Duck on an outing
No quackery here, it’s just a bird out for a jaunt in Bandra East.
A handy Pycroft for Zimbabwe
Then and now; a world of a difference for Pycroft
Andy Pycroft, the Zimbabwean match referee, who is at the centre of the Asia Cup handshake storm, had an interesting playing career. Sure, his 23 appearances for Zimbabwe is far less than the number of men’s international games he has refereed (536), but he was considered a vital player for Zimbabwe through his ability as a middle-order batsman. His stats — 152 runs in three Tests, 295 runs in 20 ODIs — don’t do justice to his utility but Pycroft was found good enough to serve his country in three World Cups (1983, 1987, and 1992).
And those who were at Wankhede Stadium when the ground hosted its first World Cup game in 1987 might remember Pycroft’s top score of 61 off 102 balls. He also figured in Zimbabwe’s inaugural Test at Harare in 1992 against India. Pycroft, 69, also did television commentary.
Living legends arrive at NGMA
At the NGMA
The National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Mumbai, brings long-overdue recognition to senior artists Ratan Parimoo (89) and Naina Dalal (90). Telling us about why NGMA decided to host this exhibit, curatorial advisor Girish Shahane says, “It was Jinoy of Gallerie Splash who chose to mount the double exhibition and Gauri Krishnan, daughter of Nainaji and Professor Parimoo, who pushed for it with NGMA. I had already curated a show of Nainaji’s work last year, and it was logical to expand it. I was also very struck by Dr Parimoo’s abstract paintings, which are not well known at all.”
Titled Ratan Parimoo: Pioneer Abstractionist, and Naina Dalal: The Silent Fire Within, the shows span more than six decades of their respective practices.
An occasion long overdue – Naina Dalal and Ratan Parimoo at the exhibition of their paintings at the NGMA
Parimoo’s exhibition features over 40 works from 1958 to 1973, including abstract canvases that pushed Indian painting into new territory. His brushwork, influenced by Jain and Egyptian art as well as Western modernism, marked one of the earliest and most audacious departures from figuration in post-independence India.
Running alongside is Dalal’s sweeping retrospective of over 150 works across painting and printmaking. From aquatint and lithography to collagraphy, she experimented relentlessly. Her protagonists, often women, carry resilience and strength in the face of social struggle. At a time when women artists were a rarity, she forged her own path with equal mastery in painting and printmaking.
Though Parimoo and Dalal are life partners, their artistic journeys remain distinct. His abstractions broke new ground; her canvases and prints gave voice to the unheard.
“It’s a show for everyone interested in Indian art. Hopefully, every visitor will respond differently and uniquely,” says Shahane.
And if you’re wondering what not to miss, Shahane has one tip: “I think Naina Dalal’s small format wash paintings are wonderful.” The exhibit is running till October 12.
Ace of clubs, race of clubs
The races will go on! File pic/Ashish Raje
Swank and upscale, what else can one say about a recent unveiling of plans for a new clubhouse at the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) at Mahalaxmi, including adults’ and kids’ swimming pools, gymnasium, business centre, two floors of underground parking, and various sports facilities.
Approximately 40,000 sq m of built-up area is proposed, but racing officials assure us the green will be preserved as the new clubhouse will be at the defunct second enclosure of the complex. We say wishes are horses and let that vision become a reality. But we’re happy chappies to learn that we can safely bet on the green emerald of SoBo remaining just that — green.
A crossover of two art forms
Sharma’s artwork, Revitalising Memories, features on the cover of the new French edition of Shalimar the Clown. Pics Courtesy/Mukesh Sharma, Gallimard
Two decades after it was first published, Salman Rushdie’s Shalimar the Clown has reappeared on bookshelves in a novel avatar — a French folio with a brand new cover, bearing artwork by contemporary artist Mukesh Sharma. The artist describes the painting, titled Revitalising Memories (acrylic on canvas, 2021), as an exploration of “myth, memory, identity”. An apt choice then, for a book that dwells on conflict and vengeance, both in the protagonist’s life and across Kashmir. It was Rushdie who spotted the artwork on Sharma’s Instagram, and the publisher, Gallimard, agreed that it was well-suited for the novel’s cover. “I got a message from the publisher that Mr Rushdie had appreciated my art and would like to have it on the cover of his book. I was thrilled,” Sharma tells us.
Mukesh Sharma
The painting blends the old and the new, taking inspiration from the oral histories of the Panchatantra, along with contemporary imagery such as computer keyboard motifs. “It’s a commentary on the burden of technology; are we driving it, or is it driving us?” questions Sharma.
Uncommonly immortalized
The late RK Laxman’s daughter Usha Laxman (second from left) with, from left, Gauri, Anand and Adya Chordia at the RK Laxman Museum in Balewadi, Pune
The ever fascinating drawings and cartoons of the people’s cartoonist, RK Laxman, are not confined to yellowing paper clippings — you can visit the website www.rklaxman.com and take in the little quirks and foibles of daily life that he so deftly captured.
Released recently by Anand Chordia, Founder of The Eco Factory Foundation (TEFF), the newly redesigned website provides an immersive glimpse into the artist’s life and works, capturing the inspirations and influences that shaped him into one of India’s most iconic artists.
A children’s art book, released alongside, features a collection of Laxman’s original sketches created for the children’s books authored by his wife, Kamala Laxman.
The site and book release was held to mark her 100th birth anniversary.
During the event, Usha Laxman shared one of her father’s timeless reflections on nurturing creativity: “Children should develop their skills in art; the urge for drawing and sketching is inborn in everyone and all that one needs to become an artist is to develop a faculty of observation.
Chordia remarked, “By relaunching this website and unveiling the Children’s Art Book, we hope to inspire the younger generation to observe, imagine, and create fearlessly, just as RK Laxman did.”
Whether it’s a game of gully cricket or the quirky expressions of his favourite crow, Laxman’s brush strokes are part of the mosaic of our city lives. The refurbished website and the museum help keep the memories alive for us.
