Citygritty — Pune

Business' better halfIt's a unique effort to get rural and urban women entrepreneurs together. Happening on March 8, the Maharashtra Stat...

Business’ better half
It’s a unique effort to get rural and urban women entrepreneurs together. Happening on March 8, the Maharashtra State Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology is organising an exhibition-cum-sale of goods manufactured by both these groups of women. The underlying thought behind this get-together is to initiate a regular networking between the rural and urban sectors, to begin a sustained give-and-take process. It also aims to boost the morale of the rural entrepreneurs, give them a glimpse into how their big-city counterparts work, take a lesson from their bag of selling tricks and eventually better their own businesses.

In return, the urban entrepreneurs, too, can learn of the resources employed in the village enterprises, how the work force is gathered and the goods manufactured. More importantly, they could borrow ideas and techniques and build a symbiotic relationship. That, reiterate the institute officials, is the prime focus of this exhibition, and what better day than the International Women’s Day to organise it on?

All at sea?
While the Seafarer’s Memorial near the Circuit House has always been an arresting sight, by virtue of the impressive silver anchor installed, lately the structure seems to be competing for attention with a small board put up near it. The reason probably is the intriguing message painted across in bold. It reads: “Sorry there is no water to maintain this circle – Clover Housing.” Huh?

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“Actually, we are just stating a fact,” explains Captain Rajan Vir (retd.), president, Indian Maritime Foundation, that had installed the memorial in association with the sponsors, Clover Builders. “For the past two months, there has been no water in the pipeline serving this circle. So we approached the Pune Cantonment Board (PCB). They further directed us to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). We have now taken up the issue with the PMC and they have promised to give us another pipeline from a different mainline nearby.

“In the meanwhile, we had resorted to watering the area using buckets of water obtained from the Circuit House. But that, obviously, could not suffice. The plants started to dry. Thus Clover Builders decided to put up this board, mainly as an explanation for the non-maintenance of the circle that had been flourishing with healthy plants just some months back.

“The message is not directed against anyone and we aren’t complaining about anything. Things are moving with the PMC but till then, we feel, people should be informed that it is not disinterest but a genuine problem that has led to the circle’s barren and dry look.” Ironic situation, this. The Seafarer’s Memorial suffering from water shortage.

Metaphors in art
“Abstract by nature, these paintings are like a metaphor in poetry, images that can have multiple interpretations from reader to reader: in this case, from viewer to viewer,” says the brochure about artist Suchita Tarde’s paintings.

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Tarde is obviously an artist who believes that one can give expression to one’s creativity through various means. She has tried her hand at paintings, sculptures and stained glass and has held solo exhibitions at Pune, Mumbai and New Delhi. She has experimented with different types of relief on the very surface of the paintings. Viewers can find out more at the exhibition of mural paintings to be held at the Balgandharva Rangmandir from March 12 to 15.