17 April,2023 06:59 AM IST | Mumbai | Team mid-day
Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
With some help, a passenger makes his way into a train compartment through the emergency window at the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Kurla.
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From Bobby Fischer to Magnus Carlsen, chess players can be unpredictable. But some stories are worth telling. On the 60th birthday of former world chess champion Garry Kasparov last week, Sagar Shah, co-founder of ChessBase India, revealed a softer side to the game strategist. Shah shared a note on social media that the champion sent to him earlier. "During the lockdown, Kasparov had attended one of our streams with Vidit Gujarathi, Samay Raina and myself, among others. He had promised to send our readers some books." As it goes, the champion also sent each of the hosts a book, accompanied by a thoughtful and signed note. "I learned that Garry has been doing this for many years for people who have contributed to chess. This is his way of acknowledging their contribution by giving his time." Pointing the example of a young SysOps engineer, Holger Lieske, Shah said, "He had also shared a note Kasparov sent him, about 30 years ago. It is amazing that he takes the time and effort to make the gesture." Great move, champ.
Art space Fluxus Chapel completed a year over the weekend. Happy with their journey so far, founder Himanshu S told this diarist that he is pushing hard for The Yellow House - an artists' residency following Vincent Van Gogh's model. "We also plan to bring together independent champions of art from different parts of the world, in the city for a show."
A new book on Kashmir has hit the shelves today. Actor Manav Kaul wears many hats. He is sometimes seen as a dramatist and sometimes, as a poet. But his narrative voice in Rooh, his latest fictional novel, familiarises readers with a Kaul who returns to his homeland to reconnect with his past in the present. When this diarist reached out to Kaul for a peek into the book, he shared, "It is a really personal story, but it takes a fictional route because I believe there's nothing in life that's not fictional. Stories and tales take on different perspectives and that is when fiction is born. I was born in Baramulla, and thereon, I have been on the move. This figurative and physical return to Kashmir was necessary." The book touches upon the need to wait; a wait that is in search of a return to a place you can't quite find in the homes you make along the way. It also elucidates Kaul's existential crisis, a theme that has surfaced in his previous works. The title of the book has a filmy backstory, too. Kaul mentioned that the character called Roohdar in Haider (2014) gave him goosebumps. "That character views Kashmir from a personal lens and so do I."
Honouring MF Husain, the MF Husain Estate has collaborated with visual artist Amrit Pal Singh to bring forward the master artist's toy face that will be part of Singh's Toy Face Tour later this month. Brought forward by Method India and Hefty Art, the tour will be conducted in Delhi on April 28, and later in Mumbai and Bengaluru. "I started following Amrit's work much earlier. Being a pioneer in the space, he was someone I wanted to work with. We began discussing this in 2022, and we are excited to have found a great partner in Hefty, and support from Stir & Social." This extensive tour will also have a human-size physical Toy Room called Collector's Toy Room, for which Singh created the furniture. "I was approached by MF Husain Estate and Hefty at a party and I was thrilled to make it part of my solo show. I think as a grown-up, a toy reminds you of a time when things were less cynical."
Artiste Avanti Nagral, who regales her audience with stories in tune, recently collaborated with Bandra-based restaurant Project Hum to drop a new salad bowl. The bowl has been put together being mindful of the rising temperatures, and the restaurant's overarching principle of sourcing local produce sustainably. Nagral, who was at the venue yesterday for the launch, met and interacted with attendees. The summer melon salad aka Avanti bowl includes their in-house plantain chips, melons from Nanded, kodo millet from Chhattisgarh, and a sesame-coconut dressing. But what about the dish and the place resonated with Nagral? To that, she said, "I am a regular at Project Hum. What I absolutely love about the place is that they are focussed on community. As an artiste, I try to support local talent. Similarly, the restaurant forges partnerships with local farmers."
