<h2>Freedom to dream</h2>
<p>A man naps using the support of the 1857 Rashtriya Swatantrya Sangram Smruti memorial near one of <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/mumbai-how-csmts-26-british-era-heritage-clocks-are-kept-ticking-23304684" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">CSMT</a> subway entrances</p>
<h2>Early Christmas</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2023/nov/Postcard-a_e.jpg" alt="A postcard sent by a participant during a previous swap" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>A postcard sent by a participant during a previous swap</em></strong></p>
<p>In an attempt to keep the joy of exchanging postcards on <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sunday-mid-day/article/santas-karaoke-23262201" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">Christmas</a> alive, city-based Anushka Sawarkar and Bengaluru&rsquo;s Anamica Jain are hosting a global exchange of postcards, the registration for which began yesterday. &ldquo;This is our fifth year of hosting the exchange. It&rsquo;s just like secret Santa, but with postcards,&rdquo; the duo told this diarist. &ldquo;We have over 500 participants across the globe enrolling for this every year. A lot of people participate because they have never written or received a postcard before. We don&rsquo;t charge any fee for this because this is something we love,&rdquo; they added. The registration will be open for the next five days. So, what are we waiting for? Christmas? Log on to @anushka.postcards for more details.</p>
<h2>Little hearts beat for Hanging Gardens</h2>
<p>We know the future is in good hands, when you read something like this. Those following the Hanging Gardens imbroglio will be aware of resistance to a proposal to cut at least 389 trees for a new water reservoir at the Malabar Hill green space. Now resident Ishay Dalal, all of five years old, has written a letter to authorities, and is hoping to reach Prime Minister Narendra Modi to save his beloved Hanging Gardens. His letter reads:</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2023/nov/Ishay-Dalal-2_e.jpg" alt="Ishay Dalal has made a poster for the cause with his dinosaur Drogo" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>&lsquo;Hi, I&rsquo;m Ishay and I&rsquo;m 5! Hanging Gardens is super-duper amazing! It&rsquo;s like a magical jungle with flowers and trees that touch the sky. There are birds, butterflies, and even secret places where I pretend to be a treasure hunter. My ma said they want to cut it down for &lsquo;in-fras-truck-shoor&rsquo; but I think that&rsquo;s not cool. Hanging Gardens is where I have picnics with my dinosaur Drogo, where we eat lollipops and cheese puffs. The flowers there smell like candy, and the trees give hugs when I try to climb them.</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2023/nov/Ishay-Dalal-1_e.jpg" alt="Ishay Dalal has made a poster for the cause with his dinosaur Drogo" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Ishay Dalal has made a poster for the cause with his dinosaur Drogo</em></strong></p>
<p>I feel like I live in a tree house because my home towers over this jungle. Please, please Mr Prime Minister, don&rsquo;t let them take my enchanted forest away. I need it to have adventures and make memories. We can build &lsquo;in-fras-truck-shoor&rsquo; somewhere else, right? Hanging Gardens is my treasure, and I want to keep it. Thank you for reading my letter. I believe you are our country&rsquo;s super-hero and you can save the day!&rsquo;</p>
<p>The letter is signed by the young crusader, with high-fives and bear hugs. Like Dalal, our little green warrior says, let us rethink &lsquo;in-fras-truck-shoor&rsquo; that comes at the cost of our green spaces.</p>
<h2>SOI&rsquo;s desi sojourn in the UK</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2023/nov/Zakir-Hussain-oo_e.jpg" alt="(From left) Zakir Hussain on tabla, Niladri Kumar on sitar and Rakesh Chaurasia on basuri at a previous show" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>(From left) Zakir Hussain on tabla, Niladri Kumar on sitar and Rakesh Chaurasia on basuri at a previous show</em></strong></p>
<p>After the Symphony Orchestra of India&rsquo;s (SOI) recent Autumn 2023 season, they have announced their second UK tour schedule for this month-end. Speaking about the orchestra&rsquo;s return to the UK after its 2019 maiden tour, Khushroo N Suntook (right), co-founder of SOI and chairman of the National Centre for the Performing Arts shared, &ldquo;The 2019 tour was a successful one due to the excellence of the orchestra and stalwarts including Zakir Hussain, who joins us again for this tour.&rdquo; The tour will witness Hussain&rsquo;s Triple Concerto alongside Niladri Kumar and Rakesh Chaurasia.</p>
<h2>Adam on a plate</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2023/nov/Dessert-painting_e.jpg" alt="The dessert is plated in a frame" width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>The dessert is plated in a frame</em></strong></p>
<p>Bandra&rsquo;s Nava has retired their Starry Night painted dessert for another ambitious plate that recreates Michelangelo&rsquo;s The Creation of Adam. The dessert, dressed with persimmon and passionfruit sponge cake, mousse and candied fruit, is hand-painted with cr&egrave;me anglaise.</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2023/nov/Akash-Despande_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re using seasonal fruits, so now it&rsquo;s made with muskmelon till persimmons are in season,&rdquo; said Akash Deshpande (right), chef de cuisine. This is introduced with a new food menu, and cocktail list inspired by famous artistes. Pastry chef Freya Pinto has been practising the detailed brushstrokes for two months to master the edible artwork.</p>

The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce

Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

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Early Christmas

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