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HINDUSTAN TIMES, MUMBAI

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2015

13

WATCH: Kingsman...
is slap-happy but fun,
says Rashid Irani. See
P14 for the full review

UBERCOOL

THEGIG
RAGAS FROM RUSSIA
f a group of Russians belting out a
mix of Indian classical and Slavic
music, accompanied by a Flamenco
dancer and an Emmy award-winning
artiste, pique your curiosity, then
head to the world music and dance event
being held at Blue Frog on Sunday night.
The event features St Petersbergbased world music band Samhey,
along with Flamenco dancer Marina
Korobco. The band experiments with
acoustic fusion while melding Indian
and ancient Slavic music with elements of jazz and folk.
Drop in to hear Alexey Nosov on
guitar and bass, Denis Kucherov (see
right) on the tabla and percussion, and
Nastya Sarasvati handling the strings
and vocals. The line-up is completed by
sarod player Evgeny Krasilnikov, flautist Ekaterina Chistohina along with
the melodies of the flute and clarinet
by Pravin.
The band has been testing the trajectory of Indian music, rock and jazz,
which has been trending in Eastern
Europe for almost a decade.
The band has also collaborated with
Grammy award winner Pt Vishwa

NEW HUES

This Holi, hold an arm-wrestling match,

play with flowers, or organise a costume
party. Borrow from traditions followed across
the country to try something different
riddhi.doshi@hindustantimes.com

STRUT IN STYLE

TAKE UP THE LATHI

In Punjab, the Sikh community organises a fitness camp called Holla Mohalla where men
wrestle, ride horses and fight mock encounters.
The Sikh guru Gobind Singh started the tradition
to encourage the community to stay fit and
adventurous. Flex those muscles and put on a
show of strength! Organise an arm-wrestling
competition at your Holi party and find out who
is the mightiest of them all.

ILLUSTRATIONS:
SIDDHANT JUMDE

Unbelievable as it may sound, this is how womenfolk from Barsana, the birthplace of Lord
Krishnas beloved, Radha, greet men from the
avatars hometown, Nandgaon. Armed with
sticks, the women mock-attack men, who must
in turn shield themselves with metal plates.
Lathmar Holi, a mischievous show of attack and
shelter is a play on the Krishna-Radha relationship. Common lore says the women do this to
take revenge on Krishna and his friends for troubling Radha with pranks through the year. Use
this one-of-a-kind custom to create a sense of
adventure at your do. After all, as the popular
Hindi saying goes Buraa mat maano, Holi hai!

BURST INTO SONG

SAY IT WITH FLOWERS

In Rajasthan, phoolon ki Holi, a ritual of playing
Holi with flowers, is quite popular. This tradition
celebrates the Krishna-Radha courtship. I had
organised the same for the mehendi function of
my wedding, says Shonan Kothari, a development researcher. It was the most vibrant and
happiest event. The fragrance of the flowers
took over the entire venue. You could do the
same. Make a pool of flowers and shower some
love. Its better to be struck by blossoms than hit
by balloons.

In the land of carnivals, Goa, Holi is celebrated as a

large parade. Depicting various episodes from the
Hindu epics, the Mahabharata and Ramayana, a
procession travels to different parts of the state.
It was started by the Hindu community after the
arrival of the Portuguese, to keep Hindu traditions
and beliefs alive, says Goa-based Subodh
Jamkhandikar, a retired government employee who
has been participating in the Holi carnival for 40
years. As a miniature version of the fiesta, a costume party would have all your guests in a vibrant
mood. You could ask people to dress up as
Bollywood characters, hippies or even vampires. A
small skit competition could add to the fun, and the
prize could be extra ghevars.

SWOON WITH THE MOON

Bathed in moonlight, sharing magical moments
while singing folk songs is how the Manipuris get
into the Holi spirit. Young and old celebrate with
Thabal Chongba (literally, midnight jumping), a tradition that involves people holding hands and performing a few simple dance steps in sync. Search
YouTube for Thabal Chongba videos and get your
gang of family and friends to dance the night away.

In Bengal, groups of elders go from house to house

on Holi, urging people to join their singing party,
says Rudrani Chattoraj, a Mumbai-based journalist
who has witnessed the tradition called Dol Yatra.
Its so much fun to see all the neighbours come
together and sing. Create the same musical
atmosphere by singing Holi numbers or songs in
your mother tongue. Let all the bathroom singers
take centrestage in a festive karaoke
set-up.

WEEKEND FIX

f all that comes to mind on Holi

is playing with colours, dancing
to Bollywood tunes and drinking
thandai, its time to hit reset. Spike
that drink with some mischief and
pick up sticks, flowers and a microphone to celebrate spring anew.
Borrow from customs from across
the country to add zest and colour,
through age-old traditions put together
with a twist.

PROVE YOUR METTLE

WHERE: Blue Frog, Mathuradas Mills,

Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel
WHEN: Sunday, 9.30 pm
ENTRY FEE: Rs 350 or Rs 1,000 post 10 pm
CALL: 6158-6158

Mohan Bhatt, Shahid Parvez, Tony

Levin (king crimson), among others.
Adding some weight will be Emmy
award-winning tap dancer Jason Samuels
Smith, who has appeared in shows like So
You Think You Can Dance.
MOHAN KUMAR K

THEFOOD

Riddhi Doshi

WHAT: Performances by Samhey and Jason

Samuels Smith

GLOBAL DESI
ur meal starts with desi tacos:
small methi theplas on which
are arranged large spoonfuls
of Goan pulled pork vindaloo,
garnished with a cube of ivorywhite, crispy pork skin. Though the
tartness and pungency of a vindaloo is
barely discernible, the skin provides
a welcome crunchiness. The tacos are
absolutely delightful.
The launch of The Bombay Canteen
(TBC) was highly anticipated, since one
of the partners and the culinary director
is celebrity Indian chef Floyd Cardoz. A
Mumbai boy, Cardoz rose to fame as the
executive chef of the highly acclaimed
Indian restaurant Tabla in New York.
TBCs menu, developed in collaboration
with executive chef Thomas Zacharias,
is a playful combination of international
ideas and familiar Indian foods.
A persistent yet delicate undercurrent
of coriander and date chutney gives the
chilled seafood bhel, made with squid,
prawns, carrots and strips of mango
murabba, its characteristic spicy-sweet
edge. In the methi and arugula salad,
the nuttiness of sesame, the smokiness
of arugula and the slight bitterness of
methi combine to make you finish every
last spoon. Minus points for the generous
use of peanuts in both salads, though.
It was extremely pleasing to see mandeli (golden anchovies) a small fried
fish widely served at dives and thali
places in Mumbai on the menu. The
plump, batter-coated whole mandeli fry,
served with home-made ketchup, was a
little floury, but for a change you could
taste the fish. For the ketchup, a coconut
base would have been much better.
By incorporating Goa sausage into
the filling, the South African street food
bunny chow gets a local touch to become
a choriz bunny pao. The array of toppings like chopped onion and chilli,
poha, toddy vinegar and micro
greens is reminiscent of a
Burmese khao suey. I
liked the way all the
disparate ideas and
flavours melded
together.
Gulab nut is an
Old Monk-soaked
doughnut with a
pistachio cream
filling that resembles a golf-ball-sized
gulab jamun. The cult
rum brand fans will love

The choriz bunny pao incorporates Goa

sausage into the filling of the South African
street food in a way that really works. (Below)
The chilled seafood bhel was interesting and
expertly retained the spicy-sweet edge of the
original snack.
HT PHOTOS: PRODIP GUHA

THE BOMBAY CANTEEN

WHERE: Unit 1, Process House, Kamala Mills,
S.B. road, Lower Parel
WHEN: 7 pm to 1 am (Mondays closed)
COST: Approximately Rs 2,000 for a meal
for two (without alcohol)
CALL: 4966-6666

this dessert.
Not everything tastes good, though.
The kekda masala on toast was a disaster; the topping didnt taste at all of
crab. The macaroni prawns, in a peppery,
rasam-flavoured broth, will either evoke
nostalgic memories or leave you utterly
bewildered by the strange combination.
Overall, though, TBC is enjoyable, and
not just because of its inventive food,
efficient service and reasonable prices
but because its a lovely space.
The dcor, with brick walls and
Minton floor tiles, hints at a
decaying bungalow. The
large open room and
Instagram filter-like
lighting envelops
you in laidback
casualness.
Definitely a welcome addition to
the Mumbai food
scene.
ANTOINE LEWIS

(HT pays for all meals,

and reviews
anonymously)

THEEXHIBITION
ART VIA THE EVERYDAY

THECONCERTS

NOTES FROM ALL OVER

bout four decades ago, Steve Gorn,
an American flautist fell in love
with Hindustani music through the
serene aalaps of the great flautist
Pannalal Ghosh. Eventually learning under the late Devendra Murdeshwar,
a senior pupil of Ghosh, Gorn has established his mastery over the instrument.
Gorn will play on Saturday evening,
along with young tabla player Bhushan
Parchure. Kalyani Salunke, a playback
singer in Bollywood who has trained
under the musicologist the late Ashok
Ranade will render khyals and light
classical numbers.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, Naresh Kumar
Malhotra (in pic), a senior exponent of
the Indore gharana, will enthrall audiences with morning ragas in memory of
tabla maestro Kishen Maharaj. Malhotra

has trained under veteran vocalist Tejpal

Singh and sings in a mature voice capable
of immense flexibility. His rendition of
the Megh raga during monsoon last year
is still remembered fondly by music lovers in the city.
Also worth checking out is Teen
Prahar, an annual theme-based programme organised by Banyan Tree. This
weekend it will feature a sitar recital by
Shujaat Khan.
One of the greatest tabla players
on the contemporary scene, Anindo
Chatterjee, will lead a rhythm ensemble that will include multi-percussionist Pete Lockett. Channulal Mishra,
a veteran vocalist from Benaras, will
conclude the event with some colourful
Holi songs.
AMARENDRA DHANESHWAR

s many as 62 handwritten lists of

mountains and passes, forts and
havelis, make up New York-based
artist Judith Blums collage titled
India. In another work, titled The
Delhi Phonebook, Blum lists several
contact details from Delhis telephone
directory, especially those of the various
government departments. In yet another
collage titled Spam, Blum has created a
collage of all the weird spam mails she
was inundated with, telling her she could
be happier or richer if she forwarded
the mail to other people. Through these
works and three others at the ongoing
Clark House Initiative the artist comments on the social and cultural life of
global cities such as Mumbai.
I see images and words in the everyday
and accumulate them, to later place them
in the works that are displayed at the gallery, says Blum via an e-mail. I guess I
see life as an ineluctable struggle against
disorder. Thats probably why Im preoccupied with fathomless inventories and
compilations. adds Blum.

WHAT: Vocal recital by Naresh Kumar

Malhotra (above)

WHAT:
Teen Prahar

WHERE: Karnataka Sangha, Matunga (West)

WHERE:
St Andrews,
St Dominic road,
Bandra (West)

WHEN: Sunday, 10 am
CALL: 2437-7022; ENTRY IS FREE
WHAT: Flute recital by Steve Gorn
WHERE: Shivaji Park Nagarik Sangh, Shivaji
Park, Dadar (West)
WHEN: Saturday, 5.30 pm
CALL: 99202-23793; ENTRY IS FREE

WHEN: Sunday,
5 pm
ENTRY: Rs 200
onwards
CALL: 91672-29136

WHAT: Mashup, an exhibition of

collages by artist Judith Blum
WHERE: Clark House, Nathalal Parekh
Marg, Colaba
WHEN: Until March 12,
11 am to 8 pm
CALL: 98202-13816
ENTRY IS FREE

Blum has been holding her works'

exhibition across the globe since 1975. Her
works are in permanent collections of
the Bronx Museum of the Arts.
RIDDHI DOSHI

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