A gifted composer (1944-2015) Indian cinema lost one of its most prolific music composers in the demise of Ravindra Jain, who died recently of multiple organ failure at the age of 71. Jain who was born visually impaired, developed a liking for music at a very young age. His keen interest in reciting Jain bhajans prodded his father to send him for basic training under reputed music teachers, who put him through his paces. Ravindra Jain entered films in 1960 after shifting base from Aligarh to Bombay (now Mumbai). He entered Hindi cinema with films like Kranti and Balidaan and…
Author: oiop
Unlike many of his peers in the film industry, FTII (Film and Television Institute of India) graduate Ranajit Ray is so low profile that you might miss him for the wall. But he has had the distinction of making very significant documentaries and films for Indian television channels and international production companies. His Ajopa Gacha was selected for screening at the Indian Panorama in 2001. His latest film Documentation on the Clay Image Makers of Kumartuli won the Rajat Kamal at the 62nd National Film Awards in 2014. This is the first documentary film that enters into the narrow corridors…
What is the purpose behind creating Smart Cities? Who will decide the public agenda for these cities? Will every citizen benefit? The government says it will create 100 smart cities over the next five years under its Smart City Mission. This is in addition to rejuvenating 500 existing cities under a mission called AMRUT (A Mission for Rejuvenation of Urban Transformation). Twenty cities have already been picked in February 2016, on the basis of their track record in generating internal resources through user charges, online publication of budgets, grievance redressal systems, completion of past urban renewal projects, citizens participation, vision…
A woodcutter climbed a tree to cut firewood. He went on climbing and cutting branches till finally he had reached the top of the tall tree. Then he looked down and saw to his horror that he had cut all the branches below him. He could not climb down. He was terrified. “Oh God,” he prayed, “if you help me get down safely, I’ll give my cow to the temple.” While he was praying he had slipped a little way down the trunk, and seeing that he was not as high as he was a moment ago, he felt a…
The latest virus to join the world’s health panic bandwagon is the Zika virus. Dr. Roopa Vernekar gives us an insight into a virus, which has not reached India yet, but may cast a pall over the Olympics to be hosted by Brazil later this year. Exploration and invention have been a part of human evolution, occurring since ages. Starting from the invention of the wheel to fast cars. The invention of new gadgets, new and advanced version of electronics, new edition cars, and new range of beauty products. Lifestyle changes and modernisation have been a constant phenomenon. Similar changes…
Mrinalini Sarabhai was born in Kerala on May 11, 1918, into an illustrious family of freedom fighters. Her father S. Swaminathan was a lawyer and mother Ammukutty was a Gandhian. Her older sister, Lakshmi Sehgal, served as the captain of the Rani of Jhansi regiment of the Azad Hind Fauj. Mrinalini married Vikram Sarabhai, the father of the Indian space programme. Her son Kartikeya is an environmentalist, while daughter Mallika is a noted dancer and activist. Mrinalini learnt Western dance in Switzerland where she spent her childhood. She began her traditional training at Rukminidevi Arundale’s Kalakshetra in Chennai. She later…
Women are born multitaskers, bar none. Nivedita Louis gives a piquant account of what it takes to get through a day for a woman juggling with home, career, bills and kids. And she is not far off the mark. Ibite my nail, my thoughts wandering and my fingers flitting over the keyboard. A ding from the washing machine says clothes are ready for drying and another ding from the oven says the curry is ready. As I run from the washing machine to the oven, carefully remembering my next line to be typed on the laptop, I forget somewhere about…
The 17th edition of the annual Kala Ghoda festival saw dozens of events, grand installations and diverse stalls, offering large doses of fun and culture to the thousands who flocked to this small but iconic precinct in South Mumbai over nine days. Disha Shetty reports. The magic of Kala Ghoda, the annual festival that brings the streets of South Mumbai alive, is such that Mumbai residents are treated to street art, literature, workshops, panel discussions, open air music concerts and dance performances – all for free. Held between February 6 and 14 this year, for most Mumbai residents, attending the…
Mumbai’s tireless chronicler (1944-2016) CAroon Tikekar was more of a scholar, a historian of Mumbai city, than a mere journalist, though he donned many hats during his chequered career spanning five decades. He dominated Marathi journalism for two decades, provided long needed depth to daily coverage and analysis of socio-political happenings in Maharashtra. He was an expert on history of Mumbai University, was an excellent raconteur of Mumbai city, and knew its landmarks and stories behind them. He was more comfortable with the company of books which he loved, rather than spend time with socialites of the day. He spent…
Eco-tourism and eco-resorts are slowly becoming popular with a weary, fed-on-excess urban population. G. Venkatesh profiles an eco-resort in Bhopal which is trying its best to adhere to the ideal way of living, which must soon become the norm, rather than the exception. Retreats are a special segment of the hospitality sector. At once, their socio-economic contributions become evident. They offer a distinct social service – albeit for those who have a little more money to expend – in the form of providing the opportunity to get away from the hubbub of the workaday city life with its noise and…