Latest news with #TOLO
India Today
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
‘Rukhna Nahin': Why singer Aryana Sayeed hopes to be unstoppable in Bollywood
(NOTE: This article was originally published in the India Today issue dated May 19, 2025)Familial displeasure, death threats, a bounty on her head. Aryana Sayeed had to overcome all these obstacles, and more, on her way to becoming one of Afghanistan's most beloved pop stars.'I had basically accepted death,' says the 39-year-old musician and activist, who has made her Hindi debut with Rukhna Nahin, a song from the recent anthology film My Melbourne. 'I was so focused on my goals—making music, fighting for women's rights—and I felt that if I gave up, I'd be killing the hopes of millions of Afghan women.'advertisementSayeed was just eight when her family fled Afghanistan's civil war, stopping first in Pakistan and then Switzerland, where she fell in love with the music of pop divas like Madonna, Beyonc, Shakira (and our very own Alisha Chinai). At 13, she enrolled in a choir-singing class in Zurich, and decided she wanted to be a singer. Her conservative Afghan family disagreed, and she had to put those dreams on hold for a few years. But in 2008, now an adult living in London, she released her first single MashAllah, an English-Farsi-Urdu collaboration with a British-Pakistani guitarist. The song's success convinced her to become a full-time 2011, she had built quite a following back home, and one of Afghanistan's biggest TV channels invited her to perform a live concert in Kabul. 'We came very close to dying before we left Afghanistan, our house was even hit by a rocket,' says Sayeed. 'So, my initial response to the invitation was no, no, no!'advertisementHer manager convinced her to say yes instead, and the concert was a big success. She was signed on to host her own TV show, and was also a judge on two of Afghanistan's biggest music talent shows—The Voice of Afghanistan, and Afghan Star. Sayeed's presence on television—a talented woman singer who didn't wear a scarf—made her a role model for other Afghan women. 'I started seeing more and more women in the audience as participants,' she everyone was on board. The threats from the Taliban and other conservative religious figures meant that when she was in Afghanistan, she had to live in the same compound as the TOLO TV studios, because travelling was too risky. When the Taliban retook Kabul in 2021, Sayeed was one of thousands who were evacuated by the US in military planes. But that traumatic experience hasn't deterred her from advocating for Afghan women. She speaks to over 200 women still in the country every month, as part of her work with an NGO she's she continues to sing. Rukhna Nahi is her first Hindi song, but it won't be her last. 'We love Bollywood, and it's a dream for me to do more Bollywood songs,' she says. 'I want people in India to know me, my story, and get to hear my voice.'advertisementSubscribe to India Today MagazineMust Watch
The Hindu
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
World Book Day: Discover TOLO, Chennai's free book exchange project
If you have been to a cafe in Chennai or even to one of the city's recreational clubs, chances are that you have spotted a bookshelf replete with a variety, tucked away in a corner with a sign that says 'Take One Leave One'. The brainchild of Jaya Mahbubani and Shalini Khanna, TOLO (Take One Leave One), a reading initiative, was born in 2022 when the two found themselves with several books that had been donated in pristine condition. 'I was a volunteer at a library in the city. Back then, people would regularly donate their books to me. When it came to a point where the library could not accommodate all the books I had received, Shalini and I decided to launch TOLO with the books we had,' Jaya, a Chennai-based author says. TOLO is as simple as the name suggests. It is now at around 20 locations across the city including cafes, clubs and cultural institutions, where shelves have been set up and stocked with books. The genres provide a variety to choose from — think crime, romance and self help. This book exchange project is entirely free. There are many instances where one might find themselves early for a dinner or a lunch at a cafe, and wants to browse through a few pages of a book — TOLO seeks to facilitate this. Brew Room, Chamiers Cafe, Kup coffee roasters, Writers Cafe in Adyar and Egmore, Eatalica, Madras Boat Club, Alliance Francaise of Madras, and Ciclo Cafe are among some of the locations where you can spot these shelves. 'People who wish to read can pick up a book and take it with them. They could also leave behind a book of theirs for someone else to find. While it has been conceived as a book exchange project, there is absolutely no pressure on readers to leave a book behind in order to take one. I am confident that someone else will be more than happy to leave a couple of books on the shelf,' Jaya explains. With a car full of books, Jaya says she checks on each location from time-to-time, replenishing shelves with the ones she has. Often teaming up with her friend and TOLO member Weena Pradhan, they meticulously stamp the books and arrange them in different locations. While some places do see a lot more books taken and left behind, some locations see less patronage. At the Gandhi Nagar Club, a TOLO bookshelf has found a place at the all-day dining cafe. 'The bookshelf is a welcome addition to our club. This is besides the already well-used library,' says K P Balakumar, vice president of the club. Eager to expand to more locations and inviting suggestions from readers across the city for the same, Jaya says her motivations are simple. 'I have always loved to read, and for me, books are a person's best friend. Wherever you leave them, they are waiting for you and I want everyone to experience this joy,' she adds. Reach out to @tolo_chennai on Instagram if you know of a space that will welcome a shelf of books.
