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Shimla-based young filmmaker’s short film selected for Paris Film Festival 2015

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SHIMLA- Siddharth Chauhan, an independent filmmaker from Shimla, has once again made Himachal Pradesh proud by taking his thought provoking and award winning short film to theatres.

His film ‘Boys Don’t Wear Nailpolish’ had first made news in February 2014 when it had won the Best Film Award at the International Short Film Festival of Kerala, which was just the beginning.

Impressed with his short film, Carolina Theatre Group, Unites States had invited it for a special screening in October, 2015. The film has won the ‘Gold Halo Award’ at the SCRIPT International Short Film Festival-2014. It was also screened at Delhi International Film Festival-2013, Phoenix Film Festival in Kolkata, and International Documentary and Short Film Festival VIBGYOR-2014.

Now, this low budget film that was made in 2013 for an Indian film Festival has been selected for screening at the Paris Film Festival on 1st December 2015.

Siddharth has become the first independent filmmaker from Himachal Pradesh to have taken his locally produced films outside India. He has made some other short films as well and all of them are shot in Shimla. With it, Siddharth has taken Himachal’s local culture, talent and scenic beauty to the world screen.

Surprisingly, Sidharth has not received any professional training in this field, but still his films have been screened across countries like Sarajevo, England, USA, Belarus, Durham, Indonesia, New Zealand, Italy and now Paris; a monumental victory for the untrained 25 year old Shimla based filmmaker.

His film, ‘Boys Don’t Wear Nail Polish’ is set in the backdrop of the traditional Indian mindset and is a poignant, eloquent and stirring statement on a society where gender is reinforced in the mind of children from right from their birth.

Shimla-based young filmmaker’s short film selected for Paris Film Festival 2015

The film portrays a battle against gender-stereotyping in which a mother is fighting to protect her child’s individuality in the society.

The Film stars Ms. Kamayani Bisht, Assistant Professor of English at the Centre of Excellence Govt. College Sanjauli, Manan Thakur, and a class-2 student at St. Edwards School in Shimla. Film is completely made with the help of a local cast and crew.

About Sidharth Chauhan

Born in Renuka in 1990, Siddharth has never undergone any professional training in this field. He has studied Computer Applications and gained his degree in masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla.

Siddharth’s experimentation with films had started during his graduation, which continued in the coming years.

There after he made ‘The Infinite Space’, a fictional story of a Buddhist monk who dares to believe in the impossible, once again with local actors, crew and real life Buddhist monks. The film was selected by The University of Manchester, UK, for their film curation scheme in 2015 where the Selection Jury reviewed it as a film that “maintains the peace and serenity of Buddhism – there is a dramatic tension, but it doesn’t lose sight of the rhythms of the Buddhist day and nor does it veer into (Western) cinematic melodrama and sensationalism.” and called it a piece of “Excellent cinematic storytelling, Well Shot with some striking images”.

Siddharth is currently working on a few more scripts and readying for the release of his next film titled ‘PAPA’, starring Mohit Singh Parmar, an actor from Palampur, who has appeared in a Himachali film ‘Nath Bhajj’ and Sushma Kaul, H.O.D. Department of English at Bishop Cotton School, Shimla. The film is based on the complicated relationship of a disabled mother and her only son, who are adjusting to their lives after a terrible accident.

Madan has studied English Literature and Journalism from HP University and lives in Shimla. He is an amateur photographer and has been writing on topics ranging from environmental, socio-economic, development programs, education, eco-tourism, eco-friendly lifestyle and to green technologies for over 9 years now. He has an inclination for all things green, wonderful and loves to live in solitude. When not writing, he can be seen wandering, trying to capture the world around him in his DSLR lens.

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Art & Culture

Use Offerings Made at  Himachal’s Hindu Religious Institutions Only For Hindus, Employ Only Hindus: HP Govt

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offerings at himachal pradesh's religious places

Shimla-The Additional Chief Secretary of the Himachal Pradesh Language, Art & Culture Department has issued a notification barring the use of offerings made at the Hindu religious places or institutions for non-Hindu Communities.

Directions in this regard have been issued to Commissioners (temple) under Section 27 of the Himachal Pradesh Hindu Public Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Act, 1984.

“All the receipts or offerings including gold and silver of the Hindu Public Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments shall be used only for the purposes pertaining to the welfare and other activities relating to only Hindus. No receipts or offerings shall be used for the purposes associated with activities relating to Non-Hindus,” the notification said.

Further, now, no non-Hindu person would be given any sort of employment at the Hindu religious institutions/places.

“All the officers and officials including the personnel related to security etc. whether appointed or deputed or taken on outsourcing basis shall be out of the persons professing the Hindu religion only,” the notification said.

No further clarification was provided regarding the intended purpose of this move.

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Kullu Dussehra 2021: All Religious Ceremonies to be Allowed, But No Commercial and Cultural Events

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Kullu dussehra 2021

Shimla-The International Kullu Dussehra would be organised from 15th October to 21st October, 2021, the Himachal Pradesh Government informed today after holding a meeting regarding the same.

The HP Government has decided that all deities would be invited for the Dussehra festival. Orgnaization of all religious ceremonies would be allowed traditionally, but the cultural and commercial activities would not be held.

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur presided over meeting of State Level Kullu Dussehra Committee. Directions were given to ensure proper security system, uninterrupted electricity supply and adherence of Covid-19 guidelines.

It was also decided in the meeting that Language, Art and Culture Department would provide an additional amount of Rs. 10 lakh to district administration Kullu for organising Kullu Dussehra festival.

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Wah Re Corona: Himachali Folk Artist’s Lyrical Satire is Factual Rendition of India’s Agonizing Catastrophe

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wah re corona

Shimla-Otherwise blatantly vocal and distinctively mass-mobilizing government of India is suddenly in the most subdued self after its proclaimed victory over the deathly virus; participation in uncontrolled election rallies; and permitting maha melas. The stalwarts are in the hiding, while helpless citizens – who voted them into power not once but in landslide victories twice – are dying due to lack of oxygen, poor – unavailable – medical facilities, and the denial stance of the ignorant in the helm.

Drawing a comparison between the fatal coronavirus and the mismanagement of the entire situation by the appalling government; a Himachali folk artist has released a factually appropriate lyrical satire that will tickle your mind and leave you to imagine what has brought this catastrophe onto us. The song is written by Rameshwar Sharma and music by Lalit Sauta. 

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