Kecak: The Fire Dance of Bali
The barren arena has just a massive black lamp made of stone that dotted the center. No stage setup, no curtains, no extra lightings, no hint of any backstage m
Culture
Coolie No. 1, Another 2020 Disappointment
I interviewed the poised and reticent Shikha Talsania in mid-December for Coolie No 1, starring Varun Dhawan and Sara Ali Khan in the lead. Normally I would hav
Minorities Embrace an Invigorating Cinematic Presence: Rohan Gurbaxani
New York City-based actor who was born in San Jose and grew up in Bengaluru, Rohan Gurbaxani, has been making remarkable but quiet moves in Hollywood over the p
Ancient Contemporary: Odissi, Jazz, & Cambodian Classical
Making The Mosaic – A column that dips into the disparate, diverse palette of our communities to paint inclusively on the vast canvas of the Bay Area by uti
Rohini Chandra’s Beautiful Journey
On a recent visit to India, singer, actor, and filmmaker Rohini Chandra wrote, shot, directed, and hosted a travel diary called “This Beautiful Journey.” Ch
Top 10 Hindi Movies That Got Me Through 2020
When we moved to Bombay from Amritsar in the seventies, my mother had her heart set on a bungalow on the Juhu beach but my dad did not agree. He wanted us to be
Here to Stay: Important Phrases of 2020
The year 2020 has been so dramatic that mere words are not enough to capture its uniqueness, absurdness, and plain scariness. It needs phrases. And not surprisi
Smoke In a Bottle: That Which Colors the Mind
(Featured image: Zakir Hussain (left) and Ali Akbar Khan (right) in the 1970s) It was May 29, 1970, at the Family Dog, a venue located at the edge of a deterior
Ishaan Khatter – A Bollywood Star In The Making
Among the next generation of upcoming actors in Bollywood, Ishaan Khatter is a relative newbie. He made his debut appearance as a leading man in the 2017 film B
A Holidays Must Watch: Brand New Dawn
Putham Pudhu Kaalai (PPK), the Tamilian short story anthology, is the sine qua non of the 2020 emotional roller coaster. “Memories of a brand new dawn” are
Revolutionary Carnatic Musician: The Saint Thyagaraja
Indian history is full of exceptional devotees who proved the significance of love and spirituality. One such divine and gifted soul was the great “Saint Thya
Sattriya, and Its Fight for Recognition as a Classical Dance
Why I Dance – A monthly column, in collaboration with IndianRaga, in which we uncover the variety of Indian Classical Dance forms and their lineage. This f
