Roopkumar Rathod and wife Sunali Rathod were recently seen at the Siddhivinayak Temple in Prabhadevi, Mumbai.

Roopkumar Rathod and wife Sunali Rathod were recently seen at the Siddhivinayak Temple in Prabhadevi, Mumbai. They sought blessings of the Elephant God Ganesha prior to the release of Roopkumar Rathod's coffee table wildlife photography book aptly titled 'Wild Voyage'.

A BEFITTING ODE

Parvez Damania and Ratan Luth bring to you, at Tao Art Gallery, veteran photographer Shantanu Das, as he captured timeless moments of the Parsi community across time in his frozen frames… Jeetendra, Roshni Damania, Arish Damania, Sharvari Luth, Mickey Mehta, Kunal Vijayakar, Bina Aziz, Kailash and Aarti Surendranath, Kalpana Shah, Anahita Desai, Yazdi Desai, Armaity Tirandaz, Viraf Mehta, Raell Padamsee, Ananya Goenka, Rashmi Khatam and Satish Kishanchandani among others were present to encourage Parvez Damania, Ratan Luth and Shantanu Das.

An avid art collector, curator and an entrepreneur, Parvez Damania along with Ratan Luth of Fravashi Schools, an educationist, social activist and a fervent Parsi food lover, present Parsis – A Timeless Legacy, a photography exhibition by an award-winning photographer Shantanu Das was hosted by the prestigious Tao Art Gallery from November 29 to December 4, 2019.

Heritage:

To be a ‘Parsi’ is to be a descendant of the first migration of Zoroastrians from Persia (Iran), who were granted residence, protection, and safe refuge in India over a millennium ago. To be a Parsi is also to belong to one of India’s most rapidly diminishing ethnic communities. And to be a Parsi is to hold the very precious responsibility of perpetuating the flame of arguably the world’s oldest monotheistic religion.

On the Wane:

With the appeal of migration, the impacts of inter-marriage, and the lure of Western ways, there are now few Parsis left in India. A 2016 statistics showed that their numbers are down to a critical 61,000, and diminishing by the day; another 40,000 are scattered across the world with an even greater struggle to hang on to their distinctive identity. “I have always been fascinated by the Parsi community and I am proud I belong to the same. We thought of this exhibition to enlighten people about the life and presence of the Parsi community, who may be small in number, but have made a tremendous contribution to India.  Few artists have dedicated time to documenting Parsi people, and fewer have had the permission to document what are often very private and personal traditions. We wanted to take this opportunity to share the unique Parsi culture, rituals and traditions with a wider population,” expressed Parvez Damania. Added Ratan Luth, “This exhibition is an effort to document and preserve the culture, rituals and traditions of an ethnic community that is rapidly diminishing in number. It is important that the Parsi legacy is remembered and maintained for the current generation and generations to come, to ensure it is not lost forever with the passing of time.”

Unfolding:

This distinctive exhibition will showcase approximately fifty works by Shantanu Das, an exceptional photojournalist who has won numerous national and international awards, including the Nat Geo Travel Award. Shantanu Das, who was allowed to cross sacrosanct boundaries, has captivatingly showcased the private and personal traditions of the Parsis, bringing out their culture, rituals, and ceremonies in vivid images of a vibrantly alive people at work, in prayer and over celebration.

Shantanu had documented the current exhibits over a period of five to six years and had shot, not only in Mumbai, but also in Surat, Udvada, and Kolkata among other cities. He said, “The Parsis are delightful people. This is my second exhibition dedicated to them. Over the years I have shot and interacted with them, I’ve come to realize that they are a very kind and helpful lot, devoid of any sort of ill feelings for anyone.”

Celebrities and dignitaries from different walks of life attended the opening ceremony of ‘Parsis – A Timeless Legacy’ to express their solidarity and love for the quaint community and its exuberant people. An interesting facet of the exhibition was that the opening ceremony had all the Parsi men and women, including many of the celebrity guests, proudly walk-in, in their traditional attire. The men in duglis and phetas, the women wearing heirloom-like embroidered garas; A classic Kodak Moment!

Each frame brought back fond memories to Damania and Luth, but the one that inspired them the most had been that of two Parsi priests and a Parsi boy on a Jawa motorcycle with a side car. They found it particularly fascinating as the Jawa motorcycle is a rarity, and even more with a side car, thus defining the eternal love of Parsis towards vehicles.

While some things changed, others stayed the same. Despite the passage of time, Parsis have maintained their own unique cultural identity. Yours is to come and experience this special, intimate insight into India’s distinctive and distinguished Parsi community… with their strong noses and idiosyncratic ways and penchant for dhanshak, patranimachhi and akuri among other things… a vibrant community that is both progressive and also deeply traditional, with a social exuberance matched only by their piousness; pursuing their religion’s three central tenets - Good Thoughts, Good Words and Good Deeds.

‘Parsis – A Timeless Legacy’ had its opening preview for select guests on November 29th 2019, while the show remains open to public from November 30th to December 4th, 2019, daily 11 am to 7 pm. Venue: Tao Art Gallery, The View, 165 Dr. Annie Besant Road, Worli, Mumbai – 400018.

Gautam Rode, Preeti Jhangiani and Angela Krislinzki grace Artival 2019

Actors Gautam Rode, Preeti Jhangiani and Angela Krislinzki graced the opening of Artival 2019, showcasing about 3500 artworks by over 300 artists from different parts of India with diverse cultures and backgrounds, all under one roof. A one of its kind art festival, Artival is a multi-modular national level exhibition with exquisite serene hues of myriad artworks in various mediums and their multifaceted perceptions. The 2019 edition of Artival brings together contemporary artists and old masters exhibits alike offering a wide array of choice for artists and art connoisseurs. 

The eminent artists showcasing their works include Thota Vaikuntam, Laxma Gaud, Seema Kohli, Ramesh Gorjala, Manikandan Punnekal, Suhas Roy, Ganesh Pyne among others. Indeed, a golden opportunity for all to enjoy about expressive works ranging from traditional to modern ones on a common platform by obscure, contemporary and professional artists to landscape, natural beauty, historic and spiritual endeavours et al by Master Artists. 

Artival 2019, organized by Satish B Patil and is a great opportunity for art collectors and patrons, and is on at the Expo Centre, The Arcade, at The World Trade Centre Cuffe Parade till 1st December, 2019.

सिने डांसर्स एसोसिएशन की ब्रांड एंबेसडर सरोज खान सिने डांसर्स की बालिकाओं के लिए मुफ्त शिक्षा लागू करेंगी!

७० वर्षीय डांसर से कोरियोग्राफर बनी सरोज खान सीडीए को फिल्म उद्योग का सबसे बड़ा संघ बनाना चाहती है।

भारत की पहली महिला कोरियोग्राफर सरोज खान को सिने डांसर्स एसोसिएशन ने अपना ब्रांड एंबेसडर घोषित कर सम्मानित किया। इस दौरान सिने डांसर्स असोसिएशन के अध्यक्ष नीलेश पराड़कर, अध्यक्ष जाहिद शेख, महासचिव रवि कंवर, उपाध्यक्ष अल फहीम सुर्ने (राज) और एसोसिएशन की प्रबंध समिति के अन्य सदस्य भी उपस्थित थे। सिने डांसर्स एसोसिएशन के अध्यक्ष ज़ाहिद शेख ने कहा, “उन्होंने (सरोज खान) ने अपने जीवन के ५० से अधिक वर्ष इस पेशे को दिए हैं। और अब हमारा वक़्त है उन्हें सम्मानित करने का और उनहे वह स्थान देना है जिसकी वह सबसे बड़ी हकदार है। ”

७० वर्षीय डांसर से कोरियोग्राफर बनी  सरोज खान अपनी किशोरावस्था में इस करियर में पदार्पण किया था, सीडीए के इस फैसले से अभिभूत होकर उन्होंने कहा, "मैं अभी भी एक ग्रुप डांसर हूं और मेरे पास अभी भी मेरा सीडीए कार्ड है और एक ब्रांड एंबेसडर के रूप में मैं चाहती हूं कि यह फिल्म उद्योग का सबसे बड़ा संघ बने। जब मैं १० साल की थी तब मैंने फिल्मों में नृत्य करना शुरू कर दिया था और अब मैं फिर से अपने घर वापस लौट आ गई हूं। इस समय, मैं उन सभी सुविधाओं को प्रदान कराना चाहती हूँ जो हमारे समय में उपलब्ध नहीं थीं। मैं अच्छे कार्य करने और उन्हें सही दिशा देने का वादा करती हूं। और फिल्म में, नर्तकियों को वह सम्मान मिलेगा, जिसके वे हकदार हैं। ”

सरोज खान की राय यह भी है कि वरिष्ठों के लिए धन जुटाने के लिए स्टेज शो आयोजित किए जाने चाहिए ताकि धन का उपयोग उन लोगों के लिए पेंशन के रूप में किया जा सके जो सेवानिवृत्त जीवन जी रहे हैं और जीवित रहने के लिए धन की जरूरत है। ” वरिष्ठ कोरियोग्राफर का यह भी सुझाव है कि एक निश्चित राशि को डांसर्स से कटवाने की जरूरत है जो पेंशन फंड में जाना चाहिए। साथ ही, संघ सदस्यों की कन्या शिक्षा के लिए शुल्क की जिम्मेदारी लेने के लिए उत्सुक है।

सरोज खान डांसर्स  बनने के इच्छुक लड़कियों और लड़कों को भी मंजूरी देगा। उन्होंने कहा, “जो कोई भी भारतीय और पश्चिमी दोनों करने में सक्षम है, वह एक पेशेवर डांसर हो सकता है और संघ में उनका स्वागत किया जाएगा। मैं किसी विशेष डांस फॉर्म को न जानने के किसी भी बहाने को बर्दाश्त नहीं करुँगी। ” ७० वर्ष की आयु में सरोज अभी भी छात्रों और न्यूकमर्स को नृत्य सिखा रही हैं, और उनके पास वरिष्ठों को सलाह है, बैठो नहीं, नृत्य करो और रिहर्सल करो, और अपने आप को फिट रखो; काम आपके पास जरूर आएगा। ”

सिने डांसर्स एसोसिएशन के अध्यक्ष नीलेश पराड़कर ने कहा, “सीडीए एक कमजोर एसोसिएशन बन गया है। हम इसे एक मजबूत और बेहतर संघ बनाने के लिए एक साथ आ रहे हैं। हम यह सुनिश्चित करना चाहते हैं कि भुगतान उन्हें समय पर दिया जाए और उनके लिए योग्य राशि का भुगतान किया जाए। वरिष्ठ सदस्यों को वित्तीय मदद मिलती है और मैं चाहता हूं कि सीडीए बढ़े और हम जो भी आवश्यक हो वह करेंगे और उनका समर्थन करना जारी रखेंगे। ”

Soulful Guzara Tugs At Your Heartstrings

 

When you are serving your motherland everything else becomes secondary including your unborn. The latest singles to touch the music market GUZARA is all about putting the nation first.

With haunting vocals by Varun Bharti, soulful music and lyrics by Karan Sharma, Starring young talents Raayo S Bhakhirta and Arlin Upasana and Directed By Jack music on T-Series, Guzara tugs at your heartstrings. 

To be the part of Guzara journey do listen and watch the song….
https://youtu.be/ZCq500pQ0Dg
A must for every patriotic Indian…

Lalit Pandit rekindles old flames with timeless melodies

Lalit Pandit brings back golden melodies of the unforgettable era, albeit, with new songs, set to vocals by Kumar Sanu, Abhijeet Bhattacharya, Alka Yagnik and Lalit Pandit himself. The romantic numbers are an integral part of the story narrative of the second season of Flames on TVF and MX Player. Incidentally, the first part saw the use of the original evergreen melodies of Jatin-Lalit like Pehla Nasha, Yeh Vaada Raha among others. “The producers are youngsters who love the Jatin-Lalit music. This season they wanted me to create songs which are fresh yet retain the immortality of the music of the 90’s. They wanted the haunting voices of Kumar Sanu, Alka Yagnik and Abhijeet Bhattacharya, all legends in their own right. The singers were as excited and when you the see the episodes, you will see the freshness and the youthful energy of the trio matching those of the actors. Also, I could not resist lending my vocals to a song; it was piano-based and very close to my heart.

Since the budgets were shoestring, Lalit not only composed the music and lent his vocals to a song but did the programming himself as well. “The compositions have retained my core strengths but in in terms of interludes and synthesized music, the treatment is current. The tracks very clean with emphasis on vocals.  I would like people to hear the vocals rather than the sound. The raw energy and contagious enthusiasm of Kumar Sanu, Abhijeet Bhattacharya and Alka Yagnik has infused fresh blood into the compositions,” concludes Lalit. 

WomeNation Summit Invites Dr. Rekha Chaudhari

The Confederation of Indian Industry or the CII, organized CII IWN’s 4th WomeNation summit recently. Titled #BeyondBoundaries, the summit was graced by revered thought leaders. Among the invitees to speak at this prestigious summit was Dr. Rekha Chaudhari, the Global Wellness Ambassador of India and a successful businesswoman as the Managing Director for OneLine Wellness. Her stint across borders garnered her a lot of fame and inspired women across the globe to be self-sufficient, independent and self-reliant.

She avers, “It is an absolute honour to speak at such a big, successful and prestigious platform. Delegates were impressed and inspired by my tale.”

“We have received a very encouraging feedback from the participants who were delighted with the topics and the quality of discussions,” said a CII spokesperson.

More power to Rekha Chaudhari!