Brunch 18 08 2013

WEEKLY MAGAZINE, AUGUST 18, 2013 Free with your copy of Hindustan Times

The SRKDeepika Magic!

We got Bollywood’s hottest pair together for a sparkling, no-holds-barred conversation about fame, films and a first-class life

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B R E A K FA S T O F C H A M P I O N S Excerpts From The Inbox

Time travel to the ’40s

MONDAY NIGHT WAS PARTY NIGHT

Photo: RAJ K RAJ

How to throw a real party? Just get SRK and bring Deepika Padukone along!

We drank, stuffed outselves with cake, chilled with the celebs and clicked a zillion photos (below is a reject, we’re all much better-looking). There’s more inside, turn to page eight. You can also watch the interviews on our YouTube channel, youtube.com/HindustanTimesBrunch

Brunch’s Independence Day special issue, was declared a “collector’s edition” by many readers last week. “Every year, every newspaper, every magazine in every language publishes an Independence Day special issue but The Way We Were is the best I’ve come across to date,” emailed Poonam Sethi. “Different from the usual boring I-Day features,” tweeted @boozershoozer_. We’re now worried about the next August 15 special!

For Richa, I-Day is about her father who was born on the day. “My grandmother used to say ‘jab unka janam hua tha, har jagah se pataake phutne ki aawaz aa rahi thi.’” @tavishi_katoch told us her grandpa was a freedom fighter. @Ajaythetwit packed a copy for his dad.

Shifali Singh said, “My glistening eyes are proof enough of my love for it [the issue].” @bizsprite read it in a transit lounge and kept it in his bag. “This goes into our album,” wrote Shiwali Arora, who read it with her children. Ms Makhija, a teacher, couldn’t wait to take it to her class...

While working on this issue, we wished we could go back in time but made do with libraries and interviews. “Brunch acts like a time machine which make us travel to the world of India in 1947,” emailed Nimmi Mumgaie. @smcheema, @SnehaSaysSo and Sona Kaushal said it transported them back in time too. @squeaky_snarky tweeted, “It was like watching a movie. Even better, actually!” Thank you! We’ve never been happier!

by Rachel Lopez

The Office Poll

How we’re preparing for the apocalypse (whenever it comes)

Said The Men In White Coats

13%

Praying that Scotty beams us up

7%

2%

Buying a lifesize replica of Ryan Gosling... in chocolate

by Shibani Bedi

1. From five-year-old Punnu to ten-year-old Dinky to 33-yearold Dinky’s mom, everyone insists that you be referred as aunty or uncle the moment they figure you are not in college. It’s worse if you are fat.

2. So you thought it was badass to drink 10 glasses of rum and Coke, still go to work or college without a wink of sleep in your prime? Not anymore. And when you slur after that fourth whiskey or throw up at the ninth, everybody in the room will judge you as too old. You’re

Ageing is a slow process. But time, between the ages of 24 to 30, practically stops when your besties, exes, and your entire Facebook friend list conspires to make you feel miserable. I’m on the wrong side of 25 and I will tell you why:

not invited to THAT party again.

3. You can’t eat what you want and still stay in shape as long as you exercise four days in a week. You have to exercise every day of the week, make peace with the flab and eat carrots (and take small ladylike bites, even if you’re a boy) for the rest of your life.

4. Nothing lasts forever.

Unless you are willing to give in to an open re-

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

DESIGN: Ashutosh Sapru (National Editor, Design), Monica Gupta, Swati Chakrabarti, Payal Dighe Karkhanis, Rakesh Kumar

AUGUST 18, 2013

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lationship or an early wedding.

5. YOLO, FTW, Noob, IMBA, IDC, IDK sound familiar? No? Of course not.

6. Judging women honeymooning in Bali in hot pants, chooras and sindoor bhari maang? Your mother will soon ensure it is you.

Or your wife.

7. Single again? You’ll be introduced to loser after loser and every time you tell your friend, your mum, your brother that you don’t like the sound of that sweet boy

Drop us a line at:

brunchletters@ hindustantimes.com or to 18-20 Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi 110001

who is a software engineer or the girl who runs her mummy ka boutique, you will hear this: “Milne mein kya jaata hai?”

, THINKSTOCK Photos: SHUTTERSTOCK

WELCOME TO THE 27 CLUB

Cover design: MONICA GUPTA Exclusive shoot by: RAJ K RAJ Location: THE CIGAR LOUNGE, THE LODHI, DELHI

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Sorting out good under- Planning Testing zombie one extra- make-up, in case we wear to have to blend with escape with marital the enemy affair With bacon Finally every hitting day Filing on the girl in all old Reception stories

6%

■ Waiting till next month to afford Brett Martin’s Difficult Men ■ The herd effect on the Internet (STOP ‘liking’ everything I like!)

■ Not knowing the difference between: service charge, service tax and VAT ■ Bieber’s latest brawl ■ Twitter blocked Desmond Tutu’s account during spam cleaning. Eh?

8%

■

SHOVE IT

Hugging SRK Snowden infographics ■ Those baboons in that Dutch zoo on strike (all 112 of them are sulking, nobody knows why) ■ Every single Incredible India ad ■ The Mindy Project is here! Read Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)

■

23%

by Saudamini Jain

25%

On The Brunch Radar

LOVE IT

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FOR ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES, PLEASE CONTACT National — Sanchita Tyagi: sanchita.tyagi@hindustantimes.com North — Siddarth Chopra: siddarth.chopra@hindustantimes.com West — Karishma Makhija: karishma.makhija@hindustantimes.com South — Francisco Lobo: francisco.lobo@hindustantimes.com

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Shah Rukh, Deepika, Siddharth Roy Kapur and Brunch had some good filmi fun on a special Delhi evening.

Scenes from the hottest event in town

Brunch Night,

Chennai Express rolled into town

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HE BRUNCH Night With Chennai Express, held recently in Delhi, ended up as a roller coaster ride for the audience that had gathered at The Lodhi’s glitzy nightclub, Anidra.

Sponsored by Audi Delhi Central, the event saw an eclectic mix of celebrities, journalists, guests and authors. Everyone waited for King Khan to make an entry with co-star Deepika Padukone and engage in a conversation with Vir Sanghvi, adviser, HT Media. The instant SRK arrived, it was as if an electric charge ran through the room. Rajiv Makhni, Brunch columnist and managing editor, Technology, NDTV, our host for the evening, indulged in some witty banter with Shah Rukh Khan before Vir Sanghvi took over. Excerpts from the conversation: Vir Sanghvi: Shah Rukh Khan, even after 22 years in the industry, you still evoke the kind of hysteria you did at the beginning. How many stars can you say that about?

Shah Rukh: That’s because it’s Delhi.

Vir: No. This happens all over India.

Now, the obvious question, you are playing a 40-year-old in Chennai Express. Last time I spoke to you, you had said you were fed up of playing a teenager, and that you were tired of the expectations.

SRK: It’s more comfortable playing a character of the age and stage I am in. But I am an actor, so if I have to play a 65-year-old, I will do it, if I have to play a 25-year-old, with a little bit of VFX, I will do that too.

Vir: What’s going on with Salman Khan? The last time, when we met at the HT Leadership Summit, Katrina Kaif said maybe I would like them to be friends. You said, if it happens, it will be spontaneous, So have you guys sorted it out?

SRK: I had also said it would be between just the two of us. Love,

KING KHAN AND DEEPIKA PADUKONE let their hair down, and had a fantastic conversation with VIR SANGHVI

altercations, friendships, romance, are personal things. Deep inside, all actors are extremely mature about relationships. And we keep them personal. I already see Karan Arjun 5 release because of the hug Salman and I had. The hug was courteous, gracious and loving of both of us.

What’s happened between Salman and me, we will keep between us.

Whatever happens between the

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Khans stays with the Khans.

Vir: Deepika, when I first interviewed you, people said, ‘She’s very pretty, but she will just be another glamour girl.’ And now, you have shocked the socks off everyone by ending up being a good actress...

Deepika: I was definitely disappointed. There was this one person whose columns have one aim – to pull people down. That article critiqued three-

four of us, who had debuted that year.

I cut the column out, highlighted what she said and I would look at it every day. I used that as motivation to do better. I use negativity to work harder and improve whatever I can.

Vir: Even when Shah Rukh goes to the bathroom, he provokes a controversy. What’s it like living with this kind of scrutiny?

SRK: You get used to it. There are

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The Express Edition

...it was a night to remember!

Photos: JASJEET PLAHA, MANOJ VERMA, RAJ K RAJ

Deepika feels a lot of love for Shah Rukh and she gets upset when unkind things are spoken or written about him. SHAH RUKH KHAN WITH DEEPIKA PADUKONE

some days I want to kill these people, some days I am like, let it be and move on with whatever I am doing.

It’s a life I chose. I have to accept it.

Vir: Have you worked out the media roller coaster?

SRK: I have been trying to include media people in my list of fiction story writing now! I am not cynical, but one moves on after a controversy is created when I choose to be quiet.

Vir: You are always held up as a classic example of an outsider in an

industry that is now dominated by families. And you got to the top. You stayed at the top. But you are also an outsider in the Mumbai sense. You are from Delhi but you have conquered Mumbai.

SRK: I like to be a bit humble and say, I have conquered the hearts of people around the world and India.

The city doesn’t matter. Dilli ne mujhe janam diya, aur Mumbai ne pala. Also, I don’t want my children to get stardom as an heirloom. They

need to do their stuff. I will be proudest if they don’t become actors. I will be proud if they do. It’s their choice. I don’t want to start a family business of Khans. There are enough Khans in the industry, we don’t need another one.

Vir: The Spice Market in Istanbul is full of dodgy merchants who keep stopping people and saying, you want Turkish Viagra? When none of us were impressed, they said, ‘It will make you like Shah Rukh Khan.’ You are known across the world as a symbol of manhood?

SRK: My concept of manhood is different. The more gentle you are with women, in behaviour, treatment, physicality, the more macho you are. I am like that. I have no problems in letting a lady know, I will take care of her. But I will not take care of you by saying, roses are red, violets are blue, and I will smash anybody who looks at you. I will look after you, I will hold your hand, I will open the door and I will feed you. I was teaching my son how to behave with girls. My wife got very upset, thinking I was teaching him other stuff. I told him – the less you have to stand in a crowd with boys to tease one girl, the more manly you will be. Manly is the gentlest, kindest, sweetest you can be to ladies.

Vir: Deepika, you have known Shah Rukh from when you were starting out. Now you are one of the most admired actresses, has he changed?

Deepika: Not at all. He has become more beautiful. I am saying beautiful because he likes people to call him beautiful. His beauty, his charm, his innocence, his childlike behaviour is only growing.

Vir: How was it doing your first movie with him?

Deepika: He never made me feel I was a newcomer. He never made me feel like he knows everything. In fact, he always made me feel that I was there because I deserved to be in the film. He could have made me feel like

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he’s the biggest star.

Vir: Shah Rukh, at 40-something, people still speculate about your love life… You find that strange?

SRK: The kind of stuff I do and the love I share with people I work with can be misconstrued. Sometimes, it’s unfortunate that I lose out on people I am close with. Sometimes, I have enough good people who say, ‘It’s all right, let people say what they have to, we will still be around.’

Vir: I watch TV and see the crap you have to go through – Has he made a statement that’s communal? What’s happening with his family? Isn’t it annoying that every personal happy event becomes fodder for the media?

SRK: Sometimes, the things being said can be very hurtful, depressing and saddening. I go out in public and keep a happy face. It has to be done.

But at times, it’s unbearably sad. I go quieter and quieter. I get lonely and lonelier. I get sad and sadder. But this is the life I have chosen. When people talk of movie stars being in an ivory tower, I understand it now.

Vir: Your take on movie critics.

SRK: Everybody’s got to do what they have to do. I have to make a film from my head, my experience of the things that go into moviemaking. And it’s their job to talk about the movie based on their experiences, what they expect. It will always be dichotomous and on two different paths. I have got to believe in the film myself and hope I am able to convince the audience of the creative decision.

Vir: Deepika, the audience loves you.

How does it feel to be a big star?

Deepika: I am not a big star. Not in front of him. I feel awkward but thank you, it feels lovely. It keeps me going. brunchletters@hindustantimes.com

MORE ON THE WEB

For the full conversation, log on to hindustantimes.com/brunch. You can also watch the video on youtube.com/HindustanTimes Brunch

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The Other SRK Packs A Punch

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S THE invitees and celebrity guests waited for Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone to arrive, Vir Sanghvi got into a conversation with the charming CEO of UTV Disney, Siddharth Roy Kapur (the other SRK) and, incidentally, actress Vidya Balan’s husband.

Excerpts from the conversation: Siddharth Roy Kapur: I remember a time in the ’90s when all they would play in discos was pop music.

Today, as soon as you play that music, people say, please put Bollywood music. The snob value of not associating with Hindi films has gone down significantly.

Vir: What’s brought about the change?

Siddharth Kapur: Today, watching a movie is a family experience.

Bollywood has integrated into the mainstream more than it used to.

Earlier, there were only film magazines. Today, even the main sections of newspapers carry Bollywood news on the front page.

Vir Sanghvi: I was in Turkey recently, and even in a place like the Spice Market in Istanbul, everyone was going crazy about Shah Rukh.

That’s the power of Bollywood.

Siddharth Kapur: True. Also, Shah Rukh gets mobbed across the world.

Vir: Why does the actress not get enough prominence in Indian cinema?

Siddharth Kapur: If you look at it in a cold cut manner, as far as pure economics are concerned, it’s happening now, but till the point a Salman Khan can draw a 30-crore plus opening on day one, till that happens with a woman-centric film, there’s going to be unbalanced economics.

Vir: All of us, actually the whole of India would like to know, what’s it like being married to Vidya Balan?

Has life changed? Is it difficult being so successful and being married to a woman, who most people think is beautiful, cerebral and successful and so amazing?

Siddharth Kapur: There’s more scrutiny now (smiles). It’s something one learns to live with.

Vir: Was it a factor that if you’d marry an actress, your life would change?

Siddharth Kapur: Not really. When you are in love, you are in love...

By now, the audience is enjoying the conversation (and their cocktails!). So Vir Sanghvi opens the floor to questions…

Audience member: We are still figuring how to say this, but we are so jealous that you are married to Vidya…

Roy Kapur: [Laughs] You can come and box me when I come down from the stage!

Audience member: Which of your 100-crore movies are you proud of?

Roy Kapur: All. But the easiest choice would be Barfi! because it is beautiful, cerebral and cinematic!

But I am really proud of Rowdy Rathore as well. It’s a film that entertained audiences.

Audience member: You made many movies that made money on the opening weekend, but which movies will last the test of time?

Roy Kapur: There have been many – Jodhaa Akbar, Dev.D, Udaan, Rang De Basanti, Raajneeti, No One Killed Jessica, Aamir.

Audience member: Are we seeing the rise of a new Roy Kapur family dynasty [his brothers, Aditya Roy Kapur and Kunal Roy Kapur are both actors]?

Roy Kapur: We came into the business on our own. We’re not looking at building a family thing.

But if it happens, I will be proud.

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And Delhi

GETTING TOGETHER

“Shah Rukh is an old friend and so is Brunch. It’s fantastic meeting both together!” Shivani Vazir Pasrich with husband Amir

WRITER’S BLOC

“All I do nowadays is sit in my balcony with a cup of tea and write the sequel to my book, Those Pricey Thakur Girls.

The Brunch Night was a welcome break.” Author Anuja Chauhan STYLE WALK

ALL ABOARD THE FILMI EXPRESS

Shah Rukh, Deepika and Siddharth Roy Kapur rocked the evening and got everyone including our hosts Vir Sanghvi and Rajiv Makhni dancing to the count of One, Two, Three, Four...

Fashion experts Sujata Assomull and Harmeet Bajaj (centre) made a statement with luxury guru Jaideep Sippy

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hi joined the party!

LADY IN PINK

Kalyani Saha, the face of Christian Dior in India, came despite an injured ankle.

We were very touched!

PLOT MEIN TWIST

“I didn’t know Brunch had such cool parties,” writer Ira Trivedi told us when she walked in. Now you know, Ira!

Photos: JASJEET PLAHA, MANOJ VERMA, RAJ K RAJ

BEST NIGHT, EVER

One of Brunch’s favourite designers, Rina Dhaka rushed home to help her son with homework, but not before catching up with former model Ruchi Malhotra

NOT SO SERIOUS NOW

Designers David Abraham, Rakesh Thakore and Kevin Nigli enjoyed Vir Sanghvi’s conversation with Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone

PAGE TURNERS

Rajan Bhalla, Business Head Magazines, HT Media Ltd., catches up with the host of the evening and Brunch columnist Rajiv Makhni

TWO MINDS MEET

Rajiv Verma, CEO, HT Media Ltd. extends a very warm welcome to the badshaah, Shah Rukh Khan SHARING NOTES

VERY BUBBLY

The groovy musician brothers Amaan and Ayaan Ali Khan got a chance to chat with each other! “At home, we don’t even meet,” said Ayaan.

With Brunch Editor Poonam Saxena

Socialite Thenny (VP with a BPO) let her hair down and enjoyed the cocktails along with The Claridges’ Oliver Martin

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MORE ON THE WEB

For more pictures of the event, log on to hindustantimes. com/brunch

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Celebration, HOT WHEELS

These handsome devils at the entrance, Audi Q7 4.2 TDI (left) and Audi Q5 2.0 TDI Quattro (right), were definitely a stylish sign of things to come

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON

IT’S GOT THE LOOK

Our guests stopped, stared and drooled at this sleek model of Audi R8

Rashy Todd, Managing Director, Audi Delhi Central (left) with Mikey Todd, Director, Sales & Marketing, Audi Delhi Central

THE ETERNAL MAGIC OF THE FOUR RINGS

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THE LIGHT’S ON YOU

Rashy Todd, Managing Director, Audi Delhi Central with Rajan Bhalla, Business Head, Magazines, HT Media Ltd

HE PRINCIPAL sponsors of the very successful HT Brunch Night with Chennai Express, Mr Rashy Todd and Mr Mikey Todd have made setting new benchmarks and breaking new ground in the luxury car segment a habit – first with Audi Gurgaon and now, with the soon-tolaunch Audi Delhi Central.

Spread over 13,684 sqft in Gurgaon, one of India’s hottest business destinations, Audi Gurgaon commands a status that’s no less iconic than the car itself. As the oldest and the first Audi Dealership in the country, Audi Gurgaon ushered in the magic of the four rings to India for the first time, whetting the appetite of those looking to elevate their luxury experience both on and off the road.

That isn’t all. By engineering a whole new in-store Audi experience, it has established new benchmarks and recreated a whole new experience for

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Audi fans to get to know the iconic German brand. Also, by taking personalised service and maintenance to unprecedented new highs, it has made owning, and running an Audi, what it should be – a delight.

As it surpassed buyer expectations, Audi Gurgaon also won the respect of its peers and the industry. The appreciation came in the form of seven prestigious industry awards and being nominated the No. 1 Audi Dealership in India. And if you need further proof of Audi Gurgaon’s popularity, just have a look at the impact they’ve created on social media networks. Audi Gurgaon has the largest number of fans on Facebook amongst all car dealerships in the world! The message for car connoisseurs is clear, “Stay tuned for more of Vorsprung durch Technik. Stay tuned for more, of Audi Gurgaon.”

Now, with the launch of Audi Delhi Central on August 19, their new show-

room, connoisseurs can look forward to an extension of the same luxury experience. Audi has arrived in the heart of Delhi and given the city its newest automotive landmark. Audi Delhi Central is the largest luxury car showroom in central Delhi with a display of six cars.

To begin with, the latest and largest luxury showroom in central Delhi, every facet of Audi Delhi Central is designed to help car connoisseurs enjoy the entire Audi experience.

Secondly, as a next-gen showroom, it’s the only one of its kind in the country to have a bistro concept. Finally, with the fleet of executives trained to make their consumers feel special at every stage of the buying experience, Audi Delhi Central is all set to establish another benchmark in service excellence.

Fasten your seat-belts!

Audi Delhi Central will be launching tomorrow, Aug 19.

full-speed ahead!

MATCH POINT

Mikey Todd of Audi Delhi Central rubs shoulders with nation’s favourite superstar, Shah Rukh Khan

PICTURES MADE PERFECT

Mikey Todd, Director, Sales & Marketing (left), Audi Delhi Central poses with Deepika Padukone, Shah Rukh Khan and Rashy Todd, Managing Director, Audi Delhi Central (right)

THAT’S WHAT YOU CALL A GALA

THE TRAIN THAT BROKE RECORDS

Rashy Todd of Audi Delhi Central cuts the cake with Shah Rukh, Deepika and Siddharth Roy Kapur, CEO, UTV Disney

Sarod maestros Ayaan Ali Khan and Amaan Ali Khan partying with Mikey Todd of Audi Delhi Central

ONE FOR THE CAMERAS

Rashy Todd of Audi Delhi Central (left) and wife Bindy Todd (centre) party with friends Chris White, Deven Saxena and Deepika Saxena

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hindustantimes.com/brunch

CHINA VS CHINA; THE NEW MOBILE WAR

PART TWO China-made cellphones are coming.

And they’re changing all the rules

SOME FRILLS

Expect amusing China-made phones like these

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HE MAN wearing his trademark black shirt and jeans bounds up on stage to a customary standing ovation that borders on hero worship. The audience is spellbound as he starts talking and there is singing, dancing and fevered fan worship all around. Very aware of the frenzy he’s created, the man takes the pitch to an all-new level by announcing that his company’s brand new phone has sold out in 90 seconds flat and now has a waiting list of 7.45 million bookings! He’s got his audience completely mesmerised and almost under a hypnotic trance as he starts to reel off unbelievable sales numbers as well as giving out teasing little details about the next phone ready for release.

You would think that I may be recounting some old story about Steve Jobs, but you would be wrong. The man’s name is Lei Jun, the company’s name is Xiaomi, the phone model that got sold out in 90 seconds is called Hongmi. And if you haven’t heard of any of this before, then don’t worry, you will very soon! All of this is happening in China, the world’s largest maker and consumer of mobile phones, including smartphones (it just uprooted SHOW IT TO ME USA from that mantle).

Would you want a phone with a 3D AN UNBELIEVABLE STORY projector like they The Xiaomi story is unique, one that is almost had in Star Wars?

Rajiv Makhni

techilicious

impossible to replicate anywhere else. The company introduced its first Smartphone just two years ago. It only sells online. It has zero retail presence. It has a waiting list of about two to three months on every single mobile phone it sells. It artificially controls its supply to make sure that the hype and demand are always way above.

It outsells Apple and is about to outsell Samsung in smartphone sales in China and it’s going to sell about 20 million smartphones by the time this year draws to a close. And this company, with its unique strategy, is ready to spread its wings and hit international markets including India.

MAN ON CALL

Lei Jun is China’s answer to Steve Jobs

MORE ON THE WEB

For previous columns

by Rajiv Makhni, log on to hindustantimes.com/ brunch. Follow Rajiv on Twitter at twitter.com/ RajivMakhni

PRICE WAR The first will be a true price war that has never been seen before. Most Chinese brands have a huge economy-of-scale advantage as they manufacture a single phone for multiple countries including China. To NATIONAL TREASURE spin off an additional Most Chinese factories are able to 1,00,000 phones for India produce the same phone for different at prices that are unheard countries of is the story that will start panning out very soon. Expect some amazing phones at prices that are truly jaw-dropping as effect one. Great for all of us, especially for economy smartphone buyers.

A MEDIA BLITZ Chinese brands do have to counter a few disadvantages when they enter the Indian market. Consumers in India still look down upon ‘China-made’ and these brands have distinctively Chinese names.

And typical of how Chinese companies operate in a cocoon of their own, these aren’t brands that anybody in India has heard of. Also problematic is the popular perception that these Chinese brands make phones that are built for spying for the Chinese Army. Expect a media blitz all over radio, TV, magazines and newspapers with all kinds of tongue-twister oriental names blazing on top as effect two.

Wonderful news for media and TV companies, plus your vocabulary is going to get some lessons in languages across the border.

AWESOME AND AMUSING More importantly, these Chinese brands are going to enter a market already saturated by giants that have fantastic consumer loyalty. To combat brand loyalty, you’re going to see some fantastic new features that these Chinese brands will introduce into the Indian market. Some are going to be great (Automatic OS updates over the air that give you new features every week) and some are going to be very gimmicky (phones with 3D projection, phones with snap-off cameras, phones with add-on speakers). The market is going to explode with differentiators in each phone released and this will be effect number three. Differentiators that break the monotony of ‘every phone seems the same’ are a welcome relief – and some are going to be extremely amusing. You may not buy one – but you’re going to get a good laugh out of it.

STRANGE BEDFELLOWS One more battle the China Invasion is going to have to counter is that most brands already present in India already have a great dealer network, excellent retail presence and a good network of service centres across the country. To counter this you’re going to hear about some truly strange partnerships. Some of these brands will come into our country as a joint brand which may well be with the same company that they were supplying to earlier. That would be effect number four. While confusing in the beginning, two mixedup name brands in mobile phones (MicromaXiaomi? KarbOppo?) is something you’ll have to live with!

INDIA IS HOT, AND WE DON’T MEAN THE WEATHER Two weeks ago, I wrote about how Chinese frontline mobile phone manufacturers have sprouted new ambitions to enter the Indian market under their own name. Almost every one of them was the original equipment manufacturer for an Indian brand but now doesn’t want to be just another unknown backstage supplier. About a dozen Chinese brands are all set to invade our shores and takeover what is now considered to be the next NOT RIGHT NOW goldmine in smartphones. India is hot, India has the The new Xiaomi phone numbers and India is about to feel the Dragons breath! has a two-month-long These Chinese companies will now be going up waiting list against the very brands that they were supplying phones to just a few months ago. This almost oxymoronic situation will also trigger an incredible effect in the Indian market.

FLIPPING THE QUESTION Last week I asked you if you were ready to buy a phone ignoring specs and based on user experience. Today, I’m flipping it and asking a different question. Are you willing to buy a phone from a brand you’ve never heard of before? Especially if it’s got a waiting list of 7.45 million other people?

Rajiv Makhni is managing editor, Technology, NDTV and the anchor of Gadget Guru, Cell Guru and Newsnet 3

AUGUST 18, 2013

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THE TASTE OF MUMBAI

The food of Mumbai is its own. But you can always trace the regional origins of each dish, even though it has now become part of the city’s cuisine

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HE FUNNY thing about writing about the cuisine of Mumbai is that, in the minds of most people, the city’s greatest dishes are its street food specialities: pav bhaji, the Bombay sandwich and of course, bhel puri.

And yet, everyone who lives in Mumbai will tell you that his or her favourites go beyond the food of the streets (which, in any case, is not such a sensible option during the monsoons) and include restaurant dishes. The problem with that is that many of these dishes belong to other cuisines: great Gujarati farsaan,

Vir Sanghvi

rude food

DISHING OUT BOOKS

Vikas Khanna, the chef of New York’s Michelinstarred Junoon restaurant has emerged as one of our most prolific authors of cookbooks

Photo: AJAY AGGARWAL

MORE ON THE WEB

For more columns by Vir Sanghvi, log on to hindustantimes. com/brunch

a tangy mutton biryani or a spicy prawn curry, for instance. But all of us who grew up in Bombay/Mumbai regard these dishes as our very own, arguing that even if they are part of say, Hyderabadi or Lucknowi or Malayali cuisine, they’ve become Bombaywallas or Mumbaikars by adoption.

In that sense, the food of Mumbai is like the citizens of India’s greatest metropolis. I’ve always thought of Mumbai as a melting pot that has yet to reach boiling point. Once the food in a pot begins to boil and overcook, it turns into a mush where the ingredients lose their distinct identity and become part of the mushy whole. But Mumbai’s melting pot has yet to reach that point. It contains a perfect curry in which you can taste the flavour of each ingredient.

So the food of Mumbai is its own. But you can always trace the regional origins of each dish even though it has now become part of the city’s cuisine, and we claim it as our own.

Vikas Khanna, the chef of New York’s Michelin-starred Junoon restaurant and the host of Indian Masterchef has suddenly emerged as one of our most prolific authors of cookbooks. His latest is called Savour Mumbai. Chauvinist that I can sometimes be, my first reaction when I saw the book was: what does Vikas know about Mumbai? He is from Amritsar, studied in Manipal and found fame in New York. His connection with Mumbai is restricted to a brief spell as a trainee (two months) at the old Sea Rock and then, a year or so in the kitchens of The Leela.

AUGUST 18, 2013

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But Vikas has anticipated such criticisms. His book does not contain his own recipes. Instead, he has gone to some of the city’s best-known restaurants and collected their recipes. He has also gone to the most famous street food stalls and persuaded them to part with their secrets. So this book is unique. I don’t think anyone has ever collected so many classic Mumbai restaurant recipes and presented them as beautifully as Vikas has done in this new cookbook.

Of course, every Mumbai chauvinist has his or her own prejudices. So many of us will quibble with his choice of restaurants. Why Goa Portuguesa for instance and why not one of the little Goan Catholic places that serve a much earthier sorpotel and a tastier vindaloo? Why Kebabs & Kurries? What is so unique to Mumbai about that restaurant’s murg gilafi seekh? If you are going to use one of the recipes from the ITC Grand Central’s kitchens then why not the Bohri biryani? (So good that I have it packed and carry it all over India). And you could argue that the food of the Gujarati Muslim communities (the Bohras, the Khojas, the Memons etc.), which is what gives the city’s non-vegetarian food its unique character, is under-represented in the book.

Moreover, why is there no Gajalee, the best restaurant in Mumbai for Malvani food? The original recipe for the fried bombil that you now find everywhere was perfected by Gajalee’s cooks. I love the food at Oh! Calcutta but I’m not sure that the cuisine of a national chain of Bengali restaurants belongs in a book about Mumbai’s cuisine. I have another quibble: one of India’s most famous dishes, Chicken Manchurian, was invented in Mumbai in the Seventies and should have been part of the book. You could argue that it has been excluded because it is a Chinese dish. But as anybody who has tried it will tell you, there’s nothing Chinese about it. (One of the people credited with inventing it, Nelson Wang, has joked “if Chairman Mao had eaten it, he would have shot me!”)

But these are merely my personal prejudices so you should not pay too much attention to them. And there are dishes in the book that entirely capture the flavour of Bombay/Mumbai. I’m impressed that, as a Punjabi raised in Amritsar, Vikas has gone beyond the fat and stodgy samosas of his childhood to discover the secrets of Bombay’s delicate patti samosas. My parents used to eat them at the old MG Café on Queens Road when they were courting and, for decades, those samosas were also the most popular snack at the old Bombellis in Churchgate. As Vikas says,

Photo: SHUTTERSTOCK

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twitter.com/HTBrunch

COASTAL PRAWN CURRY (Serves 4)

OF ROLLS AND FISH FRY

The original recipe for the fried bombil (above) that you now find everywhere was perfected by Gajalee’s cooks; Frankie was Bombay’s answer to Calcutta’s Nizam’s Roll. The original was served at street stalls that called it Tibbs Frankie (left) you can buy the casing (the patti) ready-made now, but few restaurants bother to do so. Instead you get humongous Punjabi samosas at most places and the patti samosas (which I am guessing have a Gujarati Muslim origin) are only available at a few old-style restaurants (Vikas’s recipe is from Good Luck) and some clubs. But if you’ve eaten a crisp patti samosa you will never really enjoy a Punjabi samosa again.

There is also a recipe for the Frankie, Bombay’s answer to Calcutta’s Nizam’s Roll. When I first ate a Frankie in my teenage years, nobody in Bombay had heard of Nizam’s or even of a kathi kabab roll. We thought the Frankie was a Bombay creation inspired by the Middle East – which it probably is – and I am guessing that Frankie was a brand name. The original was served at street stalls that called it Tibbs Frankie after the man who invented it (Amarjit Singh Tibb). Vikas’s recipe is not the Tibb’s original but is from Wraps and Rolls and he claims it is outstanding. But I’m still nostalgic for the real thing and the old posters outside the stalls which had a photo of a cheerful woman declaring: “I love Frankie and so will you!”

One of the most startling gastronomic phenomena in Mumbai over the last two decades has been the rise of the so-called coastal sea-food places. Gajalee is still the best and many of these restaurants are owned by Bunt families from Mangalore who started out running vegetarian idlidosa places before discovering, to their surprise, that the citizens of Mumbai would pay huge prices for fresh seafood. I remember Mahesh Lunch Home in the Fort area from the late Seventies. It was then an unpretentious and reasonably-priced place with delicious food. Now it is a huge restaurant empire

with many branches and the food has been suitably Mumbaified.

Vikas includes the recipe for their delicious Crab Butter-Garlic, a dish that is as authentically Mangalorean as Chicken Manchurian is Chinese. I guess that makes it a great Mumbai invention.

Vikas’s recipes include all the great Mumbai street food staples.

His bhel puri recipe comes from Vithal (in the Fort area) which claims to have invented the dish. For his pav bhaji, however, he has moved away from the street vendors around the stock market and the cotton area who first popularised it and chosen a recipe from Mumbai’s most famous pav bhaji place, Sardar at Tardeo. Vikas says that the Sardar version has less butter (only four tablespoons!

Ha!) which may be true of the recipe they gave him but does not accord with my memories of the butter-soaked pav-bhaji they actually serve.

But the book’s real triumph lies in unearthing a good recipe for the iconic Bombay sandwich. It is very hard to explain to out-oftowners why people in Mumbai crowd around roadside stalls to eat what is, basically, a potato-tomato-cucumber sandwich.

But the Bombay sandwich is a dish of genius.

A few years ago, Camellia Panjabi was invited to speak at a top foodie symposium in the West and she devoted her entire presentation to the Bombay sandwich, while the world’s culinary legends listened spellbound. Western sandwich chefs simply do not understand the secrets of masala and texture in the way Mumbai’s roadside vendors do.

I’ve included a few of Vikas’s recipes here, including the one for the Bombay sandwich. They are terrific. But to eat the real thing, you must go to the source.

The book’s real triumph lies in unearthing a good recipe for the iconic Bombay sandwich

BOMBAY SANDWICH (Makes 4)

INGREDIENTS ■ Green chutney ■ 1 cup fresh coriander, roughly chopped ■ ¼ cup fresh spinach, roughly chopped ■ 1 ½ slices white bread ■ 1 tablespoon butter

6-7 green chillies Salt ■ ½ teaspoon lime juice METHOD ■ For the green chutney, combine all the ingredients (the bread bulks up the chutney) and grind to a fine smooth paste. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

■ For the sandwich masala, combine all the ingredients in a blender and grind to a very fine powder. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. (This can be stored in an airtight contain.)

INGREDIENTS Sandwich Masala ■ 3 tablespoons cumin seeds, lightly roasted ■ ½ teaspoon clove powder ■ ½ inch stick cinnamon ■ 2 teaspoons black peppercorns

2 teaspoons fennel seeds (saunf) 2 teaspoons black salt ■ 2 teaspoons dried mango powder (amchur) Sandwiches ■ 8 slices white or brown bread, crusts trimmed ■ 8 teaspoons butter ■ Green chutney (recipe above) ■ 2 cucumbers, finely sliced ■ 3 teaspoons sandwich masala (recipe above) ■ 1 onion, sliced into fine rings ■ 3 potatoes, boiled and finely sliced ■ 1 small beetroot, boiled and finely sliced ■ 3 small tomatoes, finely sliced METHOD ■ To assemble the sandwiches, lay the

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INGREDIENTS ■ 2 large onions, roughly chopped ■ 3 tomatoes, roughly chopped ■ 2 green chillies, roughly chopped ■ 3 tablespoons oil ■ 1 sprig curry leaves ■ 1 tablespoon ginger paste ■ 2 tablespoons garlic paste ■ ½ teaspoon garam masala powder ■ 2 teaspoons coriander powder ■ 1 teaspoon cumin powder ■ 2 cups coconut milk ■ 1 kg large prawns, peeled and deveined ■ Salt ■ 3 tablespoons cream METHOD ■ Combine the onions, tomatoes and green chillies in a blender and blend to a fine paste.

■ Heat oil in a pan; add the curry leaves and when they begin to crackle, add the ground paste and sauté for a minute.

■ Add ginger paste, garlic paste and powdered spices and fry till the oil floats on the surface.

■ Stir in the coconut milk and bring the curry to a boil, stirring continuously.

■ Add prawns and salt and cook till prawns are tender.

Remove from heat, stir in cream and serve hot with steamed rice.

bread slices flat on a chopping board and apply some butter and green chutney on each.

■ Arrange a few cucumber slices on 4 bread slices and sprinkle over with some sandwich masala. Arrange some onion rings and potato slices over this and sprinkle over with some more masala.

Arrange some beetroot slices and tomato slices over this and finally sprinkle over with some more masala. Place the remaining bread slices butter side down on the vegetable topped slices, cut in half and serve with tomato ketchup and green chutney.

Note: If you like the sandwiches toasted, spread both sides with butter and place in a toaster grill, or in a hand-held sandwich toaster, and toast till both sides are crisp and golden brown.

Recipes courtesy Savour Mumbai

by Vikas Khanna

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indulge

Cut And (Blow) Dry Why do women have such a complicated relationship with their hair?

I

T SAYS something about Beyonce’s superstar status that even so mundane a thing as getting a new – albeit drastic – haircut sparks off a worldwide debate. It began when the singer posted a picture on Instagram, premiering her new gamine crop. Gone were the flowing, teased-into-curls, golden tresses.

In their place was a punishingly short pixie haircut that perfectly set off her sculpted cheekbones and taut jawline.

With a certain predictability, the social media universe went into meltdown, with fans debating the merits and demerits of the new hairstyle on Twitter, Facebook and the many, many fan sites dedicated to the singer. Well, everything Beyonce does creates a media storm, so why should her hairstyle choices be any different?

Seema Goswami

spectator

CRAZY OR STYLE?

A few years ago Britney Spears shaved off all hair and emerged from the salon with a completely bald pate

But the flurry of ‘Beyonce chops off hair; what does it mean?’ stories just reminded me once again just how complicated the relationship between a woman and her hair is. Nothing a woman does to her hair is ever simple.

How can it be, when we are forever looking for meaning in it?

Is she tiring of her sex symbol status and wants to try out a more demure avatar? Is this a sign of her reconnecting with her masculine side? Or more mundanely, does this mean that short, gamine crops are now ‘in’ and long, flowing hair is just a little bit dated?

Well, I am guessing that for a while at least, the short crop will become the trendy choice.

I am old enough to remember just what a rage the ‘Rachel’ was (with Friends fans queuing SNIP AND SNAPPED!

Beyonce traded her flowing, golden tresses for a punishingly short pixie haircut that perfectly set off her sculpted cheekbones and taut jawline

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Write to her at seema_ht@ rediffmail.com

Hair is still a good way to gauge a woman’s mood. If it looks unkempt, she’s probably not feeling too happy up at hair salons with photographs of Jennifer Aniston to get the same layered bob; imagine their disappointment later when Aniston confessed that she had, in fact, hated the cut). And back home in India, we still call a style that involves a short ‘fringe’ or ‘bangs’ the Sadhana cut, after the ’60s actress who first popularised it.

So, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if chopping off all your hair and going really short became known as ‘doing a Beyonce’. Well, it would be way better than ‘doing a Britney’. Remember Spears’ slightly crazy phase a few years ago when she shaved off all her hair and emerged from the salon with a completely bald pate?

But even if you exclude spectacular breakdowns like Britney’s, hair is still a good way to gauge a woman’s mood. If it looks glossy and well-cared-for, then the odds are that she is at a good place.

If it looks limp, dirty or unkempt, then she is probably not feeling too happy (though that bad mood may just be down to the fact that she is having a bad hair day).

And then, there is the stereotyping that all of us are guilty of at one level or another. If she wears her hair in a demure bun, she must be a behenji.

That one with the purple highlights in her hair?

Keep her away from your sons! Short, cropped hair with not so much as a whiff of hair gel? Must be a lesbian. Long, impeccably blow-dried hair? Has to be a vain, self-obsessed, lady-who-lunches with way too much time on her hands. Oh yes, there is stereotype to go with every hairstyle.

Speaking for myself, I can chart the various phases of my life by the way my hair looked during that period. The pig-tails and braids mark the decorous schoolgirl; the long, swishy hair left open to tumble down the back are a reminder of college days and a new-found freedom; that very unfortunate perm is a reminder of my callow youth. The shorter, layered style celebrated the beginning of my professional life; the gamine crop that followed was me trying out a new persona; and the blunt bob that I sport to this day marks the moment when I truly became comfortable in my skin.

Yes, you wouldn’t think to look at it, but hair is often telling us the story of a woman’s life. The moment of teenage rebellion when she chops off the long hair her mother has spent years oiling and braiding; the drastic change in colour or style that marks the end of a long relationship; the decision to eschew hair dye and embrace the grey as a mark of the inevitable passage of years.

Ah yes, to dye or not to dye, that’s the nagging question that most of my contemporaries are dealing with right now.

And the only shades of grey in this debate lie in the roots of our hair; otherwise it is all very black and white. The no-dye lobby insists that this is the way to grow old, gracefully, with dignity, and with every white strand on display. The dye-hard brigade scoffs at this defeatist attitude and promises that it is not going down without a fight (and some lovely highlights for good measure). Good hair, they proclaim, is worth dyeing for.

As for me, I am not ready to go grey yet. Or abandon the safety net of my bob. Or even give up the extravagance of having my hair professionally blow-dried. Because, like most women of my acquaintance, my self-image is inextricably tied up with my hair.

Photo: GETTY IMAGES

AUGUST 18, 2013

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WELLNESS

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MIND BODY SOUL SHIKHA SHARMA

THE WEIGHT IS OVER

For any worries related to unplanned pregnancy:

PART I

Write to us at consumercare@piramal.com or call us at 1800-22-0502 (toll free) or sms ICAN to 56070 Website: www.i-canhelp.in Q1. Dear Doctor, I got married 3 months back and I use condoms every time we have sex. But I have suffered a condom tear on more than 6 occasions. Luckily, my wife did not conceive but we are constantly living under the pregnancy fear. Please suggest us better contraception methods.

There are multiple contraceptive options available these days ranging from condoms to intra-uterine devices to contraceptive pills. If you are uncomfortable with a condom, then your wife can start a course of birth control pills. These pills are safe and effective in avoiding pregnancy and with the newer pills, side effects are reduced considerably. Consult a gynaecologist and check for the best contraceptive pill suited for your wife and also discuss and opt for an intrauterine device. If you lubricate the condom well enough then chances of condom failure would reduce as friction between latex and skin causes the condom to tear. Also do check if the condom that you are using is too small in size for you, in which case, using a larger size of condom can solve your problem. Always remember to store condom correctly, as the latex can be damaged if stored in high temperatures or exposed to direct sunlight.

Don’t let your age be an excuse to pile on the kilos. In this two-part series, learn how to fight the bulge and get in shape, now

Y

process. However, it is not a magic ES, LOSING weight is tough. But pill and needs to be supplemented losing it after a certain age is with a nutritious diet plan. You can’t even tougher, especially for women. continue to hog and lose weight.

Women go through many hormonal changes and fat starts depositing in WATER deeper parts of the body. Water You must start your day with a glass retention also increases. of piping-hot lemon and ginger-inWith age, your fused water. Lemon rids the body metabolism slows down, due of toxic wastes and to which the rate of ginger improves your conversation of sugar to metabolism. fat increases. Fatigue, Also, drink a glass caused by the depletion of hot water before of nerve-soothing each meal to regulate vitamins and minerals, is your appetite. Hot another hindrance to water has a thermoweight loss. genic effect on the SECRET WEAPON Stress also makes stomach and instructs Hot water with lemon losing weight harder. the body to eat less. It and ginger cleanses The more you stress, also prevents excess and hones metabolism the faster your body will fat in your food from release fattening hormones to make being absorbed by the body. you feel better. So despite watching FIBRE every bite, you will put on weight.

Fibre is one of the most effective Is there a solution then? Yes. Afnatural remedies to fight the bulge. ter you reach 40, you have to adopt It controls the amount of food you this two-pronged strategy – control eat by acting as a bulking agent and your appetite through natural methmakes you feel full quickly. It slows ods and increase fat loss by upping down the release of carbohydrates the intake of herbs that help in baland prevents the conversion of ancing hormones, eliminating toxins carbs to fat. It also keeps the bowels from the body, controlling water levmoving the way they should. els and ridding the body of excess Eat non-soluble fibres like wheat water. These herbs also manage to bran, soluble fibres like oat bran and control your appetite. But more on fruit fibres like pectin. You can also that in part two of this column. eat special fibres like isabgol, which is a plant husk.

STEP ONE: Naturally curb your appetite with these foods.

NATURAL PROTEINS Proteins are natural appetite GARCINIA CAMBOGIA regulators. The more protein you eat, the less your body This Indonesian fruit, MUNCH TO STAY SLIM demands food. Proteins also known as Eat natural proteins gambooge, is popularly like boiled white chana like roasted black chana, boiled white used to suppress to lose weight chana, boiled lobia and appetite. It moong dal increase relieves satiety and reduce hunger pangs hunger pangs. and also boosts metabolism by ask@drshikha.com accelerating your Watch this space for body’s calorie-burning part two of this column

Q2. My husband and I normally do not use contraception but just avoid day 9 to 16 of my cycle. But one of my friends conceived by having sex on day 18th of her cycle. My husband and I also have sex on day 18 but I have never conceived. Does it mean that I am not able to get pregnant?

No two women are alike in terms of their menstrual cycle. Every woman has her own natural cycle and there can be variation in it from month to month as well. Hence, the natural method of contraception, in which the days of the menstrual cycle are counted to calculate the safe period, is not a foolproof method of

Photos: THINKSTOCK, SHUTTERSTOCK

contraception. It is easy to miscalculate the so called 'safe period' and expose yourself to the risk of an unplanned pregnancy. Your friend may have miscalculated her fertile period and this mistake has led to conception. If you are not planning for a baby now, it is better that you start using regular methods of contraception like condoms or consult a Gynaecologist and check for the best birth control pills or IUDs suitable to you that are much more reliable.

Q3. Dear Doctor, I am 19 years old and recently had a fling with my boyfriend for the first time. Although we both were wearing under clothes, I got very scared and took an emergency contraceptive pill within an hour even though we did not have sex as such. Now I am worried that this pill will harm me and affect my future pregnancy prospects. I am very tensed. What should I do now?

Firstly, you need to relax. As both of you had clothes on and there was no actual penetration, the chances of you getting pregnant were low and hence there was no need for you to take the emergency contraceptive pill. Do note that taking an emergency contraceptive pill, without having sex, or without being sure of having had sex, does not cause any problem to your future pregnancies. Emergency contraceptive pills contain a synthetic version of a natural hormone present in your body and are not known to have any lasting effects on the body. Hence, there is no need to worry about any adverse effect on future pregnancy.

You may experience the usual sideeffects of the pill such as nausea, stomach ache etc., these are however temporary. Do note that emergency contraceptive pills are to be used in emergency only. It is strongly recommended that you adopt a contraceptive such as condom in future to avoid any unwanted pregnancy.

Queries answered by Dr Nirmala Rao MBBS, MD, DPM; a well known psychiatrist who heads Mumbai based Aavishkar - a multifaceted team of expert doctors and health professionals. Aavishkar has a comprehensive approach to mental and physical health, with an emphasis on counselling and psychotherapy.

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AUGUST 18, 2013

Supported by:

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VA R I E T Y

A

My Baby’s My Better Half More and more single women today are opting to share their lives with children born through IVF

by Tavishi Paitandy Rastogi

T 38, Aartee Bakshi was doing well professionally.

Easily among the top performers in a private equity firm in Bangalore, she had just been promoted to partner in her company. So life was one big party. “Rubbing shoulders with the top flyers of the country’s businesses, Europe holidays, champagne flowing, great parties to attend and a great sex life. I had it all,” says Bakshi.

“The only thing I didn’t have was that perfect man.” Her parents, of course, tried to find her a Mr Right but for her, they were all Mr Wrongs. “I was happily unmarried till 38. Happy, but definitely lonely. Especially at gatherings that were not professional in nature because mostly people would arrive with their spouses,” she says.

“I would feel tongue-tied every time a colleague started discussing kids.

And unlike boardroom discussions, I had no inputs, whatsoever!”

WHO NEEDS MR RIGHT?

This nagging feeling of being left out was becoming a constant for Bakshi until a chance conversation with a colleague made her think about having a baby minus the man.

“Initially, it was mostly a joke. We were chatting about not finding Mr Right and the big question of having babies when my friend said, ‘who needs Mr Right to have a baby? There is IVF,’” she says. “Though we had a hearty laugh then, it got me thinking.” She knew that she was running against the clock. And she knew that she wanted to have a baby more than she wanted to get married. So Bakshi decided to have a baby alone, without a man in the picture. What followed were Google searches, visits to various doctors and research on IVF for single women.

“More and more families are accepting women becoming single moms”

OUT OF THE CLOSET

What came as a surprise to Bakshi was the fact that she wasn’t the only one on this quest.

With more and more single women wanting to become mothers, IVF among single women has increased substantially. “We used to get one request every couple of months. Now we get a request almost every week.

That, in a society like India, is a commendable increase,” says Dr Aniruddha Malpani, a Mumbai-based fertility expert. “With more and more families openly talking about it, these ideas are no longer in a closet.” Other experts say that most of these women have full support from their families and friends, making it easier for them to take the decision – to pursue their dream and enjoy motherhood when they wish to.

STAKE YOUR CLAIM

So why are so many single women opting for IVF? The reasons range from late marriage, professional ambition, to not finding the right partner or an unpreparedness to tie the knot. These urban Indian women are finding it convenient to embrace motherhood without the additional baggage of marriage. “It’s not that we don’t want to take the responsibility of motherhood. After all, bringing-up a child single-handedly is far more difficult,” says Deepti Sinha, a Mumbai-based journalist. “But why should women give up on their right or pleasure that is inherently theirs – motherhood – just because they haven’t met the person they can wed?” After a bitter divorce, Sinha washed her hands off the prospect of another marriage but decided to have a child through IVF two years later. “I had married late, at 35. I got divorced at 40. I didn’t want to get into another relationship any time soon, but I wanted my own child. In fact, I had always wanted to be a mother. So at 42, two years after my divorce, I decided to give myself that happiness,” she says.

FAQS ON IVF Is bed rest essential to get pregnant after IVF?

t A woman should no undergo excessive l physical or menta cestress after the pro t is dure. Strict bed res th wi ed iat oc ass t no cy increased pregnan rates.

Photos: GETTY; THINKSTOCK

AUGUST 18, 2013

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strict Do I need to be on a t an gn pre t ge to t die through IVF?

emphasis There is too much s and given to dietary do all over don’ts. People from m Africa, the world, right fro and Asia Mongolia, Europe t! They an gn pre g ttin ge are y pattar die d rie va all have to have nt rta po im terns. It is ious diet. a balanced, nutrit

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hindustantimes.com/brunch

It wasn’t the easiest thing to do.

Sinha was past her child-bearing age, even by IVF standards. She had to undergo three cycles of hormonal injections before she conceived. “Yes, it was painful. But all that pain was worth it,” says the beaming journalist, before rushing off to her chirpy threeyear-old daughter.

Sinha may have been successful but a lot of women aren’t as fortunate.

“Yes, age does affect the quality of a woman’s eggs,” says Dr Malpani.

Unfortunately, as women defer pregnancy for various reasons, the success rate of IVF treatment also goes down with increasing age. It takes many more cycles to get a positive result, if at all. “This, however, has not demotivated young urban women to pursue their dreams before settling down to motherhood. They

are now opting to freeze their eggs in advance.”

FREEZE FRAME

Ritika Sharma, a lecturer in a university in Delhi is one such woman who decided to freeze her eggs.

Married for five years, Sharma and her husband decided to opt for this because she didn’t want to have children before she finished her PhD. So at 35, Sharma had undergone close to three cycles with gaps of four to six months between each to procure eggs and now has nearly 45 eggs in the bank. “It’s like an investment. I’m 38 now and I will definitely take another two years before I can start thinking of having a baby.

With 45 eggs, I’m hoping to have enough to have two,” says Sharma.

“If not, I’m sure we’ll be blessed with one at least!” she smiles, crossing her fingers.

Dr Shweta Goswami, IVF expert at IVF – HOW Bourn Hall Clinic, Gurgaon says, IT HAPPENS “While it is a relatively new techA patient undergoing IVF nique compared to freezing the does not require sperm or the embryo, egg admission. However, freezing is suitable for women one should visit one’s who are worried that their fertility centre 3-5 fertility may decline before times during they are ready to start a monitoring cycle. family, or for those who On the day of egg are undergoing a medical collection, the treatment, such as patient needs to fast for 6 hours and chemotherapy, which then come to clinic may interfere with their (the procedure fertility.” The option of takes about half freezing their eggs offers an hour). them the chance to press Patients can go the pause button. home after the While the procedures effect of anaesthenow are relatively fusssia wears off, free, experts insist that it is which takes about 2-3 hours. important to undergo proper counselling and choose The next clinics after thorough referscheduled visit is 2-3 days later for ence checks. “Only then is it posthe embryo sible to have and enjoy your single transfer, which takes motherhood completely,” says Dr about half an hour and patients Malpani. are free to go home after resting for an hour.

tavishi.rastogi@hindustantimes.com

Answered by Dr Malpani

If I conceive through IVF, will my baby be normal?

Studies have shown that there is no increased risk of abnormality in IVF-conceived babies compared to those conceived naturally.

Is IVF very expensive?

No. One cycle costs about R1.5 lakh inclusive of all drugs. This is almost equal to the gall bladder surgery or caesarean section in most private hospitals.

What if IVF fails the first time?

How many times will I have to undergo the same procedure?

You can go through IVF as many times as you wish, but we advise up to five cycles at the most.

What are the precautions I should take after the procedure?

The procedure al demands no speci u precautions, but yo ushould avoid stren vise ous activity. We ad as be to nts tie pa calmentally and physi ble. ly relaxed as possi

AUGUST 18, 2013

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PERSONAL AGENDA

hindustantimes.com/brunch

Cricketer

BIRTHDAY SUN SIGN PLACE OF BIRTH

Jonty Rhodes If you weren’t a cricketer, you’d have been…

A teacher like my parents. And in a way, that is exactly what I’m doing as a coach.

One player against whom your fielding plans have mostly gone awry.

Sachin Tendulkar. His shots have such good angles that it becomes difficult to anticipate where he would go next.

How do you get your daily dose of adrenaline?

I watch a scary movie or go mountain biking to keep my adrenaline pumping.

If you were a Bollywood actor, who would you want as your leading lady?

5

July 27

Leo

Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

Scoring a century in my debut match. And funnily, according to the team sheet, I wasn’t supposed to play that day

LOW POINT OF HIGH POINT OF YOUR LIFE CURRENTLY DOING YOUR LIFE My first cricket match for Playing fielding coach for

Losing

Masala dosa, gulab jamun and kulfi

Hansie Cronje. Because the two of us grew up together Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting and Brian Lara for their batting styles Shane Warne. At times, he can make you look stupid!

AUGUST 18, 2013

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Durban

SCHOOL/COLLEGE FIRST BREAK

University of KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa. It changed my life Mumbai Indians and anchoring a show on NDTV Good Times

Since most leading ladies in Hansie Cronje Bollywood are much younger than I am, I My iPhone.

YOUR FAVOURITE The biggest risk guess no one.

INDIAN FOODS. The best thing you’ve held you’ve taken. in your hands.

I’d gone snowAs a father of two kids, boarding with an the answer is not explorer in difficult to guess.

Switzerland.

One thing you always did After a few hours, right before a match?

I lost control of I could never sit still. I the board near a would keep jumping small avalanche. and stretching. I could But somehow, I never sit and meditate survived. quietly. I used to soak in the One piece energy around me. of advice you A gadget you can’t live without. wish some-

cricketers you admire and why.

HOMETOWN

one had given you 10 years ago.

To not get into coaching (just kidding). I have no regrets.

Four things we’d find on your bedside table.

My phone, a charger, a book and a bottle of water.

Your first crush.

My school teacher. I was 14 at the time.

Your strategy in a crisis situation.

Smile your way through it.

The craziest rumour you have heard about yourself.

It has to be my link-up with Poonam Pandey. I feel like I could’ve helped her if she needed to practice stripping for the Indian team, but she was shy and ran away.

One thing that is definitely on your bucket list.

The one thing I really want to do is to ride a Royal Enfield to Ladakh.

— Interviewed by Pooja Biraia

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