Category: Lookit!

Categories
Read

Asiatic Library opens its doors to world scholars

Over 200 years old, the Asiatic Library’s treasures will be digitised and stored in DVD and microfilm format for reference.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

The Fort-based Asiatic Library has long been a source of study and inspiration for scores of scholars and academicians. Mumbai and the rest of the State have long revelled in the Library’s bounties. The Library contains valuable resource material, periodicals, books, magazines, newspapers and other published material.

Digitising the Asiatic LibraryHowever, users have rued the fact that the paper format publications were in a state of constant decline. This meant that this treasure trove of information would not be available to subsequent generations of readers and scholars.

This picture is set to change, however. A mega digitisation project is soon to be underway, to make the Library’s treasures accessible to scholars all over the world. The Governor of Maharashtra Ch Vidyasagar Rao on Wednesday, August 5, 2015, inaugurated the Digitisation Project of the 211-year-old Asiatic Society Library in Mumbai.

Under the digitisation project, 1 lakh books, 2,500 manusripts and 1,200 maps will be digitised and the output will be saved in the form of DVDs and microfilms. The project is expected to open up the treasures of the Asiatic Society of Mumbai to scholars in the world.

The Government of Maharashtra has sanctioned Rs 5 crore to the Asiatic Society for the digitisation project.

President of the Society SG Kale is said to have told the Governor that the Library has a collection of 2,55,463 books and bound volumes of periodicals. He further informed that the Library has a collection of more than 12,000 coins including the gold coin of Kumar Gupta, a gold muhar of Akbar and coins of Shivaji Maharaj. The Governor was shown the old manuscripts, antique books, maps and other special collections of the Library including old coins on this occasion.

(Pictures courtesy Raj Bhavan, Mumbai)

Categories
Event

Typewriters will come to life in Mumbai

World’s leading sculpture artist Jeremy Mayer will create an unusual masterpiece using typewriter parts. Do not miss this unique live event.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Godrej Archives, the business archive of Godrej Group, in line with its philosophy ‘Restore. Reflect. Reimagine.’ is lending a new lease to its last batch of typewriters by collaborating with the world’s only known typewriter sculptor, Jeremy Mayer.

Jeremy Mayer Jeremy will treat the city art aficionados to surreal sculptures and mandalas created using parts of the typewriters. He is a renowned sculpture artist who disassembles typewriters and reassembles them into full scale, anatomically correct figures. He does not solder, weld or glue the pieces together – it is entirely a cold assembly. The artist also does not use any parts that do not come from a typewriter. This will be India’s only typewriter sculpture. The finished product will be unveiled on August 12, 2015.

After the event, Jeremy will also flag off the ‘Artist-in-residence’ programme, an initiative that encourages artists from across the globe to reinterpret 118 years of heritage so that the current and future generations are inspired to reimagine the past and build a brighter future.

Head to the Godrej Hubble, Plant 13 Annexe, Godrej & Boyce, Vikhroli (East), on Wednesday, August 12. The event takes place from 3.30 pm to 8 pm. Entry is free to all.

Categories
Event

Attend: ‘Pratibimb’, the best of Marathi theatre

The festival showcases the best in Marathi theatre; starts August 1 with two plays and ends on August 5, 2015.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

If you’re a theatre afficianado, you should not miss attending ‘Pratibimb’ at the NCPA, starting today.

Begun in 2010, Pratibimb was conceptualised to reflect the best and provide a platform to contemporary Marathi theatre. Pratibimb, meaning ‘reflection’, holds up a mirror to fine and new works in Marathi theatre. Plays ranging from comedy to human folly, from tragedy to edge-of-the-seat thriller, from revivals to new work, the NCPA Pratibimb Marathi Natya Utsav is an entertaining and enriching mix of theatre for Marathi theatre aficionados. With very few Marathi theatre festivals in town, the NCPA aims to provide Marathi theatre with a new destination, reach, stage and audience.

In all, 7 recent Marathi plays will be staged at the festival, starting with 26 52 Unha Pavsachi Berij Vaja Baki at 4 pm and Tepachu Ek Tamasha at 6.30 pm on Saturday, August 1.

Other plays include Samudra, Don Special, Tee, Bin Kamache Samvad and Pai Paishachi Goshta.

Pratibimb is now in its sixth edition. Each play will be followed by a discussion with the cast and crew of the play.

(Picture courtesy in.bookmyshow.com)

Categories
Do

5 ways to increase storage space

We are always running short of storage space in our homes. Use the available space creatively to create more storage area.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

For congested cities like Mumbai, where the sizes of houses are tiny and the living conditions cramped, storage space is a luxury very few can afford. Architects and interior designers too, do not give much thought to the concept of using every square inch of space for storage purposes, even in very small homes. The result? Though we try our best to keep our homes looking neat and tidy, our houses still look overcrowded and dowdy because of all the extra stuff we have lying around.

However, you can get creative and make space for storage inside your home. You might get hardly any space, or you may get a lot, depending on the area and layout of your house, but making the effort is certain to free up some space which you can gladly use to stow away your extra belongings.

Here’s how you start doing this:

Storage space under the bed1. Use the space under the beds. This one’s a no-brainer, yet most people don’t put this space to use. It is tacky to have exposed under-bed space where you will inadvertently store old newspapers or extra suitcases, etc. Invest in a sofa-cum-bed in the living room that will give you extra storage space. In the bedroom, get a box bed made so that you can store all the extras in the house under the bed, out of view. This is normally ‘dead’ storage, so you can store all the things you don’t need regularly.

2. Install overhead cabinets wherever possible. As the years pass, every home accumulates a lot of stuff in every room of the house. While a periodic cleaning will get rid of broken, unusable items, you will find that you still have a lot of stuff left over and not enough space to put it in. At such times, overhead cabinets in the bedrooms and living room come in handy. All your large cardboard boxes, box files, etc can be easily accommodated in these cabinets. However, make sure that you create the cabinets at a height just slightly over eye level, so that they are easy to reach.

3. Make vegetable racks in the kitchen. You will need to store extra onions, potatoes, rice grains, packets of wheat, oil etc in the kitchen, and only a cabinet or two will not do the job. Invest in stand-alone vegetable racks that you can place on one side of the kitchen counter. Board up the tops of the kitchen cabinets on one side to create an extra storage space at the top – this is where you can store onions, which require to be kept in the open air to prevent them getting spoilt. Also, place hooks on the inside of the cabinet shutters where you can vertically store big spoons and ladles.

4. Use odd columns to install shelves. Some of our homes have oddly-placed columns in the room. You can’t remove these columns because they are vitalColumn shelves structural elements that hold up the ceiling beams. A good way to get around the wastage of space around such a column is to knock a series of shelves on it – this way the column doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb, but becomes a quirky part of the décor. If you want to hang photographs or a really sensational wall piece, you can use this column for the same purpose. Or if the column is located in a quiet corner of the room, you can nail a pull-down table to it and include two little chairs to create an intimate eating corner for two.

5. Niches make for great cupboard space. Some homes have unexplained niches, which most people fill over with masonry to even out the wall. Instead, extend the niche from floor to ceiling and put in shelves, or use the space created to make a ceiling-height cupboard. This could be a showpiece cupboard in the hall, or a private library in the bedroom. Install glass shutters on this cupboard to show off its contents to maximum effect, but be sure to put only pretty things inside and to clean it regularly.

(Pictures courtesy www.hgtv.com, plomet.com, www.decoratingyoursmallspace.com. Images used for representation purpose only)

Categories
Do

8 ways to redo your home in colours

We don’t experiment with colours as much as we should. Here’s rresenting 8 ways to make colours your best friends at home.
by Reyna Mathur

It is true that the colour of the space you are in can influence your mood. Some colours are cheerful and put you in a good frame of mind, others are more solemn. Still others are fun and flirty, while some bring about a sense of peace.

But it is easy to go overboard when experimenting with colours, and too many colours can come together and clash badly. To being with, make sketches of each of the rooms and use colour swatches to find the best combinations as per your taste. It is not necessary to have a different colour per room, but if you decide to go that route, try and use shades of the same colour wherever possible.

You can use colours in everything – paints, fabrics, furnishings, drapes, carpets, furniture, cabinets and cupboards, even in the colour of the light bulbs you select.

See this short video from ‘Better Homes and Gardens‘ on selecting colours based on the Colour Wheel:

 

Here are a few ways to get started:

1. Whatever colour you opt for, you have to be sensible in your choices, especially when it comes to wall paint. You cannot undo a wall colour in a hurry, so make your choice based on how bright the sunlight is in the room. If the room is brightly lit or if you like to leave the lights on during the day time as well, you cannot paint the walls a very bright colour.

2. If the overall colour scheme of your house is monochromatic, you can add pops of colour by way of furniture pieces or lamp shades or even a bright dining table and chairs.

Differently coloured light bulbs3. Use shades of blue in your bedroom. Blue is a calming colour and induces restful feelings. However, too much blue in the colour scheme can make the room look dull. Add a dashing contrast with bright bed furnishings or a red coloured wardrobe.

4. Use white tiles in the kitchen, but break the monotony with a patterned tile here and there. You can try the same in the bathroom and toilet.

5. Even the light bulbs you use introduce colour. Use yellow light bulbs to good effect in the living spaces, but use white light in the bathroom, kitchen and over the wash basin. Use different coloured light bulbs in the living room for a fun visual effect.

6. Keep the styling and furnishing of your living spaces Spartan, but use colour liberally on the floor. For instance, use a bright square of carpet in the centre of the room, or a mosaic of coloured tiles all over the living room floor. However, the colour of the floor shouldn’t be too bright or warm-coloured, because it will become disturbing.

7. Coloured candles placed in odd corners will liven up the room. Invest in several candles of varying colours and thicknesses, and place them liberally around the living room and bedroom.

8. Tone down bright colours with rust coloured metal lamp stands or cabinets. Or place a large metal statue near the entrance of the house for a unique effect.

(Pictures courtesy afflante.com, www.ebay.co.uk. Images are used for representational purpose only)

Categories
Read

Review: The House that BJ Built

Anuja Chauhan’s sequel to ‘Those Pricey Thakur Girls’ is a humorous look at issues like making a will and sharing property.
by Ritika Bhandari Parekh

Rating: 4 out of 5

The 16th Hailey Road brats are back! A sequel to Those Pricey Thakur Girls, Anuja Chauhan’s latest offering from the Delhi melee is The House that BJ Built. With this book, sappy rom-coms will finally make sense in the real world.

Once again, we enter the world of Justice Thakur and his chronologically-named daughters. Hot-shot director and grandson Samar Vir Singh and curvy, independent, vivacious Bonita Singh Rajawat are the grown-up protagonists of this novel. Bonita and Samar’s attraction, interaction and the illogical chemistry of the heart set the tone of the story.

A conniving brother, a muddled past and some letters abound as Chauhan anchors the different-as-chalk-and-cheese sisters to their home ground. The siblings are all set to take their respective shares from the glorious house that BJ built. But is it all possible without a clash of thoughts and past bitterness?

Chauhan vividly describes the characters and has us asking for more. She manages a sharp level of detailing, from Bonita aka Bonu Singh’s business ways to Anjini’s socialite editor nakhras or Chachiji’s sweet as chashni nature turning sour to the item-song ways of the film industry. These are all amusingly believable. The story scores in bringing an oft-happening issue of batwara, will-making and will-changing in the Indian family society to the fore. The author throws in her awesome writing skills and wit to make the entire drama a beautiful page-turner.

As Indian authors go, Chauhan’s belief in her readers and her deft-ability to not explain her characters and their desi ways (especially for foreign readers) makes her a favourite. Unapologetic, sexy (with all the beauty and brains of the Thakur girls and their offspring) and words that will make you smile and laugh, The House that BJ Built is definitely a must-read.

Exit mobile version