WEEKLY MAGAZINE, MARCH 17, 2013 Free with your copy of Hindustan Times
Yuvraj Singh is fitter, slimmer and raring to go. Indian cricket’s indomitable survivor opens up on life after cancer and his incredible comeback. Plus: Exclusive extracts from Yuvraj’s new book
indulge
VIR SANGHVI
How taste travels
SANJOY NARAYAN
Jimmy Hendrix redux
RAJIV MAKHNI
Wi-Fi your camera
SEEMA GOSWAMI Abiding mysteries
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B R E A K FA S T O F C H A M P I O N S On The Brunch Radar
Brunch Opinion
by Aasheesh Sharma
YUVI FOR VICTORY
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Photos: GETTY IMAGES AND PRADEEP MANDHANI
hindustantimes.com/brunch
he legend of Yuvraj Singh is not just the story of an athlete who has defeated cancer. It has been built on the back of some superlative out-of-theworld performances. 1. Six on Toast: He is the only Indian batsman to hit six sixers in one over against an international bowler. 2. Boy to Man: He has been Man of the Tournament at the Under-19 World Cup in Colombo in 2000 as well as at at 2011’s World Cup,
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the biggest stage for any cricketer. 3. Natwest High: In a partnership with Mohammed Kaif, he helped India beat England in the Natwest Trophy final in 2002. It inspired Sourav Ganguly to rip off his shirt on the balcony at Lord’s. 4. Top of the World: Playing with cancer, Yuvi picked up 15 wickets and smashed 362 runs in 9 matches at the World Cup in 2011.
LOVE IT Rahul Gandhi, ■
SHOVE Inhaling ‘health supplements’ ■ If you hadn’t heard of Douglas Adams before the Google doodle ■ Running out of birth control ■ Grey’s Anatomy ■ Service tax on food ■
eligible bachelor. Forever ■ The new Frooti ad ■ Naming a new pet ■ Cinnamon-flavoured green tea ■ Hrithik Roshan as Shiva
Quick Review
by Saudamini Jain
IT
by Poonam Saxena
Those Pricey Thakur Girls
Tbetween arrogant hero and willful heroine), transplant it into a desi situation, add dollops of
ake the basic Mills & Boon model (sparks fly
humour and you have the trademark Anuja Chauhan rom-com-in-print. This time it’s set in Delhi’s sleepy Hailey Road in the ’80s when love happened over landlines and letters. (By Anuja Chauhan; Publisher: HarperCollins; Pages: 400)
ReWise
by Manit Moorjani
RUN, GUY DANGEROUS, RUN
How can a game – where all you do is run endlessly – get better? We liked the original Temple Run. The second part (which released earlier this year) is just as fun but looks even better! We tell you the difference
re ’s mo e r e h T vraj of Yu
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IVEh ! All the things we did with Yuvi are online S U L EXC e Brunc on th bsite we
That includes an interview (we got it on video too) and a photoshoot at his home. Log on to hindustantimes.com/brunch for:
The video We filmed it all. There’s a
video on our website. And a longer version on our YouTube channel – subscribe to HindustanTimesBrunch. Cover options Of course you love the cover of this issue – well, it almost wasn’t the cover! There were two other possibilities that looked pretty darn good too! Tell us if we picked the best.
A quiz We’d like to know how well
you know Yuvraj – not as well as us, though. We met him, remember? So test yourself with the Ultimate Yuvi Fan Quiz. More photos We shot many, many, many photos at Yuvraj’s house in Gurgaon. We shortlisted the best of the best for you to see. log on to hindustantimes.com/brunch
This Week On The Web We tell you how to get up, close and personal with your favourite filmi hero or bombshell. Plus, Shreya Sethuraman tells you all about TV binge watching (she is currently addicted to Suits – three hours every night or she cannot sleep). And then, Veenu Singh brings you some nail art – suede finish nail polish, 3D stickers and what not. And if you’re looking to shoot some goals but can’t peel yourself away from your office desk, read about these new cool sports companies that will make it happen for you. Just log on to...
Cover photo: RAJ K RAJ Cover design: ASHUTOSH SAPRU Location: YUVRAJ’S HOUSE IN GURGAON
EDITORIAL: Poonam Saxena (Editor), Aasheesh Sharma, Rachel Lopez, Tavishi Paitandy Rastogi, Mignonne Dsouza, Veenu Singh, Parul Khanna, Yashica Dutt, Amrah Ashraf, Saudamini Jain, Shreya Sethuraman, Manit Moorjani
MARCH 17, 2013
Version 1
Version 2
Where are you running
In a temple in some far away Indiana-Jones sortof land which was very authentically tribal!
In a temple hanging in the sky. You get the feeling you might fall. It’s kind of heady.
What happens to you
You slide under fire lines, jump over broken cobbled paths, raised wooden piers and slippery stone paths.
You zip on rope slides, ride on tilting mine carts and try not to fall into cliff drops that pop out of nowhere.
Who you are/can be
One of seven characters – including a big-league footballer running away from a tribal temple. How cool is that?
Only four characters to choose from, but they all have new power-ups that can simply be switched on during the game.
Who guards the temple
Seven ape-sized Demon Monkeys
One Temple Monkey – he is huge and he growls!
What goodies Three kinds of coins to you get on collect on the way, the the way highest points for the blue ones and lowest for yellow.
In addition to the coins, you also collect gems which can make you resurrect right from where you die.
The verdict The original was a great introduction to this way of touch-gaming. You were endlessly running from monkeys in a lost temple. With the new, improved version, you play the game while clearing objectives one after the other, so it keeps you going for longer.
DESIGN: Ashutosh Sapru (National Editor, Design), Monica Gupta, Swati Chakrabarti, Rakesh Kumar, Ashish Singh
Drop us a line at: brunchletters@
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LIGHT And Life Yuvraj Singh survived a life-threatening disease and came back to international cricket with a bang. This is his story
by Pradeep Magazine photographs by Raj K Raj
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T ONE point, he could not imagine he would lift a bat again. The brilliant Yuvraj Singh, Indian cricket’s wayward prince, was hit by fate’s thunderbolt right after coronation at World Cup 2011. Awarded the Player of the Tournament honour, Yuvraj helped India emerge world champions 28 years after their first victory in 1983. The image of the elegant left hander going down on his knees and letting out a gladiatorial roar after beating Australia is still embedded on the minds of cricket aficionados. And then came the shocking news that throughout the tournament, the champion had been battling cancer. Millions prayed for his well-being as Yuvraj underwent chemotherapy in Indianapolis. Unlike many other
How has life changed for you?
Ah, I am a more relaxed person now. When one is young, aspiring to play for the country, doing well, any hindrance, like injury or being out of form, can be frustrating and a cause of annoyance or even anger. But once you have a close encounter with death, you realise the real value of life. Simple things like breathing, enjoying food, the small pleasures of life that we take for granted, become precious. The bodily suffering, when I was choking while trying to breathe, when I couldn’t digest anything each time I had chemo, when I would be a mental and physical wreck, made me realise that living a normal life is a blessing and should not be frittered away by fretting over things which are beyond your control.
MOM’S THE WORLD
Since childhood, writes Yuvraj, his mother Shabnam Singh (in pic) has been his source of strength
Would you say you’ve had a rebirth and have become a changed person?
You can say that. For me, just to live again, feel normal, be with my friends, family and breathe normally was a great feeling. I started to put on weight, I ate like hell, eating every 45 minutes, enjoying all the delicacies I had thought I would never get to eat and smell again. And I didn’t care. I was living again and that was the most important thing.
You started enjoying life as it came...
Well, you can say that I started valuing life far more. One falls into a rut in life and in my case it revolved around training and thinking of scoring runs, playing for the country and figuring out how to win more matches. And in that cycle I
international athletes who like to hide their ailments under a veil of secrecy, Yuvraj posted a picture of his shaved head on Twitter, as he began losing hair during the treatment. It showed that the indomitable batsman was not letting the life-threatening disease or chemotherapy keep his spirits down. After making a comeback, Yuvi is now out with The Test of My Life: From Cricket to Cancer and Back (Random House India, co-authored by Sharda Ugra and Nishant Jeet Arora). He looks leaner, fitter and relaxed. Yuvraj has seen hell and returned to tell the tale. The dreaded cancer has also been a life-defining experience which has made Yuvraj value life, enjoy the world on offer without fear and without worrying about failure and the future any longer. In this exclusive interview, he explains why. train when I finished treatment. It was in India where the confusion about my disease was going on, that the doctors told me you may not be able to play at all or not for at least two to three years. Now I just try to train well. But I also pay attention to what I am eating. I eat organic food, ghar ka khana, ghar ka ghee and makhan most of the time. I also managed to lose around 10 to 15 kg, which I had gained when I started bingeing on food immediately after I was cured. I also have fewer friends now. Earlier if the number was 1,000, it has reduced to 10. All my fair-weather friends have gone as I realised during my ailment who my real well-wishers were. I have cut down on socialising with the others.
Fair-weather friends?
It is not that my hunger for doing well has deserted me. In fact, it has grown as I am fitter and healthier now think I’d forgotten to live. At the same time, it is not that my hunger for performing has deserted me. In fact, it has grown. I am fitter, healthier. I am a more relaxed person now.
of things like how much will I play, whether I will score runs, what will happen if I fail. I don’t live too much in the future. But still, my training is more vigorous than before.
How different is your daily routine from the past?
There are no medical restrictions right now?
Not very different, except that I have stopped worrying about the future,
No, there aren’t. The doctors in America told me to go ahead and MARCH 17, 2013
I meant I got a reality check. Chadte suraj ko sab salaam karte hain, but when the going gets tough only a few people stick with you. A lot of people even used me during those days to get publicity for themselves. It was sad to see them use my suffering for their benefit.
Are you completely cured now? Are you under any medical supervision?
No, I am not. In the first year I had to have a check-up every three months, and after that every six months. In the first year the chance of recurrence is three per cent and after that, one per cent.
And a year has passed now...
Yes, my doctor Lawrence Einhorn had told me that I am cured.
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Armstrong, in his book, writes that when he was going through a lot of pain, he realised there must be millions out there experiencing the same pain. He decided then that regardless of whether he could take up his sport again, he would do something for the cancer fraternity. The same thoughts inspired the project YouWeCan. The money generated from the book’s release will be used for the foundation. We are in partnership with hospitals around the country for diagnosis and treatment.
People shy away from telling the world they have cancer. You went public with a tonsured head... Initially, even I was scared and in denial. But once I accepted the reality of the situation, I decided to do things that would help people fight the disease.
You came back to the Test team and were dropped again. I have no thoughts about it. I do aspire to be back with whatever cricket is left in me. I’ve bounced back before and I hope to do it again. I still hope to play 80 to 90 test matches. Let us see how much fuel is still left in me.
What is your routine like?
I am vela [idle] right now (laughs loudly). But I don’t skip my training at all. On average, five to six hours a day are reserved for it. I am a great movie buff and I devour films regularly.
PADDLING TOGETHER
Yuvraj enjoys playing table tennis with younger brother, Zoravar
Did you think you would make a comeback so soon?
No. I never thought I would play again. I was only thinking about saving my life. I used to watch my videos on my laptop during the treatment, but one day Anil bhai (Anil Kumble) visited me in America and told me to shut my laptop and concentrate on getting well.
When did the desire rekindle?
When I came back, I was happy I was living again. I was eating so much that I can’t tell you how much! Suddenly one day, I weighed myself and was shocked to see the scale telling me I was 105kg! [from 90kg]. It was then I realised that I should start exercising a bit.
So, the comeback trail began...
I had to go through a harrowing period. My body initially refused to listen. I would climb two steps and pant!
What kind of films?
Failure now doesn’t mean the end of the world. I still come back and say: Thank you God for giving me this life When I went to the National Cricket Academy, my calves gave in. At times, I wanted to give up. But it started becoming better and I was back to working out hard in three months.
Lance Armstrong [the champion cyclist suffered from the same cancer as Yuvraj] was an inspiration and I thought, why not write about my battle with cancer like he did.
How did the book happen?
Armstrong’s drug saga must be a huge disappointment.
Initially it was going to be about what my friends had documented during my illness. Then Nishant [his friend and manager] told me we should tell the world your story as it would be an inspiring one. Many patients have told me that they are taking treatment, hoping to be cured because of me. And then MARCH 17, 2013
Yeah, it is, but let us not forget he is a cancer survivor and despite all that he has done, which is a big letdown, he came back to sport, though not many people may agree with me.
Tell us a bit about your cancer foundation.
Barfi! is the new hit, though Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge is the all-time favourite. I admire the Khan trinity (Salman, Shah Rukh and Aamir). I also like George Clooney.
So movies occupy most of your time these days?
No, I never miss my training. I am looking forward to the IPL as I missed it last time. I have to train harder now as I am not getting younger. My body can’t sustain the same training as I am no longer in my 20s. Also my body has taken a lot because of which, I have to train harder than before. brunchletters@hindustantimes.com
EXCLUSIVE EXCERPTS For unpublished excerpts from Yuvraj Singh’s new book, turn to page 10
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Book Extract from ‘The Test of My Life – From Cricket to Cancer and Back’
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r Kohli didn’t waste any time. ‘I’ve got bad news.’ ‘Tell me, doc.’ ‘It’s a tumour.’ ‘What kind of tumour, doctor?’ ‘It could be malignant.’ His next four words were: ‘It could be cancer.’ A fist into the gut. Everything slows. The rain slows down. Is this the last rainfall I’ll feel on my skin? I hope he has not told Mom yet. It should be me. I have to find a way to tell her. There was no slipping past. There was nothing I could do but listen. They told me what I didn’t want to hear. The lump was 15x13x11 cms. It had grown in the chest cavity and was pressing hard on the pulmonary artery and had squeezed the left lung.
ABOUT THE BOOK Yuvi’s memoirs about cancer and the 2011 World Cup win, with Sharda Ugra, senior editor with ESPNcricinfo.com and Nishant Arora. Random House. 232 pages.
So. Here it was. This was it. My cancer. I had cancer. It was not lung cancer, it was not lymphoma, it had not spread; it was a tumour and it was growing. Ashish told me my heart could have burst. The doctors now believe that my heart didn’t burst despite a compressed pulmonary artery because I had trained so hard. I cried like a baby. When no one could see me or hear me. Not because I feared what cancer would do but because I didn’t want the disease. I wanted my life to be normal, which it could no longer be.
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efore the chemotherapy began, I had to sign a form that said I understood and accepted its consequences. It fell to Nurse Jackie Brames to read out the form. She stood next to me and started speaking. The drugs could impact fertility. The drugs could cause liver damage. The drugs could cause kidney damage. All there was to read on the paper was damage, damage, damage. Jackie always found reading out that form difficult. Halfway through, she said, ‘I can’t read any more. You just sign it.’ I said, ‘Jackie, are you giving me confidence here or what?’ She laughed. Her face beamed. I told her,
‘Whenever you see me, meet me with a smile on your face. I don’t want to see you brooding.’ The first time I watched the liquid drop down the tube and into my arm I wondered what would happen when it finally did its business. On day 2, I felt my face swell. On day 3, I was back in the hotel watching TV when I suddenly felt a horror catch hold of my throat. It was a feeling in the throat that plunged me into terrifying gloom and filled my mouth, the back of my eyes, my mind, with the sensation that only bad things would happen from now on. As my chemo progressed, it started taking away my appetite and sleep. Suddenly I didn’t want to eat anymore. Or I wanted to eat till I saw the food and then no more.
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he apartment security passed on a gift that was left for me by some Indian students of the University of Indiana. They made me a giant card. When Nishant got in touch with the student association to thank them, they said they wanted to say to me in person that I was going to get well soon. On the promised day, I didn’t wake up in great health. I was puking all morning. I looked out of the window
and saw that it was probably the worst day of the winter. The wind howled. It was sub-zero temperatures outside. When I stepped out there were at least 150 kids there. When they saw me, they let out a cheer. People started whistling, catcalling and started chanting my name. At first I was taken aback. I could not believe it. They were students, probably much younger than me, and here they were standing with arms full of flowers, gifts, cards. Many of them had packed boxes of biryani, rajma, aloo-gobhi, chicken curry, dal. They must have realised I was homesick for India, that Indian food would make me feel happy. After a little hesitation, they all started talking together... Suddenly for a moment I felt as if I was in a cricket stadium somewhere in Jaipur or Rajkot. After a long time I felt happy, surrounded by faces that felt familiar, joking that I had forgotten how to sign autographs. MORE ON THE WEB For EXCLUSIVE videos of Yuvraj, log on to hindustantimes. com/brunch. Turn to page 4 for more details.
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ISN’T IT IRONIC?
(Clockwise from top) You wake up at the crack of dawn when you can sleep in late; no sooner does an expert commentator begins praising a batsmen, he gets out; the moment you find the perfect perfume or lipstick, the manufacturers discontinue the line
BETTER AND BETTER
Sridevi, who turns 50 this year, looks younger (and considerably thinner) than she did in her heyday
Why don’t those doughnuts and fry-ups settle around Nigella Lawson’s waist?
calories go? Surely, they can’t all be burnt away by her daily treadmillpounding (wearing only a bra – no, I am not making this up; we are indebted to Lawson herself for this little nugget of information)? So why don’t all those doughnuts and fry-ups settle around her waist? ■ Why is it that the moment you find a perfume that is just you, or even a lipstick that is perfect for your skin tone, the manufacturers decide to discontinue the line? Is this part of some giant conspiracy by cosmetics companies to keep us fickle and uncommitted so that they can benefit from our ‘experimentation’? ■ Why does the traffic lane you choose always move the slowest? Ditto, queues at banks, immigration counters at airports, and the like. And you can be sure that if you decide to ditch the line moving at a snail-like pace for the one that is galloping on ahead, the two will switch personas as soon as you switch sides. ■ And while we are on traffic, why is it that you always get a red light at every intersection when you are running late? On the days when you have all the time in the world, the lights stay resoluteES, I know, I have mentioned these before: ly green, in a classic display of contrariness. If Those abiding mysteries of life that keep this is something that happens to you as well, me awake at night. But you know what, I wasn’t here’s a little trick that works like a charm for me. On days quite done. So, here’s the next edition of what threatens that I want to speed through, I leave home without my to become a recurring series (don’t say you weren’t warned!) kajal on, telling myself that I will apply it at the first red ■ Why is it that the moment an ‘expert commentator’ begins light. And guess what? The lights stay green throughout praising a batsman at the crease as he nears a milestone my route. (50, a century, 10,000 runs in Test cricket), the batsman in ■ Why do people follow you on Twitter only to berate you question gets out? I’m pretty sure you’ve noticed this as for what you tweet? Do they not realise that they can just well. In fact, so well-documented is this phenomenon that click on ‘unfollow’ and never have to hear from you again? it even has a name: ‘Commentator’s curse’. But nobody seems And that this is a far less stressful (both for them and you) able to explain why this happens. The players on the crease option than letting loose with a volley of insults and verbal certainly can’t hear what’s going on in the commentary box. abuse for having failed/annoyed/angered them? It really is And yet, no sooner have the encomiums started flowing a bit like calling up someone you don’t know on the phone, than the batsman starts his trudge back to the pavilion. only to complain that you don’t like the sound of their voice. ■ Why do shower stalls in hotels only have shampoo bot■ Why does the Snickers bar keep shouting ‘Eat me’ IN A JAM tles placed inside while the bath gel is kept next to the bathwhenever you open the fridge? And is there any way to You get a red tub? Do hoteliers really believe that people first bathe in shut it up? light at every the tub and then tip-toe across on soapy feet to the show■ Why are the mirrors in the changing rooms of all clothintersection when er stall to wash their hair? Did I hear a resounding no? you’re running late ing stores so unflattering? Not to mention the nasty neon Okay, then, how about you place a shampoo bottle and a lighting that makes everyone look even more pasty-faced bath gel at each location. At the prices you charge, you can certhan usual. Do store owners and managers not realise that they tainly afford it. would move more merchandise if buyers could look at them■ How on earth does Sridevi look the way she does? The actress, selves in flattering light in a mirror that didn’t make their ass who turns 50 this year, looks younger (not to mention considerably look big in everything? (Or is that down to the Snickers bar?) thinner) than she did during her heyday as the reigning ■ Why is it that the day you can sleep in late is when you wake superstar of Hindi cinema. Gone are the chubby cheeks and the up at the crack of dawn (and then can’t fall asleep again no thunder thighs. Instead we have a slim, svelte woman with matter how hard you try)? And on the days when it is impermiraculously smooth skin with nary a frown line in sight. The actress ative that you get up early, you can barely drag yourself out of insists that it’s all down to careful eating and regular exercise. I’m bed? Is this your body clock’s idea of a joke? And when will it sure she is right but I have to say that her appearance in English understand that we are not amused? Vinglish reminded me of that old joke. How can you tell the young actresses apart from the old ones in Hollywood? The young ones MORE ON THE WEB have wrinkles. For more SPECTATOR columns by Seema Goswami, log on to hindustantimes.com/Brunch. Follow ■ And while we are talking about 50-ish women who look better @SeemaGoswami on Twitter. Write to her at with every decade, what is up with Nigella Lawson? If she does seema_ht@rediffmail.com indeed eat all the food she twit-pics every day, where do all the
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MARCH 17, 2013
Seema Goswami
spectator
Here’s the next update in the series labelled: The abiding mysteries of life...
FAT FREE
Photo: GETTY IMAGES
WHAT ON EARTH?
Photos: THINKSTOCK
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THE WI-FISATION OF CAMERAS
The ability to transfer photos and videos wirelessly, makes Wi-Fi cameras a ‘must buy’
THE CASE FOR CAMERA PHONES
Rajiv Makhni
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ECHNOLOGY LAUNCH events are fun. In fact, according to me, they are the last source of real amusement that borders on pure comedy. Apart from the fact that you get to see some really cool devices, it’s the add-on entertainment from the sidelines that comes with the people you meet. First, of course, are the brand ambassadors (at the last three events I’ve met Bill Clinton, Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif – but enough gloating about my amazing life) who of late have been doing a great job of adding more than just glamour to the proceedings. This is far removed from the tech launch celebrities from a few years ago who would wear short dresses, plunging necklines, pouty smiles and as an add-on bonus, have zero knowledge of the device they were launching. And to prove that beyond a shadow of a doubt, they would either hold the product from the wrong side or claim that they’ve used the device for more than a month and love it but then not know how to switch it on.
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THE WARRING FACTIONS
YOU’RE ON CAMERA!
All the major players like Panasonic, Nikon, Canon, Sony and Samsung have entered the Wi-Fi camera market. They allow cloud services, have 3D shooting and are clearly here to stay
But much more than the celebrities, it’s us, the journalists that are even more fun. There are now two distinct factions at all tech events. The conventional tech journalist (TV, magazine, newspaper) and the new breed (blogger, online columnist, tech aggregator websites) and the divide is quite obvious. Before the event starts, a little game of one-upmanship is played out (who got which gadget to review first, strong opinions, putting down bad products – the bloggers win outright) but it’s when the event starts that all hell breaks loose. The onliners (for want of a better word) hunt down the Wi-Fi password (worth its weight in gold), start setting up numerous gadgets and devices (the average minimum is about four), are very tense, have a perpetual frown and are all set for the mad frenzy to have the first picture, first tweet, first news, first report, first review out. The conventionalers are more relaxed but become tense as they start questioning themselves as to whether they are doing a good enough job, considering the hyperactivity around them. Some obscure questions to company reps, a very mundane lunch (it’s almost always the same menu irrespective of the venue), a press kit-cumgoodie bag (something distinctly tacky) – and the fun is all over! I have always sat on the other side of the fence, relaxed and marvelling at the activity around me – but at the last few events I decided to go to the dark side. I would report the event in real time!
NO EXTRAS
MARCH 17, 2013
WIFI CAMERAS
These are the new hot ticket. Everything great about standalone cameras (optical megazooms, nice big sensors, greater control over aperture and light, real image stabilisation, fast burst mode, interchangeable lenses) plus the ability to connect to Wi-Fi and wirelessly transfer photos and videos. There are now cameras that can send them anywhere you like, including dedicated cloud services, as well connect directly to a computer and transfer photos fast. There are many that can use the direct connect Wi-Fi feature and connect to a tablet or laptop and remotely control the camera; where your tablet’s screen becomes your viewfinder. Some of the better ones I’ve tried in the last few months are the Samsung Galaxy camera (Androidbased, super innovative but images aren’t as good as expected), Sony Nex 6 (fantastic image quality but Wi-Fi set-up can be fiddly), Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5 (very well-priced but the Wi-Fi is slow), Canon 320 HS (tiny, fast, idiot-proof but requires you to use Canon’s cloud service. Duh!), Nikon S800c (good images, Androidbased, poor battery, very slow) and the upcoming Samsung NX300 mirrorless camera (retro design, interchangeable lenses, 3D shooting and currently the most exciting in this category).
The Samsung NX300 is an exciting Wi-Fi camera
The only rule I devised was that I wasn’t going to fall prey to carrying extra gadgetry (you have to see the arsenal of devices some onliners carry) with me to do so. The weapon of choice to achieve this was going to be device that could take pictures as well as share them without going through a transfer to a computer. Thus, I had only two choices.
This is the obvious choice, but not necessarily the correct one. While smartphones are perfect (they have Wi-Fi, 3G plus all the apps you need) for taking a picture and sharing it straight to Twitter, Facebook, a live blog or even email – it’s what you’re sharing that seriously suffers. Most events are staged in dark places with very melodramatic lighting and most of the activity takes place on a far-off stage. You need a camera that does good low-light photography, can optically zoom in at great distances and also do good colour separation – pretty much the three things that every camera phone totally sucks at. While the optics on a camera have improved dramatically in the last two years – they still aren’t a match for dedicated cameras. Plus if you use your camera phone as a dedicated sharing device – you’re going to be out of battery within an hour. Thus the obvious and easy choice was out.
SHOULD YOU BE BUYING A WI-FI CAMERA?
I’m currently totally sold on a Wi-Fi camera and wouldn’t buy one without it. I can’t even think of using a USB cable or to go through the drudgery of popping open a slot, extract an SD card and transfer photos to a computer to share. A camera with faultless WiFi is a perfect sharing machine and one that gives great flexibility. I strongly believe that all cameras from here on should come with idiot-proof Wi-Fi, backed by easy-to-use features, to make full use of that ability. Is there a Wi-Fi camera in your future? As I look into my Wi-Fi enabled crystal ball, a resounding yes is what I’m getting. Rajiv Makhni is managing editor, Technology, NDTV, and the anchor of Gadget Guru, Cell Guru and Newsnet 3
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For previous columns by Rajiv Makhni, log on to hindustantimes.com/brunch. Follow Rajiv on Twitter at twitter.com/RajivMakhni
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THE TASTES OF A NATION
Are there regional variations in Indian tastes that you and I do not notice?
OUT WITH THE BIRD
At Le Cirque, Delhi, a steak dish – Bistecca – is the best-selling item on the menu, while chicken is hardly a favourite
THEY GET THE SOUR
Thai food with its chilli-lime and sour-sweet combinations is a natural favourite in Bombay
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Vir Sanghvi
CLOSE FRIEND of mine who runs successful restaurants all over India is on the verge of opening something in Delhi. Like most people brought up in Bombay, his feelings towards the Capital are complicated: the usual mixture of envy disguised as contempt and a sense of bafflement about how Delhi really works. My friend is bemused by the barrage of contradictory advice he is getting about the tastes of the people of Delhi. He has been told that he should Punjabify his food. He’s been advised to throw all seafood off the menu or at the very least to reduce it substantially. He has heard that the people of Delhi only eat chicken and so 70 per cent of his menu should be chicken-based. Others have told him to kick keema off the menu because people in Delhi regard keema as meat for the lower classes. And no Gujarati-type sweetness please. It may work in Bombay but not here. My friend is one of India’s greatest chefs so it takes a lot to shake his confidence. Moreover, one of the restaurants he’s opening is Thai so if he is to believe what people are telling him, then he might as well close before he starts. Thai food is based on a sour-sweet combination (sugar is an essential ingredient of many of the dishes) so he can hardly dispense with the sweetness. Many classic Thai dishes, including the minced chicken with basil or the laab (minced meat) salad from the north, depend on various kinds of keema, so he has no choice but to use mince. And while the Thais do eat chicken, you can hardly run a Thai restaurant without seafood. I asked my friend to tell his advisers to take a flying leap. Delhi today is too sophisticated for these kinds of dated generalisations. But afterwards I wondered if I was wrong to be so certain. Perhaps there are regional variations in tastes that you and I do not notice but which restaurateurs are aware of. So I asked around. I called Rajesh Namby who looks after the Leela’s massively successful Delhi restaurants but who has also worked in Bangalore. Did he think that tastes were different between cities? Well, yes and no. Rajesh agreed with me that at the top end of the market, people looked for authenticity. Hotel restaurants could serve pretty much what they liked if it was well made. He gave me the example of Le Cirque, where the best-selling item is a Bistecca (beef steak) closely followed by a steak topped with foie gras. Chicken does move but it is hardly a favourite. In fact, Dover sole easily outsells the chicken dishes. But, said Rajesh, Le Cirque is at the very top end so he would be wary of generalising on the basis of its experience. On the whole, people in Delhi did like chicken and they preferred tangier food. But they were also ready to experiment and to try new things. So it would be a huge mistake to Punjabify Thai food.
rude food
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At the top end of the market, people look for authenticity
RAJESH NAMBY, Executive Assistant Manager, Food and Beverage at The Leela Palace, Delhi
I checked out the middle level of restaurants. Monish Gujral runs Moti Mahals all over India. His view is that there are regional differences in taste but they are mostly self-evident. The Delhi market likes robust flavours. The Bombay market prefers subtler tastes. (“All these Gujaratis…” he said in his best Punjabi manner.) In the south, hotter and spicier food tends to do much better. And though people in Delhi are moving away from oily gravies towards tandoori items, he found that in the east of India (he runs restaurants in Assam and Bengal) they liked kormas and oily food. Could these differences be a consequence of native food habits? Ananda Solomon thinks that local cuisine is the determining factor. He gives the example of yoghurt which is much less used in north India compared to its status as a staple in south Indian cuisines. He has found, he says, that in Bangalore and Madras, people like dishes made with yoghurt and that if dahi made from cow’s milk is used, the items move even faster. (Why cow’s milk? Why not buffalo milk of the sort we have in the north? Ananda could only guess but wasn’t sure.) Ananda gave other examples. For instance, he said, Gujaratis understand the use of sweetness in savoury dishes in a way that north Indians often don’t. The use of kokum in Gujarat, Goa and other parts of western India has led to an appreciation of sour flavours in the Bombay market. Therefore, Thai food, which is all about chilli-lime and sour-sweet combinations, was a natural favourite in Bombay. The other differences were commonsensical. Rice is a favourite in the south. Dishes made from wheat hardly move in Bangalore or Madras. On the other hand, north India is very much a naanroti market. Rice is not a staple. A biryani is ordered only on special occasions. The south loves seafood. You would think, says Ananda, that this is only true of coastal towns but it is as valid all over south India. For instance, Bangalore which is nowhere near the sea, is a huge market for seafood dishes. In the north, however, there is little appreciation for fish
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Photo: NATASHA HEMRAJANI
The less cosmopolitan the market, the more grease they want in their gravies MONISH GUJRAL, Chairman and MD, Moti Mahal Delux Management Services
Local cuisines do determine public tastes MANJIT GILL, Corporate Chef, ITC’s Hotels Division
Yoghurt is much less used in north India compared to its status as a staple in the south ANANDA SOLOMON, Executive Chef of Vivanta by Taj-President, Mumbai
dishes in Indian cuisine (Punjabis will eat fish as part of another cuisine: say golden fried prawns or prawns in garlic sauce) partly because of price (seafood tends to be expensive in Delhi thanks to freight costs) and partly because there are few great fish recipes in north Indian cuisine. (I can only think of Amritsari machchi and that hunk of Styrofoam they call a tandoori prawn.) Eventually I turned, as I nearly always do, to Manjit Gill, who is a walking encyclopaedia of Indian food. Manjit agreed with Ananda that local cuisines determined public tastes but he had some insights. For example, even people who will eat mutton curry at home will not order mutton when they go to a Chinese or European restaurant. Food preferences do not remain the same across cuisines. When we say that the people of Delhi like spicy food, said Manjit, we are not talking about the kind of freshly ground masalas popular in Kerala. Spicy food in Delhi terms means a garam masala kind of taste. Nor do many north Indians understand sourness. When you want to add sour flavours to north Indian food, you have to depend on tomatoes, dahi, raw mango and a few other ingredients. Imli is much less used in the north than it is in the rest of India. And most north Indians don’t know what kokum is. So that limits the north Indian palate. As for the people of Delhi not liking keema, Manjit was incredulous. They love keema, he said. But everyone was wary of generalising about north Indian tastes. For instance, Monish Gujral pointed out that the Bihar market loves very spicy curries while Delhi prefers a lower level of spice. In Rajasthan, they love green chillies and spicy chutneys and pickles. And some of the distinctions might have to do with sophistication rather than cuisine traditions. Monish says that the less cosmopolitan the
market, the more grease they want in their gravies. So what conclusions can we derive? As far as I can tell, the main difference is the one that we would all expect: the food of the north is more robust and wheat-based while the food of the south is subtler, rice-based and makes more inventive use of masalas. The food of the west and some of the south differs from the north because of the love of sour flavours. And while much of India is trying to eat healthily, the east is quite happy with oily gravies and deep-fried foods. Does this make a difference to restaurateurs? It depends. At the top end of the market, it doesn’t matter at all. And it matters very little anywhere if you are not serving Indian food. But at the middle level, it can matter, especially if you run an Indian restaurant. Even a chain like Moti Mahal which serves roughly the same menu all over the world (they’re about to open in London) recognises that the food has to be tweaked for local tastes. My guess is that these differences will be ironed out as the new generation comes of age. Over the last decade, new restaurants have opened and turned the conventional wisdom on its head. Logic suggests that Japanese food should not do well in north Indian fish-hating markets. But sushi is all the rage because teenagers love it. Similarly, the fast food chains which survive on wheat (pizzas, pasta, hamburger buns etc) should all flop in the rice-loving south. But young people flock to them as much in Bangalore and Madras as they do in Delhi and Ludhiana. The old boundaries are fading. Ultimately it is our children who will open up the Indian palate.
Many north Indians don’t understand sourness and depend on tomatoes and raw mangoes for the flavour
Photos: THINKSTOCK
MARCH 17, 2013
Photo: DINODIA
THEY LOVE OIL
While much of India is trying to eat healthily, the east is quite happy with oily gravies and deep-fried foods
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RAISING HELL WITH HENDRIX
OPENING TRACKS
Sanjoy Narayan
People, Hell & Angels, a collection of a dozen unreleased recordings by Jimi Hendrix, sounds fresh and unaltered by technology
L
THE JUKEBOX
P
hoenix, the French pop band, caught the attention of the world in 2009 with their album titled Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix and particularly with the song, Lisztomania. Peppy and infectious, Phoenix’s music is a delight. Next month, a new Phoenix album, Bankrupt!, will be released. A single from the album, titled Entertainment, is already out and going by how it sounds, Bankrupt! Is unlikely to disappoint.
IKE MOST of my friends, I heard my first Jimi Hendrix album after the legendary guitarist had died. Not surprising, because Hendrix died in 1970 and when he lived, he’d just four albums to his credit. I think the first Hendrix album that I got to listen to was Are You Experienced, which released in 1967, and had memorable songs such as Foxy Lady, Fire, Manic Depression and so on. Hendrix’s guitar, when you first heard it (and it was already the mid-1970s when I experienced Hendrix, at least five years after he died at 27) left an indelible mark. His unconventional use of the wah-wah pedal and amplifier feedback distortions were unlike anything that I’d heard before. TOTAL RECALL
The first Hendrix album that I got to listen to was Are You Experienced, which released in 1967 So were his lyrics. On Purple Haze, he sang: Excuse me, while I kiss the sky a phrase that drove us young teenagers, desperately seeking to be cool and rebellious, wild. Then, later, we saw films – of Hendrix burning his guitar at the Monterey Pop festival in 1967 and of him strumming with his teeth at Woodstock in 1969 – and the legend around the man grew for us. His untimely death, which is frequently clubbed together with the equally untimely deaths of Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison, did nothing to ebb the posthumous fan following that he had and still does. In fact, there have been a dozen studio albums released after his death compared to the four that were released while he was alive. And the latest of these came in the first week of this March with People, Hell & Angels, a collection of a dozen hitherto unreleased recordings in 1968-69 by Hendrix and a band that comprised Billy Cox (bass guitar), Buddy Miles and Mitch Mitchell (drums) and Juma Sultan (congas) but also featuring some unexpected guest musicians. On one track Stephen Stills plays the bass; on another Lonnie Youngblood (a saxophonist and frequent Hendrix collaborator) sings; and on yet another, New Orleans’ R&B pianist James Booker joins in. In the last couple of years that Hendrix was alive, he played several sessions in many studios, sometimes recording secretly, and collaborating with different musicians. A few years ago, a friend had pointed me to Raw Blues, a collection of 17 (perhaps bootlegged) Hendrix blues songs, a couple of which appear on this new album, albeit in very different versions. People, Hell & Angels is a showcase of Hendrix’s versatility. The wah-wah pedal and feedback distortions are certainly all intact (so Hendrix fans have nothing to fear) but there is a range of genres – down-home blues, R&B-inflected rock, psychedelia and even funk. On most tracks, it is Hendrix who dominates – with his guitar that sounds like two or three people riffing together, and with his vocals that have his characteristic almost somnolent drawl – but on some, such as Let Me Move You, Hendrix steps back and allows the sax player Youngblood to star, even with the vocals. It results in a superb R&B song. Or on Mojo Man, a funky track reminiscent of New Orleans, on which Booker plays the piano. Of course, that is not to say that you don’t get Hendrix’s searing rock guitar solos. On Izabella, his solo is to die for. And then, as I said, there are the surprises – the fat bass line in Somewhere, courtesy Stephen Stills. The good thing about People, Hell & Angels is that it sounds fresh and unaltered by technology. The 12 aren’t unfinished songs that were dubbed over or redone by others post-recording. They’re a set of great Hendrix songs and, in sharp contrast to my childhood fascination with Hendrix’s connection to on-stage pyrotechnics, getting high and teeth-strumming, this is an album with which I found myself enjoying Hendrix’s music once again, nearly 43 years after his death.
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With People, Hell & Angels (inset) featuring musicians like Buddy Miles (below), I found myself enjoying Hendrix’s music once again
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MARCH 17, 2013
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WELLNESS
MIND BODY SOUL SHIKHA SHARMA
FAT FACTS PART 2
To reduce fat, learn how foods impact your body
M
OST WOMEN can look shapely, provided they eat the right food and follow the correct exercise routine.
FOR PEAR-SHAPED WOMEN
NUTTY BUDDIES Eat healthy nuts and oil seeds such as almonds and peanuts
following these simple tips: ■ Avoid crash dieting as it leads to rebound weight gain and creates resistant obesity. ■ Eat at frequent intervals. Don’t skip meals as that sets into motion a cycle of starvation, bingeing, insulin fluctuation and fat gain. ■ Do warm-up. Cardio exercises followed by exercises for the core (abdomen and back muscles) will help.
Women with ample hips and thighs but a narrow waist have to strike a balance between fats, proteins and carbohydrates. In case women wish to lose substantial weight from the hips and thighs, but not much from the chest, a few guidelines can come in handy: ■ Do not follow a lowcalorie diet plan as it FIGHT OBESITY will make you lose weight TRIGGERED BY STRESS from the face and the neck, Women who put on before reaching its target weight during stressful zone: the hips and thighs. STRESS phases of their life should BUSTERS ■ Avoid refined oil and eat Meditation, follow these tips: healthy nuts and oil seeds body steam ■ Cut all kinds of sugar such as almonds, peanuts and exercise from your diet. and sunflower seeds. They are great for ■ Cut down on gas producthe skin help create a healthy ing foods like tea, coffee, hormonal cycle. cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli. ■ Include healthy proteins such as ■ Drink a lot of vegetable soups as sprouts, tofu and dals in your diet. they are rich in nutrition and Non-vegetarians should eat more prevent the formation of gas. eggs and fish. Avoid fruit juices, but drink lots of vegetable juice. ■ Eat breakfast every day and keep your dinner light. ■ Avoid white sugar and sweets as they will add weight to the hips. ■ Eat natural oil seeds and nuts. ■ Don’t eat lots of ■ Take shirodhara once a week. paneer or processed ■ Start meditation and pranayama cheese. to relax the mind. ■ Get massages JUNK THAT JUNK and steam If junk food is making you obese, it treatments will show on your hair and skin. for better ■ Drink a lot of vegetable juices blood every day to cleanse the body. circulation and ■ Drink two bottles of water every improved skin day to help flush out toxins. texture. ■ Avoid fried foods at all FOR APPLEcosts. SHAPED
WOMEN
Women who accuAvoid white sugar and all mulate fat on the sweets as chest and they add fat abdomen but have to the hips slim arms and legs can lose more weight from their midsection by
ask@drshikha.com
CLEANSE YOUR BODY
Drink vegetable juices and soups
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MARCH 17, 2013
Photos: THINKSTOCK
SWEET TEMPTATION
PROMOTION
PERSONAL AGENDA
twitter.com/HTBrunch
Cricketer
Virat Kohli BIRTHDAY 5 November
SUN SIGN PLACE OF BIRTH Scorpio
Delhi
HOMETOWN SCHOOL
Delhi
Saviour Convent School, Delhi
HIGH POINT OF YOUR LOW POINT FIRST BREAK LIFE OF YOUR LIFE During the Delhi Under-15 trial When I was part of the India call-up in August 2008
The death of my father
What was your reaction when Sunil Gavaskar said you should lead the team? I was honoured to know that he thinks I am a capable and responsible player. What does Delhi mean to you? Delhi means everything to me. This city has given me everything and I love it. How many tattoos do you have? Four, and my favourite one is of a samurai warrior. The top five batsmen you would pay to watch? Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, Shaun Marsh, Damien Martyn and Michael Vaughan. Your favourite buddies in the IPL dressing room? Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers. The toughest bowler to face in Tests and ODIs? Saeed Ajmal (Pakistan). Your favourite restaurants in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore? I love trying out different cuisines. In Delhi, I love Megu at the Leela, and TK’s at the Hyatt. I also enjoy Khan Chacha’s rolls. In Mumbai, it’s Royal China and Shiro. And in Bangalore, I like the food at Bricklane. What was it like to shoot ad campaigns with Katrina and Genelia? I enjoyed shooting with them. They are both extremely talented and professional actresses. The best place to go for a joyride in a car? I love driving my car on any highway. Which body part would you get insured?
my movies
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FILMS YOU HAVE SEEN MORE THAN FIVE TIMES.
I am a fan of the Rocky films, and Rocky 4 is my favourite. I also like The Warriors THE MOST OVERRATED FILM.
I enjoy all genres of films.
MARCH 17, 2013
match, I scored 71 not out and was selected instantly
CURRENTLY I AM...
The brand ambassador for Toyota
YOUR FIRST CRUSH?
Karisma Kapoor My eyes. What do you look for in a car? Quality and performance matter to me the most. Your favourite adventure sport? Rafting. If you got a chance to date a Bollywood actress, who would it be? Given a choice, I don’t think I would be able to decide because I think they are all very beautiful. Do you actually believe in fairness creams? Yes, I believe that fairness creams protect the skin against the harsh effects of the sun. Your favourite item song. Fevicol Se [Dabangg 2]. Your dream destinations. Paris and Barcelona. Your fitness routine? I hit the gym five days a week and do a combination of cardio and weights. Your mantra for success. Self-belief and hard work will always earn you success. — Interviewed by Veenu Singh
THE MOST PAISA VASOOL FILM
No Entry.
A MOVIE THAT TOOK YOU BACK TO YOUR CHILDHOOD.
Border was the first movie that I watched on the big screen. It always takes me back to my childhood.