Roving Eye 8212; Pune

Art in SynergyInternationally-acclaimed artist, Sujata Bajaj, who lives amidst Norway's picturesque surroundings, is at present back home...

Art in Synergy
Internationally-acclaimed artist, Sujata Bajaj, who lives amidst Norway8217;s picturesque surroundings, is at present back home in Pune. While she is holidaying with her three-year-old daughter, Helena, and making the most of her stay here 8211; by having piping hot chapatis a luxury after life in Norway! 8211; there8217;s a mission too. The Jehangir Art Gallery is now displaying her paintings, along with those by senior artist S.H. Raza. This, she says, is a 8220;great honour8221; for her, since Raza has helped mould her into a full-fledged artist.

This prestigious exhibition, organised by Gallery 7, a Mumbai-based set-up, is part of a year-long Festival of Contemporary Art,8217; which began in January 1999. While Raza8217;s theme is Radiation8217;, Bajaj8217;s is Energy.8217; She has had rave reviews for her Energy8217; series, which comprise mixed media collages of manuscript fragments pressed in a compelling order. They include ribbons of colour, glimpses of faded landscapes 8211; everything that finally breathes vibrancy. 1999 will be a busy year for her, with an exhibition in May in Norway and another one in October at New York.

Concentrated efforts
Quiz hengping, the famous Chinese calligrapher, is back at the Osho Commune International, demonstrating his world-class calligraphy. Blending creativity with perfect technique, his are creations from the heart. Watching him at work is a pleasure. An epitome of concentration, he turns the blank paper into a vibrant one, in a jiffy! No wonder then that Zhengping is the youngest calligrapher in China, whose work, at the age of 36, has become part of the permanent collection of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Shiny Appy People
Want to know what marriage does to models? Makes them look domesticated. That tall, lissome Ponds girl turned up at the Yo Appy bash at Jazz Garden with hubby Neville Umrigar recently. No one would have guessed she was the same girl whose face had once launched a thousand products. Sabita Umrigar revealed that she used to model for the drink when it was called Appy. So was life coming a full circle?

Apart from Sabita, the place was swarming with celebrities8230; Eva Maria Cherukuru, Rakesh Bapat8230; but all eyes were on Arpita, a Miss India contestant. She was trying her skill with the dart board on the Yo Appy Altwagon. Unfortunately, like the contest, the lady missed her mark here too.

Triad jazz
Le Trio de Jazz is another jazzy offering from the Alliance Francaise de Poona. Marcel Azzola, Patrice Caratini and Marc Fosset play the violin, double bass and the guitar respectively. The trio bring a heady mixture of melody, humour and nostalgia in their music, complementing each other all the time, without losing that touch of spontaneity. Ranked among the best in France, they play at the Nehru Memorial Hall on February 5 at 7 p.m.

Nana8217;s dilemma
The man often dubbed as this generation8217;s angry young man was in Pune recently to attend a talk show organised by the Centre for Performing Arts, as part of the University of Pune8217;s golden jubilee celebrations.

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Nana Patekar enthralled the audience with his first-rate dialogue delivery as he recited some verses from Thoda Sa Roomani Ho Jaayen and other movies.

8220;The society needs a change of focus and it scares me to see that people have stopped reacting to the ills around us today,8221; exclaimed Patekar, talking about the things that scare him. He went on to speak about everything 8211; the insecurities of those in the glamour business to his disassociation with any particular political party to the need to develop a helping attitude towards the have-nots.