Mumbai's 'best of the year' gift guide
So we don’t do Christmas bonuses in India. And you probably didn’t get one at Diwali, either. But if you’re feeling generous and in the mood to spend those 500 rupees you found in the pocket of your favorite jeans on someone else -- or, what the heck, on yourself -- here are some year-end spending options that represent the best of India in 2009.
The title of the list means they cannot be recommended again in 2010. So get them while the going’s good.
Rain Parade umbrella by Laurent Mouveau.
Home: Pylones
Pronounced pee-lone, this is a French brand by a bunch of designers seemingly suffering a very entertaining childhood acid flashback. Pylones have made an uncharacteristically modest entry into the Indian consumer market, heaving design anarchy all over the frou chi environs of the Phoenix Mills Grand Galleria mall. It's a tiny outpost tucked under the escalator. But what a little wonder it is. Products vary wildly from the delightfully humorous (a Lego-brick Ipod dock) to the seriously kooky (Daschund-snout shaped cake servers -- a most unlikely top seller). These mildly useful, really playful home, office and lifestyle products look to me like the anarchic spawn of Takashi Murakami and Sofia Coppola. From Rs 300 to Rs 4,500. Pylones, Ground Level, Grand Galleria Mall, 462 Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, tel: +91 (0) 22 6523 7333
"Blow Me Kisses", Raghava KK, 2009, Courtesy Art Musings, Mumbai
Art: Raghava KK
KK Raghava's show opened in Mumbai this month where at the preview he painted live, standing on wooden stool with a tin can of chalk. Someone bought that entire room. His grotesquely beautiful paintings earned the Bangalore-raised, now Brooklyn-based artist a ticket to the TED Conference in 2010 -- as a speaker. Showing at Art Musings till January 20. Art Musings, 1 Admiralty Building, Colaba Cross Lane, tel. +91 (0) 22 2216 3339, 2218 6071
Unisex the T-shirts come in three varieties -- plain Bombay, I Heart Bombay and a red heart with a flash of lightning through it.
Fashion: Bombay T-shirt
A memento of the outpouring of pride, longing and frustration witnessed following the confusing end to 2008, this T-shirt from Bombay Electric fashion concept store is both subversive and ironic -- although those two sometimes mean the same thing. Kind of like Mumbai and Bombay. This is the most fashionable political statement of the year. Hope the facists (who derailed a film release this year because in it appeared the word Bombay) have found their senses (of humor). Bombay Electric T-shirts, Rs 950 each. Shop online or visit Bombay Electric, 1, Reay House, BEST Marg, Colaba; tel +91 (0) 22 2287 6276
See what the little man sounds like in his latest music video with Sony Music India.
Music: Kailash Kher
Mixing intense sufi soul (which has heralded him the heir apparent to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan) with an inventive production ethic, Kailash Kher is as refreshing as Nusrat was contemplative and so clearly under served by his record label. Having just completed a North American tour where he wowed crowds with his powerful lilt and trademark humility, he’s on his way to becoming the Next Big Thing -- although we'd argue it’s already five years too late. Kailash Kher, His Definitive Works, Sony Music Records. 2 CD set available at www.amazon.com for $17.99 or at local music stores everywhere for Rs 199.
Read a CNNGo inteview with York Winery's South African winemaker, Stefan Gerber.
Drink: New Indian wines
Wine magazine "Sommelier India" recently gave a fillip to our blind-tasting Bacchuses by organizing its first annual wine competition for locally available grape juice, where a panel of judges sipped on 411 wines with internationally acclaimed wine critic, Steven Spurrier (who sounds suspiciously like a character from "Bottle Shock" -- the wine movie that aspired to be this year’s "Miss Sunshine"). Of the 75 Indian wines that competed, these are the only five bottles you should buy, recommend and be happy to receive. The Nine Hills Shiraz 2008, York Reserve Shiraz 2008, and the Four Seasons Viognier should, at a minimum, promise a not unpleasant bouquet and a headache-free morning after. And, although it doesn’t place on the SIWC Gold Medal list, I’m going to commend the Sula Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2008 and the always reliable Sula Chenin Blanc, in honor of the pioneering wine company’s 10-year anniversary this year. www.sommelierindia.com has comprehensive information and resources on local wine appreciation. Subscription is Rs 1,000 for two yrs/12 issues. Wines listed not guaranteed in stock anywhere. Bottle Shock is available at www.amazon.com for the bottle of the barrel price of $4.99
This nifty electronic was found at Crawford Market -- widely accepted to be a mecca for…well, just about anything.
Gadget: Asbah Smart Finger massager
Gadget freaks and regulars at the barber's will recognize this scary looking, though absolutely amazing, device. The Asbah Smart Finger Massager is a simple vibrating machine which converts the brandisher’s hand into a font of pleasure, the receiver’s face into an embarrassing putty and -- as the literature on the dubious looking box suggests -- is good for "long continuous use guaranteed." You can apply it anywhere and despite what you’re thinking, the best results come from a dedicated ear massage. Start slowly on the outside and work the tremors into your eardrum sending a hypnotic, soft-gloved rubdown straight to your brain. Available at Beauty Center, Crawford Market, tel. +91 (0) 22 23443143. Rs 1,400 but by all means do test your bargaining skills there.
