If Elton John can sing for Diana, You almost know Bappi
Lahiri's going to do it for Mother. Except the bejewelled composer-singer, with
typical exaggeration, has dedicated an entire album (Mother) to the late Mother Teresa.
Fortunately, the album's respectable. There's none of that You are my chicken fry, you are
my fish fry stuff. Instead, in his latest creation, Lahiri uses chants from various
religious texts. "This is my duty," says the composer. "Mother brought
prestige to Calcutta. Calcutta is my birthplace, Calcutta people love me." That,
remains to be seen.
Rockin' Robben
Talk about jailhouse rock. Guess where eccentric
drummer Sivamani played a concert recently? Robben Island, Nelson
Mandela's old prison in South Africa. The occasion: the jail's new museum look with the
President in attendance, and his former inmate friends -- just listen to this -- now
working as prison tourist guides! "It was a deeply moving experience," Siva
gushes. How moving? "Well, as a personal tribute to the great man I stopped
smoking," he says, solemnly. Now, we did say he was strange.
Plum Roles
The slim heartthrob (well, a couple of generations ago) may have
put on the odd kilogram (we're being nice) but Shashi Kapoor is back in
demand. With three foreign productions this year, our home boy's, literally, having a
"whale of a time". First, it was Jinnah -- but Kapoor couldn't quite fit the
lead. Hardly matters, he got a king-size role, anyway. Change of garb, change of scene and
he's in London shooting Dirty British Boys, playing what else but a Big (big) Don of the
South Asian mafia. Cut to the Big Apple (we're talking about the city) for film three.
This one's an experimental low budget production about ethnic families in Manhattan and
Brooklyn which co-stars Shabana Azmi and Art Malik (remember him in the Jewel In the
Crown?). Ask how he landed the roles and Kapoor sounds mildly vexed, "Well, I guess
they must have seen my work, no? After 37 years in the business, someone must have seen
it!" You bet!
All that Glitters
There are small jewels, there are big jewels and then
there're rocks! Some of which could be found and bought at Christie's auction
in London last week. The sale -- another of those commemorations of India's 50 years of
Independence -- gathered (hold your breath!) Rs 36.7 crore! But the highlight,
undoubtedly, was Robert Clive's dazzling loot from India -- no, he did not leave
empty-handed -- which was estimated at over Rs 11.2 crore. Whew! And with big bucks and
rapid-fire bidding -- international collectors shouting down 30 telephone lines drowning
out the background sitar music -- came the Hitchcockian drama. A mysterious buyer paid Rs
5.1 crore (almost triple its pre-estimate sales) for a rare 17th century spinel bead,
diamond and pearl necklace inscribed with the names of three Mughal emperors: Akbar,
Jahangir and Shah Jahan. Now, if the Queen ever goes broke she knows where to drop off the
Koh-i-noor.
If Elton John can sing for Diana, You almost know Bappi
Lahiri's going to do it for Mother. Except the bejewelled composer-singer, with
typical exaggeration, has dedicated an entire album (Mother) to the late Mother Teresa.
Fortunately, the album's respectable. There's none of that You are my chicken fry, you are
my fish fry stuff. Instead, in his latest creation, Lahiri uses chants from various
religious texts. "This is my duty," says the composer. "Mother brought
prestige to Calcutta. Calcutta is my birthplace, Calcutta people love me." That,
remains to be seen. 
Talk about jailhouse rock. Guess where eccentric
drummer Sivamani played a concert recently? Robben Island, Nelson
Mandela's old prison in South Africa. The occasion: the jail's new museum look with the
President in attendance, and his former inmate friends -- just listen to this -- now
working as prison tourist guides! "It was a deeply moving experience," Siva
gushes. How moving? "Well, as a personal tribute to the great man I stopped
smoking," he says, solemnly. Now, we did say he was strange. 
The slim heartthrob (well, a couple of generations ago) may have
put on the odd kilogram (we're being nice) but Shashi Kapoor is back in
demand. With three foreign productions this year, our home boy's, literally, having a
"whale of a time". First, it was Jinnah -- but Kapoor couldn't quite fit the
lead. Hardly matters, he got a king-size role, anyway. Change of garb, change of scene and
he's in London shooting Dirty British Boys, playing what else but a Big (big) Don of the
South Asian mafia. Cut to the Big Apple (we're talking about the city) for film three.
This one's an experimental low budget production about ethnic families in Manhattan and
Brooklyn which co-stars Shabana Azmi and Art Malik (remember him in the Jewel In the
Crown?). Ask how he landed the roles and Kapoor sounds mildly vexed, "Well, I guess
they must have seen my work, no? After 37 years in the business, someone must have seen
it!" You bet! 
There are small jewels, there are big jewels and then
there're rocks! Some of which could be found and bought at Christie's auction
in London last week. The sale -- another of those commemorations of India's 50 years of
Independence -- gathered (hold your breath!) Rs 36.7 crore! But the highlight,
undoubtedly, was Robert Clive's dazzling loot from India -- no, he did not leave
empty-handed -- which was estimated at over Rs 11.2 crore. Whew! And with big bucks and
rapid-fire bidding -- international collectors shouting down 30 telephone lines drowning
out the background sitar music -- came the Hitchcockian drama. A mysterious buyer paid Rs
5.1 crore (almost triple its pre-estimate sales) for a rare 17th century spinel bead,
diamond and pearl necklace inscribed with the names of three Mughal emperors: Akbar,
Jahangir and Shah Jahan. Now, if the Queen ever goes broke she knows where to drop off the
Koh-i-noor. 
