(From top): Ustad Amjad Ali Khan flanked by his sons at the Shraddhanjali concert; Indrani Dasgupta in a Sabyasachi creation at the Taj Palace; Payal Singhal with Padmini and Tejaswini Kolhapure at her store and Kitu Gidwani at the Hutch Crossword Book Awards

A musical tribute

It was a night to remember when a sarod maestro paid a musical tribute to the doyen of Carnatic music, the late M S Subbulakshmi, at the Siri Fort auditorium in Delhi. Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and his sons, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash, enthralled the audience during the two-hour long Shraddhanjali concert, through a rich rendition of traditional ragas and taals.

The performance began with a solo rendition by Amjad Ali Khan. While he worked his magic, H Subhashchandran on the ghatam and Sandeep Das and Vineet Vyas of the Benaras School on the tabla, accompanied him to perfection. In fact, Subhashchandran?s feat on the ghatam drew rounds of applause as did the jugalbandi of the tabla and ghatam. The Bangaash brothers too impressed with a compelling duet performance.

Paying homage, the Ustad said: ?Subbulakshmi held sway over millions of music lovers for nearly six decades. For her, there was no life without music ? music was life itself. The Shraddhanjali concert is a personal tribute to this doyen of Carnatic music whose mellifluous voice will remain with us forever.?

Bohemian chic

So what if you didn?t have front-row seats ? or any seat for that matter ? to see jewellery biggies Tanishq and fashion designer Sabyasachi at the Milan Fashion Week 2004? In fact it?s just as well you saved yourself the airfare for they offered a peek at the same collection at the Taj Palace in the Capital. Tanishq partnered with Mukherjee to bring out Indian sensibilities in terms of jewellery and clothes for the Milan ramp.

?The clothes are a version of my Frog Princess collection at the Lakm? India Fashion Week,? said Sabyasachi, who was part of the pr?t-a-porter segment at Milan. A line of delicately-stained and printed skirts, dresses and jackets teamed with ethnic jewellery conveyed a contemporary feel with an Indian soul. Full of distressed embroidery and detailing like tin buttons covered with a layer-flap of woven cloth, the collection was all about bohemian chic.

The designer says he?s carried a part of Bengal with him by liberally using kantha and quilting with vegetable dyes. Says Sabyasachi, ?We should refer to our roots. After all, who wants an international style from an Indian designer? If they want an Oriental style, they?ll prefer a Japanese or Chinese designer.? He?s probably got a point.

Winning words

It was a night to celebrate Indian literary excellence. Guests were treated to an intoxicating cocktail that combined literature with theatre and music. The Hutch Crossword Book Awards 2004, held at the Nehru Centre in Mumbai, honoured the best of the best in Indian literature. First of all, let?s talk about who were the big winners of the evening. Amitav Ghosh grabbed the award for Best Original Indian writing in English for his book, The Hungry Tide. Translator Jatindra Kumar Nayak got top honours for the Best Indian Writing in Indian Language category for Astride the Wheel and Oriya writer Chandrasekhar Rath won the prize for his translation of Yantrarudha.

A panel of judges comprising Nilanjana Roy, Dilip Kumar, Subashree Krishnaswamy, Kai Friese, Sukanta Chaudhari and Urvashi Butalia had the tough job of deciding the final winners.

Literary columnist Nilanjana Roy hosted the event while U R Anantha Murthy was chief guest, presenting the trophies to the winners. The evening also witnessed a virtuoso performance by renowned Carnatic music exponent Aruna Sairam. Also featured was Baul music, courtesy P K Das, as well as readings from short-listed books by showbiz personalities like Anahita Uberoi, Ashwin Mushran, Avantika Akerkar, Kitu Gidwani and Rehan Engineer.

And of course the evening was studded with some of Mumbai?s social, corporate, theatrical and literary movers and shakers who were on hand to applaud the winners. Amongst the gliteratti spotted were Sahitya Akademi winners M Mukundan, V K Madhavan Kutty and Kiran Nagarkar.

Natural touch

It?s back to nature this season for Mumbai designer Payal Singhal who unveiled her Spring-Summer 2005 collection at her signature store on Altamount Road. Admiring the spectacular designs on display were actress Poonam Dhillon and sister Dr Reshma Pai, Gayatri Joshi and the Kolhapure siblings, Padmini and Tejaswini.

The collection had a fine mix of the contemporary and traditional. It includes kurtas, skirts, tunics, halter-tops, sarees and Indo-western ensembles in fabrics ranging from chiffon and georgette to soft tulle, embroidered with delicate floral and butterfly motifs. The collection even included Payal?s signature line of accessories like belts, brooches, scarves and costume jewellery.

The collection, inspired by Mughal designs, was divided into three lines ? Occasionwear Line, Western Line and Bridal Line. Payal says she got inspiration from New York and other international markets. ?The entire Bohemian and Soho culture comes across prominently in my line, combined with strong Indian influences.?

Also, Payal says, Mother Nature was another big source of creativity. ?My inspiration for this season lies in the beauty of nature. Everything from my colour palette to my choice of embroidery reflects this theme,? she says. Thus, the racks in the store reveal outfits in hues of leaf-green; bark-brown, aubergine, grape, peach and even pretty strawberry pink. Something clearly for every taste!

Photographs by Rajesh Kumar and Prem Singh