Mumbai Diary: Tuesday Dossier

Pic/Satej Shinde

The bigger picture

A senior citizen turns back time while using a magnifying glass to read a newspaper, at a cafe in Jogeshwari West on Monday.

All about art

Collecting art is often such an expensive affair that it's best to be absolutely clear about the legalities involved. And a talk being organised by Chhatrapati Shivaji Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) this week will delve into the laws that concern art acquisitions. It will feature Debottam T Bose (in pic), a lawyer who specialises in art and philanthropy. Joyoti Roy, head of strategy and marketing at CSMVS, shared that Bose divides his time between Mumbai, Delhi and London. "His main work is looking at how antiques and artworks are acquired, purchased and authenticated, and what are the laws that govern them. He also works with private collectors who use his services to check the provenance of the objects they want to buy. At the talk, he will discuss what the concerned laws in our country are, what mandates collectors must follow and what rights they have, among other things," Roy shared. Interested? Log on to the CSMVS's YouTube channel at 5.30 pm on August 28.

Culture to the four

The British Council has joined hands with Arts and Culture Resources India, and The Art X Company to organise a panel discussion that takes a holistic look at the cultural festival space in the country through four different prisms - access, innovations, future and collaborations. The speakers have each worked in one of these aspects. There's Karan Talwar (inset) of Harkat Studios, an innovator within the old-school medium of theatre. Sudhanva Deshpande of Studio Safdar has worked towards making the same performance art more accessible. Avinash Kumar is founder of inter-disciplinary consultancy platform Quicksand and has his eyes on the future, while Beki Bateson is a UK-based arts professional who will focus on collaborations. "They will aim to examine each topic from different lenses," shared Dipti Rao, director of projects at The Art X Company, whose founder, Rashmi Dhanwani, will moderate the discussion. Register at bit.ly/AEFCPD to catch the talk on September 9.

An Olive branch for Manu

It truly is the end of an era. Seventeen years ago, chef Manu Chandra arrived in India after a stint with fine-dines in New York City, aged still in his early 20s. He quickly established himself as one of the rising stars on the country's F&B landscape, charged with conceptualising and co-leading the Bengaluru outlet of the fabled restaurant, Olive. Now, after all these years, Chandra has announced that he is finally parting ways with the brand. He told this diarist that he is not yet sure of what his plans are next. "I've always had a head full of ideas and eyes full of stars, and I'll carry that forward in whatever I do next. I haven't really charted a path yet. But I am a restless person, so I'm sure that I will be at it soon," he said. Our best wishes to him.

After-work adda coming up in BKC

In the business hub of BKC, it's not uncommon to overhear workers chit-chatting over a drink and saying, "My boss went blah blah blah", pointed out restaurateur Pawan Shahri. These post-work conversations have inspired a new restaurant-cafe-bar, aptly titled Blah, that's expected to open doors in September. Owned by Niketa Sharma with Shahri, Dhaval Udeshi and Nikita Harisinghani who are its managing partners, it hopes to create a comfortable space for professionals. "It'll have a laid-back vibe to transport one to a beach-y mood. The food will be a mix of global favourites," revealed Shahri.

Malhar puts you in the hot seat

Here's your chance to win a customised chair worth Rs 10,000, which has a design printed on it that's been created by you. The organisers of Malhar, the annual festival at St Xavier's College, have announced a social media contest called Who Wants to be the Next Chairperson?, where they are calling on people to send in designs that can be imprinted on chairs. All you have to do is visit worldtagin.com and upload a digital version of your design in the relevant section of the website. "The artwork has to be in relation to the theme of the fest," informed Ishaan Chatterjee, PR-in-charge for the fest. This theme is ‘parallax', which means to perceive a phenomenon through different angles. The last date for submissions is today, so hurry if you're keen to send in an entry.