Can you be a film buff and not see ‘Padmaavat’? Like thousands, I too wound my way to Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s saga starring the luminaries Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh. I donned 3-D glasses and entered into the surreal, far-off world of medieval India which has been brought kicking and shouting into the 2018 conflicted world of Karni Sena and today’s India.
Author: Lavina Melwani
Lavina Melwani
Lavina Melwani is a New York-based journalist who writes for several international publications. Twitter@lavinamelwani & @lassiwithlavina Sign up for the free newsletter to get your dose of Lassi!
Over the years, Indian immigrants have celebrated Diwali in their own fashion, in their own communities but it is only recently that American institutions and organizations have also started joining in celebrating this Hindu and Indian festival.
India is often the silver thread woven into some of the beautiful designer gowns – and the 2018 Tony Awards at the Radio City Music Hall was no exception. Here you see noted Broadway actress Kelli O’ Hara, star of ‘The King and I’ at the 2018 Tony Awards wearing a gorgeous Bibhu Mohapatra outfit which had a definite touch of India.
6407 people reached on Lassi with Lavina FB page Kinkini Dey Sarkar, Poonam Sharma and 6 others like it on Lassi with Lavina page 161 views on LinkedIn A New York Celebration – Indo-Jazz Festival! Photos: Michael Toolan [dropcap]C[/dropcap]an borders be crossed with impunity? Can diversity be celebrated with stamping feet and clapping hands? Can east and west embrace and the result be pure, unadulterated joy and energy? Sitting at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Appel Room for the Indo-Jazz Festival was to see all this happen before your eyes, with the amazing glittering city of New York as…
The instructions were simple – wear red, gold or white for a Bengali celebration! It was a party for the holiday season and a welcoming of the New Year. And yes, Jal Muri was absolutely on the menu. And since Nandini Mukherjee, once owner of the hugely popular Indian Bread Company, was the host, you could expect a great spin on Indian food.
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[dropcap]2017 [/dropcap]has been a rough year for everyone but in the changed insular political climate, it’s been particularly rough on immigrants and minorities, especially Muslims. And it’s been toughest on Muslim teens and children who have to defend who they are.
How can a Muslim parent explain to their child about Muslim-bans and terrorist-taunts, and still expect that child to feel validated and have a healthy self-esteem? At the same time, how can children of other faiths learn about the ‘mysterious’ Muslim culture and realize its richness and plus points?
Homai Vyarawalla’s 104th Birthday – A Google Doodle Tribute [dropcap]H[/dropcap]omai Vyarawalla may have caught some of the 20th century’s most prominent figures in her lens, but from the 1940s through the 1960s in New Delhi, she was a familiar sight herself. Biking to assignments with a sari sailing behind her and equipment bags on her shoulders, India’s first female photojournalist stood out among her male colleagues. But it was her electric images of India’s independence movement and candid shots of such people as the Dalai Lama, Mohandas K. Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr. that earned Vyarawalla lasting recognition. Born…
Lavina’s Picks – Stories from Around the Web. Tributes to Shashi Kapoor are pouring in – here’s an endearing one which showed his generous, down-to-heart nature.
He has been Shiva and Krishna, countless mythical heroes and ordinary humans, and he has traveled the globe, telling all their wondrous tales through the magic of rhythm and dance. Datuk Ramli Ibrahim is a changemaker, an innovator with bells on his feet. For over 30 years, this Malaysian dance pioneer has nurtured both Indian classical dance and contemporary modern dance in Malaysia. He brings past, present and future on the lit up stage with audacity and shows that culture is meant to be shared, regardless of faith or nationality.
SAMAA presents Indo-Jazz Festival at the Lincoln Center which connects two genres of music, bringing Indian musical memories and American jazz together in a New York state of mind.
A no-turkey Thanksgiving should make both vegetarians and the turkeys very happy!
As each successive wave of immigrants come to America, they introduce their own well-loved foods to the Thanksgiving table and in the process create new traditions.
The Happiness Rickshaw is guaranteed to make you smile. It makes you happy even as you spread the happiness factor across continents
Wouldn’t you want to have a seat at the U.S. premiere of The Brawler (Mukkabaaz) by acclaimed director Anurag Kashyap? How about Pahuna, a film produced by actress Priyanka Chopra? These are two of the eight films at the India Kaleidoscope Film Festival at the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, New York
The Children’s Hope 25th anniversary gala honored Chandrika Tandon and Bob Roth for excellence, & hosted Mira Nair and her Broadway bound show Monsoon Wedding
Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard shares a message about victory over challenges this Diwali. “Just as Lord Rama faced seemingly insurmountable obstacles, we as a people, face immense challenges—whether it’s war, poverty, disease, or countless other adversities.”
7316 people reached on Lassi with Lavina FB page Doli Sen, Sagufta Parveen and 130 others like it on Lassi with Lavina FB page 459 views on LinkedIn – 9 Likes Lassi with Lavina Guide to Upcoming Events: CHI Gala – Monsoon Wedding and More! [dropcap]N[/dropcap]o need to bring your umbrellas but It is the 25th anniversary gala of Children’s Hope – so what better way to celebrate than with a full-fledged joyous Monsoon Wedding? It’s the wedding of the year and to officiate it, there’s none more qualified than the feisty Mira Nair who brings…
ow does a 21st century, modern Indian transform himself into a 19th century British Raj clerk, a servant of Queen Victoria?
In ‘Victoria and Abdul’ the story of an unusual friendship between Queen Victoria and her Indian servant Abdul Karim, this was the challenge for Ali Fazal, boy from Lucknow, Bollywood actor from Mumbai who had done a cameo in ‘Fast and Furious’.
2723 people reached on Lassi with Lavina Jeeva Patro, Pinky Niki and 94 others like it on Lassi with Lavina FB page 178 Views on LinkedIn – 3 Likes Asian Art Week – South Asian Modern & Contemporary Art at Christie’s A Gaitonde Canvas Goes for over $ 4 Million… [dropcap]I[/dropcap]t certainly pays to hold on to your Master Artists! Untitled, by Vasudeo S. Gaitonde painted in 1996, went for $ 4,092,500 – the second highest price paid for the artist. An advocate of Zen Buddhism, Gaitonde saw painting as a spiritual endeavor and not something to be rushed, either…
Well, this nice middle-class girl from Bombay did follow the road less traveled. It led her all the way to New York City, the school of hard knocks, the elusive hunt for success and happiness. Did she find what she was looking for?