Parmesh Shahani reflects on the year gone by…
On a balmy November evening in Mumbai, I ease into my seat at Sion’s gigantic Shanmukhananda hall for a treat. Franz Osten’s 1928 silent masterpiece Shiraz has been painstakingly restored over the years by the British Film Institute, and I am witnessing a special screening accompanied by live music written and performed by Anoushka Shankar and her ensemble from London. The film is spectacular, even after 90 years! Agra, where it is shot, looks ethereal and the battle scene with a cast of literally thousands leaves me awestruck. In the Bahubali-era of special VFX it is easy to be dazzled, but to think that they made Shiraz back then…wow!
From a brilliant restoration to a brilliant remake — I have an equallywow experience when I see Goopi Gawaiya Bagha Bajaiyaa — Shilpa Ranade’s animated ode to Satyajit Ray’s classic Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne. Goopy and Bagha are characters created by Satyajit Ray’s grandfather Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury, and we screened their latest adventures at our India Culture Lab to a packed audience of children and parents who were laughing and crying alongside the so very desi story. Now, I am all for the Doraemons and Shinchans of the world, but there’s also so much we have in our own culture, and I’m glad that bodies like the Children’s Film Society of India which produced this film, are making the efforts they are, to get us to appreciate the cultural treasure trove that exists right on our doorstep.
Denne historien er fra December 2017-utgaven av Verve.
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Denne historien er fra December 2017-utgaven av Verve.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Making Amends
This generation’s penchant for thoughtless consumption gets Madhu Jain roiled up, and she wonders if nature is getting its own back for our missteps…
Diamonds With Provenance
In keeping with the company’s commitment to environmental and social responsibility, Anisa Kamadoli Costa, chief sustainability officer at Tiffany & Co. and chairman and president at The Tiffany & Co. Foundation, enlightens Shirin Mehta on the efforts that make the jewellery giant an industry leader in transparency
SARTORIAL ECONOMICS
Sisters Tashi and Tara Mitra demonstrate to Akanksha Pandey how deviating from the mainstream can bend the way we think, live and dress
NOTES TO SELF
An anthropomorphized tiger’s perspective, a viscerally worded futuristic interpretation of loss, a critique of performative activism, a meta reflection on the earth’s crises. Told through different lenses, Janaki Lenin, Indrapramit Das, Keshava Guha and Roshan Ali’s stories — written exclusively for Verve — attempt to make sense of the fraught reality that we exist in today
The Eternal Optimist
As Generation X and xennials grapple with fully transitioning to conscious living, young millennials and Generation Z are leading the charge to reverse human-caused environmental damage. Sahar Mansoor, founder and CEO of the Bengaluru-based zero-waste social enterprise Bare Necessities, has a simple overarching philosophy: consume less and stay positive. Verve gets deeper into the mindset of the action-oriented earth advocate
Redemption SONGS
Indian music festivals have been demonstrating a refreshing sense of responsibility in terms of their ecological impact. Interacting with stakeholders who strive to make these large-scale events greener, Akhil Sood investigates the reasons behind the improved attitudes of audiences and the increase in corporate support.
earth hour
Crafted using nature’s elements, these dials draw inspiration from the many heterogeneous materials and hues around us.Verve turns its lens onto a mesmerising few
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
Children are holding adults accountable for both the grim future they are facing and the toll this is taking on their mental health. Madhumita Bhattacharyya initiates conversations with families of young climate activists and observes the extent to which parenting has changed in the face of catastrophe
NATURAL JUSTICE
Most of us are only just waking up to the urgency of climatic action. When the stakes are so high, what can individual action solve? Mridula Mary Paul, an environmental policy expert, is proof of the tenacity needed to effect systemic change. It’s not glamorous, and the rewards are few and far between, but that doesn’t stop her from aiming big, finds Anandita Bhalerao
Along For The Ride
Navigating Indian streets as a woman is hard enough. But what is it like while riding a bicycle? Bengaluru-based Shreya Dasgupta, a regular cyclist, speaks to five urban women about the pros and cons of this increasingly popular means of transport.
