Mira Nair
Director Mira Nair’s films take place all over the Indian diaspora ?- from the rough city streets of Salaam Bombay to the American Deep South in Mississippi Masala. Her most recent film spans the distance from Calcutta to New York:
The Namesake is about a young Indian couple who makes a life together in the US, and the struggles of their American-born son. Nair tells Kurt why unconventional love stories have inspired so many of her films.
Shivkumar Sharma and Zakir Hussain are widely known for their distinctive, Indian music. It’s an example of the type of music that’s also a uniting force for the country’s Hindus and Muslims. The two musicians have brought their music to the United States.
Multiple Grammy award winning banjo player Bela Fleck, MacArthur “genius” grant double bassist Edgar Meyer, and international Indian percussion star Zakir Hussain collaborate on the new CD “The Melody of Rhythm,” a combination of Western and Indian classical and American roots music.