Deep Impact

Indian diaspora is not a new phenomenon. Not very surprisingly, a number of dishes and drinks quintessential to India have become popular across the globe. Most prominently, butter chicken, tea, Dosa, Rasam and a number of others. However, I feel chai tops the charts when it comes to popularity. In other countries, like UK or even USA or others, there are probably these set patterns and times of having tea. The most common being black tea, with a couple of specific accompaniments. In India, though, there is no set time and pattern to having it. From 1 am in the morning to 12 midnight, you can have tea anytime and no one will be staring wide-eyed at you. We are quintessential ‘chai’ lovers. Whether you go to a government office or a private office, any time during the office hours, you will find someone or the other sipping a cuppa. You would see vendors with make shift tables and kettles serving only tea between 6 am to 9 am on the roads. The sight of these roadside tea ve

One of the entries at the 17 th Pune International Film Festival (10 th January - 17 th January 2019), in the Global Cinema Section, was the Turkish drama, Sibel. Set in a secluded village in Turkey’s Black Sea region, this is the story of Sibel. A 25-year old mute girl, she communicates through an ancestral whistle language. Rejected by the villagers, she is driven by a single motive, to hunt down a wolf on the prowl. Its existence has sparked rumours and fear among the villagers. Killing the wolf is important for her as she believes it will make the villagers accept her. Things happen rapidly when she is ambushed by a fugitive while trying to hunt down the wolf. Sibel takes care of the man, who is hurt and has nowhere to go. She is oblivious to the fact that he is a wanted fugitive. He sees her in a completely different light than others. For the first time perhaps in her life, she feels wanted and cared for and becomes aware of her sexuality. Things take a downturn when suspi