(From top): Arpana Caur with one of her paintings at Joie de vivre; Tyeb Mehta flanked by Ebrahim Alkazi (left) and a guest at ITC Maurya Sheraton; Rohit Verma, Shrenik and Vidya Zaveri, Sabina Singh, Manju Grover, Falguni Jhaveri, Kavita Chougule (left to right) at Fuel; Jigyasa Giri and Pratibha Jain at the release of Cooking at Home with Pedatha; Aditya Bal in an outfit fromAigner’s latest line

It was an art exhibition with ambitious goals. Joie de vivre, held at the Lalit Kala Academy, sought to trace the journey of Indian art from pre-Independence India to the current day.

Curated by Bhavana Kakar, the exhibition featured big names like M F Husain, Ara, Bhahu, Raza and Souza. It also included the Calcutta progressives such as Paritosh Sen, Nirode Mazumdar and Shubho Tagore, all of whom commented on social issues through their art.

“The Baroda School of art is represented by N S Bendre, Ratan Parimoo and Sanku Chowdhury who idealised freedom of thought and expression. They carved the path for future supremely individualistic artists like Bhupen Kakkar and Gulam Mohammed Sheikh,” said Kakar.

Among the exhibiting artists present at the venue were Suhas Nimbedkar and Arpana Caur. Nimbedkar’s paintings were abstract. As the painter himself said, “The language of colours can’t be restricted to any one interpretation. You can use your imagination to the purpose.”

Caur, whose three paintings were on display at the exhibition, had based her work on nature. One of them even featured the Kashmir earthquake as its theme. The artist who has just finished her solo show in Bangalore, is about to have her first solo show in Singapore in April next year.

Also present at the venue was painter Amitava Das, who though not participating, was admiring the work on display. His favourites turned out to be an informal sketching by Husain and some chemical drawings by Souza.

Different strokes

It isn’t often that the release of an art book turns into a glittering social occasion. But that was what happened at the launch of Tyeb Mehta: Ideas, Images, Exchanges. The launch hosted by ITC Hotel Maurya Sheraton and Towers and Vadehra Art Gallery attracted politicians, industrialists, artists and collectors. Former Jammu & Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah was seen getting a book signed by the artist. Industrialist Ramesh Chauhan was there and so was Japanese collector Masanori Fukuoka. Mehta has always been one of the most significant painters of contemporary India. Even though he worked quietly and seriously away from the arclights, he was always well-known among the cognoscenti. But, no doubt, for the glitterati, the release became a must-attend occasion because of the record prices that he now commands at international auctions.

The artist fraternity also turned up in large numbers. M F Husain flew in from Dubai and also spotted were Krishen Khanna, Ram Kumar, Paramjit and Arpita Singh, Vivan Sundaram, Shamshad, Anjolie Ela Menon and Professor Rajeev Lochan.

The book priced at Rs 3,600 is a near-comprehensive documentation of Mehta’s paintings and drawings. The text is woven round these reproductions. The two definitive essays Images of transcendence by Ranjit Hoskote and Koodal, a lucid analysis of Mehta’s brilliant, eponymous film give an insight into Mehta’s creative processes. The book is further enhanced by some previously published material in the form of essays and interviews and a very detailed bibliography.

Launching the book, noted art and theatreperson Ebrahim Alkazi said, “This is a historic occasion. We are all gathered here to celebrate a lifetime’s work of one of India’s greatest artists.”

Male order

Are men feeling left out as women grab their LV and Prada bags, pull out their Swarovskis and get into their party kit? Not a chance. After all, the men can now do their own round of five-star shopping at places like the Aigner boutique in Delhi’s Maurya Sheraton.

And Aigner is aggressively courting the Indian male who likes the classic look with just a few frills. So, it has just launched its all-new winter line with ? what else ? a fashion show with Delhi’s top models showing off their stuff on the ramp.

The collection offers a number of combinations that men can experiment with ? tweed jackets in muted tones of moss-green coupled with formal woollen trousers, deep-toned corduroys and denims with polo tees or cashmere sweatshirts. For the man-about-town who isn’t afraid to experiment there are also jackets and shirts in bright stripes and checks teamed with red, fuchsia, pink, lemon and silver ties.

Mind you, these creations aren’t any old pair of denims or corduroys. The price of denims and corduroys ranged from Rs 8,500 to 10,000 and a jogging jacket comes for about Rs 18,000.

The collection also offers leather bags and purses for women priced at Rs 15,000 upto Rs 45,000. Other accessories in the showroom include leather belts, wallets, sunglasses and shoes in swede and calfskin.

“The designs and colours have been done keeping the Indian man in mind whose stance on fashion is changing,” said Rajika Narain, brand manager, Aigner. The star of the show was unquestionably model Aditya Bal who is definitely an Aigner man.

Food for thought

The best Indian food is always cooked at home and not in the smart hotels and restaurants of urban India. Working on that theory Jigyasa Giri and Pratibha Jain have put together a cookbook based on the recipes of 85-year-old Subhadra Krishna Rau Parigi, the eldest daughter of former President of India, Dr. V. V. Giri. The cookbook was launched at the ITC Grand Central, Mumbai last week with movie mogul Yash Chopra doing the honours. Other celebs who turned up for the launch included food writer Rashmi Uday Singh, chef Sanjeev Kapoor, Shobhaa De, actor Suchitra Krishnamurti and adman Prahlad Kakkar.

Cooking at Home with Pedatha (a nickname for the 85-year-old who inspired the book) has been brought out by publishing house Pritya and it consists of several time-tested traditional Andhra recipes, which are easy to follow, and simple to cook. The book also gives a peek into the simple presentation of traditional Andhra vegetarian food and offers a translation of Telugu words. Jigyasa Giri is a Chennai-based Kathak dancer, choreographer, and a teacher ? and also a relative of Pedatha ? while co-author, Prathibha Jain holds a Doctorate in the Philosophy of Language from the University of Madras.

Designer stop

High fashion ruled at the Fuel store in Mumbai’s Girgaum Chowpatty recently, as a host of designers showcased their clothes for the coming season. Hosted by proprietors Falguni and Sushil Jhaveri, the evening saw an eclectic mix of four designers displaying their latest lines at the store. The participating designers were Manju and Bobby Grover, Sabina Singh, Kavita Chougule and Pooja Sehgal, Rohit Verma and jewellery designers Vidya and Shrenik Zaveri.

The outfits on show ? wraps and coats in silks, T-shirts, saris with corsets, salwar-kameezes ? were in vivid shades of red, blue and pink. Delhi-based duo Manju and Bobby Grover are known for their futuristic yet wearable creations. Their fall-winter collection was dominated by warm tones like rich plum and maroon.

Sabina Singh’s label is known for being fun, irreverent and colourful. The poster child for bohemian fashion takes as base, traditional Indian pop art motifs and creates clothes and accessories that appeal to a wide audience. Her collection was mainly about T-shirts in traditional fabrics in largely Western silhouettes.

The line by debutant designers Pooja Sehgal and Kavita Chougule consisted of salwar-kameezes, saris with corsets and tunics, and shirts and skirts that reflected youthful glamour. On the other hand, popular choreographer Rohit Verma’s collection revolved around typical traditional clothes and Westernwear. The clothes were given a dash of spice by jewellery designers Vidya and Shrenik Zaveri who unveiled a range of diamond jewellery.

Among the early birds to arrive at the fashion do were A.D Singh of Olive, Nisha Jamvwal, Dolly Thakore, Madhoo and Brinda Chudasama to name a few.

Photographs by Jagan Negi, Rupinder Sharma and Gajanan Dudhalkar