Author: Karina Pandya

  Have you ever had a task to perform, but all you felt like doing was brushing it aside?    If you are like most of us, then you must have engaged in the most commonly termed association of procrastination or simply put ‘escapism’. Escapism is a tendency to seek any form of distraction from certain realities.    Delaying or putting something off is just what procrastination is all about. Suppose I have some spare time and I have to go to the gym today but I choose to put the gym off till tomorrow, it’s a simple yet excellent…

Around 10 % of India’s population depends solely on homoeopathy, i.e. over 100 million people. Depend solely on homoeopathy for their healthcare. Having almost a quarter of a million registered homoeopathic doctors, India has more homoeopathic doctors than any other country in the world.     Being a practising homoeopathy doctor since 2000, Dr Ravi Doctor (Waghela) has a specialisation in integrative and palliative oncology. While he mainly operates out of his clinic in Colaba (RD Holistic Wellness Clinic), he is also attached to the Department of Complementary and Alternative Medicine of Saifee Hospital and Masina Hospital, which are leading super speciality…

  Written and directed by Sofia Alvarez who is known for having directed films such as To All The Boys I’ve Loved and To All The Boys: PS I Love You, Along For The Ride is her directorial debut that was also based on the novel Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen.    It was released in May 2022. Starring Emma Pasarow as Auden, Belmont Cameli as Eli, Kate Bosworth as Heidi (Auden’s mother-in-law), Dermot Mulroney (as Robert – Auden’s father) and Andie MacDowell as Victoria (Auden’s mother), Auden decides to spend a carefree summer with her father and mother in law before she joins college.    Life…

  Imagine never having met your biological mother but living your whole life as if everything was normal.   Enter Mia (Virginia Gardner) and Kyle  (Alex Aiono), a young 18-year-old girl who ages out of the foster care system and a boy -depressed high school senior).   Not only does she stumble across this boy as he climbs a cliff and seems ready to jump but she also distracts him by crying for help. Somehow in a matter of no time, she convinces his parents to allow her to go on a trip with him to Spain!    Known for his films…

    Adityanama, a book which covers the life of Aditya Puri was published on 24th February by Anita Puri, Aditya’s wife. It is the emotional journey that these two individuals shared that inspired Anita to unveil the person behind the persona of the banker.   Anita (Smiley) Puri is known to have pursued a diploma in Travel & Tourism, after which she went on to work for Japan Airlines and Kuwait Airways.   It is a delightful read taking the reader on an extraordinary journey. The ace banker, Aditya Puri is no new name in the field of banking and…

Although this film was released ON Netflix in 2017, I just got a chance to stumble across this witty yet charming coming-of-age drama, The Incredible Jessica James. Directed by American screenwriter and film director – James Strouse who is well known for his films such as Love Again, Lonesome Jim and Grace is Gone, Strouse has also written this film as well.   Starring Jessica Williams in the lead as Jessica James who is well known for her roles in Crying in Public, Delivery Man and People Places and Things, Jessica has surely outdone herself in her highly charismatic…

  An incident of coming across a homeless and mentally ill woman in distress on the road in front of her college in Chennai paved the route for Vandana Gopikumar to establish one of the leading NGOs in the field of mental health – The Banyan. While she was yet a Master’s student of Social Work, Vandana along with a close friend Vaishnavi Jayakumar encountered several other incidents of not being able to find the right shelter and mental institution for a woman in need of medical and psychiatric attention.    The Banyan, which was established in 1993 has been…

  Beginning her career as a journalist when she was merely a student, Menka Shivdasani has certainly made a mark on the literary world with her poetry books such as Nirvana At Ten Rupees (1990), Stet (2001), Safe House (2015) and finally Frazil (2018). She has also been a powerful voice in the development of a woman and poet in the ever-evolving Indian society.     At the mere age of 16, she went to Nissim Ezekiel’s office to seek advice from the founding father of post-independence Indian anglophone poetry. She has grown to be one of the finest poets and artists alongside Ranjit Hoskote, Anju Makhija, Jerry Pinto, Vijay…

Having written and directed many acclaimed films such as Taare Zameen Par, Stanley Ka Dabba, Haw Hawai, Saina and  Sniff, Amole Gupte is also an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, painter, child-rights activist and singer.Some of the acting roles he is well known for are in Holi, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander, Kaminey, Phas Gaye Re Obama, Urmi, Stanley Ka Dabba, Bheja Fry 2, Singham Returns, Ek Tara, Sniff and Mumbai Saga.He has won numerous awards for his writing and filmmaking skills and acting skills. He is also a social media activist and has been working with children for over 15 years.…

  Having spearheaded as the Head of the Social Communications Media Department, at Sophia Polytechnic, Mumbai from 1986 – 2013 Jeroo Mulla has carved a niche for herself in the world of film and photography.  At Sophia Polytechnic, she has taught film appreciation, photography, the Fundamental Concepts of Communication and supervised the creation of student documentaries.  She was also the first recipient of the Professor Satish Bahadur Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Contribution to Film Studies in South Asia at the Alpaviram Film Festival at the National Institute of Design, (N.I.D.)Ahmedabad. Currently,…