<h2>Paws for a nap en route</h2>
It&rsquo;s 40 winks time for passenger and streetie dog alike, at the outstation section of Mumbai Central station
<h2>JJ Valaya is back after 24 years</h2>
We stepped into Jio World Plaza on the evening of JJ Valaya&rsquo;s long-awaited return to <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sunday-mid-day/article/ahead-of-dussehra-middays-photographers-capture-mumbai-ramleela-productions-behind-the-scenes-23596123" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Mumbai </a>and found ourselves at the threshold of two new destinations&mdash;JJ Valaya Couture and JJV Kapurthala, spread across 1500 and 850 sq ft respectively.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/sep/Valaya_e.jpg" alt="JJ Valaya" width="1280" height="720" /> JJ Valaya
At JJ Valaya Couture, a bridal atelier, menswear and lehengas with signature mixed-metal embroideries take centre stage amid chandeliers, tapestries, chevron-draped mannequins, and the designer&rsquo;s own photography. For Mumbai, Valaya unveiled EAST &mdash; a collection that draws inspiration from the Balkans and the Far East.
JJV Kapurthala, the bridge-to-luxury label, offered a lighter counterpoint with its SATT Autumn&ndash;Winter 2025 collection, featuring anarkalis, kaftans, kurta sets, Nehru jackets, and accessories inspired by the travels of the Maharaja of Kapurthala.
The evening saw a gathering from the film, fashion, and arts industries: <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/bollywood-news/photo/photos-mast-mast-girl-raveena-tandon-is-43-and-looks-stunning-even-today-15070/8" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Raveena Tandon</a>, Mahima Chaudhry, Malavika Mohanan, Meezaan, Jaaved Jaaferi, Chunky Panday, Aastha Shah, Alankrita Sahai, Dalip Tahil, Mozez Singh, Priya Paul and Aarti and Kailash Surendranath joined in celebrating the homecoming.
&ldquo;This felt like the right moment to return to Mumbai, a city that has always been central to India&rsquo;s style and cultural narrative,&rdquo; Valaya reflected. &ldquo;What makes this homecoming truly special is the opening of two distinct spaces.&rdquo;
<h2>Ssso much art and bling!</h2>
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/sep/Luo-Ming_e.jpg" alt="Luo Ming, &lsquo;Serpent Teng in the Golden Realm&rsquo;, 2025, from the Shanghai exhibition" width="1280" height="720" /> Luo Ming, &lsquo;Serpent Teng in the Golden Realm&rsquo;, 2025, from the Shanghai exhibition
Nowhere else is the snake worshipped as it is in India. So it&rsquo;s only natural that this year &mdash; the Chinese year of the snake &mdash; Roman high jeweller Bvlgari brings its multi-cultural exhibition, Serpenti Infinito, to the land of nagas. Following showcases in <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/news/world-news/article/china-shanghai-firms-n1-robot-stuns-with-cartwheel-360-degree-jump-23595512" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Shanghai </a>and Seoul, the exhibit, curated by Mumbai art gallery Nature Morte, is making its way to Amchi City. On October 1, the brand will unveil the iconic Serpenti symbol in a multi-sensory showcase, featuring leading Indian and international artists, at the Art House in the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, BKC.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/sep/Christophe-Babin_e.jpg" alt="Jean-Christophe Babin" width="1280" height="720" /> Jean-Christophe Babin
The exhibition also features a curation from Bvlgari&rsquo;s Serpenti Heritage collection. &ldquo;India has always been a profound source of inspiration for Bvlgari, thanks to its exceptional craftsmanship, and deep <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/lifestyle/culture/photo/in-photos-world-heritage-day-2025-explore-these-iconic-heritage-sites-in-mumbai-104952" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">cultural heritage</a>,&rdquo; says Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO of Bvlgari. &ldquo;Organising Serpenti Infinito in India has been an extraordinary opportunity to bring together diverse artistic voices in dialogue with one of the most enduring symbols in global design history,&rdquo; says Aparajita Jain, Co-Director of Nature Morte.
<h2>The magic of &lsquo;woh pehli film&rsquo;</h2>
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/sep/Piyush-Thakur_e.jpg" alt="Piyush Thakur" width="1280" height="720" /> Piyush Thakur
The simple act of watching a film can be a revolutionary step, and it won director Piyush Thakur two National Awards for his short The First Film &mdash; Golden Lotus for direction and Silver Lotus for music direction. The movie is about a small town where cinema is forbidden for women, and how a 14-year-old embarks on a quest to watch her first film. Thakur tells us, &ldquo;For me, this honour isn&rsquo;t just about an award, it&rsquo;s about remembering why we go to the movies: to dream, to feel, and to share that magic together.&rdquo; The film which premiered at the Moscow International Film Festival, has received international honours at festivals in <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/other-sports/article/india-unlucky-to-lose-to-germany-in-paris-hockey-23535697" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Germany</a> and Texas. Indeed, it&rsquo;s truly about the power of film.
<h2>Special silverware needed for India-WI contests</h2>
With West Indies and India set to open their two-Test series in Ahmedabad next week, it must be stressed that West Indies was the first team to tour India after independence &mdash; way back in 1948-49. Our in-house cricket nut is amazed that administrators from both regions have not thought about naming a trophy to do justice to this long-standing rivalry.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/sep/Bishan-Singh_e.jpg" alt="Bishan Singh Bedi, Clive Lloyd, Dilip Sardesai and Rohan Kanhai" width="1280" height="720" /> Bishan Singh Bedi, Clive Lloyd, Dilip Sardesai and Rohan Kanhai
Our man reckons that both teams should play for the Bedi-Lloyd Trophy in India-hosted series. Why, we asked him and the reply was instant: &ldquo;Because Bishan Singh Bedi and Clive Lloyd began their illustrious Test careers in the same 1966-67 series. They were rival captains in 1975-76 too, remember?&rdquo;
For Test match contests held in the Caribbean, he feels a Kanhai-Sardesai Trophy will be apt. For, Dilip Sardesai played a big part in India&rsquo;s historic 1970-71 series win in the West Indies with 642 runs while Rohan Kanhai scored 400-plus runs each in the 1961-62 and 1970-71 home series. Tall deeds, impressive figures. Now, over to <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/cricket/article/bcci-lodges-complaint-to-icc-against-pakistans-sahibzada-farhan-and-haris-rauf-for-inappropriate-asia-cup-gestures-23595716?button=next" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">BCCI</a> and West Indies Cricket.
<h2>Chef Manish cooks up his biggest project yet</h2>
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/sep/Manish_e.jpg" alt="(Left to right) Amit Khanna, Manish Mehrotra, and Binny Bansal" width="1280" height="720" /> (Left to right) Amit Khanna, Manish Mehrotra, and Binny Bansal
India just got a fresh buzz in its culinary scene. Chef Manish Mehrotra &mdash; the force behind Indian Accent and widely regarded as India&rsquo;s most inventive chef &mdash; has launched his most personal project to date: Manish Mehrotra Culinary Arts (MMCA). Backed by Amit Khanna, Amaya Ventures and Binny Bansal, Flipkart co-founder, MMCA aims to shape India&rsquo;s culinary future through new dining concepts and chef mentorship.
&ldquo;At its heart, MMCA is about food as a cultural narrative,&rdquo; says Chef Mehrotra. The first taste of MMCA will arrive in <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/news/india-news/article/pm-modi-to-inaugurate-new-bjp-new-in-delhi-on-september-29-23595938" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Delhi </a>by the end of 2025, with a restaurant dedicated to grain, fire, and comfort. &nbsp;And in early 2026, MMCA will expand into catering, carrying Mehrotra&rsquo;s thoughtful approach from intimate dining tables to big celebrations.

The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce

Mumbai Diary: Sunday Dossier

Paws for a nap en route

JJ Valaya is back after 24 years

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