Pensha

This is an interview of Jyoti Mate of Swalay, who has kick-started her new initiative on June 21 - Plant a JOY (Just Open Yourself). --- There are two kinds of people in this world --- those who know how to express themselves fluently and spontaneously, and then there are those who hesitate to open up and choose to stay in a shell. If you belong to the second category, Jyoti Mate is here to help. Founder of Swalay, Mate helps you express yourself and eventually discover 'self-rhythm'. Explaining the concept, the 43-year-old Kathak dancer, says, “Swalay or self-rhythm stands for four concepts. The first concept is 'expressive art therapy', which is conducted through music, dance, rhythm, colours, craft and painting. The next is 'art appreciation', for which, I invite masters/ maestros in that particular field to discuss their art. That said, it is equally important for the audience to participate in the discussion. The third concept is 'giving exist...

This is an interview with Ravi Pattanshetti, who came 47th in the recently declared UPSC exams --- In September 2008, Ravi realised that he wanted to become part of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), a job with endless opportunities and challenges. And, so he quit his job at Infosys and joined the Dnyanprabodhini's civil services coaching center. Mentored by Vivek and Savita Kulkarni and I P Singh, he gave his first shot at cracking the UPSC exam in 2010. Ravi cleared it, but did not score enough to be selected for the IAS. He joined the supplementary services – Indian Corporate Law Service attached to Ministry of Corporate Affairs – in 2011. A little disillusioned with the result of his first attempt, Ravi again sat for the exams and failed. Ravi, who is an Electronics and Telecommunication Engineer, says that “all work and no play” affected his second chance. He decided to take a crack for the third time, with a more relaxed approach. “ There were weeks whe...

I had reviewed this children's book for the Sunday supplement. ---- Name: The Lu Quartet Super Sleuths and Other Stories By: Nalini Das Translated by: Swapna Dutta Published by: Hachette India Pages: 417 Price: Rs 399 I have grown up on Nancy Drew mysteries, like several other teenagers, wishing I could idolize a desi girl detective pitting her wits against unscrupulous minds. Well, I learnt pretty late of a team of four school girls, who were a perfect foil for each other, in solving cryptic clues. The four school girls had impressed the readers of Sandesh, a Bengali magazine for children, with their intelligence and presence of mind, throughout the 60s, 70s and early 80s. Kakoli Chakrabarty (Kalu), Malabika Majumdar (Malu), Bulbuli Sen (Bulu) and Tultuli Basu (Tulu) – together referred to as Gandalu (in Bengali) or Lu Quartet – are boarders in a residential school at Kanchanpur. Their first case, Lu Quartet - Super Sleuths - is innoc...

This has already been published in the Sunday supplement. Krishnaji Keshav Damle also known as Keshavsut --- Poetry never really appealed to me. And, so it was with great reluctance that I agreed to my husband's plan to visit Keshavsut Smarak – a memorial raised in memory of 'Father of Modern Marathi Poetry', Krishnaji Keshav Damle – in Malgund. We were in Ganapatipule at that time and decided to go to Malgund, a 10-minute drive (a kilometre) from the popular tourist destination. A sign-post told us to take a left turn and what greeted us, at the end of the lane, was tranquil silence. No security guards, no tourists, just a plaque announcing that Damle, popularly known as Keshavsut, was born in the red-roofed house, surrounded by green shrubbery. Keshavsut's house in Malgund  A poem by Keshavsut  The house, renovated in the old style, was near-empty, except for Keshavsut's portrait that was hanging from the wall in the front room. In the...

This is an interview of Fizzah Shaikh, a ceramic artiste. ---- Plain ceramic crockery and pottery give her food for thought. So the moment Fizzah Shaikh sees a ‘ceramic canvas’, she immediately starts visualising the design and colours that can enhance the piece of pottery. “ Before I start working, the final look is already etched in my mind. I exactly know how the ceramic art will look after I complete my painting job. Depending on the size and shape of the pottery and intricacy of the design, it takes me anywhere between one to four days to complete the artwork,” says she. Fizzah, who has always been dabbling in creative pursuits, took up ceramic painting five years ago. She tells us why: “I took it up because painting makes me happy and of course it is challenging and interesting to paint on irregular / odd shapes, as against a canvas, and at the end, ceramic art does make a pretty picture!” she says. But to make a pretty ceramic canvas, Fizzah has to put in a lot ...

I met Madhavi Chandan who runs a plant boutique from her Koregaon Park residence. Her potted plants can be good gifts. Following is the interview, which I did for a daily. ---- From outside the walls, the garden looks ordinary — a swing, a few potted plants and a patch of grass. It’s only when you step into Madhavi Chandan’s tiny green space, you’ll wonder how she’s accommodated a whole lot of things — a bird house, a bird feeder, an artificial waterfall, ceramic swans, frog pavers and a cast iron stand full of plants, containers, ceramic and fabricated planters and fibre barks! The answer’s simple: Space is never a constraint for her. Madhavi can work on the tiniest space and transform it into a beautiful garden. “ That’s the whole idea — to make use of the smallest space! Not many people today can afford a big home, but that doesn’t mean they can’t have a green corner! Which is why I have come up with bottle and vertical gardens and so on,” says the owner of Naturecr...

Ratna Khurana makes candles alongwith her sister. I met Ratna at her house, where she was busy sorting out candles and packing them in gift boxes. Following is the article I wrote on her. --- Immersed in work, Ratna Khurana busily gift-wraps the handcrafted assorted candles so that they reach her clients just in time for Diwali. Adept at candle making, Ratna has been exploring this art for more than a decade now, but it’s been just a year that she’s set up shop. Talking about her enterprise Candle N Beyond, which she started along with her sister Yogita Lal, Ratna says, “It’s just been one year since we got into the business. But, we have been making candles for 12 years now. I did a basic candle-making course, in which I learnt how to heat and colour the wax.” But what kept the duo going was their energy to explore and their passion to create exotic candles. Quips Ratna, “I was always inclined towards the art of candle making because candles are universally as...