The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Shoppers maintain social distancing as they queue up to buy vegetables in a market at Bhoiwada
Dooriyan Majbooriyan
Shoppers maintain social distancing as they queue up to buy vegetables in a market at Bhoiwada on Thursday. Pic/ Suresh Karkera
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A lasting legacy
Padma Vibhushan awardee painter, sculptor and architect Satish Gujral breathed his last on Thursday at the age of 94. Known for his work across mediums, Gujral who led a difficult life with a hearing impairment has left a legacy for all. "What I admired the most about Gujral was that he never went by any textbook definition of modernism. He was always bold and a free-ranging artistic spirit, always experimental in his approach. When other people were trying to perfect one kind of style or master a single medium, he was active in painting, sculpture, murals and even architecture.
Satish Gujral with brother IK Gujral
He embodied creative freedom and made it the mainstream of his practice. It was revolutionary," said art critic, cultural theorist and poet, Ranjit Hoskote (inset) in tribute, adding, "I responded most to his burnt wood sculptures of the 80s and 90s and his architecture. It's what I'll always think of when I think of him."
Epic return to DD
Back in 1987, India's TV-viewing got their first dose of the epic show, Ramayana on good ole Doordarshan as it went on to set new records for viewership. And now, in an effort to encourage people to stay at home amidst the 21-day lockdown, DD will be screening the hit show, from today in two slots on DD National. The announcement was made yesterday by Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Prakash Javadekar. "I feel very humbled by the news of re-telecast of Ramayana. I believe that it will bring great joy and relief to viewers keeping in mind the current situation in the country. I think this is the best birthday gift I could get." Prem Sagar, author of An Epic Life: Ramanand Sagar, told this diarist. Here's hoping this throwback is just the dose of nostalgia we need.
Mumbai, it's couch party time
Ronak Rochlani (inset), promoter and owner of nightspot Keiba, is well aware of what the city's party-hoppers have to forego. "People miss partying, and in this time, they cannot even step out to meet their friends," Rochlani tells us. Today, from 10 pm to 1 am, Rochlani and DJ Krish Mulchandani will go live on Instagram. "
Krish has played in most clubs in Mumbai and he will play a groovy set with commercial music. Followers can watch it live on either of our accounts. We are doing it for fun, and people need some cheering more than anything right now," he reminds us. See you at the party!
Making the most of your weekend
So what if you can't attend live gigs? The happiest weekend festival in the country is bringing a ray of sunshine right to people's homes with a series of short, live concerts. BACARDÍ NH7 Weekender and OML announced a series of online music festivals that will bring together artistes across genres to live stream performances every weekend with their debut show kicking off yesterday. The three-day event will be held from 6 pm to 9 pm, on their Instagram page. Marty Friedman, FKJ, Ritviz, Sickflip and Abish Mathew brought a medley of music and comedy, in this attempt to keep fans at home entertained on Friday, and despite glitches, everyone managed to come on board with the online gig, which lasted about half an hour per artiste. The bit also included an interaction with artistes, which added a personal touch to each performance. "The attempt is to give everybody a bit of comfort with entertainment sessions every weekend. We're grateful that we're all coming together as a community to spread some happiness and joy in this time of uncertainty," Gunjan Arya, CEO, OML, told this diarist.
A virtual World Theatre Day
This year is different from every other with theatre stages shut across the globe. But city-based QTP Productions has kept to its tradition of posting a World Theatre Day message by a well-known thespian in the country. This time, it is Sudhanva Deshpande of JANAM, known for his protest theatre and contribution to the form. He wrote about "Theatre in the time of corona", urging people to stay spirited and isolated even when the medium isn't live. "While it may seem that it is the end of the world as we know it, a refreshed one will emerge. One in which we are acutely aware of the need and importance of shared experiences and empathy and hope. Where theatre will once again bring people together," his message said.
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