Latest news with #Mandviwala
Business Recorder
5 days ago
- Health
- Business Recorder
‘Journalists Protection Act' to address problems facing journalists: Mandviwalla
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Senator Saleem Mandviwalla said the 'Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals (Amendment) Act, 2022' will address the problems including salaries, health, and security under an independent commission. Addressing a news conference at the party's Central Secretariat in Islamabad on Wednesday along with senators, Shahadat Ali Awan and Palwasha Khan, Mandviwalla said the bill will address the problems of salaries, security, health and others of working journalists. He said the Senate had unanimously passed the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals (Amendment) Act, 2022, which comes into immediate effect. He emphasised that 'this Act is designed to empower journalists and media professionals to resolve their issues without the need to approach courts, police, or legislators.' He said that now the journalists would approach the commission to resolve their problems, adding that all political parties of treasury and opposition benches supported the bill in the Senate. He congratulated the journalistic community on the passage of the bill, stating that 'PPP has always prioritised legislation that benefits people across all sectors of society.' He said PPP always struggled for the rights and protection of workers, low grade employees and journalists. Responding to questions from media persons, Senator Mandviwala confirmed that mechanisms would be put in place to ensure the effective implementation of the journalists' protection law. 'This legislation addresses a wide range of challenges faced by journalists, and if improvements are needed, we are open to amending it further,' he added. 'This is a facilitative — not a regulatory — law for the journalist community,' he clarified. 'The PPP legislates for the welfare of the people,' he said. Senator Mandviwala said that the Senate had also unanimously passed the National Institute of Health (Re-organization) (Amendment) Act, 2024. He underscored the significance of this bill, highlighting Pakistan's lack of a comprehensive cancer patient registry. 'Cancer is a deadly disease, and without data, we cannot understand its true burden. This registry will identify the types of cancer prevalent in different regions and support a national action plan for cancer prevention and treatment.' Addressing questions about cancer patient registration, Senator Mandviwala recalled the inter-provincial cooperation during the Covid-19 pandemic. Provinces can adopt this legislation as well. The cancer registry will help relevant departments analyse accurate and timely data, he said. On the broader political situation, Senator Shahadat Awan addressed questions about the administration of oaths for reserved seats in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly. He clarified that the Constitution clearly outlines the oath-taking process. The chief justice of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) acted constitutionally when he directed the governor to administer the oath, he explained. Responding to a question on the 18th Constitutional Amendment, Senator Awan said that two major constitutional events took place with complete national consensus — the 1973 Constitution and the 18th Amendment. Any attempt to alter the 18th Amendment is out of question, he stressed. Commenting on the events of 9th May 2023, Senator Palwasha Khan described them as 'shameful' and 'an attempt to incite mutiny within the military.' She reiterated that the PPP and its leadership had unequivocally condemned the events. Senator Palwasha also highlighted that President Asif Ali Zardari is the only civilian president to serve a second term in office, expressing full confidence that he will successfully complete his tenure. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
CBS News
17-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Puppets in Life of Pi bring unique theatrical experience to Denver Center for the Performing Arts
On Tuesday night Life of Pi will take the stage at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, marking the first time the show has made a stop at the Buell Theatre. The play, which is based on the original book, brings to life exotic animal characters through puppets. "Our puppets are best-supporting actors. They are truly fleshed-out characters in the show," said Jon Hoche, one of the tour's directors. The show follows the journey of a teenage boy fleeing India due to political unrest. Coming from a family that runs a zoo, the boy is on a boat that crashes. He is forced to get onto a lifeboat that is also occupied by several exotic animals. While the movie Life of Pi is able to use animation to bring those animals to life, the play has to use puppets to bring the characters to audiences. "There's something about playing a live animal that you have to be so tapped in to make him look like a live tiger," said Shiloh Goodin, puppeteer for the tour. While some may think of generic puppets operated just by a hand, the puppets used on stage bring a sense of life to the animals. The Bengal tiger in the show, known as "Richard Parker," is a puppet that is operated by three different people at once. "You really have to have an art of listening to your teammates. I'm listening to the breath, the footfalls. Really for any micro-movements in the tiger," said Anna Leigh Gortner, one of the puppeteers. "Otherwise, I wouldn't look in the sink. To keep it alive I have to be listening and in tune, and feeling through my body how I can connect through the tiger." When audiences first see the puppets it is somewhat easy to notice the humans operating them. However, as the show continues and you immerse yourself in the story, quickly the puppets seem to take on a life of their own and the puppeteers are easy to overlook. "It is just an engine of imagination," said Taha Mandviwala, lead actor in the show. Each night Mandviwala can be seen on stage, at many times interacting with nothing else on stage other than the puppets. "Interacting with a puppet is very similar to interacting with an actor, Mandviwala said. "An actor has its own thoughts, its own intentions, its own obstacles and reactions." Mandviwala said it is a fun challenge to convince himself he is interacting with real exotic animals so that the audience has the same level of immersion. "I'm really trying to view the puppet with the respect, the life, the weight and physics it deserves. And, the danger they deserve. This is not a Disney-fied relationship." Toussaint Jeanlouis, one of the three puppeteers for Richard Parker, said he enjoys how the puppet challenges him each night to be one with his peers. "I feel like I'm a lot stronger for it, physically and mentally. And, it is fun," Jeanlouis said. The DCPA welcomes Life of Pi from March 18 through March 30. For more information on Life of Pi tickets visit the Denver Center online . CBS Colorado is a proud partner of the DCPA.
CBS News
13-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
"Life of Pi" play brings new adaptation of iconic tale to Denver Center for the Performing Arts
Next week, "Life of Pi" opens its first-ever stop in Colorado, as the show plays the Buell Theatre in Denver. The play brings a new adaptation to a story which has already seen great success in print and on the screen. "Life of Pi was a book written in 2005 by Yann Martel, which has seen a lot of adaptations across its life," said Taha Mandviwala, the lead actor in the tour. The story follows the journey of a boy from India who was raised at a zoo. His family flees the country due to political unrest, taking their exotic animals with them on a boat. "There are many differences between the book and the stage production," said Jon Hoche, one of the directors of the tour. The story follows the boy's survival journey after the boat he was on crashes, leaving him stranded on a life raft with several exotic animals. "Translating page to stage, and the discrepancy between the book and the stage play, is understanding the shift in audience," Mandviwala said. "When you have a book, there is a lot more room for nuance, there is a lot more room for details and there is a lot more time to let that marinate." However, the live production coming to the Denver Center for the Performing Arts requires the show to be transformed into a two hour stage play. Without giving away the specifics of the show, it is important to note that it is told in a different order than that of the book. For example, details that were left toward the end of the book are what the play opens with. "There are a lot of creative liberties that are involved in this," Mandviwala said. "It is like nothing else (audiences) have seen on stage. It has the epic scale of a musical but the heart of a kitchen sink drama," Hoche said. "It has really become this global phenomenon that the book and movie did as well." Life of Pi plays the Buell Theatre March 18 through 30. For more information on tickets visit CBS Colorado is a proud partner of the DCPA.
