(From top): Antonio Armellini, Yashodara Raje Scindia, Karisma Kapoor and Praful Patel at the polo match; Noyonika Chatterjee shows off jewellery from Amrapali’s new line; models in outfits by Anita Dongre

The Delhi polo season is underway with promises of lazy Sunday afternoons, chukkars and high teas. Luxury brand Bvlgari recently partnered with the Maharaja Jiwaji Scindia Gold Cup as the title sponsor of a polo tournament, the grand finale of which was held at the Jaipur Polo Ground in Delhi. The presence of Bvlgari made it a tournament with a difference. You could have had your wrists dabbed with Bvlgari perfumes and feel the fragrance waft up in the gentle breeze of the day.

The first match between the Benetton and Bvlgari teams started in the afternoon with Benetton wining 3-2. Meanwhile the audience, besides watching the players and their mallets, were also keeping their eyes trained on the Page 3 fraternity. So there was Karisma Kapoor pecking her husband Sanjay Kapur lovingly on the cheek as the latter returned after a few chukkars on the field. Among the other known faces present were designers Bina Ramani, Gauri and Nainika Karan, Italian ambassador Antonio Armellini, Union Minister for Civil Aviation Praful Patel, politician Yashodara Raje Scindia and polo players Uday Kalan and Adhiraj Singh.

Following a small break, the second match between the Cavalry and Royal Kashmir teams got underway. This match proved to be the adrenalin-pumping affair with the players of the two teams doing their best to pick up the ball. The Cavalry even boasted royal participation with the presence of Malaysian prince Lt Tunku Ismail Ibrahim swinging his mallet for the team. It was, however, a close call with the Royal Kashmir team winning 6-5. The audience was kept in place with some display of horsemanship tricks that was followed by high tea sponsored by the Olive Bar and Kitchen.

Sparkling on

Amrapali, the Jaipur-based jewellery house is putting out more innovative offerings in its bid to stay ahead of the curve and win customers. Its latest range in gold and silver includes handpainted jewellery depicting scenes from the playful Raas Lila of Krishna and Radha, pictures of unforgettable legends of Mughal times, and legendary lovers like Nal and Damayanti. If that’s not enough, there are also paintings of the Taj Mahal and of lovebirds and peacocks.

The company called in model Noyonika Chatterjee to show off the jewellery to best effect. Clad in a black sari she flaunted one piece after another. The collection brings alive elements of India’s traditional craftsmanship in an incredible range of necklaces, earrings and broaches. Then there are superbly cut emeralds, topaz, amethysts, rubies and other precious stones set in white gold and platinum, in designs that are meant to bring to mind the colours of spring. There is also a special range that features silver flowers with crystals and rose quartz. Says Amrapali’s Suman Khanna, “The line is based on love, romance and whatever is associated with spring.”

And what did the model flashing the jewellery think of it? “The collection has a blend of old and new. It’s very Indian. You can wear it with jeans and a T-shirt and also with something ethnic,” said Noyonika. The earrings start from Rs 400 while neckpieces come for Rs 6,700 upwards.

All about style

It was a fashion showing where hi-tech and style matched step. Much before the sixth edition of DaimlerChrysler’s Mercedes Trophy 2006 teed off on the lush greens of the DLF Country Club & Golf Course last week, Mumbai designer Anita Dongre got down to work. The designer created a collection tailor-made for the event, taking inspiration from the auto company’s upmarket image.

And when it was time for DaimlerChrysler to award the winners of the northern regional round glittering Swarovski trophies, Dongre was waiting in the wings to rev up the evening with MusicScapes. The show was split into five sequences and the opening sequence was all in black. The next one was a rhapsody in black and white. Another line went traditional with Indian embroidery, silhouettes and block-printing while the fourth was a study in gold embellishments that made an appearence on kurtis and saris.

Dongre closed the show with flowing salwar-kameezes and billowing skirts in pristine white. Short skirts, formal and well-tailored pants in black contrasted sharply with multi-hued and heavily-embellished tunic dresses and skirts. Saris were teamed with shimmering corset blouses and string cholis. There was also plenty for men with Dongre’s silk kurtas and linen pants.

In the audience were the top names of the golfing community, some of whom will now migrate to Pune for the final round of the Mercedes Trophy to be played to on March 11.

Nalini Malani with Tyeb Mehta at the exhibition at Sakshi Gallery

Brush with Alice

Can fiction inspire art? Nalini Malani’s recent collection certain draws from it. Called Living in Alicetime, the show, which opened at Sakshi Gallery in Mumbai recently, drew inspiration from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and its underlying theme of distortions from normality. In these paintings, Malani has used the character of Alice, the quintessential explorer of the strange, to share with her viewers’ 21st century tales related to ecological disaster and national crises. The grammar is playful and bizarre and although there is no text, Malani has evoked invisible words through comic-strip speech bubbles.

On the one hand, the show was in keeping with Malani’s exploration of the female self. But on the other, unlike her recent shows that were conceived around performance art and the electronic media, this one marked a deliberate return to painting. In fact, Malani has used reverse painting on transparent surfaces, along with watercolours, as her media this time. “I use a device that seduces the viewer into the painting with playfulness and colours, which she perceives from a distance, but on close looking what unravels is quite another tale. The close looking is like reading into the painting as in a comic book. The characters are fashioning an alternative world,” said Malani of the works.

Given that Malani ranks among the country’s leading artists, the opening naturally attracted a lot of familiar faces. Even the reclusive Tyeb Mehta made a rare appearance. Also seen at the show were dancer Astad Deboo, artists Jitesh and Reena Kallat as well as actor Mita Vashisht.