18 May,2025 08:11 AM IST | Mumbai | Team SMD
Pic/Shadab Khan
When you're a cat, any place is good for a snooze - even the framed paintings displayed for sale by artists at Kala Ghoda. PIC/SHADAB KHAN
Art and wildlife preservation came together in a historic moment for India, as Shantnu & Nikhil on Tuesday became the first desi designers to unveil their sculptural installation at The Big Egg Hunt, the world's largest public art exhibition in support of wildlife NGO, Elephant Family. As part of the exhibit, which showcases egg-themed sculptural installations across London, the Indian couturiers unveiled their piece, Valour's Vessel, at the iconic Kew Gardens. Shantnu & Nikhil's piece is adorned with military brooches, coins, and buttons - in keeping with their penchant for military aesthetics. "It is a true honour to represent India at The Big Egg Hunt - a platform where art becomes a catalyst for change," said the duo, who met King Charles and Queen Camilla, joint presidents of the NGO, at the Gardens. Now there's something we'd give an arm and an egg to see!
Former India wicketkeeper Kiran More was good at surprising batsmen by stumping them. The other day, More was himself in for a surprise when his Shreyas Vidyalaya teacher BG Bhatt called to say that he had a "big bag" of cricket books for him. Among them was Ranji - A Centenary Album, edited by the late cricket historian Vasant Raiji, brought out on KS Ranjitsinhji's birth centenary in 1972. Not only is this book rich in content, this copy was presented by the author to J Naoomal, who opened the batting for India with Janardhan Navle in the country's first-ever Test - against England at Lord's in 1932. More was happy to share his treasure with us and we were just as delighted.
A recent evening saw a gathering of over 200 persons at Shivaji Park. The iconic Dadar space is known variously as the nursery of Indian cricket, a part of Mumbai's cultural spine, and more. That evening it turned into a venue to salute our armed forces, and a tribute to the victims of the Pahalgam attack. Several organisations connected with the Park came together for patriotic slogans and rashtra geet as they circled the place pride evident in every stride. Mallakhamb coach Uday Deshpande, heading the Samartha Vyayam Mandir at the park, said the patriotism and fervour reminded him of stories of the 1940s pre-Independence, when people would walk down the area, patriotism in every heart, national pride in every stride. Sometimes history repeats itself, in different ways, of course.
Our in-house cricket nut was telling us the other day how the most knowledgeable cricket writers got predictions wrong over the years.
We tried to impress him by telling him that we knew about how English journalist David Frith, then the editor of Wisden Cricket Monthly, had to literally eat his words in a press box not long after India won the 1983 World Cup at Lord's in London. Frith, a widely travelled journalist didn't believe Kapil Dev's Indians would go the distance in that third edition of the World Cup. As promised, he ate his words. Our cricket nut brought up another instance of a writer willing to eat his words, before Frith. Henry Blofeld, the English writer and commentator (known for spotting earrings among women spectators in cricket matches at Sharjah) was in Australia to cover the 1980-81 season which featured India and New Zealand as visiting teams. After the first India v Australia Test at Sydney went Australia's way, both teams continued the Test series contest at the Adelaide Oval, known as a batting paradise. Hence, Blofeld predicted that the Test would end in a draw.
Yes, there were a lot of runs scored in the first innings by both sides, but the game ended in a thrilling draw with Karsan Ghavri (7 runs in 36 balls) and Shivlal Yadav (0 in 28 balls) holding fort as India's ninth wicket pair.
"Blofeld, who brought his bowler hat to the ground on the last day, waited with bated breath with plate, salt and pepper, fork and knife in front of him as the Indian batsmen played out the last few agonising moments," reported Sportsweek magazine. Blofeld would love the taste of this recall.
Social media's favourite fashion designer, Nancy Tyagi, returned to the Cannes Film Festival this week in a self-designed gown. "The inspiration was a flower - soft, elegant, and full of life," Tyagi said. "I've always loved flowers, not just for how beautiful they are, but for what they represent: growth, grace, and individuality." She added that she wanted the gown to feel like a blooming moment, something delicate yet bold, much like how she felt walking the red carpet. "I really hope that when girls and women see me at an event like this, they feel a sense of possibility, that they realise no dream is too far if you stay true to who you are and keep showing up," Tyagi adds.
