Messenger Bird
A bird-shaped installation on Carter Road created using repurposed water bottles to mark Environment Day last week reminds Mumbaikars to recycle.
Lankan groove in Ghatkopar
Damithri Subasinghe (left) performs a dance routine with students at the Ghatkopar venue. Pic courtesy/GULLY CLASSES FOUNDATION
Less-privileged students of the Gully Classes Foundation (GCF) in Ghatkopar gave Sri Lankan actor and dancer Damithri Subasinghe a memorable welcome to the city last weekend. Visiting Mumbai as part of the Association internationale des étudiants en sciences économiques et commerciales (AIESEC), a United Nations-recognised youth movement, Subasinghe spent the day dancing, singing and discussing shared dreams. “Damithri taught our students a few moves to her favourite Lankan songs and the children added their own twists. She eventually asked the children about their aspirations. I was surprised to learn that many of them wanted to be YouTubers, actors and educators,” shared Abdul Munaf, founder, GCF.
Global honour for Brinda Somaya
The American Institute of Architects’ honorary fellowship medal was conferred upon
It was a proud moment for both Mumbai and India when Brinda Somaya, respected architect and urban planner was conferred with the American Institute of Architects’ honorary fellowship in Boston over the weekend. In an exclusive interaction with this diarist, she shared that the recognition was deeply humbling and profoundly meaningful.
Brinda Somaya in Boston. PICS COURTESY/BRINDA SOMAYA
“To be elevated to the College of Fellows is not merely a personal milestone — it is a collective celebration of the values, ideals, and work that have shaped my architectural journey over the past four decades.” She added, “Architecture has always been an act of service. It goes beyond constructing buildings — it is about healing spaces, conserving collective memory, and empowering communities. It is about holding a dialogue between the built and the un-built, the past and the future.
Whether through the careful restoration of sacred heritage or the design of inclusive contemporary institutions, my work has remained anchored in sustainability, cultural continuity, and social equity.” Somaya felt honoured to be acknowledged on a global platform for these principles, by a jury of distinguished peers. “It is a powerful affirmation that voices from India, with all their layered histories and aspirations, have a vital place in global architectural discourse.” For the celebrated path-breaker, “The journey continues — with purpose, humility, and renewed dedication.”
Run for precedent
A previous session in Bandra
Many of the new running clubs that have mushroomed in the city are just excuses for social mingling and networking, says ex-professional 200m sprinter Daksh Shinde. The athlete’s new no-frills run club, City Stride Club, involves none of the usual post-run café shenanigans. “The idea was to make fitness the first priority. Our session last weekend ended with an introductory boxing session,” Shinde told us.
Rajinder Singh in action. PIC COURTESY/CITY STRIDE CLUB
The club has already found inspiration in its own runners. “At our second run in Carter Road, Rajinder Singh, a 79-year-old Indian Armed Forces veteran who had served in the Kargil War joined us. It made us wonder what was stopping our fellow young Mumbaikars from getting fitter,” Shinde added. To join the next run, head to @citystrideclub.
Grey is Mumbai’s new green
(Left) A panel depicts thriving wildlife in the area; (right) One of the concluding panels features the infamous JCB excavator. ILLUSTRATIONS COURTESY/SEFI GEORGE
Dahisar-based illustrator Sefi George’s new illustration series might hit too close to home for many urban residents. The 12-part series follows the transformation of a lush green patch of land along Dahisar’s mangrove zone into barren land. “Every monsoon, the area would turn into a home for mongooses, birds like drongos and bee eaters, butterflies, caterpillars and beetle species. I was disheartened to see that none of them have returned this monsoon. Their home is now barren land, ready to be concretised for a high-rise. It is a colossal loss for the neighbourhood’s micro-ecosystem,” George (left) shared. It is a tad ironic, we think, that not far away from the location that features in George’s artworks, a swanky new Mangrove Park in Gorai is being touted as a masterstroke in inculcating environmental awareness among Mumbaikars.
