A bit of singing & dancing at Maharashta CM's bungalow

A video featuring Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis (pictured) and his wife Amruta has kept social media abuzz. Released a couple of days back, the video has Fadnavis and his wife singing and swaying to urge people to save Mumbai's four rivers — Poisar, Dahisar, Oshiwara and Mithi. State finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, Mumbai civic commissioner Ajoy Mehta and Mumbai police commissioner Datta Padsalgikar are also seen in the video, parts of which have been shot at the CM’s official bungalow.”It is shocking. The chief minister, the police commissioner and municipal commissioner are used as props to promote Amruta Fadnavis’ singing career?” said a post on Aam Aadmi Party’s Facebook page. In his youth, Fadnavis had modelled for a friend’s garment manufacturing company.

Reinstating an icon

Last week, the news of Mumbai’s iconic Strand Book Stall downing shutters for good, left a lot of people disappointed. Strand is the latest among Mumbai’s cultural intuitions to shut after Cafe Samovar, a restaurant inside the Jehangir Art Gallery, and popular music shop Rhythm House. There could be some light at the end of the tunnel though. Rhythm House, which is now owned by scam-tainted Nirav Modi, has been attached by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Anand Mahindra, chairman, Mahindra Group, tweeted, “If the ED is going to eventually auction Rhythm House, how about a bunch of us in Mumbai collectively acquiring it, restoring it and turning it into a performance venue for rising musicians and a hangout for music lovers? Happy to be part of such a band.” The suggestion was widely welcomed.

No Marathi in Maha Assembly

The opening day of Maharashtra Assembly's Budget session was quite eventful as members of the Opposition staged a walkout after they couldn't hear the Marathi translation of the joint address by the governor and the chief minister. While Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was quick to apologise, state education minister Vinod Tawde went to the translation room and read the Marathi translation of the governor's address. But the legislators had staged a walkout by then. They complained that the headphones transcribed the speech only in Gujarati and said that was an insult to Marathi. February 27 happens to be 'Marathi Bhasha Diwas'.