Tentative Collective | Karachi

The 'Tentative Collective' is a nomadic collective of people who share resources to create critical works of art in public places. These works of art aim to excite the public imagination and create new spaces for social engagement. Our projects strive to be collaborative, site sensitive, and inclusive to different strata of society. We value free public space, engage in the reclaiming of what should be collective property, and strive to make something special out of makeshift, tentative and mundane opportunities in everyday life.

Based in Karachi, Pakistan and Albany, New York, the 'Tentative Collective' wants to create conceptually rich experiences to engage with and explore the cities we inhabit.

New leaders can propose and coordinate projects, using the collective as a support network that can be mobilized to get projects executed quickly. All works made as part of the collective will be co-owned by the project leader and the collective. In this way the group will be flexible and open to new ideas and new members to promote an infectious creativity that can cross boundaries.

More Info on: http://tentativecollective.com/

Documenta 13 | Amar Kanwar

Timbaktu | Indie film

Directed by Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh
30 minutes | 2012

A land where the soil has started to breathe againA village that does not exist on the mapA people who celebrate lifeA no-where, no-where land...

When a small farming community in South India decided to switch from their decades-old practice of chemical agriculture to organic farming, little did they know that they were planting the seeds of a silent revolution. By showcasing the exemplary efforts of farmers of a tiny village in Andhra Pradesh, Timbaktu explores critical issues of food security and sovereignty. At its heart, Timbaktu looks at the relationship that a farmer shares with her land, her seeds and raises vital questions about food, the very essence of human life.

Fresh & Local | Urban Farming in Bombay

Fresh & Local is a movement to facilitate urban farming in Mumbai, India.

Started in the spring of 2010, in response to the lack of fresh and organic produce, and the lack of resources and support for urban farming in the city. The organization researches and develops best practices, design gardens and garden products, host gardening workshops and work in partnership with NGOs and individuals to set up kitchen gardens across the city. We believe that by creating replicable models of urban farming we can inspire the changes needed to improve access to quality food for all Mumbai residents.

To support them for their next big project 'Flyover Farm' checkout their Kickstarter page here --- http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/495230553/flyover-farm?ref=live

Get connected on Facebook here --- https://www.facebook.com/freshandlocalindia

To volunteer contact --- Liam Rees +91 9930829762 liam@freshandlocal.org

Children of the Pyre | Indian Documentary

More Documentaries scheduled for March and April via Enlighten Cinema.

3d Projection on India Gate*

*Ofcourse, sponsored by a German company (Volkswagen) "Think Blue" and supported by Incredible India!

It makes me angry that a German automaker gets to put their logos on such a monumental and important part of our history. While Indian artists who would probably never get a chance to install public art inside/around it.

I refuse to think blue.

Masti Basti | by Now Delhi

Music Basti :: Kilkari Home from tahska on Vimeo.

As part of the Dhanak Dhin::Monsoons with Music Basti Program, kids from the Kilkari Home which is a center for at risk children in New Delhi, wrote the song 'Aasmaan main chaaye Kaale Baadal'.

Musicians Abhishek Mathur and Suhail Yusuf Khan from the band Advaita facilitated workshops over the year to help the children write the song.

SLUTWALK | coming soon to Bombay

After Delhi, its time for Bombay to show support for the 'SLUTWALK' checkout the video & HOLLA BACK! Its time for Bombay. Its time for India.

The official video of SlutWalk Delhi 2011 is an approach of conveying our demands to the society. For we believe that the system along with the people of India need a revelation and to do that we are presenting you a message. A message to inspire you. Greater is the sin of not speaking when a woman is being raped than that of raping her. How many times must we mind our own business when a woman is being harassed? Would we expect the same when it happens to our beloved ones? This video will answer all your questions. Also, it is not to propagate or advertise short clothes. A woman fully dressed in a salwar-kameez is as likely to get raped as the one in a mini-skirt. Stop and think. She needs your help because she is tired of being suppressed, tired of all that is unjust. So wake up. Indians the time is now. Speak, do.

Connect with Slutwalk on facebook - https://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_165762856819801&ap=1

More support -- http://mumbai.ihollaback.org/

THE RAT RACE | Documentary

Ganesh pays homage to Mooshik the sacred rat before setting out with a torch and stick to kill 30 rodents every night. He reports to his boss, Behram Harda, who once dreamt of setting the silver screen ablaze with his boogying skills, but ended up maintaining records of the 2.8 million rats killed by his department over 35 years.

2000 young men compete in tests of speed, strength and accuracy to land one of the 30 job openings for night rat killers in India's commercial capital.
The Rat Race, winds its way through the grimy underbelly of Mumbai, through dimly lit alleys, crowded markets and overflowing garbage bins, to tell the story of the city's rat killers. Through their tales of love, sacrifice and survival one glimpses the human face of development, amidst the rough and tumble of a rapidly changing metropolis.

Rat Race won the documentary co-production challenge at Mipdoc Cannes 2010.

WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR:

Have been getting quite a few messages recommending a film that has been making waves in the festival circuit which finally released this Friday – Dhobi Ghat. Smitha Patil’s son Prateik debuts as protagonist `Munna’ a dhobi by day and a rat killer by night…

Dhobi Ghat has been on my movie radar even before I knew about its connection with rat killers. Kiran Rao is a friend and senior of mine from film school in Delhi. I remember hanging out with her and her roommates in their rented barsaati in Sukh Dev Vihar – shadow puppets dangling from the window screens and coloured patch work frames pasted on the walls. I didn’t realize then that one year later when Kiran and her friends moved out, I would make the very same barsaati my home and creative cocoon for the next 2 years!

Kiran’s final year film is probably the only one I remember among the dozens I have viewed in the preview theatre at MCRC. It revolved around a Bengali couple preparing a meal of mustard fish. The film stood out for its mellow approach and the ability to create drama from the mundane…This is the same quality that pervades Dhobi Ghat which is a quiet and meditative journey rather than a dramatic storyline, a film that you experience rather than view. Watching Dhobi Ghat gave me a sense of déjà vu because of the storyline that links characters with spaces to ultimately weave a vivid tapestry of the city of Mumbai, an approach I have been following consciously over the last 18 months to create a narrative for The Rat Race.

I was a little nervous that Prateik’s role as a rat killer would kill some of the novelty in my documentary. Prateik as Munna’ essays the most endearing role in the film, chasing his Bollywood dreams and his love interest while he juggles the jobs that earn him his livelihood. His scene as a rat killer is a turning point in the film but only as a dramatic detail. Phew! Am I glad…

The Rat Race truly proves that fact is often stranger than fiction. In a striking parallel to Dhobi Ghat, our protagonist 57 year old Behram Harda once dreamt of being a Bollywood dancer but he traded his boogeying skills for the security of a government job that entails counting the carcasses of dead rats every morning for the last 35 years. Watch our trailer and you will know why the audience at Cannes fell in love with his crackling energy, wit and humour. He is the reason that I decided I would make a documentary about rats even though I am terrified of rodents!

I am going to sign off in the words of Amir Khan in Dhobi Ghat “ To Mumbai – my muse, my whore, my beloved…” and also whisper under my breath “Back us up in our Rat Race to Cannes.” Amir Khan are you listening?!!

Check out the reward scheme for contributions to The Rat Race that have just gone up on the site. Thanks Paul, Debasis and Atin Bhai for vetting the legal terms and conditions.

GAY + DESI = GAYSI | Indie Website

Gaysi Family was started to provide a voice and a safe space to desis who identify as LGBT. What began as a simple idea of sharing stories about what it meant to be gay and desi (gaysi!) has evolved into a space with multiple authors and multiple sections and traffic from around the world.

We, here at Gaysi Family, provide a forum for gaysis with something to say, whether it’s personal opinions, coming out stories, poems, erotic fiction, book reviews, movie reviews, event notices or anything at all that is related to being gaysi.

In addition, we also interview published authors, activists that work towards our cause and media personalities.

Our latest initiative, ‘Writer’s Bloc’, hopes to translate queer literature from various regional languages to English and from English to various regional languages.

We’re always looking for new writers and contributions. So get in touch with us (use the contact form) and have your voice heard!

More can be heard, read, and followed on - http://gaysifamily.com/

Love In India | Indian Documentary

Love in India is a volatile story of love and sex, confusion, dichotomy and revelation portrayed through the lives of the couple Rii and Q, compared to the immortal couple of Radha and Krishna. A story of repressed moral values in a country with a timeless tradition of spiritual sexuality.

Notes from a Beautiful City | Delhi

Being hosted in India's capital city of Delhi, the Commonwealth Games 2010 has found the most expensive and grandest venue in its history.

While Delhi was being dressed up for this 12-day extravaganza, there were millions who were being quietly evicted and hidden behind the glitter of this mega-event.

'Notes from a Beautiful City' explores the many stories that remained untold as seen through the eyes of its invisible citizens...



Research and Edit:
Rintu Thomas

Photography and Sound:
Sushmit Ghosh

Produced by:
Open Space & Black Ticket Films

MUMBAI METRO | PROTEST MARCH

UNDERGROUND METRO MARCH

SUNDAY, 19^TH SEPTEMBER, 2010

LET US BE VERY CLEAR - "WE WANT THE METRO"

But what we only ask is - it needs to be planned. It cannot be one in an ad hoc manner, which will instead of improving the infrastructure, make it difficult for people to commute in the future.

WE NEED EVERYONES SUPPORT FOR OUR CITY.

WE WILL HAVE A PROTEST MARCH FROM KAIFI AAZMI PARK 10TH ROAD TO NANAVATI HOSPITAL ON 19TH SEPTEMBER AT 10 AM, TO CREATE MORE AWARENESS AMONG THE CITIZENS OF MUMBAI ABOUT THE MERITS AND DEMERITS OF MUMBAI METRO PHASE 2. WE MEET OUTSIDE KAIFI AAZMI PARK ON 10^TH ROAD.

ITS OUR CITY AND WE SHALL CONTRIBUTE - PLEASE PASS ON THIS MESSAGE TO ALL ON YOUR CONTACT LIST AND FRIENDS. WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT.

EMAIL: METRORAILUNDERGROUND@GMAIL.COM

Associations backing underground metro: will keep increasing as we get confirmations.

(1) Juhu Citizens Welfare Group
(2) AGNI - Action for Good Governance and Networking in India
(3) Bandra Bandstand Residents Trust
(4) Bandra West Residents Association
(5) Gulmohar Residents Association
(6) Guzdar Scheme Residents Trust
(7) JVPD Co op Housing Asso Ltd
(8) Khar-Bandra-Santacruz Foundation
(9) Pali Hill Residents Association

(10) Juhu Scheme Residents Association(JSRA)
(11) Forum for Improving Quality of Life in Mumbai (IQOLMS)
(12) Mumbai Environment Social Network (MESN)

Renukaji in Delhi's taps | Documentary

Director: Kurush Canteenwala
Duration: 32 minutes

Kurush Canteenwalla’s documentary made as part of the Infochange Media Fellowship 2009 starts in thirsty Delhi and travels to the lush, green Renuka valley in Himachal Pradesh where families in 17 panchayats will be thrown off their fertile picture-postcard land to make way for the Renuka dam that will supply water to Delhi. Those living in the area –mostly farmers - point to the many crops they grow and from which they make a decent living, and ask what they can do and where they can go when their land is taken away. The documentary highlights the powerlessness of ordinary people in a democracy and skewed city development that has destroyed Delhi’s own water resources and causes it to prey on the resources of people 300 miles away.

ALL Solfeggio Hz CHAKRA TUNE | Healing Music

Note- Ensure your volume is up & you observe silence. Om Shanti!

Bant Singh | Word, Sound & Power

Badang Bang by Words Sound and Power

Bant Singh is a revolutionary singer in Punjab, India, whose 2 years old daughter was raped by upper caste men. When he sought justice, they cut of his limbs. But he can still sing, and in this video letter he expresses no self-pity. Film by SANJAY KAK

★ Word, Sound & Power ★

An attempt to showcase the legendary dalit icon Bant Singh and his songs of rebellion, inter-caste violence and equality. Bant Singh from Jabbar Village in Punjab is a legendary singer and activist of Kisan Mukti Morcha.

The Word, Sound & Power is a brave collaboration covering wide uncharted areas of music and socially harking issues - the mash-up of Electronic Beats and Sounds of Chris McGuinness and the erudite gangsta flow of Delhi Sultanate attempt to spread the message to urban masses via popular forms such as dancehall, dubstep, ragga and poetry.

The project also features a short film shot in Jabbar Village - filmed on location, by photographer Lakshman Anand. The film critically examines the need for the voices of dissent in todays capitalized urban society.

Also a deeper look into Bant Singhs background, his lyrical inspirations, 20 years of the unsung dalit struggle in Punjab, followed by the mash up of genres between Chris, Delhi Sultanate and Bant Singh. A bold attempt to fuse socially relevant issues and lyricism across two different languages.

The venture is directed by Samrat B a.k.a Audio Pervert. He contributes his electronic flavor with a remix as well.
The project is a joint collaboration between the above artists & The Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhawan New Delhi.

The launch of the film and music is scheduled mid September 2010.

★ Spread the message .. bring on the rebellion, stand up for the message via songs, via the folk & urban counter culture mix ★

Source -http://wordsoundandpower.org/

BORN FREE | M.I.A

Born Free - M.I.A from Bourgeois Ink on Vimeo.

Arundhati Roy: On Maoists in India | CNN

Air India Dubai - Manglore Plane Crashes, 160 dead | Worse crash in over decade

At least 158 people are feared dead after a passenger jet overshot a runway, crashed into a valley and burst into flames in southern India on Saturday morning, officials said.

Eight of the 166 people on board Air India Flight IX-812 were taken to hospitals after the crash outside Mangalore International Airport, the airline's director told reporters.

The Boeing 737 took off from Dubai and crashed while trying to make its scheduled landing in Mangalore at 6:30 a.m. Saturday (9 p.m. ET Friday), Air India Director Anup Srivastava said.

The Movement of Tribal People | SURVIVAL

U.K.-based charity Survival International has appealed to James Cameron on behalf of the Dongria Kondh tribe in India’s Orissa state whose story, according to Survival, “is uncannily similar to that of the Na’vi in ‘Avatar.’ “

Survival said, “The Dongria Kondh tribe in India are struggling to defend their land against a mining company hell-bent on destroying their sacred mountain. Please help the Dongria.”

Source - FilmKaravan