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Nov 22, 1999
 Cover Story
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Issue Contents
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 An
Honour for Mr Biswas
He's just won the coveted Biennale of Illustrations Bratislava (BIB) award for
children's books and is the only Indian to get it. For Pulak Biswas, 58,
the award caps his four-decade-long career as one of India's best illustrators. Biswas
says illustrating children's books has been most satisfying as "there's greater
creative freedom". And more important, because "kids simply love them". You
bet.
 Choppy
Waters
Fire, Earth and next Water. It seemed
elementary that Nandita Das would play the pivotal role in Deepa Mehta's next venture.
Wrong. Though Das is there in Water, Mehta is desperately scouting for someone with more
"mature looks" to play the lead in the third of her films named after the
elements. But there's some cheer for the dusky beauty. 1947 (Earth abroad) is India's
official nomination for the Oscar this year. And there can always be another Mehta film.
Just Married
 Anita
Pratap has finally found her match in Arne Walther, joint
secretary in the Norwegian Ministry of External Affairs. The former CNN bureau chief in
New Delhi met Walther three years ago when he was Norway's ambassador to India. The
Indophile has been described as a gentle, humorous and incorrigible optimist. Reasons
enough for the lady to say "I do" to Walther in a civil marriage ceremony,
attended only by close friends, in Madrid. It's second time for both.
 No Thanks
It's rare to have artists saying no to awards. And rarer if it's the
prestigious Kalidas Samman and comes with a lakh of rupees. But when the artist is Kishori
Amonkar, expect strong opinion. The diva of Hindustani classical music has turned
down the award from the Madhya Pradesh Government, announced last week. Reason? "My
biggest award comes from my listeners," she says. The real reason? "I fail to
see the logic of the award coming my way after so many indifferent names have got it
before me." Point taken.
 Mock Wedding
 It was MTV's
Diwali cracker. Instead of sending the usual greeting cards, the channel
"wedded" veejays Cyrus Broacha and Nafisa Joseph.
Those who opened the hoax invitation were greeted as "Bakras", a take on the
zany, scape- goat show MTV Bakra. "Eeks," says the bride to Cyrus'
"celebration of our love". "The thought of us together was
unthinkable." This should stop the congratulatory calls still coming in from those
who didn't get the joke.
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