Author: Karina Pandya

  Often known as Mumbai’s very own ‘Varanasi’, Banganga Temple Tank at Walkeshwar is one of the oldest pilgrimage sites for devotes in the city. A sacred water tank, there is a lot of mythology surrounding the origin of this temple. As I reached the Walkeshwar Bus Depot, I wondered what was the story behind Banganga as I heard so much about it.  At the beginning of the walk, I met my guide from Khaki Tours and a middle-aged woman who would be accompanying me on the walk. As I looked all around me there were narrow and…

Previously an island with a mangrove swamp, inhabited by Koli fishermen; Dharavi’s history goes back to 1884 when the city saw a huge migration of people from rural areas to urban Mumbai.   Once known as the village of Koliwada, Dharavi is the third-largest slum in the world and the largest slum in Asia; Having an informal economy, Dharavi is home to mainly 4 industries, namely the leather industry, the pottery industry, the textile industry and recycling of plastic.   On 11th August, I made a trip here with a tour guide from Mumbai Dream Tours. On arriving there, it was…

     With over 1,200 tornadoes hitting the US every year, Oklahoma sits within the heart of Tornado valley, one of the world’s most tornado-prone areas with at least 59 tornadoes hitting every year. It is in fact known as the Tornado Capital of the World!    This is the setting the American disaster film, Twisters with six storm chasers – Daisy Edgar Jones (Kate Carter), Javi (Anthony Ramos), Addy (Kiernan Shipka), Praveen (Nik Dodani), and her boyfriend, Jeb (Daryl McCormack) in it.    Beading into a tornado, the team launches barrels of sodium polyacrylate in hopes of reducing the intensity of…

In an age where reaching new audiences is very important, Candlelight Concerts has found a winning formula for itself. Attracting people from all backgrounds, these concerts involve lighting up a venue with a huge amount of LED candles and having a group of talented musicians performing classical music. By making use of flameless candles, it is easy to turn on all the candles in unison. The Instagram Phenomenon Illuminates Indian Cities https://youtu.be/_UQNDyZF2Ac?si=RLW-E_sq9KhBKdT2 Present in over 100 cities across the world, candlelight concerts attracts more than 3 million attendees. Musicians perform on a raised platform in front of hundreds of…

     Being the seventh incarnation of NBC’s long-running- The Tonight Show Franchise, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon has been running from February 17, 2014 up till now ((July 2024). Its predecessors  include The Tonight Show hosted by six comedians:   1.     The Tonight Show Starring Steve Allen(1954–1957), 2.     The Tonight Show Starring Jack Paar (1957–1962),  3.     The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson(1962–1992), 4.     The Tonight Show Starring Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 2010–2014),  5.     The Tonight Show Starring Conan O’Brien (2009–2010) 6.     The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2014-Present)   Besides this there have been guest hosts on the show such as:   ·       Joey Bishop (177 times, mostly in the 1960s) ·       Joan Rivers (93, during the 1970s and 1980s) ·       John Davidson (87) ·       Bob Newhart…

In this thought-provoking film about the co-dependency of marriage, Revolutionary Road examines some very critical issues of marriage such as the conflict between our duties and desires, the dream of a suburban family life, the sudden drift apart between husband and wife post-marriage, the dreams a couple aspires to have upon the start of their marriage, their professional goals, infidelity and abortion. The romantic-drama film that was directed by Sam Mendes (British film and stage director, producer, and screenwriter) and Justin Haythe (American novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter) the film is based on the 1961 novel of the same name by Richard Yates ( American fiction writer).   The film…

    “Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self.” – The Bhagavad Gita     From Vinyasa yoga, Iyengar yoga, Hatha yoga, Kundalini yoga, Bikram yoga., Ashtanga yoga, Restorative yoga and Yin Yoga; yoga is a physically challenging practice or a meditative and relaxing experience.    Working on the level of one’s body, mind, emotion and energy, yoga is also classified into karma yoga, where we utilise the body; bhakti yoga, where we utilise the emotions; gyana yoga, where we utilise the mind and intellect; and kriya yoga, where we utilise the energy.   Yoga is…

 “It is with this love from afar, this practical love; where we can each prosper; a heart that beats slowly; a heart that beats with purpose… my sensible heart.” An extract that has been taken from Henry Copper’s book, an unusually traditional and uptight British author who is restricted when it comes to passion in his novels. Mexican director and writer ‘Analeine Cal y Mayor’s’ film ‘The Book of Love’ was produced by Michael Knowles, Naysun Alae-Carew, Allan Niblo, Richard Alan Reid, Nick Spicer and Maxime Cottray. Starring  Sam Claflin and Verónica Echegui in the lead roles as Henry and Maria, there are also other…

Right from lavish weddings such as Kate Middleton to Prince William, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal, Lady Diana Spencer to Prince Charles; Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’ lavish wedding is next to join the bandwagon of the most expensive weddings in the world!   While the wedding venue was Jio World Convention Center in Mumbai some of the pre-wedding festivities hosted tech billionaires Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. At an estimated amount of USD 1 billion +, the Ambani’s have roped in every possible superstar right from Rihanna (who was…

How would you react if you found out that your mother was having an affair with your self-absorbed and heedless boss? Zara (Joey King), a young 24-year-old finds herself in a dilemma as she is underappreciated by her boss – who happens to also be a famous Hollywood star, Chris Cole (Zac Effron); but also finds out that her mother is having a secret affair with him. Although Chris had initially visited her house to offer her a position as an assistant producer, shortly after…