His Holiness Pujya Gurudev Sri Sri Ravishankar

Lassi with Bassi. New chat show for World Culture Festival

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By Vidyut Udiaver

This afternoon I launched my new chat show to celebrate the upcoming World Culture Festival 2016. It`s Lassi with Bassi. Both are rich, robust and handsome symbols of Punjab. Lion-like in their content and honey-sweet in their intent. Lassi as you know is that heady mix of yoghurt, sweetened if your nice and salty if your uptight. Then who is Bassi ?

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Montoo Bassi from Delhi to be precise. He`s my new creative director, anchor person, cinematographer, adman, meditator, teacher, scriptwriter, master of ceremonies, designer and the firm shoulder that I can rely on when I am about to launch my new chat show…Lassi with Bassi to mark the upcoming World Culture Festival (WCF) in New Delhi India from March 11th-13th 2016. One can discuss anything under the sun with Bassi, from creative strategy, fonts, music and typos to cinema, fashion, photography and of course Paranthas. Wow. Paranthas ! Another Punjabi delicacy that the lion won`t ever touch, but Bassi and his friends Nakul, Upkar and Deepak can maul into pieces of it, layer after layer, thick and fast.

The idea of producing this chat show struck me at twelve last midnight when four boys next door were rigorously practicing away some popular hit tunes that they are going to play with 2,000 musicians at the World Culture Festival (WCF) next month. My chat show idea was born. Freedom at midnight ! I thought it could be a personal tribute to the upcoming mega cultural festival that is billed to take the world into waves of peace, happiness and much hope.

So Lassi, Bassi and Delhi. I love the qualities, characteristics, idiosyncrasies and tastes of all these three. All seemed to fall into place now for my new chat show.

But this chat show is not going to be Bassi`s first claim to fame. He has an amazing creative talent and a huge line-up of the advertising industry`s awards that will sparkle on your face when you sit in his living room. Coming back about the talk of our talk show. We are getting ready to chat on the grand, mammoth event that the world is talking about today. Montoo Bassi tells me that the World Culture Festival is going to be a promising encounter with the roots of all the music, traditions, art, dance and cultures of the world. Spectacular I should say. Over 25,000 artists from around the world are going to showcase music, chants and dance that`s going to shake the roots of the earth, cradling her people to relax in peace, for the sake of a better humanity.

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Thousands of artists are going to perform on the largest stage ever and for the first time 155 countries are coming together in support of a creative peace-building initiative inspired by the founder of Art of Living Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

An idea whose time has arrived. We are going to talk more about the WCF event in my first ever chat show. Lassi with Bassi. A show that will stir you inside out.

Why is the world media waiting to cover this event ?

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By Vidyut Udiaver, February 9, 2016

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The world`s best journalists, on-ground reporters, camera crews, production teams and media companies across the board in several countries are busy planning to catch this moment. It`s the World Culture Festival 2016. This event is a rare and powerful opportunity for media in all its forms to come together to help shape a culture that is inclusive, to promote an attitude that is peaceful and to deliver an experience that is unique. I can`t emphasize more on the power of media in the coming days and months.

A cross-cultural delight. The World Culture Festival to be held in New Delhi, India from March 11th-13th is expected to see a whopping confluence of cultures and traditions expressed through music, dance, art and songs. The world is going to watch and experience cultural pluralism at its best. And my friends in the media will fully agree with me that this message needs to go out there especially to the nations and people grappling with injustice, war, violence and terrorism. This is our time to come together to raise the bar and push the envelope towards harmony. Much before precious traditions, peaceful forms of thinking and expression are shot down or stamped out. The World Culture Festival is a mammoth effort towards that. It`s worth it. It`s now or never.

The world media is waiting with bated breath to catch the high production values of the festival that will emanate from the world`s largest stage of seven acres, roughly the size of six football fields. And the goal is One.  Individual peace, Global happiness. A stress-free, violence-free society. In whatever words one may wish to express it, it`s an idea whose time has come.

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Several thousand tons of media paraphernalia, equipment, software, lights and sound is waiting to download at the venue. Not to forget the potential words and feelings of the reporter on ground, to bring alive the largest live concert ever of over 25,000 artists and maestros from Hungary, America, Russia, Turkey, China, New Zealand, Germany, Sri Lanka, Japan, Indonesia, Latin America, Pakistan, Belarus, Australia, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Nepal, Middle East, Africa and 18 States of India. Perhaps the largest ever production and consumption of media is expected to roll out.

The festival is also a celebration of the 35 years of service by the world renowned Art of Living founded by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, which has implemented life-supporting initiatives in 155 countries continent wide. World leaders, celebrities and peacemakers will be joining hands with 3.5 million people on the ground, right there. Live at the World Culture Festival.

No wonder the world`s media is waiting to catch this event in all its hues and glory. To fulfill a greater mission, a collective responsibility. That`s the power of media.

It doesn’t take much – To M.A.D

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For the last two weeks, the road in which we live is in an unspeakable state…see picture.

Indian middle class is used to road digging, BBMP, BSNL, BWSSB, BESCOM…one or the other is usually digging the roads, what’s extraordinary here is the car parked in front of the JCB…again see picture

Blocked! You can go to hell
I am the Government! You can go to hell Attitude

The tipping point for the residents came when the Cauvery water line was broken in the process and the water tankers refused to supply water in our lane as actually the road was not commutable.

No Water? Drink Coke - Antoneitte Style
Drink Coke if you don’t have water – Marie Antoinette

All our requests fell on deaf ears, shouting residents got back to children, school & office, that’s when with an extraordinary courage, Hema parked her car right in front of the working JCB and challenged them “let me see how you will move another inch”

The Brave One - Who made a difference
The Brave One – Who made a difference

And, actually that’s all it took, for them to respond, in less than 3 hrs, arrangements for water and 4 wheel passage was made for our commute.

Volunteer for A better India (VBI) , it doesn’t take much, … to Make.A.Difference

(Hema is a Senior Faculty of The Art of Living and an ardent disciple of His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji)

Story Credits : Madhubala who share this inspirational story on Facebook originally.

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