Islanders are coming to terms with unexpected publicity from the contact-tracing pilot project

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Last Sunday, we woke to the news that the Isle of Wight really had been chosen as the pilot location for the NHS coronavirus contact-tracing app, the idea having been floated by the leader of the council at the start of the previous week.

Thus a manic week began here at News OnTheWight, where we’ve been pumping out stories as usual, taking part in national media briefings, delving into details of the app and exploring privacy issues while dealing with queries from media outlets from around the world. All sorts of organisations started pushing press releases supporting the app – the most unexpected being the Church of England.

When Matt Hancock, the health secretary, announced at last Monday’s press conference, “Where the Isle of Wight goes, Britain follows”, there was a collective spitting out of tea on the island and beyond. Of course there were the predictable jibes – “How do I install the app on my fax machine?” was one of the best we heard, and once again, creativity was ignited with memes and T-shirts.

With such attention, locally it felt like little else but the app was discussed.

How has the app gone down? Lots of people seem to be jumping on board, claiming any perceived privacy downsides as a small price to pay. Others, with earlier smartphones, were excluded. Older residents overheard in the post office said they really wanted to use the app but their steam-powered mobile phones weren’t capable.

The coronavirus outbreak has left many feeling trapped indoors, but for some help may not be far away.

Since time immemorial, a village in West Bengal has paid tribute to Shiva by self-inflicting pain. This year coronavirus put a stop to it.

Ray normally runs his family bakery, Rinkoffs, but is currently staying at home with his wife.

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Amitabh Bachchan's social media feed is filled with moments and memories from his life. The superstar is known to dig out old photographs of himself and Bachchan family. His social media account is a treat for all the Bollywood buffs and especially people who are their fans and admirers. With the country undergoing lockdown due to coronavirus, the actor has taken up the task to fill smiles in this gloomy times through his adorable pictures.

Continuing the trend, Amitabh Bachchan posted another throwback picture of himself on his Instagram account. This picture is a collage of four images from his earlier years. The first picture is of the superstar in his youthful days, while the other three are just one picture, repeated thrice which shows off his "angry young man" look. Sharing the picture, the Piku actor wrote, "The age of innocence is over (sic)."

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

The age of innocence is over ..

A post shared by Amitabh Bachchan (@amitabhbachchan) onApr 22, 2020 at 12:48pm PDT

Earlier, the superstar had shared a throwback picture of the premiere of his cult classic film Sholay. In the picture, he can be seen along with his co-star and wife Jaya Bachchan and Ramesh Sippy. "At the Premiere of SHOLAY .. 15th August 1975, at the Minerva .. Ma, Babuji, Jaya and a bow tied moi .. how pretty Jaya looks .. This was the 35 mm print at the Premiere .. the 70mm Stereo sound print , first time in India was stuck in Customs.. but after the Premiere got over by midnight, we got news that the 70mm print was out of Customs .. we told Ramesh ji to get it to the Minerva .. it came .. the first Indian film on 70mm Stereo .. and I sat on the floor of the Balcony with Vinod Khanna and finished seeing this amazing result till 3 in the morning (sic)", he captioned it.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Amitabh Bachchan (@amitabhbachchan) onApr 17, 2020 at 3:26am PDT

This was followed by a never-seen-before picture of himself from his younger days. "My very first photoshoot for a film magazine after joining the Industry in 1969 .. it was for the ‘Star & Style’ the only other prominent film mag., along with Filmfare at the time .. I was pushed and goaded into - a most reticent reluctant and very self-conscious shy me - by the most famed and feared journalist of the times - Devayani Chaubal .. obviously there was no ‘star’ or ‘style’ in the project .. but Devyani thought so .. a strong-minded lady, ever dressed in a shining white sari .. always !!! (sic)", he captioned it.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

My very first photo shoot for a film magazine after joining the Industry in 1969 .. it was for the ‘Star & Style’ the only other prominent film mag., along with Filmfare at the time .. I was pushed and goaded into - a most reticent reluctant and very self conscious shy me - by the most famed and feared journalist of the times - Devayani Chaubal .. obviously there was no ‘star’ or ‘style’ in the project .. but Devyani thought so .. a strong minded lady , ever dressed in a shining white sari .. always !!!

A post shared by Amitabh Bachchan (@amitabhbachchan) onApr 14, 2020 at 11:14am PDT

On the work front, Amitabh Bachchan will next be seen in Chehre alongside Emraan Hashmi, and Ayan Mukerji's Brahmastra with Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor. He recently wrapped up shooting for Gulabo Sitabo where he will be seen alongside Ayushmann Khurrana for the first time.

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Actress Anushka Sharma gave Instagram's viral 'Guess The Gibberish' filter a shot, but she failed to come up with the right word.

Guess The Gibberish filter works by showing you seemingly meaningless words until you can crack it and arrive at the correct phrase. A user gets 10 seconds to figure out the right words. The filer was created by a user named @gu_christopher, and has caught on.

Anushka posted a video on Instagram story, where she is seen participating in the guessing game.

Her Gibberish filter read: "Stir Range Earth Inks".

In the video, she is seen repeating the sentence and finally decides the correct answer to be "Strange Things", but the reply is actually "Stranger Things".

Seeing her guess is wrong, Anushka calls herself "Bewakoof ladki".

On the work front, Anushka is all set to come up with a new web series as a producer on Amazon Prime Video web series, bankrolled by her production house Clean Slate Company.

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Actress Sobhita Dhulipala, who has been accused of making false claims of 'self-timing' a magazine photoshoot, has issued a statement in self-defence.

A few days ago, Sobhita had posted a few of her pictures claiming she had clicked the images with a self-timer. However, the authenticity of her claim came under scrutiny after snapshots, showing Sobhita being clicked on her terrace by a man, went viral on social media. Seeing the viral images, many followers started questioning her and accused her of lying.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sobhita Dhulipala (@sobhitad) onApr 24, 2020 at 9:42am PDT

Sobhita then penned a lengthy note, explaining that the man had just offered to help. "Quite a few people have written to me about the image I last posted. It is upsetting and I am little taken aback by how urgently many have jumped to unkind conclusions, this is also a moment for me to learn something deeper," she wrote.

She added: "I stand by the flow of events I'm sharing with complete transparency:

1. I style myself, go to the terrace with a coffee mug and a couple of tools to prop up my phone to take pictures.

2. There are people on the terrace and one kind gentleman upon learning that I'm trying to shoot my pictures, offers help.

3. After he graciously shoots a few pictures in the frame I wanted, I thank him and we depart.

Neither was the picture shot by him used by Cosmopolitan (It doesn't belong with the magazine's mandate) nor am I anything but proud of this wonderful collaboration with the magazine.

I only posted it along with the official ones because I like it. I recognise that I should have altered the caption text to mention that the second image was not part of the magazine shoot. I wish I had a more exciting, dramatic story but alas, truth often wears plain robes! Stay home and stay safe," concluded the model-turned-actress, best known for her roles in the web shows "Made In Heaven" and "Bard Of Blood".

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Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan's toddler Taimur Ali Khan is everyone's apple of the eye and is possibly one of the most popular and adorable munchkins on the block. Meet Ibrahim Ali Khan now, also Saif's son and who was no less. He shared his childhood picture recently and called himself Picasso Jr.

In the picture, we could see his hands covered in paint and one of his cheeks with the paint too. Just like how Kareena shared a similar picture of Taimur a few days ago, Ibrahim has shared how, and it's truly as adorable and amazing.

Have a look right here:

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Picasso Jr

A post shared by Ibrahim Ali Khan (@iakpataudi) onApr 26, 2020 at 6:48am PDT

All the stars in Bollywood are trying to be as creative as possible to stay happy amid this lockdown and quarantine and Ibrahim seems to be one of them. His Instagram account is very entertaining and exciting. He keeps sharing photos and videos with his mother Amrita Singh and father Saif Ali Khan both.

In case you missed it, he shared another childhood photo with Amrita Singh on the occasion of Women's Day last month, have a look:

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Happy Women’s day to the best woman I’ll ever know 💘

A post shared by Ibrahim Ali Khan (@iakpataudi) onMar 8, 2020 at 11:07am PDT

And giving him very close and tough competition is his sister Sara Ali Khan, who has also begun sharing some throwback pictures and videos on her Instagram account. If these siblings had to compete in Instagram posts and cuteness, who do you think will win?

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Eating the right fruits, vegetables and spices can ensure you remain cool during the summer season, suggest experts. Chef Sudhir Nair, Executive Chef at Courtyard by Marriott and Fairfield by Marriott, Bengaluru and Chef Kasiviswanathan, the Executive Chef for Radisson Blu Atria, Bengaluru share some easy and interesting tips that will help your body cope with the heat:

1. Opt for a light breakfast: Eat and enjoy a light breakfast every morning comprising of fresh fruits and lots of liquids. Avoid citrus juices and instead opt for tender coconut or melon juice. Cucumber juice or salad would also be a great option. Try and cut down on a heavy breakfast to keep yourself cool and healthy during the summer months.

2. Avoid high starch food: During summer, it is good to avoid high starch foods, especially rice or wheat. Lunch should be the heaviest meal of the day in summers. Keep low on yoghurt consumption. Instead, increase the intake of buttermilk. Keep your food low on spices and high on liquid.

3. Keep yourself away from aerated drinks: Do not drink chilled water or aerated beverages. This is because chilled water or aerated beverages will disrupt the digestive process in the body. Keep a close watch on your sugar consumption. Ice creams though tempting in this time is rich in sugar and cream but an iced fruit lolly would be a legitimate indulgence.

4. Avoid spicy food: Avoid using spices such as mustard, ginger, and chilli. Also, eat less of tomato, peppers and garlic during summer.

5. Use herbs for cooking: Cook with cooling herbs such as fennel, dill, mint, and coriander. Allow use of spices like cumin, cinnamon, green cardamom in your food. Use vegetables such as white pumpkin, broccoli, snake gourds, drumstick and madras cucumber.

6. Boil, steam, and stew: Milk, coconut, butter and ghee in small proportions is cooling for the body. Best methods of cooking these foods would by boiling, steaming and stewing. It is best to avoid fried foods during summer as they would give undue stress to the digestive tract.

7. Enjoy small meals: Enjoying small meals throughout the day during summer is the smartest way to keep yourself cool during the season. Include fruits like ice apples, varieties of melons, sugarcane, and varieties of ripe mango, cashew apples and jackfruit in your diet. All of these are found in abundance in this season.

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

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Representational picture

Many people are so busy that they barely have time to eat, let alone pause for a water break, and you may find you often go hours and hours without quenching your thirst. But staying hydrated has real advantages, including helping you maintain your energy and focus so you can operate more efficiently, so it's important to give your drinking habits the attention they deserve. Dr. Manoj Kutteri, Wellness Director at Atmantan Wellness Centre gives some simple ways to make fueling up with fluid throughout the day a little easier

Always carry a water bottle
If you have a bottle within arm’s reach, it's very likely that you'll mindlessly sip from it throughout the day, without having to make a conscious effort. It is important to drink fluids during your workouts, especially if you are exercising outdoors or in a hotter climate. You should carry water with you while exercising. And it is necessary that you drink water in the few hours, leading up to your workout, as well as you need to be drinking water during the workout as well. It is recommended to drink a glass of water every 15 minutes during your exercise session

Have Infused Water
Drink infused water also called fruit-flavored water or fruit-infused water. Fruit-flavored water is a combination of fruits, vegetables, and herbs immersed in cold water. The health benefits of fruit-infused water include flushing toxins from your system, filling you up, so you don't eat much junk food, keeping your organs healthy while you are sweating, etc.

Electrolyte Drinks
Electrolytes are electrically-charged substances found in your blood, urine and other bodily fluids. They are essential to keep a healthy balance within the body and come in different forms, including chlorine, potassium, phosphate, magnesium, calcium and sodium. Sweat releases electrolytes, so in order to replenish them, you must consume foods and drinks that contain electrolytes like coconut water, citrus fruits, salt water, cranberry drink, watermelon juice, cucumber drink, etc.

Fruits and Vegetables
Another tip for staying hydrated in summer is adding fruits and vegetables with high water content to your diet. Strawberries, cucumbers and watermelon contain about 92 percent of water per volume. Other fruits with high water content are cantaloupe with 90 percent, grapefruit with 91 percent, and peaches with 88 percent. Pineapple, cranberries, orange and raspberries contain 87 percent water by weight. Also, vegetables like tomatoes, beetroot, carrots and celery contain water.

Also Read: Top 7 Tips To Keep Your Skin Hydrated And Healthy During Summer

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Local fishermen yesterday rescued three teenagers who had got stranded in the sea off Uttan while taking selfies. Sources said the three, residents of Bhayander, had gone for a picnic to Bhati Bandar village beach near Uttan last morning and got engrossed clicking selfies on the rocks.

They'd failed to pay attention to the high tide, and before any one of them realised, they were surrounded by water from all sides. Scared, they'd then started screaming for help.

Fishermen rescued the three teenagers who had got stranded near Uttan while taking selfies. Pics/Azim Tamboli

The fisherfolk from the village heard their cries and rushed to their aid, while a villager called up the fire brigade. By the time fire officials reached the spot, the fishermen had rescued the boys — Sachin Waghmare, 16, Vishal Minde, 19, and Sumit Fatpara, 18 — studying in Stds XI and XII.

Chief Fire Officer Prakash Borade from Mira-Bhayander fire station said, "We received the call and rushed to the spot around 11.30 am. But when we reached, we saw that the local fishermen had already helped the youngsters out. Later, we called their parents and handed them over."

Also Read: Travel: Go camping to tranquil Uttan in Bhayander

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It was a case of so near and yet not near enough for people at the disaster venue, a day after a plane crash shook the eastern suburb of Ghatkopar. An MTNL building at the mouth of this lane gives it its name — MTNL Galli. But now it has been temporarily rechristened as the 'plane crash galli' by the stream of curious visitors that poured in last afternoon.

A cop at the now-barricaded scene good-naturedly asked people to "get into a line and I will allow you to peek through the barricades. Only one minute per person," he grinned. Overhead, planes seemed to skim the buildings. "One day after the crash, every plane we see sends a jolt of fear through us," said someone, as Kalyan resident Jitendra Jaiswal, who works in Ghatkopar, made his way to the crash site. Jaiswal explained, "I keep coming back here, wondering how this could happen. There is still a sense of disbelief." Shakhawat Khan and Dinesh Yadav, both drivers (the latter drives a rickshaw), said, "The sound keeps echoing in our ears. We were eating snacks at a nearby restaurant and heard at least two-three blasts. The sound literally blew us off our chairs."

Policemen keep curious crowds at bay at the crash site. Pic/Sameer Markande

Thank God
A resident ambled to the site to see the progress of the clean-up. "I was in the car with my son at the wheel when we heard at least three blasts. Shaken, my son parked the car a few metres from this site. Everything was covered in black smoke. The smell of that smoke still lingers in my nostrils. No disrespect to the dead, but I cannot stop thanking God for sparing me," finished Pravin Shah.

Wing clip
Conversations in Gujarati dominated as one walked down the lane. Ankita Shah who lives nearby said, "I will never forget the thick, black smoke rising into the sky. It's my most enduring memory of this disaster." A number of people who claimed they witnessed the crash, insisted they saw the wing of the plane clip the pedestrian who died. A woman said dramatically, while others concurred, "one second the wing had clipped him and the next a charred body lay on the ground. It was the man," she stressed, while others agreed that they too saw a "wing clip the man. It was a wing," they shouted as some onlookers snorted in disbelief. Through the drama, an idli seller arrived putting down his wares and joining the queue to peer through the barricades. People shouted "idli, idli" while the cops shooed him off.

Mother-daughter duo of Naina (right) and Tanisha Gala point to an aircraft above them. Pics/Sameer Markande

Terrifying images
Naina Gala, MTNL lane resident, said, "I witnessed the blast and last night, the terrifying images — burnt bodies, fire, smoke and the wreckage came back to haunt me." Her daughter Tanisha said there were tons of questions from her classmates. Naina added, "I feel the pain of the pilots, the crew. They knew they were going to die, they sacrificed their lives to save all of us." Naina and Tanisha said the fire brigade, police and everyone was at the site within minutes. A local informed this reporter, "The birds in the sky were faster though. There were a huge number circling the crash site within minutes. They had smelt death in the air…" Yet another gent walked down the lane wearing a T-shirt with the prophetic lines: 'Your life is your story. Write well. Edit often'. As one exited the lane, one could not help thinking, this must rate as a very surprising twist in Ghatkopar's story.

5
No. of people dead in the plane crash

Pravin Shah (left) tells his story

Also Read: Ghatkopar plane crash: Doctors to use teeth to ID victims

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A 40-year-old man allegedly killed his wife and later committed suicide by hanging himself in Thane on Thursday. Sunil Sangle, an auto driver, on Wednesday night strangled his wife Archana Sangle (35), to death at their home in Sri Nagar locality and later hanged himself on Thursday afternoon, said police inspector Sulabha Patil.

The couple often had fights over domestic issues and apparently the man also suspected his wife’s character, and this may have triggered the murder, police said. According to Hindustan Times, Sunil Sangle was an auto-rickshaw driver and his wife worked as a security guard at an IT park in the city. A probe is underway, the police added.

In a similar case, a 38-year-old man was arrested for allegedly killing a man suspecting him of having an extra-marital affair with his wife in outer Delhi, police said Saturday. The accused identified as Anil Chaudhary, a resident of Nangloi, used to work in a shoe factory.

Other two men, Bakil (38) and Kamrul Huda (27) who allegedly robbed the victim after he was killed by the accused Chaudhary, were also arrested, police said. On Thursday, Nihal Vihar Police station was informed by Satya Bhama Hospital that a person has been brought dead in the hospital, Rajendra Singh Sagar, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer) said.

The victim was identified as Vikas Yadav by his relatives. He used to work as a labourer in a chemical factory. On interrogation, the accused Chaudhary revealed he suspected Yadav of having an illicit relationship with his wife since a year. So, he decided to eliminate Yadav and on Wednesday night, he fired at Yadav, the officer said. Yadav was carrying two mobile phones and Rs 15,000 which were missing from his possession, the officer added.

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The article has been sourced from third-party source and Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. All information provided on this article is for informational purposes only.

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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In a bid to deliver transparency in technology and stay ahead of ethical pitfalls, Google has said that its Artificial Intelligence (AI) calling system "Duplex" would now identify itself while making appointments.

Following the launch of the "Duplex" system, which lets AI mimic a human voice to make appointments and book tables, among other functions, a widespread outcry over the ethical dilemmas were raised by tech critics.

Google clarified to The Verge that the experimental system would have a "disclosure built-in" that means that whenever Duplex gets involved in some type of verbal communication with a human at the other end, it would identify that the human is talking to an AI.

"We understand and value the discussion around Google Duplex, as we have said from the beginning, transparency in the technology is important," a Google spokesperson was quoted as saying.

"We are designing this feature with disclosure built-in, and we will make sure the system is appropriately identified. What we showed at I/O was an early technology demo, and we look forward to incorporating feedback as we develop this into a product," the spokesperson added.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai introduced Duplex earlier this week in the company's annual developer's conference Google I/O and demonstrated how the AI system could book an appointment at a salon and a table at a restaurant.

In the demo, the Google Assistant sounded like a human. It used Google DeepMind's new WaveNet audio-generation technique and other advances in Natural Language Processing (NLP) to replicate human speech patterns.

However, tech critics raised questions on the morality of the technology saying it was developed without proper oversight or regulation.

According to tech critic Zeynep Tufekci, the demo was "horrifying" and the initial positive audience reaction at I/O was evidence that "Silicon Valley is ethically lost, rudderless and has not learned a thing".

Google had originally said in a blog post written by engineers Yaniv Leviathan and Yossi Matias that "it's important to us that users and businesses have a good experience with this service and transparency is a key part of that".

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The numbers don't lie; Mumbai motorists are in selfie-destruct mode. At least 50 per cent of road accidents on the 93-km Mumbai-Pune Expressway are due to cars stopping or stalling on the road.

A report in this paper stated that stopping to take a selfie or to enjoy the greenery along the E-way could cost you your life. The first two months of the year have already seen 91 accidents, in which 52 people have died. Of these, 26 accidents happened because of vehicles halting. We must warn people that however tempting the scenery, it is just not safe to halt on the E-way and take photographs of the greenery. Once you reach Pune or the outskirts, you have the time to park your vehicle, alight and take all the pictures you want, so keep moving along the expressway, which is what is was made for.

Travellers must realise that an expressway is a piece of infrastructure, pure and simple. It is designed to take people to their destination. It is certainly not a picnic spot. It is no place to lounge around and eat, get out of the car and wash your hands, use as a Kodak moment or to idle outside your car for any other reason. Drivers have to drive within the speed limit on the expressway.

Cut going over the speed limits, which is a sure killer. Authorities have to ensure cameras are in excellent condition. If there is a car breakdown, switch on your hazard lights, and get your co-passengers to wave their hands; do all you can to alert oncoming traffic. The upcoming monsoon means more challenges for E-way users. Let us bring those fatality figures down, and let the numbers do some happy talking, for once.

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Gallery Art & Soul

How often have we heard friends say, "Let's grab a drink?" and the next thing you know, you are headed to Lower Parel? That same enthusiasm, purposefulness, and the promise of an evening well-spent are what art spaces in and around that part of the city are gearing up for this year.

Priyasri Art Gallery

Starting June 29, art lovers can say hello to the Mumbai Midtown Arts Collective (MMAC). An initiative by Anupa Mehta and Rashmi Dhanwani, the MMAC will bring together seven spaces in Worli, Dadar, Byculla and Lower Parel to build upon a format that their counterparts in South Mumbai have cracked over the past few years.

Tao Art Gallery

In this city, artists and visitors mark their calendars for Art Night Thursdays, the second Thursday of every month, when galleries have extended hours instead of their usual closing time of around 6 pm. Similarly, the MMAC will host Art Night Fridays, to be held on the third Friday of the month once every quarter. There will also be Art Sundays, when galleries will remain open, and workshops and sessions will be held in public spaces.

Volte Art Projects

Art Night Thursdays was conceptualised in 2011, along with Mumbai Gallery Weekend, by a group of about eight galleries in South Mumbai. It continues to visibly draw more visitors than what they would have on most other days. To boil it down to basics, it is a mix of two factors — geography and programming.

Piramal Museum of Art + their Byculla gallery

For most Mumbaikars, a weekday visit to South Mumbai, particularly Colaba and Kala Ghoda, where a number of galleries are located, usually means wrapping up early from work, and making at least a 45-minute trip from the suburbs. Art Night Thursdays mean that visitors from Jogeshwari or Mulund can spend more time with exhibitions, walkthroughs and talks.

Anupa Mehta Arts & Advisory

"There is a reason why we are planning for Fridays and not Thursdays. That's the day most professionals working in this part of town will step out and unwind," says Dhanwani, founder of The Art X Company, an arts management consultancy, which will drive MMAC.

Saffronart

There's enough for everyone
Mehta and Dhanwani tell us that the idea to form a central Mumbai collective is not new, and has been on their minds for some time now. And, then, last year, some of the midtown art spaces got a massive push for the first time during Mumbai Gallery Weekend, an outreach programme with a series of art events. Mehta, an arts consultant, who runs Anupa Mehta Arts & Advisory from the studio that earlier used to be a gallery, The Loft, at Lower Parel, could see the difference.

Anupa Mehta and Rashmi Dhanwani

"We had a tea party here, and I expected the regular audience to turn up. Instead, a different crowd dropped by — people who had heard that there was something going on," she says. Lower Parel and Mahalaxmi now have a number of creative clusters, such as indie design studios, today. These areas also house and employ well-travelled aesthetes with disposable incomes.

Dhanwani cites a report by KPMG in India and FICCI (February 2018), titled Visual arts industry in India: Painting the future, which stated that 'a new segment of art buyers in India consists of entrepreneurs, company executives and professionals... An increasing number of young art enthusiasts in their late 20s to early 40s are attending shows at art galleries and festivals, to both participate in workshops as well as buy original artwork.

Pics/Ashish Raje; Map/Deshna Mehta; Imaging/Ravi Jadhav

"Lower Parel has a sizeable presence of such professionals, who are open to different experiences such as catching a comedy or music gig or a new exhibition. Although there is the perceived notion that art is an elite preoccupation, these barriers can be lowered to open arts spaces even further," she says.

Focus on accessibility
In recent years, Lower Parel and its surrounding pincodes have turned into the great corporate heart of the city, drawing thousands through railway networks and SUVs for work and leisure. Mehta says that history always speaks through, as the place that was once devoted to mills, and mill workers. It is reason why accessibility is a key focus of the MMAC — how do you draw the waiting staff from the nearby pub as much as corporate consultants? "We forget that art is the great equaliser, and Lower Parel is a constant reminder that different classes co-exist here," says Dhanwani.

The MMAC, interestingly, is not a homogenous clutch of galleries, but has, under its umbrella, a museum, an arts advisory, an auction house, and galleries that have been around for more than a decade, and those that are fairly new. More are likely to join hands in the near future (check MMAC's Facebook page for more info).

The MMAC, thus, strategically, means more visibility to these spaces, and the recognition of the presence and growth of another art district, co-existing with the one in Colaba. "We are complementing our friends in South Mumbai. We hope that many more area-specific art circles may occur, and cater to local communities," says Mehta. She adds that with galleries showcasing a range of artistic practices, there is a growing audience for all.

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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.

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

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

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

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

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

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Phase three of the COVID lockdown, which began on Monday, has made it clear that the government needs to be clear in its head before laying down rules and regulations.

First, there was massive confusion among citizens on the first two days about easing of restrictions two days ago, with local officials not being on the same page as Mantralaya top brass. There was confusion even among BMC's own ward officers over the rule about allowing five shops to stay open in one street. Excise officials had no clarity about opening shops, resulting in huge queues, with social distancing going for a toss. Late on Tuesday night, the civic body suddenly announced that all shops selling non-essentials, including liquor stores, will be closed from Wednesday. This is exactly where planning should have been done.

Respective ward authorities should have sat down with local shop-owners beforehand with a gameplan on how they could handle the long queues which were sure to form.
Also, there are private office ownerAlso, there are private office owners who may be working alone or may have a very small staff strength, wondering whether to go to work. People are wondering whether two or three people are allowed in private vehicles. There are so many questions that need clear, lucid answers.

When there are so many grey areas, rumours start to churn and then social media adds fuel to the mix, resulting in what we would like to call combustible confusion. Short tempers, bewildered people, different rules are all part of this mix, likely to erupt at any time. This also is counterproductive to the good work the government is doing.

Let us have more lucid communication in all aspects, using announcements and signboards to avoid panic emanating from the perplexed and perturbed. Green zones, red zones and orange zones in place, what we need most now is a clarity zone.

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The US Anti-Doping Agency has come up with a novel random testing program to cope with the unique circumstances of the coronavirus pandemic. With the United States, like much of the world, under lockdown as authorities try to slow the spread of the virus, USADA has launched a program in which athletes collect blood and urine samples from themselves at home, while being monitored remotely on Zoom or FaceTime by testing personnel.

The test kits were sent to athletes, who must produce samples when they receive an unannounced call from a doping control officer. The officer watches the blood sample being taken, but urine samples are provided in private. The samples are sealed under the eye of the doping control officer and sent to an accredited lab for testing. USADA chief executive Travis Tygart told the New York Times that plenty of top US Olympic hopes were eager to sign up for the pilot project.

Freestyle swimming great Katie Ledecky and athletes Noah Lyles and Allyson Felix were among those who volunteered. "We've been talking about this and laying the foundation for several months," Tygart told the newspaper.

"COVID put that on fast forward and allowed us to roll it out." Ledecky said she "felt very comfortable" administering her first self test this week at her home in California. USADA has built safeguards into the system to limit opportunities for cheating. Although athletes are not observed during collection of urine, they show the monitoring officer the bathroom that will be used, they are timed and the temperature of the sample is recorded to lessen the chances of sample tampering or sample substitution.

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In a bid to get a feel of the normal life, Sonakshi Sinha went to the parking lot of her Juhu home and sat in her favourite set of wheels for a while. The actor took to Insta, shared a selfie and wrote, "Sat in my parked car just to remember what it feels like (sic)." Sona did not forget her glares and designer bag to complete the going-out look.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Quarantine day 34: sat in my (parked) car today just to remember what it feels like 🤪 #sundayselfie

A post shared by Sonakshi Sinha (@aslisona) onApr 26, 2020 at 2:51am PDT

The actress has been active on social media since the lockdown period, and she has shared a lot of messages with her fans through an important medium. Shotgun Junior never shies away from speaking her mind. She is hoping for the coronavirus crisis to end soon and says she would like to dive into the sea once all this is over.

On the professional front, Sonakshi Sinha was last seen in Dabangg 3, opposite Salman Khan. Saiee Manjrekar was also a part of this comedy film. Now, the actress will be next seen in Bhuj: The Pride of India.

"Bhuj: The Pride of India" stars Ajay Devgn, Sanjay Dutt, Sonakshi Sinha, Sharad Kelkar, Ammy Virk and Pranitha Subhash. The film is directed by Abhishek Dudhaiya.

In the film, Ajay will be seen playing Indian Air Force pilot Vijay Karnik, while Sonakshi will essay the character of Sunderben Jetha Madharparya, who is a social worker and a farmer women, who convinced 299 other women from Madhapur to help build a runway during the India-Pakistan war of 1971.

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Rishi Kapoor's daughter Riddhima Kapoor has been missing her papa a lot. Riddhima can't stop but share all her love and affection on social media. Riddhima, who lives in Delhi, has been sending loads of love and strength to her mother Neetu Kapoor. Riddhima couldn't attend father's final rites due to coronavirus lockdown. She had to drive from Delhi to Mumbai after securing a movement pass.

After sharing a series of throwback photos, Riddhima Kapoor Sahni has uploaded a sweet post as her Instagram story.

Riddhima Kapoor with Rishi Kapoor and daughter Samara Sahni

Riddhima Kapoor with Ranbir Kapoor and Neetu Kapoor

For the uninitiated, Rishi Kapoor made his debut in 1970 with his father Raj Kapoor's Mera Naam Joker and rose to fame with Bobby in 1973, also directed by Raj Kapoor. For 25 years, he was the epitome of romance and charm. And as years passed by, he began displaying his unseen side that had a versatile performer. With films like Agneepath, Kapoor & Sons, Aurangzeb, Do Dooni Chaar, and Luck By Chance, he began what was one of the finest phases of his career.

Speaking of Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh, the duo has worked together in movies like Kabhi Kabhie, Khel Khel Mein, Amar Akbar Anthony and Zehreela Insaan, among others. Their sizzling on-screen chemistry transformed into off-screen romance, and the couple tied the knot on January 22, 1980.

Rishi Kapoor died in a Mumbai hospital on April 30. He was 67 and had been battling leukemia. In September 2019, the actor had returned to Mumbai after staying in New York for almost a year for cancer treatment.

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Between cooking and watching TV, Sayantani Ghosh is making time to train herself in singing. "I could always sing, but I want to take it more seriously since I have the time. I have been checking online classes too," she says. Just like a lot of Bollywood and Television celebrities who are trying out new stuff, she is honing her singing skills.

Spreading love

Amid the grim situation, Aalisha Panwar hopes to spread some positivity among her fans. She says, "I want to bring a smile on their faces, so I have started an interactive session, Friday Fan Love to spend some time with my fans."

Slambook

Kunal Thakur

One superpower you wish to possess?
The power of teleportation.

Your last fantasy?
Penélope Cruz.

The last nightmare you had?
That I fell out of a window while trying to take a picture of the sunset.

One thing on your wishlist.
To buy a high-end motorbike and go on a road trip.

Your worst project?
A film that I backed out of because it didn't go as expected.

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