String Sutra
Basant bahaar. The season of spring has brought a bouquet of melody from afar, with the sounds of Scotland blending with the sarod at Samaagam, writes Chetna Keer Banerjee.

Amjad Ali Khan
Amjad Ali Khan
Photos: Kamal Kishore

Tunes after terror. Melody beyond Mumbai. That Samaagam, a unique confluence of sarod recital and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, should have begun its six-city India tour from post-26/11 Mumbai, is perhaps symbolic of power of music in uniting humanity, especially in the face of modern-day scourges like terror and violence.

For, this was a musical journey that saw Scottish artistes not only crossing physical borders but also initial mental barriers about performing in post-Mumbai India.

A joint project of the British Council, Scottish Government and Seagram's 100 Pipers Pure Music, Samaagam features sarod maestro Padma Vibhushan Amjad Ali Khan with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, notated and conducted by David Murphy.

40 ka dum

"Samaagam, which means 'confluence' (sarod concerto in Scottish), stands for the value of collectiveness," Amjad Ali Khan said, addressing mediapersons on Wednesday morning. "Its message is that of peace and togetherness. Even in another sense, it embodies a coming together of two traditions. Much of Indian classical music is solo and its proponents have been too individualistic and egoistic to collectively create a melody like that of a symphony orchestra.

"Forty musicians from Scotland have come to be a part of this unique collaboration of the sarod and the chamber orchestra," says the artiste. "Post-26/11, we had to reassure the Scottish musicians that we're not a violent nation but the land of the Buddha and the Mahatma, the apostles of non-violence."

Mile sur mera tumhara

On the compositions that're part of Samaagam, the sarod legend said, "It's a journey of ragas, but it's melody-oriented rather than rhythm-driven. Har swar suraj ki tarah hai aur orchestra ki beats uski kirnon ki tarah hain," he elaborates on its finer nuances. With Raga Ganesh Kalyan forming the opening piece, the concert, conceived in 2006, has three segments. The first features the traditional western music of Mozart and Beethoven, the second, a solo sarod recital by the Ustad, and the last is their fusion.

Pure vs Pappu pop

On the future of Hindustani classical music, he sounds positive, "It is bright as we have many promising stars. But the fora for classical performances are comparatively less and their patronage too is diminishing," he laments. Does that call for more private partnerships and sponsorships? "Well, yes, if we have to keep alive our rich classical legacy. For, the filmi tradition has taken over desh ka culture. Shastriya sangeet usse zyada gehra aur nazuk hai. It’s like an elephant walk.

“As opposed to the new filmi and pop music, it's about tameez and tehzeeb, not about wooing audiences by removing your kameez." Now, that's capturing the new-age scenario in a nutshell. A perfect sum-aagam.

chetnabanerjee@tribunemail.com.

Mere sur aur teri beat…

Swaras in the middle of sound bytes. The press briefing by the sarod maestro proved to be different. A query about the ragas that're part of Samaagam had the trio of Amjad Ali Khan, Scottish Chamber Orchestra conductor David Murphy and violinist Robert Mc Fall breaking into an impromptu presentation of Raga Ganesh Kalyan. Whew! An orchestra without instruments. While on the subject of ragas, the sarod legend was all praise for A.R. Rahman getting international accolades for Jai Ho from Slumdog Millionaire and making Indian light music a global name.

Violin vistas

Robert McFall
Robert McFall

Scottish violinist Robert McFall describes the experience of Samaagam thus: "It was like getting inside Indian classical music just a wee bit. I hope to feel it more deeply."

Elaborating on the research that went into the project, he says they worked hard on getting the tuning right. “This project is a confluence, not a collision of two music traditions,” is how he sums it.

Beyond bagpipes

David Murphy
David Murphy

For a boy who was initiated into conducting a chamber orchestra by sheer chance when he had to take the place of an indisposed musician at the eleventh hour, Welshman David Murphy's musical odyssey has not been only cross-country but also cross-cultural.

In the tricity for Samaagam, wherein he is conductor for the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, he delineates the nuances of his genre, "Symphony means a cohesive sound. The chamber music uses the same instruments as a symphony orchestra but it has a more precise repertoire."

"Samaagam took us three years to compose and many trips later, between Edinburgh and India, all the pieces fell into place,quite magically," he gives his boyish grin. "Essentially, it is an amalgamation of western and Indian classical music traditions without compromising on their originality. It goes beyond fusion."

Having also performed with sitar czar Pt Ravi Shankar, how does he compare his experience with the two living legends of the Indian classical scene? "Well, playing with Amjad Khan sahib is like working with Plato, while partnering with Ravi Shankar is akin to collaborating with Mozart. That should distinguish their individual styles."

What’s the one thing he has imbibed from Indian music? "Ah, not one but two things. One, the way two swaras get connected, and two, the rhythmic complexities of the Hindustani genre," says David. That's quite a legacy to carry back.

Highlands to Himalayas

From the Scottish Highlands to almost the foothills of the Himalayas, we ask David and Robert about their first impression of Chandigarh and the rest of the India they've seen. "This is such a green and open city. We were really impressed by the Rock Garden and Rose Garden."

"Some of the forts in India are reminiscent of the Scottish castles," compares David. Chips in Robert, "This place reminds me of Cranley, a city built in Scotland after World War II."

22 is the catch
When it comes to bonding with parents,
watch out for 22, says a study
Mona

What parents do for kids is phenomenal, right from bringing them into the world to waking up late nights, changing nappies, getting them into school, making them learn how to walk and talk, the skills needed to survive in this mad, bad world and plenty more. But do you know when children really start valuing their parents?

According to a study conducted by onepoll.com, a research portal, kids when young look up to parents and emulate their behaviour.

However, in their teens when they are learning to develop as individuals, they naturally push against everything parents are trying to teach them. To them parents seem stifling and over-protective.

It’s only when they start making their own decisions about finances, food, relationships and health, they realise the extent of their parents’ input. The age of realisation may vary a bit but generally it’s around 22th birthday we start to accept the contribution of parents in shaping our lives. We ask city folks to know more.

“I was always close to my parents and brothers. But it was only when destinies took us to different cities that I realised their true worth. Now, on my own for last five years, I appreciate value of each and every gesture, including a hot cup of tea, of theirs. I miss them terribly,” quips Honey Sehrawat, a theatre person.

But then not everyone in his friends circle is looking for parents’ company. “I have friends who are envious of me because of the freedom I enjoy staying alone. They find it terrible to stay with parents who according to them are a generation old,” adds Honey.

Vijayta Doshi, an MBA student at PU, feels it’s important to realise parents’ sacrifices. “During teenage, I took well to restrictions imposed by my parents thinking that there might be some solid reason behind it. My compliance meant lesser restrictions and the phase passed off smoothly. On the contrary, my brother was a total rebel. He opposed and had to bear the consequences,” she shares.

“Now we both have to manage things since our parents are working in different cities. My brother has now realised how much parents care for kids. It’s only to provide us good education and living that they are slogging hard. I am totally indebted towards them,” adds Vijyata.

Ashok Kumar, a senior lecturer in DAV-10, and a grandfather, says, during childhood parents are the role models who soon lose their influence on teenagers. “This is a fact. I did it and my kids were no exception. I valued non-interfering life during my adolescence and was fortunate to have parents who respected that. My daughters too underwent a similar phase.”

His wife, Mamta Garg, joint director, Social Justice and Empowerment Directorate, Haryana, agrees. “ See teenage troubles are a reality. What amazes me is the transformation the two generations go through. My teenage was drastically different from my daughters. But we adapted a lot keeping in mind the changing times. And that helped us understand each other. As my daughters were Daddy’s darlings, I used to let him handle the situation. It was after their wedding that my daughters got attached to me more,” she says.

mona@tribunemail.com.

Magic Numbers

The age when we start to:

Appreciate our parents Female 22 and Male 22

Take relationship advice Female 24 and Male 25

Take advice on financial matters Female 23 and Male 25

Take advice on our children Female 27 and Male 29

Take advice on our work and jobs Female 23 and Male 24

(Results of a poll of 5,000 families by research firm www.onepoll.com.)

Conned on Facebook
Married man travels 400 miles for romp with a hoax lover

A married Manchester United fan drove 400 miles for a romp with a girl he had met on Facebook, only to discover that it was a hoax set up by two rival Liverpool supporters. Stuart Slann, 39, is said to have made a nine-hour trip from his home in Sheffield to a remote farm in Scotland last month to meet the woman he had been messaging with on Facebook.

But, on his arrival at the deserted house, he received a text message telling him that he would have to wait there until Emma finished work, and he ended up waiting for another three hours in the car.

Finally, he was told that it was all a con. To add to his humiliation, they recorded the conversation and put it onto Facebook and YouTube, along with an embarrassing photograph. Slann met the two Liverpool fans in Cancun, Mexico, last November, and an exchange of heated words ensued over the week about their rival teams.

The Manchester United fan was even thrown into the pool, where he broke his ankle, and the two, not satisfied with that, hatched a plan to humiliate him, by setting up a false Facebook account, and pretending to be a woman called Emma from Scotland. “I’d been chatting to this girl on Facebook for about a month or so. I really thought she was genuine.“

“Not only had I driven for nine hours, but I had to wait for about another three hours for her. Then when I got the call to say it was all a hoax I just felt awful.” “If they had asked to drive to Manchester, Leeds or even Liverpool it wouldn’t have been so bad and maybe I’d have seen the funny side. “But to drag me all the way to Aberdeen was just cruel. — ANI

Good parenting
Apart from providing good living, education and support, parents need to provide kids moral grooming too
Mona

If you want children to keep their feet on the ground, put some responsibility on their shoulders. — Abigail
Van Buren

It’s not only children who grow.  Parents do too.  As much as we watch to see what our children do with their lives, they are watching us to see what we do with ours. I can’t tell my children to reach for the sun. All I can do is reach for it, myself. — Joyce Maynard

Life affords no greater responsibility, no greater privilege, than the raising of the next generation,” said celebrated pediatrician and US surgeon general C. Everett Koop. But while bringing up kids, our mind is so pre-occupied with thoughts of arranging their admission into a posh school, planning a Disneyland holiday and saving for the future expenses that we forget the very premise of parenting: Making our children good human beings.

Good parenting isn’t about buying expensive stuff or allowing night-outs but raising children, who are morally upright. The onus is on parents to foster empathy, honesty, self-reliance, self-control, kindness, cooperation, and cheerfulness among their wards. If you are yet to start with it, here are some useful ideas:

Action speaks louder than words. If you want your child to be truthful, honest and sincere, be the role model.

Make your kid responsible. To develop a sense of self-control and self-direction, encourage independence.

Start early. Encourage responsibility by making them clean their room, putting their toys in place and arrange their bed every morning.

Read to them, especially tales from the Panchtantra or some other stories with morals. More than a lecture, the fables will leave impact.

Environmental issues like global warming, shortage of fossil fuels, scarcity of drinking water are the ones directly related to us. Tell your kids about them.

It’s not only our grandparents who visit religious places. Studies show faith helps in tackling everyday stress better. Try towards it.

Teach them joys of sharing. Make your kid share stuff with others in the family, even more so with the less privileged one. Lead by example again.

Keep tabs on what is your kid is getting exposed to. Regulate TV timings. Ditto
with movies.

Sensitise them towards gender issues. It’s not enough to teach girls how to behave, make boys aware that women are to be respected.

Renee writes
Artist in peril
lifestyletribune@gmail.com or Life Style, The Tribune, Sector 29, Chd.

Renee I am a 32-year-old struggling artist who has lived the life of an idealist throughout.  While I am painting and drawing, I come alive but this is short lived because of the harsh realities of life.

I have held many jobs as a salesman in a clothes shop, a waiter in Chinese restaurant, I have even run a florists shop. None of these things have satisfied me. Somehow I feel so tired by the end of the day that there is no time to indulge my passion to paint.

Sometimes I really feel like giving up my passion to do a normal ordinary 9 to 5 job, marry a simple girl and settle down into blissful harmony. Is life worth the struggle? Please guide me.

Sukhinder, Jalandhar

Life is always worth the struggle provided you know what you want. It is only when you are not sure of your own self that you start looking for wondering about your own sense of direction.

Look back and see did you grow up hearing that artists barely make of square living, sometimes these negative messages leave an indelible impression on our minds which creates a whole negative pattern within us.

You should thank God for your creative talents, just be sure of yourself, give up the struggle within. Make your life joyful by trying to enjoy every moment of it. As you see yourself opening to life your direction and will shall definitely get stronger.

Addictive behaviour

I am 37-year-old, extremely overweight with a list of addictive behavior. In fact, it is bordering to what in today’s world they call OCD or compulsive behavior. I have been treated many times for this, but I seem to always go back to my old habits.

It is like a pattern I have created for myself and seem to be unable to get out of this groove. For every little emotional problem of mine food has become my source of comfort. Is there any way I can rid myself of this habit? I am beginning to get depressed with these habits of mine and then I obsess that I might go crazy. Help.

Nina Sahni, Chandigarh

All your symptoms are basically related to your sense of self worth. You are actually suffering from some form of self-hatred and not feeling worthy enough to be loved. I feel you can just forget about how you look at the moment and concentrate on building a strong inner being.

You need to tell yourself that you are a beautiful human being no matter how you look and slowly as your sense of self worth will rise so will your desire to look outwardly attractive return back to you. Life is not only about looking good.

Feeling good is the most important part of life. All silly self-created patterns fall out when you feel good so just work on yourself. It will happen.

Abusive partner

I am all of 23-year-old and have a boyfriend who has been physically and emotionally abusive all through our relationship. He begs for forgiveness each time he is abusive and showers me with gifts and pampering.

I have always felt that he has a heart of gold and needs to be forgiven. Now that the date of our marriage has been fixed, I am suddenly beginning to get nervous about the whole issue.

Marriage seems too permanent to handle at the same level. He has promised be will change but I am really beginning to wonder. Please help me in my confusion.

Rita Sharma, Mohali 

Which fool’s paradise are you living in? Any one who is willing to take on a physically and emotionally abusive man in today’s age definitely has their own share of personal problems. We all as human beings have to first and foremost learn to respect ourselves only then will be respected by others around us.

Do try and change your own way of thinking. Help him to change his habits and only then think of marriage with a man like that. Sort him and yourself out properly before taking the plunge.

Lifestyle invites responses for
‘RELATIVELY SPEAKING’

In light of the growing number of splits and unhappy relationships, more and more women are drawing sustenance from workplace bonds. How is it affecting the family fabric of our urban society?

Please email your responses (200 words) along with a photo and contact number to lifestyletribune@gmail.com or write to ‘Relatively Speaking’, Lifestyle, The Tribune, Sector 29, Chandigarh. Only the best few responses will be published.

Seven wonders
This photography exhibition at PU captures
the extraordinary in ordinary
Manpriya Khurana

Metaphorically speaking, it's a VIBGYOR. Not because of harsh blinding psychedelic electric colours, but due to the play with number seven. Seven names, seven photographs and forty-nine prints.

Interplay of light, colours, inspiration, techniques, shadows, shapes, spaces… Wow! The exhibition by the Department of Fine Arts, Panjab University, Chandigarh- A Photographic Stroll Around Life and Space, appears dedicated to the uniqueness of the very ordinary.

Beginning with Jagmohan Chopra, popular as an artist's artist, and his muse 'Room'. The collection depicts a room and its various facets through different angles. A door half open, an extremely ordinary tap. Moving on, Kuldip Kumar Dhiman, and his series of photographs in monochrome concentrate on light, shapes and structures.

For instance, a cottage with bare tree at the background brings forth the romance in concrete. A successful attempt at capturing city's strong geometrical shapes.

Not restricted to inanimate, Rajesh Bahl, and his assortment of seven, centers on people, people and well, people.

Well, out of the seven, three artists have done their works completely in black and white. There's a man sitting on a bench oblivious of the camera, an old man amidst maze of crowd with a walking stick, three men on a cart, a man on a rickshaw.

The only thing celebratory about them is the sheer regularity, in fact regularity captured to such an extreme that it ceases to be so.

Our 'stroll' continues, pauses at Rajinder Bhandari's works, and stops at his very first photograph- a villa and a poolside with recliners in a row. What strikes is the immediate stillness, silence, lack of life and movement.

As he says, "The photograph is totally deprived of any human element and ultimately what strikes is the absolute silence." His next, seems to carry further the theme around mood and emotions reflected in each picture and open to interpretation. Like this one, where a group of travellers just next to a man lifting his turban.

He says, "The man picking his turban is totally unconnected to the group viewing their cameras. The mere indifference and solitude is the relationship they share."

Next in row, Rekha Bahl and blur is the word that unanimously strikes. Every picture seems to have been clicked using this experimental phenomenon and the totally fresh perspective it can give to otherwise obvious picture.

Those who've seen Quila Mubarak at Patiala will feel like visiting again and those who haven't will sure fall for it. Sarvjit Singh's camera seems to have reinvented the definition of dilapidated.

The charms of the rustic, barren building suggesting a tinge of haunting makes one pause; think and ponder. The pillars, the terrace, the fort, plaster, everything that’s ruined is splendid in his compilation of seven photographs.

Forgive the cliché, but last and not in the least, is Surinder Dhami's works. Even before the photographs, the frames, the theme, the subject, what stands out is the crystal clarity, sharpness of pictures.

Speaking on his technique, "In pictures itself there was no colour, so I kept it as it is and used the manual mode." The result? A haystack becomes enchanting! Beauty in the most commonplace of staple sights of countryside has been redefined. That's what they call art.

manpriya@tribunemail.com

On till Feburary 22 at Museum of Fine Arts, Panjab University, Chandigarh.

Dance mantra
American choreographer Valerie Green is in city
for conducting a workshop
Manpriya Khurana

No exaggeration. There are two kinds of people in this world—ones that can dance and others who just exist! For the ‘so-called’ mere bodily movements are a universal language, way of life, in short, parallel existence!

On Wednesday another testimony to the fact, called Valerie Green, came calling. The New York based artist possesses all the credentials to be ‘one-stop-shop’ for modern dances.

Says Valerie, “I have been dancing since I was three and been into it for over three decades now.” Here to conduct a workshop on Contemporary Modern Dance Techniques brought by the Chandigarh Institute of Performing Arts, she’s looking forward to her two weeks stay in India.

Not just teach, she’s here to learn as well and will be receiving training on various folk dance forms; Bhangra, ghoomar, dandia. She says, “I’ve always been dancing, became interested in teaching and do choreography as well. In America they say, I wear many hats.”

What’s her dance like? Says Valerie, “It’s very organic, free flowing and the basis of movements initiates from the pelvis.” Organic? She adds, “It’s done barefoot. Something like ballet is not organic. Also, you make it from nothing.” So one can create a dance about war, struggle etc.

“Like there’s this one dance on waters and abstract on twilight and other using colourful music different costumes.” Spelling it to T; ‘Erick Hawkins based modern dance techniques’, is how she has named her technique. Graduate in dance from the university of Wisconsin-Madison, Valerie formed her own Dance Company in 1998 and has a studio.

Is it from genes? She says, “My mom did folk dance in Serbia, former Yugoslavia.” When the subject meanders on dance can the music be far behind? She says, “I use Balkan music, Indian gypsy music, French music.” Before winding up, a pearl of wisdom, straight from the expert, “It’s better to understand one particular form because that creates a solid foundation.”

manpriya@tribunemail.com.

Pet theory
Crate of life
Shiv Kaushal

Shiv Kaushal Right from the beginning take your puppy out with you for short drives. It is a wise idea to always have your dog in a cage in the car, if there ever was an accident that crate could mean the difference between life and death for your pet.

If you are involved in a crash, the first thing that usually happens is windows are broken, as soon as that happens your pet is pretty much doomed if it is free in the car, the highway will probably become your pets killer. If a dog is confined to a cage, it has a chance of surviving the impact, in fact if caged it will be much easier for the police, or fire, or rescue workers to deal with.

If you are using the car as your method of transportation for a holiday, have your crate, and your water bottle, feeding bowls and your distilled water in the car. Stop every 3 - 4 hours to let the dog go for a walk and stretch their legs and go to the bathroom, give them a drink on return to the car, and re-crate the dog and continue on your way.Traveling with your pet

Whether it's around the block in the car, or across the country by air this page will help you prepare your Hugo for the journey. If you are planning to fly with your dog, again the first thing you have to do is check with your chosen carrier as to whether they take dogs in cabin or in cargo as excess baggage.

It varies from airline to airline; most flights will take both, a dog in cabin or a dog down below as excess baggage. If the dog is going in cabin, you must have a carrier that fits under your seat. For a Shih Tzu or Pomeranian the best thing is the Sherpa bags, they are available at some big pet shops, and at the Pet Supply House.

If you were going to fly the dog in cabin in the Sherpa bag, it would be wise to get the bag well in advance of your departure date, so that you can get your pet accustomed to the bag.

The easiest way to do this is start off with short 10 minutes stint in the bag even if you walk around the house. Then you could take the dog for a drive in the car putting him in the bag, and slowly build up the time until you have completely covered the flying time and the time at the airport.

This could be up to 8 hours. If you choose to fly your dog down below in the aircraft, you will have to have an airline approved kennel, and again it would be wise to get your pet used to this cage before the flight, so that they are content to stay in this cage for the duration of the trip.

If you do choose to have your dog shipped as excess baggage under the aircraft, you will have to check with the airline at time of booking that the aircraft is heated, and properly pressurised to accommodate your pet.

Never tranquilise your pet for air travel, the oxygen level is different when airborne, and the dog is much better to have its complete faculties about them. Tranquilising could be a death sentence for your dog, especially a Shih Tzu, bulldog and pugs as they are short nosed and don't take heat or lack of air well.

Staying in hotels and motels Shih Tzus and pugs are good guests for hotels or motels as they are small and are not barkers. Some hotels are very accommodating of small dogs. When you make your reservations it is best to use hotels or motels, which have a pets welcome policy even if they are to be crated.

When you exercise your dog on hotel property make sure that you carry baggies for cleaning up, nothing can change a hotels mind about pets faster than pet owners guests who don't clean up.

When you go out to dinner, leave your pet crated in the room, and make sure the TV is on for the pet. If you think that the dog will bark it would be better to take the dog with you in the car crated, if of course it is not the time of year where the weather is too hot to leave an animal in the car.

shivkaushal@yahoo.com.

Will they, won't they
Critics ponder over Slumdog’s chances at Oscar
Lalit K Jha

British director Danny Boyle's underdog
saga of a Mumbai tea-seller, Slumdog
Millionaire can bag an Academy award if
the jury decides to back an "outsider"
movie rather than a typical Oscar-type
film like Curius Case, an eminent critic has
said. "If Oscar goes with an Oscar-type
movie like Forrest Gump or Titanic, I
think the winner will be The Curious
Case of Benjamin Button. If Oscar
goes with an outsider like Fargo or
Little Miss Sunshine, I think Slumdog
will win," said Rini Cobey, Gordon College
associate professor of communication
arts and chair of the department.

"But if they cancel each other out, then we can look to Frost/Nixon to win," she said. As to the best director, Cobbey predicts the Oscar would go to Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire. "It's an attractive, creative and different style of film that owes hugely to his directing," Cobbey said.

"It's even more interesting because (India) is in the midst of a globalisation and cultural transformation that we all share. The film provides a taste of Bollywood style, but without integrated song and dance numbers or the three-hour length."

Cobbey, who teaches media criticism and specialises in Indian and Middle Eastern films, has also worked for Warner Brothers and Polygram Filmed Entertainment as well as film critic Michael Medved in Los Angeles. — PTI

I'm the boss
Women of today are not asking for
preferential treatment: Preity

Preity Zinta
Preity Zinta

Bollywood actor Preity Zinta today said that people
find it difficult to digest that she is the boss of an IPL
cricket team.

"Even after a year, I am asked whether I am a co-owner
as a girlfriend or got a gift from my father. I have
invested my ten years savings in the team and my
partners (beau Ness Wadia and co-owner Mohit
Burman) treat me equally," Preity said.

She was speaking at a seminar "Is the Indian Media and Entertainment Industry A Male Bastion" at the 10th FICCI-FRAMES.

The actor said the women of today were competitive across the board and were not asking for preferential treatment.

To a question on whether she felt offended when described as the only 'man' in the industry when she deposed as a witness in a Bollywood-underworld nexus case, Preity said she did.

"I had told people to applaud me as a woman and not a man," she said adding in cricket she was not considered a male but as a female romantically linked to certain members of her team. "It is disgusting," Preity said. — PTI

Cuba calling
Cuba offers itself as a shooting destination

Cuba is serenading Bollywood's bigwigs to use the Latin American country for shooting Bollywood films, the Cuban ambassador to India said.

In Goa to inaugurate four-day Cuban film festival, Miguel Angel Ramirez Ramos said that he was holding parleys with players in the Indian mainstream film industry and pitching Cuba as a film shooting destination.

"We are talking to some Bollywood names, asking them to shoot a movie in Cuba, but it will not be prudent to mention any name right now," Ramos said. He described these overtures as part of Cuba's moves to improve cultural as well as bilateral ties between the two countries.

Denouncing Hollywood's repeated portrayal of Cuba as unfair and wrong, Ramos said that Cuban cinema reflected the 'real' Cuban society.

"Nations can be judged by the cinema they make. Cuban people are very open. Cuban cinema is openly critical of the contradictions in society. This is not possible in a closed society, which Hollywood perceives us as," he said.

The Cuban film festival in Goa is being jointly hosted by the Entertainment Society of Goa and the Centre for Latin American Studies of the Goa University and will screen classic films and documentaries like La Muerte De Un Burocrata (Death of a Bureaucrat), Lucia and Yo soy del Son a la Salsa (From Son to Salsa) from Feburay19 to 22.

Describing Goa as a home away from home, Ramos said, "This place has a Latin feel, the homes, the people, even the drive by the sea in Panaji reminds distinctly of Havana." — IANS

Pause mode
Shah Rukh says he is fine and on rest for three weeks

Shahrukh Khan arrives for a press conference at his residence after the successful completion of his shoulder surgery in Mumbai.
Shahrukh Khan arrives for a press conference at his residence after the successful completion of his shoulder surgery in Mumbai.

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who underwent a successful shoulder surgery, was discharged from hospital and said he was feeling fine but would take some rest and take care of his kids' studies.

"I am fine...but I will be taking rest for three weeks," he told reporters in suburban Bandra after he was discharged from Breach Candy Hospital, where he underwent the surgery to repair the tear in his left shoulder muscle yesterday after he returned from London where he attended the premiere of his latest home production Billu.

Shah Rukh also said he would be travelling to watch Twenty20 cricket matches. "I don't watch my own movies," he said in a reply to another query. "I will take care of my children's studies in my rest period," he said.

Shoulder specialist Dr Sanjay Desai, who performed the operation on the 43-year-old actor-producer, said that Shah Rukh had recovered well and so was discharged.

The actor, with his left hand in a sling, looked cheerful and waved at fans, photographers and camerapersons waiting outside the hospital.

He had injured himself on the sets of Dulha Mil Gaya last November and continued shooting for Karan Johar's My Name is Khan in Los Angeles for 45 days at a stretch during which he experienced severe pain. — PTI

Web of an actor
Celina Jaitley launches her official website

Celina Jaitley
Celina Jaitley

Actor Celina Jaitley today joined the growing tribe of actors and celebrities, having their own websites, by launching her own official site www.mycelinajaitley.com, from where she would interact with her fans.

In the website, her fans can trace the history of the actor, from a young girl who aspired to join the Army and her journey from there on to become a successful model and finally an acclaimed actor.

Apart from this, informaton on diva's style secrets, her favourite destinations and charitable causes she associates herself with are available.

For interactivity, she can play the role of a match maker-love guru to queries on love lives of her fans and also personally answer questions about herself, said Globosport Digital, who has created the site, in a statement. — UNI




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