The city — sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Book lovers' paradise
Story Ltd.’s first online auction of rare books just goes to prove that book lovers are not kidding. The 24-hour auction, which started on September 29, saw bidding battles among collectors.
The Rulers of India and the Chiefs of Rajputana (1550 – 1897) (in pic: right) was the second highest selling rare book at Story Ltd’s online auction
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The highest selling book was The Art of India, published by India Book House, which went for R1,96,800. Next in line was 1897 edition of The Rulers of India and the Chiefs of Rajputana (1550 – 1897), a vivid red-cloth bound book with delicate colour prints.
That fetched a princely sum of R1,91,700. Some books, such as The Art of India: Five thousand years of Indian Art (Art of the World series) got sold at 30 times their estimated price. Ashish Dubey, who put together the 49 lots, has faith in this market of bibliophiles.
The interest, we got to know, is from those who wish to build a library or have an existing collection of antiquities and miniatures. Rare books will help you learn about rare art —something the Internet can’t help you with.
Le Mill glams up Colaba
The chicest multi-designer store in the city, Le Mill, is opening its newest outlet right above Indigo Deli in Colaba, at Pheroze Building, keeping its love for heritage structures alive and kicking.
The owners have retained the aesthetics that their now shuttered store at Wadi Bunder (they later shifted to Breach Candy), once an old rice mill, was known for — a quaint address to shop for designers like Alexander Mcqueen, Balenciaga, Balmain and Stella McCartney.
Cecilia Morelli Parikh and her new store in Colaba, which is still under contruction
But founders, Cecilia Morelli Parikh and Julie Leymarie will continue to showcase a few Indian designers as well, those they think are the voices of new India — Ruchika Sachdev of Bodice and Nimish Shah of Shift.
There will now also be a shop-in-shop of the Gem Palace, known to be jewellers to Jackie Onassis and the Prince and Princess of Wales. Trust Le Mill to up the glamour ante with this one!
Gush about your favourite cook book
Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal, food writer and founder of APB Cookstudio, thinks food books and their authors do not get their due. And to change that she is set to launch #APBFoodBookClub this November.
“The objective of the club is to create opportunities where food and book enthusiasts can meet, cook and eat with the authors. We will work with publishers and writers to create platforms and reach out to their audiences,” she says, adding that she is working on a nominal membership fee.
“Our first event is with Chef Saransh Goila on November 1, followed by Jenny Mallin in December,” says the author of A Pinch of This, A Handful of That. So get ready for cookouts, bake-outs, book readings, food walks, celebrity chef demonstrations and city tours. Members will also get access to special deals, offers and sneak previews.
Calcutta, a city of yore
Who can forget Calcutta of the 60s; a city brimming with romance, ferment with intellectual debate and in the midst of monumental change. Writer-cum-yoga instructor Supreet K Singh evokes this nostalgia in her bilingual short film, Bouddi, an endearing term in Bengali for sister-in-laws.
“I have been intrigued by Bengali culture since childhood and spent most of my reading moments devouring Bengali classics, so my first narrative had to be a Bengali love story,” says Singh, who was born in Binaguri (West Bengal) but lives and works out of Mumbai.
Starring Bidita Bag and Harish Khanna (in pic), the film is the poignant tale of a married couple, Paromita and Sukanto Gangopadhyay, whose life takes a turn with the entry of Joydeep, Sukanto’s subordinate at work. The 17-minute short, which is in Hindi and Bengali, won the Award for Best Director at the Indian Cine Film Festivals last month.
In memory of Frank Tyson
Insensitivity continues at ‘D’ Road, Churchgate, Mumbai. We are referring to the plush office of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) at Wankhede Stadium.
Last Sunday, city cricket was saddened by the death of former England fast bowler Frank Tyson, who helped create a fast bowling revolution in the early 1990s which put Mumbai back on the Ranji Trophy roll of honour.
Tyson passed away in Queensland, Australia, at the age of 85.
Surprisingly, there was no message of condolence in the form of a press release by the MCA. To make amends, the MCA ought to have requested teams to observe a minute's silence in memory of the much-revered coach before Friday’s Kanga League matches, but there was nothing of that sort either.
However, it is heartening to note that cricket enthusiast Sachin Bajaj is organising an evening called Remembering Frank at the Cricket Club of India tomorrow to recall the life and times of Tyson. Cricket’s modern methods must be welcome in this age but it’s still a game of heart and soul. Can we not ignore that, please?
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