Mumbai Diary: Sunday Dossier

Kirti Kharbanda at Juhu with Pulkit Samrat

Flirt for the camera

Actor Kriti Kharbanda seems to have reserved her widest smile for rumoured boyfriend Pulkit Samrat at the promotion of their film at a Juhu five-star. Pic /Datta Kumbhar

Dalrymple celebrates forgotten painters

Early next month, writer, historian and Indophile William Dalrymple will guest curate Forgotten Masters: Indian Painting for the East India Company, for the Wallace Collection in the UK. The exhibition, supported by the Delhi Art Gallery (DAG) will continue till next April, and is the first UK exhibition of works by Indian master painters commissioned by East India Company officials in the late 18th and 19th centuries. The exhibition honours historically overlooked artists, including Shaikh Zain ud-Din, Bhawani Das, Shaikh Mohammad Amir of Karriah, Sita Ram and Ghulam Ali Khan, Dalrymple told this diarist. "The art that emerged during this time was unusual. The school of painting was somewhere between the Mughal and colonial," he adds. The works feature both, the beauty of the natural world and the social reality of the time. "Most of the artworks and masterpieces that will be featured have been acquired from private collections and museums in the West. None have unfortunately come from India." A lot of work and time has gone into bringing all of it together for one show, Dalrymple shares.

Brown girl turns literary

Saloni Chopra, aka Redhead Wayfarer on Instagram, was one of the women who led the #metoo movement last year. Chopra accused director Sajid Khan of sexual misconduct.

Ever since, she has been on Instagram, empowering others to share their stories. These experiences will now make their way to a book. "It's about women - anecdotes, essays, and opinion. It's a summary of all the things I believe in, and my personal experiences. I wanted the book to be something women could carry and hold close to their heart, turn to when they're lost, sad, confused. I guess you could call it a brown girl's guide to feminism," she says. She is already in the throes of writing, and hopes to finish it early next year.

Bye, Good Wife

If you've been wondering why The Good Wife at BKC has downed shutters, it's because the Tham brothers plan to replace it with their pan-Asian restaurant, Foo. While Foo at Phoenix and Foo Town at Churchgate have focused on food, the new outpost will be bar-centric. "We have observed the lack of an Asian property in BKC, where people can unwind to good food, drinks and music at
the end of the day," Keenan Tham said.

A police officer's tale of justice

Filled with pathos and humour, Rahul da Cunha's Class of '84 [written in 2003] is a play that celebrated friendship. Now, there is a book by crime author Hussain Zaidi titled Class of '83. This one delves into a much serious story of senior police inspector Pradeep Sharma and his mates from the '83 batch of the Maharashtra State Police Service. Revealing what is in store for readers, Zaidi writes: The Class of 83 delves deep into the most famous (or infamous) encounters conducted Sharma and his batch mates. Sharma was arrested by the same department he had served for two-and-a-half decades. He faced the ignominy of jail, clubbed in the same cell as the criminals he had arrested. However, he fought for his honour, was acquitted and reinstated into service.

The story of Sachin and Salil's 1989 debut and those 13 newbies

Salil Ankola (left) and Sachin Tendulkar at the former's benefit match at Andheri Sports Complex on March 3, 2010. Pic/Suresh Karkera

The 30th anniversary of Sachin Tendulkar's Test debut was celebrated with wholesome nostalgia the other day. And one of the first cricket personalities to hit social media with the event on Friday morning was Salil Ankola, the former pacer, who also made his India debut at Karachi on November 15, 1989.

"Feel like 30 years was just like yesterday. Memories so fresh. Fun we had being roommates," Ankola wrote on his Facebook page. Tendulkar apparently reminded him how tired they both were after fielding on the Test's opening day and a two-hour snooze followed.

There were two debutants in the Pakistan team as well - Waqar Younis and Shahid Saeed. While Tendulkar and Waqar enjoyed a long career, their fellow debutants Ankola and Shahid played one Test each. If one thought four debutants in a Test like it happened in Karachi 1989, is interesting, guess how many debutants figured in the Australia v New Zealand one-off Test in March 1946, the first Test after World War II. Thirteen! The Kiwi rookie pack included Mac Anderson, Verdun Scott, Gordon Rowe, Len Butterfield, Ces Burke, Don McRae while the Australian newbies were Ken Meuleman, Keith Miller, Colin McCool, Ian Johnson, Don Tallon, Ray Lindwall and Ernie Toshack.

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