Mumbai city suburbs of Tilak Nagar, located in Chembur faced another fire hazard on Wednesday evening. According to reports, building no 50, which is a multi-storey establishment which is located near Saraswati school caught fire. Four fire engines and water tankers were dispatched to the spot.

More details awaited.

Citizens took to social networking site Twitter quickly to react upon the fire in Tilak Nagar. Here's what some of them had to say.

Again fire outbreak in tilaknagar Chembur building no. 50. #chemburfire @MumbaiPolice @RidlrMUM

— Avantika Shukla (@avi_1801) January 9, 2019

And today another fire broke out in Tilak Nagar. There's absolute chaos due to the parking on roads in the colony. https://t.co/A22wLP1YnN

— Neenu (@kpophustle) January 9, 2019

Unbelievable how often this is happening. Tilak Nagar needs a revisit on fire safety norms!

— Chyrag (@chiragbshah) January 9, 2019

In a similar incident, a fire had broken out at Sadhana Industrial Estate near Mahindra Tower, Worli around 4.30 pm on December 29. Eight fire engines, two fire tenders, seven jumbo tankers were rushed to the spot. The ground-plus three-storey commercial structure was completely engulfed in smoke, said a fire official. Twelve firemen were rushed to the hospital, after they complained of suffocation.

A month ago, a deadly blaze at ESIC Kamgar Hospital at Marol in suburban Andheri had claimed six lives and left more than 30 injured. The building had neither a fire NOC nor occupation certificate. Ten fire tenders and 15 ambulances were rushed to the spot. The fire brigade officials said 147 people were rescued from the hospital, which includes patients as well as staff members.

Also Read: Tilak Nagar fire: Residents to take on MHADA, BMC

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A constable attached to MIDC police station was arrested on Saturday for raping a 20-year-old who was caught stealing chocolates from D-Mart in Powai. The accused, Madhukar Avhad, has been arrested by the Powai police for rape.

The Powai police said, on February 6, they received a call from the D-Mart staff informing them about a woman caught stealing 10 chocolates from the store. Avhad, who was on duty at the time, visited the mall and took a detailed note in writing from the woman that she would not repeat the act. Avhad then took her Aadhaar card details and phone number.

The next day, Avhad called to the woman telling her he would return her Aadhaar card and statement. He then took her to a hotel near Aarey Road saying he would return it to her there.

On reaching the hotel room, Avhad forced himself on her and even took a selfie on her phone. Avhad then refused to return her statement and Aadhaar card telling her to meet him again. On Saturday, the woman's husband saw the selfie on her phone and registered a case of rape against the constable at Powai police station.

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Wadala GRP arrested three persons from the same family for allegedly manhandling and molesting a women constable at GTB Railway station on Saturday morning. The constable was with a Ticket Checker when she caught a woman passenger who was travelling without a ticket in the First class compartment. All the three accused have been arrested.

The alleged incident occurred on Guru Teg Bahadur Railway station of Harbour line on Saturday morning. When a Ticket Checker was checking tickets on a platform when he stopped a 19-year-old Ekta Uppal, a teacher by profession. The checker found that Ekta was travelling without a valid ticket. The TC asked the woman constable present at the station to nab Ekta as she was not ready to pay the fine.

"The woman called her father and asked him to come to the railway station. Meanwhile, Ekta was repeatedly abusing constable. Constable called Senior Inspector of Wadala GRP Rajendra Pal, sending things can go bad," said a police officer. "Senior Inspector with cops reached the spot and asked what's the matter," the officer added.

"The passenger did not have a valid ticket and along with her father and brothers, were abusing constable too. When I tried to intervene they were not calming down. Their errant behavior didn't stop in spite of repeated warnings, therefore we booked all the three," said Rajendra Pal, Senior Inspector, Wadala GRP.

Police have arrested Ekta Uppal (19), Yashraj Uppal (19) and their father Tilakraj Uppal (52) under IPC 354 (Outraging women's modesty) and other relevant sections.

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Thane: Eight vehicles parked in Lokmanya Nagar area of Maharashtra's Thane city were torched by unidentified persons in the wee hours of Monday, a civic official said.

Locals saw smoke near a bus stop in Lokmanya Nagar and informed the authorities around 3 am about four two-wheelers and as many auto-rickshaws being on fire, Thane's regional disaster management cell (RDMC) chief Santosh Kadam said.

RDMC officials and fire brigade personnel rushed to the spot and doused the flames, he said. A probe was underway, a police official said, adding that no arrest was made so far. Last month, around nine two-wheelers had been set ablaze in Naupada area of the city. Later, two persons were arrested in connection with the incident.

In a similar incident, Delhi police arrested a 23-year-old man for allegedly setting ablaze 18 vehicles in south Delhi's Madangir Village, police said Thursday. The accused was identified as Vijay Shukla and a country-made pistol and some matchboxes were found from his possession, a senior police officer said.

In a video of the incident which had gone viral, a man was seen setting fire to the vehicles after opening the fuel pipe of the motorcycles. Petrol overflowed from the tanks of six motorcycles after which they were set on fire by a match stick.

The cars parked nearby also caught fire, the officer said. The police rushed to the spot after receiving information about the incident at around 3.05 am Tuesday and doused the flames. A case was registered under relevant sections of the IPC against the man and subsequently, he was arrested, police said.

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A woman's spirit is one of ability, perseverance, and courage no matter the situation or circumstance. This women's Day Viviana Mall in association with Nina Foundation is celebrating these abilities and perseverance of differently-abled women. The abilities of Women on wheelchairs.

A stand - up comedy act, a wheelchair acrobatic performance and a fashion show all by women on wheelchairs to celebrate the many abilities these women have that makes them just like us. In addition, there will be a special talk by Virali Modi and Dr. Ketna Mehta on the special occasion of Women's Day.

The event will kickstart a campaign to provide job opportunities and the required skills training to equip them with opportunities for the future by inviting organisations and institutes to make provision for these women!

When: March 7, 2019 at 5.30 pm onwards

Where: Viviana Mall, Thane

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Bandra got its first outlet of The Wine Table in May last year. What does it offer? MRP Wine bar by glass & bottle and Wine education/training/food pairing with wines, etc. From imported - Ren, Beaujolais villages, Peppoli, Cono Sur, Torres, Salbach, Masi masianco, Robert Mondavi to domestic - Amaris reserve, Fratelli MS red, Fratelli Sangiovese, Moksh sauvignon blanc, M reserve, Raaya rose, the outlets offer all things wine.

Tignanello Italian, priced at Rs 20,000, is the most expensive buy. We walk in at 6 pm to douse our red craving, and a bite but the kitchen opens only at 7 pm. We order a Sileni pinot noir (Rs 630) and a Mokksh ren (Rs 396), a flagship brand of the store. The Sileni from New Zealand is light and perfumed and perfect for the rather early indulgence. The ren merlot is medium bodied, woody and deeper on the palate.

While our server gives us back stories of wines and vineyards, we’ll surely go back to try some whites next.

AT: Darvesh Royale Building, Perry Road, Pali Hill, Bandra West
CALL: +91 9167007667
TIMINGS: 10 am to 12.30 am
NOTE: The Wine Table didn't know we were there. The Guide reviews anonymously and pays for its meals

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It's time for some pocket-friendly shopping. Summer has already hit the bay, and people are busy working out to get the beach body right. But, is your body summer ready? If not, it is the right time to hit the gym and get rid of those extra kilos right away!

Malaika Arora was clicked at her gym in Bandra, Mumbai, and the actresses were sporting some easy-breezy gym gears for their workout session. Here's how you can get Malaika Arora's gym look at the affordable price. 

Malaika Arora's shades of grey:

Grey t-shirt: You can buy Fleximaa Women's Cotton Round Neck T-Shirt Plain t-shirt at the discounted price of Rs 249 only. Shop here.

Grey shorts: Get your yoga shorts and keep the workout going with a comfortable pair of gym gears. One shorts might just not be enough for you to keep the pace going. Get two pair of yoga pants at a discounted price of Rs 299 only. Shop here. 

Sports shoes: You can buy Staylo sports shoes to run, walk, training yourself for yoga marathon for women. Get your pair of similar shoes at the discounted price of Rs 419 only. Shop here.

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As part of its commitment to support the local community and its responsibility as a conscientiousness citizen, Growel’s 101 Mall in Kandivali hosted a blood donation campaign at the mall premises. The blood donation drive was organised in association with Rotary Club of Mumbai, Borivali East and was hosted to help children suffering from Thalassemia. People who suffer from Thalassemia need regular blood transfusions to treat Anaemia and other symptoms.

The team from Rotary Club brought their blood donation van which was parked at the mall waiting for volunteers to contribute to the noble cause. A team of around 95 members including doctors and other supporting crew was present at the venue. The activity was held from 10 am till 5 pm. The team approached visitors who were present in the mall to volunteer for the blood donation activity and received a good response with over 100 people donating blood. A total of 26,000 ml blood was donated.

A team of doctors and volunteers together collected 26,000 ml blood as part of the blood donation drive at a mall in Kandivli

Speaking about the activity, Vikas Shetty, Mall Head, Growel’s101 Mall said, "We are pleased to have made our little contribution by organising this blood donation activity in our premises for thalassemia children. Sometimes, regular blood transfusion is the only option for some patients to survive, but the cost of blood is unaffordable for many. Replacing blood donors for obtaining blood is an option. But often parents have difficulty to find a blood donor for their child. So, we wanted to urge people to donate blood for children with thalassemia."

He praised Rotary Club for having done a great job by organising the drive in the mall. “As a responsible organisation, it is our duty to support the community and those in need. We are proud to host such an event at our premises, which highlights a noble cause towards an important contribution to reduce one of the major causes of death due to non-availability of blood,” he added.

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A law firm has filed a class-action lawsuit against Apple alleging that MacBook and MacBook Pro's "butterfly" keyboard design is "prone to fail".

According to a report in Forbes, Apple was hit with the lawsuit over the design and functionality of its "butterfly" keyboard system after a string of complaints that alleged defects in the keyboard's design.

Law firm Girard Gibbs filed the lawsuit on behalf of two MacBook Pro owners after nearly 25,000 people signed a petition requesting Apple to address the problem.

The owners of these devices have complained that the "butterfly" mechanism under each key causes keys to stick and fail.

The lawsuit also takes issue with Apple's repair process for faulty keyboards, saying it doesn't permanently fix problems during the repair process.

Apple first introduced its "butterfly" keyboard with the 12-inch MacBook three years ago.

Apple claims that when a user strikes a key on this keyboard, it goes down and bounces back with a crisp motion -- unlike the traditional scissor mechanism.

This is not the first time Apple has been sued for its products. Earlier this year, it was sued for deliberately making iPhones slower.

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Representational Image

Surgeons are developing a new smartphone-based tool that can detect urethral or urine blockage, potentially making it easier for patients to test themselves for the condition from the comfort of their own homes.

The novel technique could take high-speed photography which could capture subtle differences between a normal steady stream of liquid and a stream of liquid with an obstruction.

Urethral strictures are a slowing or blocking of the natural flow of urine due to an injury or infection. It is normally diagnosed by uroflowmetry, a test administered at a physician's office.

"The problem is that patient follow-up after we treat this condition is very poor," said Matthew Gretzer, Associate Professor at the University of Arizona in the US.

"But we need patients to come back to our clinic for a uroflow test to determine if the obstruction is still present," he added.

In order to test Gretzer's hypothesis on high-speed photography, the team created a model of a urethral structure using tubing hooked to a saline bag that could drain through.

Saline fluid was passed through the tubing with and without blockages, created using 3D printed strictures,placed within the tubing. High-speed photography captured both the regular and blocked stream of liquid exiting the tube.

Gretzer contended that photos can be a medium to diagnose blockages and he hopes that patients could send him these images to analyse and make the diagnosis. He plans to create a mobile app which can be downloaded by the patients.

"All patients would need to do is take high-speed images of their urine flow using a strobe light," Gretzer said.

"Strobe light apps are readily available right now for people to use on their phones".

According to the researchers, as fluid exits an opening, a natural breakpoint occurs where the liquid stream forms droplets, but with obstructions in place, it changes.

The results showed that by analysing photos, they could measure the length to this point of droplet formation. This length then directly related to the presence of an obstruction in the tube.

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Australia's new head coach and former batsman Justin Langer interacts with the media at Melbourne on May 3. He replaced Darren Lehmann. Pic/Getty Images

Australia have a great coach in Justin Langer to guide them through one of their worst cricketing crises. Correction: They have a batting great as coach. The majority of permanent coaches of the Australian cricket team were not Test greats. In fact, the last batting great to wear the coach's cap was Bob Simpson; their first ever coach.

It was under Simpson that newly-appointed coach Justin Langer made his Test debut for Australia — in the summer of 1992-93 — when the West Indies were still the number one team in the world. Langer will not forget it. How could he? The first ball he faced in Test cricket, off the swift Ian Bishop, landed firmly at the back of his helmet. The blow left him dizzy and dazed at the Adelaide Oval. Interestingly, he was also knocked down in his 100th Test — at Johannesburg in 2006 — when he was hit hard behind the right ear by South African Makhaya Ntini to play no further part in the match.

Much like that delivery, Langer's entry into international cricket in the early 1990s was hard. He expected to be on the flight with Allan Border's England troops in 1993, but he didn't find favour with the selectors. He only became a regular one-drop batsman for his country five years down the line, before combining splendidly with Matthew Hayden in the opening position.

He was part of the 1997 Ashes series in England, but did not feature in any of the five Tests. That did not stop him from playing the perfect team man. Mark Taylor was in the throes of a treacherous slump that got the critics dissecting every one of his innings. Langer and his skipper happened to be batting together in the side game against Derbyshire, who were captained by former teammate Dean Jones. Taylor slashed at one off Philip DeFreitas and Jones dropped the catch at slip. At the end of the over, Taylor exclaimed to his junior partner, "That's bloody it, mate. I just can't f****n play!" The young bull (that's what Taylor called Langer when he related this incident in his autobiography Time to Declare) refused to accept the negativity from his skipper. "Mark, that's bloody rubbish," Langer shot back and added, "Of course, you can play. You know that. Just watch the bloody ball really close, stick in here and it will come."

Taylor listened to Langer's advice and ended up hitting his first straight drive in six months to score 63 in 181 minutes. In the next game — the opening Test of the 1997 Ashes — Taylor helped himself to a second innings hundred. The following year, while Langer continued to deal with his in-out, in-out situations, he toured Pakistan where his teammates nicknamed him Arthur Morris.

In The Power of Passion, one of Langer's four literary works, he revealed that Morris (who was part of Don Bradman's 1948 Invincibles) used to be asked often by cricket lovers about how it felt to be in the same team as Bradman. Now, Morris happened to be at the non-striker's end when Bradman was famously bowled by Eric Hollies for a duck in his last Test innings at The Oval in 1948. The dismissal prevented The Don from ending up with a three-figure batting average. Morris used to remind his audience about the fact that while Bradman's duck was most talked-about, people forget that he scored 196 in that same innings. Similarly, Taylor's 334 not out is celebrated as an epic performance, but Langer scored a hundred in that innings — his first in Test cricket — at Peshawar, but it never gets talked about. Given the shared irony of their stories, the Arthur Morris moniker stuck.

Langer ended his career in 2006-07, when Australia claimed the Ashes back after England regained the urn in 2005. Gripping cricket notwithstanding, not many Australians will look back on that contest, their first Ashes series loss since 1986-87, with pleasure. While the Australians were playing poorly in 2005 and were made to follow on at Trent Bridge, my Australian friend Andrew Ramsey, who was reporting the series for The Australian newspaper, was asked to pen a piece for The Times in London.

The guest writer was critical of Australia's performance. As Ramsey left his room for the breakfast lounge in the team hotel at Nottingham, he bumped into Langer, who told him that he read the article. Ramsey was expecting a negative reaction, but Langer called Ramsey's analysis "spot on." He patted him on his shoulder twice and ran towards the elevator to join his teammates in the team bus.

Acceptance is a great trait to have. Langer has many more, developed ever since his 11-year-old eyes watched on television his Western Australian hero Dennis Lillee shatter Viv Richards' stumps off the last ball on Boxing Day in 1981 at Melbourne. Lillee's incredible inswinger made Langer yearn to play for Australia someday. Doubtless, he'll want to be a great coach now.

mid-day's group sports editor Clayton Murzello is a purist with an open stance. He tweets @ClaytonMurzello Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com

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Illustration/Uday Mohite

Believe it or not, exciting things are happening in Konkani cinema. I am familiar with Indian films in at least 10-12 languages, but it was a real discovery watching the best Konkani films on the jury of the 9th Goa State Film Festival Awards, that was given last week. To know who the top Konkani stars are, what subjects interest them — the church often looms large. The Best Film (Konkani) went to Nilesh Karamunge’s Mahaprayan (The Last Journey), Best Director (Konkani) to Rajiv Shinde’s K Sera Sera (Ghodpachem Ghoddtelem, Whatever Will Be Will Be), and Best Film (Marathi) to Sainath Parab's Disha (Direction). Mahaprayan was a real discovery, of which more anon. K Sera Sera, which swept nine awards, told two parallel stories of an ambitious career woman and a retired man, struggling to keep his family together, starring actor-producer Rajesh Pednekar and Palomi Ghosh. It had rich technical and acting credits, some ‘imported’ from outside Goa. Sadly, Miransha Naik’s powerful Juze was not in competition, but Nilesh Malkar’s Soul Curry smartly ‘imported’ Bollywood star Jackie Shroff for wider appeal. Shroff even dubbed for himself in Konkani and won a Special Jury Award for Best Actor.

Mahaprayan is one of those rare films, that makes a powerful social critique while accomplishing an amazing technical feat: the whole 83 minute-film is a single take, shot by Sameer Bhaskar. What’s more, it is the debut feature of an ex-army man, Nilesh Karamunge. Inspired by a real incident in Odisha, the film is about Tulsidas (Dhananjay Amonkar) who, unable to afford a hearse to take his dead wife from the hospital to his distant village for cremation, walks home all the way, carrying her corpse on his shoulders, accompanied by his young daughter Kaalika (Aarya Ghare). The pair meet many people who refuse to help — hospital staff, passengers in a bus, the police, and when a kind forest official finally helps them, the media pounces on him for ‘misusing’ a government jeep. The crew did many rehearsals, shooting in real time as they walked 3.5 km in the noonday sun. The film is a scathing attack on the government and our society. The charming and mature Aarya Ghare, just nine, won Best Actress.

Mahaprayan vaults to one of the year's most gratifying discoveries in Indian cinema, its accomplishments far exceeding its modesty and flaws. K Sera Sera is a polished work, given Konkani cinema’s constraints. And let's get some perspective here: while most regional Indian cinemas started in the 1920s or earlier, the first Konkani film, Mogacho Anvddo, was released only in 1950. The Hindi and Tamil industries make, on average, 250-350 feature films a year, but the fledgeling Konkani industry makes barely five to seven features a year. And there is no doubt that Konkani cinema got kick-started since the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) was held in Goa since 2004, and the locals were consistently exposed to world cinema. And look what it's offering now — you do a double take.

Meenakshi Shedde is South Asia Consultant to the Berlin Film Festival, award-winning critic, curator to festivals worldwide and journalist. Reach her at meenakshishedde@gmail.com.

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Just months after the newly revamped Kamala Nehru Park reopened, a little girl was left with a crushed thumb after she fell from a broken swing in the handicapped section. While the girl's parents alleged that the play area is not maintained properly, the authorities claim that the handicapped section was off bounds and the parents ignored the guards' warnings.

The park was reopened on February 23 this year, a little less than a year after it shut for a makeover. While the main section of the park was being renovated, the handicapped section remained shut. When the park was opened again, the children's facilities earned high praise. However, in mid-day's report on Saturday, a few parents came forward to say that the swings and see-saws were not well-maintained either.

Let us put the accent on quality at our parks. We have to remember that given the paucity of outdoor play venues for kids, there is a great rush to use parks that are available, and equipment is stretched thin because of the sheer traffic of children.

From the very beginning, the authorities need to focus on play facilities with endurance. They must also ensure that the rides are kept in top order, leaving no risk of such horrific accidents. Park authorities must keep a medical kit with basic supplies.

Having said that, children and their parents, too, need to respect park rules. They must follow instructions issued by the park officials and security. Parents must also ensure that facilities meant for differently abled kids are not used by everyone, as that defeats the purpose. Guardians have to remain alert and stop their wards if they try to access parts of the park that are not meant for them.

Blame games are counterproductive. Only quality rides, maintenance, security and respect for rules can ensure a great outdoors experience.

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A day after this paper published a report about a couple who has been left in limbo because a financial institute has misplaced their Sale Deed or Sale of Agreement papers, there have been a few readers who have written in claiming that they experienced a similar situation. They, too, had a harrowing story to tell.

According to our report, an Andheri couple who had taken a loan from a financial institution years ago to buy a home and were paying it off over years, finished paying their loan. They asked the institute to return their documents and that is when they learnt that the Sale of Agreement has been misplaced. Their nightmare began, but it has been months the paper has not been found and they have subsequently been unable to sell a home on the outskirts of the city because buyers are wary of buying a home without the original Sale Deed.

Finance institutes cannot afford to misplace such important documents. Institutes might have misplaced the documents while shifting or the file has been lost when being transferred from one centre to another.

If this happens, and from the responses we learn that this is unfortunately not very rare, it is the organisation's responsibility to give the affected a way out. There has to be a redressal mechanism. If the true copy of the document does not work for certain people, the institute has to step in and provide them a solution.

They need to be held liable and accountable. You cannot expect the affected people, who are already suffering considerably and have also spent time and money, to do all this on their own. Those who have erred cannot wash their hands off the matter. They need to be there with the people, whose papers they have irresponsibly, though inadvertently, misplaced, right till the bitter end.

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Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar, the first citizen of Mumbai, recently visited Metro III construction sites, and a front-page report in this paper has already highlighted how he blamed the wrong agency (Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority rather than the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation) for the possibility of flooding in the city.

While that was one aspect of the mayor's tour, it was his answer to our reporter's question about his view about the Metro work, that is cause for concern. The mayor said that although the BMC is the main planning authority of the city, the Metro authorities did not take permission from them before starting the Metro 3 work. They allegedly did not even take the civic body into confidence before beginning the project.

The mayor's answer was especially disturbing, considering the damage caused by the work to BMC's stormwater drains and sewerage lines. Because of this, there will be flooding if there is a rainfall of more than 300 mm. The state government will be responsible for the same, said the mayor.

Citizens are tired of the blame game that seems to have ensued even before the monsoon. They do not care which agency has done what, they only want to see that there is no major flooding this monsoon. If there is, the authorities need to work swiftly to ensure it is dealt with. Other service arms have to work to ensure the city does not go off the rails.

Every authority must be geared to if not prevent, then at least combat, all the challenges that the monsoon is sure to bring with it. We want to hear and see actions that reassure the public, rather than discouraging finger-pointing and statements loaded with ominous portent.

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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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Mutual funds are a great way for investors to channel their savings for long term investments and to generate returns.... [Read More]

An EU-funded project has driven collaboration on renewable energy between businesses and researchers in Armenia, Belarus, Georgia and Moldova with counterparts from EU countries. The links are boosting innovation - helping the participating countries make the transition to more sustainable energy sources.

More than 3.11 crore voters spread across 17 Lok Sabha constituencies will cast their vote today, in the final phase of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra. While voters across North Maharashtra, Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and parts of Western Maharashtra gears up to cast their valuable votes come April 29, a popular restaurant in Malad added its own twist in order to urge its patron and voters to cast their votes as responsible citizens.

While the Mumbai votes today, innumerable initiatives have come up in the city with innovative ways to encourage people to exercise their franchise. However, a suburban restaurant in Malad came up with a cheeky poster to encourage voters to cast their valuable vote.

The cheeky message by Uncle's Kitchen, Malad requests voters to cast their voters on April 29, 2019

Uncle's Kitchen in Malad is a popular eatery and it put up a rather quirky poster on the wall outside their restaurant. The poster on the wall of Uncle's Chicken read, "We will keep our chicks away from you till 6 pm so that you can cast your valuable vote." Thus, urging their patrons and voters in Malad and Mumbai to come out in large numbers on April 29 and cast their vote. They, of course, were referring to their chicken dishes in the witty poster.

Uncle's Kitchen in Malad is a popular restaurant that serves Chinese cuisine and celebrities including Mithun Chakraborty, Raza Murad, music director Pritam, Mohnish Behl and Suresh Oberoi are believed to be regulars.

The right to vote is the gift of democracy. Let's all go out and VOTE!#VoteForIndia#LokSabhaElections2019 pic.twitter.com/CuzLniWUsn

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) April 26, 2019

Just two days ago, Bharat Ratna Sachin Tendulkar took to Twitter to urge voters to cast their vote on April 29. He said that this year besides him and Anjali Tendulkar, his children, Sara and Arjun too will cast their votes for the first time this election. He captioned the video: The right to vote is the gift of democracy. Let us all go out and VOTE!

The results of the Lok Sabha Elections 2019 will be announced on May 23, 2019. You can log on to eci.gov.in for more information.

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NCP chief Sharad Pawar pitched for a stable government at the Centre and urged citizens to come out in large numbers to cast their votes as he exercised his democratic right on Monday. Voting was underway for the fourth phase of Lok Sabha polls in 72 parliamentary constituencies spread across nine states.

#Mumbai: NCP Chief Sharad Pawar after casting his vote at polling booth 31 in Tardeo. #LokSabhaElections2019 pic.twitter.com/G8VNrNwESd

— ANI (@ANI) April 29, 2019

In Maharashtra, polling was being held in 17 seats, including Mumbai. "Today is an important day for the country. It is required that a stable government is formed. It is expected that Mumbaikars will not lag behind, and will exercise their voting right by coming out in large numbers and voting decisively," Pawar, the former Union minister, tweeted in Marathi.

Earlier, BJP MP Poonam Mahajan, Congress nominee Urmila Matondkar, industrialist Anil Ambani and actor Rekha cast their votes in Mumbai in the initial hours of polling. State education minister Vinod Tawde, BJP candidate from Mumhai-North East Manoj Kotak and Congress nominee from Mumbai-Central Eknath Gaikwad were also among the early voters.

Pic courtesy/Bipin Kokate

Anil Ambani was spotted casting his vote in Mumbai

Pic courtesy/Faizan Khan

Manoj Kotak cast his vote in Mumbai

Pic courtesy/Yogen Shah

Urmila Matondkar present at the polling booth to cast her vote.

It was a delight to participate in the festival of democracy, casting my vote is for progressive development of every Indian, for #NewIndia. I urge Mumbaikars to join in and make each vote count! #MumbaikarVoteKar pic.twitter.com/epS3g0Vwk4

— Chowkidar Vinod Tawde (@TawdeVinod) April 29, 2019

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' (colourful decorations). 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.

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Edited by mid-day online desk with inputs from Agencies

Voter's names missing from lists is not unusual any more. But, in Bhendi Bazaar, an entire building full of voters has vanished from the list, leaving around 100 residents without their right to vote in this election.

Salam Khan, a 32-year-old businessman, has been casting his vote for years. On Monday, however, he got the shock of his life when he was informed that his name was missing from the voters' list. When he returned home, miffed, he discovered that all the residents of his building, Zainabiya, were not on the list for some reason.

"When I reached the polling booth, I was told that my name was not on it. I was very upset. Then when I reached home, my neighbours, too, start complaining about the same thing. Later, we got to know that the name of the building had gone missing from the list. This is such a big mistake, they have lost so many voters," said Khan.

Also Read: Election 2019: Mumbai scrapes through in voting report card

The residents alleged that they heard that because the building was old, the election officer was told that the structure had been demolished for redevelopment. "We cast our last vote during the BMC election in 2017. There was no problem then. But now, the whole building has gone missing. How is it possible?" asked Rasheed Sheikh.

Election 2019: Prominent personalities, other Mumbaikars come out to caste vote!

Crèches at polling booths

The Election Commission roped in Aanganwadi Sevikas on voting day to take care of children coming with their parents to voting centres. While several such Sevikas were seen standing near the polling stations to take care of children so that they don't enter polling booths, other arrangements were made in rooms inside various schools where parents could leave their kids for a short while to vote.

Also Read: Elections 2019: Regular voters find their name missing at polling booths

In Prabhadevi, 147 Aanganwadi workers were roped in for this. A municipal school at Prabhadevi saw about 40 children taken care by these workers throughout the day. Even at Malad, the crèche was a big hit. Vandana Kothekar, who was on election duty and taking care of these kids from Prabhadevi, said, "We saw a good turnout and parents were willing to keep their children as it was just a matter of a few minutes."

Salman Khan, SRK, Ranveer Singh, Kangana, Bachchans step out for voting

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The art display at the debut edition of the festival

This weekend, if you step into the heritage precinct of the Great Eastern Mills compound in Byculla, you’ll get to feast your eyes on oil and watercolour paintings by 50 artists from across India. The showcase is part of the second edition of Art 35, a three-day carnival that celebrates affordable art. “Though we had a basic festival last year, I have taken it to a bigger scale this year by curating carpet displays, fashion apparel, jewellery and food stalls; paper and origami workshops for children and music performances too,” shares Charu Tewari, CEO of Ficus Fine Living, that’s presenting the festival.

Mooralala Marwada

The performance line-up includes an afternoon of Sufi renditions by Mooralala Marwada, a well-known folk singer from the Janana village in Kutch district of Gujarat. The artiste, who sings in the Kaafi form of music, will regale the audience with poetry of Kabir, Mirabai and Ravidas. Other must-catch acts include a Dastangoi storytelling session with Ankit Chadha and a stand-up comedy show titled Oye... Stand Up by Ankita Shrivastav and Mohit Sharma. The latter will also perform a solo act of Toba Tek Singh. The play based on Saadat Hasan Manto’s famous short story set in the aftermath of Partition will see the actor don 19 characters in 60 minutes.

Mohit Sharma in an earlier performance of Toba Tek Singh

The fest also offers a range of workshops — from one on digital photography by Himanshuu Chandrakant Sheth to tarot card reading by Ruchi Shah, finger painting, fabric painting, mural painting, collage making as well as cupcake decoration with fondants and frostings. Each workshop is curated for specific age groups, including two-year-olds.

What’s a carnival without yum food? Dig into chaat, sandwiches, baos and organic fare from the stalls set up at the fest. These include gourmet lunchboxes for `500 whipped up by Savor, a subscription service launched by the folks behind The Secret Supper Project along with probiotic European fermented milk drink, Kefir, by Moina Oberoi, who runs the city’s first Kefir delivery service. You can also binge on Mutton Kheema Samosas, biryani and other sumptuous fare from a pop-up by The Bohri Kitchen.

If you’re looking for retail therapy, check out faux and semi precious jewellery, fashion apparel by Neelu Oberoi as well as exotic carpets and hides from The Merge Projekt in Bandra.

Amid the lockdown, a message went viral on social media stating that a vegetable vendor from the big BMC building market near Borivli station was COVID-19 positive. The message also asked residents to avoid buying vegetables from small roadside vendors since they bought their stock from the BMC market.

The message led to panic among Borivli residents, especially when many have been depending on small vegetable vendors due to travel limitations. Several residents were confused on Wednesday whether to buy vegetables at all and if yes, from which vendor. After the panic, the BMC too shut the market located near Borivli station which led to further anxiety among locals.

Avinash S, a local resident, said, "I received this message just a day after we had bought vegetables from a vendor near our residential building. It was certainly going to add to the panic and stress that we are living in currently. Due to the movement limitations, most of us depend on such small vegetable vendors near our houses."

mid-day found out that one vendor had indeed tested positive but he had not visited the market for a couple of weeks and had self-quarantined himself at home. The BMC decided to seal the market as a precautionary measure only to reopen it after disinfecting.

A vegetable vendor in I C Colony, Pratap Yadav, said, "After the market was closed, it added to more stress as people believed the news. Many customers started asking me if I had bought vegetables from that market."

'No need to panic'
Former corporator Abhishek Ghosalkar said that it was important to note that the vendor has been away from the market for many days. "There is no reason to panic
because BMC is disinfecting the complete market," he added.

The vendor is a resident of Borivli and got himself tested around ten days ago after his symptoms refused to subside. His report was out on Sunday after which he was admitted to a hospital.

Another former corporator Shiva Shetty said the number of patients in Borivli was increasing and residents were, "still casual about it, especially in the slum areas."
Local BMC ward officer Bhagyashree Kapase was unavailable for comment.

Apr 26
Day the vendor got his positive COVID-19 report

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The city's battle against the COVID-19 has finally started to show some positive results with the doubling rate of positive cases increasing from 8.3 days to 10 days. According to findings of the Central Committee, the doubling rate of cases was recorded between April 7 and April 17, which indicates that cases might now increase at lesser speed. While the doubling rate period at the national level is 9.5 days, the same in Maharashtra was 8.9 days.

Noting this, the Central Committee has lauded the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC's) preventive measures, said a senior civic official.

Mortality rate decreases
In its findings, the Committee has analysed the number of infected patients and observed that the mortality rate among them in the BMC area was lower compared to that of the state. At the state level, an average of 4.3 patients are dying per 100 infected patients and in the BMC area, an average of 3.9 patients are dying every 100 infected patients. A civic official said that few days ago the average mortality rate of infected cases in the BMC area was 6.3 per cent, which too had reduced.

However, BMC now faces the challenge to cater to areas where earlier the rate of doubling of cases was low but has increased in the last couple of days. Wards like G South, G North and E, which have been reporting a high number of cases, are seeing an increase in the doubling rate period.

Earlier, on an average the cases used to double every 10.6 days in G south but now it has gone up to 17.6 days. But R central ward has seen a reverse trend. Its doubling rate period has gone down to 5.5 days from 16.9 days.

Contact tracing
The first COVID-19 positive case was detected on March 11, and since then the civic body has been tracing contacts of positive patients. Till April 26, as many as 1,29,477 were found through contact tracing, of which 21,053 were high-risk group contacts and 1,647 cases were positive.

The BMC, however, claimed that they were being able to control the number of cases due to the containment zones as people cannot move from one area to another and spread the infection. An analysis of the statistics of medical tests conducted across the country reveals that comparatively most number of the tests had taken place in the BMC jurisdiction. As many as 66,000 tests have been conducted in the city so far, an official said.

Containment efforts
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior civic official said, "The doubling rate period of 10 days is better than the national average of 9.5 and the mortality rate of 3.9 is better than the state as well as national figures. This has been done through containment efforts and aggressive contact tracing and quarantining."

He added, "Today, the battle against Coronavirus is being fought with the active cooperation of the municipal corporation, police, various government departments, private hospitals and many others. We once again appeal to the citizens of Greater Mumbai Municipal Corporation to follow the guidelines."

21,053
No. of high-risk group contacts found till April 26

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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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With over a 100 people testing positive for COVID-19 at the APMC market in Vashi, Navi Mumbai Mayor Jayawant Sutar has demanded that it be locked down. He has threatened to write to the Maharashtra Governor and to the Central Health Committee Task Force.

Speaking to mid-day, Sutar, the mayor from BJP, said, "As per my information, the APMC already has over 100 cases of Coronavirus. When a positive case was detected on April 28, NMMC Commissioner Annasaheb Misal had ordered to shut the market for 14 days, but had to withdraw the order, after the Konkan Commissioner refused to do so."

"I spoke to Misal again during a conversation with bureaucrats and he has expressed concern over the increasing number of positive cases in the market. But so far, no decision has been taken on shutting it down," said Sutar. "Our job is to bring the matter to the notice of the government and ministers, with whom lies the final decision. If they do not heed our request, we will bring the issue to the notice of the Maharashtra Governor and the Central Health Committee Task Force monitoring the outbreak," Sutar added.

APMC Administrator and Secretary Anil Chavan, said, "As per our record, only 25 staff, including traders, have tested positive. We have been asking for swab test reports from the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC), but for reasons best known to them, they have not shared the reports with us." Chavan added, "We have come to know that in case a trader tests positive, the NMMC will take into account all his family members which will show a higher count."

There has been no decision on closing the market yet. File pic

When asked if they are still contemplating shutting APMC, as suggested by some traders, Chavan said, "We have learnt that government officials are still discussing this and in the next few days, the matter would be clear. Meanwhile, APMC market is functioning with restrictions and if a trader gets infected, we ensure that his galla and the two adjacent gallas are closed and sanitised."

mid-day asked Sutar about NMMC not sharing the test reports with APMC, to which he replied, "There is no reason to not share the information. All COVID-19 cases are told about to the health department and the government daily. So there is no question about APMC claiming lack of information."

A trader who did not wish to be identified, said, "It is unfortunate that the APMC market is becoming a hotspot for COVID-19. Right from the beginning, we have been alerting the APMC committee about an outbreak possibility and that they should shut the market for a few days, but our plea fell on deaf ears."

Blame game over outbreak

Sources in the APMC committee said that as opposed to the 300 trucks allowed in the market per day, traders continue to over-order stock, which is leading to several extra trucks waiting at the truck terminal. This, sources say, is exacerbating the outbreak in the market.

The market also does not have any way to prevent asymptomatic infected people from entering the premises.

Traders, on the other hand, say that the market generates a business of several crores per day and that the committee and the government do not want to interrupt that cash flow. "If someone gets infected in one stall (galla), several other workers working for the particular trader automatically run the risk of getting infected and so do their families. We have suggested that the market be completely shut for one full week with a few days' notice so people can stock up. But even that suggestion is not being taken as it will interrupt the cash flow," another trader who did not wish to be named said.

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The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has increased the capacity of Corona Care Centres (CCC) for positive asymptomatic people double fold, with the help of schools, college buildings and pandals on open plots. The city now has 37,343 beds reserved for people who are positive but don't have any symptoms. One-fourth of the city's patients are in these centres. The maximum number of these CCC2 facilities is in wards which are on the top with high numbers of COVID-19 cases.

While the institutional quarantine centres (CCCs) have over 7,000 high-risk contacts with a capacity of little more than 20,000, the BMC is now focusing on the Corona Care Centres 2 (CCC2) which deal with positive asymptomatic patients. The maximum number of facilities is available in E (Byculla), L (Kurla), M east (Govandi, Mankhurd), M west (Chembur) and S (Bhandup) wards where the number of patients is increasing significantly.

With the Shreeniwas Mill building have a capacity of 3,000 beds, two parking lots with 1,000 beds, NSCI club of Worli with 500 beds, and some schools, G south ward has 5,568 beds for asymptomatic positive patients. Byculla has 2,605 beds with an 850 beds centre in a hall and a pandal. With more than 900 cases in Dharavi, G North ward utilised the space of Dharavi College to set up another 700 beds facility. C ward used gymkhana lawns and buildings on Netaji Subhash Road for more than 1,200 beds.

L ward erected pandals in Somaiya ground and Kurla ST Depot for 2,000 beds, M west ward uses the Swami Vivekanand College building for 1,200 beds and M east ward with densely populated slums used MHADA buildings for a 700 beds facility.

As of today, 2,233 people are in CCC2. "Hardly 6 per cent of the beds are occupied so far. But the BMC is preparing for the worst scenario," said a BMC official.

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Two police officers and a constable were injured after a 27-year-old man attacked them with a chopper in south Mumbai early today, police said. Karan Pradip Nayar, president of Silver Oaks estate near Breach Candy, attacked the policemen who were on routine 'nakabandi' duty at 1.30 am, senior police inspector of Marine Drive police station Mrityunjay Hiremath told PTI.

The policemen, all deployed at the Marine Drive police station, received injuries on their shoulders and hands and were taken to the state government-run JJ hospital, he said. "When our policemen saw the man walking with a large chopper near the Pransukhlal Mafatlal Hindu Swimming Bath and Boat Club, they tried to stop him. He ran away and they chased him. When they tried to catch him, he attacked them with the chopper," Hiremath said.

Nayar, an architecture graduate, has been arrested, the police officer said, adding a case has been filed against him under various sections of the IPC, including 307 (attempted murder) and also the Arms Act. DCP Zone 1 Sangramsinh Nishandar reached the spot immediately after the incident and made arrangements for the medical treatment and accommodation of the injured policemen, he said.

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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

Visible panty lines and camel toes are big fashion faux pas and can ruin even the most perfect outfit. Do not buy tight underwear, and hide bulging belly fat with high waist panties, suggest experts.

Smita Murarka, Head - Marketing and E-commerce at MAS Brands India (amanté and ULTIMO), and Neha Kant, Founder of Clovia, have listed a few ideas:

• Aim to wear underwear that fits perfectly. A tight underwear leads to lines and discomfort whereas a loose underwear easily bunches up inside one's clothes, showing wrinkles and bumps.

• Underwear should be selected depending on the outfit being worn. Thongs are a good option when you are wearing tight clothing, boyshorts provide full coverage, hipsters offer modest coverage at the hip area, full briefs cover your abdomen area and bikinis are an all-time favourite giving a feminine look.

• To avoid visible panty lines, opt for seamless panties, boyshorts or thongs.

• To hide bulging belly fat, opt for panties with a high waist or panties with broad waistband.

• Always wear nude or skin coloured panties under white or light bottoms.

• While wearing low waist jeans always wear a low waist or ultra low waist panty.

• Avoid camel toes with a very simple hack using panty liners. Place two panty liners on top of each other and adjust it over your panty.

• Fabric of the clothes plays an important role while selecting the right underwear. A smooth seamless panty is an apt choice while wearing dresses and flimsy light fabrics.

• Stay away from thongs when you are working out and stick to cotton panties. It is important to be aware of choosing the best kind of underwear for your health as to avoid UTI, yeast infection and other such problems.

Also watch

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The Story Re-Spun, Raymond's Khadi Project fashion show, was held on April 4 at its flagship store at Breach Candy

The guests gathered at Raymond's Breach Candy store earlier this month for The Story Re-Spun, a showing of the menswear brand's latest line, had one question on their minds - how will the corporate professional accustomed to crease-free workwear warm up to whimsical, organic khadi? But the team at India's oldest fabric retailer knew they had pressed the right button when the campaign around their just-launched Khadi initiative clocked 15 million views in 30 hours on their social media page.

Raymond has launched the collection in association with young designers Gaurav Khanijo, Anuj Bhutani, Ujjawal Dubey and Alan Alexander Kaleekal, and their choice of textile is the "fabric of the nation", which they call universal, and one that transcends age and social barriers. The brand has used its fabric technology expertise to lend khadi, drape and wash-and-wear qualities. The silhouettes and prints which comprise the collection of suits, tuxedos, bandhgalas, bomber jackets, hoodies, shirts and kurtas, are modern and approachable. To complete the look, on offer is a range of khadi accessories - ties, pocket squares, cuff links and shoes.

Varanasi-based textile developer and designer Hemang Agrawal's

"The design and technical teams from Raymond worked extensively with clusters of khadi weavers from across the country for over 12 months to give the fabric a whole new face and form," says Gaurav Mahajan, President-Apparel Business, Raymond. Style observers see Raymond's move as one that seeks to give sustainable fashion a nifty edge, a trait often compromised in the drive to produce ethical fashion, and promote indigenous crafts. Fashion entrepreneur and consultant Sabina Chopra says, in the absence of labels offering appealing sustainable designs at reasonable prices to the young buyer, Raymond's model could be one to ape. "Collaborations [between designers and fabric manufacturers] could be the way forward if we are to impact purchase," she thinks.

Summer 2018 collection reimagined Benarasi textiles to make minis and box-pleated dresses, and used Tanchoi and Katarwan weaving techniques to create the houndstooth pattern

While the world over, sustainable fashion champions fair trade, local techniques of production, and reuse and upcyling, in India, an ancient tradition of craft has moved focus to the revival of textiles. That it is currently also a political talking point, makes it complicated. "In India, we stress on sustainable fashion from an aesthetic point of view, motivated by the revival of textiles. There's too much of one thing, without regard for price point, the young customer demographic, fit or design," feels Delhi-based designer Arjun Saluja. He is currently occupied with creating a collection from upcycled cotton, with a focus on minimum fabric wastage. And so, the sustainable cause is a subtle story behind the collection, not its central identity.

After showing at LFW S/R 2018, The Good Loom showcased its summer collection of casual menswear and sarees, designed with a special focus on ethical production and getting the right fit at ARTISANS' gallery at Kala Ghoda last week

Hemang Agrawal, textile developer and designer from Varanasi, agrees. "Shoppers buy basis design and style. The ethical credentials of a label come later," he says. Living in a city that's at the heart of the ongoing revival of Benarasi weaves, he speaks of fly-by-night designers jumping in to claim to own the cause.

Agrawal decided it was time to rewrite the script; one that tested the sprightly, dressy competence of time-honoured Indian weaves. Un-Revive, his summer 2018 collection, included modern-day essentials such as minis Mary Quant-would approve, trench and box-pleated dresses, maxis, cropped pants and palazzos. He pinned his interest on the sustainability mast by working with master weavers from his hometown to create tartan checks, polka dots, houndstooth and geometric patterns using the Tanchoi and Katarwan techniques. "Why can't handlooms be young?" he says, explaining the thought behind using one of India's oldest textiles to create plucky, young designs.

Chopra wonders why sustainable clothes are devoid of colour or refined cut. A chunk of craft practitioners focusing solely on revival of textiles are taking for granted the design element of clothing. "Hence, the final tailored garment tends to be weak on cut, giving us tent-like, boring clothes…who decided colour is not cool?" she says. Veteran designer duo David Abraham and Rakesh Thakore of A&T push the boundaries when the former says, "Theoretically, you could do anything with craft, even design a bikini or hot pants. The trouble is, designers are not intervening into developing their own textiles. Ideally, they should."

A&T made a compelling case for ethics-meets-aesthetics with the recent #SadakSmart collection. Encouraged by DIY countercultural streetwear trend, the range looked at indigenous shapes, such as the salwar, kameez, saree and ghagra, and tipped them in favour of teasing everyday styles using updated versions of sequined Chanderi, aari embroidery, and floral patterns inspired by the great Indian chintz.

Not so long ago, anti-fit fashion found its moment internationally, and India, a land of drapes, was more than happy. The unstructured silhouette became an approved form of anti-fit, and handloom - one of the heroes of sustainable fashion - tagged along. Saluja points out that a change in design will take place only when we break the myth that hand-woven equals anti-fit. "The latter is about how you play with both, fabric and body - kiss it or turn it away from skin. Lend it form or leave it formless. Fabric development plus emphasis on silhouettes is key."

And so, good design is both the problem and the solution. Sustain, a 12-year-old apparel vertical of the Good Earth brand of luxury lifestyle, insists on being known as classically Indian. "We are not interested in being hip or cool. But we understand the value of offering modern clothing options that highlight India's incredible workmanship. It might be difficult to make khadi glamorous, so we've started working with Bhagalpuri silks for evening wear. Similarly, we've updated traditional embroideries by combining them with fresher colour ways," says Deepshikha Khanna, head of Sustain.

Rozana, a sub-brand of Sustain, positions itself as daily tonic for everyday wardrobe woes. Aimed at younger clients, it's a line of separates. Sassy shirtdresses, long and short kurtas, lehengas, kalidar kurtas and Hiba trousers are made in malkha cotton, khadi and muslin, priced between Rs 4,500 and Rs 22,000. Interestingly, timely interest by two of India's biggest fashion weeks has plucked the sustainable fashion lobbyists from their craft-based address to dazzling runways with dedicated show slots. The Autumn/Winter 2017 edition of Amazon India Fashion Week addressed the relevance of handlooms, while highlighting sustainable businesses with, The Handloom School. Supported by Good Earth, nine designers including Sanjay Garg, Neeru Kumar, Gaurav Jai Gupta, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Rohit Bal, Péro and Ekà worked with weavers and textiles designers under the watchful eye of textile revivalist Sally Holkar.

For the last seven years, Lakmé Fashion Week has dedicated a day towards the promotion of Indian crafts, recycling and re-purposing. "It started as a means to encourage dialogue on sustainable values. And with initiatives like #CraftisCool, we are working towards creating viable collections that appeal to high street sensibility," says Gautam Vazirani, fashion curator, IMG-Reliance, organisers of LFW.

This season, LFW collaborated with The Good Loom, an artisanal brand from GoCoop, (the first e-commerce store to win a national award for 'Marketing of Handlooms') to present a selection of smart, casual menswear and sarees, with a special focus on ethical production and getting the right fit. It was a sincere attempt at bridging the gap between how the country's Instagram generation interprets fashion and its duet with indigenous craftsmanship. "That sustainable fashion should be sexy, and not stop at mundane or homogeneous, is now our agenda. The millennials don't see themselves dressed in kaftans or anti-fit shapes," adds Vazirani. But he's up against a challenge. Designers often tell him of the 35+ consumer loving the anti-fit way. Saluja has an answer to that. "Let's not be blinded by the revival manifesto. Sixty per cent of India's population is under 35, and they are seeking stylish ready-to-wear options."

Challenge of handlooms: Colour forecast doesn't figure in our scheme
For 11-year-old label, Amrich, led by Delhi-based Amit Vijaya and Richard Pandav, instead of reinforcing a divide between ethical and non-ethical consumers, they prefer to be known as a Western wear brand of separates, infused with enough versatility to be worn in Indian styles. "Working with handlooms is not without its unique set of challenges. For example, we can't afford to follow the colour forecast, since we work with natural dyes. Plus, we work with tricky timelines. We have to work two years in advance since there is lot of back and forth between craftsmen and our design team," says Vijaya. Luckily, the two design and develop their signature shibori in-house, making it possible to control how the garment is cut. "It also allows us to keep the price affordable. The shibori range starts at Rs 13,000," he adds.

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Legendary shooter Abhinav Bindra believes once the coronavirus pandemic subsides, it could be a blessing in disguise for Indian sports due to absence of much foreign exposure. "The post-COVID-19 world could be a blessing in disguise for India. There may not be so much foreign exposure and this may allow India to build proper sporting infrastructure. We need to build our own coaches and our own support staff," Bindra said on Monday. The entire sporting calendar has come to a grinding halt across the world due to the coronavirus pandemic. Major sporting events, including Tokyo Olympics and Wimbledon, have either been postponed or cancelled.

Bindra, India's only individual Olympic gold medallist, alongwith Nandan Kamath, lawyer and managing trustee GoSports Foundation, on Monday addressed the newly-appointed assistant directors and other senior officials of Sports Authority of India (SAI) during a special session. Bindra said that as sports administrators they need to work towards creating an alternate skill development programme for athletes to ensure their well-being in the long run.

"We need to look after athletes because the very nature of sport is that more will fail than succeed. It is important that athletes have backup plans in case their sports career doesn't work out," he pointed out. Bindra further said that sports administrators need to understand the psychology of an athlete to be able to build them up because athletes pass through different phases because of the nature of sport and the probability of failure.

"An expert can give a larger overview of the various elements that go into sporting performance and that's where you will understand where performance is built and what are the various elements that go into performance and then you will start to have a better and deeper understanding of where performance is built. Results at a competition cannot be the only denominator when planning for an Olympic Games or an Asian Games," he added.

Bindra spoke at length on his experience as an athlete and also on the future of sports in India. "The one per cent (of athletes) makes all the difference in sport, and as our sports ecosystem starts maturing, we need to start focussing on that one percent for all athletes," he said.

Stressing on the need to build a strong talent identification and nurturing programme, he added, "Getting foundations right is important, a lot of work on that has already been started with the Khelo India programme and also emphasis placed on junior programme of different sports.

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From Korea, with love

An Asian take on the classic cocktail, the Kimchi Mary features the Korean condiment and sticks of cucumber frozen into ice blocks.
Time 12 pm to 1 am
At Hello Guppy, Godrej-BKC, G-Block, BKC, Bandra (East).
Call 26534720
Cost Rs 300 plus taxes

Beloved bacon

Two of our loves — bacon and cocktails — come together in this Smoked Bacon Bloody Mary, which pairs perfectly with your slice of thin-crust pizza.
Time 11.30 am to 1 am
At Woodside Inn outlets in Andheri West and Colaba. CALL 26328963
Cost Rs 545 plus taxes

Peppered with pepperoni

Love your slices of pepperoni? The Mary Peppins, made with chicken pepperoni infused vodka, sweet chilli sauce and sea salt water is tailor-made for you.
Time 12 pm to 12 am
At Lemon Leaf, 4, Mandlik Road, Colaba.
Call 22020616
Cost Rs 450

Melon in the mix

A little sweet and little spicy, this Watermelon Bloody Mary sits pretty in a jar,
and sweet on your palate.
Time 9 am to 1 am
At Jamjar Diner outlets in Versova and Bandra West.
Call 26358880
Cost Rs 380 plus taxes

Recipe for a classic Bloody Mary
Ingredients
120ml tomato juice
60ml vodka
10ml lime juice
2–4 lime wedges
4–5 drops of Tobasco sauce
4 – 5 drops of Worcestershire sauce
3 – 4 ice cubes
Salt, to taste
Celery/green chilly for garnish

Method
Rim a roly ploy glass with a lime wedge and salt.
Add ice cubes, Tobasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, lime juice, tomato juice and vodka.
Garnish with celery and/or green chillies.
Recipe courtesy Binny Dhadwal, bartender and consultant

Why so special?

Spanish festival La Tomatina is held annually in the eastern town of Buñol on the last Wednesday of August. The event, where people throw tonnes of tomatoes at each other, is the result of a public brawl that took place in 1945. The festival gained much popularity in India post the 2011 Hindi film, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.

There is always the lure of savouring dishes not available to others; something with a limited edition feel, a sense of secrecy. Most restaurants have off-the-menu dishes, and reasons for their classified nature can be anything from the chef wanting to surprise his patrons to the lack of constant supply of a particular ingredient. Here's a curated list of dishes from across city eateries that chefs won't readily tell you about. Regulars would know, of course, and now they are all yours to try.

Pita pocket
At: Henpecked, Kala Ghoda

Mini pita pockets are cooked in a traditional Neapolitan oven where the "torched wooden logs take up the heat of the dome-shaped oven up to 600 degrees", says head chef Ajay Thakur. The heat transforms the simple pita pocket into what's best described as a Mediterranean phulka. "We stuff it with farm fresh veggies or meat." Thakur learnt to prepare the dish during a trip to Dubai. "That's where the idea struck me. Anything between pita breads is worshipped there," he says. Since it's easy to make, there's hardly ever a chance of it not being available if you ask for it.

Why off the menu? "It is good to surprise your customers. Since the dish employs a unique technique, we like to keep it a secret special."

Beetroot Ice Cream
At: Su Casa, Bandra

When chef Dev Rawat concocted a recipe for the Beetroot Ice Cream, he knew it wouldn't be up everyone's alley. Rawat, who did not want to tamper with the original flavour of the vegetable has, therefore, kept the dish moderately sweet with little sugar.

While he does recommend it, the orders don't exceed five a month. "I have a penchant for the quirky, so it's fine if it's not popular," he says.

Why off the menu? "For any dish to have a place on the menu, it must do justice in terms of sales. Besides, it takes an unusual palate to enjoy roasted beetroot ice cream."

Grilled Kangaroo Fillet With Grilled Baby Spinach and Potato Salad 
At: Estella, Juhu

It was during a trip to Australia that Chef Rohan D'Souza tasted the grilled kangaroo for the first time. "I especially liked the way the Australian chefs play with meat preparations," says the head chef at Estella. His curiosity to learn new cuisines and experiment with dishes motivated him to replicate it at the restaurant. The dish is recommended to guests depending on the availability of meat. "Mostly Australians based in Mumbai choose this," he says. Served with grilled baby spinach, sauce café de paris and warm mustard potato salad, the grilled kangaroo fillet tastes similar to buffalo meat, he says. "It has a wonderful taste that adds a lot of flavour without being overpowering."

Why off the menu?
"Kangaroo meat doesn't come cheap. It's about R4,500 a kg, and is a rare meat available only in Australia."

Bhut Jolokia Chicken Sandwich
At: Dive, BKC

Chef Munawar Taher Peerzade, who heads BKC's Dive, often sees patrons reaching for the tissue box after taking a bite of the Bhut Jolokia Chicken Sandwich. He introduced the item on the appetisers menu when the restaurant launched early this year, but realised it might not be everybody's cup of tea. "I was forced to take it off, because not everybody has a threshold for spice," he says. The bhut jolokia chilli is a hybrid chili pepper cultivated in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland and Manipur, not easily available in Mumbai. At the restaurant, the chillies are ground into a paste along with other spices to whip up the base sauce for the sandwich.

Why off the menu? "We get the oddball customer who asks for something fiery, so I realised it makes for a good off-the-menu chef's recommend snack."

3 Bean Paella
At: Luca, Lower Parel

This Spanish dish, we are told, is prepared in limited quantities at this newly opened restaurant in Mathuradas Mills. "There are several other bean-based dishes on the menu. This one is only available under chef's specials on specific days. It is, however, available to anyone who asks for it," says head chef Shankar Kokkula. But it's not an eat that can be customized. "It is meant to be had the way it is made, because it is a chef's special." The dish packs in a punch of pulses, loaded with haricot beans, black-eyed beans, kidney beans, green peas and rice, served in a bowl. "It's a free-style dish; you can add vegetables as per your choice and availability of ingredients. The core preparation, however, remains as is. We add paprika for that added fire." This is Kokkula's own spin to the Spanish staple.

Why off the menu? "I have been a fan of the Spanish delicacy and wanted to experiment with it. I didn't include it on the menu since I wished that it be made available on select days."

Honey Darsaan
At: Four Points by Sheraton, Navi Mumbai

It was as a rookie chef that Ashvini Kumar, now executive chef At Four Points by Sheraton, in Navi Mumbai, picked up the recipe of Honey Darsaan, a Chinese Dessert made with fried wonton noodles. Here, the noodles are drizzled with honey and sesame seeds and accompanied with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Although the chef's favourite, it lost out to other desserts during a menu revamp, and was replaced with Granny Smith Apples and Toffee Ice Cream. But like Kumar, there are a few guests who
dig the dessert.

"We get around 10 orders for the dish," he says.

Why off the menu? "What happens with fast food desserts is that it's an extensive spread, and you can't have them all on the menu, because it creates clutter."

It's going to take a while before we can swallow the fact that Irrfan Khan is no more with us. He fought till his last breath and refused to give up. To be able to smile and spread happiness despite your own struggles is the very notion of any artist in the world, and Khan was one such gem that will always continue to shine.

He was admitted to the Kokilaben hospital last night due to colon infection and passed away today morning. Nearly all the Bollywood celebrities paid homage to the actor on their social media accounts by sharing messages and pictures. Shah Rukh Khan called him his friend, inspiration, and the greatest actor of their times.

However, Deepika Padukone, who shared screen space with him in Shoojit Sircar's Piku, shared a black picture that reflected the void that his unfortunate demise has left in Bollywood. She also shared a broken heart in the form of her caption.

Have a look right here:

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

💔 #irrfankhan

A post shared by Deepika Padukone (@deepikapadukone) onApr 29, 2020 at 3:51am PDT

Irrfan Khan and Deepika Padukone were supposed to collaborate once again for a film that was to be directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, but due to the actor's illness, it was pushed indefinitely. May Irrfan's soul Rest In Peace!

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While competition in Bollywood has always been cutthroat, there have been a few exceptions, who with their A-game have managed to rule the roost in the entertainment world. And ever since actress Radhika Madan stepped on board in Bollywood there has truly been no looking back for her. In fact, in very little time the actress has garnered immense popularity, thanks to her amazing performances. Now while Radhika continues her victory march, we bring you 3 reasons why she is Bollywood’s next blue-eyed girl.

1) She made it without a godfather in the industry

Radhika is amongst those few who ventured into the movies on their own terms. Yes, the Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota actress stepped into the industry with a guiding force or a godfather and yet has managed to do so well for herself. And while she also fought her detractors all alone, her earnest approach and efforts are what brought her all the name and fame.

2) She has played 3 unique roles

Very few get opportunities like Radhika did, right from her debut the actress has only landed in roles which made her standout. While all her roles in Pataakha, Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota and Angrezi Medium have been quite different, they have also been quite complex, but Radhika has pulled them off quite effortless. With all her roles she has truly proven that she is a versatile actress we all need to watch out for.

3) She has been a director’s favourite

With amazing performances to her credit, the Angrezi Medium actress has been making her way to every director’s wishlist. While so far she has been working with the best of filmmakers, namely, Vasan Bala, Vishal Bhardwaj and Homi Adajania, we are sure that Radhika is going to be working with a lot more movie mavericks in the future.

While Radhika is rising to greater heights with every film, the actress is going to charm us next with her performance in Shiddat.

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K.G.F star Yash and wife Radhika Pandit welcomed their second child, a baby boy on October 30, 2019. However, the parents took a decision not to reveal the baby’s photo and the name. Now, after six months, the couple have finally introduced their son to the world by sharing an adorable photo of the munchkin.

Yash took to his Instagram account to share the picture of the toddler giving us much-needed smile in this gloomy days. Sharing the picture of his son, Yash wrote, "Say hello to my little buddy for life. Do give him all your love and blessings (sic)."

Take a look at the picture here:

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Say hello to my little buddy for life ❤ 😎 do give him all your love and blessings🙂🙏 ನಿಮà³Âà²®‌ ಪà³Âà²°à³Â€à²¤à²¿... à²Â†à²¶à³Â€à²°à³Âà²µà²¾à²¦.. ಹಾರà³Âˆà²Â•à³Â†... ಸದಾ à²Âˆ ನನà³Âà²¨ ಪà³Âà²ÂŸà³Âà²ÂŸ à²Â•à²Â‚ದನ ಮà³Â‡à²²à²¿à²°à²²à²¿ðŸ™â¤ï¸Â

A post shared by Yash (@thenameisyash) onApr 30, 2020 at 3:53am PDT

Few days ago, Radhika Pandit had taken to his Instagram and shared a glimpse of her baby boy, in which their first child Arya was also seen. Sharing the picture, she wrote, "The moment all of u were waiting for. Yes tomorrow, Junior turns 6 months!! He will be ready to greet u all.. are u guys ready for him!! #nimmaRP #radhikapandit P.S : Thanks Amrita for this memorable shoot! @mommyshotsbyamrita (sic)."

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

The moment all of u were waiting for.. Yes tomorrow, Junior turns 6 months!! He will be ready to greet u all.. are u guys ready for him!! ðŸ¤Â— #nimmaRP #radhikapandit P.S : Thanks Amrita for this memorable shoot! @mommyshotsbyamrita

A post shared by Radhika Pandit (@iamradhikapandit) onApr 29, 2020 at 7:08am PDT

On the work front, we will be seeing the actor in the second installment of K.G.F. which is all set to release on 23rd October 2020.

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Welcome aboard! But before you read this one, let us be clear that the next few paragraphs are filled with nothing but spoilers. If you are nerd enough to gorge on all the sci-fiction shows the web throws at you, you've landed on the perfect page. Amazon Prime Video released a good sci-fi show, that has a hint of comedy and a dash of romance and drama, on May 1, 2020, and we couldn't help but binge on this one.

Black Mirror, the popular Netflix show, which gave us some good dark and gritty content to watch out for, has kind of an uncanny resemblance to this show. How, you ask? An episode on Black Mirror showed an alternate world where people who die can move to a place named San Junipero, and live an afterlife on their own terms. Watching Upload, you'll surely be reminded of that episode.

Here we have four reasons that make Upload a good watch:

A futuristic approach

As the lockdown extends, and so does our watch-list (of course, it is a never-ending one), we have got you the scoop on one more show, and this time, it is a futuristic approach towards the afterlife of a human. In the new show Upload, our loved ones or us, 'upload' our memories and special moments on a database, which will help you to experience everything, just like a living person. Even the seven sins of a human -  pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth, have been shown by the great brains who work on the artificial intelligence of this 'afterlife heaven'.

A life, after life

Okay, so the essence of this entire show lies in the afterlife of people who have decided to 'upload' themselves, and live a kingsize life in a virtual world. This manmade heaven is no less than a fairyland, where everything is just happy and the way we want it. But, the only glitch in this virtual world is the bugs and the viruses. Just like our real-world has problems, the digital world created beyond the horizon by some great nerdy minds have to face multiple technical difficulties.

Watch the trailer of Upload here:

A gamer's show

The show Upload starts with a brat Nathan Brown (Robbie Amell), who is deeply in love with his girlfriend Ingrid (Allegra Edwards). The duo sees their future together, but Nathan's death faults Ingrid's plan. To keep him forever, she uploads his memory and avatar in an afterlife - Horizen - and what comes next is AI personified! Video game lovers will connect with this show for real. The only difference is one doesn't have to sit with a joystick to select the next move.

A reimagined heaven

Upload shares a materialistic world which many people mistake for life and realise it once everything is gone for real. Nathan experiences the same thing when he meets his angel, Nora (Andy Allo), given by Horizen, to guide him. She not only becomes his 'guiding angel' but also helps him solve the mystery behind his sudden death caused due to a technical glitch in his auto-driven car. What comes next is kind of predictable.

The entire struggle to maintain a lifestyle in the afterlife will make you cringe about the world's perception of leading a good life, and also an afterlife. This show will actually make you think about what went wrong with these people.

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As there are restrictions to move around because of the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown, actress Sonam K. Ahuja says she is missing her siblings -- Rhea Kapoor and Harshvardhan Kapoor. Sonam took to Instagram, where she shared a monochrome photograph, which seems to be from her wedding celebrations.

"See you soon brats.. miss you more than you guys can imagine," she wrote.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sonam K Ahuja (@sonamkapoor) onApr 30, 2020 at 8:58pm PDT

Sonam tied the knot with her long-time beau Anand Ahuja in 2018. The grand wedding celebrations were attended by celebrities like Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Karan Johar.

She was last seen on screen in "The Zoya Factor" (2019), an adaptation of Anuja Chauhan's 2008 novel of the same name, which follows the story of a girl, Zoya Solanki, who becomes a lucky charm for the Indian Cricket team during the 2011 Cricket World Cup.

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When Raveena Tandon was a child, Rishi Kapoor was already a big star. Years later, Raveena would star opposite the man who is one of the greatest romantic icons in Bollywood, heartthrob of millions. In an interaction with IANS, Raveena shared her fond memories of Rishi Kapoor, who passed away on April 30, and also spoke of her father, filmmaker Ravi Tandon's long association with the late actor.

"I have not worked with him in many movies but my dad has worked with him a lot. I have seen him since I was a child. I literally grew up in front of his eyes. My heart is heavy right now," said Raveena, recalling Rishi Kapoor.

She added: "Rishi sir's death is a huge blow for my father. My father has lost one more friend from his inner circle. I clearly remember how my dad, Pancham uncle (RD Burman), Ramesh Behl uncle and Rishiji used to hang out together. After his demise, my dad has been feeling very down."

Ravi Tandon worked with Rishi Kapoor in films like "Khel Khel Mein" and "Jhoota Kahin Ka". Raveena was paired opposite Rishi Kapoor in the 1995 movie "Saajan Ki Baahon Mein".

Remembering her last encounter with Rishi Kapoor, who's fondly called 'Chintu', Raveena shared that it happened last year when she met him during Ganpati pooja at Rishi Kapoor's sister Rima Jain's house in Mumbai.

"I was at Rima's house for Ganpati pooja. When I was about to leave, Rima told me to wait as Chintu ji's coming. I waited for him because I had not seen him for a long time since he was in New York. He came, we did aarti and had a good talk. That was my last and final memory of him. I will miss him a lot. May his soul rest in peace," Raveena said.

She took to social media to mourn the death of Rishi Kapoor, remembering the first walkie talkie doll he bought for her as a gift from Paris.

"Just totally love you! Seems like a part of my life, my childhood memories, my now..all taken away so fast. Not fair Chintu uncle. Not fair on all of us..could not even say a goodbye. We will miss you terribly. His infectious laughter, his wit, incidents, even when he used to scold me on sets when working with him. Still seeing me, as the same 5 year old he knew, my first walkie talkie doll he bought from Paris, a make-up gift for getting engaged to Neetu aunty without telling me," Raveena recalled.

Rishi Kapoor died in a Mumbai hospital on April 30. He was 67 and had been battling leukemia.

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Everyone in the world needs only and only positivity, faith, hope, and happiness to stay and survive this global pandemic called Coronavirus. People who have access to their phones are watching videos and pictures of Bollywood celebrities and their daily chores. Time to see something different and very adorable. Ishaan Khatter's father and actor Rajesh Khattar has introduced to all of us his baby boy and the newest member of the family, Vanraj.

Taking to his Instagram account, he wrote- "Hello Everyone (my first hello to all you wonderful people)Dad says world is going through trying times but this too shall pass & for us children,you all are going to make this world more beautiful than it ever was. We kids believe & thank all of you for this promise #stayhome #staysafe & keep us safe." (sic)

Have a look at the post right here:

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Hello Everyone (my first hello to all you wonderful people😊)Dad says world is going through trying times but this too shall pass & for us children,you all are going to make this world more beautiful than it ever was. We kids believe & thank all of you for this promise #stayhome #staysafe & keep us safe 🙏 #vanrajkhattar ( #happyanniversary #momdad ,though ur 12th but its a special one as your first with me 😊)

A post shared by Rajesh Khattar (@rajesh_khattar) onMay 2, 2020 at 9:01pm PDT

Khattar and wife Vandana Sajnani welcomed Vanraj last year in August and he even announced this on his Instagram account, have a look right here:

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Overwhelmed .. thank you for blessing the little one 🙏 Keep the love flowing

A post shared by Rajesh Khattar (@rajesh_khattar) onAug 31, 2019 at 9:01am PDT

Well, these cute and charming pictures are surely likely to put a smile on your face amid this crisis. So are we all set to witness another social media sensation?

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His female fans have missed seeing him on television ever since he announced his sabbatical last year. Now, Nakuul Mehta is back for a date with his admirers, albeit on the web. The actor's latest offering, BAE Control, explores the idea of having the perfect relationship by controlling a partner's emotions through an app. As he wins praise for his act in the sci-fi comedy, Mehta discusses transitioning from TV to digital entertainment.

Edited excerpts from the interview.

A blend of sci-fi and rom-com, the show is a far cry from what you've headlined in the past.
I have spent over seven years in television. So, over the past one year of my sabbatical, I have been trying to explore different mediums. I have been a fan of the work Dice Media has been doing, be it Little Things or What the Folks. Their audience is starkly different from the one I cater to on television. When they narrated the idea about controling another person's emotions through an app, it sounded crazy. But who knows, in the future, this may be the order of the day!

The series seems similar to an episode of Black Mirror. Agree?
The series shows how technology will change the way humans interact in the future. In fact, if one compares [the behavioural patterns] of our parents, our generation and Gen-Z, it is evident how human interaction has changed and not necessarily for the better. People interact not only face-to-face, but also over the dark web. So, [controlling one's partner] could be the future. To me, it all seemed like a Black Mirror episode, but this one has elements of comedy.

Given a choice, would you consider controlling your partner's emotions with an app?
No, relationships are based on trust and have no place for [manipulation]. However, I am old-school in matters of the heart and have never even used a dating app. So, I may not be the right audience for this. On a bad day, when you don't know how to deal with your spouse, you might be tempted.

If this were to happen in the near future, what would be the flipside?
That we would lose touch with each other as human beings. It's ironic that this show has released at a time when we are all under lockdown and craving human interaction. It is making us yearn for our families and friends. If not for this lesson, we would have headed down a road where we were looking for the perfect relationship and finding the perfect app to control the imperfections.

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With the health crisis in the country, while PM Narendra Modi has extended the lockdown till May 3 and Indians are currently locked up inside their homes, there are several warriors who are fighting the battle for us. Whether it's the police force, doctors, nurses, soldiers or the NGOs feeding the needy ones, these Covid-19 warriors, as they are called, have been relentlessly working for us. Bobby Deol who appreciates their efforts has now paid a humble tribute to them in a music video where he's recited a poem - Chand Roz Ki Baat Hai Yaron - for the first time.

 

 

 

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we will win this war ... let’s be kind and appreciative of all the efforts put in by our #COVIDWarriors ... thank you @sanjaymasoomm for writing such beautiful words and making me a part of it ... #StayAtHomeIsStillSafe in this #Lockdown3.0 let’s be careful and not go out unless necessary, ये सब हमारी भलाई के लिए ही किया जा रहा है! 🙏🏻 #SaveLives #IndiaFightsCorona #StayHome #Lockdown #Covid19 #Coronavirus @my_bmc @cmomaharashtra_ @mumbaipolice

A post shared by Bobby Deol (@iambobbydeol) onMay 4, 2020 at 3:04am PDT

Interestingly, Bobby has never recited a poem on camera ever before but when Sanjay Masoomm came up with idea and approached him for it, he immediately agreed. The 2-minuter has been titled Chand Roz Ki Baat Hai and it not only salutes the bravado of every Indian Covid-19 warrior who are out there, protecting us from the deadly virus but is also a soul-stirring testament of the indomitable human spirit and the unity which binds Indians together. What's more interesting is while the video has been completely shot at home, it's Bobby's younger son Dharam Deol who has filmed him.

Bobby shares, "When Sanjay told me about this poem, I was taken in by the simplicity of his expression of gratitude towards the COVID warriors, i resonated with it. It makes me very happy to be associated with this positivity, and I appreciate the way this situation has made us all join hands and come together. Who knew that social distancing could bring people together, with all of us checking up on one another and being their for people emotionally, if not in person. Although these are tough times faced by everyone around the world, it is heart warming to see how this has brought us together to fight against a common enemy. We can all be a part of this noble fight by just staying at home and being supportive of our frontline warriors."

Sanjay Masoomm who has conceptualised the entire thing shares, "Chand Roz Ki Baat Hai Yaron is just our way of showing respect and lending hope and encouragement to all these Covid warriors who are working day and night to keep us safe, while we stay locked inside our houses. This time of crisis also highlights our biggest strength - unity in diversity - and it was important to underline it. When I wrote the lines, I wanted someone whose voice will add weight to them. I have worked with Bobby Deol in several films and I know he's not only got a powerful voice but also a heart of gold. He's a very emotional man and his voice will help this ode reach out to more people. Bobby has read it out wonderfully with all the feeling and emotions."

Chand Roz Ki Baat Hai Yaron, featuring Bobby Deol and conceptualised by Sanjay Masoomm.

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Richa Chadha admits it is hard to shake off the images of migrant workers walking along national highways, with little access to food or water, in their bid to reach home.

The actor, who has consistently highlighted the plight of the daily-wage workers amid the lockdown, has now teamed up with Gandhi Peace Foundation to do her bit for the community. Chadha has contributed to the Delhi-based non-profit organisation to ensure that the workers, who have reached their hometowns in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, don't have to sleep on an empty stomach.

"Besides lack of financial resources, people in villages are running short of essential supplies like pulses, cereals and greens. A large segment of labourers makes a living by working on other people's farms. Now that all work has been halted, they have no means of buying groceries. This is why I decided to team up with the Gandhi Peace Foundation, which has an outreach programme. The most vulnerable need our support at this time," says Chadha.

Since its inception in 1958, the NGO has been working towards the upliftment of the underprivileged. While she has worked with them over the years, Chadha says she sought the organisation's help last month to provide essentials to a migrant worker's family that was stuck in Mumbai. "The family was living in the red zone and had no ration for a week. When I informed the NGO about them, it delivered food to them in a matter of hours."

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On a regular day, Rakul Preet Singh's Instagram posts could well double-up as tutorials for the average Joe to make the most of the ongoing period of isolation. But when she isn't using her furniture as workout props, busting diet myths, and indulging in play with her family members, Singh recedes to her couch to become more like us — indolent consumers of web shows.

"I have been binge-watching shows that have been recommended by friends. I saw one called Watchmen, which was [beautifully] written and unpredictable. It was Arjun [Kapoor] who had suggested it," says the actor, also adding that the Apple TV series, Loudest Voice, is another noteworthy addition here.

"It is not an over-the-top drama. It has been created interestingly and is based on the manner in which the #MeToo campaign kick-started. I also loved The Morning Show, and another gripping Netflix drama called Caliphate."

American superhero drama series Watchmen (left) continues the 1987 DC Comics series by the same name; Loudest Voice (right) attempts to trace the origins of the #MeToo campaign 

A career as a South Indian film actor implies Singh is also spoilt for choice when it comes to shows in regional languages. "There's a Malayalam film called Charlie starring Dulquer [Salmaan] that I'd recommend. Finally, Super Deluxe is another brilliant offering," she concludes.

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Actor Amyra Dastur believes cinema is going to be transformed in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic with the digital space opening up in a big way. Amyra said the lockdown, which has led to the closing of cinemas and a postponement of shoots, also resulted in some of her projects getting pushed.

"I'm excited to see how cinema is going to transform and how the OTT platform is going to blow up bigger than ever. Luckily I'm not a newcomer so getting work isn't a concern. It is about quality and I believe only quality and not a last name will prevail. "Theatres will need a good six-eight months to have full houses again and in that time viewership on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hotstar, Alt Balaji, Voot among others will grow... Finally, content is going to overshadow the box office, so it's an exciting time at the moment," the actor told PTI.

Before the lockdown was announced in March, the actor had T-Series' murder mystery "Koi Jaane Na" co-starring Kunal Kapoor up for release in June, but that stands pushed. "We wrapped up shoot in the second week of February but that's been postponed due to the lockdown and our inability to get out and promote, as well as the fact that the industry doesn't know when the theatres are going to be able to open up to the public," Amyra said. She was also shooting for Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani's production, "Dongri To Dubai", a web series adapted from author Hussain Zaidi's book of the same name and Tamil film "Bagheera" with Prabhudeva, all of which came to a halt. Her other project, filmmaker Ali Abbas Zafar's Amazon Prime Original "Tandav" is currently on the editing stage.

The actor said she was supposed to fly to Chennai for a shoot on March 23, but it got postponed as the makers wanted to see what Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement would be a day later. "I'm glad it was postponed because I would have been in lockdown alone in Chennai. But it's ok because these are the two projects I'll go back to shooting for as soon as the lockdown is lifted."

The actor, who has featured in films like "Judgemental Hai Kya" and "Rajma Chawal", said once the lockdown is lifted, all her projects will resume on a priority basis. "It'll be hectic because everyone wants the same dates but we've managed to prioritise each project according to the new deadlines. I was all set to shoot for a new film and was going to announce it in April so that's been postponed as well but not halted," she added.

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