HINDUSTAN TIMES, MUMBAISATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2015 13|
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UBERCOOL
SAY IT WITH FLOWERS In Rajasthan, phoolon ki Holi, a ritual of
playingHoli with flowers, is quite popular. This
traditioncelebrates the Krishna-Radha courtship. I hadorganised the
same for the mehendi function ofmy wedding, says Shonan Kothari, a
develop-ment researcher. It was the most vibrant andhappiest event.
The fragrance of the flowerstook over the entire venue. You could
do thesame. Make a pool of flowers and shower somelove. Its better
to be struck by blossoms than hitby balloons.
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STRUT IN STYLEIn the land of carnivals, Goa, Holi is celebrated
as alarge parade. Depicting various episodes from theHindu epics,
the Mahabharata and Ramayana, aprocession travels to different
parts of the state.It was started by the Hindu community after
thearrival of the Portuguese, to keep Hindu traditionsand beliefs
alive, says Goa-based SubodhJamkhandikar, a retired government
employee whohas been participating in the Holi carnival for
40years. As a miniature version of the fiesta, a cos-tume party
would have all your guests in a vibrantmood. You could ask people
to dress up asBollywood characters, hippies or even vampires.
Asmall skit competition could add to the fun, and theprize could be
extra ghevars.
Riddhi Doshi [email protected]
If all that comes to mind on Holiis playing with colours,
dancingto Bollywood tunes and drinkingthandai, its time to hit
reset. Spike that drink with some mischief andpick up sticks,
flowers and a micro-phone to celebrate spring anew.Borrow from
customs from acrossthe country to add zest and colour,
through age-old traditions put togetherwith a twist.
NEW HUES
NOTES FROM ALL OVERTHECONCERTS
WHAT: Vocal recital by Naresh KumarMalhotra (above)WHERE:
Karnataka Sangha, Matunga (West)WHEN: Sunday, 10 amCALL: 2437-7022;
ENTRY IS FREE
WHAT: Flute recital by Steve GornWHERE: Shivaji Park Nagarik
Sangh, ShivajiPark, Dadar (West)WHEN: Saturday, 5.30 pmCALL:
99202-23793; ENTRY IS FREE
WHAT:Teen PraharWHERE:St Andrews,St Dominic road,Bandra
(West)WHEN: Sunday,5 pmENTRY: Rs 200onwardsCALL: 91672-29136
If a group of Russians belting out a mix of Indian classical and
Slavicmusic, accompanied by a Flamencodancer and an Emmy
award-winningartiste, pique your curiosity, then
head to the world music and dance eventbeing held at Blue Frog
on Sunday night.
The event features St Petersberg-based world music band Samhey,
along with Flamenco dancer MarinaKorobco. The band experiments
withacoustic fusion while melding Indianand ancient Slavic music
with ele-ments of jazz and folk.
Drop in to hear Alexey Nosov onguitar and bass, Denis Kucherov
(seeright) on the tabla and percussion, andNastya Sarasvati
handling the stringsand vocals. The line-up is completed bysarod
player Evgeny Krasilnikov, flau-tist Ekaterina Chistohina along
withthe melodies of the flute and clarinetby Pravin.
The band has been testing the trajec-tory of Indian music, rock
and jazz,which has been trending in Eastern Europe for almost a
decade.
The band has also collaborated withGrammy award winner Pt
Vishwa
Mohan Bhatt, Shahid Parvez, TonyLevin (king crimson), among
others.
Adding some weight will be Emmy award-winning tap dancer Jason
SamuelsSmith, who has appeared in shows like SoYou Think You Can
Dance.
MOHAN KUMAR K
RAGAS FROM RUSSIA
Our meal starts with desi tacos:small methi theplas on which are
arranged large spoonfulsof Goan pulled pork vindaloo, garnished
with a cube of ivory-
white, crispy pork skin. Though thetartness and pungency of a
vindaloo isbarely discernible, the skin providesa welcome
crunchiness. The tacos are absolutely delightful.
The launch of The Bombay Canteen(TBC) was highly anticipated,
since oneof the partners and the culinary directoris celebrity
Indian chef Floyd Cardoz. A Mumbai boy, Cardoz rose to fame as
theexecutive chef of the highly acclaimedIndian restaurant Tabla in
New York. TBCs menu, developed in collaborationwith executive chef
Thomas Zacharias, is a playful combination of internationalideas
and familiar Indian foods.
A persistent yet delicate undercurrentof coriander and date
chutney gives thechilled seafood bhel, made with squid,prawns,
carrots and strips of mangomurabba, its characteristic
spicy-sweetedge. In the methi and arugula salad,the nuttiness of
sesame, the smokinessof arugula and the slight bitterness ofmethi
combine to make you finish everylast spoon. Minus points for the
generoususe of peanuts in both salads, though.
It was extremely pleasing to see man-deli (golden anchovies) a
small friedfish widely served at dives and thaliplaces in Mumbai on
the menu. The plump, batter-coated whole mandeli fry, served with
home-made ketchup, was a little floury, but for a change you
couldtaste the fish. For the ketchup, a coconutbase would have been
much better.
By incorporating Goa sausage intothe filling, the South African
street foodbunny chow gets a local touch to becomea choriz bunny
pao. The array of top-pings like chopped onion and chilli,poha,
toddy vinegar and micro greens is reminiscent of aBurmese khao
suey. I liked the way all thedisparate ideas andflavours
meldedtogether.
Gulab nut is anOld Monk-soakeddoughnut with a pistachio
creamfilling that resem-bles a golf-ball-sizedgulab jamun. The
cultrum brand fans will love
this dessert.Not everything tastes good, though.
The kekda masala on toast was a dis-aster; the topping didnt
taste at all ofcrab. The macaroni prawns, in a
peppery,rasam-flavoured broth, will either evoke nostalgic memories
or leave you utterlybewildered by the strange combination.
Overall, though, TBC is enjoyable, andnot just because of its
inventive food,efficient service and reasonable pricesbut because
its a lovely space.
The dcor, with brick walls andMinton floor tiles, hints at a
decaying bungalow. Thelarge open room and
Instagram filter-like lighting envelops
you in laidback casualness.
Definitely a wel-come addition tothe Mumbai food
scene.ANTOINE LEWIS
(HT pays for all meals,and reviews
anonymously)
GLOBAL DESITHEFOOD
THEGIG
THE BOMBAY CANTEENWHERE: Unit 1, Process House, Kamala
Mills,S.B. road, Lower ParelWHEN: 7 pm to 1 am (Mondays
closed)COST: Approximately Rs 2,000 for a mealfor two (without
alcohol)CALL: 4966-6666
THEEXHIBITION
As many as 62 handwritten lists ofmountains and passes, forts
andhavelis, make up New York-basedartist Judith Blums collage
titledIndia. In another work, titled The
Delhi Phonebook, Blum lists severalcontact details from Delhis
telephonedirectory, especially those of the variousgovernment
departments. In yet anothercollage titled Spam, Blum has created a
collage of all the weird spam mails shewas inundated with, telling
her she couldbe happier or richer if she forwardedthe mail to other
people. Through theseworks and three others at the ongoingClark
House Initiative the artist com-ments on the social and cultural
life ofglobal cities such as Mumbai.
I see images and words in the everyday and accumulate them, to
later place themin the works that are displayed at the gal-lery,
says Blum via an e-mail. I guess I see life as an ineluctable
struggle againstdisorder. Thats probably why Im preoc-cupied with
fathomless inventories andcompilations. adds Blum.
Blum has been holding her works'exhibition across the globe
since 1975. Herworks are in permanent collections ofthe Bronx
Museum of the Arts.
RIDDHI DOSHI
ART VIA THE EVERYDAY
WHAT: Performances by Samhey and JasonSamuels SmithWHERE: Blue
Frog, Mathuradas Mills,Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower ParelWHEN:
Sunday, 9.30 pmENTRY FEE: Rs 350 or Rs 1,000 post 10 pmCALL:
6158-6158
About four decades ago, Steve Gorn,an American flautist fell in
lovewith Hindustani music through theserene aalaps of the great
flautistPannalal Ghosh. Eventually learn-
ing under the late Devendra Murdeshwar, a senior pupil of Ghosh,
Gorn has estab-lished his mastery over the instrument.
Gorn will play on Saturday evening,along with young tabla player
BhushanParchure. Kalyani Salunke, a playback singer in Bollywood
who has trainedunder the musicologist the late AshokRanade will
render khyals and lightclassical numbers.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, Naresh KumarMalhotra (in pic), a senior
exponent ofthe Indore gharana, will enthrall audi-ences with
morning ragas in memory oftabla maestro Kishen Maharaj.
Malhotra
has trained under veteran vocalist TejpalSingh and sings in a
mature voice capable of immense flexibility. His rendition ofthe
Megh raga during monsoon last yearis still remembered fondly by
music lov-ers in the city.
Also worth checking out is TeenPrahar, an annual theme-based
pro-gramme organised by Banyan Tree. Thisweekend it will feature a
sitar recital byShujaat Khan.
One of the greatest tabla playerson the contemporary scene,
AnindoChatterjee, will lead a rhythm ensem-ble that will include
multi-percussion-ist Pete Lockett. Channulal Mishra,a veteran
vocalist from Benaras, willconclude the event with some
colourfulHoli songs.
AMARENDRA DHANESHWAR
WHAT: Mashup, an exhibition ofcollages by artist Judith
BlumWHERE: Clark House, Nathalal ParekhMarg, ColabaWHEN: Until
March 12,11 am to 8 pmCALL: 98202-13816ENTRY IS FREE
The choriz bunny pao incorporates Goasausage into the filling of
the South Africanstreet food in a way that really works. (Below)The
chilled seafood bhel was interesting andexpertly retained the
spicy-sweet edge of theoriginal snack. HT PHOTOS: PRODIP GUHA
SWOON WITH THE MOONBathed in moonlight, sharing magical
momentswhile singing folk songs is how the Manipuris getinto the
Holi spirit. Young and old celebrate withThabal Chongba (literally,
midnight jumping), a tra-dition that involves people holding hands
and per-forming a few simple dance steps in sync. SearchYouTube for
Thabal Chongba videos and get yourgang of family and friends to
dance the night away.
This Holi, hold an arm-wrestling match,play with flowers, or
organise a costumeparty. Borrow from traditions followed acrossthe
country to try something different
PROVE YOUR METTLEIn Punjab, the Sikh community organises a
fit-ness camp called Holla Mohalla where menwrestle, ride horses
and fight mock encounters.The Sikh guru Gobind Singh started the
traditionto encourage the community to stay fit andadventurous.
Flex those muscles and put on ashow of strength! Organise an
arm-wrestlingcompetition at your Holi party and find out whois the
mightiest of them all.
TAKE UP THE LATHIUnbelievable as it may sound, this is how
wom-enfolk from Barsana, the birthplace of Lord Krishnas beloved,
Radha, greet men from theavatars hometown, Nandgaon. Armed
withsticks, the women mock-attack men, who must in turn shield
themselves with metal plates.Lathmar Holi, a mischievous show of
attack andshelter is a play on the Krishna-Radha relation-ship.
Common lore says the women do this to take revenge on Krishna and
his friends for trou-bling Radha with pranks through the year.
Usethis one-of-a-kind custom to create a sense ofadventure at your
do. After all, as the popularHindi saying goes Buraa mat maano,
Holi hai!
BURST INTO SONGIn Bengal, groups of elders go from house to
houseon Holi, urging people to join their singing party,says
Rudrani Chattoraj, a Mumbai-based journalist who has witnessed the
tradition called Dol Yatra.Its so much fun to see all the
neighbours cometogether and sing. Create the same musicalatmosphere
by singing Holi numbers or songs inyour mother tongue. Let all the
bathroom singerstake centrestage in a festive karaoke set-up.
ILLUSTRATIONS:SIDDHANT JUMDE
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