The Friday List: From a Voot Select series shot during the lockdown to Atlas Obscura's talk on wax carving, your weekly calendar of virtual events

Compiled by Aishwarya Sahasrabudhe

The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted every day lives and while we all struggle to recreate life as we knew it, public gatherings, live events and concerts continue to elude us. Art and culture sectors and entertainment industries are hard hit as maintaining social distancing and the necessity of staying at home keeps on making our leisure time a largely virtual experience. And even as we have begun to ease out of the most stringent of restrictions, the landscape of our engagements and weekly dosages of entertainment continues to be moderated digitally, through the screen.

Every Friday, we'll bring you a curated list of online experiences — performances, talks, tours, screenings — to mark on your weekly calendar. On this week's #FridayList: a talk on wax carving, a performance exploring the mysticism of Sufi art and a web series shot from the confines of home.

— Plays, dance and music

In a bid to engage more and more connoisseurs of performing arts in online concerts at a time when theatres and auditoriums remain shut, the Royal Opera House, Mumbai has been showcasing archived performances on its virtual platforms every Wednesday and Saturday. This week, the opera house will be presenting a mesmerising performance by the renowned Sufi Kathak artiste and choreographer, Manjari Chaturvedi on a Sufi composition presented by Qawwal Ustad Ranjhan Ali from Amritsar, written by Baba Bulleh Shah in Punjabi. The second part of Sufiana Qalam and Sufi Kathak will witness Chaturvedi in a poetic dialogue with Sufi poet and actor Neesha Singh as the former recites the poems of Baba Bulleh Shah and Amir Khusrau, while the latter provides their English translations. The last part of this exploration of the Sufi mysticism will be dedicated to the bhakti bhaav featuring poetry by Mauj, sung by Qawwal Janab Nurul Hasan and performed by Chaturvedi.

When: 8 August (6 pm)

Where: Royal Opera House, Mumbai's YouTube channel

— Talks 

AVID Learning, along with the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) will be presenting, as part of its Sustainability NOW series, a talk by material explorer Spriha Chokhani in a live online session on Rethinking Materials. This Saturday's talk will feature Chokhani explaining the meaning of materials and their impact on the environment, examining their role on the circular economy and understanding material innovation. The session will also include Chokhani giving a demonstration of home-made recipes of bio-materials. Tune in to know more about sustainable design in the context of the piercing environmental crisis and how retailers and consumers can be educated more about responsible materiality.

To know more and register, click here.

When: 8 August (5 pm)

Inventions and discoveries, so many of them are just accidents which have led to big innovations and Nobel Prizes. Others have been flops, relegated into history's dark corners. Part of Atlas Obscura's Wonder From Home project, an ongoing stream of virtual programs scheduled during the coronavirus crisis, is the series, Accidental Discoveries which explores such by-chance inventions and the science behind them. This week, in Accidental Discoveries: In The Kitchen, host Kelly Reid will take her participants through the starting points of the Saran-Wrap, popsicles, Worcestershire sauce and more. Join in to engage in this lively, informative hour that figures out the source of the oddest of objects, the commonest of ingredients.

To know more and register, click here.

When: 7 August

Starting this weekend, music writer Narendra Kusnur will be kicking off the series Let's Talk Jazz, brought about by the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai. Every Friday, the artist will introduce his audiences to different concepts involved in jazz music to help them understand and appreciate the genre. In the live virtual sessions, he will be seen discussing the evolution of jazz, artists who have left an indelible imprint on jazz music and the contemporary scene for jazz in India. The first session is set to be an introduction to jazz as well as simple tips for appreciating its music and a brief talk on the musical instruments played in a particular piece. For all jazz novices, enthusiasts and amateurs, this is the place to be.

When: 7 August (5.30 pm)

Where: NCPA's Facebook page

— Streaming this week

Coming up on Voot Select this week is the thriller, The Gone Game, starring Sanjay Kapoor, Arjun Mathur, Shriya Pilgaonkar and Shweta Tripathi Sharma among others. The series follows the story of a mysterious death in one family that occurs during the coronavirus pandemic and a question that looms: was it a death due to the pandemic or a planned homicide? The Gone Game, shot from the confines of home during the periods of lockdowns and social distancing due to the COVID-19 crisis, promises to be a nail-biting thriller, as much for its mystery as for its filming, executed in its entirety during the last few months. For all enthusiasts of the mystery genre, this series makes for a binge-watch.

When: 7 August

Where: Voot Select

The Janhvi Kapoor-starrer, Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl, is also set to drop on Netflix this week and will tell the story of the eponymous air force pilot sent in to rescue her fellow officers during the India-Pakistan conflict of 1999. Directed by Sharan Sharma, the biopic will explore the journey of the officer, who was later honoured with the Shaurya Vir award for displaying exemplary bravery during the Kargil war. Tune in this week to know more about the life of this courageous Indian officer.

When: 12 August

Where: Netflix

From a Sufi Kathak recital to talks on wax carving and accidental discoveries, a list of virtual engagements for this week. (Top and Bottom Right) Images via Atlas Obscura

Arriving on Amazon Prime Video this weekend is season three of the popular series, Killing Eve, the critically acclaimed show that follows the story of Eve and Villanelle in a dark, intense drama. A bored, MI5 officer working a desk job on one hand and a mercurial but talented killer on the other, this cat and mouse chase is a thrilling ride into the lives of two very interesting characters as Eve gets tasked with hunting down an infamous assassin. The new season promises to be as thrilling and dramatic as the earlier ones, a perfect binge for a weekend at home.

When: 7 August

Where: Amazon Prime Video

— Interactive sessions

The Pune Collective will be bringing about on this Saturday a conversation titled The Story of Two Lockdowns featuring politician Mohammad Yusuf and activist and editor of Kashmir Times, Anuradha Bhasin. Both the speakers will be discussing the impact of the lockdown in the Jammu and Kashmir region and throw light on its journey since the abrogation of Article 370, the communication blockade that ensued, the attack on fundamental rights and press freedom. What is the road ahead and what are the implications of the lockdown? The talk will attempt to explore the finer points in these questions in an online session to be held in both Hindi and English. The Story of Two Lockdowns is a must attend for all who wish to dig deeper into the issues surrounding Jammu and Kashmir.

To know more and join the link to the talk, click here.

When: 8 August (6 pm)

This Saturday, author and danseuse Gitanjali Kolanad will be seen in a virtual session with Champaca Bookstore around her work of fiction, Girl Made of Gold, set in the 1920s around the devdasi culture in Tanjore. The story traces from multiple perspectives the disappearance of a young devdasi and the mysterious appearance of a gold figurine in the village temple to which she was dedicated. Kolanad, versed in Bharatnatyam and Kalaripayattu, has been immersed in the practice of Indian classical dance and martial art. Girl Made of Gold marks her debut novel. Join in the discussion to find out more about how her book came to be.

When: 8 August

Where: Champaca Book's Instagram

This virtual session brought forth by Atlas Obscura is set to explore some rare arts and have experts talk about their lesser-known craft. In this week's episode, The Secret Arts: Wax Carving, host Eric Grundhauser will be in conversation with wax artist, Heather O’Shaughnessy who has been using techniques inspired by 16th and 17th century European wax miniature portrait artists and wax flower makers in a process that involves sculpting, mold making, casting, carving, and painting. For art lovers and creative heads, the session, which provides a glimpse into a rare, intricate craft is a must attend.

To know more and register, click here.

When: 12 August

Kathak exponent and stalwart Aditi Mangaldas will be seen in a virtual conversation with the Executive Director of the India Foundation for the Arts, Arundhati Ghosh, hosted by the Bangalore International Centre, around the artist's work with her movement vocabulary and influences. In a collaboration with Raw Mango and Teamwork Fine Arts Society, Mangaladas, with performers at the Aditi Mangaldas Dance Company – The Drishtikon Dance Foundation, has brought about a series of short films, Within...From Within, which dive into her creative impulses and have been produced during the lockdown brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. The discussion will revolve around the motivations involved in making these films and the concerns faced by the art and culture sector in the times of the pandemic.

To know more and regiser, click here.

When: 7 August (6.30 pm)

An interesting discussion to be featured by the Bangalore International Centre is set to host artist Renuka Reddy and researcher Peter Lee in a conversation that explores the material and history of kalamkari, sharing insights into the techniques, motifs and markets involved in the development of this textile art across cultures through a long period of time. For those interested in fashion, fabrics and the business of Indian textiles, the session, Traditions and Transitions, promises to be an extremely enriching experience.

To know more and register, click here.

When: 8 August (6.30 pm)

Also read — Coronavirus outbreak: A database of books, performances, courses available online in these times of social distancing