Brunch 25 august 2013

WEEKLY MAGAZINE, AUGUST 25, 2013 Free with your copy of Hindustan Times

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WEEKLY MAGAZINE, AUGUST 25, 2013 Free with your copy of Hindustan Times

Mawsynram, a mist-laden cluster of hamlets in Meghalaya, gets the highest rainfall on Earth. This is the story of a journey to...

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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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Brunch Opinion

Art that make us go ROFL

Wet, wet, wet…

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L.H.O.O.Q. (1919) by Marcel Duchamp You know how some people think Mona Lisa looks like a man? Marcel Duchamp agreed. He took a cheap postcard reproduction, doodled a moustache and a goatee and titled it L.H.O.O.Q., which when read in French loosely translates to ‘She has a hot arse’.

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ow does one pack for the wettest place in the world – Mawsynram in the Khasi Hills? Buy a raincoat, a sturdy umbrella, waterproof shoes. Take your sense of humour, an extra pair of shoes and a reliable interpreter. On the road, never be squeamish about the food you get. It is the journey that counts, not the destination, right?

What is the most enduring memory I have from Mawsynram? Apart from the waterfalls and the roadside tea shops managed by the pretty women entrepreneurs, it is that of a bunch of boys kicking ball on a mist-laden maidan in the pelting rain. It made me nostalgic about the days when we played for hours together, come rain, sun or hail. I still get a kick out of making the ball go where I want it to. It is another matter that I’ve begun to resemble a football these days.

– Aasheesh Sharma

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hat I remember most from the trip to Mawsynram are the people. They might not understand a word in Hindi, they converse in broken English, but the Khasis are some of the warmest folks in the world! I had a ball shooting in the rainiest place on Earth, thanks to the friendly and cooperative locals who never said ‘no’ (not even to some very unreasonable requests) and my water-proof camera.

Where else would a labourer leave his work and stand under a waterfall on an unknown lensman’s request?

So, I didn’t mind not getting any decent vegetarian food! – Raj K Raj

the knup rain shield Raj with a girl wearing

The Book Club

by Aasheesh Sharma

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Lobster Telephone (1936) by Salvador Dali “I do not understand why, when I ask for a grilled lobster in a restaurant, I am never served a cooked telephone,” said Dali and made a series of five working telephones topped with a bright orange plaster lobster.

Surrealism is the illogical connection of unrelated objects (or artists going nuts). If you pick up the receiver, you’ll be speaking right into the lobster’s genitalia. And so you know, lobsters are considered aphrodisiacs.

The Tent (1995) by Tracey Emin It is actually titled Everyone I Have Ever Slept With (1963-1995). To be fair, the names of Emin’s teddy bear and family members also appear in the work, putting things in a larger perspective. After Charles Saatchi (of ad agency Saatchi & Saatchi) paid around £40,000 for this, it burnt down in an accidental fire in 2004. Lol?

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LOVE IT

Neil Hilborn (and his OCD poem. “I want her back so badly, I leave the door unlocked. I leave the lights on.” Aww) ■ Waking up to Things Behind The Sun (Nick Drake) ■ Overhearing this on the metro: “I don’t like onions being in the news. I’m Jain.”

■ Getting hit on by somebody famous ■ Trailer of The Lunchbox (Mark the date: September 20) ■

mechanics of rain.

4. Under A Cloud, by Binoo K John: One of the best travelogues by an Indian writer about India, written with a picaresque imagination. A must read.

5. Going To Extremes, by Nick Middleton: The geographer visits the world’s hottest, coldest, wettest, and driest inhabited places.

He visits Oymyakon in Siberia, Arica in Chile, Dalol in Ethiopia and Mawsynram in Meghalaya. Riveting.

Techilicious is tech-ing a break. The forces of evil are preventing Rajiv Makhni from turning in his column this week.

But never fear – he’ll be back next week, fully charged, all wound up and as plugged in as usual. Meanwhile, reach out on Twitter. He’s @RajivMakhni for those who don’t know (as if!).

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

He took precious urns from the Han Dynasty era, painted the Coca-Cola logo and what not on them. Then, he dropped one – almost indifferently – smashing it for a series of three pictures.

Not impressed? Brush up on history. The han-era ceramic urn was roughly 2,000 years old. And because the photographer couldn’t get it right the first time, they had to do it again.

On The Brunch Radar

Reading in the rain

Cover design: MONICA GUPTA Photo: RAJ K RAJ Location: KHRENG KHRENG FALLS, MAWSYNRAM, MEGHALAYA

Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn (1995) by Ai Weiwei

Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Say ‘Cheese’ when you’re soaking W

1. Chasing the Monsoon, by Alexander Frater: An account of the author’s two-month journey in 1987, chasing the summer monsoon through India, from the southernmost tip of the country to its finale in Cherrapunji.

2. Meghadootam, by Kalidas: The original ode to the cloud messenger, a landmark in Sanskrit literature.

3. Monsoon Prediction, by RR Kelkar: The author is a former head of the India Met Department. Read this to understand the

by Amisha Chowbey

Shortcut To Smart

Photo: Raj K Ra j

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

AUGUST 25, 2013

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

by Saudamini Jain

Fighting over Chennai Express (If you love SRK, you’ll love the film. If you hate Rohit Shetty, you’ll hate the film. End of conversation) ■ “Facebook is bad for you.” So, we should eat celery on the Web? ■ Those who got carried away on World Photography Day and posted 46,580 photos of their cat/dog/baby/tea/cleavage ■ When Google went down for five minutes ■ If you’re over 25 and don’t know at least five different ways to fix your hangover ■

Photos: SHUTTERSTOCK, THINKSTOCK

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WELLNESS

MIND BODY SOUL SHIKHA SHARMA

LOSE WEIGHT, THE HERBAL WAY PART II

Last week, you ate your way to weight loss. This week, you just supplement that diet with these herbs for better results

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used in triphala, an ayurvedic tonic ERBAL REMEDIES for weight loss for maintaining health. are extremely popular. But it is important to select the herbs wisely BIBITAKI: It is used as a laxative. since all of them do not work on You can also use bibitaki to gareveryone and their intake gle because of its sore-throat must be planned carefully. soothing properties. It is also used in triphala.

FENNEL SEEDS: They are extremely effective in supportCHITRAK: It’s a ing weight loss as the seeds pungent herb used to directly work on your improve digestion and metabolism. Drink a cup of remove toxins from the fennel seed tea 15 minutes before gastrointestinal tract. eating a heavy meal to FLOWER OF LIFE GUDUCHI: It is a blood curb your appetite.

Hibiscus contains liver- purifier and protects supporting minerals, Known GRAPEFRUIT: the liver. Guduchi also for its cleansing effect on and ascorbic acid balances high pitta. the kidneys, grapefruit This herb has been used GUGGUL: regulates the body’s water retention for its antiseptic properties. It also capacities and curbs the associated controls elevated blood cholesterol weight gain. and arthritis.

HIBISCUS: A natural source of GURMAR: It is used to control hydroxycitric acid, hibiscus contains blood sugar levels in the body. liver-supporting minerals, vitamins KUTKI: A bitter and pungent herb, such as chromium and ascorbic kutki has been used by ayurvedic acid. These are key components of practitioners as a catalyst for the the metabolic pathways (a series of proper functioning of the liver and chemical reactions which occur the spleen. within a cell). Deficiency of one of the metabolic pathway components NEEM: It is one of the best disinfectants for skin diseases and acts as an can lead to obesity. anti-inflammatory for joint and musKANCHNAR GUGGUL: It is cle pain. Neem also balances high commonly used to stimulate pitta. the thyroid gland and can be effective in weight loss.

SHATAVARI: Prevents hormonal imbalances, AMLA: It rebuilds damaged stomach ulcers, inflamtissues, promotes new mations and fever. tissue growth and increases If you’re in your 40s, complethe count of red blood cells. It ment your diet with these herbs. also helps cleanse the liver, Remember to detoxify strengthen teeth and is NATURAL REMEDY and exercise regularly the highest natural Grapefruit cleans the to lose weight. source of vitamin C. It is a kidneys and prevents one of the three herbs water retention ask@drshikha.com Photos: THINKSTOCK

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AUGUST 25, 2013

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C OV E R STO RY

THE RAINING CHAMPION

IT’S RAINING UMBRELLAS!

The scene at the weekly market in Mawsynram. Since tourists have dropped to a trickle, umbrella sales are sluggish, says Bibel Rani, an umbrella retailer AUGUST 25, 2013

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Aasheesh Sharma and photographer Raj K Raj journeyed to Mawsynram, a cluster of hamlets in Meghalaya – now the wettest place in the world (sorry, it isn’t Cherrapunji!). They got drenched, but returned with an extraordinary story

ON THE ROAD TO MAWSYNRAM

Our driver Komsingh Swer smiles into the rear-view mirror through bright red lips stained by kwai, the betel nut-leaf-lime concoction everyone in the Khasi hills chews. The SUV hugs the curves and negotiates unpaved roads with ease. Still, the 58-kilometre stretch from Shillong to Mawsynram is easily the worst approach road in the state, he reckons.

The waterfalls en route Mawsynram are pretty, the foliage the lushest green you can imagine, and the people friendly. But when that unmistakable curtain of mist falls over the road, you know you are in the East Khasi Hills.

As if welcoming us to the block of villages, the downpour rises from a drizzle to a torrent. “Lapsohra!” announces the driver. In the Khasi dialect, it means ‘it’s pouring.’ Both

“Lapsohra!” says our driver. In Khasi, that means ‘it’s pouring’

GOING FOR GOLD

Children in Mawsynram angle for goldfish. “Four out of five people in Meghalaya indulge in fishing on the weekend,” says Dr PM Nadon, a dental surgeon

ABODE OF CLOUDS

we’re headed.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Mawsynram, at 1,400 metres above sea level, is the wettest place on Earth. “By average rainfall, the wettest place is Mawsynram, with 11,873 mm of rain per annum. The second highest is Cherrapunji, with an average annual rainfall of 11,430 mm per year,” reads the record on the Guinness website.

The East Khasi Hills in Meghalaya get a large share of India’s monsoon

Infographic: MUKESH SHARMA

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HE CLOUDS descend on you within seconds. A few kilometres out of Shillong, on the road to Mawsynram, a cluster of hamlets considered the wettest in the world, the first few drops appear on our windshield. Suddenly, visibility reduces from 30 metres, to 10 metres, to just five. And then we are driving on a highway glistening with a miasma of mist. “Welcome to Meghalaya, the abode of the clouds!” hollers Komsingh Swer, our stocky, cheerful charioteer.

What is it about the magic of the monsoon that keeps the world mesmerised? In India, it is the most awaited season because it rejuvenates millions of parched souls facing the wrath of the sun during our long summers.

From Kalidas’s Meghdootam, to Tagore’s A Rainy Day, the magic of the monsoons has inspired brilliant literature and poetry. Between June and September, these moistureladen winds rise above mountains, cool the air and bring bucket-loads of rain. Little wonder then that rain gods smile brightest over the Western Ghats, the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas and, of course, the Khasi hills of Meghalaya, where

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my photographer colleague, Raj, and I warm up to the sight that awaits us.

WORK AND PLAY

In a mist-covered playground in the world’s wettest place, a crowd of about 100 has gathered to watch a six-a-side game of football, echoing the Khasis’ carefree attitude towards the rain gods. Crunching tackles, booming kicks, running through puddles or sliding through the slush – it is pouring in Mawsynram, but the group of 12 boys hasn’t let the blinding rain dampen their enthusiasm for the Beautiful Game.

Edmund Warjri, 16, a Liverpool fan, chants the club anthem: When you walk through a storm, Hold your head up high, And don’t be afraid of the

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average yearly rainfall

SHILLONG

MAWSYNRAM B

11,873 mm

Cherrapunji D

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dark,…And you’ll never walk alone.

Meghalaya, like the rest of north-east India, is football-crazy and the people fanatically follow the English Premier League. With two clubs from the state, Shillong Lajong FC and Rangdajiad United FC, playing in the national I-League, young footballers aren’t short on inspiration. “Whether it is raining or not, our parents never stop us from playing football. Everyone in Mawsynram loves it,” says Nasares Pdahkasiej, 16, flaunting a Manchester United jersey.

Other than a desolate signboard at the Public Works Department building which reads ‘Wettest Place in The World’ there are few indications that Mawsynram’s inhabitants are

Why Mawsynram Gets So Much Rain To begin with, the warm moist winds from the Bay of Bengal during the monsoon are forced to converge over the Khasi hills, thus concentrating their moisture. Secondly, the alignment of the hills (east to west) means they lie directly in the path of the air flow from the Bay of Bengal, producing a significant uplift (plus cooling, further condensation and thus more rain). Finally, during the monsoon in the Khasi Hills, the lifted air is constantly being pulled up by vigorous winds in the upper atmosphere, hence the rainfall is more or less continuous and concentrated.

Courtesy: Going to Extremes by Nick Middleton

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C OV E R STO RY

PORTRAIT OF A FAMILY

Jasuklang Dewsaw, 27, a security guard and wife Skhembhalang Disiar, 26, a teacher, earn R17,000 every month between them. They replaced the bamboo ceiling with a tin one mary school.

By the time we enter the class 9 classroom at the St Francis Secondary School, the students are getting restless since school is about to shut. The umbrellas are out and the trousers rolled up when we quiz them on whether they know they study in the world’s wettest place.

“But our textbooks say it is Cherrapunji,” says Beneto Marbaniang, a student. A look at the 2012 edition of A Textbook of Social Studies confirms this. So, what’s the toughest bit about coming to school in incessant rain?

“Our uniforms don’t dry in time,” says Manosha Koynter, 14.

aware of its exalted status among tourists, explorers, geographers and monsoon chasers. “You are lucky to be here on Thursday, weekly market day,” Samuel Najiar, 35, a coal entrepreneur from Shillong, intrepid interpreter and our resource person for local intel, tells us. The downpour has little effect on shoppers haggling with hawkers over fish, potato and meat. The ‘market’ is an assortment of kiosks draped in tarpaulin and the buyers create a sea of umbrellas in all the hues of the rainbow and then some.

Since everyone is already armed with an umbrella, where do umbrella sellers find new buyers? Sales are sluggish, rues Bibel Rani, a petite 40year-old businesswoman as she looks SHIELDED FROM THE RAIN

Children head home from school, near Mawsynram. In the East Khasi Hills, many parents are reluctant to send their young ones to school owing to the weather

into the street through a sheet of rain.

“On good days, we sell about four umbrellas, but on the market day, sales could go up to 10. This year, tourists have reduced to a trickle, it seems,” she says. Even the scroll of honour from the Guinness Book, calling Mawsynram the World’s Wettest Place hasn’t exactly brought in tourists by the bucketful.

And the locals, well, they don’t bother much about umbrellas. They swear by the knup, the innovative hands-free rain shield that lets them work in the fields, dig roads and carry out everyday chores without having to grip an umbrella pipe (see Raj’s picture with a girl wearing a knup on Page 4). The

rim of the shield looks like an inverted tear drop. It extends behind the head and also keeps the rain off the knees.

Certain other urban inventions have little utility in Mawsynram, such as leather shoes. Arnest Kharmawlong, 31, principal of the St Francis Secondary School, says the relentless rain brings with it problems in enforcing discipline.

“One can’t expect everyone to be shod in leather shoes in the rain. So, the students are allowed slippers. The rain affects attendance too, particularly in the junior classes.”

Most of the students in Mawsynram’s 17 schools walk about five kilometres on an average to get an education, says R Hiamdor Rapsang, a teacher with a lower pri-

In the winter, the wettest place in the world faces an acute water crisis

Getting There ■ Fly to Guwahati and head to Shillong, the journey takes three hours by road.

Mawsynram, a cluster of villages in Meghalaya, is 58 km from Shillong, but the approach road is bad, so it can take upto four hours.

■ At Mawsynram, visit the many waterfalls and the Mawjymbuin cave with a massive stalagmite shaped like a Shivaling. It doesn’t have any tourism infrastructure, so you can stay in hotels at Cherrapunji or in Shillong.

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RAIN MAN OF MAWSYNRAM

The battle between Mawsynram and Cherrapunji for the world’s wettest title has piqued our curiosity about meeting Ram Krishna Sharma aka Pintoo, the rain man of Mawsynram.

In a flat stretch of green overlooking a foggy valley, we notice a balding, portly figure crouching beneath an umbrella, filling his measuring cylinder. “You must be the journalists from Delhi, I am Pintoo!” he greets us with a smile.

Sharma has been engaged in measuring rainfall for close to two decades, but he doesn’t have too many insights into meteorological trends. “As a peon, I take the readings and send them to the SDO office and the Met office in Guwahati,” he says.

Sharma suggests we meet Moonstar Marbaniang, the headman of Mawsynram Village, in case we want more information about the Guinness Record. The headman, 65, has a mop of grey hair, a crinkly smile and a laugh that sounds like pealing church bells. “Of course, I am aware of the Guinness Book. The entire village is proud of the world record,” he says.

“But at the same time, we face a lot of difficulties owing to the rain. No crops can be cultivated in this terrain.

There are just a couple of inches of grass and solid rock underneath.

“Therefore, most villagers have turned labourers or middlemen, acquiring farm produce from other parts of the state and selling it in the weekly market. In case you really want to see how the people weather the extremeties of rain, you should go to Syntein Village, also in Mawsynram,” advises Marbaniang.

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MAWSYNRAM VERSUS CHERRAPUNJI

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ver since 1994, when Mawsynram first surpassed Cherrapunji in the highest average rainfall, residents of Cherrapunji have been trying to suggest that the Mawsynram station isn’t really scientific and is manned by a part-timer, unlike Cherrapunji with a proper full-time meteorological office. “The reliability of the rainfall data of Mawsynram as collected by the Public Works Department (PWD) is in question. I’ve seen with my own eyes that the rainfall was being measured with a millilitre-measuring beaker instead of the appropriate millimetre beaker,” says Dennis P Rayen, owner of the Cherrapunjee Holiday Resort.

Fabian Umdor, sub-divisional officer of the PWD at Mawsynram, concedes lack of data hits the credibility of Mawsynram as the wettest place

in the world. “The person collecting the data hasn’t been trained as a meteorologist. For whatever reason, Met authorities have only provided us with a rain gauge, but not trained personnel to collect rainfall data, as is the case in Cherrapunji,” he adds.

In Going To Extremes, geographer Nick Middleton writes: “Although Mawynram holds the record for the highest annual average rainfall total, Cherrapunji does still hold several other world rainy records. These include the highest ever rainfall total in a 24-hour period set on 16 June 1995.”

In Under A Cloud, journalist Binoo K John adds: “From 1948 to 1957, for which data is available for both places, Mawsynram with an annual average rainfall of 13,978 mm is ahead of Cherrapunji’s 12,611 mm.”

A RAIN CHECK

Ram Krishna Sharma measures rainfall in Mawsynram

MIST CALL

The Khreng Khreng Falls on the way to Syntain from Mawsynram Village. The Khasi Hills, the wettest location in the world, are famous for their spectacular waterfalls

THE LAND AND ITS PEOPLE

The Khasis are a matrilineal society, in which inheritance passes to the youngest daughter and the children take the mother’s name. And women play as big a role in bringing the bread home as do men. Near Syntein, after the Kreng Kreng Falls, we meet a group of construction workers. The men, wreathed in plastic sheets, are part of the PWD road maintenance team. “The monsoon is the busiest time of the year for us,” says Broke Marnagar, 30, who earns R250 every day, clearing debris from landslides or working on a road.

After a long stretch of inactivity, the phone beeps: “You are logged in to Airtel Bangladesh. Incoming to India @R10 per minute,” reads the text on the screen. “Yes, it is just across the valley. Since the soil in the limestone plateau doesn’t absorb water, all the rain water flows down into Bangladesh,” says Najiar.

And the biggest irony gripping Mawsynram? The wettest place in the world faces an acute water crisis in winter. Jasuklang Dewsaw, 27, a chowkidar with a health centre, walks to work for seven kilometres

every day. He earns R11,000 per month and the household income is augmented by his wife Skhembhalang Disiar, 26, a teacher who gets R6,000. It is barely enough to feed the family that includes two toddlers and maintain their modest home comprising a drawing room, bedroom and kitchen. “We can’t keep the windows open, since water seeps in and makes the floor slippery. Drinking water is a big problem. There is no rainwater conservation,” says Disiar. “Still, despite all the difficulties, the Khasi people find ways to enjoy themselves,” she says.

BETTING ON ARROWS

stalls in state capital Shillong.

Call it serendipity or good fortune, but we get to witness to an inter-village Teer contest the day we head from Mawsynram to Cherrapunji. A crowd of about 50 onlookers is crouching on a foggy maidan. The drizzle doesn’t deter them as they take shelter beneath knups and watch teams from opposing villages throw arrows like javelins at targets a few metres away. “The wagers go up to R10,000,” says Prasanta Borah, 35, a businessman and Teer enthusiast.

If any other leisure activity can match the popularity of archeryled gambling in rural Meghalaya, it is fishing.

“Four out of five people in the state indulge in fishing on the weekend,” says Dr PM Nadon, a 46year-old surgeon, even as he flaunts his catch of the day, a grass carp, to Wanban, his eight-year-old nephew.

The wettest place in the world isn’t getting as many tourists as it should because of bad roads. “Also, despite its caves and waterfalls, the adminis-

The government should set up a Met office in Mawsynram

Many of their leisure pursuits can be traced to the Khasis’ love for gambling.

If, in older times, bets were laid on a chicken, pig or goat, these days, youngsters and veterans alike gamble big on archery competitions. The centuries-old tradition of Siat Khnam, or Shoot Arrow is still popular. The results are even displayed on Teer

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tration isn’t doing enough to boost tourism in the block,” says Fabian Umdor of the PWD, Mawsynram.

Journalist and activist Patricia Mukhim, editor of The Shillong Times, says just statistics do not a tourist attraction make or unmake.

“Mawsynram has never been able to dislodge Cherrapunji as the big tourist draw of Meghalaya. There are simply no tourist facilities as yet in Mawsynram.”

Marbaniang, the headman of Mawsynram Village, suggests two constructive measures. “The government should set up a meteorological observatory in Mawsynram.

This will ensure its status as the world’s wettest place. Also, land has already been earmarked to create a ropeway between the two hills that separate Cherrapunji and Mawsynram. Perhaps this would set the rivalry between the two to rest.”

Like they say, where there’s a hill, there is a way! aasheesh.sharma@hindustantimes.com.

Follow @aasheesh74 on Twitter

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VA R I E T Y

Keralite, Kashmiri, Kathiawadi, or Kolhapuri, your grandma’s and my aunty’s recipes are taking over restaurants

Table For Two, Amma!

Photos: RAJ K RAJ

by Aparna Pednekar

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VERYONE LOVES a good grandmother. Especially when she’s rolling out parathas softer than anything you’ll eat, and her mutton curry makes you weak in the knees like no wink-and-nod from Ranbir Kapoor (or Jennifer Lawrence) can.

Every family has degchi-wielding mummies, aunties, a female relative, or kitchen-savvy uncle or daddy. It is no secret that our love for food is developed in the kitchens of our early years as we swarmed together to forge a sense of family.

Even food professionals know this. And a growing breed of them are working out ways to serve the same homestyle recipes at their commecial restaurants without sacrificing taste or profit.

TODAY’S SPECIAL: GHAR KA KHAANA

Bandra West is arguably one of Mumbai’s hippest eat-out zones.

Here, tequila-soaked cupcakes are sold next to New York-style deli food, sushi and Mangalorean prawn curry are gobbled up a block from each other. And smack in the middle of it all, Jumjoji (Gujarati for ‘Let’s go eat’) is turning the commercial kitchen recipe on its head. Owner Boman Irani’s menu has dishes sourced from his Parsi kin. Munch on Piroja Irani’s chicken sticks alongside Freni Aunty’s mutton dhansak (a recipe that Freni Aunty discovered in her great grandmother’s belongings in 1954) and Zenobia Zorabian’s lagan nu custard.

In Delhi, Kashmiri Kitchen began as a takeaway joint run by former PR professional Pearl Khan and her mother and now serves close to 80 meals on weekends. “We use ingredients sourced from Kashmir, and stick to the original recipes,”

Photos: KUNAL PATIL

PARSI PARADISE

says Pearl Khan. It means much more hard work in the kitchen than in a regular restaurant. For dishes like goshtaba and rista, Khan needs to procure only freshly slaughtered goat, because the recipes do not allow for more than an hour to lapse between slaughter and for pestle-wielding Wazas (cooks) to begin handpounding the mutton. The pounding carries on for two hours, and the cooking process that follows takes another two. Even vegetarian dishes like veth chaman require two hours to prep the tomatoes: boiling, peeling, crushing and then frying.

Khan balks at the thought of using restaurant-style short cuts like sauces or purees.

At Pune’s 96K, owner

Jumjoji serves Zenobia Zorabian’s lagan nu custard (left) and Piroja Irani’s chicken sticks (bottom left) Rahul Mhaske draws on the culinary legacies of a Konkani mother and Ahmednagari father to ensure his state’s food isn’t limited to vada paos and thalis. On the menu is the hard-to-find khara mutton (goat pickle) and masoor amtis made homestyle with kopra and onion masala. Most vegetable dishes and usals have the peanut base, offering a tinge of sweetness.

He and his wife Radha started off by serving their home-cooked food to friends and family at their Wagholi farmhouse before going commercial.

“Initially, I found it difficult,” admits Radha, a former architect who manages the buzzing kitchen. “But now, we have standardised our recipes without compromising on authenticity.” She claims that all the masalas are made fresh, every day, and that all cooks are personally trained by her.

96K ensures that Marathi food is more than vada paos and thalis

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TASTE OF THE VALLEY

Kashmiri Kitchen (top) hand pounds the meats for Wazan preparations that call for only freshly slaughtered goat

SERVING UP, SCALING UP

Homestyle cuisine is often associated with small restaurants or mom-and-pop eateries. Adapting the eccentricities and traditions of ghar ka khaana to a commercial kitchen is often viewed as hara-kiri.

That, however, doesn’t stop talented chefs and entrepreneurs from doing it; and doing it right. One of the recent success stories is Zambar (with outlets in Pune and Delhi), which serves dishes from our South Indian states.

Chef Arun Kumar recalls first walking into the Zambar kitchen and feeling “petrified” at the idea translating what he cooked at home, into such a large scale. Despite having no background in commercial operations, it turned out to be much easier than he thought. “After all, the traditional ‘tharavad’ houses of Kerala and the ‘chettiyar’ mansions

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BREAD OF LIFE

Jonna roti is prepared homestyle at Rayalaseema Ruchulu of Tamil Nadu catered to 50-60 people on a daily meal basis, if not more,” he points out. “More than the numbers, it is the method and the method remains the same, whether for two or 200.”

He doesn’t believe in short cuts, has all the chutneys and masalas pounded in traditional, manual granite stone grinders, and uses only slow cooking techniques, executed in mud and brass vessels.

Uttam Reddy’s Hyderabad chain Rayalaseema Ruchulu serves Amma-style ragi sankati (ragi balls), chapala pulusu (fish curry), gongura mamsam (mutton curry) and jonna (jowar) roti from Andhra’s Rayalaseema region.

Mumbai restaurateur, Riyaaz Amlani and his team are on the cusp of launching Gypsy Kitchen, a recipe conservation project. “The goal is to identify mothers and aunties who are guardians of homestyle cooking, and document their cooking processes and recipes,” he says.

He genuinely feels that more people, especially the young, are now interested in eating home food – both their own and that of other regions.

ON THE MENU: MEMORIES

Whether they’re unassuming eateries or swanky spaces with ambitious expansion plans, these restaurants are driven by the desire to celebrate homestyle regional cuisines, many of which would otherwise be lost

forever. Suzette Martin of Goa’s Mum’s Kitchen is passionate about conserving Portuguese-Catholic and Hindu Saraswat Goan cuisine. “A commercial kitchen is different from a home kitchen,” she admits.

“But we work hard at maintaining the consistency and taste of original recipes from mothers across the state.” Apart from delicacies like samabarachi kodi (coconut prawn curry with dried salted mangoes), Martin has a secret up her sleeve.

It’s a pork dish she makes only on order, because it needs two days’ notice. “I don’t want to name the dish,” she says slyly. “Or many people will ask me to make it and I wouldn’t like to disappoint them.”

Like Martin, Chef Naren Thimmaiah of Bangalore’s Karavalli restaurant at the Taj Gateway, has special off-menu recipes. “We keep updating ourselves by digging into the region we represent – the southwest coast and hinterland – and learn dishes from the communities not represented earlier like the Konkanis of Mangalore, Havyaka Brahmins of Vitla or the Syrian Christians of Travancore” Thimmaiah says.

The recipe for Karavalli’s signature dish, koli barthad (Coorg fried chicken), actually comes from Thimmaiah’s own mother.

COAST WITH THE MOST

With chef Naren Thimmaiah at the helm, Karavalli (top) serves homestyle specials and Allepy fish curry (left)

MY MOMMY VERSUS YOURS

The flip side of serving warm and fuzzy homestyle food is that you’ll always compare it to the warm, fuzzy food from your own home

recipes are 95 per cent accurate, Kumar says even 100 per cent accuracy is possible.

But Khan admits that some variations are inevitable. Wazwan is cooked over a wood fire in the outdoors, which is not possible in a commercial kitchen, especially a tiny one.

Despite such restrictions, restaurateurs are now establishing themselves as custodians of homestyle cooking, adding their personal touches to tradition. You may be welcomed with traditional jaggery and water at Karavalli or get a wine list to go with your mutton-bhakri at 96K. But you’ll definitely go back for more heartwarming khaana. brunchletters@hindustantimes.com

Andhra’s natukodi pulusu is on the menu at Rayalseema Ruchulu

FEEL AT HOME HERE

and find the restaurant version sometimes lacking.

“Comparisons are inevitable,” admits Arun Kumar. “But that helps us through interactions to modify and rectify whenever necessary. We actually reach out to these homes, moms to figure out what is ‘better.’” While Martin claims that her collection of mums’ SOUTH CENTRAL

Coastal restaurant Zambar (left) adds a traditional touch to dishes like Malabar chicken stew

MUMBAI ■ Konkan Café (Food from the Konkan, Karnataka and Kerala) ■ Mangoes (Mangalorean and Goan food) ■ Jumjoji (Parsi food) ■ Mi Maratha (Food from Maharashtra) PUNE ■ Purepur Kohlapur (Food from Maharashtra) ■ 96K (Food from Maharashtra) DELHI ■ Potbelly (Food from Bihar) ■ Kashmiri Kitchen (Food from Kashmir) ■ Bamboo Hut (Food from Nagaland) ■ Yeti (Himalayan food) ■ Zambar (Food from the coastal states of South India)

MORE ON THE WEB

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AUGUST 25, 2013

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MACAROON

MANIA

NUT CRACKER

For people of my generation, a macaroon is a kind of hard cookie made from almonds with a coconut flavour

The macaroon has become a global cult.

Then why don’t Indian hotels and pâtisseries make the effort to perfect it?

Photos:THINKSTOCK

FIRST BITE

The modern macaroon owes its popularity to a single Paris restaurant: Ladurée

Vir Sanghvi

D

O YOU CARE who invented the macaroon? Or who makes the best macaroons in the world? Frankly, I wouldn’t blame you if you said you didn’t give a damn. But you should know that as macaroon-mania has devoured the world, these are the subjects of heated global controversy.

First, what exactly is a macaroon? For people of my generation, a macaroon is a kind of hard cookie made from almonds with a coconut flavour. In much of south India, the most famous macaroon is the cashew version that Tuticorin is renowned for.

But those are not the macaroons that cause all the fuss. The modern macaroon is a light cookie made from almond paste, egg white and sugar. The most famous macaroons are the doubledeckers which are really two separate macaroons turned into a sandwich with a creamy filling. Macaroons can come in many different colours (yellow, purple, indigo, red, brown, etc.). And the filling uses such traditional ingredients as chocolate, vanilla

AUGUST 25, 2013

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and fruits as well as more avant-garde ones: foie gras, crushed rose petals, etc.

The battle over the origin of the macaroon is the usual France v/s Italy conflict. The Italians have always claimed that the French stole their cuisine. They say that when Catherine de’ Medici of Florence married Henri II of France in 1533 she took Italian cooks with her. Apparently, these Italian cooks taught the French how to cook.

(Presumably, they also took all of Italy’s cuisine secrets with them because Italian food, as delicious as it is, now has little of the sophistication of French haute cuisine.)

As the macaroon has become a global cult, the Italians have added it to the list of dishes that they say Catherine’s cooks took along with them. There might be something to this claim. The original macaroon, the hard meringue-based cookie, owes a little to the Italian amaretti, an almond biscuit.

But the modern macaroon is a vast improvement on the amaretti. The French, who discount the Catherine de’ Medici theory, give the credit for its invention to two nuns in the city of Nancy, who created a macaroon-like pastry in 1792 to get around dietary rules prohibiting the consumption of meat. (Why they needed to invent a new vegetarian dessert is not entirely clear. If the intention was only to avoid meat, there were already hundreds of vegetarian pastries.)

The modern macaroon, however, owes its popularity to a single Paris restaurant: Ladurée. The original Ladurée opened on the Rue Royale in Paris in 1862. It was, and is, a great Paris institution but its reputation for macaroons dates only to the 1930s. That was when Ladurée started selling the double-deckers that we know as the modern macaroon. Did it invent them?

Ladurée says it did. But there are counter claims.

Even then, the macaroon would not have become an international phenomenon if Ladurée had not been taken over in 1993 by Groupe Holder, which also owns the Paul bakery chain.

Recognising the power of the Ladurée brand, the new owners turned to Pierre Hermé, France’s greatest pastry chef and asked him to lighten the macaroon recipe. Once Hermé had perfected the modern macaroon, the dish was ready to take over the world.

In the course of the last decade, Ladurée has gone from its Paris presence to 50 shops in 40 different cities (New York, Milan, Dubai, London, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Sydney etc). As Ladurée has grown so has the craze for macaroons.

Now, they crop up everywhere as the ultimate romantic gift.

(On American TV shows, for instance.) They were the central design motif of Sofia Coppola’s movie, Marie Antoinette, even though they did not reach Paris till after the historical queen was executed. Such designers as Alber Elbaz collaborate with Ladurée and macaroons are always served at fashion parties. (But fashion people never actually eat them – or much else, for that matter.) They turn up again and again on the various Masterchefs, and pastry chefs all over the world are obsessed with macaroons.

They will usually include them at afternoon teas and on plates of petit fours. (When the Four Seasons opened in Mumbai, in

rude food

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2008, the French pastry chef put macaroons on every menu and every tray to the extent that I finally took to calling him Capitaine Macaroon.)

In no time at all, the double-decker macaroon, a dish that was unknown till the 1930s, has become the symbol of French patisserie. And though food writers keep proclaiming that new desserts have replaced the macaroon – the cupcake, the éclair, or the gourmet doughnut – the pretenders fade away while macaroons continue to rule.

I have two theories about the popularity of macaroons. The first is obvious. Not only do they seem more sophisticated than ordinary biscuits or cakes, they are much less messy than cakes or pastries. (Try eating a Black Forest or an opera pastry with your fingers!) My second theory is more speculative. I don’t think it is a coincidence that the macaroon craze began in an era when dieticians were telling us to avoid wheat (“no carbs”) and gluten.

Unlike most pâtisserie products, macaroons have no wheat and, therefore, seemed healthier and ‘carb-free’.

I am not convinced by the health argument.

All that sugar can’t be good for you. But my bigger concern is with quality. A perfect macaroon should have a firm outer shell that you can bite into. It should then melt in your mouth. If the meringue and almond paste stick to your teeth or the cream lingers unpleasantly on your palate or the sugar overwhelms the other flavours, then the macaroon is a failure.

The ultimate test of a macaroon is its lightness.

Macaroon devotees still swear by Ladurée but food snobs insist that Pierre Hermé makes the best macaroons in the world. After parting ways with Ladurée, Hermé has opened his own shops that sell gourmet macaroons at higher prices.

Last week in Paris, I went a little macaroon-crazy. I tried six different Ladurée macaroons and thought they were as good as I remembered. But I preferred Hermé’s macaroons. Gourmets praise Hermé for his innovative flavours but I thought his macaroons also had a much firmer texture than Ladurée’s and worked better on every level. Of the other macaroons I tried, two stood out: at the Jules Verne restaurant, run by Alain Ducasse, and surprisingly enough in the

Photo: GETTY IMAGES

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tea tray at my hotel, the Park Hyatt. But Hermé was far ahead of the rest.

When I returned to Delhi, I checked out the local versions. I had high hopes of L’Opera but their macaroons clung to my teeth like plaque. The Oberoi macaroons lacked texture and firmness. At Cha Shi (at Emporio), the high quality of the cuisine was let down by dismal macaroons. At the Khan Market Choko la, a surly guy at the counter told me they had no macaroons. I pointed to the macaroons displayed in the window. “Woh toh dummy hai,” he said dismissively. Service was far superior at the Promenade branch of Choko la, but the macaroons were disappointing, with a thin top layer that was overwhelmed by the filling.

The Indian failures were surprising because good macaroons are not that difficult to make. Both Hermé and Ladurée churn them out in factories. My guess is that the chefs are just not trying. Though, in their defence, they may be handicapped by the non-availability of first-rate ingredients.

I spoke to India’s best pastry chef, Rohit Sangwan, who is now at the Taj Mahal in Bombay. Rohit says that Indian chefs rarely have access to the super-fine almond flour that makes the best macaroons. He also blamed the butter. He said that Indian butter was made in a different manner from the best French butter.

So, even if a recipe calls for a certain amount of butter and the chef loyally follows the procedure, the dessert may not turn out right because our butter is of a different kind. Rohit now uses French butter for his macaroons but many chefs do not because French butter is far more expensive.

And some of it is just technique. Pierre Hermé learnt his craft from Gaston Lenôtre, a legendary French chef. But Hermé has made improvements to many of the old recipes. For instance, he has reduced the sugar content. He has also changed the meringue used in the dish. I am not sure I fully understand the technical nuances, but Hermé insists on an Italian meringue that ensures a firmer texture. An Italian meringue is more time-consuming to make and many Indian chefs do not bother with it. Another time-related problem is the freezing. Many French chefs freeze their macaroons overnight to achieve the desired texture. Indian chefs freeze them for only six hours or so.

According to Rohit, Indian chefs can easily make great macaroons if their employers are willing to spend money on high quality ingredients and give them the time they need to freeze their macaroons.

Then why don’t Indian hotels and pâtisseries make the effort?

My guess is that the absence of quality competition ensures a certain level of mediocrity. But when Ladurée and the other French chains do get to India, that will have to change.

Unlike most pâtisserie products, macaroons have no wheat and, therefore, seem healthier and ‘carb-free’

ALL IN GOOD TASTE

The macaroon filling uses such traditional ingredients as chocolate, vanilla and fruits as well as more avant-garde ones: foie gras, crushed rose petals, etc

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COOKIE CUTTER

Recognising the power of the Ladurée brand, the new owners turned to Pierre Hermé (above), France’s greatest pastry chef and asked him to lighten the macaroon recipe

THE SWEETEST NEW THING

Food writers keep proclaiming that new desserts such as the cupcake, the éclair, or the gourmet doughnut have replaced the macaroon

MORE ON THE WEB

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

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hindustantimes.com/brunch

ARE YOU BEING SERVED?

17

Seema Goswami

W

EVEN FOR OPRAH?

Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Oprah Winfrey revealed that on a trip to Switzerland, a sales assistant refused to show her a handbag, saying, “This one is too expensive”

spectator

E’VE ALL been there at one time or another. You walk into a designer store where every item on sale has a stratospheric price tag attached. As you browse through the shop, you realise that a sales assistant is beadily tracking your every move. You ask if you could get a closer look at a certain item on display. Instead of handing it over, he snootily informs you that it YOU ARE BEING WATCHED costs, say, R3 lakh.

As you browse through a shop you realise that a Technically, of course, he has done nothing sales assistant is beadily tracking your every move wrong. You asked to see an item in his store and At which point, Oprah backs down, and says that he told you its price. But you know exactly what she wishes she had never raised the issue, and she is going on. The sales assistant has weighed you regrets how it has all got so out of hand up, calculated the cost of your handbag, your All this kerfuffle about being snubbed (or not) watch, your shoes, and whatever jewellery you in a designer store… I know, it beggars belief, are wearing, and decided that this item is defidoesn’t it? nitely not within your budget. Having decided But while all this sounds very silly indeed, I that, he sees no point in wasting time showing it have to admit that there is something about these to you. He’s a busy man you know; he can’t be fancy-schmancy stores that brings all our insebothered with window shoppers like you. curities to the fore. I know women – otherwise Now, there are three ways you can deal with this. completely rational human beings – who never You can act as if you didn’t get the subtext of his venture into these shops unless they have at reply and ask to see the bag anyway. Or you can call least one designer item on their person. And him on his rudeness and ask why he felt obliged to when I scoff at them, they regale me with stotell you the price when you hadn’t asked the ques- SHOW ME THE MONEY! ries of their ritual humiliation in such stores tion. Or you could just walk out and take your The service in some stores dramatically improves if I am carrying when they don’t quite look the part. custom to another store where the sales assistants an easily identifiable label handbag This can take several forms. The sales are a tad less snobby and a little more helpful. assistants may studiously ignore you, offering no help at all even if (Always choose option three.) you indicate that you are looking for it. Or they will shadow you But if you are Oprah Winfrey, one of the richest women in the assiduously as if they are afraid you will slip an expensive item in world and a global media superstar, you could also mention your capacious handbag the moment their back is turned. Or they this experience in an interview. You can recount the time you will be unbearably patronising when you ask questions about the walked into a store in Switzerland – which you are careful merchandise. Or they will resort to that tried-and-tested insult of not to name – and asked to see a handbag. You reveal your telling you much a thing costs even before you ask the question. amazement when the sales assistant refused to show it Speaking for myself, I have noticed that service in such stores to you, despite your repeated requests, and steered you dramatically improves if I am carrying an easily identifiable label towards some cheaper bags instead. “This one,” she handbag, or wearing what looks like a designer garment, or even said, “is too expensive.” better, an expensive piece of jewellery. I can feel the sales Of course, being Oprah, you lay this down to the assistants clocking up the value of every item in their internal cominsidious racism that prevails in much of the world; a world which puter and placing me on that sliding scale of costumer sees a black person as being too poor to afford pricey goodies preference. And their disappointment is almost palpable when I like these. And because you are Oprah, all hell breaks loose after leave without buying anything, as if I had somehow tricked them your interview. into serving me under false pretenses.

The Swiss Tourism Board offers you an apology on behalf of the But while this is fun on a slow afternoon, I must confess that I whole country and says it’s a shame you were treated that way. The would never ever set foot again in a store where the shop media track down the store in question and the owner is forced to assistants had been snooty and rude. If I’m not good enough for clarify that it was all a huge misunderstanding because the sales you, then my money most certainly isn’t either. assistant’s English is ‘not so good’. The sales assistant herself tearily explains that she is not racist and that she was just trying to explain to Oprah that there were cheaper versions of ‘that’ handMORE ON THE WEB bag on sale as well. She adds, for good measure, that she cannot For more SPECTATOR columns by Seema Goswami, log on to hindustantimes.com/brunch. Follow her on Twitter at understand why Oprah is making such accusations. “She is so powtwitter.com/seemagoswami. Write to her at erful and I am just a shop girl. I don’t understand why someone as seema_ht@rediffmail.com great as her would cannibalise me on TV.” AUGUST 25, 2013

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Photo: THINKSTOCK

The snooty sales assistant is alive and well, and ignoring you at that unfriendly neighbourhood designer store

REEL TO REAL In this four-part series, four young professionals tell us how their life is a just a little bit like life on television shows PART 1

Saving Lives, Over And Over

For one young doctor, the daily drama of life and death surpasses the scripted motions of anything on screen

by Karan Raj Jaggi

I

COME FROM a family of doctors, and children from such families usually have strong feelings about the profession – they either love it or hate it. I belong to the former category.

I entered medical college, brighteyed and confident, expecting to expertly wield a scalpel on day one.

All I managed to do was to cut the anatomy demonstrator’s finger. That day, I solemnly swore to never become a surgeon!

MY FIRST SAVE

After medical school, you’re required to complete a year of internship at different departments of a hospital. I started with psychiatry where my daily duties involved carrying patient files, copying lists of medications and if I got lucky, taking the pulse and blood pressure of a patient!

On the fifth day of my internship, I was asked to monitor the vital signs of a patient. Four hours into the said task, I noticed that his blood pressure was steadily dropping. I informed the senior resident

HIS LIFE ON SCREEN

■ Grey’s Anatomy is a

medical drama that traces the personal and professional lives of doctors who graduate from being unsure surgical interns to confident attending surgeons.

■ The show’s title is a reference to the famous anatomy book Gray’s Anatomy of the Human Body by Henry Gray (an English anatomist and surgeon).

■ Ellen Pompeo (Meredith Grey) was discovered while she was working at the SoHo Bar & Grill in New York.

SOURCE: IMDB

on duty. He asked me to monitor the patient more closely and start an IV line. Having never started one, I requested (and pestered) a senior nurse to do it. As she was setting up an IV line, the patient started seizing. I screamed myself hoarse telling the nurses to call the resident, while I squeezed the bottle of saline, trying to get some fluids into the patient to raise his blood pressure.

The resident arrived and gave out orders to the nurses. I just stood numb in shock. Thankfully, the patient revived. The senior resident congratulated me for saving the patient’s life and the nurse said, “Doctor saab, agar aap nahin hote, toh woh patient mar jaata.”

That moment justified those long hours slaving over text books, cancelling party plans, and giving exams every day.

“When I stepped into the ER, I knew I was meant to be a physician”

MY FIRST FLIGHT

The day I stepped into the Emergency Room, I knew I was meant to be a physician. My duties included collecting patient blood samples, inserting Ryle’s tubes (oral feeding tubes), urinary catheters and starting IV lines.

I remember my first attempt at trying to insert an IV cannula. The patient asked me to get right in one go! After struggling for nearly 10 minutes, I gave up and called the resident. He just asked me to get a cannula three sizes bigger than the one I had tried with, inserted it in one fluid motion and left.

MY DOWNFALL

Things took a turn for the worse when I was posted in the Obstetrics and Gynaecology department, where the general rule was – don’t ask questions. Soon, I became AUGUST 25, 2013

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Photo: RAJ K RAJ

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NOBLE PROFESSION

The ability to make a difference is what motivated Karan Raj Jaggi to become a doctor

accustomed to servile obedience and felt I was beginning to grudge the patients and their illnesses. I couldn’t wait for internship to get over and thought I would snap back to my ebullient self once my post-graduate exams were over. However, that didn’t happen.

MY RESURRECTION

One day an elderly gentleman came home asking for my father (who was sleeping that time). Though I asked him to return in the evening, there was something about him that made me say, “I’m a doctor too, is there anything I can help you with?” He told me he had some confusion about his medications. I felt the long-lost feeling of warmth surging

through me again and explained the correct timing and doses.

He thanked me profusely and I instinctively touched his feet.

Blessing me, he had tears in his eyes as he said, “Thank you, doctor saab.” Instantly, my first “save” flashed right before my eyes. It was then I rediscovered what I loved about medicine in the first place.

As I stood smiling, long after the gentleman had left, my mother asked me if I was okay. I said, “I am now”. brunchletters@hindustantimes.com Dr Karan Raj Jaggi is an alumnus of DPS RK Puram, New Delhi and has recently graduated from Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC) with honors.

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PERSONAL AGENDA

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Singer

Shreya Ghoshal BIRTHDAY SUN SIGN PLACE OF BIRTH HOMETOWN SCHOOL/COLLEGE March 12

Pisces

West Bengal

Kolkata

Atomic Energy Central School, Rajasthan; SIES, Mumbai

FIRST BREAK HIGH POINT OF YOUR LIFE LOW POINT OF YOUR LIFE

I’ve never seen a low point. I like Playback singing My break in Bollywood is in Devdas (2002) definitely the high point of my life to believe that they don’t exist If you weren’t a singer, you would have been…

An astronaut or a genetic engineer.

Who is your biggest inspiration in playback singing?

It’s definitely Lataji, Ashaji and Geeta Duttji.

Your favourite music director.

It is a tie between Madan Mohan and RD Burman.

The best thing about being a singer in Bollywood?

Bollywood music is very listener-friendly.

Bollywood’s most romantic pair.

Waheeda Rehman and Guru Dutt, hands down!

A song you can listen to on loop.

Kehna hi kya from Bombay.

I also love old songs like Aapki nazro ne samjha and Lag jaa gale.

A song you were nervous about while recording.

Whenever I sing for Ilaiyarajaji, I feel nervous.

What kind of song would you feel uncomfortable singing?

I don’t like singing songs that have vulgar lyrics.

Three cosmetics or skin care products you can’t do without.

I use a basic face wash and milk moisturiser.

A dessert that best describes you.

I do not like sweets. But if I have to choose YOUR FAVOURITE one, it has to be rasmalai.

INTERNATIONAL Your dream SINGER. destination.

Mauritius.

Three things we will find on your bedside table.

A phone charger, a bottle of water and portable speakers.

The last time you had a bad hair day.

Today! I can’t

For pop, it’s Beyonce.

For jazz, it’s Norah Jones

my playlist

For the gym: Electronica At night: Classical music On the road: Mostly romantic songs As a pick me up: Most songs by AR Rahman

CURRENTLY I AM...

One of the judges on Indian Idol Junior

Songs that embarrass you: Those with vulgar lyrics like Sarkai lo khatiya jada lage

thank my hair dresser enough for still making it look good.

What makes your day?

A beautiful smile and an innocent gesture.

What ruins it?

Reading the newspaper or watching the news in the morning. I don’t like starting my day on a bad note.

How do you destress?

I take a shower while listening to music.

Your strategy in a crisis.

I believe that when the going gets tough, you should just hit pause. Assimilate what is happening for 10 minutes. Your thoughts will be much clearer.

The last line of your autobiography would read…

I feel so blessed.

Thank you, God! — Interviewed by Veenu Singh

AUGUST 25, 2013

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