Bollywood’s latest action film ‘FORCE’ with an unlikely pairing.
FORCE is a romantic – action film that revolves around Yashvardhan (John Abraham) who is a hard-headed senior narcotics officer who doesn’t play by the book but always ensures that justice is served. He believes that the only way to eradicate crime is to give criminals the bullet – not hand cuffs. In the midst of his most dangerous and significant operation to crack down on India’s drug cartels, Yashvardhan encounters a ruthless enemy who will stop at nothing until he gets his revenge for the damage done to his business by the narcotics team. He also meets the free-spirited Maya (Genelia D’Souza), whose love pushes him to make a choice between the life he already knows and the life he could have with her. Yashvardhan’s decision to let happiness and normalcy into his life changes his life forever.
Cast: John Abraham and Genelia D’SouzaDirector: Nishikant KamatProducer: Vipul Amrutlal Shah FORCE opens across US/Canada this Friday, SEPTEMBER 30
Theater listings: http://www.forcethemovie.com/listing.html
Stimulate your literary senses at the South Asian Women’s Creative Collective’s Literary Fest: Open Fire: Rights, Radicalism and Revolution on September 23-24 2011.
With the middle-east uprisings, London riots and protests in Madison (closer to home), SAWCC’s theme is extremely pertinent and timely.
curated by Shilpa Mohan
From Shirin Sadeghi in the Huffington Post
Huma Abedin, Hillary Clinton’s personal assistant and Anthony Weiner’s wife, finds herself in an unwelcome spotlight.
“Don’t be another Pakistani Good Wife” one Twitterer posted after Weiner’s confession. Don’t follow your boss’s advice, said countless others, referencing Hillary Clinton’s well-known history of standing by her man even after the fact of his cheating was beyond doubt.
Science Daily reports studies that show babies are born with the ability to detect and respond to rhythm. Such findings are part of a series of studies that show that children who participate in musical studies demonstrate stronger cognitive abilities, including improved memory over a lifespan. Programs like Little Ustaads which introduce young children to raags and classical indian instruments “promote emotional development, hand and eye coordination, mental stimulation, auditory refinement and exploratory play in a fun and effortless manner”.
Arooj’s unique and experimental rendition of the Sufiana Kalaam was refreshing. From the haunting lyrics of her self- composed melancholic opening piece ‘Udhero Na’ to the magic of the classic ghazal, her style defies traditional genres.
curated by Shilpa Mohan
By Steve Hochman for Spinner
Grammy nominated musician, Vijay Iyer is explaining this by way of stressing that the music of his new trio, ‘Tirtha,’ with guitarist Prasanna and tabla player Nitin Mitta, is not Indian.
“It should be made clear that I’m not playing Indian music,” he says.
But at the same time, they’re not not playing Indian music. Iyer, born and raised in Rochester, N.Y., to Indian parents, is one of the stars of the new jazz generation, fully immersed in those forms. But Prasanna and Mitta are from India, with strong roots in the nation’s classical music.
“What we have in mind is for those two approaches to coexist,” he says. “In a way, that’s the story that’s being told. Different approaches can not only coexist but are compatible and can create together. In a way that feels contemporary. We’re not mixing styles, mixing languages.”
The result on the trio’s new debut album, ‘Tirtha,’ is such often-extended explorations as ‘Tribal Wisdom,’ one of the pieces written by Prasanna. Eschewing any sense of East-meets-West juxtaposition, the approach favors organic flow and communication between the musicians in ways true to a wealth of traditions, while transcending all of them.
But ‘Tirtha’ is a personal landmark to him, something that he says will continue as a vital piece of his art, capturing the essence of his worldview.
“To me, this is a very modern thing,” he says. “It’s something possible now because of all the dynamics of global migration, what’s happened since independence in India and what’s happened in America with the Indian community coming of age. Feels to me – I don’t want to say it’s breaking ground – but it’s a reflection of today.”
Read more here.
curated by Shilpa Mohan
By Niall Ferguson in Newsweek
According to the United Nations, there are far more men than women on the planet. The gender gap is especially pronounced in Asia, where there are 100 million more guys than girls. This may come as a surprise to people in the Western world, where women outnumber men because—other things being equal—the mortality rate for women is lower than for men in all age groups. Nobel Prize–winning economist Amartya Sen calls it the mystery of Asia’s “missing women.”
The question left open by economists is what the consequences will be of such a large surplus of young men. History offers a disquieting answer. According to the German scholar Gunnar Heinsohn, European imperial expansion after 1500 was the result of a male “youth bulge.” Japan’s imperial expansion after 1914 was the result of a similar youth bulge, Heinsohn argues. During the Cold War, it was youth-bulge countries—Algeria, El Salvador, and Lebanon—that saw the worst civil wars and revolutions. Heinsohn has also linked the recent rise of Islamist extremism in countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan to an Islamic youth bulge. Political scientists Valerie Hudson and Andrea den Boer warn that China and India could be the next countries to overdose on testosterone.
Read more here.
Cornershop have delivered one hit album after another hit album. Paul Morley, from The Observer has described their long years “as interesting and adventurous as The Beatles.” The Independent refer to them as the “cultural critique you can dance to.”
Shayma Saadat has the unique talent of mixing delicious dishes with beautiful writing, making her recipes on her blog The Spice Spoon: Cooking Without Borders both a thrill for the palette and a literary feast.
The SAWCC Literary Festival
Sep 23, 2011
Vintage Elegance Meets the Modern in Bangkok
Jul 17, 2011
In the Midst of Scandal – Huma Abedin
Jun 10, 2011
Rahul N Bhardwaj – Dating and South Asians
May 31, 2011
Little Ustaads brings the Tabla to Toddlers
Apr 23, 2011
Arooj Aftab – Timeless Music for the Now Generation
Apr 5, 2011
‘Tirtha’ Is Not Indian Jazz -and Is Not NOT Indian Jazz
Mar 24, 2011
Men without Women
Mar 19, 2011
An Evening at the Cornershop
Mar 10, 2011
