Bat-Sheva Ofra Haza-Ashkenazi, known professionally as Ofra Haza was an Israeli singer and Grammy Award-nominee recording artist known as "The Israeli Madonna", or "Madonna of the East". Her voice has been described as a "tender" mezzo-soprano. Haza's music is known as a mixture of traditional and commercial singing styles, fusing elements of Eastern and Western instrumentation and dance-beat, she became successful in Europe and the Americas. Bat-Sheva Ofra Haza was born in Israel, to Yemeni-Jewish parents who immigrated to Israel, she was the youngest of nine children to Shoshana Haza. They were raised in a Masorti household in the Hatikva Quarter an impoverished neighborhood of Tel Aviv. At age 12, Haza joined a local theater troupe, manager Bezalel Aloni noticed her singing talent, he staged many of his productions around her, became her manager and mentor. At 19, she was Israel's foremost pop star, music journalists retrospectively described her as "the Madonna of the East". Haza completed her Israeli military service in 1979.

Her first album, entitled Al Ahavot Shelanu, was released in 1980 and yielded a string of popular radio hits, including Hageshem, Shir Ahava La'chayal, Kmo Tzipor and what became her signature song in Israel, Shir Ha'frecha. The latter was written for the film Schlager. At first, radio stations across the country refused to play the song due to its lyrics, which at the time were unacceptable, but it climbed the charts and reached No. 1, where it stayed for five consecutive weeks. In the year, the album attained gold status. A second album soon followed, Bo Nedaber going gold; the album included Simanim Shel Ohavim. Her third album, Pituyim came out in 1982, reaching gold status as well, with such singles as Gabriel and Kol Yom Matchila Shana. With this album, more well-known writers agreed to write her songs, including Tzvika Pick and Nurit Hirsh. At the Eurovision Song Contest, Haza came in a close second to the Luxembourg entry with the song "Chai", her first platinum album, released in 1983, became the biggest-selling album of her career, the title track was voted the No. 1 song of the year.

Additional songs from the album included Sof Hakayitz. Haza was voted "Female Vocalist Of The Year" four years in a row, from 1980 through 1983; that year, Haza released Shirey Moledet which consisted of her renditions of Israeli folk songs going platinum. Haza released two additional volumes in 1985 and 1987. Bait Ham included the singles Yad Beyad, Itcha Halayla and the title track; the album went gold. In December that year, Haza released a collection of Yemenite songs titled Yemenite Songs. Despite lukewarm radio airplay, the album went on reaching platinum status; this LP was reissued in the United States by Shanachie Records under the title Fifty Gates of Wisdom. The album Adama followed in 1985 and saw writers in the country contributing to the album such as Sasha Argov, Naomi Shemer, Ya'akov Orland and Ehud Manor, among others; the album produced the singles Adama, Goral Echad and Mishehu Holech Tamid Iti, reached gold status. That year, Ofra released "Shirey Moledet B", a continuation of her renditions of Israeli folk songs.

The album went gold. In 1986, Haza worked with producer Izhar Ashdot to create Yamim Nishbarim; the album's lyrics were written by Haza herself. The album produced the singles Kol Haklafim, Bo Ve-Nagen Oti and Hake'ev Haze, her major international breakthrough came in the wake of the album Shirei Teiman, which she recorded in 1984. The album consisted of songs that Haza had heard in childhood, using arrangements that combined authentic Middle Eastern percussion with classical instruments. Further recognition came with the single "Im Nin'alu", taken from the album Shaday, which won the New Music Award for Best International Album of the Year; the song topped the Eurochart for two weeks in June that year and was on heavy rotation on MTV channels across the continent. In the annals of classical hip-hop this song would be extensively re-released, re-mixed and sampled, for example on Coldcut's remix of Eric B. & Rakim's "Paid in Full". The single made only a brief appearance in the UK top 40 singles chart, but became a dance floor favorite across Europe and the USA, topping the German charts for nine weeks.

Subsequent singles were given the dance-beat / MTV-style video treatment, most notably, Daw Da Hiya and Mata Hari, but none quite matched the runaway success of her first hit. Im Nin'alu would go on to be featured on an in-game radio playlist of the video game Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, released in 2005 and featured on Panjabi MC's album "Indian Timing" in 2009. Haza received critical acclaim for the albums Fifty Gates of Wisdom, Desert Wind, Ofra Haza and for her collection of children's songs, L'Yeladim. In 1992, Kirya received a Grammy nomination. In 1994, Haza released her first Hebrew album in Kol Haneshama. Though not a

Unnayi Variyar was a poet, scholar, dramatist who lived in Kerala, India during the part of the 18th century. He is best known for his chef-d'oeuvre Nalacharitham aattakatha and is known to have made significant contributions to the art of Kathakali, the classical dance-drama form of Kerala. There are only sketchy details available regarding Unnayi Warrier's real name, exact date and place of birth, his family background and literary achievements. There is consensus among scholars that his family name was'Akathoottu Warriam' and that he was a garland maker by profession at Irinjalakkuda Koodalmanikyam Temple. One tangible record available that throws light on his life and times is that his work Nalacharitham aattakatha - 2nd day was enacted during the festival season of Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple at Thiruvananthapuram in 1749 AD; this indicates that Nalacharitham was authored by Warrier during the first half of 18th century or earlier. There is speculation that Ramapurathu Warrier was a disciple of Unnayi Variyar and as noted by Aimanam Krishna Kaimal in his celebrated work Attakkatha Sahityam, it is reasonable to assume Unnayi Warrier lived between 1674 and 1754 C.

E. Kaimal infers that Unnayi's real name was'Raman' which he deduced from the last sloka of another of Unnayi's works - Girijakalyanam attakatha mentions the author's name to be'Raman'; the most famous work of Unnayi Warrier is Nalacharitham Aattakkatha. The work is divided into four parts/days with each part designed in such a way as to be presented as an independent performance. Nalacharitham elevated the literary standards of Kathakali and is recognised to be path breaking and pioneering in its approach to make Kathakali a complete art form. Root story of Nalacharitham Kathakali song is based on the Mahabharata, it is one of the stories told by sage B rihadaswan to Pandava prince Yudhishthira during the despondent times that Pandavas go through during their exile. Story revolves around the most righteous Nishadha king Nala, his wife Damayanti and the troubles they undergo in spite of being pious and virtuous and how in the end they are absolved and restored to their previous glory and joy.

By many accounts Nalacharitham is considered to be the complete aatakatha via its perfect storyline, masterly rendering and consistent aesthetics. Besides Nalacharitham, two more works are credited to Warrier. Ramapanchashati is a poem praising Sree Ramam Murthi of Koodalmanikyam Temple comprising 500 slokas in Sanskrit while Girijakalyanam, an essay in three parts based on Mahabharata. Fundamental influence that Unnayi Warrier has had on Kathakali is on the emergence of the importance of Rasa as against a more dominant Bhava Bhava abhinaya. Warrier, through his Nalacharitham, is acknowledged to have raised the dramatic value of Kathakali as an art form. Unnayi Warrier Smaraka Kalanilayam is an eponymous institute, affiliated to the Government of Kerala, which offers training courses in various performing arts and music; the Encyclopaedia Of Indian Literature (Volume One, Volume 1. Author:Amaresh Datta. ISBN 9788126018031 "Unnayi Warrier". Www.keralaculture.org. 23 March 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2019.

"Unnayi Warrier". Www.keralaculture.org. 23 March 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2019. Nayar, V. R. Prabodhachandran. "Of heroism and romance". The Hindu. Retrieved 23 March 2019

Natalie Jane Imbruglia is an Australian-British singer-songwriter and actress. In the early 1990s, she played Beth Brennan in the Australian soap opera Neighbours. Three years after leaving the programme, she began a singing career with her chart-topping cover of Ednaswap's song "Torn", her subsequent album, Left of the Middle, sold 7 million copies worldwide. Imbruglia's five subsequent albums have combined sales of 3 million copies worldwide, her accolades include eight ARIA Awards, two Brit Awards, one Billboard Music Award, three Grammy nominations. Imbruglia has appeared in several films, including the 2003 release Johnny English and the 2009 Australian indie film Closed for Winter, she has modelled for several brands, such as L'Oreal and Kailis. Amongst other philanthropic work, Imbruglia served as a longtime spokesperson for Virgin Unite and campaigns to raise awareness of obstetric fistula. Imbruglia was born on 4 February 1975, in Sydney, second of four daughters of Maxene and Elliot Imbruglia.

Her father is of Italian descent and her mother is of Irish and English descent. Imbruglia grew up in Berkeley Vale, New South Wales and attended St Peters Catholic College, between Sydney and Newcastle. At 15, she moved to Sydney with her family and studied ballet and Highland Dancing, hoping to make a career of it. Imbruglia appeared in Australian television commercials for Coca-Cola and the Australian snack Twisties, she left school at the age of 16. She secured a role as Beth Brennan on the Australian soap opera Neighbours where she shared a house with Ben Mitchell who played the part of Cameron Hudson. By the end of her second year, she left the show to move to London in 1994, she met Anne Barret, who convinced her to record a demo of four songs. She signed a record deal with BMG. Imbruglia's first international single, "Torn", was a cover of an Ednaswap song, it reached number two on the UK Singles Chart in November 1997, number one on airplay around the world and number one on the Billboard Airplay chart for 14 weeks.

It sold more than one million copies in the United Kingdom alone. As of 2011,'Torn' was the most played song on Australian radio since 1990, played 300,500 times since 1997, an average of 75 a day, based on data compiled by the Australian Performing Rights Association, it was released as a radio single in the US, but not on CD. The single was on Billboard's Hot 100 Airplay chart for 14 weeks. At the time, singles not released commercially could not be on the overall Hot 100 chart. By the time the policy changed, "Torn" was heading down the charts, so its peak on the Hot 100 ended at 42; the single topped the Top 40 Mainstream/CHR Pop and Adult Top 40 charts. In October 1997, it broke the airplay record in the UK for six weeks, it was No. 1 for 14 weeks in the UK radio chart, equalled only by Simply Red's "Fairground". Rick Dees, in his Top 40 Chart show, named "Torn" as the'number one radio single of 1990s' in the 2000 Millennium Countdown show broadcast from KIIS-FM on New Year's Eve. Imbruglia appeared with David Armand midway through his'interpretative dance' to sing Torn at Amnesty International's The Secret Policeman's Ball.

Imbruglia's debut album Left of the Middle was released on 24 November 1997. It was certified platinum, it has sold 7 million copies and is the highest selling debut album by a pop/rock/alternative female artist, more than Alanis Morissette, Fiona Apple and Meredith Brooks combined in its first week according to Billboard. The second single in the UK after "Torn" was "Big Mistake". "Wishing I Was There" was less successful, reaching 19. "Wishing I Was There" on UK radio peaked at 2 in summer 1998, in the US peaked at 14 on the Top 40 Show. The final single from Left of the Middle was "Smoke", the reception more divided, it was a hit in the UK and made the top 5, while in Australia it missed the top 40. The album became a million-seller after charting well in many countries and entering the Top 10 in the US and UK. In 1999, she recorded a cover of Never Tear Us Apart by INXS with Tom Jones which appeared on his album Reload; the "Torn" single and the Left of the Middle album earned Imbruglia six ARIA Awards in 1998, while the "Wishing I Was There" single and her overall worldwide achievements earned her two more ARIA awards in 1999, an MTV Award for Best New Artist in 1998, three constitutive Grammy nominations in 1999.

That year, she won two Brit Awards for Best International Female. She was ranked No. 11 on Rock of the Net's single artists of the year in 1998, No. 76 in 2001. Imbruglia tied up her four-album deal with BMG after her compilation album, Glorious: The Singles 97–07. Imbruglia's next album, White Lilies Island, in 2001, was named after where she lived beside the River Thames at Windsor. Imbruglia co-wrote every track over three years; the album's first single, "That Day", was stylistically different from her singles but did not reach the UK Top 10. In the US, "Wrong Impression" was the first single and charted in the Hot 100 Singles and adult contemporary charts. In the UK it did better than That Day. "Beauty on the Fire", the final single entered charts worldwide, did not make the top 50 in Australia. The album notorious in the Sony BMG copy protection rootkit scandal, sold 1 million but did not repeat the success of Left of the Middle. Imbruglia's third album was in November 2003; the record label refused