(From top): Ramachandran with a stunning bronze sculpture from his exhibition at the Vadehra Art Gallery; Alpana Gujral and a model at the launch of her new jewellery line; Neeru Nanda, Anish Trivedi and Dipika Roy (left to right) at the release of Nanda’s book If; models in Neeta Lulla creations at Vie Lounge

Delhi turned out in full-force when ace artist A. Ramachandran showcased 59 works at Delhi’s Vadehra Art Gallery last week in a solo show. If an artist’s canvas speaks volumes about his influences ? Ramachandran’s paintings were no different. They were alive with vivid images harking to his days in Kerala where he grew up and the time he spent in Santiniketan. His meanderings in Rajasthan came to the fore in the vivid imagery of the lotus flower that appeared to be a recurring theme while the Bhil tribes of the state also made a strong statement in his many of his paintings.

Spread over two floors in the gallery, Ramachandran wowed Delhi with 12 oil paintings, 15 watercolours, 31 drawings and a stunning sculpture in bronze. Some of his fellow artists who dropped by at the gallery included Paramjit Singh, Biren De, Arpana Caur and Professor K. G. Subramaniam among others.

Paramjit Singh was clearly bowled over with Ramachandran’s work. He said, “I have observed Ramachandran evolve over 30 years. He is a master of inculcating elements of traditional Indian art into his works ? right from the Chola bronzes to Rajasthani folklore.”

Baroda-based artist Professor Subramanian was also full of praise for the works on display at the gallery, “I admire the continuity that is present in his work,” he said. Also found admiring the artist’s works was top-notch fashion designer Ritu Kumar, who was looking forward to adding to her collection of Ramachandran’s paintings.

All shine, no show

This was a jewellery exhibition that seemed to have lost some of its glitter. Even as jewellery designer Alpana Gujral unveiled her latest line of ornaments, Delhi’s P3P suspects were slow in biting the bait.

Though the turnout may have been a tad disappointing, the jewellery was quite an eyeful. Like her earlier collections, Alpana has gone heavy on coloured semi-precious stones once more. The stones she has favoured for this collection include black onyx, coral, turquoise, emerald, blue topaz and tourmaline. A new addition to her list of favourites are pearls in various hues and sizes. Gujral, decked out in ropes of pearls herself, said, “Pearls will make a great statement this season. They are ideal for summer, and moreover look very cool and classic.”

Since most of the jewellery pieces are priced upwards of Rs 30,000, one wonders if they can be classified as semi-precious at all. Gujral agrees, “There are various grades and qualities of coloured stones used ? and yes some of them tend to push up costs.”But other than pearls, for Gujral, it’s colour all the way this summer. “Coloured stones are sure to make your outfit special and are high on the feel-good factor,” she says.

Style calling

Is a mobile phone a communication device or a fashion accessory? Many people may think it’s a communication device but the sales figures show that lots of people buy phones for their looks. So, it was probably a pretty smart move when Nokia teamed up with fashion designer Neeta Lulla to showcase its Nseries at a fashion show produced by Elite Model Management in Mumbai’s swank Vie Lounge recently.

Not surprisingly, it was a glamorous affair with the Nseries phones fashionably setting off Lulla’s Spring-Summer 2006 collection. If the Nokia Nseries presented, what Gautam Advani, director, Multimedia Nokia, called the “ultimate lifestyle pattern featuring cutting-edge convergence technology and design as well as styling technique”, Lulla’s outfits too wowed the crowd. Model Sahil Shroff showed off her jackets and trousers with eye patches, bandanas and flared cuffs, while Urvashi Sharma, Carol Gracias, Bhavna Sharma and Vidisha Pavate strutted out in ruffled layered skirts, corsets and gossamer masks. The collection also included light trousers in shades of white, cream, soft blue, pink and green.

Filmmaker Subhash Ghai kept Lulla and Sushma Puri, CEO, Elite Model Management, company till the end of the show. The star of the evening though was actress Rani Mukherjee, who made a quick entry and exit. Also spotted were Hrishitta Bhatt, Kawaljeet Singh, Manasi and Craig Scott, Pooja Bedi and classical musician Rahul Sharma.

Booked for success

What do you need for a successful book launch? How about collecting theatre personalities like Anish Trivedi and Dipika Roy and getting them to read extracts at Crossword Bookstore in Mumbai. Both Trivedi and Nanda did the honours for first-time author Neeru Nanda who has just launched her novel If, which is published by Rupa.

Born in 1953 in Lucknow, Neeru Nanda did her schooling in the city and completed her graduation in Delhi. If is her first published work under Rupa publications. But she is clearly making up for lost time and is currently busy working on three other novels including a children’s novel and several stories for kids.

In If, Nanda has strung together a series of short stories from people’s lives. In each story, when things are seemingly innocuous the author tip-toes an ‘If’ into the story and leaves the characters to carve out their destinies. In all, there are 11 short stories each with the requisite twist.

Photograph of Ramachandran exhibition by Jagan Negi Photograph of Alpana Gujral exhibition by Rupinder Sharma