River of Smoke by Amitav Ghosh
Without a doubt, the most important news stories of the last decade have been geopolitical and economic. Even the recession, notwithstanding its clear domestic roots, is related to our involvement in the Middle East and Asia. The war on terror, immigration, the-world-is-flat pronouncements: phenomena like these are all part and parcel, we’re told, of a new era—one not without its birth pangs—called globalization. read more
Found in: Books, ReviewsWatch Footage of India's Newest "Sport": Train Surfing
It would appear that India can’t get enough adrenaline. As if the stunning choreography in Bollywood musical numbers weren’t impressive enough, Indian folks have taken their agility to exhilirating—and downright perilous—new levels. A video appeared on YouTube recently documenting a couple of young Indian men practicing a new extreme sport of sorts that can best be described as “train surfing.” In the footage, the men jump onto the side of a train and cling for dear life as they appear to be physically dragged along the pavement. Suddenly they’ve hopped further up the side of the train and ride until... read more
Found in: Blogs, Awesome of the DayDisney Plans Indian Action Movie, Chinese High School Musical
Tokyo Disneyland. Disneyland Paris. And now, according to ABC, an Indian Disney film. Following the success of Disney’s 2008 Hindi animated movie, Roadside Romeo, Mickey’s mega-corporation announced plans to further its world domination by filming an action film in India. Using the southern Indian dialect of Telugu, the company is hoping to strengthen its relationship with the Asian nation.... read more
Found in: Movies, NewsTerror in Mumbai Documentary to Air on HBO
Almost one year after the terrorist attacks in Mumbai that left 170 people dead, HBO will air a provocative and deeply unsettling documentary revealing the details surrounding the violence of those days.... read more
Found in: TV, NewsCate Blanchett's Indian Summer Gets Shelved
Cate Blanchett’s latest film project, Indian Summer, has been fighting an uphill battle. Now it appears that the movie has been shelved for the forseeable future by the struggling Universal.... read more
Found in: Movies, NewsKanye West Retreats to India for Ashram Rehab
Kanye West’s no-show at the BET awards and cancellation of his tour with Lady Gaga left all of us wondering what Mr. By-Himself-He-So-Impressed was up to. Well, turns out it’s not so much a “what” as it is a “where.” India, to be specific.... read more
Found in: Music, NewsStyle Guide: A Passage to India
After Slumdog Millionaire’s triumph at the Oscars, it’s no surprise that Indian cultural influence has subsequently folded into America’s melting pot... read more
Found in: Culture, FeaturesDebashish Bhattacharya: Calcutta Chronicles: Indian Slide-Guitar Odyssey
A dip in the River Ganges with an Indian slide-guitar master Anyone looking for a primer on authentic Indian raga—with its bendy, atmospheric slide guitars and gentle tabla beats—would be well served by the latest album from this award-winning master musician. On this, his follow-up to Calcutta Slide-Guitar, Vol. 3, Bhattacharya takes the listener on a tour of his home city, its mornings and its prayers through the sounds of a small slide ukulele, an Indian harp and an ancient one-stringed instrument called the ektara. A casual listener might write off this album as just more background music for meditation and... read more
Found in: Music, Reviews
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