Malavika’s Mumbaistan: Showcasing Traditional Weaves

“Good Earth is WomenWeave’s long term and faithful support system. We interact at so many levels. We share information about aesthetics, vocational training, marketing

“Good Earth is WomenWeave’s long term and faithful support system. We interact at so many levels. We share information about aesthetics, vocational training, marketing and ‘friendship’. It’s a dynamic, long term and happy relationship,” said Sally Holkar, the India-based Texan-born textile revivalist, about the two-day showcase of her NGO, WomenWeave’s first ever retail collection of summery sarees and stoles in hand-woven patterns called Kulaay at the Lifestyle store in Lower Parel. To commence on the occasion of Women’s Day, the exhibition will feature a unique experience that marries fashion and inspirational interactions with the young people weaving the fashion textiles’, according to Holkar. “There will be a working loom. Lots of unique textiles - fresh off the looms and an opportunity to understand the potential of such one-on-one encounters for weavers, designers, buyers and textile lovers,” she says. “The showcase aims to build a bridge between WomenWeave and like-minded designers and labels who look at fashion through the lens of sustainability.” Holkar founded WomenWeave, based in Maheshwar on the banks of the Narmada, in 2003 and she now divides her time between Mumbai and Indore. As for what’s next on the anvil for her passion project, she says there are special on-site workshops for designers to interact with and understand weaving techniques; a big reunion of more than 100 graduates of the Handloom School which she also championed, and “lots of happy planning that cuts out the middleman and enables a bright future for the weaver.”
Nice.

Sally Holkar (extreme left) with students of The Handloom School at Good Earth’s headquarters in Sultanpur.

Midnight At The Garden

Artists who displayed their works.

The art and corporate worlds were well-represented at Saturday evening’s dinner at RPG House hosted by Neelam and Vickram Sethi, and Mala and Harsh Goenka, for their art camp 2019. As has been reported on these pages earlier, the camp, a long-standing institution, involves a swathe of the country’s leading and emerging artists gathering for a bout of convivial creativity at Goenka’s cozy beach side cottage at Madh island. This year’s camp, hosted after a long hiatus, saw the likes of Anjolie Ela Menon; Kahini Arte Merchant; Rini Dhumal; Charan Sharma and Jogen Chowdhury in attendance, along with approximately 40 others, and their output had been displayed prominently across the lawns of the company’s headquarters, where, over a dinner that included choice examples of Kanpur chaat and cocktails, a host of the city’s best and brightest met, mingled and ogled at the sumptuous canvasses and installations on display. (Arte Merchant’s The Garden at Midnight- I & II received much praise). We spotted Tasneem Mehta; Niraj and Minal Bajaj; Dilip and Shalini Piramal; Harsh Mariwala; Adarsh and Shilpi Jatia; Maya and Sunil Alagh; Jaideep Mehrotra; Meera Devidayal; Suchitra Krishnamoorthi; Kavita Singh; Preeti Vyas Giannetti and the ever-green doyenne of the art world, artist Lalita Lajmi, an epitome of grace and beauty, amongst many others. And even as we took our leave, cars were rolling up, disgorging late arrivals, there to sample the art, or the chaat, or perhaps both. Art for chaat’s sake?

Gracious Send Off

Aparna Sen (HT File )

We couldn’t help being struck by the graciousness and dignity with which Bengali actor-film director, screen-writer Aparna Sen (Wikipedia rightly advises we pronounce her name Ôporna Shen) communicated the passing of her former husband, the science writer and journalist Mukul Sharma this week. Though the two had divorced, and the winner of nine national film awards is now married to Kalyan Ray, an author and professor of English in America, her social media post was filled with the same sensitivity and sensibility that illuminated her path-breaking directorial debut, 36 Chowringhee Lane. “Mukul passed away this evening. Painlessly. I am very grateful to the doctors who eased his last hours. Two days before he died, he wanted to read Lewis Carroll’s ‘The Hunting of the Snark.” Only Mukul could/would want to do that as he lay in the ICU. In many ways, he was unique. All those who knew him will always feel his loss...” she’d posted, going on to offer special condolences to his wife Binita. “You filled his life with happiness and companionship. I hope you find the strength to bear this loss...” Bollywood could learn a thing or two from Tollywood for sure.

SOS Orotund Tharoor?

Salman Khurshid

Oh dear, Congressman and former minister of external affairs Salman Khurshid appears to have been oblivious to the universal fatigue tweeple have with politicians out to score political brownie points using national hero Abhinandan Varthaman. “Many kudos for Wing Commander abhi Varthaman the face of India’s resistance to enemy aggression. Great poise and confidence in face of adversity. We are proud that he received his wings in 2004 and matured as fighter pilot during UPA,” he’d tweeted blithely, over the weekend, only to face a barrage of outrage and abuse. “Sir, if only even you had matured during UPA term, you wouldn’t have tweeted this nonsense,” went one such, with another observing: “You should have also said that this enemy was created by Great Nehru in 1947 so that Abhinandan could fight with them in 2019.” But, the Oxford don and grandson of renowned Indian President Dr Zakir Hussain was not going to go down without a fight. “When you inject hydrochloride into infested wound, maggots come crawling out. My tweet seems to have done that to intellectual maggots who hoped to appropriate another hero despite being a burden on society,” he shot back, but the onslaught continued. Perhaps, he should call in fellow Congressman, the orotund and Twitter-savvy Shashi Tharoor, for help?