May 8
“By realizing the best in us, not only do we open up a few windows in our own personality to bring in more light, but we become a source of joy for others to draw inspiration.” ~ quoted from Swami Chinmayananda Saraswati Discourses This in short explains the life of Swami Chinmayananda Saraswati himself. One of the most famous proponents... Read More →
May 7
“The work of a supreme culture, they yet appear as much the growth of the common soil as the grass and the rushes. A tradition, where poetry and religion are the same thing, has passed through the centuries, gathering from learned and unlearned metaphor and emotion, and carried back again to the multitude the thought of the scholar and of... Read More →
May 6
“Motilal was to be one of the most important influences in setting a new course [during the freedom struggle]. ~ Bal Ram Nanda, in his book “The Nehrus: Motilal and Jawaharlal” The Nehru family is considered to be the first political family in India. It all started with Pandit Motilal Nehru, lawyer, activist, and freedom fighter. He is best known... Read More →
May 5
“If a dispassionate history of the evolution and development of Hindi film music gets written, Naushad Ali’s name will certainly find a pride of place.” ~ Satish Chopra, Indian journalist, for The Hindu feature – Nostalgic about Naushad, May 2012 The death of Indian film music composer, poet, and producer, Naushad Ali, on 5th of May 2006, marked the end... Read More →
May 4
“Tyagaraja was a brilliant person and composer, his compositions were extremely down to earth and very communicative. He had a wonderful expression. He had tremendous scholarship, many of the compositions he composed are not merely inspired works, but were also extremely deep, scholarly works.” ~ Chitravina N. Ravikiran, noted Carnatic musician, quoted in article “Understanding Tyagaraja” by Uday Krishnakumar, for... Read More →
May 3
A performance with 57,000 photographs. A picture two miles long. All for only three annas.” ~ Promotion statement for Raja Harishchandra, 1913 3rd May 1913 marked the event that changed the way India saw entertainment and popular culture forever. Raja Harishchandra, the first full-length feature film ever made in India, paved the way for other movie productions down the century.... Read More →
May 2
“[Satyajit] Ray’s magic, the simple poetry of his images and their emotional impact, will always stay with me.” ~ Martin Scorsese, Hollywood film maker, in an interview with The Washington Post (2002) A name taken with reverence in the international film world, Satyajit Ray was a Calcutta-born filmmaker, whose array of work in the fields of cinema, music, literature, and... Read More →
May 1
“The language and culture of an area have an undoubted importance as they represent a pattern of living which is common in that area.” ~ Resolution of the Government of India relating to the State Reorganization Commission, 1953 The struggle for independence from the British Raj was an extremely significant battle India fought. However, post-1947, India had another major struggle... Read More →
April 30
Jessica Lal, an Indian model, was shot and killed in an unlicensed bar in south Delhi during the intervening nights of 29 April and 30 April 1999. The killing sparked outrage in the Indian middle class and spurred the media into donning an activist role. The anger was magnified as it soon became clear that Lal was simply doing her... Read More →
April 29
Zubin Mehta, a world-famous conductor of Western classical music, was born on 29 April 1936 to a Parsi family in Mumbai. His father was a conductor of the Bombay Symphony Orchestra. Mehta’s father, Mehli, taught him how to appreciate music from the age of six or seven. Mehli would put on a record, open a score and show the little... Read More →
