Filmmaker Karan Johar shared yet another glimpse of 'Lockdown with the Johars' featuring his little munchkins giving a mind-blowing dance performance. He termed the video as 'Johar's got Talent'.

The 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' director put out a video on Instagram late on Saturday where the toddlers are seen having a fun time in Karan's walk-in closet as they 'dance like no one's watching'. In the video, Karan showcases the toddlers' dancing skills as they shake a leg, do rounds and jump while the caravan plays music.

 

 

 

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JGT! Johar’s got talent! #lockdownwiththejohars #dancelikenooneiswatching

A post shared by Karan Johar (@karanjohar) onMay 9, 2020 at 8:37am PDT

Karan who is in the back of camera comments, "Wow, what dancers! India's got talent."

After which Roohi is seen changing the song on the Caravan, and plays 'Choti Si Umar Mein' and starts dancing while doing rounds in the closet and also does pilates.

Karan appreciates the dancing and says, "Wow! Roohi What a classic performance we are giving. I love this versatile performance!"

The 47-year-old filmmaker then pans the camera to Yash who is seen applying lip balm. Karan asks him, "Meanwhile, Yash, what are you doing? Oh, are you getting ready for the performance? Oh, You're also ready (for the performance)?"

Yash is then seen rubbing extra lip balm off his lips and smiling. He then innocently offers it to his dadda and twin sis.

Karan concludes the video and says, "Okay, that's it from the dancers. Toodles."

The 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' director captioned the post as "Johar's got talent! #lockdownwiththejohars #dancelikenooneiswatching"

Celebrity followers flooded the post with comments and the video was viewed by over 8 lakh fans over the photo-sharing platform.

Vidya Balan adored the way Yash asked his sister for the lip balm and commented, "So cutely he asks her if she wants lip balm and the way she nodded ...."Anushka Sharma left a lovestruck, and a heart emoticon.

The 'Student of the Year' director is quite active on social media amid the coronavirus lockdown and has been updating his fans on his activities. On Friday, Karan shared a video featuring his little munchkins Yash and Roohi, where the kids adorably tell the filmmaker that his 'singing gives them a headache.'

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Actor Jake Gyllenhaal says he has become less interested in work and more interested in personal life, adding that he hopes to have kids in the future.

In an interview with British Vogue, the actor, who has been part of showbiz since the last two decades, shared that he is now ready to focus on his personal life, reports etonline.com.

"I'm interested in my life, even more so than my work. I've reached a point in my career where I feel hungry in a different way," said Gyllenhaal, adding: "I've seen how much of my life I've neglected as a result of being committed to that work and that idea."

"(I've) lightened up. Seeing life as something that is, you know, fleeting, and the world being as it is now. I've turned to my family, I've turned to my friends and I've turned to love. I'm a little less interested in the work, I would say, and more interested in that," said the 39-year-old star, known for starring in movies like "Donnie Darko", "Brokeback Mountain", "Nightcrawler" and "Spider-Man: Far From Home".

Gyllenhaal, who has been romantically linked to French model Jeanne Cadieu in the past few years, shared that he "definitely" sees kids in his future.

"Yes, of course I do. I definitely do," he said, adding: "The act of making love to make a child…the real thing is life. You get to the end of the show and that's what it's about. Children. Children and art."

He continued: "I'm not someone who has ever existed in a space where I've really known what's coming next. But you do have to be open to it. And there has been no other time in my life that I can safely say…. My mother and my sister are some of the most extraordinary people I know. Our vulnerability with each other, our ability to communicate about how tough times can be is what I'm most proud of in my family. For everything I hope to pass on, that's the most important."

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Actress Mackenzie Foy found a friend in her "The Nutcracker And The Four Realms" co-star Keira Knightley, and says she is a nice and down-to-earth person. "Keira is just amazing. I've really enjoyed working with her. She is such a nice, down to earth person. You can literally talk to her about anything and she would just listen and be a good friend," Foy said.

Asked about her favourite moment working with her, Foy said: "I don't know. We have spent a lot of time together but I think pretty much when we could just relax on the set and we could just sit and talk about nonsense. It was really fun just to get to know her."

"The Nutcracker And The Four Realms" is the retelling of ETA Hoffmann''s short story "The Nutcracker And The Mouse King" and Marius Petipa's and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballet "The Nutcracker". It's a story of a young girl who gets a locked egg as a gift from her deceased mother, and narrates her magical journey to get the key for the egg.

"The Nutcracker And The Four Realms" will air in India on Star Movies on May 10.

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As the nation celebrates the indomitable spirit of motherhood on Sunday, Bollywood celebrities also dedicated heart-warming messages to their mom's on the occasion of Mother's Day."

Sara Ali Khan shared a heart-melting throwback picture where she is seen as an infant in the arms of her grandmother while her mother is looking at baby Sara in a moment of affection. The actor captioned the post as, "Meri Maa ki Maa. Thank you for creating Mommy. #HappyMothersDay."

 

 

 

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Meri Maa ki Maa 💁🏻‍♀ï¸ÂðŸ¤°ðŸ¤±ðŸ»ðŸ™‡ðŸ»‍♀ï¸Â Thank you for creating Mommy 💝🙏🏻👩‍👧‍👧🐣🐥🐤 #HappyMothersDay

A post shared by Sara Ali Khan (@saraalikhan95) onMay 9, 2020 at 11:45am PDT

Vicky Kaushal put out a childhood throwback picture on Instagram where the actor is seen caught in a moment of mischief as he jogs at the shore of a beach, while his mother is seen scolding him. Along with the picture Vicky wrote," Dodging them till date. Keep them coming Maa. Love you! 

 

 

 

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Dodging them till date. Keep them coming Maa. Love you! ❤ï¸Â

A post shared by Vicky Kaushal (@vickykaushal09) onMay 9, 2020 at 5:40pm PDT

Ananya Panday shared an adorable video from her childhood days where she is seen sporting a while kurta-churidar with a red dotted dupatta. The video initiates with a question by a person behind the camera who asks, "Whom do you love the most in the world?"

 

 

 

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it’s clear where I get my crazy from 😜 happy Mama’s day to my Mama and all the beautiful mama’s out there ❤ï¸Â

A post shared by Ananya 💛💫 (@ananyapanday) onMay 9, 2020 at 12:15pm PDT

To which baby Ananya innocently replies, "Mama."

And he asks, "And the second?"

She smilingly replies, "Nobody."

 

 

 

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The answer is still the same 😜 love u @bhavanapandey ❤ï¸Â

A post shared by Ananya 💛💫 (@ananyapanday) onMay 9, 2020 at 12:16pm PDT

Along with the caption she wrote, "The answer is still the same. love u @bhavanapandey."

Recalling his childhood moments spent with her mom, Ishaan Khatter shared a couple of throwback pictures with his mom in an Instagram post.

 

 

 

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Mom for president ✌🏼

A post shared by Ishaan (@ishaankhatter) onMay 9, 2020 at 1:16pm PDT

The special post featured 3 pictures of which the first one shows baby Ishaan lying in bed while his mother is seen pecking a kiss on his little arms. The second one shows his mom in a glamorous monochromatic picture, and the third one shows baby Ishaan in his childhood days, where he is seen sitting in his mother's lap and passing a smile at the camera.Along with the post he wrote, "Mom for president."

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On the occasion of Mother's Day, veteran actor Hema Malini shared a priceless throwback pictures of herself with her mom and daughters, saying its a "day for us to recall with love and gratitude all that our mothers have done for us."

The 71-year-old actor took a walk down the memory lane when she shared a monochromatic picture featuring herself and her mom on Twitter. In the picture, the evergreen star is seen sporting traditional Bharatanatyam attire and is seen affectionately hugging her mother.

It is Mother’s Day! A day for us to recall with love & gratitude all that our mothers have done for us🙏Also a day for us to celebrate our status as mothers & grandmothers & look back proudly at the years passed in bringing our kids.This is a treasured file photo of me & my mom😘 pic.twitter.com/6kzw31pABk

— Hema Malini (@dreamgirlhema) May 10, 2020

Along with the picture she wrote," It is Mother's Day! A day for us to recall with love & gratitude all that our mothers have done for us. Also, a day for us to celebrate our status as mothers & grandmothers & look back proudly at the years passed in bringing our kids. This is a treasured file photo of me & my mom."

The 'Sholay' star also shared some 'glimpses from the past' where she showcased the three generations including herself, her mom and daughters Esha and Ayana Deol in a Twitter post.

Glimpses of the past pic.twitter.com/iKYOXwjnIT

— Hema Malini (@dreamgirlhema) May 10, 2020

The post included three pictures, the first one features Esha and Ahana in their childhood days with their mom Hema. While the second features the 'Baghban' star with her mom and the third one captures Hema's mom and the actor herself who is seen holding baby Esha by her arms.

Daughter Esha was quick to note the special post and commented, "Love u my mamma" (along with a heart and hugging emoticon).

Meanwhile, scores of Bollywood celebrities including Sara Ali Khan, Vicky Kaushal, Ishaan Khatter and others extended Mother's Day wishes to their moms by posting throwback pictures and videos on social media.

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Gauri Pradhan is proud of sister Geetanjali Pradhan who is a doctor and one of the frontline Coronavirus warriors. She also doffs her hat to all the medical professionals fighting the pandemic. Gauri's actor husband Hiten Tejwani has also lauded Geetanjali's accomplishments.

Taking to her Instagram account, Gauri even shared a post and hailed her baby sister's efforts in fighting the pandemic. Have a look right here:

 

 

 

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So proud of my baby sister!And so proud of everyone else who’s doing the same!! #drgeetanjalipradhan #fightagainstcorona #lockdown

A post shared by Gauri (@gpradhan) onMay 7, 2020 at 12:03pm PDT

Miss you, ma

Vikas Sethi is missing his mother Suraksha who is stuck in Ludhiana. She was visiting relatives when the lockdown was announced. As she is a heart patient, it is a cause of worry for him. It's his birthday on May 12, so her absence will be felt even more on his big day. Sethi is waiting for her to return. He will welcome her back home with a tub of her favourite ice cream. It's very unfortunate that there are so many TV and Bollywood actors that are not able to meet their mothers due to the nationwide lockdown.

We guess once the lockdown ends and life comes back to normal, the first thing on the cards for all these actors would be an emotional and a long-overdue reunion with their mothers and their entire family. We only wait for that day and hope it comes soon!

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I just remembered my absolutely ouch! Irrfan moment, that makes me cringe each time I recall it. One of the relatively early big film programmes I curated was Made by Women, an international women's film festival, way back in 2004. We screened great films, mostly 35mm prints, directed by women filmmakers from all over the world. They ranged from Marziyeh Meshkiny's The Day I Became a Woman (Iran), Anne Fontaine's How I Killed My Father (France) to Ligy Pullappally's Sancharram (India) and Joan Gratz's Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase (animation, USA). We opened with Aparna Sen's beloved classic 36 Chowringhee Lane at the YB Chavan Centre (remember it?). Bishakha Datta, who heads Point of View, a non-profit that amplifies women's voices and had organised the event, was Festival Director.

Sen had flown in for the inauguration from Kolkata, ever elegant. Irfan Khan (the second 'r' hadn't rolled in yet) had very kindly agreed to be special guest at the inaugural. A huge crowd had turned up, and we let them in. My colleagues escorted Sen in, while I remained outside waiting for Irfan, who unfortunately had been held up in traffic, and arrived later than planned. When I escorted him in, the hall was pitch dark. I realised to my horror, that Sen had inaugurated the festival alone and, as the crowd had got restless, the screening had begun. Eeks! I apologised profusely to Irfan, and escorted him to the reserved VIP row, only to find that the enthu crowd had ripped the 'reserved' seat signs and occupied every seat in the house; many were even sitting in the aisles.

Crouching and whispering, I cravenly begged a series of people in the audience to give up their seat for Irfan, but they were engrossed in the film. Seeing I was in big trouble, Irfan graciously whispered, "Don't worry, Meenakshi, I'll sit on the carpet." "No, NO! Please give me a moment," I yelped. Finally, I managed to persuade someone to give up his seat for Irfan in the front row. Double eeks! From there, Irfan watched 36 Chowringhee Lane, at a 60 degree angle. Life-long, I could never live down the humiliation of being unable to treat Irfan as the star he truly was. But, Irfan was so incredibly decent about it—which made me feel even worse. He quietly vanished as the film ended, and when I phoned him to apologise, he gently brushed aside my apology and discussed what a marvellous film it was.

The episode taught me two things: if you show a great Indian film for the inaugural of an international film festival, the public will come, even if it is a 20-year-old film. Second, a great film can turn even a star into a fan. Yet, I can think of no other star who would behave with such extraordinary humility and grace, as Irfan did that evening. The festival was a great success in Mumbai, and did an all-India tour of eight cities in 2004. In fact, I curated another edition of Made by Women in 2005, with an all-India tour as well.

Adieu, Irrfan!

Meenakshi Shedde is India and South Asia Delegate to the Berlin International Film Festival, National Award-winning critic, curator to festivals worldwide and journalist. Reach her at meenakshi.shedde@mid-day.com

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US employers have cut a staggering 20.5 million jobs in April amid the COVID-19 pandemic, erasing a decade of job gains since the global financial crisis and pushing the unemployment rate to a record 14.7 per cent, which is the highest level since the Great Depression.

In April, the unemployment rate surged by 10.3 percentage points to 14.7 per cent, the largest over-the-month increase in the history of the series dating back to January 1948, the Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS) said in a report.

Since mid-March, numerous US states have rolled out "stay-at-home" policies and shut down non-essential businesses in a bid to slow the spread of the virus, leading companies to cut millions of jobs in weeks.

Employment in leisure and hospitality plummeted by 7.7 million, or 47 per cent, the report showed. The manufacturing sector shed 1.3 million workers, and employment in retail trade was down 2.1 million jobs.

The education and health sector lost 2.5 million jobs. Government employment also dropped by 9,80,000 in April, according to the bureau. Hispanics and African-Americans have been hit the hardest in the job crisis, said the BLS report. President Donald Trump said that with the reopening of the economy, lost jobs will come back.

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Ex-Matka king Ratan Khatri died on Saturday morning in Mumbai. According to sources, Khatri, 88, was ailing for a long time. In 1960s Khatri had joined Kalyan Bhagat to set up Matka in Mumbai.

Matka, a lottery or gambling with number is popularly called as Ankada Jugar. Matka was popular in Mumbai from pre-independence time that involved betting on the opening and closing rates of cotton transmitted from the New York Cotton Exchange. Matka was popular in all classes of Mumbai in 1960s. In 1962 Kalyanji Bhagat, started Worli Matka.

Ratan Khatri had joined Bhagat as a manager. In 1964 Khatri parted his way from Bhagat and formed his own 'Ratan Matka'. The Matka or drawing lots from chits in a pot became so famous that the turnover of the gambling touched Rs 1 crore daily.

According to sources, Khatri had not been keeping well for some time. He was living with his family in Navjeevan Society at Mumbai Central. Khatri passed away on Saturday morning.

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Another 626 COVID-19 patients have died in Britain, bringing the total Coronavirus-related death toll in the country to 31,241, environment secretary George Eustice said. The figures include deaths in all settings, including hospitals, care homes and the wider community.

Earlier in the day, the National Health Service (NHS), England, said a six-week-old baby has become one of the latest to die after testing positive for the novel Coronavirus. Chairing the Downing Street daily press briefing, Eustice unveiled a £16-million fund to help support charities which feed some of the country's most vulnerable people hit by the pandemic.

"It is absolutely vital they have the resources they need and this funding will help the most vulnerable in our society get the food they need at this enormously challenging time," he said. The funding is part of the 750-million-pound pot announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak for charities across Britain during the Coronavirus outbreak. As to the exit strategy of lockdown measures, the secretary told reporters that there is not going to be "dramatic overnight change" in the country's lockdown measures.

16m pounds
Fund unveiled to help support charities

Russia reports 10,817 cases in 24 hours

The overall number of Coronavirus cases in Russia increased to 1,98,676 on Saturday after the emergence of 10,817 new infections in the last 24 hour, health authorities said. According to the country's anti-Coronavirus crisis centre, the death toll currently stood at 1,827, while 31,916 people have recovered from the illness so far.

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A Colombian advertising company is pitching a novel if morbid solution to shortages of hospital beds and coffins during the coronavirus pandemic: combine them.

ABC Displays has created a cardboard bed with metal railings that designers say can double as a casket if a patient dies. Company manager Rodolfo Gómez said he was inspired to find a way to help after watching events unfold recently in nearby Ecuador.

Families in the coastal city of Guayaquil waited with dead loved ones in their homes for days last month as COVID-19 cases surged. Many could not find or were unable to afford a wood coffin, using donated cardboard ones instead. Gómez said he plans to donate 10 of his new beds to Colombia's Amazonas department, where resources are in short supply. So far there is no indication whether the beds will be put to use and no orders have been placed.

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A day after being unceremoniously transferred from the BMC chief's office, senior bureaucrat Praveen Pardeshi proceeded on a 14-day leave, instead of taking charge of the Urban Development Department at Mantralaya.

Sources said he applied for leave because his father is unwell and his wife is self-isolating herself, after having returned from London, where she works with an international organisation. Apart from the Urban Development Department, Pardeshi has also been asked to head the water resources department.

According to sources, the celebrated disaster management expert is also upset with the turn of events. He had been in the run for the Chief Secretary's post.

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Elroy Noronha, founder of Goregaon's Indian Funeral Services, has been facing acute labour shortage. The ancillary businesses that supplied flowers and cloth are unable to operate due to the lockdown. "These days, it's a no-frills burial, with not more than three to four people," he says. His core team of four members is filling in. A part of the reason they are able to hold fort is because, along with a drop in staff, there is also a fall in the volume of requests. "Business is down by 30 per cent." Road accident cases are down to nil, and mortal remains from overseas aren't arriving due to the airlines lockdown. In April, he received one such case.

According to the data released by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH), in 2018, more than 1,50,000 people died in road accidents, which is the highest in the world. Paresh Kumar Goel, a director at MORTH, recently revealed that the Coronavirus lockdown will cut road deaths by at least 15 per cent compared to 2018. Noronha says this development is not entirely unexpected given that everyone is staying at home.

Dr Ravikant Singh, founder and president of Doctors for You, an organisation dedicated to disaster

Crematoriums, too, are seeing this pattern. A death registration karkun (DRK) officer at the Hindu crematorium, Aarey Colony, Goregaon East, says that on an average, they receive 125 bodies a month. In April, the figure stood at 108. The crematorium does not admit COVID-19 cases.

It's not just funeral services that have taken a hit, priests are also facing the heat. Yogesh Kanitkar, a pandit at Versova's Shiv Mandir, says the fear of infection has compelled people to make do without them. "Although we take all possible precautions, including wearing gloves and masks and sanitising the equipment, customers are wary of calling us even to funerals. Our community is adversely impacted," he says. Some, however, are sceptical of the trend. Vakola's Sukhant Funeral Management, that operates in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane, has seen a rise in business. "People no longer call their relatives, they phone us. They are confused about how to proceed if there's a death during the lockdown, so, we guide them on how to acquire the death certificate and go about the cremation," says founder Sanjay Ramgude.

Sarva Pooja kits are packed with 38 items

It's the reason why cousins Nitesh Mehta and Hiten Dhruv's venture SarvaPooja is doing brisk business. The duo manufacture funeral kits packed with 38 items, including earthen pots, Gangajal, black sesame seeds and dried cow dung. "The box also has a six-feet-long collapsible bamboo stretcher and can carry a person weighing up to 150 kg, and is assembled in segments," says Mehta, about the kit that is priced at R2,950.

Dr Ravikant Singh is the founder and president of Doctors for You, an organisation dedicated to primary health care. Every summer, he witnesses a drop in the outpatient department (OPD) walk-ins. "Sunny skies are good for us. It's a relatively healthy season compared to the monsoon and winter." There are a number of theories about this, he adds, including the fact that we generally choose foods that are lighter during the hotter months, which in turn lowers cholesterol. "It's easier on your heart."

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IT was a camel, a mule and a Karachi-Bombay train that he jumped on. Nothing could stop the 13-year-old peasant boy from Yazd travelling 2,500 kilometres to the city of his dreams in 1929. Khodamurad Meherwan realised his prospects were dim in sleepy Mazrekalantary, where men slaved on dry fruit farms and women stoked kitchen fires in long-sleeved, handwoven dresses worn with white jute slippers called maliki.

"He was running away from no real future in Iran," says Khodamurad's daughter Banoo Kalantary, retracing her feisty father's flight. Stopped at the Afghanistan border on a donkey, Khodamurad was asked his surname. "I don't have one," he replied. That's why he became Khodamurad Meherwan Afkham.

He started sweeping the floor of 1860-established New Majestic Restaurant & Stores below Capitol Cinema at VT for five rupees a day. "My father had no home, only hope, but an attitude of gratitude in his heart," Banoo says. He slept on the footpath outside, with a thin gunny sack lining the cold ground. Slogging for years, he got a modest partner share in Majestic at the age of 20. With his wife Vahbiz, from Alliabadi village, he raised five children in a flat on Gunbow Street, Fort, accommodating an aunt with her five kids too.

Khodamurad's first son Jehanbux was born in a goat stable in Iran, the rest here. In a city of military marchpasts on streets that were washed daily, the Afkhams' front door was always wide open. On Fridays, sigri-simmered fish curry was ladled to anyone dropping in. Between chores, the lady of the house somehow caught shows of her adored Raj Kapoor-Nargis starrers at Capitol.

Kapurchand Mehta with Prithviraj Kapoor in 1960. With his brothers Zaverchand and Kevalchand, Kapurchand helmed wide-ranging businesses interests in textiles, real estate and films

Not far from the Afkhams, an iconic cinema and trio of Marine Drive buildings stand centrestage in the story of Nemchand K Mehta's sons. Their grocery-to-glory saga is threaded together by generations after, in Zaver Mahal, Kapur Mahal and Keval Mahal. Nemchand sweated, struggling with meagre earnings from his vegetable shop in Vadal, Saurashtra, to provide for 11 children. Kapurchand, Zaverchand and Kevalchand were born two years apart from 1900 and 1904.

At under 12, Kapurchand boldly left home, walking impossible distances, hopping on to a buffalo buggy and finally steam train. His granddaughter Uma shares an account narrated by her father. "Exhausted and famished, Kapurchand met a woman who gave him one of her two rotlas." He saved a scrap—which, incredibly, Uma has preserved in a casket. "Anything from the hands of a kumarika, an unmarried virgin, was an auspicious shagun offering."

At Bombay Central he was spotted by a Marwari seth and employed in his cloth shop. Buying a lottery ticket, Kapurchand was stunned to find a jingling cascade of coins suddenly his. "Back to work," Nemchand urged his son who returned to Vadal with the surprise treasure. He headed to 1920s Bangalore, opening Kapurchand & Co. in Chickpet. Stocking blankets of the Lal Imli Mills, Kanpur, he invited Zaverchand and Kevalchand to join him.

Filmmaker Vikas Desai at his Rajkamal Studio office stands below the hanging cap of his great-grandfather, Anant Shivaji Desai Topiwala (portrait, right), pre-Independence Bombay’s leading hat maker and pioneer industrialist-philanthropist. Pic/ Bipin Kokate

Bombay beckoning soon, they settled in Prarthna Samaj. Kapurchand shouldered the overall responsibility of their ventures, focusing on finance. With the Lal Imli agency for South India under their belt, Zaverchand managed the Chira Bazaar shop and midtown estates. Kevalchand assumed charge of a film exhibition operation, centred at Roxy on Charni Road, where screen history was rewritten in 1943 with Kismet totting up 192 weeks. Aspiring to a beautiful property each, the brothers commissioned PC Dastoor to create the three buildings.

Another boy bolting from Saurashtra was Shyamdas Govindji Jhaveri, of Kundal in Barwala taluka. A few years after he was orphaned at the age of five, with barely a couple of rupees clinking in his torn pocket, he clocked in unimaginably stretched hours at a Crawford Market stall set up around 1914. Shifting to Metro House, the cinema building, Jhaveri Bros continues to display trophies, silver items and commemorative coins crafted at that counter.

Gradually flourishing, the Jhaveris introduced India to a luxury legend—their door handles are still in the shape of Mont Blanc pens. Adopting the motto, "Customer is master", Shyamdas trained staffers to adhere to ethical standards, meticulously maintaining a file labelled "Thoughts on progressive business". Jhaveri Bros. has witnessed World Wars, civic crises, economic depressions and today's pandemic. Shyamdas' granddaughter Seyjhal says, "We enjoy tremendous trust from local and international clients forever loyal to us."

A humble chana-kurmuri shack he helped his father serve Walawal villagers from, in Sawantwadi, lies at the core of compelling circumstances that brought 10-year-old Anant Shivaji Desai to Bombay. On his father's death, the boy was forced to leave the village with nothing more than a rupee pressed into his hand by a relative. Of which eight annas, or 50 paise, paid for the 13-day boat trip ticket. Two months later, finishing the chinchuk tamarind seeds and kilo of rice his worried mother had packed, he fainted at Grant Road station.

New Majestic Restaurant partner Khodamurad Afkham and his wife Vahbiz with their eldest boy Jehanbux, now a cardiologist in Germany. Jehanbux’s sons are music virtuosos —David Afkham is chief conductor and artistic director of the Spanish National Orchestra and Chorus, while Micha Afkham plays the viola with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Pic courtesy/ Kalantary Family

Employed as a railway labourer there, he learnt tailoring at a mill during his lunch break. This skill won a series of orders and, by 1872, catapulted him to the status of Bombay's best hat maker with a growing appreciative clientele of Parsis, Muslims and Gujarati seths. They paid well for quality caps fashioned with flair by Anant Shivaji Desai. Titled Rao Bahadur Topiwala by the British, he rose to rank among the richest landlords, whose descendants gifted Bombay the Topiwala Medical College at Bombay Central and Topiwala Theatre in Goregaon.

Anant Shivaji Desai also positioned himself as sole agent for Raja Ravi Varma lithographs, acquiring rights to the Baroda and Mysore collections after the painter's death in 1906. Prise open the frame of a Ravi Varma print and you will most probably read: "Anant Shivaji Desai Topiwala, Ravi Varma Press".

A stitch in time similarly saved Camilo Xavier Pereira from life consigned to the islet of Sao Mathias in Divar. Hugging a "passport" granted by Portuguese authorities then ruling Goa, he bunched meagre savings for steamer fare. In this case, the earnings were from his stint as an eight-year-old muncar (tenant) working for a well-inclined lady badcar (landowning employer). Docking in Bombay harbour, he joined hundreds of other young men from his community, living crammed yet in camaraderie, out of a trunkful of belongings in dormitory quarters called coors—waiting to seize the chance to become seamen, chefs, musicians or Konkani tiatr artistes.

Camilo had figured his forte was sewing. In Dhobi Talao's Sonapur Lane, Tony Pereira points to St Mathias Tailors, where his father's scissors snipped classic 1970s three-pieces for Johnny Walker and Mehmood. And bespoke safari suits for tycoon Pranlal Bhogilal who smiled when Savile Row-accoutred tycoons in London asked with admiring looks, "Who cuts your clothes?"

Shyamdas Jhaveri  was the first to import this luxury brand in the country and the shop still has its door handles shaped like Mont Blanc nibbed pens. Pic courtesy/Seyjhal Jhaveri

Equally motivated exits drove starry-eyed boys from small towns to the city they dreamed would never let them down. The success of a pioneer educationist is rooted in kindness—that of institutional legend GD Agrawal of Harganga Mahal at Khodadad Circle, Dadar. He left from Ajmer in his teens, carefully clutching R29 from selling his bicycle. Touched by hungry-to-learn Mazagaon mazdoors' children he saw all over at the height of the city's vibrant textile mills era, he tutored them for free in math and science. Going professional on marrying, Agrawal rented a Matunga room his growing family had to step out from during coaching hours. Agrawal Classes shifted to Harganga Mahal from 1955, their students including Nadir Godrej, Mukesh Ambani and Mahendra Choksi of Asian Paints.

A stowaway from Karachi proving Parsi theatre's extraordinary gain was Jehangir (Jangoo) Irani. The comedian brought the house down as the eccentric domestic help Aspandyar. The third actor essaying this role (predecessor greats were half-French Jean Bhownagary and Pheroze Antia), Jangoo added sparkling touches under Adi Marzban's direction. With a dirty, gingham-check duster slopped across the shoulder and striped shorts ballooning clumsily, he begged a stingy employer for wages.
Hearing excuses like "I pay on the 30th of each month and last month was February", Irani muttered a sulky threat, "Chaal Iran jaaych—I'm off to Iran!"

Fascinated by dramatic showmanship, Jangoo had earlier given Pipsy, his pet squirrel, to visiting Russian circus artistes who taught him stunt cycling and air-gun tricks. His craze to perform made his principal gift him an English bicycle. Scraping through middle school years, he preferred to sit on this cycle perched atop two tables to target-shoot, with candle flames casting flickering shadows around.

An early view of the Jhaveri Bros & Co. corner store at Metro House, with the Mont Blanc van parked in the foreground

Deciding that entertainment-friendly Bombay would be best receptive to his talents, with no money whatsoever, he hushed a chattering black mynah smuggled under his shirt and traded the talking bird for the ship trip. Mechanical-minded, he interviewed with a Godrej firm. At a subsequent job in Central Bank, his acting at annual day skits hooked playwright Pheroze Antia's attention.

The star was the biggest hero to his sons. Shapur Irani recalls he and his brother crept into halls on Sunday evenings to watch their father fire away in the Dari dialect. As he stomped off, mock-huffing, amid loud audience applause, two little lads whispered from the seats, "Chaal Iran jaaych."

Author-publisher Meher Marfatia writes fortnightly on everything that makes her love Mumbai and adore Bombay. Reach her at meher.marfatia@mid-day.com/www.mehermarfatia.com

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The Congress has declared two candidates, making the ensuing legislative council poll elections more interesting. This means the polls in which CM Uddhav Thackeray is one of the nine candidates, will be decided through voting on May 21, unless one of the 10 candidates for the nine vacancies withdraws next week.

Rajesh Rathod was the Congress's choice cleared by the high command on Saturday. Papa Modi was announced at a state level, indicating that it could be a tactic to get more nominations in future polls. The BJP has fielded four—Ranjitsinh Mohite Patil, Praveen Datke, Gopichand Padalkar and Dr Ajit Gopchhede. The NCP has given tickets to Shashikant Shinde and Amol Mitkari. The Sena has the CM and Neelam Gorhe, deputy chairman of the upper house.

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A 24-year-old man has been arrested for attacking two police officers and a constable, who were on nakabandi duty at Marine Drive in the early hours of Saturday.

According to the police, the Marine Drive police had set up nakabandi at the Mafatlal Bath junction, near Chowpatty on Friday night. At around 1.30 am, cops noticed a person walking with a chopper in his hand. When the police tried to stop him, he fled. The police finally apprehended him near SK Patil Udyan, near Charni Road. A scuffle ensued, and the man attacked the cops with his chopper.

The weapon used to attack the cops

Three policemen, Police Inspector Jitendra Kadam, Police Sub-inspector Sachin Shelke and Constable Sagar Shelke, were injured in the attack, and were admitted to JJ Hospital. The cops have suffered injuries to their shoulders and hands.

The accused has been identified as Karan Pradeep Nair, a resident of Silver Oak Estate in Cumballa Hill.

Sources said that Nair is a graduate in architecture, but is unemployed. He lives with his mother, a retired clerk with Air India, and a younger sister. "Initial investigations have revealed that Nair was a drug addict. He had a heated argument with his mother before leaving the house on Friday night. He was so angry that while walking out, he grabbed a chopper and told her that he would not spare anyone who came in front of him."

When contacted, Sangram Singh Nishandar, DCP (Zone 1), said, "He has been arrested, and investigations are on." Nair has been booked under Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons) and various sections of the IPC.

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A day after the new BMC chief Iqbal Chahal took over, he spent the day visiting Nair Hospital, which is a designated facility for COVID-19 patients, and Dharavi which has the highest concentration of positive cases in the city. Apart from taking stock of the situation at both places, Chahal also had discussions with the hospital staff, patients as well as residents of Dharavi.

Chahal visited the Nair premises on Saturday morning, accompanied by Additional Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani and hospital dean Dr Mohan Joshi. Chahal also interacted with the doctors and nurses about the issues they are facing, and told them that they could raise their concerns with him. "He wore a PPE and also visited the wards and met with patients to inquire about their health. The purpose of the visit was to understand the ground realities and also take feedback from the staff.

Chahal took stock of the community toilets in Dharavi. Pic/Suresh Karkera

He has asked the hospital staff to approach him with any requirements," said Dr Gautam Bhansali, consultant physician with Bombay Hospital who accompanied Chahal. After Nair Hospital, Chahal visited Mukund Nagar in Dharavi. He also took a round of the community toilets. He asked the ward officials to ensure that the toilets have a steady supply of handwash and that they are cleaned regularly.

He directed the ward officials to take up contact tracing more comprehensively. "The commissioner has asked for the total number of people, who tested positive from dense slum pockets and those who lived in residential buildings. He wanted to understand the ratio of patients who have tested positive from both areas. He has also asked us to identify more high-risk patients and place them under quarantine," said an official.

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Fiddler on the roof

A child fiddles with a phone while his guardian takes a nap on the roof of a shanty in Dharavi on Saturday. Pic/Suresh Karkera

Lockdown deliveries

Ever since the lockdown was imposed in the city in March, many households have missed cooking fresh stock of fish. Almost two months into practicing self-isolation, some still miss the whiff of fish lingering in their kitchens. But, Ganesh Nakhawa, who also goes by the name The Last Fisherman of Bombay, is delivering happiness to your doorstep.

Nakhawa, chairman of the National Purse Siene Fishermen Welfare Association, is making it a point to deliver prawns and other fish to hardworking policemen. He drives around in his car late evenings to get this job done. A picture uploaded on his social media shows him handing over a bag of freshly cleaned prawns to a local cop, who looks evidently happy. The caption reads: "From one essential worker to another."

Why Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara is unique

Cricket runs in the blood for only one cricketer in the current India Test team— Cheteshwar Pujara—whose father Arvind  was a first-class player. Arvind opened the innings for Saurashtra in the 1970s, well before his star batsman son was born in 1988.

But 50 seasons ago in 1969-70, there were several father-son examples in Indian cricket. Take for example, the fifth Test between India and Australia at Chennai where the India XI included skipper Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, whose father Iftikhar captained India in 1946.

Arvind pujara

Also present was Ashok Mankad, the son of legendary all-rounder Vinoo and Lala Amarnath's son Mohinder. There were more such examples in domestic cricket in that season. All-rounder Syed Gulrez Ali, the son of Syed Mushtaq Ali, was a key performer for Madhya Pradesh while Anshuman Gaekwad was taking his early steps on the first-class scene for Baroda six seasons after dad Dattajirao ended his domestic cricket career. Interestingly, Mumbai giants like Ajit Wadekar, Dilip Sardesai and Farokh Engineer played against Gaekwad senior and junior. Ranjit, the son of ex-India skipper Vijay Hazare, first played Ranji Trophy cricket in the 1966-67 season, but had to make a comeback after five years.

The 1970s were great for 'relative' cricket. You had the Mankads—Ashok, Atul and Rahul, Amarnaths— Mohinder, Surinder and Rajinder, all playing a high level of cricket while their dads watched on. Vinoo passed away in 1978 while Lala, who bid goodbye in 2000, used to be on tour with his sons due to his commentary commitments. As for Anshuman's father, he is still going strong at 91, having seen his grandson Shatrunjay make his first-class debut in 2003, an honour Mushtaq Ali lived to experience as well with Syed Abbas Ali.

Just give him a call for a job

Dilip Merala

In a world that's soon going to be flooded with resumes, how do you stand out? Dilip Merala, a 34-year-old student at The University of Texas, Dallas, has found the perfect tune to break the clutter. In a one-minute, 12-second video titled "Résumé Song —For Recruiters Looking to Hire Product Managers and Data Analysts" which is posted on his YouTube channel, Merala strums the guitar and tells recruiters over a song that "he's their guy".

A screenshot of Merala singing the Resume song

Merala, who is from Mumbai, is currently in Richardson, Texas. On why he made the video, he says, "There is nothing original about an International Master's student nervously looking for a job on the verge of graduation. So, one day when I was home thinking about approaching recruiters, some words came to mind and I put them together in a song. When I recorded it, I thought 'Hey, that's not bad! Let me share it and see what happens'."

No trash talk for this CEO

While most us of are locked up indoors, Anil Chowta, founder and CEO of Ecosac Utility Bags has been driving across the city in his car to personally deliver the eco-friendly garbage bags called kachra sack.

"As most of the delivery staff don't have their own vehicles, they would've been more vulnerable to the exposure of the virus, posing a risk to their own and customer health. I deemed it safer to fulfill the deliveries myself as I have the resources and access to all necessary precautionary measures," said Chowta, who has covered areas ranging from Cuffe Parade to Kandivli.

Reuben's roast about rappers

Comedian Reuben Kaduskar is serving his audience on YouTube fresh roasts every couple of weeks. Kaduskar's new series titled Rage Against features him ranting about things that annoy him and his audience. The first installment saw him take down diss tracks (a song where the primary purpose is to insult someone else) by desi hip hop artistes trying to verbally attack each other. "I have grown up witnessing some legendary beefs between rappers such as Tupac and Biggie, Nas and Jay-Z.

So, as a fan of hip hop, I was disappointed to see the quality of some of the Indian diss tracks. I decided to make a video about it because I want Indian hip hop to grow and evolve," he explained. The funnyman speaks about the toxic masculinity in these songs, their dismal lyrical quality, the use of playground insults, rappers bragging about their own success etc. He aims to help people take their minds off the Coronavirus crisis by creating content that is distinct. The next one in the series is going to be about TikTok videos. "I think it will be interesting to explore how they are entertaining and annoying at the same time."

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A 60-year-old coronavirus patient admitted at Seven Hills Hospital in Mumbai has committed suicide. "Prakash Devadiga, a 60-year-old COVID-19 patient, committed suicide by hanging after making a noose with a pyjama hanging from an iron mesh in 9th floor of Seven Hill Hospital," said a police official of MIDC police station.

No suicide note has been found from the possession of Devadiga, the official added.

The MIDC police station has registered an Accidental Death Report and an investigation is underway.

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In a shocking incident, a 14-year-old boy has been booked for allegedly raping a 10-year-old girl in the Ghatampur area of the district, police said. The accused and the victim belong to the same village. Circle Officer Ghatampur, Ravi Kumar Singh, said, "The accused will be sent to a juvenile correction home after being produced before a magistrate on Sunday."

The officer said that the girl had gone for cattle grazing near the Rindh river on Friday afternoon where the boy caught hold of the girl and raped her. The girl returned home and narrated her ordeal to family members, who informed the local police. The police sent the girl to a hospital for medical examination and after the report confirmed rape, the police took the boy into custody.

The boy was also severely thrashed by the family of the victim and the villagers.

"A case under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) has been registered," said the circle officer.

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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

All category MSEDCL consumers including the residential and CHS (Co-operative Housing society) consumers having bill amount 10,000 & above can now avail the facility of RTGS and NEFT along with the online bill payment options.

The MSEDCL consumers primarily pay their electricity bills through cheque even if the online facility is available. However, due to the corona virus pandemic, the lockdown has affected the banking transactions. Considering this situation, MSEDCL has given the option of RTGS and NEFT for consumers having a bill of 10,000 and above. Even the single and three phase residential consumers having a bill of 10,000 and above, can make payment through this system. Along with this, the consumers can make online payment through credit card, net banking, debit card, google pay, cash card, UPI, digital wallet etc.

MSEDCL is printing the bank details on the electricity bills of residential and CHS consumers whose bill is more than 10,000. These consumers can avail this facility by using the virtual account details of MSEDCL given on their bill in their RTGS and NEFT application they submit to their bank. Also, the consumer can make payment only in the account number given on their electricity bill.

Direct Link through SMS
To make payment remotely from their home, MSEDCL sends direct payment link via SMS to LT consumers. A direct payment link is being sent via SMS including the details of bill amount, due date, etc to the consumers who have registered their mobile number with MSEDCL. The consumer can make payment using this link. The consumers who have not yet registered their mobile number with MSEDCL can send a SMS through that number typing MREG (space) (12-digit consumer number) to 9930399303. Apart from this, the consumer can also register by logging on to MSEDCL website i.e. www.mahadiscom.in or MSEDCL's Mahavitaran Mobile app.

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Panic gripped Kural village in Orissa's Nayagarh district after four persons died due from suspected chikungunya in the past four days, a health official told Sunday.

With nearly 30,000 people in south and central districts of Kerala hospitalised with chikungunya fever, an infection spread by the Aedes mosquito, the

About 94,000 people in Kerala have been affected by fever in the last one week while about 7,000 patients have been identified with mosquito-borne chikungunya

Kerala's status of having one of the best healthcare systems in India has received a severe blow in the past one year due to the outbreak of chikungunya viral fever in the state.

The Kerala Government has sanctioned funds for districts affected by the crippling Chikungunya fever in a bid to curtail the deadly virus. Chief

The Maharashtra health department Thursday said 22 cases of Chikungunya disease were confirmed in Kolhapur district of the sate. "Of the 20 villages

The immune system of this mosquito is of great importance as scientists believe it plays a key role in controlling the transmission of viruses that cause

New Delhi, Health Minister A. Ramadoss Thursday said that all villages affected by chikungunya fever would get Rs.10,000 to prevent mosquito breeding

Nearly half the central government funds allocated to fight chikungunya last year remained unused - mostly in southern states that, ironically, were struggling

As Kerala staggers under the whipping rod of Chikungunya, the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) government has been cornered over its quest for a 'politically correct' low-cost health cover plan.

Chikungunya, a form of viral fever spread by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, has returned to Kolkata after 44 years with at least three people here testing positive for the virus that causes the disease.

Scores of people suffering with the crippling fever, Chikungunya, have been reported from West Bengal's North 24 Pargana District. Twenty-one of the

Italy's health authorities said Wednesday they had recorded more than 160 cases of the mosquito-borne chikungunya virus, in what one expert said could be the first outbreak outside the tropics.

An unnamed chikungunya-infected tourist from south India is responsible for the spread of the tropical disease in a small north Italian town, according

The first animal model of the chikungunya virus (CHIKV), linked with large-scale epidemics that spread to Italy and India in 2007 has been developed by Researchers at the Institut Pasteur and INSERM.

An Asian breed of mosquito capable of carrying the risk of a potentially fatal disease that can be passed from one person to another is poised to invade Britain.

According to a new Canadian study morbidly obese patients who have surgery to reduce their stomach size could lower their risk of developing cancer by about 80 per cent.

An experimental vaccine provided 100 percent protection against the mosquito-borne chikungunya virus in primates and mice, offering hope it will work for humans too, according to a study.

Scientists claim that delayed appearance of IgG3 antibodies (a naturally-acquired antibody) serves as a specific biomarker that increases the risk of the more severe form of Chikungunya.

According to a new Cornell University computer model, global travel and climate warming could be creating the right conditions for outbreaks of a new virus in this country.

A new method of vaccine creation for Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) using a technique called large scale random codon re-encoding was developed by researchers.

Mass slaughter of poultry was done at a market by the authorities in Shanghai after the H7N9 bird flu virus claimed the lives of five people. The

For the first time chikungunya, the mosquito-borne disease has spread in the western hemisphere confirms the World Health Organisation (WHO) Tuesday,

Deaths from dengue fever soared to nearly three times in Malaysia this year, compared to the same period in 2013, and a stepped-up campaign has been launched

Peru reported its first cases of the chikungunya virus in two people who recently traveled to the Dominican Republic. Health ministry director Henry

Nearly 200 confirmed cases of the chikungunya virus in Puerto Rico and the first two cases of the mosquito-borne disease in Florida have been reported, say health authorities.

Chikungunya is mosquito-borne viral disease that causes fever, headache, severe joint pain and rash on the body. A study published in the iNew England

The National Health Institute has reported that 25 people have succumbed to chikungunya virus in Colombia, South America, in less than a year. Since