The Time Out-Mint Planner
The Time Out-Mint Planner
MUMBAI
Art
A Nilima Sheikh show
29 March-29 April
Artist Nilima Sheikh has been making Thangkha-inspired paintings about Kashmir for around seven years now. In this series, ‘Each Night Put Kashmir in Your Dreams’, Sheikh’s Kashmir is a luminous blend of dreamscapes and history. Her decision to adapt the style of Thangkhas to create massive scrolls acknowledges Kashmir’s Buddhist heritage (it was an important Buddhist centre in the third century BC). Several paintings contain fragments of historical texts, such as colonial accounts. The show’s title is from a poem by the Kashmiri-American poet Agha Shahid Ali.
11am-7pm (Monday-Saturday). Chemould Prescott Road, Queens Mansion, Third floor, Ghanashyam Talwatkar Marg, Fort (22000212).
Painted Veil
Till 7 April
Painted Veil, the title of Boshudhara Mukherjee’s debut show in Mumbai, is taken from a sonnet by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Like Shelley’s poem Lift not the Painted Veil, Mukherjee’s canvases are lyrical laments that speak of disillusionment, despair and beauty. After painting on canvas, Mukherjee slices up the paintings and weaves them again to create unlikely patterns. The art is as much in the hanging canvases as in the shadows they cast, often revealing delicate patterns and simple shapes.
11.30am-7.30pm (Tuesday-Saturday); 11.30am-5pm (Sunday). Volte, 2/19, Kamal Mansion, First floor, Arthur Bunder Road, Colaba (22041220).
Nikhil Chopra Show
Performance artist Nikhil Chopra presents another instalment of his acclaimed, Yograj Chitrakar: Memory Drawing Part X, Version 2, where he takes on a variety of personae while making references to swathes of Indian colonial history. The performance was conceptualized three years ago, when Chopra was invited by Delhi-based arts organization Khoj to take up a year-long residency. Since 2008, Chopra has performed variations of the piece across the world, including at the KunstenFESTIVALdesArts in Brussels and the Venice Biennale last year.
10am-5pm. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Veermata Jijabai Bhonsle Udyan (Byculla Zoo), Ambedkar Road, Byculla-East (65560394).
Satish Gujral
Till 31March
Recent works by Satish Gujral can be seen at an exhibition at the Cymroza Art Gallery. Gujral is famous for his paintings, sculptures and murals. Born in Jhelum in 1925, he began his art education in Lahore and came to Mumbai to study art at Sir JJ School of Art in the 1940s. He is also known for his linework and interpretation of shapes.
10am-7pm (Sunday closed). Cymroza Art Gallery, 72, Bhulabhai Desai Road, Breach Candy (23671983).
Theatre
Dreams of Taleem
Till 27 March
In Dreams of Taleem, theatre director Anay deals with the desertion of his theatre company and his partner Yash, while scouting for an actor to rehearse a new play. Directed by Sunil Shanbag and written by Sachin Kundalkar, the play stars Divya Jagdale, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Suvrat Joshi and Anand Tiwari.
9pm, 26 March; 6pm and 9pm, 27 March. Prithvi Theatre, Janki Kutir, Juhu Church Road, Vile Parle-West (26149546). Tickets, Rs100 (26 March) and Rs150 (27 March), available at the venue. No entry for latecomers after the show begins.
Film
Nero’s Guests
29 March
In Nero’s Guests, director Deepa Bhatia adroitly weaves together footage of writer and journalist P. Sainath’s travels to the suicide zones of Maharashtra, interviews with the families of some of the victims, and excerpts from his lectures. The documentary takes its title from a speech given by Sainath at a Bangalore law college, in which he argues that the apologists of oppression are as much to blame as the oppressor. Bhatia was one of Sainath’s students at the Sophia Polytechnic’s social communications media diploma course.
7pm. Prithvi Theatre, Janki Kutir, Juhu Church Road, Vile Parle-West (26149546).
Music
BBC Sound System
1 April
Based in Paris, the Bay Beat Collective (BBC) Sound System mixes African melodies with hip hop, soul and salsa rhythms. The Senegalese trio of Kadou, Mansour and Mao, members of the BBC Sound System, will give the city a taste of their music, which represents the multilingual heritage of France.
10pm. Blue Frog, New Mahalaxmi Silk Mills Compound, Tulsi Pipe Road, Lower Parel (40332300). Tickets, Rs300.
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BANGALORE
Music
Wolfgang Haffner Trio
German jazz composer and drummer Wolfgang Haffner has given nu-jazz a new definition. Haffner’s compositions incorporate acoustic beats and electronica. His groove-based music is loaded with festive improvisation and non-conformity of style. With around 400 recordings to his credit, he has performed with the likes of Pat Metheny, Chaka Khan, Bob James, Larry Carlton and Mike Stern.
Haffner is touring several Indian cities this month to promote his latest album, ‘Round Silence’. The album features his new band, with Hubert Nuss on piano and Christian Diener on bass. The tour will also feature songs from the electronic-heavy album, ‘Shapes’.
6.30pm. Max Mueller Bhavan, 716, CMH Road, Indira Nagar (25205305).
Around town
Dr Clown India
26 March
If you have a way with children and enjoy making them smile, join the ranks of therapeutic clowns who visit local hospitals. Dr Clown India is conducting a workshop inspired by Hunter Adams, made famous by the 1998 film Patch Adams for his attempts to fuse art and humour therapy with traditional treatment.
6-8pm. Alliance Française de Bangalore, 108, Thimmaiah Road, Vasanthanagar (41231340). Fee, Rs2,000. To register, call 9844053758.
Dance
Rhadha
27 March
The JSS Auditorium in Jayanagar, an increasingly popular venue for the classical arts, will host a veteran this weekend—67-year-old Bharatanatyam dancer Rhadha (she goes by one name). “She has danced to audiences that counted Jawaharlal Nehru, S. Radhakrishnan, Dwight Eisenhower, Elizabeth II and Chou En-lai as their members," says Poornima Gururaja, organizer of Niranthara Narmada, the festival that will feature Rhadha.
6pm. JSS Auditorium, 1st Main, 8th Block, Jayanagar (26644540).
Theatre
Charandas Chor
1 April
Habib Tanvir’s play charts the tumultuous life of a petty thief, Charandas, who is ironically a man of integrity and efficiency. He makes four vows to his guru: never to eat off a gold plate, lead a procession in his honour, become a king, or marry a princess… but life has other plans. This play is being performed by children’s repertory Head Start Educational.
7.30pm. KH Kala Soudha, Ramanjaneya Temple Compound, Hanumantha Nagar (9880487682). Tickets, Rs70, available at the venue.
Robinson & Crusoe
30 March-1 April
Amid guns and exploding bombs, two wartime pilots from opposing armies find themselves fighting for survival at sea. Initially devised as an improvisatory exercise by two Italian actors, Nino D’Introna and Giacomo Ravicchio, Robinson & Crusoe is a modern fable of enemies in the predicament of unrelenting, involuntary closeness, their only viable options violent force or genuine reconciliation.
7.30pm. Ranga Shankara, 36/2, 8th Cross, 2nd Phase, JP Nagar (26592777). Tickets, Rs100, available at the venue
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DELHI
Kathak
28 March
Aditi Mangaldas premieres her latest work, ‘Immersed’, a Kathak solo that begins with an invocation of some of the 108 names of Krishna. Mangaldas was inspired by the ubiquity of the legend of his many avatars in literature, dance, poetry and sculpture, and understands that Krishna could be of any gender, class or faith. Yet ‘Immersed’ is not a piece created in worship; she dances more in wonderment.
The seamless hour-long performance will not have any direct ‘jugalbandi’ with the music, composed by Shubha Mudgal and Aneesh Pradhan, but will feature Mangaldas’ signature costumes in traditional fabrics and subtle ‘shringaar’ (make-up).
7pm. Kamani Auditorium, 1, Copernicus Marg (23388084). Entry by invitation; invites available at the venue. For details, call 9810881840.
Around town
Buddhist teachings—a talk
31 March
Sogyal Rinpoche, world-renowned Buddhist teacher and author of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, will speak on Buddhism and its perception in the world today.
6pm. Fountain Lawns, India International Centre, 40, Max Mueller Marg, Lodhi Estate (24619431).
Music
My Homeland, My Homeland
30 March
A collation of operatic arias and choruses from Romantic patriotic operas from the 19th century will be presented by Indian artists Situ Singh Buehler (soprano), Yanis Benabdallah (tenor), Maruoan Benabdallah (piano) and members of the Capital City Minstrels, conducted by Gabriella Boda-Rechner. The concert commemorates the 200th birth anniversary and 117th death anniversary of Ferenc Erkel, a famous Hungarian composer and the father of Hungarian opera. He is also the composer of that country’s national anthem. The concert is organized by the India International Centre in collaboration with the Hungarian Information and Cultural Centre.
7pm. India International Centre (IIC) auditorium, IIC, 40, Max Mueller Marg, Lodhi Estate (24619431).
1 April
Ocean Colour Scene, a band formed in Birmingham, England, in 1989, is a rock ’n’ roll traditionalist, drawing inspiration from 1960s mod bands such as The Who, Kinks and The Small Faces as well as British invasion bands such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Organized in association with Bombay Teen Challenge, an organization dedicated to helping women involved in prostitution and their children, this event is part of The Freedom Tour initiated by Hard Rock International in 2006 to raise funds for local children’s charities.
Also on the bill is James Walsh, the frontman of contemporary British band Starsailor.
9.30pm. Hard Rock Café, M-110, Multiplex Building, First floor, DLF Place, District Centre, Saket (47158888). Entry charges, Rs500.
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CHENNAI
Theatre
26-28 March
Chennai-based troupe Masquerade presents a festival of solo performances to coincide with World Theatre Day (27 March). The artists include Varun Aiyer, Balakrishnan V. of Theatre Nisha and Anand Sami of Perch.
26 March
6.45pm, ‘Idgah’ by Varun Aiyer
7.45pm, ‘Rashmi Rathi’ by Balakrishnan V.
27 March
3pm, ‘Bloodlines’ by Ramya Mukund
4.15pm, ‘Incestuous Bastard’ by Anjana Menon
6.45pm, ‘Arjumand’ by Shakila Arun
7.45pm, ‘The Coffin is Too Big for the Hole’ by Mathivanan Rajendran
28 March
3pm, ‘Saamiyaattam’ by Vinodhini Vaidyanathan
7.45pm, ‘Jannal & Seethai Mark Seeyakkaai Thool’ by Anand Sami
Alliance Française de Madras Auditorium, College Road (9940138749).
Art
Functional Art
27 March-24 April
Looking for art that will also serve as everyday-use objects? Well-known city-based artists such as Asma Menon, Shalini and Biswajit Balasubramanian, Dimpy Menon, A.V. Ilango and Lakshmi Srinath offer some options at this exhibition. Choose from a variety of art, including bookends in brass, mirrors and bowls in wood and granite.
10.30am-6pm. Forum Art Gallery, 57, 5th Street, Padmanabha Nagar, Adyar (42115596).
Finding His Space
Till 28 March
Using his experience in Kerala mural paintings, Basanth Peringode, a Chennai-based artist, presents his latest collection of untitled works that explore a modern idiom through traditional techniques.
11am-6pm. Apparao Galleries, 7, Wallace Gardens, 3rd Street, Nungambakkam (28332226).
Theatre
Five Point Someone
27-28 March
After touring five cities, including Delhi and Bangalore, Chennai-based Evam premieres its adaptation of Chetan Bhagat’s book Five Point Someone in the troupe’s home city.
3.15pm and 7.15pm. Sivagami Pethachi Auditorium, MCTM Mat Higher Secondary School, Mylapore (9840281513). Tickets, Rs250 and Rs500, available at Landmark (all outlets) and Café Coffee Day (Ispahani Centre and Elliot’s Beach Road).
Around town
Chi Gong
27 March
Malini Subramanian, a practitioner and teacher of Chi Gong, presents a one-day seminar on this healing technique, which is the basis of all Chinese healing systems and martial arts. The smooth flow of chi, or life energy, is the essence of good health, according to Chinese tradition, and this seminar will give you an insight into this fascinating method of healing.
5pm. Catalyst, 86/2, Second floor, Mundakanni Amman Koil Street (behind Sanskrit College), Mylapore (9176629800).
Vietnamese food festival
Till 31 March
Enjoy Vietnamese dishes from an a la carte menu for dinner at Hip Asia. The speciality dishes include asparagus and crab meat soup; Vietnamese pho soup; pan-seared salmon with basil and tamarind sauce; red cari fish; stewed chicken with ginger, mushroom and basil; and Vietnamese yellow cari vegetable and babycorn or asparagus and tofu with Saigon chilli sauce for the veggie lovers.
7.30pm onwards. Hip Asia, Taj Connemara, next to Spencers Plaza, 2, Binny Road (66000000). A meal for two will cost around Rs850 (excluding drinks).
By Karuna Amarnath
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KOLKATA
Around town
Octave 2010
29-31 March
The programme schedule includes folk dance forms such as Ajhi Lamu from Arunachal Pradesh, Bihu from Assam, Mastieh from Meghalaya, Cherraw from Mizoram, Pung Cholom and Dhol Dholak Cholom from Manipur, Singhi Chham from Sikkim, Hozagiri from Tripura and classical dances such as Sattiya from Assam and ‘raas’ festival dances in the Manipuri style.
Timings and venues vary. For details, contact EZCC, IB 201, Salt Lake City (23356796).
Art
From Pain to Paint
Till 31 March
An exhibition of paintings by Bindu Art School students will be on display at The Weavers Studio Centre for the Arts and Gallery K2. The Bindu Art School was set up to encourage those affected by leprosy to incorporate art into their lives and become financially independent. The artworks are also available for sale on the Bindu website.
10am-7pm (Sunday closed). Gallery K2, Supra Court, 35 Lansdowne Terrace (24651444), and The Weavers Studio Centre for the Arts, 94, Ballygunge Place (24613145).
The Graphic World of MF Husain
Till 31 March
Gallery Rasa presents a collection of around 112 of M.F. Husain’s limited-edition graphic prints. The concept behind the exhibition: Silk screen prints can satisfy people’s need to collect works of art, since original paintings tend to be out of reach for most.
4-8pm (Monday closed). Gallery Rasa, 828/1, Block-P, New Alipore (24007348/8803).
Photography
7th Members’ Photography Exposition
28-30 March
Alok Rekhay, a Kolkata-based photography club, presents an exhibition showcasing the works of 16 of its members. The show will be inaugurated by artist Samir Aich. There will be around 64 photographs, 18x12 inches in size, at the exhibition. The club will also release a travel-themed Bengali new year calendar featuring photographs clicked by members.
2-8pm. Gaganendra Pradarshanshala, 1/1, AJC Bose Road (9433099962).
Around town
The Temple-goers
31 March
Journalist and author Aatish Taseer releases his debut novel, which takes us through the closed drawing rooms and private gardens of Delhi, into dinner parties, meetings and jagrans where, amid the clink of crystal and the clang of cymbals, India’s underbelly comes to the fore.
6.30pm. Oxford Bookstore, 17, Park Street (9831110300).
By Indranil Bhoumik
Content for Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore provided by TimeOut
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