Mumbai Daily

The sun is soft and the tree leaves rustle in the breeze. Senior citizens occupying the newly erected benches soak in the balmy weather even as carefree children prance around. Mothers, mostly burqa-clad, and lathi-wielding watchmen keep eagles’ eyes on the buoyant boys lest they pluck the blooming flowers.

One has never seen the BMC owned Padmakar Tukarama Mane Garden at Nagpada in such fine fettle. Ever since the garden opened in its new avatar recently, the footfall has increased. From the high gate to its manicured lawns, from the paved path to the open children’s recreation and women’s exercise zones, every facility in the garden is irresistibly usable. “It was a garden no doubt and many facilities like swings and study centre were there, but they needed to be revamped. I could do it because the garden management cooperated,” said local corporator Rais Shaikh, who initiated the redevelopment.


Before local NGO Educational and Welfare Foundation (EWF) adopted it in 2005—the BMC had begun adoption of sick public gardens then—this place used to be a den of druggies and anti-social elements. “We banished the druggies and put in many facilities. However, Rais Shaikh has done a commendable job by getting it transformed,” says EWF’s president Aziz Makki.

Activist and member of the foundation’s executive committee, Farid Ahmed Khan, grew up in Nagpada. “I know how shabby the garden was. This is the biggest open place in this densely-populated area, where people live in 10X15ft chawl rooms and don’t have proper open spaces to spend time in. This garden’s redevelopment was badly needed,” says Khan.

Perhaps the biggest draw at the 1.5-acre garden is its domeshaped botanical garden named after Bi Amma, mother of Ali Brothers (Khilafat Movement leaders and freedom fighters Maulana Mohammed Ali and Shaukat Ali). The entrance to the dome carries a plaque with Bi Amma’s short biography. Mahatma Gandhi was among those who admired her courage and role in the Khilafat and noncooperation movements of the 1920s. The slogan ‘Boli Amma Mohammed Ali ki, jaan dedo Khilafat pe beta (Mohammed Ali’s mother said son, give your life for Khilafat)’ had galvanised thousands in those turbulent times. A board here justifiably carries this evocative slogan, which is a tribute to the feisty Bi Amma, who had not only sent her two sons to Aligarh for higher studies, but also worked for India’s freedom.


GREEN GREEN GRASS OF OWN: P T Mane Garden, associated with the freedom struggle, has received a richly-deserved upgrade

TWO’S COMPANY, FIVE’S CROWD: This two-wheeler in Thane did not have a licence plate too, How to balance scooter while driving

Rap music aficionados who want to take their passion to the next level have a reason to cheer now, thanks to the Mumbai University’s initiative to launch a dedicated course in hip-hop studies, beginning the academic year 2019-20. Officials have said “Introduction to hiphop Studies” will be the first such varsity-level course in the entire Asia.


A special curriculum has been designed for this course, which is established under the department of communication and journalism.

“Considering the popularity of hip-hop as study material, the university administration has decided to introduce a certificate course from this academic year only,” Mumbai University spokesman Liladhar Bansod said on Saturday.

An underground music movement that originated on the streets of New York several decades ago, hip-hop metamorphosed into a sub-culture while arriving in India.

The genre, which encapsulates art, music, dance, literature, identity, style and politics, returned to the limelight again after Zoya Akhtar’s film ‘Gully Boy’ hit the screens.

“This first-ever course in Asian countries will be undertaken... A special curriculum (Introduction to Hip-Hop Studies) has been designed for this purpose,” said course coordinator professor Yatindra Ingle. Initially, the three-month certificate course will be offered to students after class 12.

“MU is planning to offer a diploma and a master's degree in subsequent batches,” Ingle said, adding that students will have to pay Rs 5000 as academic fee for the entire course. 

2,000 boxes of Alphonsos at APMC create a record for Feb

2,000 boxes of Alphonsos at APMC create a record for Feb

The APMC yard at Vashi on Saturday received a record quantity of Alphonso mangoes for February. As many as 2, 005 boxes (4 to 6 dozen per box) of Konkan Alphonso hit the wholesale market. Traders said that in the last 15 years, mango arrivals on Saturday were a record. That’s more than twice the quantity of last year. On this day, last year’s supply was just 1, 000 boxes. Also, 850 boxes of Karnataka mangoes reached the city. Prices in the wholesale market were between Rs 2,000 and Rs 5,000 per box. The premium quality fetched between Rs 3, 000 and 5, 000 a box. Sanjay Pansare, a former APMC director and mango trader, said, “The reason for bumper supplies is good flowering in October with ideal weather.”

BMC’s hard blow to tender coconut sellers: Dispose of husk and shells on your own

Mohd Shafi, one of the city’s biggest coconut wholesalers, is a worried man, as are the sugarcane juice sellers

In a city high on the cocaine of concrete, one of the few things that are still natural and salubrious is the tender coconut. But this ubiquitous Rs 50 thirst-quencher is suddenly facing a peril.


Last month, the city’s municipal corporation issued a letter to all tender coconut vendors that they will have to make their own arrangements to dispose of the empty shells as the civic staff will no longer pick them up. The move comes as an ongoing followup to the 2016 environment ministry notification on solid waste management which requires segregation of organic waste at source. While bulk generators and housing societies have already begun the process, coconut sellers and sugarcane juice stalls are now next in line to be reminded of their role in the grand garbage game.

“We have no idea what to do,” says Warden Road-based vendor Aboobaker Kutty. “While back home in Mallapuram (Kerala) the coconut shell is of immense value, a city devoid of green parks, gardens and farms has little use for the fertile compost that this generates,” he says. Adds another vendor, “In Kerala, people line up to pick up the coconut shells and even pay for them because they are so useful as fuel and as fertilizer. Here, we have no idea what to do with the debris. Even if we buy a machine to compost the shells, we have to first dry them as they have such a high water content and then shred them. Where is space? Every inch comes with a cost.”


Mohd Shafi, one of the city’s biggest coconut wholesalers, is a worried man, as are the sugarcane juice sellers

Scientists: Coconut shells have great value, need space and process to use them

Every day, around three to four lakh tender coconuts enter the city in the early hours, and a complex distribution network disseminates them to some 2,000 street vendors and 5,000-6,000 home delivery folk. The bulk of the produce comes from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, and some from coastal Maharashtra and Gujarat, according to Mohammed Shafi, one of the city’s biggest coconut wholesalers. Although most of the big vendors in the city are still from Kerala, the supply does not in fact come from their state. “The plantation owners of Kerala have figured that they are better off selling the dry brown coconut, where the fibre and shell have multiple lucrative uses,” says Kutty. “Besides, there is no labour left in Kerala. Most of the younger generation is too educated to be climbing trees. They have become doctors and engineers.”

At the heart of this issue, which impacts all bulk generators of organic waste, is the absence of information as well as logistical connectivity between a civic body grappling with overflowing landfills, waste generators such as coconut and sugarcane sellers, and the end-users of fertile compost. With fewer and fewer green spaces left in the city, there is very little scope for using the compost.

In contrast, Jaishree Goyal, a waste management expert in Delhi, who has nudged several big temples in the national capital to compost their massive floral waste, says, “Farmers from all around Delhi come and happily pick up the rich fertilizer on a regular basis.”

While finding space for the storage and dessication of the shells is an issue, the actual content of the shells is immensely valuable—far beyond its simple use as a fertilizer. In fact, it has industrial potential.

A group of scientists and industrialists have already been working on the breakup of the coconut shell to avail of its healthy properties. Aniruddha Pandit, dean, Institute of Chemical Technology, says, “The inner shell of the tender coconut is of great value. We have been working on gathering these shells and pyrolizing (heating in the absence of oxygen) them to get three products—a gas which can be used like LPG, a solid material called biochar which is an absorbent for the purification of drugs as it takes in impurities, and a bio-oil which has many useful chemicals.” Pandit hopes that agro-chemical companies will take this up and create a win-win situation for all the parties concerned.

What is needed is for them to form a cooperative and get the municipal authorities to give them some space, says a chemical engineer and industrialist, also working on the project.

But the ‘s’ word is the biggest challenge. Vishwas Shankarwar, the deputy municipal commissioner in charge of solid waste, says the civic body’s trucks will continue to pick up the shells for a while until the coconut sellers find some solution.

“If we do not get any help, the only thing that is natural and healthy in Mumbai will simply stop,” says Kutty. “As it is we had to raise the price after they banned plastic straws and we had to move to the more expensive paper straws.” Kutty’s stall has been around for more than 50 years and he says that even though he can happily retire, he cannot get away from his coconuts. Pointing to a painted signboard on top of his stall, he says, “My father was right when he came up with this: ‘A coconut a day keeps the doctor away!’ It is little wonder that you will always find several tender coconut vendors outside every hospital. If coconuts stop, there will simply be more patients in Mumbai.” His young nephew, now a mechanical engineer, says even he finds himself drawn to the family trade, and adds with a smile that like most things good, the humble tender coconut will surely survive even as plastic and concrete creep over the world.

In the name of the cat



What do football legends and cats have in common? My family’s devotion I suppose.

I remember my Nani’s cat, a regular alley kind, grey, lean with the most startling eyes who decided to adopt her! One day, it was just there. Occasionally, it would leave a mouse or two for the folks to find so Nani was very pleased.


I was fascinated by it too but the problem was it would come and go as it pleased and didn’t like being held. So, the next time the milk saucer was being topped, I was right beside Nani as she called out in her strong Pahari accent, “Aaa Maradona”.

“Nani! It’s Madonna, the pop star. There is no Maradona. You are pronouncing it all wrong.”

While she sagely nodded, I pitched in to help by screaming my lungs out for Madonna.

My Mama (maternal uncle) materialised with furrowed brows and a scowl from his room. He hissed, “It’s Maradona!”

“Huh?”

“Maradona! The footballer!”

So began my education and I discovered that if Madonna was popular, Maradona was legendary. Our feline lived up to the reputation of its namesake by its sheer agility and ability to scrape out of any tight corner.

The story does not end there.

On my next visit the following year, I belted out “Maradona” in my highest pitch to draw out the cat. I was immediately corrected by my other Mama.

“Maradona ran away. It’s Platini now.”

“Who is Platini?”

“A football legend and our cat of course.”

For many years any cat that became a part of the household was always either a Maradona or a Platini. Pele, Ronaldo, Zidane scarcely left an impression, at least on the real decision maker that was Nani, for she steadfastly refused to name the cats after them.

Even today as the football frenzy of the World Cup begins, inspired teams and their players debated upon, for us it will always be Maradona and Platini, who rule the roost in our football-crazy family.

EXPERT TALK

Q. Is neutering of dogs and cats recommended for home pets?

Shalini Mehta, Mumbai Neutering reduces aggressive behaviour in cats and dogs. it’s also important to control unwanted kittens or puppies or strays in our country. There are no significant health or behaviour adverse affects in neutered pets.

—Dr Umesh Kallahalli is a well-known vet

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