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Film screening: Gandhi’s Salt Satyagraha

Gandhi Film Foundation will screen the film, shot in 1930, till May 31. School students and historians are particularly invited.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

We’ve all read about Mahatma Gandhi’s famous Salt Satyagraha and the Dandi March that led to the breaking of the British monopoly over the first use of salt in India. Now, you’ve got the chance to see the actual journey.

Salt The Gandhi Film Foundation is screening a 15-minute film that shows rare footage from Gandhi’s historic 241 miles-long walk from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi. The film is being screened several times a day from April 22 and will be shown till May 31, 2014. The Foundation believes that students of schools, colleges and activity centres, as also historians, would like to see the footage that was recorded in 1930.

Says Nitin Potdar, Chairman of the Gandhi Film Foundation, “The audio-visual medium the best medium to keep students interested in history and since we have the footage of this great historic movement which occurred almost 85 years ago, we thought it would be good for students to see the manner in which the Salt Satyagraha was lead by Gandhiji rather than reading the same in text books.”

Subhash Jaykar, Director of Gandhi Film Foundation adds, “Gandhiji started a 241-mile-long walk from the Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi, a village on the sea-coast, along with his chosen band of seventy-eight Ashramites. After 24 days, on April 5, 1930, Sarojini Naidu received Gandhiji and his followers on the outskirts of the village. On April 6, after the dip into the sea, walking at a slow pace in solemnity, Gandhi picked up a lump of natural salt on the seashore and the nefarious monopoly was broken.  Nowhere had a law been more peacefully and yet more defiantly disobeyed. We have captured this very journey in the film.”

Head to Gandhi Films Exhibition Centre, at Mani Bhavan, Annex Building, at Laburnum Road, Mumbai 400007. Call Subhash Jaykar or Pratibha on 022 2380 4681 or write to info@gandhifilms.org for details.

(Pictures courtesy www.sumit4all.com, www.starsai.com)

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Watch

Of mothers, through dance

Dr Anita Ratnam performs ‘Circles of Love’ at the NCPA tomorrow, where she presents the mother in all her forms.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

A mother is a fascinating creature – she is everything and everywoman. Noted danseuse Dr Anita Ratnam will present the ‘mother’ in all her terrific and terrifying forms tomorrow at the NCPA, through her new work, Circles of Love.

Anita RatnamPart of the Mudra Dance Festival 2014, Circles of Love focusses on mothers usnig ancient and contemporary poetry, spoken word interludes and familiar references from cultural memory to trace the outlines of what it means to be a mother who is eternally fragile and part of a cycle. Anita will portray the woman as mother, giver of life, psychic gardener, caretaker of lives and terrifying protector.

The performance will weave story, diary, movement and life into a living tapestry. As daughter, wife, mother and grandmother, the various shades of maternal joy and grief will be shared in an interdisciplinary performance informed by myth, memory and humour. Known for her attention to visual design and new movement aesthetic, Anita Ratnam will illuminate her ideas with familiar maternal images from Indian myths. Yasodha and Krishna, Devi with Ganesh and Murugan and a specially composed spoken word poem about her grandmother, mother and daughter, will be presented during the performance.

Guest artiste Malavika Sangghvi, well known writer, columnist and poet, will  complement the kinetic template with her words and personal imagination to the evening. Poetry and prose that weave ruminations about motherhood and womanisms, Malavika will add texture and tone to the dance and spoken word production. Both Anita and Malavika will give a talk right after the show.

Head to The Experimental Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point, at 7 pm on Saturday, April 26, 2014.

 

(Picture courtesy Dr Anita Ratnam, arangham.com)

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Tech

HTC launches three new phones in India

The HTC One is priced at Rs 49,900, the Desire 816 at Rs 23,990, and Desire 210 at Rs 8,700.
by Manik Kakra | @Manik_K on Twitter

HTC launched the new One in India yesterday. The One (M8), following the same form factor and design on the original One (M7), is the company’s latest flagship device that is already available in several international markets for about three weeks now.

Running on Android 4.4.2, this is HTC’s first device to run their new Sense 6.0 UI, which has been tweaked for better performance, as per the company.

Continuing with the trend of going larger on screen sizes, the new HTC One has got a 5-inch full HD SLCD 3 in place. HTC’s new One is powered by the Snapdragon 801 chipset (2.5 GHz quad-core processor, Adreno 330 GPU), along with 2 GB of RAM. Sporting BoomSound speakers on the front, the new One has supposedly better loudspeakers than the One, following the same placement. On the back, HTC put a 4 MP ‘Ultrapixel’ camera, plus, there’s also a secondary sensor on the back that is called a ‘depth sensor’; it is a 2 MP sensor that measures field depth in an image in order to make focus changes as post-effects., The front side has a 5 MP, which is a higher resolution sensor, camera with wide-viewing angle.

Connectivity-wise, there is Bluetooth 4.0 (with LE deployed), WiFi a/b/g/n/ac, NFC, Infrared port on the top, 3.5mm headset jack at the bottom, and microUSB 2.0. The phone comes loaded with 32 GB of storage, and this time HTC also equipped the standard model with a microSD card slot, allowing you to expand storage up to 128 GB. Also, you get 65 GB of free storage space on Google Drive for two years.

The One (M8) comes in silver, gunmetal grey, and gold colour options, and has been priced at Rs 49,900.

HTC Desire 816HTC’s Desire 816 (in pic on left), previously seen at this year’s MWC, is company’s mid-range Android 4.4.2 device that boasts a 5.5-inch 720p screen. It’s equipped with BoomSound speakers, and packs 2,600 mAh battery. This dual-SIM Sense 6 phone has got a 13 MP (BSI sensor) rear camera as well as a 5 MP front-facing camera that can shoot HD videos.

For connectivity, there is Bluetooth 4.0 (with LE deployed), WiFi a/b/g/n/ac, NFC and 3G. Powered by the Snapdragon 400 SoC, along with 1.5 GB of RAM, this HTC device comes in Purple, Green, Red, White and Black colour options, and will go on sale in early May at a price of Rs. 23,990.

HTC has also launched its new budget Android phone – HTC Desire 210. This is the company’s first phone to launch under Rs 10,000. Running Android 4.2 with Sense 5.0, it comes with 4-inch 800 x 480 TFT screen; while there is a 5 MP rear camera and a VGA front-facing camera. Under the hood, there is a MediaTek 6572M chipset and 512 MB of RAM. This dual-SIM handset packs 1,300 mAh battery, and supports Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi b/g/n and microUSB. It will, too, be available in early May for a price of Rs 8,700.

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Watch

Film screening: ‘Pitruroon’ at NCPA

The critically-acclaimed Marathi film marked actor Tanuja’s comeback to the silver screen after three decades; is directed by Nitish Bharadwaj.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

We all love a good mystery, and if that mystery is portrayed on celluloid by able actors, it’s a good combination to watch out for.

Today, the National Centre for Performing Arts’s (NCPA) Little Theatre presents critically-acclaimed Marathi film Pitruroon. The film stars renowned Marathi actor Sachin Khedekar in a double role, and marks the much-feted comeback to cinema of yesteryear actor Tanuja, after nearly three decades of her last film.

Pitruroon is based on a short story by Sudha Murthy. Written in Kannada, the story describes the life of Venkatesh Kulkarni (played by Khedekar) who has recently lost his father and is keen to fulfil his father’s last wishes. In doing so, he travels to Konkan and finds his lookalike and namesake, and also befriends the latter’s mother, Bhagirathi (played by Tanuja). As he hears about the other Venkatesh and his life, he begins to wonder if the two men have more in common than just looks and a name.

The film was acclaimed for its stellar performances by its lead actors, and also marked the directorial debut of actor Nitish Bharadwaj, who we last remember as Lord Krishna in BR Chopra’s television adaptation of Mahabharat.

Admission for the screening is on a first-come-first-served basis. The film begins at 6.30 pm. 

(Picture courtesy www.fridayfirstshow.com)

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Event

Bid for Mahatma Gandhi’s letters, famed coin from ‘Sholay’

The city-based Rajgor’s House readies to auction authentic items of interest and historical value on April 28. Collectors, be there.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

We’re always fascinated by royalty, and more importantly, by items of a bygone era. Naturally, when one is presented with the chance to view such items or better, purchase them, one must seize the chance at once.

Charni Road-based Rajgor’s, the famous auctioneers, will host an auction of rare historical artefacts and jewellery; more importantly, collectors and buyers will get the chance to bid for two original letters penned by Mahatma Gandhi (see pic above). Moreover, the famed silver coin from the evergreen classic Sholay will also go under the hammer.

Dilip RajgorRajgor’s last had an auction in September 2013 in Mumbai; however, the event was marred by some controversy after it was learnt that a coin belonging to the era of Shivaji was to be auctioned. Nevertheless, Dilip Rajgor (see pic on left), Founder and CEO of Rajgor’s, is confident that this auction will go off as well as the last one.

Excerpts from an interview with Dilip Rajgor:

What was the response to the last auction like?

The last (Auction 10) was very well received by the collector community. The only problem we had was (sic) since a political party objected to the auction of Shivaji hoan (a ‘hoan’ is a coin), so many people thought that the auction was cancelled and hence they could not attend. However, they called us later and were surprised to know that the auction took place as planned. That was the only set back. 

What are some of the interesting items to go under the hammer in this auction? 

There are many such items. First and foremost is Mahatma Gandhi’s handwritten letter. There are two such letters. Lot 143 is handwritten and autographed by the Mahatma and Lot 144 is written by his assistant, but he has signed it. In both the Gujarati letters, he has signed off as Bapu na ashirwad (Blessings of Bapu).

The letters are important for a number of reasons. Firstly, the letters are genuine. Secondly, it’s for the first time in India that such letters are being offered to collectors and the public.

Thirdly, the letters have a full pedigree, that is, the sources of the letters are well-reported – this proves that they are not stolen.

Fourthly, the letters are also well-reported in the books on Mahatma Gandhi, namely, Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi. And finally, these letters are offered to collectors at a tenth of their international value.

Among other important things in the auction are a silver coin from the film Sholay, important and rare statues of Buddha and the Jain religion, prints of Raja Ravi Varma, and silver Articles and jewellery.

Is it possible to bid online through your site?

Yes, it is quite possible to bid online. But one must be registered with us before they bid.

What are you doing different for this auction from the last one?

The most important part of the present auction is its printed catalogue. The catalogue is printed in India by world-known printers, Pragati Printers of Hyderabad, who are known for their international print quality. The printing of the catalogue ‘speaks’, and one feels like that all the objects are live on the pages.

Who do you anticipate will be most interested in this auction?

The top-most attractive item will be the letters of Mahatma Gandhi. Looking especially at the response from collectors of Mumbai, we are sure that the two letters of Mahatma Gandhi are going to create record prices in India. And a lot of people will talk about it for days together.

The auction will take place on April 28 at 7 pm, The Ballroom, The Taj President, Cuffe Parade. Look up more details at www.rajgors.com.

(Pictures courtesy Rajgor’s)

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Do

Attend: A storytelling festival for children

Enroll your child in this 10-day storytelling workshop that ends with a finale performance in front of a live audience.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

We ply our children with a variety of ‘activities’ to keep them ‘busy’ during the long summer vacations. How about keeping them occupied in an activity that will help them explore their innate creativity and become imaginative storytellers?

‘Story Nest’ is back with the second edition of its storytelling summer festival for young children from Apri 14 to 24. Conceptualised by professional storyteller Sherin Mathews, who has been grooming children for the last 11 years, Story Nest will, through a 10-day camp, present the Big Fat Indian Wedding adaptation of the classic story, ‘The beauty and the beast’. The workshop will also work towards staging the inspired version of the Blue Umbrella.

“Through Story Nest, we help children aged four to 16 years use the tools of storytelling in performing arts, storytelling techniques, public speaking, drama, music and dance. As a culmination of the unique storytelling festival, Story nest will stage a public performance of its young storytellers,” explains Sherin (in pic on left, during one of her performances with the children).

She adds, “Stories engage, enchant, touch, delight, inspire, motivate, challenge, entertain and transform the listener into a new way of being. Stories go right into the heart and soul of people. The power of storytelling on our lives can only be experienced. Listening to a storyteller can create lasting personal connections, promote innovative problem solving, and foster a shared understanding regarding future ambitions. The listener can then activate knowledge and imagine new possibilities. Together a storyteller and listener can seek best practices and invent new solutions because stories often have multiple layers of meanings.”

A few details about the workshop:

– The ‘Story Nest’ workshop will take place from April 14 to 24, 2014. These will be practice sessions, and will take place between 9 to 11 am and 6 pm to 8 pm.

– The finale will take place on April 26, 2014 at Prabodhankar Thackeray Auditorium, Borivali, from 10 am to 1 pm.

– The registration fees per child will be Rs 5,000. Each participant will be trained to narrate a story in one or more narrative forms.

– Call Sherin Mathews for more details on +91-9004748616.

(Pictures courtesy Sherin Mathews)

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