KASHISH 2021: Jérôme Marrel, partner of fashion designer Wendell Rodricks, to continue his legacy of supporting the festival

KASHISH 2021 is inviting artists and graphic designers across the world to participate in the Wendell Rodricks Poster Design Contest to design the official festival poster and overall look for the festival’s upcoming edition. The theme for this edition is ‘Unlock With Pride’, representing the festival's mission to unlock geographical & racial barriers, and encourage love & acceptance of...

Lockdown diaries: Think local, think community, support small businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic

I live in London and have done all my life. It’s a bustling and busy City with a population of 8 million. You see people everywhere. Hustling. Shuffling. Rushing from here to there. This year, we became accustomed to phrases like lock down, self-isolate, global pandemic, social distancing, wash your hands, wear a mask, Zoom, ‘You’re on mute’, and...

Legendary contemporary dancer Astad A Deboo passes away in Mumbai

It is with deep sorrow we inform you of the sad demise of the famous Indian dancer Astad Adarbad Deboo, aged 73, in Mumbai on the morning of Thursday 10 December. The dance pioneer, and Padma Shri winner's death is being mourned by artists, friends and family in India and across the globe. Astad was born on 13 July...

A personal plea for generations to co-operate in saving the planet and our children’s futures

As far back as I can remember, I loved animals, plants, and trees — really anything that was outdoors and wild. Simply put, I was fascinated by the natural world. My interest was magnified when I spent a summer holiday in the Midlands with my grandparents. Even though I was only four years old, I remember so vividly the...

Rainbow Lit Fest’s ‘Digital & One’ 2020 to see coming together of over 50 leading authors, scholars, artists

To mark a year since its journey began and to underline the significance of oneness, the Rainbow Lit Fest – Queer & Inclusive has organized a two-day online series called 'Digital & One'. Being held over the weekend of December 5 & 6, the event will see the coming together of over 50 leading authors, poets, activists, scholars, filmmakers,...

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...

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...

Rahul Nangare, First Secretary (Trade) – a tenure of protecting heritage and championing diasporas

Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better, and this cannot be more true than of Rahul Nangare, the First Secretary (Trade) at the High Commission of India (HCI) in London. Rahul received the prestigious 'Specially Distinguished Record of Service Award' from the President of India for his outstanding work over a prolonged period of service,...

Fighting fake news the Logically way

The internet is the most powerful tool for sharing information that the world has ever seen. Sadly, it's also misused to spread false information or 'fake news' as President Trump likes to say. Combating lies and hate speech is a big challenge but fortunately there are champions out there who are battling to clean up the chaotic world of...

AI in cars – could randomness be the fairest way to deal with failure?

The idea of self-driving cars is an alluring one. Being able to kick back and watch a film or read a book, rather than fight ever-increasingly gridlocked traffic is a dream for many commuters. But, like with most technology, no one is worried when things work correctly, the problems arise when things go wrong. Who's to blame when there's...