This weekend go for Potters Bazaar, Ramleela in Opera and exhibition on Banaras

Some recommendations to enliven your weekend

DELHI

Art

Illustration of thought: Lalit Kala Akademi is hosting a solo painting exhibition by artist Damyanti, including works of oils on canvas, ink on paper and pastels. About her work, the artist shares that “painting is not abstract expression but simply the way I feel, almost an illustration of a thought, held and preserved in a moment in time. I start up with an impulsive first drawing. Then, I fill spaces in colours as I go along. From the first thought the painting evolves to something else.”
Where: Rabindra Bhawan, Lalit Kala Akademi, Mandi House
When: December 5-11, 11 am to 7 pm

Potters Bazaar: Delhi Blue Pottery Trust and Sanskriti Kendra are hosting their annual Potters Bazaar, where visitors can interact with and buy directly from the artists. Works on display include functional and decorative artworks at affordable prices. The three day event will also play host to children’s activities such as pottery-making, mural-making and painting.
Where: Sanskiti Kendra, Anandgram, Mehrauli Gurgaon Road
When: December 5-7, 11 am onwards

Theatre & Comedy

Ramleela in Opera: As part of the International Ancient Arts Festival, Italiano Instituto di Cultura is presenting Ramleela in Opera, a musical theatre production that will combine yakshagana from Karnataka, purulia chhau from West Bengal, Odishi from Odisha, Manipuri from Manipur and kathak from Delhi with opera elements from Italy. Fabrizio Daros will be the conductor and Carlo Antonio De Lucia the director of the opera, with an original score by Antonio Cocomazi. Mattia Olivieri (baritone), Raffaele Abete (tenor) and Federico Benetti (bass) are some of the singers performing.
Where: Siri Fort Auditorium, Asiad Village
When: December 5, 7 pm
Info: RSVP at program.iic.newdelhi@esteri.it or call 011-30605540, 9891240211

  A night of (Manda) vandalism: With material about anything and everything, and observations on how the urban middle class society reacts to politics and scams, Delhi-based comedian Raghav Mandava is all set to host a solo special Mandavandalism at Akshara Theatre this weekend. Mandava is a popular name in the comedy circuit, having founded the Cheese Monkey Mafia comedy company. He turns 28 on the 7th of December, and in his own words, “wants you to come be a part of the celebration, and the only gift he asks for is your hard earned cash for tickets.”
Where: Akshara Theatre, Baba Kharak Singh Marg
When: December 6, 7.30 pm
Info: Tickets priced at Rs 400 available on BookMyShow

A comic ode to sycophancy: The Hungarian Centre is hosting popular comedians such as Papa CJ, Appurv Gupta, Jeeveshu Ahluwalia, Abhijit Ganguly and Zakir Khan this weekend. They will present a satirical take on the politics of our society titled The Great Indian Chamcha, an ode to the culture of sycophancy which is an integral part of our society. The event is presented by The Times Of India in association with The Great Indian Chamcha.
Where: Hungarian Information and Cultural Centre, Janpath
When: December 6, 6 pm
Info: For complimentary invites, SMS TOIGI <Name><Address> to 5888

Talk

A lesson in history: Dwell on some of the lesser identified reasons that alienated the East India Company from the natives -- especially in the Company Army, the Bengal Native Infantry and other regiments. The talk will be given by Nilesh Korgaokar, an ex-army serviceman, who is currently working as a security adviser with the World Bank. His interest in history made him ponder over the deeper facts related to 1857 uprising.
Where: India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road
When: December 6, 7 pm

Film

A French coming-of-age: Directed by Riad Satouf and starring Vincent Lacoste, Anthony Sonigo, Alice Tremoliere, Julie Scheibling and Robin Nizan-Duverger, Les Beaux Gosses (English title: French Kissing) is a 2009 comedy French film about an adolescent boy and his efforts to fit in amongst different cast of characters. While wise Herve and his Camel are forever fantasising over their female classmates, they’re rarely able to go as far as actually talking to any of them. The film tells of the humiliations of youth, but also those of parenthood.
Where: Alliance Francaise, Lodhi Road
When: December 5, 6.30 pm

Music

Vinyl nights: Rumbar is back with its monthly strictly vinyl night featuring Delhi Sultanate aka Sohail Arora. Apart from being the lead singer of The Ska Vengers, he is also the founding member of BASSFoundation. This weekend he’ll be playing some soulful reggae and dub, rub-a-dub, and 90’s Dancehall.
Where: Rumbar, Haus Khas Village
When: December 5, 9 pm onwards

MUMBAI

Music

Percussion speak: Masters of Percussion is a consequence of Zakir Hussain’s memorable tours with his father, the maestro Alla Rakha Khan; which has been touring around the world since 1996. For its first performance in the city, the ensemble includes a range of percussion instruments common in Indian folk, North and South Indian classical music and the jazz tradition. Hussain will collaborate with artistes who are trained under him or his father or long-time colleagues in this attempt to create musical dialogue. The group features, V. Selvaganesh on ghatam, Steve Smith on drums, Deepak Bhat with dhol and Vijay Chavan on dholki.
Where: NCPA, Nariman Point
When: Dec 7, 6.30 pm

Journey of performers: The Journey by Johnnie Walker, a day-long festival, will return for its second edition with performances by Simon Green, Snarky Puppy, Kate Fryer’s Dislocate and Paul Potts. Green, who also goes by the name Bonobo, is a British DJ who is considered a pioneer of the “downtempo” style. This genre of electronic music, also known as chill out or downbeat, is quite like ambient music except that it also features a groove. Also to perform is New York’s instrumental fusion collective Snarky Puppy which features as many as 40 musicians. Dislocate from Australia, an ensemble founded by Kate Fryer and Geoff Dunstan, will showcase its physical theatre that combines highly-skilled circus feats with more traditional narratives. Operatic pop singer Paul Potts, who won the first series of Britain’s Got Talent, will also be a part of the festival.
Where: Mehboob Studio, Bandra
When: Dec 13, 5.30 onwards

Art

A view of Banaras: Artist Manu Parekh’s City Of Magical Light, a solo exhibition will bring together two of his oeuvres from the various series he has devoted to Banaras. It will feature landscapes that evoke the potency of faith associated with the city, and oblations at the temples in the form of floral offerings and the holy flame. This combination, the Padma Shri award winner believes, offers a holistic view of the city that has been his long-time muse.
Where: Jehangir Art Gallery
When: Dec 8-Jan 5

Film

Law and border: My Sweet Pepper Land by Hinner Saleem, set in a remote village in Kurdistan, tells the story of a Kurdish patriot Baran who recently landed work as a policeman in a small valley on the border or Iran, Iraq and Turkey. It is a lawless land and he soon has a skirmish with local villain Aziz Aga, when he finds the support of Govend who works as a teacher. She, like Baran, represents a kind of law, that of the young and autonomous Kurdish state and together they try to deal with the rejection they face. The screening is in partnership with Institut Français.
Where: Alliance Francaise, New Marine Lines
When: Dec 8, 6.30 pm

Argentine cinema: A festival showcasing the cinema of Argentina will feature six films including Maria Victoria Menis, Pablo Giorgelli and Carlos Sorin. The newest film in the selection is 2012’s El Ultimo Elvis, directed by Armando Bo, which is about singer Carlos Gutiérrez who has always fancied himself as a reincarnation of Elvis Presley. He is forced to face the truth as he approaches the same age when his idol died. Also to be screened is Sorin’s El Camino de San Diego, about a young football fan who on hearing that Maradona has been hospitalised with cardiac problems, begins a trip to hand the star athlete a piece of wood that bears a likeness to him.
Where: Little Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point
When: Dec 11 & 12, 4.30 pm

BANGALORE

Film

Filmi fundas: It's the event film buffs in the city look forward to -- the Bengaluru International Film Festival kicks off on Thursday. This year's edition will see 160 films from 44 countries being screened across 11 cinema halls. Gender violence is one of the special themes of this edition, with seven films in this category. There will also be seminars and master classes organised as part of the festival.
Where: Multiple venues
When: December 4 to 11
Info: For details, log on to www.biffes.in or call 080 222­22­35­5

Music

Riffs from Mali: Folk fusion and blues musician Vieux Farka Toure, referred to as "The Hendrix of the Sahara," will be performing live in the city, as part of "Sharp Nights -- Masters of World Music" Toure, known for his blues riffs, was invited to perform at the opening of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. His latest album latest album Mon Pays was released as a homage to his home country, troubled by territorial fighting since January 2012.
Where: High Ultra Lounge, Brigade Gateway, Rajaji Nagar
When: December 6, 7 pm onwards
Info: For invitations, log on to https://www.facebook.com/BlackberrysMenswear

Theatre

Existential questions on stage: I Had A Dream takes inspiration from the theatre of the absurd made famous by the likes of Samuel Beckett and Eugene Ionesco. The play promises that "spectators will transcend from watching a show on stage to being a part of one in life and leave them with thoughts they will take back home, neatly wrapped in existential wisdom". The play has been written and directed by Shaurya Singh.
Where: Jagriti, Ramagondanahalli, Varthur Road
When: December 5 and 6, 8 pm
Info: Tickets available on www.bookmyshow.com

Art

Remember those single screens: Single screens are dying out, in cities and towns. A new photo exhibition, Hybrid Modernism: Movie Theatres in South India, examines these old-style movie halls, and the reinterpretation of western architectural influences in south India. A photo project by German photographers Haubitz and Zoche, it also reveals the aesthetic quality of these unusual buildings.
Where: Max Mueller Bhawan, CMH Road, Indira Nagar
When: December 6 to 11, 2.30 pm to 6.30 pm