'Slumdog Millionaire', a tribute to Mumbai, wins top award

Slumdog Millionaire,' a tribute to Mumbai and a story about a dream, won the top award at the Toronto Film Festival on September 13, ending a low-key event where many studios kept their best movies away.

The winning film, directed by Britain's Danny Boyle, opens in select U.S. theaters on November 28.

It tells of a teenager from the Indian slums who wins a chance of becoming a millionaire in a television game show.

The film received an enthusiastic reception from the Toronto audience, and actress Freida Pinto accepted the Cadillac People's Choice Award on Boyle's behalf.

"There are a lot of firsts for me in this," she said. "It's my first premiere, my first time dealing with the press, and now it's my first award.

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Chelsea gallery hosting Krishna Reddy exhibit

Thomas Erben Gallery of Chelsea, New York, which recently held an exhibition in Mumbai, is hosting a retrospective of printmaker Kirshna Reddy (Sepember. 17 - November 1), showcasing works by the Andhra-born New York artist from the 1950's through the early 1980's.

Celebrated artist, wandering scholar, innovator and experimenter, 83-year-old Krishna Reddy is a pivotal figure in India's artistic path through Modernism. After completing his studies under Nandalal Bose at Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan in 1947, Reddy taught art at Kalakshetra in Madras for three years. Going abroad in 1951, he attended Slade School of Fine Arts, London, with Henry Moore, for two years.

After Slade he moved to the continent where he furthered his contact with European Modernism, studying sculpture with Ossip Zadkine in Paris (1952-55) and with Mario Marini in Milan (1956-57). Also in Paris, he studied engraving (1953-55) with S.W.Hayter at Atelier 17, which he later joined, becoming a professor and associate director in 1965. In 1977 Reddy moved to New York to teach at New York University where he established the print department and presently is Professor Emeritus in Art.

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Breakfast meeting for delegation of Indian business women

Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy, the Municipal Council and the Jersey City Eco nomic Development Corporation (EDC) met a delegation of Indian businesswomen who are members of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) at a breakfast meeting at the Hudson County Community College Culinary Conference Center on September 15.

The 20 business and professional women want to continue the interaction between the Delhi-based FICCI and New Jersey business women who have made biannual journeys to India since 2005, a press release said.

Their visit focused on northern New Jersey's business, education, and cultural sectors.

"Jersey City is the economic engine driving the state's economy and we are proud that many of our businesses are owned and operated by members of the Indian community," Mayor Healy was quoted saying in the release.

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Shoaib Akhtar banned in Pakistan until he pays fine

Fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar will not be allowed to take part in the domestic season unless he pays a fine of seven million Pakistan rupees ($91,455).

The legal counsel for the Pakistan Cricket Board said Akhtar would not be eligible to start the season on October 4 with the highly popular Twenty20 national championship until he had cleared the fine.

"He has to pay the fine first or get a stay order from the court against it. Otherwise he can't play for Pakistan or anywhere in Pakistan at any level," Tafazzul Rizvi told Reuters.

The Board's appellate tribunal reduced in June a five year ban imposed on the fast bowler to 18 months. But it asked him to pay the hefty fine as punishment.

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Fedayeen Islam claims responsibility for Pakistan bombing

A group calling itself Fedayeen Islam (Partisans of Islam) claimed responsibility for the suicide bomb attack that killed 53 people at the Marriott Hotel in Pakistan's capital September 20. It made the claim in a call to an Islamabad based correspondent for al Arabiya, an Arab news channel.

"It's either new or it might be a distraction," said a senior intelligence officer. "What we do know is that there was a lot of celebration among the lower ranks of al Qaeda."

The group issued several demands, including that Pakistan ends cooperation with the United States, Arabiya said.

Teams combing the burnt shell of the hotel found more charred bodies after the blast on Sept. 20 evening ignited a blaze that swept through the hotel, part of a U.S.-based chain and a favorite haunt of diplomats and wealthy Pakistanis.

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India hires Australian expert to nurture talent

Indian golfing authorities have hired an Australian expert to help develop the junior program in the country, a senior official said on September 11.

"We have appointed (consultant) Dominic Wall to structure our junior program," Indian Golf Union (IGU) vice-president Nishit Luthra told reporters.

"We want to have at least 100 teenagers every year who can break 70 every time," he added, at the launch of next month's $1 million Indian Open Asian Tour event.

The prize money has been doubled from last year for the event to be played in New Delhi from October 9.

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First-time novelist Adiga and Ghosh on Booker shortlist

Tales from rural India, secretive Ireland and strike-riven northern England are all vying for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction, one of the world's most prestigious literary awards.

Aravind Adiga, whose book ‘The White Tiger' tracks the ambitions and divided loyalties of the son of a rickshaw puller from a village, is a first-time novelist.

The former TIME magazine correspondent is the bookmakers' favorite to take the annual prize, worth £50,000 ($88,000) to the winner.

A second Indian writer on the shortlist of six is Kolkata-born Amitav Ghosh with ‘Sea of Poppies', a story set on an old slave ship before the Opium Wars.

But there was no place for Mumbai born Salman Rushdie, who was named ‘Best of the Booker' winner in July to mark the prize's 40th anniversary.

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The Last Lear' to open in Maharashtra despite boycott threat

The producers of a new Amitabh Bachchan-starrer said on September 9 the film would open in cinemas in Maharashtra despite a local political party's threat to boycott films by the actor and his family.

Raj Thackeray, head of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), had issued the boycott threat on Sept. 8 after Bachchan's actress politician wife Jaya spoke in Hindi at a Bollywood function in Mumbai.

Jaya Bachchan said she would speak in Hindi as her family hailed from Uttar Pradesh, a state where the language is widely spoken.

The remark irked MNS, a proponent of Maharashtra's state language Marathi. The party announced a boycott of films and products endorsed by any member of the Bachchan family -Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya, their son Abhishek and daughter-in law Aishwarya Rai.

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7th anniversary of 9/11: Pentagon memorial's opening brings closure for many

Surely no one who had seen the Pentagon burning seven years ago could have envisioned the scene that unfolded there on September 11.

When the dedication ceremony for the Pentagon Memorial ended about 10:30 a.m. and the dignitaries had left in their motorcades, the families of Sept. 11 victims began filing into the park, searching for the steel and granite memorial benches with the names of their loved ones. They carried flowers, balloons and photographs, and soon, a festive, almost celebratory mood began to take hold among a group long accustomed to spending the day in sadness.

It was the children who set the tone, really, treating the austere objects like playground equipment rather than representations of the dead. They ran among the rows of benches, playing with the water in the pools below and sliding down their smooth, arcing outlines, a stone's throw from the spot where American Airlines Flight 77 tore into the western side of the Pentagon seven years ago, killing 184.

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Documentary on educational system of school for homeless

The documentary film 'Wings of Evolution' revolves around the educational system of the Siragu Montessori School, a school for the homeless and under priviledged children, located on the outskirts of Chennai. The school, in spite of limited resources and obstacles has maintained a quality program, free for those who attend.

The documentary directed by Raghu Jeganathan and Ramesh Mourthy, is produced by Mourthy, Mohandass and Radhakrishnan and is written by Kousalya Jegnathan.

It also focuses on bringing together children from around the world, through a world-wide postcard sharing workshop where children from around the world share thoughts, exchange ideas and promote cultural diversity, global peace and understanding towards building a better tomorrow, a press release said.

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Fourth season of ‘Indian Idol' to premiere on September 19

Sony Entertainment Television Asia (SET Asia) has announced the fourth season of ‘Indian Idol', which premieres on September 19 at 9:00 p.m.

The series features a new panel of judges who will judge thousands of international contestants to chose the winner, a press release said.

"This year we held open auditions in 12 cities in India, UK and Dubai," Rajan Singh, Executive Vice President for International Business, SET Asia, was quoted in the release. "With the new celebrity judges and a more dynamic mix of contestants, the fourth season of ‘Indian Idol' will be one of the most heated competitions yet."

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South Asians welcome Mayor's anti-bullying regulation for schools

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein's September 3 announcement on new anti harassment initiatives to stop bullying and bias-related incidents in city schools, was welcomed by South Asians, some of whom have borne the brunt of it over the last several months.

The new Chancellor's Regulation A-832, is intended to "combat bullying and harassment based on ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, and other factors" and make them among the most rigorous in the country.

Schools will be required to not only make standards clear to students and staff, but also track and monitor all bias incidents, investigate complaints promptly, and take follow up steps.

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Western Union celebrates Annual Customer Appreciation Day

Western Union celebrated the third year of its Annual Customer Appreciation Day on September 5 at its flagship store on Broadway near Times Square in Manhattan. This annual tradition is geared to thank the customers with a day of fun with food, soft drinks, game stations to win prizes, money order drawings and a gift from the company to take home.

Speaking to Desi Talk, Guy DiMaggio, Regional Vice President, Western Union Northeast Region, said that continuing on its customer centric business model, the company uses this day to express appreciation for the support given by the customers.

On asked about its business in India and with the Indian American community, he said that Western Union was doing outstanding business in India.

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Tennis Leander Paes and Cara Black win U.S. Open mixed doubles title

Leander Paes and Zimbabwe's Cara Black won the mixed doubles title at the U.S. Open on September 4, beating Briton Jamie Murray and American Liezel Huber 7-6 6-4.

The fifth seeds saved two set points in the first-set tie break before breaking once in the second to clinch their first grand slam title together.

Black hit a crucial volley to save the first set point and Murray, who won the mixed doubles at Wimbledon in 2007 with Jelena Jankovic, netted a volley on the second.

Murray was the only man to lose his serve, in the fifth game of the second, and Paes served out for his eighth grand-slam title, while Black has now won seven, including three mixed.

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If lending my name to an institution brings them visibility, I'm all for it'

Critically acclaimed Bollywood actress Vidya Balan was recently in New York for the 27th Annual Benefit Dinner and Fashion fiesta organized by the Nargis Dutt Memorial Foundation (NDMF) at the Marriott Hotel in Uniondale on Long Island, New York.

NDMF, which has been working to help innumerable not-for-profit medical facilities in India in their fight against cancer, joined hands with the Indo-American Cancer Association, an organization run by cancer physicians of Indian decent in America.

"I'm more than glad to be part of this event and have come only to lend my support to the Nargis Dutt Memorial Foundation for such a noble cause, Balan told Desi Talk in a telephone interview. "If my presence or my name brings in one extra person or one extra check or greater amount of awareness I would be really happy to do it."

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India to benefit from Asian Cup berth - Baichung Bhutia

India could be transformed into a regional power over the next three years after their AFC Challenge Cup victory earlier this month qualified them for the 2011 Asian Cup, according to the side's captain Baichung Bhutia.

"It was a massive victory because we have qualified to play in the Asian Cup... the biggest tournament in Asian football," Bhutia told Reuters in an interview.

"It changes things for us because now you get to play with the biggest teams," the 32-year-old striker said.

India, with a world ranking of 153 and 24th in Asia, claimed a berth in the elite 16-team competition offered by the Asian body to encourage lower-ranked teams in the continent.

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Art weather forecast for Fall: Heavy shower of falling records

W ith the 13th Asian Art Week in New York round the corner (September 15 22), one wonders what further surprises the Week will spring this fall. The art weather forecast for the coming week - heavy showers of falling records.

Remember the Sotheby's sale in New York of the Herwitz collection in 1995? That was the beginning of a new era. In 13 years, Indian art has traveled centuries not just in terms of market value, but awareness and international recognition.

We no longer bat an eyelid when a Tyeb Mehta fetches $ 2 million, or a Subodh Gupta makes it among the top ten at an internationl Contemporary sale that might include Damien Hirst or Jasper John.

Yet, it's only the other day that Indian Modern and Contemporary art found its foothold in the world market to the accompaniment of expressions of joy and surprise. Gasps of amazement greeted the fall of the hammer at over the $10,000 mark, and when paintings by M.F. Husain fetched $20,000, the surprise blended with bewilderment.

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Jindal present in absence, Krishna recites Pledge of Allegiance

Republican Governor of Louisiana Bobby Jindal in the midst of managing the crisis created by Hurricane Gustav, was remembered more by his absence at the opening day of his party's four-day Convention from September 1 to 4, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Indian Americans were visible in other ways as well. Sunita Krishna, Alternate Delegate from Arizona, was invited to recite the Pledge of Allegiance before the thousands present at the start of business on Day One at the Convention.

"During our time at the White House we had the opportunity of getting to know each of the Governors from the Gulf Coast States," said First Lady Laura Bush. "They are all strong leaders. They were planning to be with us today. They all happen to be Republican," she said among a roar from the floor of the Xcel Center. Calling on delegates to listen to taped messages from four of the Gulf Coast Governors she added, "… I am sure you can understand why Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana could not participate."

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‘China is mistreating Tibetans during Games' - Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama said on August 16 China was mistreating and torturing civilians in Tibet while the Olympic Games were going on.

"Unfortunately the Olympic spirit is not being respected at all by Chinese officials in Tibet," he said in an interview on France's TF1 television, when asked if the tradition of an Olympic truce was being respected.

"There are restrictions on the circulation of information, very strong censorship," he said.

"Civilians are often arrested, violently tortured to the point where they die. It's really very, very sad," he said.

The Dalai Lama, who was on a two-week visit to France, mostly focused on religious commitments. He has made few political comments but he criticised China's actions in Tibet at a meeting on Aug. 13 with French legislators.

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Proud China brings curtain down on epic Games

The Beijing Olympics ended with a blaze of deafening fireworks on August 24, bring ing down the curtain on a Games that dazzled the world with sporting brilliance and showcased the might of modern day China.

The sporting extravaganza failed to quell criticism of China's human rights record, although the International Olympic Committee (IOC) gave the organizers the thumbs-up and said the Games would leave a positive legacy for future generations.

"Tonight we come to the end of 16 glorious days we will cherish forever," IOC President Jacques Rogge told the 91,000-strong crowd in the Bird's Nest stadium.

"The world learned more about China, and China learned more about the rest of the world," he said. "These were truly exceptional Games."

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Nationwide Insurance's new commercial with Sanjaya Malakar

Nationwide Insurance, based in Columbus, Ohio, unveiled on August 19 its latest advertisement with the tagline 'Life Comes at You Fast' featuring former ‘American Idol' contestant Sanjaya Malakar at a private screening for the Indian American media at their New York City branch office. Malakar joins celebrities Kevin Federline, Fabio and MC Hammer to feature in Nationwide's commercials.

In the advertisement, Malakar visits India to seek advice from a wise man who tells him he needs a retirement plan - and a haircut. Sanjaya sports a hairstyle similar to the ones he made famous while on ‘American Idol' (Season 6).

The company's Web site features the new commercial and a new micro site allows fans to upload a personal image and create their own "Sanjaya" look using the 'Nationwide Sanjaya widget'.

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