Learn Music With Dedication

S. Sowmya is a popular and widely travelled Carnatic vocalist. She is a disciple of Sangita Kalanidhi Dr. S. Ramanathan as well as Smt. T. Muktha, of the legendary Brinda-Muktha duo. Sowmya is a double postgraduate (Master’s in Chemistry as well as Indian Music) and was a top-ranked scholar at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, and the University of Madras. She discontinued her doctoral research program at IIT to concentrate on her music. S.Sowmya, talks about the qualities she expects in her students, what she has learnt from her revered Gurus and many more interesting aspects concerning music. Catch the conversation here.

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Making Learning Fun with Stories

Geeta Ramanujam, a recipient of the Ashoka Fellowship, Washington, USA, is the Founder Trustee and Executive Director of Kathalaya Trust, a centre established with the intention of reviving the ancient art of storytelling and using it in schools as a cultural tool in education. Kathalaya does storytelling sessions and workshops for schools as well as empowerment programmes for teachers. Kathalaya’s Academy of Storytelling, which is affiliated to International Storytelling Centre, Jonesborough, Tennessee, USA, has two centers in India: one each in Bangalore and Chennai, and offers short-term and long-term certificate courses in storytelling. In this interview, she talks about how she began using stories as a teaching aid and why stories are very relevant in education and de-stressing.

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Little Lessons from Life

Sathya Saran was, till recently, the creator and editor of ME, a monthly magazine from DNA. Earlier, Sathya was the editor of the popular women’s magazine, Femina, and was also on the Board of governors of the NIFT. She is currently Adjutant Professor at NIFT, Mumbai, where she teaches Fashion Journalism. She has authored a book of short stories, ‘Night Train and other Stories’ as well as a biography, ’10 years with Guru Dutt: Abrar Alvi’s Journey’. Her latest book, ‘From Me to You’, which is a selection of her writings over the years, has been published by Westland. Sathya Saran talks about the people she has met and the lessons that she has learnt from life over the years.

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Arts More Crucial Than Ever

Dr.Anita Ratnam is a classical and contemporary dancer and choreographer. She is also the founder director of Arangham Trust, a cultural foundation that seeks to explore, enrich and promote the performing and visual arts of India and to contemporize the rich tapestry of Indian creativity for modern audiences. A Ph.D. in Women’s Studies, Anita lectures in various universities and museums overseas. She talks about the qualities and lessons she has learnt from her Gurus, what she drives as a Performance Mentor in her students and the relevance of arts in a highly mechanized world. Excerpts from the interview.

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On Indian English Literature : Anita Nair

Anita Nair is the author of the bestsellers ‘The Better Man’, ‘Ladies Coupe’ and ‘Mistress’. She has also authored a non-fiction collection ‘Goodnight and God Bless’ published by Penguin in 2008. This interview is part of a series of interviews done with specialists in different fields relevant to India. I spoke to Anita Nair about Indian Writing in English.

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On Indian Cinema : Hariharan Krishnan

Hariharan Krishnan is Director, L.V. Prasad Film & TV Academy, Chennai, where he also heads the department of direction. Hariharan, who is a graduate from FTII Pune, is the director of the National Award winning Tamil film, ‘Ezhavadhu Manidhan’. He also has many documentaries, children’s films and short features to his credit. Hariharan is a visiting faculty member at the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai and at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. This interview is part of a series of interviews done with specialists in different fields relevant to India. I spoke to Hariharan Krishnan on Indian cinema.

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On Indian Mythology : Devdutt Pattanaik

Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik is a medical doctor by education. Mythology is his passion. He is the author of the popular books ‘Myth = Mithya : A Handbook of Indian Mythology’ and ‘Book of Ram’, both published by Penguin India. His columns also appear in different magazines and newspapers. This interview is part of a series of interviews done with specialists in different fields relevant to India. I spoke to Devdutt Pattanaik on Indian mythology.

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