|
|
Back to Lahore
In his evocative book Lahore:
A Sentimental Journey, Pran Nevile
reminisces about the land of his birth, once called the Paris of
the East. The memoir recaptures the atmosphere, ambience, mood,
lifestyle that existed in this bustling city in the 1930s and ’40s.
MY
visit to Lahore, the city of my birth and upbringing, in December 1997
was a pilgrimage to the past. It was my first visit since Partition,
after a lapse of fifty years. I belong to the fading pre-Partition
generation who were forced to leave their homeland but carried it in
their hearts like the memory of a first love. |
A bazar scene, Lahore, 1920. Photo courtesy: India Office Library and Records, London |
Chiang
Mai the land of pagodas
Inder Raj Ahluwalia
Thailand’s
Chiang Mai comes across as a city that is ever growing, yet wrapped in
layers of courtesy. Old timers say it emerged from the mists, a symbol
of natural beauty and social graces. Chiang Mai’s history is old,
its past eventful and its character colourful.
The
Siachen saga
Lieut-Gen
Harwant Singh (retd)
tells about the capture of Pakistani post Quaid in Siachen
THE
conflict at Siachen appears to be coming to an end. While we await the
closure of the Siachen chapter, one of the greatest feats of
endurance, sacrifice and valour played out at those impossible heights
and in terrible weather conditions, need recalling.
How nasty is a
lizard bite
Wendel Broere
MORE
lizard families than previously believed are venomous, including
several species that are popular pets, scientists said. Until now,
pain and swelling from lizard bites, assumed to be non-venomous, was
attributed to the bacteria that thrive on bits of meat left between
their teeth from their scavenging diet.
Gross
humour
If the Big Fat Greek
Wedding was any inspiration for Date Movie, it is indeed a
big fat insult to that comedy, writes Ervell E.
Menezes
Dating
seems to be a popular subject for Hollywood these days. Hitch,
with Will Smith doing the honours as a sort of Date Doctor, was an
enjoyable comedy. But not Date Movie, which is pathetic to
start with, and what’s worse, it never even hints at getting better.
Magic
of VOICE
Cinema is meant not only for
the eyes, the audiences have ears too. Such was the pull of sound on
screen when the talkies arrived that even the blind thronged the
cinema halls showing Sikander to hear the booming voices of
Sohrab Modi and Prithviraj Kapoor, writes M.
L. Dhawan
THE
arrival of sound in cinema with Alam Ara (1931) put paid to the
careers of those stars of the silent era that did not sound
ear-friendly. On the other hand those stars that had a roaring and
booming voice became the heartthrob of film fans.
Reshammiya
turns down film role
I was always a singer. But
one has to wait for the right moment to do things in life, Himesh
Reshammiya tells Subhash K. Jha
IT
looks like he is unstoppable. After fobbing off several offers to face
the camera, composer-singer Himesh Reshammiya was seriously tempted by
an author-backed role that gave him a chance to play a musician.
"But I said no finally. I have seen what has happened to other
musicians who have attempted acting.
|
