Arts/Books

MUMBAI, (IANS) - His song 'Chaand Baaliyan' became a rage on Instagram, and Aditya A, who had crooned the number, is now fixated with a payal (an anklet). The singer released another track titled 'Right Wali Payal' on September 2. The

MUMBAI, (IANS) - Known for giving soulful hits such as 'O Sanam', 'Na Tum Jano Na Hum' and 'Gori Teri Aankhain' among many others, singer Lucky Ali feels he is "besura" (tone deaf) and that he just trusts the process

MUBMAI, (IANS) - 'Jeena Yahaan Marna Yahaan, Iske Siva Jana Kaha': Every Indian must have heard of this song and this blockbuster movie 'Mera Naam Joker'. But little did you know that the famous movie flopped when it was released

MUMBAI, (IANS) - The film was a dud, but the Badshah song, picturized on Katrina Kaif and Sidharth Malhotra, has garnered 1.2 billion (and counting!) YouTube views. And today, the world seems to be dancing to its perky rap tune. Be

NEW DELHI, (IANS) - As a two-year-old, he would fall asleep listening to Kishori Amonkar on the LP. Seeing this, his grandfather, the late Dr. Vasantrao Deshpande would smile that the child was bound to follow in his footsteps. Classical singer

By VIKAS DATTA Winning a Booker Prize for his very second book, "Midnight's Children" in 1981, Salman Rushdie, though, earned more attention, not to mention notoriety, with his fourth, "The Satanic Verses", which drew the undying ire of Islamists -- as

By VIKAS DATTA After an intense session between a music composer duo and a lyricist, the latter finally got up and said it was time for him to go. When Laxmikant-Pyarelal asked him when they would meet again, Anand Bakshi, to

NEW DELHI, (IANS) - This is a frank portrayal of the extraordinary life of acclaimed dancer, actor, and activist Mallika Sarabhai, very aptly titled 'In Free Fall: My Experiments with Living' (Speaking Tiger). She doesn't hold back in talking about her

NEW DELHI, (IANS) - The book was in the making for around 10 years. He even wrote some passages way back in 2012. Author and former diplomat Navtej Sarna, whose latest novel 'Crimson Spring' (Aleph) tells the story of how

BY VIKAS DATTA "The whole Earth is the sepulchre of famous men

NEW DELHI, (ANI) - Bollywood songs are alwats played during any celebration in India. Here are some Janmashtami ones: 1. Go Govinda The fun-filled song from Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal's film 'OMG: Oh my God' featured Sonakshi Sinha and choreographer Prabhudeva.

NEW DELHI, (IANS) - Like other South Indian diaspora kids whose uprooted parents wanted them to retain something of their heritage, she may have started learning Carnatic music as a child. However, her teenage years meant that Susheela Raman could

HAMILTON, (IANS) - Former New Zealand batter Ross Taylor has said in his autobiography that he was "slapped" by one of the owners of the Rajasthan Royals franchise three or four times during the 2011 IPL season. In his new autobiography

NEW DELHI, (IANS) - Mary Millben, a well-known singer, and media personality in the US became the first American artist to perform as an invited cultural ambassador at the Indiaspora Global Forum event commemorating India's 75th anniversary on August 15. Millben

NEW DELHI, (IANS) - Even as images of author Salman Rushdie being stabbed multiple times on stage in New York by Hadi Matar, suspected of being sympathetic to Shia extremism, continues to haunt, another author Taslima Nasrin against whom several

NEW DELHI, (IANS) - While the role of women in the freedom struggle has been "highlighted to a very large extent" of late, a lot more needs to be done to "make their stories more enduring" as tokenism in the

This is the story of a pioneer path-creator for women. Muthulakshmi Reddy (1886-1968) was the first girl student in Maharaja's School for Boys in Pudukkottai, the first Indian woman surgeon from Madras Medical College, the first Indian member of the

By VIKAS DATTA Known primarily for his gifted, effortless, and vibrant singing, he was a complete entertainment package in Hindi films -- being also an accomplished actor, lyricist, composer, producer, director, screenwriter -- and both on and off screen, its biggest

MUMBAI, (IANS) - Actor Sanjeev Kumar's biography penned by Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta and Uday Jariwala, is throwing light on hitherto unknown facets of the late actor's life. An extract from 'Sanjeev Kumar- The Actor We All Loved', talks about his

MUMBAI, (IANS) - Sarod virtuosos Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash said their new album, "Sand and Foam", is inspired by the works of the renowned Lebanese American writer, poet, and visual artist, Kahlil Gibran. Amaan said, "As Gibran says,

NEW DELHI, (IANS) - Cool as a cucumber. That's five-time World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand. Cooped up in Germany due to the Coronavirus pandemic, he returned home via a Vande Bharat repatriation flight, coped with the loss of his father,

NEW DELHI, (IANS) - "The exercise was cathartic and as the rolls of paper, some joyous, some anguished scribbles piled into a mound, I was filled with contentment," says Prime Minister Narendra Modi in "Letters to Self", a collection of

LUCKNOW, (IANS) - Lata Chowk, dedicated to the late legendary playback singer Lata Mangeshkar, will come up in Nayaghat on the Ayodhya bypass road. To be developed with a budget of Rs 10 to 12 crore, the design of the Chowk

NEW DELHI, (IANS) - In a short span of 12 years from the time he set foot in New York City on September 17, 1965 to his demise on November 14, 1977 in Vridanvan aged 81, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila

MUMBAI, (IANS) - Global music festival Lollapalooza is finally happening in India and will be held in Mumbai in January 2023. The music festival will take place for two days from January 28 to 29. The inaugural Lollapalooza India will be

At a time when American comic book publishers like Marvel and DC have become household names due to the several IPs released by them, Amar Chitra Katha (ACK Comics), is a name that holds its own standing and has been

By VIKAS DATTA Few singers are so fated as a later rendition of the song that launched their career happens to be the last one of their lives. This Hindi film singer, whose smooth and sonorous voice rendered a gamut of

By SUKANT DEEPAK In 2014, when author Dan Brown was in Mumbai, writer Ashwin Sanghi took him to the 'Tower of Silence' at Malabar Hill. While they could not go near the 'dakhma', some priests were happy to show them the

By SUKANT DEEPAK She remembers being an introverted child -- always an observer. Looking at life a little differently. "It was more of registering things, being part of it, but always being the observer from within," actor and author Deepti Naval

By VIKAS DATTA What moves the heart more when listening to a song? Polish and perfection, or the raw emotion that the performer brings to its rendition? For those who prefer the second, there can be no better option than Geeta Dutt,

MUMBAI, (IANS) - Singer and 'Superstar Singer 2' judge Javed Ali on the reality show said he was reminded of how 'Kun Faya Kun' from Imtiaz Ali’s film was composed and recorded.   “When Rahman Sir called me for the song,

India-West Staff Reporter PASO ROBLES, CA - The much-awaited book of Bobby Singh Bansal, ‘The Punjab Chiefs - The Lost Glory of the Punjab Aristocracy in India and Pakistan’ was formally launched in the US on July 16, here.   The book provides an extensive

By SUKANT DEEPAK CHICAGO, IL - American author Wendy Doniger, an authority on Hinduism and a Sanskrit scholar who has to her credit, works on the subject, including 'The Hindus: An Alternate History', 'Hindu Myths', 'The Origins of Evil in Hindu

By VIMAL SINGH If there had been any doubts, none survived 2019. The stunning victory of the BJP led by Narendra Modi in 2014 was not a flash in the pan, and the renewed mandate was even stronger than before. The 'Modi

MUMBAI, (IANS) - Global music collective Berklee Indian Ensemble has released its debut album 'Shuruaat', marking their first decade together. Berklee Indian Ensemble is known for a cross pollination of genres, cultures, and multidisciplinary art forms. This will be the first

MUMBAI, (IANS) - Late actor Sanjeev Kumar's journey as an actor has inspired many to foray into acting, yet his story is not known to his countless fans who still remember the 'common man's superstar' from films such as 'Sholay',

By VISHNU MAKHIJANI Roopa Nabar remembers waking up to the smell of breakfast infused with the aroma of a wood fire at her "colossal" ancestral house in Prabhanvalli, in Maharashtra. "While on most days, it would be simple rice porridge or bhaatachi

By VISHNU MAKHIJANI NEW DELHI, (IANS) - There seems to be no end of skeletons tumbling out of ISRO's cupboard - which makes one wonder where India's space program would have reached by now had merit and not personal proclivities been

Actor and author Deepti Naval shares the "unforgettable childhood" she experienced in her book, 'A Country Called Childhood'. Talking about her childhood days, the author revealed, "it's a world where I lived in, I want to share that with the readers

Kailash Kher is known for his soulful music and super hit chartbuster tracks. On his birthday, a look at his hits: 1.    Teri Deewani It was part of his popular album 'Kailasa', which received a lot of appreciation from the fans and even

India-West Staff Reporter  SAN DIEGO, CA - ‘Lonesome Flight’ by Dipak K. Gupta is a novel set in India in the mid-1960s, one of the most turbulent times in modern history, when the world, in the midst of the Cold War and Vietnam, was

VARANASI, (IANS) - An application has been filed, seeking Geographical Indication (GI) certification tag for the shehnai, a musical instrument taken to its zenith by the renowned musician of Kashi, Ustad Bismillah Khan. The GI application was filed on July 5

By DR. GUNJAN SHRIVASTAVA For centuries artists have tried to imitate life through surrealistic representations of how they perceive the world. And in that endeavor have developed creations that have stood the test of time inspiring generations of creative minds to

NEW DELHI, (IANS) - Here’s a guide to mastering one’s thoughts for self-discovery and for fulfilling the purpose of life, a true 'marg darshan' for this generation and the others to come Incredible as it may seem, the ingredients of a

By VISHNU MAKHIJANI Industry stalwarts such as Ramesh Sippy, Mahesh Bhatt, and Manmohan Shetty, who "firmly stood their ground and refused to be cowed", were the real heroes who took on the underworld, according to former Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria,

Religion might well be the opiate of the masses in India, but maybe the plethora of desserts offered in the name of religion have a role to play in it, says chef, columnist, and food writer Rajyasree Sen, adding that

BY VINOD MIRANI June 21, the International Yoga Day, was also the World Music Day, a fact few would have been aware of. Music knows no language and, over the centuries, sounds from all over the world have gradually merged to create

By N. LOTHUNGBENI HUMTSOE Find a comfortable spot and begin reading: . 'Moth Smoke' by Mohsin Hamid: This is an intriguing modern take on the relationship between Emperor Aurangzeb and his brother Dara Shikoh set in modern-day Pakistan. It brings alive pages

BY VIKAS DATTA One morning, this Bollywood music composer was called up by none other than "Malika-e-Ghazal" Begum Akhtar, who was so taken by one of his compositions that she insisted on singing it fully to him -- over a long-distance

BY VIKAS DATTA Interested in music, a young Bengali completed his primary education with great difficulty and dropped out of college after Calcutta AIR took him on board as a singer. He spent most of his salary on getting a harmonium