Monsoon Chic
The collection ‘ Rain essentials ‘ by Ashima Sharma doesn’t feature bling like the signature style of the brand as it’s meant to rock the Pret looks of the urban divas. This collection is sure to make heads turn by it’s chic appeal and the floral prints that work best for the resort wear looks.
The enthusiasm in women entrepreneurs to upgrade their IT skills for their business development was evident at the recent MoU signing ceremony of FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) with NIIT Foundation. The objective of the MoU is to design and conduct training programmes, exclusively for the women entrepreneurs, professionals and potential entrepreneurs. Besides the members, the MoU will also cover training programmes for underprivileged women.
The formal signing of the MoU took place at FICCI between the FLO President, Harjinder Kaur Talwar and Mr Vijay K. Thadani, Co-Founder and Managing Director of NIIT.
According to the MoU, FLO & NIIT Foundation will take workshops to enhance the entrepreneurial skills of women entrepreneurs through digital, financial literacy & IT skills to bring technology inclusion in their work and generating new entrepreneurial ideas. These workshops will be organised pan India across four zones – East, West, North and South and all 16 chapters of FLO. As a key initiative for the underprivileged women, NIIT Foundation will be imparting skill courses in IT/ITES focussing on building IT skills and job readiness training leading to employability.
Harjinder Kaur Talwar, President FLO said, “In the current digital age, subsistence for any individual is next to impossible without digital literacy. At the same time, management of finances is crucial for any individual. Be it your daily life or your business, these are two primary necessities. NIIT Foundation has been in the forefront positively impacting the underprivileged of the country through its education and skilling initiatives leading to employability since 2004.” 
She added, “FLO believes that the resources and strengths of women need to be channelized, to help their full potential. Therefore, looks at holistic development of women. We also believe that it is mandatory to activate the participation of women in the development process of the nation. In this process, training and development presents prime opportunity to expand the knowledge base. It also prepares women in all stages of their businesses and careers and aligns to the most relevant competencies.”
With this MoU, FLO and NIIT Foundation aims at providing the members with new skillsets and help them hone their existing ones. The training programmes for the underprivileged girls aim to train these girls in industry aligned courses so that they are employed post completion of the training and generate livelihoods for themselves and uplift their family income.
KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THE TRAINING PROGRAMMES:
FENDI pays homage to Karl Lagerfeld and strengthens once again its deep and long-lasting bond with Rome, choosing its hometown for the presentation of the Couture Fall/Winter 2019-2020 show. The Collection, named “The Dawn of Romanity” will showcase 54 looks – number dedicated to the years of tenure of Karl Lagerfeld at the Maison – embodying unparalleled tradition and new creative horizons. In the Eternal City, on July 4, 2019, the Roman Luxury House will stage an extraordinary event at the Palatine Hill, where the legendary foundation of the city is located.
On this occasion FENDI celebrates its relationship with the Eternal City and renews its commitment by supporting and executing the restoration and enhancement work aimed at the protection and fruition of the Temple of Venus and Rome, financed by the Maison for € 2.5 million. It is the love for its city that has brought FENDI to continue its commitment to patronage initiatives, which started in 2013 with the restoration of the Trevi Fountain – completed in 2015 – and the Fendi for Fountains project, which also includes the restoration of the complex of the “Four Fountains” and the restoration and preservation of the fountains del Gianicolo, del Mosè, del Ninfeo del Pincio and del Peschiera, which started earlier this month.The relationship between FENDI and the world of art and culture is a historical link that has lasted since 1925, when Edoardo and Adele Fendi founded the luxury House in Rome. A relationship made of values such as innovation, tradition, know-how, creativity, Italianness, which over the years has been constantly strengthened thanks to projects of patronage and numerous partnerships aimed at supporting and exporting Italian art and culture in the world, its excellence and its talents.
“Bringing our couture to Rome is the best way to celebrate Karl Lagerfeld, FENDI and its city, a unique opportunity to express our roots, bold creativity and the highest savoir faire, which have always been part of the House’s DNA. The Palatino Hill is a magical place, perfectly representing the values of FENDI, its tradition and its history. I am also very proud of the restoration of the Temple of Venus and Rome, thus continuing to support cultural heritage, not only of Rome and Italy, but of the whole world,” says Serge Brunschwig, Chairman and CEO of FENDI.
“Emotion and Art represent an inseparable combination of culture in all its expressions. Through this event we reach a very high moment of synthesis of Italian identity focused on the charm and beauty of places and monuments that dialogue harmoniously with contemporary creativity, of which the FENDI represents one of the main excellence”, states Alfonsina Russo, Director of the Colosseum Archaeological Park and continues,”Thanks to FENDI, the largest known temple of ancient Rome, dedicated to Rome Aeterna and Venus Felix, will be returned to its former glory.”
On July 20, 1969, half a billion viewers around the world watched as the Apollo 11 mission beamed back to earth the first television footage of American astronauts on the moon. This groundbreaking moment dramatically influenced the history of images and expanded the bounds of human perception. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents visual representations of the moon from the dawn of photography through the present in the exhibition Apollo’s Muse: The Moon in the Age of Photography. On view through September 22, the show features more than 170 photographs together with a selection of related drawings, prints, paintings, films, video art, astronomical instruments, and cameras used by Apollo astronauts.
The exhibition is made possible by OMEGA.
Additional support is provided by the Enterprise Holdings Endowment and The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation.
“The moon has long been a nearly universal source of fascination and inspiration,” said Max Hollein, Director of The Met. “This exhibition shows us how photography introduced new dimensions to its documentation and interpretation, and explores the tremendous impact that the 1969 moon landing had on artists of the time—the lasting effects of which still resonate today.”
Apollo’s Muse traces the progress of astronomical photography and attempts to produce ever-sharper images of the moon, particularly during the 130-year period between the invention of photography in 1839 and the moon landing in 1969 as astronomers and artists capitalized on technological improvements to cameras and telescopes to create ever more accurate visual records of the lunar surface. Exhibition highlights include two newly discovered lunar daguerreotypes from the 1840s, believed to be the earliest existing photographs of the moon, and works by such pioneers of lunar photography as Warren De La Rue (1815–1889), Lewis Morris Rutherfurd (1816–1892), and John Adams Whipple (1822–1891). A stunning photographic atlas of the moon, produced at the Paris Observatory between 1894 and 1908 by the astronomers Maurice Loewy (1833–1907) and Pierre Puiseux (1855–1928), is on display for the first time in its entirety.
Alongside these scientific achievements, the show explores the use of the camera to create fanciful depictions of space travel and life on the moon, including George Méliès’s (1861–1938) original drawings for his film A Trip to the Moon (Le Voyage dans la lune, 1902) and a large selection of “paper moon” studio portraits from the early 20th century. Also featured art artists’ evocations of the otherworldly effects of moonlight, including major works by German Romantic painter Caspar David Friedrich (1774-1840) and American Pictorialist photographer Edward Steichen (1879-1973).
Advances in rocket science and the Cold War space race of the 1960s ushered in a new phase of lunar exploration. The exhibition features stunning photographs captured by early lunar expeditions sent by the Soviet and American space programs, culminating in the crewed missions of the Apollo program. The final section of the show focuses on art created in the wake of the 1969 Moon landing through the present day, including works by Nancy Graves (1940–1995), Aleksandra Mir (born 1967), Nam June Paik (1932–2006), and Robert Rauschenberg (1925–2008).
Apollo’s Muse: The Moon in the Age of Photography is organized by Mia Fineman, Curator in the Department of Photographs, with contributions by Beth Saunders, Curator and Head of Special Collections and Gallery, Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery, University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
The exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue with essays by the curators and an introduction by Tom Hanks, a lifelong space enthusiast who has celebrated the legacy of Project Apollo as both an actor and documentary film producer.
The catalogue is made possible by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Related Programs
The exhibition is accompanied by a variety of education programs, including Art and Space, a week-long art-making workshop in the galleries, led by artist Jessica Houston (July 8-12, 11–4 pm daily). Career Lab—Apollo’s Muse: Art and Space will invite teens to explore careers in the arts with creative professionals as part of the Museum’s Career Labs program (July 12, 5–6:30 pm). As part of The Met’s a Conversations With… series, exhibition curator, Mia Fineman, and research assistant, Virgnia McBride, will lead short conversations about and works in the exhibition in the Apollo’s Muse galleries (July 12, 6:30–8:30 pm). MetFridays—Moon Gazing with the Amateur Astronomers Association of New York will offer visitors the chance to observe and explore the summer sky with the Amateur Astronomers Association of New York and telescopes will be provided for a guided viewing from the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden (July 12, 6:30–8:30 pm). To coincide with the exhibition, the ETHEL and Friends Balcony Bar music series will invite Australian cabaret performer Kim David Smith, with music direction by Tracy Stark, to present an intimate evening of performances inspired by the moon, celestial bodies, and lunar landscapes (July 27, 5–8 pm).
Education programs are made possible by Celestron.
The exhibition is featured on The Met website, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter via the hashtag #MetApollosMuse.
Neil Armstrong (American, 1930–2012). Astronaut Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. Walks on the Surface of the Moon, Apollo 11, July 16-24 1969 (detail), 1969, printed later. Dye transfer print, 16 1/8 x 16 3/8 in. (41 x 41.6 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Alfred Stieglitz Society Gifts, 2017
John Adams Whipple, (American, 1822–1891), James Wallace Black, (American, 1825–1896), The Moon, 1857–60. Salted paper print from glass negative, 8 7⁄16 x 6 5⁄16 in. (21.4 x 16 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Robert O. Dougan Collection, Gift of Warner Communications Inc., 1981
Garry Winogrand, (American, 1928–1984), Apollo 11 Moon Shot, Cape Kennedy, Florida, 1969. Gelatin silver print, 10 ¾ x 15 ⅞ in. (27.3 x 40.4 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Purchase, Vital Projects Fund Inc. Gift, through Joyceand Robert Menschel, 2014 © The Estate of Garry Winogrand, courtesy Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco
Recreation of old classic songs has never been a very safe or easy thing to opt for as, the time has witnessed, most of the time, the recreations are criticized massively by the audience. This is probably because people find a strange nostalgia with the old classics.
Delhi based new-age singer Suryaveer, who is especially famous for his song recreations, like ‘Yaara Teri Yaari’, ‘Mere Rang Mein’, ‘Ek Ajnabi’, ‘Tere Dar Par’, ‘Papa Kehte Hain’ and many more, has opened up against the recent comments of Baba Sehgal where the later has thrashed the Bollywood industry calling it “Copywood.”
In a Tweet on last Sunday, Baba has said that the recreation of old songs in Bollywood is an inevitable proof that Bollywood is left with no more creativity and original talent resulting in the outcome of ‘sad and pathetic’ songs.
Raising his voice against Baba’s allegation, Suryaveer has said, “In a democratic country, nobody can dictate what we wear, eat, listen to, create or sing. It’s our very fundamental right to experiment with music that we like. Yes, of course, the output becomes pathetic if someone recreates classic songs for the sake of it, but we, who do it for the love of the classics, really value this music. And I believe that the recreation of music is more important so that we can present the old songs to the people with the new music arrangement, otherwise, those golden hits will eventually be forgotten. So, it’s kind of our duty to keep those classic gems alive among the audience”.
Suryaveer is certainly among one of those very few people who have got fame by recreating classic gems of Bollywood, as the singer’s remakes receive millions of views even without any umbrella of big brands.
Needless to say that everybody has the right to express his or her views on a certain genre of art forms and the people practicing it and of course, counter logic will keep on coming. However, the spirit of an art form, the spirit of continuous experimentation shouldn’t get suppressed under this turmoil.
Spring/Summer 2019 collection ‘Shangri-La’
Paramita Satpathy
Paramita Satpathy belongs to the second generation of modern fiction writers in Odia. In her career spanning three decades, she has carved out a niche for herself with seven short story collections and threenovesl to her credit. Several of her works have been translated into books in Hindi and English. This work is a collection of 14 short stories written by her that have been selected from four different Odia books to depict the range and diversity of her creative output. Paramita is a civil servant and presently works as Commissioner of Income tax in Delhi.
Eminent poet & critic K. Satchidanandan launched the book ‘Colours of Loneliness and other Stories’ written by Sahitya Academy Award winning author Paramita Satpathyat Lecture Room-2, India International Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi recently.The book is a collection of stories by the author, translated from Odia by Snehaprava Das. The title has been published by the Oxford University Press (OUP) and is available across major bookstores in India, and online. The author spoke about the book in a candid conversation with Chandrahaas Choudhary at this launch, while also actively interacting with the discerning audience. Shivangi Sharma of OUP welcomed the guests and AbhishekTripathy conducted the program for the evening. The stories in this collection straddle many layers of human experience.. Some stories even deplore the evils of a social system like sexual abuse of children, dowry deaths female foeticide while others protest the crude invasion of urbanization into the peaceful territory of nature.Thus , it was a houseful event attended by known names in the field of literature, art and government.
Rugged, cool, casual and yet classy! Actor Abhishivam Rishi paid rich glowing tributes to legendary cult and awe inspiring filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, whose new film ‘Once upon a time in Hollywood’ starring Brad Pitt and Leonardo diCaprio releases soon. The photoshoot done by Abhishivam Rishi can be termed as ‘outrageous, disoriented and yet brilliant’ – the same words that reviewers had used for the film after its preview showing at Cannes. The bright and bold colours of the attired donned by Abhishivam Rishi for the shoot also reflect his vibrancy, energy and enthusiasm in front of the camera. Like Tarantino and his superstars, Abhishivam is multi-talented and versatile – be it action hero or loverboy or comedy. Abhishivam transforms himself into the various hues and shades of the character. With an awesome sculpted body that many would die for, Abhishivam portrays a plethora of expressions and emotions while essaying his role. He is comfortable doing retro roles as well as being a modern-day metrosexual! With his unique sense of humour and macho muscular looks, true blue Punjabi boy Abhishivam is a paisa vasool entertainer combining the best of the Khans and the Kapoors. Watch this space,
