Interview with Pramoda Bapatla '20
JustArts: What does Namaskar do on campus?
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JustArts: What does Namaskar do on campus?
Colors of Russia, the Lydian String Quartet concert held this past Saturday, was unlike any other string quartet concert. While classical music concerts usually attract an elderly crowd, this concert drew a much more diverse array of concert-goers. Some members of the younger crowd appeared to be students merely there to fulfill a class requirement, but many were also there voluntarily with friends. Parents and even younger siblings came to enjoy the Lydian’s performance.
Namaskar, the Association for Hindus, Jains and Sikhs, hosted Raas Rasiya last Friday, one of the many events within the wider festival of Navratri. Navratri, or “nine nights” in Sanskrit, is a widely celebrated nine-day festival, each day honoring an incarnation of the warrior goddess Durga. According to the Facebook description, the festival celebrates “the victory of good over evil,” referring to Durga’s triumph over the demon Mahishasura. Although Raas Rasiya is typically held before Navratri (Oct. 9–18), last Friday was simply the most convenient time to hold the event.
The University hosted a screening of the documentary “Dawnland” as part of the Intercultural Center’s annual Indigenous Peoples’ Day Teach-In on Oct. 18. The film, directed by Adam Mazo and Ben Pender-Cudlip, looks at the history of the forced removal of Native American children from their families into foster homes and contemporary efforts to create opportunities for healing. The documentary mainly focuses on the Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth & Reconciliation Commission’s experience connecting with the victims of the compulsory foster programs. It records both the progress they made and the challenges they encountered.
Brandeis is hosting yet another event in Bernstein’s name at the Dreitzer Art Gallery at the Spingold Theater Center. After last year’s seemingly endless celebrations of the conductor and composer, another celebration for Bernstein seems highly redundant. However, this small, well-curated gallery does not further exhaust students. Instead, the exhibit reinvigorates an old love for the composer which may have been lost after your fifth Bernstein event.
Does your hometown define who you are? Are your intersecting identities all of what make you you? On Oct. 4 at the Intercultural Center, students gathered to reflect on these questions and more through “An Evening of Art, Identity and Lived Experience,” part of the Joseph B. and Toby Gittler Prize Award Presentation and Residency. Throughout the event, students shared poems, dances and artwork that reflected who they are and their unique experiences of self-evaluation and discovery. The works of several students shared themes of racial discrimination and queer identity, and many works also explored moving to Brandeis from a different city, region or even country.
On Friday night, WBRS held a concert at the Light of Reason in conjunction with the Student Committee for the Rose Art Museum. The people in the sparse crowd, supportive friends of the performers, were clearly excited for a relaxed jam. The opener was “Satan’s Pillow,” a student band led by Michael Harlow ’19, which was followed by “Three at Home,” a Boston-based duo.
A deep-voiced narrator begins to speak: “Two million years ago, an amoeba. Wait, let’s back up. I’ve skipped too many connections.” This kicks off Netflix’s new psychological black comedy “Maniac,” an engrossing TV show centered around human connections, most notably those that occur in the brain.
On Oct. 4, the Wasserman Cinematheque hosted a special screening of Debra Granik’s ‘85 “Leave No Trace.” The movie, an adaptation of Peter Rock’s 2009 novel “My Abandonment,” follows the nomadic parent-child pair of Will (the captivating Ben Foster), a veteran suffering from PTSD, and his daughter, Tom (played with deliberateness by newcomer Thomasin McKenzie) as they try to adjust after a disruption in their lives.
JustArts: What are your responsibilities as presidents?
Brandeis Starving Artists performed two songs, “Nobody Love” and “Nirvana” at this year’s Sukkot-themed a cappella event.
Prof. Robert Nieske (MUS) and his bandmate Billy Novick elegantly balance a casual atmosphere with skillful playing.
Brandeis Hillel hosted SukkA Capella last Wednesday in the Sherman sukkah, a temporary outdoor structure set up for the Jewish holiday of Sukkot to watch four different groups displayed their talent. Despite subpar weather and chemistry recitations, the event still had a large turnout, with many people coming to support their friends and rock out to good music. The host for the evening was Ezra Gershman ’21, a member of one of the groups, Manginah.
For the first time ever, Brandeis University was a co-host for the Boston Latino International Film Festival along with Harvard University, Northeastern University and Emerson College. The festival was held from Sept. 27 to Sept. 30, screening twenty eight films primarily at Emerson, with Harvard, Northeastern and Brandeis each hosting for two days within the festival — Brandeis hosted films during the first two days. Occasionally, directors or producers of a film would hold a Q&A session, educating the audience about their filming process and intended messages.
The new music concert series “Music at Mandel” kicked off on Sept. 26 with Prof. Robert Nieske (MUS) and his bandmate Billy Novick elegantly balancing a casual atmosphere and refined playing. Their eight-song set was so informal that the musicians decided their next song on the spot once the previous one was finished. This spontaneity complemented the relaxed atmosphere, fitting with the musical style and location of the concert.
The University’s Film, Television and Interactive Media Program hosted a screening in Wasserman Cinematheque of Paul Weitz’s “Bel Canto,” a film adaptation of its 2001 namesake thriller by Ann Patchett, on the eve of the movie’s release on Amazon Prime. Based on a real 1996-97 hostage crisis in Lima, Peru, the film takes place in a Vice-Presidential manor that is overrun by Latin American freedom fighters. The wealthy dinner guests are trapped by hostile guerilla fighters in a house with little to do. With their lives left in the hands of a Red Cross negotiator, sparks fly, relationships are formed and secrets are revealed. The screening was made possible due to producer and Brandeis alumna Caroline Baron ’83.
Bel Canto, based on a real 1996-97 hostage crisis in Lima, was screened in Wasserman Cinematheque last week.
“Shirkers” is “a remake of a movie that was never released,” according to director Sandi Tan.
Under the traditional definition of a utopian society, everyone in the society would liberate themselves from the burden of paid labor. Due to the abundance of resources and ease of production, humans would no longer need to work to maintain a healthy and happy lifestyle, which gives everyone a chance to explore their passions. “Free Lunch Society,” directed by Christian Tod, digs into the idea of a a universal income given to every member of society to meet their basic living demands. The documentary includes interviews with a variety of experts from different industries, as well as several social experiments that put theory into practice.
A film screening of the long lost documentary, "Shirkers" tells an intricate story through gorgeous cinematography, lighting, and 80's photographs.