Must catch events this weekend

Hitch a ride with these guys through Orissa. Plus 4 more must-catch events

On: Today, 7 pm
Where: Alliance Francaise, Theosophy Hall, opposite American Centre, Churchgate.
Call: 22036187
Imagine this scene: A Brit hails a ride with an Indian cabbie who takes him along even as he completes his chores, while he picks up villagers, en route. So at one point, our bemused firang has a bleating goat for company; on another occasion, he has to share space with 17 guys in the jeep.

Instances such as these find their way into a film by British journalist and filmmaker Simon Chambers, a film that we call a 'documentary' for the ease of understanding the genre though Chambers insists his film is actually the telling of a personal story that is hilarious and moving. "Because when you tell your own stories, people start identifying with the issue," says Chambers."



Cowboys in India, Chambers' 77-minute long film is about his quest to understand the rural landscape of Orissa where London-based mining company Vedanta Resources had started bauxite operations to supposedly provide emancipation from poverty to the local people.

"I went there about three years ago because I was on a quest to figure if this can really help decrease poverty in an area; I was struck by the conflicting opinions around me.

While investors and shareholders in the UK were being fed lies about its benefits to locals, in reality the Dongria Khond tribals of the area were being displaced, the river was polluted and there was a huge outcry from many sections of the society," says Chambers, who is in Mumbai to talk about his film after its screening at the Alliance Fran aise today. "Many would see this as collateral damage that is bound to happen as part of progress but it has emerged into a situation of the haves and have-nots."

If you have begun to feel bleak about the film by now, hang on. This isn't a weepy, disgruntled documentary throwing out facts and figures. "The movie is still about a foreigner who chooses poorly and hires inept people to take him around. It's a serious issue but I've tried to weave in the humour element."

Bring home a reminder of your Freedom
From: August 13 to 16 (preview); August 17 is the auction
Call: info@bidandhammer.com
Email: 080 32029681
Buy memorabilia dating back to the British era; it's sweet reminder to not take your freedom for granted.

Over the I-Day weekend, Bengaluru-based Bid & Hammer Auctioneers will display antiquarian books, maps, prints and photographs that span over 200 years.
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Check out books that have recorded the Sepoy Mutiny, the affairs of the British in Bengal, back issues of art magazine Marg, along with fascinating and finely-illustrated maps.
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There are also French-Indian miniatures, travel prints, illustrations of architecture, prints of nudes, advertisements of yore and coloured lithographs.

Since the auction is based in Bengaluru, you can view the catalogue on their website (www.bidandhammer.com) and then place your bid on phone or by mailing them.

How about Censoring Censorship, for a change?
on : Tomorrow, 10.30 am
where Dance Theatre Godrej, NCPA, Nariman Point.
call: 22833838
What do Paris Hilton's Stars Are Blind music video, The Da Vinci Code and Eve Ensler's play Vagina Monologues have in common? All three were banned in India or by a particular community, as was the case in the movie adaptation of Dan Brown's book.

Highlighting the many dangers of censorship and the future of free expression, NCPA and Poor Box Productions have organised a debate on the topic: The Censorship Calamity: India Shining and the Future of Free Expression.

Questions like What is 'obscene' and who decides this? Who controls free expression and what do they stand to gain? How can a secular democracy justify censorship on any ground, particularly censorship based on religious or political self-interest?

What is at stake for individuals, groups and the nation if we don't fight censorship and allow for freedom of expression to flourish?

will be discussed by panelists including social activist and member of Indian Censor Board Nandini Sardesai, filmmaker Govind Nihalani, theatre experts Feroz Abbas Khan, Kalpana Sharma, Ravindra Hazari, Jehangir Jani and filmmaker Mahesh Dattani.

Because life is an open road
Till: August 14 and 15
Where: Bordi
Call: 9323381454u00a0
Cost: Rs 1,500 per person
On the second weekend of every month, motorcycle fanatics around the city replace visions of matchbox offices with those of the long, winding road ahead of them, as they ready to conquer miles on their purring beauties.

The Mocha Bike Association, a group that takes their love for biking to new levels, are off to Bordi this weekend. If you own a bike over 350 cc, you can be part of this escapade.

Adrenaline junkies, mind you, this is not a test to see how fast you can go, but a group that gets a kick out of hitting the highway along with like-minded people.

Get into Semi-Classical Mode
On: Today, 7 pm
Where: Nehru Centre Auditorium, Dr Annie Besant Road, Worli.
Call: 9324143597
Tickets Rs 200, Rs 300 and Rs 400 (At Nehru Centre, Rhythm House and Landmark Andheri)
We know how much you hate this now-rainy-now-sunny weather that's taken over Mumbai. To enjoy the real magic of monsoon, step into Nehru Centre today, where, as part of Barkha Ritu, two musicians will enthrall you.
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Pandit Chhannulal Mishra, considered the foremost exponent of the traditional semi-classical forms associated especially with the monsoons will exercise his vocal chords while Ustad Shahid Parvez, one of the leading luminaries of the Imdadkhani Gharana, will create pure magic with his sitar.