Fashion fusion

Jaya Misra is going places. The Calcutta-based fashion designer is all set to become a stylist for the Femina Miss India contest. “I will be designing the evening wear for the contestants,” says an excited Misra. But apart from the beauty pageant, there’s something else that is keeping Misra busy these days. She has bagged an opportunity to work with British Alpaca Fashion, a UK textile company, to unite the fashion sensibilities of the East and the West. She will be working with the company’s designers to blend Alpacan wool with Indian fibres to create customised fabrics. Interesting fusion, what?

Rock on

Keshav Dhar, musician, composer and one of the most well-known names in India’s independent music scene, will soon collaborate with Marty Friedman, once the lead guitarist for the heavy metal band Megadeath. Friedman, who had heard Dhar’s music and was impressed with his work, has asked Dhar to produce his upcoming album. Apparently, Dhar had initially thought that the offer was a hoax, and had asked Friedman to prove that he was who he claimed to be. So Friedman recorded a few guitar solos and sent them to Dhar, who was soon convinced that he was indeed the real McCoy. There’s no word yet on when the album will be out, but hey, it’s probably worth waiting for.

Autumn sonata

Author Namita Gokhale is a busy woman. And no, it’s not writing that’s keeping her occupied lately. After acting as advisor to such lit fests as the Bhutan Literature Festival, the Kathmandu Literary Jatra and the Hay Festival Kerala, Gokhale is now bringing her expertise to Jammu & Kashmir’s first ever literature festival. Slated to be held in the last week of September at Kashmir University, Harud: The Autumn Literature Festival will showcase writings from Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh, with a special focus on folk and oral traditions. “This is being organised to encourage local writing in Kashmiri, besides providing a platform for English and Urdu writers,” says Gokhale. With the festival being put together by Teamwork Productions — organisers of lit fests such as Jaipur and Hay literary festivals — expect Harud (meaning “autumn” in Kashmiri) to become the talk of the town soon.

Chop, chop

Usha Uthup, the evergreen songstress, swears by Calcutta, her adopted hometown. But when it comes to street food, Uthup can’t help but admit a yen for what Mumbai has to offer. Now in the commercial capital to be a celebrity judge in Zee TV’s reality show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li’ Champs, Uthup wanted to visit the city’s famous “Khau Gali” to savour some lipsmacking street fare. “The moment I landed in Mumbai, I was dying to tuck into spicy chaat, puffy vada pav, tangy bhel, crispy dosas and above all, pav bhaji,” says Uthup. So did she venture out and have her fill? Well, yes and no. Due to time constraints she had to stay put on the sets. But she did order in her favourite bhajis, samosas and bhel. As they say, where there is a will, there is a way.

Taxing prize

Kamal Haasan is known for his phenomenal acting skills. But did you know that he is also a model citizen? Last week the income tax department in Chennai gave him a certificate for always paying his taxes on time. The Indian income tax department — which turned 150 years recently — held a celebration ceremony, where it honoured celebrities who not only make money but also pay their dues to the country on time. Haasan received a certificate from Surjit Singh Barnala, the Governor of Tamil Nadu. Maybe other Bollywood stars could learn a thing or two from Haasan in this regard.