Celebrating Britain

As part of its birthday celebrations,the British Council Library is hosting a series of interesting events.

As part of its birthday celebrations,the British Council Library is hosting a series of interesting events. On Thursday evening,at the Bollywood Britain event,Bollywood song clips filmed in Britain were showcased. After that,Sandip Soparkar ‘s Ballroom Studio ensured everyone shook a leg to Bollywood and Salsa numbers. The celebrations will continue today with a fashion show at 6 pm. Students from the School of Fashion Technology will showcase evening-wear in the colours of the Union Jack. Each era of the British dynasty will come alive in the show. On Saturday,a performance – From Verse To Inverse – by Bharatnatyam dancer Parimal Phadke,will regale the audiences at the Lalit Kala Kendra,University of Pune,6 pm onwards. The performance will be a collage of different poems and themes. It will begin with a classic English poem by Lord Byron,She Walks in Beauty,followed by another poem,Dilemma. The third piece,Twins,will explore the tragedy of Iranian conjoined twins,who had to embrace death in their quest for individual space. Conditioned,the fourth piece,questions choices faced by mankind through a mix of music,dance and theatre. The finale – Nonsense – explores how everything logical and rational can appear otherwise when analysed closely. The last two pieces have been directed by Dr Praveen Bhole.

Showstoppers

On Wednesday evening,all roads led to The Westin for the launch of Mahindra’s brand new sports utility vehicle,XUV 500. A fashion parade,laser light display and a salsa performance added to the style and entertainment quotient of the evening. The fashion show had models walking the ramp,showcasing style,sport and luxury. We wanted the show to represent the various aspects of the XUV 500, said Anuradha Mahindra,wife of Anand Mahindra,vice-chairman and MD of Mahindra. The laser lights show lent a very psychedelic feel to the event and the audience loved it. The salsa moves,with the twists and falls,were also lauded by guests.

Galloping back home

With model-turned-actor Shawar Ali and model Sandhya Shetty added the glam quotient to the races held over the weekend,the McDowell Signature Indian St Leger (Grade 1) Race for four-year-old Indian horses also featured a special ‘Sands and Sounds’ show by artists Salil Bhatt and Sudarsan Pattnaik. There was a lot of riches at play as the winner received a cash prize of Rs 30 lakh. It was in 1990 that this event was shifted to Mumbai,but with this season,it has come back home and now,will be held in Pune every year. The finish was a nail-biting experience as Macchupicchu,owned by Vijay Shirke,Berjis Desai and K N Dhunjibhoy,raced to victory.

All That Glitters

City-based Ranka Jewellers now has a famous face representing its collections. For the next two years,actress Vidya Balan will be the brand ambassador for all their traditional and festive jewellery.

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