Sheikia Norris, known lyrically as “Purple Haze”,  was born and raised in the birthplace of Hip Hop itself—the Bronx, New York. Sheikia earned her Bachelor’s degree in Community Health Education from Johnson C. Smith University, and she has worked in health education and arts education for over eight years.  She was part of the Next Level, a crew of American hip-hop artists who performed at the American Center, Kolkata. She speaks to BE’s Abhijit Ganguly.

In this podcast, Rockower and 2-Tone explain the value of hip hop as a form of cultural diplomacy, and give first person accounts of their experiences in India. This is a rare glimpse at some of the creative work the United States is doing overseas, complete with audio samples of 2-Tone’s work.

India today proposed new ideas for further enhancing cooperation with Bhutan while asserting that commitments made by the previous government will be fulfilled. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who is accompanying Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Bhutan on his maiden foreign visit, told reporters here that the Indian side was "extremely satisfied" with the "extremely successful" visit. Swaraj said Prime Minister Modi gave some new suggestions to Bhutan.

Jamsteady recently played host to two different kinds of performance. One was a performance by a local jazz rock band, while the other was that by hip-hop artists from the US. The gig also featured a street play and performance by a musical ensemble. The next event saw American hip-hop troupe, Next Level, perform along with local hip-hop enthusiasts and dancers at a city nightclub.

Those who had expected the Modi foreign policy doctrine to be defined by a new muscularity will probably be disappointed. Instead, it suggests a thoughtful understanding of smart power, an integrated approach that will best serve India in a complex, interdependent world.

During an official visit designed to show Beijing's interest in improving relations with its neighbour, Mr Wang emphasised that the two countries see eye-to-eye on most issues.  China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi has promised his country's support to help India improve its economic development.

India is joining the global pursuit of some of China’s most valuable assets – its big-spending tourists. With a campaign in 12 Chinese cities this spring, the world’s second-most populous nation hopes to capture the imagination of travelers from the most populated country. The promotion, called “Glimpses of India,” kicked off last month in Beijing with music and dance performances at the showpiece Poly Theatre. In March, India changed the rules to make it easier for Chinese visitors to get visas. 

Advocates for action on climate change have long urged the United States to make the first major move in limiting carbon dioxide emissions, with the hope that other big emitters around the world would follow suit. That seems to actually be happening now: only days after the United States announced a new rule that will cut emissions from power plants by 30 percent by 2030, China made some noise about instituting a carbon cap of its own.