Great Indian Gin Guide: With 8 launches in the offing, could previously typecast spirit be the tonic for these times?
The spate of gin launches in India aims to change preconceived notions about the spirit, widen its audience, give them a range to choose from and in the process, find their own gin identity.
Tanishq ad backlash strips India's veneer of pluralism, propped up by television, film programming of decades past
What exactly has the Tanishq controversy revealed that wasn’t already in practice in India?
SP Balasubrahmanyam was a lesson in decoding tradition while keeping with the times
He may have voiced a music teacher in Sankarabharnam and a dancer in Salangai Oli, but inadvertently, SPB set me on a path that traversed Indian and Western music.
AR Rahman's revelation about 'gangs' working against him adds legitimacy to recent claims about Bollywood
AR Rahman knows that if there’s anyone who can attest to the struggles of an outsider, or the complicated, insular workings of the Hindi film industry, it’s him.
Amid row over Indian Performing Rights Society's flawed tariff plan, opportunity to rebuild live entertainment scene
One must credit the IPRS for kickstarting this conversation and setting the ball rolling for the Indian Live Entertainment Scene 2.0.
Reeling under COVID-19 impact, India's live events giants mull future approach for audience changed by pandemic
In 2019, the live events market in India was valued at Rs 8,300 crores. It was estimated to reach Rs 12,200 crores by 2022. Between January-April 2020, however, the industry was found to have incurred losses worth Rs 40,000 crores, and the numbers have only risen since then
From Led Zeppelin's Celebration Day to #MetallicaMondays, the best COVID-19 relief fundraisers by musicians online
As live performances continue being shelved, several artists and bands have taken to the internet to organise fundraisers by giving us free access to some of their most memorable performances.
Adnan Sami Padma Award row: Timing of honour, when musician's prime is long past, reduces him to sycophancy
Adnan Sami was once known as being an incredibly talented musician. But his most prolific work was too brief and far behind him currently. By awarding him the Padma Shri now and making it seem like popular opinion, the government has reduced him to a sycophant.
U2 in India: Band's message of equality, accountability felt timely and resonant, but Mumbai gig lacked soul
While the runup to the concert has meant enduring repeated U2 puns and jokes on needing a visa for Nerul, that the tour was to be a celebration of the band’s greatest selling album and one of the world’s best-selling ones The Joshua Tree, made it all worth it.
A new book chronicles the role of the man who ensured atrocities of Jallianwala Bagh massacre are known
Sir C Sankaran Nair's book Gandhi and Anarchy presented an unfiltered view about Jallianwala Bagh, which earned the ire of Michael O’Dwyer, the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, who sued him. Today, we know of the extent of the atrocities because of the subsequent court case, the reportage it received and the light it shed on the Empire’s shoddy handling of the massacre
Mahesh Dattani-Avantika Shankar's Dance Me To The End Of Love underscores universality of relationships
Of his newest play, Dance Me to the End of Love, Mahesh Dattani says, “From the old-fashioned way of meeting people to swiping right to an algorithm that matches you, every age has a different springboard... for pursuing a relationship or not. Yet there’s a timelessness to the emotions we’re dealing with."
Inside the Taiwan time machine: Experiencing spirituality, architecture in a young country steeped in legacy
Taiwan’s geographical, historical and cultural lineage coupled with its unique political landscape gives it a distinct identity. As we made our way through the stunningly picturesque West coast, from Taipei to Taichung and then Kaohsiung, we soaked in the local flavours and understood why Taiwan is the enduring gem that the world of travellers is yet to discover.
Grammys 2019: Many deserving artists won top honours — but what about the music?
For its tone-deaf treatment of women artists last year, the Grammys this year stepped up with 15 artists being nominated across the four major categories: Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Best New Artist
Falguni Shah on her Grammy-nominated children’s album Falu’s Bazaar, cultural identity, life lessons from her music teachers
Musically rich and deceptively simple, Falu’s Bazaar blends powerful musicality with unfussy wisdom and tops it off with an easy-listening experience.
Harmonica player Rohan Singhal — the youngest artist ever to perform at Mahindra Blues — on his influences, performances across the globe
When Rohan Singhal takes the Mahindra Blues stage over 9 and 10 February this year, he will be the youngest artist to have ever performed at the coveted festival.
Emil and the Detectives: Director Andy Packer on adapting the classic children's tale for the stage
Even 90 years after Erich Kastner’s novella for children Emil and the Detectives caught the world’s attention, the story still finds resonance with youngsters globally.
Koffee with Karan — Why do guests get all the flak for their answers while the host remains unscathed?
Why are we more accommodating towards Karan Johar and offended by Hardik Pandya?
Virat Kohli's churlishness, and our justification of it, is a testament to how little Indians value good behaviour
Virat Kohli, in fact, is only representative of what we’re increasingly becoming. A world so full of itself, so quick to be offended, so swift to judge, so lacking in grace and overcompensating with confidence, so insular that the idea of The Other is repulsive because it somehow dilutes our understanding of ourselves.
Shubha Mudgal on OML's #MeToo row, NH7 Weekender concert: 'What is needed is a clean-up, not a closing down'
Shubha Mudgal asks, 'Would a closure of the company or companies like OML, or a complete closedown of events like NH7 Weekender be the solution to the almost all-pervasive problem of women being exploited in workplaces?'
Bohemian Rhapsody movie review: Rami Malek is outstanding in a shoddy patchwork of Freddie Mercury's life events
Bohemian Rhapsody feels like listening to a 'Greatest Hits' compilation instead of experiencing the band’s discography from within.