The city — sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Those Sunny days at Marine Drive
Mumbai batsman Kevin D'Almeida, who recently scored a triple century for MIG Cricket Club in the Purshottam Shield, was credited by the organisers PJ Hindu Gymkhana for being the first batsman to hit up a 300-plus score in this important fair weather tournament.
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Sunil Gavaskar
Milind Rege, the current Mumbai chairman of selectors was quick to point out that Sunil Gavaskar scored a triple century for their club Dadar Union. The other day, cricket statistician Prakash Dahatonde came up with the Free Press Journal clipping of Gavaskar's unbeaten 301 which proved that Rege's memory did not let him down.
It was scored in the Purshottam Shield final at the PJ Hindu Gymkhana on March 29, 30 and 31, 1969 – a good two years before Gavaskar played for India. As per the report, Gavaskar batted for 515 minutes and his shots reached the boundary ropes 45 times.
On Day One he scored 161 and reached his double century in less than an hour on the second day. Forty-five minutes into the post lunch session on that Saturday, Gavaskar reached 301 and that's when Dadar Union declared. This season's Purshottam Shield final (Payyade Sports Club vs Fort Vijay CC) is being held at the Wankhede Stadium instead of the Hindu Gym. Wankhede's iconic status notwithstanding and this venue-related departure, for whatever reason, just doesn't seem right.
Taking in his creation
EN route to the sunny lands of Goa, British sculptural artist Andrew Logan is making the mandatory stop in Mumbai. When he touches down at Mumbai International Airport, it looks like Logan is going to swing by Jaya He, the airport's expansive gallery. After all, Logan's work — The Guardian Angels of India — is part of Jaya He's collection. We are pretty sure you must have seen it while heading to your international destinations; it's a large-scale parade of portraits of India's influential names.
Andrew Logan (above) and his work
However, this is the first time that Logan will have a chance to see his completed installation. Rekha Nair, who has newly taken charge of art projects at Jaya He, says, "We are so glad to have Andrew visiting us. His installation celebrates Indian subjects in a new avatar and we're soon transported into a fantasy world. His work definitely adds a touch of humour to the Jaya He GVK New Museum."
Lose it like Aamir
NOW that all the brouhaha around actor Aamir Khan's drastic weight loss for Dangal has finally settled down, it's time we learnt of Dr Nikhil Dhurandhar, the man behind that success story. Known for propagating a scientific diet plan, Dr Dhurandhar, professor and chairman of the department of nutritional sciences at Texas Tech University, is now penning a book for HarperCollins India, out later this year.
Dr Nikhil Dhurandhar
"There are too many myths about weight gain and loss that are intentionally or otherwise propagated. The book will address many such myths," he says. Weight loss, however, requires a lot of discipline, he maintains. Recalling his experience with Khan, Dr Dhurandhar said, "No amount of smart strategy would have helped without the extremely diligent and disciplined approach of Mr Khan in adhering to these instructions. He worked extremely hard at following my dietary advice as well as the instructions of his physical trainer. The result was terrific, but it was hard earned."
A German Jungle Book ballet
Ace choreographer Ashley Lobo is going international. Lobo, who is known for his work in films such as Cocktail, Guzaarish, and who is right now busy working on Imtiaz Ali's next with Shah Rukh Khan, has been asked by the German dance school Ballet Chemintz' to choreograph a full-length work based on Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book. "A German theatre director who saw my work, recommended me as a guest choreographer to their resident ballet company."
Ashley Lobo
Ask him how this is different from any other version of the iconic story, and he says, "To communicate the whole piece only through dance is going to be interesting. I will use a lot of Indian-sounding music to give it an Indian touch." Surely, that won't be a problem for a seasoned teacher such as Lobo. "It's challenging because it's a full-length piece with professional dancers I do not know. Their language is classical and not contemporary, so I will have to create something that is Neo classical." This should be fun!
Itchy feet
After curating travel experiences for individuals, who want to visit distilleries and wineries for sometime now, sommelier Nikhil Agarwal has plans to go big. From April onwards, the CEO of All Things Nice, will start curating international travel experiences for groups driven by wanderlust.
Nikhil Agarwal
"We think the time is right. The people we reach out to love their drink, food, and there's a spike in interest levels when it comes to travel," he says. Agarwal hopes to tap into his network and allow his guests to hobnob with the world's best wine and spirit producers and chefs. "Someone from All Things Nice or myself will always accompany the group," he tells us. For now, he's chalking out an itinerary to Margaret River in Australia followed by Piedmont in Italy and then one to Bordeaux. "We're exploring a trip to Chile and Argentina as well."