<h2>Shoot for the stars</h2>
<p>A young fan pops out of a sea of autorickshaws in an attempt to catch a glimpse of actor Amitabh Bachchan outside his residence in Vile Parle.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Ruskin Bond&rsquo;s big day in Fort</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/may/Ruskin-Bond_e.jpg" alt="Ruskin Bond at his Landour home (right) the celebrations at the Fort bookstore. PIC COURTESY/KITAB KHANA" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Ruskin Bond at his Landour home (right) the celebrations at the Fort bookstore. PIC COURTESY/KITAB KHANA</em></strong></p>
<p>Thank you, Mr Bond!&rdquo; said young readers at Kitab Khana in Fort, as they celebrated their beloved author Ruskin Bond&rsquo;s 91st birthday earlier this week. Far from his cosy picturesque abode in Landour, the readers put together a celebration complete with a cake sporting the covers of his titles, and a short reading session. &ldquo;We celebrate the author&rsquo;s birthday at the bookstore every year. This time, we coincidentally happened to have some young fans amidst us during the ceremony. They gladly took over,&rdquo; shared T Jagath, Kitab Khana&rsquo;s COO. &nbsp;As serendipitous as it may sound, we learned that the group also included twin sisters who were celebrating their 14th birthday. &ldquo;The great thing about Bond is that he writes for children, but ends up striking a chord with anyone who picks up his book. It&rsquo;s possibly the reason his books continue to fly off the shelves even today,&rdquo; Jagath added. &nbsp;We&rsquo;re resting, assured knowing the 90s are anything but nervous for Bond.</p>
<h2>Pride on screen</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/may/Faheem_e.jpg" alt="A moment from We Are Faheem and Karun. PIC COURTESY/IAMONIR ON INSTAGRAM" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>A moment from We Are Faheem and Karun. PIC COURTESY/IAMONIR ON INSTAGRAM</em></strong></p>
<p>Silver screens in the city are in for a rainbow revamp with the return of the Kashish Pride Film Festival next month. Scheduled for June 4 to 8, the showcase this year will feature a staggering 152 films across venues in Bandra, Andheri and Marine Lines. &ldquo;This year marks another step towards exploring the suburbs. We recognised that a large part of the young working population in the city resides away from the city limits,&rdquo; said festival director Sridhar Rangayan. This edition&rsquo;s line-up includes films like Daniel Craig-starrer Queer and India&rsquo;s own production, We Are Faheem and Karun. For the full line-up, log on to @kashishfilmfest on Instagram.</p>
<h2>When Narlikar met Manglu</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/may/Jayant-Narlikar_e.jpg" alt="(From left) Vijay Tendulkar, Ramdas Padhye, Dr Jayant Narlikar, Aparna Padhye and Satyajit Padhye behind the scenes in 1992. PIC COURTESY/SATYAJIT PADHYE" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>(From left) Vijay Tendulkar, Ramdas Padhye, Dr Jayant Narlikar, Aparna Padhye and Satyajit Padhye behind the scenes in 1992. PIC COURTESY/SATYAJIT PADHYE</em></strong></p>
<p>While the world applauds veteran astrophysicist Dr Jayant Narlikar&rsquo;s professional accolades following his demise in Pune yesterday, a few like ventriloquist Satyajit Padhye have lost an old guiding light. In 1992, Narlikar had joined the Padhyes in an edutainment programme directed by theatre doyen Vijay Tendulkar. &ldquo;We had brainstormed on a character named Manglu. The idea was to bust the popular Mangal Dosha superstition that was prevalent in the 1990s. I still remember how Dr Narlikar arrived at the set in Vile Parle and immediately got to work. His enthusiasm and passion for popularising science was evident,&rdquo; revealed senior ventriloquist and Ramdas Padhye&rsquo;s wife, Aparna Padhye. &ldquo;As an eight-year-old, I had no idea what a scientist or astrophysicist meant. But meeting Dr Narlikar sparked a deep interest for the subject in me,&rdquo; Satyajit recalled.</p>
<h2>Trying to keep a fair balance</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/may/Stone_e.jpg" alt="Aniket Vishwakarma (left) guides a participant in balancing rocks. PICS COURTESY/ANIKET VISHWAKARMA" width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>Aniket Vishwakarma (left) guides a participant in balancing rocks. PICS COURTESY/ANIKET VISHWAKARMA</em></strong></p>
<p>While incomplete building blocks have unsettled the peace of many Mumbaikars, Aniket Vishwakarma is looking to use the same idea to help them find peace. &ldquo;I practice a discipline called land art. It entails using naturally available resources like sand, soil, leaves, twigs to create art,&rdquo; shared Vishwakarma. A practising architect, he will introduce the art of rock balancing to participants at Bandra&rsquo;s Bombay to Barcelona caf&eacute; this Saturday. &ldquo;It is an excellent exercise in patience and focus that inculcates a certain stillness in you. I wanted to bring this to more people in the city.&rdquo; The proceeds from the workshop will be donated to the Street Angels Foundation that raises funds for the welfare of Mumbai&rsquo;s homeless youth, he added.</p>
<h2>Karting out young</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/may/Aarav-Sureka_e.jpg" alt="Aarav Sureka in action at the IAME x30 Asia Series. Pic Courtesy/Mohit Sureka" width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>Aarav Sureka in action at the IAME x30 Asia Series. Pic Courtesy/Mohit Sureka</em></strong></p>
<p>It would be difficult to believe that nine-year-old city-based go karter Aarav Sureka was the sole representative from India at the IAME x30 Asia Series (Cadet category), last weekend in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Following the tournament, proud parent Sonal Sureka told us, &ldquo;Aarav&rsquo;s journey in go karting started quite organically. He&rsquo;s always had a fascination with speed and cars from a young age. We noticed his natural reflexes and focus when he first tried a kart, and it just took off from there.&rdquo; Aarav (left), who is already back to school after the international race, shared his experience, &ldquo;Racing against international drivers pushed me to raise my game. A big takeaway for me was the importance of staying calm under pressure. It was both challenging and exciting.&rdquo;</p><p><script type="text/javascript">atOptions={'key':'d0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7','format':'iframe','height':90,'width':728,'params':{}};</script></p><p>
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