Small Talk

Cosmic dance
Well-known Bharatnatyam dancer Shashikala Ravi lit up the stage at Amritanjali Dance Studio on July 11 with her hour-long classical performance. Later,her DVD – Dance of Shiva – was released by Kathak and Odissi dancer Yogini Gandhi,who was the chief guest at the event. “Dance of Shiva is an exploration of some of the cosmic dances of Lord Shiva. It comprises details on when,where and why these dances were performed and also includes a study of some of the images of Lord Shiva representing the cosmic dances from the book Shiva Thandavangal,” explained Shashikala,founder-director of Amritanjali School of Bharatnatyam. Eminent Bharatnatyam dancer Sucheta Chaphekar was also present at the programme.

The new tourist destination
Maharashtra’s unexplored facets will be showcased to the world through a special event – Asa Ha Maharashtra – planned by Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) and Off beat Destinations,a travel company. Asa Ha Maharashtra,a celebration of the fiftieth year of the formation of Maharashtra as a separate state,will highlight culture,architecture,literature,art and politics of the state via a special tour that will commence on November 11 and conclude on December 4. The tour will be divided into two batches,both of which will kickstart from Pune. Places included in the tour are Raigad,Chikhalgaon,Ganpatiphule,Aravali,Kolhapur,Solapur,Nanded,Nagpur,Satara,Auranagabad,and Ahmednagar.

An education
The Lila Poonawalla Foundation,which is in its fifteenth year of functioning,has taken up the responsibility to fulfill the dreams of 27 girls from the city. The foundation will support these girls by awarding them scholarships for undergraduate programmes in the engineering stream. More than 150 applications were received out of which,66 girls were short listed. Finally,27 girls have been selected in various streams of engineering – computers,electronics and communication,mechanical,IT,electrical,robotics,production engineering,civil,and instrumentation and control engineering. LPF will support these girls financially and will also conduct special programmes,both technical and in soft skills development. They will also be mentored by the foundation for the four years of their education.