Going live with Gabriella

What on earth is a live installation We enquired when we were informed that sultry modelturneddesigner Gabriella Demetriades was planning one this week to show her latest line Deme clothing at a suburban restaurant ldquoItrsquos the international trend where models stand wearing the clothesrdquo we were informedAh yes we said remembering one such experience in Rome at the anniversary of an iconic jewellery brand where the awkward experience of staring at human mannequins while they stared right back at you had made for some painful momentsGabriella DemetriadesldquoWe really wanted to do something different and interactive and not your usual showrdquo said Demetriades about choosing to show her clothes in this manner ldquoAt the end of it itrsquos a celebration for all that my brand is fun and sexy and we want the evening to be all about thatrdquoDemetriades who was working in South Africa as a stylist before she shot to fame in India as the woman over whom Lalit Modi and Shashi Tharoor allegedly fell out has modelled for international brands ldquoI want it to be experiential so the guests can get up close and personal with the clothesrdquo OopsKunderrsquos quickieShirish Kunder whose witty bon mots have often featured on this page has made a tightly wound short psychological thriller that has already garnered 5 lakh views at the time of writing thisShirish Kunder and Farah KhanLaunched by Kangana Ranaut on YouTube on Wednesday in the presence of its actors Manoj Bajpai and Neha Sharma Radhika Apte is also part of the film but was not present the short has won accolades from no less than Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal who tweeted about itldquoIts getting great reviews so we are really happyrdquo said Farah Khan Kunderrsquos wife herself a leading Bollywood director ldquoHopefully by the time your column appears tomorrow it will be around a million viewsrdquo she saidThe Principalrsquos the thingRarely have notices from school authorities resulted in so much celebratory rejoicing especially when they happen to be from Meera Isaacs the indomitable principal of SoBorsquos premier school the Cathedral and John Connon SchoolMeera IsaacsBut this week when Isaacs issued a note to parents of students in Std V and VI announcing that the school has taken a decision to lsquodiscontinue examinations with immediate effect in an effort to allay the young studentsrsquo stress levels and to return a semblance of their childhood to themrsquo her words ricocheted through some of the cityrsquos most select homesldquoI was distressed to see how todayrsquos children are being made so miserable by their parents who live their lives through them and focus on marks marks marksrdquo said Isaacs when we enquired about her decision ldquoI hope that tuitions become a thing of the past and that the joy of being children is returned to themrdquo she says adding wryly ldquoI did it on humanitarian grounds but itrsquos so funny that Irsquove become a heroine overnightrdquo IndeedA scene for his next plotldquoStonehenge was included in lsquoThe Krishna Keyrsquo but from a different perspectiverdquo says bestselling author Ashwin Sanghi about his visit to the iconic English landmark after the summer solstice this week when he chanced upon a group of druids performing a ceremonyAshwin SanghildquoIncredible to think that in the years between 3200 BCE and 2600 BCE a group of people with neolithic tools could perfectly align these massive stones to capture the summer and winter solsticesrdquo he says A revisit in a future bookThe druids performing a ceremonyA good eyeAs one of the cityrsquos leading ophthalmic surgeons hersquos known to have a good eye but few know that Dr Burjor Banaji sensitive photographer and avid trekker has a good ear tooThe saxophonist PicDr Burjor BanajiFor almost 10 years Banaji an inveterate globetrotter had been hearing an unknown saxophonist perform at the Boston Public Garden ldquoWhenever the sun came out in Boston hersquod go to his special corner in the park and I would hear soulful music wafting into my hotel roomrdquo says said Banaji ldquoHowever tired I was Irsquod make it down there to listen for a whilerdquoLast month when Banaji encountered the gentleman again he was compelled to shoot this portrait ldquo I told him how over the years his music has always drawn me out of the hotel and into the park And how much Irsquove enjoyed hearing him play I asked if I could post his picture on Facebook and he said ldquoGo ahead man Make me famousrdquo recalls Banaji adding ldquoIn my mind he already wasrdquo NicePincerlike effectEmployees of this multinational conglomerate are feeling the pincerlike effect of its trouble with creditors and the fallout of its run in with regulatory authorities over its latest breaking news scamldquoWe have not been paid for monthsrdquo wailed a midlevel manager on assurance of anonymity ldquoMany of my colleagues have been summarily dismissed and replaced with alternative junior hiring so that remunerations are reduced Whatrsquos more the office complex at BKC has been sold off rdquo he says adding ldquoThe instances of health problems due to anxiety and stress are growing alarmingly amidst my colleaguesrdquoAnd to think that in spite of the mayhem in the ranks the companyrsquos promoters are continuing with their highrolling ways with no change in their yachts jets and overseas mansions and vacations