Citygritty — Pune

Indonesia on the palette``When you live in Indonesia, you cannot help but be interested in the arts,'' says artist Nirupama Karkhanis. He...

Indonesia on the palette
“When you live in Indonesia, you cannot help but be interested in the arts,” says artist Nirupama Karkhanis. Her paintings, on display at the Balgandharva Kala Dalan, depict scenes from Indonesian life and bear ample testimony to this interest. Colourful scenes portraying Indonesian dances, puppet shows and rural scenes in oils, acrylic, posters and pastels are on display at the four-day exhibition which started on January 2.

“Indonesians are rooted in their rich art and culture which, in many ways, is similar to that of India. I wanted to share these fascinating aspects of Indonesian, and especially Balinese, culture with Indians,” says Karkhanis. A graduate of the J.J. School of Arts, Mumbai, Karkhanis’ fascination with the depiction of Indonesian folk art began after she moved to Indonesia, where she has stayed for the past 18 years.

An art teacher at the Jakarta International School, Karkhanis believes that Indonesia’s continuing tradition of encouragement to the arts is conducive to creativity. Besides paintings, Karkhanis has also used the unusual medium of ceramic etching in gold and brown to portray scenes from rural life like rice fields, cock fights, women at a market and plantain groves as well as paintings on stained glass.

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Beauty in full boom
No, this gun is not going to boom any more. Its days of action are over. And this old warhorse is gearing up for another innings as the Pune Cantonment Board has commissioned it as part of a beautification drive. This 5.5-inch howitzer of British origin, put up at the Indira Gandhi chowk on East Street, was commissioned into the army in 1940 and saw action in World War II, the 1965 conflict and the 1971 Indo-Pak war. Not only will it add to the Cantonment’s landscape, but will also be a reminder of the courage and sacrifice of the men in olive green. Certainly a 21-gun salute affair!

Evening’s harmony
Bhairav te Bhairavi, as the name suggests, this musical programme organised at the Vedashastrottejak Sabha hall on January 4, encapsulates Hindustani classical raags, traditionally classified into morning, evening and afternoon raags, into three hours. The programme has been organised to mark a year of Maifal, a cultural magazine brought out by the Jatar family. It promises to take the listener on a musical journey through bandish compositions in those raags presented by Ajaya Jatar and Rajendra Kandalgaonkar. Instrumental accompaniment will be provided by Yashodhan Jatar on the tabla, Dr. Arvind Deshpande on the harmonium and Uma Jatar on the violin. The programme will begin at 6 p.m. Music buffs, here’s your chance for a melodious evening.

Breakfast at the post
If you are an old hand at cooking up exotic dishes for breakfast, then this one is for you. The Rasanraja-Rani Postal contest has invited people to send in samples of their food items, which can last up to 15 days or more, in parcels. The items could be made of cereals, pulses, fruits, eggs, fish. According to V. Abarao Tamhankar, an organiser, the idea is to take the best of the items and start an export business in the near future. The parcels are to be sent to V. Abarao, c/o GPO, New Delhi – 110 001. For more details, write to 39, Padmadarshan Co-op Housing Society, Pune-Satara Road.