Art & Culture

Son Of A Lion

Darra Adam Khel, NWFP is a town devoted to the production of guns. This is the setting for Benjamin Gilmour’s ‘Son of a Lion’, about a young Pashtun boy who wants to go to school instead of working in his father’s weapons workshop. EGO talks to Benjamin about the film and a people who have dominated western media.

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Economy & Politics

Teach For India

Only 61 per cent of India's population is literate (2001 Census). Teach for India (formed under the aegis of Teach for All incubated as a seprate entity within Teach For America) is rising to the ocassion. In 2009, Rakesh Mani traded his job with JP Morgan in New York for his own classroom in a challenging Mumbai school.

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EGO Femme

Let’s talk about… Med School

Med School: the two words that every Desi kid in the States at least considers at some point. I gave up the dream nice and early… my parents realized my talents lay elsewhere...My brother, though, was a different story...Piyali Bhattacharya talks about the med-school compulsion within the diaspora.

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Bollywood

SAIFF Sparkles in its 2009 Edition

With films to delight everyone from Bollywood fanatics, to die-hard independent cinema fans and even regional cinema lovers, SAIFF promises to the be all the entertainment we need to warm up our October! For tickets and more info, go to www.saiff.org. E. Nina Rothe samples some of the offerings for EGO.

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Diaspora(s)

20 Years One Vision

Sakhi celebrated its 20th anniversary and hosted its 7th Gala Benefit on Friday, Oct. 2 at the regal Prince George Ballroom. The evening, with the theme 20 Years One Vision: Ending Violence Against Women, depicted the profound individual and community transformations Sakhi has made possible over its history.

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Bollywood

Dostana - A Drop in the Ocean

In a conversation between EGO contributor E. Nina Rothe and the director of 'Dostana' Tarun Mansukhani, he says 'Dostana' was always meant 'to push the envelope, not tear it'. Dostana was a commercial entertainer that fostered dialog about an issue that has been, for too long, hidden in the recesses of a nation's consciousness.

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Architecture & Design

The Wonders of Warangal

Salmaan Saify's passion for travel brings a destination hidden from tourist maps to EGO. Journey with him to a town usually confined to a backpacker's notes - Warangal, an ancient city that offers a milieu of wonders. Warangal has architectural monuments and temples dating from as far back as 3rd century.

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EGO Femme

Let's talk about ...Devi Worship

"The third eye, the Bindi, the all-knowing Mother. Madonna’s mysterious mania over mehendi and Ma Kali… We’re not unused to images of the Devi popping up all over the place as pop culture goes global". Piyali Bhattacharya focusses on how the yearly celebration of the Mother Goddess essentially acknowledges female power.

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