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Journalism of Courage
Fusion fiesta
Now what exactly is Hindustani classical vocalist Upendra Bhatt doing in a choir? And what are shlokas doing in the D Flat and C Minor of Western music? A choral work may seem an unlikely place to find a shloka from Rigveda, but that’s precisely what art is all about. On February 13, The Chamber singers, a choir group, will present Toward the Unknown Region,’ a concert of choral works. While it has pieces by Vaughan Williams, Holst, Stravinsky, Durufle and others, the piece de resistance is hymns from Rigveda by Gustav Holst. And that’s where Bhatt comes in. Except that the Sanskrit shlokas have been translated into English by Holst. Whoever said that East and West shall never meet should head for Gulati Hall, St. Vincent’s School, for this unusual experience.
Taking the cake
It weighs 25 kg, took 30 hours to prepare and costs Rs. 17,000. No, we ain’t talking about a piece of jewellery but a cake! Rather, a five-tier fruit cake decorated with sugar-candy icing and orchids, created by Anjali Rege of Sweet Art for a wedding in the city.
“This is the largest order I have executed this season. To heighten the effect, I did not place them in the traditional arrangement – one on top of the other – but at different levels. This gives more scope for working on the cake’s decoration,” she exults.
The design in purple and white showcases a cut-work tablecloth with orchids atop. While the cake looks appetising all right, what is a little difficult to digest is the whopping price tag attached to it. Rs 17,000! “People did ask me if I had added gold to it,” admits Rege. “And I replied, No, diamonds!” Well, there may have been some who took her reply seriously.
Colleges on catwalk
Eight city colleges are all geared to compete in the Oracle Institute of Fashion Designing annual mega fashion show scheduled for today at the Ganesh Kala Krida Manch. These include Fergusson College, BMCC and the Symbiosis College of Arts and Commerce. Special attraction comes in the form of the three sequences put up by the students of the institute and choreographed by Nikita, based on the themes – Women’s Liberation, Endangered Species and Innovation.
“For the above sequences, we researched for nearly two months, with the designs and sewing done in accordance with these themes,” reveals Prabhuraj, president of the institute. That’s called Passion for Fashion’ – incidentally, the title of the show too.
Dotted with memories
Unforgettable are the legends of the golden era of Indian cinema, says Ashok Kumar Bhaduri, an artist with a penchant for sketching these legends with dots, using the stripling method. “It has been my hobby since childhood,” he says. His art work, comprising 65 sketches of the late actress, Madhubala, will be on display in Balgandharva Kala Dalan on February 11 and 12.
“February is an important month in her life – February 14 is Madhubala’s birthday and she passed away on February 23,” says the ardent admirer. His work traces the story of her life – from the first movie to the last one. A Central Government employee without any formal education in fine arts, his work is the ultimate eulogy to this legendary actress.
