Taking forward Guru-Shishya Parampara: Knowledge through surrender

Celebrating and honouring the contribution of Guru Mohanrao ji in Kathak, ‘Ek Antaranga’ organised by Elara Productions concluded in the capital recently.

Present to witness and bless the show were Shri. Suman Kumar (Director, Kathak Kendra & Deputy Secretary, Sangeet Natak Akademi), Guru Smt. Manjushree Chatterjee (SNA Awardee), Smt. Rashmi Vajpeyi, Smt. Arshiya Sethi, Guru Smt. Neelima Adya, Ashok Maharaj and many more. 

Guru Smt. Padma Sharma, Guru Smt. Poornima Pandey, Guru Smt. Roshan Date, Padma Shri Guru Smt. Shovana Narayan (SNA Awardee) and Guru Shri. Mysore B. Nagraj also graced the event with their best wishes and blessings through short videos. 

The event opened with a graceful presentation of a Malkos Tarana by Devika Agarwal, Shreejeeta Ghosh and Amit Ray. Following the Tarana , in celebration and honor of the contribution of Guru Mohanrao Kallianpurkar ji to Kathak – Guru Subhash Chandra in conversations with Smt. Rashmi Vajpeyi took us on a beautiful journey with some unsaid, untold stories and bandish of the puranic era and bringing back some fond memories that a lot would relate to.

L-R Guru Subhash Chandra, Dr. Sabita Kalliyanpurkar, Dr. Vinod Kalliyanpurkar, Smt. Rashmi Vajpai, Smt. Manjushree Chatterjee and Shri. Suman Kumar.

Shri. Suman Kumar (Director, Kathak Kendra & Deputy Secretary, Sangeet Natak Akademi) in the event discussed the contribution of Guru Kalyanpurkar Ji in giving freedom to dance which was otherwise refrained to a Khandan/Home. Performing Arts teaches you a way of life, it teaches you how to live life. Hence this knowledge should be shared amongst all.

Dr. Vinod Kallianpurkar (Mohanrao ji’s son) along with his wife Dr. Sabita Kallianpurkar graced the occasion with their esteemed presence. They were overwhelmed to see the love and respect people had for guruji and his work.

The event brought together disciples, friends, acquaintances, colleagues and family, all under one roof at one time to celebrate the great vidhwan and reminiscing the beautiful 1930’s era.

Elara Productions is a multi-dimensional production house aiming to promote and preserve the art and culture heritage of India. Founded in 2021 by Devika Agarwal and Shreejeeta Ghosh), the production house wishes to bring to the audience rooted traditions in the form of art, craft, music and the performing arts, along with promoting ‘Made in India’.

“This is just the beginning. We are looking forward for a series of events where we all sit together and exchange ideas and keep the traditions alive”, says Devika Agarwal, Co-founder – Elara Productions.

Adding to it Shreejeeta Ghosh (Co-founder) states that, “the production house aims for inclusivity and acceptance across genres and forms which otherwise is a major miss these days. The production house also aims to target and inspire young entrepreneurs in the field of performing arts.

Lastly Elara Productions aims at viewing performing arts from not just an entertainment perspective but also knowledge perspective.”

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As is typical of teenagers growing up in the ninety’s in India they didn’t have an option but to go for engineering courses. And after becoming successful IT Professionals four college friends decided to join hands do something on their own. They didn’t have to look far for an idea for their maiden entrepreneurial venture – their common passion for Food decided that. “None of us are from the Food and Beverages background but when we decided to do something on our own, we knew it has to be something related to food as we love eating out and wanted to make a difference, says Kapil Saxena, one of the proud co-founders of Paprika Park – The Imperial & The Majestic.

Little over a year ago they came up with Paprika Park, The Majestic – the first and only park themed restaurant in NCR. The fine dining restaurant is conveniently located in the sprawling Indirapuram Habitat Centre Complex. For the last one year it has been serving some of the most sumptuous Indian, Mughlai and Chinese cuisines.

Apart from having a relaxing and beautiful decor, the theme of the restaurant has a philosophical undertone – “India is the spiritual guru of the world”. To bring that to life 7 different sections have been created to depict seven different countries of the world. This concept along with the meditational music and the sound of birds chirping makes the patrons feel absolutely relaxed while enjoying the best gastronomic experience.

Now time to talk about the most significant aspect of a restaurant – food. To start with there is a wide variety of vegetarian and Non-veg sizzlers. Apart from the theme, this has been the USP of the restaurant over the last one year.

 “That aroma of the burning coal and butter, while dishes get served at their tables have proved to be the most intriguing factor for our customers, and we have gathered accolades from our customers of all age groups for this,” Kapil adds.

A sizzling brownie dessert called the Hot Spot has also turned out to be a big hit across all age groups. The live on-table tadka of Tur daal and Peshawari Raan are other two things patrons have showered praise on.

Encouraged by the response the friends decided it was time to raise the bar. After winning the hearts of Indirapuram, Noida and nearby residents, they decided to go niche with The Imperial – a buffet restaurant and a banquet hall. The Imperial’s mouth-watering six-course buffet along with its imperial décor, are already a big hit with both families and corporates alike.

With emphasis on best in class service, and a constant endeavor to re-invent itself, the Paprika Park restaurants have certainly emerged as one of the most sought after eating joints in NCR. 

Click here to watch Shah Rukh Speech IFFI 2017 Goa

Shah Rukh Khan inaugurated the 48th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa this evening. In his official welcome address, the superstar emphasised on how India’s rich history has always had a culture of storytelling and story-listening.

The superstar said, “We are a land of stories, fables, cultural history, religious history, mythology, and legends. Stories that have mesmerised us, stories that make us think, stories that make us believe, give us hope, and inspire our future generations for the larger potential. So tonight, it feels absolutely wonderful to be surrounded by storytellers of the world, at the birth-place of stories, that is India.”

SRK also pointed out how filmmaking is a labour of love, and that it should spread love all over and not tear the world apart.

“I think over the years, in the last thirty years, I have learnt one thing that films are a symbol of love, and filmmaking is about loving. And I don’t mean the love-stories I have been paddling for years. I truly believe films are made with the collaboration of hundreds of people coming together, working relentlessly for an idea they believe in, they love and want to share it with the world. This idea becomes the film that we all watch and sometimes we feel very happy watching it, sometimes we dance along with the film, at other times we get angry, disturbed or agitated, and that exactly is the magic of storytelling. The magic that has the power to touch all our senses, and in doing so, actually binding us together. The essence of storytelling is incomplete if there is no story-listener. I believe storytellers and story-listeners are, or should be like a family. There is a word in Sanskrit ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, it means bringing the world together like a family,” the 52-year-old star added.

Concluding his welcome address the king of romance highlighted that filmmakers and film-watchers should share a familial experience where even in the face of dissent and discussion the family ends up binding together.

He said, “I believe no matter what your language is, no matter which country your story comes from, and no matter what your ideology is, story telling and listening should be a familial experience, which binds us all together, makes relationships stronger even in the face of dissent and discussions as it usually happens in a family, instead of tearing us apart. And with that in mind, the International Film Festival of India’s slogan for this year (the future of Indian cinema) will make that come true. Connecting the world through stories, and if I may extend it and say connecting each and every one of us through stories and films here, in Goa tonight, and all times to come.”

(The Indian Express)

Manushi Chhillar Q&A Click here

Shah Rukh will be sharing the stage with a team of delegates from 150 countries which includes US President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump.

One of the main attractions of this year’s GES is the Media and Entertainment segment and it will bring both the USA and India closer at the global entrepreneurship platform as Hollywood and Bollywood represent the biggest part of world cinema.

“Shah Rukh Khan is to be present on the inaugural day on November 28. We are awaiting confirmation from him,” revealed a government official, to Deccan Chronicle. The same report also suggest SRK may also be present at the cultural events and the grand dinner organised by the Government of India in the Nizam’s dining hall of the Taj Falaknuma Palace Hotel.

The Times of India reports that actor Deepika Padukone and cricketer MS Dhoni, who had been invited for the three-day event, have officially confirmed they will not attend the event due to their busy schedules. Deepika was expected to speak at a session on ‘Hollywood to Nollywood to Bollywood: The Path to Moviemaking’ on 29 November.

The NITI Aayog, in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Andhra Pradesh government, is hosting the event.

The Global Entrepreneurship Summit began its journey in 2010 to honour the initiative of then-USA President Barack Obama at Washington DC and the 2017 event will be the eighth edition. Previously, it has been hosted in Istanbul, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, Marrakesh, Nairobi and the Silicon Valley.

The social media star has raked in an impressive $22 million over the past year, Forbes reports — enough to see her take the title from Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen, who had held the number one spot since 2002.

The news is perhaps unsurprising, given the number of big-name contracts Jenner currently holds, which include deals with beauty brand Estee Lauder, jewelry house Ippolita, sportswear giant Adidas and lingerie label La Perla. Despite a highly-publicized backlash to a Pepsi commercial earlier this year, she has kept a high-profile, walking the runway for brands such as Fendi, Tom Ford and Alexander Wang, and landing two Vogue covers over the course of 2017. However, according to Forbes, the model’s income stream has been given a healthy boost by her extracurricular business activities, which include paid social media endorsements (she has more than 84 million followers on Instagram), a salary from the reality TV show “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” and the profits from the ‘Kendall + Kylie’ fashion line she heads with her younger sister.

It was a dream come true for FBB Femina Miss India 2017 Manushi Chhillar when she was crowned Miss World 2017 at the 67th edition of Miss World 2017 pageant held on 18 November 2017 in Sanya City Arenam, China.

The moment of pride for India

A medical student from Haryana, it was her dream to represent India at International platform “As a kid, I always wanted to participate in the competition but I never knew I would make it this far.”

Manushi Chhillar waving the crowd after winning the competition

“Winning the Miss World title was not just my dream, but also that of my family and friends. I know it’s going to be a journey that I will never forget.”

The 20-year-old also won the Head to Head Challenge and the Beauty with a Purpose title at the grand finale of the prestigious pageant.

Manushi Chhillar posing in gown

Speaking about her Beauty with a Purpose Project Manushi says, “The cause is close to my heart, and in my own way, I have managed to make a difference to the lives of about 5,000 women.”

Manushi who is the 6th Indian to win the coveted crown, says, I want to show what India stands for and showcase the culture and values that I have been brought up with. I am going to make sure that the world remembers India,”

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It’s always a tough job for the restaurateurs to pull out new tricks to tempt patrons to keep coming back. Kalpak, a restaurant in sector 50, Noida seems to have mastered this art wooing its customers with innovative recipes. The latest on their menu is Bamboo Biryani  – a first of a kind in this part of the country. Also new on the menu is the Malabar curry served in green coconuts, best had with Malabari parathas. Absolutely melt in your mouth kind of good. Almost divine kind of good.

It was a dear friend’s birthday recently and I had a lunch invite to Kalpak,  one of my favourite haunts. Now I have been to this place quite a few times and had already decided on ordering my favourite dishes.

Turn your Passion for Food to Start up a Restaurant | Kalpak Restaurant 

My love affair with that little ball of fire and ice

You know the feeling when you are in your comfort zone. It’s like when you see a repeat run of your favourite movie; or you hear the opening bars of a music composition and you know the song or if you are a cricket fan, you know the ball by ball fall of wickets and how India won the 1983 World Cup. Just the comfort of knowing what you want and knowing what you are getting.

Imagine my surprise when the main course was served. The friendly waiter came and placed a foot-long bamboo, sealed with banana leaf, roasted to a beautiful brown.  The other dish served on the table was a roasted green coconut sealed with flour dough. It made a pretty sight indeed and my mind was filled with curiosity… now what’s this? The dish scored full marks on presentation and the surprise factor.

The waiter then proceeded to serve us. I have to admit that the act of serving also kept us hooked in anticipation. He carefully removed the seal, broke open the bamboo log followed by rhythmic banging of the spoon against the log to release the chicken/vegetables marinated with choicest aromatic Indian spices, dum cooked with long grain basmati rice, with hints of desi ghee and mint onto my plate. The fragrance of the biryani was appetizing and I couldn’t wait to eat. And the taste…have not had anything nicer in a long time.

After the sumptuous lunch I spoke with the chef to find out what goes on to prepare this masterpiece. The rice is half cooked and stuffed into the bamboo log, the ends of which are stuffed with fresh banana leaf. This helps to lock in the aromas of the herbs, spices and juices of the chicken/vegetable while ensuring that the biryani is dum cooked.

The infusion of the biryani with the aroma of the bamboo trunk and banana leaf lifts it above the ordinary. Definitely must try in your next visit. Kalpak offers both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options.

Designer Michael Kors is reportedly buying the brand Jimmy Choo for around 900 million pounds.

The 57-year-old agreed to pay 230 pence per Jimmy Choo share with board directors, who currently own 1.3 per cent of the company, which was founded by Tamara Mellon and Jimmy Choo in 1996. However, the pair no longer have any involvement in the fashion house, reported The Guardian newspaper.

The news comes shortly after Jimmy Choo’s main shareholder, JAB Luxury, put the firm up for sale in April this year, in a bid to sell their six per cent of the business.

Although Michael Kors has bought the brand, the creative director, Pierre Denis, will stay with the company, which he has run for five years since 2012.

Creative director Sandra Choi, will also keep her role.

However, the chief executive of Jimmy Choo, John Idol, does not fear for the future of the label and believes there will be “meaningful growth in the future” under Kors’s direction.

“Jimmy Choo is known worldwide for its glamorous and fashion forward footwear. The company is a leader in setting fashion trends. Its innovative designs and exceptional craftsmanship resonate with trendsetters globally. 

“We believe that Jimmy Choo is poised for meaningful growth in the future and we are committed to supporting the strong brand equity that Jimmy Choo has built over the last 20 years,” Idol said.

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IANS