<h2>Horses for courses</h2>
<p>Walkers pass jockeys during the Amateur Riders&rsquo; Club (ARC) Weekend Horse Show at Mahalaxmi Race Course</p>
<h2>Stories of yore</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/dec/Pooja-Pant_e.jpg" alt="Pant performs in front of the 100-year-old bakul tree " width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Pant performs in front of the 100-year-old bakul tree</em></strong></p>
<p>For Mumbai-based Kathak exponent Pooja Pant, this year&rsquo;s visit to the Sonave Community Farms near Dahanu was a delightful experience. As part of the annual celebration at the community agricultural space, dietician and founder Rujuta Diwekar had invited Pant over for a special performance. &ldquo;We decided to perform Kathak underneath the 100-year-old bakul tree that was planted by her family,&rdquo; said Pant. While this was her second visit, Pant shared that performing in the baithak-themed space brought alive the storytelling features of the dance form. &ldquo;Kathak is innately a storytelling art, and I chose to perform a teentaal in Kathak, and a bhajan by Pandit Bindadin Maharaj, where I played 12 characters from The Mahabharata,&rdquo; she shared.</p>
<h2>Starry opening in Santacruz</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/dec/White-Asparagus-_e.jpg" alt="Koll&rsquo;s white asparagus carpaccio" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Koll&rsquo;s white asparagus carpaccio</em></strong></p>
<p>Something new is cooking in the suburb of Santacruz. Arpita Khan Sharma will make her debut into hospitality with a new European dining restaurant, Mercii, on December 13.</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/dec/Dennis-Koll_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>Teaming up with Varun Chugh, Anil Chugh, Gaurav and Ketul Parikh, and group culinary director Dennis Koll (inset) heading the kitchen, the restaurant will serve classic European fare with refined simplicity. &ldquo;For me, dining is not just about food, but about creating a space where warmth, family and gratitude culminate,&rdquo; Khan Sharma told this diarist.</p>
<h2>A stitch in time for Christmas</h2>
<p>It&rsquo;s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Bandra already, thanks to a new community of crocheters. A Christmas tree made up of a crocheted quilt stole the show at a festive gathering at the D&rsquo;Monte Park Recreation Centre (DPRC) in Bandra West last weekend. The tree will now make special appearances at popular Christmas pop-ups in the neighbourhood all through this festive season.</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/dec/Christmas-decor_e.jpg" alt="(From left) The team sets up the Christmas d&eacute;cor; members lend a hand to piece the tree together" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>(From left) The team sets up the Christmas d&eacute;cor; members lend a hand to piece the tree together</em></strong></p>
<p>Sabishi Shankar (left), who led the community effort, told us, &ldquo;We began as a group of 12 friends and acquaintances pursuing crocheting as a hobby in my Bandra home. Over time, more women showed up. With Christmas around the corner, I thought it would be apt to use our hand-crocheted granny squares [12in x 12in patches] for an art installation.&rdquo;</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/dec/Sabishi-Shankar_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>The eight-feet-tall tree will be on display at the upcoming Christmas Bazaar at The Vintage Garden on Turner Road this weekend. &ldquo;Visitors loved the quirky twist we gave to the traditional tree. It became the centrepiece of sorts,&rdquo; laughed Shankar. Those keen to join the community can write to @chainreaction_mumbai on Instagram.</p>
<h2>Wheely good miles in Colaba</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/dec/Group-cars_e.jpg" alt="A collection of Fiat cars from the club" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>A collection of Fiat cars from the club</em></strong></p>
<p>Follow the classiest vintage car you can spot on the roads of the city this week, and chances are it will lead you to the upcoming Bombay Fiat Club Mega Meet at Radio Club in Colaba. Organised by city-based colorectal surgeon Sambit Patnaik who swears by his own rare left-hand drive Fiat 1100D imported from Italy, the gathering will witness more than 100 vintage Fiat owners including models like the iconic Premier Padmini, Premier President, and Fiat Millecento, from all across India drive into the city on December 13.</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/dec/Sambit-Patnaik_e.jpg" alt="Sambit Patnaik" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Sambit Patnaik</em></strong></p>
<p>&ldquo;Fiats might not be mean machines, but for a generation that grew up admiring them, they hold a special place in our hearts. It&rsquo;s a celebration of that feeling,&rdquo; Patnaik told this diarist. For more details and to join the club, log on to @bombayfiatclub on Instagram.</p>
<h2>Double delight for Bungalow</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2024/dec/Chef-Vikas-Khanna_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>Chef Vikas Khanna (above) is riding high on culinary accolades. Since opening its doors in March this year, his New York City-restaurant Bungalow has been the haunt of celebrities and foodies alike. Now, the flagship Indian restaurant has been included in &lsquo;New York&rsquo;s 14 Best New Restaurants of 2024&rsquo; by The New York Times, and has also become the only Indian restaurant to win the Michelin Bib Gourmand. &ldquo;This recognition is a tribute to the rich culinary heritage of India and the countless kitchens across the country where food is not just nourishment, but a language of love,&rdquo; shared Khanna.</p><p>
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