(From top )Zubin Mehta conducts the Bavarian State Orchestra at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium; (right) Swati Kaushal (left) with Sushama Reddy at the launch of Piece of Cake in Crossword

When noted music maestro Zubin Mehta conducts a concert, you can bet your last rupee that he does it in style. The music director of the Bavarian State Orchestra recently put together an entrancing performance along with the orchestra at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Delhi to mark 500 years of trade links between India and Bavaria.

And though it was a bitingly cold foggy evening, the stadium saw the fans pouring in. Among the well-known faces at the venue were Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Kamal Nath, Congressman Jagdish Tytler, and publisher Urvashi Butalia. In addition, there were socialites Peter Punj, Ritu Nanda and Shweta Bachchan and even industrialist Nusli Wadia with his glamorous wife Maureen Wadia from Mumbai. Also spotted appreciating Mehta’s music was another legendary name in the world of music, Pandit Ravi Shankar, accompanied by wife Sukanya.

While things kicked off a bit late, all was forgotten as soon as Mehta started the concert with a wave of his silver wand. The crowd stood to attention for the first two pieces ? the National Anthem of India followed by the National Anthem of Germany. Pieces from Giuseppe Verdi’s The Force of Destiny Ouverture and Franz Schubert’s Symphony No. 7 from The Unfinished charmed the audience as well. There were no intermissions in between the pieces and the evening came to an end on the note of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5.

The hour-long concert will be Mehta’s last performance with the Bavarian State Orchestra with which the maestro has been associated since 1998. After receiving a standing ovation from the crowd, Mehta signed off on a nostalgic note saying, “I am so happy to be here. Also, I am happy because of the presence of Pandit Ravi Shankar. I will always remember the great music we made together.”

Virender Sehwag flanked by Siddharth (left) and Shravan Dilawri at the launch of Sehwag Favourites at the TDI Fun Republic

Food for thought

Is there an unseen link between food and cricket? We’ve already got a choice of menucards from Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Zaheer Khan, who’ve all opened their own smart eateries. Now it’s the turn of the Nawab of Najafgarh to launch his very own food court ? Sehwag Favourites at the TDI Fun Republic in Moti Nagar, West Delhi. Sehwag walked into the restaurant to formally launch it almost an hour late. He was accompanied by Siddharth Dilawri, director of Creative Stride Taste Buds, his partner in the venture.

What’s on the menu? A whole variety of paranthas right from aloo and gobi to Fruit Cocktail Paranthas for Rs 25 each; Multan Ke Sultan Ki Tikdi that comprises an assortment of paranthas, rice and vegetables for Rs 309; and the Tandorust Torataza which includes all kinds of salads at Rs 50 each. The sweet touch is added by way of Phirni, Kheer and Shahi Tukra for Rs 35 each.

For non-vegetarians, there are some disappointments. The cricketer does not want to entertain his guests with the typical tandoori chicken. However, you can enjoy Lebanese food here courtesy Creative Stride that offers a Chicken Shawarma Pita for Rs 45.

Incidentally, the dish that goes by the rather interesting name of Multan Ke Sultan Ki Tikdi, is supposed to be a token of the cricketer’s famous innings in Multan. “The price too is significant as it reminds me of my score at Multan,” says Sehwag. “Affordability for the masses is the emphasis,” said Sehwag, who also called it a part of his retirement plan. He said, “Even if it is a bit early, it’s not bad to plan early is it?”

It’s a cakewalk

One more name was added to the growing list of Indian English writers when Swati Kaushal launched her debut novel, Piece of Cake, published by Penguin Books India, at Crossword in Mumbai recently.

The book launch was accompanied by a delightful reading session with Kaushal and model and actor Sushama Reddy regaling the audience with excerpts from the romantic comedy. A lively question-answer session followed with the author talking about the clash of traditional values and modern ambitions as captured in her urban novel about a young Indian woman and as inspired by the Bridget Jones genre of chick lit. So, protagonist Minal Sharma is an MBA with attitude who wants it all.

Actually, the Minneapolis-based author Kaushal too is an MBA from IIM Calcutta, and has worked with Nestle India and Nokia Mobile Phones India before she turned her hand to writing. She shared her insights on the contradictions in the rapidly changing Indian society of our times.

Photographs by Prem Singh and Rupinder Sharma