Asian Ocean Media - Arts and Music

Presidential Award of Certificates of Honour to distinguished scholars of Sanskrit, Oriya, Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam

chandranbek — Fri, 09 Mar 2018 22:14:13 +0000

Washington DC, March 9, 2018

Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) of India has invited recommendations/ nominations for Presidential Award of Certificates of Honour to distinguished scholars of Sanskrit, Oriya, Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam.

Under this Scheme, a Certificate of Honour along with a one time monetary grant of Rs.5,00,000/- each is awarded to Scholars of eminence over 60 years of age with outstanding contribution in the field of each of these languages.

The scheme also provides for one International Award of Certificate of Honour to a Non-resident Indian or person of non-Indian origin with outstanding contributions in the field of Sanskrit and Two International Awards (one each for person of Indian and Non-Indian Origin) in each of the languages of Classical Oriya, Classical Kannada, Classical Telugu and Classical Malayalam.

These prestigious Awards would be presented by the Hon'ble President of India.

The eminent Scholars who have teaching experience, published works- number of books / articles published, research work and have kept the traditional Sanskrit, Classical Oriya, Classical Kannada, Classical Telugu and Classical Malayalam studies alive, should submit their nominations with appropriate information as applicable in the Proforma given below and sending it by 25th March 2018 by email to pic1.washington@mea.gov.in or by postal mail to Attaché (PIC), Embassy of India, 2107 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008. Applications will be sent to Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) for decision.

Categories:

Arts and Music, Community, Education

Date added:

Mar 9 2018 - 3:12pm

L Subramaniam concert in Washington, DC, pays tribute to 9/11 victims

chandranbek — Wed, 13 Sep 2017 04:30:35 +0000

The Indian violin maestro, son Ambi enthrall Georgetown University audience with a soulful performance.

L. Subramaniam and his ensemble paying tribute to the 9/11 victims at Georgetown University on September 11, 2017. Photo: Bala Chandran/AsianOcean.com

By Bala Chandran

Indian violin maestro L. Subramaniam enthralled music lovers of Washington, DC, with a soulful performance at a special concert to commemorate 9/11 and spread the message of peace. The concert, held at Georgetown University on Monday, began with a special tribute to victims of terror attacks that claimed nearly 3,000 lives.

The legendary musician set a somber mood and transformed the university’s historic Gaston Hall to an ethereal world on Monday evening. The auditorium was packed to capacity as the virtuoso, his son Ambi Subramaniam and accompanying musicians on mridangam, ghatam and tabla delighted the audience. Subramaniam’s daughter Bindu Subramaniam, a musician of her own right, was also part of the ensemble.

L. Subramaniam (third from left) and Ambi Subramaniam (third from right) performing at Georgetown University on September 11, 2017. Photo: Bala Chandran/AsianOcean.com

The accompanists included celebrated percussionist and tabla player Tanmoy Bose on tabla and Mahesh Krishnamurthy on mridangam.

The maestro’s wife, Kavita Krishnamurty, sat among the audience.

Indian violin maestro L. Subramaniam lighting the ceremonial lamp during the concert at Georgetown University on September 11, 2017. Also seen are Senior Director for South and Central Asia at the National Security Council Lisa Curtis (left), Acting Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Alice Wells (second from left), and Indian Ambassador to the United States Navtej Sarna (center). Photo: Bala Chandran/AsianOcean.com

Indian Ambassador Navtej Sarna and wife with Dr Subramaniam and his troupe. Photo: Bala Chandran/AsianOcean.com

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Categories:

Arts and Music, Entertainment, People

Date added:

Sep 13 2017 - 12:22am

Volunteer Opportunities at The Smithsonian

chandranbek — Tue, 17 Jan 2017 19:09:25 +0000

The Smithsonian Institution is in search of friendly, outgoing volunteers who will engage with visitors to their museums and galleries and help them plan memorable and exciting experiences so that they can discover all that the Smithsonian has to offer.

Join them as a Smithsonian Visitor Information Specialist or a Smithosnian Call Center Volunteer and help inspire and engage their visitors.

Here are the requirements:
Dynamic and friendly individuals, 18 years or older who have a desire to talk with visitors and share their enthusiasm for the Smithsonian and all that it has to offer.
Preferrable candidates:
- show strong customer service skills
- are approachable and outgoing
- enjoy working with diverse people
- are flexible and adaptable to changing situations
- have computer and internet skills
- having Foreign language skills a plus.

Volunteers are placed in one, consistent location. Applicants must be able to serve a minimum of a one year commitment and be able to serve once a week or once every other weekend.

Contact for more information:
Abbey Earich, Volunteer Recruitment & Retention Coordinator at EarichA'at'si.edu or 202-633-5260.
Visit

Categories:

Arts and Music, Education, Science

Date added:

Jan 17 2017 - 2:00pm

Wake for Dr Anthony Antoniswami

chandranbek — Fri, 14 Oct 2016 05:09:56 +0000

The Wake for Dr Anthony Antoniswami, who died Monday October 3, 2016 morning at his home in Washington DC, will be held Friday, October 14 from 4:00pm to 8:00pm at the Hines-Rinaldi Funeral Home, 11800 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20904 (Tel: 301-622-2290).

Dr Antoniswami's body will be flown to his home in Mugaiur near Villipuram, Chennai, where the funeral will take place.

The founder, director and producer of "Spirit of India," one of the longest running weekly radio programs in the Washington area, Dr Antoniswami was a voracious reader, orator and a poet who wrote in both English and Tamil. He was a familiar presence at most of the Indian cultural programs in the capital region and other parts of the country. He was 77.

For more information, please contact:
Ronald Antonisamy: a.ronald@gmail.com (Cell: 301-613-3264)
Dr Sreekumar Kadavil: shreeku@hotmail.com (Cell: 301-445-4460)

Categories:

Arts and Music, Community, People

Date added:

Oct 14 2016 - 12:45am

Dangerous Fictions

chandranbek — Mon, 02 May 2016 14:17:58 +0000

One recent afternoon, the writer Mohammed Hanif climbed out of his car at the Benazir Bhutto Martyr Park, in Karachi. Hanif, who is fifty, has a square jaw that juts from a square head, and he walks with the easy stride of a fighter pilot, which he once was. He was wearing a pair of knockoff Ray-Bans, which cost about fifty cents at a local stand, and smoking a Dunhill cigarette.

The park—built to honor the former Prime Minister, who was killed by a suicide bomber in 2007—is a kind of urban oasis. Karachi is a sprawling, chaotic city of some twenty-two million people, riven by ethnic strife and gang wars; its main crime-fighting force, the Pakistan Rangers, patrols the streets in pickups mounted with heavy machine guns. Hanif has made his home there since 2008, when he returned from London, where he worked for twelve years as a reporter for the BBC. As a novelist and a journalist, he has become perhaps the foremost observer of Pakistan’s contradictions and absurdities.

At the entrance to the park, a statue of Bhutto faces the street, waving toward the boisterous Karachi traffic. Hanif is writing these days about Bhutto, who is a divisive figure in Pakistan’s modern history and therefore exactly the sort of character that he is drawn to. “For a lot of people, Bhutto symbolized some kind of future that was going to be semi-normal, semi-peaceful, where people could get on with their lives without things always going bang, bang, bang,” Hanif said. But she stole one and a half billion dollars in public money; her husband, Asif Zardari, became known as “Mr. Ten Per Cent” for allegedly keeping a share of every government contract. Her military helped foster the creation of the Taliban, empowering terrorist groups that still plague Pakistan. When the park was finished, in 2010, the Bhutto statue was surrounded by a steel fence, to keep it from being defaced.

Categories:

Arts and Music, People, Politics

Date added:

May 2 2016 - 10:15am

The New York Indian Film Festival announces full lineup for the 16th Annual Film Festival

chandranbek — Tue, 12 Apr 2016 17:09:17 +0000

[New York –April 12, 2016] – The New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) announced the full lineup last night for their 16th year of celebrating independent, art house, alternate, and diaspora films from/about/connected to the Indian subcontinent (May 7 – May 14). Dedicated to bringing these films to a New York audience, the festival will feature 40 screenings (35 narrative, 5 documentary) –all seen for the first time in New York City. In addition, the festival will also feature five programs of short films.

The festival highlights various cinemas of India's different regions. All the films are subtitled in English and some of the languages this year include Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Telegu, Assamese, Haryanavi and Urdu. This year’s festival will feature a couple of sidebars --NFDC restored first films of filmmakers and a three-generations sidebar, films of Bimal Roy, Basu Bhattacharya and Aditya Bhattacharya.

The festival’s film lineup includes 2016 National Award winners A FAR AFTERNOON, BIRDS WITH LARGE WINGS and THE RIVER OF FABLES (KOTHANODI). THE RIVER OF FABLES is an Assamese language feature film written and directed by Bhaskar Hazarika and stars Seema Biswas and Adil Hussain. The story of the film is based on folktales from Assam, India.

“We are thrilled to be able to share these films with the New York audience,” states Aseem Chhabra, NYIFF festival director. “Three of the feature films are National Award winners. And out of the nearly 40 shorts we are showing this year, there are two National Award winners: FAMOUS IN AHMEDABAD and DAARVATHA.”

Straight from the Sundance Film Festival, BRAHMAN NAMAN is a true Indian teenage comedy. It is funny, touching and will be universal in its appeal. It is about the exhilaration and confusion of being 17 - the pleasure of being in a gang, breaking the rules, acting big, falling in love - coming of age.

From the Tamil films, CRIME IN PUNISHMENT is the latest film from NYIFF alum and 2015 NYIFF award winner M. Manikandan. FOR THE LOVE OF A MAN is a documentary film that explores the popularity of the Tamil Superstar Rajinikanth.

GOOD OL’ BOY is the feel-good, coming-of-age story of Smith, a 10-year-old boy from India growing up in Small Town, America in 1979. This Diaspora film features actors Samrat Chakrabarti (Midnight’s Children, The Waiting City) and Poorna Jagannathan (Delhi Belly, Nirbhaya).

Bengali master, Soumitra Chatterjee starrer PEACE HAVEN is the story of three septuagenarian friends who embark on a journey to build their very own mortuary.

Multiple award winner and fresh from the international film festival circuit PARCHED is a story about women set in the heart of parched rural landscape of Gujarat, India. It traces the bittersweet tale of four ordinary women Rani, Lajjo, Bijli and Janaki. We see them unapologetically talk about men, sex and life as they struggle with their individual boundaries to face their demons and stage their own personal wars.

WORLD PREMIERE of KAGAZ KI KASHTI (PAPERBOAT)

In an era when Bollywood music ruled the Indian households and when Ghazal as a genre was limited to only the connoisseurs, Jagjit Singh made Ghazals a necessity of every music lover's collection. KAAGAZ KI KASHTI traces the life journey of a down-to-earth, small-town boy, who made it big by breaking through the norms and the Ghazal scenario, by texturing traditional Ghazal singing with western instrumentation and making it simple and hummable, enticing new listeners into becoming Ghazal fans.

“The 2016 festival features a wide array of films from all over the South Asian diaspora,” states IAAC founder Aroon Shivdasani. This year our films reflect the reality of India, dealing both with LGBT issues that have surfaced in the supreme court and on the streets, as well as strong feminist films dealing with female infanticide, child marriage, domestic abuse, trafficking and several other key issues that affect women in a world that still leans towards chauvinism.”

Festival Passes and Individual Tickets can be purchased at the festival's website:

Full line up Schedule with films synopsis:

Categories:

Arts and Music

Date added:

Apr 12 2016 - 1:00pm

Interview with actress Tina Desai of The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

chandranbek — Fri, 13 Mar 2015 22:12:07 +0000

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, a comedy, has just opened in theaters across North America. Actress Tina Desai gives this exclusive new interview about reuniting with her esteemed cast members, taking on a bigger role in the film, and traveling around the world for multiple red carpet premieres:

What was it like to reunite with the film’s cast and crew a few years later to shoot this new story?

We were all overjoyed! A lot of us from cast and crew kept in touch over the years and met up when we were traveling too. So we came into this one as friends, not just colleagues. The maturity and understanding that comes with knowing someone over time helps with your work too. It was a big party that we all got to enjoy a second time!

What do you find new about Sunaina and what her story involves this time?

Sunaina isn't a secret in Sonny's life anymore. She's now a legitimate member of his life, she now works and also manages affairs at the Marigold Hotel, she's preparing for the big Indian wedding while also having to deal with Sonny's ambitions and imaginary problems. She has a lot going on but she still holds it together. I had a lot more to play with in this part. There's dancing, has more shades to her character, and is a lot busier in this one.

Any funny moments on set with any cast members?

Dev is an incredibly funny person so everyday on set with him was tremendous fun and I was always in splits. But Tamsin Greig is hilarious too! So on days when both actors were on set, the place was on fire! It's not so much about an incident....more about how funny and entertaining they were together.

Can you tell us about your premieres in London and New York and how you prepared for them?

Both Marigold premieres in London were fantastic! The first one was the first premiere of my career and will always be a grand experience for that! It was a freezing February night and I was wearing a lehenga, but the thrill factor was so high for me that I didn't need a jacket all night! The second one was even bigger with Leicester Square turned into mini India with Bollywood music playing as well! I arrived on the red carpet in a tuk tuk that was specially made for that evening. Meeting Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla was incredibly special! It was altogether a magical night because my family was also present for it.

New York was snowing but had a different set of actors; mostly the ones who couldn't make it for the London premiere. The audience loved the movie and in spite of it being a cold, snowy night, people showed up for the event. Prep for these nights involved weeks of emailing to choose a team who would dress me and they did a fantastic job. I wore an Indian designer for London and a Thai designer for New York. My family spent days working on their outfits too, haha!! Also, the protocol we had to follow for the meet with Royalty was fun and quite detailed. All in all, a most enjoyable experience. Extremely special!

What is up next for you?

A Netflix series titled 'Sense8' and a Hindi film named 'Dusshera'. I'm also just back home [in India] and will begin meeting for new projects again.

(L-R) Dev Patel and Tina Desai:

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Tina Desai:

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(L-R) Tina Desai and Dev Patel:

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Cast of THE SECOND BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL:

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(L-R) Richard Gere and Tina Desai at US Premiere:

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THE SECOND BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL

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Categories:

Arts and Music, Film and Theater

Date added:

Mar 13 2015 - 6:00pm

Amitabh Bachchan: Meet the biggest movie star in the world

chandranbek — Sun, 15 Feb 2015 07:54:28 +0000

If you haven't heard of Amitabh Bachchan, I feel rather sorry for you. He is, after all, the greatest actor Indian cinema has produced and his films are some of the greatest you are ever likely to see. Bachchan has been a phenomenon for more than four decades and at 72 he is still making films that excite and surprise audiences around the world.

His latest, Shamitabh, is about a young actor who achieves top-billing by "borrowing" the overdubbed voice of a down and out, played by Amitabh (hence the "sham"); and of course it gives full range to his rich, commanding baritone, which has transfixed audiences for more than 40 years.

But it's also a meditation on identity and the nature of fame and fortune – asking audiences to examine their own role in the relationship between idol and fan – and, arguably, a sign of the growing sophistication of the Indian film industry. And it is a sophistication that has been in part affected by Bachchan, who is such a huge name that the industry has had to mature with him, changing its focus to fit in with his own journey through life. And you can't be a bigger star than that.

Categories:

Arts and Music, Entertainment, Film and Theater

Date added:

Feb 15 2015 - 2:45am

Most Acclaimed Indian American Photojournalist Rajan Devadas Passes Away

chandranbek — Sat, 27 Dec 2014 02:55:22 +0000

Rajan Devadas (1921-2014) - Photo: Mathew Karmel

WASHINGTON, DC: Rajan Devadas, whose lenses chronicled US-India relations from Washington, DC, for more than half a century, passed away on Friday, December 26, according to his family. He was 93.

The photojournalist, who received Padma Shri, one of India’s highest civilian honors, in 2002 for Arts, had been rehabilitating at the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington, in Rockville, Maryland, after suffering a stroke more than a year ago.

Categories:

Arts and Music, Community, People

Date added:

Dec 26 2014 - 9:45pm

India's New Comic Book Hero Fights Rape, Rides on The Back of a Tiger

chandranbek — Wed, 17 Dec 2014 02:21:13 +0000

Two years ago this day, a 23-year-old woman was brutally gang-raped on a moving bus in New Delhi. Three days later she died from her injuries. The incident pushed millions in the city and all over India to protest the widespread violence against women. The protests led to tougher laws and empowered women to stand up against sexual violence.

The story of a brutal gang-rape in India inspired Ram Devineni to create the superhero Priya.

And one man was inspired to create a comic book superhero.

Ram Devineni, a New York-based filmmaker, gave life to Priya, a survivor of gang rape who seeks to stop violence against women.

Categories:

Arts and Music

Date added:

Dec 16 2014 - 9:15pm