Hindustantimes Brunch 26 August 2012 by Hindustan Times

WEEKLY MAGAZINE, AUGUST 26, 2012 Free with your copy of Hindustan Times

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VIR SANGHVI

Gourmet in my backyard

SANJOY NARAYAN

Metal can be mellow

SEEMA GOSWAMI

Jennifer Aniston is no victim

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26.08.2012 HOT! FRESH! REVAMPED!

...The wait is over! After three months, Brunch Q is finally here, with a new look and all-new features! From a rendezvous with the man who’s synonymous with perfection to a bare-all interview with international porn star Sunny Leone. From figuring out what India-inspired fashion is really all about to cracking the bromance code. Plus, a special wellness section. Grab your copy now!

inbox LETTER OF THE WEEK! Provincial India finds its space YOUR COVER story (Revenge Of The Hinterland, August 19) was refreshing. Moving away from the familiar comfort of metros, a handful of filmmakers are putting real stories of small-town India back on Bollywood’s map. While metros have provided the backdrop of many hits, provincial reality has spurred some directors to explore different regions. Metros like Delhi and Mumbai will continue to enjoy the privileged spot, but provincial India can now boast of its own space in Hindi cinema. — DIPAK TALUKDAR, via email Dipak wins a Flipkart voucher worth `2,500. Congrats!

Bollywood landmark YOUR COVER story (Revenge Of The Hinterland, August 19) is a fine example of the Brunch team’s unmatched skill that makes subscribers actually wait for Sunday. These films are no less than a landmark in Bollywood, and overshadow the romantic era which once ruled the film industry. The team did a great job in showcasing the efforts of the filmmakers. — VASU BANSAL, via email

India – the land of foodies VIR SANGHVI’S article (In Pursuit Of Vegetarianism, August 19) seemed to be a true account of my difficulties in executing a celebration in a restaurant. It was commendable of Mr Sanghvi to highlight the complexities faced by pure vegetarians in dining out of their pious kitchens! Moreover, it was good to read the examples from all over the country. — SHELLY JINDAL AGGARWAL, via email

The best letter gets a Flipkart voucher worth R2,500!! The shopping voucher will reach the winner within seven to 10 working days. In case of any delays, please contact chirag.sharma@hindustantimes.com

AUGUST 26, 2012

LIKE, COMMENT, SHARE facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch Amit Kumar HT Brunch is an entertaining, knowledge providing magazine. It makes my Sundays. I like Personal Agenda the most because it gives a lot of information about an individual. Prii Kakade HT Brunch is awesome and innovative. All the articles are amazing and worth reading. I wish there was more than one Sunday in a week...

Are your smart gadgets making you stupid? Technology has a dark side we are just discovering

It’s time you got smart about getting yourself the perfect smartphone

27 Gamers are no longer outcasts. In fact, now you’re an outcast if you haven’t played Angry Birds 28 Rajiv Makhni presents his list of goodies that the world of technology has to offer 30

Pragya Kulshreshtha Ever since I’ve started reading Brunch, I’ve got addicted to it. I wait for Sundays to read all the articles, especially those by Seema Goswami.

Personal Agenda

TWEET YOUR HEART OUT twitter.com/HTBrunch

Actor Anushka Sharma would never give up her old phone

@ilovehyderabad @HTBrunch Vir Sanghvi’s revealing of some secret ingredients in non-veg food has been quite an eye-opener even for a ‘pure’ non-veg like me!

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@Saksham18_LFC @HTBrunch Loved reading Riders of the Storm. Now I’m thinking of taking a trip to the mountains @pochygr8 Feeling good after reading Shikha Sharma’s article on Curb Hunger Pangs @HTBrunch...cheers! @KumarSinha @seemagoswami, very thoughtful read in @HTBrunch. When we used to borrow things/money from neighbours, urban life was more easy, no?

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The Brunch Blogs This week, read Of Caking Up And No Cakes by Veenu Singh. A mix of wellness and beauty

Can Heathcliff, the Wuthering Heights hero, hold his own against four reading platforms?

SPECTATOR Why is Jennifer Aniston the media’s eternal victim?

24 RUDE FOOD How the eating out experience has changed dramatically 26 DOWNLOAD CENTRAL US-based Baroness makes “mellow metal” music Cover Design: SWATI CHAKRABARTI Cover Image: THINKSTOCK EDITORIAL: Poonam Saxena (Editor), Aasheesh Sharma, Tavishi Paitandy Rastogi, Rachel Lopez, Mignonne Dsouza, Veenu Singh, Parul Khanna Tewari, Yashica Dutt, Amrah Ashraf, Saudamini Jain, Shreya Sethuraman, Manit Moorjani DESIGN: Ashutosh Sapru (National Editor, Design), Monica Gupta, Swati Chakrabarti, Rakesh Kumar, Ashish Singh, Shailendra Mirgal

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Hypertext (clickable links) has made sure that most of us cannot read a single paragraph without wandering off topic in a completely different direction.

Is Tech Making Us Stupid?

Our gadgets auto-complete, remember for us, and think for us. What’s to become of our brains? by Rajiv Makhni

HE ABOVE statements have been pouring in from scientific studies across the world. This is their essential premise: that multitasking between emails, Facebook, Twitter, TV, mobile phones, tablets and gaming consoles have made us perpetually distracted and a scatter-brained race. Not only is the new era of information technology making us less creative and more muddled – it’s put into place a permanent change in the way our brain maps information, how it retains it, which parts are used how and even the size of the brain is going through a metamorphosis. Very scary, right? Wait, there’s more.

some very compelling points. Taking himself to be the guinea pig, Carr said that over the last few years the way he read and absorbed books was completely changing. He said, “I was losing my own capacity for concentration and contempla-

SHALLOW AND FRIED

The first news of this came when a series of articles and a book was released by Nicholas Carr. His argument was that ever since the advent of the Internet, we as a human race have been becoming more stupid. His book (The Shallows: How the Internet Is Changing the Way We Think, Read and Remember) made

tion. Even when I was away from my computer, my mind seemed hungry for constant stimulation, for quick hits of information. I felt perpetually distracted.” Carr’s theory found many followers. A huge number of them agreed and said that the way they were thinking, reading, absorbing and learning was becoming disjointed. Every part of knowledge assimilated was not absorbed into the brain but kept at an arm’s distance on a

computer. Some of his findings were startling: ■ People who are continually distracted by emails, updates and other messages understand less than those who are able to concentrate on one thing. ■ People who juggle tasks are often less creative and productive than those who do one thing at a time. ■ As the number of links in an online document goes up, reading comprehension falls. ■ As more types of information are placed on a screen, we remember less of what we see. ■ The richness of our thoughts, memories and our personalities hinges on our ability to focus the mind and sustain concentration. ■ When we’re constantly distracted and interrupted, our brains can’t forge the strong and expansive neural connections that give distinctiveness and depth to our thinking. ■ When we have to juggle between mobiles, computer screens and emails, our thoughts become disjointed, our memories weak. And while Carr was criticised for concentrating mainly on the written word, his books,

This is the first hardcore reboot of the human mind in a very long time AUGUST 26, 2012

It’s freed up your mind to understand and remember better ways of retrieving that massive set of information. Your brain now knows better ways to search and use all that data you’ve kept. It’s the same with our new technique of ‘skimming’ information. Today we can scan a web page and make sense of 90 per cent of the content within the first five seconds. Only if it’s what we were looking for do we remain on the page – otherwise off we go to the next one till we find the exact and precise piece we were looking for. How is that bad? The ability to skim and reach a conclusion so quickly is proof the human brain evolving to the next level.

SEE THE BRIGHT SIDE

Photos: THINKSTOCK Imaging: SWATI

articles and conclusions struck a chord with tech users across the world.

THE DUMB-ASS GENERATION

Once this all-new thought process was introduced and accepted, the floodgates were open. Studies showed that people who were given a computer to solve a problem could not retain the problem-solving skills they had used a week earlier, while the same skills used without a computer were recalled by users even after six months. Another study showed that children introduced to computers started scoring lower grades. In fact, if you Google this subject right now, you will get thousands of articles and studies that prove with precision how technology is neurologically shaping us to become more stupid in the future. The greatest scare that is out there is that the digital generation, children born in the last 10 years, will have reduced metal abilities as they grow up. They’ll be adults with brains that jump all over the place, ninnies with the memory reten-

tion of a goldfish, with brains that have shrunk to the size of a pea. They won’t be able to sit still for long, concentrate or come up with creative innovations and ideas. New thinking, innovation and creativity in this world as we know it is likely to die in the next 50 years! What exactly is going on here? Wasn’t technology, the Net, Google and all other tools supposed to make us smarter? Wasn’t the fact that we now have reams of information supposed to kickstart a new creative and innovative process? Weren’t we going to be a smarter race due to technology? When did the process reverse?

THE SMART TRUTH

It hasn’t reversed. We aren’t becoming more stupid. Technology isn’t the villain here. Innovation and creativity won’t die a brutal death. We are just evolving as human beings always have. For years, the human brain and the way it functions has remained almost the same. The human brain today is very different from the time man was a huntergatherer, but for many years since civilisation it has stagnated. This is the first hardcore reboot of the human mind in a very long time. The change that seems to have got the critics in a knot, is actually us preparing for a brand new world. A world where the brain doesn’t need to process useless information. What is the use of your brain storing 40 mobile numbers? Whom does it help? Isn’t your mobile phone directory with 1,000 numbers, email addresses, birthday dates and notes about each person a far better and more efficient system to record numbers and dates? BOOK THIS NOW

Who is to say that reading a page printed on paper is more superior?

Then there’s the fact that information overload has a high threshold. Many have been able to make it to the other side as more evolved beings – with the ability to filter redundant information from the true hidden gems. In this way they get the best of both worlds – lots of information and high quality knowledge. Of course, the classic debate of the printed page versus the Internet page will continue. Who is to say that reading a page printed on paper slowly and with full concentration versus reading many pages on the Net by jumping to many pieces of content on the same subject is more superior? Maybe the hyper jumping is triggering an all-new level of intelligence that will show its true colours in some years. A new intelligence that may give birth to innovation and inventions at an unprecedented scale. Technology has always been painted a villain too soon. There’s that famous saying that technology always comes bearing great gifts with one hand and stabs you in the back with the other. This time it doesn’t apply. Technology and the information highway is the greatest gift to mankind. True solid proof of that will show up soon. But if it doesn’t happen, don’t blame me! After all this column is being written by somebody who uses technology and the Internet 16 hours a day. You can’t blame somebody who is progressively becoming more stupid every single day.

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

“If it keeps up, man will atrophy all his limbs but the push-button finger” – Frank Lloyd Wright AUGUST 26, 2012

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All The Right Buttons T

HEY SAY the hardest thing you’ll have to do in life is find the perfect spouse. Nowadays though, it seems like choosing a smartphone is just as tough. With the former you can go on dates and test things out. But with the latter, considering the cost of phones these days, you’re going to buy one and be stuck with it for a while. So you want to make sure you choose the perfect phone. One that can handle calls and texts, but also offers value for money and more features than you’d ever use. And that’s where smartphones come in.

But first, a history lesson. The term ‘smartphone’ wasn’t as widespread five years ago as it is today. In 2007, Apple released the first iPhone, Nokia had their Symbian phones like the N95, and Google’s Android platform was just coming together. Not many people knew what a smartphone was. Some even bought those early phones without knowing what they were. Even the very definition of ‘smartphone’ is a bit hazy. But the generally agreed feature is that it’s “a phone on which you can install apps”. By that definition, the smartphone scene is entirely different

Thinking about getting one, but intimidated by the ‘extra’ features? irst of all, don’t be! Smartphones Fyourare meant to complement daily life, not compli-

Foursquare, streams music and videos and more. Your first smartphone has to be the PHONE TIP #1 cate it. Sure, many folks right one for you, or you’ll Many folks might out there might be looknot use much of it. be looking for a ing for a ‘simple’ phone The one advantage ‘simple’ phone, but for certain reasons, but some feature phones still I’d argue that there I’d argue that there also boast is better battery life. also exist simple exist very simple smartFeature phones usually smartphones phones that can handle have a small-ish screen and no whatever you throw at it, and still multitasking and very few apps, if give you more functionaliat all, so there’s nothing ty. really to ‘drain’ that I remember when I battery. first gave my dad his Smartphones, on the first smartphone – a other hand, need Nokia N95. One year more energy for all later, the only features their functions, but he admitted to using they’re getting betregularly were making ter at managing batcalls and checking tery life too. If you messages (with occastay away from sional camera use or huge-screen beheplaying music). When I moths, battery life gave him an iPhone 3GS won’t be too much two years ago, all that of an issue. changed. He installs If you’re just apps, stalks me on venturing into the Facebook, Twitter and smartphone scene, I’d recomiPHONE 4S mend the Nokia This is an easy-to-use Lumia 800 and phone for newbies the iPhone 4/4S.

rt u got sma o y e im t It’s g yourself in t t e g t u ne abo smartpho t c e f r e p the Jeff by Clinton

today. Everyone’s lusting after Apple’s iPhones, Google’s Android offerings are taking over the planet, and Nokia’s smartphones are now running exclusively on Microsoft’s new ‘Windows Phone’ platform. Smartphones are still a lot more expensive than the average feature phone. As a result, only 18 per cent of the world’s cellphone users have smartphones today. Researchers like comScore are predicting that those numbers are going to rise dramatically very soon, with the

number of smartphone owners expected to surpass feature phones in the US by the end of this year. As smartphone prices get cheaper and cheaper, it’s only a matter of time before we’re all “over” restrictive feature phones. But I digress, this is about you and your next smartphone. Here’s a little advice on how to chose your next device. So what category do you fall into?

Thinking about getting one, but can’t afford the fancy ones?

make an average amount of cash Ithanks for a 20-something Indian, but to Delhi’s insane rents, I

have very little left for myself. So the very thought of spending R30,000 to R40,000 on a phone seems like a distant dream.

Especially since the phones I really want are all in that price range. In such cases, one must settle. Thankfully, there are some very decent smartphones under R15,000. Smartphones that I wouldn’t mind flaunting and walking around with. My favourite in the price range is the HTC One V, which I cannot recommend enough because of the screen. The Nokia Lumia 710 and the Sony Xperia U make up my top three. They all have decent build quality and will probably stand the test of time, while being affordable and not compromising on too much.

HTC ONE V

This gets a thumbs up for its NOKIA LUMIA 710 screen Price-sensitive and a good pick

In a study, people said they found it harder to resist checking social networks than to say no to alcohol or cigarettes AUGUST 26, 2012

twitter.com/HTBrunch PHONE TIP #2

Stuck with a BlackBerry and considering moving to a proper smartphone? not a huge fan of BlackBerry phones. They’re Ilike’ma little ‘last decade’ in my opinion. And with apps WhatsApp and Viber, BBM seems a little

Switching over from BlackBerry gives users more apps to choose from. Miss BBM? Get WhatsApp

SONY EXPERIA PRO

Slide it sideways for a full keyboard

redundant, but I have some friends who still swear by theirs. I won’t recommend any of their current phones, not until their next generation BlackBerry 10 devices start coming in. But for a BlackBerry owner, so used to that QWERTY keyboard, the move can be rough, especially since there are so few QWERTY phones to choose from. I’ll recommend only two – the Samsung Galaxy Chat, and the Sony Xperia Pro, both running Android. Switching over, though, will give you access to a whole range of apps that you never knew you were missing out on with your BlackBerry.

SAMSUNG GALAXY CHAT

This combines a QWERTY keypad with Android (left)

Already own one, and desperately want a better one? already own a smartphone Iarefandyoutonsaren’t too happy with it, there of choices out there, but your big decisions will be based on price, features, brand or operating system. The main choice you have to make though, are whether to stick with the brand of phone you currently have. I have plenty of friends who bought an iPhone and are happy with it, as well as Nokia users who are content with their Lumia Windows

Phones too. With these folks, build quality and an easy to navigate user interface were top priority. If you’re thinking about getting a new iPhone, I’d highly advise waiting a month or two for the new iPhone to launch before making up your mind. Then, there’s all those fantastic SAMSUNG GALAXY III

It’s not cheap but full of great goodies

Sony Xperia S. Samsung’s Galaxy S III is also worth considering but build quality is a concern there and it’s one of the most expensive Android phones out there right now. At the end of the day, your smartphone is a device you’re going to probably use for at least a year, if not longer, and you’ll want it to fit into your lifestyle as quickly as possible. It’s going to stick with you through the day, you’ll work on it, play games on it, listen to music, browse the Web, send emails and of course make a phone call or send a PHONE TIP #3 text message or two. When switching Make the right choice, and phones, the big you’ll wonder how you ever surdecision is whether vived without a smartphone! to stick with the brand you currently The writer is Executive Editor, have UnleashThePhones.com

Android smartphones from HTC, Sony, Samsung and some interesting ones from LG and Motorola that you can also take a quick look at. You have a smorgasbord of devices to choose from, but my favourites have to be the HTC One X, the more affordable HTC One S, and the

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WHEN NATURE FIGHTS FOR YOU

olours add that extra something to our lives, don't they? Well it's no different when it comes to food. Doctor's and nutritionists always recommend one to have as many natural coloured foods in our diet as possible (think bell peppers, broccoli, spinach, pumpkin, carrot, legumes). But did you know these foods not just give you the right nutrients but also help fight various kinds of diseases? According to The National Cancer Institute (USA) roughly one-third of all cancer deaths may be diet related. We thought we'd come up with a list of powerful cancer fighting foods. Read on. TOMATOES Yes the humble confuse (fruit or vegetable) with its shiny smooth red skin is not just a great looker but also a powerhouse of goodness. According to researchers, tomatoes get their red colour from an antioxidant called lycopene. These antioxidants can protect cells from damage and kill those that aren't growing properly,

ASIAN INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL SCIENCES : TREATMENT WITH EXCELLENCE

ust a mere suspicion of having any form of Cancer sends shivers to anybody and it is natural to feel intimidated and terrorized. Based on the cancer registry data it is estimated that there will be about 800,000 new cancers cases in India every year and at any given point there is likely to be 3 times this load. Yet, many of these deaths can be avoided. Over 30% of all cancers can be prevented. Others can be detected early, treated and cured. Even with late stage cancer, the suffering of patients can be relieved with good palliative care. So, in simple terms what is cancer? It is a large group of non-communicable diseases. Cancer can affect anyone - the young and old, the rich and poor, men, women and children. It can occur at any site or tissue and is evident as a lump or ulcer, localized in early stages. Cancer is the cause of 1 in 5 deaths worldwide and represents a tremendous burden on patients, families and societies. It is time that we act now! The 4 most common cancers in India are: Head & Neck, Lungs, Esophagus and

According to Harvard research, 7-10 helpings a week cuts prostate symptoms by 40% and has an influence on many cancers e.g.: lung; colon; cervix; breast. They also may protect skin from cancer "by absorbing

Stomach in males and Cervix, Breast, Head & neck and Esophagus in females. Cancer of the breast, oral cavity and cervix constitutes almost 60% of cancer in India. The fact is all the three can be prevented, easily detected, treated and cured. Cancer is no more a dreaded disease or a mysterious disease as a lot of developments, and researches have taken place in the past two decades. We have new surgical techniques, new drugs, new radiation machines such as Trilogy with Rapid Arc Linear Accelerators, Brachytherapy etc and advanced diagnostic equipments such as PET/CT, Gamma Camera, Elastography, Mammography among others, all which has changed the outcome of the disease, we now are into organ preservation and improved quality of life for the affected. The problem is that still patients come for treatment at a very advance stages. If we have to win over cancer we have to change this scenario. The approach should be "BE CAREFUL NOT FEARFUL". Cancers treatment has majorly three goals

UV light," says Wilhelm Stahl, Ph.D., professor and antioxidant researcher at the University of Dusseldorf in Germany. Cancers they help fight: Breast, lung, endometrial, skin, colon, cervix, prostrate and mouth CRUCIFEROUS VEGGIES Yes, their cancer fighting abilities are as big as their group name.

DR N K PANDEY

Chairman & Managing Director Asian Institute of Medical Sciences

● Cure the patient ● Prolong survival and maintaining quality of life ● Palliative Majorly modalities involved are Surgery, Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy supported by endocrine and immunotherapy. Patients usually needs multimodality approach for the best possible results and with the technology available with the leading hospital have successfully cured the tumors from as small as 2mm to 20 cm.

Cruciferous veggies, namely broccoli, kale and cabbage, assures a) the American Institute for Cancer Research, contain potential cancer fighters such as glucosinolates, crambene and indole-3-carbinol. What is more, they also have sulforaphane, which may keep cancer at bay by helping rid the body of carcinogens and inhibit the growth of cancer cells, according to research from the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, N.Y. Cancers they help fight: Stomach, breast, skin, mouth, pharynx, larynx and oesophageal CARROTS Now here is not as good a news for gajar halwa lovers, as there is for people who love eating carrots raw in their salads. A substance called falcarinol found in carrots is best when it's had in its raw form. According to CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

XII AUGUST 26, 2012

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WAXING AND THREADING ARE HISTORY!

air removal solutions have evolved over time with changing needs and expectations. As women break free from traditional shackles and embrace new fashion and societal trends, we are seeing a major shift towards a more permanent solution. And laser hair removal has captured the imagination of the modern woman, who wants to flaunt her beauty and style with confidence. Traditional solutions like shaving, waxing, tweezing, threading etc. are passĂŠ, as they are time consuming, temporary, require frequent maintenance and can result in cuts, skin irritations, ingrown hairs, scarring and

hyper/hypo-pigmentation. So what is Laser Hair Removal? Laser hair removal is a technique that uses beams of highly concentrated light to penetrate the hair follicles. The light is absorbed by pigment in the hair follicles and destroys the hair within the follicle. Laser hair removal is among the most commonly performed cosmetic procedures in the U.S. Today, the best Laser Hair Removal solutions are available even in India. Clinic Dermatech, the leading skin care experts, are also one of only few clinics in the world to offer all three technologies: Nd:YAG, diode and IPL. Using these advanced technolo-

gies and experience of treating over 10000 satisfied customers, they offer customized solutions to cater to your skin needs. So come to Clinic Dermatech and get rid of the fear and skepticism that is commonly associated with laser hair removal, and embrace freedom for life. Because we offer you the most advanced laser hair removal solutions to give you smooth and supple skin safely in a calm and relaxed ambience.

VISIT CLINIC DERMATECH FOR A FREE SESSION OF LASER HAIR REMOVAL. FOR DETAILS, SMS CD TO 53456 OR VISIT: www.clinicdermatech.com

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MAX HEALTHCARE :

CONSISTENTLY RAISING THE BAR IN HEALTH CARE

here are significant advantages in treating cancer in a multispeciality setup. The support from specialists in intensive care, cardiology, nephrology, pulmonology, etc. makes a big difference in treatment outcomes. This has helped us, at Max Cancer Centre to raise the bar for us. The fifty plus strong team of oncologists at Max, draws inspiration from the fact that, our colleagues have been part of the finest cancer institutes across the globe. At least twenty different institutions are represented here in terms of processes, ideas and approach. Collective decision making through ‘Tumour Board’ is sacrosanct to us. This religiously followed practice, four days a week, over the last three years has not just helped in addressing complex oncological issues, but also in adherence to treatment protocols and in team building. At Max, we partner with our patients through their treatment, making a seemingly arduous process easier, pain free and dignified. A patient ear, a reassuring smile, and a gentle touch- everything works! In our regularly conducted, support group programs,

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12

researchers at Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences (DIAS), falcarinol that is found in carrots has been found to reduce the risk of cancer. Carrots also contain a wide array of phytochemicals such as carotenoids, phenolics, alpha-tocopherol, and polyacetylenes so it's best to have them raw. Not just this, carrots also contain beta carotene, which may help reduce a wide range of cancers Cancers they help fight: lung, mouth, throat, stomach, intestine, bladder, prostate and breast. XVI AUGUST 26, 2012

patients express themselves freely. This has helped us build our systems appropriately. Modern medicine is predominantly technology driven. We are very much at the cutting edge, with best equipped radiation therapy service, bone marrow transplant unit, day care service, operation theatres, diagnostics and allied services. In a short span, this centre has developed a world class comprehensive program for all cancer patients. We are conscious of the fact that the patients and their

loved ones are probably experiencing one of the biggest crisis in their lives. Every effort is made to provide seamless continuity in care. Pursuit of excellence is a continuous journey. One recent addition is an in-house ‘acute pain help line’. In the next one year we are developing a few more services. Last year, we have treated more than four thousand cancer patients. We win some; we lose some but the smiles on the faces of many who survived the journey makes the effort worthwhile.

THE JOY OF PARENTING

little finger curled up on yours, the toes as perfect as a doll’s, a smile that can make you forget every worry in the world; children bring joy that is difficult to explain. For couples who long to experience this joy and don’t have Mother Nature at their side, science has come in as a ray of hope. IVF is not just a medical procedure but also an emotional journey for the parents, one that needs to be guided with utmost love and care. According to estimates, approximately between 15-20% of all couples of fertile Age suffer from infertility. The numbers are only

rising thanks to increased pollution, stress and hectic lifestyles. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that approximately 8-10% of couples experience some form of infertility problem. On a worldwide scale, this means that 50-80 million people suffer from infertility. However, the incidence of infertility may vary from region to region. IVF has come as a ray of hope for many parents suffering from this problem. IVF is a medical procedure known as in vitro fertilization. "In vitro" literally means "in glass." The process of IVF begins when fertility technicians admin-

DR. HARIT CHATURVEDI

MBBS, MS. (General) M.CH. (Oncosurgery), Chief Consultant & Director (Surgical Oncology), Max Healthcare

ister hormone treatments to a woman. The hormones hyperstimulate the woman’s ovaries to produce a number of eggs at one time. The eggs are collected from the woman’s body and then combined with sperm. The resulting embryos are nourished in laboratory cultures and inserted into the woman’s body with the hope that one embryo will successfully implant in the lining of the womb and develop. The process is very controlled and involves numerous trips to the IVF centre. It is true that IVF cycle is four times as expensive as an IUI cycle but what is also true is that the chances of a pregnancy are also four times higher!

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CENTRE FOR SIGHT: 16 YEARS OF BRINGING WORLD CLASS EYE CARE TO INDIA

ith just one centre in 1996, Centre for Sight had a vision to provide super

specialized eye care to the people of India. 16 years later, our dream has taken a concrete shape and Centre for Sight is India’s leading network of eye hospitals and the largest chain of LASIK laser vision correction surgery in Asia, Australia and Africa. Guided by the mission, ‘Every eye deserves the best,’ Centre for Sight has grown to 41 centres across the country that have brought a paradigm shift in the eye care service standards in India. Winning the coveted Frost & Sullivan award for ‘Eye care Provider Company of the Year 2010’ stands as a testimony to our sincere efforts and

encourages us to outperform ourselves. Technology is a game-changer in the eye care industry and we are at the forefront of adopting the cutting edge technology to the Indian ophthalmic space. Centre for Sight was the first in South East Asia to introduce femtosecond laser for blade free LASIK surgery for removal of spectacles. We are one of the pioneers in introducing blade free cataract surgery, the most automated and precise way of doing cataract surgery worldwide. Driven by the mission to provide the best eye care to all,

Centre for Sight has carefully handpicked a team of more than 140 super specialists from the premier institutions of the country like R.P. Centre AIIMS, Aravind Eye Hospital, Sankara Nethralya, L V Prasad Eye Institute, Guru Nanak Eye Centre. Our ophthalmologists have received several National and International recognitions for their achievements and humanitarian contributions in the field of eye care. With unwavering commitment to the core values, Centre for Sight is tirelessly working towards the achievement of the vision to be the most preferred brand of super specialized eye

PUSHPANJALI CROSSLAY HOSPITAL:

OFFERS WORLD CLASS COMPREHENSIVE CARE

ushpanjali Crosslay Hospital (PCH) is a NABH accredited multisuper-specialty and tertiary care centre that offers comprehensive care through both modern and complimentary alternative systems of medicine with a concentrated focus on preventive measures. Our exceptional medical expertise is matched only by our commitment to provide personalized care. Our consultants are supported by a clinical and technological environment of the highest standard. Our team of experienced Guest Relations Officers provides a broad range of services from pre-arrival to discharge and follow-up care. The hospital has well defined policies and processes and a robust web based Hospital Information system to support them. The needs of attendants and visitors are taken care of by the provision of comfortable waiting areas, cafeteria, round-the- clock Pharmacy, Car Parking and ATM facility. Pushpanjali Institute of IVF and Infertility (PIII) is one of the Centres of Excellence at PCH and was established with the aim XVIII AUGUST 26, 2012

of providing humane, ethical and advanced technical ART (Assisted Reproductive Technology) support to infertile couples. The number of people with infertility has been gradually increasing over the years and it is estimated that one in every eight suffers from this disorder. Changes in lifestyle, social values and career goals have had an immense impact on the problem. PIII specializes in every aspect of ART of conceiving babies through comprehensive services in IUI, IVF-ICSI, Surgical Sperm Retrieval, Donor Eggs, Surrogacy and Fertility Enhancing Endoscopic Surgeries. The Institute has state-of-theart facilities for IVF-ICSI, fully functional advanced infertility laboratory for diagnostic and therapeutic tests. Our Embryology team is devoted to the most progressive methods of embryo culture, the process in which eggs and sperm are fertilized to form an embryo. The Institute aims to provide every patient with an objective and thorough overview of their fertility problems. This includes a review of each treatment's suc-

Dr. Poonam Goyal

Dr. Bhavana Mittal

Dr. Sowjanya Aggarwal

INFERTILITY AND IVF SPECIALISTS, PUSHPANJALI CROSSLAY HOSPITAL

cess statistics, time frame and risks associated with given procedure(s). It is important to us that every decision and treatment choice be well informed. In developing a treatment plan, our patients and physicians work as a

team, carefully reviewing goals, diagnosis and expected outcome. As a unified team, guided by the highest ethical standards, we provide our patients with individualized and compassionate fertility care.

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One Book, Four Ways

Heathcliff is wilder than the moors. But can theWuthering Heights hero hold his own against the paperback, e-reader, smartphone and audiobook?

by Saudamini Jain, illustrations by Prashant Chaudhary

The Paperback

’d convinced myself that the best Ibereading experience was going to the good ol’ ink on paper. But I

couldn’t find my copy! It took less than three minutes to source it for the other platforms (and three days to find the darn book!). While reading, I grudgingly admit, I found a few more flaws: Your bookmark can slip out, you need a night light, the corners curl up if it you stuff it in your bag. And there’s the matter of the murdered trees (I’ve always thought it a necessary evil!). But nothing compares to curling up with a tattered copy of an old classic and letting the sweet papery smell transport you to

The Smartphone own a BlackBerry Curve 9300 Iphone and it’s not the smartest around. So after several

unsuccessful attempts to download Kobo (which refused to work) and Whattpad (which refused to download), I stumbled upon the mobile edition of the book on Project Gutenberg (it has over 36,000 free books). Although not particularly user-friendly, I could bookmark where I left, adjust the font and most

Brontë’s moors. You can read it in the bath, sprinkling rain and a lonely island – damp pages never hurt anyone. I also had a charming chat with a lovely old woman on the Metro whose eyes sparkled when she saw me holding the book. “You like Heathcliff? He scared me,” she said.

importantly, I could avoid making polite conversation with boring aunts at family dos by pretending to read work emails on my phone. I’m used to ogling at my phone screen at all hours anyway, so I wasn’t particularly uncomfortable reading on a tiny screen. I read it in the loo, in the car, at work, while waiting for a friend (and a coffee) at Barista, and my favourite place to read: in bed (lights turned off! Thank you, backlight). It came to me like an epiphany: Wherever you go, your phone follows. You don’t have to read that five-year-old health magazine in your doctor’s waiting room any more.

UTHERING HEIGHTS is my favourite book of all time – I’ve been reading it every winter since I was 14. For the dummies who haven’t read it (not even once? But how is that possible?), Emily Brontë’s passionate, haunting novel is about the unfulfilled, overpowering love between the dark Heathcliff and wild Catherine Earnshaw. But she weds Edgar Linton for social advancement and Heathcliff runs away, only to come back three years later – a gentleman. He marries Edgar’s silly spoilt sister, Isabella, but is cruel to her. They have a son, Linton, whom he despises as well. Cathy dies, leav-

The Kindle hen my brother bought a Kindle W last month, I eyed it suspiciously, called it names and happily admired

my bookshelf instead. E-books are just not beautiful, I said. It’s too darn practical, I argued. But practical it is, to a T. It’s light, it’s flat, you don’t have to worry about creasing the spine (or pages coming loose), the font size is adjustable and I often moved my hand to flip the page without realising it’s not really a book. You can read it in sunlight (but not under the covers at night, it’s not backlit).

The Audiobook

t was a rainy night, a rare thing for the Iaudiobook Delhi monsoon this year. I downloaded an from Librivox, read by Ruth

Golding. It was like having your own personal English governess. Audiobooks are a lazybum’s dream, you don’t have to do anything! I turned off the lights, lay in bed staring out of the window at the little park across the street. The words began to sink in my mind and my imagination ran wild. The book played on, “The intense horror of nightmare came over me: I tried to draw back my arm, but the hand clung to it, and a most melancholy voice sobbed, ‘Let me in – let me in!’

ing behind a daughter, Catherine Linton. Thirteen years pass. Heathcliff forces Catherine to marry his sickly son Linton just before his death. As time passes, Heathcliff gets more obsessed (and haunted) by Cathy’s ghost. The ending? It’s happy. Wuthering Heights is one of the greatest love stories ever told. Every time I read it, I discover something I had previously missed – an undercurrent, a quote. So I couldn’t think of a better way to judge four reading platforms. Armed with a paperback, Kindle, my phone and an audiobook on my laptop and iPod, I set out to see if the new devices were any good. Here’s how it went…

And when discussing our past break-ups with a friend, I could just pull out my Kindle to quote Catherine Earnshaw, “I gave him my heart, and he took and pinched it to death; and flung it back to me. People feel with their hearts, Ellen, and since he has destroyed mine, I have not power to feel for him.” Why learn Shakespeare by heart when you can carry him with you everywhere? I have now loaded a gazillion classics – for everything I can’t afford to read on my salary: There’s the Kindle. Public Domain – gotta love it. And it allows for guilty pleasures: Nobody knows what you’re reading (unlike the book). I won’t be caught dead reading the Twilight series but if I absolutely had to indulge in some weird teenage fantasy, I’d hide it on my Kindle.

‘Who are you?’ I asked, struggling, meanwhile, to disengage myself. ‘Catherine Linton,’ it replied, shiveringly…” I was more spooked than the time I watched The Ring. You can listen to it any time, anywhere and on any device. But bookmarking is a problem. You can pause and resume but if you want to shuttle between music and the book, it’s going to be complicated.

Loyalties aside, I cannot pick a favourite. Because the thing with books is, it’s the story that matters anyway. saudamini.jain@hindustantimes.com

“I don’t want you, Edgar: I’m past wanting you. Return to your books” – Catherine Linton (nee Earnshaw) AUGUST 26, 2012

indulge

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HAVE YOU COME A LONG WAY, BABY?

Seema Goswami

Jennifer Aniston is rich, famous and successful: and yet, the media persist in painting her as the eternal victim

O, HOW would you feel about a glamorous, gorgeous Hollywood star with millions in the bank and a steady succession of positively edible eye-candy on the arm? A star who holidayed in scenic locations throughout the year, showing off bronzed limbs and a perfectly-toned torso? A star who made frequent appearances in the gossip columns, thanks to a torrid and sometimes hectic love life? A star who seemed to have everything: money, fame, success, and lots of sex? Let me guess. You would admire this apocryphal figure, right? You would gaze enviously at the holiday homes and the private jets. You would marvel at the numbers of partners notched up. You would wonder about how lucky some people can get. Yes, if we were talking about George Clooney, this is exactly how most people would respond. Here’s a handsome movie star with a jet-setting lifestyle, complete with private planes, holiday homes in exotic locations, and a bevy of interchangeable beauties who seemed to grow ever younger as he grew older and greyer. Wow! What’s not to love? Or to envy. But if the star in question was Jennifer Aniston, the reaction would be very different, wouldn’t it? As, indeed, would the narrative, even when the facts of the case are much the same. Yes, the rules are reversed when it comes to the ladies. So while Clooney is written up as the man who has everything, Jennifer Aniston must always be portrayed as ‘poor old Jen’, always so unlucky in love. First, her husband, Brad Pitt, left her to play Happy Families with his Mr and Mrs Smith co-star, Angelina Jolie. Then her rebound guy, Vince Vaughn, didn’t quite work out. And let’s not even get into John Mayer (honestly, what was she thinking?) or what’s his face, Paul Sculfor. And now, poor thing, she’s looking for love with a younger man, Justin Theroux. But hang on. She is now 43. Yes, you read that right: 43. Is it too late for her to have babies? Has she put her ovaries on ice for far too long? Can she ever have the fairytale ending that all women long for: with a doting husband and a brood of beautiful babies? Poor old Jen, indeed! It must be a dreadful life, right? To have made enough money to never have to work again unless you choose to; to have your pick of the handsome leading men of Hollywood; to still look amazing on the shady side of 40; to be in control of your life. God, I can’t quite figure out how she copes! But sarcasm aside, isn’t it a tiny bit worrying that even if you are a Hollywood star in the 21st century, you still have

LOSER? NOT HIM!

Nobody treats George Clooney like a failure because he has never remarried after a brief fling with matrimony early in life to abide by some romantic, medieval notion of how women should live their lives? That unless you are in a happy marriage – which has produced a couple of kids – your life is essentially worthless. And that you must be spending all your time chasing that ever-elusive dream; no matter how loudly you protest otherwise. To be fair to Jennifer Aniston, she has never played into the poor old Jen narrative of her life story, as retold by the tabloid press. She never tires of pointing out that she is fed up of the eternal triangle she is expected to form with ex-husband Brad and his new partner Angelina. She has moved on; and so should we. She loves her bachelor lifestyle. She is in no hurry to get married again. And she is not sure about having children because kids can get a bit ‘messy’. In other words, she loves her life the way it is. But no matter what Aniston may say, somehow the narrative of Jen as victim has gotten some sort of insidious hold on the world. And even now, when Justin has announced that he got the ‘best birthday present ever’ on his 41st birthday when Jennifer accepted his proposal (and an eight carat, emerald-cut diamond ring), we are still not willing to let it go. So now, it’s become all about how Aniston, the poor thing, is trying to steal the Jolie-Pitt thunder by announcing her engagement in the week before her ex-husband and his partner are planning to get hitched in a private wedding at their French chateau. Poor old Jen. She never did get over being dumped by Brad. Meanwhile, George Clooney continues to party his way across the world with his current squeeze, the former wrestler (honestly, you couldn’t make this stuff up!), Stacey Keibler, having dumped the gorgeous Italian model, Elisabetta Canalis, when she became too clingy. Nobody treats him like a failure because he has never remarried after a brief fling with matrimony early in life. And nobody regards him with pity because he has failed to procreate (though, God knows, the world could do with a few mini-Clooneys). George Clooney and Jennifer Aniston have a lot in common. They both started out as TV sensations, he with ER, she with Friends. They both went on to have film careers, albeit with varying degrees of success. They both had failed first marriages. And they both went on to have a string of relationships afterwards. But you wouldn’t guess that from the way their stories are told by the media. I guess in the end it really doesn’t matter just how far you’ve come, baby. If you’re a woman, your life is still deemed worthless unless you have a baby (or two), and a husband to call your own. Yes, even if you are Jennifer Aniston.

spectator

If you’re a woman, your life is still deemed worthless unless you have a baby, and a husband to call your own

LET HER BE!

Photos: GETTY IMAGES

Jennifer Aniston has moved on; and so should we. She loves her bachelor lifestyle. She is in no hurry to get married again AUGUST 26, 2012

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

indulge

WHO’S CHANGING THE WAY YOU EAT?

tainly altering the way Indians eat. However, this is not the full story. Let’s take my own experience. I moved to Delhi’s Defence Colony in 1996. It was then a vast gastronomic wasteland. Over the years, things changed, but only slightly. There are now loads Vir Sanghvi of restaurants in the colony but few that I would eat at with the exceptions of Swagath and Sagar. Nor was South Extension, which is next door, any better. If you drove from Def Col towards the cenWith six great restaurants only a few minutes tre of Delhi, the situation got no better till you reached the heart of Lutyens’ new city. from my flat, what more proof do you need South Ex is still a disaster area for eating out. But somehow, it does not matter. So many excelthat India’s food scene is changing? lent dining options have opened in the last five years, all within a 10 to 15 minute drive from my flat, that I am spoiled for choice. The change began with the opening of China Kitchen at the Hyatt. I went back last week for the restaurant’s fifth anniversary celebrations and was pleased to discover that the food was even better than it was five years ago. China Kitchen is, famously, the restaurant that taught Indians how to eat and enjoy Peking Duck, setting up its own local duck supplier so that the quality of the duck was perfect. But the chef’s real skill lies in his pork cooking: smoked bacon, crispy spare ribs and spicy Sichuan-style French beans with minced pork. Last week I had a superlative double-cooked pork and the chef turned out Hunan-style pork dishes so flavourful and teekha that they nearly blew the roof of my mouth off. Delhi now has other good Chinese restaurants (The Chinese in Connaught Place remains a personal favourite though road works in the area have kept me away) but few offer an experience as satisfying as China Kitchen. A few minutes from the Hyatt is the new Leela Palace, for my money the best hotel in Delhi in purely F&B terms. Great chefs (Glenn Eastman, Mickey Bhoite etc.) and the city’s most accomplished F&B supremo, Rajesh Namby, ensure that the hotel serves the sort of international cuisine that was almost impossible to find in Delhi five years ago. The last time I went I tried the MELT IN THE MOUTH extremely sophisticated Saturday Tres’ stand-out dish – a SPANISH TOP UP EOPLE OFTEN ask me how much the eating out expebrunch at Le Cirque. The coffee shop slow-cooked lamb (above) Tres (which means three in rience has changed in India’s metropolitan cities over Qube already does Delhi’s best Sunday Spanish) gets its name the last five years or so. When I say that it has been brunch so it must have been a challenge to do something differfrom the three people transformed beyond recognition, they say things like ent with the Le Cirque Saturday offering. But they’ve managed behind it: Chefs Julia “only at the five star hotels” or “perhaps this is because of the it by going the a la carte route and eschewing the standard brunch Carmen Desa (right) and new malls” or “it is only true of the new fast food chains”. buffet. Jatin Mallick (left) and And the answer to all of these questions is ‘yes’. But there is Ten minutes away from Def Col / South Ex in the other direcFatima Lobo (centre) something much more significant happening than these glib tion is On The Waterfront, located on the Lodhi Road side of the responses would suggest. Of course, the launch of new hotels Aman Hotel but not managed by the Aman. On The Waterfront means that new restaurants will open; malls do offer quality real is the second big-time venture from Prasanjit Singh and the estate options to restaurateurs and the fast food chains are certeam behind the massively successful Zest (or Setz or

rude food

twitter.com/HTBrunch

whatever the new name is). Rather than replicate the Zest formula, Prasanjit and his team have opted for a relaxed, casual, more upmarket restaurant with an easy, lazy feel. I liked the dining room and when I went for lunch with two ex-colleagues from my old Sunday magazine days a few weeks ago, we tried out the outdoor conservatory area, which is surrounded by greenery, but is air-conditioned nevertheless – useful given how hot Delhi is these days. Prasanjit’s restaurants always have good service, so with Suveer Sodhi, Pawan Nair and Pankaj Joshi minding the front of the house, it is no surprise that the restaurant is so well-managed. What’s surprising though is the food. I go to Zest for the European cuisine, but On The Waterfront’s claim to fame is the Oriental menu – Japanese robatayaki, light cheung fans and other dim sum and wonderful Thai stir-fries and salads. My ex-colleagues who had never been there before said they loved it and were pleased that it felt like a stand-alone rather than a hotel restaurant. I’ve written before about Chez Nini, which is also 10 minutes away from my neighbourhood so I won’t repeat my praise. And though Ritu Dalmia’s Caprice-comes-to-Punjabi-Delhi operation (Café Diva) is a little far for me (around 15 minutes on a good day), it is worth the journey – assuming of course that one can get in given that it is always full for lunch. And now there’s yet another great restaurant near my neighbourhood. I went to Tres in Lodhi Colony market just days after it had opened and before it got its booze licence. (It should have one by the time you read this.) I did not have a number for the restaurant and so wandered in without a booking. It was packed (it is small – around 40 or so covers) and I waited for 25 minutes till a table finally became vacant. Tres (which means three in Spanish) gets its name from the three people behind it: Chefs Julia Carmen Desa and Jatin Mallick and Fatima Lobo. Here, I have to declare a personal connection: I’ve known Ronnie and Fatima Lobo since the early days of the Taj Mansingh (Ronnie opened Machan and went on to become general manager in the 1990s). They are friends and that was one reason I went unannounced, without telling them I was coming. I’ve known Julia for years too – I first ate her food at the Aguada in Goa in 1986, and have followed her career (which includes a stint at Zest) with interest and admiration. GETTING YOUR DUCK

China Kitchen at the Hyatt is, famously, the restaurant that taught Indians how to eat and enjoy Peking Duck

HAPPY SUNDAY

The coffee shop Qube (above right) at the Leela Palace does Delhi’s best Sunday brunch (above) When friends open a restaurant you’re always a little worried about what to say if you don’t like it. Fortunately, I loved Tres. The food (Modern European with a hint of Spanish) is serious and world class – you could be eating in any European city rather than a South Delhi market. The stand-out dish for me was a slowcooked lamb so tender that I ate it with a spoon. There was an excellent sous-vide pork belly but it suffered in comparison to the brilliant lamb. Starters were also terrific: home-made pulled pork, Spanish style chicken croquettes and an outstanding chorizo with broad beans. The bread (made on the premises) was crusty and delicious. All this came at prices that were far lower than those at hotel restaurants even though the cuisine was significantly better than the food at most five star hotels. Each dish was cooked with passion; the restaurant is stylish and elegant; and the vibe is happy and cheerful. So, that makes six great restaurant destinations only 10 to 15 minutes from my flat – and four of them are standalones while three have women chefs (Café Diva, Chez Nini, and Tres). Only five years ago, who would have thought it? I would have been stuck with Akasaka in Def Col. Or Moti Mahal Deluxe in South Ex. What more proof do you need that the food scene is changing!

TALK ABOUT FOOD

Rajesh Namby of The Leela Palace in Delhi is the city’s most accomplished F&B supremo

■ A few clarifications about last week’s piece on

vegetarian food. I wrote that Nepali Hindus seemed less worried about the sight of blood than Indian Hindus. Anjoo Mohun, who lived in Kathmandu for years, says that I should have referred to Dakshin Kali or Bhairav temples where mass sacrifices were conducted rather than Pashupatinath. Also, I should have been clearer about the source of rennet, the enzyme that is used in the making of cheese. I said it was extracted from the stomachs of dead cats. Actually, rennet can be extracted from the stomachs of any animal that has not been weaned. The rennet in cheeses made from cow’s milk, for instance, comes from the stomachs of young calves. Many thanks to @psnide who tweeted me about this. Also, I need to clarify that Jairam Banan’s nephew, who is opening a chain of Sagar-like restaurants, is doing this independent of Jairam. So yes, the restaurants will be run by Jairam’s family but I suspect that rather than being delighted by his nephew’s progress, Jairam is actually quite worried about the competition!

OUT OF THE BLUE

On The Waterfront’s (above) claim to fame is the Oriental menu – Japanese robatayaki (right), light cheung fans, etc

indulge MY TYPE OF METAL

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Sanjoy Narayan

download central

SHOW YOUR METAL

Frontman and lead vocalist John Baizley doesn’t shriek or shout abrasively on Yellow & Green

18 songs in all, clubbed in two themes, the Yellow one and the Green one. The music is still heavy metal but by way of a bit of psychedelic rock and southern blues-rock influences. It stands apart for THE FANTASTIC FOUR its more subtle treatment of sound: each of the Baroness, a metal band from the deep south in the US, has mellowed over the years album’s songs is a full sound, multi-layered effort that, unlike other overwhelming metal albums, is a lot more of a peaceful listen. The best part about Yellow & Green Y TASTE for heavy metal is not a pronounced one. It’s Surprise! is that nearly every one of the 18 tracks is a memorable song, not a not that I can’t listen to heavy metal or its extreme cousins blur of massive sounds and yells. It helps that both Baizley and the such as doom or death metal. I’ve written about bands I actually other singer, Peter Adams, have decided not to max out their vocals such as America’s Sunn O))) or Japan’s Boris and their kith, and I came across do turn to some of their albums when the going gets, er, heavy, but as many metal band vocalists are prone to. Yellow & Green is the kind of name bands give to their albums it’s not often my genre of preference. Heavy metal, whether it comes a band that when they’re making a concept album but Baroness’s latest album in plain vanilla formats or in the varieties commonly known as doom makes the didn’t appear to me to be one. The two sets – the or death or sludge, has one common characterisYellow and the Green – of songs, however, could tic – it is very loud. Everything is amped up, disoxymoronic be treated as separate albums. In fact, at one hour torted and emphatic – it’s a macho, brawny and sounding and 15 minutes or so, listening to the entire album massive genre of music that is sometimes so loud in one go could tax the ears and, perhaps your that it can be potentially harmful to health. “mellow head as well – mellow or not, it is heavy metal, So, you can imagine my surprise when I came after all. You could do what I did. I listened to Yellow metal” music across a band that I would like to say makes the on the way to work (I have a 45-minute commute) oxymoronic sounding “mellow metal” music. The and Green on the way back. It was a strategy that band, a quartet called Baroness, hails from worked. Then, later, on a weekend, I blasted the Savannah in Georgia, tucked away in the deep album, heavy metal-style, on the speakers at home. south of the US. I am a latecomer to Baroness, Very satisfying. listening to them for THE JUKEBOX Yet, there’s one thing: diehard doom or sludge the first time on their DOUBLE DELIGHT or death metal fans may not take too kindly to third and latest album, ven as Britain went tipsy with delight over Yellow & Green (July 2012) is the third Olympics 2012, I read in The Guardian that Yellow & Green (July and newest album by Baroness Yellow & Green (remember, I told you it was Morrissey – he of the former band, The Smiths, and a 2012), which comes at “mellow metal”): a) it’s not anarchic enough to solo career that can only be described with superlaa point in their nine-year career when make you bang your head violently; and, b) the songs are more tives – reacted somewhat differently. In a letter to his fan club, the singer apparently attacked their music has become much more than just massive sound-making exercises. I have no problems what he called the “blustering jingoism” toned down from the sludge or doom with that because Yellow & Green is perfectly fine for an aging of the games and even said that “the rock-head like me. metal that they played in their first two spirit of 1939 Germany now pervades I can’t help but add a little bit of anxiety in the end. As I was lisalbums – the Red Album and the Blue throughout media-brand Britain.” Record. On Yellow & Green, frontman tening to Yellow & Green again just now, I surfed upon some upsetThat comment made me pull out my copy of the newly re-issued vinyl version and lead vocalist John Baizley doesn’t ting news: a coach carrying the four members of the band met with of Morrissey’s 1988 album, Viva Hate, shriek or shout abrasively the way metalan accident while on a tour in England a few days before I sat down and listen to his song. Bengali in Platmen are prone to do and the music is to write this and all of them had to be hospitalised. Here’s wishing forms. Great album. Nice song. But was he being jingoistic? Here’s a version not deafening or life-threatening even them a speedy recovery. (http://www.youtube.com/ at cranked-up volume levels. Morrissey To give feedback, stream or download the music mentioned in this column, go to watch?v=4qTY6-xKHpM). You decide! Yellow & Green is a double album – http://blogs.hindustantimes.com/download-central, follow argus48 on Twitter

AUGUST 26, 2012

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Level Up

There was a time when gamers were considered outcasts; now you’re an outcast if you’ve never played Angry Birds. How did this happen?

FOR STARTERS My top five recommendations to pull you into the world of virtual excellence ANGRY BIRDS (iOS, Android MarketPlace, Blackberry Apps World, Nokia OVI Store): Undoubtedly the world’s most famous game, it’s a strategy puzzle in which players use a slingshot to launch birds at pigs stationed on or within various structures, with the intent of destroying all the pigs on the playing field.

by Karan Patheja

ELFISH! ANTI-SOCIAL! Abnormal! A few years ago, these were the very words that were heaped on anyone who said he or she liked gaming. Parents scolded and criticised, counsellors tried to highlight the dangers of gaming addiction and TV shows were full of pasty-faced gaming nerds who’d turned to violent crime. If you were a gamer in the ’80s and ’90s – you were basically dismissed as the “dude in the dungeon” with no future. Fast forward to the present. Gaming has made a U-turn. Everyone, from your five-year-old nephew to your 60-year-old grandmom seems to be thumb-bashing their touchscreen or keypad. Gaming is suddenly cool. What triggered this change? Let a longtime gamer hazard five guesses.

IT BECAME PORTABLE

From bulky cartridges and CDs to a little icon on your smartphone and Tablet, gaming’s portability has really helped make it a legitimate pastime for everyone. It now passes the time on a long road trip, gives you something to do before your dinner date arrives, lets you beat your thirdcousin’s high score without meeting in person, or simply helps wherever gaming pangs strike. No wonder it’s everywhere.

NO MORE NEXUS

Until recently, gaming was controlled by console brands and a few PC

ROBBERY BOB (iOS): Help Bob make off with bundles of loot to pay off a debt. It brings the world of cops and robbers to life.

GAME ON

Kinect Sports lets you play real-life sports (above) Street Fighter IV (top)

ON EVERY DEVICE

Now, games are on multiple devices, including the iPod Touch (below)

gamemakers. For most of the 2000s, Sony and Microsoft fought it out as sales of a console depended on the number exclusive titles it could boast. This made gamers a niche community. Today, a more consumer-friendly nexus has emerged. Smartphones and Tablets rule and several devices sell on the strength of their gaming capabilities. Angry Birds came free on Android after its success on the iOS platform. Many feel that this was a big reason for the rise in Android sales. The recent success of Amazing Alex, which became the highest downloaded app on iOS in eight hours of its release, is just a build-up of what Farmville did for Facebook or Kinect for Microsoft.

This game became the most downloaded iOS app in eight hours

KINECT SPORTS (Microsoft Xbox 360): Six sports simulations. Try virtual bowling, boxing, track & field, table tennis, beach volleyball and football by standing in front of the Kinect sensor and mimicking the actions from the real-life sports.

GAMING GOT INDIE

In 2003, three students from Helsinki University of Technology won a

SPORTS CHAMPIONS (Sony PS3 Move): Sony’s version of virtual Olympics sports champions has modern and medieval sports like table tennis, gladiator duels, disc golf and bocce. The controllers have lifelike accuracy.

mobile game development competition. They went on to set up Rovio Entertainment, gave the world Angry Birds and Amazing Alex, and the rest is history. The rise and encouragement of independent developers has changed the rules of the game world. Developers in a garage-sized space are challenging the multi-million dollar old-timers, by giving us Internet flash games and low cost apps. Big studio games had millions of dollars riding on them and thus games became unwieldy and too complicated. Independent developers brought back the idea of simple addictive gaming that everyone can get into.

THE RIGHT CHOICE, BABY

The Kinect holds the Guinness World Record for being the “fastest selling consumer electronics device” ever – eight million units in 60 days. Now that’s what I call changing the landscape. But motion is just a part of the big picture. Gamers, whether they’ve grown up on joysticks or have just bought a smartphone, can

STREET FIGHTER IV (Arcade, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, iOS): The modern version of the coin-operated hit of the ’80s, players control various martial artists in a martial arts tournament spanning many continents and multiple opponents. Everyone’s addicted.

choose from hardcore, casual, motion, mobile and PC games. You’re spoilt for choice.

THE PRICE IS RIGHT

All of this has impacted us where it matters most – affordability. No more $300 consoles, no more $50 CD packs. Today’s big games are impulse purchases that cost less than a dollar. Gaming is hip, it’s cool! After being an outcast for years, I’m enjoying my newfound fame as a real ‘player’. The revenge of the gamer is now complete! Karan Patheja is Sr Correspondent Technology NDTV and presenter with the Gadget Guru show

“Man is a gaming animal. He must always be trying to get better in something or the other” – Charles Lamb AUGUST 26, 2012

GOOGLE NEXUS 7

HP SPECTREXT

When you take top-of-the-line hardware and software and package it into a $199 tablet, you’ve pretty much destroyed the competition

A super-thin body, great horsepower and a price that finally makes the original idea behind an Ultrabook come true

Best Of The Best

iPHONE 4S The super phone’s sales have gone down a wee bit but that’s only because the iPhone 5 is around the corner (Read more on page 8)

ACER-S3 ULTRABOOK The looks of an Ultrabook and the features of a Tablet with ‘Instant on’

Rajiv Makhni presents his list of the coolest goodies that the world of technology has to offer today

SENNHEISER RS220 Relationship savers and pure music delivery all in one – these ear cans deliver sound so authentic – most high end speakers quiver in fear

HIS IS the best of the best of 2012. Yes, it’s still early days, and there’s lots of new stuff slated for mindnumbing ‘hype and buzz’ releases over the next few months. But this is a list of the

best goodies that the world of technology has to offer today. It’s going to be tough to beat this list. We’ll revisit this list at the end of the year – but most of what is here should be able to ward off the competition coming up.

BELKIN N750 A wireless router that will take your Internet connection to every corner of your home – blazing fast full coverage with no blind spots at all

MERIDIAN DSP 7200 The first true digital speaker that delivers stunning purity of sound and comes in an array of colours

MACBOOK AIR 13 The king of the hill in thin and light but this time Apple adds an unheardof feature to the Air range – they’ve made them value for money, and the 13-inch is the best of the lot

“In software systems it is often the early bird that makes the worm” – American computer scientist Alan Perlis AUGUST 26, 2012

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D-LINK DIR857 LG 72LM9500 It’s a huge 72 inches of pure LED goodness, with smart TV features and 3D that doesn’t need klunky 3D glasses

The streaming media emperor – if you want all-house HD movies, music and pictures – then this is pretty much all you need

SAMSUNG GALAXY SIII A gamble that worked – combining great hardware and human usability features that make life simpler. Sales of 12 million and counting

(Read more on page 10)

NOKIA LUMIA 610 The phone that kickstarted the entire ‘Windows-on-aphone-can-sell’ revolution. This one is unbeatable on price and features

SONOS PLAY5 Idiot-proof wireless music in every room in your house controlled by any device in your pocket – it doesn’t get better than this

APPLE iPAD 3 In the new iPad or the iPad 3, it is the retina display that takes this tablet into a whole different league

PERSONAL AGENDA

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Actress

Anushka Sharma if i could... I WOULD INVENT ONLY THOSE GADGETS THAT DON’T NEED ANY BATTERY CELLS OR CHARGING

SUN SIGN Taurus

BIRTHDAY May 1

SCHOOL/COLLEGE FIRST BREAK

Army Public School and Mount Carmel College, Bangalore

HOMETOWN PLACE OF BIRTH Dehradun

Faizabad, UP

Walking the ramp for Wendell Rodricks in 2007

without anyone complaining about the volume. Like no one else can hear it, only I can

I WOULD SET A STANDARD DECIBEL LEVEL FOR ALL PHONES

When I bagged Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008)

The gadget you wished you had when When it comes to technology, you you were a child? would describe yourself as... I am happy that I didn’t have I am fairly tech-savvy and many gadgets and technology has was more involved in become an integral THE FIRST outdoor activities. part of my life. PERSONAL What colour is your phone. Your current favourite GADGET YOU White. gadget? EVER OWNED? My camera and phone. Your next phone will be? That would depend on A gadget you wish they the new launches and would invent? the features it has to One that can read offer. people’s minds. Your phone ringtone? What size is your A quacking sound. TV? When people call you, 42 inches. what song/ring tone do they hear? In a hotel room, can Breakdown by Jack Johnson. you easily find the Laptop or Tablet? light switches, work Both. the shower, etc? Games on the phone, Xbox/ Yes. It’s usually Playstation or Tablet? simple. Tekken on Playstation, Fruit What gadgets Ninja on the phone. do you Do you remember any phone numbers by heart? Yes, my parents’ and brother’s. Have you ever lost a phone/ gadget? Yes, very recently. Where do you shop for gizmos? Authorised dealers of the particular brand.

Walkman

I WOULD HAVE MUSIC PLAYING EVERYWHERE I GO

HIGH POINT OF YOUR LIFE

I’D NEVER GIVE UP MY OLD PHONE

just keep adding new features on the same phone

Photos: THINKSTOCK

AUGUST 26, 2012

LOW CURRENTLY POINT OF DOING YOUR Shooting for the LIFE new Yash They come and go

Chopra-directed film and endorsing Canon

pack on long flights? My laptop, so that I can listen to music, play games and watch films on it. One gadget you are lusting for? Yet to come. How long can you last without checking your phone? If I am not working, then I need to check it whenever it beeps. How many DVDs do you own? More than 250. — Interviewed by Veenu Singh