Mumbai Diary: Tuesday Dossier

Starting out youngA reflection of our times these toddlers are mirroring their grownupsrsquo obsession with technology at Azad MaidanChamp waited to say his goodbye to BidenChamp with the US President on his return Pic Courtesyschultzinit TheOvalPawfficeAnybody whorsquos cared for a dog would believe in their special connection with humans Which is why when news that Champ the 13yearold German Shepherd and First Dog of US President Joe Biden and wife Jill had crossed over the rainbow bridge came in the outpouring of messages on fan accounts on social media was overwhelming A particularly moving frame was posted by TheOvalPawffice which could have possibly been one of the last of the President with Champ after he returned from his Europe tour It was posted on June 18 and the senior dog passed on the following day almost as if he waited for that one last pawfect reunion with his longtime buddy In the post fellow First Dog the younger Major speaks of their beautiful bond and over decadelong friendship Wersquore sure Champ must be catching up with old friend and former First Dog President Obamarsquos Bo who left the family in early MayTherersquos a new deli in SoBoAfter an eerie silence in the past few months itrsquos good to see the FampB scene buzzing Take for instance the new Smoke House Deli 20 outpost thatrsquos opening in Colaba ldquoItrsquos a beautiful part of SoBo with an oldworld charm So itrsquos natural that an artfully imaginative brand like ours should find a home hereThe outpostrsquos whimsical visual narratives mdash lovingly illustrated on our walls by Priya Dali mdash are as delicious as our menu Among the new additions is a charcuterie section filled with housecured meats and sausages alongside vegan and ketofriendly dishesrdquo business head Jaydeep Mukherjee revealedJust what Chembur kneadsA young baker is whipping up a storm in the eastern suburbs After months of RampD 22yearold chef Rachi Gupta is launching The Bread Bar a cafeacutecumbakehouse in Chembur today bringing foodies in the area artisanal breads pastries desserts sandwiches and snacks inspired by her travels And since delivery is now the norm shersquoll also ship her treats across Mumbai ldquoWhen I returned to India after working in Spain and France it was disappointing to note the lack of options for great sandwiches coffee and tea in Chembur and its neighbouring suburbs The Bread Bar is a labour of love where I hope to make handmade artisanal breads inspired from boulangeries across the world more accessible to Mumbaikarsrdquoshared GuptaBack to childhoodWith the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya CSMVS celebrating its centenary next year the Childrenrsquos Museum thatrsquos housed inside is undertaking a Memory Project In the run up to its launch the museum is calling upon adults to reflect back on their childhood and send in an essay about it ldquoApart from being a centre where wersquore engaging with kids itrsquos important for the Childrenrsquos Museum to have a repository of the idea of childhood and how it has evolved over the years For instance little kids living through this pandemic will have a very different notion of childhood as opposed to slightly older children or young adults For us itrsquos important to factor in an intergenerational viewpointrdquo shared Vaidehi Savnal assistant curator international relations and incharge education inset ldquoWersquore looking for a childhood connect mdash the kind of games they played how much focus was on studies how they spent their free time and the likesrdquo she added Interested Write to memoryprojectcsmvsin by July 31What are these hornbills eatingIndian Grey Hornbills feed on food scraps in Malabar Hill Pic CourtesyDarshan KhatauThe Indian Grey Hornbill Ocyceros Birostris is one of the few species in the Subcontinent that can be spotted in urban areas like Mumbai Although their diet according to wildlife conservationist Darshan Khatau includes ficus fruits molluscs insects reptiles and small birds the Malabar Hill resident has spotted them feeding on roti and bread scraps and processed food or farsan He even shared a click of a few Indian Grey Hornbills pecking at such foods on a window grill adjacent to his buildingDarshan KhatauldquoThere are concerns of rapid urbanisation these birds getting accustomed to processed or fried food and scraps picked from trash may be harmful as itrsquos not their natural diet In 2018 the authorities had warned people to stop feeding savoury snacks to seagulls on Marine Drive Unfortunately the Wildlife Protection Act doesnrsquot have a specific mention of feeding birds savoury snacksrdquo he said He added that the need of the hour is to also educate people mdash who think feeding birds such foods is good karma mdash that it does more harm than good