It’s his life
On a personal visit to the city, Harman Baweja shares his take on work, rumours, spirituality and much more. Jasmine Singh catches up
There is a fair possibility that he wouldn’t read what we write about him. But the conscious decision to keep ‘news about him’ at bay has a reason behind it. Actor Harman Baweja admits without any qualms, “This allows me to maintain my peace of mind,” he shares. Of course, we know what he means. Even before someone steps in tinselville, the gossip mill begins to work overtime.  

— Photo: Parvesh Chauhan

On the roll
The last time when these two came together, we had a houseful, standing ovations, deafening applause and performances par excellence. Their play — Salesman Ramlal — recorded the best rating in the city out of the 100 shows they did across the country.

Satish Kaushik Ileft)and A still from City of Gold

Bus to cyber space
Internet is our own personal world, which at one click comes to our feet. Name it and you can find it on Wikipedia. Need it and you can search it on Google. (Well, hasn't the name has become one and the same as Internet). So, when a highly consumerised Indian market shows only 7 per cent Internet usage, the data seems like an insult to the claims of having become an Internet-savvy generation. The World Wide Web is not that widely used in India and that's what prompted cyber space giant Google to come up with an experiment.

Cut-2- Cut
Trying relentlessly to keep up with your appointment at the saloon? Late working hours at office don't leave you with enough time or energy to visit one? Or you don't have the will to drive 13-14 km for a simple haircut? Don't worry, the roaming duo of Garry and Rohit offer a ready solution. All you need to do is pick up your mobile, call them, explain what you want - a haircut, rebonding, colouring, straightening, advanced haircut or spa - and the duo ensures you get it right at your home.

Garry(L) and Rohit — Photo: Parvesh Chauhan

NEW RELEASES
School of thought

• Horror struck

Lone rangers
Do more and more solo shows bode well for art? Manpriya Khurana finds out
Just collect a few paintings and an exhibition is ready. Revisit the invites, reserve a gallery, call in the media, throw in a word…and there’s a solo event added to the resume. The description of some of the shows held in the past few months goes like this - an architect toured five cities, took a camera along, came back with hundreds of pictures and also the concept of exhibition! Likewise, with a bunch of friends that went on a trip. 

Tumhari Amrita
The Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi is organising a lecture and slide show. Amrita Sher-Gil: a project and a history by Vivan Sundaram, renowned artist and nephew of Amrita Sher-Gil. The book Amrita Sher-Gil: A self-portrait in letters and writings, edited and annotated by Vivan Sundaram will also be released by Professor. BN Goswamy on April 16 at 5.30 pm at the Government Museum and Art Gallery-10.

A montage of Amrita Sher-Gil and her father Umrao Singh Sher-Gil

String magic
It’s not everyday that one comes across a family so devoted to classical music. Their fascination for it can be gauged from the fact that all family members are named after popular ragas such as Shivranajni, Yaman and Kalyan. And it makes classical vocalist Deepak Vaid, their father and guru, one proud man. Meet Shivranajni, a student of GCG-42, who excels in academics, but is best known as a sitar player. She was raised in a family dedicated to music and later honed her skills under the tutelage of Gopal Dass Garg, Meena Rammani and finally Pandit Bhim Sain Sharma.

Picassos on display
A major new exhibition of Pablo Picasso’s works will be opening in New York this month, and two significant works will be auctioned in May. For the first time in its history, the Metropolitan Museum of Art is putting all its Picasso paintings, drawings, sculptures and ceramics on display. The Actor, a work accidentally damaged at the museum, has been restored and will be included. The exhibit opens April 27. And auction powerhouses Sotheby’s and Christie’s will offer two rare Picassos not seen on the market in decades. Christie’s Nude, Green Leaves and Bust is estimated to bring $ 70 million to $90 million May 4. Sotheby’s Femme au Chapeau, Buste that belonged to a sister of President John Kennedy will be sold May 5. It’s estimated to sell for $ 8 million to $12 million. — AP 

AS THE SUN GOES DOWN: The heat cannot keep these enthusiastic kite runners from having fun. Photo: Vinay Malik