Mumbai Diary: Tuesday Dossier

A nine-generation legacy
Few families can keep the tradition of practising an art form alive for nine generations. But the legacy of legendary bharatanatyam dancer T Balasaraswati (in pic, below), who was a seventh generation representative of a matrilineal family of temple musicians and dancers, lives on.

Today, as part of the Sri Shanmukhananda Fine Arts and Sangeetha Sabha's Annual Music, Dance and Drama Festival, Mumbaikars can witness the artistic tradition of the family come alive as her grandson Aniruddha Knight takes the stage. The first male dancer in the family, Knight began his career as a vocalist for his mother, Lakshmi, during the 1990s.

"Today's performance will be a reflection of the dance form we've practised in the family. It is quite different from typical bharatanatyam performances. The abhinaya part of the dance will be inspired by Manodharma and all of it would be inprovisational," Knight, who has dance academies in the USâu00c2u0080u00c2u0088and Chennai, told this diarist, in between flights.

Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

Such a sport!
Actor Sonam Kapoor manages to flash a smile despite being down with the sniffles, as cricketer Kapil Dev checks on her at a charity event they were part of in Dharavi last afternoon.

LSE calling
Atul Khatri is headed to the London School of Economics - not for giving lessons in management, but in stand-up comedy, of course. The Students Union - India Society of the prestigious institute is hosting its first ever comedy night, and Khatri has been invited to ensure the audience is in splits throughout the evening.

We tried reaching the comedian to ask how this transpired, but he had already hopped on to a flight, We're guessing Khatri got this coveted spot thanks to his own background in business and association with the UK (he got his degree from Alliance Manchester Business School). Maybe his next act will be at his alma mater?

The 36-hour relay nears
What could be better than an ambitious theatrical experiment that aims to create 10 short plays with collaborative efforts by playwrights, directors and actors within 36 hours? The fact that proceeds from the performance will go to the backstage heroes - the lighting technician, make-up artist, usher or ironing help - who make theatre possible.

Rajit Kapur, Shernaz Patel and Rahul daCunha

That's what Shernaz Patel, Rahul daCunha and Rajit Kapur aim to do with their baby, 36 Ghante, to be staged this Friday. With some of the finest theatrewallahs involved, this one promises to be a cracker of a show.

Setting records
India's hip-hop culture is coming out of the shadows slowly, but steadily. City Slums, a track by Indo-American rapper Raja Kumari and Mumbai local Divine, has broken the record for maximum dance covers performed by Indian crews.

A dance cover of City Slums by Gaurav&Chandni

The official music video itself has over 2.5 million views on YouTube. Kumari says about the record, "This is humbling; India has been so supportive." Who would have thought this possible 10 years earlier? But then again, with the Internet, the times they are a changin', as is the country.

Divine

Neeta for KSHMR
Turns out after Bollywood, touring DJs are the most sought-after by designers for their outfit sightings. For the popular DJ KSHMR's gig this week, designer Neeta Lulla will be creating a piece. "KSHMR is known to love his kurtas so we have tried to experiment with the style, fabric and design and make a Diwali-friendly kurta.

The exotic vibe of Kashmir and the aesthetic history of paisley is all the inspiration we needed for the design. The versatile paisleys seemed apt to reflect Indian heritage. We have also curated another kurta where we have embroidered the KSHMR logo in ruby red jewels, which he can wear when he performs on stage.

The materials used are silk and cotton blend," says Lulla. The Indo-American DJ states, "I have always been fascinated by Indian sensibilities when it comes to fashion and style and I'm excited to see what Neeta has in store for me."