Cuss words in Shayari and Ghazals

Gulzar will definitely strike the right chord with his great ghazals and shayari compositions but Sampooran Singh Kalra might not be a familiar name in poetry world.

StarBuzz Weekly, Toronto-Sep 27, 2011 - This veteran lyricist, poet and director and the man who penned the Oscar winning track Jai Ho, was in Ahmedabad to recite his shayaris to Urdu poetry lovers. Hours prior to the shayari session, Gulzar got chatty and was at his wittiest best when Ahmedabad Times caught up with him. We asked him how he liked Ahmedabad. Gulzar flashed a warm smile and said, "This is not my first visit here. I've come to Ahmedabad several times and am well-versed with the city. I've even written poems about this city." Interestingly, Gulzar is also busy, "translating two Gujarati poetry books."

What is it like penning songs in present day Bollywood films? Pat comes the reply, "If we write a song like Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki today, will it make any sense? You neither have aangan nor tulsi in most urban homes. The transformation of lyrics was inevitable. Besides when I write lyrics for a film, I get all minute details on the storyline, location, character, situation and characters' lingo - keeping all that in mind, I pen the song. I can't stick to yesteryear language as it won't have any relevance in contemporary films." So what does he feel about the usage of abusive words in lyrics which are quite a rage now? "What's wrong with using abusive words in songs? Cinema reflects society. Films have not invented such cuss words, they're used in daily life by people anyway. Just because a film uses them in a song doesn't mean those films are to be blamed for the usage of cuss words," he says.

Gulzar's directed various critically claimed films like Parichay, Koshish, Aandhi, Ijaazat, Maachis and Hu Tu Tu. What's keeping him from direction? "I feel film-making is too time consuming process and will leave me no time to focus on writing poetry or lyrics. Plus, I have developed a new attraction for theatre, so I'd like to focus my attention there," says Gulzar. Does he miss the people he has worked with? "Oh yes! I miss all the actresses I have worked with and miss Sanjeev Kumar, Vinod Mehra and Shammi Kapoor," he says.

Gulzar's works talk about the common man. How does he feel the pulse of the middleclass so well? He says, "I might be a celebrity today, but at every point of my life, I have to deal with a common man. And, don't forget I come from a middleclass background too!"

On a parting note, we can't help asking about his fascination for the crisp, pristine white kurta pyjama that's become his signature attire? He smiles disarmingly, "White's the colour I love."

http://www.shayarism.com

Markham Hosts Its First International Festival of Authors Touring Event

An evening featuring world-renowned authors
StarBuzz Weekly, Toronto-MARKHAM, ON, Sept 20, 2011 ~ Markham is thrilled to be chosen as the only location in York Region and one of two GTA locations to host the International Festival of Authors (IFOA) touring event on Friday October 21, 2011.  Markham, in partnership with the Markham Arts Council (MAC), will host an intimate evening where four award-winning and world-renowned authors: Shilpi Somaya Gowda, Dany Laferrière, Bharati Mukherjee, and Francisco Goldman will hold personal readings of their works in an interactive setting.

                                                            

This unique and very special evening will be held in the Transportation Building at Markham Museum.  It will be hosted by TVO’s producer and host of Saturday Night at the Movies, Thom Ernst.

For those wishing to attend, the programme allows for two distinct opportunities: 

1.    The Mayor’s Hour – Beginning at 6:15 pm join Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti for a catered personal meet and greet with the authors.  Only 100 tickets are available for this exclusive hour which is followed by authors’ readings. Tickets are $50.

2.    An Evening of Readings – Join us at 7:15 pm where each author with provide readings of their works and hold interactive session afterward.  There are only 140 general admission tickets available at a cost of only $10.

All tickets can be purchased through the Markham Arts Council by calling 905-947-9054 or by emailing helen@markhamartscouncil.com. The $10 tickets for the Readings only can also be purchased through the Markham Theatre box office or by calling 905-305-7469.

“We’re honoured to have been chosen as one of the host communities for the prestigious International Festival of Authors (IFOA) Ontario touring programme” said Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti. “This speaks to Markham’s cultural vibrancy and our reputation for embracing and celebrating local and national literary talent. We are grateful for the leadership and efforts of the Markham Arts Council for making the Markham IFOA event possible.”

“We’re very excited to be able to host an IFOA event in Markham” said MAC Board Chair, Celeste Pelliccione. “The community, both private and corporate has a long history of deep appreciation and strong support of the arts. The IFOA is a great literary event that’s perfectly suited for Markham, especially considering how the authors and their works are reflective of our own community’s diversity. I would like to acknowledge the time and energy the Executive Director of the Markham Arts Council, Helen Argiro, put forward to secure Markham as a host community for the IFOA."  

                                                                                               

The Markham Arts Council’s Board of Directors wishes to thank Mayor Frank Scarpitti, Regional Councillor Gordon Landon and Director of Culture John Ryerson for their enthusiastic support of the IFOA Markham event, along with Cathy Molloy, Museum Director at the Markham Museum for providing the Transportation Building as a venue.

TWO NEW CONTEMPORARY ART BOOKS FROM AWARD-WINNING ARTIST GARY TAXALI

StarBuzz Weekly, Toronto-Acclaimed artist releases two art monographs:

TORONTO, ON. – SEPTEMBER 8, 2011 – Internationally acclaimed artist Gary Taxali, whose art has appeared everywhere from prestigious galleries such as the Andy Warhol Museum, to the covers of magazines such as Newsweek or The New York Times is pleased to announce the release of his two new monographs:   “I Love You, Ok?” (published by teNeues) and “Mono Taxali” (published by 27_9). These are the first two comprehensive books on contemporary art to be released that span Taxali’s 20 year art career, and are a must have for any collector of contemporary art.  


“I Love You, Ok?” released last month, showcases one of illustration’s most original stars.  Inspired by vintage comics and period advertisements, Gary Taxali tweaks conventional styling and context to cast light on life’s constant paradoxes.  Life, love, consumer frenzy, or just that longing for something else – Taxali covers all the bases.   Creating vibrant images with consummate skill, his work is bold and evocative.  Whether adolescent obsessions or middle-aged angst, Taxali delves into the desires and preoccupations that make us human with his signature and distinctive pop culture style and iconography.

Taxali’s second monograph, “Mono Taxali” officially releasing September 27, 2011 contains many of Taxali’s fine artwork and is a vivid, timeless, nostalgic and a stunning pop culture homage for anyone who is a Taxali fan.  

The books are being released at a launch event at the Art Gallery of Ontario on Wed September 21, 2011 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., followed by a signing in Los Angeles at La Luz de Jesus Gallery on Saturday October 8 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

There will also be a private book signing at the Lady Gaga and Made In Polaroid Exhibit during New York Fashion Week at Phillips de Pury in New York on Wednesday September 14th at 6:30 pm where Gary will also be exhibiting some works which you can see here.

See the  AGO Art Matters Blog here for more info on the event.
For more information on Gary Taxali, go to www.garytaxali.com, www.taxali.com and www.taxalionline.com/blog. For interviews and review copies, please contact Vandana Taxali at vandanat@rogers.com or 416.865.0800

RSVP:  rsvp@garytaxali.com or via the Facebook Event Page.



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 “Gary Taxali is one of those rare artists whose work is immediately inviting and familiar, yet idiosyncratic and unmistakable …. The illustrations are beautiful both as images and fluid, abstract mark making...  Taxali’s fluid integration of both illustration and art, or illustration as art, is a testament to the strength of his vision” - Shepard Fairey
“His stuff has everything I like.  It's original, it's graphic, it has color and humor, it's personally symbolic in a way that is oddly relatable. .... There are a handful of people in my life who remind me of what art is really all about"  - Aimee Mann

“The attitude is lowbrow yet the work is highbrow ... We all know that pop culture is also fine art - and this is Gary's contribution to the fine art world" - Ferruccio Giromini

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About Gary Taxali:
Gary Taxali is an award-winning illustrator and fine artist.  Taxali is known for taking his unique characters, graphics, symbols and icons and intertwining them to produce works of fine art.  His signature pop culture works are infused with 1930s-style packaging, posters, typography and advertising with original and sophisticated characters and graphics onto distressed surfaces.  His unique retro style has appeared on the covers of Newsweek, and he has clients as diverse as Rolling Stone, GQ, Esquire, Warner Brothers, Sony, and The New York Times. He lives and works in Toronto, Canada. 

The Grange Prize 2011 Launch Party at Art Gallery of Ontario

StarBuzz Weekly, Toronto-

Time	Wednesday, September 7 · 7:00pm - 10:00pm
Location	Art Gallery of Ontario 317 Dundas Street West Toronto, ON

Canada's largest cash prize for photography launches on Wednesday, September 7 with a FREE late-night public launch party at the Art Gallery of Ontario.

All four shortlisted artists will be there, and the party will feature drinks, snacks and a set by DJ Jaime Sin, along with video interviews and live advocates highlighting each of the four extraordinary artists. You'll also have the chance to see the artists' work in person at The Grange Prize Exhibition and VOTE for your choice.

The Grange Prize 2011 shortlist will be announced August 30, the same day that voting launches online at www.thegrangeprize.com and in-person at the AGO. The artist who receives the most votes will be awarded the $50,000 prize at a gala reception on November 1.

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THE GRANGE PRIZE 2011 LAUNCH PARTY
Wednesday, September 7, 7 - 10 pm
In Walker Court and The Grange Prize Exhibition at the AGO
Cash bar, snacks, DJ Jamie Sin, The Grange Prize Exhibition preview
FREE

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ABOUT THE GRANGE PRIZE
A partnership between Aeroplan and the Art Gallery of Ontario, The Grange Prize is Canada’s largest cash prize for photography and the only major Canadian art prize whose winner is chosen by a public vote. Each year, The Grange Prize Nominating Jury selects a shortlist of four extraordinary photographic artists – two from Canada and two from a partner country. Their work goes on view at the AGO and online at thegrangeprize.com, and then it’s up to you to decide which photographer should win the $50,000 prize. 2011's partner country is India.

We Are More - Shane Koyczan

StarBuzz Weekly, Toronto-

Sampradaya after TAJ

Artistic Director Lata Pada in Conversation with Celebrity Cultural Critic Samita Nandy for StarBuzz

StarBuzz Weekly, Toronto-

The word ‘Sampradaya,’ for Artistic Director Lata Pada, represents the transmission of tradition.  Commissioned by Luminato for 2011 festival TAJ showcased Sampradaya Dance Creations’ distinct voice in Canada’s performing arts.

Lata Pada contends that the four sold out performances highlight the potential of this production to tour beyond its world premiere in Toronto in June 2011 at the Fleck Theatre of the Harbourfront Centre. A premiere is an opportunity to get the work ‘ on its feet’; preparing it for a remount is a wonderful chance to revisit the production, find deeper meaning, look at what worked and what did not, and how effectively all the elements came together. Sampradaya is now preparing to take the work across Canada and hopefully to India as well.

Currently, her company Sampradaya Dance Creations is doubling studio space.  It is acquiring the studio next to the existing one and is in full swing of reconstruction and enhancement of its facilities.  The new studio is a 7400 square foot facility.  Pada reveals that this will be a “performance hub of music, dance, and theatre for young South Asian performers – musicians, dancer, and actors – to find an opportunity for their art to be seen.”  Sampradaya Dance Creations will “mentor and guide emerging talent in their art.”

Lata Pada draws on rasa theory in Indian aesthetic studies and sheds light on the success of her performances.  For her, “the rasa [essence of aesthetic experience] is one that performer and audience member must participate in equally. It is that process of mutual and synergistic sharing that creates the magic of the moment. For any artist, that can translate into something quite transformative and ultimately needs to be the goal of any artistic communication.

The interplay of Lata Pada’s stagecraft and performances exemplifies this in her latest production TAJ.  Pada contends that “training, experience, maturity, personal connection to spoken words, scenes, sensitivity and vulnerability on stage” plays an emotional role in performance arts.  The tactile experience that you face then and experience on the stage is communicated to the audience.  The audience is brought into the space, the world of the play. During the world premiere of TAJ, the theatre and its stage were not large and, hence, created conditions for immediacy and proximity with actors Kabir Bedi and Lisa Ray.  Pada states that if the theatre was “bigger and larger, that would have distanced” the actors.  Instead, TAJ brought “proximity and synergistic relation between actors and audience.” At that time, Pada reveals, “you are not thinking star / celebrity on the stage.  Theatre is live, palpable, and ephemeral.  Every performance is different.  There can be flaws and no opportunities for retakes.  All actors recognize this.  If they have acted in films, they know the difference.”

Samita Nandy

To find out more about the upcoming performances of Sampradaya Dance Creations, please visit: http://www.sampradaya.ca/

Experiencing a dream vacation in the dream city of Stratford in Ontario.



Shakespearean Gardens in Stratford, Ontario



 Costume warehouse for theatre



Stratford Summer Music



City Hall, the architectural pleasure



StarBuzz Weekly, Toronto-Glorious sunshine of the summer and the beautiful lush green landscapes surrounding the Avon River welcomed us at Stratford,  Ontario.

All of us are familiar with Mary Poppins and her journey to a beautiful dreamland when she pops and goes inside a painting with some children.  It was the same experience arriving at Stratford which is one of the most beautiful parts of Ontario, nay, the world. I felt as if I also popped into the painting of Stratford.

 “Unofficial ambassadors of Stratford”

the Swans on Avon river 

Arts and theatre have always been my intense passions but after reaching there I realised that this city offered much more than just the theatre which was my prime focus for coming here.

Tango Cafe & Grill

My first destination was the sprawling Shakespearean Gardens on the river side with beautiful flower beds and gazebos. A bust of Shakespeare in the centre of the garden gives it a distinctive character. From here we walked to the famous ‘Festival Theatre” to watch the “Merry Wives of Windsor” by Shakespeare.  The walk along the river side was most relaxing with feeding the the “unofficial ambassadors of Stratford” the Swans and also the ducks. The feed is available at the information centre of Stratford tourism. Information centre is located right on the corner of the river with all the readily available information about Stratford and its activities.

"Merry Wives of Windsor" was a phenomenal experience not only from the point of view of acting, scripting and direction but also for its unique stage and stagecraft.  “Festival Theatre” happens to be the largest and the oldest one and is built up in the style of an amphitheatre.  Later, on a guided tour of the theatre, of its back stage and the stagecraft, our guide Kathy told us that no single seat in the theatre is a bad seat and the experience is great from every corner of the theatre. Is it not something very special?

A guided tour to the Costume warehouse was indeed a bonus. This gave us an insight and knowledge of one of the largest collections of props and costumes in North America, which are being catalogued now and are stored here.

The second play that we saw was “Grapes of Wrath” at Avon Theatre which is from one of my favourite authors, John Steinbeck.  Experience was again overwhelming and amazing. Again world class stagecraft was on display. Imagine, in one of the scenes a full actual river was on the stage in which characters even dove in. This city is offering some 12 plays this year spread over four theatres and would be on till the end of October.

City was also full of musical evenings in the gardens and on the riverside making our stay even more enjoyable.

The Church Restaurant

Another forth coming high light of Stratford is in September 24 & 25, 2011, which is the award winning 4th annual “Stratford Perth County Culinary Festival 2011”.  It would be just an ideal time to visit Stratford during this time. The festival includes a two-day outdoor Farmers and Artisans’ Market, Concerts in the park, an old-fashion Pork Roast, a Beer and Wine Pavilion, Children’s Area, Perth County BBQ’s, Stratford Chefs School Learning Centre, BBQ Blues and Brews on Saturday night, followed by the Savour Stratford Tasting on Sunday. It all happens in Stratford’s historic downtown shopping and garden district. 

The Church Restaurant



BEST WESTERN The Parlour Historic Inn & Suites



Stratford also offers many exotic eating joints catering to every taste and palate. There are two South Asian restaurants, Raja and Taj in down town offering South Asian Cuisine. I had memorable breakfast at Tango Cafe and Foster’s Inn. Foster’s Inn is also a exquisite place to stay and is located right in the heart of down town area and has about nine rooms . My dinner at The Church Restaurant was a unique experience. This restaurant has a huge capacity and also holds shows in the night. Another place that I would love to recommend for dining is “The Parlour”. The helpings are generous and sumptuous. It is one of the oldest in Stratford in a historical building and a favourite of both the visitors and the residents. Ambiance is out of a western saloon which is extremely pleasing. It also is a  2010 winner for overall design for best western hotel in North America. It is an excellent place to stay as well.  Another place I could recommend for dinner is Bijou, the culinary jem of Stratford which is inspired by the neighbourhood bistros of France.

I stayed at Festival Inn. Although it is little away from down town on Ontario Street but the rooms were very comfortable, convenient and stylish. The place had many amenities. I enjoyed a morning swim and dry sauna every day during my stay there before l left for down town for my sightseeing and theatres trips.

Victorian architecture in Stratford of some of the buildings is very fascinating specially the city hall and the Court House. These are visible from far as soon as you enter the city.

There is a chocolate trail in downtown area for all to enjoy and savour the tastes of locally made Chocolate Martini and Chocolate, Mint bath salts  and much more. It has been a huge hit, especially with women!  

Festival Inn

Every Sunday in front of the City hall ‘Slow Food Perth Country Market’ puts up their stalls for the promotion of locally made food and related items. I had a chance of meeting one of the well known potters Chris Lass of Wild Pottery here. She had showcased some fascinating pieces of pottery which were practical for day to day use as well.

Another thrilling part of this visit was meeting with one of the well known poets of Canada, Charles Mountford and his photographer wife Ruth Mountford and also knowing them personally. The couple lives in Stratford for past 30 years since the time they fell in love with this lovely city for its beauty. Since then this talented couple has contributed a lot to the art and cultural scene of Stratford in many ways.

The ever helpful and friendly staff of Stratford Tourism is a bonus in this  city.

It seems to me Stratford will become a regular destination for me every year from now on. This is for the revival and nurturing of my spirits. Also I would love to explore this city even more. It is just about 90 minutes away from Toronto by car. Who knows one day I may want to shift here with my bag and baggage and make it my home forever.

http://www.visitstratford.ca

By Meena Chopra