April 6, 1998

Paintings by Rajendra Dhawan
(Vadehra Art Gallery, Mumbai; March 17 to April 4)

With their wide expanses of ochres, greens and blues, these are canvases of remarkable beauty. Dhawan's paintings are often a cross between landscapes of the real world and of the mind, leaving viewers wondering whether they are gazing at stretches of the physical realm or getting a peek into the artist's psyche. Either way, there is an unmistakable sense of peace and calm. An exhibition worth pondering over.

Urban Images--Kazi Salahuddin Ahmed
(Shahjahan Art Gallery, Delhi; March 25 to April 5)

This Bangladeshi painter's cityscapes would seem unusual to the citizens of metropolitan India. Ahmed's urban images are peopled by coves, boats and decrepit buildings with much to mourn. Good show.

MUSIC

14th Dhrupad Mahotsav
(Kamani Auditorium, Delhi; March 30 to April 2)

This festival attempts to breathe life into the dying tradition of Dhrupad. The line-up: great masters Ustad Asad Ali Khan (rudra veena), the Dagars (vocal), and young talents Wasifuddin Dagar (vocal) and M. Bahauddin Dagar (rudra veena).

MOVIES

International Film Festival of Kerala '98
(Thiruvananthapuram; April 5-12)

Six Latin American films based on Gabriel Garcia Marquez's works, a Vietnam package and a retro of Portuguese films are the highlights of this film fare. Organised by the Kerala Government and the state Film Development Corporation, the festival's focus is on the cinema of the Third World.

ODD ENDS

Indian Architect & Builder
(Monthly; Rs 75 per issue)

The 11-year-old magazine on the architecture and construction business revamps itself. It now has a more compact, readable format, personalised interviews and snazzy photographs. The first of the new-look issues has a cover story on architect Sen Kapadia and columns by Dom Moraes and Jeet Thayil.

© Living Media India Ltd