Page 2 - Arts and Culture, Indian Culture and Heritage, Dance Culture and Programs

Updated on Mar 18, 2023 03:56 PM IST

What makes pure white sugar so versatile, and so unerringly precise? How does it make candy floss and hard candy and entirely see-through edible glass? Find out, in this week’s Sound Bites.

BySwetha Sivakumar

Master filmmaker Yash Chopra and his working girls

He is best known for his sweeping love stories, but even in these, the women had meaty roles. Many had jobs, built their own lives. Perhaps the best example is Chandni.

Sridevi, in one of her elegantly simple outfits, in a still from an office scene in Chandni.

Updated on Mar 18, 2023 03:54 PM IST

ByPoonam Saxena

Adventures in a vacant lot: A new magazine is focused on parking

There are reviews of cities’ facilities, essays on how parking shapes the way residents experience a space, and poetry, fiction and photo essays too.

Two editions of the periodical are out so far: Namma Parking, set in Bengaluru and released in December 2021; and Amche Parking, themed on Goa and released in December 2022.

Updated on Mar 18, 2023 03:08 PM IST

ByRiddhi Doshi

Nikhat Zareen is running rings around the rest, says Rudraneil Sengupta

With her effortless blows and death stare, the 26-year-old boxer is aiming for a second world title in two years, and a lot else, in 2023.

‘She does not like to lose,’ says India’s boxing high-performance director Bernard Dunne, grinning, after a friendly game of badminton with Zareen turned into a slugfest. (HT Archives)

Updated on Mar 19, 2023 12:31 AM IST

ByRudraneil Sengupta

Bursting at the seams: Indian designers are storming new stages

It took almost five decades for an Indian fashion designer to be invited to fashion’s grandest stage — Paris Haute Couture Week. Since 2020, three designers have shown at this invite-only event. Meanwhile, their designs, and those of others leading a bright new charge, are showing up on Megan Thee Stallion at the Oscars, Cardi B at the Grammys, singers Sam Smith and Harry Styles. They’re works of 3D wonder, aquatic extravagance, shimmer, ruffles and asymmetry. Take a look.

Looks from two of Rahul Mishra’s seven showings at the exclusive Paris Haute Couture Week — Cosmos, Spring 2023 and Tree of Life, Fall 2022 — and from Gaurav Gupta’s debut collection at the event, Shunya, Spring 2023. (Valerio Mezzanotti / Getty Images)

Published on Mar 17, 2023 06:22 PM IST

ByNatasha Rego

Cringe is in. Don’t back away from it; embrace that shrinking feeling

Memes, Reels, even the perfectly styled Taylor Swift are urging an Instagram generation to showcase their authentic selves.

Encouraging memes abound on social media. ‘There has always been a big market for cringe entertainment,’ says comedian Aditi Mittal. ‘But how we cringe has evolved from contemptuous to compassionate. The culture of embracing cringe rejects the idea of weaponising it.’

Updated on Mar 17, 2023 06:06 PM IST

ByAnesha George

Just deserts: A Wknd interview with the founders of The Goya Journal

How did recipes travel and change? Where did early food innovations come from? The answer is often women, working unseen in their kitchens. The online publication Goya Journal, launched by Aysha Tanya and Anisha Rachel Oommen, is telling stories of such women, tracing evolutions, micro-cuisines, efforts at conservation today. For its unique work, it has been picked as one of The Guardian’s 30 things to love in the world of food right now.

Updated on Mar 17, 2023 01:00 PM IST

ByRituparna Roy

8 most popular artists of all time that captured hearts across the globe

The world of music is diverse and vibrant, with a vast array of artists, genres and styles to choose from. Yet, there are some singers and musicians who have managed to transcend generations and become true icons in the industry. In this article, we will take a look at the 8 most popular artists of all time, who have captured the hearts of millions across the globe.(File photo)

Updated on Mar 16, 2023 10:50 AM IST

Why Lizzo is an icon of body positivity

The singer's music speaks for self-love, women's empowerment and loving your figure, whatever shape or size it might be. Here's how she rose to fame.

Lizzo's music speaks for self-love, women's empowerment and loving your figure. Here's how she rose to fame.(Marcus Brandt/dpa/picture alliance)

Published on Mar 16, 2023 10:43 AM IST

ByDeutsche Welle, Delhi

Sold out Jan Vermeer exhibition Amsterdam goes online

An exhibition in Amsterdam dedicated to the painter of "Girl with a Pearl Earring" has been sold out for weeks. Now, there's an online edition.

'Girl with a Pearl Earring' is Vermeer's most famous painting. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)(AP)

Published on Mar 15, 2023 07:09 PM IST

ByDeutsche Welle

Ways to get kids interested in reading books

Reading books is an extremely healthy habit. it opens perspectives, enriches the soul and fills up knowledge. Inculcating reading in children from an early age should be done. Here's how.(Unsplash)

Published on Mar 15, 2023 03:42 PM IST

How to paint ceramic bowls in 5 easy steps

Painting ceramic bowls can be a fun and easy way to add a personal touch to your dinnerware. Here are 5 easy steps to follow.(Unsplash)

Updated on Mar 14, 2023 02:58 PM IST

Rome street artist's career took flight by painting pope as superhero

Pallotta, 50, who signs his work Maupal, shot to fame 10 years ago when he painted the pope as a flying superman on a wall in Rome's Borgo neighbourhood across the street from the Vatican.

Graffiti artist 'Maupal' known for having painted murals depicting Pope Francis as Superman poses for a photo outside his apartment near the Vatican two days before the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis' election to papacy in Rome, Italy, March 11, 2023.( REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane)

Published on Mar 13, 2023 07:25 PM IST

Reuters | | Posted by Parmita Uniyal, Rome

Japan's Nobel-winning novelist Kenzaburo Oe dies

Japanese pacifist and anti-nuclear novelist Kenzaburo Oe died at the age of 88. He was the second Japanese writer to win a Nobel Prize for literature.

Nobel laureate Kenzaburo Oe speaks during a press conference about an anti-nuclear petition drive in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi, File)(AP)

Published on Mar 13, 2023 05:51 PM IST

ByDeutsche Welle | Posted by Parmita Uniyal

India's big, fat wedding turns green

Weddings in India are often grand affairs. But as awareness grows of the harm they cause the environment, many couples are opting for more low-key and eco-friendly celebrations.

Weddings in India are often grand affairs, but many eco-friendly Indians are now opting for low-key celebrations. (Santarpan Roy/Pacific Press/picture alliance)

Published on Mar 13, 2023 10:58 AM IST

ByDeutsche Welle, Delhi

Bhutan's VAST hosts White Canvas Bhutan Art competition, youngest artist just 5

VAST is organising an art competition in collaboration with White Canvas Thailand, Eastern Culture Foundation Japan, and Bhutan Acorn Tours and Travel. Close to 60 artists are participating in the White Canvas Bhutan Art competition. The youngest artist is just five.

Updated on Mar 12, 2023 05:34 PM IST

ANI | | Posted by Zarafshan Shiraz, Thimphu [bhutan]

Tips to make a macrame dreamcatcher

Macrame is a soothing art that is extremely therapeutic. Dreamcatchers are pretty wall hangings that add more aesthetic to the home. Here's how you can merge both and make your own dreamcatcher with macrame threads.(Unsplash)

Updated on Mar 14, 2023 12:50 PM IST

21 painters showcase art pieces at 'Mizhi' exhibition in Kannur

21 painters from Kannur showcased their art pieces at 'Mizhi' exhibition. The week-long exhibition has around 40 films with different themes.

Many artists came up with a few of their creations, which are eye catching and have a message behind it.(ANI photo)

Published on Mar 12, 2023 02:53 PM IST

ANI | | Posted by Parmita Uniyal, Kannur

Kandima Maldives expands KULA Art Initiative globally to celebrate World Art Day

As part of the resort's ongoing support of the arts worldwide, Kandima has teamed up with two game-changing international artists, Momo and Angelo Milano, to mark World Art Day (15 April 2023) in the coolest way imaginable.

As part of the resort's commitment to supporting the arts, Kandima has collaborated with these two prominent artists who are currently making a name for themselves in the creative industry. (ANI photo)

Published on Mar 11, 2023 04:03 PM IST

ANI | | Posted by Akanksha Agnihotri, New Delhi

5 tips to make learning guitar fun for kids

Learning guitar can be a rewarding experience for kids, but it can also be challenging and require a lot of discipline. Here are five tips to make learning guitar fun for kids: (Unsplash)

Updated on Mar 14, 2023 12:50 PM IST

Switching from fight mode: Life Hacks by Charles Assisi

Too many of us set out viewing each day as a fresh challenge, when the real battle is within. Can we find the strength to stay vulnerable?

‘I’m starting to see that the “brave captain on a burning deck” ideal is a hopeless one,’ says Assisi. ‘All our ships will eventually sink. Do we really want to “go down fighting”?’ (Shutterstock)

Updated on Mar 11, 2023 03:23 PM IST

ByCharles Assisi

Is body positivity making you feel bad?

Studies are finding that the pressure to be body-positive can feel as stressful as the pressure to be beautiful by adhering to a narrow standard. The answer? Body neutrality.

Updated on Mar 11, 2023 03:16 PM IST

ByStuti Johri

Why do spouses cheat? New research holds some unexpected answers

A study conducted in Germany finds the aftermath of infidelity divided along lines of gender, and not in the ways one would think. How far back did the couple’s problems go? The answer is a surprising one there too.

Updated on Mar 11, 2023 03:16 PM IST

ByDipanjan Sinha

The joy paradox: Why does happiness seem so elusive?

A global project by an Indian researcher invites people to see the joy hidden in their photo folders. It’s there, he promises. So why does it seem so elusive? ‘We’ve made it really complicated, when what we need to do is keep it simple,’ Rajesh Pillania says.

Pillania’s Happiness Strategy Foundation is organising national and global happiness photo contests. Above is a winning image submitted by Digen from Gujarat.

Updated on Mar 14, 2023 06:52 PM IST

ByTanisha Saxena

A rebel storms the screen again: Anupama Chopra on Gulmohar

Sharmila Tagore plays Kusum, an elegant, wise, defiant matriarch, in the new film. It’s the ideal role for an actress who has always, inspiringly, done things her way.

Sharmila Tagore as Kusum, seen here with Manoj Bajpayee, who plays her son Arun.

Updated on Mar 11, 2023 02:02 PM IST

ByAnupama Chopra

The hidden agenda: A masked trail from Zorro to Watchmen

Hollywood has shown us how masks can consume a man, eventually revealing as much as they conceal. Amid talk of a Zorro reboot, a look at heroes, villains, and iconic cover-ups.

(Left to right) Antonio Banderas in The Mask of Zorro (1998). The character Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th (1980). Christian Bale as Batman in The Dark Knight Rises (2012). V, an anar-chist freed-om fighter, wears the Guy Fawkes-inspired mask in V for Vendetta (2005).

Updated on Mar 11, 2023 01:23 PM IST

ByKarishma Upadhyay

Scene stealers: Tour the iconic cinemas of a hidden genius, WM Namjoshi

One man designed a set of 33 single-screen cinemas across India between the 1930s and 1970s, including Golcha in Delhi, and Liberty and Maratha Mandir in Mumbai. Then he quietly dropped off the map. Take a journey with cinematographer-turned-photographer Hemant Chaturvedi as he unravels the tale of Namjoshi, who left a largely unsigned legacy in these opulent worlds of wooden chandeliers, glass sculptures, frozen fountains and Art Deco motifs.

Raj Mandir, opened in Jaipur in 1976, is a particularly opulent design. Scroll on to see how Namjoshi’s style evolved, from the sparer motifs of his 1940s works to this culmination, the swan song of an artist at the peak of his creative prowess. (Photo by Hemant Chaturvedi)

Updated on Mar 10, 2023 07:44 PM IST

ByHemant Chaturvedi

Fanning an old flame: Chef Gaggan Anand on his India dreams

The chef best known for his chart-topping Bangkok restaurant Gaggan is in India for a residency, serving up 25-course meals at ₹50,000 per head. The event is sold out and wait-listed. Does that mean it’s time to finally drop anchor here too, with his first restaurant in India? The diners are ready, but he wonders if the industry is.

‘I’ve conquered my fear of trying new things. I’ve taken my risks with Indian cooking. The Indian restaurant industry, however, is as rigid as when I left it,’ Anand says. (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)

Updated on Mar 10, 2023 07:08 PM IST

ByRachel Lopez

Peeling back the layers: Swetha Sivakumar on the science of onions

What’s the best way to cook an onion? That depends on what you want from it. It’s a versatile but temperamental vegetable. See what makes it so, in this week’s Sound Bites.

Each onion is rich in flavour, even though it’s about 80% water. That makes it ideal for sauces, dips and sandwiches. But the flavour comes largely from sugars. The average bulb contains 45 calories. (stock.adobe.com)

Updated on Mar 10, 2023 06:56 PM IST

BySwetha Sivakumar

Get more out of your onions, with 5 tips from Swetha Sivakumar

Why sautee? Why for so long? Check out the science of patience as it plays out with the versatile but temperamental onion.

Updated on Mar 10, 2023 06:11 PM IST

BySwetha Sivakumar