Heart of artOsho's vision depicted through a range of hues and shades of colour. That's what this painting exhibition, to be held in the city from December 1 to 3, promises to present. On display at the Osho Meera Barn, this is a collection of paintings by artists from different parts of the world, all of whom have participated in painting groups led by Ma Anand Meera, a Japanese-born Osho disciple whose personal paintings decorate many of Osho's books.``It's not years of study, but the awakening of one's own essence that creates original art,'' she explains, and cites that to be an ingredient of the paintings to be displayed.For a few laughsHe has always had a feel for humour, as has been indicated by his writings and letters published in local dailies. Now his first book emphasises that again. Titled Laughter Club, Dr.P.N. Kumbhare, a veterinarian by profession, presents a compilation of 63 articles that have appeared in print in about seven-odd newspapers. A personal favourite of his is one called `Exit Policy for Pune'. Laughter, he believes, is truly the best medicine.Notes to rememberStalwarts from the field of music and dance will once again enthrall music-lovers at the Sawai Gandharva music festival this year at a new venue - the Ganesh Kala Krida Rangmanch. The festival has grown from being a modest musical soiree to a mega-event. Its popularity can be gauged from the fact that the Arya Sangeet Prasarak Mandal (ASPM), that organises the festival, has been compelled to move to various venues to accommodate the increasing number of music-lovers.``When it started in 1953 in homage to the memory of Sawai Gandharva, the stalwart of the Kirana gharana, the festival was staged at Ram Agency on Tilak Road, where founder artistes like Pandit Bhimsen Joshi and Gangubai Hangal performed to a modest audience,'' says Dr. S.V. Gokhale, secretary, ASPM. An increase in the number of people attending the show prompted the move to Modibaug and then to the Renuka Swaroop School grounds. Five years ago, the festival changed venue once again to the New English School (Ramanbaug).``Last year, the show had to be postponed due to unseasonal rains and we suffered a loss of almost Rs. 50,000,'' says Gokhale. This time around, the organisers are taking no chances. The three-day festival, starting December 10, will be held at the covered premises of the Ganesh Kala Krida Rangmanch. ``This venue has a seating capacity of about 6,000, besides facilities like a green room and toilet blocks, unlike the last venue,'' says Gokhale. With its share of renowned artistes set to perform yet again at the new venue, the organisers are out to prove that the spirit has remained unchanged.Double doseFor Shaheen and Saleem Inamdar, November 27 proved to be a red-letter day. Thanks to the in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment, the couple, who had been childless for 13 years, could finally realise their dream of having their own child. Actually, in this case, test-tube twins - a girl and a boy - after IVF treatment at the Mother Hope Clinic on the Pune-Satara Road.Says Dr. Monesh Shah of the clinic, ``The chances of twin test tubes being implanted is almost 25 to 30 per cent, so one cannot call it a very rare occurrence. While the weight of the healthy babies is comparatively low - the boy weighs 2.1 kg and the girl, 1.6 kg - this is only to be expected in the case of twins.'' For the proud parents, the twins must mean double the joy!MainstageSo Main Street (M.G. Road) is closed on Sundays! But that's no reason to shun it from your itinerary. A stroll down this high-profile, commercial street on the evening of November 29 revealed that it has a different kind of magic when most shops down their shutters. Lots of people walking around leisurely and sometimes indulging in chatpata eats gave it a lively touch. A few shops were open and, in fact, the hustle and bustle of traffic was evident, as in other days. So, the next time you don't know what to do with your Sunday evenings and yearn to take a lazy walk, Main Street could well be the venue for you.Larger issueFor Surendra Moodliar, one of our readers, an Indian Airlines advertisement which appeared in the November 15 issue of the paper has left him wondering about the airline's numero uno status. He says that the advertisement states, with a bold caption, ``the only larger fleet flying the Indian skies.'' He adds, ``one can understand a caption such as `the largest fleet' or `the smallest fleet' but one cannot comprehend what message Indian Airlines wishes to convey when it says `the only larger fleet.' Is this a tacit acceptance of the fact that the once prestigious carrier has no firm place of pride in the Indian skies and the airline industry today.'' Any answers? Then again, it could have been a solecism, which would mean that the copywriter desperately needs to take a crash course in grammar!
