Leaves & Sticks

  Kathak is a dance form that traces back to the Bhakti movement. It celebrates the life of Lord Krishna through animated story telling. An ancient practice, refined further through the Mughal era, Kathak involves the notes of traditional music: thumris, todas and ghazals. Taking this dance form to an awakened level of spirituality, with the epic brilliance of abhinaya, swirling in her own parallel universe, young danseuse Shivani Varma chats with Nandishi Shriram as she brings to life, a poetic transliteration of the Sacred Text, Srimad Bhagwad Gita. In these dark & uncertain times, using certain important shlokas from the scriptures, With her specific style of emoting with eye movements, mudras, hand & footwork, the dancer talks about how she has engaged audiences across the globe. Her ethereal beauty has come alive in the temples of Hampi, Khajuraho & Konarak, as she spins her magic with nimble adaas. Having performed before international audiences in countr...

This curios creator and his history are firmly intertwined together. He always dips into his rich past to get inspired. At a subliminal levelhis heart ensures that his legacy, his family’s rich history never gets eroded.   Instead it remains alive, tweaking itself in a tiny way to fit the current flow of refinement. UMANG HUTHEESING, from the Hutheesing family is linked to both the Nehrus and the Tagores through marriage. He relives his past in this article with Nandishi Shriram. THE START OF THE FAIRY TALE: Early 18th century, charted the course of India’s most prestigious families hailing from Ahmedabad, the Hutheesings. Marital alliances with the Nehru & Tagore family, collaborations spanning the globe, with fortunes jingling in the coffers, the powerful family has led the historic lineage in Gujarat. Their stupendous rise in the business world had much to do with Lockwood de Forest and Louis Tiffany, a renowned interior design firm from New York. The family was...

An entity representing a bygone era defines the term ‘vintage’, taking us back at least a 100 years into time. The birth year of the modern vehicle was 1886 when the Benz Patent-Motorwagen was introduced. In the early 20’s, the car, something not visible in a world of horse driven carriages, was a refreshing novelty for the wonderstruck moneybags. With an American revolution endorsed by Chevy & Ford, these babe magnets heralded the descent of the posh & splashy set of wheels like never seen before. The ageless all-time favorites with their out of reach listed prices indicated that only the upper class flush with money could afford to buy these vintages beauties. Taking these badass wheels for a spin was decidedly the ultimate in uber exhibitionism, for the alpha male. Transitioning to the 50s where automobile mass production was hailed as the progressive new normal, gone were the days of looking for a coach or bogie for local conveyance. Becoming universally recognized...

Cinema viewing is a sport most city slickers look forward to. Going to the movies is like a mini vacation. Nandishi Shriram chats with Sanjeev Bijli, Joint Managing Director, PVR Cinemas to discuss the road ahead for multiplexes. The big screen cinematic experience is a real thrill. The treat of lying back on a plush, padded recliner, enjoying a Japanese Bento Box, served up by an attentive steward is irrepplaceable! Gone are the days of crawling into a nondescript, dark and dank smelling theater, wolfing down a greasy alu tikki burger with onion and tomato along with pumpkin ketchup…!! Only to watch Mithun doing his greasy swagger & running around trees with a buxom Ranjeeta….!! Instead, now when you walk in to watch a thriller like Andhadhun at PVR Luxe, you are assured a few hours of pulsating excitement. The credits roll in and the movie begins. The film script has very dark & grey undercurrents, with hints of the paranormal. The audience is on edge, watching Tab...

A heady combination of sensualist and gourmand adventurism, Rocky Singh is a veritable bundle of good cheer and he believes in living life immensely well. Co-hosting the NDTV Good Times Food Travel Show “Highway On My Plate with his partner, Mayur Sharma, the foodie anchor is already burning the midnight oil with his third book on the greatest passion of all Indians: Food. The show meanwhile has completed a record 230 episodes shot during travels of over 200,000 kms on the highways of India. Rocky in his professional avatar has worked with British Airways and KLM. Though nowadays it is sports like river rafting, trekking, scuba diving, hockey, soccer & golf that keep him busy. That is when he in playing hubby to the gorgeous missus Rupali, a fashion designer. The couple call living in Delhi ‘an exacting pleasure’, with 2 beautiful kids, a complete family in tow. Rewind to 20 years and Rocky relives a strange occurrence with the occult, one that turned his interest in ...

Mr. Chironji Lal, a soft spoken yet assertive cameo in the light comedy, ‘Khosla Ka Ghosla’, had the charming Parvin Dabas essaying many shades in the film with co stars Anupam Kher, Boman Irani, Navin Nishchal & Ranvir Sheory. The film did moderately well but it helped this suave Delhi-ite get a footing in Bollywood, where angels fear to tread and rank outsiders stand a thin chance. Clearly positioning himself as a protagonist in alternate cinema, Parvin worked in a multitude of roles before directing his first film Sahi Dhande Galat Bande, Innately inspired by Anna Hazare, the movie met with critical acclaim and a slew of awards: a Bronze Palm Award at the Mexico International Film Festival and a Silver Remi Award at the Houston International Film Festival & a selection for the Indian Panorama section of the International Film Festival of India, Goa. A host of reviews called this pocket dynamite film thought provoking & exciting, with the ever jocular & fe...