Uttorsori: The Generation Next Festival celebrated virtually over eight hours
The 7th season of Essex Indians UK's flagship event 'Uttorsori: Generation Next Festival' went virtual this year on the 21 June. Started in 2014 to encourage children and young adults to become a part of the cultural heritage and focus on project related to global causes, the event has grown from strength to strength over the past years. The one-of its...
KASHISH 2020: 52 films compete for a total cash award of Rs 1,80,000
The 11th edition of KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival, South Asia’s biggest LGBTQIA+ film festival, has decided to go online this year as KASHISH 2020 Virtual from July 22 to July 30. The festival will screen 157 films from 42 countries out of which 52 films compete in the 9 competition categories that includes Best Narrative Feature, Best Screenplay, Best...
Satyameva Jayate, Laissez-aller and India
When distant memories have crystallised in time, frozen, a story can begin. When the whiffs of half-forgotten glories rustle through the leaves of the Tree of Life, say the Kalpavriksha or Shajarat al-Kholoud or Etz Chaim, the poetry of existence commences. Tales and bardic narrations that trip and traipse and wander around, as if in a stupor, in the by-lanes...
Turbulent times for gay rights
LGBTQ+ rights are going through a turbulent time at the moment, mostly notably due to the potential good news that the Supreme Court India is deliberating marriage equality for gay couples with public opinion in Indian in favour of it, versus the terrible news that Uganda has passed a new anti-homosexuality act which introduces the death penalty as a...
Bhavna Juneja: US-based entrepreneur, empowering women and revolutionising real estate in India
Being an entrepreneur isn't just something you do, it's something you are. It's not something which everyone could, or indeed should, do. However, some individuals clearly thrive on the challenge and love to change the world for the better. Bhavna Juneja is one of those individuals. Bhavna is Global Vice President-IT Services Life Science & Infrastructure at Infinity, a Stamford...
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...
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...
International Mother Language Day – the challenges with immigration
In 1999, following an initiative by Bangladesh, UNESCO declared that 21 February would be International Mother Language Day, and it's been observed every year since the turn of the millennium. The date has significance because it was in 1952 that thousands amassed in Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka, to protest against the suppression of their native language. Preserving culture The goal for this day...
Diwali – a victory of light over dark
Diwali is a Hindu festival of lights, celebrated every year in autumn. One of the most poplar festivals of Hinduism, it spiritually signifies the victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance. This will be our first Diwali in Hong Kong, and Diwali this year is around the same time of our term-break, so we hope...
Ketan Dattani speaks on how to rebuild in the post Covid economy
No event in recent history has affected us as profoundly and pervasively as the pandemic. It signifies a completely unprecedented circumstance, as novel as it is life-changing. The virus has not only infected thousands, but has thrust us into an economic recession. How long, how deep and how many are impacted by the recession will be influenced not just by the...
