It couldn’t get hotter than this in the winter month of December in Goa, when the Sunburn festival lit up Candolim beach. Touted as Asia’s premier music festival, at the helm of Sunburn are RJ Nikhil Chinapa and Shailendra Singh of Percept.

Goa that has been the tourist hotspot of India vaulted into new heights of popularity, as regarding the music scene. In the state that is known for its beaches, places of worship, biodiversity and world heritage architecture, the music festival showcases the best of talent from the international circuit.

Amidst an electrifying ambience in what is nothing short of a musical extravaganza, an impressive line-up of artists take stage for the three day festival in the year end. It has been just four years since the festival’s inception. Yet, in a short span, Sunburn has become one of the most sought after music programmes in the country. ‘Ready. Set. Lose Yourself.’ These are a few catch words that summarize the spirit of the fest. True to them, the simultaneous gigs by a slew of artists, an average of 16 per day, make for an exhilarating experience.

Kolaveri has put kitsch on an exceptional pedestal. Amidst the faceless fans for Kolaveri are some biggies like Salman Rushdie, Amitabh Bachchan and A R Rahman, who were moved to tweets by the ‘soup song’. Welcome to the north-south crossovers redux.

Crossover songs are not new in India. From Mohammad Rafi, Kishore Kumar to today’s breed of playback singers, many have immortalized several such numbers. Tamil cinema has its own share of crossover repertoire. Why this Kolaveri Di, (Why this murderous rage, girl) nonetheless, has had unprecedented popularity, becoming an anthem of sorts.

What is a soup song? Well that’s the most-googled-for phrase these days. It’s a song for boys who are in a soup – ditched by their girlfriends.

Shamar Rinpoche, the 14th Shamarpa, also known as the Red Hat Lama of Tibet, has always been a man of controversy. The head of the second-oldest reincarnate lineage in Tibetan Buddhism, Shamar Rinpoche’s strong opposition to the selection of the 17th Karmapa and his remonstrations against the present Dalai Lama, created divisions within the Tibetan Buddhist sects and among the Tibetans in exile.

In a chat with Soumik Dutta at Kalimpong in Darjeeling, Shamar Rinpoche talks about his objections to the high-profile Dalai Lama.

Years ago, when I interviewed Congress MP Ms Mamata Banerjee for Debonair magazine, I told her that one day I would be back to interview Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. She laughed. On the way back, my driver said ‘yeh madam ko to Mukhya mantri hona chahiye – yeh dilli mein kya kar rahi hai – inki zaroorat yahaan hai.” (this lady should be the Chief Minister in West Bengal, what is she doing in Delhi, we need her here”).

Not everyone agreed. Many felt she was just a rabble-rousing disruptive attention seeker with significant nuisance value, but without the political acumen, maturity and wisdom to head a government. But the new Mamata who graciously went to a senior Left leader’s funeral, personally invited senior CPM leaders for the swearing-in, sought their cooperation and expertise; she did not waste time in witch-hunting. In fact, even in the face of abusive or cheap comments from some senior Left leaders, she has maintained decorum – earning her not just public admiration, but also the support of some of her opponents.