WEEKLY MAGAZINE, DECEMBER 2, 2012 Free with your copy of Hindustan Times
Indian couples are bending the rules, taking off on a whim, celebrating their last single moments and making it all work. You’re invited to the wedding!
indulge
VIR SANGHVI
Business of biscuits
SANJOY NARAYAN ‘App’arently yours
RAJIV MAKHNI
The tech of tomorrow
SEEMA GOSWAMI
Kahan gaye woh soaps?
B R E A K FA S T O F C H A M P I O N S
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EXCLUSIVE PHOTO SHOOT BY JATIN KAMPANI
The New Girl, Uninterrupted
Also inside LETTER OF THE WEEK!
Only SRK! LOVED VIR Sanghvi’s column (Rude Movies, November 25). Being an ardent fan of SRK, I’ve loved his approach towards everything, especially his comment, “This industry has place for both me and Hrithik” when asked if Hrithik posed a threat to him. SRK will always be special, and his charming personality and passion will always keep him on the highest pedestal in our hearts! — VRUSHALI SOMAVANSHI, via email Vrushali wins a Flipkart voucher worth `2,500. Congrats!
The best letter gets a Flipkart voucher worth R2,500!! The shopping voucher will reach the winner within seven to 10 working days. In case of any delays, please contact chirag.sharma@hindustantimes.com
See the world in three days, count the things every luxury home must have and spend your extra cash. How? Just flip to BQ Indulgences
Brunch Opinion
hindustantimes.com/brunch
She calls herself carefree, a loose cannon. She’s worked with the top actors and the biggest directors. Anushka Sharma is only 24. And she’s on the cover of BrunchQ
They fired through every challenge to win Olympic medals for India. Meet Gagan Narang and Vijay Kumar. Ladies, they’re single too!
Online. Bored. Story of your life 2.0. So we’ve put together a list of 41 websites that you simply must check out. They’ll keep you occupied all month!
R100 ONLY!
by Mignonne Dsouza
Something borrowed, something blue
I
’M NOT a fan of weddings. Even when I got hitched five years ago, my first idea for a reception was a pool party. That idea got rejected, but we did tinker with quite a few bits of tradition. I refused to have a veil, trail or tiara (who am I, Kate Middleton?), our backdrop was a caricature of the happy couple, and there was no stage. Even now (I blush to say it), friends tell us it was one of the best weddings they attended. So break the rules – after all, you only get married once!
Checklist
by Saudamini Jain and Shreya Sethuraman
It’s not a wedding without... One rogue aunt. And her husband. They’re upset because nobody cares if they had tea one evening. So they throw a tantrum, right there. ■ NRI cousins. They have their way with their desi ‘distant’ cousins. ■ Car-o-bar. ■ A fat aunt who can’t dance, a drunk uncle. They dance together, embarrass their kids and scandalise everybody. ■ The jilted lover. Whispers fol■
And much more NOW ON STANDS.
low his/her broken heart. The 37-year-old unmarried cousin (female). Everybody tries to guess why she’s not married. “Do you think she’s still a virgin?” asks a cheeky bhaabhi. ■ The coquettish younger sister of the bride. She’s allowed to outrageously flirt with any of the many single men. Even all of them if she so pleases. She can giggle with the groom too. She should be engaged by next season. ■
On The Brunch Radar by Saudamini Jain
LOVE IT ■ Pandey Jee ■ Tigers. (Richard Parker, rawwr) ■ Red lipstick ■ Spooning ■ Draft letters to Santa SHOVE IT Saving wedding cards.Seriously? ■ Awkward conversations with an ex ■ Customer care ■ Ads on Jango.com ■ Obsessing over Pujara ■
More On The Web
Four happily-married couples share their unusual stories of finding a life partner. One brother of a bride shares his experience at the wedding. Log on to hindustantimes.com/brunch
DESIGN: Ashutosh Sapru (National Cover image: JASJEET PLAHA; Model: KOMAL EDITORIAL: Poonam Saxena (Editor), Aasheesh Sharma, Tavishi Paitandy Drop us a line at: brunchletters@ Editor, Design), Monica Gupta, Swati hindustantimes.com or to 18-20 Kasturba BAJWA; Courtesy: GLITZ MODEL MANAGAMENT; Rastogi, Rachel Lopez, Mignonne Dsouza, Veenu Singh, Parul Khanna Tewari, Yashica Dutt, Amrah Ashraf, Saudamini Jain, Shreya Sethuraman, Manit Moorjani Chakrabarti, Rakesh Kumar, Ashish Singh Gandhi Marg, New Delhi 110001 Cover design: ASHISH SINGH
DECEMBER 2, 2012
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Photo: VINAYAK DAS
hindustantimes.com/brunch
GOING GREEN Farida and Ram insisted on having an eco-friendly wedding
Photo: MARK SWAROOP
NO FRILLS Kobi and Vidyut funded their Arya Samaj wedding themselves
As the great Indian shaadi gets bigger, more couples are tweaking convention and giving age-old customs a new-age spin. They’re putting the wah! in vivaah. Have you got your invitation yet? by Aparna Pednekar
MOUNTAIN ‘I DO’ Rujuta Diwekar and hubby GP spent R5,000 on their impromptu wedding in the hills
HETHER YOU’RE the bride, the groom, the host or just someone with 200 glittery invitations to sangeets, mehendis, nikaahs, nuptials and receptions this year, you won’t be able to escape this wedding season. Rings will be exchanged, pheras taken and solemn promises of togetherness, sharing and love will be made. But somewhere through it all, you’ll probably notice little changes – the location may be out of the ordinary, the couples might wear something unusual, the rituals itself could stray from the norm. India’s brides and grooms are proving that weddings needn’t just DECEMBER 2, 2012
be big and complicated; they can be personal, romantic and a little crazy as well. Read on for their stories... and please do RSVP.
THE HIP HILLTOP
Nutritionist and bestselling author Rujuta Diwekar’s wedding is the stuff of aww-evoking romance. She was trekking from Kashmir to Manali with her partner GP (his initiative, Connect with Himalaya works with local communities) when they found themselves at Naggar, the ancient capital of the Kullu Valley. Moved by the beauty and serenity of the place, the two decided to have an impromptu wed-
ding. Only 15 guests (close friends and family) were called and a pandit of the local seventh-century Krishna temple would solemnise the union. “I had already decided not to pay any more than R25,000 on our wedding,” Diwekar says. The priest, who organised the ceremony, chai, lunch and sweet dish, did it for R5,000. “I was stumped,” says the bride. “We closed the deal, went down to the German Bakery, I had a cup of cappuccino and GP called our parents, sisters and close friends.” Their ceremony was simple. No kanyadaan, no frills – just a prayer to the earth, mountains, lakes, streams, and the local deity. The
Photo: ANNA KUPERBERG
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THE TOUCH OF WHIMSY
Kabir Chandra and Prachi Narayan also confess to being romantics. This media couple – he works with Sony BMG and she with CNBC – ensured that their wedding reflected their personalities. Where most couples would think of engraved invitations with gold lettering and cutesy motifs, theirs spoofed Sita’s swayamvar, featuring their own faces morphed on kitschy illustrations of Ram and Sita. The invite to the pre-wedding cocktail party contained “Cock brand fireworks” and the wedding itself was irreverent but undeniably Indian. The guests were welcomed at the entrance by two politicianstyle posters of the couple, the reception counters were labelled ‘Sharab ka Theka’ and an iktara player walked around serenading the crowd. Chandra says their offbeat wedding was possible largely because they both have easygoing families. “They’re very simple folk who don’t like very flashy or loud things,” he says. Theirs was a quick Arya Samaj nuptial – “Long ceremonies bore both of us,” admits the groom. Prachi ditched gold for antique silver that came from her mother-in-law and it complemented the simple silk sari that she bought after just one round of shopping. Even trousseau shopping was spread over only three days. As for the groom, he wore a kurta that took 15 minutes to choose. The couple then flew to Thailand for what they are calling a “post wedding holiday”. Because “honeymoon is just too embarrassing a word”.
LET’S HAVE SOME FUN
Parul and Jeff paid homage to their love for modern design and all things fun
THE DIY CELEBRATIONS
An extraordinary wedding usually begins with an unconventional couple and a riveting back story. Jeff Weber, a robotics engineer, and Parul Vora, who has a Masters from the MIT media
KITSCH CORNER
Yes, those are the super cool invites for Kabir Chandra and
Prachi Narayan’s wedding
Photo: VINAYAK DAS
‘I DO’ IT DIFFERENTLY
bright red dot: clown noses for every guest at the pre-wedding party, custom CDs Parul and Jeff made, and the design of the dinner table arrangements. To the baraat, Jeff rode a cycle-rickshaw he’d procured and fixed himself. His mother read from Winnie The Pooh at the event and Deepa sang Peter Gabriel’s Book of Love. And surprisingly, Parul’s parents Shailesh and Lakshmi, remained the driving force behind much of the event planning.
ESSENTIALS ONLY: Planners like Lakshmi Rammohan (of Delhi and Bangalore’s Dreamweaver Wedding) are seeing more couples cutting out pointless frills. She cites the example of an Australian bride and a groom from the Shetty community earlier this year. The couple had an Arya Samaj wedding and paid for it themselves. IT’S ABOUT ME: Couples are also making sure that their identities aren’t lost in a sea of sequins, aartis and clichés. “A fair number of weddings I’ve done have [happened] with no financial aid and very little input if any, from parents,” says Rammohan. “These events tend to be tough in the planning stage, as most couples do want to include family. But they have a clear idea of what they want and go about putting that in place, making fewer allowances for parents to involve themselves.”
POMP WITH PURPOSE
When Tamil-Brahmin boy Ram Krishnan married Muslim girl Farida Ahmed, the celebrations were bound to be a little unconventional. “Key members of our families were seated next to us and everybody else showered their blessings in the form of rose petals from the periphery,” recalls Krishnan. “In a way, it was a perfect metaphor to what I believe the dynamics of marriage ought to be like.” There were little touches during the sangeet and mehendi, like a churanwala churning out traditional treats. Their reception, however, was a nawab-themed affair with an out-of-the-box surprise – the bride’s sister and cousins organised a flash
CUSTOM BLEND: Candice Pereira, creative head and co-founder of Mumbai’s Marry Me Wedding Planners, has put together everything from a celebration-for-two to a 5,000-guest affair. She says that much is changing with the way we wed. “Catholic weddings are incorporating sangeets and mehendi, we also get more requests for a Western-style reception - with first dance and speeches.” Pheras incorporate the exchange of vows written by the bride and groom themselves.
CAPTURING THE SPIRIT
Vinayak Das and Snigdha Sheel, the husband-wife wedding photographers of Phototantra, say that the more personal the ceremony, the better the pictures. Das shot the Delhi wedding of Prarthna (in pic), a Punjabi and Manoj, a Tamilian. A yellow vintage car carried Manoj to the baraat and the couple put on a salsa performance. And at a recent Iyer-Brahmin wedding, Das captured the family’s pet terrier who joined the couple during the Oonjal ceremony, for which they sit in a jhoola.
lab, met at Cambridge, where they bonded over fixed-gear bikes and Polaroid photos. Their 2009 wedding at a California ranch was an ode to their “shared passion for making things”, recalls Parul’s sister, Deepa. From the masquerade ball engagement party to the pre-wedding funfest (guests showed up in wigs, hats, fake moustaches) to the actual ceremony, the wedding paid homage to the couple’s love for modern design and all things fun. A central motif for the event was a
mob that comprised family members, friends and their parents’ colleagues. Lanterns were released into the sky for good luck and the couple made sure their celebrations didn’t adversely impact the environment. Printed invitations were sent only to those guests who didn’t have access to the Net – everyone else got e-vites. Homes and the event venues did away with energy-guzzling strobes and halogens – instead there was discreet ambient lighting.
Photos: THINKSTOCK, MCT
bride wore the same sari that she’d worn at the China-India Yoga Summit, plus earrings and a necklace bought by the groom’s mother. The groom, however, wore a new kurta – but only because his sister got one for him on her way up! The guests lunched on traditional Himalayan fare: red rice, kadhi, moong, rajma, and sweet rice with almonds, walnuts and saffron. Later that evening, everyone tucked into pizza, coffee and tiramisu by Roberta, known as “Manali’s most celebrated Italian chef”.
INVITE ONLY: Uttara Shah, a wedding card designer, says she has turned books, diaries, calendars, durbar fans, paintings and digital photo-frames into invites for couples looking to go beyond glittering ivory stationery. For the wedding of actor Imran Khan and Avantika Malik, she created a diary in which the invitation appeared only on the page of the wedding day – guests could use the rest of the book. She’s designed a pinwheel invite for a mela-themed mehendi party at Karjat.
brunchletters@hindustantimes.com
“Why does a woman work 10 years to change a man, then complain he’s not the man she married?” – Barbara Streisand DECEMBER 2, 2012
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HUMOUR
The Thing About Husbands –
A three-part series
Illustration: JAYANTO
PART 2
Out Of The Closet! I am better off with my Marlboro man than with any Maybelline Man
by Nirupama Subramanian
T
HIS IS apparently the age of the metrosexual man. It is no longer just the prerogative of gay men to be charming, polite, well-dressed and sophisticated. The average man, who always wanted to know about chocolate wax but was too afraid to ask, can emerge out of the closet and exfoliate. He can buy pink shirts and pluck his eyebrows. It would be a pleasant change, I have often thought, to have a man who was stylish and impeccably groomed, who knew a cravat from a collar, who knew his Moschino and Molton Brown. He could offer an opinion on mud packs, he would accompany me on shopping trips and know the difference between fuchsia and mauve. Buying shoes together could be a wonderful bonding experience. Wait a minute, I am getting ahead of myself. The man I have around is the kind who thinks that shaving once in three days and a haircut once a month qualifies him to be presentable to the world at large. He belongs to the old school, which thinks that soap and water are cosmetics. He thinks he is overdressed if his shoes and belt match. He believes that using a moisturiser is like putting on makeup. The contents of his closet are fit for a museum. He hoards old clothes like treasure and would rather have a root canal than go shopping for new threads. I’ve had to secretly dispose the shiny pleated trousers that haven’t been in style for
a decade so that he wouldn’t commit a fashion blunder. Left to himself, he would lounge around unshaven in a pair of grungy shorts and T-shirt. Of course, I love my husband for his inner beauty, golden heart and all that stuff, but it wouldn’t hurt him to augment his wardrobe once in a while. “Don’t you need some new shirts?” I ventured to suggest. “The ones you wear to work are looking a little shabby. You need to add some colour to your wardrobe.” “I have colour,” he replied opening his cupboard door with a flourish. “Yes, there is white, off white, sort of white, almost white, was white, could have been white once...” “I also have a blue,” he declared. It was the shirt I had given him for his birthday 10 years ago. “You also need new shoes. You have been wearing this pair for ages. It has become an antique now.” “In that case, I am not throwing it away. It could become very valuable in a few years.” He neatly dodged the one I threw at him. He is glad to wear the same pair of jeans and shirt every time we go out, expecting that everyone else will also have short-term memory loss. “You wore this T-shirt to A’s party three months ago and also to B’s dinner last week. Please change,” I would try to tell him. “How does it matter?” he’d ask. Here I was trying to get him to be smart and sophisticated and he was
asking existential questions which had no immediate answer. What is worse is that what I wear and how I look doesn’t matter to him either. These things are just not on his radar. I brought this up during the group therapy session with the girls. “You are lucky,” wailed a friend, the wife of one of the best-dressed, wellgroomed men in our set. “Mine goes completely overboard when we go shopping. I have to wait outside the trial room and comment on everything that he tries. While other men are investing in life insurance policies, he is putting his money in Louis Vuitton luggage. Do you know he has 14 pairs of cufflinks and 20 pairs of shoes? I don’t have any space on our dressing table. The bathroom cabinet is completely occupied by his lotions and potions. I wish we could go back to the days when a simple bar of soap was all that a man would use to get ready for the day.” I can just imagine the scene if my husband morphed into a metrosexual! He might actually look at me when I ask “How do I look?” before we go
out anywhere. He may say, “I think the Blazing Burgundy Matte lipstick will suit your blouse colour more than the glossy Lush Lavender.” Since I am conditioned to hearing, “Fine, let’s go now,” from the front door in response to this question for more than 17 years, I could have a small heart attack which would not be good for my health. He might buy more clothes and shoes than will fit into the shelf allotted to him and encroach into my two cupboards which would not be good for my well-being. He may start advising our daughter on what to wear, weakening my motherly rights over her wardrobe, which would be detrimental to my position of authority on child rearing matters. I think I am better off with my Marlboro man rather than any Maybelline Man! Subramanian is the author of Keep The Change and Intermission and a professional facilitator in the area of leadership, change management and communication. After 17 years of marriage, she has realised that her efforts to change and coach her husband have had little effect
indulge
THE CRUNCH QUESTION
Each time I go to the shops I wonder: should I stay loyal to Bourbon? Or defect to Dark Fantasy? Or just wait for the chocolate digestive? Biscuit buying has suddenly become more complicated
B
BISCUIT KING
When it comes to global reach and power, there is nothing to beat the American Oreo
INDIAN TAKE
Vir Sanghvi
ISCUIT INDUSTRY professionals will probably laugh at me, but speaking as a chocolate biscuit fanatic, I divide the world into three. Naturally, this division is based on biscuit preference. In India, our chocolate biscuit of choice is the Bourbon, most commonly associated with the Britannia brand. (Actually, Bourbon is a generic term for the biscuit and other companies also manufacture it.) In England, the chocolate biscuit of choice is the McVitie’s chocolate digestive, which is so ubiquitous that when you ask someone for a chocolate biscuit in London, they assume that it is the chocolate digestive you are after. (Once again, chocolate digestive is a generic term, so many other companies also make variations but McVitie’s did invent the original digestive biscuit.) But in terms of sales, I would imagine that the king of the chocolate biscuit empire is neither of these. When it comes to global reach and power, there is nothing to beat the American Oreo. Like the Bourbon, this is a sandwich biscuit in the sense that it consists of two separate biscuits encasing a bit of cream. While the Bourbon relies on chocolate cream, the original Oreo had a vanilla cream centre, though you now get variations with all kinds of cream flavours. The problem with my neat distinctions is that the biscuit industry does not see either the Bourbon or the Oreo as chocolate biscuits. It concedes that there is cocoa powder in the biscuit dough but argues, quite correctly, that cocoa is only one of the constituents of chocolate. As for the chocolate digestive, industry professionals see it as no more than a derivative of the basic digestive biscuit and not so much as a biscuit in DECEMBER 2, 2012
Most of us grew up eating the Britannia Bourbon, which, I imagine, was the Indian version of the Huntley & Palmers Bourbon biscuit from England
rude food
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its own right. All this may well be true but I am not sure that as consumers we care very much about the distinction. Most of us grew up eating the Britannia Bourbon, which, I imagine, was the Indian version of the Huntley & Palmers Bourbon biscuit from England. (Huntley & Palmers was one of the companies that combined to form Britannia in India.) In England, the Huntley & Palmers version was not regarded as the definitive Bourbon (Crawford’s was higher rated) but we in India did not know any better. Nor did we care that there were specific dimensions for a Bourbon. Each Bourbon had to consist of two separate cocoa flavour biscuits, of the dimension 61 mm by 31 mm. There had to be specks of sugar on the outside and every individual piece was required to have an embossing of 10 small holes. I spoke to Sunil Alagh (who is an Indian biscuit industry legend, having reinvigorated the Britannia brand and launched the best-selling Tiger biscuit) about the Bourbon. Sunil’s view is that while people like you and me probably enjoyed eating Bourbon biscuits, the big seller in the cream sandwich category was always the orange flavoured biscuit. And throughout his time at Britannia, he worried that the Bourbon would eventually come under attack from the Oreo. In the ’80s, the Oreo was owned by American biscuit giant Nabisco. Whenever Nabisco entered new markets, it launched two brands, the Oreo and the Ritz Cracker. Sunil believed that it was only a matter of time before Nabisco and the Oreo hit Indian shores. Accordingly, he spent much of the ’80s trying to find an Indian alternative to the Oreo. The biscuit he came up with looked like the Oreo but was slightly sweeter. While the Oreo appeals to consumers of all ages, Sunil decided that the Britannia version would be an adult biscuit. Inspired by the positioning of up-market Black Magic chocolates, he decided to call the Britannia version, Pure Magic. But by the time Pure Magic was launched, events had over-
Like the Bourbon, the Oreo is a sandwich biscuit in the sense that it consists of two separate biscuits encasing a bit of cream
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VERY ENGLISH
When you ask someone for a chocolate biscuit in London, they assume that it is the chocolate digestive you are after
taken Britannia. First of all, Britannia’s holding company in England sold out to – you guessed it! – Nabisco. So Sunil was given access to the Oreo recipe for his Pure Magic variation. Then, Nabisco itself was taken over by investment banking firm KKR. One fall-out of this deal was that the foreign shareholding in Britannia passed to Rajan Pillai. And Pillai brought in French food giant, Danone, as a partner. Eventually, Pillai lost control of Britannia and Danone found a new partner in Nusli Wadia. Then, Wadia fought with Danone, who exited Britannia. Now, the company is controlled by the Wadias. While this corporate warfare was taking place, Britannia did not waste too much time on contemplating the threat from the Oreo or in pushing Pure Magic. And sure enough, Sunil’s fears proved groundless. For over a decade after Pure Magic was launched, there was no sign of the Oreo in the Indian market. But there was a new competitor. ITC Foods launched Dark Fantasy, a chocolate biscuit that was clearly patterned on the Oreo, in 2005. Though the quality was outstanding (I actually preferred it to the original Oreo) ITC did very little to market it. A few years ago, the company suddenly changed strategy. Not only did it spend crores on promoting the brand, it also imported machinery that allowed it to introduce a new kind of chocolate biscuit. And this one was really a chocolate biscuit, not just some cocoa cookie. The Choco Fills, as ITC called it, consisted of a Dark Fantasy cookie with a filling of molten chocolate. So successful has the Choco Fills been that it is the best-selling version of Dark Fantasy. And the brand itself has multiplied in size many times over. I asked VL Rajesh, executive vice-president, marketing, at ITC Foods, about the runaway success of Dark Fantasy. While Rajesh is proud of the quality of the basic biscuit, he thinks that it is the innovative nature of the injection biscuit that really gave the brand its biggest push. Even as Dark Fantasy was taking the biscuit market by storm in India, corporate developments were taking place abroad. First, the new owners of Nabisco sold the biscuit company to Kraft, best-known in India for those slices of processed cheese. So Kraft owned the Oreo but had no way of pushing it in India. That changed when Cadbury’s, a great British institution, fell into Kraft’s hands. This meant that Kraft finally had a route in India
through which it could launch the Oreo. And so, many, many years after Sunil Alagh had stayed awake at nights worrying about the threat to Britannia from Nabisco’s Oreo, the biscuit did arrive in our market – only it was called Cadbury’s Oreo. From what I can gather, the Oreo has done well in the Indian market, at least partly because of shrewd marketing and clever pricing by Cadbury’s. (Is it my imagination or is the Indian Oreo slightly smaller than the American version?) But it has not had the sledgehammer-like impact that it would have if it had landed here in the 1980s when Britannia expected it to turn up. By now, Indians are familiar with two domestic Oreo variants, one of which is arguably of better quality than the original. Where does that leave the world of chocolate biscuits? It is a sad thing to say but I imagine that India will soon lose its status as the one market where the elite swears by Bourbon. Even if the Oreo itself does not become the dominant biscuit, its tribe will have won because of the success of such brands as Dark Fantasy. Faced with this onslaught from heavily-promoted circular sandwich biscuits, I don’t think the Bourbon’s popularity will endure into the next generation of consumers. But as Sunil points out, the days when the biscuit market was dominated by Britannia and Parle are over. ITC is now a major player. After the success of the Oreo, Cadbury-Kraft is certain to introduce more biscuit brands. And McVitie’s is already here. Plus, there will be a flood of imports at the top end of the market. ITC’s VL Rajesh says that with each passing day we are learning more and more about the Indian consumer. Who could have guessed that injection biscuits would take the market by storm? Why, in a society where biscuits are routinely dunked into tea and coffee, do consumers prefer a circular Oreo-type shape rather than the more dunking-friendly rectangular Bourbon? So, two conclusions seem inevitable. The first is that you can no longer divide the world into three neat chocolate biscuit categories. Globalisation has meant that the Oreokind of biscuit has become the dominant force in most major markets. And second, if McVitie’s does not introduce a chocolate digestive in India and put some serious advertising money behind it, then the English chocolate biscuit will never make a dent in this market. Or perhaps somebody else will take that slot; given ITC’s aggression, it seems ready to experiment with every kind of biscuit. Speaking for myself, biscuit buying has suddenly become more complicated. Each time I go to the shops I wonder: should I stay loyal to Bourbon, or should I defect to Dark Fantasy? Or should I just wait for the chocolate digestive?
The Choco Fills consisted of a Dark Fantasy cookie with a filling of molten chocolate
Photos: THINKSTOCK
ORANGE IS MY COLOUR
Sunil Alagh’s view is that while people like you and me probably enjoyed eating Bourbon biscuits, the big seller in the cream sandwich category was always the orange flavoured biscuit
TEA TIME QUIZ!
Why, in a society where biscuits are routinely dunked into tea and coffee, do consumers prefer a circular Oreo-type shape rather than the more dunkingfriendly rectangular Bourbon?
indulge If such American shows as Dallas can be revived successfully, why can’t Hum Log and Buniyaad?
twitter.com/HTBrunch
Seema Goswami
DÉJÀVU SMALL SCREEN ICONS
G ONLY PLEASURE
I was enthralled by the catfights between Blake Carrington’s former and current wives, Alexis and Krystle (Joan Collins and Linda Evans) (below), in Dynasty in the pre-satellite television era
NOT AS CHARMING
Karamchand (above) was revived with Pankaj Kapur reprising his role while Sushmita Mukherjee was replaced by Sucheta Khanna as Kitty; this version did not evoke quite the same magic
After Buniyaad, Lajjoji and Masterji became iconic figures in their time
ROWING UP in a pre-satellite television era, my TV viewing was perforce restricted to the stuff that the handful of Indian channels deigned to show. Thus it was that all the excitement about Dallas and ‘Who shot JR Ewing?’ completely passed me by. I was much too enthralled by the catfights between Blake Carrington’s former and current wives, Alexis and Krystle (Joan Collins and Linda Evans), as they went at each other with their grotesquely-padded shoulders and seriously-big hair in Dynasty, to care very much about the adventures of another oil tycoon named Ewing. Now that Dallas has been revived (though sadly, Larry Hagman, who played the legendary JR, died after the first season of the sequel was telecast), I am trying to shore up my knowledge about the show that had the entire world enthralled during the late ’70s, through the ’80s, and the early ’90s, just so that I can have all the characters straight in my head. But such are the twists and turns of the plots – the entire 9th season was just a dream of one of the characters? Are you kidding me? – that I have given up in despair. The entire exercise did get me thinking, though. Given how many of the old British and American series have been revived of late – Upstairs Downstairs, Charlie’s Angels, Beverly Hills 90210, Hawaii Five-O – there is clearly a market for nostalgia in the world of television serials. So why is it that nobody in India has gotten around to making sequels of all those serials that we grew up on? I know that there are some that I would love to see updated for the 21st century. First among them is, of course, the programme that set the ball rolling, as it were: Hum Log. When it started in 1984, the high spot of the TV-viewing week used to be the film song programme Chitrahaar. But from the first episode on, Hum Log became required viewing in almost every household in the country. We would watch enthralled as a middle-class family (where the daughters were endearingly referred to as ‘Badki’ ‘Majhli’ and ‘Chutki’) went about its everyday life, with all the highs and lows this entailed. And we stayed tuned
ROLE CHANGE
Wouldn’t it be a coup if some production company could tempt Smriti Irani (right) to play the role that Priya Tendulkar (far right) made famous? DECEMBER 2, 2012
PERFECT COUPLE
Shafi Inamdar (right) and Swaroop Sampat were so perfect as Ranjit and Renu Verma in Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi
in as Ashok Kumar, the grandfather of the nation, materialised on the screen to give us a little homily on family values. (If any intrepid soul does revive the show now, Anupam Kher would be a shoo-in for the Ashok Kumar slot.) Running a close second is that old favourite, Buniyaad, which told the story of a Punjabi family torn apart by Partition. Lajjoji and Masterji became iconic figures in their time while the young and radiant Kiran Joneja, playing Veeravali, won the hearts of the nation (and that of her director and future husband, Ramesh Sippy). Given how TV-friendly he is, maybe Karan Johar can take over the task of recasting Buniyaad, tracing the trajectories of the characters as they make their way in a newly-resurgent India. Or even take it forward two generations and set it in the new millennium, with Veeravali playing the grand old matriarch to the descendants of her illegitimate son. And then, there was Rajani, the crusading housewife played with a certain insouciant charm by the late Priya Tendulkar, who took on the system in her own brisk, no-nonsense way in every episode, and triumphed over it, striking a blow for Everywoman and Everyman. I can’t help but think that this era, in which the phrase ‘aam aadmi’ is on everyone’s lips – not to mention political agenda – is just right for a revival of the Rajani spirit. And wouldn’t it be a coup if some production company could tempt Smriti Irani back on the small screen to play the role that Priya Tendulkar made famous? I am not so sure about how I would recast Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi though. Shafi Inamdar and Swaroop Sampat were so perfect as Ranjit and Renu Verma – he, the long-suffering, put-upon husband and she, the harried, slightly ditzy housewife – that it is hard to see who could match up to them. And maybe the simple, almost childish fun that the serial encapsulated is not in tune with our more-cynical times. But it would be nice to see it revived, if only to recapture the spirit of a more innocent age. The other serial I have happy memories of is Karamchand, the detective drama which immortalised the lines: ‘Sir, you are a genius’ – ‘Shut up Kitty’. But while Sony Television did try to revive it, with Pankaj Kapur reprising his role as Karamchand while Sushmita Mukherjee was replaced by Sucheta Khanna as Kitty, this version did not evoke quite the same magic. So, it’s not as if Indian television does not do remakes of sequels of old shows. Sab TV, in fact, commissioned an Indian version of the American sitcom, I Dream of Jeannie, titled (rather risibly) as Jeannie Aur Juju (don’t ask!). But this version didn’t have anything like the resonance of the original. But I refuse to be disheartened by these failures. After all, if Bollywood can do remakes of such mega-hits as Don and Agneepath and have them raking it in at the box-office, surely television can reprise its iconic series successfully too? And until it does, I for one, will live in hope of seeing a remade-for-our-times version of Hum Log or Buniyaad.
spectator
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seema_ht@rediffmail.com. Follow Seema on Twitter at twitter.com/seemagoswami
indulge
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INTO THE FUTURE
Flexible screens, 3D printers and self-inflating tyres are just some of the life-changing innovations 2013 will see
ALL SO REAL
The 3D printer has the potential to change our lives in more ways than one
BREAK ME IF YOU CAN
I
Rajiv T’S LATE night and I’m on a flight to Mumbai Makhni to be part of Kaun Banega Crorepati (Behind the Scenes at KBC in next week’s column) again. It’s a Sunday and has been an exhausting one as I’ve attended a wedding in the afternoon and a reception in the evening. As I plonk myself down on my seat, the last thing I want is to have a long conversation with the passenger in the next seat. I’m usually over-exuberantly friendly and a very chatty flyer but I’m more or less done with my ‘people’s person persona’ as I’ve exhausted it all on the ‘munde di side de log’ and ‘kuddi di friends’ and the auntiejis who want advice on a new phone while the unclejis look disapprovingly at me as they are pretty sure they know more than me. Thus I plonk, shut my eyes, exaggerate a long loud groan to signify how tired I am to all and slide my body into a comfortable position. Aah... bliss. “Don’t you think that instead of reviewing products already out in the market, you should talk about future innovations that will change our lives?” I open my eyes and trace the source of the very loud and assertive voice. My bleary eyes finally focus and find that it’s the passenger sitting next to me and also find that he’s very determined to have his say. Now that he’s got me up and has my attention he introduces himself as Mr Majumdar, says he knows me very well – then proceeds to call me Rohit and tells me how he never misses my show called Tech Boys (!!). I don’t have the heart or the stamina to correct him on either and as I start to reply – my feeble attempt to answer his query is brushed aside. I am then given a very passionate and forceful 15-minute discourse by him on why reviewing products already out in the market is of no use as “what humans truly need is to have knowledge for the future, to be ready for the future”. This is a man on a mission and in some ways I actually agree with him. This one is for you Mr Majumdar – a quick synopsis of five innovations that will truly change our lives in 2013.
FLEXIBLE SCREENS; BUT NOT THE WAY YOU THINK THE INSIDE STORY
Myontech Underwear has sensors that show how good your workout was FLAT NO MORE
Self-inflating tyres will have a built-in sensor, which will take care of inside pressure
Flexible screens will finally move from being just prototypes to actual consumer products in 2013 els, samples of your new product, or even your brand new iPhone cover. There’s a whole community out there that is already exchanging designs or building designs for a small fee. Eventually these will work with just a good quality photograph – just scan one in and it’ll make an exact replica.
MOVIES FROM A NEW DIMENSION
techilicious
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2013 will be the year when flexible screens will finally move from being just prototypes to actual consumer products. They just won’t work the way you visualise it right now. The Holy Grail has been a product the size of a matchbox, which when unfolded several times becomes a nine-inch screen. What most people forget is that the screen may bend but it also needs the inside components to do the same. Thus the micro chips, the processor, the storage, the body, the frame – everything inside and outside must flex and fold! And that isn’t going to happen in 2013. Right now, look for flexible screens that work on OLED technology, move to resin and plastic instead of glass and become much lighter and thinner. The big advantage will be that these screens won’t break when the device falls from your hand and will be impervious to normal scratches and wear and tear. Expect a few devices to bend and fold halfway or roll the screen away from the body.
THE 3D PRINTER
The most misunderstood technology of them all. Here’s a device that has the potential to change our lives in more ways than one can imagine and yet has lived under a cloud of complexity. The 3D printer is a very simple product. It’s basically an object builder. Feed in a design and watch it go to work by layering plastic and polymers. You can build literally anything from it, including 3D modDECEMBER 2, 2012
In 1928, the first movie to be shot at 24 frames per second was released. Believe it or not, we still stick to that 85-year-old technology for all the movies we see today. That is about to change with movies being shot in 48 frames per second and moving to 60 soon. The result is an immersive, almost hypnotic experience that goes far beyond 3D or IMAX. The motion is super smooth, colours truly pop and scene detailing is impossibly sharp. Expect Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit to be the first movie to have this technology. The second big change here is going to be the final burial of our current 1080P HD standard as we move to 4K technology. This is four times the current resolution of HD and almost every company will have televisions, projectors as well as source players that will handle all this glorious HD. Higher frame rates and higher resolution combined will make 2013 the year screen clarity moved from good to jaw-dropping.
TYRES THAT NEVER TIRE
The greatest irritation of owning a car or two-wheeler has to be the tyres. A flat tyre or the effort to keep pressure regulated is a constant irritant. While Run Flat tyres have changed that a bit, self inflating tyres will complete that equation. These will come with a sensor built in, the minute they find that the pressure inside has dropped – a built-in regulator, valve and pumping tube will take care of it. No more standing in line at petrol pumps and then getting horribly wrong tyre pressure due to faulty equipment.
WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY
I’ve always found wearable tech to be a bit of a joke. Silly virtual reality helmets, space suit-like clothing, wires dangling all over your body – it all makes you look like a complete ass and even the experience isn’t all that great. 2013 will change that in a hurry and from multiple directions. Devices like the Google Glasses (small screen on one side that combines real life and augmented reality), Talking Gloves (sensor-laden gloves that recognise sign language and convert it to text on a phone screen), Myontech Underwear (has sensors built in that tell you exactly how well each muscle was used in a workout), Sleep Sensors (analysis of your sleep and breathing pattern and can pinpoint diseases even before they start) and the next generation of activity trackers from Nike Fuelband and Fitbit. It’s a brave new world of unobtrusive wearable tech that function without making you feel like a prat. There are a lot more life-changing innovations coming up, which I shall save up for my series of ‘end of year’ columns. I close my eyes once again, groan louder and shift my body even lower. Maybe, just maybe, I can get some sleep for the few minutes left, before I land. Aah, bliss! “Is there any way you can help me to get onto the KBC hot seat? I’ve been trying for the last five years”. Mr Majumdar was back... Rajiv Makhni is managing editor, Technology, NDTV and the anchor of Gadget Guru, Cell Guru and Newsnet 3. Follow Rajiv on Twitter at twitter.com/RajivMakhni
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The Rolling Stones’ 50th Anniversary App could be the way to go for bands with a large body of work that spans many years
THE JUKEBOX
I
f you’re not a Deadhead, don’t read any further. If you are one, I’d suggest going to the web version of DC and downloading this fabulous compilation of five shows in 1970 by The Grateful Dead. It runs for hours and it is from a period when that band had all its original members, Pigpen included, and was in top form. The concerts were at The Capitol Theater in Port Chester, New York. Not to be missed
I
Sanjoy Narayan
T’S A 38-SECOND clip showing four old geezers announcing and extolling the goodness of a new smartphone app and it’s so funny that I actually went over and downloaded The Rolling Stones’ 50th anniversary app. The four old geezers are, of course, Mick Jagger (69), Keith Richard (68), Charlie Watts (71) and Ronnie Wood (65). On the promotional clip, which you can watch on YouTube, the funniness is not of the comical type but one that reeks of uneasiness. Each of the Stones’ veterans gets a shot to speak and is ill at ease talking about something such as a smartphone application. Jagger kicks off the promo mentioning how the Stones app is unlike any other because it isn’t just another version of their website dumped into the app; Richard wheezes about how it is a “fifty year thing” and that it will have some “surprises”; Watts confesses that he’s never turned a computer on although Mick bought him a couple; and Wood mentions the virtues of having the “Brushes” app (which I think is a painting application and Wood, as we know, is a trained painter) on his iPhone. But all four geezers sound so unconvincing and tentative, that you can’t help but check out the Rolling Stones Official 50th Anniversary App, launched a fortnight ago. The main app, currently available only for the iPad, the iPod Touch and the iPhone, is free so there’s no real barrier to checking it out. There is an exclusive section for which you have to pay but more on that later. The app is quite interesting. The free section has unreleased interview clips, videos of live concerts and practice sessions as well as footage of a ‘secret’ concert somewhere. The videos of the gigs, especially, are nice. Jagger, remarkably sprightly in his near 70s; Richard’s still scorching guitar; and the frenzy of fans… all of it makes you want to go to one of their gigs. That the app also helps you track their 50th anniversary gigs and buy tickets and connect with other fans and the band (a proposed feature will enable users to request songs that the band could play out of its repertoire of nearly 600 songs), makes it easy if you do. Timed with rock and roll’s extra long-lasting band’s 50th anniversary tour (25 November to 15 December), the app is likely to be a great hit with fans. The exclusive section can be unlocked for just R50 and has a number of special videos: clips of some concerts, the Stones talking about their anniversary, about their music, and about technology. Bands using technology to spread their music and network with their fans is nothing new. But it is usually the fledgling new bands and musicians who use the Net to do that. It all began with MySpace, which in the early days of Web 2.0 became the forum for new bands to put up their music for streaming and downloading ALL’S NOT OLD
The Stones’ app has unreleased interview clips, videos of live concerts and practice sessions DECEMBER 2, 2012
Photo: GETTY IMAGES
‘APP’ARENTLY BACK ON TRACK
download central
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DISCOVER THE RICHES
The Bruce Springsteen Ultimate Music Guide by Uncut, a Brit music magazine, is heaven for a Springsteen fan
and garnering fans. Today, with record sales down to negligible levels and thousands of bands trying to be heard above the cacophony, indie bands piggyback on mp3bloggers, on websites such as Bandcamp and via Internet radio stations and podcasts. Many bands have their own podcasts, often putting them up for downloads or streaming entire concerts, hoping for awareness and visibility. For The Rolling Stones, those two have never been a problem, at least not for the past half a century. Yet, as the band has managed to probably outlive many of their original fans and wants to draw new ones, the digital approach makes sense. The Stones may be using their new official app as a marketing device for their ongoing tour (they are scheduled to play at New York, Newark and London), which some believe could be the last one but there are established rockers who’ve had digital strategies help them rekindle interest in their acts. Sometimes it is with outside help. I have a five-part Bruce Springsteen Ultimate Music Guide launched by Uncut, the British music magazine. Besides dissecting Springsteen’s career from 1979 to now, it has rare galleries, clips from albums, reviews, features and videos. For a Springsteen fan, it is heaven. For younger music lovers who may have missed out on his early work, it is a great way to get initiated. I think apps such as the Stones’ or Springsteen’s could be the way to go for bands with a large body of work that spans many years, decades in the case of the two I have mentioned. In particular, I like the Uncut’s guide on Springsteen. It’s not just a fan boy’s collector’s item but also provides an opportunity any time in the future for younger aficionados of Springsteen’s music to delve into his career and past work. A couple of years back, I happened to discover on the Net, digital archives of the legendary British DJ, the late John Peel of the BBC. For many years till his death in the mid-2000s, Peel helped promote artists across a wide range of genres and after his death, his record collection and recordings of his broadcasts are being digitally archived. It is one of the finest archives of music that I have come across. Well worth an exploration. I can think of many, many bands and artists whose work deserves to be similarly curated or archived. To give feedback, stream or download the music mentioned in this column, go to http://blogs.hindustantimes.com/downloadcentral, follow argus48 on Twitter
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MIND BODY SOUL SHIKHA SHARMA
SNUFF OUT THE COLD, NATURALLY This winter, soak in the sun, good food and exercise – just keep the ailments at bay
T
HERE’S A nip in the air and even as we welcome the arrival of most things wintery, we shouldn’t let our guard down to seasonal ailments such as cough, cold and sinus problems. The best way to fight incidences of upper respiratory infections during winter is to make small changes in our eating patterns and modify our lifestyle along with adopting a few tried and tested natural remedies. Winter is the season for increased kapha energy that could lead to maladies such as phlegm, congestion, lung infections, coughs and colds. Other ailments associated with the season include asthma, sinusitis, arthritis, weight gain and higher cholesterol levels. To fight the winter chill, ayurveda, naturopathy and unani medicine offer a few good remedies for both adults and children. Many of these antidotes have been perfected over thousands of years. THINK HERBAL ■ Increase the intake of onion and garlic in winter. Onion and garlic in raw form, or as a juice, mixed with a little jaggery, is an excellent cure for colds and coughs. In case you find the idea of having raw garlic or onion revolting, have them in soup or salad form. ■ Boil ginger and tulsi in water till half the concoction evaporates. Drink this brew plain or with a teaspoon of honey. This is also ideal for children above the age of six. ■ Add a slice of burnt gar-
lic to sesame oil and massage the soles of the feet and palms of the hands, to encourage blood circulation among children. ■ For adults, prepare a mixture of fennel, black pepper, rock salt and clove and add it to honey. This is an excellent remedy for all kinds of sore throats, cough and persistent colds. This medicinal paste is best imbibed with hot water. Warm water can either be sipped alongside, or it can be dissolved to form a solution. SURE-SHOT FIXES ■ An ancient unani concoction called joshanda is a proven remedy against all kinds of coughs, colds, asthma, sinus problems and lung infections in children as well as adults. Although many people prefer to have joshanda in syrup form, the natural mixture (comprising eucalyptus, liquorice, Malabar nut, hyssop, peppermint and fennel) works best. The herbs should be boiled in water till it is reduced to half. The mixture should be consumed as a kaadha (decoction) while it is still warm. ■ Gargle every day with a solution of warm water and a pinch of rock salt. This should be done first thing in the morning after brushing your teeth. ■ Another healthy practice during the winter is to inhale steam to clear your nasal tract twice a week. ■ To conquer sinusitis, try this home remedy: Burn a turmeric root and inhale the smoke. Turmeric is a powerful antiseptic that clears out your nasal tract of sinus infections.
Turmeric, an antiseptic, clears out your nasal tract of sinus infections
ask@drshikha.com
Photos: THINKSTOCK
DECEMBER 2, 2012
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A Night to Remember Bradley Cooper messed it up twice in The Hangover. So, throw out the DVDs. Here’s how to throw a real bachelor party by Amrah Ashraf
Y
OUR BEST buddy is about to get married. That means no more boys’ night outs, no drinking till 3am, no flirting with his girlfriend just to annoy him and no Xbox marathons. That is why he is looking at you with those pleading eyes. He deserves one night of absolute merry-making before his life changes forever. And he needs you to orchestrate it. You’ve watched The Hangover, and you’ve seen Shamita Shetty gyrating with Jimmy Shergill in that sharara song. But do you know what it takes to throw a good stud night? For starters, only fools hold the bachelor’s party just before the wedding. No one wants to risk bleary eyes and a hangover on their wedding day. “Keep it at least a week before the wedding or the groom will be busy,” advises Umesh Khanna, a wedding and party planner. Now that you’ve got a date, work out your budget and follow our guide.
UNDER R50,000
If you’ve got the space, a house party makes for the best bachelor’s evening. Rent a projection screen and hook up an Xbox. Throw in karaoke and sing with your mates for old times’ sake. Order plenty of dude food like burgers, fries, chicken wings and pizza. Or try an ‘Oktoberfest’ theme so you can serve several kinds of beer. Finally a shot girl or two will add the required glamour to the evening.
UNDER R1,00,000
Reserve a private booth at a nightclub for a night out. Send out invites – party kits with shot glasses, herbal hangover pills and a customised jersey for your ‘crew’ to wear to the party (remember to put the groom’s name on it, not yours). At the club, pop open a bottle of champagne, get the DJ to play your tunes and invite some pretty ladies over to celebrate. No one is going to want to be a designated driver for this night, so hire a driver service or rent a car to take the boys back home.
UNDER R2,00,000
You have R2 lakh to blow on your best bud? We hope you’re single and cute! Big budgets let you do over-the-top themes like a Vegas party – costumed waitresses, flair bartenders, roulette tables and a great DJ. The evening is sure to be legenDARY! If that’s not your style, get out of town. Go hiking, bungee jump or skydive. Shenanigans are easily excused when you’re out of town. And tell me if I’m wrong, but a hangover seems less vicious when you’re in a hotel bed. – With inputs from Priyanka Soorma, Cineyug Celebrations amrah.ashraf@hindustantimes.com
HELOR PARTY RULES OF A BACfore your first drink how much you
t way, you won’t be b. Whatever hapwant to lose. That 1 Thou shalt not bla the party. at ys se. sta ou rty mh pa far your pens at the ader. Open up your tial. There will be 6. Don’t be a freelo 2. Gluttony is essen scratch ol. oh s of alc wallet. Even if the dude food and lot touch high, don’t a s run to ite inv ht Hey, even Fig 3. Don’t expect an grumble. mmons to Club had rules. If the wedding. A su ls. They an me d t ite no 7. Be nice to the gir but inv es en do be do e g u’v yo the sta , ers ipp str be , may not to a bachelor party you’re invited to the and other ls gir it ot e se. sh tak the r n’t be Do remem wedding. living. Be women earning a YOU WILL THANK personally. respectful. d an us eo urt co R rrass the ME LATE 4. You must emba nhoods will in good 8. Be prepared. Ma bachelor. But only sly es ridiculed, les qu rm ysi ha ph a d, ge ow en kn be chall spirit. If you ts to various bases about the groom, and advancemen humiliating story you’ll or sty na t Grin and bear it. It’s ge d. n’t sse will be discu spill it out. But do . all in good spirit be spanked out. Umesh Khanna mbling. So come – With inputs from 5. Expect some ga be e cid De r. ge prepared to wa
Photos: THINKSTOCK, MCT
Photo: IMAGESBAZAAR
“The bachelor party. The whole night. It’s... Things got out of control and, uh... we lost Doug” – from The Hangover DECEMBER 2, 2012
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The Knotty Picture...
Happily ever after is all good, but what if she insists on getting married tonight? Here’s how I became Raj to my Simran by Aasheesh Sharma
I
T HAPPENED one afternoon. By a journalist’s standards, I was leading a rather mundane – some would say boring – life in the late ’90s. Till, one autumn evening, my pre-Wi-Fi love story took an astounding turn. The girlfriend of three years was no longer content with lofty promises of cruises in the Caribbean and romantic Dev Anand songs sung in autorickshaws. So, after a rather intense latenight conversation over a landline phone, she gave me the ultimatum: Either we walk down the (elusive) aisle or she’d walk out of my life. I, well... promised to stand by her! I don’t know whether it was the earnestness in my voice or the effect of too many Bollywood movies (October 1998, after all, was the third anniversary of the release of
Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge) that she took my words too seriously and landed up – clothes, tears and textbooks – at my place. One look at her tearful (but angelic) face was enough to realise it wasn’t just another visit where we would discuss Indian politics post Devi Lal or watch Chitrahaar together. It was time to invoke the Raj in me for my Simran.
ROLES OF ENGAGEMENT....
No, there were no drumbeats in the background, nor was the setting an airbrushed railway station when I realised my prospective wife had decided to desert her family and become my family instead. And that I had only a few hours to figure the logistics of a quickie shaadi. Should we take our courtship to a
of locating a pliant panditji and a registered Arya Samaj Mandir.
PHERAS IN A JIFFY
THOSE FRANTIC FEW HOURS...
Arya Samaj weddings are the T20 equivalent of the traditional shaadi
court of law? Would the bro-in-law actually use a hockey stick on me? Some frantic calls to confidants and confidantes later, my dented confidence was back. Pasting a notice outside a court for one month would be bad strategy! What we needed was instant matrimony. So, a seasoned journalist known to be conversant with all matters elopement was located and spoken to. “I don’t know you. But didn’t you elope and get married?” I asked. The phone line went silent for a few excruciating seconds and then came a warm: “Of course! You seem to be in a tearing hurry. Just head to the Arya Samaj Mandir,” was the scribe’s advice. “All you will need is evidence of age, three witnesses and affidavits saying there is no coercion involved,” he added. Now there was the small matter
Ours was the T20 equivalent of a shaadi. Only it took slightly less time than a T20 match. The wedding photographer was a friend of the first cousin. The mangalsutra and rings were bought from the neighbourhood jeweller, hair salons were barged into and frantic calls made to friends and colleagues. The boss was incredulous. “Weren’t you recovering from a bike crash? Is this your idea of a joke? What do you mean you are getting married this evening?” But soon, she began to see the romance in it all. “I never knew you had a wild side. Don’t worry, the entire department will sign as witnesses at your wedding.” So, my rag-tag group of friends and colleagues showed up and my sister cheered on as they saw my life’s soundtrack change from Ek Ladki Bhagi Bhagi Si to Suhaag Raat Hai Ghoonghat Utha Raha Hoon Main. In a matter of hours. When we look back over 14 years, my wife and I can see the lighter side of the shaadi. But whenever a friend brings up the mention of these few frantic, maddening, exhilarating hours, she gives me a look that says: “Really, was this the man I became a runaway bride for?” aasheesh.sharma@hindustantimes.com
PERSONAL AGENDA
hindustantimes.com/brunch
Actress
Kalki Koechlin BIRTHDAY January 9
SUN SIGN Capricorn
PLACE OF BIRTH HIGH POINT OF YOUR LIFE Going to HOMETOWN university, getting
FIRST BREAK
Puducherry
independent
Puducherry
LOW POINT OF YOUR LIFE
SCHOOL AND COLLEGE
Hebron School, Ooty, University of London
Being alone
Dev.D (2009)
CURRENTLY DOING
Just launched Grey Goose’s style du jour. Shooting for Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani and Ek Thi Daayan
So, how exactly should we my expression of freedom. pronounce your last name? Five things you can’t live without? n. Kösh-la Diaries, notebooks, mutton, Chanda or Paro, whom would you chocolates and a sense of humour. rather be in real life? If you could change one thing about Paro. yourself, what would it be? Who do you prefer: Anurag, the I am very happy the way I am. I am boyfriend; Anurag, the husband; or also happy with my choices, be it Anurag, the director? movies or otherwise. All I would say is life Your ultimate travel with him is great! destination? A literary character I love Delhi, especially FAVOURITE you’d love to play. the food in the city. MIDNIGHT I did play one in Your one stereotypically SNACK? Dev.D and it was a French trait or habit? very memorable It has got to be my experience. fashion sense. Actually What turns you on? it’s my French connecA sense of tion that made me assohumour and a ciate with Grey Goose. sense of The one typical Bollywood stubbornness. masala film you wish you had What turns you off? been part of? Self involvement. I can’t Band Baaja Baraat. stand it. The best dish that Anurag has ever Marriage is… cooked for you? A continuation and expression I just love everything he cooks. of love. Do you cook? Tell us about your best dish, What brings a smile to your face? and your magic ingredient? Chocolate and fashion. I cook mostly fancy French food What is style for you? like quiches. That secret ingredient It’s very personal. I am very needs to remain a secret. stubborn in my personal style. It is — Interviewed by Veenu Singh Photo: THINKSTOCK
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A FILM YOU HAVE SEEN MORE THAN FIVE TIMES?
A MOVIE THAT TAKES YOU BACK TO YOUR CHILDHOOD?
The NeverEnding Story (I knew every line by heart!) Photo: MANOJ VERMA
DECEMBER 2, 2012
THE MOST OVERRATED FILM?
Gone With The Wind ONE PAISA VASOOL FILM?
The Matrix, but only the first part. The next two were overrated THE FIRST MOVIE YOU SAW ON THE BIG SCREEN?
Anjali (The Tamil version)
my movies
Les Enfants du Paradis by Marcel Carné
Chocolate