SHORT films are one of the paths for future filmmakers and one of those to introduce himself through that medium this year has been writer-director Raj Krishna.
His debut short film Padmavyuha has been screened at major festivals and the story’s uniqueness was such that he managed to persuade Bollywood beauty Pooja Batra to play a role in it.
Eastern Eye caught up with Raj Krishna to discuss his film, rooted in Hinduism, mythology and the unknown.
What is it that inspired your film Padmavyuha?
I wanted to make a dark thriller rooted in Indian mythology. My goal was to explore the beauty of Hinduism and power of faith, while also creating a gripping adventure I could make on a budget, as an experiment for my first directing project.
Tell us more about the film Padmavyuha?
Padmavyuha is a story of a university professor who has lost his faith; late one night he receives a phone call that draws him into a labyrinth of mystic puzzles, the unexpected answer to which will reveal a conspiracy and shake his own beliefs.
Is there a key message you tried to convey?
There are many – and I’d love for the viewer to be able to take away what they want from it as well. Some examples of what we are exploring is Western colonisation of the Eastern world and how ancient texts were rewritten for their own benefit. Or, the advanced nature of some scientific ideas that were proposed in some ancient Indian texts! These fairly complex ideas haven’t been explored in the form of a contemporary thriller, at least not in one that I could find.
Who are you hoping connects with the film?
Anyone who likes thrillers or wants to learn more about Indian history.
What has the response been like for the film and are you hoping it provokes a debate?
Anyone who seems to appreciate films has written about it very positively, including from some prolific film critics. But on the flip side, it has generated a bit of a right -wing conspiracy theorist backlash. They have come out and are generating misinformation campaigns saying that we are speaking negatively of Hinduism. In fact, it is the opposite –people who see the film realise that we are only speaking positively about Hinduism.
What can we expect next from you?
I’m working on a few things, including a big Hindi-language action film. It is the film that I’ve always wanted to make and the reason I got into directing in the first place.
Who is your film hero?
There are so many, including David Fincher, Satyajit Ray and Robert Rodriguez. Rodriguez in particular had a fascinating journey – if you read his book Rebel Without A Crew, you’ll see the extreme lengths to which he went (subjecting himself to medical experiments) to get the money he needed for his first film, and even then, it was just a few thousand dollars. What he was able to accomplish with his sheer tenacity and creativity is phenomenal.
What are your all-time favourite movies?
It might be a toss up between Christopher Nolan’s Memento – a lot of elements of which you’ll find in Padmavyuha, like the ambiguous protagonist and chronological puzzle. Also Rituparno Ghosh’s Hindi film Raincoat, which is probably the most haunting love story I’ve ever seen.
What is it that inspires you as a filmmaker?
The good and the bad in the world, both inspire me. The immense beauty and tremendous darkness. Art can bring these things to light, force us to think through the issues and hopefully, become better people.
Why do you love cinema so much?
It is an art form that has been sent down by the gods. It’s the most specific form of art that I believe exists. The ability to use this technique for good is why I love cinema.
Hotter days linked to greater intake of sugary drinks and frozen desserts
Lower-income households most affected, research finds
Climate change could worsen health risks linked to sugar consumption
Study based on 15 years of US household food purchasing data
Sugary consumption rising with heat
People are more likely to consume sugary drinks and ice cream on warmer days, particularly in lower-income households, according to new research. The study warns that climate change could intensify this trend, adding to health risks as global temperatures continue to rise.
Sugar consumption is a major contributor to obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, and has surged worldwide in recent decades. The findings, published in Nature Climate Change, suggest that rising heat could be nudging more people towards high-sugar products such as soda, juice and ice cream.
Climate link to diet
Researchers from the UK and US analysed data from American households between 2004 and 2019 and compared purchases with local weather conditions. They found that for every additional degree Celsius within the range of 12–30°C, people consumed an extra 0.7 grams of sugar per day on average.
Those with lower incomes or less education were the most affected, according to the study. Under worst-case climate scenarios, disadvantaged groups could be consuming up to five additional grams of sugar daily by the end of the century, lead author Pan He of Cardiff University told AFP.
Beyond recommended limits
The American Heart Association recommends a maximum daily intake of 36 grams of added sugar for men and 24 grams for women. However, most Americans already consume two to three times these amounts. A single can of soda contains about 40 grams of sugar.
The study showed that the increase in sugar consumption levelled off once temperatures rose above 30°C. Co-author Duo Chan of the University of Southampton suggested this may be because people had already altered their diets by that point. He warned this could be “even worse news”, as it showed dietary changes were occurring even at lower, not extreme, temperatures.
Substituting frozen treats
The research also indicated a drop in purchases of baked goods on hotter days, likely because consumers were substituting them with ice cream or other frozen desserts.
Health concerns
Unhealthy diets are among the four main risk factors for diseases that account for more than 70 per cent of deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. The authors concluded that climate change, by shaping dietary choices, could further worsen public health outcomes.
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RESTAURATEUR and writer Camellia Panjabi puts the spotlight on vegetables in her new book, as she said they were never given the status of a “hero” in the way fish, chicken or prawns are.
Panjabi’s Vegetables: The Indian Way features more than 120 recipes, with notes on nutrition, Ayurvedic insights and cooking methods that support digestion.
She told Eastern Eye, “Most families and chefs regularly cook only 15 to 20 types of dishes. Many vegetables in shops are ignored, because people don’t know how to cook them.
“This book gives readers confidence by providing recipes, explanations, and photographs for 30 vegetables. It also shows how they can be prepared in different ways and with different cuisines — not just Indian.”
Panjabi is part of the family that runs Amaya, Chutney Mary’s, Veerswamy and Masala Zone restaurants. She is also the best-selling author of 50 Great Curries, which sold more than two million copies.
She previously worked for Taj Hotels in India, where she was involved in creating menus for various restaurants among other projects. These menus featured Indian, Chinese, Thai, Italian and French cuisines.
When she eventually moved on after three decades, Panjabi realised that vegetables were almost always relegated to the end of a menu as side dishes.
In every cuisine the pattern was the same: starters and mains were prioritised ahead of sides — potatoes, cauliflower, or something similar.
“Yet, on the plate, two-thirds of the food is usually vegetables, while on the menu they only make up about five per cent,” Panjabi said.
Vegetarian meals often relied on mixing several items together — such as in a thali, stir-fries, or paneer combined with three or four vegetables.
A single vegetable was rarely celebrated on its own.
Panjabi listed around 30 varieties used in Indian food, including raw fruits such as banana and jackfruit.This sparked the idea for a book in which each vegetable would have its own section. “If someone has a cabbage, they should be able to look up different ways to cook it so that it becomes the main dish rather than just a side,” she said.
The recipes could be colourful, classical, traditional or inspired by street food.
With Indian dishes, people across the country are now, for the first time, experiencing cuisines from other regions, she said. Her book has 30 chapters on 30 vegetables, each with its own story, origin, and details of fibre content, calories, vitamins and whether it is acidic or alkaline.
Mumbai-born Panjabi, a Cambridge educated economist, is widely credited with shaping Indian fine dining on the global stage. She played a key role in launching Bombay Brasserie in London and later oversaw renowned restaurants including Veeraswamy and Chutney Mary. She was the first female board director of a public company in India, while serving as marketing director of the Taj Group. Now in her eighties, Panjabi said, “In most Indian restaurants in the UK, the vegetarian options are limited to dishes like gobi aloo, saag paneer, chole, and baingan bharta. There is so much more to discover.
“Western readers will see for the first time that they can cook vegetables the Indian way without necessarily making an Indian meal. They could have grilled fish or roast chicken alongside Indianstyle vegetables. That is the breakthrough — it is not limited to cuisine.
Panjabi said writing the book took two decades. “I thought it would take three or four years, but the process of discovery was so enjoyable that it kept extending,” she said. Only when Covid forced her to stay at home did she put it all together.
The result is a 350-page hardback with more than 120 colour photographs. Half the book is devoted to cooking fats, while the rest covers vegetables, lentils and millets. She described it as “almost like a food encyclopaedia,” weaving Ayurvedic wisdom with modern nutritional science.
“Much more research still needs to be done on the nutrition of vegetables,” she said, pointing out that the subject remains under-researched.
Everyday ingredients also find space in the book. She tackles myths aro-und protein deficiency in vegetarian diets, noting that Indians solved this long ago. Rice and dal, when eaten together, provide all nine essential amino acids needed for complete protein. “Dal-chawal has sustained Indian health for centuries,” she said.
Her experience in restaurants influenced her writing. Panjabi travelled across India, visiting research institutions including the National Institute of Nutrition in Hyderabad, and consulted scientists studying oils and vegetables.
She said, “When I was young, I felt that Indian food had not received its due recognition globally. My mother always explained the health reasons behind what she cooked, and I realised there must be a huge body of knowledge worth documenting.
“I feel I have only touched the tip of the iceberg (with this book). My hope is that this book will inspire other practitioners and people with influence in Indian food to join this journey.”
Vegetables: The Indian Way was published by Penguin Books
How noticing the changes in my father taught me the importance of early action, patience, and love
I don’t understand people who don’t talk or see their parents often. Unless they have done something to ruin your lives or you had a traumatic childhood, there is no reason you shouldn’t be checking in with them at least every few days if you don’t live with them.
Earlier this year, I had the privilege of looking after my parents – they lived with me while their old house was being sold, and their new house was being renovated.
Within this time, I noticed things happening to my dad (Chamanlal Mulji), an 81-year-old retired joiner. Dad was known as Simba when he lived in Zanzibar, East Africa because he was like a lion. A man in fairly good health, despite being an ex-smoker, he’d only had heart surgery back in 2017. In the last few years, he was having some health issues, but certain things, like his walking and driving becoming slow, and his memory failing, we just put down to old age. Now, my dad was older than my friend’s dad. Many of whom in their 70’s, dad, at 81 was an older dad, not common back in the seventies when he married my mum.
It was only when I spent extended time around my parents that I started noticing that certain things weren’t just due to old age. Some physical symptoms were more serious, but certain things like forgetting that the front door wasn’t the bathroom door, and talking about old memories thinking that they had recently happened rang alarm bells for me and I suspected that he might have dementia.
Dementia generally happens in old age when the brain starts to shrink. Someone described it to me as a person’s brain being like a bookshelf. The books at the top of the shelf are the new memories and the books at the bottom are the new memories. The books at the top have fallen off, leaving only the old memories being remembered. People with dementia are also highly likely to suffer from strokes.
Sadly, my dad was one of the few that suffered a stroke and passed away on 28th June 2025. If you have a parent, family member or anyone you know and you suspect that they might have dementia, please talk to your GP straight away. Waiting lists within the NHS are extremely LONG so the quicker people with dementia are treated, the better. Sadly, the illness cannot be reversed but medication can help it from getting worse.
One thing I would also advise is to have patience. Those suffering with dementia can be agitated and often become aggressive, but that’s only because they’re frustrated that they cannot do things the way they used to.
The disease might hide the person underneath, but there’s still a person in there who needs your love and attention.” - Jamie Calandriello
The holy town of Ambaji witnessed a spiritually significant day on Sunday as His Holiness Siri Rajrajeshwar Guruji, head of the International Siddhashram Shakti Centre, London, performed the Dhwaja ritual at the historic Ambaji Temple in Gujarat, one of the most revered Shakti Peeths of India.
Guruji, who travelled especially from London to be part of the festivities, offered prayers to Goddess Amba and hoisted the sacred flag, a symbol of divine strength, victory, and eternal devotion. Speaking about the ritual, he reminded devotees that the dhwaja inspires courage, faith, and a constant remembrance of the divine in everyday life.
Adding to the spiritual significance of the day, Guruji also personally served Bhandara (community meal) to devotees gathered at the temple premises.
The International Siddhashram Shakti Centre in Harrow witnessed an inspiring and environmentally responsible celebration of Ganesh Utsav 2025, which concluded on Saturday, 6 September, with the Ganesh Visarjan ritual performed on the sacred occasion of Anant Chaturdashi.
What made this year’s celebration exceptional was the decision to conduct the Visarjan in a custom-built artificial water pool at the temple premises. After the ceremonial parikrama, the idol of Lord Ganesh was immersed with devotion, ensuring that the environment and public water bodies remained protected. The move also underlined compliance with local regulations, offering a model of how cultural traditions can be maintained with modern responsibility.
HH Siri Rajrajeshwar Guruji reminded devotees that true devotion also lies in mindful practice: “Our faith must go hand in hand with respect for the environment and the laws of the land. By celebrating responsibly, we honour our deities and set a positive example for other communities.”
The ten-day festival at Siddhashram was filled with devotional activities, including Ganesh Mantra Sadhana and the chanting of Hanuman Chalisa on 30 August, followed by the vibrant Annakut Darshan of Lord Ganesh on 2 September, which drew large numbers of devotees.
With soulful bhajans, prayers, and rituals held daily, the festival reaffirmed Siddhashram’s role as a centre of spiritual growth and cultural preservation in London. The eco-conscious Visarjan, in particular, stood out as a symbol of blending tradition with responsibility, inspiring worshippers to celebrate with both devotion and awareness.