Celebrating Bismarck

Can there ever be enough tributes paid to Mumbais music tutors those dedicated men and women who over the decades have toiled unstintingly to teach the citys callow youth how to become more musical Yesterday Ehsaan Noorani one of the countrys leading music composers and a renowned guitarist attempted to redress the situation when he went over to celebrate the 90th birthday of his erstwhile teacher the legendary BismarckHappy 90th to my benefactor my teacher my guru Bismarck Rodriguez he posted What a lovely day its been Also for the first time in all my years I drank neat Chivas at 130 in the afternoon said one third of the group ShankarEhsaanLoy who began taking lessons from the icon in 1978Ehsaan Noorani and Bismarck RodriguezThe basics that I learned from him were a foundation which I realised the importance of when I went to music school in Los Angeles in 1985 said Noorani And the lessons were not Bismarcks only contribution eitherAbove all Bismarck encouraged me to be on top of it always referring to me as my champion As for Bismarck of whom many stories are told by doting students who are senior citizens themselves what stands testimony to his dedication is that the mononamed guru is still training a whole new generation of the citys imminent rock stars at 90Beautiful weaves of BenaresOver the weekend we travelled to Varanasi to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Sagarika Rais bespoke luxury weaves initiative Warp n Weft Held on Assi Ghat on the auspicious occasion of Hanuman Jayanti it saw the felicitation of the weavers whod worked with Rai for the last two decades on her magical creations out of the dint of their imagination and the brilliance of their craftSagarika RaiNow wizened old men they bounced up on stage as one by one their names were called to receive their honoursIt was altogether a magical evening One moment we were at Mumbais teeming airport and the next on the banks where Tulsidas wrote his epic poems with the full moon reflected on the flowing Ganga nearbyFittingly there was a music recital where Ustad Fateh Ali Khan the grandson of Bismillah Khan played a Jugalbandi with the Grammy award winning slide guitarist Prakash Sonttake When I married and moved from Benares to Mumbai I was appalled when I saw the kind of fabrics available said RaiI could not help thinking of the exquisite colours and textures of the handlooms of Benares So I started sourcing them and created a small space at my husbands office said the attractive wife on an investment banker and mother of two Soon some of Mumbais most artistic women began to patronize her store Rajshree Birla Monica Correa Dina Vakil they all appreciated my creations says RaiAnd what does she feel about the recent Benares boom So many people have jumped on the bandwagon she says If it promotes the traditional crafts its great but unfortunately so many people are taking short cuts and cashing in on Benares new found fame by resorting to substandard quality and power loomsAs for Warp and Weft theres much to celebrate Plans for tieups abroad and an expanded store in Mumbai to stock many more rustling koras Mughal butas in khinkhwab and kadhwa weaves and gossamer floral charm in gold and silver threadsIndias QueenA recently written fictionalised account of an iconic Indian female politician has been attracting much notice Said to be perfectly told with drama and insight and subtlety its working title is Queen and has the likes of Delhis leading publishing maven commending itIndira Gandhi and Sonia GandhiAnd whereas the name of the author is still to be disclosed the books subject appears easier to guess iconic Indian female politician It can only be Indira Gandhi After all we all know what happens when some one writes a fictionalized account of the other Mrs Gandhi mdash right Javier MoroSeparated at BirthAs people they couldnt be more dissimilar iconic British singer songwriter and record producer Farrokh Balsara aka Freddie Mercury the Parsi from Zanzibar and the Dadar Parsi Colonys gymkhana who became lead vocalist and coprincipal songwriter of the rock band Queen and wood and brass artifacts Indian businessman and alleged realtor from Moradabad the husband of politician Priyanka Gandhi Robert VadraFreddie MercuryAfter all one set the stage afire with his performances and the other somewhat left viewers under whelmed with his Are you serious rap captured by a TV camera But then there is no denying that the two men bear a startling resemblance pronounced jaw dreamy dark eyes and droopy moucheRobert VadraAnd wait there is one more similarity both are flamboyant sharp dressers given to pink trousers and body hugging tees Freddie Mercury and Robert Vadra separated at birth Who woulda thunkSmiles to goThis is a poignant story about an urban legend told by someone who knew her a lady so glamorous that her reputation precedes and her name is whispered in awe Its about her unblemished visage seen only rarely and that too by a chosen few A visage that is as arresting as it is unsmiling Time was when after her nth cosmetic intervention shed been told by her surgeon in London that this would be his last that it was not advisable to go in for any more You must be very very careful hence forth hed warnedHowever an unforeseen accident occurred shortly after and the lady was compelled to seek out medical help to reinstate her allure This time it was almost impossible I will do it against my wishes said the good doctor but theres only one condition You can never smile again