Published on December 29, 2020 | Updated on December 30th, 2020 at 07:23 pm Alex Gibson

Home Features 8 Best Cyberpunk Anime Fans of the Genre Should Watch Next

If were talking Japanese cyberpunk then Ghost in the Shell has to be the ultimate expression of the genre. The 1995 movie is brilliantly written and does a great job of capturing the gritty high tech, low life ambiance thats so quintessentially cyberpunk.

The story takes place in Tokyo 2029 and follows a cyborg public-security agent who hunts a mysterious hacker known as the Puppet Master. Its a plot that features many of cyberpunks major themes, including transhumanism, augmentation, corporate warfare, and philosophical questions about self-identity in a technologically advanced world.

The franchise continued with a movie sequel called Innocence, as well as a TV series called Standalone complex. There also that live-action movie the less of which is said the better For our money, the original movie is the best expression of the whole saga.

If Ghost in the Shell is the ultimate expression of Japanese cyberpunk then Akira is its founding father. In fact, the film is highly regarded as a seminal Japanese cyberpunk anime production whose popularity and acclaim essentially paved the way for the countrys film industry to gain international recognition.

The story is set in a futuristic Neo Tokyo and follows the leader of a bike gang, Shtar Kaneda, whose friend, Tetsuo Shima, mysteriously gains telekinetic powers after hes involved in a crash with an Esper called Akira.

Those powers end up threatening an entire military base as they struggle to contain the threat, the same which destroyed the original Tokyo years earlier.

Its a gripping plot with pacing that moves at warp speed, making for an edge-of-your-seat type of experience. But Akira also serves as great homework for anybody interested in learning about the origins of the cyberpunk genre, exploring many of its key themes and generally oozing that dark ambiance and tone that makes cyberpunk so intoxicating.

Oh, and if youve been playing Cyberpunk 2077 then you might have noticed that Akiras bike design serves as inspiration for the awesome Yaiba Kusanagi.

Cyber City Oedo 808 is a cyberpunk anime gem that really embodies the 1980s vision of dystopian sci-fi with its long-haired anti-hero protagonists, synth-heavy OST, and gritty, mature writing.

The story tells the tale of three criminals who are enlisted in fighting crime in exchange for reduced sentences. The plot is a fairly serious affair overall, which starts as a murder mystery and then ends up exploring interesting cyberpunk themes such as transhumanism.

But you certainly wouldnt call it heavy not only are there some really over-the-top action scenes that are thoroughly entertaining but also a few comedic moments that are genuinely funny and not just because the English dub is somewhat cheesy at times (its also laden with profanity).

Overall, this is an action-heavy cyberpunk story full of 80s charm, from its punky aesthetic to its rocking guitar soundtrack. A real must-watch for cyberpunk fans.

In Bubblegum Crisis futuristic dystopia, its girls who run the world. Well, at least when it comes to cleaning up 2040 Tokyos streets of rogue robots!

This late 1980s, early 1990s anime tells the story of the Knight Sabres, an all-female group of mercenaries who don powerful exoskeletons that help them tackle boomer related crimes. No, we arent talking about beating up old folks here!

In Bubblegum Crisis, boomers are robots designed by the Megacorp Genom, which are intended to help mankind but can become powerful tools of destruction in the wrong hands. Thats where the Knight Sabres come in, a powerful task force of the AD Police.

Despite the name, Bubblegum Crisis is actually a rather dark and gloomy anime that tackles powerful themes such as social inequality, corporate espionage, and political infighting.

There arent too many of the light-hearted scenes you find in other anime series. Theres not even the age-old anime tradition of having the characters visit a beach or something similar.

To be fair, the series is only eight episodes long, so there wasnt much time for frolicking on the beach. There is, however, a 26-part reboot that was made in the late 1990s and is definitely also worth a watch.

For those really into dug Bubblegum Crisis, AD Police Files is an excellent spin-off thats set within the same universe and is absolutely worth checking out.

This short series serves as a prequel to Bubblegum Crisis and follows detective Leon McKnickles right at the very start of his career. It has a very neo-noir feel to the writing and aesthetic.

Sadly, this gritty, hardcore cyberpunk series only ran for three episodes before its production came to a sudden halt after a legal conflict between Artmic and Youmex.

Its such a shame, too, because AD Police Files had huge potential to become one of the all-time great cyberpunk animes. Its atmosphere and design are truly top-notch and something that fans of mature anime will really appreciate.

The only western anime on our list, The Animatrix is a nine-part series of short episodes that serve as a prequel to The Matrix and detail the original war between humankind and machines. Even if you arent a huge fan of The Matrix, trust us when we say this is a must-watch anime series.

Four of the nine animated short stories were released on The Matrixs official website, while the full collection was included as part of the DVD Matrix movie trilogy in 2003, but they were never really given a proper spotlight.

Indeed, its surprising how few people have actually seen or heard of The Animatrix, which is a pity considering its arguably better than any of the Matrix movies!

Battle Angel Alita is a two-part 1990s anime movie based on a popular manga series.

The story takes place 300 years after Earth was devastated by a catastrophic war known as The Fall. In this grim future, society is divided between those who live in the grimy Scrapyard City and the elite who live above them in a floating city called Zalem.

After happening across Gallys body on a scrapheap, the Cyberdoctor Daisuke Ido rebuilds her and becomes her surrogate father. Gally has no memory of her past but soon displays remarkable fighting skills. She starts working as a bounty hunter and meets a young man named Yugo, who she then tries to help reach Zalem.

Battle Angel Alita is one of Japans most popular cyberpunk manga series, and therefore much was expected of the anime when it launched in 1993.

While some purists didnt like all the changes made from the original manga, it is overall a very solid production with great artwork and music.

Certainly, the story lacks a bit of polish and feels a little incomplete in some aspects, but its still an anime wed highly recommend for those wanting to immerse themselves in the cyberpunk genre.

Texhnolyzeignores the typical cyberpunk pastiche for something that is original and unusual but every bit as atmospheric. In fact, it takes place in perhaps the most frightening dystopia of any cyberpunk anime, with a dark plot that lives long in the memory after its credits roll.

The story is set in a man-made underground city called Lux, which has become dilapidated after years of disrepair. The City, as its known, is referred to by its citizens almost as if it has a mind of its own, with three major factions attempting to control it and make it their own.

However, the main plot actually follows a young prizefighter named Ichise who loses two limbs after an altercation and is forced to undergo experimental surgery to replace them.

This, in turn, makes him so powerful that one of the citys three factions employs his services as a security detail.

Later, he then meets a mysterious girl named Ran who somehow is able to see visions of the future. The pair suddenly realize that Lux is heading toward a war that will destroy the entire population, and theyre the only ones who can stop it.

For those who are interested in exploring thought-provoking themes, such as human extinction, human morality, and nihilism, Texhnolyzewill be very appealing indeed.

Continued here:
8 Best Cyberpunk Anime Fans of the Genre Should Watch Nexta - Twinfinite

Debroy said that that he wrote this book to get millennials to read the Bhagavad Gita in Sanskrit (Pic: Express)

God might be an English word but its roots can be traced back to Sanskrit, said Bibek Debroy, author of the recently released The Bhagavad Gita for Millennials. He is more popularly know as an economist and the Chairman of the PM's Economic Advisory Council but he is considered an authority when it comes to Sanskrit texts. Debroy was speaking at TNIE's DakLF 2020 about his new bookThe Bhagavad Gita for Millennials. He was in conversation with senior journalist and author Kaveree Bamzai.

"I am averse to using words that are imported and implanted from the West, including a word like God," said Debroy. "The word God has different meanings. When someone uses the word God, they intend a certain meaning. The word God etymologically is cognate with a Sanskrit root Hutam, someone you offer oblations to. It's is a tragedy and travesty that millennials do not know this. If at the time of the Rajasuya Yagna, the first arghya was offered to Krishna in the Mahabharata, then, in some sense, Krishna was the Hutam. But I would not like to use the word, God," he added.

There is not one but many Gitas, said Debroy and added that there are more than 20 of them in Mahabharata itself. "Gita is anything that is sung or chanted. Here there is an adjective, Bhagavad, which automatically suggests that there must be other Gitas as well. There are around 60 different Gitas depending on how you define a Gita. Some of them, people are familiar with, like the Ashtavakra Gita," said Debroy. "There are texts like the Uddhava Gita which is from the Puranas. The two from the Mahabharata that people are probably most familiar with are the Dharma Vyadha Gita and the Anu Gita. There are things that are not directly referred to as Gitas but are very much on the same lines, for example, the Yaksha Prashna," he added.

Talking about whether the COVID-19 has made people realise the importance of the Gita, Debroy said that the Bhagavad Gita has always been there but due to COVID-19 people have much more free time they are not going to the multiplex and thus they have time to dip into the texts. "The Bhagavad Gita has always been there. If you are interested in it you will find the time, COVID or no COVID," he added.

Debroy said that that he wrote this book to get millennials to read the Bhagavad Gita in Sanskrit. "Which is why there is a chapter on Sanskrit, and one on poetry because all of these texts are poetry. I wanted people to get sufficiently familiar to read the text of the Bhagavad Gita in Sankrit and then read translations and commentaries. To appreciate the Bhagavad Gita, one has to understand the Mahabharata and the role of Krishna. So I have put in all of that explanatory stuff in chapters so that people get interested," he added. "My intention, in this particular book, was not to do a translation. I have done that in the past. it was to get the so-called millennials interested in the Bhagavad Gita. For the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita, my plea to the younger generation would be not to decide what kind of individual Krishna was on the basis of what one has picked up from a 144 character Twitter narration or television serials or from abridged tellings," Debroy added.

Answering Bamzai's question on whether one can learn Sanskrit with the help of his book, Debroy added that he has given tips on the Sanskrit alphabet. "Can one learn Sanskrit on one's own at home? Of course one can. I have no formal training in Sanskrit. My entire learning of Sanskrit has been self-taught at home. And one of the points that are made in the book is that the Sanskrit of the Bhagavad Gita is relatively simple. It is not the Sanskrit of Kalidasa. For the average person who is familiar with the Devnagari script, understanding the Bhagavad Gita is no big deal once you have done the two obvious things that happen in Sanskrit thesandhi thepadachhedand theanway. It seems complicated because Sanskrit is a language that flows freely," said Debroy.

No discussion about Gita feels complete without Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. "These are regarded as the four objectives of human existence. It is impossible to translate the word Dharma into English and it should not be translated to English without the context. There is a shloka which tries to define Dharma it says, whatever holds (things) up is Dharma. Different things hold up the fabric of society, so Dharma is a task, it is a duty and it is what we imperfectly translate into English as religion. Moksha is emancipation and liberation from Samsara, the cycle of worldly existence the cycle of birth death and rebirth. But the Bhagavad Gita itself says that Moksha is not for everyone and that only a few get Moksha while for the rest it is just Dharma, Artha and Kama. The Kama is the pursuit of sensual pleasures. It is invariably interpreted as sexual pleasures but the Kama is not just sex. Artha is the pursuit of material well-being and prosperity," he added.

But will the Bhagavad Gita help us find happiness? "If you expect the Bhagavad Gita to tell you to wake up in the morning and tell you to do three Suryanamaskars and you will be happy, then you will be disappointed. In the Bhagavad Gita, you will find what you wish to find. So it will have different lessons for different people. The word happiness is one that should not be bandied around without a care. What makes a person happy? What I am happy with right now, I won't be happy with a half-hour later. Most times when we interpret the word happiness we define it in terms of things that are completely temporary and transient. The message of the Bhagavad Gita is to focus on what is permanent," said the author.

Link:

Bibek Debroy at DakLF 2020: Even the word 'God' comes from Sanskrit - EdexLive

Four years ago, while looking at search analytics of our travel blog, we found that people were searching Hindi terms and that too in Devanagari, but they were obviously landing on an English page. This led us to launch our Hindi Travel blog that soon garnered a compact but loyal readership without much marketing. The marketing spends on the Hindi media and I assume other Indian languages stay negligible.

Things are changing fast though. Instagram recently announced that Instagram Lite would be available in several Indian languages. Google just announced that it would show relevant content in compatible Indian languages that include major Indian ones. I can already see my Google Adsense account in Hindi; Google Maps should soon follow.

The Facebook app already picks up a default local language for me based on my base location. The Jio browser for Android phones supports eight Indian languages. One of the big reasons for the success of video content is that it breaks the language barriers. It can be created without worrying about the grammar rules in the language or a dialect that you are most comfortable in.

As content is being translated and published in different languages around the country and the world, it opens up translation as a career opportunity for a large number of people. Perfect for those who want to live a flexible life with a laptop as office. This in turn is an opportunity for trainers who train people in different languages, either in online or offline classrooms or through mobile apps. I am reminded of my visit to Matturone of the rare Sanskrit-speaking villages in Karnataka.

While I was amazed to hear the fluent conversational Sanskrit, I was equally delighted to see them using basic technology to teach Sanskrit around the world. Translation may seem like a freelancers domain but there are big projects like the Murty Classical Library of India that is translating ancient Indian classics into English to make them available to the world. Given the number of manuscripts across the country and the world classics that we need to read in India, there is an opportunity for many more such projects.Mumbai-based Indus, through its App Bazaar, is creating Indias own version of Playstore to host mobile applications by leveraging the language advantage.

It offers over four lakh apps in 12 Indian languages. Currently it is the default app store on about hundred million Samsung devices in India. It offers localisation support to any developer who wants to create an Indian language mobile app or port any existing app in Indian languages along with helping them with distributiona great move that would help local language users as well as open up opportunities for those who want to build local and hyperlocal apps in these languages.

Induss technical support though still remains global, be it device partners Samsung or cloud partners Amazon web services. The company is yet to be profitable but its pioneering investment in languages will hopefully soon take it there. Those working on natural language processing (NLP) have been trying to bridge the gap between human and machine learning. If you have ever wondered how your mobile phone creates your version of a dictionary on your device or how it converts text to speech taking care of the nuances of your pronunciation, or how Gmail suggests possible replies for your emails, its NLP at work. Machine translation is part of its portfolio.

It is an area that has seen limited yet extremely usable success. You cannot yet trust the machine translations to have literary quality, but for all practical purposes they work. Google just launched its made in India, free and open-source machine learning tool for Indian languages called Multilingual Representations for Indian Languages or MuRIL for researchers, students, and start-ups who want to create local language technologies.

IBMs Watson Discoveryan artificial intelligence-based discovery toolnow supports Hindi, which is one of the 10 languages that they support worldwide. Simply put, this means that all the content available in these supported languages can now be searched for and translated to the language searched in. The impact of this is multi-dimensional. English would cease to be a necessary condition for both employers as well as employees, sharpening the focus on the core competencies and widening the net at both ends. Not to miss the opportunities in building more such technology tools.

A Gujarati reader once reported that he translates my posts using Google translate and gets confused, urging me to write in Gujarati. It told me about the need or market for local languages, the adaptation of latest technologies in remote areas, and the knowledge and hence opportunities gap that a better solution can plug for the user.

For the longest time we have seen digital nomads travelling the world teaching spoken English in non-English speaking regions. Would we see people travelling around to teach yoga or music speaking their own languages and using technology to communicate?

AnuradhaGoyal (Tweets @anuradhagoyal) Author and founderof IndiTales (https://www.inditales.com/)

Read more:

Making use of the language landscape diversity - The New Indian Express

Gurugram: On the auspicious occasion of Geeta Jayanti, Amity School of Liberal Arts, Amity University Haryana is organizing its 2nd International Conference on Relevance of Ka:rmik and Indic Studies to Contemporary Education on 24-25 December 2020 at its Gurugram Campus. The prime objective of the conference is to understand the relevance of Ka:rmik and Indic Studies and to incorporate Indic values and knowledge system in contemporary education for harmonious living. The Chief Guest of the Conference, Prof Sushma Yadav, Vice Chancellor, Bhagat Phool Singh Mahila Vishwvidayala emphasized on Ka:rmik and Indic Studies and its relevance in all the times. She emphasized on Sat Karma, Dushkarma and Punya Karma which play vital role in growth, leadership and sustainability of one and all. Encouraging the speakers and participants of the Conference, she emphasized over the need of conducting similar events in future with mutual collaboration. On this occasion, the Vice Chancellor of Amity University Haryana, Prof P. B. Sharma said, The concept of righteousness in society will be visible if we follow the concepts of the Gita and its action-oriented philosophy. He emphasized on Self Discipline, Purity of Mind, Harmony with Nature, Strict Adherence to Truth, Integration of Gyana and Vigyana as in the Bhagwat Gita. He, further, stated that human life will be full of Divine Bliss and Happiness if we go along with the reservoir of our rich philosophical spiritual heritage and Indic knowledge system. Prof. Padmakali Banerjee, the Pro Vice Chancellor of Amity University Haryana stated that, Modern world is looking forward to Sanskrit as a language and literature for playing a vital role in wellbeing and happiness of society. She emphasized on assimilating thoughts with actions in human life. She also encouraged ka:rmik and Indic researchers to take their research works further and disseminate the findings of their Indic research works for the well-being of our society. In his welcome address, the Chief Convener of the conference and Director (Liberal Arts), Prof. S. K. Jha, voiced over the needs of adopting and adapting to age-old Indic values and knowledge system. He advocated that Sanskrit will ensure our Sanskar (good conduct), and Sanskar will ensure our Sanskriti (Good Culture). Paying a tribute to Prof. C. Bhuvaneswar, Prof. Jha released his edited book The Rise of Karmikology with 18 selected papers of Karmik researchers. The enlightening ceremony was attended by eminent academicians like, Prof. Kamdev Jha, Principal, DAV College, Pehowa, Kurushetra, Haryana, Prof. Ashutosh Dayal Mathur, Head, Department of Sanskrit, St. Stephens College, University of Delhi. Delhi, Prof.Ashutosh Angiras, S.D. College, Ambala, Haryana; Prof. Girish Chandra Pant, Former Head, Department of Sanskrit, JMI, New Delhi; Mr.Shaalan Najem Abdullah (Iraq), Ms. Shaima Yousif Alzaidy (Iraq),Prof Udaya Narayana Singh, Dr Supriya Sanju, Dr Sunil Mishra, and Dr Shradhanvita and many others.

See the article here:

2nd International Conference on Relevance of Ka:rmik and Indic Studies to Contemporary Education - India Education Diary

Dec 28, 2020

The author of numerous bestselling espionage novels, died on December 12, 2020 in Cornwell, England.

Karnataka's renowned Sanskrit scholar and Kannada poet Bannanje Govindacharya died at the age of 84.

Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist known for "The War Between the Tates" and the comedy of Americans abroad "Foreign Affairs," died on December 3, 2020 at age 94.

The popular Telugu poet, writer and journalist succumbed to ill health in a Hyderabad hospital on 21 November 2020.

The veteran Marathi writer and playwright passed away on May 18 2020 at the age of 81. The author is considered a pioneer of the children's drama movement in Marathi.

Three weeks after the eminent Malayalam poet was conferred with the Jnanpith award, he passed away at a hospital on October 15 morning, said family sources.

The celebrated journalist, historian, world traveler and fiction writer who in middle age became a pioneer of the transgender movement, has died at 94 on 20 November 2020.

Author of the vastly popular Magic School Bus book series, passed away on 12th July 2020 at the age of 75.

The eminent Delhi-based activist, writer, columnist, filmmaker passed away on August 5, 2020 after a two-year long brave battle with metastatic breast cancer.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning fiction writer whose stories and novels told of both the dark secrets and the beauty of the Deep South died. on August 3, 2020. She was 91.

The noted Urdu poet and lyricist passed away on August 11, 2020 after testing positive for COVID-19 a day before. At 70, with a career spanning over five decades, Indori was best known for his Bollywood songs.

The Spanish novelist best known for The Shadow of the Wind passed away on 19 June 2020 at 55.

The guiding light of Indian sociology, passed away on May 10, 2020. He was 87. Singh played a seminal role in reorienting and modernising Indian sociology as a discipline.

The eminent Kannada writer passed away in Bengaluru after prolonged illness on 3 May 2020. He was 84. He was a prolific writer and penned poems, plays, short stories and novels.

Journalist, author and historian, Ronald Vivian Smith was the renowned chronicler of Delhi, every lane of it. He passes away on April 30, 2020

Follow this link:

Authors who bid goodbye in 2020 - Times of India

Slant

December 24, 2020 Zehra Jumabhoy on Tantra at the British Museum

IF YOU WENT TO THE BRITISH MUSEUM EXPECTING SEX,youd be disappointed, says Conor Macklin, director of Londons Grosvenor Gallery. He sounds a little disappointed. After all, if one braved Covid-19 to see a British Museum extravaganza, titillatingly titled Tantra: enlightenment to revolution, then surely sex was part of the deal? Curator Imma Ramos begs to differ. Ramosthe guiding light behind the show (which opened on September 24, 2020 and runs through January 24, 2021)hopes to uncouple Tantra from cheesy associations with carnal black magic.

Ramoss spiritual nemesis was Tantra: The Indian Cult of Ecstasy, staged at Londons Hayward Gallery in 1971. Equating Tantrawith sexual deviancy, Haywards survey propounded stereotypes that Ramos strove to subvert. Her show seeks to present the first historical exploration of tantric visual culture from its origins in India to its reimagining in the West.1 It does so by collating over one hundred and thirtyartifacts sourced across a vast geographical terrain (India, Nepal, Tibet, Japan, and the United Kingdom), hopscotching from the seventh century to the present day. Museumgoers journey from the earliest tantric texts in existence (such as the Nectar of the Thunderbolt Tantra, a palm leaf from Nepal dated to 1162) to a medieval sculpture of the Goddess Chamunda: Her face skeletal, her eyes staring, she wields a sword to battle the forces of darkness. She finds her counterpart in a nineteenth-century statue of a dancing Kali, also adorned with human heads. Visitors learn that this dark-skinned Hindu Goddess already enjoys a fan base in Britain: Kalis bloodied protruding tongue was repurposed by Mick Jagger as the Rolling Stones logo. At the heart of the show is a womblike atrium suffused with violet light, a recreation of a tenth-century Yogini temple in Odisha. Such sites are usually roofless, open to the heavens to facilitate divine visitations. The British Museums ceiling assumed the guise of a star-spangled sky, emblazoned with projected images of soaring Yoginis.

In Ramoss chronicle of corporeal spirituality, women are generally on top. The Sanskrit tan means to weave, extend or compose, so Tantra denotes an interweaving of rituals and practices associated with Goddess worship. As this valorization of divine feminine power (Shakti) swept across India, it enabled the ascendency of women as deities and gurus. Images of tantric goddesses combine references to motherhood and death. Such a conflation made them potent symbols for Indian revolutionaries in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, encouraging a form of devotional nationalism in which the body politic was configured as a terrifying Mother Goddess who required the martyrdom of her sons. Intriguingly, the exhibition explored Shaktis subversive role in the subcontinents Independence movements, as Kali became a mascot for anticolonial resistance, particularly in Bengal. In nationalist propaganda, she appears on the rampage: her mouth full of blood, her neck decorated withsevered male heads, dripping gore.The Black Goddess of Deathinfamous for trampling her consort, Lord Shiva, during her frenzied dance of destructionis also a figurehead for South Asian feminists. In British artist Sutapa Biswass painting Housewives with Steak-Knives, 1985, the gigantic Bringer of Bedlam sports four muscled arms (sprouting armpit hair), one of which clutches the head of a hapless male. She is flanked by another tantric heroine: Bharti Khers All theWhile the Benevolent Slept,2008, a fiberglass mock-up of the decapitated Goddess Chinnamasta. Her neck spurting jets of coppery blood, Khers dark dame holds a porcelain teacup in one hand, a grinning skull in the other. Is she innocently enjoying a cuppa, or contemplating carnage? Is she reminding visitors that Britains genteel predilection for teatime is a relic of a ruthless imperial past?

In fact, Ramos uncovers the British Museums complicity in Empires rapacious distortions of Tantra. The institution holds one of the worlds largest collections of tantric objects, many of them courtesy of Britains imperial adventure. Some of this booty was hidden by the squeamish Victorians in The Secretumcreated in 1865 to store obscene artifacts. Among those secreted away was an eleventh-century maithuna sculpture (the Sanskrit term refers to sexual coitus). Until the 1960s, it was kept under lock and key and available only to a chosen few (read: male, white) to have a scholarly peep. Though visitors can now gaze freely at the copulating couple, the story of their acquisition, possibly from Maharashtras Elephanta Caves (now protected by UNESCO), remains shrouded in mystery. Will they ever go home?

The path to liberation is a tricky trek. How to treat the once-colonized Other as an equal? A currently popular method within Euro-American institutions is to allow them entry into a redefined notion of modernism as a global (rather than a Western) category. This is the route Ramos took. Indian abstract painters who were beguiled by Tantras sacred geometrythink kundalini circles, throbbing vermillion mandalas and yonic triangleswere lumped together as flag bearers of global modernism. The museum already possessed Neo-Tantric paintings by G.R. Santosh and Biren De, but acquired two more by London-based Prafulla Mohanti and Munich-based Mahirwan Mamtani especially for the show. According to Ramos, these artists were influenced by the writings of collector Ajit Mookerjee in the 1970s, and valiantly sought to reclaim Tantra from its colonial-era association with hedonism and black magic. But Ramos spin glosses over the fact that the Neo-Tantrics never established a coherent, self-consciously modernist movement with a revisionist agenda (in the way that Bombays Progressive Artists Group did in 1947). De and Santosh belonged only to what can at most be deemed a fairly typical trend in Indian painting spanning the 1960s to the 80s. Moreover, the doyenne of Indian art history, Geeta Kapur, cast aspersions on their doingsmocking the so-called neotantrics for peddling a pastiche of the rhetoric of Indianness, and many of the tendencys most prominent exponents (including De himself) distanced themselves from the activities of their brethren.2 Thus Ramoss shoehorning runs counter to Des own wishes but, more importantly, it evades the question of the Neo-Tantrics status within Indian Modernismeven as it unwittingly rubberstamps market-driven categories.3 Artistic practices organized into identifiable collectivesespecially those sheltered under the banner of modernism (a term associated in Indian art history, thanks to Kapur, with an avant-garde)are safe commercial bets. So excited was Sothebys by Ramoss assemblage of Neo-Tantrics that a 2020 auction in New York beat her to the punch by inducting Santhosh, De, and Mamtanis pulsing paintings into a section called Neo-Tantra as Liberation.

One could argue that Ramoss inability to account for the complexities of Indian modernismand the place that Tantra played within itare forgivable given the ambitious remit of this blockbuster exhibition, which covers everything from the medieval to the modern. But then, why aspire to such a feat? Century-spanning extravaganzas revealing the colonial spoils of Buddhism, Islam, and Hinduism are par for the course in Anglo-American intuitions. Are such showshowever sophisticatedthe product of a neocolonial tendency to subsume the Other under the banner of inclusive programming? However, it seems unfair to rebuke Tantra for exhibiting a propensity that is prevalent in Western museums, and it is certainly better for these institutions to try to represent the multitudinous cultural production of the formerly colonized world, despite the attendant problems and pitfalls, rather than ignore them. In any case, Ramoss daredevil path to Moksha deserves applause. Her nods to Tantras syncretic history as a conjoining of the mystical strains of Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism provide a vital counternarrative to the chauvinism of Indias right-wing politicians. Thanks to the rise of the Hindu Right, Tantra has been stuffed into a straightjacket, its multireligious antecedents obliterated as Hindu fundamentalists don the garb of Orthodox tantric monks. Tantra was never a monolithic religion, but rather an adaptable sacred tradition that was incorporated into and appropriated by other belief systems, Ramos bravely insists. As her dancing Devis, menacing Mothers, and skull-sporting Goddesses alternately berate and beguile, we must concede that Ramoss rebellious beauties do enlighten us, dispelling some murky misconceptions along their way.

Zehra Jumabhoy is an art historian and curator specializing in modern and contemporary South Asian art.

NOTES

1. Email Interview by the author with Imma Ramos, 9/11/20.

2. Geeta Kapur, When Was Modernism: Essays on Contemporary Cultural Practice in India, Tulika Books: New Delhi, 2007, pp. 307-309.

3. Interview by the author with Siddhartha V.Shah, Curator of South Asian art, at the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts, 16/11/20. The museum contains De, Santosh, and Mohanti as part of the Chester and Davida Herwitz Collection, renowned as one of largest collections of modern Indian art in the world. Shah has currently been researching these holdings for a rehang of the Herwitzs bequest in PEMs new South Asia Galleries. According to Shah, who interviewed Des wife, the artist steered clear of the term Neo-Tantric.

Go here to read the rest:

Zehra Jumabhoy on Tantra at the British Museum - Artforum

NEW DELHI: West Bengal Board has released the Classes 10, 11 and 12 routine 2021 for board exams. As per schedule, theory exams of Class 10 will be conducted from June 1 to 10, 2021 followed by Classes 11 and 12 exams. WBCHSE will conduct 11th and 12th Class exams from June 15 to July 2, 2021.

Students can download Class 10, 11 and 12 exam routine from official websites, wbbse.org and wbchse.nic.in, respectively. Alternatively, they can access West Bengal Madhyamik and HS exam routine 2021 PDF through the links given below:

Click here to download West Bengal 10th routine 2021

Download West Bengal 11th and 12th routine 2021 here.

Along with this, the board has announced Classes 11 and 12 practical exam dates. The practicals will be conducted from March 10 to 31, 2021. Click here to download official notice.

WB Class 10 routine 2021

Date

Subject

June 1, 2021

First languages

June 2, 2021

Second languages

June 3, 2021

Geography

June 5, 2021

History

June 7, 2021

Mathematics

June 8, 2021

Life Science

June 9, 2021

Physical Science

June 10, 2021

Optional Elective Subjects

WB Class 12 routine 2021

Date

Subject

June 15, 2021

Bengali (A), English (A), Hindi (A), Nepali (A), Urdu, Santhali, Odia, Telegu, Gujarati, Punjabi

June 17, 2021

English (B), Bengali (B), Hindi (B), Nepali (B), Alternative English

June 18, 2021

Healthcare, Automobile, Organised Retailing, Security, IT, and ITES Vocational Subjects

June 19, 2021

Biological Science, Business Studies, Political Science

June 21, 2021

Mathematics, Psychology, Anthropology, Agronomy, History

June 22, 2021

Computer Science, Modern Computer Application, Environmental Studies, Health & Physical Education, Music, Visual Arts

June 24, 2021

Commercial Law and Preliminaries of Auditing, Philosophy, Sociology

June 26, 2021

Physics, Nutrition, Education, Accountancy

June 28, 2021

Chemistry, Economics, Journalism & Mass Communication, Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic, French

June 30, 2021

Statistics, Geography, Costing & Taxation, Home Management & Family Resource Management

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PALM SPRINGS, CA - JANUARY 03: Will Smith attends Variety's Creative Impact Awards and 10 Directors ... [+] To Watch Brunch at the Parker Palm Springs on January 3, 2016 in Palm Springs, California. (Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images,)

Lofi hip-hop is here to stay. The instrumental blend of traditional hip-hop and jazz has notably made its mark on Spotify, where the Lofi Fruits playlist by indie record label Strange Fruits Music alone attracts almost four million followers seeking mellow beats to help them focus, study, relax and sleep.

The music genrerepresented by bands likeChilledCow, ChilledBeats, Chillhop Music and College Musichas also inspired a tight-knit community including the likes of Will Smith, who this past summer released his second quarantine mixLo-Fi Summertime Beats to Social Distance Toon YouTube.

As lofi hip-hops relaxing soundscapes continue to grow in popularity, they are debunking the unwritten rules of hip-hop and leading the music industry into unchartedterritory where new forms of musicare likely tocome about in 2021.

My focus wasnt necessarily on producing music myself and putting it out, says Ryan Celsius, an established YouTube and lofi artist who, as a music fan, began following emerging artists by creating hip-hop playlists on YouTube before lofi began taking form in 2017. It was really around this whole community, this idea that there is an entire ecosystem of music and artist interconnectivity that people werent aware of.

Celsius, who was recently hired by the indie record label and digital music distribution service Amuse to build the companys lofi division, says that many lofi artists likeSnw, Monty Datta, smartface, M!NT and Homieunculusare now creating their own playlists, labels and merch. They are also hosting live events and leveraging social media platforms to engage with the genres steadily growing fanbase.

The low barrier to entry and high accessibility and replay value of lofi hip-hop makes it a welcoming space for budding artists. Canadian singer and songwriterIsaiah Faber, known asPowfu, broke into lofi with his hit Death Bed (Coffee for Your Head) on TikTok where it totaled more than 4.1 billion plays during March and has been featured in more than 5.5 million videos this year.

Lofi hip-hop labels like Puebla Vista, Chill Children and Promoting Sounds are also expected to expand in the next year. Music producers are also exploring the space since discovering that, unlike traditional hip-hop music, lofi does not require collaborations with prominentand expensiverappers.

Our engagement inloficulture is a testament to the idea upon which Amuse was foundedto use music consumption data to find emerging independent artists, says Diego Farias, co-founder and CEO of Amuse. Over the past several years, our streaming data has shownlofihip-hop artists resonating with audiences, even at a very early stage in their careernowlofi is exploding in popularity and creating new models for the music industry."

As lofi hip-hop continues to debunk the unwritten rules of the music industry, Celsius explains that the age of the superstar will soon give way to new genres and ways of producing music. The industry is leaning towards a world in which music consumers are more concerned with the actual sound and accessibility of a beat rather than the method by which it was produced.

As new sonic standards takeover traditional music business rules, Celsius adds, new waves of artists and gatekeepers will come about. A more diverse creative space will actively flip the industry and provide new monetization opportunities and growth initiatives for most players. Major record labels will adapt successfully, he says, especially considering the opportunity to tap millions of loyal lofi listeners supplying streams.

ZOD1AC, an instrumental hip-hop artist based in Akron, OH who draws influences from a diverse mix of genres, including jazz, boom bap, ambient, shoegaze, downtempo and classical in addition to contemporary production styles, has found support in the lofi hip-hop community. His ties to other lofi artists grew stronger this year after lockdown abruptly put a pause on his prolific streak of new releases and live performances including opening forhip-hop record producer Blockhead.

The pandemic caused me to focus more on reconnecting with the beat community on a deeper level,ZOD1ACsaid. I have since forged a close bond with many more musicians (beatmakers, MCs and instrumentalists), and I look forward to continuing to build upon the success we've found so far, as well as helping my colleagues in the scene to navigate the ever-evolving online ecosystems that come with the territory of being an artist.

Celsius manages his own lofi channel, Ryan Celsius Sounds, with 507,000 subscribers on YouTube and 170,507 monthly listeners on Spotify. This year his streams jumped from 2.5k per day before lockdown to a daily average of 10k in July and 31k by November. This year he also worked with Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smiths Westbrook Inc. media venture this year to curate and mix thelofihip-hop playlist featuring more than 36 artists to accompany Wills summertime concept.

Originally posted here:

How Lofi Hip-Hop Will Inspire New Music In 2021 - Forbes

This story originally appeared on solasalonstudios.com

For salon owners, the time between Thanksgiving and the new yearare often about everyone else: long days pampering your guests followed by gift wrapping and trying to squeeze in quality time withfamily.Winding down from a stressful season (and an even more stressful year)doesnt happen overnight, soIts important to give yourself a few days of rest and relaxation to gain back control of your life and find your much-needed zen. So take a few tips from the below list and allow the madness to settle. And, it wouldnt hurt to cultivate a few of these habits to take with you into the New Year...

1. Clear the books.Take a few days to slow down before the next rush hits.Its OK to say no to plans and prior commitments. Take a staycation and enjoy a few days taking care of numero uno.

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2. Catch some zzzs.Turn off that dreaded alarm and get a few extra hours of sleep at night. Maybe even treat yourself to a nap! When youre working 12-hour days and entertaining nonstop during the holidays, its nearly impossible to get a full nights sleep. So take a few lazy vacation days when you can and allow your body to recover.

3. Power down.Were willing to bet, if you haven't already, you'll bespendingmuch of the holidays showcasing all your beautiful work on social media and connecting with clients, friends, and family with nonstop texts, calls, Facetimesand Zooms. Shut down your devices for a couple of days, or even just a few hours,to reconnect to yourself. Too much screen time can take its toll! With the right systems in place, likeSolaGenius, you can keep booking appointments while youdisconnect.

4. Get outside.Take in a bit of nature with a brisk hike or spend a few minutes making snow angels. Fresh air and a few minutes with Mother Nature is a surefire way to lower your stress levels.

5. Utilize essential oils.Essential oils are a natural stress reliever and do wonders for calming your mind. Create an essential oil roller with jojoba oil and a few drops of lavender, lemongrass, tulsi and ylang ylang. Roll it onto your wrists and temples to totally shift your head and heart space. Inhale, exhale, and enjoy.

6. Take a coffee break.How many cups (ahem, carafes) of coffee do you consume during the week, let alone when the holiday rush hits? Its proven that warm beverages soothe the body, so try a relaxing cup of tea. Sipping some tea is a great way torelieve stress while boosting energy, immunityand digestion naturally. With a bit of honey, youll get an extra antioxidant boost to improve your immunity.

7. Soak it up.A hot bath is a perfect ritual to relax and unwind at the end of the day. Toss in a bath bomb and remember to breathe deeply while you soothe your tired muscles and detox your mind.

8. Get a massage.Plenty of research shows that massage therapy is an ideal stress relief tool. Book an appointment with your favorite Sola massage therapist or order one up at home with the Soothe app. Either way, you deserve to treat yourself before all the pampering you'll be doing for others this holiday season!

9. Create a calming environment.Your physical environment plays a major role in your overall mood. Take a break from bright lights with a few candles and by using dimmers in the evening. Add to the peaceful ambiance by turning on some relaxing music.

10. Practice gratitude.Its pretty simple: Being grateful can actually reduce stress. Create a gratitude list for everything you are thankful for and say "thank you"to those who make your life amazing. Refocusing your thoughts on what you have instead of what you dont have will cause a noticeable change in your overall mentality and mood.

Once youve allowed yourself to recoverand youve found that much-needed zen, youll be ready to set your intentions for asuccessful holiday season and new yearno matter what curveballs are thrownyour way.

See the original post:

10 Ways to De-stress During the Holidays - American Salon

With COVID-19 and election season, game recommendations for total escapism are sorely needed.

Its probably safe to say that 2020 has not been a good year for most of us. Between the never-ending isolation and political debates that have gone along with COVID-19 and the always-infuriating election process, stress has been unbelievably high for months. Though this dumpster-fire of a year is coming to a close, and the election is finally over, it is still likely that things wont get back to normal for quite a while yet.

Escaping into video games is not a new concept. Tons of us have been doing this for years on end, regardless of whats been going on in the world around us. Because lets be honestthe worlds inside our video games have always been more entertaining (and usually more aesthetically pleasing) than the real world. But with 2020 being dramatically terrible, finding the best games to play that are immersive enough to keep your mind in another world for hours on end seems invaluable right now.

Cyberpunk 2077

Given its current popularity, it seems almost silly to even mention this one. But then again, not mentioning Cyberpunk 2077 on a list of immersive games that are perfect for escapism would be doing the game a disservice. And yes, there are tons of bugs, especially on the console version of this game. That being said, the bugs will hopefully be gone in the near future. Tons of people have loved the feel of the game at least, with it being an open-world, action-adventure story set in Night City. The people in this place are obsessed with power, glamor, and body modification. As you play, the choices you make affect how the story goes, so it truly feels like youre living a different life.

Related:10 Best Cyberpunk Games, Ranked

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Speaking of living a different life, that is the primary focus of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. I was so skeptical when I picked up the game, as it looked like the equivalent of something a five-year-old would be into. But lo and behold, playing the game felt like taking a nice vacation, aside from the part where you spend most of the time in debt to a capitalist raccoon. But with relaxing music playing in the background, you get to build your own island however you want toand customizeyour house. Living on a beautiful island where everyone is (usually) happy and making it whatever way you desire is as good as it sounds.

Stardew Valley

Speaking of living a different life, Stardew Valley is one of the best games for pretending you live in an alternate reality. You inherit your grandfathers old farm plot, and now its up to you what you want to do with it. Not only can you customize your farm, but you can also learn to live off the land, join in your local community, find someone to start a family with, explore caves, customize your own house, and more. Bewareonce you get started with this game, you will not be able to stop, so make sure youre ready for a new addiction.

Octopath Traveler

Octopath Traveler is a retro, turn-based RPG. Eight different heroes are all on their own journeythough they travel togetherand you can choose which characters to focus on and which places you want to go. The world isnt as huge as Skyrim, but there are tons of different places to explore or visit, and many battles to fight, including secret bosses. Most importantly, the art and music of the game give it a relaxing, fully immersive feel, which is what so many of us need right now, in light of the world around us.

Skyrim

Skyrim absolutely needs a mention on this list. Though many have already played this game, the music and atmosphere are debatably superior to any other game if youre looking to escape reality. This open-world, fantasy RPG is built to immerse you in a world full of magic, dragons, other creatures, and of coursealmost endless quests for you to complete. You can decide what race and build you want and then set out to explore the world while returning to visit your husband or wife at home every so often. Luckily, even if youve played this game before, its one of the most replayable games out there. And if youre looking to give this beloved game a new twist, you could always try it with a little bit of Mary Jane.

Next:Reasons Why Ill Do A New Build This Time Rarely Happens With Skyrim Replays

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Excerpt from:

Best Games To Play If You Want To Immerse Yourself In Escapism From Your Depressing Reality - TheGamer