WEEKLY MAGAZINE, MAY 13, 2012 Free with your copy of Hindustan Times
RIDING RIDING PILLION PILLION ON ON WOMEN WOMEN BUYERS, BUYERS, THE THE HUMBLE HUMBLE SCOOTER SCOOTER MAKES MAKES AA COMEBACK COMEBACK Family drama
The curtain goes up on the Babbars
Dunkin’ donor What makes Ayushmann tick?
Silver lining
White hair right now: what to do?
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VIR SANGHVI
Taste of Singapore
RAJIV MAKHNI Galaxy quest
SANJOY NARAYAN
Music for the summer
SEEMA GOSWAMI
In the mood for food
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13.05.2012 18.03.2012 ALL-NEW FEATURES IN 136 PAGES! The only thing that looks more dishy than actors Farhan Akhtar and Sonam Kapoor (on the cover of the latest issue of Brunch Quarterly) is molten, sinful chocolate (there are four to-diefor recipes). And of course, we have many more delectable stories. Go grab your copy!
inbox LETTER OF THE WEEK! ‘Turning back time’
VIR SANGHVI’S article (Bite Into Sweet, White Snow, May 6) took me back 37 years. After I got engaged in May 1975, I had gone to meet my fiancée in Pantnagar near Nainital. It was a journey full of expectations and anticipation. When my fiancée served dessert, would you believe what it was? Snowballs floating in a creamy custard! Alas, she hasn’t made it again. But I’m still waiting for her to prepare it! — RAHUL KUMAR, via email Rahul wins a shopping voucher worth ` 2,500. Congrats!
Set to visit Brazil YOUR ARTICLE on Brazil (A Real Deal, May 6) was very well-timed. My friends and I have been planning a trip there. Since we’ve been to many major cities around the world, we didn’t know where to go. However, Brazil got us so excited that we booked our tickets and can’t wait to get there! — MILIND PAVASKAR, via email
Write in, the best letter every week can win you a SHOPPING voucher worth
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The shopping voucher will reach the winner within seven to 10 working days. In case of any delays, please contact chirag.sharma@hindustantimes.com EDITORIAL: Poonam Saxena (Editor), Aasheesh Sharma, Tavishi Paitandy Rastogi, Rachel Lopez, Mignonne Dsouza, Veenu Singh, Parul Khanna Tewari, Yashica Dutt, Pranav Dixit, Amrah Ashraf, Saudamini Jain, Shreya Sethuraman DESIGN: Ashutosh Sapru (National Editor, Design), Monica Gupta, Swati Chakrabarti, Rakesh Kumar, Ashish Singh, Suhas Kale, Shailendra Mirgal
Drop a line at
brunchletters@hindustantimes.com or to 18-20 Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi 110001 MAY 13, 2012
What else to look out for:
■ Vir Sanghvi on how whisky’s
trendy again ■ Meiyang Chang, Neha Bhasin and Yuvika Chaudhury hit the dance floor to keep fit ■ Ira Trivedi on a 14-day detoxification trip to the land of ayurveda, Kerala
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LIKE, COMMENT, SHARE facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch Akbar Sheikh The article by Rajiv Makhni (It’s War, May 6) really shows what cutthroat competition it is, between smartphones. Great words!
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Prajakta Memane Brunch, you make a fresh start for us, every Sunday! My friends and I make it a point to read Brunch for hours long even with our CA exams going on!! You provide us a well-deserved break... ;) Dev Raj Gulati Monica Bellucci’s responses (Personal Agenda, May 6) were from the heart, not rehearsed as many celebrities do.
TWEET YOUR HEART OUT twitter.com/HTBrunch @KumarSinha @seemagoswami loved your column (Spectator, May 6) this morning. Aamir Khan would fulfill many criterion of desirability mention in 1st para @djKachari @RajivMakhni Really nice & balanced article in @HTBrunch. Surprised that you actually wrote something good about Apple! Nice predictions :) @Iamsmitag It’s amazing how I could identify completely with @seemagoswami in @HTBrunch...my kind of a woman! It was as if she had written all about me! @BJ_bhaskarji @RajivMakhni @HTBrunch Good one. But I don’t see any newcomer surging ahead of those Big-3 in the next 3-4 years! @Mittermaniac @HTBrunch’s travel special edition injects strong wanderlust in me!
BRUNCH ON THE WEB hindustantimes.com/brunch
Va-Va-Vroom, she rides away She’s got hot heels on hotter wheels. Women across the country are riding scooters. No, seriously. Scooters are back in vogue. Read the cover story today and log on for more pictures!
Cover Story
Women across all cities are riding a wave of change in India’s scooter market Personal Agenda
Actor/anchor Ayushmann Khurrana is riding on the success of his film, Vicky Donor
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SPECTATOR Food is probably the most mood-altering substance around
16 RUDE FOOD Why Singapore is the food capital of Asia 18 TECHILICIOUS The fortune of Samsung now rests on the Galaxy S3 19 DOWNLOAD CENTRAL Animal Liberation Orchestra is the perfect summer listen Cover Design: ASHUTOSH SAPRU Cover Photograph: MONISHA AJGAONKAR Models: Rashmi Buntwaal and Amrit Sandhu; Courtesy: Glitz Model Management, Mumbai; Make Up: VLCC, Khar Road branch, Mumbai; Clothes Courtesy: United Colors of Benetton, Marks & Spencer; Shoes: United Colors of Benetton; Scooters Courtesy: Vespa India
Age of the Accidental Philosopher Judy Balan, author of the bestseller Two Fates – The Story of My Divorce, on why we should look forward to old age. Read her column, The Accidental Philosopher on Thursday!
Brunch Blogs This week, check out The Glossover by Rachel Lopez. It’s time for a few cosmetic changes.
PEOPLE
hindustantimes.com/brunch
Making Of A Family Drama Passion for theatre is what drives these three members of the Babbar clan (the money’s still not great)
by Tavishi Paitandy Rastogi
“Theatre and its society were too ‘open’ for me”
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ORN AND brought up in Lucknow, I was introduced to theatre at 19. My father and I had come to Delhi, and his friend Ebrahim Alkazi, director at the National School of Drama (NSD) at the time, told him to enroll me – and I signed up. For a long time, I found theatre unnerving. I wasn’t really orthodox, but this world was more “open and fast” by my standards. But gradually I adjusted. And of course I started loving the stage. That love has stayed intact all these years. My other love, Raj Babbar, also happened during
my years at NSD. Our passion for theatre brought us closer. Life was happy but not exactly comfortable. Theatre gave us a lot of satisfaction creatively, but our financial situation got tougher with each passing year. It was after Juhi was born that Raj decided to try out films. He did well, and so did we. But theatre remained our passion. Five years later, around the same time that our son Arya was born, we founded our theatre group, Ekjute. It’s been 30 years now. The passion, intensity, the instant gratification and the high remain intact.
JUHI BABBARSONI
ANUP SONI Actor and TV host, Anup is married to Juhi Babbar. Wants to do a play with his wife and him in the lead roles
Actor. Raj and Nadira Babbar’s daughter tried her luck in films, but didn’t make much headway. Been doing theatre for over 13 years
NADIRA BABBAR
Actor, director. Founded theatre group Ekjute 30 years ago
Photo: JASJEET PLAHA
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“A two-wheeler, 9-to-5 routine wasn’t for me”
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or the longest time I believed that stars were from a different planet and I had to go there. My family had nothing to do with acting, cinema or theatre. But I was very sure that I did not want a typical two-wheeler family who live their 9-to-5 life happily. It just wasn’t for me. So I convinced my dad to let me go to the National School of Drama. I told him that after a three-year degree from there – since it was a government recognised institution – I would be eligible to get a secure government job if I didn’t make it as an actor. Sure enough, earning a livelihood
after completing my course wasn’t easy. I started with teaching acting, voice and speech at Kishore Namit Kapoor’s school in Mumbai and doing small roles on TV until a show called Sea Hawks happened. After that offers from TV started pouring in, but I was stuck on films. But ‘good roles’ didn’t come my way… So it was back to TV. CID, Balika Vadhu and now Crime Patrol. Life is good. But real happiness, I realised, was on stage. Being a part of Ekjute for over five years has brought me happiness in more ways than one. I only wish I got the damaad treatment on stage as well.
“I got two bit roles instead of the lead”
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believe I was born with acting in my genes. And though officially it has been about 13 years that I became a part of Ekjute, my association with it goes back much longer. Dad (Raj Babbar) never wanted me to act. A typical Punjabi father, he was rather stern about my not doing any “drama-shama”. But as they say in films, “ma ke doodh aur baap ke khoon mein theatre hai”, so how could I be far from it? Of course it was only after I finished my formal education and got a degree from NIFT, Bombay in Costume and Fashion, that dad was finally convinced of my love for act-
ing, and decided to produce my first film, Kaash Aap Hamare Hote. The film didn’t do too well and the roles I got didn’t impress me enough. And the stage, for me, held far more value. But this wasn’t easy. My mother is perhaps the toughest taskmaster I know. I get no liberties whatsoever. Initially some people thought that I would hog the spotlight simply because I am Nadira Babbar’s daughter, but actually, I feel shortchanged most times. Especially when I’d be given a two bit role when I could play the lead! But all that training has helped me as an actress. tavishi.rastogi@hindustantimes.com
“Each time an actor acts, he does not hide; he exposes himself” – US comedian and actor Rodney Dangerfield MAY 13, 2012
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C OV E R STO RY
Woman Power Goes Zip, Zap, Zoom! Across big cities and small towns, women riders are revving up a revival in India’s scooter market by Veenu Singh
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EMEMBER ROCKET Singh, Salesman of the Year? In the movie, Ranbir Kapoor zipped across Delhi on a scooty bought for him by his grandfather. Ranbir’s discomfort while riding the vehicle could partly be attributed to the fact that a bright pink scooty is the last thing that most men (retrosexual or metrosexual!) would want to be seen on. Given a choice, most men would like to ride a bike – perceived as a symbol of machismo. “Scooters are way too light for men. I can’t imagine riding one,” says 23-year-old Anshul Khanna, who works with a bank as a client servicing executive. Perhaps it is sexist statements such as these that prompted the creation of the tagline ‘Why should boys have all the fun?’ for a brand of scooters targeted at women. Apart from enhancing travelling pleasure quotient, for many Indian women, scooters signify freedom of movement, style and emancipation. In fact, women riders are fuelling a boom in India’s two wheeler market, not just in smaller cities, but also in large cities. It comes as no surprise then that many leading automobile brands are launching scooters created with women buyers in mind.
Model name: Honda Activa Features: Ergonomical design, combibrake, key-shutter USP: Fuel-efficiency, durable metal body, reliability Price: R 43,100 ex-showroom Delhi
THE BIG PICTURE
Till the late 1990s, the scooter enjoyed a dominant position in India’s two-wheeler market, before motorcycles took over. At present, the annual two-wheeler market in India stands at 12 million units, which includes scooters, mobikes and mopeds. But automotive industry body Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) says the scooter segment will soon overtake other products in the two-wheeler segment. “By 2016, we expect the scooter segment to grow to 35 per cent when the Indian two-wheeler market is expected to double to 20 million units,” Yamaha Motor India CEO Hiroyuki Suzuki said recently. According to SIAM estimates, the sale of scooters in the Indian market went up by 23.4 per cent in the quarter ending November 2011.
With more women driving, the market is shifting towards light scooters
NAMRATA “I went on a hunger SHARMA strike to persuade 22-year-old student of Mass Communication, at Noida’s Marwah Studios
Photo: JASJEET PLAHA
MAY 13, 2012
my parents to buy me a scooter. But I had my way”
WOWING WOMEN
Earlier, owing to short commuting distances and the absence of good public transport, the sight of young women driving to college and work was common in cities such as Bangalore, Pune, Chandigarh and many Tier-II cities. Now, the larger metros such as Delhi and Mumbai are also witnessing a surge in scooter sales with the majority of the clientele being women. “Delhi alone sees sales of 4,500 scooters a month. In the past
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5 FAB
Model name: Yamaha Ray Features: Alloy wheels, halogen headlamp, tubeless tyres for the concept scooter USP: Sleek, stylish, edgy design, feminine colours Price: Not yet in the market six months, there has been a marginal increase in the number of women picking up scooters,” says Vaibhav Madan, a Delhi-based Honda dealer. The improving socio-economic conditions of the country have led to women becoming more independent. Stepping out of their homes to work or study, many more women are finding that the scooter is a convenient, lightweight and easy-to-manoeuvre commuting option on congested urban roads. Take the case of 22year-old student Namrata Sharma, a student of mass communication. Her tiring 90minute commute from her residence in Moti Bagh to her college in Noida is now a distant memory. “The crowd in the bus, especially in the evening, used to be terrible. So, when I finally bought a Scooty, I was relieved,” says Sharma. Sharma is not alone. Monika Rajwaney, 22, who works with Delhi’s HDFC Bank, says her life has transformed since her parents offered to buy her a scooter. “Commuting to my office in Connaught Place by bus and auto was never comfortable. The buses are unreliable and the autowallahs try to fleece you. Ever since I bought a Honda six months ago, my parents are less stressed about me,” says Rajwaney.
Model name: Hero Pleasure Features: Anti-puncture sealant gel; self start USP: Nine dazzling colours, one of the pioneers of the genre Price: R41,700 ex-showroom Delhi
Model name: Mahindra Duro DZ Features:125cc; telescopic suspension; 20 litre storage USP: Designed for Indian roads Price: R43,599 ex-showroom Delhi
Model name: TVS Scooty Pep Features: 75cc; auto fuel tap; bag holder USP: Futuristic styling, choice of 99 colours Price: R45,300 on road
Like Sharma and Rajwaney, many Indian women are realising that a scooter offers them freedom of movement without having to compromise on style. The logic holds as true on Mumbai and Delhi’s congested roads, as it does in the more salubrious environs of Pune, where many young girls drive it to work. “In Pune, the moment you turn 16, your parents give you a scooter. Believe me, it is the best gift a girl can get,” says Devika Halbe, 25, a Pune-based engineer, who loves riding her Activa.
Nowadays, many more parents are suggesting that their daughters buy scooters
SALES OVERDRIVE
TVS and Honda were among the first brands to realise the potential of the scooter market for women. In a way, Honda revived the scooter segment when it launched the bestselling Activa 11 years ago. Honda recently launched the Dio, the first automatic scooter in India with tubeless tyres. “The aspira-
DEVIKA HALBE 25-year-old software engineer with SunGard, Pune
“The moment a girl turns 16 in Pune, she is given with a scooter. And believe me, it is the best gift she can hope to get”
“Faster, faster, faster, until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death…” — Hunter S. Thompson MAY 13, 2012
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twitter.com/HTBrunch Photo: JASJEET PLAHA
IT’S A WASP!
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ost of us believe in making a style statements. When it comes to automobiles, the Vespa scooter has as much iconic value as say, a Harley Davidson, or an Aston Martin. Among scooter connoisseurs, the Vespa evokes pride of possession; it’s as cool as owning the latest Birkin bag or an Armani suit. And now, Piaggio has launched the original Vespa in the Indian market. For the uninitiated, here’s a primer on Vespa’s history.
HOLLYWOOD HALL OF FAME
Gregory Peck (centre) and Audrey Hepburn (right) on a Vespa in Roman Holiday
tions of women have evolved with the globalised economy,” says Yadvinder S Guleria, vice president, marketing, Honda. Advertising analyst Pratap Suthan says that girls from smaller
The Vespa is one of the icons of Italian technology and style. It has gone beyond a commuting product to become a part of social history and way of life. Ever since its inception in 1946, the Vespa scooter has been known for its painted, pressed steel unibody. The name Vespa, which means ‘wasp’ in Italian, has been derived from the vehicle’s shape: the thicker rear part is connected to the front part by a narrow waist and the steering rods resemble antennae. Says Ravi Chopra, chairman, Piaggio Vehicles Private Ltd (India): “There is no better time to be in the Indian two-wheeler scooter space with evolved consumers looking for lifestyle options that go beyond mobility.” The original Vespa is priced at R66,661. A FEW VESPA MOMENTS The scooter inspired Spanish artist Salvador Dali to paint it. It has featured in such popular movies as Roman Holiday, La Dolce Vita and Dear Diary. It is a character in books by writers such as Folco Quilici, Gino and Michele or Vitaliano Brancati Its first model was called Paperino – Italian for Donald Duck. It even has a song to itself – La Vespa Y La Guapa (the wasp and the beauty).
towns, more than those in big cities, could identify with actress Priyanka Chopra when she promoted a brand of scooters that promised them an equal footing with the boys. “Being from Bareilly, Priyanka made just
MONIKA RAJWANEY 22-year-old operations executive with New Delhi’s HDFC Bank
“My parents suggested I buy a scooter to avoid haggling with autowallahs and travelling in buses” the right brand connect.” TVS created the catchline “It’s not a scooter, it’s a Scooty!” that became a generic name for the category. It has a dedicated range of scooters for women. “Our scooties come with features like an under-seat mobile charger,” says H S Goindi, president (marketing) TVS Motor Company. The success of TVS and Honda, along with rising fuel prices seem to have encouraged brands such as Mahindra, Yamaha and Piaggio to foray into the scooter sector. While Piaggio has just launched the iconic Vespa in India (see box, above left), Yamaha is all set to launch a scooter for women later this year. “I’ve been looking for a scooter that would not just look nice but would also give me good mileage,” says Garima Prasad, 26, a Delhibased student of chartered accountancy. “The Ray, Yamaha’s concept scooter showcased at the Auto Expo, looks like it will meet these criteria.”
Photo: RAJNISH KATYAL
AAKRITI GOEL 19-year-old student of Commerce at Chandigarh’s DAV College
A SAFE RIDE HOME?
Manufacturers like Mahindra say scooters may help women get away from sticky situations faster. Advertising professional Tanya Dewan, 23, recalls the evening when a group of rowdies wanted to race her TVS Scooty. She managed to put them off her trail and reach home safe. “At times, driving on your own is safer for girls than being driven by a stranger,” says Vartika Mishra, 38, mother of a teenager. But social analyst Syed Mubin Zehra isn’t convinced about a scooter being a safe late-night commuting option for women, especially in big cities. “Late night driving isn’t safe for two-wheeler riders, particularly women who have to watch out not just for rash drivers but also sexual predators.”
“Sometimes scooters can help girls zip out of sticky situations”
“Driving on the highway from Panchkula to Chandigarh on my scooter is a breeze”
THE GAME CHANGERS
With many more women driving, the market is shifting towards gearless and light scooters that are easier to handle, says Abdul Majeed, auto practice leader at PriceWaterhouseCoopers. “Before the bike era in the ’80s, scooters were popular with men. Older professionals aged 30 or more have moved on to cars, which have become affordable. With women outnumbering men in many walks of life, it’s natural they’d want more mobility. It is time the market realised the power of women buyers.” Women power rules even on the road now. And how! veenus@hindustantimes.com
Stars seen riding the iconic Vespa over the years: Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck, Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and our very own Ranbir Kapoor MAY 13, 2012
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WORD OF MOUTH
Seema Goswami
Photos: THINKSTOCK
hindustantimes.com/brunch
MY MUST HAVES
Nothing cheers me up faster than a quick fix of chocolate and I must have a steaming cup of coffee beside me before I begin to work
Why food is probably the most mood-altering substance around
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IF ONLY I COULD...
Whenever I’m on a diet, I dream about such high-calorie treats as a greasy biryani, a creamy risotto, baked cheesecake, waffles and icy-cold magnums of champagne
wich after that three-course French dinner? How could I have come back home and stuffed my face with chocolate after dining at a friend’s house? Why on earth can’t I just let one bad meal go? But no matter how hard I try to resist, food continues to exert its visceral hold on me. It’s funny how this stuff works. I must have a steaming cup of coffee beside me before I feel ready to power up my laptop and begin to work. But slip a sandwich into the mix and suddenly, all I want to do is surf endlessly through all the trashier news sites on the Internet. Somehow in my mind, coffee equals work but coffee plus food equals mindless surfing. Similarly, I don’t really feel like I am on holiday unless I can order a really sinful treat for my roomservice breakfast (think French toast, pancakes, waffles, or anything that can induce a sugar rush). But once I’m at home, it doesn’t feel right eating anything other than organic muesli with low-fat milk first thing in the morning. In times of stress, I long for the comfort food of my childhood, the nursery delights of nostalgia. The bread pakoras of the school canteen; the mashed potato toasties mum would make for an evening snack; the frosted cupcakes that were served at every birthday party; the illicit chaat that I would sneak away to eat. Just a tiny mouthful of any of these is enough to transport me back to the safe, secure haven of my school days. I only have to plop one oversized, overflowing puchhka in my mouth to be transported back to my days in Calcutta when we would stand at the balcony for hours, waiting for our favourite vendor to come trotting by (there was just something about his water mix!). Unfortunately, I have never found a puchhkawalla to match his skills in all the years since. There’s nothing that makes me obsess more about food, though, than being on a diet. That’s when I begin to dream about such highcalorie treats as a greasy biryani, a creamy risotto, fluffy puris, full-fat ice-cream, baked cheesecake, and icy-cold magnums of champagne. Ah, champagne! There’s nothing quite like a bit of bubbly to elevate an utterly ordinary meal into a memorable occasion. In fact, Sunday brunch at a fancy restaurant never seems quite right without copious quantities of champagne (or Prosecco or any other sparkling wine). There is just something so celebratory about the loud pop as the bottle is opened, the hiss of the wine as it hits the glass, the frothy bubbles that always threaten to spill over and stain the tablecloth, and that first sip that hits the roof of your mouth with memories of great meals past. Ah, happy days!
spectator
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AST WEEK I wrote about the kind of woman I could imagine being best mates with. And how I couldn’t possibly be friends with a woman who refused to break bread – yes, literally – with me. To be honest, I’ve always thought this to be something of a personal idiosyncrasy; my obsession with classifying people by what they do or do not eat. But going by the contents of my mail box, I am coming around to the view that I am not alone in judging people by their relationship with food. As the cliché goes: you are what you eat. Speaking for myself, I believe that food is the most powerful mood-altering substance around. What I eat or drink has a direct connection to how I feel. And how I feel has a direct co-relation with what I want to eat. When I’m feeling a bit blah about the world, nothing cheers me up faster than a quick fix of chocolate. On particularly stressful days, a judicious dose of carbohydrates can have a calming effect. And there’s nothing to beat the caffeine rush of a cold Diet Coke on a warm summer day. But just as a good meal can have me burping with satisfaction for days afterwards, there’s nothing quite like a bad meal to put me in a vile mood for the rest of the day. First of all, there’s the opportunity lost, a meal that I will never ever get to enjoy again. Then, there’s the small matter of all those empty calories that have been consumed without any concomitant pleasure. Small wonder then that I am always so disgruntled at the end of a bad meal – and as hungry as when I began eating. No matter how many calories I have scarfed, if the food doesn’t satisfy my taste buds, it doesn’t assuage my hunger pangs either. So, after a dissatisfying meal, I invariably end up eating another meal to make up for the first. And then begins the self-loathing. What was I thinking? How could I possibly have eaten a sand-
There’s nothing to beat the caffeine rush of a cold Diet Coke on a warm summer day
MAY 13, 2012
seema_ht@rediffmail.com. Follow Seema on Twitter at twitter.com/seemagoswami
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SING A GREAT FOOD SONG
Vir Sanghvi
Singapore offers the best food in Asia. And that is a direct consequence of the World Gourmet Summit and the global foodie culture it has encouraged
GOOD AND AFFORDABLE
In Singapore, as a general rule, you can eat well and relatively reasonably if you stick to the hawker centres
STAR POWER
Marco Pierre White, the original Bad Boy of the kitchen, the first celebrity chef in Britain, was in action at the summit
rude food
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Photo: CC/MAILER_DIABLO
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HAVE BEEN going to Singapore fairly regularly since 1976 and have always loved the food. At first, it was the Chinese cuisine but soon I came to subsist on the hawker food. As a general rule, you can eat well and relatively reasonably if you stick to the hawker centres. A decade or so ago, there were also the newlyopened fun places by the water: Clarke Quay and Boat Quay. There was always a slight theme-park element to them (but then, if you hate theme parks, you don’t go to Singapore, anyway). But you couldn’t go wrong with a few skewers of satay at Clarke Quay or fish and chips at Boat Quay. (Time has not been kind; I wouldn’t recommend either place today.) However, I never thought of Singapore as a fine dining destination. That distinction went to Hong Kong and Tokyo, cities full of haute cuisine restaurants run by great chefs. (Tokyo has more Michelin stars than Paris or London.) A few years ago, Singapore’s dining scene began to transform itself. On a visit to the city two years ago, I was so startled by the calibre of the restaurants that I wrote, in this column, that Singapore was now the gourmet capital of Asia, offering quality dining at all levels. Since then, things have got even fancier and celebrity chefs have invaded the city-state. Joël Robuchon has both, a proper restaurant and the more casual L’Atelier. Mario Batali has a pizzeria. Wolfgang Puck has a steakhouse. Daniel Boulud has a bistro. Guy Savoy runs a branch of his main (threestar) restaurant. The sushi chef, Shinji Kanesaka, has opened his first restaurant outside of Japan. Tetsuya, Susur Lee, Bruno Menard, Singapore’s own Justin Quek (now back home) and many others have either opened in Singapore or plan to. No doubt, more superchefs are on their way (Nobu? Alain Ducasse? JeanGeorges? They can’t be far behind.) What’s made the difference? How has formerly cheap and cheerful Singapore now become the gourmet hub of Asia? One reason, I would think, is the success of the World Gourmet Summit, now a centrepiece of the global culinary scene. The summit started in 1997, after Peter Knipp, the former executive chef of the Raffles Hotel, went to a food event in Switzerland, spoke to chefs and thought about creating something big in Singapore. At the time, this seemed like a far-fetched idea. Most great chefs only overflew Singapore on their way to Hong Kong or Tokyo. But because of Knipp’s don’t-take-no-for-an-answer style and support from the ruthlessly efficient Singapore Tourism Board, the first summit attracted some interest. Knipp persuaded the
COOKING IN STYLE
It is a mystery to me how Peter Knipp (second from right, seen with participating chefs at the summit) manages to persuade famous chefs to come to Singapore and to hold themselves up to public scrutiny MAY 13, 2012
great Raymond Blanc to travel to Singapore and attracted the famous San Francisco chef, Michael Mina. The following year, Knipp got the chef from Paris’ Tour D’Argent; the third year, the summit drew Jean-Georges; and by the fourth year, Knipp was set; he had Tetsuya, Pierre Hermé, Charlie Trotter and Santi Santamaria. Since then, the summit has not looked back. Many of the world’s most famous chefs have turned up: Ferran Adrià; Marcus Samuelsson; Alain Passard; Heinz Beck; Anne Sophie Pic; Greg Doyle; David Thompson; Michel Rostang; Klaus Erfort; Laurent Tourondel; and Wylie Dufresne. The chefs take over the kitchens of local Singapore restaurants for several days and cook their best dishes. They also run cooking masterclasses and explain their secrets. They discuss their techniques with other chefs, including those at Singapore’s restaurants, and make themselves available for interactions with the media. Along with the chefs come the winemakers. Though everyone talks about the food, Knipp also draws some of the world’s best wines: Mouton Rothschild; Opus One; Ornellaia; Palmer; Cos d’Estournel; both branches of Pichon; Beaucastel; Vega Sicilia; and Angelus. The winemakers work alongside the chefs on dinners where the great wines are paired with superior food. They offer tastings of
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Photos: REUTERS
CHEF CHARMING
Photo: CC/CHENSIYUAN
Our own Vikas Khanna bowled the guests over in Singapore
RIVERSIDE STORY
A decade or so ago, there were newly-opened fun places by the water: Clarke Quay (above) and Boat Quay their best vintages and they talk about their wines at public forums. The wonderful thing about the summit is that every event is open to the public. Tickets are not cheap but much cheaper than it would be to eat at the famous restaurants that the chefs run in their own countries. And you can eat and drink what you like. Anybody who buys a ticket can learn from the chefs or chat to the winemakers. At previous summits, I have attended small, intimate masterclasses where 12 people sit around a kitchen table and watch such Michelin-starred chefs as Michel Rostang cook. I have gone for smallish vertical tastings of such wines as Sassicaia and discussed the wine with the man who made it. Most great chefs no longer cook with their own hands at their own restaurants. But in Singapore, they nearly always do. Two years ago, I watched David Thompson cook an a la carte menu for scores of guests at Mezza9 at the Hyatt, where he was guest chef. And I’ve heard Ferran Adrià defend himself from charges of being a scientist rather than a chef to a packed audience. It’s hard to quantify how much the summit has done for Singapore but it has certainly turned it into the sort of city that every foodie in the world has heard of. Moreover, the summit has raised the level of food awareness in Singapore. Local diners have eaten the best and will accept nothing less from their own restaurants. Singapore chefs have worked alongside the world’s greatest chefs and have learnt how to benchmark themselves internationally. I went to the summit for the fourth (or perhaps it was the fifth) time this year and it was even better than ever. I learnt how to cook a perfect steak from the Australian/British chef Ian Curley.
I saw our own Vikas Khanna bowling guests over. I had Peking duck cooked by one of the most famous Peking duck chefs in Beijing. I chatted to Fergus Henderson (whose Saint John restaurant is among the world’s top 15 restaurants in that famous but slightly silly list) and I discussed the Japanese approach to food with Bruno Menard, who ran the top French restaurant in Tokyo (three Michelin stars) for many years. And I saw the summit star Marco Pierre White in action. Marco is the original Bad Boy of the kitchen, the first celebrity chef in Britain, and has employed Mario Batali, Heston Blumenthal and Gordon Ramsay in their early years. Then, he returned his three Michelin stars, announced that he was giving up cooking and made a new career out of featuring in gossip columns where his love life and his divorces were dissected in great detail. All this has been financed by the fortune he makes as a pitchman for Knorr stock cubes. Marco was a great performer but he phoned in his demo, making a rubbish pepper steak. Even the hordes of Singaporeans who had lined up to be photographed with the great man before he started cooking, slunk away once they had tried his steak. It is a mystery to me how Peter Knipp manages to persuade famous chefs to make the trek to Singapore and to hold themselves up to public scrutiny. Knipp is tight-lipped about his techniques but rumour suggests that he does not pay them particularly well. Most chefs get only an air ticket, a hotel room, and 5,000 dollars. Twostar chefs get 10,000 dollars and three-star chefs get 15,000 dollars. It is not a lot of money for the best chefs in the world when you consider how hard Peter works them once they get to Singapore. I imagine that Knipp’s task is easier these days because such is the reputation of the Gourmet Summit that chefs long to be invited. They enjoy the prestige, the break from their routines and the chance to meet other chefs from all around the world. Moreover, Peter always seems to know who to invite. His Indian guest chefs have included the big names: Ananda Solomon, Hemant Oberoi; London’s Vivek Singh; and New York’s Floyd Cardoz. But he has also invited lesser-known chefs: Manish Mehrotra (before he became one of India’s best-known chefs); and the brilliant but low-profile Naren Thimmaiah. Singapore is now an expensive destination: cheaper than Tokyo but twice the price of Bangkok and on par with Hong Kong. Nor is there much to do once you get there unless you want to jostle with the hordes of tourists from the Chinese mainland at the casino. Even the shopping, once Singapore’s biggest attraction, lacks the variety of Bombay or Delhi and is more expensive. So, why on earth would any tourist from India want to go there? There is only one good reason: to eat. It offers the best food in Asia. And that is a direct consequence of the Gourmet Summit and the global foodie culture it has encouraged. If you are a foodie, then you should go next year.
The wonderful thing about the summit is that every event is open to the public. And you can eat and drink what you like
MAY 13, 2012
TWO TASTES
Joël Robuchon has both, a proper restaurant and a more casual L’Atelier in Singapore
CHEERS
At the summit, Knipp also draws some of the world’s best wines: Mouton Rothschild; Opus One; Vega Sicilia among others
IN SELF DEFENCE
I’ve heard Ferran Adrià defend himself from charges of being a scientist rather than a chef to a packed audience at the summit
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FROM A GALAXY FAR FAR AWAY
shiny. Even though it has a big screen, it doesn’t feel awkward in the hand thanks to a very thin bezel (8.6 mm) and weighs in at 133 grams. Also, no boring blacks here – only a Pebble Blue and a Marble White. But then Samsung did something unheard of in the mobile phone market – it wasn’t talking about the insides of the phone at all. Rather it was bandying about something completely different.
Rajiv Makhni
INTELLIGENCE INSIDE
T
HREE THOUSAND journalists! For a nonIs Samsung’s Apple event, this was unique. And the latest salvo excitement in the air as also the level of anticipation was near-delirious. Even before the at other launch, this one single device had created smartphone euphoria and noise that neared fanaticism. And now it was about to be unveiled. biggies ALL BRIT! enough to Just hours before, I had arrived in London for the make them Samsung Galaxy S3 event, only to find that the city had put in a supreme effort to tick mark every tremble in single cliché about itself: it was cold, damp and wet their boots? and it started raining as soon as I got out of the airport. The traffic was bumper to bumper all the way to the hotel and it left me almost no time to double back to my final destination – Eaton’s Court. The only way to make it through the perpetually traffic clogged city was by taking the Tube, the Jubilee line, and one station change and 35 minutes later I was staring at a huge sign that said “The Next Big Thing is Coming”.
techilicious
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DO OR DIE
Samsung got that right! With the amount of buzz and hype coursing through and expectations running sky high, this was a critical one for the company to pull off. Many believe that Samsung has become the smartphone leader because of the popularity of its predecessor – the Samsung Galaxy S2. Many believe that for Samsung to be able to stand taller in a sea of other Android smartphone brands, the S3 would be key. Thus the importance of the Galaxy S3 to Samsung cannot be underestimated. A mistake here and that amazing clout would all be blown away like a house of cards.
A NEW DIMENSION
The gigantic hall was awash with muted blue focus lights playing on flowing white drapes and soothing sounds of nature were piped through. Little trays of exquisitely-presented little food were doing the rounds, a huge screen glowed ominously in front while 3,000 people were all talking at the same time. And then, there it was – the third dimension of the Galaxy.
THE THIRD
The Galaxy S3 is quite nice looking – still plasticky but more
This was a huge departure for the Korean hardware giant. Rather than shouting itself hoarse about blinding specs and blazing hardware, the presenting team was deliberately underplaying the machinery inside. Rather, the focus was all about the S3 being “Designed for Humans”! It’s not that the hardware disappoints – it is actually rather good (an Exynos 4212 Quad chipset, 1.4GHz Cortex A9 Quad processor, 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1280 x 720, an 8-megapixel rear camera with 1080p HD video, a 1.9-megapixel front-facing cam, 16 or 32GB of internal storage expandable to 64GB via microSD, 4G LTE, NFC support and a 2100mAh battery). So it’s no slouch on the specs at all. But it is the “intelligence inside” that was being touted.
THE HUMANOID
They call this the “humanisation of the phone”. Phrases like “built for humans” and “intelligence within” were liberally sprinkled around. Here are a few examples of what humanising a phone means: ■ Direct Call: When texting or messaging someone, lift the S3 to your ear and it will automatically dial that person. ■ Smart Alert: Put your phone away for a few hours. The minute you pick it up it will vibrate to notify you of missed calls and messages that need your urgent attention. ■ S Voice: Siri’s twin brother that uses natural language recognition to look up stocks, search information, give you a weather report, set an alarm and more. ■ Tap to Top: When you’re in the middle of a Web page or at the bottom of a contact list, tap the top of your phone (not the screen) and the phone jumps to the top. ■ Buddy Photo Share: Take a picture of a few friends and it will use face detection to identify who that is and instantly email or MMS the picture to all the people in that image. ■ AllShare Play: An AirPlay-like system that lets you share your screen and media with other S3 users or DLNA devices. ■ Smart Stay: The S3’s front camera tracks you to keep the screen on while you’re looking at it. Look away and it dims the screen. ■ S Beam: Tap your S3 with another phone that has S Beam and you can transfer files at blazing speeds (a 16GB HD video in less than a minute). So that’s some smart stuff there. For Samsung, this was playing Apple’s game and being one up on them. For the first time, it was all about the user experience – the ease of use and the separation of complex hardware from the simplicity of features that we all want. Did Samsung do enough? Did they pull it off? How does the Samsung Galaxy S3 fare against the other biggies like the HTC One X, The Sony Xperia S and the iPhone 4S? And has it done enough to get Apple nervous about the upcoming iPhone 5? A no-holdsbarred shootout next week.
A mistake with this phone would blow away all the amazing Samsung clout
GENTLE GIANT
The S3 has a big screen but it doesn’t feel awkward in the hand thanks to a very thin bezel
MAY 13, 2012
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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Sitting back with a slacker novel and cranking up some Animal Liberation Orchestra on my player, that’s how
On Fly Between Falls, ALO plays a Wurlitzer and congas apart from the usual guitars and drums
ANY TIME, ANY PLACE
You can listen to Animal Liberation Orchestra anywhere – sitting at a desk, driving on a trip or just doing nothing
I
Sanjoy Narayan
download central
HOW I SPEND MY SUMMERS
T MAY have been a cool April and a deceptively temperate beginning of May in Delhi (which otherwise scorches at this time of the year) but I am sitting and writing this and listening to what I think is one of my ideal summer-listening albums. It is a 2004 album called Fly Between Falls and it’s by Animal Liberation Orchestra (ALO) and it has all the ingredients you need to make it best suited for summer: the band hails from sunny California; their music is upbeat and so are their lyrics; there’s a relaxed yet nicely funky groove to their sound; and they don’t tend to pound the stuffing out of your head no matter how loud you want to listen to them. It’s the perfect-for-summer music that these months make you crave. A bit like the kind of fiction that is best read in the summer. And I think, as the heat starts building up, I’ve found the best combination: I’m reading the ultimate slacker novel and listening to the laidback summery upbeat music on Fly Between Falls. The novel, Adam Wilson’s Flatscreen, has a protagonist who is an archetypal loser – is unemployed, is permanently high, stays with his mother, is compared constantly to a successful brother and is rejected repeatedly by women. A good combination, I think they make – the book and ALO’s album. But first, some more on ALO. Part of the reason Animal Liberation Orchestra have remained an underrated – well, you could even say, unknown – band is their name. It’s an unfortunate name that does little to give you any idea of their music. There’s nothing animalistic about ALO’s music and they’re hardly an orchestra. It’s hard to pigeonhole ALO’s music, though. Some reviewers take a cue from their proclivity for
SITTING EASY
Jack Johnson is a surfer-songwriter who features on at least one of the the tracks on ALO’s Fly Between Falls
improvisation and call them a jam band but that doesn’t necessarily do it. ALO are Zach Gill, Steve Adams, Dan Lebowitz and Dave Brogan and on Fly Between Falls, the quartet plays, apart from the usual guitars, drums and keyboards, the pennywhistle, a wood flute, a clavinet, a Wurlitzer and congas. You can hear groove and funk and Latin influences, and several of the songs have the ‘earwormy’ attribute – with the melodies inclined to stick in your head and recur through the day. ALO are signed on to the Hawaii-based surfer-songwriter Jack Johnson’s label, Brushfire Records, and Johnson features on at least one of the tracks on Fly Between Falls. The band has released five or six studio albums since the late 1990s and the latest one, Sounds Like This, is just out but the best way to enjoy the band is probably to try and hear them live. I heard recordings of their performances at a couple of rock festivals, notably, Vegoose at Las Vegas, and realised that it is at gigs that they are at their best, improvising and jamming and taking songs off their catalogue to other heights. You can stream or download their entire 2005 Vegoose set at archive.org or explore the countless gigs that are streamable on that website and treat yourself to great improvised versions of the band, whose songs never sound boring no matter how many versions of them you hear. That might make it seem that ALO are a typical jam band but they’re not. For one, it’s a band that you can listen to anywhere – sitting at a desk and doing some work; driving on a trip somewhere; or, just doing nothing and having them play in the background. For me, that third mode works best – do nothing and just let them play. Or, you could read Flatscreen, like I am doing, to the accompaniment of ALO. It helps that the antics of the book’s chronically high main character are kind of summed up by some of ALO’s lyrics, such as this bit from one of their songs: “They just got a sack weighing 3 point 5. /It was 4:19. Just about that time; / I saw crazy Bruce. He was waiting for / someone to buy him some fine malt liquor. / When he gets it in his system, / he’s a real shit-kicker;/” and “Somebody stuck a doob in my hand. / Well, I took a hit and passed it on. / I woke up on the pavement not before too long.” That song’s called Wasting Time but then I think you must’ve got the drift by now. To give feedback, stream or download the music mentioned in this column, go to http://blogs.hindustantimes.com/ download-central, follow argus48 on Twitter
MAY 13, 2012
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VA R I E T Y
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My First White Hairs
Photos: THINKSTOCK
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You know what sucks about the 20s besides a quarter-life crisis? Going grey! by Pranav Dixit
T
HERE ARE two things I discovered while researching this piece. The first is that if you’re a man, going grey isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially if you are on the wrong side of 30. The general consensus, especially among the women that I spoke to, seemed to be that a salt and pepper-flecked mop scores way higher on the sex appeal scale than a jet black one (also, it helps if you have a face like George Clooney or Richard Gere). The second thing is that this doesn’t hold true if you start greying before you hit your quarter-life crisis (although it still helps if you have a face like Clooney or Gere) – or are still in school, as was in my case. Having the history teacher interrupt a Dandi March lesson to
squawk “Goodness, you have grey hair!” as I was sitting in the first row, has to feature in the top 10 most embarrassing moments in my life. She was concerned enough to bring it up in the PTA meeting, which freaked Dad enough to hang me head down, legs up, five times a week in a shirshasana pose to “make the blood flow to my head”. Then, he’d quietly slink off to dye his own locks. Mom bought enough bottles of coconut hair oil to last a year. I don’t think it worked. At 21, I had resigned myself to shocked gasps from practically every person I met 25 to 30 years Just when you accept your fate, the kid next door calls you ‘Uncle’. Argh!
20 to 25 years We know, life’s not fair. Buy a cap
GREY IS GOOD (WHEN YOU’RE OLD, THAT IS) If you are going grey, don’t worry. These celebs aren’t exactly young, but the women out there still find them drool-worthy!
HUGH LAURIE
At 52, ‘Dr House’ is still a dish
GEORGE CLOONEY RICHARD GERE
about how very visible my grey hair was. “What do you think so much about?” asked a distraught aunt at a wedding. The truth is that being a young person in 2012 – when every magazine and movie demands that you be impossibly buff, complete with sixpack abs – is rather tough when you look like Harry Potter’s scrawny twin with a shock of grey. It’s mildly irritating and extremely frustrating to be constantly offered tips and advice from every second person you meet when you’ve just about made peace with the fact that there’s nothing you can do about your hair short of colouring it (I’ve been down that
road and have no desire – and no money – to be tied to a decade of dye jobs, root touch-ups and treatments). My colleague, Aasheesh, who went through the colour spectrum from pepper and salt to salt and pepper to completely salt by 32, offers his sympathies. “But the best thing is that you get a seat in the Metro!” he declares. I give him a glare. I’m still hopeful, though. I read a few days ago that L’Oreal is developing a pill that prevents grey hair as long as you start taking it before you go grey (darn, there’s always a catch!). This magic pill may be available by 2015 (which probably means that I should schedule daily shirshasana sessions over the next three years to save as much of my black strands as possible). Last week, however, I was in for a surprise when, after a mushy moviewatching spree, the girlfriend looked me in the eye, smiled, ruffled my hair and said: “You know how mature your grey hair makes you look?” I think I’ll skip that pill after all.
I read that a cosmetic company is developing a pill to prevent greying
30 to 40 years “You look incredibly fit for your age!” says the office intern
Before 20 years Welcome to the prematurely grey club. Brace yourself for snide remarks, concerned aunts and unwanted advice
ANTHONY BOURDAIN
The Silver Fox is still How many people We find the 55-yearworking it at 50 can be sexy at 62? old chef hot. Et tu?
Over 40 Seriously, why are you even reading this?
pranav.dixit@hindustantimes.com
QUESTION? Trichologist Dr Arvind Poswal, Director, Dr A’s Clinic, New Delhi, spells it out in black and white ■ What causes premature greying? One of the most important reasons for premature greying is the presence of synthetic materials in the food we eat today, not just in processed food, but vegetables as well. The other reason for premature greying is the increased use of sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) in shampoos. This is the same chemical present in car washes and detergent bars used for washing utensils. Harsh shampoos damage melanin cells, which ultimately strips hair of its natural colour.
■ What is the earliest you can start going grey? I’ve seen it in children as young as 14! And over the past decade, I’ve seen it becoming a more common condition. ■ Is going grey early a symptom of some kind of deficiency? Does it say anything about your overall health? No, it is not necessarily a reliable indicator of your health in general. The human body is a very complex system. But yes, you can go grey if you are vitamin or mineral deficient or if you go on a crash diet. This, however, is
reversible. Your hair will go back to normal when you improve your diet. ■ What about stress? Oh yes, of course. Constant and severe mental stress can result in a condition called telogen effluvium, which results in rapid hair loss and greying. If you are under stress, you can go grey in as little as three months. Shah Jahan is said to have suffered from this after the death of Mumtaz Mahal. This is also a common complaint with a lot of women after childbirth. ■ Does colouring your hair make it
grey faster? It absolutely does. Most artificial hair colours contain chemicals like hydrogen peroxide and ammonia, which are harmful for hair. In fact, hydrogen peroxide is used to whiten teeth. If you have to get your hair coloured, use colours that are hydrogen peroxide and ammonia-free. ■ So what can you do if you’ve started greying earlier than normal? Not much, sadly. Don’t eat too much processed food – and grow your own vegetables!
“I’ve had enough, this is my prayer, that I’ll die livin’ just as free as my hair” – Lady Gaga in her song, Hair MAY 13, 2012
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WELLNESS
That’s what beauty experts advise – but with the right kind of products by Veenu Singh WHY SO EARLY?
CLEANSE
Keeping in mind the polluted environment that we live in, beauty expert Suparna Trikha says that a good skincare routine should start in the preteen years. “Children are reaching puberty much earlier now,” she says.
Cosmetic dermatologist Kavita Deva, head of training with Skeyndor India, points out that a basic cleansing routine with facial foam or even milk should be fine. The idea is to keep dirt and grime away from the skin without disturbing its pH balance.
MOISTURISE Younger skins are ideal for something very light, nongreasy and preferably pH balanced. Even honey is good as it hydrates the skin. Apply a teaspoon of honey on the face for 5-10 minutes and wipe clean for soft and supple skin.
AVOID Avoid products with oil and alcohol. Also, heavy and greasy creams are a no-no. The idea is to have a basic skin care regimen which will prevent problems later.
GENTLE REMEDIES ■ Rose water is a natural toner. ■ Mix 1 tsp yoghurt with 2 tsp mashed papaya. Massage well into the face and wash when dry. It cleans the face and helps to balance the pH level. ■ Add 8-10 drops of lemon juice to 1 tsp olive oil. Dip cotton in
it and wipe the face to get instant results. ■ Use this face pack every 15 days. Take 1 tsp Fuller’s earth, add 1 tsp fresh ground mint, add a few drops of lemon juice and rose water and apply on the face. Wash with cold water once dry. Courtesy Suparna Trikha
MIND BODY SOUL SHIKHA SHARMA
PLAY IT COOL
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N SUMMER, your health can take a serious beating if you don’t give it the necessary nutrients to tackle the heat. Here’s what you need. WATER: Our bodies are 2/3rds water and it’s an important component of food. Think of it as not just a fluid but also a source of essential minerals. BARLEY: This is one of the more effective cooling foods. It is rich in minerals like copper, selenium, manganese and phosphorus. It is very good for treating kidney ailments, gastritis and ulcers. Barley-based beverages are very popular in summers. COCONUT WATER: It is rich in calcium, potassium and magnesium. Coconut water is very cooling for the body and also provides essential electrolytes that prevent you from getting dehytrated. It is beneficial for people with urinary tract infections and good for those who suffer from hypothyroidism and water retention. BROWN RICE: The process that produces brown rice removes the outermost layer – the hull – of the rice kernel and is least damaging to its nutritional value. The complete milling and polishing that converts brown rice into white rice destroys 67 per cent of vitamin B3, 80 per cent of vitamin B1, 90 per cent of vitamin B6, half of the manganese content, half the phosphorus content, 60 per cent of the iron content, and all of the dietary fibre
and essential fatty acids. Brown rice is very cooling and is recommended for almost all digestive problems. Brown rice khichdi is a must in summer to tackle heatrelated ailments. BOTTLE GOURD/LAUKI: It is excellent for treating liver ailments, intestinal problems and heat-related problems. The vegetable comprises 96 per cent water and minerals. Lauki juice mixed with tomato and beetroot is an ideal drink for those battling weight issues. However, never consume bitter lauki as it can be toxic. MELONS: They are extremely rich in water and minerals. Melon juice is beneficial for those with liver disorders, stomach problems, fatigue and diseases connected to the nervous system. CUCUMBER: They provide a variety of phytonutrients like flavonoids, lignans and triterpenes. Cucumbers are an excellent source of the anti-inflammatory vitamin K and a good source of the enzyme cofactor molybdenum. They are also a good source of free radical-scavenging vitamin C, heart-healthy potassium and magnesium, bone-building manganese and energy-producing vitamin B5. Cucumber is rich in water, which is important in summer as it hydrates the body. It’s delicious too.
Coconut water is very cooling and provides essential electrolytes
‘I’ve never seen a smiling face that was not beautiful’ – Anonymous
ask@drshikha.com
Photos: THINKSTOCK
11? Get Serious About Your Skin
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PERSONAL AGENDA
22
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TV Host/Actor
Ayushmann Khurrana if i could... I WOULD HOST KBC
SUN SIGN Virgo
BIRTHDAY
September 14
SCHOOL/COLLEGE FIRST BREAK
St John’s Boys School and DAV College in Chandigarh
HOMETOWN PLACE OF BIRTH Chandigarh
Chandigarh
ALLOW OLDER FEMALE STARS TO KEEP ACTING
Winning the second season of Roadies on MTV
HIGH POINT LOW POINT OF YOUR OF YOUR LIFE LIFE My current state is the high point of my life
I am a very happy person who enjoyed his struggle
I can’t get my song Paani Da Rang out of my head. Your darkest fantasy? One, it’s a fantasy and two, it’s supposed to be dark. Answer this? Are you kidding me? The most embarrassing moment after Vicky Donor? I was in a mall with my mom and I heard this random shout from a girl: “Oye Vicky, I need your sperms!” How would you explain Twitter to your grandfather? I think he’s quite cool, I’ll tell him, “Dadaji, THE MOST Twitter is Facebook’s OVERRATED quickie!” MOVIE/BOOK? The last time you donated sperm? It was in 2004 as part of a Roadies 2 task in Allahabad. I was 19 then. If you were to give up a dessert, what would it be? Rasmalai. I think it’s overrated. The most clichéd answer you’ve ever given in an interview? Words like “overwhelmed” and “feel-good”. The colour you look hottest in? Blue. The one lie you got away with? That I don’t lie... Which actress would you want to romance on screen? I’m a huge Madhuri fan and can still romance her. Of my I would love to make a prequel contemporaries, Anushka of Vicky Donor called Vicky [Sharma] is quite cute and Boner or a sequel with a talented and Parineeti [Chopra] female lead as an egg donor is very believable and natural. called Pinky Donor. What’s the biggest surprise you’ve The last line of your autobiography ever given your date? would read? I forgot to turn up! ...to be continued. One song that describes your current — Interviewed by state of mind? Tavishi Paitandy Rastogi
Photos: THINKSTOCK
Photo: VINEET MODI
Harry Potter
BE A SUPERHERO CALLED AYUSHMANN!
Which character from Sholay do you most resemble and why? I think I’m Dhanno, the dark horse. You would turn gay for... Myself. I love myself and you need to ‘love’ yourself to be a sperm donor. If you were given a chance to remake one film, which one would it be? MAY 13, 2012
CURRENTLY DOING
Chilling and enjoying the success of my debut film Vicky Donor, and meeting directors for future projects