Category: STATE OF THE ART

Actress Kareena Kapoor Khan praises PM Modi for celebrating the legacy of Indian cinema icon Raj Kapoor

STATE OF THE ART, Cinema December 11, 2024 indica

Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor Khan has thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a special afternoon and said his warmth, attention and support in celebrating the legacy of India’s film icon Raj Kapoor — the actress’ grandfather — means the world to her.

Kareena took to Instagram, where she shared a string of pictures of the “Kapoor” family posing with the PM. In one image, Modi even shared a signed note for Kareena’s sons, Taimur and Jeh. A few images also had the Indian leader speaking to her husband, actor Saif Ali Khan; cousin, actor Ranbir Kapoor; aunt, actress Neetu Kapoor; sister-in-law, actress Alia Bhatt; and herself.

Indian State Formation Day Celebrated in Bay Area, Showcasing Culture and Unity

Art, Culture, Culture, News, STATE OF THE ART November 26, 2024 indica

Colors, products, and cultural heritage from across India mesmerized Bay Area residents at a vibrant celebration of Indian State Formation Day, hosted by the Consul General of San Francisco, Dr. K. Srikar Reddy, on November 22 at the India Community Center, California. The event brought together the Indian American community and showcased the rich diversity of India’s states and union territories.

The Ineffaceable Legacy of Jawahar Lal Nehru                                                            

Culture, Architecture, Art, Culture, Museum, STATE OF THE ART November 16, 2024 indica

Reacting to renaming the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library to Prime Minister’s Memorial and Museum, the All-India Congress Committee said the following: ‘Mr. Modi possesses a huge bundle of fears, complexes, and insecurities, especially regarding our first and longest-serving Prime Minister. He has had a single-point agenda of denying, distorting, defaming, and destroying Nehru and the Nehruvian legacy… But he can never take away Nehru’s gigantic contributions to the freedom movement and his towering achievements in building the democratic, secular, scientific, and liberal foundations of the Indian nation-state, all of which are now under assault by Mr. Modi and his drumbeaters.”

AR Rahman nominated twice for The Goat Life at Hollywood Music in Media Awards

iStory, Cinema, STATE OF THE ART November 14, 2024 indica

Renowned Indian composer A R Rahman has received two nominations for the Malayalam movie Aadujeevitham (The Goat Life) at the 2024 Hollywood Music in Media Awards.

The Oscar-winner is nominated in the ‘Song-Feature Film’ category for the track “Periyone”, and in the ‘Score-Independent Film (Foreign Language)’ category. Sung by Jithin Raj, Periyone was co-written by Rahman and Rafiq Ahamed.

18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention website launched; PM Modi to inaugurate in Jan’ 25

News, Culture, STATE OF THE ART November 12, 2024 indica

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi jointly launched the 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention website on Tuesday, November 12. The 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is scheduled to be held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, from January 8-10. At the website launch program, Jaishankar said that the government accords the highest priority to the well-being of the more than 35 million Indian diaspora.

67th Grammy Awards: Indian-American artistes shine with multiple nominations

News, Art, Cinema, Culture, Culture, STATE OF THE ART November 12, 2024November 12, 2024 indica

Several Indian-American artists have received nominations for the 67th Grammy Awards. The prestigious event will take place at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, on February 2, 2025.

The nominees of Indian-American and Indian heritage are Ricky Kej, Anoushka Shankar, Chandrika Tandon,Varijashree Venugopal, Radhika Vekaria, and Noshir Mody.

BAPS celebrates Diwali with flavors from across the world in Annakut offering to God

Ritu Jha, Culture, STATE OF THE ART November 11, 2024November 12, 2024 indica

Each year BAPS Swaminarayan temple celebrates Diwali by offering thousands of varieties of home-cooked food to God, goddesses, and the gurus they worship. The offering is called ‘Annakut’. Annakut, which means ‘a mountain of food’, is traditionally offered to God to celebrate the beginning of the Hindu New Year. However, this year, it was a little different. BAPS offered not just Hindu meals as part of the Annakut, but also included Mexican cuisine.

“We started this exercise three years back when our current guru, Mahant Swami Maharaj, said that our mission should be to extend the circle of global harmony. And that will not happen by just BAPS doing their own things. We have to bring everybody together,” Rajesh Rathore, who heads community affairs for BAPS, told indica while highlighting the celebrations and the transformative presence of BAPS in the US. “I think the common theme we have seen is a lot of people find value in learning how BAPS engages people of all ages. We are trying to unite east, west, north, and south.”

Indian-origin woman purchases actor Matthew Perry’s LA home, performs ‘puja’

STATE OF THE ART, Cinema November 9, 2024November 9, 2024 indica

An Indian-origin female real estate developer and film producer has bought actor Matthew Perry’s Los Angeles home in Pacific Palisades.

Anita Lallian paid $8.55 million for the property, as per reports. Before moving in, the new owner performed a customary ‘puja’ and prayer ceremony to honor Perry’s spirit. Perry, who gained worldwide fame for his iconic role as Chandler Bing in the hit sitcom ‘Friends’, died at the property in October 2023.

Drishtee Foundation empowering women with sustainable business models in rural India

STATE OF THE ART, Culture, Ritu Jha November 7, 2024November 7, 2024 indica

Drishtee Foundation USA, a non-profit organization that enables village women entrepreneurs by helping them develop and implement sustainable business models, brought in other successful non-profits and people supporting women to San Ramon in California on October 16, where they shared their work, the challenges they face, and what more needs to be done.

The host, Niharika Srivastav, president of Drishtee Foundation USA, a subsidiary of Drishtee India, who for the past four years was volunteering and is now fully dedicated in supporting rural women in India, highlighted about Drishtee and how it has helped 6,500 villages in the past 25 years in the country.

Drishtee Foundation empowering women with sustainable business models in rural India

STATE OF THE ART, Biz, Ritu Jha November 2, 2024 indica

Drishtee Foundation USA, a non-profit organization that enables village women entrepreneurs by helping them develop and implement sustainable business models, brought in other successful non-profits and people supporting women to San Ramon in California on October 16, where they shared their work, the challenges they face, and what more needs to be done.

The host, Niharika Srivastav, president of Drishtee Foundation USA, a subsidiary of Drishtee India, who for the past four years was volunteering and is now fully dedicated in supporting rural women in India, highlighted about Drishtee and how it has helped 6,500 villages in the past 25 years in the country.

CoHNA hosts vibrant Diwali celebration at Atlanta City Hall, uniting community and culture

STATE OF THE ART, Culture October 31, 2024 indica

It was a full house at City Hall as more than 250 Atlanta residents gathered with Mayor Andre Dickens to celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights primarily celebrated by the Hindu community. Organized by the Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA), the event brought together a distinguished crowd from the Atlanta Hindu community, alongside prominent lawmakers and diplomats.

Attendees included Congressman Rich McCormick (R-GA), Congressman Hank Johnson (D-GA), Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne (R-TX), State senators Shawn Still and Nikki Merritt, House Representative Esther Panitch, and Atlanta City Council President Doug Shipman. Also attending were the Consul General of India, Ramesh Babu Lakshmanan and Deputy Consul of Bahamas, Tyson McKenzie.

President Biden’s last Diwali reception to feature music, dance, and cultural honors

News, Culture October 27, 2024 indica

U.S. President Joe Biden would celebrate Diwali on Monday evening, October 28, with a large number of Indian-Americans from across the country at the White House, his last as the President, the White House said in a statement.

The day promises to be a memorable tribute to Indian heritage and culture, emphasizing the growing bond between the U.S. and the Indian-American community.

SALA: A grand intimate gathering

Spotlight, Art, Culture, Culture, STATE OF THE ART October 18, 2024October 18, 2024 indica

The fifth annual South Asian Literature and Arts Festival (SALA) with a theme ‘Plurality in community’ began with resounding applause at the Bechtel Conference Center, the historic Encina Hall at the renowned Stanford University, Palo Alto, California.

Held this year on September 28 through 29, SALA’s two-day festival, for the past five years allows artists, activists, poets, authors, scholars, and literature enthusiasts to exchange open thoughts.

India launches revamped e-Migrate Portal to ensure safe and legal overseas travel for workers

News, Travel October 14, 2024 indica

India on Monday launched the revamped e-Migrate portal and mobile app, aimed at facilitating safe and legal overseas travel for its citizens. The initiative seeks to improve the ease of mobility for Indian labor while ensuring their safety and well-being abroad.

Speaking at the launch, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar highlighted the government’s commitment to enhance ease of living and promote people-centric governance.

Indian-origin actor-producer’s film ‘The Collaborator’ to premiere at SDIFF after decade-long journey

STATE OF THE ART, Cinema, Ritu Jha October 7, 2024 indica

The Collaborator, a feature film produced by an Indian-origin actor, will premiere at the 23rd annual San Diego International Film Festival. The film was selected from a record-breaking 3,500 submissions at the film festival, themed “Celebrating the Power of Film”.

The festival, scheduled to be held from October 16-20, will include more than 100 screenings of films from 25 countries, along with 10 world premieres, panel discussions, and the Night of the Stars Tribute red carpet event.

Caught between two stones: Flimmaker Imtiaz Ali on Chamkila killing and more…

STATE OF THE ART, Art, Cinema, Culture, Culture, News October 6, 2024October 6, 2024 indica

“Do patan ke bich mein sabut bacha na koi” [Caught between two stones, no one survives].

With that couplet from Kabir, filmmaker Imtiaz Ali described the events surrounding the death of singer Chamkila. Ali, known for blockbuster movies like “Jab We Met,” “Highway,” “Tamasha,” and “Rockstar.” Ali was one of the keynote speakers at SALA 2024 in Stanford, California, where he talked to indica about his recent biopic, “Amar Singh Chamkila,” the Punjabi singer who was mysteriously killed.