Month: September 2014

Categories
Do

Join the ‘Say No, Accept No’ campaign

Two NGOs team up to present a youth-centric campaign to end gender-based violence against women in Mumbai; entries currently accepted.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

With cases of crimes against women in Mumbai and other places on the rise, the time is ripe for a deeper look at the issues plaguing men-women interactions today. Naturally, a change in mindset is required, especially at the youth level, so that young adults may grow up into responsible citizens with healthy attitudes towards sex, gender and men-women relationships at home and outside.

Harish SadaniTo this end, the city-based NGOs MAVA (Men Against Violence and Abuse) and CARMA (Citizens Against Rape, Molestation and Atrocities), have teamed up to present the youth-focussed campaign ‘Say No, Accept No’. Says Harish Sadani (in pic on left) of MAVA, “In today’s times, a campaign like this is essential to end gender-based violence against women. The ‘Say No’ part of the campaign deals with saying ‘no’ to situation arising from gender bias at home or in other social settings, and the ‘Accept No’ part deals with situations where a man must step back if the woman is unwilling to do something.”

As the first part of the campaign, the campaign is rolling out two inter-collegiate competitions – one is a short film contest, and the other is a poster making contest.

The films and posters may centre on one or more of these themes:

Say NO to:

– Verbal abuse/bad words directed towards mothers and sisters.

– Forced marriages.

– Domestic violence.

– Dowry.

– Marital rape.

– Unwelcome ‘friendly’ hug or touch.

– Gender bias in the family or other social setting.

– Gender discrimination at work and public places.

– Sexual harassment.

– Sex-selective abortions.

 

Accept NO when:

– She says ‘no’.

– She is not comfortable hugging.

– She doesn’t give consent.

– She expresses rejection.

– She doesn’t want to go for coffee or movie.

“Entries can be in English, Hindi and Marathi, and the participant must be a student of a Mumbai-based degree college,” Harish says. “Those making short films should see that their entry is not more than 30 minutes long. Similarly, those making posters should ensure that they send A3 sheets.” Entries are currently being accepted and will close on November 4, 2014.

Want to participate in the campaign or know more about it? Send your entries to MAVA, Flat no 705, Parishram Bldg., 7th floor, behind S Keer Complex, Bhandar Lane, LJ Road, Mahim, Mumbai – 400106. For details, call Harish Sadani on 9870307748, or Ashvin on 9773727887 or Aspar on 9920916736.

(Picture courtesy www.medindia.net)

Categories
Event

Attend: Book reading by Katharina Hagena

Bestselling German author Katharina Hagena will read from her book ‘Der Geschmack von Apfelkernen’ today, at the Max Mueller Bhavan.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Katharina HagenaFor German author Katharina Hagena (in pic on left), her memories have a taste, a sapidity, an aftertaste, an aroma. Packed with gorgeous imagery and undertones of buried secrets, her book The Taste of Apple Seeds (Der Geschmack von Apfelkernen) is an international bestseller.

This evening, Katharina will read from this and some of her other books at the Max Mueller Bhavan, Mumbai. She will also have a conversation with Ranjit Hoskote and will interact with the audience.

In Der Geschmack von Apfelkernen, when Bertha dies, her granddaughter Iris inherits her house and finds herself back in the home where she and her cousin used to play dress-up in the summer holidays. She wanders through the rooms and garden, a timeless world where red currants turn white overnight, where a tree blossoms twice, villages vanish and women shake sparks out of their fingers. But the garden is now wild and overgrown. After she fell out of the apple tree, Bertha became absent-minded, then forgetful. Eventually, she didn’t even recognise her own three daughters. Iris stays in the house on her own for a week. She cannot decide whether she wants to keep it. She swims in a black lake, receives a visitor, kisses an old friend’s brother and paints a wall.

While she wanders from room to room, she gropes her way through memories and things she had forgotten: What did her grandfather really do before he went to war? Which men were Bertha’s daughters in love with? Who ate his apple with the seeds? Finally, Iris recalls the night her cousin Rosmarie had the terrible accident: What was Rosmarie doing on the conservatory roof? What did she want to tell Iris? Iris senses there are several ways to forget. And remembering is only one of them.

 Katharina Hagena will read German and English excerpts from her books. Head to the Library, Max Mueller Bhavan, Kala Ghoda, at 6 pm. 

(Pictures courtesy ebookee.org, www.zimbio.com)

Categories
Listen

Attend: Vocal recital by Ulhas Kashalkar

Today, the NCPA will host vocalist Ulhas Kashalkar in a recital where he will present jog-ragas in his unique style.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

It’s always a pleasure to attend a vocal recital, and it’s even better when the vocalist is Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar.

This evening, head to the NCPA at 6.30 pm to hear the remarkable vocalist render jod-ragas the way only he can. The concert is being held in collaboration with Kilachand Foundation and Mariwala Foundation.

The repertoire of Jaipur gharana, to which Kashalkar belongs, is characterised by the inclusion of jod-ragas, in which two ragas are combined in such a way that both retain their individual identity, and yet create a distinct aesthetic atmosphere. Rendition of such ragas is indeed demanding, necessitating a special training.

Kashalkar has had the privilege of learning from many reputed vocalists including his father ND Kashalkar, and from stalwarts like Ram Marathe and Gajananrao Joshi. Endowed with a mellifluous voice, he has command over a wide repertoire of jod-ragas and rare ragas.

In this recital, Ulhas Kashalkar will present jod-ragas to reflect a harmonious blend of Gwalior, Agra and Jaipur traditions.

Categories
Event

Attend: Showing of artist Brinda Miller’s stunning new work

Renowned artist Brinda Miller’s new painting, titled ‘Himalayanscape’ is a customised piece of art inspired by the Himalayan mountain range.

Natural mineral water brand Himalayan recently partnered with renowned artist Brinda Miller to create a customised piece of art inspired by the Himalayas. The painting, titled ‘Himalayanscape’, was showcased at the Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2014. It is now open for viewing at the Tao Art Gallery.

The painting is Brinda’s vision and representation of a pristine landscape, that narrates a story about water that flows from the Shivalik range in the Himalayas to an aquifer below the Earth – that is, from the source (the sky) to its eventual destination on earth.

The painting is now being displayed at the Tao Art Galleryand will be auctioned in the next couple of months. The proceeds from the auction will go towards a charity that works in the area of conservation of the Himalayas.

In Brinda’s words, “The snow-capped mountains, the layers of organic minerals, the striation of rocks, silt and gravel are metaphorically painted on the canvas – through textural chroma-zones, translucent multi- layering and opaque impasto of paint. The painting, in abstract style, is a montage of heaven, clouds, rain, earth, mountains, the forests, rocks and natural reservoirs of water.” The hues are pure whites, blues, silver and soft grey tones, with a subtle touch of turquoise and pink.

The mixed media work is a combination of acrylic paint, oil paint, handmade paper, silver leaf on canvas – (8 feet x 6 feet).

Categories
Deal with it

The not-so-Aha! moments in the lives of working mothers

Many mothers in Mumbai go to work. But is it better to have a job than be a stay-at-home mom?
Pooja Birwatkarby Dr Pooja Birwatkar

I never thought Murphy’s Law would invade my life so frequently. For the uninitiated, the Law states that ‘Anything that can go wrong will go wrong’.

Hold that thought.

So the other day, as I went home after a tiring week, looking forward to two days of blissful break from office work, Murphy’s Law came back to haunt me even before I got home. My son was down with fever, and the atmosphere at home was somber and silent. Just as I was playing nurse to my ill child, my little baby asked me the question I had been dreading for very long:

“Why do you go to office? Amit’s mom doesn’t go to office, she takes care of him.”

Aghast at having to finally face the ‘Why do you go to work when other mommies don’t?” question, I tried to give him some plausible reasons, like ‘we need the money’, etc. He wasn’t satisfied, and said he wanted to see me at home when he returned from school. I told him that if I was there, I would make him study and he wouldn’t get too watch TV.

To which my little man said, “It’s okay if I don’t get to watch TV, I just want you around.”

It broke my heart to hear him say this. And it made me think a lot, too.

The reality of being a working mother in this busy metropolis hits hard when there are family emergencies and you are stuck between your home and your workplace. At that point, most working motherworking women would wish they were at home with their kids and family. There are times when working mothers like me get envious of the mothers who are home.

Suddenly, the lives of these stay-at-home moms seem picture perfect, while ours seem to be chaotic. Their houses sparkle, everything follows a system, their houses smell of aromatic cooking and they look relaxed all the time. These moms do the things we don’t have the time for; they do yoga and go for walks. They have the time to bargain at the local vegetable shop. They know what their children are up to all the time, and the children always finish their homework.

In comparison, our lives are an eternal cycle of chaos and mess. I try hard, but something is always amiss. I could forget to send the decorative material my boy’s school wanted, or not be able to keep up with his studies. On other days, I make some bland food and rush out the door, and at times my house is a mess. I often come home with my tired body crying out for bed.

But this happens to all mothers, working or not. The ‘working woman’ tag implies women who go to work outside their homes. But does that mean that women who stay at home are idle? I wouldn’t be too thrilled if my workplace was confined to the walls of my home. I have been a stay-at-home mother and then I went back to work, and I find both roles equally challenging. In fact, the housewives have it harder – I have seen many men introduce their wives as, “She stays at home.” What a crude way to describe the woman’s contribution to the home and its peaceful existence!

working woman 1If we analyse the psychology of stay-at-home mothers, we realise that they feel lost and find life less challenging when they are not given the credit due to them for all the hard work they put in for others – often, without any thanks. Their self esteem diminishes. We see such women socialising frequently, and we unthinkingly criticise them, saying, “Oh, but these women have nothing else to do!” What makes us working women feel that our stay-at-home counterparts are not entitled to their share of socialization?

In the end, the grass always appears greener on the other side. So many housewives wish they went out to work, so many working women want to give it all up and be at home. But would either of these women trade lives? Whichever side we pick, it’s not easy to live with it, but it’s not that tough, either. Not if we realise that life is beautiful at home or outside.

(Pictures courtesy news.nationalpost.com, www.naaree.com. Pictures are used for representational purpose only)

Categories
Achieve

Is this India’s first ‘green’ film?

How do you make sure your film makes a different statement than any other film? You take the eco-friendly route!
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

It is not enough to make a film – huge marketing budgets, presence of mega stars and a variety of publicity gimmicks all effectively bury small Indian films.

So what does a new filmmaker and his team do? They take a different route, and create a “100 per cent eco-friendly and green film”.

Pocket Gangsters Vikram M Shah (1)Says Vikram M Shah (in pic on left), producer of the upcoming film Pocket Gangsters, “We adopted various green practices like reducing or eliminating the use of plastic during the pre-production, shooting and post-production, reducing power and electricity consumption, eliminating the use of fossil fuels, using hybrid sources of power including solar energy, eliminating the use of non eco-friendly paints, products and items during set construction, using only eco-friendly products and adopting several other procedures and practices like shutting down air-conditioners when not required to reduce the ecological footprint of our film.”

The makers claim that their film is India’s first one-take, one-shot and uncut film. A gangster thriller, the film is centred around the subject of kidnapping, and will mark the comeback of actor Raghuvir Yadav.

Adds director Hemant Nilim Das, “For a debutante director to create a ripple in the market, you need a unique selling point for the film. Either you work with A-list actors or you work on an A-grade concept. For me, making a full-length feature film that is more than two hours long in one long single continuous shot was not only a challenge as a film-maker but also, a first time endeavour for the entire lot of independent directors. I chose a story line that could be conceptualised and executed as an uncut, one-shot movie.”

Vikram explains, “As a producer, this project was a real challenge for me, because we worked on an uncut, green film. For the film’s showing, we are contemplating doing away with physical or printed tickets and will try to only use e-Tickets or SMS coupons for entry. This has still to be worked out between the distributor and the theaters. Everything from the air-conditioning to the use of plastic cups or bottles was cut down wherever possible on the shoot. We even reduced the intensity of the lighting as much as possible for all indoor shoots and tried to use day light or sunlight where possible.” 

What do you think of this idea? Tell us in the comments section below.

 

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