The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Adiga, Anjali and the Indian contingent
The shortlist for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2017 was announced on Wednesday, and it was Indian authors and authors of Indian origin who reigned supreme.
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The list, announced at the London School of economics, featured Mumbai-born author Anjali Joseph (for her book, The Living), Aravind Adiga (Selection Day), Karan Mahajan (The Association of Small Bombs), Sri Lankan author Anuk Arudpragasam (The Story of a Brief Marriage), and India-based American author Stephen Alter (In the Jungles of the Night).
Open to authors of all nationalities, as long as their books are about South Asia, we can imagine why India, with its diverse cultures and unique realities, remains a favourite muse. The winner will be announced at the Dhaka Literary Festival in November.
When Hilary held her breath
US TV stand-up host Jimmy Kimmel might have dissed the book's ending by saying, "What can you say about it when Trump becomes President." But we were still curious to flip through the pages of What Happened, Hillary Clinton's eponymous tell-all about the historic 2016 election.
Hillary Clinton. Pic/AFP
Recently, during an interview with desi journalist Sonia Singh to discuss the book at length, Singh (in a refreshing departure from her otherwise scripted, starched line of questioning) slipped in her interest in yoga. Chuckles followed, and Hillary admitted to her love for yoga and the 'alternate nostril breathing' that helped her immensely during the campaign trail.
She explains her routine with instructor Marianne Letizia, and goes on to share the process, rounding off the para on a lighter note when she writes, 'It wasn't all yoga and breathing: I also drank my share of Chardonnay.'
Pic/Bipin Kokate
Mana's Boy
Actor Suniel Shetty's wife Mana Shetty wants a moment with her aspiring actor son Aahan at a fundraiser in Worli.
Silently international
The Chicago South Asian Film Festival commences today, and the highlight of the opening night will be India's official entry to the Oscars, Newton. Another film that caught this diarist's attention is the indie comedy-drama, Signature Move. Screened at the pre-festival night yesterday, it revolves around the story of a Muslim lesbian living in Chicago with her mother.
Few would know that in an otherwise non-Indian cast, the role of the mother has been played by Shabana Azmi, who was at the screening yesterday for a Q&A with the audience. The veteran actor will then travel to Canada for her play, Broken Images. We love that although Deepika and Priyanka bag big Hollywood roles, Azmi has been silently representing India on the interna-tional platform for years.
Nightlife czars take over city
Over the weekend, a SoBo five-star will play host to the second edition of the India Nightlife Convention and Awards (INCA). An initiative by the National Restaurants Association of India, the two-day event will bring together influencers and specialists in the nightlife industry from not just around India, but the world.
This includes the Nightlife Czar of London, Amy Lame, and Frederic Hocquard, the Night In-Charge of Paris (yes, those are actual designations). As is the norm, a host of panel discussions have been planned through the event, including those centred around beverage trends in the bar business and ways of having a fun and safe night out.
We're particularly interested in a discussion titled Annus Horribilis, which will be moderated by NRAI president Riyaaz Amlani (in pic) and feature chef-restaurateur Manu Chandra, among others, and will see the panelists discuss why 2017 was the worst year for the F&B industry.
Dapper dudes
ex-cricketers Ajit Agarkar and Zaheer Khan made for a handsome frame as they jetted out of the city to speak in Delhi to promote sports among schoolchildren.
The ace bowlers discussed the importance of sports to maintain a balance between the physical and mental well-being of children. An interesting piece of news we heard was about their plans to open a sports school close to Mumbai. We can hardly wait.
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