Four-year-old Mayank Patil, who underwent a liver transplant at Jupiter Hospital, Thane, was discharged on Thursday, after over a thousand donors from across India and overseas helped his family by contributing through crowd-funding platforms. Nearly R16.5 lakh was raised overnight through social media, after mid-day's story on Wednesday, 'Hellish health turn for Nashik family'.

The management of Jupiter Hospital had also extended support to the family. They waived off half the billing amount and stood by their quotation given to Mayank's father at the time of the transplant, Rs 15 lakh. The hospital was paid around Rs 18.45 lakh (Rs 16.50 collected from milaap, Rs 1.45 lakh from trusts and charitable institutions, and Rs 1 lakh from the Chief Minister's Fund).

"Unfortunately, in Mayank's case, his stay and treatment in the hospital prolonged due to certain complications. In all cases of post-operative complications in pediatric transplant patients, Jupiter Hospital, as a policy, waives off the amount incurred in the bill beyond the pre-fixed package cost. In an effort to relieve the family from any stress related to money, our team also raised a substantial amount through various foundations and trusts that the hospital was following up with," said the hospital spokesperson.

Mayank will have to go to Jupiter Hospital for regular check-ups. Pic/Sameer Markande

"We are grateful to the Good Samaritans who have generously donated and helped us in getting back the smile on the little child's face. The additional funds that have been collected through these funds, will be used for the medicines and follow-ups once Mayank goes home," added the hospital spokesperson.

Donations overnight
mid-day readers from Mumbai and overseas had contacted Harish Patil, Mayank's father, who directed them to the milaap portal (a crowd-funding platform), which had started an online campaign. The portal collected almost Rs 16.50 lakh overnight, donated by 1,142 Good Samaritans from India and overseas for Mayank. Anoj Viswanathan, president and co-founder milaap said, "The kindness of strangers was the miracle that saved Mayank's life. The entire amount of nearly R16.50 lakh was raised overnight through social media. It is extremely heartening how the world stepped forward to help the Patils."

Asked if people still can donate for Mayank, the portal spokesperson replied in the negative, stating, "Since we have already collected more than the required funds, the page will be paused for any further donations." Another crowd-funding portal, Ketto, collected R15,175 contributed by eight donors, which will be given to the parents soon. "This is one of the most amazing examples of how the community nowadays steps up to help families with financial problems," said Varun Sheth, CEO Ketto. Some Good Samaritans even visited Jupiter Hospital to give financial support to Harish. Rishi Gangoli, senior manager at ESPN, and his colleagues, contributed Rs 30,000, a cheque for which was handed to Harish.

Doctor overwhelmed, too
Dr Gaurav Chaubal, Chief Liver Transplant Surgeon at Jupiter Hospital said, "We have asked Mayank's parents to get him to hospital for a regular follow-up at least for next one month and have advised them to give him only home cooked food. I am also overwhelmed to see such an amazing number of people come forward overnight to help the cause."

'Every paisa for Mayank'
Both Harish, 35, and Jyoti, 29, Mayank's parents, are overwhelmed with the financial support that they received. "We had only heard that Mumbaikars have a heart that cares. We are grateful to every donor who opened his/her heart for my Mayank. We will always be indebted to them," said an emotional Harish.

Harish also thanked this newspaper for highlighting Mayank's case. When it was suggested that he could get Jyoti's reconstructive surgery performed through these funds, Harish responded firmly saying, "This money has come from people who have read about my son's health condition. I will ensure that every paisa is only used for his treatment. I will work hard and raise funds for my wife's surgery." He has rented a place in Ulhasnagar at Rs 3,500 a month, to take Mayank to the hospital for regular check ups.

1,142
No. of donors who came forward to help Mayank

Rs 18.45 lakh
Entire amount donated by Good Samaritans, trusts, charitable institutions and the CM's fund

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Unidentified persons allegedly tried to withdraw nearly Rs 26 crore through cheques by forging signatures of senior civic and health officials from Thane district in Maharashtra, police said on Sunday. However, their attempts were foiled by alert bank officials, a police spokesperson said.

Two banks informed the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) that some unidentified persons came to their branches in Pune and Chennai in the last few days carrying cheques worth around Rs 26 crore and bearing signatures of civic commissioner Sanjeev Jaiswal and health officer R T Kendre, the official said. They informed the TMC that these persons wanted to deposit the cheques in favour of some private organisations.

On cross-checking with the TMC about such high-value cheques, the banks got to know that those were not issued by the civic body, she said. Later, during verification, the cheques were found to be carrying forged signatures and stamps of the senior civic and health officials, she said.

Based on a complaint by the civic body, an offence was registered on Saturday against unidentified persons under various Indian Penal Code sections for forgery and cheating, the police spokesperson said. No arrest was made so far, she said, adding that a probe was underway in the matter.

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

In a video that went viral, MNS Yuva shakha Vice President Akhil Chitre was seen thrashing a taxi driver for allegedly misbehaving with a female passenger.

While speaking to mid-day, Chitre said that the female was plying from Wadala to BKC and she later returned to Dharavi. Though the fare was then Rs 118 the taxi driver was forcing her to pay Rs. 200 saying she had to also pay for the 'luggage' she was carrying.

A man who was the other passengers in the taxi stepped out and paid Rs 118 to the driver. However, shockingly the driver drove the cab without allowing the female passenger to get off. A crowd gathered around the taxi but the driver was still adamant on getting Rs 200.  The male co-passenger called up Chitre who reached the location and thrashed the driver.

Chitre said, "The male passenger located my number via Facebook and called me. Luckily, I was in BKC at the time and reached the spot within a minute. I then caught hold of the taxi driver and taught him a lesson."

In another video that went viral recently, an auto driver was seen hitting a passenger after an argument over auto fare. After watching the footage, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) swung into action and thrashed the auto driver for his behaviour.

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Aamir Khan had a customary cake-cutting ceremony with the media at his Bandra home, holding a press conference. On his birthday, the actor, who turned 54 today, made an announcement of his next film titled Laal Singh Chadda. Aamir's next release is a remake of Hollywood film Forest Gump (1994). The film starred Tom Hanks and Robin Wright and was based on a novel of the same name.

Following this, Aamir Khan will take off for North Ireland to attend the ongoing Belfast Film Festival. He will be in conversation with Nasreen Munni Kabir on 16th to discuss his body of work.

Check out the pictures of Aamir Khan's 54th birthday celebrations here. (All pictures/Shadab Khan, Yogen Shah)

Aamir Khan's 54th birthday celebration

Aamir Khan was accompanied by his wife Kiran Rao.

Aamir Khan cuts his birthday cake

Fans across the nation have been pouring in wishes for Aamir by posting the actor's pictures, which also saw a strong social trend with the #HappyBirthdayAamirKhan.

Aamir Khan and wife Kiran Rao at his 54th birthday celebrations with media persons

Kiran Rao clicked while feeding the birthday cake to Aamir Khan

Known as Mr Perfectionist of the industry, Aamir Khan for Bollywood has over the years created an image that many look up to. From making films that address the pertinent issues of the society, to speaking his mind on raging issues even off camera, Aamir Khan has always been the one with a calculative brain and has used his position to impart a change in the society.

On the professional front, Aamir Khan likes to explore with the character he plays and the actor likes to surprise his fans with new characters. To experiment with roles, Aamir grows his hair and beard before every film. This also gives him the flexibility to play with multiple looks in one film. We wonder, what Aamir Khan's look would be in Laal Singh Chadda!

Here's wishing a very happy birthday to Aamir Khan!

Also Read: Aamir Khan is a family man, these picture-perfect frames are proof!

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An engineering graduate, Navin Noronha is also an openly gay stand-up comedian, who uses his humour to acquaint people with the struggles of the LGBTQ community. Watch him at his comedy special, The Good Child, which covers humorous takes on what it's like to grow up queer in India. From stories about coming out and online dating, to tackling family and gay relationships, Noronha will cover it all.

ON March 22, 8.30 pm
AT The Habitat, Khar West 
LOG ON TO bookmyshow.com
ENTRY Rs 250

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It is the festival of colours and most of the people are celebrating their day of happiness with family and friends. Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor's son, Taimur Ali Khan, who is already a social media sensation, was spotted celebrating Holi with the paparazzi, whom time and again, he is seen waving and smiling at! 

A video shared by one of Taimur's fan club, where the tiny tot is seen playing with the water gun at his Bandra residence, has become a wave on the net. Take a look!

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Tim is playing with pichkaris 😂😍❤ðŸÂÂ’™ðŸÂÂ’šðŸÂÂ’›ðŸÂÂÂ’ÂÂÂœ 📹- @viralbhayani #taimuralikhan

A post shared by Taimur Ali Khan (@taimuralikhanworld) onMar 20, 2019 at 11:05pm PDT

Taimur, in his house, is seen in a playful mode while spreading joy with his smile and spraying water from the balcony.

Meanwhile, Soha Ali Khan, sister of Saif Ali Khan, also shared a colourful pretty picture of Inaaya Naumi Kemmu on Instagram. Soha captioned the image: "Happy holi!!! [sic]"

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Happy holi!!! ❣

A post shared by Soha (@sakpataudi) onMar 20, 2019 at 11:25pm PDT

Isn't she looking adorably cute? 

Kareena Kapoor Khan, who is married to actor Saif Ali Khan, has time and again expressed concern over the growing paparazzi culture in India. She wondered how people could be so interested in her two-year-old son Taimur's life.

Also Read: Taimur Ali Khan is also a bookworm just like papa Saif Ali Khan; see photos

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Varun Dhawan, who is currently promoting his upcoming movie Kalank, was spotted at a popular studio in Juhu, Mumbai. While on his way, the actor bumped into Sunny Deol, and he couldn't stop fanboying after meeting the Gadar actor.

Sunny Deol with Varun Dhawan/picture courtesy: Satej Shinde

Varun Dhawan was elated on meeting Sunny. The actor greeted Sunny Deol and was pleased to share this moment when they bumped into each other.

Sunny Deol, who is currently shooting for Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas, which is his son, Karan's, Bollywood debut, also had a small conversation with his fan. 

On the professional front, Varun Dhawan will be next seen in Karan Johar's multi-starrer period drama, Kalank and Remo D'Souza's Street Dancer 3D.

Talking about Kalank, the film has a star-studded cast comprising Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, Madhuri Dixit-Nene, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditya Roy Kapur, and Sanjay Dutt, this period drama set in 1940s India, is definitely going to take you on an unforgettable journey.

The first look posters of the three men of Kalank came out on March 7 and the leading ladies' first looks were revealed on International Women's Day (March 8). The film was originally conceptualised about 15 years ago by the late Yash Johar and his son Karan Johar, who has bankrolled the film. Abhishek Varman has helmed the period drama that releases on April 17 this year.

Also Read: Kalank is the highest viewed teaser in Bollywood in 24hrs!

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If you are in the mood for some jokes or just want to take a break from mundane life, then this stand-up comedy act is for you. Featuring two boys and girls Shaad Shafi and Joel D'souza, and Sumaira Shaikh and Urooj Ashfaq respectively, the evening will see the four crack some of their favourite jokes and also try out new material.

ON April 27, 8.30 pm to 9.30 pm
AT The Habitat, 1st and 4th, Hotel Unicontinental, road number 3, Khar West
CALL 9833358490
LOG ON TO insider.in
Cost Rs 200

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Shuffling Suitcases, a shopping festival that champions slow fashion, is back in Mumbai a second time, with its eighth edition scheduled for this weekend. Attend it to explore a collection of ethical and sustainable fashion. Also watch out for lifestyle brands that you won't find in malls and ones that aren't available in the city. And complete the experience with interesting drinks.

ON March 2 and 3, 12 pm
AT Pioneer Hall, Pioneer House, St John Baptist Road, Mount Mary Steps, Bandra West.
CALL 9820545480

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Coolpad 'Note 6'. Pic courtesy/Twitter

Chinese handset maker Coolpad launched 'Note 6', an offline exclusive product in India on Tuesday. Two of the most notable features of Note 6 are 5.5-inch HD display and 8MP+5MP dual front cameras. The company in a statement said that smartphone will be available from Tuesday in 32GB and 64GB internal storage variants with 4GB RAM for Rs 8,999 and Rs 9,999 respectively.

Note 6 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 chipset, backed by 4,070 mAh battery and runs on Android 7.1 Nougat Operating System (OS). "Coolpad 'Note 6' will offer a great value for money smartphone for Indian customers," said Syed Tajuddin, CEO, Coolpad India.

"We are also planning to introduce more aggressive offline devices in the next few months to expand in the offline market through our retails partners and multi-brand outlets," Tajuddin added.

Coolpad "Note 6" will be available at over 300 multi-brand stores across eight states including Delhi-NCR, Telangana and Maharashtra.

(Edited by mid-day online desk, with inputs from IANS)

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As data security concerns on Facebook and WhatsApp loom large, Twitter is reportedly working on a 'Secret' encrypted messages feature which could make the microblogging platform safer for sensitive communications.

With this feature, Twitter is expected to roll out options about encrypted messaging like starting a secret conversation and viewing both sides of the conversation for encryption keys to verify a secure connection, TechCrunch reported on Monday.

The encrypted Direct Message (DM) option was first spotted inside Twitter for APK that contains codes for unreleased features that companies are testing.

Instant messaging app WhatsApp uses "end-to-end encryption" in all conversations. This can be opted into Messenger.

End-to-end encrypted messages are secured with a lock and only the sender and recipient have the special key needed to unlock and read them.

For added protection, every message sent has its own unique lock and key. No one can intercept the communications.

Last week, WhatsApp co-founder and CEO Jan Koum quit reportedly "after clashing with its parent, Facebook, over the popular messaging service's strategy and Facebook's attempts to use its personal data and weaken its encryption".

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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

Representational picture

Washington: Twitter is reportedly testing a new feature on its Android app that makes messaging secure with end-to-end encryption.

Called 'Secret Conversation', the feature is expected to be available in the conversation info section in direct messaging of the Twitter app on Android, Mashable reports.

As users seek more security, end-to-end encryption has become a new mandate for messaging apps. The technology makes it difficult for snoopers to access or intercept messages which are exchanged between two parties.

NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden had asked Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey for such a feature on the platform a year ago. It remains to be seen when the end-to-end encryption is officially rolled out.

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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

Popular instant messaging platform, WhatsApp, has rolled out a new feature that allows users to view content from Facebook and Instagram within the app. The update is expected to increase user engagement in the messaging platform.

The latest update has been rolled out for select iOs users. WhatsApp support will allow users to play Instagram and Facebook videos within the app, without exiting the chat. Presently, a user who receives videos or images from Facebook, Instagram or any such app would be redirected to these apps to view the content. However, this is set to change with the new update, reports The Verge.

The latest update also introduced the ability to add and revoke admin privileges from users in a group chat. It empowers admins to edit the subject, description, and icon of a chat that is already underway. In November 2017, WhatsApp rolled out an update through which one can view YouTube videos directly inside the messaging app, in picture-in-picture mode.

If a YouTube link has been sent on a conversation, then users can directly view the video through the link on WhatsApp itself, as it will no longer be re-directed to YouTube. Instead, the YouTube clip will appear within a small floating window on your screen, thus implying that you can watch YouTube videos and message at the same time.

On a related note, the update is also expected to be rolled out to Android users in the coming weeks.

(Edited by mid-day online desk, with inputs from ANI)

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Microsoft Surface Pro 4

After receiving complaints regarding a screen flicker defect in some Surface Pro 4 devices, Microsoft has offered to replace the eligible devices free of charge.

The faulty devices qualified for replacement should be up to three years from the time of original purchase, Microsoft Support said in a blog post late Friday.

"We will ship you a replacement device as soon as you return your existing device. Typically, it will take 5-8 business days for you to receive an exchange device from the date that you ship your current device back to us," the post added.

Users that have already paid for a screen-replacement will get a refund.

In February, Microsoft had said that it was monitoring the situation.

The tech giant has clarified that the replaced devices will be refurbished.

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

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

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

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

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

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Controversy and fracas is heating up over sugar imported from Pakistan. Reports have emerged about an NCP MLA from Thane district and party activists tearing sugar bags stored in a godown in Navi Mumbai. The MLA, who represents Kalwa-Mumbra constituency, said hundreds of NCP activists raided the godown, located in Dahisar Mori area of the satellite town of Mumbai, and tore the bags containing the imported sugar.

This comes on the heels of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), which had already opposed the sale and distribution of imported sugar. MNS leaders from Navi Mumbai visited wholesale traders in the Vashi agriculture produce market committee (APMC), and warned them against the distribution of sugar.

While sentiment and belief is one thing, we hope that these sugar raids will not disrupt the ordinary person's life or schedule. Every political party has a right to credo and action, but it should not come at the cost of citizens.

The relevant party and its workers can hold a peaceful protest outside these godowns if they so desire, to raise awareness. They could also put up their resistance on social media and create awareness about why they oppose the Pakistani sugar. Do voice your opposition, do give vent to your anger or ire and do reinstate your stand. That is your right as citizens of a democracy.

Yet, one must always do so with a respect for people and violence should play no part in these protests. Beware of political shenanigans, which aim to capture eyeballs, rather than espouse the party line or philosophy. Actions like this must not snowball into confrontations with innocent people caught in the crosshairs.

Say no to Pakistani sugar if you wish, but do not disrupt daily life. Respect the law and the people, otherwise you fear losing sight of your cause in a spiral of violence and hooliganism.

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The BMC has claimed to be monsoon-ready this year, but it’s highly unlikely that the city roads will be pothole-free. File Pic

I like waiting for the BMC to issue proclamations of all kinds based on whatever mystical tests it uses instead of science. It will tell us when the rains are expected, for instance, then promptly issue a new date 24 hours before the original one, citing fresh new information that has probably been sent to its meteorologists via WhatsApp. It will talk about how much water will be collected in our lakes and rivers, then revise that figure every three weeks depending on what percentage of water cuts it can announce for free publicity. I suspect a lot of BMC employees spend their days simply dreaming up new statements to issue, because doing this is a lot easier than completing any actual work.

The good news is, it claims to be monsoon-ready this year. Yes, it claimed to be monsoon-ready last year, too, and the year before, and the decade before, but why should that stop it from issuing a new press release about how it is definitely monsoon-ready this year? If it doesn't issue these statements, how is it supposed to justify the thousands of crores that are poured into our streets and mysteriously vanish before touching the asphalt?

This year's statement says that only 522 roads continue to remain dug up in the city. This presumably does not include the street outside your home or mine, or any street you pass over the next week, because finding a street that isn't dug up in Mumbai is almost like finding proof that our ministers have actually been to school. Apparently, completing road repair and renovation work in the city is definitely the target, which isn't surprising because it has been the target since man first set foot on the Moon. I assume this doesn't include the roads that have been torn apart for the Metro, of course, because the chances of them being smooth and pothole-free in your lifetime or mine are a billion to one.

The Andheri-SEEPZ line of the Metro runs just outside Andheri station towards Versova. The street it tore up and demolished over a decade ago has yet to recover. It has turned into an unofficial market, with commuters now long used to the idea of going around in a wide circle in order to hit SV Road. One can't help, but use that as a benchmark when thinking about what the city will look like when the current Metro projects are finally complete, a century from now.

Our civic body - I use those words loosely, of course - has reportedly prepared a plan of completing work on 1,106 roads in several categories during the financial year 2018-19, with roads classifieds into categories of project roads, priority 2 and priority 3 roads. This must have taken them a few months, because everyone knows how important the task of naming plans or renaming roads is, and how these discussions can go on late into the afternoon. Project roads are easy to spot because they exist in various states of disrepair all around us, but it's hard to figure out the difference between priority 2 and priority 3 roads. In a city that is home to millions of commuters an hour, one would assume all roads are a priority, but that is clearly not the case.

Project roads are also supposed to undergo complete reconstruction, which is BMC-speak for 'we are going to tear them down and start again, and use your taxes to do it a few more times'. The statement didn't just talk about the future though; it also claimed that work on 879 roads was completed by the end of April. Chew on that when you dislocate your shoulder in a rickshaw on your next trip.

I'm pretty sure the fault lies with us. We are the ones who prevent the BMC from focusing on more important things like memorial plaques and compel it to waste valuable time and money on insignificant issues like pothole-free, monsoon-ready roads. If you care about your city and respect the BMC, you should do the right thing and avoid the roads. Work online instead of at an office, chat with friends and relatives via video calls, and educate your children with the help of YouTube videos. Don't use roads until the pesky monsoons are over. Stay at home instead.

When he isn't ranting about all things Mumbai, Lindsay Pereira can be almost sweet. He tweets @lindsaypereira Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com

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Two years ago, Jaidwaj Malhotra was running a Google search for a motor for his model airplane when he instead started reading about drones and how to build them. He was immediately taken in by the little object that could fly at 120 km per hour. Today, the 18-year-old is working for an organisation, helping them design surveillance drones for the Indian Army.

Malhotra is part of a tight-knit community of young drone racers in the city that came into being around the time the Indian Drone Racing League (IDRL) was founded by Karan Kamdar in 2016. Over the past two years, the field has gained a sizeable traction with IDRL having 875 pilots registered with them from all over India. The pursuit is expensive.

Building a drone can cost as much as '40,000, and the not-so-cheap batteries must be replaced every three months. The police continues to remain suspicious of fliers. However, for these pumped up youngsters, no obstacle is too big. Even with the odds stacked against them, they are finding ways to let their dreams fly.

'Burnt the circuit board while building my first drone'
Jaidwaj Malhotra, 18

His father being into aero-modelling, Juhu resident Jaidwaj Malhotra has always had a fascination for flying objects. Two years ago he participated in an aeromodelling competition held by Boeing, at the IIT TechFest. Around the same time, he came across the drone, or the "quadcopter". "If you want to fly a drone, it is important that you build it as well. You need to understand the mechanics, to ensure best control. And, in case of trouble, you must know how to fix it in a second," Malhotra says. Like Nayak, he too is a self-taught drone-maker, who got all his knowledge from the Internet.

Jaidwaj Malhotra. Pic/Satej Shinde

"My first attempt was not successful. I burnt the circuit board. But, you live and learn," says the first-year mechanical engineering student. He spread the word on his drone-making abilities on social media and soon people began to approach him. "That's how I got roped in by a startup to design UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) for the Army." When he doesn't have exams, he practises six hours a day on a track that he builds himself, on the Jamnabai School Grounds. "A racing track comprises elements like gates, flags and cones that act as obstacles. I practise on one track, then change it completely and practise again."

One Race I want to participate in: World Drone Prix

'I am the first pilot to register from the country'
Siddharth Nayak, 26

Employed in the construction sector, Nayak is currently neck-deep into the Mumbai Metro project. It's only in the weekends that he manages to fly. "Sometimes, it's not even that, as there are working Sundays too," he tells us. Nayak, who grew up in Nala Sopara and got a degree in instrumentation engineering from a Vasai's Vartak college, has always been keen on robotics. "But, that was mostly stuff on land; I had a craze for flying."

Siddharth Nayak. Pic/Datta Kumbhar

Randomly stumbling upon a drone-racing video on YouTube in 2016 was a deciding moment for him. Nayak, of course, had no experience in drones up until that point. He went through several tutorials online and managed to build his first drone. "I tried it out in the dried salt pans in Vasai, where there were no people. It went up till about 30 feet," he says, speaking of his test run.

The height is not the point of importance in drone racing, where they race not more than seven feet above the ground. "It's precision and control that counts, because you're flying at 120 kmph. It's a lot tougher to control drones at a lower height." Nayak had his first race in IIT Gandhinagar in 2016 and his latest victory was last month at Smaaash, besides three races in Kochi and Pilani. "I had once quit my job to do this professionally, but that didn't work," he says with a smile. Nayak's next aim is to represent an organisation as a drone racer. "My dream is to represent India as a drone racer in an international league, someday."

One Race I want to participate in: Drone Champion League

'I sold my first drone to build my second one'
Himadri Roy, 21

When he was in Std X, Himadri Roy asked his father for money to build his first drone. "I had done my research. I showed him the outline of my plan, which I had developed after going through hundreds of tutorials and blogs. When he saw that I was not talking out of thin air, he agreed," says Roy. The first drone that he built had a larger frame and was heavy. It took him over a month to finish, with help from his father. "Now, I can build it in a week." In the years that followed, he upgraded his machine. "I learnt about more sophisticated methods online and then I sold my first drone to a friend who is an engineer, and used that money to build my second one. This one is a racing drone. It's smaller, faster and more agile." Roy, who was a member of an online forum called Remote Controlled India, came across IDRL on it. He got invited to his first race in Gandhinagar in 2016. "I did a few laps and crashed. It's crucial to keep your mind steady in this race. If you worry you'll crash, you will. I have become calmer now."

Himadri Roy. Pic/Sneha Kharabe

He uses the same calm to deal with authorities when they come in the way. "The laws regarding droning are not clear in India. So, the police continues to stop us. Last week, a police vehicle followed me while I was flying. When something like that happens, I try to explain that it is a sport. I also let them watch the video feed that has recorded what the drone has seen, so they know that we are anything but troublemakers." Currently, he is employing his drone knowledge in his fourth year project. "We are trying to develop drones that can be used for industry surveillance, to identify defects in mobile towers, in particular," he says.

One Race I want to participate in: Smaaash Drone Race at Gateway of India

Sanjukta Basu

Delhi-based photographer Sanjukta Basu had an epiphany right before her 39th birthday. "I was introspecting on the years gone by, and realised that although I had achieved much, I didn't think I had reached a 'destination'. It was as if I was lost at sea, and needed direction. But then I decided to embrace the fact that I go where the wind takes me. I was going to be 40, and this was me. I wasn't going to change. That's how my first tattoo took shape in my mind," says Basu, who once practiced law.

And so, her first tattoo was a sailboat, with a wave and birds in flight, with the line "wherever the wind takes me". This was also the time the idea of a project on women with tattoos took shape. Typically, some of them got one to signify something profound, like a break up with a lover or a violent relationship. Others didn't think it needed a reason. "The project is about challenging the stereotype around women with tattoos. They don't get them because they are slutty or hippie, or because they are reckless," she argues.

The photographer, who is on the lookout for new subjects to shoot in Mumbai and Delhi, says, ideally, all women should get in touch with her and tell her their stories. Sunday mid-day got Basu to shares some of her favourites.

Vimala is an aviation professional, and loves wings. Years after she got married to the man she loved, she realised he was addicted to gambling, and draining her of finances. At 48, when she found herself free from the toxic relationship, she got a tattoo — a heart with wings. It was time to fly again.

Parama, Sanjukta's first subject for the Women And Body Art project, is not one person. Within her sits the essence of Kolkata, the city she comes from and loves. The tattoo on her forearm and is an image of Kolkata landmark Victoria Memorial, an angel atop it. It signifies her belief that something good lies in everything she sees.

Archana, a women's rights activist, grew up in a protective, privileged Tamil Brahmin family. While she has grappled with body image issues, she also didn't know that you could be anything else other than a doctor, an engineer or a lawyer. When she went to college, she met women from a variety of backgrounds and, before she knew it, the seeds of female solidarity had been sown. Her first tattoo is a symbol of feminism, and she got it on the day she learnt that feminism in fact, had a symbol.

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Representational picture

Using warm water and shaving slowly can help you keep razor bumps at bay, say experts. Preeti Seth, Cosmetologist, Pachouli Wellness Clinic, and Prabhu Mishra, Senior Cosmetologist from SCI International Hospital, list some tips to keep in mind while shaving.

• Firstly hydrate to minimise the nicks, cuts and irritation -- Hydrating softens your hair allowing the razor to glide more easily.
• Take a steamy shower. Warm water softens both your hair and skin, reducing tension as your razor blade cuts your scruff.
• Use old method of shaving through brush and making lather instead of foam for few days as bristles of brush will help in scrubbing the pores.
• Use a face wash or scrub to remove oil, dirt and dead skin.
• One must moisturise the skin after shaving as dryness leads to split heads and itching.
• Another reason of razor burn is dull blades. Replace your razor, if you feel any tugging while shaving, ditch your razor and swap it for a new one.
• Cucumber has anti-inflammatory and hydrating properties, plus it is high in vitamin K and C both of which are best known for their healing properties. Cut a few slices of cucumber and place them in the refrigerator for half an hour. Take out the slices from the refrigerated cucumber and rub on the affected skin for 10 minutes.
• Olive oil has anti-inflammatory properties and helps in making the skin smooth. Simply mix one tablespoon of olive oil and five drops of tea tree oil in a bowl. Apply on the affected area using a cotton ball. Keep it on for 15 minutes and then rinse off with lukewarm water.
• Yogurt also has antibacterial properties that can help in reducing inflammation and swelling. Simply, mix one tablespoon of plain yogurt with one and a half teaspoon of honey and apply on the affected area. Keep it on for 15 minutes and then wash the mixture off with warm water.

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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

Illustration/Uday Mohite

Several years ago, when Dr Karanvir Singh was pursuing his doctorate in the field of applied psychology, he stumbled upon an interesting find. The focus of his PhD was relationships. What he surmised from those years of research and interviews was that "if people enjoyed good relationships with their partner, it also positively influenced and affected other areas of their lives too." But Singh, who now works as a relationship empowerment coach, believes that romantic utopia isn't possible, until one develops a perfect relationship with themselves.

Karanvir Singh

Having conducted over 55 workshops on relationship management across the globe, Singh is conducting a session for singles - My Perfect Welationship - that will equip participants with the right tools to create their happily ever after. The two-hour-long session, which will involve games apart from examination of case studies, will walk you through three main topics.

"First, it's important to define what is a right relationship," says Singh. While there is no ideal relationship, having false notions about love can be detrimental, he adds. Singh will also reflect on the need for "creating an inventory" of the kind of behaviour one is looking for, from their potential partners. "Top on this list is the non-negotiable ones," he says, adding that he will also discuss ways where one can spot the red flag in romance. Lastly, he will suggest ways of breaking the communication barrier. "When communication between two people is more aligned, half the conflicts can be gotten rid of," he says.

WHERE: Ninos Nook, Bhulabhai Desai Marg, Breach Candy
ENTRY: Rs 2,000
TO BOOK: in.bookmyshow.com

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Caroline (Laura Mishra) pours out her fears about her rocky marriage to the governess Ms Chacko (Pooja Nair)

All the world's a stage, but that doesn't make all of us actors, as we discovered after three long hours of watching an adaptation of Agatha Christie's Go Back For Murder by the theatre group, Making Noise. The play follows the protagonist Chloe Miranda (played by director Laura Mishra), on her journey to prove her mother innocent of her father's murder.

The catch is, the murder happened 15 years ago, and her mother is no longer around to defend herself, having passed away in prison. So, Chloe joins hands with her lawyer Filip Calisto (male lead essayed by Navin Talreja) to piece together who really killed her father. They track down friends and family members who were present on the day of the murder. Everyone returns to the scene of a crime in Goa to recreate the events leading up to the murder.

True to form, the tight plot devised by the queen of crime writing keeps the audience guessing until the very end when the killer is finally revealed in the denouement.

Unfortunately, there is another murder that needs to be addressed — that of the play itself. The warning signs appeared from the very beginning: Actors stumbling over their words, even forgetting their lines at times; lacklustre delivery was a problem throughout the play. Direction was, dare we say, missing. Actors killed a ridiculous amount of time milling about on stage, unable to hold still even during conversations with other characters. As a result, even though the advertised run time was two hours and 15 minutes (including the interval), the audience was trapped for an extra 45 minutes. The delay did not go unnoticed by the director, who apologised for having taken up so much time.

It would not be an exaggeration to call the performance a snoozefest; many in the audience had nodded off within the first half hour, while others gave up and left the auditorium midway.

Actor-director Laura delivered one of the few believable performances but failed to draw out the same from her cast. There were other peculiar directorial calls, such as one of the characters holding the same cigarette to his mouth for over two hours. In all the scenes with multiple characters, several actors had visibly zoned out on stage while the lead actors droned on. A theatre aficionado who accompanied us said it was like a "school play", hardly the kind of fare one would expect to see at St Andrew's Auditorium.
When: May 27, 7.30 pm
Where: St Andrews Auditorium
Entry: Rs 200-Rs 1,000
Contact: 26410926

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Kylie Jenner on vacation with her daughter Stormi. pic courtesy/ instagram.com/kylie jenner

Last month, social media star Kylie Jenner was severely mom-shamed by keyboard warriors for heading to a music festival without her infant daughter, Stormi. While Internet trolls are no experts, what exactly does it take to form a bond with your baby?

“Fundamental human nature includes adapting to changes. For a woman to transition into motherhood is common, nevertheless, it’s not a cakewalk. Many women experience post-partum blues for about two weeks after delivery. Should it extend beyond this period, it could be a sign of a post-partum disorder. Therefore, we need to build a society that accepts and understands the plethora of emotions that a new mother experiences,” says Maithili Thanawala Kanabar, counselling psychologist.

Dr. Bindu KS

Here’s our primer on how to face up to it, and move on.

1. Return to working out
“The body needs six weeks to heal — whether it’s a natural birth, caesarean or an episiotomy [which involves a vaginal cut]. The body’s physiology gets back to normal in six weeks, the uterus comes back to shape and body fluids return to normalcy. Whether a housewife or a working woman, it is advisable that she resumes her fitness regime in six weeks,” says Dr Ranjana Dhanu, consultant, gynaecology and obstetrics, Hinduja Healthcare Surgical. But if you have been regular with your fitness routine before and during your pregnancy, you can even go back to working out within a week if you have had a normal delivery. “Start with light exercises such as stretches and walks,” says Dr Bindhu KS, consultant, gynaecology, Apollo Hospitals, Navi Mumbai. The body, especially the spine, kidneys, heart and lungs and not just the reproductive organs, undergo changes, says Dr Bindhu.

2. Get back to the office
Kanabar explains that there is no “mother manual” that defines the best time for a new mother to dive into a competitive workspace. “Try being around the baby for the first few months. Talk to your baby about beginning work and scaffold it for him/her. If your baby is used to co-sleeping, breastfeeding, and you are finding it difficult to wean him/her off, they may take some time to get used to your absence,” says Kanabar. Unfortunately, not many companies in India have a full-time crèche facility. “Indian companies must make it mandatory to have a full-time crèche at the workplace. This will increase the overall efficiency of working women, especially when it comes to the corporate workplace,”
believes Dr Dhanu.

Dr Ranjana Dhanu

“Almost all companies have a six-month maternity leave policy. The key is to strike a balance between motherhood and work,” says Dr Bindhu. If it gets overwhelming, Kanabar suggests reaching out to your support system. However, she warns that it is imperative for mothers to remember to not board the overcompensating train, which might drive one to overdo things and become more lenient.

3. Take a break
“Any wound takes six weeks to heal and it heals well in this period for any kind of birth. Hardcore physical or adventure activities are absolutely safe after six weeks. All the medical textbooks say that the body needs to resume some kind of exercise or physical activity post six weeks of delivery. If you can afford it, take a nanny along,” suggests Dr Dhanu.

4. Slip into a chic mode
Be it exercising or getting your glam on, pursuing something that makes you look and feel good is a good way to boost your morale. “Me-time is viewed as a selfish concept while in reality, it is a safe space that every human needs to visit to rejuvenate,” says Kanabar. It is the quality of time spent with the baby that matters.
Dr Bindhu adds that people also spend only two to three hours with their child but that does not mean there is no bonding.

Maithili Thanawala Kanabar

Mother, baby and attachment

Some studies suggest that the first three months are the most crucial. Infants develop representations of attachments based on the bond with the primary caregiver. Pioneering British psychiatrist John Bowlby suggested that this attachment acts as a prototype for their future relationships and psychological health.

An infant communicates in rudimental ways and attending to those needs reinforces the infant’s sense of security. It is essential that the mother is attentive and spends quality time with the infant, but there is no need to spend every breathing moment with them. Comforting, breastfeeding on time (or feeding the baby yourself), and communicating with the baby leads to a secure attachment.

Usually, securely attached babies cry when the mother leaves and allow the mother to comfort them when she returns. Every baby responds differently. Remain receptive to the baby’s needs and spend quality time without distractions.

Watch for signs like how the baby responds when you return after a brief absence. Most would allow you to comfort them and look at you when they are inching towards exploring something new. And lastly, mum knows best. So look out for every sign.

Mandira Bedi with her son Veer, who is six today. pic courtesy/jitu savlani

I was fit when I was pregnant. After birth, I had to wait for 40 days before I could exercise again. On the 41st day, I stepped out for my first walk. It was pouring at the time but I had decided that come rain or storm, I will go for it. Later, I started jogging, moved to gymming and lifting weights. I had gained 22kg and was able to return to my pre-pregnancy weight in six months. I had serious post-partum depression that lasted for those 40 days. My depression disappeared after I started exercising. I had a baby pretty late in my life [at 39]. I didn’t fall in love with him at first sight. I wondered, ‘This is the end of my freedom. Will I get work after this?’. It was overwhelming. It’s important to be aware that what’s going on with you is normal and okay. But in that period of 40 days I eventually fell in love with him. Giving birth to him is the best thing I have done. But motherhood is not the only thing that defines me. I am hands-on, but I think you can be a better mother if you are not thinking about it 24/7. That little time for you is crucial. The rule in our house is either parent has to be there at home, always. Working out has less to do for me physically than what it does for me mentally.

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Make your summer stylish and comfortable by teaming up your right dress with apt jewellery and perfect accessory. Shreyasi Pathak, Stylist, Vajor and Sonal Sahrawat, Creative Director, Sonal's Bijoux & Adawna list some tips to look stylish this summer.

1. Jumpsuit: Jumpsuits are the most effortless and sought-after choice when you want to dress up effortlessly in this scorching heat. Sleeveless with floral prints along with a flared silhouette is what will keep you going throughout the day. Wear it with a pair of flats, sunglasses and statement earrings to walk the streets in style.

2. Dress: A casual summer dress is a must during bright sunny days. Whether you opt for solid colours or for soothing prints, nothing can come to your rescue in this heat other than a nice breezy dress. Keep the look chic and boho and style it well with a pair of sandals, tassel earrings and candy pop sunglasses.

3. Top and bottom: For someone who loves to keep their looks effortless, minimalist yet full of class, for someone who loves to explore places when on a vacation, a fun top with a pair of bottoms is your go-to choice! Complete your look with a slip-on and a sling and you're ready with your on-the-go look.

4. Bright coloured stones: Go colour-crazy with your wardrobe and try mixing in some vibrant coloured stone jewellery. Dare to rock a more-is-more look and brighten up your summer outfits with unique coloured jewellery pieces.

5. Stylish pearls: Pearls are something that never goes out of style and this year is no exception. Wear it as a stud or as a dangling earring, this style will never fade away. Opt for long dangling style pearl earrings for any parties, weddings or social events and make a style statement to rock your gorgeous look this year.

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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

Beards are to men what make-up is to women, and a quick Internet search of actors in a pre- and post-beard phase will confirm this. Such has been the impact and acceptance of facial hair that they have gradually crossed the barriers of hipsterdom to find their way to boardrooms. But are corporate firms with a strict formal dress code open to men with beards?

"We have a strict dress code, where a shabby demeanour is unacceptable. We even keep daily checks; employees cannot walk into the office in jeans or sports shoes, especially when they have client interactions. But full beards are not a concern. We have employees with full beards and twirled moustaches," says Sudhir Dhar, CHRO – director HR, Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd.

Dr Sujaya Banerjee

Rohan Vaswani, CHRO, Nexus Malls, a fully owned subsidiary of investment firm Blackstone Group, shares a similar thought. The company follows a formal dress code from Monday to Thursday and smart casuals on Friday. "You can't walk into the office with your shirt not tucked in or in bright blue trousers. But beards, if they are well-kept, are fine," shares Vaswani.

Dress to impress
"The first impression is created by the physical appearance of a person; it's later that you have an interaction and people get influenced by your personality. So, if you seem shabby, you create a perception even before you talk," says Dhar.

He adds that as long as one is confident of carrying it off and not look out of place, a beard is acceptable.

Rohan Vaswani

"We conduct training on executive presence — how to look, behave and dress like a leader. These aspects are now becoming increasingly important as often, you find that people are competent but they don't make it beyond a point because they don't look like the part or someone who can represent the organisation before multiple stakeholders. It's not about good looks but about appearance. A haircut and a well-groomed beard are a part of this understanding. You can't have a two-day stubble where you look like you have just woken up and come to work. We actually check if there's a valid reason behind an unkempt stubble: Is the employee unwell? Or is he battling a low?" says Dr Sujaya Banerjee, CEO and founder of Capstone People Consulting.

Do you shave before an interview?
Most HR personnel we spoke to felt there's no middle ground; you either opt for the clean-shaven look or wear a groomed full beard. "It's better to shave off a two-day stubble and not go in between. It can be interpreted as a sign of laziness," warns Dhar.

"I am more interested in knowing if a person has the right competence and capability for the job. The older generation, however, associates beards with carelessness and mistrust. Traditionally, even in films, the bearded guy will always be the villain or from the underworld. If a full beard is groomed, it's fine. Long hair is not allowed. You are not an artist or performer, you are corporate. Hence, certain norms remain. We allow personal freedom as long as you stay well-groomed," adds Banerjee.

Make a bearded impact
"Some people look smarter with a beard," says Dhar. Vaswani feels that real estate companies are often promoter-driven, and the vision of the promoter and the top management often reflects on the staff where people would go the extra mile to keep with the image. "Those with gaunt features can look fuller with a beard. It also saves you the trouble of having to shave every day. A good beard can actually help you appear stronger. Also, today, people look for organisations where individuality is encouraged, where you can bring your authentic self to work. It's motivating to be in an organisation where you can express who you are, as long as it doesn't hamper business. So, if the beard is within acceptable parameters, all's well," says Banerjee.

Grooming tips
Keep it clean
Wash your beard three times a week to prevent the build-up of dead skin cells.
Keep it moisturised Oil your beard daily to keep it soft and moisturised.
Shape it up
Trim your beard when you see stray hair or as desired to maintain the shape. Repeat this once every two weeks when you want to maintain a consistent length.
Kaushal Pratab, founder, Shepherd For Men 

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Representational picture

New Delhi: You may not be able to escape the sweltering heat when you are outside, but you can make your home a cool haven by playing around with colours and adding greenery to your walls, suggest experts. A colour palette, when used well, can help in creating a naturally refreshing environment at home.

Peeyush Bachlaus, Head of Marketing at Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd, suggests four decor trends, in hues that range from cool blues and soothing greens to mellow yellows:

For a blissful green escape: Surround yourself with the colours of a secret garden, leaving everything else a pristine white. The colour green is well-associated with nature, allowing a room to feel relaxing to the eyes and refreshing for your mind. When paired with white, this palette can turn a bland room into a welcoming paradise. Green is also one of the easiest colours to adorn your interiors as pairing various shades of green with just about any other colour can work beautifully.

For a breezy haven: Large plants and strong colours are natural decor accents that bring lushness into one's home. This summer, transform your interiors into a cool breezy tropical paradise with the help of verdant aquatic colours with a cheerful palette of cool blues, mellow yellows, bright oranges and lush greens. These colours will make sure that your time home is a breeze and you feel the freshness of an aquatic theme.

For an eccentric summer makeover: Given our busy lifestyles and the sweltering heat to add to it, we all need an escape. Let your home be that much needed exotic escape by curating one area in your home. Mix and match cool blue and violet walls fearlessly, framing it with crisp white accents. Natural materials and details make this a room for all to enjoy. Colours such as blues and whites are cool colours as they help keep our mind cool and relaxed even during the sweltering heat of the summers.

For a refreshing classic look: A carefully curated palette of white and near white tones that form a blank canvas to your artistic home. As a trend, masterpiece white walls are refreshing. Radiant light coming in through the windows is the accent in these calm rooms. Bring artwork to focus by trying out alternative accent wall colours.

Sujit Jain, Founder, Griin, says vertical gardens can transform your dull walls immediately and purify the environment too.
"Vertical gardens not only add to the aesthetic value of the walls but they come with a lot of functional benefits also. The thick vegetation limits the movement of heat and helps to regulate sunlight and temperature even during the hot afternoons that makes it a perfect fit for summer decors.

"Some varieties of plants are also useful in absorbing potentially harmful gases and cleaning the air inside modern buildings. In addition to this, incorporating vertical gardens in the decor of any building brings a living element to the environment and being around greenery helps in reducing the stress levels also."

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

... [Read More]

Ajit Dayal on how to walk around with a 56 inch chest in the COVID-19 crisis.... [Read More]

Katrina Kaif is keen to work with Deepika Padukone and Kareena Kapoor Khan. The two have a connect with her ex-flame, Ranbir Kapoor. While Dippy is also his ex, Bebo is his cousin.

While on the chat show, Feet Up With The Stars, Kat was asked, who she would like to do a song with and Kat said, "Deepika Padukone." She would like Bebo to be her co-star as she is 'supportive'.

On the work front, Katrina Kaif will next be seen in the much-awaited film Bharat co-starring Salman Khan. Disha Patani will also be seen in the film portraying the role of a trapeze artist.

Sporting saris and long curly tresses, Katrina Kaif's on-screen avatar of Kumud Raina in Bharat is possibly one of the most distinct looks in her filmography. While there had been much curiosity around Salman Khan's five different avatars in the Ali Abbas Zafar-directed period drama, the leading lady too will be seen ageing from her late 20s to her early 60s in the course of the narrative.

Meanwhile, Kareena Kapoor Khan is currently gearing up for her next release, titled Good News, alongside Akshay Kumar, Kiara Advani and Diljit Dosanjh. Deepika Padukone, too, is busy with the Meghna Gulzar directorial, Chhapaak, based on the life of the acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal.

Also read: Katrina Kaif: Ali and I are good friends. Signing Bharat had nothing to do with our friendship

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A teenager lost his hard-earned money that he was taking home to Bihar, when four to five people looted it. The accused, one of whom attacked him with a knife are at large, and he feels it is God's grace that he is alive and with his family.

Dharmesh Sharma, 19, a resident of Kalyan, works as a JCB operator. According to Sharma, on April 23, he wanted to go to Bihar by a train which starts from Kalyan railway station. At the inquiry window he was told it would arrive at 11 pm.

A person standing nearby claimed he was also going to Bihar and took him to platform 6. Later the man told him the train would start from Kurla (LTT) and after convincing him, took him there on the pretext of better seats.

But at Kurla the accused took him to an isolated spot, and threatening him with a knife, asked him for his valuables. "I pushed him and started running away. But he attacked me with the knife," alleged Sharma.

Soon, the man was joined by four-five more men who stole Rs 7,000 from Sharma, and his mobile. Senior Inspector Kalyan GRP, A Bartakke said, "We have registered the offence. We waiting for Sharma, so we can get details on the suspects' appearance etc."

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An average 18.39 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the first four hours in Maharashtra's 17 seats on Monday as polling for the fourth and last phase of Lok Sabha elections in the state was underway. Polling began at 7 am and long queues were seen outside many booths, some of which were decorated with balloons and 'rangolis'.

Mumbaikars took to the social media platform and posted their voting experience on Twitter. As many as 3.11 crore voters spread across the Mumbai metropolitan region and northern and western Maharashtra are eligible to exercise their franchise to decide the fate of 323 candidates in the fray in these 17 seats. Around 40 polling booths in these constituencies, including 26 in suburban Mumbai, are being managed by women.

#VoteKarMumbai
Citizens braving the hot weather and long queues to make their voices count at St Anthony school, Malvani church, Malad (w) pic.twitter.com/u88glP96iD

— Sushant shetty (@The_Outlaw_Poet) April 29, 2019

If you ain't voting then you ain't getting any right to rant about the government.

Use the opportunity to vote rather than enjoying the 'holiday".#VoteKarMumbai #VoteBecauseYouCan #VoteForChange pic.twitter.com/Tj3EkYhi3A

— SA (@Bts_sonia3) April 29, 2019

My first vote as a responsible citizen of India 🇮🇳 @narendramodi @PMOIndia @TanmayNPatel @siddhar98531723 @Republic_Bharat @ECISVEEP I appeal everyone to vote for better 🇮🇳 do your duty as a responsible citizen 🙏🏻 #2019Elections #VoteKarMumbai pic.twitter.com/L4B6rE3RNB

— Chowkidar shraddha shetty (@sssshetty499) April 29, 2019

#VoteKarMumbai Took 2.5 hrs to cast my vote due to EVM failure. Anyway guys use your wisdom before you cast your precious vote. pic.twitter.com/w4FLL8xb5J

— Sibu Varghese (@35ce5c7275f049b) April 29, 2019

#Keep phones at #home when you go to vote #LokSabhaElections2019 #VoteKarMumbai pic.twitter.com/uHKrcFr5Yy

— Richa Pinto (@richapintoTOI) April 28, 2019

I have Done my National Duty.Have You?#VoteKarMumbai #VoteForIndia pic.twitter.com/79i0T77cxh

— Shubham Anil Dhande (@ShubhamADhande) April 29, 2019

Monday done right ✔️✔️ #VoteKarMumbai #MumbaiVotesForNation pic.twitter.com/dAG7atOCCY

— Smita Diwan (@smitadiwan) April 29, 2019

Voting experience for the first time was quite good. All the officers and staff were doing great job and are cooperative with the people. #VoteKarMumbai #VoteIndia #VotingRound4 #UnitedByVote pic.twitter.com/1kosbophnn

— Bhanushali Disha (@dbhanushali01) April 29, 2019

Family trip to the polling booth is more important than a family trip over an extended weekend to a nearby tourist destination.Lonavala,Khandala etc etc will still be there next weekend,the polling booth won't.#LokSabhaElections2019 #VoteKarMumbai #Democracy #Elections2019 pic.twitter.com/uoss2FZsWI

— Rohit D (@rohitd1999) April 29, 2019

#VoteKarIndia #VoteKarMumbai #vote We did, did you? Pls go and vote, make a difference. pic.twitter.com/i1bd6qLF5W

— Prasanna R Coondapur (@prax3) April 29, 2019

Finished voting. Took us about 1.5 hours, but it's worth it if we get our voice heard and get to participate in this democracy. #Elections2019

Also, lots of first time voters! High time, but big ups! Today, I feel hopeful. Sweaty, but hopeful. #VoteKarMumbai pic.twitter.com/OSmCg2ZTtw

— Smriti Sant (@temporarysant) April 29, 2019

Ultra senior citizens with full of energy voted. feeling proud of them as my uncle & aunt!!#MumbaikarVoteKar #IndianElections2019 #Vote4Nation #VoteKarMumbai #VoteKar#DeshKaMahaTyohar@abpmajhatv @zeemarathi @zee24taasnews @ZeeTV @ECISVEEP @narendramodi @narendramodi_in pic.twitter.com/OdDkwToRXp

— Mangirish Herwadkar (@hmangirish) April 29, 2019

My First Vote to strengthen Democracy 👆
I Appeal you all to vote wisely 🙏#VoteForIndia #VoteKarMumbai #LokSabhaElection2019 #VoteBecauseYouCan pic.twitter.com/Pr2HESJiAj

— Prathamesh Thanekar (@One_two_ka_four) April 29, 2019

The voting figures till 11 am in other constituencies are as follows: Dhule- 18.26 per cent, Dindori - 21.06 per cent, Nashik- 17.22 per cent, Palghar- 21.46 per cent, Bhiwandi- 17.25 per cent, Thane-17.43 per cent, Mumbai-North- 19.46 per cent, Mumbai-North West 17.64 per cent, Mumbai-North East-18.39 per cent, Mumbai-North Central- 16.21 per cent, Mumbai-South Central-16.80 per cent, Mumbai- South 15.51 per cent, Maval- 18.23 per cent, Shirur- 18.65 per cent and Shirdi 20.55 per cent.

Watch Video:

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A still from Some Stories Around Witches

In the tribal villages of Odisha, a teenage girl kills an elderly relative believing that she is a witch and the cause of her father’s death. Overnight, a village turns into a mob to kill three people — a man and two women — who were identified as witches by a witch doctor. Meanwhile, a family is threatened and ostracised, for it is believed they bring ill fate, after they cook meat.

Lipika Singh Darai

The audience is engaged with three real life incidents in the 53-minute documentary, Some Stories Around Witches. Directed by Bhubaneswar-based FTII alumnus Lipika Singh Darai and produced by the Public Service Broadcasting Trust (PSBT), the film explores the politics of witch hunting and the humanitarian crisis surrounding it. It will be screened tomorrow as part of the 22nd edition of Dr Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum’s monthly screening programme, Movies At The Museum.

“There is a mystery surrounding tradition and myths about witchcraft but we should also see it in the light of socio economics and politics to understand the complexity of the events. The cases are very sensitive and my priority was to make the camera’s presence insignificant,” says Darai, who will be present for a Q&A session post the screening, which marks its premiere in Mumbai.

At the event, also catch the screening of another PSBT production, There Is Something In The Air. Directed by Delhi-based filmmaker Iram Ghufran, the Hindi-Urdu documentary is a series of dream narratives, and accounts of spiritual possession as experienced by women ‘petitioners’ at the shrine of a Sufi saint in north India.

Key, Chair

As the morning sunlight casts a warm glow on a terrace in Andheri, Yash Soni hands us a small glass bottle with a cork stopper. It fits between our thumb and index finger. Glinting at us from within is a tiny guitar carved out of the nib of a pencil.

Mic and fist, Eiffel Tower

A ‘wow’ escapes our lips as we squint to check out the intricate details — there are strings, tuning pegs, a saddle and Soni’s name carved on the instrument’s body. “It took me four hours to make it,” says the 26-year-old artist, one of the few in the city creating microscopic art out of pencil lead. This weekend, he will present a live carving session at Maker Mela, an event that celebrates art, engineering and science with a DIY mindset, at KJ Somaiya’s Vidyavihar campus.

Watch, Guitar

Russian inspiration
With a professional background in event management, Mumbai-born Soni’s tryst with pencil art began two years back, when he came across the works of experimental Russian artist Salavat Fidai on Instagram. “He carved a heart within a heart on a pencil. I was fascinated. Since art had been a hobby (he has created graffiti and speed painting works), I decided to try this too. I bought a pencil, a five-rupee cutter, and tried to carve a heart in a car, while travelling to Thane, and I was able to do it,” recounts the self-taught artist, who watched Fidai’s art-making videos repeatedly to learn the finger movements. “Now, we correspond too. His advice to me: be gentle and use minimal movements with fingertips,” he says.

Yash Soni with spool-and-needle carved on a pencil tip. Pics/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Be patient
Till date, Soni has created over 50 pencil carvings, including a key, a stiletto, a champagne glass, a watch, a chair, the Eiffel Tower, a fist with a detachable mic, a windmill with rotating blades and even a needle and spool, carved entirely out of the wood and lead of the pencil. On his wishlist are a scooter, a neckpiece and Mukesh Ambani’s tower of blocks, Antilla.

Soni’s tool set comprises two scalpels and a needle

“Carving on pencil requires a lot of patience. Since I prefer to focus on the details, it takes about four to five hours to make a piece, though I can make a heart in 20 minutes,” reveals Soni. The artist uses three basic tools — two scalpels with surgical blades and a needle fitted into a pen-like holder. “I start by shaving the wood with the scalpel and then, use a needle to carve the finer shape and details,” he adds. When we ask if he works in a particular kind of light, he confesses, “Initially, I would use a USB LED lamp attached to my laptop as a source of light when I needed to carve at night. My parents were anxious about it affecting my eyesight. Now, I’ve become more careful but I can work from any spot,” he adds.

Pencil matters
Soni uses a range of pencils, from 2B to 8B leads with a shiny finish, graphite pencils featuring matte-finish leads and carpenter pencils with a flatter surface. “Indian pencils aren’t great in quality and often, the lead within the pencil is already broken. The biggest challenge is breakage. 8B leads are thicker which helps me carve more intricately,” says Soni, who preserves the pencils in glass bottles or in customised frames.

Last week, he conducted a workshop-cum-exhibition at IIT-Chennai. Now, he also customises his works and sells them, starting from `4,000. “Most people are dismissive of the art since it’s on a pencil. My aim is to give micro sculpting the credibility it deserves,” he signs off.

Google unveiled a special Doodle on the occasion of Nowruz. The doodle showed the letters Google logo redesigned as flowers with butterflies and bees flying around them.

Nowruz, which is also known as the Iranian New Year and the Persian New Year occurs on 21 March or the previous or following day, depending on where it is observed.

The festival is celebrated worldwide by the Iranian peoples, in Western Asia, Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Black Sea Basin and the Balkans.

Nowruz marks the first day of the first month (Farvardin) in the Iranian calendar. It has been celebrated for over 3,000 years.

The moment the sun crosses the celestial equator and equalizes night and day is calculated exactly every year, and families gather together to observe the rituals.

Nowruz is a secular holiday for most celebrants that is enjoyed by people of several different faiths, but remains a holy day for Zoroastrians.

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

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

Shankar-Jaikishan ruled from 1949 to 1986

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

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

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

Sanjay Sharma with his daughters Aayushi (left) and Shriya, both of whom enjoy skating. Pic/Satej Shinde

"When you get divorced, the people you used to hang out with disappear. Suddenly, you have no friends, and neither does your child," begins Hemant Amrute, 43, who has been raising his 12-year-old son as a single parent since 2010. Similarly, Goregaon resident Sanjay Sharma has had full custody of his daughters since 2013, when his older child was not yet five, and the younger two-and-a-half years old.

Hemant Amrute with his son Aryan before a parasailing trip in Goa last December

Taking on the role of both parents hasn't been easy for either of these single dads, but that hasn't stopped them from providing their little ones with an upbringing that isn't lacking.

Striking a work-life balance
Recently, actor Tusshar Kapoor and director Karan Johar made news when they became single fathers to children born via surrogacy. But while these men, who come from privileged backgrounds, presumably have help, this is not the case with most single dads who have to juggle work and kids.

A normal day in the life of the Sharma family is hectic. "Luckily for me, I run my own business, so I do all my work when the kids are at school. My job is to pick them up and later in the evening, drop them off for skating or swimming lessons. My older daughter has also been learning Kathak for two years, while my younger one takes singing lessons," shares 35-year-old Sharma, adding that his mother helps him out on the home front.

Amrute, meanwhile, is also a busy entrepreneur, but now feels confident enough to leave his son home by himself whenever required, as he's a little older. His challenge, however, lies in the kitchen. "I never learned to cook," laughs the Thane resident, adding, "We've had a string of cooks come and go, because both of us invariably end up not liking the food."

Not to mention that being a single parent still has stigma attached to it, which is multiplied when the single parent in question is the father. "In the beginning, people would say, 'Yeh nahin kar paayega (he won't be able to do it)'. Now, they've seen it for themselves," says Sharma. Echoing the sentiment, Amrute adds that once a couple gets divorced, people tend to look down on them, and your social circle shrinks to prevent the awkwardness.

Creating a lasting bond
Sharma's daughters and Amrute's son love being outdoors. Sharma takes his kids to the beach, park, as well as for kiddie events across the city. "We love going on holidays, too, even if they're to nearby places like Mahabaleshwar or Daman."

Amrute and his son Aryan spend weekends at their farmhouse in Yeoor Hills, and head to the cinema or the mall on other days. "We also spent Christmas in Goa last year, which was a lot of fun. A few years ago, I took him with me on a work trip to the US, and we visited a lot of places when I had some downtime," he shares.

Both men recently discovered and joined iSingleParent, a Facebook community that organises meet-ups and holidays for single mums and dads and their kids.

Amrute says that when not at school, his son would end up spending time playing with a smartphone. "We live in a standalone house, so there aren't any kids around for him to play with. But he loves technology, and scored full marks in Robotics. He also enjoys beatboxing and recently started trying out parkour. And now, thanks to the group, he looks forward to bonding with the other kids who come for the meet-ups," he says.

Ben is Back

U/A: Drama
Director: Peter Hedges
Cast: Julia Roberts, Lucas Hedges, Courtney B. Vance, Kathryn Newton
Rating: 

A family drama that makes substance abuse look like the enemy of humanity it is, this Peter Hedges directed film dramatically shifts its moods from celebration to welcoming to fearful – all in the span of a few minutes.

When Ben(Lucas Hedges) shows up skulking around at his home driveway in a hooded wind-breaker the audience is unsure as to his antecedents. Then his mother Holly(Julia Roberts), his teenage sister Ivy(Kathryn Newton) and two half-siblings (Mia Fowler and Jakari Fraser) arrive home and we see the trepidation tinted welcome he receives. When his step-father Neal(Courtney B Vance) rushes home after receiving Ivy's urgent message, we understand there's further gravity to the situation.

Director Peter Hedges opens up his pages slowly allowing us to experience in some measure as to what the family is going through. Eventually it becomes imminently clear that Ben's return for Christmas from a rehab program he was recently inducted into, is unexpected and ill-advised.

Check out the trailer here:

While 'Ben is Back' is not exactly a dense suspense drama it draws up intensity from a construct that questions the integrity of it's lead character. Since it's a story about an addict and his struggle with addiction the question that haunts his family and himself is 'Will he use again?' He has sworn and swears again that he won't but he has lied before and given his track record should his family believe him? It's a tough ask. But then what about love, compassion and forgiveness? Can a mother really abandon her child to the vagaries of a habit that could eventually destroy him? The film deals with all these questions and more and the answers that it comes up with are neither easy nor universally applicable.

As Holly takes on the onus of keeping Ben in her sights, she uncovers secrets that test her mothering skills –throughout an increasingly harrowing day and night exposing her to an underbelly that she never opened her eyes to in the past.

There are times when the plotting seems contrived and questionable but by and large Peter Hedges does a good job plying a pathway that has hurdles at every turn. The dramatic tension though is not sharp enough and that's one of the reasons why you feel rather ambivalent about this tale. Performances are universally good though!

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Mary Poppins Returns

U/A: Comedy, Family, Fantasy
Director: Rob Marshall
Cast: Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Angela Lansbury, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer
Rating: 

Disney drums up age-old magic by picking up the threads of an unforgettable original which had the unassailable diva Julie Andrews mesmerize way back in 1964. This time around Emily Blunt essays the all-important role of the magical nanny whose job is to put things right in the Banks’ siblings Michael(Ben Whishaw) and Jane’s (Emily Mortimer)now adult world just as she did when they were kids – with Lin-Manuel Miranda doing a Dick Van Dyke in this Rob Marshall sequel.

The setting is 1930’s London, Michael is a widower with three lovely kids and his sister Jane is an activist who appears to have lost out on love. Burdened by debt and threatened by the bank, Michael can barely keep his head up when Mary Poppins flies into their lives and makes all the difference!

Check out the trailer here:

Director Rob Marshall manages to tie-in to the original with enchanting ease - spelling forth a magical 130 minutes of music and fantasy that keeps you reminiscing while laying out an entirely fresh scenario that’s just as trippy as the original. Marshall reteams with cinematographer Dion Beebe, to give the narrative an inveigling widescreen luster, with production designer John Myhre and costume designer Sandy Powell chipping in with their nostalgia imbuing contributions. The pre-war 1930s setting is superbly presented just as the bath-time routine, excursion in the park and journey into an all-too brittle adventure, rekindle the vivacity and colorfulness of yore. It’s a wondrous amalgamation of ideas from the past and present, merging together in synchronicity of technique and wonder that is entirely enthralling.

Also Read: Emily Blunt Got Scared With Mary Poppins Returns Offer

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Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga
U/A: Drama, Comedy, Romance
Director: Shelly Chopra Dhar
Cast: Sonam Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Juhi Chawla, Rajkummar Rao
Rating: 

Towards the film’s climax, Rajkummar Rao, who plays playwright Saahil Mirza in the film, tells those watching his play to do so ‘from the heart’. It’s imperative that we follow this instruction, because, like with every Bollywood film, it’s easy to dismiss this one on many technical frailties. But, what you can’t fault, is its intention to depict a love story for what it truly is — a love story. Why does it matter if it is about a woman falling in love with another woman?

Written beautifully by the prolific Gazal Dhaliwal, Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga breaks perceptions to introduce to us what normal truly implies — being compassionate about one another’s uniqueness. The point, in this case, isn’t to merely celebrate homosexuality and treat it as the regular. It attempts to reiterate that even personal choices, like those of marriage, career, or love, must be respected. Being rendered claustrophobic shouldn’t be the outcome of accepting an emotion that goes against the tide of societal norms. The narrative’s tapestry is woven with care and compassion; it evidently comes from a personal space, for Dhaliwal.

Watch the trailer here...

The film kicks off with a play about love in the age of Tinder. Leading lady Sonam K Ahuja’s Sweety brutally criticises this as “upar-upar ki love story”. Sweety is forced to live a life of shame. A closeted lesbian, she struggles to come to terms with her own orientation. Her family’s unwillingness to acknowledge it, a brother who pressurises her to ‘fix’ herself, and persistent loneliness, makes her journey cumbersome.

Sonam plays Sweety with charm and earnestness, and is yet uninhibited when she must be fierce. It takes courage to back a script of this nature, and she gets full marks for doing so. Rao’s Saahil shows compassion in his scenes with Sweety. Another cast-member, Anil Kapoor is affable. Given that he is as closeted as his daughter in the film — Anil’s character is a chef at heart who is stuck in a business of garment — the final scene of acceptance seems to come from a place of empathy.

What doesn’t work, however, is director Shelly Chopra Dhar’s constant ploy to whip up mystery around Sweety’s orientation. Her big revelation comes with orchestrated music, a futile attempt given that the title and trailer are revealing of the plot. There is also a latent desire to underplay the theme. Sweety’s partner, Kuhu (played beautifully by Regina Cassandra) gets a mere 15 minutes of screen time. Yet, it doesn’t particularly take away from the final product.

Commendably, Dhar manages to keep the film from becoming preachy. But, what she achieves with this feat, she instantly loses when Sweety says Saahil must be a saviour for others like her. It is offensive, given that it treats heterosexuals as the all-powerful, while the unique as those who need rescuing. Despite the faltering and the flaws, this one is a hit for every romantic. It’s never too late to celebrate love without labels, right?

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Isn't It Romantic
U/A: Romantic comedy
Director: Todd Strauss-Schulson
Cast: Rebel Wilson, Adam DeVine, Liam Hemsworth, Priyanka Chopra Jonas
Ratings: 

How fresh can a rom-com be? Well, at least, Rebel Wilson attempts to lend a fresh perspective to the genre with Isn't It Romantic. It's interesting to witness how the film's writers have parodied the commercial prism through which love is depicted on celluloid.

Wilson plays Natalie, a closeted rom-com lover who wears the irreverent 'Love-is-bulls**t' veil to hide her softer side. After suffering a head injury from being mugged, she wakes up in an alternate universe - one that is straight out of a rom-com where the roses are brighter, her apartment resembles the enviable houses that are featured in glossies and she, too, is a peachier version of herself. Even her dog is less mischievous and better groomed.

But instead of being delighted at the situation, Natalie feels suffocated with the perfection around her. With its sharp writing, the film gets across the larger message that love isn't all peaches and cream in real life.

You can play spot-the-rom-com too -there are several references to major hits like Pretty Woman (1990) and La La Land (2016). The comedy offers more than its share of fun moments; my favourite is the scene where Blake (Liam Hemsworth) walks out of the shower and it is suggested that Natalie had spent the night with him. But like in the movies, the steamy details are snipped - a deliberate play on the inherent need to keep the rom-coms clean, never upping the passion despite it being an integral part of romance. The writers' ability to question the romanticism around happily-ever-after without letting the grime of cynicism seep in, is commendable.

Wilson does a top notch job of headlining a cast of fine actors - Liam Hemsworth, Adam DeVine and our very own Priyanka Chopra Jonas. For the desis, the last song and dance sequence will be a brutal reminder that we haven't seen her in a Bollywood film in four years. This dose of mush attack is strongly recommended; at least, it doesn't let you lose sight of logic in the face of love.

Watch trailer:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Mumbai police personnel on lockdown duty were attacked by a mob at a Govandi market on Sunday. A police officer suffered injuries to his right wrist when a person from the 25-strong crowd tried to hit him on the head with an iron rod. The officer managed to block the blow with his right hand.

The incident occurred at 6.50 pm on Sunday when a large number of people had stepped out of their homes amid the Coronavirus lockdown and 10 police personnel on the spot asked the people to disperse. Senior Police Inspector Sudarshan Paithankar said that the "illegal crowd" had refused to listen when they were asked to return home.

"There was a large crowd with 25 to 30 active members. A person who was in the crowd tried to kill the police officer by aiming for his head with an iron rod, but the (officer) managed to block the blow with his hand, which got injured," he said. "They also pelted stones at the authorities, chanted anti-police slogans, and damaged a police vehicle, hence we had to resort to lathi-charge."

An FIR has been registered at Shivaji Nagar police station against 25 unknown men and two women, under Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 353 (Assault or criminal force to prevent public servant from discharging his duty), 332 (Voluntarily causing hurt to public servant to deter him from doing his duty) and other sections.

"The problem of people not observing lockdown has increased in the past few days since Ramzan began," said Paithankar, adding that six people had been arrested in connection with the case so far. "We are looking for the rest of the accused."

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A nine-months pregnant woman was turned away from hospitals in Bandra for not having the COVID-19 reports with her. According to her family, 24-year-old Misbah Shaikh was experiencing cramps on Sunday night after which they visited the Holy Family Hospital where she had registered for delivery. The family members alleged that they were made to wait at the hospital for six hours while requesting to admit her, but the staff did not budge, The Times of India reported.

Shaikh said that she had already paid the hospital the deposit for her delivery and was in touch with a gynaecologist for the past four months. She also alleged that the hospital did not tell her to do the test during their previous visits. The family visited the hospital at 9 am on Monday after Shaikh felt cramps, but the staff did not allow them to enter the hospital without the COVID-19 test report. While Shaikh waited in the car and her family in the hospital, at 3 pm, a doctor at the emergency section agreed to see her and prescribed her a COVID-19 test.

The family then went to Bhabha Hospital to get the test done but the staff there asked her to get admitted, which they did not agree upon. "The cramps have reduced but haven't gone. My due date for delivery is close," Shaikh was quoted as saying by the newspaper. The family then took an appointment at a lab Andheri to take the test on Tuesday.

As the newspaper was not able to contact the authorities at the Holy Family Hospital, a staffer at the gynaecology ward was quoted as saying that pregnant women nearing their delivery due date are asked to get admitted here two days in prior. "We carry out a Covid-19 test and if she comes negative, we go ahead with the delivery. If the woman is positive, we refer her to another hospital. We also ask one attendant accompanying the woman to take the test," the staffer was quoted as saying.

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Social distancing and lockdown may have impacted each one of us mentally, emotionally and psychologically but it is the children and teenagers who have had to cope with sudden closure of schools, cancellation of exams and a prohibition of face-to-face interaction with their friends and teachers.

Anusha Manjani, Manager, Counseling Services at Akanksha Foundation, says, "Children are acutely aware of the sudden changes and panic in the environment around them. Younger children can feel confused, uneasy and scared; older children express feelings of anxiety, sadness and helplessness."

She added, "The uncertainty and chaos of the pandemic impacts all aspects of children's lives- it is not just a threat to their physical health- but to their learning, their home environment, their interaction with peers, their emotional well-being. Moreover, economic hardships, the overcrowding in homes, the lack of access to resources in low income communities can lead to higher incidence of neglect, violence and abuse- making staying at home itself a risk to some children's safety."

In such a time, it is crucial that children have support of their parents and teachers to help them in having a routine and structure to their day. Anusha says, "Parents and teachers can be key caregivers and anchors during this time to support the mental well-being of children- by reassuring them of their safety, creating a space to share feelings and using art, play, fun learning activities to engage with them."

Akanksha Foundation has started a helpline number called 'The Listening Space' for all the stakeholders such as students, teachers and parents to express themselves or just discuss about what's happening. While younger children have more questions about whats happening outside, older  children are venting out their frustration, their anxiety about their parents etc.

Parents and teachers are also coming up with interactive tasks and new ways of learning. Worksheets are sent to the students everyday and once the child solves it and shares it, the teacher reverts with the corrections as well. 

It is not just academics that are taken care of amid lockdown, things such as maintaining gratitude journals and 'doing a good deed everyday' are also being imbibed in the children to maintain their mental and emotional health.

A creative snakes and ladders

"At Akanksha, teachers, counsellors, social workers and parents are working together to support the children- whether it is checking in for the child's well being, spreading awareness of safety measures, encouraging learning through low-cost tech or doing parent-child activities- we are keeping the lines of communication and connection open and strong to navigate these difficult times together," says Anusha.

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The nation has come to a standstill as people have been asked to stay at home and observe social distancing to curb the spread of the virus. Motivating people during this tough situation and encouraging them to continue staying indoors, Radio City, India’s leading radio network launches ‘Ghar se na niklenge’ anthem. In addition to staying indoors, the foot tapping anthem urges citizens to come forward and support the nation by donating for the PM Cares Fund.

Radio’s City’s ‘Ghar Se Na Niklenge’ Anthem has been voiced by famous Bollywood singers like Divya Kumar, Benny Dayal, Asees Kaur, Meghna Mishra, and Nakash Aziz. The anthem is being aired across Radio City’s Hindi Speaking markets. Making the audience match steps with their groovy dance moves, the music video of the anthem features Radio City RJ’s along with artists like Sahil Khattar, Sushant Poojary, Paul Marshal, Rahul Shetty, Deepak Singh, Himanshu Parihar, Hiten Shah, Vaibhav G, Manan Sachdeva, Shashank Dogra, Aishwarya Radhakrishnan, Dhruv Dutt, Sonali Kar, Macedon D Mello, Sanam Johar, Abigail Pandey, Raveena Chaudhary, and Sneha Kapoor. The video will be amplified extensively across Radio City’s social media handles, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.

Sharing his thoughts on the anthem, Mr. Kartik Kalla, Chief Creative Officer, Radio City, said, "It’s been over a month and a half that we’ve been in lockdown and needless to say, it’s becoming increasingly tough to stay positive and motivated through it all. However, maintaining social distancing and staying at home is critical to flatten the curve. Radio City has always strived to utilise the power and reach of radio to connect with its audience and bring a positive change in the society. The ‘Ghar se na niklenge’ anthem is yet another creative approach from the Radio City’s AudaCITY team to not only entertain our listeners but also create awareness of the importance of staying indoors. We also support our Honourable Prime Minister’s message and through this anthem are encouraging our listeners to donate for the PM cares Fund. I would like to thank all the artists who have come forward and supported us in this initiative."

Speaking about the initiative, Batameez Dil singer, Benny Dayal said, "Amidst such unprecedented times when the world is grappling to fight the Coronavirus pandemic, staying home is the only way to prevent the spread of this deadly virus. Music has the power to bring people together, uplift mood, and provide comfort. A huge shout out to the Radio City team for making me a part of the ‘Ghar se na niklenge’ anthem and spread joy in others’ lives. I humbly request everyone to stay home and stay safe."

Sharing his thoughts on the anthem Actor, Indian Youtuber and Television host, Sahil Khattar said, "It is imperative for people to stay indoors to safeguard themselves and others as well. Radio City’s ‘Ghar se na niklenge’ anthem has brought all of us together to cheer up the audience. We need to understand the gravity of the situation and stay united in making the purpose of this lockdown a success. Let’s stay at home and defeat this pandemic together."

Speaking about the Radio City’s ‘Ghar se na niklenge’ anthem, the Shubharambh singer, Divya Kumar said, "I am elated to lend my voice to the ‘Ghar se na niklenge’ anthem by Radio City. I think it is our collective responsibility as citizens to abide by the rules and stay indoors for our nation. I am certain that this anthem will make you groove to its tune and help spread some positive vibes amidst the tough times."

The second phase of the campaign will be spearheaded by Pepeta choreographer, Rajit Dev, who will launch #RadioCityNamasteChallenge, a digital campaign that will urge viewers and listeners of Radio City to come up with their version of the hook step of the anthem and share it on their social media handles, tagging Radio City.

Radio City’s ‘Ghar Se Na Niklenge’ Anthem, is a collaborative effort of Radio City team and established Bollywood singers, TV personalities, social media influencers, and industry choreographers, who have joined hands to bring a smile to people’s faces and help them understand the importance of not leaving their homes during the lockdown.

You can watch The Radio City’s ‘Ghar Se Na Niklenge’ Anthem here: 

About Radio City:

Radio City, a part of Music Broadcast Limited (MBL) is a subsidiary of Jagran Prakashan Ltd. Being the first FM radio broadcaster in India and with over 17 years of expertise in the radio industry, Radio City has consistently been the number one radio station in Bengaluru and Mumbai with 24.5% and 15.7% average listenership share respectively. (Source: RAM Data, TG: 12+ Period: Week 1, 2013 to Week 21, 2019). Radio City Delhi ranks #2 with 13.4% average listenership share (Source: RAM Data, TG: 12+ Period: Week 1, 2019 to Week 21, 2019).

Music Broadcast Limited currently has 39 stations across 12 states, comprising 62% of the country’s FM population. Radio City reaches out to over 69 million listeners in 34 cities covered by AZ Research 2019 (Source: AZ Research Report). The network provides terrestrial programming along with 18 other web-stations, through its digital interface, www.radiocity.in.

Radio City has spearheaded the evolution of FM radio by offering content that is unique, path-breaking and invokes city passion amongst listeners with its brand philosophy of "Rag Rag Mein Daude City". The network introduced humour and the concept of agony aunt on radio with Babber Sher and Love Guru respectively. It also initiated Radio City Freedom Awards, a platform to recognize independent music and provided a launch pad to budding singers with Radio City Super Singer, the first singing talent hunt on radio.

Radio City bagged 73 awards across national and international platforms like Golden Mikes, India Radio Forum, New York awards, ACEF awards etc. in 2018-2019. Radio City has consistently featured for the 7th time in ‘India’s Best Companies to Work For’ study conducted by Great Place to Work Institute. In 2019, Radio City ranked 6th in ‘Best Large Workplaces in Asia’, according to the GPTW survey. Radio City has also been recognized in ‘India’s Best Workplaces for Women – 2019’ and has ranked amongst the Top 75 organizations on the list.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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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People living with domestic abuse will be able to access safe spaces at a pharmaceutical chain in the United Kingdom.

Those needing help can ask staff at the counter to use the consultation room, where they will be able to contact services for help and abuse, a UK report said, adding that it was a desperate situation.

This is an extraordinarily difficult time and isolation does give more power to the abuser.

The Jerusalem Post has a special report stating that at least four persons have been murdered and an four more have committed suicide because of domestic violence.

In India, the National Commission for Women (NCW) reported that it received 315 domestic violence complaints in April alone, amid the lockdown.

This is a record high, one that we can certainly not be proud of and in this pandemic, it is increased as abuser and victim are in lockdown together with all escape avenues cut off.

Let us become more robust in our tackling of domestic violence now, and even post this phase, whenever that may be. First, we must identify domestic violence for what it is.

This means recognising verbal violence too — just because there are no physical scars, it does not mean there is no violence.

Then, remove the stigma from this kind of violence. Men can be victims too, they should not be shamed or disbelieved if they do complain.

Give the victims a lifeline and escape route, call out the abuser and make punishments harsh in accordance with the crime.

We often see domestic violence being brushed-off as a small, internal family matter. It is not. It can be deceptive because it happens behind closed doors and can be deadly.

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk and singer-girlfriend Grimes have become parents to a baby boy. Musk announced the birth of the child on his Twitter account on Monday. And on Tuesday, he broke the internet by posting the pictures of his son on Twitter, abiding to his followers’ requests.  

Musk has been dating the Canadian singer, whose real name is Claire Boucher since 2018 and the couple announced the pregnancy on January 8 this year on Instagram. As this is Grimes’ first child, Musk, who heads Tesla and SpaceX, already has five sons and has been divorced thrice—twice from the same woman.

After a follower asked him for picture of the child, he posted a picture on Twitter where he is holding the newborn in his arms

pic.twitter.com/lm30U60OtO

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 5, 2020

When a fan asked him to send another photo of the child, he obliged and sent an edited picture saying, "Never too young for some ink haha."

pic.twitter.com/chk0Scuixp

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 5, 2020

When he was asked about the name he has in mind for his sixth child, Musk gave a cryptic response.

X Æ A-12 Musk

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 5, 2020

Explaining the name, Grimes, tweeted that the 'X' stands for "the unknown variable," 'AE' is the musician's 'elven spelling of Ai (love &/or artificial intelligence),' 'A-12' is, as gathered, a reference to the Lockheed A-12, or, in Grimes' words, the 'precursor to [the] SR-17 (our favourite aircraft). No weapons, no defences, just speed. Great in battle, but non-violent."

•X, the unknown variable ⚔️
•Æ, my elven spelling of Ai (love &/or Artificial intelligence)
•A-12 = precursor to SR-17 (our favorite aircraft). No weapons, no defenses, just speed. Great in battle, but non-violent 🤍
+
(A=Archangel, my favorite song)
(⚔️🐁 metal rat)

— ꧁ ༒ Gℜiꪔ⃕es ༒꧂ 🍓🐉🎀 小仙女 (@Grimezsz) May 6, 2020

After announcing the pregnancy in January, Grimes had posted a photo of her flaunting her baby bump in which she called herself a ‘Chubby fairy’ in the caption.

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The nationwide lockdown imposed by the government due to the coronavirus outbreak has improved the air quality of some cities in the country. Days after a picture of the Dhauladhar Range in Himachal Pradesh being visible from Jalandhar in Punjab created a buzz, another similar picture has been doing rounds on the internet recently.

Residents of Singhwahini village in Sitamarhi district woke up to a stunning view of the Himalayan Range from their houses. The picture that went viral was posted by Twitter user Ritu Jaiswal, the Mukhya of Singhwahini Gram Panchayat who claimed that the picture was of Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world in Nepal, which was visible from the village.

In the caption, Jaiswal said that she saw Mount Everest from the rooftop of her home in the village for the first time, even though the other ranges in Nepal are usually visible in clear weather.

She tweeted in Hindi, saying that Mount Everest is visible from the roofs of the houses in Singhwahini village in Sitamarhi district, adding that nature was balancing itself, and she attributed the improvement in air quality due to the lockdown.

Ritu Jaiswal's post

हम सà¥Â€à¤¤à¤¾à¤®à¤¢à¤¼à¥Â€ à¤Âœà¤¿à¤²à¥Â‡ à¤Â•à¥Â‡ à¤Â…पनà¥Â‡ à¤Â—ाà¤Âà¤µ #सिà¤Â‚हवाहिनà¥Â€ मà¥Â‡à¤Â‚ à¤Â…पनà¥Â‡ à¤Â›à¤¤ सà¥Â‡ #MtEverest दà¥Â‡à¤Â– सà¤Â•à¤¤à¥Â‡ हà¥Âˆà¤Â‚ à¤Â†à¤Âœà¥¤ पà¥Âà¤°à¤Â•à¥Âƒà¤¤à¤¿ à¤Â–à¥Âà¤¦ à¤Â•à¥Â‹ सà¤Â‚तà¥Âà¤²à¤¿à¤¤ à¤Â•à¤° रहà¥Â€ हà¥Âˆà¥¤ नà¥Â‡à¤ªà¤¾à¤² à¤Â•à¥Â‡ नà¤Âœà¤¼à¤¦à¥Â€à¤Â• वालà¥Â‡ पहाड़ तà¥Â‹ बारिश à¤Â•à¥Â‡ बाद साफ मà¥ÂŒà¤¸à¤® मà¥Â‡à¤Â‚ à¤Â•à¤­à¥Â€ à¤Â•à¤­à¥Â€ दिà¤Â– à¤Âœà¤¾à¤¤à¥Â‡ थà¥Â‡à¥¤ à¤Â…सल हिमालय à¤Â•à¥Â‡ दरà¥Âà¤¶à¤¨ à¤Â…पनà¥Â‡ à¤Â—ाà¤Âà¤µ सà¥Â‡ à¤Â†à¤Âœ पहलà¥Â€ बार हà¥Âà¤Âà¥¤#NatureisBalancing@KashishBihar pic.twitter.com/Ss3UHAzxWN

— Ritu Jaiswal (@activistritu) May 4, 2020

When Jaiswal was questioned by a user about how she could be certain that the peak seen in the picture was of Mount Everest, she said that her husband could see the peak from the village when he was a child back in the 1980’s. She went on to explain that highest snowy peak of the Himalayas can only be seen and Everest is in the north east of our village and this pic is of the north east (sic)," she said in the comment.

Becasue definitely when we can see snowy peak of the Himalayas, the highest ones can only be scene and everest is in the north east of our village and this pic is of north east. And my husband in their childhood used to see everest in 80s. So we are sure that its the same.

— Ritu Jaiswal (@activistritu) May 5, 2020

The post, shared on May 4, garnered more than 4,500 likes and was retweeted 947 times. The picture was also shared by forest officer Parveen Kaswan who wrote that Mount Everest was seen from Bihar after decades.

When people of Singhwahini village, Bihar saw Everest from their own houses. They say this happened after decades. Courtesy @activistritu. pic.twitter.com/X0SQtZe22T

— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) May 5, 2020

Here’s how the Twitterati reacted on the picture:

I am just waiting for the day when I will be able to see Himalayas from Mumbai😜

— Hemant Jain🇮🇳 (@hemant6479) May 5, 2020

If we really belonged to the planet and the way we lived was natural to this planet then our locking ourselves up shld have upset the balance not repaired it. However superficial or temporary the effect.

— Anku Pande Chibb (@ankupande) May 5, 2020

Guess they must have experienced change in temperature also .☺ï¸Â

— Thakur ji (@Thethakurji) May 5, 2020

Wow... !
What a view sir.. 😊🙌

— Sravani (@sravani950570) May 5, 2020

What do you think about the picture?

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