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METRO
Blood
Among Beauty
Nobody
taught the late environmentalist Bansi Parimu how to paint. But living
in the Kashmir Valley appeared to be inspiration enough. Paramu (1933-1991)
turned a professional painter in 1952 forming the Young Artists Club and
subsequently the Kashmir art society. He also rapidly developed an individualistic
style doing landscapes and figural compositions with the abstract flourish
of a breezy professional. The strife in Kashmir and his displacement  to
Delhi only led to the maturing of his art. Particularly impressive was
the manner in which Parimu trapped the whimsical light patterns of the
Himalayan pastures, sitting and working furiously (and nostalgically)
in a Delhi studio. Now an exhibition at the Nehru Centre in Mumbai pays
tribute to the talented artist ... and the land that shaped it.
-Anshul
Avijit
Time
For Art
 So
one can finally take out time for art. For S.H. Raza's art anyway. And
no need to wish you had Rs 5 lakh (and above) to spare for his latest
eddy of tantric minimalism. In a timely tie-up with Titan watches, three
bindu-centric paintings by the Paris-based artist have been reproduced
in the form of some pretty striking wall clocks. Raza himself justified
the artistic arrangement with a well ironed explanation: "Art is
not the prerogative of a few rich people ... it should reach the masses.
Like in this instance where artistic sense is fused with technical expertise
to achieve remarkable results."
The three
appropriated paintings - Shanti Bindu signifying peace, Kaal Bindu signifying
time and Panch Bhoot for the five elements - were a result of Raza's long
involvement with spirituality and meditation. "The bindu represents
the beginning and the end. It is the shunya that is static in a physical
sense and it is also the symbol of stored energy," said the 79-year-old
artist who plans to celebrate his 80th birthday next year in February
by travelling through his home state in Madhya Pradesh.
-Himanshi
Dhawan
Prime
Mate
Monkey
business can be lucrative. Or that's what a bunch of porters at Howrah
Station near Kolkata, thought till the Railway Police busted a seat-reservation
scam they were running with the help of monkeys. Last week, the police
"arrested" 28 monkeys (along with 25 porters) for allegedly
jumping into the compartments of some trains and settling down into the
seats. The monkeys, it turned out, were being taught by the porters to
do this so that frightened passengers would move to another compartment
and leave their seats free for the porters to sell at a premium. Caught
on the wrong foot by this dubious exercise, officials of the Eastern Railway
denied the whole thing saying "16 persons were arrested for creating
nuisance, 32 numbers of seat sellers were arrested, 89 trespassers were
prosecuted". Hmm. Doesn't say if any of them were monkeys.
-Labonita
Ghosh
Jungle
Look
 It
wasn't Andrew Lloyd Webber, but you came away from the Animal Kingdom
with a few laughs and many wry smiles, not the least because of the witty
musical interludes. The annual play of the 11-year-old Salaam Balak Trust
for street children at the Shriram Centre in Delhi last week had all credits
(direction, props, script, cast) being handled by the children. And the
results were surprisingly effective. The grittily comic plot used the
kingdom of Vanraj Singh, the somnolent lion, as an allegory for the intrigue
and power play that characterises life in the national capital. The climax
had the jungle citizens foiling the diabolic minister Durmukh the bear's
attempt to stage a coup. The show poked earthy barbs at petty politicos,
match-fixers and "Veerappan-Wolf", among others. The other memorable
characters? Definitely the Jungle Times correspondent and king Vanraj's
assistant, a suave parrot called James Bond.
-Shuchi
Sinha
more...
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