Mumbai Diary: Sunday Dossier

Colour cuts the greyFriends enjoy the inclement weather at Marine DriveWhere is LailaThe poster that has been circulated regarding the missing dogWe first heard about Laila the Mall Dog from dog trainer Niti Mehtarsquos Instagram page An Indie stray Laila was known for being an unofficial resident of an upmarket city mall with the online community celebrating the fact that she was allowed to rest and relax freely there and mall visitors loved interacting with the friendly pooch In a worrying update we learn that Laila has been missing since May 21 apparently removed by two men She has been reported seen at Vashi after that Considering the animalfriendly aura of the mallrsquos owners we really hope all efforts are put into finding Laila and prayers go out that she is safe and unharmedA lsquosweetrsquo win for IndiaPooja Dhingra with the La Liste awardIn A proud moment for Indiarsquos culinary scene chef and entrepreneur Pooja Dhingra has been awarded the Pastry Game Changer Award 2025 by La Liste the global restaurant and pastry ranking platform Dhingra is the first Indian mdash and notably the first female chef mdash to receive this prestigious honour For Dhingra this recognition is more than a personal win ldquoItrsquos a win for every young girl who dreams of doing something differentrdquo she says Known for bringing Frenchstyle patisserie to India with a homegrown sensibility Dhingrarsquos journey has been marked by persistence reinvention and a deep love for her craft ldquoWhen you face doubts failures and hard moments just put your head down and keep showing uprdquo she says ldquoSometimes that belief smells like vanilla and butter mdash and leads straight to joyrdquo With this award Dhingrarsquos influence now goes beyond her kitchen inspiring a new generation to dream big bake bold and change the gameCommon Man cometh backThe Common Man is in place again stoic amid the hustle and bustle of the city PICASHISH RAJERelocation could well be the catchword for Mumbai which is in perpetual ldquodevelopmentrdquo It didnrsquot spare the hugely popular Common Man creation of legendary cartoonist the late RK Laxman either as Worli Seaface underwent changes but we noticed the other day that the Common Man was being reinstalled at the new Worli Seaface promenade Usha Laxman the cartoonistrsquos daughterinlaw said ldquoI am happy after all this is the Common Man and if lakhs of other lsquocommon men and womenrsquo travelling on wheels cars or heels walking can look at him then that is only a good thingrdquo Never underestimate the power of a common manBradman Pele Best when Engineer was in big companyFarokh Engineer rings the bell at the start of play in the fourth EnglandAustralia Test at Old Trafford in July 2023 PicGetty ImagesSo Farokh Engineer is interviewed by the Daily Telegraph in the United Kingdom recently and in the twopage spread the 87yearold India wicketkeeperbatsman as usual comes up with something that borders on the incredible Engineer tells his interviewer that football legend Pele once visited his home in Lancashire the county Engineer played for That he was close to departed football icon George Best was eyecatching too Talk of being in the company of great sporting names didnrsquot end there He revealed how Sir Don Bradman once invited him to his Adelaide home and presented him with a baggy green Australian cap The writer of the Daily Telegraph piece mentions that the cap presented by Bradman is ldquosomewhere in storagerdquo at Engineerrsquos current home in Cheshire Engineer will be hoping to find it soon because as the adage goes ldquoFinders are keepersrdquo And Farokh Engineer was a fine oneAnanyarsquos got big plansLast week Ananya Birla officially launched her makeup line LOVETC at Soho House This diarist who has been using the same oldschool cosmetics for decades was pleasantly surprised at the texture packaging and feel of the lipsticks in particular Birla who has been transitioning fully into a businesswoman from the pop singer avatar we first saw her in said ldquoItrsquos high time an Indian brand made it big internationallyrdquo If left to the influencers who tried the wares and took perfect selfies at the ideally named Vanity Island that housed the products the brand will be big news on Instagram soon For us what also stood out was the team Birla has surrounded herself with mdash full of smart spirited women mdash who are helping the young tycoon spread her wings You go girl