Short story: “Swan song”
The phone rings rudely and raucously, rousing me from my restful slumber at the unearthly hour of 4 by my bedside alarm clock. I reach for it irritably, then pause. It can only be her. No one else would ever call me at this hour. Yet it cannot possibly be her. She has been gone from my life for over...
KASHISH 2020 Virtual to open with French film ‘The Shiny Shrimps’
The 11th edition of KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival is all set to open on July 22nd with the French film The Shiny Shrimps, directed by Maxime Govare and Cédric Le Gallo. The film about a homophobic Olympic swimmer trying to coach an amateur gay water-polo team to qualify for the Gay Games in Croatia was a huge...
KASHISH 2020: Taruna Khanagwal’s Un.Suitables is a must-watch for everyone
UN.SUITABLES http://mumbaiqueerfest.com/indian-masala-mix-ii/ 26 min / 2019 / Narrative Short / India Dir: Taruna Khanagwal Producer, Key cast: Akshay Saraswat KASHISH 2020 Virtual, the 11th edition of KASHISH Mumbai International Queer FilmFestival, South Asia's biggest LGBTQIA+ film festival will run from July 22nd - July 30th screening 157 films from 42 countries. You can register to attend the festival from anywhere in the world. Check...
Teacher turns author to keep Gujarati alive for future generations
Growing up in a multicultural, multiethnic, and multilingual London has been a key factor in shaping my identity. I am British – born and bred. A true Londoner. And I am as Indian as they come. My childhood was an Indian one, from the food, the language, the weekend activities, to the way I interact with people; my experiences have...
An exclusive tete-a-tete with Rima Das about ‘Bulbul can Sing’
Assamese director Rima Das returned to the London Indian Film Festival (LIFF) this year with a powerful story of three teenagers and their journey of self-exploration, in her movie Bulbul Can Sing. Set in the rural northeast state of Assam, the village Rima grew up in, this picturesque and honest film has already swept up prestigious awards at Berlin,...
Lockdown Diaries: Saurav Dutt, author of ‘Dear Mr Bachchan’ talks about the joys of lockdown creativity
Now is the time to take the magic of words, music, art, and creativity and to allow them to inspire, comfort and empower you during the mental tests of Lockdown. There is joy in finding magic and solace in the written word, and the most testing of times empowers one to find enchantment among sentences, to flesh out the fabric of...
MCR Uni to present songs, workshop on Bengali folklore
The Mancunians are gearing up to experience an afternoon of Bengali folk songs at the Heaton Mersey Community Centre, in Stockport on 23 June. Hosted by the University of Manchester at the Heaton Mersey Community centre, this day-long workshop will be a public engagement activity involving Bengali folk songs connected with the work, life and rituals of the community, as...
Lockdown Diaries: Director-Producer Faraz Ansari raises funds to support transgenders and daily wage earners in the film industry
The COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the worst epidemics that the world has witnessed within living memory. The lockdown imposed by governments across the world has been a huge setback for industries across the world, and for many in the busy Bollywood industry, this shutdown has spelt doom for the thousands making their living out of it. Faraz Arif...
The Piano
An eerie hum of silence roamed through the dark room. Dust floated around revealing itself when hit by the light coming through the small window at the end of the large, echoey room. The piano stool squeaked as the man adjusted himself. The man cleared his throat and touched the cold, ivory keys. Thousands of memories flooded back into...
Through the lens from a second home: the journey of an NRI American
A quote from Heraclitus aptly summarizes in paradoxical terms the truth about the story of human civilization : “The only thing that is constant is change.” At times, the pace is too fast to keep up with. As a first generation resident in the United States, I often reflect on the changes related to the Indian diaspora. What I...
