<h2>Meet the Underdog</h2>
<p>A stray naps in a narrow cove below the parapet on Marine Drive&rsquo;s promenade.</p>
<h2>Bombay to Barcelona, via Bandra</h2>
<p><img title="The cafe space in the institute; (right) the collection of books in the library. Pic Courtesy/Facebook" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/jun/dos-twetny-three-june-b_e.jpg" alt="The cafe space in the institute; (right) the collection of books in the library. Pic Courtesy/Facebook" width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>The cafe space in the institute; (right) the collection of books in the library. Pic Courtesy/Facebook</em></strong></p>
<p>The college canteen can be more than just a place to chill, it can be the origin of inspiration. For students of Bandra&rsquo;s St Paul&rsquo;s Institute of Communication Education, their new canteen space by the venture Bombay to Barcelona might prove to be just that. &ldquo;We are fortunate that founder Amin Sheikh thought of us for their second outlet. We still don&rsquo;t know if it will be a permanent venue. We certainly hope it will be so,&rdquo; shared Carol Andrade, dean of the institute. The venue opened earlier this month after Sheikh offered to set up a canteen for its students. &ldquo;The concept is well-known to everyone. It is a trendy little eatery that is manned by former street children taken in by the NGO Snehasadan; the staff are so committed and impressive in the art of service,&rdquo; Andrade shared. The Bandra caf&eacute; doffs a hat to one of Sheikh&rsquo;s &ndash; he is currently in Spain &ndash; loves &mdash; books. &ldquo;The library has popular books from Yuval Noah Harari&rsquo;s Sapiens, to Hillary Mantel&rsquo;s Wolf Hall and the Game of Thrones. It is very charming,&rdquo; Andrade told this diarist.&nbsp;</p>
<p><img title=" Carol Andrade " src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/jun/dos-twetny-three-june-c_e.jpg" alt=" Carol Andrade " width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>Carol Andrade&nbsp;</em></strong></p>
<h2>Penning new ideas in Thane</h2>
<p><img title="A view of the interiors of the new space in the Thane neighbourhood" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/jun/dos-twetny-three-june-d_e.jpg" alt="A view of the interiors of the new space in the Thane neighbourhood" width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>A view of the interiors of the new space in the Thane neighbourhood</em></strong></p>
<p>The art of penmanship has become more exclusive than ever. The new Pen Lounge in Pokharan 2, Thane looks to change that. &ldquo;It is a high-end boutique for luxury pens, not a walk-in store that opened last week,&rdquo; founder Vikrant Mahadane told us. &ldquo;We [Mahadane and co-founder Deepak Mejari] are trying to give people a feel of high-end fine writing instruments,&rdquo; Mahadane added. For chief guest Yashwant Pitkar, the space was about the joy of meeting new pens. The architect has been a serious collector of fountain pens since his youth. &ldquo;It is a different experience to take out a fountain pen, fill ink, and write. It is almost a meditative action. Even the ink bottles that people often think are just bottles; there is an art to their shape,&rdquo; he elaborated. Remarking that his Pelican Sailor Mont Blancs still hold a place of pride in his library, Pitkar shared, &ldquo;If there is an event for pens in India, I will be there. I love talking about pens.&rdquo; &nbsp;</p>
<p><img title="Vikrant Mahadane and Yashwant Pitkar" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/jun/dos-twetny-three-june-e_e.jpg" alt="Vikrant Mahadane and Yashwant Pitkar" width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>Vikrant Mahadane and Yashwant Pitkar</em></strong></p>
<h2>Catching a break</h2>
<p><img title="Bgirl BarB (left) performs a flip " src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/jun/dos-twetny-three-june-g_e.jpg" alt="Bgirl BarB (left) performs a flip " width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>Bgirl BarB (left) performs a flip&nbsp;</em></strong></p>
<p>The BRICS Games 2024 saw three Mumbai-based artistes take centrestage last weekend. Arif Chowdhary, Ramesh Yadav, and Siddhi Tambe put their best foot forward in the breakdance category at the games in Kazan, Russia. &ldquo;Being part of the BRICS Games is an honour and a testament to the growing recognition of b-boying as a sport. It&rsquo;s about coming together and celebrating our shared passion for dance and athleticism,&rdquo; shared Tambe AKA Bgirl BarB. Over a call, Yadav AKA Bboy Tornado revealed that he is in no mood for a break any time soon. &ldquo;I will be at the national finals of the Red Bull BC One competition in Bengaluru next month. I hope to win, and make my way to the world finals in Brazil in December,&rdquo; he told us. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Cloud cover for gelato</h2>
<p><img title="Cloud cover for gelato" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/jun/dos-twetny-three-june-f_e.jpg" alt="Cloud cover for gelato" width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>Cloud cover for gelato</em></strong></p>
<p>If you thought you had struggles with overheads, talk to restaurateurs in Mumbai. The latest one to fall victim to rising operational costs is Bandra&rsquo;s The Gelato Bar. The outlet opened a year ago with its offering of a wide variety of Italian-style gelatos in the heart of Pali Hill. Now, founder Rachi Gupta confirmed that the outlet will function as a cloud kitchen-only space from July. &ldquo;The operation costs i.e. rent, electricity, maintenance added to the cost of ingredients made it difficult. While we had a steady stream of customers, our location in Pali Hill made it difficult for us to find our voice and reach out to new customers,&rdquo; she added. The Bandra outlet will join the brand&rsquo;s Chembur and Marine Lines spaces as a cloud kitchen.</p>

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Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

Meet the Underdog

Bombay to Barcelona, via Bandra

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