The Weekend Guide

CARNIVAL
Dog A’Fair Carnival
If you are in possession of a dog or harbour an unfulfilled desire to own one, then drop into the fourth annual Dog A’Fair carnival at the Radio Club this weekend. Indulge your mutt by picking up cakes (dog-friendly of course) at The Spoilt Brat or Pooch Matters “barkery” stalls, or get their mug shot at the photo studio (or if you have time, then get a sketch). If you’ve always firmly attested to your dog’s near-human abilities to empathise, then enroll him or her in the personality contest. There will also be grooming stalls as well as those selling dog food plus tarot card readers and behavioural therapists to sort out Fido’s fascination with toilet paper.
When: Saturday, January 7 and Sunday, January 8, from 2pm to 10pm.
Where: Radio Club, Apollo Bunder, Colaba. Email dogfairindia@yahoo.com or call 98210 62106 to register your dog. Entrance is free. Attendees without dogs can walk in without prior registration. For more details, visit the Facebook page.

SHOPPING
Sales!
The New Year usually begins with hangovers and piles of work left over from the previous month of slacking off. Cheer yourself up by shopping some of the many sales around town. At multi-designer boutique Le Mill, you can find jackets, silk shirts, vibrant print jersey dresses and more by labels like Vanessa Bruno, Heimstone and Saloni Lodha, all up to 50 per cent off. Gird yourself for the first of high-street favourite Zara’s biannual sales; most of the store’s Autumn/Winter 2011 collection, including men’s, women’s and children’s lines, is up to 50 per cent off. Lastly, save a little (or a lot) for Strand Book Stall’s annual blowout sale, where everything from popular paperback fiction to sumptuous coffee table books is up to 80 per cent off.
When: For all details, see here and here.
Where: For details for Zara and Le Mill, see here. Strand Book Stall’s sale is being held at Sunderbai Hall, near Churchgate Station, behind the Income Tax Office, New Marine Lines. Call 2266 1994 for details.

MUSIC
Live From The Console
We’ve recommended the Live From The Console series of concerts in this newsletter before, but with good reason. At Rs150 a ticket for a rockumentary screening and three acts, it’s one of the best—and most affordable—ways to spend a Saturday night out. This particular edition is special not because it features an all-female line-up but because the women in question include two sparkling singer-songwriters. The sweet, pastoral charm of Scottish vocalist Rachel Sermanni’s songs have led the likes of Mumford and Son’s Ben Lovett to tip her as UK indie folk-pop’s next big thing; the other girl-with-a-guitar, Bangalore-based Gowri has been impressing audiences across that city with her evocative musings on urban Indian life. Also on the bill is a showing of Talihina Sky—The Story of Kings of Leon and a performance by Mumbai-based Hindi and English pop band Nirmika and the Few Good Men, fronted by journalist Nirmika Singh.
When: Saturday, January 7, from 6.30pm.
Where: Recording Studio, First Floor, Mehboob Studios, Hill Road, Bandra (West). The entrance fee is Rs150 per head. Call 99675 39983 for details.

ALSO AROUND TOWN
• Shop at Paramparik Karigar’s latest exhibition, where artisans from across India will sell everything from tribal art work to silver jewellery. Until Monday, January 9, from 10am to 8pm. Kamala Raheja Hall, Kamala Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute of Architecture, Vidyanidhi Complex, near Kaifi Azmi Park, Vidyanidhi Marg, JVPD Scheme. For details, see the Facebook page.

• See the complex beauty and chaos of cities around the world, as photographed by Mala Mukerjee, Smita Barooah Sanyal and Chandan Dubey in their group show “Sublime Chaos of Cities” at the Piramal Art Gallery. From Friday, January 6 to Sunday, January 15, noon to 8pm. National Centre for the Performing Arts, NCPA Marg, Nariman Point. Tel: 6622 3737.

• Watch some of the country’s most renowned musical talent at Aadi Anant, a new Indian classical music festival organised by the National Centre for the Performing Arts. On Saturday, January 7, at 7pm, tabla player Zakir Hussain, keyboardist Louiz Banks, violinist Ganesh Rajgopalan and flautist Rakesh Chaurasia will come together in a concert conceptualised by Hussain that will blend Hindustani and Carnatic classical music with jazz. Tickets are priced at Rs300, Rs500, Rs750 and Rs1,000. On Sunday, January 8, at 7pm, Hindustani classical singer Rashid Khan and sitar player Shujaat Khan will perform solo as well as together. Tickets are priced at Rs150, Rs300, Rs500 and Rs750. Tata Theatre, National Centre for the Performing Arts, NCPA Marg, Nariman Point. Tel: 6622 3737.

• Attend Mumbai Sanskruti, a two-day festival of Hindustani classical music organised by the Indian Heritage Society, which will feature performances by singer Shubha Mudgal and tabla player Aneesh Pradhan on Saturday, January 7, and santoor player Shivkumar Sharma on Sunday, January 8. The performances, which will begin at 7pm, are free; passes are available at the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation office on Madame Cama Road; Rhythm House in Kala Ghoda (Tel: 4322 2701); and the Maharashtra Watch Co. in Dadar West (Tel: 2422 3011). Asiatic Society Library Steps, Shahid Bhagat Singh Road, Kala Ghoda.

• Laugh at the often-lewd tunes of Mumbai-based comedy rock band Workshop at their reunion gig (they had disbanded at the end of June 2011) this Sunday, January 8, at 9pm, at Blue Frog. The entrance fee is Rs200. Mathuradas Mills Compound, Tulsi Pipe Road, Lower Parel. Tel: 6158 6158.