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Lost romance
The Faiz centenary is now
creating a buzz as did the Majaz centennial but with the era of
rapturous poetry in Urdu long gone, this becomes more an act of
nostalgia rather than revival, writes Nirupama
Dutt
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Nahin
khel, ai Dagh, yaaron se keh do Ke aati hai Urdu zabaan, aate
aate — Dagh
(It is not child’s play, O’ Dagh, tell my friends
It takes a long time to learn the Urdu language)
LOVERS
of Urdu got together last year in different cities of the country to
celebrate the centenary of Lucknow’s best-loved poet Asrar-ul-Haq
Majaz and the admirers of one of the greats of Urdu poetry, Faiz Ahmad
Faiz, are busy all over the world celebrating his centenary.
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In the times of Munni or Sheela,
the age of ghazals in Hindi cinema, as symbolised by Pakeezah
(left)
or Umrao Jaan, is long over
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Rebel artist
Innovative and unpredictable, Baniprosonno’s work is capable of many interpretations, writes
Shakti Singh Chandel
AT
the turning point of Indian history, in 1947, a number of
communist groups emerged in the cultural arena of India. Along with
theatre professionals and writers were the visual artists, who joined
together under the banner of Progressive Artists’ Group.
Amoebae,
too, pack a lunch
SOME
amoebae do exactly what we do before we travel — pack a lunch. The
study, conducted by evolutionary biologists Joan Strassmann and David
Queller of Rice University, has shown that long-studied social amoebae
dictyostellum discoideum (commonly known as slime molds) increase
their odds of survival through a rudimentary form of agriculture.
 Faith
and Fortitude
Colours of
Hola
THE
hills of Anandpur Sahib come alive every year for the Hola
Mohalla festival, which is a heady mix of history, heritage,
popularity, and celebration. Hundreds of thousands of people
come to the city where Guru Gobind Singh first held a festival
in which warriors would participate and demonstrate their skill. |
The Jungle Book setting
The description of its natural wealth and richness occurs even in
Ain-i-Akbari.
It is also the muse for Rudyard Kipling’s famous book. The Pench forest reserve is a heaven for both animal and bird lovers, write
Hugh and Colleen Gantzer
THIS
in one place where our national animal seems to be reasserting its
right to live. At six o’clock in the morning we were in the The
Indira Priyadarshini National Park in Madhya Pradesh’s Pench.
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Art attack |
A man takes a picture with a painting during an exhibition by the Trick Art Museum of Japan at the National Taiwan Science Education Centre in Taipei recently. The paintings in the exhibition induced a 3D optical illusion when a subject took a picture with it. Photo: Reuters |
Dancing
diva
The acting and dancing icon
of India, Madhuri Dixit, in conversation with Jyothi Venkatesh on her
recent tryst as a judge on the dance reality show Jhalak Dikhla Jaa
and much more....
AT
the outset, Madhuri Dixit confesses that she was thrilled when
Sony’s representatives approached her with an offer to be one of the
judges in Jhalak Dikhla Jaa.
Language of light
A retrospective of films by Subrata Mitra, who is often considered one of the greatest of Indian cinematographers, was held in Italy recently.
Vandana Shukla reports
TWO
highly gifted technicians,
who turned their technical skills into a fine art without any formal
training, find themselves at a strange confluence. In 1950, the great
Jean Renoir had come to Calcutta to shoot The River when
Subrata Mitra (1930-2001) could barely manage to get permission to
watch the shooting.
Debonair
Navin
Devinder
Bir Kaur pays a tribute to the talented actor Navin Nischol,
who died last week
THe
suave Navin Nischol’s dreamy eyes sent female fans in raptures. The
man, who gave us "pachasi jhatke", was poised to be a
superstar. Alas! Destiny willed otherwise. From a leading actor, he
became a character actor.
FRUIT FACTS
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