--- In [email protected], Rick Archer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Mira Nair did Mississippi Masala and Monsoon Wedding, among others
"Mississippi Masala" is a wonderful film. Nair also dabbled in soft- core porn with her Kama Sutra movie. She also did "Vanity Fair" with Reese Witherspoon which was just so-so. > > Mira Nair film proposal revives interest in Beatles visit to Rishikesh > > <http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/6280/2256/1600/george% 20harrison%20bri > thday%20hall.jpg> > Photo: The hall where George Harrison celebrated his 25th birthday in 1968 > at Rishikesh (Photo: Mangesh Kumar) > > By Raju Gusain > > http://uttarakhandnews.blogspot.com > > Rishikesh, 30 Oct: Renowned film maker Mira Nair has announced her intention > to make a full-length docu-feature on the Beatles¹ visit to this holy > township. The news has once again brought fresh the memories of the tour of > the band to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi¹s Ashram in 1968 to learn meditation. > Mira¹s decision comes at time when the 15 acre Mahesh Yogi Ashram, located > here, has almost totally become derelict. The Ashram is now an abandoned > place. It is now part of the Rajaji National Park and its entire > infrastructure has been vandalised. It also represents the failure of the > state government to utilise this extraordinary asset to boost tourism.Mira > is expected to come here to shoot her film on the Fab Four. > The 1968 visit was significant in the life of the Beatles. Stating this, > UK¹s legendary folk singer Donovan Leitch says, ³The 1968 visit with the > Beatles was the foremost influence on the western world that brought Eastern > Yoga to the west in the 20th century.² > It is shocking that Uttaranchal Tourism has failed miserably to take > advantage of the Beatles visit to Rishikesh (Please recall, Boosting > tourism: Taking advantage of the Beatles visit to Rishikesh, Garhwal Post, > 19-25, 2004). Incidentally, the visit of the music group that created > headlines worldwide in the 60s is not even mentioned in the Tourism > Department¹s brochures. Last year, Uttaranchal Tourism hosted a Beatles > Festival (Token start to Beatles festival in Rishikesh, Garhwal Post, 13-19, > 2005) at the Parmarth Niketan on the concluding day of the International > Yoga Week. But, this year, the festival has not been organised so far. > The Beatles visited the Indian Himalayas and the tour gave mass popularity > to Yoga and spirituality in the West. The Fab Four¹s time at the Ashram was > the single most productive capsule of time in their careers. They wrote 48 > songs while they were in Rishikesh. Among the Beatles, Ringo stayed at the > Maharishi's Ashram for 10 days, Paul for 5 weeks, John and George, for 8 > weeks, each. > During the visit George Harrison celebrated his 25th birthday at the Mahesh > Yogi Ashram. The birthday function took place at a big assembly hall in the > Ashram (See photo). The celebration began with the Maharishi applying > sandalwood on George's forehead. Local artists were invited to perform at > the birthday party. Mike Love, leader of the Beach Boys, sang a hymn about > meditation and Donovan also gave a small performance. The celebration lasted > for some three hours. It was an unforgettable day! > The hall where the birthday party took place has been vandalised badly. > Stray animals can be found loitering in the campus. > Emmy Award winner producer-director Paul Saltzman stayed at the Ashram with > the Fab Four during the India tour. Paul says, ³When I visited the Mahesh > Yogi Ashram for the second time, I discovered that the bungalows where the > Beatles stayed were no longer there. The old buildings were demolished for > new constructions.² > Presently, tourists are not allowed to enter the erstwhile Ashram of the > Mahesh Yogi. A forest guard bars the way. The tourists can visit the Rajaji > National Park by paying a nominal entry fee. But, not the Ashram. So many > opportunities lost! > Garhwal Post > 31 October, 2006 > Dehradun > To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
