Mumbai Diary: Saturday Dossier

Sea it to believe itEven the statue of a mermaid dons a mask during the lockdown at Marine Drive on Friday PicBipin KokateWhat we look for in lockdownThe way our lives have changed after the lockdown reflects not just offline but online as well A popular search engine released the results of a study named Search in the lockdown yesterday exactly one month after the country was effectively shut down It showed that Coronaviusrelated searches had jumped a whopping 497 per cent in the past 30 days with people scrambling for information online Kanika Kapoor was the most searched celebrity toppling the likes of Priyanka Chopra and Katrina Kaif after she tested positive for the virus Amitabh Bachchan and Rajinikanth who have been advocating the need to stay at home were the mostsearched male celebrities and the recipe for Dalgona coffee trended not just across the world but in India tooGet set mangoMessages of alarm and advice some wellmeaning and some fake are being exchanged furiously on WhatsApp groups these days as the lockdown gets prolonged These days information is more about where you get what and who is delivering what As it turns out groups of people have been keen to order boxes of mangoes In fact a certain SoBo community chat saw at least 40 persons adding themselves to a long WhatsApp list of those who want mangoes A tempo carrying the requisite boxes ordered by residents arrived recently with frantic chats about where the vehicle was parked etc After that it was about laying hands on the boxes as the chat changed to Tempo arrived go and collect It got this diarist thinking that the saffron fruit certainly earns the epithet of the kingA splash of colour for charityHeres your chance to lend a helping hand during this pandemic even as you snap up a treasured work of art Online auction house Saffronart will put 52 artworks by Indian and Southeast Asian painters under the hammer on April 29 and 30 with the proceeds being donated to three NGOS mdash Goonj Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action and Stree Mukti Sanghatana mdash which are trying to help those worst affected Its a noreserve online fundraiser that has come together because of the generous contributions of several artists gallerists collectors and connoisseurs in the industry We hope to see the community rally for the cause and help those most affected by the crisis rebuild their lives Minal and Dinesh Vazirani the firms cofounders told this diaristTake a paws for fun with caninesThe lockdown has confined not just human beings to their homes but pets too And an online platform for dog accessories called Lana Paws has now made a video that shows female owners having a gala time with their canine children Vidha Shukla founder of the firm told this diarist We were watching a trend across social media of pet owners having fun with their dogs during the global lockdown and decided that we too would send out positive vibes during this stressful time So we thought of putting together a video that features dog mommies dancing with their pets to the tune of Kudi nu nachne de from the movie Angrezi Medium Log on to Lana Pawss Instagram page to check the fun video outThe jury is out for this prizeAruni Kashyap and Leela SamsonThe JCB Prize for Literature is one of the biggest homegrown accolades for authors and the organisers have released the list of names for the jury for this years edition The panel will be chaired by Bharatanatyam legend author and former chairperson of Sangeet Natak Akademi Leela Samson The other names on it are writertranslator Aruni Kashyap professor cultural theorist and author Tejaswini Niranjana playwright and director Ramu Ramanathan and Deepika Sorabjee head of the arts and culture portfolio at Tata Trusts Collectively they will announce a longlist of 10 titles on September 1 Later a shortlist of five books will be announced on September 25 with each of the authors receiving 1 lakh The actual ceremony will take place on November 7 where the winner of the 25lakh prize will be declared Speaking about the jury Samson said This initiative has presented us with an amazing opportunity to award the most reflective imaginative and persuasive piece of contemporary fiction writing in India We hope that the prize will encourage readers to look at Indias vast literary culture with renewed excitementCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news