Past Events
India International Film Festival – Boston
We are excited to announce that our documentary has been selected by the
India International Film Festival of Boston
September 12-14, 2025.
Women of Truth and Courage
The Widows of Kalangarai
Join Us for the Screening of
Women of Truth and Courage: The Widows of Kalangarai
at the India International Film Festival Boston
Nominated for Best Documentary and Best Social Cause Film
Saturday, Sept. 13
4:00 pm
$12 per show or $25 for all Saturday screenings
Apple Cinema
168 Alewife Brook Pkwy
Cambridge, MA 02138
A Film by Friends of Kalangarai and
Boston College Film Studies
About the Film
For centuries, widowed and abandoned women in India have been treated as outcasts by Indian society. They are among the poorest of the poor in India, especially if they are low-caste women. This documentary traces the footsteps of a widowed woman, Mrs. Manjula, who joins other widows in a movement to challenge cultural and social ostracism. The women’s stories of courage and hope in the face of adversity provide us with a vision of how women can be empowered to change their lives and society.
Exploring India through the Lens of Novelists
Interested in traveling to India but don’t want to leave the comfort of your armchair? Our book group meets regularly, and the discussion is both in person and on Zoom.
The August book is The Satapur Moonstone by Sujata Massey
This is the second in a series of Perveen Mistery novels. The story takes place in Western India, 1921. Perveen, who is Bombay’s only female lawyer, is called to the princely state of Satapur to assist in a complex dispute over a late maharaja’s estate. Instead of straight-forward legal matter she becomes entangled in web of mystery surrounding the palace and a history of suspicious deaths.
Location in-person:
Friends of Kalangarai
227 Union Street – Suite 707,
New Bedford, MA 02740
For more information and to register to receive a Zoom link to attend online.
Exploring India through the Lens of Novelists
Interested in traveling to India but don’t want to leave the comfort of your armchair? Our book group meets regularly, and the discussion is both in person and on Zoom.
The June book is The Magnificent Ruins by Nayantara Roy
The story takes place in 2015 when Lila De, a young Indian American editor, gets a call from her mother in India, informing her that she’s inherited her family’s sprawling estate. She returns to Kolkata and reunites with her mother after a decade of estrangement, and her grandmother, aunts, uncles, and cousins, who still live in the house, resent her sudden inheritance. Lila is forced to come to terms with both the past and present, as family secrets emerge.
Location in-person:
Friends of Kalangarai
227 Union Street – Suite 707,
New Bedford, MA 02740
For more information and to register to receive a Zoom link to attend online.
Exploring India through the Lens of Novelists
Interested in traveling to India but don’t want to leave your cozy armchair? We have launched a book group that focuses on Indian novels. The group meets regularly, and the discussion is in person and on Zoom.
Our next book is The Elephant Chaser’s Daughter by Shilpa Raj
This is a memoir by Shilpa Raj who, as a young child, was brought by her parents to a boarding school for poor children. The school was started by an Indian-American philanthropist and offered one child from a poor family to attend the school free. Her story focuses on the conflict and struggle between two worlds of her existence. The values with which she is being brought up in the school come in conflict with those of her family, tearing them apart. Torn between despair and dreams, Shilpa finally decides to choose her future.
“Written with raw honesty and grit, this is a deeply moving memoir of a young woman confronting her ‘untouchable’ status in a caste-based society, and her aspirations for a good future.” —Amazon
Location in-person:
Friends of Kalangarai
227 Union Street – Suite 707,
New Bedford, MA 02740
For more information and to register to receive a Zoom link to attend online.
We are excited to announce that our documentary has been selected by the
New Bedford Film Festival
April 10-13, 2025.
Women of Truth and Courage
The Widows of Kalangarai
Join us for the screening of our film
Saturday
April 12, 2025
1:00 pm–3:00 pm
Steeple Playhouse
159 William Street
New Bedford, MA 02740
A Film by Friends of Kalangarai and
Boston College Film Studies
About the Film
For centuries, widowed and abandoned women in India have been treated as outcasts by Indian society. They are among the poorest of the poor in India, especially if they are low-caste women. This documentary traces the footsteps of a widowed woman, Mrs. Manjula, who joins other widows in a movement to challenge cultural and social ostracism. The women’s stories of courage and hope in the face of adversity provide us with a vision of how women can be empowered to change their lives and society.
We are excited to announce that our documentary has been selected by the
New Bedford Film Festival
April 10-13, 2025.
Women of Truth and Courage
The Widows of Kalangarai
Join us for the screening of our film
Saturday
April 12, 2025
1:00 pm–3:00 pm
Steeple Playhouse
159 William Street
New Bedford, MA 02740
A Film by Friends of Kalangarai and
Boston College Film Studies
About the Film
For centuries, widowed and abandoned women in India have been treated as outcasts by Indian society. They are among the poorest of the poor in India, especially if they are low-caste women. This documentary traces the footsteps of a widowed woman, Mrs. Manjula, who joins other widows in a movement to challenge cultural and social ostracism. The women’s stories of courage and hope in the face of adversity provide us with a vision of how women can be empowered to change their lives and society.
In Harmony with Nature:
Discover the ancient folk art of the Warli Tribe
Dating back to 2500-3500 BCE, this traditional style of painting is still practiced today by the tribal people in Maharashtra, India. The paintings reflect their relationship with nature throughout their daily activities and celebrations of life.
Join us at the Gallery Night Reception:
Thursday, April 17 ~ 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Sponsor: Friends of Kalangarai—a USA nonprofit that supports community-based programs for widowed women in South India.
Exploring India through the Lens of Novelists
Interested in traveling to India but don’t want to leave your cozy armchair? We have launched a book group that focuses on Indian novels. The book discussion is hybrid—in person and on Zoom—and meets every two months on the second Friday of the month, usually at 5:30-6:30 (EST) but check the time for each event.
Our next book is Honor by Thrity Umrigar
Honor is a story about an Indian American journalist Smita who returns to India to cover a story about a Hindu woman attacked by members of her own village and her family for marrying a Muslim man. As Smita tries to help the woman escape the brutal treatment, she is confronted by her own painful past. This is a story about love, familial devotion, betrayal, and sacrifice.
Location in-person:
Friends of Kalangarai
227 Union Street – Suite 707,
New Bedford, MA 02740
For more information and to register to receive a Zoom link to attend online.
Please Join Us
Friday, Dec. 13, 6:00-8:30 pm
Holiday Open House
A festival fundraiser to support Friends of Kalangarai
Private Home
Lincoln, MA
Address provided to registrants
Tickets $100 per person
Libations
Holiday Treats
Live Music
and
Silent Auction
Please RSVP by Dec. 6 to Jane via text
at 617-763-8860 or jor6@aol.com
Exploring India through the Lens of Novelists
Interested in traveling to India but don’t want to leave your cozy armchair? We have launched a book group that focuses on Indian novels. The book discussion is hybrid—in person and on Zoom—and meets every two months on the second Friday of the month, usually at 5:30-6:30 (EST) but check the time for each event.
Our next book is The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
The God of Small Things (Arundhati Roy) is a story about the childhood experiences of fraternal twins whose lives are impacted by the Indian “Love Laws”—laws of Indian culture to maintain social structures and give parents control of their children. Set in Kerala, India during the 1960s, the novel explores “how small, seemingly insignificant occurrences, decisions and experiences shape people’s behavior in deeply significant ways” (Wikipedia, 2024). The book also examines the effects of casteism and British colonialism in India.
Roy’s book won the Booker Prize in 1997.
Location in-person:
Friends of Kalangarai
227 Union Street – Suite 707,
New Bedford, MA 02740
For more information and to register to receive a Zoom link to attend online.
