The Perfumist of Paris (2023. Toronto: Mira) is the second sequel to Alka Joshi’s Henna Artist (2020. Toronto: Mira) and the immediate sequel to The Secret-Keeper of Jaipur (2021. Toronto: Mira), and serves to conclude the trilogy.
Category: Culture
Alia Bhatt in a resplendent Sabyasachi Mukherjee sari-blouse at the Met Gala
Looking for a purpose to the Met Gala fashions is like looking for a purpose to the universe. Just as merely to exist is the universe’s purpose, so for fashions at the gala. This year’s event was no different.
Culture, business celebrated at Bay Area Bihar Diwas event
The San Francisco-based Bihar Foundation USA organized an event celebrating the annual Bihar Diwas in Milpitas, California on April 7. Many Bay Area community organizations attended the event, built around the theme “Bonding, Branding and Business.”
37 Women Honored at AIA Celebration
Ritu Jha- More than 300 people rose to give a standing ovation when an award was given posthumously to Geetha Ramakrishnan, the former chairperson of the San Francisco chapter of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI). She died May 10, 2022. Ramakrishnan and 36 other women were honored at the annual NAARI Celebration […]
Ibaadatkhana to celebrate Holi, Eid, Easter, and Purim at online global webinar in April
Ibaadatkhana, an organization that promotes inter-faith harmony, will hold an online global webinar in April this year to celebrate four festivals of four religions – Hindu festival of Holi on 25th March, the Muslim festival of Eid ul Fitr, on 10th April, the Christian festival of Easter on 31st March, and the Jewish festival of Purim on 23rd/24th March.
Book Review: Radha Kapuria’s ‘Music in Colonial Punjab: Courtesans, Bards, and Connoisseurs’
Book Review: To read Radha Kapuria’s book ‘Music in Colonial Punjab: Courtesans, Bards, and Connoisseurs’ is, for Indian and foreign readers alike, to take a journey into a wondrous realm, hitherto unknown and yet populated with marvels. In this book, published in 2023 by Oxford University Press, Kapuria makes the effort, in her own phrase, to reveal classical Punjabi music was not, as usually believed, folk music, but court music; a distinction lost on a modern readership, to whom the distinction of ‘high’ and ‘low’ musics is a matter of taste, but at the time very important to the Sikh and Muslims kings of post-Mughal Punjab.
On Rajesh Khanna’s 81st birth anniversary a reminiscence about his political career
In an unexpectedly deep and thoughtful comment, Jatin Khanna once described himself as the “custodian” of his own movie screen avatar Rajesh Khanna.
3rdi to host 21st Annual San Francisco International South Asian Film Festival
The 21st Annual San Francisco International South Asian Film Festival – Beyond Bollywood will be hosted by 3rdi to showcase edgy narratives, fun indie films, and inspiring documentaries from South Asia and its diaspora, including stories from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, France, Italy, UK, Canada and the USA from October 20-22.
Leela Dance Collective collects $1 million to aid kathak dance
Leela Dance Collective, the Los Angeles-based internationally-touring kathak dance company that combines classical dance from North India with contemporary influences, has collected a $1 million endowment fund for The Leela Foundation to support the future of kathak dance and Hindustani classical music in the United States.
Twice Emmy-nominated costume designer Sonu Mishra on fabrics and fashion
Costume designer Sonu Mishra was nominated for two consecutive Primetime Emmys for her work in the hugely celebrated National Geographic series Genius Einstein and Genius Picasso respectively in 2017 and 2018.
Former curator sues Worcester Art Museum for racial discrimination, hostile work environment
An Indian American expert of South Asian and Islamic art has sued the Worcester Art Museum officials for allegedly subjecting her to racial discrimination and a hostile work environment. In her 64-page lawsuit, the petitioner has raised a number of accusations against the museum director, her supervisor, and four board members.
Mohammed Rafi: A willingness to submit his soul to music
By Mayank Chhaya- If India sang only in two voices, they would be Mohammed Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar’s. While Mangeshkar has become one of the most celebrated symbols of the Indian nationhood, Rafi remains somewhat eclipsed notwithstanding his preternatural talent as a playback singer. That may have something to do with his death at the […]
Here is to the deftly accomplished Sanjeev Kumar
Sanjeev Kumar, one of India’s most deftly accomplished actors, would have turned 85 today. By the time he died in November 1985 at 47, he was already regarded as a truly major figure of Hindi cinema whose range as an artist was remarkable. Perhaps unlike any other actor of his generation Kumar, who was born Harihar Jhariwala, exuded a lightness of touch and beguiling lack of effort in his performances.
Dalai Lama: A momentous birth amid rainbows and thunderstorms 88 years ago
By Mayank Chhaya- July 6 marks the 88th birthday of the 14th Dalai Lama. The following are excerpts from an authorized biography of his written by Mayank Chhaya. It was first published in 2007 in the U.S. by Doubleday and then in close to 25 languages worldwide. Thick and dark clouds swirled around Mount Kyeri […]
Gandhi Mandela King Conference draws young Gandhians from across the globe
The Gandhi Mandela King Conference was conducted by the University of Kwazulu Natal, Pietermaritzburg, from June 6-9, 2023. The event was in mark the 130th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s eviction from the First Class Compartment on June 7, 1893.
ALASKA & CHANA MASALA – Denali & Anchorage, Part 2
By Sonia Dhami- DENALI NATIONAL PARK Leaving Fairbanks, we are on the road to Denali National Park early, mounting anticipation of sighting the Big Five of Denali – Bear, Moose, Dall Sheep, Caribou and Wolves. During the 5-hour ride to Denali, we make a stop at the town of Nenana, well-timed with Alaska Railroad […]
New York State legislature passes Bill to make Diwali school holiday in city
New York State legislature has passed a Bill to make Diwali a school holiday in the city in a final scramble before it adjourned.
India to Host 71st Miss World 2023 Pageant
India has been chosen as the host country for the 71st Miss World 2023 pageant by the Miss World Organization. The decision to pick India as the host for the international event recognizes the nation’s rich cultural heritage, its commitment to promoting diversity, and its passion for empowering women, the MWO has stated.
ALASKA WITH CHANA MASALA – Fairbanks, (Part 1)
By Sonia Dhami- Alaska with its vast Artic Tundra, magnificent glaciers, majestic snow-capped peaks, rugged forests teeming with wildlife had been on my travel list for eons. So, my husband & I booked ourselves (50+) and our parents (80+) into a guided tour of 7 days traveling through the vast wilderness from Fairbanks, Alaska’s largest […]
Third G20 Tourism Working Group Meeting to kick-off in Jammu & Kashmir
The third G20 Tourism Working Group Meeting will be held in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir from 22 to 24 May 2023. The meeting is focused on two deliverables – GOA Roadmap for Tourism as a vehicle for achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs) and G20 Tourism Ministers’ Declaration.
California’s Maya Bazaar brings together Indian artisans like never before
To promote Indian government’s One District One Product (ODOP) initiative, the Indian Consulate in San Francisco, California, hosted ‘Craft Bazaar- Indian Handicrafts Expo’ in collaboration with the Association of Indo-Americans (AIA). It is called Maya Bazaar, an annual event that brings in small and medium size businesses to sell and promote their products to thousands of attendees.
Mount Madonna School to host 44th Annual Musical “Ramayana!”
Mount Madonna School of California is gearing up to host the 44th Mount Madonna School (MMS) “Ramayana!” – a musical theater production adapted for modern audiences and replete with lively action, dazzling costumes, humor, and universal life lessons.
How AIM for SEVA is changing lives, one student at a time
AIM for SEVA, a non-profit founded by Swami Dayananda Saraswati is a global charity. In the Bay area, the initiative is led by his disciple Vijay Kapoor with the help of a dedicated team of volunteers. The organization enables students in rural and tribal parts of India to access quality, holistic education through its chatralayas [hostels] and schools. It started with a modest number of 40 students and is currently educating 9000 students, of whom 4000 stay in the chatralayas full-time.
First Indian to be chosen as global brand ambassador for Gucci
He was out on a Juhu beach building sandcastles with his children when he was offered a challenging role that would go on to make him a Hindi film icon — and nearly lost it when the flabbergasted director saw him turn up in a London-made suit.
Asian Art Museum Takes You “Beyond Bollywood”: A new art show celebrating 2000 years of the heritage of dance in South Asia
America is celebrating the Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage this month. What would be a better way to commemorate this than by visiting the latest art show at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco titled “Beyond Bollywood”. The show explores 2000 years of the heritage of dance from temples to royal courts to modern movie classics in the Indian sub-continent and South Asia.
