Q 1. President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam released a book by Shahnaz Hussain's daughter Nilofar because...

a. he admires her hair.
b. she styled his hair.
c. he was requested to do so by the beautician.

Q 2. Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Akhtar was pulled up after...

a. he met Indian filmstar Sanjay Dutt.
b. he was suspected of "chucking" the ball.
c. he called teammate Inzamam-ul-Haq "Aloo".

Q 3. Lara XI is a...

a. fan club of West Indian cricketer Brian Lara.
b. West Indian cricket team playing at a fundraiser.
c. school team named after Laloo Yadav and Rabri Devi in which their son Tejaswi plays.

Answers: 1(c). 2(a), 3(c)

Stroke Power

His first solo exhibition in nine years and all of the 34 paintings on display sold out even before the show began. Such is the stroke power of painter Laxman Shreshta. Most paintings of "Vermissage" at Jehangir Art Gallery reportedly fetched Rs 5-8 lakh each. But one of India's biggest taxpayers is blunt when asked what he does with the big bucks he makes: "I like to travel and live well. I don't invest in a big way. If I like something, I buy it."

Collectors like Ratan Tata, Kumar Mangalam Birla and the Godrejs have long earmarked him as a must-buy. So why did he take so long to put up his show? "I like to have something different to say when I do an exhibition. This time, it took a little longer," says Shreshta.

Different it is. Shreshta, known for his landscapes, has used geometrics and lots of white. "Using geometrics so that it merges with the rest of the colours is a difficult task." In some of the current series of work he has used white, cream and beige, while in others he experimented with red, blue and yellow.

The experiment worked-and sold well. But success came at a price. "I have had to stop swimming because it disturbs my thought process and as an athlete that was quite tough," says Shreshta. Small price for creative fulfilment.

— Nidhi Taparia Rathi

Combined Talent

ISHQA-ISHQA (Music Today Rs 55)

IThis album is a confluence of talents. Lyricist Gulzar, music director Vishal Bhardwaj and his singer wife Rekha have joined their considerable expertise in a Sufiana kalam. It is difficult for a music director who composes for films to step out of the genre. But Bhardwaj has passed the test.

Gulzar's poetry talks of divine love and worship is in line with the Sufi philosophy. And Bhardwaj moulds it into a contemporary spirit. The mood of the soft and soul-stirring compositions echoes in Rekha's rendition. There are eight compositions capturing various emotions.

Famous musicians have contributed to this album. Sultan Khan, Shiva Mani, Deepak Pandit and Rakesh Chaurasia all have done their bit. The song Tere ishq stands out. Sufi kathak dancer Manjari Chaturvedi has interpreted it innovatively in the video track.

Touches of jazz add sparkle to Chingari where guitars and crisp drumbeats add vigour to the composition. Raat ki jogan is a slow, haunting melody with soft mesmerising music-mainly flute.

Gulzar's lyrics are mellow with an evocative quality. He uses unusual expressions which have depth and thoughts that are profound, and yet the words are simple. That is what touches you.

--S. Sahaya Ranjit

Midnight's Causes

FUND MAKER: Narula

Indians are an enterprising lot. And Indian women in London are not just enterprising but also charitable. Fundraiser Surina Narula is organising a special charity preview of Midnight's Children, a play based on Salman Rushdie's epynomous novel, on India's Republic Day.

It is a collective effort where leading women from British Asian Society have come together to raise funds for street children. Ananya Sarin, who is involved with the charity, says, "Asians in the UK are doing a lot more for charity today." The Bombay Dreams charity show raised funds for Memorial Gates, the pillars outside Buckingham Palace and Asia House.