DIGITAL INNOVATION FOR EQUALITY
Changing the world with an app
DIGITAL INNOVATION FOR EQUALITY : Changing the world with an app

In today’s world, where everything can be done with a tap of a finger, why not something for the greater common good? That thought has led to the development of Equalize, which as its name suggests, aims to empower individuals to reduce social disparities. Rasika Dhavse-Wadodkar has more.
#Media
Nov 2015
NATIONAL WOMEN’S THEATRE FESTIVAL
Womanhood: A synthesis through many forms
NATIONAL WOMEN’S THEATRE FESTIVAL : Womanhood: A synthesis through many forms

Shoma A Chatterji writes on Samanway 7, a unique theatre festival showcasing performances conceived of and crafted exclusively by women, which evolved into a well-blended expression of feminist questions that have sustained through the ages.
#Art #Women
Apr 2015
MUZZLING ACTIVISM
What’s ‘fashionable’ about protesting human rights violations?
MUZZLING ACTIVISM : What’s ‘fashionable’ about protesting human rights violations?

A recent observation of the Supreme Court, while hearing a petition filed by a filmmaker challenging censorship of his documentary, has left advocates of human rights in the country anguished and puzzled. Shoma A Chatterji explains why.
#Justice System #Human Rights #OP-ED
Jan 2015
A TRIBUTE TO FORGOTTEN LEGENDS
In search of Binodini and her peers
A TRIBUTE TO FORGOTTEN LEGENDS : In search of Binodini and her peers

The leading ladies of Bengali theatre in the late 19th and 20th centuries presented an intriguing portrait of women caught between two worlds, liberated in a way, yet shackled in others. A recent performance as tribute to these artists leads Shoma Chatterji to reminisce their lives and times.

#Art #Culture #Women's Films and Books #Women
Sep 2014
DUBBING FILMS
From one language to another: What’s at stake?
DUBBING FILMS : From one language to another: What’s at stake?

Indian cinema has, of late, witnessed high-decibel debates over the desirability of dubbing Hindi films into regional languages. But does dubbing really pose a threat to vernacular cinema? Shoma Chatterji explores.

#Culture #Films #Media
Feb 2014
GULAB(I) GANG
Will reel kill the power of real?
GULAB(I) GANG : Will reel kill the power of real?
A mainstream Bollywood production in the making, titled Gulab Gang, draws heavily on the circumstances and even the name of a now-famous real life movement, but purports to be purely fictional. Shoma Chatterji explores the questions of ethics and creative morality that this raises.
#Films #Reviews
Aug 2013
OBITUARY
Remembering Rituparno (1963-2013)
OBITUARY : Remembering Rituparno (1963-2013)
The premature demise of acclaimed Bengali filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh, who passed away on May 30, has robbed Indian cinema of a rare combination of courage and sensitivity and perhaps, of many more masterpieces to come. Shoma A. Chatterji reminisces his works in this tribute to his genius.
#Art #Media #Society
Jun 2013
FINANCIAL SECURITY
Inflation: perception and reality
FINANCIAL SECURITY : Inflation: perception and reality
There is an urgent need for reliable and transparent consumer price indices that covers the large majority of Indian families, from the poorest upwards. Kannan Kasturi reports.
#Child Health #Society Films and Books #Economy
May 2009
INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENT
Hot ash burns child to death
INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENT : Hot ash burns child to death
Illegal dumping of industrial waste around Raigarh takes the life of 7-year-old Twinkle Thakur, raising familiar troubling questions about the trajectory of 'development' in India. Kanchi Kohli reports.
#Child Health #Environmental Hazards #Health Laws #Politics #Environment #CHHATISGARH
May 2009
WOMEN/MEDIA
Films from the fields
WOMEN/MEDIA : Films from the fields
These rural, illiterate women from the Community Media Trust in Medak district of Andhra Pradesh wield the plough and the camera with equal ease and expertise. The final product are films that tell their stories. Charumathi Supraja has more.
#Gender and Media #Women #ANDHRA PRADESH
Jul 2008
INTERNATIONAL PEACE FESTIVAL
New lease for documentaries
INTERNATIONAL PEACE FESTIVAL : New lease for documentaries
Film-makers are finding new ways to get around the difficulties of their new environment - the loss of state patronage, subtle self-censorship in the media, and the taboos of mainstream society. They're putting the new IT world to work promoting their films, and setting up their own events to find their audience. Darryl D'Monte reports.
#Peace #Human Rights #Media
Dec 2006
THE WOMEN'S MOVEMENT
'Poster' women
THE WOMEN'S MOVEMENT : 'Poster' women
Over 100 posters were displayed recently in New Delhi as part of an exhibition titled 'Poster Women'. The posters, said Urvashi Butalia of Zubaan, "visually map the history of the movement". Like windows, they offer a glimpse of the women's movement spanning the past 35 years. Deepti Priya Mehrotra reports.
#Art #Women
Apr 2006
Bloggers connect people, hasten relief
: Bloggers connect people, hasten relief
In the immediate aftermath of the 26 December tsunamis, many bloggers visited the affected areas. Their eyewitness accounts brought the horrors of the devastation to distant audiences and were instrumental in garnering widespread relief support, writes Rasika Dhavse.
#Media
Jan 2005
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