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2016: A must-read guide to Mumbai's cultural scene

Updated on: 01 January,2016 09:15 AM IST  | 
The Guide Team |

The guide team plays forecaster to the most awaited restaurant openings, blockbuster stage acts, new fashion lines, big-ticket books and music gigs

2016: A must-read guide to Mumbai's cultural scene


Food & Drink




Restaurateur AD Singh, seen here at Guppy in Delhi, is set to open his other Delhi property, Ek Bar in Mumbai, this year


The kitschy-cool Ek Bar in Delhi
The kitschy-cool Ek Bar in Delhi

Ek Bar comes to Mumbai
After the much-hyped Irani café-themed SodaBottleOpenerWala made its Mumbai debut in 2015, AD Singh is ready to give the city more with the launch of Ek Bar, a modern Indian cocktail bar that will open this year, either at Bandra or BKC. Similar to its Defence Colony counterpart, expect kitschy interiors and punches served in porcelain teacups. However, the quirky Indian fare, helmed by chef Sujan Sarkar, will be tweaked to suit the city’s palate. The Olive Group will also open new outposts of Olive Bistro, SodaBottleOpenerWala, The Fatty Bao and a Guppy. Eat your way through 2016!

Also opening: A carnival cafe
Mighty Small will open on January 7 at Lower Parel’s sports and entertainment hub, Smaaash. The carnival café will feature a dessert bar and the city’s first sangria bar.


Zorawar Kalra

Delhi’s Farzi Café enters Lower Parel

We’ve heard many tales of rarely managing to bag a table at Delhi’s Farzi Café. Now, try your luck in Mumbai. "In the next 40 to 60 days, we’ll be up at Kamala Mills. Along with modern, fun Indian cuisine, we are adding special dishes for Mumbai too," owner Zorawar Kalra told us. The look of the space will change every day of the week. We can’t wait. There’s also the cool new bar, Masala Bar, from the Kalras to come up on Bandra’s Carter Road.

Boondi Éclair  at English Vinglish
Boondi Eclair at English Vinglish

Brar code
You can admire art and tuck into small plates comprising eclectic world cuisine (read: Tea Smoked Tofu with a Ponzu Emulsion) at chef Ranveer Brar and Natasha Gowani’s new offering, TAG Kitchen and Cellar. Packing in a design gallery (The Amateur Gallery) dedicated to student art, the restaurant will also feature a wine cellar. The space will open early 2016 at Lower Parel’s Kamala Mills. Brar has also teamed up with the Dakalia family (of Gangour sweets fame) to introduce English Vinglish in Juhu by the end of the month. From Boondi Éclair to Mithai Tiramisu, the patisserie will offer Indian sweets with a western twist.

Toshin’s gone cool
Launched last October by the 25-year-old Le Cordon Blue (London) alumni Toshin Shetty, the chocolatier and patisserie is set to introduce Toshin ice-creams and sorbets at the Chembur outpost, later this month.

Expect to tuck into film-inspired dishes like The Lunchbox and Rocket Singh
Expect to tuck into film-inspired dishes like The Lunchbox and Rocket Singh

Fully filmy
Zaabar, a new Bollywood-themed bar will launch later this month at Lower Parel, and in Pune, by the folks who run Marine Drive’s Hotel InterContinental. Expect to tuck into film-inspired dishes like Chandni Chowk to China (Chinese Bhel), Rocket Singh (fresh rocket leaves tossed with avocado and orange vinaigrette) and The Lunchbox (mini-meal in a box).

Greek food  lovers have  much to cheer.  representative pic
Greek food lovers have much to cheer. Representative Pic

It’s all Greek!
A modern Greek restaurant by Silver Beach Entertainment and Hospitality (owners of Nom Nom, Radio Bar and Silver Beach Café), will open at BKC by end April. Relish Lamb Shoulder Roasted with Tzatziki and pita, Papadopoulos and Shishtouk here.

Go glocal in Andheri
In the past few years, Andheri has been buzzing with new eateries. Later this month, watch out for Glocal Junction, an all-day diner and casual lounge by Foodlink Services, that opens on New Link Road.

Navi Mumbai goes Nitro
Enjoy drinks in LED-lit glasses and dig  into Bhut Jolokia Chicken Screamers and Dahi Khajoor Ke Kebab at the yellow-and-black hued Nitro Bar, that opens this month at Novotel Imagica Khopoli.

Relish Piadina
Relish Piadina. Representative Pic

Italian Piadina for Mumbai!
Looking for options to try veggie Italian eats? Head to Cafe Primo, a new all-veg Italian restaurant, that will introduce the Piadina — an Italian flat bread wrap. The casual dining restaurant, to be located at Fort, is slated to open later this month.

Raan at your doorstep
The Bohri Kitchen, the home-chef outfit by Munaf Kapadia, will start home delivery across the city in 2016 by joining hands with Scootsy or Food Panda. "We have already hired a chef, who is currently training under my mother. Eventually, we aim to make the home-dining experience a charity driven event, supporting a different cause each week," says Kapadia.

Chicken Rosht with Sirmal Bread and Jeera Rice from The Bohri Kitchen menu
Chicken Rosht with Sirmal Bread and Jeera Rice from The Bohri Kitchen menu

Kamala Mills goes uncensored
February will see partners Varun Puri, Vivek Bhargava and Rahul Bhamri open Uncensored, a multi-cuisine restaurant themed on ‘exploration with combination’. It is expected to feature dishes from around the world, all favourites at one time, but are now almost extinct.

Starbucks’ got competition!
Vision Café is set to give global coffee chain Starbucks a run for its money, they say. To be opened by Khan hospitality, this chain is scheduled to start business from April 2016 and will launch outposts across India, starting with Mumbai.

Chef Atul Kochhar at NRI
Chef Atul Kochhar at NRI

Atul Kochhar opens NRI (Not Really Indian) and Lima
Michelin star chef Atul Kochhar’s much-awaited return to cook in India has finally come to fruition. NRI (Not Really Indian), offering varieties like Roti Canai, East African Zeera Chicken and Caribbean Goat Curry opens around January 10. Opening adjacent to NRI at BKC by end of the month is Lima, a tapas lounge specialising in Mexican, Brazilian and Peruvian cuisine.

A luxury cruise at BKC
The Captain’s Table, as the name suggests, is an exquisite, fine-dine restaurant that will open later this month at BKC. Different artefacts will set the mood of being on board a luxury cruise liner. For instance, the 80-seater will be furnished with aged wood, battered and seasoned with sea wind. Fresh catch will be its USP. It’s a venture by Aarathi Arambhan, who is also the curator at Me So Happi.

A new district in Breach Candy
January 6 onwards, SoBo crowds have a cool, new hangout spot to head to. District Lounge housed in Breach Candy’s The Shalimar Hotel is a space where you can wash down bar bites like Papad Cone Paneer Tikka, Coin Paratha and Butter Chicken Stuffed Naan with cocktails like Elderflower Day and Hookah Pots. Sunny Sara, Ritik Bhasin and Shashi Thadani (of Liv and 145) along with Rishi Acharya (of Tryst) have partnered with the hotel for this venture.

Tapas tales
Redbrik Restaurants that owns the recently opened Fable will set up two new restaurants in Juhu in January. While Myx, a Tapas bar will open in the last week, True Tramm Trunk, offering desi cocktails and bar bites, is scheduled to open mid-January.

Todi Mill Social
Todi Mill Social

New outposts:
>> Social will open seven outlets in 2016 in areas of BKC, Versova, Andheri, Lokhandwala, Kurla, Goregaon and Vikhroli.

>> Me So Happi set to open third outlet in BKC.

>> The third outlet of Chhaayos will open in Lower Parel.

>> The sixth outlet of The Bar Stock Exchange will open by the end of January in Lower Parel. Spread across 15,000 square feet, it will feature a cigar lounge and a scotch collection.

The al fresco section at The Bar Stock Exchange, Bandra (W)
The al fresco section at The Bar Stock Exchange, Bandra (W)

>> Lemon Leaf will introduce two more outlets in the city.

>> Launched at Breach Candy last year, 29, which offers fare from different Indian states will introduce two more outposts – one at Kandivali (April) and the other at Ghatkopar (August).

The Bengali Bhappa Aloo served at 29
The Bengali Bhappa Aloo served at 29

>> Get ready for the second outpost of Khar’s Light House Café at Worli that opens on January 10. Sample French Toast Towers, Chicago-style pizzas and more than 50 varieties of cocktails.

Art & performances

Canvas call

An 18th century pen and watercolour depiction of the human anatomy. PIC/WELLCOME LIBRARY
An 18th century pen and watercolour depiction of the human anatomy. Pic/Wellcome Library

Something for everyone
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) will begin and end with a bang in 2016. Opening on January 12, is Tabiyat, a multi-city exhibition on medicine and healing in India. It will display antiquities and contemporary material culture including sculptures, textiles, wrestling clubs, books, everyday objects like combs and foot scrubbers, medical instruments, domestic objects, oil paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, plaques and board games (including a late 18thC Snakes and Ladders board — the game has Indian roots). A gallery, scheduled to open in April, will be set up at the former Nepal-Tibet Gallery, which will be reorganised to form the Himalayan Art Gallery. Look out for objects from the Himalayan region including Nepal and Tibet. A new children’s museum will open in December, which will have a gallery, studio and a picnic space.


A still from Dancing Queens hosted by Godrej Culture Lab last year

GCL is five, and hip
Godrej Culture Lab (GCL) will make 2016 a year of exploration, with its theme ‘alter-native’. With public screenings and art spectacles, the Vikhroli centre will, in head Parmesh Shahani’s words, "celebrate multiple ways of being Indian and breaking the boundary." While they will take forward conversations on gender and sexuality, February will be a nature month, so look out for special events.

Art Deco in the city
"We are going to put up our Deco exhibition once again at the Kala Ghoda Army and Navy Building on January 7. We will have a large exhibition of our archives in February at the college. These shows are part of the State of Architecture exhibition, which kicks off in January as well," shares Professor Mustansir Dalvi, professor of architecture at the Sir JJ College of Architecture.

Continued sustenance
The National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Mumbai, apart from being a venue for the city’s art events, will open an exhibition of Abdulrahim Apabhai Almelkar’s paintings at the end of March. "We have the biggest in-house collection of Almelkar’s works, which are gradually coming into prominence," says Shivaprasad Khened, NGMA director. We are also told that the dome of the NGMA building is going to receive some artistic attention this year. For more on this, follow these pages.

King’s Birthday by AA Almelkar
King’s Birthday by AA Almelkar

Galerie Mirchandani + Steinreucke is 10
Mother-daughter duo, Usha Mirchandani and Ranjana Steinreucke, celebrate their gallery’s 10th anniversary with a two-part exhibition. Titled Dwelling, and curated by Ranjit Hoskote, the exhibitions, slated for September-October and November-December, will include artists Dayanita Singh, Gauri Gill, Gieve Patel, Kiki Smith and Tanya Goel.


Tasneem Mehta at Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum in Byculla. Pic/Bipin Kokate

Rooted and grounded
Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum will be a venue for the India Design Forum and Make in India Week. "We have a keen commitment to design," says Tasneem Mehta, honorary director. Around April, the museum will host Fifth Millennium, an exhibition curated by Divya Thakur.

Super at 60
Sakshi Art Gallery will kick-start 2016 with an exhibition of 60 photographs by Pablo Bartholomew, who turns 60 this month The exhibition titled 60@60 will take place from January 22 to February 20 and features luminaries from art and culture, captured in the 1970s and 80s.

Growing up
The Piramal Art Foundation opened its doors to its Lower Parel museum in 2015, and this year, there is going to be an art residency every month at Vaikunth in Thane. It’s an open call, so pay attention and apply, we suggest. Moreover, the Foundation will have three shows this year – on Raja Ravi Varma, miniatures and antiquities – and also bring out a couple of publications. Modules on art management are on offer, some free and some paid, in the coming year.

Class acts, all


A still from Peter Brook’s Mahabharata

The epic returns
March 5 to 12 will see one of the most awaited theatre productions of the year come to Mumbai. Battlefield, based on Mahabharata presented by the internationally renowned team of Peter Brook, Marie-Hélène Estienne and Jean-Claude Carrière, will revisit the great Indian epic, 30 years after Brook’s legendary production took world theatre by storm. An immense canvas in miniature, this central section of the ancient text is timeless and contemporary, asking how we can find inner peace in a world driven by conflict.

Mahesh Bhatt during a sound recording for the play Hamari Adhuri Kahani, staged last year
Mahesh Bhatt during a sound recording for the play Hamari Adhuri Kahani, staged last year

Mahesh Bhatt’s new cross-border play
Mahesh Bhatt will present an Indo-Pak play, Milne Do, a collaborative effort by theatre actors from the two countries. An intense love story between two culturally crossed individuals during times of abject hatred, the play is aimed at promoting the message of peace. Buzz is that Ustad Ghulam Ali has also agreed to lend his voice. The play is scheduled to open in Delhi on April 24, in Mumbai on April 29, followed by shows in May in Kolkata, Lahore and Karachi.

A dancer performs Lavani in Mumbai. Pic/Afp
A dancer performs Lavani in Mumbai. Pic/Afp

The business of theatre
SMART (Strategic Management in the Art of Theatre), a programme by India Theatre Forum, India Foundation for Arts and Junoon, starts in February. It has been designed in the context and constraints of the arts in India, and aims to build knowledge, skills and expertise about arts management within the theatre community. Registrations begin in February while the event unfolds in July.

3 states in Navi Mumbai
Witness the first edition of The Marathi Telugu Mahotsav, which brings together Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana through sports, recreational and cultural activities. Presented by Integrated Rural Development Association, the five-day fest starting January 6, will be held at NMMC Tandel Ground in Navi Mumbai. From art installations to plays, poetry sessions and traditional Maharashtrian Dindi and Lavani dance performances, the fest promises to be a melting pot of cultures.

A Gujarati theatre festival
The sixth edition of Vasant Gujarati Natya Utsav will present a selection of the best offbeat and experimental plays by well-known theatre companies. It will take place from March 25 to 27 at NCPA.

Youtheatre will be back
The third edition of Youtheatre will premiere in September, in a bigger avatar across the city. "We’re planning a Kulture Bazaar with handicrafts and knick knacks on display," adds Divya Palat of Balancing Act Productions. She also plans to bring two international troupes to Mumbai, one of which is a children’s show while the second is an interactive comedy on the lines of
Faulty Towers.

A Parsi theatre festival
Draame – Baawas starting on January 13 will be a first-of-its-kind competition to unearth new Parsi talent in theatre, with 13 plays competing in the eliminations where the final five will be chosen. The age of the participants range from range from 17 to 50 plus.

Books & Fashion

Who will rule the bookshelf?

Non-fiction
Kohinoor: William Dalrymple; Juggernaut The story of the world’s most famous diamond, and its journey from the Golconda mines to the Mughal court and Queen
Victoria’s crown!

Red Light Dispatches, Survivor Stories from India’s Brothels: Edited by Anuradha Joshi; Speaking Tiger Told in the first person, the stories record the betrayals and compulsions that force women into the sex trade. The book, however, offers accounts of hope, too.

Drinkers’ Tales From Here & There: Edited by Palash Krishna Malhotra; Harper Collins A roller coaster ride through the pleasures and perils of drinking in India. Twenty-one essays, among which Sidharth Bhatia writes about drinking in Hindi cinema while Sandip Roy mulls over India’s enduring obsession with whisky.

Exiled at Home, Being a Muslim in Modern India: Saeed Naqvi; Aleph Naqvi takes us all the way back to the time when Islam made an appearance in the subcontinent, and then brings the narrative forward to the present to show how Muslims have been systematically betrayed and the impact that Partition, Kashmir, Babri Masjid, Gujarat, and RSS have had on their lives.

The Gene: An Intimate History: Siddhartha Mukherjee; PenguinRandomHouse An extraordinary biography of the gene, and what might become of human beings when we learn to read and write our own genetic information.


Aravind Adiga

Selection Day:
Aravind Adiga; Fourth Estate It’s set in the world of cricket in Mumbai.

In Other Words: Jhumpa Lahiri; PenguinRandomHouse: An autobiographical work written in Italian, the book investigates the process of learning to express oneself in another language, and describes the journey of a writer seeking a new voice.


Karan Johar

The Unsuitable Boy: Karan Johar; Juggernaut Johar reminisces about his childhood, learning from his father, his decision to enter the industry, his friendship with SRK and much more.


Shashi Kapoor's life will get booked

Shashi Kapoor, A Biography: Aseem Chhabra; Rupa This book sheds light on one of India’s most enigmatic stars — an actor who straddles the worlds of commercial Hindi cinema and small-budget art movies; who is, at once, devoted to theatre and the big screen.

Whither Indian Judiciary?: Justice Markandey Katju; Bloomsbury Katju is the former Chairman, Press Council of India. Prior to his appointment as Chairman, he served as a Judge at the Supreme Court of India.

Delhi, Politics, Change and Destiny: Sheila Dikshit; Bloomsbury This should make for an engaging read since it’s by the ex-Chief Minister of Delhi.

Biography on Sunil Dutt: Priya Dutt; Bloomsbury Former MP Priya Dutt is the daughter of the late Bollywood actor and politician Sunil Dutt and Nargis. Who better than her to tell his story?


Masaba Gupta

The Masaba Print: Masaba Gupta with Aastha Atray Banan; Rupa For the first time ever, one of India’s leading youth icons with phenomenal aesthetic prowess reaches out to all girls with her unprecedented style diary.

FICTION
The Pleasure Principle:
The Amaryllis Book of Erotic Stories: Amitava Kumar, Cyrus Mistry, Taslima Nasrin, Tabish Khair, Rupa Bajwa; Amaryllis With names like these, you can’t miss this one.

Swimmer Among the Stars: Kanishk Tharoor; Aleph An interview with the last speaker of a language. A chronicle of the final seven days of a town that is about to be razed to the ground by an invading army and other stories mark the emergence of a new storyteller.

Harish Iyer
Harish Iyer

I’m Coming Out:
Harish Iyer; Juggernaut Funny and heart-warming coming-out stories collected by the LGBT activist will make you smile and live in hope.

Vikram Seth
Vikram Seth

Summer Requiem:
Vikram Seth; Aleph Seth’s first standalone book of poems in 25 years, it traces the immutable shifting of seasons, the relentless rhythm of a great world that both ‘gifts and harms’.

Jinnah Often Came to Our House: Kiran Doshi; Westland: India, 1904: The dashing Sultan Kowaishi has just returned from London to Bombay and meets MA Jinnah. A saga of love and betrayal, pain and redemption, set amidst the long struggle for freedom and its terrible twin, the call for Pakistan.

Daddy’s Boy, Shandana Minhas; Fourth Estate: Asfandyar Ikram has no idea that his father, Anis Nabi, is alive − until the day he learns of his death. A powerful parable for Pakistan, Daddy’s Boy spins a chillingly vivid tale of desire and deception and the ultimately devastating consequences of hypocrisy.

An Unrestored Woman, Shobha Rao; Hachette: From refugee camps and torched trains to the spacious verandas of the British Raj, stories of the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947, its unrelenting sorrow and impact on the lives of ordinary women and men.

Runway rundown
If muted chic is your thing, designer Anavila Misra, who is known for her sarees will be launching a line of home décor articles in the first quarter of 2016. An extension of Misra’s apparel design sensibilities, she will present cushion covers, table spreads, etc., created using handwoven organic linen in muted tones. These will be made in the same craft clusters where her sarees are made, as well as at their new manufacturing unit in Gurgaon. Some of the products in the upcoming line that are Misra’s personal favourites include table linen with jari infusions and botanical cushions.

Anavila takes a bow
Anavila takes a bow

Evelyn Sharma’s non-profit organisation, Seams For Dreams wants to use the universal love for fashion to give back to humanity. In the first quarter of 2016, it will launch the Celebrity Auctions. Iconic celebrity clothing, whether it’s a movie costume or a star’s personal favourite clothing item, will be auctioned on the website where fans can bid. The highest bidder will win the piece of clothing. Each auction will have a different celebrity item. All the funds generated from the auctions will be used to support a cause that either the celebrity supports or they can pick one of Seams For Dreams’ causes.

Evelyn Sharma
Evelyn Sharma

Reel India: Bollywood and Small Town India, Namrata Joshi, Hachette: Joshi travels across the Indian hinterland to bring forth tales of India’s obsession with cinema, while examining the unique relationship Indian cinema shares with its viewers.

Incarnations: India in 50 Lives, Sunil Khilnani; PenguinRandomHouse: A book on the popular BBC Radio 4 series of the same name. Two and a half thousand years of Indian history will be unearthed and the author explores the history and present day India through 50 individuals who have shaped the country, as we know it today.

President Pranab Mukherjee
President Pranab Mukherjee

The Turbulent Years: 1980-1996; Pranab Mukherjee, Rupa: Volume 2 of the President’s autobiography covering the period from 1980 to 1996.


Shankar Mahadevan

One for India
The premier of My Country, My Music a music production by Shankar Mahadevan and group will be presented on January 23 and 24 at NCPA. The show will comprise a selection of songs in a number of Indian languages, each embodying the cultural ethos of a specific region. The songs will be presented in a mix of traditional and contemporary styles, interlaced with pieces from popular Bollywood songs, and accompanied by visuals.

A fitting tribute
NCPA will host a specially-curated program, A Tribute to Excellence – the Artistry of Malavika Sarukkai, through a festival in different venues across the city, from January 9 to 16, showcasing the dancer’s prolific journey as an artiste. A key highlight of this programme will be the premiere of Vamatara – To the Light, the latest dance creation of Malavika, which opens a new chapter in her artistic journey with the introduction of a group choreography for the first time.

Jazz in the city
On January 30, Banyan Tree will present Splendor of Masters featuring Dr Kadrigopalnath (saxophone – Carnatic) with George Brooks (saxophone – Jazz), Ganesh Rajagopalan (violin) with Debashish Bhattacharya (slide guitar), Ustad Shahid Parvez (sitar) with S Shashank (Carnatic flute).

A tribute to Pandit Bhimsen Joshi
Attend Surotsav, a tribute to Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, an event organised by Artfx that will feature Anand Bhate and Rahul Deshpande. It will take place on January 24 at Swatantraveer Sawarkar Sabhagriha, Dadar (W).

Want to be a 'Musicpreneur'?
True School of Music has announced a course for those who wish to make it big in the music business. The curriculum will combine the creative, technical, legal, production side of the industry will help interested folk to learn about intellectual property in song writing, recording, publishing and broadcast, as well as conducting self-marketing across platforms, effective artist management, day-to-day business skills. This 22-week course will give students a 360-degree perspective of what it takes to be an entrepreneur in this industry today.

Music & dance

Rhythm and moves

A scene from Sunburn 2014, Goa
A scene from Sunburn 2014, Goa

Sunburn’s 10th year plan:
"Sunburn will commemorate its 10th year anniversary in mega style in 2016. Given the fact that 2015 saw a 280 ft wide and 85 ft tall stage — the biggest stage in the world, you can imagine how big next year’s stage will be," revealed Harindra Singh, chairman and managing director, Percept Limited. Expect another property, Bollyboom to be back since 2013. This Bollywood Dance Music festival will also go international. "This year will see Bollyboom shows in West Asia, Europe and North America which have a huge Indian fan base. Indian artists will infuse a blend of Trance, House, Hip Hop, Electro Funk, Synthetic, Pop, Club Music, Techno,  Hardstyle, Sufi and Dubstep into popular Bollywood numbers to suit every fan taste and base," adds Singh.

(L-R) Niladri Kumar, Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Shpongle, Marat Bisengaliev
(L-R) Niladri Kumar, Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Shpongle, Marat Bisengaliev

A teen music fest: Head to Totem Pole, a three-day music fest for 12 to 18 year olds, that makes its debut at Lower Parel’s High Street Phoenix on January 15. Curated by Ashish Manchanda, founder of Flying Carpet Productions and The Media Tribe, the line-up features The Raghu Dixit Project, Best Kept Secret, Kefaya and others. The fest will also host a school band competition, with the winner crowned as the Totem Pole Band of the Year.

Classic notes:
Watch out for Pancham Nishad’s packed itinerary in the coming months. Celebrating India will see performances by Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Niladri Kumar, Kaushiki Chakraborthy and Rashid Khan. Begum Parveen Sultana will perform at The Gateway of India on January 31. On February 21, attend Aath Prahar, a festival that begins early morning, at Shanmukhananda Hall. It will see performances by Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande, Ayaan and Amaan Ali Khan,
Rajan-Sajan Mishra and Vishwa Mohan Bhatt.

EDM coolth:
blueFROG Mumbai will host British psychedelic music project Shpongle on February 5 as part of the second edition of the in-house EDM fest, Sphere.

Music from the maestros:
The Symphony Orchestra of India — Spring Season will open with a performance under the conductorship of NCPA’s resident conductor, Marat Bisengaliev. This season will also feature conductor-violinist Augustine Dumay who returns to present a unique performance. These will include the Bruch Violin and Viola concerto, the delightful Bizet symphony. Expect a standout session from globally  acclaimed Swiss conductor, Mischa Damev, too.

One for India
The premier of My Country, My Music a music production by Shankar Mahadevan and group will be presented on January 23 and 24 at NCPA. The show will comprise a selection of songs in a number of Indian languages, each embodying the cultural ethos of a specific region. The songs will be presented in a mix of traditional and contemporary styles, interlaced with pieces from popular Bollywood songs, and accompanied by visuals.

Pandit Shivkumar Sharma
Pandit Shivkumar Sharma

The string of music
On February 19, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma will explore the relationship of ragas with time-cycles, which is an interesting feature, unique to Hindustani music at NCPA’s Tata Theatre. The maestro will create a mala (garland) of exquisite ragas, transiting from one time zone (prahar) to another, completing the cycle from dusk to dawn and back to dusk. The listening experience will be enhanced by visuals of corresponding Ragamala paintings.

Malavika Sarukkai
Malavika Sarukkai

A fitting tribute
NCPA will host a specially-curated program, A Tribute to Excellence – the Artistry of Malavika Sarukkai, through a festival in different venues across the city, from January 9 to 16, showcasing the dancer’s prolific journey as an artiste. A key highlight of this programme will be the premiere of Vamatara – To the Light, the latest dance creation of Malavika, which opens a new chapter in her artistic journey with the introduction of a group choreography for the first time.

Jazz in the city
On January 30, Banyan Tree will present Splendor of Masters featuring Dr Kadrigopalnath (saxophone – Carnatic) with George Brooks (saxophone – Jazz), Ganesh Rajagopalan (violin) with Debashish Bhattacharya (slide guitar), Ustad Shahid Parvez (sitar) with S Shashank (Carnatic flute).

A tribute to Pandit Bhimsen Joshi
Attend Surotsav, a tribute to Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, an event organised by Artfx that will feature Anand Bhate and Rahul Deshpande. It will take place on January 24 at Swatantraveer Sawarkar Sabhagriha, Dadar (W).

Want to be a 'Musicpreneur'?
True School of Music has announced a course for those who wish to make it big in the music business. The curriculum will combine the creative, technical, legal, production side of the industry will help interested folk to learn about intellectual property in song writing, recording, publishing and broadcast, as well as conducting self-marketing across platforms, effective artist management, day-to-day business skills. This 22-week course will give students a 360-degree perspective of what it takes to be an entrepreneur in this industry today.

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