India conjures up images of spirituality and yoga, palaces and poverty, festivals and food, and, of course, music and bollywood! According to Sylvia Fraser, India is a jewel box. Many drawers, many cabinets.
Masala! Mehndi! Masti! and MyBindi.com proudly present “Eyes on India”. A special literary panel featuring Sylvia Fraser, Mariellen Ward and Katherine Matthews – all writers of non-Indian origin – who have been captivated by India.
The panel, which will be moderated by Syerah Virani, will explore how and why India beckoned these individuals and how it sustains them even as they live their lives in Canada. We will examine the privileges and the prejudices that a “Firangi” can experience and how our panelists engage with the Indian diaspora and with the mainstream as self-appointed ambassadors for the beauty and love of all that is India.
When: Saturday, August 20, 2011
Where: Lakeside Terrace, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto
Time: 7:30pm to 8:30pm
FREE ADMISSION!!
About the Panelists
Sylvia Fraser
Sylvia Fraser is a Canadian novelist, journalist and travel writer. She has written 13 books and hundreds of articles. She served on the Arts Advisory Panel to Canada Council and was a founding member of The Writers’ Union of Canada. She also served on the executive of The Writers' Trust, a charitable organization for the support of Canadian authors and literature.
Fraser has won many awards, including the 1987 Canadian Authors' Association Non-Fiction Book Award for My Father's House, three National Magazine Gold Medals, two Silver, and The Matt Cohen "A Writer’s Life Award" for lifetime literary achievement.
In 2001, she published The Rope in the Water: A pilgrimage to India, a book about her journeys in India in 1999-2000, and the incredible story of how she was rescued from drowning off the coast of Kerala by a rope that didn't exist.
Mariellen Ward
Mariellen Ward is a Toronto-based freelance writer with a BA in Journalism, a certificate in yoga teacher training and a passion for sharing the beauty of India’s culture and wisdom. She has traveled for more than a year altogether in India -- from Dharamsala to Kanyakumari; from Mumbai to Darjeeling -- and lives part-time with her Punjabi family in Delhi.
Mariellen writes for magazines, newspapers and many online travel sites, and publishes an India travel blog, Breathedreamgo.com. She leads custom group tours to some of her favourite places in India.
In 2011, Mariellen published her first book, Song of India: Tales of Travel and Transformation.
Katherine Matthews
Katherine Matthews is a long-time cinema lover and is absolutely passionate about the films of India. She is fearless in her adventures from Bengali cinema, Bollywood blockbusters and films from India’s South! She sees them all and writes about them on her blog TotallyFilmi.com.
Katherine is prolific with her reviews especially on Twitter where, as @kaymatthews, she has written over 25,000 Indian film-related tweets and can often be found in passionate discussions with other Indian cinema journalists and fans from all over the globe.
Syerah Virani - Moderator
Syerah Virani is the Editor-in-Chief & CEO of MyBindi.com, Canada’s leading online resource for all aspects of South Asian arts, entertainment and lifestyle. MyBindi hosts a dedicated channel on Desi-Lit which showcases South Asian writers and writings about the South Asian diaspora.
"Eyes on India" is a part of The Masala! Mehndi! Masti! Festival of 2011 which runs from August 19-21 at the Harbourfront Centre in Toronto. Click HERE for a complete schedule of events.
MyBindi.com is a proud sponsor and programming partner of Masala! Mehndi! Masti! 2011.
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