Compiled by Aradhna Wal
Arshiya Lokhandwala On Art
Anita Dube was trained as an art historian and has been in the field for several years. I thoroughly enjoy her politics. She is very focussed with the materials she uses. In one work she covered objects with velvet, lending a sensuality to the way it looked and felt. One of my favourites is Intimations of Defense. A corner of a wall is covered with a cluster of 1000 ceramic eyes, the kind sold outside temples, called the Eyes of God. You cannot look away from it. It’s also a very sexual imagery. She uses these eyes often, as seen in the work Sea Creatures. She is concerned with the woman, and the virtue and sexuality forced on her.
Lokhandwala Is The Mumbai-Based Director Of Lakeeren Art Gallery
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Amit Sheth On Books
Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption is the autobiography of Louis Zamperini, America’s hope for gold at the 1940 Olympics, when World War II erupts. Louis enlists as a B24 Bombardier but crashes into the Pacific. After 47 days on a life raft the Japanese capture him. Despite the tragedy, the book is a story of learning to live again.
Sheth Is The Author Of Dare To Run
‘The book chronicles the tragedy of a POW, yet ends with survival and learning to live again’
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Gaurav Raina On Music
Papon & The East India Company is a rather interesting Delhi-based outfit. The members are all from Assam. They do a very intriguing blend of Assamese folk music and electronica. Their presentation caught my attention. It’s a blend of Hindi and Assamese, set against a mellow electronica backdrop; soothing music for all your daily needs. Even live, they’re fantastic. They are a bunch of talented guys who are successfully doing something different.
Raina Is One Half Of The Delhi-Based Duo Midival Punditz
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Paromita Vohra On Film
Z32, by Israeli documentarian Avi Mograbi, is a young man’s confession of a revenge killing of Palestinian soldiers during military service. It uses two brilliant devices – a digital mask over the man’s face grows increasingly life-like; the filmmaker’s commentary is in the form of songs, performed by him with a full orchestra in his living room. Though the songs are funny, they push us to reflect on the nature of truth, the self-aggrandisation of political indignation, and the search for a real way to talk about how violence brutalises us.
Vohra Is A Mumbai-Based Documentary Filmmaker
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Jitender Himral On Food
I think Bohème is a great place to visit once in a while. It is well located, in Delhi’s Hauz Khas Village, with a spectacular view of the lake. It’s got a menu ranging from Mediterranean to Italian and Spanish cuisine. However, I stuck to the basics with a simple mushroom pasta, and thoroughly enjoyed it. They’ve got indoor and outdoor seating, so you can enjoy nature along with the meal, greatly adding to the charm of the place. It is spacious and relaxed with friendly, unobtrusive service. In fact, it makes for a nice romantic destination; the best place to go with one’s spouse.
Himral Is The Chef In Charge Of The Oudh, The Ashok, New Delhi
