Navaratri Entertainment.........26,27

25 Austin South Asian | October 2021 Navaratri

Navaratri is a Hindu festival that spans nine nights (and ten days) and is celebrated every year in the autumn.

It is observed for different reasons and celebrated differently in various parts of the Indian cultural sphere. Theoretically, there are four seasonal Navaratri.

However, in practice, it is the postmonsoon autumn festival called Sharada Navaratri that is the most observed in the honor of the divine feminine Devi (Durga).

The festival is celebrated in the bright half of the Hindu calendar month Ashvin, which typically falls in the Gregorian months of September and October

The word Navaratri means ‘nine nights’ in Sanskrit, nava meaning nine and ratri meaning nights

In the eastern and northeastern states of India, the Durga Puja is synonymous with Navaratri, wherein goddess Durga battles and emerges victorious over the buffalo demon Mahishasur to help restore dharma.

In southern states, the victory of Durga or Kali is celebrated. In all cases, the common theme is the battle and victory of good over evil based on a regionally famous epic or legend such as the Devi Mahatmya.

Celebrations include worshipping nine goddesses in nine days, stage decorations, recital of the legend, enacting of the story, and chanting of the scriptures of Hinduism.

The nine days are also a major crop season cultural event, such as competitive design and staging of pandals, a family visit to these pandals, and the public celebration of classical and folk dances of Hindu culture. Hindu devotees often celebrate Navaratri by fasting.

On the final day, called Vijayadashami, the statues are either immersed in a water body such as a river or ocean, or the statue symbolizing the evil is burnt with fireworks, marking the destruction of evil. ent ways throughout India. Certain people revere different aspects of Durga and some people fast while

The festival also starts the preparation for Diwali, the festival of lights, which is celebrated twenty days after Vijayadashami

Navaratri is celebrated in differothers feast.

The Chaitra Navaratri culminates in Ram Navami and the Sharada Navaratri culminates in Durga Puja and Vijayadashami. In the past, Shakta Hindus used to recite Durga’s legends during the Chaitra Navaratri, but this practice around the spring equinox has been declining.

For most contemporary Hindus, it is the Navaratri around the autumn equinox that is the major festival and the one observed. To Bengali Hindus and to Shakta Hindus outside of eastern and northeastern states of India, the term Navaratri implies Durga Puja in the warrior goddess aspect of Devi.

In other traditions of Hinduism, the term Navaratri implies the celebration of Durga but in her more peaceful forms, such as Saraswati – the Hindu goddess of knowledge, learning, music, and other arts.

In Nepal, Navaratri is called Dashain, and is a major annual homecoming and family event that celebrates the bonds between elders and youngsters with Tika Puja, as well as across family and community members.

Navaratri and goddess worship is mentioned in the historic Sikhism literature, particularly in the Dasam Granth traditionally attributed to Guru Gobind Singh.

According to Louis Fenech, the Sikhs have historically mirrored the reverence for Devi Shakthi and the worship of weapons in a manner similar to those by Shakta Hindus.

The second Guru of Sikhism, Guru Angad, was an ardent devotee of goddess Durga.

The Jains have observed the social and cultural celebrations of Navaratri with Hindus, such as the folk dances.

The stavan poetry of Jainism, states M. Whitney Kelting, “draw much of their imagery from the garba poems” of Hinduism.

Gandhi Jayanti

(Continued From Page 01)

He is also known as the”Father of The Nation”and this title was given to him by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose for his relentless struggles for our independence

Gandhi Jayanti is celebrated yearly on 2 October. It is one of the official declared national holidays of India, observed in all of its states and territories.

Gandhi Jayanti is marked by prayer services and tributes all over India, including at Gandhi’s memorial, Raj Ghat, in New Delhi where he was cremated.

Popular activities include prayer meetings, commemorative ceremonies in different cities by colleges, local government institutions and socio-political institutions. Painting and essay competitions

are conducted and best awards are granted for projects in schools and the community encouraging a nonviolent way of life as well as celebrating Gandhi’s effort in the Indian independence movement. Raghav Raja Ram, is usually sung in his memory. Statues of Mahatma Gandhi throughout the country are decorated with flowers and garlands, and some people avoid drinking alcohol or eating meat on the day. Public buildings, banks and post offices are closed.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was India’s tallest leader of the independence movement.

He successfully led India’s nonviolent movement against the British, which in turn inspired many civil rights movements across the world.

Gandhi had studied law and he went to South Africa to represent a client. wide campaigns for farmers, peasants, and labourers. He also fought against caste discrimination and fought for expanding women’s rights.

He led some of the most historic movements in India’s freedom struggle.

He led Indians to break the salt law, through the Dandi March in 1930, which helped Indians believe that they can challenge the might of the British. He also led the Quit India movement in 1942.

Mahatma Gandhi believed in religious pluralism. He wanted India to be a secular nation and he fought to make it a reality.

Gandhi was killed by nationalist Nathu Ram Godse on January 30, 1948.

26 Austin South Asian | October 2021 Love Story Movie Review Highlights : Naga Chaitanya & Sai Pallavi Are A Delight

Sekhar Kammula’s much-awaited Naga Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi starrer Love Story finally hit screens.

With music by Pawan Ch, the film tells the story of two youngsters from Armoor looking to make it big in Hyderabad.

Judgement from society, gender issues, caste disparity also follow these youngsters apart from what plagues most young people - ambition but unequal opportunities. Revanth (Naga Chaitanya) runs his own zumba centre & lives by the rules of hard work his mom (Eswari Rao) laid out for him.

Mouni (Sai Pallavi) might be wide eyed and naive but she knows she wants to chart her own course in life. When the two join hands to make the centre a success, their passion & love might not prove to be enough.

Naga Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi deliver stellar performances in the first half of the film peppered with equal parts fun & heft. Evo Evo Kalale, which sees them dancing in the rain, is an absolute pleasure in an otherwise subtle film.

The first half of the film lays the foundation for everything that’s to play out in the second half. It remains to be seen if Sekhar Kammula manages to carry on the second half with equal dexterity. (Courtesy: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/)

Top 5 Highest Grossing Telugu Movies That Released During The Pandemic

Despite the fact that the pandemic has put an end to several businesses all over the country and has affected the film and theatres industry in particular along with the rest, few filmmakers dared to come before the audience with their movies in order to take away their lockdown blues.

Additionally, the newly brought guidelines by the AP government in terms of film ticket sales, have affected the filmmaking business in a big way.

Nevertheless, even in this tough time, there are few movies that surprised many with their collections at the ticket windows which has given a new breath to the film industry, exhibitors, and distribution sectors in particular.

Let’s have a look at such blockbusters that tasted success and made good box-office collections in the theaters during the pandemic.

Vakeel Saab (Telugu) – 37 Crores

The film produced by Dil Raju starring Pawan Kalyan in the lead role is a Telugu remake of the critically acclaimed Hindi film ‘Pink’.

The film directed by Venu Sriram has reportedly collected around Rs.40 crores during its opening weekend in the theaters.

The film would’ve collected even more if the AP Govt didn’t impose a ban on hiking ticket prices & playing more than 4 shows/day for the first three days.

Uppena (Telugu) – 12 crores

This romantic drama, directed by the debutant Buchi Babu Sana and

produced jointly by Naveen Yerneni and Y. Ravi Shankar introduced Panja Vaisshnav Teja and Krithi Shetty to Tollywood. By the end of its theatrical run, the film had grossed over 83 crores which left many in shock.

Love Story (Telugu) – 10 Crores

Love story released on September

24, 2021, starring Naga Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi directed by Sekhar Kammula has minted more than 16.5 crores across the world on its opening day ies like the Akshay Kumar starrer ‘Bell Bottom’.

Krack (Telugu) – 9.5 Crores

Krack directed by Gopichand Malineni starring Mass Maharaj Ravi Teja released on 9th Jan 2021.

mately Rs 70 crores in its final run at the theaters.

Red (Telugu) – 7.5 crores

‘Red’ is a Telugu remake of the Tamil film ‘Thadam’, The film starring Ram Pothineni under the direction of Kishore Tirumala, released on 14 January 2021.

The film released postfirst wave has garnered around 10 crores in its first two days, grossing over 40 crores in the first week and 55 crores in 15 days becoming the highestgrossing film in Ravi Teja’s career so far.

The film minted around 12 crores in its opening weekend at the box office.

The film was released post first wave on 12 February 2021 on Valentine’s day that had pulled youngsters to the theaters despite the theaters operating with only 50% occupancy. The film has grossed more than 10 crores only from Andhra and Telangana box-office that has surprised many.

As per the reports in a certain section of media, the film has the highest opening post 2nd Wave in India surpassing even Bollywood movThe film has also grossed approxiThe film has collected around 8 crores on its opening day, since the film received mixed reviews the film started declining its collections with Rs 5.21 crores on the second day and grossed around 23 crores over its first week.

The other language movies that fared well at the box office in India during the pandemic in its opening weekend include Master (Tamil) – 35 Crores, Robert (Kannada) – 12. 5 crores, Pugara ( Kannada) – 9.75 crores, Karnan (Tamil ) – 9 Crores, and Yuvarathnaa (Kannada) – 8 crores respectively. (Courtesy: https://timesofindia.indiatimes. com/)

CHILDREN ARTICLES Children Email Us Your Articles To See It In Print info@austinsouthasian.com

27 Austin South Asian | October 2021 Remembering SP Balasubramanyam On His First Death Anniversary: A Veteran Singer Who Continues To Live Through His Songs

It’s been a year without SPB - the late legendary singer SP Balasubramanyam, who had a screen career of about 50 years, enthralled everyone as a singer, actor, composer, dubbing artist, and a filmmaker.

Even though he lives through his uncountable songs every single moment, fans are remembering the veteran singer with their heavy hearts on his first death anniversary.

SP Balasubramanyam was an Engineering dropout, and his interest in music drove him into cinema. He learned music from S.P Kodandapani, and he made his Tamil debut with the song ‘Athaanodu Ippadi Irundhu Eththanai Naalaachu’. SPB then grabbed the attention of fans through his magical songs and started receiving massive offers. SP Balasubrahmanyam ruled the cinema industry with his songs for six decades and bagged several awards.

SPB also holds several records as a singer with his countable songs in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi languages, and he bagged the National Award for six times. He had also recorded many songs in a short time and was a favorite for many composers.

SP Balasubrahmanyam was forced to become an actor by Kamal Haasan. But he shined well as an actor too and delivered several lovable performances. He had also scored music for 46 films in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi languages.

Being a veteran singer, SP Balasubrahmanyam was giving training to several young talents till his last days. He has motivated many young singers and inspired them to develop their musical skills. He had also worked with several composers yet he never counted popularity.

The 74-year-old singer was tested positive with the Covid19 virus and was admitted to a private hospital. Though he recovered from the pandemic virus, his poor immunity made him stay in the hospital.

After 50 days of treatment at the hospital, SP Balasubrahmanyam passed away on September 25th at 1 PM. The beloved singer left the fans, who wished to see him recover, in shock. (Courtesy: https:// timesofindia.indiatimes.com/)

Bell Bottom

Bell Bottom is a 2021 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Ranjit M Tewari.

The film is written by Aseem Arrora and Parveez Sheikh, with production by Vashu Bhagnani, Jackky Bhagnani, Deepshikha Deshmukh and Nikkhil Advani under their respective banners Pooja Entertainment and Emmay Entertainment.

It stars Akshay Kumar as the lead character, with Lara Dutta, Vaani Kapoor and Huma Qureshi in other prominent roles.

Bell Bottom is inspired from real life hijacking events in India by Khalistani separatists during the 1980s, such as the Indian Airlines Flight 423, 405 and 421 hijackings.

The story of the film revolves around the hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC 691 that takes off from Delhi on August 24, 1984. This was fifth Indian Airlines plane hijacking in last seven years.

The hijacking occurred during the administration of former Indian Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi (Lara Dutta).

While the Prime Minister Gandhi plans to let the Pakistani government negotiate with the four hijackers (when the plane has landed in Lahore), under-cover RAW agent, Anshul Malhotra (Akshay Kumar), code-named Bell Bottom, has a different plan in his mind.

He wants to not only rescue 210 passengers but also arrest the hijackers. The rest of story revolves around this covert mission to save passengers of IC 691 in Dubai.

Bell Bottom earned ₹2.75 crore at the domestic box office on its opening day. On the second day, the film collected ₹2.60 crore.

On the third day, the film collected ₹3 crore. On the fourth day, the film collected ₹4.40 crore taking total opening weekend domestic collection to ₹12.75 crore.

As of September 2021, The film grossed ₹36.40 crore in India and ₹14.12 crore overseas, the film has a worldwide gross collection of ₹50.52 crore.

The film was banned in three Gulf countries, namely Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar.

The film certification authorities banned it on grounds of tampering with historical facts.

It was pointed out that the 1984 incident actually had the United Arab Emirates Defence Minister Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and the UAE authorities nabbing the hijackers, while the film portrayed Kumar’s character and his team as the real heroes of the mission.

READ AUSTIN SOUTH ASIAN