Compiled by Naina Manjrekar
Abish Mathew on Art
A performance artist with the most varied set of skills is Andrew Hoffland, fondly called Uncle Andy by everyone in the fraternity. This versatile artist is a singer, comedian, ventriloquist, actor and teacher rolled into one. The immense experience of this artist from travelling and teaching across the world expresses itself in the more than 40 different accents that he can produce at the drop of a hat. The man does it for the love of it, pushing himself constantly to innovate and collaborate with younger artists, both learning and teaching in the process.
Mathew is a Delhi-based stand-up comedian
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Badri Raina on Books
Anthems of Resistance by Ali Husain Mir and Raza Mir is the finest critical account of the Progressive Writers’ Movement, and of its rather unsung contribution to the making of a modern and secular India. No better read than this at a time when the zeitgeist presses upon, with violently bigoted perspectives, on the future of mankind. A very different view of ‘progress’ from the neoliberal one.
‘It is the finest critical account of the Progressive Writers’ Movement’
Raina teaches english at Kirorimal college, Delhi
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Sid Mathur on Music
I first saw J Viewz live on their first visit to India. Every single track of theirs is so well thought out and executed. Definitely a mark of intelligent musician( s). While listening to them, you truly get a taste of modern music fused with traditional approach to the respective instruments. To cut a long story short, their music is addictive.
On a perfect pitch Producer and remixer Jonathan Dagan of J Viewz
Mathur is the lead guitarist of the Delhi-based Band cyanide
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Anupama Srinivasan on Film
Brief Companion in a Capital City by Dorendra Waribam is a video diary of Delhi seen through the eyes of a visitor from the Northeast. The spaces the film takes you through are familiar to any Delhiite, but the way of looking is so unique that they are transformed. The stark imagery, the shots of unusually long duration, the crucial decision to use text instead of human voices in the phone conversations… they all come together to create a bizarre, surreal world. Embedded in this are moments of genuine humour and gentle sorrow.
Srinivasan is a Delhi-based Filmmaker
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Rajiv Das on Food
Turner Road, Bandra, is where I would be headed for one of the best budget fine dining experiences in Mumbai. It has Italian and continental restaurant Pot Pourri and Lemon Grass, a restaurant specialising in oriental cuisine. Pot Pourri, headed by chef Nitin Tandon, serves just the most exquisite Italian fare, a must-try being the seafood prepared in Marinara sauce. Head to Lemon Grass across the street for delicious Thai salads and a host of exotic delicacies from the East. Bon Appétit!
Das is the executive chef at Hotel Gargee Grand, Patna
