<h2>Bald and the beautiful</h2>
<p>Two foreigners walk past a couple posing for a photoshoot near Gateway of India at Apollo Bunder.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Furry therapy friends in deed</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2023/dec/Pet-therapy_e.jpg" alt="Students interact with the therapy dogs " width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Students interact with the therapy dogs</em></strong></p>
<p>Nothing puts a smile on the face of this diarist like a furry friend. So, we were glad to learn that IIT Bombay hosted a session with therapy dogs ahead of their placement season a week ago. &ldquo;It is a stressful time for students on the campus, and the institution invited them to help students escape their stress,&rdquo; shared Gayatri Ayyer, co-founder of Pawsitive Synergies. With seven dogs accompanied by three psychologists, the group hosted a week-long session. &ldquo;At first, students were hesitant. Some of them shared that they had a fear of dogs, but we encouraged them with some simple exercises and suggestions. Soon, they relaxed and started to enjoy it,&rdquo; she said.</p>
<h2>Sounds like Christmas</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2023/dec/Lights-Bandra_e.jpg" alt="Convent Street in Christmas mode in Bandra" width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>Convent Street in Christmas mode in Bandra</em></strong></p>
<p>This is the season of giving, and Bandra is turning up in full force. Actor Shahriyar Atai has been busy with a series of concerts across the neighbourhood. Dressed as an elf, the Grinch, and even a young Santa Claus, the actor has already done three charity shows this week.</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2023/dec/Atai-performance_e.jpg" alt="Shahriyar Atai performs during a previous concert" width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>Shahriyar Atai performs during a previous concert</em></strong></p>
<p>&ldquo;It is all about spreading the festive cheer. I sang a parody carol on the condition of Bandra&rsquo;s streets. All part of the fun,&rdquo; he shared, noting that all proceeds go to charity. With The Sassy Songbirds, Doc Jarvis and other artistes involved, the event at Convent Street earlier this week saw a full house.</p>
<h2>Building sustainable futures</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2023/dec/Sudipta-Dhruva-a_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>With every passing day, there is a need to educate the future about sustainability. For the last three months, Sudipta Dhruva&rsquo;s The School Chameleons Program has been in conversation with over 350 schools across Mumbai, trying to understand new ideas for conservation that have found their way into practical education. &ldquo;We realised that a lot of schools have done work in line with the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs). If these lessons are shared, they could help others,&rdquo; Dhruva (below) revealed. Initiatives included ideas on plastic integration, water conservation, or even simple self-care such as a water bell to remind students and teachers to hydrate themselves. The programme concluded with a finale in Ghatkopar earlier this week, &ldquo;We had identified roughly six SDGs on which schools submitted their stories. This was a teacher/principal programme but was interesting to students as well,&rdquo; she said.</p>
<h2>Spilling verses into the new year</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2023/dec/Daaniyal_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>In the age of Instagrammable verses and instant lyrics, seven years can seem a long time for any community of poets. The city-based Spill Poetry group will celebrate the achievement with an open mic session this weekend. &ldquo;Usually, we have a quiet celebration, but it feels special this time,&rdquo; revealed co-founder Syed Mohammed Zaidi AKA Daaniyal (inset). While open mics remain a regular practice, he said the future will see them focus on building a community. &ldquo;There are a lot of platforms, but few communities that encourage and mentor poets. We hope to do that through our activities,&rdquo; he told this diarist.</p>
<h2>That&rsquo;s how we roll</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2023/dec/Children-skateboarding_e.jpg" alt="Children at the school with their boards" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Children at the school with their boards</em></strong></p>
<p>With their first-ever skateboarding session launched earlier this week, you will now find students at The Dharavi Dream Project having fun with their new wheels. &ldquo;While hip-hop is about music, skateboarding is an extended part of the genre,&rdquo; Dolly Rateshwar, co-founder of the hip-hop school, told this diarist. Even though the school always wanted to have skateboarding as a subject, they lacked the infrastructure or boards till now. The inauguration was attended by famous city-based hip-hop personalities, including MC Altaf, D&rsquo;Evil, Mooz and Mihir Joshi. &ldquo;We will have two weekly sessions; in the school and the second one on Sunday at a skateboarding park in Dharavi,&rdquo; shared Rateshwar.</p>

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Mumbai Diary: Friday Dossier

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