30 January,2018 06:00 AM IST | Mumbai | Team mid day
Shilpa's got the scoop
Shilpa Shetty Kundra appears lost in thought while tucking into a bowl of ice-icream at a shoot for a reality dance show in Goregaon yesterday. Also in the frame are (from left) celebrity choreographer Geeta Kapoor and actors Siddharth Malhotra and Manoj Bajpai. Pic/Satej Shinde
Bhajju Shyam
Two-way salute
Even as the dust settles over the big, fat literary mela in Jaipur, publishers and authors are being applauded elsewhere too. Popular Gond artist Bhajju Shyam was recently conferred with the Padma Shri for promoting the art form in India and the world. Tara Books' newest release, The Night Life of Trees, will include illustrations by him and two other fine Gond artists, Durga Bai and Ram Singh Urveti.
Gita Wolf
Around the same time, Gita Wolf, founder of the Chennai-based publishing house, was invited to Tokyo to hold an illustrators' workshop at the Itabashi Art Museum. A much-needed recognition to the publisher and creator.
Henry Saint Clair Fredericks, Jr
Taj Mahal's got a Grammy
The sound of the name Henry Saint Clair Fredericks, Jr might not resonate immediately in a discussion on present-day geniuses, but, the moment the name Taj Mahal is mentioned, we are pretty sure it will draw interest among music buffs across genres. The 75-year-old American blues veteran and singer-songwriter walked away with a Grammy Award for best contemporary blues album at yesterday's musical spectacle. According to The Soul of Rock 'N Roll, he adopted his stage name after Mahatma Gandhi and India appeared to him in a series of dreams. This was around the time while he was in university. Since then, he continued to use the name as an artiste. The multi-instrumentalist has won the award with Keb 'Mo' for their collaboration, TajMo. We totally dig the desi connect and the ode to our marbled wonder, never mind the long-distance link.
Haute in Paris
For long, India has been an un-credited source for fabrics and embroiderers for the global couture industry. But a new collaboration between Indian luxury handloom label Ekaya and Federation Française de la Creation Couture Sur Mesure will put Indian textile crafts on the world map. As part of the Paris Haute Couture Week, Palak Shah pieced together handloom and handcrafted fabrics like Benarasi brocades, cotton, tussar, organza, mashru silks and chikankari for 14 French designers to create bespoke French wedding wear.
Palak Shah
The organisation backs weavers from across the world with their annual exhibits. With this tie-up, Shah hopes to showcase the versatility of Indian fabrics and open them to interpretation in the European market. The dresses, in ivory and gold will be part of the exhibition, Cousu d'Or - Magical Weaving, from February 22 to 25 in Paris.
Dia Mirza
Dia swears by this green idea
While the Twitter handle #Travelingbottle, urging people to carry their own bottles and avoid the plastic variety, has earned worldwide appeal since last year, actor, green activist and UN Goodwill Ambassador Dia Mirza has taken it upon herself to spread the word in India. She's been regularly tweeting about the need to carry your own water bottle while on move, be it in the country or overseas. Mirza posted recently, "I drink (filtered water straight from the kitchen) in my own bottle," while sharing frames of herself at different halts in India. Now, if only everyone in her fraternity could follow suit. That would be something.
Bot and bites at this online cafe
If you needed more proof that we have entered a digital age, here it is. An Internet food label has just launched Awesome Cafe, which is not a brick-and-mortar concept, but exists in the online realm. Here, the visitor can explore all content and recipes posted on the site till date. A bot guides the viewer through the process, customising the experience according to his or her needs. The virtual cafe is available on their Facebook page so far, but its content can be shared on other platforms like WhatsApp, meaning that though you might have heard about it here first, the word about this novel idea is bound to spread.
