Sightings

* SHE sat there swaying, singing and becoming totally one with the creator. Abida Parveen, along with other musicians from Iran and Lucknow, came together to sing at the Jahan-e-Khusrau festival organised by poet, film-maker and designer, Muzzafar Ali in Delhi recently. Said Ali of his latest venture, "This is the city of the great Sufi poet Amir Khusrau and I feel his aura and vibrations all over. So I thought of this idea." Of course Parveen stole the thunder as she sang. Ali said he invited her for the festival because it would enable people to know of and understand Khusrau. And Parveen? Thrilled at being part of the festival, she was the picture of grace and humility pointing out that music knew no boundaries. "Where there is music there is God," said Praveen.

* IT was bound to stir a hornet's nest. When noted Indian writer Amitav Ghosh shot an open letter to the administrators of the 2001 Commonwealth writers Prize withdrawing his novel The Glass Palace from the competition, he left many stunned, while others applauded a stand that they felt others should have taken in the past. Ghosh, who was named the Eurasia winner of the Commonwealth prize and was shortlisted for the overall contest, wrote: "I have on many occasions publicly stated my objections to the classification of books such as mine under the term Commonwealth Literature. Principal among these is that this phrase anchors an area of contemporary writing not within the realities of the present day, nor within the possibilities of the future, but rather within a disputed aspect of the past...." Meanwhile, the administrators have picked up the gauntlet and have responded explaining their point of view and the importance of the literary significance of the event. But never again can this particular award be looked at in the same manner as before.

* IT was an unusual duo that flagged off a march against racism. When Pandit Ravi Shankar and his daughter Anoushka Shankar, played the role of activists protesting against racism, it was in the hope of inspiring people to sit up and notice and take a stance against this. Pt. Ravi Shankar, who is a good will ambassador for the U.N., released Hindi translations of three U.N. documents on the topic of racism. Admitting that it was a symbolic gesture to involve school children in the race, a U.N. official said that the idea behind including Anoushka was to inspire the younger generation.

* WHEN fashion designer Rohit Bal received a request from Pamela Anderson of the "Baywatch" fame, he almost did a doubletake. Anderson, who is campaigning against the use of fur and leather for garments, has asked Bal to design an outfit for her in faux leather or "pleather" as it is called. Bal, on his part, has already sketched the outfit, derived partially from the sari held together by a belt and a tie blouse in faux leather. Bal said his design was inspired partly by the Kama Sutra, keeping in mind the star's sexy image.

* WHAT sort of music would a Japanese violinist conductor make with the Austrian orchestra? The audience that went to hear the famed Vienna Chamber Orchestra play at the Kamani Auditorium in Delhi recently, came away rapturous after being treated to a scintillating performance by conductor Joji Hattori and his orchestra. Hattori who insists he is a Viennese musician in disguise, since he learnt his art at the Vienna Music Academy, strung together pieces from Mozart, Schubert and Tchaikovsky. Said Hattori, "India is the only Asian country with a proper classical music history," Now that should sound a sweet note here.

SUCHITRA BEHAL

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