Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

Hema Malini at a book launch in Bandra

A graceful exit

Hema Malini looks resplendent as she leaves a Bandra five-star on Tuesday after the launch of a book. Pic /Shadab khan

Interpretor of saree dreams

The store display at Rimzim Dadu store

This evening, Rimzim Dadu (inset) opens her first ever flagship store in New Delhi. She was 21 when she made her fashion debut in 2007, and still remembers being asked if she was old enough to participate at a fashion show. "I am slightly built, so everyone assumed I was not old enough," she tells this diarist with
a laugh.

In Dadu's case, talent definitely stands taller than her structure. The youngest designer to be chosen along with Abraham & Thakore, Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Aneeth Arora and Kallol Datta as part of the Fabric of India exhibition at London's Victoria and Albert Museum held between October 2015 and January 2016 is also a designer who's been closely watched for her innovations in warp and weft.

Dadu's experiments include the silicone jamdani and the leather Patola, which found patronage among Bollywood actors including Sonam Kapoor, Alia Bhatt (in pic) and Radhika Apte. "It's nice to finally have a space of my own," she says about her 500-square feet store at DLF Emporio.

The First Daughter wears Anita Dongre

Ivanka Trump in the Suruhi sherwani designed by Anita Dongre. Pic courtesy/ANI

After spending her Monday at the Taj Mahal, Ivanka Trump's Tuesday appearance had a special Indian fashion connection. At the ceremonial welcome for US President Donald Trump at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the First Daughter and White House advisor wore designer Anita Dongre's hand-woven silk sherwani from Murshidabad. "It is timeless, and such a classic. We created this style 20 years ago and it's amazing to see how beautifully relevant it is even today," Dongre said about the outfit. Ivanka joins the long line of foreign dignitaries including Kate Middleton, The Duchess of Cambridge; Queen Mathilde of Belgium; Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, the First Lady of Canada; and Hillary Clinton, former First Lady of the United States, to get outfitted by Dongre during their respective India visits.

In tune with the mridangam

TM Krishna (right) signs a copy of his book for Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

Carnatic musician TM Krishna who not too long ago was spotted singing Hum dekhenge in three different languages at Shaheen Bagh, identifies as much as an activist. In town to launch his book Sebastian & Sons: A Brief History of Mrdangam Makers, he was in conversation with journalist and student of Hindustani vocal, Sumana Ramanan. In the book, he points readers towards those behind the scenes who don't receive the credit they deserve - the mridangam makers. A primary percussion instrument in Carnatic classical, it takes a tuned ear to not just play it but also make it. At the launch, he spoke about the research, his process and the makers he interacted with. "It was followed by nuanced and engaging questions from the audience. There were people who had actually read the book unlike at the earlier launches. It makes me feel that the conversation is progressing. After all, the ideas in the book are universal and not necessarily contained in the matrix of Carnatic music," he told this diarist.

Bound for Bihar

The Museum Biennale (MB) is a first-of-its-kind project that will be held from March 25 to June 25. It will include the collection of 14 Indian museums, displayed at Patna's Bihar Museum (BM). Two museums from Mumbai will participate - Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) and Piramal Museum of Art. The briefing on the opening held at CSMVS this week saw advisor to the Bihar chief minister, Anjani Kumar Singh, MB project director Dr Alka Pande (in pic), CSMVS director general Sabyasachi Mukherjee and BM director Deepak Anand address the audience. Mukherjee said, "The beauty of Bihar is that everyone from the public to MPs take an interest in art and culture."

Lifestyle event comes to glittering end

The fourth season of experiential lifestyle platform Godrej L'Affaire came to a glittering end recently. The one-day event that Sunday mid-day was the print media partner for saw the likes of actor Bhumi Pednekar showing a different side to herself while conducting a live cooking session (in pic) with chef Varun Inamdar. There were also a host of masterclasses featuring musician Shantanu Moitra, and TV couple Karanvir Bohra and Teejay Sidhu among others. The evening was reserved for a gala where Shweta Bachchan and Monisha Jaising held the first ever fashion show featuring creations from their label, MxS. What's more, mummy Jaya Bachchan was in the audience to egg Shweta on.

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