I always try, especially in the summer, not to talk about the weather, but somehow the conversation at most social gatherings circles back to it. We lament about the heat, insisting that it has never been ‘this’ hot before, comforting each other through our shared difficulty. Thankfully, this week, the conversation had other directions to go in, focusing on young Lydian Nadhaswaram and the upcoming IPL. The former is one of the cutest 13-year-olds I’ve ever seen. And after watching video after video on YouTube, of him chatting with everyone from AR Rahman to Ellen Degeneres, not to mention his prodigious musical skills, it’s safe to say I’m a huge fan. The latter, of course, will be taking up a lot of our time over the next couple of months, with our boys in yellow having to defend their title.
We’ve also seen a slew of café openings over the past couple of weeks and adding to the list was the launch of Coffee House, a new hangout on Mount Road. Witty puns and complicated concoctions were replaced by good ol’ Madras style filter coffee. In a departure from the usual, the venue was inaugurated by Mr Vikaramaraja, President of the Chamber of Commerce. Meanwhile, across town ‘Nidhi’s’ presented Envogue and Enchanted Village, a pop-up that focused not just on retail therapy, but on healing and wellness as well. So everything from the latest in fashion to tarot card readers, psychics and healers. Talk about a one-stop-shop. We also spotted quite a few cute outfits, perfect for spring-summer.
Closing out the week was the convocation and photography exhibition of KAPA (K’s Academy of Photographic Arts), a venture of photographer Karthik Srinivasan. Inaugurating the ceremony was cinematographer Ravi Varman, whose presence was a major encouragement to the students, who were thrilled to have their work on display. In attendance were models, members of the film fraternity and P3 regulars.