A visitor to India, population 1.1 billion, is immediately struck by its overflowing jumble of humanity. After a few days in its congested and polluted cities, you long for the solitude of its open, sparsely-populated spaces. There are a number of options to consider. You can raft down the rapids of the Ganges River. You […]
The ghost of legendary Jewish entrepreneur David Sassoon lingers over Mumbai, India’s commercial center. One hundred and fifty years after his death, several landmarks and synagogues in this pulsating, cosmopolitan city bear either his family name or owe their existence to his philanthropy. Sassoon (1792-1864), the scion of a distinguished Sephardi clan from Iraq, settled […]
A lush, palm-fringed island in the southern Indian state of Kerala, Fort Cochin is a cosmopolitan blend of cultures and an oasis of calm. Inhabited by Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Jews, it’s a mirror image of India’s rainbow of ethnic and religious groups. Part of greater Cochin, or Kochi, Fort Cochin faces the Arabian Sea […]
Satyajit Ray (1921-1992), one of the masters of the Indian cinema, is coming t0 Toronto through the medium of a retrospective of his prolific body of work. The Sun and the Moon: The Films of Satyajit Ray runs from July 3 to Aug. 17 at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. A sampler: Aparajito (Friday, July […]