Brunch 20 10 2013 by Hindustan Times

WEEKLY MAGAZINE, OCTOBER 20, 2013 Free with your copy of Hindustan Times

INSIDE

Luxury special

indulge

VIR SANGHVI

Is wheat bad for you?

Because in India, glitter is a tradition. And we canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t celebrate our festivals wearing black!

SEEMA GOSWAMI

Bare breasts, so what?

SANJOY NARAYAN

The Greyboys are back

RAJIV MAKHNI

More smartphones to wait for

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Taj forever.

InDI A • new C A pe Tow n

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

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On The Brunch Radar

By Saudamini Jain

If you haven’t heard already, Archie Comics released its first horror title Afterlife with Archie last week. And it’s not your regular Riverdale sunny-sideup spook. It’s all gore and zombie. It’s rated for teens and older. The first edition has sold out, so best of luck finding some enterprising geeks auctioning their copies online. But if you’re a sucker for the scary, you should absolutely be interested in the reprints and future issues in the series. Here’s what you should know:

Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa has written a remake of Carrie, episodes of Glee and for Marvel’s Fantastic Four. He also wrote a play featuring Archie called the Weird Comic Book Fantasy – they had to change the names of all the characters because Archie Comics threatened a lawsuit. He’d portrayed Archie as gay. Aguirre-Sacasa is also writing an Archies movie for Warner Bros.

Paris Hilton “having a Good Time” Saying goodbye to Tendulkar (but let’s keep it simple, don’t flood our social media feeds with your sentiments) ■ If you haven’t installed an ad block on your web browser ■ The term, “Commonwealth” ■ Those who don’t understand Disney references ■

Francesco Francavilla has worked for Marvel Comics and DC Comics. He won the 2012 Eisner award for best ongoing series, which is a pretty big deal.

■

The pals and gals. Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Jughead Jones, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantel and others, ALSO Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

Contact Sport

By Aasheesh Sharma

The Indomitables

Yuvraj Singh is the latest ace athlete who didn’t let a lifethreatening condition keep him down. The score sheet:

For more, go to afterlifewitharchie.com

While playing for Barcelona in 2011, doctors found a 4cm long tumour in the French footballer’s liver. He got surgery to remove it and subsequently underwent a liver transplant. Undaunted, Abidal bounced back to make a spectacular comeback to international football.

Excited? We are too. Like last week, here’s another idea for Halloween costumes!

Photo courtesy: WWW.AFTERLIFEWITHARCHIE.COM

Play Act

By Shreya Sethuraman

WHY WATCH IT? For the intense Mahmood Farooqui and the mischievous Danish Hussain. Their ability to hypnotise you with Urdu transports you to another world. WHAT DO YOU SEE AND HEAR? The duo recently performed two acts:

Danish Hussain (left) and Mahmood Farooqui had the housefull audience in raptures

The tennis legend underwent surgery to remove a malignant lump in 2010. Less than two weeks after the breast cancer surgery, she competed in the 24.9mile triathlon in Hawaii. A few months later, just days after radiation therapy, Martina teamed up with Jana Novotna to win the ladies’ invitation doubles final at Wimbledon. “I think anybody that survives the communist system, they’re pretty tough!” she quipped in an interview. Photos: THINKSTOCK

Dastan-e-Betal Pachisi (tales of King Vikram and Betaal. Remember Chandamama?) and Tilism-eHoshruba, about the world of magic and disguise. GROUND RULES NO clapping during the performance at all! If you like anything (and you will!), just say, “Wah! Wah!”

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

OCTOBER 20, 2013

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

Drop us a line at:

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

MARTINA NAVRATILOVA

Photo: JASJEET PLAHA

WHAT IS DASTANGOI? Originating from the Persian words ‘dastan’ (a tale) and ‘goi’ (to tell a tale), Dastangoi is simply that – the art of storytelling. The voice of the storyteller, how he modulates it, how he changes it, is central to the storytelling.

Former New Zealand rugby union player Jonah Lomu discovered a kidney disorder in 1995. In 2004, during the World Cup, he almost suffered a renal failure. Still, over a long career, he helped New Zealand carve a reputation as the best team in the world. There’s even a tribute to him in the movie Invictus, about Nelson Mandela and the South African rugby team.

JONAH LOMU

Spinning Many Yarns

ERIC ABIDAL

Shocked? Well, Archie Comics has changed plenty over the last five years; so this shouldn't be a surprise. Three years ago, they brought in a wedding storyline – one where Archie decides to marry Veronica and another where he proposes to Betty Cooper. They also introduced Kevin Keller, a gay character. And now this. In the future of Afterlife with Archie, the body count will only rise; in the next three issues and at the end of the fifth, they will leave Riverdale!

The leaner, meaner Yuvraj has lost weight and is back to scoring heavily. Yuvraj’s roaring comeback from cancer and chemotherapy helped India defeat the Australians in the only T20 contest at Rajkot. Whenever Yuvi has a blast, India end up on the winning side. Yu-V for victory!

YUVRAJ SINGH

It’s a zombie apocalypse. It begins as your average Archie comic: who’s going to wear what for the Halloween dance? But it is a hardcore horror story. Sabrina messes up a spell (as usual), only Jughead has to pay the price. Remember Jughead’s fluffy dog, Hot Dog? He’s dead. They’ve got to bring him back. Except at some point, the Riverdale gang become zombies. A panel shows Sabrina clutching the Necronomicon (a book that brings the dead back to life).

Cover photograph: JJ Valaya’s Collection at Pearls Delhi Couture Week 2010, by Raj K Raj Cover design: Swati Chakrabarti

By Saudamini Jain

■ That Cressida Bonas (Prince Harry’s girlfriend) may just have brought the scrunchie back in fashion ■ When someone from the White House makes a typo (n*gger instead of bigger) on Twitter. Ironically, this is the year of The Butler – the historical film about an African American butler serving in the White House ■ “I actually reckon Hermione would have kept her maiden name,” Emma Watson’s tweet (also, Hermione Granger turned 34 last month) ■ Malala Yousafzai ■ “In an old house in Paris; That was covered in vines; Lived twelve little girls in two straight lines.” Madeline is back. Ludwig Bemelmans published the first in the series of books in 1939, now his grandson John Bemelmans Marciano brings more (the latest, Madeline and the Old House in Paris)

LEANDER PAES

The Book Club

Photo courtesy: CHANDAMAMA

Once Martina’s doubles partner, Paes keeps in prime fitness. In 2003, within a month of lifting a Wimbledon title, he was detected with a 4-mm cyst. The condition could have become lifethreatening, but Lee bounced back to continue playing; and last month, at the age of 40, famously won the US Open title.

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

REEL WORLD

The Byomkesh Primer Why does the dhoti-clad 1930s Bengali detective enthrall ﬁlmmakers even today?

by Shreya Sethuraman

E’S NOT a pipe-smoking Englishman. He doesn’t wear long coats or funny caps. He’s the gentleman next door, the Bengali bhadralok who wears a dhoti kurta (and with age, horn-rimmed glasses and a grey shawl) and occasionally succumbs to a cigarette.

So what’s so special about Byomkesh Bakshi?

WHO ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? Byomkesh Bakshi. You might not have read the Bengali stories of writer Saradindu Bandopadhyay’s famed detective, written way back in the 1930s. But you’ve probably seen Basu Chatterjee’s celebrated 33-episode television serial, telecast almost two decades ago, where actor Rajit Kapur played Bakshi. The detective’s best friend and perhaps an accomplice of sorts, was the author Ajit Banerjee, played by theatre veteran KK Raina.

HERE’S A CLUE

Rajit Kapur (above) who played Byomkesh Bakshi in the 1990s TV version; Sujoy Ghosh in Satyanveshi (below)

But he’s just a detective, right?

No! He prefers to be known as ‘Satyanveshi’, the seeker of truth.

He’s astute and he knows it. No, he isn’t cocky, nor does he resort to sarcasm to get his point across, but in actor Rajit Kapur’s words (who’s played Byomkesh), “He’s simple. We were able to reach out to everyone from a ﬁve-year-old to an 85-year-old.” He got the scripts of all the 33 episodes in one go and, in his words, “we shot continuously for six months. So it helped since we were so focused.”

Byomkesh prefers to be known as Satyanveshi – the seeker of truth

What kind of mysteries does he solve?

The ones you think no one will ever be able to – a stolen diamond necklace stowed away in a postbox, a sapphire hidden in a prisoner’s throat, an extramarital affair gone wrong, or a poisonous matchstick. The line used by Alfred Hitchcock’s The Three Investigators – we solve anything – perfectly sums up Byomkesh’s crime-solving ﬂair.

WHY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT HIM? Bollywood will now attempt the first big film on Byomkesh Bakshi. Said to be director Dibakar Banerjee’s (left) most expensive film, Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! stars Sushant Singh Rajput (of Kai Po Che and Shudh Desi Romance fame) in the lead and should be out next year. This August we saw the release of Bengali film, Satyanveshi, director Rituparno Ghosh’s swan song. It was also director Sujoy Ghosh’s debut as an actor – he played the eponymous hero. Maybe it wasn’t Ghosh’s best film, but the director of Kahaani made an interesting debut as an actor. Why this renewed interest in Byomkesh Bakshi? Rajit Kapur tries to find an answer: “I guess it has to do with the thriller format. It’s intriguing and exciting. I know the kind of impact the show made back then,” he adds.

OCTOBER 20, 2013

Does he have a family?

Byomkesh married a strong-willed woman named Satyavati (who was played by Sukanya Kulkarni in the TV version). She had constant arguments with him about who could have committed the crime in question. So she wasn’t “just another character” – or just a wife. Then there was the detective’s best friend Ajit Banerjee (who wrote about the cases), played by KK Raina. “I was very close to KK and we remain good friends till today,” says Kapur. You may also want to know about Byomkesh Bakshi’s Man Friday Putiram, who made copious quantities of tea and opened and closed the doors for guests.

How does he solve a crime?

He reaches the spot before the police does (though sometimes,

they get there before him). He’s meticulous, methodical, has keen powers of observation and perfect judgement. He loves to wait for the culprit in the dark, hiding behind bushes or walls, laying the perfect trap for his prey.

Who is his inspiration?

It’s pretty clear. Saradindu was inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. Why are people so fascinated by the Holmes-Watson collaboration? “Well, it’s tough to answer. I think it’s the level of understanding between the two men,” says Kapur.

If you’re interested...

Doordarshan continues to air the old Byomkesh Bakshi serial. Some crazy fans have set the theme music as their ringtone, and some crazier fans have visiting card holders with Rajit Kapur’s face etched on them! shreya.sethuraman@hindustantimes.com Follow @iconohclast on Twitter

WELLNESS

MIND BODY SOUL SHIKHA SHARMA

For any worries related to unplanned pregnancy: 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

1. Dear Doctor, I am newly married and during our honeymoon, I consumed 2 emergency contraceptive pills in a span of 7 days. After coming back my friend told me that taking emergency contraceptives back-to-back could damage the ovaries. I am really worried now. Is it true? Is it harmful? Please help me. Emergency contraceptive pills are synthetic version of female hormone already present in your body. They do not have any lasting effects and do not cause any harm to your reproductive health in any way. Many people believe that taking emergency contraceptive pills too often may lead to serious problems to the reproductive system. This is a complete myth. It is important to remember that emergency contraceptive pills should be consumed only when your regular contraceptive fails e.g. if the condom tears or you have forgotten to take your regular contraceptive pills. If you do not want to get pregnant in the near future, we suggest you consult a gynaecologist and opt for regular contraception options that would suit both you and your husband. 2. Dear doctor, my husband and I use the withdrawal method and have always been successful. But this month my periods are delayed for over a week.

What could be the reason? Withdrawal method is not a 100% effective contraception method. Please note, the lubricating fluid before ejaculation can also contain sperms. Even a little amount of fluid or semen is enough to cause pregnancy. We suggest you conduct a pregnancy test and then consult a gynaecologist for further advice. Use of regular contraception like condoms, regular contraceptive pills etc. is necessary if one wants to avoid unplanned pregnancy. 3. Dear doctor, my wife took an emergency contraceptive pill last month and this month her periods are delayed by almost 6 days. We have conducted a pregnancy test and it is negative. Please help us as we are totally confused. Is this is a sign of pregnancy or a side effect of emergency contraceptive pill? Sometimes consumption of emergency contraceptive pills may cause a disruption in the menstrual cycle. A 5-6 days delay is considered normal. However, if your wife does not start menstruating within 10 days from expected date then you need to consult a doctor. Chances of pregnancy are very low if your wife has consumed emergency contraceptive pill within 72 hours of unprotected sex.

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 scan this QR code to visit website on counselling and psychotherapy. Supported by:

FORGOTTEN TREASURES A whole host of foods have simply dropped from our diets and menus. Rediscover these local healthy choices

OST OF us eat only two kinds of grains – wheat or rice. Consider the following list: biscuits, roti, naan, bread, pasta, noodles, lasagna, cake, pastries and most bakery items, cookies, rusks, dalia, and crackers are all made from wheat. Poha, kheer, rice crackers and risotto all contain rice. But while eating just these is convenient, it’s not ideal. The body needs a variety of foods that have different sources of minerals and vitamins; even the kind of ﬁbre present in these grains is different. Here are some easily available grains you should be eating:

AMARANTH (RAJGIRI)

with atta. Or mix it with wheat dalia and sweeten for a breakfast porridge with milk.

QUINOA

This nutritious South American grain was also used by the Aztecs and is low in carbohydrates when compared to many grains. It’s also rich in protein, and is a rich source of iron (for hair and boosting haemoglobin), copper and phosphorus. Quinoa is faily expensive so use it in a salad, or grind and mix it in atta. You can also can make quinoa tikkis by adding steamed quinoa to mashed potatoes.

BARLEY (JAU)

Amaranth was the BREAD OF LIFE staple diet Don’t restrict yourself to of the South wheat rotis, add amaranth or ragi to the ﬂour American Aztec civilisation. They used it in many ceremonies. Rajgiri is a rich source of potassium (for the kidneys, lowering high blood pressure and tackling water retention), Vitamin A (for improved eyesight) and Vitamin C (for boosting immunity and improving skin). It provides 9.3 gm of protein per cup and is rich in magnesium and phosphorus (for bone development) and zinc (for skin rejuvenation). Grind amaranth and mix it

This is a staple in many religious ceremonies. It is good for the Indian climate. According to the principles of Ayurveda, barley cools the stomach. Have it as lemon-barley water.

RAGI (FINGER MILLET)

Ragi still widely consumed in certain parts of the country, notably Andhra Pradesh. It is an excellent source of calcium and is especially used for weaning babies. To incorporate ragi into your diet, mix it in atta, use it to make biscuits (it has to be mixed with wheat ﬂour) or make a sweet porridge with milk. Ragi dosa is also a delicious GRAINS OF TRUTH option for Millet and quinoa can be breakfast.

incorporated into your life with great beneﬁts

ask@ drshikha.com Photo: THINKSTOCK

MORE ON THE WEB For more columns by Dr Shikha Sharma and other Wellness stories, log on to hindustantimes.com/brunch OCTOBER 20, 2013

COVER STORY

hindustantimes.com/brunch

Why does bling bring out the apologist in us? Belittled as tasteless and unfashionable, it is routinely rubbished in stylish circles. But here’s an argument that’s going to change all that by Yashica Dutt

LING IS not a bad word. And despite what you’ve seen on Indian TV serials – men in glazed shirts and women in reams of synthetic fabric studded with crystals – here’s why you are going to agree. Loving all things shiny and excessive is an Indian thing to do. Indian housewives hoard enough gold to worry our government, the gold iPhone is expected to sell the most units here and the interiors industry regularly lines tabletops, WCs and bathtubs with gold. Bling has now come to include everything that shines – shiny polyester with a dual reﬂective glare, or garments and objects so studded with crystals, they make your eyes ache. So, perhaps it’s Suneet Varma gave a time to separate the cheap gilt masterclass in from the real bling at his show during this year’s gems and India Bridal take pride in Fashion Week the traditional Indian mastery over shine and glitter: Banarasi heirlooms, traditional zari, gota, patti and ﬁne embroidery. This is what sets us apart from any other place in the world. This is, quite literally, what makes us shine.

WHEN BLING GOES BAD

“Bling doesn’t only mean overdosing on glitter and sequins,” says designer JJ Valaya, the ﬁrst Indian brand ambassador of Swarovski. The stone that sparked the neo-bling wave in 2001 not only made bling accessible to the masses but also unleashed an assault of poorly constructed crystal designs.

Designer Suneet Varma, who has used bling in almost all his collections, says that ‘common’ bling evokes reactions opposite to those when one is faced with a higher quality of beauty and luminescence. “That bling doesn’t speak of the culturally inspired gota, delicate tissue or iridescent zardosi,” Varma says. “This is the bling that marks our ﬁner taste and appreciation for all things bright.”

THE TRICKLE DOWN EFFECT

idols like Komolika of Kasautii Zindagii Kay wear metallic lip colour, bright blue contacts, crystal bindis and bauble earrings paired with a garish studded sari,” he says. “As shocking as it sounds, everyone wanted to copy that look. I still have customers who bring cutouts of TV vamps and leading ladies and ask us to copy them exactly!” And what designers couldn’t provide, enterprising karigars did – in bulk. Says Manav Gangwani, the big daddy of bling, whose 2011

Between a superbly crafted zari sari that design house Marchesa recreated for Spring/Summer 2013, and a tawdry polyester, twotoned dress with sequins of all sizes at the neighbourhood store, what went wrong? “People went ballistic with bling,” says Valaya. “Glitter cannot be used irresponsibly. There has to be a sense of proportion and contrast. Bling, unless used with matte, often gets so bright, it can’t be looked at. It adds nothing to the person wearing it and ruins their personality instead.” As with every trend that dies an instant death the moment it enters the muddy waters of the Adarsh Gill showed a muted mainstream, bling’s yet opulent sari at downward spiral began Synergy1 around the time our Delhi Couture TV began to feature Week in 2011 women sleeping, waking, cooking, scheming and weeping in embellished saris and fake jewellery. Designer Raakesh Agarvwal, who is known to be unabashedly market driven, blames TV for the popularity of shimmering eyesores. “Bling became popular when the masses saw their screen

This Steve Madden stiletto with a Prerna Rajpal bracelet is all the sparkle you need this season

couture week collection was unabashedly sparkly: “Most people can’t afford a garment by Tarun Tahiliani or Rohit Bal. So there are several lowquality copies that don’t have any lineage of cut or design. They look cheap, but that becomes the marker for all bling. Even if you add Swarovski, without research, it’ll look tacky.” Bollywood designer Manish Malhotra, maker of the original net sari whose several versions have now trickled down to local stores, agrees: “High quality bling takes time and effort. When it’s reproduced on a mass scale, it’s not done the same way.” And it insults our own design heritage. “We’ve always had a tradition of surface embellishment,” says David Abraham, of the clever mirrorwork, embroidery and inlay label, Abraham & Thakore. “Royal families embroidered rubies and emeralds onto their clothes. But there was a sense of subtlety that is lacking in today’s loud, demonstrative bling. And it’s that showing off that makes it ugly and a turn-off.”

PUT IT WHERE I CAN SEE IT

The dollar might defy gravity but most Indians are much richer than previous generations. This, combined with our inherent tendency to show off, spells disaster for how we use bling. “People like to use all their bling at the same time, the shinier, the better. Like rap artists, Indians too use bling as an assertion of having arrived,” says designer Kallol Datta. “If it was subtle, it wouldn’t be bling,” points out social scientist Shiv Visvanathan. Think about it. You can’t say you’ve arrived with the quiet charm of zari or the hushed tones

OCTOBER 20, 2013

COVER STORY

BATTLE OF THE BLING: NORTH V/S SOUTH EDITION

of gota, when there is the glitzy sparkle of SOUTH crystals. Nikhil Mehra of NORTH Enough yellow gold to reflect off an Solitaire diamonds that can double ble the designer duo Shantanu SOS signal if people are stuck in the When as bullets, they’re that huge & Nikhil, who extensively use crysit comes to dressing golden deserts of the Gulf French Manicure with crystal tips tals as a part of their evening wear, up, nothing beats Dual-shaded Dual-s nails or just a thick that spell your sweetheart’s initialss sums it up: “It’s hundreds of diamond-decked layer laye of gold paint Bindis that resemble a rhinestone Northerners. Nor stones in different colours Bindis, Bin irrespective of the shape, can you outdo a war zone and leave the poor Diamonds are saying: ‘Because I can afford Southie’s love for gold. spotted with gold underneath forehead pleading for help a subtle form of all this, I am very rich’.” Draw out the embelPearls Pe and gold, or better yet, Diamonds and platinum only make e bling, but can lished swords If delicate subdued pearls with wi gold sense when paired together go wrong zari is not bling’s leading when used Every ring rin and gold chain a man owns, Chains, rings on at least two fingers rs and motif today, it’s for a very excessively all worn at once studded sunglasses for the men clear reason. The Swarovski crystal. Slowly shimmering up the catwalks for almost 10 years, it’s different from the same look LOUD AND PROUD over four lakh crystals and eight become the byword of new bling. on a Brooklyn girl. And in a However, here’s the truth. crystal installations) and the India Starting with the top names – JJ world of universal sameness, “We’re maximalists unlike International Jewellery Week Valaya, Suneet Varma, Rohit Bal, traditional Indian bling has minimalistic Japan; we’re a in 2012 and 2013. But what really Tarun Tahiliani and Manish Arora little space to exist, despite country filled with people embedded the stone into the Indian – the crystal invasion began when recent efforts from everywhere. We need to consciousness was the collaborathey all started using Swarovski designers like Anamika make a statement to stand tion with traditional design houses in their designs. This was followed Khanna and Sabout and bling does that like Nalli, when sari styles like by associations at fashion weeks, yasachi to bring it back. with ease,” says designer the Kanjeevaram, Pochampally, like the Pearls Delhi Couture Cultural commentator Gaurav Gupta. And when Thanjavur and Ilkal were encrustWeek in 2010 (at which Delhi’s The and columnist Sunil we get to celebrating, the ed with crystals. Grand hotel was decorated with Mehra says it’s our noise quotient increases colonial shame at play. not just in decibels “We’re easily tricked but also in our clothes. into bling-shaming. “We even celebrate the We forget that the change of seasons,” light here is harsher states designer so the colours have Anand Kabra. to be brighter. This is “How can that Top to toe shine Eye lenses covered in only place where bling celebration occur in an Abraham diamond and gold platcan work so well. Not without colourful, & Thakore look ing that are apparently in countries where shiny clothes? for fall from Wills safe for the eye. Yeah, we even pastels are considered It’s part of our India Fashion believe that! bright.” DNA. We’re not Week 2013 Bling is loud, bling is Paris, and we can’t Victoria Secret’s Secret Fantasy Bra (right) that’s fun, bling is celebratory and look morose in black studded with diamonds and it makes us who we are. And if there’s a festival on.” costs a few million dollars. No the next time you pass an matter how expensive it might ornate jaali kurta for a little ONLY WE CAN WORK IT make you feel, don’t those black dress only because it’s Indian fashion is in the midst of diamonds pinch just a little? loud, or scrunch your nose to a new kind of revolution, brought Crystal studded pacifiers a feisty brocade blouse that upon by bloggers, fashion magawith a fake famous brand isn’t on trend like a nude coat, zines and most importantly the logo (Chanel, Louis you might just be giving up your Internet. It aims to dress everyone Vuitton, or Cartier). individuality. the same way. As trends go global Seriously, that So raise a toast to bling. Just and fashion becomes more thing goes into don’t let it blind democratic, a top knot and your baby’s you – or the a long skirt on a Clockmouth! wise from people around Delhi girl are no right: Steve Madden pumps, Bling Water you. `6,999; Swarovski drop earrings

THINGS THAT SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN ‘BLINGED’

Photo: GETTY IMAGES

née Bling H20, or to put it simply, normal spring water sold in a 750 ml Swarovski encrusted, frosted glass bottle. Who are these people willing to pay through their teeth to drink mineral water out of a crystal bottle?

Toilets made out of 24-karat pure gold (owned by deceased jewellery mogul Lam Sai-Wing at his palace in Hong Kong). Also Swarovski and diamondencrusted toilets with gem-encrusted seats to match! We could never ‘use’ them, could you?

OCTOBER 20, 2013

(placed on the stiletto), `9,750; L’affaire zardozi border, `13,000; Zara belt, `1,590; Dior Diamond Watch; Accessorize earrings, `995; Zara embroidered collar, `1,990; Annika Rucci clutch,`34,700

yashica.dutt@ hindustantimes.com Follow @YashicaDutt on Twitter Photo: DEEPAK BUDHRAJA, Stylist: COOKIE SINGH

COVER STORY ALL THINGS GOLD

Gladys is in a sari by Kanelle; heels by Christian Louboutin; earrings (`9,500) and hand cuff (`6,950, not in picture) by SB Jewels Arjun wears a coat by Sunil Mehra; breeches by Raghavendra Rathore (`13,999); shoes by Christian Louboutin; gold watch by Salvatore Ferragamo

SANDPAPERED SHINE

Arjun wears a pant and coat by Raghavendra Rathore; shirt by Zara (`2,990); watch by Fossil; shoes by Christian Louboutin Gladys is wearing a Rohit Gandhi + Rahul Khanna dress; earrings and neckpiece by Kisneel; heels by Ash Amaira (`19,500); clutch by Zara (`3,790)

ACCENTS MATTER

Gladys wears a pink sari by Namrata Joshipura; a metallic jacket by Rohit Gandhi + Rahul Khanna; a watch by DKNY; heels (`19,500), ring (`4,960) and earrings by Ash Amaira (`13,500); and a belt (stylist’s own) Arjun is in a kurta and jodhpurs by Sunil Mehra; shoes by Steve Madden (`6,999)

Inspired enough to try some bling on your own? Take these style cues to dial the glamour all the way up this season

METALLIC SHEEN

Gladys is wearing a dhoti and a black bodysuit by Siddhartha Tytler; golden jacket by Rohit Gandhi + Rahul Khanna; neckpiece by Swarovski; heels by Christian Louboutin; clutch by Ash Amaira (`18,500) Arjun is in a mustard waistcoat (`28,000), red shirt (`15,999) and breeches (`12,999) by Raghavendra Rathore; shoes by Tod’s

RICH TREASURES

Arjun wears pants (`2,990), shirt (`2,990), coat (`8,990), and bow tie (`1,190) by Zara; shoes by Christian Louboutin Gladys is in a green sari by Anjalee Arjun Kapoor; heels by Steve Madden (`3,999); earrings by Ash Amaira (`9,500); handcuff by Kisneel; ring by SB Jewels (`7,99) OCTOBER 20, 2013

Photographer: Madishetty Manasa; Styling: Aakanksha Jain, assisted by Arushee Chaudhri and Preeti Hyanki; Make-up: Tejasvini from Chandni Singh Salon & Academy; Location: Krantz Studio, Malviya Nagar, Delhi; Models: Gladys and Arjun Dutta from 6th Avenue Model Management; Shoot coordination: Yashica Dutt

VARIETY

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HAPPY PETS

ABOUT: We’re posers - didn’t you check out our ‘Eating straight from the fridge’ album? Oh, and we also love to grab your attention with our hilarious status updates. We’re on Facebook peeps. Let’s connect

Roll Over, Fetch, LIKE! For some pets, mere tail-wagging, ball-chasing and bonesnifﬁng is passé, as their Facebook and Twitter proﬁles reveal by Kasturi Gandhi

Illustration: SIDDHANT JUMDE

EET EGO, Labradorboxer; lover of a good Filet Mignon; and hater of cats, vets and smelly people. “Ever since she was a puppy, Ego preferred chewing on Dostoevsky, Kerouac or Tolkien over other books,” says photographer Natasha Hemrajani, Ego’s owner and friend. Impressed with their furry companion’s intellectual leanings (and other quirks), the Hemrajanis did what a good number of the wired generation are now doing. They set up a Facebook page for their pet. Ego’s page has pictures of her contemplating food, the weather and feminism. Her status updates ref-

erence popular songs: “Today I am listening to The Stranglers, Golden Brown. I think I must have been the inspiration behind it!” And she has several friends online – not bad for a four-legged being.

TWIST IN THE TAIL

“If humans can have Facebook proﬁles, pets should too,” believes Pratha Narang, who created a page for Buddy, her cocker spaniel. Buddy Narang’s online stats reveal that he is in a relationship, has over 100 friends and loves Farmville. When he isn’t chasing birds off the balcony, Buddy even wishes those on his list for their birthdays. He sends out a “Woof woof ” or sloppy kisses. “Sometimes Buddy gets random messages from strangers wanting to make friends,” says Narang. But it’s not something that gets his whiskers in a twist. Ajesh Shah’s ginger tabby, Munku, whose Facebook page is public, purrs through all the adulation and camera-ﬂashing that comes his way. “Cats are very

OCTOBER 20, 2013

popular online, so we thought it would be cool to put Munku on the web too,” Shah explains. Any update from him – a cat video here or a message condemning illegal animal trade there – sends Facebook followers hitting Like and Share. But Munku is immune to his online clout. His Facebook pictures depict him stretching by the window and gazing at the sky. Like many human celebrities, Munku comes from humble beginnings. He was found near a dustbin when he was only three days old. Rescued, he recovered admirably and has even accompanied Shah on trips around the world. “Once, a famous photographer approached us to take experimental shots of Munku which were displayed at an art gallery,” Shah boasts.

LENDING A HELPING PAW

Managing a social network account may seem like an additional responsibility to keeping a pet. But the humans don’t seem to think so. “I love seeing the world through Ego’s eyes,” says Hemrajani. And

it helps other animals too – an appeal on Ego’s page once helped a stray kitten ﬁnd a home. People in awe of Munku and her travels often message Shah asking him for advice on travelling with animals.

WORLD FAMOUS ANIMALS

Facebook hasn’t been too happy with the virtual paw prints all over their network – they’re wary of fake accounts and spamming – but pets are allowed to have public pages. In fact, Mark Zuckerberg’s dog, Beast, has one too. brunchletters@hindustantimes.com

SHORT LEASH Pets are on Twitter too Bono tweets about life and his owners

As kids, Shakti Salgaokar and her sister always wanted a pup. “Years later, I found a stray up for adoption, but by then my sister had settled abroad,” says Salgaokar. She adopted the mutt anyway, and named him Bono. “My sister was peeved so I had to keep her in the loop about Bono’s first teeth, first bark, first time playing in the garden and the like,” she says. Her solution: the Twitter handle @Bonobarks to tweet about his funny owners and how he’s “happy being a recluse because he hates socialising with other dogs in real life,” says Salgaokar.

indulge Why is it okay for Lena Dunham to go topless; but Miley Cyrus is a slut for showing her breasts?

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BARE TRUTHS D

O YOU understand the new feminist take on female nudity? No, me neither. Let’s start with breasts. It seems that the world is divided into Good Breasts and Bad Breasts, depending on who is revealing them and why. So, when Lena Dunham, the star of Girls, drops her top at the slightest pretext to show off her bosom, it is supposed to be A Good Thing. But when Miley Cyrus takes off her top to writhe around a Wrecking Ball in a video by the same name, that is A Very Bad Thing indeed. Now, how exactly does this work? The sub-text, insofar as I can glean it, is this: If a woman who is judged unattractive by the cookie-cutter standards of the glamour industry bares her breasts, then

Seema Goswami

spectator GOOD GIRL! Lena Dunham has the self-conﬁdence to show off her own body, even though it doesn’t meet the standards set out by the Sex-Appeal Police

MORE ON THE WEB For more SPECTATOR columns by Seema Goswami, log on to hindustantimes. com/Brunch. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/ seemagoswami. Write to her at seema_ ht@ rediffmail. com

she is striking a blow against the standards of the beauty business. She is showing that she does not subscribe to the normal perceptions of beauty or sex appeal. That she has the self-confidence to show off her own body, even though it doesn’t meet the standards set out by the Sex-Appeal Police. And in doing so, she is giving hope and courage to other less-than-perfectly-proportioned women like herself. So, that’s Lena Dunham sorted then. But Miley Cyrus? No, no, no. A young and pretty girl like her has no business stripping off for a music video. If she does so, she is just falling into the trap set by the music industry and commodifying herself for commercial purposes (and we have everyone from Sinéad O’Connor to Annie Lennox lining up to tell her that). This kind of behaviour makes her no better than a stripper or even a prostitute. So, if she wants to retain the respect of the world, she really needs to put them away, and sharpish. Not that it’s just about Pretty Breasts v/s Ugly Breasts and the mile-long cleavage between them. It’s also about what I like to call Fashion Breasts, which are perfectly fine viewing in expensive glossy magazines, and Porno Breasts, that are meant to titillate men who flip over anxiously to Page Three. Again, Fashion Breasts are good: they are an aesthetic appreciation of the female form. But Porno Breasts are bad: they demean women everywhere (hence the feminist protest against the Page Three girls of Britain’s The Sun). Well, I am sorry if I am being dense, but this makes absolutely no sense to me. Are we really going to judge female nudity on the basis of what feelings it brings forth in others? Is male arousal or the lack of it going to be the benchmark by which we decide which woman is allowed to go topless and which one isn’t? Are feminist values now going to be decided on the basis of the male gaze? And then, there is that little thing called the ‘Slut

OUR BODIES OURSELVES A young and pretty girl like Miley Cyrus has no business stripping off for a music video. Really? Walk’ that rears its politically-correct head every now and then. I am sure you have heard of it. Maybe you’ve even participated in a few. And no doubt, you have your own ideas about it. Well, I have been grappling with the concept, so allow me to share with you what I have gathered so far. Mini-skirts, bikini tops, spaghetti straps, bum cleavage, breast cleavage is all good so long as it is being revealed by women who are participating in something called a Slut Walk. This is – stay with me here – good because women are demonstrating that they are entitled to dress any way they like without being judged for it. They are, they argue, reclaiming the word ‘slut’ for themselves. And in the process, they are shaming the men who tell them that they get objectified, harassed or raped because of what they are wearing. So far, so good. I can get on board with the broad sentiment, though 10 hours of sustained water-boarding couldn’t get me to ‘reclaim’ that nasty word (slut) for myself. But hey, ladies, if that’s what rings your bell, knock yourselves out. But once you’ve gone on the mandatory Slut Walk, and stood up for your right to wear sexy clothes, stop complaining when scantilyclad women are used as sexual bait to sell everything from ice-cream to motorbikes. If you can dress that way to make a point, these women can dress like that to make a living. (And no, nobody is pointing a gun at their heads; they are doing so of their own free will.) We cannot live in a world where it is okay for women to bare their breasts so long as they remember to do it in a politically-correct and feminist-approved manner. If a woman can revel in her sexuality at a Slut Walk, she can do so on the floor of an ad film as well. You can’t celebrate the one and pour opprobrium on the other. If we are going to make any sense of feminism, we need to be clear on our principles. If we believe that every woman has the right to walk down half-naked on the street – as they do on their Slut Walks – without the fear of being molested or harassed, then we cannot take away the right of other women to bare these breasts on Page Three if they choose to do so of their own free will. If we applaud Lena Dunham for baring her breasts on her TV series, then we can’t shame Miley for doing the same in her music videos. The principle can’t change on the basis of whom it applies to; or else it isn’t much of a principle at all.

Fashion Breasts are good; but Porno Breasts demean women everywhere

OCTOBER 20, 2013

indulge

OFF WHEAT STREET

A no-gluten diet is the trendy new nutritional thing to do. I’ve decided to try giving up wheat too. And I do feel better on a wheat-free diet. Not much thinner, but I feel lighter and more energised

The big diet bestseller of the last few months is Wheat Belly by Dr William Davis, a book that argues, basically, that wheat is poison

YIELD TO THE GRAIN

There is no country in the world where they use wheat as imaginatively as they do in Italy

small intestine that is often misdiagnosed in India but which is on the rise all over the world) but it can also cause heart attacks, severe addiction and God alone knows what else. Plus, says Dr Davis, here’s the big one: give up Vir Sanghvi wheat and you will lose weight. The pounds will just drop off once you have been off wheat for three weeks or so. So here’s the new fad wisdom: give up wheat and become thin. Keep eating wheat and, well, die! Yes, I know. It sounds like another of those American fads. But there is, at the very least, some background to this one. Long before Wheat Belly hit the bestseller lists, doctors had concludHOEVER IT was who first sung the virtues ed that gluten could be bad for some people. of a gluten-free diet never tried to do it while As you probably know, wheat is mostly starch. Make travelling through Italy. I’ve been stuck on this some atta and you’ll find that you have lots and lots of gluten-free thing for only a brief period, and starch plus two proteins. The first and lesser known of already, I feel like giving up and throwing in the napkin. these is gliadin. This is the stuff that causes Celiac disGluten-free is really a fancy way of saying ease and has been linked to everything from IBS to cancer. no-wheat. And there is no country in the Though gliadin is probably the big baddie, it is gluten that world where they use wheat as imaginatively gets the rap. Everywhere you go, you’ll find as they do in Italy. Giant pizzas stare foods, marked as gluten-free and many ceinvitingly out from restaurant windows. lebrities, from Gwyneth Paltrow to Novak At lunch, I have to hold my nose and try Djokovic, claim that their vitality stems not to be tempted as they shower slice from their refusal to eat gluten. after slice of white truffle on plates of But because it’s not always gluten pasta. Even the breakfast tray becomes that is to blame, ignore the huge range of a grenade that they hurl into your room gluten-free products. If you really want to each morning: little cakes, fluffy clouds avoid all the negative effects – or alleged in the shapes of buns, crusty brown negative effects, I should say – then you bread… HOLE TRUTH are better off just giving all wheat a miss. But try as the Italians might, I have clung In the West, where wheat is the In the West, where wheat is the basis of on to my no-gluten diet, forsaking all tempta- basis of the fast-food industry tion, even when it comes coated with white (pizzas, doughnuts, waffles etc.), the fast-food industry (pizzas, doughnuts, hamburgers, sandwiches, fried chicken, truffles. The way I see it is: if I can resist it is incredibly difficult to give pancakes, waffles etc.), this is incredibly difwheat in the land of pasta and pizza, then I wheat a miss ficult to do. And if you travel through Italy, can stay off wheat anywhere. as I’m currently doing, then a wheat-free diet seems like a But why, I hear you asking, am I doing something so real imposition. strange? It is okay to give up meat or onions or garlic or For Indians however, I don’t think it is such a big deal. even alcohol. But surely wheat is harmless? No one has South Indians don’t eat that much wheat anyway and nor, ever died from eating one chapati too many. for that matter, do most Bengalis. The ones with the most to Or have they? lose are North Indians: no rotis, parathas, naans, phulkas, Now that I’ve got your attention, let me explain. Givpooris, samosas. But even that, I don’t think is that much of ing up wheat is the new trendy nutritional thing to do. a nuisance. There are many substitutes, mostly drawn from Apparently, 29 per cent of all Americans have either given the South: rice on its own, dosas, appams etc. And though up wheat or say that they would like to. The big diet bestthe West needs wheat for fried foods (such as fried fish, seller of the last few months is Wheat Belly by Dr William or Kentucky Fried Chicken) Indians usually manage Davis, a book that argues, basically, that wheat is poison. with besan. So we can continue to make pakoras on a Not only does it lead to Celiac disease (a condition of the

rude food

STORMING UP THE CHARTS

Photos: THINKSTOCK

OCTOBER 20, 2013

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wheat-free diet. But, regardless of how easy it is, why should we give up wheat? The William Davis hypothesis is controversial, which is why despite selling so many copies, his book has been largely ignored in the mainstream Western press. Or all the publications I’ve read, only American Vogue seems to take it seriously, so perhaps Anna Wintour is a fan. Broadly put, Davis has two legs to his argument. The ﬁrst is pure weight loss. He dresses it up with many references to the glycemic index etc., but basically, his point is that wheat (maida or whole wheat – he does not think it makes a difference) spikes your blood sugar. So you end up storing the calories in wheat as fat and you quickly get hungry again. This may or may not be scientiﬁcally valid. But it is not new. All low-carb, high-protein diet books (Atkins, Montignac, etc.) make the same point: if you give up wheat you will lose weight. This is certainly true though many people argue that by giving up wheat, you narrow your range of options (as I’ve discovered in Italy) and so you consume fewer calories. And this is the real cause of weight loss on a wheat-free diet. Well, maybe. But what nobody can deny is that the American obesity epidemic of the last two decades parallels the rise of the wheatbased fast food industry. So even if giving up wheat does not mean you will lose weight, eating lots of wheat will certainly make you fat. The second leg of Davis’s hy-

GIVE IT UP?

A wheat-free diet is toughest for North Indians: no rotis, parathas, naans, phulkas, pooris or samosas

There are many substitutes for wheat, mostly drawn from the South: rice on its own, dosas, appams etc

UNGLUED TO GLUTEN

Photos: GETTY IMAGES

Many celebrities, from Gwyneth Paltrow (left) to Novak Djokovic (above), claim that their vitality stems from their refusal to eat gluten

pothesis is the controversial one. He draws on the experience of Celiac disease patients to argue that wheat causes problems in the small intestines of most people. These problems manifest themselves as bloating, upset stomachs, fatigue, depression, dizziness and pretty much anything else he wants to add to the list. Eventually, he even tries to ﬁnd a link between wheat consumption and heart disease and cancer. The obvious ﬂaw in this hypothesis is that if it were valid, Western civilisation would have collapsed a long time ago. Wheat is an integral and essential component of the diet of Europe and America. And if it was so bad, then those societies would have died out by now and we would all be ruled by rice-eating Chinese. (Actually, come to think of it…) Davis has anticipated this objection. So his explanation is that the wheat we eat today is not the wheat our forefathers ate. Somewhere in the second half of the twentieth century scientists tinkered so much with wheat (to increase yields, for instance) that it went from being a benign grain to becoming a danger to public health. This is dodgy stuff. Davis implies that wheat was genetically altered, which is not true. Yes, new strains of wheat have been developed over the decades (India’s Green Revolution was based on one of these strains) but that’s not unusual. New strains of rice, corn and all other grains have also been developed. The history of cultivation is the history of man trying to adapt crops to feed himself lf better. In view of all this, you may well ask the obvious question. If I’m not convinced that wheat is the silent killer that William Davis thinks it is, then n why am I torturing myself while travelling through h Italy, refusing to even look a biscotti in the eye? Well, it is a long story. But when I started on the wheat-free diet some weeks ago, it was in India where the diet poses no great challenge. Italy was never on the agenda. I was due ue to go to Iceland where whale meat can be haute aute cuisine so giving up wheat seemed easy enough. Then, my plans changed. And here I am, looking king away as bowls of pasta with plump fresh porcini are carted ted pastt my table. On a more serious note though, I think that I do feel better on a wheat-free diet. I’m not much thinner or anything. But I feel lighter and more energised. And if I’m also doing my digestion a favour, as Dr Davis claims, well then, that’s just a bonus.

OCTOBER 20, 2013

THE EAST FEAST

The West needs wheat for fried foods (such as fried ﬁsh, or Kentucky Fried Chicken) but Indians usually manage with besan. So we can continue to make pakoras (below) on a wheat-free diet

MORE ON THE WEB For more columns by Vir Sanghvi, log on to hindustantimes.com/ brunch

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FESTIVE SMARTPHONE SHOPPING GUIDE I PART II

More smartphone choices in the second installment of a two-part series

T’S POURING new ﬂagship smartphones and if you wish to buy one, you’re spoilt for choice. You’re also setting yourself up for a headache in ﬁltering the one you bring home as nothing hurts more than buying the wrong smartphone and realising that after a month of struggling with it. Thus the Festive Shopping Guide – to help you decide the best you can buy – continues its perilous journey and hurtles towards a conclusion. APPLE BRAND PHULJARI 1 – iPHONE 5C It’s the colourful, vibrant younger sibling to the 5S and its specs bear an uncanny resemblance to its out-

Rajiv Makhni

techilicious

iPHONE 5C

If you’re a hardcore Apple groupie and love all things bright, this phone is for you!

MORE ON THE WEB For previous columns by Rajiv Makhni, log on to hindustantimes. com/brunch. Follow Rajiv on Twitter at Twitter.com/ RajivMakhni

going big brother, the iPhone 5. It has a single-piece polycarbonate body with a reinforced steel frame, is slightly thicker, uses the same A6 processor, has the same 1GB of RAM, the same 4” retina display and comes with the all-new iOS7 as its main calling card. It should arrive on Indian shores on November 1 at a price of about `38,500 to `42,000. MADE FOR: If you love brightly-coloured things, if you are in college and have made your first million, if you are a serious Apple groupie but are secretly jaded with old-school ‘elegance’, if you loved the Lumia series but couldn’t wrap your head around Windows on a phone – then this is heaven sent for you. Anybody else and especially those ‘not in love’ with a Fisher-Price-toy-like look and feel inside and outside your phone – this is not your future phone! APPLE BRAND PHULJARI 2 – iPHONE 5S The phone has sold millions already. It’s the next-generation Apple smartphone and while it may look like an iPhone from two years ago – there are huge improvements. The unibody aluminium construction with glass accents still looks good and is now adorned with a paint job. The internals feature a new A7 SOC with 1GB of RAM, the first ever 64-bit architecture inside a phone and even a new M7 chip that can track all your movements without waking up the other processor. The camera gets an upgrade despite being labelled as an 8 megapixel as the sensor and pixels are larger. The big feature though, is the fingerprint scanner underneath the home button. Should come into iPHONE 5S India at a price of about `49,000. MADE FOR: If you’re an Apple Watch out for the fan and have upgraded every time fingerprint scanner a new iPhone comes out – why are you even reading this? If you want a fingerprint scanner that unlocks your phone in the coolest way possible, if you want a screaming fast phone, a camera that does its job even

OCTOBER 20, 2013

in low light, if you want to shoot videos in super ‘slo-mo’ and if you’ve been on the Apple bandwagon but haven’t upgraded for two generations – this is a no brainer. But if you think that 4-inch phones are seriously outdated, if you live and die by the term Phablet, if iOS7 has left you cold and if you think 50K is too much to spend to carry on the Apple legacy – wait for the iP6. DRAGON ROCKET – GIONEE E6 This one is a shocker. It’s a flagship phone from a company that till today hasn’t had the guts to release any expensive phones. Yet the E6 makes it to the list purely on design and specs. This phone’s good looks can even take on the Sony Xperia Z1. A unibody seamless design, One Glass Solution display, super thin at 6.18mm, a 5-inch full HD 1080P screen with 441 pixels per inch (ppi), a 1.5 GHz quad core processor, a 13 MP camera and 2GB of RAM. This phone packs it all in – and is priced at about `20,000. MADE FOR: If you believe that Chinese phones are crap, if you’re conscious of the brand of your phone, if you’d rather wait to see if a new player offers service and support, and if you believe that only price can equal quality and don’t believe that a 20K phone can be equal or better than a 40K phone – the E6 is not your cup of tea. But if good looks, serious value for money and the sense that these are the companies that actually make phones for almost all brands is already part of your thinkGIONEE E6 ing – this phone should be part of your life. This looker NEVER-ENDING ANAR – LENOVO P780 of a phone is The only non-flagship on this list and it’s here serious value for only one reason: battery life! The biggest for money frustration for every user AFTER they’ve bought a brand new phone. Till now the solution was to buy a phone with a big battery and accept that you were going to have to live with a clunky, thick and very ugly phone. No more. The P780 has great looks, a 5-inch 1280x720p display and a 294ppi, a faux brushed-metal casing, a 1.2GHz quad-core processor and a 8MP camera – all powered by a 4000 mAh battery which should last 2-3 days. Add to that another killer feature: you can charge almost any other phone straight from this phone. All this goodness comes in at about `16,500. MADE FOR: If you’re fidgety at 4pm every day as you know your phone is about to die, if you constantly switch off 3G on your phone to save some battery life, if you want to be known as PowerMan among your friends as you’re always there to charge their phones with your portable generator – this phone’s for you. If three days of battery life LENOVO P780 seems like a gimmick, maybe this This phone can charge almost any other phone isn’t for you. That then is your roster of serious contenders to win the title. Eight phones, each with some super seductive features. May your festive money be spent on a truly worthy contender and thus defeat all those evil companies that make you buy mediocre phones at big prices. After all, isn’t that the true spirit of Diwali? Rajiv Makhni is managing editor, Technology, NDTV, and the anchor of Gadget Guru, Cell Guru and Newsnet 3

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twitter.com/HTBrunch AN OLD FLAME Miles Davis 1970 double album, Bitches Brew, is a personal favourite

Photo: COURTESY FACEBOOK

THE GREYBOYS ARE BACK

On Inland Emperor, American jazz band The Greyboy Allstars’ latest offering, the groove, the soul and those ’70s vibes are still very much around Sanjoy Narayan

download central I

KING OF THE WORLD On Inland Emperor, released six years after their previous album, The Greyboy Allstars haven’t lost their touch

PERMANENT FIXTURE West Coast Boogaloo made The Greyboy Allstars a regular on the jambands’ circuit

T’S ROCK that does it best for me. It can come in whatever stripe – indie, heavy metal, with an orchestra or without, with a synth or without, folk-infused, progressive… you name it. Rock is my first preference when I want to listen to music. I like the blues too and R&B, some hip-hop, some post-rock, electronic dance music even, and sometimes experimental avant garde but not as much as I like rock. But there are those occasions when nothing but a classic jazz album will work for me. At such times, my well-thumbed sleeve of Miles Davis’ 1970 double album, Bitches Brew is brought out, and spun and, in spite of the nasty scratch on Spanish Key (first track on Side 3), I marvel for the umpteenth time at the fabulousness of that towering jazz-rock fusion album, its tracks, of course, but also the deadly line-up that trumpet guru Davis got together for it. Then there are those occasions when only Keith Jarrett’s Fort Yawuh (1973) will do, particularly the track named De Drums, a 12-minuter when drummer Paul Motian, bassist Charlie Haden, saxophonist Dewey Redman, percussionist Danny Johnson and, of course, the man himself, Jarrett, who not only plays piano on the album but also the soprano sax, hold me in thrall. Music is a matter of personal taste and some Jarrett fans I know don’t care as much for Fort Yawuh as they do for his other work – The Köln Concert, Nude Ants, Sleeper and so on – but my favourite is Fort Yawuh. Sometimes a bond develops between listener and album and there can be many reasons for that. For me, Fort Yawuh was the first jazz album that I really liked and one that made me seek out other great jazz music. That kind of thing works in the case of a band as well. The first time I heard The Greyboy Allstars in the late 1990s, I immediately liked them. It probably was the timing. I was

listening almost exclusively to post-Grateful Dead jambands those days, Phish, Umphrey’s McGee, moe., Disco Biscuits, The String Cheese Incident, and so on, when someone recommended a 1995 album by the Allstars called West Coast Boogaloo. It was jazz but of a different variety, blended with funk and soul, and the band, in fact, was a collaboration between a jazz quintet and a DJ, DJ Greyboy, whose trademark sound was 1970s funk. The quintet comprised musicians, each of whom were super formidable in his own right, especially, Karl Denson on horns and Robert Walker on keyboards, both with their own bands and touring ensembles. The six men jammed in San Diego, and an incredible band was formed. West Coast Boogaloo was their first album with an oldschool soul and funk sound all laid over the trademark grooves of DJ Greyboy whose name the band took. West Coast Boogaloo has eight tracks, and every one of those sounds really cool, but what stands out for me is called Tenor Man on which Denson’s virtuosity is in clear display. It’s the kind of jazz that made The Greyboy Allstars a regular on the jambands’ circuit, sharing gigs with more rock-ified, psychedelic bands. But the band itself was not one that you could call regular. Denson toured with his own band, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Robert Walter had his Robert Walter’s 20th Congress, and even the other members of the band, bassist Chris Stillwell, and guitarist Elgin Park, have other projects running. But every once in a while, they converge and, besides playing gigs, record albums. Not always, however, with Greyboy, though that famed DJ’s name seems to have stuck. Independent projects and gigs have meant that the Greyboys aren’t very prolific. After West Coast Boogaloo, they’ve released just four albums and not all of them have the DJ on board. This year, they released their latest, Inland Emperor, six years after their last album came out. I picked it up a bit late – I must admit that I haven’t been tracking the band as keenly as I ought to have – but it was a good decision. The band hasn’t lost its touch. Those 1970s vibes I mentioned? Still intact. The funk? The groove and the soul? Still there. I didn’t mention that The Greyboy Allstars have vocals in many of their songs, which work very well with the music. On Inland Emperor’s Bitch Inside Me, singer John Bigham’s falsetto is like an instrument that works in a contrarian manner with the rest of the deep cadence of the song. On Old Crow, the vocals are like a classic Woodstock-era rock band’s. But what stands out on Inland Emperor as it did on West Coast Boogaloo (as well as a third album of the band that I subsequently heard, 2007’s What Happened to Television? and one on which DJ Greyboy features) is the band’s perfect synergy: Walter’s keyboards, Denson’s horns, Stillwell and Park on their guitars, and Aaron Redfield’s drums. Soul. Funk. Jazz. You couldn’t have asked for a better mix. Download Central will appear every fortnight

There are occasions when nothing but a jazz album will work for me

OCTOBER 20, 2013

MORE ON THE WEB To give feedback, stream or download the music mentioned in this column, go to blogs.hindustantimes.com/ download-central. Write to Sanjoy at sanjoy.narayan@ hindustantimes.com

TOP GEAR

Curves Ahead

The F1 circus returns to India next weekend. What lies ahead? by Aasheesh Sharma

HE SPEED devils are back at Greater Noida’s Buddh International Circuit for the 2013 Indian Grand Prix. Between October 25 and 27, Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel, who is in blazing form after winning the Japanese Grand Prix, will strive hard to retain the title he won last year by beating Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso.

Photos: GETTY IMAGES

Sebastian Vettel comes to the country knowing he has a chance to create history. He needs to finish fifth or higher at the Indian Grand Prix to win his fourth F1 title in a row. That will put him in the league of racing legends Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton, who finished fourth in 2012, has declared that now is the ‘perfect time’ for him to reclaim

his position as the best driver in the world. Watch this space! aasheesh.sharma@ hindustantimes.com

RAGING BULL

Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull, the defending champion, could make history

THE CIRCUIT The 5.14 km Buddh International Circuit as been conceptualised by designer Herman Tilke, who has previously masterminded world class race circuits such as Sepang, Shanghai and Valencia. The expected average lap time is 1 minute and 27.02 seconds, at an average speed of 210.03 km/h (131 mph). The top speed that the F1 cars could touch is likely to be about 318 km/h (198 mph).

MARS AND VENUS

hindustantimes.com/brunch

Past < Present < Future

Leave your failed relationship where it belongs – in the past. Move on! by Tavishi Paitandy Rastogi

HE FIRST experience of something, anything, has the power to break the mould, open your eyes and change your perspective. There is truly nothing quite like the first time. No love like first love and of course, no hurt like the first heartbreak. No wonder then, that its impact is so big that it becomes almost impossible to move on. Especially when it’s a broken relationship and a broken heart! You cry, howl and wallow. You kick, scream and complain about how unfair life is, how ungrateful some people are. Are you feeling sorry for yourself yet? Done playing the victim and blaming yourself for the heartbreak and the emotional turmoil you’re going through? And have you gone round and round

in circles trying to ﬁgure why you had to go through heartbreak in the ﬁrst place? If the answer is yes, then it’s time to move on. Of course it’s easier said than done. “No matter how many people tell you that it happened for the best and no matter how desperately you wanted ‘out’ as long as you were ‘in’ the relationship, once the deed is done, the feeling of a vacuum is pervasive and all-encompassing,” says Nivedita Dutt, a Gurgaon-based software consultant. She should know. Dutt, recently divorced, had a happy marriage for 10 years. “Or so I thought,” she says as she talks about her decision to part ways when she found out that her

husband was cheating on her. Dutt felt terrible about it but what shocked her more was how devastated she felt after the divorce. “The trauma was so intense that I thought my life was ﬁnished. Somewhere deep inside I actually hoped that we would get back!” That awful feeling (coupled with physical symptoms like churning of the stomach and nausea) that strikes when you are scared, insecure, vulnerable and angry becomes a constant, she adds. And that, say experts, is not unusual. “Post break-up trauma is a very difﬁcult phase,” says Delhi psychologist Dr Sandeep Narayan. “It doesn’t matter whether the

MAKE A CLEAN EXIT

TAKE A CONSCIOUS CALL Decide in your

head that a break up is the path that you have chosen. And make sure that you tell yourself again and again that it was for the best. You did it because you wanted to. Tell yourself that you have exercised YOUR power of choice. your phone, Facebook page and Twitter feed. Hide your old albums until you are over him/ her. Stop interacting with the same friends. Take them into conﬁdence, they’ll understand. Take your time and get over the past.

NEVER COMPARE. Your last lover/ spouse may have had some good or bad points. But

STOP THE BLAME GAME Stop placing all

DO EVERYTHING YOU NEVER DID “Yes,

this is the perfect time to do all the things that you didn’t, earlier. From getting that so called “ugly” haircut to taking a holiday with new friends. Or from changing your job and house to sitting quietly and taking stock of your life. Do all that you didn’t have time for before,” says Dr Narayan.

STOP BEING A VICTIM Stop feeling sad,

betrayed and victimised. Think just how much more miserable you would have been had you not opted out. Make yourself a happier person. Think of all that you can do now that you are single again.

OCTOBER 20, 2013

Yes, you can look for and ﬁnd love afresh. Stop feeling that there is no love in this world. Go ahead and meet new interesting people. Who knows what you may start feeling again? “And love the second time round can be a great pleasure,” says relationship consultant Bhavna Mehra. “But the deal is that you need to be ready for it.”

DON’T BE AFRAID that you’ll never be able to love again, which can be a self-fulﬁlling prophecy. You must be willing to let love in again and not shy away from it out of fear.

CTRL+ALT+DELETE Remove your ex from

the blame on her/him and deﬁnitely stop blaming yourself. In fact, stop doing a postmortem at all. The more you look for reasons and causes, the more sucked in you will be. Stop thinking about him/her or life with them. Think of and build your life WITHOUT them.

relationship was happy, sad or abusive. The sudden breaking of a bond brings enormous insecurities about the future, coupled with a deep sense of longing for the old, known devil. And the mind starts to play games.” This is why it’s necessary that you make a clean break. Put away your tissues, put the ice-cream back in the freezer and pay attention to our moving-on guide:

FIND LOVE AGAIN Photos: THINKSTOCK

DON’T USE A NEW ROMANCE TO HELP YOU GET OUT OF THE PREVIOUS ONE. MAKE SURE YOUR NEW BOND IS NOT ON THE REBOUND. CRY, CRIB, DO WHAT IT TAKES TO GRIEVE OVER YOUR DEAD RELATIONSHIP, BUT GET OUT!

never compare your new love to him/her. In an argument or even a romantic moment, statements like “this is just the way he/she behaved or she/he used to say the same thing” can spell the death knell for your new relationship. Avoid setting and holding expectations for one person based on what you remember about another. Everything and everyone is different; no two relationships will ever be the same.

DON’T WALLOW IN SELF PITY. It is the most

unattractive thing to do. People tend to sympathise for some time. But they appreciate people who can take control of their own lives. No one likes additional baggage. “A conﬁdent, selfrespecting person is far more attractive than an insecure, forever crying person,” says Mehra.

LEARN YOUR LESSON. Remember the dynam-

ics of your past relationships so that you can avoid repeating the same mistakes in the new choices you make. Learn to look at the past as a lesson and not a failure. Then smile, take a deep breath, and look forward to creating a new deﬁnition of love.

tavishi.rastogi@hindustantimes.com

Photo: VIPIN KUMAR

B R U N C H D AT E

Mansoor Khan, who catapulted cousin Aamir to fame, is back – not with a film but a book

“I’m Obsessive, But Not A Perfectionist”

by Veenu Singh

E REINVENTED romance with Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak and gave us one of the best romantic pairs in Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla. And then, after directing four films, Mansoor Khan vanished. He left Bollywood for the solitude of Coonoor in Tamil Nadu. And now, after almost a decade of country living, Khan is back. Not with a film, but an economics book, The Third Curve – The End Of Growth As We Know It, which questions our concept of growth. We caught up with him for a chat at Nom Nom at the Ashok Hotel in Delhi over spicy Chinese.

You are producer-director Nasir Hussain’s son. What made you decide to study engineering?

My father was a legendary filmmaker, but he was also a very private man. He was very low key. He used to throw one party every year on his birthday when all the bigwigs – Javed Saab, RD Burman, Shammi Kapoor (I used to call him Shammi uncle), Sachin Bhowmick and others – would come home. I’d go around with my autograph book. But more than films, gadgets interested me. I wanted to make things, I liked tinkering. After some time, my interest moved from simple electrical things like microphones to wanting to bug every room in the house! I was also into amplifiers and ham radio (amateur radio). I liked spying on things as I was quite influenced by Enid Blyton and the Famous Five books. And even though I’d play the piano and drums, compose and write music, I was not into the filmi side of it. Though music did turn out to be one of the motivating factors behind making movies.

From IIT Bombay to Boston’s MIT to making one of the biggest love stories of its time, you’ve done it all…

Not many know that I opted out of engineering after one-and-a-half years at IIT, two years at Cornell

and one year at MIT. At MIT, I realised that I didn’t want to do this as a career. I stopped going to class but I picked up two things: sailing and drumming. Sailing became a big part of my life. I wanted to live on a boat and go cruising. I even did a 36-day journey from Taiwan to India. The four of us on the boat did deep-sea navigation – that was my life for many years. I really wanted to live near the sea. But life had different plans for me. My father had a bypass surgery. He couldn’t take the stress of making films. He made two more films after Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai (1981), but they didn’t do too well and he was disappointed. He had

QSQT was my dad’s vision. I just contributed to the screenwriting OCTOBER 20, 2013

managed to surpass expectations every time, but this time... This was the one thing I was always wary of – chasing your shadow. When people get popular, they become victims of their own image. But very few can handle it. I’m very shy and I was scared after I saw what happened to my dad. I was also very sensitive to the fact that a person can be so badly jolted by a so-called failure that it completely undermines his belief in himself. Though, of course, my dad regained that with Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (QSQT, 1988). It was his vision. I contributed to the screenwriting but in the end it was his love story.

How do you feel about the way Aamir’s career has shaped up? Are you a perfectionist too?

Aamir is six-seven years younger than I am. At one time, he used to be very influenced by me. Today, I’m influenced by all the things he is doing. Aamir was absolutely clear about coming into films right from the beginning. He is a deep thinker, has a wider sensibility and is actually the true successor to my dad. And Imran, my sister Nuzhat’s son, is a true successor to Aamir. Imran is extremely intelligent and is very passionate about cinema. He is actually a surprise. He was quite an angrez – he didn’t know much Hindi but he was never camera shy.

He’ll definitely make films sometime. These are the guys who are carrying the legacy forward. While Aamir is a perfectionist, I’m not at all like that. I’m obsessive but not a perfectionist. To be honest, I’m quite random. My dad always used to say ‘You are a jack of all trades but master of none’. All my life, I have only chosen things that turn me on. Like my book. I have worked on it for years, not to make money (you can’t make money with a non-fiction book like this), but because I feel so strongly about the subject matter.

So what was the thought behind The Third Curve?

The research for this book started in 1991 when I was all set to fulfill my dream of living on the land I’d bought in Mandwa. But before I could realise my dream, I was told that I had to give away that land to the government to build an airport there. I decided to fight back and get to the truth behind this and went through this whole journey of learning and probing, of discovery, of anxiety, of soul-searching. And then I realised this whole concept of greater common need, how common people have to sacrifice for the pleasure of a few. I was a rich guy, but what about people who can’t afford it? And from there I got the idea about this book. The book is about how our belief that money can grow is false. Every aspect of our life is based on the

concept of growth. But it is insane to assume that we can have limitless growth with our limited resources. There is a peak point for everything; even our body reaches a peak point before it slumps. There comes a point when the growth has to come down. This is what I call the third curve. You cannot chase this curve. This is not a moral book, it’s not about greed or ecology. It is about energy accounting. We have to realise that we need to simplify things at some point. One reason why the last recession in 2008 didn’t affect India so much was because we hadn’t opened our markets then. The RBI had not allowed us to be exposed, which was a very good thing.

vinced about my decision, we moved lock, stock and barrel. I really wanted my kids to experience this life, something they would treasure their entire life. I bought more land and we started with our farm, making cheese (Gouda, Parmesan and Cheddar), bread, soaps and even gobar gas. Now we have farmstays. This is the life I have always dreamt of living. I have absolutely no interest in glamour or in the fact that people should know me.

Jo Jeeta... was about someone like me. I always intended it for Aamir Khan

Is that why you decided to give it all up and move to Coonoor?

Moving to Coonoor was a very planned decision. My parents had a house and I used to feel at peace there. I intuitively knew that I wanted to live there. After I made Josh (2000), I finally decided to move. But the decision had nothing to do with Josh at all. It is a classic media way of looking at things. Josh didn’t do well because I didn’t make it nicely. I take full responsibility for it. When my parents were no more, something happened. I just got into the car with my dog and computer and lived there alone for a year. In fact, that was my healing. Then in 2003, after my wife Tina was con-

Are you in touch with your family?

My immediate family is my sister Nuzhat who I’m in touch with. I don’t usually intrude too much into Aamir’s life as he is very busy. I interact with him regularly though. Imran of late has been in touch with me as he wants me to be involved in some scripts he’s working on. I just do that for the structural part. I don’t do the scenes. veenus@hindustantimes.com

MORE ON THE WEB

Mansoor Khan talked about much more. Read the full interview on hindustantimes. com/brunch

LIFE ON MY COONOOR FARM My day begins early, especially if we have guests staying with us. Tina, my wife, conducts classes on cheesemaking in the morning, while I tell guests about making bread or even soaps, something I’ve started doing recently after learning from the Net. We occasionally go into town where we have a few friends. We also go to the Coonoor Club with them, but only once in a while. Now that our two kids are away, Tina and I have more time and we plan to start going away from the farm for small breaks of our own. I definitely need my afternoon nap,

OCTOBER 20, 2013

though it may not necessarily happen in the afternoon. I’m very interested in the Internet and have been designing my own website. Evenings are usually spent surfing the Net. Though I’m not very regular with watching movies, I really liked Chennai Express. And I love all of Aamir’s movies.

TRAVEL

Getting There Is Half The Fun! Load up the car, gear up, get going. Here are India’s best driving holidays text and photos by Rishad Saam Mehta

F ALL you’ve been doing in your old faithful four-wheeler is commuting to work and back, you’re missing out – on what your car is capable of. India’s open roads are right outside your city. They cover some of the country’s most scenic routes, pass some of its fast vanishing treasures and

The Sach Pass and the Pangi Valley

The diversity of terrain, culture and geography on this 1,410km round trip is astonishing. By the end, you’ll have gone over smooth tarmac and unbelievably broken roads. You’ll have passed streams, glaciers and maybe even a minor landslide. You’ll have weaved through six valleys, two high altitude passes (the tallest at 14,930 feet) and trafﬁc jams of stubborn

lead to some of its most exciting destinations. So the next time you go on vacation, cancel the ﬂight tickets, pack your maps and see India from your car window – you might just ﬁnd that the journey is as much fun as the destination. brunchletters@hindustantimes.com

yak and sheep. You’ll have lived in tents, lodges and homestays. And you’ll have seen views that will leave you gasping. Start from Chandigarh towards Dalhousie to get acclimatised to the height. From here the drive heads east towards the Sach Pass. The ﬁrst halt should be Bairagarh, 87km from Dalhousie. The ﬁrst glaciers come up 5km before the pass. They seem to crowd the mountainside. The drive up the Pass and down, though precarious, is an amalgamation of vertigo and wonder. The roads are so narrow that it seems the mountains have grudgingly relented just enough width to make motoring possible. Drive cautiously; this road is in no way passive. Rocks hurtle down, glaciers groan mournfully and crack thunderously, streams change course – but it’s pure adventure. This is also the entrance to the Pangi Valley, one of the narrowest

En route to Manali, you’ll have seen views that will leave you gasping

0CTOBER 20, 2013

AS YOU PASS BY... The road is lush and green past the district HQ of Udaipur (top); You’ll pass waterfalls en route (centre); The Pangi Valley (above); Roads narrow as you near the Sach Pass (left); Girls carrying wood in the Pangi Valley; You may have to drive through streams on this route the Manali-Leh highway at Tandi, which is the next fuel stop after Chamba – 291km behind. From here the road goes across the Rohtang and descends back into the foothills at Manali. valleys in Himachal Pradesh. The roads improve drastically and the scenery goes lush and green past the district headquarters of Udaipur and the road then joins

HOW FAR, HOW LONG (KM/DAYS) Chandigarh to Manali and back: 1,075/5

TRAVEL GET PACKING

JUST COASTING ALONG

The mighty Janjira Fort (left); Stopping for refreshment and sea views (above); Konkan-style breakfast at Guhagar

Down the Konkan coast This road that hugs Maharashtra’s coastline goes past sleepy ﬁshing villages, ramparts of once-proud forts and beaches which are as pristine, if not more, than Goa’s. Cover the route over three days, savouring kokum soda and fresh seafood. From Panvel on the Mumbai-Pune road, it’s a quick drive to Pen, after which the route goes off the beaten path towards Alibag. Kashid is the ﬁrst village on this route, followed by Murud, after which come the fantastic views of Janjira Fort in

the bay. Seaside views are a constant companion all the way to Rajapuri jetty – the ﬁrst ferry crossing. The road past Srivardhan, Harihareshwar and Harnai is smooth tarmac, with intermittent sea views and the next ferry (a 10-minute crossing) is between Harihareshwar and Bankot. Guhagar, 56km after Harnai, has yet another short ferry between Dhabhol and Dhopve and is a good ﬁrst-night halt.

The Konkan drive covers ﬁshing villages, forts and very pristine beaches

The next day’s route is even better as views now alternate between the sea and swaying palms or mango orchards. The beaches Ganpatipule, Devgad, Kunkeshwar and Mithbhav are all pristine. Make your second-night halt at Tarkarli, just 70km short of Goa. The third day’s drive is through Sawantwadi, after which the route goes past Vengurla and Shiroda to Terekhol jetty to the ﬁnal ferry to Querim, 30km from Mapusa.

HOW FAR, HOW LONG (KM/DAYS) Bombay to Mapusa by the coastal route: 650/3 (the distance is approximate because there are so many little roads down the coast on this route that your actual kilometres might vary).

HOW FAR, HOW LONG (KM/DAYS)

The Heartland - Orchha and Khajuraho From Delhi, the 327km journey to Gwalior takes just over four hours. Leave at dawn to get the entire day to explore the city. The imposing sandstone Gwalior Fort is what warrants the stopover. Orchha is 120km from Gwalior, making it a two-hour drive (barring the mess of Jhansi). There are enough temples, palaces and cenotaphs to hint at what this town must have been like in its heyday. A few hours’ from Orchha is Khajuraho, full of pleasing symmetry in the temple spires and the imaginative contortions in the

IT’S ALL IN THE GAZE

Orchha’s famous chattris are striking (above); Khajuraho will astound you erotic sculptures. The 386km drive from here to Varanasi is a bit bumpy and will take seven hours. But Varanasi is a riot of colour, chaos and smells. The one excursion that must be done at the early hour of 5.30am

New Delhi to New Delhi: 1,850/8

is the boat trip south from Dasaswamedh Ghat to Harishchandra Ghat and back. Watch the ghats come alive with the colour and clamour of pilgrims bathing and offering morning prayers. The ﬁnal stop is Agra – 605km or about eight hours away. Delhi, at last, is just three hours from here.

While the whole idea of a driving holiday is to have flexibility in your schedule and give into impulse, it would be a little daft to jump out of bed, slip into your holiday clothes and take off. A little smart planning is needed before any road trip. How much, how long? You really don’t want to come back from your holiday feeling that your destination was actually the inside of your car. Plan short driving stints, rest days at locations you like and a few buffer days too. A rule of thumb for average speeds to expect is: 80kph on expressways, 60kph on normal highways, 30kph on smooth hill roads, 20kph on dirt tracks and broken roads. While working out your fuel budget, reduce the kilometres per litre (kpl) by about 10 per cent and calculate fuel for that much. If you are driving mainly in the mountains then reduce the kpl by 30 per cent. Keep aside an emergency fund for breakdowns or repairs. Remote places don’t accept credit cards, but wherever you can pay by plastic, do so and keep cash for places where you cannot. A good rule of thumb is to calculate all the money you’ll need and carry twice that. The Car A serviced car needs just a cursory check-up. This should include: Tyres: Worn out tyres are not only dangerous, but they can ruin a road trip by constantly getting punctured. Lights: Check if properly focused. In the city, an awry high beam often goes unnoticed, but on the highway it can become very difficult to drive if your headlights are off focus. Spares: Check the spare wheel and see that the tyre is inflated to the correct pressure. Sadly it is only when a puncture occurs that one realises that neither the driver nor passengers know where the spare wheel or wheel changing tools are kept, how to unsecure it or the point to put the jack to hoist the wheel off the ground. Familiarise yourself with all this. Images: SHUTTERSTOCK

MORE ON THE WEB For more travel stories, log on to hindustantimes.com/ brunch SEPTEMBER 26, 2013

WILD ANGLE

Born 17 years apart in different corners of the globe, India’s ﬁrst woman BASE jumper and a young British kayaker represent the tough new face of adventure sport enthusiasts everywhere by Aasheesh Sharma

hindustantimes.com/brunch

Photo courtesy: JOE REA-DICKINS/ THE OUTDOOR JOURNAL

Adrenaline Junkies

PADDLE PUSHER

Joe Rea-Dickins, 24, kayaker

Photo: RAJ K RAJ; Location courtesy: TAJ PALACE HOTEL

EFORE HE went to university in 2009, English adventurer Joe Rea-Dickins, then 20, decided to travel the world. He visited India twice, both times on a shoestring budget. “Travelling as a backpacker, I got to know the people better. While taking buses to India’s hill stations, everyone would be looking up at the mountains, but my eyes would be down at the rivers.” Since then, the 24-year-old kayaker has come to the country numerous times, notably to carry out ﬁrst descents of rivers in Uttarakhand, Ladakh and Meghalaya. Last week, in the city to deliver a lecture, Rea-Dickins said India’s rivers are among the best in the world for kayaking. “Adventurous types are looking to come to India, and the maximum enthusiasm is for non-Himalayan rivers. In Kerala, a group of kayakers, the Southern River Runners, is popularising the sport. The other hot spots are the hills of Meghalaya and Rishikesh.”

EARLY LESSONS

Meghalaya. The rivers were very high and it took us three days to tackle it,” he says.

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS

Rea-Dickins learnt kayaking at the age of 15, when his brother and parents dragged him along on a family holiday to France. “At that time it sounded boring to me. But my brother, who had been learning the sport since the age of 12, prevailed upon me.” The Himalayas have a wide range of waters to offer to the kayaker, says Rea-Dickins. “In Ladakh, I have kayaked the Shayak in its full volume. But I perceive the ﬁrst descent of the Kynshi in Meghalaya to be one of the toughest I’ve done anywhere in the world.” Why was it so tough? “There had been heavy rain in

A few years ago, Rea-Dickins’ younger brother Daniel kayaked off a 70-feet waterfall in Kenya and rather than emerging from below it, ended up behind the curtain of the fall. “If a kayak topples, we ﬁrst do the roll (the act of righting a capsized kayak by use of body motion and/or a paddle). If it doesn’t work, we get out of the boat and swim.” The scariest experience ReaDickins had while kayaking was in Wales on a river called Nedd Fachan, when he was 18. “The boat upturned, rolled a few times and held me inside. I hit the bottom and stayed there maybe a minute before my friends grabbed me and

WHEN A BOAT IS NOT JUST A BOAT Essential protective gear WHAT’S A A helmet, a buoyancy aid, which is like KAYAK? The original hunting boat favoured by the Eskimos, the International Canoe Federation deﬁnes a kayak as a boat where the paddler faces forward, legs in front, using a doublebladed paddle. The rider moves the boat forward by dipping the blades alternately on either side.

a lifejacket that helps you swim with your head underwater and a throw bag with 20 metres of rope for a person stranded in the current. A pin kit, that works like a pulley mechanism 9 times stronger than the person pulling it.

Photos courtesy: ARCHANA SARDANA/ THE OUTDOOR JOURNAL

FREE FALL

Sardana moved to BASE jumping (left) after more than 200 sky jumps

BASE JUMPING BASE stands for Buildings, Antennas, Spans (bridges) and Earth (cliffs) indicating the points practitioners use to jump off. It is done from much lower altitudes than sky jumping (which is generally done from 14,000 ft) and uses just one parachute (sky jumping has two).

WHATEVER IT TAKES

HIGH ACHIEVER

Archana Sardana, 41, BASE jumper

SURF’S UP

Joe Rea-Dickins has kayaked on expeditions in Venezuela, Kenya, Pakistan and India

WHAT PUSHES THEM TO THE EDGE? On the sidelines of Adventure Stories, a series of talks focusing on interesting adventure sports, we asked Ibex Expeditions’ (one of the organisers of the talks along with Taj Safaris) founder Mandeep Soin on the allure of extreme sports. Although most extreme sport enthusiasts train hard and their safety gear is hi-tech, accidents still do happen. “It boils down to the human desire to test boundaries,” says Soin. “Personally, I’d think twice about taking up BASE jumping as a hobby. It’s like solo rock-climbing without protection! But extreme adventurers are wired differently I guess.”

pulled me out,” he says. Rea-Dickins dismisses the notion that one has to be brilliant at swimming to go kayaking. “I am a rubbish swimmer. The day I feel I would have to get out of the boat and swim, I don’t kayak. ” Kayaking in India is set to boom, says Rea-Dickins. “At the moment, there are about 500 kayakers in India. In the next 10 years, my prediction is, the number will grow to 5,000,” he says. Next Rea-Dickins would like to kayak in the Garo Hills. “I want to do the Umngi river that plunges 500 feet into one of the most inviting canyons in Meghalaya.” Feel like riding the rapids?

rom a girl born into luxury to a daredevil mother of two who pursues the most dangerous adventure sport on the planet, Archana Sardana’s life has seen many extremes. As the only woman BASE jumper in India, Sardana, 41, is a pioneer of sorts. “In terms of injuries and deaths, it is 43 times more dangerous than sky diving,” said Apoorva Prasad, editor of The Outdoor Journal (see box). Unlike skydiving, done from about 14,000 feet, BASE jumping takes place from far lower altitudes, says Sardana. So when she first jumped off a 400-feet bridge at a BASE learning school in Salt Lake City, United States, she was slightly nervous. “The reaction time is less than five seconds. If you don’t open the chute in three seconds, you are history.” Even when she got married in 1998, Sardana didn’t let age or convention come in the way of her quest for adventure. The youngest of four children in a family of affluent transporters based in Srinagar, she chose to marry a submariner when she turned 24. “I married a Defence officer since I wanted excitement,” she says. She got plenty of that soon after she joined her husband Rajiv Sardana, who was posted in Vizag, Andhra Pradesh. “Instead of a grih-pravesh at a fancy apartment, I walked into an austere room with two sleeping bags and a trunkful of books,” she recalls. On their honeymoon, to save money, the Sardanas signed up for a course at Darjeeling’s Himalayan Mountaineering Institute. Gradually, she evolved from climbing

mountains to scuba diving, sky jumping and ﬁnally BASE jumping. “It has to be a gradual progression towards overcoming danger: If you take shortcuts, you can get injured,” says Sardana.

IT’S ALL IN THE MIND

Sardana says she doesn’t like going to the gym. How then does she keep in shape for extreme sports at the wrong side of 40? “I am just headstrong,” she says. Often this stubborn streak can give panic attacks to her family, says her husband Rajiv. Like the time in 2011 when she went to Kuala Lumpur. “I got a Google alert saying a woman BASE jumper had died at Al-Sattar tower. My relatives were freaking out, but Archana switched off her phone and went ahead to complete the jump. Only then did she switch it on or come online,” says Rajiv.

GRAVITY DEFYING Riding high on will-power, Archana Sardana has made it a habit to beat odds. Here’s how: She got into adventure sports at 24 with a course in mountaineering She began skydiving at 34 with a course from an institute in the US She learnt to swim at 38 and within two years, became India’s ﬁrst woman master scuba-diver At 41, she wants to do the Everest BASE Jump from 30,000 feet

In 2011, Sardana got injured after her parachute got entangled in a tree. “I could not walk for many days,” she says. Without sponsorship or State support, Sardana hasn’t let the lack of funds dampen her zest for adventure. “To fund my sky-diving training, we even mortgaged our house and sold my jewellery.” But Archana claims she doesn’t have any love for material riches. “What I crave is adventure. I have to be somewhere out there doing something audacious. If I stay cooped up at home I feel ill. Put me on a plane and I’ll be ﬁne. I don’t mind even jumping off from it,” she laughs. aasheesh.sharma@hindustantimes.com

PERSONAL AGENDA

Actress

Mallika Sherawat

BIRTHDAY SUN SIGN HOMETOWN SCHOOL/COLLEGE

October 24

Scorpio

Rohtak, Haryana

FIRST BREAK

Delhi Public School, Mathura Road / The lead role in Miranda House, Delhi University Khwahish (2003)

HIGH POINT OF YOUR LIFE LOW POINT OF YOUR LIFE CURRENTLY I AM...

Meeting Barack Obama in 2011

Being disowned by my father

Your first crush. The physical education teacher when I was in school. Marilyn Monroe or Mallika Sherawat, who’s sexier? Marilyn Monroe, of course! A cricketer for whom you’d love to sing Bheege hont tere. None of them. I’m not into cricket. You were born Reema Lamba. If you had to change your name again, what would you call yourself? I’m happy being called Mallika. It means ‘The Empress’. Why would an empress who is so awesome want to change her name? There’s a war for your love between the handsome and the rich. Who’d you pick? Neither. I’d go for the intellectual. The last thing you bought for under `10. In Udaipur, shooting for the show, a boy performing magic tricks gave me a Ganesh idol for `5. One trait you detest in people. Bad breath. One lesson fame has taught you. You can never be too famous. One question you wish the media would stop asking you. They hardly ask me any questions. They should never stop! Three things you always take to Cannes. My lip balm, which I cannot live without, my vegan chef who always travels with me, and my brother. A gadget you can’t figure out. A laptop. I find it IF YOU WOKE UP ONE MORNING AND REALISED YOU’D TURNED INTO A SNAKE...

I’d slither away

Photo: THINKSTOCK

Looking for love on The Bachelorette India (Life OK)

my movies THE FIRST MOVIE I WATCHED ON THE BIG SCREEN.

Angoor (1982). I went with my friends THE MOST PAISA VASOOL FILM.

Pyaar Ke Side Effects (2006)

THE FILM I’VE WATCHED THE MOST NUMBER OF TIMES.

Monster (2003) THE FILM I WISH I ACTED IN.

Dirty Pretty Things (2002) THE BOLLYWOOD FILM EVERY FOREIGNER SHOULD WATCH.

Kahaani (2012)

very complicated. The last good book you read. Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda. Botox, liposuction, rhinoplasty or bikini wax? Which is a star’s best friend? None. A Bollywood star’s best friend should be a disciplined and healthy vegan lifestyle with lots of yoga and exercise. — Interviewed by Pooja Biraia

OCTOBER 20, 2013