Feelings April May 2017 issue by Abid MG

april - may 2017

Vol. 11

Global Goddess Priyanka Chopra’s Hollywood Takeover

Summer Flair

Mrs. India ‘BodyFit’ Beats The Heat

Against All Odds

Viral Dalal’s Incredible Tale of Survival

MADE IN INDIA

BALAJI’S MOUTHWATERING SUCCESS

Narendra Raval

From Priesthood to One of Africa’s Richest

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april - may 2017 Vol. 11

Editor / Publisher

Director

Executive Director

Deputy Editor

Senior Associate Editor

Associate Editor

Atul Shah Khyati Shah Deepti Dedhia Nandini Sanan Shankar Abid Mohammed Vijay Rohit

Columnists Ali Peter John, Sneha, Varun Shukla, Heeral Trivedi, Nandita Derashri, Bejan Daruwala

Contributors

Ashesh Pandia, Kamlesh Shankar, Gita Viswanath, Palak Shah, Mehul Suthar, Jigna Dutta, Darshan Vinayaka, Annette Pereira

Special Music Columnist

Creative Consultants

Photographer

Marketing Consultant

Legal Advisor

International Associates

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event report

Editor’s Note Dear Readers, Summer time! Be it watching movies in cool, dark movie theaters, or vacationing in cool locations, families are spending some welldeserved quality time together. On one such recent family outing I watched ‘Meri Pyaari Bindu’, and was left thinking about how modern-age romantic relationships are changing from the simple girl-meets-boy formula to much more complicated exchanges between the two. Earlier, parents used to play a considerable role in their children’s marital choices, now they just seem to be helpless onlookers. Though the film didn’t have a plot, it did give a good insight into what goes on in young people’s minds. Go watch it if you are looking for clues on why your son or daughter-inlove is behaving in an incomprehensible manner. Just in case you are stuck in office and looking for a way to de-stress while others go on vacation, try Zentangling, a doodling phenomena that’s fast catching on. If you are lucky enough to be going on holiday, carry this copy of Feelings with you and unwind with the many inspiring stories that have coincidentally come together in this issue. How Viral Dalal survived 5 days under the rubble during the 2001 Gujarat Earthquake and lived to tell the tale in his recently published book is nothing short of a miracle. Narendra Raval’s journey from a youthful Swaminarayan priest to becoming one of Africa’s top businessmen is a dream come true. Priyanka Chopra’s meteoric rise is as heartwarming as it is extraordinary. All the protagonists in these stories share a common strain of determination and a never-say-never spirit - something to draw from when the going gets tough. Any which way, wishing you all Happy Holidays and some fun Family Time!

Atul Shah Editor and Publisher

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April - may 2017

Contents

54 Cover story

AFRICA’S MAN OF STEEL

april - may 2017

From an austere life of priesthood to featuring on the Africa Forbes list as the 46th richest man in the continent, Narendra Raval’s journey is as inspiring as it is incredible. Nandini Sanan Shankar spoke to the philanthropic industrialist.

FEATURES 20 W OMEN LEADS ALL THE WAY From Vidya to Sonakshi, it’s a treat to see films that are made keeping women in mind, says Ali Peter John, just as he wonders if the trend will last. 42 W HY BOTHER WITH SHAKESPEARE? Many literary greats have come and gone but none have captured the imagination like Shakespeare. Arati Desai deciphers the Bard’s unmatched appeal and timeless formula that has stood strong over 400 years! 58 K EEP CALM AND ZENTANGLE ON With adult colouring books and classes on Zentagling becoming a trend, Heeral Trivedi explores the de-stressing nature of art forms that can be easily adopted, even by novices. 78 W HERE AIRPORTS DARE! Imagine an airport that has a main street intersecting its runway or another one where the ground crew routinely rescues stranded dolphins! Feelings lists five extreme and thrilling airports from around the world.

INTERVIEWS 22 P RIYANKA CHOPRA - INDIA’S MOST FAMOUS EXPORT PeeCee (as she is fondly called by the paparazzi) spoke to Sneha about her whirlwind schedule, soaring ambitions and her take on life.

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28 N EVER SAY NEVER! Marriage and career came first for Lipika Das, before she finally got a chance to pursue her life-long passion. Annette Pereira chats with the exhilarated Lipika after she won the title of Mrs Body Fit, at the Mrs India pageant. 38 “ BOLLYWOOD MUSIC IS GOING THROUGH A CONFUSED PHASE.” Rohit Sharma is one of the many unseen but not unheard talents of Bollywood who are waiting in the wings for their moment in the sun. Ashesh Pandia engages in a freewheeling conversation with the musician. 36 F ROM STAND UP TO SIT DOWN! Standup comedian and mimicry artist, Ranjan Sahu can imitate no less than 94 Bollywood actors, out of which 60 he can perform non-stop! Sujata Majumdar speaks to the man with this rare talent, who opens up about his new avatar as a spiritual healer and counselor. 46 A GAINST ALL ODDS Viral Dalal who was lost and buried in the rubble for 5 days during the deadly 2001 Gujarat Earthquake, recently published his book, ‘Choosing Light’. In a candid interview with Palak Shah, he tells all about enduring the toughest moments of his life. 70 C HEF INTERVIEW Jigna Dutta traces chef Rakhee Vaswani’s inspirational journey from being a Mom to a successful ‘Mompreneur’.

MADE IN INDIA 50 S HOWSTOPPERS OF INDIA’S TASTE Balaji’s success graph may seem like a stroke of luck at first, but it went through its fair share of trials and setbacks before becoming a household name in the snack food industry. Kamlesh Shankar outlines the company’s path, from its humble beginnings to becoming a brand to reckon with.

MUSICAL NOTES

70 78 10

32 T HE VOICE SAYS IT ALL Sujata Majumdar writes about the new breed of down to earth, gifted melody makers of Bollywood.

FASHION 64 S UMMER FLAIR Mrs India, Bodyfit, Lipika Das raises the temperature as she looks cool in her summer best

REGULARS

10 S HOPPING Shopping trends this season 16 A ROUND TOWN Kalire – Wedding couture by Vishal Kapoor Magnum and thelabellife.com team up to create a stunning, limited edition fashion collection

HERITAGE 74 C RUSADING FOR INDIA’S ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE A conservation architect by profession and a die-hard heritage lover at heart, Kruti Garg is Director of Conservation at the renowned architectural firm ANL, Mumbai. Ashesh Pandia met her to understand more about her initiative to create awareness about heritage.

87 R ECIPES A sneak peek into the delicious offerings in Chef Rakhee’s book, Picky Eaters

COLUMNS 88 T ECH TALK Google and Levi’s teamed up to produce fashionable, durable and wearable technology that is not ‘precious’. Varun Shukla demystifies what can only seem like magic at first glance. 68 S TYLE FILE Nandita Derashri hunts down the 5 must haves that will help you survive the summer, from head to toe!

82 T RAVEL Gita Viswanath is enthralled by her visit to the lush green trekking paradise and legendary pilgrims’ destination, which is also home to India’s second highest waterfall

90 B OOK REVIEW How I became a Tree by Sumana Roy. Review by Gita Viswanath 92 F ORTUNE TELLER Your horoscope for March 2017 by Bejan Daruwala 94 B OLD WORDS #thetweettalk

Feelings

april - May 2017

letters to the editor

Naresh Goyal, New Delhi

Alia Bhatt is my favourite amongst the new actresses and it was wonderful to see her on the cover and read her interview. The Travel story on China was an eye opener and made for very interesting reading, Thumbs up, Feelings, for doing a great job!

Bollywood’s leading ladies from the South were real beauties, from Waheeda Rehman and Vyjanthimala to Hema Malini and Rekha. Enjoyed Ali Peter John’s writeup on them thoroughly! The article ‘Women on Top’ gave good insight into how Indian women at the helm manage their teams. Good content overall!

Pankaj Mishra, Uttaranchal

Shashidhar Naik, NJ, USA

I have been going past the Asiatic library for years now as it comes on the way to my workplace. It always intrigued THE GRAND me though I never SOUTHERN SWEEP found the time to visit it. After reading your Heritage article though, I I was compelled to do so, and am glad I went it. It is a blast from the past and a pleasure to be surrounded by so much history! Thanks for your in depth article... FEATURE

from the South took one look at the young Waheeda and invited her to try her luck in Hindi films in Bombay. She did not think twice and Guru introduced her to his mentor, Dev Anand who put in a word for her to Raj Khosla who was directing a film for Navketan called ‘CID’. Waheeda made a striking impact in the film. Guru Dutt then took a leap of faith, casting her as a cheap prostitute in his own film, ‘Pyaasa’, an all time classic. The rest as they say is history! Next he cast her as the heroine in what he considered his most ambitious film, ‘Kaagaz Ke Phool’ with himself in the lead. Another classic, the film was ahead of its time. With a dark tragic story, it was a major disaster at the box-office. The film’s failure and rejection in love by Waheeda led the talented Guru Dutt a step closer to self-destruction and he was found dead at just thirtynine. Whether it was suicide or not is still a matter of speculation.

There has always been a rich exchange of talent between Bollywood and the film industry of the South. Nothing explains this phenomena more than the several doe-eyed beauties who have conquered our hearts and imaginations, says Ali Peter John

wonder if the Hindi film industry would be the same without strong support from the South. There have been big banners from the South who have made the most successful Hindi films. Some very successful southern films have inspired filmmakers to base their Hindi films on them. But the one field in which the South has enriched Hindi cinema the most is the actresses who have come from the region - they not just secured a place for themselves but went on to become stunning leading ladies, while their Hindi speaking counterparts looked in awe!

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Waheeda went on to become the favourite leading lady of Dev Anand and they starred in seven films which ended in a kind of finale with the grand success of ‘Guide’. She also worked with all the leading actors of the time including Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Raaj Kumar, Manoj Kumar and Dharmendra down to the superstar Rajesh Khanna. At 75, the still gorgeous Waheeda is busy, now acting as a mother figure in some notable films. In the fifties, there was another girl who came from the South who had worked in Tamil films. She too was attracted to try her luck in Hindi films. Her name was Vyjaynthimala. She was not only a pretty face, but was also a very competent classical dancer. Like Waheeda, she rose to new heights of success. She was paired with all the big heroes and even the directors who Waheeda worked with and was at her very best when she worked with Bimal Roy and Raj Kapoor in films like “Devdas”, ‘Madhumati’ and ‘Sangam’. She finally gave up acting after Raj Kapoor’s ‘Sangam’ which led to a lot of controversies about the ‘affair’ between Raj and her. In her autobiography she denied that there was anything more than a professional relationship between Raj and her, only to be taken by rude shock when Raj’s son, Rishi Kapoor openly came out with the story of his father‘s affair with her and how his family suffered

There was Waheeda Rehman, a girl from the interiors of Hyderabad who was launched in a Telugu film which was a big success. It was at the celebratory party of the film that Guru Dutt who was on the lookout for talent

MARCH 2017

WRITE TO US

Do write in and tell us what you think, at editorial@feelingsmultimedia.com Letters should include the writer’s full name, address and phone number. Letters may be edited for clarity and space

because of the relationship. Rishi’s statement in the press led to the crashing of the sales of her book. Later, Yash Chopra offered her the role of Amitabh and Shashi’s mother in ‘Deewar’ which she declined. It then went to Nirupa Roy, giving her a new lease of life as she shot to fame with Shashi Kapoor’s line for her, “mere paas maa hai”. She became the most wanted ‘mother’ in Hindi films, till she died unknown. Vyjayanthimala later took to politics at the request of the late Rajiv Gandhi and won two elections to the Lok Sabha, losing the third very badly. She married a doctor, Dr. C.L Bali who was introduced to her by Raj Kapoor, and now runs her own dancing academy in Chennai. At around the same time there was another actress called Padmini who also came in from Tamil films, but she could not make it as big as Vyjayanthimala. The only film she is really remembered for is Raj Kapoor’s mindblowing dacoit film ‘Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai’. The last time she was noticed was in Raj Kapoor’s magnum opus, ‘Mera Naam Joker’ which was also his most disastrous box-office failure. Padmini then married a doctor and settled down in America where she died some time ago.

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HERITAGE

istoric, iconic, monumental and 184 years old, it’s the jewel in the crown of literary India. We’re talking about the legendary and the internationally renowned Town Hall, which hosts the amazing and the gigantic Asiatic Library. Located at South Mumbai’s famous landmark, the Horniman Circle, the British era’s Town Hall is a most wonderful creation gracing the skyline of Mumbai. Very recently, it underwent a makeover that restored its old glory, albeit with a contemporary touch. The Asiatic Library too got a fillip with its conservation lab getting a new wing.

PRESERVING INDIA’S PRESERVING INDIA’S LITERARY GOLD

Manu Bhatia, Mumbai

LITERARY GOLD

The Asiatic Library is an awe-inspiring heritage structure all the way, from its Greek and Roman architecture to the rare treasures that lie within its walls, discovers Ashesh Pandia on a visit to the recently restored structure

Dr Devashish Palkar’s column - ‘The World Through His Eyes’, was thought-provoking to say the least. As Indians, we are not very sensitive to those who are differently abled. It is high time we get over the notion that we are superior to them - if we look carefully, we will realise that they have other abilities that we ‘normal’ people don’t possess.

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This heritage Victorian era structure catches your eye and imagination with its majestic stone architecture on the outside that is heavily influenced by the Greek and Roman style of construction. Designed by Col. Thomas Cowper of Bombay Engineers, this 200 feet across and 100 feet high Town Hall has a portico of eight Doric columns perched atop a 30 step staircase; even today it remains unparalleled in Mumbai’s engineering and architecture history. With time taking its toll over the years, this magnificent edifice had fallen prey to leakages, breakages, rust and rot. Being a Grade 1 heritage structure, the State government decided to restore its old glory, and towards this end released Rs. 8.5 crores in two phases. The Public Works Department, under the aegis of one of India’s leading conservation architect Abha Narain Lambah, carried out the repair and restoration work and after 12 months of painstaking restoration work, the renovated Asiatic Library was once again thrown open to public on Sunday, 26th February, 2017. Describing how ANL went about executing this mammoth task, Kruti Garg, Director, Conservation, ANL, says “We didn’t have many historic pictures of the interiors, so all the references came from the designs and details available in various parts of the building. One of the most difficult aspects was to ensure that the books were well taken care of. We shifted the reading hall to a temporary shed outside the premises. However it was not possible to move the books outside the hall. Therefore, all the cupboards were packed with plastic, bubble wrap, locked and sealed and kept in the central hall itself.”

In today’s digital age when the concept of reading rooms and libraries is fast fading into oblivion, the Asiatic Library is a ray of hope cutting across the darkness of ignorance and apathy which threatens to destroy India’s rich and multi-dimensional literary legacy. Within its tranquil and peaceful environs, the Asiatic Library stores a mammoth collection of books, periodicals, ancient manuscripts, painted folios, coins, artifacts, maps and prints. One of Mumbai’s oldest free-for-all reading facility, it houses over 3,00,000 books. Priceless artefacts, ancient manuscripts in Persian, Sanskrit, Urdu and Prakrit languages, over 1000 maps some of which date back to 100 years, the Library is custodian to a plethora of such rare and bibliographical treasures. There is also a museum which holds a collection of primordial coins including a gold coin of Kumaragupta 1, a gold Mohur of Akbar, the great Mughal emperor, and coins from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s era. A popular tourist hot-spot because of its colonial roots, imperial look and the vast and varied treasure that it holds, the Asiatic Library’s primary purpose is to inspire research and preserve the age-old literature, sciences and oriental arts that are now considered rare and antique. As the guardian of the treasure chest of India’s archaic knowledge, the onus of maintaining and preserving its priceless possessions lies with the administration of Asiatic Library. Though 184 years old, it was only in 1991 that the Library got its first ever conservation and restoration lab, thanks to the initiative taken by Sir Dorabji Tata Trust. Asked why the Society took

FEELINGS

MARCH 2017

BODY AND SOUL

Dr Devashish Palkar is currently training at Shree Krishna Hospital and Research centre, Karamsad, Gujarat. Passionate about writing and storytelling, he believes that, “Treating a patient is just a more professional and sophisticated form of storytelling!”

THE WORLD THROUGH

HIS EYES

Dr. Devashish Palkar wonders at our labels of what is ‘normal’ and what it is not while conducting a medical camp for the differently abled

he medical internship is at once the most exciting and yet the most frustrating experience in the life of a young doctor exciting because there is a positive feeling of already having become a doctor and frustrating because it is far from rewarding. But therein is the catch for it’s not a job, but an internship! There are days when just a simple dressing helps heal a patient’s wound and the intern feels satisfied. And then there are testing times as well when one wants to do so much more but feels helpless since there are not many opportunities available to the junior most in the hierarchy of medical practitioners. One of the most worthwhile experiences of the internship is the peripheral posting which provides an opportunity for field work and a means to be of service to the community. While the seniors are too busy in the hospitals, it’s the interns and the junior resident doctors who are entrusted the job of conducting camps and identifying patients in need of medical care in these far flung areas! For my internship rotation in Ophthalmology, I was part of a health check up camp this October. A school was selected in one of the nearby villages

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ANL paid special attention to the cost-effectiveness of the project. “Working on restoring the roof of the building, our team was extremely skilled in using maximum salvage material which was found on site, retrieved and reused, rather than disposing it and bringing in new material,” says Kruti Garg. “This involved flitching new sections of wood with the old sections, repairs to the structural cracks and the trusses without removing them from their location. The wooden floor is largely left untouched. It is only where the condition of the wooden boards was damaged that we carefully removed it partially and reinstated with new wooden boarding.”

MARCH 2017

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and my job was to test the children for visual acuity or to assess if any child had any refractive errors and ask him/her to come to our hospital for a follow up if needed. We were provided with an English version of Snellen’s chart, the one most commonly used for testing vision. If you have ever been for an eye check up, you would know what I am talking of. The patient is asked to read out what is written on the chart which is usually placed at a distance of 6 metres. It consists of a sequence of letters, numbers or figures depending on the patient’s intellectual level and language preferences. The chart worked quite well for the first four days. But on the fifth day, something unexpected happened. To my utter surprise, the school which had been selected for the fifth day was a special school or a school for the differently abled. An autistic kid came up and my friend and I had to assess his vision. Since we only had the letter based Snellen’s chart (that too an English one!), we couldn’t diagnose if he had any refractive errors. Numbers and letters didn’t make much sense to him.

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shopping

BLING BLING

Saturla bangles in complete gold by ORRA. Lightweight and stylish, these pieces start at 40 grams POR, Available at www.orra.co.in

Jewellery to set your heart racing The Classic Emerald Necklace set crafted in 18K gold, set with uncut diamonds and emeralds by ANMOL. POR, Available at Anmol, Bandra (W), Mumbai Floral diamond pendant in rose gold by Entice POR, Available at www.entice.in

Artistically crafted earrings in white gold with a delicate floral design, by Navrathan Jewellers POR, Available at http://navrathan.com/

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2017

Crafted with black onyx and smoky quartz, the “Chalcedony” collection by Dillano Jewels is a mélange of floral and modern intricate designs. POR, Available at Dillano Jewels 40, North Avenue, West Punjabi Bagh, West Delhi

Earrings with diamonds set in pure yellow gold that highlights the floral motif to make it look stylish and chic, by Navrathan Jewellers POR, Available at http://navrathan. com/

Pure silver with Swarovski AD and finished with 18k gold plating by Sneha Rateria. POR, Available at www.sneharateria.com

Meticulously crafted ring in 18k white gold, set with precious stones like ruby, white diamonds, blue sapphire and emeralds by Dwarkadas Chandumal Jewellers POR, Available at Dwarkadas Chandumal Jewellers, Bandra West, Mumbai

Ethnic Jhumkis with beautifully carved gold plated silver filigree flowers and a hanging pearl, by AhilyaJewels.com POR, Available at www.AhilyaJewels.com

The Empressâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ring crafted in 18 K gold and set with uncut diamonds by ANMOL. POR, Available at Anmol, Bandra (W), Mumbai

Gold earrings with leaf shaped Semi precious and precious stones by Tanya Rastogi for Lala Jugal Kishore Jewellers, POR, Available at www.lalajugalkishore.com/Tanyarastogi1. html

Sunflower Gold Ring set in 22 Kt yellow gold from the Ikat collection, CaratLane POR, Available at www.CaratLane.com

Ring crafted in 18 K gold and set with emeralds and round brilliant diamonds by ANMOL. POR, Available at Anmol, Bandra (W), Mumbai

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shopping

home decor

The Raindance Showerpipe collection from Hansgrohe, POR , Available at all leading stores

Zingy Surroundings

Experience the grandeur of wallets at Wallet Carnival with William Penn along with MontBlanc, Lapis Bard, Devotie, Tru Virtu, Cross and few others, POR , Available at all William Penn stores across Mumbai

Give your bathroom a distinctive look with the stylish, new series of wash basins in different shapes and colors from VitrA, POR, Available exclusively at all leading outlets

Handcrafted with only the finest of materials, the Lapis Bard Classic Palladium Trim Fountain Pen, with 14 carat solid gold dual tone nib, is ideal for the modern gent, well-versed in the art of sophistication, Rs 17,500, Available exclusively at William Penn stores Create your own cozy nook at home and enjoy your evenings with home units from The Great Eastern Home, POR , Available at The Great Eastern Home, Byculla and Vikhroli, Mumbai

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Add a bit of sparkle to your home with Chandeliers from The Great Eastern Home, POR , Available at all leading stores

Home decor products by Buzzaria Dukaan, POR , Available at www. facebook.com/ Buzzaria

Inspired from trending moustache motifs, these striking everyday essential office items are perfect for adding a lively element at the work place, POR , Available at all leading stores

The pastel and tropical Modern Classics Wallpaper collection from Zynna comprises of beautiful blue tones, that will compliment your walls and make you Jazz up your home with vibrant colours of this season from Kansai Nerolac, dream of an everlasting summer, POR , POR , Available at all leading stores Available at all leading stores

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shopping

Shop till you drop New launches

Freshen up and experience the lively summer spirit with this rejuvenating and cool collection, POR, Available at www.perfumebooth.com

Beach Flip-flops from Lavie, POR, Available at all leading stores

Beat the heat with Wagh Bakriâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s refreshing Ice Tea in four splendid flavours of Lemon, Orange, Peach & Khus and Saunf, Available at all stores

Bake delicious cakes, pizzas, soft breads, grill vegetables and do so much more with WonderChefâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Oven Toaster Griller, POR, Available at http://www.wonderchef.in/

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2017

Treat yourself with these affordable and customizable handmade skin care products by Vert, POR, Available at www.verthpc.com

TOTE bags from Lavie, POR, Available at all leading stores

XOXO Accessories by Minnat Doshee, POR, Available at www.facebook.com/XOXOaccessories

Bags and clutches by Buzzaria Dukaan, POR, Available at www.facebook.com/Buzzaria

Apparels by Buzzaria Dukaan, POR, Available at www.facebook.com/Buzzaria

Give your lips and cheeks a nondrying, comfortable and long-lasting kiss of colour with British Rose Lip & Cheek Stains, POR, Available at all leading stores

Modern contemporary collection from Caprese, POR, Available at all leading stores

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event

Kalire – Wedding Couture by Vishal Kapoor I

n the world of contemporary fashion, there are a few icons who stand tall as trendsetters, known for their imagination and creativity. One such icon is Vishal Kapoor. His new wedding collection ‘Kalire – The Wedding Bells’ was recently launched at The Meera, Indore and all the attributes his work is known for. were in full display. In Punjab, Kalire is one of the rituals in which close relatives of the bride-to-be tie golden-bell like accessories to her red bangles which complement and enhance her bridal attire. It was this ritual that Vishal Kapoor centered his entire collection around. The show began with the Red Carpet & Fusion collection which saw men walk the ramp in dhoti pants teamed up with royal drape stoles. The second segment featured bridal couture lehengas and sherwanis. On display were exclusive brocades, raw silk fabrics from Benaras, rich and vibrant colours and Kashidakari

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embroidery from Kashmir that accentuated the fusion theme. The blend of traditional and contemporary elements smoothly interweaved the modern and the royal in various hues left the attendees spellbound. Bringing things to a glamorous close was famous model of Big Boss 8 and Fear Factor: Khatron ke Khiladi fame, Diandra Soares, who wowed everyone as the show stopper. But of course the show didn’t stop at that. The fashion show was followed by Sufi Rock Band “Nasya” taking centrestage followed by cocktails and dinner. n Credits for the show include: Choreography & Direction - Ritesh Ghanani Exclusive Jewellery - Seema Pahuja Hair & Make-Up - Pervez Alam Creative Photography - Umang Bhatt (Event covered by Mehul Suthar)

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event

A UNIQUE GLOBAL SISTERHOOD Krishna Pujara brings you an exclusive coverage of the largest ever congregation of women from around the world, the Women Economic Forum, that recently concluded in the Capital.

omen work in many capacities in their lifetimes, but rarely get to share their experiences with their counterparts from all over the world. The Women Economic Forum (WEF) recently held in Delhi over six days aimed to do just that by bringing together 2000 women from 100 countries. Organised by the All Ladies League (ALL), it provided a one-of-its-kind empowering platform for women to network and learn from each other’s lives and work through 508 sessions! Inaugurated by none other than Baba Ramdev and politician Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, the topics discussed in the conference ranged from ‘How to change an idea into a successful business’, ‘Reputation Management’ and ‘Exploring one’s feminine energy to

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change perceptions’. Central Rail Minister Suresh Prabhu compared society to a railway line, of which if one track is man then the other is woman, both equally important. “We have started a number of progressive programs for women in the Railways, aiming to empower them. If women are empowered, then half the world is empowered,” he added, while lauding Dr Harbeen Arora, Global Chairperson of WEF for her efforts in organising this diverse event. Well known designer Rina Dhaka got candid as she spoke about her growing up years in Rajasthan,

relationships and career choices. Commenting on the changing world around us she spoke about how the online media has made fashion accessible to all, no longer making it a luxury that only the elite were associated with. Fitness and glamour diva, Shilpa Shetty spoke about how she switched to a healthier lifestyle post having children and why being healthy should be a priority for all, especially women. Megda Kay, a life coach and internet marketing expert put it interestingly when she said, “Inside you, you have the power to give birth. Then how can you be weak or passive? If you can create life, what can’t you create?”. According to her 99% of women’s troubles would vanish if they only understood themselves better. Popular radio Jockey Malishka spoke about how her profession allows and empowers her to give voice to her listeners’ grievances and even bring about change or just help them by being the dependable listener who they can always turn to. Luiza Cristina Fernandes Palma, the Portugal chairperson of Women Economic Forum and CEO of WalkEnergy, a clean energy company from Portugal

came straight to the point when she said, “I have 6 daughters, and I don’t have enough time to wait again for another 100 years to have gender parity like we had to wait for aeons to have the right to vote. I want to announce today that I will be proposing soon to the World Bank a new economic model that all the banks in the world can use. It will be an economic model that will create gender parity. We are talking about 30 million dollars here. We cannot wait any longer.” Other eminent speakers and guests included Mr William Bissell, MD at FabIndia, filmmaker Subhash Ghai, singer Anuradha Paudwal, Lithuanian activist Marija Ausrine Pavilioniene and actor Aditi Rao Hydari. WEF events take place throughout the year and across the globe, empowering women to expand their business opportunities and increase their global influence through peer exchange and networking across borders while being inspired by some of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs, authors, speakers, leaders, and celebrities. Other regional events will be held throughout 2017 in different parts of the world like in US, Canada, Maldives, South Africa, Portugal, Cyprus, Morocco, and Iceland. n

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FEATURE

WOMEN LEADS

ALL THE WAY From Vidya to Sonakshi, it’s a treat to see films that are made keeping women in mind, says Ali Peter John, just as he wonders if the trend will last

t is only in recent times that women are being seen in power packed roles in quick succession. Time was when women in films were either glamour girls who danced around trees with the heroes whenever the latter was free from fighting villains, or found time

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off from the courts and other important places of work. Or the women were sati savitris or to use the derogatory term, pair ki jootis, but they were very rarely women who would stand up against injustice or for equality, except in the solo case of Nargis in “Mother India”.

Then two actresses from Hollywood, Jane Fonda and Liv Ullman, followed by some others like them, came up with performances that made both women and men sit up with the new possibility of strong female characters in films. Inspired by them some leading actresses like Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil were cast in ‘tough roles’ during the brief season of New Wave Cinema. But once the Wave subsided women rarely found the opportunities to play roles that could make them the “heroes” of the films they worked in. Not that there weren’t filmmakers eager to make films with women as the central characters, but they had to bow to the commands of those who run the business of filmmaking. According to them such films would not be accepted by the masses. This kind of thinking was a major setback for filmmakers who had women-centric stories and for actresses who were craving to act in them.

for Kangana Ranaut who faced two disasters in “Katti Batti” and “Rangoon”. Vidya Balan’s “Begum Jaan” is an action and drama film written and directed by National Award winning director Srijit Mukherjee in which Vidya plays the lead role of a brothel’s Madame. Set against the Indian Independence period of 1947, it is a remake of the Bengali film “Rajkahini”. Rani Mukherjee’s “Mardaani” was a crime thriller that dealt with the problem of human-trafficking in India. It was directed by Pradeep Sarkar who is now well known for his expertise in making films with women as the central characters. This one was the story of a policewoman whose interest in the case of a kidnapped teenage girl leads her to uncover secrets of humantrafficking by the Indian mafia.

However, it was producer Ekta Kapoor of Balaji, who decided to make “The Dirty Picture”, based on the life of the southern seductress and sex symbol, Silk Smitha. It was after much consideration that they opted for Vidya Balan, who delivered in every way, with a realistic and award winning performance. The landmark film was a big hit all over.

In ‘Noor’, Sonakshi who has already played several roles as the ‘hero’s girl’, proved that she is a consummate actress, capable of holding a film on her own shoulders. The shooting of “Aami” is scheduled at Ottappalam, Ernakulam, Mumbai and Kolkata and will be completed in three months. “Aami” is expected to be released during the festival of Onam in Kerala.

It is the creative satisfaction and commercial success of “The Dirty Picture” that spurred other filmmakers to go ahead with women-centric subjects. Yashraj Films’ Mardaani with Rani Mukherjee was an outstanding example of a “she hero” winning the game all the way. It was followed by the three films starring Kangana Ranaut, “Tanu Weds Manu”, especially “Queen” and then her double role in “Tanu Weds Manu Returns”. These three films seemed to establish this new genre of filmmaking.

Hansal Mehta’s “Simran” is now expected to save Kangana Ranaut’s falling career graph. Though the versatile actress has played a plethora of roles, her role in “Simran” is probably the most challenging of them all. The audience is all confused with the first look of the film where Kangana has been introduced as Praful Patel. So, if Kangana is Praful, who is Simran? In the answer lies a great part Kangana’s future as an actress.

Films with strong women leads is the new way forward, it seems - “Begum Jaan” which recently released, again with Vidya Balan who stood out in both “Kahaani” and “Kahaani 2”, “Noor” with Sonakshi Sinha, “Aami” with Manju Warrier of the South (it was a role designed for Vidya Balan who had signed the film) but she opted out of it, and then there is “Simran” which is a do-or-die film

Box office hits or not, is this a lasting ‘women power’ trend, here to stay? After all much has been put on stake in the past and a lot of patience spent to finally reach this liberating point in Bollywood. The answer would be a happy affirmative if we go by one of Amitabh Bachchan’s quotes, “That which lasts long is not easily got, that which is easily got, does not last long…” n

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SPECIAL INTERVIEW

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PRIYANKA CHOPRA

INDIA’S MOST FAMOUS EXPORT Priyanka Chopra is undoubtedly India’s first movie star who has made it into Hollywood’s mainstream. She was in Mumbai recently to promote her big release ‘Baywatch’. PeeCee (as she is fondly called by the paparazzi) spoke to Sneha about her whirlwind schedule, soaring ambitions and her take on life What was the first thing you did after coming to India this time? I met a lot of fans. I went to my new house in Juhu, stood in my balcony and breathed in fresh air. I arranged a few books and changed the sofa as I was unable to do that before. I had not had the time to set my new house right. What kind of diet and exercise regime do you follow in the US? I don’t eat western food as I don’t like it. I prefer Indian food and usually have home cooked stuff. My cook has been with me for the past six years and makes Indian food for me. I was looking forward to Mumbai. I prefer the heat of the city to the cold of the US. I try to eat healthy food and have lots of proteins

and no carbohydrates. I miss the hot phulkas but that’s a sacrifice I make as part of my job. I have to thank my parents for my good genes though. My father had abs till the age of 40. Now I am in my 30’s and I try and work out. Actually I have started enjoying it. I try to wear different clothes and never stop myself from eating. I love to eat and enjoy the festive season from November to January which is when I put on 3-4 kgs. Then I also lose it by exercising more! Do you miss your mother there? My mother keeps coming to U.S. now and then. She just needs an excuse to be there. And she has plenty of them (smiles). Will there be a new season of Quantico?

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SPECIAL INTERVIEW

I don’t know. They are yet to decide on it and that’s because after every season, they research on which TV shows got the most TRP’s. On that basis they decide whether they will come up with a new season or not. You are playing a negative lead in Baywatch. Was it difficult? I have played negative roles here in India, in Aitraaz and Saat Khoon Maaf even though we don’t see too many Indian heroines doing negative roles. This role is very interesting because it is feminine and evil at the same time. Any one thing that you don’t like about Hollywood? I wish that Hollywood was not so punctual! Everything is like clockwork. Frankly speaking, I did have some initial challenges with that (laughs). On a more serious note, the difference for me was television. Shooting 18 scenes a day was not easy. When I shot for Baywatch I felt it was like shooting for a Hindi film. Was there any preparatory work for Baywatch? We did a number of workshops and reading sessions together so the cast and crew knew each other well. My first shot in a white dress, was a solo one. It was just me and my director and it was amazing and fun.

“Around the world this industry is dominated by men. It’s no secret that everywhere in the world the men get paid more. ”

The last time you said that you have to make yourself known every time because you are brown skinned? I am okay walking into a room and saying ,”I am Priyanka Chopra and I am an Indian actor”. One can’t be so entitled. Different people have different celebrities in different countries. Our achievements are big amongst our own people. Not many have seen my movies there, but their press welcomed me and was so wonderful and encouraging.

several experts to teach the locals about the making of films. Once they have learnt the craft they can do a lot of movies there as there are a lot of local actors in Sikkim. We are also doing a Konkani film, a Punjabi film and a Bengali film.

As a producer what are the kind of films you are planning? We have six films on floor. We will be doing a Sikkimese film for the first time. They don’t have an industry there and there are no Sikkimese films. We have tied up with the Government for this and are also planning to make a set-up there. I have got

A lot has been said about Indian heroines following western trends and aping Hollywood heroines? It’s because we wear the same brands. In fact, we are fortunate that we wear international brands. All the girls right from Sonam to Deepika and Anushka are stylish and have a good sense of fashion.

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How would you sum up your experience of working with Dwayne Johnson? He’s wonderful and an awesome friend. He’s very special and smart. Are men being paid more there too? Around the world this industry is dominated by men. It’s no secret that everywhere in the world the men get paid more. That is also a reason why male stars are given that reverence. Now female actors are also reaching a level where we should change our point of view. We have hit the 100 crore mark with Kangana’s film. Undoubtedly women are making longer strides in the industry, compared to before. A lot of people from the industry are raising their voices against social issues these days? My parents taught me to never fear, to raise my

voice and give my opinion when I want to. Everyone has an opinion and we are a democratic country. So we all have the right to raise our voice. When can we expect your next single? Have you heard Parineeti’s song? She sang so well. My dad and her dad have done a lot of shows and I felt so good as it reminded me of that. She has done a great job. As for myself, I am doing so much work that I am not getting time for another single. I do enjoy it and my mom is keen that I should sing for certain films. Your role was quite bold in Quantico? I don’t think I have done any lesser in Hindi films. The only difference was that I didn’t have a white boyfriend in Hindi films. I don’t like sensationalizing my sexuality. Your journey has been inspiring and enriching. Who would you like to credit for that and what do you have to say to the youngsters of today? For more than half my life I have been in showbiz. I have learnt everything on the job and never followed a trend for the sake of it. I have always liked to lead and like doing things for the first time. I have a lot of people who gave me brickbats but you have to take those and put them in the dustbin and then look at the next milestone. That’s what I did. I have been very instinctive in my choices instead of forming strategies. I tell youngsters to keep an eye on the milestones and keep working hard. Knowledge is important. But when you try you will make mistakes. Learn from those. What have you got to say to your fans in the U.S? Thank you for giving me so much support, welcoming me and accepting me in your country. I have been there for one and half years and enjoyed my time. Thank you so much. n

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Feature

most beautiful woman in the world

In a poll conducted by a leading online website Priyanka Chopra was voted as the second most beautiful woman in the world. Here is the top 10 list In a a poll conducted by video-sharing social media network Buzznet, Priyanka Chopra has just been voted as the second most beautiful woman in the world. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beaten the likes of supermodels and actresses across the globe to make it to the famed 2nd spot. Ages ago it would have been impossible to think that an Indian actress would become a household name in the US, let alone be voted as the second most beautiful

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woman by them. But today due to globalisation and the world coming closer it has happened. Priyanka Chopra left behind famous personalities like Angelina Jolie, Emma Watson, Blake Lively and Michelle Obama to become the second most beautiful woman in the world. Priyanka Chopra who is quite active on social media shared the list and thanked her fans for voting. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thank u @BUZZNET and all who voted. @Beyonce is my number1 too!!,â&#x20AC;? she tweeted. n

3. Taylor Hill april - may 2017

4. Emma Watson

5. Dakota Johnson

6. Hillary Clinton

7. Margot Robbie

8. Angelina Jolie

9. Fahriye Evcen

10. Alexandra Daddario Feelings

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interview

NEVER SAY

NEVER! Marriage and career came first for Lipika Das, before she finally got a chance to pursue her lifelong passion. Annette Pereira chats with the exhilarated Lipika after she won the title of Mrs Body Fit, at the Mrs India pageant. 28 | Feelings

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rs. Lipika Das never lost sight of her dream to be crowned a queen at a beauty pageant. However, as an assistant manager HR at a reputed school in Vadodara, she already had an established career. That didn’t stop her from embarking on a second, more fulfilling one. Das who is 29 and married last year, recently won the Mrs Body Fit title at the National Mrs India Contest held in Delhi last month. The purpose of the competition was to empower women in all walks of life. Das represents the best they had to offer. What was the purpose of this competition? The Indian woman in her lifetime plays many crucial roles that make her indispensable. But just because she becomes a Mrs. from a Miss, doesn’t make her less beautiful or intelligent. Actually it’s probably the other way round! The core purpose of this pageant was to give a platform to married women, so that she can exemplify beauty, talent, intelligence and compassion

in India and around the world. What inspired you to take part? I have dreamt of being part of such a prestigious pageant ever since childhood. Earlier I wanted to participate in Miss India, but that didn’t happen due to unavoidable circumstances. So I postponed it a bit and thought about participating in the Mrs. India pageant. Former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen really inspires me, because for her beauty is not just about how you look, but is also about representing your society and working for the betterment of people. Whatever Sushmita Sen spoke on stage, she actually did in real life as well. That is the real meaning of a Queen for me – to be one who leads but also takes others forward along with her. How did you keep your dream alive all through the years? I have never missed even a single pageant aired on TV. There are some dreams which may not be fulfilled

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interview

have been crowned? They were always a part of it, knowing that I will achieve it one day. My family members have been real motivators and supporters at each step that I took to reach this level. They are extremely proud and happy not just because I made it this far but also because I have done everything on my own, without taking any professional help, whether it be a gym or grooming classes. Everything from pin to plane was done at home!

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have done everything on my own, without taking any professional help, whether it be a gym or grooming classes. Everything from pin to plane was done at home!â&#x20AC;? when you want but I was sure that one day this dream of mine will be accomplished. I strived hard to achieve this goal of getting crowned at a pageant. What did your family say about your dream and how do they feel now that you

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Can you describe the event in some detail? The Mrs India pageant provides married women a platform where they can get an opportunity to make a difference to the world. The mission of the pageant is to nurture and support contestants along their path to their personal and professional growth and contribute to the public at large. It is conducted in two separate categories - Mrs India Queen (Age 21 to 39), and the Classic Category (Age 40 to 56). Those who win will be groomed to represent India on various international platforms. Mrs India Queen aims to create and empower role models who will serve as ambassadors of charity, while enriching the perceptions of beauty in peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s minds. In short, it works for the advancement of women while positively impacting their communities.

The several rounds include the Talent Round, Traditional Round, Pool Round, Interview Round, Business suit round and Fitness Round. The finale score of a contestant depends upon the scores of these rounds and also on her punctuality, discipline and behaviour during the contest. As a married woman yourself, how do you think this competition helps women? Apart from providing valuable exposure to the world,

it helps her understand that even after marriage her dreams are equally important for her to follow. Participating in it gives women self confidence and self esteem and brings out their hidden potential. In the process it emphasizes their real beauty which makes them unique in the crowd. I think every woman should give herself a chance to achieve her dreams. Looking back there shouldn’t be any regrets.

“Participating in it gives women self confidence and self esteem and brings out their hidden potential.”

What is your message for those who want to follow the same path? I enrolled myself with the aim that no matter what comes up in between; nothing can stop me from reaching till the end. A strong message behind my participation was for housewives especially. If they want to be a part of this journey but feel they don’t have the required resources, they should just start doing things at home. Everything is available on YouTube or Google. That’s exactly what I did to fulfill my dream.

What are your plans for the future? In the future I want to spread what I have learnt to others who are interested. I will start grooming them personally with the knowledge I have acquired so far. Also, I have plans to apply for the International Pageants that are upcoming at the end of this year. I will also complete my certification in Zumba and start my own classes for the same – because I like to see everyone with happy faces and broad smiles of self confidence, passion and determination that reflect their inner selves. Be proud of what you are! n

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musical notes

THE VOICE

SAYS IT ALL Sujata Majumdar writes about the new breed of down to earth, gifted melody makers of Bollywood

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ollywood’s music industry constantly gives birth to new talent. As new stars emerge, the older ones either become superstars or are simply replaced. In the last few years there have been a number of music composers, lyricists and singers who have lit up the musical firmament with their soulful melodies but unfortunately their names may not always ring a bell. However, in spite of poor selfpromotion, the work of these humble geniuses speaks volumes about their hidden talents. They may prefer to keep low profiles but many of the songs they have produced have become chartbusters. Their names may not have gained popularity like their peers Amaal Malik, Armaan Malik, Arijit Singh, Ankit Tiwari or Manoj Muntassir but they have nevertheless carved a niche for themselves in the music industry.

Sohail Sen (music director/singer) : Hailing from a musical family, Sohail inherited the musical traits from his grandfather Shambhu Sen and father Sameer Sen (of Dilip Sen-Sameer Sen fame). He has composed music for films like Sirf, The Murderer, What’s your Rashee, Khelenge Hum Jee Jaan Se, Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, From Sydney with Love, Ek Tha Tiger, Gunday and Happy Bhaag Jayegi, to name a few. The USP of his music lies in its authenticity. None of his songs seem to be replicas of any other song nor do they remind one of any western influence. His most famous compositions are “Dhunki”, “Kaisa yeh Ishq hai”, “Banjaaraa”, “Saiyyaraa”, “Tune Maari Entriyaan” and “Jashn e Ishqa” . As a playback singer Sohail has won hearts with songs like “Tujhpe Fida” (Sirf), “Yeh Des hai mera” (Khelenge hum jee jaan sey), “Gunday” (Gunday), and many more. Sohail says he is a perfectionist, “I take up one project at a time and work

on it. I start the second assignment only after completing the first one.” Haniif Sheikh (Music director/singer/ lyricist): With just a few films like Micky Virus, Paathshala, Bubble Gum and Uvaa, Hanif Sheikh has made his mark in the music industry. His most popular composition is “Aye Khuda” sung by Salim Merchant from the film ‘Paathshaala’. Other songs like “Teri Marzi aye khuda”, “Khushnuma”, “Bekaraar” and “Mujhe Teri” from the same film also earned critical acclaim. His songs “Tose naina” sung by Arijit Singh and “Aankhon hi Ankhon ne” sung by Mohit Chauhan and Palak Muchhal are absolute treats for the ear. Recently, his song “Vande Mataram” from the film ‘Uvaa’ made waves. The anti rape song composed with a blend of Indian raagas has been treated beautifully with the invocation of Sanskrit shlokas in the beginning. According to Hanif, “ I always try to maintain ‘Indianness’ in my compositions. Our Indian classical raagas are enough to create good music and I always try to incorporate these elements in my compositions.” Arko Pravo Mukherjee (singer/lyricist/ music composer): Multi-talented Arko has composed and written songs for films like Jism 2, Hate story 2, Tamanchey, The Shaukeens, Kuch Kuch Locha hai, Bhaag Johny, Jazbaa and Kapoor & Sons. His songs “Paani wala dance”, “Aaj phir tum pe pyar aya hai”, “Allah Waariyaan”(Yaariyaan) and “Dildaara” are heavily influenced by western trends and are therefore immensely popular with the

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musical notes

contemporary generation. Arko has received prestigious awards for Yaariyaan and Hate Story 2. His popularity increased with the songs “Tere Sang Yaara” (Rustom) and “Dariyaa”(Baar Baar Dekho). “I see myself more as a songwriter than a musician as I am not trained in music. Yet, God has been kind that I am doing equally well in the genres of singing and composing as well. I think it is my honesty towards my work which actually does the magic”, he says.

Anupam Roy (singer/lyricist/music composer): Anupam Roy is well known in West Bengal for his soulful voice, unconventional music and lyrics in films like Autograph, Chotushkone, Hemlock Society, Baishe srabon, Belasheshe and Prakton. He forayed into Bollywood with “Piku”, a film which got him the Filmfare award for the best background score. His songs in “Piku” stand out from other contemporary songs and have got public as well as critical acclaim. Anupam admits that he is not ambitious enough to do a lot of movies, “Even if there’s only one movie, I’m still very happy about creating music. That is more important than getting a lot of film offers. I love the stage and try to balance it out with movies. There was a time I didn’t have this platform, and then I got used to shows. Creativity is not about making 30 songs in 30 days. It’s never about demand and supply. No one can possibly do that.” Justin-Uday (Music director): Justin Yesudas and Udaykumar Ninjoor are a music composer duo who began their musical journey from the advertising world where they composed several jingles for famous corporate brands. Their commercial fusion band is called “Fuzitives”. They went on to compose music for Hindi films like ‘Hijack’ and ‘Sikandar’ and also for South Indian films among which the Kannada

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film ‘Khaidi’ received favorable response. Their songs like “Allah Hoo” ,“Manzaraat”, “Aksar” and “Koi na Jaane” have a freshness about them which is interesting. Also high on the popularity charts is the music composed by them for private albums and singles like “The Free Spirit” and “Manwaa” (winner of two prestigious awards for best song and best female singer). Justin and Uday believe that their music should be film-centric and melody-centric, “We want it to appeal because of its finesse. Instead of trying to show what we can do each time we compose a song, we prefer situational composing which gives a feel of the music through the story. Just as it used to be in the good old days…”

Amjad Nadeem(Music Director/lyricist): Amjad-Nadeem, nephews of Sajid-Wajid (famous music director duo) have composed melodious music for films like Welcome to Karachi, Mumbai Mirror, Angel, Angry Young Man, Barkha, Benny & Baboo, Chintu ji and Jazbaa. Their most famous song is “Bandeyaa” from the film Jazbaa. Amjad-Nadeem quote, “We make music even when we are not attached to a film and feel that after composing Bandeyaa, we have grown in our art.” Vishal Khurana (Music Director): An innovative composer Vishal has a few films to his credit among which the most important ones are ‘Well done Abba’ and of course ‘Neerja’. All the songs of Neerja especially “Jeete hain chal”, “Gehra Ishq”, and “Aisa kyun Maa”, are touching and suitable as per the screenplay of the biopic which is based on real life

tragic incident. About the craft Vishal says, “Music should be a part of the film and go with its tone, simple and straight from the heart. That’s what I do in my creations.”

Tochi Raina (Playback Singer): This Singer from Patiala with power packed voice which has a ‘mitthi di khushbu’ or smell of the earth, created ripples in the industry with his soulful rendition of “Bulleshah” (A Wednesday). He went on to post hits like “Pardesi”( Dev D), “Iktara”(Wake up Sid), “Gal Mithi mithi”(Aisha), “Mallo Malli”( Mausam), “Saibo”(Shor in the city) and the souful “Kabeera”( Yeh Jawaani hai Deewani). While his Sufi songs reflect his spirituality, Tochi says “I am spiritual to the core. Music for me is a source to connect with the Almighty. Whatever I sing or compose is due to the super power above. Even my musical band is called Band of Bandagi”.

Dharam Bhatt-Sandeep Patil (Music director): This duo has created innovative and experimental music in big banner films like Department, Rakta Charitra, Gang of Ghosts and Rakta Charitra 2. Interestingly, they used special mantras for the music of Rakta Charitra.

According to Dharam Sandeep, “The music industry is changing globally. For example, in the last one year Dubstep, a genre originally associated with noncommercial films, was used in commercial cinema. We have used it too. We don’t want to take the easy road of doing just the commercial stuff; otherwise where’s the niche? Artistes from abroad ask us to compose music for them. They say, ‘Dude this is the sound we need.’” Abhishek Ray (Music Director/Singer): He started with the background score of ‘Haasil’ and ‘Ahista Ahista’ and went on to work with the iconic Gulzaar in the album ‘Udaas Paani’. He also scored music for Paan Singh Tomar, Saheb Biwi aur Gangster, Shagird, I am Kalam, Welcome Back, Life is Good, Wedding Anniversary, etc. Abhishek’s “Aye Jahaan Aasmaan”, a concerto of love with a hundred piece live orchestra and the voices of Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal won the best song of the year at Mirchi Music Awards 2017 and his song Yeh Dil written by Gulzar and sung by Hariharan simultaneously won the nomination in the same category. Ray is also a naturalist and a bonafide government tiger and leopard tracker. He is an avid birder and wildlife conservationist and runs his own wildlife reserve next to Corbett National Park called the Sitabani Wildlife Reserve. He is also the composer singer of India’s national anthem on tiger conservation. Abhishek states, “Being a naturalist, I am known to adopt ample music from nature. The forest has its own sounds and those are the best that I have heard. My tunes are free birds... I let them fly wherever they want and decide their own destiny.” n

Sujata Majumdar is a wellknown playback singer and our special music columnist

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interview

From

Stand up to

Sit down! Standup comedian and mimicry artist, Ranjan Sahu can imitate no less than 94 Bollywood actors, out of which 60 he can perform non-stop! Sujata Majumdar speaks to the man with this rare talent, who opens up about his new avatar as a spiritual healer and counselor. You are a successful stand up comedian, dubbing artist and anchor. How did it all begin? Mimicry has been my passion since childhood when I used to imitate the voices of film stars. I also used to imitate people around me catching on to their peculiar mannerisms. I always thought it easy to make somebody cry but very difficult to make them laugh. Starting with

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stage shows at a very young age I eventually went on to perform worldwide with stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar, with famous playback singers like Asha Bhosle, Sonu Nigam, Sukhwinder Singh, and Shaan, to name a few and even with sports stars like Sachin Tendulkar, M S Dhoni and Steve Waugh apart from corporate bigwigs. I am lucky that my passion became my profession.

From a comedian to a spiritual healer and counselor. What caused the shift? We humans have a tendency that unless a problem is our own we don’t find a solution for it. I got ill a couple of times and Allopathy did not suit me so I searched for other options. During my research I included the problems of my friends and relatives, Bollywood celebrities, politicians, scientists etc and found that the causes of most of their suffering corroborated with my research. It gave me the boost up I needed to find out more.

either a palmist or pharmacist!

Though I don’t believe in palmistry, astrology, numerology or gemology, my findings are based on the 5 great elements and how they affect our body parts. 4 years and my research is still on. My B.P. was 130/90 and the doctor told me to be careful. I used my findings to get it under control and even taught the same thing to around 40-50 people, all of who benefited from my findings.

I strongly suggest a minimum of 24 minutes a day. Give yourself one minute for every hour. Be alone, meditate, chant, read scriptures. Know yourself.

If Babas and swamis can add comedy in their lectures why can’t a comedian be a baba? It’s fun knowing what’s happening around you and why. They say a healthy mind is a healthy body. Are psychological problems the main reason for physical problems? If I ask you now to raise both your hands without the mind instructing the body, can you do it? Nobody can. When the mind is agitated and emotional we are no longer in a normal mode or satchitananda. When we are angry there is an obstruction in the liver area, when we are over excited, it’s the heart that’s affected, for anxiety check your lungs, for shocks check your kidney and so on... Even modern science refutes placebo effects which is healing through the mind. You can watch my ONLY TRUTH CHANNEL on YouTube where my video instruction on controlling BP has become quite popular. I am glad that people are benefitting from it. How does meditation help in healing? The right diagnosis and medicine play a very important role. No one should underestimate that. Consult a doctor instead of self-medicating. In India every third person is

At the same time, know that there is no disease so big that you can’t cure yourself. You can do it by knowing, understanding and following certain rules and regulations. ONLY YOU CAN HEAL YOUR LIFE. Be it Japa, kirtana or dhyana, meditation is a wonderful thing humans can do. It has a positive effect on not just the person who is meditating but also on the surroundings. There are 112 kinds of meditation. You just have to follow the right instructions.

“It’s clear that nature has its own law, which nobody can change. Our problems start when we try to make our own laws.” There are so many spiritual counselors and healers. Do you consider yourself different from them? Firstly, I am not competing with anyone. I am not here to grow beard or my property and bank balance. When my suggestions start helping people, it gives me immense satisfaction. Earlier I used to meet people daily and try to help them. I found that 50% genuinely follow it and heal themselves. The rest are busy with their cell phones. I started charging a small amount so that my time is not wasted. Whether personally or online, it takes around 2 hours on an average. I take one day to thoroughly understand their questions and problems. I strictly follow the scriptures and most of the time I suggest certain chapters and slokas to the person while explaining their problem. It’s clear that nature has its own law, which nobody can change. Our problems start when we try to make our own laws. Follow nature’s laws and your problems will vanish.. some instantly and some with time. n

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interview

“BOLLYWOOD MUSIC IS

GOING THROUGH A CONFUSED PHASE.” Rohit Sharma is one of the many unseen but not unheard talents of Bollywood who are waiting in the wings for their moment in the sun. Ashesh Pandia engages in a freewheeling conversation with the musician who shared some interesting insights about India’s music industry as he sees it. 38 | Feelings

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music director by design, Rohit is wellknown in the offbeat genre of Hindi cinema having given music for films like Ship of Theseus, Buddha In A Traffic Jam, and Shortcut Safari. With the recently released Anarkali of Aarah starring Swara Bhaskar, he believes he is a step closer to making a mark in mainstream Bollywood. Besides composing music films, Rohit is also one of the founders of a progressive band called Swaang whose songs, claims Rohit, “are a comment on the sociopolitical scenario in India.” He is looking forward to making a statement with the soon to release ‘Colours of Life’, directed by Prakash Bhardwaj. Take us through your journey of becoming music director I learnt both Hindustani classical and Western classical in Delhi, which is where I come from. I was interested in music since childhood but once I decided to make it my career, I began learning it more seriously. So I took lessons in the flute from Pandit Harshvardhanji and then went on to learn the piano. I don’t come from a family of musicians so you could say music is God’s gift to me. It’s been about 10 years that I have been around in the music industry and have done 10-12 films till date. The first couple of films in which I gave music did not see light of the day. The first film that actually got released was Ship of Theseus in 2012. It’s not easy for an outsider to gain entry into mainstream Bollywood. How was it in the beginning? Well, whatever you do in life, it’s always difficult at the beginning. As an outsider in Bollywood, firstly one has no idea whom to approach. It takes time to get a breakthrough... How did you manage in that period of uncertainty? I started off with doing ad films, which gave me an opportunity to do titles for a couple of serials on television. One was ‘Kashmkash Zindagi Ki” on DD and there were other serials for Star and Zee. Then I got a chance to do music for a film called ‘Coffee Shop’ produced by Sahara Entertainment. But that was not get released. It was followed by a film called ‘FOSLA’ Frustrated One-Sided Lovers Association.

There were ten songs in that film and I had composed all ten. The film was 70% complete when an unfortunate incident happened and the film was shelved. That was Swara Bhaskar’s and Rajkumar Rao’s first film. Then I got ‘Ship of Theseus’ which took almost 4-5 years to release. ‘Buddha In A Traffic Jam’ happened immediately after ‘Ship of Theseus’. That film also took over 3-4 years to release.

“Instead of finding faults with others I believe in improving and correcting oneself. This helps to expand one’s own range. You need to have a good range even for background music.” What were your experiences during your initial years in Bollywood? Any lessons learnt that you would like to share? Well, as far as learning is concerned, I have understood that if anyone is not getting opportunities then there has to be something wrong with them. So instead of finding faults with others I believe in improving and correcting oneself. This helps to expand one’s own range. You need to have a good range even for background music. You should know the intricacies and be up to date with the latest music trends around the world. I have never knocked the doors of music companies or any corporate asking for a break. Whatever work I have got has come to me through references and recommendations. Like ‘Buddha In A Traffic Jam’, which I got because of Swara’s recommendation. It’s very curious that all the films you have done have English titles Yes, it’s a strange coincidence. ‘Ship Of Theseus’ is in Hindi and English. ‘Buddha In A Traffic Jam’ is primarily in Hindi. I did a children’s film ‘Shortcut Safari’ that’s also in Hindi. Again my latest film Anarkali of Aarah’s original name was ‘Anarkali Arahwali’. So it’s absolute coincidence that whichever

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films I have done have English titles, sooner or later! ‘Colours of Life’ is 70% in English and 30% in Bangla. It is said that the 60s and 70s were the Golden Era for Bollywood music and that it will never come back. Do you agree? See, it’s like this - A bygone era cannot come back but the new era can don new avatars. I think today music in Bollywood is going through a confused phase which should clear pretty soon. Hopefully there will be a new dawn in the music industry. What do you mean by confused phase? There are very few numbers that are long lasting. Again everyone has got access to all kinds of music in the world. So people are going by a trial and error method, thinking this might work or that might work. No one is being able to find the right key that will click each time in Bollywood.

“What is happening now is that there is one director for a film, but 4-5 music directors for that same film. The 4-5 composers compete amongst themselves, rather than focusing on giving good music for the film.”

There are so many new singers, lyricists and composers nowadays. Is there a glut or do you think the more the merrier? What is happening now is that there is one director for a film, but 4-5 music directors for that same film. The 4-5 composers compete amongst themselves, rather than focusing on giving good music for the film. They are more concerned about their own personal success, not the film’s. Each one wants his song to get promoted more than the others. So it’s the film that ultimately suffers. Secondly, there is lot of interference by the music companies. They demand the song to be a certain way. At times they even provide the song. Many times it so happens that the music company insists on providing the driver song. Moreover, there is a demand for item numbers and remixes just to get eyeballs.

I believe that if the song is composed well and is promoted very well then it’s bound to be a hit. You are also right about choreography - nowadays people watch a song more than listen to it. The songs are being packaged in a way that viewers are encouraged to watch it. But a song worth listening to automatically becomes a hit, and it doesn’t need to be watched.

What do you think makes a song a hit? Lyrics, luck, music or choreography?

Are remixes justified for a film or are they just profitable for the music

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industry? If there is a situation in a film where it’s really worthwhile and it’s not possible to make a similar new song, then it’s ok have a remix. Otherwise the sole purpose of a remix is business. The thinking behind it is that it’s an old, hit song so it will easily grab attention once again. Tell us something about your music band The band comprises of actors, writers and directors. Though it has been a bit inactive recently, we plan to revive it pretty soon. Swaang is the brainchild of Ravindra Randhawa, a scriptwriter who writes songs for the band. He has also written the songs for ‘Anarkali of Aarah’. The first song released by our band was dedicated to Nirbhaya – of the 2012 tragedy which took the nation by storm. We started performing publicly only after that gruesome incident. Our songs are basically a comment on the socio-political scenario of our country. Though we have composed some 15-20 songs, only a limited number are online as it is a time consuming job and requires a lot of effort and money. Have you thought of a tie up between Swaang and a music company? A deal was to happen with Sony Music, but it fell through. Their terms and conditions were not attractive enough, neither did were we getting the freedom that we wanted. However some of Swaang’s songs have featured in films. ‘Ye Galion ke Bekaar Aawara Kutte...’ in ‘Buddha in a Traffic Jam’ is written by Pakistani writer, Faiz Ahmed and its composition was a joint venture by him and us. There are very few followers when it comes to Indian Band music. What’s your take on that? In the west, the films don’t have songs. Their music industry is a full-fledged industry on its own. In India those who compose music aim for Bollywood, Tollywood etc. because you get a big platform and quick fame. Independent Music Bands find it difficult to sustain, even if they get basic funding to record and produce the song because promoting the same again takes lot of money. In contrast, if you are associated with a film, all these variables are taken care of. Plus their online views start at 10 lacs, while views for

“Independent Music Bands find it difficult to sustain, even if they get basic funding to record and produce the song because promoting the same again takes lot of money. ” independent bands like ours start at 25,000. Who are your favourite music composers and singers? Music composers are many. S D Burman, Salil Chaudhary, Madan Mohan, R D Burman, Elvis Presley, A R Rehman and Vishal Bhardwaj. The list of singers is also quite long. I can’t pick and choose one, but I think Rekha Bhardwaj is a very good singer. I might be doing an album with her in near future. She has sung one song in ‘Anarkali of Aarah’. If you had to re-compose one popular song from Bollywood and make it even better, which one would that be? It’s a difficult question. I have recomposed songs but those which are very old. For example I have composed one song written by Baba Bulleshah and used it in one of my films. Another one is a poem written by Faiz Ahmed Faiz which many have composed, and so have I. But I don’t try and recompose songs from Bollywood. They are very good as they are. I feel there should not be remixes or recomposing. It’s better to write and compose new songs or else recompose Kabir, Baba Bulleshah, Faiz Ahmed Faiz.. n

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culture

Why bother with Shakespeare? Many literary greats have come and gone but none have captured the imagination like Shakespeare. Arati Desai explains the Bardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unmatched appeal and timeless formula that has stood strong over 400 years! 42 | Feelings

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he 400th anniversary of the playwright’s death last year was marked with much pageantry in the form of myriad festivals celebrating his work across the world. From school concerts in India to the World Shakespeare Festival celebrated at various locations in the UK, it reinforced the fact that the classic stories of William Shakespeare have an enduring appeal, regardless of time or space. Varied adaptations of his plays are enacted across the globe, in the form of cinema, theatre or school plays.

Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. Another famous Hindi movie director, Vishal Bhardwaj directed a monumental trilogy based on Macbeth, Othello and Hamlet, namely Maqbool, Omkara and Haider, all critically acclaimed adaptations with powerful casts in each.

The inimitable master of drama has influenced the world of literature over the centuries in such an eventful way that even today thousands visit the Bard’s birthplace, Stratford on Avon and watch his plays at the resurrected Globe Theatre. Going by Shakespeare’s early years, it fills one with amazement that even though he didn’t attend a formal university, it did not stop him from unleashing his creativity as a man of letters. Stratford was a merchant town and had traders from many countries like France, Italy and Africa come there for business, a likely reason for Shakespeare’s plots revolving around characters from different countries. The complex characters often metamorphize, showing how certain circumstances can cause people to fall from grace. The common notion today is that Shakespeare is meant for the intellectual, elite and highly educated, but his plays meant pure entertainment in his times. The audience identified and delighted in the characters, who were more often than not flawed and ‘real’. Hamlet’s anguish, Ophelia’s distress or the timeless love between Romeo and Juliet, have all been depicted in stories that have remarkably intricate plots full of excitement, and span genres ranging from comedies and tragedies to histories. Shakespeare in recent Bollywood With his ability to transform situations and emotions through mishaps and the events that unfold in his plays, Shakespearean plots with their twists and turns remain forever fashionable in the movies, having made their presence felt in the media ever since movies began. Generously endowed with emotions, his characters and their struggles are still relevant in the 21st century. Bollywood movie, Goliyon Ki Raasleela, Ram-Leela is

An unequalled Master of Language It is said that Shakespeare contributed several words and phrases to the English language. If you decide that a Shakespearean play “Is Greek to me”, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you have been tongue-tied, a tower of strength, hoodwinked or in a pickle, if you have knitted your brows, made a virtue of necessity, insisted on fair play, slept not one wink or if you have seen better days,

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culture

lived in a fool’s paradise, think it is high time or that I am an eyesore, a laughing stock, the devil incarnate, a stony-hearted villain, bloody-minded or a blinking idiot -- then you are quoting Shakespeare! Women in Shakespeare’s plays Women, in Shakespeare’s time, did not enjoy political, economic or social parity with men and it’s important to keep this in mind when you analyze the variety of female characters in his plays. In the Shakespearean society, where men exclusively held all the important posts of authority, the Bard’s women protagonists exercised a great deal of subtle forms of power and influence. Take Hermia in A Midsummer’s Night Dream, Portia in the Merchant of Venice. Viola and Olivia in the Twelfth Night or The Queen of Denmark and Hamlet’s mother, in Hamlet - even though these women find themselves in a challenging situation, each employs a unique strategy for coping with her problems and directing her own destiny as well that of other characters. Shakespeare showed these women as complex, at times compromising, as well as extremely capable characters. A King of Hearts Over the years there was a hint of worry about whether people would tire of him and his work. Why shouldn’t he actually cease to dominate the world of literature and relinquish his continuous hold over the school books? Why do we still bother with Shakespeare after four centuries? His writings are legendary, Shakespearean playhouses have been reconstructed around the world, making it easy to see his dramas performed in complementary settings. For those wishing to access his writing in other ways, there are not only countless printed editions, but also versions available on smart phones and tablets. Read, watch or listen. It’s your choice. Putting it in a capsule, Shakespeare was the master not only of language but also one of emotions. The times may have changed but humans still feel betrayal, remorse, love, lust, humor and tragedy, a fact that gives the Bard a foothold across time and cultures. He wrote plays that are enormously rewarding to enact and direct, his characters are multi-faceted, endlessly interesting and impossible to reduce to a simple

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Interesting facts about Shakespeare’s life • Shakespeare was born and died on the same day, 23 April. • Shakespeare got married at 18. • Shakespeare acted in his own plays. For example, in Hamlet, he played the ghost of Hamlet’s father. • The Globe Theatre in London burned down in 1613, when a large gun set fire to the roof during a performance of Shakespeare’s play Henry VIII. It was rebuilt. • Shakespeare spelled his own name in several different ways, including ‘Shakspere’ and ‘Shakspeare’. • It is known that Shakespeare wrote at least 38 plays. It is possible that he also wrote others which have been lost. • According to the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Shakespeare introduced nearly 1,000 new words to the English language. formula, his language, though now difficult, is subtle, richly varied, and eloquent (this includes the Sonnets, of course) and the plots of his plays still speak to the experiences of a modern world (think of the recent teen movies Ten Things I Hate About You from The Taming of the Shrew and Get Over It from A Midsummer Night’s Dream). Shakespeare reveals a different face to different cultures and different people at different times. His work has inspired and pioneered English genres. His stories with traces of the supernatural as well as the tranquil, carry us back to a different time and place with a charm of their own. And yet remain realistic to the core human traits and characteristics. Good and evil are still defined and championed as they were in Shakespeare’s time making his stories immortal. Surely then, there is a bit of Shakespeare in each one of us and a bit of us in Shakespeare. n *All the highlighted words in the above text are Shakespeare’s contribution to the English Language (Arati Desai is an educator who is passionate about teaching children critical thinking and communication skills)

interview

AGAINST ALL ODDS

Viral Dalal who was lost and buried in the rubble for 5 days during the deadly 2001 Gujarat Earthquake, recently published his book, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Choosing Lightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. In a candid interview with Palak Shah, he tells all about enduring the toughest moments of his life and emerging wiser and stronger in his second lease of life 46 | Feelings

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oing by first impressions, Viral Dalal’s life seems perfect. An IT specialist, he lives in the metropolitan region of Washington DC, USA, which has been his home since 1999 when he came here to pursue his Master’s Degree in Computer Science. He is living the American dream with his beautiful wife and two lovely children. How he survived against all odds to actually reach this point in his life, is another story, however - one which he only recently decided to publish in the form of a memoir. For Viral, the year 2001 changed his life forever. His homecoming on a study break and the deadly Gujarat earthquake where close to 20,000 people lost their lives, coincided. Nature’s wrath snatched his entire family that included his parents, elder brother, sister-in-law and nephew from him. Viral himself came close to death but luckily survived. Today, it is difficult to believe what he endured. With a ready wit, he is always has a repartee that can make you smile. His love for cars and bikes aside, he is also a naturelover and a keen observer of human life. It took him time to finally finish it, but he penned his memoir to tell people that life is indeed beautiful; how you see it makes all the difference. You went to USA to pursue Masters in the year 1999. What was your first impression of the country? I remember this day distinctly when I stepped outside the JFK international Airport in New York. It was very tidy, regulated, and advanced. These were things I observed instantly. Being a car fanatic, it was a treat to see diverse models of cars that I had only seen in magazines. I loved it! Once I reached my cousin’s home I quickly realized that apart from my family there was something else that was missing here. Noise…

The eerie silence and the darkness of the night was something that I can never forget. I wanted to hear the honking of cars, the sound of dogs barking, the musical sounds of a nearby marriage sangeet sandhya, or the clattering of the utensils in the kitchen, but it was quiet, like a sanctuary. Soon, that converted to feeling lonely. You were on a study break and visited India when the 2001 earthquake happened. Correct. It was a winter break. From Dec 22, 2000 to Jan 28th, 2001. What are your thoughts on everything that happened afterwards? My anticipation to meet the family knew no bounds. Suitcases filled with gifts, I boarded the plane from New Jersey, unaware, that I was headed on the path to destruction. I arrived in India about a day late due to flight delays in Italy due to heavy snow. Everything else was going as planned, but my father who had come from Bhuj (where he worked) to receive me at the airport had to return to Bhuj for work. He could not have factored in my unpredictable flight delay. The next morning when I opened my eyes, I saw Dad standing in front of me.

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He had returned to Ahmedabad once again, just to see me. It was a pleasant surprise. Happiness shone in my parents eyes. They were very happy to learn that I was doing well in my field, and that I was now working in New York City. I was having the best time of my life. So, during this vacation in India, we travelled, and also planned to visit Bhuj to spend some quality time together. Sahjanand tower was the tallest building in the town of Bhuj, and was also known for being Aamir Khan’s abode during the shooting of the Oscar nominated film Lagaan. We lived in the same building.

“When I was trapped inside the rubble, what kept me going was thoughts of my family. I wanted to see them again.”

The morning of 26th, I was still half asleep, while everyone else in the family seemed to be having breakfast. I could hear everyone talk about the prior evening, and then about our plan to leave in the next half hour or so to visit the Mandvi beach. Dad came inside the bedroom and told me to switch from the mattress on the floor, onto the bed. With eyes partially closed I did as told and he then covered me with a thick rajai (comforter).

A loud sound like thunder woke me up, and as I looked towards the window, everything seemed to have suddenly become dark. The instant thought that came to my mind was that Pakistan may have attacked India, that being Republic Day (and Bhuj being very close to the border). But I realized very quickly that it was something else. Before I could think, the earth shook, and before I could take another breath, the shaking became violent. I had never heard such a monstrous sound before in my life. I knew then that it was an earthquake. How did you cope with the tragedy that you had to face? What kept you going?

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I had always been a very strong individual. My early childhood was a big factor in the way I interpreted the world around me. Because of my grooming and my environment, the feeling of fear or death never entered my mind. These became the primary reasons for being able to cope with the disaster. When I was trapped inside the rubble, what kept me going was thoughts of my family. I wanted to see them again. If they were hurt in any way, I wanted to see them through recovery. I had to be alive to see them once again. I just had to. I realized only later that the struggle while I was inside the rubble was only a tip of the iceberg. Once I was rescued, I found out that there was no news about my family, and that they were still somewhere inside the rubble of the collapsed building. As the days unfolded, I found my family members one after another. None of them had survived. How I dealt with the loss cannot be explained in words,

and it only became more difficult as time unfolded. I had to stand up and support myself on my own, and I could do it only because of what I had learned from my parents. Their confidence in me kept me going. Spending 105 hours under the rubble and getting evacuated unscathed is nothing short of a miracle. What do you remember of that experience, physically and mentally? I remember each of the challenges I faced during my 5 day ordeal. In my book I have described these experiences in detail. The feeling of helplessness stands out. I can never forget how helpless I felt, in every way imaginable. There was no food, no light, no movement, even the air I was breathing was limited. I was truly trapped, confined in a space less than a coffin, and I wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t able to do anything to get to my family. No one in the whole world knew that I was alive and struggling, not even an insect knew of my existence. I used all my will power to fight with hunger pangs that would not go away. I remember how I tried hard to trick my mind so I could start hating food. I desperately wanted to be able to control my bodily needs with the powers of the mind. Eventually, the tricks worked. When did you think of writing your memoir? Was it difficult or do you think it provided a sort of closure to your feelings? I started writing in Feb 2001, and then left it for a few years. I picked it back up in 2004, and then once again in 2009. It wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t easy, more so because I have a sharp memory, and I had to recall those days many more times - in detail, over the years, until the book was complete. Having said that, it had to be done, and I am glad that I recorded my experience. Is there a message in the book for its readers? Yes, apart from my surviving the ordeal, there are valuable messages based on what I learned over the

years. Now that your book is already in the market, how do you feel? Is the response as you expected? It is a wonderful feeling to share my story with the world, especially its essence, in the form of a book. The response from the readers has been phenomenal so far. It is great to know that the readers like how the story unfolds and that they can exactly feel what it was like. You have now spent more than 18 years in USA. What is it that you like about the country? There are many things to like about the US. The top 3 that come to my mind happen to be very basic, but important. The first is Oxygen - Everyone in the country breathes pure air. Secondly, all have access to drinking water 24/7, and there are no electricity cuts. The country also has a very strong infrastructure, and laws that are same for one and all. These are the bones of the country. What do you miss about India, if anything? I was born in India. The roots are always missed, deeply. People, festivals and the warmth are the things I miss the most. You have two children who were born in the US. How do you keep their Indian roots intact? It is tough. In an age when the east is moving west and when the west is merging with the east, it helps to have a balanced approach. Having said that, we try to tell our kids the stories of Indian kings, Gods and sages which intrigue them. My son who just turned 5 is starting to learn more about India. In these troubled times, would you like to say something to the Indian youth aspiring to emigrate to US. India is growing, and there seems to be tremendous potential in the country at this time. For higher studies, the US still is a great place to consider, but working in the US vs. working in India will eventually become only a matter of location and not the dollars. n

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made in india

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SHOWSTOPPERS OF INDIA’S TASTE

Balaji’s success graph may seem like a stroke of luck at first, but it went through its fair share of trials and setbacks before becoming a household name in the snack food industry. Kamlesh Shankar outlines the company’s path, from its humble beginnings to becoming a brand to reckon with…

ike all great legends, this story started once upon a time, and started small. The year was 1974. Three brothers hailing from Dhundhoraji, a small village in Jamnagar, came to Rajkot, carrying no experience and no references. All they carried with them was Rs. 20,000 in their pockets and faith in their family deity, their dreams and their destiny. Today, they are Balaji Wafers – a Rs. 1800 crore snackfoods behemoth, playing David to Goliaths such as Pepsico, Parlé and Haldiram’s. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Rewind to 1974. Two of the Virani brothers, Bhikhubhai and Chandubhai, began their big city lives by selling refreshments at Rajkot’s Astron Cinema. Chandubhai who was only 15 and a school dropout, who even used to repair torn cinema seats in the night in exchange for a snack to fill his stomach. Impressed by their work ethic, cinema

owner Govindbhai awarded them the contract to run the cinema canteen. Potato wafers were the most popular snacks that the brothers sold there, but errant suppliers forced them to consider making their own wafers. After a lot of trial and error which included making a cheaper potato peeling and cutting machine and wasting a lot of potatoes, Chandubhai mastered the technique in his own backyard. Even today he claims to be the only one in the family who knows how to fry the perfect wafers! 6 years of potboilers and frying pans and hot snacks at the canteen convinced the brothers to turn wafers into their core business, and they invested all their money into this vision of theirs - Balaji Wafers. They were soon supplying to other parts of the city but had to deal with problems such as nonpayment of dues from shopkeepers and machines that didn’t work as promised. The latter turned them into engineers, when they opened and fixed the parts themselves.

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made in india

30 products, each of which is a best-seller in its own right.

In hindsight, the Viranis instinctively did everything right. Though they never formally learnt about the 4 Ps of marketing, their innate business acumen saw them do all of that which any marketing guru would have charged them a fortune to recommend. They zeroed in early on what their core business was. While their product portfolio would later grow to include banana chips, chana and moong dals, they never lost focus on potato wafers. They learnt early that the best way to grow business was the hands-on approach. They realized the need to invest and innovate. Not only have they invested increasing amounts of money in technology and automation but they also continuously innovate by creating region-specific flavours that cater to taste-conscious consumers. This portfolio today features

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Over the years, they have also nurtured their own local and regional distribution networks. With a distribution network of 6 main distributors, 700 dealers and more than eight lakh retailers, Balaji is now a B-school case study in logistics and supply chain management. Through all of this shines their pricing strategy which is perfectly explained in Chandubhai’s simple yet eloquent statement – ‘Our vision is to make sure a school kid can afford our products.’ Is it any wonder then that snackfood competitors like Haldiram’s and Lays are making a beeline to learn the art of doing business from them! The only aspect of business where the Virani brothers have strayed away from the marketing textbook is their utter disregard for advertising and marketing communications. While MNCs are known to rope in high-profile celebrities and launch high-visibility advertising campaigns throughout the year, the Balaji Wafer’s ad spends are virtually negligible. All they rely on is word of mouth publicity from satisfied customers,

Facts and Figures It was only in year 2000 that Balaji chips changed from being sold in plain polythene packets to more modern packaging. For setting up their first operation in Rajkot in 1989, the Balaji brothers invested 5 lakh rupees 10 years later, in 1999, they installed Gujarat’s first fully automated potato chips plant, soon following it up with another in Vajdi. The 50 acre premises in Vajdi, a village near Rajkot has a pastoral feel to it, green as it is with 2000 plants and trees. It even houses a 100 cows. Balaji’s 3rd plant at Valsad started in 2008, with a capacity for processing 9,000 kg of potatoes per hour, the highest capacity in Asia when it began.

and certain below-the-line activities such as branded kids’ textbook labels, wall-paintings, auto-rickshaw labels, branded calendars and such. And yet, its 70% market share in Gujarat and 60% market share in Maharashtra is proof that when it comes to business, there is no better way to succeed than to understand consumer needs and offer great quality products at a price they will love.

A hi-tech, fully automated plant was commissioned in 2016 at Indore to make inroads elsewhere in India. Today Balaji’s four plants have a total processing capacity of 6.5 lakh kg of potatoes and 10 lakh kg of namkeen a day. The Balaji ‘family’s’ strength is 5,000 people of which 2,500 are women.

Interestingly, the traditional minds behind the success of Balaji Wafers are also slightly wary about hiring professionals from the outside. Most of the managerial roles are being fulfilled by staff that have been with the company for long and have been groomed through the years, while key portfolios are being handled by the next generation of the Viranis – Keyur, Mihir & Pranay, who are also focusing on churning out healthier snacks.

But the Virani brothers realise now that know no one can keep their dealers, distributors and customers happy like they themselves can.

Today, the largest regional potato wafer and snack brand has already got Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh in its fold. Proof that Balaji Wafers is doing something right is the fact that large snackfood MNCs have shown a keen interest in buying them out.

So, while the Astron theatre, where this journey started in the 80s, might be long gone, the show simply goes on at Balaji Wafers, with India Inc. watching this success story prove once again, beyond all doubt, that the ‘good guys’ always win. n

The latest products are kettle-cooked Crunchex Chips and Pop rings made of 100% corn.

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The Immigrant Diary

AFRICAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S MAN OF STEEL From an austere life of priesthood to featuring on the Africa Forbes list as the 46th richest man in the continent, Narendra Ravalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s journey is as inspiring as it is incredible. Nandini S Shankar spoke to the philanthropic industrialist 54 | Feelings

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n 1978, a teenager from Surendranagar in Gujarat jumped at the opportunity to travel to Kenya. He was from a Brahmin family of the Swaminarayan sect, and so was going to serve as an assistant priest in a Swaminarayan temple at Kisumu, a commercial city in western Kenya. When he arrived there however, he was shocked to discover that even in this foreign land, Hindu priests were no different and that he was mostly confined to the temple. Though he performed his role as a priest with dedication, he also wished to “wear colourful clothes, taste delicious food and soft-drinks and experience the outside world.” In the three years of his spiritual life, such opportunities came rarely. Material aspirations were not new for Narendra though who came from a very humble background. In his own words he was “Always ambitious and dreamt big. Even at the tender age of 10, when my family was struggling to make ends meet and could not even afford a second hand bicycle for me, I dreamt of sitting in a helicopter, just like Indira Gandhi did when she visited Surendranagar for campaigning.” Today Narendra Raval of the Devki Group which is the largest building materials group in Central and East Africa, has come a long way from those initial years in a foreign land. With a net worth of $650 million as of 2015, the steel tycoon also popularly known as ‘Guru’ has featured on the cover of Forbes, Africa, and many other international publications. Inspired by Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi and Warren Buffet’s generosity, he believes that individual wealth should be used for the benefit of society and has pledged half of his yearly profits from his companies for education, nutrition and health in Kenya and other parts of Africa, after his death. The business magnate admits that his transformation has been phenomenal. Multiple factors have contributed to his exponential rise and the path he followed was full of challenges, “The key factors that have mattered in my success are firstly, always thinking of how to grow my

business to the exclusion of much else, adapting to all circumstances instead of giving up and being innovative, honest and sincere.” To start from the beginning - in 1982, Narendra after getting married, returned to Kenya in search of livelihood. This was his second visit and all he had with him was a return ticket to Mumbai and a gold chain that his mother had given him, but his pockets were empty. Luckily he came across some good Samaritans and businessmen who were in the steel business. “For 2-3 years I was involved in their work which helped gain an understanding of how the steel industry worked,” he reveals. Once he felt confident enough he risked setting up his own hardware shop in Gikomba in the central business district of Nairobi. ‘It was a very unsafe area where no Asian would even think of doing business. I could barely afford to pay the rent which was around 35$ or hire any employees. My wife Neeta and I used to be at the shop full time, working 18 hours a day.” By 1990 though, the Ravals had bought their own shop and in 1992 they forayed into roofing and fencing solutions with the help of a loan. Narendra, sensing an opportunity as there was a serious lack of affordable housing solutions then, set up a small steel rolling mill near Athi river. At that time his was one of the few such mills. In this first factory, he labored with the workers, treating them as his own family. His wife pitched in by driving the truck to go deliver consignments to clients. The larger competitors in the market were quick to notice and undercut him by selling the same products for a little lesser, which they could afford to do. It came as an unexpected setback when Narendra saw his raw material pile up along with huge unsold stocks. Unable to pay his workers, it was Narendra’s goodwill that saw him through this tough time, as the workers decided

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The Immigrant Diary

to stick on with him during these tough times. As luck would have it, not long after, steel prices rocketed and he was able to sell all his stock, pay the workers and even his bank loan. Some of these workers are still working with the Devki Group today! Over time, the Devki Group became known as a one stop shop offering a complete range of quality building and construction materials at competitive rates to the local people. Today Raval owns four steel plants and two cement companies in Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Congo that produce 7.5 lakh tons of steel per annum. Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

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richest man, Aliko Dangote, recently offered to buy out his cement business completely but Raval had to turn him down, as he wants to keep the business â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;in the familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Moreover he is looking forward to becoming the largest cement company in Africa, with plans of putting up a $200 million cement plant in the Masai region of Kajiado. Aiming to change the hostile perception of Indian businessmen in the eyes of Africans, the Devki group employs 98 percent locals - over 4000 Kenyans in Kenya and 430 Congolese in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Driven by his spiritual outlook of life, Raval has undertaken several notable charitable initiatives including acting as Trustee of Kenya Down Syndrome Society, Trustee of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKON) which serves hot meals to around 1000 children in the slums of Nairobi daily since 2000 and Trustee of the Lumba Trust which provides means of livelihood to widows in Kenya and other countries.

Award title “Elder of Burning spear (EBS)” by His Excellency Mwai Kibaki, former President of the Republic of Kenya for social and economic services to the people of Kenya and for contribution to development.

Under his guidance, the group undertakes CSR initiatives such as providing help in cash and kind to local orphanages, educational institutions, medical clinics and scholarships to needy and meritorious students. The factories at Athi River and Ruiru facilitate free water supply to the local community. All workers in D.R. Congo are provided with a free one time meal and medical facilities.

In February 2016 Forbes Africa Magazine featured him as the 46th richest person in Africa.

In 2010, ‘Guru’ was awarded the First Class Presidential

He was also awarded by the UK Government in 2012 for enabling means of livelihood to the widows in Kenya.

Mr Raval is today a proud father of three children, with the eldest already having joined the business. Life has indeed come a full circle for the 10 year old boy who now flies in his own helicopter. He continues to follow a simple lifestyle though and advises his children to think twice before “spending a single cent, but not to think at all before donating a million dollars to charity.” n

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The Arts

KEEP CALM AND

ZENTANGLE ON… With adult colouring books and classes on Zentagling becoming a trend, Heeral Trivedi explores the de-stressing nature of art forms that can be easily adopted, even by novices.

e are all seekers at different levels. After all, without a purpose there is no hope. And yet sometimes there is a vacuum which cannot be explained. Art is that creative outlet, which can help fill that void. Psychologists have always pressed upon the meditative and therapeutic quality of the process of making art. They say it allows you to follow your intuition, introspect and find happiness in creation. It is this thought which led to the making of Mandala pictures of the Buddhists, Zen, Tao and other oriental philosophies. On World Health Day this year, the focus is on the importance of mental health and fighting depression. Among the many other suggestions, social interaction

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coupled with creative activities is being recommended as the best remedial course for this new age disease. Art therapy has become a serious area of study, being used to improve a person’s physical, mental and emotional well-being. The creativity involved in expressing one’s self artistically can help people to resolve issues as well as develop and manage their behavior and feelings, reduce stress, and improve selfesteem and awareness. Zentangle is one such art form which is a formalized official prescription for creative therapy. It has become an international phenomenon that now has applications in stress reduction, education, therapy and even motivational training.

Zentangle itself may be relatively new, but the basic principles involved are as old as the history of art. It includes ritual [a core practice in ancient and contemporary arts] and mirrors the symbols, designs and patterns of numerous cultures [Mayan, Maori, Celtic, and American Indian, for example] from ancient through present times. It can be compared to doodling but with a more scientific approach where one begins with a pattern like drawing usually in black and builds upon it with swirly lines often creating an intricate design. Zentangle can be learnt. Or at least one can be prompted into developing this meditative web-like structured drawing. Its growing popularity especially in urban cities has given rise to many workshops and classes on the subject. There are even coloring books with Zentangle designs for adults to dwell on in their leisure time. All this is to encourage a personal creative vent, build a sense of self worth, fight loneliness and keep calm. Of similar approach towards inner peace are the works of many craftsmen and artisans who have painted gods and goddess in miniature styles at altars or in the form of patterns like in the Buddhist Mandalas. For these anonymous artists, it is the process of creation which is a meditation and a prayer by itself rather than the completed work. The work is created out of a ritualistic

Jackson Pollock

process of mixing the pigments to make colour, then drawing images or patterns following an order that has been set over years of understanding. Other traditions which seem reflective in nature include the indigenous art of the Aborigines of Australia or those of the African tribes. Even the patterns seen in our very own tradition of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Mehndiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; applied on hands and feet during festive occasions would probably remind one of Zentangle drawings!

Healing Mandala

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The Arts

Can we find a parallel between such contemplative, soul-inspired art forms and contemporary art? The latter is a wide spectrum which allows all forms of art to enter its premise. How can we trace an artist’s journey into therapeutic representation?

Like Raza, several other contemporary artists in India like K.C.S. Panicker, Biren De and G. R. Santosh, Vishwanathan have let their art become the medium to search their souls.

Here I am reminded of a lot of paintings. Can I risk and term them as meditative? Mark Rothko

A lot of famous abstract paintings can fall into this category. There are the large red paintings of Mark Rothko which draws the viewer into the depths of the colour. I can never forget the experience of sitting in the middle of a museum room which was dedicated only to Rothko’s red paintings. In its various hues, the red gave me the feeling of being surrounded by the red earth and sky of the same colour a pensive experience of one ness.

The world is recognizing this need to connect and communicate with one’s self. A social dialogue is not always possible and then we are left to answer several inner thoughts. An exploration into the world of fine arts, music and beyond is increasingly the need of the hour to battle anxiety. So when you are feeling blue and feel a need to express yourself, do not hesitate to grab a pencil or pen and draw your mind without inhibitions. Fill that void with a world of images, colour or simply a piece of yourself.

Paintings of Jackson Pollock are more active; wiry lines splashed and thrown around. The artist allowed himself to become one with his work, walking over the floor drawn canvas, using his hands liberally over his painting, creating a harmonious mesh like effect, almost like a personal reverie. Is that not the artist’s own journey into soul searching? Works of these two artists are priceless and are landmarks in the history of art. Then there are paintings where the artist has deliberately rejoiced in colour, repetitive lines and motifs, all consciously in celebration of spiritual beliefs. S.H. Raza made famous the “Bindu” which he explored for several years of his life. His work is mainly abstract, replete with icons from Indian cosmology and philosophy. He later added newer dimensions to his thematic oeuvre with the inclusion of themes around the Tribhuj (Triangle), which bolstered Indian concepts of space and time, as well as that of ‘prakritipurusha’ (female and male energy), and so his personal transformation was complete.

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S H Raza

S.H. Raza sums up the therapeutic nature of Art beautifully: “My work is my own inner experience and involvement with the mysteries of nature and form which is expressed in colour, line, space and light”. n Heeral Trivedi is a visual artist based in Baroda. Apart from spending her mornings in front of the canvas, she and her husband curate shows at Open Studio, a space where artists come together.

Style File

ON A

SUMMER

FOOTING

Thinking of sprucing up your summer footwear? Mehul Suthar narrows down the essentials for the guys this season

ust like winter clothes are packed up for the summer, winter shoes too have to be replaced with more comfortable footwear for the oh-sohot months. Few give a thought to it though, least of all men. But because nothing can be more of a turn-off than sweaty, smelly feet, swapping your chunky boots and thick winter shoes for lighter, more breathable footwear is not really an option once the heat sets in. So calling out to all the men out there - choose from the wide variety of cool and stylish menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s summer shoes, whether for a business meeting or for a fun weekend outing, and put your best feet forward! Loafers or Moccasins While summer conjures up images of sandals and sand, there are shoes for those of you who must and prefer

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to remain conservative for the days at office. Though Loafers will perfectly complement your business attire all year round, summery loafers come in lighter shades like tan, beige and eggshell and are more popular in suede rather than leather. The trendiest men are stepping out in moccasins which are defined by stitching around the shoe’s base and boast maximum comfort thanks to their soft suede foundation and rubber sole. You can go slip these on barefoot (just make sure you sprinkle talcum powder in the shoe), and if you do choose to wear socks, opt for a beige or natural color unless you’re wearing black loafers, in which case black socks are in order. Lounges If you’d rather not wear your bulky Oxfords to work, go for a pair of Lounges, which are nothing but backless loafers. These solve the “no toe exposure” rule your office may have passed around in a memo, while remaining “summer friendly” thanks to their slip-on feature. Not to be confused with slippers, these are more appropriate for casual work attire if made from leather or suede. You can also wear them to the beach or an evening at the club. Espadrilles If you’re looking for the ultimate summer shoe, you can’t go wrong with the Spanish Espadrilles. Once considered peasant footwear, they have grown in popularity and are now more urbane than ever. Men and women wear them and this season it’s all about designs and those made from better quality materials such as leather, suede, woven cotton or premium canvas. More robust than its predecessors, these Espadrilles are smarter, stronger and far more versatile. Whether worn with shorts and a t-shirt at the beach or with chinos and a button-down shirt in the evening, this vacation essential is the perfect shoe for looking and feeling cool during the hotter months ahead.

Although we consider Espadrilles a must-own this season, it’s important to realise when to not to wear them. They are never suitable for the office or formal occasions, but good for casual summer events and make for an ideal holiday footwear, taking you from beach to restaurant effortlessly.

Slides If you are lucky enough to work in an office where backless and open-toed footwear is tolerated, then leather slides are a great option, to be worn with anything from dressy pants and chinos to jeans. Slides might not be the best match for your suit, though. Available in black and brown, slides are basically sandals with one or multiple thick, leather straps across the toes and at the base of the shoe. They usually have a rubber or leather sole, and are very comfortable. In the case of slides, choose the best you can afford, as a good quality leather strap is less likely to stretch. n

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Fashion

SUMMER FLAIR Mrs India, Bodyfit, Lipika Das raises the temprature as she looks cool in her summer best

Floral Dress by Shades, Rs 1999. Neck piece by Honey, Rs 750. Footwear by Honey, Rs 999.

Photo credit : Prayogshala Grooming Credit : Grooming Lounge by Priyanshi Shah.

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Top by Mineralâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Summer collection, Rs 2300, Shorts by All About You, Rs 1999. Shoes by Truffle, Rs 2100. Anklet by Honey, Rs 175.

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Fashion

Dress by All About You, Rs 2199. Neckpiece by Honey, Rs 799. Shoes by Call it Spring, Rs 2225.

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Khadi Dress by Shades, Rs 1050. Earrings and neck piece by Honey, Rs 625 and Rs 325. Footwear by Rocia, Rs 1699.

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Style File

5UMMER

ESSENTIALS

Nandita Derashri hunts down the 5 must haves that will help you survive the summer, from head to toe!

here was a time when summer meant staying indoors but with more and more women working and choosing a faster pace of life, the choice to totally avoid the harsh summer sun is becoming a luxury. As the mercury levels rise, our skin and hair struggle to look and feel fresh throughout the day. A few rejuvenating products (of which I have tried and tested all), will ensure that they get the TLC they need and more importantly deserve! Face Mist: A cool splash of water on the

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face on a hot summery afternoon feels like heaven doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t it? At times, however, your makeup may not allow you to wash your face, at other times the frequency of visiting the washroom in college or at the workplace may restrict you, or it may even be that the water in the tap is too hot! In such situations a handy Rose Water Mist in your bag is all you need. Spray it all over your face whenever you want to and feel as fresh as you were in the morning. My recommendation: Oriflame Love Nature Rose Water, Rs 145/-

Sunscreen: It is a misconception that a sunscreen is only required while stepping out of the house into intense sunlight. The truth is that the sun’s radiation reaches indoors as well. A sunscreen should be a part of everyone’s everyday skincare routine, especially in the summer. It not only protects the skin from damage, but also doubles up as a moisturiser. Sunscreen must be applied 15-20 minutes in advance before going out and also reapplied every 2 hours as one application doesn’t remain effective throughout the day. My recommendation: Lotus Herbals 3 in 1 Matte Look Daily Sunblock, Rs 235/Aloe Vera gel: Moisturizers are usually pushed to

Foot Spray: While this may seem like an indulgence, it caters to that part of our body that is more often than not, ignored. In that itself lies its redemption! Moisturizing the feet every day is certainly a good idea but in summers, a foot spray does much more than just hydrate. It imparts a refreshing cooling sensation that dissolves away any tiredness from the feet and keeps them from being smelly. If you don’t keep your feet covered, the spray keeps them moisturized as well. My recommendation: The Body Shop Peppermint Cooling and Reviving Foot Spray, Rs 925/Hair Serum: Dry and dull hair is inevitable in any extreme season, be it a chilly winter or an unbearable summer. Add to that a daily onslaught of pollution, and it doesn’t make for a pretty picture! A couple of drops of a good serum can do wonders though. Applying serum after every hair wash helps to maintain moisture and lock the shine in your tresses. I call it the quick way to getting a ‘hair spa’ effect, right in your own home.

the back of the shelf during summers. Life savers in winters, they now become ‘oily and sticky’ and also attract dirt. An Aloe Vera gel makes for a good replacement, especially before going to bed. Without feeling oily and uncomfortable, it easily absorbs into the skin, repairing it while you are in la la land. The added bonus is the natural glow the morning after! My recommendation: Rustic Art Organic Aloe Vera Gel with Lemon Extract, Rs 200/-

My recommendation: Organix Moroccan Argan Oil, Rs 725 n Log on to https:// www.youtube.com/c/ NanditaDerashri for more tips by Nandita

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interview

A FLAVOURFUL RIDE! Jigna Dutta traces chef Rakhee Vaswani’s inspirational journey from being a Mom to a successful ‘Mom-preneur’

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nown as India’s ‘desi Nigella’ for her resemblance with Nigella Lawson, chef Rakhee Vaswani is the owner of Palate Culinary Studio. But before she earned recognition and accolades, she was a new mother facing a tough decision: following her passion or leaving it all to be a good parent.

on a daily basis. With them around even though I wasn’t working in the food industry, I was always working towards it! Also, a lot of my international travels included visiting culinary institutes and quenching my thirst for exploring new cuisines, ingredients, ideas, and equipment. The learning process never stopped.

Rakhee’s dream to make world cuisines easily available in the city led her to pioneer the first set of cooking studios in India with Palate Culinary Studio taking form in early 2010. Her natural gift for teaching coupled with a love for all things food have catapulted the Studio from a small set up in the garage to a state-of-the-art international cooking school where she trains budding chefs, amateurs, professionals and food enthusiasts alike, all within 4 years’ time! The Confederation of Tourism & Hospitality has made Palate Culinary Studio the first center to provide a UK-Certified Culinary Diploma Course in India.

How did the idea of starting out on your own come about? What is the concept behind Palate Culinary Studio? I had first started a home-cooking business, got a super response but shut it down to be a hands-on mom A few years later my kids motivated me not to waste my talent, to pursue my dreams and of course since they were teenagers, they probably wanted me to get out of their hair (laughs). That’s when my third baby was born – Palate Culinary Studio. I was pretty paranoid since I was stepping back into the industry after 8-9 years. I gathered all my knowledge together and opened a small studio in a garage. The concept was to give the students a feeling of not cooking at home and imbuing professionalism into the experience of amateur home chefs as well as culinary enthusiasts by giving them a space to explore. Being technically challenged, social media, public relations and SEO were alien terms for me at that time. Fortunately I never needed any kind of digital or offline marketing for the longest time in my career because my classes filled up by just wordof-mouth. After that overwhelming experience, I can proudly say that my work spoke for me.

Rakhee has also written her first cook book called ‘Picky Eaters’ to help mothers make food fun, exciting and yummy for their kids. When and how did you start on this culinary journey? At the age of 11, I could confidently go to the kitchen and cook something delectable with the help of my mom, aunts and neighbors. This usually happened when I found my meal less appealing. Though I hadn’t been through formal training, I always found solace in the kitchen and picked up tricks and traits from homechefs. This helped me grow into a culinary expert with a marvelously strong base. I then met my husband who is a connoisseur and it is because of him that I discovered a whole new world of food. Coming from a traditional Sindhi background, formal training wasn’t the best option to take up at that time but my partner egged me on. I got a ‘Le Cordon Bleu’ certificate, and worked with French chefs to hone my skills. Did your traditional background prevent you from achieving your potential? My experiments with food never stopped though because I have a family with very discerning palates. They are like a bunch of critics expecting better from me

Are you happy professionally? I couldn’t be happier! The passion I have for teaching and the support I get from my family makes me super confident of reaching my goal of having the best culinary school in India! Having started with 10 one-day workshops to teaching 100+cuisines today, from a garage to a premium boutique studio (soon to be an institute), from having students aged 5 years to 80 years and having homemakers alongside celebrities as my students to even discovering professional bakers who successfully run their own brands now, I’ve done it all and I’ll keep teaching. I want to go down in history as the best teacher in the culinary world simply because it

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interview

“My signature dessert that everyone loves is the Baked Boondi Gulab Jamun Cheesecake.” comes to me naturally and I can’t have a better feeling than this one. Every step of my students’ success means big achievements for me. Today I’m a culinary expert, cooking and baking teacher, food consultant, professional chef, food blogger, TV show host, the author of my own cookbook and have finally launched my dream culinary academy. It’s been one hell of a flavorful ride! What is your favorite food? I love eating simple home food. Rice preparations like a simple Daal chaawal or a Biryani and homemade vegetables are my all time favorites. Any food you are not very keen on? I don’t like chocolates that much.

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How do you balance home and work? I have an amazing family. They’re very supportive. My husband is my rock of Gibraltar! Although I’m a workaholic now, I did give up my career earlier to be a ‘Soccer Mom’. Being a ‘mompreneur’ comes with its unique set of challenges. My biggest challenge is to constantly keep reminding myself to not let the mother influence the entrepreneur at work, and vice versa when at home. But since the kids have grown up, it’s become easier. There are so many times when I cannot attend a parentteacher meeting or a school function and my husband covers for me. Now at the peak of my career, I can say my personal and professional life is well balanced all thanks to my perfect family.

Don’t you ever get bored of cooking? Cooking is therapy for me, I can never get bored of it! Moreover I love teaching. Like most other chefs, I don’t want to have my own restaurant. I would rather go down in history as a chef who lived to teach and made entrepreneurs in the field of cooking. ! There are now 150+ workshops under the umbrella of cooking and baking in my studio in Santacruz. Describe your cooking style. What’s your signature dish? My style of cooking involves adding love in my food! LOVE is the secret ingredient! I believe in enjoying whatever I do and sharing the knowledge as well! Though I can cook almost all cuisines as well as bake everything possible, I love cooking Asian Food as well as Fusion appetizers. Desserts are my forte. My signature dessert that everyone loves is the Baked Boondi Gulab Jamun Cheesecake. How would you describe a workshop in progress at your studio? At Palate Culinary Studio & Academy, we do not give generic or basic classes where you are shown how to make things and sent back home with a recipe. There are super fun and interactive sessions where I make sure my students go back home with knowledge about ingredients, equipments, sourcing, and also lots of variations in the recipes so that they get the worth of their money and time spent at the studio.

Who are the other chef’s you admire and why? I love Nigella Lawson. In-fact people in India call me Desi Nigella because they think I resemble her which is a big compliment to me. I also admire Rachel Allen. Are you satisfied with teaching in Mumbai or are you looking to go beyond? I also teach in some Universities in the North and am planning to go pan India with time. I will be teaching abroad soon as well. Yours is an unconventional path to success. Any lessons you would like to share with the readers? After hearing my story I hope a lot of women reading this will realize that it is never too late to restart or even start your career. If your passion is strong enough, age is no bar! Another thing, never give up on learning, thinking you know it all. Each day will teach you something new. Even though I teach 100+ cuisines, I always learn something every day, sometimes from my own students. At the same time, trial and error are very important for research. For me it’s also essential to give my own personal touch to each recipe. In the same way, no matter what you’re doing, give it your own style and twist. No competition can stop you from being another player in the market. Add that extra flavor of passion, spice it up with some effort and relish the fruit of your labour thereafter. Even if you’re 60 years old, just start! n

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heritage

CRUSADER FOR INDIAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S

ARCHITECTURAL

HERITAGE A conservation architect by profession and a die-hard heritage lover at heart, Kruti Garg is Director of Conservation at the renowned architectural firm Abha Narain Lambah Associates (ANL), Mumbai. Ashesh Pandia met her to understand more about her initiative to create awareness about heritage. Excerpts from the interview:

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or the past 11 years, Kruti has executed several projects in Mumbai and across India, giving a new lease of life to stately but mostly forgotten heritage structures. The long list includes The Royal Opera House, Town Hall, Prince of Wales Museum, Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC) building in Mumbai, Jai Vilas Palace Museum in Gwalior and the Bharatpur Museum in Rajasthan. Currently she is busy working on five projects in Rajasthan, the Bombay High Court in Mumbai, the Teen Murti House and Bikaner House in Delhi, and a few more projects in Punjab. While restoring and conserving the glorious heritage buildings of India is her full time job, what distinguishes Kruti from other contemporaries in her field, is her crusade for creating awareness among common people about the significance and the need for protecting India’s architectural heritage. She believes “heritage is part of the people and people are part of heritage”, and that it is therefore necessary to make them feel one with it.

but a rendezvous with an altered, restored and adapted space and the story of reviving a dying fort by breathing new purpose into it, all the while ensuring that its character didn’t change, touched me so much that I knew this is what I want to do. To me, architecture is not just creating buildings or spaces; it also lays down the foundations of exploring and forming one’s own design principles. Applying these principles in a realm where the future and past collide allowed me to express my creativity, and used my technical expertise in a unique way. It gave me a chance to enhance an already existing building’s architectural quality, retain its integrity and increase its lifespan.

How is being a conservation architect different from being an ordinary architect? A conservation architect by education is someone who has achieved a Masters degree in the field of Architectural Conservation after having completed B.Arch. The Masters degree develops specific skills in assessment, interpretation, management, formulation Tell us about yourself and your work of policy, and documentation of culturally significant I have a Masters in Architectural Conservation from the places including buildings, sites and cultural landscapes. School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi. Since the It is sometimes more challenging to deal with an past 11 years I have worked on a range of projects, the existing building or space which has been envisioned in latest being the restoration a certain way by its creator of Mumbai’s Royal Opera and has undergone changes House and the Asiatic “This year I designed a first of since. As a conservation Society. Taking my passion its kind interactive installation architect one should be for heritage further, I have able to combine expertise dedicated to Mumbai’s been closely associated with in technical and aesthetic the Kala Ghoda Association heritage. It is a visual medium principles of architecture since 2010, and head the along with material integrity of interaction for people, Heritage Walks section for the and authenticity to impart through art.” annual Kala Ghoda festival. or retain the character of the I have choreographed many space which is iconic to its Heritage walks at the festival identity. trying to make them informative and fun at the same time. This year I designed a first of its kind interactive Where does India stand in comparison to installation dedicated to Mumbai’s heritage. It is a other countries when it comes to heritage visual medium of interaction for people, through art. wealth? While India stands 7th in the world amongst the Conservation architecture is not countries having the maximum number of world everyone’s cup of tea. How did you get heritage sites, I personally believe as a nation we attracted to this field? have a lot more than just the few listed world heritage I was always interested in history and old architecture examples. These heritage sites not only give an insight

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heritage

into our history and traditions which are embedded in their built forms, but they also stand as testimony to the rich and varied cultural heritage of our country. What is your opinion about the conservation efforts put in by the government? Although we can always ask for a little more, the Government has been making an increasing number of initiatives towards conserving the ‘built’ heritage in our city. This increased awareness has been beneficial towards setting standards and policies for the restoration of our heritage. You have been the curator of Heritage Walks at the globally renowned Kala Ghoda Arts Festival. What is your objective behind these Heritage Walks? Creating awareness and engaging people with their heritage is as important to me as my work in the conservation field. This is why I have been associated as a curator and have been heading the Kala Ghoda Heritage Walks section since 2010. These walks have

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been forerunners for creating new, varied and interesting interactions highlighting the history of Mumbai. The choreographed walks cater to a selected audience. The idea of reaching out to a larger section of society was achieved by merging two arms of culture – art and heritage through interactive installations. What does ‘choreographing’ heritage walks involve? Choreographing means designing the flow of the walk which includes the topic of expertise in that walk, the route and the narrative based on the theme of the walk. For example I have designed walks based on food history and Irani cafes, walks highlighting the freedom movement in Mumbai and through historic market areas. There are also heritage cycle rides. What was the interactive installation that you put up this year at the Kala Ghoda Art Festival all about? The installation titled ‘Inner Reflections’ literally placed the visitor in the silhouette against different heritage buildings reinforcing the idea that they belong to their heritage as much as it belongs to them. The installation was all along Rampart Row (the road in South Mumbai on which Kala Ghoda Festival is held). 28 panels, each of which was nearly 10 ft long and 4ft in height depicted different styles in architectural language, e.g. the Victorian Gothic panel depicted Victoria Terminus

a.k.a. Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) and the BMC building. How did the visitors at Kala Ghoda Festival react to these installations? Since it was a reflective installation, people interacted with it differently. Some tried to recognise the building, some would try to locate these buildings in the city and surroundings, and almost everyone stopped and clicked a selfie at this point with their own reflection. Since the city can be seen in constant motion against the backdrop of heritage buildings, the visitors became a part of it. You say there is an increasing need to involve common people in heritage conservation? About 20 years back, heritage was merely understood as monuments one visits as a tourist and then forgets about. The fact that “We the People” engage with heritage in many ways and have always been part of its existence – whether being involved in its functioning or passing by it, sometimes even living in it, or through stories and sometimes just by being around it, has always been neglected. All of the above forms of engagement have failed to develop a connection between us and our heritage. We are actually alienated from our spaces and places, reinforcing a barrier with our heritage. And I feel that we can protect our heritage only if we feel for it.

“If we identify more with our cultural heritage, we will start to understand that development and conservation are two sides of the same coin. ” Do you think your efforts are helping the cause of conservation? How can we become more sensitized towards protecting our heritage? Conservation does evince interest in people, especially when it enriches their experience apart from history. Understanding technical details, the process of restoration and the stakeholders involved creates an awareness about and a deeper connect with one’s heritage, in tangible or intangible ways. Just like we strive for a better environment within our homes where we are immediately connected with our roots and traditions on an individual level, we should extend our sensitivity towards our cities too. If we identify more with our cultural heritage, we will start to understand that development and conservation are two sides of the same coin. n

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POINTWISE

WHERE AIRPORTS

DARE!

Imagine an airport that has a main street intersecting its runway or another one where the ground crew routinely rescues stranded dolphins! Feelings lists five extreme and thrilling airports from around the world

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1. KANSAI INTERATIONAL AIRPORT, JAPAN Reclaiming land from the sea is not a new idea anymore but it was radical way back in 1987, when Japanese engineers took upon themselves the colossal task of building an artificial island to hold a brand new international airport where jumbo jets could take off from. Built to relieve overcrowding at Osaka International Airport, the Kansai artificial island is 2.5 miles long and 1.6 miles wide, large enough to be visible from space. To construct Kanku (as the airport is known in Japanese) in the Osaka Bay, three mountains were excavated, 10,000 workers worked for 10 million work hours. Dangerous cyclones, an unstable seabed, and sabotage attempts from protestors were just some of the variables that engineers were forced to account for. The airport opened in 1994 and remained unscathed after the disastrous Kobe earthquake struck, a year later. Now climate changes and rising sea levels pose a real threat to the airport’s existence, which may be underwater in the next 50 years!

2. PRINCESS JULIANA INTERNATIONAL, SAINT MARTIN Originally a military airport, it is now one of the most popular and thrilling airports for ‘planespotting’. Built on the Carribean island of Saint Martin, this seaside airport is named after a Dutch royal who landed there in 1944 soon after it opened. Imagine relaxing on the beach, coupled with the roar of jets that literally fly over your head! The runway on this Caribbean airport forces pilots to fly at really low altitude, clear a decent-sized fence and cross over a road just before hitting the ground. Considered one of the busiest international airports in this region with an average of 1.6 million passenger footfalls annually, another challenge for the pilots flying here is to make sure that there is no big truck passing on the small road between the beach and airport. As if that were not enough, a Danger sign warns people of severe harm that can be caused by being in the way of jet-blasts from departing and arriving planes.

3. JUANCHO E.YRAUSQUIN, SABA With the world’s shortest commercial runway, which is only 400m long this is one meant for only expert pilots. Named after an Aruban minister, the airport built in 1963, is flanked on one side by high hills, with cliffs that drop into the sea at both ends. Because of the small runway, the airport is closed for jet planes, but a landing or take-off is difficult even for small aircraft like Cessna. Despite the fact that there hasn’t been a fatal accident here, many aviators consider it one of the world’s most dangerous airports. Hop aboard on smaller aircraft like the BN-2 Islander or

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POINTWISE

the Twin Otter to experience the adrenalin rush of landing here. There is the option of hiring a chartered flight too, but it’s probably best if the faint-hearted stay away! 4. GIBRALTAR INTERNATIONAL OR NORTH FRONT AIRPORT Between Morocco and Spain lies the tiny British territory of Gibraltar where the Gibraltar international airport continues to serve as a base for the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force (RAF), through commercial flights land on a daily basis. The four-lane Winston Churchill Boulevard is the main road leading into and out of Gibraltar towards the Spain border, but what’s amazing is that it intersects the airport’s runway!

5. BARRA AIRPORT, SCOTLAND Barra Airport is another short-runway airport situated on the tiny island of Barra, in the outer Hebrides of Scotland, around 250 km from the city of Glasgow.

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Every time a plane lands or take off, this road must close, creating one of the most insane airport traffic patterns in the world, as well as insane traffic. The runway is so constructed because it’s the only flat space, with the ocean on one side and the mountains on the other. It has been ranked the fifth most extreme airport by History Channel. Fortunately though, it’s not a busy airport. It handles only about 30 flights a week, all flying to and from the United Kingdom. Set on the stunning wide beach of Traigh Mhor, it is the only airport which uses a beach as its runway. The flight schedules are determined according to the tide as the runway is completely under water during high tide. Special maintenance procedures are required for this unique runway. The Barra Airport opened in August 1936, when tickets for flights to Glasgow cost just about $5 per person. The airport emergency crew is more often called to rescue stranded seals and dolphins, than having to do anything with aircraft! Visitors to the popular beach must make sure no flights are operating by looking at the windsock. Emergency night flights land with the help of vehicle headlights and reflective strips on the runway! n (Compiled by Darshan Vinayaka)

Travelogue

ShimogA A Town By The River Gita Viswanath is enthralled by her visit to the lush green trekking paradise and legendary pilgrimsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; destination, which is also home to Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second highest waterfall

ugging the banks of the Tunga River is a bustling town called Shimoga, renamed Shivamogga in the Malnad region of Karnataka. Legend has it that Lord Shiva drank water from the Tunga River in a Sihi-Mogge which is the word for "sweet pot". Malnad means land

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of hills and true to its name, Shimoga surrounded as it is by hills makes a pretty picture. With its lush vegetation comprising arecanut, coconut groves, paddy fields as far as the eye can see and teak and medicinal plants, the town is green for most part of the year. However, Sameer, our driver filled with pride

for his beloved land, informed us sadly that “there has been decreasing rainfall over the years and if it continues in this manner, all this greenery will vanish.” Not on the conventional tourist map, Shimoga is a great weekend getaway from Bangalore as well as worthy of a visit by those interested in pilgrim centers, trekking and wildlife. It is an ideal base for several interesting sites such as Baba Budangiri, Murudeshwar, Jog Falls, Gokarna, Sringeri and others. Shimoga comes with a history dating back to the Mauryan Empire in the third century BC. It became a part of the Kingdom of Mysore in the late seventeenth century and then a part of India when Mysore merged into the Republic of India. Known for long as an important educational center in Karnataka, Shimoga has several professional and science and arts colleges. There was a time when students from remote villages would move to Shimoga for education. My father, G V Subramanyam was packed off to this town as a fourteen year old from a remote village called Gownipalli in Kolar District. The Government High School where he studied was started by the British in 1853 and survives to this day. When asked about his school, the first thing that came to his mind was that his Principal wore fine English suits!

The six and a half hour bus journey from Bangalore did not deter us from plunging into sightseeing straightaway. We began with a 45 minute boat ride on the River Bhadravati with lush forests on its banks reminiscent of Yann Martel’s Life of Pi, where at the end of the novel the tiger hops off the boat and disappears into the jungle! The boatman told us there were forty three tigers in the forest but we only saw herds of spotted deer and as the sun sunk into the river, it dazzled with shades of orange and yellow. Day two began with a visit to Jog Falls after a sumptuous breakfast of dosas made by my gracious host, cousin Shanthi who even requested her daughter-in-law, Nima to accompany me. Jog is the second highest waterfall in India formed by the Sharavathi river plunging from a height of 853 ft. There are four falls, Raja, Rani, Roarer and Rocket. 1400 steps take you down to the falls from where one can see the stunning sight from the opposite side. We were destined for disappointment though. Because of scanty rainfall when we visited, the second highest waterfall was but a thin trickle. From Jog, a sixty five kilometer drive with the magnificent Western Ghats on one side and the serene Arabian Sea on the other took us to the temple town of Gokarna, which of late has acquired the reputation of ‘hippie town.’ The two main lanes

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of the town are lined with shops selling brass and copper utensils, handloom ready to wear garments, beads and jewelry – all clearly targeted at the increasing inflow of tourists from the West in search of Nirvana. Some beaches are crowded with tourists but clean. Still others are accessible to those who wish to walk off the beaten track. Gokarna’s claim to fame is legendary. The town’s reigning deity, Shiva is known here as Mahabaleswara. After severe penance in the Himalayas, Ravana was gifted the Atmalinga by Lord Shiva himself. He was to carry it to his home in Lanka without placing it on the ground. Fearing Ravana might attain supreme power over earth, Vishnu blocked the sun with his Sudarshan Chakra. Assuming it was evening, Ravana, a stickler for rituals wanted to do Sandhyavandanam. Just then Lord Ganesha appeared in the form of a young Brahmin boy who offered to hold the Atmalinga. However, he warned Ravanathat if he got tired of holding it, he would call out to him three times and if Ravana did not appear, he would place it on the ground which is what he did and disappeared. When Ravana returned after the ritual, he was shocked to

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“Murudeshwar boasts of the world’s second largest statue of Shiva, the tallest being the Kailashnath Mahadev Statue in Sanga, Nepal. At 123 feet the statue dominates the Murudeshwar skyline.” see it on the ground. He tried with all his might to uproot it but failed. He managed to scratch out a few pieces from the surface however which he threw in rage. The pieces fell in five different places of which Murudeshwar is one. So off we went to Murudeshwar (to continue on our mythology rich trip) whose beach we found splendid - sparkling clean and calming. Murudeshwar boasts of the world’s second largest statue of Shiva, the tallest being the Kailashnath Mahadev Statue in Sanga, Nepal. At 123 feet the statue dominates the Murudeshwar skyline. The temple is surrounded by the Arabian Sea on three sides and is packed

with pilgrims of all kinds – the serious, the curious and the bored! To the left of the temple, a cave has been constructed with kitschy statues of gods from the Hindu pantheon depicting various tales from mythology. The twenty storied Raj Gopura (tower) has a lift that took us to the top for a spectacular view of the sea-washed temple. We began early the next day in order to make it to Baba Budangiri and back in good time. The almost four hour drive is on hilly terrain. We switched off the air conditioner in the car and let the cool mountain air kiss our hair. Baba Budangiri, a mountain range in the Western Ghats loomed large all around us on our ascent with Sameer slowly and carefully maneuvering the vehicle at every curve. Nestling in this mountain range is Karnataka’s highest peak Mullayanagiri. The range houses the shrine of the Sufi saint Hazrat Dada Hayat Khalandar as well as the Datta Peetha making it a well-known pilgrimage center for Hindus and Muslims. The cool caves, the picturesque waterfalls and the mountain ranges transported us into another world and we returned reluctantly. On the way back, we were coaxed by Sameer to make a brief halt at a hill station called Kemmangundi beautified with rose gardens and ornamental plants by the Horticulture Department of the state. The colour of the soil, a rich red, which gives the place its name, was what struck me as soon as I stepped out

of the car. This hill station was the summer retreat of one of the Mysore kings, Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV. Kemmangundi is surrounded by thick forests rich in medicinal herbs. Both Baba Budangiri and Kemmangundi are trekker’s delights. Before dropping us off at home, Sameer insisted we taste Shimoga’s chaat at Durgigudi. Well, the experience only reinforced my belief that it is best to go local when it comes to food! The best is reserved for the end always! On our fourth day, after a delicious breakfast of Uthapam and Kesari Bath, we left for Bangalore but not before packing, to munch on the drive, Shimoga’s famous mandakki (puffed rice seasoned with curry leaves, green chillies and peanuts) and mirchi bajji. As we took the turn to join the highway to Bangalore, we made a small detour to Koodli. The meeting of the rivers Tunga and Bhadra at Koodli which lies 15 km away from Shimoga is an utterly romantic place. Quiet and serene, the two rivers flow from either side and meet at a point like lovers, a spot that is distinctly visible. Then onwards they seem to hold hands and flow as one, the mighty Tungabhadra. A large peepul tree, a tiny temple, a few people from the village and steps that descend to the meeting point are all there is to this place. I took in the sight as a balm for our troubled times and drove back to Bangalore in peace. n

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recipes

Here’s a sneak peek of the delicious offerings in Chef Rakhee’s book, Picky Eaters

Quinoa, Corn and Mushroom stuffed Baked Potatoes (Serves: 6) Kids and adults often fancy baked potatoes. Here is a way of making your baked potato healthier by using quinoa and a healthier version of the white sauce – making for a healthy meal which is tasty and fancy at the same time. You can also use this filling on a cracker or a crostini and enjoy it as much!

Ingredients

For the baked potatoes base

For the filling

Potatoes – 4, parboiled Oil – for brushing Salt – to taste

Boiled Quinoa -1/4 cup (Boil the quinoa in water with a pinch of salt for 15-20 min or till fluffed up) White sauce – 3 tbsp Corn –50 gms, boiled Mushroom – 3–4, minced Quinoa –¼ cup Mozzarella cheese (grated) – 50 gms Veg seasoning –½ tsp Spinach – a few leaves, chopped Mixed herbs –½ tsp

method  Brush the potato with oil and sprinkle a little salt over it.  Wrap in an aluminium foil and bake in a preheated oven for 15–18 minutes at 160–180 degrees.  Cool slightly and cut each baked potato in half.  Scoop the centre to make a hole. Keep aside.

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Method  Mix the white sauce, mushroom, corn, quinoa, chopped spinach, aromatic seasoning and mixed herbs  Put it in a piping bag and pipe into the scooped potatoes.  Add the cheese and bake in an oven for 10 minutes at 160 degrees.

Banana Boston Cream Shot With the goodness of bananas and small servings, this dessert is as guilt free and it’s yummy!

Ingredients For the banana cake Bananas – 2, mashed Butter – 100 gms Flour – 100 gms Castor sugar –100 gms Eggs – 2 Baking powder –¼ tsp Vanilla essence – 1 tsp Milk – 50 ml Baking loaf tin – 7-inch

Method

 Beat the butter and castor sugar till light and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time.  Fold in the flour along with the baking powder and add a dash of vanilla essence.  Add the mashed bananas. Do

not over mix.  Add milk.  Pour the batter into a 7-inch loaf tin and bake it in a preheated oven at 170 degrees for 20–25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Ingredients For the Boston cream Cooked or readymade custard – 1 cup Whipped cream – 1 cup

Method

 Mix the custard and whipped cream and keep aside.

Ingredients For the chocolate sauce Fresh cream – 200 ml Milk chocolate – 400 gms

Method

 Heat the cream and add the chocolate. Whisk till the chocolate melts.  To assemble, take shot glasses and add a layer of crumbled banana cake, then pipe a layer of banana Boston cream, followed by a layer of chocolate sauce.Top with another layer of cream and a final sprinkling of cake. Chill for a while before serving. Tip: Add some Oreo crumbs or brownie bits.

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tech talk

A good listener and part time wordsmith, Varun Shukla prefers coffee over tea. Football and technology are his twin passions. Follow him on Twitter: @wengerarmy

Google’s ‘Project Jacquard’: Wearable Technology You Can Wash Google and Levi’s teamed up to produce fashionable, durable and wearable technology that is not ‘precious’. Varun Shukla demystifies what can only seem like magic at first glance

ocated somewhere inside Google’s sprawling two million feet-square headquarters in California is the Advanced Technologies and Projects group, or ATAP for short. It is a technology incubator not unlike the secretive research lab (Project X) that is behind Google’s self-driving car efforts, or their plan to fill the stratosphere with flying Internet routers. While X maybe the company’s ‘moonshot’ division – out to turn the craziest, most unimaginable ideas into reality – ATAP is more grounded. Project leads are given only two years to turn a concept into a finished product. In tech parlance, the ATAP team is called a skunkworks; a group that works with minimal management constraints to develop something quickly. Its former head, Regina Dugan, put it in an interesting way: “We’re a small band of pirates trying to do epic shit.” Such as make a phone whose components can be swapped as easily as its back cover, or create software that allows devices to build virtual structures in real space. The division’s newest baby is Project

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Jacquard, a collaboration with Levi Strauss that turns a normal denim jacket into a touch-sensitive fabric. The project is inspired by the Jacquard weave, a fabric in which the design is incorporated into the weave instead of being printed on it. In designing these smart jackets, a special conductive thread was used, which is compatible with existing looms. Coupled with a small Bluetooth controller running on a standard watch battery, this connected weave allows the jackets to pair with other gadgets and enable interactivity. Releasing this spring in the US, the first of these is the Commuter line which was designed for urban cyclists who are always on the move. You can tap, swipe or hold the cuff of the sleeve to answer or block phone calls, access voice-delivered navigation or change music tracks – all of the necessary wizardry coming from a thin flexible strap around the cuff. Ivan Poupyrev, who heads the Jacquard team at ATAP, says that this interactive fabric is a “platform”, adding that Google would be making the APIs – code packages – that will allow developers to customise

the jackets functions. He adds, “Wearables to date have just been able to do one thing, in our case the garment does what you want it to do.” Users have complete control over what their gestures would mean to the jacket; Using an accompanying app, they can essentially program the interface to have preferred functions. It isn’t just the addition of a few lengths of conductive yarn and touch gestures that make Project Jacquard so exciting. The vision that Google and Levi’s had was to make a jacket that feels like any other, one that was fashionable and durable; a piece of technology that wasn’t “precious”, according to Paul Dillinger, VP of global product innovation at Levi’s. The weave is durable enough for regular use; you can throw it on a chair when taking it off, or even put it in the washing machine. “The real news is that we’ve made wearables that you can throw in the washing machine, and that still have functional technology afterwards,” explains Dillinger. The only thing one would need to remove is the cuff strap. The trick that works here, according to Poupyrev, is looking at smart, wearable tech from an apparel maker’s point of view, and not as a “consumer electronics company”. “If we really want to make technology a part of every garment in the world, then we have to empower apparel makers such as

Levi’s or any other brand, to be able to manufacture smart garments. It means you have to work with their supply chain.”, he adds. In that sense, the Jacquard jacket is a true wearable, where technology merely supplements the design of the cloth. Levi’s makes the jacket through its own supply chain, weaving the touch sensors into it like any other regular jacket, which means it can be easily scaled up for mass production. By 2023, the market for wearables is expected to be $100 billion, and is only expected to grow from there. Although the Commuter isn’t cheap at $350 (or INR 23,000), it may just change how consumers perceive smart clothing. Poupyrev says, “It’s very natural at this point that new technology becomes another ingredient in building apparel and fashion of the future.” He points to how technology such as nylon adds new functionality to apparel, and hopes that smart clothing becomes as ubiquitous as the zipper on your jacket. n

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book review

A UNIQUE

IDENTIFICATION! Title: How I became a Tree Author: Sumana Roy Publisher: Aleph Book Company, 2017 Price: Rs 599 For a person who selected her home on the basis of a neem tree in the backyard to the obliteration of other criteria, How I became a Tree, was mandatory reading. Roy’s striking beginning, ‘I wanted to become a tree because trees did not wear bras’ compels you to continue with this book that transgresses generic boundaries. A librarian’s nightmare, surely! Roy takes the reader through a memoir premised on a fanciful desire on her part to become a tree. The book is an erudite mix of ecology, mythology, literature and philosophy. Interspersed with fascinating tales and perceptive interpretations, it is richly layered with insights from several other writers and artists such as A K Ramanujam, Nandlal Bose, D H Lawrence among others. Her interest in trees spreads to shadows, flowers, leaves, forests and the Bodhi Tree each of which merits separate chapters. Roy’s desire to become a tree is spurred by several reasons: to have a body bereft of markers of class, caste, marital status; to return to slow time, and to escape emotional violence. In this pursuit, she finds several companions such as Tagore, Nandlal Bose and Jagdish Chandra Bose. Roy doesn’t wish to become a grand oak. Instead, she would like to be as ordinary as grass or weed, with no utilitarian value to humans. She finds affinity with Tagore in this quest for the ordinary. The author’s manic obsession with trees leads her to see her entire life in terms of trees and tree time. The latter is a concept she coined to differentiate it from human time. Human time is hurried and fast paced; hence the writer wishes to live by tree time as trees cannot be told to ‘hurry up.’

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The book draws on folk tales, films and poems to find kinship with other writers who have written sympathetically about trees. In the process, she offers feminist interpretations of ancient tales in which leaves become males as they work all day to produce food and flowers females as ‘the stay-at-home beneficiaries of that labour …’ Roy infuses her narrative with sharp insights, interesting personal anecdotes, as well as doses of humour. She draws parallels between her personal life and the life of trees and writers on trees throughout. For instance, she attributes her protectiveness towards and care for plants to her childlessness and finds an ally in Jagdish Chandra Bose in this. However, the middle sections of the book tend to drag due to detailed recounting of the Shantiniketan curriculum. The sustained comparison of trees to humans can at times be overstretched as when Roy points out that the northward stretch of the tree for light and the southward search for water is akin to bipolar disorder in humans. Seeking similarities between herself and trees, she finds kindness as a common quality. But to think because the tree could not change its intrinsic nature, so couldn’t she is an oversimplification. Just when you begin to think of Roy’s question to the forest officer if trees are given migration certificates when moved from one reserve to another as fatuous, we read reports of cows being given Aadhar cards. Truly, writers are the best clairvoyants of our times. n Review by Gita Viswanath

fortune teller

Bejan Daruwalla is a wellknown Astrologer and Author

Monthly predictions june-2017 Know what the stars have in store for you from none other than Bejan Daruwalla, the most popular Indian astrologer who has also authored hundreds of books on the topic Aries (21st March to 20th April) You are going to be bitten by a burning desire to become rich quick. A major factor here is your luck. The other is your perseverance. It is time to put into action all your conceived plans for change in strategy. Try not to neglect close relationships. Refrain from getting temperamental when things do not move your way. By the month end, supportive times emerge for fresh investments that will yield good results. Taurus (21st April to 21st May) Things will largely be about rupees and relationships. Some days things will be good, some days not. So muster up enough courage to face the vicissitudes of life. First half of the month is not supportive for

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fresh investments. Singles facing resistance about their choice of partner could plan to elope. You may encounter an influential person who may be supportive for your business. However, you may not think decisively. Handle matters related to finance and family with caution. Gemini (22nd May to 21st June) Brace yourself for some challenging times this month. You are likely to be dissatisfied with your present position. Your goals seem distant and your financial pursuit seems insecure. Make decisions that support your most important goals. Do not assert yourself unreasonably. Your personal life may become problematic. You could get hotheaded. Remain careful while handling relationships, new or old. Give priority to resolving issues, instead of building up resistance.

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Cancer (22nd June to 22nd July) Setting priorities about earnings and expenditure could engage you this month. You might spend money indiscriminately. You will regret this act soon and focus on saving money for future needs. Personal relationships could dampen your spirits. There may be anxiety and you may not be able to control the situation. Take care about sensibilities of concerned person. Remaining level headed may become a challenge. Leo (23rd July to 22nd August) Encouragement and benevolence may be your two pillars of support this month. Businesspersons dealing with government organizations are likely to strike long profitable deals. Avoid being temperamental. When

differences crop up with someone in a close relationship, take initiatives to mend the situation. You will be keen to engage with a learned person to reaffirm your beliefs and clear doubts. Virgo (23rd August to 22nd September) Issues related to personal and professional life will keep you on your toes this month. If you are not careful, you could fail to strike a balance between the two. Get organized. Talks about gain through inheritance could raise your hopes. However, this might take a long time to materialize. Employed ones may have to face a demanding boss.You could be vulnerable to viral infections. An old meaningful relationship could surface. You may affiliate yourself with charitable causes. Libra (23rd September to 22nd October) You will be hungry for success, self-motivated and push yourself harder towards your goals. Stay grounded in what you are trying to achieve. It is an auspicious time to launch new ventures. Those employed may get lethargic. Apply your energies to achieve results. Mercury showers you with support and monetary gains. Keep enough provision for unplanned expenses. Businessmen be attentive about quality of materials being delivered.

Scorpio (23rd October to 22nd November) You will zealously wish to get smart with your money this month and look for opportunities to bolster your finances. Those in trade and business can now look forward to implementing their plans successfully. Expect heartening results but execute discrimination while spending money. Avoid direct confrontation with colleagues or people who matter to you. Do not hold grudges against those who do not see eye to eye with you. Sagittarius (23rd November to 21st December) You may face stubborn challenges that may slow down your progress this month. Work with dedication and discipline and wait for opportune moments to make your kill. Remain level headed when things are not moving your way. Lastly, remain aware of ground realities and your limitations. By the end of the third week, if you manage to remain unflappable, you will be able to surmount half your challenges. Do not neglect your health. Capricorn (22nd December to 20th January) You will devise new strategies to nurture your skills this month. Your motto will be to work hard and perform optimally.

If you are looking for buying an apartment or shifting residences, go ahead! Refrain from taking undue risks though and save for the future. Maintaining balance between work and family may become stressful and could bring down your immunity. A pleasant time is predicted for you at home, at month end. Aquarius (21st January to 18th February) Plenty of hard work is on the anvil, on various fronts of your life. Progress is expected to be good at work. Aquarians are always keen to experiment with new ideas to better their prospects. Go ahead but remain level headed. Do not let differences in a meaningful relationship swell into a serious disagreement. Those employed will get busy with new prestigious assignments. Pisces (19th February to 20th March) Get ready for a demanding situation and an uphill climb this month. There does not seem any escape from challenging times to achieve growth. An intelligent move may serve you well in building up your wealth. If you are inclined a buy a house, begin your search. You could also expect some new openings to generate earnings. And, you can be sure of some fun times ahead! You are likely to increase care for your family. n

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bold words

desi armstrong Twitterati on the success of #Bahubali2

Mahesh Babu @urstrulyMahesh The unthinkable has happened! 1000 crores & counting! Thankyou @ ssrajamouli & team for making me & the entire Telugu film fraternity proud:)

Pawan Kalyan @PawanKalyan My Heartfelt congratulations to Shri Rajmouli,Shri Prabhas &team for their stupendous success of. Bahubali and achieving the 1000 crore mark

Shekhar Kapoor @shekharkapur Courage. Passion. Rebellion. Belief in oneself. Breaking every rule. Commitment. Humility. Congratulations @ ssrajamouli #Bahubali2

Dhanush @dhanushkraja @ssrajamouli sir :) nothing more to say. #masterpiece #writingatitsbest .. break the rules. Redefined everything. I mean EVERYTHING

Jr NTR @tarak9999 #Baahubali2 is Indian Cinemaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finest canvas. @ ssrajamouli has taken not just Telugu Cinema, but Indian Cinema to a whole new level.Hats off

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Siddharth @Actor_Siddharth Advance congratulations to the team of #BaahubaliTheConclusion Thank you @ssrajamouli for dreaming epic dreams for all of us! #JaiMahishmati

PRIYANKA @priyankachopra Congratulations @ ssrajamouli Sir on another spectacle! May u keep the flag flying..@karanjohar congrats! #Baahubali2

Mahesh Bhatt @MaheshNBhatt Bahubali is a game changer, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the kind of movie that redefines everything you thought u knew & understood about Indian movies.

Kajal Aggarwal @MsKajalAggarwal @ssrajamouli sir sooo proud!This.Is.Truly.Epic.huge congratulations to you n the entire team @RanaDaggubati this needs to be celebrated:)