KASHISH 2021: Swingin’ celebrates coming of age in the glow of Taiwan legalising same-sex marriage
SWINGIN' Dir: Shang-Sing Guo 23 min | 2020 | Taiwan | Chinese Screening on September 5 - Program 1 in the Short Film Package - SMILES AND SUNSHINE Swingin' is the first dramedy/music film of its kind since Taiwan became the first and the only country in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage. So when sixth-grader boy Qiu is bullied in school for having gay...
Havas Guruhi: When Music Crosses Borders
'No culture can thrive if it attempts to be exclusive' Poised with confidence, a young man in the spring of 2019 beautifully sang the iconic Bengali patriotic song Akla Cholo Re, penned by Rabindranath Tagore. The venue was the Embassy of Bangladesh in Tashkent. The year before, with equal ease, he presented at a Delhi concert, among other melodies, his...
Rhona Tasmia Rabbani – The bright, young FedEx-pert of the APAC region
People are the core of any business and those who are in charge of driving the people policies, hiring, development and engagement of talents, are the gatekeepers to that resource. Meet Rhona Tasmia Rabbani, the Managing Director of Talent & Learning for FedEx Express in the Asia Pacific region, one of the youngest directors in the region of this...
Kumartuli saga 2020: the hands that shape the Gods
The word ‘unprecedented times’ perhaps has found a new definition, since the Coronavirus pandemic hit different parts of the world since December last year. Among all the turmoil caused, the pandemic has changed the Durga Puja festival, the biggest celebrations for Hindu Bengalis around the world, where they gather for five days to seek the powerful matriarchal blessings of...
Samskrtam: the language of culture
An evening to celebrate 'Samskrtam the language of culture' through cultural programmes and an inspiring talk on "Sanskriti and Universal Culture" was organised by Samskriti Bharati UK, along with Nehru Centre and High Commission of India on 1 May. I was honoured to be able to host the programme. The esteemed guests were Mr. Nandkumar G - Head of Communications, Samskriti...
Lockdown Diaries: My fight with coronavirus boredom
My name is Ishaan Saxena and I am a student of year 5 in an international school in Hong Kong. My school has been closed since January end amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Home learning is one job to do but once you finish it, it gets boring. So I thought I could use this time to explore my interest and do something...
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...
Indian Independence Day Celebrations ‘Bharat Meri Jaan’ at Kings Cross
The Inspiring Indian Women (IIW), UK's largest women's group to bring together women from across the world and work towards bigger goals has, once again spread the feelings of patriotism and Indian culture, right in the heart of London through India's independence day celebrations, in a recent event at the Kings Cross Station. The initiative, designed to capture the attention...
Satyavad – a framework for a new future based on Indian principles
Samajwad (socialism) has had a chequered past in India. Back in the early 1870s, a group in Calcutta contacted Karl Marx with the purpose of organizing an Indian section of the First International! Marxism made quite an impact in Indian media at the time of the Russian Revolution. Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Bipin Chandra Pal were amongst the prominent...
One woman reports a rape every 15 minutes in India
One woman reported a rape every 15 minutes on average in India in 2018, according to government data released on Thursday, underlining its dismal reputation as one of the worst places in the world to be female. The highly publicised gang rape and murder of a woman in a bus in New Delhi in 2012 brought tens of thousands onto...
