Lockdown Diaries

Our series of articles all about how people are making the best of the situations caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Dance to Nihira Joshi Deshpande’s authentic Cuban music with Hindi lyrics

Germany based Nihira Joshi Deshpande has created an independent song with Hindi lyrics set to the melody of authentic Cuban music. This song  Ishq Manayein Kya? has gone viral. Nihira is an internationally acclaimed popular singer, composer, independent music producer, Spanish translator come interpreter. Nihira Joshi Deshpande has been singing for many Marathi and Hindi films, worked with Shankar...

Kaushalya UK’s upcoming project will share stories to empower and uplift women around the world

An upcoming anthology of women titled ‘The New Woman’ - a project lead by Ritu Sharma, is a collection of 34 stories of women who have undergone transformation through adversity, spread across five continents,. The book will be launched on 27 July. Under the umbrella of Ritu's organisation Kaushalya UK, the anthology will showcase "women who have been broken by...

Lockdown Diaries: Abhishek Buddhadev seizes the lockdown as an opportunity, self-isolation as power of growth

Life always gives us the opportunity to improve ourselves, raise our voice, head, and self-esteem to overcome negativity. I was a bullied kid in school and lost the confidence to live life, but I recall the quote of "Do or Die". It's better to Do something else, as I already felt the situation of Dying in my depression. I started...

Edinburgh’s community spirit during the “new normal”

We are living in a “new normal”. Social distancing, wearing masks, sanitizing hands, and along with that being “digital/online”. Considering that large public gatherings are not permitted, keeping in mind the current prevailing COVID-19 situations, SABASH (Scottish Association of Bengali Arts and Sanskritik Heritage) and the Scottish Indian Arts Forum (SIAF) organised online Durga Puja and digital Dusherra celebrations...

Lockdown Diaries: The power of easy-to-make vegan gluten-free pitaya energy balls

I was not a vegan all my life. My journey began after my lovely daughters Nurbanu (26) and Farin (21) turned vegan about five years back and inspired me to do the same, especially when I started experiencing a lot of muscular pain. They pointed out that I was overall following a rather unhealthy diet. Even though they were...

‘Evening Shadows’ to screen in London marking LGBTQ+ History Month

Sridhar Rangayan’s gay drama kicks off series of films as part of London Indian Film Festival (LIFF) The UK and Europe’s largest South Asian film festival, the London Indian Film Festival  (LIFF) is kicking off its 2021 series of films and marking LGBT+ History Month with a screening of Sridhar Rangayan’s feature film Evening Shadows, a tender heart-warming story, set in...

Lockdown Diaries: A child’s perspective about managing adults during this period

Adults and parents are often the cause of a child’s confusion and irritation. This is a piece of writing to help children understand and manage adults (especially parents) better. Behavior Adult behavior is very peculiar, at least to children. The behaviors vary as much as teenagers. They can be happy, angry, tired, and the one I am most familiar with (and I’m...

Lockdown Diaries: Intolerance against Afghan Sikhs in a time of pandemic damned by Sikhs across the world

The world is reeling from a global coronavirus pandemic. Afghanistan's capital city, Kabul, went into lockdown for three weeks, beginning on 27 March. Residents are supposed to stay at home and avoid all non-essential travel. With bigger problems in the world, you might think that there would be some tolerance and understanding in these times, but clearly not. I am...

Concerns are growing over the ‘deep’ racial inequality that the spread of the virus has exposed in Britain

Black and Asian people are more likely than white people to be fined in London under coronavirus laws, official data showed on Wednesday, as tens of thousands gathered in the British capital to protest against racism. More than half the penalties issued by London police between 27 March and 14 May for breaching new laws created to stop the spread...

KASHISH 2020 to screen India’s first gay film ‘Badnam Basti’, lost and found after 49 years

Register for KASHISH 2020 at http://mumbaiqueerfest.com/attend/ Director Prem Kapoor's 'Badnam Basti', India's first gay film released in 1971, only to be lost to obscurity for around five decades, and found in a Berlin archive, will be screened at KASHISH 2020. Considered as one of first Indian films to explore same-sex relationship, Badnam Basti was made in 1971 and features a...