A Musical Celebration of the 93rd Birth Anniversary of Ravi Shankar
 
Chhandayan is one of the leading organizations of Indian music in North America. What makes us unique is not only the width of the area we have been serving, but also the depth and intensity with which we have maintained quality over the course of the last 18 years.

We have been very fortunate to be guided by some of the most prominent figures in the field of Indian music. Ravi Shankar was one of them, as a key member of our advisory board.   

While the entire world went mourning with his passing, we find more to be celebrated in his life and creation than to be mourned in his death. His music and compositions will keep enriching the world of music for times to come.
 
From Chhandayan, we have chosen the weekend of April 6th and 7th (April 7th being his birthday) to celebrate his 93rd birth anniversary with four concerts in our important locations in the USA and Canada.

We sincerely hope and expect you to join us in this celebration.

Click HERE for more information.

Adnan Sami, the Legend is BACK for in the Greater Toronto Area.

Musician, actor and composer Adnan Sami received his formal training in Indian classical music from the famous Santoor Maestro Pandit Shivkumar Sharma.

 

Specializing in Asian and Western styles and instrumentation, his career has spanned classical music (Indian and Western), jazz and modern pop-rock.

 

Currently he resides in Mumbai, India.

 

Tickets: $45- $125

 

Don't miss out on seeing this talented performer live in concert!

 

Click HERE for more information. 

 

This event is proudly sponsored by MyBindi.com.

 

Don't miss this dynamic duo work their magic on stage for this mega event!

Bring your friends and family and enjoy this unforgettable night.

Click HERE to purchase tickets.

Click HERE for more information.

inDANCE premieres I, Cyclops, a new international dance production in collaboration with Singapore's Bhaskar's Arts Academy at the 2013 CanAsian International Dance Festival.

Choreographer Hari Krishnan channels Balanchine's Jewels through his own tripolar dystopian universe. With exquisite dancers and master musicians from India, Singapore, Canada and the UK, this deliciously dangerous work catapults you between the mystical Siva's Third Eye and sexy James Marsden's cool, red shades in Hollywood's X-Men reboot.

 

I, Cyclops is a post-Modern pan-Asian, multimedia vision that spellbinds you in a dream of seductive eyes & Winnipeg snow; erotic poetry & red silk; marigolds & monsoons; girls' hips & boys' chests; fierce multi-armed Goddesses and hottie Super Heroes! Also on the same program are dance artists Susan Lee of Toronto and Joceylne Montpetit of Montreal

Tickets: $25 - $30

 

Click HERE for more information.

Love Inspired and Single in the City will be hosting their second South Asian - Canadian speed dating event. This inspirational speed dating event is for young professionals looking for a classy and fun way to meet other like-minded individuals.

The evening will be hosting by Love Inspired, where making meaningful connections is at the heart of their work. Single in the City is proud to host the event in collaboration with Love Inspired, and they both look forward to seeing you there.

 

If you are looking to meet young South Asian Canadian professionals, please ensure you sign up!

 

Ages: 25-35F / 27-37M

Tickets: $49.99 (receive $10 off when booking with a friend)

 

Click HERE to purchase your tickets. 

 

Click HERE to learn more about Love Inspired! You can also catch them on Rogers TV, talking about Love, Relationships, and Speed Dating by clicking HERE.

 

Thousands of children worldwide suffer from thalassemia, a genetic blood disorder that requires blood transfusions and chelation to reduce iron buildup in their blood.

Without treatment, the disorder can severely stunt growth, trapping sufferers in the bodies of children and causing a myriad of fatal illnesses.

With her second feature doc, Nimisha Mukerji tells the remarkable story of Indian activist Vinay Shetty as he battles poverty, parents' lack of education and the Kafkaesque bureaucracy of a broken medical system in modern India to save hundreds of these kids. The film focuses on the lives of 14-year-old Divya, whose mother believes drastic spiritual healing will be more effective than medical treatment, and Imram, a charmingly unstoppable 24-year-old wannabe rapper who looks 14 and works to support his siblings.

 

By turns comedic, tragic and above all courageous in the face of political indifference, this observational doc well deserved its VIFF Audience Choice award.  

 

Blood Relative will be screened at Hot Docs 2013 on the following days:

• Mon, Apr 29, 9PM at TIFF Bell Lightbox, Screen 3 
Buy Tickets
• Wed, May 1, 3:30 PM at Scotiabank Theatre, Screen 3 Buy Tickets 
• Fri, May 3, 1PM at TIFF Bell Lightbox, Screen 3 Buy Tickets 

Price: $14.60 per ticket 

 

Click HERE to see the complete line-up of South Asian films at Hot Docs 2013.

 

Click HERE to visit the Hot Docs Festival website.

 

ROM WILL BE DRAPED IN COLORS OF SOUTH ASIA!!

The Royal Ontario Museum and  Ethnic Marketing present the vibrant culture of South Asia in Toronto as never before! We call it 'RUNG' - Colors of a Living Culture.

April 2013 is National Poetry Month in Canada! Celebrate with the League of Canadian Poets, as they bring together poets from across the country.

Established in April 1998 by the League of Canadian Poets (LCP), National Poetry Month brings together schools, publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, libraries, and poets from across the country to celebrate poetry and its vital place in Canada's culture. The year 2013 marks the 15th anniversary of National Poetry Month in Canada.

Young Poets' Week runs April 8 - 14. Each year, the League of Canadian Poets invites Canadian youth to participate in its Jessamy Stursberg Poetry Contest for Canadian Youth.

 

Regina Mayor Michael Fougere challenges his fellow mayors in communities across Canada to have a local poet read a poem at the opening of their Council meetings in March or April.

The LCP will be announcing the shortlist for its 2013 Raymond Souster, Pat Lowther, Gerald Lampert Memorial Awards.

Click HERE to learn more about the League of Canadian Poets.

Nautanki Saala! movie is based on two characters named Ram Parmar (Ayushmann Khuranna) and Mandar Lele (Kunaal Roy Kapur). Ram Parmar is the quintessential good guy, and even if he plays the key role of Raavan in the popular stage play 'Raavan Leela', his values echo those of Ram. He is always ready to help people in need, often at the cost of his own comfort. One night as Ram Parmar is on his way to meet his long term girlfriend Chitra, he comes across Mandar Lele, who is distraught and lonely.

Click HERE to read more.

Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kunaal Roy Kapur, Pooja Salvi, Evelyn Sharma
Director: Rohan Sippy

Click HERE for more information, showtimes, and to purchase advance tickets online.
 

MyBindi is a proud promotional partner of Albion and Woodside Cinemas - delivering the best of Bollywood Cinema in the GTA!

Laughter Yoga Changed My Life (and Me)

Diseases like cancer come from repressed rage and diseases like diabetes come from repressed grief.  This is what my spiritual teacher said to a group of us in 2007.  It stayed with me for a long time, an ancient piece of wisdom that resonated with truth and with purpose.  

 

I also knew the remedy for both.

 

Click HERE to read more.

Desi Globetrotter, Parm Johal shares with readers her honeymoon in Thailand and why it is such a popular destination among Indian globetrotters.

Mexico, check. Hawaii, check. Cuba, check. Looking for a new destination with a mix of adventure, culture and sandy beaches for your honeymoon? Thailand is an amazing choice for an exciting, romantic get-away.

Click HERE to read more.



 April is National Poetry Month in Canada

death and destruction that follows you. You cannot
Click HERE to read more.

Motherhood full of contradiction: Nandita Das

Terming motherhood as a "contradiction" of life, actor-director Nandita Das said the happy stereotypical perception about motherhood is very different in reality.

 

Das was speaking at a book launch of an anthology "Of Mother and Other" at the Indian International Centre here.

 

"When I was pregnant, no one told me how many difficulties one actually has to face.

 

 

Click  HERE to learn more.

Cinema and sports, the two abiding loves of Indians all over, are intersecting as never before. If sports stars are turning actors and producers and providing creative fodder for Bollywood filmmakers, tinsel town is also doing its bit by pumping in money and providing glitz to various sports leagues.

Click  HERE to read more.

My New Favourite Healthy Beauty Product!

I have been on a hunt for the last year (literally!) to find, try AND like a moisturizer with SPF that is ranked as low risk, according to the Environmental Working Group's (EWG) Safe Sunscreen Guide, doesn't leave a whitish residue and feels and looks good on. Well, I searched high and low and I hadn't yet found one that fit all criteria....until now. I just purchased Juice Beauty's Tinted Mineral Moisturizer SPF 30 and it is by far the best on the market that I know of!

  

Founded in 1993 by the Documentary Organization of Canada, Hot Docs showcases and supports the work of Canadian and international documentary filmmakers and promotes excellence in documentary production.

Hot Docs - Canadian International Documentary Festival April 25 - May 5, 2013

Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival is North America's largest documentary festival, conference and market. Each year, the Festival presents a selection of more than 180 cutting-edge documentaries from Canada and around the globe.

   

Click HERE to visit the festival website.

 

Check out this year's line up of South Asian films at Hot Docs:

 

 

Menstrual Man
Some folks squirm at mention of a woman's period...not Arunachalam Muruganantham. Considered a madman and pervert by his community, he ignores his detractors and makes his dream-low-cost sanitary pads made by and for rural Indian women-a reality.

Salma
In South India, Tamil Muslim women are routinely shut off from the outside world after reaching puberty. After being married, some face similar isolation within the home. After 25 years of loneliness, Salma smuggles a book of her poetry out of the house. It quickly becomes a national sensation, resulting in local scandal and national attention.

Blood Brother
Rocky Braat's first trip to India was a journey of self-discovery. While there, he visited a care centre for women and children living with HIV and AIDS. It proved to be a life-transforming encounter. Despite never really liking children, Braat returns to Pittsburgh announcing he'll be moving to India to work at the centre.

Chi
Anyone who knows Babz Chula, a larger-than-life 63-year-old actress from Canada's West Coast, will tell you her life force-or chi-is hella strong. She easily convinces friend and director Anne Wheeler to join her on a trip to an ayurvedic clinic in India where she plans to undergo cancer treatments. The centre is less sophisticated than Babz anticipated, and she's very ill from her last round of chemotherapy but, after six weeks of treatments, introspection and laughs with Anne, Babz shows considerable improvement.

Feel The Butterfly
So far, Katarzyna has defied doctor predictions, and outlived their ALS death-sentence diagnosis by a decade. She's published a book, started a new romance and is busy producing her first play to raise funds for a trip to India in search of ayurvedic treatments. Katarzyna, a former model turned booker of models, is a stubborn, self-possessed and fiercely driven woman focused on a singular goal: cheating death.

Blood Relative - co-presented by MyBindi.com.
Thousands of children worldwide suffer from thalassemia, a genetic blood disorder that requires blood transfusions and chelation to reduce iron buildup in their blood. Without treatment, the disorder can severely stunt growth, trapping sufferers in the bodies of children and causing a myriad of fatal illnesses. With her second feature doc, Nimisha Mukerji tells the remarkable story of Indian activist Vinay Shetty as he battles poverty, parents' lack of education and the Kafkaesque bureaucracy of a broken medical system in modern India to save hundreds of these kids.

The Only Son
A Tibetan family from a remote Himalayan village is torn apart as poverty forces the parents to give up all but one of their children for adoption. Each child is growing up in an environment very different from their remote village, and they cannot imagine giving up the conveniences of a Westernized society. One day, Pema receives word that he's to return home to fulfill his duties as eldest son by caring for his parents and the land and marrying a girl from his village.

These Birds Walk
Driven out of their homes by poverty, abuse or neglect, runaway children in Karachi, Pakistan, have few safe havens from life on the city's streets. The Edhi Home and Ambulance Centre, however, accepts them all, providing shelter, food, schooling and an even rarer necessity-love. Some children are quickly collected by a tearful parent, while others instinctively know their stays will be indefinite.

Click HERE to read more.