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Mumbai commemorates 160 years of Indian Railways To mark the completion of 160 years of passenger train services in India, the Mumbai Railways lit up Chhattrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) station in bright blue and yellow lights. Even the Western Railwayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office in Churchgate was brightly lit to commemorate the 160 th anniversary. An exhibition was also set up in south Mumbai showcasing the achievements and history of the Indian railways. After the completion of the first ever line Mumbai in November 1852, the trial run was done between Bombay and Thane.

A man stands in front of the lit up Chattrapati Shivaji Railways Terminus at south Mumbai. The station was lit up by blue lights to commemorate 160 years of Indian Railways. Kunal Khullar / Mumbai Weekly

Campa Cola residents get temporary relief Residents of Campa Cola compound, a residential complex in South Mumbai, were in for an unpleasant surprise on 26 April. The local municipal corporation had issued a notice to the residents of 140 illegal flats in the compound, ordering them to vacate their homes within 48 hours.

The notice followed a Supreme Court verdict in February authorizing the demolition of illegal construction in the compound. The residents of the illegal flats, some of whom have been living in the complex for about 25 years, alleged that they were not informed by the builders that the flats they were purchasing

were illegally constructed. For each of the seven buildings in the compound, the municipal corporation had permitted the construction of only 5 floors. The builders, h o w e v e r, built Midtown apartments with 20 floors, Orchid with 17, Easha Ekta and Shubh with eight floors, BY apartments with seven floors and two

wings of Patel apartments with six floors each. After realizing that 35 illegal floors had been constructed in the compound despite the five floor restriction, the municipal corporation issued a stop work notice on the construction in 1984 but took no further action against the builders.

A hearing was scheduled in the Apex Court on 2 M a y, the day that the civic body had declared it would begin the demolition of the illegal flats. The Supreme Court ruled in favour of the residents, announcing a 5 month stay order on the issue, giving them a much welcome, a l b e i t t e m p o r a r y, respite.

Left: Residents of Campa Cola react after the Supreme Court granted them a stay for five months at south Mumbai on 2 May 2013. Anushree Fadnavis / Mumbai Weekly

Traders protest against Local Body Tax A large number of retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers in Mumbai remains closed as the stalemate over Local Body Tax (LBT) in Maharashtra. LBT (Local Body Tax) is the tax which will be imposed by civic bodies on the entry of goods into a local area for consumption, use or sale therein. It is a self assessment or account based methods of paying tax,

where the businessmen or trader himself declares his tax liability by submitting his records. Unlike in the octroi regime, trucks carrying goods will not be subjected to physical checking at check posts. The LBT is going to replace the Octroi taxation. LBT will be the main source of income for civic bodies. It contributes between 50-70 percent of the actual reve-

nues of the corporation. Traders argue that with VAT in place across the country, LBT will be like double-taxation. Prices of goods are affected by VAT as well as by state or municipality-level taxes. Most of the shops across the city have remained shut causing a hefty loss to traders and an inconvenience to the public.

A crowd protests against Local Body Tax at a rally In south Mumbai on 6 May 2013 . Anushree Fadnavis / Mumbai Weekly

2 PEOPLE MONDAY, 13 MAY, 2013

Travelling Cinema comes to town

o mark 100 years o f cinema A Marat hi mo vie called 'Touring Talk ies' was screened at a park in sout h Mumbai in a makeshift tent theatre just t he wa y they were screened in t he past. Ind ian cinema started wit h the age o ld tradit ion o f showing mo vies in travelling tents known as Touring Talk ies. Alt hough the Touring Talk ies are 106 years o ld in India now, fo r about half a centur y these tents have been a regu lar feature in mo st of the Jatra's (Sprit ual Fair's) taking place acro ss Maharastrian villages where Marathi cinema co mes alive in a mo st unique fashio n.

Members of the audience walk past the screen during a screening of a Marathi film, Travelling Talkies at south Mumbai on 22 April 2013. Anushree Fadnavis / Mumbai Weekly

A touring cinema would trave l through rural vil-

lages in India and screen mo vies in makeshift tent s. The mo vie is project fro m a truck onto screens in t he tent and people usually sit o n t he floor and enjo y mo vies. The featured mo vie Touring Talk ies is based on this culture o f showing and present ing mo vies to the rura l aud ience. In Mumbai it was presented to the sophist icated audience in similar fashio n except that there were chairs and air condit io ned tent s. A man usually is outside the tent s near the t icket counter and the announcer for the talkies who is t he vocal publicit y specialist uses rhyme and limer ick to ent ice t he audience.

Above: Members of the audience outside the Travelling Cinema tent at south Mumbai on 22 April 2013. Anushree Fadnavis / Mumbai Weekly Left: A woman watches a film inside the Travelling Cinema tent in south Mumbai on 22 April 2013. Anushree Fadnavis / Mumbai Weekly

Mumbai witnesses Murugan Festival

Above: A devotee looks on during the Murugan festival at Juhu beach in suburban Mumbai on 8 May 2013. A number of devotes gather to honor Lord Murugan by piercing their bodies and mouths. Kunal Khullar / Mumbai Weekly

Devotees perform the removal ceremony during the Murugan festival at a temple Juhu in suburban Mumbai on 8 May 2013. Kunal Khullar / Mumbai Weekly

e vo t ee s le d a la rg e pro ce s s io n le a d ing fro m J u hu be ac h t o V ille P ar le in ho no r o f t he H indu god Murugan, t he so n o f S h iva a nd Par vat i. Mur ug a n is a lso k no w n as Kart ik e ya , S u br ama n ia m, S a nmu -

k ha, S had a na na, Skanda and Gu ha. T he d e vo tees c e le br at ed t he fe st iva l b y p ier c ing t he ir bo d ie s w it h ho o k s, skewer s a nd ( ve l) s ma ll la nc e s. T he d e vo t ees a lso pu lle d c h a r io t s and heavy o bje ct s

l i k e c a r s w it h t h e ho o k s at t ac hed t o t he ir bo d ie s d uring t he pro c e ss io n. T he pro c e ss io n a lso saw yo u ng part ic ipa nt s a nd wo me n w ho we nt o n t o get t he ir bo di e s p i e r c e d w it h ho o k s a nd s ma ll p ins . T he p ie r c-

ings in and aro u nd t he mo ut h is to imp ed e speech and ther eby at t a in fu ll c o n c e n t r a t io n o n t he Lo rd. Mo st peo p le p e r fo r m su c h p ie r c ing t o fu lfil t he ir w is hes. T he y be lie ve t hat Murugan will be easily

p le a se d, t o rt ure bo d y.

t he y t he ir

flo w er s o n a po le t o t he t e mp le.

The r it u a l o f Kavad i (a ba mbo o po le carr ie d b y de vo t ee s) is a lso carr ie d o ut during t his fe st iva l, a nd e ac h Ka va d i, c la d in ye llo w o r o chr e c lo t he s, carr ie s milk a nd

Ac co rd ing t o belie f, o n t he da y o f Pa ng u ni Ut h ira m, t he marr ia ges o f Hindu gods a nd goddesses, Parvat i and Para me shw ara a nd t he ir so n Mur ugan w it h De v iya n i t ake

p la c e d e vo t ee s e nt er int o a trance during the p ier c ing ma in l y due to the excessive drumming a nd c ha nt ing . The y c la im t hat t he y e xper ie nc e no pa in d ur ing p ier c ing a nd e ve n a ft e r t h e r i t u a l . Others be lie ve

t hat o n t h is da y, Goddess Parvat i pre s e nt ed a la nc e to Lord Mur gan t o va nqu is h t he de mo n ar my of Tarakasura and co mbat t he ir e v il de ed s. Pr ima r ily, t he fe st iva l is a ll a bo ut t he vict o r y of good over e vil.

3 METRO

MONDAY,13 MAY, 2013

India breaks world record On Mo nday 6 Ma y 2 0 1 3 , mo r e t han o ne lak h e mp lo ye e s and st affers o f Sahar a I nd ia G r o u p c r e a t e d a wo r ld record aft er sing ing t he c o u nt r y's na t io nal ant hem 'Jan Gana Mana' in uniso n at o ne po int o f t ime.

Women sing the national anthem in an attempt to enter the Guinness Book of World Records for maximum number of people reciting the national anthem at the same time in suburban Mumbai on 6 May 2013. Biplov Bhuyan / Mumbai Weekly

The current w o r ld r e c o r d is held by Pak ist an where 42,813 p e o p le s a ng t he na t io na l a nt he m a t o ne p la c e in a gro up. The gro up also at t e mp t e d t he r e c o rd o f o ver o ne m i l l io n of it s

e mp lo ye e s ing in o ne

sing-

u n i fo r m at t he same t ime at mo r e t ha n 4 5 0 0 o f t he ir br a nc h o ffices spread acro ss t he co unt r y. T he ma le w o r k ers of Sahara were wearing a u n i fo r m o f w h it e shirt , black pant s and black t ie s , w h i le t he w o me n sported red sarees ( t r a d it io na l w e a r ) E mp lo ye e s fr o m o t her o ffices in Delh i and Luck no w also p a r t ic ip a t e d s imu lt a ne o u s l y in t h is e ve nt .

Actress Gul Panag leads Mumbaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s women bike rally

Wholesale market shut down to protest LBT

Actress Gul Panag gestures to the crowd during the Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bike rally held in south Mumbai on 27 April 2013. Mithila Joshi / Mumbai Weekly FM

Traders sit outside agriculture produce market commit (APMC) at Navi Mumbai on 22 April 2013. Sumedh Sawant / Mumbai Weekly

Mumbaikars thrilled by exotic fish

Maharashtra has highest number of female cops

A flower on fish swims in a tank as a boy looks on during an exotic fish exhibition in Thane district in suburban Mumbai on 28 April 2013. Ashish Vaishnav / Mumbai Weekly Aq u a l i f e , a n e x h i b it io n on 300 rare and exo t ic f i s h e s w a s he ld at Thane, Gha nt a li Ma ida n (gro und) Naupad a fr o m 2 6 Ap r i l t o 1 M a y, b r i n g i n g mo r e t h a n

200 fis h t ank s u n d e r o n e r o o f. B ig f i s h e s l i k e p ir a n h a , Oscar and c at fis h were t he ma in a t t r a ct io n s at t he e x h i b it io n . Five sets of fr e s h w a t e r f i s h

co nt aining a bo ut 5 0 0 v a r ie t ie s o f t h e c r e at u r e i n a s ing le t ank w ere a l s o o n d is p l a y . T h e mo t i v a t io n b e h i n d t h e e x h ib it io n w a s t o educat e t he peo p le a b o u t t h e

f i s h , t h e ir v a r i e t ie s , fo o d h a b it s , t h e f lo r a a n d fau na, a lso info r ma t io n on sett ing up t he t ank and t he u sage was g ive n. The ha s

e x h i b it io n a lso bee n

he ld in Nas hik, Pune, Mu mba i and Ahmeda ba d i n t h e l a s t t wo year s sa id Lauk ik S o ma n o f Lauk ik creat io n w h o o r g a n i s e d t h e e n t ir e eve nt .

A female traffic police on duty at a junction in suburban Mumbai on 26 April 2013. Mithila Joshi / Mumbai Weekly

4 EDITORIAL MONDAY, 13 MAY, 2013

OPINION: Living in a house of cards

mo n ma n, of co u r se) , no t eno u g h at t ent io n is g iv e n t o t he q u a lit y o f co nst r u ct io n wo r k t hese bu ild er s d el iv er d esp it e ear n in g cr o r es o f r u p ees o ut o f t hese co rr u pt pr act ice s.

A policeman looks on as an illegal building is being demolished in Lucky Compund in Mumbra, off Thane district. Ashish Vaishnav / Mumbai Weekly c la i med 7 4 liv e s, t hr ew int o shar p fo cu s o nce ag a i n t he lo ng su sp e ct ed ne xu s bet wee n bu i ld er s a nd p o lit ic ia n s in a nd ar o u nd t he c it y.

Mithila Joshi

he r ece nt bu i ld in g co llap se at Mu mbr a near Mu mb a i, wh ic h a cco r d ing t o med ia r ep o rt s

T he hu r r ied bu t st r at eg ic st ep s fo llo w in g t h is e ve nt t o d emo lis h il le g a l co nst r u ct io n s in Mu mb a i b y t he lo ca l mu n ic ip a l co r p o r at io n o n ly r e it er at ed t hese c la i ms. Ca se i n p o int , t he c iv i c bo d y's ab so lu t e

d et er min at io n to d e mo lis h 3 5 il leg a l flo o r s in Ca mp a Co la Co mp o u nd in S o u t h Mu mba i, a near l y 2 5 year o ld r es id e nt ia l co mp le x, who se r es id e nt s ha v e bee n p a yin g p r o p er t y t ax fo r eac h o f t ho se ille g a l f lat s t he c iv ic bo d y ha s b ee n in a su d d e n r u sh t o d emo l is h. T he g o ver n me nt ha s a lso issu ed t hese r es id e nt s Ad har car d s

( u n iq u e id e nt if icat io n car d s) and b ir t h cer t if icat es bear in g t hes e 'i l leg a l ad d r ess es ', wh ic h h as be e n o ne o f t he ma jo r ar g u me nt s o f t he o ut r ag ed r esid e nt s ag a in st t he d emo l it io n of t he ir ho me s. T he r es id e nt s c la i m t he y wer e k ep t in t he d ar k b y t he bu ild er s wh e n t he y p u r c has ed t hese flat s a nd h ad no id ea t hat t he y

wer e o ccu p yin g f lat s p ro p ert y u p u nt il t he c iv i c bo d y issu ed a no t ice st at ing t he sa me. Wh y t he mu n ic ip a l co r p o r at io n d ec id ed so su d d e n l y t o d esce nd u p o n t h is co mp le x w it h o n l y a 4 8 ho ur ev ict io n no t ice, d esp it e ha v in g hu nd r ed s o f il leg a l bu i ld in g s st il l u nd er co nst r u ct io n in t he c it y, no bo d y k no ws, a lt ho u g h t her e is so me

hu s h ed t alk o f a bu i ld er w ho bo u g ht a p lo t o f la nd ne xt t o t he co mp o u nd t hat co u ld ha ve so met h ing t o do wit h t he who le so r d id a ffa ir . Wh i le e no u g h ha s bee n wr it t en abo u t p o lit ic ia ns a nd r ea l est at e d eve lo p er s wo r k ing h a nd in ha nd t o mi lk o ut ever y la st r u p ee fr o m a p iec e of la nd ( w h ic h co me s fr o m t he p o ck et o f t he co m-

I n vest ig at io n s fo llo w ing t he Mu mbr a bu i ld ing co llap se r evea led sho ck in g d et ails abo u t t he co mp let e lack o f r eg ar d fo r sa fet y r eg u lat io ns d u r in g co nst r u ct io n. T he 7 st o r ied bu i ld in g , wh ic h med ia r ep o rt s c la i m wa s co nst r u ct ed il leg a l l y, was bu i lt at a l ig ht n in g sp eed of a bo u t 4 mo nt hs. T o mak e mat t er s wo r se, acco r d ing to new s r ep o rt s, t he p la n s of t he bu i ld in g wer e d r awn b y Far o o q Abd u l Lat if Ch ap r a, who do es no t even ho ld a d eg r ee in ar c h it ect u r e. Med ia r ep o rt s fu r t her c la i m t hat su bst and ar d and lo w co st bu ild in g mat er ia l wa s u sed fo r t he co nst r u ct io n, and t he bu i ld in g ju st co llap sed o ver it se lf l ik e a p ack o f car d s. E ver yo n e fr o m p o lice o ffic ia ls t o

mu n ic ip a l co r p o r at io n o ff ic ia ls had bee n p a id o ff b y t he bu ild er s t o t u r n a b lin d e ye t o t he nu mer o u s sa fet y no r ms bein g flo u t ed d u rin g co nst r u ct io n, t her eb y jeo p ar d iz in g a nd u lt imat e ly c la i min g t he liv es o f se ver a l o f it s o ccu p ant s. I t is o ne t h ing t o ear n a q u ick bu ck o r sever a l m i l lio n t hr o u g h co r r u pt p r act ice s, bu t t o p u t t he ver y l iv es o f hu nd r ed s o f in no ce nt p eo p le at r isk ju st t o fi ll a fe w p o ck et s is ju st co mp let e su sp e n s io n of bo t h mo r a ls and t he law. I t is a u t o p ia n d r ea m t o exp ect t h is co u nt r y t o be fr ee o f co r r u p t io n an yt i me so o n, but o ne can at lea st ho p e t he r ep r ese nt at ives t he p eo p le ha ve e lect ed and p u t t he ir fa it h in w i ll t h ink t wice befo r e s ig n in g awa y d eat h cer t ific at es fo r t he co mmo n ma n in t he fo r m o f il leg a l co nst r u ct io n p ap er s. Th e a b o v e v i e ws a re p e rs o n a l v i e ws e xp re s sed by the author

POINT OF VIEW: EDUCATION?

Sumedh Sawant I do n’t usuall y wr it e mu ch, and it ’s been a while since I’ve wr it t en anyt hing. The last t ime I wrot e so met hing was while m y bo ard exams, t hat ’s back in March 2011. Aft er t hat I never p icked up pen t o wr it e anyt hing really. Aft er my bo ards I went to an art schoo l. I st udied fo undat io ns o f paint ing t here. And no w I’m st ud ying pho to jo urnalis m fro m Udaan Scho o l o f Pho to graphy. I was never int erest ed in in main-

st ream educat io n. That is 10+2 and t hen graduat io n. I t hink o ne sho u ld no t wast e t heir energ y, mo ney and t ime o n st udying subject s he/she will never use in t heir life. Wel l t hat ’s why I d id n’t do my graduat io n. I do n’t t hink hal f t he curricu lu m I wo uld have st ud ied in co llege wo u ld have ever helped me in life to beco me who I want to be. When was t he last t ime yo u used P yt hago ras t heo rem o r fo und o ut t he value o f X? Ho w many su bject s names, dat es, equat io ns have we memo r ized and never use t hem again? Ever felt sad becau se yo u got a mark less? Do yo u t hink get t ing t hat ext ra mark wo u ld have made yo u mo re qualified ?

On app licat io n fo r m it wo uld have but what abo ut in real life? We all are d ifferent fro m each ot her; ever yo ne is special in t heir o wn way. Ever yo ne has d ifferent abilit ies, exper iences, t ho ught pro cesses and genes. The quest io n t hat I ask is t hat why ever yo ne t est ed b y same means Exams are so ciet y’s met ho ds o f t elling yo u what yo ur wo rt h, but yo u can’t let so ciet y t ell yo u what yo u are. They do n’t kno w yo u t he way yo u do , do t hey? It ’s t he same so ciet y which believes in t he impo rt ance o f hig her educat io n and t hen t hey increase t u it io n fees ever y year. An do esn't

educat io n mean

A boy reads a book during a book fair in suburban Mumbai on 16 April 2013. Sumedh Sawant / Mumbai Weekly yo u 're educat ed. To me edu cat io n is no t boo k lear ning but so cial lear ning, life exper iences, decisio n making, et c. Picasso

was educat ed in art o f paint ing, S hakespeare was educat ed in art o f wr it ing, what are yo u educat ed in? Art o f memo r izing t he

equat io ns, dat es, names and answers? Do n’t ask yo urself what yo u want to be, inst ead ask who yo u want to be. Yo u’ll k no w

what to do wit h yo ur life. And remember if yo u do n’t bu ild yo ur dreams so meo ne else will hire yo u to help bu ild t heir

dreams. The abov e vi ews a re p erson a l views exp ressed by the autho r

5 FEATURE

MONDAY, 13 MAY, 2013

Rollercoaster of emotions at Campa Cola

A boy stands behind the gate of Campa Cola compound on the day of the final verdict on 2 May 2013 at south Mumbai. Ashish Vaishnav / Mumbai Weekly.

Residents of Campa Cola compound look on during their protest against the Municipal Corporation. Jayshree Kewalramani / Mumbai Weekly

Above: Banners put up on the gate of Mid Town Apartment at Campa Cola society at south Mumbai on 2 May 2013. Anushree Fadnavis/ Mumbai Weekly Left: A BMC worker awaits the verdict from Supreme Court at south Mumbai on 2 May 2013. Anushree Fadnavis / Mumbai Weekly

Left and Right: People celebrate as Supreme Court grants them five months stay. Biplov Bhuyan (left) Jayshree Kewalramani (right) / Mumbai Weekly

6 ECONOMY MONDAY, 13 MAY, 2013

Old taxis to be scrapped

A man comes out of a taxi at a taxi stand in suburban Mumbai on 5 May 2013. Biplov Bhuyan / Mumbai Weekly T he R T O is p la nning to reduce so me lo a d off t he roads in M u mb a i c it y b y l i m it ing t he b la c k a nd ye l lo w t a x is w h ic h d a t e

back 25 years t o 1 5 ye a r s . T her e ar e st ill ro und abo ut 1500 Premier Padmin i t a x is ma k in g w a y t hr o u g h t he c it y e ve r y d a y. T he

a g e lim it fo r t he se Premier Padmin i’s are 25 year s, aft er which t hey w ill be sent fo r scrap.

A r e c o r d 5 0 0 o ld Premier Pad minis have been sent to be ‘cut int o t wo ’ in t he past fewdays, mak ing w a y fo r a n eq u a l nu mber o f new b la c k - a nd - ye l lo w

cabs on c it y’s r o a d s .

t he

Dr ivers o f t ho se o ld t a x is ha d a p p lie d fo r lo a ns and were in t he process of gett ing new Sant ro s

Jet Airways sells 24% stake to Etihad Airways

and Wagon-Rs r e g is t e r e d . Bes id e s t he 5 0 0 o ld t a x is , ano t her 1,000 have been lined up t o be scrapped in t he next co ming days. Time

seems to be p la y in g o u t it s ir o n ie s o n Mu mbai’s roads which were o nce unimag inable w it ho u t Pr e mie r Pad min i t axis.

N o w t he y w o u ld no t ha v e t he le isu r e o f fad in g away int o t he marg ins, t hey w o u ld be br o k e n do wn in scrap yards.

Reliance increases tariff by 30%

A boy looks on as a Jet Airways aircraft lands at Mumbai airport on 24 April 2013. Biplov Bhuyan / Mumbai Weekly Jet Airw ays has com pleted its deal w ith UAE based airline, Etihad. B oth the com panies have been in the news regarding the deal for som etime and now it seems that both the airlines have finally com e into an agreem ent.

Jet cleared preferential allotment of shares (at Rs 754 apiece) to E tihad, giving the latter a 24% direct stake in India' s second largest airline by market share. According to m edia reports, E tihad will pay $379 m illion

(about R s 2, 058 crore) for the stake, valuing Jet Airways at $1.57 billion, w hich is 32% higher than the current m arket value of the dom estic carrier. After the deal, the prom oters' stake in Jet is more likely ex-

pected to come dow n from around 80 per cent to 60 per cent. T he deal will give E tihad access to a huge market that has potential to grow at 7-8 per cent for the next decade. Jet w ill get capital, expertise and access to Etihad' s global

network and base in A bu D habi. Jet plans to connect 23 Indian cities to the world through Abu D habi, which w ill be its new international hub. It w ill also keep its other hub in Brussels.

A man talks on his phone in south Mumbai on 8 May 2013. Ashish Vaishnav / Mumbai Weekly

McDonald’s hikes rates McDo na ld 's Co r p is p la n n in g t o u p it s p r ices b y 5 - 6 % in I nd ia o w ing t o r is in g in flat io n a nd an eco no mic s lo wd o wn. Ac co r d ing t o med i a r ep o rt s, t he co mp a n y st at ed t hat d ema nd g r o wt h in t he co min g

7 mo nt hs w i l l d o wn d u e t o fact o r s.

s lo w t hese

T he fast - fo o d cha i n p r o ject ed it s sa me st o r e sa les t o g ro w at a s lo wer r at e t ha n 2 2 % incr ea se t hat t he co mp a n y saw in fis ca l year end ed Mar c h

2 0 1 2 . T he p r ice h ik e is s eco nd su c h w it h i n a year . McDo na ld 's ha s 3 0 9 st o r es in t he co u nt r y. T he co mp an y p la n s t o ad d 8 090 r est au r ant s in west er n a nd so u t her n I nd ia in t he next t wo

year s, acco r d ing t he so u r ces.

McDo na ld s e nt er ed I nd ia in 1 9 9 6 w it ho u t it s s ig nat u r e ha mbu r g er , r esp ect ing lo ca l r e l ig io u s bel ie fs w h ic h me a n ma n y p eo p le a vo id eat ing bee f a n d p o r k.

Left: Kids sit beside McDonald’s mascot Ronald McDonald at a mall in south Mumbai on 14 April 2013. Kunal Khullar / Mumbai Weekly

7 CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT MONDAY, 13 MAY, 2013

Classical dancers grace Mumbai

Shubhada Varadkar, Anaya Shringarpure and Mitali Varadkar (left to right) perform Odissi dance at Priyadarshini park in south Mumbai on 27 April 2013. Jayshree Kewalramani / Mumbai Weekly The Ind ian Her it age So ciet y (IHS) o rganised an evening o f music and dance. Their main aim was to ut ilize t he o pen spaces t hat t he cit y provides us t o increase awareness o f t he r ich her it age o f o ur co unt ry. The aud ience wit nessed Od issi dance perfo r mances insp ired by t he po ems o f Kabir and Meerabai. Acco rding to Preet i Pawar, a member o f IHS, t he leg acy, of Kabir and Meerabai exist s t ill t his dat e despit e being su ng dur ing med ieval t imes.

Pawar co nt inued to speak abo ut t he immo rt al co mpo sit io ns o f Kabir and Meerabai, which t ranscend all barr iers, cast e and creed and appeal t o t he hu man psyche as hu man behavio ur co nt inues to remain t he same. The main per fo r mer, Shubhada Varadkar, is an expo nent o f Od issi, has t rained u nd er lat e Pad mavibhushan Guru Shr i Kelucharan Mo hapat ra. She has also received t he Senio r Fello wship by Minist r y o f Cu lt ure, Go vernment t o f Ind ia.

Right: Odissi dancer Shubhada Varadkar performs for the audience at Priyadarshini park in south Mumbai on 27 April 2013. Jayshree Kewalramani / Mumbai Weekly

Street dance competition to celebrate World Dance Day M u m b ai k a r s t a p p e d t h e i r f ee t and grooved to the beats on the ocassion of International Dance Day. I n a fir st - o f-it s k ind ev e nt , t he st u d ent s o f t he Ro t ar act C lu b o f Ja i H in d Co lleg e ( RCJC) , Chu r c hg at e o rg an is ed â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;T he S t r eet sâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, a st r eet d anc e co mp et it io n fo r t ho se p ass io nat e abo ut t he d anc e fo r m.

Street dancers perform at a dance competition in south Mumbai on 29 April 2013. Mithila Joshi / Mumbai Weekly

P ar t ic ip at io n was no t r est r ict ed t o co lleg e st u d ent s

as ma n y o t her s a lso t o o k p art in t he eve nt . T he co mp et it io n was he ld at Hig h S t r eet P ho en ix, Lo wer P ar el t o ce le br at e t he I nt er nat io na l Da nce Da y w h ic h is o n Ap r i l 2 9 . T he e ve nt saw p ar t ic ip a nt s t ak in g p ar t in var io u s t yp e s o f g e nr es lik e br eak d anc e, h ip - ho p , t ap , sa lsa, r o ck- n r o ll, r u mb a, sa mba, t ang o and a ir g u it ar , amo ng var io u s o t her d anc e fo r m.

8 SPORTS

MONDAY, 13 MAY, 2013

All eyes on south Mumbai as city hosts Carrom Tournament

he Bengal Club Sports Academy, the Sports Division of Bengal Club, Shivaji Park organized the 2nd Swami Vivekananda Memorial Prize Money State Ranking Carrom Tournament at their premises, Veer Savarkar Marg, Shivaji Park, Dadar, from April 27-30.

A contestant looks on during a carom tournament in south Mumbai on 27th April 2013. Sumedh Sawant / Mumbai Weekly

Defending champion and top seed Sangeeta Chandodkar and fifth seed Anupama Kedar, both from Mumbai easily

won their second round matches in the women’s singles event of the Carrom Tournament. Chandodkar defeated Jaya Prabhu of Mumbai 25-4, 25-6, while Kedar tamed Priyanka Chopra also from Mumbai 258, 25-0. Carrom is a game of Eastern origin and is similar to billiards. It is famous in East Asian counties like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and surrounding areas.

Youngsters display their skills at Basketball tournament

he fir st Kau st u bh Memo r ia l All I nd ia Bask et ball t o ur name nt k ick ed o ff t his year at Fat her Ag ne l S cho o l in Vash i, Navi Mu mba i fr o m t he 22 nd Ap r il. T he sevend ay lo ng t o ur name nt will sho wcase t he t alent o f lo o p sho o t er s fr o m acro ss t he co u nt r y. Man y spo rt s fans fro m acro ss t he cit y came to cheer t heir favo r it e t eam

who bat t le it o ut wit h t heir o p po nent . A t o t al o f 1 3 t eams (eig ht me n’s and five g ir l’s t eam) p ar t icip at ed in t his u nd er 21 ag e g ro u p cat ego r y t o ur nament . T he mat ches fo r t he me n 's cat ego r y wer e co ndu ct ed in a k no cko ut fo r mat , and t he wo men mat ches wer e carr ied o ut in a leag u e fo r mat . T he mat ches fo r

t he men 's cat ego r y wer e co ndu ct ed in a k no cko ut fo r mat , and t he wo men mat ches wer e carr ied o ut in a leag u e fo r mat . T he fina ls wer e he ld o n t he 2 2 o f Ap r il wh ic h saw West er n Mahar asht r a beat ing t he Ker ala t eam in t he wo men’ s cat ego r y and Mad hya P rad esh win n ing ag ainst Mahar asht r a in t he men’s cat ego r y.

Right: A player from Western Maharashtra runs between players from Agnel’s at Father Agnel’s sport complex in New Mumbai on 24 April 2013. Kunal Khullar / Mumbai Weekly

MDFA Elite Division enters final stage

he Mahar asht r ian D ist r ict Fo o t ball Asso ciat io n ( MDFA) E lit e Div is io n wh ich co mp r ised a t ot al o f 2 8 t eams has no w ent ered t he p enu lt imat e st ag e. T he

Bank of India’s Johnson P. (blue) challenges for the ball with Central Bank’s Noel Carvalho (orange) during their match at St Xavier’s ground, south Mumbai on 10 May 2013. Sumedh Sawant / Mumbai Weekly

t o p six t eams, GM Fr ance ME I A, Cent r al Bank o f I nd ia, Mu mba i FC, Dena Bank , Bank Of I nd ia, and Kar nat ak a S po rt s Asso ciat io n will face each o t her t o d et er mine

who lift s t he t it le. Wit h Cent r al Bank of I nd ia ( CBI ) lead ing it s g ro u p t o ent er t he S u per S ix p hase, t he t eam cr u ised p ast Bank o f I nd ia ( BOI) wit h a 3-1 v ict o r y in t he Su -

p er S ix p hase o f t he fo o t ball t o ur na ment . Cent r al Bank t o o k an ear ly lead t hro u g h Nad eem Ansar i’ s go al in t he 8t h minu t e, but Bank o f I nd ia p u lled o ne back in

t hank s t o Jit end er T hak ur. Cent r al Bank o f I nd ia fin is hed t he g ame b y sco r ing t wo mo r e go als in t he fina l 20 minu t es t hro u g h T ar qu e Ansar i and Melw yn Vaz.

Central Bank’s Russel Galbaro (8) and Sidharth Gurav (16) battle for the ball with Bank Of India players during their Super Six match at St Xavier’s ground, south Mumbai on 10 May 2013. Central Bank won the match 3-1. Sumedh Sawant / Mumbai Weekly