New Delhi Apr 18 PTI The Habitat International Film Festival HIFF will make its return to the national capital with its third edition starting May 6 following a two-year hiatus due to the pandemicThe festival which will close on May 15 aims to showcase films from across the globe that push the boundaries of cinematic arts and reflect on the realities and perceptions of a changing worldThe line-up of the festival to be held at the India Habitat Centre IHC here includes Costa Ricas entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards Clara Sola winner of the Prix du Public UBS award at the 74th Locarno Film Festival Hinterland Zurich Film Festival winner The Last Austrians Finlands The Blind Man Who Did Not Want To See The Titanic and Portugals The Metamorphosis of BirdsHIFF though smaller and more niche in comparison to other Film Festivals has carved out a special space and a loyal audience It is a cherry picked curation of critically acclaimed and award winning cinema made possible by the generous cooperation and collaboration of the Embassies and Cultural Centres for which we are deeply grateful We cannot wait to welcome back filmmakers and film lovers to Habitat said Vidyun Singh Creative Head Programmes IHCWith diversity at the forefront the edition also brings together a pan-Indian selection of films from a plethora of Indian languages such as Hindi Sanskrit Malayalam Tamil Bhojpuri Assamese Bengali and more Director G Prabhas Taya Achal Mishras Dhuin Ritesh Sharmas Jhini Bini Chadariya Ainu Baruahs Dimasa Madhuja Mukherjees Deep 6 are some of the Indian films to be screened at the movie galaA special selection of Korean films -- In The Name Of The Son Chorokbam Siere The Cave -- will also be screened at the festival in collaboration with the Korean Cultural Centre New DelhiShort films and documentaries interactive sessions and a Festival Cafe serving the choicest of international street food delicacies are touted to be the other important highlights of the festival PTI MG SHD BK BK

New Delhi Mar 22 PTI A 10-day Red Fort Festival - Bharat Bhagya Vidhata event showcasing Indias history art heritage culture and cuisine will be held at the iconic 17th-century monument from March 25The festival is part of the governments Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrating 75 years of Indias Independence It is a collaboration of the Union Culture Ministry and the Dalmia Bharat Group which has adopted the Red Fort as its Monument MitraAzadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year to celebrate a progressive independent India its rich cultural heritage and its achievementsThe Red Fort Festival - Bharat Bhagya Vidhata will include a projection on the exterior walls of the Red Fort showcasing Indias history an exhibition of the nations achievements through the years and a host of cultural programs featuring the countrys vibrant arts and craftsmanshipThe inaugural Red Fort Festival - Bharat Bhagya Vidhata will highlight our culture and traditions as has never been seen beforeWe hope this will enable visitors and especially our youth to build connections between our nations current progress and our ancient glory by understanding values that are India-centric as well as globally relevant said Puneet Dalmia MD Dalmia Bharat LimitedThe event will also feature a culinary explosion of regional cuisines and specially curated song and dance performances paying homage to the countrys glorious history of unity in diversityHighlighting the history of India in engaging and interactive sequences the Red Fort Festival - Bharat Bhagya Vidhata is planned as an annual event underlining themes such as the freedom struggle ideas resolve and achievements at 75 and beyondThe festival will come to a close on April 3 PTI MG NSD NSD

New Delhi Feb 24 PTI A new illustrated set of board books seeks to introduce young children to values and perspectives derived from the lives and philosophies of Indian saints Mahavira Guru Nanak and BuddhaPrart of AdiDev Press recently launched Learning TO BE series the three books are titled Kindness with Mahavira Service with Guru Nanak and Peace with Buddha They are co-authored by Chitwan Mittal and Sarita SarafWe believe that biographies can be powerful tools to inspire and uplift We do not want our books to be preachy We are committed to developing this series by writing books on inspiring South Asian personalities including scientists sportspersons performing artists change makers and many more These board books are aimed at toddlers and early readers ages 4-8 said Mittal founder and editorial director of AdiDev Press in a statementWritten in simple text each book showcases one value that can be highlighted in the life of the personality being covered Laced with heuristic examples and suggestions it encourages readers to recognise how they can implement this value through actions in their own livesWhile Kindness with Mahavira aims to encourage the younger readers with Mahaviras message on kindness and compassion the other two books -- Service with Guru Nanak and Peace with Buddha -- encourage children to make service a part of their daily lives and help them recognise the value of wanting less finding peace and connecting with their inner selves respectivelyThe books are illustrated by award-winning illustrator Debasmita DasguptaNot often you come across childrens books that are simple yet profound The Learning To Be series on Indian saints is one of a kind and I am delighted to have illustrated these books Visually I have tried to integrate these ideas of simplicity in the ocean of deepness through the use of simplistic lines and character sketches complemented with hand painted abstract textures added DasguptaThe books priced at Rs 499 each are currently available for sale on offline and online stores PTI MG RDS RDS

New Delhi Jan 27 PTI A new graphical bookIndias Women Unsung Heroes released on Thursday celebrates the lives of forgotten women freedom fighters who led the charge and lit the flame of protest and rebellion throughout the countryThe comic book published by Union Ministry of Culture in partnership with Amar Chitra Katha tells the stories of queens who battled colonial powers in the struggle against imperial rule and women who dedicated and even laid down their lives for the cause of the motherlandIt was released by Union Minsiter of State MoS for Culture Meenakshi Lekhi here at The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts IGNCAThe book is a fitting tribute to the forgotten heroes of our freedom struggle as it celebrates the lives of women who led d charge and lit the flame of rebellion throughout the country It contains stories of queens who battled imperialism dedicated their lives for Maa Bharati tweeted the ministerThe 20 women freedom fighters featuring in the book include names like Rani Abakka Velu Nachiyar Jhalkari Bai Matangini Hazra Gulab Kaur Chakali Ilamma Padmaja Naidu Bishni Devi Shah Durgawati Devi and Sucheta KripalaniAccording to the publishers the book brings to readers stories of women forgotten by time but whos contribution to our freedom movement can no longer be ignoredIn this 75th year of Indian independence we are proud to continue this journey of inspiring young minds by creating fresh books for todays generation of Indian readersWith this book specifically we are looking at the role women played in our freedom movement It celebrates the brave women who played crucial in shaping our proud nation said Preeti Vyas president and CEO Amar Chitra Katha PTI MG RB RB

Mumbai Dec 18 PTI Singer Benny Dayal with his band Funktuation Kamakshi Khanna and Raghav Meattle are among the artistes set to perform at the upcoming Mahindra Open Drive 2022 MOD a music-driven festival touted to celebrate arts and culture announced the organisers on SaturdayThe festival to be held on January 29 at Camp Max Kalote Mokashi village near Mumbai aims to bring diverse corners of the country closer by traveling to new destinations and bringing to life fresh curations of music and culture in each editionIn this first all new avatar the fest has set sights on unleashing the indie spirit of Western India via a rustic camping theme that combines music culture and adventure while bringing people together in the midst of nature to reconnect with itWe chose to bring the MOD festival at a time when many are looking for a way to get away from their homes and reconnect with the outside world especially nature At the heart of it the new edition of MOD is built to promote the culture of driving out which is why we chose January 29 the last Saturday of the month for the drive so that we can encourage as many people as possible to kick start 2022 on a refreshed and positive note said Jay Shah vice-president cultural outreach Mahindra Group in a statementThe day-long festival beginning at noon will witness multiple activities such as kayaking zip-lining archery and pottery and event line-ups while following all relevant social distancing and suggested safety protocolsIt will engage its audience in a musical revelry with a buzzing line-up of Indias much loved musicians such as Benny Dayal Funktuation ft The Hornflakes Taba Chake The Local Train Peter Cat Recording Co Voctronica Kamakshi Khanna and Raghav MeattleSurprise art and cultural activities will also be organized at the eventThe tickets for the festival are available from Rs 999 early bird to Rs 1499 general ticket per person PTI MG MAH MAH

New Delhi Nov 24 PTI In order to rein in surging tomato prices in the national capital Delhi Food and Civil Supplies Minister Imran Hussain on Wednesday ordered a crackdown against hoardersThe minister directed officials of his department to gather information about instances of hoarding and black marketing of tomatoes and initiate necessary action under the Essential Commodity Act if neededThe minister chaired a meeting to review the sudden and undue increase in the retail tomato prices in the markets It was attended by the commissioner of Food and Civil Supplies and the joint commissioner and senior officers of the intelligence team of the department among othersDuring the meeting Hussain issued directions to carry out intense inspections of wholesale markets including the Azadpur Mandi Okhla Mandi Ghazipur Mandi and the Keshopur Mandi and retail markets across DelhiThe Delhi government is keeping a close watch on the price trends of essential commodities and that wherever considered necessary the government will undertake market intervention for stabilisation of prices of essential commodities in Delhi said a statement quoting the ministerTomato is currently selling ta Rs 4425 per kilogram up from Rs 335 last month Adil Ahmad Khan chairman of the agricultural produce marketing committee of the Azadpur Mandi told PTI on TuesdayThe increase in prices is more glaring in the retail and online markets where customers are being charged anything between Rs 90 and Rs 108 for a kilogram of tomatoes PTI MG IJT

New Delhi Nov 22 PTI A new book Being Adivasi Existence Entitlements Exclusion explores the views of the Adivasis and the Denotified Communities on the process of development and its clash with their rightsPublished by Penguin Random House India PRHI the book was released on MondayThe seventh volume of Rethinking India series is a collection of essays addressing the persistent problems faced by Adivasis and Denotified communities from questions of their distinct identity land alienation indebtedness and displacement from ancestral landsIt is co-edited by the late Adivasi rights activist Abhay Xaxa who passed away due to a heart attack in March last year and veteran linguist GN DevyI would like to hope that it is received not just as a publication or academic exercise but as a prelude to the change that is now overdue a change that will bring to the Denotified and Nomadic communities at least some measure of justice and human rights that they expect to get as citizens of a democratic country and to Adivasis the understanding of their distinct identity writes Padma Shri awardee DevyDevy has also authored Painted Words 2003 a collection of literature of the Adivasis and the nomadic communitiesAccording to the publishers the volume serves not as an academic exercise but in addressing the larger readership as a prelude to the change that will bring to the Adivasis some measure of their rights as citizens of a democratic countryThe essays in the volume address the persistent problems faced by the Adivasis and Denotified Tribes from questions of their distinct identity to land alienation indebtedness and displacement from ancestral lands they said in a statementThe PRHIs Rethinking India series in collaboration with the Samruddha Bharat Foundation aims to breathe new life and spirit into the cold and self- serving logic of political and administrative processes linking them to and informing them by grass-roots realities fact-based research and social experience and actionable social-scientific knowledgeIts previous titles including Vision for a Nation The Minority Conundrum Reviving Jobs We the People and The Shudras have contributions from over 140 of Indias foremost academics activists and policymakers across party lines PTI MG MAH MAH

New Delhi Nov 22 PTI Blending traditional wisdom and the latest research a new book Sleeping Like a Baby released on Monday presents parents with a new approach to achieve longer naps and better night sleep for both caregiver and babyThe book published by Penguin Random House India PRHI is written by infant and child sleep specialist Himani Dalmia and journalist-author Neha Bhatt The books foreword is written by professor James McKenna of the Mother-Baby Behavioural Sleep LaboratoryTouted to be a ground-breaking book in the parenting space it serves as the ultimate bedside companion for parents packed with all the modern tools you need to build a stronger connection with your children and enable age-appropriate sleep for their optimum growthIndian children are among the most sleep-deprived in the world on average they barely clock 8 hours of sleep a night instead of the prescribed 1012 hours besides naps for younger childrenIn Sleeping Like a Baby weve tried to provide the answers to fix a broken system that puts tremendous pressure and stress on mothers babies caregivers to conform to unrealistic societal standards leading to disastrous physical and mental health consequences said Bhatt about the bookWith anecdotal insights deep research and practical tips in an Indian context it aims to empower parents to tune into their instincts and understand a childs cues so that bedtime battles cranky days and sleepless nights are a thing of the pastNot a memoir or loosely argued expert opinion the book as per publishers is packed with research while still being eminently readable and written at a high standard by two established writersAccording to Dalmia so far there is not a single Indian book on baby sleep and none of the international baby sleep books come close to communicating the unique humane biologically normal and effective formula we had discovered and developed to help babies and families sleep betterSleeping Like A Baby dives into research on baby sleep and presents several real-life case studies giving parents the tools they need to tune into their instincts and their babies cues to navigate these choppy waters with confidence and joy she added PTI MG MAH MAH

New Delhi Nov 19 PTI A new book Dear Men Masculinity and Modern Love in MeToo India shows how Indian men across ages navigate romantic relationships in a country that is still teetering on the cusp of modern and traditionalThe book published by Bloomsbury India is written by Delhi-based writer and content creator Prachi Gangwani It was released on Thursday a day before the International Mens Day -- which falls on November 19 every yearThe fight for gender equality is not a fight between men and women Its a fight against a system which oppresses and limits both the genders - all the genders In this book I explore what the patriarchy does to heterosexual men and how it impacts the way heterosexual men approach romantic relationships said Gangwani about her new bookIn post-MeToo India where the magnifying lens is on mens behaviour towards women I hope this book will shed some light on how men navigate this new landscape as well as how the system and culture we live in enables toxic masculinity she addedIn the book Gangwani acknowledges the huge cultural shift among men who now seem to be more gender neutral and how they dont see working women or sexually active women as an oddity -- at least on the surface -- but not without adding that theres still a long way to goIn just a few years there has been a huge cultural shift from men expecting their partners to prioritize home over work to now expecting their partner to have a job and contribute financially from men judging a womans character based on her sexual history to now well turning a blind eye to it she writes in the bookDirect often tongue-in-cheek accessible and engaging the book according to the publishers is an investigation of what sexual boundaries really mean to Indian men how they deal with online dating manage traditional gender roles talk about their mental health if they think romance is still relevant what marriage means to them and why they hurt the women they loveDear Men hopes to start an honest and open dialogue with Indian men about subjects that are becoming more and more relevant as movements like MeToo gain traction they said in a statement PTI MG MAH MAH

New Delhi Sep 22 PTI Azim Premji The Man Beyond the Billions by Sundeep Khanna and Getting Competitive A Practitioners Guide for India by RC Bhargava are among the five non-fiction books on contemporary Indian business that have made it to the shortlist of the third Gaja Capital Business Book Prize The shortlisted books announced on Tuesday comprise a diverse range of stories of business leaders entrepreneurial journeys and the spectre of leadership Other titles making the cut include Indian Icon A Cult called Royal Enfield by Amit Raj Overdraft Saving the Indian Saver by Urjit Patel and Yes Man The Untold Story of Rana Kapoor by Pavan C Lall According to the organisers these chronicles of Indian business stories are canonising the struggle and joys of entrepreneurship creating a repository of pioneers and their experiences A poet once said that the universe isnt made of atoms but stories The Gaja Capital Business Book Prize jury felt the shortlist this year has multiple stories of triumph and tragedy yet mostly reflects a new breed of confident ambitious and rising corporate India said Manish Sabharwal entrepreneur and chairman of the Gaja Capital Business Book Prize jury Instituted two years ago to encourage Indian entrepreneurs writers and journalists to tell their stories for the world the award offers a prize money of Rs 15 lakh -- making it the biggest book prize in the country to honour authors transforming the business ecosystem with their creativity The award in 2019 was won by Girish Kuber the author of The Tatas How a Family Built a Business and a Nation and by journalist Mihir Dalal for his debut book Big Billion Startup The Untold Flipkart Story in 2020 Business bookshelves are dominated by western stories of business and entrepreneurship As the Indian economy scales and the Indian entrepreneurial and investor ecosystem matures we will have many more stories and lessons for the world from India said Gopal Jain Managing Partner Gaja Capital As investors and entrepreneurs in the Indian market we have witnessed several such journeys first-hand We would like to make a small contribution in encouraging Indian writers journalists and entrepreneurs to tell our stories and tell them well for the world he added The 2021 winner will be announced on November 30 PTI MG TRS TRS