A Labor Day ritual in Houston

It's a Blast: Miller Outdoor Theatre sizzles with Bollywood masala

Bollywood dancers
Photo by Roswitha Vogler
A scene from Bollywood Blast.
Photo by Roswitha Vogler
Mahesh Mahbubani speaks at Miller Outdoor Theatre.
Photo by Roswitha Vogler

It has become a Labor Day ritual for Houston’s desi community to celebrate the long holiday weekend with some Bollywood fun. Approximately 8,000 people from a diverse cross section of the Bayou City turned out for the sixth annual Bollywood Blast Once Upon a Time.... musical extravaganza last weekend at Miller Outdoor Theatre.

Set against the backdrop of popular Bollywood songs, the two-hour musical began as Subodh Bhuchar (playing the father) narrated a bedtime story to his young daughter.

“The theme this year is inspired by fairy tales, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Red Riding Hood and Sleeping Beauty, with plenty of Bollywood masala," explained Bollywood dancer/choreographer/teacher Mahesh Mahbubani, who has directed the Bollywood Blast for four years.

Singing and dancing is an important part of Indian culture. It serves as a means to express human emotions. And the success of Oscar winner A. R Rahman, composer of the music in Slumdog Millionaire, has brought Bollywood into mainstream focus for American audiences.

“I feel Bollywood dance is fun, has a mass appeal and is easily identified by the masses for its simplicity of dance movement," Mahbubani said.

The show, presented by the Samskriti Society for the Performing Arts, featured a vibrant display of Indian culture, with colorful costumes custom-designed in Mumbai. The production was a culmination of 10 weeks of rehearsals and four months of planning.

The 60 dancers, ranging in age from five to 50, are students at Mahbubani's Bollywood Dance School and have been training with him for the past three years.

Ruchi Mukherjee is a lifestyle feature journalist for TV Asia and host of Lights Camera Action, on online magazine that covers Houston Indo-American society news.

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no more trips to Colorado

Bill to legalize marijuana in Texas filed by Dallas Democrat

Photo courtesy of Texas Original

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Texas Rep. Jessica González (D-Dallas) has filed a bill to legalize recreational marijuana in Texas. House Bill 1208 would legalize the cultivation, manufacturing, transportation, and sale of cannabis.

The bill would allow adults 21 and older to use, possess, and transport up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana for personal use. Adults could also keep up to 10 ounces of cannabis in their residence, as long as it is stored in a secure location.

Smoking or consuming cannabis while in a public place or in a car on a public road would not be allowed.

Gonzalez filed the bill in mid-November, one in a suite of bills that also included expanding insurance coverage for in vitro fertilization for LGBTQ couples; and requiring landlords to disclose all fees before a rental lease is signed.

Her bill was filed prior to an initiative launched by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on December 4 to ban THC products in Texas entirely.

In addition to legalizing recreational use, the bill also makes provisions for its production and sale including requiring that the packaging be child-resistent and clearly labeled, so that it's not confused for candy.

Businesses looking to grow, transport, test, or sell cannabis would need to be licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. A 10 percent tax would be imposed on the sale of all cannabis and cannabis products. Some of the profits would go towards funding public schools.

If passed, the bill would take effect on September 1, 2025.

Medical cannabis is currently legal in Texas under the Texas Compassionate Use Program, which allows low-THC cannabis to be prescribed for conditions such as epilepsy, MS, autism, cancer, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Some cities have also approved decriminalization for the possession of four ounces or less of marijuana, including Austin, Bastrop, Dallas, Denton, Elgin, Killeen, and Lockhart.

politics marijuana