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WEEKLY WEEKLY MAGAZINE, MAGAZINE, SEPTEMBER JUNE 22, 14, 2014 Free with your copy of Hindustan Times
In Search Of A Lost Time
There are fewer than 100 Indian Armenians in Kolkata today. This is the fascinating story of how a flourishing community dwindled to just a handful in half a century
Singer Shayne Hyrapiet and his daughter Skyla, one of the few Indian Armenian families left in Kolkata. In the backdrop is Park Street’s Stephen Court built by an Armenian in the 1920s
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BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS
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Brunch Opinion
On The Brunch Radar
by Saudamini Jain
LOVE IT
THE ARMENIAN TRAIL
n Neel Mukherjee’s The Lives of the Others shortlisted for the Booker. Beautiful book. You must read #BrunchBookChallenge n Drinking customs around the world n All the Apple excitement. It’s annoying, but kind of cute n Owning a Kindle Paperwhite. Best buy ever n Salad in a jar. Nomnom
Rezabeebeh, whose Paying my respects toristian grave in Kolkata Ch grave is the oldest I didn’t know there were any Armenians in the country. While researching for our Christmas special last year, I found that when Nadir Shah invaded India, he destroyed two Armenian churches in Delhi. The little I knew about Armenia was from Turkish writer Elif Shafak’s bestselling novel, The Bastard of Istanbul. “What were Armenians doing in India?” I wondered and – like every webslave – Googled. And so I found out about the miniscule but fascinating Armenian community in Kolkata. My Bengali friends called me an ignoramus. But everybody else was surprised by my discovery too – so I decided to do this story anyway. Without any leads! One evening, over drinks with the friend of a friend, I heard of Medrik Miniassian, an Armenian who had come to Kolkata to study. I dropped him an email. And through Medrik, I was introduced to the secret world of the Armenians. They welcomed me to peek into their lives, some into their homes. They made me laugh and swept me off my feet. You should try and find an Armenian friend because by jove, they’re fun!
by Saudamini Jain
n Barbie on Instagram n All the product placements in Mary Kom. Iodex, seriously? n Gushing over the royal pregnancy n Every time someone calls winter ‘winters’ and summer ‘summers’. It makes our ‘hairs’ stand on end n News reports sermonising Shweta Basu Prasad’s choice of profession
SHOVE IT
Yeh Kya Bakwaas Hai?
Shortcut To Smart
Pretend Like A Lit Pro
You’ve seen the 10-book challenge going viral on Facebook (in which you’re asked to list ten of your favourite books and nominate others to do the same). But you’ve kept your distance. Looked on with silent envy as others around you spewed intellect. You gripped your racy ‘bestseller thriller’ by its spine ever so harder. You wanted to list back. Well, now with our custom-made book list, you can furnish proof of your grey cells on FB with ease! Plus we tell you exactly how to negotiate offline scenarios where the books need discussion! THE METAMORPHOSIS by Franz Kafka Imperative to use the word “seminal” when starting to talk about this book. Say “it was something”, halfchuckle and look vacantly outside the window. THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTO by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels Avoid being seen reading this on an iPad. Just carry an old, tattered copy, and look very intense. You need to know just two core words: bourgeoise and proletariat when talking about it. THE OUTSIDER by Albert Camus Use words like “absurd”, “hollowness of existence” and “angst” in the same sentence. And repeat the vacant look outside the window. Then say “Mother died today” and wink. SEVERAL VERSIONS OF THE MAHABHARATA Marvel at how “our epic” is bigger than other epics of the world. Then just randomly talk about war ethics in today’s age. KAFKA ON THE SHORE by Haruki Murakami First compliment the author’s ability to sustain “first person narrative structure” so well. And then talk about the magic realism in the novel that left you spellbound. ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE by Gabriel García Márquez Say that you feel like going away to Macondo every time you are asked about the book. THINGS FALL APART by Chinua Achebe Read up a bit about Nigerian colonisation and then spice up the discussion by talking about the “cultural conflict” that the book depicts. THE INTERPRETATION OF DREAMS by Sigmund Freud Talk about the “treatment of unconscious”. This is in no way related to the movie Inception. Don’t make any reference to the film. THE GOD DELUSION by Richard Dawkins Best to say something cool like “he is the poster boy for modern-day atheism”. Then commend author for “starting such a radical counter-narrative to religiosity.” Do not forget to use “religiosity”. LOLITA by Vladamir Nabokov Praise Nabokov for handling paedophilia so delicately. Steer clear from calling it erotica. And say that Stanley Kubrick did a great job with the film to earn brownie points.
by Asad Ali
Oh the horror!
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Facebook, that cruel spoilsport of a social network! It has blocked Internet pin-up girl Poonam Pandey’s FB account following her vivid rendition of the Ice Bucket Challenge.
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This is the diva who championed the cause of décolletage, incoherent English and noncelebrity status with such brilliance. The siren who could shoot testosterone into a dead cat.
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The suave lady who held the hands (metaphorically) of many a prepubescent Indian student. This is definitely the biggest blow to her yet, one that has left her disappointed. Hers are the only pop-ups (FB notifications, you pervs!) India didn’t mind. And for those who think she’s just another booty without brains, she’s also a writer. Sample this caption she wrote for a selfie: “I really just want to be warm yellow light that pours over everyone I love. (sic)” How does one get drenched in Ms Pandey’s light now if FB has turned off the switch? For shame!
Stuff You Said Last Sunday
ue, “bad ured today’s iss I absolutely devo eller’s remorse” “s of se ca artedly! i I agree wholehe @seemagoswam atiricSach – @S
Cover design: MONICA GUPTA Cover image: ASHOK NATH DEY
EDITORIAL: Poonam Saxena (Editor), Aasheesh Sharma, Rachel Lopez, Tavishi Paitandy Rastogi, Aastha Atray Banan, Veenu Singh, Satarupa Paul, Saudamini Jain, Asad Ali, Atisha Jain
– @amitkhanzode
DESIGN: Ashutosh Sapru (National Editor, Design), Monica Gupta, Swati Chakrabarti, Payal Dighe Karkhanis, Ajay Aggarwal
SEPTEMBER 14, 2014
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#BRUNCHBOOKCHALLENGE
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le at a Perfect artic ow To e! “A Bl m Ti ct rfe pe dia r” is what In The Old Orde eds for people ne desperately e peacefully. like me to liv – @joshiniki
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My god what an artticl iclee!! Onc It’s not really a cover story I just kept on e I finished reading the thinking that it’s really Sunday without a good sign of change. Though that change is going to Brunch – followed by take decades (to be an indepe ndent woman in terms cocktails, of course. taking decisions, makin of g choices, refusing ort The magazine is a hodoxy), still, Ira, thanks a lot for waking our souls up! habit – and I love it! – @SamuelThomas95 – Sunaina Gupta U guys never miss out anything ! #misconceptions initial few pages about rape and misuse of 509! @iratrivedi @HTBrunch read research. Amazing !! – Ruchi Gupta of the book. Hats off to your
by Asad Ali & Saudamini Jain
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COVER STORY
THE CASE OF THE VANISHING
ARMENIANS
Once a prosperous community in Calcutta, Indian-Armenians have shrunk to fewer than 100 people. We bring you portraits from the past and the present by Saudamini Jain, photos by Ajay Aggarwal
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EWER THAN 100 Indian Armenians live in Kolkata. Unless you go looking, you won’t find them. There is nothing Armenian about Armenian Street – a long meandering quarter of Burrabazaar, packed with shops, labourers, warehouses and customers. The shopkeepers know nothing about the community that once thrived here. There is not one Armenian in this sea of humanity. “Machhuaara toh kya, ek macchli bhi nahi milegi,” a shopkeeper laughs. Others shake their heads, mumble something about times gone by and point down the lane. Only after you wade through murk and more crowds, do you get your first glimpse of the Armenian Church of the Holy Nazareth, built in 1724. Kolkata is the last surviving home to Armenians in India. And for the last six decades, their numbers have been dwindling alarmingly. But this is not a new story. In a city of 15 million people, they have been the object of fascinated interest, and have been written about over and over again. But since there are barely a handful of Armenians in the rest of the country, most people outside of Kolkata know nothing about them. Seven centuries before Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama arrived on the Malabar coast, Armenian merchant Thomas Cana landed on the same coast in 780CE. But it was only in the 16th century that Armenian settlements began in the country. “India’s such a beautiful country,” says 85-year-old Mackertich Sarkies Adams, who once ran his family’s motor shop at Theatre
Road. “They don’t interfere with anybody. As long as you stay away from their girls, they’re happy!” Adams’ father, uncle and grandfather came to Calcutta from Julfa (New Julfa, the Armenian quarter in Iran) in 1924, to trade in India, and never went back. Like most Indian Armenians, Adams has never been to Julfa or Armenia. All his siblings and friends moved abroad. But Adams never wanted to leave “Mamata Banerjee’s country”. We’re chatting at the Sir Catchick Paul Chater Home for the Elderly in Park Circus. The largely empty building gives us a peek into the vanishing world of Armenians. There are only eight residents left. The numbers diminish every year – and the men and women here, a quirky lot, laugh about “kicking the bucket”. Adams lives here with his wife of 45 years, the 77-year-old Elizabeth ‘Betty’, an Indian who had been adopted by his first cousins as a child. “Did you date a lot before you were married?” I ask. “I won’t say, ‘no’,” Mac smiles. “Were they Armenian girls?” “Nooo,” he groans. “Anglo-Indians! The Armenian girls at that time were too bloody stuck up.” “And fat,” quips Betty. Park Street was once the throbbing pulse of an otherwise conservative city. The Anglo-Indians mixed with the Bengali elite, the Armenians and Parsis. These small com-
munities roared in the 1920s and swung to the tune of the 1960s. Those were the days of cabaret in the mornings, sensual singers crooning at Mocambo and lots of parties. Not all Armenians were wealthy of course – but many were. Very. They owned trading companies, shipping lines, publishing houses. They had big businesses – indigo, shellac, jewellery. Their European heritage and enterprising attitude made them natural allies of the British – and like the Anglo-Indians, they had coveted government jobs and owned prime real estate. The stories of their lives seem like out of a novel. In the early 20th century, the race course magnate Johannes Carapiet Galstaun owned 350 buildings and 100 racehorses (he supposedly lost his fortune thrice and recovered it at the races) and donated `25,000 to the Victoria Memorial building fund at the time. The hotelier Arathoon Stephen had come penniless to the city and eventually built The Grand Hotel (now The Oberoi Grand) and Stephen Court, the building on Park Street where the famous patisserie Flurys is located. Realtor TM Thaddeus, who built Park Mansions, owned a Rolls Royce but travelled in rickshaws because he did not trust a driver with his prized possession. Armenia is situated on the crossroads of West Asia and East Europe. Between the 16th and 19th centuries, Christian Armenia was caught in a series of conflicts between the Ottoman Turks and the Persians. Later, part of it was conquered by Russia and eventually absorbed into the Soviet Union in 1922. It was during these tumultu-
The splendour of the Mughals made India favourable for trade, and Armenians received a warm welcome in Akbar’s secular court SEPTEMBER 14, 2014
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ous years that, many Armenians moved out. And like the Parsis, who had fled from the same region centuries before them, Armenians too found refuge in India. The splendour of the Mughals made India favourable for trade, and Armenians received a warm welcome in Akbar’s secular court They settled in Agra, Delhi, Surat and Lahore, among other cities. It is believed that one of Akbar’s queens was Armenian. It was because of their connections with the Mughals, that the East India Company began cultivating a relationship with them. As the situation back home got worse, more and more Armenians came to India. But by then the Mughal empire was collapsing, and they spread to other parts of the country, settling in large numbers in Madras, Bombay and Calcutta. They could never establish themselves in Bombay’s trade because the Parsis were already mediating between the British and the locals. It is difficult to say when they first came to Kolkata, but they were here 60 years before the British. The oldest Christian grave in Kolkata, marked 1630 CE – Rezabeebeh, ‘wife of the late Charitable Sookias’ – is of an Armenian. The last round of settlers came after the Armenian genocide in 1915, when hundreds of thousands of Armenians were killed in the Ottoman empire. About 2,000 found refuge in India. When the British left, there were approximately 3,000-4,000 Armenians in Calcutta. But at the time, “If you had an Indian name, it carried a lot of weight. But our names didn’t give us opportunities,” says Peter Hyrapiet, 67, the current president of the Armenian Club. “Armenians were being isolated. People who were very well established, they all left.” The parties were over. It was time for nation building – and communities that had flourished under the English were seen as a reminder
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of the colonists. Hyrapiet had wanted to leave. His mother was Anglo-Indian, as was his wife. Nearly all their friends and family left for the West. He tried too, but didn’t meet the visa criteria. “Who wouldn’t want to go?” says Paul Stephen, the 67-year-old caretaker of the Holy Church of Nazareth. “The Church said to me, ‘What are you doing? Go abroad. There’s no future over here!’ But I didn’t want to leave my parents.” In the 1970s and 1980s, more Armenians left, coinciding with the Indian brain drain – and they still continue to do so. Stephen’s sons, both staunch Armenians and proud of their Indian-Armenian heritage, have moved abroad too. At one level though, it is difficult to understand why they would want to leave. The Armenian Church of Holy Nazareth, the centre of this tiny community, has assets worth thousands of crores, “mostly in the form of prime real estate and some five million shares of HSBC,” stated a report published in Mint in November 2013. If you’re Armenian in India, the Church offers free education, medical care and accommodation when you retire. If you want aid of any kind, you need only ask. When there was a legal case filed over Paul Stephen’s house, the Church gave him a place to stay. “Since then, I’ve been the caretaker of the Church,” he says.
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The early Armenian settlers were conservative and clannish. They did not usually marry out of their community, and wanted to preserve their identity. In 1821, the Armenian College and Philanthropic Academy (ACPA) was formalised – a school for young Armenians until Class X, which would also teach them the Armenian language, history and music. Until the 1960s, nearly all Indian-Armenians studied here. But as the community shrank and the world moved on, they began to integrate themselves into the mainstream – children were sent to more established schools in the city. According to an Armenian news magazine, the number of students dropped from 206 in 1961 to just six in 1998. The school had always welcomed immigrant Armenians as residential students, but it now became necessary to bring even more Armenians from abroad. At the moment, there are only two Indian-Armenian students in the school. The other 58 are from
MINORITY REPORT
1. The Sunday service at St Gregory’s Chapel at Park Circus 2. Mackertich Sarkies Adams, 85, and his wife Elizabeth, 77, live at The Sir Catchick Paul Chater Home for the Elderly 3. The Hyrapiets – Peter and his wife Heather, their son Shayne and his wife Nidhi and their daughter Skyla – are a typical Armenian-Indian family 4. Sunil Sobti, one of the wardens of the Armenian Church of the Holy Nazareth 5. Students at the Armenian College and Philanthropic Academy
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2 POSTCARDS FROM ARMENIAN KOLKATA
1. Apart from its name, the Armenian Street in Burrabazaar – famous for its dyes – bears no traces of the community today 2. But on 2, Armenian Street, masked by this congested market, stands the Armenian Church of the Holy Nazareth, built in 1724 on the burial ground of the community. Its caretaker Paul Stephen (seen here in the picture) lives on the premises
1 Armenia, Iran and Iraq. The school has improved tremendously in recent years is the general consensus. Less than a third of Armenians, roughly 11 million people all around the world, actually live in Armenia. “People keep referring to us as a small community because they look at us as a community in Kolkata but I don’t see us like that, I look at ourselves worldwide. And worldwide, I think we’re quite a force to reckon with,” says businessman Sunil Sobti, one of the two wardens of the Church. Sobti is, like nearly all Indian-Armenians interviewed for this story, only part Armenian (his father was Punjabi). Armenians may have frowned on inter-ethnic marriages. But like any other community fighting for numbers and existence, it was a losing battle. The only pure Armenians we met for this story were first- or-second generation immigrants. The others are only partly Armenian. “There are no young Armenians to get married to!” says 35-year-old singer Shayne Hyrapiet, Peter’s son. An Armenian wedding is a rare event – the last was five years ago and was covered by two television channels, a documentary
filmmaker and “I don’t know how many newspapers!” Shayne, the groom, was marrying his girlfriend Nidhi – a Punjabi. “If I had to marry an Armenian, I would have had to marry one of two girls! That’s how few of them there are. If you don’t get married, the community dwindles. It makes a lot more sense to become, what they call in the Harry Potter series, mixed bloods, rather than have no thoroughbreds at all,” he says. Shayne’s three-yearold daughter, Skyla, is then 12.5 per cent Armenian. “I wanted to marry an Armenian boy,” says 36-year-old Victoria Stephen, Paul’s daughter. “But I fell in love!” She had studied at ACPA, there were options. But all the Iranian-Armenian boys would have been sure to leave the country — something she didn’t want to do. She met James, a Chinese Christian in high school and they dated for 11 years. “And although my mom is Bengali, she wanted me to marry an Armenian. It took a lot of conversations to convince her!” And so, the balance is tipping to the other side. More and more Armenians are leaving the country, but the ones staying on are more Indian than ever before. Their food has adapted to local taste. Once, all
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Armenian families grew grapes in their houses – they used the vine leaves to wrap meat for their most loved dish, dolmas. The vine has been replaced by cabbage. Stews have given way to curries. But the Sunday Church service is still in Armenian. Christmas is celebrated on January 6 and in the summer, there’s Vardavar, “like your Holi, but only with water,” says Victoria, making it sound completely desi. And because she is fluent in Armenian, Victoria plans to teach the language to her five-year-old son. Shayne, on the other hand, does not speak the language. “The first thing you’d want your child to absorb is the language. I’m yet to learn it. At 35, I don’t think I’ll ever start,” he says. But his daughter Skyla was baptised in the Church too – and that is all that matters. “Everyone in our community knows each other. Whenever we see each other on the road, we greet one another but in a regular Christian sort of way. There’s nothing special or Armenian about that, we don’t tap heads or shake legs or anything like that,” he laughs. The one way to preserve the community is to get some of
the foreign students at ACPA to perhaps stay. “Two of my Iranian friends married Indians too – a Punjabi and a south Indian – but they moved abroad,” says Victoria. Susan Reuben, the other warden of the Church – and Victoria’s aunt (most people are related, inevitably), says, “We want to get that back, that community that we had. But that can only happen if the children stay back here, marry out here and start a family.” That hasn’t happened, yet. It does seem a bit odd at first, this idea of wanting to assimilate fresh Armenian students in the community. Until you realise that Indian Armenians have always been replenished by newer waves, that there were always new travellers who decided to settle down here, to become a little Indian, if only for a short time. And if communities are built on the stories they leave behind, then the vanishing Indian-Armenians have assembled a veritable library in the 500 years they have lived in the city – and newer ones still may be written. Perhaps, some day, you will not have to go looking for them. Saudamini.Jain@hindustantimes.com Follow @SaudaminiJain on Twitter
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WELLNESS
MIND BODY SOUL SHIKHA SHARMA
GIVE YOUR BRAIN A WORKOUT Your grey matter is like every other part of your body. Use it or lose it
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O MATTER where you come from or what you look like, the one thing that will distinguish you from others and BRAIN FOOD Reading books determine how you fare and eating well in life is your brain. The helps maintain mass of grey that ocmental focus cupies the topmost part of your body is also the of brain-healthy oils, as are oily organ that controls decisionseeds like sesame and sunflowmaking, focus, communication, er. Nerves also need vitamins, problem solving, empathy, particularly B-complex and memory and skill. biotin. So eat raisins, prunes, You probably know that a spirulina, and fruits like apple, good education is the key to orange, mango and cherries. success. But what most of us tend to forget is that learning EXERCISE FOR YOUR BRAIN does not stop after you’ve got You need to put more into your degree. Life throws learnyour brain than just food. A ing opportunities every day, study by the University of and it’s the agility of your brain Georgia says exercising even that will determine how you for 20 minutes a day facilitates handle each day’s lessons. information processing and You’ll need a strong brain to memory functions. Exercise, tackle life as much as you need which involves speed, hand and a fit body to tackle disease. feet coordination, memory and Start with these tips. foot-stamping, stimulates and
MORE ON THE WEB For more columns by Dr Shikha Sharma and other wellness stories, log on to hindustantimes.com/brunch SEPTEMBER 14, 2014
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Photos: SHUTTERSTOCK, THINKSTOCK
challenges the nervous system. EAT THE RIGHT FOODS It also increases the heart rate, The brain works on a steady which pumps more oxygen to supply of glucose and needs the brain; and aids the release the right carbs at the right time. of hormones that An overdose of sugar improve the growth of KEEP MOVING and sugary foods can brain cells. In addition, Yoga along with any send the mind in a spin reading and any kind kind of dance helps and should be avoided. the brain cells of stimulating mental The right carbohyactivity helps the brain drates can be found focus. So bring out those books in wholewheat, whole and download puzzle apps on oats, brown rice, ragi your phone. It’s a way to keep and amaranth. your brain occupied during a Don’t think of commute or when you have a zero-fat diet a few minutes to kill. if you want to Yoga and feed your brain. aerobic exerGrey matter and cises such as nerves need fats. dancing inteSo eat healthy grate different parts fats found of the brain, such in almonds, as coordination, pistachios and rhythm and hazelnuts. strategy. Even peanuts are a good ask@drsource shikha.com
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VARIETY
As international fast-food chains look for ways to grow in India, expect to see more fusion fare on your plastic trays than global grub on the menu by Antoine Lewis
The Great Indian
Melting Pot I
T WAS just terrible. Everything about it was wrong. We ordered it because Pizza Hut is close to the office and would deliver the fastest. But I don’t think I’ll ever try it again,” says Aneesh Bhasin, co-founder of Hipcask.com, who ordered the Birizza recently. Introduced in April this year, the Birizza, a combination of a biryani and a pizza, attempts to fuse two culinary traditions. Priced at just `99, the Birizza is presented like a dum biryani. A black-olive-studded pizza base covers a poor facsimile of a tawa
biryani with pieces of boiled chicken or paneer. It’s served with an orange-coloured sauce that’s supposed to be thick makhani gravy, but has the consistency of a watery kadhi. Though a poor representation of two cusines, the Birizza is an indicator of something bigger: the next phase of international quick service restaurants (QSR) adapting their menus to the Indian context.
IT’S A WRAP
QSRs have been the fastest growing restaurant category this
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DESI COMFORT
McDonald’s spicy Chipotle Wrap decade, projected to expand at 25 per cent over the next five years, and more consumers are going to be drawn to this segment than any other. So chains are putting their efforts into making their customers feel comfortable, and Indianised menus are central to the plan. What Indians want, says Rameet Arora, a senior director at Hardcastle Restaurants (which owns a franchise for McDonald’s in some parts of India) is, “a balance between the global and the familiar”. Customers aspire for the global “but need the comfort of the local,” he adds. For example, McDonald’s new saucy chipotle wraps were introduced after the brand found that young people loved the Happy Price menu, but they wanted a greater variety of flavours and formats.
THE GRAVY TRAIN
To understand consumers’ dining habits, Yum! Restaurants India, owners of the Pizza Hut and KFC brands, conducted a nationwide study on how Indians eat. “What we discovered was that there are three things that are relevant to the urban Indian, no matter where you go: staples, sauces and spices,” says Sanjiv Razdan, general manager of Pizza Hut India. This translates into rice, a sauce that can be poured on or dipped into the rice, and the fact that both need to be flavourful. In response, KFC introduced the Rice Bowlz last year. The familiarity of the rice and the gravy with the popcorn chicken made consumers “experience KFC in a way they never did in the past,” says KFC’s marketing director Dhruv Kaul.
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GOING SOUTH
Domino’s ddevised a special local campaign campaig to launch pizzas for south India, including spicy banana toppings a tomato-coconut chutney topping in Chennai or a sandesh-flavoured Krusher might show up on the menu in Kolkata.
FRESH ON THE MARKET
Another area of localisation, primarily faced by newer brands But there’s another reason for a is of adapting the concept itself to pizza chain to serve an Indian rice Indian diners. Dunkin’ Donuts, a and curry option. brand known for its grab-and-go, “Indians usually dine in a or drive-through format across group,” explains Samir Kuckthe West, decided to position reja, president of the National themselves differently in India. Restaurant Association of India. “Customers expect new brands, Kuckreja has worked with Indian especially international ones, to chain Nirula’s and American substand for something different,” sidiary, Yum! Restaurants India. says Dev Amritesh, president and “In a group, inevitably, at least one chief operating officer at Dunkin’ person wants Indian food. Having Donuts India. a rice-n-curry option helps Rich, young urban chains to overcome this buyers are familiar veto vote.” enough with the QSR QSR chains have category in India, also realised it’s not having lived with enough to offer a them over the last pan-Indian option in 10-15 years, and they a country where each now seek something region has a distinct more sophisticated. So palate. After surveying Dunkin’ Donuts carved more than 15,000 people themselves a new in Vadodara, Pizza Hut niche – a space between introduced pizzas with kiddie fast-food outlets a potato topping and grown-up cofand sweet-n-sour fee shops that add-ons. don’t quite offer Domino’s too everyday food. has taken customThey call their isation to a more category Adult local level. AndhraQSR, a place that’s influenced South Vegfun to hang out at, and gie and Southern Chicken a menu that’s more TASTES LIKE HOME pizzas will be available sophisticated than Rice Bowlz work on the what fast food places only in Andhra Pradesh, belief that Indians love offer: their Tough Guy Karnataka and Tamil their rice and gravy Nadu. Some of the pizzas Burger is primarily ` feature spicy banana topmade with toasted bapings. And customisation has gone gel buns, Mexican chorizo chicken beyond food, explains Harneet patty and fiery mustard sauce. Singh Rajpal, the company’s vice As the market grows, expect president of marketing. They the degree of innovation in menus created a separate local ad for it. to increase as well. Since rice“Everything about the campaign based meals are already part of was local; from the actors, to the the QSR foodscape, it’s likely that script writers, to the director, to more rice dishes will be introthe location,” says Rajpal. duced, even if the logos of the Localisation helps bridge brands scream red, white and blue. the taste barrier when a region’s There will be even more regional preferences are distinct from the variations as each territory will national norm. Arora doesn’t rule have enough outlets to justify speout that in future, maybe a decade cific products. Indians today want from now, you can walk into a a piece of the global dream; but McDonald’s and order a McPizza they want it on their terms and in with a pao bhaji topping in Muma way that suits their tastes. brunchletters@hindustantimes.com bai. A chicken burger could have
HOME COOKING
‘In a group, inevitably, at least one person wants Indian food’
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The Best Of IFA 2014 I PART I
A preview of what might get your pulse racing in the coming few months
CUTTING EDGE
One side of Samsung’s Note Edge curves in to give you another independent screen
’VE RECENTLY been trying on a new device on my wrist. The Mio ALPHA, which is the world’s first wristbased heartbeat sensor that can record your heart rate even in the middle of the most active workout without, well, missing a beat. The other advantage is that it can monitor your heartbeat all through the day too, and, thus, is a great way to analyse your body rhythms when you are stressed, relaxed and especially when you are extremely excited. I kept the Mio on analyse mode all through IFA-Berlin, the world’s largest electronics fair. My heartbeat averaged ‘super excited’ almost all through. But, even without a Mio, let me get your heart pumping with the best of IFA 2014.
The views expressed by the columnist are personal
360 DEGREE EXPERIENCE
The Gear VR headgear is like having a 175inch screen all around you
SONY
QX30 Lens: Sony started off the whole idea of independent lenses for phones and tablets that were almost as good as professional lenses. QX30 is the latest addition to that range. You can pair it with a smartphone via Wi-Fi and use the 30x optical SAMSUNG zoom that provides the 35mm equivNote 4 and Note Edge: The Note 4 is the typialent of a 24-720mm zoom, plus it can cal evolution Samsung throws in with a betshoot Full HD 60p videos too. ter screen and fantastic new things you can do Xperia Z3 and the Z3 Compact with the stylus, including using it as a mouse, Phone: The new Z3 has everything and also for multi-selection. But the Note Edge is needed to move on to the next level, truly cutting edge. One side of the screen curves but somehow the Z3 Compact steals a in and you can use that space literally as an indemarch over its bigger brethren. pendent screen. It can update stocks, display weathZ3 Compact Tablet: Sony has the market cornered for two er information, give notifications when the phone things. Tablets that are waterproof and dustproof, and tabis idle, show extra app icons and a whole lot more. lets that keep setting records for being super There are rumours that it won’t make it to India, but thin. The Z3 compact tablets, measuring at that would be a grave mistake as this one will sell like 6.4mm, were being dunked in and out of wahot cakes here. ter to show its water-resistant properties. Gear S Smartwatch: Samsung gets it almost right Did I mention you can shave with it too? Smart Eye Glass: Google Glass has competition and it’s called Smart Eye. The Rajiv Makhni concept is the same but this one is just a tad less nerdy to look at. It gives you a screen just off axis to your peripheral vision and can give you directions and maps, recognise faces and even guide you QUITE A PRO with step-by-step recipes when Sony’s QX30 lens is as good as a you are cooking! with the smartwatch this time. This is a Tennis Analyser: Tennis players, professional lens watch independent of a phone, looks good GO BLING rejoice! Tech will now make you bet- (above); while the and has great functionality. The interface The Gear S ter at the sport. Take off the handle cap Z3 is a water and is smooth, the large screen is very usable Smartwatch of your racquet, insert this Sony cap and dustproof tablet even to type, and the straps and add-ons looks less geeky off you go to play. This can take a video and has a smooth are brilliant. of your game, analyse your swing, sweet spot hitting, Gear VR: Collaborating with Oculus, this interface too speed of your racquet head, point of contact and all VR headgear uses the Note 4 phone as its your problems. My analysis was spot on – ‘Give Up’. main system (thus is untethered and has no ugly wires), has Toshiba, Panasonic, Lenovo, Microsoft-Nokia, touch and tap controls on the side and gives you an experiAlcatel, Philips and a whole lot of other brands ence like you had a 175-inch screen all around you. including hidden gems from many companies, will be featured in part 2 of this column. But LG that will be next to next week. The G Watch R: It’s the first time that I wore a smart- THAT’S SMART very next one is a no-holds-barred inwatch that looked more real than a real watch The Smart Eye Glass depth analysis on Apple and its new and yet had all the functionality I want from looks less nerdy, iPhones. See you then! gives you directions, Rajiv Makhni is managing editor, Technola device that goes on my wrist. ogy, NDTV, and the anchor of Gadget Guru, Cell G3 Stylus: The G3 from LG continues to recognises faces Guru and Newsnet 3 set most Top Five Smartphone charts on and even guides you fire. And the add-on of the Stylus phone step by step in the family makes it even better. Final- while ly LG has a sub-brand of winning cooking! smartphones.
techilicious
MORE ON THE WEB For previous Tech columns, log on to hindustantimes.com/ brunch. Follow Rajiv on Twitter at twitter. com/RajivMakhni
REALITY CHECK
The G Watch R looks much more real than a real watch (above). The G3 Stylus continues to set smartphone charts on fire (right)
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Blue Is The WarmesT Colour
American musician Benjamin Booker’s debut album is raw and fiery
Photo: MAX NORTON
B
A PRECOCIOUS DEBUT
ENJAMIN BOOKER, the sensational new singer whose self-titled debut album of 12 songs was released last month, has such a whiskey-marinated and vintage-sounding voice that you’d never for a moment guess that he’s barely in his mid-twenties. Booker’s genre is what you’d probably hear being called blues-rock for want of a better label but it really doesn’t describe it well enough. The New Orleans musician who seems to have burst on the scene quite suddenly has taken scruffy punk, old-fashioned blues, soul and no-nonsense rock-n-roll and
Sanjoy Narayan
download central created his own brand of music. Garage blues would be a better descriptor of Booker’s music. His vocals are raw; and his guitar is aggressive. It’s no surprise that Booker has toured with Jack White and the more famous blues-rock man’s influence over the debutant show up in traces on his album. And, although Booker himself is believed to have cited influences as diverse as the British rock band of the 1960s and ’70s, T. Rex, and early blues singer Blind Willie Johnson, I found Booker’s style to distinctly recall another contemporary bluesman, G. Love (who has recorded solo as well as with his band Special Sauce): a mumbled, raw singing style that is difficult to describe in words. Booker’s is a fiery debut. From the first song on his album, Violent Shiver, right down to the last one, By The Evening, there’s never a dull moment: guitars thrash; vocals sear; and the percussion is right out of a garage. He’s an uncut gem that was waiting to be discovered. Don’t miss Benjamin
ALONE TOGETHER
J Mascis’ (left) new solo album Tied to a Star (top left) is remarkably quiet. A few songs reminded me of Neil Young
Benjamin Booker (above) has such a whiskey-marinated and vintage sounding voice that you’d never for a moment guess that he’s barely in his mid-twenties. Don’t miss his debut album Benjamin Booker (left)
Booker’s Benjamin Booker. When I think of the music of Dinosaur Jr., I think of full-bodied guitar rock. The Massachusetts, US band, now more than 30 years old, has a roster of 10 albums, including 2012’s I Bet On Sky, and is still going strong. Frontman (singer, guitarist and main composer) J Mascis is that band’s main driving spirit and together with longtime co-members, Lou Barlow (bass) and Murph (drums), he’s dished out music that is satisfyingly loud, whole-heartedly rock, and, most importantly, highly guitar-endowed. For me, all 10 albums from Dinosaur Jr. are great rock albums and all 10 are worth a place in your collection. I knew J Mascis had a solo career. In fact, I knew he had various side projects while leading Dinosaur Jr. Yet, I’d never heard his solo albums. Till recently, when his new solo record, Tied to a Star, came out. Instead of a power-amped guitar, Mascis plays an acoustic one and, although there are other instruments on the album, it’s remarkably quiet. A few songs reminded me of an acoustic Neil Young. And on one song, he’s accompanied by Cat Power. Some songs are folksy; on another, he sings in falsetto; and yet others bring back memories of erstwhile indie rockers when they would go unplugged on MTV. That was when MTV was still in its prehistoric age and was mainly about music (anyone remember Alice In Chains when they played an Unplugged session circa 1996?). But here’s my thing about J Mascis: it’s refreshing to hear a hard-rock guitar heartthrob play quiet and understated songs. It’s also demonstrative of how good a musician is when he is as adept at arena-filling heavy music as he is in making tunes that you can quietly listen to in your bedroom. Download Central appears every fortnight
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Reality CheCk Is frozen food bad for you? Will exercise help you lose weight? Does your microwave make your food toxic? The truth behind some common food myths
J
UDGING BY the response the column on food/ health/diet myths received, many of you are as confused as I am by the multiplicity of contradictory health information out there. So here’s another (entirely healthy) helping of the same stuff. My primary source this time is the Australian dietician, Nicole Senior, author of the book Food Myths. Myth: Blood-type and food-combining diets are the best way to lose weight. Reality: Well, maybe they are – but there is no convincing scientific evidence to back up either diet’s weight-loss properties. The blood-group diet was popular after a bestseller
Vir Sanghvi
rude health made it a rage a decade or so ago. It drew its intuitive appeal from our belief that different people respond in different ways to the same diet. Some lose weight quickly and some don’t. There is actually a branch of nutrition called nutrigenetics devoted to working out why we react differently from each other. Some dieticians plan diets according to what they think will work best for your genetic makeup. But deciding what your genetic makeup is can be a lot more complicated than just looking at your blood type. The blood-type diet works on the assumption that characteristics within your blood will affect digestion. For instance, people with blood group O have more stomach acid and can therefore find it easier to digest meat. On the other hand, people with blood group A produce less acid and are therefore better off with vegetarian diets and less meat.
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The problem is that there is no convincing scientific evidence for this theory. Even if people with type O blood do produce more acid, this has very little to do with the ability to digest meat. The digestion of meat is done by enzymes produced by the pancreas and not just by stomach acids. If this theory were valid, then everybody who suffers from acidity should eat lots of meat every day and lose lots of weight! Alas, digestion is not so simple to explain. Food-combining diets have been around for a long time, but they sprang to fame in 1985 with the publication of the best-selling Fit for Life, which said that you could not combine meat with complex carbohydrates (ie rice, wheat, potatoes etc). In effect, what this meant was that unless you were vegetarian, you should stop enjoying food: no biryani, no meat curry with rice or chapatis, no steak and chips, no ham sandwiches, no keema naans, etc. But if the Fit for Life theory is valid and people who eat only vegetables along with complex carbohydrates will never put on weight, then all vegetarians should be thin – which as any Indian knows is nonsense. There is absolutely no scientific evidence for this. And all the stuff about stomach enzymes and food fermentation etc that this diet is based on is pooh-poohed by scientists. But yes, it will cause you to eat less. And that alone will make you lose weight. Myth: There is no natural propensity among some people to put on weight. It is all your own fault. Reality: This is a load of cobblers. I know, for instance, that I put on weight faster than most people. (I joke that I put on two kilos every time I pass a pastry shop.) Research has shown that a tendency to put on weight
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Photos: SHUTTERSTOCK
eggs he consumed. And in general, Parsis who eat eggs with everything (even bhindi!) live a lot longer than the rest of us. Nobody has found any causal link between eggs and heart disease. In fact, eggs are good for you and a typical 50mm egg contains 5gm of fat of which only 1.5gm is saturated fats. So don’t necessarily eat loads of eggs – unless you are a Parsi! – but you can forget all that nonsense about egg white omelettes. Myth: Shellfish cause heart disease. Reality: The same as eggs – another old wives’ tale. The dietary cholesterol in shellfish (oysters, prawns, scallops etc) does not make a significant contribution to your blood cholesterol levels. Shellfish are actually low in total and saturated fat.
is genetic. Researchers studied identical twins who had been raised separately and found that they had a similar body weight even if they had been raised apart – or given away for adoption at birth. So, the fault is often in our genes. Some of us are programed to be fat and some to be thin. This does not mean that people with fatty genes should lie back and eat jalebis all day. We should all try and eat healthy. But let’s accept that it isn’t always our fault. Myth: Exercise alone can lead to weight loss. Reality: Exercise is good for you. But it isn’t the best way to lose weight. Run for 30 minutes and you will expend 403 calories. Come back and eat a chocolate bar and you will consume 342 calories. This explains why the people you see, year after year, walking around Lodhi Garden or Mahalakshmi Race Course are fatties. They eat what they like and imagine they can lose it through exercise. The best way to lose weight is diet plus exercise. But if you have to pick only one, pick diet over exercise. Myth: Red meat takes longer to digest. Reality: This myth was popularised by Fit for Life. The book also said never to combine meat with fruit (so no duck a la orange, no Thai food, no turkey with cranberry sauce etc.) There is no scientific basis for this view. All food takes about three hours to leave the stomach. And it is fully digested and excreted within one to three days. Meat is no exception, even if you eat a banana after your seekh kabab. Myth: Eggs increase cholesterol. Reality: The late Russi Modi outlived most of his contemporaries even though he was famous for the number of
Myth: Non-stick pans are the best. Reality: Well, yes and no. The bright side is that you may need less oil while cooking. The bad side is that some nonstick pans should not be used if you are cooking at very high temperatures. Some non-stick pans use PFOA, a chemical, which, at high temperatures, can release dangerous gases into the air. These gasses can cause flu-like symptoms in humans and can even kill pet birds. So if you are frying at hot temperatures, cooking Chinese food or making a steak, then use cast-iron. It is safe and adds more flavour to your food. You will note that professional kitchens rarely use non-stick pans. That should tell you something. On the other hand, many non-stick pans are manufactured these days without dangerous chemicals. So, if you can tell the difference then do, by all means, use non-stick cookware. Myth: Microwaves can make food toxic. Reality: Relax. Microwaves are safe. You don’t lose nutrients if you cook vegetables in the microwave whereas if you boil them, the nutrients are thrown away with the water. Microwaves don’t expose you to radiation for significant lengths of time, as the moment the microwave is switched off there is no radiation in the kitchen. Even if the microwave is on and the door is properly closed, no radiation leaks out. Myth: Frozen food is bad for you. Reality: The opposite is true. We can argue about the flavour of say, frozen fish versus fresh fish and yes fresh is better. But even the frozen kind is not bad for you. In the case of some vegetables, frozen is better. The vegetables are frozen within hours of being harvested, whereas you have no way of knowing when the vegetables your sabziwalla sells you were picked. Plus some vegetables (peas are the best example) start to deteriorate as soon as they are harvested. So frozen vegetables may actually be healthier.
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FINDING FACTS
Australian dietician Nicole Senior (top), author of the book Food Myths (above) has been my primary source in sorting through contradictory health information
MORE ON THE WEB For more columns by Vir Sanghvi, log on to hindustantimes. com/brunch The views expressed by the columnist are personal
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Leading Ladies
Has Bollywood finally accepted that a heroine can power a movie just as well as a hero?
A
FTER ALL the brouhaha that surrounded the making of Mary Kom, the movie – most of it centering around why the filmmakers couldn’t have got an ethnic Manipuri rather than the very north Indian Priyanka Chopra to play the lead role – I must confess that I was rather curious to see how the film turned out in the end. So, for once, rather than wait for the DVD to come out, I actually ventured into a cinema hall to catch the movie, first day, first show. And I wasn’t disappointed. Yes, it was over-the-top in parts, the usual Bollywood clichés were well in place, and some characters were played at the level of caricature. But what made the movie work was Priyanka Chopra. She didn’t just play Mary Kom; she was Mary Kom. And she achieved this not with prosthetics, make-up and mimicry, but by taking on the legendary boxer’s fighting spirit and making it her own.
WOMEN OF POWER
In the film, Priyanka Chopra (above) didn’t just play Mary Kom; she was Mary Kom. In Mardaani, Rani Mukerji (right) plays an angry young cop with great élan
Seema Goswami
spectator A NEW TAKE
Sridevi’s English Vinglish (below), released in 2012, and Kangana Ranaut’s Queen (bottom) are signs that Hindi cinema is finally willing to give its heroines their due
Just a few scenes into the film, and you forget all about Chopra’s ethnicity. All you care about is her performance, remarkable in its range and nuance. She brings Mary Kom alive on the big screen: her rebellion against her father who didn’t want her to box; her slow-burning love for Onler, her devoted husband; her stormy relationship with the boxing federation; her fiery determination to make a comeback after the birth of her twins; and more. Such was Priyanka’s dominance that you didn’t even notice the lack of a leading man in the movie (her on-screen husband is not just supportive but strictly supporting-actor material). And that’s what stayed with me after the film had ended (with an evocative playing of Jana Gana Mana, which had the entire hall standing in teary silence): the fact that this was a woman’s story, told from a woman’s point of view, without any pandering to masculine sensibilities. Does this mean that Bollywood has finally grown up and realised that you don’t always need an over-muscled man in the lead for a movie to do well at the box office? Is Hindi cinema finally willing to give its heroines what they have always longed for: a meaty role to sink their teeth into, and a film to carry on their own shoulders? Well, it is early days yet, but the signs are rather encouraging. Last month saw the release of Rani Mukerji’s Mardaani, in which she plays an angry young cop who runs down a trafficking ring with a combination of detective work, brute force and a liberal use of swear words. Yes, the kind of role that Amitabh Bachchan played in another lifetime; only this time it was a woman in the lead role. And though the movie was not a superhit, garnering only modest success at the box office, Rani herself received good notices, proving that audiences are not entirely non-receptive to such women-centric films. This is a change that has been a long time coming, but has become more and more evident over the last few years.
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Sridevi’s English Vinglish, released in 2012, was one of the first signs. A small-budget, quirky movie about a middle-aged housewife who discovers herself anew as she signs up to learn English in New York when she arrives there to help organise her niece’s wedding, this became a surprise hit, on the basis of Sridevi’s sparkling performance (and a brilliant effort by writer-director Gauri Shinde). The following year belonged to Kangana Ranaut’s Queen, in which she did a marvellous job of playing a west Delhi Punjabi kudi who is jilted at the mandap but decides to go off on the honeymoon of her dreams anyway, even if it is on her own. Yes, there was a hero of sorts, the man who jilts her, but this was Kangana’s show all the way. And she pulled it off with both nonchalance and élan, proving that a heroine can power a movie at the box-office just as well as a hero. The pioneer of this trend, though, was undoubtedly Vidya Balan. She started off with Dirty Picture, playing a Silk Smitha-type character in one-size-too-tight clothes, and oohla-laaed her way to a superhit. She went on to make waves with Kahaani, in which she played a woman who may or may not be pregnant but is indubitably in search of her missing husband. And though her latest outing as Bobby Jasoos, a wannabe detective who specialises in weird disguises, bombed at the box-office, Balan herself got rave reviews. But while these breakout hits (peppered with the occasional flop) are all well and good, the proof of the pudding would be when big-budget blockbusters like Happy New Year depend not on a hero like Shah Rukh Khan but on a heroine like Deepika Padukone to draw in the crowds. Or when a superhero is not called Krishh or Ra.One but Radha or even Sita. Come to think of it, both Priyanka and Deepika would fill out a superhero (or should that be superheroine?) outfit admirably. Super Shakti: Rakshasa Slayer, anyone?
MORE ON THE WEB For more SPECTATOR columns by Seema Goswami, log on to hindustantimes.com/brunch. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/seemagoswami. Write to her at seema_ ht@rediffmail.com The views expressed by the columnist are personal
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STYLE FILE
FASHION FILES PART I
I
F WE go by the sheer number of wedding fashion shows in the country – the Vogue Wedding Show, BMW India Bridal Fashion Week, Bridal Asia and Shree Raj Mahal Jewellers India Couture Week to name only a few – it seems that all our designers are doing is creating wedding lehengas. There’s a good reason for this. It’s called money. The Big Fat Indian Wedding is estimated to be worth over `1,00,000 crore, and wedding apparel makes up about `10,000 crore of that. No wonder designers will do anything to crash the wedding party.
TO MARKET, TO MARKET
“Many young designers start with a more prêt approach, but in India, you have to go bridal,” says Varun Bahl, who began a decade ago with boho chic day wear and occasion separates, but has been focused on bridal wear for the last three years. About 80 per cent of his business turnover comes from the bridal market, of which 40 per cent comes from wedding lehengas. “It is a cultural thing and we should be proud of it,” says Bahl, who justifies his move into the bridal market with the argument that designing innovative bridal wear is very challenging. “Basically there are three Indian silhouettes: the sari, the anarkali and the lehenga,” he says, “The challenge in Indian fashion is to make them look different and to give them a stamp. That to me is the beauty of Indian fashion.” But money is the biggest motivator, says Sabyasachi, one of India’s most commercially successful designers. This year, Sabyasachi’s turnover crossed the `100 crore mark, making him one of fashion’s most financially successful designers, and most of this profit came from the Big Fat Indian Wedding. “The organised retail sector in India is still very poor and corporate investThe ments are tentaIndian tive,” explains wedding is Sabyasachi. “Hence for a deestimated to signer in India be worth over to grow big in `1,00,000 both stature crore, and and turnover, wedding the only route is apparel makes bridal.”
THE FOREIGN HAND
And The Designers Lived Happily Ever After
Wondering why almost every major Indian fashion stylist is so focused on weddings? The answer is a four-letter word: C-A-S-H by Sujata Assomull Sippy
brands to India. Judith Leiber works with Suneet Varma to ensure their bags are bride-worthy arm candy. Canali’s Nawab Jacket makes a groom feel like a royalty as he steps in to the mandap. Christian Louboutin does madeto-order shoes to ensure every girl feels like a princess on her special day. Indian designers have been forced even harder to focus on the bridal and festive market. India is unique in that traditional fashion is not costume; it is affected by trends just as much as western wear is, and in this space, international brands like Dior, Gucci and Louis Vuitton cannot compete with Indian designers. One season the lehenga is full volume, the next it is more contoured. One season the sari blouse is barely there, the next, it’s full cover. The kurta goes from being all about the kali, to a figure-hugging silhouette. Even if international labels wanted to dive into all this action, they can’t.
OH, GROW UP
Think about it. The apex body of the fashion industry, The Fashion Design Council of India, is only 16 years old. Even the most senior designers are just 25 years old in the business. Weddings, however, are centuries old, and have always been about spending money. “Indians spend much The more on their wedpageantry ding- wear than the of the past, the rest of world,” says customs, the senior designer Tarun Tahiliani, traditions, song who does prêt, but and dance, all go is better known into making for his bridal weddings the lines. “I say that most simply because celebrated Indian bridal wear moments in an is not just one bridal Indian’s outfit. It’s an entire life trousseau. Weddings are the one occasion that Indians dress up. The pageantry of the past, the customs, the traditions, the song and dance, all go into making weddings the most celebrated moment in an Indian’s life. It’s also the most recessionproof market in India.” That’s why designers like Varun Bahl, Sabyasachi and Tarun Tahiliani focus more energy on this market than on prêt. They have to marry their label’s ethos with market realities if they want to stay in high fashion. Because fash-
up about `10,000 crore of that
SHAADI SHINE
It is after all the lure of the Indian wedding that has attracted many international
Tarun Tahiliani’s rich, glittering outfits for the bride and groom
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Putting on a bridal show is not cheap. It requires a luxury location, sets, models, choreographers, backstage management, make-up and hair, all of which could easily cost at least `40 lakhs
ion is about more than the business of selling clothes. It’s also about popular and traditional culture and reflects social, cultural and economic trends. There are, of course, young designers, such as Péro by Aneeth Arora, Bodice by Ruchika Sachdeva and Gaurav Jai Gupta, who have so far not been bitten by the bridal bug, but it’s hard to say as yet whether they’ll manage to stay true to their ethos and still develop into pan-Indian brands.
BRAND WAGON
But money is still the driving factor behind designing bridal wear, says Hemant Sagar, one half of the label Lecoanet Hemant that showed at Paris Haute Couture from 1984-2000. The number of wedding-related fashion shows and events that take place in India has more to do with sponsorship than with actual fashion, Sagar explains. With brands from PC Jewellers to BMW looking to cash in on the Indian wedding market, fashion becomes the quick ticket solution. “These fashion shows are not about fashion but about status,” says Sagar, “For brands it is the easy way to appeal to their target audience.” For designers it’s all lovely because their shows are often fully or partly sponsored. Putting on a bridal show is not cheap. It requires a luxury location, sets, models, lighting choreographers, backstage management, make-up and hair, which would cost at least `40 lakhs. So even if it means placing a luxury car on a catwalk, or restricting your colour palette to that of a beauty brand’s logo, a designer will cave in and take a sponsored show. Selling your soul as long as you make those bridal orders is fine for many senior designers. That said, the focus of designers on wedding wear has had a positive effect. Wedding wear has
ETERNALLY PROFITABLE
Sabyasachi’s bridal wear. “Bridal is the only way to grow in stature,” he says
evolved: today we are spoilt for choice. There’s a bikini-inspired sari by Shivan and Narresh, a traditionally crafted ghagra by Anju Modi. Crafts such as chikankari, badla and zari have seen a revival thanks to bridal fashion.
THE TRICKLE-DOWN EFFECT
“I believe that there is a new era in bridal fashion at the moment,” says Monisha Jaising, who has been designing resort wear for two decades and just entered the bridal market last year. “It’s all about individual and personal style and mixing the old with the new. Basically, there are no rules.” And, adds Sabyasachi, the bridal market is a great example of the trickle-down theory. Since weddings are the apex of fashion and spending, what’s designed for weddings will trickle down the market as festive wear and then high-street clothing. While fashion prides itself on being democratic, there is no doubt that its elitist elements give it sheen and allure. And for now, in India, fashion depends on weddings to create a feeling of fantasy. Next week: The Flip Side – Why Young Designers Love Prêt Sujata Assomull Sippy has been a fashion commentator for almost two decades and was the launch editor of Harper’s Bazaar India brunchletters@hindustantimes.com
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PERSONAL AGENDA
twitter.com/HTBrunch
Actor/politician
Shatrughan Sinha
BIRTHDAY SUN SIGN PLACE HOMETOWN SCHOOL/COLLEGE Film and Television December 9 Sagittarius OF BIRTH Patna, Bihar Institute of India, Pune
Patna, Bihar
HIGH POINT OF YOUR LIFE
FIRST BREAK
When I achieved expertise and respect as a star
It was Prem Pujari (1970), but Sajan (1969) released first. The industry approved and said, ‘Munda changa hai’. It got me going
LOW POINT OF YOUR LIFE CURRENTLY I AM...
Getting married limited my free spirit, but when the going gets tough, the tough get going
Hosting the TV series Vande Mataram, on Aaj Tak, which tells the tales of bravery and valour of India’s freedom fighters
Being an actor or a politician, which has been more demanding for you? Life in politics is demanding, while stardom has been commanding for me. How has the experience of anchoring a show like Vande Mataram been? So far, it has been great and has taken me back in history. It has brought me closer to the purpose and sacrifice of our freedom fighters who were the real nation builders. How tough was the election fight this time around? It was tough for the people who were against me, but as far as I
A FILM YOU WISH YOU HAD BEEN A PART OF
I wish I hadn’t turned down Amitabh’s roles in the superhit films Deewar (1975) and Sholay (1975)
am concerned, I was calm and confident. The biggest change that has happened in the film industry, according to you. Technically, we have gone far ahead, while in terms of content, the less said the better. On another level, action has turned into violence; music into noise; and emotions are up for sale. There are a lot of films being made, but in most of them, the soul seems to be missing. You’ve had so many co-stars in your career. Who have you most loved working with? Reena Roy, Hema Malini, Dimple Kapadia, Poonam Dhillon, Parveen Babi and Kimi Katkar. But of course
my favourite will always be my wife Poonam Sinha. My darling daughter Sonakshi Sinha is my one and only favourite star these days. The character that made you famous. There have been quite a few. Chaino in Mere Apne (1971), Prabhakar in Kalicharan (1976), Vishwanath in the film Vishwanath (1978) and Bhuvaneshwar Prasad Sinha in Khudgarz (1987). At home, who tells you to be khamosh? Initially, it was my dear wife, Poonam. But, now the only person who can say ‘Khamosh!’ to anyone, including her baap Shatrughan Sinha is papa’s darling daughter and mama’s baby, Sonakshi. The biggest risk you ever took. At the height of my career in film, I jumped into politics. However, the one thing common to both was that I achieved everything without any godfather. The last line of your autobiography would read... That I seek, need, desire and deserve forgiveness from anybody I may have hurt with word or action, knowingly or unknowingly. Apart from this, I want to share my gratitude and thank all the people who have made my life so beautiful. One piece of advice for youngsters. I believe that confidence is my greatest strength that has brought me all the way here. My advice to youngsters is to have
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my movies A FILM YOU HAVE WATCHED MORE THAN FIVE TIMES
Mughal-E-Azam (1960). I have seen it over 30 times THE MOST OVERRATED FILM
Slumdog Millionaire (2008) THE MOST PAISA VASOOL FILM
Dabangg (2010), Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958), Padosan (1968)
MOVIES YOU ENJOYED DOING
Dost (1974), Kalicharan (1976), and the Bengali film – Antarjali Jatra (1987) confidence too, since it brings you conviction and commitment to achieve your goals. And to succeed in any field, you need to strive to be better than the best or different. I don’t claim to be the best, but I am definitely different from the rest. — Interviewed by Veenu Singh
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