Under an Indian spell

In creative field there is yet another Indian expedition afoot after the West End musical The Far Pavilions, tells Nabanita Sircar.

It's been a frustrating few weeks for passionate cricket-loving Indians all over the world. For some of us, it began with a problem concerning Sony TV, the broadcasters of the Indo-Pak series. Jammed telephone lines struck many, like me, who was keen to subscribe to the channel, specifically for the cricket series. After days of trying to get through to the channel, one finally got through to them, and subscribed to the channel, only to find the channel was not up and running.

It meant going back to that relentless effort of tapping away the channel's subscription phone line to somehow find someone to speak to. And believe me, I was not the only one subjected to this. An Indian diplomat posted in Europe was faced with the same dilemma. But for me, B4U came to my rescue. Fed up with dialling away at a constantly engaged telephone number, I decided to try my luck with B4U, which is part of the Sony package, and Eureka! It worked. Finally, within hours I was excitedly watching the matches.

But the way we lost in the ODIs makes me wonder if all the effort was worth it. For the final match on Sunday, K Bharadwaj, minister for Press and Information at the Indian High Commission, organised a day out for some of us, to watch the 'great' match at his residence, on a huge screen, with snacks and drinks flowing, meant to be followed by a sumptuous Indian lunch. The aim was to enjoy the match and cheer and scream together. But alas, there was nothing to cheer about. Our great batsmen fell one-by-one like a house of cards. And before we could even be served the snacks, the match was over.

Instead, guests sat around, sipping wine, and tearing the Indian team apart. Yes, most of us are really upset with master-blaster Sachin Tendulkar's performance. In a way, Sourav Ganguly, should count himself lucky he did not play the match, and saved himself from the firing line. What is wrong with this Indian team? That was a question I was confronted with, at my local pub, by a British TV personality and cricket fan. No one seems to be able to find an answer for this consistent bad performance by the Indian team. Just hope the team finds an answer for itself, and soon! But along with cricket comes the successful Musharraf visit. May be the cricketers can console themselves that they helped Indo-Pak relations, in the wake of their disastrous performance on the pitch!

But not all is so dismal for us Indians. This season's fashion seems to wear a bold Indian stamp. The itinerary of most top designers appears to lead directly from Paris, Milan and London to Mumbai, with Agra and Kashmir along the way. Even Harper's & Queen said in one of its recent issues that while "global exotica" is predominant, it is the Indian subcontinent playing a major role. Unlike past summer seasons when India has been explored, this time around it is THE option. It has a lot to do with bright colours that set off an explosion of colour, necessary after a dull and drab winter, embroidery, fabrics and graceful design inspirations that India offers. Even classic labels like Chanel, Ungaro and Lanvin added their signatures to the trend.

Another Indian success is of course, Vikas Swarup, the Indian diplomat and author of the successful Q And A, who was in London at the weekend for a UK launch of his novel. Not only has his debut novel been selected for a West End musical, even Channel 4 has signed an agreement for a film based on the novel. I got to know Vikas and his wife Aparna, an artist, as friends during their posting in London, and though at that time one never thought of Vikas as a best-seller writer, but behind his astute professionalism was an impressionist, which often showed up at informal gatherings, with him impersonating famous figures, imitating their voices to the last detail. Now in hindsight I can see how his sharp observation of detail has lent his book such vivid imagery! Good luck to him, while we await his second book.

In the creative field there is yet another Indian expedition afoot, after the West End musical Far Pavilions. Tim Supple, director of the Donmar's superb The Cosmonaut's Last Message to the Woman He Once Loved in the Soviet Union, is preparing for a trip to India to cast a new version of A Midsummer Night's Dream. "I'm going to travel all over to collect my cast," he says. After the production has toured India, there are plans to tour the UK.

Basere se dur, the Indian charm continues!