Taj Mahal among new seven world wonders
By IANS
Lisbon : The Taj Mahal in Agra was included in the new Seven Wonders of the World announced at a star-studded ceremony held here, bringing joy to millions of Indians who had voted for the 17th Century monument of love.
Himachal to get 50 rare miniature paintings
By IANS,
Shimla : Himachal Pradesh will get 50 "rare miniature paintings" from the Delhi-based National Museum, an official said here Wednesday.
"National Museum will provide 50 rare 'pahari' miniature paintings to us. These will be displayed at Dharamsala's Kangra Arts Museum," Art, Language and Culture Department director Prem Sharma told IANS.
He said a memorandum of understanding in this regard was signed between the state government and the National Museum in Delhi Wednesday.
Manipuri theatre chants ‘Shree Krishna Kirtan’ in Dhaka
By IANS,
Dhaka : A local Manipuri theatre group performed "Shree Krishna Kirtan" and a traditional art form "Natpala" at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy to celebrate its 12th anniversary.
"Shree Krishna Kirtan" is the troupe's 13th production. When the play was first staged, it was over three hours long. However, at its repeat performance here, the troupe had to whittle down the play to one hour and five minutes.
Shubhashish Shameer adapted the play from a medieval piece written by Baru Chandidas, local reports said.
Sikh man ousted from Donald Trump’s rally in US
Washington: A turban-clad Sikh man was ousted out of Donald Trump's campaign rally in US, after he interrupted the Republican presidential frontrunner's speech by...
Father’s Day: B-Town wishes their ‘hero’ of life
Mumbai: “Wonderful”, “hero”, “best man”, “prince” are some of the tags that Bollywood stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Sonakshi Sinha have...
Indian TV channel Nepal1 staff ends strike
By IANS
Kathmandu : The staff of Indian television channel Nepal1 here have called off their 18-day strike after an agreement with the management, media reports said.
Life studies to abstraction: 60 years of Ram Kumar on canvas
By Madhusree Chatterjee, IANS,
Yoga guru Ramdev wants to enter politics, decries ‘weak leadership’
By Madhusree Chatterjee, IANS,
Hong Kong : Indian yoga guru Swami Ramdev, who has helped popularise ancient fitness regimens and traditional ayurvedic medicine in different parts of the world, wants to contribute to politics now to realise "the India of my dreams".
"I have political ambitions, but not to grab power. I want to change the way of life and thoughts of those who are in power," the 55-year-old guru said.
Kolkata soaks in Christmas fervour
Kolkata : Enjoying the irresistible aroma of baking cakes and brewing wines and of spending quality time with loved ones, Kolkata on Friday deluged...
Ancient pilgrimages in Bhaderwah, Kishtwar tell a willful tale of neglect
By Eff Ahmed,NAK
Jammu : The mainstay of state economy is tourism but ancient pilgrimages like Kailash Yatra, Machail Yatra and Reushira Devi Yatra in mountainous Bhaderwah and Kishtwar tell a tale of willful neglect.
Sources told News Agency of Kashmir that those at the helm of affairs have not done enough to develop these places of tourist pilgrimages with required infrastructure to attract pilgrims.
30,000 ‘follow’ Kamal Haasan within 24 hours on Twitter
Chennai: As many as 30,000 people have "followed" actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan on Twitter within 24 hours of him joining the micro-blogging site.
Haasan joined Twitter...
Son decries Husain’s exclusion from annual art fair
By IANS,
New Delhi: As the country gears up for its annual art fair - India Art Summit - August 19-22, the name missing from the summit rolls is of self-exiled Maqbool Fida Husain.
For the second time in a row, the summit has failed to bring India's best known face in international art to the three-day fair.
Veteran actor Saeed Jaffrey dead
Mumbai: Veteran Indian-born British actor Saeed Jaffrey died on Sunday, a close relative said.
He was 86, according to his niece Shaheen Aggarwal, who shared...
‘Naya Daur’: another B&W film goes colour
By IANS
Mumbai : In a tribute to his father B.R. Chopra, filmmaker Ravi Chopra will release the coloured version of the evergreen black and white classic "Naya Daur" (1957) all over India June 22.
Quaint melody – young musicians play for street children
By Shweta Srinivasan, IANS,
New Delhi : Adheer Ghosh, 20, is very busy like many other Delhi University students who are juggling daylong extra-curricular activities in addition to academics. But there is a distinction in this young guitarist's weekly schedule - a two-hour session when he conducts music workshops for street kids at Shastri Nagar in north Delhi.
Ghosh is a volunteer with Music Basti, an initiative of young musicians of the city to interact at a forum with street and homeless children.
Chandigarh’s Kala Gram to be modelled after Dilli Haat
By IANS,
Chandigarh : New Delhi's Dilli Haat, a replica of a village marketplace where artisans display and sell their wares directly to customers, is going to be an inspiration for Chandigarh's Kala Gram that houses India's biggest sculpture park.
"We are developing one part of the Kala Gram on the lines of Dilli Haat. We will construct around 70-80 shops. These shops will be given on very nominal charges to artists, artisans and painters to showcase and sell their creations," R.T. Jindal director of north zone cultural centre (NZCC), told IANS.
Orissa celebrates harvest festival ‘Nuakhai’
By IANS
Bhubaneswar : Millions of people in Orissa Sunday offered the first crop of the season to their presiding deities in celebration of the harvest festival of 'Nuakhai' that spreads the message of goodwill and brotherhood.
People celebrated the festival in western Orissa to welcome the first crop of the season in their fields and offered the new yield to gods and goddesses and also worshipped cattle.
After offering it to their presiding deities, the worshippers from different castes and communities ate the offerings called 'nua' (new).
Seeing history-laden Hyderabad through many eyes
By Madhusree Chatterjee, IANS,
Book: "The Untold Charminar: Writings on Hyderabad"; Publisher: Penguin India; Price: Rs.399
Edited by former "ad-woman" Syeda Imam, "The Untold Charminar: Writings on Hyderabad" is an anthology on a city that was once ruled by the world's richest man - the Nizam. And its essays sure shine like the twinkling jewels in his treasury.
इक़बाल नियाज़ी: उर्दू ड्रामों की आन बान शान
(इक़बाल नियाज़ी के जन्मदिन 15 मई पर विशेष लेख)
निबंधकार: डॉ नाज़ ख़ान
वो चाँद है तो अक्स भी पानी में आएगा
किरदार ख़ुद उभर के कहानी...
Kannada literary festival: Muslim authors’ exclusion draws criticism
No Muslim writers have been given a chance to participate in the poet convention, and the Byari language, which Muslims speak in coastal...
Probing frontiers of womanhood through art
By Madhushree Chatterjee, IANS,
New Delhi : Womanhood is like a riot of colours and each shade reflects a particular mood and a phase in life - and this is what is portrayed in the works of a Malayali artist collectively titled "Stree (Tracing 20 years)".
New evaluation system for elementary schools in Himachal
By IANS
Shimla : In a significant step, the education department of the Himachal Pradesh government is planning to start a new evaluation system for its elementary schools in 12 districts, which would do away with written exams.
Children up to class five would no longer have to write long answers, instead, the teachers would now evaluate them over a set of 200 objective type questions.
This is being planned to do away with the conventional system of exams, which had failed to evaluate their all-round development and had put more stress on their young minds.
Rang Rasiya: Delhi’s tryst with Raja Ravi Varma’s colours
By Madhusree Chatterjee,IANS,
New Delhi : The soon-to-be-released movie, "Rang Rasiya", on the life and works of Indian art icon Raja Ravi Varma by Ketan Mehta, has brought the focus back on figurative and realistic art - at least in the capital.
"Krishna - A Romantic Fantasy in Peacock Forest", a solo exhibition of 21 figurative paintings by Delhi-based artist Raghu Vyas belonging to the Raja Ravi Varma school of realism, will try to capture the essence of Varma's "Indian themes".
MF Husain and citizenship
By Zohra Javed for TwoCircles.net
M F Husain in his car, as it drove past me on a 1st January some years back in Mumbai's Fountain parking area. I went almost running behind him much to the amusement of my children ! Just as he had got down from his car I was beside him, children in tow. He looked at them and smiled.
Afghan women come out of shadows with contemporary art show
By IANS,
New Delhi : After the horrors of war, Yalda Noorie, a 25-year-old woman from Afghanistan, is painting her angst in colours. She is among 18 young women artists who have for the first time ventured out of their country to India with a cache of 90 powerful canvases titled "A New Beginning".
Yalda is a language and literature graduate from Kabul University, but she always wanted to capture human sadness and the fight for identity and liberty on canvas.
AMU’s Minority Character, the Judiciary and the Executive
Dr Syed Zafar Mahmood
ZakatIndia.org
The citizens of India would be grateful to the Hon'ble Supreme Court for very kindly taking note of the contents of...
Guinness record: man plays tabla for over 102 hours
By IANS
Kozhikode :A 40-year-old man in Kerala set a new Guinness record Monday by playing the tabla for 102 hours and 45 minutes, bettering his own 2005 feat of 57 hours.
Sudheer Kadalundi ended his marathon tabla session at 2 a.m. Monday at Kadalundi, 25 km from here. He began playing the instrument Wednesday (April 2).
The venue of the record-breaking performance in the small town wore a festive look. A large number of people had gathered, egging on the exhausted Sudheer, clapping in tandem with the rhythms he played on the tabla.
Amjad Ali Khan’s sarod damaged on Air India flight
By IANS,
Mumbai, Jan 14 (IANS) When music-loving Mumbaikars gathered for what they thought would be an evening of soulful music by acclaimed sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, they were in for a surprise. The maestro was there, but his delicate teakwood instrument was damaged, courtesy flight handlers at Air India.
Amjad Ali Khan turned up for the show at the Chembur Fine Arts Society in north-east Mumbai and displayed the sarod, which he claimed was damaged during a flight from Ahmedabad to Mumbai Thursday morning.
UNESCO to step in for promoting Kashmir art, literature: Governor
By News Agency Of Kashmir
Jammu : The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is stepping in to assist Institute of Kashmir Studies towards the development and promotion of art, culture, literature and philosophy of Kashmir.
‘Jodhaa Akbar’ trimmed in Patna
By Subhash K. Jha, IANS
Mumbai : Is it the end of the road for long films? Although director Ashutosh Gowariker refused to shorten his "Jodhaa Akbar", the exhibitors in the smaller centres have taken matters into their own hands.
The magnum opus that weaves its story around the romance between Mughal emperor Jalaluddin Akbar and Rajput princess Jodha Bai is 3 hours 20 minutes long.
Vital sequences amounting to a good 30 minutes of playing time, including Hrithik Roshan's elephant fight and Aishwarya Rai's culinary conflict with Ila Arun, have been edited out from the film in Patna.
British historian pens new book on 1857 uprising
By IANS
London: A new book by a British academic offering a fresh alternative to popular accounts of the 1857 war of independence is just out.
In "The Indian Uprising of 1857-8: Prisons, Prisoners and Rebellion", University of Leicester historian Clare Anderson brings to life the impact of the revolt on marginalized Indian communities across North India.
Recent debates commemorating the abolition of the slave trade have only scratched the surface of raising public awareness and understanding of Britain's history as an imperial power.
Hindu outfit seeks removal of Husain painting from Goa museum
By IANS,
Panaji: Goa State Museum officials will meet later this week to decide whether artist M. F. Husain's painting titled "Standing Buddha" should continue to be displayed, after a right-wing Hindu group sought its removal.
Goa Museum director Radha Bhave said that she would be meeting higher officials later this week to decide on whether to continue the display of the oil painting which shows a white bull against a vividly coloured backdrop.
Kolkata gets new ICCR cultural centre
By IANS,
Kolkata : The Rabindranath Tagore Centre, housing multiple galleries, archives on cultural history, seminar rooms, a business centre and library, has been set up here by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) to promote art in the country's eastern region.
The centre was inaugurated Sunday by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee in the presence of West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.
Researchers, academics say Al-Arabi magazine”s journey features unique
By KUNA
Kuwait : Researchers and academics said Wednesday Al-Arabi Magazine has shown a unique style in literature coupled with relentless efforts to show this literature in a creative narrative manner.
The features published by Al-Arabi "belonged to a school that strengthened its foundations over the years," Dr. Khaled Azab, Information Director at Alexandria Library, said in a seminar about "Al-Arabi Magazine ... the Linking Chain with the World" that marked the magazine's 50th anniversary.
Knighthood for Rushdie, another India-born to be honoured
By IANS
London : Celebrated India-born author Salman Rushdie, whose "Midnight's Children" won the Booker Prize, will be knighted while Indian-origin rights campaigner Shami Chakrabarti also figures in the Queen's honours list this year.
Sculptor’s ‘remembrance stones’ a big hit in Germany
By Clive Freeman, DPA
Berlin : Sculptor Gunter Demnig faced a wall of silence whenever he asked his father about his experiences as a soldier fighting for the German army in World War II.
Born in Berlin in 1947, the first time he ever heard about the Holocaust was from his grandmother.
His father's refusal to discuss the war troubled his son, who grew up resentful and rebellious. During the Vietnam War, he caused a scandal for exhibiting an American flag painted with a skull and crossbones - a prank which got him arrested.
German expert reveals true identity of Mona Lisa
By DPA
Heidelberg : A German expert has confirmed the real identity of Mona Lisa after centuries of speculation about the woman in Leonardo da Vinci's famous portrait.
It is Lisa Gherardini, wife of a Florentine cloth merchant named Francesco del Giocondo, said Viet Probst, director of the Heidelberg University Library.
Probst confirmed Friday a German television report which said the discovery was made two-and-a-half years ago by the head of the university's handwriting department.
Soha soon to start shoot for film on Sikh riots
Mumbai : Actress Soha Ali Khan is awaiting the start of shooting schedule of her next project, which is based on the 1984 anti-Sikh...
Pakistani TV shows: Breaking down walls of mistrust, delusions
By Vikas Datta,
"Mulk taksim huye, dil to abhi ek hai/Isi liye hamne khidkiyan kat rakhi hai deewaron mein (The nations were divided, but hearts are still one/That is why we've cut windows into the walls (between us))", wrote an Urdu poet. Divided amid bloodshed, experiencing long spells of adverse relations punctuated by armed conflict, Indians and Pakistanis have however never lost their fascination for each other - despite the prevalent stereotypes. The enthusiastic response to a bouquet of Pakistani shows on an Indian cable TV channel is proof enough.
J. Krishnamurti is growing in popularity in China
By IANS
Chennai : Noted Indian thinker J. Krishnamurti has a considerable following in China where young people are looking at a philosophy that can give them answers from within, says Mark Lee, executive director of the Krishnamurti Foundation of America.
He was speaking at the release of the Indian edition of a new book from the foundation, titled "Facing a World in Crisis", edited by David Skitt, a trustee of the foundation in Britain. The book is a collection of the Indian spiritual teacher's speeches in Switzerland and Britain in the 1970s and 1980s.
Added wrinkles make Nefertiti more beautiful
By DPA
Berlin : Wrinkles improved the face of Nefertiti, the pharaonic Egyptian queen acclaimed as the world's most beautiful woman, German scientists have discovered.
The 3,000-year-old bust of Nefertiti is the greatest treasure at Berlin's Altes Museum.
X-ray pictures of the bust by a computer tomography machine at the nearby Charite Hospital in Berlin revealed that the sculpture is a piece of limestone with details added using four outer layers of plaster of Paris.
Berlin : Wrinkles improved the face of Nefertiti, the pharaonic Egyptian queen acclaimed as the world's most beautiful woman, German scientists have discovered.
The 3,000-year-old bust of Nefertiti is the greatest treasure at Berlin's Altes Museum.
X-ray pictures of the bust by a computer tomography machine at the nearby Charite Hospital in Berlin revealed that the sculpture is a piece of limestone with details added using four outer layers of plaster of Paris.
Veteran Kannada lyricist, director R.N. Jayagopal dead
By IANS,
Bangalore : R.N. Jayagopal, who had written over 12,000 lyrics for Kannada films, acted in, scripted dialogues and directed a few films, died in Chennai Monday. He was 73.
His family members said in Chennai that he was being taken to hospital around 10.30 a.m. after he complained of uneasiness, but died on the way. He will be cremated Tuesday in Chennai.
The Kannada film industry reacted with shock as Jayagopal, son of late Kannada film legend R. Nagendra Rao, was a highly respected, multi-faceted personality in the Kannada film industry.
Holocaust memorial group slams German railway company
By DPA
Berlin : Supporters of a steam-drawn Holocaust memorial train demonstrated Saturday in Berlin against what they alleged was hostility from Germany's principal railway company, Deutsche Bahn.
The evening rally by 600 people was attended by leaders of Germany's Left Party and figures from the Jewish and gypsy communities who have supported the scheme to tour Germany with the train, ending May 8 at the site of the Nazis' Auschwitz death camp.
Vaibhav Chhaya: A maverick voice of dissent into the poetic world
By Yogesh Maitreya,
“With all my baggage gone I can travel light now, forging on deeper into forest” says Haruki Murakami in his Kafka on the Shore. The same feeling can be drawn as soon as one finishesreading ‘Delete Kelela Sarr Aakash’ (Entire deleted sky), the first poetry book by Vaibhav Chhaya. Vaibhav writes poetry in Marathi. And the forest of his poem is equally risky and beautiful, one who could see the life in the underbelly, would certainly remain unsettled after brooding into the forest of his poems.
‘Scattered Voices’ on Gujarat riots resonate in scribe’s book
By IANS,
Ahmedabad : Almost two years after the 2002 Gujarat violence, journalist Ayesha Khan was attending a 'mushaira' when she found two participants being shushed for reciting verses on the riots.
"Why did they have to be cloaked in silence?" she wondered. The incident at the poet's meet was one of the many incidents that goaded Ayesha into compiling the verses of Gujarat Muslim poets on the violence that shook the state six years ago.
Celebrate Holi with beetroot, pomegranate, prescribes Dikshit
By IANS
New Delhi : Play Holi with eco-friendly colours made from beetroot, berries, spinach, mint, onion and peels of pomegranate, says Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.
"Most of the artificial colours are made of synthetic chemicals containing harmful elements like lead and cadmium. They are responsible for many skin diseases, asthma and even cancer," Dikshit says in an advertisement published Wednesday.
नया फ़ैसला: फ़िल्म बनानी है? पहले तीन-तीन मंत्रालयों से इजाज़त लीजिए..
By सिद्धान्त मोहन, TwoCircles.net,
नई दिल्ली: बीबीसी की डॉक्यूमेंट्री ‘इंडियाज़ डॉटर’ को भारत सरकार ने अपने आत्मसम्मान से जोड़ लिया था. भयानक स्तर पर सरकार ने कोशिश जारी रखी कि किसी भी तरीके से इस फ़िल्म का प्रसारण रोक दिया जाए. लेकिन ‘अभिव्यक्ति की आज़ादी’ को कुचलने में सरकार असफल रही और बीबीसी ने तयशुदा तारीख से पहले ही अपनी डॉक्यूमेंट्री को प्रसारित कर दिया.
Warhol’s painting of cash sells for $43 mn
By DPA,
New York : A silk-screen painting by iconic American pop artist Andy Warhol sold for $43.8 million Wednesday night in New York, Sotheby's auction house said.
The work, 200 One Dollar Bills, was one of the first silk-screen paintings by Warhol, 1928-87.
The painting was estimated by the auction house at $8 million to $12 million, and bidding began at $6 million. The first bidder immediately doubled the price and five would-be buyers vying for the work pushed the price higher and higher, The New York Times reported online.
Mohan Khan set to pay tribute to Mehdi Hassan
By IANS,
Mumbai: Ustad Mohan Khan, a disciple of late Pakistani ghazal singer Mehdi Hassan, is organising a concert here Saturday as a tribute to his mentor.
Light colours, glass highlight Kavita Bhartiya’s fashion line
By IANS
New Delhi : Light pinks, sky blues, steel greys, pista greens add the ethereal touch to the glass-embellished collection of fashion designer Kavita Bhartiya who showcases her edition at the Wills India Fashion Week and at a Paris show next month.
Bhartiya, who has named her collection 'The Glass House', will show her collection at the Sep 5-9 Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week and the Prêt-a-Porter at Paris Sep 6-9.
Husain attends New York art event
By Parveen Chopra, IANS
New York : Famous Indian painter M.F. Husain was the guest of honour at the opening of an art exhibition in New York.
Guitar in hand, Agra teen aims for Guinness record
By IANS,
Agra : Akash Gupta, the 14-year-old Agra boy who last year played the guitar non-stop for 52 hours and 48 minutes to get into the Limca Book of Records, is all set to perform again - this time for the Guinness Book.
"He would have qualified last year itself but the minimum age requirement of 14 for the Guinness Book of Records has made it necessary that he perform again before an official from London," his father Krishna Gupta told IANS.
Akash is scheduled to perform from June 22 to 24 at Cultural Hall of St Peter's College where he studies in Class 9.
Google celebrates Ustad Alla Rakha’s 95th birthday
New Delhi : Internet search engine Google commemorated the 95th birthday of tabla maestro Ustad Alla Rakha Tuesday by honouring him with a colourful doodle.
Feast awaits book lovers at World Book Fair
By IANS
New Delhi : Book lovers from across India will get an opportunity to browse through millions of books and broaden their horizon of knowledge at the 18th New Delhi World Book Fair beginning Feb 2.
Organised by National Book Trust (NBT), an autonomous organisation under the Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry, the nine-day knowledge extravaganza would be held at Pragati Maidan.
Calligraphy: art works from the heart
Maulana Tarique, a Fazil from the Darul-Uloom Deoband, is the only professional calligrapher in Deoband. He has inspired many youngsters to value the art of calligraphy.
By Nigar Ataulla
Quiet by-lanes and creaky cycle rickshaws, little tea shops and steep stairways dot the town of Deoband in western Uttar Pradesh.
Colourful kites, sesame sweets and prayers on Makar Sankranti
By IANS
New Delhi : Entire families on the terrace cheering as their kites soared higher, mothers and grandmothers making sure the supply of sesame-seed sweets did not run out - that is how parts of India spent a happy Makar Sankranti, the harvest festival, Monday.
Mother Teresa’s ‘Divine Inspiration’ may travel to India
By Neelam Mathews, IANS
Washington : Efforts are under way to have a life-size oil painting of Mother Teresa displayed in major Indian cities, including Kolkata, as the world prepares to observe her 10th death anniversary Wednesday.
The 5ft x 6ft painting called "Divine Inspiration" is the work of US artist Frederick R. La Vergne, a 72-year-old retired navy officer, who gifted it four years ago to the Indian government.
The painting is at present displayed at the Indian embassy in Washington, D.C.
Women celebrate Chhath in Bihar
By IANS,
Patna : Hundreds of thousands of people, especially women, across Bihar took a dip in the holy waters of Ganga and Kosi rivers offering prayers to the Sun God to mark the beginning Sunday of a four-day Hindu festival Chhath Puja.
The banks of the Ganga, Punpun, Gandak and Kosi rivers were thronged early Sunday morning by devotees, especially married women, for bathing before preparing vegetarian food on handmade earthen chulhas (stoves). All the while, they sang traditional songs dedicated to the Sun God.
Farmers who made history haunted by Terracotta Warriors
By DPA
Xian (China) : In modern China with its brutal pace of development, it was a very unremarkable death. Racked with disease and with no money to pay for a visit to the doctor, peasant farmer Wang Puzhi waited until his family were out, slipped a rope around his neck and ended his suffering.
16 मई के दिन देवीप्रसाद मिश्र की दो कविताएं
वे मुसलमान थे इसलिए बचके निकलते थे
वे मुसलमान थे इसलिए कुछ कहते थे तो हिचकते थे
देश के ज़्यादातर अख़बार यह कहते थे
कि मुसलमान के कारण ही कर्फ़्यू लगते हैं
कर्फ़्यू लगते थे और एक के बाद दूसरे हादसे की
ख़बरें आती थीं
Sanjay Gupta planning unusual premiere for ‘Shootout…’
By Subhash K. Jha
IANSMumbai : Producer Sanjay Gupta has taken the entire cast and crew of his "Shootout At Lokhandwala" on a road trip to Pune to promote the film and a grand bash has been planned for the premier there Thursday.
Odissi now in 21st century, international avatar
By IANS,
Kuala Lumpur : Kuala Lumpur is celebrating Odissi, an Indian classical dance form, with Malaysians interpreting it in multi-media formats while retaining its essence.
Galeri Petronas, in collaboration with Sutra Dance Theatre, is holding the exhibition called Stirring Odissi in conjunction with the 4th International Stirring Odissi Festival 2008.
The event features 15 visual artists and photographers from Malaysia and India and showcases how different artists interpret the Odissi dance.
Funeral rites under way for dissident writer Solzhenitsyn
By DPA,
Moscow : The funeral was held for dissident Soviet writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn Wednesday ahead of his burial at Moscow's 16th century Donskoy Monastery.
Several hundred people crowded the vaulted church where white-gowned priests chanted and swung thuribles, or incense-burners, over his open coffin.
Solzhenitsyn, remembered as Russia's moral conscience for his unflinching exposes on the horrors of the Soviet prison camps, died Sunday aged 89.
‘Shootout At Lokhandwala’ passed without cuts
By Subhash K. Jha
IANSMumbai : Producer Sanjay Gupta was in for a real surprise when his upcoming cops-and-gangster drama "Shootout At Lokhandwala" was cleared by the censor board without any cuts.
Potter first edition fetches magical price
By DPA
London : A rare first edition copy of the first Harry Potter novel, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", was sold for 7,200 pounds ($14,200) at an auction in Britain.
अलीगढ का नाम ‘हरिगढ़ ‘ करने की कवायद,जिला पंचायत में प्रस्ताव पास
स्टाफ़ रिपोर्टर। Twocircles.net
उत्तर प्रदेश विधानसभा चुनाव से पहले नाम बदलने की राजनीति फिर से शुरू होने लगी है। सोमवार को अलीगढ़ के नवगठित जिला...
Thousands offer Eid prayers in Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu/Srinagar : Thousands of Muslims across Jammu and Kashmir offered Eid-ul-Fitr prayers on Wednesday at the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.
There...
M.F. Husain set to return to India
By Dipankar De Sarkar, IANS,
London : Maqbool Fida Husain, independent India's only artist in exile, says he will return home as soon as he has finished his current series of paintings.
Husain was forced to flee the country by Hindu extremists protesting his nude depiction of Hindu goddesses.
“India is my home. As soon as my current work is done, I'll return,” the painter told IANS.
“Is anybody stopping me?” added Husain, who at 93 continues to be Indian art's best-known enfant terrible.
Ghazal singer croons for 24 hours
Agra, Sep 17 (IANS) In a rare feat, city-based ghazal singer Ranjan Deb Nath crooned for 24 hours to promote the unique form of singing.
"This is my humble way of promoting this beautiful singing style which has so many fans and admirers all over the world," Ranjan said after his feat Sunday.
Ghazals are surviving despite the increasing popularity of remixes and pop music because proponents like Ranjan have been passionately devoted to this art form, one who heard Ranjan singing said.
India’s art fair ropes in big global galleries
By Madhusree Chatterjee, IANS,
New Delhi : The second edition of the Indian Modern and Contemporary Art Fair 2009, the sub-continent's official art fair, will be bigger, better and more global this year with 16 international galleries, 64 speakers and 25 media partners from across the globe.
The three-day fair will be held during August 19-22 at the Pragati Maidan, the capital's trade and exhibition hub.
Chronicling India’s tiger crisis in film
By IANS,
New Delhi : Filmmaker Krishnendu Bose has painted a grim picture of India's tiger crisis and the dwindling number of the majestic animals in a film called "Tiger: The Death Chronicles", which is being screened in the capital Thursday.
The 63-minute English film that is presented, written and directed by Bose, a conservationist, will premiere at the India International Centre here.
Police disrupt a press conference on communal harmony in Ayodhya
TCN News
Members of Sarva Dharam Sadbhav Trust were stopped from holding a press conference in Ayodhya yesterday by the police for no apparent reason.
And...
President to give away Padma awards on Monday
New Delhi : The late Dhirubhai Ambani, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Anupam Kher, Ajay Devgn and Saina Nehwal are among the prominent personalities who...
Sufi poet Rumi is Islam’s smiling face: American scholar
By IANS
Patna : Sufi poet Jalaluddin Rumi, a 13th century mystic, scholar and poet, is Islam's smiling face, noted American scholar Nevit Ergin said here Tuesday.
"Jalaluddin Rumi's message of love, tolerance, devotion and compassion made him the most popular face of Sufi poetry in the Western world. He is Islam's smiling face," he said.
Brand Lalu-Rabri fail to glow this festival of lights
Patna, Oct 27 (IANS) The Lalu-Rabri brand seems to have lost its spark this Diwali. Firecrackers named after the railways minister and his wife, a former chief minister of Bihar, were a staple but have gone missing this year.
It might be scant comfort for the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief, but there isn't too much trace of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar or Congress president Sonia Gandhi either in the run-up to the festival of lights.
Kannada and Telugu are now classical languages: Ambika Soni
By IANS,
New Delhi : Kannada and Telugu are two new languages to join Sanskrit and Tamil as Indian classical languages.
This announcement was made Friday by Culture Minister Ambika Soni.
The Indian government took the decision based on the recommendations of the Committee of Linguistic Experts set up by the culture ministry, Soni told reporters here.
“Representations were received from a wide spectrum of political and civil opinion from both Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh for declaration of Kannada and Telugu as classical languages,” she said.
I am incomplete without Rafi: Shammi Kapoor
By IANS,
Mumbai: Veteran actor Shammi Kapoor, some of whose most memorable songs like 'Chahe Koi Mujhe Junglee Kahe' were in the voice of Mohammad Rafi, Saturday remembered the legendary singer on his 30th death anniversary and admits he is incomplete without Rafi.
Dissent essential in open society: Hamid Ansari
By IANS:
New Delhi, July 17:Dissent is of critical importance in an open society and its suppression could metamorphose it into an illiberal and ethnic...
Worshiping Cow: Killing Humanity
Ram Puniyani,
Just over a decade ago (2002) in Dulina village of Jhajjar in Haryana a...
Kettledrum performers keep village flag flying high
By Jaideep Sarin, IANS
Banchari (Haryana) : Whenever and wherever they go, it is a spirited performance that comes from the group, made up of villagers aged between 10 and 65 years. The beats of their 'nagada', or kettledrum, have placed this village on the global map.
Paris-based Indian dancer brings ballet, Bharatnatyam, Kathak together
By Madhusree Chatterjee, IANS,
New Delhi : Paris-based Indian dancer Rukmini Chatterjee, who is bringing together European classical ballet, Bharatnatyam and Kathak for the Bonjour Festival here, says she is not in favour of fusing dance forms and each style should retain its identity on stage.
The Bharatanatyam exponent also reveals that her next choreography, set to premiere in Paris in March 2010, is inspired by Hindu goddess Kali and explores the aggressive feminine force.
‘Pandal-hopping’ gathers momentum on Day Two of Durga Puja
By IANS,
Kolkata : The crowds at the marquees across the city became bigger, the aroma of incense sticks thicker and cultural programmes unfoleded in more numbers as Durga Puja - the biggest festival of West Bengal - entered its second day Monday.
With over 4,000 marquees or 'pandals' across Kolkata this year, people started 'pandal-hopping' early morning to avoid the rush. And the themes for pandals included unique and contemporary subjects.
Hidden for 164 years, Mewar Ramayana paintings dazzle London
By Dipankar De Sarkar, IANS,
London : Hidden away in the vaults of the British Museum for 164 years, more than 100 stunning paintings from the Ramayana, dating back to the 17th century, went on public display Friday at the British Library's central London galleries.
The Mewar Ramayana paintings were acquired by the then British Museum Library in 1844 in the form of bound volumes, but were only available to scholars.
When their condition began to deteriorate, the British Library had the paintings individually framed.
He hones the great art of small things!
By Asit Srivastava, IANS,
Senapat (Uttar Pradesh) : You may need a magnifying glass to see some of his works. Atul Kashyap has perfected the art of miniatures, a fingernail-sized book on socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia and earthen lamps no bigger than wheat grains being among his creations.
It's hard to believe that the 23-year-old has mastered the art without undergoing any training. Some people lovingly call him "chhote kalakar" in his native Senapat town in Farrukhabad district, 300 km from Lucknow.
M.F. Husain revives ‘Mughal E Azam’ through paintings
By IANS,
Mumbai : Noted painter M.F. Husain has paid his personal tribute to K. Asif's epic film "Mughal-E-Azam" by recreating the movie's fabulous scenes in a series of exquisite paintings.
Slurp! There’s a Moplah feast in town
By IANS
Chennai: Centuries ago, many trading Arabs who visited Kerala ended up staying back and marrying local women. So it was a matter of time before the Arabic influence pervaded kitchens there to give birth to what is called Moplah food.
Now a toast is being raised to Moplah delicacies as part of a special festival by ITC Hotels at its Dakshin restaurants in six cities - Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, New Delhi, Mumbai and Visakhapatnam - beginning
Wednesday.
Gujarat in festive mood, politics can wait
By Rajeev Khanna, IANS
Ahmedabad : It was not long ago that the Gujarat assembly election schedule was eagerly awaited here, but as soon as the announcement was made the state seems to have put politics aside and picked up dandiyas as the festival season has overshadowed poll preparations.
People and party workers alike are engrossed with the Navaratri festivities that will culminate on Dussehra Sunday, only to pave the way for Diwali next month. Politics will pick up only a week after the festival of lights.
Battle for Jinnah House will hot up now
By Quaid Najmi, IANS
Mumbai : The stage is set for a battle royale between the Indian government and Dina Wadia, daughter of Pakistan's founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah, over Jinnah House when the Bombay High Court resumes next week after the Diwali vacation.
Dina, mother of leading industrialist Nusli Wadia, has claimed to be the rightful heir to the sprawling green and white three-storey colonial building, facing the Arabian Sea, in what is one of the most expensive pieces of real estate in the country.
Indian film venture firm to raise funds on London market
London, May 1 (IANS) A new investment firm chaired by noted director Shyam Benegal and focussed on Indian movies is set to float on Britain's Alternative Investment Market this month to raise 55 million pounds.
Sotheby’s Russian art sale totals $13.6 mn
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
New York : A two-day auction of Russian art at Sotheby's in New York brought in $13,573,000, meeting the expected $10-15 million despite poor attendance due to the ongoing Icelandic volcano-related flight disruptions.
Among the auction main features was a group of some 100 paintings by Pavel Tchelitchew from the collection of the late American actress Ruth Ford (1911-2009), who was both his muse and patron.
Tchelitchew's portrait of Ford was sold for $986,500, well above the expected $150,000-$200,000.
‘Chak De! India’ gets tax exemption in Chhattisgarh
By IANS
Raipur : The Chhattisgarh government Friday announced that the Shah Rukh Khan blockbuster "Chak De! India" would be tax-free in the state for six months.
The commercial tax department's notification makes the tax waiver effective from Sep 6.
The film, about a gritty women's hockey team that goes on to win the world championships thanks to its coach, has set "high standards in social, education and cultural sectors besides it has promoted team spirit in sports and also plays a vital role in women's empowerment", stated a government release.
Activist-lensman Samar Jodha’s new work on dying Assam tribe
By IANS,
New Delhi : Photographer and filmmaker Samar Singh Jodha has captured the life and times of the Tai-Phake people - an endangered tribe in Assam, in his new exhibition of portrait photographs, "Phaneng: A Journey Into Personal Engagement", that has opened in the capital.
Jodha's exhibition opened at Arts-I, a 360-degree art promotion, education and display facility, at the Scindia House Monday. The show closes Dec 7.
Holi symbolises spirit of tolerance, harmony: President
New Delhi : President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday greeted the nation on Holi and hoped the festival of colours will “strengthen the fraternal bonds...
शानदार अंदाज वाले पत्रकार कमाल खान नही रहे ,दुःख की लहर
स्टाफ रिपोर्टर।Twocircles.net
एनडीटीवी के वरिष्ठ पत्रकार कमाल ख़ान का तड़के सुबह पांच बजे दिल का दौरा पड़ने के कारण निधन हो गया हैं। उन्होंने लखनऊ...
कुर्सी बचाने की खातिर आगरा की प्रिंसिपल ने रच दी नफरत की झूठी कहानी,...
विशेष संवाददाता। Twocircles.net
आगरा की जिस प्रिंसिपल ने स्कूल में अल्पसंख्यक समाज के बच्चों का बहुमत होने पर खुद को धार्मिक उत्पीड़ित दिखाया था उसकी...
Selja inaugurates British photography exhibition
By IANS,
New Delhi : Culture Minister Kumari Selja Thursday inaugurated an exhibition of contemporary British photography at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) here.
International Urdu Conference held in Chicago
By Mohammed Ayub Ali Khan, Special to TwoCircles.Net
Chicago, IL : "Urdu is a language of unity and brotherhood and negates the theory of clash of civilizations. Efforts should be made to propagate its message of amity and inclusiveness in order to defeat the divisive forces," said renowned critic, linguist and Urdu scholar Dr.Gopi Chand Narang. He was speaking at the inaugural session of the fourth International Urdu Conference in Chicago on Friday, June 22.
An online, participatory comic writer to the world
By Arun Kumar, IANS
Washington : Richard Branson's Virgin Comics and MySpace have teamed up to launch Coalition Comix, a new online comic book platform that allows readers to work with leading comic book creators in developing new characters and stories.
Coalition Comix will open up the role of comic book writer to the world at large allowing participants to provide artistic direction to the comic by voting on the plot twists and turns at each step of the way, according to Virgin Comics.
Saarc food festival: a gastronome’s delight
By IANS
New Delhi : With Pakistan's simmering chappal kebebs and Sri Lanka's tempting fish ambulthiyal, Maldives' delicious masbai and Nepal's spicy maasu bhaat - the food festival chapter of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (Saarc) cultural festival is a cauldron of flavours of South Asia.
For many rural women in Bihar, Kheta embroidery work aims to boost livelihood
Kheta is said to be a 500-year-old quilting heirloom practised exclusively by Shershahabdi women. Today, Kheta embroidery work is getting popular among non-Shershahabdi people...
Potter mania strikes at dawn in Kerala too
By IANS
Kochi (Kerala) : Children dressed up as various characters of the Harry Potter series arrived on horsebacks at a bookshop here early Saturday morning for the release of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows".
The children carried copies of the book to the Ravi bookstore here and a special function was held inside the shop during which the books was taken out from a box amidst huge applause from people who had arrived to buy J.K.Rowling's latest offering.
American chalk artist to showcase work at Mumbai fest
By IANS,
Mumbai : American chalk artist Tracy Lee Stum will present her 3D street art at the ongoing Kala Ghoda Arts Festival here, an official from the American Center said Tuesday.
Agra Gharana tradition on verge of extinction
By Brij Khandelwal, IANS
Agra : The Agra Gharana, one of the major streams of Hindustani classical music, is on the verge of extinction in the place of its birth. There are few patrons and the number of practitioners of this great musical tradition is dwindling.
ASI abandons plan to close Taj grave chamber to public
By IANS,
Agra : The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has shelved plans to tighten security at the Taj Mahal by closing entry to the upper chamber of the cenotaph that houses the replicas of the graves of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal after tourism industry members here opposed the move.
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which is responsible for security at the 17th century monument, had suggested to the ASI that the upper chamber be closed to the public. The chamber below, with the original set of graves, was closed in 1996.
Saudi woman receives award for promotion of Urdu
By Mohammed Shafeeq
Hyderabad: Sameera Aziz, a media personality and writer, has become the first woman from Saudi Arabia to be recognised for her work...
Husain exhibition vandalized
By IANS,
New Delhi : A protest exhibition organized in support of painter M.F. Husain, whose portrayal of Hindu goddesses has invited the wrath of Hindu activists, ran into rough weather here Sunday as some people vandalised his paintings.
"The incident took place at around 3.30 p.m. when a group of around 15 people reached the exhibition venue and tried to damage the paintings," said Rajan, one of the organisers.
"They were shouting slogans and holding placards reading 'Bharat Mata ki Jai, Jai Shri Ram'," Rajan added.
‘PK’ posters vandalised in Madhya Pradesh
Bhopal : The Bajrang Dal Tuesday continued its protest against Aamir Khan's “PK” in the state alleging that the film insults the Hindu religion...
Ghulam Ali’s Mumbai concert called off
Mumbai: Pakistani ghazal maestro Ghulam Ali's concert in Mumbai, which was scheduled to take place on January 29, has been cancelled, according to film...
Ancient Latin American art collection seized in Germany
By DPA,
Munich (Germany) : German police have swooped on a warehouse and seized a collection of Mayan, Aztec and Inca art, which governments have been trying to keep off the art market, officials said Wednesday.
The artefacts, allegedly spirited into Germany in defiance of a Spanish ban, are said to be worth $100 million on the open market.
Countries such as Costa Rica, Peru and Colombia regard the treasures as part of their national heritage and not for sale. Bavarian detectives seized the art a week ago, state police and prosecutors said.
Urdu Rubaiyat now in Polish
By IANS,
Warsa : Urdu poetry, which has made inroads in Polish literary circles in the last few years with the publications of Mir, Ghalib, Faiz and Firaq, now has a new book on Rubaiyat (quatrains), both in Urdu and Polish.
The book, by writer-journalist Surender Bhutani, was released by Abdul Haider, a scholar and a former Afghan ambassador to Poland, at the Rio literary club here in the presence of poets, writers, journalists and diplomats.
Indian art at great heights: Raza
By Parveen Chopra, IANS
New York : Indian contemporary art has reached unprecedented heights in the world, said Sayed Haider Raza, one of India's most prominent and critically acclaimed modernists, at the inauguration of his first ever retrospective in the US.
He attributed the phenomenon to Indian painters' "understanding of Indian culture as well as of today's world".
Noruz in India
By IRNA
Tehran : The Festival of Spring is celebrated every year in March in India and other regions where Aryans have settled down during the process of their westward migration to East, gaining control over most northern parts of India.
That was after pushing the native Dravidians to far South into the current South Indian states, including Kerala and Tamilnadu.
Compared to Iran, when Noruz celebrations start on March 21, marking the beginning of the new year, the festival of Spring, called `Holi', begins in India on March 4.
औरंगज़ेब और दारा शिकोह की पारंपरिक छवि बदलने की कोशिश है ये नई किताब
यूसुफ़ अंसारी, twocircles.net
जब कभी मुग़ल काल के बादशाहों का ज़िक्र होता है तो औरंगज़ेब और दाराशिकोह बरबस ही एक आमने-सामने खड़े दिखते हैं। तीसरा...
Rahman’s ‘Sivaji’ tops the charts
By Aparna Nath
Chennai, May 1 (IANS) A.R. Rahman's "Sivaji", composed with Rajnikanth in mind, is creating records, though it may not be the music wizard at his best.
Cuba accuses Spain of ‘veiled attack’ through Delhi art show
By IANS,
New Delhi : A month-long exhibition of paintings by eminent Cuban novelist, dramatist and artist Severo Sarduy brought to the capital by the Spanish embassy Saturday has ruffled the Cuban government, which alleges that the exhibition is "launching a veiled attack on Cuba through its catalogue".
Cuban Ambassador to India Miguel Angel Ramirez Ramos protested the "contents in the catalogue which touched upon of the humiliation writer-painter Sarduy suffered under the totalitarian regime in Cuba".
Poet Hali instilled patriotism through his writings: Ansari
By IANS,
Chandigarh : Remembering the eminent poet and social reformer Khwaja Altaf Hussain Hali Panipati, Vice President Hamid Ansari said Hali had made efforts to instil a feeling of nationalism in the people through his writings.
Ansari Saturday praised the far-sightedness and the writings of Hali while addressing the gathering on the occasion of a two-day Hali Mela (Nov 22-23) which was organised by Hali Trust at Panipat town in Haryana, some 150 km from here.
Is India an outlet for Sotheby’s unsold art?
By Uma Nair, IANS,
Did international auction house Sotheby's bring famed contemporary artist Damien Hirst's works to India because a "mountain" of unsold works lies in wait in London? Is Sotheby's looking at India to sell hitherto unsold art?
These are the questions being asked by art critics and collectors in India, but a declaration Friday by the Bloomberg publication announced that Damien Hirst's London dealer White Cube has denied it has a "mountain" of unsold works before a Sotheby's sale that previewed in the Hamptons and New Delhi two days ago.
When past and present merged for communist veterans
Liz Mathew
New Delhi, Sep 13 (IANS) It was a step back in time for India's communist veterans. The heyday of the Left revolution was relived and leaders who made it possible flickered on the screen as the present day apparatchiks watched a film on the life and times of legendary left leader A.K. Gopalan Nambiar.
There was nostalgia and more as the entire top leadership of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) gathered at the Mavlankar Auditorium here Wednesday evening to watch "AKG", a docu-fiction on one of the leading lights of the Indian communist movement.
MyGov.in announces e-greetings design contest for Eid
New Delhi : An e-greetings design contest to mark and celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr has been announced by MyGov.in, with the top three designs to be...
Rahman to perform at Indian & American Achiever Awards
By IANS
New York : Renowned film music composer A.R. Rahman will present the national anthem of India Thursday at the inaugural CineMaya Media Group Indian & American Achiever Awards at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington D.C.
"It is my great honour to be able to sing 'Jana Gana Mana', during the 60th Year of independence celebrations in the heart of the US Capital," Rahman said in a press statement.
A.R. Rahman attends Grammy red carpet
By IANS,
Los Angeles: Oscar-winning Indian composer A.R Rahman attended the 55th Annual Grammy Awards held here Sunday night along with wife Saira Banu.
Himachal government to assist in revival of miniature paintings
By IANS,
Shimla : Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal Saturday called upon artists to revive the miniature paintings of Kangra school and promised government assistance.
Inaugurating Strokes of Kangra, an exhibition of Kangra miniatures here, he said the government would assist the Kangra Arts Promotion Society, Dharamsala, in popularising the art among the public.
The exhibition was organised by the Kangra society in association with the state department of language and culture.
Hindi critic’s death condoled
By IANS,
Aligarh : The Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) Monday condoled the death of noted Hindi critic and scholar K.P. Singh, who had written a monograph on famous writer Rahi Masoom Raza as well as edited six of his books.
A condolence meeting was presided over by AMU Vice-Chancellor P.K. Abdul Azis. Singh, a former chairman of the Hindi department and former Dean of faculty of arts, passed away Sunday after prolonged illness. He was 74.
Singh had authored six books and edited nine books, including six of Raza. He was also editor and co-editor of several Hindi magazines.
Scholarly initiative kindles hope for communal harmony
By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
Allahabad: Physician by profession though, he is making literary efforts to strengthen communal harmony between Hindus and Muslims. First result of his efforts is Ram Charit Manas in Urdu.
`India’s classical languages – Sanskrit, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil’
By IANS,
New Delhi : Kannada, Telugu, Sanskrit and Tamil are the four classical languages of India, Tourism and Culture Minister Ambika Soni informed the Rajya Sabha Tuesday.
Soni said the government has not taken any view in classifying Malayalam as another classical language as they have not received any representation from the Kerala government.
She said Kannada and Telugu were notified as classical languages Oct 31 after the proposal was cleared by a committee formed by the culture ministry.
Garfield designed ‘…Spider-Man’ skateboard
By IANS,
Los Angeles: Actor Andrew Garfield revealed that he had designed his character's skateboard in "The Amazing Spider-Man".
Oscar would help do bigger things: A.R. Rahman
By IANS,
New York : An Oscar award would be a "great honour" and help do "bigger things", says Indian music maestro A.R. Rahman, a hot favourite to take home a trophy for his music in "Slumdog Millionaire".
"It would be a great honour," Rahman told the New York Times in a telephone interview from Los Angeles, where he was preparing to perform at the ceremony.
"It would help me to do bigger things."
Asked to elaborate, Rahman named "some Western directors he would like to work with". "Baz Luhrmann... Ridley Scott. I'm a big fan of Ridley."
Yet another hit: Jeffrey Archer wins over Indian fans
By IANS,
Gurgaon/Delhi : He was serious and he was funny. Whatever he said, the audience listened with rapt attention. That's the charm of acclaimed author Jeffrey Archer, who is in India on a 12-day tour. And his fans couldn't have enough of him.
Facing a crowd of fans who have long read his books and couldn't wait to catch a glimpse of their favourite author, Archer interacted with them for a good 60 minutes at a book store in Gurgaon on the outskirts of Delhi Saturday evening before signing copies of his latest book, “A Prisoner of Birth”.
Art takes on terror
By Madhusree Chatterjee, IANS,
New Delhi : Terror is a reality of our times, whose echoes can be felt across the country. Now leading artists and top galleries from Kolkata have joined hands for a mega exhibition, "Art Against Terrorism".
The exhibition will begin March 23 at the Aakriti Art Gallery in Kolkata, said Vikram Bachhawat, director of the gallery.
The exhibition is part of a series against terror, which, he said, had become a "crusade for the artists' fraternity in Kolkata".
Manoj Tiwari to start film on Sher Shah Suri in 2013
By IANS,
Patna : Bhojpuri superstar Manoj Tiwari is set to begin shooting for his dream project - a Hindi film on the life of emperor Sher Shah Suri, next year.
Zakir Hussain wins Grammy
By IANS,
Los Angeles : Indian tabla maestro Zakir Hussain has won the Grammy award as part of the winning team that created the "Global Drum" project. The Global Drum was nominated under the Best Contemporary World Music Album category. Hussain shares the honour with Mickey Hart, Sikiru Adepoju and Giovanni Hidalgo.
Artist Paresh Maity brings snapshots of Kerala to Delhi
By Uma Nair
New Delhi, March 25(IANS) An exhibition and book entitled "Enchanting Journey" comprising 50 of landscape master Paresh Maity's works opens at the Taj Mahal Hotel in New Delhi Wednesday.
Maity's Kerala brims with "Green Zen" - a softening of aesthetic qualities and a few limpid details of the landscape that is a result of two years of travel through the countryside.
"Two years and a lot of silence and a lot of working hours have brought this show together," Maity said about his historic collection of large watercolours, some as big as 20 feet, in an interview to IANS.
Godna’s Decline: The Baiga Tribe’s Struggle to Preserve a Vanishing Tradition in a Modern...
Hamaad Habibullah & Anamika Yadav TwoCircles.net
Samarlin Agriya, a young Adivasi woman from the Baiga tribe, received her first tattoo at the age of 10....
Year 2008 opens windows to heal rift between Europe and Muslim world
By Nawab Khan, KUNA
Brussels : Four events that took place in January have raised hopes that 2008 could be a key year to correct some of the alarmist views about Islam in Europe and various misconceptions about Europe in Muslim minds.
Spain hosted the first Alliance of Civilizations Annual Forum aimed at healing the rift between Islam and the West in the aftermath of 9/11 and cross-cultural tensions caused by the Danish cartoon crisis.
Urdu Journalism legend Hazrat Maulana Ahmad Mustafa Siddiqui Rahi no more
By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net
New Delhi: Urdu Journalism legend and Chief editor of Islami Digest ‘Huda’ and ‘Taha'...
Violin maestro Kunnakudi R. Vaidyanathan dead
By IANS,
Chennai : Violin maestro in south Indian classical music Kunnakudi R. Vaidyanathan died here Monday night, family sources said.
Vaidyanathan, 73, succumbed to a massive cardiac arrest. He had been admitted in a private hospital for a heart ailment a few days ago.
The maestro was known for producing offbeat sounds from the violin. Vaidyanathan was awarded the Padma Shri by the government in 2005.
Born in 1935 as the youngest of four children in Kunnakudi in modern day Pudukkottai district of Tamil Nadu, the musician made his hometown famous.
Through Bhendi Bazar Urdu Festival, an attempt to recreate the magic of the past
By MahtabNama for Twocircles.net
Come Friday, a unique educational and literary festival will be held in Mumbai’s Bhendi Bazar. First held in 2014, it is...
टीपू सुल्तान को लेकर कर्नाटक में सियासी हलचल
आकिल हुसैन। Two circles.net
टीपू सुल्तान की मौत के लगभग 220 साल बीत चुके हैं। लेकिन टीपू सुल्तान आज भी कर्नाटक की राजनीति में मुद्दा...
175 years after death, Rammohun Roy’s tomb restored in Britain
By Dipankar De Sarkar, IANS,
London : After decades of neglect, the newly restored tomb of Indian visionary thinker and social reformer Raja Rammohun Roy was unveiled Sunday in his resting place in Bristol.
India's High Commissioner Shiv Shankar Mukherjee cut a ribbon to mark the completion of the restoration work on the tomb, which is located prominently in the Arnos Vale cemetery in the southwestern English city.
Time we moved away from pain of partition: Gulzar
By IANS
New Delhi : Poet and lyricist Gulzar, while launching a book on the partition of India, said it was high time people moved on and started talking about life after that period instead of dwelling on the painful memories.
"Enough has been said about the pain, the agonies and the bloodshed. But very little about how life took its own course after that period. How people settled down, started life afresh and made successful careers is hardly mentioned," Gulzar told a packed auditorium at the American Centre Thursday.
After Paris decades, S.H. Raza wants to assimilate with India
By Madhusree Chatterjee, IANS,
Padma Vibhushan for singing legend Asha Bhonsle
By IANS
New Delhi : Gifted with one of the most versatile voices in the industry, Asha Bhonsle has sung every genre of song, be it pop, club mixes, romantic numbers, bhajans and ghazals.
Now the singing legend is all set to receive India's second highest civilian honour Padma Vibhushan Award for her contribution to the field of cinema.
Kashmiri art, antiques travel to New York
By IANS
New Delhi : Several Kashmiri antiques, including Buddhist, Hindu and Islamic art works, will be on display at a three-month-long exhibition being organised in New York from October to showcase the artistic contributions of the culturally rich region.
The event is being held by the New York based Asia Society, a pan-Asian organisation that works towards strengthening relationships and promote understanding among the people of the US and Asia.
ICCR will bid for Gandhi letter: Pranab
By IANS
Jalpaiguri (West Bengal) : External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee Friday said the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) would bid to acquire a rare letter of Mahatma Gandhi that is up for auction at Christie's in London next week.