Lockdown Diaries: Arya Taware of FutureBricks shares her hands-on attitude to success

I love to start my day properly by making sure I’m awake at 6am. I’ll either go for a morning walk or run everyday before I sit at my desk. I find that routine is everything right now and can help everyone mentally separate the very thin line between personal and professional life. Remaining positive As an entrepreneur and founder, it’s...

“Photograph” – the closing film at LIFF, awards, accolades, Q&A and more

The 10th Edition of the London Indian Film Festival (LIFF)'s London chapter came to an end on 29 June, with the European Premier of Director Ritesh Batra's feature "Photograph" at the BFI Southbank. LIFF continues to run in Birmingham and Halifax till 8 July. The Closing Night has traditionally been popular for announcing the winner of the Satyajit Ray Short...

Tribute to Sushma Swaraj, the transformational leader who achieved so many firsts

People are still struggling to come to terms with the biggest loss of Indian politics. Sushma Swaraj played a prominent role in Indian politics. People will always remember Sushma Swaraj as a dynamic leader. She set new standards in politics. She lived with Indian traditional values while she made her mark in global politics. She was one of the most...

Gaurav Bakshi’s “#Gadhvi” brings a new flavour to London Indian Film Festival during it’s world premiere at the Barbican

The 10th Edition of the London Indian Film Festival (LIFF) showcased an extraordinary social and political satire about a man who could be Mahatma Gandhi's reincarnation, in the film strand Film, Power & Politics at the Barbican and Cineworld Wembley, in June. It is the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi this year and director Gaurav Bakshi really wanted his...

Mother bares her soul about the domestic abuse her daughter suffered

A grieving mother is chronicling the abuse her daughter’s ex-boyfriend inflicted upon her in a new book after a sustained period of physical and emotional abuse led to her taking her own life in 2016. Miss Meera Dalal had experienced physical and mental abuse for years and which ultimately led the Leicester-based NHS professional to tragically take her own life...

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...

Coronavirus – beware the fear

I am a Mum. I have two daughters and I worry for them. Usually it's the typical apprehension about whether they will grow up healthy and have jobs which will sustain them, not only financially but also satisfy them emotionally. Today I'm worried about coronavirus, but not in the way you might expect. I recently saw a story online, on...

Home-made choco bar by a nine-year-old

I am not a great fan of chocolate - although that might seem a little strange since all children like chocolate. I love fruity flavours more than pure chocolate. So the chocolate bar I made included dry raspberries, watermelon-flavoured popping candy, and bits of honeycomb. If you like dry fruits like almonds, nuts, and raisins then you shall enjoy this...

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...

US right-wing QAnon conspiracy theories morph after spreading to India

Conspiracy theorists in India are seizing the opportunity to co-opt what in the Western world is better known as the QAnon conspiracy theory. Before his Twitter account was suspended, Indian lawyer Vibhor Anand published some big “revelations” to his 87k followers. Anand shared a tweet with pictures of Bollywood stars Salman Khan and Jacqueline Fernandes, as well as members...