<h2>Smile, OK, Please!&nbsp;</h2>
<p>Two girls pose for a photo at the selfie point set up in front of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus</p>
<h2>Love thy locals</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2023/jun/Online-dating_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>A recent survey by a dating app reveals how people new to the city are starting to depend on dating apps, not just to find love, but to navigate like a pro local. &ldquo;Jugaad is one of the hot new trends on QuackQuack. Twenty three percent of the two lakh recently added users are new to the city. Among them, 12 per cent of users [four percent female, eight per cent male] have used our app to find matches from their present location and not for dating alone. They ask for advice on the best Metro route, time when traffic is the worst, local eateries, and real estate. Users mention &lsquo;New to Mumbai&rsquo; in their bios, and match with four to five people in the first week. It&rsquo;s good to see our app being used to its full potential,&rdquo; shared founder Ravi Mittal.</p>
<h2>A Ghibli-esque Mumbai</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2023/jun/Dharavi-ko_e.jpg" alt="An imagined version of the lanes of Dharavi; (right) a romanticised everyday scenario at Juhu beach" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>An imagined version of the lanes of Dharavi; (right) a romanticised everyday scenario at Juhu beach</em></strong></p>
<p>Like this diarist, any fan of Studio Ghibli films would immediately recognise the style of scenes animated by video creator, Priyanku Sarmah. Yes, the scenes shared below from Mumbai. The Shillong resident Sarmah, moved to the city in 2017, and fell in love with it. &ldquo;I had seen such animated versions of different cities. So, I thought about making one for Mumbai.</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2023/jun/Priyanku-Sarmah_e.jpg" alt="Priyanku Sarmah" width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>Priyanku Sarmah</em></strong></p>
<p>Being a fan of Studio Ghibli, I took inspiration from their beautiful animation,&rdquo; he said. He added, &ldquo;Because of the city&rsquo;s diverse landscape, I had to decide what to include and what to leave out.&rdquo; It took him almost a week to compile the video that he created on Photoshop. &ldquo;Getting the right look was tough because everyone has a different version of Mumbai in their head. While it may not look like the actual city, I tried to be as true to it as possible.&rdquo;</p>
<h2>Italian soiree makes way to Thane</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2023/jun/Hotel-Interiors_e.jpg" alt="The interiors of the restaurant with an Olympic-sized pool by the side" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>The interiors of the restaurant with an Olympic-sized pool by the side</em></strong></p>
<p>Discerning foodies from Thane who had to otherwise trek into the city or western suburbs for authentic Italian fare now have reason to smile. This diarist has learnt that Vivi Italian Kitchen and Bar that recently opened its doors, has been getting rave reviews already. Located at The Thane Club, this casual Italian dining space has a menu that includes authentic wood-fired pizzas and hand-made pastas. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s an opportunity to serve delicious Italian dishes with great artisanal cocktails. We want to introduce flavours of the Sicilian and Amalfi coasts into our fare, be it the Neapolitan, thin crust varieties or hand-stretched dough balls,&rdquo; founder Niketa Sharma (right), told us.</p>
<h2>Raja Kumari jams with Dharavi&rsquo;s talent</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2023/jun/Rajakumari-TDDP_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>Singer and rapper Raja Kumari (in white below) recently visited the talents of the School of HipHop started by The Dharavi Dream Project (TDDP). Dolly Rateshwar, founder, TDDP, told us, &ldquo;We had been trying to get Raja Kumari to come to the school for a long time but could not carry out our plan because of the lockdown. We reached out to her earlier this month when we got to know that she was in Goa, and was planning to come to Mumbai.&rdquo; After spending quality time with the students, the artiste also held a rap and lyrics writing workshop. &ldquo;She was keen to listen to their stories and jammed with them. She also donated necessary equipment like speakers and mics to the school,&rdquo; Rateshwar revealed.</p>
<h2>Tuning into the physical tech</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2023/jun/Prarthana-Mitra_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>City-based NGO Point of View is bringing back their three-month long Digital Everyday course for a second edition. &ldquo;We live in a hybrid world now, where the digital and the socio-technical have become increasingly important, shared project anchor Prarthana Mitra (right). The course, which begins on August 16, is designed to explore the relationship between human bodies and technologies based on diverse experiences to inform social justice. Course co-designer, Nishant Shah (left) told us, &ldquo;This course begins with care as the beginning of learning and looks at digital features to not only bring out new information but also to train people in new ways of learning.&rdquo; In this age of AI, it might be the smart way to go forward. Those interested would do well to apply on site before July 23.</p>

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

Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

Smile, OK, Please!

Love thy locals

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