Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

INTERNATIONAL: SOUTH ASIA: ARTS & CULTURE : 1st ‘Sylhet-Silchar Festival’ Celebrating Indo-Bangla Ties opens in Barak Valley, Assam

The first Sylhet-Silchar Festival celebrating the close cultural ties between the neighbouring regions of India and Bangladesh was inaugurated in Assam’s Barak Valley on Friday. Being celebrated as a two-day festival, it coincided with the 75th year of India’s independence and the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Bangladesh from Pakistan.

In an attempt to boost bilateral relations between the two countries, the festival is being organized by the India Foundation under the aegis of the Union Ministry of Culture in association with the Bangladesh Foundation for Regional Studies.

“With the aim of revisiting the common values and shared heritage of the twin cities and their people separated by international borders, the festival will showcase tribal culture, cuisine, arts, crafts and local produce, entertainment and bring together eminent people from both sides to discuss and deliberate on issues of mutual growth and opportunity,” the organisers said in a statement.

In addition, the festival will provide a platform to explore multi-disciplinary trade opportunities in sectors such as healthcare, tourism, education and digital infrastructure. With the support of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, Assam government and in association with the Bangladesh India Friendship Society and India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce & Industry, the festival will mark the first step towards creating potential opportunities for all involved.

It will be addressed by personalities including Mizoram Governor Dr Kambhampati Hari Babu, Union Minister for Culture, Tourism & Development of North Eastern Region G KIshan Reddy, Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen, India’s Minister of State for External Affairs and Education Dr Rajkumar Ranjan Singh and Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Md Mustafizur Rahman.

The delegation from Bangladesh is led by Momen and it comprises the members of parliament, representatives of trade organisations, political and social leaders, academics, artists and practitioners.
In his speech, Silchar MP Dr Rajdeep Roy spoke about undivided Sylhet which also had Assam’s Barak Valley.

“We are at the cusp of history. It is by a stroke of providence that this beautiful land got divided into two. After the Liberation War, India was one of the first states to recognise Bangladesh. Today, we see that the relationship between the two countries has gone far and wide,” Roy said.

He said during the two days of the festival, the two sides would reminisce their olden history, civilisation, art and culture. Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said such engagements would further consolidate the bilateral relations. “Assam and India occupy a special place in my heart and memory because my grandfather was in the Assam Civil Services and he served in many cities of Assam,” Dr Momen said.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: ASIA PACIFIC: MUSEUM AWARD: Restoration of Mumbai’s Century-Old Museum, the ‘Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya’, Wins UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award of Excellence for Cultural Heritage Conservation’

The jury hailed it as a project that ‘sets a standard’ for the conservation of world heritage monuments.

The restoration of the 100-year-old Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya in Mumbai has won the Award of Excellence in this year’s UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation, which was announced on Saturday.

The museum is a part of the Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai’s world heritage property. It was established as the Prince of Wales Museum of Western India in 1922.

UNESCO Bangkok, in a statement, said the jury hailed it as a project that “sets a standard” for the conservation of world heritage monuments. “The jury applauded the museum project for restoring ‘a major civic institution in the historic city of Mumbai’,” it said.

“Impressive in its scale, the project addressed extensive deterioration through well-informed architectural and engineering solutions, overcoming major challenges during the pandemic,” the statement added.

Thirteen projects from six countries – Afghanistan, China, India, Iran, Nepal and Thailand – have been acknowledged for awards by the jury this year.

Jury deliberations were carried out in November when members reviewed 50 entries from 11 countries from the Asia-Pacific region.

Other awards

The Domakonda Fort of Telangana and Byculla Station of Mumbai are among the winners in the ‘Award of Merit’ category, while the stepwells of Golconda in Hyderabad has won an award in the ‘Award of Distinction’ category.

Topdara Stupa, Charikar, Afghanistan, and Nantian Buddhist Temple, Fujian, China, have also received the ‘Award of Merit’, the statement said.

“The awards give people a sense of pride and sense of ownership of their own heritage,” Feng Jing, the Chief of the Culture Unit at UNESCO Bangkok, was quoted as saying in the statement.

Since 2000, the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation programme has been recognising the efforts of private individuals and organisations in restoring, conserving and transforming structures and buildings of heritage value in the region.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

GLOBAL: SPORT/ STADIUM WORLD RECORD: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad Awarded Guinness World Record for ‘Highest Spectator Attendance during 2022 IPL T20 Cricket Final’

The Narendra Modi Stadium has a capacity of 1,10,000 which is nearly 10,000 more than Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad has entered the Guinness Book of World Records for the maximum spectator attendance during the 2022 IPL final, BCCI secretary Jay Shah said on November 27.

Earlier known as Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) Stadium, Motera the stadium has a capacity of 1,10,000 which is nearly 10,000 more than Melbourne Cricket Ground with an official capacity of 1,00,024.

“Extremely delighted & proud to receive the Guinness World Record for the largest attendance at a T20 match when 101,566 people witnessed the epic IPL final at @GCAMotera’s magnificent Narendra Modi Stadium on 29 May 2022. A big thanks to our fans for making this possible,” Mr. Shah tweeted.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: CHILDREN’S DAY:10-year-old Shlok Mukherjee from Kolkata wins Google Doodle for 24 hours on November 14th, Children’s Day.

Shlok Mukherjee’s drawing was the Google doodle for 24 hours on November 14, selected from over 1,15000 entries from across 100 cities in India.

A 10-year-old boy’s hope that his country will be at the centre stage of scientific advancement in 25 years and the image he drew to portray it won him the Doodle for Google competition 2022 on Children’s Day.

Shlok Mukherjee’s drawing was the Google doodle for 24 hours on November 14, selected from over 1,15000 entries from across 100 cities in India.

The day started at 4am at their home in Kankurgachhi, when Shlok’s mother woke up to her son’s doodle on Google. A few hours later, phone calls followed and of course, celebration.

The student of Delhi Public School New Town in his doodle married science with nature. “My doodle has an eco-friendly robot that plants trees and stops them from getting uprooted. I have shown India at the centre stage and the rest of the world applauding our advancement,” the Class IV boy told The Telegraph.

About 10 days back, when Shlok was getting off the school bus one afternoon, his mother told him he was one of the finalists of the competition and he would have to go to Delhi.

“In Delhi, he was one of the 20 finalists from across the country. We were told that the winner’s doodle would be up on Google on November 14. I woke up at 4 am today to check and there it was,” said Shlok’s mother Paromita Chatterjee.

The theme for this year’s competition was “In the next 25 years, my India will…”

The entries were judged on artistic merit, creativity, alignment with the contest theme, uniqueness and novelty of approach, Google said in a video.

“We appreciate his ability to think deeply about the future of the nation and the environment,” said Sonali Sen, principal of the school.

Google said that it was heartening that “advancement of technology and sustainability emerge as common themes across many of the Doodles”.

source/content: telegraphindia.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: ARTS & CULTURE / CINEMA: Swara Bhasker becomes the First Indian Artist to join the International Competition Jury Panel of the ’44th Cairo International Film Festival’ (CIFF)

The 44th edition of CIFF opens with Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans” on November 13.

Actor Swara Bhasker has become the first Indian artist to join the international competition jury of the Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF).

Organised by the Egyptian Ministry of Culture, the Cairo International Film Festival is the oldest film festival in the Middle East.

The 44th edition of CIFF opens with Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans” on November 13.

“I’m both grateful and honoured to be a jury member at such an illustrious festival that has for so many decades been a platform for showcasing global cinema.

It is an opportunity to watch some of the best cinema from the region and the world this year and that’s such a treat! I’m absolutely stoked,” Bhasker said in a statement.

Amir Ramses, iconic Egyptian director and festival director of Cairo International Film Festival said they are delighted to have the Indian actor on board.

“CIFF is proud to welcome Swara Bhasker, a noted and versatile actress from India who works across mainstream and independent cinema, as a member of the CIFF’s International Competition Jury.

A dynamic person of multiple talents, Bhasker is a very vocal activist who draws attention to causes that need highlighting as a public speaker and columnist.

CIFF is truly delighted that she brings such a varied experience and sensitivity to judging the films in the main competition of our forthcoming 44th edition,” Rames said.

CIFF’s international competition section contains 14 titles, including five world premieres.

Japanese filmmaker Naomi Kawase will preside over the international jury which also comprises Egyptian cinematographer Nancy Abdelfattah; Egyptian composer Rageh Daoud; Italian actor Stefania Casini; Mexican filmmaker Joaquin Del Paso; and Moroccan actor Samir Guesmi.

CIFF is scheduled to run from November 13 to 22 at the Cairo Opera House.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: BEAUTY/ INDIAN BRANDS: The 3 Indian Brand Winners announced at the Inaugural Edition of the ‘BEAUTY&YOU India Awards 2022’ held at St.Regis Mumbai are ‘Bahut Beauty, Skinvest & Yaan Man’

The winners for Beauty&You India by The Estee Lauder Companies (ELC) and NYKAA, were announced.

The award programme that was developed by ELC’s New Incubation Ventures and launched in cooperation with NYKAA in July 2022 with the goal of finding, showcasing, and advancing the following generation of Indian beauty brands.

The ten finalists presented their businesses to a jury of leading industry experts including Katrina Kaif, Actor and Co-Founder, Kay Beauty; Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Founder & CEO, Sabyasachi; Nicola Kilner, Co-Founder & CEO, DECIEM; Deepica Mutyala, Founder & CEO, Live Tinted; Anaita Shroff Adajania, CEO, Style Cell; as well as leaders from The Estee Lauder Companies, NYKAA, Intercos and Sequoia Capital.

The finalists represent a variety of concepts ranging from breakthrough product innovation and re-imagining a centuries-old fragrance tradition to emerging consumer categories such as teen beauty, men’s skin care and digital beauty in the metaverse.

The winners, listed below, were announced at an awards evening at the St. Regis, Mumbai on November 9, 2022:

IMAGINE Category: $75,000 Prize for pre-launch concepts

* Bahut Beauty

Sonya Khubchandani De Castelbajac

Bahut Beauty’s new brand is inspired by India’s ancient historical perfume center at Kannauj – a city in the heart of Uttar Pradesh that is akin to Grasse in France and the lesser known perfume capital of India. Drawing on its venerable tradition, Sonya aims to develop an ethical and thoughtful homegrown brand, Deg & Bhapka(working title), that is experientially driven and celebrates the art and technology of the subcontinent.

GROW Category: $150,000 Prize for in-market businesses

* Skinvest

Divya Malpani

Skinvest creates solutions for skin issues like pigmentation, cellulite and dark circles via innovative products that also focus on gender neutrality and mental health advocacy. The brand currently retails 5 products that seamlessly bridge the gap between clinical and cool.

www.skinvest.com

COMMUNITY Award: $5,000 Prize for the best community engagement

* YAAN MAN

Rahul Shah

As a new-age skincare brand, YAAN MAN is all set to break societal taboos surrounding men and their relationship with skincare and makeup through clean and conscious products that are innovative, derived from nature and engineered for performance.

www.yaanman.com

“The debut edition of our program has witnessed stellar response from new and emerging brands,” said Anchit Nayar, Chief Executive Officer, E-commerce Beauty, NYKKA. “From tapping science and nature to impeccable consumer insight, the entries and finalists showed us the immense potential of beauty brands in India who are gearing up to win consumer’s hearts. This is only the beginning of this journey with the new generation of beauty entrepreneurs in India and we are looking forward to building the future of beauty together.”

“We are so proud of all the finalists who each represented a unique vision for beauty in India and beauty for modern consumers everywhere,” said Shana Randhava, Senior Vice President, New Incubation Ventures, The Estee Lauder Companies notes. “The three winners – Skinvest, Bahut Beauty and YAAN MAN – crafted concepts and businesses that inspired and excited us as to what the future of our industry holds. We look forward to working with them to support their groundbreaking ideas.”

With over 300 entries across 50 Indian cities, the application pool included a multitude of beauty brands across categories – skin care, hair care, fragrance, and colour cosmetics. Brand, product, marketing, and investment experts from ELC and NYKAA reviewed the entire application pool and shortlisted the ten most promising of brands and ideas before selecting winners. Some interesting insights from the applicants:

* Almost 50 per cent were skin care brands

* 95 per cent had a sustainability mission in place

* 80 per cent had a female founder as part of the founding team

* 25 per cent were in the pre-launch “IMAGINE” category

The winners will benefit from access to ELC and NYKAA relationships and expertise across the beauty ecosystem to nurture emerging ideas that amplify Indian voices and address unmet consumer needs. Among other resources, BEAUTY&YOU India will provide award winners with financial support, continued mentorship, increased awareness, and distribution support.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: LEADERSHIP CO-OPERATION RECOGNITION: Former Indian Diplomat and Author Amit Dasgupta Appointed Member in the Order of Australia (AM)

Former Indian diplomat Amit Dasgupta has been appointed Honorary Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AM) for tirelessly promoting India-Australia bilateral relationship.

“Congratulations Mr Amit Dasgupta AM for your appointment as an Honorary Member, General Division, Order of Australia (AM). Honoured to confer this award, on behalf of Australia’s Governor-General, to @amit_adg for his longstanding contribution to the Australia-India bilateral relationship,” Sarah Storey, Australia’s Deputy High Commissioner to India, tweeted.

Congratulations @amit_adg! Your tireless support to the Australia-India bilateral relationship over the years is so worthy of this national recognition, Australian High Commissioner to India, Barry O’Farrel, tweeted.

As Consul-General of India to Sydney from 2009 to 2012, he was awarded a gold medal by the Multicultural Commission of the New South Wales government for promoting multiculturalism and harmony.

During this period, attacks against Indian students threatened Australia’s international reputation. Dasgupta’s personal efforts diffused the tensions and reassured the Indian diaspora.

Dasgupta played a pivotal role in establishing the Australia India Youth Dialogue. Now in its second decade, the Dialogue is a permanent fixture of the bilateral relationship, and fosters connections between Australian and Indian young people.

He continues to advance relations between the two countries as a Distinguished Fellow of the Australia India Institute, a Senior Fellow at the Society for Policy Studies, and as the Inaugural Country Director of the University of New South Wales since 2016.

Dasgupta’s deep and longstanding service to the Australia-India bilateral relationship is commendable and worthy of formal national recognition through his appointment as an Honorary Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AM).

A published author and educator, Dasgupta has served in various capacities in India and abroad in the course of his diplomatic career, including Cairo, Brussels, Kathmandu, Berlin and Sydney.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: GREEN PROJECTS/ INNOVATION: 2 Indian Projects ‘Phool’ and ‘Kheyti’ Among Finalists For Prince William’s Earthshot Prize

Five winners from the 15 worldwide projects will be announced in Boston next month, each receiving GBP 1 million to develop their projects.

A floral waste project which converts flowers dispersed into the river Ganga into sustainable leather called Fleather and a greenhouse-in-a-box solution for small farmers are among this year’s finalists from India for Prince William’s Earthshot Prize, dubbed the Eco Oscars.

Phool and Kheyti are among 15 worldwide projects in the running to receive a GBP 1 million award at the second annual Earthshot Prize awards ceremony next month.

The 2022 shortlist, which covers groundbreaking solutions to the biggest environmental challenges, follows last year’s winning project from Delhi – Vidyut Mohan led Takachar, which won the prize in the “Clean our Air” category for its cheap technology innovation to convert crop residues into sellable bio-products.

“The innovators, leaders, and visionaries that make up our 2022 Earthshot finalists prove there are many reasons to be optimistic about the future of our planet,” said Prince William on Thursday.

“They are directing their time, energy, and talent towards bold solutions with the power to not only solve our planet’s greatest environmental challenges, but to create healthier, more prosperous, and more sustainable communities for generations to come,” he said.

Phool was born in Uttar Pradesh soon after the festival of Makar Sankranti in 2015 when Founder and CEO Ankit Agarwal saw local temples dumping used flowers into the water, their pesticide coating poisoning the Ganga river.

“We began life with a simple idea: to clean up India’s holiest river. In the process, we’ve discovered a material growing on our factory floor that could one day replace animal leather for good. Sometimes ground-breaking ideas come from unlikely situations, and we want to thank the Earthshot Prize for recognising ours,” said Mr Agarwal.

At first, Phool collected the floral waste and turned it into incense sticks. As they did, a thick mat-like substance began to grow over the unused fibres lying on their factory floor. This mat, they realised, could be turned into a sustainable alternative to environmentally damaging animal and plastic leather – now called the new material Fleather.

The company today employs over 163 female “flowercyclers” from the Dalit community to collect waste flowers and in time, they hope to employ 5,000.

“With agreements to supply to fashion giants, that ambition is justified. Seven years ago, Ankit Agarwal saw worshippers poisoning their holy river. Today, Fleather has turned the tide, cleaning the river and helping those who worship it too,” the Earthshot Prize notes on Phool — shortlisted in the “Build a Waste-Free World” category.

Kheyti Co-founder and CEO Kaushik Kappagantulu launched his Telangana startup to help some of India’s nearly 100 million small-hold farmers among the poorest people on the planet and the most affected by climate change.

Kheyti’s Greenhouse-in-a-Box offers shelter from unpredictable elements and destructive pests and the startup also trains and supports farmers to ensure their greenhouse is as effective as possible.

“The world depends on its small-hold farmers and yet their lives are amongst the hardest on earth. Our Greenhouse-in-a-Box is empowering farmers in India today. The steps we have already taken at Kheyti are now building to change farmers’ lives at scale,” said Kappagantulu, who has been shortlisted in the “Protect and Restore Nature” category.

Five winners from the 15 worldwide projects will be announced in Boston next month, each receiving GBP 1 million to develop their projects.

For the first time there are also finalists from the UK, including London start-up Notpla Hard Material, which makes packaging from seaweed and plants as an alternative to single-use plastic.

Other finalists include the City of Amsterdam Circular Economy group, which wants to see nothing wasted and everything recycled in the Netherland’s capital by 2050. Mikuru Clean Stoves, from Kenya, provides cleaner burning stoves to reduce unhealthy indoor pollution and a safer way to cook.

The Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate, are set to meet the finalists and winners at the awards gala in Boston, US, on December 2.

The Earthshot Prize’s name is a reference to the “Moonshot” ambition of 1960s America, which saw then-President John F. Kennedy pledge to get a man on the moon within a decade.

Each year for the next decade, the prize is awarding GBP 1 million each to five projects that are working to find solutions to the planet’s environmental problems.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

source/content: ndtv.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: NATION BUILDING / COMMEMORATION: October 31st ‘National Unity Day ‘: HM leads Birth Anniversary Celebrations of Sardar Vallabhai Patel in Delhi

The celebration will also include the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas pledge ceremony near the Mahatma Gandhi statue in New Delhi.

Union home minister Amit Shah will on Monday participate in the ‘Tribute to Sardar Vallabhai Patel’ programme to mark the 147th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in New Delhi, also observed as the National Unity Day or Rashtriya Ekta Diwas.

Shah will flag off the ‘Run for Unity’ marathon from the national stadium where around 8,000 people are expected to participate. The Delhi Traffic Police has issued an advisory citing alternate routes and diversions from 6:45 am to 9 am to ensure safety for the participants of the marathon.

Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan will lead the ‘Run for Unity’ from Delhi University. DU vice-chancellor professor Yogesh Singh, along with principals, teachers, senior officials, administrative staff and students of CBSE schools, Kendriya Vidyalaya will also participate.

The celebration will also include the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas pledge ceremony near the Mahatma Gandhi statue and an address by Pradhan. Special exhibits on the life of Sardar Patel will be displayed at Jawahar Park.

Shah has written to all states asking them to organise 75,000 unity runs – 100 in each of the country’s 750 districts.

As part of the celebrations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Kevadia in Gujarat to pay homage to Sardar Patel at the Statue of Unity, participate in the Ekta Diwas parade and later address civil service trainees of the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: ARTS & CULTURE / SPIRITUALITY: Golden Jubilee of the Buddhist ‘Dhauligiri Shanti Stupa Pagoda Monument’, Dhauli, Odisha

The stupa was built jointly in 1972 by the Japan Buddha Sangh and the Kalinga Nippon Buddha Sangh

Hundreds of monks from across the globe thronged the famous Dhauligiri Shanti Stupa Pagoda, a symbol of peace associated with the Buddhist culture, on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar to mark the golden jubilee celebration of the monument on Friday.

The dome-shaped stupa atop the Dhauli hill on the banks of river Daya, about 10km from here, recalls the famous Kalinga war and the transformation of king Ashoka from a tyrant into a benevolent monarch. However, the monument remained neglected by the authorities for a long time.

The stupa was built jointly in 1972 by the Japan Buddha Sangh and the Kalinga Nippon Buddha Sangh.

It was constructed under the supervision of the chief priest of Nipponzan Myohoji, Nichidatsu Fuji Guruji of Japan, who came to India in the early part of 1930s from Mt. Minobu in Japan, the original holy place of the Nichiren Sect. In late 1960s, he was requested by the Buddhist monks to set up a stupa here. Following a request from Buddhist monks, the Odisha government also agreed to provide land for the monument. He stayed at the Dhauli hill, which was revered by Buddhists because of the legend that king Ashoka had converted to Buddhism in the wake of Kalinga war here.

Here Emperor Ashoka is believed to have renounced violence after watching the bloodshed in the battle of Kalinga fought in the foothills of Dhauli and adopted non-violence after converting into the Buddhist faith.

The famous Ashokan edicts enshrining his decrees for the welfare of people and even animals within his empire are still treasured at a site close to the base of Dhauli hill. The pagoda on the hilltop is adorned by the statues of the reclining Buddha, an elephant procession, the Bodhi tree, and footprints of Buddha bearing the chakra (wheel).

Taking part in the celebrations, Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik said: “Let us work together to spread the message of peace and create a safer world for our future generation.”

Delving into the glorious history of Odisha, he said that the state’s history starts with Dhauli and the Kalinga war. Although the war ended with massive bloodshed, Dhauli continues to sing about the moral victory of the entire humanity. “It is this place where Ashoka realised the futility of war and bloodshed and embraced Buddhism. In fact, Dhauli changed the course of world history by spreading the message of global peace and harmony,” Naveen said.

Stating that Dhauli Peace Pagoda is a great creation of modern architecture, Naveen said: “It bears testimony of Indo-Japanese friendship that stands for global peace and mutual cooperation. The place will continue to spread the message of peace for all the time to come.”

Offering tributes to Fuji Guruji, he said: “On the eve of this momentous occasion, I offer my sincere tributes to most revered Nichidatsu Fuji Guruji of Japan, Founder and Preceptor of Nipponzan Myohoji, for his invaluable contribution in building this “Biswa Shanti Stupa” at Dhauli. Further, the steps taken by Kalinga-Nippon Buddha Sangha to make it happen is also appreciated.”

Naveen also announced the construction of instream storage on the Daya. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 95 crore.