Category: CULTURE
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West End Debut: Charithra Chandran’s Breakthrough Performance
The anticipation was palpable as I hurried to the Garrick Theatre, barely taking a moment to glance at the poster or read the description. All I needed to see was the promise of Taylor Swift and Charithra Chandran, and I was already RSVPing yes to “Instructions for a Teenage Armageddon”…
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More than a fairytale
My nine-year-old nephew recently performed in the Cape Town Opera’s production of Cinderella/Cendrillon at the Artscape Theatre Centre in Cape Town in the July school holidays. I am very proud of this young boy who has wanted to be on the stage since he was about two years old and…
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asa Beauty, a pioneer of India’s sustainable beauty movement
On the eve of asa Beauty’s re-launch, I sat down with Sukriti Jindal Khaitan, one of the co-founders of asa Beauty (the other being Asha Khaitan) to understand why. Having worked in Brand myself, I knew two things. One, a re-launch could make or break customer trust and two, it’s…
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Alchemy of Solitude director Viktoria I.V. King on the plurality of justice
“Do you want to ask questions or do you want to live?” International-award-winning film director, screenwriter, and producer Viktoria I.V. King poses this question throughout her newest upcoming film, Alchemy of Solitude, which she describes as an “autopsy of an activist”. Set in an alternate reality, where activists-turned-assassins are trying…
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Thank you, Ramadan Tent Project, for my first Iftar
I’ve never been to an Iftar before. I’ve never really celebrated Ramadan before. Growing up in India, Ramadan was a cause of celebration simply because it was a holiday from school but with very few Muslims in my school, biryani never made its way into my home. And I know…
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Status Symbols in India and their Colonial Roots – Part III: Architecture
The roots of colonialism in India have been firmly in place since 1858, when the British Raj came to power. India was completely transformed, and even since their independence in 1947, the country’s colonial past is apparent in the everyday lives of all Indians. A country that was built on…
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Status Symbols in India and their Colonial Roots – Part II: English
The roots of colonialism in India have been firmly in place since 1858, when the British Raj came to power. India was completely transformed, and even since their independence in 1947, the country’s colonial past is apparent in the everyday lives of all Indians. A country that was built on…
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Cooking up a storm in a Desi Kitchen
Sarah Woods, the author of Desi Kitchen, left her corporate role at a leading pharmaceutical company to pursue a career in food. She honed her cooking skills at Ashburton Chef’s Academy in Devon, prior to taking the leap and then debuted on BBC One’s ‘Britain’s Best Home Cook’. During the…
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Interviewing Jyoti Patel, author of ‘The Things That We Lost’
This moving coming-of-age story explores what it means to be a person of colour in Britain today, discussing themes of identity and the stories that we tell ourselves to manage trauma. Paying homage to her Gujarati roots, The Things That We Lost is a beautifully tender exploration of family, loss,…