<h2>Ready for cat pose?</h2>
While three practitioners try Bhujangasana in the backdrop, this feline does its own version of the Cat Pose (Majaryasana) at Shivaji Park.
<h2>Farewell, Spice Man of India</h2>
<img title="Dharampal Gulati" src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2020/dec/MDH.jpg" alt="Dharampal Gulati" /> Dharampal Gulati
If there was ever a person synonymous with Indian masalas, it has to be MDH Spices owner Dharampal Gulati. As the 97-year-old, fondly called Mahashayji, passed away yesterday, tributes poured in for the man who's been the face of the much-loved masala advertisements. Also called the Spice Man of India, Gulati was born in Sialkot, Pakistan, he moved to Delhi after the Partition, and thereafter, founded the business with his father.
<img title="Chef Ranveer Brar" src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2020/dec/Ranveer-Brar.jpg" alt="Chef Ranveer Brar" /> Chef Ranveer Brar
Chef Ranveer Brar, who considered the legend to be the symbol of spices while growing up, told this diarist, "Although I never met him, I recently went to a chilli market in Karnataka where he shot his ads. The folks there were telling me how they wait for him to come down in a helicopter every year and shoot the ads. Among many things, I think his biggest contribution was the degi mirch masala, and his passion for spices. He really was the Spice Man of India."
<h2>Bigger art corner</h2>
&nbsp;<img title="Installation view of lots at Saffronart&rsquo;s gallery in Mumbai. Pic/Saffronart" src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2020/dec/Gallery.jpg" alt="Installation view of lots at Saffronart&rsquo;s gallery in Mumbai. Pic/Saffronart" /> Installation view of lots at Saffronart&rsquo;s gallery in Mumbai. Pic/Saffronart
Leading auction house Saffronart is set to sail into 2021 on a fresh note. It has announced two auctions to be hosted in December, while also inaugurating their revamped space in Prabhadevi, which includes an extensive library, meeting rooms and client engagement areas. "[It] marries art and technology, enab-ling us to make art accessible to wider audiences," CEO and co- founder Dinesh Vazirani said. The Winter Live Auction of Modern Indian Art will be held at the Mumbai gallery on December 8, with 40 works by celebrated artists including SH Raza and Jehangir Sabavala. Then, on December 9 and 10, they will hold an online auction with 100 works of modern and contemporary Indian art, folk and tribal art, and works by South Asian and diaspora artists.
<h2>A presidential title</h2>
<img title="Joe Biden" src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2020/dec/Joe-Biden-ab.jpg" alt="Joe Biden" />
Joe Biden's political career has had all the ups and downs of a rollercoaster, with previous failed attempts at the American presidency culminating in an imminent entry to the White House in January 2021. Now, a book called Joe Biden: American Dreamer (Bloomsbury) chronicles this tumultuous journey. Written by journalist Evan Osnos, it traces his five-decade long political career. Osnos interviewed Biden and his family, apart from the likes of Barack Obama for the book. Pick it up to read about a resolute man who braved obstacles to reach the top.
<h2>Paws and effect on history</h2>
<img src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2020/dec/Nandini-Sen-Gupta.jpg" alt="" />
Puducherry-based writer Nandini Sengupta was amazed by her dog Snoopy's ability to understand humans and wondered what the world looked like through her lens. As a writer of historical fiction irked about history being told from the winner's perspective, she decided to pen The Blue Horse and Other Amazing Animals from Indian History (Hachette). An ode to Snoopy, in it, we get a glimpse into Emperor Akbar's court through his cheetah's eyes and meet Chhatrapati Shivaji's dog, among other animals and their legendary masters. "Each story ends with a note about where I got the information. The fictional element is that the animals talk; rest of it is pure history," she said.
<h2>Poetry in motion</h2>
<img src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2020/dec/Varsha-Panikar.jpg" alt="" />
Mumbai-based directors Varsha Panikar (in pic) and Saad Nawab have a lot to cheer about. Their visual poetry film, Bodies of Desire - an intimate portrayal of gender, sexual identity, desire, care and camaraderie - has been bagging coveted spots at film fests across the world, including Berlin Commercials and Indian Film Festival Melbourne. "The film was an extension of my sketch-poetry series on young love, queerness, intimacy, etc. Our cinematographer, Kaushal Shah, suggested we turn it into a film, and the producer Asawari Jagushte came on board. I took different pieces from poems and stitched them. The idea was to capture people in sensual and endearing moments, and make an alternative space for queer voices," Panikar shared about the film.
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