Interview with Mayor of Houston Annise Parker
May 18, 2010 Political, Talking Points
Houston Correspondent Ruchi Mukherjee caught up with Mayor of Houston Annise Parker at a Rotary Club of Houston Skyline event.
In this interview Ms Parker expressed her views on the recent bomb incident in Times Square, New York, in light of minority groups in Houston; about the contributions of the South Asian community, and on a personal note about her pet loss.
Tags: Annise Parker, mayor
In Conversation with Pico Iyer
Sep 11, 2009 Discussion, Talking Points
Event: Meet Author Pico Iyer
Venue: Westin Galleria, Houston, Texas
Asia Society Texas Center hosted an event to meet and discuss internationally acclaimed writer Pico Iyer and his book The Open Road: The Global Journey of the fourteenth Dalai Lama. Pico Iyer, a frequent contributor to the New Yorker, Time Magazine and the New York Times, is a well respected travel writer.
Tags: Asia
Festivals of India | Holi
Apr 10, 2009 Life Bytes, Religious, Talking Points
India is a land of varied cultures and traditions and with that comes the celebration of various festivals. Be it Holi, Diwali or Dusherra, festivals play a vital role in India.
Lights Camera Action (LCA) host Ruchi M takes a tour with Deepak Kotecha, author of Hindus Awake!, to learn more about the festivals of India. While living abroad far from India, celebrating these festivals and keeping the culture and traditions alive might be challenging but LCA hopes this series of ‘Festivals of India’ will help our viewers understand better.
In our first episode we start with the spring favorite, festival of colors -- ‘Holi’.
Talking Points | Slumdog Millionaire
Feb 6, 2009 Bollywood, Talking Points
Hollywood film Slumdog Millionaire’s recent success sparked controversies and debates amongst people around the globe. Americans loved it while some Indians raised eyebrows.
Before the movie walks the red carpet of the 2009 Oscars Awards, Lights Camera Action hosted a discussion with a panel consisting of a diverse group from the world of cinema, art, education, and journalism.
Watch the three part show (31:40), and feel free to leave your opinion in the comments section.
Tags: Bollywood, Discussion, Slumdog Millionaire, Talking Points
Talking Points | What is the future of India?
Dec 15, 2008 Talking Points
In continuation with the Mumbai attacks that stirred anger and a helplessness not just amoungst Indians living in India but NRIs voiced out too.
Feature/News Journalist Ruchi M hosted a talk show at the waterwall in Houston, Texas to get some reactions.
Rohit Vyas’s Corner
Aug 26, 2008 Talking Points
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An Encounter With The Bachchans
This has been a dramatically busy summer in the Indian American community, with religious observances, association banquets, conventions, musical extravaganzas, star-studded presentations of every hue and color and, of course parades around the country observed in honor of India’s Independence Day.
In the midst of this whirlwind activity came two dramatic reunions for me that brought the past, the present, the future and all of life and its intricacies onto one delightful page.
A couple of weeks ago, in the midst of the “Unforgettable” tour headlined by super star Amitabh Bachchan I happened to stop by a hotel bar for a drink at the invitation of a friend who runs the well-known midtown Manhattan establishment.
Approximately 10 minutes into our conversation about the world I felt a tap on my left shoulder. I turned around to be greeted by a tall, handsome, grinning Abhishekh Bachchan who says “Hello, Rohit. How’ve you been?” I’ve known Abhishek when he was
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Festive Talk
Aug 20, 2008 Talking Points
Lets Talk About Janmastami
Deepak N. Kotecha, an Optometrist by training and a devout Hindu.
I am delighted to share my thoughts briefly on Janmashtami, These can also be found in my new book ‘Hindus Awake’.
Janmashtami is celebrated by Hindus worldwide as the ‘birth’ of Lord Krishna. On the surface, Shri Krishna descends to alleviate the pain and suffering of His devotees and to re-establish dharam and righteousness by eliminating evil forces in society, the so-called “asurs” such as Maharaj Kans.
The deeper significance of Janmashtami is that Shri Krishna really needs to be manifested in our heart to help us root out the evils within us that has emerged from our attachment to Maya, or material creation. These ‘demons’ such as moha (attraction and attachment), kamnas and vasnas (desires for material gratification) lobha (greed), and so on are extremely
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Jim’s Corner
Aug 18, 2008 Talking Points
A MOVING IMAGE OF HOUSTON
As a native Californian born in Hollywood, I have surprised myself in recent years by become a big fan of Houston. What most impresses me, aside from the city’s congeniality, climate, greenery and good food, is its diversity. Not long ago The Economist magazine declared Houston to be the most diverse city in the U.S. The fact that at one time the city was far from diverse is a testament to Houston’s willingness to change, learn and grow.
Another thing I love is the city’s enormous potential. Collectively Houstonians seem to believe anything is possible. As one involved professionally in the theater film world for many years, I have come to believe Houston could be an ideal place for making films. Houston has bright, creative people, tremendous energy, unlimited resources, and, once again, diversity. What interests me most is encouraging the production of quality films that celebrate diversity; exploring ways to fund worthwhile film projects; and most importantly in designing a new and realistic model for distributing films.
Perhaps Ruchi’s blog can become a forum for discussing these possibilities. What do you think?
Talking With Waheeda Rehman
Aug 6, 2008 Talking Points
Waheeda Rehman brings nostalgic memories of India cinema. In October 2004 a retrospective of her films was held in Sealtle University.
While boarding the flight together Ruchi spoke to the Chaudhvi Ka Chaand, Waheeda Rehman, who was accompanied by her twenty something daughter Kashvi in Seattle.
From shooting, public speaking to charity work. How do you manage to do all that?
Well! I am lucky to being able to do all that. (Smiles)! A healthy mind and body is very important to execute all activities, so in spite of a busy
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Talking With Actor Rahul Bose
Aug 6, 2008 Talking Points
Just before Bose was heading out for his date that was auctioned at the Pratham 2008 gala Ruchi M hunt him down at his Westin Galleria suite for an interview.
Dressed in all black with gelled hair, Rahul looked quite charming as he does in his reel life characters. Not so thrilled about his thousand dollar date, Rahul stretched his legs on the ottoman proceeding with his interview, which turned out to be quite intriguing as we talked about dating, love, and sex.
His journey as an actor started on stage and he got his first break in English August. Having done some impressive and butt naked roles Rahul now is looking forward to acting in an action movie.
The 40 year old actor’s sole dream in life is to
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Model/Actress Pooja Batra Talking
Aug 6, 2008 Talking Points
International woman’s day is the day that women carved out to celebrate their accomplishments, their contributions and their potential. The Day has come to be observed around the world as a joyful celebration of all that women bring to the society. I know its way past woman’s day but I really feel strongly about the plight of the child labor in India particularly the girl child.
These include, the labor of silk and silk saris, beedi (hand-rolled cigarettes), silver jewelry, synthetic gemstones, leather products, hand-woven wool carpets, and precious gemstones and diamonds. Services where girl child labor is prevalent include prostitution, Human trafficking, begging, Bonded sex slaves, small restaurants, truck stops and tea shop services, and domestic servitude. I hope the government takes child labor really seriously and makes means to eradicate it completely. I wish i could conjure it away.
