(From top): Satish Gujral with wife Kiran and Aziz Ahmed Khan at the Transcending Borders art exhibtion; Arundhati Roy at the launch of An Ordinary Person’s Guide to Empire; H R Rogelio Granguillhome at the launch of Sierra Tequila; a model in a Kiran Uttam Ghosh outfit at Aza

The Indian art scene is booming and prices are soaring to extraordinary levels. But what’s happening across the border in Pakistan? The best place to find out last week was at an art exhibition called Transcending Borders at Delhi’s Maurya Sheraton. The show was organised by Ritu Jain from India and Ishi Jami from Pakistan who first met when their husbands were posted in Shanghai and who have been working together on one show after another ever since. “We realised that we had many things in common including an interest in art and paintings. So we thought of organising exhibitions,” says Jain.

The show brought 22 artists to India with a wide range of styles ranging from abstracts to landscapes and even miniatures. And four of the artists ? A Q Arif, R M Naeem, Mashkoor Raza and Saeed Akhtar ? were present in person for the show. Akhtar, is a famous name in Pakistan and is famous for his portraits. Similarly Arif specialises in monuments but has been doing more landscapes recently. “Pakistani art is picking up very fast and doing quite well,” said Naeem whose earthquake series in acrylic has been showcased in the exhibition.

On hand to open the exhibition was Pakistan’s energetic High Commissioner, Aziz Ahmad Khan who is everywhere these days. The show was sponsored by FICCI in association with Ejaz Art Gallery, a leading art gallery in Lahore. Also present were FICCI Secretary-General, Amit Mitra and artists Satish Gujral and Jatin Das.

Voicing her views

It’s the latest from the Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy. The book launch of An Ordinary Person’s Guide to Empire by Penguin India ? a collection of 14 essays by Roy written between June 2002 and November 2004 drew crowds to Delhi’s India Habitat Centre recently. And the good news for readers who are more comfortable in Hindi, Nav Samrajya Ke Naye Kisse translated by writer-journalist Jitendra Kumar was also released on the occasion.

Roy was in conversation with Suddhabrata Sengupta, editor of Sarai and Pankaj Bisht of Samayantar. As expected, the discussion revolved around her writing and concern about the socio-economic and political situation in India and around the world. Talking about the content of the book she said, “It’s nothing new but the collection of analytical essays I have been writing unlike fiction.”

So what made her come up with these essays? Roy says as a writer she couldn’t keep her pen down. “Keeping quiet is as political as speaking out. The homes of the poor are being demolished so that Walmart and the likes of Walmart can be built there,” added Roy.

Giving the recent example of George Bush’s visit to India and the nuclear deal signed she said, “The nuclear deal was only a smoke screen. There have been more hidden deals. On one side was George Bush and his dogs staying in five star hotels and on the other side were the widows and destitute women from Wynad in Kerala who were demonstrating near the hotel. And the dogs could not even be called dogs because they were “officers” of the American Army,” she added.

The discussion was followed by a question-answer session with the audience and concluded by Sengupta appealing to the audience to express themselves and speak out like Roy to make a difference in society. “Let it not be one man’s duty to bring change. I hope all of us will take a stand and make a difference by writing and doing something useful,” he said.

Tequila sunrise

Move over whiskey snobs. It’s tequila time. Did you say, tequila, that blazing white liquid that can catch you unawares and have you keeling over in double-quick time? The answer is yes and no and may be in between. First, let’s get one thing straight: tequila is getting more popular than ever before. Secondly, it’s attempting to go upmarket and compete with the finest Scotches.

So, it wasn’t surprising that a new brand Sierra Tequila was launched last week at the Delhi Golf Club. And guess what? Guests had a choice of gold and silver tequila ? yep, you guessed it. The gold version has been matured for a longer period and it really does taste better ? and it’s only slightly more expensive than the Silver variety.

Brought to the country by Dhall Food & Beverages in association with Borco Borm, Germany, the first bottle of tequila was opened by the Mexican Ambassador to India, H R Rogelio Granguillhome. This was followed by an exuberant salsa performance. The snacks for the evening consisted of Mexican specialties like nachos, cheese-stuffed jalapenos and skewered prawns. And, bird flu or not, there were chicken kebabs as well. Said Arjun Dhall, director, marketing & information systems, Dhall Group: “Sierra is young and racy. Enjoy it as a shot with a lick of lemon and salt or as a margarita. The idea is to have fun and feel young.”

Style check

It was women power on display when fashion designer Kiran Uttam Ghosh and jewellery designer Shaheen Abbas unveiled their Spring Summer 2006 collection at the multi-designer store Aza in Mumbai recently.

Ghosh’s chic and elegant collection included kimono-styled waistbands, short, fitted earth-coloured skirts, and jackets. Abbas introduced her latest collection, The Drama Queen, under her Flower Child label. Her funky jewellery with a feminine touch included anklets and Mughal-inspired chandelier earrings studded with semi-precious stones and beads, coloured glass and crystals. Walking the ramp were models Diandra Soares, Jesse Randhawa and others. The show was choreographed by Achla Sachdev.

Seen at the do were Page 3 regulars like Sabina Chopra, Divya Palat, Kehakashan Patel and Palak Seth.

Photographs by Jagan Negi