Category: Event

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Walk of art

Artist Renu Mital is showing her work at The Trident, Nariman Point, starting from today. Do check out her interpretation of ‘Survival’.

Too often, we complain of the city not hosting enough art events every week. For a city teeming with talent, and teeming even more with people wanting to see the work of young artists.

Since 1996, The Trident, Nariman Point, claims to have recognised these needs, and put up the Trident Art Walk for lovers of art in the city. The Art Walk claims to showcase “talents evolved by the magical triplet of brush, paint and canvas,” and takes place every fortnight in The Oberoi Shopping Arcade.

Starting today, artist Renu Mital is showing her work at The Art Walk, till April 14. Titled ‘Art Treasures’, Renu’s work deals with the theme of survival, through oil on canvas. Check out her work below.

 

 

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Like a thousand words on Mumbai

A review of the FOCUS Festival that has its eyes on Mumbai without being confined to one theme or genre.
by Medha Kulkarni

Last Sunday, I decided to spend my day checking out the FOCUS Festival that’s currently on in the city. Armed with a basic understanding of what the festival was about, I checked the schedule for Sunday and headed off to town, not really knowing what to expect. However, from the minute I stepped into the Gallerie Max Mueller (my first stop) I knew that this was going to be one amazing fest!

A Fantastic Legacy: Early Bombay Photography, from 1840 to 1900 is an exhibition curated by Susan Hapgood. It’s a visual treat for anyone who loves this city. The grainy black and white images hark back to a time when Mumbai was Bombay, and provide a stunning juxtaposition to the city as it is now. Each and every single photograph is an original.

My next stop was the other pivotal focus for the festival titled A Photograph is Not an Opinion – Contemporary Photography by Women, which is on display at the Jehangir Art Gallery. I think it is truly commendable that the organisers of the festival recognised the need for a separate discourse on gender and art, and thus organised such an exhibition. With works ranging across diverse themes by women photographers from around the world, this exhibition lived up to its name. Instead of pronouncing judgement, it offers people a point from where they can build on.

I decided to take a break from viewing the exhibitions and took a sneak peek at Children’s Digital Photography Workshop with Himanshu Seth. I arrived when it was nearing its end and reached in time to see excited children, who were armed with their digicams, busy planning their next photography exhibition. I spoke to some of the parents present there and asked them what they thought about the workshop. “It’s a wonderful idea. Kids these days are surrounded by technology and know much more than their parents. Such events help us channel this interest and knowledge of theirs in a healthy manner” said Anubha Chati, whose son and daughter attended the workshop.

With no other events lined up for that afternoon, I headed to the next exhibition and stopped by at The Guild, which has mounted a group exhibition featuring the works of Baiju Parthan, Gigi Scaria, Mithu Sen and Pooja Iranna. What I loved about this exhibition was that they brought four established and very different artists working in the same medium, but each having their own style, together. Gigi Scaria’s photographs of buildings arranged in a Tetris-reminiscent manner were perhaps the most engaging works on display.

I headed out towards Art Musings in Colaba next, where I viewed another group exhibition. Titled ‘37 Indian still lifes’, which is a collaboration between the gallery and Tasveer, the exhibition is a fabulous photographic documentation of Indian still life and an exploration of the narrative within it. “Sheer variety!” was the reaction of Shraddha Kulkarni, a viewer I met at this exhibition, when I asked her what she liked best about the exhibition. I had the opportunity to speak with a lot of exhibition goers and they all more or less reiterated what Shraddha said. The best thing about FOCUS, as far the masses of the city go, was the ease of accessibility to works and also the wide variety of works exhibited. No single theme or genre dominates the exhibition.

The FOCUS Festival is will be on for over two weeks from now. Look for event details here. 

                                       (Picture courtesy Goethe Institut, Mumbai)

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A wedding fair for senior citizens

A wedding fair for senior citizens looking for partners and live-in companions will be held at Matunga on April 7.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

All over the world, senior citizens are expected to settle down into quiet oblivion once they retire from work and cross the magic age of 60, silently watching as their families continue with their lives. In our country, however, the problem of ‘old age’ is compounded for those who lose a spouse to death or divorce – and the worst part is, we don’t want to hear our senior citizens say, “I’m lonely. I want to get married again.”

“With the trend of nuclear families increasing in our country, senior citizens are often left to fend for themselves. The country’s senior citizen population is increasing. Today, 10 per cent of all Indians are senior citizens – 10 crore Indians are over 60 years of age, and 12,00,000 of them are in Mumbai alone,” said Sailesh Mishra, founder of the NGO Silver Innings, which works for senior citizens in the country. He was speaking at a press conference held to announce a ‘Senior Citizens Jeevan Saathi Sammelan’, that will take place at Dadar Matunga Cultural Centre on April 7.

“When a senior citizen loses his or her spouse, he/she becomes really lonely, but they are not allowed to express it because society does not expect ‘old’ people to want a companion at that age,” Sailesh explained. “Research shows that while the longevity of senior citizens in our country is going up each year, women have been found to outlive men. But again, it is very difficult for a woman of that age to say that she needs a companion, that she wants to spend the rest of her life with somebody. We feel that senior citizens should also get the chance to find a suitable mate,” he said. To incentivise women’s participation in the Sammelan, all women who attend the meeting will be given basic train fare, lunch and a saree.

The Sammelan is the brainchild of Natubhai Patel (62), the founder-chairman of Vina Mulya Amulya Seva (VMAS) in Ahmedabad, which has to its credit 75 senior citizen marriages and the setting up of 25 live-ins all over India. “We decided to do  such a big meeting in Mumbai because our research says that 39 per cent of senior citizens living alone in this city are senior citizens. With rising crime against seniors, and the fact that their twilight years can be better spent with somebody of their choice, the Sammelan aims to have willing senior citizens meet each other and make an informed choice about the partner they choose.”

 

Sailesh added that women’s participation in such meetings has been found to be very low. “We want more women to participate. Through our counselling sessions, we find that most men are looking for companionship, while women look for financial security. At that age, marriage is not required for sex, but more for love and security.” On being asked if the organisers would ensure that no fraudulent members participated in the meeting, Sailesh said that all participants would be advised to carry out background checks before going ahead with the person they chose. “We will only facilitate the meeting, apart from helping with legal advice and marriage counselling when required,” Sailesh said.

The Sammelan is not open to people below 50 years of age, or those whose partners are still alive. If divorced, the participant must produce documentary proof of the divorce, or if the spouse is deceased, the death certificate must be shown. An ID proof of age is mandatory. The Sammelan is open to widows, widowers, single people and divorcees, all over 50 years of age. The event is being organised by Rotary Club of Mumbai (Nariman Point), in association with Silver Innings and VMAS. Contact 099871 04233/ 09029000091 for details and registration.

Tomorrow: Who participates in these events? What are senior citizens in India expecting from their partners?

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With a FOCUS on Mumbai

First-ever photography festival kicks off tomorrow in the city, and it will feature young photographers from all around the world.
by Medha Kulkarni

FOCUS, Mumbai’s first ever photography festival, kicks off tomorrow, March 13, 2013. Spread over two weeks, the festival is dedicated exclusively to the work of young, emerging photographers from all over the world. The best part about it? It’s open to everyone, totally free of cost!

The two pivotal exhibitions of the festival are:

A Fantastic Legacy: Early Bombay Photography, from 1840 to 1900
Curated by Mumbai Art Room owner Susan Hapgood, the USP of this exhibition is that all the works on display are original prints. Stunning portraits, panoramic views of the city and some of the earliest photographs by members of the Photographic Society of Bombay, the exhibition promises to enthrall all those who love this city and continue to be fascinated by it.

Head to Galerie Max Mueller, Max Mueller Bhavan, K. Dubash Marg, Kala Ghoda, on Thursday, March 14 to Wednesday, March 27. The exhibition is open from Monday to Saturday, from 10am to 7pm, and will be closed on Sunday.

A Photograph Is Not An Opinion – Contemporary Photography By Women
A group exhibition of works by emerging women artists from India and abroad, this exhibition highlights various important themes – the city and the environment, the family album, loss of some kind- while encourage discourse on gender and sexuality.
Head to Terrace Gallery, Jehangir Art Gallery, 161 MG Road, Kala Ghoda, on Thursday, March 14 to Wednesday, March 27. Daily, from 11am to 7pm.

In addition to these two, FOCUS has teamed up with Mumbai’s artistic community to launch a diverse range of several other exhibitions and events. The city’s dynamic art scene coupled with the festival’s outreach has ensured that most of the best galleries and important cultural centers are geared up for the event and this, in turn, ensures that it’s within easy reach of everyone in the city. Additionally, unconventional spaces such as design shops and studios, cafes and other lifestyle spaces will be multi-tasking as galleries throughout the duration of the festival.  A range of educational initiatives, workshops and talks (all free) have been planned as part of the festival.

Get more details here.

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Medha Patkar arrested from Golibar Maidan

Activist arrested from Khar site where slum dwellers are being evicted all day. Protesters allege that cops have thrashed them.
by National Alliance of People’s Movements

In a series of illegal actions against the urban poor in Mumbai, the city Police today came down heavily on Medha Patkar and a group of people resisitng the illegal evictions at Golibar, Khar (East). Other active local residents including Prerna Gaikwad, Ajit and 20 men and women have also been arrested this afternoon. Those protesting have been beaten up very badly by the police and goons on behalf of Shivalik Builders, in the presence of MHADA engineers and officials. The latest information is that at least 10 houses have been demolished at Golibar.

A posse of police vehicles and JCB machines are still at the place and the demolition drive is still on.

The bulldozers at Golibar, a 50-year-old slum, are once again out to demolish and evict the slum dwellers who have been fighting corruption and a land grab by Shivalik Ventures, in which the 2G Spectrum scam-ridden Unitech has a stake. In the past, the slum dwellers have repeatedly opposed and exposed the illegal acts of the private developers who are all out to grab the land. It was only after the expose that the Chief Minister of Maharashtra scrapped the two 3K projects.

Even now, as usual, no notice has been served on the people before the demolitions. The Bombay High Court had directed that the residents must be relocated to a good transit camp that is in a completely livable condition, and also directed that individual agreements with the residents must be registered. However, without following this directive of the High Court, the demolitions are continuing in a totally illegal maner. It is also significant to note that as recently as on January 18, the CEO of the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA), Nirmal Deshmukh, ordered a halt to the demolitions, but the same has started once again, with MHADA’s intervention.”

Update: The NAPM has demanded the immediate release of all detainees, and immediate action on the police personnel involved in the demolition drive. Another demand is for action against Shivalik Builders for several alleged illegalities and encroachments on the land by the firm.

(Picture courtesy thehindu.com. Image is a file pic)

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Boman brings the house down for street children

Noted actor entertained a packed Shanmukhananda Auditorium recently, then tweeted to garner support for the cause. All this, for free.

On Saturday, March 2, Shelter Don Bosco, an institution that looks after street children in the city, celebrated their silver jubilee, and Bollywood actor Boman Irani made it an affair to remember for the packed-to-capacity audience at Shanmukhananda Auditorium.

He brought the house down with his antics and music, and in the end had each of the audience members on their feet, applauding him as he sang ‘We Are The World’, mimicking all the voices in the legendary song, right from Lionel Richie to Willie Nelson, and from Tina Turner to Michael Jackson. Singer Manasi Scott accompanied him on the song.

What’s more, the event’s organisers claim that the actor was up early the next morning, tweeting to urge his Twitter followers to help out the Institute. And by the end of the day, he had a sizeable assurance of help pouring in. The actor reportedly did not charge a fee for making the appearance, and has been associated with the organisation’s events for the last 10 years.

The evening began with Manasi Scott and Chrisann Misquitta on the grand piano with their rendition of ‘Fever’ and an improvised ‘Imagine’. Then came the Monsorate Brothers with ‘Effie’ and they simply had the audience rooted to their seats with hit numbers from 1920 till the 80s, before ending with RD Burman classics. Manasi and her band performed to ‘Skyfall’, ‘Titanium’ and ‘Iktara’. She brought the curtains down on her performance with ‘Mama Mia!’

The entire event was conceptualised and executed by Light Infotainment. Speaking on the occasion, Martin D’Souza of Light Infotainment said, “We wanted to give something to everyone who watched the show. We knew the audience would range from eight to 80 years.”

(Picture courtesy indya.com)

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