The police remand of the 101 accused arrested in the barbaric killing of two priests and their cab driver in Palghar district last month, was extended for another 14 days on Thursday in connection with the attack on police officers on April 16.

They were produced before the Dahanu Magistrate court in the afternoon as their police remand expired on Thursday. Magistrate O B Kulkarni sent all the accused to additional police remand of 14 days. They have been charged with attempt to murder for attacking the cops while they were headed to the lynching site.

Lawyers headed by advocate Parmanand Ojha appeared before the court on behalf of deceased Chikne Maharaj, 70, Sushil Giri, 35, and driver Nilesh Tilghate, 30.

The police had on April 17 apprehended 110 people and arrested 101 of them, and sent them in police remand in connection with the murder of the three men. The nine other accused are juvenile and currently at Bhiwandi juvenile home. "Since the 14-day police remand ended on Thursday, I requested the court not to grant them bail instead send them into judicial custody," said Ojha.

Police search for others involved in the lynching at Gadchinchale village. File pic

The CID officials requested that the accused be sent to police remand for the murder attempt on cops and obstructing the work of police officials. None of the advocates appeared on behalf of the accused.

Advocate Ojha alleged that the trio became victims of a huge conspiracy against them. "There was no rumour before the incident and the priests and the driver were well aware of the internal routes to Gujarat from Mumbai. But their vehicle was turned back at a check post bordering with Dadra and Nagar Haveli," he said.

But crucial eye-witness Sonudaji Borsa told mid-day that a rumour of a child lifting gang was doing the rounds of the village. "Two nights before the incident, people gathered at our forest check post and forced me to step out saying a child lifting gang was active in the area. People often used to shout 'chor ayaa, chor ayaa' unnecessarily to trigger panic among villagers who would gather in large numbers," Borsa said.

Not the first mob attack

Sources said incidents of villagers creating unrest to raise their voice against government officials are very common here. "In December 1998, a mob in Gadchinchale village attacked forest officials and a State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) team acting against timber smugglers. Two men were caught but they screamed for help and a large number of villagers surrounded the forest officials and SRPF personnel," said an officer from Palghar police. The mob assaulted the officials and snatched the rifle of SRPF constable Vikram Valvi.

One of the priests killed in the April 16 incident. File pic

"Regional forest officer Digambar Manohar Dahibhavkar had registered an FIR against the mob at Kasa police station on December 22, 1998. Four people including Lohu Kanoja, Sonu Pilena, Tulja Pilena and Madu Kanoja were named in the FIR," said the officer. After the case was registered, all the villagers abandoned their homes just like they have done now. "The police later managed to arrest five absconders," said the officer. They also recovered the snatched rifle. "The four accused named in the FIR were arrested on August 9, 2012. Several accused are still at large," said the officer, adding that there have many such incidents that reveal the aggressive nature of Gadchinchale residents who have no fear of the law.

"The villagers clearly say 'yaha mehnat karke khana milta hai aur jail me bina mehnat ka' (here, we have to work for food, but in jail it's for free)," said the officer.

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A swimming pool maintenance employee working at the Bombay Presidency Radio Club (BPRC) in Colaba amid the Coronavirus lockdown died of electrocution on Thursday. Ramchandra Bhuneshwar's body was seen floating in the swimming pool by another staffer.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Sangramsinh Nishandar said an Accidental Death Report has been filed. "Prima facie, a 42-year-old man in charge of maintaining the swimming pool at Colaba's Radio Club died of electrocution. We have registered a case under Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code against Radio Club officials and the contractor for breaking lockdown norms," he said.

Senior police inspector of Colaba police Shivaji Phadtare said Bhuneshwar was taking water out of the pool with the help of an electric pump when he got electrocuted.
Sources said that Bhuneshwar, a contractual employee, was asked by his contractor Babu Khomrekar to clean the water of the swimming pool a week ago. "At the time of conducting the panchnama, Khomrekar was called by Colaba police. He told the police that Adi Mistry, a Managing Committee Member working as the Chairman of Swimming Pool and Gym at the Radio Club, told him to get Bhuneshwar to change the pool water," a source working at the Radio Club said.

Bhuneshwar is survived by wife, Vimal, two daughters and a six-year-old son. His relative, Siddhant Gaikwad, said, "Bhuneshwar was asked to continue maintenance work at Radio Club's swimming pool even during the lockdown. He lives in Murud Janjira. When no permanent staff is working at the club, why was he forced to continue his work?"

President of Radio Club, Harish Kumar Garg, said, "I am not aware how Bhuneshwar died and what was he doing at the Radio Club amid a lockdown as I am a 72-year-old man and I have been staying home."

Ramchandra Bhuneshwar

Sources said nearly a dozen Radio Club employees living at the premises spoke to the Colaba police during the panchanama. "Committee members forced these workers to leave the club amid the lockdown because they spoke to the police," source added.

Club members speak

Advocate Ravi Goenka, a member of the club, said, "We all are following the lockdown rules and sitting at home. And the rich and powerful people who are on the committee of tony clubs (i.e Radio Club) call staff to work in spite of the lockdown."

The Radio Club committee refused to answer calls. A club member said angrily, "Calling in staff to work is exploitation and violation of the lockdown."

Several members expressed surprise that the pool was filled with water and not drained as no one swims there amid the lockdown. Another member said, "We do not want this brushed away as an Accidental Death Report. A poor employee has lost his life, let us get to the bottom of this through a thorough investigation."

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Lying in hope

A child rests on a hammock at a camp that migrant workers looking to return to Tamil Nadu have set up, in Mahim on Thursday. Pic/Suresh Karkare

Guess who came to dinner

Rishi Kapoor at the Kapadia household when he went for dinner

The world lost not just a distinguished actor, but also a passionate foodie when Rishi Kapoor passed away yesterday. His family also alluded to that side of his in the public statement they put out after his death. But Kapoor didn't just like to eat. He even helped out youngsters trying to gain a foothold in the F&B industry, as was the case with Munaf Kapadia of The Bohri Kitchen. He shared that he'd once delivered food to the Kapoor household in Bandra and been introduced to the family in October 2017. The late actor had paid Kapadia a visit at his home in Colaba once after that, and left a genuine impact on what was then a small business, a family enterprise with a few people, which would take on one-off catering assignments.

"He had a meal with my parents and was very respectful towards them, when it was especially a big deal for them since he was their childhood star. I discussed artificial intelligence with him. It was that kind of an experience, you know? He was the first person who evaporated the Bollywood barrier for me and created a window that led to many opportunities over the years, from investments to more people from films," Kapadia told this diarist about a person who had as big a heart as he had an appetite. 

Not giving a damn

Irrfan Khan (left) and Papa CJ at the interview

Tom Hanks once famously said in an interview that he always thought he was the coolest guy in the room, until Irrfan Khan walked in. But apart from this unflappable demeanour, what made Khan an endearing human being is how he had no airs about himself. Comedian Papa CJ discovered this when he once conducted a lengthy interview with the actor in 2016. "The most beautiful thing I learnt from that interview is that as human beings, our journey is inward. He was so honest and open, and offered such an insight into his mind — from his parents to childhood and right up to death," he told this diarist. Ironically, the last question in that interview — which had been conducted before Khan was diagnosed with a rare cancer — had been about how he would like to be remembered after his death. His answer? "I don't think about it, and I don't give a damn."  

Diners feel at home during lockdown

A recent survey has revealed that people are apprehensive about ordering for food from outside after a pizza delivery boy tested positive for COVID-19. They would much rather cook for themselves at home. Neta App, a technology platform that aims to foster political accountability, said that 91 per cent of those sampled across Indian cities said they preferred to eat in than ask for home delivery. In Mumbai, this figure was 81 per cent. Not just that, 22 per cent of the total respondents also said that they would object if they saw their neighbours getting food delivered. As the app's founder Pratham Mittal said, "Food delivery has suddenly changed from being a personal decision to a community decision." 

Free to stream

Made in 2006, Q2P is a documentary that shows how toilets in India are a symbol of caste, class and — most importantly — gender inequality. It was recently chosen as the free film of the month by the Royal Anthropological Institute in the UK. "A toilet is like a little piece of that dream called development. It is a metaphor for the idea of a global city," director and mid-day columnist Paromita Vohra said, adding that there was hardly any information available on the subject when she made the film.

Let's start sharing at the table

One of the bigger sectors that has been hit hard due to the lockdown is the restaurant industry, which is why the National Restaurants Association of India (NRAI) is asking customers to lend a helping hand. It's started an initiative called Rise4Restaurants to give employees and members some succour, and NRAI president Anurag Katriar told us, "The idea is simple. See, we are struggling to pay salaries because there is no income and we don't know when this will end.

So we are telling our guests to buy a `1,000 voucher for `750, out of which you pay `250 right now and the rest later on. Why `250? Because 25 per cent of our sales is towards manpower and this money will go towards helping them out." Log on to r4r.nrai.org for more details.

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Mumbai Police shared a heartbreaking and inspiring video of one of the officers who was tested positive for coronavirus,  going away for his treatment, with a promise of winning the battle against the pandemic and joining back on duty soon.

The 15-seconds video was enough to make Twitter users emotional and they heaped praises for the cop for being courageous despite testing positive for the virus. The police department said in the caption while sharing the video, "Our 29 year old frontline warrior, who tested positive for Coronavirus, just summarised what we’ve been meaning to tell you all along."

The video shows the officer bidding adieu to his colleagues and getting into an ambulance that was waiting to take him to the hospital.

Our 29 year old frontline warrior, who tested positive for Coronavirus, just summarised what we’ve been meaning to tell you all along - à¤Â•à¤¾à¤¹à¥Â€ à¤ÂŸà¥Â‡à¤Â‚शन à¤Â˜à¥Â‡à¤ÂŠ नà¤Â•à¥Â‹ रà¥Â‡, मितà¥Âà¤°à¤¾! #AamhiDutyVarAahot #MumbaiPoliceOnDuty #MumbaiFirst#TakingOnCorona pic.twitter.com/tNJWg7Ljsv

— Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) April 29, 2020

The post shared on Twitter garnered more than 346,400 views and over 18,200 likes and was retweeted more than 3,600 times. The users commenting on the video said that they are praying for the officer’s speedy recovery.

That's the spirit ..salute to such a brave officer ...best wishes for his recovery

— Harish Raja (@hraja2016) April 29, 2020

I Salute and pray for the speedy recovery of all the Warriors who have been detected positive.
Tujhi kalji ghe Mitra.

— Akshay Raut (@akkir) April 29, 2020

His attitude says a lot about the young cop there... god bless â­Â
Yes tension gheu naka ... He will be back soonðŸ‘ÂÂŒ#PositiveVibes

— Neha (@IamNRGe) April 29, 2020

Get well soon sir love you all because of you we are safe and happy in mumbai..

— Aasif shaikh (@Asifshaikhseo) April 29, 2020

Salute ! Salute ! Salute

— Bharati Chaudhari (@bumekar) April 29, 2020

What do you think about the post?

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At a time the police have lost three staffers to COVID-19, a constable whose courage and enthusiasm for duty despite testing positive for it, as seen in a video that has gone viral; is proving to be a source of encouragement for the force. The 29-year-old constable attached to the Local Arms division of Marol, tested positive on April 21, and later tested negative. He has been admitted to the SevenHills Hospital where his third test will be done.    

Got himself tested

The constable was deployed with 14 police personnel on special duty at Bhagat Singh Nagar, Goregaon west, that comes under the Bangur Nagar police station, during the lockdown. On April 21 when he developed a fever, he got himself tested for COVID-19 but continued to be on duty. On April 24 when he received the report saying he tested positive for COVID-19, he immediately informed Senior Inspector Shobha Pise of Bangur Nagar police station.

Pise assured him of help and informed DCP Mohankumar Dahikar of Zone XI. Dahikar spoke to higher officials due to the non-availability of a bed in Guru Nanak hospital and managed to secure him a bed at SevenHills Hospital.

Encouraging words

The constable's 14 colleagues were put into quarantine and later tested negative. The constable was taken to the hospital in an ambulance by the police and BMC staff. The video shot then shows him encouraging colleagues. "Our senior officers are always with us, they take care of us. We police are the protectors of the public. Don't be afraid if one of us gets hurt while doing such work. Kahi tension gheu naka, me parat yeto dutiver” (Don't worry, I will be back on duty)," he said to colleagues before getting into the ambulance. The video was much appreciated, especially by senior police officers.

"Instead of being afraid of this disease, despite knowing that some of his companions have lost their lives due to it, the constable was full of hope. His courage cheered his comrades," said a police officer from Bangur Nagar police station.

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Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has mandated 100 percent attendance for all its employees in offices and on-field, with some relaxation to people over 55 years of age and people with medical conditions. This comes as the country is under lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus, which has been found to be more fatal to elderly people and those with existing health complications. "All staff over the age of 55 years are advised to either work from home or work in the office and not go on the field. People in the medical department, including doctors, nursing staff and paramedics over the age of 55 years with co-morbidities are advised to stay home for two weeks," the order issued on Friday said.

The BMC also advised all staff, who live outside its limits like Thane, Navi Mumbai, Mira Bhaynder, or Palghar, etc, to contact the nearest Ward office so they can render their services to the nearest ward office from their residence, instead of their original current posting. Earlier this week, Mumbai Police had asked its personnel who are above 55 years of age to stay at home during the coronavirus lockdown.

According to the Medical Education and Drugs Department of Maharashtra, 7061 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the Mumbai Municipal Corporation area while 290 have lost their lives and another 1,180 have recovered after receiving treatment.

Maharashtra, however, remains the worst affected state in the country with at least 10,498 coronavirus cases as on Friday.

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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

We will go ahead with patience and caution, said Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday asserting that the state government will give relaxations in lockdown after May 3 seeing the condition of specific areas.

"We will surely give relaxations after May 3 seeing the condition of specific areas but be cautious and co-operate, else whatever we have achieved in the past few days will be lost. So, we will go ahead with patience and caution," Thackeray said.

"I want people to not panic about COVID-19. It's only about starting the treatment on time. From few days old babies to 83 years old people have recovered and gone home. People on ventilators have also recovered well," he said.

The ongoing lockdown, which was imposed to contain coronavirus is scheduled to end on May 3. Maharashtra as the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the country and the state's tally stands at 10,498.

The Chief Minister said that lockdown is working as a "circuit breaker".

"Yes cases are rising but most of the cases are of the contacts. And most are already in quarantine. And fortunately, 75-80 per cent people are asymptomatic of the disease so we are putting them in quarantine," he said.

The Chief Minister also wished the people of the state on the occasion of Maharashtra Foundation Day and Labour Day.

"I remember what my father and grandfather told me about the struggle of getting Mumbai in Maharashtra. I visited Jitata Chowk today and it was a unique experience as I visited it for the first time as the Chief Minister of the state for which martyrs had sacrificed their lives," he said.

"My father, grandfather and uncle were part of that Maharashtra andolan (movement). I remembered everyone who contributed for the formation of this state. I pay my respects to all of them before speaking to you," he said.

"We had decided that this foundation day will be celebrated with great enthusiasm at the time when our government was formed. But we are helpless. Even I had to go there with masks on my face," he added.

"I remember 2010 when we celebrated 50th Anniversary of Maharashtra state. I remember everyone's presence. Especially, I remember Lata tai's performance when she sang a historical song. Many people came and go but Maharashtra is as it was," he added.

"Even Aurangzeb had to accept that Maharashtra will not bow before him, he tried for 27 years. I am Chief Minister of such state and I am proud of it," he said.

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Five tribals were arrested late on Thursday in connection with the April 16 mob lynching incident in Palghar district. The group was remanded to police custody till May 13.

"Interrogation of all the accused is underway. They have given some inputs and we are working on them," said Additional Director General (CID), Atulchandra Kulkarni. "We are yet to find the motive behind the killings of the three people."

"Several teams have been formed and we are very close to arresting all the accused who fled to the jungle after lynching the trio," ADG Kulkarni added.

The five have been identified as Vansha Lahanu Gorakhna, 50, Sachin Ramesh Dandekar, 20, Prakash Gajanya Gorakhna, 26, Ranjeet Soban Gorakhna, 33 and Lahanya Ramji Bhaver, 60.

"If they give information on anything that can be recovered or seized, we will take proper action," Kulkarni added. All five accused are residents of Cholherpada of Gadchinchale village.

An enraged mob had killed priests Chikne Maharaj, 70, Sushil Giri, 35 and their driver Nilesh Tilghate, 30 on April 16, thinking they are child-lifters.
"The five people were nabbed when they were sleeping in the forest," said an officer privy to the investigation. This takes the total number of arrests to 115, including nine minors.

Mobile video and CCTV camera footage were examined closely to take grabs of accused. "These grabs were shown to all accused to establish the identities. These are being matched with details retrieved from the dump data of the lynching site," said the officer.

The cyber cell is also zeroing down the locations of cellphones found in the dump data. "Most of the cellphones are switched off," said the officer and added that tracing them is taking time as large patches of Gadchinchale village and nearby areas are 'no network zones'.

Police sources said 10 robust, young officers from each police station in Palghar district are camping near Kasa police station as the investigators have learnt that nearly 200 absconding villages are hiding in one location in the forest bordering Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

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Since the lockdown began, nearly 750 people staying in around 125 shanties at Bandra Bandstand, have spent every night sleeping on or near the rocks outside their houses until the tide comes in, forcing them to crowd back inside. On an average, there are eight members in a shanty at Ganesh Nagar, along the seashore.

Unable to stay together in their small dwellings, they have been forced to spend time near or on the rocks by the sea, till the tide rises, in an attempt at social distancing. The people have been residing in the area since 1986 and have Aadhaar, ration and PAN cards etc. They have been getting SMS alerts to pay their electricity bills. They want the government to give them concessions regarding electricity, and many of the migrants there want to go back home to Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, etc.

Until the tide comes in

The secretary of Ganesh Nagar Rahiwasi Sangh, Jeetendra Pareva said, "There was no space crunch in these houses as the working members would be out for most of the day. But due to the lockdown, the dwellings are overcrowded. Now a few members sleep inside the house and others come out to sleep on the rocks. We do this at night and in the afternoon. We change our sleeping locations as per the high tide. The water reaches right upto our door steps during high tide. We have learnt to sleep according to it," said Pareva.

Residents say only the men sleep outside on or near the rocks. Pics/Sameer Markande

Most of the residents are people who work as gardeners, drivers, maids, etc in the nearby bungalows of film stars. However, they claim neither the film stars nor the government have come forward to help them till date.

The locals also claim they have to defecate in the open as there is no public toilet facility in the area except for one meant for tourists, which is air-conditioned, and charges R10.

"It becomes tough for us to answer nature's call during the rainy season, as the rocks become slippery and many people lose their balance and get hurt. Fortunately none of us have fallen into the sea and drowned. Many political leaders have promised us toilets but nothing has been done. Who will pay R10 to use an AC toilet when we don't have ACs even at home?" asked Pareva.

Chose safety over money

The residents claimed that they have stopped working due to the lockdown, but their employees in the bungalows have been trying their best to lure them back. "These people have been offering us huge sums of money to resume work. A few of us were tempted as the offers were lucrative. But we had a meeting. But we conducted a meeting with all the residents and dissuaded everybody from going anywhere during the lockdown," said Ganga Bhagwat Singh, the president of Ganesh Nagar Rahiwasi Sangh.

The residents of hutments at Bandstand are forced to spend nights sleeping near or on the rocks until the tide comes in, to avoid overcrowding in their tiny houses

"Thankfully there is not a single case of COVID-19 in this slum. If someone goes out to work and gets infected, we could all get infected. So everyone got convinced and rejected the offers. We are also not allowing any outsider to enter our dwellings," added Singh.

Most of the occupants of these overcrowded dwellings are from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, and said they want to go to their homes in Patna, Allahabad, Jaunpur, etc.

Jobless with no money

Another reason they spend time on the rocks, is that they don't have television. "After the lockdown, the validity of cable connections expired in nearly 90 per cent houses in this slum. So the youngsters are forced to come out in the open for better network for their smart phones."

"We requested the service provider to resume the service but he said it will be possible after online payment. So we are helpless regarding this as well. Also, most of us are jobless so how can we pay for cable TV?" Pareva added. So far they haven't had a problem with food. Residents claimed former MLA Baba Siddiqui and Corporator Asif Zakaria have been giving them rations and packed food. Special arrangement for food has also been made by the duo for those observing roza in the holy month of Ramadan.

With the government allowing travel between states, the migrants in the shanties are hopeful of going back home.

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It took the BMC a full week to quarantine over two dozen high-risk patients, including the family of a Govandi resident who was posthumously found to have COVID-19. Right after the woman's death on Sunday, six neighbours got themselves tested at a fever camp and four returned positive over the next few days.

The woman, 55, was admitted at Rajawadi Hospital on April 24 and died on Sunday. A local social group identified 21 people as her high-risk contacts with symptoms.

While protocol states that family members and high-risk contacts should be tested and quarantined immediately, around 25 people were isolated at Vishnu Nagar in Mahul village only on Friday.

Of the six that visited the Mankhurd fever camp on Monday, one tested positive on Wednesday and was quarantined, two on Thursday. One positive diabetic patient is still at home as they require heightened care at a hospital.

Shankar Patil, president of the Govandi-based social group Rahul Seva Mandal, who highlighted the case in an email to CM Uddhav Thackeray on April 29, said, "The woman already had hypertension and diabetes. Later, her relatives, some family members and neighbours started showing symptoms. All live in Lumbini Baug in Panchsheel chawl so it is impossible to practise social distancing. They also use common toilets."

A neighbour whose husband has tested positive

The mandal had conducted its survey in the chawl on Saturday. Shankar said, "Had they not decided to get themselves tested, it would have been impossible to contain the spread."

'BMC's efforts taking time'

A neighbour — whose husband is one of the positive patients — went to the fever camp on Friday. She has a fever of almost 103°C. "We did not know that the woman had COVID-19. My husband, cousins and other family members took care of her as she already had diabetes," she said.

"After her death, BMC visited the chawl to take the names of high-risk contacts and said they will visit again the next day but no one came. All 21 people should have been quarantined immediately."

The BMC set up a fever camp at the neighbouring KC International School only on Friday

"We usually go out to buy vegetables and if we are positive, we don't want to spread the disease. Most of the people who tested positive were showing mild symptoms. They don't have too high a fever or difficulty breathing," she said. "I understand if the government doesn't test or quarantine neighbours, but at least test those who live in the same house. BMC is doing its work — but it is slow. We cannot directly blame them."

'Testing symptomatic cases'

M East ward Assistant Commissioner Sudhanshu Dwivedi said efforts was doubled at the fever camp in KC International School on Friday. When asked about the lack of testing of high-risk contacts, he said, "The ICMR guidelines say only symptomatic cases need to be tested. Earlier, we had set up a fever camp in a one-km radius of the chawl. It was in Govandi but in surrounding areas such as Deonar, Lotus Colony, etc. We also barricaded the chawl on Saturday, a day after the deceased woman was taken to Rajawadi."

"We also sent out Community Health Volunteers to check on residents' health. They told residents that if anyone is feeling symptomatic, they should visit the nearest fever camp and contact them. The whole process takes five to seven days." He added: "The six people found positive had gone to a BMC fever camp but in a different area. We test only symptomatic patients."

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The lockdown seems to have brought out the good side of many. Staffers of the Indian postal department have gone out of their way to ensure that elderly get their pension, senior citizens can withdraw postal savings, the differently-abled get their stipend, and hospitals get their medicals kits. Some have even contributed to ensure food for the poor.

MID-DAY spoke to some of these heroes in Navi Mumbai Postal Region, which has 1,514 post offices in Thane, Palghar, Nashik, Malegaon, Navi Mumbai and Raigad districts.

"My dedicated team is working relentlessly to provide essential services to citizens. They are instructed to follow safety rules like using masks, sanitisers and physical distancing," said Shobha Madhale, postmaster general, Navi Mumbai Region.

Shobha Madhale, postmaster general, Navi Mumbai 

Madhale added, “When we learnt that no public transport was available from March 23, we quickly came up with a plan. Directives were issued to postal officials at district levels, to ensure that adequate cash was made available at post offices, and a postal assistant to visit senior citizens, the differently-abled or pensioners at their homes and hand over cash,” she said.

Also directives were issued to ensure that all postal ATMs had cash daily and that delivery of essential items, medicines, kits and medical instruments were given priority.

Surprised by kindness

Kedare Jayram, 76, pensioner from Nashik

“My father retired as a jamadhar (senior peon) at the Niphad post office, Nashik. Ours is a joint family and it is his monthly pension of R12,000 that is a major source of income for the family even today,” said his elder son Manoj, who works with a gas agency at a monthly salary of R7,500. During the lockdown we were worried about our father going to the post office for his pension. “I was surprised by the kindness of the postal department who sent a postal assistant home with my pension,” said Kedare Jayram.

Kedare Jayram receives his pension from postal assistant Pradip Bhandwalkar

Hero

Pradip Bhandwalkar, 32, postal assistant, Niphad Post Office

“The last day of the month, pensioners usually get their money in their postal savings account. I visited the pensioners’ homes with a withdrawal slip taking all directed precautions. I took their signature on the slip, returned to the post office a few kilometres away and came back with their money. Would he continue this after lockdown? “I would love to. It gives me pleasure and satisfaction,” Bhandwalkar said.

Sushilatai thrilled

Sushila Patil, 90, Rayande Chari, Alibaug

She is blind and is bed-bound most of the time. Her sons live outside Alibaug and her daughter takes care of her. She was happy to get R8,300, which was sent in two money orders from the treasury department.

Mehraj Ausekar with Sushila Patil at her home

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Mehraj Ausekar, 51, a postman at Poynad post office in Alibaug

He said, “I visited Sushila two days ago and saw that she is too weak and old. She gave her thumb impression on the receipt of the money order payment,” said Ausekar. “I will continue to visit Sushila with her money orders. I get satisfaction in doing something for senior citizens,” he added.

Boss hits the ground

Vitthal Hatankar, 96, pensioner, Brahmin Ali, Alibaug

“My father was the postmaster at Alibaug post office and retired in 1984. Since the lockdown I, too, was unable to collect his pension,” said Abhay Hatankar, 55, the son. “We were surprised and happy to see postmaster general, Anuradha Penkar herself coming home to hand over the pension,” said Hatankar senior.

Vitthal Hatankar with the postmaster of Alibaug post office

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Anuradha Penkar, 60, is due to retire in October

“We have around 68 senior citizens staying in and around Alibaug. We went to all their houses and gave them their pensions,” said Anuradha. “I also visited two of them staying 10 km away in Awas. They were all surprised and pleased,” she said.

Grateful to donors

Kesav Satpute, 32, pharmacy officer, Tembha Hospital, Bhayandar West

“I was on duty on April 17, when the staff of Bhayander post office visited the hospital with five cartons from Dr Pratik Jain of Delhi, who has donated 100 PPE kits for our staff,” Kesav said, adding, “We have about 100 COVID patients and apart from regular supply of PPE kits and medicines from Mira-Bhayander municipality, we are grateful to donors like Dr Jain for these PPE kits. Due to the lockdown the postal team themselves had got the parcel in their tempo and we were touched by their wonderful gesture.”

Staff from Bhayandar post office with the PPE kits that they delivered to Tembha hospital

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Subhas Churi, 60, postal department staffer

“I usually do sorting and packing work at the Bhayander post office, but due to the lockdown I decided to deliver parcels received from Mumbai airport cargo at the earliest,” said Churi. When asked if he knew he was entering a COVID dedicated hospital, Churi said, “I am told that those who fear COVID are prone to get infected, and therefore I keep my fear at bay. I know I am serving those who are treating the most vulnerable patients.”

The numbers

Collection and delivery of payments by Navi Mumbai Region (1,514 posts offices) from March 23 to April 30

• No. articles booked – 4,572
• No. of articles delivered – 16,333
• Savings Bank Payments – 1,18,893, Withdrawals – Rs 228.75 crore
• Money Orders Paid: 2,064 Amount: Rs 42,67,913
• Aadhar enabled payment system (AePS) – No. of transactions: 22,116 Amount paid – Rs 5,13,29,520/-
• Personal contribution by postal staff in Navi Mumbai region: Rs 2,16,000

Info, courtesy: PMG, Navi Mumbai region

Postal staff cooks for needy

Nearly 1,180 packets were distributed by Palghar postal division to migrants and daily wagers and their children on April 4 and April 20, at Pelhar village, Vasai, Mahim Manor highway and other places in Palghar. The money came from contribution by staffers.

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Revising its attendance circular, the BMC has asked all its employees and medical staff at civic hospitals to report to work. However, it has made an exception for a section of employees – aged 55 years and above with existing ailments, like diabetes, hypertension, kidney problems, etc, and do not hold senior positions. They have been exempted from coming to work for a month.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) issued the new circular on Thursday, April 30. According to the circular, the civic employees, doctors and medical staffers, who hold senior positions and are aged above 55 with existing ailments, will have to join work. However, they will either be given work from home or office, and will be assigned tasks that do not involve interaction with COVID-19 patients, stated the BMC.

Around 60 per cent of the civic staff in the age group of 55 and above hold senior positions in their respective fields.

The civic body had earlier issued an order for a 50 per cent attendance, which has now been revised in view of the increasing novel Coronavirus cases, said the civic officials. They added that the BMC needs full manpower to prevent the further spread of the virus. Full attendance is needed to increase strength in Ward offices for contact tracing, management of quarantine centre, Containment Zones and COVID Care Centres, and upgrading of municipal hospitals with extra beds and oxygen. Besides, employees are also needed for desilting and pre-monsoon work.

The BMC has also sought monthly report on the employees' assignment from concerned departments. If any employee misses work, the BMC will take appropriate action, it added. Additionally, workers with disability will be allowed to work from home, stated the circular. A daily remuneration of Rs 300 will be given to those working on ground.

"The new circular is superseding the earlier ones, and has now made it mandatory for the employees to be present for work, as now, a larger manpower is needed with the increasing number of cases in the city," a civic official said.

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We remember walking into Le 15 Café in Colaba on a late evening craving a gooey chocolate brownie. They had run out by then but a familiar voice from behind the counter told us if we weren't in a hurry, she'd bake a fresh batch. That was Pooja Dhingra, in her black and pink uniform and contagious smile, even at the fag end of a tiring service day.

Lodged opposite Ling's Pavilion, patrons to the Parisian café had many such stories to share, as seen with the thank you notes left on tissue paper. In 2015, Dhingra coaxed chef Pablo Naranjo Agular into moving to Mumbai from Colombia to create the savoury menu for the café. Their social media posts of sunny-side ups, waffles and tartine were drool-worthy enough to make followers land up for a meal.

'Uncertain times'

The lockdown and subsequent slump in business has pushed Dhingra to take the tough call of shuttering the café for good. "These are uncertain times and everyone has to look at the vision of their companies to decide the road ahead. Unfortunately for us, that meant to cut down our overheads to ensure we can keep the dessert business going. The challenges we predicted were low walk-ins, high rentals and the onset of the monsoon and a general slow-down of business," said Dhingra.

The café has been profitable for three years while the company has been profitable for six months. "We are operating from a central kitchen and servicing outlets. With a predicted decrease in revenue, it wouldn't make sense to keep this space going," reasoned Dhingra. For her, it's all guesswork about how long until the economy picks up. "What will change is how people dine out, and the emergence of social distancing that means reducing covers and higher deliveries," she said. Le15 at Lower Parel and Bandra will function as usual when the lockdown ends.

'A live organism'

When we call Naranjo in his home in Colombia, he is baking bread. His voice gives away the mood. Kneading dough might possibly help deal with the news. "A restaurant is a live organism that needs to feed, enjoy, rest, sleep and start all over again the next day. If you are not nourishing it, it suffers a lot. Coronavirus is showing us that reality," sighs Naranjo. "The time at the café was everything. I poured my heart and soul into it. I remember the times when Pooja would ask me to take a day off. But I would still show up on my off day. When I saw her love towards the business, it worked the same way for me. It's how we managed what we built together," he reminisces.

Dhingra is working on absorbing some of her staff. "We are working on an e-cookbook to raise funds for the team," she shares, signing off, "I dreamt of having a café since I was 16. I built it piece by piece with all my savings. Every memory will stay with me for life."

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The COVID-19 lockdown is turning out to be a blessing in disguise for all of Mumbai's pending rail work. Re-girding of a bridge on the Churchgate-bound fast line in the Bandra-Mahim section, which would have otherwise required cancellation of at least 250 local train services, was completed within 14 hours on April 30.

The steel bridge, which spans 9.15 metres and has seven cross-girders of length 5.8 metres is located on the Mithi River. The steel girders needed to be immediately replaced as they had got corroded.

Speaking to mid-day, Western Railway chief spokesperson, Ravinder Bhakar, said, "Mumbai suburban is one of the busiest rail networks of the world and to carry out work of such magnitude is a daunting task. This work required complete shutdown of traffic for eight hours on three consecutive days, which would have resulted in cancellation of at least 250 suburban services and cancellation/delay of at least 60 passenger trains in the section."

Sources said that the Railways decided to utilise the lockdown period and carry out the re-girding work by following all the social-distancing norms. Two cranes of 200 MT capacity, eight Farana cranes, 20 Hydra cranes and 18 excavators were deployed at the site.

Apart from this, the work was carried out by 30-40 track maintainers and contractual labourers, and a dedicated team of supervisors and officials.

All pre-block activity was completed on April 29 and the cranes were set up at the location. On April 30, work started from 9 am and the track part was completed by 8 pm. After that the overhead wires were fitted by 11.30 pm and the track was declared fit for train movement.

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Despite a nationwide lockdown, people continue to step out for morning and evening walks in Aarey Milk Colony. Moreover, there have been instances of locals venturing into the forest area surrounding the VIP guest house, which is known for wildlife activity.

Taking note of this, the Thane Forest Department has written to Aarey police station requesting action against those found flouting the lockdown rules.

The volunteers monitoring leopard activity in Aarey informed the Thane Forest Department about locals venturing into the forest area. A volunteer told mid-day, "I learned from my sources that many people, including some morning and evening walkers and Adarsh Nagar slum pocket residents, venture into the forest surrounding the VIP guest House, which is even frequently visited by wild animals. This information has been passed on to the forest department."

Sources also said that residents of Adarsh Nagar slums regularly roam around the VIP guest house in groups, flouting social distancing norms.

Range Forest Officer (RFO), Santosh Kank said, "People are expected to stay indoors and maintain social distancing but volunteers, who have been doing camera trapping exercises to monitor leopard activity saw people roaming in the area surrounding the VIP guest House hillock. The area has seen leopard activity in the last few days and to prevent any man-animal conflict, people should not venture into the woods. We have already informed the Aarey police station through a letter and we expect them to take action against the violators."

Illegal encroachment taking place in Aarey

The boundary encroachers built surrounding a huge portion of land in Unit 13

A nature lover from Aarey has alleged that people have been trying to encroach Aarey Milk Colony Unit – 13 by axing trees and constructing boundaries around a huge chunk of land. Elijah Emmanuel, a teacher at the kindergarten for slum children, told mid-day, "For the last two-three weeks, I have seen people cutting down trees and building boundaries in Unit 13. During the monsoon, hutments will be constructed as no one comes to check. When I objected, they threatened me and my family. Today, more than 50 people from the area came to my house and abused and threatened me with harm. But the people from Aarey CEO office came and demolished the boundaries. I have registered a complaint with the local police station and hope they take necessary action against those threatening me."

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A 29-year-old air hostess identified as Sultana Shaikh hanged herself to death at her residence at Vile Parle. The police discovered her body late Wednesday night after neighbours complained of a foul smell coming from her house.

Shaikh shared a room with two other women, but both her roommates had gone back home because of the lockdown and she was living alone.

"We found a suicide note from the residence which states that nobody is responsible for her death. She also mentioned that she was suffering from depression and frustrated due to several things. We also found a mobile phone at the house and are going through all her chats and emails,” a police officer said.

Another police officer said, "On Wednesday, her neighbours complained about a foul smell coming from Shaikh's residence and that no one was opening the door. So they informed the owner of the flat who called the police. We then broke down the door and found Shaikh's body hanging from the ceiling fan."

Vile Parle cops have handed over Shaikh's body to her mother who stays in Colaba. An accidental death has been registered and further investigation is on.

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Such a long journey

Migratory birds including flamingos make the waters near Airoli Creek their home, when they arrive from colder regions in search of food. 

Relief comes from art

(Left) Untitled by Thota Vaikuntam; (right) Kurta series by Dharamanarayan Dasgupta

It was yesterday that Saffronart closed bidding and announced the collections for its unique COVID-19 Relief Fundraiser Auction. The collection was an encouraging R66 lakhs that will be donated to NGOs Goonj, Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action, and Stree Mukti Sanghatan that have been distributing essential items to affected communities. The auction released 52 artworks including paintings by artists Krishen Khanna and Thota Vaikuntam; and installations by Tayeba Begum Lipi, Dharmanarayan Dasgupta and many more.

Dinesh Vazirani, CEO, Saffronart revealed that he was humbled by the response to the auction and said, "We sincerely thank the art community for the generosity in both donating and bidding on works to support organisations doing important work on ground. After we receive the funds from the winning bidders, we will be disbursing them between the three organisations based on need and reach. We are in discussions with them regarding this".

Bonding over stories

Who better to lift your lockdown blues than the country's favourite children's author? Starting yesterday, an initiative by Prasar Bharati is bringing a collection of veteran storyteller and author Ruskin Bond's stories to All India Radio (AIR). What's more, they will be read out by the author himself. Available on all of AIR's radio and digital platforms, this is set to be a treat for listeners who enjoy stories from hilly Himalayan towns in his simplistic style. From the bustling markets to the devious old maharanis, the majestic trees and vibrant birds and yes to the occasional popping up of a ghosts — you'll find it all there.

Mapping Values

The response of countries to the pandemic has given us a glimpse of the values system they stand for. The importance of values as a means of understanding the rationale behind decisions taken by men and women, and by countries at large, is what researcher Dr Mandeep Rai's new book The Values Compass addresses. The title, which is available in e-book format, has assumed renewed significance in the current context. From India's faith to Vietnam's resilience, Argentina's passion to Singapore's order, Rai has looked at 101 countries to identify a single key value in each that is represented in its history, geography, and culture."Getting pregnant was a catalyst moment [to write the book]. Only this baby [the book] took a lot longer than nine months. So the experience of writing for me was like pumping blood into a beating heart. And now, the Coronavirus is reminding us that, if we want to understand a country, its values provide the most revealing lens," she said.

Remembering the worker

Komita Dhanda of Jana Natya Manch and MD Pallavi in a session

On May 1, World Labour Day, Leftword Publishers and Delhi-based bookstore May Day hosted an online celebration of workers' rights with performances from all over the world. Starting 1.30 pm and going on all the way till midnight, the line-up featured names like poet Aamir Aziz, JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh, comedy outfit Aisi Taisi Democracy, theatre group Jana Natya Manch and singer MD Pallavi among others. "The objective was to celebrate workers from all over the world. Right now, it is all the more obvious that they are running the world while we stay shut in our homes," Pallavi told this diarist after her session. 

A break from the laughter

Comedian Sorabh Pant, who has been hosting live sessions on social media every day of the lockdown to keep the spirits of those watching, high, took a different route in his video yesterday. He wasn't making the usual jokes and decided to pay tribute to actors Irrfan Khan and Rishi Kapoor in his own way. He talked about the legacies the two have left behind and a Twitter exchange he had with Khan over a joke. "I was prompted to talk about it from an audience member and it led me to the realisation that Irrfan was actually my favourite actor in the whole world. It became a tribute and also reminded me that I don't always have to attempt to be comedic about it. Though, I think, neither Khan nor Kapoor would have minded if I cracked a few jokes," he told this diarist.

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While the BMC has issued an order for 100 per cent attendance of its employees, municipal corporations in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) want its residents to stay away from the city. The corporations are working on a plan to restrict the transmission of COVID-19 through residents who regularly go to Mumbai for essential services.

The plan is still in a primary mode but the corporations are likely ask service providers to make accommodation available for its employees near their respective work areas.

MMR, which includes Thane, Thane rural, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivali, Ulhasnagar, Bhiwandi-Nizampur, Mira-Bhayandar, Palghar, Vasai-Virar, and Panvel Corporation, collectively has 1,159 patients, way below that in Mumbai which has close to 7,000.

"Nearly one lakh people travel to Mumbai from MMR every day for their jobs under essential services like banks, hospitals, and BMC. So if these areas maintain minimum contact with Mumbai, the transmission of COVID in MMR will be low," said a bureaucrat from the region.

"The number of positive patients in our area has gone up because of some residents who work at a private hospital in Mumbai. We are going to ask private hospitals to arrange for stay facilities for them," said a commissioner of one of these corporations. The civic body has identified 36 employees who work with the hospital.

The ideal situation is to create accommodation facilities for the employees near the work area. The chances of transmission increase due to travel. We are speaking to BMC," said a civic officer from MMR. Alternatively, he said, respective corporations could prepare Care Centres outside their residential areas for these employees who visit Mumbai daily. The administration is also thinking of a 15-day work, 15-day off policy for these employees.

While the MMR region comes under the red zone, some activities can start here if the number of patients go down. A list of migrants in each district – Thane, Palghar and Raigad — is also being prepared so they can go to their states safely.

Number of patients (as on April 30)

Mumbai – 7,061
Thane rural – 48
Thane – 412
Navi Mumbai – 174
Kalyan-Dombivali – 163
Ulhasnagar – 3
Bhiwandi-Nizampur – 17
Mira-Bhayandar – 126
Palghar – 41
Vasai-Virar – 128
Panvel – 47

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Nine police constables of Wadala police station have been found to be tested positive for Coronavirus. These police constables were deployed at checkpoints in the area and have been delivering food to the poor in the slums for the past one and half months.

As much as seven areas in Wadala fall in the red zone which is home for a large number of migrant labourers. Thus, the Wadala police were providing food to the migrant laborers and the poor in there. Keeping this in mind, 29 policemen tested for Coronavirus on Monday, out of which nine police constables were found to be positive and were admitted to the hospital for treatment.

According to the information received from the police, none of the nine policemen showed any symptoms. As of Wednesday, a total of 98 policemen have been found to be infected with the virus.

A senior Mumbai Police officer told mid-day, "We are taking care of the health of every policeman. Our team is also going to the red zone, so as a precaution, we had tested the policemen on duty there."

"With nine policemen being tested positive, the entire Wadala police station has been sanitised. We are taking care of the policemen as well as their families,"  he added.

Port Zone DCP Rashmi Karandikar told mid-day, "All the policemen tested positive have been admitted to Guru Nanak Hospital and are undergoing treatment."

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A PIL has been filed in Bombay High Court asking the government to make a strategy for exiting the lockdown. It further asks the government to make plans for the protection of health care workers, police officials, and others providing essential services. The PIL also demands the deployment of the army in sensitive areas.

The petitioner Dr Syed Ejaz Abbas Naqvi said, "There is growing negativity in the minds of the citizens of Maharashtra amidst the current lockdown and the possibility of its extension. Some violators are roaming freely hence, the intervention of the army and para-military is required."

The advocate of the petitioner Vishal Satyaprakash Saxena said that the PIL is filed asking the government of Maharashtra to formulate and disclose the strategy to exit the lockdown and to formulate guidelines for the well-being of the citizens of Maharashtra. The court will hear the manner on May 13.

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A 55-year-old man who was one of the 101 people arrested in connection with the Palghar mob-lynching incident has been tested positive for COVID-19. Sources said that 43 others involved in the case would have to be tested for the virus.

It is to be noted that all the 101 people who were arrested on April 17, were produced before a court on Thursday to seek their custody in another case regarding the lynching of three men including Chikne Maharaj, Sushil Giri and their cab driver Nilesh Tilghate in Palghar.

Sources have told mid-day that the person was tested negative on April 28 but 'he developed symptoms of coronavirus and was tested again'.

"The 55-year-old man was kept in lock-up with 20 others arrested in the case at Wada police station. The samples of all accused and police officials are being collected. They will be quarantined," said a senior police officer at Palghar, adding that the officers who have interrogated the person will also be quarantined.

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A fire broke out at near Ganesh talkies in Lalbaug on Saturday evening.

Fire fighters rushed to the spot and extinguished the fire using three fire jets. So far no casualties have been reported and the cause of fire is yet to be ascertained

The fire was confined to electric wiring, electric installation, wooden furniture, steel furniture, Ganesh idol making fibre frames, raw material, oil, washing machine, clothes, chairs, Ganesh idols, wooden base, scrap material, mattress, cement sheet and tarpuline sheet etc. 

When speaking of Indian mythology, the focus is on the stories, symbols and rituals of major religions such as Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism. We ignore the mythologies of the various tribal communities of India, who have lived in the subcontinent long before the arrival of Aryan migrants. Their stories are fascinating.
The Santals found in Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand speak of how humans emerged from the egg of a goose and a gander, created by the gods, which included the High God, Thakur-Dev, the smaller spirits known as Bongas. In the beginning, they say the whole world was water, until the earthworms collected earth and placed it on the back of a turtle. Did this story inspire the Hindu idea of the earth on a turtle upheld by elephants?

The Korkus, scattered across the states of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, tell the story of a deer pursued by their ancestors that disappeared in a mountain cave. While waiting outside the cave, they were met by an ascetic, who gave them some rice to eat. The ascetic then introduced himself as Shiva and asked them to permanently settle down as farmers, not hunters. Another story recounts how Ravana strayed into the scenic but unpopulated forests. When he prayed to Shiva to populate those forests with people, Shiva directed his messenger, the crow, Kageshwar, to collect red soil from the hilly region. Shiva made two statues from the soil, of a man and a woman. However, before Shiva could infuse them with life, an angry Indra got his horses to destroy the statues. This, in turn, angered Shiva, who made two dogs out of the red soil, infused them with life and drove Indra's horses away. Shiva then remade the two human statues and infused life into them. Known as Moola and Moolis, they are the ancestors of the Korku tribe. The Korku worship Shiva, Ravana and the dog. And the driving away of Indra does allude to some rejection of 'civilised' Aryans, though Shiva himself is a Vedic god.

The Baigas are a tribe dispersed across Madhya Pradesh. They say that in the beginning, there was only water all around and no land. Then, Brahma made land in the midst of the water. Immediately, two people emerged from the land—one a brahman and the other a sadhu Naga Baiga. Brahma gave the brahmin some paper to start studying and writing. He gave the Baiga a tangiya, or a sickle. He also gave the Baiga some kodo and kutki grains and ordered him to start farming. From that day on, the Baigas have been farming, while brahmins focussed on getting educated.

Because there are over 500 tribes in India, and each one has a unique mythology, their mythology is often ignored when studying wider trends and patterns. They are often seen as being simpler, etiological (explaining causes), sometimes proto-history, but rarely having deep psychological insight. This could be the prejudice of the researcher or simply the nature of tribes, where the focus is less on introspection and more on ritual rhythms of life. It is easy to see the influence of Hindu lore on tribal mythologies, but the reverse flow is also true.

Stories of boars raising earth from the bottom of the sea found in Vedas could very well have tribal origins.

The author writes and lectures on the relevance of mythology in modern times. Reach him at devdutt.pattanaik@mid-day.com

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As a student-practitioner of visual arts and a short filmmaker, Sumeet Patil, 30, was always fascinated by pareidolia, the tendency and professional habit to see human faces in inanimate objects. Not that he made a living out of the practice, but it recurred as a theme when he pursued tree photography, or when he spent after hours around his BDD chawl residence or even when he made music out of unconventional objects outside the studio space. He saw thought-provoking human faces in rusted locks, discarded TV sets, bloomed flowers and broken belts. Little did he realise that this preoccupation would be one of the key themes of his posters designed to dissuade people from venturing out during the Coronavirus pandemic outbreak. Patil is one of 700 artists currently sculpting innovative visual messages persuading people to stay at home in Maharashtra.

Patil hasn't been at his home in Naigaon for over one-and-a-half months. He is in scenic Kudal in Konkan—not as a fun-seeking tourist, but a Mumbaikar unable to circle back because of the statewide lockdown. He had come to Kudal for a recce to finalise shoot locations for his upcoming feature film that looks at a blind girl's journey. The full-length feature stems from a 22-minute short, which he had shot in Kudal. In fact, he was walking through possible shoot locations along with the visually challenged protagonist Shabnam Ansari. But, just as he wrapped up the recce, the Janata Curfew was imposed on March 22. Soon followed the nationwide lockdown. Patil, along with his camera and laptop, became a long-standing guest in Kudal. His hosts—percussionist Vivek Kudalkar and singer-paramedic expert Trupti Damle Kudalkar—have extended their mango-cashew laden wadi to Patil, Ansari and the crew, who are now executing multiple awareness initiatives during the extended lockdown. Patil has, in fact, featured Ansari and four other visually challenged artistes (situated in different cities) in a video which underscores the willingness of blind artistes (who depend much on human touch) to embrace social isolation as the need of the moment. Kudal offers restricted mobility for Patil, after due precautions laid down by the local police.

At this point, pareidolia has become a bit of a default setting for Patil. "When one is away from home, the mind starts journeying through objects, which are in your consciousness; they come to life in the form of a thought," says Patil whose 200-odd posters concentrate on the dynamic of objects wedded to or associated with a spot. For instance, shoes that went out every day, now have a still-life; pants that saw the outdoors, are now locked in a shelf; a belt that accessorised a formal uniform, now wonders about its utility in a house where men wander in pyjamas.

Patil has made about 200-odd posters with expert advice from senior adman-artist Bhupal Ramnathkar, who is overseeing ad campaigns on Corona prevention 

Patil toys with the ideas every morning, gets expert advice from senior adman-artist Bhupal Ramnathkar, a senior adman currently overseeing public ad campaigns with regard to the outbreak. He is a JJ School alumnus and a fellow mate of CM Uddhav Thackeray. Patil's Kudal existence doesn't come in the way of the morning exchange over the posters. "I appreciate Ramnathkar's time, efforts and wisdom. People are currently in a frustrated mood; any poster can create a negative impact, especially when 'stay at home' is not something they want to hear," observes Patil who feels pareidolia in a sense minimises the risk of angered public reactions. It evokes laughter more than indignation. Patil has also focused on other themes that drive home the importance of not venturing out. For instance, he shows how home-based celebrations are the need of the hour, be it in the case of festivals—from Easter and Hanuman Jayanti to Ramzan and Akshay Tritiya—or commemorative occasions such as Babasaheb Ambedkar's birth anniversary, Maharashtra Day or Earth Day. It is the thought that counts, not the geographic location of
the celebration.

Patil's posters, often black and white, also dwell on service givers like nurses, policemen, sweepers and traffic police whose duty hours deserve respect from those staying at home. His poster on the relevance of Sankashti Chaturthi touched chords across Maharashtra. Over the image of Lord Ganesh, he superimposed the policeman on duty who is at supreme risk. "Whether at Kudal or Worli or Mahabaleshwar, it's the average guard in uniform whose care and public service touches our lives. People loved the equation between Lord Ganpati and the police on duty," says Patil, a Bal Shree awardee. Patil's affinity for the policeman is natural. His father is a police inspector with the Bhuleshwar police station. He has seen the daily grind of policemen families since childhood, and has witnessed life in the chawls where isolation is a foreign word; what he has not seen is a sealed neighbourhood. His parents and brother currently await his arrival in a tense pandemic environment. "They are at least assured that I am safe in a Konkan village where the infection hasn't spread; and that I can operate on my laptop to create images that contribute to the statewide 'stay-at-home' messaging," Patil says.

Patil has also kept busy with a cap-making initiative. Just as he realised that his stay in Kudal was going to be extraordinarily long, his mind started thinking of the May-June heat that Mumbai city will have to face post lockdown. "Being in a sylvan green Kudal, I was getting increasingly reminded of the heat Mumbaikars and others will have to encounter. So, I started making caps out of old newspapers." Patil started free origami workshops for school going children of the Ambedkar Nagar vicinity in Kudal. Workshops have flexible timings, but viable targets. He introduces variations through the use of earth colours and also moulds made out of dried leaves and fruits, which are available in abundance in the Kudalkar residence. Children are encouraged to stamp natural elements on the paper caps, be it a mango leaf or cashew insides or a dried twig. "I want to carry at least 2,000 caps for Mumbai, which will be a symbolic bond between Kudal's children and Mumbai's working class," says Patil.

Mask disposal is one area, Patil feels that needs advanced public awareness. During his stay in Kudal, he has started an awareness video campaign on ways to discard masks because the junked masks are creating hygiene issues across Maharashtra. "I feel the Coronavirus outbreak should give us long-term takeaways. We can't be littering our surroundings. This is also the right time to attack the Indian habit of spitting. As artists, we are trying to weave as many themes as possible into the Coronavirus bouquet," he adds.

Patil also conducts regular cap-making workshops for local villagers at the home of his hosts, Vivek Kudalkar and singer-paramedic expert Trupti Damle Kudalkar. He hopes the newspaper caps will help Mumbaikars battle the heat

Unlike Mumbai, Kudal has a pace of its own. Patil feels the pandemic has taught him to adapt to a new routine cycle, a slower rhythm, a more reflective ecology-conscious take on the goings on. In a recent visit to the Savita Ashram (a charitable trust sheltering 100-odd visually and mentally challenged), he realised how handicapped the children and adults bound to a remote location were where ration stocks are acutely short. Had it not been for the Kudal stay, the Mumbaikar wouldn't have possibly met the inmates in the far-off care centre. Patil inhabits new homes when his own is unreachable.

Sumedha Raikar-Mhatre is a culture columnist in search of the sub-text. You can reach her at sumedha.raikar@mid-day.com

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Apart from plasma therapy, COVID-19 patients who are in critical condition, will soon have another kind of treatment, to help fight the infection. Mumbai-based Haffkine Institute, which last month had submitted a proposal to conduct a clinical trial to use the anti-tuberculosis Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine, as a therapeutic treatment received a nod for it from the Drug Controller General of India on Friday.

Around 30 COVID-19 patients, who have moderate or severe symptoms, will be part of the trial run, starting next week. "The BCG vaccine strengthens immunity and research has shown that it can be used as a therapeutic treatment, to help patients fight the infection. We received an approval from the DGCI and are waiting for the clinical registration number from the ICMR, which should come in a couple of days," said a senior official from the Medical Education and Drugs (MED) department.

While the trial will be carried out by the Haffkine Institute and led by Dr Usha Padmanabhan, it is being monitored by the MED department.

Mumbai has the highest number of Coronavirus-related deaths in the state, as well as in India. The official added that once the trials are successful, patients who are critical, especially in cities like Mumbai and Pune, will be able to benefit from it. "Unlike new drugs, the BCG vaccine is already in production and will be easily available. So far, the institute has carried out preliminary studies and they have come across positive results," the official said.

Dr Rajesh Deshmukh, managing director of the Haffkine Institute in Parel, said that they are likely to start the trial next week. "It will take place at the BJ Medical College in Pune. We have carried out the preparations and the scientists are almost ready," he said.

Based on the preliminary findings of the research for the trial, the effect of the virus can be reduced among patients, if they are given a dose of the BCG vaccine. The official said that the vaccine will help reduce the severity of the symptoms among patients.

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A 55-year-old man, who was arrested in the Palghar mob lynching case, has tested positive. Highly placed sources in Palghar police told mid-day that four days ago the same accused was tested negative for the virus. The accused was kept in a lockup at Wada police station with 21 other prisoners, who have been quarantined at a hotel. The hotel is being guarded by Palghar police now.

The accused is one among the 110 people who were arrested on April 17 by Palghar police in connection with the mob lynching of three men including two priests Chikne Maharaj (75), Sushil Giri (35) and their cab driver Nilesh Tilghate (30). "His fresh swab sample tested positive and the report was handed over to Palghar police on Friday. All the senior police officers swung into action as the news of him testing positive reached them," said a police officer.

"Since we don't have a district hospital here, we shifted him to Palghar Gramin hospital which is a COVID-19 hospital now," said a health officer at Palghar district.
Besides 21 prisoners, there are 25 others who came in contact with him, and they have been identified. These officers had served them food inside the lock-up, two others are doctors from Wada Gramin hospital. In all, 46 people who came in his contact have been traced and their swabs have been collected and sent for testing. All these 46 people have been quarantined at a hotel in Wada," said the health officer.

As per protocol, all the police personnel at Wada police station were relocated and the entire premises, police vehicles, etc., are being disinfected for two consecutive days.

Sub Divisional Officer, Wada, Archana Kadam, said, "The cops have shared details of those who came in his contact after April 17. We have identified a few, and they are being tested."

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The family of a retired BMC employee has alleged that a BMC-run hospital in Mulund, MT Agarwal Hospital, neglected him which led to his death. The incident occurred on Friday morning when the family of 62-year-old Rajaram Bhoir rushed him to the hospital and the medical staff there didn't attend to him for the first three hours. The family claimed that despite them telling the hospital staff about the condition of Bhoir, and highlighting that he is an ex-employee of the BMC, they didn't pay any attention to him. Bhoir started feeling breathless on Thursday evening and after spending a restless night at home, his family decided to take him to the hospital. They moved him to the ICU and waited for a doctor to attend to him for almost two hours, but nobody showed up.

"At around 8 am, some doctors came to the ICU and asked us to shift him to another hospital. The doctors checked him and pronounced him dead," revealed the grieving son. When contacted, Dr Pradeep Angre, the dean of the hospital, responded, "I have ordered an enquiry."

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While the authorities may struggle to get the rest of the city to follow social distancing and lockdown norms, one area in the city which is on board with their plan—and in fact, implementing stricter measures without being forced to—is Cuffe Parade's Machhimar Colony. The residents of this fishing colony have sealed their society, not allowing anyone to step out unless it's absolutely necessary. The residents have also decided not to fish until May 3.

The colony decided upon these strict measures after a resident was sent into quarantine on April 20, after coming into contact with a positive patient. The resident eventually tested negative.

There are a total of six fishing colonies in the Cuffe Parade-Colaba area—Machhimar Colony, Machhimar Nagar, Bhai Bandarkar Machhimar Nagar, Sagar Sanidhya Machhimar Nagar, Shivshrishti Machhimar Nagar and Shiv Shastri Machhimar Nagar. The residents of all these areas have decided to seal the colony, without any prompt from
the government.

Bhuneshwar Dhanu, advisor of Machhimar Sarvodaya Sanstha Private Limited, Cuffe Parade-Colaba, says, "Only those involved in essential services are being allowed to step out. Besides this, a team comprising youths from the colony has been formed. They stand at the gate and go buy any items that are required, without charging anyone."

Jayesh Bhoir, a resident of Machimar Colony, says, "We go to the dock after fishing, but crowds gather and so following rules of social distancing are tough. Therefore, we decided to lock ourselves in."

Chanda Jadhav, A Ward officer, says, "It is good that the people of Machhimar Colony are following the lockdown in their colony. Similarly, if all Mumbaikars adhered to the rules, we will be able to beat the Coronavirus."

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A day after the number of deaths dropped, Mumbai's death toll rose to 27 deaths on Saturday, the highest number recorded in a single day. The city's count of new cases was also high, as slum areas like Dharavi recorded 89 new cases in a single day.

Maharashtra reported 36 deaths on Saturday and 27 of them occurred in Mumbai, three in Pune, three in Amravati and one each in Vasai-Virar and Aurangabad. State health officials said that in addition to the 27 COVID-19 related deaths in Mumbai, a resident of West Bengal also died in the city. Civic officials said that 20 of those patients were suffering from other ailments including hypertension and diabetes and 15 of the patients were in the age group of 40-59 years.

Civic officials stated that 89 new cases were reported in Dharavi on Saturday and 38 new cases on Friday which took the total count of cases in the area up to 496. Among other areas, Kumbharwada continued to be a hot spot with 16 new cases in two days while Kunchikurve Nagar had 10 new cases. Apart from Dharavi, 17 new cases were reported in Mahim over the past two days which included two patients from the fisherman colony, and 13 new cases in Dadar.

Civic officials of G South ward, which had the highest number of cases, reported that 30 new cases were confirmed on Saturday. "The situation is better at the Worli Koliwada and Jijamata Nagar. However, there are a number of cases emerging from the BDD chawl and Prem Nagar," said Sharad Ughade, assistant municipal commissioner of G South ward. When asked if the restrictions at Worli Koliwada that has been sealed for several weeks will be relaxed, Ughade added that they will take a decision next week.

Two engineers in the maintenance department of Nair Hospital also tested positive. Dr Mohan Joshi, who is in-charge of Nair Hospital, confirmed the news and said, "These engineers did not come in contact with any COVID patients, they caught the infection from the areas where they live."

State health officials said that Maharashtra reported 790 new cases and of them, 547 of them were from Mumbai, and the city now has 8,359 cases. In areas across the state, 121 patients were discharged after a full recovery. Till date, Maharashtra has had 12,296 confirmed cases and 521 deaths.

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The Maharashtra government issued fresh orders on Saturday evening, disallowing revised lockdown guidelines in the COVID-19 containment zones across the state. Though the order didn't specify which activities would be allowed outside containment zones in big cities like Mumbai and Thane, the officials interpreted that no relaxation as suggested by the ministry of home affairs on Friday, would apply to the twin cities.

The order put to rest speculations that Mumbai and Thane would get some relief, for instance, running private offices on 33 per cent staff strength in the extended period of lockdown, which begins from Monday.

Chief Secretary Ajoy Mehta said in the order that the activities allowed in green and orange zones, would be suspended if any area gets notified as a containment zone.

In a separate communication, the state government also issued some clarifications through its media department. It said the people in Mumbai and Pune metropolitan regions (MMR and PMR) would not be allowed to travel within Maharashtra and between states. People from other districts and states will also be barred from entering the two regions.

However, the stranded migrant labourers from MMR and PMR will be allowed to travel after seeking due permission and submitting a medical fitness certificate.

In Mumbai, local police stations are accepting requests from the labourers, said the government, but added that the final call would be taken after assessing the pandemic situation in the city areas where the workers have been staying.

The government advised the workers to not rely on rumours and instead reach out to local police stations for authentic information.

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On April 3, welfare groups across the city, along with medical professionals and lawyers, issued a press release demanding the immediate withdrawal of the civic body's plans to convert any building in Mahul into a quarantine centre. They cited health concerns, due to the neighbourhood's high pollution levels. And yet, a month on, nearly 30 residents of Panchsheel chawl in Govandi's Lumbini Baug have been shifted to a makeshift quarantine facility at Videocon Society, Mahul. The residents had come in contact with a 55-year-old woman from their basti, whose cause of death was posthumously ruled as COVID-19.

The quarantine centre, where residents of Chembur's Cheetah Camp have also been shifted, houses approximately 100 people. The building's first and second floors are currently being used as a quarantine facility, with not more than two people to a room. The chawl residents say that the place lacks basic amenities such as running and drinking water as well as the presence of permanent medical staff. The premises is also covered with dust, has shabby sanitation facilities. Further, there has been no segregation between children and adults so far.

Smoke coming from a nearby oil refinery pollutes the area's air

The April 3 press note states that Mahul has been declared "uninhabitable" by at least two Indian courts "given the toxic environment due to the presence of polluting industries."

Citing hazardous air quality conditions, it further reads: "Mahul is completely unfit for human habitation, much less for treatment and care. To establish a quarantine centre in Mahul would not be beneficial from the health point of view, but would prove detrimental towards efforts taken by MCGM to control this pandemic."

Residents say the water is dirty and the toilets not fit for use. They argue that they were better off at their chawl

A 22-year-old resident of Lumbini Baug says, "One of the main problems is the amount of dust. If there was any running water, we ourselves would have washed the premises. This dust can cause sneezing and coughing among people who have allergies or weak immune systems."

He adds, "There is no running water in the toilets. At home, we were at least taking our own Vitamin C tablets, maintain a healthy diet, and eating nutritious food. We expected basic facilities at the centre. There is also no permanent medical staff present here. We have not received any therapy or medical treatment yet."

Advocate Lara Jesani, one of the signatories to the April 3 press note, says: "It is dangerous for people to be quarantined in Mahul because of the high level of pollution in the area. The place is congested and poorly planned and therefore creates health hazards for people who may already have a weak immune system, making it harder for them to cope with the virus."

M East Ward Assistant Commissioner Sudhanshu Dwivedi refused to comment or discuss the issue. Bilal Khan of the Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan says, "In cases filed by us, the High Court has passed two orders declaring Mahul polluted and unfit for habitation and hence, directed the government to shift the Mahul residents to an environmentally safe place. Coronavirus causes severe acute respiratory syndrome."

The faulty design and poor sanitation of the Mahul buildings [as established from CSA report] can also result in further spread of infection, thereby endangering the residents. "Without trying other abundantly available options it is shocking that the government has sent people to such a toxic environment and that too, as a quarantine measure."

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Irrfan moves to bandra

Mumbai artist Ranjit Dahiya, founder of the Bollywood Art Project, instructs a worker as he puts final touches on a mural of actor Irrfan Khan at Chapel Road on Friday evening. Khan passed away on Wednesday, after fighting Cancer for two years. Dahiya, who is also behind the murals of Amitabh Bachchan and Anarkali in Bandra, started work on the mural on the day Khan died. He lives near Chapel Road and was hence, able to work on the wall, regardless of the lockdown. He founded The Bollywood Art Project to transform the walls of the city with graffiti art influenced by the design tradition of hand-painted Bollywood posters, as an ode to Indian Cinema. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

Combating Corona

Retired Cdr. Rajeshwari Kori, the first Indian woman to have sailed on board a warship, is currently fighting a war against the Coronavirus. Kori, who is now the deputy controller of civil defence in Raigad district of Maharashtra, is making provisions for medical equipment and grains for hospitals.

"We have started this initiative under the guidance of Raigad collector Nidhi Chowdhary. Apart from using government resources, we are receiving funds from donors, NGOs and friends. The whole experience has been satisfying so far.

There are 15 tehsils under Raigad, of which we consolidate a list of demands and try to help them on priority basis. This is just to tell the hospital staff
that they are not in this alone, we are with them," Kori told this diarist.

Chrissie, that enduring darling of world tennis

Chris Evert lifts the 1981 Wimbledon singles trophy in London. Pic/Getty Images

Women tennis players have contributed greatly in popularising the game and the racquet sport has had some enduring darlings over the years.

High on that list is Chris Evert, who through her smart comments on Twitter provides every reason to believe that she is not an "in my time, we did things this way" kind of former player.

If not for the lockdown, Chris Evert would have been preparing to enjoy another commentary stint at Wimbledon. And while she stays home in America, we thought of providing an example of her popularity even in other countries during her playing days. Martina Navratilova, her fiercest rival on court, was being visited in North Dallas by her Czech grandmother in 1981.

Since Chris and Martina were the closest of friends, it was inevitable that Andela Subertova, 84, met Chris. The old lady was over the moon to meet the then 1974 and 1976 Wimbledon champion, which caused Martina to exclaim: "She [Subertova] says she's going to brag when she gets home that she met Chris."

Chris claimed her last Wimbledon crown in 1981 after demolishing Czech Hana Mandlikova, who had overcome Martina in the semis. Considering Subertova's affection for Chris, the grand old lady wouldn't have been too down.

Moms prepare their kids to leave the nest

Anju Kish

The mothers of children studying in Standard 12 at Jamnabai Narsee International School have come together for a thoughtful initiative. The plan was hatched in a WhatsApp group, where the moms decided to equip their children with skills they will need when they step out to pursue higher education. They have been conducting skill-sharing webinars on Zoom and these sessions are facilitated by various moms, who are experts in their own fields. They have conducted four such sessions so far.

Sheila Navlakha

One of them was about communication skills and how to make the most of one's college experience by communicating with ease. It was conducted by Sheila Navlakha, a mom who is also the founder of SNS Trainers. The last one focused on sexual literacy. It was facilitated by Anju Kish, a mom who founded Untaboo, and Apurupa Vatsalya, the director of programs and advoacy at Kish's company. "The session revolved around the top five things every 18-year-old should know when it comes to sex, such as sexual and social consent, resisting the pressure to have sexual intercourse for the first time, safe sex practices, sexual behaviours such as sexting and the possible repercussions of these behaviours, and gender sensitivity," explained Kish. She plans to facilitate a session for the parents in the coming week, talking to them about how they can support their children in exhibiting healthy sexual behaviour.

Midnight musings with Raman Iyer

One is never too old for bedtime stories, especially if it's accompanied by soulful music. It's why we are loving Raman Iyer's daily midnight Instagram Live audio podcast on his handle @ramaniyer. Iyer, who is the co-founder of Mumbai-based folk fusion band Kabir Cafe, can be heard narrating ancient folk tales, and stories from Indian history and mythology, all while playing the mandolin, where he switches from Hindustani to Carnatic, and Western Classical.

"My idea of getaways is to disappear into libraries. I make notes and don't always agree with what's written in books. So, I decided to share whatever little I've gathered, along with my reflections, in an intimate setting at a quiet hour. It's kind of like a terrace/campsite feeling, where this old uncle tells stories and takes a break to strum an instrument," he shares, adding, "Also, it's fun to bring back the charm of the radio, on Instagram, a highly visual space."

Hair I come

Bollywood's well-known hair and make-up artiste, Florian Hurel, has put in long hours at work. But, participating in a 24-hour livestream hair event will be a first. On May 5, 36 different hair and beauty care professionals from 19 countries will come under one digital roof.

The initiative titled @Hairdressers United will see experts curate new styles, showcase tutorials and analyse the evolution of the hair industry. "I think hair will be a great medium of expression. People will want to speak through their hair, tell stories and make the world a better place," said Hurel.

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The Mumbai Police’s social media pages are gaining popularly among netizens for their epic memes during the lockdown imposed due to Coronavirus outbreak. After taking inspiration from Bollywood and popular series streaming online for some of their recent memes, the police department has now turned to Potterverse for some meme-spiration to explain their followers why it is important to stay at home.

In the Mumbai Police’s recent post on their Instagram account, they have shared what Hermoine Granger would say in her sassy way to explain the necessity to stay at home. The caption for the post read, “You already know Hermione's reaction if you step out unnecessarily during the lockdown,” while asking the ‘magical folks of Mumbai’ to stay at home. The message displayed in the clip will make you think twice step out of the house

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

You already know Hermione's reaction if you step out unnecessarily during the lockdown. Just #StayHome magical folks of Mumbai to win 'The Battle' against corona #BattleOfMumbaikars

A post shared by Mumbai Police (@mumbaipolice) onMay 1, 2020 at 10:26pm PDT

The clip shared on Saturday managed to garner 61,407  likes with many Potterheads relating to the post and calling the Mumbai police’s social media page the ‘coolest’. A user said, “Mumbai's Auror Department got no muggles.” Another user said, “Wish we could just expeliamus the virus. One more user said, “Harry Potter post on the day of Battle of Hogwarts?! You guys won my heart!”

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As many 137 people suffering from coronavirus have recovered and discharged in the city on Saturday, said Mumbai's Public Health Department. "With 547 new cases of coronavirus and 27 deaths which were reported today, the total count in the city has spiked to 8,172 and deaths to 322," said the Public Health Department. It further said, "137 patients were discharged on Saturday and a total 1,704 patients have recovered in Mumbai till now."

According to the latest data issued by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), 15 more people tested positive for the coronavirus in Mahim on Saturday. With this, the total number of cases in Mahim stands at 52. However, no death has been reported from Dharavi in the last two days, said the BMC officials, adding that "38 people have tested positive today, taking the total number of cases in Dharavi to 496."

The deaths in Dharavi stand at 18. As per Pune's Health Department officials, the toll in Pune district has increased to 103 after three more deaths were reported today. Meanwhile, as many as 56 people -- suffering from coronavirus -- recovered and discharged from a hospital in Thane district.

"The 56 COVID-19 patients were discharged today from a hospital in Mira Bhayandar, Thane after they recovered from the disease," said the hospital authorities. The State Health Department said that a total of 790 new cases of coronavirus and 36 deaths have been confirmed in the State.

According to an official statement, with 790 new COVID-19 cases, the total number of cases in the State has spiked to 12,296 and the cumulative toll stands at 521.

The statement further read that 121 COVID-19 patients were discharged in other parts of the State on Saturday and a total of 2,000 people have been discharged till date.

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

The prisons department of Maharashtra has released more than 5,000 inmates from various prisons of the state till Saturday, an official said. To prevent the spread of coronavirus infection in overcrowded jails, the prisons department is releasing those inmates who are serving sentences of less than seven years on bail, he said. At least 11,000 prisoners were expected to be released to decongest prisons, and so far 5,105 have been released on bail, the official added.

582 prisoners have been released from Arthur Road prison in Mumbai, 443 from Thane Central Jail, 498 from Taloja Central Jail in Navi Mumbai, 388 from Yerawada prison in Pune, 214 from Amaravati prison, 216 from Nagpur prison, 187 from Solapur district prison, 177 from Aurangabad Central Prison and 134 from Nashik Central Prison, he said.

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Coronavirus has brought everyone down to their knees, especially those who are suffering with ailments such as diabetes.

COVID-19 had mad eits way in the BEST department but the discharge of three conducters proved to be a silver lining, especially for the one who had diabetes.

The conductor was discharged from the hospital on Saturday morning, according to a report in The Times of India.

The conductor was admitted to the hospital on April 18 and even though his condition was deteriorating, he battled against all odds and recovered withing 2 weeks.

BEST cheif medical officer, Dr Anil Kumar Singhal said, "We are happy about our Corona survivor who was discharged with a negative report and sound health, and expect more recoveries in coming days."

Six more BEST staff detected positive for Coronavirus on Saturday, taking the total number from 29 to 35.

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Mumbaikars looked up in the sky with amazement as the Tri-Services accorded a grand aerial salute with showers of flowers and petals acknowledging the work of the frontline warriors in the war against the virus here on Sunday morning.

Helicopters and fighter planes flew over the empty but picturesque Marine Drive and other parts of Mumbai as the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force came out to pay tributes to the doctors, nurses, sanitation workers, police and others involved in the fight against COVID-19.

Helicopters flew around certain key hospitals treating Covid-19 patients like the INS ASHVINI, Sir J. J. Hospital, KEM hospital and the Kasturba Hospital.

The Sukhoi-30 aircraft flew in a march-past from the Raj Bhavan to Marine Driver while MI-17 and Chetak choppers showered flowers on the hospitals situated in congested localities of South Mumbai, mesmerising the citizens cooped up in their homes.

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Time slides by

A security guard uses the slide as a couch to relax on Sunday at Five Gardens, Dadar East Pic/Ashish Raje

A day in the life of Irrfan Khan

Irrfan with Heggode at the ashram

Everyone is aware of what a classy actor Irrfan Khan was, but not many people know about another side of his — the fact that he championed the cause of activism in his lifetime. Playwright and social activist Prasanna Heggode recently shared photos taken on a day that the actor and his wife spent at Badarwal Gandhi Ashram in Karnataka. The pictures show Khan examining women who are weaving cotton, and he later also interacted with other activists to understand grassroot reality when it comes to agriculture and handloom. Heggode also shared how the place had no bathrooms, and Khan ate food cooked on a wood fire. "Irrfan showed keen interest in every minute detail that goes into activism," he said.

Joining forces

The biggest concert in the country thus far took place online yesterday, with big-ticket names including Zakir Hussain, AR Rahman and Sunidhi Chauhan, and international stars such as Mick Jagger, Sophie Turner and Nick Jonas. All the proceeds from the gig will be donated to the NGO, Give India. Musician Ankur Tewari, who was also part of the line-up, told this diarist, "I have performed for online concerts for charity earlier, and since I sensed from the comments that we receive that people are experiencing heightened anxiety, I tried to pick songs that highlighted the positive side to life, instead of showing the glass as half empty"

Pumped up

At a time when zero contact is the need of the hour, Gamdevi's AVL (Advanced Video Lab) Retail has developed a foot-pedal hand sanitiser. This allows the product to be dispensed via pressing your foot against a pedal at the bottom. The store also offers walking sticks with adjustable height that also doubles as a foldable chair as well as laptop storing and charging karts. "As a fabrication business, we have to create products that people are in urgent need of at this moment. We developed it a month and a half ago, and have been supplying to hospitals, societies and other institutions. Delivery is available all over Mumbai and for other cities, courier charges are applicable," founder Kamal Dharamsey told this diarist. The product retails at '2,500 (plus 18 per cent GST) and can be ordered by calling 9819893075.

Dance to a different beat

Theatre practitioner Quasar Thakore-Padamsee is up to something different in the lockdown. He took to his social media recently to share a crowd-funding request for a dance production that he is involved in. Odissi dancers who have had some experience with contemporary dance, Bhavna Pani, Charvi Budhdeo, Namaha Mazoomdar, Nupura Bhaskar and Gia Singh Arora, have come together for a performance themed on silence in dialogue, that was to open in June. "It was a project I was brought on board for as an outsider to help put it together. It's however an exciting time to be producing something during these times. The influence makes its way into the work. Also, we are actually rehearsing over Zoom and that's interesting," Thakore-Padamsee told this diarist. To support the project, log on to ketto.org.

A classical idea

Thane-based Suranjan Trust is an organisation that promotes Hindustani classical music, and the platform is organising a digital competition for the genre. It's called Passion 2020, and Chinmay Lele from the trust said, "The auditions will conducted be in three batches, with May 17 being the last date for registrations. We will send a Google Drive link to the applicants, who will then have to upload a video of them performing, with the shortlisted people performing on Facebook Live by May-end."

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Eight lakh people live in over 1,600 areas declared as Containment Zones (CZ) due to a high number of COVID-19 cases, but those living in nearly 60 per cent of them are at higher risk of contracting the respiratory disease as these are congested areas. The worst affected is the L ward, comprising Kurla and Chembur, with the most crammed CZs.

AS of Sunday, the civic body has sealed 1,606 areas, declared as Containment Zones. According to a BMC data, 944 of them have mostly chawls and slums, and with crammed houses and public toilets, there is a high risk of transmission of the novel Coronavirus in these places.

BMC says civic staffers visiting congested containment areas are also at risk. File pic

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's main challenge now is to keep minimum contact points in these areas. With the constant spike in confirmed COVID-19 cases, the BMC has started sealing small areas consisting of around 80-100 houses instead of locking down an entire slum pocket.

"Public toilets are the biggest risk. It is cleaned as many times as possible to avoid the spread of infection. Besides, people try to sneak out of their rooms as their houses are small. Also, there are many small and complex internal pathways, but we try to close all the gateways and separate the Containment Zones so the virus doesn't spread outside," said an assistant commissioner from the Western Suburbs. At 184, L ward, comprising Kurla and Chembur, has maximum number of CZs and nearly 85 per cent of them (157) are in congested areas. The K West ward, from Jogeshwari West to Vile Parle West, also has a number of congested CZs.

Out of 173 CZs, 117 are crammed. Bandra to Santacruz East, i.e. the H East ward, has also been struggling with a high number of sealed slum pockets. However, city's densest ward, Byculla East, has least number of Containment Zones in slums and chawls. Dharavi, despite reporting a maximum number of COVID-19 cases, has fewer CZs because the sealed areas have a large number of houses.

"We planned and executed five levels of measures. High-risk contacts are shifted to institutional quarantine. A common area, like public toilets, is cleaned two to three times a day. A team of doctor checks everyone in the area. There are fever clinics. We focus on senior citizens by checking the oxygen level of their blood and acting appropriately," said Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner.

BMC staff, including doctors, nurses, health and sanitation workers, visiting these areas are also at risk of contracting the virus. As a precaution, the BMC has suggested that they take hydroxychloroquine tablets under supervision to avoid side effects.

7,795 high-risk contacts at Corona Care Centres

As of Sunday, as many as 1,778 COVID-19 patients have been shifted from hospital to Corona Care Centre-2. "Many of them have been discharge from CCC2 as well and they are advised to remain under home quarantine. But the figure is still not available," said a senior officer form the BMC. There are 7,795 high-risk contacts in Corona Care Centres. While the BMC also keeps asymptomatic people at the centres rather than in hospitals, there isn't any data available on the number of these patients.

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Revising the COVID-19 lockdown guidelines further, the state government has allowed stand-alone liquor shops to reopen in Mumbai and its metropolitan areas from Monday.

However, shops in the demarcated containment zones in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), will remain shut. Permit rooms and restaurants serving alcohol have not been allowed to operate.

The order for liquor shops also applies to Pune Metropolitan Region and other red zones. The shops will have to comply with strict measures such as social distancing.

The local authorities like municipal chiefs and district collectors have been tasked with deciding the number of shops in each area for preventing mass gathering.

This information is subject to guidelines/conditions in the state government's notification dated 02.05.2020. Imaging/Uday Mohite/Suhas Kale

Sources said the state government has convinced the Centre despite national restrictions on non-essential business in red zones.

The Centre was told red zones had non-containment clusters that were unaffected. Liquor production and sale will also replenish the state's depleted coffers.

Several ruling leaders and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray have been demanding the opening of liquor shops for revenue's sake.

Alcohol retail shops will be open from 10 am to 6 pm. Only sealed (bottled) liquor is allowed to be sold. The shops will have to work on 50% staff strength and the employees will have to be tested for body temperature and other symptoms.

Liquor factories, which give maximum revenue on site, have also been allowed to start production. Thermal screening of staff and access control will be required.

In addition, urban standalone shops selling non-essential commodities like clothes, footwear, stationery, electronic and electrical/domestic appliances will be opened in non-containment zones, but only 5 shops will operate in one lane/street. Spas, barber shops and salons will not open in red zones.

"Medical shops and and grocers will not have a five-shop restriction and no restrictions on business hours," said Bhushan Gagrani, principal secretary, in-charge of media relations for COVID-19 mitigation plan.

Travel by air, train and metro, inter-state road movement, opening of educational institutions, hotels and malls, places of worship and large gathering will not be allowed anywhere.

However, goods supply will not be affected. Industry with access control and urban industry have been allowed in orange and green zones.

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With the death of one more employee this weekend, the toll of BEST employees succumbing to COVID-19 is two, while four have recovered and have been discharged.

Sources said that an employee from the transport engineering department of Backbay bus depot died at KEM Hospital.

"The employee had reported to work and has been listed on duty until April 21, after which he fell ill. This clearly shows he laid his life working for the BEST Undertaking. His next of kin should be offered a job in the BEST and his family should be given an amount of R1 crore out of medical insurance," Shashank Sharad Rao, general secretary of the BEST Workers' Union said.

A BEST spokesperson confirmed the development and said the employee was suffering from high blood pressure and had been absent from work since April 22. He tested positive for Coronavirus on May 1 and died on May 3.

The first employee BEST lost to Coronavirus was a foreman working for the electric supply branch. He tested positive for Coronavirus on April 2. Since March 16, he had been admitted to a private hospital and had kidney-related ailments. He resumed work at Wadala depot on March 20 after and worked till March 22, after which he died.

On the other hand, there have been success stories too. A BEST spokesperson said a BEST bus conductor, who was diabetic, was admitted with COVID-19 since April 18. He recovered and was recently discharged. Another employee residing at the Parel staff quarters has also recovered. In addition, BEST has seen no positive cases since May 1.

BEST in numbers

. 30: No. of employees recuperating from COVID-19
. 8,865: No. of employees tested
. 1,500: No. of high-risk employees told to stay home
. 400: No. of employees recommended home-quarantine as a precaution

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Over the past six days, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has recorded a total of 124 COVID-19 deaths, almost double of the toll recorded between April 22 and April 27 (59), making it one of the major causes of concern for the city. With four BMC workers succumbing to the viral infection in the last two days, 21 deaths were reported just on Sunday.

Of the 124 deaths, 60 are in the age group of 40 to 60 years, three are aged below 40, and the remaining 61 are above 60 years of age. As per the civic body's data, 2,144 new cases and 59 deaths were reported between April 22 and April 27. Another 3,024 cases got added between April 28 and May 3. Meanwhile, 441 new cases were reported on Sunday taking the city's tally to 8,613.

Sources in the BMC said that they had formed a four-tier system to deal with the COVID-19 cases. Around 2,000 asymptomatic patients have been shifted from hospitals to COVID-19 quarantine centres across the city so that the health workers can focus on the treatment of serious patients.

Meanwhile, the number of patients in Dharavi is also increasing by the day. On Sunday, 94 new cases and two deaths were reported in the area. So far, the total number of patients in the largest slum of the city has reached 590 with 20 deaths. Mahim has reported 16 new cases with the total being 68 in the area.

Four BMC workers die
A total of four BMC workers, including a BEST staff, involved in fieldwork related to COVID-19 have died over the past two days.

A 46-year-old staff was working in the labour ward of civic-run Shatabdi Hospital in Govandi, where a pregnant woman had tested positive for the virus. The worker was a high-risk contact and had tested positive for the virus too, after which he was admitted to Rajawadi hospital in Ghatkopar. However, he succumbed to the infection on Saturday.

One motor loader, 49, working with the solid waste management department in BMC died due to the viral infection on Saturday. Another worker of N ward and deputed at the MCMCR training unit in Powai for COVID-19 related work died the same day.

Speaking to mid-day, Ramakant Bane, general secretary of the municipal union, said, "The workers are worried about their and their family members' health. With the growing number of COVID-19 cases, the BMC should test their workers on priority."

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Civil society organisations and independent researchers from all over the country have prepared a report explaining how the lockdown is adversely affecting tribal communities and forest dwellers amid an acute lack of awareness. It will be presented before the central and various state governments this week."

The assessment is prepared by civil society organisations and independent researchers who are working with tribals and forest dwellers. These include Campaign for Survival and Dignity (Chandigarh), Soumitra Ghosh of the All India Forum for Forest Movement (AIFFM), Neema Pathak Broome of Kalpavriksh, Pune, Tushar Dash and Sushmita (independent researchers), among several others. Work on the report has been in the pipeline ever since the enforcement of the lockdown measures on March 24.

Representative image:  tribal villagers in Jharkhand, Picture: Sushmita

Remote location a challenge

According to the report, lack of information among the tribals and forest dwellers about the pandemic and about the required protective measures is a major issue in tribal areas. "Tribal settlements are located remotely, thereby making it particularly difficult for information to reach there," reads the report. "The reverse migration from cities and urban areas also raises concern about spreading of the virus in tribal areas."

The report highlights how a lack of proper healthcare facilities and low testing numbers of tribal populations increases the risk of infection and how the lockdown has affected collection, use and sale of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) by tribals and forest dwellers. It also includes recommendations to the Centre on how to combat the issue and help the communities in need.

Representative image:  tribal villagers in Jharkhand, Picture: Sushmita

Speaking with mid-day, independent researcher Sushmita said: "COVID-19 impacts people with compromised health conditions and low immunity. This increases risks of infection amid the tribal populations living in deprivation. Testing and monitoring of the disease is inadequate and is mostly limited to urban areas. Providing testing facilities in tribal areas is a major challenge."

According to independent researcher Tushar Das, "The lockdown has affected collection, use and sale of MFP by tribals and forest dwellers. An estimated 100 million forest dwellers depend on MFP for food, shelter, medicines and cash income. The MFP collection season from April to June provides major income support to tribals (almost 60 per cent of the annual collection takes place during this period) and, unfortunately, it coincides with the lockdown. The trading and value chain of Non-Timber Forest Produce (NTFPs) has been completely disrupted under the lockdown as traders are not willing to buy NTFPs in the current situation."

The report recommends
According to both, Sushmita and Tushar, the Central government is yet to come up with a comprehensive COVID-19 response programme for tribal communities. The report recommends the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) set up a COVID-19 response cell and give specific guidelines to address the problems of tribals and forest dwellers. "The MoTA should also ensure that district and sub-district level officers are well informed about all relevant guidelines and orders related to COVID-19 regularly and ensure that these are complied with," Sushmita said.

"The Centre should coordinate with the state governments to provide immediate relief to the tribal communities by ensuring information and awareness, providing health care and testing facilities in the tribal areas, support for MFP collection and sale," Tushar added.

100
Approx. no. of forest dwellers, in millions, depending on Minor Forest Produce

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Shivam Misra from Khar, founder and managing partner of Walnut & Co, a strategy and market access consulting firm in Singapore, flew from Budapest to Kathmandu, for business meetings in early March, but due to COVID-19, he found himself locked in Kathmandu.

"When I landed, Nepal had around six novel COVID-19 cases. I had no clue that Nepal or India may move towards a lockdown," said Misra, adding, "Some reports citing official figures say there are approximately 12,000 Indians stranded in Nepal. There are a huge number of labourers stuck here, being looked after by the Indian Embassy." He has been living at the Marriott in Kathmandu with nine other guests.

He said, "The Indian officials at the embassy have been stupendous. They have put forward my case to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). They have always been accessible on email or phone. I do feel a twinge when I think of family back home, but one has to be patient. Gaurav Aggarwal, in charge of this property, has been wonderful too, inviting me to his home, which helps dispel the homesickness a little." The entrepreneur's days in Kathmandu are full of, "reading, writing and exercise. I walk through the hotel property. I am a photographer; portraiture and fashion being my forte." Misra said, "The downtime taught me that we are in a mindless race. This may teach us to value what is true. My lens will now capture human stories differently."

When not behind a business desk, Misra will be thinking of "conscious capitalism. This is not socialism, for without capitalism the economy cannot grow. I will, though, recalibrate a more fair distribution of wages and a more equitable distribution of wealth."

Biz whiz Narayan Murthy spoke about how he changed his philosophy from socialism supporter to 'compassionate capitalist' after an unsavoury incident abroad. Misra's changing mindset too proves that we may come out of this pandemic altered in our hearts and minds.

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Union Minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani is undoubtedly one of the coolest politicians. From sharing throwbacks pictures to family pictures and much more, Smriti always manages to tickle the funny bone and keep her followers entertained.

Although being locked at home like others due to the coronavirus epidemic, Smriti Irani recently took to Instagram new trend, the gibberish challenge. For many who don't know, the gibberish challenge on the gram is a much-in-fad filter where users have to guess the word or a phrase.

A screengarb of Smriti's first gibberish challenge

Upon taking the challenge, a random phrase or a word appears on the screen with a set time limit. Once the timer is over, the right answer pops up on the screen. The 44-year-old minister took part in the gibberish challenge twice and guess what? Smriti absolutely nailed it. Smriti also shared videos of the same as her Instagram stories.

A screengrab of Smriti's second gibberish challenge which lefet her shocked and surprised

While Smriti nailed the first one right, in the second gibberish challenge which came with a twist had its own set of challenges. Though she guessed the right answer 'Hugh Jackman', the answer for some reason appeared as 'Ryan Reynolds', which left the minister quite upset and her expressions said it all.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Weaving new possibilities 🙏#supportweavers #makeinindia #handcraftedinindia

A post shared by Smriti Irani (@smritiiraniofficial) onMay 2, 2020 at 12:11am PDT

Before taking part in the gibberish challenge, Smriti shared two pictures where she was seen donning handcrafted face masks made by weavers. Urging people to supports weavers and products made in India, Smriti captioned the picture: Weaving new possibilities!

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Soon after Maharashtra government directive allowing standalone liquor shops to open in COVID-19 red zones (except the containment areas), AIMIM Lok Sabha MP Imtiaz Jaleel has said if liquor shops are opened in Aurangabad, he would force their closure, adding that it is not a time to sell alcohol and create problems for women.

"Government decides to open liquor shops even in red zone! If shops in Aurangabad open we will break lockdown restrictions and forcibly close these shops. Will make many women come out on the streets. This is not time to sell liquor and create problems for mothers and sisters," the Aurangabad lawmaker tweeted in a series of tweet.

Lambasting the Maharashtra government, he further asked what is the hurry to sell liquor in this difficult time. He further stated if this is the case then why not allow selling everything, why this "privilege only to liquor shops".

The state government had on Sunday issued a list of activities that will be allowed in different zones of the State during the lockdown."The state government has decided to allow standalone shops including liquor shops to open in red zone also except the containment zones. Though there is no restriction in the number of essential shops that can be opened, only five non-essential shops can be opened in each lane," the government order stated.

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Due to the lockdown, migrant workers who were stranded in Mumbai are being sent back to their villages. Today, the Mumbai Police sent 25 migrant workers from the city to Rajasthan. This is the first bus to transport migrant workers from Mumbai to their village.

According to Mumbai Police, the 25 people are from Jalore district in Rajasthan. All of these individuals were residing in South Mumbai and are migrant workers. The workers had requested the Mumbai Police that they be sent to their village, due to which, the Police has issued a permit to go to Rajasthan. The fare of the bus will be paid by the workers themselves which is nearly Rs 6,000 per person.

The people travelling in this bus are from Jalore district. They all formed their own groups and sent an application to the police, after which they were given a permit.

Dharmendra Singh is from Jalore district of Rajasthan and was working at a cloth merchant's in South Mumbai but the work stopped due to the lockdown. Singh had applied to the MRA Marg police station after which the police arranged for a bus for him to go back to his village. Dharmendra Singh said that he was stuck in Mumbai due to the lockdown and is thankful to Mumbai Police.

Hansraj Chaudhary, who is from Jalore district, said, "I used to work at a stationery shop in Bora Bazar and the work stopped after the lockdown. There was no source of earning and it was causing problems."

DCP Zone 1 Sangram Singh Nishandar told mid-day, "These people applied to go to their village after which we gave them a permit. They got their own medical assistance and now they are going back to their village."

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Eminent industrialist Ratan Tata, on Sunday took to Instagram to call out a fake news article and a quote which was attributed to him. Taking to the gram, the 82-year-old business veteran shared a picture of a news clipping that read, "Ratan Tata's message: 2020 is the year of survival, don’t worry about profit and loss."

A screengrab of Ratan Tata's Instagram story

While sharing a story on Instagram, Ratan Tata wrote, "The following article has not been written or said by me. He also shared a picture of the article with 'Fake News' written on the newspaper cutting. Urging people to always verify news sources, Ratan Tata said, "I will endeavour to call out fake news whenever I can."

Talking about the fake article which has a quote attributed to him, Ratan Tata stated, "My picture alongside a quote does not guarantee me having said it, a problem that many people face." The business magnate also called out the fake news and shared it with his 8.5 million followers on Twitter.

I’m afraid this too, has not been said by me. I will endeavour to call out fake news whenever I can, but would encourage you to always verify news sources. My picture alongside a quote does not guarantee me having said it, a problem that many people face. pic.twitter.com/pk0S75FxPA

— Ratan N. Tata (@RNTata2000) May 3, 2020

Since being shared online, Ratan Tata's tweet has garnered over one lakh likes and about 25,000 re-tweets and counting. This isn't the first time that the senior statesman has taken on fake news circulating under his name. Earlier, Mr. Tata had shared another fake article attributed to him and which spoke about the impact of coronavirus on the economy.

In the spirit of solidarity pic.twitter.com/1Svx5JZ0Vb

— Ratan N. Tata (@RNTata2000) April 5, 2020

While sharing that the article was fake, the industrialist stated that if he has to say something, he would say it on his official social media channels. Debunking the false article, Mr. Tata urged people to stay safe and take care of themselves amid the coronavirus crisis.

Nearly a month ago, Ratan Tata shared a beautiful picture of India's COVID-19 warriors. While sharing the picture with his followers, Mr. Tata urged people across the country to unite in the battle against the global pandemic.

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Amid the rising number of coronavirus cases in the city, on Monday, Mumbai's Air Quality Index (AQI) stood in the poor category as the AQI dropped to 133, as per AQI India. The poor category of air quality in Mumbai is an indicator that such air quality can provide difficulty in breathing.

Air Quality Index (AQI) across different parts of Mumbai

According to AQI India, an AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 is moderate, 101-200 poor, 201-300 unhealthy, 301-400 severe and 401-500 is marked as hazardous. While Mumbai's overall air quality was poor, several parts of the city including Bandra (31 AQI), Worli (42 AQI), Powai (24 AQI), Kurla (44 AQI) reported good air quality. Sion, on the other hand reported AQI of 1094 which as per the AQI parameter is hazardous.

A snapshot of Air Quality Index (AQI) across different cities in India

In other cities of the country such as Delhi (83 AQI), Ahmedabad (90 AQI), Bengaluru (101 AQI) reported moderate air quality which is acceptable for healty adults but may pose a threat to senstive individuals as per the parameter reading.

Data sourced from aqi.in

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Two middle-aged men were sitting at a bench in Shivaji Park, six feet apart.

"Do you have any underlying conditions?" asked the first one.

The second one thought for a while before answering. "I'm generally fit. I work out daily and I eat paleo. But I have blood pressure. Is that an underlying condition?"

"I have blood pressure too!" said the first. "Hot damn. Blood pressure is an underlying condition." The two moved apart from each other another foot.

I'd have told them to be grateful they had any blood pressure at all. Only dead people have no blood pressure. In 2005, at age 53, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure, or hypertension, as many are as they age and their blood vessels get less flexible. Since then, I have been on one cocktail of blood pressure pills or another.

A quick Hypertension 101 here for those who don't have a clue. The heart moves blood through your body by a pumping action that consists of a squeeze and a relax. Each squeeze pushes up the pressure (called the systole) that the blood exerts within the blood vessels, while each relax lowers it (called the diastole). It's like squeezing a tennis ball: think of the maximum pressure you exert as the systole, and the pressure when you release the squeeze as the diastole.

Blood pressure is always represented as two numbers — like 149/83 — indicating the systole and the diastole, and representing the number of millimetres the level of mercury rises to in a machine called a sphygmomanometer. I was told that anything under 120/80 was healthy and optimal.

Being naturally subversive and resistant to authority, I wanted to know who had decided that 120 and 80 were 'normal'. In 2017, the new normal had been declared to be 130/80, down from 140/90. Pharmaceutical companies know that each time the definition of normal blood pressure is lowered, they get millions of new customers, people who had been 'healthy' till then but were instantly redefined as having 'blood pressure' under the new normal — and will require their medication. The 2017 change apparently brought in over 50 million new customers into the blood pressure pills market. It's a billion-dollar industry.

The 2020 normal is 120/80.

Nine of the 11 co-authors of the 2003 blood pressure guidelines had ties to pharmaceutical companies in the form of shares, consulting fees or research funding. One member declared ties to 21 pharmaceuticals. Newer panels are required to disclose conflicts of interest with drug manufacturers who would gain from lowered definitions of normal BP. It seems they stay on the panels nonetheless, having honestly declared their corporate allegiances.

So now you're at a clinic, getting your blood pressure taken. The doctor or nurse may chat with you meanwhile, asking about your family and the next vacation.

There are two reasons why this reading will always be wrong. It is now known that the very sight of a man in a white coat or a nurse walking purposefully towards you creates an immediate spike in your blood pressure. It's called white coat hypertension and is a classic example of the measurer changing the measurement by his very presence.

Other things change the reading too.

Putting the cuff over clothing, rather than a bare arm can add 10-40 mm of mercury (Hg) to a measurement.

Needing to pee can add 10-15 mm Hg.

Having a conversation: an additional 10-15 mm Hg
Dangle your feet or leave your back unsupported — another 5-10 mm Hg.
Even the short walk to the curtained room where they measure your vital statistics will boost your pressure.

There's more — if you'd come at noon, your pressure would have been higher. It starts dropping from late afternoon — unless you go to a rock concert in the evening.
Why am I telling you all this? Because it's very easy for your pressure to show as higher than normal, especially in a medical setting. This makes it easy for the doctor to look grim and shake his head and start you off on some hypertension pill or the other for the rest of your life.

I used to be on Pfizer's Norvasc. In 2003 alone, that drug notched up sales of over $5 billion and was the world's best-selling blood pressure drug. Someone even suggested that children over three should be started on preventive BP medication.

The next time you have your BP read, insist that it be done the right way —
1 Sit still and relax for five minutes.
2 Do not speak to anyone.
3 Calm your mind, don't think of office or home problems.
4 Take two readings, a minute apart.
5 Make sure the nurse records the second reading.
6 Send me a letter of thanks.

Here, viewed from there. C Y Gopinath, in Bangkok, throws unique light and shadows on Mumbai, the city that raised him. You can reach him at cygopi@gmail.com
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The views expressed in this column are the individual's and don't represent those of the paper

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