Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

Tahir Kashyap spotted in Juhu

Double thumbs up

It's the mantra that fight-against-cancer poster girl Tahira Kashyap follows in life. She was spotted in Juhu on Tuesday. Pic/Datta Kumbhar

Masterchef-ing at the Ambanis'

It is not exactly a topic open to debate - the Ambanis do like the good life. Who else can summon Aussie celebrity chef Sarah Todd to cook a meal that is equal parts flavour and splendour? "It was an amazing experience and I loved the attention to detail. Each member of the family was involved in all the processes; it was nice to see such a close-knit unit," she told this diarist the day after whipping up dishes for Arjun Kothari's engagement, who is Anil and Mukesh Ambani's nephew. Todd, who met Anil, revealed the industrialist has a sweet tooth. "The desserts were nostalgic, ho­me-style and a tad boozy. We did an upside-down pineapple cake with a home-made spiced rum," she said.

Zeenie's baby is on song

Zeenat Aman is an actor who starred in memorable hits like Hare Rama Hare Krishna, Yaadon Ki Baaraat and, of course, Don. And talent, it seems, runs in her family because her son, Zahaan Khan, has just launched his first EP as an independent artiste, under the moniker Zansuki. Though he's freinds with many from the film fraternity, it was when Khan was pursuing a hotel management degree from an institute in Aurangabad that he realised that his true calling was music. That's how Free Flow Mon Ami, the EP that's filled with chilled tracks, came about. Here's hoping we see more of him in the future.

Thangkas get a Himalayan touch

An ongoing art exhibition at Jehangir Art Gallery is bringing two cultures and forms of art together. Mumbai artist Sudhir Katkar, inspired by his travels to Ladakh, Dalhousie and Dharamshala, decided to combine his oil paintings of the mountain ranges and life in the Himalayas with Buddhist thangka paintings, which originated in Tibet, where the artwork - usually about Buddha's life or teachings - is stitched onto brocade made especially in these regions. It's then fitted with a pole at the bottom to add to its weight and hung on the wall, and treated as something to sit in front of while praying or meditating.

"I make a miniature of all my works, so I had a bunch of those about the Himalayas lying around. The thought of turning them into a thangka struck me and I travelled to a village in Karnataka that has an established Tibetan settlement, to help figure out how to go about it. The collection has two 10x 14 ft thangkas and 16 smaller ones," Katkar said.

Democracy wins

It was a proud moment for author Ornit Sahni, when her book, How India Became Democratic, which narrates the story of the country's electoral roll, was announced the winner of Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay NIF Book Prize 2019. "Liberal democratic institutions are being challenged and even attacked in many countries around the world, including in India. The book represents what India set itself to be at its founding: a democratic inclusive state for a deeply plural society," she told this diarist.

Look who's in town

If you're a singer - bathroom or otherwise - and are looking to tune your vocal chords, here's an opportunity to be trained by one of the best in the business. LA -based celebrity vocal coach Wendy Parr - who has trained stars like Regina Spektor, Sara Bareilles and Melanie Martinez, and has worked with AR Rahman on Slumdog Millionaire - is coming down to conduct a six-hour vocal masterclass in December in the city. It will include group interactive activities and individual instruction on technique.

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