In Pictures: Rongali Bihu Festival in Assam, India
SHANNON’S TRAVEL BAG: travel tips for women
Shannon travels to India. This is part 3 in a series of articles.
In Pictures: Rongali Bihu Festival in Assam, India
I’ve just returned from an amazing 2-week trip to India. As I wrote in my previous post, the first stop on my journey was attending the Rongali Bihu Festival in Assam, the north-eastern state in India that is located south of the eastern Himalayas – and where “Assam tea” comes from. Rongali, meaning “colours,” is a special celebration of the Assamese New Year and coming of spring, with the hopes of peace and prosperity. Rongali is one of three Bihu festivals that take place throughout the year, with Rongali being the biggest in Assam.
On April 3-5th, 2015, the community in Guwahati, Assam, held a multifaceted Bihu festival highlighting the arts and culture of the Assamese communities and tribes. This included folk dance, rock and Bollywood music (including Bollywood star, Papon), handicrafts, fashion, traditional sports and oh-so-yummy food.
Assam, the gateway to the northeast, is unexplored – and more than ready for tourism. The festival was designed as a much-needed tourist draw that, under one platform, features the essence of Assam, a state which boasts a number of wildlife sanctuaries, the Brahamaputra River, is home to the one-horned rhino and Royal Bengal Tiger, and is large tea-growing region. “This is a springtime Bihu where there are a lot of festivities, and people are singing and dancing, and making merry,” says Rongali Festival organizer, Shyamkanu Mahanta.” This is a typical way of focusing on our own culture to promote tourism.”
Here are some highlights:
Several Assam tribes prepare to perform Bihu dances in competition (50+ dance forms)
On stage…all dance groups had their own distinct costume and dance form. Truly amazing.
Festival organizer, Shyamkanu Mahanta, and emcee, a famous Assam actress/dancer, Barasha Rani Bishaya.
A closer glimpse of the lovely star emcee, Barasha Rani Bishaya.
Dignitaries in attendance, including Tourism Minister of Assam, Ms. Sumitra Patir (seated in the lovely traditional Assamese sari)
Then this happened…I was interviewed by “DD News” TV Delhi. I was also in a number of Indian newspapers – read more about it). The traditional dress I am wearing actually came with me from Toronto!
And there was a thrilling dance drama performance of the classic tale, Kaliya Daman, in the famous form called Ankia Bhaona, which has been performed in India for 500 years. All actors are male, including female roles.
Fashion show of saris by a local Assam designer Mehzabin Ershad. Loved this!
Designer Mehzabin Ershad reacts to the roaring cheers of the crowd.
Famous Assam singer, Manas Robin, one of several artists who performed; with a former TV journalist attending.
Manas Robin rocked the house. I really enjoyed his music.
My new travel friend, Tom Peters, former editor of a major Canadian newspaper. I had pitched him many news stories over the years, though never met him until the flight from London to Delhi (lesson: never burn bridges!)
Some of the vendors… above is an exhibition on how silk is created from worms.
To my surprise, I became somewhat of a celebrity, with locals wanting to take photos with me.
Assam is known for its silk.
“Gamochas” Assamese traditional hand towel and fabric.
This girl is donning traditional Assamese fabric.
Smoking meat, fish, veggies the Assamese way.
Drummers from the Meishing Tribe.
Yeah, I’m a groupie.
Tourist plays a traditional Assamese game. You are blindfolded, spun around a few times to disorient, and then you have to guess where the pot is – and hit it once with a stick. Great for laughs (yes, I did it, too)!
Towering over crowd is my fabulous and trusted guide, Dipankar Borkakati, who took good care of me. Thank you, Dipankar.
Lovely women from Assam Tourism managing the heat and humidity better than me.
My guides, transportation and accommodations in India were provided by Vasco Travel, whose team worked tirelessly on perfecting every detail, even checking in with me daily.
Where to Stay: Hotel Dynasty (4 star) is situated on the banks of river Brahamputra, and in the business centre of Guwahati, Assam, with facilities including a spa, health club, bar and restaurant, and more. Rooms from $106 CDN and up (www.DynastyHotel.in).
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Read my first article about my India travels here.
Read my Q&A with India travel expert, Vikas Abbott from Vasco Travel.
Stay tuned for the next article in my series on India…
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For more information about Rongali Festival and 2016 plans, visit www.RongaliAssam.com.
Traveling to India? Vasco Travel (www.vascotravel.net), based in Delhi, is the industry leader in in-bound travel to India (in Canada, Vasco is represented by Canadian Travel Services www.CanadianTravelServices.ca). For flights, visit Air India (www.airIndia.in), a Star Alliance Member (my route was Toronto-London-Delhi-Guwahati). Resources: India Tourism (www.IncredibleIndia.org) and Assam Tourism (www.AssamTourism.gov.in).
Tune-in tonight for Extraordinary Women TV on Rogers TV: episode 17
Tonight on Extraordinary Women TV on Rogers TV: episode #17
special guests: recording artist Anna Cyzon; PLUS Toronto icon and hairstylist, Mary Tripi
TORONTO, May 6, 2013 – On tonight’s episode of Extraordinary Women TV, host Shannon Skinner speaks with Canadian recording artist, Anna Cyzon about her latest EP release, inspiration behind her music and her career as a host of eTalk and MTV; PLUS Toronto icon and hairstylist, Mary Tripi, owner of The Private World of Mary Tripi salon, who talks about beauty and the importance of taking care of ourselves, and why, at 73 years of age, she is opening a new salon. Tune-in to Rogers TV Cable 10 & 63 in Toronto/Scarborough tonight for this 17th episode at 7:30 pm ET.
Extraordinary Women TV with Shannon Skinner is the first-of-its-kind web TV talk show that is an inspirational, relevant and informative resource for women who want to follow their hearts and dreams. In January 2013, the show began airing on Rogers TV Cable 10 & 63 in Toronto/Scarborough Monday nights at 7:30 pm ET, with repeats throughout the week.
Shannon’s guests are successful women from all walks of life – many high-profile — from Toronto and across Canada, from a range of industries, including: arts and entertainment, business, finance, charities, eco, media, experts – and more. Some notable guests include: singers/songwriters Suzie McNeil, Sarah Slean and Amy Sky; news director/anchor, Kym Geddes; media personality/relationship expert Jen Kirsch; journalist/author Jan Wong; fashion designer and Canadian icon, Linda Lundstrom; businesswomen Rebecca MacDonald (Just Energy) and Kelsey Ramsden (Belvedere Place Development); actresses Sarena Parmar, Lisa Berry; Plan Canada’s Rosemary McCarney; former Chatelaine editor Rona Maynard; among many others.
More than 200 one-on-one, in-studio interviews have been conducted and archived since its inception in September 2010.
Rogers TV’s full scheduling information: click here.
Dream a bigger dream
To dream a dream is at the heart of the human spirit. From the dream emerges new ideas, innovation, breakthroughs, business opportunities, the arts and prosperity.
Dreaming has taken us to the moon and Mars. It has given us automobiles, movies, books, the iPhone and Facebook. We can tweet from space, and jump from the edge of space to Earth below because of a dream. Humans can live longer, healthier lives thanks to dreaming. Leaders like Martin Luther King have inspired and mobilized the masses because of a dream.
It is the spirit of the dream that propels us forward.
I confess: I am a dreamer. While I had always thought this is a good trait to have, not everyone would agree.
Like my father.
At the age of 21, when I finished my undergrad, I thought it would be a great adventure to work overseas in London, England. So I decided to share my dream with my family. After I enthusiastically expressed my loosely thought-out plans with my father, who listened to my one-sided conversation from behind a wall of newspaper that he was reading, he replied rather coolly with words I will never forget: “Shannon, you are such a dreamer.”
“Humph, I’ll prove to you just how much a dreamer I am…watch me!” I mumbled to myself. As if being a dreamer was a bad thing. This made my hackles rise because what my youthful ears heard from underneath the wet blanket tossed onto my dream was this: You can’t do it.
So the next day, I did what any rebellious youngster would do: I booked a flight to London, with no real, solid plans beyond that. I set out to prove to my father wrong; that I was not “just a dreamer,” but had the power within me to make it happen. That incident gave me the kick-in-the-butt I needed to follow my dreams, which has become an ongoing theme in my life ever since.
The second time I was called a dreamer was more recent — and equally powerful. One lovely evening in early 2010, I had dinner with some friends, a married couple who I have known for many years. That night, I shared an idea of creating a radio show, only to get the same cool reply I received years ago: “Shannon, you are such a dreamer.”
Ouch. And so, the challenge was on.
What my friends did not know was that, having grown up in a family of broadcasters, I had deep within me a vision that I would be doing something career-wise in broadcast. It was what I knew. However, being the introvert I am, what I lacked was the courage to do it. My friends probably picked up on that, rightly so.
Eventually, I was able to refine my vision and dig deep inside to drum-up more courage; a bravery I knew I had, but not yet unearthed it. And so I dreamed a bigger dream, and did go on to create, not a radio show, but my web TV talk show, Extraordinary Women TV with Shannon Skinner.
But, I didn’t stop there with my dream. This dreamer went bigger…
I am pleased to say that on Monday, January 7, 2013, at 7:30 pm ET, my talk show Extraordinary Women TV with Shannon Skinner premieres on Rogers TV Cable 10 & 63 in Toronto/Scarborough.
My special guests for this first episode are Toronto-based singer/songwriter, poet and visual artist, Sarah Slean, a Juno and Gemini award nominee who has made eight albums including the recent critically-acclaimed album, Land & Sea; and actress, Sarena Parmar (who I have blogged about before) who has starred in the Gemini-nominated series, How To Be Indie, Degrassi: The Next Generation, Flashpoint, The Border, and the feature film, Radio Rebel. She is also an ambassador for the “Because I am a Girl” program.
These are two successful artists in their own right who, in these interviews, share their dreams and what inspires their hearts. I suppose I might also call them “dreamers.”
And that is a good thing.
Lastly, I thank my father and my married-couple friends for calling me on my dreams.
“Look, dad, no hands!”
Extraordinary Women TV announces guests for Rogers TV premiere
For Immediate Release
Extraordinary Women TV announces special guests for Rogers TV premiere
TORONTO, Jan. 5, 2013 – On Monday, Jan. 7, 2013 at 7:30 pm ET, Extraordinary Women TV with Shannon Skinner premieres on Rogers TV Cable 10 & 63 in Toronto/Scarborough. Shannon’s special guests for this first episode are Toronto-based singer/songwriter, Sarah Slean, and actress, Sarena Parmar.
Sarah Slean has made eight albums, including her latest, the critically-acclaimed double-album, Land & Sea. She has starred in two short films and a movie musical, published two volumes of poetry and, as a visual artist, held exhibits of her paintings. She has written two string quartets and shared the stage with five of the country’s leading orchestras. Slean has been nominated for three Junos, two Geminis, and her records have been released worldwide.
Shannon’s second guest, actress, Sarena Parmar, has starred in the Gemini-nominated series, How To Be Indie, playing the role of Indie’s older sister, Chandra Metha. Parmar has also guest starred in Degrassi: The Next Generation, Flashpoint and The Border, and the feature film, Radio Rebel. She is also an ambassador for “Because I am a Girl” program created by Plan Canada.
“These are two accomplished artists in their own right who share what inspires their hearts and how they achieved their success in my interviews with them,” says Shannon Skinner, producer and host, Extraordinary Women TV. “I encourage Torontonians to tune-in and get inspired by their stories.”
Extraordinary Women TV with Shannon Skinner is a first-of-its-kind web TV talk show that is an inspirational, relevant and informative resource for women who want to follow their hearts and dreams.
Shannon’s guests are women – many high-profile — from a range of industries, including: arts and entertainment, business, finance, charities, eco, media, experts – and more. Some notable guests include: singers/songwriters Suzie McNeil, Sarah Slean, Selina Martin and Amy Sky; media personality/relationship expert Jen Kirsch; journalist/author Jan Wong; businesswomen Rebecca MacDonald and Kelsey Ramsden; game inventor Laura Robinson; actresses Sarena Parmar, Lisa Berry; Plan Canada’s Rosemary McCarney; former Chatelaine editor Rona Maynard; among many others.
More than 170 one-on-one interviews with successful women from all walks of life, from Toronto and across Canada, have been conducted and archived since its inception in September 2010.
For full scheduling information, visit: www.rogerstv.com/ExtraordinaryWomenTV
For information, contact:
Shannon Skinner
Producer/Host, Extraordinary Women TV
416-576-8809 (cell)
shannon@skinnerpublicity.com
www.ExtraordinaryWomenTV.com
The gift of courage
Courage is the ability to do something scary. It requires bravery to start a business, ask for a job promotion, travel the world solo, direct a film, rock climb, or make a lifestyle change. It takes courage to pen a memoir, and to share your dreams and innermost fears with the people around you.
It also takes courage to follow your heart.
On my web TV talk show, Extraordinary Women TV with Shannon Skinner, I have had the privilege of interviewing many successful women and unearthing what inspires their hearts, as well as the core of their bravery. These are women from all walks of life who boldly take inspired action, do something beyond the ordinary and, in their own ways, make a difference in the lives of others.
All of these women have a gift to share as a result of their courage. Here are a few of them:
Author Jan Wong is renowned for being one of Canada’s toughest and most courageous journalists. After experiencing workplace depression while working for The Globe and Mail newspaper, she did something extraordinarily brave: she penned her personal story about her depression in the memoir, Out of the Blue: A Memoir of Workplace Depression, Recovery, Redemption and, Yes, Happiness. Today, Wong’s gift is helping raise awareness about depression and the workplace by sharing her journey.
When Marilyn Field worked as a teacher, she discovered that a student’s character could be developed by applying the arts. This put her on an inspired mission. She found the courage within herself to create the not-for-profit organization, DAREarts, which aims to help children at risk develop self-confidence and motivation through the arts, so they can have bright futures. In 2003, as a result of her service, she was awarded the prestigious Canadian Meritorious Service Medal by the Governor General. Today, the lives of many kids – the future generation of Canadians – have been touched, thanks to Field.
In 2008, at the tender age of 24, motivational speaker, Shellyann Siddoo, lost her eyesight and use of both hands, and had much of her body burned, in a laboratory accident. Before the accident, she dreamed of being a neurologist. Today, she has a greater vision: spreading an inspired message of hope and love to people around the world. She now sees the world not through her physical eyes, but rather through her heart. Remarkably, she paints canvases by using her knuckles and visualization from her inner world. As a result of Siddoo’s courage, we now have her gift of “in-sight.”
Singer/songwriter and producer, Amy Sky, is making the kind of music that is in her heart to create. She took a risk to make the music she wants, despite once having been at odds with what the industry wants, and has proven that Canadian recording artists can do it and be successful. Now we have the gift of her beautiful music, such as Phenomenal Woman, her musical interpretation of Maya Angelou’s poem, and her latest song, A Mother’s Love from her recently-released CD, Alive & Awake.
All of these women are brave because they took action. They had a dream or desire in their hearts, and they pushed past fear, got over the hurdles and made it happen. If they did not have courage, we would not have their gifts. I invite you to find out more about them and get inspired at www.ExtraordinaryWomenTV.com.
Note: cross-posted at HuffingtonPost.ca.
Did the ‘coolest cop ever’ miss his calling?
I love this news story.
A young band had set up their musical instruments for a jam session at their campsite in the woods near Lethbridge, Alberta. An RCMP member surprised them when he showed up in his cruiser. The band members thought they were in trouble. But, as it turns out, the officer just wanted to take part in the jam session.
So the officer — Const. Doug Sokoloski — played the guitar and then he hammered on the drums. The band managed to grab those few entertaining moments on video and posted it on YouTube, the news outlets caught on, and the story made the news all over — and a very popular YouTube video called the “Coolest cop ever playing drums in the woods.”
What I love this video is the officer’s expression on his face when he is done. He enjoyed every minute of it.
Furthermore, a comment he made to the musicians after his jam session gives us a glimpse into his life: “I can’t wait to retire, grow my hair long and be a citizen again.” My sense is this “coolest officer ever” — at least at one time in his life — had a dream to be a musician. Maybe he had a big dream. Maybe he dreamed of being a big-hair rock star. He obviously has experience and, arguable, talent. But, did he follow his dream? If not, why not?
I don’t know the answer; only the officer does.
The lesson I got from this story: it is never to late to listen to your heart and follow your dream.
Watch the “coolest cop ever playing drums in the woods” video.
Do you think the officer missed his calling and, if so, should he pursue a musical career?
photo: (YouTube)
