WEEKLY MAGAZINE, JUNE 2, 2013 Free with your copy of Hindustan Times
Before the mercury soars... Before the city starts to scorch... 10 amazing ways to spend the coolest hours of a summer day
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B R E A K FA S T O F C H A M P I O N S
MUMBAI ON THE WEB
On The Brunch Radar
Got a whole glorious day to spend at home with the family? Don’t turn on the TV and waste the day vegetating! Not when there’s something cool to do in every corner of your home. As Mumbai celebrates No TV Day, it’s a great reason to unplug, unwind and have some uninhibited fun. Take cues from Brunch Mumbai, and Malaika herself
Late night showers. Bliss! Roger Federer on Twitter. Yes, he’s late, but who’s complaining? ■ Bright, colourful, cotton headgear ■ Young Mithun Da’s ‘tiny hips’ ■ Mera dil le gayi o Kammo kidhar... ■
Photos: SHUTTERSTOCK
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elhi is stunning in winter. But summer mornings, as we recently discovered, can take your breath away too. One Wednesday afternoon last month, the boss had an idea: figure out all the things you can do in Delhi (at dawn). Pick the ones that sound the most interesting, do them and if they match up, write about then. We groaned collectively (inwardly). Now journalists have a terrible reputation. And it’s true. We’re not morning people. We roll out of bed at 11am and saunter in to work only by noon. But Murphy’s law is the worst in the morning! Many of these activities are strictly on Sundays. But we ignored The Bible (Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day is to be put to death. Exodus 31:15) and got to work. And here’s what went very, very wrong: 1. When Saudamini Jain reached Lodhi Gardens at 5am for poetry in the park, only two people showed up (90 minutes too late at that). 2. When Manit Moorjani went to catch skaters around India Gate at 6am, there were only children for company. 3. Yashica Dutt, our fashion correspondent, went to Chandni Chowk covered from head to foot, looking “absolutely dowdy”. She still got reprimanded by an old man for being inappropriately dressed. After a month, we found 10 amazing things you can do in the morning (turn to page 6). We hope you’re having a good Sunday, but please excuse us. We’re going to sleep till way past noon. We’ve been working for four Sundays straight. Cover design: MONICA GUPTA Cover photograph of Lodhi Gardens: AJAY AGGARWAL Models courtesy: GLITZ MODEL MANAGAMENT
EDITORIAL: Poonam Saxena (Editor), Aasheesh Sharma, Rachel Lopez, Tavishi Paitandy Rastogi, Mignonne Dsouza, Veenu Singh, Parul Khanna, Yashica Dutt, Amrah Ashraf, Saudamini Jain, Shreya Sethuraman, Manit Moorjani
JUNE 2, 2013
■ Rum and Coke. It’s 45 degrees outside. Are you kidding me? ■ ODing on finger food ■ Adiós, football season ■ Water shortage. Drip...drip...drip... ■ Air-conditioners that don’t work
Now Playing
by Shreya Sethuraman
POP GOES THE STEREO! Altaf Raja is back. Nobody else could’ve made Jholu Ram (from the movie Ghanchakkar) sound so much fun. And he reminded us of all the awesome indipop singers that once defined the Indian pop scene. Do you remember these gems?
ALTAF RAJA
by Saudamini Jain
Early bird gets the worm
by Shreya Sethuraman
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MILIND INGLE
The Tum toh thehre pardesi singer was a tad too ‘besura’ for people. And SO uncool – someone who deserved anda-tamatar (if you recall a scene from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai). But he’s here now. And we like.
BABA SEHGAL
Remember Aaja meri gaadi mein baith ja? He introduced the janta to rap and boy, was he popular! People even started dressing like him (we don’t approve). But the dude was cool. And it would be interesting to have him back on the scene. Especially if he ropes in Pooja Bedi, wet hair, red lips, swirly reddress and all.
DEVANG PATEL
The lord of spoofs. Bordering on cheesiness and at times, vulgarity as well, he parodied popular film songs. And some times English pop songs too. So Shakira’s Whenever, wherever became Hai kamar hoi kamar. People called him repetitive and boring. But how can you not like the man who sang Madhuri Dixit mili raste mein, khaye chane hamne saste mein?
He sang Chhuimui si tum lagti ho, where you saw Abbas and Preeti Jhangiani meet over a badly aimed water pipe, fall in love and eventually marry. However, Ingle was too mushy and a one-hitwonder. But he’s still the man who gave us the tiny koala bears that we clip onto our shirts, our curtains, our bags... and every other clippable place.
JASBIR JASSI
We went crazy when he sang Dil le gayi kudi Gujarat di. Jasbir was the gabroo jawaan Indi-pop desperately needed. He came, he sang, he conquered and then vanished! We want him back – the man who taught everybody basic Gujarati – Kem chho? Majaa ma chho?
APACHE INDIAN
This man meant only two words – Chok There! Apache Indian was cool, hep and everything underground. Sadly, he was too firang for the true-blue desis. But now we’re all grown up and don’t mind growing dreadlocks for this cool dude.
Now that you’ve gone through our list, we’d love to see who you want to see again. Send us your list of the most-missed indipop stars, only on @HTBrunch! DESIGN: Ashutosh Sapru (National Editor, Design), Monica Gupta, Swati Chakrabarti, Payal Dighe Karkhanis, Rakesh Kumar, Ashish Singh
Drop us a line at:
brunchletters@ hindustantimes.com or to 18-20 Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi 110001
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Delhi Del
From food trails to photo walks, biking to bird-watching – 10 things you can do on cool (yes, cool!) summer mornings in Delhi
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HERE’S A Zen-like serenity to Delhi at dawn. Before the heat raises temperatures and tempers, the city is at its most accommodating. So, HT Brunch decided to fan
BUY ROSES, FOR A SONG
at
out and experience the most enjoyable early morning (5am to 8am) activities the megapolis has to offer. The quest led us from the bylanes of Jama Masjid to the power tracks of Lodhi Gardens
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Photos: SONU MEHTA
WALK THE
WHAT: Go for a walk in Lodhi Gardens, followed by breakfast at Khan Market USP: The most stunning setting for a public garden anywhere in the world CLOSEST METRO STATION: Khan Market
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NOT JUST ON VALENTINE’S
The flower mandi at Ghazipur in East Delhi does brisk business throughout the year
WHAT: Flower-shopping at the Phoolon ki Mandi in East Delhi USP: Exotic varieties at amazingly cheap rates in the biggest bloom bazaar in town CLOSEST METRO STATION: New Ashok Nagar
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f you like fragrances and colours or if you love having vases of fresh flowers all over your home, head to the Ghazipur Flower Market in East Delhi. This is a wholesale market that supplies flowers to retailers in the city. But there’s nothing to prevent you from going there and stocking up on flowers for your home – at really cheap prices. Before they were relocated to Ghazipur, the flower sellers used to operate out of Connaught Place,
Fateh Puri and Mehrauli. Though in hues of purple, deep blue and October to February are probably white, are sold in batches of 10 the best months for business, the stems, for just R150. Roses (sold in mandi does reasonably well in batches of 20 stems) come in two summer too. Roses, orchids, varieties – Bordo (from carnations, lotuses, Nasik) and Taj Mahal or EARLY chrysanthemums, helcoTata (straight from Kulu). BIRD TIP The market opens nia – you get a big range. The former cost as little at 4am, but we The exotic-looking hel- suggest you reach by as R60 and the latter cost conia, which could be R170 and come in yellow, 6am and spend an hour to get the mistaken for Bird Of orange, pink and white. best deals Paradise, comes from Nobody shouts or Bangalore and costs R80 per hounds buyers at this mandi. stem here. If you buy them from So don’t bargain like you would your neighbourhood florist, they at Janpath or Sarojini Nagar. If you can cost anything between R120-200 just smile and talk politely, you have per stem. Anthuriums are sold at a good chance of getting 100 Bordo just R10 per stem! If you’re fond of roses for just R50! That’s the lilies, they can be yours for R10 per bargaining power of a smile at everstem, almost one seventh the blooming Ghazipur! price everywhere else. Orchids, – Shreya Sethuraman JUNE 2, 2013
he roads are almost deserted. People smile as you walk past them. You reach Lodhi Gardens and sheer, beautiful greenery hits you! It makes you want to pitch a tent and live there. But what makes Lodhi Gardens so spectacular is their incredible history. Spread over 90 acres in the heart of Lutyens’ Delhi, it has breathtaking medieval monuments dating back to the 15th century. Created by the British in 1936 (it was called Lady Wellington Park then), the garden was re-landscaped by American landscape architects Joseph Allen Stein and Garrett Eckbo in 1968. As you jog, run, walk, do yoga or just sit quietly by yourself, you can
Photo: AJAY AGGARWAL
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Dawn
and brought us face-to-face with early-bird commuters, students and businessmen. The result is a chiaroscuro of people, places and experiences. Savour the delectable nihari at Old Delhi’s Matia Mahal,
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GREEN MILE take in the sights – Mohammed Shah’s Tomb, Sikander Lodhi’s Tomb, Sheesh Gumbad and Bara Gumbad. Lodhi Gardens comes alive in the morning, with ducks quacking away in the tiny lake and birds chirping in the trees. After a few EARLY rounds of the park BIRD TIP Be there just before that could range sunrise if you want from two kilomethe jogging tracks tres to ten kilomeand verdant lawns to tres, head to Khan yourself Market (literally a stone’s throw away) for freshly baked croissants at L’Opera (the patisserie opens at 8am). They’re melt-in-your-mouth creations, flaky and gloriously buttery. They’re a bit expensive (about R94 each) but then, everything at L’Opera costs the earth. If hot coffee doesn’t sound that appetising, try the chilled pomegranate lemonade (around R163), which comes in a quirky old-fashioned glass bottle. – Shreya Sethuraman
A DATE WITH HISTORY
Build up a sweat, surrounded by monuments at the Lodhi Gardens
take pictures of the monuments at Firoz Shah Kotla, hunt for bargains at Chor Bazaar, pick up fresh flowers from the Phoolon Ki Mandi, or visit a plant nursery at the crack of dawn. And since this is
GRAPHIC: MONICA GUPTA
Delhi we’re talking about, the best way to reach your destination is by the first train in the Delhi Metro. Or on a bicycle – the roads are so beautifully deserted. Good morning, Delhi!
BE A PEDAL PUSHER
WHAT: Cycle your way around the Capital. The roads are nearlyempty, the breeze is pleasant and Delhi seems like a new terrain USP: A workout that also helps you get acquainted with the city
Photo: VIPIN KUMAR
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here could be many reasons you should not get on to a cycle early in the morning – they’re mostly to do with wanting to sleep just a little more. But I can you give you many more compelling reasons why you should get on to that bicycle. It’s a fitness aspirant’s best choice cycling, especially outdoors, is a great way to build stamina, burn fat and strengthen the legs, back and butt. It’s cheaper than say, joining a gym, or taking up a sport. Even a beginner can try cycling. You see the world around you at your own pace, without any ambient disturbances. All these sound like textbook cliches till you actually get your a** moving – like I did. An unearthly 5:30am is the reporting time for most cycling clubs, like the Delhi Cyclists Club which has 2,080 members (www.facebook.com/delhicyclingple and minimal traffic. I joined the club). Membership is free, and if you group on their 35-km ride from don’t have a superbike, you can hire Yusuf Sarai to the airport (Terminal one for R200 per trip, with hel3) and back. met. “The group (usually With a cool breeze blowEARLY around 60 people) cycles ing, about 60 of us set off. BIRD TIP on Saturdays and The group tries to stay Make sure you have Sundays,” says founding together as it cycles and had enough sleep, you need to be member Gaurav gets a lot of attention, attentive on the Wadhwa. “On Saturdays, even at this early hour! road as you we cover around 35 km, Pit stops are a great pedal but Sundays are reserved for way to recuperate for a bit longer rides of about 100 km.” (drink water, take a photo), The routes chosen have few peobefore carrying on again. JUNE 2, 2013
BIKERS & THE BABE
Members of the Delhi Cyclists Club hit the road on weekends
This was a first for me – reaching the airport without a car. But it was a great experience. After I finished the trip, everyone asked how I did it. Actually, it was simple. Once you are on the bike, all you do is pedal and soak in the beauty of everything around you – the green trees, the undulating flyovers, the quiet roads. Everything seems curiously magnified. And once you start, you can’t help but finish. It’s the best high you can get. So give it a shot! – Parul Khanna
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HIT THE FOOD TRAIL
Photos: JASJEET PLAHA
WHAT: Have a nihari breakfast at Matia Mahal opposite Jama Masjid, from 5am - 7am USP: The Jama Masjid looks beautiful; and you see Old Delhi in a new light, when it’s buzzy but not too crowded CLOSEST METRO STATION: Chawri Bazaar
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o you think dawn is too early to eat? Go to Matia Mahal and you’ll never want to sleep through the morning again. As soon you enter the lane opposite gate number one of Jama Masjid, you’ll be drawn to the canary-yellow halwa and the fresh puris at Shop No. 924 (next to Hotel Bombay Orient), which opens for business at 4am. You can choose to sit inside or wait out in the cool air before you demolish a plate (just R24). A few steps away is the Mohd Yonus Milk Store, which serves hot milk for R20 a bowl (have it with a
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EAT TILL YOU DROP IN OLD DELHI
Clockwise: Canary-yellow halwa and hot puris; fragrant nihari that just melts in the mouth and the Old Delhi meetha paan with 20 ingredients bun or on its own), lassi at R25 a glass site, called Champion. Try the and the surprising house specialty, a Tabrak, a delicious tawa biscuit fresh-off-an-old-fashioned blender baked overnight which you can get banana milk shake. But save this for only in Old Delhi. the end, as we did, or you won’t be While one of the more famous able to eat anything else, it’s shops is Kallu Nihari, Shop No. that filling. 80, don’t rush there, like we EARLY As you walk under the did. It serves the slowBIRD TIP wire-meshed sky, don’t cooked dish from 5pm There are many places balk at the sight of 7pm and not early in selling the famous nihari of Old Delhi but it runs shiny brown, leatherythe morning. out fast. So be as early as looking livers, slippery So we walked to Haji you can. Also, skip coagulated pink brains Shabrati Nihariwale dinner the previous and other animal limbs Shop No. 722, which is night. And lunch openly displayed alongside. equally famous. Established Ask for directions to the sevin 1955, it packs and sends eral bakeries in the area. You are nihari for patrons as far away as likely to see one called Golden Mumbai, Kanpur, Kolkata and even Bakery and another one right oppoDubai. The nihari – a very spicy stew dish cooked overnight with the thigh meat of a goat or a buffalo – at FRESH OFF THE OVEN Shabrati is fragrant, melt-in-mouth Matia Mahal near Jama Masjid is home to several traditional bakeries and its spiciness doesn’t hit you until
it reaches the back of your throat, because of the ghee tadka they use. Served with soft khameeri rotis, it’s heavenly. The story goes that nihari originated in Shah Jahan’s reign when he had it cooked overnight as a healthy, nutritious dish for the poorer people of the city. Finish off at the Five Star Pan Bhandar at the entrance of Matia Mahal that is open 24 x7. We had the famed Old Delhi meetha pan (R30) with 20 different ingredients and then went to Jama Masjid for some good old peace and quiet. You? – Yashica Dutt
STEAL A DEAL me to “dress better” or sahi se kapde pehno, when I was clad in tattered pajamas and T-shirt. Most hawkers have been dealing there for at least a decade, so stick to your guns when haggling for a lower price. And they will relent. Don’t be put off if you can’t find any-
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Glasses made out of beer bottles on sale at the Chor Bazaar
JUNE 2, 2013
thing worth buying. Be patient and look closer, there will be decent jeans with just the right shade of fade and quirky lamps that can up your home’s kitsch quotient a few notches. And who knows, you might even get what you came looking for. – Yashica Dutt
WINNERS TAKERS
Photo: ARIJIT SEN
leather accessories, gym equipment, recycled bottle lamps and mugs – these are just some of the things you’ll find here. The bazaar shifted from behind Red Fort to the road from Darya Ganj to Meena Bazaar in the early 2000s. You won’t get the best of spoils (LPs, old gramophones, even hardware and kitchen equipment) f you’re squeamish about using that early in the morning. But as the previously owned items and think sun rises, so do the number of peoyou’ll be greeted by shining, new ple and they are not afraid to push things here, then go right back you out of the way. So be all to sleep. Chor Bazaar is arms and elbows once you EARLY exactly what the name reach there. BIRD TIP suggests. Emphatically And if you are a woBe patient. If you are scrubbed clean secondman like me, be prenot a seasoned shopper, forget buying, hand clothes and shoes; pared to be gawked at, you won’t even get local factory-made elecno matter what you to look at the tronic items, MP3 players, wear. A busybody asked wares WHAT: Visit Chor Bazaar opposite the Red Fort on Sunday mornings, 5am onwards USP: Where else will you find perfectly worn-out leather boots for R200 or less (depending on your bargaining talent)? CLOSEST METRO STATION: Chandni Chowk
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FRAME THE CITY
been to Firoz Shah Kotla once before to watch a play performed against the historical backdrop. But then, I missed the mosque, the Ashokan column, the palace ruins, the lush green gardens. We met at 7am, a group of 20-odd Photo: RAJ K. RAJ amateur photographers and a handful of professionals. For 15 minutes, TRIGGER HAPPY we were briefed about the site – its Participants take pictures lost gilded stones, the Ashokan pilat Firoz Shah Kotla lar that was moved here by Firoz Shah Tughlaq from Ambala, and the tamarind from the trees that was used to tan leather back then. We had two hours to shoot whatever we liked and so we scattered around. The idea is not to teach photography but to motivate you to shoot. But help is always at hand. Ritu Sharma, a 27-year-old student, says she has learnt a lot over half a dozen walks in the last year. “You can see how people take shots and discuss their photos with them.” You’ll see people lying down, crouching, or climbing up something – and you’ll see at least three others copying their frames. There’s always someone showing off their photos and someone dispensing free advice. By the time you’re at breakfast (arranged by EARLY he Delhi Photography the club), you’ll have BIRD TIP Club (delhiphotogramade a few friends too! Carry a bottle of phyclub.com) organises a You don’t need to be something cold and a big hat to be photowalk every fortnight. an amazing photogracomfortable This time it was at Firoz pher, all you need is a Shah Kotla, the absolutely fabcamera. My phone is the ulous fortress (not to be confused best camera I have and I’m with the stadium). terrible at taking photos. Yet, this One of the best way to discover the was fun and I got one good photo monuments of the Delhi Sultanate is out too (thanks to Instagram!) through these kind of events. I’d – Saudamini Jain
WHAT: Photowalk with the Delhi Photography Club USP: Different locations every fortnight. In the last few months, they’ve covered Azadpur mandi, Red Fort, Khari Baoli, Qutub Minar and more
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Photo: SUSHIL KUMAR
JUST WING IT
WHAT: Visit the Okhla Bird Sanctuary on the Yamuna and spot resident and migratory birds USP: Nature trails leading deep into the sanctuary, that are connected by bamboo piers CLOSEST METRO STATION: Jasola Apollo
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eaving the only asphalt road in the park behind us, a 30-metre long bamboo pier takes you deep into winding muddy paths. Inside this four-kilometre green playground, on the nature trails, are two watch-towers and floating man-made mudislands full of birds. Home to more than 300 species, the Okhla Bird Sanctuary resonates with birdsong. Gates open at 7am and you can take the car right till the mud TWEETER FEED
From left: The Bluethroat male bird, the White-Throated Kingfisher and the Purple Swamphen, at the sanctuary
trail near the watch towers. Find a perch for yourself and your binoculars or camera, and try to spot various species of resident birds and guests (the migratory birds) as they fly to the 200 plywood nests that the forest authorities have placed all over the park (all of them have occupants). In the winter, the sanctuary attracts birds from Tibet, Europe and even Siberia. EARLY BIRD TIP Of the many Record the audio residential birds as the birds wake up. found here, the The chirping grows louder till it comes Spotted Owlet, at you from every Grey Hornbill, and side the Rose-Ringed Parakeet are some that you could spot on land. The best time for bird watching is sunrise. So sleep early. Yes, even here, the early bird gets the worms (you being the bird of course)! – Manit Moorjani
Photos: VINOD VERMA
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PLAY THE GARDENER
WHAT: Visit a nursery on a weekend USP: Pick up your favourite saplings at down-to-earth prices CLOSEST METRO STATION: Pashchim Vihar Photo: VIRENDRA SINGH GOSAIN
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ith the luxury of space at their disposal, Delhiites love surrounding themselves with greenery. For many of them, early morning visits to any of the nurseries dotting the city, is the best idea ever. That’s what West Delhi entrepre-
neur Aditya Vij does every few stream of early morning visitors weeks. The nature enthusiast has who want to buy saplings and plant close to 50 potted plants on the terthem immediately. race of his Bali Nagar residence and “The prices range from R10 to yearns for more. On weekends, R3,000," says Rinku, founder of Vij visits the cluster of nursSaini Nursery, one of the EARLY eries located at Nangloi, largest in the area. BIRD TIP along with his daughters. Plenty of visitors like Plant a sapling Whether it is flowers to pack sandwiches and fresh from a like roses, sunflowers or have chai at the teanursery, early in the morning, for gerberas, or plants such as shops adjacent to the great results croton or even fruits like cluster of nurseries. Then guava or grape, everything is it becomes like a family weekavailable at these nurseries at end outing and therefore, even decent prices. They open at about more enjoyable. Plus, there’s an six in the morning, and get a steady opportunity to spot some winged beauties such as as sunFIRST-GROWER ADVANTAGE bird, parrots and peaEarly-morning visitors at nurseries in cocks. Nangloi, West Delhi, have a large variety
of plants to choose from
– Veenu Singh
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5:45
RIDE THE FIRST METRO
cover the 20-km stretch between the cluster of sarkari offices near Central Secretariat, to Badarpur on the periphery of the city. Since Apollo Hospital is en route, ven the heat wave was taking a you come across people carrying breather it appeared. On a hot breakfast for patients. A solitary week-day, when I took the first Metro cricket player with the intense look on the Violet Line, the latest colour in of a future Dhoni, deboards at Nehru the rainbow of hues which is the Stadium station. Delhi Metro, boarding the train was A few hours later will be the frana breeze. tic rush hour, when laptops clang On most lines (Red, Yellow, Blue, against tiffin carriers, elbows plunge Green etc), the first train starts into shoulders and the throng of between 5.25am and 6am (as humanity begins pushing you. is the case on the Violet But at 5.45am, workers EARLY BIRD TIP Line). In the morning, smilgoing to the Mohan Log on to deling CISF personnel Industrial Estate patiently himetrorail.com to haven’t yet acquired the wait for the first train. find out when the 5,000-yard stare they get Devotees alight at the first train leaves on your line after frisking thousands of Chhatarpur Temple. If you commuters. The noise levels are not so devout, but still inside the coaches are tolerable. want to experience the calm of So, you see a student taking down the Bahai House of Worship at the notes on Modern Indian history and Lotus Temple, get down at the busia senior citizen browsing the classiness district of Nehru Place, the closfieds section of the Hindustan Times. est station. It is the right time of the Every day, close to 1.5 lakh travday to practice Zen and the art of ellers ride the Violet Line (launched meditation, Metro-style. in 2011), taking about 30 minutes to – Aasheesh Sharma WHAT: Catch the coolest public transport in Delhi at dawn USP: A stress-free ride, it’s the Metro at its calmest
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THE WONDER THAT IS THE TAJ
The new expressway has made the Delhi-Agra drive a breeze
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Photo: SUNIL SAXENA
HOUR OF THE METRO-ACTUALS Violet Line passengers wait at Central Secretariat for the first Metro, which leaves at 6am
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SEE THE TAJ AT DAWN
that long and not 90 minutes as the ads claim – if you drive within the speed limit of 90 kmph, that is). The drive itself is a pleasure. Free of heavy traffic and potholes, the expressway in the morning is he last time we went from Delhi every driver’s delight. By 7.30am, to Agra to see the Taj, we drove we were among the first people for four hours and took another 60 standing in the queue at the Taj. minutes tackling the traffic jams Tickets were done in less than two within Agra city. The queues, just minutes, and we sat down at a to get into the Taj compound, were dhaba outside the main nearly a mile long! And there was a separate queue at the entrance for an early EARLY BIRD TIP ticket counter. Plus, we breakfast of chai and Start at 5am to were told there were samosas. That done, we avoid traffic more than 2,000 people went in with only a small bottlenecks when you enter inside waiting to see the group of students for Agra city Monument of Love. (Well, company. that’s the way an average Walking inside the tomb day in Agra is like!) We simply with the sound of birds is both turned back towards Delhi. romantic and refreshing. We even So, this time round, we drove to posed for the quintessential Taj picAgra in the early morning hours to ture. avoid the traffic. Starting from In less than four hours, our trip Delhi at 5am, we zipped down the was done and we were back on the Delhi-Noida-Agra expressway and expressway to Delhi. This time I were in the Mughal city in about really felt like saying ‘Wah Taj!’ two-and-a-half hours. (Yes, it takes – Tavishi Paitandy Rastogi WHAT: Zip down the Expressway and beat the tourist onslaught USP: A hassle-free, romantic drive to the Monument of Love
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PAST IMPERFECT
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an entire mohalla had been named after my family (or so they claimed, at any rate!). The lesson I learnt at my grandmother’s knee HENEVER I drive down the Moolchand flyover in was that you can never What do you Delhi, I find myself looking out for a red-tiled roof on really go back home; PARADISE my left. It is another matter that the humble barsati because that home do when you LO A friend of m ST was my first home in Delhi is long gone. In its place stands could well have in along with hi e was exiled from the can never go athat Valley s family. Eve ritzy three-storey building, which houses an international bank changed beyond all a r sinc recurring drea m of his child e, he would have recognition. Far betback home? and sundry designer stores. hood home But even though my eyes can’t deceive me, my mind always ter to see it for what goes back to what was: my first visit to an old-style bungalow in it was in your mind’s eye, than risk Defence Colony; endless negotiations to get the rent down; trips besmirching your memories with the stain of reality. Which to Fabindia for furnishings; the many moonlit parties I hosted perhaps explains why I am so loath to ever go back: to my on the terrace; lazy Sundays spent in the winter sun; the childhood home; my school; my college. I would much rather searing heat that no air-conditioner could banish; the whistling remember them the way they were, than have my memories cold wind of winter that got into my very bones; and most of all, diluted by how they are now. the ineffable feeling of freedom I felt in the first home that was A friend of mine learnt this lesson the hard way. A Kashmiri truly my own. Pandit, he was exiled from the Valley along with his family, while still a child. Ever since, he would have a recurring dream of his childhood home, of the garden he played Seema Goswami in, of the school he attended. In his dreams he would roam the streets of his lost city, visit old haunts, enjoy that once-familiar view. And then, one day, he finally made his way back home. Only it wasn’t home any longer. There were strangers living in the house that was once his, All of this, however, exists in my mind the streets looked completely alone; the place that created these feelings different, and the Arab-style and memories has long since vanished, a hijab had taken over from the casualty to the endless development and Kashmiri kalle dajj. He took redevelopment that characterises the city. the next flight out. And since (The Khan Market of my youth, for instance, then, he says, he has never now exists only in the imagination of my dreamt of Srinagar again. generation.) Well, I don’t know about I am not new to this sense of lost worlds, you, but I would rather have though. In a way, it seems like a natural my dreams than a bitter e progression of my family’s own personal hisdose of reality. I would TIMES GONE BY my youth now exists only in th t of The Khan Marke generation tory of loss and remembrance. As a child, I grew rather remember my coly imagination of m up on tales of Partition and the homes that we lege library the way it was had left behind. My grandmother – with me perched on my favourite window would regale me with stories of seat, with the sloping table piled up with endless reference books, her village in the North-West Frontier, which prowhile I lost myself in a short story by Katherine Mansfield – than duced so many brave soldiers that the British go back and be confronted with a modern monstrosity (which I agreed to grant them any wish. But instead of am sure it isn’t; but I’d rather not find out). asking for running water for the village, my grandSometimes, of course, I have no choice in the matter. No father would interject scornfully at this point, matter how much I long to go back to my first office, in the slightthey asked for a cannon to be installed at the ly dilapidated building that then housed the ABP headquarters, village gates! there is no way that I can. That place, the repository of so many My parents would remember fondly the memories, burnt down to the ground, even as I watched, large, sprawling houses they grew up in, with horrified. No, I am not kidding. A blaze that started in the early their endless acres of garden fragrant with hours of the morning gutted the entire building, taking with it the smell of mango-laden trees and floweran entire chunk of my life. ing jasmine. Was it my imagination or did So, what do you do when you can’t go back home (or indeed, the homes get more and more palatial with to the office)? Well, as I have discovered, the best thing to do is each retelling? And was it simply nostalgia, just recreate it in your imagination, populate it with your rather than blatant lying at work? I really memories, and make it the stuff of your dreams. There really is don’t know, though I am inclined to give no better way to triumph over reality. it them the benefit of the doubt. the way ION AGINAT y college library strosity IM But such was the magical world they R MORE ON THE WEB U YO mon ber m ALL IN r remem d with a modern e created in their retelling, that I couldn’t For more SPECTATOR columns by Seema Goswami, log th ra ld I wou fronte on to hindustantimes.com/Brunch. Follow her on really bear to see if it would ever measure up n be con was, tha Twitter at twitter.com/seemagoswami. Write to to reality. Which is why on my solitary visit to Pakistan, I did not her at seema_ht@rediffmail.com make the slightest attempt to get to the village in Jhelum in which
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PARIS DIARY
The great masters never stop learning. They just find their lessons further and further afield Vir Sanghvi
rude travel S
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OME MONTHS ago I went to Istanbul for the celebrations surrounding the new vintage of Dom Pérignon Rosé (Rude Travel – 10 February, 2013). But this week it feels like I am reliving the Istanbul experience. A few weeks before, at the World Gourmet Summit in Singapore, I met Jean-François Piège, the (Michelin two-star) chef who cooked the banquet for Dom Pérignon. Now, with memories of my conversation with Piège and his Istanbul meal still fresh in my mind, I finally eat at his restaurant. Piège runs two restaurants in the same building. The first is a brasserie which, I guess, is where he makes his money. The other is the famous one: a gastronomic restaurant with just nine tables where Piège and his team serve about 29-30 dinners a day. As you might expect, because Piège is very much the chef of the moment in Paris, reservations are hard to come by and the vast majority of the clientele consists of French people who booked their tables months ago. The French take gastronomy rather more seriously than the rest JUNE 2, 2013
of us so nobody minds that only one course allows you any choice (lobster, veal, fish or lamb). The rest of the time you eat what Piège turns out: eight or nine starters, depending on his mood, the main course, a cheese course and at least three desserts. Nor does he tell you what each dish is. The menu – which changes frequently, depending on what is available in the market – will describe an ingredient (say, scallops) without telling you how it will be cooked and served. The food is amazing as you might expect. The second component of the Istanbul experience was Thierry Wasser, the head perfumer at Guerlain who had created a special perfume from Iranian roses to go with the Dom Pérignon Rosé. I catch up with Thierry at the bar of the Plaza Athénée. Thierry is the only French perfumer I know who gets India. Most French ‘noses’ travel only as far as the Middle East and then lose themselves in raptures about Arab rose and genuine oud. Only Thierry travels further: to India and the Far East. We end up talking about the difference between the Arab and Indian attitudes to fragrance. Thierry says that the real difference is that while the smells of Arabia are the smells of fragrance ingredients (such as oud), the smells of India are the smells of fresh flowers. Only in India, he says, would a woman wear a garland of flowers in her hair rather than a fragrance. And in India, when we dress our weddings with flowers, we are resorting to the freshest of fragrances. Thierry is in India several times a year searching for ingredients and he understands the smells of south India particularly well. We get talking about oud, the currently trendy ingredient in global perfumery. The Arab fragrance tradition uses masses of oud. But here’s the thing: it does not grow anywhere in the Middle East. THE NOSE KNOWS
Thierry Wasser, the head perfumer at Guerlain, is the only French perfumer I know who gets India Photo: GETTY IMAGES
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THEY’RE ALL LINING UP
Photos: STEPHANE DE BOURGIES
Jean-François Piège is very much the chef of the moment in Paris and reservations for his gastronomic restaurant (right) are hard to come by, with tables booked months in advance
Oud is made from the rotting bark of the agarwood tree and the Arabs have traditionally imported it from India (along with sandalwood oil, rose extract etc.) Even today, the oud that comes out of the Far East (Malaysia, Borneo, Cambodia etc.) makes its way to Arabia via Bombay. So why is it that an ingredient that is usually sourced from India is largely unknown here? Thierry shrugs. “I don’t know,” he says. “Many countries do not use the goods they export. Look at France. They export so much soap but they don’t use it.” This leads to squeals of outrage from the two Frenchwomen on the table. (Thierry is Swiss and partItalian though now French by adoption). But Thierry will not relent. Finally, it is time to drive to Épernay in the Champagne region, 90 minutes from Paris, to meet up with the most important member of the Istanbul trio – Richard Geoffroy, the legendary winemaker at Dom Pérignon who has created the wine for 23 years, during which time it has gone from being regarded as just a glamorous champagne to being treated as a serious wine, one of the best white wines to come out of France (and therefore, the world, in fact). I meet up with Richard at the abbey in Hautvillers, a village near Épernay, where the monk Dom Pérignon is supposed to have invented champagne. Nothing very much happens at the abbey these days but Richard keeps it as a symbol of the wine’s heritage and does all the technical tastings there. We start with the 2002, universally regarded as one of the great champagne vintages and then move to the 2003, a difficult year in which Richard managed nevertheless to make a startlingly good wine. Then I get a preview of the 2004, which has still to be released. I’m no wine expert but it strikes me as a seductive wine, more like the 2002 than the 2003. Next we move to the older vintages. Dom Pérignon has two versions of its old vintages. Usually, champagne is aged in the cask and then in the bottle for around nine years before it hits the market. (Which is why the 2004 will only be available for sale now). But Richard has taken the ageing process further. In 1998 he discovered that Dom Pérignon had many bottles of old wine – not yet ready to drink – in its cellars. This is a little complicated. All champagne is fermented in vats and then bottled. But after about a year or so, the wine-maker removes the sediment (yeast plus bits of the wine) from the bottle, adds a dosage (a little sugar dissolved in wine) and then recorks the bottle. This is known as the second fermentation (the bubbles appear after this stage) and even the cheapest champagne usually stays that way, ageing in its bottle for a year after the dosage has been
added. Better champagnes get three years in the bottle. And the top wines remain that way for seven to 10 years. Richard discovered that there were loads of bottles, dating back 50 years or more that had still not undergone the second fermentation. In wine terms, this presented a huge opportunity. Nobody knew what champagne, that had undergone a first fermentation of four decades (with the yeast still in the bottle), would taste like. So Richard launched the Oenothéque line. This consists of very old wines which Richard has tasted, pronounced ready and then added a dosage for a second fermentation. The taste is quite different from normal vintage champagne with a surprising freshness. The 1996 Oenothéque we tasted at the abbey was very unlike the normal version (i.e. the champagne that Dom Pérignon originally sold as its 1996 vintage) and we ended the tasting with a magnum of the 1966 (Oenothéque), which is easily the oldest champagne I have ever drunk (or am likely to). The tasting was followed by dinner at Chateau Sarran outside Épernay. This is an old house belonging to the Moët and Chandon family which the company now runs for its own guests. The chateau has a great cellar and a wonderful chef, Pascal Tingaud, who used to run his own Michelin two star restaurant. Pascal did the food: scallops with caviar in the manner of Alain Ducasse, fresh shellfish (mussels, razor clams etc.) and more. Richard chose the wines – more astonishing vintages of Dom Pérignon – and did the pairings. People often joke about the French and the intensity of their passions. But when you see them up close, in their own country, you realise how the best French masters use their passions constructively. Thierry is now rated as one of the world’s great perfumers. His La Petite Robe Noire is the best-selling perfume in France. But if he wants a perfect rose, he will brave the rain and trudge to the middle of a muddy field to find it. If he wants Mysore sandalwood and India makes it hard to import, then he will try and get some farmer in Sri Lanka to plant new sandalwood trees. (And he is only French by choice anyway, not by birth!) So it is with Richard. He makes one of the world’s most famous wines and is a legend in the field but he never stops learning. He had just flown in from discussing wine with experts in New York; had met with Ferran Adrià to propose a collaboration; was going to Shanghai the following week and is now making plans to come to India in the autumn. The great masters never stop learning. They just find their lessons further and further afield.
Only in India, would a woman wear a garland of flowers in her hair rather than a fragrance
THE WINE AND THE WINEMAKER
Richard Geoffroy (above), the legendary winemaker at Dom Pérignon, never stops learning; (below) The 1996 Oenothéque from Dom Pérignon has a surprising freshness
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GAME Will the Xbox One mark the end of all gaming battles?
THE JOY OF GAMING
XB1’s hardware and specs promise a never before gaming experience
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VER
ELCOME TO a whole new gaming console and a whole new gaming war. Console wars have been one of the steadiest, yet bloodiest battles in the tech arena. And this week marks the start of what may well be the biggest and unfortunately, the last of them all. Not the 720! Thank God: Microsoft finally came out with its thirdgeneration gaming console – the Xbox One (XB1). May I start by congratulating Microsoft for not going for a moronic name like the Xbox 720? Rumours right up to five minutes before the announcement kept calling it either 720, iNfinity, NextBox or even the horrible sounding Xbox Supremo. The XB1 and its entry have made news all across the world but far more importantly; this console makes an entry into a time and space that is very different from its predecessors. Gaming isn’t what it was: Many years ago the gaming market itself was in the doldrums. PC games had become niche and relegated to those who could afford souped-up machines that cost a fortune, console gaming was plagued with poor-quality gaming titles at exorbitant prices and arcade gaming was on its way out. The industry was rescued by the next generation of consoles as well as fantastic new games that brought billions of dollars into the industry. Yet even as gaming racked up big numbers, the industry
Rajiv Makhni
techilicious
continued to be a gamers’ domain that left out the everyday user as the games were complicated and needed extreme skill and time. The third phase started with the explosion of smartphones and tablets that brought the casual gamer back. Today portable gaming is one of the biggest industries in the world and has pretty much everyone hooked. Into this world comes an all-new gaming console! Does the world want it? Some big questions get raised immediately. Will people invest in an expensive gaming console and then in games that cost 10 times the average of what games cost on mobile app markets? What does the XB1 bring to the table that the all-new Playstation 4 and the Nintendo Wii U don’t? In a world flooded with multi-usage devices – is there space for a standalone gaming machine? And, once it’s out, should you buy one?
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The XB1 comes with a Blu-ray player built in, can stream movies and music, has advanced Kinect motion control that will give you Minority Report-style functionality, PLAY ON lets you change your TV channels by talking Nobody knows to it, do two things at a time like let you video what Sony’s conference while watching a movie, the hard- PlayStation 4 ware and specs promise a gaming experience will look like like never before and it may be priced aggressively. There are some negatives too. It won’t play your old 360 games and you may need an online connection at all times. Still, the XB1 represents great value for money as something that binds all your entertainment needs into one device that does it all and that’s a great start. Casual vs ‘real’ gamers: This is the big one. Will all casual gamers who use their smartphones and tablets as gaming machines actually bite and buy a console? Casual gaming has introduced an entire generation to the activity and brought back many who had abandoned gaming earlier. Thus gaming in itself is now part and parcel of daily life and even if a small percentage of these new gamers decide that they want to take gaming to the next level, they may just pick up a console. This isn’t going to be a huge number but it’s still good to bring in a gaming console into a market that has widespread acceptance for gaming, than the other way round. And then there were four: So, while a gaming console with an all-rounder personality may well be a good idea and generate some serious cash, the XB1 isn’t the only player in the field. The console wars will be a four-way battle between Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo and entirely new aspirants. Fortunately for the XB1, the others don’t seem to have got their story right till now. The Nintendo Wii U has too much hybridisation at play. It’s trying to be tablet and a game machine. The other players are quite a few – NVidia has a gaming console in a controller but that’s mainly a showcase device to show off its Tegra processor prowess. There are many boxes that will play Android games on your TV, but the business model doesn’t make much sense right now and then there’s the classic battle between the Xbox and the PlayStation from Sony. The PlayStation 4 was announced much earlier but it was the most bizarre introduction to a console ever. They didn’t even have the product onstage, never showed it to anyone and played a few videos of games that were apparently being played off the PS4. Still, the specs and hardware seem quite close to the XB1 and Sony won’t let its cash cow falter in the long run. Expect similar pricing, features, game play and a very bloody battle ahead.
The last battle? I expect these new consoles to sell well into the future and also see great value in the previous generation consoles, which will sell well for the next two years. Combined with the games that will sell for each, the gaming business seems to be on a good wicket. So, why do I call this the last gaming console war ever? Well, with smaller devices like phones and tablets becoming powerful and capable machines, the day is not far when just your phone will be able to do more than what any console can do. And the kitchen sink: Let’s start with the obvious. IDENTITY CRISIS? Just insert your phone or tablet into a terminal There’s no space for a standalone gaming box anymore. The Nintendo Wii U tries connected to your TV and you’ll have gaming that will It’s got to do more, and more importantly, it should too hard to be a tablet blow the pants off most standalone consoles. The and a game machine sound like it does lots more, even if some of those gaming smartphone wars will be brutal, played features are pure gimmicks. Thus the XB1 is out by a new level of players. Till then, enjoy more an AV entertainment all-in-one than a this simpler console war. May the best gaming box and it’s even been made to look machine win! Rajiv Makhni is managing editor, Technology, like that. This will sit in very nicely with NDTV and the anchor of Gadget Guru, Cell Guru the rest of your AV equipment and and Newsnet 3 perform multiple duties. JUNE 2, 2013
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HIGH NOTES
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M Changing Their Tunes More than music, more than words – today’s bands are mixing in every kind of frill when they play gigs in the city
by Manit Moorjani
ANY OF the good ol’ regular weekend gigs in restaurants, pubs and clubs are not quite what you’d call regular anymore. Apart from churning out new content, bands are becoming spiffier with presentation, and offering more than just their fantastic music. One band’s been playing old-style gypsy and cabaret music with scenes from old Bollywood movies playing in the background. Another one’s music seems like it’s ’80s Bappi Lahiri mixed with Kurt Cobain. Still other musicians play
their gigs as artists paint the theme of a graphic novel alongside. Sometimes, there are live dancers. There’s a lot of noise, a lot of clutter. But we’ve looked though recent memory and every corner of Delhi to find the best. Meet the artistes stretching the definition of concert and rethinking cool. Here’s presenting: collaborative art group Kuru Circus & Orchestra, audiovisual collective B.L.O.T., rock band Ganesh Talkies and Peter Cat Recording Co. manit.moorjani@hindustantimes.com
Kuru Circus & Orchestra
T
he canvas is spreading. At the Jayaprakash. “Every evening and Kuru Genesis Megashows in every show is unique as different Delhi and Bangalore, artists Ari artists (along with guest artistes) Jayaprakash, Sameer Hazari, Sid collaborate on a common platform.” Barik, Bhanu Pratap and others By bringing together acts and paint live in front of an audience, as performers such as Tritha, Chintan some of the most celebrated desiKalra (ex-Parikrama), IP Singh Western musicians perform in tan(from Menwhopause), Rajashri dem. Under dim lighting, the shows Sanyal (from Faridkot) and also have a video component Rohan Kulshreshtha R – alternating between (from Peter Cat A E LL H YOU’ and psyvisuals of their live art Recording Co.), Kuru T A H s p and video compositions W nse vocal s that gri Circus & Orchestra d e e t In oun ff of th – showing on the provides a treat for u elic s ched y the scr ’t let go b adjacent projector. music buffs, who can you and don Often, there are live eventually buy some of neck dancers too. the artwork made at the aucThe complete environtion after the show. “Our music can ment replicates the art and music be best described as primeval from the graphic novel, The Kuru trance with the feel of Vedic chantiChronicles created by Ari ng, although the genres vary,” says Jayaprakash and written by Anisha co-organiser Pankaj Mullick. Sridhar. “The idea is to involve the The ‘circus’ moves next to Mumbai audience in an overwhelming way. and later to Kolkata, the city where There is an overload of sensory the tale of Kuru (in the graphic experience – they can check out the novel), is set. making of the art while listening to music,” says artist Ari
lic PAINT rk and psychede LET THE MUSIC tra shows are da ches Kuru Circus & Or
THE BIG TWO
Gaurav Malaker an d Avinash Kumar are as
much about the vis ual as the sound
B.L.O.T.(Basic Love of Things)
M
usician Gaurav Malaker and Back in 2007, when the duo graphics and film enthusiast launched B.L.O.T., only a handful of Avinash Kumar have taken venues were willing to experiment the electronic music experience with electronic music as their (clubbing, as we call it) to another primary form of entertainment for level. They place large screens and the evening. projectors all over the venue Today, the audience at their and play videos that shows is a mixed bag. While WHA include film clips, many people dance and T YO U’LL Elect stop-motion animation trip to the music, H E AR ron that and graphics, tuned to swaying from side to sets ic music o u tt exist the beats of live EDM side, there are always ing n o break orms (electronic dance music). others who are practiThese guys take showcally glued to the videos planning very seriously. “The basic throughout the party. But idea arose from the concept of everyone enjoys the music. scoring music for a film live or ‘live You can even check out cinema’ as we like to call it,” says their new graphic designs and Kumar. “We also experiment with animation on their blog: http://blot3D content for our gigs,” he adds. tin.blogspot.in. JUNE 2, 2013
MASALA MUSIC
Ganesh Talkies is mostly chamki-Bo llywood meets pu nk rock
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Ganesh Talkies
T
he members of Kolkata-based All their gigs have themes – Rajaband Ganesh Talkies grew up in Rani, Disco Dancer, Chor-Police – the ’80s and ’90s watching and the band comes dressed accordBollywood movies and listening ingly. The names for their gigs are to whatever Western rock inspired by Bollywood as music they could lay their WHAT well: their opening show YOU ’LL H hands on. It left a deep was called First Day Orig EAR com inal roc impact on them. So, First Show, another Bolly position k they’ve come up with was Pyar Ka Tohfa. s wit woo d in their h their own peculiar brand Lead vocalist soul of music: desi inspired Suyasha Sengupta lyrics with a punkish rock feel, till says, “All five members of they burst into Bollywoodesque our band share a passion for melodies on the guitar. Bollywood. As funny as it may The band, which played in Delhi at sound, I love Bappi Lahiri as much Downstairs at Zo earlier this year, is as I love Nirvana or Coldplay. So very Bollywood. It’s named after an when we make music, influences iconic but defunct Kolkata cinema. from both sides come into play.”
Peter Cat Recording Co.
I
n the pre-television days, people music has become part of the backwould tune in to the radio, sit and ground, so much so that the backstrain to listen to music. Peter ground is being replicated to form Cat Recording Co (PCRC) has music,” he adds. popped right out of those sepiaPCRC’s blend of cabaret music – strewn memories. “There was a that sounds romantic as well as sort of weird hope back aggressive – conceals then. One had to sit and tones of old WHAT Y OU’LL H listen and concentrate. EAR Bollywood. You can Edgy ly The sound of a man even find a Star sound t rics set to a hat nostalg makes you singing out of a radio – Wars-sounding ic for Fr ank Sinatra like it was talking to you sequence someas Kishore well as – sets the perfect mood where, if you look hard Kumar for my music,” says vocalenough. ist Suryakant Sawhney aka Surya. The influence of “Nowadays Bollywood with its ever-so-melodic sounds of the ’60s and ’70s cannot be missed here. “Memories of listening to Mohammed Rafi or Kishore Kumar, or the first impressions of old Bollywood movies like Muqaddar Ka Sikandar have a feel that we try to incorporate in our music,” says Surya. So what’s the band really like? If there were ever a gypsy musician on Indian streets back then, this is what he would sound like. E OR M CE Y ON IT’S YESTERDA ed right out ing Co. has popp Peter Cat Record emories of sepia-strewn m
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PERSONAL AGENDA
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Squash player
Dipika Pallikal BIRTHDAY
September 21
FIRST BREAK
SCHOOL/COLLEGE
SUN SIGN PLACE OF BIRTH HOMETOWN Virgo
Making the last eight of the World Open
Ethiraj College, Chennai
Chennai and now Melbourne
Chennai
Ph oto : TH INK STO CK
HIGH POINT OF YOUR LIFE LOW POINT OF YOUR LIFE CURRENTLY I AM...
When I emerged victorious at the British Open in 2007
Not winning a world junior title
If you weren’t a squash player, you I’m a movie buff, so I tend to would have been... watch anything and ...Playing some other sport, everything. but I would definitely be into Who do you think makes the most sports. romantic pair in Bollywood? What is the best thing about Shah Rukh Khan and playing squash? Kajol. They are the classic You get to travel the world romantic duo. and meet new people Cosmetic products you can’t do every day! without. Your biggest inspiration. MAC products are my My coach Sarah. favourite. I also like She’s been a fiveGucci time world champion. perfumes. Any other sport you love A dessert that describes to play or watch. you? Tennis. Fruit custard. What is your Which do you prefer – a fitness little black dress or a routine like? black sari? SEXIEST ACTORS I wake up A little black dress at 5 am, go for a IN BOLLYWOOD ? any day. jog, then start A rumour you’d like to training. At start. times, I gym I wouldn’t like to too. Then I start any. I am not return home in so mischievous. the afternoon, have a meal Which body part would you get and make sure I am back in insured? training by 4 pm. My brain. Yoga or the gym, which do you A cricketer you admire. prefer? It has to be Sachin Tendulkar. I prefer gymming. He’s the God of cricket. Which is your favourite One song that describes your Bollywood film? current state of mind?
Ranbir Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor
Heading to England for the British Open
Balam Pichkari. It is a peppy number and I identify with it. One piece of advice you wish someone had given you 10 years ago. Luckily, my family gave me all the necessary advice at the right time. The gadget you love to flaunt. I am not a big gadget freak, but I like my iPad the most. I watch TV shows or play games on it in my spare time. The last thing you bought for under R10? A newspaper. Your dream destination? Hawaii. Who is your 3am friend? I have two best friends whom I can call any time of the day: Praneetha and Sreyas. What’s on your bedside table? My phones and my iPad. What makes your day? When I play well. What spoils it? Losing a match or getting stuck in traffic. You destress with... A good massage. The last line of your autobiography would read... ...Thank you mum and dad for making me who I am today. — Interviewed by Veenu Singh
THE FILM YOU HAVE WATCHED MORE THAN 5 TIMES THE MOST PAISA VASOOL FILM
Any movie with entertainment clubbed with a social message or some learning is a paisa vasool film for me A MOVIE THAT WAS A PART OF YOUR CHILDHOOD
Hum SaathSaath Hain. I was hooked on to it JUNE 2, 2013
my movies
Ishaqzaade