Mumbai Diary: Sunday Dossier

Pic/Anurag Ahire

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A woman yawns as she motivates herself to work out in a park at Juhu.

Destination wedding, anyone?

The wedding planner community is abuzz with rumours that having lavish destination weddings may be hard during the election months, as many clients and vendors are prone to making cash payments. And so, many may be travelling to either Turkey or Bangkok. But Parthip Thyagarajan, co-founder and CEO, Wedding Sutra, told us that's only true for cocktails or receptions that fall on dry days. "Otherwise it's business as usual." But he did say that there could be some truth to destination weddings moving out of India, only because much-in-demand places like Jodhpur or Udaipur, are even more expensive than getting hitched in Karabi or Koh Samui. "In Turkey also, Istanbul may be more expensive than Antalia. But if it's a very basic property, can you really compare it to a Leela in Rajasthan. Maybe not?" Food for thought for all the would-be bride and grooms?

Goody for Indian women artists

Minal Vazirani with Rajyashri Goody's work

This is surely a moment of reckoning for female Indian artists. For the seventh edition of Women to Watch 2024, hosted by the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA), Washington DC, India participated for the first time with a committee that presented five Indian artists to watch - Rajyashri Goody, Farah Mulla, Prajakta Potnis, Ayesha Singh and Prarthna Singh. The final committee selected Rajyashri Goody's work to represent India at the exhibition. The India committee of NMWA was chaired by Minal Vazirani, co-founder, Saffronart and Art Mumbai, who told this diarist that what stood out most for her was the collective camaraderie and unity among the international and US committees which was directed towards equity in the arts.

"During the opening, there was an overwhelmingly positive reaction to the artist's work and the representation of caste, exclusion and cultural mores which need to be addressed. The ceramic and book installation that Goody had created prompted significant discussion about the high quality of contemporary art emerging from India. Overall, this first exhibit from India has sparked a strong interest in engaging with art from the subcontinent," she said.

Lucknow needlework, Gond art dress up French luxe address

It took Hermès, the French luxury house, 13 years to cross the Bandra Worli Sea Link, culminating in the launch of a new address at Jio World Plaza, BKC. "We don't open stores every day; it's a very rare moment. We are a 200-year-old family company; a kind of an old lady, and we take our time," Eric Festy, regional director-Hermès South Asia, told mid-day at the preview.

The fashion section showcases tapestry by Lucknow embroiderers. PIC COURTESY/ SIX WAYS TO SUNDAY.

Once again collaborating with its longstanding partner RDAI Architecture, the new 5,000 sq. ft. space is enveloped in a grid of angled three-dimensional façade, transitioning from sun-kissed orange to deep blues, mirroring the colourful clouds of pigment that fill the air during the festival of Holi. The window display, titled Faubourg in an Enchanted Forest, designed by art director-filmmaker Aradhana Seth, draws inspiration from the Gond art of Madhya Pradesh.

Inside, rooms flow from salon to salon, interconnected through three distinct sections delineated by bronze arcades reminiscent of Indian palaces, housing an extensive range of products from beauty, fashion, watches, jewellery to shoes to equestrian equipment, hats, tableware, perfumes and interior design objects.

Eric Festy

India's influence is subtly woven throughout, with features like the luscious blue walls in the watch and jewellery section, inspired by the blue city of Rajasthan, and the fashion section hemmed in fabric. The French house collaborated with skilled hand-embroidery artisans from Lucknow to craft a tapestry bursting with turmeric-hued floral motifs, evoking the lively essence of a bustling cityscape.

Let's figure out Virat Kohli

There is a whiff in the cricketing air which Virat Kohli fans would not have anything to do with. And that is, the possibility of him not being part of India's T20 World Cup squad. A no Kohli situation is unthinkable for them, but nothing is impossible in cricket and that is not restricted to winning or losing matches. Sure, IPL-17 has thrown up a lot of options for Ajit Agarkar's selection committee, but who can deny Kohli's aura and track record?

Those pundits who don't include him in their team would do well to remember what he did in the October-November 2022 T20 World Cup game against Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where his grand unbeaten 82 clinched the issue for India. It was a tournament in which he scored four half-centuries for a strike-rate of 136.41. And while the IPL is far from over, Kohli has already scored one century and three half-tons never mind if his team happen to be a struggling Royal Challengers Bengaluru. By the way, Kohli averages 81.50 in 27 T20 World Cup games.