And, the award goes to

gtgt Global Spotlight award Kudos to CSMVS and Byculla railway station and their caretakers and restorers for ensuring that their conservation against the odds read challenges emerging from the pandemic and ensuing lockdown didnrsquot deter the effort to earn a nod from UNESCO AsiaPacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation in some truly prestigious categoriesgtgt New Awakening award That the Asiatic Society of Mumbai an institution that had once seemed daunting and approachable only for research scholars and students has opened its doors to the lay junta calls for much joy While theyrsquove been at it for some time the itinerary has truly picked up and has been catering to all kinds ofcurious souls from foodies to cartography nerds gtgt Comeback award Itrsquos our weak point this one The cityrsquos bookstores received some muchneeded resuscitation and more importantly TLC thanks to Bombaywallahs who supported them and how post the pandemic The existing ones like Kitabkhana and Trilogy are back on everyonersquos radar and we got a welcome return in the form of a redesigned spiffylooking Crossword at the same address in Kemps Corner a second outlet of Title Waves and the classy White Crow Books and Coffee in BKC Wersquod love to see more bookstores open and more reading rooms for public access across age groups A little birdie tells us that the city might also have another literature festival Yoursquoll have to read our bumper January 2 edition for more on that bit of newsAlso read Illegal encroachment must be foiled on war footinggtgt Small is big award We loved that the cityrsquos intimate performing arts and weekend venues for markets and gigs continued to thrive despite the odds From Adagio to Habitat and Verandah they allgave us much to cheer and be grateful for in a city that is starved of venues Towards the end of the year old favourite the Bandra fort amphitheatre also brought joy by hosting none other than the big daddy of live actsmdashSymphony Orchestra of India More of it pleasegtgt Cool adda award With IFBE emerging as a new space for FampB as well as the art and culture events we like the sound of the whole package That itrsquos all happening in a onceforgotten heritage neighbourhood Ballard Estate brings a smile to our face Herersquos hoping they donrsquot take their foot off the pedal and egg others to follow suit by protecting spaces retaining their original essence and giving citizens newer addresses to plan their cultural itinerariesgtgt Most Popular Selfie Point award Though we arenrsquot exactly fans of the idea the response has been overwhelming at the spot that gives selfielovers a vantage view of both the BMC and CSMT buildingsgtgt Lage Raho award Now this one was uncontested hands down First it was their amazing resilience to run services during the height of the pandemic And now they continue with their splendid run The BEST needs a standing ovation for ensuring that Bombayrsquos commuteweary folk had so much to be grateful for with their consistency and conscious effort to ensure that the lsquopassenger always came firstrsquogtgt Green guardians award A loud fullthroated shoutout to all those individuals and groups who worked relentlessly to ensure that the Metro carshed was moved out of Aarey The blood sweat and tears that were shed to ensure their voices were heard didnrsquot go to waste We can breathe a bit yesgtgt Fighting spirit award The Koli community for fighting tooth and nail to ensure that the powers that be behind the Coastal Road Project relent and tweak markers for this contentious infrastructure project that impacts their home and their livelihoodgtgt Jaldi Five award The award goes to our civic gods who worked a miracle by clearing and cleaning the city in fivewait under five days to have it all polished and ready in time for delegates from the G20 countries Citizens had never witnessed such a miraculous turnaround and watched in disbelief as some of their neighbourhoods got the lsquowhitersquowash of their livesgtgt Person of the year It will have to be the resilient Bombaywallah who stood up to the usual barrage of challenges and hurdles from the pandemic to the unforgiving rain patterns auto and taxi strikes road repairs local train issues messed up pavements shaky infrastructure and unfulfilled promises by local corporatorsHerersquos wishing that 2023 be a kinder and safer year for all of usmiddayrsquos Features Editor Fiona Fernandez relishes the cityrsquos sights sounds smells and stoneswherever the ink and the inclination takes her She tweets bombayanaSend your feedback to mailbagmiddaycom