Mumbai Diary: Tuesday Dossier

So they think they can dance?

That's what Asha Parekh seems to be asking Waheeda Rehman on the set of a dance show in Goregaon on Monday. Pic/Sameer Markande

Transcending genres

If there is one person who has played a monumental role in importing Indian classical music to the West, it's Pandit Ravi Shankar. The late sitar maestro almost single-handedly put the genre on the world map in the '60s and '70s, collaborating with the likes of George Harrison. It was his birth anniversary recently, and daughter Anoushka Shankar marked the occasion with a heartfelt social media post where she expressed her undying gratitude to him. Indian-origin electronic music producer Nitin Sawhney was among the people who commented on the post, sharing how much of a privilege it was for him to work with Shankar. It just goes to show the impact that the sitarist had on all genres of music, and not just Indian classical.

The restaurant Conrad D'souza will be helming in Scotland

Scotland beacons Conrad

Mumbai's beloved chef, Conrad D'souza, who started out with Rahul Akerkar's Indigo and Riyaaz Amlani's Salt Water Grill among other restaurants, has moved base to Scotland's Inverness-shire county. An hour before flying out yesterday, D'souza told this diarist that he will be at the helm of one of the three hotels recently bought by Sanjay Narang of Mars Hospitality.

"I am going to miss all my chef buddies, food at Jai Hind Lunch Home and chilling at Janta bar. I am leaving Mumbai after 25 years, but I am looking forward to this new journey," said D'souza, whose last stint was Out the Blue, Bandra. According a report in The Times UK, Narang bought Rokeby Manor, The Whispering Pinelodge, and Cluanie Inn, which is in Glenmoriston, after a dismal stay in April last year "to show them how it's done." All the best, Conrad, Mumbai will miss you.

Akerkar, the proud father

Now, onto the launch about which you first read in these pages on January 1: Rahul Akerkar's Qualia will open doors at Lodha World Crest in Lower Parel on April 15. The restaurant, which will serve modern European fare, will see the debut of his daughter Shaan. "It's incredible to have Shaan so involved in something we are all passionate about as a family. She spent many of her growing years at Indigo and now she is an integral part of the core team behind Qualia. [My wife] Malini and I are very proud," says Akerkar.

Mallika turns merchandiser

Irrespective of whether you're a fan or not, Mallika Dua's name is synonymous with her Snapchat personalities - Make-up didi, Komal, Kanchan and Smylie Jenner - and her infamous line, "Syauz me (excuse me)", that shot her to fame. Now the comedian has launched her own merchandise in partnership with a popular online jewellery brand with an all-women team. "It's always been my dream to make merchandise that meets good design and makes for wearable pretty things. Not a fan of plain T-shirts with slogans etc so this was the perfect way to Scyauz myself [sic]!" she wrote on Instagram with a picture of her holding Karma bracelets - one of which says, "Buri nazar waale just scyauz me".

Spotlight on city artist

The first ever Sher-Gil Sundaram Arts Foundation (SSAF) Installation Art Grant was awarded to Mumbai-based artist Sahej Rahal yesterday for his project, The Incident at Inamgaon. The grant is aimed at supporting new works by individual artists or collectives within the parameters of installation art and the jurists included eminent art personalities like Pooja Sood, Jitish Kallat and Patrick Flores. "The SSAF installation art grant brings greater focus to the discourse surrounding growing experimental art practices in the country. Receiving this grant allows me to radically reimagine the conceptual scope and physical bounds of my work," Rahal told this diarist.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates