Movie and Art

Poha for breakfast!

Youdhisthir Maharjan "Of Murmuring Streams"

"Letter from Katmandu"

Ticket Booth at Regal Cinema

Instructions if bomb goes off

Another warning

Today's floral arrangement our floor

I liked their tipping declaration at bottom of menu

Today we went gallery hopping. At the Tarq gallery we saw a new artist for us: Youdhisthir Maharjan. He works with all kinds of found print. His source could be a newspaper, a page from a book, etc. He then obliterates the words using different processes, he might cut out the letters and re-arrange them, he might burn the letters, or use an acid. He  creates art out out of the obliteration of words, producing a reimagined image. Many times in an exhibit of new art work, I grow bored, or am cynical of an artist’s work. Youdhisthir’s is quite amazing.

We met Siddhartha, Richard’s friend, in the morning before he was returning to Delhi. He is a very committed to art projects and design. He mentioned that his sister is both an actress and film maker. By coincidence, Cathy had seen her presentation at the Jaipur Literary Festival and we have both seen her movie on Gujerat. It is a small world.

We purchased some additional gifts. It was now approaching mid-day and the sun was hot. We tried to walk only in the shade as we returned to the Taj. Something about only madmen and Englishmen go out in the midday sun. After drinking our favorite iced Indian drink: Nimbu Pani (a sweetened lime / soda drink), we had cooled down and then headed for the Regal Cinema.

The Regal Cinema is an historic cinema, located near the Taj in Coloba. It might be historic, but they have destroyed much of its exterior. It did actually, surprisingly, have new seating. There were ample warnings of pickpockets and bomb detonations. Unfortunately, there are no admonishions about use of cell phones during performances. I have no idea why people pay to see a movie and then spend half their time on their cellphone. In the States, in a movie, there are always short clips ahead of the movie saying don’t use cell phones and don’t talk. Not in India.

We were seeing the Indian movie Padmaavat. It is an historical movie, just released to great controversy relating to the depiction of the historical figure Padmaavati, the Rani of Meewar. We have been to the Chittorgarh Fort where Padmaati lived and died through johar, or self immolation.  Sanjay Leela Bhansali's movie Padmaavat is about the destruction of this historic fort and the sacrificial death of Padmaavati and the women of the fort to avoid being raped or enslaved by the Muslim invaders, a proud moment in Rajasthan History.  Unfortunately, the Hindu right-wing politicians have used this as a pretext for banning the movie. They have whipped up sentiments to a fever pitch, and the movie was banned in several States including Rajasthan. The right wing has threatened to blow up movie theaters that screen the movie. None the less, Bhansali is a great film director and we wanted to see the movie. It was shown without subtitles, entirely in Hindi, but we knew the story and were sure we could follow along. Sad to say we didn’t like the movie. It is not his best effort.

After returning to the Taj we met Richard for pre-dinner cocktails. We were very lucky to be with him both in Jaipur and Mumbai. He is a great drinking companion! We hope to see him and Anil in the future, either in England, India, or Los Angeles.

Dinner was at Table, a restaurant whose chef comes from San Francisco and serves typical California cuisine. It was quite good and different for a change. They had tenderloin on the menu, I couldn’t understand how they could serve a steak in India where the cow is truly sacred. The waiter explained that it is Water Buffalo meat. We didn’t order it, but we did wonder how inadequate this genetically similar beast must feel next to his holy relative. We had a 40 layer lasagna as an appetizer, then Grilled Lobster and Crab cakes along with a French Rhone wine for only $ 120.00. I liked the inscription at the bottom of the menu concerning employee pay and tipping. This is the way it should be everywhere!

We returned to the Taj for a final cognac and chocolate (these are free to guests staying in the Palace wing). As I am writing this Cathy just quizzed me on an amazing fact that she must have picked up in the Indian newspaper she is reading. She said “Cliffy do you know what they call a flock of flamingos?” Living in Los Angeles where they don’t have flamingos, I had no answer for her. The answer she relayed was: a flamboyance of flamingos. What a great collective noun! Tomorrow is our final day in Bombay.