Asian Lite News Archive

Category: Arts & Culture

  • Bombay Velvet to hit screens on May 15

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     Bombay Velvet, starring Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Karan Johar, is set in the 1960s and is a large screen adaptation of Gyan Prakash’s “Mumbai Fables” “Bombay Velvet,” the most anticipated film of 2015, will hit the screens May 15, 2015. Directed by Anurag Kashyap, the romantic thriller stars Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Karan Johar…

  • A Picasso breaks record

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    A Picasso has smashed the record for the most expensive artwork ever sold at auction. The 1955 cubist oil Les femmes d’Alger (Version O) fetched $179.4m (£115m) at Christie’s in New York. It had been estimated to sell for about $140m (£90m). But several bidders competing via telephone drove the winning bid to $160m (£103m) for a final…

  • Journalism as literature

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    Vikas Datta looks into the writings of Ryszard Kapuscinski Journalism, or especially news reporting, is a rather ephemeral form of literary expression, concerned as it is with bare facts of a developing situation in a terse and concise style. But there are practitioners of the craft whose reportage is no less a work of literature…

  • British professor revives 18th century Indian music

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    Working with Indian musicians, a British professor has revived, recorded and reinterpreted 18th century compositions, originally performed at nautch or dance parties at mansions of wealthy English merchants and in courts of Indian nawabs. The early musical encounters between the Indian subcontinent and the West are now available in the form of a CD titled…

  • US Experts Restore Ray’s Apu Trilogy

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        Restoring Ray’s masterpiece that put Indian cinema on the world map “was challenging at every stage”, Peter Becker, president of the Criterion Collection and partner in Janus Films, a leading distributor of classic foreign films…told Arun Kumar Working frame by frame for over a thousand hours in a labour of love spread over…

  • Tips on leadership

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     Is it possible to build cities that are energy efficient and environment friendly in populous cities like Delhi and Mumbai? What do successful organisations and smart leaders have in common? Insights like this make up for our books bonanza this week. Take a look. 1. Book: Smart and Human: Building Cities of Wisdom; Author: G.R.K.Reddy…

  • London gears up for Jaipur Fest

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    The Jaipur Literature Festival travels to London for the second time with a creative caravan of writers and thinkers, poets and balladeers. Showcasing South Asia’s unique multilingual literary heritage, JLF at Southbank on May 16 & 17 is an intense two-day teaser of what has been declared the ‘greatest literary show on earth’. ‘JLF at Southbank’…

  • London Aquarium’s JAWsome Shark

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    The SEA LIFE London Aquarium is continuing their campaign to challenge misconceptions about sharks this May, with a mix of interactive talks, fun family activities including a JAWsome Shark workshop and an exhibition of beautifully carved miniature animal sculptures made from the aquarium’s discarded shark teeth. Throughout this month , guests can come face to…

  • ‘CONTEMPORARY KRISHNA’ on display in London

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      Treniq exhibited the debut launch of two internationally acclaimed artists from India – Padma Shri Krishn Kanhai and Mr. Arjun Kanhai. The exhibition entitled ‘LIMITED EDITION – CONTEMPORARY KRISHNA’ was installed at the Park Plaza, Westminster Bridge on March 27, 2015. Conducted as a pre-function viewing for the invitees of the Asian Business Award,…

  • The P.G. Wodehouse of medicine!

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    Vikas Dattain his weekly column Book-Shelf Involving a long and gruelling stint of study to qualify and everyday exposure to human pain and suffering, the practice of medicine is perhaps one of the last you could expect to serve as a base for comedy. But it is the saving grace of humanity that it too…

  • Magna Carta Celebrates Anniversary

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    Magna Carta Celebrates 800 Years of Freedom on June 15 New children’s book, Rupert’s Parchment: Story of MagnaCarta by award winning author and historical preservationist Eileen Cameron, provides an authentic experience for children. Through the eyes of a child who lived during the Middle Ages and played an integral part in the signing of MagnaCarta,…

  • INTERVIEW: Doctor P aka Shaun

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    I think streaming music has allowed artists to self-release music without the need to pay a record label. It’s really opened up the music industry to allow talent to rise to the top more easily. Doctor P aka Shaun Brockhurst talks to Siddharth Jha  American Electronic Dance Music artist Doctor P, aka Shaun Brockhurst, who performed in…

  • Tory campaign gets Hindi dose

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    Conservative Friends of India launch campaign song in Hindi for British Indians…reports Asian Lite, UK’s No 1 newspaper for British-Asians Conservative Friends of India launches a Hindi song especially composed for General Election 2015 – a first for any British General Election. It encourages 1.6 million British Indians to support David Cameron and let him…

  • Shakespeare now a New Yorker and more alive

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    William Shakespeare is now a New Yorker and more alive than ever — thanks to The Sonnet Project, a virtual initiative in the form of a mobile application in which actors recite his 154 sonnets in New York City’s most emblematic places, offering a contemporary setting of the classic works. The initiative, run by New…

  •  UNI HONOURS SINGH TWINS

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    The Singh Twins after being conferred with their Honorary Doctorates of Fine Art, outside Chester Cathedral…writes Asian Lite, UK’s No 1 newspaper for British Asians Acclaimed British artists, The Singh Twins, whose work as young art students was dismissed by their tutors as “backward, outdated and having no place in modern art” because it was…

  • Women who will make you shiver!

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    Vikas Datta looks in to the world of  women writers “… the female of the species is more deadly than the male,” said Rudyard Kipling and he might have meant writers excelling in frightening us with tales of supernatural horror and terror. In fact, the horror genre was one where women authors held their own against their…

  • Tributes to a Romantic Hero

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    Vikas Datta on  Percy Bysshe Shelley – Maverick freedom fighter and poet of romance Disproving Percy Bysshe Shelley’s description of poets as “unacknowledged legislators of the world”, he combined his illustrious poetic career with membership of the Constituent Assembly that drafted free India’s constitution. This responsibility followed a four-decade stint as an outspoken, unbending freedom fighter across the…

  • The ‘Days’ of the Jackal

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    Frederick Forsyth’s ‘novel’ career in international intrigue…writes Vikas Datta for top Brtish-Asian newspaper Asian Lite If you want to know how to attempt the assassination of a statesman, track a Nazi war criminal, organise a coup in Africa (or avert one in Russia), get a false passport, blow up a safe or assemble a bomb (conventional or…

  • India’s Sidi community photographs go on show at NPG London

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    A selection of ground-breaking photographs of the Sidi community, an African minority living in India, by one of India’s most celebrated contemporary photographers, Ketaki Sheth, has gone on show for the first time in the UK at the National Portrait Gallery in London. The series of photographs, taken between 2005 and 2011, is an extensive…

  • Gaza family ‘tricked’ into selling Banksy painting

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    A Palestinian man says he was tricked into selling a mural by British graffiti artist Banksy that is estimated to be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, a media report said . Rabie Darduna told the BBC he was given less than $175 for the image drawn on the only remaining door of his house…

  • Curtains come down on Kochi Biennale

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     The second edition of the 108-day-long Kochi Muziris Biennale (KMB), billed as country’s biggest contemporary-art festival came to a close as the sun went down in this Kerala port city. Official figures put the attendance in the event in excess of half a million, at least 100,000 more than in its debut year in 2012.…

  • Kanhais arrive in London

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    Acclaimed Indian artists ‘Padma Shri Mr. Krishn Kanhai and Arjun Kanhai to promote their work through Treniq   Creativity in art is heavily influenced by the state of mind of the artist, which is why it is seen as a concentration of an idea or concept into a physical entity. But, for most people art…

  • ‘Blood’ marks Tamasha’s 25th Anniversary

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    Blood is the centerpiece production of Tamasha’s 25th anniversary year. BLOOD TOUR DATES  The Belgrade Theatre, Coventry 27 March – 11 April Box Office: 02476553053 www.belgrade.co.uk/ Set among a Midlands Pakistani community, Blood is 21st century urban love story. It is sparky, funny and heart-wrenchingly honest. A timely and contemporary story, this play cuts through political agendas and goes…

  • Disproving Shakespeare

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    Disproving Shakespeare: The greatest Roman in literary fiction …writes Vikas Datta  Only a few historical figures retain their renown in the relentless march of time, with one yardstick being widespread, continuing depictions across various cultures. Two of these are prominent figures from the ancient Graeco-Roman world, but their legacy is enduring – one’s name is still…

  • BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM – THE MUSICAL

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    Gurinder Chadha and the cast of the West End show ‘Bend It Like Beckham’ has revealed the first song ‘UB2’ from the highly anticipated musical. The song is a tribute to Southall (postcode UB2) and features the cast setting the scene for the show. The accompanying video was shot on the streets of Southall before…

  • Holi @ Shree Swaminarayan Temple, Stanmore

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    More than 4000 devotees had attended the festival of colour called Holi at Shree Swaminarayan Temple at Stanmore in London. . The festival which marks and spreads the colour of spring and unity commenced from 6.30pm. Many devotees including young parents attended with their new-borns to seek blessings from the holy fire and from Lord…

  • SHRUTHI HONOURS SOLIHULL MAYOR

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    Mayor of Solihull, Councillor Mrs Kate Wild, was honoured by Shruthi UK as part of International Women’s Day. IF YOU GOT A STORY TO SHARE, PLEASE SEND TO newsdesk@asianlite.asianlite.uk, Attn Pradeep Councillor Wild, who was a special guest at the Birmingham Thyagaraja Festival, was recognised for her invaluable contribution in empowering women of all cultures…

  • Tattoo artists have good scope in India

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    By Siddharth Jha  India has a good scope for aspiring tattoo artists, but the lack of skilled artists to train them professionally is turning out to be an obstacle, says tattooist Sameer Patange, the common denominator of celebrity clients like Hrithik Roshan, Sushmita Sen, Sanjay Dutt and Urmila Matondkar, to name just a few. The…

  • Arts consortium to help arts thrive in Leeds

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      Four arts charities in West Yorkshire have joined forces to set up a consortium to help the arts scene in Leeds grow, and they are holding an event next week to showcase the cultural, social and health benefits of getting involved in their programmes. Here to Thrive is a collaboration between Fabric, Chol Theatre,…

  • Archer Rocks Bengaluru

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    Author Lord Jeffery Archer interacts with audience during the launch of his new book `Mightier than the Sword` in Bengaluru, the Garden City of India. Mightier than the Sword opens with an IRA bomb exploding during the MVBuckingham‘s maiden voyage across the Atlantic – but how many passengers lose their lives? When Harry Clifton visits his…

  • Foreign exhibitors seek business, cultural ties

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    By Shilpa Raina   The international publishers participating in the ongoing Delhi World Book Fair 2015 here not only want to do good business, but also bridge cultural ties and introduce their literary landscape to the Indian audience. Gauhar Iqbal who represents Manshurat Publisher and Distribution firm from Lahore, has been participating in the fair since…

  • London museum to focus on India

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      An enormous tent used by Tipu Sultan, a vast wall hanging from rural Gujarat discovered abandoned on a New York street in the 1990s, an embroidered 17th century Mughal dress and a costume worn by Madhuri Dixit in “Devdas” are some of the objects that will be displayed at the London’s Victoria and Albert…

  • Crusades still relevant

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    By Vikas Datta   Study of the Crusades – “the first big clash of civilisations” – is still relevant in a world where religious conflict still rages and Western armies recently intervened in the Middle East, says a scholar who seeks to overturn the millennium-old, West-centric view of their origins. “The conventional history holds the First…

  • Jaipur Litfest going from strength to strength

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    By Shilpa Raina   does society have a biased view about writers dealing with sex or about sexual dualities, what would end if we stop believing in our past and why freedom of expression comes at a cost were among the questions that were thrown open for debate and introspection at the Jaipur Literature Festival 2015.…

  • SENNA PORTRAIT TO HEADLINE F1

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    Six months before the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Formula 1 fans will be able to celebrate the pinnacle of motorsport at Autosport International in January, and witness the European debut of a portrait of the legendary Ayrton Senna created by renowned British artist Ian Berry. Known as ‘Denimu’, Berry uses shades of layered denim…

  • A journey between time and space

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    By Shilpa Raina   If Hollyoowd wizard Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” explored the idea of finding life on another planet in space, artist Jitish Kallat is redirecting many journeys between time and space through artistic impressions that would take the audience on a whirlpool of explorations during the 108-day-long Kochi-Muziris Biennale. Spread over eight venues across this…

  • British Museum loans Parthenon statue to Russia

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    Part of the Parthenon marbles have been allowed to leave Britain for the first time through the loan of a sculpture to the Russian state museum, a media report said . The headless statue of a Greek river-god, Ilissos, will go on display in the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg Friday to celebrate the…

  • Syrian Christian women’s attire slips into oblivion

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    By Sanu George  With even the saree becoming a rarity in Kerala, the traditional Syrian Christian women’s attire referred to as ‘chatta and mundu’ has virtually disappeared into oblivion. The feature of this sartorial product is that it’s stitched in spotlessly white cotton cloth and, unlike the saree, there is not a single visible portion…

  • Ria Rocks Debenhams

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    Recently, The Rock shopping complex at Bury, Manchester, witnessed a unique cultural experiment. The frontage of Debenhams at The Rock became a colourful music box of eastern delights. Featuring the beautiful Dance Choreography of Ria Meera Munshi, owner of Multi-Award Winning & Guinness World Record Breaking Dance Academy: Ri Ri’s Dance Academy, based in Manchester.…

  • BBC goes Bolly Way

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    Despite the exit of Suntera, BBC is promoting the its Strictly Come Dancing on a big way – in Bollywood style – to attract the British-Asian audience. The Strictly dancers join Bollywood dancers Bolly Flex to open Strictly’s Around the World Week.

  • SRK joins DDLJ’s 1,000 weeks fest

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    It turned out to be a joyous reunion when the cast members of “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge”, the Bollywood romantic film which is set to clock a successful run of 1,000 weeks Dec 12, turned up on the set of hit show “Comedy Nights With Kapil”. Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Anupam Kher, Farida Jalal, Mandira…

  • London schools to attend Kochi Biennale

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    The Kochi-Muziris Biennale in Kerala has become a major topic for this year’s prestigious Chevening Clore Leadership Programme for professionals in the art world. Kochi will host the works of nearly 95 artists from about 30 countries at the second edition of the 108-day Biennale which will begin Dec 12. Students from the art school…

  • Story of a girl with SEVEN mothers-in-law

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    Zee TV has unveiled Satrangi Sasural, a show centers around Aarushi who marries Vihaan Narmada Vatsal, a man raised by not one, but seven very strong and independent mothers! Starting December 4, every Monday to Friday at 10 PM on Zee TV, join Aarushi on her journey of deftly managing the expectations of her seven mothers-in-law, who only have Vihaan’s best interests at…

  • ‘Nav Utsav’ celebration in Bradford

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    Kala Sangam, a Bradford-based national organisation for South Asian arts, culture and heritage, is hosting ‘Nav Utsav’, on November 29, at the premises of the centre. Vijay Venkat The programme will give music lovers an opportunity to enjoy the versatility of Vijay Venkat, an outstanding musician from India. Considered a genius with musical instruments, he…

  • DDLJ: 1000 Weeks of Timeless Romance

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    Yash Raj Films will unveil a series of activities to commemorate the completion of 1000 Weeks of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’s (endearingly referred to as DDLJ) Uninterrupted Run at the Box Office. The film released on 20th October 1995 and ever since has been playing out in the iconic Maratha Mandir, making it the longest running film in the history…

  • Taj Khazana to unveil new collections

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    Luxury lifestyle boutique Taj Khazana at St. James’ Court, Taj Hotel, London is introducing four exclusive new collections by fashion designers Urvashi Kaur, Neishaa Gharat’s House of Gharats, Tomomi Yamamoto as well as a range of fragrances from Pell Wall this month. This includes a signature St. James’ Court scent inspired by the history and…

  • SPECIAL REPORT: Afro-pop music

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    Afro-pop musician who sings for African women…reports Mohammed Shafeeq  Disowned by her family for daring to challenge traditions by acting in films, Fatoumata Diawara ran away from home to act in theatre. She now sings not just for her passion but for women and children of Africa. Currently based in Paris, the singer for Mali, in…

  • Watford hosts Diwali Fest

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    Hundreds of people turned out for the Festival of Lights celebration and procession to mark Diwali. They followed a 2.5 metre illuminated structure of Lord Ganesha, tricycles decorated with illuminated peacocks and a traditional Dhol player . The procession went from The Parade to The Pond, which was decorated with illuminated floating lotuses, freestanding lanterns and…

  • Tagore’s pocket book at Christie’s auction

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    Modernist painter Tyeb Mehta’s “Untitled” (Falling Bull) is leading Christie’s second auction in India that will take place here in December, organisers said . The sale also features Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s hand-written pocket book that carries mundane land transaction, a few poems and songs. The international auction house tasted Indian waters last year and…

  • Writers paradise in the hills

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    By Vikas Datta   It was a heaven-sent opportunity for litterateurs – a trip up in the Himalayas for informal discussions on some matters facing authors and books, readings, and chats with peers. But there was a pleasant surprise too — the insightful observations and heartfelt musings of half a dozen local schoolchildren on issues from…