Women of my billion (WOMB): An unequivocal film made while walking the length of India to champion equality and end violence against women
Walking 3,800 kilometers might seem like a vast task in itself, but that was only scratching the surface of what Srishti Bakshi aimed to achieve. Her astounding story is told in a new documentary called Women of My Billion (WOMB). The film is a pragmatic, heart-warming documentary about the movement that Srishti Bakshi started. As the Founder of CrossBow...
Celebrating India’s Constitution Day
India celebrated its seventieth constitution day on 26 November, in different High Commissions and Consulates across the globe, with the Indian High Commission in London being one of them. India's constitution provides us equality, freedom of speech, right to education and human dignity. Here is a short speech by Dr Prerna Tambay, who spoke in the Indian High Commission in...
World Mental Health Day 2020: Trailing Spouse Syndrome
You're faced with an exciting opportunity. Your wife, husband, partner, other half, has the chance to get a new role in another country. Odds are that there is a pay rise involved and new challenges, possibly extra responsibility...for them. Even though some of those things will improve your life too it might lead to depression, anxiety, and loneliness. The...
KASHISH 2023 announces new Ismat Chughtai Award for best Indian woman filmmaker
The 14th KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival, South Asia’s biggest LGBTQ+ film festival, announced institution of a new award from this year - the Ismat Chughtai Award for Best Indian Woman Filmmaker, instituted in memory of eminent Indian Urdu novelist, short story writer, liberal humanist and filmmaker Ismat Chughtai, by her grandson and filmmaker Ashish Sawhny. “I am delighted...
Local group helping to save the wildlife of London’s River Thames
The Thames has a long and murky history. It wasn't just the main thoroughfare to move products and raw materials all along its length, but it was also used to dump industrial waste, among other things. In 1957, the Natural History Museum declared that the river was biologically dead. However, over the years there have been many improvements, such as...
Touching Chords, Raising Questions: What Will People Say?
Culture and tradition weave the tapestry of our identity. Every community takes pride in the customs they follow and the values they adhere to. It is hoped that these beliefs are practiced by one generation after another. But can the legacy be comfortably handed down at the crossroads where the winds of a new culture blow against the existing...
ONE WORLD International Queer Film Festival to showcase the best of American queer films online
The inaugural edition of ONE WORLD International Queer Film Festival (Virtual) that showcases the best of American queer cinema, will be held from June 18 - 20, 2021. The festival is organized by India's oldest LGBTQ+ organization, The Humsafar Trust, in collaboration with KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival and is supported by the U.S. Consulate General Mumbai. You...
More scholarships for Indian students through LSE’s new India programme
In a positive move for the education sector in the UK, Boris Johnson has reversed the restrictive immigration policy for international students that drastically slashed the time for foreign students to find a job after graduating, from two years to four months. The policy, introduced by May as Home Secretary in 2012, had proved extremely detrimental to Britain’s popularity as...
Multi-faith celebration marks 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak
Multiple faiths truly came together in Edinburgh at an event held to celebrate the 550th anniversary of the birth of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism. It was a ground-breaking evening arranged a Muslim organisation, supported by a Hindu organisation, and hosted by the Christian Lord Provost. It was attended by all faiths and was a wonderful showcase of...
Opinion: Those who do not learn from history end up repeating it with even more dire consequences
Sant Bhindranwale, an unelected and self-appointed leader, promised Sikhs extra rights and benefits in a secular and democratic country, India, where equality for all is enshrined in its constitution. He offered the Sikhs more benefits than the elected Chief Minister of Punjab could give them. He played on the human weakness of wanting to get something for nothing. The result...
