Lockdown Diaries: Restauranteur Chinten Pandya supports NHS workers and the needy with free Indian meals
Chinten Pandya, a civil engineer and restaurant owner of Desi Dhaba, had to close his businesses following the government's guidelines but he and his wife Mona have never been busier. They are using his Feb-launched restaurant to feed hundreds of NHS workers, the vulnerable and needy in the community. The Wembley-based Director of Apna Construction Ltd. has turned the restaurant...
Ava’s Ark: an animal lover whose passion is her profession
If it's one thing that anyone close to me knows it is that I am an animal lover and, like with most animals, when our happy spirits meet its always love at first sight. As my passion for animals grew, the need to understand their behaviour and patterns grew as well. I decided to get a certification which would help...
My sunshine – a personal encounter
In celebration of World Mental Health Week. A Beautiful Story. A Beautiful Mind. A Beautiful Movie. An enduring image - 1994. Princeton. All his fellow professors honour him as they walk up and hand over their coveted pens to John Nash, the Nobel Laureate in Economics and schizophrenic who learnt to battle his demons with the support of his wife, Alicia, always...
Triumph of good over tear-gas: an extraordinary story of Hong Kong Bengali Association’s Durga Puja
‘Wherever you go, a bit of Calcutta will go with you. I know, because it’s happened to me. And every Puja, I am overcome by the magic of Bengal. It’s a feeling that’ll never go away.’ Vir Sanghvi ‘If you want a city with a soul: come to Kolkata’ True that! The Kolkata virus never quite goes away, and the infection...
Swarnavel Eswaran’s first feature film Kattumaram (Catamaran) gets a standing ovation at BFI during LIFF 2019
Kattumaram (Catamaran), the coming-of-age tale of Tsunami-survivors in a small village where a conservative maternal uncle supports his orphaned niece and nephew while they struggle with their simple but complicated lives, has been very well received by London film-lovers. As a part of the London Indian Film Festival, LIFF 2019, Kattumaram had its European Premiere at the iconic BFI...
The first Diwali at Scottish Parliament symbolises camaraderie of communities
The first Diwali hosted in the Scottish Parliament was celebrated this year on the Hindu auspicious day of Vijaya Dashami and the 20th Anniversary of the Scottish Parliament on 8th October. The coinciding celebrations of important festivals and events with significant community leaders was a deliberate plan to symbolise the camaraderie between the communities. The five-day-long Hindu festival of lights, representing...
Lockdown Diaries: Bamboo House India supports waste pickers, daily wage earners with continued livelihood and aid
'My Waste, My Responsibility' is the mantra followed by Hyderabad-based social enterprise Bamboo House, India. Prashant Lingam, who co-founded the initiative along with his wife Aruna Kappagantula in 2006, moved from making eco-friendly bamboo homes to recycled eco-friendly plastic homes, plastic paver titles and kiosks for street vendors, using tonnes of used plastic garbage that would otherwise end up...
Delicious ambiguity drives dancer to greater heights
She is a Gold medalist in her Masters in Bharatnatyam dance, an actor, and a lawyer. Suhani Dhanki Mody, an established silver-screen actress, has recently relocated to London after her marriage and plans to concentrate on her career as a Bharatnatyam Danseuse. A lawyer from the well-known Government Law College at the University of Mumbai, the multi-talented Suhani has...
Unique Indian spirituality paintings to be exhibited at the Nehru Centre
Sushma Johari Madan is a spiritual artist, incorporeal teacher and the author of two books on Indian mythology. Sushma's exclusive collection of paintings titled “Ancient beliefs or Science?” will be showcased at the Nehru Centre for the first time from 22 to 25 July. The event is open to all and Sushma encourages everyone to take time out to...
Remembering Saint Sankardev and his enduring legacy
The Indian panorama offers a scintillating view of a potpourri of culture and tradition that the country can boast of. The tapestry of each state is woven by a rich cultural heritage that is distinctive and firmly embedded to its soil. Warmly nestled in the north-eastern part of India is Assam. The name at once resonates with the...
