SOUTH ASIA
A Brimful Of Asha At Tarragon Theatre
Toronto: Tarragon Theatre recently presents A Brimful of Asha, directed by Ravi Jain, written and starring Asha and Ravi Jain opened at the Tarragon Theatre in Toronto recently and will be on till Feb. 19.
Real-life mother and son, Asha and Ravi Jain, share the stage and tell this true (and very Canadian) story of generational and cultural clash. Asha believes it’s time for Ravi to get married and it’s up to her to help him find a bride. Ravi, however, is not so sure. He’s just embarked on an exciting new phase in his professional life that means marriage will have to wait – at least for a little while.
Having just graduated from school in Paris, an opportunity that’s impossible to pass up comes his way – a trip to India to work as an artist. Ravi is too naive to see that this is an “impossible-to-pass-up” opportunity for his parents as well. His parents decide that his trip to India is the perfect time to introduce Ravi to potential brides. Ravi doesn’t suspect a thing, but his mother is determined to marry her son. Ravi knows what he’s up against: a whole way of life cherished by his mother’s generation and those before her. Can we balance respect for the old world and love for the new? Can he remain true to himself and bring Asha some peace?
A Brimful of Asha was developed back in 2010 when Ravi Jain was Tarragon Theatre’s Urjo Kareda Emerging Artist. Working on this story as part of the Playwright’s Unit, Ravi approached Artistic Director Richard Rose, to ask if there was room in the unit for another member: his mother, Asha, who had never worked as a professional artist until that point. Asha and Ravi Jain developed the story collaboratively, to create a heart-warming story of maternal love and the immigrant experience in our modern world.
Ravi Jain is a multi award-winning actor, director, producer, educator, arts-activist and Artistic Director of Why Not Theatre. Currently Ravi is among the 10 resident artists at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts and a member of the DiverseCity Fellows program, which aims to diversify leadership across sectors for the Toronto region. This past summer Ravi taught alongside Jim Calder, head of movement at New York University’s Graduate Acting Program, teaching commedia dell’arte in Florence, Italy.
Asha Jain grew up in New Delhi, India. Upon completion of her Master’s Degree, she married in 1974, which led to her immigration to Canada. While supporting her husband Ramesh in the founding of his own business, she raised two boys, Anurag and Ravi. She is a wonderful mother, wife and now a very funny actor. She is excited to be sharing this story with the world, in order to finally prove her son wrong.
SOUTH ASIA
Pakistani Anti-graft body wants travel ban on Nawaz Sharif, kin
Pakistan’s anti-corruption watchdog has asked authorities to place ousted premier Nawaz Sharif, his daughter and son-in-law on the Exit Control List to prevent them from leaving the country.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) sent a formal request to the ministry of interior. The interior ministry officials confirmed that the NAB wrote that names of Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Capt (retd) Muhammad Safdar should be put on the Exit Control List (ECL), which listed individuals not allowed to leave Pakistan.
The NAB argued that as the trial of the three nears its conclusion, it is feared that they would leave the country.
Earlier, a similar request to place name of finance minister Ishaq Dar on ECL was not accepted, allowing him to go to London and never return.
Sharif, 68, and his family this week filed an application with the accountability court seeking a fortnight’s exemption from personal appearance from February 19 onwards to let them go to London to see Sharif’s ailing wife. Three cases were filed against Sharif and his family last year, including Avenfield properties, Azizia & Hill Metal Establishment, and Flagship Investments.
Maryam and Safdar are accused only in Avenfield properties case. The NAB had filed two supplementary references against Sharif, his sons Hasan and Hussain regarding Al-Azizia Steel Mills & Hill Metal Establishment and Flagship Investment cases.
SOUTH ASIA
Pakistan “breaches obligations’ on nuclear arms reduction, UN court told
The Hague: Pakistan is violating its “obligations” to the international community by failing to reduce its nuclear arsenal, the Marshall Islands told the UN’s highest court on Tuesday.
The small Pacific Island nation is this week launching three unusual cases against India, Pakistan and Britain before the International Court of Justice.
Majuro wants to put a new spotlight on the global nuclear threat, its lawyers said yesterday, by using its own experience with massive US-led nuclear tests in the 1940s and 1950s.
“Pakistan is in breach of its obligations owed to the international community as a whole,” when it comes to reducing its nuclear stockpile, said Nicholas Grief, one of the island nation’s lawyers.
DeBrum warned that even a “limited nuclear war” involving the two countries would “threaten the existence” of his island nation people.
Pakistan and India have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947, two of them over the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir.
In 1998, the rival neighbours both demonstrated nuclear weapons capability.
The ICJ’s judges are holding hearings for the next week and a half to decide whether it is competent to hear the lawsuits brought against India and Pakistan — neither of which have signed the 1968 nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
A third hearing against Britain — which has signed the NPT — scheduled to start on Wednesday will be devoted to “preliminary objections” raised by London.
The Marshalls initially sought to bring a case against nine countries it said possessed nuclear arms: Britain, China, France, India, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia and the United States.
Israel has never admitted to having nuclear weapons.
But the Hague-based ICJ, set up in 1945 to rule in disputes between states, has only admitted three cases against Britain, India and Pakistan, because they have accepted the ICJ’s compulsory jurisdiction.
Pakistan’s lawyers did not attend Tuesday’s hearings.
It did however file a counter-claim against Majuro’s allegations saying “the court has no jurisdiction to deal with the application” and insisting that the case is “not admissible”, said ICJ President Ronny Abraham.
SOUTH ASIA
Bangladesh to drop Islam as official religion following attacks on Hindus
New Delhi: Bangladesh is likely to drop Islam as its official religion following a series of attacks on people from other faiths in the country. The country’s Supreme Court is hearing a plea challenging the status of the official religion of the country to Islam.
Bangladesh, which was declared a secular country after its formation in 1971, was declared an Islamic country following a constitutional amendment in 1988.
According to a report in the Daily Mail, the plea has challenged the declaration of Islam as the national religion of the country.
The move is being supported by leaders from the minority communities like Hindus, Christians and Muslim minority Shiites.
Bangladesh has 90 per cent of Muslims, 8 per cent Hindus and remaining constitutes Christians and Muslim minority Shiites.
In last month, a Hindu priest was hacked to death following an attack on a temple in Panchgarh district. Two others were seriously injured in the attack. There have been several lethal attacks on writers and bloggers.
According to a report in the Independent, Islamist groups Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh and Ansarullah Bangla Team are believed to have carried out at least seven attacks on foreign and minority people in Bangladesh in the past year.
