See saw: Eat Your Rakhi

Welcome to Raksha Bandhan 2012. From rakhi-shaped cakes to rakhis embellished with candies and chocolates,to even cupcakes symbolising sibling synergy,the festival has taken a weirdly edible twist. With “jalebi-shaped rakhis” and “bhai-behen truffles” being promoted in the Capital this year,isn’t Raksha Bandhan turning into just another excuse for the merchants of the world to flog their wares?

The Art of Winning

The countdown to 2013’s Skoda Art Prize has begun. The jury for the country’s biggest contemporary art award was recently announced. Chaired by prominent art historian and critic,Geeta Kapur,the jury will also comprise Anupam Poddar,co-founder of Devi Art Foundation,and leading artist Sheela Gowda. Entries have been officially opened this week,while the last day for submitting entries is August 31. Potential nominees need to be below the age of 45 and should have had a solo show in the last 12 months. The Skoda Prize includes a cash award of Rs 10 lakh and various other honours.

Found in Translation

After finding their way to the World Shakespeare Festival in London in April this year,Mumbai-based The Company Theatre’s Hindi version of the Bard’s Twelfth Night has now hit home. Directed by Atul Kumar,the company’s artistic director,the play titled Piya Behroopiya was one of the two Indian plays staged at the festival,where as many as 37 plays in 37 different languages were staged. The other Indian play was All’s Well. That Ends Well in Gujarati by Arpana Theatre Company. While it was performed in Mumbai last month,Piya Behroopiya — a folk musical that touches upon the Bard’s classic tale of mistaken identities,romance and oodles of comedy with its Hindi dialects and nautanki format — will be staged at Delhi’s Kamani Auditorium from August 20 to 23.