George Kurian

Hari is a young, aspiring writer living in the countryside. Hari lives with his mother in their sylvan surroundings. His only excitement, perhaps, is the sight of the doctor’s young wife, filling him with hope of an opportunity for flirting. Sometimes, he visits Peter Sir, an old retired school teacher and widower. The two lonely men take pleasure in a curious game, over drinks and exotic dishes. They cut out obituary notices from a local newspaper, put them in a bowl and randomly pick them out, one at a time. They stake small amounts of money against each pick. The person who picks the older victim of death becomes the winner, and pockets the sum. From among the pictures they pick, Peter Sir recognizes two men, Shaji and Kuriakose, whose deaths tell entirely different tales—one of a murder and the other of love.

The Taj Mahal: Symbol of India, architectural jewel, and monument to a grand passion. Built in the 17th century by the Great Mogul Shah Jahan in honor of Mumtaz Mahal, the love of his life. Before she died, legend says, Mumtaz Mahal made a wish for a mausoleum, more sublime than any the world had seen. Built on the banks of the Yamuna River in Agra, it is said to have required over 20,000 workers including the best craftsmen of the Empire. Millions of bricks were baked on site only to disappear forever under flawless white marble. A heavenly memorial to the Queen of the World, or as a poet described it: "A teardrop on the cheek of time". A love poem set in stone and the most perfect building in the world.

A first-hand account of the perilous journey made by a group of Syrian refugees. Traversing land and sea on an old fishing boat manned by smugglers, the nail-biting journey leads to Europe where the refugees disperse. Each must battle to stay sane and create an identity among the maze of regulations and refugee hostels. The Crossing shows us the lengths to which people go to find safety and forge their own destiny.