News / Author / Vanessa Viegas

Vanessa Viegas

Articles by Vanessa Viegas

How Bombay became the home of Hindi cinema: New book does some digging

In Bombay Hustle, published by Columbia University Press in September, Debashree Mukherjee tracks down the earliest elements of the city’s cine-ecology.

Mukherjee studies the cotton trade, mill workers and other early influences that boosted cinema in Bombay.

lifestyle

Updated on Feb 21, 2021 12:39 PM IST

ByVanessa Viegas

Tour de forts: Meet the photojournalist who trekked to 116 citadels across Karnataka

Vishwanath Suvarna’s photographs feature in his new coffee-table book. See the adventures he undertook to get them all.

The Gulbarga fort, an elegant example of Islamic architecture, dates back to the Bahmani kings of the 14th century. (Vishwanath Suvarna)

lifestyle

Published on Feb 19, 2021 05:09 PM IST

ByVanessa Viegas

Are you in a toxic relationship?

Controlling behaviours, denigration and cruelty are key indicators, but if that seems too complicated to assess, you can just ask yourself: Am I more stressed when I’m around my partner than when I’m not?

Nicole Kidman and Alexander Skarsgård as Celeste and Perry in Big Little Lies. No amount of menace is okay in a relationship. (Image courtesy HBO)

lifestyle

Updated on Feb 13, 2021 10:30 AM IST

ByVanessa Viegas

Partners in play: The new frontier in the world of online dating, is dating AI

Bots powered by artificial intelligence are helping young adults practise how to navigate a relationship, overcome roadblocks, even just learn how to ask someone out.

You can choose your level of difficulty in these “visual novel” games. Plots evolve through conversations conducted on chat. If you make the bot happy or respond in what is seen as a positive way, you can win points. If you mishandle the relationship, you could be stuck in a loop of bad results.

lifestyle

Updated on Feb 14, 2021 06:41 AM IST

ByVanessa Viegas

An ode to the agony aunt

No matter the question, they knew what we were asking: Do they like me? Am I doing okay? Did I make the right choice? And they always knew just what to say.

lifestyle

Updated on Feb 05, 2021 07:15 PM IST

ByVanessa Viegas

Mixed tape: Shantaram author Gregory David Roberts sings a new tune

He’s written 16 tracks for a new album, Love & Faith, that draws on themes from his bestselling book as well as his spiritual journey.

“These songs come from the constant experience of my life that, with love and faith, anything is possible,” Roberts says.

lifestyle

Published on Jan 15, 2021 12:24 PM IST

ByVanessa Viegas

Meet the man delving deep into the country’s ancient volcanoes

The primary focus of Hetu Sheth’s research is extinct volcanoes, which have helped shape mountain ranges and massive landscapes in India as far back as 65 million years ago.

Volcanoes can tell us a lot about how this planet and other planets work, says Sheth.

lifestyle

Updated on Dec 25, 2020 02:38 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByVanessa Viegas

Crafting for Christ: Meet the Mangaluru family creating statuary for churches across India

Most orders are for crucifixes, say the Rasquinhas, who run the 88-year-old Simon Art Co. But there are plenty of commissions for sculptures, statues and altarpieces too.

lifestyle

Updated on Dec 19, 2020 12:22 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByVanessa Viegas

Are you looking for a snack or do you just want to spoon?

New research suggests that loneliness and hunger activate the same region of the brain.

lifestyle

Updated on Dec 11, 2020 07:12 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByVanessa Viegas

Surreal, 3D, in-game: Where the gig is going next

As arenas stay closed, artists are using extended reality, videogame settings, even offering ‘VIP’ virtual access, to woo paying audiences around the world.

3D dragons have found themselves on stage with Billie Eilish, rapper Travis Scott has performed within a multi-player videogame.

lifestyle

Updated on Dec 13, 2020 11:19 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByVanessa Viegas

Astad Deboo dies; artistes say India has lost a cultural treasure

Deboo employed his training in Indian classical dance forms of Kathak as well as Kathakali to create a unique fusion dance form.

An undated photo of Indian contemporary dancer Astad Deboo during a performance. Deboo passed away at 73 in Mumbai.(HT Photo)

cities

Updated on Dec 10, 2020 09:27 PM IST

Mumbai | ByVanessa Viegas

Lockdown meals: What the experts whipped up

Five chefs from across the country tell us what they discovered, perfected or fell in love with in the kitchen in these pandemic months.

Chef Saransh Goila made Dal Ka Fara after it was suggested to him by writer and columnist Sangeeta Khanna. It’s a dish from Uttar Pradesh that can be steamed, fried or pan-fried.

lifestyle

Updated on Dec 04, 2020 08:17 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByVanessa Viegas

A cross-border love story: In Peshawar, efforts to pay tribute to a Bollywood legacy

Tucked away in a mohalla are the ancestral homes of two Indian film legends — the Kapoors and Dilip Kumar. Check out the conservation and makeover the Pak govt has planned.

Kapoor Haveli was once six storeys tall and is said to have held 40 rooms. It is here that Raj Kapoor was born, in 1924. “I remember visiting it in the 1980s. I can hardly believe it was our ancestral home. We had such humble beginnings,” Randhir Kapoor told Wknd.(KP Directorate of Archaeology and Museums)

lifestyle

Updated on Oct 30, 2020 10:22 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByVanessa Viegas

A trans movement: Artists of the Aravani collective shift from murals to canvas

The Bengaluru-based group, which used to paint on public walls, has reinvented in the pandemic. Their art is now on canvas, vibrant portraits of people from the community, sold via social media.

In addition to portraits and self-portraits, Aravani’s canvases also feature powerful trans symbols like clapping hands or the hermaphroditic hibiscus flower. The group has sold about 200 paintings since June.

lifestyle

Updated on Oct 30, 2020 08:47 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByVanessa Viegas

Meet the man behind a unique cricket academy for the differently abled

Suvro Joarder, who lost a leg to a biking accident 10 years ago, has built a career in the sport nonetheless, and is now holding the door open so others can do so too.

cricket

Updated on Oct 30, 2020 08:21 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByVanessa Viegas

Micro-breaks: Here’s how to use less than 10 minutes to get away from it all

There are three rules to follow: your micro-break should be short, intentional and voluntary. The idea is to hit refresh, not shut down and restart.

lifestyle

Updated on Oct 30, 2020 08:45 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByVanessa Viegas

Global awards for Victor Banerjee

The awards are for his role as Father O’Hara in the film Josef- Born in Grace.

Actor Victor Banerjee won awards at the Ontario Film Festival and the India International Film Festival of Boston.(HT Archive)

india news

Updated on Oct 30, 2020 10:21 AM IST

Hindustan Times, Mumbai | ByVanessa Viegas

An online initiative aims to map India’s fading creole past, and present

Ananya Jahanara Kabir and Ari Gautier host virtual discussions featuring food, music, performance and more.

Ari Gautier holds up a bowl of Rougaille Mattikallu, a combination of Pondicherrian freshwater mussels and a Mauritian tomato-based gravy, finished with and a dash of Chardonnay, in a session on food as heritage and memory, with Ananya Kabir.(Le Thinnai Kreyol / Facebook)

lifestyle

Updated on Oct 18, 2020 02:22 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByVanessa Viegas

A pandemic-era bedtime story: How to fix your sleep-wake cycle

We’re snoozing longer, sleeping later, waking up tired. The key to a better sleep-wake routine? Rebuild the lost bridges between work and play, weekday and weekend.

lifestyle

Updated on Oct 18, 2020 11:57 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByVanessa Viegas

Want a birthday wish from your favourite celeb? These platforms can help

You can now pay to get a personalised video from a celebrity. Take a look at those signing up on both sides.

Shipra Dubey, 30, a resident of Delhi, watches a birthday video greeting from singer Shaan, gifted to her by her husband in September.(Abhinay Dubey)

lifestyle

Updated on Oct 11, 2020 04:55 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByVanessa Viegas

Meet the fans behind some of the world’s biggest online cricket archives

These are regular men with full-time jobs who also spend hours every week poring over footage, tracing antecedents, cataloguing, saving and eventually posting bits of cricket history on YouTube and Twitter, to the delight of fans — and cricketers — around the world.

Some archives contain clips going as far back as the 1938 Ashes. Seen here is England batsman Len Hutton hitting a sweep shot during his record-breaking innings of 364 in the Ashes that year.(Popperfoto via Getty Images)

lifestyle

Updated on Oct 11, 2020 09:06 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByVanessa Viegas

A 3-point guide to worrying well

Your worry has a function and could serve a purpose; it has since the Stone Age.

lifestyle

Updated on Oct 04, 2020 09:46 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByVanessa Viegas

This group of crochet queens is breaking world records one by one

With 6,000 members across the country and overseas, the highly organised group donates all they make, spreading some cheer too.

Whether it’s sculptures or Christmas ornaments, record-breaking blankets or scarves, all that Mother India’s Crochet Queens members create is eventually donated to charity.(MICQ)

lifestyle

Updated on Sep 18, 2020 08:13 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByVanessa Viegas

Is that bhindi going extinct? Ask the seed preservers

Botanical heritage enthusiasts are searching the country for seeds that are no longer widely used, like giant okra or yellow tomato, and preserving and planting them.

Seeds of the rare Assam giant sunflower are among those being preserved by Annadana Soil and Seed Savers.

lifestyle

Updated on Sep 18, 2020 08:11 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByVanessa Viegas

‘Why I am a sneakerhead’

There’s a void only a shoe can fill, say Atul Sharma, who’s spent lakhs on his sneaker collection over the past 15 years.

‘It’s like the stock market, value based on perception,’ says Sharma, seen here with some of his 150 pairs of sneakers.

lifestyle

Updated on Sep 18, 2020 07:19 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByVanessa Viegas

The science of forming good habits... and making them stick

The key lies in neither willpower nor virtue, but in being able to trick your mind.

Get your mind to believe that a habit is mundane and necessary and it will become part of your day more easily.(Shutterstock)

lifestyle

Updated on Sep 06, 2020 10:34 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByVanessa Viegas

Newsmaker: Fashion maven, reality star, Masaba

Since her fashion debut at the age of 19, she’s been full of surprises. Last week we got a closer look at her life. But will we ever know the real Masaba?

From playing tennis professionally to dance, music and finally design, Masaba became the face of young, vibrant, kitsch-inspired Indian fashion.(Aalok Soni / HT PHOTO)

entertainment

Updated on Sep 05, 2020 12:03 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByVanessa Viegas

Doyen of Hindustani classical music Pandit Jasraj dies at 90

Pandit Jasraj’s love of music really did transcend. The proponent of the Mewati Gharana made his debut as a tabla artist in 1937. His first concert as a vocalist was in the darbar of King Tribhuvan Bik Bikram Shah of Nepal in 1952; he was 22.

Pandit Jasraj at a concert in Mumbai in 2008.(HT Archives)

india news

Updated on Aug 18, 2020 05:54 AM IST

Hindustan Times, Mumbai | ByVanessa Viegas

Alkazi: A guiding light of theatre in India

Teacher. Director. Idol. Man with a fiery temper. These are the facets we know. Days after his passing, we spoke to former students for a more intimate take on the trailblazing former head of the NSD.

31 January 1994 -EBRAHIM ALKAZI. HT ARCHIVE

lifestyle

Updated on Aug 09, 2020 03:03 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByZara Murao & Vanessa Viegas

Alkazi revolutionised theatre, brought regional languages to NSD

Initially in Bombay and later in Delhi, Alkazi — who died in his Delhi home on Tuesday, aged 95 — developed a reputation as a director who brought a new sense of realism and modernism to Indian drama.

Alkazi died in his Delhi home on Tuesday at the age of 95

india news

Updated on Aug 05, 2020 04:04 AM IST

Mumbai | ByVanessa Viegas, Mumbai

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Vanessa Viegas

In Bombay Hustle, published by Columbia University Press in September, Debashree Mukherjee tracks down the earliest elements of the city’s cine-ecology.

Vishwanath Suvarna’s photographs feature in his new coffee-table book. See the adventures he undertook to get them all.

Controlling behaviours, denigration and cruelty are key indicators, but if that seems too complicated to assess, you can just ask yourself: Am I more stressed when I’m around my partner than when I’m not?

Bots powered by artificial intelligence are helping young adults practise how to navigate a relationship, overcome roadblocks, even just learn how to ask someone out.

No matter the question, they knew what we were asking: Do they like me? Am I doing okay? Did I make the right choice? And they always knew just what to say.

He’s written 16 tracks for a new album, Love & Faith, that draws on themes from his bestselling book as well as his spiritual journey.

The primary focus of Hetu Sheth’s research is extinct volcanoes, which have helped shape mountain ranges and massive landscapes in India as far back as 65 million years ago.

Most orders are for crucifixes, say the Rasquinhas, who run the 88-year-old Simon Art Co. But there are plenty of commissions for sculptures, statues and altarpieces too.

New research suggests that loneliness and hunger activate the same region of the brain.

As arenas stay closed, artists are using extended reality, videogame settings, even offering ‘VIP’ virtual access, to woo paying audiences around the world.

Deboo employed his training in Indian classical dance forms of Kathak as well as Kathakali to create a unique fusion dance form.

Five chefs from across the country tell us what they discovered, perfected or fell in love with in the kitchen in these pandemic months.

Tucked away in a mohalla are the ancestral homes of two Indian film legends — the Kapoors and Dilip Kumar. Check out the conservation and makeover the Pak govt has planned.

The Bengaluru-based group, which used to paint on public walls, has reinvented in the pandemic. Their art is now on canvas, vibrant portraits of people from the community, sold via social media.

Suvro Joarder, who lost a leg to a biking accident 10 years ago, has built a career in the sport nonetheless, and is now holding the door open so others can do so too.

There are three rules to follow: your micro-break should be short, intentional and voluntary. The idea is to hit refresh, not shut down and restart.

The awards are for his role as Father O’Hara in the film Josef- Born in Grace.

Ananya Jahanara Kabir and Ari Gautier host virtual discussions featuring food, music, performance and more.

We’re snoozing longer, sleeping later, waking up tired. The key to a better sleep-wake routine? Rebuild the lost bridges between work and play, weekday and weekend.

You can now pay to get a personalised video from a celebrity. Take a look at those signing up on both sides.

These are regular men with full-time jobs who also spend hours every week poring over footage, tracing antecedents, cataloguing, saving and eventually posting bits of cricket history on YouTube and Twitter, to the delight of fans — and cricketers — around the world.

Your worry has a function and could serve a purpose; it has since the Stone Age.

With 6,000 members across the country and overseas, the highly organised group donates all they make, spreading some cheer too.

Botanical heritage enthusiasts are searching the country for seeds that are no longer widely used, like giant okra or yellow tomato, and preserving and planting them.

There’s a void only a shoe can fill, say Atul Sharma, who’s spent lakhs on his sneaker collection over the past 15 years.

The key lies in neither willpower nor virtue, but in being able to trick your mind.

Since her fashion debut at the age of 19, she’s been full of surprises. Last week we got a closer look at her life. But will we ever know the real Masaba?

Pandit Jasraj’s love of music really did transcend. The proponent of the Mewati Gharana made his debut as a tabla artist in 1937. His first concert as a vocalist was in the darbar of King Tribhuvan Bik Bikram Shah of Nepal in 1952; he was 22.

Teacher. Director. Idol. Man with a fiery temper. These are the facets we know. Days after his passing, we spoke to former students for a more intimate take on the trailblazing former head of the NSD.

Initially in Bombay and later in Delhi, Alkazi — who died in his Delhi home on Tuesday, aged 95 — developed a reputation as a director who brought a new sense of realism and modernism to Indian drama.

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