AAW #177

One of India’s biggest robotics competitions comes to Ahmedabad this week. Bengalis of Ahmedabad can listen to Subhamita Banerjee perform live with Bangla band The Folk Diaryz. Book-lovers, meanwhile, can await a two-week long book fair starting next week.

Our 177th Ahmedabad Art Weekly starts with one of India’s biggest robotics competitions, the World Robot Olympiad India National Championship, for which students between the ages of 9 to 25 can present their robot creations. Or if you’re more into the environment than technology, then listen to a talk by wildlife enthusiast Sumaiya Haseeb, who has been rescuing reptiles in Ahmedabad and Baroda since more than 17 years now.

Musicians can head for the Musicians Meetup to jam with other like-minded creatives, in an evening hosted by Meera Desai at House of Rock. Talking about music, fans of Bengali music should not miss out on the fusion concert between Ghazal singer Subhamita Banerjee and Bangla band The Folk Diaryz. If you’re looking for some head-banging music though, head to Rapscallion to experience that classic rock isn’t dead yet!

Looking for a good laugh? Then head to Manoj Dogra’s Jokes Kiii Dukaan show this weekend. Or for some serious on-stage drama, watch actor Pratik Gandhi, who is known for his roles in films like Love Ni Bhavai, depict the chronicles of author Chandrakant Bakshi’s life in the play Hun Chandrakant Bakshi.

Art appreciators and collectors can head to the Katurbhai Lalbhai Museum to listen to Sotheby’s senior director Yamini Mehta and art collector Jayshree Lalbhai talk about art collections and institutions. Or walk the streets of Dhal Ni Pole with other culture enthusiasts this Sunday. The month also concludes on a promising note for literature enthusiasts with the two-week long book fair called The Bookish Affair.

The inspiration for our 177th Art Weekly is the magician K Lal, or Kantilal Girdharilal Vora. Born in Bagasara village of Gujarat, K Lal spent more than six decades performing magic tricks all over the world, performing more than 20,600 magic shows. This was the highest record of magic shows held by a person in 2004. The International Brotherhood of Magicians, USA, honoured K Lal with the title of world’s fastest magician. The illusionist’s legacy is succeeded by that of his son Harshad Vora, also known  as Jr K Lal.