• Church Walks it to mandir
• 'Taj Mahal' Set For Release in UK, India
• Marvel Entertainment, First Serve Toonz Join Hands For Animated Series
• French Artist Learns Kathakali in Thiruvananthapuram
• Eco-Chaupal Wins Swiss Award
• Ragas Keep Heart Troubles at Bay

• Reliance WebWorld Bags Frost & Sullivan Award
• Sandhya Completes Music For French Film on Mother Teresa
• UK to Fund First Hindu School
• Indian Art Reachers New High in US
• 3500 Christians Embrace Hinduism in Etah

The Catholic church will take up the study of Sanskrit, adapt to monastic life in an ashram and adopt the Hindu ritual of aarti during mass if the movement towards 'Indianisation of the church' gets the nod from 400 priests and five bishops congregating in Pune. Starting Tuesday, Pune's Papal Seminary, which is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its transfer from Kandy (Sri Lanka) to the city, will play host to the priests for three days. Discussions will cover the state of the church in India and the movement for its Indianisation. The Catholic church has already adopted a number of Indian traditions and practices and has come a long way, four decades after the historic Second Vatican Council (1962-65) brought an epochal shift in the modern church through its declaration on religious liberty. Pune's Papal Seminary, which has ordained over 1,250 priests during the past 50 years, has continued with its modernisation effort along with its associate institutions such as the Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth (JDV), formerly the Pontifical Anthenaeum, and the De Nobili College. Pune-based Catholic leaders such as Joseph Neuner, Kurien Kunnumpuram, Francis X D'Sa, John Vattanky and Subhash Anand have been stressing for lesser control from the Vatican, to make the church "truly Indian and genuinely Christian". 'Many Christian priests follow ancient ashram system strictly'. Francis X D'Sa, an internationally acclaimed Sanskrit scholar has noted in his paper published in 'Dreams and Visions: New Horizons for an Indian Church (2002)': "Today, the time has come for the Indian church to shed its image of a multinational company and retrieve those characteristics which bring out its 'Catholicity' in the best sense of the word." Pandikattu Kuruvilla, teacher of philosophy at JDV and the Papal Seminary's rector, Ornellas Coutinho, explained that a number of Indian religious customs and practices have already been embraced by the Catholic church to become truly Indian.

Courtesy: The Times of India, October 25, 2005

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Reliance WebWorld has won this year's Frost & Sullivan market leadership award for video conferencing services. The award was given in recognition of Reliance WebWorld's emergence within one year as the single largest player in the Indian videoconferencing industry with a 44 per cent market share, says a company release.

Courtesy: The Hindu, October 25, 2005

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The celluloid version of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan's historic love, 'Taj Mahal-An Eternal Love Story' would be released in India and here on November 18. Claimed to be the most expensive film ever made in Bollywood, it captures and immortalizes the golden period of Mughal era with all its grandeur, opulence and brutality, by using elegant and eye-capturing costumes, costly sets and amazing cinematography. Directed by Akbar Khan, known for his ability to portray legendary tales with accuracy and realism, the film has a star cast including Kabir Bedi, Arbaaz Khan, Manisha Koirala, and Pooja Batra. The film introduces the lead pair Zulfikar Syed and Sonya Jehan who play Prince Khurram and Mumtaz Mahal respectively. Sonya is the grand-daughter of noted singer-actress Noor Jehan. Kabir Bedi plays the aged Shah Jehan while Manisha Koirala dons the role of Jehan Ara, daughter of Shah Jehan and mediator between father and son, Aurangzeb, in the bloody power-struggle for the Mughal Empire. Arbaaz Khan is the ruthless Aurangzeb who murders his own brothers and imprisons his father in his lust for power. Pooja Batra is Noor Jehan, the shrewd and ambitious Empress while Kim Sharma plays her spoilt daughter from previous marriage.

Courtesy: The Economic Times, October 23, 2005

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Indian film music composer Sandesh Shandilya has completed composing music for French film Beatification of Mother Teresa based on the work of the Mother. The film, by French company Tribe K Films, Paris, has been researched by film-maker Gautam Ghosh and features Hollywood superstar Penelope Cruz in a cameo, Shandilya said today. "It is actually a docudrama on the Mother's life and is a very inspiring film. For me the project came as a challenge as I had to do a lot of background research on the life of the Mother and her work, the kind of music that she would have encountered in various parts of the world and India during her lifetime," he said in a release. Shandilya said he had spent quite a lot of time at the Mother House in Kolkata talking to associates and people around to know what the Mother liked in music. "The ambience at Mother House itself was the source of inspiration for composing music for the project," he said. The film is not the only international project for the composer. His composition, the lead track of the film Uuf Kya Jaadoo Mohabbat Hai, has been picked up by world-renowned pianist Richard Clyderman as the lead track on his new album released the world over recently under Delphine Records. "It's a privilege that a great musician like Richard has chosen my track as his lead track", he said. One of his recent works was on Hindi film Maine Gandhi Ko Nahi Mara. The film on Mother Teresa would be released in India through Sahara One Motion Pictures, he said.

Courtesy: Hindustan Times, October 21, 2005

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The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)-listed Marvel Entertainment, a global entertainment and licensing company, has announced a tie-up with First Serve Toonz (FST), an Indian animation company, to co-produce an animated television series. To be based on Marvel's renowned X-Men character franchise, the series will be centred primarily on the popular `Wolverine' character, said Mr P. Jayakumar, Chief Executive Officer, Toonz Animation India. This Technopark-based animation company is the joint venture partner of First Serve International promoted by tennis legend-turned-entrepreneur Vijay Amritraj in First Serve Toonz. The X-Men franchise brings a range of themes of a character that appeal to global audiences, said Mr Jayakumar. Under the terms of the agreement, FST, which operates its studios in India, will begin pre-production immediately on 26 episodes in a 2D-3D combination of characters and background. The initial episodes are expected to be ready for worldwide distribution by summer of 2007. FST will not only produce but, in combination with Marvel, will also oversee the creative direction of the series. International TV and DVD distribution will be managed by FST whereas Marvel will retain distribution rights for the US. The agreement is modelled on a similar one with France's Antefilms Productions for a Fantastic Four animated series. Mr Avi Arad, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Marvel, and Mr Ed Borgerding, Chief Executive Officer, FST, announced the specifics of the deal. X-Men is one of Marvel's crown jewels, and it makes sense to focus on the Wolverine character for Marvel's second animation project, Mr Arad said. FST views this as an opportunity as a unique privilege and as an exciting prospect, said Mr Borgerding. Mr Vijay Amritraj said he was eager to get Marvel to consider India as a strategic animation production base for its super heroes.

Courtesy: The Hindu Business Line, October 18, 2005

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Britain is going to have the first state-funded Hindu school as the government has given the nod to set up the single faith school in the British capital. The Department for Education and Skills has said it would provide 9.8 million pounds to the Harrow Council in northwest London to set up the school that is expected to be open by 2010. The I-Foundation, a Hindu charity that has campaigned for the school, said it was "delighted". A spokesman for the council said it would begin the consultation process soon, but added that the location of the school was commercially sensitive. She said in its first year, there would be just one-year group. More year groups would be added later until the school had its full complement of eight.

Courtesy: The Times of India, October 13, 2005

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India's traditional art forms are attracting art lovers from around the world. This is evident from the presence of a 14-member group of French artistes who are attending a three-week-long workshop on Kathakali dance in Thiruvananthapuram. Bheeshma Art and Culture, a French cultural organisation, and the Satsangam International Centre for Art and Culture are conducting the programme with active cooperation from the Government of France. These professional artistes from France will participate in the workshops on Kathakali, Mohiniyattom and Carnatic music conducted by the Bheeshma Art and Culture centre. The group comprises musicians, dancers and circus personalities." It is a project organised to help the artists to come in touch with different art forms of the East, mostly from India. So they came here for a three-week-long training," says Maryse Noiseux. These artists are going through an intensive training schedule and practicing seven to eight hours a day. " It is very intensive and difficult for us. It requires discipline and concentration. We have learned a lot of things from this training. It is really interesting," says Cammie, a French artist. The visiting artistes feel that the training will increase their skills. "For us, it is a very good experience. The mudras (postures) of Kathakali are very expressive which will help us in our acting. Perhaps it would have been better if I had more time to learn Kathakali," says Patrick, another French artist. All the members of the team are of the opinion that they will return to Kerala to take more lessons on Katahakali. They even performed a stage show in Thiruvananthapuram recently. Kathakali is one of the oldest theatre forms in the world. It originated in Kerala. It is a group presentation, in which dancers take various roles in performances traditionally based on themes from Hindu mythology, especially the two epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

Courtesy: Hidustan Times, October 11, 2005

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Over the last decade, contemporary Indian art has burst through the gravitational barrier in the US, with sale records tumbling like ninepins. No sooner is one record established that the other smashes it. The $1 million ceiling is rapidly shattered and mocked by a $2 million ceiling. If Tyeb Mehta's painting "Mahisasura" spikes through the million dollar ceiling, fetching over $1.5 million at Christie's in New York on Sep 21, Maqbool Fida Husain's "The Last Supper" crashes the $2 million ceiling on the Internet. Newspaper reports say Husain, who turned 90 on Sep 19, was in Singapore for a solo show featuring 21 works, when an NRI Bengali woman from an Indian offshore company, Bedros Assets, bid $2 million for his painting. The painter shrugged that he hadn't met the buyer, just received the cheque. Those present at the now historic Chester and Davida Herwitz collection at Sotheby's sale in New York recall their incredulity at the prices fetched there even by artists Krishen Khanna, Ram Kumar and Ganesh Pyne. That was one milestone, while the recent September sales by Sotheby's and Christie's in New York was another. At the Herwitz sale, people gasped when paintings bought for Rs. 200, sold for thousands of dollars roughly 500 times their original price.

Courtesy: The Times of India, October 10, 2005

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Eco-chaupal, a self-sustaining and affordable eco-friendly home, designed by an Indian, has bagged the coveted Holcim Acknowledgement Award for Sustainable Development here. The award was presented to Indian industrialist Satya Sheel, Managing Director Of Suzuki Motorcycles, by Holcim Foundation, a Switzerland-based organisation which promotes innovative approaches, unique environment friendly ideas and development that helps the ecology retain its balance, on September 23. "Eco-chaupal is a process of how to make sustainable houses. It combines technology with heritage and low cost to make a home which is sustainable and conserves energy," Sheel, who won the award from over 1,500 entries globally, said. A total of nine prizes were given in different categories. Of these five went to China, two Philippines, while Japan and India won one each. Sheel, the only non-architect to have won the award, bagged $10,000 of the total sum of $222,000 in prize money given to best submissions. "Right now there are only American standards for green buildings which too are for commercial purposes. But through my eco-chaupal, I want to set a standard for building green houses, which could be followed worldwide," Sheel said.

Courtesy: www.financialexpress.com, October 08, 2005

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As many as 3500 Christians from 81 villages adopted Hinduism in Etah on Sunday. After a 'yagna', the converts took food together and vowed to serve the Hindu community at a programme organised by the Dharm Jagran Samiti. Yogi Aditya Nath, MP, who was also present at the function, said those who have converted to Hinduism should be given proper treatment.

Courtesy: Hindustan Times, October 02, 2005

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Listening to Indian classical music could help you if you are suffering from any heart ailment. A study conducted by British and Italian scientists from Oxford University and the University of Pavia, aimed at exploring the physiological effects of various musical forms, has found that tempo, rather than style, is the greatest stress-buster. According to the research team of Peter Sleight and Luciano Bernadi, all kinds of fast music and complex rhythms speed up breathing and circulation, while slow meditative music has an opposite effect. Indian ragas create the largest fall in heart rate. This, they say, could be helpful in preventing or treating heart disease/stroke. Interestingly, the researchers used Delhi-based sitar exponent Debu Chaudhuri's version of Raga Maru Behag while conducting the study. Maru Behag is a romantic late-evening raga. It is a combination of two ragas, Behag and Kalyan, believed to have been created by the great vocalist Alladiya Khan in early 20th century. Chaudhuri says his version of the raga is one of his most popular compositions. The 27-minute solo piece was first recorded in London in 1967. Indian classical music can truly soothe your mind. But not all ragas. Some ragas are evening compositions that excite the heart, while some are slow meditative compositions for the morning. I have also been researching on different forms of music and their physiological effects. I have created a series of 24 ragas meant for each hour of a day. Listening to them one after another can positively affect the human mind," Chaudhuri told TOI. Talking about their find in the journal Heart, the researchers said: Appropriate selection of music, by alternating fast and slower rhythms and pauses, can be used to induce relaxation, and so can be potentially useful for cardiovascular disease.

Courtesy: The Times of India, October 01, 2005

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