Author: SITHARA

My passion in life is driven by meeting new people, connecting with them, knowing their stories, because for me that’s the best way to embrace new cultures when you travel.
Community, LifestyleLeave a comment

“ What’s behind that door?”

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Doors Open Markham features seven NEW sites

Have you ever wondered, “ What’s behind that door?” Doors Open Markham provides visitors with exclusive access to 19 locations that are not generally open to the public. This is a free one-day event to tour cultural and historical sites that reflect our community’s past, and experience the diverse cultures that contribute to Markham’s unique charm.

“This is a chance to explore Markham’s hidden gems, learn about our community’s history and cultural heritage … the possibilities are endless!” says Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti. “There is something for everyone: Markham Fire Station is a favourite for kids of all ages, architectural enthusiasts will be wowed by the Wong Dai Sin Temple and if you haven’t yet, be sure to visit the Aaniin Community Centre and Library, Markham’s newest facility!”

“One day + 19 fascinating locations + FREE admission = Doors Open Markham,” says Doors Open Committee Chair Kenneth Ng. “Visit first-time sites and past favourites, for their architecture, their heritage, or the interesting things going on. The Doors Open Markham Committee looks forward to seeing you there!” Continue reading ““ What’s behind that door?””

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The Rip-Roaring Twenties Theatre Experience in a Modern Day Musical

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–By Nita Balani

Theatre lovers, the modern day musical is back with A Moveable Feast: Paris in the ‘20s! This sold out performance is currently at the Soulpepper Theatre in Toronto. For those of you who like to see the unexpected, this is a marvel in the genre of musicals, seamlessly fusing theatre, music, art, literature and narrative documentary on stage. It is a complete theatrical experience never seen before as you relive the crazy years inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s namesake book about Paris. A Moveable Feast is a memoir by American author Ernest Hemingway about his years as a struggling young expatriate journalist and writer in Paris in the 1920s.

The experience begins with narration from Hemingway’s novel: “If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.”

The musical then progresses with images, sounds and snippets, and cameos of life in the 20s – its art, culture and music of the artists of the Lost Generation. The term was coined by Gertrude Stein and popularized by Ernest Hemingway for a group of artists (like Picasso, Matisse, Cezanne) and poets and writers (including T.S Eliot, Scott F. Fitzgerald and Ezra Pound) who left the United States to take part in the free-wheeling popular culture movement in Paris and London in the 1920s. Continue reading “The Rip-Roaring Twenties Theatre Experience in a Modern Day Musical”

Global, India, TravelLeave a comment

India is among the fastest growing tourist destinations in the world

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The ‘first ever’ India Tourism Mart (ITM 2018) was inaugurated in New Delhi, India today. The India Tourism Mart is being organized by the Ministry of Tourism from 16th to 18th September 2018, in partnership with the Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH) and with support of State /UT Governments. The function was held in presence of the Secretary, other senior officials of Tourism Ministry and Chairman/members of FAITH and also delegates from India and across the world.

Inaugurating the event, Union Minister Shri Piyush Goyal wished the best to the Tourism Ministry to reach the ambitious goal of US$100 billion FTA receipts/year within 5 years. T The Minister said that the most important element that will help promote Tourism in a complete way is the Government’s cleanliness drive, the Swachhta Abhiyan, which will ensure India becoming a preferred destination for all international tourists.

Speaking at the event, the Tourism Minister announced that ITM will be an annual event hereafter in line with other International Tourism Marts and it will be held in the month of September. The Minister said that India is so vast that there will be something new for everyone to see and experience in this country with its varied geography, culture, traditions, architectural marvels, religions.  Continue reading “India is among the fastest growing tourist destinations in the world”

Global, Nation, Reel SpinLeave a comment

TIFF TOP FIVE: SPARKLE, SIZZLE & SHINE

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TIFF stands with women in front of and behind the camera. In the film industry, like any other, women play different roles as actresses, film directors, film producers cinematographers, and other film industry professionals. Due to cinegoers, film lovers and the movies they champion, these past years have been incredible for women.
Some of the top films that were screened at TIFF this year, were women centric, either in lead roles or in the creative aspect.

Presenting the ‘Top 5’ films in my opinion, based on screenplay, acting, and theme.

A STAR IS BORN

Hollywood’s most enduring story of love and ambition gets a glorious reinvention in Bradley Cooper’s A Star Is Born. Drawing deep on the pleasures audiences previously discovered in the 1937, 1954, and 1976 versions, Cooper brings the narrative right up to the present. He takes on the role of the fame-weary star himself and, for the ingénue with megawatt potential, he crafts a perfect big-screen role for Lady Gaga.
As an actor, Cooper has worked with Clint Eastwood and David O. Russell; here he shows both Eastwood’s unfussy economy and Russell’s emotional intensity. But the style is entirely his, finding its biggest moments in scenes between just two people, and stripping away any excess to showcase Gaga’s confident, honest performance. Both intimate and epic, this is a love story that hovers between the shadow of tragedy and the bright light of artists at their peak. Continue reading “TIFF TOP FIVE: SPARKLE, SIZZLE & SHINE”

Global, SportsLeave a comment

Asia Cup kicks off on Hotstar Sept.15th!

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The best of cricket and Indian entertainment at $99.99 a year

Asia Cup Highlight: India Versus Pakistan Match on September 19

 160 Days of Cricket on Hotstar starts with the Unimoni Asia Cup, which will feature some of the most prominent cricketing nations in the world. The tournament will begin with Bangladesh taking on Sri Lanka in Dubai on September 15. Participants include India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Hong Kong. Defending champion India will face arch rival Pakistan on September 19 in the marquee matchup of group play. India and Pakistan will be joined by Hong Kong in Group A, while Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan compete in Group B. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super 4, and the tournament final will follow on September 28 in Dubai. Hotstar, the exclusive and official digital streaming partner for Unimoni Asia Cup, will live stream all the matches for the duration of the tournament.

To keep the momentum going, Hotstar has 160 days of cricket over the next year.  Continue reading “Asia Cup kicks off on Hotstar Sept.15th!”
Global, India, Reel SpinLeave a comment

Jhalki: Tale of a Tireless Sparrow

SITHARA
Today, One in every Seven child is a laborer. Over 200 million children between ages five and fourteen work worldwide, as some kind of laborer or the other.

Jhalki … a moving tale of lost Childhood, is a lyrical story of the search of a 9 year-old girl for her 7 year-old brother against the backdrop of bonded child labor in the carpet weaving factories of India. This compelling film takes you through a bedtime folk story and by the time you wake up, you may want to be part of a huge revolution that can impact 200 million children worldwide.

Film Jhalki: Tale of a Tireless Sparrow has just been completed and starts its International journey now, ready for Festivals, World Sales & and other movement-based collaborations. It releases in India in February 2019. It has been produced by Brahmanand S Siingh & Annand Chavan, co-produced by Vinayak Gawande & Jayesh Parekh & co-directed by Tanvi Jain.

Here’s an interview with the filmmaker, Brahmanand S Siingh:

What were the casting challenges of getting the lead child actors? How was it to cast for Kailash Satyarthi?

Jhalki had to be a firebrand 11 year old, pre-puberty girl, so that was a big challenge … To find someone who could carry the film on her fragile shoulders. Continue reading “Jhalki: Tale of a Tireless Sparrow”

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BURT REYNOLDS FANS TO HOLD MEMORIAL TRIBUTE ON LONG ISLAND

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 100 “Smokey and the Bandit” Trans Ams with drivers dressed like the Bandit to form parade
WESTBURY, NEW YORK (September 7, 2018) – Burt Reynolds fans on Long Island will hold a memorial tribute to the “Smokey and the Bandit” star by driving in a 100 Trans Am parade and drivers dressed in iconic “Bandit” costumes. This will be the largest Smokey and the Bandit tribute in the United States with thousands of fans attending.

The organizer of the event had reached out in the past to have the late-icon to attend New York’s largest car show. The 1977 Trans Am was one of the most popular cars of the decade amongst millions of Americans. Reynolds was a resident of New York in the 1960s.

Burt Reynolds, an iconic movie star and celebrity icon, died tragically of a cardiac arrest on Thursday, September 6, 2018 at the age of 82. Millions of Americans are mourning the legend through viewing his popular films, such as “Smokey and the Bandit” and “Deliverance,” from the late 1970s and ‘80s. Continue reading “BURT REYNOLDS FANS TO HOLD MEMORIAL TRIBUTE ON LONG ISLAND”
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Marriott Hotels And TED Deliver Inspiring ‘Women In Innovation’ Salon

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 Sparks New Perspectives Across Asia Pacific

Marriott International’s flagship brand Marriott Hotels continues to spark creative ideas and meaningful conversations worldwide, hosting its second TED Fellows salon in Asia Pacific on September 6th at the Bengaluru Marriott Hotel Whitefield in India.  The event was attended by an engaged crowd of over 200 movers and shakers including innovative entrepreneurs, Marriott Rewards loyalty members, international media and influencers as well as top business school students. Bengaluru Marriott Hotel Whitefield was chosen as the destination to host this year’s Marriott TED Fellows Salon because of the city’s reputation as India’s hub of technology and innovation.

At the event, three TED fellows shared personal and professional stories around the theme of “Women in Innovation’. The speakers included women’s health advocate Zubaida Bai from India, a passionate activist for improving global maternal health. Continue reading “Marriott Hotels And TED Deliver Inspiring ‘Women In Innovation’ Salon”

Reel SpinLeave a comment

When was the last time you looked at the sky? 

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Celestial documentary Cielo opens in Toronto on August 10, 2018
Canadian/Chilean Co-Production directed by Alison McAlpine
“[Cielo] has a transporting power that comes close to approximating what it must be like to actually stand in Atacama, gazing up in awe.”
– The Hollywood Reporter

Second Sight Pictures, in association with SeaFarNorth, is pleased to announce the star-laden documentary Cielo will open in Toronto on August 10, 2018 at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. Cielo wil be broadcast on CBC documentary in late 2018.

Written, directed by Canadian filmmaker Alison McAlpine, Cielo is a cinematic reverie on the astonishing beauty of the night sky, as experienced in the Atacama Desert, Chile. This sublime nonfiction film drifts between science and spirituality expanding the limits of our imagination. Cielo features encounters with Planet Hunters and the desert’s residents as they share their visions of the stars, mythic stories and existential queries with a contagious sense of wonder.

 Hailed as the “one travel movie every millennial should watch this year,” by Culture Trip, and a “contemplative and richly visualized astronomy doc” by American Cinematographer,  Continue reading “When was the last time you looked at the sky? “
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TIFF: Festival Street promises four jam-packed days of free activities

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FESTIVAL STREET TO IGNITE TORONTO WITH WOMEN’S RALLY, FREE  SCREENINGS, AND MUSICAL PERFORMANCES

Back for its fifth instalment, the excitement and fun of the Toronto International Film Festival  pours out from the theatres onto Festival Street and all the way up to the rooftop of TIFF Bell Lightbox. On  opening weekend, September 6 to 9, King Street West between Peter Street and University Avenue will  transform into the TIFF street party.     “The excitement of Festival is something we want to share with the entire city,” said Cameron Bailey, Artistic  Director of TIFF. “Festival Street is where everyone can enjoy and experience the excitement of the Festival  and its celebration of film. Free screenings, great musical performances, and the impactful Share Her Journey  Rally are just some of the highlights you can expect — and we invite everyone to join us.”

Stand up for change with TIFF on the morning of Saturday, September 8 for the Share Her Journey Rally. All  who want to see and be part of real change in the film industry are invited to join the action down on John  Street at the Slaight Music Stage at 10am. Continue reading “TIFF: Festival Street promises four jam-packed days of free activities”