Hindustantimes Brunch 23rd October 2011

WEEKLY MAGAZINE, OCTOBER 23, 2011 Free with your copy of Hindustan Times

16, 2011 OCTOBER Times WEEKLY MAGAZINE, copy of Hindustan

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2 3 . 1 0 . 1 1

QUARTERLY

I N

T H I S

GUESS WHO’S ON THE

COVER??

Disco Diwali!

y special on the We’ve got someone ver arterly! Which Qu nch Bru of er next cov The first five is? star do you think it copy of the mag. e fre a get correct guesses rterly The latest issue of Brunch Qua r you! nea nd ssta new a coming soon at

facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch Sanjukta Mukherjee Brunch Date was superb!!! thnx VeeNu 4d info abt rajeev. Bt m sad as wel coz i thot of marrying him in future..:-P Manjiree Jaitly I’m no fan of Sanjay Dutt but I thought Seema Goswami’s article in last week’s Brunch was intrusive.

Ready made clothes are all the rage but do they give a perfect fit?

Find out why tailor made clothes make our cut

Checks And Ladders

People have gotten over labels.

They want elegance and coolness PLAY

A Conversation With Siri

The voice-controlled assistant on the iPhone 4S has minimal ambitions right now, but its potential is huge

Viral Tagdiwala It’s awesome when u print articles about different bands, especially in Sanjoy Narayan’s column bt i also think that you must promote some upcming bands as well..... :)

LISTEN

By Reputation

I trust Sub Pop so much that I blindly pick up albums by any new artist it signs on

Ujjwala Raut

The model on her first kiss, why The Lion King makes her cry, her love for sushi and why she hates love stories!

This festive season, go forth and light up someone else’s life

BRUNCH ON THE WEB

hindustantimes.com/brunch

Calling All Tweeple twitter.com/HTBrunch @shwetamz Split Wide Open in HT Brunch today must read for phone lovers.. New models from Samsung, Nokia and Sony , HTC.. Feel like having them all ;) @NitinBroota @RajivMakhni your column never needed any explanations.

Those who are always hungry for attention wud alwys criticize.... @optandon @SeemaGoswami Too early to guess.Let us see how Sanju daughter floats. @RajivMakhni But then I would have been shocked if I wrote about a iPhone(even indirectly) n not have been bombarded by the iMafia :). @raimasen The best thing abt Sunday is Brunch.

Write to brunchletters@hindustantimes.com For marketing and ad-related queries, contact Suresh Tripathi 09818899646

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Neo-dissatisfaction

— RACHNA GOGIA, New Delhi

SPEND

PERSONAL AGENDA

gly affordab surprisin

Happy Diwali!

INDULGE

Pick Up The Threads 12

Khan Market L’Opera in bread and pastry sells good prices that are at le products

LIVE

BURN BRIGHT: Shine through this Diwali PHOTO COURTESY: CREATIVE CANDLES

Viral Tagdiwala Tis times Brunch was tooo dam gd man really liked it :))).

Raman Saini The one negative aspect of colorful Brunch is that on sunday evening my son gets busy in cut&paste job-choosing,cutting & pasteing colorful pics. in his scrap book-that too with my shaving blades and scissors.

Big festival, big issue! Filled with electrifying stories, bright shopping tips and charged-up gift-packing guides, we have a big feast planned for you. Whether you want chocolate making lessons or to look beautiful in only three days, we shed the light!

FEED BACK

IT WAS interesting to read the article on kitty parties by Pooja Biraia (The New, Revised Kitty Party, 16 October). The first thought that crossed my mind was, what an artificial life our generation is living.

Gone are the days when people were satisfied with just their family, when their life revolved around their children and their future.

Now mothers are more conscious about their figures and their public image. They are more interested in impressing their social circle than their husbands. And the same holds true for men who like to flaunt their impressive cars and six packs.

One wonders where the beauty of ‘made for each other’ couples has gone. Today’s new-age generation is looking for relationships beyond pure husband-wife relationships and this is leading to marital infidelity.

Social networking has made our generation all the more dissatisfied with their relationships. The very fact that we try to invent something new for ourselves every other day shows how dissatisfied we are with our lives.

recently stunned you!)

(Hint: It’s someone who

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THE ARTICLE on kitty parties gave a true picture of the social scene.

Here in Ludhiana and in fact in the whole of Punjab, the fashion of holding kitties has encompassed all age groups and genders. What was considered a useless pastime for ladies is now being favoured by men also. It almost seems that earlier men envied the fun that their better halves were having and then decided to live up to the adage, “If you can’t beat them, join them.” The amount of money collected has reached astronomical figures and kitties with a monthly contribution of at least one lakh rupees have become passé.

Local and foreign holidays after every other month are also on the agenda. On the anvil for the ladies is a ‘Shatabdi Kitty’ where they make a day trip and have their grand party in Delhi. When we held a kitty party in a restaurant few decades ago, it became the talk of the town but now many of the restaurants survive on such kitty parties.

— POONAM BINDRA, Ludhiana

EDITORIAL: Poonam Saxena (Editor), Kushalrani Gulab (Deputy Editor); DESIGN: Ashutosh Sapru (National Editor Design), Cover design: Ashutosh Sapru Tavishi Paitandy Rastogi, Mignonne Dsouza, Veenu Singh, Parul Khanna Swati Chakrabarti, Rakesh Kumar, Ashish Singh, Cover photo: Getty Images Tewari, Pranav Dixit, Yashica Dutt, Amrah Ashraf Saket Misra, Suhas Kale, Shailendra Mirgal

HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 23, 2011

U

Home

NLIKE MOST people, the thought of being alone doesn’t push me into a downward spiral of depression and anxiety. In fact, much to my mum’s distress, I see no disgrace in dining alone on the bed, the daily tabloid on one corner and the TV remote on the other.

This solitary lifestyle, now a carefully cultivated habit, was hatched as an early experiment in maturity and growing up, and bred in the petri dish of college. When the sole denominators of my newfound adulthood were a healthy OCD for cleanliness and a self-inflicted habit of sleeping at dawn. So in my last year at college, I decided to spend Diwali alone and make a success of it. Hiding behind the completely believable alibi of mid-term exams, my fretting family in Rajasthan finally relented and agreed to let me be.

Alone HOW I SPENT THE DIWALI OF 2006 ON MY OWN

Festivals, family and friends start with ‘F’ for a reason. A grand cosmic signal that thou shalt not be alone on Diwali.

Read what happened when I ignored it!

by Yashica Dutt

THIS IS WHERE I GOT COCKY

Look at ’em losers going home As I watched fellow students book train tickets in advance, shop for trinkets to take home and not do their laundry, my smugness only grew. I didn’t need to run home to mommy and daddy at every given chance, I was big girl, I could it handle it on my own, y’know.

With just a few days left for the main day, as the typical Delhi winter coolness filled the air, I knew I wasn’t going to be the sit-at-home-orderpizza-watch-a-rented-movie loser, no sir. My Diwali had to be planned precisely and executed accurately, just the way we did it at home. And the way at home is to scrub till the floors are so clean you can eat off them.

CLEANING TILL I DROPPED

One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Cut Her Finger So I began with a duster in hand and scarf on face, brooming, mopping and getting rid of the cobwebs. Only stopping when the grime-covered, carbon coated ceiling fan, whirring at a sub-zero speed, caught my

attention. Re-enacting a scene that would not seem out of place in a mental ward, I perched myself on a stool to clean the fan, without switching it off . I snatched my hand away but not before I cut my finger.

And saw my clean floor spoiled by a bright stream of blood. That took care of the cleaning. (Well, thankfully I had finished most of it earlier.)

SHOPPING MAD

Rome can’t be built in a day but it sure can be bought Nursing my wound all alone on Diwali day (it’s not only depressing but difficult too; ever tried bandaging your own finger?) I decided to pump my deflated sprits with a trip to the local market. I ended up buying overpriced Ganesh-Lakshmi idols, sugar pots, mud pots, diyas, candles, floating candles, a token

utensil, sugarcane sticks, rice flakes and – not to forget – lots of sweets.

Having quickly realised the truth behind “there’s no satisfaction like a bag full of shopping,” I had bought everything short of the local Ramlila.

As evening approached, it was time to dip the diyas in oil and float the candles on water. But I almost skidded on the oil-slicked floor and my floating candles obstinately refused to float. That was the end of the candle story.

NOW GO, MEET PEOPLE

They always come back to laugh at you Finally, I decided to attempt the ultimate test any lone merrymaker must go through. Face people.

Glammed up in the spiffy looking silk salwar kameez borrowed from mom, I hopped on a cycle rickshaw to sur-

A WHIMPER NOT A BANG

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HOW TO NOT BE ALONE EVEN IF YOU ARE Don’t repeat my mistakes!

Now only if I’d thought of these sure-shot tricks earlier: Amble over to your neighbour’s house with the pretext of wishing them.

No one will have the heart to turn you away.

Spread the news and appear miserable while doing so. Someone will invite you.

Post an FB status about your solo state and ask around for company. You shall receive.

Attend one of those club parties with an entry fee.

You’ll be poorer but among people for sure!

vey the crowds. I gave dazed smiles to strangers. But it wasn’t my day; month or year and my chunni suddenly started tugging tight at my throat. And it was not until I heard the tear that I still hear in my nightmares sometimes, that I realised the grave state of affairs. My chunni, that beautiful, blue, silver threaded piece of clothing had got caught in the grease-soaked wheels of the rickshaw and torn.

ALL BY MYSELF, HATING IT Hope always rings twice

So here I was, home, hungry (of course, I hadn’t bothered with food), alone and it was already eight at night! I resigned myself to listening to firecrackers and identifying each one until dawn while Aapki Farmaish played on Vividh Bharti in the background (FM wouldn’t quite suit the mood). And then * drum rolls* the phone rang! A friend who stayed in Delhi was inviting me over to a dinner with his parents. I was barely listening. I rushed to my closet to get dressed. I wore a sari, of course! yashica.dutt@hindustantimes.com

BY RAJNEESH KAPOOR

HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 23, 2011

P

ERHAPS THE only thing more depressing than being single and abandoned on Valentine’s Day by a bunch of friends who are all seeing each other is being single and abandoned on Diwali day by a bunch of friends who have their plans for D-Day already cast in stone: some are going to while away the next few days/weeks in their hometowns (you lucky b******s!); others are planning shopping sprees, vacations, parties, gettogethers with families and what have you. I, on the other hand, am going to be breaking a tradition that I’ve never broken before in my life: I’m not going home this Diwali.

Instead, I’m going to be spending it right here in Delhi and all by myself.

The reasons for this are varied and the whole story is more masaledar than a Bollywood movie (it involves two sets of angry parents, some botched-up train reservations, a fuming ex, a hospital visit, an irate boss, a looming deadline, and stars yours truly in the lead. I’ll leave you to figure it out) but everything boils down to the same thing: as you light your diyas, don your kurtas, burst your crackers, somewhere, deep in the heart of the city, will be a lonely soul, alone on the terrace of his building, gazing up at your fireworks. (Nothing like some good old melodrama, eh?)

Okay, it’s not really that bad. After all, we single-in-the-city types are pretty much used to going about life on our own when friends have their own plans – trust me, going mall-hopping with an iPod plugged into your ears is a luxury best enjoyed alone (my colleague Yashica – flip the page back, please – who paints the town red every other night despite being a single-in the-city type – vehemently disagrees). But even for a loner like me, spending the festival of lights alone in the city is not exactly a cheerful prospect.

On the other hand, it does lead to decidedly serendipitous things: ■ I cleaned out – really, properly, thoroughly cleaned out – the bachelor

Home

Alone2 HOW I WILL SPEND DIWALI 2011 ON MY OWN

Being on my own on D-Day is my idea of torture. But that’s exactly what I’ll be this year.

So I may as well have fun while I’m at it!

by Pranav Dixit pad after a LONG time. Saw off a grinning kadabiwala groaning under the weight of 17 old shirts, three pairs of ragged trousers that looked like they’d been used for shooting practice, a dusty old table with three broken legs and a room full of ageing newspapers. This was a historic moment.

■ I used the money obtained from selling off the scrap to buy crackers.

■ Taught grandpa how to use Skype so we can see each other on Diwali day. He is hooked and now spends much of his free time pinging his children in the US, much to their amusement and delight.

■ Went kurta-shopping and splurged on myself. It’s amazing how much more you can buy when you don’t have to budget for that pesky maasi and her brood of annoying little kids.

■ Shopping online for all other (nonpesky) relatives was a breeze and took less than an hour.

■ Promised a delighted mom that I’d

take a long holiday and come home for New Year’s to make up for not showing up for Diwali (note to the boss: yeah, I did sneak a leave request in. But I was going to come and ask you anyway, I swear!)

■ Listened to everyone back home telling me how much they would miss me this year. Basked in the attention for a long time.

■ Suddenly discovered, courtesy Facebook, that a couple of virtual friends are going to be in the city by themselves too – hooray!

■ Food and drink, decks of cards, more boxes of fireworks than we can possibly burst in one night (everybody pooled in their own) and bunch of happy people delighted to have company – this promises to be a cracker of a Diwali!

Sometimes, it’s the little things that make all the difference. :) pranav.dixit@hindustantimes.com

GOING CRACKERS

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THE BRUNCH SURVIVAL GUIDE: HOW TO BE ALONE WHEN YOU REALLY OUGHT TO BE WITH PEOPLE Sometimes, s**t happens.

Things just don’t work out and before you know it, you are suddenly faced with the prospect of spending D-Day all by yourself. Here’s how to cope if worst comes to worst: Indulge! Order your favourite food (don’t skip dessert); get yourself a nice bottle of wine.

Make a playlist of your favourite songs. Be a conscientious neighbour... shut all your windows, then crank the volume on the stereo all the way up.

Watch all your favourite movies back to back.

Action and comedy are best.

Use Google+ to organise an online get together with family and friends – what did you think that Hangouts feature is for?

Get on Twitter where there’s always someone to talk to. It’s amazing how quickly loneliness disappears in the Tweetosphere!

Keep booze handy (note: a drunken tweet or a Facebook update could potentially haunt you for the rest of your life).

So what if no one’s around? Dress up – there’s no reason not to look your best!

Get some retail therapy and go shopping. Now is your chance to splurge.

Draw up a list of all the long lost friends you’ve been meaning to get in touch with and call them up.

Catching up with old pals can be incredibly therapeutic.

Be happy. This too shall pass.

BY RAJNEESH KAPOOR

HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 23, 2011

It’s easier to pick clothes off the rack but only if you are willing to compromise on that perfect fit. Here’s why tailor-made makes our cut

by Yashica Dutt

PICK UPthe

S D A E R H T

L

ISTING A QUICK ‘Diwali: Then and Now’ in the middle of our second special issue for the festival, we couldn’t help but notice the substantially longer ‘Then’ side. Once upon a time, there were multiple firecracker stalls (which we sorely miss in the capital), neverending sweet making sessions at home, not to mention tailor fittings, which had to begin at least two months in advance if one hoped to have new clothes ready by Diwali. So, this year we decided to track down a few tailor-masters and check out their Diwali fervour.

Pink salwaar kameez ■ Shruti bought the silk

fabric at `450 per metre and paid `700 for tailoring.

■ Purchased the chiffon, mukaish embroidered dupatta separately for `1000 ■ Saved over `1500 by getting the finished product for `2600 (similar readymade salwar kameezes would probably cost `4500)

BORN TO BE BLOUSED

If there is one place in the capital that every bride-to-be, her friend and her mom want to get their sari blouses stitched from, it is Eves’ in Greater Kailash Market Part Two. Housed in a lane between a crop of me-toos and namesakes, this old establishment has a workshop and showroom. While haggling for early deadlines is common for all tailor-made clothes, if you try and place your order too close to Diwali, Eves’ will simply say no. “We sometimes get around a 100 orders a day but we rarely take beyond 30-40,

SHRUTI SHARMA, 32, TELEVISION JOURNALIST

“I am not comfortable buying readymade clothes” Waiting for something to reach the market is hardly her style. Once Shruti comes across something she likes, she wants to get it stitched immediately. A big fan of good cuts, she doesn’t find the idea of readymade garments very attractive. “I have been getting clothes stitched for quite a few years and I go to tailors who know my exact measurements. So it only takes a short visit of a few minutes duration and I get a perfectly fitted piece in return,” she says.

Shruti has a network of tailors who stitch her clothes. Even if one of them is unable to give her an outfit on time, she knows she has someone else to turn to. “I have known all of them for a long time and if there is something I need urgently, I usually get it on time.

And at a much cheaper price than any readymade garment of the same quality,” says she.

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HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 23, 2011

Linen shirts

PAWAN HORA, 29, PR CONSULTANT “It’s beacuse of the joy of choosing the fabric and getting a custom-fit that I get my clothes tailored”

■ Pawan got them

stitched by a tailor in Delhi’s GK market ■ Bought the fabric for `500 per metre ■ Got them designed similar to the front pocketed, scout shirts he wore as a kid ■ Paid `1500 for each and saved around `1000 when compared to the market price

This small town boy mostly lived the ‘stitched clothes way of life’ till he joined Delhi University and discovered the big, retail web. “Even though I started wearing more readymade brands in college, I couldn’t give up on handmade tailoring. So, I got my first kurta stitched while in JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru Univsersity) and never stopped thereafter,” he says.

“My friends often ask about my tailor trips and wonder how I find the patience and time. You can walk to the mall anytime and pick a readymade item of clothing. But it’s the joy of choosing your own fabric and style and having it fit just the way you want that makes it all worthwhile,” he adds PHOTOS: M ZHAZO

especially during the festive season,” the head tailor, Javed informs us. Also, do remember, though the average deadline for a sari-blouse is 10 days, it can easily stretch to weeks if you are not careful about placing your order on time. So give your Diwali clothes early!

Sewing every possible blouse style from a back-bow to rainbow, beaded to heart shaped, backless, net, plain and corseted, the shop claims to give you any design you wish. “We

TAILOR TRICKS

If you’ve decided to take the plunge and switch from readymades to a darzi’s creation, here a few tips to keep in mind ■ On your first visit, demand to see his/her previous constructions. Examine the quality of the stitching, the cuts and the fit.

■ If you have something in mind, show a close copy of the design in a magazine or a newspaper to the tailor. See whether he can replicate it and get valuable advice on what fabric would best suit the design.

■ It wouldn’t hurt to leave one of your best fitting pieces with the tailor for an exact fit.

■ If you are getting some heavy duty stitching done, like a suit, then ensure you visit the tailor for multiple fittings to have it fall exactly as you want.

■ Get involved in the process and pay attention to small details instead of leaving it all to the tailor. Pick your own buttons, accessories, brooches, lace and gota as these will determine the ‘chicness’ of your outfit.

■ Insist on quality thread and lining fabric if you need it, as anything else will not only ruin the look but might also drain colour, spoiling the rest of the outfit.

■ Don’t shy away from getting the outfit redone if it has not been constructed to your satisfaction. Even if it requires several alterations, ensure the fit is just right, otherwise the entire project would have been pointless.

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don’t follow trends, we believe in creating our own. When it comes to blouses, what we create tdoay enters the main market only two-three years later,” says Vineet Gogia, the head designer, who claims to have no formal training but only a keen interest and passion for designing the best, most different blouses.

“The average cost of a blouse is between `6002,000 depending on the intricacy of the work required. But the costliest blouse I have ever created was for my wife. It had real zircon crystals and would have sold for `20,000 in the market,” he says.

SUIT UP, ONLY WHEN STYLISH

Even as sari blouses top the list of stitched clothing in an Indian wardrobe, salwar suits are not far behind. Many women still prefer a tailormade suit over a designer creation. There are so many styles flooding the market, especially as the wedding and festive season begins, you could get very confused. But you can be sure that the best pulse readers of new trends are tailors.

Shaivi Apparels, located not far from Eves, claim to be experts at designer suits, dresses and gowns. “An anarkali suit would cost you anywhere between `1,500-2,000. It’s the same for a churidaar in the latest style. But if you go for a suit with wide palazzo pants and add embroidery, then the costs rise,” says Jattin Sethi, the owner, from behind a pile of the latest national and international fashion magazines. He claims they can copy any design you give them. “This is a blouse we are constructing for a doctor client.

Look at these buttons she sent us,” he says, showing us shiny brown crystals which match those on Shilpa Shetty’s photo on his computer screen.

Business this season, he says, is quite good.

“We get about 15-20 customers each day and take about a week to deliver. We even send deliveries as far as the US and UK for some of our regular clients.” Between the voluminous folds of salwar kameezes, there are also shiny gowns with bustiers, sequinned shorts and a very Chanel-esque jacket. Two ladies who have come to place their measurements try to look noncha-

lant as we approach them. “We generally go to boutiques or designers only but since we were around we thought let’s try this,” says one.

ALL FIGURED OUT

But not everyone is reaping the benefits of flexible festive season wallets. Pavitra Agency, an exclusive Raymond’s Shop located in what used to be the hub of bespoke tailoring in Delhi, Shankar Market, is empty. “It’s the political trouble mixed with our bad economy. People are not spending too much money. It could be the young generation too, which doesn’t want to invest their time in getting clothes made personally. Even though custom tailoring has made a comeback over readymade clothing in the past few years, this year looks grim,” says the head salesman Vinod Sharma.

Stocking men’s wear fabrics for shirts, trousers and coats, the shop is a dull grey and muted dark blue against the harsh tubelight. While the average cost of getting a shirt stitched is `750-800, trousers go up to `1,500-2,000 and tuxedos range from `15,000-20,000. Vinod believes that off-therack clothes only suit those with perfect bodies.

“Readymade clothes don’t accommodate a bulging stomach or an extra large waist. Most people who are unable to find their sizes have to turn to tailors for clothes that fit well,” he says.

GOD LIES IN THE DETAILS

However, size isn’t the only criteria for the rise in the popularity of custom made tailoring, style is a factor too. As Aarif Khan of Mehfooz Tailors from Shankar Market says, “People who need clothes to simply cover themselves opt for readymade stuff but those who have a sense of style, cut and fit, always choose fine tailoring.” And Avinash Punjabi of Golden Boutique in Colaba, Mumbai, agrees. “A lot of people now understand the importance of good tailoring and personal details. Be it the red thread stitching on the lining of a suit or the deliberately short left sleeve to expose the expensive watch, nobody wants to settle for anything less than unique.”

HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 23, 2011

yashica.dutt@hindustantimes.com

WRAPPING WINE

The

>> Cut away any extra paper. You might

want to keep it around to wrap the next one.

On second thoughts, don’t gift the next one

STEP 1

WRAP-UP

GUIDE (A handy thing to have around if the prospect of gift-wrapping all your Diwali presents makes you pull your hair out in frustration)

by Pranav Dixit

>> Once you’re done resisting the temptation to open the bottle, put it on one side of the sheet of crepe paper

>> Keep the bottle in the centre of the sheet, bring both ends together and go bonkers with the glue gun. Kidding. Glue responsibly

>> Bring the paper around the bottle and figure out how much exactly you will need to wrap it all up

YOU WILL NEED:

■ A bottle of good wine ■ One sheet of crepe paper (any colour

you want, we’re not fussy)

■ One sufficiently glitzy leather ribbon ■ A pair of scissors. Sharp is best.

W

E LOVE getting gifts. We hate giving them. Actually no.

We just hate dressing them up and making sure they look good enough to be presented. And while we’re perfectly happy to receive our gifts undressed (the gifts, not us) without the bother of ripping off ribbons and wrapping paper and getting into a royal Scotch-tapey mess, plenty of people, we’re told, get their kicks from doing exactly that.

But if you think you’re one of our tribe, worry not!

We thought of all the gifts that give us the heebie-jeebies when it comes to wrapping them up – a bottle of wine (and putting a red ribbon around it is oh so oldschool!), a homemade cake (always looks plain, doesn’t it?) and dry fruits (always has us stumped) – and asked Shalini Beriwal to help us out.

Mrs. Beriwal, you will be happy to know, is a professional gift wrapper (yes, she actually makes money out of wrapping people’s gifts up for them!) and also runs an institute – a whole, damn institute – called the Magnificence Academy of Packaging Professionals (MAPP) in New Delhi that trains people to, er, pack.

“Some of the crazier things I have packed for people are naughty lingerie and one crore rupees in cash,” laughs Beriwal (so dry fruits, wine and cake are, well, a piece of cake). Which means that you are in good hands. Follow our guide and all shall be well.

pranav.dixit@hindustantimes.com

STEP 4

STEP 2

■ One glue gun, ready to roll

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STEP 3

STEP 5 >> Wrap the paper at the base of the bottle.

Make sure you fold neatly. If you’e a klutz and think it might fall out from the bottom, stop what you’re doing and send it to us

PACKING YOUR CAKE STEP 1

STEP 3

>> Place your base on a flat surface and

>> Put the cake-that’s-smaller-than-the-foil-

STEP 2

STEP 4

>> Cut out a circle of the silver foil that’s

>> Invert the clean, glass bowl over your cake.

This one needs to be bigger than the cake and the foil and smaller than the base. Hehe

MAKE SURE it’s bigger than your cake. Get out the ruler, measuring tape, anything!

smaller than the base but bigger than the cake. That’s right, more measuring.

HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 23, 2011

that’s-smaller-than-the-base on the foil. If you have a square cake, you’re on your own

STUFFING YOUR FRUITS STEP 6 >> At the neck of the bottle, fold the two edges of the wrapping sheet as shown in the picture to create a ‘V’. For ‘vino’, get it?

STEP 1 >> Here’s what you’ll need: Dry fruits, A4 size cellophane sheets,

(any stationery shop will stock them), ribbon, Scotch tape, scissors

STEP 7

>> Gather the paper behind and create a fan at the back of the neck of the bottle. Make it look like you spent some time on this part

STEP 8

>> Grab the sufficiently glitzy leather ribbon and hang the sucker by the neck around the fan. Cut away any extra ribbon and keep it handy: leather and alcohol is a heady mix

You’re done!

Paste some decorative ribbon all the way down the front of the bottle if you’re feeling adventurous (it’s cool if you don’t).

Seriously, do you still want to give this away?

STEP 2

STEP 3

>> Cut the cellophane sheet to

>> Fill the cone with the dry fruits. Cut off the top edge to make the mouth circular

size, twist it to form a cone and secure it with Scotch tape

STEP 4 >> Tie another cellophane sheet and wrap it around the cone to make things safe. Tie it at the neck of the cone with a ribbon. That’s it!

(AND EATING IT TOO) STEP 5

YOU WILL NEED:

■ One gooey chocolate cake

(our favouite) A texturised base (any sturdy cardboard base would work just fine for our purposes).

■ A nice, sheer ribbon (best if you can co-ordinate the colour with the colour of your base) ■ Silver foil ■ A big glass bowl

>> This would be a good time to get out your sheer ribbon. Pass it under the base, multiple times if that makes you feel more secure

STEP 6 >> Finally, keep your cake in place

by tying a knot at the top. Bonus points if you can make it look floral

That’s all, folks! Easy-peasy, eh?

Place the cones in any decorative container. Now you have your very own, homemade gift hamper. Goody!

Pictures courtesy the Magnificence Academy of Packaging Professionals (MAPP).

Visit mapp.co.in for more more information

HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 23, 2011

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Checks And Ladders

rude luxury

Vir Sanghvi

NEW RULES Rose Marie Bravo took charge of Burberry over a decade ago and turned its fortunes around

H

OW DOES a luxury brand approach the 21st century?

One approach is to emphasise craftsmanship and aim for the top end of the market. This is the route preferred by Chanel and more famously by Hermes, whose iconic Kelly and Birkin handbags are still made by hand by skilled craftsmen.

The problem with the craftsmanship route is that it only works at the top end of the market because products created this way are, almost by definition, very expensive. Most luxury companies prefer efficient, more mechanised methods of production. Louis Vuitton, for instance, is among the world’s most profitable luxury brands, at least partly because of the efficiency of its manufacturing process.

But even when brands take the manufacturing route, they still like to emphasise the craftsmanship element. Last year, Vuitton got into trouble when two of its ads were banned in the UK by the Advertising Standards Authority. One of the ads featured a woman purporting to be a seamstress, hard at work, Hermes-style, at making Vuitton bags. It was a great ad but, as everybody in the fashion business knows, Vuitton’s production methods rely more on mechanisation than on traditional seamstresses. The ads had to be withdrawn from the UK. Other brands take a multi-pronged approach. At Giorgio Armani, there is the expensive line (called ‘black label’ by aficionados) made from the finest fabrics. But there is also the relatively more affordable Collezione (‘white label’) line which is sold at department stores. Then there is Emporio Armani, directed at younger people. And there is A/X meant for those who want designer labels stuck on to Gap-style clothes. So, to say that you are wearing Armani can be a little misleading given the range of options and price levels within the umbrella brand.

But while these approaches are well-established and widely imitated in the luxury business, my guess is that a new 21st century model is emerging. And the pioneer is Burberry.

The brand itself is over a century and a half old.

Burberry was the British company that invented the gabardine fabric that was turned into raincoats and mackintoshes. For decades, the Burberry trench coat has been a fashion classic, imitated by every designer, but still indelibly associated with Burberry.

But, as time went on, Burberry ceased to stand for very much more than that iconic trench. The company went through changes of ownership and its managers began licensing the name to manufacturers around the world. Almost all of Burberry’s menswear (which should have been the brand’s strength, given the iconic status of the trench) was licensed. The licensees followed no brand rules, often running their own ad campaigns, designing their own products and, in such countries as Spain, running Burberry’s local operations as an autonomous company.

Over a decade and a half ago, Rose Marie Bravo, a well-known American retail hotshot (she had run Saks Fifth Avenue), took charge of Burberry and turned its

PHOTO: REUTERS

BURBERRY’S FINANCIAL

SUCCESS HAS BEEN MADE POSSIBLE BY DRAMATIC IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCT

16

In this era, people have got over labels. They want elegance. They want softness. And they want coolness. The Burberry story offers a new model for luxury

STYLE STAPLE For decades, the Burberry trench coat has been a fashion classic, imitated by every designer

fortunes around, dragging the brand into the modern era and updating its image. During Bravo’s tenure, when fashion was still about easily identifiable brand signatures (the Vuitton monogram or the Gucci ‘G’ symbol, for instance), the check pattern that was traditionally used as the lining for the trench coats became Burberry’s own signature, turning up on everything from handbags to scarves to women’s wear.

At the time, Bravo’s work at Burberry was regarded as one of the fashion industry’s great success stories: an example of how a feisty American executive took a dying British company and turned it into a flourishing global brand.

HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 23, 2011

indulge surprise, she denied that it had been a major worry: “It was just restricted to the UK market. They had to explain what the word meant to me. It was never a factor in America or the global market.”

Her priorities then – which emerged out of that long lunch with Bailey at Asiate – were more practical. Much of Burberry’s menswear was still licensed. The brand was perceived as being a symbol of the get-rich-quick culture that prevailed in the early part of the century, and the creative component had been MATERIAL GAINS seriously underplayed.

Burberry invented the gabardine ROUTE MARCH Though nobody at Burberry will say so in fabric that was turned into Giorgio Armani has so many words, my guess is that Ahrendts’ raincoats and mackintoshes Emporio Armani, background, as somebody who understood which is directed at marketing and the fashion business but was younger people not steeped in the old rules of luxury branding, probably helped her evolve a new model for Burberry.

While the decision to end all licensing, though costly, was probably the obvious way to go forward, it is her other innovations that intrigued me. Five or six years ago, people who ran luxury brands believed in playing down the role of the designer and playing up the brand. (At the first HT Luxury Conference in Bombay, Robert Polet, then head of Gucci group, openly declared in his speech that it was a mistake to give too much prominence to individual designers.) Ahrendts went the opposite direction: she elevated Bailey to a position where no major creative decision (from the design of an office to the selection of a fraThis was a reasonable assessment. But Burberry’s success under grance) could be taken without his go-ahead.

Bravo was very much a product of its label-obsessed, conspicuThen, she softened the hard edge of the brand. According to her, ously-consuming times. The check was quickly pirated (especialyounger people today respect a brand that seems to care about ly in Asia) and, perhaps, because there was very little in the way of more than just making money. So, she set up the Burberry Foundation brand personality to back the signature, Burberry became a symto channel part of the company’s profits back into society. bol of flashy, but not very classy excess. In the class-conscious UK Next, she decided that it was a mistake for luxury brands to market (Burberry’s home), the check pattern became associated ignore digital technology and social media. More than any other with ‘chavs’, a pejorative name for downmarket, vulgar buyers of fashion brand, Burberry uses the digital route. Fashion shows are flashy sportswear. streamed live all over the world (sometimes in 3D). Launches are By the time Bravo stepped down, five years ago, she had turned announced on Facebook (the new fragrance was pushed – extremeBurberry into a global brand. But it was a brand whose future was ly successfully – on Twitter and Facebook) and the Burberry site uncertain. is a hive of activity, not just a platform to sing the company’s praisBoth Bravo, and Burberry designer Christopher Bailey, picked es. For instance, it includes a section called Burberry Acoustic feaanother American woman as the new head of Burberry. Angela turing performances by young British bands selected by Bailey.

Ahrendts (the name sounds European but she is from a small town Though this is not something that Burberry says itself, my theoin Indiana) was an experienced fashion industry executive (Donna ry is that Ahrendts turned it into one of the world’s top five luxury Karan, Liz Claiborne, bra manufacturer Warnaco etc.) with little houses by making it a brand for our times: soft, caring, cool, relaxed experience of the higher reaches of luxury. But Bailey, who had (“dishevelled elegance” in Bailey’s description of the style) and conworked with Ahrendts at Donna Karan, pushed strongly for her, temporary. Of course there is the heritage (the trench is now a bigarguing that she would take the brand forward. ger part of Burberry’s collections than ever before) and the Britishness Last week, I drank a Diet Coke with Ahrendts at the Maurya in (she shifted the shows from Milan to London), but Burberry is no Delhi when she stopped by in India as part of a whistle-stop tour longer a brand that focuses too much on symbols (the check now of the world. (She was off to Turkey the next day.) She recalled how features on less than 10 per cent of merchandise) or screams its Bravo had to persuade her to take the job and how, even before she presence. And there is some craftsmanship too: Burberry’s SS12 joined, she had a very long lunch with Bailey at which they collection features hand stitching, beading etc. evolved the basic strategy for Burberry’s astonishing Experience – and sales figures, certainly! – suggests that this is comeback. a model that works in this era. People have got over labels. They They met in New York at Asiate at the top of the want elegance. They want softness. And they want coolness.

Mandarin Oriental, she remembered, and by the time The Burberry story offers a new model for luxury: away they had left the restaurant they recognised what from obvious labels, prohibitively expensive craftsmanship had to be done. or neatly defined high-priced and low priced sub-brands.

As we now know, it was a solution that worked Will that formula work in India? Ahrendts thinks it brilliantly. Since Ahrendts joined in 2006, Burberry’s will. Burberry is expanding quickly (a new store opened profits have surged. The company has trebled in at the Gurgaon Oberoi during her visit) though it still value. It is now one of the world’s top five luxury lacks a clear image or identity in the Indian firms. market.

What’s more, the financial success has been That, says, Ahrendts, will be set right. Her Indian made possible by dramatic improvements in targets go beyond Bombay and Delhi, to the tier-two HIP TO BE SQUARE product quality, creativity and – most of all – cities. That is where in future lies, she believes, not Burberry’s signature check pattern brand image. just in the big metropolitan markets.

I asked Ahrendts if she was concerned about turned up on everything from handSo far at least, she has been right about everything. bags to scarves to women’s wear the ‘chav’ factor when she took the job. To my Let’s see if she is right about India.

HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 23, 2011

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PHOTO: MCT

MAKING AN UNDERSTATEMENT Angela Ahrendts turned Burberry into one of the world’s top five luxury houses

THE BIRKIN

HERMES’ ICONIC

PHOTO: REUTERS

KELLY AND BIRKIN HANDBAGS ARE STILL MADE BY HAND

BY SKILLED CRAFTSMEN

IN THE LAP OF LUXURY Robert Polet, the ex head of Gucci, had openly declared that it was a mistake to give too much prominence to individual designers

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A Conversation With Siri The new voice-controlled assistant on the iPhone 4S has minimal ambitions right now. But in the long run, its potential is mind-boggling

techilicious

Rajiv Makhni

ASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE...

If you ask Siri stupid stuff, you will get quite an earful back!

D

ISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGY: It’s a term that makes most techies go gooey with excitement. It’s when a technology or a product comes along that breaks the norm, disrupts the lethargy of copycat features and turns the whole category inside out. Every company aims for a massive disruption, every inventor dreams of cracking one and every user has her or his jaw on the floor, giddy with breathless excitement.

Unfortunately, disruptive technologies are few and far between. A mobile phone in itself was disruptive technology as it took communication out from a fixed building and made it portable across the world. Sending the first SMS, accessing the Web and reading mail from a mobile phone… each was a tumultuous event. Of late, Microsoft Kinect is a great showcase of how we will all control technology and our lives with words, gestures, expressions and movements rather than with remotes, mice or even a touchscreens. Another precursor to that is now Siri.

If you haven’t been living under a rock for a while, you will know that Siri is the all new personal voice-controlled assistant on the iPhone 4S. Voice control and speech to text isn’t new and Siri has very minimal ambitions right now. But in the long run, the potential and aspirations of this are mind-boggling. In a phone that, in my opinion (for the iMafia out there), is mostly disappointing, Siri shines like a beacon of light.

WHAT’S THE BUZZ? The iPhone 4S (left) looks just the same as its predecessor, the iPhone 4. But it has Siri inside

only certain things and I am very well integrated into the phone. I may not have all my features enabled in each country and may not be able to pull off local map searches or destinations. I am in beta right now but in the long run, I will do much more.

WHY ARE you a girl, Siri? Isn’t that playing to the stereotype of a female assistant?

Well, as 97 per cent of assistants are female, I don’t know how to break away from a stereotype that is also reality. Also, most GPS guiding system voices are female, most assisting robots are female and the default on most voice dictation is female. I’m just going with the flow. But just to make things interesting and pull off an Applesque contradiction, I am a man in the UK. Please don’t ask if that is pandering to the male butler stereotype for that region. I have no idea. Ask the Brits.

BUT OTHERS have done this, Siri. Why are you disruptive?

Are you talking about apps like Vlingo and Dragon? Well, that’s exactly why I am disruptive. In typical Apple curator style, I’ve taken from what should have worked well, what was on the wish list for all, simplified it, given it a human touch and made sure it works.

I am pretty revolutionary as I use many different technologies to achieve what looks simple but has been impossible to achieve till now. Deep inside me is a speech-to-text analyser (takes your voice and converts it to text), a lexical analyser (makes that text trigger actions and set off commands) and app conversation (those triggers then do specific functions inside an app). Because I’m limited to these, I don’t meander off and do silly things like send a message to the wrong person (“I think you’re hot” sent to your girlfriend but delivered to your boss!). And in the future, as my capabilities grow, the sky is the limit.

DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGY

WHO ARE you, Siri?

I am a personal voice assistant that can recognise a lot of what you say. You can ask me questions in a normal fashion and without sounding like a stunted, mechanised, demented robot.

Stick to the things I know – ask me to read a message and dictate a reply back, search for information, set an alarm, turn on a timer, work with almost all the built-in apps, look up a street and some specific address – and I will do stuff intelligently.

Try and act smart and ask me stupid stuff like “what is the meaning of life?” and you will get quite an earful back. I have a pretty edgy personality and a very colourful vocabulary and as homage to my edgy repartee, they’ve already set up a website (http://shitthatsirisays.tumblr.com).

HAPPENS WHEN A PRODUCT BREAKS THE NORM

TALKING BACK Vlingo is one of Siri’s closest competitors

18

BUT SIRI, can you make sense of us all, across the world?

I can do different languages (English, French, German) and do pretty OK with accents too. I am not clunky as my entire AI is very focused on doing

BUT AREN’T you embarrassed by your name, Siri? You’re a buttock in Japan and slang for a well endowed man in Georgia Yeah yeah yeah, very funny. It’s not Siri but Shiri in Japanese for a bottom and yes, it sounds exactly the same when said. And to all those who keep thinking that they will have to refer to their phone as a butt, you don’t really have to keep saying Siri this and Siri that. And that slang word siri for a man with extraordinary proportions, since when is that a bad thing? Eat your heart out, Micro-Soft!

WOW! OK, goodbye for now, Siri No goodbye, I’m right here monitoring everything you say and do. And watch it. I don’t like it when you write anything even faintly against the Apple world. They were going to name me the iMafiaso, till you went and spoilt it by making fun of us as a clan!

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

HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 23, 2011

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download central

Sanjoy Narayan

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By Reputation

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MIX AND MATCH Fleet Foxes mix as much of folk music as they do classic rock and pop to make their very appealing brand of music

GONE TOO SOON KVHW, the short-lived band that guitarist Steve Kimock (left) was a part of, consisted of Bobby Vega, Ray White and Alan Hertz (left to right)

I trust Sub Pop, the label behind several rock history greats, so much that I blindly pick up albums by any new artist it signs on

PHOTO: CC/DANISHDRUMMER

S

OMETIMES WHEN you’re searching for new musicians you need look no further than the record label that publishes their work. Sub Pop is one such label. Set up in Seattle 25 years ago, it was a independent label that made a name when it signed up the vanguards of the Seattle grunge rock movement – Nirvana, of course, but also Mudhoney and Soundgarden. Those three bands may be legendary in rock music’s history but the list of great bands that have worked with the label is impressive – Sonic Youth, Death Cab for Cutie, White Stripes, Modest Mouse, The Shins, Built to Spill, Foals, The Smashing Pumpkins…. It’s a long list of stellar musicians and bands.

So, although Sub Pop is not really a kosher indie label any longer (Warner Brothers has a biggish stake in it now), many people trust the label so much as to blindly pick up albums by new artists that it signs on. I tried Wolf Parade, Vetiver, CSS (Cansei der Ser Sexy, a very agreeable Brazilian band) and many other bands that I’ve become a fan of now simply because they have worked with Sub Pop. Therefore, a few years ago, when the buzz began about a band called Fleet Foxes, and I learnt that Sub Pop was their label, I sampled them. There was another thing that swung my decision to try Fleet Foxes: they’re from Seattle. But sharing their hometown with grunge legends such as the three I mentioned at the beginning or even with one of American rock’s biggest bands, Pearl Jam, doesn’t mean that the music of Fleet Foxes is anything like that of those bands. Fleet Foxes is categorised as a folk music band. But that’s probably just a convenient sticker. In reality, Fleet Foxes mix as much of folk music as they do classic rock and pop to make their very appealing brand of music.

They’re led by singer and songwriter Robin Pecknold whose vocals pay homage to rock and pop music’s big stars such as Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young as well as UK’s Fairport Convention (a great folk-rock institution that changed its line-up innumerable times but made music that is timeless and always relevant). Pecknold and his five band members (who play instruments that include the mandolin, keyboards and guitars) make no-nonsense music: earthy lyrics and songs loaded with finely done vocal harmonies. Oh yes, there’s this other thing that sets them apart from any other Seattle-based band that I’ve heard: they don’t sound as if they belong to a city. There is rustic, rural flavour to their songs, an openness that can suggest that they record, rehearse and play their music in the wilderness.

By all accounts, that is probably not true. Fleet Foxes are pretty much a city band but their music, refreshingly, doesn’t sound like they are. Here, check out the lyrics to one of their songs, Oliver James: On the way to your brother’s house in the valley, dear/ By the river bridge a cradle floating beside me./ In the whitest water

TOP OF THE POPS Independent label Sub Pop signed up the vanguards of the Seattle grunge rock movement like (clockwise from above) Nirvana, Mudhoney and Soundgarden

on the banks against the stone/ You will lift his body from the shore and bring him home/ Oliver James washed in the rain no longer/ Oliver James washed in the rain no longer.

Oliver James is from the Fleet Foxes’ self-titled full-length album that came out in 2008 and Pecknold’s warm, bittersweet voice does full justice to those lovely lyrics, as it also does to the other songs on the album. This year, Fleet Foxes released their second fulllength, Helplessness Blues, again to critical acclaim. They still sound unpretentious and warm, except that there is a bit of a dark tinge to the new set of songs, as if on their sophomore effort, the boys from Seattle have grown up a bit. What about the rusticity of their music and the hat-tip to folk-rockers of the 1960s and ’70s? No fears on those counts; both are intact in the second album.

If you haven’t heard Fleet Foxes yet and would like to start, I can suggest a single that you could probably hear on YouTube. It’s called White Winter Hymnal and it’s off their first album. Listen to it.

You’ll like it. And then, probably want both their albums.

To give feedback, stream or download the music mentioned in this column, go to http://blogs.hindustantimes.com/download-central, follow argus48 on Twitter or visit our website: www.hindustantimes.com/brunch

HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 23, 2011

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PHOTO: IMAGES BAZAAR

Happy Diwali!

This festive season, go forth and light up someone else’s life

A

REN’T YOU just about fed up with the absolute avalanche of advertising asking us to go forth this Diwali and buy, buy, buy? I know I am. I am fed up of being told that I should bring home a new sofa/fridge/car/television this ‘festive season’. I am fed up of being lectured about how the best way to ‘celebrate’ this special time is to buy some diamonds or invest in some gold jewellery. And I am fed up of the suggestion that the only way we can make the special people in our lives feel special is by breaking the bank and buying them some extravagant present.

Yes, I know that this is the time that the Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped in most Hindu homes – even those that are not particularly religious at other times of the year – and that the Goddess of Wealth is supposed to be welcomed with, well, a show of wealth. But seriously, what is it with all these exhortations to spend, spend, spend... and then spend just a little bit more?

Is that really what the spirit of Diwali has been reduced to in these materialistic times? Did the ‘festival of lights’ metamorphose into an ‘orgy of conspicuous consumption’ while we were busy shopping for gifts for the family? And is money really all it takes to celebrate the advent of the Lakshmi in our midst?

Well, it is certainly beginning to look like it. The markets are clogged with eager shoppers greedily picking their way through the shiny wares on display. The traffic moves at a snail’s pace because everybody and his uncle (and aunt and a gaggle of children) are out in their cars busy dropping off Diwali presents to all their near and dear ones.

And everybody who is anybody has a veritable mountain of corporate hand-outs littering their dining table.

At one level, I guess the excitement is understandable. After all, Diwali comes around just once a year. And amidst all the diyas, the patakas, the phuljharis and the anaars, it is easy to get lost in the sheer headiness of it all. But as we scoff the chocolate barfis and kajus and badams and swear that we will go on a detox diet as soon as the last box of mithai has been polished off, do we ever stop to think about how those who don’t have our kind of disposable income are celebrating the festival? How do they cope with the ubiquitous message of conspicuous consumption when they can barely scrape together two meals a day? How do those who have no money to speak of welcome the Goddess of Wealth to their homes?

If these kinds of thoughts ever do rankle, then this Diwali make a pledge to do something about it. Ignore all those media messages asking you to re-do your homes, buy a new wardrobe, upgrade your car, splurge on some jewellery or whatever new gizmo there is in the market. Don’t order a huge hamper full of exotic goodies to give away to friends and family. Cancel that expensive dinner you were planning to host for your card-playing buddies. And do the environment a favour by not bursting any noisy, polluting crackers.

I am not saying that you shouldn’t celebrate the festival with your loved ones. But do so with love and affection rather than just by mindless spending. Don’t bother with expensive, all-purpose gifts. Instead think of what each individual on your list would

WASTE OF MONEY! I am fed up of the suggestion that the only way we can make the special people in our lives feel special is by breaking the bank and buying them some extravagant present

most enjoy. Is your cousin interested in cooking? Gift her some herbs – parsley, coriander, mint, sage, rosemary – growing in small pots that she can place on her kitchen ledge. Is your wife a proud hostess? Find her some hand-made aromatic candles that she can display proudly at her next dinner party. If putting that much thought into each gift seems daunting, then just stick to the tried-andtested: earthenware diyas that can be used in the Diwali puja, and potted plants that can survive the seasons on the balcony.

Once you’ve bought all these ‘alternative’ gifts, make a quick estimate of how much money you have saved. Now, find some worthwhile cause to donate it to. It could be to an NGO you trust; the neighbourhood centre that educates underprivileged children; the blind school; a shelter for battered women; or even a temple that feeds the poor.

As for all those hampers of bakery products and confectionary littering your drawing room, pile them all into your car and head for the nearest orphanage or blind school. Set up a little counter and give away all the stuff to the children. Watch as they scoff it down with delight. That experience is worth more than any bit of jewellery you could possibly own. And the fact that you are able to enjoy it is true wealth.

So, this year instead of going forth and buying, buying, buying, make a pledge to go forth and spread some good cheer among those less fortunate. And on that note, Happy Diwali to all of you!

IS YOUR COUSIN INTERESTED

BASIC INSTINCT If putting that much thought into each gift seems daunting, then stick to the tried-andtested: earthenware diyas that can be used in the Diwali puja PHOTO:THINKSTOCK

IN COOKING? GIFT HER SOME HERBS – PARSLEY, CORIANDER, MINT, SAGE, ROSEMARY – GROWING IN SMALL POTS

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PHOTO:THINKSTOCK

HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 23, 2011

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

PHOTOS: IMAGES BAZAAR

spectator

Seema Goswami

Churning out

chocolate Why not make the chocolate you gift? It’s not rocket science. It just takes a little courage, a few essentials and many minutes

by Sharif Rangnekar

S

OME EIGHT years ago, I was hunting Delhi stores for chocolate powder. There was a shortage at that point and I had to deliver a cake topped and soaked with rich chocolate icing. A bit lost, I walked into Defence Bakery and saw a cooking chocolate bar lying on the counter.

This could be the solution!

The late Dalip Dhingra (one of Delhi’s best bakers) said I could give it a try. He assumed I knew what could be done with that bar.

The result was that there were uneven bits of chocolate in the middle and all over the pudding. It could be passed off as something creative but it wasn’t what I had planned. This was when I sought more orderly results to my creative instincts. And the late Dalipji left me with a few tips.

To get things going, here are a few things you need to keep in mind. You need a sense of taste and technique. You need to figure out what blends well and how you set or lay the chocolate out so that you can have good rounds or square pieces. And how to use moulds to reduce the role of the hands.

But to begin with, you need to push out of your mind the fear of calories and the assumption that making chocolate is difficult.

Truffle Chocolate

INGREDIENTS AND IMPLEMENTS

PHOTOS: THINKSTOCK

IF YOU WANT

YOUR CHOCOLATE FLAVOURED, OILBASED ESSENCES ARE AVAILABLE 500 gm cooking chocolate bar (sweetened) 260 ml whipped cream (full cream, heavy) Drinking chocolate powder A spatula A thick steel bowl A double layered thick pan A bread board (wooden) A knife (wedged) Butter paper/cookie sheet Tray/flat pan Scoopers Two teaspoons Pick a cooking chocolate bar of the flavour you prefer. Bitter chocolate, almond flavoured chocolate or even a regular milk chocolate will do. It would be good if the cocoa content is at least 65-70 per cent to make the final product rich. Whipped cream is available in dairy stores or even your neighbour-

Before the industrial revolution a good home-made truffle chocolate the common form of chocolate was (the way chocolates were made a bitter drink of cacao. The Spanish once, I was told).

Rangnekar cooks for a hobby. For a living, he made it more palatable with cream works as a PR professional and writer and sugar. And then came the brunchletters@hindustanindustrial revolution. This meant times.com that machines did things that you did with your hands with a lot more consistency.

At home, you need to invoke this bit of history as both cream and sugar are essential to making good chocolate, assuming that the cacao is good. Today you can get sweetened cooking chocolate in the form of bars. It is good to use cooking bars with 65-70 per cent cacao.

Tempering of chocolate is also a skill as this is done by melting the chocolate over simmering water or in a double boiler. If you want your chocolate flavoured, then oilbased essences are available to choose from – almond, Irish cream, orange and many more.

But always be sure that the essence is oil-based, there is no water in your pan and the cream is not replaced by margarine or oil. There ALL STIRRED UP is little or no margin for Push out of your error – the chocolate will mind the fear of turn lumpy if you ignore obesity and calothese points. ries before you Below is perhaps one start to make your of the easiest recipes for chocolate

hood bakeries.

THE METHOD:

TAKE YOUR bread or wooden chopping board and place the chocolate bar on it. Slice the chocolate into bits (small pieces of 2 cms) using the wedged/bread knife (or any other sharp one you may have) into small strips.

While doing that, the chocolate often breaks into bits which is actually helpful when it’s time to melt and churn the chocolate with cream.

PLACE THE pieces in a thick steel pan that is preferably heat resistant. This would help keep the chocolate at more or less the same temperature as when it was unwrapped.

NOW POUR out the whipped cream and bring it to a boil. The pan must be heavy metal, that will help in

controlling the heat flow.

ONCE BOILED, pour the cream over the chocolate and let the two mingle a bit on their own.

A four to five minute wait would be good.

Then take a spatula and mix the two in gently yet firmly. What you are going to see is the creation of thick mix and not a very liquid chocolate. This is due to the lower than normal content of whipped cream that I have suggested. You need to ensure that the final product is lump free so the mixing needs to be firm and constant.

OFTEN THIS mixture is called ganache or truffle-cream. Pour this out into another bowl and place it in your fridge at the normal temperature.

About 45-50 minutes later, you can take it out

HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 23, 2011

and scoop out bits to create small balls. The mixture, please note, will be harder by now.

If you find the balls becoming a bit sticky, then place them in the fridge again or on an ice tray. Use your hands to make chocolate balls rather than the scooper.

The balls should be placed on the butter paper laid out on a tray or pan.

PLACE THE tray with the chocolate balls into the fridge again for around 10-15 minutes.

AFTER THAT, pick each ball up with two teaspoons and roll them in the drinking chocolate powder so that they are dusted and given an attractive finish. Often this stage is ignored as many prefer to have the chocolate as is. It’s for you to decide.

Time to eat!

21

Divine blessing

A new leaf

Pendant with Om symbol in 18k gold with certified diamonds FROM: Tanishq, available at all Tanishq stores.

PRICE: On request

Celebrate Dhanteras with this tea set in stainless steel FROM: Magppie, available at Magppie stores across India PRICE: R4,500

Oh my precious Usher in prosperity with this platinum necklace with pave set diamonds FROM: Platinum Guild, available at ORRA, Connaught Place, New Delhi and Hughes Road, Mumbai PRICE: R3-4 Lacs

Light up Enjoy the festivities with this sterling silver diya FROM: Frazer and Haws, available at all its stores PRICE: R4,100

Designer touch Paisley delight

Ear tops with emeralds set in white gold FROM: The Ambalika collection from Alpana Gujral. Available at 16, Feroze Gandhi Road, Lajpat Nagar 3, New Delhi PRICE: On request

Virtuous vessel

Fortune’s Favourites On Dhanteras, buying precious metal is supposed to be auspicious.

Since the Gods say so... Enjoy!

by Veenu Singh

Kickstart the festivities with this sterling silver kalash FROM: El’ Unique, The Gallery on MG, MG Road, New Delhi PRICE: On request

T

HE FESTIVAL of Diwali is a five-day long affair that starts with Dhanteras and ends with Bhai Dooj.

According to the Hindu Calendar, Dhanteras falls on the thirteenth lunar day of Krishna Paksha (dark fortnight) in the month of Ashwin (October/November).

Legend has it that on Dhanteras, people worship Goddess Lakshmi in her owl form, praying to her to bless them with prosperity and well being.

Lakshmi Puja is usually done in the evening, diyas are lit to drive away any evil spirits and people also decorate their houses with colourful rangolis.

On Dhanteras, it is considered auspicious to purchase gold or silver coins, jewellery and new utensils. The belief is that bringing home some form of precious metal on this day will keep us prosperous throughout the year.

Here’s an idea of what you could pick up.

Silver delight Pure silver watch with mother of pearl dial and swarovski crystals from Raga by Titan AVAILABLE AT: Select World of Titan stores, across India PRICE: R22,000

Let us pray Pray to the Gods with this stainless steel puja thali FROM: Art d’inox. Available at Manohar Stores, A Block, Connaught Place, New Delhi and Tresorie Traders, Infiniti Mall, Mumbai PRICE: R1,600

veenus@hindustantimes.com

Good as gold 14k gold bracelet works just as well as the real thing FROM: Designed by Pearl Academy of Fashion, available at Symmetry, Khan Market, New Delhi PRICE: on request

22

Watch with studded precious stones on gold plated base, designed by Tarun Tahilani for Timex AVAILABLE AT: The Time Factory, across India PRICE: R10,000 onwards

Kundan glory Glow like a queen with this Kundan polki and meena set in 22 carat gold FROM: MMTC, available at MMTC Festival of Gold, Ashok Hotel, New Delhi PRICE: Depends on market rate

Heavy metal Bring in good luck with gold coins and bars in all denominations FROM: MMTC, available at MMTC showroom, Scope Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi and all MMTC showrooms across India PRICE: Depends on the market rate

HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 23, 2011

IT’S YOUR

TIME

to

SHINE

Here’s our three-day guide to improving your skin and body.

DAY 1: PREP UP

DIET TIPS: Begin your day with a glass of lukewarm water with a twist of lime and one tsp honey. It’ll help to flush out the toxins from your body, prevent pimples and give you a vitamin C boost.

Brew a teapot of green tea and sip four to six cups throughout the day. Green tea contains L-theanine, a de-tensing amino acid, which helps bust the flow of the stress hormone cortisol and helps keep collagen fibres intact, ensuring elastic, firm, great-looking skin.

Sprinkle some flaxseeds on your cereal, as these are a rich source of omega-3, which helps reverse the damage already PHOTO: THINKSTOCK

Only three days left for the big day. But start now and you can still achieve beautiful skin

by Kavita Devgan

E

VERYONE WANTS to look his or her best during the festive season. But thanks to bad eating habits, stress, pollution and neglected beauty rituals, your skin may not be in its best shape.

According to Mumbai-based cosmetic physician Dr Rashmi Shetty, since Diwali comes after Navratri (where many women fast for nine days) and also because the festive season involves a lot of running around, women tend to get that tired look with exhaustion and lack of sleep evident on their faces. She adds, “However, these days some very good spa and non-invasive cosmetic treatments are available that can give you a ‘fresh’ and ‘well-rested’ look within no time.”

Don’t forget the basics, counsels Dr Mohan Thomas, senior cosmetologist, Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai. He explains, “Good skin begins with remaining stress-free, having balanced nutrition, drinking enough water, and exercising.” Dr Thomas’ other tips include using a cleanser and moisturiser daily, applying a sunscreen with SPF of more than 35, decreasing smoking and caffeine consumption, and using good makeup, which can cover up superficial blemishes.

So, now that Diwali’s just a few days away, get cracking: there’s still time to make appointments, mix up home remedies, get a massage and pamper your skin so you can be refreshed and rejuvenated when D-day dawns.

24

caused in the skin and dulls the tan a bit.

Have a glass of mixed vegetable juice twice a day. Top zit-fighters include carrots, celery, and ginger.

Have broccoli for lunch and spinach for dinner as they are loaded with vitamin A and vitamin E, which will firm up your skin and make you look younger.

BEAUTY TIPS: “Use a milk scrub followed by a honey moisturiser,” suggest Kapil Dhameja and Sanyog Jain, founders of Blue Terra Spa. To make the milk scrub, mix 8-10 tsp fresh (not boiled) milk, a pinch of salt and 3-4 drops of lemon. Apply it on your face with a cotton ball. Let it dry. When the scrub is dry, massage it gently into your skin for 2-3 minutes. Splash your face with water. Then, to moisturise, take 2 tbsp almond oil and 2 tsp honey. Mix and store in an airtight container. Apply it on the face after the milk scrub and massage for 5 minutes. Rinse with water. (Note: If the moisturiser feels too sticky, add a little oil.)

“In the evening apply mashed tomato with curd and leave on for 20 minutes for fresh skin,” suggests Megha Dinesh, director – spa, The Park, New Delhi.

“Just before bed, applying glycerine mixed with lemon juice works wonders on the skin,” advise Dhameja and Jain.

DAY 2: GET INTO GEAR

DIET TIPS: Eat a crushed garlic pod on an

SAY NO ON ALL 3 DAYS JUNK THE JUNK Chocolates, fatty and sugary foods lead to a sluggish digestive system that hampers smooth elimination of waste matter from the body. These then clog up the skin, leading to blocked pores and acne.

AVOID TEA, COFFEE AND AERATED DRINKS These lead to tired-looking, greasy skin and spots, and also make the skin sag and look dull.

LIMIT ALCOHOL INTAKE Alcohol dehydrates the skin and depletes stores of vitamins B and C. Also, it leads to blotchiness and puffiness.

STOP SMOKING Nicotine attacks blood vessels that feed the skin with nutrients and depletes oxygen levels. This leads to blocked pores, pimples, dry and peeling skin and black lips.

HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 23, 2011

empty stomach; it’s a great detoxifier.

Eat avocados as they contain the most potent anti-ageing combination – vitamins E and C – which mop up ageing free radicals and make your skin luminous.

Have salmon for lunch and mackerel for dinner, sautéed or grilled. Besides omega 3, these are a good protein source, essential to make enzymes and hormones that keep skin glowing. They are also rich in vitamin D, which keeps the skin fresh.

Add oranges and kiwis to salad. High in vitamin C, they give sagging skin a boost. This improves skin texture too.

BEAUTY TIPS: “Add half a cup of honey to your bath water for soft and smooth skin,” suggests Dr Sangeeta Amladi, head, medical services, Kaya Skin Clinic.

“Create a facial scrub with 1 tsp milk cream, ½ to 1 tbsp ground sugar and 5-6 drops olive oil. Massage gently with 1 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp rose water, 1 tbsp besan and a pinch of turmeric. After a massage of 4 to 5 minutes in circular motions, leave paste to dry, then wash with warm water. Do not use soap,” says Dr Akhilesh, head of NeoVeda Spa, The Metropolitan Hotel, New Delhi.

“If you have a tan, take 2 tsp honey, 1 tsp milk and a few drops of lemon and massage all over,” advises Siddharth Shankar, director, Mystic Cures Ltd.

DIET TIPS: Begin your day with a glass of

lukewarm water with a twist of lime and one tsp honey.

Add sunflower seeds to your cereal.

The zinc in it will help heal your pimples faster and prevent more acne breakouts.

Munch on some walnuts (omega 3 and antioxidants) mid-morning and in the evening. Have pomegranate juice twice to fortify your blood count and give the skin a rosy tint.

Make sure you have a big bowl of yoghurt along with both main meals. The probiotics in it will help add healthy bacteria to the intestines (read no acne) and buff up the production of collagen (read less lines on the face).

BEAUTY TIPS: “Blend 2 gm each of white sandal, saffron, poppy seeds, red sandal and manjistha with a few drops of rose water and apply as a face pack; it helps whiten the face,” says Siddharth Shankar..

“If you have oily skin, soak multani mitti and mint powder in yoghurt for 30 minutes and mix them well by beating.

Apply it on the face for 15 minutes and leave it to dry. Then wash off with lukewarm water. After that, rinse with cold water,” says Dr Sangeeta Amladi.

“At bedtime, apply an equal proportion of honey and rose water on the face and leave for 10 minutes; you’ll get a wonderful glow on the face,” shares Megha Dinesh.

Happy Diwali! May you even outshine the diyas! brunchletters@hindustantimes.com

MIND BODY SOUL SHIKHA SHARMA

FESTIVE AND FIT T

HE FESTIVE SEASON has begun, and this is a time when food, drink and merriment are the rule. Keeping healthy at this time involves a certain balancing act. Still, by following some thumb rules, it is just possible to maintain your health and have fun too.

DIABETICS They see an increase in their blood sugar level when they eat foods which do not contain fibre, like maida-based pasta, bakery items, naan, kulcha, pizza, samosas, etc. To balance this, consume extra fibre in the form of a tsp of wheat bran with water, taken at bedtime.

To balance sugary and high glycemic foods, add the juice of amla and aloe vera to wheatgrass and lauki juice every morning. Also, take 1 tsp of triphala powder in the morning.

There are several good prepara-

tions of natural diabetes-controlling powder available at Khadi Gram Udyogs, which have a mix of jamun, karela and amla. These help to balance the ill-effects of sugary foods.

Morning exercise: Walking is one of the best-known anti-diabetic activities.

First, it helps insulin become more effective in controlling blood sugar levels. Second, it mitigates stress, which goes a long way towards balancing hormones and insulin. Third, it keeps the nerves and blood circulation healthy, preventing several of the side effects of diabetes.

SPA AND BEAUTY PACKAGES

From facials to wraps, body treatments, peels, all-day rituals, and even weekend packages, there are a variety of spa packages available this festive season.

IN DELHI, Blue Terra Spa recommends their ‘Humid Escape’ package, while The Metropolitan Hotel’s NeoVeda spa features a Men’s Purifying Facial, Shoulder and Scalp Massage. The spa at the Shangri-la hotel has a Restorative Mud Ritual perfect for this season, while VLCC lists a long line of facial peels that work wonders.

IN MUMBAI, Dr Rashmi Shetty, cosmetic physician, recommends her Skin Alive package, while The Jiva spa at Taj Wellington Mews is highlighting its Soundarya package, and The Quan Spa at the JW Marriott is hosting a ‘Festival of Scrubs’. Finally, the packages at Rejuve Spa, InterContinental The Lalit, include a stay plus spa option.

PEOPLE WITH COMPLAINTS OF ACIDITY AND GAS They can benefit from a vegetablejuice combination consisting of petha, ginger, barley and aloe vera.

PEOPLE WORRIED ABOUT WEIGHT AND DIET Increase your intake of vegetable juices and salads during the day to compensate for the oily food you will eat at night. Drink two bowls of soup daily. Eat oil-free channa / lobhia, mung / sprout chaat. Have one to two tsp of wheat bran during the day with a lot of water. Drink one glass of plain water after every alcoholic drink to hydrate yourself.

Eat small portions of everything, but opt for non-fried snacks. Eat more protein-based snacks than carbs. Take vitamin B complex daily in this season as it takes care of the liver.

Exercise daily for an hour to maintain your figure. ask@drshikha.com

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK

DAY 3: FINISH IN STYLE

People with high BP and cardiovascular problems

Such patients can increase the time spent doing daily pranayams. Breathing is one of the quickest and simplest ways to control the nervous system.

When we get anxious, our breathing gets disrupted. In the same manner, when we want to control anxiety, the best way is to regulate our breathing.

For hypertension, drink one litre of water in small portions between the time you wake up and 12 noon. Water is one of the important ways to regulate circulation; the only caution is for people with kidney problems.

Drinking a mix of wheatgrass and barley grass juice is also helpful as this aids in healing arteries and blood vessels. Wheatgrass and barley grass are a rich source of antoxidants, which help in the repair of blood vessels.

Seabuckthorn juice is also an excellent herbal drink for repairing the arteries, as it has very high levels of antioxidants.

PERSONALAGENDA AGENDA PERSONAL

UJJWALA RAUT

MODEL

Ujjwala got into the profession very young and won many modelling contests in India before making her way abroad. With her international features, good height and fine bone structure, she found herself modelling for some of the world’s top designers – Yves Saint-Laurent, Roberto Cavalli, Diane von Furstenberg. Now she has made her debut on TV as one of the judges of the reality show, The Hunt for the Kingfisher Calendar Girl 2012, airing on NDTV Good Times

One word that describes you best Sunshine – that’s what my name means!

If a traffic constable hauled you up, what would you do?

I don’t usually jump red lights. But if I am ever stopped then I would ask the traffic constable in Marathi what the problem is.

Your first kiss was…

It happened when I was eighteen. And it felt a little strange.

What makes you feel sexy?

My hair done up nicely.

You get high on…

Music. I just love music.

The colour ‘pink’ for you is…

It’s my favourite colour. Everything is pink for me!

Which superhero would you like to be and why?

THE LAST MOVIE THAT MADE YOU CRY?

I am a huge fan of Batman and would like to live in Gotham city just like him.

Choose: Air India or Indian Railways

I always prefer being in the air as my sun sign is also air.

A tune you can’t get out your head.

More than any tune, I can’t get the famous Gabbar Singh dialogues from Sholay out of my head.

What did you do with your first paycheque?

I gave it to my parents who deposited it in the bank.

The one law you would break if you could get away with it?

Aren’t laws meant to be broken all the time?

Do you love Luv Storys?

Not too much as they don’t last forever. My favourite stories are the ones that talk about mother and child love.

THE LION KING. IT WAS SO GOOD

If you could have chosen your own name, what would you have chosen?

I simply love my name.

Share a secret with us… you can trust us, we’ll only print it!

I am a big foodie! I just love eating.

You are late for work and all the roads are jammed. Choose a mode of transport: a cycle, a horse or a skateboard.

Why? A cycle. I have really long legs so I can pedal very fast.

Earth’s crowded and chock full of trash. Choose another planet.

I would choose the moon as it is closest to the Earth.

THE WEIRDEST THING THAT EVER WENT INTO YOUR MOUTH?

David Bowie. I just love him.

If you could be born either rich or intelligent, which one would you choose? You can’t say ‘both’.

Intelligent. I could easily use my knowledge to get rich.

What makes your day?

Almond croissants and yoga.

What screws it up?

A delay of something I want to finish.

Love is…

... Unconditional.

If you were the last person left on earth, what would you do?

I would just chill, listen to music and relax!

— Interviewed by Veenu Singh

A PLACE WHERE YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE LOST FOR A MONTH?

SUSHI. AND NOW I JUST CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT IT

PHOTO:THINKSTOCK

26

If you could have had a star perform at your wedding, who would it have been and why?

HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 23, 2011

IT HAS TO BE THE BAHAMAS FOR SURE! I JUST LOVE THAT PLACE