Hindustantimes Brunch 19th February 2012 by Hindustan Times

WEEKLY MAGAZINE, FEBRUARY 19, 2012 Free with your copy of Hindustan Times

Anniversary Special

Tech It Easy!

The new long-distance relationship

Switch Gear

And ride out of that style rut

Gimme More!

Your lunchbox reloaded

THE CHANGE

MAKERS KARAN JOHAR

‘I’m finally me!’

The Bollywood Transformer RISHI KAPOOR

What drastic weight loss did for Kalli Purie

indulge

VIR SANGHVI

New York diary

His First Villain Act

RAJIV MAKHNI

The wire-free challenge

SANJOY NARAYAN Getting the blues

SEEMA GOSWAMI

There’s nothing like a trench

W AT C H O U T F O R

19.02.2012 Change Is Good!

That’s what we believe! It looks fresh, smells great and looks pretty darn good. With reason too: our spanking new design, brand new stories and a whole different format! That’s our eighth anniversary gift to you: The New We. We dare you not to like us! And watch out for many exciting new features...

inbox Hypocritical? Really?

WHILE I do fall within the age bracket of your youth survey (Is This A Confused Generation? 12 February), I think the survey is a reflection of the hypocrisy of society and not its youth. Most of them want to be different but are unwilling to face the criticism from society. And popular media reinforces these ideas. The reason pre-marital sex is no longer an issue is because we must appear open-minded and the reason 63.2 per cent young people still want a virgin spouse is because that is socially acceptable. — SAMANTHA DIAS, via email “HOMOSEXUALITY IS an acceptable sexual preference : agree or disagree?” I found this comment confusing and inaccurate in your survey as homosexuality is not a sexual ‘preference.’ I’d like to suggest an excellent read:The Sexual Spectrum: Exploring Human Diversity by Olive Skene Johnson on this subject. — MARINA ALBY, via email

Eye-Opener

VIR SANGHVI (Serves You Right, 5 February) has opened up a Pandora’s box for diners who can sense when that special element is missing in a restaurant but can’t place their finger on it. My standards of valuing a restaurant have greatly increased after reading this column. I am really grateful to Mr Sanghvi for writing this story. Thank you so much. — MINAL BHATIA, via email

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EDITORIAL Poonam Saxena (Editor), Kushalrani Gulab (Deputy Editor); Tavishi Paitandy Rastogi, Mignonne Dsouza, Veenu Singh, Parul Khanna Tewari, Yashica Dutt, Pranav Dixit, Amrah Ashraf, Saudamini Jain DESIGN Ashutosh Sapru, (National Editor Design), Swati Chakrabarti, Rakesh Kumar, Shashikant Darekar, Ashish Singh, Saket Misra

Write to

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

FEBRUARY 19, 2012

Cover Story

Mars and Venus

Rachita Arora The survey conducted is been amazing. I too agree with Advaita Kala. it’s our culture which confuses us. It’s high time we open up our minds and be “independent”. Mahfoozalam Saifi Thanks to Mr Vir Sanghvi for a very informative page on lamb and mutton! Cheers!

TWEET YOUR HEART OUT twitter.com/HTBrunch @KillerDrama_ Soha ali khan lookin Fab on the cover of HT Brunch. I feel the same way bout chocolates as Advaita @RoccoRockz I loved todays edition of Brunch! Keep rocking you guys!Will participate in the quiz next week for sure @samuelthomas95 Mr. Vir Sanghvi was nothing but spot on in his article... Whose Goat Is It Anyway. Gr8 article

BRUNCH ON THE WEB hindustantimes.com/brunch

There’s someone we’d like you to meet! He’d be perfect for you

We know you love our bloggers – Gursimran Khamba, Rajneesh Kapoor and The Fake Jhunjhunwala. But now, we’ve got some fresh blood for you. Award-winning writer/ filmmaker Gautam Chintamani will be writing a column on ‘something sensible in the senselessness of our cinema’. Don’t forget to read, Split-Screen, every Friday on the web!

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The Brunch Blogs

Want to hear from us? Well, we have lots to say! So, a Brunch staffer will blog for you every Sunday. Fashion, food, celebrities, it’s all there, straight from us This week, read Playful Platitudes by Parul Khanna Tewari. Ramblings about pets, dating and fashion

Too much technology can ruin your long distance relationship

Personal Agenda

Musician Anoushka Shankar does an exclusive tell-all

indulge

LIKE, COMMENT, SHARE facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch Amit Dharmawat What to say about Brunch, it’s the front page. “It has the emotion that makes the world go round”.

Two Bollywood celebs bent the rules of the game. One does this often, the other after years

12 RUDE FOOD New York is truly the foodie capital of the world 15

SPECTATOR The classic winter trench is quite the trend-setter TECHILICIOUS Trying to get rid of all equipment wires in my room

DOWNLOAD CENTRAL 17 A blues festival in Mumbai reveals the genre’s popularity Cover design: ASHUTOSH SAPRU Cover photo of Karan Johar: DABBOO RATNANI

IT’S HERE!

The HT Brunch Totally Twisted, UltraDifficult Weekly Twitter Quiz! Did the warm-up week get you completely hooked? If not, then you’ve certainly spent last week in twitter rehab. Follow us on @HTBrunch and participate in the most difficult twitter quiz ever! Every day at 2 pm, we’ll tweet a question and you have 15 minutes to send in your correct answer. At the end of the week, we choose one lucky winner who gets a gift voucher! The theme for this week is Bollywood! Get online, now!

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Photo: THINKSTOCK

What’s Your Big Plan?

TRIED & TESTED ■ Don’t change on a whim. Think it

out. “Blind rebellion and simply going against the flow for the heck of it can end in disaster,” cautions Amish, finance professional turned author. ■ More often than not, getting out of a rut is more about seizing opportunities and managing the changes that happen around you rather than changing yourself. ■ When you do decide to make a drastic change in your life, keep in mind that keeping it alive requires dedication and time. “You have to put some pain into it or you risk falling back to your old ways after an initial burst of enthusiasm,” says Nilanjan P Choudhury, corporate man turned NGO activist.

It’s simple: If you don’t get out of your comfort zone from time to time, you’ll find the world has left you behind by Pranav Dixit

TUCK IN a rut? Ask Microsoft. This year, the company will completely overhaul the Windows operating system to fend off Apple’s iPad and other Tablets and smartphones. Windows division President Steven Sinofsky calls it ‘the biggest change to Windows since Windows 95’. If a multi-million dollar titan can’t afford to not move with the times, what about you? If you don’t change, sooner or later, all growth, personal and professional, will halt. “Most of us are averse to change,” says Rachna K Singh, lifestyle expert at the Artemis Health Institute, Gurgaon. “You need to make a conscious effort to do it.”

Ride the flow

Change doesn’t have to be planned. It’s what you do with a chance to change that makes the difference. Author Amish Tripathi, whose book, The Immortals of Meluha, was an unexpected best-seller in 2010, didn’t go looking for change. “Change happened to me,” he says. “I was blessed with a story.” For Amish, an IIM Calcutta alumnus who worked in the financial service sector, the going was tough initially. “I wasn’t a creative guy,” he admits. “I was the quintessential banker – rational, cost-benefit driven and competitive.” But when the idea for Meluha came, it became an obsession. Amish feels the most important

thing he did was welcome the change. “I was at a pretty senior position in my company, the money was good, I had a family to support, etc. But I gave up control and just accepted the change,” he says. To date The Immortals of Meluha has sold more than 1,75,000 copies and the movie rights have been sold. But isn’t leaving your comfort zone risky? “Going with the flow is a misunderstood phrase,” says Amish. “You don’t simply float like a boat. You need to think things through.” Till his second book, The Secret Of The Nagas, came out, he didn’t quit his job. “I couldn’t tell my family to deal with things because I suddenly wanted to become a writer. That’s not going with the flow, that’s being irresponsible.”

Find your purpose

For others, change is a calculated move. Nilanjan P Choudhury, author of Bali and the Ocean of Milk, is a person who joined an NGO after ‘several years of peddling highly overrated software to gullible corporates’. “I joined the Azim Premji Foundation because I was sick of lining MNC pockets and doing little about the problems that confront us as a society,” he says. Personal growth is vital, says Choudhury. You need to rejuvenate periodically. “To me, any change in my life, big or small, gives me a pur-

pose. If you do it passionately, you put that much soul into it.”

Get with the rest

GET MOVING ■ Identify exactly what it is about your comfort zone that you need to change ■ Have a plan – yes, a proper, systematic plan – with goals, deadlines, the works ■ Get close friends and family in the loop. If your enthusiasm flags, they will push you and get you back on track ■ Don’t rush – change doesn’t happen overnight. Try steadily pushing the boundaries of your comfort levels and working towards an overall goal ■ Once you reach your goal, keep expanding your comfort zone. Set new challenges. Trust us, you’ll never be stuck in a rut again

“I subscribe to Guitar Player magazine that keeps me in touch with the guitar world. I also read Keyboard Player to stay updated on electronics and technology. Also, Twitter’s great to keep up with what’s new on the music scene” Composer EHSAAN NOORANI

As you’ll read when you turn the page, actor Rishi Kapoor just did his first negative role and left us gasping. Like him, if you keep pushing your boundaries, you’ll get there. The trick, says image guru Dilip Cherian, is to evolve exponentially, so each of your moves enhances the next. Cherian should know. He started as an economic consultant to the government. “But business and money interested me, so I became a business journalist. Finally, I decided I wanted to be a spin doctor, so I started a PR firm,” he says. A desire to do something more with your skills, abilities and time is born of two reasons: reaching a plateau in your professional or personal life or getting an opportunity to do something more interesting than what you are currently doing. The crucial thing to do is break out of your comfort zone. And that means trying everything new, including social media and the Net. “I have to make sure I am updated with new sounds and keep up with what’s happening in music,” says singer Neha Bhasin. When she kicked off her career with pop group Viva! in 2002, Bhasin was clueless about everything except singing. “But over the years, I have learnt even to make and mix my own music on my laptop and I am not a gadget person at all!” she exclaims. “Every few months, I see new, good people around. So I constantly feel the need to grow a little more, just to stay afloat.” pranav.dixit@hindustantimes.com

FEBRUARY 19, 2012

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The Transformers

karan johar

Photo: DABBOO RATNANI, Styling: SHIRAZ SIDDIQUE, Makeup: NILESH PARMAR

Bollywood’s Quick Change Artist

“I Like Attention, I Like To Perform” He’s a man of many avatars – all at the same time. Is there nothing the directordesigner-TV host-mentor will not be? by Poonam Saxena

ARAN JOHAR entered Bollywood as a director with Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (KKHH) in 1998. The film became a big hit and launched Karan the candyfloss filmmaker. In 2004, he became a TV host with Koffee With Karan on Star World, in which he chatted with his celebrity buddies as an eager nation tuned in. In 2009, he teamed up with fashion designer Varun Bahl and the two of them had their first couture showing in the HDIL Couture Week in Mumbai. Now he’s turned film producer and mentor with a vengeance: his banner Dharma Productions has launched at least nine new filmmakers. What next? And how does he do it? In his words..

Coffee, anyone? There is no logical explanation as to how or why I decided to do Koffee With Karan. It was a childhood dream to be in front of the camera asking questions. I’m an inquisitive person, a curious cat. I always thought of myself as sitting on a leather sofa chatting with friends with a tongue-in-cheek irreverence, intruding in their lives – within boundaries. I was surprised by the success of the show. I didn’t realise how voyeuristic our nation is. Everyone liked peeping into a living room conversation.

KOFFEE WITH KARAN

When I decided to do Koffee With Karan, I was making a hobby out of a fantasy. I was shocked at the global impact of the show. Everywhere I go, I’m asked about it. I get off a plane and get into a new city and somebody will spot me in a coffee shop and come up to me and ask, can I have coffee with Karan? It was funny the first time I heard it but now I’ve been hearing it for five years!

I was not nervous. I’d always done theatre, elocution, etc, in school. Performance is something I can do. Being a moderator at a conference, or talking in a TV studio – I’m comfortable with that. I like the attention to be on me. I’m a closet actor and I’m open to acting in a film. I’ve done three seasons of Koffee With Karan so far and it’s not

a problem keeping the show fresh. In every season, there’s a new controversy, a new lover, a new affair. Friends have become foes and foes have become friends. There are new bitching issues, jealousy and envy issues. Everyone, including me, is in a line for a therapist! Everyone knows they’re on a ride when they come for the show. Being on the show is cool. You know you’re going to be watched. They all come ready to be clever. That’s why even people who sound brain dead in most interviews sound so sparkling on my show. Also, the level of intimacy they

‘Even people who sound brain dead in interviews sparkle on my show’

Next change

acting

I’m open to acting offers. I want to win an award for an acting role. I never want any saturation in my work. I want to constantly feel a sense of achievement

have with me makes them relax. And I bring up only those things in the public domain. Journalists can’t ask the way I can ask if they’re having an affair. And if they say, ‘No, I’m not,’ I can get away with saying, ‘Shut up, you’re lying!’ And even their denial is fun. The trick is to pad them with compliments. They’re

“There is no reason why the same man should like the same books at eighteen and forty-eight.” – Ezra Pound, poet FEBRUARY 19, 2012

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all so puffed up that when the deflation comes, it’s not so bad. Also, there is a trust issue. They know I won’t project them in a bad light.

‘I am experimenting with myself as every actor should do’

Couture king

Mentoring too With Shakun Batra who has just made Ek Main Aur Ek Tu, we have now mentored nine young directors in Dharma Productions. Some came through destiny, some we sought out. Shakun, for example, is a close friend of Imran Khan. The two came to me with a ready script. All the others worked as assistants with Dharma. I want to launch all the people who worked with Dharma as full-fledged directors. I see my role of a mentor as part parenting and part monitoring. With the former, you take care of their fears and through the latter, you help them creatively. The role of a producer is to be a guide, supervisor and emotional support. You have to build up a film with good energy. Because I have no personal life, I have the bandwidth and time to do this. At Dharma, we are boutique in our way of operating. In that sense, we are not like some big studio. Our office is informal. poonamsaxena@hindustantimes.com

define a villain, Rishi Kapoor played the shudder-evoking Rauf Lala in a simple kurta pyjama, kohl-rimmed eyes, a scar and that deadly sneer.

THE BIG SWITCH

Photo: NATASHA HEMRAJANI

I’d done costumes for films like Veer-Zaara, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and many others. This was another childhood dream. When I was 16, I was more interested in films and fashion than anything else. As a child I was fat. When I was 100 kg I was excited by nice clothes that could never fit me! I read magazines like GQ and Vogue. I used to watch Fashion TV. I was the biggest fan of Anna Wintour. I choreographed fashion shows in college. (I also once did a six-month course in fruit and flower arrangement. Me and a Gujarati lady teamed up and won a competition. I was 20, she was 40. She went back to Ahmedabad and made a business of it! Our last arrangement was with oranges, strawberries, cherries and flowers.) So venturing into fashion was very natural. Varun Bahl and I struck a chord – our sensibility for men’s clothes was the same. We teamed up and had two couture openings which went off very well. Soon we’ll be opening up flagship stores in Delhi and Mumbai. I give this less time than Varun would like me to give, but what can I do?

rishi kapoor

It’s Never Too Late to Break the Mould

“I Want To Push My Boundaries” RAUF LALA

The ‘good guy’ turns villain with a vengeance by Amrah Ashraf

It took great persuasion by Karan Johar – and a screen test – to get Rishi Kapoor to accept the role of the villain Rauf Lala in Agneepath. “In my 45-year career, I have never given a look test. But I wasn’t convinced I could do the role, so I decided it was necessary. My makeup man, Karan Johar, Karan Malhotra and I created this look. Only after I saw it did I believe I could pull it off.”

ISHI KAPOOR’S phone has not stopped ringing. The reason for that is his outstanding performance in Dharma Productions’ Agneepath. “It’s humbling how many congratulatory messages I’ve been getting for my performance. I think the shock value of Rauf’s character has impacted the audience. The funny thing is that I haven’t even seen the film,” says Kapoor. He should! Where loud mannerisms and mean machines usually

Kapoor never wanted to play Rauf Lala. “I felt I wouldn’t be able to do the role justice. I did not want to let Karan Johar (producer) and Karan Malhotra (director) down. And I was scared of embarrassing myself,” he says. He shouldn’t have been. The scene where his character Rauf holds a girl by the scruff of her neck and peddles her to hungry flesh traders left the audience uncomfortable but awed. So evil was his character that the Censor Board clipped many of his scenes. “In one, I had to sell a girl by showing off her teeth,” he says. “That is how goats are sold. The Censor Board objected and rightly. It was too offensive to women.”

NEW IN EVERY ROLE

Even in this ‘tame version’, as 59year-old Kapoor calls it, he shocked his fans but they are not complaining. Because this is a side of Kapoor that’s never been seen before. For the first 25 years of his career, he was the king of romance. Still playing the romantic hero in his forties, he quit. Later, he returned as a character actor, and had a breakthrough performance in Do Dooni Chaar. “I am trying to push the boundaries with the roles I choose,” he says. The role of Rauf Lala was a huge boundary-push. It’s being talked of as one of the most convincing and hard-hitting performances of the year. “I am experimenting with myself, which every actor should do at some point,” he says. “With Agneepath I have reinvented myself as a character actor.” amrah.ashraf@hindustantimes.com

Next change

he’s gay

In Karan Johar’s Student of the Year, I’m playing a dean who is gay. I want to do something different in every film. Directors who cast me should remember that.

FEBRUARY 19, 2012

MARS & VENUS

Is your lover on speed dial?

So What’s Distance Got To Do With It? Apparently, everything. Using technology to bridge the gulf in a long-distance relationship may not lead to e-nirvana

I’ll call you all the time, babe. You won’t even realise that I ever moved away

by Yashica Dutt

ROP IN a risqué text to your beau. “Come on gchat,” it signs off. “I’m online on BBM and Whatsapp,” pops the reply. “Cool, but we NEED to Skype tonight. <wink>” You don’t need to be sitting in the same room, the same city, the same country or even the same continent to be having this conversation. And you certainly don’t need to hear about this

WHY SO SKYPE? If your LDR’s sole life support are texts, calls and occasional Skyping, then it might be headed for a yawn-induced coma. Snap out of your tech-fuelled ennui. Here’s how: VIDEO DIARY: Record yourself as if you were in front of your partner. Start with sharing a cup of coffee and make him / her tag along when you shop for groceries. This video packet is just the bundle of joy your relationship was waiting for. LOVE NOTES: Whip out the voice note recorder on your handset and etch your thoughts in data gold forever. DATE NIGHT: It’s easy, even though you might have to learn to navigate a laptop while stuffing food in your mouth. Watch a movie or a sitcom that you both love. Sofia Vergara looks hot in all continents! COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO: Be the P’s (let’s keep it convenient, shall we?) alarm clock. Wake him/her up with a call and an amorous message. They might not want to get out of bed, but they’d be up all right. PUT YOUR GAME FACE ON: We don’t need to tell you how to play online games, even when they’re banned at work but doing it with the P doubles the fun.

from us. The mental wait for a letter, gargantuan telephone bills (I actually know someone who had to sell his handset to pay the bill after a month of amorous conversations with a girlfriend) and the stolen schmoozes from a shady cyber café may well be keepsakes from the technical dark ages. Technology has safely deleted the ‘distance’ from long-distance relationships (LDR), allowing couples to eat, drink, live and even make virtual babies together. And they can continue to live in e-harmony, only a few gigabytes away from their happily ever after, right? Wrong. Because even as these tools of connectivity

lull you into believing otherwise, someone will have left the building.

THE ART OF OVERSHARING

And despite sharing everything, from the colour of your pillowcase to the flavour of your milkshake with each other, one will have to start a new life without the other. And no technology has reached wide enough to fill that gap, yet! Our inhouse tech guru, Rajiv Makhni calls it the burden of over-sharing. “When you

Dinner date on video chat

depend excessively on technology, refusing to acknowledge the actual distance between both partners, it eventually fails you. Earlier, there was more romance in the classic sense, in long-distance relationships. Now, there is a lot of pressure to share every little detail of your life. And when a partner, usually the one who has made the shift, is unable to keep up with the pace, the relationship bursts at the seams,” he says. While we don’t suggest hiding what you shouldn’t, every small detail shared could be unnec-

Dinner on video chat is so romantic. I can see you eat, like always

“Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.” – Marilyn Monroe, Hollywood actress FEBRUARY 19, 2012

Location: CAFE UNO, SHANGRI-LA’S EROS HOTEL Models: DEVIKA VATSA AND APOORV SINGH; GLITZ MODEL MANAGEMENT Makeup and hair: KIRTI THAKUR, CHANDNI SINGH HAIR AND MAKEUP

hindustantimes.com/brunch

Photos: RAJ K RAJ

INTIMACY METER

We’ll text 24*7 and you’ll always know where I go and who I meet

essary and even dangerous. “Text messages, calls and virtual images still provide just a momentary – and sometimes puzzling – window into a partner’s life. Stories abound of jealousy over comments posted on a boyfriend’s Facebook wall or photos showing him dancing with someone else. A late response or poor word choice in a text can leave girlfriends stewing for hours about the state of their romance and asking friends and therapists to decipher a message’s meaning,” writes Abigail Sullivan Moore, co-author of The iConnected Parent, for The New York Times.

Do you see what I’m drinking? That’s our favourite drink, remember?

LONG LIVE DISTANCE

You won’t be very smart if you think technology can overcome the distance in your LDR. The number of kilometres will remain the same, with or without electronic signals flying in the air. “Technology can just help in connecting people but it shouldn’t be used as a substitute for a real person or their love and affection. Your partner can watch you from a screen but can’t come and be by your side,” advises Dr Surbhi Soni, a specialist in psychotherapy at the Fortis Hospital, Delhi. And if an exciting sex life is the sole girdle

Dear Skype junkie/ whatsapp fiend/ rabid-text messager. You think you have the best ammunition to see you through years of LDR? See where you and your tool rank on our intimacy meter.

of technologicallypropelled LDRs, then that’s a bubble waiting for its premature burst. Hugo Schwyzer, a professor of gender studies and a popular American speaker on sex, relationships, and masculinity, writes in an article published in the widely-read women’s blog, Jezebel, “FaceTime and iChat aren’t a substitute for real sex, or for the wonderful awkward feeling, familiar to generations of college students, of trying to fall asleep next to a lover in a narrow twin bed. As Meghan (a 20-year-old student whom I spoke with for this article) put it, ‘Long distance relationships are too hard. 100 text messages days don’t add up to a single hug.’” Most long-distance relationships that survive do so only when the partners deal with their time apart instead of viewing their future through the prism of online connectivity. Shreya Kapur Gupta, who made a three-year-old LDR work in a Skype-less era, tells us that they never solely depended on technology. “Of course Rohan and I would message each other, but it was never in a continuous stream. We’d make extra effort to remind each other of our time spent together. We would often send small, thoughtful gifts like collages of the tissue-paper notes that we wrote to each other initially. It really went a long way in keeping our bond intact.”

DOVES AND PIGEONS: Even though they’re completely hack proof, there’s a very slim chance of your message ever reaching your lover. Unless you have a ninja pigeon like the folks at Rajshree in Maine Pyar Kiya. Brunch Rating: A twig out of ten TELEGRAMS AND TELEGRAPH: Not far from modern text messages, but the operator might have his eyes on your dirty business. (Unless, you’re into that sort of thing.) And even then, the gratification would be far from instant, with all the STOPs. Brunch Rating: Way.Stop.Below.Stop. Expectation.Stop. LOVE LETTERS: Having done a cover story on ADD, we are well aware of the attention span for the written word today. But if you have it in you, then dig out the papyrus and give the Indian Postal System a boost. Lord knows they need it and it will be infinitely romantic. Brunch Rating: Intimate, yes, if you trust that your letter makes it. TELEPHONES: It’s not about size, but what you do with it. Calling every half an hour could well veer into stalker territory. But if you limit your calls to certain times a day, especially when you most need your partner, you could be calling God. Don’t forget to practice your dirty talk and voice modulation though. Brunch Rating: Intimost TEXT MESSAGING/BBM/ CHAT/WHATSAPP: When all else fails, messaging succeeds. In the middle of a big fight or a mega-boring presentation, it’s real-time chat that can save your day and remind your lover of what lies on the other side of the subcontinent/ocean. Brunch Rating: A/S/L is the cornerstone for modern dating. How can we dare to question it? EMAILS: Your lover will be forced to read them, regardless of time, patience and romance. A strange differentiator from the love letter. Brunch Rating: It still ain’t a letter! SKYPE/VIDEO CALL/IFACE: No touching, only seeing. A bad lyric but the most pertinent description of the video calling facility, bringing estranged lovers closer since 2006. Brunch Rating: If it could get any better, you would be inside the Matrix.

yashica.dutt@hindustantimes.com

FEBRUARY 19, 2012

STYLE FILE ORIGINAL STYLE Western wear, Neutral shades Structured fit

REVAMPED NEW LOOK

“I DON’T WEAR COLOURS AND INDIAN WEAR”

Colour: A bright orange that she usually never wears

Photos: AJAY AGGARWAL

Silhouette: From fitted to flowy

BRUNCH EXCLUSIVE

Style: Contemporary turns Indian

Fashion designer RINA DHAKA, known for her feisty contemporary style, lets go of the comfort of body-hugging dresses and inconspicuous colours. REJIGGED: She can’t have enough of black fitted dresses, but Rina realised she was stuck in a style rut some months ago back when her wardrobe consisted entirely of greys, blacks, browns, denims and dresses. “It was my lazy and lax attitude that got me into this mess,” she says. Since Rina loves lehengas (they remind her of her very feminine grandma), we got her to wear one and here’s the result.

parul.khanna@hindustantimes.com

Do You Look E The Same Every Day? If your answer is a rueful yes, then quick! Change gear and ride out of that style rut. It’s so much easier than you think by Parul Khanna Tewari FEBRUARY 19, 2012

looked? Yes, you look great as usual, but… don’t you look the same every day? Same kind of tops in different shapes and colours, same kind of trousers and shoes and shirts? If you’re nodding yes, here’s our diagnosis. You’re stuck in a style rut. You’ve learned what suits you and are sticking to it, but you’re not giving other ways of dressing a chance. You might argue that a style rut is actually just your personal style. And you’ll be right – but only just. “Personal style can get restrictive,” says designer Rimzim Dadu. “It’s essential to experiment to see what else could work.” It’s essential not only so that your fashion sense evolves, but also to shake you out of what may be a defensive comfort zone. “A style rut can also be a phase in your life,” says stylist Amit Hansraj. “You are comfortable in certain styles based on your body shape and the current trend, or you’re dissatisfied with what you look like, or feel like your wardrobe doesn’t reflect you. You need to realise this is just a phase and get out of it.” If you agree it’s time to reinvent your style, here’s how to do it. First, see if you’re dressing in any particular pattern. Do all your clothes look alike? Next, identify the style you’re stuck in. Men, are you always in denims and tees? Women, have you never worn ethnic wear or are you sceptical of skirts? Once you’ve figured that out, get out there and look at the shops. Here’s a step-by-step guide to what to do next.

VERY NOW and then, someone comes up to you and says, ‘Oooh, I love the way you dress.’ Sometimes, that person may even be a perfect stranger, someone you’ve seen often in the office lift, but never exchanged a word with before. So that’s great. You have a fashion sense that always keeps you looking good. You’re stylish and trendy (you’re probably the first in the new skinny jeans), or you have an eclectic style of your own. That’s excellent. In a world filled with people without a chic cell in their bodies, you’re a star. Except… have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately? Really

All change!

LOOK AGAIN: Peer into your wardrobe and take out the clothes you’ve never worn or only worn once. Now think of how you can wear them. That dress that you bought for your friend’s party? Hmm. Why not team it with a blazer and tights and wear it to work? Look at your clothes in a new light. Lay them out on the bed and mix and match till you find combinations you like. This will stretch your wardrobe and break you out of the rut.

‘Personal style can get restrictive. You must experiment to see what else works’

SEE WHAT WORKS:

Start collecting pictures of celebrities, models and the like, and analyse them. Style is first about fashion, and only then about you and

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ORIGINAL STYLE

REVAMPED NEW LOOK

Structured wear Bright shades Sporty look

“I USUALLY WEAR FITTED CLOTHES IN BRIGHT SHADES, BUT I LIKE THIS NEW LOOK”

Colour: A monotone he usually avoids Photos: NATASHA HEMRAJANI

Style: His sporty look is now arty

Silhouette: Out with his usual structures, in with the flow

BRUNCH EXCLUSIVE

Fashion designer NARENDRA KUMAR tries a relaxed look instead of his usual structured and sporty one

REJIGGED: “It’s good to be evolved and designers should have a sense of zeitgeist,” says Narendra. Usually, he avoids monotones, dull shades and soft, flowy drapes. To break out of his style rut for Brunch, however, Narendra wore something mellow and more drapy. “These clothes give me a relaxed confidence,” he says about his new look. “The outfit looks cool too. I wanted to wear this at a wedding in Goa but forgot to pack it.”

the expression of your personality. Of course you want to look up to date, but style is never about following trends. Log on to these websites for inspiration – chictopia.com, jackandjil.blogspot.com, cupcakesandcashmere.com, lookbook.nu, ployvore.com, gastrochic.com, shanghai stylefile.com and stylesight.com. And don’t forget the fashion mags (and Brunch!) OUT WITH THE OLD: We mean it. Out, out, out! If you can’t resist those few favourites, box them up and put them under your bed or at the back of your closet. Out of sight, out of mind. It might be hard at first, but you’ll find other things to wear.

NAVIGATE YOUR BODY ISSUES:

Make no mistake. Even the skin-

niest model in the world is trying to hide some body flaw or the other. And almost everyone dresses by the rulebook. Big bust? You cannot wear a tight top. Short? You cannot wear vertical stripes. Etc, etc. But the key to experimental dressing is to wear clothes not to hide your body, but to make you happy. If you think you look great in vertical stripes and you are short, go ahead. The rules are only for the under-confident. DEFINE YOUR STYLE: Choose three words that describe your style (or the style you wish you had) or the vibe you want to give off. Dig deep. Think of specific words, such as classy, androgynous, sporty, manly, girlie. Then, while sorting through sale racks or putting together a datenight look, ask yourself if you can use your style words to describe every piece you’ve picked out. If the answer’s no, leave it. If it’s yes, keep it (and love it).

HOW NOT TO BE A LAUGHING STOCK! Yes, we did suggest that you throw away the rule book, but some issues are fundamental. Stick to this prescription, then do whatever you want to MEN 1. Have a beer belly? Throw away fitted, physique-hugging tees 2. Ungainly butt? Never wear narrow, ankle-length trousers 3. Dark complexion? No matter what anyone else tells you, ban brights and neons

PLAN IN ADVANCE: Always lay out

your clothes the night before so you have more time to experiment. Trying to pull together a look at 9.16 am when you have to be at work by 9.30 will achieve absolutely zero.

GIVE YOURSELF AN EXCUSE TO DRESS UP: Make plans to go out –

hang out with friends, meet relatives, even go out all by yourself (which is a great way to see what others think of what you wear). If you’ve got an occasion, even a selfcreated one, you’ll try harder. EXPERIMENT CONSCIOUSLY: Pull everything out of your wardrobe again. Are there any clothes that you never wear? Well, put them on and go out. In a few weeks, it could go from that I’ll-try-it-for-a-day item

Make the effort 3

It takes time and will power to break out of a rut. It isn’t easy, but it can be done. Here’s how to change gear.

WOMEN 1. Fat legs? Wear short skirts only in the privacy of your room 2. Bulging stomach? Never, ever wear high-waisted pants 3. Short? Then kindly wear heels with your formals

to your signature look. And it may influence the rest of your wardrobe. BE A MODEL FOR A DAY: Try on outfits that you usually wear and also experiment with a few new ones. Ask a pal to snap full-length photos of you in each ensemble. Wait a while before you review the pictures. Then look at each outfit as if someone else were wearing it. SHOP ALONE: Shopping with pals is fun, but shopping alone is productive. Even the most thoughtful friend can talk you into buying something that’s trendy, not timeless, or more his or her style than yours.

4 5

Courtesy: Fashion designers James Ferrera, Alpana of Neeraj and Alpana, Rimzim Dadu and stylist Amit Hansraj

“Time is a dressmaker specialising in alterations.” – Faith Baldwin, writer FEBRUARY 19, 2012

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NEW YORK DIARY

Paris is now over-priced and overrated. London has lost its edge. So New York is truly the foodie capital of the world

COOKING STAR

David Bouley is a brilliant New York-based French chef whose main restaurant, Bouley, I love

Vir Sanghvi

EW YORKERS don’t like outsiders telling them what to eat. While the restaurant scene in most metropolitan cities the world over is increasingly dominated by a few big-name international chefs, the New York environment remains resolutely local. It is not as though the big-name global chefs have not tried to make their mark here. Often, the restaurants they have opened have been excellent. But New York has failed to be impressed. Alain Ducasse, the only chef in the world with three restaurants that have three Michelin stars (in Monaco, Paris and London) opened first at the Essex House hotel. Michelin loyally gave him three stars but New York was indifferent. The restaurant closed. Then, Ducasse opened a new restaurant, Adour, at the St Regis Hotel, and Americanised his menu. But New York still did not take to him and even Michelin has only given a single star to Adour, a slap in the face of the man who is often called the world’s greatest chef. Ducasse’s rival for that title is Joel Robuchon. His L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon at the Four Seasons gets two stars from Michelin (though the Atelier brand is reserved for Robuchon’s more casual restaurants rather than his fine-dining places) but it remains the sort of restaurant that tourists and international businessmen – rather than real New Yorkers – go to. The worst fate of all has been suffered by Gordon Ramsay. When the loud-mouthed British chef opened in New York, he bragged about how his restaurant would turn the city’s dining scene around. Instead, it was a resounding flop. Michelin, which gives Ramsay three stars in London obligingly gave him two stars in New York but Michelin hardly matters in this city. The New York Times (which really calls the shots) slaughtered Ramsay

rude food

LOCAL TASTES

New Yorkers don’t like outsiders telling them what to eat. The city’s environment remains resolutely local

and though the restaurant survives, Ramsay no longer cooks there (does he cook anywhere these days, I wonder?), is listed as a mere consultant, and his New York empire struggles. A second Ramsay restaurant, Maze, is described by Zagat as feeling “like an airport lounge” with nothing to distinguish it except for steep prices. In that sense, New York is like Paris. It only likes its own chefs. Outsiders are never made to feel welcome. When the Taj-run Pierre Hotel opened a branch of London’s trendy Le Caprice, I wondered how long the restaurant would survive. This time, in New York, I got my answer. Though the Pierre is now better than ever (and is finally commanding the rates and occupancies it deserves), Le Caprice has been a flop and will close next month. Its place will be taken by Sirio, a brand owned by Sirio Maccioni of Le Cirque, a New York institution. (Interesting to see how Maccioni is spreading his bets – his partners in India are the Leela group while in New York he is in bed with the Taj.) But once New York takes a chef to its heart, it allows him to spread his wings and open as many restaurants as he wants. So the likes of Mario Batali, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Daniel Boulud, Nobu Matsuhisa, David Bouley and Michael White can do no wrong (nor can such prolific restaurateurs as Danny Meyer and Drew Nieporent), while outsiders get the brush-off. Last week, I spent four hectic days in New York, shooting for Star World and trying to fit in as many restaurants as I could. My first meal was at Brushstroke, a small, new, hard-to-get-into Japanese restaurant in the Village (thanks to the Pierre’s wellconnected concierges for finding me a table). David Bouley is a brilliant New York-based French chef whose main restaurant Bouley, I love. (Bouley gets 28 or top grade from Zagat but only one star from Michelin which may tell you something about how irrelevant the French guide is in this city.) Over a decade ago, Bouley (the chef, not the restaurant!) began working with Yoshiki Tsuji, head of the Tsuji Culinary Institute

I was surprised to find that Brushstroke sticks to traditional Japanese flavours FEBRUARY 19, 2012

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Photo: THINKSTOCK

Photos: REUTERS

in Japan and exchanging ideas. A year ago, these exchanges resulted in the creation of Brushstroke in a spot formerly occupied by Bouley’s Danube restaurant. I wasn’t sure what to expect because Bouley is a French chef but was pleasantly surprised to find that Brushstroke sticks closely to traditional Japanese flavours. There is none of the Nobu-Megu-Zuma emphasis on easy-to-please food and no chef’s tricks. For instance, many Japanese chefs make their chawan-mushi (steamed egg custard) with foie gras to appeal to Western palates. Here it was made with mushroom and sea-urchin, both typical Japanese ingredients and the flavours were deep and intense. The restaurant is designed by Takashi Sugimoto of the ubiquitous Super Potato company. But it is not a caricature Super Potato design. (Thai Pavilion, San Qi, Set’z etc.) and reminded me more of Bangalore’s elegant Edo, also designed by Super Potato. The service was relaxed and friendly and the food was excellent. Small wonder that Brushstroke also gets the top score of 28 from Zagat. (To be fair, New York has two restaurants that get 29 – Le Bernardin and Daniel – but 28 is generally regarded as tops.) I was in New York to interview Deepak Chopra and he took me to ABC Kitchen, located in the building where he has his studio. The restaurant is relatively new and packed out with a celebrity clientele (Hilary Clinton, movie stars, etc.), which comes for the fresh ingredients and the relaxed vibe. It is one of JeanGeorges Vongerichten’s many New York establishments but differs from the others because it emphasises Jean-Georges’ take on California’s Chez Panisse style of cooking. I had a salad of raw scallop and a whole-wheat pizza and tasted some of Deepak’s brussels sprouts (the first time I have ever liked this vegetable) and Portobello mushrooms. The food marked a welcome departure for Jean-Georges though perhaps we got special treatment because Deepak is both a celebrity and a regular (he has an account there). While most of Daniel Boulud’s expansions have been into chic, happening restaurants like Bar Boulud or DB Bistro Moderne (home of the over-priced hamburger), his Café Boulud on the

Upper East Side remains closest to his food at his main Daniel restaurant and thus, to his haute cuisine roots. I went for Sunday brunch so I’m not sure I can judge it on that basis. The tables were too tightly packed and service was slightly slapdash but the food was rock-solid with a slow-cooked rib of beef with a perfectly fried egg (his take on steak and eggs) and a butter-poached lobster with silky scrambled eggs as the stand-out dishes. Zagat gives Cafe Boulud 27 (as against Daniel’s 29) and it has a Michelin star so it is no surprise to see it described (by Zagat) as a place for socialites and ‘old money types’. I guess I’ll have to go for a proper meal to judge the weekday menu. Michael White is very much the New York chef of the moment. I went to two of his establishments on the same day. I had lunch at Marea, his Central Park-facing seafood restaurant described by Michelin as “the place to go for the boldly-moneyed and their beautiful companions.” (Boldly-moneyed? No, I have no idea what that means either but Michelin gives it two stars and it gets 28 from Zagat.) The sun-filled room was full of the rich and famous (Yoko Ono,

New York is like Paris. It only likes its own chefs. Outsiders are never made to feel welcome

NOT A HIT

Maze (top), the second Gordon Ramsay (above) restaurant in New York, is described by Zagat as feeling “like an airport lounge” with nothing to distinguish it except for steep prices

THE BEST, REALLY?

New York’s indifference and Michelin’s single star to his new restaurant Adour, is a slap in the face of Alain Ducasse (right), the man who is often called the world’s greatest chef FEBRUARY 19, 2012

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Photos: REUTERS

TOURIST SPOT

L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon (left) is more for tourists than real New Yorkers

FAVOURITE CHILDREN

New York loves its own chefs. So the likes of Mario Batali (above), JeanGeorges Vongerichten, Daniel Boulud (above right), Nobu Matsuhisa, David Bouley and Michael White can do no wrong

GOT A TABLE? Brushstroke (1212-791-3771) Ai Fiori (1212-613-8660) ABC Kitchen (1212-475-5829) Eleven Madison Park (1212-889-0905) Marea (1212-582-5100) Le Relais de Venise L'Entrecote (1212-758-3989) Café Boulud (1212-772-2600)

FEBRUARY 19, 2012

etc.) and the food struck me as being an Italian take on Le Bernardin which does the same sort of thing in a more Frenchified way. (And does it better.) A starter of raw tuna, mackerel and cuttlefish was good but the stand-out dishes included a brilliant black bass and lobster on a base of burrata. The flavours were clean and distinct and this was cooking of a very high order. I was less sure about White’s Ai Fiori, where I had dinner. The restaurant has been well reviewed and is regarded just below Marea (one star from Michelin and 27 from Zagat) but the vibe is singularly joyless. Ai Fiori is on the first floor of the Setai, a hip, newish hotel with a complicated brand history. (Some Setais have an Aman connection because of Adrian Zecha but this one is managed by the Capella group – which also runs the Norman Foster-designed resort property in Singapore’s Sentosa.) I imagine that the idea was to run a happening, hip and trendy place but the designer’s chief contribution is to make the room so dark that it seems almost dingy. The staff are more Italian than at Marea and the food is less adventurous. Nothing I ate was bad – a veal chop, a steak etc. – but the overall effect was under-whelming. I have many childhood memories of the Café de Paris in Geneva which serves only one dish: steak in a buttery sauce and crisp French fries. I had read about the Le Relais de Venise L’Entrecote chain (branches in Paris, London, Barcelona, etc.) which serves a similar menu and had imagined that it did the same Café de Paris steak and sauce. The New York outpost is not terribly well-rated (20 in Zagat) but follows the chain’s global policy of accepting no reservations. You have to turn up and

IN TOP ORDER

Even by Danny Meyer’s standards, Eleven Madison Park (above) is top-of-the-line. It has three Michelin stars and rates 28 in Zagat take your chances. I am told that in Paris there can be queues outside the restaurant. But, as if to prove my point about New York and outsiders, the large L’Entrecote branch on 52nd Street was nearly empty. (Only three other tables were occupied.) Bored waitresses served steak and chips to a few customers who seemed as bored. The steak was so-so, the fries were soggy and the sauce was rubbish – not a patch on the Geneva Café de Paris version. I could see why the restaurant was empty. The kindest thing that could be said about it was that it was reasonably priced (around $25 per head) and wine mark-ups were low. For my last lunch in New York I went to the highest rated of Danny Meyer’s restaurants. Meyer is a New York phenomenon and his places (Union Square Café is probably the most famous) are marked by good food and outstanding service. But even by his standards, Eleven Madison Park is top-of-the-line. It has three Michelin stars and rates 28 in Zagat. The room is wonderful: high ceilings, art deco lithographs and lots of sunlight. The service is as personalised and warm as you would expect at one of Meyer’s restaurants. The menu, however, is a bit of a surprise. You order four courses (it’s a prix fixe) from options listed simply as: potato, chicken, lobster, chocolate etc. You can ask the serving staff about how each ingredient is cooked but they prefer to remain tight-lipped and urge you to let the meal be a surprise. After you’ve ordered, the freebies start arriving. Chefs wander in from the kitchen bringing little cheese balls or quail-egg canapés. Then, the meal begins. It takes between 90 minutes to two hours. My food was a revelation: a dish described simply as ‘potato’ had small boiled fingerling potatoes with pork belly confit and black truffle. There was much more in a similar vein: lobster, foie gras and chicken, all cooked with astonishing imagination and finesse. It wasn’t hard to see why the restaurant had three stars and I’d rate it up there along with Le Bernardin as one of New York’s finest. It is hard to eat this well (and at these prices) in Paris. The final flourish came with the petit fours. These consisted of two chocolate beignets encasing truffle ice-cream. One had white truffle ice-cream and the other had black truffle ice-cream. Though other chefs have tried to merge the flavours of truffle, icecream and chocolate, I have never known it to be done as well as here. The flavours were so clear that you could tell the difference between the taste of white truffle and the taste of black truffle. So what did I think of the food in New York? Well, pretty much what I have always thought. Paris is now over-priced and overrated. London has lost its edge. So New York is truly the foodie capital of the world.

As if to prove my point about New York and outsiders, the large L’Entrecote branch on 52nd Street was nearly empty

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HERE ARE few everyday pleasures more life-affirming than sitting at the window of your favourite café, sipping a steaming cup of cappuccino, and watching the world go by on a sunny winter afternoon. There’s the harried mother hurrying along, two frisky toddlers in tow; the lovelorn couple who insist on walking handin-hand even if it means blocking the entire pavement; the gaggle of girls who have bunked classes on this glorious day to do some serious window-shopping; the laptop-wielding professionals out for a business lunch. As I idly watched them pass by my window to the world a few weeks ago, I began to wonder: just when did overcoats become part of our winter dressing in India? I remember shivering through many winters when I first moved to Delhi while my long, black, toasty overcoat gathered dust in the closet. No, I wasn’t a glutton for punishment. It was just that nobody – and I do mean nobody – ever wore overcoats to keep out the cold. Instead you were supposed to layer – thermals, sweatshirt, sweater, jacket, muffler, shawl, all piled on, one on top of the other – until you resembled nothing more than a little butterball. But overcoats were only pulled out when you were travelling abroad in the winter. Don’t ask me why. It’s just the way it was. Overcoats were simply not part of our winter wardrobe in this part of the world, no matter how cold it got. That, thank God, is no longer the case. Now you see every kind of overcoat on display on the streets in colours ranging from boring black and regulation camel to red, pink or even yellow and every fabric from heavy wool to supple tweed or even soft leather. There’s the quilted kneelength number; the ankle-length style that provides complete coverage; the pea-coat version; or the formal double-breasted. And then, there’s my personal favourite: the belted trench. For several winters now, I have lived in a trench that I snapped up at an Abraham and Thakore end-of-season sale. It’s made of black silk, lined with lightweight wool, and embellished with an appliqué pattern of a palm-print. A threebutton style, it comes with a thin fabric belt that you can use to cinch your waist in. And what makes it worth every rupee of its price

MAKING A STATEMENT Photo: REUTERS

Nobody wears a Burberry trench better than Catherine Middleton

HOT ‘N’ HIGH

Deepika Padukone wore a rather fetching, thighskimming version

Seema Goswami

SETTING TRENDS

The Burberry trench has been spotted on various Bollywood stars like Jacqueline Fernandes

is that it goes with simply everything. You can slip it on over a tailored suit; you can wear it over jeans and a sweater; it works with a woollen dress; it’s perfect with a tailored skirt. Hell, you could even pair it with track-pants and it would still look elegant and fresh. But then, that’s the thing about the trench. It is simply the most versatile winter garment ever. And given the many different trench-styles patrolling our streets these days, I’m guessing that more people than ever are buying into the trend. It helps, of course, that the label that is synonymous with the trench – Burberry – is now in India and doing brisk business (its sales are second only to Louis Vuitton). The company recently hosted an Art Of The Trench event in India, where it invited people to come wearing their Burberry trenches, styling them in their own distinctive ways. And I have to confess that I was taken aback at the number of people who owned one. If you ask me, though, nobody wears a Burberry trench better than Catherine Middleton, or as she must now be styled, the Duchess of Cambridge. In one of her first engagements as the fiancé of Prince William, she chose to wear a kneelength trench with frill detail at the hem, a kind of cross between a coat and a dress. Needless to say, the style sold out in stores soon after. In India, the Burberry trench has been spotted on various Bollywood beauties. Deepika Padukone wore a rather fetching, thigh-skimming version at the Grand Prix in Noida. Lesser stars like Jacqueline Fernandes and Neha Dhupia have both been snapped in trenches as well. But, for my money, the Duchess is still on top of that particular style list. Ah money. Yes, there’s no getting around that. The Burberry trench is expensive – and it is the only style that never goes on sale. No, never ever. I guess one way of justifying the expense is to tell yourself – over and over – that it is a classic that will never go out of fashion. And that it will begin to pay for itself in a decade or so. But if you can’t hypnotise yourself into spending that kind of money, never fear. Every high street brand is doing its own version of the trench and some of them look just as good (even if, alas, some of them don’t feel quite as luxurious). Try your luck at Zara, Top Shop, or even some of the designer brand factory outlets as the winter winds down. This is, in fact, the best time to get your hands on this style staple at an end-of-season sale. And it will be a bargain at any price because you will be living in it for many winters to come. I should know. I’m wearing my Abraham and Thakore trench even as I type this. And it looks just as good as new.

spectator

As overcoats become part of our winter wardrobe, the classic trench is quite the trend-setter

BELT UP!

seema_ht@rediffmail.com. Follow Seema on Twitter at twitter.com/seemagoswami

FEBRUARY 19, 2012

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THE WIRE-FREE CHALLENGE I’m trying to get rid of all the wires that come with audio and video equipment. Will I succeed?

ON EVERY ROUTER...

I need a full 3-inch LCD screen on top that tells me everything that is going on inside in exact detail

HASSLE-FREE MUSIC

Sonos comes in different configurations. But they all achieve the same thing – wireless audio in every room FEBRUARY 19, 2012

Rajiv Makhni PROBLEM OF THE EXTRAS

Almost any flat panel TV will be attached to at least four thick cables that dangle there and gather dust

HE CHALLENGE was simple. Without using horrendously expensive equipment, without indulging in hours of complex set up and without needing a rocket science degree in making it all work together, could I – in a reasonable amount of time – get rid of almost all wires attached to audio and video equipment in a house? Could I achieve the ultimate Tech Nirvana – and go completely WF (Wire Free)? As technology explodes and new devices deliver a fantastic amount of features and performance, we buy them and install them with relentless abandon. Yet, the one thing that never seems to get an upgrade is the fact that they all run with a huge number of wires and cables. Wires that go in and wires that come out. If you’ve got a flat panel TV and are looking to achieve that perfect on-the-wall picture frame look that you see in high-end interior decor magazines – you’re in serious trouble. Almost any flat panel TV will be attached to a DVD or blu-ray player, a set-top box, a gaming console and maybe even a media streamer. That’s four big, thick cables that go straight into your TV. They dangle there, gather dust and debris and make all your aspirations for a pure and clean look come crashing down. Audio equipment is an even bigger problem. Amps, source player, speakers, subwoofer – each has wires and cables running circles around you with gay abandon. The challenge was to eliminate as many of these as I could. Rules of engagement: (1) I must set up all new equipment from scratch. (2) It should all be done in a manner that could be replicated by anyone. Time to complete challenge: 2 hours. Could I complete the WF challenge? Time to find out. The first thing to install was a wireless router. This would be the central hub to control all things, give the entire systems the brains and lay a solid foundation. Any mistake here would come back and bite me where the sun don’t shine. My weapon of choice here was the Belkin 750.

techilicious

WHERE NO ROUTER HAS GONE BEFORE

The main reason to go with this router was its coverage. It’s got an unprecedented number of antennas with multibeam technology and literally throws WiFi signals to places no router has ever reached before. It’s also got two USB ports, therefore converting any USB hard drive to a network drive (the drive and all its content is thus available to any WiFi enabled laptop, Tablet, media streamers and even some phones without any need for any USB or Ethernet cables) and converts any printer into a WiFi printer. I plugged my broadband cable into the router and it literally auto configured the connection all on its own. Time taken: 14 minutes. So far, so good. The only thing I didn’t like about this router was that it has a single light on it. It’s a nice, sexy, blue light that goes orange if anything goes wrong

– but that’s pretty much it! I just don’t get why Belkin and all other router companies are going for this minimalistic look. I need a full three-inch LCD screen on top that tells me everything that is going on inside in exact detail, such as Internet speeds, which LAN ports are connected and more, and spells out an error in plain English. I don’t want to crack open the manual every single time that freaking light is blinking in that very come-hither orange colour. Rave and rant time over. Now, back to work! Next up was the Sonos Multi-Room Audio system.

AUDIO FOR THE INTELLIGENT

Sonos seems to be a company that has been put together by people who must have torn their hair out in frustration when setting up audio equipment. They seem to have taken into consideration every single annoyance that anybody can go through in setting up music. Rage and fury is out of the window – calm and serene is in. Sonos comes in many different configurations but they all achieve the same thing – wireless audio in every room. I set up two pieces of equipment: the Play 5, which has speakers built in, and the Sonos Zone Player 90, which attaches to an amp and speakers. I took a Sonos Bridge unit (it has a complex name but is actually idiot-proof) and attached it to the LAN port of the router. The Sonos software on my laptop told me to press the button on top of this unit and voila! the Sonos part was all set. This unit now transmits its own WiFi mesh signal out to all the other units. In effect, they talk to each other in their own private space. And other signals like cordless phones and microwave ovens can’t touch them. Next, ONLY CONNECT I placed the Sonos, Play and the 90 in difBelkin 750 throws ferent rooms, touched the button on top WiFi signals to places no router has reached and all three were part of the same network instantly. Great! Time taken to set up three Sonos units: 22 minutes; Total time on project: 36 minutes. The only issue with the Sonos is that it’s pretty sensitive to distance. Would I be able to set up audio in rooms on different floors? Would a USB drive with 2 TB of hi-def music attached to the router broadcast into each room with no signal loss and distortion? Well, I would find out soon enough. With an hour and 24 minutes on the clock, I still had to set up wireless speakers; get a blu-ray player, a WD Live Media Streamer, a Tata Sky HD set-top box and a Playstation 3 gaming console to attach and play with zero wires going into my TV; get the Sonos system to read music wirelessly off a USB drive; and install equipment that could play music and movies from a phone and a Tablet wirelessly onto a TV and speakers. This would need some serious tech magic. Did I manage or did I crash and burn spectacularly? Find out next week.

Even the new devices run with a huge number of wires and cables

Rajiv Makhni is managing editor, Technology, NDTV and the anchor of Gadget Guru, Cell Guru and Newsnet 3. Follow Rajiv on Twitter at twitter.com/RajivMakhni

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A blues festival in Mumbai – with big ticket international performers – revealed the genre’s growing popularity in India

Sanjoy Narayan

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RASPY VOCALS, SMOOTH NOTES

HREE YEARS ago, in this very space, I had raved about a blueswoman called Ana Popovic. A guitarist and singer, Popovic, 35, began playing the blues in Belgrade as a teenagBOTTOM NOTE er but is now creating waves in the world of blues Ana Popovic’s in the US and elsewhere in the world. And, last “long and rich weekend, at the second edition of the Mahindra career” is unfolding right Blues Festival, Popovic was among the internain front of us tional blues greats who played in Mumbai. Those of you blues-lovers who were lucky enough to have heard her will probably agree with me when I say that she’s a blues artist who is worth tracking. Sadly, I missed the second day of the blues fest when she played, although I caught the first day’s gigs, which included one by the venerable Taj Mahal, now 69, and another by the flamboyant John Lee Hooker Jr, son of the late great John Lee Hooker. I regret missing the gigs by Popovic and Buddy Guy (who also had the superb steel guitarist Robert Randolph as a guest on his set). And I also missed the Indian band, VELVET NOISE Soulmate, whose singer, Tipriti Kharbangar, is among the most John Lee powerful blues singers that I’ve heard. Of course, I’m sure I can Hooker Jr’s catch Soulmate live soon as they play many gigs across Indian smooth blues cities. I’d seen Guy the last time he played in India but Randolph differ from the I’d have loved to watch – his deliriously speedy riffs on the pedal grittier oldsteel guitar are out of this world. I have a couple of albums by his school style band, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, including the excelderailed for a couple of decades when drugs and alcohol took over lent Live at the Wetlands from 2002 and would strongly rechis life. He managed to kick all that and establish himself as a musiommend his funky, soul infused music. Randolph’s improvisacian, releasing at least two albums that got nominated for the tional style has made him a fixture on jam band festivals and Grammys in recent years. won for the former House of God Church guitarist a big folTaj Mahal (real name: Henry Saint Clair Fredericks), of course, lowing even among fans who’re not really into the blues. was the better known bluesman with his characteristic thumb and As I said, I didn’t miss the first day of the blues festival middle-finger picking, vocals that can growl and rasp as well as be and caught both Taj Mahal and John Lee Hooker Jr. The smooth and polished, and his Caribbean and African music influlatter does reach into his late father’s repertoire (who enced brand of blues. He delved into his huge catalogue of original doesn’t?) but that doesn’t mean he tries to clone the compositions as well as blues standards to keep the crowd in thrall. famous bluesman’s gritty and rough Delta blues Blues isn’t a very popular genre among music lovers in India style. Instead, the junbut going by the enthusiastic turnout at the second edition of the ior Lee Hooker (he’s event in Mumbai, I certainly think the Mahindra Blues Festival 60, by the way, is a great step towards popularising the blues in India (honest although he looks disclosure: I bought tickets online to go watch the festival!). Of way younger) adds a course, the city also makes a big difference. After all, not all Indian modern twist to his cities – you know the ones I’m referring to – are as conducive to blues, with a smoother, urban hosting an event such as a blues festival as Mumbai is. sound. Along with that there The missing of gigs by Popovic, Guy and Randolph was a void was his practiced stage presI tried to fill with some retail therapy. I picked up two Ana Popovic ence, including frequent interactions albums – 2011’s studio album, Unconditional, and 2010’s An Evening with the audience and lyrics that SITE OF MUSIC at Trasimeno Lake. Both are great. In 2008, when I first heard were peppered with local references Taj Mahal aka her play, I’d written that I thought Popovic “has a long and rich – which made him a hit with the Henry Saint Clair career ahead of her”. I think we’re now seeing that career unfold. crowd. Lee Hooker Jr began his Fredericks delved career as a teenager into original comTo give feedback, stream or download the music MORE ON THE WEB playing with his father mentioned in this column, go to http://blogs.hindustanpositions to keep hindustantimes.com/brunch times.com/ download-central, follow argus48 on Twitter but also got nearly the crowd in thrall FEBRUARY 19, 2012

CITY SLICKERS

THINK OUT OF THE BOX Lists and tips to help you pack the perfect dabba every day. Take note

GUILT-FREE GOODIES

HEALTHY SUGGESTIONS FROM CHEF SABY, DIRECTOR OF KITCHEN, OLIVE BAR & KITCHEN Sandwich fillings ■ Cheese, avocado, and sprouts ■ Shredded carrots, cucumbers, sunflower seeds,

avocado, and cheese ■ Grilled vegetables (bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini) with sliced cheese, goat cheese, or pesto sauce ■ Cheddar or mozzarella cheese with apple slices ■ Brie cheese with mustard and sprouts ■ Cheese, tomato, sprouts or lettuce, and pesto sauce ■ Turkey loaf with tomatoes, and lettuce or sprouts ■ Sliced chicken or turkey, cranberry sauce, and lettuce ■ Sliced chicken or turkey, honey mustard, tomatoes, and lettuce or sprouts ■ Sliced beef with mayonnaise or horseradish, sliced tomato and cucumbers Salads ■ Chicken salad with celery, lettuce, and tomato ■ Tuna/cucumber/green pepper

salad with tomato ■ Salmon or shrimp salad with lettuce or sprouts

TAKE STOCK

FOR EXCITING LUNCHES, HAVE THESE AT HAND Spreads, dips and dressings: Mayonnaise, butter, hummus, mustard, hung yoghurt, olive oil, nut butters, a chocolate spread (hey, a little won’t hurt!). Sauces and seasonings: Tomato, light soya, vinegar, oriental stir fry sauces, soup stock or stock cubes. Fillings and toppings: Various cheeses, deli meats, veggies, chicken, eggs, boiled potatoes, cheese slices or paneer, cans of baked beans, sweetcorn, fish (sardines, tuna), chickpeas, tins of pineapple and peach slices, eggs, jars of olives, gherkins, pearl onions and garlic, Staples: Bread, pita bread, rice, pastas, noodles.

MAKE IT BETTER

BROWN BAG TRICKS FROM RUSHINA MUNSHAW GHILDIYAL, GASTRONOMY WRITER AND MD OF A PERFECT BITE ■ Pita bread and rolls make convenient sandwiches. You can fit ingredients in

them without having everything fall out at the other end.

■ Whole-wheat and white breads make soggy sandwiches. Use rye bread instead. ■ Avoid too much mayo or other moist condiments. They make bread soggy. ■ Put salad dressing in a separate container and add it just before eating. Veggies

soaked in dressing for too long lose their zest.

■ Wrap sandwiches individually in foil. They break apart if two are put together. ■ Use disposable bags as much as possible.

TAKE THE PAIN OUT OF PREP

TRAVEL WRITER PARINEETA NATH’S LUNCHBOX SHORTCUTS ■ Make stock every weekend (throw bones, quartered onions, root veggies, bayleaf and peppercorns into a pressure cooker and let it cook on its own for two hours). Use this for soup, pasta, risotto with garlic and herbs. ■ Some veggies can be prepared and stored for a few days, such as florets of

cauliflower and broccoli, batons of carrots and shelled peas.

■ Cook rice in advance or use leftover rice. Revive it when required with a

little water and a few minutes in the microwave.

FEBRUARY 19, 2012

hindustantimes.com/brunch

Let’s (Re) Do Lunch

If there’s one thing that unites all working people, it’s fear of death by dabba boredom. Well, we fixed that problem

by Kavita Devgan

HEN WE asked people what they’d like to change about their working day, we were astounded by what we heard. Four out of five wanted their lunchbox transformed. Bhindi and roti, aloo parathas, chana chaat… no one wants to see these ever again. So we called the experts and gave the lunchbox a makeover. If you’re bored, you’ve got exotic. If you’re on a health trip, we’ve made it exciting. If you want an appetising, delectable, flavoursome lunch every day without the trauma of hours of preparation, we’ve… well, we’ve tried to give you that too.

THE TIFFIN TRIUMPHS

First, though, here’s a question. Why bother with a lunchbox at all? Why not simply order out? The answer is simple, says celebrity chef and cookbook writer Karen Anand. “A dabba from home gives you control of what you are eating; how much oil and spice you ingest, and ensures that you eat only fresh stuff,” she says. “There is no guarantee of this when you order out.” It also gives you the freedom to eat as you like, says Manidipa Mandal, a food writer and blogger based in Kolkata. “Want a large sitdown meal? Feel free! Prefer boxes of three or four snack-sized meals for all-day grazing? Voila!” You may have your own reason to develop a dabba habit. Food preferences, for one, like vegan Nandini Gulati, Gurgaon-based blogger and owner of the vegan food consultancy, Be Light Be Well. And Pooja Dhingra, Mumbai-based founder of Le15 Patisserie, feels it is

important that lunch is from home. “I work long hours and am surrounded all day by things I shouldn’t be eating,” she says. “My lunch dabba is the perfect escape.” Health is another very compelling reason to brown bag your lunch. “The food you eat at work can total up to about 1/3 to 1/4 of all the food you eat per day. And you need this nourishment to be able to work at your best,” says Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal, Mumbai-based gastronomy writer and MD of the food consultancy A Perfect Bite. And for Parineeta Nath, freelance Delhibased travel journalist, outside food is simply unhygienic. Finally, if you’re not concerned about your stomach, your wallet makes its presence felt. “With your own tiffin you get more bang for your buck,” says Manidipa.

PUT IT TOGETHER

There you go, compelling reasons to dust off your dabba. But for most people, the thought of making lunch causes only one reaction – a dive for the free office delivery menus! “Every now and then I decide to carry my own lunch, but within a week, I’m bored,” says Kahini Roy, advertising executive. For many people, the lunchbox is a chore but some things can make it simple. “Logically

rom ‘A dabba fs you home give what control of ting’ you’re ea

19 Photos: THINSTOCK

if you are a working person, you should shop at the weekend and then midweek,” says Karen. “Taking lunch from home implies that it is fresh. If the ingredients are five days old, that defeats the purpose.” Still, you can do different things to the same ingredients that’ll save your lunches from being repetitive. “For example, a roast chicken can be had plain, in a sandwich, in a salad or mixed with pasta,” says Pooja. Delhi-based writer and photographer Renuka Kelkar shares her prep gems: Prepare veggies the previous night while watching TV; keep peeled garlic in an airtight container; marinate chicken and keep in the fridge as a lunch plan for three or four days in separate boxes. “It takes just 10 minutes to pan fry it in the morning based on a five-day lunch plan you’ve worked out over the weekend and stuck on your fridge with a magnet,” she says. brunchletters@hindustantimes.com