New film exposes dark underbelly of India's regional politics

A new Bollywood thriller explores the dark underbelly of India's regional politics just as the country gears up for general elections in April and May.

‘Gulal', directed by Anurag Kashyap, opened in Indian cinemas on March 13 as poll campaigning kicked off for a massive electoral exercise that would enable more than 714 million people to vote.

Kashyap said he first thought of making the film during a trip to Rajasthan.

"I saw so much of caste politics and regionalism and the film is a result of those travels," the 36-year-old filmmaker said.

"We need a huge change if we are going to do something about our democratic process."

Lead actor Raj Singh Chaudhary said "Gulal" questions the concept of democracy in India.

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.desitalk.com

New Delhi Television Limited ‘Imagine' channel launched on DISH network

The NDTV Group, last month launched NDTV Imagine, their flagship Hindi General Entertainment network. The channel is available exclusively on DISH Network®, as part of DISH Network's 16channel Hindi Mega Pack for $54.99 per month, a press release said.

NDTV Imagine which offers a wide variety of programming ranging from lighthearted family soaps to period dramas, music shows and entertainment industry events has been very well received.

Popular programs include, ‘Oye Its Friday,' presented by Farhan Akhtar; ‘Raju Haazir Ho,' hosted by Raju Srivastav; ‘Junoon', and ‘Nachle Ve' and ‘Jassuben Jayantilaal Joshi Ki,' a light-hearted drama chronicling the lives of a joint family, among others.

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.desitalk.com

Fareed Zakaria is ‘2008 India Abroad Person of the Year'

Author, editor of Newsweek International, and first ever Indian American to host of his own talk show on CNN, Fareed Zakaria was recognized with the ‘India Abroad Person of the Year' award for 2008.

His was one of several awards given out at the annual ‘India Abroad Person of the Year' gala, held on March 20, at the stately George Gustave Heve Center of the National Museum of the American Indian.

Columbia University journalism professor and co-founder of the South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA), Sreenath Sreenivasan emceed the event.

In its 7th year the award brought together the glitterati from various fields, including Founder and CEO of InfoSys and now an author Nandan Nilekani

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.desitalk.com

Television executive pleads not guilty to murder charge

Muzzammil Hassan, a television executive accused of beheading his estranged wife in the television station they founded and ran in Buffalo, N.Y., pleaded not guilty March 13 to second-degree murder, authorities said.

"The defendant was arraigned in Eerie County Court," District Attorney Frank Sedita told Desi Talk. "He was remanded to the custody of the Eerie County Sheriff on the people's recommendation of no bail. That means he is in jail and he is not getting out."

Sedita said "the matter has been set down for motions, and I would expect that a trial would be scheduled some time this year."

The next court hearing in the case would be in April, Sedita said.

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.desitalk.com

2010 Commonwealth Games head backs Delhi safety plans

Security planning for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi is on track and concerns that safety fears could scupper the event are premature, the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) said on March 16.

CGF Chief Executive Mike Hooper played down comments by Australian Commonwealth Games Association CEO Perry Crosswhite that the games could be scrapped if security was in doubt.

Security around the Games, due to be held from October 3-14, has come under scrutiny after an attack in Mumbai in November that killed at least 171 people and a recent attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Pakistan.

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.desitalk.com

New campaign launched with designer Malhotra

Combining the ideas of celebrity fashion designer Manish Malhotra's creations with Lufthansa's dedication to the South Asian community, the airline recently launched a new ‘Wedding Celebration Campaign'. The campaign offers a chance to win great prizes to both couples engaged to be married and all those who participate in voting.

The airline that has been bringing Bollywood closer to South Asians abroad by organizing free premieres, has introduced yet another signature event, where people can spend time together online, share love stories and enter to win a Malhotra original design, in addition to Lufthansa airfare for two to India, and other prizes, a press release said.

Designer to the stars and brides, Malhotra recognizes marriage to be a pillar of the Indian community.

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.desitalk.com

Don't compare India to Pakistan, says Indian Premier League chief Lalit Modi

The chairman of India's popular Twenty20 league has dismissed security fears ahead of the second edition of the tournament, insisting it was wrong to compare the situation in India to Pakistan.

"We are a very safe country. You are sitting here, I am sitting here, we all are sitting here...

We are not Pakistan. I really see no concern," Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Lalit Modi told reporters on March 10.

Security concerns around a tournament that attracts a large number of leading international players had intensified following the recent attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore, Pakistan, which left six players and a coach wounded and eight people dead.

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.desitalk.com

Khan-Iyer-Kale-Maron concert among highlights of ‘Opening Nights Festival'

On March 7, which was the last Saturday of Alice Tully Hall Opening Nights Festival, percussionist Karsh Kale and jazz pianist/composer Vijay Iyer got together with sitar maestro Ustad Shujaat Khan and electric bassist Jonathan Maron for an evening of music-making that Jazz News had described as 'not to be missed.'

The sold-out concert was a highlight of the two-week festival (February 22- March 8) at the Lincoln Center marking the unveiling of a beloved but ageing New York stage that had lost some of its luster in the 50 years since its opening.

The one-night-only reunion of the jazz and North Indian classical music masters at Alice Tully Hall reprised a 2004 meeting of the quartet for a series of sold-out concerts at Joe's Pub.

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.desitalk.com

Bollywood tale of orphan puts spotlight on Kashmir

A new Bollywood film set in Kashmir depicts life in the troubled region through the eyes of a teenage boy whose parents are killed by separatist militants.

The film's makers say the 14-year-old hero of ‘Sikandar' becomes a pawn in a game played out between militants, the army, politicians and clerics in the Himalayan region.

"My main concern in Kashmir is the children, the next generation, and that is why I wrote this story," director Piyush Jha told Reuters in an interview.

Bollywood's offerings on Kashmir have generally been populist, patriotic fare which cast neighboring Pakistan and menacing Muslim militants as villains, and the Indian security forces as heroes.

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.desitalk.com

Book offers accelerated and intuitive method to learn music

Raj Sangeet Productions Inc., the producers of original Bollywood style songs in the U.S., on March 3 unveiled a book, ‘Bollywood Piano, that offers an accelerated and intuitive method to learn piano, harmonium and musical keyboards.

By following the system described in the book by Rajan Shah, a composer, music arranger and a seasoned pianist based in Virginia, students can start to play in as little as 30 minutes and complete the course in about 48 hours, or learn at their own pace and convenience, a press release said.

Upon successful completion, absolute beginners from ages 8 and up, will be able to read musical notation, play their favorite songs by ear, construct all major scales, minor scales and various minor modes, build chords, the release said.

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.desitalk.com

5 awards for ‘Jodhaa Akbar' including ‘Best Picture'

Glitz, glamor and showbiz reigned at the 54th Idea Filmfare Awards held at the Yash Raj Studios in suburban Mumbai on February 28.

The youthful, handsome hosts for the show Imran Khan and Ranbir Kapoor, rightly represented 'Young India', the theme for the night.

They were later joined by the stunning Deepika Padukone and the talented Konkana Sen Sharma.

Performances by the svelte Katrina Kaif from her hit films ‘Singh is Kinng' and ‘Yuvraaj'; the charming Shahid Kapur from ‘Jab We Met'; the sexy Bipasha Basu and the suave Neil Nitin Mukesh from ‘Aa Dekhen Zara' and Abhishek Bachchan from the title track of ‘Delhi 6', set the stage on fire.

Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka Chopra bagged the ‘Best Actor' and ‘Best Actress' award respectively, while ‘Jodhaa Akbar' was declared the Best Film.

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.desitalk.com

World Trade Center exhibit captures heroism of South Asian immigrants

Nestled in the shadow of ground zero, in the basement of the WTC Tribute Visitor Center, is a shrine to the qualities that make New York City the powerful human magnet it is love, tolerance and its quintessential brand of common sense.

A new "changing" exhibit entitled ‘Renewing Our American Dream after 9/11' offers glimpses of how a mosaic of immigrant groups came together in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks to fight the spasms of hate that infected America.

"We always say we will not forget, but honestly, everybody forgets," Reza Naqvi, Director of Education and Youth Programs at the Brooklyn based Council of People's Organizations (COPO), who attended a press briefing about the opening of the exhibit on March 5, told Desi Talk.

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.desitalk.com

Annual event held in 15 centers, including New York, New Jersey

The Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Sri Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) held its 2nd annual 'BAPS Women's Conference 2009' at different locations across the country on the eve of International Women's Day which falls on March 8.

The day began being observed since the early 1900s as part of the struggle to get women the right to vote. It now celebrates the achievements of women the world over.

"We are conducting this conference at nine locations simultaneously, including New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Texas and Toronto" Naresh Jadeja, media coordinator for BAPS told Desi Talk.

To read the full article, click here...
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.desitalk.com

Telugu film deals with issue of generation gap between parents and children

Starring Siddharth, Tamanna, Prakash Raj and Ramya Krishna in the lead, ‘Konchem Istam Konchem Kastam', debut director Kishore Kumar alias Dolly's film tackles the issues of generation gap between the parents and their children.

Another Telugu film ‘Bommarillu', directed and co-written by Bhaskar starring Siddharth Narayan, Genelia D'Souza, Prakash Raj and Jayasudha, dealt with a similar issue.

Produced by Nallamalapu Srinivas alias Bujji, Konchem Istam Konchem Kastam', based on the consequences faced by children due to the parent's ego was released on February 5.

Siddhu Varma, played by Siddharth, is the son of Prakash Varma, played by Prakash Raj and Rajya Lakshmi,

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.desitalk.com

Interfaith activist, rabbi visit Israel as part of peace effort

The head of a Brooklyn-based nonprofit that has been working to protect the rights of South Asian immigrants in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks is visiting Israel as part of a State Department effort to help with the Arab-Israeli peace process.

Mohammad Razvi, executive director of the Council of Peoples Organizations, or COPO, left for Israel, along with Rabbi Robert Kaplan on a trip from March 1 to 10, Razvi said.

The trip is part of the U.S. Speaker/Specialist Program of the Department of State Bureau of International Information Programs, according to the formal invitation letter Razvi received.

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.desitalk.com

Pearl Carpet Baroda with 40,000 diamonds to climax auction

The climax of Sotheby's first-ever major international auction series in the Middle East, scheduled for March 18-19, 2009, at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Doha, Qatar, will hark back to the wealth and whims of a Maharaja who ruled in India almost a century and a half ago.

Maharaja Khanderao Gaekwad, who ruled over the princely state of Baroda from 1856 to 1870, had , near the end of his reign, in a fit of fascination with Islam, ordered a carpet embroidered with pearls and precious stones which he intended to gift as canopy for the tomb of the Prophet in Medina. Khanderao Gaekwad died before the gift could be made, and his successors, not sharing his enthusiasm, kept the carpet in their possession. Four gold posts that were to hold up the canopy remained unfinished.

It is this carpet that will be auctioned at end of Sotheby's inaugural International Art Sale in Doha. This one lot, it is estimated, will fetch from $5 to 7 million, perhaps outweighing the rest of the combined sale, which is to include notable works of Orientalist art by leading Western painters of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.desitalk.com

Nehwal to return to action at All England super series

World number 10 Saina Nehwal has recovered from a shoulder injury and will return to action at next month's All England super series, domestic media reported on February 25.

The 18-year-old, a quarter-finalist at last year's Beijing Olympics, passed a fitness test on February 25 after undergoing a five-week rehabilitation program, her physiotherapist Heath Matthews told the Times of India.

The world junior champion missed this month's national championship,

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.desitalk.com

Bobby Kumar elected Chairman of the Reform Party United States of America

Bobby Kumar, a political activist in Nassau County, has been elected Chairman of the Reform Party USA, the first Indian American ever to be elected to head a political party at the national level. He planned to travel around the country to meet state party activists starting March 5, he told Desi Talk.

The Reform Party was established in 1996, after maverick businessman Ross Perot ran for President and lost in 1992. It covers 27 states in the country. All 27 voted for Kumar in the Feb.17 elections, Frank McKay, outgoing Chair of the Reform Party told Desi Talk. The party is affiliated with the Independence Party of United States which covers 12 states. None of the states overlap. Together the two parties cover 39 states.

He is my brother from another mother," McKay said referring to Kumar. "We are very proud of him. He is up for the job and he is going to do an incredible job because he has talent and is wonderful with people.

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.desitalk.com

Furor over New York auction of objects used by Mahatma

If the furor in India's Parliament following a media controversy in India about the auction of Mahatma Gandhi memorabilia is any indication, representatives of the government of India, as well as proxies for such billionaire Indian collectors as Vijay Mallya are likely to be present at the special spring auction that was to be held March 5 and 6 at the Madison Avenue salesroom in New York City of Antiquoram Auctioneers, the world's leading watch auctioneers.

A number of Indian MPs have demanded that their government join the bidding for the Mahatma's personal possessions at the auction and secure return of the national heirlooms to India.

The clamor may lead to spirited bidding, leading perhaps to prices being achieved higher than the presale estimates.

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.desitalk.com

Farhan Akhtar and Asin Thottumkal get top awards

Director-turned-actor Farhan Akhtar and actress Asin Thottumkal bagged top honors for their performances in 'Rock On!' and 'Ghajini' respectively at the Pan Bahar Max Stardust Awards 2009.

The Aamir Khan-starrer 'Ghajini' also bagged the hottest film award, while its director A.R. Murugadoss walked away with the hottest new filmmaker trophy at a gala event at the MMRDA Grounds in Bandra, Mumbai on February 15.

Last year's highly successful ‘Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na' was honored with several awards including recognition for both Prateik Babbar, son of Raj Babbar and the late Smita Patil, and Manjari Phadnis in the ‘Breakthrough Performance' categories. Benny Dayal's rendition of Pappu can't dance saala from the ‘Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na' soundtrack was named the the ‘New Musical Sensation' - male.

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.desitalk.com

First Indian to win two Oscars and perform live at the ceremony

Before A.R. Rahman received three Academy Award nominations for his contributions to ‘Slumdog Millionaire's' Indian in fused techno soundtrack, he was known across India as ‘the Mozart of Madras.'

He's long been Bollywood's best-known composer, a household name for his love ballads, offbeat world rhythms and patriotic pop hits that have sold more than 100 million albums, making him one of the world's top selling artists.

Across India, many fans celebrated his nominations (one for Best Original Score and two for Best Song), and newspaper headlines chanted, ‘Ra. Ra. Rahman.' But most fans say ‘Slumdog's' score was far from his best work.

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.desitalk.com