A voice for all seasons Krishnakumar Kunnath, nee KK, was a playback singer in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odiya, Bengali, Assamese, and Gujarati languages. His soulful, smooth voice captivated audiences for over two decades. Born in Trichur and brought up in Delhi to Malayali parents, he graduated from Kirori Mal College, Delhi, and then sold typewriters before pursuing his passion for music. Though not formally trained in music, KK was born into a musical family. A family man, he fiercely protected his privacy. Media shy, one hardly saw his photos in the media. Moving to Mumbai in 1994,…
Author: shubhangi
Hero of J&K encounter Rajiv was born at Gaddi Kheri in Rohtak district on 5 December 1969 to Dharam Singh Joon and Shanti Devi. He was the eldest among six children. His father passed away in 1980 when he 11. The responsibility of raising the six children was shouldered by the mother Shanti Devi. As a child, Rajiv was fascinated by the soldierly aura of his “mausa ji” Brig. Kaptan Singh Kataria, and dreamt of following in his footsteps. After his primary education, Rajiv joined Sainik School, Kunjpura (Karnal), where his inclination towards Army life got firmed up. After senior…
Shoma A. Chatterji laments that the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose of the reel “The Forgotten Hero” is now indeed a forgotten hero in reality. She takes a look at all the films made on the legend in the past and regrets that except the Shyam Benegal film, all others have been lost in the footprints of time. It is rather disconcerting that there are no films on Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose in updated VCD and DVD formats in music shops, shopping malls and even in film libraries, archives and OTT platforms. For a nation that proclaims Netaji as a…
Balraj Sahni is remembered for his refined performances in some memorable films in Hindi cinema. But few know about his love for literature and the role he played in real life as a social activist. Tirtho Bannerji traces the lesser known side of the actor and his chequered journey before he made it to the film industry. Balraj Sahni as Shambhu in the iconic movie ‘Do Bhiga Zamin’ My earliest memory of Balraj Sahni goes back to a scene from the 1953 movie Do Bigha Zamin where he is forced into a race against another hand-driven rickshaw puller. My breaths…
Bharat Dogra mentions some of the prominent government schemes and concludes that these are more hyped and suggests the funds allocated for them are judiciously utilised and reach the intended beneficiaries. Every ruling government launches welfare schemes for the poor, needy and underprivileged. But how successful are they in reality? Are the allocated funds used properly? Is there a proper system to check the implementation of these grandiose schemes? The Government periodically makes claims on its commitment to various welfare programmes. But many schemes and their implementation run into criticism. With statistics often quoted in support of claims and criticisms,…
“The best part of writing is being able to touch another human being, even fragmentarily.” Saikat Majumdar What strikes most when you meet Saikat Majumdar, a noted novelist who heads the Creative Writing Programme at the Ashoka University in Delhi, is his warmth and friendliness, rare among creative writers who wittingly or unwittingly, seem to build a wall of inaccessibility around them. He is not prolific by any means and has authored four unique novels over 15 years. Saikat is also a literary critic who writes non-fiction. The novels he has written are –Silverfish (2007), The Firebird (2015), The Scent…
In a free-flowing account, Manu Shrivastava draws vivid pictures of how Mumbai (then Bombay) played an epic role in liberating the country from the clutches of the Britishers, mentioning all those people and institutions who were at the epicenter of the struggle. The city was host to some of the most powerful mass movements that have become landmarks in the history of the movement. Kranti Gatha Gallery inside the underground British-era bunker at Raj Bhavan, Mumbai is a tribute to known and unknown revolutionaries of the Indian freedom movement. It was inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi in June 2022 Mumbai…
“With make-up, you can create a face that doesn’t exist” Somnath Kundu Doing a make-up is a routine regimen for many. Conventionally, it is meant to correct appearance flaws. From an alternative perspective, face can serve as a canvas for work of art — to accentuate one’s natural beauty and create marvels beyond belief. Something that Somnath Kundu does with consummate ease. Kundu is a prominent name in the Bengali film industry. He has the ability to overhaul the appearance of any actor with deft strokes. He is now trending as the man who miraculously transformed a lesser known TV…
The freedom of religion is laid down extensively in the Indian Constitution. In a country of the size of India, religious harmony is critical and when social shackles fail, the law comes into play to ensure that. India has always been an inclusive society. Time and again, new laws have been made and old ones amended to keep up with the requirements of the society at the time, avers Manu Shrivastava. Two of the four pillars of democracy, judiciary and the legislature, play an important role in creating laws for inclusion To be able to implement any principle or policy…
Nandini Rao cites plenty of sources in mythology that symbolise inclusion of everything reflective in rituals, customs and festivals. Making a pointed reference to ancient scriptures, she avers that Hindu mythology has a special place for animals and elements of nature, proving that Inclusion is accepted and proven. Ardhanarishvara Indian mythology is one of the most diverse and inclusive of all. Some of the primary sources of Indian mythology, that is basically synonymous with Hindu mythology owing to the prevalence of the ancient religion on this land for centuries, are Vedic literature, Puranas, epics Mahabharat and Ramayan, regional literature of…