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Why
widows go to Vrindavan
The poverty and neglect faced by widows in West Bengal is driving them
to seek refuge in Vrindavan’s charity. Usha
Rai looks at the studies that show why, despite welfare
measures initiated by the West Bengal Government, widows from the
state and other regions, too, are flocking this temple town
| Vrindavan
is known for its exquisite temples. In and around Vrindavan or the
Brajbhoomi is where the Krishna Leela or the birth and romance of Lord
Krishna and his consort Radha was enacted. Round the year there is an
unending stream of tourists, Indian and foreign, who wish to savour
the enchantment of the holy city and seek the blessings of the
resident deities in the temples. Vrindavan is also famous for its lathmaar
holi celebrations, where women pick up sticks and hit men. |
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From Kota with love
Only a handful of Kota sarees sold across the country are genuine and
these come from Kaithoon village in Rajasthan, writes Abhilash
Gaur
IF
Banarsis and Kanjeevarams are the flavour of winter, Kota sarees rule
through summer. Light and airy, these are an excellent protection
against the north Indian heat. However, these are less common than one
thinks. One can get Kota sarees at practically every saree shop, but
the bulk of these have never been within a few hundred miles of Kota.
Eye Kandy for the
spiritual tourist
The world heritage resort of Kandy in Sri Lanka comes alive with pomp
and pageantry as tourists throng this hill town to pay homage to the
Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha enshrined in a temple here, writes Anurag
Yadav
Of
all the extravagant religious celebrations around the world, a unique
festival in the island country of Sri Lanka stands out for its amazing
pageantry.This spectacle happens every year during the full-moon night
towards end of August at the golden-roofed Temple of the Tooth
(Dalada Maligawa), at Kandy — the UNESCO declared world
heritage hill resort of Sri Lanka.
Now, Rabindra Sangeet
in Oriya
V. V. Shukla
Tagore
songs, popularly known as Rabindra Sangeet, can now be heard in Oriya
as well, thanks to upcoming singer Trupti Panda. She has assorted 24
songs out of about 2,400 compositions of Nobel laureate Rabindranath
Tagore and rendered them in her mother tongue Oriya (also in its
original Bengali) in double-CD packs.
World’s fastest
snapper
The
termite is the world’s snappiest animal, two entomologists from the
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama have discovered.
Marc Seid and Jeremy Niven filmed the termite’s jaws at 40,000
frames per second, and found that they achieved a speed of 70.4 metres
per second — albeit over a distance of only 1.76 mm.
Colours of Punjab
Donald Banerjee
Punjabi
artistes stole the show in
three world festivals held recently in Buyukcekmecee, Bursa and Izmit
cities of Turkey. Their colourful dresses and foot-tapping bhangra and
gidda performances saw a number of artistes from 30 countries cry for
more.
INTERVIEW
‘I had a good story
and I wanted to tell it’
Novelist Jayabrato
Chatterjee tells Shoma A. Chatterji on
his coming back to feature films after 22 years
Award-winning
novelist Jayabrato Chatterjee has waited for two decades to make his
second feature film (in English) Lovesongs — Yesterday, Today and
Tomorrow, with stalwarts like Jaya Bachchan, Om Puri and Mallika
Sarabhai.
first feature film Kehkashaa
(1985) received critical acclaim. Over the years, he has written
and directed more than 50 documentaries and training films, short
features and telefilms for NGOs in India and Bangladesh in the areas
of disability, women’s empowerment and education for slum children.
By George!
Ervell E. Menezes on George Clooney who has been in films for a
decade and even today is one of Hollywood’s most sought after actors
Voted
the Sexiest Man Alive by People’s magazine last year is no small
honour for George Clooney and that too after being only a decade in
films. But this nephew of singer-actress Rosemary Clooney (he was
pall-bearer for her funeral) has been able to forge a sort of unique
persona, rugged yet dignified, humorous yet steely to become one of
Hollywood’s most sought actors today.
Mummy dear
Randeep Wadehra
Unusual
entertainers have become a norm. On the one hand there are
sports-oriented flicks like Chak De India sweeping the box
office stakes and on the other you have Bheja Fry giving the
funny bone a much-needed tickle and more. Strengthening the trend is
Pammi Somal’s family entertainer Mummyji — a typical
multiplex movie.
SOCIETY
No ifs and
butts
The risk of dying due to lung cancer is 20 times higher among women
who smoke than among those who don’t, writes Kavita
Devgan
So
you’ve been told umpteen times that cigarette smoking is injurious to
health. After all, tobacco affects the lungs, causes various types of
cancer, brings on heart ailments, triggers tuberculosis and causes
osteoporosis to set in. But if you are a woman, then it is time you paid
heed to the statutory warning on your cigarette pack. The reason being
that more women die of lung cancer than breast cancer. And having said
that, the risk of dying of lung cancer is 20 times higher among women
who smoke than among women who don’t, say some reports.
Teej
with a difference
Moushumi Sen
Rajasthan’s
tradition can be captured at its festive best at fairs and festivals
which are dazzlingly theatrical and lively.The celebration of Kajli Teej
in Bundi, the queen of Hadoti, in Rajasthan, is different from
the many other Teej festivals celebrated elsewhere in the state and
outside. Here it is more than a week-long celebration of gaiety and
funfair.Goddess Uma is worshipped by the seekers of conjugal
bliss and love.
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