Actor Milind Gunaji back with five projects, stands up for birds as ambassadors of peace!

 Besides being a versatile actor, writer and a passionate television host, Milind Gunaji is also an acclaimed photographer of repute. His passion has been nature and he captures Mother Earth at her best.

Armed with over 3000 timeless bird images, Milind Gunaji will exhibit his  works on the avian wonders very soon.  

Milind has taken a small sabbatical from work as his son, director Abhishek Gunaji tied the knot to Radha at Sindhudurg, followed  by a grand reception in Mumbai.  

But the day he was back in the city, Milind actually took time off to express his solidarity to the mission of peace, with 100 birds by 100 photographers at the Piramal Art Gallery, NCPA, curated by veteran photo journalist Mukesh Parpiani, who is the driving force behind the reputed gallery.

Milind Gunaji, to the uninitiated,  was the Brand Ambassador of Forest and Wildlife, Government of Maharashtra, besides being the  Committee Member of Maharashtra Tourism where he also plays a  role in Tourism and Development of the Forts of Mahrashtra.

Says he, " I have been passionate about photography since my school days when my father had gifted me a Black and White camera, as my parents felt I had good framing sense. During most my treks and exploring Maharashtra's unknown tourist spots and forts, I clicked a lot of Pictures." And then, there was no looking back.

 Milind recollects an incident where his passion nearly cost him his life. "During the shoot of my  show Bhatkanti was when we were exploring Alibaug  Colaba Fort, I  nearly  drowned in an unexpected high tide that  had submerged my only way out to the coast of Alibaug". How he got out is one long story. But that incident did not stop the actor from his nature escapades. And only strengthened his resolve to work harder on the conservation front.

On the acting front, Milind Gunaji will soon be seen in  Anees Bazmee's Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 with Kartik Aaryan and Kiara Advani, Hit starring Rajkummar Rao and Sanya Malhotra, Bruce Lee's Lookalike and Wings of Gold with Ali Fazal, and a project with Ajay Devgn to be announced soon.

Here is looking forward to much more from this talented star!

OMG ! Actress Urvashi Sharma effortlessly lifts 80 kilos! Video Goes Viral on Social Media

 Actress Urvashi Sharma, wife of actor-producer Sachiin Joshi, is sweating it out at the gym. And how!  

A mother, a wife, and a Beauty Queen, Urvashi's choice is to keep herself fit during the pandemic.

Urvashi keeps surprising the fans with her fitness posts on social media.

Recently, a post of Urvashi is creating a sensation online where the actress is seen lifting 80 kg weight on a squat rack with efffortless ease.

In the past, Urvashi also created a stir when she appeared in the television show Amma, where she essayed the central character. But the actress has always prioritised family over glitz and glam and is the driving force behind the social initiatives of Big Brother Foundation. Apart from this, fitness is on Urvashi's priority list. Like Urvashi, there is Bollywood sensation Malaika Arora who maintains her daily health routine while balancing everything.  Malaika also sweats for hours in the gym to maintain her body and soul. Although Malaika is older than Urvashi in both age and experience, the answer to both these hot bods is fitness, and perhaps taking Urvashi and Malaika as their inspiration, today's young brigade will also start considering fitness as an integral part of their daily life.

 https://www.instagram.com/reel/CXgujWFIwe2/?utm_medium=copy_link

The Black Horse Grows Wings!

This February, the cobbled streets of Kala Ghoda will once again transform into a carnival ground, with the promise to leave no one unentertained. With art, culture, heritage, drama, song and dance awaiting you, it is time to vicariously tap your feet and witness the festival’s new Udaan…

When the world shut down due to pandemic, the Kala Ghoda Art Festival (KGAF), one of the largest multicultural festivals in the world, went global with its digital avatar, hosting over 70 online programs across nine days. This was last year.
2022 February brings with it the proverbial phoenix with the KGAF theme ‘Udaan’, lending it new wings.
The wind beneath the wings will be the main venues over 9 days including the beautiful 100 year old heritage building – Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (formerly Prince of Wales Museum) which contains the Children’s Museum, Coomaraswamy Hall, the Amphitheatre, the lawns and some beautiful outdoor spaces; Max Mueller Bhavan – which has a respected exhibition space dedicated to art and architecture, The NGMA Auditorium, Horniman Circle Garden, Kitab Khana, the streets and Kala Ghoda precinct. Since the streets will not be blocked this year, the ground installations are minimal, and they will have mostly aerial Visual Arts installations, keeping with the theme Udaan, replete with décor lighting as well. In the past, murals have been painted on some building facades. The KGAF is working on art installations that extend beyond the precinct as well.  
Keeping in mind COVID protocols, social distancing and registrations are a must to prevent random walk-ins. Double vaccination certificates will be checked, and for children traveling with parents, the Aarogya Setu app will be checked.
Workshops, heritage walks and street plays will be conducted as well as the visual art installations, literature, theatre, cinema, music and dance events among others.
KGAF has always drawn unprecedented crowds. The waiting list will be long! However, all programs are free and no tickets will be sold. Each person entering the venues will be registered.
Considering that Kala Ghoda Art Festival’s mandate is to use its surplus funds to restore buildings and heritage monuments in and around the area with restored projects like the Muljee Jetha Fountain, the K.E Synagogue and Bomanjee Hormarjee Clock Tower, which have been awarded UNESCO awards.
Brinda Miller, Festival Director, KGAF, is elated. "Kala Ghoda Art Festival's date with Mumbai is again keeping with our promise for the 23rd year, celebrating art and culture in its finest form. Our partners and collaborators are holding hands with us once again to ensure that the spectacular return of the on-ground festival  is as radiant as ever.   To avoid overcrowding and to adhere to Covid protocols, we have focused more on aerial installations, and fewer ground events. Also, our stalls are virtual with the Kala Ghoda Art Kart (KGAK) opening the marketplace to the world, in terms of both participation and purchase. And of course, the art kart is open through the year, starting Dec 10. We are looking forward to everyone joining our proverbial Dark Horse that has taken wings with the concept, Udaan that strengthens our global footprint in 2022."
Here’s to support the 22-year-old iconic festival that draws over half a million people from all walks of life and see it grow its patronage from strength to strength yet again...

काळा घोडा आर्ट कार्ट (KGAK) १० डिसेंबर २०२१ ते ३० नोव्हेंबर २०२२ पर्यंत

कोरोना काळात काम बंद असल्याने कारागिरांवर आर्थिक संकट आले होते. त्यांचे हे संकट दूर व्हावे म्हणून काळा घोडा आर्ट कार्टने कारागिरांना आता वर्षभरासाठी जागतिक व्यासपीठ देण्याचे ठरवले आहे

काळा घोडा आर्ट्स फेस्टिव्हल (KGAF) फेब्रुवारीमध्ये पुन्हा सुरु होत आहें. यंदाची थीम ब्लॅक हॉर्स उडान अशी आहे. याचाच अर्थ कलाकार, कारागिरांना एका उंचीवर नेऊन ठेवण्यासाठी काळा घोडा आर्ट फेस्टिव्हल सज्ज झाला आहे.  या उत्सवात कलाप्रेमींना जेवढा कलेचा उत्कृष्ट अनुभव घेता येतो तितकाच तो कलाकार, कारागिरांचा संरक्षक म्हणूनही  ओळखला जातो. कोरोनामुळे यंदा स्थानिक कारागीर प्रचंड प्रभावित झाले. त्यांच्या आर्थिक पुनर्प्राप्तीला चालना देण्यासाठी, काळा घोडा आर्ट फेस्टिव्हल टीमने एक अनोखी योजना आखली आहे. यंदा १० डिसेंबरपासून काळा घोडा आर्ट कार्ट (KGAK) आयोजित करण्यात आला असून तो जवळ-जवळ एक वर्ष म्हणजे ३० नोव्हेंबर २०२२ पर्यंत सुरु राहाणार आहे.
काळा घोडा असोसिएशनने खास क्युरेट केलेल्या ऑनलाइन मार्केटप्लेसचा उद्देश भारतभर पसरलेल्या अस्सल कला निर्माण करणारे  समुदाय आणि लहान-लहान कारागीर यांच्यातील दरी भरून काढणे हा आहे.  “आर्ट कार्टच्या माध्यमातून आमचा प्रयत्न, शिल्पकारांच्या अनोख्या कथा आणि निर्मिती समोर आणण्याचा आहे. काळा घोडा आर्ट कार्ट फेब्रुवारीच्या नऊ दिवसांपुरता मर्यादित राहणार नाही तर वर्षभर चालेल. त्यामुळे काळा घोडा परिसर कलाकारांचे आश्रयस्थान म्हणून समोर येईल.” असे काळा घोडा असोसिएशनच्या अध्यक्षा ब्रिंदा मिलर यांनी सांगितले.

काळा घोडा आर्ट कार्टमध्ये भारतातील कुशल कारागिरांनी बनवलेल्या कापडी दागिन्यांपासून ते स्कार्फ, शर्ट्स आणि घरासाठींच्या शोभेच्या वस्तूंपर्यंत सर्व प्रकारचे स्टॉल्स असतील. या आर्ट कार्टसाठी देशभरातून एकूण ५०० पेक्षा जास्त कारागिर, संस्थांनी रुचि दर्शवली होती. त्यापैकी सर्वोत्कृष्ट अशा ५० पेक्षा जास्त कलाकार आणि कारागिरांना काळा घोडा आर्ट कार्टमध्ये संधी देण्यात येणार आहे.  “काळा घोडा आर्ट कार्टमधील अनेक स्टॉल भारतातील विविध राज्यांतील आहेत. आम्ही किरकोळ विक्रेत्यांच्या तुलनेत कारागिरी आणि डिझाइन्सकडे जास्त लक्ष देतो. पारंपारिक भारतीय कला शैलींवर लक्ष केंद्रित करून कलेक्शनमध्ये पर्यावरणपूरक आणि समकालीन उपयुक्तता मूल्य शोधतो,” अशी माहिती काळा घोडा आर्ट कार्टचे क्यूरेटर मयंक वल्लेशा यांनी दिली.
आर्ट मार्टमध्ये येणाऱ्या रसिकांना हरियाणातील हिस्सार येथील हाताने नक्षीकाम केलेली सुंदर पादत्राणे, कोरड्या पानांपासून बनवलेल्या प्रिंटच्या साड्या, अहमदाबादमधील प्लास्टिकच्या कचऱ्यापासून बनवलेल्या पिशव्या आणि छत्तीसगढच्या बस्तर जिल्ह्यातील सुक्या दूधीपासून आणि कागदापासून बनवलेले विंड चाइम आणि दिवे येथे पाहायला आणि विकत घ्यायला मिळतील.
देशात अजूनही अशा काही व्यक्ती आणि गट आहेत ज्यांनी अजूनही पारंपरिक विणकाम टिकवून ठेवले आहे. अशा व्यक्ती आणि संस्था जागतिक व्यासपीठावरही पाहायला मिळतात. या संस्था व्यक्ती पारंपरिक अभिव्यक्ती, योजना आणि कलाकृतींचा वापर सध्याच्या महानगरीय जीवनासाठी उपयुक्त ठरतील अशा प्रकारे तयार करतात.
“हरित आणि हवामान/प्राण्यांसाठी काम करणाऱ्या संघटनांना देखील आम्ही या कार्टमध्ये स्टॉल्स लावण्यासाठी आग्रह केला आहे. जगामध्ये चांगले काम करून जीवनमान सुधारण्यास मदद करण्यास तयार असलेल्या व्यक्ती आणि संस्थांना KGAK  मदत करण्यास सतत सक्षम आहोत.” असेही ब्रिंदा मिलर यांनी यावेळी सांगितले.

NCPA मध्ये दाखवले 100 अदभुत पक्ष्यांचे छायाचित्रण, समाजाला दिला खास संदेश, गायक सुदेश भोसले यांनी आपल्या गायनाने बांधली गाठ!

  

सुदेश भोंसले, शिखा मल्होत्रा, निहारिका रायजादा आणि डॉ. अनुषा श्रीनिवासन अय्यर यांनी आज पिरामल आर्ट गॅलरीत मुकेश पारपियानी-क्युरेट केलेल्या 100 निवडक छायाचित्रकारांद्वारे 100 आश्चर्यकारक छायाचित्रकारांद्वारे शांततेचे संदेशवाहक म्हणून पक्ष्यांच्या उद्घाटनाला उपस्थित होते. सुदेश भोसले यांची संक्रामक उर्जा, चातुर्य आणि गायनाने सर्वांनाच मंत्रमुग्ध केले. ज्येष्ठ छायाचित्रकार आणि पिरामल गॅलरीचे प्रमुख, मुकेश परपियानी यांनी गॅलरीमागची दृष्टी आणि पाहुण्यांना प्रत्येक क्षणाचा आनंद लुटता यावा यासाठी प्रदर्शन शेअर केले. एकूणच, एक खरोखर घटनात्मक उद्घाटन.