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“Golden” Moment of K Pop

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“Golden” Moment for K Pop 🎼 K-pop has been many things over the past decade—viral, fashionable, unstoppable—but now it has something that even its most ardent fans quietly waited for: validation from the most traditional gatekeeper of global entertainment. With “Golden” from The Demon taking home the Academy Award for Best Original Song, K-pop hasn’t just knocked on the door—it has walked onto the stage, taken a bow, and claimed its seat at the table. For years, the global rise of Korean pop music felt like a phenomenon happening parallel to the Western establishment, not fully absorbed into it. Songs like Gangnam Style by PSY broke the internet, while BTS and BLACKPINK rewrote chart histories. Yet, there remained a subtle sense that K-pop was still being measured against Western benchmarks rather than redefining them. “Golden” changes that narrative. What makes this moment particularly significant is not just the award itself, but what it represents: the recognition of a system. K-p...
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Deliberations on Global Internet Governance in Mumbai; ICANN Community Forum Concludes

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  Deliberations on Global Internet Governance in Mumbai; ICANN Community Forum Concludes By Pradeep Gupta, Mumbai Mumbai recently became a focal point for important discussions on global internet governance when the five-day Community Forum of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) concluded at the Jio World Centre. The event was held in Mumbai’s emerging business district, Bandra Kurla Complex. The international conference brought together internet policymakers, technical experts, industry representatives, members of civil society, and academics from around the world. Together, they contribute to building and managing the global system on which billions of internet users rely today. For a vast network that stretches across borders, platforms like this are essential—spaces where dialogue can take place between technical issues, public policy, and innovation. ICANN plays a distinctive role in the global digital ecosystem. The organization coordinates key e...
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सड़क से लेकर पाँच तारा संस्कृति तक ग़ज़लों का सफ़र ….

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 सड़क से लेकर पाँच तारा संस्कृति तक ग़ज़लों का सफ़र …. कल वर्ली के फोर सीज़न्स होटल के बैंक्वेट हाल में हिंदी ग़ज़ल न सिर्फ़ दिखाई दी बल्कि सुनाई भी दी . इसे साहित्य की छोटी मोटी घटना मान कर अनदेखा नहीं किया जाना चाहिए.  बिरला परिवार शीर्ष व्यवसायी तो  है  ही साथ ही  इसका स्वतन्त्रता   आंदोलन से लेकर धर्म, संस्कृति और शिक्षा के क्षेत्र में भी  बड़ा योगदान है. उसी क्रम में सुश्री राजश्री बिरला ने एक अध्याय साहित्य का भी जोड़ दिया है और अपने अध्यापक और हिंदी के जानेमाने ग़ज़लकार नंदलाल पाठक के नाम से साहित्यकारों के सम्मान और पुरस्कार का सिलसिला शुरू किया है , इस  बार  उनकी  संस्था ने ग़ज़ल कुम्भ के प्रणेता और अमरोहा की सरज़मीं पर जन्मे दीक्षित दनकोरी और चेन्नई में कार्यरत युवा ग़ज़लकार अभिषेक सिंह को सम्मान  और  पाँच लाख और एक लाख की नगद राशि भी प्रदान की . इस आयोजन की एक खूबी ये थी कि देश की व्यावसायिक राजधानी में साहित्य की आभा बिखेरने वाले रचनाकारों से हाल खचाखच भरा हुआ था. सामान्यत साहित्यिक आयोजन में पचास लोग आने से कार्यक्...
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DJ Swapnil Spins Mumbai’s Skyline at Four Seasons Rooftop Bar

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 High Fidelity: DJ Swapnil Spins Mumbai’s Skyline at Four Seasons Rooftop Bar -Pradeep Gupta  Mumbai’s skyline is an instrument in itself — full of rhythm, pace, and unexpected harmonies. Few places capture that interplay between city and sound as vividly as the Rooftop Bar at the Four Seasons Hotel, Worli, where glass, sea, and sky merge into one sweeping, cinematic panorama. Perched high above the bustle, the bar offers a 270-degree view of South Mumbai — from the glinting towers of Lower Parel to the endless shimmer of the Arabian Sea. As dusk settles, the skyline becomes a canvas of gold and violet, and that’s when DJ Swapnil steps in to score the moment. For regulars, young Swapnil is not just the man behind the console — he’s the curator of moods. His playlists often blur the line between nostalgia and now, seamlessly weaving retro favourites with house music that feels both cosmopolitan and timeless. “A good set should breathe with the room,” he says. “You play to the p...
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An afternoon date with Raw Food Thali …

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An afternoon date with Raw Food Thali …. Kailash Jhunjhunwala runs a unique Kitchen in Pravasi Industrial Estate, Goregaon East , where the Thali served consists only raw ingredients . It is tasty, healthy packed with minerals, vitamins and all essentials needed for an healthy body. We enjoyed this Thali Food today , my friend Dev Mani Pandey and K P Saxena were also a part of this unique experience. We had Green Juice followed by mixed Salad marinated with thick  Nariyal milk, Dahi Pakodi - Pakodi made with Poha and grated Dodhi , Dahi made with Soyamilk, Chutney made with Nariyal paste, crushed ground nuts and a dash of jaggery, veg rolls made with poha decorated with sesame seeds. It followed with Sweet Potato Halwa. Kailash Ji himself followed similar diet and fought successfully many cronic ailments. He was there and explained why we need to eat  raw food that  consists of uncooked, unprocessed, and mostly plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and s...
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लुप्त प्राय होती क्राप : देसी अमियाँ

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देसी अमियाँ बहुत कम बची हैं  आज से यही कोई पचास साठ वर्ष पूर्व गर्मियां आते आते पूरा सब्ज़ी बाज़ार देसी अमियों से पट जाता था , दशहरी, लंगड़ा, सफ़ेदा, चौसा , फजरी, बम्बइया आते थे लेकिन आम आदमी का फ़ोकस देसी अमियों पर होता था, जो मजा दो तीन  अमियों को  चूसने  में  आता  था  उसका  अंदाज़ा आज माज़ा आम के  टेट्रा पैक से आधा  सिंथेटिक  आधा  पल्प से  बना  जूस पीने वालों को नहीं हो सकता है. हापुस , दशहरी, केशर उगाने से जो मोटा मुनाफा होता है उसके चलते आम की यह बेहतरीन वैरायटी लगभग एक्सटिंट होने के कगार पर पहुँच चुकी है. भारत में आम के इतिहास को बात करें तो  यह बहुत पुराना है. अंदाज़ा यह  है  कि तकरीबन 5000 साल पहले यहाँ आम उगाए गए थे. ये  आज़  की  लुप्त प्राय होती  देसी  वैरायटी ही  रही  थी . इसके बाद कलम से  नई किस्में  विकसित  हुईं . प्राचीन  ट्रेड  रूट  से धीरे-धीरे आम एक जगह से दूसरी , दूसरी से  तीसरी जगह पहुंचते गए. 300-400 ईस्वी में आम ए...
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The Art of Empathy: Vyacheslav Guz on the Power of Documentary Filmmaking

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-Pradeep  Gupta  Vyacheslav Guz, acclaimed producer at RT Documentary, recently visited Mumbai where he conducted a compelling masterclass on documentary filmmaking at the Russian Cultural Centre. The event offered a rare opportunity to gain insights from a seasoned storyteller whose work delves deeply into the emotional and political complexities of contemporary society. I was a part of the event, Guz emphasized that a truly impactful documentary should engage the viewer not just intellectually, but emotionally. “A good documentary,” he remarked, “is like chewing gum for the mind—it keeps the audience engaged, constantly processing what they’re seeing and hearing.” According to him, the emotional core of any strong documentary is conflict. Whether internal—such as a protagonist’s personal struggle—or external, like the tension between an individual and societal forces, conflict drives narrative and compels the audience to care. One of Guz’s most thought-provoking points was t...
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