<h2>Scroll break</h2>
A shopkeeper keeps himself entertained on his phone in Dadar.&nbsp;
<h2>As the city melts</h2>
<img src="http://admin.mid-day.com/images/2026/feb/Traffic-cop_e.jpg" alt="The climate film is directed by Tej Sisodia" width="1280" height="720" /> The climate film is directed by Tej Sisodia
This diarist is especially tired of the <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/photo/in-photos-hazy-start-for-mumbai-aqi-in-moderate-category-109558" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">rising AQI and pollution levels in the city</a>. But we say this sitting in an air-conditioned room with an air purifier. Climate change is not the equaliser you may think it is. That&rsquo;s exactly the point of It&rsquo;s Only 47 degrees Celsius, a short film written and directed by Tej Sisodia that explores climate inequality through its character, traffic constable Laxman Chaubey, living in Mumbai, and pushed to a breaking point by extreme heat. Producer and CEO of Civic Studios Anushka Shah says, &ldquo;As Civic Studios we came onboard to produce this film because of its stark reminder that heat doesn&rsquo;t affect the rich and the poor equally.&rdquo; The film received high praise at its screening at Redbulb Studios, Andheri West this Wednesday. Actor Naseeruddin Shah, who was a producer on the film, said, &ldquo;It is made out of such honest concern and conviction.&rdquo;
<h2>Art, poetry, and healing</h2>
<img src="http://admin.mid-day.com/images/2026/feb/Kalpana-Sanjana_e.jpg" alt="Kalpana and Sanjana Shah with artwork from their book" width="1280" height="720" /> Kalpana and Sanjana Shah with artwork from their book
It has been an eventful few months for mother-daughter duo, Kalpana and Sanjana Shah, who are founder and creative director, respectively, at Tao Art Gallery. Months after celebrating the <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/mumbai-missing-nallasopara-youth-with-mental-health-issues-traced-in-worli-goes-missing-again-23615515" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Worli </a>gallery&rsquo;s 25th anniversary, the pair have now launched their own coffee table book, Circa Full Circle (Penguin Random House India), blending their individual art forms. Combining Kalpana&rsquo;s signature knife-work acrylic art with Sanjana&rsquo;s poetry, the book marks a powerful collaboration between two artistes who independently turned to creativity to heal from a shared personal crisis &mdash; the death of husband and father Pankaj Shah in the 26/11 terror attack.
<img src="http://admin.mid-day.com/images/2026/feb/Art-aa_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" />
&ldquo;We began our independent journeys quietly after we lost Pankaj Shah, a beloved husband and father in 2008,&rdquo; says Sanjana, &ldquo;Grief can be very empowering when channelled in the right ways. For mom it was her art and for me it was my writing.&rdquo; Kalpana adds, &ldquo;The journey merged when we realised that we were grappling with the same themes through our respective creative expressions. This book is a very personal one. It is poetry and art combined, but fundamentally it is philosophy. The philosophy of healing and of doing it together.&rdquo;
<h2>Mumbai to Mitte</h2>
<img src="http://admin.mid-day.com/images/2026/feb/Saagar-Gupta_e.jpg" alt="Saagar Gupta" width="1280" height="720" /> Saagar Gupta
Well, here&rsquo;s a little Berlinale whisper doing the rounds: Indian filmmaker and curator Saagar Gupta &mdash; yes, the force behind the KASHISH Pride <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/lifestyle/culture/photo/in-photos-5-reasons-why-you-need-to-visit-kala-ghoda-arts-festival-2026-before-it-gets-over-109555" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Film Festival</a> &mdash; is packing his critical eye and queer sensibility for Berlin. He&rsquo;s been invited to sit on the Teddy Awards Jury at the Berlinale 2026, which just happens to be the Teddy&rsquo;s 40th anniversary year (no pressure, darling). &nbsp;Reacting to this honour Gupta said, &ldquo;The Teddy has long been at the forefront of celebrating queer cinema with courage, rigour, and global relevance. To engage with stories from across cultures at such a pivotal platform is an honour and a responsibility.&rdquo; This is the first time an LGBTQIA+ voice from South Asia will be part of the Teddy jury. From Mumbai to Mitte &mdash; queer cinema just got a deliciously desi seat at the table.
<h2>Don&rsquo;t be bowled by this googly!</h2>
<img src="http://admin.mid-day.com/images/2026/feb/NCA_e.jpg" alt="A screenshot of the unofficial National Cricket Academy website" width="1280" height="720" /> A screenshot of the unofficial National Cricket Academy website
Wannabe cricket coaches be warned. DO NOT log in to a website called nationalcricketsacademy.com (don&rsquo;t miss the &lsquo;s&rsquo; before &lsquo;academy&rsquo;) in the belief that you can enrol for a coaching course at the National Cricket Academy.
Yes, the Bengaluru-based, BCCI body conducts various cricket courses, but applications have to be made via the state associations. For example, a Mumbai person needs to approach the <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/cricket/article/mca-announces-one-time-rs-1-lakh-assistance-for-widows-outside-bcci-pension-scheme-23614481" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Mumbai Cricket Association</a>.
mid-day was informed recently by a local cricketer wanting to be a coach, that he remitted `3150 for a course through a supposed National Cricket Academy website.&nbsp;The player with coaching ambitions only found something fishy when the amount was credited to an individual and not the NCA.&nbsp;
On making enquiries, an influential person at the NCA told us that the NCA doesn&rsquo;t even have a website!&nbsp;Hope no one else gets bowled by this googly.
<h2>Kerala, framed and presented to the world</h2>
Lenscape Kerala, the travelling photography exhibition, will land in Mumbai soon, bringing 100 photographs that move far beyond the postcard view of God&rsquo;s Own Country.
<img src="http://admin.mid-day.com/images/2026/feb/Uma-Nair_e.jpg" alt="UMA NAIR" width="1280" height="720" /> Uma Nair
Curated by art historian and author Uma Nair, the exhibition brings together 10 leading photographers from across India, each sent into <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/news/india-news/article/union-budget-2026-despite-no-mention-in-union-budget-metroman-sreedharan-opens-office-for-kerala-high-speed-rail-line-23614814" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Kerala&rsquo;s landscapes</a> with a simple brief: observe closely. The result is a layered portrait of the state, its temples and palaces, backwaters and coastlines, wildlife and festivals, food, faith, and everyday life.
&ldquo;I wanted them to realise that Kerala is a land of a cherished heritage and has within a cultural and historic fabric of architectural as well as sculptural lineage,&rdquo; says Nair. &ldquo;When we speak of heritage, it&rsquo;s not just what is past, it&rsquo;s also the present,&rdquo; she says.
The show threads together very different visual languages. Manoj Arora&rsquo;s architectural studies sit alongside Kounteya Sinha&rsquo;s evocative Theyyam imagery. Shivang Mehta&rsquo;s nocturnal wildlife photographs add another layer altogether. &ldquo;The challenge was to find a thread of continuity that holds the idea of historicity,&rdquo; Nair explains.
An initiative by the <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/bmc-revives-mahim-fort-restoration-plans-heritage-circuit-for-tourists-23587311" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Department of Tourism</a>, Government of Kerala, the exhibition has already travelled across cities and will continue till March. In Mumbai, it will make a stop at the Jehangir Art Gallery from February 12 to 14.

It’s Only 47 deg C explores climate inequality in Mumbai through a traffic constable’s breaking point, highlighting how extreme heat affects the poor far more

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Mumbai Diary: Sunday Dossier

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