Arts & Culture News - Page 28
Sabyasachi Mukherjee withdrawing his mangalsutra campaign is a bigger win for the designer than the trolls
This is quintessential Sabyasachi, a designer who is not only acutely intelligent but fastidiously careful about what he wants to convey.
Sabyasachi withdraws Mangalsutra advertisement after backlash: 'Campaign aimed to talk about inclusivity and empowerment'
Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra had issued a 24-hour ultimatum to Sabyasachi Mukherjee to withdraw the advertisement which has an “objectionable and obscene” portrayal of mangalsutra or else face statutory action.
Former Miss Kerala 2019, runner-up die in car accident near Kochi
Ansi Kabeer and Anjana Shajan were killed after their car allegedly swerved in a bid to avoid hitting a motorcyclist
All About Music: Here are some intriguing statistics about India's music industry, 2021 edition
The current monetary value of India’s music industry, according to Vikram Mehra, the managing director of Saregama and the current chairman of trade body the Indian Music Industry, stands at Rs 1,300 to Rs 1,500 crore.
Dabur forced to drop its same-sex Karwa Chauth campaign shows deep-rooted sexism in Indian TV advertising
The message embedded in Indian TV ads is simple — a woman can be either a dutiful mother/wife, in her early 20s trying to look the prettiest, or a hypersexualised nymphomaniac. Any deviations from these tropes are deeply inconvenient, and therefore threatening, needing immediate withdrawal or ban.
Turn grief into art: Young artiste from Jaipur exhibits pandemic-themed Inktober on social media
Poorti Purohit, a 24-year-old artist, executed a pandemic-themed Inktober with crowdsourced prompts from Instagram. "It created a community for a lot of people to express and remind each other that we are not alone in this."
Inside Sridhar Poddar's Evoke of London — a homage to modern Indian, African handicrafts
Evoke opened in London's swishy Marylebone area just six months ago. And it already has actress Sonam Kapoor flaunting their charpoys in her Notting Hill home.
Lost and found: Gustav Klimt’s Portrait of a Lady, missing for years, to feature in Rome show
Mystery still swirls around Klimt’s painting, which went missing for nearly 23 years after its theft from an Italian museum, only to turn up at the start of coronavirus pandemic
Sudhaa Chandran being made to take off prosthetic leg during airport security checks is no new, isolated incident
I have had a prosthetic leg for the past 11 years of my 29 year-long life, and unfortunately, I’ve been on the receiving end of discriminatory security practices at airports for a long, long time.
Totem Pole and the will to survive: How Paul Pritchard recovered from a deadly accident to get back in the mountains
“I do realise there is a paradox here — why keep going back to somewhere that has hurt you so much? But the injuries and hardships that one endures on the mountain can teach you so much": Paul Pritchard details the account of his life-threatening fall and subsequent rise in the book The Mountain Path.
Jugal Hansraj on his children's novel The Coward and the Sword, and the world he wants his son to grow up in
"Just seeing the news every day, and seeing what goes on in the world around us, I kind of developed fatigue for all the strife one is constantly faced with. I thought about flipping the idea, and creating some positivity," says Jugal Hansraj about making his debut as a children's book writer.
Oslo opens enormous, custom-built Munch art museum; 26,000 housed artworks include The Scream and Madonna
Gone is the old, rundown, and poorly secured Munch Museum in the Norwegian capital's outskirts — from where a version of The Scream and another masterpiece, Madonna, were stolen by armed robbers in 2004.
Ranjit Rae, former Indian ambassador to Nepal, discusses bilateral ties between the two countries with a shared culture
In his recently published book Kathmandu Dilemma: Resetting India-Nepal Ties, Ranjit Rae draws from his own experiences to examine decades of India-Nepal ties — the high and low points, as well as what India can do better moving forward.
Book review: Alka Pande's Pha(bu)llus is a keen and insightful examination around cultural history of phallic imagery
Having a sense of humour might come in handy if you plan to lay your hands on this book. It will introduce you to practices and rituals that might seem outlandish to you but happen to be significant in other cultures. Judging them will ruin your enjoyment of the book.
Kalki Koechlin on turning author with The Elephant in the Womb: 'Motherhood never ends, there's always more to write'
In an exclusive interview, actress Kalki Koechlin discusses unwed pregnancies, why she opted for water birth, and tips for postpartum care.
World Osteoporosis Day 2021: History, significance, and exercises to maintain good health
Every year on 20 October, World Osteoporosis Day is celebrated across the world to raise awareness about the disease that severely affects bone health of an individual.
Outrage against Fabindia's Diwali ad shows there's no longer such thing as 'any publicity is good publicity'
Rather than feel sorry for themselves, brands must understand that they are only belatedly learning, the hard way, that piggybacking cultural moments is easy, but creating your own, especially absorbing its criticisms, is a whole other thing.
Sir Syed Ahmad Khan: A peek into lesser known facets in the glorious life of Aligarh Muslim University founder
Eminent scholar and critic Shafey Kidwai's painstakingly researched and illuminating new book, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan: Reason, Religion and Nation, breaks new ground in the studies around Sir Syed’s life and work, as well as his contributions to the making of modern India.
Inside Ibis Mumbai Vikhroli: Puneet Dhawan on the risk of opening their biggest Maharashtra property after pandemic
"This is a transition phase so I believe we'll have the best of both the worlds — pandemic trends like staycations and workations will continue to stick as both international and domestic markets will feel comfortable to travel again," says Puneet Dhawan, Senior Vice President - Operations, Accor India & South Asia.
'Do not dislike my book just because you dislike someone I happen to be related to': Sidhartha Mallya
In an exclusive interview, Sidhartha Mallya talks about mental health, quitting alcohol, his acting plans, and why his new book If I’m Honest is anything but a “PR stunt.”
Where Phools Die, and Live Again: Recycling flowers from temples leaves everyone happy, Alia Bhatt included
Since Bhatt is a household name, Agarwal is optimistic that having her financial backing will help his start-up enter new markets.
KH Radharaman on taking his 600-year-old family history into weaving that modernises the sari
Radharaman isn’t just an heir to a historical estate; he has also brought on amazing textile innovations that have modernised weaving entirely.
Not Jim Corbett, but there are certain corners of India whose names need to be 'decolonised' for culture's sake
Some streets, chowks, and bazaars of India that could do with a change of name, not because they might purport a certain politics or right what many believe is wrong, but because it is what history, in a cultural sense, demands.
Bina Nayak on debut novel Starfish Pickle, and why water is a strong theme in the book
In an interview, Nayak talks about a different version of Goa, the world of diving, why raves are like modern-day tribal gatherings, and more.
Author Lucy Ellmann on her first essay collection Things Are Against Us, and envisioning a world led by women
In an interview with Firstpost, Ellmann talks about Virginia Woolf being among her biggest inspirations, why Trump is "one of the biggest failures of all time", and more
KP Rao awarded Balavana Award for bringing Kannada and other Indian languages to technology
The award is given annually, by the district administration, on Shivaram Karanth's birth anniversary
Nawaaz Ahmed on new book Radiant Fugitives and finding his place as a gay Indian-American Muslim in a polarised world
Nawaaz Ahmed talks about his debut novel, homosexuality, Islamophobia, and how the personal is political and the political, personal.
Book review: Amitav Ghosh's The Nutmeg's Curse lacks rigorous thought
Most of the information Ghosh conveys is generally available to the educated public and his contribution is primarily its assembly.
Book review: Attention Factory tells the story of TikTok and the mysterious art of converting attention into dollars
Attention Factory manages to tell a story, humanise the company behind TikTok, dispel myths, and decode the power of short videos that changed the world in 2020
Book Review: Diversity Beyond Tokenism makes readers think about tough questions
This book may not be the last word on diversity but it is a good place to start for those who are grappling with some of these questions.