See saw: Heritage under the Hammer

Lovers of Art Deco a visual arts style that flourished from 1920s to 1940s can rejoice,as Mumbai-based auction house Saffronart has put a range of art deco collectibles on sale in their latest online auction. Besides objects such as the engraved silver Kashmiri art deco paan box,or a Necessaire de Voyage,a sophisticated vanity box made of teakwood,silver,brass and leather Saffronarts first Art Deco auction also includes objects from Indian royalty. With as many as 96 pieces on sale,mostly from India,the collectibles are worth an estimated Rs 1.39 crore. Necessaire de Voyage leads the auction with an estimated price of Rs 3.254.25 lakh. According to Dinesh Vazirani,CEO and co-founder of Saffronart,the collectibles will not only offer rare art deco pieces at unbeatable prices,but will also raise awareness about Mumbais architectural and design heritage.

Interestingly,Mumbai has the second largest number of art deco structures in the world,after Miami in the US. The collectibles,which were on display in Delhi from October 10 to 16,and in Mumbai from October 19 to 31,are on sale till today at http://www.saffronart.com

Israel on Stage

This Sunday,Siri Fort Auditorium will be the stage for Stempenyu,a play by Edna Mazya and performed by the Cameri Theatre,one of Israels leading theatre groups. The play is based on the book by the same name by Shalom Aleichem,a highly celebrated Israeli writer who also wrote Teyve and his Daughters on which both the acclaimed musical and the movie Fiddler on the Roof are based. The play revolves around a gifted musician and notorious heart-breaker called Stempenyu and his love for a married woman called Rochele. The play will be performed in Hebrew,with English subtitles,and has been directed by Mazya and Yehezkel Lazarov. Entry to the play is free.