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Beam Me Up: Net art on an Indian frequency

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:33:19 +0000

This Saturday, March 20, two Indian artists stage live art performances online with webcams and Twitter for a full on exercise in digital communication and representation

"If you are the true child of popular culture," says independent curator Gitanjali Dang, "then you ought to have uttered the words, beam me up, scotty!, on more than one occasion. we have all variously opened the door to scotty and happily let him in. because in the bigger picture that flashes on the lcd, with backlight led, we are the servers and the clients. and that really is why we have congressed here in cyberspace seeking interface by way of virtuality."

To paraphrase Dang, in the virtual world where all representation and communication exists within the framework of networks, two artists Abhishek Hazra and Vishal Rawlley have familiarized themselves with "the employment of certain thingamajigs" such as hardware and software, automated attendants and microblogging to explore the very notion of representation and communication.

The Beam Me Up_Project India is a combination of the performative and the conceptual. Rawlley's project goes live on Saturday, March 20, 2010. Abhishek will do a collaborative online performance from 2-4pm. Rawlley's project will be live online till April 20.

Hauz-i-Shamsi by Vishal Rawlley

Hauz-i-Shamsi, a water reservoir, built by Iltumish -- who ruled Delhi in the 13th century -- still holds water in Mehrauli. Legend has it that it was in a dream that Prophet Muhammad revealed where Iltumish should build the reservoir. On inspecting the site, Iltumish is said to have found a hoof print of Muhammad’s horse (Burak); around this he erected the reservoir. Hauz-i-Shamsi will now be presented online via webcam. A mobile sculpture of Burak will float on it waters and visitors, in the vicinity and online, will be able to interact with the Burak through phone or web.

Vishal Rawlley holds a diploma in film and video communication. He started his career as a storyboard artist for feature films, going on to make documentary films, while also practicing as a graphic designer and new-media artist. Working as a media-practitioner for over a decade, he is actively engaged in research and experimentation in areas of popular media and urban sub-culture. Bombay Arts is his website.

Log on to Hauz-i-Shamsi at Beam Me Up_Project India

#cloudrumble by Abhishek Hazra

"if all goes well," says Hazra, "i should have a data connection to an artists’ performance this saturday, march 20. as part of the performance, cantordust will try to conjecture on dr. cloudrumble saha’s tenure at delhi’s legendary ionization chamber from 1952 to 1956. during these years dr.cloudrumble, who was otherwise famous for sticking a thermometer into the sun’s belly, demonstrated to the august members of the ionization chamber, the planned way to swim through a river in full spate. cantordust might rehearse some of saha’s moves while weaving an asymptotic life jacket for himself and his participant-observer-livetweetmakers."

Abhishek's work explores the intersections between technology and culture through animated shorts and performance pieces that often integrate textual fragments drawn from real and fictional scenarios. He is also interested in the social history of scientific practices in colonial India. A brief overview of some of his works can be found here: abhishekhazra.blogspot.com

To participate in generating "me", please ping me at cloudrumble.livetweet@gmail.com or to view the twitter performance search for #cloudrumble56 on twitter.com

Tags: net art, Indian artists, Gitanjali Dang, contemporary Indian art

Ankur Tewari: Life of a Hindie musician

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 01:58:00 +0000

The Hindi-Indie singer/songwriter describes his 10-year journey from hotel trainee in Delhi to filmmaker and musician on the eve of his debut album launch in Mumbai

A journey is assumed memorable if you have seen more than you can remember and remember more than you have seen.

Mine has been a truly fulfilling one. Ten years ago, I was fresh out of college and dreamt impossible dreams. One was to compile a record of my songs, so that I could reach out to people beyond those around me. It was a time ruled by music videos and plagued by remixes, and when Mumbai was known as Bombay.

The nation was grooving to Gulshan Kumar’s Jhankar beats and sequencer software had given birth to a whole generation of 'convenient musicians'. Around that time I chose a path that would turn out to be the longer, more inconvenient route.

I wanted to record a live album with no electronica. I wanted every note in my record to be played "in flesh".

I was stubborn about my decision. Somehow for me, music in the 1990s had lost its soul. I was striving for perfect imperfections rather than the rigid metronome grids. No music label was willing to helm a project like that. I was often rejected and my demo tape found its way into the trash bin more often than not.

Rejection wasn’t something I was alien to. I grew up in the small university town of Roorkee, and as a kid I was thrown out of the school choir because my voice cracked way before my fellow choir mates.

My father had bought me a guitar early in my life. But my guitar teacher tried to teach me with some hard knuckle raps and our relationship lasted only a week. Soon I was bunking guitar class and scheming to teach him a lesson, by learning the guitar on my own.

Here’s a quick recipe for guitar lessons. Take a dependable VHS player and half an hour of 'Top of the Pops’ (aired every Wednesday). Add a little practice. Some annual Pre-Grammy and Grammy transmissions. Some more practice. A couple of Rock Street Journal guitar tabs. A pinch more of practice. Put it all on slow simmer and there you have a nice series of self taught guitar lessons.

College was a degree in Hotel Management in Bhopal. I escaped some of the more rigorous ragging, by playing a couple of songs for my seniors. Just for the record, I am guilty of having played "Hotel California" more times than the Eagles themselves. And no, I don't play it anymore.

My schedule was simple. Rounds of Mumbai music label offices during the day and passing out on Black Dog scotch at night.

— Ankur Tewari

Over the weekends I was singing at a restaurant near the Bhopal airport, where I would sneak in the occasional original song. But no one was complaining. My depleting attendance in college was a clear reflection of my soaring confidence within the world of music and myself.

Industrial training brought me to the Taj Mansingh hotel in Delhi. A brief stint at the dishwashing machine and a few snide remarks by hotel guests made me resolve my dilemma. I wanted to be on the other side of the table.

Goodbye career in hotels and hello show business. I was headed to the City of Dreams.

My first run in Mumbai resembled a nightmare sequence more than a dream. My schedule was simple -- rounds of music label offices during the day and passing out on Black Dog cheap scotch at night. Living in a hot muggy chawl at Parel was intimidating and scary. And it was a too-close-for-comfort close encounter with a bandicoot that made me flee Bombay to Delhi’s safer havens.

Destiny led me to Colonel Kapoor, who after hearing me sing made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. He wasn’t going to pay me for making music, but I could live in his house. I learnt my ropes in filmmaking there, and slowly diversified into screenwriting, production and direction, which is my work now, besides music.

One thing led to the another, and my affair with Delhi saw me produce a couple of stage plays, art direct a major television series, sing half a dozen radio jingles in more than a dozen languages, produce a short film, curate an international film festival and make a trillion friends.

I was ready to take on Mumbai one more time.

I moved back to the manic city of Mumbai in 2004 to finish the edit on a feature film I was co-directing with friend. I sung and composed a couple of songs for the movie, and that’s when the ANR from my music label HOM records noticed me. Finally there was a label that was willing to invest in my music and sell my record.

I took my time recording my album. I meticulously put down each note, over a long period of time. I recorded with a range of musicians in a variety of settings over three years or so -- from flood-struck Mumbai monsoon to the emergency-beset Lahore. My friends and family were constantly wondering what I was up to. Quizzical questions came from all directions.

Eventually I completed "Jannat", my record of a story compiling a decade in my life.

It's been a long time since I started this journey and it’s now time for a new dream and a new journey. I learnt a lesson over the years. Art is never completed; only abandoned. So here I am, abandoning this dream, ready to embrace the next. In pursuit of the elusive answer to the eternal question: Are we there yet?

Ankur Tewari's debut album, titled "Jannat" (Rs 125, HOM Records) launches this Saturday, March 20, 9 pm onwards, at Zenzi Mills with a performance by Ankur & the Ghalat family. Autographed CD copies available. Listen to Ankur Tewari online at www.myspace.com/ankur.tewari

Tags: Zenzi Mills, Mumbai music, Mumbai indie music, Indian bands, Ankur Tewari

Pat the photographer: 'Unseen Unheard Unexplained'

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 08:10:47 +0000

A new collaboration between Mumbai curator Matthieu Foss and a mysterious Indian photographer called Pat makes for a raw and provocative exhibition

Gallery owner Matthieu Foss is a brave man. He's taken on the curation of this provocative new photography exhibition by an amorphous, dark-skinned Indian photographer who goes by the name Pat. Often seen disappearing into the fluid backpacker melting pots of Goa, Manali and Mumbai, Pat is a wanderer, a rolling stone that gathers no moss.

So I say brave because, as Foss points out, Pat's work is "totally segregated from the mainstream...[His style is] refreshingly personal and peculiar, which [is what] has probably allowed his eccentricities and oddities to fully manifest themselves." For instance, when he isn't taking pics, he collects old and vintage clothes.

No single thought or unified idea strings together the images in this exhibition, except that they were shot between 1996 and 2008.

"Photography is not an art as it will always be a copy of what's out there."

— Pat

This is 30-year-old Pat's first solo show and the works gathered in his lifetime so far are altogether "provocative, unsettling, raw, free and fearless. The images he creates are dark and mysterious, intimate yet stark, some even unsettling, but all invariably produce some definite emotional response."

It's the kind of utterly un-self-concious art show you don't come across often in Mumbai. Catch it if you can.

'Unseen Unheard Unexplained' an exhibition of photographs by Pat will be on view March 17 till April 13 at Matthieu Foss Gallery, Ground Floor, Hansraj Damodar Trust bldg, Goa Street, Ballard Estate; tel. Salonee Gadgil +91 9820566649, salonee.mfg@gmail.com

Tags: Mumbai photography, Mumbai art scene, Mumbai art galleries, Matthieu Foss, Indian photography

Mumbai is an inspiration and a frustration for Michelin starred chef Vineet Bhatia

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 03:40:00 +0000

Talking about the street- and snack-food obsessed city of his childhood and redefining the Indian fine dining experience

Vineet Bhatia, the Michelin star chef of Azok by Vineet, understands the need to manage expectations for his new restaurant in Mumbai that opened January 28. "When people see a Michelin star they expect fireworks. That's not what we are doing". It's an important caveat to issue given that Azok was not conceived as fine dining. Instead Azok is meant to be a relaxed, open-air, rooftop lounge and restaurant experience, the menu featuring modernized Indian cuisine with unusual twists such as lemongrass and wasabi. (Read the CNNGo restaurant review)

Though living in London while running Rasoi, a popular Indian restaurant in Chelsea, Bhatia grew up in India's coastal metropolis and savors the memories of all the good food that was on offer -- especially food cobbled together on the footpath. CNNGo talks tastebud memories with the world's only two time Michelin star Indian chef.

"Mumbai", he says, "is a non-stop snacking city. At school, they served what were called 'Bombay sandwiches,' essentially potatoes and green chutney fashioned into a sort of club sandwich. On the way home, I had various places I stopped to snack at. There used to be a Parsi Dairy shop at Churchgate that served the best ice-cream sandwiches. As I lived in Juhu, I would also treat myself regularly to a gola on the beach or a delicious malai kulfi."

Pausing to reflect, he adds "and how could I forget the pav bhaji with Amul butter!"

Mumbai's abundance of street food undoubtably played its role in awakening the palate of a young chef-to-be, but so did the home food dished up by Bhatia's mother. "My mum made rogan josh, a slow-cooked lamb dish, in which she added potato, something that is not normally done. She used to prepare this with thick parathas that would soak up all the gravy and would then give us a sweet lassi to go with the meal. She was an excellent cook."

Knowing Mumbai as he does, Bhatia also points out the many gastronomic shortcomings of the city. There are still no Indian fine dining restaurants, for instance.

"Fine dining is not just about serving good food. It's also about the decor, service, presentation, crockery, glassware, flavors and composition. All this matters, and as a complete package, I haven't seen Indian restaurants offering this yet."

Part of the reason, he says, is the conservative attitude Indians have about their food and a reluctance to pay a premium for eating Indian cuisine. "Everyone expects Indian food to be cheap and cheerful. Wasabi [another Mumbai restaurant] serves food for Rs 4,000 but customers feel that's okay as it's Japanese. Why should Indian food cost any less? I also feel that there is a problem with people not wanting to push boundaries. People say 'It's been done like this for thousands of years. Why change?' If they burp at the end of the meal, then that means they've enjoyed it and are happy. I think that's such a shame. There is more we should be aiming for."

Naturally, Bhatia's modernist approach to Indian cooking has peeved some traditionalists. "People feel that what we are doing is not Indian food, but that it's fusion. I don't think so. All we are doing is asking ourselves: 'Is it necessary to add all these spices and oil?' We try to clear all this from our cooking and what remains is good food like the type you eat at home. Cooking at luxury hotels in my early days taught me that an upmarket clientele likes simple food."

Despite the resistance he senses to Indian food as fine dining, Bhatia is optimistic about the future and about Mumbai's role in bringing about culinary change. "Indian cuisine is in the same position that the Indian cricket team was in 10 to 15 years ago. We weren't number one. Now, we've won the world cup and we have become a good team because we are more aggressive and have learnt a lot. Mumbai is moving so fast when it comes to food, there are new eateries popping up all the time, it's so good to see the changes happening here. It's really improving and makes me feel proud."

Azok by Vineet at Oakwood Premier Mumbai, J.R Mhatre Road, Opposite Iris Park, Juhu; tel. +91 (0) 22 6623 8888. Opening hours, 7pm-1am.

Tags: Mumbai street food, Mumbai restaurants, Michelin rated, celebrity chef

Azok by Vineet

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:55:00 +0000

Location: Azok by Vineet at Oakwood Premier Mumbai, J.R Mhatre Rd, Opposite Iris Park, Juhu, Mumbai, 400049

Hours: 7pm-1am

Phone: +91 (0) 22 6623 8888

Azok's menu features modernized Indian cuisine, with unusual twists such as lemongrass and wasabi. The food was good. Our starters included panniyaram topped with balsamic vinegar, which were perfectly baked. We also had some tempura tasters which, though delicious, were more like pakodas than tempuras and we wondered whether that was intentional. The Punjabi penne had a curry sauce with a suprisingly delicate flavor, not over-powering at all.

We were impressed that after these first dishes we received a lemon sorbet to clear our palette, which was lovely.

Our mains included a lamb biryani and pomfret, both of which were thoroughly enjoyed.

Dessert, however, was disappointing. My wasabi kulfi was hard, meaning I had to leave half of it uneaten, and the cumin cake it was served with didn't complement it. My husband's panna cotta also was unexciting and quite gelatinous. Washing this down with two cocktails called 'The Emperor' and 'Twilight' wasn't a good idea, the latter being a little too sweet.

The decor and ambiance lacked charm, despite the enormous potential of an eating-under-the-stars experience. Still, Azok is worth visiting as one of the few open-air restaurants in Mumbai with a main course that doesn't dissapoint. But that's still perhaps not enough to justify a Rs 6,000 bill for two.

Tags: Vineet Bhatia, Mumbai Michelin restaurant, Mumbai fine dining, Michelin rated, Indian cuisine, Azok by Vineet, Splurge, Romantic

Wolfgang Haffner Trio - Jazz Concert

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 10:40:09 +0000

Location: St Andrew's Auditorium, St Andrew's College, St Dominic Road, Bandra (W)

Hours: 7pm onwards

Phone: +91 (0) 22 2651 3224/5 or +91 (0) 22 2202 7710

[Website]

German-born drummer Wolfgang Haffner has been in the German Jazz Festival Ensemble, Klaus Doldinger's 'Passport' and even been in Chaka Khan's band. His trio includes Hubert Nuss on piano and Christian Diener on bass. Catch him on the 19th at St Andrew's Auditorium. Entry is free.

Free passes may be collected at:

Indian Council for Cultural Relations, 1 Hemprabha, 68 Netaji Subhash Marg; Tel: +91 (0) 2281 4581

Max Mueller Bhavan, K Dubash Marg, Kala Ghoda Tel: +91 (0) 22 2202 7710 Show begins at 7:00pm.

Tags: Wolfgang Haffner Trio, Wolfgang Haffner, Mumbai jazz, jazz concerts, Music

Chat online with India's coolest cricket journalist

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:54:38 +0000

Prem Panicker has started a daily water cooler conversation with cricket fans online at Yahoo

Prem Panicker is a well known Indian cricket journalist and managing editor for Yahoo! India. His blog Smoke Signals has almost 600,000 hits (read: for a non-celebrity Indian blog that's very good). He's constantly talking to readers and fans on his blog and Twitter page, telling them if they've got any cricket issues they feel strongly about they should write in to premp@yahoo-inc.com at once.

In short, he's a good guy and a delight to talk to about cricket.

Now that the IPL has started, Panicker is pioneering a live cricket chat on Yahoo! Cricket called 'Yorker - The Daily Cricket Show' for an hour each weekday Monday-Friday, 3.30-4.30pm.

"First up, this is not an entirely IPL-centric exercise," says Panicker. "The idea is to have the show throughout the year, as a sort of daily water cooler conversation with cricket fans. Second, while I’ll be hosting most of the shows in the initial phase, the idea is to move over time to a model where there is a different host every day of the week -- picking the right hosts for each day is an exercise we are currently engaged in."

The link to the chat will appear on the Yahoo India home page and cricket page about 15 minutes before start, but you will also find it on both the Prem Panicker and the Yahoo News Twitter streams as well.

Tags: Yahoo India, Indian Premier League, Indian cricket, cricket is life

Beer bar: Man United comes to Mumbai

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Location: Manchester United Cafe Bar, Level 3, Palladium, High Street Phoenix, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai 400 013

Hours: 12pm-12am, except on match days when there are extended hours.

Phone: + 91 22 4360 1111

At the Man United Café Bar a full service, casual all-day dining café at Palladium, Mumbai, supporters also have to tolerate non-Man United fans who might have just dropped by for a meal and drinks. Poignantly, the Café Bar opened its first outlet in India on February 6, the anniversary of the day in 1958 when 23 members of the Manchester United football team were killed in a plane crash in Munich. The team was known as the Busby Babes after their captain Matt Busby. An installation pays homage to the team. In fact the photographic galleries are among the highlights of a visit to this restaurant as moments of glory through the years are displayed on various walls including pictures of the current team of Owen, Rooney, Giggs, etc.

The centerpiece is the giant projection screen which is the closest you will get to the feeling of live action at Old Trafford. Not surprisingly, red and black are the dominant colors but don’t try to slip a football, with the club’s logo, into your laptop bag on the way out. Instead take a look at the selection of souvenirs on sale (T-shirts, scarves, bags, armbands, etc from Rs 800 – Rs 1500).

With a capacity of 150 people, look out for the Skybox, the Dugout area and the popular Manager’s Bench where coach and players meet at the playing field. While the bar scores on football memorabilia and theme, the menu which cheesily titles sections ‘Kick off’, ‘Off-side’ and ‘Mid-fielders’, is an uninspiring selection of obvious Asian, Italian and American picks like satay, paneer tikka wrap, pizzas, pasta and grilled chicken burger. The main attraction – there is no stag rule, after all it’s a place for sports lovers.

Cover charge on match days: Rs 300 including soft drinks

Tags: Mumbai football, Manchester United Cafe Bar, Man United

Man United Café Bar brings out the (red) devils in Mumbai

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 01:55:00 +0000

This new football oriented drinking destination is more a red and black café than hardcore English style sports pub, but still holds a lot of charm for the Red Devil fan base

Manchester United fans in Mumbai (let's face it, they're everywhere) must have thought heaven had come to Lower Parel when on February 6 this year the Man United Café Bar opened for business. The date was a poignant one. On February 6 1958, eight players and three club officials were killed in a plane crash in Munich on their way home from a European Cup tie. That team, known as the Busby Babes after their inspirational manager Sir Matt Busby, are given homage in this full service, casual all-day dining café at Palladium.

An installation honors the team and photographic galleries highlight the team's moments of glory through the years. Shots of current players such as Owen, Rooney, Giggs and co are also displayed.

So how is the place faring after just over a month of business?

Well, the atmosphere seems to be working. The giant projection screen as a centerpiece is exactly what die-hard fans need to watch their heroes play and is the closest you will get to the feeling of live action at Old Trafford. Not surprisingly, red and black are the dominant colors but don’t try to slip a football, with the club’s logo, into your laptop bag on the way out. Instead take a look at the selection of souvenirs on sale including t-shirts, scarves, bags, armbands and other memorabilia from Rs 800 upwards.

With a capacity of 150 people, you can also choose between various seating areas such as the Skybox, the Dugout area and the popular Manager’s Bench, inspired by the spot where the coach screams expletives at his players.

While the bar scores on football memorabilia, the menu, with unimaginative but appropriate sections such as Kick off, Off-side and Mid-fielders, is an uninspiring selection of the obvious Asian, Italian and American choices like satay, paneer tikka wrap, pizzas, pasta and grilled chicken burger. If they'd done great bistro food, this place might have plugged the gap between dive bar sports bar and five-star hotel that Mumbai currently has.

But the new Man United Café Bar got one thing right: complete freedom from the no-stags rule and dress codes that make Mumbai, for the guy who just wants to watch the footie with his friends wearing shorts and slippers over a beer, an increasingly difficult city to follow your heroes in.

Go here on a Man U match night (next up: Manchester United V/s Liverpool, Sunday March 21) when it's packed with people thumping the table tops. And they do come out the woodworks. Since launching last month the bar's Facebook group page has over 7,000 fans. On non-match days it can feel more like you're the last one sitting in an empty stadium after a dismal performance by your team. Not fun.

Rs 300 cover charge on match days, includes soft drinks. Manchester United Cafe Bar, Level 3, Palladium, High Street Phoenix, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel; tel. + 91 (0) 22 4360 1111

Tags: sports bar, Mumbai football, Mumbai bars

Goa Carnival

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:51:51 +0000

Introduced by the Portuguese, Goa hosts its annual carnival where music, floats and lively processions are abundant

The Goa Carnival, first introduced by the Portuguese, manifested itself in an explosion of music and color from February 12th – 16th this year. The Carnival begins with the selection of King Momo, king of the festivities, after which colorful floats in myriad hues meander down streets chock-a-block with cheering locals and tourists in many different cities all over Goa. I managed to catch up with the parade at Panaji, the capital city.

About the author:Akshata is an engineer currently working in Nielsen BASES Mumbai. She doubles up as a part-time freelancer. Contact her at akshata.bhat@yahoo.com.

Akshata submitted this piece as part of CNNGo's CityPulse section. To find out what other stories we are looking for, go to our CityPulse page.

Tags: Goa Carnival, city pulse