Culture
Prisoners of Conscience
Denis Vilenueve’s forte is in making family dramas with strong political and ethical undercurrents. His Incendies and Politechnique can be read as being ripostes to this statement, as the former is sprinkled with political references and the latter is centred on misogyny and feminism. But setting does not allow you to escape from politics to […]
International Coffee & Tea Festival
Having probably originated in China during the Shang dynasty as a medicinal drink, it took tea almost 3000 years to become an everyday drink. An early credible record of tea drinking dates to the 3rd century AD, in a medical text written by Hua Tuo. Tea was first introduced to Portuguese priests and merchants in […]
The Malaysian Delicacy
The street appeared vibrant and colorful, bustling with noises of the passers-by. Small rounded and lighted paper lanterns hung in a row on fine strings tied across the buildings lining either side of the street, lending the ambience an exotic allure. In the crowd consisting mainly of natives there were some tourists too, taking their […]
Artist, from the Mount
Chafic Abboud’s paintings are a manifesto for freedom, colour, light and joy, as well as being a permanent bridge between the art scenes of France and Lebanon and that of Lebanon and the Middle East. Chafic Abboud was deeply attached to Lebanon, its landscapes, its light and his own childhood memories. Abboud’s grandmother was the […]
Hur Adam: Tale of a Stoic Fortitude
BediuzzamanSaid Nursi (1877-1960), the Turkish mystic, can be considered as the spiritual founder of modern Turkey. At a time when scorn for tradition and faith was considered as the founding principle of Turkish nationalism in the country’s embrace of authoritarian modernity and secularism under Ataturk, Nursi revived faith in the tradition by leadinng people to […]
Hamlet and his Kashmirian Odyssey
Touchstones by which a Hamlet adaptation is measured are the ghost and the play within the play. Though these two appear only minimally on the stage, they drive the tempo of the play. Ghost is nothing but Hamlet’s subconscious which brings his hidden fears and oedipal angst out into his (as well as ours) conscious, […]
Movie Review: Dedh Ishqiya
“Dedh Ishqiya”, one of the most probable, unconventional new-age sequels from Bollywood, is a hard movie to categorize: it is a lumpy, sharp-tasting mix of emotions that’s immaculately written, directed and acted – and yet isn’t remarkable. The opening, with the black screen voice over story about a female parrot that corrupts a pair of […]
A Moving Art Gallery without Walls
In the summer of 2002, two Pakistani artists were brought to Smithsonian Folklife Festival along with a 1976 Bedford truck. They were Hyder Ali and Jamiluddin from Karachi’s Garden Road area, famous for vehicle decoration. As outdoor artists-in-residence they decorated the Bedford top to bottom in front of curious onlookers at Washington, D.C. Now, that […]
Have a Dabba @ Home
I recently happened to watch Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi, a 2012 Bollywood movie with the cast of Boman Irani and popular accomplished choreographer –turned-director Farah Khan. The romantic comedy revolves around two middle-aged Parsis, Farhad and Shirin and their baffled courtship which they try to work out into a happy marriage. The film […]
Why Not a Türk bayram (Turkish Feast) This Time??
During my stay in Gulf, I noticed weekdays flying much faster. However, I always wish for the weekends to arrive, because weekends meant getting out of the usual old routine, breathing fresh air, hanging out with family, trying out new flavors and revitalizing our palettes. Experimenting with new dishes is always exciting, be it local […]
Connect
Connect with us on the following social media platforms.