COURTS

HC tells NDMC not to seal restaurants at Ashok Hotel
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 6
The Delhi High Court today directed the New Delhi Municipal Council not to take any coercive action against eight restaurants in Hotel Ashok before the NDMC disposed of its health licence application in accordance with law.

“The NDMC will give them a hearing on the issue for the coming 10 days and till then no coercive action would be taken,” a Bench comprising Justice Vijender Jain and Justice B N Chaturvedi said, asking the civic authority not to seal the eight restaurants run by private individuals at Hotel Ashok.

“Till then, each individual restaurant owner will apply individually to obtain health licence with the NDMC after completing all other formalities required under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act,” the Bench said and disposed of the petition filed by ITDC seeking to prevent NDMC from sealing the restaurants.

The eight restaurants for which the NDMC had served closure notice on January 24 were — China Town, Steel Bar, Burgundy, Kumgang Tokyo, Mashrabya (Bar-e-Kabab), Capitol Rest, Sagar Ratna and Cigar Launch..

Senior advocate Rajiv Nayar, appearing for ITDC, alleged that the notices were served without hearing them as the premises were leased to individual owners.

The NDMC’s counsel Hima Kohli contended that the notices were served as the restaurant owners had not obtained the health licence mandatory under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act and NDMC Act for running them.

On February 4, Mashrabya, the Lebanese restaurant in the hotel was ‘sealed’ on charges of unauthorised construction. It was soon ‘desealed’ on the orders of this court following an assurance by the hotel that no construction would be undertaken in the restaurant.

CULTURE

ARTSCAPE

Ghazals to designing, it’s all in her rhythm
Garima Pant

From an early age, Anita Singhvi has been deeply interested in music. She commenced her musical career under the guidance of Pandit Kshirsagarji of Gwalior Gharana. Thereafter, she pursued a Visharad course for three years at the Bhatkhande Sangeet Institute, New Delhi. Currently, she is getting training under the guidance of Mujahid Hussain Saheb of Seswan Gharana, Rampur, and Shanti Hiranand, disciple of the inimitable Begum Akhtar.

While Anita Singhvi has retained her interest in Hindustani classical, she has focused on ghazals, dadra and sufi kalams in the last few years. Anita Singhvi has performed at many baithaks and gave a virtuoso solo performance at Ashoka Convention Hall before an audience of more than 500. She has performed to packed halls at the India Habitat Centre and India International Centre. The walls of the Neemrana fort came alive with the sound of her music at a ghazal evening organised by the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII). More recently, the Indian Cultural Heritage Society did her proud by inviting her to a solo performance at the India International Centre on the occasion of Begum Akhtar’s 84th birth anniversary.

Her repertoire of ghazals includes those of all-time greats like Ghalib, Faiz, Momin and Khusrau. The print and electronic media have lauded her style as reminiscent of the great Begum (Begum Akhtar), Iqbal Bano and Farida Khanum. Exceptionally gifted, multifaceted and a highly versatile personality, she seems to have been destined for music. Her expressive singing reflects the effulgence of mind and matter. Her vivacity and flair for rhyme and rhythm impress laymen and connoisseurs alike.

Her multifaceted talents are reflected in her intellectual pursuits, which gained her an LLB degree, her participation in painting exhibitions and her interests in jewellery designing, interior designing, alternative medicine and textile designing, apart from her scintillating repertoire of music ranging from ghazals to dadra, thumri and sufi kalams to Rajasthani folk music.

She performed at the FICCI Auditorium on January 26. The event was inaugurated by Dr Murli Manohar Joshi.

Glass jewels of Rajasthan

‘Glass Jewel’, the ancient Rajasthani artwork exhibition, was organised in the Capital, showcasing the almost extinct glass foil works. It was put up by Indu Shrivastava who is an interior designer based in Kota, Rajasthan. The purpose of the exhibition was to bring forth the lost and rich art of Rajasthan to its past glory.

The glass foil art can be traced to the third and fourth centuries when all schools of art and culture in Rajasthan used to flourish under the patronage of kings and emperors. The patronage of these kings is the reason for presence of these works in the frescos and ceilings of old palaces and temples.

The different colour foils used in this art, amidst a black background against a thin glass sheet, gives an illusion of jewels studded on glass. On the reverse side of the glass, a pattern will be etched in golden colour and the background is lacquered black. Then it is left for drying under the shade for some days. Then different foils are cut in shapes, concaved and stuck on the reverse of the glass. ‘

It is a very cumbersome process and requires years of practice, patience and dedication. All the work is done with the hands and no dyes or stencils are used to trace the pattern or cut the foils.

The ‘I’s of art

What is striking about this exhibition is its title, ‘I am’. A statement that is used a million times a day. Yet, how many of us actually understand it? It is the English translation of ‘main hoon’. How many of us hear our inner voices screaming to be heard? How many of us follow the dictates of our ‘I’s?

Here is an exhibition that tries to bring out the exposed soul of all those people who dare to bare in front of others; who are true to themselves and don’t mind others experiencing it.

Punam and Deepak Kalra play host to a unique exhibition showcasing the works of four artists who have given a new dimension to art by infusing a fresh energy with new themes, mythological subtexts and horizons that elevate art to a new realm. It is a collection of extraordinary talent.

Brush with VP

He is a former Prime Minister and a fine artist. His work is his thought that is ever changing with the environment and intensity of his emotions. The versatility that he exhibits is amazing. The faces, the poignance, the tenderness, the love and care are deeply etched in his drawings.

A tragedy like that in Bhuj has been captured in the broken, fractured, fragmented human form — the devastation is complete. The serenity and beauty of waterscapes is enthralling. It is the sensitivity of his persona that is so beautifully brought out through his works.

“Faces intrigue me and it’s basically the spur of the moment that can actually make me sit and sketch a face,” says Mr V. P. Singh. He gets into abstractions and portraitures; the man is guided by his own reactions, which are very intense and strike the right chord.

Spiritual paintings

One look at his works and we realise that Rajesh Baderia’s paintings are a spiritual journey. He has been greatly inspired by the treasure of Indian mythology. As a result, his works are a reflection of the same. One such painting is an articulate work of Lord Shiva resplendent in its spiritual glory.

His is a unique style in as much as he combines spirituality with abstraction. His is the purity of style where Shiva is the thought and Krishna radiates mysticism. He is an artist who is deeply moved by spiritualism on one hand and mysteries of life on the other. An artist who is trying to achieve and portray a balance.

An IPS woman’s tryst

Jija Madhavan Hari Singh embodies spiritual energy with a startling intensity in her bold, dramatic strokes. Colours abound and come alive… to tell timeless stories. Jija works with oil, acrylics and pastels. Her acrylics display strength through bold lines; her graphics and pastels portray a deep sensitivity through colour and line. She has worked with widely differing art styles, from Tanjore, Mysore and Rajasthani to charcoal. Jija’s abstracts have been exhibited in India and Australia.

Belonging to the elite Indian Police Services, Jija is the Chief of Vigilance and Security at the Airport Authority of India. Largely self-taught in art, Jija has also been trained under Judy Broke in Australia and at Georgetown University, USA.

Master of acrylics

Amrut Patel is the man who introduced acrylic medium to the country, someone who was bold enough to change over from the ‘oils’ to this new tool. His first exhibition in acrylics took place in Mumbai in 1972 and was a total sellout.

He is not only the trendsetter but also a master in his own medium. Today, he has hundreds of shows to his credit.

His inimitable style speaks volumes. At times bold, colorful and playful and at other times subtle, soft and pensive. He brings about a beautiful contrast in the outcome. It is the strong convictions of the artist that is reflected in the final product, a far cry from the usual, the mundane.

Born in Ahmedabad, Amrut Patel has been awarded a fellowship of painting from Fine Arts College, Ahmedabad. He has held a wide spectrum of shows all over the country and abroad. These include one-man shows, two-man shows and group shows held at Jahangir Art Gallery, Sridharni, Bajaj, Boushari and the Lalit Kala Academy Gallery. After a successful display of his works in India, Amrut visited France, the UK, Italy, Denmark, Czechoslovakia and West Germany in a designer’s delegation. His one-man show is being held in support of the mentally challenged kids, organised by PRAYAS at the AIFACS, New Delhi. The unique intensity, depth, colour and treatment make the works of this artist a collector’s delight. The exhibition will be on till February 22.