Romain Rolland’s book was published on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi (celebrated in 2019), and Stjepan Radić (honored in the year 2021). The original Croatian version of the book was published in 1924, entitled “Naš Gandhi” (Our Gandhi!). Issuing this reprint was suggested by Mr. Joginder Singh Nijjar, the president of Croatian-Indian Society in Zagreb. It appeared under the auspices of highest Croatian political, cultural and scientific institutions, as well as under the auspices of the Embassy of the Republic of India to Croatia. We provide a presentation of the reprint written by Ante Belić.
Category: People
Betiana Bellofatto published her photobook “Terra Australis Aedificanda” in Ushuaia 2021
Betiana Bellofatto published her photobook published in Ushuaia in 2021: Terra Australis Aedificanda (Southern Land To Be Built) . Born in 1979 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Betiana Bellofatto studied Audiovisual Design and Photography. She has performed as direction and production assistant in several fictional short-films and commercial spots. In 2009, in Berlin, she co-founded i Collective , a multicultural artist collective that works on multidisciplinary projects. Her activity combines photography, installation, art in the public space and internet art.
Marinko Marco Radakovic to appear in the film "Don't Look Up"
Marinko Marco Radakovic (left) will appear in the new film “Don’t Look Up” an upcoming American satirical science fiction black comedy film written, produced, and directed by Adam McKay. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence as two low-level astronomers attempting to warn mankind, via a media tour, about an approaching comet that will destroy Earth. The film is set to receive a limited theatrical release on December 10, 2021, prior to streaming on Netflix on December 24, 2021.
Mirjana Bohanec Croatian opera singer, diplomat, and a film star
Her concert reportoire is very extensive: from Baroque oratorial works of Bach, Haendel, Monteverdi, Pergolesi, Cherubini, Vivaldi, to such classics like Mozart and Haydn. She sang numerous pieces of Lied, composed by Schumann, Schubert, Brahms, Grieg, Debussy, etc. She also interpreted works of Croatian authors: Antun Sorkočević, Vinko Jelić, Ivan Lukačić, Ferdo Livadić, Vatroslave Lisinski, etc. Except in Croatia, she had concerts in Austria, Germany, Italy, Swityerland, Spain, Portugal, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, France, Russia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Ukraine, Australia, Canada and in the USA. However, she is best known for her role in the an anthological Croatian film Tko pjeva zlo ne misli (Who Sings – Does not Think of Evil). She was also a Croatian diplomat in Germany and Austria in 1990s.
Vesna Skulic Croatian cinderella participating in White Path humanitarian action in BiH 1993
Vesna Škulić is living in the village of Ražanac near the city of Zadar, Croatia. As an amateur radio operator, she She trasfered more than hundred thosand humanitarian messages. She actively participated in solving numerous problems related to the humanitarion action of White Path in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1993. According to late Professor Slobodan Lang, Zagreb, who was the chief organizer of the action, this was the first ever successful joint Christian – Muslim humanitarian operation in history. Vesna Skulić, a courageos and charming Croatian woman, is a paraplegic.
Radoslav Lorkovic inducted to the Iowa Blues Hall of Fame on October 17, 2021
Born in Zagreb, Croatia in 1958, Radoslav moved to the United States at age six. In the late 1990s Radoslav took his blues and accordian stylings to numerous Yupa ik Eskimo villages throughout SW Alaska. This memorable, mid-winter visit also included community concerts and class presentations in nearly twenty villages. Drawing from a multitude of influences ranging from elegant classical and jazz styles to the rawest, most basic blues, country and soul, Radoslav Lorkovic has taken on an unusually broad musical spectrum and refined it into his distinctive piano style. He has played with Odetta, Shawn Mullins, Greg Brown, Jimmy LaFave and others.
Toni Kukoc enshrined to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021
Toni Kukoč was, alongside with late Dražen Petrović, the best basketball player that Croatia ever had. Toni, nicknamed Cookie, was often compared with Pink Panther, due to his specific elegance in the basketball game. He was born in the city of Split, one of the most beautiful cities on the Mediterranean, known for outstanding talents like Blanka Vlašić (highjumper), Ivano Balić (handball), Dino Radja (basketball), Branko Cikatić (martial sports), Anthony F. Lucas (Antun Lučić, the Father of Petroleum Engineering), Marko Marulić (the most famous Croatian Renaissance writer), …
Alex Grossmann 1930-2019 distinguished Croatian-French mathematician a founder of Wavelet Theory
Alex Grossmann (Alexander, Alexandre) was born in the city of Zagreb, where he completed his studies of Physics at the University of Zagreb, and earned his PhD in 1955, at that time employed at the Ruđer Bošković Institute in Croatia’s capital. He spent the period between 1955 and 1965 in the USA, working among others at the Insitutute of Advanced Study, Princeton, and at the Courant Insitutue of Mathematics, NY. Since 1965 he was employed at the University of Marseille in France. This Croatian-French mathematician is considered as a father of Wavelet Theory, due to his groundbreaking joint work with French geophysicist Jean Morlet in 1984. He was a thesis advisor to distinguished Belgian physicist and mathematician Ingrid Daubechies.
Frano Kakarigi distinguished Croatian classical double bassist in Granada, Spain
Maestro Frano Kakarigi was born in the city of Dubrovnik, and completed his study of double bass at the Academy of Music of the University of Zagreb, Croatia. He played as a principal bassist with the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, and since 1991 with the City Orchestra of Granada, Spain. Besides being a passionate educator, he is known for his rich international collaboration with numerous music institutions and festivals, including in his native Croatia. He has a fruitful collaboration with Croatian pianist Ivana Marija Vidović, who is the founder and director of the Festival Epidaurus in Cavtat.
Andrej Dujella's monograph Number Theory translated from Croatian
Andrej Dujella, of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, is distinguished Croatian mathematician, expert in Number Theory. His monograph Teorija brojeva , written in Croatian, saw its translation into English in 2021: Number Theory . It is primarily intended for students of mathematics and related faculties who attend courses in number theory and its applications. However, it can also be useful to advanced high school students who are preparing for mathematics competitions in which at all levels, from the school level to international competitions, number theory has a significant role, and for doctoral students and scientists in the fields of number theory, algebra and cryptography.
Irena Vrkljan 1930-2021 istaknuta hrvatska književnica u Berlinu
Hrvatska književnica i prevoditeljica Irena Vrkljan, dopisna članica Hrvatske akademije znanosti i umjetnosti (HAZU), preminula je u utorak u Zagrebu u 91. godini, izvijestila je Akademija. Studirala je arheologiju i germanistiku na Filozofskom fakultetu u Zagrebu te režiju na Akademiji za film i televiziju u Berlinu. Bila je urednica televizijske emisije “Portreti i susreti” (1960. – 1971.), za koju je napisala sedamdesetak scenarija. Živjela je i radila u Berlinu kao profesionalna književnica i prevoditeljica, a 2014. vratila se u Zagreb.
Titanic shipwreck and 84 Croatian saviors out of 300 on Carpathia ship
The best known shipwreck in history is that of Titanic in 1912. Another ship called Carpathia , connecting Rijeka in Croatia and New York came to its rescue. Eighty four out of 300 members of the crew of Carpathia were of Croatian origin (i.e., nearly one quarter). We now know many more details about them and about the drama of saving the lives of the Titanic passangers. Duration of the corresponding film shot in Croatia’s capital Zagreb is 47 min. A Croatian lady Marija Bartowski from the city of Osijek was on Carpathia, and her diary contains many details arround the Titanic shipwreck. On Titanic itself, there were 30 Croatian passangers, out of which 15 perished. All of their names are known.
Andro Mikelic 1956-2020 distinguished Croatian mathematician in France
Andro Mikelić’s very great scientific talent earned him deserved awards: he was a corresponding member of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts since 2014, he received the InterPore Procter and Gamble Award for Porous Media Research in 2012, after being awarded the W. Romberg Guest Professorship of the University of Heidelberg in 2011. He had collaborations with researchers from all over the world: from France, from the United States, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, and of course, from his native Croatia.
Jan De Jong interview for the CROWN
Jan: “Instead of importing tomatoes from the Netherlands into Croatia, I strongly believe that we can build the required infrastructure in Croatia to turn this country into a food exporting nation again. But if we wish to compete with other countries, we need to have the best technology currently on the market. And that is exactly what we plan to build in Croatia through our company – CROP… I focus on putting everything in place to ensure we build value within our business – long term.” Jan, you are a bright star on a Croatian horizone. Dobro nam došao
Josip Sersic 1948-2020 expert in Croatian-Austrian connections
Hrvatski centar gradišćanskih Hrvata u Beču poslao je tužnu obavijest o smrti dr. Josipa Seršića u kojoj stoji: „Na Štefanje, 26. prosinca 2020. g. je preminuo dr. Josip Seršić (71), rodom s otoka Krka, a u Beču posebno poznat i cijenjen kao polihistor, jezikoslovac i prije svega stručnjak za noviju povijest gradišćanskih Hrvata. Izuzetno je aktivno i uvijek mjerodavno sudjelovao u društvenom životu hrvatskih zajednica i udruga u Beču. Posebno je bio vezan uz Hrvatski centar , gdje je bio i sudionik znanstvenog simpozija ‘400 godina Hrvata u Beču’ 2009. godine. Pet godina kasnije, 2014. objavio je zajedno s Mihaelom Ellenbogenom iznimno važnu knjigu ‘Kroatisches Wien / Hrvatski Beč’.
Elizabeth Peratrovich a native woman in Alaska and civil rights pioneer bearing Croatian second name
Elizabeth Peratrovich (1911-1958) was a native Tlingit woman and civil rights pioneer who, in 1945, was instrumental in getting the Alaska legislature to pass what historians cite as the first anti-discrimination law in America (pre-dating the Civil Rights Act by 19 years). In 1988, the state of Alaska designated Feb. 16 — the anniversary of the signing of the act — as a holiday honoring Elizabeth Peratrovich. Her second name of Peratrovich comes from her husband Roy Peratrovich. His father Ivan was born in Croatia on the island of Hvar, and arrived to California in 1860.
Branka Musulin 1917-1975 distinguished Croatian pianist
Branka Musulin, fantastic Croatian pianist, completed the Academy of Music of the University of Zagreb at the age of 19. She spent most of her pianistic life in Germany, and played under the baton of Hans Mueller-Kray, Willem Mengelberg, Hermann Abendroth, Franz Konwitschny, Karl Boehm, Georg Solti and Sergiu Celibidache. She had numerous pianist concerts throughout Europe, especially in her native Croatia and in Germany, as well as in Japan. Since 1958, she lectured at the Hochschule fuer Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Frankfurt am Main, first as Dozent and then as Professor. She should not be forgotten!
Maxo Vanka film to be made | American Sistine Chapel
Society to Preserve the Millvale Murals of Maxo Vanka has the following mission: to conserve and protect for permanent public exhibition the nationally recognized Maxo Vanka Murals within St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic Church in Pittsburgh, enabling the immigrant artist’s “gift to America” to serve as an enduring catalyst for community engagement and education, inspire social and cultural dialogue, celebrate diversity, and forge connections through reflections on the extraordinary American experience. Murals by Maxo Vanka are not just Croatian cultural heritage. Unique. One and only. The planned film should have been done 50 years ago.
Steve Rukavina behind the story about Joe Biden President-Elect of the USA
On the photo from 2010, Steve Rukavina with Joe Biden, who was back then vicepresident of the USA, now President -Elect of the USA. Steve Rukavina has Croatian roots, and he visited the land of his parents 19 times. He is very active in the NFCACF (National Federation of Croatian Americans, Cultural Foundation), as well as in fostering closer ties between Croatia and the USA. NFCA has organized more than 250 meetings with the USA Ministry of Foreign Affairs and with American diplomats. On Nov. 2020, Steve Rukavina gave an interview to Croatian journal Veeernji list.