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METROSCAPE
The Eternal Begum
Of all the colourful personae from our cultural
past, ghazal queen Begum Akhtar's is easily the most enduring legend.
In this International Women's Year, disciple Rita Ganguly revived it yet
again with a three-hour-long one-woman musical play at Delhi's India Habitat
Centre.
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| HER MUSE AND HERSELF: Ganguly playing the Begum
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A bundle of many talents, Ganguly is one for
conjuring great ideas and then executing them poorly. Part rememberances
of the Begum, part autobiography, Dastan Kahete Kahete is yet another
example of a good idea under-realised. To bring both power and prestige
to her homage, Ganguly honoured music director Naushad Ali and poetess
Amrita Pritam with the Begum Akhtar Award given away by Union i&b
Minister Sushma Swaraj. Javed Akhtar was there too, to read his poetry.
And, by the way, he is no relative of the Begum.
-S. Kalidas
Double Impact
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| WIRK'S WELL:The clothier (right) with Basavar |
If the invitation read "fashion show by
Mandira Wirk", chances are you'd put it aside. But for her maiden
solo display in Delhi last week, Wirk, 26 and a Pearl Academy alumnus,
did not have to go it alone. She teamed up her garments with jewellery
by ... there's a lucky break ... Naina Balsaver Ahmad. Miss India 1976,
now gorgeous at 43, Ahmad has been written about in recent years as a
wannabe politician and Akbar "Dumpy" Ahmad's pretty wife.
What we didn't know is that she's also been
designing jewellery on the side "for friends, family and myself".
Tell us why. "Look how beautiful it is. Why would I not want to create
such a lovely thing?" she counters, surveying the effect of a striking
emerald and diamond necklace on her bare skin.
The two ladies met through a friend, and Ahmad
was impressed enough with Wirk's work-Indian, western and fusion outfits
only for women-to agree to a joint debut. Good platform for Wirk. Lucky
for her the models couldn't wear the ornaments alone.
-Anna M.M. Vetticad
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