Art's golden age?

gtgt The best piece of news wersquove heard in a long time is that Pheroza Godrej has been appointed Chairperson of the Advisory Committee of the National Gallery of Modern Art Mumbai Anyone who knows Pheroza will be familiar with her stellar contribution to Mumbairsquos art scene Right from the time she launched Mumbairsquos first art and ideas newspaper lsquoHirsquo a bit like the Village Voice to when she hosted poetry readings at her nascent Cymroza Gallery Pheroza has always been on the cutting edge of fresh ideas That this appointment might usher in Mumbairsquos golden age of art and take the NGMA to its glory days under Saryu Doshilsquos stewardship is something that all those who know Pherozarsquos capabilities are hoping for Characteristically modest Godrej who wears her family name as lightly as she does her scholarship says ldquoI am merely the Chairperson of the Advisory Committee and will be working with the Director of the NGMA and the Committeerdquo Three cheers The big ticket event gtgt Niraj and Pommi Rawal the erstwhile Kolkata couple who have since many years become an important quotient on Mumbairsquos social scene are preparing to host their youngest daughter Ritikarsquos wedding to Kunal Vardan of Atria Mall fame And like they have done at the weddings of their two elder daughters this time too the festivities will be marked by old world warmth and Kolkata style elegance The Rawals who are arguably Vijay Mallyarsquos oldest and closest friends are a popular couple and Mumbai is gearing up for extended celebrations that include Tony and Haseena Jethmalanirsquos party tonight a sangeet midweek and a party at the mall itself later But most awaited apparently is the red carpet night hosted by the boyrsquos side which will feature a lsquobingorsquo competition Sources swear that the last time the Vardanrsquos hosted such a night was when their daughter got married two years ago ndash and the prizes were lsquoluxury cars and TV setsrsquo Just another day in paradise Kapoorrsquos Gangnam style gtgt We met him last year in Mumbai when he was the toast of society hostesses and were captivated by his easy internationalism and shy charm And now we learn that celebrated sculptor Anish Kapoor has shot his own tribute lsquoGangnam Stylersquo video in support of Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei For those recently returned after a holiday from Planet Earth the Chinese artist and activist had shot a parody of Psyrsquos viral pop hit three weeks ago in which he had injected a bit of symbolic frisson to the original horse ridingthemed choreography by introducing handcuffed hands Though Weiweirsquos parody had been applauded the world over for its cheek authorities had not appreciated its insouciance and had blocked its dissemination evoking worldwide outrage According to newspaper reports Kapoor wearing sunglasses and handcuffs executed the videorsquos signature dance moves with ease carrying a sign that said ldquoEnd Repression Allow expressionrdquo ldquoOur video aims to make a serious point about freedom of speech and freedom of expressionrdquo said Kapoor Perhaps he should come to Mumbai where free speech and expression are increasingly endangered No kidding gtgt Lina Asher the attractive educationist whose Kangaroo Kids initiative has flourished into one of Indiarsquos most credible of school brands has now launched a book mdash a compilation of all her wisdom on the subject of education and children Lina Asher Titled Who Do You Think Yoursquore Kidding the bookrsquos prelaunch blurb describes it as lsquoa trendsetting book about parenting and preparing our children for the futurersquo We have spoken on this subject with Tina Ambanirsquos dynamic niece Asher is her sisterrsquos daughter and find we agree with most of her views on parenting Herersquos wishing the book every success and hoping more parents subscribe to Asherrsquos progressive views on the subject Londonrsquos wedding wars gtgt You can have your mansion on Londonrsquos Millionairersquos Row standard issue his and her Rolls Royces for you and the missus and the proverbial mention on the UK rich list but whatrsquos a few billion in the bank worth if you donrsquot have peoplersquos eyeballs popping with the lavishness of your hospitality An insider to the high rolling NRI London crowd was bringing us up to speed about the communityrsquos particular rites of passage ldquoWeddings mdash the bigger and more expensive the better mdash are the status symbols of the hourrdquo he said adding ldquoEver since LN Mittal upped the ante with his over the top wedding reception at Versailles for his daughterrdquo Apparently since then much pink champagne has flowed in Florence Venice Istanbul and Bali in an attempt to outdo the Mittal extravaganza but no one has ever been able to match the Mittal magic But now this might be put to test by a dashing Marwari tycoon who will be hosting his sonrsquos nuptials in Udaipur soon Lakshmi Mittal ldquoNot only are there plans to fly in international pop stars to perform but the Cirque du Soleil has been signed up for an eveningrdquo says our source adding ldquoNo expense has been spared to make it the wedding of the decaderdquo Incidentally this is the same son whose elopement with an erstwhile actress had earned him his fatherrsquos ire many years ago So will the Mittalrsquos best wedding planner title be challenged Watch this space Elegant invite gtgt As weddings become the currency of success and material recognition we are happy to note that one of the most elegant invites we have received recently has been Yes Bank Chairman Rana Kapoorrsquos invitation for his daughter Raakheersquos imminent nuptials with Alkesh Tandon Rana Kapoor The handsome packet containing a series of elegant cards in different colours exchanges the over the top iconography of the modern Indian lsquoroyal summonsrsquo for a moreu00a0sober style But best of all is the pocketsized leather and silver bound copy of the Bhagvad Gita that accompanies the announcement We likeu00a0