FIFA.com catches up with Miriam Moreno and her daughter Sara Isabel Collazos who have had a great experience working at Colombia 2016 as volunteers.

West Indies and Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Dwayne Bravo said that former BCCI president N Srinivasan's franchise makes every player feel like being a part of an "extended family". "It's a very unique team, a special team. From the first day that I joined the team I could sense the family atmosphere. Every player who joins the team feels the same way - that it's not just a team but being welcomed by extended family," Bravo told CSK's website.

"Over the years, when you look at cricketers who joined CSK, they only got better...it's a very special franchise," he said. He said that CSK brings the best out of him and the skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is largely responsible for that. "CSK brings the best out of me. I'm trusted by my captain MS (Dhoni) and coach (Stephen) Fleming, and they allow me to be myself," the former West Indies captain was quoted as saying. "We all enjoy each other's success. If my team is winning, that's more important to me than my personal performances," he added. Bravo, who has played in various T20 leagues across the world, said "I don't think you can get another team or environment like Chennai Super Kings."

"It is important that you have a management team, the owners, the captain backing you a 100 per cent... they understand it's a sport, they understand one can't always perform and so they give you the opportunity to bounce back when you have failures," Bravo, who has been a part of CSK since 2011, said. Terming CSK a very unique and special team, the 36-year old Trinidad all-rounder, said he sense the family atmosphere from the first day he joined it. The 2020 IPL season, originally scheduled to begin from March 29, has been put off indefinitely owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

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West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo has revealed that he has never received the family type atmosphere that he gets at the Indian Premier League franchise Chennai Super Kings' camp. Bravo was doing an Instagram live chat with CSK when he said the team welcomes you like an 'extended family'.

"From the very first day when I joined the team, I got that sense of family atmosphere. Every player who joins CSK feels the same way," said Bravo. "You are welcomed here like an extended family. I have played a lot of cricket, but I don't think you can get another team or environment like in CSK," he added.

The right-handed batsman has led Caribbean Premier League (CPL) franchise Trinbago Knight Riders to three titles. The all-rounder said he has tried to inculcate the CSK culture into the TKR side.

"It's important that you have a management team, the owners, the captain's everyone understands you. They understand its a sport and you don't perform every time but they give you that opportunity to bounce back," said Bravo.

"The good thing with CSK is that it allows everybody to be themselves. We all enjoy each other's success, whoever is performing, we celebrate all performances together," he added.

CSK have won the IPL three times in 2010, 2011, and 2018 respectively.

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Keeping the legacy of his father and uncle alive, T N Ganjoo, 87, climbs hills in Kharghar every day, armed with 10 litres of water and the determination to see a wave of lush greens on the hillside. On Sunday, Ganjoo planted 100 seed balls on the hills to celebrate Father's Day.

Ganjoo, a retired professor, recently moved to Kharghar. He began going to the hills after he saw a woman carrying a big bag there. He asked her what she would do with its contents, and learnt that she would use it to plant on the hillside. Soon enough, he joined her too.

Back to childhood
This activity takes the Kashmir native back to his childhood, which was full of beautiful green mountains. He missed that greenery in the concrete environs of the city, and thus began planting trees on barren hills. "But today, I see how those beautiful places have become barren due to human activities," Ganjoo told mid-day.

"I have a habit of climbing hills since childhood, because of which I'm fit. For the past year, I carry 10 litres of water on my back and climb the hills, because I want to see them streaked green. My group and I have planted more than 500 saplings. We water them daily."

Spread the word
"So many people have joined us. I spread the word to everyone who I meet, especially youngsters. They need to understand the importance of greenery. The government authorities are not thinking about it, because of which next generation will end up facing so many problems. I think my act will encourage people to try to make a greener society."

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Fact that Aparshakti Khurana has emerged as one of the ultimate social media buzz makers amidst the lockdown. After initiating digital antakshari, he started interactive Instagram Lives, brand collaborations, musical series called #InstaMusic and even featured in a special Lockdown Anthem video alongside various YouTubers.

With so much on, it won't be wrong to call Khurana the most entertaining and engaging celeb on social media currently. Taking his creativity to another level this time around, Aparshakti has shared his first-ever audio short film - Hisaab Barabar on Instagram which he wanted to present back from his Radio days.

The plot revolves around a girl called Suhani and her schoolmate Rinku, revealing how after disliking each other all these years during school, they end up falling in love with each other. Hisaab Barabar is already winning hearts, thanks to its beautiful storyline and Aparshakti's brilliance at storytelling. He does not just leave you smiling but makes you believe and see these two characters when you're just hearing about them. Well, that truly is the real art of narrating stories on audio.

 

 

 

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A post shared by Aparshakti Khurana (@aparshakti_khurana) onApr 18, 2020 at 3:30am PDT

The multi-talented star shared Hisaab Barabar on his handle saying, "For those who don’t know, I was working at a radio station 5 years ago and was working on a pilot of my new audio show but destiny had other plans and Dangal happened (which I am grateful of till date), because of which I had to leave the pilot midway. The idea of this audio show was so close to my heart that it continued to linger in my mind for the last 5 years. One of the segments was to be called YEH DILLI HAI MERE YAAR, where in I would have released one audio short film every Friday. Coming up is a story called Hisaab Barabar which is written and voiced by me. Just FYI, I might not have patience and energy to write and voice more stories but I shall try only if you like this one [sic]."

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Not many can convert life's lemons to lemonades as seamlessly as Arjun Rampal can. Caught in Karjat where he was shooting when the lockdown was announced last month, the actor decided to extend his stay at his lavish home, instead of scurry back to Mumbai.

"I thought it would be better to operate from here instead of travel at this point. I have a house here, so it worked out well," says Rampal, who is accompanied by partner Gabriella Demetriades and their son, Arik.

That Karjat has, so far, remained largely unscathed by COVID-19 was another bonus. "We decided to stay back for my son's safety. While he is too young now, this will be a story to tell him when he grows older. Besides, Mumbai is just a few hours away, and hence, easily accessible in case of an emergency."

Spending two months in the lap of nature has converted him into "a farmer", of sorts, he jokes, adding that his family is making the most of the hiatus. "Since there are no cases here, we are secure. We have an open space and [are enjoying] being amid nature instead of confined to an apartment," says the actor, adding that he is also keeping tabs on his daughters Mahikaa and Myra, who are with ex-wife Mehr in Mumbai. "They are doing their work online, and I am constantly chatting with them."

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It was a pleasant surprise when India's heartthrob Milind Soman got married to his sweetheart Ankita Konwar. Theirs wasn't a much-publicised courting, which made the union even sweeter and special. The couple celebrated their second wedding anniversary in a grand fashion. Due to the coronavirus outbreak and the country observing lockdown the couple decided to celebrate it on social media.

Milind took to his Instagram to wish her. He shared a picture of the two lovebirds togather along with the caption that read, "My day lights up when you smile, and I will do all I can to keep it that way, its 2 happy years today, so happy earth day @ankita_earthy ..p.s that's the only day I remember in the last 6 years that you were ready before me. Meri aankhon ne chuna hain tujhko..' dont know why I thought of that one (sic)."

 

 

 

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A post shared by Milind Usha Soman (@milindrunning) onApr 22, 2020 at 2:16am PDT

Ankita also reciprocated the love in a similar manner by sharing a then-and-now picture. "Then and Now. This day, 2 years back I vowed to be with you and be your partner in everything.So today when you asked if I would climb 300 floors with you to celebrate the beginning of the 3rd year of our marriage, I of course said yes..." she captioned the picture.

 

 

 

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A post shared by Ankita Konwar (@ankita_earthy) onApr 22, 2020 at 4:13am PDT

Milind and Ankita dated for five years before they finally got married. Milind Soman and Ankita Konwar exchanged wedding vows in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, where they went holidaying. They also had a traditional wedding on this day two years ago.

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Farhan Akhtar and Shibani Dandekar do not shy away from the media or the public glare to profess their love for each other. Their Instagram account is all about pictures filled with Public Display of Affection (PDA), and their cryptic captions leave their fans scratching heads to decode it.

Recently, Shibani shared a video on Instagram of herself, cooking pasta while Farhan films her. As Shibani cooks pasta with mushrooms, spring onions and cream sauce, Farhan is seen gives us a live-commentary. Shibani captioned the post: "How can anyone be this bad in the kitchen? Making pasta with mushrooms, spring onions and cream sauce! I've made this a thousand times and it still isn't that good! Thank you to my wonderful kitchen assistants and cameraman (sic)."

 

 

 

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making pasta with mushrooms spring onions and cream sauce! I’ve made this a thousand times and it still isn’t that good! thank you to my wonderful kitchen assistants and cameraman!

A post shared by Shibani Dandekar (@shibanidandekar) onApr 22, 2020 at 2:08am PDT

The alleged couple has been enjoying their quarantine time together. They regularly give us insights about the fun they have through their videos and pictures. Recently, Shibani shared a picture where she can be seen chilling with her "mystery man". "On lockdown with this mystery man #quarantine (sic)", she captioned the post.

 

 

 

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A post shared by Shibani Dandekar (@shibanidandekar) onApr 18, 2020 at 4:14am PDT

Farhan too shared a video of Shibani enjoying with his dog Tyson. Shibani is trying to scare Tyson by constantly making noises but to no avail. And as soon as Tyson does the same, she gets scared and shocked and bursts out laughing out of fear and panic.

 

 

 

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Every action has an equal and opposite reaction 😂😂😂 #tystagram @shibanidandekar

A post shared by Farhan Akhtar (@faroutakhtar) onApr 8, 2020 at 5:51am PDT

The Zindagi Milegi Na Dobara actor started dating Dandekar almost a year-and-a-half ago. Later, they started sharing each other's photos on their social media accounts. Farhan was earlier married to Adhuna Bhabani, with whom he has two daughters - Shakya and Akira. Shibani Dandekar is a model-turned-VJ and has participated in reality shows such as Khatron Ke Khiladi and Jhalak Dikhla Ja.

On the work front, Farhan was last seen in Shonali Bose's The Sky Is Pink, co-starring Priyanka Chopra, Zaira Wasim, and Rohit Saraf. The film opened to a positive response from critics but underperformed at the box office. He will next star in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's Toofan, a boxing drama releasing on October 2, 2020.

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Manoj Bajpayee is celebrating his 51st birthday today with his family, and there cannot be a greater feeling for any actor to spend time with his loved ones and that too on such a special occasion. But how will he be bringing on the special day? Speaking to Mumbai Mirror, he spilled the beans on the same.

He said, "I am in the hills with my family. There can be no better setting." However, since nobody can step out due to the lockdown, Bajpayee even spoke about this and said, "The only problem is that we're not allowed to go out of the compound here, and as all the houses are far apart from each other, there is hardly any human contact." His wife Shabana and his parents are in Delhi right now and he also talked about his concern.

He said, "We are constantly in touch with them and have asked friends to check on both our parents." The actor has been working in Hindi Cinema for the last 25 years and given some unforgettable performances in films like Satya, Kaun, Shool, Gangs of Wasseypur, Aligarh, and more recently, The Family Man. He's now gearing up for Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari and Mrs. Serial Killer!

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A childhood picture of Janhvi Kapoor, posted by mother Sridevi in 2016, has been doing the rounds of the Internet. Fans of the late superstar are finding it special as it is from the family album. As a bald toddler, dressed up in South Indian attire, Janhvi looks cute as a button.

Janhvi Kapoor is often seen sharing her childhood pictures from the family album. In this one, Janhvi is seen wearing a pretty white coloured ethnic wear and loads of gold jewellery. Isn't she looking adorable? 

Speaking about the actress' professional journey, Janhvi Kapoor will be next seen in Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl, Roohi Afzana, Takht and Dostana 2. As the lockdown process is still on, Janhvi Kapoor has self-quarantined with sister Khushi Kapoor and papa Boney Kapoor. Khushi, who studies in New York, returned from the city as soon as the COVID-19 broke on the internet.

In an interview, Janhvi Kapoor shared how her Bollywood debut changed her life, "I think I lacked confidence and my language was an issue. I think I was a little stiff in places. I think that one thing I had working for me is that I tried to bring a lot of honesty and sensitivity to it. I think the emotionality of it was in the right place."

She added, "Maybe it was all heart but it lacked a lot of technical understanding and a lot of finesse. I lacked technical understanding and maybe my skill set wasn't as polished. It's weird saying this about myself but I think I felt honest onscreen."

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When normalcy returns, Varun Dhawan may well host a glitzy bash that mentor Karan Johar would approve of. For now though, an intimate celebration is on the cards for the star who turns 33 today. The actor plans to spend the big day with dad David, mother Lali, brother Rohit and family, who stay a few floors above him in a Juhu highrise.

It was originally supposed to be a working birthday for the actor as Coolie No 1 was slated to release on May 1. "The family had considered formally announcing Varun's engagement to long-time girlfriend Natasha Dalal on the occasion. However, given the current scenario, they have decided to do it at an appropriate time," says a source.

David Dhawan

Though tight-lipped on the subject of Varun-Natasha's engagement, filmmaker David says he is glad the family is together on the star's big day. "It will be a quiet family affair. Over the past few weeks, Varun has been with us, and has been taking care of Lali and me. He is especially concerned about me as I am diabetic," he says. Ask him about the fate of Coolie No 1, and the filmmaker says, "It's my 45th film as a director. I think people will want to watch comedy [post the crisis]. Work on the film is underway."

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Actress Raveena Tandon has appealed all to extend help to the family of deceased Palghar lynching victim Nilesh Telwade. Sharing a website where one can donate, Raveena Tandon tweeted: "A fundraiser for the 29 yr old driver who was lynched along with Hindu sadhus. He leaves behind two little girls, please do your bit and help this family."

Twenty-nine-year-old Nilesh, a driver by profession, was lynched along with two sadhus by a mob of over 200 people in Maharashtra's Palghar last week. The brutal incident occurred while they were travelling from Nashik to Surat with some relief materials.

Suspecting them to be thieves, the crowd started questioning them, abused and then assaulted them brutally with sticks, rods and stones. Nilesh Telwade's untimely death has left his family including his wife and two little daughters in a helpless condition.

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The actress asserts that she tries to do interesting activities with husband, actor Kunal Kemmu, and daughter Inaaya. Here's how Soha Ali Khan is spending her time during the lockdown:

Reading:

 

 

 

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Booked for the week! #lockdown #stoppedcountingthedays #storytime

A post shared by Soha (@sakpataudi) onApr 21, 2020 at 12:26am PDT

Reading has always been something I love doing and our busy lives make it difficult to sit down and make time for it every day. The lockdown has enabled us to stay indoors and focus on the activities that our busy schedules would not allow us to do. Reading is one of the things that I have included in my daily tasks; I dedicate at least one hour to reading as it helps me with my writing better. Therefore, if you were once an avid reader and have lost the touch of it, this is the perfect time to reconnect to your stack of untouched lying favourites.

Fun with family:

 

 

 

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It’s just a ‘matar’ of time #lockdown #stayhome #staysafe #twopeasinapod @khemster2

A post shared by Soha (@sakpataudi) onApr 15, 2020 at 1:46am PDT

Family to me always comes first! In the times of lockdown, your family is what is going to keep you together by supporting you and making you laugh or be your partners in fun. The lockdown has brought us closer than ever. Kunal and I make sure that we engage ourselves with some or the other interesting activity. We try to indulge Inaaya in various activities such as drawing, puzzles, colouring, learning the alphabet or numbers, and sometimes we gaze out of windows and play the "I spot" game from the balcony.

Experiment with healthy snacks:

I love snacks that are filling and healthy and so does my family, hence I cook our meals that are rich in nutrients. Since almonds are one of my favourite snacks to munch on, I make sure that my recipes include a handful of almonds. They not only keep you full but also prevents you from binging on unhealthy options as they help suppress hunger in between meals. Some of my favourite dishes are Sheera with nuts, Almond Soy milk, Roasted Almonds with a spicy touch, definitely worth trying.

Exercising with FAM Jam indoors:

 

 

 

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I got the best trainer in the business 💪🏼

A post shared by Kunal Kemmu (@khemster2) onApr 16, 2020 at 2:23am PDT

The lockdown has put a hold on the gyms but not on us, hence I make sure to take out time to exercise for an hour. Kunal and I motivate each other to perform the basic exercises at home. Occasionally we take Zumba and Yoga sessions for Inaaya and love to watch her groove with the music. The funniest thing is she exercises with us and it is cute to watch her try and learn the basics with us.

Skincare routine:

Maintaining the glow inside out is important. I use facemasks once in a week to exfoliate the impurities and dust from my skin. It is also important to take care from within; therefore, I hydrate myself and intake lots of water. Make sure to include Vitamin E in your diet as it may help in imparting anti-ageing properties and benefits skin health. I make sure to include almonds in my diet and make it a part of my beauty routine as it fills my body up with the right nutrients. I also make sure to use a Vitamin C facial oil for my skin.

The lockdown isn't necessarily a bad thing, it is not! One needs to detoxify from the hustle-bustle of the city and take measures to stay home, fit and healthy. Make sure to indulge yourself in activities that are fun and productive.

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Somewhere in a township dominated by restaurants and cafés, is a dark-walled space with bright yellow light shining through the glass door — the board above reads Rhythm and Blues (R&B) Academy. We are in Bhabola on Vasai Road, a 10-minute auto ride from the station. The door opens to the sound of keys and strings, and greeting us with a warm smile is Reuben D'silva, the founder of the academy, who has arrived after juggling his full-time job in Andheri. We are seated between the receptionist and two students who have immersed themselves while playing the keyboard and guitar. It's an ongoing practice session, D'silva tells us, as he prepares to discuss his journey — and we know the idle beanbag near us may come in handy.

A Sunday session at the orphanage

The 22-year-old D'silva started learning to play the guitar when he was 14. Then, in the 12th grade, he began taking lessons out of his Vasai residence on weekends. Over the years, he spent some time volunteering in orphanages and slum areas, but it wasn't until the early years of pursuing his Bachelors degree in Economics that he developed an inclination to give shape to a social initiative around music. "I listed myself on Google, and my inquiry rate almost tripled. I then realised that there's a huge market for music in Vasai. There are few competitors, and they're all conventional. You pay monthly fees and there is no end goal. I thought of designing a three-month beginner's course which is a structured way of learning," he tells us.

R&B studio. Pics/Sameer Markande

After graduation, D'silva secured a job with a start-up as a consultant, and worked on materialising plans for the academy. The pay hike he received gave a major boost to his goal. On August 15 this year, he was able to find a rental, with his family supporting him to pay the deposit. It also helped to be social media savvy. D'silva, wrote a Facebook post asking his network if they had any old musical instruments they wish to give to R&B, explaining the agenda of giving music lessons at an orphanage through an initiative he called The Ohana Foundation. The responses were positive; every instrument at the space other than D'silva's two guitars, are donated. "A lot of people still want to give their instruments but I don't have the time to go collect them. We even got an accordion," he says.

The academy is D'silva's commercial venture where he has professional instructors on board for guitar, keyboard, drums, violin and the saxophone. And every Sunday, he heads to the Handmaids of the Blessed Trinity Orphanage in Vasai to teach 60 girls along with a group of volunteers who are trained in music. "I thought of the orphanage because you always have people sponsoring lunch or celebrating their birthdays, but at the end of the day, the children know that the visitors are going to leave them. They also watch TV and are aware of the latest Bollywood songs but they don't know whether they'd ever be able to play them. I wanted to bridge that gap," he explains.

The first session was memorable — D'silva carried the keyboard and guitar with enthusiasm but left the adaptor behind. He recalls, "I saw 60 kids in front of me expecting something. So I said, okay let's not freak out, and a volunteer then started singing Hindi songs for them and everyone was instantly connected. Since then, they sit in a line with their books and wait for us." For two sessions, the girls were divided into three groups with an instructor for each group teaching the guitar, keyboard and cajon. "They observed each group for 15 minutes. After that, we asked them to pick an instrument. So, 25 students chose the guitar, 18 were interested in the keyboard, and the rest selected the cajon," he says.

With plans to enter crowdfunding in December, he aims to expand the initiative. "I got in touch with Music Basti and the Child's Play Foundation, an orchestral music initiative in Goa that gave me crowdfunding advice," but D'silva is keen on keeping the experience authentic. He says, "Money is not everything. We may not make the next AR Rahman, but at least we're making them smile."

AT Kingston Towers, Kauls Heritage City, Vasai West 
CALL 7798044486

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Thane: Tremors measuring 3.1 on the Richter scale were experienced at around 1:38 am on Sunday in Dundalwadi village in Dahanu area of neighbouring Palghar district, a civic official said.

District Disaster Control Officer Vivekananad Kadam said no damage was reported. Earlier, on November 24 and November 3, tremors of the magnitude of 3.3 on the Richter scale shook Dahanu and Talasari talukas.

Civic officials said that quake-preparedness training programmes were held for villagers between November 26-29 in two talukas of Palghar district.

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Bollywood actress and Congress candidate from Mumbai North Urmila Matondkar on Sunday played cricket with the youngsters of Sahyadri Nagar, Charkop in Kandivli. She tweeted a video of her playing cricket and wrote, "Since there is no time to watch the IPL anymore...in a league of my own with the youngsters of Sahyadri Nagar, Charkop Kandivali (W) #AapliMumbaichiMulagi." (sic)

Also Read: Elections 2019: Urmila Matondkar races for Lok Sabha polls with rally in Kandivli. See photos

Clad in simple salwar kameez, Matondkar tried her hand at cricket among cheering crowd. Watch video here...

Since there is no time to watch the IPL anymore...in a league of my own with the youngsters of Sahyadri Nagar, Charkop Kandivali (W) #AapliMumbaichiMulagi 😇 pic.twitter.com/JrRZmTNRNx

— Urmila Matondkar (@OfficialUrmila) April 14, 2019

Urmila Matondkar has declared assets worth around Rs 68.28 crore and a clean legal record. As per her affidavit filed with the Election Commission, Matondkar's income was Rs 1.27 crore in 2013-14, which more than doubled to Rs 2.85 crore in 2017-18. Her movable and immovable assets are totally worth Rs 40,93,46,474 and Rs 27,34,81,000, respectively.

Her husband M.A. Mir owns movable and immovable assets worth Rs 32,35,752.53 and Rs 30,00,000, respectively, totally around RS 62.35 lakh. Besides, Matondkar has declared an outstanding loan of Rs 32 lakh. Her assets include bank deposits, cash in hand, vehicles, and investments in land and properties.

Also Read: Watch video: Urmila Matondkar enjoys vada pav during election campaign in Mumbai

Urmila Matondkar was born in a small rural hospital in her (maternal) native region of Sindhudurg, to Shrikant and Sunita. Her father Shrikant is a retired officer of the erstwhile Grindlays Bank and her mother Sunita is a retired state government employee.

She was educated at the prestigious century-old King George High Shool, Dadar, which is now renamed as Raje Shivaji Vidyalaya, and then joined the Ruparel College, but couldn't complete her graduation as she got a big break in Bollywood.

With a successful film career behind her, Urmila married a Kashmiri businessman, M.A. Mir and regularly visits her inlaws in the Valley. While her sister is a former actresss-turned-lawyer Mamata A. Bhalekar who lives in Mumbai, her eldest brother, the Pune-based Kedar Matondkar is a retired Indian Air Force officer who saw action during the Kargil War of 1999.

"She loves social issues, reading, and has read all major literary works, especially the pennings of Sane Guruji who has influenced her deeply. Urmila is always dediated and committed in any venture she undertakes, whether acting or social work or politics," her proud father Shrikant said

Mumbai's six Lok Sabha constituencies go to polls in the fourth phase on April 29.

Also Read: Elections 2019: Urmila Matondkar, Priya Dutt, Sanjay Nirupam woo youth

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Reacting sharply to a scuffle between Congress workers and BJP sympathisers earlier on Monday, actor-turned-politician Urmila Matondkar claimed that there is a threat to her life and she requires protection from the police.

Speaking to ANI after the scuffle that took place during her roadshow at Boriwali, Matondkar said, "It is being done to create fear. It is just beginning, it will take a violent turn. I have asked for police protection. There's a threat to my life, I have filed a complaint."

Talking about the scuffle that happened earlier in the day, Matondkar said, "We were peacefully addressing people and from nowhere 15-20 people came and started raising slogans in favour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Initially, I didn't react to it and thought these kinds of things keep happening. But they all started making vulgar actions and started dancing. They were trying to intimidate women at the back. They were moving forward towards the direction where my vehicle was standing. Because of this, our people had to intervene and asked them to stop doing this. A clash then broke out between them and they even hit some women."

She also said that she has filed a police complaint on today's incident.

Matondkar has been fielded by Congress from Mumbai (North) constituency.

Earlier in the day, when Matondkar was holding a roadshow near a railway station, some onlookers started raising pro-Modi slogans. The sloganeering was countered by 'Chowkidar Chor hai' slogans by Congress supporters.

A scuffle subsequently broke out between the two groups. In a video of the incident, Congress supporters can be seen running towards people raising pro-Modi slogans and roughing up a few of them.

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Homeless people sleeping under flyovers with BMWs on top. Urchins laying their palms out before corporate workers. Fancy high-rises looking down on slums with families of six living in shanties. And defunct mills transformed into glitzy malls. That, in a nutshell, is what the Lower Parel area resembles today. It's a place that epitomises the disparate economic standing of Mumbai's citizens. But that wasn't always the case. Back in the late '80s, when the area's mill culture still hadn't bitten the dust, there were hardly any skyscrapers. Kingston Towers, for instance, is one of the many swanky residential properties that came up later. And it's partly the setting for a play that seeks to highlight the class conflict prevalent in the area ever since real estate companies turned the place into their private playground, displacing poorer families from chawls to zopadpattis (Marathi: slums), or to places like Dombivali and Panvel instead.

The play is called Todi Mill Fantasy, written by Sujay Jadhav. The plot revolves around three friends — Ghyanta, Shirish and Ameya — with stars in their eyes. There is also a girl, Isha. And an assortment of other characters, such as a money-hungry broker named Gawde Bai, help the audience gauge how the changing milieu of the mill district has entrapped succeeding generations in a vicious cycle of corruption.

Director Vinayak Kolwankar gives us a brief sketch of the storyline, which is part reality and part fantasy. It goes like this: Ghyanta encounters Isha one night while cleaning the toilet at Todi Mill Social, where he works. She's a rich girl on the run from cops who want to book her for drunken-driving. So, the boy helps her hide in the loo. They strike up a conversation and Ghyanta tells Isha about his plans to get rich. He says that he wants to set up a Dharavi-like slum tourism start-up with Ameya and Shirish. For that, they had planned to build a ropeway from the roof of Kingston Towers to Kalachowkie, the area where their slum is located. So, they had approached Gawde Bai for logistical help. But she told them, "Why do you want to set up a slum tourism business when Kalachowkie itself will be razed in two years? I have a better idea. Why don't you join me in evicting people from the slum instead and get paid a bomb for it?"

(From left) Jaydeep Marathe, playing Shirish; Kapil Redekar, or Ameya; and Shubhankar Ekbote, or Ghyanta

Kolwankar tells us, "Meanwhile, while Ghyanta is telling Isha this story, Ameya and Shirish are waiting for him with alcohol on the roof of a public toilet within Kingston Towers, to discuss whether they will go ahead with their start-up or join Gawde Bai. But they end up drinking too much. And Shirish, in his stupor, throws a rock that breaks a glass in the complex, for which he's caught and sent to jail. That's the point where the interval begins."

The play then enters the realm of fantasy once the curtains reopen. Now, Ghyanta and Isha are standing on the roof of Kingston Towers, on their wedding day. In this dreamland, Ghyanta is a well-off person after having helped Gawde Bai empty 200 shanties in Kalachowkie. But then, from the rooftop, he sees an identical BMW being parked next to the one he's bought with his new-found wealth. "Who dares buy the same car as you?"

Isha asks him. And that's when they turn around to see Shirish. It's his car. He, too, is wealthy now, having acquired the 300 remaining dwellings in their sum. But Isha is the ultimate prize he is eyeing. And the play ends on a note of how the present-day class conflict in the Lower Parel area affects not just romantic relationships, but friendship as well.

ON March 2, 8.30 pm AT Yashwant Natyamandir, Matunga West.
Call 24333225
Cost Rs 200

The play ends on a note of how the class conflict in the Lower Parel area affects not just romantic relationships, but friendship, too.

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There's no doubt that the fifth victim of the Ghatkopar plane crash, architect Govind Dubey, 32, was in the place at the wrong time. But his family is not willing to accept mere bad luck as explanation for his death — they want to know whom to blame. After the family embarked on a sit-in at Rajawadi hospital, refusing to take Govind's body, MLA Jitendra Awhad assured them of compensation and investigation in the matter. With these assurances, the Dubeys finally claimed the body last evening.

Govind was merely passing by when the plane came hurtling down on him. He died on the spot with 100 per cent burns. Due to the extent of his injuries, he was identified only yesterday with the help of his half-burnt wallet. The last location update on his phone also confirms that he was at the spot. The architect hailed from Uttar Pradesh, from where his family has come to collect his body. To his brother's surprise, though, not a single government official has contacted them to assure compensation or action against the culprits.

Arvind Dubey, Govind's brother

“It has been over 24 hours since I lost my brother in the incident. It was my brother's bad luck that he at the spot when it happened. But isn't it the responsibility of the government to come forward to give us justice?” said Arvind Dubey, Govind's brother. He added, “We have decided to file a police complaint against the aircraft company for the accident. The government must conduct an inquiry and imprison the person at fault.”

MLAspeak
“The victim comes from an economically weaker section. Hence, I have requested Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to consider his case for compensation,” MLA Awhad told mid-day.

Also Read: Ghatkopar plane crash: Aircraft was 10 miles away when it went off radar

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The last recorded conversation between ATC Mumbai and the King C90 pilots that crashed in Ghatkopar on Thursday was 'We are breaking off, we will report to Juhu ATC'. The air space where the call was recorded was the spot for an official switchover from ATC Mumbai to ATC Juhu. ATC Juhu then tried to reach out to the pilots and when there was no reply, they waited for some time before alerting ATC Mumbai, who found the plane had gone off their radar. They quickly alerted all agencies concerned. Highly-placed officials attached to the ATC Juhu said, "The last conversation was recorded when the aircraft was in the air approximate 10 miles [16km] away from Juhu Aerodrome and almost preparing for landing. Therefore, as routine practice, from Mumbai ATC, the pilot was being switched over to Juhu ATC at the technical point [where the accident happened]."

Juhu Aerodrome Director Ashok Kumar Verma confirmed the same and said, "The charter plane took off as per the schedule and was in the air for nearly 47 minutes. It covered the air test route flying from Juhu airport and headed towards Surat airspace and after successfully completing the circuit was returning to Juhu aerodrome when it met with the accident."

The wreckage at the crash site. Pic/Sameer Markande

When asked if visibility was an issue at the time of take-off from Juhu Aerodrome, Verma replied in the negative, stating, "Visibility was over 2,000 feet. We have allowed charters and helicopters to take off and land even at a visibility of 1,000 feet."
When asked if the DGCA had issued any fresh guidelines post the accident on Thursday, the official replied in the negative.
Meanwhile, Captain MRSK Vinod, a former Indian Air force pilot, who is the Chief of Flight Safety at UY Aviation (Pvt) Ltd, arrived in Mumbai on Thursday night and visited the crash site at Ghatkopar along with two members from the Aviation Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). They inspected the site and collected some material for investigation purposes.

Technical snag to blame?
Captain Vinod said, "We have got the required evidence, and whatever was collected by the police and other rescue teams, including the black box, has already been handed over to the AAIB team. We have also taken photographs, videographs and have also recorded statements of witnesses." Aviation experts have hinted that the aircraft may have developed a sudden technical snag in its engine or as the plane was in Instrument Landing System (ILS) mode, which allows the aircraft to continue operations in low visibility, it might have developed an issue, due to which the pilot may have lost direction or both, which could have led to the accident. Charter planes fly at a height of 4,000 to 5,000 feet and there is no parachute on board for any emergency. Captain Vinod preferred not to comment on the reason for the accident, saying investigation was underway.

Were pilots reluctant to fly?
On the allegation by family members of the deceased pilots that they were reluctant to fly the plane because of poor visibility, Captain Vinod said, "We are professionals and must understand that a DGCA-Approved Maintenance Organisation has cleared the plane for testing, which is why the pilots agreed to fly. If they had refused, the testing would immediately have been aborted as per procedure." An officer at Ghatkopar police station said, "We have cordoned off the area. As far as investigations are concerned, we are only completing the paper work by recording statements and ensuring that the right claimant gets the body for the last rituals. We have no role in the investigation."

Also Read: Ghatkopar plane crash: Lunch turns into a lucky hunch for other labourers on site

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A month after she noticed what looked like an insect bite on her hand, Chanda Verma, 45, mysteriously died, after spending 22 days in the ICU. Before the Verma family could even process what had happened, the hospital handed them a bill of Rs 3 lakh, and refused to release the body until they paid up.

Late August, Chanda noticed a small sore on her hand. As a single mother supporting two kids on a modest income as a vegetable vendor, she brushed it off as an insect bite. But, in a few days, her hand swelled up and the pain became unbearable, and she was admitted to Sai hospital in Chembur, where she underwent surgery.

Mystery illness jolts family
Despite treatment, her condition deteriorated, and her entire body was swollen. She was moved to the ICU, where she spent 22 days in comatose state before succumbing to the infection on Tuesday. The shocked family's ordeal had only begun. When the family said they wanted to perform her last rites, they were handed a bill instead. The hospital held the body for nearly 12 hours, until the Vermas paid a portion of the bill.

"Around 10 am, I was informed that my sister had passed away. The hospital immediately gave us a bill of Rs 3 lakh. When I asked them when I could take the body, they ordered me to pay the pending amount, and threatened that they wouldn't release the body otherwise. We waited and pleaded, to no avail. Then my friends helped me collect Rs 50,000, which we gave before collecting the body," said Chanda's brother Ratan Verma, who runs a small local business. Chanda had died at 4 am, and her body was eventually released at 3 pm. She is survived by two children, aged 16 and 18.

Hospital says
A hospital staffer told mid-day, "The patient had a pending bill, so we couldn't release the body. The family members tried to shrug it off saying they didn't have any money. Later, they paid Rs 50,000 and took the body. What would we have done with the body anyway?"

Administration in-charge Padma Joseph said, "We had given them a lot of time to clear the bills. She was admitted for 20 days and the bill amount rose to above Rs 3 lakh. They paid around R1lakh, so, we asked them to pay the remaining as this is a private hospital and we can't let go of unpaid bills. This does not mean we held back the body. When they informed us that they could pay only Rs 50,000, I told the director who instructed us to give them the discharge file." Dr Abid Sayyed, director of the hospital, said, "We had informed the family about the estimated amount and also asked them to shift the patient to another hospital, but they didn't listen. When the patient died, the doctor had to negotiate the pending amount. We never stopped them from taking the body," he said.

Against apex court, HC ruling
The hospital's alleged insistence on payment before releasing the body is in violation of human rights and a judgment given by the Bombay High Court in January. The HC, while hearing a public interest litigation on bill disputes at hospitals, stated that detaining any patient for an unpaid amount is illegal. Last year, the Delhi High Court had issued a similar judgment, ordering that hospitals cannot hold patients "hostage" to extract money for unpaid bills. A few years earlier, the Supreme Court had also ruled similarly, advising hospitals to recover dues by moving court for legal recourse. In 2016, HC asked the state government to develop a mechanism which would enable the state to take action against hospitals and doctors who detain patients and hold up bodies over non-payment of bills.

Expertspeak
Dr Shivkumar Utture, president of Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC), said as private hospitals do not come under the purview of the council directly, there are no specific rules for that, but under the court rules, it is prohibited. "No hospital can refuse to release a body over unpaid bills. It would be a violation of the court judgment."

The Bombay HC also ordered the Maharashtra government to publish the legal rights of patients online, so that such harassment is not meted out to less privileged patients. However, seven months on, the government is yet to follow the directive. "Patients need to know about their rights so that private hospitals can't harass them. The state government hasn't done anything to spread awareness among people," said Dr Ravindra Singh, a health activist. Advocate Shailesh Sadekar said, "As per a SC ruling, it is illegal to hold a body and deny a chance to carry out the last rites over a bill," he said.

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A 25-year-old man was found dead in a flour mill in Bhiwandi in Maharashtra's Thane district, police said on Friday. Krishna Gautam used to work as a machine operator in Therma Flour Mills and stayed in one of the galas in the company premises, Bhoiwada police said.

"He was found dead in his gala Thursday morning by friends who had come to invite him to play Holi. His head bore injury marks. We have taken a case of murder against unidentified persons," an official said.

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More than a quarter of India's population or 337 million people would use a smartphone in 2018 -- a 16 per cent growth which is the highest rate of any country in the world -- market research company eMarketer said on Thursday.

Since its last forecast, eMarketer increased its estimate for the smartphone audience in India by more than 31 million people.

This uptick is thanks to the growth in smartphone usage in urban areas, where affordable smartphones are becoming widely available, the research firm said in a statement.

"India still faces technological challenges that are holding back mass smartphone adoption. "Mobile Internet speeds are among the slowest in the world, around two-thirds of the population still lives in rural areas and feature phones are by no means obsolete," said Chris Bendtsen, Senior Forecasting Analyst, eMarketer.

Advertisers can still be optimistic about the future.

"Smartphones are getting cheaper, mobile data prices have fallen and urbanisation continues. Over the next four years, as speeds and rural reach improve, eMarketer expects the smartphone audience to reach close to half a billion users," Bendtsen noted.

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The recent frenzy over supposed cracks in the Kemps Corner bridge - the country's first-ever flyover - has been proved to be an overreaction, but also brings to light the power that WhatsApp has to spread misinformation and paranoia.

This paper yesterday reported that thousands of app users had received a picture of a fissure in a portion of the bridge, with claims that the flyover was in danger of collapsing. The viral photo sparked widespread panic; so much so, that the civic commissioner was drawn into the Kemps Corner frenzy. There was a post from a young politician seeking to reassure the public. The 86-year-old architect of the bridge also gave a statement to assuage fears and calm outrage bubbling on WhatsApp.

Through the days, more rumours came in, stating that the bridge was falling and traffic had been diverted. One can imagine the mental state of a motorist about to drive onto the bridge, if they were to glance at WhatsApp and spot the alarmist message. The rapid-fire messages sparked fear and anger. Reassurance, on the other hand, was much slower to come.

This shows just how important it is that we filter messages on WhatsApp, and not forward blindly. In this 'quick click' age, it takes just the push of a button to spread fear. Thankfully, the bridge fall phobia had no major repercussions, but it does bring to mind other times when WhatsApp messages have started and stoked the fires of a frenzied crisis.

Each of us has a responsibility to verify, or at least use some discretion, before pressing the forward button. There is no race where one has to be first to pass on information. In fact, there is merit in holding back, cross-checking, and then forwarding only if there is credibility in the message. In this instant age, let's not fall for anymore half-baked stories.

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Eat with your hands, please," Lloyd Braganza who runs one of Goa's most popular restaurants, tells us, rolling up the sleeves of his floral shirt, revealing a koi fish tattoo. We are at Copper Leaf, one of the best fish thali destinations at Porvorim, and for company we have chef and restauranteur Braganza, his wife Nerissa and their seven-year-old son Naethan. Llyod stops talking when the thali arrives. A mound of rice and a crispy fillet of matzo are skirted by coconut curry, clams masala, kismuri (dried fish and coconut salad), bhindi fry, gulab jamun, sol kadi and banana.

"This is Goa's most authentic thali, and locals as well as tourists come here for their fill," Marissa tells us. The fish has a sweet freshness, and the curry is hearty. The meal switches on our sussegad mood. But, there's more to this stop than indulging in gluttony. Six years after enticing Goans with delicious meals at his eatery, House of Lloyd, the family is set to open shop in Mumbai and ahead of its launch, the Braganzas are happy to give us a tour of their Goa-inspired menu.

The pork chops

Fish Market: The next stop is the Malim jetty where most of the fresh catch of the day coming in from along the coast is sold. Scenes of women haggling over prices, to fishermen unloading their catch and slicing the guts, greet us. We see ribbon fish, ponies and sole fish drying in the sun, apart from mud crabs piled in open crates.

Yeast Ecpected, Poie: We are at a nameless bakery. We enter a small room that opens into a dungeon-like opening with a woodfire oven burning a crimson orange. In a corner, a mixer is folding dough. One of the bakers, Gajanand Naik, shows off a basket full of poie. "At midnight, we start making poie. The dough is mixed for 30
minutes and left to rest for three hours," says Naik. Made from husk and wheat, the art of poie has lost a prominent ingredient — the toddy. When the Portuguese introduced the bread in Goa, they replaced yeast with locally available toddy.

Plum and white chocolate with vodka

Rassa Omelette: Our next stop is, again, an unnamed snack stall. "You are known by your product. There's no need for a name," Braganza laughs. A server puts a fat chunk of omelette on a plate and drowns it in rassa. We tear a piece of poie, that soaks up the gravy. The fluffy omelette and poie do little to douse the spice notes from the Kashmiri chillies and garam masala giving the curry its kick.

Fruit Cocktails Pork chops and Serradura: Our final stop is at House of Llyod, situated on the veranda of his 150-year-old ancestral home. Braganza has thrown over a chef's coat over his shorts and is busy behind the bar. Christmas seems to have come early as we alternate between a green jalepeno-passion fruit cocktail and a vodka-spiked plum and white chocolate. No sugar, juice or additives, the cocktails are blitzed on order. Braganza's food sings a melodious tune, one whose lyrics have been written over years oscillating between struggle and success. In 1996, his first venture was Chopsticks, a Chinese restaurant at Baga, which put him on the Goa culinary map. "I had no culinary degree and brought on board a chef from Royal China in Mumbai, to help. By 25, I had money and luxury cars. Then, I had to shut shop because of losses, " says Braganza. He began at the lowest rung, again, as waiter. In 2003, he opened Lloyds, a five-table Goan and barbeque restaurant in Calangute. Partners drove his business to closure in 2011. "Nerissa coaxed me to give it one more try. It would be my last one, I told her," Braganza recalls. The same year, together they rebuilt the restaurant on the current premise — a tile-roof open-air tent that gives the feel of a garden setting overlooking the heritage property. She took charge of the front of the house, and he revisited his childhood to master family recipes with his mother.

The Juhu outpost. Pic/Ashish Raje

Soul Food: Goan food, says Branganza, is meant to be consumed two days after it has been cooked. The gravies thicken from concentration of flavours. We understand this when we dip a garlic poie into a bowl of bloody red sorpotel. The spares have merged with the spices and transformed the curry with meaty flavour. This dish is one of the most tedious to make, Braganza says. "First, you boil the meat, dice it, and fry the parts separately. After frying the onions, you add the meat that will hold the masala," says Braganza. While it is best served three days later, chef has a serving reserved for himself that is two years old. For the Mumbai outlet, all the house curries and sauces, along with poie, will come from Goa. The most awaited dish — the barbeque grilled pork chops — makes an entry. "This takes me back to my heydays. At Lloyd's, when I fired the grill, people would follow the aromas to order the dish that was smelling so delicious," says Braganza, falling silent when the dish arrives. The meal ends with Marissa's serradura, a classic cream and biscuit pudding. The dry powder is soothed by the creamy condensed milk mush and we lick our spoons clean. We can't wait to have the next serving back home. Mr and Mrs Braganza, welcome to Mumbai.

Chef Lloyd Braganza with wife Nerissa and son Naethan

Also read - Mumbai Food: Chef Raji Gupta's pop up offers flavours from Kerala to Goa

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Milan Talkies
U/A: Drama romance
Dir: Tigmanshu Dhulia
Cast: Ali Fazal, Shraddha Srinath
Ratings: 

This film is so inherently inconsistent, uneven in its storytelling that you feel like rooting for it still, simply because of the scattered set-pieces full of humour and insights/mannerisms of a small town, north India that you encounter once in a while.

It's almost like spotting diamond among the roughs - whether that be the local uncle breaking into nostalgic songs after a few pegs of whisky, or the street goon, wannabe Vidhayak (legislator) - both being the same - desperate to test his skills as a Hindi film star.

We're referring to Uttar Pradesh in particular, and Allahabad (now Prayagraaj) to be more specific - effectively a land of bakchods (blabber-mouths), with tonnes of tashan (exhibition of bravado) dictating mofussil male lives.

I know this isn't as true anymore, but another aspect that has geographically remained common to Indian towns is the cinema hall (or talkies) as the all-important landmark (there are usually two or three max in a district), where both the rich and the poor, predominantly young, but also the old, merge for their movie entertainment, and other accoutrements that naturally surround it.

Check out the trailer here:

Milan Talkies, that the film is named after, is one such adda/theatre in Allahabad where a young dude spends most of his time in the projection room, aspiring to become a Mumbai filmmaker when he isn't shooting low-budget films with neighbourhood talents himself. One assumed this would be some sort of a version of Giuseppe Tornatore's Italian classic Cinema Paradiso (1988) - ultimate tribute to the movies.

Hell, no. This is a full-on, wannabe-classic romantic story about that boy, and the girl with an authoritarian dad, and the fact that they can't get together - even as the film doesn't care to explain exactly why. And the two are happy to elope - not once, but several times in a row, and oh my god, 'will they, won't they,' just go on, and frickin' on.

The film is directed by Allahabad boy Tigmanshu Dhulia (Paan Singh Tomar, Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster), who whether he likes it or not is probably better known for the dialogue, "Jab tak Hindustan mein saneema hai, log c****iye bante rahenge," that he delivered as an actor in Anurag Kashyap's iconic Gangs Of Wasseypur (2012). Such is how crisp dialogues (like tag-lines in ads) work on us anyway.

Whether this film itself is part-autobiographical or not, Dhulia got noticed as a filmmaker with his debut Haasil (2003) - at the time a rare, robust insider's account of his home-town, and campus politics in a north Indian small-town. Over the years, that script (or the premise, if you may) has been milked so much to death, that it's turned into a tiring genre of its own.

Ali Fazal (similarly seen as a UP ruffian in the Amazon Prime series, Mirzapur) plays the protagonist here - a role that I'm told has been through several replacements (Imran Khan, Shahid Kapoor, etc) in the past. Although at some portions he sounds/behaves a lot like Dhulia himself, Fazal is competent to the core (no doubt). As is the female lead (Shraddha Srinath), making her Hindi film debut.

The film itself though does little to the genre, besides deliberately revisit some old-world Bollywood cliches. Maybe there's some subversion (that I'm unable to see). Maybe a full-blown, big-screen romance hinges much on the scale, for effective suspension of belief, which is sadly missing. Either way, one suspects, much of this movie pretty much remains in the filmmaker's imagination/head. Rest of it, quite honestly, gave me a bit of a headache.

Also Read: Sonu Nigam's soulful voice in Shart from Milan Talkies will tug at your heartstrings

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Central Railway and Western Railway joined hands to ensure a two-year-old child in Telangana received camel milk — a mandatory medical requirement needed urgently. In a 28-hour-long operation, the two zones of the Indian Railways coordinated to deliver the item in Secunderabad from Falna in Rajasthan.

On April 25, the nodal officer of Falna on WR contacted us and told us that they needed to send a parcel of camel milk to Secunderabad urgently for a medicinal requirement and sought details of the trains on the route, said Jitendra Mishra, chief commercial inspector, Mumbai Division, CR.

"I checked the schedule of parcel trains and immediately informed him that if they will send the item to Mumbai via 00902 Ludhiana-Bandra Terminus parcel train, then we could be promptly load it on 00111 CSMT-Secunderabad train leaving Mumbai CSMT on April 26 at 3.30pm," he said.

Mishra then coordinated with him and booked a consignment to Bandra Terminus first and then via CSMT to Secunderabad. "We live-tracked the consignment with the help of Mumbai Central (WR) control staff and officers. As soon as the consignment reached Bandra Terminus, a transport was arranged to take it to the CSMT parcel office from where it was loaded onboard the Secunderabad-bound parcel train," he added.

Mishra's role was not over here. He then called up the Chief Parcel Supervisor and Commercial Inspector at Secunderabad and explained the importance of the parcel that would be arriving there by 5.30 am on April 27.

Shivaji Sutar, CR's chief public relations officer, said, "The transportation of essential camel milk was based on coordination among parcel staff and the officers. The consignment reached from Falna to Secunderabad within approximately 28 hours."

WR's chief PRO Ravinder Bhakar said that special teams in every division of the IR are taking care of the medical emergencies as well as the essential transportation during this global health crisis.

Sowmya also thanked the Railways for delivering the parcel meant for her child in such a short time.

CR extends another help
Jitendra Mishra intervened again on Monday to help get a crucial medicine for a heart patient delivered to Chiplun from Vikhroli. "We collected the parcel from his son's residence at Vikhroli and booked it onboard Okha-Ernakulam Parcel Express. As the train doesn't halt at Chiplun, I contacted the staff at Konkan Railway and requested a halt to drop the parcel, which was then handed over to Chiplun Station Master," he said.

28
No. of hours it took the railways to get the milk to the child

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On April 16, two priests and their young driver travelling in a car from Mumbai to Surat were lynched to death by a frenzied mob in Gadchinchale village, Palghar district. This paper has been closely following the sequence of events, including interviews with the family of the slain, and the political brouhaha that followed.

While it is learnt that the men became the target of an enraged and armed mob, it is clear that they were fuelled by rumours and in some cases by alcohol too. Locals claim talk about child kidnappers and organ sellers was doing the rounds. There were also rumours about outsiders coming into the village and spreading Coronavirus.

We now have to think and put into place some kind of gameplan, so that such incidents do not occur again. Having said that, it is also understood that there is no guarantee, and one acknowledges that it is very difficult to control a mob baying for blood.

This does not mean that we cannot try and learn from some takeaways of this crime. Police and leaders must act proactively the next time any rumours start swirling around. This could be done by putting signboards in areas or making announcements to dispel rumours. The frontline of the tribal community and villagers, those who command respect could be roped in at an early stage by authorities as allies. They could then hold meetings of people dispelling and squashing dangerous, loose talk. An aggressive truth campaign can be started.

Action against culprits stoking irresponsible fires can be part of the rebuff-the-rumour strategy. All this should be driven by those who have won the trust of the people. All easy to say, but worth giving a shot. The key seems to be not to be reactive and try to pacify an already charged, unmanageable group, but, proactive so that there is a strategy in place to scotch lies and wilful attempts to misguide.

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It was a race against time for Bhiwandi police on Saturday, when they were informed that a special train would leave from Bhiwandi Road Railway Station for Uttar Pradesh. The exercise of shortlisting passengers who belonged to UP's Gorakhpur district, and bringing them to the railway station, took less than five hours. And through it all, there was no chaos. The joy on the face of the migrants—who could finally see sight of home—was inevitable. The Government of India on Friday cleared the inter-state movement of trains for migrant labourers. Bhiwandi, a hub of handloom industries, is the workplace for more than thousands of labourers all of whom have been stranded after the nationwide lockdown. The local authorities received information from the Railway department that a special train would leave from Bhiwandi on Saturday. With 24 coaches it would run non-stop, completing the journey within 30 hours. Each passenger underwent a temperature check before boarding.

"As soon as we received this information, we started gathering information on people in the area who were from Gorakhpur and began the exercise with help of the municipal corporation and revenue department," says DCP Rajaram Shinde. "We shortlisted 1,200 persons."

Shamshuddin Sheikh, a driver, says, "I have spent the last one-and-half months with almost no money and very little groceries. I have been waiting for this day, now I am happy as I am going home to see my parents, wife and kids."

Another handloom worker, Muniram Yadav, says, it took him six hours to complete his registration with the authorities. "I haven't told my family that I am coming. I am going to inform them only after the train leaves," he adds.

Each coach will accommodate 54 passengers. The police have provided food, water, face masks and sanitisers to all passengers.

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When Simon Lewis and his family — wife Irene, daughter Melissa and son-in-law Stephen Alexander — got ready for a five-day holiday to Sri Lanka, it was to be a short break from work routine.

Simon, a Dahisar native, said, "On March 11, we called the Sri Lankan Embassy in Colombo, because we did have some qualms about the Coronavirus, but the official reassured us that all was well in Sri Lanka, flights were operational, and we could certainly fly."

On March 14, the family flew to Sri Lanka. Simon said, "We had return tickets on Air India on March 20. A day before we got a message saying that the flight was cancelled and rescheduled to March 21. Then, that flight got cancelled without explanation or apology!"

The Lewis' then booked flights on Sri Lankan Airlines for March 26 which got cancelled too, because of the lockdown. They have not got refunds. They have now been in Sri Lanka for more than 40 days without a clue about when they will return.

Simon, 62, is a Marketing Director with a pharma and aerosol company. He said the family is now, "living in a house on rent in Negombo," a small beach town close to the Bandaranaike International Airport. "We are going about our daily life with severe difficulties. We do not have any contacts over here. Our expenses have skyrocketed. Bank transfers are also a problem. As a businessman, it is humiliating to beg the bank to transfer funds. I need to pay salaries to my staff and process my pending payments so that I do not incur penalties."

Multifold challenges
Simon's wife Irene, 61, said they are also "finding it difficult to source Ayurvedic medicine for psoriasis." Stress and a food allergy have aggravated her condition. Her daughter Melissa added, "We are stranded here for 45 days and have registered with the Indian Embassy but no one has checked on us even once." The media professional is concerned about being laid off from work. Sri Lanka has been in lockdown too, so it is difficult for them to access their daily provisions.

Stephen Alexander, freelance TV/film director, said, "I have lost out on a lot of projects due to the lockdown. Being stranded here is aggravating an already very difficult situation. Missed deadlines mean no income. There is no respite from the Embassy or the government." A weak internet connection adds to their work woes.
The Lewis family added that Pakistan nationals have returned home on rescue flights, Indonesians have gone home too, but Indians are stranded.

No response
There are a number of seafarers from Tamil Nadu who are also suffering here. "We read that those in the Gulf were brought back to India. Why not us? We who pay our
taxes to the government," they questioned.

An official from the High Commission of India in Colombo stated, "We have no information with reference to rescue flights. Since we have no inputs, I cannot give you any information," he finished.

45
No. of days the family has been stranded in Sri Lanka

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A  Utah highway police officer who spotted a car swerving down the freeway thought the driver needed medical attention. But when he asked the driver to pull over, he was in for a surprise to find a five-year-old boy behind the wheels.

The boy was found by the officer sitting at the edge of the seat to reach the brake and accelerator pedals so that he could drive. The officer learnt that the boy had taken the car keys without his parents’ knowledge following an argument with his mother because she refused to buy him Lamborghini. So in the fit of rage, the boy set out with his family car to California to buy a Lamborghini with just USD 3 in his pocket.

Trooper Rick Morgan was quoted by the CBS News as saying that the boy initially did not respond to the lights but pulled over after hearing the siren. "I approached the vehicle and I was expecting to find somebody who needed an ambulance or paramedics," he said.

The Utah Highway Patrol posted the incident on their Twitter page with a photo of the boy seated in the driver’s seat. The tweet reads, “His story is that he left home after an argument with Mom, in which she told him she would not buy him a Lamborghini. He decided he'd take the car and go to California to buy one himself. He might have been short on the purchase amount, as he only had $3 dollars in his wallet.”

His story is that he left home after an argument with Mom, in which she told him she would not buy him a Lamborghini. He decided he'd take the car and go to California to buy one himself. He might have been short on the purchase amount, as he only had $3 dollars in his wallet.

— Utah Highway Patrol (@UTHighwayPatrol) May 4, 2020

The post shared by the patrol department on micro-blogging site garnered more than 3,800 likes and was retweeted over 1,500 times. Users commenting on the post were amused by boy’s wish for a Lamborghini at such an age!

MOM, just buy the boy a Lambo!

— Ben Bushman (@DrBenB) May 4, 2020

How did he know to pull over???

— Jenn Nelson (@JennNel33) May 4, 2020

Right?? How did he know how to drive? Or how to get on the interstate? This is pretty impressive!

— Caysey Douglas (@CayDoug) May 5, 2020

I’m rooting for this little guy. You get that lambo!!

— Heathraawr! (@heathraawr) May 4, 2020

Officer. Have this kids parents contact me. He deserves a Lamborghini ride. pic.twitter.com/yqFDW0VEZi

— George Garib (@GaribGeorge) May 5, 2020

His poor parents! They must have had a nightmare worthy heart attack!

— Scripture Ponder (@TaylorL68881150) May 5, 2020

What do you think about the post?

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The ongoing lockdown imposed by the government due to the Coronavirus outbreak in the country has taken a toll on the public lives of the people. With social distancing being the new norm, people have come up with innovative techniques to ensure the supply of essential goods is not affected. Just like this milkman who came up with a creative idea to deliver milk, which netizens are terming as ‘jugaad.’

In a photo of the person posted by IAS officer Nitin Sangwan, the customer is seen standing a few feet away from the milkman carrying four cans of milk behind his motorbike. A pipe is fixed on the back of the bike, with a funnel attached to it. As the milkman pours milk into the funnel, the customer holds a bowl on the other end of the pipe to collect the milk coming out of it.

Sangwan captions on the photo shared with his post, “Good to see that some people go extra mile to keep themselves and others safe,” adding how others can help maintain social distancing by staying at home and wearing mask.

Good to see that some people go extra mile to keep themselves and others safe.

Let's do basic minimum things of staying at home, wearing mask and keeping social distance even if we cannot go an extra mile like this innovative milkman. pic.twitter.com/RrjYVtdaKW

— Nitin Sangwan, IAS (@nitinsangwan) May 7, 2020

The photo of this innovative technique that ensures zero contact was shared on Thursday and has garnered 704 likes. It was also retweeted 105 times. Users commenting on the photo praised the idea and posted about how this ‘jugaad’ can help in maintaining social distance.

Creativity....This is called desi jugaaad.

— mahesh chemte (@mchemteMT) May 7, 2020

Super plan & i really appreciet the milk man ideas... dear indians plz keep distance, stay home

— Suryaprakash (@suryapr65773817) May 9, 2020

Kudos...innovative & creative to think of others and himself too, stay safe.

— Vimileswari Naidu (@VimileswariN) May 7, 2020

Now is the time for every Indian citizen to place safety before anything other priority so that we can break the Covid19 chain. Well done my dear milkman🙏

— SURESH SUBRAMANIAN (@SURESHSpallipur) May 8, 2020

What do you think about this post?

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Dear Diana,
My SSC exams just got over and I know for a fact that I am going to fail. The feeling scares me to a point where I can’t sleep or eat. I don’t want to interact with friends or my family. I am scared of letting them down, especially my mother. My parents are pretty strict and I don’t know how they will react if I fail. I tried very hard to learn everything, but when I was about to write my exam, I realised that I couldn’t remember anything. I was completely blank. No one has failed in my family. Please help. I am scared.
— Rohan

Illustraion/ Uday Mohite

Dear Rohan
It’s natural that you are feeling scared of telling your parents that you might flunk in your exams, but instead of being anxious all day, it’s best that you sit them down and tell them exactly what your problems are. Even if they shout at you at that moment, eventually they will understand what you are going through. In fact, who knows, they might be able to help the situation. You mentioned that you tried studying but couldn’t memorise, so may be your parents could help you improvise on the way you learn. Remember, that life is a long journey and these numbers in your exams do not dictate how successful you are going to become in the future. They are mere marks. It also seems that you are scared that your relatives might not think highly of you when they get to know that you have failed but at the end of the day, you have to live your life and are the best judge of your capabilities. Believe in yourself.

The International Olympic Committee will face "several hundred million dollars" of added costs because of the postponement of the Tokyo Games, the body's president said. Thomas Bach spoke in an interview with German newspaper Die Welt on Sunday. Estimates in Japan put the overall cost of the postponement at USD 2 billion-USD 6 billion. Except for the IOC portion, all added costs will be borne by the Japanese side according to an agreement signed in 2013 when Tokyo was awarded the Olympics. Bach said it was "impossible to say for now" the extent of the added costs for the IOC caused by the coronavirus pandemic. "We agreed with the prime minister that Japan will continue to cover the costs it would have done under the terms of the existing agreement for 2020, and the IOC will continue to be responsible for its share of the costs," Bach said.

"For us, the IOC, it is already clear that we shall be faced with several hundred million dollars of additional costs." Before the postponement, Japanese organizers put the official cost of the games at USD 12.6 billion. However, a government audit report in 2019 said the costs were at least twice that. All but USD 5.6 billion of it is in taxpayer money. Tokyo said the 2020 Games would cost about USD 7.3 billion when it won the bid seven years ago. On Friday, the CEO of the Tokyo organizing committee said the pandemic left some doubts about the games going ahead next year. "I don't think anyone would be able to say if it is going to be possible to get it under control by next July or not," Toshiro Muto said, speaking through an interpreter.

"We certainly are not in a position to give you a clear answer." Bach was asked about the possibility of another postponement. He did not answer directly, but said later in the interview that Japanese organizers and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe "made it very clear to me that Japan could not manage a postponement beyond next summer at the latest." Bach was also asked if the pandemic provided an opportunity for some athletes to violate the doping rules with no threat of testing. Bach countered that the delay could allow new testing methods to be developed. He also said tests made before the Olympics would be saved for 10 years for retesting.

"No one should feel confident that they don't get caught," he said. Bach was asked about Russia's status for the Olympics in 2021. Last year, Russia was hit with a four-year ban from international sports ¿ including the Olympics ¿ because of a doping scandal. However, many Russian athletes were expected to be allowed to compete if they could show they were clean. "The Russia question is currently under consideration by the CAS, the independent international Court of Arbitration for Sport, so it wouldn't be right for me to comment on it," Bach said. Bach said he had not decided if he will run for re-election next year. He also pointed out that the IOC had insurance that covered a cancellation, but not a postponement. The election will take place in 2021, and Bach is required to notify of his intentions six months before the vote. He was first elected in 2013 and is widely expected to seek another term. "There's still plenty of time," he said.

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Legendary sprinter Milkha Singh's daughter and ace golfer Jeev Milkha Singh's elder sister has been running a "marathon" in New York -- not on a track but at a hospital, battling the COVID-19 pandemic that has ravaged the world. Mona Milkha Singh is a doctor at the Metropolitan Hospital Center in New York, attending to emergency patients of coronavirus, which has so far claimed more than 40,000 lives in the US alone while causing over 1.5 lakh deaths worldwide.

"She is basically an ER (Emergency Room) doctor in the Metropolitan Hospital Center in New York city. So, when someone comes with the coronavirus symptoms, she has to treat them," Jeev, a four-time European Tour champion, told PTI. "She checks the patients, stabilises them, performs intubation (insertion of artificial ventilation tube into a patient) before they are sent to special wards to quarantine the COVID-19 patients," he added. The 54-year-old Mona passed out of Patiala Medical College before moving to the USA in the '90s. She has been working there for more than 20 years.

"I am so proud of her. She says it is like running a marathon every day. She has been working five days a week, sometimes day shifts, sometimes night shifts, 12-hour shifts and it is tough but she has to do the job as best as she can." The 48-year-old from Chandigarh said the job is a stressful one and sometimes he feels scared for her. "I feel worried. When you are treating people, anything can happen, so we talk to her everyday. My mom and dad also keep checking on her. "We keep asking how she is feeling and if there are any symptoms. I tell her to stay positive and boost her immune system," said Jeev, also a five-time Asian Tour winner. New York has reported nearly 250,000 confirmed cases and over 18,000 fatalities, forcing the government to extend its lockdown till May 15 to contain the fast-spreading disease. However, the lockdown is also giving rise to a lot of mental health issues among people, who also need equal attention. "With New York in partial lockdown, she gets a lot of patients who are suffering from depression as they are not used to staying at home," Jeev elaborated.

"There are people who come with bullet wounds, people who are having anxiety attacks, youngsters with drug overdose or old people getting heart attacks, basically any kind of emergency, she has to treat them all," he said. The Chandigarh-based golfer also called for greater respect for the frontline workers, who have been attacked in India while performing their duties. "It is my humble request to every citizen of the world to respect the frontline workers because they are there to help us, whether it is the doctors, police, people who pick up garbage ... we must be respectful, kind and grateful to them and make sure they are taken care of," he said. The dreaded virus has infected over 20 lakh people across the globe.

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World champion Lewis Hamilton said Formula One's Coronavirus suspension had left a "big void" in his life as the sport waits to see if it can return in July. Hamilton, who began go-karting as a child and has risen through the ranks of motorsport, said he misses racing daily after the F1 season failed to get underway. "I miss racing every day. This is the first time since I was eight that I haven't started a season," the British Mercedes driver posted on Instagram.

"When you live and breathe something you love, when it's gone there's definitely a big void. But there's always positives to take from these times." The first practice session of the year was just hours away when the season-opening Australian Grand Prix was scrapped in March, triggering a succession of cancellations. F1 bosses are now hoping to start the delayed season at the Austrian Grand Prix on July 5, while fans will be barred from the British Grand Prix on July 19.

However, Hamilton said the virus shutdown—which has all but closed down professional sports and dramatically slowed economic activity—was not all bad news. "Right now, we all have time in the world to reflect on life, our decisions, our goals, the people we have around us, our careers," said Hamilton. "Today, we see clearer skies all over the world, less animals being slaughtered for our pleasure simply because our demands are much lower and everyone is staying in. Let's not come back the same as we went into this tough time. Let's come out of it with better knowledge of our world, changing our personal choices and habits."

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The postponement to 2021 of the Olympic Games in Tokyo because of the coronavirus pandemic will cost the International Olympic Committee (IOC) "several hundred million dollars", its president Thomas Bach said on Wednesday. "We already know that we have to shoulder several hundred million US dollars of postponement costs," the German wrote in a letter to the Olympic movement, warning that, while the IOC would honour its financial obligations to Tokyo, it would probably have to make cuts. "We also need to look into and review all the services that we provide for these postponed Games," he said.

"The IOC will continue to be responsible for its share of the operational burden and its share of the costs for these postponed Games." The IOC, which has approximately $1 billion (926 million euros) in reserves, took the historic decision to postpone the Games, scheduled to open on July 24, until July 23 to August 8, 2021. If the coronavirus pandemic is not brought under control within a year, the Games cannot be postponed again and will be cancelled, the head of the organising committee (COJO) Yoshiro Mori warned on Tuesday.

A task force, which brings together the IOC and various partners, including COJO, "has established the priorities and management strategies to make these postponed Olympic Games feasible and successful", Bach said. These include creating "a safe environment with regard to health for all participants". "At this moment, nobody knows what the realities of the post-coronavirus world will look like," he said. "What is clear, however, is that probably none of us will be able to sustain every single initiative or event that we were planning before this crisis hit." He added that the IOC should also view the crisis as an opportunity.

"We can fairly assume that, in the post-coronavirus society, public health will play a much more important role. Sport and physical activity make a great contribution to health," he wrote. Bach also said the Olympic movement should consider its relationship with esports in light of social distancing.

"Whilst maintaining our principles by respecting the red line, with regard to the Olympic values, we encourage all our stakeholders even more urgently to 'consider how to govern electronic and virtual forms of their sport and explore opportunities with game publishers'," he said.

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Alleppy Prawns Curry in Spicy Rosemary Warqi Taco

It's hard to miss London Taxi standing tall at a corner of Kamala Mills. The facade of the three-level gastropub, which opens this Saturday, might seem like it’s bovine inspired but a close look reveals a map of London, the city that serves as an inspiration for this pub, with the river Thames running through it.

The 6,000-sq ft property is helmed by ad filmmakers Vivek DasChaudhary, Sanjay Shetty and Ricky Singh Bedi, with Dhaval Udeshi as the managing partner. The first things we notice when we enter are the custom-made, taxi-shaped tiles. The bar features cab grills lining the front. Colourful pipes run across the ceiling, to form a map of the London Underground. The table tops are printed with artwork inspired by Abbey Road.

Sherlock in a Pickle

The London inspiration continues on the menu, albeit in a less obvious manner. It has a wild mix of cuisines (think Prawn Thai Broth, Moroccan Fish Tikka and Madras Curry Scotch Egg). Chef Nagraj Bhat says the menu speaks of London’s cosmopolitan nature, and stories from his time spent there. The south Indian dishes are an ode to his mother’s cooking. Everything is made in-house, including the sausages, sauces and breads. Ami Shroff, who has created the bar menu, informs that the infused liquor and shrubs are made in-house too.

Bhat picks some of his favourites for us to try. The first is Truffle-scented Dark Chocolate Caramelised Cauliflower Veloute ('260).

A soup is not something we would normally have at a pub, but the dark chocolate flavour, heightened by the bitter-sweetness of the caramelised onion, makes it a must-try. From the salad spread, we are served Cajun-spiced Prawn and Kale Chips Salad ('385). Grilled pieces of spicy pineapple add a punch to the dish, with drops of mango jalapeño coulis offering a sweet-and-spice combination.

By now, Shroff is ready with her cocktails, the first concoction being The Trip ('725). A pleasant woody flavour of turmeric envelopes our palate, thanks to the gin infused with the healthy ingredient. Saffron honey water and fresh orange add to the unique flavour.

It is followed by Sherlock In A Pickle ('675). The savoury cocktail features Earl Grey-infused vodka mixed with wine-beetroot reduction, sweet lime juice and pickled gherkins — inspired by the culinary favourites of the fictional sleuth. Beer lovers can opt for Picadilly Circus ('450), made with lager, espresso and cocoa-infused whisky with bitters. There is a section dedicated to gin and tonic and martinis for the Londoner in you. Only paper or metal straws are offered, to reduce plastic usage, a move that we wholly approve of.

Our food picks also include Alleppy Prawns Curry in Spicy Rosemary Warqi Taco ('580), Truffle Scented Welsh Rarebite Doughnut ('365), which makes for a great bar bite, and Theecha Tepenade Flatbread ('575) made with beer-fermented flatbread. For dessert, try their Banana Rum and Toffee Parfait ('465).

With intriguing decor, a crowd-pleasing menu and unique cocktails (which are heavy on the pocket), London Taxi is revving up as the newest entrance in the restaurant race at Kamala Mills.

Opens on September 9, 6 pm to 1 am At Kamala Mills, Trade World, Lower Parel.
Call 24951000

Lewis Hamilton and Heidi Klum

Formula One star Lewis Hamilton, 32, and supermodel Heidi Klum, 44, went on a dinner date in New York recently after attending a fashion bash in the wake of talk that Klum and her current boyfriend of three years Vito Schnabel, 31, are taking some time off their relationship.

Hamilton is now in Singapore for the F1 event. According to The Daily Mail, Klum was seen walking towards the waiting car with Hamilton in tow.

But the F1 driver made sure to maintain some distance from the America's Got Talent judge on their exit from their dinner.

"She was seen with Hamilton at the Harper's Bazaar event," said a source.

Lewis Hamilton

F1's Lewis Hamilton has said that he has gradually moved to veganism over the past two years after TV documentary inspired him to do so to improve his health and avoid harming the planet.

Mercedes driver, Hamilton said he had changed his habits after watching a documentary about the environmental impact of the meat industry.

"It is something I have been going towards anyway. I stopped eating red meat two years ago," he told the BBC.

"This year I stopped eating chicken and then kind of went back to it and now I've stopped again. So I have generally been pescatarian for the majority of the year and then I cut out fish too."

He added: "I have actually eaten plant-based food for the last two days and it has been amazing. So far, I don't feel as if I have been missing out. I don't know how easy it is going to be when I get home. That is going to be a real test."

Also see: Ex-cricketers in their current jobs: Uber driver, bus stand cleaner