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‘Politically useful for leaders ‘Corona aa to scapegoat outsiders’ gayi,’ they Don’t externalise threat, recuse responsibility: Author. P14 said From wearing burqas and dodging racial slurs to seeing 13 new cases savings wither, in M West, city’s North East 17 in Dharavi residents Mumbai has 183 new cases, are living state has 328; 34 recovered in hell. and discharged across Mah P07 on Saturday. P02 Desi maker CANCER, KIDNEY FAILURE PATIENTS ARE community COLLATERAL VICTIMS OF COVID-19 WAR WFH to help India Innovator labs and designers across the country are BUT WHAT ABOUT US? working with grand ideas, PIC/ASHISH RAJE meagre resources to help frontline staff. P15

We referred to international literature on laws for dialysis patients during a pandemic, and came up MAKER’S ASYLUM MUMBAI, with a set of guidelines Andheri-based innovators lab shares for BMC. COVID test open source model of M19 shields online isn’t practical for them ‘Anyone [designer] with a laser cutter was connecting with local hospitals, where the growing Dr Hemal dearth of PPEs was making We were given a list of labs Shah, Mumbai doctors and nurses jittery’ to test her for COVID-19. But Nephrology Group our priority was different. If my mother misses a single session, she could die

Dipanwita Dutt, daughter to Chitra Dutt, 61, (right), an end stage chronic kidney disease patient, who missed PRITPAL SINGH, Bengaluru-based two dialysis sessions designer-artist is 3D printing face masks after Shushrusha ‘Rather than waste time chalking Hospital got sealed out new designs, I decided to delve on April 10 into the repository of designs available online to quickly produce a mask that was reusable’ Who cares for dialysis patients when centres are sealed. What when cancer 1.4L survivors can’t go home post-treatment in a lockdown. What if you need an Number of M19 shields Maker’s Asylum Mumbai and partner labs urgent rabies shot but the casualty is caring for fever patients. have distributed until Apr 18 PRUTHA BHOSLE AND P VATSALYA ON P21 TO 23 sunday mid-day 02 19.04.2020 CITY twitter.com/sundaymidday | facebook.com/middayindia | instagram.com/sundaymidday Dharavi uncontainable, as 17 new COVID-19 cases emerge City reports 183 cases, five deaths on Saturday; Kalyanwadi sees 10 cases; BMC’s M West ward, which includes Wadala, is seeing sudden rise in numbers in Dharavi on Saturday, civic assistant municipal commis- la, who was consulting at the quarantine facility. The med- 183 cases and five deaths were officials said. sioner of the G North ward. COVID-19 treatment facilities ical officers and police have from Mumbai. COVID-19 As per the data, 86 of the 117 Meanwhile, the M West ward of two private hospitals. He was marked the building as a con- The total number of COV- who were tested positive are of the BMC is also witnessing tested positive the third time, tainment zone. ID-19 deaths in the state is TICKER from high-risk zones, which a rise in cases. On Saturday, as his earlier two tests were Confirming this, Prithviraj now at 211. There was, howev- include Madina Nagar, Muku- the ward saw 13 new positive negative. His immediate fam- Chavan, assistant municipal er, a discrepancy in the last two nd Nagar, Social Nagar, Mus- cases, said civic officials. One ily members have been home commissioner of M West ward, tallies. The number of deaths 3,648 lim Nagar, Kalyanwadi, Baliga of the cases reported was of a quarantined, but his wife has said, “We have contained the in the state on Friday was 201, Nagar and Vaibhav apartments. doctor from Bhakti Park, Wada- willingly moved to the BMC’s building and also sanitised and with the 11 new deaths, the NO. OF CASES IN MAHARASHTRA All these areas are currently the premises. The chairman tally on Saturday should have sealed. Kalyanwadi alone saw and the secretary of the soci- been 212. When asked about CHETNA SADADEKAR 10 cases on Saturday—the ety have been counselled to this, a state official said, “A [email protected] youngest being a 15-year-old We have contained the building [in Wadala] and also ensure that home quarantine death reported on April 11 has boy and the oldest, a 61-year- sanitised the premises. The chairman and the secretary of is followed by the members.” been found to be COVID-19 THE number of people infected old man. The person who died the society have been counselled to ensure that home Meanwhile, 328 new COV- negative, as informed by the with COVID-19 in Dharavi rose was an 80-year-old woman ID-19 cases and 11 deaths were BMC. Therefore, it has been to 117, after 17 new cases, includ - from Sanaullah Compound, quarantine is followed by the members reported in the state, taking eliminated from the total death ing one death, were registered confirmed Kiran Dighavkar, Prithviraj Chavan, BMC oicial the tally to 3,648. Of these, count record.” 31 nurses, 5 doctors test positive at Jaslok Hospital All of them, says the hospital spokesperson, had tested negative earlier this month; they remain asymptomatic and have been kept in quarantine VINOD KUMAR MENON The hospital’s nursing staff [email protected] said that they still hadn’t re - ceived copies of their reports. Migrant workers use a public toilet as a cupboard at the Civil Defence of LATEST reports show that 31 “This has irked some of the Maharashtra Maidan in Andheri West on Saturday. PIC/SATEJ SHINDE nurses and five doctors from nursing staff, as they have been Peddar Road’s Jaslok Hospital getting frantic calls from their have tested positive for COV- families, as majority of the staff Construction workers ID-19. These nurses had been nurses are from Kerala. kept in quarantine at the hospi- Some staff are former stu- tal’s Ballard Pier hostel. Though dents of the Jaslok College of R the nurses have tested positive, Nursing, and say they have to get 2,000 each they are all asymptomatic. How- not been shown their reports,” ever, their health is being moni- said a staffer, adding, “On Fri- Twelve lakh construction workers are going to tored. The five doctors include a day, we were given a computer- receive a cash deposit, via direct money transfer registrar of medicine, a registrar ised list of names of staff [who of pulmonology, senior anaes- had tested positive]. No reports DHARMENDRA JORE The welfare fund is accumu - thetist, a junior anaesthetist and were handed over. Those who [email protected] lated via the collection of cess a junior radiologist. People crowd at a grocery shop at Pipe Road in Kurla West to pick up tested positive were advised to from public and private con - Hospital sources told mid-day provisions on Saturday. PIC/SAYYED SAMEER ABEDI continue staying in the hostel, THE workers who are regis - struction activities in the state. that when a positive case was re - with an extended stay of the tered with the Maharashtra According to the information ported in the hospital earlier this with a handful of nursing staff, quarantine period,” another Building and Other Construc- available on the board’s web - month, over 100 of the nursing who had to thus, put in long staffer added. tion Workers’ Welfare Board site, it had R8,207 crore in fund staff were kept in quarantine working hours. Because the Due to shortage of “Also due to shortage of staff, will be given a direct cash ben - deposits till September 2019. It at the hostel. Most of the staff management planned to call staff, some nurses who had some nurses who had tested efit of R2,000 each. Although has spent R722 crore on vari - had tested negative and so the remaining staff back to work negative and were asympto- the amount is meagre, it is ous schemes so far. The fund were on compulsory 14 days of from Monday [April 20], they had tested negative and were matic, were called for duty expected to provide increased from 2010, quarantine. to undergo a mandatory second asymptomatic, were called after completing only eight the workers with after the government “The hospital was working test. The results of these came for duty after completing days of quarantine, instead of some liquidity. 8.2cr made it compulsory on Friday,” said a staff from the the mandatory 14 days,” alleged According to the Amount in for construction hospital. only eight days of a staffer. labour minister of projects that employ fund deposits A source in the hospital add- quarantine, instead of A Jaslok hospital spokes- Maharashtra, Dilip manual labourers to ed, “On Saturday morning, a mandatory 14 days person said, “We had quar- Walse Patil, about till September contribute one per 72-year-old patient, who was antined some of the nurses 12 lakh workers will of 2019 cent of the project initially treated for a respiratory A stafer two weeks ago strictly at the receive the money cost as labour cess. issue, and later admitted in the Peregrine Hostel when one directly through a bank trans - Following the union gov - ICU on the 12 th floor passed one more doctor from the hos- nurse tested positive. All of fer to their respective accounts. ernment’s advice to the CMs away. He had tested positive pital has been admitted to the them were tested subsequent- “Construction work has been of all states to use welfare for COVID-19 and was sub- ICU, due to shortage of bed in ly and were negative. However, halted and so, these workers funds to ease the workers’ sequently put on ventilator the COVID ward, along with an after the 14 days period, the don’t have the money required financial burden during the On Saturday morning, a 72-year- support.” anaesthetist. The seven COVID tests were conducted again be- to meet their daily needs,” said nationwide lockdown, former old patient at the hospital who had At present, the hospital has patients in the ICU and four in fore they resumed work and, to the minister. A notification is - CM of Maharashtra, Devendra tested positive for COVID-19 and a four-bed special COVID ward the ward are recuperating. The our surprise, some have tested sued on Saturday said the mon - Fadnavis has been demanding was subsequently put on ventilator and an eight-bed ICU on the 12th - eight-bed ICU has three venti- positive, allthough all of them ey would only be transferred to the same of the current state support, passed away floor. Apart from a radiologist, lators. are asymptomatic.” active and registered workers. government.

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Tragedy mein comedy QUARAnTine got you feeling down? Do you want to start your day on a bright and cheery note? Head to comedian Sorabh Pant’s YouTube channel (youtube. com/pantonfire) at 9 am to get rid of your curfew blues. “Wake up with my screaming voice,” he joked in an instagram post. As the lockdown has been extended by a couple of weeks, Pant has decided to go live on his YouTube channel every morning till the lockdown is lifted on May 3. Viewers can expect jokes, stories, reviews and some special guests such WAITING FOR GODOT as Anu Menon, José covaco and Sapan Verma. His first live A stray watches idling boats at Utan dock in Mira Bhayandar on Saturday. Fishing has been suspended during lockdown. PIC/SATEJ SHINDE saw about 7k viewers tuning in and he hopes the number will increase as the days go by. “This is a way for me to instill some self-discipline,” he said. What’s Vaseline got to Most importantly, the funny man hopes to raise money to buy PPe for doctors on the do with it? A lot! front lines through his ViKRAM Sathaye is a initiative. comedian with a difference. Apart from coming up with some great mimicry of cricket personalities, he also has a sound knowledge of the game. in a Facebook video the other Bandra resident Alvita Cabral with his niece Renelle and Zayne (ages two and seven) day, Sathaye stressed how applying saliva on the cricket ball won’t be allowed after the You can count on Bandra to rally the troops coronavirus outbreak and so, THe Queen of Suburbs, years this year, incidentally, D’Souza says that since they the rulers of the game should Bandra, is known to be a has started an initiative pretty much know everyone permit the use of Vaseline. tight knit community, and #bandrasgottalent and has in the community, they He wants umpires to how better to keep up spirits been uploading posts since know when a video comes in, carry along a bottle of the during lockdown than to March 22 with videos of its if it’s from a Bandra resident greasy substance and make it engage all its residents? residents playing the guitar, or not. Our favourite? available to bowlers every over Bandra Buzz, the local online singing songs and dancing. Young Zane singing count so that the ball will England fast bowler John Lever newspaper that completes 10 co-founder Joanne On Me. swing and cricket will thus wears Vaseline gauze across his be lesser of a batsman- forehead during the Chennai Test dominated sport. against India during the 1976-77 Sathaye referred to how season. PIC/GETTY IMAGES Got your back Anil Dharker goes live england fast bowler the second series india lost John Lever used at home in the 1970s. AS part of the warm Since the lockdown began, of a popular Mumbai literary Vaseline in the The controversy friendship and strong authors have been making festival, has already invited 1976-77 chennai Test did not die down and cooperation between india a steady presence on social Ashwin Sanghi and Rehana against india and pundits reckoned that and israel, the consulate media, discussing books and Munir for live discussions this diarist provides then indian captain, General of israel in Mumbai connecting with readers, on their books. next, is you a background to Bishan Singh Bedi, has joined the efforts of the through live sessions. noted author Amish Tripathi, who the major controversy who vehemently opposed Government of Maharashtra journalist and writer moved bag and baggage that hit india way back then: the english argument, lost to fight the pandemic. The for all. The effort was Anil Dharker is giving to London last year A forensic laboratory his county contract with consulate provided bottles undertaken with support us more reasons to to head the nehru confirmed that the substance northamptonshire for his role of sanitisers and automatic from Mashav, israel’s cheer with the Tata centre. “We’ve was present on the ball in in the Vaseline row. soap dispensing units to Agency for international Literature Live! started this on a trial chennai, but the england it was some greasy affair doctors and staff members Development cooperation. Author’s Lounge basis,” says Dharker, camp claimed that it was used and now this substance of Sir JJ Hospital, and to consul General of israel sessions, which he who like the rest of us, above a gauze to prevent sweat stands a good of chance of public toilets maintained by Yaakov Finkelstein said, started on instagram this is cooped up at home. from dripping down the being allowed in international Triratna Prerana Mandal, an “This is a common challenge week. Held twice a week, “i don’t remember the last bowler’s eyes. cricket. We told you, cricket is nGO working in the area of and we shall overcome it on Sunday and Thursday, time, i was this nervous,” says The 1976-77 contest was only a funny game. public toilets and sanitation together.” Dharker who is the founder the veteran. sunday mid-day 05 19.04.2020 CITY twitter.com/sundaymidday | facebook.com/middayindia | instagram.com/sundaymidday

MID-DAY COMES TO YOUR PHONE MSRTC bus gets a spin, thanks to fans To receive a replica of the mid-day newspaper Automobile engineer helps convert a bus at a Thane depot, into a mobile santiser compartment daily on WhatsApp for a clean, digital read: RAJENDRA B. AKLEKAR To our official [email protected] SEND ‘Hi’ Whatsapp BUS fans and engineers have number come together for an initiative to convert Maharashtra State 88722 22250 Transport buses into mobile sanitiser disinfectant chambers at Thane. The Maharashtra State Road The vehicle is stationed at Khopat Actor Ejaz Khan Transport Corporation, which bus depot has one of the biggest bus fleets arrested for in India, not only has a dedicat- ed fan club, but also youngsters working to help the bus com- How it was done controversial munity when in distress. Now, Kanekar says, “We the community has helped installed the gardening FB Live MSRTC convert one bus into a pipes and six foggers on mobile sanitising chamber at a VISHAL SINGH the rooftop inside the bus. Thane bus depot. [email protected] While software geek and We have fitted a 200 litre Masters of Computer Applica- tank and 0.5 hp motor MUMBAI Police on Saturday tion professional Rohit Dhende in the bus along with the arrested former BIGG BOSS heads a body called BusForUs invertor for the power contestant, actor Ejaz Khan for Foundation, automobile en- supply. Whenever a person indecent and objectionable re- gineer Siddhesh Kanekar is enters from the front ligious remarks. Khan reported- another dedicated fan whose door, he has to switch on ly used controversial language passion is MSRTC buses. the button to start the during a Facebook Live video. A “It was a lazy morning on Automobile engineer Siddhesh Kanekar was inspired to convert an MSRTC bus into a mobile santiser sprinkle system. Then he case was registered against him Monday and I woke up with compartment after seeing similar initiatives in other states has to move through the at Khar police station. the news that Karnataka, State bus to the rear exit so that Khan went live from his Transport had built a ‘Sanitis- the sanitising liquid gets Facebook account at ˜™.¡’ pm er Bus’ for their employees. I The bigger challenge sprinkled on him. Then on Wednesday and made re- thought if they can, why can’t marks about how the Muslim we? As an automobile engineer was to procure it in these he can step out from the community has faced a back- and an ardent MSRTC fan, I de- times of lockdown. We rear exit.” lash and is “being held respon- cided to do something regard- scouted the Internet and sible for everything.” He then ing this. I called up the general We love buses claimed that a political party manager, Rahul Toro, and con- contacted local shops. was behind the controversy veyed the idea. When he gave Luckily, an agricultural The BusForUs Foundation and added that communal the go ahead, we started work,” shop in the area had the is an organisation of tones were being added to the says Kanekar. passionate enthusiasts. current scenario to deflect With all permissions in place, required material Once you enter the bus, you have to walk to the rear exit. Here, you have President Rohit Dhende public attention from the Kanekar contacted friends who Siddhesh Kanekar to press a button and the santising liquid is then sprayed on you says, “We come from Coronavirus pandemic. are engineers and approached various walks of life The nine-minute live got a the Khopat bus depot. “A san- doors—entry and exit. They a neighbour, Chetan Chavan, to make it functional. It was a including students, lot of eyeballs and calls of his itiser bus would require two then told us what material accompanied me to buy the moment of great pride for me,” doctors, and architects. arrest were made on social we’d require for this. The big- material. We got it in hand and he adds. But, the common thread media. Mumbai Police said ger challenge was procuring reached the depot on Tuesday,” “Many people have donated is MSRTC. BusForUs a case was registered against 6,700 material during the lockdown. explains Kanekar. to relief funds, given food to foundation conducts a him due to the use of R We scouted the Internet and “The staff at the depot helped the needy etc. But, as a bus controversial language. Amount it cost Kanekar to number of fun activities contacted local shops. Luckily, us by removing all seats. We fan and an automobile lover, throughout the year.” Mumbai Police spokesperson convert the bus into a an agricultural shop in the area started work on Wednesday I decided to contribute in my DCP Prannoy Ashok said, “An santiser compartment had the required material and and it took us just three hours own way.” offence has been registered at Khar Police Station under sec- tions ˜–¡A (promoting dishar- mony, enmity or feelings of ha- tred between different groups 709, mostly patients, shifted to Corona Care Centres on the grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, The centres are divided into tier-levels, catering to people with none to mild symptoms; BMC assures strict monitoring regardless language, etc.), ˜™˜ (waging or attempting to wage war, or abet- PRAJAKTA KASALE The civic corporation of patients who have been sent ting waging of war, against the [email protected] has adopted the new to CCC™ from hospitals is more,” Government of India), ˜˜‘ (abet- strategy of ICMR for said Ashwini Bhide, addition- ting commission of offence by AFTER the changes in testing al municipal commissioner, the public), and other sections strategy and guidelines, ‘’“ testing and quarantining deputed especially for COV- of the IPC against Ejaz Khan. He people from hospitals and people with mild or ID-˜“. Another officer with the has been arrested and will be quarantine areas have been no symptoms. BMC said the number of people produced in court on Sunday.” shifted to Corona Care Centres from the hospital sent to CCC™ (CCC), out of which more than is more than –’ per cent. The –’ per cent are from hospitals. CCC˜ with mild symptoms and patients from Kasturba, Seven The BMC had made a list of —‘˜ positive patients from hospitals Hills and Rajawadi have begun patients, who could be shifted who have either mild symp- to shift. to CCC. mid-day also reported A drone being flown by the BMC at Jijamata Nagar PIC/ASHISH RAJE toms or no symptoms has been “The step has been taken to on Friday that the BMC is going shifted. “So far, ‘’“ people have reduce the burden on over- to shift asymptomatic patients, ICMR for testing and quar- is referred to as CCC˜, where been shifted to ward-level CCC™ flowing hospitals and doctors. without co-morbidities, to CCC antining people with mild or people with high-risk contacts across the city which included Now, beds will be available for or their homes to decongest no symptoms. As per the new but without any symptoms positive asymptomatic patients symptomatic patients and doc- the hospitals. strategy, the BMC has made are placed. The BMC made an sent back from hospitals and tors can concentrate on serious The civic corporation has a provision of tier system. arrangement of CCC™ at ward also the ones graduated di- patients,” said a senior doctor adopted the new strategy of The institutional quarantine levels, where the people from rectly from CCC˜. The number with the BMC. sunday mid-day 06 19.04.2020 CITY twitter.com/sundaymidday | facebook.com/middayindia | instagram.com/sundaymidday Blue waters, clear sea. But state’s coast remains unclear Several small and medium businesses along Maharashtra’s coastline, which rely heavily on tourists, fear that their troubles will only begin once the lockdown ends

RANJEET JADHAV [email protected]

IT was in January this year, that Piyush Wakade opened a small luxury resort on his property in Nagaon, Alibaug. The resort, which employed around five locals, couldn’t have started at a more opportune moment. Since it was peak tourism sea - son, Wakade managed to make around R10 lakh in the next two We had many tour months, helping him repay a bookings as this season is small part of the huge loan he preferred by tourists for had taken for this new business venture. Then, the lockdown sightseeing in the Kudal was announced, and everything and Malvan belt. But due to came to a grinding halt. lockdown, we had to cancel Wakade, like many others in the local tourism sector, is reel - all the bookings and refund ing under losses and staring at the money. We suffered a bleak future. Even after the lockdown lifts next month, the huge losses fear of the pandemic might pre - Rahul Patil, tour operator vent people from stepping out, especially for leisure trips, feels Wakade, who run Eleven Petals (Left) Stalls run by women self- Resort. And, with the off season help groups in Alibaug, have been set to begin in June, when mon - shut since the last week of March soon starts, things are unlikely to get better. “I am already find - Alibaug has a total of 400-500 self-help groups, and ongoing period is an impor - ing it difficult to pay the EMI. close to 1,500 families are directly dependent on this. tant one for the people in the As of now, I am paying my staff “These self-help groups provide catering services and hotel and tourism business. We half their salaries, because even see high footfalls during this they have families to look after. also sell local food items like spices, pickles, white time. But there has been a lull But I don’t know whether I’ll be onions and papad. Due to the lockdown, these women since March.” able to manage this for the rest don’t have any means to earn money,” said Prarthana Malvan in the Sindhudurg of the year,” he says. Nagevekar, coordinator of self-help groups. district, is another tourist hot - Maharashtra, which boasts of spot, during the winter and a 750 km-long coastline, is a ma - summer seasons. The region jor tourism hub. And, for people Prarthana Nagevekar, coordi- nue being generated. The situa - boasts of a beautiful coastline, living along this coastal stretch, nator of self-help groups in Ali - tion is unlikely to improve even where scuba diving and snor - in areas like Alibaug, Dapoli, baug, and an employee with the after the lockdown ends, kelling is very popular. It is Ganpatipule, Malvan, Manori, Raigad District Central Co-Op - as people will avoid visiting also home to ancient temples Gorai and Palghar, tourism is erative Bank Ltd. said, “People tourist places as a precaution - and forts, and is known for its second only to fishing. It’s not living in our coastal belt are ary measure.” coastal delicacies. Many small only local resorts and tourist highly dependent on the tour - She said that Alibaug alone, and medium-sized businesses hotspots that will be affected; ism industry for their bread has a total of 400-500 self-help here, are dependent on tourism. several women self-help groups and butter. With the current groups, and close to 1,500 fam - Closer home, in Gorai and earn an income by selling local situation, things are looking ilies are directly dependent on Manori, the situation is just food, spices and pickles. very grim, as there is no reve- this. “These self-help groups as bad. These villages, which provide catering boast of beauti- services and also ful beaches, are sell local food items 500 mostly frequent- like spices, pickles, ed by Mumbai- white onions and Approx no. of women kars over long of the people.” papad. Due to the self-help groups weekends, due Members from the Catho - lockdown, these in Alibaug to their proxim- lic community, who have a women don’t have ity to Mumbai. council in Gorai village, have any means to earn money.” When mid-day visited Gorai, now formed groups to identify Rahul Patil, a tour operator except for a few shops, the place people who are affected due to and businessmen from Kudal, was deserted. the crisis, and have pooled in which is around 530 km from A resort owner in Gorai, on money to provide them essen- Mumbai, said, “We had many condition of anonymously said, tial ration. Some residents said tour bookings as this season is “On weekends, we used to get the local police is also helping preferred by tourists for sight - huge business and the rooms by distributing food to around seeing in the Kudal and Malvan would be completely booked. 800 people. Piyush Wakade, who opened a belt. But due to lockdown, we But, due to the current lock - “Several disadvantaged peo- luxury resort on his property in had to cancel all the bookings down everything is shut. We ple and daily wage workers are Nagaon, Alibaug (above), after and refund the money. We suf - are worst hit, but nothing running out of food, so we are taking a bank loan last year, has The Catholic community in Gorai has been distributing essential ration fered huge losses.” much can be done, because distributing food to them on a had to slash the salaries of his staff to the daily wage labourers and other needy locals, who were reliant on A resort owner from Kudal, the government has taken the daily basis,” said Rossi D’Souza, by half, because there has been no tourism for their bread and butter Vaibhav Dabholkar, said, “The decision in the larger interest a resident of Gorai village. business since the lockdown sunday mid-day 07 19.04.2020 SUNDAY SPECIAL twitter.com/sundaymidday | facebook.com/middayindia | instagram.com/sundaymidday

Mount Mary Road resident Hoi Liethang, who works as a teacher at the International Society of Fashion Technology, faced discriminatory remarks when she stepped out to buy vegetables. PIC/SHADAB KHAN

‘They want to go home and never return’ The lockdown hits city’s North Eastern community like a punch in the face as their physical appearance leads to shocking discrimination

ANJU MASKERI with a sizeable population in Mira a call from Malad; six families there [email protected] Road, Bhayander and Navi Mumbai. have run out of groceries. Even if With help from non-profit organisa- we manage supplies, transport is a SINCE Prime Minister Narendra tions and the BMC, he has managed problem, so you have to arrange for Modi announced that the lock- to reach out to 80 per cent of them vehicles. The costs keep adding up.” down is being extended to May 3, to provide essentials and groceries Like some of the migrant workers spa owner Leo Tharmi Raikhan’s that will last them a week. “The As - who showed up at Bandra station phone has been ringing incessantly. samese population here is slightly last Tuesday to protest the lack of The calls are from friends who hail better off than those from Nagaland, food, Thumnao says daily wagers from the North Eastern states of Mi - Mizoram and Manipur, because the from the North East, too, are wait- zoram and Manipur and, like him, Assamese government has been ing to get home. “They don’t want came to Mumbai to make a living. actively helping out through the to return, because there’s nothing “Most are employed at restaurants, state-run Assam Bhawans,” he says. left here for them.” Graceson Thumnao runs KongSang, a spa in Kalina, and has been supporting his satellite kitchens, spas and salons. Graceson Thumnao, 40, from According to Thotmahai nine-member team since the lockdown. Like him, they also hail from Manipur Due to the lockdown, they are sur- Ukhrul district of Manipur, runs Raingam, vice president of Tangkhul viving without salaries. And now, KongSang, a salon in Santa Cruz Welfare Society Mumbai and for- Mount Mary Road resident Hoi he wrote on Instagram, “In times the landlords are threatening to East. The space has been shut since mer advisor of Naga Students’ Un- Liethang, who works as a teacher at of crisis, some human beings de - throw them out,” says Raikhan, 34, March 17. While he has been sup - ion Mumbai, the condition of the the International Society of Fashion volve into the worst versions of who runs Only and Only Spa in Ka - porting his nine-member team from owners of spas, salons and small Technology, was subjected to un- themselves. Or maybe that was lina. His political clout as president Manipur by digging into his savings, eateries is worse than the staff savoury comments last week when them all along? In light of the online of BJP’s North Central Christian Mi- he is worried that he won’t survive. they employ. “Most of their daily she stepped out to buy vegetables. “I and public #racism and discrimi- nority cell and his semi-Mumbaikar “The rent for a one-room apartment earnings have been funnelled to heard somebody say, ‘Coronavirus nation against North East Indians status has made him the go-to per- with an attached kitchen is between pay off loans and EMIs. They are aa gayi’. I couldn’t believe my ears. & the Indian-Chinese, thank you son for the community. Over the last R15,000 to R18,000; six to seven now poorer than their employees.” This was Bandra West, one of the everyone for your unstinting hu- few days, he has been negotiating members live here. But now, due Fortunately, the students managed city’s poshest localities with edu- manism. Let’s stay united; in spirit with landlords to defer payments. to social distancing orders, land- to go back just before the lockdown, cated residents. I wanted to cry,” she & in philosophy (sic).” Although “Some have agreed, others haven’t. lords are only allowing three people says Raingam. says. Her cousin in Kandivli has had the controversy is gradually losing Many said that the flats are their per flat,” says Thumnao. Presently, For those who are still in the city, to purchase a burqa to walk out of steam, Chang continues to receive only source of money.” Thumnao and other social workers it’s been a battle on more than one home without harassment. stray DMs (direct messages) on By his estimate, Maharashtra have been galvanising volunteers front. Recently, the community shot Television personality Mei- his Instagram. is now home to about one lakh from various neighbourhoods to into the spotlight due to reports of yang Chang hasn’t been spared With some, he has tried to initiate persons from the North East, reach out to families. “I just received verbal attacks and racist slurs in the either. Like Liethang, he was also dialogue. “There are those who be - wake of the pandemic, with locals called “Corona” while he was out lieve that there were more relevant calling them ‘Chinese’ “who started jogging. Chang is a third genera- issues to discuss such as sanitation it all”, thanks to their physical at- tion Indian-Chinese, which means and hygiene, and I shouldn’t be The condition of the owners of spas, salons and tributes. “It was mostly targetted at his family made India its home more raking this up. If it was just verbal small eateries is worse than the staff they employ. Most students living in Kalina and Santa than half a century ago. Interesting- abuse, I would have ignored it. But of their daily earnings have been funnelled to pay off Cruz,” says Raikhan, who reached ly, his roots are in China’s Hubei this started interfering in the way of out to the police and members of province, of which Wuhan—the living. People could not buy grocer- loans and EMIs. They are now poorer than their the media in order to put an end to epicentre of the virus outbreak-is ies or get out of their houses. I had employees. Thotmahai Raingam the harassment. capital. Following the incident, to speak up.” sunday mid-day 08 19.04.2020 NATION twitter.com/sundaymidday | facebook.com/middayindia | instagram.com/sundaymidday Nearly 30% Coronavirus cases linked to Tablighi event, says Union health ministry Lav Agarwal said these cases are spread across 23 states and Union Territories, which include most of the high-degree burden cases COVID-19 Railways makes contactless cubicles for COVID- doctors in Karnataka TICKER The South Western Railway patients do not come in (SWR) zone’s Hubballi direct physical contact with workshop has produced a them,” a SWR spokesperson  contactless doctors’ cubicle said in a statement. Looking TOTAL NUMBER OF CORONAVIRUS CASES IN to treat patients without like a telephone booth of THE COUNTRY AS OF TODAY direct contact, an official said yesteryears, the transparent on Saturday. “SWR Hubballi cubicle will enable a doctor NEW DELHI: The Union Health workshop has come out with to put his hands out through Ministry on Saturday said ,  or about  per cent of an innovative idea by creating two flexible glove-like the Coronavirus cases in the contactless cubicles so that protrusions to reach the country have been traced to the doctors checking suspected patient. Tablighi amaat congregation in Delhi. In Delhi, ­ per cent of the reported ,€€ cases are linked ­.™ tonnes,” the Ministry of ayanti Ravi, principal secre- to the same gathering. Civil Aviation (MoCA) said in a tary, Health and Family Welfare The total number of statement on Saturday. Department, Gujarat, said, “We confirmed cases in India is have obtained the Drug Control-  ,€ . So far, ƒƒ people have GoM may enlist retired docs ler General of India’s (DCGI) ap- succumbed to the disease. The A Group of Ministers’ meeting proval over phone.” mortality rate of COVID- is chaired by Defence Minister . per cent. Rajnath Singh on Saturday re- Punjab cop succumbs Lav Agarwal, oint Secretary Firefighters in Kolkata spray disinfectant inside a market as a preventive measure against COVID-19. PIC/AFP viewed the situation in the wake Assistant Commissioner of Po- Health Ministry, said that ,  of lockdown. The meeting ex- lice (North) Anil Kohli, who was cases are epidemiological- He also added that € districts Tablighi amaat is being scruti- the amount of remittance re- amined suggestions received to posted in Ludhiana city, on Sat- ly linked to the Nizamuddin in  states have shown positive nised by Crime Branch sleuths ceived from foreign countries enlist services of retired doctors urday succumbed to the virus. Markaz event. “These cases trends in the fight against the of Delhi Police to ascertain for- by the Tablighi amaat,” the and medical students in the fi- The ™ -year-old officer was are spread across  states outbreak in the country. “One eign remittance received by the direction stated. nal year of their graduation. diagnosed positive on April . and Union Territories, which district each in Puducherry and amaat, a senior IPS officer said. The officer was on ventilator in include most of the high-de- Karnataka has not reported a The role of RM & RM Associ- Medical supplies flown Plasma Therapy in Gujarat a private hospital in Ludhiana gree burden cases. There are ƒ positive case yet. Along with ates was flagged by senior po- The Centre on Saturday said After Kerala, Gujarat has be- since April , Civil Surgeon Ra- per cent cases in Tamil Nadu, this, new districts, split across lice officers in the case against that under the Lifeline Udan come the second state to have jesh Bagga said. ­ per cent in Delhi,  per cent various states, have also not re- Tablighi amaat. Deputy Com- initiative, € flights have trans- started Convalescent Plasma In a first-of-its-kind clinical in Assam, ­ per cent in Uttar ported new cases in the last  missioner of Police oy Tirkey ported around ­.™ tonnes Therapy from Saturday to treat use of convalescent plasma Pradesh and ƒ per cent in An- days,” added Agarwal. has been directed to probe the of medical supplies across the patients. An oral nod from the therapy in the state, doctors on daman & Nicobar. financial aspects in the case. country till April €. concerned Central Government Saturday decided to try to cure “If lockdown and social dis- Probe in Tablighi funding Senior officers have issued di- “About € flights have been agencies has been obtained and him by using plasma of another tancing norms are not followed, The role of money exchanger rections to Tirkey to question operated under Lifeline Udan the state has started the prepa- young volunteer patient. Doc- then the entire country would RM & RM Associates based in owners and employees of RM by Air India, Alliance Air, IAF rations to commence the treat- tors said he died due to multiple have to face the consequences,” Delhi’s Nizamuddin and a char- & RM Associates. “They should and private carriers. Cargo ment of patients in two of the organ failure. said Agarwal. tered accountant working with be thoroughly questioned about transported till date is around Ahmedabad hospitals. AGENCIES MNRE invites investments by companies shifting from China Who we saved from COVID-19, can’t NEW DELHI: The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) The ministry has written allow hunger to kill, says Kerala minister has initiated action in a big way to state governments towards setting up new hubs and port authorities to THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala relax because “things can go for manufacturing renewable identify land parcels of ­ Health Minister KK Shailaja on haywire anytime, if we are not Kerala health minister energy equipment in the coun- Saturday said that the state is alert, but at the same time, life to ­­ acres for setting up KK Shailaja also stated try to meet both domestic and reaping the rewards of the hard has to go on, if not there will be that the death of a global demand. such parks work that has gone in overall other issues.” The ministry has written containment of the spread of “It should not be like, we  -year-old man, to various state governments got in touch with Trade Com- COVID- . saved people. But people also who was a former and port authorities to identify missioners of various countries In the state, the number of die out of hunger. So whatever COVID- patient from land parcels of ™ to ™ acres inviting them to invest in India. new cases was in single digits relaxations are now announced Malappuram, is not due for setting up such parks. The Kumar addressed the US In- and there are around €ƒ, to be effective after April , to the virus but due to Tuticorin Port Trust and the dia Strategic Partnership Forum people under observation. should not be an occasion to a renal complication he states of Madhya Pradesh and last week through webinar and She told the media that in no forget the alertness that we Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja developed Odisha have already expressed sought collaboration and in- way, can the Kerala government maintained. Instead, the re- their interest in setting up RE vestment by US firms. These laxation should be used to re- the death of a ƒ™-year-old man, Then he had underlying ail- Manufacturing Parks. facilities will manufacture vive the economy and it should who was a former COVID- pa- ments. He was a cardiac patient Secretary, MNRE, Anand equipment like silicon ingots, 78,000 happen by keeping all the rules tient from Malappuram, is not for three decades, had breath- Kumar held meetings with RE wafers, solar cells, wind equip- and regulations of maintaining due to the virus but due to a re- ing issues and had kidney prob- manufacturing companies last ment and ancilliary items. No. of people under social distancing,” said Shailaja. nal complication he developed. lems,” said Shailaja. week. The Ministry has also AGENCIES observation in Kerala Meanwhile, she stated that “He tested negative thrice. AGENCIES sunday mid-day 09 19.04.2020 WORLD twitter.com/sundaymidday | facebook.com/middayindia | instagram.com/sundaymidday UK medics asked to reuse Hong Kong shows no need gowns due to shortage LONDON: Doctors and nurses in England will be asked to treat Coronavirus patients without fully protective gowns and to reuse equipment due to shortage fears, a media report for total lockdown: study said on Saturday. The decision came in a re- The semi-autonomous country followed WHO protocol and embarked on a rigorous versal of guidance to hospitals from Public Health England programme of testing, contact tracing, border control and social distancing (PHE) on Friday. Earlier this week, it was re- ported that the plan was being COVID-19 Iran closer to considered as a “last resort”. containment It comes as National Health Members of clinical staff work the Service (NHS) providers Royal Albert Edward Infirmary in TICKER TEHRAN: Iranian warned some hospitals’ sup- Wigan, England. PIC/AFP authorities have said plies could run out in  hours. that they were closer Chris Hopson, head of the Chris Hopson said that  to the containment of association, which represents national leaders have TOTAL NUMBER OF CORONAVIRUS CASES IN the COVID-19 pandemic healthcare trusts across Eng- left “no stone unturned” THE WORLD AS OF TODAY in most of the country, land, said in a tweet: “We have —but gowns that were while Turkey was poised now reached the point where ordered weeks ago are HONG KONG: With widespread to overtake Iran as the the national stock of fully flu- testing, contact tracing and hardest-hit country in the id repellent gowns and long- currently only arriving population behavioural chang- Middle East due to rapid sleeved laboratory coats will in “fits and starts” es, Hong Kong appears to have growth of new cases. be exhausted in the next twen- managed to contain the first Iran on Friday reported ty-four to forty-eight hours.” wave of COVID- without He said that national leaders gowns were not available, 1,499 new cases of resorting to drastic measures have left “no stone unturned” staff can wear washable A passenger boards a shuttle bus after leaving a temporary COVID-19 COVID-19, bringing the like complete lockdown which testing centre set up at the AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong. PIC/AFP —but gowns that were ordered medical gowns or non-fluid- now threaten to damage econ- total number of confirmed weeks ago are currently only repellent equipment. omies of several countries study published in The Lancet Kong, who led the research. cases to 79,494, with arriving in “fits and starts”. At least Œ¢ NHS workers around the world, say scientists Public Health journal. “Other governments can 4,958 deaths. “Despite PHE changed its guidance, have died after contract- in a Lancet study. “By quickly implementing learn from the success of Hong circumstances arising which until now required ing the virus. The UK has A combination of border en- public health measures, Hong Kong. If these measures and from sanctions and long-sleeved, disposable, flu- recorded a total of ,¢,‹™ try restrictions, quarantine and Kong has demonstrated that population responses can be economic warfare, id-repellent gowns for people Coronavirus cases with isolation of cases and contacts, the virus transmission can be sustained, they could substan- no patient was left treating COVID- patients. ,™¢‹ deaths. together with some degree of effectively contained without tially lessen the impact.” abandoned behind Now it says that if these AGENCIES social distancing helped the resorting to the highly disrup- The government also de- hospital doors and no city with a ‹.Œ million popula- tive complete lockdown,” said ployed measures to encourage patient lacked drugs tion avert a major COVID- out- professor Benjamin Cowling social distancing including flex- and medical care during break up to March ’, said the from the University of Hong ible working arrangements and the peak of the virus school closures. Many large- scale events were also cancelled. across cities,” minister S Korea virus cases fall below 
in  months Further analyses suggest of health and medical education Saeed Namaki SEOUL: South Korea reported the country’s new infections that individual behaviours said. In Turkey, 4,353 new 18 COVID-19 cases on Saturday, came below 20. Over the have changed in response to COVID-19 cases were marking the lowest daily past five days, the country COVID- . In the most recent confirmed on Friday, increase in about two months. reported fewer than 30 new survey, —Œ per cent of respond- ents reported avoiding crowded bringing the total The new cases brought the patients per day. The number places, and per cent report- number to 78,546. country’s total infections to of South Korea’s daily new ed wearing face masks when The death toll surged 10,653, according to the Korea cases reached a peak of 909 leaving home—up from ‹Œ per to 1,769, after 126 more Centres for Disease Control confirmed cases on February cent and ™ per cent respectively deaths were reported. and Prevention. It is the first 29, but the country has since from the first survey in šanuary. time since February 20 that managed to flatten the curve. AGENCIES Browser Thousands defy lockdown to attend QUEEN CANCELS BIRTHDAY GUN SALUTE funeral of Muslim cleric in Bangladesh LONDON: Queen Elizabeth II has cancelled all traditional DHAKA: Thousands of people exile in Sweden, tweeted that celebratory plans for her th on Saturday defied the coun- Œ¢,¢¢¢ people had attended birthday on April  amid the trywide lockdown to attend the funeral prayers, defying lockdown, Buckingham Palace the funeral of a Muslim cleric the ban on mass gatherings said on Saturday. Her birthday in Bangladesh, triggering fears during the lockdown. “Stupid will be marked by a social of rapid spread of the Corona- government didn’t even try media post from the Palace. virus pandemic. to stop these stupid people,” The news media in Bangla- she tweeted. CHERNOBYL WILDFIRE desh reported that thousands Like many other countries of people, without masks and where religious congregations COVERS KIEV IN THICK SMOG in clear violations of social are turning out to be a major KIEV: Smoke from a wildfire in distancing, participated in Mourners at the funeral. PIC/AFP multiplier in the pandemic, the Chernobyl exclusion zone the funeral prayers of Khela- the Saturday funeral gather- HIGH ON HOPE has covered the Ukrainian fat Majlish’s ‘Nayeb-e Amir’ at his home last night. ing could become Bangladesh’s capital of Kiev, making its air Maulana Zubayer Ahmad Ansa- The gathering was large hotspot for the outbreak. So far, A more than 1,000-metre high Indian tricolour was projected onto pollution among the worst in ri, held at a madrasa in Bertola and the authorities did not stop over ,¢¢ people have tested the Matterhorn mountain in the Swiss Alps “to express solidarity to all the world, according to Swiss village under Sorail Upazila of it, media reports said. positive and — have died due Indians in the fight against COVID-19”. Over the past couple of days, monitoring group IQAi. Brahmanbaria district. Noted Bangladeshi author, to Coronavirus in Bangladesh. Swiss light artist Gerry Hofstetter has projected the flags of the US, UK, AGENCIES The cleric had passed away Taslima Nasreen, who lives in AGENCIES Germany, Japan, Spain and Portugal on the famous peak. PIC/AFP sunday mid-day 10 19.04.2020 OPINION Pining as art beyond bollywood MEENAKSHI SHEDDE

INdIaNs are big on pining. describing how the beloved We are a nation of migrants, can’t wait to grab us again. and, and Indians somehow make India must be the only nation a virtue, even a fetish, of this where you can still buy, on the feeling of missing the beloved. streets, those delightful, kitschy It can be yearning for a lover, song booklets like Mohammed a husband, a son—or God. We Rafi ke dard bhare nagmein. express it in myriad ways, we all this struck me after I cherish it, we wallow in it, we watched Ekta Mittal’s haunting let go. It has seeped into Indian Gumnaam din (Missing days), culture—our philosophy, liter- that was in the Berlinale shorts ature, poetry, painting, dance, at the Berlin Film Festival ear- music, film. From high art like lier this year. This 28-minute the ragamala miniatures of experimental film explores the ashta Nayikas, to sufi and the birha, the double-edged baul songs, to Tum kab aaoge? longing, lamentation and grief (When will you return?) painted of those who have migrated to on the back of every other truck, distant lands, looking for work, with the desolate woman in a as well as of those left behind. salwar-kameez, burying her The filmmaker goes looking for Meenakshi head on her drawn-up knees, someone who has vanished— Shedde is India pining away for her beloved. he went looking for work far ILLUSTRATION/UDAY MOHITE and South Asia (somebody once observed away, and simply disappeared. Delegate to the that in traditional Indian It is a film that is more expe- young woman dress up before stances back home. do they ing on their experiences, she Berlin painting, “the woman is riential—it allows visuals and a mirror and put on sindoor; want to be found? There’s made Behind the Tin sheets, International rarely the lover, but always sounds, rather than dialogues, trees swathed in mist, with the even a philosophical irony, a a series of short films observ- Film Festival, the beloved.”). We have bir- to evoke feelings. We see an songs of cicadas, and at some search for the self, as we hear ing their lives, then her debut National ha songs of separation. We elderly woman knead dough, a point, women just burst into a missing person read aloud feature documentary Birha Award-winning have bidaai songs when the wails, unable to contain their his own missing person ad— (absence, 80 min), followed by critic, curator to daughter gets married and grief. The film is also inspired if this person is found, please Gumnaam din. Gumnaam din, festivals worldwide and goes away. Rudaalis and Gumnaam Din explores by shiv Kumar Batalvi’s ‘birha’ call such and such number. produced by the Public service Tamil oppari singers sing poetry, of separation and ache. Bengaluru-based Mittal, Broadcasting Trust, has been journalist. wailing songs for us when the birha, the double- The film also explores the co-founder of the Maraa collec- hauntingly shot by Paromita Reach her at someone passes away. We edged longing... of those ambiguities of separation. tive, got to know some migrant dhar and amith surendran, meenakshi. have raunchy-as-hell who have migrated to some people may be glad to labourers well, as they built with evocative sound design shedde Bhojpuri bidesia songs, distant lands have escaped bitter circum- the Bengaluru Metro. draw- by Bigyna dahal. @mid-day.com

near someone who will do what that to understand—wouldn’t month, the unseemly haste of they can to care for and comfort any of us want the same? Why corporate layoffs tell all. you; in the presence of love, not couldn’t the government antici- yet, such a big section of the Ten years of looking at the mercy of bureaucracy. pate and plan for that, as they do comfortable classes is trapped Money is not the only need for middle-class students? For in an unseeing gaze, identifying humans have. that it would need to see people with a system where callous- This is why we are repeatedly in all their humanity with two ness is called pragmatism and paro-normal activity witnessing the desperate imag- eyes—the emotional and the indifference is called strength. PAROMITA VOHRA es of migrant workers trying to practical. Luckily, it’s a very diverse coun- get home. They aren’t agitating We call India our home— try, despite fantasies of homo- Today’s column marks a dec- worker, needed chemotherapy, for work and money. They are and so do these fellow citizens geneity. Every day we read ade of Paronormal activity—10 but there was no public trans- saying again and again, “We are of ours. But, is it designed like about someone who, for the years of the opportunity to look port. He put her on his cycle hungry, exhausted, we just want home? To care for everyone, at first time in their lives, started at the world with attention carrier, tied her to him with a to go home”. For all migrants, the some basic level, to the best of raising relief, volunteered at a and traumatise editors with towel and pedalled 130 km to the endeavour for progress is laced its resources, to ensure their kitchen, tried to make public late-sending. I went back cu- hospital. He cycled for 18 hours, with the vulnerability of sepa- rights? our healthcare system toilets available to homeless riously to my first column. It including a short break for tea ration. Home, however difficult emblematises that inequality people. on a friend’s Facebook was about a woman called and nap. In times of hardship and scant it might be, is our shel- and that uncaringness. The pre- page, I read about his local dha- Priya Zagade, whose and uncertainty, you want to be ter from a storm. How hard is carity of the working poor in a ba feeding people every day, fireman husband died even though they surely aren’t in a work accident. she earning much right now. refused to deposit her I want to hold on to the be- compensation cheque, lief in this helpful goodness, because she wanted not for sentiment, but because someone from the ad- co-operation and compassion ministration to come are practical and effective Paromita Vohra meet her. she was para- things—as the volunteer work is an award-win- lysed and described how shows. I hope they trickle up. ning Mum- her husband had built a If it is spirituality we want, we bai-based ramp for her, in their chawl, need to see with both eyes, the filmmaker, with his own hands. Per- inward and the outward, and writer and haps it was this loss of love create and defend systems curator working and kindness she wanted based on human need and the with fiction and witnessed and affirmed. human capacity for altruism, non-fiction. Reading it, I was reminded of instead of constantly feeding Reach her at a moving lockdown story. The our worst side with fake news paromita.vohra wife of a 65-year-old daily wage ILLUSTRATION/UDAY MOHITE and fake rituals. @mid-day.com The views expressed in these columns are the individual’s and don’t represent those of the paper.

Letters When the vedas reached south Wonderful idea Meher Marfatia’s column So, somewhere between 2,600 shi Parashuram is linked with of hero-stones. last week was truly inspired. and 2,300 years ago, Vedic ideas reclaiming the Western coast. In early dharmashastras, The idea of Mumbai’s devlok penetrated far south. Rishi Gautama is linked with 2,500 years ago, the homeland lesser heard voices—waves, DEVDUTT PATTANAIK Memory of this migration bringing Ganga to the south and of Aryans or Aryavarta is lo- gargoyles, a pigeon on is available only in mythology, turning her into Godavari. Rishi cated in north India between Khada Parsi—speaking is so The mention of southern states that may be read by proto-his- Atri and his son Dattatreya are himalayas and Vindhya. In the inventive and what it says is conspicuously absent in vedic tory. We hear of Rishi Agastya linked to the Krishna river. Ri- later dharmashastras, 2,000 about the past and present literature. hymns of the Rig Veda taking mountains and rivers shi Kaundinya travels across the years ago, it is in the entire In- of our city so trenchant. date back to 1500 BCe. They refer of the north to the south. Rishi sea to Suvarnadvipa (Southeast dian subcontinent, from north to the Saptasindhu or Indus Val- Dirghatama fathers sons who Asia) and marries a Naga prin- India to the southern seas. This SHANTA GOKHALE ley region. Shatapatha Brahma- become kings of Anga (Bihar), cess there. Sri Lankan chronicles clearly indicates the gradual na, dated to 800 BCe refers to a Vanga (Bengal) and Kalinga (Od- have memory of a Lion-prince shift of vedic culture. Sangam movement towards what is now isha). We hear of Ram’s journey travelling from Kalinga to the literature reveals an awareness Great column Bihar. In the Aitreya Brahmana, to the south and encounters southern island where he de- of the himalayas and Kanyaku- Meher’s personalisation— we come across references to with vanaras and rakshasas. Ri- feated local yakshas and rak- mari, of Varuna, the god of ocean, the mane of a lion with no the Andhras, Pulindhas, Sabaras, shasas and made himself king. and Sagara, the Gangetic Delta, “Sumeet loves Shaila” cut and the Pundhras. These are re- The southern tip of India was on the eastern side. There is into the rock (that was gions associated with Bengal, long associated with Kumari, a awareness of the game known my favourite) now. And, of today known as Jharkhand, virgin-goddess, who awaited her as chaturanga that is dated to Chhattisgarh and even the groom, Shiva, who would come 600 Ce, and the three goals of course, the “no leg on chair”. Godavari delta. It does for her from the north. life—dharma, artha, and kama, I loved the references to the not refer to Tamil Nadu. Sangam literature refers to referred to in Mahabharata and migrants and coastal road. even Panini’s book on Puranic gods such as Shiva, Chanakya’s Arthashastra. All this JEROO MULLA grammar, in 6th century Krishna, Kartikeya and Vishnu, suggests that by the Gupta pe- BCe refers to Kalinga, and indicating they were composed riod, 1,500 years ago, the Tamil nothing beyond. 2,000 years ago when Puranic region was well integrated with The author The amazing Kahn References to the Cholas, hinduism began overshadowing north Indian society. writes and Cheras and Pandyas, Vedic hinduism. Indeed, But, despite integration with lectures on the Meenakshi Shedde’s the three great kings of one theory suggests that the north, Tamilakam retained relevance of column on Louis Kahn was south India, come in very the Puranic traditions its regional identity with its very mythology in interesting. He peppered clear form, in the Ashoka were consolidated in unique patron god, the virile modern times. everything he designed with edicts, in 3rd century BCe. Southern India. even the man-boy, and twice-married Reach him at circles and triangles. IIMA So, we can be confident that Agama texts that describe Murugan, holding his lance and devdutt. is a typical sprawling Louis north India was familiar with temple rituals are clearly in- standing atop mountain peaks, pattanaik Kahn extravaganza. @mid-day.com south India 2,300 years ago. ILLUSTRATION/DEVDUTT PATTANAIK fluenced by old Tamil veneration asserting his spiritual authority. TABBY BALASUBRAMANIAN mid-day Poll Should there be a law Follow the leader against lay-offs in the current scenario? working furiously on the arms, biceps, triceps and forearms, 20 zara hatke repetitions with dumbbells, so RAHUL DACUNHA that when the day and time came, March 22, 5 pm to be I WAS bitterly disappointed specific, I was ready, like Rambo. last Tuesday, felt betrayed. Let And then, D-Day came. For 10 me explain myself, dear reader, minutes, non-stop, our city hit flashback a bit. such a decibel level, the Mum- As a good Indian citizen, I bai chapter of the Coronavirus have been trained not to think considered leaving en masse. too much for myself. Just tell They made a Zoom call to their me what to do, and it will be boss in Wuhan, and complained, 66% followed, dutifully. “Imagine 36 million thaalis be- YES See, during this Coronavirus ing struck simultaneously. It period, who needs one’s leader was damn frightening sir. More 34% NO to come on TV daily and pains- terrifying than any vaccine.” takingly give me a heads-up on Then came the second in- the progress the govern- struction. On Sunday, April 5, Tweet talk ment is making in tack- we were asked to light diyas, @kmanojmenon: ling the virus—how or candles, for nine minutes at many dead, how many 9 pm. It didn’t matter, what the Replying to infected etc—as the significance was. I was being @sundaymidday and New Zealand PM, with asked by my leader to perform @mid_day But govt should consider tax breaks& treat her health minister, an action and I wanted to obey. ILLUSTRATION/UDAY MOHITE does every day. Just light a candle, shine a salary paid as deductions I just want to go to my light, all your troubles will be mass instruction. morning arrived. I was ready, from tax balcony, look out of my over. Who cared about being I obsessed over trying to dear reader. Ready to follow window and perform activ- cooped up at home, or a deci- guess. May be the plan was to his instructions. ities that my leader tells me mated economy? All that was explore each of the five sens- And he spoke and spoke, and Rahul daCunha have your say! to. Simple, clear instructions, relevant was that a candle/ es. First was sound, next was he ended with no task for me to is an adman, no bad news, no statistics to torch/diya was to be lit. sight, would this third one have perform. theatre figure, just meaningful actions. For nine minutes, in Mum- something to do with touch, Apparently, the lockdown director/ playwright, Four weeks ago, we were urged bai, it looked like we had an taste or smell? ends May 3. I am crestfallen, no www.facebook.com/mid-day to find two steel utensils and early Diwali. Would I have to recite a verse more announcements, no more photographer thump them together for dear So, you can understand, that standing on my head? Some- activities. I will wait patiently and traveller. www.twitter.com/mid_day life. Cynics called it a gimmick, I prepared myself for the next thing nonsensically exciting. for August 15, when hopefully Reach him at plus.google.com/mid-day not me. I trained for this ac- TV announcement, the PM So, to return to my disap- we will be asked to perform a rahul.dacunha Write to us: tivity in my home-made gym, would return to give us our next pointment. Tuesday, April 14 duty. Any ideas, dear reader? @mid-day.com [email protected] sunday mid-day 12 19.04.2020 MAD WORLD

PIC/NEW YORK POST PICS OF THE DAY BUGGING YOU A swarm of bugs descended over a beach at Cayton Bay, Yorkshire, leaving locals stunned. The bugs, later identified as European Chafer Beetles, are said to have washed up on a few beaches in the area. The cause is still being investigated. “I was stunned to realise they were living creatures. There were just masses and masses of them,” said Sue Weatherill, a local resident, to Daily Mail. PICS/@CHRISBULL52, TWITTER

BRIEFS BRIDE & GROOM ‘LEGO’ OF SINGLE STATUS Girl, I want you real clean! A match made of bricks A New Yorker hung fliers to look for a ‘germ free’ partner A UK-based photographer spends ALL of Chris Wallace’s during the Coronavirus crisis lockdown making a wedding wedding bookings I tried drawing upon were either cancelled A SINGLE man from New York, who album with LEGO models or postponed due to the experiences I had is looking for love, hung dating MEXICANS WANT BEER the Coronavirus, but with weddings, to fliers across the city, saying that his TO SURVIVE QUARANTINE the UK-based wedding potential lover must be healthy, fit photographer didn’t let that capture the big moments and clean. Mexico’s decision to halt deter him. Wallace took it while making it seem The man, identified only as production of most non-essential upon himself to recreate a natural Brad, also said in the flier that products due to the Coronavirus wedding ceremony using he is “seeking a girlfriend for pandemic, has led to a polarising LEGO figures lying around the altar to support the Coronavirus and beyond.” He debate in the country on whether his house. He named the groom. “I’ve found myself describes himself as a healthy, beer should be considered an The couple bride and groom Florence with quite a bit of free time attractive, and well-settled man, “essential” during lockdown. “Beer and Fred, and spent many on my hands and thought looking for “germ-free monogamy”. supplies should be guaranteed, exchanging vows hours preparing for the it’ll be a fun thing to do,” “I was single when the lockdown because beer helps people get wedding. He even staged said the photographer began and was wondering how and through quarantine on better several scenes and big to the New York Post. when dating would be possible terms,” said the National moments seen frequently “The ceremony was held again,” Brad told the New York Post. Alliance of Small Business in a in Christian weddings outdoors in the most “This is no time for casual dating press statement. and then proceeded to gorgeous of settings, filled or hook-ups, so I am seeking a long- click photos of them. with the greenest of plastic term and exclusive relationship,” He used his experience leaves and most colourful he added. Brad said that he has capturing weddings to plastic flowers,” he added. already received responses from make it seem natural. Wallace said: “I tried “high-quality women” and is The bride walked down drawing upon the looking forward to meeting some The bride getting the aisle with a Harry experiences I had with for six-foot-apart dates. dolled up for her wedding Potter figurine, whereas weddings, to capture the AGENCIES groomsmen Ghostbusters, big moments while making Chewbacca and a 1980 it seem natural.” As the Lego spaceman stood at lockdown is anticipated IT’S A VIRAL to last till June, he plans to do another shoot soon. VILLAGE GETS GHOSTS TO KEEP PEOPLE INDOORS

Kepuh village in Indonesia has resorted to an unusual way to ensure that the locals stay indoors. Those who step out of their homes at night will have to face pocong—shrouded ghosts believed to represent the souls of dead people. The pocongs are actually volunteer youths trying to Posing for a family photo. Papi Gudia 2.0 help maintain the lockdown. PICS/CARPEDIEMPHOTOGRAPHYCHESHIRE.CO.UK/CHRIS WALLACE An area in Mexico City became one of the most searched addresses PICS/@PUUTAN_318, INSTAGRAM on Google Maps this week, after CRIME JUNKIES CAN GET SOCIAL MEDIA HOWLER photos of a creepy, doll-covered RICH IN 24 HOURS FLAT house located there, went viral on social media. The post was first A video streaming service is This teen is a gender-bender shared by TikTok user Fernando seeking a true crime buff to Mata, who was looking for creepy make $1,000 (R75K) during A Japanese 18-year-old been flaunting selfies in content for his social media. It the Coronavirus lockdown by boy, has been getting a feminine clothes, as well later turned out that this was watching 24 straight hours of lot of attention on the as a long hair wig. He the address of a small esoteric documentaries. The chosen Internet for cosplaying currently has over 27,000 candidate will be given a pre- as an Asian schoolgirl. followers on YouTube, shop, and the dolls were merely selected list of true crime Puutan, whose real name and 23,000 followers an advertising strategy to attract documentaries to watch. is reportedly Tatsuya, has on Instagram. prospective customers. LOCKDOWN FEVER INSTAGRAM PRO MATERNITY MATTERS How to vent the Lights, camera, action: Pregnant under house anger you feel daily. P16 Make your Live shine. P27 arrest and loving it. P19

13 sunday mid-day 19.04.2020

The hand-made tale Jugaad proves king at innovation hub that’s making M19 shields under lockdown, inspiring scores across India to replicate manufacture from open-source model. P15 ELA DAS

Volunteers at Maker’s Asylum Mumbai’s Andheri studio have inspired product labs to use laser cutters and simple materials available at stationary shops to ship off 1.40 lakh face shields to medical workers and police on Coronavirus duty. PIC COURTESY/MAKER’S ASYLUM sunday mid-day 14 19.04.2020 FEATURE twitter.com/sundaymidday | facebook.com/middayindia | instagram.com/sundaymidday ‘Tackling this virus will be messy and politically fractious’ Noted American science journalist Sonia Shah believes the enemy in the war against pandemics isn’t another country, but industrial expansion at the cost of climate abuse

JANE BORGES Edited excerpts from the interview. and it leads to certain policy solutions—closing borders, EVERY disease begins as an alien The Corona group of viruses perhaps, or immobilising people concept, before it starts becom- has been around for the last deemed contaminated. But what ing familiar. Coronavirus is no two decades—we’ve lived science tells us is that just as different. But the scale and speed through SARS and MERS. in any other human-mediated at which the infection has spread, This time, of course, the disaster, we are both the is unsettling and leaves no room strain is deadlier. Yet, we were victims and the culprits. The for familiarity. American science unprepared. Why so? animal microbes that cause journalist Sonia Shah, who has been We were not as prepared as we outbreaks of novel disease invested in the study of infectious could have been—or should have mostly existed in animals, diseases, says, “Pathogens have have been—if we’d made harmlessly, for years. They had a tremendous and under-re- rational decisions based on become pathogens because of ported influence on human history, scientific understanding and human activity. A file photo of a student holding a poster at Fridays for Future climate strike in as we’re seeing this unfold before historical events. But, we were Mumbai to protest against governments’ inaction towards climate breakdown our eyes right now.” Shah is the probably more prepared than You’ve shared your concerns and environmental pollution. PIC/GETTY IMAGES author of The Fever (2010), a book we were a decade ago. When about the speed at which where she tracked the history and the first SARS wave struck, the pathogens have been emerging, be of grave concern, when the marginalised, the scale of which spread of malaria, and the 2017 ti- scientific community was in the and spreading in the recent effects of climate change really will only become apparent later. tle Pandemic: Tracking Contagions dark for weeks and international past. How much of this is hit us? Obviously, social distancing and from Cholera to Ebola and Beyond. collaborations were slow and man-made? The effects of the climate crisis hand hygiene are not solutions She started writing about health fitful. We’re doing much better The global industrial machine, are already being felt. Pathogens that are available to all. They and infectious diseases “as a way with scientific collaboration in which gobbles up wildlife and vectors are moving into sound simple and easy but to understand the origins of ine- the face of COVID-19. It’s not habitat and ferries commodities new places where they couldn’t in fact for many, they are as qualities”—those that existed be- enough, obviously. The problem and people from one remote survive before, which is resulting inaccessible as a $10,000 cancer tween men and women, between isn’t that we don’t prepare or corner of the planet to the other, in outbreaks of mosquito-borne treatment. In the long term, we rich and poor, between the healthy progress at all, but that we do it is broadly implicated in the disease and tick-borne disease need to be able to provide safe and the sick, both within and be- far too slowly. emergence of most of the novel in populations that have never housing and clean water to tween societies. “Having malaria in pathogens we’ve been seeing experienced these. Warming all, as a fundamental human your society, for example, reduces Corona has been labelled as over the last 50 years or so. Since seas are helping cholera bacteria right and also to protect GDP growth. And it has shaped our a Chinese virus, one time too 1940, there have been hundreds thrive. Perhaps the biggest public health. history, our bodies, our settlement many. You’ve described this as of these pathogens newly impact climate change will patterns for millennia,” she says in “microbial xenophobia”. How emerging or re-emerging into have on the disease burden is From your previous studies, an email interview from does it change the way we places where they’ve never been by simply changing its pattern. how long do you think it would Baltimore. It might be look at the pandemic, once it’s seen before. SARS-Cov2 is just That means more people will be, before we go back to living too soon to say how all over? the latest. Most of them come encounter new pathogens, normal lives? the Coronavirus will It’s politically useful for leaders from the bodies of animals. They which means a heavier burden We’ll have successive waves of change us. But Shah, to scapegoat outsiders, whether have spilled over into human of disease, since they won’t have infection, each a bit less steep who is set to release they are people from another bodies thanks to industrial any acquired immunity to them. than the last. Those could be her new book, The country, or an institution like expansions and have been managed with widespread Next Great Migra- the WHO, or political rivals or carried across the planet through You have mentioned the need testing/screening and contact tion: The Beauty wild animals. That externalises our travel network. for a differentiated approach, tracing; the way sporadic and Terror of Life on the threat, which recuses them especially by developing outbreaks of polio or measles the Move, feels that from accountability. But the nations, when it comes to are today. But most countries governments “will truth is that our own actions The global industrial tackling the contagion. India’s won’t have the technical have to juggle be- have provided the opportunities machine, which gobbles up national lockdown has affected capacity or sufficiently effective tween losing lives for this virus to spread, and it is wildlife habitat and ferries the poorest of poor. What governance for that. They’ll and livelihoods” our own actions that will arrest commodities and people approach do you think would probably have to resort to before this it. To scapegoat others is to cast have been best? intermittent shutdowns, in one passes. the pandemic as a problem of from one remote corner The universal lockdown was which governments will have invasion, in which we are passive of the planet to the other, necessary because by the time to juggle between losing lives victims. That obscures both its is broadly implicated in governments decided to act, we and livelihoods. That will go origins and its cure. the emergence of most of no longer had the capacity to on for a year or two until we the novel pathogens we’ve understand where the virus is have a vaccine or develop herd The stories we tell about been seeing over the last actually present. If we’d started immunity. It’ll be messy and pandemics presents us as 50 years or so screening and testing earlier, politically fractious. But I do victims of nature. But, in the when the need would have believe that we will get back to past, you’ve spoken about Many climate experts have matched the testing capacity, we business as usual much faster how it’s actually the other way claimed that Corona is just a might have been able to track than most people now expect, for SONIA SHAH. around. If we aren’t the victims, warning of the worst that is its spread and avoid these brute better or worse. PIC COURTESY/ who is? to come. Do you think that measures. They will have deadly GLENFORD NUÑEZ That’s one way to tell the story infectious diseases are going to effects on the poor and the [email protected] sunday mid-day 15 19.04.2020 FEATURE twitter.com/sundaymidday | facebook.com/middayindia | instagram.com/sundaymidday Idea to save a life The maker community across India has been silently working out of home and studios to help India’s frontline workers stock up on protective gear

requests. Hundreds which could be made on of social workers, a simple 3D printer. In- NGOs, doctors, and itially, one shield took police personnel call two hours to print. But, us for new supplies.” with an optimised code, The team at Maker- we’ve brought it down to sAdda in Nashik decid- PRITPAL SINGH an hour.” Mane supplies ed to locally collaborate the shields to NGOs, who with Mobin, a small vendor who distribute the protective gear to the makes billboards with laser cutters, healthcare professionals. eagerly looking to do something for Bengaluru-based designer, artist the community. With no labour to and maker, Pritpal Singh, was used help him, he employed his family to working with masks in his stu- ELA DAS on a larger scale. “We ywhere. We are hop- members to produce M19 shields. dio, which is prone to a lot of dust. couldn’t make as big ing the production Abhinay Mane, product designer After the lockdown, he noticed that WHEN Richa Shrivastava Chhabra an impact working in of these continues at Godrej DesignLab and a hobby- a shortage of masks had developed and Vaibhav Chhabra learnt of the silos in Mumbai. So, since there is a huge ist 3D printer, was in touch with a for the general public. “Luckily, I national lockdown on March 24, with our open-source gap between demand maker from Italy to discuss ideas had a 3D printer at home. Rather they decided that instead of be- designs, we overcame and regular supply of around ventilator splitters and mo- than waste time chalking out new ing locked down at home, they’d the supply chain and protective equipment.” bile testing vans. “As the pandemic designs, I decided to delve into the stay at the Andheri East studio of tedious logistics problem ABHINAY MANE In Jaipur, Ravi Sant- grew, no one could anticipate what repository of designs available on- their innovation lab Maker’s Asy- by getting other labs on lani, who runs an edu- was needed and in what numbers. line on sites like Thingiverse and lum Mumbai. “We realised that we board. Anyone with a laser cutter cation media house that employs It’s always interesting to create Massachusetts Institute of Tech- could isolate ourselves at the lab was connecting with their local a 55-member team, offered his prototypes, but the challenge lies nology to quickly produce a mask where we have all our equipment, hospitals, where the growing resources to join the production in making something that’s viable. that was reusable. This one simply infrastructure and technology, to dearth of PPEs was making doc- network. Supplying to hospitals, Also, with medical equipment, you requires a cloth folded four times use to help build the healthcare tors and nurses jittery,” says Richa. doctors, paramedics, ambulance need to adhere to certifications and that you clip into the front slot.” system,” says Richa, managing At the time of this article go- drivers, the police, vegetable ven- permissions to be able to get a prod- Interdisciplinary designer Saif partner. Together with Vaibhav ing to print, around 1,40,000 M19 dors, hawkers, and media person- uct out in the market. While this Faisal believes that designers are and lab manager Narender Shar- face shields (R55 each) had been nel, Santlani says, “Our phones need wasn’t encouraging, I was still look- meant to be problem solvers. “The ma, she researched face shields, produced and supplied to hospi- to be recharged thrice a day because ing to do my bit when the idea of community, especially designers an integral safety tool to prevent tals, safai karmcharis including they are ringing incessantly with face shields began to float around, with a 3D printer at their disposal, the spread of infection via the face at the BMC, and policemen. Over have been trying to quickly think and eyes. They had in fact, been the weeks to come, they plan to and respond with a solution.” researching the M19 shields a few bring this up to a million through Richa laughs that “all makers weeks prior, anticipating the de- distributed manufacturing across are jugaadus” at heart who will mand that would follow. “Our first other maker labs. find a way to personally survive in prototype was pretty basic, but we Dr Monty Khajanchi, assistant a post-apocalyptic world. “Right put it out on social media for our professor, department of surgery, now, we want to use that talent to fairly active and close-knit maker KEM Hospital, says, “We received support the healthcare system.” community. Soon after, we start- the M19 shields from Maker’s ed getting enquiries from doctors Asylum in the first week of April [email protected] about the production and scalabil- when there were none available an- SAIf FAISAL | RICHA SHRIVASTAVA CHHABRA | VAIBHAV CHHABRA ity of the product. The beauty of this design was that it took just two minutes to create with R25 worth of raw material.” Soon, the team was user testing it, running through 25 iterations across JJ Hospital and Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College and General Hospital, because there were no product guidelines available yet. Finally, on March 25, they sent out their first order to Bangalore Baptist Hospital. They realised that restriction on transportation meant that they would have to activate local MAKER’S ecosystems across the country to ASYLUM MUMBAI deliver these at a quicker pace and sunday mid-day 16 19.04.2020 FEATURE twitter.com/sundaymidday | facebook.com/middayindia | instagram.com/sundaymidday

FIONA FERNANDEZ since day one,” says, Puri, now ex- ecutive editor of ACK. AS a little girl, a typical day after The typical story sees Suppan- school for Archana Waeerkar (now di get himself into trouble. “In Amberkar) was to watch her father, so many adventures, he is lucky late Ram Waeerkar, bring comic enough to find a new job, despite characters to life at their Kurla being sacked from the previous home. The veteran illustrator of one. Because he is devoid of any Amar Chitra Katha is best remem- cunning, his innocence sees him bered for birthing Suppandi, a vil- through,” Amberkar says. “I call it lage simpleton, for Tinkle. the Suppandi logic. It’s his idea on Carrying her father’s legacy for- lateral thinking, where you take a ward, Amberkar is working at her thought and give it your spin, and (Left) Ram Waeerkar at work in his home studio. He home studio, fine-tuning panels for it actually works,” explains Rajani was behind the art work for nearly 90 ACK titles. He Suppandi’s next escapade. She took Thindiath, executive editor, Tinkle. also created Pyarelal, The Dumbbells and Nasruddin over drawing the genial character Amberkar has crafted for the char- Hodja for Tinkle; (above) Archana Amberkar took born in Œ’“› while she was still in acter’s avatars as well: Little Sup- over sketching the character from her father her •–s. “While growing pandi, based on a child’s up, I preferred reading query in a letter about comics to novels because his younger self and Su- they had less text. Sup- per Suppandi, created by pandi has fascinated me Savio Mascarenhas, group ever since I first spotted art director, Tinkle & ACK, him on dad’s storyboard,” who was a superhero who she recalls. PREETI existed in the simpleton’s In Œ’“›, the Tinkle stu- VYAS imagination. Ageless dio had received three sto- With time, Suppandi’s ries from P Varadarajan in character changed, and Tamil Nadu about a simple he even took on the role of domestic help. Amar Chi- sailor and salesman, living tra Katha (ACK) and Tin- in the city, sharing a flat kle’s creator, Anant Pai aka with friends and hanging Uncle Pai, gave his nod to REENA out at malls. “His evolu- comic the idea, and requested PURI tion has kept him relevant his trusted illustrator to for a digitally-savvy gen- create a series. “Dad told me that eration. He appears in short ani- he had flattened Suppandi’s head mated clips on YouTube as well as because he was supposed to have special collections on Kindle and no brains!” the Tinkle app. “Suppandi’s crazy When Amberkar took over the brain teasers are one of the most hero reins, she knew that was stepping popular skills on Alexa! Suppandi,” into big shoes. “I didn’t study at a says Preeti Vyas, President & COO, Suppandi’s logic prestigious art institution like the Amar Chitra Katha Pvt. Ltd. of keeping it Sir ¢¢ School of Art. I attended the Yet, the ageless hero remains Ram Waeerkar Institute of Art,” she Tinkle’s No. Œ character. Since simple makes says in jest, adding, “I was barely •€. •–Œ€, their annual survey among Suppandi was my first cartoon. Yet, the comic’s readers revealed that him one of dad gave me the freedom to explore he was way ahead of the rest. “For my own style; he didn’t interfere the past ›– years, I’ve asked school India’s most although he did keep a close watch! kids the same question, and they loved comic book (laughs). I was always mindful of have the same answer—Suppandi the fact that Suppandi was my fa- is our favourite,” echoes Puri. She characters, says his ther’s creation. My brother, Sanjiv says Pai had the answer to why that had also illustrated him for a bit, so was. “Uncle Pai always believed current illustrator it was double the pressure.” that because Suppandi makes on his 37th birthday Tinkle’s editor back then, Reena mistakes, children felt it was okay Puri remembers Waeerkar for his to make mistakes.” booming laugh and infectious en- We are curious how Waeerkar Suppandi has ergy. “He was a happy personality would have viewed his continued evolved with and that translated to his work. popularity. “He would have been the times and Archana always maintained that happy to see Suppandi’s undisput- ditched his it was more of her dad’s backing ed popularity. I’ve tried to retain trademark than her own talent that made her his innocence and simplicity in shorts and bush A recent adventure of Suppandi. LOG ON TO an artist. He and Uncle Pai had an every panel.” shirt for tees and IMAGE COURTESY/ TINKLE COMICS MAGAZINE; Suppandi and umbilical cord-like connect since jeans COPYRIGHT AMAR CHITRA KATHA PVT. LTD. friends/YouTube he has been associated with us [email protected]

ANJU MASKERI is open to viewing but you remain regardless of who has posted it. anonymous.” To give it structure, For Mittal, the inspiration came Write like OVER the last couple of weeks, en- he has introduced categories such from what he calls the “fakeness” trepreneur Sumit Mittal’s health- as politics, current affairs, confes- around. “Social media is full of tech platform, VentAllOut, has sion, entertainment, daily drag, re- manufactured, Pinterest-worthy seen a barrage of reflections, con- lationships and grievance. Queer pictures. We don’t know the reality nobody’s fessions, and opinions. From rants issues and women’s rights are in the behind them. A fashion influencer about entertaining toddlers during pipeline. When we logged in, the posing with an artfully arranged quarantine to how countries are discussions surrounded whether latte and avocado toast might just handling the pandemic, users have the lockdown extension is justified, be battling depression.” For over Œ€ watching been venting about everything un- and, hearteningly, the benefits of years, Mittal, a trained six sigma der the sun. “As long as the content reading newspapers. professional, was part of the pay- Last year, the former is clean,” cautions the ­€-year-old. Launched last February, ment industry. He was the founding founder of SBI credit card The year-old platform is seeing VentAllOut is an online outlet to member of SBI credit card in Œ’’“. impressive traffic as individuals let off steam and candidly express Later, he moved to MasterCard launched an anonymous are looking to express themselves emotions with the intention of and spearheaded the business in venting platform. At a time while cooped up indoors. In the last promoting healthy discussions. the Middle East. SUMIT one month, the platform has seen It operates as an interest-based In •–Œ—, came the saturation of crisis, it’s buzzing like MITTAL a per cent rise in users. “You can network, where you log in and see never before consider it your own diary, which content relevant to your interests, Continued on page  sunday mid-day 17 19.04.2020 FEATURE twitter.com/sundaymidday | facebook.com/middayindia | instagram.com/sundaymidday Finding Deco in Delhi A young architect is taking a leaf out of Mumbai to archive and preserve the last remaining Art Deco-inspired structures in the quaint gullies of the capital

JANE BORGES

THE story of Art Deco in India, was different for every city. It was in Mumbai, then Bombay, where this architectural movement took root, blossoming through the early 19th century, due to the generosity of princely statesmen, merchants and entrepreneurs, who saw it A balcony of a building on Ansari Road “as an expression of their love for with intricate detailing on the grills contemporary ways of living”. It gradually spread to other cities, which structures came up first. I including Delhi, where it made a think residential buildings started place of its own, and in some cases, incorporating Art Deco elements as a mix of styles under the purview much before the single-screen the- of Indo Deco. atres and hotels.” Delhi-based architect Geetanjali Where Delhi falls short, she says, Sayal is hoping to document and is in understanding, appreciating, examine the capital’s tryst with and preserving Deco. Sayal hopes the style, in an ongoing research to achieve that through this pro- and digital archival project, Deco ject. “We are still in the process of in Delhi. Sayal, who is the founder A residence in Daryaganj, along Ansari Road, incorporates Deco elements. This researching these structures. Once of Dreamwoven Collective, a col- one has a boat-shaped ornament that crowns its top, and an angled elevation, I have interacted with the owners laborative platform for people to along with eyebrow details, and classic horizontal and rounded windows of all these buildings, and their oc- create design interventions across resembling elements of a ship. PICS COURTESY/DREAMWOVEN COLLECTIVE cupants, I’d like to start a website multi-disciplinary backgrounds, Hotel Broadway on Asaf Ali Road is to ensure that more people par- started the project last month, in style, she says, also laid the foun- Chandni Chowk that my collabo- marked by a bold curve at the entrance ticipate in the conversation. If we an attempt to examine Art Deco’s dation for modernist and brutalist rators, Prashansa Sachdeva and with classic Deco typography archive these buildings, we might complex relationship with the cul- architecture. Tulika Shrivastava, found. When be able to preserve something of tural and geographical landscape The results were a mixed bag. I looked at the pictures, I realised as Old Delhi. She found nearly eight what’s left, because who knows of Delhi. “I have always been in- Unlike Mumbai, where the swirling that the exterior structure can- commercial spaces, and around 11 how many of these structures will terested in relooking at heritage, geometry of structures, free-flow- not really be called Art Deco. But residences, which incorporated remain in the next few years. Most particularly the kind of heritage ing patterns on grills and railings, when you look at the patterns on the Deco style, which originated of the single screen theatres have that people also live in and with. Art and eyebrows on windows, were the staircase, fireplace, and certain in France in the early 1900s. “It’s already shut down.” Deco is the best example of that. It very pronounced, Delhi, where motifs inside the house, it does re- also important to find out when That’s where, she says, there’s is at the intersection of something Art Deco emerged much later, had flect certain Deco patterns. Similar- these buildings came up,” she so much to learn from Mumbai, interesting and neglected, yet, hab- fascinating inter-relationships with ly, the outer façade of Regal The- shares. Sayal gives the example of where after a decade-long effort, itable. When the [Deco] movement other styles of architecture—In- atre in Delhi [it shut operations in Golcha Cinema and Hotel Broad- the UNESCO in 2018, inscribed came into fruition [in Delhi], it was do-Saracenic and Neoclassicism, 2017] is Georgian, but when you go way, both in Daryaganj, but on dif- Churchgate’s Art Deco ensemble as the first time that locals, across says Sayal. “There is this haveli in inside, the use of eclectic colours, ferent streets. The latter’s façade a World Heritage Site. “The amount classes, after going through so the palettes, the play with form, is is marked by a bold curve at the of work that has happened in Mum- many political transitions, could very Deco,” the 28-year-old archi- entrance with classic Deco typogra- bai when it comes Deco, has given participate in adapting a certain tect adds. phy. “These structures have simple us a template to understand and GEETANJALI kind of architecture. This wasn’t 11+8 Just before the national lock- geometry, but, what’s interesting is build our own research. Unless, SAYAL common earlier,” says Sayal, who down, Sayal traversed through that both of them came up in the we understand our past, we can’t has a Masters in Narrative Environ- Number of commercial and the quaint by-lanes of Daryaganj, 1950s, at the end of the Art Deco create a future.” ments from Central Saint Martins, residential structures with Art a neighbourhood inside the walled movement. I am in the process of University of the Arts, London. This Deco elements Sayal has found city of Shahjahanabad, also known creating a timeline, to understand [email protected]

Continued from page 16 has users from Japan, London, Once you log in, America and Sri Lanka. Indians select one of the point when he decided to leave are more concise in their out- eight languages it all behind and venture into the pourings, unlike the Americans available. The app “business of emotions”. The idea who are more verbose and veer allows you to vent emerged from his personal experi- towards longform, he observes. anonymously and ence. “I’m part of several WhatsApp “Indians say it in a paragraph or has a voice-to- groups and refrain from sharing two. In fact, we started a minimum text feature for my political thoughts because of character count so that users write those who don’t the backlash. Here, due to the an- a meaningful sentence. I think it wish to type onymity, people share on subjects comes from all the character lim- which they feel strongly about.” itations that we have internalised With quality being at the heart due to Twitter and Instagram,” he fulltime togetherness and forced gists, life coaches, motivational app in six regional languages, in- of the content, Mittal ensures he laughs. Not surprisingly, it’s rela- family time.” They have also initi- speakers, and political analysts cluding Hindi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telu- vets all posts, and if they carry pro- tionships that top the list followed ated anonymous chat groups on for personal consultations. This gu, Kannada, Marathi and Bengali, fanities, the in-built AI regulatory by politics. “Suddenly, work from alcoholism and mental health. On comes with a fee. The system besides English in order to reach mechanism omits them out, while home has intruded our space, es- noticing that some rants are bor- also analyses a user’s mood and out to 550 million users in tier II retaining the essence. pecially because Indian homes are derline serious, the platform has rewards them accordingly with and III towns. Although they have marketed not large. A lot of stories that are created an expert panel compris- gift coupons. the product only in India, the app coming are stemming from the ing a mix of therapists, psycholo- Recently, Mittal introduced the [email protected] sunday mid-day 18 19.04.2020 FEATURE twitter.com/sundaymidday | facebook.com/middayindia | instagram.com/sundaymidday

GITANJALI CHANDRASEKHARAN

HAD this actually been a holiday, I What Chaudhuri, and possibly would have produced some work,” most of us, experienced is the says photographer Chirodeep sense of stagnation even as the Chaudhuri, on the phone from his rest of the world appeared to be Thane residence. Like everyone using the lockdown as a time for else in the country, whose pro - self-growth—to learn a new skill, a fession is not an essential service, language, or get that body you have 48-year-old Chaudhuri has been been meaning to. In fact, a post on locked down at home. And while, Instagram that everyone seems to it isn’t much different for him, in have seen, says “if you don’t come that he works from home other - out of the lockdown a better you, wise too, not being able to step then time was never the issue”. out has brought with it a sense of For most of us, if you step out for VARKHA PADMINI anxiety. “I had meant to get down a grocery run, it takes one-and-a- to say, designing the book I planned half hours. And the rest of CHULANI PAGADALA to publish this year, on the clocks of Bombay. I wanted to line up the the day is spent cooking, cleaning broader ideas and also polish up and doing the dishes. an essay I have been writing. But I Chaudhuri also points to the At some point in the last haven’t managed to do that to the dissonance on social media. On few weeks, I had grown extent I would have wanted to.” the one hand, you have people slightly irritable as I missed Chaudhuri says that a week or 10 posting their daily challenges and days into the lockdown, he realised EKTA SETH in the next post, you see thousands face to face interaction. It’s that social media was flooded with BALYAN of migrants marching back home. only now that I have started posts of people who were cooking “It screws with your head in an odd adjusting. I do wish that I and putting up photos of their way. For the first 12 days, it played creations. Or doodling. “I actually havoc on my mind and it took me a could work out more, but if it’s started feeling left out. I felt that my while to get a grip on this mess that not happening, I am not going inspiration had dried up,” he says, we collectively find ourselves in.” to be harsh on myself. I want adding that he feels this despite For Goregaon resident Padmini having experienced periods when Pagadala, who works with Mahin- to practice kindness to self he has not produced much work. dra Logistics—a firm that is helping more than anything other companies ensure that the Padmini Pagadala supply chain for essential servic- es continues to run smoothly—the one to focus on the 3 Rs: rest, recu - first few weeks were spent getting perate, relax.” accustomed to the lockdown. With Do you want to read a thriller or offices shifting to work from home watch television or just stare out of gear, work hours extended into late the window and watch the stars? nights and weekend boundaries got It’s perfectly okay to do that right blurred. now, says Chulani. Much of our dai - “I’d look for time to do something ly lives are running towards a burn - as simple as oil my hair and take out, and this could be the time to The care of my skin. But I am not go- decompress. “We are all facing a sit - ing mental about it. At some point uation that we are not used to. And in the last few weeks, I had grown we are all coping with it in different slightly irritable as I missed face ways. Some might be anxious and to face interaction. It’s only now want to over do things. They are that I have started adjusting. I do possibly not allowing themselves wish that I could work out more, to sit with themselves,” she adds. new old you but if it’s not happening, I am not Juhu resident Ekta Seth-Balyan going to be harsh on myself. I want meditates regularly. She has done to practice kindness to self more it even before the lockdown. How - If you haven’t chiselled your body, purified your soul, and improved your than anything.” ever, post March 22, she says, “It’s What Pagadala is talking about, not like I started meditating longer. skill set during the Coronavirus battle, relax. Meet the people who say and what Chirodeep is experienc- In fact, initially, my mind was it’s okay to step out of the lockdown, just as you were in March ing, might be at the core of the com- busy with other things, like house mon human experience right now, chores, which I don’t usually have to even if we seem to miss it in social occupy myself with. Then, when the media challenges and hashtags. lockdown was extended, the next A post on Artidote, the Insta- thought that came to me was do I gram handle curated by Jovanny have enough stock at home?” Varela-Ferreyra, which uses art She adds, “Self-improvement is and text to offer an empathetic not my top priority. I am trying to perspective to the world, was apt cope and see how I can get back to when it used a quote from a post my regular life and assess what’s by Neil Webb: “You’re not working going to change in me emotional - from home, you are at your home ly, mentally and physically.” What during a crisis trying to work”. has changed in the last few weeks Psychologist Varkha Chulani is that, because of fewer distrac - says, modern times associate the tions, her meditation practice has concept of leisure with laziness, become deeper. But it’s not some - and stagnation has a connotation of thing she has sought on purpose. de-growth or wasting time. We live And, why do you need a lock - in a world that’s proud to be busy. down for growth, asks publicity “We are in a fast wave of life; professional Joyson Castelino. Cas - even this pause has come pep- telino, who turns 24 today, says the pered with the idea that we need to tiny changes that he has made in make it count, which is absurd. This his life include eating and sleeping could instead be the time for every- better. “But with the time I have, I am using the opportunity to go There’s a term for it for a short stroll to buy stuff, en - gage more with family, catch up on Dolce far niente reading, and interact with friends.” Italian for “sweet idleness” Photographer Chirodeep Chaudhuri was hoping to use this time to work on the design of a book that chronicles Mumbai’s Ne faise rien gitanjali.chandrasekharan public clocks, but he hasn’t managed to make much headway. PIC/SURESH KARKERA French for “to do nothing” @mid-day.com sunday mid-day 19 19.04.2020 FEATURE twitter.com/sundaymidday | facebook.com/middayindia | instagram.com/sundaymidday

Bengaluru-based illustrator Alicia Souza and architect George Seemon are ready to welcome and face the new world that their child will be born in

Now, we keep talking it out, and prepping for a world where we may not step out in the next year. The baby’s room will need a humidifier and air purifier Shifa Merchant humidifier and air purifier.” In Bengaluru, illustrator Ali- cia Souza and husband, architect George Seemon are getting ready to welcome home a little “girl we hope, but most are predicting, it Mumbai residents AASTHA ATRAY BANAN will be a boy”. Alicia says she’s not and lifestyle the one to panic but she finds it bloggers, Shifa IN Scotland, a press conference troublesome that neither of their and Salman about Coronavirus led to the chief parents may be around at the time Merchant, are medical officer, Catherine Calder- of birth. She got her last check up indulging in belly wood, asking if this was the right done before the lockdown, and now art to keep their time to have a baby. She then went will wait to hit 30 weeks before they spirits up on to recommend contraception to get cracking, as they “haven’t even people who were at home, and had And bought a bed!” For now, George is too much “time on their hands” to doing all of the house work and let- get intimate. ting Alicia rest. “I am a great propa- While that was viewed by some gator of the Internet, and see how as transgressing into individual it has connected us in this time. So, rights, the question was, what I think we will be fine,” she says. about couples who were already then Last week, actor Sumeet Vyas, expecting a child? whom most viewers of web en- “I filter the day’s news and con- tertainment will know and love vey only some to Shifa, but there from Permanent Roommates, is the Internet, and she gets to announced on Instagram that his know of everything somehow,” wife Ekta was eight months preg- says Salman Merchant. The cou- there nant. “We chose to put the news ple have been married six years Actors Ekta Kaul and Sumeet Vyas announced last week that Ekta was eight months out there since we wanted to take and work together on the lifestyle pregnant. Sumeet says sharing good news is vital at a time when darkness looms attention away from the pandemic. blog, Sassy Shif Says, which dis- Isn’t it good to talk of new life at this cusses travel and all things luxury. online means that he’s aware that blast for us all to enjoy. I breathe time?” Sumeet says. Ekta prefers The wife handles content and he most pregnant women who tested deeply and focus on the little spark taking it one day at a time—lis- tackles revenue and the backend were positive went into early labour. of life growing inside me.” Much tening to good music, reading and work. The couple were in fact, in Sri In an article in the Atlantic, war like that, Shifa and Salman have watching films. “I also mediate.” Lanka when news of the pandemic correspondent Sophia Jones, who decided to beat the Corona anxie- The couple lives in Versova, and gathered strength and returned on also summited Mt Kilimanjaro in ties, by allocating time in the day to have to travel to Mira Road because March 1. It was at the airport, Shifa February, writes that in spite of see- do “belly art”, using organic paint. they have planned to get admitted says, that they heard a traveller had ing tough situations through her “This keeps us happy, sane and also at Sumeet’s aunt’s nursing home. “I tested positive, and they knew it three life, nothing prepared her for being re-assures us about a different but am assured that she will take care of would be a while before they trav- pregnant under lockdown. She is in positive new world in which our matters,” says Ekta. Despite the cir- elled again. The pandemic and Barcelona, Spain, one of the worst baby will be born,” says Salman. cumstances, the couple continues On returning, they had a detailed lockdown are hit countries. She is anxiety-ridden, Shifa admits it hasn’t been easy to give each other space. Sumeet chat with their gynaecologist, and and often wonders about death and holding up. She says the couple shares, “I have a little study, and readied for quarantine. “She told particularly stressful miscarriage. But as she writes, “I likes planning, and the pandemic work and write all day from there. us that as long as the baby, and its relish the little moments now— has messed with their future. “We She does her reading and relaxing movements don’t feel weird, we for expectant mothers. watering my plants in our garden had planned to buy a bassinette in in another room. In the evening, shouldn’t visit the hospital. She is in a little patch of sun, waving to this month, and something else the we both emerge, have dinner, hang available to us on the phone 24x7.” Keeping the sanity my elderly upstairs neighbour as next. Now, we keep talking it out, and watch a movie. It’s the best Since the couple lives with Sal- alive and smile intact, she quietly hangs laundry, clap- and prepping for a world where time ever.” man’s parents, the family is pitch- ping along to the Catalan music we may rarely step out in the next ing in. Keeping abreast of news takes team work my neighbours across the street year. The baby’s room will need a [email protected] sunday mid-day 20 19.04.2020 FEATURE twitter.com/sundaymidday | facebook.com/middayindia | instagram.com/sundaymidday

impact on a generation of intellec- city scan tuals in Maharashtra. In his entire life, he was imprisoned eight times, Sumedha RaikaR-mhatRe as being part of diverse working class and civil disobedience move- LITERATURE can instil hope. Hope ments. In each instance he utilised for a better tomorrow that will The lockdown detention to learn new languages, emerge after the national lock- translate foreign texts and pen down. In moments of home-bound his own thoughts. He translated isolation, that seem never-ending, Kural when he was confined to the my reading of two pieces of litera- Trichnapalli Jail in Tamil Nadu in ture helped in understanding the 1930. In fact, the translation was creative pursuits of “bound” writ- published in 1948, which has a short ers, who not just subscribed to their preface by Sane Guruji, which not unfailing belief in freedom, but also survival guide just demonstrates the fact that the utilised their detention experience writer survived several detention to reflect on life. Two English translations, one of a French writer’s repeated attempts stints, but his spirit remained un- I revisited the English translation vanquished till the end of his life. of French writer Henri Charrière’s to break free, and another completed in a state of detention, Also, his creative pursuits stand record-selling Papillon at a time testimony to the fact that a writer when the doorbell sound was un- underline the infinite bounds of human resilience can condition his or her mind posi- familiar, grocery unobtainable, and ILLUSTRATION/UDAY MOHITE tively despite physical constraints. a steady stream of Coronavirus-re- Kural is a classic Tamil anthol- lated bad news unstoppable. Papil- ogy of 1,330 couplets written by lon was the nickname of the writer poet-philosopher Thiruvalluvar during his years in the Paris under- (approximately 6th Century CE); world. The memoir was uplifting in it is considered one of the great- many ways. First, the suffering of est works on ethics and morality, the protagonist, wrongly convicted but presents life truths without of murder, makes the reader assess turning didactic. The poems ap- the current personal confinement pealed to Sane Guruji as pearls of on a relative scale. Astounding are wisdom and also gems of supple Charrière’s nine failed attempts to original expression on subjects as break free from jail, his 13 years in varied as friendship, domesticity, various forms of subhuman cap- kinship, non-violence, gratitude, tivity and unimaginable torment rainfall, courtship, family etc. at the hands of prosecutors. The couplets that are most rele- vant today in Kural are the ones on hope, hard work and inner energy. In his entire life, he At one point, the poet acknowledg- [Sane Guruji] was es the fact that there are forces be- imprisoned eight times, yond human control. It instantly as being part of diverse reminds you of the current apoc- working class and civil alypse caused by the lockdown. He disobedience movements. says that in moments of collapse, human beings have to compulsorily In each instance he utilised activate their energy buttons and detention to learn new wait for the tide to turn. Sane Guruji languages, translate foreign says the Tamil master (translated in texts and pen his own world’s major languages) nowhere thoughts advocates fatalism; instead, he up- holds the importance of untiring Second, the hero’s survival efforts. In one couplet, he says, the strategies in the penal colony are richest person on Earth is the one lessons in human adaptability. In who has a free flow of inner energy; Sumedha one dark, three-by-three metre cell, nothing is more rewarding than the Raikar-Mhatre is he devises a walk, which exhausts mental readiness to take on each a culture him into sleep. As he lies down, he unfolding moment. columnist in replays episodes from the past, search of the which give him energy for the daily The hero’s survival sub-text. You grind. Later, he shoves a three-and- strategies in the penal can reach her at a-half inch metal tube up his anus, sumedha.raikar colony are lessons in which is the only way to store paper human adaptability. In one @mid-day.com money required after a jail break. In his final escape from the infamous dark three-by-three metre Devil’s Island (French Guiana), he cell, he devises a walk throws himself off a cliff attached which exhausts him into to a bag of coconuts. Slowly drifting sleep. As he lies down, he towards the mainland, he gets the replays episodes from the help of a Chinese man in hiding past which give him energy along with a pig. At one point, he for the daily grind takes refuge in a leper’s hideout. Later, he bonds well with the native Goajiras. Papillon finally ends up The importance of a wide in Venezuela, where again a due smile, the psychological impact process of law awaits him before of a positive mind, the long-term getting citizenship. But, so strong damage of inaction, the need to is the urge to break free, that his nurture a hopeful mind under mind is tirelessly toying with a de- which was later rendered in 15 odd sufficient guarantee for slow death, the current lockdown. come-what-may circumstanc- fault escape plan. He needs no pep languages. It is said that many he- if stale food and corporeal (sexual While Papillon deconstructs sol- es—Kural has a list of every day talk or therapy; enormous reserves roic escapes in the book take off too) assaults aren’t enough for a itary confinement, particularly its truths, all acknowledged but of inner-driven energy works in from fellow prisoners’ stories. But, systematic crush. One is thankful worst possibilities, the other book difficult to internalise, which his favour. the book exposes prison facilities for the blow-by-blow documen- I read is not about the detention apply universally. These truths Papillon is a survivor’s Bible. It is across the globe. It demonstrates tation of the human condition in experience. It is a translation of resonated in 6th century CE, a living testimony to the all-things- the arduous lives of people in pe- Papillon; it invariably instils grat- a world renowned work named they gave energy to Sane Guruji pass truth. The writer survives his nal settlements, where the lack of itude for the normal human life we Kural, by none else, but freedom in pre-Independence times, and prison terms and recreates them a communicating/responding hu- generally lead; it prompts a rethink fighter Sane Guruji (1889-1950), also today, they sustain my soul in a for a larger global audience in 1969, man voice in a pitch dark cell is a about simple survival strategies for a social activist, who has had a deep pandemic outbreak. sunday mid-day 21 19.04.2020 FEATURE twitter.com/sundaymidday | facebook.com/middayindia | instagram.com/sundaymidday

PRUTHA BHOSLE AND P VATSALYA was scheduled for April 6, 7 am. We received a call the previous A MONTH ago, Dipanwita Dutt night and were referred to By- exchanged vows and moved I would take my father culla’s Masina Hospital. But, we from Mumbai to Kolkata with were turned away. It was only her husband. But, leaving her on a bike to Masina after telling the management maternal home in Dadar was not Hospital, which is two that we had been referred to easy. Her mother Chitra Dutt, kilometers away from our their facility and had the nec- who requires dialysis three essary letters to prove it, were The times a week, largely depend- home. But each time, we we allowed in.” ed on her to arrange the doctor were stopped by the cops. While the first session at visits. But, on the afternoon of Despite telling them that Masina went smoothly, they April 10, life threw a curveball. hit a roadblock each time they’d A call from Shushrusha Hos- ours was a special case, I step out of the house. “I would pital informed them that the was asked to do squats on take my father on a bike to Masi- 61-year-old’s dialysis session, the side of the road na, which is about two kilome- scheduled for the next morning, ters away from our home. But other had been cancelled. “The facili- Dialysis patient’s son each time, we were stopped by ty was sealed by the BMC after the police. Despite telling them two nurses tested positive for wasted, and another 48 hours that ours was a special case, I COVID-19. My father called me, were to go to get the results. was asked to do squats on the but I had no clue how to help,” “Thankfully, the next day we side of the road as punishment Dipanwita says. She turned to were told via email that my for defying lockdown. This hap- their nephrologist. “I called Dr mother had tested negative. pened five times in a row. I even Sudhiranjan Dash, who gave us a But now we had to find an al- made a complaint at the Bycul- sick long list of diagnostic labs where ternative dialysis centre. I made la police station.” While Masina Even as the state we could test for COVID-19. We some more calls.” tried to accommodate addition- were confused. Our priority was Shushrusha Hospital opened al patients, sessions were get- machinery wages different; if my mother, who has its services on April 15. “After ting delayed. “Sometimes, my war against the end stage chronic kidney dis- five days and missing two ses- father’s session ended at 2 am.” ease, misses a single session, she sions, my mother finally got the The duration of the dialysis Coronavirus could die.” But, it was crucial for treatment on the day the hospi- was also reduced from four Chitra to test negative in order tal reopened. We were relieved.” hours to three hours. “If this outbreak, those to receive kidney treatment Much before the Dutts, an- continued for long, the filtration suffering from anywhere else in the city, the other family living in Mazagaon of blood would get reduced by doctor emphasised. had faced the wrath of Corona- 25 per cent,” says the son. kidney ailments and After a lot of back and forth, virus. Sixty-six-year-old Neil Then, on April 11, Masina was with the diagnostic lab cancel- D’souza, who has been undergo- sealed, too. The family called cancer, hope the ling on swab collection appoint- ing dialysis at Mumbai Central’s about 15 hospitals and dialy- ments, and the family’s desper- Wockhardt Hospital for the past sis centres. While a few were government starts ate attempt at seeking help from one year, had to run from pillar sealed, others demanded test prioritising their Lima James, who got a rabies shot at a Kandivli centre friends and colleagues, finally to post when the hospital was results for COVID-19. “Finally, recently, said the healthcare worker offered her on April 13, Chitra got tested. sealed on April 5. Neil’s 31-year- health too treatment begrudgingly Three days had already been old son says, “His appointment Continued on page 22

Chitra Dutt, 61, an end stage chronic kidney disease patient, missed two dialysis sessions after Shushrusha Hospital got sealed on April 10. PIC/ ASHISH RAJE sunday mid-day 22 19.04.2020 FEATURE twitter.com/sundaymidday | facebook.com/middayindia | instagram.com/sundaymidday

Continued from page 21 ing a pandemic, and came up night. This needs to be followed with a set of guidelines for the across the city.” on Easter, my father needed a BMC to review. People need to dialysis urgently and was admit- understand that doing a test for ani Das, co-founder ted to JJ Hospital’s emergency Coronavirus is not practical for of Kranti, a Mum- ward. Two days later, Masina dialysis patients. If you test neg- bai-based women’s opened again, and we moved ative today, there are chances Brights non-profit, him there. It has been chaotic.” of you being exposed to the has been heading to Mumbai has more than infection the next day. So, how Parel’s Tata Memorial Centre 10,000 kidney failure patients is this test even valid?” (Hospital) since the lockdown who need dialysis regularly, Instead, they suggested that was announced. The hospital DR HEMAL SHAH DR RAJIV SARIN DR RAJESH PARIKH as per data from the Mumbai all patients and their relatives is a specialised one, so patients Nephrology Group. On the be screened at the entry point at from all over the country flock Bihar, is a patient of oral can- arrangements were made for evening of April 16, a commit- hospitals. Also, after each shift, here. Das distributes food, wa- cer. He arrived in the city ac- the people camping outside tee appointed by the state gov- surface cleaning be done with ter, and hygiene supplies to companied by his 12-year-old the hospital under the Hind- ernment overrode the BMC’s hypoclorite solution. And, a sus- caretakers and some discharged son. The duo has been visiting mata Flyover. “We have moved directives to mandatorily test pect case’s bed be earmarked patients, who are camping on the hospital for the past nine them to different locations in- cancer and kidney patients for in the last shift of the day. “If the footpaths outside the hos- months. He told Das that he was cluding the Ahuja Hall in Dadar COVID-19 before their treat- a kidney patient tests positive, pital, unable to afford any other discharged last Friday, but they and the Zaid International Hotel ment. The committee now says then fumigation should be accommodation. couldn’t head back home owing in Marol. A bus service has been that the test needs to be done done and the dialysis unit be “On the first day that I went to the lockdown. started to ferry patients to the only if necessary. shut for 48 hours for sanitisa- to distribute meals [April 2], Dr Rajiv Sarin, oncologist hospital,” said SH Jafri, senior Samiir Halady of Amar tion. Meanwhile, patients need people asked me if I had any at the Tata Memorial Centre, PRO, Tata Memorial Hospital. Gandhi Foundation says, “If to be informed that the facility water. I didn’t. They told me says, “These are not emotional a person is tested positive in will be opened in a few hours, so that they wouldn’t be able to eat decisions. We understand that ome emergency ser- a hospital, the entire facility that they don’t panic. Most big unless, I gave them water. A lot some treatments need to be vices are also being is shut, including the dialysis centres like Saifee and Bhatia of them hadn’t sipped on it for delayed in the interest of the impacted. Lima James centre. This leaves kidney pa- did not shut dialysis centres. more than a couple of days.” She patient. Those who are just out Shad to head to a mu- tients in a fix.” Halady, who suf- The units were cleaned over- spends roughly R10,000 per day, of surgery have a low immuni- nicipality hospital fered from kidney failure and providing support to anywhere ty, so chances of them getting near her residence in Kandivli got a transplant nine months between 160 to 200 squatters. “I infected are higher. We cannot during quarantine. A dog had bit ago, says reaching the hospital take milk for those who can’t eat risk it. If we feel that by delaying her in March, and she couldn’t amid lockdown is also challeng- solid food. I also carry bananas their procedure by a few weeks skip her last shot of the rabies ing. The foundation has tied up for everyone so that their nutri- we would be increasing the vaccine. The medical officer at with Ezy Mov wheelchair taxi tional needs are met,” she adds. chances of long-term cure, then the primary care centre, which services to ferry patients at The social worker first visited we go ahead with that decision.” smelled of disinfectant, gave concessional rates. the hospital in 2018 with an aunt In other cases, where patients James the shot she required, About 15 days ago, the Mum- from Kolkata, who had arrived are not required to come to the but begrudgingly. “She wasn’t bai Nephrology Group wrote to in the city for cancer treatment. hospital regularly, Tata issues entertaining most cases unless the BMC, asking it to continue She realised that after managing certain guidelines for them to it was an emergency, from what treatment of kidney patients. to put together funds for subsi- follow. “Patients from Mumbai I could see,” said the 24-year-old. Dr Hemal Shah, who is part of dised treatment, they had noth- understand what precautions Another person who visited the this group, says, “We referred ing left and were forced to live need to be taken, but most of same hospital, said on condition to international literature on Samiir Halady of Amar Gandhi on the roads outside. our cases come from outside laws for dialysis patients dur- Foundation Lalan Malah, who hails from the state.” Temporary living Continued on page 23

Ezy Mov wheelchair services has forged a tie up with Amar Gandhi Foundation to ferry dialysis patients to the hospital and back at concessional rates when transport isn’t available owing to the lockdown. PIC/PRADEEP DHIVAR sunday mid-day 23 19.04.2020 FEATURE twitter.com/sundaymidday | facebook.com/middayindia | instagram.com/sundaymidday

Continued from page 22 have troubling symptoms are right now,” he explains. particularly vulnerable due being advised to consult local His experience has to their age or pre-existing of anonymity that the medical clinics and those who can afford come in handy during health conditions were officer wasn’t wearing a mask, to pay for their own medicines the Coronavirus cri- moved back to their homes rather had a dupatta wrapped are being asked to procure med- sis, while more and or other hospitals. Others around her face. “The hospital ication from local pharmacies. more doctors follow who needed our care were staff usually signs in my file after Strict social distancing is being suit as online consul- retained,” he explains. The making a note of the date in the followed in the hospital, where tations have become hospital was fumigated case papers. But they refused to patients are asked to sit leaving a viable alternative to and their protocol was fine- touch anything non-essential a gap of two chairs between personal ones. DR NILESH DR VARSHA tuned. Currently, Jaslok is this time,” said James. She also them and the next patient. “People are going to be GOYAL DARYANANI on course to function at full had to pay the fees she owed in a The OPDs are also regularly hesitant about visiting capacity. novel manner. “I had to put the sterilised so that they hospitals even after the virus is Need to Know about the Glob- “I developed some symp- money in a plastic basket, and remain hygienic. contained,” he remarks. When al Pandemic (Penguin India). toms three weeks ago and I had to collect my change from an oncologist referred a case “I was actively following the went into self-quarantine. I the same basket,” she added. r Nilesh Goyal is a to him recently, he was able to trajectory of the Coronavirus got tested after a week with A source from JJ Hospi- dermatologist who rightly recognise the rash on pandemic and so, towards the my family. Luckily, all of us tal said that the hospital has is attached to the the patient’s skin, as a severe end of January, I anticipated a tested negative,” says Dr separate OPDs for COVID-19 DLilavati and Bom- one caused by an allergic drug public health crisis,” he says. Parikh. Although he admits patients. “Professionals work- bay hospitals, apart reaction, from the comfort of Along with a couple of oth- that the online solution is not ing in the fever OPD have from running his own clinic his home. As a result of his ers, he started drawing up a feasible one for cases where been provided with PPE. The in Santacruz. Dr Goyal says timely intervention, the patient a protocol for their hospital physical examination of the junior residents were wear- that since dermatology is not could be treated immediately. to follow in the month Feb- patient is crucial, he has been ing surgical masks and plastic an essential medical service, Dr Varsha Daryanani, a den- ruary, while the seriousness seeing his patients online, via face shields,” says the source. all private skin clinics have re- tist who runs her clinic out of of the crisis began to slowly LogintoHealth, a health app The hospital is treating only mained shut during the lock- Nariman Point, has been using dawn on the rest of the city. that his hospital has part- emergency cases and those down, except for those running Zoom calls for consultations “We readied the 12th floor nered with. He has also been suffering from chronic diseas- out of hospitals. He observed with her clients. “I have also for COVID-19 patients. We consulting over the phone. es, such as diabetes and hyper- that patients themselves prefer issued prescriptions virtually, did some dry runs. We were “As psychiatrists, we need to tension, to prevent people from online consultations as they are so if someone has a tooth ache, prepared in the first week of examine the patients too. But gathering in large numbers and fearful about getting infected I can provide them some relief March when there were about what I have been doing is co- reduce the risk of infection. To at hospitals. instantly.” She conducted an 80 cases in the country, much ordinating with local doctors. do this, those patients who don’t He went down the virtual online seminar on April 11, for before a single patient came For instance, I suggest that a route four years ago and has mothers with children between to us to get tested for the viral patient go to a local GP and get been offering medical advice 0 to 12 years, with all the infor- disease,” he adds. their blood pressure checked. I on Google Hangouts since. mation required to maintain When the hospital’s staff spoke to a new patient and the On the first day that I went to distribute “Pictures can be deceptive shining dental hygiene. was tested as a part of the pro- family over the phone recently, meals (April 2), people asked me if I had any and lead to misdiagnosis. I tocol, some doctors and nurses after going through the case water. I didn’t. They told me that they prefer video calls, where I can r Rajesh Parikh, a who were asymptomatic test- history. We were able to suc- see my patients’ skin condition psychiatrist and ed positive for COVID-19. They cessfully initiate treatment,” wouldn’t be able to eat unless I give them and ask them questions about the director of were immediately quarantined he concludes. water. A lot of them hadn’t sipped on water it. Of course, physical touch is Dmedical research and the hospital underwent a Some names have been changed/ an important part of diagnos- at Jaslok Hospital, partial shutdown. “Patients withheld on request for more than a couple of days ing someone, and that is miss- co-authored a book titled who didn’t really need to be Bani Das, co-founder of Kranti ing. But we don’t have a choice The Coronavirus: What You there and those who were [email protected]

(Left) Kranti NGO’s Bani with a couple from Kolkata on April 2. The man was discharged from the cancer hospital the day before the lockdown was announced. Since he cannot stomach solids, she hands him a one litre milk packet daily; (right) Das has been heading to Tata Memorial Centre in Parel every day, to deliver food and water to relatives and patients camping on the footpaths outside sunday mid-day 24 19.04.2020 FEATURE twitter.com/sundaymidday | facebook.com/middayindia | instagram.com/sundaymidday

be available on Android and iOS, users will need an authorisation code, which will come from the ‘Corona has given health officer. ‘MahaKavach is Once downloaded and allowed access to your location history, the app will trace the geographical us our respect back’ spots you have been to in the last 14–20 days, and check how many The makers of a YouTube series on doctors that’s others you may have come in con- seen 45 million views, say the world is waking up to for patients only’ tact with and thus, possibly trans- mitted the virus to. Then, those the worth of the medical fraternity As another Coronavirus app readies to launch in Mumbai, users will be traced and monitored for symptoms for 14 days, while in AASTHA ATRAY BANAN its makers take questions on how it will help curb the quarantine. “Currently, the process is manual. The administration asks BECAUSE of a monster called Yadav had told them of a gen- infection spread and whether your data is safe with them patient X what different places s/ Corona, we may be looking at our tleman who had been studying he has been to in the last few days, medical warriors differently, but medicine for 14 years. “We talk of who they have met and then creates as Dr Nishant, a protagonist on engineering students, but not of a chart out of it. But, the challenge the web show, Operation MBBS, medical students and how hard is that not everyone remembers says, “Jab tak marne ki naubat they study.” every point. It’s human tendency to nahin aati, koi doctor ko yaad Dr Yadav suggested that the forget details after three days. The nahin karta.” grind should be at the cen- app will make the tracing process General practitioner tre of the story. “If you more efficient.” Dr Pravin Yadav is on don’t study even for 10 The other concern has been the writing team of days, you will be ask- about people breaking quarantine the show produced ing yourself if you protocols, endangering not just by Dice Media, the can make it to the themselves, but also the commu- longform storytell- next year. You can’t nity at large. The MahaKavach app ing channel of dig- move ahead unless aims to prevent this by creating a ital entertainment AMRIT RAJ you are serious about geofence when it is downloaded. firm Pocket Aces. “I GUPTA the goal. Your decisions “A base location will be mapped am on standby to go affect other people’s lives, so for the device and a digital fence to duty. The medical fraternity you have to be serious,” he says. of 150–250 metres will be created feels that we are going to use this But much like the American as per the health officer’s advice. opportunity to show what we are television series, Grey’s Anato- A medical GITANJALI CHANDRASEKHARAN If the patient steps out of that made of. We are finally getting my, which has millions of fans staffer screens radius, an alert will be sent to the the respect we should,” he says. all over the world, the makers residents of EARLIER this month, several health officer and the user will If the makers, including crea- of Operation MBBS wanted to Shastri Nagar Mumbaikars received an email get a notification asking them to tive director Ajay Kumar, wanted make sure everyone found a in Dharavi last asking them to download the A base location will be return to the location.” The dash- to create empathy for the med- bit of themselves in the show, week during Aarogya Setu app—meant to alert mapped for the device and a board will be monitored 24x7 by ical fraternity in the time of Co- even those not pursuing med- the national users if they have come in contact digital fence of 150–250 assigned officers. rona, they’ve succeeded. icine. “Emotions are universal, lockdown with a COVID-19 positive patient, The app is also equipped to deal The show has crossed 45 like jealousy and peer pressure. imposed in the and what measures they need to metres will be created as per with truants. If you delete the app, million views on YouTube, and We have all seen or experienced wake of the take in case that happens. The app, the health officer’s advice. If put your phone on flight mode or received close to 60,000 com- it,” says Nair. Coronavirus later promoted by Prime Minister the patient steps out of that switch off your phone, the state ments, mostly from the For Gupta, the feedback outbreak. PIC/ Narendra Modi in his April 14 ad- will be alerted. Want to leave your students of NEET (Na- has been surprisingly GETTY IMAGES dress, has been criticised by cyber radius, an alert will be sent to phone at home and go for a stroll? tional Eligibility cum positive and that he security experts as being another the health officer and the user The selfie attendance, unlike what’s Entrance Test-Under has doctors in his surveillance tool in the hands of being implemented in other states, Graduate), a medical own family makes the government. Added to this mix will get a notification asking is randomised in Maharashtra, entrance examina- it heartening. “The now, is a state mandated app called them to return to the location which means the user needs to be tion. The show fol- struggle that goes the MahaKavach, which is likely to Amit Kothawade present near the phone at all times. lows the lives of Dr into becoming a doc- enter Mumbai this week. The app will also be able to differ- Nishant, Dr Saskhi AYESHA tor makes the respect Developed as a collaborative and municipal commission were entiate between fake and older and Dr Huma, played and money they receive NAIR effort between the Maharashtra working closely with the MSIS images, and current ones. by Ayush Mehra, An- well deserved,” he believes. State Innovation Society (MSIS), and the initial requirement came With so much data at hand, how shul Chauhan and Sarah Hashmi With each episode boasting a National Health Authority, Gov- from them, he explains in a tele- safe is the app in the hands of a gov- respectively, all in their first year viewership of between eight and ernment of India, Nashik District phonic interview. ernment? Kothawade says that all at medical college. The team of 10 million, it’s clear that everyone Innovation Council, Nashik Mu- On how the MahaKavach works, the data is being stored on the gov- writers, which included Ayesha working from home, and under nicipal Corporation, TCS Foun- Kothawade says the primary dif- ernment server and not on private Nair (Adulting) and director Am- lockdown, is watching the show dation’s Digital Impact Square, ference between it and the Aaro- server. And so, a breach is unlikely. rit Raj Gupta (Gullak), agree with about a profession that’s turned the Kumabathon Foundation gya Setu is that the MahaKavach When logging in, the de- Yadav, although Nair adds that out to be the most important on and other volunteers, the app was can’t be accessed by just about tails you’ll be required to enter it’s unfortunate that a pandemic the planet. “We need them [doc- launched in Nashik 20 days ago, anyone. As an app whose primary include your phone number, had to happen to make us look tors] for our survival. And that’s says Amit Kothawade, assistant focus is contact tracing and en- age, name and whether you have at doctors in new light. “We why people are watching. They manager, start-up and innovation, suring there’s no breach in quar- been advised home or wanted to keep it real so that have connected with the charac- at MSIS. “We wanted to come up antine, the app link will only be institutional quarantine. the audience could relate to it, ters, and the actors have in turn, with a tech solution to curb the provided to those who have What happens once you have and Pravin helped by bringing connected with the audience.” spread of Coronavirus.” The pilot either tested positive or have been cured, or if after quarantine, his life experiences to the table,” project was implemented in Na- been advised quarantine by a you test negative? Kothawade says, says Nair. Gupta explains that Dr [email protected] shik because the Nashik collector health officer—while the app will once cleared by the health officer, it can be uninstalled. “There’s no compulsion to continue to be Not the only country in the world on the platform.” However, is it Kothawade mentions that the team that worked on the MahaKavach was also in touch mandatory to be on the app if you with Ramesh Raskar who led the team at MIT Media Lab which developed Private Kit: have been advised? That, he says, Safe Paths, an app which lets users see if they may have come in contact with someone depends on the policy in your dis- carrying the Coronavirus—if that person has shared that information—without knowing trict. The app was made mandatory who it might be. The encrypted location data is shared between phones in the network in Nashik. And once the pandemic passes, in such a way that it does not go through a central authority. Other countries across what happens to our data? That, the world are also experimenting with technology with regard to contact-tracing apps. too, depends on the state’s data Denmark, for instance, is set to release an app which will use Bluetooth to detect contact storage policy. As advised by the with people within one to two metres. The company says authorities will only be able health department, it could be to access the data on an aggregated and pseudo-anonymised level, making tracing stored or deleted. an individual impossible, as per a report in the BBC. The report added that in Italy, the Operation MBBS features Ayush Mehra, Anshul Chauhan and Sarah contact-tracing app will be rolled out in some regions before releasing it nationwide. [email protected] Hashmi, and is made in association with Unacademy, a learning platform sunday mid-day 25 19.04.2020 FEATURE twitter.com/sundaymidday | facebook.com/middayindia | instagram.com/sundaymidday ‘Touch has become a bad word’ As the hearing and visually impaired talking ATMs, allowing access to Pradeep the blind. He says the hotspot map More, general population struggles to access pandemic released by the BMC is high on visual secretary appeal, perfect for the sighted. “But, of the State information and navigate guidelines, they say the same information can be provid- Association they are facing isolation of another kind ed in an alternate text [for the benefit of the Deaf, of the blind],” he says. has converted ANJU MASKERI statistics are hardly surprising in Accessing essentials has become important a country where education for the a problem, too. “Let’s take an exam- COVID-19 EVER since the Coronavirus out- hearing impaired is lacking. ple,” says Shah. “All grocery store announcements break, Pradeep More, general sec- According to AS Narayanan, visits now require customers to stay into sign retary of the State Association of the president, National Association of a few feet apart. How is a visually language Deaf, has been busy making videos the Deaf, India, the majority of the impaired person to figure this? And of important announcements in the existing teachers do not use ISL as if they are not standing in the de- Indian Sign Language (ISL) and up- their primary language to teach marcated circle, they get yelled at.” loading them on social media. His children with hearing disabilities. Pradeep Mokashi, who plays the impassioned tweet for making digi- “Instead, they only speak and ges- dholak in trains, was one of those to tal content accessible to all, prompt- ture with their hands. As a result, the face censure from security personnel ed government authorities to take students do poorly in academics.” when he was unable to navigate the notice. “The Maharashtra State While the policy on accessibility guidelines outside a kirana store in Commissioner of Disabilities Pre- of television programmes for per- Vangani. Scared to ask for someone’s rna Deshbhratar uploaded a video sons with disabilities was approved arm for guiding, Mokashi returned explaining the current situation in by the Ministry of Information Siddhant Shah, the founder of Access for ALL, has used design to make books, home empty-handed. When Hemla- ISL. This was done in the first week and Broadcasting in September even art galleries and railway stations accessible through touch for the blind. ta Tiwari, founder of Swaradhar, an of April, weeks after the outbreak. 2019, the implementation has been But, the current paranoia around touch is counter productive to the cause NGO that aims to provide a platform We were the last to receive informa- slow due to the lack of competent to visually challenged street artistes, tion,” More tells mid-day with the interpreters. Siddhant Shah is the founder of learnt of this, she contacted a local help of an interpreter. Earlier this year, The New York Access For ALL, a disability ser- volunteer for help. “Grocery shops The 2011 Indian census cites Times highlighted the plight of vices and support organisation. Grocery store visits now have a tight two-hour window to re- roughly 1.3 million people with hear- China’s deaf population. The piece Shah’s team, in the past, has cre- require customers to stay a main open. When a crowd descends, ing impairment. “Maharashtra has discussed how the Wuhan authori- ated tactile kits and Braille books few feet apart and stand the visually challenged find it hard to close to 15 lakh deaf people, out of ties made no announcements about on menstrual hygiene for special navigate. They end up being shooed, which 95 per cent can’t read.” The the epidemic in sign language. “On schools. “But, right now, touch and inside markers. How is a or asked to come later,” she says. January 23, the day the city was tactile are almost like cuss words,” visually impaired person to Should a deaf person mani- locked down, some deaf residents says Shah, adding that touching ob- figure this? fest any symptoms of COVID-19, didn’t find out about it until they jects and surfaces is more routine it’s an additional hurdle, says had trouble taking public transport. for the visually impaired than the Siddhant Shah, founder, Ramya Miryala, founder, Deaf Many older deaf people have trou- sighted. But the spread of the virus, Access For ALL Enabled Foundation, considering ble reading. So, much information has exacerbated the fear of surfaces. government hospitals don’t have If you need about the outbreak’s seriousness did With the discontinuation of Braille Visually Challenged has been hav- sign language interpreters. Un- assistance, not reach them,” it read. The situa- newspapers during the lockdown ing trouble accessing information til now, she has helped a couple contact ACCESS tion is no different in Mumbai, says due to restriction on supplies and on the city’s containment zones. Dr of hearing impaired individuals FOR ALL on More. At the moment, finding inter- movement, he says the visually Taraporevala, associate professor convey their symptoms to doctors 9920765777 preters is a challenge as face-to-face challenged are feeling “socially and head of the department of so- through video calls. “Fortunately, email at contact is barred, which means all distanced” on a whole new level. ciology at St Xavier’s College, headed they all tested negative.” reachaccess Shah interacting with a hearing forms of correspondence need to be Dr Sam Taraporevala of Mumbai’s the XRCVC team that helped banks forall@gmail. impaired youth during lockdown done remotely. Xavier’s Resource Centre for the such as Union Bank of India make [email protected] com

You used a Prada dust bag, and to make about 30. I’ve also been moleskin diary straps as fabric. making masks for friends and When a Prada dust bag Yes. Making something when family and for the workers in my no supplies are available is apartment building. resourceful. I realised that I had so many dust bags that I rarely New York is bleeding. How would becomes a face mask used. I also had ribbons that I use you describe the mindset of the to package my jewellery line, but New Yorker right now? Instagram style icon and New York girl FOLLOWING Jenny Walton on Insta- beyond that, I have elastic from It is about buckling up and doing gram means falling in love with her airplane eyemasks, and I even had what you have to do to help other Jenny Walton decided to do her bit to life. She spends her days attending ex- a twist tie to use as the nose guard, New Yorkers—whether that’s help during the pandemic by making clusive fashion events, takes pictures which I took from a bag of coffee staying inside or supporting on the streets of New York, has two that I had in my kitchen. local businesses you love either masks from unusual knick knacks dogs and lives with and loves Scott by continuing to buy from them AASTHA ATRAY BANAN Schuman of the Sartorialist. Walton, a How many masks are you finally online (or takeout if they are a graduate from Parsons School of De- sending out, and who are they restaurant that is still open) or sign, who has worked with Miu Miu, going to? through supporting Gofundmes of Bottega Veneta and Carolina Herrera, I originally sent 40 masks to various businesses. has been using her time under lock- @masks4medicine and then 25 to down well, gathering knick knacks doctors and nurses who reached How have you been coping and around her house to make masks PIC/INSTAGRAM out to me via DM. They needed what does your day look like? for those who need them. masks to cover their surgical masks I am fine. I usually work from of Disease Control) came out with and help prolong the life of those, home, so my routine hasn’t Edited excerpts from an interview guidelines about everyone wearing as many are being asked to use changed. I won’t complain about a mask, I thought it was important fewer than they typically would. staying indoors because it is a We loved the idea of making to help spread the practice. Prior small sacrifice to make, compared masks at home. What prompted to that, I had made about 40 Did you make all of them to those who are fighting the you to be ingenious? masks for an organisation in NYC yourself? How long did it take? disease on the front lines. I thought about it a bit as I didn’t called @masks4medicine that Last Sunday, it took me all day want to spread misinformation. helped get masks to frontline from 7 am to 9 pm with only one Follow Walton on Instagram Walton with the mask she made However, when the CDC (Centre healthcare workers. break for dinner, and I managed @jennymwalton sunday mid-day 26 19.04.2020 twitter.com/sundaymidday | facebook.com/middayindia | instagram.com/sundaymidday

ware Bytes. However, if you are looking With the lockdown extended, for a complete suite try Bit- defender or Kaspersky. These getting a technician to come are expensive, but it will give Be your own home to fix your computer is you peace of mind. an impossibility. While hardware Screen is blank issues will be difficult to resolve, On a laptop, try pressing the Function key + the screen most software problems icon on the top row of the keyboard. This is to rule out can be solved in a few steps. that the external screen mode Here’s how isn’t activated. If that doesn’t tech expert work, try restarting the com- puter. However, if this fails it may indicate a bigger problem. On a desktop, first check if all the connections, including power, are properly secure, after which you may need to restart the PC. If the computer doesn’t show any display, you may need technical assistance. Windows won’t boot If you have restarted your computer already, then wait for a while. Sometimes Win- dows takes a lot of time to boot when it has either de- tected a damaged hard drive or if it is upgrading. technophile If your computer hangs be- fore booting Windows more than once, you may need to go into Safe Mode and perform a System Restore. JAISON LEWIS Follow the instructions: https://bit.ly/smdsafemode. jaison.lewis@ mid-day.com How not to lose everything Turn on System Restore. Sys- tem Restore is the one thing that is going to save you in a crisis. But before you use it, you need to turn it on. Open Control Panel>System and Always try start working again. It was even Internet speed. If your pro- You can also uninstall un- Security>System Protection. a running gag on the IT Crowd grams are running slow, then used programs by Pressing Click on Configure to save a restarting first TV show. check your main drive in Win- Windows key + R and typing system restore point. The first thing you must do dows Explorer, it is usually (C:). appwiz.cpl. Backup, backup, backup. while trying to solve any soft- My computer is If it shows as red, try mov- Regularly back up impor- ware problem is to try restart- ing some files from the main Virus and Malware tant data on external drives; ing the computer or just turn it running slow drive into other drives or for extra security back them off. Press the power button for pen drives. Do not touch files Viruses and malware can be a up twice. You can also perform five seconds in case the com- If restarting hasn’t worked in the Windows, Program files big issue, so it is recommend- a backup of important files puter has hung. Disconnect and your computer isn’t an- and Root directory (aka C:). ed that you install decent on your Google Drive, you the power, wait for a minute cient, then you might want Files on Desktop are safe antimalware and antivirus. may need to buy more space, and then connect the power to start by checking if the to delete. You can use “Disk Make sure your Windows but it is usually worth the in- and turn the computer back problem lies with your com- Clean-up” to clean temp files is up to date and Windows vestment. AOMEI Backupper on. This will work most of the puter. If downloads are slow, safely. Search for Disk Clean- Security is updated. In case and Cobian Backup are good time and is the most common try using speedtest.net to see up in the search bar next to you are already infected by programs to use for backing trick to get your computer to if you are getting the right the Start/Windows icon. malware, try running Mal- up your most important files.

GAMING REVIEW RESIDENT EVIL 3 fying. This is mostly because of dread of Nemesis. job with the Resident Evil 3 Nemesis, a monster of a zom- The main element of the remake and if you are looking THIS remake series of Resident bie that will stop at nothing. game—surviving with mini- for that post-apocalyptic hor- Evil has been nothing but gold. When I say nothing, I mean it. mum supplies—still applies. ror fix right now, you can’t go Reliving the game with modern It is almost impossible to kill So, sometimes sidestepping wrong with this. Rating: graphics just reiterates that a Nemesis and that is made very is better than killing a zombie. 4/5 solid game is ageless. In the clear early on in the game. He There are also lots of puzzles third installment, you take is pretty much the real star of with good rewards. Developer: on the role of Jill Valentine as the game, I got butterflies in The story, unfortunate- Capcom she escapes Racoon City. The my stomach each time Jill was ly, is not brilliant but it’s Publisher: city, of course, is littered with being followed around. easy to sidestep or just shoot not bad either. However, Capcom zombies and monsters. But for This was also a problem, as twice in the head. Sure, some the voice acting and char- Platform: PC, some reason, a super zombie most other zombies didn’t cut would wake up as you passed acters in the game are pretty known as Nemesis is after Jill. it once I had dealt with Neme- them, providing shock value, awesome. XBO, PS4 RE3 is as much fun as it is terri- sis. All other zombies seemed but nothing compared to the Capcom has done a good Price: R3,499 BEST OF MUMBAI

sunday mid-day 27 19.04.2020 THE PLANNER

‘Let your audience Top tips join you’ Make sure you intimate your followers about the Sushant Divgikr, time you’re going to go singer and performer live and ask people to @sushantdivgikr tune in, well in advance. Live and let Live DIVGIKR is no stranger to per- And remind them. During the lockdown, Instagram is all about going forming. He is lead singer of the Evenings are best from band top storey and one of In- 6 pm to 8 pm. Live. We get the best in the business to tell you how dia’s most popular trans artistes. He chats with his followers and You can also ask people to get the maximum effect with minimum stress sometimes, even obliges them to feature in your Live with a song. “What has worked and accept requests or AASTHA ATRAY BANAN for me is that I reply or at least send requests to those try and reply to each and every watching. It’s the time to stay at home, but that users are using the Live function to message. If I don’t sing, then that shouldn’t stop you from flaunting keep themselves relevant and enter- will be doomsday.” your skills, and doing it in real time. taining. If you have a skill and don’t Whether it’s reciting poetry, singing know how and why you should go a tune, or just talking about a skill or Live, listen in to four experts who are entrepreneurship idea—Instagram showing you the ropes.

‘Let it be a conversation, Top tips not monologue’ If you’re going to have a guest, brief them beforehand and Ankit Vengurlekar, tech expert, discuss the conversation flow. @gadgetwala Read out names of followers who VENGURLEKAR has been keeping are tuning in, ask them how they people on his feed entertained by are doing and involve them in the hosting his friends on his Lives. conversation. Be it a musician or mental health expert, he has tried to maintain Technically, ensure the phone is a balance between what matters steady, don’t hold it in your hand; and what’s plain fun. “You’ve got you’ll tire and it will shake. Use to be a fun person to have fun a table, books, for support. Try on a Live stream. this may be and keep the phone camera at slightly difficult to engineer, if eye level, low-angle frames look you aren’t, but jokes apart, pre- unflattering. Use a good mic, pare what you want to talk about audio is as important as video. beforehand. Also remember, to ‘It’s cool to show keep acknowledging your audi- Dress up, be well-groomed. ence. Make it a conversation, not a Choose a well-lit frame. yourself off’ monologue.” For Vengurlekar, who Ensure you have a good quality Shaan Khanna, founder, has been doing this for a decade, and stable internet connection. Networking Now India it’s personally most entertaining Three to five Mbps. @networkingnowindia to watch fitness content creators. “I’m also watching a ton of sing- Choose a time convenient for KHANNA goes Live every day, and ers and artistes do live acoustic you, but late evenings work best there is much to learn—how to singing sessions. It’s like having a since most folks have wrapped up power dress, how to eat smart dur- private concert, what’s not to love! dinner and are scrolling through ing quarantine, or how to host like a With news being so stressful, this boss. she even throws in dance les- is how I unwind.” their Insta/FB/YT feeds. sons. Her well connected network makes sure she always has a guest. “the messages I’ve received have Other absolute been amazing. People are saying ‘Have something Top tips must-watch Lives they put a reminder and tune is every You should do a Live day at 3 pm to learn something new. unique to offer’ I’ve tried to cover people from all if you have something EVERYONE from John Mayer, Nirmika Singh, writer/poet unique to offer. walks of life and talk about a range of @nirmika John Legend, Miley Cyrus and subjects to help entrepreneurs learn The audio must be good. even the elusive Chris Martin from each other.” she now sees this NIRMIKA singh has been going Turn off the fans if needed. have been going Live. Cyrus does as a new career opportunity. “I hope Live every evening at 5 pm. the a show every day, and has called I can convert it into an entrepreneur poet has a series called Aur suno, Think about what the her friends Demi Lovato and Re- chat show when things are back and either recites her own poems, takeaway for the audience ese Witherspoon on it. And the to normal.” or talks of her favourite writers is. legendary composer Andrew and reads them out. “since Conduct informal polls Lloyd Webber takes requests poetry is essentially a per- on his Live! Top tips formance art, bringing before going Live to see what your followers Don’t let the answers the #Aursuno series in want. and topic fall flat. Always a Live environment interject if you feel it’s lends it a mehfil feel, Avoid rambling. getting boring. which has been appreciated.” Consistency is key. I Since it’s live and you’re have been keeping at probably at home, it’s nice aastha.banan@ it daily and it takes to show off some of your mid-day.com effort and discipline, own stuff—maybe your but it’s worth it. work, room, work space. It Creating a unique style becomes more personal for (my sarees, the style your followers. of reciting) creates a sort of everyday 30-35 mins is a good anticipation. duration. sunday mid-day 28 19.04.2020 THE PLANNER Week’s Agenda twitter.com/sundaymidday | facebook.com/middayindia | instagram.com/sundaymidday

SCRATCHPAD Rock on with Sabu Listen to tunes by ▸ ▸ ▸ Andrew Sabu, a WHEN: Mumbai-based April 20, singer and 9 PM songwriter. Sabu’s WHERE: music reflects @sabumusic, Kiddie-certified apps different genres Instagram ranging from indie- Live folk, alt-rock and soul. FREE We home-tested some He is inspired by Andrew Bird, Ben apps, videos and shows Howard among others. to see if they are good for your kids

NASRIN MODAK SIDDIQI Kidsstoppress This Instagram page (they have an app, too) has some really cool content that’s relatable for mommies and kids alike. From Wear your dancing shoes fun cartoons to video talks on how to keep your kids busy and Participate in a virtual salsa dance ▸ ▸ ▸ ideas on how to make the kids workshop hosted by Lahe Lahe. WHEN: April 19, read more or which shows to The session will be led by Minoti 3 PM to 4.30 PM watch online, they’ve got it Google Bolo they go wrong. Made for the Ramachandra and Manoj Kumar. PRICE: R350 all covered. Indian market, it lets you choose Part of the fees will be donated to the CALL: ▸ ▸ ▸ This is my li’l reading genius the language of instruction. N95 mask-making initiative. 9886294444 AVAILABLE ON: Instagram, Google son’s current favourite app. It ▸ ▸ ▸ Play Store, Facebook and Twitter makes kids read small stories AVAILABLE ON: adesimovem VISIT: www.kidsstoppress.com aloud and corrects them when Google Play sw ent, @ Ins : tagra e; FREE E m Liv R Playydate Born Smart 5-Min Craft E H

W

They have a bunch of This is the perfect time to There are tons of videos ;

information on online classes download the app because it on DIY, hacks, recipes and M DIRECTORY

P that are offered at the moment. shows parents how they can projects, and each one is fun From storytelling sessions, play with their children (0-36 to watch. While we agree interactive music sessions to months) with whatever material some are too ambitious or

DIY activities, worksheets and is available at home. At the end look plain foolish, we admit 9 AT: » even building games, they have of each video, an expert speaks to having tried some of the Meet a person with ideas for keeping the kids busy. of the benefit of the game. crafts and hacks and yes, they ▸ ▸ ▸ ▸ ▸ ▸ do work. Their USP is the fun a skill you can use AVAILABLE ON: Instagram, AVAILABLE ON: curation, and it’s addictive to Facebook www.born-smart.com watch their videos. VISIT: www.playydate.in ▸ ▸ ▸ AVAILABLE ON: Tushar

YouTube, HIP-HOP TO TEN Panchal, 26

S Facebook and I Photographer L Instagram » Panchal started Y A photography D at the age of TO S 16 and his S observant eye I Back in the days when T M for all the things DON’ smartphone photography around him and Instagram weren’t a thing, in the city of Panchal developed a keen eye dreams made for visuals. He would observe his work the details that made Mumbai. stand out. Years later, he got a decent iPad with a 5MP camera and RECOMMENDED started capturing the city BY: Riaan with it. When celebrities like George says, screenwriter Mushtaq Sheikh, “Tushar’s fashion designer Sandeep photography Khosla and others who had and started using Instagram early perspective on appreciated his pictures, it motivated him to buy a DSLR. Enjoy a game night towards daily life in Mumbai Soon, he turned his hobby into passion. You can follow End your day with a fun game of ▸ ▸ ▸ is unique. housie. The virtual event is being WHEN: April 21, his work on his Instagram His pictures page @bombayiger. hosted by Mumbai Riders. There will 10 PM have a clarity be six prizes to win, from quick 5, four WHERE: Zoom of thought corners, top row, middle row, bottom Call and details ▸ ▸ ▸ row and the full house. These online PRICE: 75 AVAILABLE FOR: R that people housie nights are hosted on Tuesdays CALL: Photography and content marketing and Saturdays. 9619949909 normally tend CHARGES: R15,000 to R20,000 to miss.” EMAIL: Curated by Kasturi Gadge and P Vatsalya [email protected] sunday mid-day 29 19.04.2020 THE PLANNER Fresh Intel twitter.com/sundaymidday | facebook.com/middayindia | instagram.com/sundaymidday

Author JK Rowling reads an extract from The Tales of Beedle The Bard to Life lessons schoolchildren at a tea party at Edinburgh’s Parliament Hall in 2008, when it was from Beedle first released. PIC/GETTY IMAGES the Bard Listen to Jude Law as Dumbledore in the audio version of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, as the perfect way to revisit Potterverse

AASTHA ATRAY BANAN

THE hardest thing Potter fans ever West End version), Jason Isaacs, had to do was align themselves Evanna Lynch, and Bonnie Wright. with the fact that the book series We loved Evanna Lynch, who plays was over, and so were the movies. Luna Lovegood in the films, reciting But with The Tales of The Fountain of Fair For- Beedle the Bard, an au- tune, but Mortemore’s dio book inspired by JK favourite is The Tale of Rowling’s iconic series, I have the Three Brothers, nar- you can now revisit Pot- worked with rated by Dumezweni. “I terverse. Stories like the Noma and I love have worked with Noma Tale of the Three Broth- and I love her work. I also ers, which is beautifully her work. I also think Jude is quite mar- depicted in the penulti- think Jude is vellous as Dumbledore.” mate movie Harry Potter As we heard the sto- and the Deathly Hallows, quite marvellous ries, we realised that and The Fountain of Fair as Dumbledore the tales reinforce Fortune, will take you to Sally Mortemore everything Rowling a different world. has always wanted to Sally Mortemore, who convey—that true love plays librarian Madam is true magic, and that Pince in the movies, anything is possible if and is the voice of JK you believe and your Rowling in the audio intentions are right. For book, told mid-day she Mortemore, who thinks was surprised when this that the stories are apt project came to life. “I for all ages, the audio couldn’t believe it, and book helps her create then, I was the voice of wonderful images in her Rowling. How fabulous head. “I think as you will is that!” she said in a telephonic listen to this, you will be taken on a interview from London. wave of creativity and magic.” This audiobook, free for Audible In the times we live in, we wel- members this year, also has actors come that. Jude Law (the marvellous voice of Hogwarts headmaster Albus Available on: Audible.in Dumbledore), Warwick Davis, Noma Dumezweni (plays Hermione in the [email protected]

AASTHA ATRAY BANAN I have received a lot of love. In Chahal just three months, I have gained RIGHT arm leg spin bowler, and How do you go about making 3.8 million followers. one time chess champion, Yuz - these videos? vendra Chahal is off the cricket I don’t plan before shooting. What’s your plan for the rest of pehel field. But the actor inside him is I follow my instinct and look the lockdown? busy at work. Chahal has almost out for what’s entertaining. I have only one plan—to be Be it videos with his 3.5 million followers on TikTok I’m a cricketer, not an actor. I at home. I am in resting mode and his best videos are those shot watch and follow a lot of users right now. I sleep late, and wake dad, where he ends with his parents. and creators on the platform, up late and spend a lot of time up “getting a jhaap” and learn from them. Nagma with my family and pets. We to sweet interactions How did you get on TikTok? Mirajkar, Garima Chaurasia will have an ample chance to Whenever I was bored, I used and Rugees Vini, Awez Darbar, move out once this is all over. with friends, to log in. After a video that Vishal Pandey, and Sameeksha cricketer Yuzvendra I shot of a dance move the Sud are worth checking out. Follow Chahal on @yuzvendrachahal teammates did together on TikTok Chahal is worth went viral, I decided to be And the reactions seem to have watching on TikTok more regular. been good. [email protected] sunday mid-day 30 19.04.2020 FOOD twitter.com/sundaymidday | facebook.com/middayindia | instagram.com/sundaymidday

PIC COURTESY/ EATING WITH HISTORY: ANCIENT TRADE-INFLUENCED CUISINES OF KERALA, NIYOGI BOOKS

Chala Curry (Sardine curry) ORIGIN: MALABARI JEW /// SHARED BY: ILANIT MENACHEM INGREDIENTS 1 kg sardines, cleaned ½ tsp turmeric powder ½ tsp coriander powder What’s cooking ½ cup oil 1 sliced onion 5 sliced garlic cloves Curry leaves (handful) 3 chopped dry red chillies 1 tsp black mustard seeds 3 tbsp tomato paste in the kusinchya? 2 tbsp sugar 1/3 cup vinegar 1 tsp red chili powder A Kochi-based art curator rummages through her own ammama’s recipes and of 1 tsp turmeric powder other families, to understand the deep and complete history of Kerala cuisine 1 tsp coriander powder Salt to taste JANE BORGES array of cuisines to the large joint and how it influenced the meals 1 ½ cups water family… it piqued my interest for prepared today, is an attempt to IT was in her ammama’s kusin- new flavours,” Abraham recalls, understand the “highly intricate METHOD chya—a Portuguese derivative fondly. “I loved her pada, a pickle and interesting food culture of Make a paste of the turmeric of the word kitchen—that Kochi- made of coconut vinegar, red chilli Kerala”. “The [book is a] study of the and coriander powders, add based art curator, Tanya Abraham, powder and garlic. We ate it with cuisines that mushroomed specifi- a little salt and water. Rub the first fell in love with food. Dressed everything. The steamed appam cally from the ancient spice trade in sardines generously inside out in the customary chatta and mun- with coconut milk and ripe Kerala Kerala. There are six religion-based with the paste. Heat oil in a du, her grandmother would spend banana, her baffad and vindaloo communities that rose from it, of deep pan and fry till brown. rigorous hours amidst the “stone are special dishes we continue to which Christians are three [Latin Add the mustard seeds and jars of pickles, the smell of firewood make at home.” Catholic, Syrian Christians and An- [The Jews] made vinegar when they splutter, add the and burning coal” to serve her large Abraham’s grandmother is the glo Indians],” says Abraham, adding from raisins [to make wine]. onions and garlic cloves. Once and growing family, which lived in inspiration behind a new cook- that of these, the Portuguese had This was then used by it turns colour, add the dry the 200-year-old tarawad (family book, Eating With History: Ancient the strongest impact on local com- chilies. Add the spices, tomato home), in a small town in Kerala. trade-influenced cuisines of Ker- munity and food. Christians for cooking. I am paste, vinegar and water. “My ammama believed the family ala (Niyogi Books). The 200-pager “They were the first ‘foreign’ col- told Jewish women plied their Bring to a boil. Cook for 5-10 remained nourished from the fires which, apart from recipes, takes us onisers in Kerala. The Arabs never way on canoes to sell the minutes and then add the fried burning in her kitchen. Her food through personal cooking vignettes settled in Kerala, but moved with fish. Allow it to simmer till the was largely Latin Catholic and had a of a Latin Catholic household, and vinegar or chorka at the gravy thickens and coats the certain flavour. She would serve an the larger trade history in the state Continued on page 31 local market fish. Garnish with curry leaves. sunday mid-day 31 19.04.2020 FOOD twitter.com/sundaymidday | facebook.com/middayindia | instagram.com/sundaymidday Thank God it’s

Continued from page 30 Kozhi Roast fry day the south west monsoons—they (Pepper roast chicken) had families with local women ORIGIN: LATIN CATHOLIC /// A trip to Amsterdam gave Jai Vaswani and stayed for short periods of SHARED BY: ANNIE BURLEIGH time. The Jews migrated to the a mission, to upgrade fries from the region and were a closed commu- INGREDIENTS margins to the mains nity with strict religious laws and 1 ½ kg whole chicken (remove no intermarriage permitted,” she gizzard, heart and liver and keep ANJU MASKERI says. The Portuguese arrived for aside) two reasons—spices and Catholi- ½ tbsp freshly crushed pepper MOST men will balk at the pop- cism. They traded vigorously, and 3 medium, sliced onions ular social media hashtag, fries JAI VASWANI spread the faith, in many cases 1 ½ tsp corn starch over guys. Not Jai Vaswani. forcefully and with strong deter- Salt to taste He gets it. The warm, crunchy, mination. “They were seafarers mouth-watering snack is his ulti- who had other colonies across 2 tbsp oil mate weakness. “I think my mind served and perceived. Until then, the globe and when they arrived 2 ½ cups water and body are programmed so that fries were something you would In Amsterdam, I in Kerala, they brought with them METHOD I feel I’ve never had enough when have on the side with a burger or discovered the fries-in-a-cone fruits, vegetables and other food In a deep pan, cook the chicken I’m eating fries,” he says. But, it sandwich. I wouldn’t think of or- items—papaya, tamarind, custard and the removed parts with the took a trip to Amsterdam for the dering fries for mains.” concept and was blown away apple, red chilli, are a few. With sliced onions, pepper and salt. 32-year-old to see the fried starch In 2013, Vaswani, who moon- by how they were served and them also came cooking techniques Once done, remove from gravy. in a new light. “I discovered the lights as DJ Nanok, launched perceived. Until then, fries and influence from their own cui- Heat oil in a wok and over fries-in-a-cone concept and was The J at Churchgate. Here, fries sine,” says Abraham, who is also medium heat, fry the chicken blown away by how they were are served in a cone with a com- were something you’d have director of the Kashi Art Gallery in till brown. Thicken the gravy bination of sauces with a burger or sandwich Kochi. She explains how the puttu using corn starch. including chipotle, (steamed rice flour and coconut Pour the gravy over the chicken cheese garlic, and wraps were phased out. logs), which is popular in Kerala and serve with fried potatoes chilli flake ketchup. You Vaswani now helms 40 outlets is said to have emerged, because and carrots. can also opt for toppings in eight cities. But that doesn’t Portuguese sailors needed to find in the form of mozzarel- mean they’ve had it easy. Out of an easy way of preparing a staple. and meat never to be mixed, thus la cheese, crushed tortilla, the 60 outlets he launched, some “Steaming was a common and easy coconut milk was used instead. chicken sausages, and bat- have closed, while others have technique they implemented with The absence of herbs found in the tered fried fish. He admits been relocated. Staff attrition and rice powder abundantly found in Mediterranean, called for the use to have plunged into the busi- the disparity between steep rent Kerala, on their journeys by ship.” of local flavouring.” ness blindfolded because there and spending power of custom- The British, on the other hand, None of this happened over- was nothing else that he want- ers are factors that have led to the introduced Scotch—available night. The Jews, she says, would ed to do at that point in time. “I closures. Another challenge is the only to wealthy Indians—and also go on to introduce ingredients thought the model could be rep- shelf life of fries. “Unfortunately, tea. Their own food would evolve that would be devoured locally. licated and would find takers. they don’t travel well. You see, in India. “Pork chops were mar- “They made vinegar from raisins Being a youth-focused brand, we fries are good [for a] few minutes, inated with spices and then [to make wine]. This was then used kept the pricing affordable and [after they are] out of the fryer.” grilled, new flavours of soup were by Christians for cooking. I am told marketed it as a value for mon- Over time, competition in the made with local spices,” writes Jewish women plied their way on ey venture.” To play it safe, he fast food segment has grown. Vas- Abraham in the book. canoes to sell the vinegar (chorka) also added burgers, wraps, and wani says he faces tough compe- The Jews, who arrived from at the local market,” Abraham says. The fries sandwiches to the menu. The USP, tition from McDonald’s ever since Muziris in the Middle East, had For the recipes, which have been are topped however, remained fries in a cone. they introduced combination fries. a unique cuisine that remained categorised into vegetable, meat with a variety As their first store was located To stay ahead of the curve, he has secluded in Kerala—a combi- and fish dishes, breads, appams, of sauces, across two city colleges—KC and now launched The J-Express, a nation of cultures influenced by chutneys, squashes and wines, including HR—fries and beverages began to scaled down version of the brand. Kosher laws, local ingredients and and sweets and desserts, Abra- garlic mayo, fly off the counter. Vaswani says It is currently capped at R50, in- ancestral traditions. ham traversed Kerala, “knocking chipotle, he would man the store himself cluding taxes. “We sell smaller por- “It is believed that the Malabari on doors of families, requesting salsa and and chat up with customers tions of fries and beverages, but Jews came to Kerala at the time for authentic recipes”. “Each fam- tartar to seek feedback. The idea of the customers get more bang for of the destruction of the Second ily may have slight variations in serving fries topped with their buck.” Through the Temple [70 AD] and were one of the same recipe, but the founda- Thai sweet chilli emerged The lockdown kiosks, he hopes to target the 12 tribes who had left Israel at tion tends to remain the same. I from a casual conversa- and restriction railway and Metro stations, the time. Escaping to Kerala via the chose recipes that supported my tion with a student. “I re- on movement which experience high spice route, they embraced a new research and demonstrated how member the time when a may affect the footfalls. The one in Saki life and new ways of living. That the various influences produced customer was intent on service and Naka sees 300 customers is how ancient the history of their new recipes—the complex mar- ordering something timings of some a day, he says. cuisine is. The Paradesi Jews from rying of details that we often are sweet, but couldn’t establishments Interestingly, the man the Mediterranean region came to- ignorant of. The recipes are also decide between a featured here. who seeks a high-carb eat wards the 17th century and their a documentation, a proof of food cupcake and milk- Call to enquire is a fitness buff. “As of now, cuisine again is unique to them culture. Not all of this culture is shake, we whipped we haven’t been affected because of Mediterranean influ- going to remain in the years to up a red velvet cupcake by it [trends towards healthy ences,” says Abraham. come; it was important they re- with a vanilla milkshake. eating]. But if that time comes, A thread, however, runs through vealed how deep and complete the This is how our signature we will be ready with healthy, the food recipes of both these com- history of food can be.” red velvet cakeshake baked fries.” munities, which is distinctly Kerala was born.” Eventually, in flavour. “Kosher law calls for milk [email protected] the sandwiches and [email protected] 32 sunday mid-day 19.04.2020

MOHAR BASU role to perfection, Painyuli script for the film which he is presented in the film.” ‘Research [email protected] went the extra mile. a source was originally named Dhaka Painyuli says director Har- informs, “He researched ex- enabled Painyuli to visual- grave often sat down with Global recognition is every tensively to grasp the real- ise his character better. He him to discuss his charac- helped add actor’s dream. For Priyanshu ity of the bangladeshi war says, “The script has a clear ter and helped him with the Painyuli, it came true when he and drug lords. Considering vision for each character. To research. “The documentaries was approached to play a cru- the movie is set in Dhaka, ensure that I do my best, I and material he suggested layers to cial role in the upcoming Chris Priyanshu learnt the na- wanted to create a backstory gave me an insight into the Hemsworth-starrer Ex- tive language.” The detailed for the character to justify how country and its struggles. traction, directed The nature of crime in a country character’ by Sam Hargrave. reflects its social structures Priyanshu Painyuli on “I knew I had to The script has a clear vision for each character. and the issues it is grap - give it my all,” says pling with. I feel the research his prep to battle Thor the actor. To ensure that I do my best, I wanted to create a helped my character create in Netflix’s Extraction To play his backstory for the character more layers.” ‘Haven’t watched the show yet’ Stills from Capernaum and About Elly We track down the man of the moment, Ajay Jethi, who has got everyone talking about his hacker act in the latest season of Money Heist, to Spain Anything but conventional MOHAR BASU fessional hacker who helps rest of the cast.” [email protected] the Professor in his mission, Now that viewers have Straying off the beaten viewing path, Sayani Gupta the actor shot for the thriller taken notice, Jethi hopes his Who would have thought late last year. “I thought it’s a next casting call comes from recommends films from five different languages that an Indian actor, playing a Spanish show; I had no idea it Bollywood. Interestingly, he Pakistani hacker in a Spanish would be available in English is a distributor of hindi and show , would grab eyeballs subtitles and screened world- Punjabi films in Spain and Stay In-tertaIned at a time when the world is wide. on April 4 [when the lat - Portugal. “I distributed Kes- Where stars make your watch-list under lockdown? Actor Ajay est season dropped online], I ari, Bharat, War and Dabangg Jethi, who plays Shakir in the woke up to countless messages 3. I have a long-standing as - UMA RAMASUBRAMANIAN fourth season of the much from Indians and Pakistanis all sociation with Yash Raj Films [email protected] loved Money heist, is as sur- over the world. That’s when I and Zee Studios. I have done a prised as he is elated to find the understood the wide reach of few Punjabi movies, but now, I SaYaNI Gupta has had an ap - spotlight on him. We tracked the series.” want to explore hindi cinema. petite for films in different down the man of the moment, Ask him how he landed the Apne mulk mein kaam karne The production languages from an early Jethi—who has got everyone role, and Jethi says he had ka waqt aa gaya hai.” house and casting age. That’s why she talking about his hacker act previously collaborated with is spoilt for choice in Money heist—in Spain, he creator Alex Pina on a Warner directors were familiar when deciding throws a curveball as he can- Bros movie. “The production with my work. So, they films to watch didly mentions, “I don’t have house and casting direc- didn’t ask me to amid the lock- a TV, so I haven’t watched the tors were familiar with down. “Even show. But, a friend recently my work. So, they audition for the role. though people told me that I could watch it on didn’t ask me to au- I shot for my portions have different lives, my phone. So, I have down- dition for the role. I alone, and didn’t get a and the shows have loaded Netflix and hope to shot for my portions varied milieus, they can catch it soon.” alone, and didn’t get chance to meet the rest be relatable, because emo- Essaying the role of a pro - a chance to meet the of the cast tions are universal,” says the Four More Shots Please! actor, before listing binge-worthy projects in lebanese, Taiwan, Chinese, and Spanish, for peo- ple to indulge in. an Iranian film tops her list. “asghar Farhadi’s about Elly is a fabulous film. It’s a family dra- ma with a gripping plot. There’s also a heart-breaking lebanese movie called Capernaum, which won the Jury award at the Cannes Film Festival.” She also recommends the unassuming bring on the Night. “It was made by Vish - wesh Krishnamoorthy. Since it’s funny, it makes for great viewing in this scenario.” The Taiwanese offering, The Way- ward Cloud, also makes it to her list. “It’s an adult film, but is beautiful. There is also a show called Catch 22,” she says before signing off. sunday mid-day 33 19.04.2020 HAVE YOU HEARD? TELLY TATTLE Let them Sleeping it out THE Bigg Boss 13 contestant cook up a Sidharth Shukla recently en- gaged in a Q&A with fans on PLAYLIST Twitter. One fan asked if he If there’s one thing to listen to storm! helped around the house dur- this week, make it this ing the lockdown. Shukla replied, On Saturday, Sonam K Ahuja “Well, my mom didn’t like the Much like heartbreak, even a shared a note posted by sister way i did it [the chores] and pandemic inspires artistes to Rhea, in which the latter took pot- thought it would be better if she write songs. Here are three shots at those who judged others did the needful, so i am exempt- that we liked best, which are for their workout and cooking ed (sic).” The actor added that talking about the times we videos during the lockdown. “if for a greater part of the day he live in. people wanna work out during was doing this time, let them. if they want to what 1 bake and cook, let them. if people he does Level of Concern by Twenty wanna work from home nine-to- best— one pilots: “Wondering, five on Zoom, let them. Everyone, sleep- would you be, my little let’s just be kind, good-natured, ing. quarantine. Or is this the considerate and loving. We way it ends?” They later ask should only feel gratitude if we if you want to share their are safe and surrounded by fam- underground bunker, but ily. Some days, i feel productive, manage to say it all with other days, i want to just sleep. an upbeat tune. Aah, if the Some days, i’m wise enough to world has to end, then let it feel grateful for my family and my be with music like this. life; others, i’m petty and cranky. Let’s just make the world a better place (sic).” She added, “The last thing the world needs is negative energy because someone on your timeline went Live cutting their boyfriend’s hair and it didn’t sit well with you. if we all come out of this with a little more patience empathy, the world will be better for (sic).” Wonder what Farah Khan has to say about the post?

A MEDIA MARKETING INITIATIVE 2 Reliving the moments Six Feet Apart by Alec Be grateful Benjamin: “i have been AyuShmAnn Khurrana- breaking film that shaped Letsallhelp.org cares for missing the elements, and starrer Vicky Donor clocks me as an actor. it told Roop Durgapal feels privileged wishing the elephant in the eight years tomorrow. people about my intent the daily wage/ migrant to have a comfortable home room would kindly leave, The actor and director to do quirky cinema that and says that people should not and shut the door”—the Shoojit Sircar will mark the would stand out for its workers in Mumbai complain about being locked young singer-songwriter day by reliving moments content,” says Khurrana. indoors. “We should thank our tugs at our heartstrings with from the film on their The John Abraham- stars every single day as there this song about loneliness, social media handles. production also starred are so many out there, for whom and missing the ones we “There are many memories Annu Kapoor and Yami it is a luxury,” she posted on love. Sigh. attached to this taboo- gautam. instagram. The Balika Vadhu actor is spending her time 3 learning Marathi online. physical by Dua Lipa: She has become the dance icon we desperately need at this time. This song will make you jump with joy. And, if you are at home, do as she says, and get physical. But please use protection! Letsallhelp.org “Looking at a startup ven- the difficulties Aastha Atray Banan ture in the area being faced by of social impact the daily wage / Patch up on has been rais- migrant work- ing funds from ers, we felt that benevolent do- it was our duty the cards? nors and work- to help them YESTERDAY, Avantika Morani is back home ing tirelessly to and together malik shared a cryptic post support the people ren- we have gone all out to on instagram hinting at a KARim morani, who dered helpless on the face support them” said Pre- possible reconciliation with was diagnosed with of the lockdown so they mal Shah, Founder & estranged actor husband COViD-19, has been don’t have to migrate to Change Maker of the or- imran Khan. “i have decided discharged from hospital their villages or starve ganization. to stick with love, hate is after he tested negative. in the cities. The team at Letsallhelp.org encour- too great a burden to bear— “i am back home. The Letsallhelp.org has been ages people to make con- Martin Luther King Jr. Just medical warriors are able to mobilize over 50 tribution of the food and when i needed to believe in doing a fantastic job,” tons of food products and hygiene requirements of the purity of love, the universe the producer said. His have catered to the needs one person for one month. sends me a sign... magic (sic).” daughters, Shaza and of over 10,000 people They can make their con- it’s been over a year since the Zoa, who were also across the slums, shelters tribution by logging on two, who tied the knot in 2011, diagnosed with the virus, and old age homes across their web site www.let- have been living separately. were discharged earlier. Mumbai. sallhelp.org. SOUTH NARIMAN POINT KHAR (W) GOREGAON (E) G Insite Advertising Services G Ad Agents G Shark Advertising Pvt Ltd MUMBAI 440020554 26042543 / 8655008552 40035030 / 26863587 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] MARINE LINES G Kirti Agencies G Target Media CST 26047542 / 9819190739 8422849235 / 8692959648 G Samyak Media & Productions [email protected] [email protected] G Esbee Advertising 9821034656 / 22050530 Hello mid-day 99200 61605 / 77159 44443 [email protected] VILE PARLE (W) G Chanchal Arts 6831 4848 9820233671 / 022 49792317 [email protected] G G Samkit Advertising Rohit Ads [email protected] MIRA ROAD (E) KANJURMARG 9820094562 / 9820325509 FORT 9821074187 G G [email protected] [email protected] MALAD (W) Ashansi Advtg & Press Relation Sanjeevani Advertising Co G Supernet Advertising & Mktg 9833933502 9820378072 / 9819022449 9967061530 / 40075454 CHARNI ROAD (E) G Promserve Advertising G Bijal Advertising [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] 26281018 / 9167778766 9322265715 / 9820200555 G J B Enterprises [email protected] [email protected] G Sanwin Advertising MULUND (W) G Skyline Advertisers 9820361400 9987310049 / 9819738732 G Mad (India) Pvt Ltd 9820305598 [email protected] VILE PARLE (E) G Achievers Advertising [email protected] 9820659533 25912469 / 25682469 [email protected] G [email protected] G Khooshi Creations Gauri Press Communications [email protected] G Ad Plus G C V Thakkar Advertising Agent 9869000624 / 22425899 26176310 9322931003 G Synergy Advertising G Print Master [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] 9820052558 9029101801 / 8169644470 9820435286 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] GRANT ROAD (E) ANDHERI (W) G Hariom Advertising G 2812 4428 J K Advertisers G G Lokhandwala Advertising G Signature Advertising G Smite Publicize 9821170286 / 9821175699 Falak Advertising [email protected] 9821417305 26310995 28811012 / 9820489442 9821364422 / 9324811105 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] G Ms Advertising G G G 28160100 / 9769711727 Sunjeet Communications MUMBAI CENTRAL Carl Advertising Pvt Ltd URS Publicity G MPJ Advertising 40792222 / 40792204 9820323369 9224428435 / 9869463650 [email protected] 25917575 sunjeetcommunications@ G Azad Publicity [email protected] adsuport_advg@rediffmail. [email protected] gmail.com 9821204061 com G Heer Publicity [email protected] G HD Creatives 28551931 / 9820212498 THANE G I-max Communication P. LTD. 9821214292 G Popular Advertising [email protected] G Unique Publicity 9769247454 / 66340828 G Modern Publicity Service [email protected] 9820666285 / 9821194048 [email protected] 67311000 / 66743004 [email protected] 9820368537 / 9869663898 VASAI (W) G Zoya Creation [email protected] [email protected] G MASJID (W) 9833364551 / 9820199918 KANDIVALI (W) Sugo Advertising 9822029226 G Good Luck G [email protected] G Arihant Advertising G Ganesh Advertisers Riddhi Arts [email protected] 9702249107 9821146594 G 28626679 / 28627468 [email protected] 9819994826 Panther Advertising [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] 9223425907 G Ascent Media Solutions G Millennium Advt Agency [email protected] G 9967041451 G Focus Advertising Vikson Advertising Agency 25378934 G Gautam Advertising 28645005 / 28644004 [email protected] 23427667 022 4022 8844 / 4923 8855 G Saksham Media Pvt Ltd [email protected] [email protected] himanshu@viksonadvertising. [email protected] 26251458 com VIRAR (W) [email protected] G Surabhi Advertising P Ltd G Mirchi Ad World 9820093683 G S Arts Advertising LOWER PAREL G Pranav Publicity G Castle Studio Pvt. Ltd. 9769666909 [email protected] 9867615899 G Ezipp International 98337 27371 / 98673 01966 42759999 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] 9320209000 / 66551111 [email protected] G Abhishek Advertising Agency [email protected] 9867589839 / 9820035016 G BORIVALI (W) SNM Advertising ANDHERI (E) CENTRAL [email protected] 9322722310 / 23429531 G Assured Media G Jeet Advertising Agency G Anuja Media Works [email protected] 9769247454 / 66340828 28989990 / 28861432 PAREL KALYAN [email protected] 9820063935 [email protected] G Kamdar Publicity Service [email protected] G Aaryan Advertising G Pawan Publicity 9819398855 G 0251-2200291 / 9223370070 DADAR (W) G Shah Publicity 9870011876 / 9320111876 [email protected] M Ads 9930898946 / 47 [email protected] [email protected] G B Y Padhye Publicity Pvt Ltd 9819072072 [email protected] SANDHURST ROAD 24229241 / 24220445 [email protected] MATUNGA (CR) [email protected] G Express Advtg Service HARBOUR G Creative Ads Advtg G Ventures Advertising Pvt. Ltd. 9820401077 / 9820401039 G Preview Ads & Design 9221555545 G Stylus Arts 9324875951 / 61226023 [email protected] 9820809477 CHEMBUR [email protected] 9322262213 [email protected] [email protected] G [email protected] G Kokisha Advertising Press Wings Advertising MAZGAON G Zodiac Advertisers 9820200500 KURLA (W) 9892047323 9322241222 [email protected] [email protected] G Pinto Advertising WESTERN [email protected] G Aarzoo Advertising G 9869040181 G Tender Advertisers 9920689841 Ok Sir Advertising [email protected] JOGESHWARI (W) 9821112796 [email protected] 90040 55777 / 98204 07663 MATUNGA ROAD (W) [email protected] [email protected] G P V Advertisers BYCULLA (W) G Time Advertising GHATKOPAR (E) 2676888 / 26768899 VASHI 8976181891 / 24466191 G Sarvodaya Advertising G Safa Creations [email protected] G [email protected] 9699888986 Marisha Communique G S Kumar Publicity 9820796804 [email protected] 9820069670 9820189848 G Techno-Krats Enterprises [email protected] BANDRA [email protected] [email protected] 9892706193 G Mahavir Advertising G G Taj Publicity Service G Yash Ad Agency [email protected] 9322229808 G Kparth Publicity Ronak Advertising 9892011371 [email protected] 9819116116 27894628/ 67912527 9322256961 / 9699578999 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] GOREGAON (W) [email protected] G Superage Advertising Pvt Ltd BORIVALI (E) G Siba Ads And Communications G G Two Star Advertising Service G Sunways Advertising 28734788 / 9167234788 G Smit Advertising 2789 2555 / 90294 38610 9821325247 Falcon Multimedia Pvt Ltd [email protected] 9594074078 / 9820587770 [email protected] 9833226461 9821038260 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] G Rahul Advertising G Adresult Services 9820200044 CURREY ROAD G Kee Media 9820843623 DAHISAR (W) VIKHROLI [email protected] 98204 25612 / 022 6556 0660 [email protected] G Manjyot Ads G G [email protected] G Kenia Ad Agency Sadguru Advertising Pvt. Ltd. LA Publicize 9820460262 28905993 / 28925993 61286128 98207 39670 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] sunday mid-day 35 19.04.2020 TIMEPASS ZAL Cyrus Daruwala weekly astro APARNA BOSE [email protected]

IF IT’S YOUR SCORPIO BIRTHDAY OCT 23 – NOV 21 THIS WEEK See the truth for what Handling ups and down it is, and move forward will be relatively easy, accordingly. money matters need to be handled carefully, and problems should especially if you are juggling ease out as long as investments or making new they are dealt with investments. intelligently. Money Health tip: Taking care of matters might be at yourself does not mean the forefront, and you you are being selish or should take a look neglecting responsibilities. at investments and spending habits. KILLER SUDOKU MiD DOKU TAURUS APRIL 20 – MAY 20 Step back and work out Health tip: The quality of your strategy before getting air you breathe impacts SAGITTARIUS your health. This includes into a meeting or possible NOV 22 – DEC 21 confrontation with your boss or staying away from any authority igure. cigarettes. Follow established protocol, PISCES and put in you very best if FEB 19 – MARCH 20 you are dealing with any Self-employed ALL ABOUT TAURUS situation that involves professionals might want competing with others. to look at how they handle The second sign of the zodiac, Taurus is trustworthy, Learn from the past, and their business from a usually ambitious (especially when it comes to money), let it go. diferent perspective. and honest. Though they have a strong internal drive, Health tip: Stay away from Health tip: Tired muscles they sometimes have trouble respecting and following anything that triggers might need a little extra authority, especially when the ‘rules’ don’t make logical (a allergic reactions (e.g. dust, WHAT TO DO Fill each emply cell with a digit from 1-9, ensuring that no digit is repeated in any stretching. favourite Taurean word) sense. cigarette smoke, or certain row, column or 3x3 square. perfumes).

WORDSEARCH Poker Find the listed items in the grid. They may read horizontally, vertically or diagonally, either backwards of forwards.

ACE DrAW monEy AnTE FLop pAIr BET FLuSH rIvEr ARIES CANCER VIRGO CAPRICORN BLuFF FoLD SHuFFLE MARCH 21 – APRIL 19 JUNE 21 – JULY 22 AUG 23 – SEPT 22 DEC 22 – JAN 19 CALL FuLL HouSE STAKES A practical and traditional Learning on the job, and Going back to the Look at situations CArDS GAmE STrAIGHT approach to handling learning quickly may past, especially if it is through the lens of the CHIp HAnD THrEE oF A KInD situations will bring be the need of the hour. a past friendship or lessons they have, rather DEAL KICKEr Turn success. Some Arians may Handle competitive relationship would not than fairness or ease in want to re-evaluate their colleagues intelligently, be a good idea. This is a handling them. maintain social life. without getting aggressive. positive time for those your focus, and keep your MID-DAY QUIZ WE HAVEN’T Health tip: maintain Health tip: pay attention in family business. goals in mind. a consistent exercise to how stress afects Health tip: Do not Health tip: Get another The answers to the following in 1789, Spain in 1936 and A CLUE routine that works for you. your mood. Try not to get neglect exercise, opinion, or change your questions begin with the Jamaica in 1720? It need not be anything yourself into complicated especially if it is physician if you are not A initial letter of each question: What term is familiarly complicated that requires situations that cause physiotherapy that you getting any relief from an Example: A One of these a applied to the university fancy equipment. unnecessary stress. need to do regularly. ongoing protocol. day proverbially keeps the where one received one’s doctor away Answer: Apple education? C Who played the role of Dr O Who was appointed Beverly Hofstader on The Big Speaker of the Lok Sabha in Bang Theory? June 2019? H Which famous play is set in M What is the SI unit of Elsinore Castle? length? A What word best describes A Which dinosaur is a political situation common considered to be the largest We really don’t have to England in 1647, France land animal ever known? any clues for this GEMINI LEO LIBRA AQUARIUS MAY 21 – JUNE 20 JULY 23 – AUG 22 SEPT 23 – OCT 22 JAN 20 – FEB 18 crossword! All the TEA-TIME TEASER answers are seven-letter Choosing from the This is a positive time for Find the balance that Extra responsibilities words in common usage. options should not be property matters, but you do works for you, given your may keep you busier than A-town and B-town are two villages connected by a bridge There are no two-word a rushed process. need to take decisive action. circumstances instead you would like to be, and spanning a river. At the end of a war, the occupying forces Evaluate the pros and overindulging might leave of stressing because you handling stress levels is an phrases or hyphenated words. installed a sentry in the middle of the bridge to prevent the cons. Fulill family you feeling miserable the can’t achieve everything important key to success. We’ve given you inhabitants of A-town and B-town from visiting each other. All responsibilities. next morning. you want. Singles looking for an a few letters to get means of transport having been requisitioned, the only access Health tip: Drink water Health tip: make small, Health tip: make time to arranged match are in a from village to village is by foot/the bridge, which would take you started. at regular intervals. For sustainable but important detach and relax for a few positive phase. 10 minutes. The sentry is under strict orders to come out of his example, not drinking changes in your diet, minutes at regular intervals Health tip: Listen to your bunker every 5 minutes, and send anyone trying to cross back to enough water the whole especially if you are on the throughout the day. Set a instincts and your body if his own village, if necessary by force of arms. michael in A-town day, and then inishing a borderline or beyond of any reminder on your phone if you feel you need to make is desperate to visit his girlfriend in B-town. Is there a way? whole litre in the evening. chronic health issue. you need to. any lifestyle changes. sunday mid-day 36 19.04.2020 TIMEPASS twitter.com/sundaymidday | facebook.com/middayindia | instagram.com/sundaymidday

GREEN HUMOUR Rohan Chakravarty bridge HEMA DEORA [email protected]

THE TRUTH IS EXPOSED Dealer: South Vulnerable: East-West North BOLLYWOOD CROSSWORD CLASSIC CROSSWORD Yazad Dotivala «42 Yazad Dotivala ACROSS DOWN ª83 1 Lower limb 1 Psychedelic drug West ©7643 East 4 Italian lake 2 Equated Monthly «AJ8 ¨AKQJ7 «K7653 8 Burn slowly Installment in short ª1076 ªJ953 10 British Prime 3 Idle talk ©K1085 South ©J9 Minister 1874- 4 Dressed ¨984 «Q109 ¨106 1880 5 Lyric poems ªAKQ4 11 Tearjerker (3,5) 6 Turn a solid into liquid ©AQ2 14 A threshing tool? 7 Birds with black and ¨532 17 Roaring yellow plumage The bidding planetary sign? 9 Famous mountain range 18 Puts up with in Russia West North East South regardless 12 Fishing machine 1NT 19 Rapidity 13 Skywalker mentor P 2¨ P 2ª 21 Airline-Selected 14 Apartment P 4ª P P Equip. 15 Luxuriant in growth P 22 Unit of magnetic 16 The New World induction 19 Guide vessel 23 Frighten, harass 20 Wrote, put down on Contract: 4ª or intimidate paper? Opening lead: ©5 27 Insinuation 24 Organic compound With tears in their eyes 30 US legislature 25 She looks just the same Walked under the blazing 31 Oh well! coming back skies 32 Distance 26 Harbor boats Measuring 28 Mil. award Immigrants of a virus forced Equip. 29 Sugar suix ? upon them With no clue of returning for SOLUTIONS what and when.

ACROSS DOWN WHEN dummy came down, 1. “Ulfat mein zamane ki har rasm 1. Mein ne poocha __ __ ki dekha truth was exposed. South ko thukarao ... “ movie __ Girl (4) hai kahin....from Abdullah realised his partner needed 3. Music director duo, Jatin ___ (5) (5,2) to visit an ophthalmologist 6. ___ twist karen, jaag utha 2. ___ ja re badra ....from Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar (3) as he had mixed Diamonds mausam....from Bhoot Bangla with the Hearts. (3) 3. What a movie makes when it 7. __ rabba meri jaan bachale, fas fails at the box oice? (4) South clenched and gayee dil ke rog mein...from 4. ______aaj suhani raat unclenched his fingers as if Tirangaa (3) naino se kisike nain mile.... to make sure that they were 8. Dev Anand’s ___ Naqli (4) from Aashiq (2,4,5,2) working properly and could

10. Mission ___ : Apoorva Lakhia’s 5. Taj Mahal for one ? (4) be relied on to do a good CROSSWORD

CROSSWORD

release starring Abhishek 9. “Kanoon” of Bollywood (3) CLUE A job of strangling. He finally

CLASSIC CLASSIC BOLLYWOOD BOLLYWOOD Bachchan, Sunil Shetty, Vivek 10. Ajnabi mujhko __ __ ....from HAVEN’T WE knuckled down and tried to Oberoi and Zayyed Khan (8) Pyar To Hona Hi Tha (4,4) 11. __ __ tarah yaadein dil se make the contract. 12. Aye aasmaa tu bada meharba, takarati hai toofan uthati hai South apparently had aaj tujhko bhi ___ khilayenge ....sang Kishore Kumar in 10 tricks; three hearts, two hum....from Ujala (5) Nishaan (7,2) diamonds and five clubs. 13. Hum intezaar karenge, hum 13. Deep Tijori’s __ __ and Harry In order to retain trump intezaar karenge __ ___ tak (3,4) khuda kare ke ....from Bahu control he cleverly led ª4 14. Shonali Bose’s big little ilm of Begam (4,7) from hand at trick one. If 2005 (3) 16. Na __ na ___ na ___ re dagabaaz defenders attack spades, he 15. Shreyas ___ acted as a could ruff the third round in tori batiya na ___ re ...from reluctant sub-inspector Dinkar Ganga Jamuna (same word Waghmare in Aagey Se Right the dummy. Other wise, he multiple times) (4) (7) could win any return, draw 18. Action comedy Padmashree __ 17. Pre-1960 Hindi movies “__ Dil” trumps and run the clubs

Prasad Yadav (5) or “ __ Khatoon” (3) in peace. WORDSEARCH DOKU MID 19. Written in red ___: most 20. Looie shama __ ooie, le SUDOKU KILLER His partner apologised memorable (3) ja pyar jarasa de ja pyar for his blunder but while

20. Title song: ___ teri yaad mein..... jara sa looie shama ___.... and, seeing Michael running back, ordered him to return to B-town. to return to him ordered back, running Michael seeing and, loosening his tightly tied tie

(7) sang NitinMukesh and round and started running back towards A-town. The sentry emerged emerged sentry The A-town. towards back running started and round Argentinosaurus

A he whispered, ‘well played’.

22. ....kya bole ___ maa kya bole __ LataMangeshkar in Kranti his bunker. Timing his progress, he walked for 5 minutes. He then turued turued then He minutes. 5 for walked he progress, his Timing bunker. his Metre, Birla, Om Mater, Alma M O

maa.....from Bahurani (3) (1981) (same word) (3) A Michael set out for B-town as soon as he saw the sentry disappear into into disappear sentry the saw he as soon as B-town for out set Michael Anarchy, Hamlet, Baranski, Christine A H

23. O mitwa sun mitwa tujhko __ __ 21. Baithe hain __ guzar par dil ka C ‘We are all immigrants, some

TEA-TIME TEASER TEA-TIME __ __ dharti apni hai apna ambar diya jalaye .... Asha Bhosle in QUIZ MiD-DAY people have hai re ...from Lagaan (3,3,3,2) Forty Days (3) forgotten that.’ 37 sunday mid-day 19.04.2020 No sleep lost for Rohit! Star Indian opener won’t be affected over not being among Wisden’s five cricketers of the year despite splendid World Cup show; kudos from teammates matters the most

as if everything in their country is hunky dory. how many Indi- ans are given space in foreign publications or electronic me- dia to question events in those straight drive countries? It is understandable SUNIL GAVASKAR to get a different perspective occasionally but we have been The inevitable has sadly hap- tour Australia after the T20 brainwashed to gobble up even pened. The BCCI had to post - World Cup. Will the ICC ask Aus - rubbish as the gospel for dec- pone IPL 2020 till further no - tralia and India to swap the T20 ades and the sooner that stops, tice. earlier, the Tokyo Olympic World Cups as India is to host it the better. Games which were to be held in next year? One may argue that Steve July were also postponed to next Smith was chosen as Cricketer year while the All england Ten - IPL possibilities of the Year in an earlier year and nis Championship aka Wimble- If that is proposed, India would so does not qualify for his per- don which was to be held June want to hold the IPL before formances last year. This once end to early July was cancelled. that and postpone the Asia again confirms that the second All the football leagues in eu - Cup to November-end which best or lower performances get rope and england are at a stand - weather-wise would be a much the nod. Remember also that a still too so after waiting for some better time to play in the UAe. player could get thousands of good news about the pandemic All conjecture at the moment runs and hundreds of wickets curve flattening which didn’t and hopefully, the picture will but if that has not happened come, the BCCI had no option be clearer in the next month in england then he still won’t but to take the call to suspend or so. be in the list of five since only the IPL. Meanwhile, much debate performances in england are Subsequently, there have took place about the non-in- taken into account. Since that been unconfirmed reports of the clusion of Rohit Sharma in has been the case for so long, Sri Lanka cricket board offering an england-based and published why should anyone even give to host the event and specula - Annual five cricketers of the the list and the publication any tion galore about when year. Firstly, let’s get one thing importance since it rates only a slot can be found, clear: Rohit is not going to lose what happens in england. but all that is far too sleep over his exclusion. All that premature at the he and the others in the Indian Getting nostalgic moment. The most team are concerned about is This enforced break has also important thing is winning games for the country meant that there is a lot of time for all of us to take and getting those delightful for nostalgia and many old vid- care and follow the thumps on the back and hair eos are being shown and seen. instructions to en- ruffled by teammates in appre- hopefully, the internet genera- sure that the virus ciation of their effort. That’s the tion that thinks cricket started doesn’t get the sweetest and only compliment in the 1990s might do a rethink legs to keep run- that any cricketer wants. after seeing these videos. ning and destroy Any other compliment, praise This period has also meant lives. The ICC is or even criticism doesn’t really some cricketers have started understandably matter. So, make no mistake it their own YouTube programmes worried about the won’t matter to Rohit. he knows to entertain their fans. Some T20 World Cup to be he gave his everything to the In- have used it for more self played in Australia dian team in their pursuit of the promotion and some to give from mid-October World Cup. You win some, you gyaan to others. So, requests with reports surfacing lose some. We in India are so keep coming in to join with that the country might hungry for foreign appreciation them to relive the old times and extend its lockdown till despite being independent for talk about how time is spent in the end of the year. over 70 years and so unnecessar- the current self-containment sit- If that happens ily give too much importance to uation. It’s not easy which ones and conditions in In- the opinions of non-Indians. We to accept and which to reject. dia improve, the IPL even give front-page headlines I enjoyed the one I did with could be held during to some foreign magazine which Ramiz Raja as we get along the time India was to comes up with its lists of the 10 very well but what I enjoyed most handsome or beautiful or even more was Shoaib Akhtar’s whatever even when it has only superb comeback about my We in India are so hungry for foreign appreciation their country’s people in it and snowfall in Lahore comment. A despite being independent for over 70 years. We does not have a single Indian. We fast bowler with a sense of hu- unnecessarily give too much importance to the also give space in our media to mour. Wow, love that! opinions of non-Indians foreigners to take pot shots at us Professional Management Group sunday mid-day 38 19.04.2020 SPORTS twitter.com/sundaymidday | facebook.com/middayindia | instagram.com/sundaymidday NSF AUTONOMY MUST BE MAINTAINED: RIJIJU

NEW DELHI: Sports Minister Nothing like blasts from the past Kiren Rijiju said in a statement on Saturday that the National Sports Code Mumbai’s India all-rounder Shivam Dube must be ad- watches Team India’s 2007 World T20 hered to and autonomy and 2011 World Cup wins to maintain of Nation- al Sports competitive mindset during lockdown Federa- tions (NSFs) should be protected at Kiren Rijiju all cost. Rijiju’s statement comes after it recently emerged that- In dian Olympic Association Pres- ident Narinder Batra alleged interference by the ministry in the functioning of NSFs. “While reviewing the critical sporting activities, the autono- mous functioning of the NSFs All-rounder Shivam Dube (right) with father Rajesh, mother Madhuri must be maintained at any cost. and sister Pooja at their Andheri East residence on Saturday Adherence to National Sports SUBODH MAYURE featured in 13 T20Is and one Code and Good Governance in [email protected] ODI.Dube is working hard NSFs are cornerstones of trans- on his fitness at his Andheri parency and fairness in all its BINGE watching has become East home. He was part of the conducts,” said Rijiju. the most common activity Royal Challengers Bangalore IANS in the Coronavirus-forced team in the last IPL, where lockdown. Mumbai’s India he scored 40 runs in four all-rounder Shivam Dube is no games. He was looking for- JWALA WANTS BABITA TO different than the rest but his ward to playing the IPL again choice is rather unusual. but it has been indefinitely TAKE BACK HER WORDS Dube, 26, who was drafted suspended. in the Indian team in place “I am missing everything NEW DELHI: Former India bad- of injured Hardik Pandya (In- of the IPL. It’s difficult but we minton player Jwala Gutta dia v Bangladesh T20I series don’t have a choice. We have to called for wrestler-turned poli- in November 2019), has been stay home and fight the virus,” tician Babita Phogat to take back watching India’s World Cup remarked Dube. But there are her statement on the spread of title campaigns spearheaded positives: “I am with my family Coronavirus in India. by MS Dhoni, for motivation. after a long time, so I am help- “Sorry babita I don’t think India lifted the inaugural ing my mother, father and sister this virus sees race or reli- World T20 trophy in 2007 and as much as I can with house- gion..I request you to take back the 50-over World Cup in 2011. hold chores. I sometimes help ur statement ...we are sport- “To keep my mindset healthy, I my mother with cooking and spersons who represented our am watching India’s two World cleaning. This also helps in great nation which is secular Cup titles. They inspire me and bonding.” and so beautiful...when we win provide me a pathway for what all these people have celebrated I can do for my country in the us and our wins as their own!!” future. It keeps me motivated,” I’m with my family after Jwala said. Jwala also stuck Dube told Sunday mid-day on a long time, so I am helping around to answer a number Saturday. my mother, father and of abusive trolls that came in “I watched the 2011 ODI reply to her tweet to Babita, World Cup final many times sister as much as I can which itself was made in reply because I am confident In- with household chores. I to the former wrestler’s vid- dia can do it again [in 2023]. I sometimes assist my eo defending her contentious also watched the T20 World tweet. Babita’s tweet in which Cup games several times. I mother with cooking and she said that India’s biggest wor- think India are the best team cleaning. This also helps ry above Coronavirus remains in any format. I am sure we in bonding “ignorant jamaatis” had led to a can win these two World Cups significant backlash online with again,” said Dube, who has Shivam Dube, India all-rounder Shivam Dube celebrates his 50 during the second T20I v WI at Thiruvananthapuram last December. PIC/AFP many calling for her handle to be suspended. IANS Team India is #TeamMaskForce ‘Srinath didn’t get the credit he deserved’ MAN CITY STAR DE BRUYNE JOHANNESBURG: Javagal Srinath ia had Glenn NEW DELHI: Featuring India’s today we are going to create spearheaded India’s pace attack McGrath and most revered cricketers such a bigger team, Team Mask RECOVERING FROM ILLNESS in the 90s with aplomb but Brett Lee. as Virat Kohli and Sachin Ten- Force,” Indian captain Kohli former South African seam - You now dulkar, the BCCI has created a said in the video. Doing his LONDON: Kevin De Bruyne is re- er Shaun Pollock believes the have James new video to promote wear- bit, Tendulkar said, “Come covering from an illness, but the Indian never got the credit he Anderson ing masks in public places. on India, make masks and Manchester City star says he is deserved. and Stuart The ‘Team Mask Force’ has become part of mask force. not sure if he had Coronavirus. Srinath played 67 Tests and Broad in this been created to spread aware- And remember to wash hands De Bruyne 229 ODIs between 1991 and era.” Shaun Pollock ness about wearing masks in for 20 seconds and maintain and his fam- 2003, taking 236 and 315 wickets Pollock, public places. social distancing.” The vid- ily felt ill for respectively. “I thought India’s who snapped over 400 Test “TeamIndia is now #Team- eo has messages from BCCI around two Javagal Srinath didn’t get the wickets and amassed more than MaskForce! Join #India- president Sourav Gangu- weeks, but the credit he deserved,” Pollock said Former India pacer Javagal Srinath 3,700 Test runs in 108 Tests, said FightsCorona and download ly, Smriti Mandhana, Rohit Belgian inter- during a Sky Sports podcast dis - during the 2003 World Cup one bowler who left an indelible @mygovindia’s @SetuAarog- Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, national did cussion with former West Indies binations like Wasim Akram and mark on him early in his career ya mobile application Mobile Harmanpreet Kaur, Viren- not find out fast bowler Michael Holding and Waqar Younis for Pakistan and was West Indian pace great Mal - phone,” the BCCI tweeted. der Sehwag, Rahul Dravid whether or not it was the virus. England’s Stuart Broad. Curtly Ambrose and Courtney com Marshall. “Being a part of India team and Mithali Raj. “I am doing well, to be honest,” “In my era, you had great com - Walsh for West Indies. Austral - PTI is a matter of great pride. But PTI De Bruyne told Sky Sports. sunday mid-day 39 19.04.2020 CLOSE OF PLAY Birthday begins early Justin, Kate step for Maria in to save Detroit MAJOR League Baseball (MLB) and reached out to learn how MLB star Verlander star Justin Verlander and his we could help,” Justin, who and supermodel supermodel wife Kate Upton was with Detroit Tigers for on Friday stepped in to help 13 seasons before joining wife help police, Detroit fight the pandemic Houston Astros in 2017, wrote after positive cases increased on Instagram. paramedics and to nearly 30,000 in Michigan. In his lengthy post, Justin RUSSIAN tennis beauty There were 546 deaths explained how through part- Maria Sharapova turns 33 on fire fighters to recorded in the region. nerships, the couple managed Sunday, but the celebrations tackle Coronavirus “@kateupton and I have been to provide 25,000 masks for have already begun for the following the #COVID19 the Detroit Police Depart- David and daughter Indi former World No. 1. spread in Michigan and are ment, face shields for every On Saturday, she shared heartbroken for Detroit, a police officer, paramedic and this picture (above) of a city so close to our hearts. fire fighter. Touchless ther- dance to Sheila ki jawani cake with her four million We’ve especially seen the mometers were given to cops. Instagram followers and impact on the Detroit Safe delivery of food was con- SYDNEY: Australian cricketer wood hottie Katrina Kaif’s captioned it: “This little piece Police Department ducted for those on the David Warner is making the blockbuster song Sheila ki of cake goodness arrived at front line like health- most of the forced break by jawani. In the video that the our doorstep this morning care workers and first spending quality time with his Australian batsman shared, he [happy early birthday to responders. family at home as the cricket is seen shaking a leg with his meeee] and didn’t make it world is at a standstill due to daughter, who is wearing an past noon. Originally known the Coronavirus outbreak. Indian dress. “Indi has asked to as a German tree cake, the On Saturday, David shared also do one for you guys! Please Japanese got some skin in a TikTok video in which he is help me someone,” David cap- the game and crafted sever- dancing with his daughter Indi tioned the video. al versions of their (a screengrab above) to Bolly- IANS own. It’s one of my favourite morning coffee in- Ashleigh paints to beat boredom dulgences. Thank you, MELBOURNE: In order to Yutaka!!” stave off boredom during the self-isolation period because of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, Australia woman cricketer Ashleigh Gardner, 23, has taken up painting. Ashleigh, who was part of the T20 World Cup-winning Australian side in March, has turned her hand to the indig- enous style of dot painting. “I Ashleigh Gardner with one of her said to my mum that I’m go- creations. PIC/IANS ing to need a hobby because I know how easily bored I get is in my blood. It’s pretty cool and I thought why not paint- that people even like my work ing,” Ashleigh was quoted as to be honest,” added Ashleigh, saying by ESPNCricinfo. who has created pieces for her “Having an aboriginal back- friends, including Mel Jones, ground, I have a connection Moises Henriques and Nicole with that and people have said Bolton. while I’m not a natural artist it IANS Has Athiya made her relationship with cricketer KL Rahul oicial? BOLLYWOOD three actor heart Athiya emojis. Shetty seems Rahul’s to friend have Hardik found Pandya the perfect - daycommented: to “Hay,” make while her tennis rela tionship withstar IndiaSania cricketerMirza wrote:KL “Awee” Rahul officialalong on with social two mediaheart as emojis. he turned Rumours 28 about on them Saturday. seeing She sharedeach thisother picturebegan (left)last year after with her the 2.3 cricketer- million posted Instagram an adora followers alongble picture, with a recreating white a scene heart emojiof and Athiya’swrote: dad“Happy Suneil Shetty’s birthday, myfilm, person.Hera @rahulkl.”Pheri and captioned To which, it: Rahul“Hello, repliedDevi Prasad?” with Postal Registration Number MCE/262/2015-2017

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