Author: Lavina Melwani

The phone line crackled across the Atlantic Ocean. I was in New York, and renowned artist Sakti Burman was in his country house in Anthe, near Toulouse, 650 km from his home in Paris. Thanks to satellite communications, the dialogue was as crystal clear as if we were sitting in the same room. Burman, 74, told me his 13-year-old grandson was with him, while his wife and the other grandchildren had gone for their daily walk.

Faculty members Eugene Friesen and Annette Philip flank A.R. Rahman during final bows at the end of the October 24 concert. Performers from the Berklee Indian Ensemble stand in the back row. Will You be the Next A.R. Rahman? The Next A.R. Rahman? That may seem impossible to imagine but wouldn’t you like to walk in his footsteps? Now, there’s a chance to be anointed by the Master Musician himself for a scholarship at Berkelee, to get your musical career started. Yes, the most yearned for dreams may come true – read on! A. R. Rahman Scholarship at Berklee [dropcap]W[/dropcap]orld-renowned…

Prashant Bhargava 1973-2015

Deeply sad to share this news – it’s a loss for all of us. Today the world has lost a wonderful human being and filmmaker – Prashant Bhargava, 42. We remember his brilliant filmmaking, his great potential and his unfinished stories. He gave us many gifts, from ‘Patang’ to ‘Radhe Radhe’ and the last, ‘Ammaji’ – a small meditation on the power of love.

The aspirations behind ‘Patang’ made everyone a part of Prashant Bhargava’s world, his humanity and his caring.

In this exhibition you get to see the unclothed form in all its avatars – sensual, erotic, aged, sorrowing, even in anguish. The nudes takes many forms, with inspiration drawn from the ancient sculptures, bazaar pin-up calendars as well as those done by many artists of nude models in their early years as part of their art school training.

Duru Massand, Slade Malhotra, Amrita Ghosh Douglas and 21 others like this. 6530 people reached on FB page – Lassi with Lavina ‘Bajirao Mastani’ – Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Labor of Love [dropcap]C[/dropcap]oming out after a screening of  Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Bajirao Mastani’,  I encountered two middle-aged women. One of them said to the other, ” I’m so drained. I’ve cried so much – and now we have to get back to real life!” Yes, your own real life is far away and forgotten as you wade into the emotional high drama of ‘Bajirao Mastani’  the tempestuous passion play of the Maratha ruler…

Is Bollywood growing grey cells? A conscience? More empathy? Just this year I’ve watched a whole lot of films which made me feel that Indian cinema, usually flippantly boxed together as Bollywood, is maturing, developing a heart and a soul.

In recent times there have been thought-provoking films like ‘Court’, ‘Killa’, ‘Titli’, ‘Fandry’ and ‘Shahid’  which have  made you mull over social issues long after you left the theater, in the manner of old powerful game-changers like ‘Garam Hawa’, ‘Ankur’ and  ‘Manthan’.

In the ever expanding refugee crisis, we are mourning many things – lost lives, lost freedoms, lost homelands but also we mourn lost childhoods which can never be reclaimed.

These photographs taken by international photographers for the UNICEF contest shine a light on the real cost, the real damage of wars and international conflicts.

School, play and family are all mundane things we take for granted but the ever-escalating refugee crisis ensures that these become luxuries, tastes which a child may never experience.

The camera has had a long love affair with the gorgeous fashion model Pressy Nathan, catching her every nuance, every glance, every smile. And now, the tables have turned – Pressy is having a love affair with the camera, having turned fashion photographer!

Lassi with Lavina reads and reads noted publications and unknown blogs, obscure magazines and news zines – so you don’t have to! Here, ferreted and gleaned are some of the buzz stories from the web – some hopeful, some sad, some funny – but always telling us a little about our changing world.

The hot star team of Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone, fabulous foreign locations in Corsica and Tokyo, and A.R. Rahman’s music: ‘Tamasha’ seems to have it all, but the ‘tamasha’ movie-goers get to see leaves you a tad unfulfilled.

Why have Indian-Americans lost the art of eating with their hands? Eating with your hands is a no-no, a taboo in polite ‘civilized’ western society yet hands are the utensils of choice in some parts of the world including South Asia. However, when it comes to eating out, even Indians who happily eat with their hands at home seem to lose the desire.
Why do so many Indians hide this guilty secret? Why is there shame attached to this natural act? Is it perhaps a lasting legacy of the British Raj – a side-order of racism, of inferiority? What does it say about accepting our cultural ethos? Are we the kind of Indians abroad who would eat even a roti with fork and knife in the ‘civilized’ world, just to fit in

Vikas Khanna’s new book ‘Indian Harvest: Classic and Contemporary Vegetarian Dishes’ begins and ends with his poems. No, it is not a book of poems but a recipe book which is part memoir, part travelogue and part encyclopedia, as well as his repertoire of traditional and modern vegetarian recipes.

Our hearts go out to the people of Paris as they live through a nightmare. It is the world’s collective nightmare for the places may change – Madrid, Mumbai, London, New York, Beirut – but the devastation and the destruction remains the same.

Mona Saeed Kamal, Poojaa Bathija, Ashoo Prabhakar and 27 others like this. Sharmila Rao Thakkar, Vandna Khera Bajaj, Nita Anand and 10 others like this. Lighting the Diya with the President  The immigrants who came here in the 60’s would never have believed it if you had told them that one day an American President would be wishing them ‘Saal Mubarak!” and the US Surgeon General would be munching on mithais and would have a last name Murthy, first name Vivek! Diwali Sweets Make it to the White House As Indian-Americans celebrate Diwali, there’s a special thrill in being wished…

The World is getting older no doubt about it – even Shah Rukh Khan, the heart-throb of millions is turning 50!
It’s hard to believe that the carefree Raj of ‘Dil Wale Dulhaniya Lejayege’ is five decades old. Yet he’s evergreen for his legions of fans and this photo of fans coming to his home to wish him on the big 5-O says it all.

Want to get some colorful festivities into your Diwali? Head for the Met! The Metropolitan Museum of Art is celebrating Diwali on Sunday November 15 with a musical dance performance, children’s Indian dance workshop and art-making activities.

Don’t you love this new America where India pops up in the most unlikely places? If you live in Queens you’ll be delighted to know that the marvelous Museum of the Moving Image has embraced India’s New Wave Cinema with the screening of a new film every month.

Couldn’t let Halloween pass by without sharing this truly wonderful picture of President Obama, the perfect host to trick and treaters at the White House. Pete Souza shared this picture on Twitter – “President Obama plays with Ella Rhodes in her elephant Halloween costume.” I can’t think of any other president who would be so down-to-earth and so tender with little people. It says so much about the man and all that he stands for.

What’s better than reading a book? Having the author read it to you! At the Indo-American Arts Council Literary Festival 2015 at Hunter College, book-lovers binged on new books, authors old and new and discussions on everything from the state of the kitchen to the state of the world.

With his grey hair, rimmed eye-glasses and gentle smile, Mani Ratnam is an unlikely global rock star. Yet rock star he was when the prestigious Museum of the Moving Image in New York showed the film series ‘Politics as Spectacle: The Films of Mani Ratnam’ – ‘Roja’, ‘Bombay’ and ‘Dil Se’, three films from his stormy, much loved oeuvre.