PICTURE SPEAK

Dancer Sharon Lowen

Apart from archiving Shankar's works, RIMPA invites musicians from all over India to perform, often with the maestro and his wife Sukanya sitting in the front row encouraging the artiste. "I want to bring back the old days when one didn't care about time and status but only about music and its beauty," says Shankar.

This year RIMPA is organising a festival of classical music and dance from March 9 to 13. The billing is a mix of the young and the established. Slated for March 9 are Debashish Bhattacharya (Hindustani guitar) and Lakshmi Shankar (vocal). The latter is Ravi Shankar's sister-in-law, who learnt under him and Ustad Abdul Rehman Khan. The next day Mythili Prakash presents Bharatanatyam and Kamala Shankar a guitar performance on what she calls the "Shankar guitar". A Tamilian by birth, Kamala Shankar learnt from Pandit Chhanulal Mishra and later from sitar maestro Pandit Bimalendu Mukherjee.

On March 11, Sharon Lowen takes the stage with an Odissi performance, followed by turbo-force vocalist Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar. Ravi Shankar's pupil and flautist Ronu Mazumdar and veteran Allahabad vocalist Pandit Ram Ashray Jha perform on March 12. On March 13, Tejendra Mazumdar, disciple of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, will display the combination of tantrakari and gayaki style of Senia gharana. The finale is the Benaras voice, Pandit Channulal Mishra. Usually when a guru organises a festival, he makes his students perform. But this festival brings an array of music from various gharanas. Be sure to be there.

-By S. Sahaya Ranjit

PICTURE SPEAK

Fables with an Indian feel

-By Vanita Singh

PICTURE SPEAK

Patekar (left) and Abraham

TAXI NO. 9211
Director: Milan Luthria
Starring: Nana Patekar, John Abraham, Sonali Kulkarni, Sameera Reddy.

"Seene mein jalan, aankhon mein toofan sa kyun hain? Is shehar mein har shakhs pareshan sa kyun hain," asked a harried Mumbai taxi driver in Muzzafar Ali's Gaman. Twenty-eight years later, the cabbie has no time for such angst. The city's relentless grind has twisted him into a raging manic who explodes at the slightest provocation. Taxi No. 9211 is road rage done well.

This rework of Hollywood's Changing Lanes has an inconsistent script but consistent performances. Patekar and Abraham have given terrific performances as men unhinged by their circumstances and the pressure-cooker city. The third lead role is played by Mumbai. Luthria, who has evolved tremendously as a director, shoots in trains, chawls, highrises and highways. He effectively captures the city's dehumanising pace. And though his finale seems a bit far-fetched, it assures us that underneath the glamour and grime, a human heart still beats.

-By Anupama Chopra

PICTURE SPEAK

Death and Eros juxtaposed

The white-on-white works, especially, are a delight with their pin-prick designs reminding one of chikankari on white cotton fabric. On view till March 7 at Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre.

PICTURE SPEAK

An impelling moment

-By Vanita Singh

Bhakti Utsav, Seher, CD, Rs 395: This two-CD set is a live recording of the Bhakti Utsav held in Delhi last year, a rare chance to listen to well-rendered chants, bhajans and qawwalis. Madhup Mudgal's Meera bhajans are rich and deep. The legacy of Kumar Gandharva comes alive in the malwa bhajans sung by his daughter, Kalapini Komkali. Iqbal Bahu from Lahore displays the Sufi tradition. Listen on and be one with the One. Order the set by logging on to www.underscorerecords.com.

Circles & Strings, Kosmic Music, Rs 150: The album is unique because it is an amalgamation of Carnatic, Hindustani as well as Western symphonies, retro effect and patriotic themes. Between You & Me is a krithi played on base flute with techno trance as the background; in Purple Planet Athulkumar uses three octaves of flute starting from base and slowly reaching the mid-range, ending the raga with the higher octave. The modern approach to music here will have you hooked.

-By S. Sahaya Ranjit

Index