M MAGAZINE ISSUE_JULY11

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Velvet Assassin

Jaqueline J lii F Fernandez d has Murder on her mind. The former Miss Sri Lanka in a rare tell-all mood

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Books: Science, engineering and radical Islam Music: The rise of John Lennon’s sons Travel: Of blistering cold, wrathful lust Hot wheels: Tricks to tame your SUV

July 2011 > contributors > mail call > from the editor

[contents]

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Dine shine FOOD:

AND

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Features 048

Frames of mind Exclusive pictures from Zakia Shakir’s coffee-table book, Men Who Inspire India

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048

Engineering terror Is there a link between science, engineering and radical Islam? A soon-to-be-published book looks deeper into the world of terrorism

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Here come the sons Can the Beetle sons ever break away from their father’s shadows

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> REGULARS 028

M Girl: .Himarsha Venkatsamy

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Quick Take: Kiran Rao

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India 2020: Sanjeev Kapoor

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Restaurant review: Rainforest restobar

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Bookends: New arrivals

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Interview: Rajeev Khandelwal

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LAST LAUGH: The nanny diaries

It’s the coolest one The most unforgettable experience: Surfboarding on the Libyan dunes

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Terrain techniques Get more out of your sports utility vehicle. We tell you how

On the cover

Jaqueline Fernandez Photograph by Ashish Shah (Elite Model Management) Styling by Rakhi Biswas Interview by Nivedita Jayaram Pawar Hair and make-up: Shaan Muttathi (Elite Model Management) Location: The Orchid, a five-star ecotel hotel; 70-C, Nehru Road near domestic airport, Vile Parle, Mumbai – 400099; tel: (022) 26164000; fax: (022) 26164141

[fashion]

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BRAKE POINT Stuck S tuckk on the the roadd andd waiting waiiting for your knight in that shining car?

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WATER PROOF YOUR STYLE Stay dry this monsoon and dri p oodles of style 120

STOCKISTS

[fe eatures]

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Waiting in the wings

jacQueline F E R N A N D E Z

has Murder on her mind. The Former Miss Sri Lanka in a rare tell-all mood

Contributors

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1. Bhupesh Jain // co-founder, [Ca Va restaurant; page 036 ]

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2. Alam Srinivas // senior journalist [Breaking Views; page 042]

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3. Sanjiv Nair // freelance writer [Film icks; page 046] 4. Sudha G. Tilak // freelance writer / blogger [Bookends; page 048]

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5. Soutik Biswas // Senior journalist [Engineering terror; page 058]

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6. Bijoy Venugopal // freelance writer / blogger [Here come the sons / Last Laugh; page 062 / 122] 7. Ashish Shah // fashion photographer [Jaqueline Fernandez; page 068 ] 8. Sankar Sridhar // fashion writer [Of blistering cold and awesome lust; page 090 ] 9. Cookie Dipika Singh // fashion stylist [Brake point; page 110]

Mail Call Okay, M is a MAN magazine and I have gone through it only twice. Once when you

JUNE 2011 `100

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carried Salman Khan last year, and then in June. I bought both these issues twice and spent `400 of my hard-earned pocket money. Because my brothers, who go through M, knew that if it has Salman Khan on the cover, I would cut out all the pictures, including the cover, and paste them in my room even before they could go through it. They had warned me against doing it last year, but I didn’t care. The best thing to do this year, then, was to buy two copies. It works for me. Thank you M for putting Salman Khan on your cover. What do I say about him... I just love him. He is and shall always be my only hero. He is a hero for me in real life too. Look at the happiness he is spreading around him with his Being Human Foundation. He is one man who is courageous enough to accept his mistakes. He is one actor who is never perturbed by the success or failure of his ďŹ lms. But look at the number of hit ďŹ lms he has given to the industry. All of them create history. I just love him.

The white knight

I hope you would continue to put him on your cover time and again. Every time you feature him, I won’t mind paying Rs100, or Rs1000, to get my own copy of the magazine. Pretty Kt Mirchandani, Mumbai

“I am a simple man, not a star. Why should anyone be afraid of me.� Salman Khan like never before

Congratulations for an exceptionally captivating June issue. You published an

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Fashion feature: She’s the man Glug: Know your beer Films: Summer of blockbusters Hot wheels: Crore high club Conict: US Navy Vs Somali pirates

FINAL COVER M#49.indd 62

assortment of features nobody could ignore: right from Angela Jonsson, your M Girl, to the fabulous photo-shoot of must-have travel bags in M Recommends, the cover story on Salman Khan and Kuhu Sen’s feature on moustaches, Lip Service. And yes, of course, the Crore High Club. I was left drooling at the cars for a long time. Your feature “New Abs For Old� was unbelievable and astonishing to say the least. What upcoming male actors and models these days are opting for, in order to get that perfect body, was nothing less than an absolute shocker. I had never heard of vaser liposuction, till M pulled out a feature on it. Lastly, I felt that the fashion photo shoot titled “She’s the man� was tremendously unconventional and surprisingly, a visual pleasure. I haven’t seen any men’s magazine featuring men’s fashion on female models, but M did it and that too impeccably. A praiseworthy attempt at creating an avant-garde fashion concept that surely needs to be looked up to. Vibhor Sharma, Delhi

6/1/2011 4:27:10 PM

s shhee’’s’’ss tth ee mmaan n Photographs by Ashish Chawla Styling by Rakhi Biswas Make-Up: Kaazee Rai Models: Katerina (Sara Model Managemant) and Diana (6Th Avenue) – ! " # $%&&'*+./%<% =<+%+%+%>

HITE SHIRT BY VARUN BAHL //DENIM JACKET MILITARY GREEN JODHPUR PANTS BROWN BOOTS BY RAJESH PRATAP SINGH //

FEATURES

Piracy in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia is the biggest threat faced by merchant shipping today. The damage to global commerce amounts to hundreds of millions of dollars every year, and is caused by a bunch of criminals who, motivated by hunger and poverty, attack huge cargo vessels using tiny speedboats, armed only with grappling hooks, rusting machine guns and near-suicidal willpower. To prevent attacks, NATO has deployed an imposing eet of warships, which constantly patrol what are considered the world’s most treacherous waters. Operation Ocean Shield may seem a mighty response to a small sword, but when driven by desperation, even a small sword can prove incredibly lethal. by SERGIO RAMAZZOTTI and PARALLELOZERO of The

NAVY

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PIRATES

OPERATION OCEAN SHIELD

Cover Story (www.thecoverstory.com)

Dear M, congratulations on a fabulous June issue. The resurgence of Salman as a mature actor and a better human-being made me recall a wonderful couplet of Nida Fazli: Har Aadmi Mein Hotey Hain Dus Bees Aadmi // Gar Dekhna Kisi Ko Toh Sau Baar Dekhna. (It means: Every person in this world has many personas embedded in him. Just one glimpse is not enough to understand him fully)

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> FERRARI FF he Ferrari FF (FF meaning “Ferrari Fourâ€?, for four seats and four-wheel drive) is a grand tourer revealed by Ferrari in January this year. It is unusual for two reasons: The FF is the marque’s ďŹ rst production four-wheel drive model, and its ďŹ rst production shootingbrake or hatchback. It will replace the 612 Scaglietti.

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The FF has a top speed of 335 kmph (208 mph) and accelerates from zero to 100 kmph (62 mph) in 3.7 seconds. Ferrari states that the FF is the world’s fastest four-seat automobile. The elements within its name, FF, clearly show that Ferrari intends this car to be much more usable than either its predecessor, the 612, or its stablemates: its four-wheel drive system will allow the car to be driven in relatively hazardous driving scenarios, such as heavy rain or snow, while its four seats, coupled with the vastly expanded boot space, courtesy of the shooting brake design, make it much more practical. The Ferrari FF has the largest capacity Ferrari engine ever produced: a 6,262 cc naturally-aspirated direct injected 65° V12, which produces 651 bhp at

8,000 rpm and 683 Nm of torque at 6000 rpm. The FF is equipped with a 7-speed double-clutch semi-automatic paddle shift system similar to the California and 458 Italia. The new four-wheel drive system, engineered and patented by Ferrari, is called 4RM: it is around 50 per cent lighter than a conventional system, and provides power intelligently to each of the four wheels as needed. It only functions when the manettino dial on the steering wheel is in the “comfortâ€? or “snowâ€? positions, leaving the car most often in the traditional rear wheel drive layout. Its headlights are almost identical to the 458 Italia, with which – along with the 599 GTB – it also shares the twin circular tail-light element, a clear break from an established pattern since previous Ferraris, from the 2006 F430 to the 1975 308, had four tail-lights. Like the 599, it also has four exhaust pipes, as well as a large egg-crate frontal grille. That the FF is more closely related to the 458 becomes apparent when one examines its side skirts, which are clearly creased and deďŹ ned; its body surfacing is more deďŹ nitely contoured. The most striking feature of the FF, however, is its shooting-brake design.

Top Spec (Manufacturer’s claims) 0-100 kph: 3.7 seconds Top Speed: 335 kph Fuel EfďŹ ciency: 7.7 kpl CO2 Emissions: 360 gm/km Price: `4 crore, ex-showroom Delhi

?@ &% ’ @ Ranojoy Mukerji

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FEATURES

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Honestly speaking, your feature, Navy Vs. Pirates, in the June issue, took me down memory lane to my childhood days when I used to be an addict of Phantom Comics (we called him Vetaal in Hindi). Believe me, I ďŹ rst visualised ‘Sea Pirates’ through the depiction of Lee Falk and now after three decades, I once again visualised the contemporary face of ‘One-Eyed Buccaneers’ (Lee Falk branded them so) through M. It is really saddening that inspite of the endless sufferings of the hostages in pirates’ captivity, not many people know about it and do not discuss or raise this issue on any forum. Let me tell you that I have been subscribing to more than 10 English periodicals of class for over a decade now, but I have never come across any article, any photofeature, or any discussion about this perennial problem. Since you have created a ripple by educating us about less heard Operation Ocean Shield, I hope it would turn into a whirlpool if some more journals join the crusade to ignite the ďŹ re of concern in the common man’s heart for the victims of these pirates. Rajneesh Batra, New Delhi

Salman Khan ďŹ ts 100 per cent to this notion and belief. Although a large section of audience had virtually dumped him, branding him an incorrigible spoilt brat, as someone who had no acting skills, the genuinely ‘Dabangg’ bounced back with elan and became an icon, leaving behind many who are fruitlessly pumping iron in the gyms to match their ‘Abs’ and spoiling around to imitate his ‘aibs (shortcomings in Urdu). Time and again Salman has proved that he is timeless and ceaseless. And in my Dictionary, this is exactly what we call Real Manhood: imperishable, perpetual, and inimitable. Anjali, Delhi We want more mail, please. Bouquets, brickbats, an article/interview you’d like to see featured, a burning topic or two you’d like to comment on: Direct it all to feedback@imagesfashion.com

editor-In-Chief amitabh taneja editorial advisor r s roy

executive Editor bobby john varkey director (planning) anjali sondhi sr. associate editor / bureau head nivedita jayaram pawar (mumbai) sr. fashion stylist carlton desouza fashion stylists rakhi biswas, sania momin (mumbai) creatives art director azad mohan layout designer kaustubh fuloriya sr. photographer vipin kardam Asst. photographer deepak malik photo coordinator kamal kumar publisher s p taneja business development vice president harjot singh luthra assoc. vice president - circulation anil nagar general manager - advertising bindu pillai (mumbai) assoc. vice presidents & regional heads waseem ahmad (mumbai), piyali roy (kolkata) sr. manager - advertising tushar verma (delhi) sr. manager - circulation rp singh (mumbai) managers - advertising nayan shetty (mumbai), anirban sarkar (kolkata) manager - events and promotions deeba mushtaq mir manager - circulation r parthasarathy (bangalore) deputy managers - circulation ranjeet yadav (delhi); operations rajesh kumar (delhi) executive - advertising sneha sinha (bangalore) production general manager manish kadam manager manoj soni services general manager - logistics rajeev mehandru general manager - customer relations hemant wadhawan subscriptions rajesh kumar sr. executive - logistics shambhu nath images consumer media pvt ltd delhi: s-21, okhla industrial area phase II, new delhi - 110 020 t: +91-11-40525000, f: +91-11-40525001, email: info@imagesgroup.in mumbai: 1st oor, bharat tin works compound, off marol military road, opp. borosil glass works, andheri (e), mumbai - 400 059 t: +91-22-42567000, 29200043/46, f: +91-22-42567022 email: waseemahmad@imagesgroup.in bangalore: no. 523, 7th cross, 10th main, (jeevanbhima nagar main road), h.a.l. 3rd stage, bangalore - 560075; t: +91-080-41255172 41750595/96, f: +91-080-41255182 email: bangalore@imagesgroup.in kolkata: 30-b anil roy road, ground oor, kolkata - 700 029 t: + 91- 33-40080480, email: piyalioberoi@imagesgroup.in All material printed in this publication is the sole property of Images Consumer Media Pvt. Ltd. All printed matter contained in the magazine is based on information from those featured in it. The views, ideas, comments and opinions expressed are solely of those featured and the Editor and Publisher do not necessarily subscribe to the same. Printed & Published by SP Taneja on behalf of Images Consumer Media Pvt Ltd; printed at International Print-O-Pac Limited, C/4-11 Phase II, Hosiery Complex, Noida 201301, and published by SP Taneja from S-21, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase II, New Delhi 110020. Editor: Amitabh Taneja In relation to any advertisements appearing in this publication, readers are recommended to make appropriate enquiries before entering into any commitments. Images Consumer Media Pvt. Ltd. does not vouch for any claims made by the advertisers of products and services. The Printer, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the publication shall not be held for any consequences in the event of such claims not being honoured by the advertisers. Copyright Images Consumer Media Pvt Ltd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any manner is prohibited. All disputes are subject to the jurisdiction of competent courts and forums in Delhi/New Delhi only. M does not accept responsibility for returning unsolicited manuscripts and photographs.

For subscription related queries, email: subscription@imagesfashion.com. Visit us at www.m-magazine.in.

/from the editor I often wonder what is it that makes M different. It’s a rhetoric we pose ourselves at the beginning of every month, and after about 30 days of hard, unrelenting work, we have a validation of where we stand among the clutter of lifestyle magazines in India. Dear readers, M is different because we are but a prompt for discourse. We give you competing points of views, from fashion to lifestyle, sports to politics, literature to films, and leave it to you to make your own mind. This, I say, is what makes us different. We are being immodest? Not in the least. I was prompted on the thought after one of our loyal readers wrote in to us in response to the feature ‘US Navy Vs Pirates’ in the June issue. “It is really saddening that inspite of the endless sufferings of the hostages in pirates’ captivity, not many people know about it and do not discuss or raise this issue in any forum. Let me tell you that I have been subscribing to more than 10 English periodicals of class for over a decade now, but I have never come across any article, any photo-feature, or any discussion about this problem. Isn’t it ironical that an incident of kidnapping that lasts for a day or two steals the headlines of every morning daily but the plight of hapless people who spend months in captivity goes unnoticed, unheard, and unsung.” Thank you gentlemen for your unwavering support. We know what we have to do: put the spotlight on some of the dark crevasses of the times we live in. M is all about being informed in style. We give you the best of what is there to know of, and we rely on you, our community of dedicated readers, who make it come alive and sustain it.

amitabh Taneja

Photograph by Ashish Shah ROYAL BLUE SUIT, SWIM SUIT, NECK PIECE, ALL BY SHIVAN & NARRESH

| informed. in STYLE |

The Style

Wardrobe dreams I

talian fashion brand, Cantabil, has unveiled its summer range. Designed by Rocky S, the colour scale of the collection plays with the latest green tones complemented by new shades of purple, along with summer darks, brown and beige. The business range of the collection includes formal shirts and trouser with fine stripes, checks and plains in bright colours such as orange, purple, aqua and peppermint. Sea tones and coral red pair with smoky olive, beige and gray mélanges add to the style quotient. Round-the-clock basics such as Bermuda shorts and T-shirts are some other highlights of the collection. Price: `799 to `6999

TAILORED FRAGRANCE What’s the nub: dunhill CUSTOM, the new signature fragrance from Alfred Dunhill What’s on offer: Stylish, masculine, sophisticated and understated luxury, the dunhill CUSTOM comes with a unique cap that can be customised. Its bottle is a solid glass flacon with square shoulders, clean lines and heavy monogram-embossed bottom base. The cap can be customised using the dunhill monogram service available at www.dunhill.com. Key-in your desired monogram online and you will be sent an aluminium plate that is hand-engraved according to your specifications. You can continue to use the original bottle cap or replace it with the personalised plate. The scent is expertly balanced with distinctively subtle notes of wood and spice. The perfume notes include English Pippin apple at the top, spicy black pepper at the heart and cedarwood and incense at the base. Price: `3225 (Eau de Toilette 50 ml); `4100 (Eau de Toilette 100 ml)

Observer

SHELF SPACE NEWS JULY 2011

BUTTERFLY STROKES

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alvin Klein has introduced its swimwear collection in trunk, boxer and board shorts variations. Priced at `1799, `1999 and `2999 respectively, the collection comes in the following categories: Logo: Taking inspiration from Calvin Klein Underwear, the logo range includes short, medium and long drawstring shorts as well as a brief, trunk, and boxer, all with a ‘Calvin Klein’ logo on the side of

the short. Mystic Beach: The hibiscus print takes new form with a pastel colour palette – in tangerine and plum. It is available in a short and medium drawstring. Abstract Island: With prints inspired by the linear strokes and repetitive patterns of rock formations and the shifting sand, it is available in medium surf and drawstring short.

TIME TESTED What’s the nub: Montblanc’s latest addition, the Montblanc Sport Chronograph Automatic. What’s on offer: 41.5 mm stainless steel sports watch with silver-coloured dial, automatic movement with chronograph function, date display with magnifying glass, brown alligator-skin strap with triple-folding clasp. Price: On Request

Grande movement What’s the nub: The new Bulgari, Daniel Roth & Gérald Genta models. Powered by calibres developed in the Manufacture du Sentier, this set of seven models feature cases with a rugged octagonal or distinctive elliptical shape, combined with a range of horological complications. What’s on offer: The Octo Grande Sonnerie Tourbillon has self-winding movement, Grande Sonnerie Westminster chime, retrograde hours display, power-reserve indicators, disc-type minutes display; 21,600 vph, 48-hour power reserve. 43 mm white gold case, transparent caseback, 18-carat white gold crown set with a falcon’s eye cabochon; cloisonné dial, water-resistant to 30 metres. Alligator leather strap, triple-blade folding clasp in 18-carat white gold.

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The Style Observer

HIGH SPIRIT

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op-selling Scotch brand in India, Teacher’s is now available in a new exclusive and contemporary look. The new Teacher’s Highland Cream bottle has broader, more masculine shoulders, an enhanced bulbous neck adding to the style, with William Teacher’s WT insignia proudly embossed on it. Both the bottle label and the packaging moves away from the traditional all-beige look to a new black, white and burnished gold look which shows more liquid and looks elegant and contemporary. Teacher’s 50, the 12-year-old blend retains its old all-black and gold look.

BODY BASICS

D

iesel has unveiled a new range of watches that change colour according to the body temperature. Equipped with an innovative thermal technology, these watches also come with non-porous silicon straps, making them ideal for a moisture free monsoon. Some of the interesting pieces in the collection include a model with stark black silicone strap and negative digital display with red LED numbers; a sporty range with metallic orange aluminum with shiny stainless steel and light grey polyurethane; a black ion piece with a 3D style purple dial; and a black watch made from a single piece of silicone: no hinges or lugs. The collection is priced. Price: `3995 to `6995

The winner’s walk What’s the nub: Biodegradable footwear from Woodland What’s on offer: Sturdy, durable and aesthetically designed, the outer sole and heel of the footwear is made of crepe rubber (natural raw rubber) and the upper is made of vegetable tanned leather, which has also been utilised in the lining of the shoe. Cellulose has been used to make the insole, the toe puffs and the counters. The insock/footbed is made of latex foam and duly covered by vegetable tanned leather. Water-based rubber adhesive has been used for fabrication and the upper has been stitched to the insole and the sole. The thread and the laces are made of cotton. The Footwear Design & Development Institute, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Govt. of India has certified the shoes as biodegradable and eco-friendly. Price: `3000 onwards

JULY 2011

Racing DNA What’s the nub: A series of three custom-built watches by Armin Strom, in collaboration with Marussia Virgin Racing, in the racing stable’s team colours: black, red and white. Materials used in the construction of racing cars are also used in the manufacture of these watches. What’s on offer: ARMIN Racing Chronograph TI11-CR.90: Mechanical movement with automatic winding Chronograph function and date; 25 jewels; 46-hour power reserve; Titanium, matt black PVD coating Sapphire crystal and sapphire crystal case back with anti-reflective treatment; 44.40 mm diameter; 13.85 mm height; Water-resistant to 50 m; ARMIN Racing Chronograph TI11-CR.50: Mechanical movement with automatic winding Chronograph function and date; 25 jewels; 46-hour power reserve; Titanium, black polished Sapphire crystal and sapphire crystal case back with antireflective treatment; 44.40 mm diameter; 13.85 mm height; Water-resistant to 50 m.

ARMIN Racing Regulator TI11RR.90: ARMIN STROM calibre ASR07 movement; Mechanical hand-winding movement with off-centre indications and retrograde date; 24 jewels; 46hour power reserve; Titanium, matt black PVD-coated Sapphire crystal and case back with anti-reflective treatment; 43.60 mm diameter; 14.70 mm total height; Waterresistant to 50 m. ARMIN Racing One Week ST11-WR.90: ARMIN STROM calibre ARM09; Mechanical handwinding movement with 7-day power reserve and off-centre time indications; 18,000 V/h frequency; 34 jewels; 146 components; Stainless steel, matt black PVD coating case; Sapphire crystal and case back with anti-reflective treatment; 43.40 mm diameter; 13.00 mm total height; Waterresistant to 50 m.

Eye candy

Roaring ride T

M

aui Jim, the US-based makers of UV-blocking polarised sunglasses, has launched its monsoon collection featuring Manele Bay and Baby Beach sunglasses with unique High Transmission (HT) lenses. These are specialised lenses that give comfort and clarity even in typical low-light conditions of the monsoon season. This collection comprises Manele Bay Brown/ HCL and Pewter/ Grey and Baby Beach Gloss Black/HT, Gold/HCL and Silver/Grey models. Laced with PolarizedPlus2® technology, these lightweight and durable rimless nylon frames come in a variety of colours such as brown, black, gold, silver, pearl and gunmetal. The glasses come with anti-corrosive traditional hinges, adjustable non-slip Rabalon nose pads and rubber temple tips, all of which provide comfortable feel to the wearer.

he Ducati Diavel is here in India. The latest addition to Ducati’s product range, the Diavel, was unveiled in Bengaluru last month. It is available in the country in two versions: The brand new Diavel and the flagship Diavel Carbon which comes with carbon fibre bodywork and speciallymachined Marchesini wheels. For connoisseurs of technology, ABS, Ducati Traction Control and Ducati Riding Modes deliver a confidence-inspiring sophistication while stunning looks, 162 hp, a specially engineered 240 section rear tyre combined with the famous Ducati chassis technology and 207 kg of authentic Ducati completes the picture of the perfect sportsbike.

019 | JULY 11

BURBERRY

M RECOMMENDS

WATER When it rains, it pours. And you are still stuck with clothes that suck water like a sponge? Here’s how not to let the downpour put a damper on you being stylish

Proof Your Style

Photographs by Sumeet Ballal Styling by Carlton Desouza And Sania Momin Hair And Make-Up: Reshma Nagree and Sharon Mendonca Model: Karan Rao 020 | JULY 11

GREY SUIT BY VERSACE >> `60,000 // SHIRT >> `5000 AND BELT >> `3000 BOTH BY TED BAKER // TIE BY RICHARD JAMES >> `5500 ALL FROM THE COLLECTIVE // UMBRELLA >> `12,000 AND MACINTOSH >> `36,000 BOTH BY BURBERRY // ALL-WEATHER OXFORDS BY BATA >> `1200

021 | JULY 11

JACKET BY HUGO BOSS >> `37,400 // CARDIGAN BY GAS >> `2100 // SHIRT BY PEPE JEANS >> `2690 // LOAFERS BY CROCS >> `2325 // WATCH BY JAEGER-LE-COULTRE >> PRICE ON REQUEST

022 | JULY 11

M RECOMMENDS T-SHIRT BY ZARA >> `1590 // WIND-CHEATER >> `3999 AND SHOES >> `2999 BOTH BY PUMA // TRACK PANTS BY D&G >> `25,000 FROM THE COLLECTIVE

023 | JULY 11

QUILTED SLEEVELESS JACKET BY GAS >> `11,500 // T-SHIRT >> `1390; AND SHORTS >> `1990 BOTH BY ZARA // FLIP-FLOPS BY HACKET >> `2500 FROM THE COLLECTIVE // WATCH BY FOSSIL >> PRICE ON REQUEST

024 | JULY 11

M RECOMMENDS

BLUE PANTS BY ZARA >> `2590 // T-SHIRT BY GAS >> `1200 // RAINCOAT BY SONYA VAJIFDER >> PRICE ON REQUEST // FLIP-FLOPS BY CROCS >> `1295

025 | JULY 11

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027 | JULY 11

Gir Gi G Girl irl rl

Himarsha Venkatsamy Photographs by Vinod Wakkchare Interview by Nivedita Jayaram Pawar Styling by Carlton Desouza & Sania Momin Hair and make-up: Anjali Naronha Model Courtesy: [Bling! Entertainment Solutions]

Hey Himarsha, that’s an unusual name. What does it mean? Snow falling! What do you find attractive in a man? Intelligence, charisma, style, wit, definitely a swagger... a sexy man has an underlying confidence and, most important, kindness. One thing a man should never tell his woman? Definitely no remarks about potential weight gain after holidays spent drinking, dancing, eating and general moments of loving life. If you were invisible for a day, you would... Be naked and stalk random people who I think are interesting. The one invention you are really waiting for? A pill that nullifies the effects of sugar and chocolates! One fashion trend you just don’t understand? Skousers!! Trouser skirts... Why? How? It’s like wearing full-length trousers with a mini skirt over them! The one place you really want to visit? The South of France!

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The last time you embarrassed yourself? I have accepted that I have weak ankles and will probably trip and flash someone at some point... Note to self... always wear pretty panties! The worst lie you have ever told? Oooh... Once I didn’t tell my parents I was coming home so that I could stay at my boyfriend’s place for the weekend! I had to lie about my whereabouts as my mum would phone me constantly. She knew I was up to something! And I had to hide because my mum came by to drop my sister for a stay over... She was very suspicious about the situation and tried to get to the bottom of it but it was an incredible web of deceit! I still feel awful! Your greatest indulgence? A vintage Alexander McQueen denim panelled corset jacket... amazing! Are you a tomboy or a princess? A little bit of both. I can totally get down and dirty in a pair of stilettos! If you played yourself, what kind of character would that be? Did you ever watch Freakazoid? The girl version!

INTERVIEW

ORANGE T-SHIRT; STILETTOS BOTH BY ZARA // SHORTS FROM A SELECTION

WHO DO YOU THINK IS THE HOTTEST MAN IN INDIA RIGHT NOW?

HMMM... ARJUN RAMPAL.

One thing you’d like to learn before you die? I would love to learn to surf. What are you reading right now? One Day by David Nicholls. Your favourite junk food? Chicken Licken hot wings. What kind of space do you find yourself in today? In a cocoon...just chilling in the dark If you opened a specialty restaurant, where would it be and what would it serve? On a beach in Cape Town... picnic

CROCHET TOP; LINEN SHORTS; WEDGES ALL BY ZARA

INTERVIEW

platters of oysters, cheeses, exotic fruits and an extensive selection of wines. Your last meal… what would it be? My mum’s Christmas dinner spread! You are shocked by? Nasty people with poor social etiquettes. If someone were to write a biography of you, what would you want it to be called? “Loving life and other Romances” The craziest thing you have done for your partner? I was living with my partner at the time... so to spice things up for our second anniversary, I booked a beautiful guest house. I left scrolls tied in ribbons with clues and a treasure map so he could find me. He had to wear a suit and bring nothing with him as there was a little role playing involved. What’s that one thing from a man’s wardrobe that needs to be burnt? Crocs. Do pick up lines work? No... but if they are really funny at least i’ll get a laugh out of it and think that he’s witty Your worst date ever? It was at university... this guy I had the biggest crush on went on and on about how he thought my best friend and her sister were so hot and then proceeded to get drunk and emotional. You are addicted to... Travelling. If your partner cheated on you… Walk away with dignity and grace... then hook up with his hot best friend! The last holiday you went on… Cape Town, three weeks ago... it was amazing!! What in a man sets your pulse racing? His sensuality... the way he touches and looks at me... and his scent. Do you believe in one night stands? Not really... although chemistry and tequilas can make us do incredible things...especially when in foreign lands. Your next move? Europe. Okay, to wrap up, tell us four things that you feel men just don’t understand about women. Q That all we need is a little romance. Q If we seem uninterested we usually are... move on buddy! Q We also like a little chase... but play nice! Q We are way naughtier...everything is discussed between friends!

WHITE TOP; BLACK PEE-TOES BOTH BY ZARA // SHORTS FROM A SELECTION

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Kiran Rao

On Nakkadwale disco and Switty, the two music videos she directed in the film Delhi Belly

YOU ARE PERCEIVED AS A SERIOUS FILMMAKER. WERE YOU SCEPTICAL OF DIRECTING THE TWO MUSIC VIDEOS FOR DELHI BELLY? It was a big challenge for me because I’ve never done a song or a dance in my film. I was doing a music video for the first time. We had great fun shooting Switty; and I made the Penchar video too. More than being sceptical, I was excited because every director likes to try out different things and flex their mental muscles. I was quite excited to do such a fun video. When Aamir suggested it, I accepted it without thinking twice and I knew I would have fun doing it.

DO WE THEN SEE A MORE COMMERCIAL KIRAN RAO IN THE FUTURE? I have got a taste of what it’s like to do something more commercial. So maybe in the future …

HOW DID AAMIR REACT WHEN HE SAW THE SONG? He liked it very much. In fact, he was shooting in Pondicherry when he saw the songs and immediately shared it with the entire crew there.

DID IT TAKE A LOT OF CONVINCING TO MAKE IMRAN KHAN SPORT A RAPPER LOOK FOR SWITTY? Not at all. A lot of people said they couldn’t recognise him when he walked in through the door in that make-up for the first time. We wanted to max the gangster rap look for the boys in the song. All of them were really excited about playing these rap stars and gangsters. They had a great time experimenting with different looks. It is every boy’s secret dream to be a rapper. Every time the boys tried a different look, they would get excited and

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wanted to retain it. We arrived at the final looks after a number of tests.

IS IMRAN A NIFTY DANCER? He is quite a good dancer. We have not seen Imran dance in a lot of songs but he dances well. All the boys learnt their steps within three hours.

AND HOW WOULD YOU RATE YOUR HUSBAND, AAMIR, AS A DANCER? Aamir also dances well. Baba is a really great choreographer and he is the one who got them to do these steps. So actually, Imran learnt from Baba. In fact, we know Baba since Lagaan because Baba was working with Sarojji when we did the song Radha kaise na jale.

WHO IS SWITTY? In the film, there is a fourth character whom you see with a gun: He is a crazy lover who cannot forget his girlfriend. So this song is from him: he is pleading that he wants to get back with her and he says, ‘tera pyaar chahida.’

AND WHAT IS THE IDEA BEHIND ‘NAKKADWALE DISCO’? The song’s rhythm and style is quawali-cum-ghazal type. We mixed the two and tried to give that feel of a typical concert. I haven’t seen it yet because I shot it and I went on holiday. I hope it has turned out okay.

THE GIRL IN THE ‘SWITTY’ VIDEO, POORNA JAGANATHAN, RESEMBLES YOU A LOT. Oh yeah, both of us have curly hair. But she is slimmer than I am. I am not as slim as her. I wish … (As told to Krutika Behrawala, Bollywood News Service)

People say your socks must match either your shoes or the trouser. Is there a similar rule for belts and shoes? There has been extensive debate in the fashion world about whether socks should match shoes or trousers. The safest bet is to keep the continuity of your dress,and ensure that socks are the least noticeable part of your outfit. It is easy to figure that black socks go with black trousers and black shoes. For navy trousers and brown shoes, look for the middle ground. Belt must definitely match your shoes. (I put this question to a friend who was riding the Delhi Metro with me. He said he is happy if he wears socks that match each other.)

What

Photograph: Dreamstime

SHE SAYS

by A(u)nti Adams

Fashion, you can never get it right enough and it is oh so easy to get it wrong. It’s tough to decide if you want to go metro... or retro. And as if life wasn’t difficult already, the wish to impress Her makes it impossible. So why not ask her... may be it will help. Just may be. 033 | JULY 11

Suits have always confused me. While I want a closet full of them, I am never sure which buttons to fasten on each suit. Is there a rule for fastening the buttons... you know, different occasions, different rules of leaving your suit all buttoned up or open. Given the variety in suits and how a different one is required for a different occasion... to want a closet full of suits is a good thing. Before bearing down on the buttons, here is a brief on tuxedo, the doublebreasted, the single-button, double-button and the threebuttons. A tux, as is well known, is the most formal of this line of formal-wear. A double-breasted, popular in the early 1900s, still finds some takers. This piece, however, is good for tall and lean men as it can make your upper body seem wider. A single-button can be called a more informal look and goes with a shirt and a tie, or even an untucked shirt or a Tee. A two-button is kind of universal favourite as it complements nearly all body types. The three-button, according to most stylists, is usually recommended for tall men. When wearing a three-button, fasten only the middle one or, at the max,the top two. Never fasten all three as it will give you that stiff, and literally upright look. For a two-button

suit, fasten only the top button. While for the single-button, it must always be closed. It is a must that you open the button/buttons of your suit when sitting down, else the fabric will crumple and collect around upper chest. When standing, the buttons must be refastened.

A soft shade of pink, coupled with a tie of darker shade of the same family. I am done with the blues and whites for office. A fashion failure? Don’t worry. It will be an extremely difficult task to be a fashion failure in this era of create-your-own-look. Wear what you like and the way you like, if you can do that with confidence. An important thing to remember is: consistency. Whether you are going for matching shades or the contrast appeal. Just do it with style.

Is it fine to wear your suit without a tie? There is nothing to tie a tie to the suit if that is what suits you. Want to know if you can pass off the look as formal? The answer is no.

Is there a protocol for rolling up your shirtsleeves? As in, how many times do you fold, do you stop above the elbow or at the elbow, is it governed by the occasion etc? If you need to roll, baby, just roll. The protocol really is to keep the sleeves down and buttoned, else go for shortsleeves. But what fashion aficionados say is not really the law. It is the 21st Century we’re in. Here is a quick tip: You can either evenly roll up your sleeve, till you reach the desired length. Or,you can turn up your sleeve half way up to your elbow and then evenly roll the inverted side up till you reach the cuff. Turn the cuff out at the end, for the neat look.

TEN YEARS TO TOMORROW A special series of essays

Food Industry by Sanjeev Kapoor, Celebrity chef

Sanjeev Kapoor, famous for his long-running TV show Khana Khazana and a range of cookery books, has now become a restaurateur and recently launched his 24X7 lifestyle channel, FOODFOOD

F

ood is such an important part of our life. That is why people were waiting for a TV channel, which was all about food. My company, Turmeric Vision, is involved with the first TV channel devoted to cooking, and it’s called ‘FOODFOOD’. Now that this category has opened up, there is a need for more; and we will see other channels coming up in the future. People are hugely interested in such channels for two reasons – firstly for the entertainment value and secondly as sources of information. At ‘FOODFOOD’ we entertain while we teach. We try to deliver relevant information in a manner that will appeal to people. For example, Aamir Khan’s last big hit, 3 Idiots, not only gave a message, but also entertained people. Today, families want an option of watching on TV content in which learning is embedded. Along with the remarkable growth in India’s food industry, there has been an increase in the number of chefs, who have studied this line of work. Smart, intelligent people have come in; and this increase will continue at a fast pace in the future, too. I hope to see more and more chefs becoming household names. Specialisation is essential for chefs; and in the future, there will be further attention paid to specialisation. I would like to give an example here. I was recently introduced to someone and told that he is an eye doctor. The doctor immediately added: ‘I am not an eye doctor, but a cornea specialist’. I made a 034 | JULY 11

joke of it asking whether he specialised in the right eye or the left eye. I think we will stop using the blanket term ‘Indian food’, but instead will talk of food from a particular region or area from India. There won’t be Rajasthani or Maharashtrain food; but there will be food from places like Vidharbha. Cuisines from all over India will grow in the future. There will be not only Hydrabadi biryani, but you will have Moplah biryani from Tamil Nadu and Palghat. There will be a lot of focus on health by 2020; but it’s not necessary that all food needs to be health-oriented. The packaged food industry will grow because today we are always short of time. Increasingly, we are asked to do many more things, we multi-task. In our country, from the doorman to the chairman, we are all very busy. By 2020, there will be leaps in the consumption of frozen food. As we move forward, the shelf life of food will increase and there will also be an increase in the awareness of how to preserve the nutrients. Currently, in packaged food, there is a nutritional loss; so we will work with techniques to keep the food fresh. An apple’s shelf life at room temperature is not more than two or three days. But in the US, they work with techniques where they keep it under optimal temperature in oxygen-reduced cold storages. This saves the apple from deteriorating and even the loss in nutritional value is minimal. In India, by

2020, we will see the same changes with packaged and frozen food. In the next 10 years, I see Indian chefs going abroad and opening their signature restaurants. My company already has restaurants in Dubai, Qatar, Bahrain and we will be opening one in Saudi Arabia soon. By 2020, we should have 100 restaurants all over. After 10 years, I see myself doing less work. But there will always be a lot of food around me. (As told to Rachana Trivedi, Bollywood News Service)

See you in the

FOREST! by Nivedita Jayaram Pawar

G

iven the emphasis on looks among the current crop of restaurants in Mumbai, I sometimes feel I should surrender this space to the interior design critic. From the ones that augment the best city views to those housed in decadent villas, restaurants in this island city are shedding their dreary image faster than you can possibly imagine. Rainforest Restobar, Andheri, Mumbai is one such ‘leafy’ wonder.

THE SETTING A tropical hideaway in the heart of Mumbai, this newest kid on the restaurant scene recreates sights and sounds of the rainforest with some help from the cascading waterfalls, faux trees, creepers and all. The cast of lifelike, animated inhabitants including a menacing tiger, trumpeting elephants, a life-like crocodile and fluttering butterflies add to the jungle theme. You almost expect a Mogli to swing out of the cascading branches! It also holds enchanting nooks and corners for couples to cozy up and the little brats to run amok. What I loved the most is the old-fashioned brass button on the table. Push it and the overhead lamp dangling from the tree comes alive, signaling your server to rush to your table. No more waiving and shooing for attention. The Indian style low-seating is ideal for reunions or large families. 035 | JULY 11

ON TO THE FOOD Rainforest serves Indian, Chinese and Italian. The fish dishes here whisk you to the seaside. Start with the Prawn Cocktail (`395). It’s served in a Martini glass with prawns placed on the rim. Adding to its allure is a brilliant pink sauce of mayonnaise, red wine, tomatoes and lime juice. The tang of the lime, balanced by the sweetness of the tomatoes, plus the lovely colour, made for an elegant, edible poem. I am so enamoured by the dish that my plate is in danger of being scraped of its surface. “Would you like the recipe?” the General Manager Raj Sadvilkar asks. “I can ask the chef.” His attentiveness is one of many reasons this youthful restaurant will sail ahead of its peers. The Al Quatro Fromaggi (`525) is an epic dish that is layered with three types of Italian cheese with penne and vegetables. Among the lobster dishes Aragosta alla Busera (`1255) hits all the right notes. The lobster is bound by just a whisper of tomato sauce and a faint touch of cognac. Close your eyes when you taste the Tandoored Rawas (`945) cooked over charcoal, and you’ll imagine you’re near a river, close to a campfire. Amazing. I would have declared it the best dish at Rainforest had I not tried the Cheese Bhindi Masala

(`275). Ladies finger stuffed with cheese, fried and unleashed in a thick masala gravy marries roomali roti in perfect matrimony. The hardest dessert to say no to is Bailey’s Delight (`255) – ice cream topped with Bailey’s liqueur. There are liquid pleasures, as well. The bar whips up some fine cocktails (try the Coconut Magic). Prices are steep but Rain Forest is worth the splurge. Allow for a few caveats. The airconditioning is designed to chill you. Go Armed with a jacket or ask for a shawl if you begin to freeze.

WHAT WE LIKED The large flat TV sets screen animal planet and discovery channel when not entertaining boisterous gangs with cricket. Servers deliver your tray of food. And if they’re not too busy, check back to see if you like it. In all likelihood, you’ll nod yes.

Facts Rainforest Restobar Crystal Paradise, Off Veera Desai Road, Near Skoda Showroom, Andheri West Mumbai 400053. Tel: (022) 65176567/9 Price: Meal for two `1000 (without alcohol)

Dine shine AND

MULLED WINE Ingredients 1 glass 60 gm 1/2 tsp 1 tsp 1 tsp 1/2 tsp

Wine (Red / Cabernet Shiraz) Sugar (preferably Vanilla Sugar) or Honey Cinnamon powder Nutmeg (grated) Orange zest Dried bay leaf (powder)

Method • Pour the wine into a pan and heat it on a low flame on double boiler • Add orange zest, sugar/honey, bay leaf powder, cinnamon • Add nutmeg powder and stir well. • Heat the wine mixture until the sugar crystals or honey has dissolved completely • Strain the wine into glasses and serve hot

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Chef Bhupesh Jain

of Ca Va, a fine dine European restaurant in Delhi, dishes out a sumptuous array of mouth-watering delights Photographs by Ashish Sahi

FREXINET CORDON ROSADO BRUT CA VA SELECTION risotto. For cavas with higher sugar level such as Cordon Rosado, their fruitier palates compliment poultry and pork as well as many light desserts. Cavas with a fruitier palate are best paired with sweet/ sour dishes – the cava will bring out the flavours of the dish and vice-versa. Extra dry cavas, with their sweeter palates, are excellent companions for appetizers and Asian foods.

FOOD

A great party sparkler from Spain, its attractive pink cascades bursts with the zest and flavour of fruits and wild berries. Freixenet Cordon Rosado was created to meet consumer demand for a premium sparkling wine that is smoother, softer and “friendlier” than brut with an appealing and attractive colour. This sparkling wine is fresh, crisp and lively. It is full of ripe cherry and berry flavours with a body that is exceptionally smooth and satiny. Surprisingly dry with a long and satisfying finish, it goes well with white meat, low fat cheese ravioli and wild mushroom

• Grape varieties: Garnacha/Trepat • Region: Spain • Style: Dry

AGLIO OLIO PENNE WITH VEGETABLES Ingredients 2 cup 1 tbs 4 tbs ¼ 2 cup

Cooked penne pasta Chopped garlic Olive oil Olive (Black and green both) Diced mix vegetables Red pepper

Method • Blanch mix vegetables • Toss olives and mix vegetables with garlic in olive oil. Add penne paste, salt and red pepper to taste and serve.

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WATERMELON & FETA SALAD Ingredients 1 cup ½ cup 2 cup 2 tbs 1 tbs ¼ ¼ tbs 1tbs

Cold watermelon, cubed Feta cheese, crumbled or cubed Roquette lettuce Cream Olive oli Apple (slice) Balsamic vinegar Pine nut for garnish

Method Place Roquette leaf, watermelon, and apple slice, cream and olive oil in a bowl, then the feta cheese. Mix well. Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar and garnish with pine nut and feta cheese. Tip: Replace roquette lettuce with baby spinach in case of unavailability

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BLOODY MARY A Bloody Mary is a popular cocktail containing vodka, tomato juice, and usually other spices or flavours such as Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, celery, olive, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, and celery salt. Type: Mixed drink Primary alcohol by volume: Vodka 60 ml Served on the rocks: Poured over ice Standard garnish Celery stick or Lemon wedge Standard drinkware: Rolly Polly or Old Fashioned

Specified ingredients • 4.5 cl (3 parts) Vodka • 9.0 cl (6 parts) Tomato juice • 1.5 cl (1 part) Lemon juice

Preparation Add dashes of Worcestershire Sauce, Tabasco, salt and pepper into rolly polly glass, then pour all ingredients into glass with ice cubes. Stir gently. Garnish with celery stalk and lemon wedge (optional).

ORANGE ANS LEMON BASA WITH PARSLEY BUTTER SAUCE Ingredients 1 fillet 1 1 2 1 tbs 2 tbs 1 tbs 1 tbs 3 tbs 2 tbs 1 tbs

Basa fish Orange Lemon Lime leaf Fresh Thyme Olive oil Chopped onion Butter Chopped parsley Corn flour White vinegar White wine

SUTTER HOME SAUVIGNON BLANC A young and bright wine from California with fresh honey dew and grapefruit aromas balanced by a pleasant grassiness. This food-friendly wine imparts bright, fresh honeydew melon, grapefruit, and passion fruit aroma. Its rich, round flavours suggest melon, lime, and grapefruit finished with spice and minerals. An extremely versatile wine, it pairs beautifully with shell-fish, broiled or pan-fried trout, snapper, sole, herb-roasted chicken, Caesar salad, mild cheeses and vegetarian fare. • Grape varieties: Sauvignon Blanc • Region: California (US) • Style: Fruity

Method • Cut two orange and lemon slices, reserving the remaining fruit • Rinse the fish fillet under cold running water and pat dry with kitchen paper. • Place the fillet, cut- side up, and slice 2 x 4 inch • Take a slice of fish and toped with orange and lemon slice, lime leaf and fresh thyme, and cover with another fish slice, tie with kitchen string to secure the orange and lemon slice • Place it in a large, shallow, non-metallic dish • Squeeze the juice from the remaining fruit and mix with the oil in a jug. Season to taste with salt, then spoon the mixture over the fish. Cover with Clingfilm and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for up to an hour, spooning the marinade over the fish once or twice. • Pre-heat a pan with olive oil, pan fry the fish from both side and cook for 7 to 8 minute on 220c in an oven, and serve with parsley butter sauce.

Parsley butter sauce • Sauté chopped onion in butter, don’t cook too much • Add chopped parsley, white vinegar, white wine, cook for while • And finely add corn flour, serve hot Tip: (Replace fish with cottage cheese or tofu for vegetarians)

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ROASTED PEPPER SOUP Ingredients 1 cup 3 1 1 1 tbs 1 tbs 750 ml/3 cup 15 ml/1 tbs 4 tbs

Cold watermelon, cubed Red bell peppers Yellow pepper Onion, chopped Minced garlic Olive oil Vegetable stock* Plain flour Salt and pepper to taste Red and yellow peppers, diced, to garnish

Method • Pre-heat the grill. Halve the pepper and remove the stalks and white pith. Scrape out the seeds. • Line a grill pan with foil and arrange the halved peppers, skin-side up, in a single layer. Grill until the skins have blackened and blistered. • Peel away the skins, under cold running water, and throw away. Roughly chop the flesh. • Put the onion, garlic and 150 ml stock into a large saucepan. Bring to the boil and boil for five minutes until most of the stock has reduced. Lower the heat and stir until the onion is softened and just beginning to colour. • Sprinkle the flour over the onion, then gradually stir in the remaining stock. Add the chopped, roasted peppers and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for a further five minutes. • Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly, then puree in a blender or food processor until smooth. Season to taste with salt and ground black pepper. Return to the saucepan and reheat the soup until piping hot. Ladle into four soup plates and garnish each with a sprinkling of diced peppers.

Vegetable stock 100 gm 100 gm 100 gm 100 gm 1.5 litre

Onion Carrots Celery Leek Water

Method • Roughly chop all the vegetables • Place all the ingredients in a saucepan, add the water and bring to boil • Allow to simmer for approximately an hour • Skim if necessary. Strain and use. Tip: You can roast bell pepper over gas range on low flame, and make vegetable stock in large quantity and use in sauces and curry to enhance the flavour. You also get ready stock cubes from any good grocery store.

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FOOD

LAYERED STRAWBERRY AND CATS TONGUE Ingredients 2 tbs 3 tbs 8 6

Honey Mascarpone cheese Strawberry Cats tongue cookies

Method • Blend honey and mascarpone cheese well • Cut strawberry in half • Pour some strawberry and cookies in a glass, top with honey and cheese mix, repeat the process until the glass is completely full. Garnish with fresh strawberry and cookies and serve.

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by Alam Srinivas

The Tongue Twister’s Inc.

S

enior Congress leaders, of late, seem to have perfected the art of putting their foot in their mouths, or hiding brains in their knees. Comments that are contradictory, irrational, and unintelligent have become the norm, rather than rare exceptions. Digvijay Singh, or Diggy Raja, looks a pauper when it comes to political ideas. He can’t make up his mind whether he wants Rahul Gandhi to be the next PM or not. Neither is he sure whether the office of the PM should be included in the proposed Lok Pal Bill. All that he is worried about is to see his face on the idiot box as he regularly changes his stance. Kapil Sibal, in contrast, has possibly forgotten that

Jairam Ramesh Q

Q

his feet are meant to walk. After the 2G scam, when he became the telecom minister, he said that auction may not be the right way to allocate precious and limited spectrum to telecom companies. Well, he forgot two things. First, that the genesis of the 2G scandal was that spectrum was given away at throwaway prices by the previous minister. And, second, that his statement contradicted the fact that the government had auctioned the 3G spectrum because of the 2G controversy. Did he mean that his colleagues, including the PM, were wrong? Did 10 encourage him? Shockingly, even the PM-in-waiting, Rahul Gandhi, is afflicted by this foot-mouth syndrome. The heirapparent to the throne of Indian democracy definitely has a problem with his ear, apart from the foot, mouth, brains and knees. He accepts anything that is told to him. So, when he recently went to Bhatta Parsaul in Greater Noida, where the Police acted against the villagers protesting land acquisition by the state government in their area, he blindly (oh, one forgot to add the problem with his eyes) bought the claims that there was “a large 70 foot… ashes there with dead bodies inside” and that “women have been raped” by the Police. None of this turned out to be true; the Human Rights Commission later found no evidence of rape, nor did anyone find the scores of bodies. 042 | JULY 11

Q

I think our cities have the dubious distinction of being the dirtiest cities in the world. There is no doubt about it. If there is a Nobel Prize for dirt and filth, India will win it hands down (November 2009) I still have not been able to figure out after 60 years of Independence why we stick to these barbaric colonial relics. Why can’t we have convocations in simple dress instead of coming dressed up as medieval vicars and popes? (April 2010) On a visit to Beijing, he remarked that the policies of the Union Home Ministry towards China were “alarmist and paranoid”. He also stated that the “overly defensive” approach in the security establishments in India was putting “needless” restrictions on Chinese investments in India as “we are imagining demons where there are none. Presidential elections, where the vote of each MP and MLA matters.

Rahul Gandhi Q

Every party in power can pressure institutions. Every government tries to push its people into such agencies. It is a fact, it is a reality of Indian politics. (On CBI giving clean chit to Italian middleman Ottavio Quattrocchi in the Bofors case)

Nitin Gadkari Q

Q

Inspite of the SC orders, Congress has not been able to execute Afzal Guru yet. I want to ask Congress leaders, ‘Is Afzal Guru your son-inlaw. Mulayam Singh and Laloo talk of opposing the Congress. They also kneeled before the CBI. They used to roar like lions, but in the end they ended up licking the boots of Sonia Gandhi like dogs. (May 2010)

1.53 lakh The number of dollar millionaires in India in 2010, making our high net worth individual population the 12th largest across the globe, according to the annual World Wealth Report of Merryl Lynch Wealth Management and Capgemini. The list is led by the US, with a HNI population of 31,04,000. In Asia Pacific, India has the highest number of millionaires after Japan, China and Australia.

Photograph: Getty Images

Wicket-to-wicked?

W

hat should great sportsmen do with the dozens of medals, trophies, shields and gifts they get? The question becomes pertinent when they win the same tournament several times in their career, or get similar gifts. Obviously, they should sell them off and earn some money instead of letting them gather dust and take up valuable space in their houses (which themselves cost a fortune). Thus, I find nothing wrong with Sachin Tendulkar’s decision to sell his Ferrari, gifted by Fiat after he equaled Don Bradman’s record of scoring 29 centuries in Tests, and trade it for a Nissan. He was merely bored of seeing the same Ferrari parked in his porch each day for so many years. He needed a change of model. Anyway, the Ferrari had some bad memories attached to it. Imagine when he got the gift, the Indian government asked him to pay a hefty Customs duty on it. Didn’t the tax authorities realise that Sachin had not bought the car; the gift was imposed on him. When Sachin asked for an exemption, the issue became controversial, and only a last-minute intervention by senior officials in the finance ministry helped him wriggle out of the payment of `1.13 crore (on a `75 lakh car).

Rich strokes, perfect score A rough list of the windfall for the Indian cricketers for lifting the two World Cups Q

Q

Q

Q

Q

Q

Ist AC lifetime passes by Indian Railways: To each member of the team. The pass is valid with one companion for unlimited free travel to anywhere in the country.

Q

Promotions by Air India: To captain Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and Suresh Raina, all employed with the national carrier.

`1 crore: To each member of the winning team by the Board of Control for Cricket in India. The 2011 Audi Q5 Crossover SUV: To Yuvraj Singh, adjudged player of the series at the ICC Cricket World Cup. `2 crore by Delhi government: To captain M. S. Dhoni. And a crore each to four players from the state: Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli and Ashish Nehra. `1 crore by Maharashtra government: To Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan. `1 crore by Punjab

plots in Mussoorie to Dhoni and Sachin.

government: To Harbhajan and Yuvraj Singh.

Q

Q

Carpets by people of Bhadohi in Uttar Pradesh: To each member of the team. These hand-woven carpets are in the shape of their faces. Residential plots by Karnataka government: To each member of the team. Uttarakhand government also announced residential

Q

Eklayvya award by Gujarat government: To Yusuf Pathan and Munaf Patel. The award carries a prize money of `1 lakh and a citation.

Q

Best sporstperson of the year award by Haryana government: To Sehwag and Nehra.

Q

Kanshiram International Sports awards by UP: To Suresh Raina and Piyush Chawla.

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Luxury villa at the Amrapali Dream Valley project: While captain Dhoni was reportedly given a grand villa covering 2,900 sq ft worth `1 crore, other team members were gifted 1,690 sq ft villas worth `55 lakh each.

I hope that like what the master blaster sometimes does with his cricketing gear, he should announce an auction of most of the gifts and trophies that he has got in the last two decades, and pocket the entire amount. Of course, he can donate 1 per cent, or let’s say half-aper cent, of the amount to charities, which are run by his friends and relatives. And he should use the rest to open more restaurants, buy more real estate, and judiciously invest in financial instruments. After all, he is 38 and likely to retire in the next few years. 043 | JULY 11

Photograph: Photos 12/Alamy/IndiaPicture

Pitching for success: A reel-life encounter

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agaan, released in April 2001, became the first Indian movie to win an Oscar. More importantly, what most experts failed to see, it was the rare Bollywood flick that was able to foresee the future of cricket. The underlying, and not-so-distinct plot of the film was the fact that a bunch of unskilled and untrained Indian villagers beat the hell out of properlycoached Englishmen in a game that was invented and nurtured by Britain. Lagaan, in that sense, signaled the possibility that the axis of power in the game would shift from England-Australia-West Indies to the subcontinent. Although India had won the ODI World Cup in 1983, and co-hosted the ODI World Cup in 1996, which was won by Sri Lanka, India’s cricketing fortunes really changed in February-April 2001. This was the period when Australia, the topmost team then, toured India for a three-Test series. The Aussies won the first Test, their 16th win in a row. And then the tide turned in

favour of India. After being forced to follow on, thanks to unbelievable innings by Rahul Dravid and V.V.S. Laxman, India won the second Test. And the third and, with that, the Test series. Since then India has emerged as the No 1 Test nation, won the inaugural T-20 World Cup, and the ODI World Cup for the second time in 2011. An Indian, Sharad Pawar is the head of the International Cricket Board. The country runs the most expensive cricket tournament, the $4-billion Indian Premier League. More importantly, India generates bulk of the global cricketing revenues as it has the highest number of viewers (both in terms of ticket buyers and TV watchers). Clearly, the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) is the game’s new big bully. It can decide that it is not in favor of umpire review system (hawk eye), it will not send Indian players for an IPL-like T-20 league in Sri Lanka, and it will force other boards to adhere to most of its views.

I have different ideas of home, and I don’t feel I have to choose between them. There will always be a sense that going to Bombay will feel like going home. London is the place I have lived longer than anywhere else, and both my children are here, and my sister. And then I feel very at home in New York. It’s a good place to write, not least because people work incredibly hard there. You feel like a loser if you are not grafting away. Author Salman Rushdie in a recent interview 044 | JULY 11

Pasta buck According to a global survey conducted by Oxfam, pasta is the world’s most favourite food. The global survey polled over 8,000 participants across 17 countries from a variety of social and economical backgrounds to summarise attitudes towards foods. Q

Pasta was closely followed by rice, pizza, chicken and meat.

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Indians ranked ‘Indian’, ‘rice/ pilaf/ risotto’ and ‘biriyani’ as their three favourite food.

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While respondents in the UK ranked steak as their favourite food, those in the US placed pizza on top, and Pakistanis ranked vegetables as their number one favourite. Australians went for chocolate above other favourites pasta and streak.

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Respondents from 15 of the 17 countries said high prices played a big role in their choosing food. Over 50 per cent of those polled said they no longer eat some of the food they did two years ago because of rising costs.

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Majority of respondents in the Philippines and India, however, said they are more likely to choose their food by its health impact.

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Interestingly, Italian, Chinese, Indian and Mexican were consistently identified as favourite types of cuisine.

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Only 66 per cent of respondents from India said they always have enough to eat on a daily basis. On the other hand, if you’ve got a full belly in Mexico or Pakistan, you are in the minority. If you’ve got a full belly in Kenya or Tanzania, you’re the lucky one out of every four people.

Photograph: Dreamstime

The colour of this money is black

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he last bastions of global banking secrecies are falling down. The other day I read a news item that Swiss Banks may be willing to provide information on accounts held by Indians. Banks in another tax haven, Leichenstein, have already provided the Indian tax authorities with 18 such accounts. Now, Mauritius seems to be willing to lift the corporate veil over firms registered there. Slowly, but steadily, the noose around the neck of those who have stashed money abroad seems to be tightening. It may not be long before non-payment and avoidance of taxes is made a criminal offense. But I feel that this process is not going to be easy. Tax havens will resist any moves to make their accounts more transparent for as long as possible, while making the right publicly-heard noises. Even if they finally agree after years, India will have to prove that the money in those accounts was from income generated here, and not in other countries. Thereafter, evidence

will have to be gathered to establish that this is black money, and that no taxes have been paid on it. Finally, the courts will deliver judgments on them. I don’t think we will be able to take all these steps in less than 5-10 years. More importantly, when the Swiss banks, and those in other tax havens, accede to India’s demands, one may find that there is not much money in those accounts. For the new trend, which has been visible since 1995, is that the black money stashed abroad finds its way back to India as white one. There are several ways to do this. One is to route the money through Mauritius, where there is no capital gains tax and with whom India has signed a double-taxation agreement, and invest it in India. The second is to invest them in global funds (like hedge funds), which put the money directly in Indian stock markets. The third is to buy real estate in India, through benami NRIs, or abroad.

Looking London, talking Tokyo

Airbus parent company, EADS, has unveiled a hypersonic, stratospheric airliner, the Zehst, at the Le Bourget airshow near Paris. To be operational by 2050, it can fly twice as fast and twice as high as Concorde. That means it can fly to Tokyo from London in under two-and-a-half hours, or do Paris-New York in 90 minutes. The space flight between Paris and New York will cost around 6,000 euro and the Zehst can carry up to 100 passengers at a speed of 3,000 miles per hour. It would have three different forms of propulsion to eliminate noise problems: take-off using quiet turbo-reactors powered by a biofuel made from seaweed or algae, and to reach cruising height just outside the atmosphere, use clean rocket engines fuelled by liquid hydrogen and oxygen. EADS calls it a ‘commercial rocket plane’. 045 | JULY 11

by Sudha G. Tilak

Broken Republic By Arundhati Roy Penguin Pages: 220 Price: `499

His Majesty’s Opponent: Subhas Chandra Bose and India’s Struggle Against the Empire By Sugata Bose Penguin Pages: 389 Price: `699

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ince the Booker prize in 1997 for her novel The God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy’s writing has been confirmed to long essays and polemical volumes. In the past decade, she has been prominent as a crusader for causes including environment and migrants and the displaced, corruption, critiquing the Indian state, its nuclear position, globalisation and more. Roy’s writing has also reflected her opinions and causes she has espoused. Hence her latest book, Broken Republic is a collection of three long essays rising as a result of her three-week stay with the Maoists in central India. These include Mr. Chidambaram’s War, a warning on the many serious effects of indiscriminate mining in Orissa and the large-scale migration and environmental effects; Walking with The Comrades, an essay on the Maoist guerrilla movement and the lives of tribal people resisting the government; and Trickledown Revolution, about the nature of protest and its importance in the rising climate of India’s prosperity.

The essays are looped by the central theme of the disfranchised and the marginalised and how the state and its prosperous citizens seem to co-habit a larger part of global economy, snuffing out the lives and climes of India’s many indigenous peoples and their lands. Roy remains a bur on the silken flesh of uneven prosperity. Her shrillness can’t be ignored. 046 | JULY 11

ubhas Chandra Bose remains an enduring legendary figure among Indian nationalists. The reasons are not hard to find as this ambitious and detailed book, written by his great grand-nephew Sugata Bose, seeks to offer answers to Bose’s ideologies, his associations and his brand of nationalism and the mystery and conjectures that surrounded his death. Netaji or the leader remains a “deathless hero” in the minds and hearts of his many followers even today. Bose brings to life Netaji’s charisma as a leader and his personal warmth and convictions through the course of his life.

The biography breaks preconceived notions about Netaji having virulently opposed the Congress and Gandhi. The books details how early on while studying in Cambridge, Netaji had rejected an offer to join the prestigious Indian Civil Services. Instead

he joined the Congress and was later elected the president of the Indian National Congress in 1938-1939. His differing views with Gandhi and frequent arrests that led to his daring and dramatic flight from India to Europe and the birth of the Indian National Army (INA) to challenge the Allied Forces in World War II read like a thriller in the book. And in a definitive manner the biography puts to rest the unending speculations about Netaji’s demise in 1945 in a plane crash. The biography details the environment in Calcutta and Cambridge that led to Netaji’s intellectual ideas, his compelling belief in fostering Hindu-Muslim amity, the gruelling imprisonments, his daring journeys and ambitious plans for the INA to bring freedom for the motherland and the terrible end that befell him. The biography reads like an epic about one of the world’s enduring warriors of freedom.

River of Smoke (Ibis trilogy 2) By Amitav Ghosh Penguin Pages: 568 Price: `699

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mitav Ghosh is one of India’s master storytellers. It was evident in the ambitious nautical journey set out in the first of the trilogy, The Sea of Poppies, shortlisted for the Man Booker in 2008. It detailed an epic sage and a motley jahaj-bhais or ship brothers, voyagers seeking their independent destinies, in the choppy waters of the Indian Ocean. In The River of Smoke, the second of the Ibis trilogy, the readers are taken into the whirlpool of a historical epic and follow the lives of the Anahita, an opium carrier sailing towards Canton and the Redruth, a handsome and sturdy ship heading east out of Cornwall. And then there is the Ibis carrying convicts and indentured labourers from Calcutta to Mauritius in September 1838 through a storm in the Indian Ocean. The River of Smoke follows the lives and adventures of the storm-tossed crowd, and the destinies of a motley group of passengers including two convicts, a passenger and two lascars who disappear in a storm wreck. They are characters with their own stories, battling their demons and fate, seeking to alter their destinies in

By V. S. Ramachandran Random House Pages: 384 Price: `499 are also witness to the daunting moral universe of a young woman who since 14 had strong views about what she denounced as immoral and her anger against the Western and Judeo Christian

the uncertain waters of the ocean and the shores of China. The novel ups the scales of the grand saga The Sea of Poppies set out to narrate, vibrant in imagery and meticulous in detail and grand in scale. The River of Smoke similarly promises grandeur and depth in equal measure.

In this fascinating book, Ramachandran explains many mental disorders and afflictions like the Cotard syndrome or walking corpse syndrome where a person is under delusion they are dead; Capgras syndrome where a person believes those around him are imposters or telephone syndrome where a comatose person can converse on the phone. Ramachandran reveals how through over 150,000 years, human brains began to change and evolve, distinguishing us from apes and how even today the old “parts” remain and how their working in different ways gives humans distinct qualities like language, morality and feelings like hate or empathy.

The Convert: A Tale of Exile and Extremism By Deborah Baker Viking/Penguin Pages: 246 Price: `450

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n 1962, 28-year-old Margaret Marcus, a New Yorker, left for Pakistan. The young woman abandoned her Jewish upbringing and changed her name to Maryam Jameelah to travel and live in the household of Maulana Mawdudi, the leader of Jama-at-I-Islami in Lahore. Deborah Baker’s The Convert follows the extraordinary life of Maryam through her own words as she recorded her life and experiences in Lahore and her Islamic life in letters to her parents back home.

Baker’s reconstruction of Maryam’s life is largely based on the letters she had written and finds her life is a fable about Islam and America. Maryam had set out on this unusual journey in search of an absolute moral ethic and what could be called her need for emotional security in a faith. It is difficult to find clarity in a life that was touched by rival faiths, individual versions of history, disillusionment with a personal search and family discords and possible mental illness. However, the narrative remains interesting to note the tenacity and patience with which the young woman had chosen to adopt new habits and ways of living. We

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ilayanur S. Ramachandran, the Indian-born neuroscientist, has been mapping the brain to understand how much of human behaviour is controlled by the brain. In his book, much like an explorer-cum-detective, he seeks to explain the mysteries of the brain, a landscape of nerve cells, and connections and immense capabilities. At the end of the book, his many astounding research and findings like the “phantomlimb” notwithstanding, Ramachandran wonders aloud despite advance brain mapping and research how “little we know about the brain”.

values as material. We are witness to her own anger or what could be called “liberal guilt” and her naive wish for amity between the Arab and Jewish people to live as one world. Living in Lahore, Maryam had married and borne three children whom she did not seem psychologically fit to care for, and wrote books that were diatribes against the West. But in years to come, her disillusionment with dogmatic and fundamental Islam had also set in.

Ramachandran’s language and sense of humour are all too Indian and prosaic, however his inferences are worth a thought. “We feel like angels trapped inside the bodies of beasts”, says Ramachandran of the human condition. His attempt at seeking to map the brain makes the book a worthy read.

The book also includes Baker’s visit to meet Maryam in Lahore many years after 9/11 to only find an old woman “filled with fears”, unsure about the absolute faith she would have liked to have believed in and chose that yet left her crazy, isolated and disillusioned. An interesting story of two worlds and a mind cleaved between two irreconcilable dogmas. 047 | JULY 11

THE HUB

The Tell-Tale Brain

Atomic scientist and former Indian President, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, 2:30 pm, Hubli, India

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THE HUB

Frames of mind

Photographer Zakia Shakir journeyed around the world several times in the last three years in search of men who inspire India. She wanted to capture through her lens the essence of what makes them the people they are, going beyond their public image. The result: a veritable collector’s tome of unique portraits of more than 50 larger-thanlife Indian men in their personal spaces. Four copies of the book with signatures of those photographed would be auctioned and the proceeds given to The Akshaya Patra Foundation. The first charity event was held in London. Men Who Inspire India Photography: Zakia Shakir Published by: Om Books International Website: www.menwhoinspireindia.com

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THE HUB

Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, 2:14 pm, Mumbai, India Facing page

Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, 5:11 pm, Bengaluru, India

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Industrialist Mukesh Ambani, 4:04 pm, Mumbai, India

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THE HUB Author Vikram Seth, 8:30 am, London, UK

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Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain, 2:04 pm, Mumbai, India Facing page

Tennis player Leander Paes, 3:52pm, Lonawala, India

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THE T TH HE HU H HUB UB 05 055 0 55 5 | JUL JJULY JU UL U L LYY 1 11 1

THE HUB

Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah, 12:45 pm, Srinagar, India Facing page

Actor Hrithik Roshan, 11 am, Mumbai, India

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(QJLQHHULQJ

FEAR Is there a link between science, engineering and radical Islam? In a soon-to-be-published book, authors Diego Gambetta and Steffen Hertog argue that this stream of education is “over-represented� among violent Islamic radicals all over the world. by Soutik Biswas

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FEATURES Photograph: Getty Images

Photograph: Sion Touhig/Network/Corbis

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All of them studied engineering. Gambetta and Hertog compiled a list of 404 members of violent Islamist groups. A total of 126 men belonged to the “international Salafi jihadis”. About 75 of them are “international jihadis” involved in major international attacks. Some 81 are in Hamas, while another 39 belong to Afghan, Pakistani, Egyptian and Iraqi groups. The remaining 83 belong to Egypt’s Takfir Al-Hijra and Military Academy Group and other militant groups in South East Asia and the Palestinian territories. In this group, 178 men had engaged in higher education. And, now comes the surprise, 78 of them – or 44% – had studied engineering. Gambetta and Hertog also gathered information about 265 Islamic radicals who are citizens or residents of a Western country and have come to the attention of authorities for carrying out or plotting a terrorist attack in the West. They found information on the type of degree pursued by 22 of them – nearly 60 per cent of these men had an engineering background. Pakistani journalist and writer Ahmed Rashid, author of the best-selling book Taliban, tells me there is more evidence to link Islamic radicals to engineering backgrounds. He cites the example of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, leader of Afghanistan’s second biggest militant group Hezb-e-Islami, who is a qualified engineer. Also, according to Rashid, senior leaders of the Pakistan’s Lashkar-e-Taiba came from the engineering department at a university in Lahore. Radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza also studied civil engineering before leaving for England in 1979 – one of the his first major engineering contracts took him to Sandhurst, the Royal Military Academy. What about the Taliban? “In the case of the Taliban, those guys were just so uneducated that we can’t really test for whether, as it were, they would have been engineers if they had had the chance,” says Hertog, adding: “But there is evidence that the warlords of the 1980s and many of the mujahideen, who still had a background in higher education, many of those guys were engineers. The engineering faculty in Kabul was a recruitment ground for the Islamists.” But it is possible that the key question may not be one of the link between engineering and

Islamic radicalism, but engineering and right-wing extremism. The study’s authors say they failed to find engineering among left-wing extremists active after World War II, despite their generally high levels of education. Law and humanities graduates dominated the ranks of the Italian Red Brigades and Latin American urban guerrillas, for example. By contrast, they found engineers “if not over-represented (or) at least clearly present” among right-wing extremists – such as neo-Nazis in Germany and Australia. But Gambetta and Hertog also quote a separate study conducted in 1977 to show that engineers have a propensity to become radicalised not in general but in Islamic countries in particular. This study of 350 individuals of 18 groups of urban left-wing revolutionaries in 10 countries found that engineers were never a significant presence with two exceptions – Iranian and Turkish groups, who had a “high proportion of engineers”. Gambetta and Hertog qualify that the “number of militant engineers relative to the total population of engineers is miniscule”. Yet, they say, “engineers, relative to other graduates, are overrepresented among violent Islamic radicals by three to four times the size we would expect.” Also, interestingly, Gambetta and Hertog found no evidence to prove that engineering graduates were hired by radical groups because of their technical skills. Though three of the four pilots involved in the September 11 attacks were engineers, the authors believe that “deliberate recruitment” for technical tasks “probably occurs with respect to internal allocation of tasks for specific operations”. The authors believe that Islamic radicals are more comfortable with engineering. “We can conjecture that engineering as a degree might be relatively more attractive to individuals seeking cognitive ‘closure’ and clear-cut answers as opposed to more open-ended sciences,” they say. Also, they say, “engineering is a subject in which individuals with a dislike for ambiguity might feel comfortable”. The authors say Islamic ideology’s “cocktail of tradition and modernisation might have been a particularly good match for engineers”. Ahmed Rashid says that another reason is that “engineering is not open to interpretation just like Koran and Islam”. Are engineers sucked into the world of Islamic radicalism because of deprivation? “We concede in our book manuscript that quite a few individuals come from well-to-do families, which is why relative deprivation cannot be the whole story,” Hertog says. “Nonetheless, we also have quite a few cases from lower middle class families who have suffered, or are likely to have suffered from deprivation. It is important to understand the relative aspect of deprivation. It’s not about being worse off than others, but about being worse off that one expects or thinks deserves to be. There will be much more data in the book, and much more narrative, historical and biographical,” Hertog says. The upside? Women are safe. “There are no women in our samples,” he says.

FEATURES

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s there a link between engineering and violent Islamic radicalism? Academics Diego Gambetta and Steffen Hertog believe so. In an upcoming book, Engineers of Jihad, to be published by Princeton University Press, Gambetta and Hertog argue that engineers are “over-represented among violent Islamic radicals everywhere”. Dr Gambetta is a professor of sociology at Nuffield College, University of Oxford, while Hertog teaches social sciences at the Chaire Moyen Orient-Mediterranee, Sciences Po, Paris. Going by their work, the alleged ringleader of the 11 September attacks Mohammed Atta, radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki and suspected Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, charged with the attempted Christmas Day bombing of a US-bound flight, are no exceptions.

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FEATURES

Whatever it took to step out of their fathers’ long shadows, the Beatle sons have now risen. But will they ever break our hearts by coming together and playing on the same stage? by Bijoy Venugopal

Photograph: Robb D. Cohen/ Retna ltd./Corbis

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uring the Beatles’ epic breakup in 1969, Julian Lennon was caught in a different crossfire. John Lennon’s son from his marriage to Cynthia Powell and the eldest of the Beatles progeny, John Charles Julian Lennon was born in 1963 just as the Fab Four poised to leap across the universe. His parents, high-school sweethearts, had married unceremoniously after Cynthia became pregnant. Wary of jeopardising the Beatles’ boy band image, manager Brian Epstein forced Lennon to keep his marriage quiet. Beatlemania blew the Lennons apart. While Cynthia tolerated her husband’s extra-marital dalliances, there was one she could not stave away. “She was persistent and she didn’t give up,” Cynthia said of Japanese avant-garde musician Yoko Ono. Returning from a sojourn she found an unapologetic Lennon with Ono, who had “borrowed” her bathrobe. Caught in the midst of his parents’ divorce, Julian shuttled between homes. It was clearly a period of inexorable sadness for young Julian, and one that scarred him permanently. Paul McCartney, possessed of avuncular tenderness, comforted the boy by singing “Hey Jules.” Renamed, the song entered the Beatles’ catalogue and became one of their greatest hits. Many years later, Lennon lauded “Hey Jude” as one of McCartney’s finest compositions, though all the while he had imagined that it was written for him and Ono. Lennon and Ono married in 1969 and their relationship became a scratching post for modernists of all stripes. The fab couple moved to New York in 1971, cutting Julian out of the family album. In 1973, John separated briefly from Ono and fell into an eventful 18-month relationship with her production coordinator May Pang; Lennon later described it as his “Lost Weekend”. Pang, who subsequently wrote two memoirs about this period of her life, encouraged John to reconnect with his estranged son, who then lived in England. Eleven-year-old Julian spent Christmas with his father. They made music: the credit “starring Julian Lennon on drums and Dad on piano and vocals” appeared on Walls and Bridges (1974), notable for the only No 1 hit of Lennon’s solo career. Things fell apart when Lennon and Ono reunited abruptly. And fruitfully, it would seem, for in 1975, Sean Taro Ono Lennon was born. This time Lennon overcompensated as father and house-husband, enjoying a near-permanent hiatus from music to lavish attention on his newborn son. After Lennon was murdered in 1980, Julian was effectively cast away from his dad’s estate. Sixteen years later, he paid £55,000 at an auction for his father’s memorabilia, among which were the recording notes to “Hey Jude”. In 1984, Julian Lennon burst on the charts with Valotte. Nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy in 1985, the album produced two Top 10 hits and sold 1.5 million copies worldwide – the biggest success enjoyed by a next-generation Beatle. His next, The Secret Value of Daydreaming (1986), sold over 500,000 copies in the US. Pressured to fill his father’s place in the world, Julian caved. When the next three albums sank, he took to drugs and sought respite in sculpture, cooking and concert photography – the last starting with half-brother Sean’s 2007 tour. Sean Lennon, who was five when his father died, grew up under his mother’s wing and with both hands in her 064 | JULY 11

fathomless pockets. Through childhood, he appeared on Ono’s albums and formed the band IMA to back her on Rising (1995). He starred in Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker video and co-wrote a song for Lenny Kravitz. With Julian’s capricious career wide open before him as a “how not to” handbook, Sean ventured into a careful choice of collaborations – first with the food-besotted pop band Cibo Matto, fronted by two Japanese women, and then with Adam Yauch of Beastie Boys, the punk band that owned the label Grand Royal Records. In 1998, the label released Sean’s Into the Sun. The album entered the US Top 200 but critics booed it out. He returned in 2006 with Friendly Fire which, a reviewer wrote, “fades away as it plays”. Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger, his current project with precocious fashion model and long-time girlfriend Charlotte Kemp Muhl, engendered the eclectic album Acoustic Sessions in October 2010. In a throwback to his father’s experience, National Public Radio commented that Sean had “found his own voice – and the perfect songwriting partner – to produce his best work yet”. Arguably the brightest spark born of Beatle loins is Zak Starkey, son of drummer Ringo Starr (whose real name is Richard Starkey) and his first wife Maureen Cox (Ringo’s younger son Jason had a low-key musical career and several problems with the law). At eight, Zak found a mentor in godfather Keith Moon, the explosive and charismatic drummer of The Who (Moon died of an accidental drug overdose in 1978). After stints with the Icicle Works and his father’s All Starr Band, Starkey joined The Who on their Quadrophenia tour in 1996. Critics and bandmates hailed

him as Moon’s worthy successor. In 2004, Starkey began working with Britpop heavyweights Oasis – his “most inspiring band”. After a four-year outing, which included work on studio albums Don’t Believe the Truth (2005) and Dig Out Your Soul (2007), Starkey returned to The Who and appeared with them as recently as 2010. Now 45, Starkey has his tongue firmly in cheek whenever he comments on being a celebrity son. “I am not a rock‘n’roll star,” he once said. “I’m not famous... but I am a very successful musician.” A measure of success also sought out Dhani Harrison, son of George Harrison and his Mexican second wife Olivia Arias. Named for the sixth and seventh notes of the Indian music scale, Dhani was born in 1978 before his parents were married (Harrison’s first wife Pattie Boyd later married Eric Clapton). Endowed with his father’s brooding brow and piercing dark eyes, Dhani played his first show with Harrison in Tokyo before 50,000 people. He also played a major part in his father’s posthumous album Brainwashed

FEATURES (2002), produced by Jeff Lynne, Harrison’s bandmate in the Traveling Wilburys. After his father died of cancer in 2001, Dhani spent seven years tethering loose ends. “I don’t want to spend my whole career dealing with his work,” he remarked in an interview. “I want to go out and make my own stuff.”

Photograph: Zachary Delacruz/Corbis

SEAN LENNON (LEFT, WITH MOTHER YOKO ONO AND BROTHER JULIAN), WHO WAS

FIVE WHEN HIS FATHER DIED, GREW UP UNDER HIS MOTHER’S WING AND WITH

BOTH HANDS IN HER FATHOMLESS POCKETS. THROUGH

CHILDHOOD, HE APPEARED ON ONO’S ALBUMS AND FORMED THE BAND IMA TO BACK HER ON RISING (1995). HE STARRED IN MICHAEL

JACKSON’S MOONWALKER VIDEO AND CO-WROTE A SONG FOR LENNY KRAVITZ.

In 2006, he joined Bob Dylan’s son Jakob to record John Lennon’s “Gimme Some Truth”. He also performed on two Traveling Wilburys tracks (credited as Ayrton Wilbury). Later that year, he started an indie rock band Thenewno2, with whom he released a debut album You Are Here (2009). Though the band has not met with chart success, it struck a deal with American video-game manufacturer Harmonix to include two songs on the wildly popular game The Beatles: Rock Band and another on its sequel. In 2010, Dhani teamed with singer-songwriters Ben Harper and Joseph Arthur for a project called Fistful of Mercy.

While none of the Beatles’ biological daughters (McCartney has three and Ringo one) took to music, the last son to crack his musical eggshell was James McCartney. Though he appeared on two of his father’s solo albums and his mother’s posthumous album Wide Prairie (Linda McCartney died of cancer in 1998), his musical career began effectively in 2010 when he previewed material from his EP Available Light, which released in September. Included is a warm-hearted cover of Neil Young’s “Old Man”, in which the young McCartney sings: “Old man, look at my life, I’m a lot like you were.” Perhaps Julian Lennon should have heeded the wisdom in those lines. Or perhaps he has eventually, for Everything Changes, his first studio album since Photograph Smile (1998), is scheduled for release this year. Whatever it took to step out of their fathers’ long shadows, the Beatle sons have now risen. But will they ever break our hearts by coming together and playing on the same stage? 065 | JULY 11

I have always been

Rajeev

Khandelwal’s caretaker Once a production assistant, doubling as an unemployed actor, Rajeev Khandelwal’s wait for the big Bollywood break may have taken longer than his liking after the successful Amir in 2008. He is back in the big league with the just-released Shaitan. Nivedita Jayaram Pawar chats up with the man known as much for his acting abilities as his dashing looks and impeccable style

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So what did you do in those eight months? There were other important things happening in my life. Like? Like reading scripts, travelling and dating. I am glad I wasn’t working round-the-clock or else I wouldn’t have married Manjiri. I could woo her, spend time with her, wait outside her office for hours... all those things convinced Manjiri that I was serious about her. I don’t think I would have had those moments if I was working. When I talk to Manjiri about our love story, I will always have the upper hand. I can always say, “Remember, I waited outside your office for 5 hours?” Did you actually do that? I did. When you start dating a woman, you want to make her feel special. So I went to her office at nine in the night to pick her up, despite her telling me that she might get late. But I still wanted to wait and let her know that I didn’t want her to travel home late. So I kept waiting from 9 in the night to 2 in the morning in the car with mosquitoes biting me. Shaitan has created such a strong buzz. Did you anticipate it? I knew that Shaitan would be a well-made film, but to be honest, I didn’t expect such an overwhelming response. I remember a few days before the release Anurag Kashyap called me and said Shaitan will be worth the wait for me. I loved his confidence. I am happy the film is generating such a good response. I am thrilled to be a part of a film that rewrites filmmaking. Every time a film like this or Amir, or A Wednesday comes along, it’s great. When I look back at my life, I will be happy to be a part of two films which signified the changing phase of cinema. So is there a conscious effort to tread off the beaten path? I don’ have a blueprint. I go with an open mind. There is just one inclination – to be a part of films that break new ground. How it ends up is always in the director’s hands. But the intent is to be a part of films that offer something new. It’s completely drilled into my head that I want to do films which have a shelf-life. What is the point of doing something that someone else has already done? Did you always want to be an actor? Yes, ever since I was in Class 3. When I was in Class 9, my dad took me to Punjab Doordarshan for a television serial – Nandu ka Chirag. I got selected for the title role but my parents didn’t allow me to do it as they wanted me to go out for about two months. So I tore the script in anger. That’s very filmy. Yes, very filmy. I guess I was always very filmy. But I gave up my hopes of a film career when I reached college. That’s when reality stuck. I didn’t know where to start. I didn’t know anyone in Mumbai. There was nobody to guide me.

After getting rejected from a couple of MBA institutes, I finally decided to make a go at my field of interest. I thought if I have to fail, I will fail. But at least I won’t regret not having tried. That one effort got me where I am. In the meanwhile l was a production assistant, a documentary writer and a documentary maker. Was there a struggle in between? I don’t want to glorify that. I don’t want to call them hardships. Each time you do that, you take away the charm of those difficult days. I remember having stayed with drivers and cleaners in a single room. I used to wash the toilet before using it, as it used to be so filthy. I didn’t have money. I had to maintain sanity and focus during that phase. You lose out of those things when you go ahead in life. I remember telling myself all those years when I was unemployed in Delhi, “You are Rajeev Khandelwal’s caretaker. You have to take care of Rajeev. Rajeev will be a national property.” You are known to be very brash and arrogant. How true is that? If believing in your self is interpreted as arrogant, what can I say? I remember when I walked out of Ekta Kapoor’s show. I was being offered huge amounts of money, but I didn’t want money. I wanted quality. Women would follow me around and I would ask myself why are they going mad about me? I was a demi God on small screen. But I had to feel deserving. I had to stand up for myself, even if the world thought I was arrogant. Someone had to stand up and say this is trash. I will not be a part of this. You are the most stylish host on TV (won the MTV most stylish host award). Do you work hard on your looks? I was quite surprised and taken aback when I was told that I was the most stylish host. But the credit goes to my stylist Rahul Agasti. My only contribution is that whatever he makes me wear, I carry it with some amount of conviction and confidence. That’s why they don’t look alien on me. So what’s your style? I am yet to discover my style. There are times when I want to wear a tuxedo and there are times when I lounge in linen pants. I am most comfortable in a pair of blue jeans and a T-shirt. I am a conventional dresser. I feel men look the best in a pair of simple jeans and T-shirt. I don’t understand newage terms like boot cut, slim fit, low rise and so on. Just give me plain old-fashioned jeans. I don’t like to look too stylised. It should look effortless (even though a lot of effort goes before selecting a particular pair of jeans and Tee. Usually I leave around 7-8 T-shirts on the bed and a few jeans on the floor!) Lastly, is there life beyond movies? Of course. I just pack my bags and take off. I am a complete outdoor adventure freak. I love to drive long distances. I go river rafting every year. Camping, pitching a tent next to a river and cooking my own food – I have done all that. I used to dream of it and now I do it regularly. In fact, my honeymoon was also a camping trip. What next? Soundtrack of a film where I play a DJ and Tanuja Chandra’s Raakh.

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You did Amir in 2008 and now Shaitan. It’s been a long break? I like doing things at my own pace, though it wasn’t deliberate. For me it’s all about breaking rules and shattering those myths. But let me tell you that I had done another film in the interim called Peter Gaya Kaam Se. I wanted it to be my second film. But the film never saw the light of the day and I was idle for about eight months. Finally I had to bury the film in my head and walk away.

jacQueline F E R N A N D E Z

Waiting in the wings Photographs by Ashish Shah (Elite Model Manegment) Styling by Rakhi Biswas Interview by Nivedita Jayaram Pawar Hair and make-up: Shaan Muttathi (Elite Model Manegment) Location: The Orchid, a five-star ecotel hotel 70-C, Nehru Road near domestic airport, Vile Parle, Mumbai – 400099 Tel: (022) 26164000; Fax: (022) 26164141

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othing is more sexy than a gorgeous woman with some serious smarts. Jacqueline Fernandez doesn’t just fire up the pages with her sensuous presence, her interesting academic pedigree takes it a notch higher. A degree in Media Studies from Sydney University sits proudly in her kitty alongside the Miss Sri Lanka crown. Other intellectual pursuits include writing a weekly column for the Daily Mirror and hosting the Lankan Business Report. Jacqueline has been in the spotlight for as long as she

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COVER STORY

WHITE DRESS BY GAURAV GUPTA // WHITE COTTON TAIL SHIRT BY NIGEL PRESTON & KNIGHT

can remember. As a teenager, this Sri Lankan beauty hosted a fitness show in Bahrain and even reported for the Bahrain summer festival. All this was taking her closer to her goal of making it big in the movies. It seems, every step Jacqueline took was aimed at that. Winning the Miss Sri Lanka title was one of them. So, when a modeling assignment landed her in Mumbai, the aspiring actor found herself part of a young, talented ensemble in a film titled Aladdin, which no one watched. After two duds, Jacqueline’s career never picked up the steam many had predicted. With the exception of the item number Dhanno in Housefull. Then, Murder 2 happened, and along came a flurry of media attention. Jacqueline’s road to stardom has just got a bit shorter. M caught up with the sizzling actor in a tell-all mood.

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COVER STORY NUDE LACE DRESS BY BURBERRY // COTTON SHIRT BY NIGEL PRESTON & KNIGHT

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Sri Lanka, Bahrain, Sydney, London and now in the movies in India… I always wanted to be in the movies. I made conscious moves all the time that could get me closer to my goal. What was it like growing up in Sri Lanka? I have two brothers and I am very close to them. I also have a sister, but she is much older than me. My brothers are my buddies and I am always roughing it out with them. And yes, I took my studies really seriously. I was awarded a scholarship to study Mass Media at the Sydney University. Why Mass Media? I wanted to be an investigative journalist – you know, reporting, broadcasting etc. I dreamt of working for a big news agency eventually. I was even interested in making documentaries. If not an actor, I would have still been doing something in the media... television or something along those lines. So, did you? For a while. I anchored the Lanka Business Report and wrote a weekly column for the Daily Mirror. We’ve heard that you are into sports as well. Yes. More than my studies, I excelled at basketball and track-and-field events. In Sri Lanka and Bahrain, I used to go for horse ridding almost everyday. It was easily available there. Here in Mumbai it means going all the way to Mahalaxmi. These days I go diving. I also play badminton with my friends and run a lot. That keeps my sporty side happy.

WINE-CROPPED JACKET BY GAURAV GUPTA // BLACK CHIFFON SHIRT, TULLE SKIRT, BOTH BY VARUN BAHL // ANKLE-LENGTH SHOES BY BURBERRY

When you think of your childhood days, what comes to mind? Big X-mas lunches! We were a fairly big family with four kids. Every year mom would get the turkey and all of us would wait anxiously for her specialties. Tom yum soup used to be our consensus favourite. It was so much fun. We did not grow up with the best, but our parents gave us the best they could offer. That to me was more than enough. By the time I was a teenager, I had started earning myself by either performing in or hosting events. Guess what would I do with my money? I used to buy Valentine’s Day gifts for my brothers’ girlfriends. Can you beat that? 073 | JULY 11

You stay alone away from family. How’s the city treating you?

The city is treating me very well. There are moments though when you feel a bit more vulnerable or targetted here. You just need to play your cards right and speak up for yourself. If you don’t indulge men, they get the point. I keep my eyes open all the time for certain hints and behaviour. I am very direct in speaking my mind.

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Do you feel like a misfit in the industry? I feel many people in this industry have made it big because they are well read and extremely intelligent. They may not have the education or the documents to show it, but they self-teach themselves. That, for me, is what make them successful. You have to be extremely intelligent to get what you want and become successful, especially in this industry. What’s your state of mind these days? I feel gorgeous. I take care of myself. Of course there are days when I just want to let go... not work out and indulge. But I realise those are the days I feel terrible. If not at home, where is one likely to find Jacqueline? At Costa Coffee or Gloria Jeans.

COVER STORY ROYAL BLUE SUIT, SWIM SUIT, NECK PIECE, ALL BY SHIVAN & NARRESH // RED PATENT SHOES BY ROHIT BAL

White organic top by Ela White satin shorts by Leconet Hemant

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How can a man get your attention?

He definitely has to be a good and clean person. A lot of people put on an act. But I can see through most of them. Fitness is important, as it shows that he cares for himself. People who don’t care for themselves come across as sloppy to me, and I don’t like that.

What upsets you about the Hindi film industry? The constant judgment really gets to me. As human beings you are judged all the time. But that judgment always becomes a negative judgment for an actor. It’s as if people are always waiting for a mistake to happen. That gets blown up and talked about the most in our case. I wasn’t born an actor. Neither am I someone who has always been in the limelight. Making mistakes is a part of life. But I guess the difficult part is to read or hear about these mistakes multiplied a hundred times. It gives people you don’t know of, or care about, the liberty to talk about you. That’s the one thing that gets to me. I guess it’s something you have to be brave enough to push through. Other than that, it’s a fab industry to be in. Let’s talk men. Anything that a man should know about you? I am quite a cleanliness freak. Cleanliness and hygiene are very important. I like things in place – not moving. My cushion has to be a certain way; clothes in the cupboard have to be folded and kept in a certain way. Things out of place ruffle my feathers a bit. But most importantly, I judge a person by his basic manners. I know a lot of men who have this ‘oh-Idon’t-care attitude’. That doesn’t make them bad people. Sometimes it’s easier for me to get along with someone who has basic etiquettes. Lastly men should be men. Leave the manicure and pedicure to the women. But that doesn’t mean I like them smelly or dirty. A good aftershave and perfume always helps.

Clean shaven or stubble? Stubble, I love it. A turn on? A man who is educated and well read is a great turn on. I like men with understated fashion. I love that clean cut Italian look. It looks smart, sophisticated and not forced or overdone. A turn off? Someone who makes a lot of noise while eating. It’s disgusting. I don’t want to see what you are eating. It’s gross. Also men who overdo the fashion bit. When not acting, what keeps you going? I love the silence and solitude of my house. I love cooking my own meal and watching TV. I find cooking very therapeutic. I cook very simple stuff. I have a huge problem with eating out. I like my food to be actually bland and healthy. During the week I am a vegan and my food does not include butter, milk or cheese. Occasionally, I may order chicken or fish dishes when I eat out. What makes you happy I am happy with small things, because I have grown up that way. I don’t need a Bentley or a chaufferdriven car. I drive myself. When it comes to luxuries that I can afford, I do go for those. But I am not someone who would whine if I don’t have certain things. I love travelling. My mom calls me a gypsy.

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Who’s the hottest male right now?

For a long time, I have idolised Leonardo DiCaprio. To me he’s fab at what he does. Good looking, successful… he is my idea of an all-rounder.

Every few months I set out for a really cool trip. I have been to some really exotic places such as Rio, the Virgin Islands, Maldives, Lebanon. My next target is Japan. As much as I love the city life, cuisine and shopping of Paris, I also enjoy roughing it out in the Amazon. What’s the most romantic thing a man has ever done for you? I remember this amazing birthday that was organised for me once. It was so perfectly planned. It was an ideal day when nothing went wrong. It was just how I would want every day of my life to be. It was a birthday I will never forget. I was surrounded by every single person important to me. Lastly, is there a side of you not many people know of? I am someone who is very average. Trying to make it in life. I am very private, close to family.

The Orchid, an ecotel hotel in Mumbai, is Asia’s first certified eco-friendly five-star hotel and the world’s only ecotel to be certified as ISO-14001. This 245-room hotel is strategically located adjacent to Mumbai’s domestic airport, making it a convenient place for the business traveler to stay. GOWN BY ROHIT GANDHI & RAHUL KHANNA

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IT’ ST HE

coolest

E N O

Snowboarding on the Libyan dunes!

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FEATURES

At Lake Gebraoun, in the heart of the Fezzan, in southern Libya near the border with Algeria, you can do much more than just drink tea or purchase souvenirs. Sheikh, the Tuareg who runs the campground, rents skis and ‘snowboards’ to tourists, transforming Gebraoun into the ‘Chamonix of the Sahara’. For 5 euro you can keep the skis all day. You load skis and boots onto a 4x4, then Sheikh drives you up the dune. The descent takes just a few minutes, but you can back walk as long as you want. And then, tired, you’ll throw yourself into the waters of the lake. Alessandro Gondolfi / Parallelozero / TCS go for a first-hand experience.

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here’s no ski wax, but it doesn’t rain and going downhill is a delight.” That’s already pretty improbable in these parts, Michele adds while – in the 40-degree-heat (in the shade) – he removes the boots from his snowboard. For the Italian, wearing a black Pearl Jam T-shirt, recently turned 18 (and with cigarette in his mouth, to the dismay of father Ugo), it is already a dream to be on vacation in Libya rather than at his school desk. If we then add that in the heart of the desert this boy has found an unlikely ski club with equipment to rent, then his happiness is enhanced even further. Michele is the only ‘snowboarder’ here; his friends have chosen more traditional equipment. Dad has found two old wooden skis; Roberto wears boots that are a little too wide and he uses simple sticks as poles; Alberto and the wife make do with even less, but they are skilled as they come from the mountains and often go skiing in the Alps. But ultimately we are in Libya. And for five euro, you cannot expect the latest carbon fibre models. We are heading for another Libya: the emptiness of the desert, the legendary Jebel Acacus, and the Ubari lakes where the palm trees reflect in the water like picture postcards. From Tripoli a two-hour flight takes us to Sebha, the biggest city in the Libyan Sahara, the dusty entrance to the enormous expanse of sand that is the Fezzan. There is nothing much 082 | JULY 11

to see in Sebha besides an old Italian fort, so we are soon heading southwest towards the Algerian border. We want to admire the vast idehan (the sand seas), take a walk in the lunar landscape of the Acacus, and watch the dawn at the archaeological site of ancient Garama. And run our fingers over Libyan masterpieces of rock art. But the guides mentioned nothing about skiing. It was actually a French tourist who told us about it at the airport in Sebha. “It’s an experience not to be missed,” he had said, then left before revealing exactly where he had done it. “Skiing in the Libyan desert?” Michele had exclaimed, “then you can also snowboard…!” Thus his curiosity for this mysterious ‘Chamonix of the Sahara’ remained, even when the young Italian saw the rock art and reverted to his true love, drawing, and unpacked his notebook and pencil and began sketching the 12,000-yearold works. “Long ago,” Soliman, wrapped in his blue taguelmust, explained, “there was savannah here, and men lived and hunted while giraffes and elephants drank in the rivers. Then over time the desert arrived, the savannah was covered by sand dunes and most of the people moved elsewhere.” Yes, but back the skiing? Could we really ski on the sand dunes of the Fezzan? And if so, where exactly? The question continued to torment us for days until, on our way back to Sebha, we had just passed 083 | JULY 11

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a monotonous stony landscape and caught a first glimpse of the Ubari lakes in the distance. “You know, in Gebraoun there is a campsite,” Soliman said at one point, without attaching much importance to it. “I think there is a Tuareg who rents skis.” The Ubari lakes are a charming vision: four mirrors of water amongst the dunes, where palms loaded with dates reflect in the blue, amid only silence and dromedaries. The most seductive of all is Gebraoun lake. It is salty, elliptical, and at least 300 m long. And it is bottomless, at least according to the local inhabitants, the Dawada, the last descendants of the ‘worm eaters’ who once lived by the lake, and who, twenty years ago, the Libyan government moved en masse ‘to a better and more civilised life’ – that is to say a squalid urban agglomeration a few kilometres from here. They were called ‘worm eaters’ because they fished in the lake for small crustaceans similar to shrimp, Artemia salina, which they dried in the sun to make a nourishing mush with a nauseating smell. The campsite Soliman spoke of is near the old shacks abandoned by the Dawara, on the northern shore of the lake. There are a couple of restaurants, Nigerian

stalls full of silver rings and Tuareg crosses, a shop selling drinks, and the office of Sheikh, with skis and snowboards outside. This is the ‘Chamonix of the Sahara’, the ‘Libyan Ski Club’. And Sheikh, wearing a white turban and a leather necklace, wastes no time. He is expeditious and asks for money in advance: five Libyan dinar, which at his personal exchange rate means five euro exactly (or five dollars, it makes no difference). And there is not much choice; here you take what you can: standard skis, shepherd’s crooks in place of poles, and fortunately because there are not many tourists, enough boots for our needs. Included in the price is a one-way ticket in the ‘fourwheeled ski lift’, an off-road vehicle that – loaded with the equipment – takes us to the top of the first dune. In ten minutes you are up there, and it is worth the effort if only to only enjoy the panorama. With the sapphire-coloured lake on the left, and stretching all the way to the horizon, 80,000 square kilometres of sand: this is the Idehan Ubari, dunes as far as the eye can see, covering an immense area as large as Austria. Alberto and his wife leave first and descend without problems. Roberto follows them safely. Then papa

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Ugo, who leans forward into the slope and picks up speed. He falls, gets up again, and in a couple of minutes has also covered the 200 m of the slope. “When you start to go, it’s as if you were on snow, but sadly the piste ends very quickly.” Michele has more difficulty, the snowboard slides less and it takes a little while to learn how to make it move properly. But once he too picks up speed, satisfaction is guaranteed. Although it doesn’t take long to reach the bottom. “It is like Alpine skiing, but you descend and then climb back up on foot, so you also get a workout!” The boy stays for at least an hour, going up and down the dune, but it is hard work, and the sun is beating down. “Advice? Two things: wear sun cream and a good pair of sunglasses to protect against this intense light. Anyone able to ski will have fun here, but also beginners… on the sand you might fall a lot, but you won’t get hurt.” Tired and sweating, Michele is the only one in our group to throw himself into the salty waters of the lake, and then to rinse it off with the fresh water from a well where the dromedaries drink. Everyone waits for him, but his friends are already in the cars: it is better to leave and to camp away from here, as according to the guides, in the evening Gebraoun lake is swarming with mosquitoes. Seated near the tent, the Tuareg amuse themselves with ephemeral games traced in the sand. It is they who light the bonfire, cook the couscous, check the car motors, and then, behind a dune, pray to Allah knelt on carpets. The place is calm, encircled by dunes; there are not many animals in these parts, just a few bugs and a fennec that – when everyone is asleep and the fire has gone out – amuses itself exploring the camp leaving tracks everywhere. But the evening is long, and after dinner the ‘blue men’ intone a kind of malouf without instruments, an Arabic jam session of voices and rhythm, drumming their fingers on petrol jerry cans and singing about love, friendship, and life in the desert. “Today at the lake it was like bathing in the Dead Sea. I’ve never been there, but they say you can also float there without effort.” Michele takes a gulp of his tea and smiles, thinking back to the skiing experience. “OK, you don’t descend as fast as on snow, but it’s still a worthwhile experience – hard work, but unforgettable.” In fact, Soliman gets it spot on when he quotes a local proverb: “‘The desert is made for the spirit’, the Tuareg say ‘but the oasis is made for the body’.”

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FEA FEATURES F FE AT TURES U ES UR S

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FEATURES S kiing on Libyan dunes is possible, but individual tourists are forbidden from entering the country; you must come on a visit organised by a tour operator, who makes your travel arrangements (and procures entry visas, for which your passport must have at least six months residual validity). They normally offer personalised travel on various tours, including flights, excursions and guides. An 8-day visit to the UNESCO-protected Acacus, including Gebraoun Lake and the prehistoric rock art for example, also allows enough time for a visit to Tripoli and the archaeological site of Leptis Magna. In Fezzan, you can sleep at the Hotel Dar Germa – the only European standard hotel in the region – or at the Dar Auis campsite, the first ever created in this desert: its tents have floors, electrical lighting, beds with mattresses, and baths and showers with hot water.

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Of blistering

cold

lustful

wrath! th

If Google is the yardstick for measuring how much is known about our world, Badha Banghal, somewhere between Manali and Dharamshala, would rank mighty low on the order. Travel agencies tout it as a hard or strenous trek.

Text and photographs by Sankar Sridhar

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across the 4898 m Kalihani pass and onward to Devi Marhi. The landscape, though always seen through a curtain of rain, snow or mist, had been unbelievably diverse. It moved from pine forests to oak groves and pure strands of fir and birch. Beyond that the land cloaked itself white as it climbed to the pass. On the other side, rolling pastures of wildflowers awaited, the air fresh with a thousand fragrances sharp and sweet.

That is a completely unpleasant thought, in part because I have already collected as many blisters as I could possibly afford, and also because what I had casually brushed aside as legend on Day 1 of the trek is playing itself out with alarming accuracy at 13,000 feet.

Heavenly as everything was, however, I had my mind set on something else – a littleheard-of village sandwiched between high passes – Kalihani and Thamsar (4766 m) – and protected by impregnable mountains on the third side. On the remaining side raged the River Ravi, effectively cloistering it from all but the most patient, inquisitive and bullheaded traveller.

For the first time, my favourite shoe had grown a dislike for my feet and showed it by giving me a blister for each of the seven days that I had walked. The best season seemed the worst, with the weather turning wilder each day, drenching the earth with rain in the morning and snow at night. Armies of leeches marched the forests in the lower altitudes, eager to gain a closer acquaintance, a mountain pit viper became my bed fellow on Day 3, and clouds of mosquitoes drowned birdsong till I reached the tree line on Day 5. Beyond it, exposure chilled me to the bone, hail lashed the tent and robbed me of sleep, and every single piece of clothing I carried was either wet or soaking wet. Worse, the clouds showed no sign of dehydration.

MOST OF THE UTENSILS WERE MADE FROM STONE, AND THE VILLAGERS BURNT

HERBS FOR INCENSE AND STILL USED THE BIRCH BARK AND CHARCOAL TO SCRIBBLE NOTES. IF

THERE WAS ANYTHING TO REMIND ME OF THE CITY, IT WAS THE LARGER-THANLIFE POSTERS OF BOLLYWOOD

STARS, WHICH I WAS TOLD, WAS BROUGHT BY THE YOUNGSTERS WHO VENTURED TO THE CITIES.

That is how Shiva treats trespassers on this stretch of the mountains between Manali and Dharamshala, a swathe as virgin as the hill-stations plugging them are sullied. “This is the lord’s land,” Manoj, a Gaddi had said to me. He, like all the others of his tribe, believes they are the people bestowed with the divine right to walk this land with their herds of sheep and goats. For them Shiva sends down sunshine, keeps streams in check and grows a profusion of healing herbs to keep man and beast healthy. From what I saw, he was especially generous with the cannabis, which the shepherds use with merry abandon, claiming that it kept them warm and fatigue at bay – but that’s another story. For everyone else, Shiva reserves what Manoj called havasi gussa (lustful wrath). On my journey it seemed lustful wrath on steroids. But be that as it may, I had survived and successfully followed the snaking trail on the map as it led me from Manali sanctuary to Lamadug, then to Riyali Thach, on to Duppu,

And then there were the legends, each an interesting nugget, however far-fetched or tall, that attempted to set a historical record about how the hamlet came about. One speaks of residents of Bengal fleeing a massive flood and finding shelter in the mountains. Another, more plausible story credits nomadic shepherds for setting up the village because it was the only flat piece of land for miles around. Badha Banghal, which is the name the village goes by, is considered the oldest village of the gaddis. It has been recorded as being the oldest settlement in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. But for everything that has been recorded, and everything else that the state has done to herald progress, it remains a village where time has stood still, and not just metaphorically. If Google’s the yardstick for measuring how much is known about our world, this village would rank mighty low on the order. A couple of blogs, and not even a handful of clumsy images are all that the search engine reveals, and a countless number of travel agencies touting it as a hard or strenuous trek. And that’s why it made sense to see it for myself. I follow the padded-down grass which was the trail leading to the village, traversing hill after hill, climbing up and teetering down as the trail commanded. At places, the trail crossed paths with hurrying streams, at others it lost itself in a tangle of vegetation, only to re-emerge some metres away. The sun streamed in whenever the clouds

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o the eye, the emerald terraced fields seem close enough to touch, which indeed they are: hardly 4 km as the crow flies. But since chances of finding a crow that would fly me, rucksack, tent, rations and all is an impossibility, I’d have to think on my feet. And it was while doing so that I realise the village of my dreams is still a blistering walk away.

parted, sometimes for seconds, sometimes for more. In those fleeting moments, the landscape dazzled, distracting the mind from the pain of nine straight hours of walking, overshadowing the hopelessness of not being able to see the village still. Finally, four hours after I first saw the farms, I find myself amid the sea of kidney beans and maize and pass them by to little patches where tomatoes and cauliflowers grew. And beyond them, in the deep valley carved out by the river, I sight the slate-roof houses. It would still take me a good 30 minutes to get there, but at least the end was in sight. The difficulty in reaching Badha Banghal is, perhaps, one of the prime reasons why it has been left alone. Even today, fleets of horses carry rations for the villagers through the summer. Their only contact with the outside world for most of the year is through the satellite phone installed by the government – to be used only in cases of emergencies. I reach the village and pitch camp on the opposite bank of the river, next to a primary school. I would have preferred staying in the village, but as is with most hamlets belonging to shepherds, formalities first need to completed with the dogs that are out and about – and late evening, I presumed, would not be the best time for such interactions. As the night crept in, I was in for a surprise. One by one, bulbs lit up in each of the 80 houses that make up the village. I would know the next day that this miracle was made possible by a well-meaning engineer of the PWD department who in 1999 drew up the plan to illuminate the village so children could study after dark. In 2006, the tiny hydro-electric project to power the village was complete. And the village has enough electricity to burn one bulb in each house for six hours every evening, thanks to the Ravi. Another villager, though, said the Sai Baba Foundation sponsored the project and had all the equipment flown in by helicopter. But that was a dispute I was not interested in getting myself into. Early next morning, I awake to the sound of my tent being unzipped and find myself looking into two pairs of eyes, one belonging to a goat and the other to its master. “Tourist?” asks the man, identifying himself as Munna. “Yes.” 094 | JULY 11

THE DIFFICULTY IN REACHING BADHA BANGHAL IS, PERHAPS, ONE OF THE PRIME REASONS WHY IT HAS BEEN LEFT ALONE. EVEN TODAY, FLEETS OF HORSES CARRY RATIONS FOR THE VILLAGERS THROUGH THE SUMMER. THEIR ONLY CONTACT WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD

FOR MOST OF THE YEAR IS THROUGH THE SATELLITE PHONE

INSTALLED BY THE GOVERNMENT – TO BE USED ONLY IN EMERGENCY.

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“I will today”. “You must come to my house first. I’ll wait till you’re ready.” Twenty minutes later, I was at Munna’s house having tea. And I had already been invited for a lunch of rajma chawal and fresh meat. I accepted, but asked Munna if he would be kind enough to take me around the village before lunch. He was positively thrilled at the prospect. So we headed out of the house and into the maze of lanes spread out between the houses like veins. People were just beginning their day. The boys were heading out to the fields – villagers grow one crop (of kidney beans and maize) every year – the women were busy cleaning the house and the old people made themselves comfortable on the verandahs of the houses. Everywhere we went, we were greeted with smiles, offered tea and given invitations for lunch. When I told them I had already promised Munna, invitations were extended for dinner, afternoon snacks, or breakfast lunch and dinner the next day. “It’s tradition,” said an old man who invited me to swig arrack with him (it was 9am, mind you). “We’d all be hurt if you don’t eat or drink something in each house.” I turned to Munna for support. “It’s true sir. That is how it is in this village,” he said, crushing my hopes of staying sober at least in the morning. As we sat down to drink, I took in the details of the house. Old would be an understatement while describing it. This house, as all the others in the village, seemed to belong to another era when gigantic trees still stood on mountainsides. The hutments, each with a ground floor and a mezzanine, were completely of boulders chiseled flat. They were supported by massive trunks of pine trees. Inside, the brick floors were coated with a mixture of cow dung and mud, and padded with stalks of grass. Most of the utensils were made from stone, and the villagers burnt herbs for incense and still used the birch bark and charcoal to scribble notes. If there was anything to remind

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“Why have you not coming to the village?”

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Badha Banghal holds the distinction of being the remotest polling station in Himachal Pradesh. It’s so remote that rather than sending polling agents to the village, the election commission prefers to airlift the voters from the village to Bir, three days’ walk away. In the last Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, 40 voters cast their ballot. District officials say the expenses and the risk of sending in a chopper to the village outweighs the advantages of having the villagers cast their vote. There is serious consideration of not airlifting them the next time round. In all, there were 369 registered voters in the village in 2009.

J In winter the village receives more than 15 feet

of snow. Movement is all but impossible, as is survival. The villages have, over the years, come up with a fascinating strategy to ensure minimal damage to property, life and lifestock in the grueling five months of winter. While most of the 600 villagers descend to lower areas, including Billing and Dharamshala, 40 volunteers stay back to protect the sheep and shovel snow of the 80-odd houses that make up the village. It’s grueling work, and entails making, and then maintaining beaten-down pathways to every single house and their adjoining sheds. A different set of villagers are chosen each year.

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I asked the old man if he’d ever gone to Manali or Dharamshala. “Yes,” he said. “My son took me there once. But I ran back in three days’ time. It was too dirty and chaotic for me.” One drink later, I politely excused myself, keen on seeing more of the village, meeting more of its happy inhabitants. One such villager was Uday Bhan, a weathered man with deep set, intense eyes and an insistence to match. He would hear nothing of my plans of exploring the village. I just had to have tea with him. And I’m glad I accepted the offer, for over tea, he shared the most wonderful story of the setting up of the village. According to him, the inhabitants of the village were direct inhabitants of the Romans. The village, he said, was set up after soldiers from Alexander’s army decided to stay back rather than return home after their conquests. Over time they built villages and made nomadic shepherdesses their wives. “That’s why we are a different-looking people,” he said. It did make some sense, because history does document Alexander’s return from the far bank of the Ravi, though how the village got its name still remains a an elusive titbit. My two-day stay in the village passed by in a hurricane of activity – mostly drinking, eating and chatting, randomly interspersed with a bit of walking about. On any other occasion, I would have rued the circumstances, but here, in a village I had come to discover, it all seemed perfect. Discovery, I decided can never happen at the click of a mouse. I wish I could have stayed longer, but compulsions imposed by employment prevented me from listening to my heart. I bade goodbye to the villagers, packing the many gifts – ranging from incense branches to meat and a handwoven shawl – into my rucksack. The weather was souring, and I’d need all the warmth, wishes and protein to make the four-day journey over Thamsar pass and on to Dharamshala.

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FEATURES

me of the city, it was the larger-than-life posters of Bollywood stars, which I was told, the youngsters who ventured to the cities brought back.

N I A R R TtEechniques

et ng a 4x4.bbGer. li d n a h f o l e ru thril tap into theare ready to burn som to r e iv r d y a rall nd you e a race ory and control right a b to e v a h You don’t s in manoeuvrabilit the basic

DRIVING OFF THE MAP T H E

W O R L D

O F

4 X 4

An initiative by

Y

Excerpts from the book Driving Off The Map: The World of 4x4 An initiative by Apollo Tyres Ltd

RULES THE GOLDEN

o ou have seen it in the movies. The T square-jawed hero with Stetson speeding over rocks aS St and an nd boulders and across rivers with wi ith his foot planted firmly on the pedal as he outraces the th bad b d guys. Don’t believe it? If you drive like that you will not get very far at all. When you are away from civilisation, your vehicle is your lifeline. If you break it, you are stuck. So the first rule of off-road driving is to take it ‘nice and easy’, rather than charging full speed ahead. While the cinematic glory of the front wheel clawing in the air or a smoking wheelspin makes riveting viewing, in reality they can break your vehicle. When the wheel lands back on the ground or it suddenly finds grip, it comes to grinding halt. The power driving the wheel has to go somewhere, and it usually goes where it breaks something in the differential or the axle. So take it nice and easy. Use the minimum power with the minimum speed you need to get there. If you don’t make it over in the first attempt, try again with a little more power. And then try again. If you are still not making it over, don’t take it up as an insult to your ego. Try another route, or just turn back.

Here’s the second thing. Make sure that everything in the vehicle is tied down or stowed away. Everything. There should be nothing loose inside the cabin. In case the vehicle rolls over they will all become deadly projectiles and can hurt you. All passengers too should be securely strapped into their seats. This includes the rear seat passengers as well. There is a huge difference between driving on tarmac and driving off-road. The vehicle behaves differently and you need to develop a different set of skills to master off-roading. Like any other sport or skill, there’s only one way to master off-road driving. The secret is practice, practice and practice. The other important aspect of off-roading is walking. Get off the vehicle and scout the terrain on foot. Inspect it carefully. Read the terrain. Check for hidden obstacles. Remember, if you can’t tackle the terrain on foot. you can’t tackle it with a vehicle. Finally make sure that your vehicle is in perfect mechanical condition. The rigours of off-roading will put additional stress on all components. Be prepared, be vigilant and stay safe.

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DRIVING UP A HILL NEEDS SKILL. FIRST OF ALL, SELECT THE CORRECT GEAR BEFORE YOU HIT THE HILL. TOO LOW A GEAR AND YOU WILL HAVE WHEELSPIN, SOMETHING YOU WANT TO AVOID. TOO HIGH A GEAR AND

YOUR VEHICLE WILL STALL. GETTING STUCK GOING UP A SLOPE THAT’S TOO STEEP TO FINISH PUTS YOU IN ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS SITUATIONS IN OFF-ROADING. IF

YOU LOSE MOMENTUM, DO NOT TURN AROUND. DO NOT TRY TO COME DOWN FORWARD.

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A HILL DRIVING UP

Before you start up the hill, pull your seat forward and make sure it’s securely locked in place. You don’t want to lose contact with the pedals as gravity pushes you back. Now all there is to it is getting up the hill. Driving up a hill needs skill. First of all, select the correct gear before you hit the hill. Too low a gear and you will have wheelspin, something you want to avoid. Too high a gear and your vehicle will stall. Getting stuck going up a slope that’s too steep to finish puts you in one of the most dangerous situations in off-roading. If you lose momentum, do not turn around. Do not try to come down forward. If you try and turn the vehicle around, you will roll over. If you lose upward momentum, the only way down is by reversing down the hill. While going up the hill, if you feel your engine is about to stall, press down on the brake and clutch and quickly select reverse gear. If the vehicle stays put, you can take your time preparing for the ride down. If the vehicle starts to slide, you have no choice but to act immediately. Whichever way, what you need to do now is release both the clutch and brake together. Since you are in reverse, you will have engine braking to control your descent. Concentrate on keeping the vehicle straight on your way down. If you go sideways you will topple. It’s okay if you carry a little extra speed, but keep the vehicle straight. Here is a hypothetical emergency situation. What do you do if your engine stalls and stops while driving up the hill? What if you can’t get your engine started? Or get into reverse gear? It’s time for a desperate maneuver that will most probably fry your clutch, but should get you back down in one piece. Put the vehicle into first gear, and then gently push the clutch in to allow the vehicle to coast backwards. Let the clutch out to slow or stop the vehicle. This will get you down safely, but at the cost of a new set of clutch plates.

WNHILL DRIVING DO ow that you have made it up the hill, you need to go down too. If there are a any ruts, use them. Use the ruts to safely guide you to the bottom. If the vehicle slides, the rut will hold the rear end from overtaking the front. front If I there are no ruts you will need to take extra care. It’s a good idea to start off in first gear. It is easy to change up while descending rather than changing down. Don’t use the brake unless it is absolutely necessary, and if you do use short, small jabs rather than standing on them.

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If you start to slide, and the rear end threatens to overtake you, steer into the direction the vehicle is sliding and accelerate to allow the tyres to bite. Also change up a gear. For brief moment, the wheels will be allowed to turn freely when you depress the clutch, and should regain some traction. 103 | JULY 11

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B

efore driving up or down a hill, walk the hill. If you can’t walk it, you can’t drive it. The walk will also allow you to find out where the rocks and ridges are, so that you won’t get caught out. With your nose pointing to the sky you will not be able to see the ground ahead, so however hot or far it is, make that walk. Whether you are going up a hill, or down, you must tackle a hill straight on. A diagonal approach can cause you to roll. Getting yourself sideways, even slightly sideways, can cause the vehicle to slide. While sliding should you hit a ridge or a rock, the vehicle can topple over.

water

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h earth is three fourths water. And if you are he going off the road, there will come a time when you will be faced with the challenge w off a water crossing. Before you plough into the water you need to know what you are getting into. You need to know how deep it is and how fast the current is. A stream too swift to walk across safely is probably too dangerous to drive across. Rushing water can push even a heavy vehicle downstream. Make sure that the bottom is firm enough to support your vehicle. The bottom of a faster moving moving stream will be more solid since the current carries away the softer mud. Check to see that there are no large boulders or deep holes hidden beneath the water. Also take a look at the opposite bank to make sure your vehicle can make it up the bank. How deep can your vehicle go? To answer that question, you must know the answer to these questions. How high off the ground are the air intakes and vent opening of the differentials, transfer-case and transmission? How high is

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the distributor or other ignition components? Where is the ECU? The air intake should be at least 12 inches above the water level. Even if you have a snorkel fitted the engine might still stall when the electrics get wet. Disconnect or loosen the fan belt so that the fan stops rotating if it dips into the water preventing it from spraying water around the engine compartment. A sheet of canvas or plastic tied to the front of the vehicle, from the bonnet over the radiator grill down to the front axle, will hold water out of the engine compartment. Once you have committed your vehicle to the water, keep moving at a steady speed. Create a small wave in front of you, like around the bow of a boat. This helps keep the water out of the engine compartment. Don’t go too fast or you will force water into the engine compartment. Always try and drive at an angle to the current. This presents a smaller surface area to the current to push you downstream. If the current is not too fast, drive angled upstream that will create a protective bow

FEATURES

wave in front of you. If the current is too swift, you need to angle the vehicle downstream or the current itself will push the water into your engine bay. If your engine cuts off midstream, do not try to restart it. If water has entered the cylinder, the engine is hydrolocked and you will destroy it if you crank it over. Get help and get your vehicle pulled or pushed out. Once on dry land, take out the spark plugs or the injectors if you have a diesel. Check to see if there is water in the cylinders. If there is water, cranking the engine will force it out. After every water crossing, check and dry the brakes. Drive slowly with your foot on the pedal to dry the linings. Also make sure that the radiator is not clogged with mud and grass or the engine will overheat.

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IF YOU DO GET STUCK IN MUD, TRY ROCKING THE VEHICLE OUT. THIS INVOLVES SHIFTING QUICKLY FROM FORWARD TO REVERSE GEAR TO BUILD MOMENTUM IN EACH DIRECTION. IF THAT DOESN’T

WORK DIG OUT THE MUD ON EACH SIDE OF THE WHEEL, AND REDUCE THE AIR PRESSURE ON THE TYRE. IF THIS TOO DOESN’T WORK, IT IS TIME TO GET HELP.

AFTER YOU GET OUT OF THE MUD REMEMBER TO REINFLATE YOUR TYRES.

Mud

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oin through mud is not dangerous by itself, oing but bu you can really and truly get stuck. So when you yo encounter mud, get out to take a closer look. P Poke a stick in it to check how deep it is. There look are two ways to cross mud. One is to let your vehicle sink in till the tyres get a grip on the solid ground underneath. Or reduce the air pressure on the tyres to increase the footprint and spread the weight of the vehicle over a larger area to allow you to float through the top of the mud. Reducing air pressure has another advantage. It reduces the

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diameter of your tyre and increases the force your drivetrain can deliver to move your vehicle across the mud. How much do you need to deflate to get maximum effect? As a rule of thumb, letting out enough air to reduce the height of the tyre to about 75 per cent with tyre pressure as low as seven to ten pounds. If you don’t feel solid ground more than seven or eight inches down, you will have to deflate the tyres and float through the top. But before you make that decision you have to find out if the mud is thick enough to support you.

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You can do this by walking through it and seeing what happens to your footprints. Do they keep their shape or does mud ooze in and fill up your footprint? If its the former, you should make it across. If not, turn around for the mud might suck the vehicle down. You also need the right kind of tyres to tackle mud. To make it through you need tyres with an open tread. A mud tyre needs spaces between the lugs as this lets the tyre clean itself as it revolves,

throwing out the mud and preserving its grip. If you do get stuck in mud, try rocking the vehicle out. This involves shifting quickly from forward to reverse gear to build momentum in each direction. If that doesn’t work dig out the mud on each side of the wheel, and reduce the air pressure on the tyre. If this too doesn’t work, it is time to get help. After you get out of the mud remember to reinflate your tyres. And clean up the mud from the driveshafts and wheels. Dried mud is hard and can cause damage to the vehicle. 107 | JULY 11

Sand ri rriving on sand you need to follow roughly the t same principles as driving on mud. Yes, you y will want to reduce your tyre pressure widen to w to id your footprint so that you are floating on the sand rather than digging yourself in. But reducing the air pressure comes with its own set of disadvantages. The tyre will run hotter. The sidewalls can fail. And you can damage your rim more easily if you hit a hidden rock.

D

Driving on sand requires a steady foot rather than speed. Don’t let the wheel spin or you may just dig yourself in. The trick is to keep moving smoothly and steadily after you have established momentum and not lose that momentum. If you have hit a bad spot and your engine is grunting to keep you going, just keep a steady foot on the accelerator and power your way through. The word to keep in mind is momentum, and you would lose that if you tried to change a gear or brake. One of the things that will pull you through 108 | JULY 11

the most difficult situations is the correct gear choice. First gear will only create wheelspin. Avoid using the brakes. When you want to stop, let the vehicle coast to a stop letting the soft surface slow you down. Using the brakes in sand throws up mounds of sand in front of each wheel. When starting off again your vehicle will have to clamber over these mounds. Remember sand is abrasive. They can get into the brakes and eat up the linings. So keep an eye on the brakes. It is not just the brakes that the sand will eat away. If you are caught in a sandstorm, get some grease and liberally smear all glass surfaces that you may use to see through. The grease will trap the sand and after it is all over all you need to do is to wipe it off. Also do not use your windshield washer to clear the sand from your window. The water will mix with the sand to make a very effective grinding compound. Just wipe it away with a cloth.

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old weather can be harsh and demanding on your car. So check your car thoroughly before you venture out and make sure b everything thi hi is in top condition.

Driving on snow is a bit like driving on mud. If there’s solid ground underneath a soft snow layer that’s not more than seven or eight inches deep, you can drive through it. If the snow is deeper, but of a thicker consistency, try floating over it with reduced tyre pressure like you would in mud or sand. The other option is to use snow chains. But don’t use snow chains if your tyres are deflated. Snow chains are meant to be used only at normal tyre pressures. While you should have snow chains on all four wheels, what do you do if you only have two? Mount them on the front wheels or the rear? Mounting them on the front will give you good acceleration, good braking and good steering. But since the rear wheels will have no lateral guidance, the back end may come around. So you need to be slow and very careful with your brakes. Snow chains on the rear wheel will stop your vehicle from fishtailing, but at the cost of steering and braking. In a nutshell, snow chains on all four tyres are the best, but if you have only two put them on the front wheels. Snow chains can also be a life saver on ice. Unlike snow that bogs you down, ice will slide you out. The important thing to keep in mind is that you must brake and steer more smoothly, more carefully and more slowly than normal. The distance needed to stop on ice is twice as long as that you would need to brake under normal driving circumstances. Watch out specifically for black ice. Black ice normally forms on roads that are not subjected to direct sunlight. Black ice is almost invisible to the naked eye, so be extra careful when you enter shaded areas. But if you do slide, what do you do? In the first kind of skid, the front wheels lose their grip and the vehicle refuses to turn and continues going straight. This is called understeer. It may happen because you have come accelerating too hard into the corner causing the weight to shift to the rear wheels. If this happens immediately straighten the wheels, get off the accelerator and brake very gently. Remember you have to straighten the wheels to get back control. Wrenching the wheel harder will not help, the vehicle will continue its straight trajectory. The other type of skid is when the vehicle oversteers. Here the rear wheel loses grip and the vehicle wants to pivot around on its front wheels. When this happens and you feel the wheels losing grip accelerate gently to shift the weight to the rear wheel and give them more grip while at the same time steer the wheel smoothly in the direction the rear wheels are sliding to catch the slide. 109 | JULY 11

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e Snow and Ic

BRAKE POINT Stranded on the road, waiting for the knights in shining cars to come around for the rescue act? It could be your lucky day, girls. Here’s to a road warrior’s essential check-list Photographs by Anil Chawla Styling by Cookie Singh Assisted by: Tenzing Jangchup and Nidhi Nair Concept: Morvee Kumari Models: Ankit Gupta and Amit Ranjan (Elite Model Management), Oxana (Karma Models Agency), Iryna Goncharenko and Katherina Salata (Sara Model Management Pvt. Ltd.) Location Courtesy: Glitz Modelling and Production Cars: Porsche Cayman S (Courtesy: Abhimanyu Singh Rana) Volvo S 60 (Courtesy Auto Kashyap) 110 | JULY 11

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on Oxana DRESS BY FALGUNI & SHANE PEACOCK // BRACELET AND FOOTWEAR, BOTH BY GAURAV GUPTA on Katherine DRESS BY FALGUNI AND SHANE PEACOCK // FOOTWEAR BY GAURAV GUPTA // BURBERRY HANDBAG BY WWW.BAG4ADAY.COM on Iryna DRESS BY GAURAV GUPTA // FOOTWEAR BY MARIE CLAIRE (AVAILABLE AT BATA)

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STOCKISTS

GOWN BY ROHIT GANDHI & RAHUL KHANNA

Photographs by Ashish Shah

LAST LAUGH

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he Greater Painted Snipe is one of the intriguing one-offs of the Animal Kingdom, and literally the closest living thing to a sitting duck. He is a drab, dull homebody whose singular goal is to keep his house in order and his brood well-fed. His sometime wife – the painted one – wears the proverbial pants and is an aggressive and promiscuous go-getter. She fights off other females for the attention of this dreary chump. Once he is suitably smitten, she conducts her business in a lustful frenzy. After she has accepted his seed, she potters around impatiently feigning interest in hubby and home. One stormy night, she lays her eggs and leaves. The next thing you know, she’s repeating this cycle of domestic entrapment with another unsuspecting dad-in-waiting.

hissed into the phone every time the agency demanded to know why we had turned away their emissaries. In the end we keeled over and settled for a swarthy, turnip-shaped candidate in a glittery sari. She regarded our little one without interest and was more concerned about fixing her price. Off went my wife to work. She called several times to enquire how our new assistant was faring. All went uncomplainingly well for a week. Some evenings, I was served tea and pakodas.

Wives would kill for husbands like that. Mine almost did. Three years ago, when I quit a droll corporate job to embark on a destitute freelance career, I took it upon myself to bring up our infant daughter. While burping the baby and diaperchanging were ennobling pursuits, they didn’t necessarily pay the electricity bill and the home loan EMI. I had to free up time to work and conduct my house-husbandry in a supervisory role. Ergo, we decided to get help. It came first from a genial chauffeur who had ferried my wife and her protuberant belly in her last trimester. He presented an unsmiling middle-aged widow with a school-going child. Her plight, when we heard of it, breached the dams of our hearts and unleashed a flood of pity. We hired her without ado. It so happened that I had to travel on some aimless errand. When I returned I found no help. I asked my wife about it but she only glared. Though I couldn’t muster the guts to enquire what went amiss, I found clues. Our Lady of Perpetual Sorrow had also been hired as a cook. Proof of her skills in that department were preserved in the fridge for my inspection. Those chapattis, I suspect to this day, were made in connivance with a dentist desperate for new business. Even so, the food was tolerable. What wasn’t was that she had tried to feed it to our toothless infant. We went help-less for a while but inevitably risked our lives again. We approached agencies supplying “child-care professionals” – a glorified epithet for an ayah. Some interviews ended as soon as we opened the door. With others we didn’t bother – peering through the magic-eye was enough. “Personal hygiene and trustworthiness,” my wife

122 | JULY 11

by Bijoy Venugopal

Who doesn’t love that? That weekend, my wife inspected the provisions and discovered that we had barely a trickle of cooking oil. She demanded an explanation. “Pakodas,” I said. “What pakodas?” she asked. Turnip had fried an inordinately large quantity of pakodas, of which I had eaten barely a handful. Clearly, she consumed the rest to maintain her figure. However, it wasn’t this infelicity that got my wife’s goat, but her shimmery saris. “Slutty,” she remarked. Every evening before Turnip left she spent 40 minutes locked up in the bedroom. She emerged dolled up and perfumed, her hair brushed and coiffed. “Do you think our lady works a night shift?” I wondered. We didn’t wait to find out. The agency sent us a replacement. Within days, my daughter was scratching her head. While bathing her we

Photograph: Dreamstime

discovered a plague of lice and nits. Now, I’m an adorer of creatures great and small but these wingless bloodsuckers are personae non grata. Worse, it was a touchy subject to discuss with a woman. I let my wife do the honours. She presented Crawly-Head with a bottle of Mediker. “I don’t have lice,” the new ayah snapped. “They probably flew in from outside.” To boot, Crawly-Head sang like a frog, cooked like Veronica Lodge and reeked of teeth in deplorable decay. Some days I went hungry because she’d burned the bhindi or let the sambar evaporate as she sat before the television in open-mouthed rapture. Finally, we showed her the window – the one where she said the lice had come from. There are many more entries in my Nanny Diaries but they came to a blissful end when my little girl started going to school. While I’m glad to have the house to myself, now and then I am besieged by old nightmares. There’s truth in the saying “Teri nanny yaad aayegi”! Send us your feedback at feedback@imagesfashion.com

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