Author: Lavina Melwani

2467 people reached on Lassi with Lavina FB page 174 views on LinkedIn The Passing of an Indian Patriot  – Atal Bihari Vajpayee Today India’s former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee passed away at the age of 93. I share the wonderful tribute to him by Nirupama Rao, India’s former ambassador to the United States: ” R.I.P Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee. As spokesperson of the M.E.A in the period 2001-2002 it was an honor to serve him as our Prime Minister – a man of unbounded eloquence, perspicacity, and a profound understanding of statecraft, history, and human behavior. The quintessential democrat, without an…

For generations, he was ‘Sanju Baba’, the spoilt, loved darling of the collective Indian nation. The son of iconic Nargis and the wonderful Sunil Dutt, he could do no wrong and if he could or did, nothing would stick to him. Sanjay Dutt of the fabulous dreamy, druggee eyes and the lost little boy smile. Everyone ached for him and his losses, especially for the loss of his beloved mother to pancreatic cancer when he was a susceptible, troubled youth.

The noted husband and wife team of Chefs Hemant Mathur and Surbhi Sahni has probably birthed more new restaurants than anyone else!  Their latest creation Saar Indian Bistro is the newest in the line of eateries which have included Tulsi, Chote Nawab, Chola, Malai Marke, Haldi and Sahib. This one has moved more uptown from the Curry Hill area of Little India. It is in the theater district (241 West 51st street) so is  a real spicy alternative for diners looking for more drama on their platters (the only other Indian restaurant in the theater district is Utsav, a long time staple of the area.)

Aroon Shivdasani says, “People came for the draw of the big names and stayed for the arts and got acquainted and learnt so much about lesser known artists and the excitement of their work.”

Dr. Atul Gawande, in today’s lingo, is one cool dude. After all, which other noted surgeon listens to Bruce Springsteen as he performs surgery in the operation theater? As the lanky iconic writer-physician told a room full of fans at the New York Public Library, he’s in surgery twelve to fourteen hours and music helps him and his team get through the day.

“For me music is an important tool for doing that,” he said. “Number one, if I pick the music really well, then the nurses and the anesthesiologists that I want are likely to pick me for my room and I get known a little bit for my playlists, and get certain people I want coming in the door if I pick the music well. You do five cases in a day, it’s a long day. It definitely keeps me going. It’s great!”

Fathers leave children an inheritance of whatever they’ve acquired during their lifetime. But how is a musical legacy passed on? For fans of these master musicians, there is good news – the children of some legendary musicians are carrying on the legacy of their musical riches and New Yorkers had an opportunity to hear this new generation of performers at Symphony Space.

We talk to these emerging sons of famous fathers. What is it like to grow up in the home of a famous maestro like Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia? In this post, Rakesh Chaurasia talks about his famous ‘babuji’ and how he transformed his life. He says with heartfelt conviction: “I’ve not seen Krishna or heard the magic of his flute. So for me Hariji is Krishna.”

We’ve all known and loved her – Meena Kumari, the tragic beauty who brought so many wonderful films to life. Many of us have seen her films in crowded theaters in India while another generation has experienced the power of her work via videos, catching on to her life after it was already over.

Most of us don’t know that she was a poet too, writing in Urdu. Now her words have been lovingly gathered into a book, ‘Meena Kumari, the Poet – A Life beyond Cinema’, and fans, poetry lovers and the merely curious will be able to see what made her tick, what were her innermost thoughts

‘Yadvi’ is the story of Princess Yaduvansh Kumari, daughter of Bhupinder Singh, Maharajah of Patiala, told by her two grand-daughters Jyoti Singh, who acted in it and directed it and Gauri Singh who wrote the script. I

If you’re a fan of Tagore, music, art, literature or education, the Rubin Museum of Art is the place to be on June 1 for a free public opening reception from 6 pm -10 pm. The evening launches the opening of A Lost Future: The Otolith Group (June 1–September 17, 2018)

Hats may have disappeared from the fashion lexicon in modern times but on this one glorious day they make a triumphant return, like a descent of a fleet of multicolored exotic birds. Welcome to the ‘Hat Luncheon’ of the Central Park Conservancy!

It’s almost an annual rite of Spring – the Children’s Hope India luncheon in New York – where women come together to celebrate the end of winter with a joyous get-together which supports the girl child. It was all about women helping women and women celebrating women.

 11,431 people reached on Lassi with Lavina FB page – 1214 post clicks – 111 Likes  Rita Sharma, Sonika Pal and 91 others like it on Lassi with Lavina FB page 341 views on LinkedIn  Anita Dongre Takes Manhattan [dropcap]D[/dropcap]uchess Kate Middleton, Hillary Clinton, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, Hollywood and Bollywood stars have worn her clothes – and now so can you! Yes, we are speaking of Anita Dongre, one of India’s most loved designers. And now you don’t even have to go all the way to India to get her current Spring/Summer 2018 collection. No air ticket needed –  just hop…

Our Priyanka Chopra at the fabulous Met Gala – tickets are just $30,000 apiece! It is the fashion event of the year and the gold standard by which all benefits are judged.

Yes, it’s that time of the year when New Yorkers get wrapped up in intriguing cinema from the Indian sub-continent, wonderful stories of the diaspora and varied lives – thanks to the New York Indian Film Festival  (NYIFF) which has been a gift of the Indo-American Arts Council and Aroon Shivdasani to New York City

Yes, it’s that time of the year again when you cast aside your coats, boots and winter blues and celebrate beautiful Spring with your friends at the event of the season –  The Children’s Hope Spring Luncheon!

A vegetarian Sindhi meal at the James Beard House is indeed a unique event, and the one selected to introduce it to the larger world is Chef Roshni Gurnani who is the chef at Hotel Derek in  Houston, Texas. She offered a really old world treat for gourmets but as interpreted by a modern day Sindhi chef.

In the 60’s this bitter-sweet story about changing times and a changing India became a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and was made into ‘Shakespearewallah’ – a winsome little gem of a film by the intrepid team of James Ivory and Ismail Merchant – just their second venture after ‘The Householder’.

The New York Indian Film Festival, organized by the Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC)  has always prided itself on being about real people, ordinary people, and at the cinematic table there’s room for stories from every kind of independent film maker, in every format and in every regional language.

Ten ticking minutes which won’t ever come back are a valuable commodity.
You could spend them waiting for the subway train to arrive or watching your chicken biryani cook on the stove.
Or you could spend ten minutes having a most happening conversation with the very happening Kumail Nanjiani! Well, that’s what I was lucky enough to do – and I tried to squeeze an hour’s conversation into those ten minutes – and we really talked fast!

Minorities have long been invisible, reflected only on their own ethnic mirrors – now this innovative new initiative will ensure that these bold new stories are told in their own voices with their own cadences and spirit, but on the larger canvas of New York City.