The city — sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Sound of a 100 flutes
Organised by Gurukul Pratishthan, a charitable trust founded by Vivek Sonar, one of the senior most disciples of Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, the Bansuri Utsav’s flute symphony features artists, spanning three generations of Guru-Shishya Parampara playing the flute The festival began in 2007, with just 35 artists playing Bansuri at the same time.
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Slowly the number increased to a hundred. This Sunday will witness the eighth edition of the festival that will regale the corridors of Ravindra Natya Mandir and feature flute legend Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, tabla genius Vijay Ghate, Pakhawaj maestro Pandit Bhawani Shankar along with over 100 flautists from various corners of India as they perform in this flute symphony.
Past and present
Pics/Bipin Kokate, Suresh Karkera
Our lensmen spotted Aamir Khan at two different dos yesterday; while at one event, we can see wife Kiran Rao listen attentively as Khan delivers a speech, the second had former wife Reena, and Rao in the same frame at an awards ceremony.
SEL-INS Vikrant connect
At a cinema hall, if you catch a National Anthem video that pays tribute to the INS Vikrant and the bravehearts who fought aboard her, know that the lovely instrumental rendition playing in the background has been specially arranged by the troika, Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa.
A still from INS Vikrant National Anthem video
An initiative by Bajaj, the video, that will play at various cinema halls in the city, features black-and-white footage of India’s first aircraft carrier that played a hero in the 1971 Indo-Pak war. Now, not many may be aware that Noorani has a special connect with Vikrant.
Ehsaan, Shankar, Loy
His father, the late Dilawar K Noorani (also the architect for Usha Kiran, the first skyscraper in the city) had designed the bar onboard the now-decommissioned carrier on behest of Rear Admiral Nanda in the early 1960s. In fact, a plaque placed overhead the entrance to the bar also had his name engraved on it.
Another social do
If you've lost track, Riyaaz Amlani's competitively priced chain of pubs, Social, last opened at Andheri's Fun Republic before which it was BKC's turn. Within one month, Goregaon will get its Social as well as Koramangala in Bangalore and Cyber Hub Social in New Delhi.
The interiors of BKC’s Social
Another outpost is expected at Phoenix Marketcity mall in Kurla and one in Vikhroli. “With the Goregaon Social opening doors on the 22nd of this month, we aim to have a total of 24 Social outposts by the end of this year,” shares Amlani.
Swimming cool in Shivaji Park
Hordes of swimming enthusiasts who reside in the Shivaji Park-Dadar belt are couting down to August 21. It’s when the Mahahtma Gandhi Swimming Pool (MGMO, or Shivaji Park Swimming Pool, as locals call it) will reopen, after a year of being closed to members. It was shut due for several reasons; the latest, of course, was the drought. Yet, even before, pool authorities had stated different reasons, from leakage to other problems.
The all-new swimming pool at Shivaji Park. Pic/Datta Kumbhar
The complex has a 10-lane Olympic-size swimming pool, and a neighbouring cluster of three pools, a deep pool built exclusively for diving, the second being a recreational pool and the third, a shallow one for kids. The old pool was revamped into a swank, new facility, approximately 4.5 years ago.
It also has a spectators’ gallery that can seat 600 persons. Come Sunday, and nearly 30,000 members will rejoice with the news. Officials also announced that they planned to reopen membership when the pool reopens. The current member base can surely look forward to taking the plunge.