VOGUE INDIA

Film Noir from Conde Nast (India) on Vimeo.

India Against Corruption

Join the revolution via Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/IndiACor

Please give a missed call on +912261550789 and join the India Against Corruption movement with Anna Hazare. We need at least 25 lakh missed calls. Please forward.

Do you have evidence on corruption?

Kindly write to us at indiaagainstcorruption.2010@gmail.com or info@indiaagainstcorruption.org

You can also call us on 09971900424

Follow us on http://twitter.com/indiacor

Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/indiACor2010

Video channel: http://234511.myvideotalkstudio.com/streaming/pages

Vote for India: http://voteforindia.org

India Against Corruption is a citizen's movement to demand strong anti-corruption law. To register give a missed call to 02261550789. Join in your own city indiaagainstcorruption.org/citycontacts.php

Series of scams involving politicians and bureaucrats, generals are accused of appropriating apartment spaces intended for war widows or when judges are accused of stealing from the provident funds of class IV employees or when academic regulators are arrested for graft, decorated industrialists steal thousands of crores from investors or when Cabinet ministers and civil servants in cahoots are accused of stealing tens or even hundreds of thousands of crores from the exchequer in the name of sports or telecom

India Against Corruption is a movement of several concerned citizens of India who have come together to demand comprehensive reforms of anti-corruption systems in India and to put an end to the dark corridors of power.

At India Against Corruption we are initiating movement to bring in the much needed reforms and to empower the citizens of India with the power of RTI.

IAC is a part of a nation-wide campaign spearheaded by Baba Ramdev, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Anna Hazare, Swami Agnivesh, Kiran Bedi, Arvind Kejriwal, Justice Tewatia, Sunita Godhra, Arch Bishop Vincent M Concessao, Devendra Sharma, Anna Hazare, Maulana Mufti Shamoom Kashmi, Maulana Kalve Rizhvi and Subhash Chandra Aggarwal and many other prominent personalities.

For more information go to
http://www.scribd.com/doc/51595656/A-Long-Note-With-an-FAQ-on-Jan-Lokpal-Bill

http://www.scribd.com/doc/51595343/Stopping-Rampant-Corruption-in-India-Edited

http://www.scribd.com/doc/51595540/Stopping-Corruption-Making-Sticks-Effective-and-Not-Paralytic

http://www.scribd.com/doc/51595608/Stopping-Rampant-Corruption-The-Carrot-Question

http://indiaagainstcorruption.org/

Manu Joseph Vs Barkha Dutt | NDTV

The Bicycle Project | Old Books & Beer

Another Cool Event for a cause organized by The Bombay Elektrik Projekt - India's leading alternative nightlife entertainment solutions company.

[See Below for Details]

Cafe Goa

Agnelo House, Off St John Baptist Road, Near Mount Mary Steps, Bandra (West)

Mumbai (Bombay), India

Old Books want New Readers.

You have a stockpile of them at home.

They are falling off the shelf. Begging to be read.

Now do something about them.

We give you a cause, you bring your books. We display them, so others who love books will buy them. Then we all have beer.
...
The Cause: Proceeds from the sales go to charity.

THE BICYCLE PROJECT - Let your old bicycle help a poor village kid get to school

A brief about The Bicycle Project

Known by the very simple and easy to recall name of The Bicycle Project, this charity initiative took birth just outside Mumbai city, the financial metropolitan capital of India. The brainchild of three individuals: businessman Hemant Chhabra, his ex-teacher wife Sangeeta and their journalist friend Simona Terron; the project addresses rural neglect with the approach of recycling urban waste.

We have started off with refurbishing bicycles that are unused and lie rusting in the city and giving them to school-going tribal children who need to traverse long distances to get to school from their remote villages.
The project eventually aims at expanding to old computers, disused books and other items in the future.

Through a blog (www.thebicycleproject.blogspot.com), an upcoming website (www.thebicycleproject.in) and networking sites like Facebook (http://goo.gl/GfdQ), Orkut (http://goo.gl/o3Wg) and cyclists.in, the project has managed to appoint collection centres where the bikes can be dropped off, and regularly organises quirky events to garner awareness about how this simple act of giving away something you don’t want, can change lives of people who don’t want much but need all the help they can get.

Please drop your books off with us by Friday the 27th, 2010 latest so we can catalog them and share the list on Facebook. Pick the address most convenient for you or mail us at obb@bombayelektrik.com with your details and when we can come and pick up your books.


Churchgate-Bandra :
Sudeip Nair - 98209 98790

Andheri - Borivili :
Sushil Cherian - 96198 04020
Kenneth Lobo - 98197 03271


Mulund :
Pramod Sippy - 9819871676

Central suburbs:
Rajeesh Marar - 9987945957

BLOWUP BOMBAY | Street Exhibition of Photographs

Street Exhibition seems to be the new phenomenon in India these days... but curating it efficiently, economically and placing it in the contemporary scene is commendable. Last evening turned out to be one of the best experience one could ask for in a city like Bombay... Blindboys organized a street exhibition showcasing the work of young photographers as well as invited photographers like Bharat Sikka.

The exhibition did not have a set theme but what was common among various photographers work was the recurring theme of life in the megalopolis - Bombay. Some other works consisted of abstract, personal, travel, & landscapes.

From interesting portraits of elderly people by Kapil Das to portraits of hip urban kids in India by Akshay Mahajan, one could feel an adrenaline rush to explore young talent right in the middle of the street. Though it said street exhibition it was actually curated in a quaint neighbourhood lane of Bandra.

About Blindboys.org:

Blindboys.org is a photocommune which explores various methods and platforms to share new photographic work from India and the rest of Asia. It uses the internet and social media we help you take your pictures, design an improvised exhibition where everyone is invited to come and display their work on the streets together with other photographers. Over the last 6 months blindboys has organised 3 blowups in Bangalore, Paris and Delhi - displaying works from over 25 photographers and 2500 pictures.

Photos & Text - Abhinit Khanna, 2010 ©

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

be the key | FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION MOVEMENT

During the Kala Ghoda (Black Horse) Arts Festival in Bombay, I came across a very interesting installation by bethekey.in organization. The organization is a network of individuals, social organizations, enterprises working together on COMMON CAUSES.

Its USP is that it promotes social activism by:

• creating connections based on common causes (bethekey.in)
• public involvement projects to generate awareness about social activism & convert online intent to on ground action (EVENTS)
• sourcing & producing socially shareable media (video, audio, photos) to spread awareness through various media channels (CONENT CREATION)

"To find causes that are common between individuals, social organizations

and enterprises by inspiring expression as a vehicle for positive social change"

- bethekey.in

DO CO MO | Design

TATA's DO CO MO, a new GSM phone service in India, launches its creative design for its brand identity & t.v. commercial. These GEOMETRIC design for an Indian company truly has a unique Indian touch to it! DOCOMO comes in a colorful identity package designed by Wolff Olins.


Brand Identity:




T.V. Commercial:

Bhavishyavani Future Sounds | Indian-French Electronic Band in Bombay

WHAT'S RECESSION?

In India, the rich just got richer. Despite one of the worst global recessions in history, the number of billionaires in the subcontinent has almost doubled since last year.

Figures show that there are now 52 billionaires in India, compared with 27 last year.

Over the course of the year, the stock market has gained more than 75% and the economy has grown at almost 7%, pouring billions of dollars into the bank accounts of India's richest people.

But with 0.00001% of India's population now accounting for around a quarter of its trillion-dollar gross domestic product, fierce debate about the polarisation of the country's society has begun.

Mukesh Ambani, the chief of Reliance Industries, India's biggest private company, remains its richest person with a net worth of around $32bn (£19.2bn).

He is followed by the London-based steel baron Lakshmi Mittal, with $30bn, with the net worth of both men rising by half.

Ambani's estranged brother, Anil, was India's third wealthiest person, with a fortune of $17.5bn.

The combined wealth of India's 100 richest people was put at $276bn – considerably more than China's 100 wealthiest, who have $170bn.

These two Asian giants have been the bright spots in the global economy, and analysts expect India, Asia's third-biggest economy, to expand by 6.4% next year – the fastest pace among the G20 nations after China.

By contrast, the rich in the US have got poorer. The Microsoft founder, Bill Gates, lost $7bn, shrinking his personal wealth to $50bn.

The investor Warren Buffet was down to his last $40bn, while almost 100 billionaires in the US were reduced to being worth millions last year.

In a sign of how wealthy Indian billionaires are, Mukesh Ambani, whose oil to supermarkets empire is ubiquitous in the country, is now almost three times richer than the Microsoft chief executive officer, Steve Ballmer, a classmate at Stanford University.

There has been increasing concern about the emergence of a super-rich in India, a country in which 800 million people live on 20 rupees (50 cents) a day.

Last month, the corporate affairs minister, Salman Khurshid, called for a cut in the "vulgar" salaries of top bosses in India, who have seen their pay rocket.

Soon after his call for restraint, Reliance announced a 66% pay cut for Mukesh Ambani to "set a personal example of moderation".

The elder Ambani will take home $3.2million) in salary and a share of profits for the year.

However, Professor Abhijet Sen, a leftwing academic who also is a member of the Planning Commission – India's advisory panel on government spending – said: "I am certain that inequality is increasing and nothing is being done to curb grotesque amounts of wealth building up."

He said the government was "sincere about doing something for the poor, but not about capping the rich".

"I can see a major problem, because money is corrupting politics," he added. "People are able to buy power in a way that is not healthy.

"You have to be a millionaire to contest even local elections. So there are problems with rising inequality."

He said that, as a first step, India "should institute a death tax. In America, there are inheritance taxes. This would be a good first step to immediately reducing inequality."

However, other experts say inequality, as measured by the government, has not risen.

"This is just a few headlines, not a serious look about wealth distribution in the general population," Surjit Bhalla, of Oxus investments, said.

"Forbes' billionaire list allows for leftwingers to talk up poverty. The [government] surveys show that, for 20 years, inequality has not risen.

Six women made the rich list, with Savitri Jindal, the head of Jindal Steel, listed as the richest businesswomen in India. Her wealth rose from $2.9bn to $12bn.

Forbes magazine said the list showed India was a land of opportunities.

"Happy days are definitely back again for India's richest," Nazneen Karmali, the India editor of Forbes Asia, said.

"This year's list shows that, when conditions in the financial markets and the economy are right, India has the scale and resources to produce billionaires faster than most countries."

Source: TheGuardian

To India With Love: From New York To Mumbai | Book

Ask people who have been there, and they’ll all tell you India is like no other place in the world, a land that stirs every one of the five senses and stays in your heart forever.

It is this India that brought together three friends, Waris Ahluwalia, Mortimer Singer and Tina Bhojwani to raise funds, spirits, and awareness for the victims of the attacks in Mumbai in November, 2008.

The editors set out to create a scrapbook–collecting personal photos, stories, and memories from people who, like themselves, love India.

The contributors include Wes Anderson, Adrien Brody, Francesco Clemente, Anthony Edwards, Jeanine Lobell, Natalie Portman, Yves Carcelle, Jean Touitou, Owen Wilson, Laura Wilson, Cynthia Rowley, James Ivory, Matthew Williamson, Rachel Roy, Tory Burch, Padma Lakshmi, Shobhaa De, Ratan Tata and Mukesh Ambani.

This book declares to Mumbai and the whole country that we are all thinking of them and support them: hence To India, with Love: New York to Mumbai. Profits from the sales of the book will go to support families affected by the attacks. This book can truly make a difference, by opening eyes to the wonders of India and by once again letting the pen—or a camera—dominate the sword.

Proceeds from the book, which was inspired in part by last year’s attacks on Mumbai, will benefit the Taj Public Service Welfare Trust.

General Knowledge with Lola Kutty

Abu Dhabi Art | (Nov 19-22)

Confirming Abu Dhabi’s emergence as a new hub of the art market, around 50 Galleries from the Middle East, Asia, Europe and the United States will present displays at Abu Dhabi Art, including some which will be exhibiting in the Middle East for the first time.

.Indian art on view at the following gallery booths: 1x1, Nature Morte, Pundole and Gallery Ske .

International Patron Committee includes:

Anupam Poddar, from India, is a leading contemporary art collector. Along with his mother Lekha Poddar, he has set up the non-profit Devi Art Foundation in New Delhi; which displays the family´s extensive contemporary art collection from the Indian Sub-continent. He has also been actively involved with the development of Devi Garh - a restored all suite boutique hotel within an 18th century fort place, located outside the city of Udaipur (Rajasthan) India.

Sudobh Gupta, from India, probably his country´s best known contemporary artist. He made his reputation building sculptures out of gleaming pots and pans, the most famous of which is A Very Hungry God, a one-tonne skull.

& H.E. Dr Anwar Gargash, H.E. Abdul Rahman Mohammed Al Owais, Jeff Koons, François Pinault, Norman Foster, Fabrice Bousteau, Hu Hanru, Peter Sloterdijk

Cabernet Sauvignon | By Priya Singh

Now that the darkness of winter doesn’t seem very far away, I have started drinking my red wines again. Usually over the summer, the choice seems to fall on clean whites and sparkling roses. But really.....nothing compares to a dense and complicated red next to the fireplace along with some finger food.

If you have a couple of friends over and want to prepare something a little bit more elaborate, then- cut a thick slice of dark lithuanian bread (available from any Russian grocery store), roast a leg of lamb, toss some arugula and then sit back and enjoy with a Cabernet Sauvignon. This is the perfect wine for the oncoming cold and chilly evenings...sip after sip warms the gut, kindles the taste buds and the evening is converted into a warm and romantic memory.

Cabernet Sauvignon along with Chardonnay and Merlot is one of the most widely-planted of the world's grape varietals. The principal grape in many wines from the Bordeaux region in France, particularly those from the Medoc, it is grown in most of the world's wine growing regions. Many of the finest red wines in the world are predominantly made from this grape.

Most Cabernet Sauvignon based wine is blended with varying quantities of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot or Malbec. Blending grape varietals lends a wine added structure, aromas and flavors along with muscularity and individuality. All this depends on the type of wine that is desired by the wine maker or the vineyard owner.

California Cabernet compared to French Bordeaux is mostly bigger, dark- with more blue and violet highlights. Alcohol levels are higher and flavors are inclined to be more fruit forward; jammy preserves, cassis, stewed plums, roasted meat, cherry and toasty oak. New world wines are also much more approachable and welcoming in their youth.

If you like trying something very different from the usual stuff in your wine shop, I recommend the Cab from Ceja Vineyards. With bright fruit, berries, leather, anise and some dark chocolate on the nose, it shows a toasty earthiness with a concentration of dark fruit, blackberry, plum and cherries on the palate. This wine can be enjoyed alone or with chicken, darker fish or meat dishes. And it goes beautifully with anything chocolate!

And if you crave a wine that is bolder, bigger, true to the spirit of California than go no further than the Cabernets from Phelan Vineyards. This is a boutique winery located in the Mt. George area in Napa Valley dedicated to producing premium Cabernet Sauvignon. The Phelan wines are characterized by their elegant texture and huge aromas of smoky wooden barrels with hints of coffee, earth and dark berries. And this one demands a juicy steak or roasted lamb with lots of sauce and gravy!

Please drink responsibly. Au Revoir...

By Priya Singh

For more adventures in the world of food and wine, go to Nourishment for the Senses

South Asian International Film Festival

The South Asian International Film Festival came to a close with a bang last night. Featuring the North American premiere of India’s official entry to the Oscars for 2010 ‘Harishchandrachi Factory’ — a beautiful Marathi film which chronicles the struggles of the man who made India’s first motion picture in 1913 — the evening started with the momentous awards ceremony. The event sparkled with the presence of such stars as filmmakers Rajat Kapoor and Saurabh Shukla, producer Anadil Hossain, composer Simon Taufique, actor Samrat Chakrabarti and rhythm queen DJ Rekha.

The night started with a brief but powerful red carpet, which introduced the director responsible for the evening’s feature presentation, Paresh Mokashi, and shined the interview lights on personal favorite director/actor/writer and producer Rajat Kapoor. You will have a chance to watch AVS’ own Jitin Hingorani chat with these two personalities, as well as Saurabh Shukla, ‘Kavi’ filmmaker Gregg Helvey and many, many more on this weekend’s edition of AVS TV.

Rajat Kapoor had not one but two films in the festival — ‘Fatso’, his funny, yet truly poignant, at times sad and always romantic directorial effort and ‘Raat Gayi, Baat Gayi?’ directed by Saurabh Shukla and starring a dashing Kapoor in a role that will leave you re-evaluating the meaning of true love… The film, produced and co-written by Kapoor, took home the Audience Choice Award for Favorite Feature which is, in my view, the only vote that counts. The kind and unbelievably humble Saurabh Shukla accepted the award by saying “The biggest award for me is that I got to see my film with an audience”. I personally believe that making films is about satisfying that audience, allowing them to walk away from the picture inspired and fulfilled by what they saw on the screen. The audience of the jam-packed SVA theater witnessing the World Premiere of ‘Raat Gayi, Baat Gayi?’ on Monday evening obviously felt like their lives had been changed by their viewing experience. I certainly did.

Other awards included Audience Choice for Favorite Short, which went to Gregg Helvey and his film on modern slavery in India ‘Kavi’. The award was presented by Anadil Hossain. Audience Choice for Favorite Documentary went to ‘Made in Pakistan’ and was accepted by the film’s co-producer Ayesha Khan. The film was recently shown to a sold-out audience at the Mumbai Film Festival, which is quite a step in the right direction towards the mutual understanding India and Pakistan must achieve in order to bring the semblance of peace to their interaction. Producer Amelia Hanibelsz presented the Award for Best Documentary to‘Project Kashmir’ while writer Grady Hendrix awarded the Best Narrative Short prize to ‘Boond’.

The Best Music Award went to ‘The Last Thakur’ and Samrat Chakrabarti awarded the Best Acting Performance prize to Suniel Shetty for his role in‘Red Alert: The War Within’. Note to self, must watch the film as I never thought of Shetty as an award-worthy actor, but do admire him as a hunk…

The most — in terms of numbers — awards went to Anjali Menon’s directorial debut‘Manjadikuru’ AKA ‘Lucky Red Seeds’ which took home the Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Narrative Feature - Jury Award - and Best Emerging Talent award - this for the young Vyjayanthi. A film to add to the must-watch list also, I guess…

All in all, everyone present at SAIFF was a winner. From festival founder and director Shilen Amin, who managed great attendances and wonderful world premieres at this year’s edition, to the filmmakers who presented their latest and greatest, to the audiences, who were privy to some fantastic films and got a chance to rub elbows with a few true Indian cinema superstars. If you missed SAIFF this year, don’t worry. There are plenty of great films coming up in the next few weeks, so stay tuned to AVS for all that. And, the South Asian International Film Festival will be back next year, same time, same place, for more fab films and stellar appearances.

Source: AVS TV