Chennai diaries: Pearls, paintings, Pret and plates

Evoluzione, in collaboration with Mita Banker, presented An Heirloom Showcase — a curation celebrating heritage, artistry, and tradition. The exhibition highlighted the timeless beauty of Basra pearls alongside the intricate elegance of Pichwai paintings, bringing together two cherished artistic legacies. The event saw Chennai’s swish set in attendance, sparking plenty of interesting conversations around these heirloom treasures.

Our next stop was Apparao Galleries, which played host to Dance of the Five Elements – Fragments of Expressions, an evocative art exhibition by artist Anjali Venkat. This immersive showcase explored the five fundamental elements — Fire, Earth, Water, Air, and Space — forces that have shaped human perception of existence for centuries. Anjali’s work invited viewers to experience these elements not as distant concepts, but as energies alive within us all. The turnout included not just art aficionados, but also models, influencers and entrepreneurs, making for a lively and eclectic crowd.

One of the standout events of the week was an evening blending music and fashion, courtesy of Brigade Group. The evening unfolded in two parts — first, the grand launch of Icon, Brigade’s latest project set to transform the Chennai skyline. This was followed by a stunning fashion showcase featuring Namrata Joshipura’s latest collection, curated by Sabita and Upasana Asrani. The show itself was directed by Anu Ahuja, offering the select audience an unforgettable, immersive experience. From start to finish, it was a spectacle — and needless to say, Namrata’s collection earned rave reviews. As always, she reminded us why she’s known as ‘The Queen of Pret’.

On a side note, I also discovered that Namrata is a woman of many accomplishments — a conqueror of Mt. Kilimanjaro and a Boston-qualified marathon runner, with five World Major triumphs already under her belt and one final race to go.

Rounding off the week was the launch of Satti Kari, a fine dining restaurant in Akkarai, ECR, celebrating the flavours of Erode-style cuisine. The restaurant brings home-style cooking into a contemporary setting, with a firm focus on reviving age-old culinary traditions. From cold-pressed oils and in-house masalas to the use of the traditional viragu adupu (firewood stove), every element has been thoughtfully chosen to enhance taste and aroma.