi (Mithun Chakarobarty) debate on the "common conspiracy theory", that surrounds Shastri's demise.

It is an open fact, and no denying it, that there have been various theories surrounding the mysterious death. The Shyam Sundar Tripathi Commission is set up after the investigative journalist Raagini Phule (Shweta Basu Prasad) is coerced by an anonymous well-wisher cum source, into writing an article that digs into the nation's past.

The well-wisher dishes out nuggets of information via a telephonic conversation which appear like stages of an online game.

Soon, Raagini is also roped into the Commission for being a journalist who has done a lot of investigation on the subject. She propels the narrative and drives home her point based on the Mitrokhin Archive II, which is a collection of handwritten notes made secretly by the Russian KGB defector Vasili Mitrokhin.

Dedicated to the journalists of India, the film, on the face of it appears balanced, but the tone and texture of the narrative definitely appear slanted. Sample this; "Gau bhakt, topi pehnewala baba, kaun the?" This question subtly and surely ignites a sense of underlying brotherhood that forces an ignorant viewer to seek the truth.

And so, on the pretext of speaking the truth, the narrative digs out the bitter and indigestible political history of our country. Also, while smirking at our democracy and our education system, the film makes each one of us feel guilty as it opens a Pandora's Box but shows us nothing that we are not aware of. And the last frame, stating that the facts mentioned in the Mitrokhin Archives have not been proved or verified till date, clearly shows that the plot along with the dialogues, is clever and manipulative.

This is a film where tension comes from personality conflict, dialogue and body language, not action. The drama within the confines of the claustrophobic room appear forced and staged.

On the performance front, the film is Shweta Basu Prasad's canvas. She is effective as the ambitious, yet vulnerable Raagini. She holds her steady against the dynamic Mithun Chakraborty, who gives an equally new and varied dimension to his Shyam Sundar Tripathi.

The duo are aptly supported by an ensemble cast which includes; Pankaj Tripathi as Gangaram Jha, Mandira Bedi as the social activist Indira Joseph Roy, Pallavi Joshi on a wheelchair as the historian Aiysha Ali Shah, Rajesh Sharma as a prominent government contractor Omkar Kashyap, Vishwa Mohan Badola as the aging Justice Kurian Abraham, Prakash Belawadi as the senior bureaucrat GK Anantha Suresh and Prashant Gupta as Vivendra Pratap Singh Rana, all members of the commission.

Naseeruddin Shah as the master brain politician PKR Natrajan and Vinay Pathak with a scarred visage as Mukhtar, the person who helps Shweta unearth the mystery in Tashkent, have their moments of onscreen glory.

Mounted with ace production values, the visuals of the film do not boast of any cinematic brilliance. The songs with the lyrics, "saare jahan se achcha" and "sach jalta hain" are lost in the narrative.

Overall, with aggressive pacing, the film is well-researched and potent in nature. But with the timing of its release and the undertones in its messaging, this film appears to be a propaganda film that neither ignites any patriotic fervour nor journalistic appeal.

Also Read: Vivek Agnihotri's The Tashkent Files lands in legal trouble

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Amid the rising number of coronavirus cases across the city, the Mumbai Police on Monday took to Twitter to thank Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar for his humble contribution towards the Mumbai Police foundation amid the COVID-19 crisis.

Mumbai Police thanks @akshaykumar for contributing Rs. 2 Crore to the Mumbai Police Foundation. Your contribution will go a long way in safeguarding the lives of those who are committed to safeguarding the city - the men and women of Mumbai Police!#MumbaiPoliceFoundation

— CP Mumbai Police (@CPMumbaiPolice) April 27, 2020

While extending a thank you note to the action-superstar of the B-Town industry, Mumbai Police said that the contribution will help to safeguard the lives of the Mumbai Police personnel who are committed to safeguarding the city to fight the global pandemic.

In the past too, Sooryavanshi actor donated Rs 3 crore to help the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in order to help them to make rapid testing kits, personal protection equipments and face masks in its battle against the deadly virus.

#RohitShetty has facilitated eight hotels across the city for our on-duty #CovidWarriors to rest, shower & change with arrangements for breakfast & dinner.

We thank him for this kind gesture and for helping us in #TakingOnCorona and keeping Mumbai safe.

— Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) April 21, 2020

Besides helping Mumbai Police and the country's richest civic body, Akshay also contributed Rs 25 crores to the PM CARES fund to help the country fight the epidemic. Earlier, Mumbai police expressed gratitude to Bollywood director Rohit Shetty for facilitating eight hotels across the city for Mumbai police personnel.

Thanking Rohit Shetty for his kind gesture, Mumbai Police said that the facility would help on-duty corona warriors to rest, shower and change with arrangements for breakfast and dinner.

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Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Mayor Kishori Pednekar on Monday informed that the total number of containment zones in the city is now 1036.

"There has been a significant drop in the number of containment zones in Mumbai," Pednekar said. The Mayor said that many zones are out of the list as they reported zero COVID19 cases in the last two weeks. "231 zones are out of the containment zone list after they didn't record a single COVID-19 positive patient for the last 14 days," she added.

According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total number of positive COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra is 8,068. Till now, 1,076 people have either been cured and discharged, while 342 deaths have been reported in the state.

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This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

The fight against Coronavirus is a constantly evolving one and is mainly reactive at the present moment in many contexts.

The BEST authorities are putting into place a plan which reduces the number of conductors in the few big, reds plying the city.

This is because, as a report stated in this newspaper, a few from the BEST workforce have contracted the Coronavirus. They are now going to run buses, some being already operational in this manner, with a driver and no conductor. The commuters will have to pay at the end of the journey.

It is important that the few passengers we see in buses today, follow rules whether there is a conductor or not. Maintain social distance in the bus, even if there is no conductor to enforce this.

Adults must know that the distancing is mandated for their safety and the security of their family too, so one surely does not and should not need somebody literally telling them to observe social distancing.

Ride in the bus wearing a mask, and do not slip it off your face or hang it around the neck during the journey. Do get on at the proper stop and follow correct etiquette even while alighting. Do pay the correct fare for the journey you took.

We must recognise that this is special, though necessary, service for workers and those providing essential services, thus necessitating commuting during these times.

The report also cited a BEST Kamghar Sanghatna official opposed to keeping conductors out, saying this was a ruse to start one-man operations amid Coronavirus.

Dialogue must ensure that there is transparency and talks within the Undertaking which is facing so many challenges — Coronavirus or not. May all do the BEST for Mumbai.

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With the Railways refusing to comply with Maharashtra's request to help migrants reach their hometowns, the state government is working out its own plans to despatch them. Sources said the government has roped in the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) for help.

An internal plan of just one district — Yavatmal by MSRTC (a copy of which is with mid-day) has revealed that it has lined up 115 buses to 15 state capitals. In an unprecedented gesture, these buses will travel around 1,000 to 1,800 km to drop off over 2,000 migrants and return back to base. Mentioning about the cost element, the letter has sought a sum of R1.35 crore from the district collector to release the buses as per the plan.

Labourers wait in a queue to collect Ifatri food packets at Kidvai Nagar in Wadala on Monday

Sources also said that the state government is negotiating with other states to accept the proposal and two states - Odisha and Uttar Pradesh have displayed readiness. However, a few states have claimed that they do not have enough money to arrange transportation for the migrants and also conduct the COVID-19 testing at the same time. Therefore, they want either Maharashtra or the Union government to spend on transportation which can be a contentious point in the entire deal.
However, MSRTC officials said the plan was still under consideration and nothing has been finalised yet.

Moreover, MSRTC and transport department officials said that meetings have been held at Mantralaya about these issues and discussions have been going on with various stakeholders. But as of now, no final decision has been taken yet.

The delay is because it involves stakeholders from other states and there are issues like streamlining the process and to develop a standard operating procedure to allow Maharashtra state buses into their state borders. A comprehensive plan involving all stakeholders needs to be arrived at so that the transport becomes smooth from end to end. This is besides the decision of who will bear the expenses of the journey.

Buses for students in Raj?
The MSRTC has also proposed to run another 91 buses from six bus depots to get about 1,764 medical students stranded in Rajasthan back home. Sources said since it is a long road journey, the buses will have two drivers. Of the 1,764 students, about 23 are from Mumbai, Thane and Palghar districts. However, MSRTC spokesperson denied this saying that no plan has been finalised yet.

17,000
Total no. of buses with MSRTC

115
Total no. of buses lined up from Yavatmal

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After the death of three police personnel due to COVID-19, the Mumbai police are telling constables aged above 55 years and those having existing ailments to immediately proceed on leave. The option for the paid leave was made available on Monday and will last till the lockdown.

Accordingly, the police top brass has directed police stations and traffic divisions to give leave to such constables. If a constable still wishes to come to work, he will be allowed to.

Traffic cops are most vulnerable as their work involves highest people-to-people contact

The three deaths in the Mumbai police workforce occurred within 48 hours. Wanting to save the rest of their colleagues who might be especially vulnerable, senior officers have given clear instructions.

"We have given orders to police stations and traffic divisions to give leave to constables aged beyond 55 years. Those having serious health issues have also been advised to take rest," said Param Bir Singh, commissioner of Mumbai police.

A policeman checks a car at Bhendi Bazar. Pic/Ashish Raje

"On Sunday, we asked for information from the headquarters about constables aged between 50 to 52, 52 to 55 and 55 to 58 years and any ailments they might have," said a senior police officer on condition of anonymity.

Health experts have observed that people aged above 50 and having health issues such as diabetes, asthma and heart conditions are more susceptible to the Coronavirus. "Since the beginning of the lockdown, we had asked our senior inspectors and traffic division in-charges to assign desk duties to constables aged above 50 years, with minimal contact with outsiders," said another officer. "Yet we lost three personnel. Hence, we are enforcing the policy further to avoid more fatalities," added the officer.

Deputy Commissioner of Police and spokesperson for Mumbai police, Pranaya Ashok said, "The message is loud and clear — cops aged above 50 should not be posted in hotspots or in containment zones. In fact, they should serve for tasks that involve minimum social contact. Now we are going a step forward by giving constables aged above 55 years the option to go on leave."

"Enforcing law and order is our priority but saving the lives of our men is also our duty. Therefore, we have given such constables the option to stay home April 27 onwards till the end of the lockdown. Traffic cops have the most contact with people, making them the most vulnerable," said a senior officer from the traffic police.

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The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Monday claimed that around 75 per cent of the nursing homes in the city have restarted services, after its warning of cancelling their licences if they did not do so, on Saturday. The municipal commissioner has ordered the cancellation of licences of the remaining 25 per cent nursing homes. Action will also be taken against private clinics who continue to remain shut, under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897.

Warning issues
The associations of doctors, nursing homes have expressed fear to work during the COVID-19 pandemic without proper safety kits and strict guidelines. The BMC has several times offered to provide safety kits but most private clinics and nursing homes remain closed due to fear of transmission of COVID-19. On Saturday, the BMC warned nursing homes and clinics to restart immediately and refer patients who have symptoms of COVID-19 to its centres. On Monday, the BMC claimed that out of 1,416 nursing homes, 1,068 have restarted their service. "Out of 99 dialysis centres, 89 are working," said an officer with the health department of the BMC.

According to the press note issued by the civic corporation, the municipal commissioner has ordered the health department to start the process of cancelling licences of the 348 nursing homes which haven't started services yet.

Mayor in nurse's uniform

Mayor Kishori Pednekar visited Nair hospital to meet the nurses

Kishori Pednekar, mayor of Mumbai and a former nurse, donned on a nurse's uniform and visited the COVID-19-only Nair hospital on Monday morning. She was there to encourage nurses. The mayor will visit Sion hospital on Tuesday to communicate with nurses. Pednekar followed social distancing norms during her visit. "I was a nurse by profession and am aware of their challenges. I am getting many calls from nurses and their parents who expressed fear. This is a challenging time and we all should fight the pandemic," said Pednekar.

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To increase efficiency, effectiveness of patrolling and to give the city's foot soldiers some much-needed rest, the Mumbai police department has decided to adopt a new duty pattern.

Under the new pattern, the constabulary and officers will have to work 12 hours post which they will get a 24-hour break. Apart from doctors and health workers, cops too have been busy fighting the COVID-19 pandemic on the frontline. However, after constables (three already) started losing their lives to COVID-19, the top brass decided to set up a new duty pattern.

Accordingly, a new 12-hour shift has been introduced in the force. In this, personnel at police stations will be divided into three units, each working a 12-hour shift. "Duty will start at 8 am and end at 8 pm, when the next batch will come for night duty," a senior police officer said. "Whichever cop finishes his/her 12-hour duty at night, they will go home and come back to work the next day at 8 pm," added the officer.

This duty pattern will give each officer rest of a good 24 hours. "Even if this duty looks like 12 hours, a lot of multitasking is expected on this job as it includes patrolling, nakabandi and other activities. This makes cops new duty timings doable in such tough situations. As there are hardly any crimes happening in the area, the duty load has reduced," another a senior police officer said.

"Also, when an officer or constable gets more than 12 hours off, they can look after the families and their own health which will improve their immunity," the officer added.

Out of 94 police stations, 74 have adopted the new duty pattern and the rest will follow. "This duty pattern does leave me with a smaller force, but it reduces their exposure to the virus. As a frontline worker, we can't think about avoiding crowded places, but we can be well prepared for it," a senior Inspector from Eastern Region said.

"We have given instructions to all Zonal DCPs to chalk out a plan which will give a 12-hour duty and 24-hour rest to cops. We have to take care of our men, too. Currently, feedback from cops is good," Mumbai Police Commissioner, Param Bir Singh said.

Third cop succumbs to COVID-19

A third cop has died from COVID-19, taking the casualty toll among city cops to three. Head Constable Shivaji Sonawane, 56, attached to Kurla Traffic division, died on Monday. He was turned down by four hospitals on April 21, when his 25-year-old son tried tp get him admitted. Sonawane, a resident of Kurla's Kamani area, had a fever since April 20. The GP gave him medication and advised him to visit a hospital if he did not get relief. His fever did not subside and he started to feel breathless.

Sharad, Sonawane's son, took him to Rajawadi Hospital, Ghatkopar, on April 21, to get him admitted, but was told to take him to Kasturba. He was turned out at Kasturba, over no beds and at Nair and KEM too. Finally, it was after Kurla traffic division in-charge spoke to the Bhoiwada senior inspector that Sonawane was admitted at KEM Hospital.

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COVID-19 has now reached the doorstep of the state government, with four Mantralaya staff members testing positive for it. The state health department officials confirmed 27 deaths in Maharashtra, which was the highest number reported in a single day and the state's count of cases climbed to 8,590.

Civic officials said that of the four Mantralaya staffers, three tested positive on Sunday while one was confirmed on Monday. "They were on duty and include a sweeper and a driver. Contact tracing is underway and we will test the high-risk contacts," said a civic official. The official added that a portion of Mantralaya may be cordoned off if necessary. Guardian Minister Aslam Shaikh said that the staffers were taken to Kasturba Hospital for testing.

Four more ward boys of the TB Hospital in Sewri tested positive on Sunday taking the total count of infected staff members to 14. "One of the ward boys had directly gone to Kasturba Hospital and was admitted with symptoms. He has been shifted to the ENT Hospital. Two others are Thane residents and had sore throats," said Dr Lalitkumar Anande, medical superintendent of the TB Hospital, adding that two of the ward boys have been kept in isolation at the staff quarters.

No new cases in Mahim, Dadar
The number of cases in Dharavi continued to rise with 13 new cases reported on Monday. Majority of the new patients were senior citizens taking the total count in the area to 288. Civic officials said that no new cases were reported from Dadar and Mahim for three consecutive days and while 17 patients were discharged from Dadar, nine were discharged from Mahim on Monday.

The cumulative cases in Mumbai city are 5,776 while the total cumulative deaths here are 219. State health officials said that there were 522 new cases in Maharashtra, of which 369 were from Mumbai. Of the 27 deaths, 15 were from Mumbai, six in Amravati, four in Pune and one each in Jalgaon and Aurangabad. Among the deceased patients, 22 suffered from other ailments including diabetes and hypertension.

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No one informed us that my brother had been killed. We heard about his death on news," said Rakesh Tiwari, the brother of Kalpavrishkgiri Chikne Maharaj who was lynched in Palghar earlier this month, from Uttar Pradesh's Bhadohi taluka where the deceased priest's family lives.

On the night of April 16, a frenzied mob of close to 450 tribals lynched 70-year-old Chikne Maharaj, another priest and their driver, suspecting them to be thieves, at Gadchinchale village. While the incident made headlines across the nation, Chikne Maharaj's family learnt about his death only two days later.

Rakesh told mid-day over the phone that neither the police nor the authorities in the state informed them about his demise. We learnt through the news two days later that Kalpavrishkgiri had been brutally murdered in Palghar, he said.

Kalpavrishkgiri had left his home in Uttar Pradesh at the age of nine and was reunited with his family after 20-long years. When Kalpavrishkgiri was nine years old, he left home for Gramsabha Bhusavla school at Bhadohi one day, and never returned. We searched for him across the town but didn't find him." After reuniting with him 26 years later, the family learnt that he had gone to Nashik to become a monk, Rakesh said.

"We found his address when Kalpavrishkgiri was about 35-year-old and learnt that he had become a priest. After leaving UP, he had gone to Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple to become a monk and later moved to Mumbai. He was a priest at Vandevi temple at Jogeshwari East. We accepted him and I used to meet him whenever I visited Mumbai."

Kalpavrishkgiri wanted to attend the last rites of our mother, who died on March 22, said Rakesh, adding that he couldn't make it to Uttar Pradesh due to the lockdown in Mumbai announced by the Maharashtra government in an attempt to contain the spread of the novel Coronavirus.

"On March 22, I called to my brother to inform him about our mother's demise, but due to the restrictions he could not attend her funeral. He was our mother's favourite son," Rakesh told mid-day. Rakesh said, "Our wish was to attend my brother's final rites but we received the information very later and that too from the media."

He also accused the police of failing to save his brothers and the two others with him. The videos clearly show that the police surrendered my brother to the mob, who then brutally thrashed him to death, said Rakesh, adding that the police could have saved Kalpavrishkgiri.

"Not a single police officer informed us about his death," Rakesh told mid-day.

Tilghate was driving Chikne Maharaj and Sushil Giri to Surat where the duo were headed to attend the last rites of a head priest, Ramgiri Maharaj. However, they came across the tribals, who were enraged by the rumours that a gang of child lifters were active in the region. While the police maintain that close to 450 people were part of the mob, a local leader had said as many as 2,500 tribals had gatheredthat night.

16 April
Day the two priests and their driver were lynched

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Every day for over 10 days, a 39-year-old mechanic has been driving down to Mumbai from his house in Virar, to sanitise the vehicles of the police and the BMC. Vijay Kumar Babanna Rajappa runs a small garage opposite the Siddhivinayak temple at Prabhadevi. It has been closed since the lockdown, but Rajappa, who wanted to do something for our frontline warriors in the battle against COVID-19, has been helping them free of cost. So far he has sanitised over 150 vehicles.

Rajappa has sanitised all the vehicles of police stations at Shivaji Park, Mahim, Dadar, Virar and Arnala. He was given a letter of appreciation from many police stations for this. "We gave a letter of appreciation to Rajappa for helping the police department by sanitising our vehicles including mobile vans, cars, beat Marshal's bikes etc. It protects us from this virus while traveling from one place to another place," said Sunayana Nate, inspector of Dadar police station.

Virar corporator Maya Chaudhary said, "We took Rajappa's help to sanitise municipal emergency service vehicles, buses, police vehicles and auto rickshaws in Vasai-Virar. Rajappa is doing great work without charging for it. We have also asked him to sanitise vehicles used by doctors, nurses and ward officers."

'Keeping our police safe'
"Every day the police deal with many people including accused and have to take them to police stations or courts. Currently these may include COVID-19 positive people. The accused touch many areas inside the vehicle. So I decided to clean their vehicles and keep all our police personnel safe from the danger. I also clean the bikes of beat Marshals. If their vehicles are safe, they are safe," said Rajappa.

Rajappa even explained the process of cleaning the vehicles. At first he washes a vehicle with water from both inside and out. "Then I wash it with diesel and dry the entire vehicle. Then I use a litre of water mixed with sanitiser and apply it to the vehicle. It takes me an hour to completely clean a car. I use a sanitiser which is WHO and FDA-approved. It is only used on the metallic body of cars and bikes."

'Sanitisation helps'
He added, "If a person who is infected by COVID-19 travels in the car, there are chances it can spread to others who use the vehicle. The air-conditioning can also increase chances of spreading this virus, but if we sanitise the vehicle, there are no chances of the virus spreading." He claimed after a vehicle is sanitised, it is safe for about 15 days. He now wants to approach hospitals to sanitise ambulances.

Rajappa has been working as a mechanic since 1999. The usual charges for deep washing of vehicles are around R300-R500 each, but he has not been charging for the same.

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The Palghar pot is boiling with the Communist Party of India Marxist (CPI-M) saying they are going to file defamation cases against a couple of BJP leaders for defaming CPI-M, by making baseless claims against them for the lynching of the two priests and their driver in Gadchinchale village. Mumbai's Ashok Dhawale, Central Committee member, CPI-M said, "We will file the case shortly. When the CPI-M says something, it always goes ahead and never backwards."

The roots
Dhawale explained that the Communists have had their imprint in the whole of Dahanu and Talasari tehsil. "It has been our base since 1945 when Comrade Godavari Parulekar led the revolt of the tribals against landlordism and bonded labour. This is how deep our roots go into this land. We have the MLA seat in Dahanu, with the dashing Vinod Nikole defeating the BJP sitting MLA in 2019."

Work done
On accusations that it is the Communists and this party that foment violence, leading to mob frenzy and agitation, Dhawale shot back, "We have worked for drinking water and water for irrigation. We drive movements for uplifting the health infrastructure in the region, we have schools, colleges and hostels in Talasari district. We have worked for women's issues, rations..."

Long march
Dhawale added as a Mumbai example, "It was the CPI-M that was at the forefront of the long march of farmers from Nashik to Mumbai in 2018. One of the demands was better implementation of the Forest Rights Act. There was no violence on that march, not a single car window was smashed. It was during this time that a BJP leader spoke about Urban Naxals and that term has stuck."

Bullet train
Another name swirling in the Palghar blame game is that of the Kashtakari Sanghatana. Dhawale said, "The Kashtakari Sanghatana and the CPI-M have had a prickly relationship.

However about three years ago, we came together to galvanise people in the area against the Bullet Train project. We have buried the hatchet so to speak, since."

Parliamentary process
In the end, Dhawale said that the CPI- M was totally against the Maoist violence in fringe pockets, "We have always been part of the Parliamentary process, right from Independence. We have unequivocally condemned the Palghar lynching; for the right wing to link it to us, to defame us, is simply nonsensical."

Go and file
Mumbai's Shriraj Nair, national spokesperson Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), slammed the CPI- M saying, "If any villager is innocent we support him. We are for tracking down the culprits of this crime. For years though, the CPI-M has been brainwashing villagers and conducting anti-Hindu activities. They are also anti-development."

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Ruling out lifting of lockdown after May 3 from across the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked states to decide on their lockdown guidelines depending on the prevailing situation on the ground. He said the pandemic was far from over and hence the country needed a balance between the lockdown and the efforts of keeping normalcy in daily life.

Modi told chief ministers on Monday that the lockdown had yielded positive results and the country had managed to save thousands of lives in the past 45 days.

"Our aim must be rapid response, and 'do gaz doori' (physical distancing)," he said, adding that the states where positive cases were higher should not be treated as criminals.

Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray is reported to have supported the lockdown where it is needed most. He also said on Sunday that the lockdown could be lifted after May 3 only if the situation allowed. Union Home Minister Amit Shah reaffirmed the need to enforce lockdown so that maximum lives were saved.

Amid rising concerns about a weakening economy, Modi said that efforts of states should be directed towards converting red zones into orange and thereafter to green zones.

"We have to be brave and bring in reforms that touch the lives of common citizens. We have to give importance to the economy as well as continue the fight against COVID-19. The impact of Coronavirus will remain visible in the coming months, masks and face covers will be part of our life," he said.

"India's population is comparable to that of the combined population of several countries. The situation in many countries, including India, was almost similar at the beginning of March. However, due to timely measures, India has been able to protect many people," the PM said, emphasising that the danger of the virus was far from over and constant vigilance was of paramount importance.

Cabinet meet tomorrow
He said, "This is the time we used technology as much as possible and utilised time to embrace reform measures," the PM said.

Sources said the Union cabinet would discuss the matter on Wednesday. In all likelihood, the decision on lifting or easing lockdown is expected to be announced at least four days before the deadline of May 3.

State home minister Anil Deshmukh who also participated in the CM's interaction with PM said in Nagpur that the red zones where higher cases of COVID existed would in probability continue to have lockdown."Orange and green zone may get lockdown relaxed and CM himself would announce about it," he said.

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The 73-year-old mother and wife of a police constable have tested positive for COVID-19 in neighbouring Navi Mumbai, an official said on Tuesday. The constable, who is attached to the Mumbai police, had tested positive for the infection earlier, while swab reports of his elderly mother and wife came out positive on Monday, public relations officer of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation Mahendra Konde said.

In another development, a 42-year-old heart patient, who died while being shifted to a hospital in Navi Mumbai, tested positive for coronavirus post death, the official said. A 57-year-old medical personnel of a civic hospital in Mumbai has contracted the infection, and at least 12 civic workers, who came in contact with her, were quarantined, a release from the Palghar district administration stated.

As per reports, the number of positive cases in Palghar stood at 146, of which 10 patients have succumbed to the infection. Meanwhile, as many as 41 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Maharashtra''s Thane district, taking the tally to 728 in the region and toll to 21, after two more died on Monday, an official from the district administration said.

With 41 patients, Mumbra town has recorded the highest number of cases in the district.

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After the death of three police constables within 48 hours, the police have rolled out a 10-point strategy to tackle the COVID-19 infection in its force that comprises around 45,000 personnel — both constables and officers. Apart from resting its senior members and changing duty patterns, the police have now begun administering Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) to cops along with multivitamin tablets. Provisions will also be made for stay and nutritional food for cops till the lockdown lasts.

This will go on till the lockdown lasts. Ever since the pandemic broke out, senior cops have been given desk jobs but the infection spread among a few policemen and their family members.

Also Read: Exclusive: After Third Cop Dies Of COVID-19, Mumbai Police Sends Personnel Above 55 On Leave

"Our personnel are risking their lives to protect the city. Keeping their personal health and immunity strong has been a major priority for us," DCP (PRO) Pranay Ashok told mid-day, adding, "We have initiated a strategy to tackle it."

Accordingly, all cops above 55 years of age have been asked to stay at home, cops above 52 years of age with previous medical conditions have also been asked to stay home. The duty hours will also be changed from 8-hour shifts to 12-hour shifts and giving cops 24 hours off after that.

Around 12,000 cops will soon be administered with HCQ under medical supervision. Multivitamin tablets and protein supplements too will be given to 20,000 cops to strengthen their immunity.

Apart from this, police personnel will have the following special services:

1. Designated hospitals and dedicated beds in all COVID hospitals.

2. COVID Helpline number for personnel and families at the control room to resolve any doubts or issues.

3. Adequate number of PPEs, face masks, hand-sanitisers, gloves, face shields.

4. Amenities like food packets, ration, hot water flasks, pandals at checkpoints

5. Accommodation facilities

6. '50 lakh ex-gratia amount to all personnel who lose their lives fighting COVID (by the government).

12,000
No. of cops who will soon be administered with HCQ under medical supervision

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Even as the number of positive COVID-19 cases continues to rise in the city, a new trend has left medical experts puzzled. While doctors had expected that TB patients would be more prone to the virus as their immune system is already weak, surprisingly only two such cases have been reported by the health department. Also, officials at the TB Hospital in Sewri said that while 14 of their staff members have tested positive, the infection has not spread to a single patient.

A senior official from the civic health department said that it might be too early to draw a conclusion but a study could be done to understand the correlation between the two. "So far, we have reports of two TB patients who have tested positive. However, there have been no deaths so far. One reason for the low numbers could be that we have given all TB patients medication for a month and have asked them to stay indoors," added the official.

BMC medicos heading towards Shastri Nagar slum on Tuesday. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

The trend has left Dr Lalitkumar Anande, medical superintendent of TB Hospital, surprised and has led him to believe that anti-TB drugs could be preventing such patients from contracting the virus. "One would have expected that the virus would have a fatal effect on TB patients since they are immunocompromised and their lungs are already damaged. However, here at the TB Hospital, we have not seen any such case yet," he added.

Dr Anande further said that laboratories like the National Institute of Virology in Pune could conduct studies on this since they have culture samples of TB as well as Coronavirus. "Anti-TB drugs penetrate the lipid coating of a TB organism similar to what hydroxychroloquine does to the Coronavirus strain. Anti-TB drugs could turn out to be an answer for Coronavirus. Studies regarding it need to be fast-tracked in order to understand how they react to each other," he said, adding that the research would also be able to ascertain whether the mycobacterium or the TB medication has an impact on the virus. While Sion Hospital reported two cases of TB patients suffering from COVID-19, the authorities of KEM and Rajawadi Hospital said that none of their COVID patients were suffering from TB.

'Evidence needed'
Speaking to mid-day, Dr Rajendra Nanaware, a chest physician, who deals with drug resistant TB cases, said, "Ideally, there should have been an increase in the number of TB patients suffering from Coronavirus since their immunity is already compromised. But I haven't seen any case so far."
Other pulmonologists in the city treating TB patients have noticed a similar trend but they are of the opinion that evidence is required before a trend can be verified.

Dr Lancelot Pinto, a pulmonologist with Hinduja Hospital, said that since the OPD of many hospitals have shut down, patients were not able to access healthcare. "Since chronic obstructive pulmonary disease has been identified as a risk factor among COVID-19 patients, intuitively, one would expect the cases of TB patients testing positive to be high. I have not seen any TB patient testing positive for the viral infection. But there is no evidence yet," he said.

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After 15 cases of Coronavirus among its workforce, including one death, the BEST Undertaking, that is currently the city's lifeline, has begun daily temperature checks of employees at entry points of all bus depots.

BEST officials said that of the 15 cases, two have been categorised under 'occupational exposure' — that is, the virus was probably caught by the patients at work. In the rest of the cases, employees came to work after already being exposed to the virus elsewhere. For example, one of the infected employees was residing in a Containment Zone and the one who died had visited his native place and had been hospitalised.

"Eventually, a picture goes out that the 15 BEST employees got Coronavirus while at work. The fact that they came to work after already having been exposed to the virus elsewhere is ignored and this aspect of occupational exposure goes unnoticed. Of the 15, seven are bus conductors, four are drivers, two are electricity department employees and two are from the transport engineering department," a BEST spokesperson said.

"Temperature guns have been provided at bus depot entry points and the body temperature of all employees is being checked when they enter the premises for work. Only after due recordings, employees are allowed to proceed to work," another senior official said.

The BEST also redrew its plans and omitted conductors from several buses after cases of employees contracting the virus at work surfaced and trade unions alleged poor standards of protection for the staff.

"We had been warning since day one. The BEST has woken up after 35 days, now that employees are testing positive. Still, better late than never," said BEST Kamgar Sanghatna general secretary Jagnayaran Kahar. The union had organised a 'Demand Day' on April 21 seeking safety for BEST workers.

Conductor beats COVID-19
A BEST conductor of Goregaon depot, who has a history of asthma, and a resident of Mira Road, was admitted at Tambe hospital as a COVID-19 positive case since April 13. On Tuesday, he was discharged from the hospital.

Made to sign undertaking: BEST Power staff

BEST Power employees said that they have been forced to sign an undertaking that says they have not come in contact with Coronavirus patients and that no one in their family is positive. A BEST spokesperson said that the undertaking was necessitated because, in 13 of the 15 positive cases, the virus was probably caught by the workers elsewhere. The spokesperson added that the understanding is required to maintain a database.

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Mumbai on Tuesday reported the highest death toll due to COVID-19 in a single day. There was a significant increase in the number of cases in Aurangabad and Malegaon. State health officials recorded 729 new cases in Maharashtra and 31 deaths, taking the state's total to 400 deaths. Apart from 25 deaths in Mumbai, four were recorded in Jalgaon and two in Pune. Maharashtra now has 9,318 postive cases.

393 new cases in city
Civic officials said a total of 25 deaths were reported in the city on Tuesday. Of these, five died between April 23-25, and 17 of them were suffering from other ailments. According to the civic body, 393 new infections were confirmed in the city on Tuesday. The patients are admitted in isolation wards and are undergoing treatment.

After a dip in the number of cases, the COVID-19 count rose in G North ward with 42 new cases in Dharavi, five in Mahim and four in Dadar. Four deaths were also reported in Dharavi. Civic officials said two of the patients who died — a 60-year-old man and a 60-year -old woman — had tested positive earlier and died at Sion Hospital while undergoing treatment.

Total 18 deaths in Dharavi so far
Two other patients — a 48-year old man from Kasarwadi and a 55-year-old man from Social Nagar in Dharavi — were confirmed to have contracted the deadly respiratory disease and died at KEM Hospital on Tuesday. As of now, a total of 330 positive cases and 18 deaths have been reported from Dharavi.

Civic officials said that seven of the infected people are residents of 90 feet road, while four others are from Mukund Nagar, and majority of them were aged below 60 years. In Mahim, a 35-year-old female resident of the police colony tested positive and the total number of cases in the area has jumped to 30. In Dadar, two 44 -year-old male residents of the municipal quarters and a 47-year-old woman from the police colony have tested positive.

On Monday, four staffers from the Mantralaya had tested positive. After tracing their contacts, civic officials said that they identified around 25 high-risk contacts and all of them have been tested. Their test results, however, are still awaited. Meanwhile, one COVID-19 patient with severe symptoms was given plasma therapy that will help the patient fight the infection.

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Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Aditya Nath was quick to call his Maharashtra counterpart Uddhav Thackeray after two Hindu sadhus associated with Kashi's Juna Akhara were lynched by a mob in Palghar last week.

On Tuesday, Thackeray responded by ringing up the UP CM to express his concern over the murder of two sadhus in Bulandshahar. Thackeray said he was expecting Palghar-like prompt police action in arresting the culprits and suggested not giving a communal colour to the incident.

According to a Maharashtra CMO release, Thackeray told Yogi that he was with the UP government in protesting against the heinous crime. Yogi's response was not known.

Thackeray had assured Yogi that the Palghar incident wasn't communal, but a fall-out of rumour-mongering. The government and Opposition continue to exchange barbs and accusations as the lynching is being probed.

Thackeray had issued a warning against communalising the Palghar incident with a special emphasis on the Hindi-speaking religious leaders who threatened to march towards Maharashtra to seek answers from the CM.

When the Palghar issue seemed to be alive, more so because of a police case against a news anchor, the anti-BJP lobby raked up the UP killing asking right-wingers many questions. Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant questioned the silence over the UP incident. "This happened in a BJP-ruled state. The BJP politicised the Palghar lynching but is now keeping silent," he said.

April 16
The day three men were lynched in Palghar

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A senior citizen from Kalina, Anwari Begum, 70, died after three top hospitals in the city refused to give her dialysis without her COVID-19 test results being in, the woman's family has claimed. The test results, which arrived on Monday, returned negative.

Begum had been undergoing dialysis at Guru Nanak Hospital in Bandra East for the past one year. Her last dialysis at the hospital was on April 18, when a COVID-19 positive patient was found in the hospital. The hospital asked her to visit on April 22 — which was also the day of her next dialysis — for a COVID-19 test.

Anwari Begum's two sons (from left) Zakaria Shaikh, Haroon Shaikh and Mohammed Hasan (right ) her son-in-law

"My mother-in-law's COVID-19 test was done on Wednesday, April 22. She was also supposed to get dialysis on the same day but the hospital refused, saying they will do it only after her test results come, which was going to take 48 hours. On Thursday, she had severe pain and needed the dialysis urgently. So we went to the hospital around 4 pm but they refused as her reports were pending. We waited for over two hours at the hospital, but they did not listen," said Mohammed Hasan, Begum's son-in-law.

"After Guru Nanak, we approached Nanavati Hospital. Many other patients like us were stopped at the gate. They took her files and after two hours, enquired about her COVID-19 test report and said that they are not taking outside patients. Some from the family took her to Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital around 8.30 pm and I went to look for a dialysis centre in Kalina and Sakinaka. At Kokilaben, my family was asked to finish formalities, which took two hours, but they too refused to treat her," Hasan said.

Guru Nanak Hospital in Bandra East. File pic

Found help, but too late
Dialysis patients all over the city have been suffering amid the Coronavirus pandemic. Despite guidelines from the State Health Department that do not necessitate a COVID-19 test for patients needing dialysis and only ask hospitals to take universal precautions, hospitals across the city are refusing to treat patients without the test.

Hospitals say that they are overburdened due to the closure of dialysis centres which has increased the volume of patients with kidney ailments and that they cannot accommodate every patient.

Hasan approached Axon Hospital in Sakinaka, which said that the dialysis centre is closed as their staff is unwell. "I requested them explaining the condition of my mother-in-law and pleaded with folded hands to have mercy. I also promised to pay whatever amount is required. After some time, the concerned doctor listened to me and called his dialysis staff. My mother-in-law reached the hospital around 11 pm. At 11.30 pm, the assistant doctor told me that her condition has worsened."
Begum died shortly after that. Her test results, which came on Monday, showed her negative for Coronavirus.

"The funeral was performed the next day at 10 am. Sometime later, I received a call from the person who had referred us to the nephrologist at Guru Nanak Hospital. He was apparently told by someone from the hospital that my mother tested positive. We live in a joint family and everyone panicked but no one from the hospital called us. A few days later, we got her report, which was negative," Hasan said.

According to BMC's Health Department, a COVID-19 test is not mandatory for dialysis patients. "Everyone has to take universal precautions, a COVID-19 test report is not mandatory," said Dr. Daksha Shah, BMC's deputy executive health officer.

"24 hours after sanitising the dialysis centre, the hospital can resume services as per the guidelines. If they suspect a patient to be positive, he/she can be quarantined," Dr Shah added.

'Followed task force rules'
Guru Nanak Hospital defended itself saying it was just following guidelines of the state government's task force committee, as per which, an affected dialysis centre must close for fumigation and surface cleaning. "Our dialysis centre is open 24x7. That day, a COVID-19 case was reported. As per the rules, we had to shut the dialysis centre for 24 hours, sanitise the area and quarantine the staff. Around seven workers from the dialysis centre were quarantined. They have tested negative," said Dr. Narendra Sharma, spokesperson of the hospital, who did not clearly remember on which day the case was reported.

"Dialysis patients travel through Containment Zones. Despite taking all precautions, such incidents are happening, which is the biggest challenge for us," Sharma said.

"As per my knowledge, the case was reported on Saturday. We needed the dialysis on Thursday. That makes five days. Why did Guru Nanak Hospital refuse to treat her when it is supposed to be shut only for 24 hours?" Hasan said.

Dr. Santosh Shetty, executive director and CEO, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, said, "We are not testing our existing dialysis patients. We take patients' history and screen them before every dialysis. Currently, we have nearly 200 patients on dialysis. We are following BMC and state task force's guidelines."

While the spokesperson of Nanavati Super Speciality Hospital said, "Nanavati Hospital is one of the very few quaternary care medical facilities in Mumbai to provide dialysis treatment for COVID-19 patients. Thus the high influx of patients ensures dialysis beds reserved for patients as per their COVID-19 status are occupied. However, the unavailability of a bed is immediately communicated to the patient or their family."

Apr 22
Day Anwari Begum was tested for Coronavirus

Apr 27
Day her test returned negative, four days after her death

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A Bandra court on Tuesday granted bail to Vinay Dubey, accused of inciting migrants to assemble outside Bandra railway station on April 14 in violation of lockdown norms. Dubey was granted bail on a cash surety of Rs 15,000 by metropolitan magistrate JY Ghule, his lawyer Deepak Mishra said.

On April 14, the last day of the first phase of the lockdown, several hundred migrants had assembled on the west side of Bandra railway station, demanding trains take them to their native places, just hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an extension of the lockdown till May 3.

Police claimed Dubey's video and Facebook post incited the migrants, as he was heard stating that the government must run trains by April 18 for migrant labourers, or he would start a rally to get them home.

Dubey was charged under sections 117, 153 A, 188, 269, 270 and 505 (2) of Indian Penal Code on charges of promoting enmity among different groups, abetting the commission of an offence by members of the public, and for negligence that could spread infections, disease etc. He was also charged under the Epidemic Diseases Act.

Advocate blames police
Advocate Mishra claimed the police was wrong in charging Dubey. "Dubey had said in the video that an agitation would start on April 18. However, migrants gathered on April 14 itself. So how can my client be blamed for that?" he said. He also told court that the migrants had been able to gather despite the lockdown because of the failure of the police and state.

Rs 15k
Cash surety against which he was granted bail

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This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

In efforts to provide assistance to the medical fraternity in fighting the battle against the deadly Coronavirus pandemic, Western Railway has come up with various ingenious equipment, including high-quality PPEs, steel beds for patients, isolation coaches, reusable masks, sanitizers, etc.

Continuing with their efforts, Western Railway's Lower Parel Workshop has now manufactured a booth to collect the swab sample of COVID-19 infected patients. This booth enables doctors and medicos to take the sample/swab without exposing themselves to the affected patient.

According to Ravinder Bhakar - Chief Public Relations Officer of Western Railway, a request to make a kiosk with the concept of distance sample collection had come from Western Railway's Jagjivan Ram Hospital, which is a nominated 172-bed Coronavirus hospital. The work was done on war footing mode right from arranging the material, fabrication, and furnishing and was completed within 6 hours. The design has been developed by two teams of workshop engineers (Carriage Repair and Basic Training Centre), who manufactured this booth with the available material in the workshop.

The booth is very sturdy and robust & completely sealed from the front three sides, to ensure that the frontline medical staff is totally isolated from the patient. The structure of the booth consists of a strong fabricated structure of MS square tubes, covered externally with plywood on all sides, and a rear door. The upper half portion of the front side has been covered with a 6 mm transparent acrylic sheet. All material used for repair of coaches has been used in this fabrication. The front side transparent acrylic sheet has been provided with two holes on which rubber hand gloves have been permanently fitted. The team worked against the clock to make the Sample Collection Booth as fast as they can and on April 28, 2020, the newly manufactured booth has been delivered to Jagjivan Ram Hospital at Mumbai Central.

Although it is a coach repair workshop, in this time of crisis, it has contributed in making many other materials helpful for our frontline warriors, working day in and out in hospitals beside our employees. The manufacturer team was led by Shri Arun Kumar Singh - Dy. Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Workshop, and consisted of his technical experts Shri Prashant Deshmukh, Shri Satish Samrut, Shri Arvind Javadia, Shri Sanjai Bhavsar, Shri Manoj Yadav, Shri Mahesh Bhatia, Shri Pradeep Tamboli, Shri Natrajan and along with 10 other members in the team contributed in this effort.

Western Railway salutes the commitment and dedication of its employees who are constantly working to fight this ongoing battle with the deadly Coronavirus Pandemic despite putting their lives at risk.

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The city unit of the Young Mens’ Christian Association (YMCA) has offered its well-furnished International Guest House of 75 Rooms to house their Doctors, Health Care Professionals and Asymptomatic patients. In addition, we have provided masks, gloves and medical equipment to the Nair and Kasturba Hospitals’ for the medical professionals working on the frontlines.

In the first phase of the relief operations, we have been able to cater to 20,000 persons (4000 packets) by providing them with dry rations and groceries. Cooked food to the slum dwellers, daily wage earners, migrant workers, street beggars, rag pickers and construction workers has crossed 1,00,000 (One Lakh) threshold.

A special mention here is of our volunteer team ably led by our regular ‘Dhobiwala’ (Laundry Man) who have earned the sobriquet, ‘Scooter Saviors’ has enabled us to reach the unreached pockets from CST to Colaba Market right up to the slums at Cuffe Parade.

The victims have now become saviors. Thanks to the ladies who are housed at YMCA Sharan, a shelter for destitute women run with the help of BMC have reached out to the unreached in the slums at Sakinaka.

Our counselors trained at the Counseling Institute at Navi Mumbai are available on call daily for those who are in distress, stress and undergoing anxiety symptoms during this lock-down period. 

“We acknowledge the contributions of our partners who have joined us in this mission during this time of the ‘virus crisis’ - Muthoot Finance, ATE Chandra Foundation, Rotary Club of Bombay, Rotary Club of Mumbai Central, Rotary Club of Queen’s Necklace, Rotary Club of Versova and Rotary Club of Mumbai Elegant. A special thanks to the BMC, Mumbai Police and Navi Mumbai Police who helped us with the permissions and the necessary assistance. As we begin our next phase, we would like to enlist the support of Mumbaikars in this hour of need,” Paul George, general secretay/CEO told Mid-Day.

The Bombay YMCA blessed with its vast infrastructure, network and committed team of staff and volunteers at strategic locations ranging from Colaba to Navi Mumbai was able to promptly and efficiently respond to the pandemic that gripped our city.

Historically Helpful
The Bombay YMCA since its inception in 1875 has always risen to the occasion whenever calamities have struck the city.

Beginning with Relief operations during World War I & II, the Army barracks were maintained by the YMCA and the Army Officers used the YMCA at Colaba for its operations. Over the past 145 years our experience gained in the 3 R’s - Rescue, Relief and Rehabilitation has grown exponentially.

During the earthquake at the Latur and Osmanabad districts in 1993, Bombay YMCA led in the relief and later rehabilitation of two villages of over 200 families including the construction of the primary school and the community centre. We were recently recognized for our efforts by the then Chief Minister, Shri. Sharad Pawar.

When the communal riots broke out in the early 90s the YMCA was called in as Peacemakers between the communities in Agripada and Mumbai Central. The Army used the premises of the Procter YMCA at Agripada as their base for their operation. In addition, Bombay YMCA constructed close to 50 tenements at Ramabai Nagar, Ghatkopar in collaboration with a major newspaper group.

Each time the city was submerged due to the deluge and came to a standstill, the YMCA opened its centres/Branches providing shelter and food for the stranded.

During the terrorist attack of 26/11, the YMCA was home to many Mumbaikars and foreign nationals at various YMCA centres spread across the city.

How to contact:

For further details and more information follow us on Instagram:@ymcabombay, Twitter: @ymcabombay, Facebook: @ymcabombay, Email: generalsecretary@ymcabombay.com.

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Mid-day online journalists interact with the frontline workers in a new series 'Real heroes of coronavirus'. Media photographers, reporters, railway staff and medical workers tell their stories of grit, determination and every-day challenges in times of the pandemic.

Mid-day senior photographer Shadab Khan is out on the field capturing striking photos of people, health-workers, the police and the city as part of his daily assignment at a time when coronavirus pandemic is spreading rapidly in Mumbai and the entire nation is under lockdown.

 

 

 

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Alhamdulillah just got to know that my covid-19 swab test report is Negative by the grace of god. I tested my self 2 days ago during the special covid-19 test for Media persons who are on field by BMC medical team in Mumbai as our services comes under essential services during this pandemic we have to work on field and visit to all over the city for relentlessly bringing out timely good pictures, news and updates daily, through all the perils and under the most trying conditions. Special thanks to @my_bmc @cmomaharashtra_ @middayindia

A post shared by Shadab Khan (@photographer_shadab) onApr 25, 2020 at 3:53am PDT

We spoke to Shadab Khan about his work and what it's like to be a news photographer in times of pandemic.

Here's an excerpt from the interview.

How has the global pandemic impacted your work?

The coronavirus outbreak hasn't affected our work as such. Since we come under the essential service providers and ours is a field job, it's the same daily routine. The focus is more on pandemic photos as we visit sensetive areas and try to get pictures of people who may have broken lockdown rules and also capture shots of how the police are handling the situation. Nowadays, we also visit contaminated areas to get photos of medical staffs conducting COVID-19 tests and get visuals of the epidemic situation in Mumbai. For us, the work has only increased due to the outbreak of the global pandemic.

Nowadays, do you prepare yourself mentally before going out on assignments?

To be honest, there is no mental preparation as such. But I offer prayers five times a day and pray that I go safely and come back home safely. As a media-person, I also consume a lot of news and keep reading about the International guidelines laid down for photojournalists as to what precautions should be taken. I do this as it helps me to stay motivated in the fight against coronavirus. It is the first time that I am experiencing a pandemic which has changed our lives. I have never covered something like this ever before. Although I have covered riots and other sensetive events, a pandemic that takes place only once in 100 years is a different experience. I have been following international reports and guidelines to take precaution and prepare mentally to fight the COVID-19 crisis.

Shadab makes sure that his equipment, bag and mobile are sanitised in order to take precautions against COVID-19

How do you protect yourself?

Face mask, hand sanitisers and hand gloves are mandatory when I am leaving the house. With the increasing number of cases in Mumbai, we have to take extra precautions as our camera equipment is metal. While shooting, we are constantly handling the camera with our hands and our eyes are exposed when we are focusing to click the pictures. To ensure our safety, we sanitise the camera every two to three hours. Besides the equipment, I also sanitise my mobile phone with a spray sanitiser that I carry with me. After completimg a shooting assignment in a contaminated area, I make sure that the camera equipment is sanitised before keeping them in the bag.

Do you take any precaution while heading back home after doing on-field reporting?

Though it is risk to be outside during the pandemic, the real challenge begins when we get back home to be with our families. Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, I have isolated myself to another room and make sure that I maintain social distancing with my family members. While leaving for work and after coming back home, I don't hug my children. Since day one, I am practising self-quarantine to keep my family safe and away from any risk. Infact, I take more precautions at home than I do while I go out. The epidemic is so dangerous that one cannot be sure how the infection will strike.

 

 

 

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A man sleeping outside his house during lockdown to prevent the spread of new coronavirus at Vakola in Mumbai, Wednesday, April 15, 2020. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday extended the world's largest coronavirus lockdown to head off the epidemic's peak, with officials racing to make up for lost time. PIC/SHADAB KHAN Paparazzi#Fashion#bollywood#lovemyjob#photography#Mumbai#India#middayindia#covid19#fightagainstcorona

A post shared by Shadab Khan (@photographer_shadab) onApr 16, 2020 at 8:09am PDT

During the COVID-19 coverage did you face scary moments? Which has been your scariest moment?

It is scary to visit crowded localities nowadays to cover the pandemic. In the beginning it was not a problem but since the police have imposed strict rules in these areas, we are facing issues. On few occasions, people in these localities have attacked and abused us, blaming the media for the strict police action. But all localities are not the same. We keep calm and ensure that we don't fight back or argue with the people when faced with a hostile situation. To ensure our own safety, we move out of the place quickly if we are confronted by the crowd.

Did you face challenges from the police while covering the COVID-19 pandemic?

In the beginning the police officials were not aware that the media comes under the essential services list and stopped us from entering certain areas which led to arguments sometimes. But gradually they understood and let us do our jobs. When they see the cameras and we show them our press cards, they ask us where we are going and all, that's it.

How is your department and the organisation supporting you?

We are getting the support of our department and the organisation in every possible way. I have been working in mid-day for 15 years and the organisation has been always supportive, our managers do not pressurise us for assignments. My reporting officer calls twice a day and inquires about my whereabouts and tells me to be extra careful while visiting contaminated zones and avoid going to sensitive areas frequently. We are always told to ensure safety first before work.

Shadab feels that practicing social distancing in Dharavi where people are cramped in small houses is nearly impossible

Although he covers different areas every day, Shadab makes it a point to visit a contaminated area at least once a day to check if any new development has taken place. Speaking about Dharavi, which has emerged as one of the biggest contaminated zones in Mumbai, Shadab said, "I visit Dharavi to see how the labourers are doing and how the small scale industries are coping with the COVID-19 epidemic"

"Everyone is talking about social distancing but it is not possible in Dharavi. Most houses in the locality are 8X8 small houses with 8 to 10 people cramped inside. In order to click a picture, one has to stand at the door and shoot, social distancing in areas such as Dharavi is almost impossible. The lanes in Dharavi are so narrow that if people are coming from the other side it is impossible to walk past them without making physical contact," added Shadab.

Besides Dharavi, Shadab carries out his photo assignments in Bandra, Sion and Wadala.

What is your message to the general public?

We are out on the roads because we have a responsibility as essential service providers. I would request people to stay home as far as possible. Only by staying home will you be safe! Follow the guidelines laid down by the government and maintain social distancing.

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At least 70 state transport buses left from Maharashtra on Wednesday morning to bring back students stranded at Kota in Rajasthan due to the coronavirus-enforced lockdown, an official said. The vehicles left from Maharashtra's Dhule district around 10.30 am and will reach Rajasthan by Wednesday night, he said. "The buses will leave from Kota on Thursday morning," the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) official said, adding that only 20 students will be allowed in each bus and the vehicles will halt at two to three places for food breaks.

A number of students from Maharashtra have been staying at Kota to take coaching classes for the preparation of various competitive entrance examinations after Class 12. The MSRTC official said due to the long distance journey of 11 to 12 hours, each bus has been provided two drivers, and a van will go along with the fleet to help in case of a break down and ensure smooth journey. "On return journey from Kota, the buses will ferry students to their respective districts," he said.

Maharashtra Transport Minister Anil Parab in a tweet late Tuesday night said, "1780 students from Maharashtra are stuck in Kota, Rajasthan due to lockdown for precaution against Covid-19. As directed by Hon'ble CM Shri. @OfficeOfUt, 92 buses of MSRTC fleet will Leave on 29th April 2020from Dhule to rescue the students & Bring them back home." When asked about it, the MSRTC official said earlier they were to send 92 buses, but the number was reduced as some districts like Raigad and Beed sent private buses to bring back students from Kota.

On return, the students and their parents will undergo medical checkup followed by the mandatory 14-day home quarantine, a senior official from the Maharashtra disaster management department said on Tuesday. The Maharashtra government decided to bring back the students following indications that the lockdown may be extended in some of the major cities where the coronavirus situation is yet to come under control.

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This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Amid the rising number of coronavirus cases, Mumbai Police, who are well known for their witty memes and inspirational posts make sure to educate and entertain the citizens. After taking inspiration from Bollywood films, the Mumbai police have now turned towards web series and their latest tweet is proof enough!

 

 

 

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When asked to choose the safest city... #ShotsOfSafetyPlease #MumbaiFirst #SafetyFirst #aayamumbaipolice

A post shared by Mumbai Police (@mumbaipolice) onApr 28, 2020 at 3:44am PDT

Using a short clip from one of the popular web series, Mumbai Police proved why the city that never sleeps is the safest city in the world. Posing an indirect question to netizens as to which is the safest city across the globe, the clip from the web series gives a picture-perfect answer.

In the four seconds video clip, actors Sayani Gupta and Prateik Babbar can be seen sitting on a yacht and enjoying quiet time while sailing in the Arabian Sea amid the backdrop of the Gateway of India and the Taj Mahal Palace. It is during the conversation that the two can be seen talking about Mumbai (then Bombay).

While sharing the scene from the web series, Mumbai Police tweeted: When asked to choose the safest city. "I would choose Bombay over any other city in the world, any day," says Sayani. To which Prateik nods in agreement. Mumbai Police also came up with their own hashtags that read: #ShotsOfSafetyPlease #MumbaiFirst #SafetyFirst #aayamumbaipolice.

Since the time it was shared on Instagram with their 75,000 followers, the video has garnered over 60,000 views and counting. The video touched the hearts of thousands of Mumbaikars who heaped praises on the Mumbai Police for their selfless service to the city amid the COVID-19 crisis.

One user wrote, "We are proud of you all for the sacrifices you and your families are doing to enforce the lockdown," while another user said that Bombay is safest and coolest city in India. A third user commented, "Bombay over anyplace...anyone...anything. Home ! Another user lauded Mumbai Police for keeping the city safe at all times. The user said, Hands down Mumbai. Over any other city. Be it safety or be it night life, when Mumbai Police is here, why fear!

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Mumbai Police has been dropping creative posts to spread awareness about the Coronavirus lockdown and why it is best for you to stay home on their social media accounts. After giving its followers who are not abiding the lockdown options to chose from, the police department is back with an interesting post with a twist.

 "Increase your phone's brightness... There's a very bright idea waiting for you!" the police department wrote in the post on Instagram, and shared what appears to be a pitch-black picture. A Baburao-style secret message appears once you increase the brightness of your phone.

 

 

 

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A post shared by Mumbai Police (@mumbaipolice) onApr 28, 2020 at 9:25pm PDT

The hilariously interactive post shared a few hours ago managed to garner 18,361 likes with many lauding the creativity. One user who noticed that the word risk was misspelled as 'ricks', the police department was quick in coming up with an apt reply saying, "Yeh Babu Rao ka style hai!"

Another user said, "I read it like Baburao." A user said, "When Mumbai Police is out patrolling, bahar jaaneka bilkul ricks nai leneka."

What do you think about the post?

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With several instances of wildlife venturing into cities being recorded during the lockdown, the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) feels that these incidents will help them provide important information in understanding the human-wildlife interface in the country.

Hence, in order to collect the data of such encounters easy and from all across the country, WII has developed a mobile application for android phone users named 'Lockdown Wildlife Tracker.'

The data generated from the app will be shared with the respective state forest department post lockdown so that better conservation strategies can be planned once the lockdown is lifted.

The tracking app

Talking to mid-day Dhananjai Mohan, WII Director said, "In this time of the COVID-19 quarantine, where we humans are locked inside our homes, there are more and more reports of wildlife exploring human-dominated areas or 'rewilding' urban areas. However, these records are stray and just circulated as WhatsApp stories. So a group of WII scientists thought to collect this data in an organised manner to help visualise interesting patterns of wildlife that is unfolding during this period. You can help us in this citizen-science initiative by reporting your sightings from the confines of your homes and be a part of this unique experiment."

"These sightings can be reported real-time as well as at any later period - but only till the quarantine lasts. What's more, is that you can even upload photos of your sightings. This free app makes it convenient to keep track of what you see while making your data openly available for scientific research, education, and conservation," WII senior scientist, Dr Bilal Habib said. The mobile application allows one to record their wildlife sightings anytime and from anywhere along with photographs.

The quick entry tools make recording experience short and simple. The data will have GPS enabled entries of all sightings. Currently, the application is available in English and the Hindi version might come soon.

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Mumbai continued to record a spike in COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday, with the health department confirming 26 casualties, including a first victim in the BMC. The 49-year-old official, who was involved in food distribution in Dharavi — one of the worst hit zones in the city, died on Wednesday.

The civic official was part of the Assessment Department and deputed to the G North ward where he was exposed to the infectious disease. "He had been unwell since April 23 and had stopped coming to work. He had gone to a private practitioner in Borivli where he was treated for pneumonia. He died on his way to Kasturba Hospital from Borivli on Wednesday," said Kiran Dighavkar, assistant municipal commissioner of G North ward.

Dighavkar added that his samples were collected for testing on April 27 and the results came back positive after his demise. He is survived by two sons, and his family members are also being tested, said civic officials.

Across Maharashtra, a total of 597 new infections were reported on Wednesday, taking the total number of confirmed cases in the state to nearly 10,000, state health department officials said. Of the 597 new cases, 475 were from Mumbai, taking the total count in the city to 6,644.

Total number of deaths due to COVID-19 climbed to 432, with the state recording 32 new fatalities on Wednesday. Besides 26 in Mumbai, one death was confirmed in Panvel, three in Pune and one each in Solapur and Aurangabad. Civic officials said 10 of the 26 deaths took place last week and were confirmed on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the COVID-19 cases continued to increase in Dharavi, with 14 new confirmed infections on Wednesday. The total tally in the area now stands at 344. In Mahim, three people, including a 52-year-old male resident of the police colony and a 48-year-old man who lived near the police station, have been found to be COVID-19 positive.

Test reports of 23 high-risk contacts of the four officials from Mantralaya, who had tested positive, have come back negative. At Bombay Hospital, another nurse, 45, has tested positive. An official from the hospital said that the nurse, a resident of Kandivli, was not working in the isolation ward. She has no symptoms of the novel Coronavirus and has been admitted at the hospital, he added.

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The city's battle against the COVID-19 has finally started to show some positive results with the doubling rate of positive cases increasing from 8.3 days to 10 days. According to findings of the Central Committee, the doubling rate of cases was recorded between April 7 and April 17, which indicates that cases might now increase at lesser speed. While the doubling rate period at the national level is 9.5 days, the same in Maharashtra was 8.9 days.

Noting this, the Central Committee has lauded the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC's) preventive measures, said a senior civic official.

Mortality rate decreases
In its findings, the Committee has analysed the number of infected patients and observed that the mortality rate among them in the BMC area was lower compared to that of the state. At the state level, an average of 4.3 patients are dying per 100 infected patients and in the BMC area, an average of 3.9 patients are dying every 100 infected patients. A civic official said that few days ago the average mortality rate of infected cases in the BMC area was 6.3 per cent, which too had reduced.

However, BMC now faces the challenge to cater to areas where earlier the rate of doubling of cases was low but has increased in the last couple of days. Wards like G South, G North and E, which have been reporting a high number of cases, are seeing an increase in the doubling rate period.

Earlier, on an average the cases used to double every 10.6 days in G south but now it has gone up to 17.6 days. But R central ward has seen a reverse trend. Its doubling rate period has gone down to 5.5 days from 16.9 days.

Contact tracing
The first COVID-19 positive case was detected on March 11, and since then the civic body has been tracing contacts of positive patients. Till April 26, as many as 1,29,477 were found through contact tracing, of which 21,053 were high-risk group contacts and 1,647 cases were positive.

The BMC, however, claimed that they were being able to control the number of cases due to the containment zones as people cannot move from one area to another and spread the infection. An analysis of the statistics of medical tests conducted across the country reveals that comparatively most number of the tests had taken place in the BMC jurisdiction. As many as 66,000 tests have been conducted in the city so far, an official said.

Containment efforts
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior civic official said, "The doubling rate period of 10 days is better than the national average of 9.5 and the mortality rate of 3.9 is better than the state as well as national figures. This has been done through containment efforts and aggressive contact tracing and quarantining."

He added, "Today, the battle against Coronavirus is being fought with the active cooperation of the municipal corporation, police, various government departments, private hospitals and many others. We once again appeal to the citizens of Greater Mumbai Municipal Corporation to follow the guidelines."

21,053
No. of high-risk group contacts found till April 26

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The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has started mobile dispensaries to curb the spread of COVID-19. Currently they will move about in the areas most affected by the disease such as Worli, BDD chawls, Lower Parel, Currey Road etc.

It was decided to start mobile dispensaries to prevent the spread by reaching out to people and detecting patients. While the service began on Wednesday in the severely affected G South ward, the doctors will move to other areas later. More than 600 COVID-19 positive patients have been found in G South Ward.

A doctor, a nurse and an assistant will be available in the mobile dispensary. It will be stocked with medicines for cold, cough and fever, and in case of a suspicious patient of COVID-19, a thermal scanner has also been placed in the vans. The vans will provide the service from 10 am to 7 pm.

After their check-ups, people will be treated with pills for minor fever etc. But if a suspected patient of COVID-19 is found, she or he will be hospitalised. The mobile dispensaries aim to find such patients in red zones to help curb the spread of the disease.

The mobile dispensaries were launched at the NSCI club in the presence of Mayor Kishori Pednekar. In all five mobile dispensaries have been started.

Mayor Pednekar told mid-day, "Medicines for cold, cough and fever are available in these dispensaries. If a suspect patient is found during the check-up, he will be taken to the OPD of a COVID-19 deisgnated hospital and examined immediately."

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Staying in paying guest accommodations with a fast-depleting stock of instant noodles, students from Maharashtra in Kota, Rajasthan had been living precariously since the lockdown began over a month ago. On Wednesday, the group had reason to cheer as their pleas were finally heard and state transport buses set out to bring them home.

A convoy of over 70 buses of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), with a break-down maintenance van and spare drivers, began the 630-km-long journey from Dhule on Wednesday around 10.30 am. mid-day had first reported that the MSRTC has been tasked to bring students back and the plan had been awaiting approval.

Student Aditi Thorat hails from Solapur

The buses will bring approximately 1,764 stranded students and drop them in their respective home districts in Maharashtra. Mumbai and Thane have 10 students each. The number of students may have reduced after parents and local officials arranged for private buses as the state delayed in deciding on the matter over the cost of transport. A few private buses reached Navi Mumbai on Tuesday morning.

mid-day spoke to two students who said they have to walk 1.5 km just to get a meal.

"We have been waiting to be taken home for over a week. We got to know of the state transport buses through news but there has been no official confirmation. Authorities in Kota asked us to check on Thursday as that is when the buses are expected to arrive," said Om Ghadling, who hails from Buldhana. Another student, Aditi Thorat who hails from Solapur, said, "We are mostly staying in PG accommodations. When used to rely on tiffin services but amid the lockdown everything is shut. The local government gives food but we have to walk 1.5 km for that. Many of us have been relying on instant noodle packs, which too are getting scarce."

Ghadling added that names of 44 students are missing from the list prepared by the government. "We hope they too get to return," he said. Many of the 2,000 students had arrived in Kota just before the lockdown began to enrol in coaching centres.

Social distancing on bus
A senior MSRTC official said the buses will reach Rajasthan by Wednesday night. Dhule was chosen as the start off point as it is nearest to Rajasthan.

"Only 20 students will be allowed in each bus and the vehicles will halt at two to three places for food breaks. The buses will leave from Kota on Thursday morning. Due to the long-distance journey of 11 to 12 hours, each bus has two drivers. A van will accompany the convoy to help during breakdowns. The buses will ferry students to their respective districts," the official added.

After returning, the students and their parents will undergo a medical check-up followed by the mandatory 14-day home quarantine.

Asked why these buses can't carry migrants stuck in the city, another officer said that they can't be brought to Dhule and that the buses have been sanitised especially for this journey. The buses have been given provisions such as sanitisers, disinfectants, masks and gloves.

After discussions with the government and due permissions, the Dhule Guardian Minister and Minister of State for Revenue Abdul Sattar, Dhule Collector Sanjay Yadav and MSRTC Dhule Division Controller Manisha Sapkal arranged the fleet in a short span of time.

20
Approx. no. of students to be allowed on each bus

Inter-state travel for migrants, students

The Union Home Ministry issued a six-point guideline on Wednesday to states and union territories to facilitate inter-state movement of stranded persons, including migrant labourers, students and tourists. The guidelines state that such movement shall be in mutual consultation and agreement between states in buses, following physical distancing, screening at source and destination followed by home/institutional quarantine arrival

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Even as India is awaiting announcements on the Coronavirus gameplan post lockdown on May 3, there is one Mazagaon couple which is on absolute tenterhooks about the announcement. Mumbai’s Darryl, 75, and Grace Cabral, 69, marooned in Newark city in New Jersey, USA said they "are hoping fervently that we can come back to Mumbai."

The couple flew to Australia and boarded a cruise liner late February from Sydney bound for the South Pacific islands. They were looking forward to their holiday, with no inkling of the ominous Corona cloud looming on their horizon. "We boarded the ship on February 28 and were supposed to end the cruise on March 20," they said.

They were the only two Indian passengers on board. All seemed smooth sailing at first, with the cruise ship making a few scheduled stops, but trouble started brewing as a couple of ports did not allow the ship to dock because of Coronavirus concerns. "We could not see all the places on the itinerary as the ship did not get permission to dock," they said.

Stranded now
A series of events then took place in rapid succession as the schedule went awry with nations reacting with new policies and rules as the pandemic spread. The ship docked at Honolulu after permissions were given and Grace and Darryl were taken by a chartered flight to Newark airport towards March end, along with some other passengers who were planning to reach different destinations. The Cabrals said, "We reached Newark on March 25. We booked tickets to Brussels as flights to India had stopped. We have a daughter in Brussels and we planned to stay with her."

To their shock though, at the boarding counter, they were told that the flight could take only Schengen passport holders. "We had a Schengen visa not a Schengen passport," they explained.

The couple has been in Newark ever since India was locked down. They are in touch with the Indian Consulate in New York. "We have had no flights operating to India. We had our tickets booked on April 17 as the first phase of the lockdown ended. The extension dashed our hopes," they said. Now, they have booked tickets for May 4 through a city travel agent, hoping for the lockdown to be lifted at least to rescue stranded Indians, if nothing else.

Expenses mount
Darryl, a professor of management, and Grace are living in an AirBnB apartment in Newark, with the exchange rate absolutely bleeding them. "Our finances are stretched thin, we are paying at least USD 80 dollars (approximately R6,048) a day only on accommodation. Though we live as carefully as possible, there are food expenses too," said Grace.

"It is fairly easy getting provisions here though since the shops are open. But there is a great amount of discipline when it comes to social distancing. Everybody has a mask on, in fact, shops will not allow you if you do not wear a mask. Within these parameters, we do see people walking their dogs, exercising and a few cars on the roads," she added. Even with all the measures, they have some trepidation though, as Corona cases in the USA are very high, with New York and New Jersey worse hit and the couple’s age means they fall within the vulnerable bracket.

Diabetes medication
This Mumbai duo is struggling to access their diabetic medication, "as Indian prescriptions do not work here," they explained. Under tremendous stress now, the Cabrals just wish "to return home."

They said, "It is the uncertainty that is killing. We can be quarantined on returning, adhere to whatever the rules say, but we want to return. It is becoming quite impossible for us to stay here any longer," they finished, echoing the dire straits so many Indians overseas find themselves in.

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As many as 160 personnel of the Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) have been keeping your city clean in an effort to prevent the spread of the deadly novel Coronavirus. Thirty-two teams of the MFB have sanitised more than 3,000 places, including hospitals and containment zones, over the past month.

The MFB teams, following the instructions of the BMC's health department, have disinfected 3,063 spots using 2.47 lakh litres of sodium hypochlorite. They have been disinfecting hospitals and the areas, which have been sealed following a spurt in cases of COVID-19 infections, on alternate days. The fire department said they are using 17 quick response vehicles, nine mist blowing machines and six boom mist machines to sanitise the affected places.

The real challenge is to disinfect the gullies around the houses and narrow pathways in the slum where hardly one person can walk at a time, said an officer from the MFB. "The number of containment zones in the slum has increased, but the fire brigade team is working hard to sanitise all the areas in time, and effectively," the officer added.

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Navi Mumbai witnessed the highest spike in COVID-19 cases on Tuesday with 43 people testing positive. With this, the toll of positive patients in Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation has become 188. Authorities are worried as almost 50 % of the cases in around nine days were staff who travel from Mumbai to Navi Mumbai, or their contacts.

Cases shoot up
With emphasis on awareness and surveillance, NMMC had managed to curtail the infection and limit its spread. Till the end of the fifth week of the nationwide lockdown, NMMC jurisdiction had recorded 108 cases. But in the sixth week the cases have shot up.

"The major cause of concern is the spread in slum pockets such as Turbhe and in the old villages, which will be a challenge for us. Despite taking utmost care, cases are on the rise. We need to tackle them as soon as possible," said an NMMC official.

Essential workers affected
The other cause of concern in NMMC is employees travelling to Mumbai for essential services. Of the 110 cases from April 18 to 27, 52 cases were found to have spread due to persons travelling to Mumbai to work with essential services.

The same was seen in Panvel Municipal Corporation's (PMC) area, where out of 24 cases in the same time frame, 17 cases are of people who travel to Mumbai for work or their family members.

However, so far PMC has managed to keep the infection at comparatively low. Till April 28, the COVID-19 patients' count was 56. Out of these 32 cases are active, while others have been discharged.

188
Total no. of COVID-19 patients in Navi Mumbai

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After losing three cops due to the coronavirus epidemic, the Mumbai Police has finally something to cheer about. On Tuesday, the Mumbai Police officials took to Instagram to share a heartwarming video of four police personnel who have overcome coronavirus and they were welcomed with open hearts amid cheer and thunderous applause.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Do you know what gives us the courage to weather the mightiest of storms? It’s you. Your endless love. And your invaluable support. Thank you, Mumbai! #TakingOnCorona #coronawarriors #coronavirus #corona #waragainstvirus

A post shared by Mumbai Police (@mumbaipolice) onApr 28, 2020 at 12:28am PDT

In the 57-seconds video clip, four cops of the Mumbai police can be seen given a standing ovation as they were welcomed back home after their successful triumph over the deadly coronavirus. While sharing the video with their 75,000 followers, Mumbai Police captioned it, "Do you know what gives us the courage to weather the mightiest of storms? It's you. Your endless love. And your invaluable support. Thank you, Mumbai!"

A screengrab of the video shared by Mumbai Police on Instagram

The video , which has gone viral begins with the text, "When four Mumbai Police personnel reached home after beating coronavirus, this is how they were welcomed." As the video moves further, four cops of the Mumbai Police personnel can be seen returning homes as as their colleagues from the department and members of their society welcome them amid cheers and thunderous applause.

Good news for @MumbaiPolice
A police constable attached with Khar Police Station, recovered fully from COVID19, he was released from the hospital today after his report came negative, entire police station staff reached outside hospital to welcome him with claps. @choubeyvk pic.twitter.com/8QwwsmFQ97

— فÛÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂŒضاÙ† خاÙ† FaizanKhan (@journofaizan) April 27, 2020

The heartwarming video ends with the Mumbai Police thanking the citizens of Mumbai for always having their backs. A small short clip of the same video features a constable of the Khar police, who was welcomed by all the members of his police station after he tested negative for COVID-19. The constable, identified as Yogesh Torani, who had tested positive for the novel coronavirus was undergoing treatment at Khar Maternity Hospital.

Since being shared, the video has garnered over 40,000 views with hundreds of netizens lauding the Mumbai police cops for overcoming the COVID-19 crisis and emerging as true heroes. One user said, "Thank you Mumbai police," while another user commented, "You guys are just amazing! Thank you for always being there for us Mumbaikars." A third user thanking Mumbai police for its selfless service said, "It's the other way around Mumbai Police, we're lucky that you have our backs. Thank you for that!"

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A total of 583 new COVID-19 cases recorded across the state on Thursday, has taken Maharashtra's total count to 10,498. Meanwhile, the first patient who underwent plasma therapy in the city couldn't beat the infection and passed away late on Wednesday night.

A 53-year-old man, who was admitted to Lilavati Hospital after testing positive on April 20, was the first patient to receive the therapy. Hospital sources said that he was in a critical condition and had been kept on ventilator. The civic body had arranged for plasma therapy, which was given to the patient a couple of days ago, which unfortunately didn't help him in the fight against the infection.

Meanwhile, 26 staff members of Nanavati Hospital have tested positive so far. BJP leader Kirit Somaiya raised an objection and claimed that the hospital administration was being negligent. "I was informed that the hospital is not taking all precautions to ensure that the infection doesn't spread. I have written to the municipal commissioner and I have been told that an inspection will be conducted," said Somaiya.

A civic official from K West ward said that the BMC had visited the hospital earlier and would visit again on Friday. "We carry out inspections every time there is a positive case. Due to the high volume of patients, we cannot close the hospital and management has been asked to sanitise the premises thoroughly. We will inspect the hospital again to check if all the precautions are being followed," said Vishwas Mote, assistant municipal commissioner of K West ward. Hospital authorities, however, refuted the allegations of being negligent. A source from the hospital confirmed that while 26 staff members have tested positive, only four of them were working in the COVID isolation ward. "During contact-tracing, it was revealed that the remaining staff members live in red zones and had contracted the infection from their respective residential areas. They have been kept at the hospital itself and they are being treated free of cost. Most of them are class 3 or class 4 employees and no management employee, including doctors working in COVID wards, have contracted the infection," said an official from the hospital.

However, the cases in Dharavi continued to increase, and on Thursday, 25 new cases were reported. Two positive cases were reported from Mahim. Civic officials said 20 deaths in the city were confirmed on Thursday, of which 16 patients were suffering from other ailments. State health department officials said 180 COVID-19 patients were discharged on Thursday after full recovery. Apart from the 20 deaths in Mumbai, three deaths were reported in Pune, two in Thane and one each in Nagpur and Raigad. Mumbai currently has over 7,000 cases.

10,498
Active coronavirus cases in Maha as of today

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