Art & Culture
Life in Shimla City’ through Vivek Mohan’s thought provoking short films
A view from a washroom and how nothing changes every day but still nothing remains same – “Same Shit different days”. It’s not the Pod but potty that makes you ponder.
SHIMLA- “Subha hoti phir sham hoti hai zindgi you he tmaam hoti hai” – a line that sums up lives of many people especially in Shimla city. Aforesaid statement is well summarized by Vivek Mohan, a filmmaker, in his 3 minute and 30 second short film “Window 171006 (A washroom view from my Zip/pin code)”.
It’s based on a simple yet interesting theme -a view from a washroom and how nothing changes every day but still nothing remains same – “Same Shit different days”. Shot by micro nano technique, the film delivers a message of saying no to drugs as “It’s not the Pod but potty that makes you ponder”.
Another film that one may look forward to is “Haath” – Hands based on short story by Rekha Vishisht. The film features Shreya Sharma (Blue Umbrella fame girl) as the main character. The film depicts story of a girl who fears hands and how eventually she overcomes her mental block and start living a happy life.
Sharing her experience Shreya the leading character of “Haath” said, “It was a good experience. I found the story quite intriguing on the first place and I was curious about how Vivek is going to interpret it into film because it’s in the mental realm. The shoot was quite quick and smooth and everything clicked in the first try itself. It’s the first experimental sort of film I have worked on so it was different and nice.”
Third film lined up for serious audience is a Doc Drama – where over the years predicament of Shimla has not changed and children are still forced to play on Ridge. The film gives a lot for everyone to contemplate on the fact that inspite of having Anna Dale Ground, where first Durand cup football was played in in 1888, children are forced to either stay indoors or play at busy places.
There was time when children even started playing at Takka Bench but the Municipal Corporation in the name of beautification installed a fountain there hence depriving children from a little place that they used to play cricket or badminton at times.
My efforts are always to do something to promote local people and whenever I get an opportunity I make sure do something fruitful for them. These recent films are reflection on problems that we all are facing in the current times and still being engulfed in our own lives we see to ignore. All my life has been changed and still this city hasn’t. The enthusiasm and zeal to do something has been buried under complexes and people are not open to take a look beyond social media. As per me like my film Window will say, “ Karm ker phal ke itcha na ker”, which many of us worry more about and resultantly end up doing nothing at all but I have no plans to give up on children in this city, said Vivek Mohan.
Art & Culture
Use Offerings Made at Himachal’s Hindu Religious Institutions Only For Hindus, Employ Only Hindus: HP Govt
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.
Art & Culture
Kullu Dussehra 2021: All Religious Ceremonies to be Allowed, But No Commercial and Cultural Events
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.
Art & Culture
Wah Re Corona: Himachali Folk Artist’s Lyrical Satire is Factual Rendition of India’s Agonizing Catastrophe
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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