Plus 4 more must-catch events

This weekend, treat yourself to Manipuri classical dance in its purest form. Daughter of renowned Manipuri dancers, Guru Bipin Singh and Kalavati Devi, Bimbavati Devi, will perform with her troupe from the North-East.
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Initiated into the world of dance and music at a tender age, you can witness the young dancer's graceful productions ufffd Matrika (a choreographic rendition based on the compositions of Rabindranath Tagore, Shri Aurobindo and Bankim Chandra) and Anubhavaamah (based on the Shara Ripu or the six cardinal vices of kama, krodha, lobha, moha, mada and matsarya).

The gifted performer has also learned the Pung (Mridang) and Thang Ta (Martial Arts), and was conferred the title of Shringar Mani by Sur Singar Samsad, Mumbai.

Spend an Evening with the Nightingale

On: Saturday, 6 pm
Where: Shanmukhananda Hall, Flank Road, Sion (E).
Call: 24078888
Tickets: Rs 100 to Rs 500

1942 was a landmark year in Lata Mangeshkar's life. It was when the Marathi film Kiti Hasaal was released.

Though the film was to feature her first recorded song, it did not make it to the finished version.

A classical singer and theatre actor, it was her father, Deenanath Mangeshkar, who gave Lata her first music lessons. But tragedy came in the form of his untimely death.

And it's in his memory that Lata, who will turn 82 soon, has been conducting a concert for the last 68 years.

At the annual programme tomorrow, music maestros including Radha Mangeshkar, Kavita Krishnamoorthy and Shankar Mahadevan will take the stage to honour the father and the illustrious daughter.

Count Down Money Lane

Till: Sunday, 4 pm onwards
Where: Tejpal Auditorium, Gowalia Tank.

This weekend, The House of Todywallas, a numismatic auction house, will host an exhibition and sale of priceless, ancient coins, stamps, tokens, paper money and medals.
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The highlight of the exhibition will be the gold and silver Hoans (coins from Shivaji Maharaj's era) that are being showcased for the first time in the city.

Also check out Akbar's gold mohur and rare Sultanate coins like Razia Sultana's Billion and Mahmud bin Tughlaq's Gold Tanka.

Make Funny Faces along with your Favourite Animal

On: Saturday and Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm
Where: Maharashtra Nature Park, Dharavi.
Call: 9892872296 / 9819103530
Passes: Rs 175 per day (at the venue)

Miss the daily chirp of sparrows by your window sill, monsoon croaks of frogs or the sight of scurrying squirrels? Your search ends here.
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Sprouts, a wildlife conservation and adventure sports company has teamed up with several NGOs to organise Earth Mela, which will help you get in touch with your green side.
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It kicks off with a 12-kilometre cycle rally at 7 am on Saturday. Watch films that document the environment or tell related stories on both days.

Or else get your face painted to resemble animals. Guest speakers will talk about issues like the Himalayas, biodiversity and important city trees.

Head out on a nature trail or pick up chic eco-friendly goodies from the many stalls, as mementoes.

Go Figure the Angst of this Art Teacher

On: Sunday, 6.30 pm
Where: National Centre for the Performing Arts, NCPA Marg, Nariman Point.
Call: 66223737
Tickets: Rs 200

Gooood Morrrniing Miss Katyaaaa ufffd It's this chorus by her class that irks Miss Katya.

But this play with an unstretched version of the same greeting is not just about the absolute hatred towards her role as an art teacher, side-tracking her life's ambition to be an artist instead.
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In the premiere show of a monologue written by and starring the multi-talented Delna Mody, and directed by stage thespian Sam Kerawalla, you will meet a reticent mother who is unable to fulfill her dreams, and her daughter who is dealing with a dysfunctional family and looking for life's answers within herself.
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"The idea behind the play is how other's opinions can either make or break a person," says Mody.
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"Katya is the product of an Anglo-Indian mother, Georgina, and a Sindhi father, who elopes with her aunt. As a painter, her mom fails to impress critics and life never gives her another chance.

Katya inherits her mom's talent but ends up becoming a teacher." It's when Katya locks herself up in a room to contemplate about her life which forms a major chunk of the play.

Enacting seven characters in all, Mody has consciously made sure to keep her dancing-and-singing talent, something she might be better known for among the city folk, away.

"It would seem too forceful to infuse a song-and-dance sequence in a tragic comedy," says Mody.
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Though the rest of the characters are a product of her imagination, Georgina's is inspired from someone Mody once knew and has passed away.
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"It was hard work, etching out the nuances of each character, but it's self-belief that has pulled me through," she signs off.

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