Mumbai Diary: Saturday Dossier

Shaan-daar star
We have always known Shaan to be an affable and approachable star, with a smile almost permanently lighting his face up. Now, we hear that the singer has gone the extra mile for a fan, and quite literally so.

He travelled to Kandivali to visit Dimple Shah, who won a contest on Shaan's personal app. Needless to say, Shah and her entire family (in pic) were thrilled to host the singer. Shaan, too, says he was overjoyed with the wonderful reception, this being the first time ever he had visited a fan's home.

Power dressing
We are still in love with fashion designer Jeremy Scott's Powerpuff Girls X Moschino line from Summer 2016. There is something about the cutesy bad''s supergirls that appeals to both kids and adults, and makes them perfect for all sorts of design collaborations.

And a new designer to play with the cartoon characters is Katie Eary. Eary has been known to have a great innings with design collaborations and her flamboyant, not-so-serious approach is just what such a collaboration needs. The 15-piece women's collection that includes dresses, trousers and kids' fashion, debuted at London Fashion Week a few days ago.

Pic/Bipin Kokate

Is it the sun?
We are not sure if it's the onset of summer or something she read on her phone that had Kim Sharma hold her head while exiting a gym in Khar yesterday.

Manganiyars go down under
WOMADelaide, the annual four-day festival of music, art and dance from around the world, is back, and in the prestigious line-up for this year are two names that make us really happy - Anoushka Shankar and Roysten Abel's Manganiyar Seduction (in pic). While the former will undoubtedly unleash magic with her sitar, the latter is an experience to behold.

The Manganiyar Seduction is an orchestra of 43 folk performers from Rajasthan who are housed in four tiers of 36 separately illuminated cubicles. They perform a theatre comprising their rendition of Hindu and Sufi music, conducted by none other than director and playwright Roysten Abel. So, the crowd in Adelaide, where the fest will be held, is in for a treat for sure.

Pune's Oscars high
We often forget to acknowledge the unsung heroes working behind the camera to make films happen. In fact, when do we ever think about the people who built the camera in the first place? The Oscars Scientific and Technical Awards, though, puts the spotlight on these experts.

And this year, a Pune-born man, Vikas Sathaye (in pic), is in the list of winners, for the Shotover K1 camera system he helped build, and which was then used in movies like Dunkirk and Inferno. Now, let's just hope that Bollywood, too, uses this camera more.

A rosy picture for art teachers
When we think about legendary artists in our country, there is always that word or two about the teachers who trained them. That's why a conference for art educators, held over the last couple of days, has been heart-warming to hear about, for it's not too often that we hear of such a gathering.

Sandhya Gopinath and (right) Sara Vetteth at the conference

The Indian Art and Design Educators' Association has launched itself through this conference, and its co-initiators, Sandhya Gopinath and Sara Vetteth, both art educators, are certain that this is a great beginning. The conference was attended by those who teach the visual arts and design in schools across the country, including centres such as Bhopal and Chennai, and those who own art studios.

"We hope to empower arts education in schools through sharing and networking with other educators," says Gopinath. The event ended with artist Riyas Komu conferring awards on the best art educators in categories such as innovation in the art room, best use of elements of art, and, one that we love, instilling creative confidence in students. From Mumbai, the award winners included Pragati Bhosale from The Somaiya School for art teaching techniques and Avadhut Magar from SPJ Sadhana School for art for children with special needs.

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