http://www.aussieindolanka.com/ Community Portal for the South Asians living in Australia and New Zealand AIL (mailto:info@aussieindolanka.com) http://www.aussieindolanka.com/images/ail_logo.gif http://www.aussieindolanka.com/ In 1739 when the marauding hordes of Nadir Shah descended on Delhi and virtually ended the era of the Great Mughals, the artists who had flourished under their patronage dispersed to the small Rajput kingdoms of the Western Himalayas. Collectively these painters were called ‘Pahari’, and divided into schools named after principalities such as Basohli, Kangra, Guler and so on. B.N. Goswamy, however, suggested that it would lead to a better understanding to classify them according to their family lines, which were the true sources of their distinctive artistic traditions. In the 1990s, in collaboration with Eberhard Fischer, he gave shape to this concept in an exhibition of the work of 14 painters, with an authoritative catalogue that has become a classic on the subject. The present book is an Indian reprint, competitively priced and updated to include recent findings. Though enough is now known about the provenance of Pahari miniatures and their context, there is a paucity of information about the artists themselves who are therefore the focus of this work. While Mughal painting was dramatic and concerned with heroic people and events, theirs is essentially a folk art, imaginatively effusive, down-to-earth, and appealing to all classes of society. Their themes are either religious or romantic, with a thin dividing line between.   www.thehindu.com/arts/art/article541876.ece http://www.aussieindolanka.com/news_main.asp?newsid=89068 2010-08-03 Entertainment AIL (mailto:info@aussieindolanka.com) Bharathi Shivaji, the phenomenal dancer with a Padmashree to her credit, is synonymous with Mohiniyattam. Her tryst with Mohiniyattam began at a time when the dance form was waning due to gross neglect in it very own region of origin. When there were no takers for this exquisite dance form, Bharathi took it up and explored its many layers with an academic zeal. She sought the feminine spirit, quintessential to the form. The extraordinary dancer was in Bangalore for a lecture demonstration and a performance. Excerpts from the interview: How did you undertake research with various maestros of Mohiniyattam, Kathakali, Nangiar Koothu that enabled you to infuse Mohiniyattam with new insights?   www.thehindu.com/arts/dance/article540257.ece http://www.aussieindolanka.com/news_main.asp?newsid=89062 2010-08-03 Entertainment AIL (mailto:info@aussieindolanka.com) Delhi girl Manasvi Mamgai was tonight crowned Pantaloons Femina Miss India World for this year. The 22-year-old girl has also won also the WGC Femina Miss Golden Heart title and Femina Miss Catwalk, among others. The other winners were Nicole Faria of Bangalore, who won Miss India Earth 2010 title, while Neha Hinge took the title of Miss India International 2010, according to the   www.indianexpress.com/news/delhi-girl-crowned-miss-india-world-10/613796/ http://www.aussieindolanka.com/news_main.asp?newsid=85574 2010-05-09 Entertainment AIL (mailto:info@aussieindolanka.com) India’s tennis star, Sania Mirza, known more for her action off-the-court has finally tied the knot with Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik. Despite all the controversy and the drama followed by a hurried wedding, Sania has managed to get compliments from the fashion fraternity. Apart from praising her decision to wear her mother’s wedding saree for her own wedding, designers feel that Sania couldn’t have sported a glamorous look during her wedding celebrations and that she looked stressed. Here’s a lowdown on what Sania sported during her wedding celebrations and our designers’ take on it...   wonderwoman.intoday.in/wonderwoman/story1/83746/Mom’s-sari-for-Sania-on-Nikaah.html http://www.aussieindolanka.com/news_main.asp?newsid=84823 2010-04-20 Entertainment AIL (mailto:info@aussieindolanka.com) It’s quite likely that the visitors stepping into the National Gallery of Modern Art in the pulsating Colaba district of Mumbai don’t look up to smile at the tree that shades them. It’s equally likely that many from among the throng of people that passes on that road from morning till night, stop by for a while to take a deep breath under its shade but don’t look up to the canopy that provides a cool relief to a chunky swath of the road. For the people of Mumbai, this South American Rain Tree, which has been around for more than a century by rough estimates, is now as nondescript a part of their city as the sea, the vada pao, the Chowpatty beach, or even the odd film star that may whiz past the streets of this bustling city.   indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/93430/Lifestyle/It+takes+tree+to+tango.html http://www.aussieindolanka.com/news_main.asp?newsid=84822 2010-04-20 Entertainment AIL (mailto:info@aussieindolanka.com) cricket loving fashionistas are there to give you a quick lesson on how to steal the spotlight away from the action on the field. With its mix of celebrity owners, their fashionable better halves (or in some cases ex-halves) and nightly fashion events, the IPL could almost be mistaken for the Indian Fashion League. Designer Mandira Wirk, who recently showcased her collection during an IPL Nights Party in Mumbai, says that with high profile celebrities endorsing teams, it’s only natural that fashion at the event should become as much a talking point as the ’catch of the match’.   indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/91824/Lifestyle/Fashion+police+sizes+up+the+IPL+gals.html http://www.aussieindolanka.com/news_main.asp?newsid=84465 2010-04-12 Entertainment AIL (mailto:info@aussieindolanka.com) P7 presented a showing of designer Suneet Varma’s Resort collection in support of ETASHA, a Delhi based not-for-profit at a fund-raiser at The Grand New Delhi. Meenakshi Nayar, president, ETASHA Society, hosted the event. Some of the guests who came to lend their support to ETASHA included A D Singh, Ajay Bijli, Anu Munjal, Sandip Kohli, Naina Balsawar, Kajal Aijaz, Charu Munjal, Bonny Hazuria, Dilip Modi & Sonal, Divya Bhasin, Ashna Jaipuria, Abdul Halder, Ravi Bajaj, Ramola Bachchan, Reenu Tandon, Naveen & Mrs Raseel Gujral, Neeva Jain, Pooja Gogia, Anu Naik, Shamhad Hussain, Debeyndu Bhadra, Samant Chauhan including others.   Featured models including Femina Miss India Ekta Chaudhary, Esther jamir, Ritu Singh, Shabnam Sultana, Sahiba Singh, Sakshi Bindra, Adriyana, Binita Borah, Olesheya, Adriyene, Tamara, Lolita, Vivine, Xsenia walked the ramp in aid of ETASHA, which provides career guidance, vocational training and employment opportunities to young people from disadvantaged communities in India.   www.indianexpress.com/news/etashatraineeswalktherampwithekta/599801/ http://www.aussieindolanka.com/news_main.asp?newsid=84128 2010-04-05 Entertainment AIL (mailto:info@aussieindolanka.com) Demand for Indian couture has surged in the Middle East and East Asia in the last five years but the West remains out of bounds due to lack of exposure, designers and buyers said at India’s largest fashion event. Most Indian designers focus on a burgeoning market at home, where a rapidly growing middle class is consuming high fashion like never before, but a significant number are expanding abroad.   "Buyers from Japan, Arab countries are growing by leaps and bounds," designer Kavita Bhartia told Reuters at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week, where 130 designers are vying for the attention of 150 domestic and international buyers.   www.indianexpress.com/news/indiancoutureasiabound-buteyeingwest/597040/ http://www.aussieindolanka.com/news_main.asp?newsid=83808 2010-03-30 Entertainment AIL (mailto:info@aussieindolanka.com) Designer Rajesh Pratap Singh’s show at the 15th Wills India Fashion Week grand finale was high on fashion and less on drama. The media-shy designer, who unlike other designers relies purely on his creativity to impress the fashion audience, put less emphasis on the themes to make a statement.   "Theme and inspiration are words used as marketing tools. Designers are basically tailors and my show was all about the clothes," said Singh. His show, named ’Us and Them’, was not so much a grandiose affair as it was a representation of what the fashion industry means to people outside.   "The show was named ’Us and Them’ because it was about people in our industry and people like you who look at it from outside," said Singh. The models walked down the ramp wearing jackets and dresses mostly in black with some blue and red thrown in. A red & black trench coat and a reversible royal blue & black caught the eye of the audience.   www.indianexpress.com/news/designersarebasicallytailorsrajeshpratapsingh/596992/ http://www.aussieindolanka.com/news_main.asp?newsid=83806 2010-03-30 Entertainment AIL (mailto:info@aussieindolanka.com) “Both Nikhil and I don’t follow any fashion trends, or read any books pertaining to it. We have almost stopped caring about what people think. We would rather chart our own course than follow set rules,” says Shantanu Mehra of the designer label Shantanu and Nikhil, as he swivels his glass of red at Olive in One Style Mile, ahead of the evening’s celebrations. The usually reticent Shantanu, the elder of the two brothers, probably has a point. It’s been 10 years since the duo launched their label in 1999, and over the years it has come to be known as much for its edgy outfits, as for the catwalk theatrics. (They were the first to send a posse of young cricketers, including Irfan Pathan and Harbhajan Singh, stomping down the ramp in 2005, and followed it up with tennis legend Serena Williams in 2008.) “Our creations are feminine, yes, but with a touch of severity,” continues Shantanu, even as the first guest drops in at the evening’s celebration for their decade in fashion.   www.indianexpress.com/news/designers-shantanu-and-nikhil-on-completing-a-decade-in-indian-fashion/594260/ http://www.aussieindolanka.com/news_main.asp?newsid=83348 2010-03-23 Entertainment AIL (mailto:info@aussieindolanka.com) Fashionistas are in for a spiritual surprise at the upcoming Wills India Fashion Week with the showcasing of a never before seen collection based on the interpretations of Tarot cards. Tarot card reader Poonam Seth has collaborated with Satya Paul for the range which will be unveiled at the opening day of the 15th edition of WIFW tomorrow.   "I have been in Tarot for such a long time which is very graphic but it has taken me lots of years to conceive the idea. Its a beautiful spiritual line which is not just about style as each piece has a story to tell," Poonam Sethi said. Puneet Nanda from Satya Paul who designed the collection, feels the line has been explored from many dimensions as Tarot is a very rich visually.   "There are often subliminal or hidden meanings and one should acquaint themselves before diving in. Though Tarot has been on my list to do for years, she opened the can this time.   www.indianexpress.com/news/wifw-to-get-a-taste-of-tarot-cards/594542/ http://www.aussieindolanka.com/news_main.asp?newsid=83347 2010-03-23 Entertainment AIL (mailto:info@aussieindolanka.com) Fun and frolic ruled the day four of the ongoing Lakme India Fashion Week (LIFW) in Mumbai. Gorgeous and lively models showcased the collection by designers like Purvi Doshi, Shashikant Naidu and debutant Masaba.   Designer Purvi Doshi named her collection ’Kahchindo’ meaning chameleon in Gujarati and her creations aptly changed the shapes and colours like the chameleon. "My collection was called ’Kahchindo’. It’s chameleon in Gujarati, which changes its colours and shapes according to its width. So this is just sinking to have fun with the garments, so I just thought of a garment that can be worn upside down, inside out, side-by-side and give various colour combinations. So it’s more like a new concept and there were all boxes with the use of strings. Just by pulling the string it became a magical garment and you can make sheet out of it or a short skirt, or a long skirt or a long top. Anything and you just have fun draping it," said Doshi.   www.indianexpress.com/news/fun-and-frolic-highlights-of-lakme-india-fashion-week/588697/ http://www.aussieindolanka.com/news_main.asp?newsid=82548 2010-03-09 Entertainment AIL (mailto:info@aussieindolanka.com) Fashion evolves every season. The year 2009 offered a melange of casuals and formals for that killer look, be it checkered shorts and Jodhpurs or velvet jackets and high waist skirts. IANS takes a peek at the Top 10 trends: http://www.aussieindolanka.com/news_main.asp?newsid=78907 2009-12-23 Entertainment AIL (mailto:info@aussieindolanka.com) How about having the Taj Mahal for a cake this Christmas? Bangaloreans sure are not saying no to this delicious offer. http://www.aussieindolanka.com/news_main.asp?newsid=78906 2009-12-23 Entertainment AIL (mailto:info@aussieindolanka.com) Celebrity fashion designer Manish Malhotra has launched a contemporary yet traditional trousseau line for today’s bride that is rich in velvets, brocades and his favourite nets. http://www.aussieindolanka.com/news_main.asp?newsid=78496 2009-12-15 Entertainment AIL (mailto:info@aussieindolanka.com)