Musings

Today I saw Moscow Opera's Anna Karenina Musical on my smartphone, courtesy British Council online library of which I am a member. I have read the iconic novel 'Anna Karenina' by Leo Tolstoy, perhaps the most famous novel in the world. So, naturally, I was in a position to appreciate the musical better. Still, I don't have words to express how beautiful it was. Not only was the music awesome, but the lyrics (libretto), even with subtitles, were quite brilliant. So were the performances of one and all. It is a herculean task to present the 800-1000 page novel in just over two hours. But it was achieved with great team work, coordination and class. The screens and lights were used brilliantly to create the effect of a railway train. Above all, the musical was successful in bringing out the incredible passion of love, the suffering, drama and emotions in the story with stunning music and performance of actors. It was over two hours of pure magic which is impossible to forg...

I read an article with this title written by Tara Westover in a recent edition of the weekly "The New Yorker" dated 24th February 2025. It has come under the head "Personal history". The article has the above picture of a sari clad woman at the start. The obvious Indian connection attracted me to the article and I started reading it. The story goes thus :- The author is a graduate student at the University of Cambridge in USA. She has formed a close friendship with a student named Sukrit. She has come against the wishes of her father who stays in Idaho and is not on speaking terms with her. She carries the hurt with her all the time and the bitterness sometimes spills into her conversation with her fellow students. Sukrit is aware of her pain. He suggests that she visit his mother in Delhi for a few days. She finds it absurd initially but later on agrees. Sukrit's mother, Satbir Bedi, is a divorcee. But she is also a high ranking government officer enjoying all ...

We saw this film at a morning show today as we could not get good seats over the weekend. The film is based on the life of Sambhaji Maharaj, elder son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and covers the period after the death of Shivaji. It is based on a marathi novel of the same title authored by Shivaji Sawant. It chiefly depicts the ferocious battles waged between the mughals led by their ruler Aurangjeb and the marathas led by Sambhaji. Vicky Kaushal has given a standout performance in the lead role of Sambhaji. He has brought out the valour, the immense physical and mental strength and the pride of Sambhaji quite brilliantly. Akshay Khanna has played the cunning, cruel and fanatic ruler Aurangjeb with maturity and elan. Rashmika plays Yesubai, wife of Sambhaji, called Shri Sakhi in the movie, with an expressive face. Ashutosh Rana has played Hambirrao Mohite, Chief captain of Sambhaji's army, with expertise. Diana Penty plays the role of Aurangjeb's daughter, Divya Dutta appears...

वीणा गवाणकर यांनी हे गोल्डा मेयरचे चरित्र लिहिले तेव्हा त्यांचे वय ७५च्या आसपास होते. हीच मोठी कौतुकाची बाब. इस्रायलच्या ह्या उत्तुंग व्यक्तीमत्वाबद्दल संशोधन करून, कागदपत्रे तपासून व उपलब्ध सर्व माहितीचे संकलन करून, संबंधित पुस्तकांचे वाचन करून त्यांनी या अतिशय वाचनीय पुस्तकाची निर्मिती केली आहे. अमेरिकेत आपल्या कुटुंबाबरोबर वास्तव्य करणारी गोल्डा, तिचे प्रखर राष्ट्रप्रेम, त्यासाठी वाटेल तितके कष्ट घ्यायची तयारी, राष्ट्रनिर्मितीच्या ध्येयासाठी अमेरिका सोडून मध्यपूर्वेत पॅलेस्टीनमध्ये येणे, प्रतिकूल परिस्थितींना तोंड देत राष्ट्रनिर्मितीच्या चळवळीत सामील होणे, पुरूषांच्या प्रभावळीत स्वयंतेजाने तळपणे हा सर्व प्रवास पुस्तकात वीणा गवाणकरांनी क्रमवार व कौशल्याने टिपला आहे. या बरोबरच गोल्डाचे व्यक्तीगत, कौटुंबिक जीवन, पतीशी मनाने दूर जाणे व वेगळे राहणे, तिच्या प्रकृतीच्या वारंवार त्रास देणार्‍या तक्रारी यांच्यावरही प्रकाश टाकायला लेखिका विसरल्या नाहीयेत. इस्रायल राष्ट्राचे निर्माते बेन गुरियाॅन यांची निष्ठावंत, उजवा हात बनून राष्ट्राची निर्मिती झाल्यावर राष्ट्र उभारणीसाठी गोल्डा वारंवार अमेर...