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METROSCAPE
Disco Without The Fever
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| THE MADNESS IS OVER: Spacious floors and
mellow music at Bass 1 |
From head-banging
to chin-wagging, prismatic lighting to mellow glows, no-room to elbow
room, Mumbai is watching the growth of a new spacious disco. Examples
abound: popular nightclub Fashion Bistro closed its doors three months
ago only to resurface as a lounge bar. Its event coordinator Delna Daruwala
says that the look has been created "especially for the 25-plus crowd".
Madness, which previously drove away those allergic to the pressure cooker
scenes has two new sections-Bass 1 with a large dance floor and Bass 2
with more seats and filtered music from Bass 1. "Not everyone wants
to dance these days," explains Ghasan Deep of the Ramee Group of
Hotels that owns Madness. And newcomer Flame has thrown in an additional
lounge bar with distractions like tattoo artists and stilt walkers.
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| TALKING
TO THE TOWN (FINALLY): Flame |
FOOD
FOR DANCE: Fashion Bistro on Line for a launch: (from left) Srivastava,
Singh, Mahajan and Bedi |
The zephyr of change is blowing over music as
well. Razzberry Rhinoceros has more live performances these days and Malone,
DJ at J49, points out that softer, lighter music has overtaken techno
and trance in the popularity stakes. End line? Next time you go to disco,
make sure you have something to talk about. Because you will be heard!
-Natasha
Israni
Click For The Truth
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| ON LINE FOR A LAUNCH: (from left) Srivastava, Singh,
Mahajan and Bedi |
Information and Technology Minister Pramod Mahajan
made a pronouncement: "The mindset is, whatever the rule, our man's
work must be done." And Vivek Kulkarni, secretary, Information Technology,
Karnataka, said, "The joke is, if you want a file to get lost, refer
it to the Law Department". Book releases don't often see so much
truth being told by officials, but then such events aren't often held
to release books on e-governance by police officers and dotcom CEOs. Government@Net:
New Governance Opportunities for India by Kiran Bedi, joint commissioner
of Delhi Police (training), Parminder Jeet Singh, sp, Pondicherry, and
Sandeep Srivastava, CEO, IYCWorld.com was released at the Andhra Bhavan
auditorium in Delhi by Mahajan. After the troika had been introduced a
brief presentations on fresh online initiatives were presented. And of
the many that spoke Mahajan's speech was most applauded-candour from politicians
is like less-than-metered charges from rickshawallahs and as welcome.
-Samrat Choudhury
Turning In The Grave
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| TO HELL WITH HERITAGE: Bishop Raju (below
left); Charnock's grave |
A market in a house of worship? Over my dead
body, Job Charnock would've said. Problem is, some promoters are taking
that seriously. A portion of St John's Church in Kolkata, where Charnock's
remains are housed in a mausoleum, has been leased out by the Calcutta
Diocesan Trust Association (which governs the church) for an eight-storey
building. The project was cleared in the 1980s, but it was only recently,
when a boundary wall was constructed just a few feet away from the founding
father's grave, that heritage watchdogs sprang into action. "We did
not even know about it till a few weeks ago," says G.M. Kapur, head
of the Intach chapter in Bengal. Intach is now trying to rally other NGOs
to block the lease. Among its most prominent backers are Kolkata's well-known
Deb family of Sovabazar whose ancestor, Nabakrishna Deb, had originally
gifted the disputed plot to Warren Hastings in 1783 "for religious
not commercial purposes".
 But
the church authorities don't look like withdrawing. "It's only the
rich and idle who shout about heritage," says Bishop Raju, who looks
after St John's. "They don't see how money from this can be plowed
back into technical education for our boys and girls." Charnock could
be turning in his grave.
-Labonita
Ghosh
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