Mumbai Diary: Sunday Dossier

Making memoriesA bunch of young friends spend a fun morning at Bandra FortTwo cricketing gems 55 years apartSenior cricket writer Vijay Lokapally was quick to throw a bit of history in the mix on Twitter after Virat Kohli lit up the Melbourne Cricket Ground against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup last Sunday Particularly impressed by Kohlirsquos treatment of Pakistanrsquos Haris Rauf Lokapally pointed to similar brilliance from MAK Pataudi in the 196768 Test in MelbourneMAK Pataudi PicGetty ImagesOur inhouse cricket nut was curious to find out who could have been at the iconic venue in 1967 as well as the other night He found onemdash Melbournebased Ken Jacobs mdashwhose father Bill was a popular administrator and manager of teamsPataudi scored 75 and 85 in that Test match against a top Aussie bowling attack led by Graham McKenzie ldquoI was amazed by his Pataudirsquos batting and what great skill and courage he had as a playerrdquo recalled Jacobs who watched Pataudi then as a 15yearold ladVirat Kohli PicAFPThe Australian felt Kohlirsquos steady growth in confidence played a big role in producing a performance that will be talked about for a long time just like Pataudirsquos Seventyfive and 85 were scored on one leg the other one was injured and with one eye 1961 car accident but couldnrsquot prevent an Australian victorySir Don Bradman enjoyed Pataudirsquos innings as well and told the departed India captain that he would have loved to play like that Serious kudos Meanwhile wersquoll wait for Kohli to tell us someday which cricket legendrsquos praise he valued the most for his epic 82 not outBon appetitRahul Akerkar and Niketa SharmaInteresting things are happening in Bombayrsquos FampB scene Chef Rahul Akerkar the man behind Indigo and Qualia is opening a new restaurant Without divulging more details he told this diarist that it will be in Worli We have to wait and see what it will offer Meanwhile Genelia and Ritesh Deshmukh who launched Imagine Meats a vegan alternative for meat last year are now collaborating with Niketa Sharma of Keish Hospitality The latter is opening a cafe in Bandra called Bloom and it will see Chef Rahul Desai present a plantbased vegan and ketofriendly menu made using products from Imagine Meats Expect PlantBased Keema Pav French Onion Chicken Leg alongside Pearl Barley Risotto KetoFriendly Falafel Wrap among other options The concept says restaurateur Sharma came from her own struggles ldquoI have been dealing with insulin resistance thyroid and gluten intolerance for a while Due to this I switched to a keto glutenfree and milletbased diet Itrsquos while on this healthconscious journey that I came up with the concept of Bloomrdquo she saysBandrarsquos lsquoStone Agersquo seats turn 120If yoursquove passed by Bandra Bandstand it would be hard not to miss the recentlyrenovated traffic islandmdashon the intersection of Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Road HK Bhaba Road and Pereira Roadmdashwhich boasts of an installation of the retired Indian Navy Sea Harrier airplane Hidden or rather overshadowed by this fine Naval craft are two stone seats that now lie in a state of ruin and this year turn 120 years old Local history enthusiast Debasish Chakraverty who first tipped off this diarist about the condition of the seats calls them the ldquoByramjee Seatsrdquo ldquoAlong with lsquoBomonjeersquos Stepsrsquo these seats are perhaps Bandrarsquos least known heritage monumentsrdquo he says Architecturally both the seats are quite unique one of which has a pair of tall and decorative columns instead of armrests and plaques with inscriptions in Gujarati and English that read ldquoThe Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Road This SeaSide road from St Andrewrsquos Church to the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Point was constructed at the cost of the Honourable Mr Byramjee Jeejeebhoy CSI who died on the 12th September 1890 These seats are erected in his memory in 1902rdquo Jeejeebhoy was a leading 19th century Parsi businessman and philanthropist who founded several educational and medical institutions in India including The Byramjee Jeejeebhoy College the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Parsee Charitable Institution in Mumbai and Chakraverty says his bungalow was right next to Bandra fort ldquoFollowing the restoration of the traffic island the seats seem to have sunk further below and thatrsquos such a pityrdquo he says We hope the cityrsquos heritage keepers and administration alike take an interest in restoring this piece of Bombayrsquos historyWhen sitar sounds filled White HouseMusician Rishab Rikhiram Sharma had a smashing Diwali The sitar player and music producer played at the White Housersquos very first Diwali party last week ldquoBecause of vicepresident Kamala Harris there is a lot of racial and cultural representation in the White House Someone from the team discovered me and attended a gig of mine I think they didnrsquot know much because they asked me if I could stand and play the sitar I wasnrsquot very keen in the beginning because my guru is Pandit Ravi Shankar and I am representing that legacy and have to present the art form in the right way I said I need a proper stage and sound system In the end the experience was surreal It was an honour because now Diwali is being taken seriously in the Westrdquo the musician told us from London For now he has a new track dropping from his new album Navras Way to go