22 January,2023 06:28 AM IST | Mumbai | Team SMD
Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
A dog romps around a horse at Dadar Chowpatty, as if daring it to play with him
Author-standup comedian Anirban Bhattacharyya, who created, produced, and wrote the popular crime show Savdhaan India, has a new book in the offing. The Hills are Burning: Love, Memories, Revolution is a memoir of growing up with his friends during the late 1980s in a boarding school in Kalimpong and being witness to the Gorkhaland agitation. "Memories tend to dissipate with age. And historical events are always written by victors [in this case the government]. That's one of the two main reasons why I decided to write the book," Bhattacharyya told this diarist. "The book charts the transformation of the town and her people."
The heat is on, not literally but metaphorically for January 26, Republic Day. The Vintage and Classic Car Club of India (VCCCI) will host its vintage and classic car rally on the day, amongst a host of events. The VCCCI Republic Day Drive is going to begin with assembling of the golden oldies at Ballard Estate. The flag off is at 8 am. Nitin Dossa, vintage car collector and connoisseur, executive chairman of Western India Automobile Association (WIAA) said, "We are excited to be on the roads. The final route is being chalked out. There are plans of driving by forts, like Worli and Bandra." If you think about it, many of these cars go back to the British Raj. On January 26, they will roll down the roads of independent India as the tricolour flies high.
The Hadlees constitute the most famous family in New Zealand cricket. And for good reason. Sir Richard is the finest fast bowler the country produced, while his father Walter captained New Zealand with distinction. Leading his team to all four draws on the 1949 tour of England was considered an achievement for Walter. Apart from Richard, his other sons Barry and Dayle too played for NZ. The Hadlees have gone down well in history and now the Bracewells have become more famous. Michael, who smashed a hundred, which all but beat India in the Hyderabad ODI on Wednesday, is giving his cricketing family a good name. Indian fans will remember Michael's uncle John, who helped NZ beat India in the Mumbai Test of the 1988-89 series with his off-spin. Another uncle - Brendon - was a pace sensation. Michael's dad Mark only made it to first-class cricket and so did uncle Douglas. But cousin Doug was quite an international success and the Australians won't forget his match figures of nine for 60 at Hobart which powered the Kiwis to their first Test win on Australian soil in 26 years in 2011-12. As for Michael, he has indeed learnt how to rock.
The Karan Mahajan Band. Pic/Instagram
Every year, the Mahindra Blues Festival in Mumbai, conducts the Big Blues Band Hunt. As part of this competition, the winning blues band in India gets an opportunity to perform at the festival alongside Indian as well as international blues maestros. This year, the Delhi-based band, The Karan Mahajan Band, has won the hunt and will be performing on February 11 and 12. "We performed three tunes. One was the blues standard, Howlin Wolf's version of 44 Blues as we had been playing that for a long time and it felt appropriate to play that for a blues competition. The two other two were my original tunes," says Mahajan. They were selected as the best blues band by musicians Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa. "It's truly an honour to perform at the fest. I grew up listening to Buddy Guy!" adds the 26-year-old musician.
Fashion films have become a must for brands and veterans Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla too are going to reveal their 2023 campaign through one. But what makes this fashion film interesting is that the designer duo has collaborated with popular dance group Noor Zara, which comprises a group of men who perform the giddha, a folk dance form usually practised by women.
"I have been familiar with giddha all my life. When Abu and I met for the first time, that same year, we went to my hometown for Lohri celebrations. I remember how fascinated Abu was... Seeing Noor Zora made us nostalgic for that moment and we decided to honour that memory," said Khosla. "This film brings together our loves ones, featured in the film, with a giddha group that dares to redefine our culture," added Jani. The film, aptly called The Glory of Giddha, will be releasing later this month.
