This World NGO Day, CWATY Launches Out Of Home Adoption Movement– OOHA

Urges everyone to come together and support OOHA, a solution based animal welfare movement to co-exist with innocent animals

 

27th February 2021, Mumbai: Today on World NGO day, CWATY, the world’s first digital animal influencer, in association with Nargis Dutt Foundation, Sparsh Trust, Make Earth Green Again MEGA Foundation and Cowin launches the animal welfare movement – OOHA (Out Of Home Adoption) a solution based animal welfare movement for human beings and Indian street animals to coexist with love and care.

 

Pledging their support with CEP (Celebrating Excellence in Philanthropy), a not-for-profit event IP, where senior and upcoming philanthropists are honoured based on their contribution and dedication shown towards making a better tomorrow, the day marked the announcement of the second edition of the event CEP 2.0 as well.

 

Speaking on the occasion, Priya Dutt, a popular social activist and politician, who believes in the cause of humanity for all said “Animal welfare to me is coexistence and respect of all living beings on earth and the environment.” She is the daughter of Legendary actors Sunil and Nargis Dutt, and sister to actor Sanjay Dutt. “Earth is our habitat. In ours, I don't mean only humans. It is also for the animals, the birds and every being living and coexisting.” She is also the co-founder of Nargis Dutt Memorial Charitable Trust (NDMCT) which was started in memory of her mother, Nargis Dutt. “To all the people out there, welfare is not what you do for others in need, but for yourself! It makes you happy and gives you inner peace that you were able to make a difference. So make yourself happy by bringing that change around you,” she added.

 

According to CWATY, Coexistence and equality is the essence of life. “I believe in the concept of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ a philosophy that inculcates an understanding that the world is one family and we are all part of one life energy. We can do this by simply imbibing the practice of sharing and exchanging good energies in every aspect of our lives. For me, animal welfare is a way of life and I aim to raise donations and do good throughout my immortal life by becoming the biggest celebrity influencer for the cause. And to achieve this, I need your support to do the OOHA to coexist because, after all, it is a world for all.” CWATY has been brought to life by Jagrat Desai – a writer – philantropreneur who is also the founder of the CWAT app, a platform that donates 100 per cent of net profits to NGOs of the users’ choice.

 

Maharshi Dave, one of the founding members of Sparsh Trust commented, “I believe in any cause that helps spread Smiles and encourages sharing, be it animals, humans or environment!” He is a renowned activist who has done more than his bit for humanitarian and animal welfare! He adds, “For me, animal welfare is the purest form of sharing. My take on Co-Existence is the realization that we Humans are a creation of Mother Nature, just like millions of other creatures.” He cannot stress enough on the need to respect and realize that our own existence depends on healthy coexistence! “Or as they say, ‘To take less, to share more’!”

 

Philanthropist Anusha Srinivasan Iyer, and founder of Make Earth Green Again MEGA Foundation, an egalitarian Earth organisation that has been working towards leaving green footprints besides taking care of more than 200 rescue animals in their very own Pawsitive Farm Sanctuary as well at other  rescue homes, is excited. "The OOHA movement, the brainchild of Jagrat Desai, is a breath of fresh air needed for our street animals. Such initiatives do not just help animals. They help restore humanity, and that is the much-needed quality in such pandemic moments," she reasons, adding that CEP is again an amazingly empowering initiative.”

 

Alet Viegas is the founder of a Canadian Not-for-profit, Collective Win that delivers social impact projects through strong partnerships with NGOs across the globe. We firmly believe in the need for improved animal welfare & our communities to co-exist with them, especially since animals do not have a voice & typically ignored in our everyday life. Whether you are fighting inequality, eliminating poverty, or protecting our planet - your organization’s impact is vital. The Collective Win Initiative empowers community leaders, locally & globally to create the future they want. We believe creative problem-solving is best when it involves a diverse group of people. That's why we bring leaders together from all walks of life through our community hubs and partnerships. Today, our partnership with CWATY & participation in CEP 2.0 aims to bring attention & act on problems that can deliver impact through OOHA initiatives.

 

In a bid to inspire and urge people to help street animals in and around the neighbourhood, OOHA strives to change the mindset of the people to adopt animal welfare behaviour in their day to day life while CEP strives to bridge the gap between givers and doers.

A Star Studded Launch For Hariharan & Bickram Ghosh’s Ishq – Songs Of Love!

Composer Bickram Ghosh and singer Hariharan have teamed up to bring to audiences myriad shades of Ishq, the much needed emotion post pandemic. With music by Maestro Bickram Ghosh and set to vocals by Legendary playback singer Hariharan, Ishq – Song Of Love features music video directed by Arindam Sil and lyrics by Sugata Guha. It features Abhisek Mallick on the Sitar and, interestingly, features Bickram Ghosh himself for live percussion and Tabla.

Known for critically acclaimed hits like Chants Of India with Ravi Shankar and George Harrison, The Music Room with Sonu Nigam, Pulsating Drums with Zakir Hussain and Taufiq Qureshi, and several other iconic tracks with Pandit Ravi Shankar, Bickram Ghosh – arguably one of the greatest Tabla exponents of all times and the composer of Ishq, talks about the album. “The idea of love changes over generations of time. We keep hearing people say, ‘woh puraane zamaane ke gaane hai’ (those are songs of the old times). I’ve really wanted to make an album of love songs with different nuances of love,” avers the Tabla maestro.  “These have been difficult times! Unexpectedly, we’ve achieved something musically. During the pandemic, we’ve completed an entire album as well as the videos,” he adds!

Speaking about the same, veteran playback singer Hariharan shares that he has been super excited to see the album get ready for release as, he adds, creating an album is a lot of hard work taking hours, days and months of an artist’s time! “Here, we have six songs with six stories! The kind that tells its own story. The nuances behind each song are as different as the stories behind them. All in all, the outcome of love is different.”

Interestingly, the song ‘Baaton Baaton Mein’ already crossed millions of views on YouTube. It is available on other platforms including Apple Music and Spotify as well!

The industry DOYENS including Anupam Kher, Shankar Mahadevan, Sanjeev Kapoor, Roop Kumar Rathod, Kavita Seth, Lesle Lewis, Kaavya Jones, Sandip Soparrkar, Sharbani Mukherjee, Salim Merchant, Akshay Hariharan, Karan Hariharan, Shilpa Rao, Pratibha Singh Baghel, Purbayan Chatterjee, Gurneet Jolly, Anusha Srinivasan Iyer, Yogesh Lakhani among others made their presence felt for the EP launch at Tap, Juhu. Besides celebs of the likes of renowned chef, chocolatier and cake sculptor Harneet Jolly’s live sculpture cake added more energy to the musical evening.

Yogesh Lakhani of Bright Outdoor avers, “Hariharan and Bickram Ghosh are phenomenal musicians and it is a pleasure for Bright to be associated with ‘Ishq – Songs Of Love’.”

Need we say more!

Digital Star Satish Ray starrer 'Pandeyji Zara Sambhalke!' Free To Watch On MX Player

Today’s urban life is full of stress and strife and there is a need for some comic moments! Latest in the comical offerings is ‘Pandeyji Zara Sambhalke’, a quirky yet fast-paced Hindi web-series based on a young urban take on life hat revolves around a young man named Manoj Pandey, portrayed by actor-writer-YouTuber Satish Ray. The character of Pandey is in a live-in relationship with his long time girlfriend Deboshi, portrayed by Dolly Chawla. He has always wanted to marry Deboshi, but finds himself attracted to her childhood friend Ishita, portrayed by Kanika Khanna. Enters Naresh, played by Prakash Jais, who is keen on Ishita! This love quadrangle leads to a funny turn of events, offering the audience side-splitting entertainment, thanks to Pandeyji's discomfort.

Satish Ray, whose characters, like Imandaar Sharma, Alpha Pandey and Baban Bhola from the digital universe, are sought-after, is extremely popular among the Indian youth because of his show Imandaar Interview with his unique dialogue delivery style in UP and Bihari accent! Pandeyji’s character sees him pushing beyond his comfort zone in an interesting avatar!

Satish Ray avers, “I’ve had a great time shooting! It is a distinct pleasure to be present on a set, especially after the lockdown. The director was from my hometown so we could converse in Bhojpuri! The producers and the crew were extremely helpful and shooting in Pune was a first time for me and the experience was surreal!”

Actor Dolly Chawla adds, “I particularly loved the concept of this web series! My character in this web series gave me the feels when I was shooting and I am sure that the viewers will experience the same. Working with my two co-stars and director, Vinay ji, in the series has been an enjoyable journey.”

Nikhil Raibole and Bhupendra Nandan share, “This is our first experience with Hindi web-series. We’ve written this series while keeping the youth in mind. In this series, viewers will get to see romance as well as comedy in a new style and we are sure they will find it relatable!”

Director Vinay Sandilya shares that the moment he got his hand on the script, he thought bringing it to life on-screen would be very difficult. “A genre as distinct as this type of comedy¬ needs a lot of improvisation. I met all of the artists and started working on their characters. There was a lot of struggle with the character build-up as Pandey Ji’s friends, Vimal, who was predominantly a gutka addict. Casting the artist who would do justice to his character was a difficult job. We didn’t want him to look like just another actor from the film industry. The entire creative team was of the opinion that the friend’s character should be as real as it gets! I met my friend and actor Prakash Jais and told him about the role and we agreed on how he was the right fit! Everyone has put in their best effort for the characters in the web-series and have done justice to the roles!”

Produced by Ganu dada and Amol Bhosale of Maitree Films Production, directed by Vinay Sandilya, written by Nikhil Raibole, Bhupendrakumar Nandan, under the banner Cafe Studios, Pandeyji Zara Sambhalke premiered on 17th February and is now available free to watch only on MX Player! Watch out this space for more…

Rob to throw kids the KGAF DIY Day challenge!

 

 

Rob aka Harun Roberts may have said, "Imagine that!" to kids scores of times, but nothing touched him more than when a pair of gleaming eyes held his hand and excitedly exclaimed, “Don’t you remember? We were watching the show together…” 

 

It took a few nanoseconds for the popular television and radio host to realise that he was the child's imaginary friend who looked at him and spoke to him through the television screen. "In his innocent, imaginary world, I was very much present with him. That’s the kind of relationship I share with kids. And I simply love it,” grins Rob, who in his latest avatar, is joining the kids’ section of the digital version of Kala Ghoda Arts Festival (KGAF) to the virtual world of kids.

 

Adds Rob, "KGAF is a phoenix. While the nation is confined within four walls, KGAF has transcended continents with effortless ease and how! I am privileged to be a part of it, this year too." Rob will also challenge the creativity of kids a la Rob style.

 

Says Brinda Miller, Honorary Chairperson of the Kala Ghoda Association, "Rob's USP is making the process of bringing together elements to create a unique piece of art, seamlessly effortless to kids.  Now, he is here with us connecting to his twinkling audience. And we are proud that he is an integral part of KGAF."

 

 

 

 

 

Neena Gupta-Vikas Khanna come together to make history at Varanasi Ghat

 

Actor Neena Gupta was excited that finally the lighting classes at the National School of Drama helped her look all radiant with no makeup and just a kajal and lipstick. The actor who is part of the virtual edition of the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival (KGAF) this year on Insider.in with her film The Last Colour, along with her director, celeb chef Vikas Khanna, expressed her happiness to be part of the festival that is on with all its resplendence despite the pandemic. Neena Gupta was as excited about the festival as she was for her film.

"I love the feel of getting back to normalcy,” she expressed her wish to be at the festival physically next year.

Expressing her connection with art, Neena Gupta spoke of her favourite piece of art, Lalita Lajmi's painting, that is, the piece of art in her house that she purchased as it touched her heart, Neena expressed how she loves it. Vikas Khanna spoke of how he has a museum of old vessels in Manipal with over 10000 vessels.

The duo spoke of how they met at a flight, and Vikas Khanna talked about how his grandfather spoke of Neena Gupta as he watched Mirza Ghalib because of her and felt that she had an amazing ‘noor’ (aura). 

Noor, incidentally is the character of Neena Gupta's name. Vikas Khanna confides that she had an amazing light on her face though she wore no makeup in the film."

Vikas Khanna confided that he took Anupam Kher's advice on how to approach her. Anupam Kher told him “Go approach. She is an emotional actor. She will tell you what she thinks without mincing words.” An early morning narration to Neena Gupta who after a night shoot gave him time, and then gave the nod.

"If I love a script and love my role, I say yes immediately. Some films are very close to me. It has made me sad. As some stop midway, others don't get the release they deserve. Like Woh Chokri, where I won a National Award for Best Supporting Actress but it did not get its due. But I never look down upon any one as we carve our own destiny with our work!"

Vikas expressed how he decided to take the risk and take up a story of a little untouchable child who asks a widow on Varanasi ghat to play Holi with her!

"Nothing teaches you the way you work on the sets. And Neena ji's experience as director helped me."

Vikas Khanna who has made over nine documentaries on food and religion before, expressed that his discipline as a chef helped him let Neena Gupta to rest and look radiant despite using no makeup on the sets.

Neena Gupta spoke of the time she made baigan bharta and Irish Coffee at Prithvi Theatre to make ends meet. And hence the cooking connection between the duo.

An interesting experience indeed.

Farooq Sheikh helped me pass my third year exams: Kavita Krishnamurti at KGAF 2021

Padmashri Legends Pankaj Udhas and Kavita Krishnamurti come together at the virtual edition of Kala Ghoda Arts Festival on Insider.in. The duo have a long association with Kala Ghoda as  they studied together in St. Xavier's College and used to squat at Elphinstone's canteen The Log Cabin, and then spend time at The Rhythm House to get an opportunity to listen to new records at the booths at the milestone location.

Jehangir Art Gallery's Samovar was another favourite hangout and they still remember the cuisine. "Our Kala Ghoda festival started in 1972," reasons Pankaj Udhas. Unfortunately Rhythm House and Samovar don’t exist any more. Kavita Krishnamurti speaks of her senior Pankaj Udhas and how they all looked up to him at college. "He has seen super stardom but it has never gone to his head. It is so difficult to become a star singing ghazals and it is an uphill task."

Pankaj Udhas talks of the big college gang that used to sit below the trees and eat food from the tin roof canteen. "I was No. 1 in terms of bunking. I was a Science student, required 24x7 in class. My Botany Department would overlook canteen. My HOD Mr. Bhole used to see me laughing and the peon used to be sent to call me up," he laughs.

Kavita Krishnamurti speaks, "Farooq Sheikh was part of our college. One day he saw me with a long face. I told him my attendance is less as I do a lot of jingles and programmes, and had to bunk, but only for music. He spoke to the Principal and helped me. In my third year, he took sessions for me and helped me tide through. It was so nice of him," she recalls.

Pankaj Udhas talks of how the dreamers who were part of Sangeet Mandal and Natya Mandal, used to dream together. "Right from Anuradha Paudwal nee Alka Nadkarni, Kavita Krishnamurti, Nitin Ghat, Priti Moti Sagar Ranu Mukherjee (Hemant Kumar's daughter), Natya Mandal had Farooq Sheikh, Smita Patil, Satish Shah who used to oscillate between Natya Mandal and Sangeet Mandal, Dalip Tahil, Shabana Azmi were senior to us, Anil Kapoor was junior to us... We all owe our encouragement to St. Xavier's," he recalls.

The duo also sang some amazing songs, keeping alive the joy of music that transported them in time. "St. Xavier's has positive vibes that helped us all tide us through," expresses Kavita Krishnamurti.

Digital Star Satish Ray's quirky new avatar in 'Pandeyji Zara Sambhalke!'

 

Today’s urban life is full of stress and strife. Hence the need for some comic moments. The latest of comic offerings, all set to make you laugh, is Pandeyji Zara Sambhalke... a fast-paced, Hindi, young urban quirky comic take on life that revolves around the life of Manoj Pandey, a young man (Satish Ray).

 

Pandey is in a live-in relationship with his long time girlfriend Deboshi (Dolly Chawla). He has always wanted to marry Deboshi, but finds himself attracted to her childhood friend Ishita (Kanika Khanna). Enter Naresh (Prakash Jais) who is keen on Ishita. This quadrangle leads to a comic turn of events, offering the audience side-splitting entertainment, thanks to Pandeyji's discomfort.

 

Satish Ray, whose characters like Imandaar Sharma, Alpha Pandey and Baban Bhola are sought-after, and his show Imandaar Interview with his unique dialogue delivery style in UP and Bihari accent is extremely popular among the Indian youth, will be seen in an interesting avatar in this series.

 

Produced by Ganu dada and Amol Bhosale of Maitree Films Production, directed by Vinay Sandilya, written by Nikhil Raibole, Bhupendrakumar Nandan, under the banner Cafe Studios, Pandeyji Zara Sambhalke will be aired on MX Player from Feb 17. The poster launch is timed to be released a day after Valentine’s Day when Pandeyji finds himself getting drawn to the friend of his Forever Valentine!

Santosh Sivan's Mumbaikar to wrap up by Feb 27; set for May 27 release

Director Santosh Sivan will probably go down in history as the director who shot his film Mumbaikar before schedule everyday, with producer Shibu Thameens actually asking him to take more time if he wishes!

Mumbaikar began its shoot after SS  Rajamouli and Karan Johar launched the film, with Karan Johar stating that the film ‘promises to be a stunning cinematic experience’. 

 

Mumbaikar is an action-thriller and director Santosh Sivan's film stars Vikrant Massey, Vijay Sethupathi, Tanya Maniktala, Sanjay Mishra, Ranvir Shorey and Sachin Khedekar in key roles, and is being shot in a start-to-finish schedule in the city at the moment.

The film also introduces young actor Hridhu Haroon to Hindi cinema.

Move Over IPL, PPL Is Here! Pro-Panja League India’s Only Arm-Wrestling League, at Radio Club Mumbai on Feb 14

One of the most iconic sports of all times, Arm Wrestling is often referred to as India’s favourite pastime! The sport now has a competitive avatar that has successfully drawn people across all ages and the followers including genders, thanks to this competition. In a unique bid in athletics to let your forearms do the talking, Pro-Panja is emulating the league format for arm-wrestling!

“Panja is an internationally acclaimed sport seeped in Indianness! That’s what the Pro-Panja League stands for,” expresses actors Parvin Dabas and Preeti Jhangiani, the brains behind Pro-Panja League, set to take arm wrestling to the next level in India!

The maiden venture, with ardent followers including 5,000 male and 2,000 female arm wrestlers in the amateur levels saw 400 athletes from 18 states, with Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju and Padma Shri Olympic Boxer Vijender Singh with an undefeated streak, not just making their presence felt at the maiden Pro-Panja League, but also participating in an exhibition match where, instead of shaking hands, they wrestled arms. This was seen to be motivating for the youth, who then flocked in numbers towards the amateur arm wrestling tables set up for the youth to try their hands!

Talking about the origins of the sport in India, Parvin Dabas avers, “Eugene Sandow, the father of bodybuilding visited Mumbai in 1904. This was at the invitation of Sir Dhunjibhoy Bomanji, a shipping magnate and a popular socialite! Sandow’s visit created a great impact and before we knew it, the homegrown Panja became a household thing!”

“The league has spawned an emerging hub of contenders from Punjab, MP, Haryana, Mizoram, Manipur and Kerala! Some of these states also boast gyms in which women often sculpt their ‘dominant hands’ by arm-wrestling!,” reveals Parvin, an avid MMA fan who is also the man behind MMA India Show, Sports India Show among portals.

Preeti Jhangiani believes that these numbers are all set to grow. “India’s most promising athletes are from the North, Kerala ans Assam and the North East states especially Manipur and Mizoram! We are exploring more and more states with the hope to motivate more people to take up this sport professionally!

“Anyone can play arm wrestling. But it takes hours at the gym perfecting arm wrestling techniques, physical strength, skill, endurance and talent to compete professionally at a higher level. “We are glad we are pioneering a sport in India where arm wrestling has moved from amateur to professional!” elaborates Parvin Dabas who is excited that this year witnessed a record number of entries despite the pandemic. This year will also see the best compete for the title of No. 1 Arm Wrestler in the country. Interestingly, the technique, the angle of the tug, the timing of a surge and the precise position of each finger decides the winner in Pro-Panja League that proves that the brain is more powerful than brawn!

Surely an entertaining event to watch out for!

Dia Mirza’s Kanjoos Confession at Kala Ghoda Arts Festival!

Dia Mirza would like love for her detractors to go green with envy. Literally, when it comes to upping her love for greens. For, this actress does not give people birthday gifts, not even to those closest to her, the actor confessed at the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival talk today! Instead, Dia actually plants a tree in their name! “There was a year I remember planting 1800 trees!

It has actually simplified my life,” smiles Dia. “If anybody’s birthday or anniversary comes along, I don't have to rack my head about what gift to get them. I will simply grow a grove of 11 trees in your name and send you a certificate to commemorate the special occasion. The best thing is that you can go and visit the site. You can see it see images of who planted your trees and watch them grow, and maybe someday even go sit in the shade of those trees.”

In fact, Dia has seen people who receive the certificate cry as they are so touched that life forms have been introduced in their name, and will obviously be taken care of. “There must also be people who look at the certificates and say Oh, God! She's so un-innovative! She sends me the same gift every year,” grins Dia whose bank of gift trees has grown exponentially over the years. Kudos to this amazing woman! 

Leslee Lewis Teams up with The ATG - Omar Gooding, Heads For Hollywood!

Leslee Lewis joins hands with The ATG and Omar Gooding to make melody for Hollywood number Entourage. The film, titled Trap City, features this number and, recently, the original soundtrack for Trap City, was partly filmed at one of the best and the most happening night clubs of Mumbai!

Trap City, a Kyyba Film’s realistic musical, starring Brandon Jackson as a young rapper working for a drug kingpin in the face of fame as his song becomes viral! After an attempt on his life, he faces the choice of either going to prison and destroying his career, or testifying against a dangerous crime boss who might not fail the second time! What Brandon Jackson does, decides his future in Trap City! The film is expected to be a musical eye-opener on the abuse of power and how the common man is the real sufferer! 

The driving force behind Kyyba Films, and the producer of Christmas Coupon, Celebrity Crush, Devil’s Night: Dawn of The Nain Rouge and now Trap City, Tel Ganesan has brought together an eclectic blend of International Award-winning music personalities including the ATG, Leslee Lewis and rapper Omar Gooding for Entourage!  

Acclaimed Indian musician Leslee Lewis avers, “Collaborating with new age artists from Hollywood is another learning curve for me! Tel Ganesan is a creative producer in every sense! The ATG has got the groove just about right and the rap verses fill in perfectly! I am excited to be an integral part of Entourage!”

Hollywood based musical new age musical prodigy, The ATG, was seen reflecting on the mood of the track during the filming of the official music video! “Entourage is a contemporary hip-hop and pop fusion song! The song is quite an eclectic array of different musical influences across the globe, both vocally as well as production-wise. Despite the deceptive simplicity, the music production employs an array of interspersed track waves! While being a musically rich record, the music has been produced to be a club banger! Leslee, Omar and I wanted to ensure an unabashedly fun listening experience!

Tel Ganesan adds, “It is a wonderful blend of the Eastern and Western world of music. It is an amazing experience to be working with such talented artists! I remember flying to Mumbai, the heartland of Bollywood and signing Leslee on board for Entourage. It feels like yesterday, and now the song is in post-production! Kyyba Films is looking forward to dazzle you with the upcoming OST!”

Trap City, currently in post-production, is all set for an International release! Keep up with this space for more!