Illustrations/Ravi Jadhav

Girgaum, Kamat Chawl Thakurdwar
Celebrating the festival for the last 122 years, simplicity is key for Kamat Chawl residents. And they are happy to share tales from the forgotten pages of history and freedom struggle. Here, they do not follow the concept of themed decor and celebrate the festival in an absolute traditional manner. The idol is made of eco-friendly material called shadu. Following the spirit of why the festival was started in the first place, the pandal is built by the residents and each one volunteers to manage the space and the stage area.

Khetwadi, Tulsi Building Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal
This is the 75th year of the pandal and, like each year, the Ganesh idol is made up of different things, mostly edible. For instance, dry fruits, cereal and pluses, chikki, and stationery and diamond have been used. This year's focus is on kids and the theme is Disneyworld. The idol is made of Cadbury chocolate and the children cannot wait to see their favourite sweet take the shape of their favourite deity.

Malad, Shree Sai Darshan Mitra Mandal
For the last 11 years, this eco-friendly Ganesha has been a hit with devotees. Made from paper and cardboard, the organisers use various concepts including football erasers, pencils and cars. This year, Bappa is giving a shout out to nostalgia as the idol is made of old coins of 1 paise, 10 paise and 20 paise. The mandal's focus is to create awareness and education, especially about global warming.

Ghatkopar, S G Barve Nagar Sarvajanik Ganeshostav Mandal
Since 1966, the pandal's idols, one large and one small, have been luring devotees to this suburb. This year's theme is a dreamy fusion of a golden pillared palace, the religious oeuvre of Om Ganapataya namah and the galaxy. A daily bhandara of rice, dal, chole, bhaji, papad, pickles and gulab jamun feeds a thousand people. A blood donation drive along with free blood test and blood group check is done during the 10 day period.

Fort, Fort Vibhag Sarvajanik Ganesh Utsav Mandal
Celebrated since 1956, this is one of the biggest fully centralised pandals in the city. This year, they have invited special artists from Rajasthan to create a palace setting. Their finesse and specially crafted artwork adds to the grandeur of the pandal. While you are here, you can easily spot a celeb or two. The maha aarti, especially for the police department, is scheduled for tomorrow.

Thane, Narvir Tanaji Mitra Mandal
For the last 38 years, this pandal has been not only known for its large murti and grand themes but also for reaching out to those in need, especially in rural areas. Bappa will happily rest in the grand Rajasthani Palace and overlook the tasks the members of the mandal will take up. Medical camps and a beautifully curated cultural programme that will see participants sing, dance and create beautiful flower arrangements and rangolis are in store for the Utsav.

Tilak Nagar, Sahyadri Krida Mandal
For the last 41 years, this pandal has been dedicatedly putting up themes on social awareness. This year, their theme is 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Jai Vigyan' and will include artworks illustrating places from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, highlighting important destinations like the Himalayas and Madurai's Meenakshi Temple. These will be interspersed with reproductions of the metro, rail space research, army personnel and agricultural families to show how they co-exist to form an integral part of society.

BMC Spares No One

Atul Kasbekar helps Vidya Balan navigate her way on a dug up street near Kala Ghoda, as she arrives to launch a saree collection inspired by her latest film. pic/suresh karkera

On stage for the first time
It was their on-screen chemistry that led to a happily-ever-after life off screen. But actors Varun Badola and Rajeshwari Sachdev, who have worked together on several projects, hadn't shared space on stage until Ila Arun roped them for Shabd Leela, a dramatised reading of iconic Hindi writer, poet and playwright Dr Dharamvir Bharati's works. Directed by KK Raina, and adapted by Arun, the play will premiere at a festival to be held next week. "We are reading from Bharati ji's Kanupriya, Andha Yug as well as letters he had written to his wife. Such is the language of the letters that he has set major couple's goals for us!" Sachdev told this diarist. What is it like to be on the stage with Varun? "Such creative pursuits add a new, exciting dimension to the relationship," she says.

What's your Hindi word of the year?
After more than a decade of their much-anticipated English Word of the Year, the Oxford Dictionaries are launching their first ever Hindi Word of the Year. The initiative is calling on Hindi speakers from across the country to help choose a word or expression that has attracted interest over the last 12 months and reflects the mood, or preoccupations of the year, The word needn't be a new one. A panel of language experts including Namita Gokhale, Kritika Agrawal, Saurabh Dwivedi, Malika Ghosh, and Poonam Nigam Sahay will choose the winner from public suggestions, and announce it in January. Given that 'fake news' (Collins Word of the Year 2017) and 'post truth' have been the favourites recently, we wonder if 'jumla' has a chance.

An artist's homecoming
In the early 1960s, Gujarat-born artist Natvar Bhavsar moved to the US for further studies and ended up making New York his home, developing a distinct abstract style of painting, influenced by the colour-field artists of that time. In the last five decades, the feted artist's works have been widely collected by international art connoisseurs and museums, including Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Next week, the octogenarian will host his first retrospective in India, aptly titled Homecoming, presented by DAG Modern. It features smoky, layered compositions created by Bhavsar by sifting powdered pigments on canvas and allowing air currents, his breath and body movements to determine where they fall.

Natvar Bhavsar with his works. Pic courtesy/Janet Brosious Bhavsar

Eat this colour
An Italian research scholar in India has, quite literally, given us food for thought. Chiara Colombi (in pic) is in Thane at present, carrying out a project on chromotherapy called Eat Your Colour. It involves her organising seven lunches, each based on a different colour, over one week. Once the lunch is done, all the participants will use the leftovers from their plates as well as the kitchen to create a shape that embodies what they felt about the colour of the day. "I will then put the collective creation in a lunchbox and then display it in a public space," Colombi says, adding, "The idea is to explore how colours can be used in a therapeutic way through the process of creation."

Clinton junior, the author
Now, here's one family that's keeping publishers happy all year through. Close on the heels of mum and former Democratic presidential candidate Hilary's tell-all about her loss to eventual winner, Donald Trump in What Happened, daughter Chelsea Clinton's title, She Persisted Around The World is already creating a buzz in literary circles. The book, packed with delightful illustrations by Alexandra Bolger, and expected in March 2018, is the companion to her earlier New York Times bestseller, She Persisted. Publishers Penguin took to social media to make the announcement.

The follow-up, like the first title, will salute little activists, feminists and kid influencers who dared to dream big. Armed with Bolger's art, and featuring icons like JK Rowling and Malala Yousafzai, we can expect this one to top the bestselling list too.

Cars honk as they make their way through Bandra-Kurla Complex to get to offices or to the newest eatery that has set up shop in the swanky financial district, the people in them all but oblivious to a small park in the back lanes that acts as a haven for the city's youth.

Annul Pale from the Meteoric crew trains at City Park, BKC

You will find them all here - collegians skipping classes, teens on their skateboards, and a group of young men performing exhilarating tricks on their bicycles. These are the city's BMX riders, for whom cycles are not simply modes of transport, but a way to express themselves.

The Sharptune crew at the Cycling Festival of India, held last weekend at Nehru Centre, Worli. Pics/Ashish Raje

"There is a community of approximately 45 BMX riders in Mumbai. Many of us prac-tise here at City Park daily," says 22-year-old Manoj Jaiswal, a Sion resident who was introduced to the sport by his neighbour in 2011. "We used to train along Carter Road promenade and the streets of BKC, but cops would arrive and shoo us away. And no public park allowed us entry with our bicycles. We ran out of places, but eventually, this park's management allowed us to use it."

This struggle is not new to the BMXers, who often end up travelling to far-flung - and thus less crowded - locations like Kalyan and Navi Mumbai. After all, in a city starved of space for even pedestrians, it's hard to imagine people giving up their precious streets to a sport they view as - in Jaiswal's words - a circus act.

Dipak Panchal

The beginnings
BMX racing took off in California back in the 1970s, inspired by motocross. It didn't take time for its popularity to rise among the youth, and soon, you could find them trying tricks on their own cycles across the world.

Rahul Mulani

Bandra resident Rahul Mulani was among the first few to bring the BMX movement to Mumbai three decades ago. "When we started out around 1987, we used to practise at a parking lot near Scandal Point in Breach Candy. There were fewer cars in the city back then, so there was plenty of space for us," he says.

Manoj Jaiswal

Not just empty parking lots; the seafront promenades used to be fair game, too. Thirty-year-old Dipak Panchal, who dropped out of college to pursue his passion for BMX and now runs a bicycle store in south Mumbai, shares that even as late as 2005, he could be found practising his moves at Marine Drive.

"Lately, whenever I have tried to practise there, policemen passing by have come and stopped me. They have even deflated my bicycle's tires, and there have been times they've threatened to throw me in the back of their van," he says, adding, "If there is a rule preventing people from cycling on promenades, they can tell us that without being rude. They allow elderly gentlemen to cycle peacefully, and even though we're not causing any damage to people or property, we are treated like criminals."

So, to avoid such conflicts, his crew, Sharptune, practises at a space they have rented out in Bandra. Last week, at the city's first cycling festival, amidst panel discussions and stores exhibiting the latest gear, they got a chance to show off their skills, but such events are few and far between. Though Panchal and Mulani try and organise jams and competitions, sponsors are hard to come by.

Need of the hour
Today, Mulani and Panchal, as well as the rest of the community, stick to a handful of spaces, including their own building compounds, that they know won't draw any unwanted attention.

"Even skateboarders are now getting recognition. In 2015, Khar Social set up a ramp, but it is too small for us to practise on, even though our requirements are not too different from a skateboarder's," says Jaiswal, whose crew, Meteoric, comprises skateboarders too. And because BMX is hidden away from the spotlight, the community is growing slower than it would have, had its members been given the chance to showcase their skills in public without any fear of repercussions.

The problem in India, Panchal believes, is that cricket overshadows every other sport. This leads to other sports, especially extreme sports like BMX, being ridiculed and even neglected by the public and the authorities. "The country's first pump track came up in Hyderabad this year, and it was built by a private body. We don't see the Cycling Federation of India [CFI] taking any interest in the BMX community," says Mulani.

VN Singh, assistant secretary, CFI, which is based in New Delhi, says they can't do anything for the sport until it is officially recognised. "I know it's an Olympic sport, but until there are enough practitioners of BMX in the country, we can't provide any support," he says. He follows this up by saying that a pump track in Delhi is in the offing, but quickly adds that he doesn't know how long it will take. "You see, we don't have the funds for it."

Ben is Back

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

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

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

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

Check out the trailer here:

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

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

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

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Simmba
Director: Rohit Shetty
Actors: Ranveer Singh, Sara Ali Khan, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 

With this film, a super-star is born. Why would one risk this over-statement? Because super-stars in Bollywood, or in the Indian movie context, have remained, for decades, the most apt equivalent to Hollywood super-heroes.

They come with little or no back-story. As in the case of Simmba - being an orphan is good enough. The front-story, as it were, is neatly split between the hero, and the villain, along with a prologue, epilogue, heroine, comedian, extras, and the all-important 'takiya-kalaam' (stock refrain): "Tell me something I don't know!" The motivation, like with super-hero flicks, is rather rudimentary. Saving a girl is as good as repeatedly saving the world!

What matters is how the super-star, by sheer dint of his vigorous personality - where you can't distinguish between the actor and character - carries along an entire movie, and indeed the audience, on his strong shoulders alone.

Once the image is set, the penny drops, and while the going is good, the super-star on screen is good enough to ensure audiences in theatres. And there's got to be a reason why no star ever since the '90s, in a real sense, has been able to convincingly play this part that, I suspect, is the hardest to hit home with, anyway.

Ranveer Singh does just that. And how! Part Govinda, from Raja Babu type pictures in the '90s, part Anil Kapoor from Ram Lakhan in the '80s, but wholly holding his own in a typically Rohit Shetty action-entertainer, Singh adds tremendous credibility to a character that had begun to tire us over time.

For one, given his robust résumé (if you only compare this performance to the anti-hero Alauddin Khilji's in Padmaavat earlier this year), you know he isn't casually reprising a role, given a captive audience (that '90s super-stars had begun to). He puts in as much effort into Simmba as he might into a Bajirao Mastani, say, mastering the Marathi twang (without quite coming across as a parody of Nana Patekar); killing it softly with well-written one-liners; setting the dance floor on
fire; romancing like a dude; doing action, like a proper, desi hero!

You fall for Inspector Sangram Bhalerao (Simmba)-a cartoonish, corrupt cop, who wants to eventually right the society's wrongs-essentially, because, you fall for the stupendous Singh on steroids. Every scene works, because he does; and vice versa. The net result is a movie that, within the same space, seems better than Ajay Devgn's Singham (2011). But for the middling soundtrack, it would've been better than Salman Khan's Dabangg (2010).

Either way, what you won't go looking for is the picture's plot, based on the Telugu potboiler Temper (2015). Because you already know what to expect: Singh as a hero. Sonu Sood as a villain. Villain ke haraami brothers. Hero ki abla nari sister. And the rape, and the revenge drama, that follow.

I'm unsure if one adequately appreciates how hard, bordering on the near impossible, it is to engagingly pull off a masala-melodrama such as this. Shetty knows more than a thing or two about this timeless genre. Yet, this may well be one of his rare movies where the connoisseur and the crackling masses are most likely to seamlessly converge.

As an audience, the only way to know if a film of this sort is working (for you), is when you find yourself (sometimes guiltily, but mostly in a carefree sort of way) smiling, responding, and along with a packed theatre, reacting to shenanigans on screen-whether they entirely make sense or not ain't the point.

The script can be full of holes. You hope your brain isn't. This is how I caught this picture, with folk in the front-benches-whistling, clapping, making loud noises, and then going quiet, during dramatic sequences.

This only brings back strong memories of large single-screen cinemas - on the verge of extinction - with people on both cheap and super-expensive seats, sharing entertainment as a common, tribal experience. That's where you should go for this. As if on cue, to Ajay Devgn walks in as Singham. As does Akshay Kumar, announcing his next film cop-flick with Shetty, Sooryavanshi (2019). You might think this is meant to be a Ranveer starrer piggy-backing on '90s super-stars - inhabiting the same Marvel-like super-hero, cinematic universe. Look at him. I think it was the other way round!

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The Accidental Prime Minister
U: Biography, drama
Dir: Vijay Gutte
Cast: Anupam Kher, Akshaye Khanna
Rating:

Given the imagery in the trailer, it is impossible to walk into The Accidental Prime Minister anticipating anything. The intent of its makers is evident: its strategic release, months prior to the election, solidifies its positioning as a propaganda film. Films are meant to have fodder for debate and discussion. And the topic of discussion here, I propose, is how Mayank Tewari, the writer of Newton (one of India’s most balanced political films) and Hansal Mehta (Shahid) came up with something as abhorrent as this.

Probably hoping to pitch this as India’s answer to House Of Cards (HOC), the film’s narrative is too incoherent to make a political statement, let alone start a dialogue. HOC, of course, made with tremendous gumption, never has a political bias. It merely mirrors the goings-on behind the closed doors of the White House. Based on the book by Sanjaya Baru, this movie attempts to make sense of power games in the corridors of the coveted bungalow No. 7, Race Course Road (the official residence of PMO). But there’s no escaping the fact that it can only pass as a run-down, Made In China version of HOC.

If at all the idea was to shame and embarrass the Congress party, the writing here lacks the desired punch. The onus of shaping the material lies in the hands of the director, and Vijay Gutte is visibly inept. Of course, the lofty and on-point casting of Akshaye Khanna as Baru and Anupam Kher as PM Dr Manmohan Singh, salvages the situation considerably, but there’s no saving the film from shoddy direction.

Baru’s book walks the tightrope carefully, making ground-breaking political revelations, but never reducing Dr Singh to a laughable figure. Even his worst critics would agree, Singh was a man of poise. On Gutte’s insistence (or so I would like to believe) Kher turns Singh into a mute cartoon, who deserves to be pitied. It almost feels like the makers want to mock Singh — mimic his voice, slouch his gait. Baru had carefully carved Singh as a fiercely loyal man, standing strong on his ideals; one who is manipulated by the Gandhis (Sonia and Rahul). Gutte never focuses on the vulnerable equations between Singh and the Gandhi family.

He, in fact, allows Khanna to get disturbingly Frank Underwood-ish, turning up the dark humour in every third sentence. Khanna is great at what he does, but he makes Baru seem more like a saffron loyalist, not a Congress insider. Gutte takes us through the hallmarks of the Congress government, from the nuclear deal to the 2G scam, in a news bulletin, decade roundup-sort of a fashion, creating the build up for the film’s Singham (PM Modi). Do we know how Singh felt through it all? That’s for another film. There’s enough to laugh about in this offering, but the joke here is that while Hollywood continues to make great content, we are still nitpicking and name-calling.

Watch The Accidental Prime Minister Trailer

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Alita: Battle Angel
U/A: Action, Adventure
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Cast: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali
Rating: 

This film, which has Robert Rodriguez and James Cameron working together with Peter Jackson's visual effects, has wonders never experienced before in cinema. The film may have taken a long while (twenty years) coming to screen, but the end result is fantastic enough to keep you asking for more. A manga-based action thriller, James Cameron's $200 million-worth, long cherished dream is aimed at young adults seeking fresher pastures from that of The Hunger Games variety and hopes to make it to bigger box-office returns than that sub-genre hit-starter.

Cameron started on the cinematic adaptation of Yukito Kishiro's original manga comics way back in the late 1990s, (much before Avatar), but the phenomenal success of Avatar had him relinquishing directorial control to Rodriguez while holding firm as screenwriter (with Jon Landau and Laeta Kalogridis) and producer.

The resultant kick-ass cyberpunk adventure may not be as original as he imagined it, but it has certainly got all the chops to make it to a long-term fan-following on its own.

The filmed adventure is set 500 years from now, in Iron city - a junkyard that is a wasteland for the flying citadel of Zalem. The city is peopled with AI controlled cyborgs mingling with real humans in a community so tech-spangled that it's hard to decipher one from the other. Kindly Doctor Dyson Ido (Christoph Waltz) reconfigures a former robot superweapon and rechristens her Alita (Rosa Salazar), after his own daughter. I do, who moonlights as a hunter-warrior, tries to protect the young Alita, but her mind has memories of a past that keeps haunting her present. She even develops a crush on handsome robo-junk dealer Hugo (Keean Johnson) and eventually ends up becoming the super weapon she once was.

The plotting here is a little too jumbled up, ensnared as it is in creating set-piece thrills and out-of-this-world experiences. Stereotype characters and genre tropes make the engagement less than wondrous. The tech-specs are certainly the best we've seen in a long time, the IMAX imagery is splendid and beguiling and the vivid expressions of the actors make it feel all the more real and intimately experiential.

Watch the trailer of Alita: Battle Angel

Even though Salazar is the most riveting and fascinating of characters, she does feel a little artificial at times. The CGI blends in effortlessly with digitally morphed motion-capture performance, but the artifice can be felt - too strongly at times. The array of side characters also feels like old hat killing the originality of the experience and allowing déjà-vu to creep in. Even so, there's no belittling this explosive cutting-edge adventure that takes cinema thrills to never-seen-before heights!

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Badla
U/A: Thriller
Dir: Sujoy Ghosh
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Amrita Singh
Ratings: 

Sujoy Ghosh takes us back to the basics with his latest offering. Badla, as the title suggests, is a revenge-drama loosely based on the Spanish thriller, The Invisible Guest. Like with the original, it's not too difficult to decipher the end a good while before we get there.

Yet, Badla isn't predictable. What it certainly does lack, though, is the smarts that could be expected. Ghosh designs this film as more than just a whodunit. He lays out his cards neatly, unfolding one incident after another. So, it's all about cracking codes in the wobbly story, narrated by Naina (Taapsee Pannu), a top-notch businesswoman embroiled in a murder case.

She was found injured in a hotel room, with her lover lying dead on the floor. There is no sign of anyone else entering or leaving the room. Naina maintains, she didn't kill her lover. The film revolves around a single meeting with her potential lawyer, Badal Gupta.

Badla soars because of its unpredictability before we arrive at the end. The key lies in the names of its lead characters - Naina (eyes), a play on how truth depends on whose point of view is being considered. There is an inherent Rashomon philosophy in the narrative. Badal's name is a play on the film's title itself. Ghosh uses these props to confuse his viewers, create mirages that they are frequently misguided by in their tryst to keep the guessing game going.

At one point in the midst of this rigmarole, we look towards the screen and wonder why Bollywood doesn't exploit the terrific Amrita Singh enough. As Bachchan and Pannu battle it out in a verbal duel, it's Singh who does the emotional heavy lifting. Of course, both Bachchan and Pannu are terrific actors, but Pannu's Naina is played in a rather single note. Naina wins awards, is intoxicated by power, and is guilty about her affair. But the required nuances demanded by the narrative are missing from Pannu's act. There are a few genuine shockers, but it is largely a simplistic tale put together in a complicated fashion.

As admirers of thrillers, we are not failed by Ghosh. The tapestry of tension that he weaves is unparalleled. The camerawork by Avik Mukherjee deserves a mention. Set in Glasgow, the setting plays a part that's as essential as the characters. I was sold to the ride that Badla took me on; but, does it live it up to the thrill of Ghosh's Kahaani? Nah, that will need cleverer writing. Yet, this is worth a watch.

Also Read: Exclusive - Taapsee Pannu on Badla: I am a very vindictive person by nature

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The Least Of These
U/A: Drama
Dir: Aneesh Daniel
Cast: Sharman Joshi, Stephen Baldwin, Shari Rigby
Ratings: 

Aneesh Daniel's attempt to relook at real-life events that triggered the grisly murder of Graham Stuart Staines - Australian born evangelist/poor leprosy patients' caregiver, living and working in the remote regions of Orissa - is a rather tame experience.

It's obvious the filmmakers were eager to avoid any confrontations with right-wing fanatics, who had a major role to play in triggering the gruesome killing of Staines (Stephen Baldwin) and his two sons. Don't know how much of a spoiler the censor board played in this regard, but needless to say, this is a largely sanitised version of the truth and does a great disservice to the lives lost in the throes of a communal crossfire. Defanged of the court ordained facts, including the name of the convicted killer (Dara Singh) and his right-wing Hindu fundamentalist political affiliations, this film merely plays around with the 'conversion' issue.

The narrative device employed here is in itself flawed. It's the late 1990's. Journalist Manav Banerjee (Sharman Joshi) moves with his pregnant wife to a small town in Orissa. The editor (Prakash Belawadi) of the New Orissa Daily treats him like a stringer and expects him to coerce stories about forced conversions from the villagers. Manav, who shuns lepers and is clearly biased against Christian groups, would rather do the exposé without being personally involved. But his editor deems it necessary that Manav himself play victim to the conversion hoax to expose the Australian missionary's so-deemed unlawful activity. With his wife delivering prematurely and costs of hospitalisation mounting by the day, Manav is forced to toe the line.

While forgiveness plays an important part in this misrepresented drama, it doesn't have the effect of a great act here. It is depicted so ineffectually that there is little impact on the viewer. The actors are either over-the-top or inconsistent. Joshi overstates his eagerness by repeating phrases like 'I am a journalist' and 'He is a leper'. Scripting by Andrew E Mathews is so slack that his turnaround defies logic. Even Baldwin and Shari Rigby fail to arouse empathy. Technically too, this film is not upto the mark. The direction, editing and cinematography lack distinctive focus. This unaccomplished production doesn't amount to anything!

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Romeo Akbar Walter
U/A: Action
Director: Robbie Grewal
Cast: John Abraham, Mouni Roy, Jackie Shroff
Ratings:

John Abraham's latest nation-in-peril movie is set against the backdrop of the 1971 India-Pakistan war. Releasing nearly a year after Raazi, this one suffers from an acute hangover of the Alia Bhatt-film. It even ends with a song that seems inspired (read blatantly copied from Ae Watan…).

Romeo Akbar Walter (RAW) has a confusing structure, is supported by a blaring background score, and lacks both the smarts and the menace of being a good espionage thriller. The problem here lies with director Robbie Grewal (also director of Aloo Chaat, Mera Pehla Pehla Pyaar, and Samay), who botches his own script.

Given the twists and turns, the film comes across as a convoluted and tedious mess. For a major portion of the film, you find yourself trying to decipher where it is leading. In order to fit the sub-plots, the script is stretched to a point that you stop caring. The first part revolves around Romeo's (Abraham) induction into the task force and imbibing the nuances of Akbar as he enters Pakistan. What could have been an interesting depiction, is reduced to a clichéd montage of training. In the second half, our super-spy hero is in pursuit of getting details of the Pakistani Army which threatens to set a bomb in a part of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).

Watch the Romeo Akbar Walter trailer:

The sequence is shot so casually that it makes you wonder if walking on the streets of Pakistan while trying to gather sensitive information, is a cakewalk. The attempt to create a sense of urgency and intrigue are undermined by the lack of coherence. The film manages to pick up the pace in the second half, but by then, it is too late to salvage the situation.

Also Read: Romeo Akbar Walter director shoots across the country in 46 days

The screenplay moves at a snail's pace and is devoid of tension. The unnecessary inclusion of a love story between Romeo and Parul (Mouni Roy) makes it further lethargic. That's not all, amidst the supposed high-tension situation, a lovemaking scene seems like a desperate attempt to titillate the audience.

Grewal tries to bank on the emotional side of Romeo as he remembers his mother. The scene is almost an ode to Darsheel Safary from Taare Zameen Par (2007). It comes across as pretentious and dreary. It seems, the director hoped to present the film as a complete package, and failed miserably. Had he stuck to the narrative of a spy, the outcome would have been very different.

Sikander Kher is the only one who has attempted to salvage the film. Jackie Shroff as the director of Research & Analysis Wing (RAW) sails by. Abraham's deadpan expressions are a hindrance but he somehow manages to hold his ground. And Roy should stick to doing Naagin instead of a gratuitous role like this. As for RAW, YAW(n).

Also Read: John Abraham: RAW: Romeo Akbar Walter isn't a jingoistic, flag-saluting film

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Amid the rising number of coronavirus cases across the city, the Mumbai Police on Monday took to Twitter to thank Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar for his humble contribution towards the Mumbai Police foundation amid the COVID-19 crisis.

Mumbai Police thanks @akshaykumar for contributing Rs. 2 Crore to the Mumbai Police Foundation. Your contribution will go a long way in safeguarding the lives of those who are committed to safeguarding the city - the men and women of Mumbai Police!#MumbaiPoliceFoundation

— CP Mumbai Police (@CPMumbaiPolice) April 27, 2020

While extending a thank you note to the action-superstar of the B-Town industry, Mumbai Police said that the contribution will help to safeguard the lives of the Mumbai Police personnel who are committed to safeguarding the city to fight the global pandemic.

In the past too, Sooryavanshi actor donated Rs 3 crore to help the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in order to help them to make rapid testing kits, personal protection equipments and face masks in its battle against the deadly virus.

#RohitShetty has facilitated eight hotels across the city for our on-duty #CovidWarriors to rest, shower & change with arrangements for breakfast & dinner.

We thank him for this kind gesture and for helping us in #TakingOnCorona and keeping Mumbai safe.

— Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) April 21, 2020

Besides helping Mumbai Police and the country's richest civic body, Akshay also contributed Rs 25 crores to the PM CARES fund to help the country fight the epidemic. Earlier, Mumbai police expressed gratitude to Bollywood director Rohit Shetty for facilitating eight hotels across the city for Mumbai police personnel.

Thanking Rohit Shetty for his kind gesture, Mumbai Police said that the facility would help on-duty corona warriors to rest, shower and change with arrangements for breakfast and dinner.

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Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Mayor Kishori Pednekar on Monday informed that the total number of containment zones in the city is now 1036.

"There has been a significant drop in the number of containment zones in Mumbai," Pednekar said. The Mayor said that many zones are out of the list as they reported zero COVID19 cases in the last two weeks. "231 zones are out of the containment zone list after they didn't record a single COVID-19 positive patient for the last 14 days," she added.

According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total number of positive COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra is 8,068. Till now, 1,076 people have either been cured and discharged, while 342 deaths have been reported in the state.

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After the death of three police personnel due to COVID-19, the Mumbai police are telling constables aged above 55 years and those having existing ailments to immediately proceed on leave. The option for the paid leave was made available on Monday and will last till the lockdown.

Accordingly, the police top brass has directed police stations and traffic divisions to give leave to such constables. If a constable still wishes to come to work, he will be allowed to.

Traffic cops are most vulnerable as their work involves highest people-to-people contact

The three deaths in the Mumbai police workforce occurred within 48 hours. Wanting to save the rest of their colleagues who might be especially vulnerable, senior officers have given clear instructions.

"We have given orders to police stations and traffic divisions to give leave to constables aged beyond 55 years. Those having serious health issues have also been advised to take rest," said Param Bir Singh, commissioner of Mumbai police.

A policeman checks a car at Bhendi Bazar. Pic/Ashish Raje

"On Sunday, we asked for information from the headquarters about constables aged between 50 to 52, 52 to 55 and 55 to 58 years and any ailments they might have," said a senior police officer on condition of anonymity.

Health experts have observed that people aged above 50 and having health issues such as diabetes, asthma and heart conditions are more susceptible to the Coronavirus. "Since the beginning of the lockdown, we had asked our senior inspectors and traffic division in-charges to assign desk duties to constables aged above 50 years, with minimal contact with outsiders," said another officer. "Yet we lost three personnel. Hence, we are enforcing the policy further to avoid more fatalities," added the officer.

Deputy Commissioner of Police and spokesperson for Mumbai police, Pranaya Ashok said, "The message is loud and clear — cops aged above 50 should not be posted in hotspots or in containment zones. In fact, they should serve for tasks that involve minimum social contact. Now we are going a step forward by giving constables aged above 55 years the option to go on leave."

"Enforcing law and order is our priority but saving the lives of our men is also our duty. Therefore, we have given such constables the option to stay home April 27 onwards till the end of the lockdown. Traffic cops have the most contact with people, making them the most vulnerable," said a senior officer from the traffic police.

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Thje city is facing many challenges amid the Coronavirus lockdown, but the one thing in its favour is the water stock. The lakes that provide water to the city have enough water to fulfil the city's needs through the summer.

As of Monday, the lakes have 29 per cent of the water stock, which will last for almost another 80 days, that is, until July.

This means, there will be no water cut this summer. Last year, when the city was facing a water cut, the total water stock was 19 per cent on the same date.

The BMC had imposed a 10 per cent water cut from November 2018 till July 2019. During the last monsoon, the lakes received rain till early December and as such, the water stock is still

The seven lakes — Bhatsa, Tansa, Upper Vaitarna, Middle Vaitarna, Modak Sagar, Tulsi and Vihar — supply water to the city.

Their total water storage capacity is 14.47 lakhs MLD (million litres per day). As of Monday, there is 4.31 lakh MLD water in the lakes.

Last year, on the same date, the water stock was 2.88 lakh MLD.

The BMC supplies 3,800 MLD water to the city every day. Around 700 MLD water is being used by industries while the floating population — people coming from other cities — use around 50 MLD water.

"After the lockdown, the industrial water supply is obviously reduced but the city gets normal water supply. It means there is more water for residential areas," said Ashok Rathore, chief of the Hydraulic Engineering Department.

Due to the manpower crunch, the meter reading has not been taken and the exact use by industries and residences has not been measured.

As per the IMD forecast, the monsoon will be normal this year.

29
Percentage of water stock currently available

Available water stock (in mn litres)

Upper Vaitarna: 2,802
Modak Sagar: 61,632
Tansa: 38,539
Middle Vaitarna: 89,953
Bhatsa: 224,881
Vihar: 10,133
Tulsi: 3,478
Total: 4,31,418

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No net gains

The poor are left to protect themselves in tents on a skywalk in Powai on Monday. Pic/Sameer Markande

Paisa vasool with Pant

At a time when uncertainty hits most industries around the world, writer Meghna Pant's first-ever podcast on Audible hopes to bring some clarity on money matters. Titled Show Me The Money, the podcast is a personal finance audio show that addresses the basics of saving, investing and spending with experts and top investment houses such as SBI, HDFC, and DSP. The recording began last December and about the importance of the show now, Pant told this diarist, "The deepest learning from this pandemic is that life is unpredictable and we need to be prepared for anything. And the only things that can help us tide over tough times, downturns and job losses, are our savings and investments. What are smart financial decisions? How can women, millennials, artists, freelancers and influencers become richer? What's worth spending on and what's not? The idea is to give people money advice that actually works, while they're sitting at home in their PJs. All for free!"

Party all night

This diarist watched DJ Ivan offer his friends a treat when they were starved of their fix of weekend dancing recently. A bunch of them were on a video call when one person directed them to a mammoth set that the city-based musician was playing live on Instagram, where he started spinning old-school electronic tunes around midnight and went on for seven hours straight. The friends logged in to the music from home, showing how the definition of partying in Mumbai has changed during the lockdown. "This is for those who are missing the club right now," the gracious DJ said.

Some signs of the times

Although we're all finding ways to comprehend the current scenario we're living in, an emoji that accurately represents what we're going through can always help. So, the New York-based creative agency &Walsh has launched hundreds of emojis that can be downloaded for free — because they were "frustrated by the limitations of the current emoji set." Too scared to text your crush? Just send them the "Be My Quarantine?" emoji. Tired of people reminding you to wash your hands? Show them the graphic depiction of bubbles emerging from your hands instead. And if you can't deal with anything or anyone at the moment, simply send the banner that says, "Hello I Am Going Insane". We understand.

Why you should swing into this auction

After the pandemic struck artist Raju Sutar took up the brush up in a bid to help with relief work. It started off with 30 paintings that he posted on social media, appealing to followers to pay R500 or more for each. "I asked them to pay the money to either the Maharashtra Chief Minister's (CM) Relief Fund or any other COVID-19 fund. The paintings were sold out in 20 hours and some people paid more than R3,000 for them," he told us. This is what led him to kick-start an auction on Instagram. The circular paintings, each 3.5-inch in diameter, are inspired by the popular card game Ganjifa. "I've posted four paintings so far. Each day, one painting goes under the hammer and I take bids till 10 pm in the comments section. The winner is declared after that and they need to send the money to the CM's Fund. I'll send the artworks to the winners by post once the lockdown ends," he said, adding that R23,000 has been raised so far.

A mindful debut

Singer, actor and speaker on mindfulness, Raageshwari Loomba Swaroop is set to make her literary debut next month as her book Building a Happy Family (Penguin India) will be launched digitally by Oxford Bookstore. The title comes with a foreword from Dr Shashi Tharoor and the author focusses on the impact books, music, art and positive reinforcement has on the lives of children. "I always believed that parenting is about bringing up the parent and not the child. I wrote the book so we adults can re-visit our childhood through our children's unique eyes," Loomba Swaroop told this diarist. In doing this, she also stated that we will magically realise that these "little masters" are our greatest teachers in mindfulness. About the motivation to delve into mindfulness per se, the London-based author added, "I starting collecting notes on it soon after my recovery from facial paralysis. It's been 20 years since then. But when I started the journey of being a mother, in my mind first, I knew I wanted to be a non-judgemental and easygoing mother. Mindfulness made me realise that for it to happen I would first have to start by being non-judgemental and easy going with myself and everyone around me."

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

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

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

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

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

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A 36-year-old man was arrested for beating his 70-year-old father in Bhandup to death after an argument on Sunday night. According to the police, the man, identified as Sachin Gorivle was having an argument about his employment with the deceased, Krishna, The Times of India reported.

Sachin did odd jobs for a living and was at home since the lockdown due to coronavirus outbreak in March. When Krishna argued with Sachin about his job, the latter attacked the former in a fit of rage. His mother and sister were in a different room when the incident happened.

Krishna was rushed to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

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

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

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

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

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The 73-year-old mother and wife of a police constable have tested positive for COVID-19 in neighbouring Navi Mumbai, an official said on Tuesday. The constable, who is attached to the Mumbai police, had tested positive for the infection earlier, while swab reports of his elderly mother and wife came out positive on Monday, public relations officer of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation Mahendra Konde said.

In another development, a 42-year-old heart patient, who died while being shifted to a hospital in Navi Mumbai, tested positive for coronavirus post death, the official said. A 57-year-old medical personnel of a civic hospital in Mumbai has contracted the infection, and at least 12 civic workers, who came in contact with her, were quarantined, a release from the Palghar district administration stated.

As per reports, the number of positive cases in Palghar stood at 146, of which 10 patients have succumbed to the infection. Meanwhile, as many as 41 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Maharashtra''s Thane district, taking the tally to 728 in the region and toll to 21, after two more died on Monday, an official from the district administration said.

With 41 patients, Mumbra town has recorded the highest number of cases in the district.

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While the world is grappling with the impact of the horrific COVID-19, and the entire nation is under the lockdown, there are people who are finding it difficult to make both ends meet. Mumbai’s Dabbawalas, who ensure that a delicious, warm ,home cooked meal reach in time every single day at work, today are battling to have a meal in their own plates. Radio City, India’s leading radio network, has launched a fund raiser initiative, Dabbewale ka Dabba Bharo, and have been urging Mumbaikars to come forward and contribute towards the initiative.

Radio City in Mumbai, kick started this initiative on 22nd April, where all the RJ's across their shows have been sharing the current state of Dabbewale's, with around more than 5 thousand of them are finding it difficult to feed their families since the lockdown was announced. Radio City has been urging Mumbai city to come forward and contribute towards the initiative. There has been an overwhelming response from the citizens and uptill now, approx. 62 thousand rupees has already been collected

To garner a wider reach and raise more funds, Radio City has created a video (https://youtu.be/e1XCjt8FSBI) that has been promoted across Radio City’s social media handles. Radio City has always been at the forefront to help the city and its citizens through various initiatives like these and spread a wave of positivity.

If you wish to contribute Please click on the link: www.ketto.org/radiocity

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Mumbai on Tuesday reported the highest death toll due to COVID-19 in a single day. There was a significant increase in the number of cases in Aurangabad and Malegaon. State health officials recorded 729 new cases in Maharashtra and 31 deaths, taking the state's total to 400 deaths. Apart from 25 deaths in Mumbai, four were recorded in Jalgaon and two in Pune. Maharashtra now has 9,318 postive cases.

393 new cases in city
Civic officials said a total of 25 deaths were reported in the city on Tuesday. Of these, five died between April 23-25, and 17 of them were suffering from other ailments. According to the civic body, 393 new infections were confirmed in the city on Tuesday. The patients are admitted in isolation wards and are undergoing treatment.

After a dip in the number of cases, the COVID-19 count rose in G North ward with 42 new cases in Dharavi, five in Mahim and four in Dadar. Four deaths were also reported in Dharavi. Civic officials said two of the patients who died — a 60-year-old man and a 60-year -old woman — had tested positive earlier and died at Sion Hospital while undergoing treatment.

Total 18 deaths in Dharavi so far
Two other patients — a 48-year old man from Kasarwadi and a 55-year-old man from Social Nagar in Dharavi — were confirmed to have contracted the deadly respiratory disease and died at KEM Hospital on Tuesday. As of now, a total of 330 positive cases and 18 deaths have been reported from Dharavi.

Civic officials said that seven of the infected people are residents of 90 feet road, while four others are from Mukund Nagar, and majority of them were aged below 60 years. In Mahim, a 35-year-old female resident of the police colony tested positive and the total number of cases in the area has jumped to 30. In Dadar, two 44 -year-old male residents of the municipal quarters and a 47-year-old woman from the police colony have tested positive.

On Monday, four staffers from the Mantralaya had tested positive. After tracing their contacts, civic officials said that they identified around 25 high-risk contacts and all of them have been tested. Their test results, however, are still awaited. Meanwhile, one COVID-19 patient with severe symptoms was given plasma therapy that will help the patient fight the infection.

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With more than a month since the lockdown began, a few students from outstation are still stuck in Mumbai University's (MU) hostels. A majority of them managed to head home, but there still are about 20-23 students in the Churchgate and Kalina hostels.

Though their mess provides them with meals, the students still pay for food and need other daily essential items. None of them have any money left and no assurance from home as many come from farmers' families who are already facing a loss due to lockdown.

So these students have requested the varsity to provide them financial aid. "Money is very important when you are staying away from home. Every day each student ends up paying a little over R120 for all three meals at the mess. The university has issued orders that the mess should not charge us, but we know that if we don't pay, the canteen service provider won't be able to buy items," a student at the Churchgate hostel said.

Another student from the Kalina hostel said, "The university has asked the food contractor to not charge but that is not practically possible until they have been provided with groceries etc. If the varsity provides us financial aid, we will be able to ensure our other needs such as soaps, toothpaste etc. are met."

Rohit Dhale from Chatrabharati, who has written a letter to the varsity over the issue, said, "Most of these students are from families which are not financially stable. The students are few and if the varsity decides to help them it won't be a huge amount." MU registrar Ajay Deshmukh said, "We have already ensured that the mess continues to function so that these students do not have a problem with food. We have asked the mess contractor to not make charges mandatory during such difficult times. We have received the letter and it will be discussed with the Vice-Chancellor to decide what can be done."

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A senior citizen from Kalina, Anwari Begum, 70, died after three top hospitals in the city refused to give her dialysis without her COVID-19 test results being in, the woman's family has claimed. The test results, which arrived on Monday, returned negative.

Begum had been undergoing dialysis at Guru Nanak Hospital in Bandra East for the past one year. Her last dialysis at the hospital was on April 18, when a COVID-19 positive patient was found in the hospital. The hospital asked her to visit on April 22 — which was also the day of her next dialysis — for a COVID-19 test.

Anwari Begum's two sons (from left) Zakaria Shaikh, Haroon Shaikh and Mohammed Hasan (right ) her son-in-law

"My mother-in-law's COVID-19 test was done on Wednesday, April 22. She was also supposed to get dialysis on the same day but the hospital refused, saying they will do it only after her test results come, which was going to take 48 hours. On Thursday, she had severe pain and needed the dialysis urgently. So we went to the hospital around 4 pm but they refused as her reports were pending. We waited for over two hours at the hospital, but they did not listen," said Mohammed Hasan, Begum's son-in-law.

"After Guru Nanak, we approached Nanavati Hospital. Many other patients like us were stopped at the gate. They took her files and after two hours, enquired about her COVID-19 test report and said that they are not taking outside patients. Some from the family took her to Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital around 8.30 pm and I went to look for a dialysis centre in Kalina and Sakinaka. At Kokilaben, my family was asked to finish formalities, which took two hours, but they too refused to treat her," Hasan said.

Guru Nanak Hospital in Bandra East. File pic

Found help, but too late
Dialysis patients all over the city have been suffering amid the Coronavirus pandemic. Despite guidelines from the State Health Department that do not necessitate a COVID-19 test for patients needing dialysis and only ask hospitals to take universal precautions, hospitals across the city are refusing to treat patients without the test.

Hospitals say that they are overburdened due to the closure of dialysis centres which has increased the volume of patients with kidney ailments and that they cannot accommodate every patient.

Hasan approached Axon Hospital in Sakinaka, which said that the dialysis centre is closed as their staff is unwell. "I requested them explaining the condition of my mother-in-law and pleaded with folded hands to have mercy. I also promised to pay whatever amount is required. After some time, the concerned doctor listened to me and called his dialysis staff. My mother-in-law reached the hospital around 11 pm. At 11.30 pm, the assistant doctor told me that her condition has worsened."
Begum died shortly after that. Her test results, which came on Monday, showed her negative for Coronavirus.

"The funeral was performed the next day at 10 am. Sometime later, I received a call from the person who had referred us to the nephrologist at Guru Nanak Hospital. He was apparently told by someone from the hospital that my mother tested positive. We live in a joint family and everyone panicked but no one from the hospital called us. A few days later, we got her report, which was negative," Hasan said.

According to BMC's Health Department, a COVID-19 test is not mandatory for dialysis patients. "Everyone has to take universal precautions, a COVID-19 test report is not mandatory," said Dr. Daksha Shah, BMC's deputy executive health officer.

"24 hours after sanitising the dialysis centre, the hospital can resume services as per the guidelines. If they suspect a patient to be positive, he/she can be quarantined," Dr Shah added.

'Followed task force rules'
Guru Nanak Hospital defended itself saying it was just following guidelines of the state government's task force committee, as per which, an affected dialysis centre must close for fumigation and surface cleaning. "Our dialysis centre is open 24x7. That day, a COVID-19 case was reported. As per the rules, we had to shut the dialysis centre for 24 hours, sanitise the area and quarantine the staff. Around seven workers from the dialysis centre were quarantined. They have tested negative," said Dr. Narendra Sharma, spokesperson of the hospital, who did not clearly remember on which day the case was reported.

"Dialysis patients travel through Containment Zones. Despite taking all precautions, such incidents are happening, which is the biggest challenge for us," Sharma said.

"As per my knowledge, the case was reported on Saturday. We needed the dialysis on Thursday. That makes five days. Why did Guru Nanak Hospital refuse to treat her when it is supposed to be shut only for 24 hours?" Hasan said.

Dr. Santosh Shetty, executive director and CEO, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, said, "We are not testing our existing dialysis patients. We take patients' history and screen them before every dialysis. Currently, we have nearly 200 patients on dialysis. We are following BMC and state task force's guidelines."

While the spokesperson of Nanavati Super Speciality Hospital said, "Nanavati Hospital is one of the very few quaternary care medical facilities in Mumbai to provide dialysis treatment for COVID-19 patients. Thus the high influx of patients ensures dialysis beds reserved for patients as per their COVID-19 status are occupied. However, the unavailability of a bed is immediately communicated to the patient or their family."

Apr 22
Day Anwari Begum was tested for Coronavirus

Apr 27
Day her test returned negative, four days after her death

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A Bandra court on Tuesday granted bail to Vinay Dubey, accused of inciting migrants to assemble outside Bandra railway station on April 14 in violation of lockdown norms. Dubey was granted bail on a cash surety of Rs 15,000 by metropolitan magistrate JY Ghule, his lawyer Deepak Mishra said.

On April 14, the last day of the first phase of the lockdown, several hundred migrants had assembled on the west side of Bandra railway station, demanding trains take them to their native places, just hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an extension of the lockdown till May 3.

Police claimed Dubey's video and Facebook post incited the migrants, as he was heard stating that the government must run trains by April 18 for migrant labourers, or he would start a rally to get them home.

Dubey was charged under sections 117, 153 A, 188, 269, 270 and 505 (2) of Indian Penal Code on charges of promoting enmity among different groups, abetting the commission of an offence by members of the public, and for negligence that could spread infections, disease etc. He was also charged under the Epidemic Diseases Act.

Advocate blames police
Advocate Mishra claimed the police was wrong in charging Dubey. "Dubey had said in the video that an agitation would start on April 18. However, migrants gathered on April 14 itself. So how can my client be blamed for that?" he said. He also told court that the migrants had been able to gather despite the lockdown because of the failure of the police and state.

Rs 15k
Cash surety against which he was granted bail

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Not allowed

Wall art in Jogeshwari East coincidentally depicts everything that's out of bounds including transport and dabbawalla tiffins. Pic/Rane Ashish

Your dance debut

It's World Dance Day today and a streaming platform has come forward to celebrate it and not just through dance films. Besides streaming classics like La La Land, Step Up and Dirty Dancing, they are urging users to replicate moves from the films and take away a bunch of prizes as part of Groove from Home.

A still from La La Land

"Dance and singing reality shows have always been a part of our culture and viewing habits so we feel this fits in seamlessly. In these unprecedented times we want to create opportunities where people can take their minds off gloomy news and lose themselves in a world of great stories," Rohit Jain, MD of the streaming platform, told this diarist. Log on to Lionsgate Play on Instagram to post your moves.

Keeping the spirits up

Deboo in choreography with Manipuri martial artistes. Pic/Farrokh Chothia

Dancer-choreographer Astad Deboo is doing his bit by keeping the spirits up this World Dance Day. Though he admits it hasn't been a productive time in terms of creating new work, he wants to ensure he can use his privilege to reach out to those less fortunate. "This image says to me let's rise above this [the Coronavirus] and not be bogged down at this time," Deboo told this diarist.

"While everyone is celebrating the day with video clips and events online, I have been keeping my body in shape through exercise and have been inundated with queries for fundraising for my foundation," he added.

Let's take it online

F&B venture Social in partnership with music firm Submerge is taking its annual festival The Exchange online with panelists who will be talking about the entertainment industry during the pandemic, the path ahead and online streaming. Scheduled over today and tomorrow, the panels include Monica Dogra, Ankytrixx, Tuhin Mehta and DJ Kan-i will feature on Facebook Live discussions.

"The festival has come to us at a crucial time, when everyone in the world has questions about their life and the future in general, with no answers or plans. I will talk about practical solutions to help monetise and sustain work," Ankytrixx, DJ and electronic music producer, told this diarist.

Putting the onus back on us

Singer Baba Sehgal has been actively producing tracks through the lockdown, often themed on the virus and preventive measures. This time, he has teamed up with Seattle-based singer Sonia Keshwani in a melodic anthem that puts the onus back on human beings.

Titled We are sorry, it drives home the point about environmental damage. "Though I have a rap segment in between, I have veered off my regular style for a melodic song this time. As for the theme, I think it's time we said sorry for all the damage that we have caused. Everything that is happening is a result of that," Sehgal told this diarist.

For artistes, from artistes

Sameera Iyengar

The COVID-19 crisis has hit performing arts hard and disrupted many livelihoods. To take matters into their own hands, artistes Shubha Mudgal, Aneesh Pradhan, Sameera Iyengar, Rahul Vora and Mona Irani along with Arundhati Ghosh, executive director, India Foundation for the Arts, organised a campaign called Assistance for Disaster Affected Artistes (ADAA). The aim was to support 100 artistes with a financial package over the next six months.

Quasar Thakore-Padamsee

Donations from 282 individuals and organisations (including those by city theatre artistes like Akarsh Khurana and Quasar Thakore-Padamsee) have resulted in them exceeding the set target. "Our funds now allow 132 artistes and their families across 10 states in India to be supported. We are currently in the process of finalising the artiste beneficiaries with the help of our partners. We will begin disbursement of funds through our distribution partner Indian Writer's Forum in early May — each beneficiary will receive a financial package of R30,000 each, over six months," Sameera Iyengar told this diarist, on behalf of the team.

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The Mumbai Police on Tuesday asked its personnels who are above 55 years of age to stay at home during the coronavirus lockdown. This comes after three Mumbai policemen died due to COVID-19. In its press note, Mumbai Police has also asked policemen above the age of 52 with previous medical conditions like diabetes and hypertension to stay indoors.

The Mumbai Police also stated in its press note that special hospitals are being designated for police personnel. "Also, all COVID hospitals in Mumbai have dedicated beds for Mumbai Police personnel." "Amenities like food packets, ration, hot water flasks, pandals at check points etc. are being provided to all personnel on frontline duties. Accommodation facilities are being provided to all police personnel who wish to stay back," read the press release from the Mumbai Police.

It also informed that multivitamin and protein supplements are being provided for 20,000 personnel to strengthen their immunity system. Also, a Special Covid Helpline number has been set up for police personnel and their families at the control room to resolve any doubts or issues they might have related to COVID-19. Medical professionals have also been associated with it.

On Monday, a 57-year-old head constable of the Mumbai Police died of COVID-19. A 52-year-old head constable succumbed to the disease on Sunday, while a 57-year-old constable died on Saturday. The Uddhav Thackeray-led government has granted Rs. 50 lakh ex-gratia amount to all personnel who lose their lives fighting COVID-19.

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

The city unit of the Young Mens’ Christian Association (YMCA) has offered its well-furnished International Guest House of 75 Rooms to house their Doctors, Health Care Professionals and Asymptomatic patients. In addition, we have provided masks, gloves and medical equipment to the Nair and Kasturba Hospitals’ for the medical professionals working on the frontlines.

In the first phase of the relief operations, we have been able to cater to 20,000 persons (4000 packets) by providing them with dry rations and groceries. Cooked food to the slum dwellers, daily wage earners, migrant workers, street beggars, rag pickers and construction workers has crossed 1,00,000 (One Lakh) threshold.

A special mention here is of our volunteer team ably led by our regular ‘Dhobiwala’ (Laundry Man) who have earned the sobriquet, ‘Scooter Saviors’ has enabled us to reach the unreached pockets from CST to Colaba Market right up to the slums at Cuffe Parade.

The victims have now become saviors. Thanks to the ladies who are housed at YMCA Sharan, a shelter for destitute women run with the help of BMC have reached out to the unreached in the slums at Sakinaka.

Our counselors trained at the Counseling Institute at Navi Mumbai are available on call daily for those who are in distress, stress and undergoing anxiety symptoms during this lock-down period. 

“We acknowledge the contributions of our partners who have joined us in this mission during this time of the ‘virus crisis’ - Muthoot Finance, ATE Chandra Foundation, Rotary Club of Bombay, Rotary Club of Mumbai Central, Rotary Club of Queen’s Necklace, Rotary Club of Versova and Rotary Club of Mumbai Elegant. A special thanks to the BMC, Mumbai Police and Navi Mumbai Police who helped us with the permissions and the necessary assistance. As we begin our next phase, we would like to enlist the support of Mumbaikars in this hour of need,” Paul George, general secretay/CEO told Mid-Day.

The Bombay YMCA blessed with its vast infrastructure, network and committed team of staff and volunteers at strategic locations ranging from Colaba to Navi Mumbai was able to promptly and efficiently respond to the pandemic that gripped our city.

Historically Helpful
The Bombay YMCA since its inception in 1875 has always risen to the occasion whenever calamities have struck the city.

Beginning with Relief operations during World War I & II, the Army barracks were maintained by the YMCA and the Army Officers used the YMCA at Colaba for its operations. Over the past 145 years our experience gained in the 3 R’s - Rescue, Relief and Rehabilitation has grown exponentially.

During the earthquake at the Latur and Osmanabad districts in 1993, Bombay YMCA led in the relief and later rehabilitation of two villages of over 200 families including the construction of the primary school and the community centre. We were recently recognized for our efforts by the then Chief Minister, Shri. Sharad Pawar.

When the communal riots broke out in the early 90s the YMCA was called in as Peacemakers between the communities in Agripada and Mumbai Central. The Army used the premises of the Procter YMCA at Agripada as their base for their operation. In addition, Bombay YMCA constructed close to 50 tenements at Ramabai Nagar, Ghatkopar in collaboration with a major newspaper group.

Each time the city was submerged due to the deluge and came to a standstill, the YMCA opened its centres/Branches providing shelter and food for the stranded.

During the terrorist attack of 26/11, the YMCA was home to many Mumbaikars and foreign nationals at various YMCA centres spread across the city.

How to contact:

For further details and more information follow us on Instagram:@ymcabombay, Twitter: @ymcabombay, Facebook: @ymcabombay, Email: generalsecretary@ymcabombay.com.

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At least 70 state transport buses left from Maharashtra on Wednesday morning to bring back students stranded at Kota in Rajasthan due to the coronavirus-enforced lockdown, an official said. The vehicles left from Maharashtra's Dhule district around 10.30 am and will reach Rajasthan by Wednesday night, he said. "The buses will leave from Kota on Thursday morning," the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) official said, adding that only 20 students will be allowed in each bus and the vehicles will halt at two to three places for food breaks.

A number of students from Maharashtra have been staying at Kota to take coaching classes for the preparation of various competitive entrance examinations after Class 12. The MSRTC official said due to the long distance journey of 11 to 12 hours, each bus has been provided two drivers, and a van will go along with the fleet to help in case of a break down and ensure smooth journey. "On return journey from Kota, the buses will ferry students to their respective districts," he said.

Maharashtra Transport Minister Anil Parab in a tweet late Tuesday night said, "1780 students from Maharashtra are stuck in Kota, Rajasthan due to lockdown for precaution against Covid-19. As directed by Hon'ble CM Shri. @OfficeOfUt, 92 buses of MSRTC fleet will Leave on 29th April 2020from Dhule to rescue the students & Bring them back home." When asked about it, the MSRTC official said earlier they were to send 92 buses, but the number was reduced as some districts like Raigad and Beed sent private buses to bring back students from Kota.

On return, the students and their parents will undergo medical checkup followed by the mandatory 14-day home quarantine, a senior official from the Maharashtra disaster management department said on Tuesday. The Maharashtra government decided to bring back the students following indications that the lockdown may be extended in some of the major cities where the coronavirus situation is yet to come under control.

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Amid the rising number of coronavirus cases, Mumbai Police, who are well known for their witty memes and inspirational posts make sure to educate and entertain the citizens. After taking inspiration from Bollywood films, the Mumbai police have now turned towards web series and their latest tweet is proof enough!

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

When asked to choose the safest city... #ShotsOfSafetyPlease #MumbaiFirst #SafetyFirst #aayamumbaipolice

A post shared by Mumbai Police (@mumbaipolice) onApr 28, 2020 at 3:44am PDT

Using a short clip from one of the popular web series, Mumbai Police proved why the city that never sleeps is the safest city in the world. Posing an indirect question to netizens as to which is the safest city across the globe, the clip from the web series gives a picture-perfect answer.

In the four seconds video clip, actors Sayani Gupta and Prateik Babbar can be seen sitting on a yacht and enjoying quiet time while sailing in the Arabian Sea amid the backdrop of the Gateway of India and the Taj Mahal Palace. It is during the conversation that the two can be seen talking about Mumbai (then Bombay).

While sharing the scene from the web series, Mumbai Police tweeted: When asked to choose the safest city. "I would choose Bombay over any other city in the world, any day," says Sayani. To which Prateik nods in agreement. Mumbai Police also came up with their own hashtags that read: #ShotsOfSafetyPlease #MumbaiFirst #SafetyFirst #aayamumbaipolice.

Since the time it was shared on Instagram with their 75,000 followers, the video has garnered over 60,000 views and counting. The video touched the hearts of thousands of Mumbaikars who heaped praises on the Mumbai Police for their selfless service to the city amid the COVID-19 crisis.

One user wrote, "We are proud of you all for the sacrifices you and your families are doing to enforce the lockdown," while another user said that Bombay is safest and coolest city in India. A third user commented, "Bombay over anyplace...anyone...anything. Home ! Another user lauded Mumbai Police for keeping the city safe at all times. The user said, Hands down Mumbai. Over any other city. Be it safety or be it night life, when Mumbai Police is here, why fear!

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A 25-year-old woman allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself from the ceiling fan at her four-bedroom flat at Lokhandwala Township in Kandivli (East) on Tuesday afternoon.

According to police sources, the deceased has been identified as Bhavna Bora. On March 13, she had returned to Mumbai from Ireland, from where she was pursuing her Masters' degree and was staying with her parents and brothers in their four BHK apartment in Green Meadows Apartments in Lokhandwala Township.

Preliminary investigations revealed that she was upset after attending online classes for more than 16 to 18 hours a day.

When her father, a businessman by profession, and her brother entered her room to call her for lunch, they found the door locked from inside. “After Bora did not respond, they used a key to open the door only to find her body hanging from the ceiling fan and informed the police soon after,” the officer said.

“On the basis of primary information, we have registered an accidental death report (ADR) in the case and further investigation is underway,” said Senior Inspector Raju Kasbe from Samta Nagar police station.

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Mumbai Police has been dropping creative posts to spread awareness about the Coronavirus lockdown and why it is best for you to stay home on their social media accounts. After giving its followers who are not abiding the lockdown options to chose from, the police department is back with an interesting post with a twist.

 "Increase your phone's brightness... There's a very bright idea waiting for you!" the police department wrote in the post on Instagram, and shared what appears to be a pitch-black picture. A Baburao-style secret message appears once you increase the brightness of your phone.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mumbai Police (@mumbaipolice) onApr 28, 2020 at 9:25pm PDT

The hilariously interactive post shared a few hours ago managed to garner 18,361 likes with many lauding the creativity. One user who noticed that the word risk was misspelled as 'ricks', the police department was quick in coming up with an apt reply saying, "Yeh Babu Rao ka style hai!"

Another user said, "I read it like Baburao." A user said, "When Mumbai Police is out patrolling, bahar jaaneka bilkul ricks nai leneka."

What do you think about the post?

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Sound of silence

With air and noise pollution levels down, the Common Man at a Sion signal has nothing but the virus to fear. Pic/Ashish Raje

Time to speak up

The lockdown has once again put several women's issues like domestic abuse, personal freedom and financial security in focus. To open up conversations around the same in the context of the lockdown, Penguin Random House India has started a weekly Facebook live series called #SpeakUp, hosted by journalist Pragya Tiwari. It will have speakers like Kavita Krishnan, Puja Mehra, Samra Zafar and Shiromi Pinto. Highlighting the fact that one of the greatest inequalities in India is along the lines of gender, Tiwari said, "The series will bring to the fore voices of women and issues the world is confronted with through their lens."

Mumbai: For better or verse

Writers and poets across the world have been responding to the current state of affairs in myriad ways. Like his colleagues, Murzban F Shroff, author of Breathless in Bombay, too, decided to look at the way his city is changing, which he encapsulated in a poem. "It is on the Coronavirus, and also reflects my love for the city and captures its now desolate state," Shroff said, sharing his poem with us.

Living Life Capsized
I walk out into my capsized city
emptied of traffic, emptied of life, and I see
dogs lounging belly-up and cats tread fearlessly
and I see layers of bird-poo on the top of cars
whose owners might have once fought over parking spots

I walk out into my capsized city and I see
a family of four within their 11ft x 14ft shanty
I see the bleakness on their faces, the torpor in their limbs
I see this because their door is open and there is no window
and there is a kerosene stove aflame on which something is cooking
and that is the only sign of life, really,
in that prison of unforeseen circumstances

I walk out into my capsized city, a lone explorer of sorts
and I see the reproachful half-faces of street-cleaners
as they plunge their gloved hands into large eco-friendly litterbins
and drag out empty boxes of chocolates, cereals, cookies, porridge…
Someone has eaten, and eaten well!

I walk out into my abandoned city and I feel abandoned myself
The doctor's clinic is locked, the stores are shuttered
The temple bells are silent, the deity glowers in the dark
there is no one left to do the invocation, no one left
to clank the bells, then make some request

I walk out into my abandoned city and I have never felt safer
The earthmovers have fallen silent
The half-built structures sit like shell-shocked sentinels
The plots on which they stand have come to resemble graveyards
despite what the brochures say, what they once promised

I circle my capsized city, warily, softly, respectfully
just to remind myself of all that existed here
all that once traded in the name of good fortune
and is now in hiding, now in exile
a museum of squandered opportunities.

Look who's got wings to fly

Kunal Kamra is talking about flying again, on Twitter. But this time, when all airlines in the country are grounded to contain the spread of the Coronavirus, Kamra's flight ban has come to an end. "From what I understand, the flying ban that was imposed on January 28 should have ended on April 28," he told this diarist. He continues to find humour in the situation, as he has before, and added, "My three-month airline ban has been lifted; now waiting for the airlines to fly."

All for India

In order to keep the country entertained during these trying times and raise money for the PM CARES fund, YouTube will host a day-long digital event in association with over 100 creators, musicians, actors and comedians, who will live-stream performances from their homes today. Singer Benny Dayal, who will be part of the show, said, "It will be a special concert as it brings together hundreds of artistes to rally behind those who are making sure that we are safe. The phrase 'one nation' speaks a lot. It's a toned-down version of the concerts that we are used to, but it's fun."

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In another incident that underlines the abject plight of migrant labourers, the Mulund police found 19 of them attempting to walk home to UP on foot in a bid to escape hunger and unemployment. The group was spotted sitting on a water pipeline during drone surveillance on Wednesday evening. What surprised the police was that usually, people run away as soon as they notice drones. However, these labourers, trying to escape hunger in the city, did not flinch and stared back at the drone. The group appeared to be headed in the direction of Thane.

The police across the state are using drones to keep an eye on their jurisdiction amid the COVID-19 lockdown. The police spotted this group around 7pm on Wednesday during routine surveillance and went for a closer look.

Vijay Prajapati, a migrant

The police noticed a few people sitting on a pipeline that supplies water. The drone was lowered to get a better look at the people and police counted 19 people sitting, observing the drone.

"People run away after they realise a drone is tracking them. But these people did not. We thought they are resting. All of them had bags hoisted on their backs or lying by their side," said an officer from Mulund police station. "We informed a patrolling van and some local politicians who rushed to the Veena Nagar," the officer added. The 19 people were taken to Mulund police station where cops and MLA Mihir Kotecha spoke to them.

Brahmadatta Tiwari

"Of the 19, 16 reside in Sonapur, Bhandup West and six are from Goregaon East. All are daily wage labourers," said Kotecha.

"They all belong to a village near Balrampur near Lukhnow, Uttar Pradesh. They planned to go to their hometown walking. All of them have been taken to Bhandup Shelter Home, where they will be given food."

A screenshot of the video of the labourers taken during drone surveillance by Mulund police. Pics/Suresh Karkera

Sonapur resident Vijay Kumar Prajapati, 38, said, "We all live in one single room. We don't have a single rupee in our pocket now. We have no option but to walk back to our home where our family is. We haven't had proper food for the past three days. So, instead of starving, we chose this path."

Brahmadatta Tiwari, 40, a Goregaon East resident, said, "We all belong to the same village. We discussed among each other about what to do as money and provisions are ending. With no other option left, we decided to walk back home."

Mulund police informed the labourers that the government has allowed for states to take back their migrants and if they want, they will be taken home.

7g
Time on Wednesday evening that the drone spotted the migrants on the pipeline

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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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Malad police arrested two people on Tuesday night for selling liquor at a premium and delivering it at people's doorstep. The Santacruz and Kandivli residents had a stock of liquor, orders for which were taken on WhatsApp. Police seized alcohol worth Rs 1.35 lakh from the duo."

The duo would send WhatsApp messages with a list of available liquor brands along with prices to their acquaintances. The message soon went viral and Malad police got wind of it. "We received this information from an informant and laid the trap. We placed an order with Kaushal Mashro, 28, on the WhatsApp number provided in the message. When he came to deliver the products in Kandivli, we arrested him," said a police officer.

During interrogation, Mahsro revealed the identity of his accomplice, Akshay Parihani, 28, and another team reached Akshay's home in Santacruz, arrested him and seized the stock of alcohol. "During further interrogation, the duo said they decided to sell the available stock as they needed money," the officer added.

The duo has been booked under Section 65E of the Bombay Prohibition Act and relevant sections of the Epidemic Diseases Act.

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Even as India is awaiting announcements on the Coronavirus gameplan post lockdown on May 3, there is one Mazagaon couple which is on absolute tenterhooks about the announcement. Mumbai’s Darryl, 75, and Grace Cabral, 69, marooned in Newark city in New Jersey, USA said they "are hoping fervently that we can come back to Mumbai."

The couple flew to Australia and boarded a cruise liner late February from Sydney bound for the South Pacific islands. They were looking forward to their holiday, with no inkling of the ominous Corona cloud looming on their horizon. "We boarded the ship on February 28 and were supposed to end the cruise on March 20," they said.

They were the only two Indian passengers on board. All seemed smooth sailing at first, with the cruise ship making a few scheduled stops, but trouble started brewing as a couple of ports did not allow the ship to dock because of Coronavirus concerns. "We could not see all the places on the itinerary as the ship did not get permission to dock," they said.

Stranded now
A series of events then took place in rapid succession as the schedule went awry with nations reacting with new policies and rules as the pandemic spread. The ship docked at Honolulu after permissions were given and Grace and Darryl were taken by a chartered flight to Newark airport towards March end, along with some other passengers who were planning to reach different destinations. The Cabrals said, "We reached Newark on March 25. We booked tickets to Brussels as flights to India had stopped. We have a daughter in Brussels and we planned to stay with her."

To their shock though, at the boarding counter, they were told that the flight could take only Schengen passport holders. "We had a Schengen visa not a Schengen passport," they explained.

The couple has been in Newark ever since India was locked down. They are in touch with the Indian Consulate in New York. "We have had no flights operating to India. We had our tickets booked on April 17 as the first phase of the lockdown ended. The extension dashed our hopes," they said. Now, they have booked tickets for May 4 through a city travel agent, hoping for the lockdown to be lifted at least to rescue stranded Indians, if nothing else.

Expenses mount
Darryl, a professor of management, and Grace are living in an AirBnB apartment in Newark, with the exchange rate absolutely bleeding them. "Our finances are stretched thin, we are paying at least USD 80 dollars (approximately R6,048) a day only on accommodation. Though we live as carefully as possible, there are food expenses too," said Grace.

"It is fairly easy getting provisions here though since the shops are open. But there is a great amount of discipline when it comes to social distancing. Everybody has a mask on, in fact, shops will not allow you if you do not wear a mask. Within these parameters, we do see people walking their dogs, exercising and a few cars on the roads," she added. Even with all the measures, they have some trepidation though, as Corona cases in the USA are very high, with New York and New Jersey worse hit and the couple’s age means they fall within the vulnerable bracket.

Diabetes medication
This Mumbai duo is struggling to access their diabetic medication, "as Indian prescriptions do not work here," they explained. Under tremendous stress now, the Cabrals just wish "to return home."

They said, "It is the uncertainty that is killing. We can be quarantined on returning, adhere to whatever the rules say, but we want to return. It is becoming quite impossible for us to stay here any longer," they finished, echoing the dire straits so many Indians overseas find themselves in.

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As many as 160 personnel of the Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) have been keeping your city clean in an effort to prevent the spread of the deadly novel Coronavirus. Thirty-two teams of the MFB have sanitised more than 3,000 places, including hospitals and containment zones, over the past month.

The MFB teams, following the instructions of the BMC's health department, have disinfected 3,063 spots using 2.47 lakh litres of sodium hypochlorite. They have been disinfecting hospitals and the areas, which have been sealed following a spurt in cases of COVID-19 infections, on alternate days. The fire department said they are using 17 quick response vehicles, nine mist blowing machines and six boom mist machines to sanitise the affected places.

The real challenge is to disinfect the gullies around the houses and narrow pathways in the slum where hardly one person can walk at a time, said an officer from the MFB. "The number of containment zones in the slum has increased, but the fire brigade team is working hard to sanitise all the areas in time, and effectively," the officer added.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Western Railway staff on Tuesday found the batteries of a local train parked near Borivli missing. Local trains have been stationary for over a month now following the lockdown.

WR officials said it was discovered early Tuesday morning by the Western Railway staff on duty who were inspecting and carrying out basic checks as per schedule.

Sources said that a few WR staff, as per routine schedule, went to check the functioning of vital components of trains stabled on the tracks between Borivli and Kandivli stations.

They found that five batteries were removed from the battery box, which was locked. However, WR authorities are unsure whether these batteries have been stolen, or have been removed by their staff for some technical inspection.

RPF officials said they are investigating the matter.

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With the lockdown prompting students and parents in uncertainty, schools in Mumbai have been acting on requests received from parents on rolling back fees and refunding miscellaneous fares.

According to a report in The Times of India, city schools have been rolling back fees for bus and canteen as children are attending classes online and not availing the services.

Parents have been requesting for financial relief from the school as they have been facing pressure in terms of their jobs and businesses due to the lockdown imposed by the government due to the Coronavirus outbreak. A parent was quoted by the newspaper as saying that the requests for carrying forward a portion of tuition fees and/or additional variable costs to the next term were also made, to which schools replied that they are looking for ways to address the concerns in the best possible way.

The Dhirubhai Ambani International School in Bandra Kurla Complex issued a notice to students and parents that states, "During this time, as we offer virtual classes, your child is not availing the school transport service and the canteen snack facility. Taking this into account, the school has decided to refund the charges paid toward these services for the current quarter of 2020."

Addressing the concerns by parents, the management of the Children’s Academy Group of Schools said that they have decided to roll back on the fee hike. The school’s trustee Rohan Bhatt was quoted by the newspaper saying that "We understand that the parents also might be going through a difficult period financially and, hence, have decided to roll back the fee hike for at least six months," adding that they are also allowing parents to pay the fees at their own pace. However, the trustee also mentioned that if the situation persists, the school may face trouble in paying the salaries of teachers and staff.

On the other hand, some parents said that they are willing to pay the schools until they can afford to and as long as children are getting their education from online classes. Lauding the efforts by the teachers, a parent was quoted by the newspaper as saying, "The efforts the teachers and school are putting into teaching the kids is phenomenal. My child is learning everything from football to keyboard through online classes. So as long as we can, we would be willing to support the school."

Meanwhile, on the circular issued by the Maharashtra state education board, asking schools to be considerate while demanding fees for the ongoing and the next academic year, state education minister Varsha Gaikwad said on Friday that the parents can lodge a complain to the district education officers if schools are forcing them to pay during the lockdown period.

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After losing three cops due to the coronavirus epidemic, the Mumbai Police has finally something to cheer about. On Tuesday, the Mumbai Police officials took to Instagram to share a heartwarming video of four police personnel who have overcome coronavirus and they were welcomed with open hearts amid cheer and thunderous applause.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Do you know what gives us the courage to weather the mightiest of storms? It’s you. Your endless love. And your invaluable support. Thank you, Mumbai! #TakingOnCorona #coronawarriors #coronavirus #corona #waragainstvirus

A post shared by Mumbai Police (@mumbaipolice) onApr 28, 2020 at 12:28am PDT

In the 57-seconds video clip, four cops of the Mumbai police can be seen given a standing ovation as they were welcomed back home after their successful triumph over the deadly coronavirus. While sharing the video with their 75,000 followers, Mumbai Police captioned it, "Do you know what gives us the courage to weather the mightiest of storms? It's you. Your endless love. And your invaluable support. Thank you, Mumbai!"

A screengrab of the video shared by Mumbai Police on Instagram

The video , which has gone viral begins with the text, "When four Mumbai Police personnel reached home after beating coronavirus, this is how they were welcomed." As the video moves further, four cops of the Mumbai Police personnel can be seen returning homes as as their colleagues from the department and members of their society welcome them amid cheers and thunderous applause.

Good news for @MumbaiPolice
A police constable attached with Khar Police Station, recovered fully from COVID19, he was released from the hospital today after his report came negative, entire police station staff reached outside hospital to welcome him with claps. @choubeyvk pic.twitter.com/8QwwsmFQ97

— فÛÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂŒضاÙ† خاÙ† FaizanKhan (@journofaizan) April 27, 2020

The heartwarming video ends with the Mumbai Police thanking the citizens of Mumbai for always having their backs. A small short clip of the same video features a constable of the Khar police, who was welcomed by all the members of his police station after he tested negative for COVID-19. The constable, identified as Yogesh Torani, who had tested positive for the novel coronavirus was undergoing treatment at Khar Maternity Hospital.

Since being shared, the video has garnered over 40,000 views with hundreds of netizens lauding the Mumbai police cops for overcoming the COVID-19 crisis and emerging as true heroes. One user said, "Thank you Mumbai police," while another user commented, "You guys are just amazing! Thank you for always being there for us Mumbaikars." A third user thanking Mumbai police for its selfless service said, "It's the other way around Mumbai Police, we're lucky that you have our backs. Thank you for that!"

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Bombay High Court on Thursday issued notice's to Maharashtra government and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on a petition seeking a CBI probe, a fast track court trial and compensation in the Palghar mob lynching incident. A single-judge bench of Justice Ujjal Bhuyan issued the notices and sought a reply from the respondents on the petition within a period of two weeks.

Plea demanding CBI/SIT probe, trial in fast track court and compensation in Palghar incident: Bombay High Court has admitted the plea for hearing, has issued notices to Maharashtra state and CBI and has asked them to respond on the notices within 2 weeks. #Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/EmJ5xKRYXV

— ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2020

The petition, filed by Supreme Court lawyer Alakh Alok Srivastava, sought directions to transfer the investigation in the incident from CID-Crime to the Central Bureau of Investigation or alternatively constitute a special investigation team (SIT) monitored by the court to prove the incident.

The petition also sought directions to conduct the trial in the case by a fast track court in an expeditious and time-bound manner, and a compensation of Rs 1 crore to the family of the driver who was killed in the incident. The plea said that there are serious allegations of commission and omission on the part of the local police personnel themselves in the brutal crime and added that it is in the interest of justice to get the investigation of the case done by any independent agency.

"Directions in the nature of Mandamus to the State of Maharashtra to initiate stringent disciplinary action as well as penal action under Indian Penal Code (IPC) by way of registration of FIR, against the concerned policemen, whose acts and omissions led to the aforesaid brutal lynching," the plea said. "The brutal lynching of the old aged spiritual leaders has sent a wrong message to the society at large and thus it is in the interest of justice to direct for speedy and expeditious trial of the instant case," it said.

Two sadhus and their driver, who were travelling from Kandivali in Mumbai to Gujarat, were beaten to death on April 16, allegedly by villagers in Gadchinchle of Palghar, as they suspected them of being thieves.

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Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) on Thursday achieved yet another milestone with its 28th breakthrough from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus to Mumbai Central. Vaitarna-2 is the first TBM to complete the stretch of 4km in a single drive.

Vaitarna-2, the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) of this package was commissioned on February 2, from CSMT launching shaft and completed its longest run at Mumbai Central station with 2,730 RCC rings.

"This part of the tunneling was very challenging particularly because the alignment runs very close to old and dilapidated buildings and also parallel to the sea shore and very shallow ground water table which is approximately 1-4 meters below only", said Ranjit Singh Deol, Managing Director, MMRC.

"Another challenge posed before the team was the outbreak of COVID-19. However, we ensured physical distancing and strictly followed all the guidelines stipulated by the state government”, said Deol further.

The 4-km long tunneling, on the Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ Metro-3 Corridor, includes the construction of five underground stations beginning from Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus to Mumbai Central via Kalbadevi, Girgaon and Grant Road.

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Amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases in Mumbai, Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Zone IV) on Wednesday wrote to Addl CP West Region Manoj Kumar Sharma, demanding stricter implementation of rules in the containment zones between Bandra and Andheri, especially the slum areas in the belt.

These include Nehru Nagar (Juhu police station), Samta Nagar and Junaid Nagar (DN Nagar), CD Barfiwala Road and Juhu Galli (DN Nagar), Gaondevi Dongri, Gilbert Hill and Dhangarwadi (DN Nagar), Versova Village (Versova), Kranti Nagar, Anand Nagar, and Behraum Baug (Oshiwara). The municipal authority observed "that there is no fall in the rate of positively tested patients and are rather increasing. It appears that existing lockdown measures are inadequate," the communication said.

It asked local authorities to ensure that the localities, local pockets and chawls are strictly sealed and locked down to have effective control on spreading Coronavirus in these localities.

"This office has frequently informed senior inspectors of respective police stations regarding containment of areas in their respective jurisdictions on a day to day basis as and when positive cases are traced in particular localities," the letter read.

Sharma told mid-day that "the police have already increased patrolling in these areas and deployed more number of officials."

'Lack of individual toilets'

DCP Abhishek Trimukhe said, "We have barricaded these designated red zones and are ensuring that there is limited access. Only the government ration shops and medicine shops are allowed to be kept open. All other shops in red zones will remain closed. However, the main challenge in these slum pockets is that there are no independent toilets within the red zone itself. There needs to be a toilet facility otherwise people will keep venturing out of their homes to use the toilet. How can we keep denying people the need to use the toilet?"

Cops make the rounds of slum areas every day

He pointed out: "There is a heavy space constraint in these slum areas, as opposed to building societies, where containment is very good. The lanes are very narrow in some slum pockets and the population density is high."

Identification system required

Trimukhe said that the police had asked BMC to have some sort of identification procedure for people who are residents of these red zones. "Since the population of these areas is very high, a designated identification system would make it easier to identify and segregate people," he said adding that community meetings have been held with residents to explain the guidelines to them.

'Can't sit inside tiny homes all day'

Senior PI of Oshiwara police station Dayanand Bangar echoed Trimukhe's concerns. "People are always saying that they are either going to get medicines or buy milk but the biggest problem is that of common toilets," he said.

"Residents of these slum areas, who live in a 10x10 house, cannot sit at home all day," he said, adding that in areas like Kranti Nagar, there is zero growth of COVID-19 cases. "Even though this is a red zone, there are currently no positive patients here.

Seven people, who had gone for treatment, and are now back."

1.4k
No. of containment zones in city

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THE city's congested areas continue to see a rapid increase in the number of Containment Zones (CZ) as a result of positive cases in such areas across wards. Out of the total 1,391 CZs in the city, 779 (56 per cent) are in high density areas.

While the southern part of the city — Worli, Dharavi and Byculla has been the centre of COVID-19 cases, in the past 10 days, the northern and eastern part of the city have also seen CZs rise. The Kurla-Chembur belt in Eastern suburbs and the Jogeshwari-Andheri belt in western suburbs, together have nearly 25 per cent of the city's CZs. Out of the 1,391 active CZs, these two together have 322. Byculla too has seen a significant rise.

In the L ward, comprising Kurla and Chembur, CZs increased from 58 to 176 in the past 10 days, with 140 being in congested areas. Most parts of the ward are slum pockets. Assistant Commissioner Manish Valanju was unavailable for comment.

K West ward, comprising Jogeshwari to Vileparle West, has 146 active CZs, of which 92 are in congested areas like slums and gaonthans. The local ward officer said that the number is high because of the sealing of small pockets and not whole areas. "We are closing access to smaller areas instead of closing large chunks. It helps manage essential services. Hence the numbers are high," said Vishwas Mote, assistant commissioner of the K West ward. He added that the most number of CZs are in congested areas like Gilbert Hill, Behram Baug, Gillette Nagar, Anand Nagar and Versova Koliwada.

E ward, that comprises Byculla, has over 100 CZs, of which 37 are in congested areas. Dharavi (G North), Parel-Worli (G South) and Santacruz E to Bandra E (H East) also have a high number of CZs.

The above six wards have 721 CZs, of which 430 are in congested areas. "The increased cases in congested areas is the outcome of the targeted approach for identification of COVID-19 suspects and testing," said a senior BMC officer. The officer added that the strategy includes proactive contact-tracing, containing pockets, house-to-house surveys of contained pockets, fever camps and identifying suspected cases.

Doctors wearing PPE suits prepare to enter Jijamata Nagar, a containment zone in Worli. Pic/ Ashish Raje

Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner, said, There is a personal, social and economical angle to containment zones. If we can quarantine high-risk contacts from these zones and people follow basic hygiene and social distancing, the lockdown can be eased to some extent. It will also benefit society at large and will even be helpful for the economy. There are secondary industries in congested areas which provide raw material or services to mainstream industries. If the number of positive patients comes down in places like Dharavi, it will surely help the economy of the entire city."

Mumbai's Containment Zones (CZ)

Active CZs: 1,391
Released: 318

Wards with high CZs (on April 18 and April 28)

L: 58 and 176
K West: 59 and146
E: 53 and123
G South: 81 and 92
H East: 53 and96
G north: 15 and 88

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While the COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC), the Navi Mumbai police department is having a tough time dealing with rumours. In last four days, rumours claiming Janta Curfew or a complete lockdown resulted in a panic-like situation in various parts of Navi Mumbai. However, alert cops managed to tackle the misinformation by alerting the citizens and booked two people.

Despite the systematic management and strategy, COVID-19 cases in NMMC and Panvel Municipal Corporation area are on the rise with more than 250 cases in Navi Mumbai Police Commissionerate area.

"On the night of April 27, a message was posted on a WhatsApp group that, as cases of Coronavirus had increased in Kamothe, to break the chain, a complete lockdown or Janta Curfew was announced from April 30 to May 3. The message further said that only medical shops and hospitals would function," an officer from Kamothe police station said.

"A police officer was part of the group who alerted us and we immediately started verifying the message which was fake. So we summoned the group admins Amol Shitole and Ganesh Shinde, who were questioned and booked," added the officer.

But as a result of the message, on April 28, several residents came out to buy groceries and other household items. To contain the situation, cops went to every shop and stores to assure people.

The same panic-like situation was observed at Kopar Khairane and Juinagar on Wednesday, after the same message with the name of 'Corona Nirmulan Samiti' went viral – with the only difference being the location. As soon as the message went viral, grocery stores ran dry within a few hours. "We don't know the origin of these messages. But some people deliberately spread such messages, which not only spreads panic but also hampers our tireless work of almost a month" a senior police officer said.

Speaking with mid-day, Sanjay Kumar, Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner said, "We have noticed the spread of messages in the social media groups of non-existent curfew and are dealing strongly with such rumour mongers. People should keep track of official accounts and words about such important decisions."

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While many doctors have been complaining about the non-availability of safety equipment when they examine COVID-19 patients, a businessman has come to their aid by creating a cabin for such examinations, where they need not use PPEs.

The 38-year-old Vile Parle-based man has created an 'OPD' cabin that is divided into two sections for the doctor and patient. The doctor can examine the patient without using a mask or PPE as she/he does not come into direct contact with the patient, and can immediately sanitise the cabin after this. The businessman, Jatin Shah, gave one of the cabins free of cost to the Balasaheb Thackeray Trauma Care Centre at Jogeshwari last week, and every day doctors examine at least a 100 people in it.

Shah is involved with the aluminum industry and has used the material and glass to make the cabin. He has also donated 40 cabins to the Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka governments to examine people at the states' borders.

Shah said, "I saw many videos on social media about the challenges doctors have been facing while treating COVID-19 patients. So I decided to invent something that would help them. Within two days I created this cabin and gave it to the Jogeshwari-based trauma care centre free of cost with the help of an NGO."

Jatin Shah, the businessman

Shah said, "At the borders, 4-6 hours after testing when the report comes, if a traveller is found to be COVID-19 positive, doctors send her/him to hospital and if any patient is found negative, she/he is allowed to enter the state. I took the help of Wipro general electric, which finalised the design of this cabin and asked the Seva trust in Mumbai to contact the hospital and get the cabin approved," Shah added.

Doctor speak

"The cabin is really useful. We sent our four labourers to Shah's factory to help him construct this cabin. We also issued a letter to him from hospital superintendent Vidhya Mane. Within two days he manufactured it and gave it to us," said Dr Rangnath Jawhar of Balasaheb Thackeray Trauma Care Centre.

Features of the cabin

The cabin is 8X4 ft and divided into two spaces separated by glass. One section is used by the doctor and the other by the patient. Screening equipment including a digital thermometer and a fever gun kept inside. Both sides have a mike and speaker. A 20 lt tank stores disinfectant which gets sprayed inside

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Lying in hope

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

Guess who came to dinner

Rishi Kapoor at the Kapadia household when he went for dinner

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

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

Not giving a damn

Irrfan Khan (left) and Papa CJ at the interview

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

Diners feel at home during lockdown

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

Free to stream

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

Let's start sharing at the table

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

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

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

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

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

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

— Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) April 29, 2020

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

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

— Harish Raja (@hraja2016) April 29, 2020

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

— Akshay Raut (@akkir) April 29, 2020

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

— Neha (@IamNRGe) April 29, 2020

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

— Aasif shaikh (@Asifshaikhseo) April 29, 2020

Salute ! Salute ! Salute

— Bharati Chaudhari (@bumekar) April 29, 2020

What do you think about the post?

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

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

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

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

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