Compiled by Aradhna Wal
A painting by Krishna Reddy
Peter Nagy on Art
Krishna Reddy is most famously known for his print works. However, when I went for his show The Embodied Image: The Art and Life of Krishna Reddy, what caught my eye was his watercolours, especially a series from 1963, which had never been seen before. These paintings were far more abstract than his other works, yet they read like landscapes to me. His watercolours are extremely rich in hue, yet subdued. And for their time, they were very participatory in the country’s progressive dialogue. Something strikes you because it speaks strongly to you. And Reddy’s paintings just blew me away.
Nagy is the director of Nature Morte Gallery in Delhi
AJ Thomas on Books
Anatomy of a Disappearance by Hisham Matar has caught my attention. Apart from the topical importance of the theme, its style and structure are fascinating. It describes the countless ‘disappearances’ of intellectuals and dissidents during the Gaddafi regime in Libya. The story of human malice practised as State policy, bedevilling normal lives, is told poignantly.
‘It talks about dissidents who vanish ed during the Gaddafi regime’
Thomas is an Indian Poet and Fiction Writer
Indraneel Hariharan on Music
The ’70s was an age of revolution in music. And the American bandWeather Report, founded by saxophone player Wayne Shorter, was the pioneer in the evolution of jazz. I have to say Jaco Pastorius was the finest bassist to have lived on the planet. The band imbibed Latin and African music traditions with jazz, giving rise to world music.
Hariharan is the Bassist with The Band Mrigya
A still from Scenesfrom a Marriage
Sumit Khanna on Film
In Scenes from a Marriage, Ingmar Bergman gives a reeling interpretation of marriage; how a diametrically opposite couple co-exists at intimate levels. Actors Liv Ullmann and Erland Josephson give the most honest performances. We share 20 years of their love, hate, anger, denial and pain. Bergman wrote and directed the film in 1973 when he was in his fifth marriage that lasted 24 years until his wife died. It is a superb, concise treatise about the nature of falling in and out of love, how to differentiate what love is, and essentially what a marriage is.
Khanna is a Mumbai-based Filmmaker
Kunal Kapur on Food
Five-star hotels tend to dilute the flavour of Lucknow’s delicacies. But Kangan Restaurant at The Westin Mumbai comes very close to the authentic taste. They have excellent kakori and galouti kebabs, and paranthas. The highlight is a hard-to- obtain recipe of taar korma, a lamb-based dish with lots of stock and juiced bone marrow. The place has a contemporary décor, with a window for a wall on one side and a live kit chen on the other. Not only do you watch your food being coo ked, you also get a breathtaking view of Mumbai from the 18th floor.
Kapur is the executive sous-chef at Diya, Leela Kempinski, Gurgaon
