FWDlife December 2011

LIFESTYLE TRAVEL LEISURE ENTERTAINMENT LOUNGE

ISSUE 02 VOL 01 DECEMBER 2011 ` 60

www.fwdlife.in

The Royal Abode Away from the mad hustle of thecity, in a haven in Chittoor

X’mas Lunch An easy to do, mouth watering lunch menu for Christmas.

Choreographing Change Malika Sarabhai talks about the vivid experiences of her multi-faceted life.

EXCLUSIVE

Aashiq Abu

Un-cooked AN UNSALTED AND UNPEPPERED VERSION OF THE ARTISTE GROUP THAT’S TAKING MALAYALAM MOVIES PLACES.

SANJAY | GEORGE PETER | TONY JOSEPH

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Contents

16

Aashiq Abu

Uncooked Man unsalted and unpeppered version of the artiste group that’s taking malayalam movies places.

LIFESTYLE

12

Choreographing Change

Malika Sarabhai talks about the vivid experiences of her multi-faceted life.

30

Laughing Matters

Meet the person behind some of the most hilarious radio shows on air.

22 A glorious lust for life Meet Dr. Rajkrishnan Chandrasekharan in his various avatars.

55 Dream Machines Deepak NarendranThe luxury cars collector

TRAVEL

38 The Royal Abode Neena Hari writes about her escape from the maddening city life

LEiSURE

34 Measuring life with coffee spoons A group of youngster© s quest for the perfect hang out place.

46 62 64 68 78

Maison Couture Health Desk Animal Farm Auto Story Gadgets

42

Like a winter dream Jiyad irani and Lakshmi showcases Puma’s collection.

LoUNGE

52 Christmas Lunch Rebecca Chandy’s easy to cook menu for your x’mas lunch

ENTERTAiNMENT

25 Ballad of the cloud walker George Seemon captured the contemporary expressions of Priya Vijaya and Santhosh

72 75 76 82

View Finder Cover 2 cover Troubled Cleft Urban Yogi

09 48 50 58

Events Grooming Made in Heaven Storyboard

60 66 70 80

Brain Drain Space Frame Balance sheet Game Review

MANAGING EDITOR

Arun Balachandran* EDITOR

issue 02 vOL 01 DeCeMBeR 2011

Abraham Tharakan ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Nanditha Nair FEATURES WRITERS

Gisen George Varghese Ashwathy S PHOTOGRAPHER

Jamesh Kottakkal CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Subin Beats LAYOUT ASSISTANT

Sreekanth S. Nath

Life

CIRCULATION

Haneesh K.H MARKETING

Sreenath S. Nath Thanvi Abisha Lobo Kushboo Saji Luz Stella Plata EDITORIAL OFFICE

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info@fwdmedia.in + 91 9809010111 Cover Photography Ajay Menon Cover Model Aashiq Abu

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All rights reserved. FWD Life is fully protected by copyright and nothing may be reproduced fully or in part without permission. All inputs, text, image or illustration, are accepted on the understanding that no liability is incurred. All characters in any fictional story are purely imaginary and no references or allusion is intended to apply to any living person or persons. The views and opinions expressed or implied in this magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Forward Media Private Limited. All photographs unless otherwise indicated, are used for illustrative purposes only.

This magazine is intended for mature audience-reader discretion is advised.

Manging editor: Arun Balachandran * Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act.

editor’s note

FWD

FROM THE EDITOR© S DESK

WHISKEY IS FOR DRINKING, WATER IS FOR FIGHTING OVER. “More than ever in human history, we share a common destiny.

We can master it only if we face it together.”

Kofi Annan

W

ater continues to be the catalyst for war.

The most pressing issue that we face today is the imminent Mullaperiyar debacle. In this world order, no state, no nation can sustain itself. We all share the responsibility for each other’s security.

One state cannot think of deriving benefits from a crisis, while thirty five lakhs of their fellow human beings are in peril. The actions of one state have a decisive effect on the lives of people in the other. Does it not owe some account to the other states and citizens as well as to its own? Only mass public appeal would bring those in power,under pressure to resolve issues. The needed

Follow me on Facebook Facebook.com/fwdmagazine 08 |

Life

| DECEMBER 2011

Follow me on Twitter Twitter.com/editorfwdlife

public support can be garnered by prominent public figures and celebrities because no matter the momentum, the issue has generated on various social media networks, only non virtual action would result in systemic changes in our country. Are we waiting for something to happen? Are we in such liberty here to close our eyes and wish that the lack of certitude in the findings would save the day? Your commitment and sincerity to this cause can help save generations.

Whenever celebrities have united for a good cause, the world has followed. Stand the heat and battle the fight for the people.

EDITOR Abraham Tharakan

Mail me Email: abraham@fwdmedia.in

Lal Jose, P V Gangadharan

STARS

SPOTTED AT INSPIRE AWARDS

Thalaivasal Vijay

Mammootty

Navin Pauly

Navya Nair, Swetha Menon

Tiny Tom

Amrutha

2011 DECEMBER |

Life

| 09

EVENTS

with stars

FWD LIFE WITH STARS

Anniversary Carnival at Nucleus Mall

A

BAD Nucleus Mall, Kerala’s first

at Nucleus Mall, along with fabulous spread of

LEED Certified Gold Rated mall

prizes and offers. During the Carnival period (1st

is celebrating its first anniver-

Nov. to 1st Jan.) customers who shop or dine

sary. The Anniversary Carnival at

at Nucleus Mall could win prizes like Hyundai

Nucleus Mall was formally inaugurated on 5

EON (Bumper Prize), Free Holiday Packages at

November 2011 in a simple & elegant function

ABAD and Samsung Oven (weekly prizes) and

held at Nucleus Mall atrium.

Rs.50,000 as cash prize for a lucky customer.

As part of the Anniversary Carnival, a twomonth long celebration is also beingunveiled

10 |

Life

| DECEMBER 2011

The carnival is packed with an exciting mix of events, meant for everyone in the family.

Women’s Theme

1st Dec. to 15th Dec.

Sports Theme

15th Nov. to 30th Nov.

Adventure Theme

16th Dec. to 1st Jan.

Bumper Prize Draw

1st Jan 2012

For more details, call

99953 77033

CONVERSATION

mallika sarabhai

For her, variety is verity. She has the vibrancy of Gujarat in her as well as the simplicity of Kerala. The constant multitasker; Mallika Sarabhai is an activist, a performer, a publisher, a manager, and above all a dancer

Change CHOREOGRAPHING

Text Nanditha Nair | Photography Jamesh Kottakkal

The road has been long, but recognised she has been and her list of accolades is as illustrious as her lineage. The nation honoured her by conferring Padma Bushan in 2010.

She was given the Crystal Award by The World Economic Forum in 2008. The French government bestowed on her the Chevalier des Palmes Academiques in 1999 and Knight of the Order of Arts & Letters in 2002

A

n activist, a reformer,

daughter Mridula were freedom fighters

a publisher, a manager,

and activists. Young Mallika had her own

and above all a dancer,

history to create.

Mallika Sarabhai is a multifaceted persona.

From the mismatched earrings she

agement degree from IIM, Ahmedabad,

wears, the mix of dances she performs,

doctorate from Gujarat University and

the array of degrees she earned, the dif-

joined Mrinalini Sarabhai’s Darpana

ferent kinds of jobs she handles, the two

Academy of Performing Arts. Mallika

entirely different cultures she endorses,

directed and performed in many pro-

yes, she is a total non conformist in

ductions that create awareness on the

absolute terms. For her, variety is verity.

issues that society evades to accept. Her

She has the vibrancy of Gujarat in her as

work, Shakti-The Power of Women, a

well as the simplicity of Kerala.

one-woman show that included a scene

Mallika Sarabhai comes from an il-

12 |

Life

| DECEMBER 2011

At the age of 15, she started acting in parallel cinemas. She earned man-

about four sisters who had to commit

lustrious lineage. Being the daughter of

suicide to relieve their parents’ trauma

Mrinalini Sarabhai, the legendary clas-

of finding dowries for them. It show-

sical dancer and Vikram Sarabhai, argu-

cased the horrors that even educated

ably the greatest scientist India has ever

women of the modern era have to face.

seen, Mallika had a lot to look up to. Her

Her role as Draupadi in the play The

maternal family of Aanakkara Vadakkath

Mahabharatha by Peter Brook was ac-

has produced great personalities like

claimed widely. Mallika could relate to

Ammu Swaminathan, Captain Lakshmi

Draupadi, the embodiment of Sakthi, for

and Subhashini Ali. The Sarabhai fam-

her extraordinary beauty and fierceness.

ily was into textile industry. Ambalal

Like Draupadi, men can never pin down

Sarabhai, Mallika’s grandfather and his

Mallika.

2011 DECEMBER |

Life

| 13

Breaking traditions seems to be the tradition in my family. I think my family would have considered me as an out caste, a black sheep, had I been reserved and uptight like the rest of the world.

Keralites love to brand me as a malayali. My taste is that of a malayali.

FWD Life met Mallika on her recent trip

would in itself be the greatest teacher. He

to Cochin. She was very excited about her

foresaw that it will bring a new light to the

performance at JTPAC, Thripunithura. So

villagers in remote areas of India, where

were we, to hear what she had to say.

no teacher would willingly go and teach. I saw dance as a reason of change. Besides

You are always active. Dance, books, kids,

it is a misconception to think that one

politics; something keeps you busy always.

should only work in a corporate after get-

How do you prioritise?

ting an IIM degree. I use my management

When I’m involved with one thing, I just do

skills every minute of my life. I manage

that alone. I stay in the same building of

the entire team of Darpana and its many

Darpana. I had a wonderful nanny to take

subsidiaries.

care of kids. Amma stays next to us with my brother. She would always take care of my

Why Darpana?

kids. I think the kids were also very accom-

Darpana was established by my mother.

modating. As a publisher, I have a good

When she married my father and came

partner. I only do what I’m passionate about.

to Gujarat, dancers were considered as

When one is passionate about something, it

courtesans. They would point at her and

is easy to find time for that.

say “Nachnewali”. My grandfather asked Amma to establish a dance school for

Dance was not your first passion. You were

children to change the perception of the

part of a structured setup until the age of

people. It did. Now I’m trying to bring

18 when you followed your mother’s foot-

a change in people’s mindset with the

steps to join Darpana. Was that an inten-

performing arts and Darpana is the best

tional change?

platform for this.

Both my parents were revolutionaries of

14 |

Life

| DECEMBER 2011

change. My father was a great visionary who

How do you identify yourself? As a Gujarati

wanted knowledge to percolate to the grass

or a Malayalee?

root levels. He thought Television would be

I don’t know that. It’s up to others to tell

the harbinger of a cultural revolution as it

me how I’m identified. Kerala has always

been eager to accept me as hers. Keralites

that all of us want and need. One person will

love to brand me as a Malayalee. My taste

be followed by hundreds, and thousands will

is that of a Malayalee. I want red rice and

follow. But someone has to take the initia-

avial. A meal with thoran and koottu curry

tive. Smart, intelligent people from different

makes my day complete. We get red rice

walks of life should replace this mockery

delivered from Kerala. My dressing style and

by politicians.

I should do my part to rescue India from the clutches of these politicians. I’m just trying to bring the change that all of us wants and needs.

accessories are my own. I think I’m the right blend of both cultures. But I’m not fluent in

Heard a story that a woman once compli-

Malayalam. I have consciously started learn-

mented you by saying, “Here is a woman

ing Malayalam recently and within a year

who is not afraid to be seen ugly”. But you

I shall learn it.

are never seen ugly. How is that?

You have to see the faces I make during

Breaking traditions is the tradition in your

performances. I even act the part of a one

family. You have once said that you have

eyed monkey. That’s really ugly. As for my

done it all, whatever society hates to accept.

personal style, I like wearing anything that

(She bursts into laughter) It is the best way

is comfortable to me. I should be able to ride

of putting it. Breaking traditions seems to be

a horse or climb a tree when I want. One

the tradition in my family. I think my family

day Amma and I were travelling through a

would have considered me as an out caste,

village in Kerala and we saw a lady wear-

a black sheep, had I been reserved and up-

ing this beautiful Thoda in her ears. I was

tight like the rest of the world. My daughter,

so enticed by it that we stopped the car. I

Anahita is gay. I think she also follows the

coaxed Amma to use her Malayalam to buy

tradition of our family to break traditions.

it from her. And we did buy it. We have such great accessories in India. I don’t know why

Mrinalini Sarabhai is a dancer who works

Indians tend to buy these ugly designer or-

within tradition. But you are an experimen-

naments, when our ornaments are the best

talist. Your expressions vary from Kuchip-

in the world.

pudy, Mohiniyattam, Tribal arts to theatre.

Is it a deliberate deviation?

That is not true. Amma was the first Indian dancer to use tradition to break tradition, as early as 1949. She stripped Kathakali of all costumes and makeup and used the form to create Manushya. And in 1963 she used Bharata Natyam to speak of hatred and dowry killings instead of Sringara. I was brought up thinking that the arts were a language one used to talk of anything. And while I still continue performing classical Katcheris, as far as my own work is concerned I use any or all arts to convey what I want to a particular audience.

Your foray into active politics.

India is torn down by ruthless politicians.

Corruption is killing this country. I think, as a responsible citizen I should do my part to rescue India from the clutches of these politicians. I’m just trying to bring the change 2011 DECEMBER |

Life

| 15

exclusive

16 |

Life

| DECEMBER 2011

AN UNSALTED AND UNPEPPERED VERSION OF THE ARTISTE GROUP THAT’S TAKING MALAYALAM MOVIES PLACES.

2011 DECEMBER |

Life

| 17

EXCLUSIVE

aashiq abu & crew

During the 70’s Malayalam movie industry saw the advent of new wave cinema. Possibly inspired by this, a group of youngsters, customers of the now definitional Indian Coffee House near the University College in Trivandrum, later formed a cinema fraternity that contributed meaningful screenplays, powerful characters and innovative crafts to the Malayalee audience.

T

he mastermind behind this

Rasheed, Sameer Thahir and Lijo Jose Pellis-

year’s biggest entertainer that

sery to name a few, who are experimenting

comprised of a loudmouth, a

with thematic, narratives and casting. One

missing-in-action beauty queen

of the major changes that have taken place

and two newbies, packaged as

is the collective effort and the times spend

a food based movie, is an easy talker. Well,

for pre-production work. Neither Auteur

as long as you have the right questions. The

Theory (that director is the sole creator

cynics and onlookers alike watched open-

of the movie) nor the Schreiber Theory

mouthed, a locomotive called SaltN’Pepper

(that the scriptwriter is the creator) is any

appeared from nowhere and sped its course

longer in practise. The Schreiber theory had

through a film landscape that was reeking

relevance in Malayalam, only due to promi-

with flops. This movie too is the product of

nent directors writing their own scripts.

the new breed of movie professionals who

With a growing audience who are exposed

are bring about the much needed freshness

to all kinds of cinema, unoriginal works are

to Malayalam movies.

being criticised from the time the movie is

During the 70’s Malayalam movie industry saw the advent of new wave cinema. Pos-

new cinematic perspectives are needed to

sibly inspired by this, a group of youngsters,

capture the evolving global Malayalee’s

customers of the now definitional Indian

imagination.

Coffee House near the University College in

18 |

Life

| DECEMBER 2011

announced. New themes, new genres and

It’s a hot and sultry day in Kochi; the

Trivandrum, later formed a cinema fraterni-

midday day sun continues its course to the

ty that contributed meaningful screenplays,

middle of the sky. At the movie workshop

powerful characters and innovative crafts to

for 22 Female Kottayam, a suspense thriller

the Malayalee audience. Late 80’s and early

in a private hideaway 20 km from Kochi,

90’s saw the growth of superstars. Malay-

Aashiq Abu seems like a man in search for

alam movies went into a limbo. This state

something. A stocky build, in t-shirt and

of deterioration is offered some resistance

shorts, he is totally at home walking around

by younsters Vyshak, Amal Neerad, Anwar

in rubber slippers. “Cigarettes” came a cry

With a growing audience who are exposed to all kinds of cinema, unoriginal works are being criticised from the time the movie is announced.

had a food based movie. The idea for food came up much later in the pre-production time” Syam: “The story thread was about two

people in their forties meeting each other and falling in love, food became an angle

Aashiq Abu seems like a man in search for something.

A stocky build, in t-shirt and shorts, he is totally at home walking around in rubber slippers.

because we thought that would be the best unifier for their unusual relationship” Dileesh: “The moment the age factor came in, we knew it couldn’t be a normal love

on seeing a pack, he picks one and lights up,

story. We wanted to keep it realistic as pos-

sitting in front of the laptop playing songs

sible, like normal people they too had their

from the Folk rock group Avial’s collection.

own emotional baggage.”

Rest of the cast and crew is wandering

Aashiq: “when they told me the story, I knew

about, almost sleep walking. Complains of

we had to go with unusual casting. Now

hunger fills the air and the housekeepers

everyone is talking about Babu Raj’s casting.

scurry around to prepare lunch.

That happened because we didn’t want to go

Now food is something really popu-

with normal comedians. All of us sat around

lar here, well for a team that did a love

talking and Babu Raj’s name came up, and

story around food, the conversation really

somehow all of us were sure that it would

got started. Aashiq was joined by Syam

work out.”

Pushkaran and Dileesh Nair the writers,

Madhu: “ Ya ya, we all liked the idea, even

Abhilash Kumar, Madhu Narayan, Pradeep

with the casting of Lal and Shweta (Menon),

Sukumaran- associate directors and Dileesh

it was clear that someone who acted their

Pothan who is also an associate but had an

age was needed and of course a good voice

acting role in SaltN’Pepper.

that would sound good over telephone was

Aashiq: “All of us love food, the same is true

needed.”

about an average Malayalee, yet we never

Abhilash: “The Upadeshi,K.T. Mirash char2011 DECEMBER |

Life

| 19

EXCLUSIVE

aashiq abu & crew

ing the rushes of Avial promo

acter was developed after

travelled 2 days North of

seeing a friend walk around

Kerala , two days South and

gate and three men walk

song literally stunned me.

in pyjamas ....( breaks out

of course a day in Kochi.

through, a loud cheer greets

Until then I thought keeping

in laughter) everybody has

Aashiq: Even though all of us

them. Shyju Khalid the cin-

the climax in balance would

are very familiar with Kochi,

ematographer who did both

be the toughest part. Hardly

that, he is everything Manu

we didn’t want to set the

Traffic and SaltN’Pepper,

30 percent of the whole foot-

(Aasif Ali) is not and vice

story in Kochi.

Sajan V the editor and Dan

age was used for the film.

Jose the Sound guy walks in

The same was the case with

an Archaeologist, Trivan-

and starts chiding Aashiq

the food song; we had a lot of

come across characters like

versa, they somehow balance each other.”

A car pulls up at the other

Syam: (Interrupting) For drum is a much better and in

about his new projects.

footage which we didn’t use,

and everybody rambles over

any case there is too much of

Aashiq had a plan to bring

to the table and starts piling

Kochi in Malayalam movies

Shyju: Did this guy tell you

about the food song? Oh that

out an album based on the all

on food. Dileesh Pothan is

these days...

was a big deal for me. 5 days

the unused footage. Oh the

the obvious butt of the joke

By now lunch is served,

Pradeep: ... there are voice

up and down and I didn’t

intertextual stuff in both the

for the grit of his paunch.

labs and better streets.

want to shoot food like a

movies was fun, Mamooka

Finally everybody settles

(Smiling) we really liked the

product rather something all

playing himself from Azha-

down to eat.

house in Trivandrum. Every

of us are very familiar with.

kiya Ravanan in Daddy Cool

Pradeep: The food song for ti-

article in the scenes and the

Just like a normal person’s

and Shweta in SaltN’Pepper

tle was planned over 5 days.

idea to have the Mooppan

perspective when entering

dubbing for Richa Pallod in

We called up people in all the

through was pre planned, but

an eating place, oh that was

Daddy Cool. There is even

districts in Kerala, they came

then the story of the rainbow

fun!

a director in the studio like

up with suggestions and we

cake was really researched.

Sajan: Forget the food, see-

Aashiq.

Shyju Khalid

Sajan V

cinematographer

editor

20 |

Life

| DECEMBER 2011

Dileesh Nair script writer

Syam Pushkaran

Abhilash Kumar

script writer

script writer

Forget the food, seeing the rushes of Avial promo song literally stunned me.

after the Rathinirvedam role;

of any two individuals who

The collective enthusiasm

it’s totally Shweta’s credit

are sharing living spaces

is clearly evident within the

that people accepted the

together for a long while.

group, yet there is no distinc-

role.

Dan: The ‘sounds’ for the

tion between work and play

scene in which the prospec-

mood, even during the day

gay undertones in Lal’s and

tive bride looks from the bal-

long interactions it’s clear

Babu Raj’s relationship

cony, when the cook leaving

that bouncing ideas to and

Syam (with a grin): That was

the house with her potential

fro keep them on their toes.

the chemistry between the

suitor, was given a tragic-

Who knows somewhere down

Aashiq: Well there was lots

two; the idea was to have a

comic turn as demanded by

the line, new genres hitherto

of criticism for using a non

cook who somehow compen-

the situation.

unexplored in Malayalam

Malayalee actress as the lead

sates for the woman of the

for the role in Daddy Cool. So

house....

certainly rising within the

the new breed. Viewer expec-

we wanted to show what the

Dileesh: There are no

When asked about the

The energy levels are

cinema, might emanate from

group; a few have broken

tations are high, so are the

comic scenes written only

away and are jamming around

chances of rejection. There is

is always a problem. Shweta

situational comedies, when

with a guitar and make-shift

still no concrete sign to call

was the only Malayalam

we were doing character

drum (former lunch plates).

the new age directors, produc-

speaking actor who fitted the

sketches, it was definite that

A few others are preparing

ers and professionals a new

role and she did a wonderful

a brahmachari (A hanuman

to jump into the pool. Their

movement or wave, but then

job.

devotee) would be the right

day just seems to be starting,

Malayalees all over the world

person for the role. Their

night long discussions, argu-

are waiting for a new kind of

relationship is similar to that

ments, fights and what not!

movie sensibility.

situation really is. Dubbing

Initially we were not sure how people would take this

Madhu Narayan,

Pradeep Sukumaran

Dileesh Pothan

Dan Jose

associate director

associate director

actor, associate director

sound engineer

2011 DECEMBER |

Life

| 21

PEOPLE

22 |

Life

dr. rajkrishnan chandrasekharan

| DECEMBER 2011

How you perceive the world depends on what sort of lens you prefer to see it through; what for everyone else is a lunatic adventure, might be the fulfillment of a long fostered dream for somebody.

A Glorious Lust For Life Text Gisen George Varghese | Photography Jamesh Kottakkal

“Passion and madness are not the same, sometimes you have to be practical”, Dr. Rajkrishnan says.

N

uts! It could be said of

to have an enduring impact on the way

a man who climbs four

his life took shape. “I suppose, I had an

thousand meters up the

explorer’s psyche from a very young age. I

Himalayas to experi-

would roam through the estate for hours on

ence how it feels to fix

end, on occasions even from dawn to dusk.

someone else’s teeth at that altitude.

That was my introduction to the euphoria,

For the man who did it though, nothing

travels and explorations provides.” But

about the act is bizarre or madcap—“just

bogged down heavily by the “demanding

something that had to be done because I

circumstances of life” and the “generally

had always dreamt of doing it ever since

unfavourable nature of those times”, he

I chose the career of a dentist.” The

was left with no choice but to abide by

man, by the way, was on the wrong side

the conventional norms that dictate what

of thirties when he did this. But if you

a young man’s career options should be.

were to wax platitudinous on a not-so-

“Passion and madness are not the same,

young-man’s unabashedly youthful lust

sometimes you have to be practical”, Dr

for life or on a heroic defiance of the

Rajkrishnan says.

vile regime of age, what you would meet

After graduating from dental college,

with is a disapproving frown. A terse

he set up his own clinic. As one would

rejoinder too would follow: “Age is like

expect from a man of peculiar tastes, the

money; it is what it does.”

venture was based on a pioneering idea:

Now 45, running Dr.Raj dental

dental tourism. After achieving success in

clinic in Thrippunithura, Dr Rajkrishnan

his career, he turned to his personal goals.

Chandrasekharan was born and brought

His passion for travelling rekindled. He has

up in the FACT estate at Ambalamedu,

the habit of going for short trips with his

Kochi. The days of childhood spent in

friends. Even while practicing as a doctor

that vast and lush green landscape were

he never missed a chance to travel. In the 2011 DECEMBER |

Life

| 23

The latest of his experiments is the scuba diving in Thripoonithura. Even if there is a risk factor in the adventures, his family supported him.

early 2000’s he planned and executed a trip to Himalayas. In six years he conquered Himalayas five times. He travelled to many parts of India including Sikkim, Jaipur, Kashmir and different parts of Europe and America.

Another crazy thing he did was to work as an intern in Hotel Dream, Kochi. During the three months in the hotel at the hotel, he studied new methods of cooking. Some of his patients, who frequented the hotel, got lucky to taste the food he prepared. Winning

Interestingly, he also worked as an intern in Hotel Dream, Kochi. During the three months in the kitchen at the hotel, he studied new methods of cooking. Some of his patients, who frequented the hotel, got lucky to taste the food he prepared.

a European marathon is yet another feather on his cap. His passion to explore is a never ending process as day-by-day he finds new ways to lead his passionate life.

For the last two years cycling has been

24 |

Life

| DECEMBER 2011

petrol price hike was widely accolade.

The latest of his experiments is scuba diving. Even if there is a risk

his passion, craze and the tool for explor-

factor in the adventures, his family

ing. He cycled through various forests,

supports him. We’ll never know what we

mountains and bumpy roads of Kerala in his

are going to hear about this man next.

mountain bike. His innovative method of

We could all take his cue and enjoy life

protest, by cycling during a harthal against

to the most.

george seemon

PHOTO FEATURE

Ballad Of The

Cloud-Walker concept & photography George Seemon

artistes Santhosh & Priya Vijaya

the meeting

“Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin. Dance me to the end of love.”

-Leonard Cohen

2011 DECEMBER |

Life

| 25

The ultimate betrayal of love its when it rebels again itself, it’s the willful slaughter of hope.

26 |

Life

| DECEMBER 2011

the betrayal

the rebirth

“Bid my blood to run/before I come undone/save me from the nothing I’ve become.” - Evanescence 2011 DECEMBER |

Life

| 27

the revenge

28 |

Life

| DECEMBER 2011

Your flag on the marble arch is not a victory, it’s cold and broken.

www.fwdlife.in

THERE IS MORE TO CALENDARS THAN DATES & EVENTS.

MIXING TRADITION WITH HIGHLY INFLAMMABLE FASHION FWD Calendar 2012 travelled through the un explored terrains of God’s own country with ace photographer Hari Menon & leading designer Susan Jacob.

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SPOTLIGHT

30 |

Life

suneesh varanadu

| DECEMBER 2011

Currently an RJ and producer at Club FM Sunesh Varanad is a jack of all trades. In search of the perfect medium for expression, he has tried various forms: stand up comedies, journalism, anchoring and is currently dabbling with scripts for movies.

Laughing MATTERS

Text Gisen George Varghese | Photography Jamesh Kottakkal

C

omedy is the cruelest of all

he knew he needed a change and started the

forms of entertainment; it

newspaper Jana Sradha, from Cherthala. He

is someone’s weakness or

had to stop it after 18 issues. It was during

misery that is being mimicked

this time that we saw him in Asianet in his

and made fun at. To be a

different roles; as an anchor for Suprab-

standup comedian is hard and requires the

hatham and as a script writer and dubbing

right mixture of writing, timing and deliv-

artist for another program called Mr. Fun.

ery. For Suneesh Varanad, an exceptionally

The transitions in his life did not end there.

gifted artist, it is just a laughing matter.

He tuned himself to fit a different medium,

Suneesh is the RJ and producer of a series

Radio.

of shows in Club FM 94.3, 104.8(Thrissur)

Like Suneesh, his shows too are chatty,

famous for its totally different and uncon-

funny, and filled with variety and excitement.

ventional themes. Not just one but all of his programmes, Sunday Talkies, Pachakathnam Mahilamani, Ragaramaiyer MBI, Gulumal

I fought against many issues in college. I always wanted to make my friends and people around me to think and laugh.

Movies reloaded in Sunday Talkies

Sunday Talkies was an experimental revolu-

Bhai, Lokesh Kumar Speaking, Radio Pottas

tion. Each episode saw Suneesh restructur-

and Garvasis Asan have success stories to

ing a famous movie into a satirical version.

talk about. He gives voices to all the charac-

The ground breaking episode was Aaram

ters in his show; from superstars Mohanlal,

Thampuran as Mobile Thampuran. The

Mammootty, and Suresh Gopi to the drunk-

comedy version of the movie had Mohanlal’s

ard Gulumal Bhai.

character, Jagannathan on a mission to build

Suneesh’s zealous for expression has

a mobile tower for the Animangalam village.

taken him through many professions. He

It was an instant success. Director Siddique

started off his career as a subeditor at

was bowled over by the show and on his

Kerala Kaumudi. Six years down the lane;

request Suneesh met him with a collection 2011 DECEMBER |

Life

| 31

SPOTLIGHT

suneesh varanadu

A lot of Indian film songs are shameless copies of Latin American, Canadian and Pakistani numbers. Terrorism and rivalry never seems to matter when it comes to copying music from Pakistan. Some Bollywood music directors don’t even bother to change the lyrics too. Malayalam fares better only because of the improvised lyrics; never the music.

of DVD’s he made of the 36 parody movies

The protagonists Hari and Iyer through

also included the versions of other super hit

their conversations, investigates plagiarism

movies like God Father, Commissioner and

in the film music. A lot of Indian film songs

Pathram as Fool Father, Compounder and

are shameless copies of Latin American,

Sathram respectively. In its efforts to include

Canadian and Pakistani numbers. Terror-

new programmes, Club FM stopped airing

ism and rivalry never seems to matter when

the show temporarily.

it comes to copying music from Pakistan.

Cooking Life with Paachakarathnam Mahilamani

Some Bollywood music directors don’t even bother to change the lyrics too. Malayalam fares better only because of the improvised

Mahilamani is a cookery show anchor who

lyrics; never the music.Iyer finds plagia-

mixes the boiling socio political issues as

rism through the blunders of Hari. Hari is a

ingredients to prepare delicasies.Inspired

funny character for whom English is a very

by Lekshmi Nair’s cookery show in Kairali

difficult language. There is a Fans associa-�

T.V, Suneesh gives sound to the female pre-

tion for Hari in Thrissur. Here are some

senter. The freshness of its ingredients made

recent findings by Iyer- Song “ Theri Meri

it quite famous. Superstar Kuruma, Sub-

Meri Theri…”in Bodyguard is straight from

ramanya Puri, Bluetooth Thoran, Pinthuna

Pakistan, Olympiyan Anthony Adam’s “Nila

Pollichathu, Alavalathy Avulosunda Kodiyeri

Paithale..” is a copy of an English film song.

Payar are all famous recipes from Mahilama-

This show won the Pepper Award by Adver-

ni’s kitchen. It was the start of a trend when

tisers agencies association.

Ranjini Haridas was portrayed as mother and Thunchathu Ezhuthachan as father of Malayalam language. After being successfully on air for a year, the show won the RAPA (Radio practitioners association) award.

Musical Investigation by Ragaramaiyer, MBI

Ragaramaiyer from Music Bureau of Investigation is a show hardly 1.25 minutes long.

32 |

Life

| DECEMBER 2011

As the sole member of the organization, i fought against many issues in college.

I always wanted to make my friends and people around me laugh and think.

Eccentric, yet meaningful critic Gulumal Bhai

the division where I can perform well. I have

Gulumal Bhai, an eccentric character

Vanitha film awards, Kerala Kaumudi award

whose varied attempt to break into the

night and Mathrubhoomi award night. I

music industry as lyricist, singer and music

also wrote ‘Kalanilayam’. Now I am trying

director is met with failure. Heartbroken

to compile my capsule comedies as a book

Gulumal becomes an alcoholic and vents

called ‘Pottas’. I struggled a lot in my life,

his frustration by criticising each and

may be the bitter life experiences sharpened

every movie song. He speaks about the

the comedian inside me.

mismatches in the lyrics and the meaninglessness of the song. Every episode ends with Gulumal Bhai getting slapped. The

written scripts for mega shows including

Cinema interests

Cinema is my passion. I studied journal-

show is a huge success and is more

ism as I wanted to become a part of the

than 400 episodes old.

Malayalam movie industry. Scriptwriting is

The personality ‘you’

considered an offbeat job but essentially it is the script writer who crafts the basic model

I was known as BOMB in my college which

of a movie. In the last four years I got many

means Bureau of Organized Mature Boys.

offers but nothing turned out well. I don’t

As the sole member of the organization,

want to do 100’s of movies I only want to be

I fought against many issues in college.

part of 5-6 good movies. I have some offers

I always wanted to make my friends and

now, and I am writing a script hoping this

people around me to think and laugh.

time I will enter the industry. When I look

My personality was fine tuned by my life

back at the exposure I got, I am nowhere

experiences and I really became BOMB.

but the words of director Siddique moti-

As a writer

He started off his career as a subeditor at Kerala Kaumudi.

Six years down the lane; he knew he needed a change and started the newspaper Jana Sradha, from Cherthala.

He had to stop it after 18 issues.

vates me “I never ever thought that God has reserved this much amount of victory for me

I acted in mimicries, dramas, skits and even

so I am saying that the strongest weapon is

in some movies but I know that writing is

patience”.

2011 DECEMBER |

Life

| 33

YOUNG INITIATIVE

kahawa

From left to right - Sanjay K Menon, Liya Eliza Mathew, Sri Nath V, Ranjana Karunakaran

L

ike all great ideas, this too was born over coffee and cigarettes. We wanted a place to hang out, read, play games or just sip coffee watching the rain.Not wanting to lose the momentum and enthusiasm we decided to start the business. By God’s grace we opened the café within a few months.

Why café Food and beverages is an unavoidable factor in leisure, guess chatting makes you hungry and thirsty. Initially, we thought a wide choice of beverages and

34 |

Life

| DECEMBER 2011

assorted snacks would be enough. Now we have started serving entrees and main courses like monakas, lasagnas and steaks, because of customer demand. Nevertheless, Kahawa remains what we wanted it to be- a comfortable place to sit and chat for hours, even with one cup of coffee.

Funding Initially we thought of getting a loan based on the SME scheme. With a lot of hope we applied for the same in a bank, but after investing money on the space, the bank didn’t sanction the loan. So we applied for a loan by pledg-

What is common to a CEO,Operational Head, Assistant Professor and a Lawyer?- A cafe of their own to hang around even amidst their busy schedules. Sanjay K Menon’s love for football, Ranjana Karunakaran’s interest in meeting people, Liya Eliza Mathew’s passion for food and Sri Nath V ‘s desire to be an entrepreneur resulted in Kahawa.With its earthy ambiance and footloose attitude, it’s slowly becoming the perfect blues breaker for the brew lovers in Cochin.

Measuring life with coffee spoons Text Gisen George Varghese | Photography Jamesh Kottakkal

ing our properties and got an amount which was the half of what we needed. In that moment of crisis friends and family came forward to help us out.

theme, the benches, the seating, the painting, the colour scheme, the rugged look and everything. Each and everything here from switches to furniture is assembled.

The Name We initially had no clue what to name the café. We discussed many names and ended up with Kahawa.

Kahawa is Coffee in Swahili. We added a slight twist to it by making it “Kahawa-something’s brewing”. The earthy ambiance inside Kahawa is the brainchild of our friend, the interior designer, Thanu Rose. She set up the

Attitude We four have different strengths. All four of us have day jobs, which take up major chunk of our time, yet we make it a point that at least one of us visits the café daily. We don’t have any hierarchy here, everyone is responsible for everything. From daily purchase to monthly budgeting everyone in the team has a say. Each and every item served here is 2011 DECEMBER |

Life

| 35

SPOTLIGHT YOUNG INITIATIVE

kahawa

African ambiance The painting in Kahawa is one of the biggest graffti in Kochi. The earthy ambience and the mural, inspired by African art Tinga Tinga, was made possible by the team KL7.

special to us, so our collective responsibility increases the quality of the organisation.

The team Apart from us, the four partners, the cafe is staffed by eleven others. The staff does a wonderful job in the kitchen and the service they offer is supportive of our concept of what a café should be. Actually it’s their effort that is resulting in the growth of Kahawa.

Friends, Family Support Many friends genuinely supported and helped us in this venture. Our families are very supportive. We didn’t have to convince them because they trusted us.

They are still helping us in day-to-day practicalities of café owning. If people around us were pessimistic, it would have been very diffcult to setup this project.

Challenges faced We faced many challenges before and after beginning operations. If money, design, space, idea executing crisis and personnel selection were the challeng-

36 |

Life

| DECEMBER 2011

WE DISCUSSED MANY NAMES AND WE ENDED UP WITH KAHAWA. KAHAWA IS COFFEE IN SWAHILI. WE ADDED A SLIGHT TWIST TO IT BY MAKING IT “KAHAWASOMETHING’S BREWING” es before the start up, attracting the crowd turned out to be the challenge after. To make sure that every food and each coffee one serves has the best quality is a constant challenge. Like any other organisation, ensuring a smooth work flow and keeping the team’s morale up is our priority.

Future We are planning to make Kahawa a bistro and also a regular place for airing live telecasts of sports events.

Another project we have in mind is to show classic movies on a regular basis, with theatre effects. The first floor of the cafe is exclusively keeping this idea in mind.

buy more spend less

2011 DECEMBER |

Life

| 037

NO-MADS

chitoor kottarom

THE ROYAL

ABODE Text Neena Nair | Photography Jinson Abraham

38 |

Life

| DECEMBER 2011

REMINISCENT OF A BY-GONE ERA OF ROYALTY, CHITTOOR KOTTARAM, THE LATEST ADDITION TO THE CGH EARTH RESORTS, IS A WONDERFUL GETAWAY SPOT.

W

e reached the palace on the palace boat from the Ernakulam High court boat quay. At the palace, they received

us with the royal welcome, normally given only to the members of the royal family. It was just a sample of what was awaiting us.

Chittoor Kottaram, situated 6.5km away

embellished with elaborate wood carvines.

The roof, slightly open and covered with

from Ernakulam town, was built a few

glass allows daylight to enter and keep the

hundred years ago, by His highness Kochi

room warm and fresh. What I enjoyed most

Maharaja to ensure his visits to Chittoor

is the good collection of books CGH stocks

Srikrishna Temple(which is a replica of the

in the old teakwood bookshelves. It has a

Guruyavoor Temple) and for a peaceful

wide range of books from The Travancore

stay in the vicinity of the temple.

History to Sidney Sheldon’s Mistress of the

The entire Kottaram spread across 60 cents, houses a 6 bedroom palace, a gazebo, an oottupura-kitchen, a pond, a massage parlour and grass carpeted yards.

The palace is so serene and the wooden

Game. Even the bathroom has a separate set of books.

The cuisine & activities

The Kottaram belongs to the royal family.

architecture makes it very cool. The tra-

Due to this and its location next to the tem-

ditional furniture, the plush garden and

ple, only vegetarian cuisine is served. On

the rooms all makes it feel like time is at

the day of arrival a sumptuous traditional

a standstill there. Even the bronze vessels

Kerala sadya was served on a fresh banana

seem to transmit majestic aura. The walls

leaf. In the evening we were taken for a

are adorned with oil paintings that take us

sunset cruise. Snacks like tapioca pudding

through the culture and the traditions of the

and black tea/coffee were served on the

Cochin royalty.

boat. Late in the evening, at the gazebo,

The railing of the wooden stairs that

the priests from the temple did pooja for

leads to the first floor has a colourful display

us. The Sopanam music, played in the back-

of glass paintings. A balcony, that surrounds

ground, created a divine atmosphere. The

the first floor allows uninterrupted view of

North Indian dinner was served in a silver

the entire property.

thali. We enjoyed the food that included

The rooms are a perfect blend of modern

What I enjoyed most is the good collection of books CGH stocks in the old teakwood bookshelves. It has a wide range of books from The Travancore History to Sidney Sheldon’s Mistress of the Game.

roti, pulao rice, dal makhani, kadai veg,

amenities and traditional architecture.

beetroot-pineapple mix etc. For dessert,

Our bedroom had antique four polled cots

we had an option to choose from caramel 2011 DECEMBER |

Life

| 39

The breakfast consisted of a special dish made of banana & honey mixed in coconut, along with Kerala delicacies like Appam, idiyappam, vegetable stew and coconut milk with cardamom.

custard, dry fruits and seasonal fruits.

The next day, we woke up to the sound of the traditional bell and a short while after, morning tea was served in the balcony. The breakfast consisted of a special dish made of banana & honey mixed in coconut, along with Kerala delicacies like appam, idiyap-

the artistes at the palace enticed us with the cultural programs that included Kerala’s own Kathakali and Ottamthullal.

pam, vegetable stew and coconut milk with cardamom.

The second day was spent in a laid back

40 |

Life

| DECEMBER 2011

tional attires and dressing up like “raja”

mood. In the evening, the artistes at the

and “rani”. It was all complete when we

palace enticed us with the cultural programs

were given “ola kuda”( an umbrella made

that included Kerala’s own Kathakali and

of Palm leaves) to hold while

Ottamthullal. The guests were allowed to

enjoying the performance. We had a good

watch the performers do their facial make

night’s sleep and in the morning after

up. It was quite enticing to watch the trans-

breakfast we headed back to the modern

formation of a person into a character and to

world. The experience was truly royal

be in the world of colours and aesthetics for

and left us with an image of the grandeur

a short while. We had fun trying out tradi-

of a bygone era.

Learn how to light up your tech ideas

TePP invites proposals The Technopreneur Promotion Programme (TePP), an initiative by DSIR, Govt.of india, towards promotioning the spirit of entrepreneurship, invites proposals from innovators and entrepreneurs for funding assistance.

Depending on the project specifics,the extended financial support shall range from Rs 75,000 to Rs. 45 lakh.

Technopark, the outreach centre of TePP in Kerala, will evaluate the proposals for their innovativeness InvitingTechnologies for transfer -Technology Com-

of the innovation is already developed and the in-

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mercialisation and Facilitation Agency(T-TCFA)

novators themselves are not interested in under-

proposal approved by DSIR.Govt of India will be

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taking its refinement or taking commercialisation.

admitted into India’s Best Technology Business

and Marketing Programme) of TIFAC, DST.Govt of

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india undertakes early assessment of a technol-

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ogy’s marketability and find out suitable buyers to

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link it to the market. T-TCFA invites technologies

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The innova-

LIKE A WINTER

DREAM Photography Jamesh Kottakkal Fashion Coordinator Rajani Vivek Make Up Binoy Kollam Costume Courtesy Puma Store, Oberon Mall, Kochi

R

MAISON COUTURE

hari anand

For Hari Anand, the innovative fashion designer, making his ensembles appealing to the world matters the most. His collections echo his view of life – less is more.

Here Hari Anand talks about his passion, fashion.

When beauty has a language Photography Nikasneo

T

he great French writer Stend-

is a designer’s language to express beauty.

hal said “Only great minds can

The designer understands the requirements

afford a simple style”. Person-

and his designs perfectly match the client’s

ally I feel the same that

personality and the occasion. A designer’s

style should speak for itself. Less is more.

Karma

Each dress is a designer’s interpretation.

The Karma of designing requires a lot of imagination and effort. The value that a user gets from a designer’s clothes is

With his eighteen plus years of experience, he revolutionized the fashion scene in Kerala. A designer who braved migration he setup his boutique in Kochi.

luxury. But it is changing slowly.

Mother Earth

I draw energy from nature. Earthy colours,mainly black, white, beige, brown etc are the ones I love to work with. Natural

will not go out of style for at least five

materials like Silk, Cotton, Linen etc. are

years. A lot of detailing goes into the

used mostly. I use synthetic materials only

making of a designer statement. Every

when I can’t replace them. Dresses should

designer ensures the quality without

be classy and have clean lines. Every dress

compromising on anything. The yarn for

should have an international appeal. A per-

stitching, the button used, everything

son should be able to fly to Milan or Amster-

needs to be perfect and should stand

dam wearing the same clothes he/she wears

the test of time. An example is the white

in Delhi or Chennai. The world is shrinking.

bead I import from Japan for embroidery

One should wear clothes that are recognised

purposes. It costs about rupees sixty for

worldwide.

ones fade in the due course whereas the imported ones last for decades. A dress | DECEMBER 2011

clothes used to be considered an unwanted

provide. Mine or any designer’s dress

able beads cost only rupees ten. The local

Life

unique among his/her peers.Buying designer

far more than any regular clothing could

one bead while a packet of locally avail-

46 |

signature style is all about making the client

Escapism

Dress should enhance a person and not subdue a person’s beauty. Today’s intelligent,

THE KARMA OF DESIGNING REQUIRES A LOT OF IMAGINATION AND EFFORT. THE VALUE THAT A USER GETS FROM A DESIGNER’S CLOTHES IS FAR MORE THAN ANY REGULAR CLOTHING COULD PROVIDE

and was bowled over by her creativity; then started a strange collaboration of dresses and cartoons. I used her cartoons and illustrations and what evolved was a whole collection of clothes from sarees, lingerie, shirts and trousers. Many of the prints have word bubbles depicting love and anger.

Images

Indian fashion is still in its infancy and we have a long way to go. We are inspired by

Today’s intelligent, independent brides feel that their wedding dress should be simple and elegant unlike the flamboyant display of colours and loud embellishments that we are used to. When Kerala Kasavu is infused into a Georgette Saree, it is subtle, has a cosmopolitan look and is a great bridal wear.

European fashion and most Indian designers independent brides feel that their wedding

create a fusion of clothes by mixing the

dress should be simple and elegant unlike

best elements in each of them. Kerala

the flamboyant display of colours and loud

amazes visitors with her sense of fashion.

embellishments that we are used to. When

Kochi hosted an international fashion week

Kerala Kasavu is infused into a Georgette

recently and many more are in the pipe-

Saree, it is subtle, has a cosmopolitan look

line. But when it comes to using her own

and is a great bridal wear. It doesn’t divert

strengths, Kerala lags behind. The tradition-

the attention from the bride’s personal-

al crafts like Kasavu making and embroidery

ity. My boutique is also designed with this

are in the verge of extinction and needs to

concept in mind. Glada has black walls and

be revived. The Engineer- Doctor

ceiling. It gives a feeling of infinite space.

syndrome kills the birth of a great many

The attention is all drawn to the dresses and

artists and designers. Youngsters need to

not on to the walls.

be encouraged to enter the world of fashion.

Alphabets

JD Institute setting up a fashion school in Kochi is promising. More than any kind of

When crossover between art and fashion

education, it is the imagination and sheer

takes place, something beyond all these is

honesty in expression that will mould a

born. A designer gets to experiment and

person into a great designer. The patience

an artist gets to create something outside

to learn, the willingness to accept; all

the canvas. I met an amazing cartoonist

of it is imperative. My search for a protégé

and illustrator from New York, Patti Stern

still continues.

2011 DECEMBER |

Life

| 47

GRO

MING

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2

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Rich in oily constituents, it, forms a nourishing, protective and moisturising film. Get rid of the worn out look and get ready to embrace a sheenfull and luminous look.

Relax. Restore.

Revive–with natural masks

3

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1

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48 |

Life

| DECEMBER 2011

tion. Aloe Vera has the ability to sludge blood and reverse the sticky blood. It also hydrates and accelerates skin relief.

Get set for that new look you are going to embrace.

MADE IN HEAVEN

wedding trends

Wedding Trends What’s in store for this year and next? What wedding dress styles are hot, or going to become hot? Here is the pick.

Photography Nikasneo

The traditional North Indian wedding took place at Le Meredian, Kochi recently.

BRIDES:

of a lot of Swarovski crystals, thread work,

This season’s brides pay homage to old-

caviar beads and indigenously created

world and glamour with a studied elegance.

sequins. While tulle will be the fabric of the

Styled with grace and class, and translated

season, Chinese silk, georgette, moiré, chif-

into very feminine styles, the silhouettes are

fons, French satin, brocade and Japanese

large, with royal volume and couture –like

silk crepes are also used.

bespoke touch.

Finer details are of strategic importance

50 |

Life

| DECEMBER 2011

As far as cuts and silhouettes go, an innovation in style this season is the wrap–

in defining the image of these brides who

around lehenga over a sharara.This is a big

wear their love of luxury with pride. Embel-

rage with every bride- to- be this season.

lishment is opulent this season with the use

Decorated with paillette vines, metal

Credits: Wedding Wows

leaves ,caviar beads and marquise crystals, the outfit is heavily embellished with crystal

GROOMS:

For the bridegroom this season the

dust. The crystal tassels add to the gran-

best attire would be a mix of both elegance

deur.

and flamboyance in his apparel that will

Two toned saris designed for brides this

result in an interesting hybrid look, where

season are also majestic and are reminiscent

one genre does not overpower the other.

of the saris draped by the Maharanis of the

Elegant sherwanis and classic bandhgalas

erstwhile royal states.Mettalics have been

are teamed with jodhpuri’s for the

trendy in fashion recently, as has embroi-

je ne sais quoi look.

dery and embellishment. This season, the

Gone are the days when men had to

two trends come together with the metallic

be content with a hired zari sherwani or

threads being woven into wedding dresses

a suit as their wedding wear. Choices for

or used either in elaborate and simple em-

men have increased and how! Men can

broideries. Gold is also big this season.

wear embroided churidaar kurta sets in

This season colors for brides are

tissue, a sherwani with a duppatta or a

BRIGHT –tropical, fun and whimsical. The

jacket sherwani for a wedding that is

hottest wedding color this season is Indian

fusion based.

Rose. The other colors are coral, peacock,

The photos are from the wedding of Sooraj to Ashrita.

Settled in Dubai, Sooraj is from Pune and Ash is from Mangalore.

Men’s clothes also come finished with

soft lavender and indigo. Rich orange is also

various types of embroidery. There is zard-

a popular choice. Be sure to understand

ozi, Kashmiri embroidery, French knots

that this is not glaring orange, but rather,

etc to choose from. The popular colors for

one that suggests opulence and often has a

men this season are beige, cream, brown,

bronze undertone. This orange can be paired

copper, which are ideal for showing off the

with red or cream for beautiful results.

intricate work. Subtle color combinations

Delicate and Dramatic draping is in. Go

and the crisp tailored look with the intri-

for two-toned saris and metallic embellish-

cate embroidery dominate the menswear

ments. Tulle is the fabric of the season.

genre this season.

2011 DECEMBER |

Life

| 51

EASY COOKING

rebecca chandy

X’mas Lunch The modern woman, juggling a job, children and a maid who is forever on leave might find the task of cooking several courses for the entire family daunting. Here is Rebecca Chandy’s Christmas Lunch Menu that can helps you cook like a pro, stress free.

C

hristmas is

game of cards as the children

and a maid who is forever on

modified as a topping for

around the

play tag and eat their grand-

leave might find the task of

Crostini. For vegetarian options,

corner. The word

mother’s fruitcake soaked in

cooking several courses for the

Nigella Lawson, in her book

alone conjures

rum are all part of our memo-

entire family daunting. Here

How To Eat, has given several

up visions of

ries. Christmas lunches are

is a Christmas lunch menu

Crostini recipes.. If you can get

families getting together,

perhaps less elaborate than

that helps you cook like a pro,

French baguettes, it is perfect;

travelling from across the seas

what they used to be 20 years

stress-free.

otherwise regular whole wheat

to spend the holidays together.

ago, when tables groaned

Women cooking in the kitchen,

under the weight of the lavish

Starters:

intoxicating smells of delicious

spread prepared.. It is still a

For starters, Italian Crostini is

Dab a little bit of olive oil (or but-

food being prepared,, men

time when the whole family

fabulous. Lathika George’s The

ter) on bread slices and toast in

catching up on the events of

gets together. The modern

Suriyani Kitchen has a lovely

a hot for 5-10 minutes. Take it

the year drinks and perhaps a

woman, juggling a job, children,

Liver Fry recipe which can be

out and let it cool.

chicken liver crostini

bread will also work. Bread that is a few days old is preferable.

500 gms chicken liver

few seconds and adding on-

1 tsp salt

ions continue to sauté until

1 tsp ground turmeric

it is golden in colour. Add

3 tbsp oil

chillis, crushed peppercorn,

1 large onion sliced

coriander powder and to-

6 cloves of garlic, minced

mato and continue to

2 green chillis, slit

sauté for 2 mins. Add the

1 large tomato chopped

liver and more salt if neces-

1 tsp coriander powder

sary. Add half a cup of water,

1 tbsp crushed black pepper

and when the water starts

1/2 tsp lime

boiling, reduce the temperature and cook till the liver is

52 |

Life

| DECEMBER 2011

Cut the liver into small cubes.

browned and coated with

Rub with salt and turmeric and

the juices. Increase the heat

marinate for half an hour.

and cook till excess water

Heat the oil in a heavy-bot-

is evaporated. Squeeze the

tomed frying pan. Add the

juice of the lime and turn

minced garlic and saute for a

off the heat.

MAIN COURSE

roast chicken

tuna bake

1 cup macaroni 2 tbsp butter 2 tbsp flour 2 cups milk 2 cubes Amul or Britannia cheese, grated 2 cups peas 2 cans (6 oz each) tuna, drained 1 chicken eaten with sides can serve 4 people. Make 2 or 3 as needed.

Topping;

1 (1 1/2 kg) whole chicken

2/3 cup dried bread crumbs

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp butter

1/4 tsp. salt

Heat oven to 350 deg F.

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Cook and drain pasta as directed on the packet.

1/4 tsp. dried oregano

1

Meanwhile in a large saucepan, melt butter over low

1/4 tsp. dried basil

heat. Stir in flour. Cook over medium heat, stirring

1/4 tsp. chilli powder

continuously until smooth and bubbly. Remove from

Soak the chicken for 1 hour in brine (salted water – this makes

heat. Gradually stir in milk. Heat to boil, stirring constant

the chicken juicy and moist). Preheat oven to 450 degrees

ly. Boil and stir for a minute. Add cheese and stir till

F (230 degrees C).

melted.

1.

Rinse chicken thoroughly inside and out under cold

2

running water and remove all fat. Pat dry with paper towels.

2.

greased, oven proof dish. Cover with foil and bake for

Put chicken into a small baking pan. Rub with olive oil.

Mix the salt, pepper, oregano, basil, and chilli powder together

Stir in pasta, peas and tuna. Mix well. Spoon into an un about 25 minutes till hot and bubbly.

3

In a small bowl, mix topping ingredients. Sprinkle top

and sprinkle over chicken.

ping over the bake. Bake uncovered for 5 minutes

3.

Cover the baking tray with foil.

longer until the topping is toasted.

4.

Roast the chicken in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Lower the temperature to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) and

Sides & Salads

continue roasting for 40 minutes, to a minimum internal

Roast Chicken is traditionally served with mashed potatoes.

temperature of 180 degrees F (85 degrees C). Remove the

Add few cloves of roasted garlic to the potatoes to add a

foil wrapping and bake for another 10 mins. Let it cool for 10 to

zing. Betty Crocker has a wonderful Mixed Roasted Vegeta-

15 minutes and serve.

bles and Pasta which is healthy and delicious.

2011 DECEMBER |

Life

| 53

EASY COOKING

rebecca chandy

DESSERT

chocolate chip bread pudding 250g stale bread, cut into 3cm cubes 100g chocolate chips or morsels 3 eggs 40g soft light brown sugar (or Demerara sugar) 2 x 15ml tbsp. dark rum 125ml cream 500ml full-cream milk 4 tsp. demerara sugar 1 x ovenproof dish approx. 23cm diameter x 6cm deep (approx. 1.5 litre capacity) Preheat the oven to 170°C/gas mark 3. Grease a round pie dish lightly with butter. Tip in the stale bread cubes; if your bread isn’t stale, then leave slices to dry first, for a while, on a wire rack before cubing and using. Toss in the chocolate chips to spread evenly among the bread cubes.

Whisk together the eggs, light soft brown sugar, rum, double

for 20 minutes, then sprinkle with the demerara sugar and put

cream and milk. Pour this mixture over the bread and press the

straight into the oven for 40–50 minutes. If your oven browns un-

cubes down to coat them in the liquid. Leave all this to soak

evenly, turn the dish around halfway through cooking.

Organizing the Preparation Time for the Big Christmas Lunch The day before.

Make the Tuna Bake. While it is baking, make the Liver sauté for the Chicken Liver Crostini. Take the bake out of the oven.

When all two have cooled, refrigerate in air tight containers (or wrapping the bake in double layer of foil). The day of the lunch. Assuming that you want to serve lunch at 1:30 and the guests will start arriving from 12:30.

6:00 take the birds out of the freezer and leave

to turn off the heat on the potatoes when they are

out to thaw.

10:00 Bring the liver sauté and tuna bake out

cooked through (abt 20 minutes) 12:30 Guests start arriving. Spread the warmed liver

of the ‘fridge. Prepare the vegetables for the salad, and peel the potatoes.

sauté on the toast and serve.

1:10.

Leave it to soak Take the chicken out of the oven.

10:50. Put the bread slices in the oven to toast for the

Use the roasted garlic and mash the potatoes. Heat

crostini. Prepare the bread and the custard for the bread pudding. Set aside.

54 |

Pour the custard over the bread for the pudding.

10:30 Soak the chicken in brine.

the Tuna Bake in the microwave.

1:25

Before sitting down to eat, put in the pudding to

11:40 Prepare the chicken and put in the oven.

cook. Set the timer, so that you can slip off during

12:00 Freshen up before the guests come remembering

the meal to turn it off when done.

Life

| DECEMBER 2011

deepak narendran

INDULGENCE

DREAM MACHINES Text Ashwathy S | Photography Jamesh Kottakkal

U

ber cool in black denim, T-shirt and a slow grin that lights up his eyes, Deepak confidently walks up

to show us his insanely breathtaking cars.

“Cars been always in my blood, guess it turned into a passion during my college days” Like most Indians growing up in the 80s and 90s the Contessa, the Ambassador and the Fiat were the first hand experience cars. It all changed with the now iconic commuter- Maruti 800 that was a gift from his dad. “I completely modified the car, used it for about 8 years. Like all first loves that car has a special place in my heart”, fondly remembers Deepak.

From the Modified Maruti 800 the next upgrade was quite steep, the Mercedes E250.Now bitten by the luxury bug he went on to collect the Merc C-class, the Toyota Prado, the Mercedes F-class. The next shift was buying sports cars like

If collecting antiques make one an Antiquarian would collecting luxury cars make you an Luxurian ? Meet Deepak Narendarn and his fabulous dream machines. His first car- a humble Maruti 800, his latest addition the Jaguar XF, he now dreams of Ferrari f430 2011 DECEMBER |

Life

| 55

Deepak Narendarn with his latest addiction the Jaguar XF

Audi R8 and Porsche Careera. Being a hard core devotee of both road and sports car

features and comfy factors.

After graduating from Manipal Univer-

Deepak says he doesn’t like adding details

sity in Dental studies he ended up tying

after you have got your pick but instead he

knots with college mate Rashmi. Apart from

gets it done exclusively with personalized

being a car fanatic Deepak is the Manag-

options and features. The car fanatic has

ing Director of Central Group of hotels and

no plans to quit collecting yet and yearns to

a beneficiary to Amaara Foundation that

own a Ferrari f430 in near future. This car

works towards empowerment of children

has charmed him because of its masculine

with which Rashmi is associated.

MY RATING

BMW 650 I

Audi R8

Well for the price tag it does offer a lot of fun. For me this is more of a touring car.

This cutie hardly demands anything for you during long drives.

I normally take it for my trips to Chennai.

While looking for a midsize sports car thought why not the R8. it’s very comfortable to ride and the handling is far better than the Lamborghini.

Well thanks to its bewitching beauty used to get a lot of unwanted attention and camera clicks so now I just take out for long mid-night drives, adds Deepak with a grin.

Performance 710 Style 810

Performance 910 Style A PERFECT 10.

56 |

Life

| DECEMBER 2011

Porsche Cayenne “A perfect ally for adventures” Deepak quips about Porsche Cayenne.

“A perfect off roader that has the power to give you that super drive I have always looked and yearned for “that’s exactly what gets this midsized luxury car into the best lots” Performance 810 Style 810

Jaguar XF “The Jag is my latest addition. It certainly has a larger than life appeal. The car not only offers a smooth driving, but has enough space for the whole family to fit in.

I normally use it to go for parties or attend weddings. With the kind natural elegance it has the XF definitely gets my thumbs up.

Says this happy Jaguar owner Performance 810 Style 910

Porsche Careera One of my biggest dreams is to try out this car on the F1 track , I am currently looking at all kind of possibility to push this beast to the limit.This is one car I will never get tired of driving.

Performance 910 Style 810

STORYBOARD

kalyan jewellers

Kalyan Jewllers’s ‘Vishwasam, athalle ellam’ ad captures the whole attention of the viewer from beginning to the end. Unlike many other ads, this ad communicates without saying ‘this is our product, buy our product’.

Like a well made short film the conveyance of a message of trust in few seconds made the ad a ‘real’ ad and mass appealing.

YEARS OF TRUST It is at the end of the ad, after 1 minute and 11 seconds that you realize what product is being advertised. This advertisement stands out for this reason.

The underlying message is simple. Longer relationships which have stood the test of time are more important than short ones.

58 |

Life

| DECEMBER 2011

K

atrina Kaif replacing Aishwar-

boyfriend. She leaves a message to her par-

iya Rai as the brand ambassa-

ents. On her way, she remembers the love

dor of Nakshatra might have

and care her father had showered on her.

created a lot of conundrum.

She realizes the mistake she is about to com-

Amrita Rao, Anushka Shrma,

mit and returns back home to the forgiving

Vikram, Mohanlal, Shreya Goshal, Jayaram…

hands of her father. The voice-over tells us

mostly all celebrities are in their run to

‘Vishwasam, athalle ellam’ (Trust is every-

endorse different jewellers. But does anyone

thing or isn’t trust everything?) and then the

remember which actor endorses which

logo of Kalyan Jewellers appears.

jeweller and which jingle is the background

It is at the end of the ad, after 1 minute

score for which ad? Kalyan jewelers came up

and 11 seconds that you realize what prod-

with an advertisement concept hitherto un-

uct is being advertised. This advertisement

used by the Indian jewellers. The advertise-

stands out for this reason. The underlying

ment was aired for about a year from August

message is simple. Longer relationships

2009, but it still seems to be the hot pick.

which have stood the test of time are more

The television commercial showed the

important than short ones. Or, come to our

relationship of a father and a daughter. The

jewellery which has been around for quite

girl elopes from her house to be with her

some time and not the new ones which have

“recently Mammootty was heard saying “vishwasam athalle ellam” in a movie. Mohanlal used the tag line in a press conference. be it any issue, Mullaperiyar dam or a case in the court, the most commonly used headline and comment is our tagline”

would notice. Of course it triggered a

popped up during the recent years. Even

ing. Our ever increasing customer base

if you have a moment’s flippancy you will

started identifying us with the ad and the

realize and return to us. Trust, being the

tag line. The advertisement served

only word spoken with gold in all contexts,

the purpose and now over tag line is taken

for Kalyan Jewellers, this advertisement

up by media, celebrities and common

was a turning point. It propelled them from

people alike. Recently Mammootty was

common place brand to one which people

heard saying “Vishwasam athalle ellam”

debate whether we were against love marriages. Many suggested that the ad

Scenes from the non-Malyalam storyboard, depicting the festival settings.

could have ended with the parents giving the girl and the boy approval to get married, ending it on a positive note. We did it intentionally. Malayalees like it simple without drama. But our campaigns in Tamil, Kannada and Telugu ended differently with the father telling the girl to bring the boy home. The entire set was flamboyant than the simple set for the Malayalam commercial. Ultimately, what matters is the brand image we created.”

Ramesh points out.

“The response to the ad was overwhelm-

associate the word trust with. Nethra PUSH

in a movie. Mohanlal used the tag line

advertisers, Palakkad are the makers

in a press conference. Be it any issue,

of the ad.

Mullaperiyar dam or a case in the court,

“The ad was an instant hit. Our target

the most commonly used headline

audience was the parents. It is always the

and comment is our tagline”, proudly

parents who make a decision on buying gold.

says Ramesh.

Parents could relate to the ad and it created

Quite surprisingly people started

a mass turnout”, Says Ramesh Kalyanara-

requesting a sequel to this ad. To cater

man, MD of Kalyan.

to their demands, Kalyan came up with

All the actors in the campaign are not

ads talking about long term relationships.

professionals. To remedy any shortcomings

The second one, that of an old couple

this might have caused, the voice of the

talking about the years they have been

father was dubbed by actor Saikumar. His

together. The third, yet again talked

voice modulation perfectly echoed the senti-

about a father-daughter relationship.

ments of a parent who is about to lose his

It is about a father who forgets to get

daughter. The Tamil, Telugu and Kannada

the promised doll for his daughter. Late

versions of the ad had Prabhu, Nagarjuna

night, when he nears his house he realises

and Shivrajkumar as the father figures. The

that he forgot and gets the owner of a

incident happens during a temple festival.

shop to open it late night. In the end the

There is a slight change in the end too. It

girl is happily running towards her father

ends with the father figure telling the girl he

to get her doll. Like any other sequel, the

is ready to give blessings for her marriage

ones followed couldn’t make an impact as

with the boy.

the first one. This doesn’t seem to stop

“We wanted to come up with something

Kalyan from coming up with the sequels.

simple and catchy. A girl eloping to be with

If the customers demand, they are ready to

her boy friend is something every parent

come up with more on the same theme.

2011 DECEMBER |

Life

| 59

BRAIN

RAIN

NEW YEAR RESOLUTION

MORE FREE TIME AT WORK

W

e are

not make a real difference

the first place go to the Drop

Use innovative methods like

at the

this time and change the way

category. Review your task list

a typing game which makes

threshold

you look at work with simple

many times a day and change

learning to type faster a fun

of a new

techniques. Work smart! Use

your priorities as required.

and addictive process.

Learn Speed Reading Techniques

Get to know Microsoft Office better

year. Every year you make and

your abilities. Sharpen your

break all those unachievable

skills. Here are some guidelines

resolutions. Years passes by

that will save you a lot of time.

but you still remain frustrated

In this era of information

Everyone uses Microsoft

overdrive, most people are

Office products in some

overloaded with data. Speed

form or another, especially

never seems to be enough.

Prioritse - Use the D Formula- Do, Delegate, Delay or Drop.

reading techniques like

Microsoft Word, Excel and

You sometimes doubt

Does the task ot hand

skimming and scanning helps

Power Point. However, most

whether time is cheating. Why

demands your immediate

reduce your reading time. It

users are unaware of its

attention? Then it is definitely

is possible to reduce your

many time saving features.

Do category. Lot many tasks

average reading time to half

Learning the simple things

will come to your desk that

with these simple techniques.

like keyboard shortcuts

and overwhelmed at work.

You spend a lot of time, but it

you surely can pass on to

60 |

Life

| DECEMBER 2011

make a big difference while

others, they go into the

Learn to type faster

navigating the complicated

Delegate category. Those

Most of us utilise only two to

interface. Using templates,

which can be dealt later, go to

three fingers while entering

which are predefined formats

Delay category. Those tasks

data. We spend more time

for routine documents like

which you didn’t have to do in

typing instead of thinking

reminders, invoices etc, saves

what to type. Take a short

a lot of effort. Powerful tools

course in typing., If you can’t

like recording macros, making

join a professional typing

pivot tables can add great

course make use of software

value and, of course, save

packages like “Typing Master”.

huge amount of time.

2011 DECEMBER |

Life

| 077

HEALTH DESK

dr. anand kumar

Intuition, the still pond

S

tudies on fetal consciousness tell you that the fetus is probably connected to the space of universal consciousness. By about the third trimester, it

starts differentiating between friend and foe. This is necessary for survival in society and should be the time when the left side of our brain starts dominating over the universally conscious right brain. The left brain equips you to survive but does not allow the right brain to let you live your honest, creative and intuitive life.

Instincts are built-in knowledge, required for the survival of life, that you acquire through your evolutional library. Myriads of actions and reactions are happening in one’s body, run by the instinctual system.

Dr. Anand Kumar is presently the head of The department of Neurology at Amrita Institute of medical sciences, Cochin.

He brings an intellectual and uniquely metaphysical perspective to the specialty.

A deeply humane person with a wry sense of humour, he also has a passion for music.

Just as deliberate decision making is logical and rule based, the western concept is that intuition also is a rulebased system that is not explicit. It is a heuristical system that applies the rule of the thumb approach and relies heavily on

Life

| DECEMBER 2011

to like him/ her or not.

The eastern concept of intuition is dif-

the experiential models. This means that

ferent. It is something that can only be

if you are able to cultivate an intuitive

experienced and is beyond explanations and

space with clean valuebased models, then

logic. It is an “unknowable” phenomenon.

your intuitions are likely to be correct

The power of intuition surfaces when reason

and non-failing. But there are perils and

surrenders totally. Take the story of Madam

pearls in the path of intuition. One can

Curie. She was working on a problem for

have intuitive prejudice. You tend to

four years and one night decided to quit, as

associate the word pleasant with flow-

she was not reaching anywhere. She went

ers and not insects. Intuitive fears can

to sleep. Next morning she found the entire

be unfounded. Hijacking of an airplane

solution written in her own handwriting!

instills an intuitive fear of flying although

When your mind is still, then your mind

statistically you are more likely to have a

space gets connected to the universal space

road traffic accident. During intuitive pro-

of consciousness.

cessing, your implicit and explicit minds

62 |

THE LEFT BRAIN EQUIPS YOU TO SURVIVE BUT DOES NOT ALLOW THE RIGHT BRAIN TO LET YOU LIVE YOUR HONEST, CREATIVE AND INTUITIVE LIFE.

We can have structured programmes that

constantly interact, giving you the ability

helps create a clear value based intuisive

to converse or make public speeches.

space in children. Concentrate on the par-

There are also studies that indicate

ents and schoolteachers. Meditation, prayer,

that we feel before we think. When you

relaxation and being with nature helps you

meet someone for the first time, within

to surrender your reasoning and reach the

seconds you have decided whether

intuitive space.

HEALTH

gold’s gym

We are often bound by chains of the fears and beliefs that we hold about ourselves and the world around us, and these chains may sometimes hold us back from truly experiencing and enjoying life.

This is especially true when it comes to our bodies and the way we see ourselves. To help break these chains of doubt and insecurity, Mr.Jaish George, Manager, Gold’s Gym talks straight, and breaks the complex into simple:

DON’T BLAME YOUR MIRROR

A

lthough the

a workout inclusive of both

number of calories you eat,

Women’s bodies do not pro-

idea might

cardiovascular exercises and

and become more physically

duce nearly enough testoster-

sound very

strength training, combined

active! And being more physi-

one to become muscular and

tempting, it

with good nutrition. This will

cally active does not neces-

bulky like female body-build-

is impossible

help to reduce your overall

sarily mean that you have

ers! So you see, there may be

to suddenly start working out

fat content. And as far as the

to be constantly panting and

a lot that you are missing out

one day, and expect to mi-

myth that there exists food

sweating! Sweating is not an

on in life, simply because you

raculously get a flat stomach

that can burn fat goes, sorry

indicator of physical exertion;

do not know the truth! Here at

and toned body the very next

to play spoilsport, but there

it is only your body’s way of

Gold’s Gym, Cochin,

day! Unfortunately, the reality

exists no such food! While

naturally cooling itself. It is

my job is to help separate

remains that you cannot just

there is food with caffeine

actually possible to burn the

the myths from the reality,

pick and choose the areas

that may speed up your me-

required amount of calories

and show you what you can

that you would like to lose

tabolism for a short time, this

without breaking a sweat! An-

do to become the person

weight from and then just

food will not make you lose

other popular myth is that lift-

you’ve always wanted to be!

suddenly start burning fat! To

weight. The only way to lose

ing weights will make women

In the end, the truth shall set

burn fat, you need to create

weight is to cut back on the

muscular and bulky… Not true!

you free.

call: 18004252325 | email: vyttila.cochin@goldsgymindia.com

63 |

Life

| DECEMBER 2011

ANIMAL FARM

ask clover

Sergeant Stubby Sergeant Stubby of 102nd Infantry, United States of America was the most decorated war dog of World War I and the only dog to be promoted to sergeant.

In honour of his contributions, for the retaking of Château-Thierry by the US, the thankful women of the town made Stubby a chamois coat on which were pinned his many medals.

I

t all began when Private Robert J. Conroy

ran, Stubby bit him on the legs, causing the sol-

saved a pit bull puppy and named him

dier to trip and fall. He continued to attack the

Stubby, in 1917. He soon learned the behav-

man until the US soldiers arrived. For capturing

ior of soldiers and even started saluting in

an enemy spy, Stubby was promoted to the

his own modified way. Soon he became

rank of Sergeant thus becoming the first dog

the mascot of 102nd Infantry, 26th Yankee Divi-

to be given rank in the United States Armed

sion. When the division shipped out for France

Forces. By the end of the war, Stubby had

Conroy smuggled Stubby aboard. Stubby’s

served in 17 battles. He led the American troops

salutes almost always won over the superior

in a pass and review parade and later visited

officer’s hearts. In spite of being injured many

with President Woodrow Wilson. He visited the

times in battle Stubby always bounced back.

White House twice and met Presidents Hard-

His high sensitiveness to detect gas saved

ing and Coolidge. Stubby was awarded many

the entire division from an early morning gas

medals for his heroism, including a medal from

attack. Stubby also had a talent for locating

the Humane Society. When his master, J. Rob-

wounded men; he would bark until help arrived

ert Conroy, moved to Georgetown University,

or lead the lost soldiers back to safety. He has

Stubby became the mascot of the George-

even caught a German soldier. As the German

town Hoyas. He died in 1926.

Ask Clover Q

Dear Clover, I recently

clean towel and rub him dry.

to buy a pup, make sure you

bought a pup. Can I use

You may dry your dog with a

have discussed and got the

human shampoo to give

drier in low setting. In our tropi-

approval from everyone

it a bath?

cal climate, it is best to bath

in the family. Oh, ya. It is very

Pups can be bathed when

him once a week in summer

important. Dogs are these

they are two months old, but

and once in two weeks in

lovey-dovey creatures and

never before that. Whatever

winter.

they need the love and care of

be the quality never use hu-

everyone in the family. Oh,

Clover, the Mare, is working as an assistant to Dr. Surej at Cochin Pet Hospital. Like the good doctor, Clover also believes in providing the finest services to all in the animal kingdom.

What are the things to be

Q

and choose breed that suites

considered while buying/

you. Now get pups that are

humans differ very much. Get

adopting a pet?

6-8 weeks old. Don’t forget

a good dog shampoo or soap

Now, that is a good question to

to collect the vaccination his-

Clover will answer

for the pup. Give him bath in

ask. Dog’s are good creatures,

tory of the dog from the

askclover@fwdmedia.in

clean water. Wrap him in a

you know. If you are planning

seller.

man shampoos or soaps for dogs. The skin pH of dogs and

64 |

Life

| DECEMBER 2011

to your queries at

Where fishes come foremost For the last twenty years, since the inception of a shop on M.G Road, Kochi, its pond and its inhabitants have been attracting visitors from all walks of life.

Many parents seem to prefer the shop as their kids would be engaged.

M

.G Road, Kochi

round the clock to safeguard

colours, Gold fish and other

their kids would be engaged

is the busiest

the fishes. The onlookers

common fishes that are easier

while they are busy

commercial

never cause problems to the

to take care of. They require

shopping. For the last twenty

strip in Kerala.

fishes or to us. During festival

food only once daily which

years, since the inception

Thousands

season when large crowds

makes them a good alterna-

of the shop, the pond and

of stores line up on both sides

gather, pedestrians find it

tive as pets. Many parents

its inhabitants have been

of the road. What makes For-

difficult to walk. ” says owner,

seem to prefer the shop as

attracting visitors.

most, the textile store, stand-

Mr. K.N. Abdul Gafoor. The

out among them is a queer

varieties of fishes

interest in the ornamental

include giant

fishes the shop owners share.

Gauras in black

The shop has a conch shaped

and white

pond filled with exotic ornamental fishes. It draws many visitors, mostly locals and at times tourists too, who come to see the beautiful fishes that swim about inside.

More than its name, people know Formost for the fishes.

It is popularly known as “The shop with fishes”, and even the neighboring shops seem to identify themselves with the same. At times when the onlookers exceed in number, it pause problems to the passersby. The curious question that everyone seems to have is how the shop owners manage to keep the fishes safe. “We have a watchman posted in front of the shop

2011 DECEMBER |

Life

| 65

SPACE FRAME

tony joseph

With air pollution, traffic and gas prices all on the rise, our cities are far away from being environmentally friendly. Ar. Tony Joseph is talking about the need for green lungs in our cities.

NEED FOR GREEN LUNGS

H An internationally renowned, award winning architect, Tony established Stapati, a leading architectural consultancy. He believes that designs should be ultimately simple and environmentally sensitive.

uman settlements can

green spaces help in rejuvenating the body

easily qualify as one of

and mind. The green spaces can also func-

the most complex sys-

tion as sink for the ever-rising pollution in

tems man has created.

cities and towns and can also bring down

The evolution of these

noise pollution significantly. Considering the

settlements from a single planned street

increase in the level of pollution, it would be

to a city has been gradual and compli-

crucial for the coming generations to have

cated. The social labyrinth was overlaid

enough open space to serve this purpose.

with diverse complexities over the period

Traditional Kerala houses had these

of time and today we stand at a juncture

micro eco-systems called Kaavu which were

where planning for future development is

essentially natural sacred space/groves be-

highly crucial due to the drastic increase/

lieved to be inhabited by snakes. The Kaavu

change in the urban sprawl and also the

acted as an efficient eco-system that pre-

large population to be considered while

served the rich biological wealth of our land

planning.

and also helped in soil and water conserva-

There has been a substantial change

for the sake of development has drastically

climate of Kerala as well in the past few

depleted our indigenous flora and fauna.

decades. The unprecedented growth

Urban open spaces can act as centers

of population in our cities along with

for active and passive recreation. The notion

unplanned economic development is

of a public park is fast disappearing from

putting immense pressure on the infra-

the urbanised areas in Kerala and older

structure requirements and has resulted

spaces which were used for the same is

in dwindling of open spaces and green

losing ground day by day. For those in

belts in urban areas. While attempts are

Cochin, the Children’s Park and Subash

being made to increase the capacity of

Bose Park have been the recourse for many

our existing infrastructure system, we

generations, yet now, these can’t even hold

are overlooking the importance of urban

a normal Sunday afternoon crowd. Consider-

planning and the need for open spaces.

ing this context, the Calicut Corporation

The benefits of having open spaces

66 |

Life

| DECEMBER 2011

tion. Destruction of these traditional groves

in the environmental, social & economic

has to be appreciated for successfully

are multi-dimensional, but we, as a com-

developing and operating the Sarovaram

munity, have a tendency to undervalue

Bio Park and Mananchira Square which

the influence of open spaces in our daily

acts as both recreational areas and green

life. Primarily, open spaces/parks can act

spaces. In similar lines with Calicut, the

as a venue for social interactions and

green lung option for the Cochin would

helps in building a sense of community

be the Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary

for a city. Studies have also shown that

and the mangrove forest area.

2012 Audi R8 GT INTERIOR Driver-oriented cockpit architecture, integrating the driver between the dashboard and the high center console. The R8 GT Enhanced Leather Package offers several features to make the driving experience more luxurious and memorable.

TAIL LAMP Optics in the R8 GT is distinguished by a double-lip spoiler, round tail pipes, and a larger rear diffuser .It also features standard full LED headlight system.

High beam, low beam, daytime running lights and turn signals all offer brilliant illumination, long service life and low energy consumption.

dreams

never end Enthusiasts always seem to think what they want in a sports car is a mildly detuned race car. They want to be just like the guys on TV: banging around, scraping the pavement, arms thrashing with every bump. These are guys who have never actually spent time in a race car getting beat up, cooked, and otherwise abused while driving.

68 |

Life

| DECEMBER 2011

Audi has shaved

ENGINE The engine frame is made of ultra-light magnesium, The 5.2-litre V10 with an aluminium crankcase draws its fuel from an FSI direct injection system. Dry-sump lubrication ensures a reliable supply of oil even under maximum lateral or straight-line acceleration.

WHEELS Progressively designed and unmistakably powerful R8 GT wheels have 19� 5-twinspoke-Y-design Titanium finish alloy wheels with summer performance tires.

roughly 220 pounds out of the aluminum wonder.

2011 DECEMBER |

Life

| 69

BALANCE SHEET

alex k. babu

“Gold gets dug out of the ground in Africa, or someplace. Then we melt it down, dig another hole, bury it again and pay people to stand around guarding it. It has no utility. Anyone watching from Mars would be scratching their head.” – Warren buffet

Gold’s Glitter

T

The Author is the Founder and Managing Director of Hedge Equities

hese days gold is a safe in-

funds that invest only in gold. The charges

vestment to hedge against

are less compared to other options.

inflation. It does not have

markets are falling and inflation is high.

fore its value as ornament

The current market conditions for alterna-

is what creates its demand, especially in

tive investment options like equities and

India. This is compounded by that fact

real estate, which traditionally gives better

that the gold standard (pledging gold

returns, is very dull. So this would be the

to print currency) is no longer in prac-

right time to buy gold. Yet be cautious, given

tice. Historical notion of gold savings

the rocketing prices, a market correction is

in form of jewellery is not really a core

possible anytime. Most gold buying schemes

investment idea. It is more of a symbol

are based on the assumption that the price

of wealth and prosperity. Jewellery is a

of gold will appreciate at least 15 to 20 per-

weak investment because there are heavy

cent more. Given the rise of gold prices from

losses in form of wastages and making

2007, a person who had taken a gold loan in

charges. This value can vary from 10

2007 is literally having a interest free loan.

percent to 35 percent depending on the

But given the possibility for volatility in gold

complexity of the design.

market, taking a gold loan now could be a

Other forms of gold investments pos-

70 |

Life

| DECEMBER 2011

The best time to invest in gold is when

any industrial use; there-

gamble. One rule of thumb method that we

sible are Bank Coins, World Gold Council

can use here is to base gold loan option on

Coins (WGC coins), Bullions and Gold

the type of need. If the requirement is for

Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs). The

expenses like meeting medical bills then it

problems with banks coins are their high

better to sell gold and buy it back when the

premiums and poor liquidity possibili-

prices fall. Instead, if we take a loan, the in-

ties as banks don’t buy back the coins.

terest will be an added burden which might

WGC coins are issued by jewelers who

get compounded by falling gold prices. Many

are part of World Gold Council, these

people fall into this trap because, most of

coins are better investment options than

their gold would be in the form of jewellery

bank coins as their premiums are much

and outright selling would be frowned upon

less. Bullion Bars are a good option but

due to sentimental and social attachments.

the minimum investment required might

In the case of an investment like higher

be more than what an average investor

studies or entrepreneurship, a gold loan

might afford. Gold ETFs are a great

would be recommended as there is a pros-

option these days. They work like mutual

pect of revenue generation.

TAKE

6

Wag the Dog (1997) Nominated for 2 Oscars, this movie has Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman in lead roles. A Washington ‘spin doctor’ and Hollywood producer create a fake war with Albania to divert attention from the American president’s sex scandal. Based on the novel American Hero by Larry Beinhart, however, the film differs greatly from the book. In the book, the president is specifically George H. W. Bush, while in the movie the president is unnamed; the fake war operation is explicitly

destroying another, perfectly serviceable bridge. All for the local politician to celebrate his 12th year in power.

Thank You for Smoking (2006)

Desert, and the war actually occurs, instead of being entirely falsified. The film was nominated for two Academy awards: Dustin Hoffman for the Academy Award for Best Actor and Hilary Henkin and David Mamet for Best Adapted Screenplay.

tobacco industry. The film is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Christopher Buckley.

This satirical comedy follows the machinations of Big Tobacco‘s chief spokesman, Nick Naylor, who spins on behalf of cigarettes while trying to remain a role model for his twelve-year-old son. This directorial debut from Jason Reitman. The cast includes William H. Macy as a Senator who runs on a strong antitobacco position, Rob Lowe as the Hollywood bigwig, and Robert Duvall as the king of the

It instead acquires the spiky edge of a pulsating yet biting satire.

Sandesham (1991) This classic movie must have contributed more to the everyday language that any other Malayalam cultural artifact in recent times. The film is equally brutal in its admonishment of both major political formations in Kerala.

The brilliant performance by Odivil Unnikrishanan might be the most underrated roles ever. No matter how many times one has watched it; this Sathyan Anthikad movie written by Srinivasan never fails to generate laughter

Well Done Abba (2010)

Peepli Live (2010) The movie starring Omkar Das Manikpuri, Raghuvir Yadav and Shalini Vatsa lampoons an entire range of usual suspects – voyeuristic media persons, smarmy bureaucrats, scheming local-level political goons and self-serving rulers, all of whom want a piece of the sleepy village where a farmer is about to kill himself so that his family can survive. Thanks to the film‘s nifty blend of

Panchavadi Palam (1984) The movie was directed by K. G. George and starring Gopi, Nedumudi Venu Thilakan and Srividya. The screenplay was based on a short story of the same name by Veloor Krishnankutty. The intentionally exaggerated story line and caricature-like characters strikes a chord with the present political thamasahs. The plot revolves around the creation of a new bridge, even if that means

ZERO

humour and bathos, it does not slip into diatribe mode.

Today, when the hindi movie industry is throwing up another whole new wave of experimental cinema, Shyam Benegal‘s Well Done Abba emerges as some kind of a benchmark for the current brat pack who want to say so much, so very differently.

The film unfolds like a gentle symphony -- never over the top, never hysterical -- even as it ends up as a hard-hitting satire on the entire misnomer of ÁI ndia Shining‘, India growing, India evolving, et al. The movie stars Boman Irani, Minissha Lamba, Samir Dattani, Ila Arun.

2011 DECEMBER |

Life

| 71

VIEWFINDER

sanjay

Whatever happened to Rajappan? Perhaps his period as the muse has drawn to a close. Or is it that people have got tired of having to find a new story on the same character everyday? Or is it simply a shift of focus – from Rajappan to Pandit, who came, saw and conquered the virtual world of mockery?

Rajappan Alias Pandit

H

ave you noticed that

messages started coming. It was a friend of

the flow of sms’es have

mine who showed me a youtube video where

slowed down of late?

he was baptized ‘Rajappan’ and equated to

Whatever happened to

comical and stupid characters. Inevitably,

Rajappan? Perhaps his

the video was a hit (the love to hate formula

period as the muse has drawn to a close.

works, you know). I went home and watched

Or is it that people have got tired of

the original interview, which prompted

having to find a new story on the same

the guy who created the footage to spend

character everyday? Or is it simply a shift

so much time, energy and imagination on

of focus – from Rajappan to Pandit, who

the video. I waited for the offensive state-

came, saw and conquered the virtual

ments, for the justification of comparing him

world of mockery?

with Saroj Kumar of UdayananuTharam. I

Let me make it clear that I have no in-

Sanjay is a notable script writer in the Malayalam movie industry. He along with his brother, Bobby, scripted for successful and critically acclaimed movies Traffic, Notebook, Ente Veedu Appuntem.

tention of defending or criticizing anyone

sense – he seemed open and candid. Yes, if

here. I am just going to think out loud

you insist,there is a statement by his wife

about the two contagious diseases which

where she says that he is the only actor in

spread all over theMalayali psyche – the

the South who speaks good English. Being

common symptoms of both fevers being

someone who has given a number of inter-

INSULT, or making fun of…or in stronger

views, it was very easy for me to read it as

words, contempt.

“he is one of the few actors in the South who

It started with Mr. Prithviraj. The man

Life

| DECEMBER 2011

speaks good English” and I do believe that

was in every sense a star in the mak-

most people who saw that interview knew

ing. He had the looks, attracted a lot of

what she meant. You can’t wake those who

female attention and was improving in his

feign sleep, can you?

job with each movie. It was all fine until

72 |

found none. Whatever he said made a lot of

But why this antagonism? The answer is

around last year. Trouble started when

simple – metro we may be in our tastes and

he began to give interviews. For reasons

lifestyles, but that cosmopolitanism does

unknown, the so-called‘ordinary malay-

not extend further – not all the way into our

alee’ was enraged by his talks. And the

psyches. We understand Levis and Tommy

Hilfiger – but not self-assuredness, confidence – we can take it when a RanbirKapoor or an Imran Khan shows it but Prithviraj?

No way. Boy next door has to have at least a certain amount of stupidity – and humility. Fake it if you don’t have it but we want you to say – “I am only a student who knows nothing about whatever”; “I don’t deserve to be here – its all God’s and my admirers’ grace” etc. etc. And oh yeah, be sure to be positively shocked and swoon if you can, if the interviewer throws in any bits on the existing superstars… After all we are only human – we do get insecure about our failings!

And here is a guy who not only has fame, sex appeal and success,he does not even have the grace to be apologetic about it! Its so not fair – hence the sms’es, hence the video.

If Prithviraj made us insecure, Mr. Santhosh Pandit did just the opposite. He gave us a massive ego massage. Our superiority complex was so very pampered in the process that it almost gave us a mental happy ending. I haven’t seen Mr. Pandit’s movie. So I am in no position to comment on his work. From what I hear, people are not liking it – in fact whoever has seen it has been coming out with very unkind reviews – and yet there are ‘houseful’ boards in front

superior. We rush to the theater and leave

of theaters which run the movie. An unbe-

with the contentment of being sure that ‘I

lievably strange phenomenon. Mr. Pandit’s

am not the most stupid one around’ – an as-

notorious – yet one of the most watched –

surance we cannot give ourselves in the face

video on Youtube was the sole inviting factor

of brilliance or perfection.

for the audience. By that standard, those

Prithviraj and Santhosh Pandit are portrayed as comic characters in social networking sites.

We have differences in opinion on every-

who went to see the movie surely did not

thing but not on Rajappan, not on Pandit. Af-

expect to see a classic. Entertainment comes

ter all, nothing unites people more strongly

in so many ways – this time it was for the

than a common hatred, does it?

closeted pleasure of indulging in the worst kind of abuse. Santhosh Pandit proffered his weaknesses up for our collective criticism.

We make fun of people’s weaknesses only when we are sure that we don’t suffer from the same weaknesses.The ‘we are not like that’ aspect makes us in a superior position.

Just like a coward being happy when he sees a bigger coward.

We, the insecure ones, need a Santhosh Pandit to boost our otherwise diminishing confidence. We need him to make us feel

SANTHOSH PANDIT GAVE US A MASSIVE EGO MASSAGE. OUR SUPERIORITY COMPLEX WAS SO VERY PAMPERED IN THE PROCESS THAT IT ALMOST GAVE US A HAPPY ENDING. 2011 DECEMBER |

Life

| 73

COVER

COVER

Seriously Absurd Suresh.P.Thomas

A

n array of new

of the circus of absurdity

humdrum life, he weaves

lyrical realism, Manu Joseph’s

writers, with

contemporary urban life in

a dangerous and intricate

narrative style bears a stark

their emphasis

this country seems to have

fiction around his son. Running

resemblance to the idiom of

strongly on

abandoned its citizens to, is

parallel to his story before

Bollywood multiplex movies.

providing authentic and

perhaps the stand-out work in

eventually getting inextricably

unadulterated narratives of

this impressive list..

tied to it is the story of Arvind

tragic, but the mood of its

Acharya, Ayyan’s boss and a

telling is one of acerbic irony—

their realities, has emerged as

Ayyan Mani, the

The story is essentially

the cartographers of modern

protagonist of the novel, is a

brilliant, enigmatic scientist

hardly anyone is spared

India’s literary landscape. From

clerk at a premier astrophysics

embroiled in his own bizarre

though the most mordant

Five Point Someone (Chethan

research institute in Mumbai.

and utterly violent power

knives of his scorn seem to

Bhagat) to The Folded Earth

A Dalit living in a BDD chawl,

struggles with his colleagues.

have been reserved for the

(Anuradha Roy), the range of

his is a mind that is seething

their work and the scale of

with indignation at both the

inaugural Hindu Literary Prize-

acceptable codes of ethics

their ambition are immense.

ordinary circumstances of

subjects a fragile social order

and the liberal high priests

Manu Joseph’s Serious Men, a

his existence and the sway

and its actors to a remarkable

of political correctness.

caustic commentary on the

Brahmins have over the affairs

dissection. Preferring a direct

Apparently, Manu Joseph does

machinery of caste in India,

of power at his office. To inject

and razor-sharp prose over

not fancy the idea of writing

and a deeply affecting account

a sense of adventure into his

the ostentation of phoney

novels to make a lot of friends.

1

Serious Men-winner of the

River of Smoke Amitav Gosh

Revolution 2020-Love. Corruption. Ambition Chetan Bhagat

3

In “River of Smoke” Ghosh retraces the journey of ‘The Ibis’ a ship carrying a consignment of convicts and indentured laborers from Calcutta to Canton. It starts from where its prequel, Sea of Poppies ends talking about the fate of ‘The Ibis’ and its owner Bahram Modi, after its tempestuous encounter with an inclement whirlwind.

From the bestselling author comes another gripping tale from the heartland of India. A story about childhood friends Gopal, Raghav and Aarti who struggle to find success and love in Varanasi. How ever this is not easy to achieve in a unfair soceity that rewards corruption

2

torchbearers of conventionally

Steve Jobs the exclusive biography Walter Isaacson

I have a dream Rashmi Bansal

4

The story of 20 idealists who think and act like entrepreneurs.

They are committed to different causes, but they have one thing in common: a belief that principles of management can and must be used to achieve a greater common good.

Isaacson provides an extraordinary account of jobs’ personal and professional life.

Drawn from three years of exclusive and unprecedented interviews Isaacson has conducted with Steve Jobs, friends, family members, colleagues and competitors of Apple.

5 Secret of the Nagas and The Immortals of Meluha(set of 2 books) Amish Tripathi The 1st and 2nd books in the mythical fiction Shiva Trilogy. The Immortals of Meluha is set in 1900 BC, in a near perfect empire, ruled by the Suryavanshis, called the Land of Meluha(Modern Indus Valley civilization). The empire faces perils from its enemy the chandravanshis who allied with the Nagas. A Tibetan immigrant, shiva rises up as the savior.

2011 DECEMBER |

Life

| 75

TROUBLED CLEFT

george peter

DIL SE, MOMENTS

WITH A.R.R

T

he adrenalin rush of the

roller coaster ride for me, getting to work

Salt Lake stadium concert

with him close quarters so exhausted

has hardly gone ..but its

with excitement and trying to hold my

pack up time. A travel co-

droopy eyes from falling over at 4 ‘0 clock

ordinator, hovering on the

in the morning , singing, writing, laughing

sides, walks up with assumed confidence

and sometimes pinching myself ( quite

to hand a set of tickets and passports to

unbelievable actually !!) until I wrote the

a man sitting quietly in a corner. “What

lyrics to the music of A R Rahman, got

about my musicians”, asked A.R Rahman

children to sing and 3 days later on a plane

looking up. Now that’s a classic state-

with ARR to Delhi … little did I know that

ment ! Yes !, for A.R.R (as I call him),

the song was written for the former

the Mozart of Madras, music and fellow

President APJ Abdul Kalam based on his

musicians comes before personal comfort

short story “Ignited Minds”. And yes!!

Rewind a few weeks and little did I

The Author was the erstwhile vocalist for the rock band 13 AD and a popular singer and music director.

know, getting a call while watching xXx

Life

| DECEMBER 2011

Touring with ARR was an experience

( the Vin Diesel movie) at Sridhar Cin-

out of this world. It was not just about

emas in Kochi, that I would get to be

getting to meet musicians from all over

on the First World Tour with A.R.R!

the world but also to perform at the

Noel James, his manager, very for-

greatest venues in the world such as The

mally calls up to tell me that bossman

Hollywood Bowl, The Rod Laver Arena

(as we call him) wants me in Madras

(Melbourne), The Grand Forum (L.A)

( ya I still call it that ) immediately. The

Wembley Arena (London) and the Hong

only ride out of town I could find at that

Kong Convention Centre …. to name but a

juncture was a rickety bus. Reached the

few. ARR’s spirituality is very evident in his

next day crossing my fingers praying that

music. Once at Kochin, I was with him and

A.R.R hasn’t gone on one of his esca-

we had dinner and after which he was set-

pades , which meant he would just drop

ting his alarm for a real crazy wee hour

everything and go off somewhere, mostly

after a long day!! I asked him why, he

to a Holy Shrine! Thankfully he was still

simply replied ‘Geooorge, prayer is better

there, but having already recorded the

than sleep!!’

song for which I was possibly called for,

76 |

I did meet Mr. President with ARR !!

In Hong Kong, like most other tours,

he asked if I could write lyrics and on

I was in charge of his lyrics, and when he

saying yes asked me to come up with a

suggested a change I did not understand,

song with lines, “small aim is a crime”,

suddenly he broke out in Malayalam,

“One Vision” and a couple more of the

drawing on a paper “ithu inganne cheythal

like. Comfortably settled on a Blue sofa

mathiyo geooorge?” ( Shall we do it this

which has seated Mani Ratnam to Amir

way George?) And I replied “sheri bahuman-

Khan to Javed Akthar to Lord Andrew

apetta Rahuman”( one title , he jokes with

Lloyd Webber, I penned with humility.

me) and we broke into a laugh leaving the

From then on it was two days of non stop

rest befuddled.

NOTHING ELSE MATTERED Text Prashant Nair

F

or the last two decades, amidst smoky bar tables, in

electrifying energy.

college cafeterias, the possibility of a Metallica concert was the stuff that dreams were made of.

didn’t try to be something they’re not – they just

There’s something surreal in a chant that in-

played their best work, not their popular work. In a

volves over 40,000 people, after they’ve battled rain,

slush and the fear of the entire concert being called off. And 4 hours, nothing else mattered. Bangalore has always been a favoured destination for rock bands and artistes for some weird reason that I have never been able to comprehend.

Till the 30th of October that is. There is a sense of pride in the way I talk of how well this massive crowd conducted themselves through the concert. The organisers, extra

Remains, Sad but True, Master of Puppets, Enter Sandman, Battery and more, they were also kind enough to squeeze in a Nothing Else Matters for the posers, who otherwise, were just headbanging to random riffs. There was a deafening silence of a few seconds before Robert Trujjilo took centerstage for his solo, and he threw everything including a kitchen sink and a massive base axe at us. Not that we

cautious to avoid the Gurgaon fiasco, were meticulously surprise surprise, the entire crowd cooperated fully.

songlist that included For whom the Bell Tolls, Fuel, Ride the Lightning, Cyanide, Fade to Black, The Memory

when Metallica did take over the stage after a patient wait of

appealing to the crowd to space themselves out. And

Honestly, I woo-hooed the fact that Metallica

were complaining.

Eventually, when the gig did seem to end, James Hetfield shouted out, “Bangalore, Metallica loves you” but what he wasn’t

When the entire backdrop of the stage lit up, we all

prepared for was a seemingly synchronized “We love you too!”

knew that the wait was all worth it. And then, Het-

that the entire crowd threw back at him. Amidst chants of ‘one

field, Ulrich, Hammet and Trujjilo showed Bangalore why they’re who they are. Belting out 18 songs with the same high-octane energy that they’ve been worshipped for, for the past 20 years, they started off with ‘Creeping Death’. Fireworks peppered the sky, flamethrowers blew out fire like digital equalizers and the crowd just tripped –

more, one more’, Metallica came back on stage after exiting and belted out ‘Seek and Destroy’ – a fitting end to a concert that was supposed to be their 2nd outing in India but was destined to be first.

When the band flung their plectrums and souvenirs into the audience, a cop on crowd management duty ended up with Lars Ulrich’s drumstick and broke into a smile, much to the delight of the crowd who saw it all on the large screens.

some on substance, but most others on the

For the last two decades, amidst smoky bar tables, in college cafeterias, the possibility of a Metallica concert was the stuff that dreams were made of.

GAD

ETS

Alienware M17x R3 When it comes to gaming on a laptop; Alienware is _the_ brand to look out for. The Dell subsidiary has added a new laptop to its repertoire of offerings - the new M17x R3. The new machine comes in packed with everything needed to get your games the kick-ass graphics it yearns for - Intel Core i7 3.5 GHz and 6MB cache, 8GB of DDR3 memory, 17.3” 3D LCD Panel with 3D glasses, 750GB of hard disk space and lots more!

17.3 inch display (1920×1080) 2GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M graphics card Integrated Digital 7.1 Surround Audio Support Slot-Load DVD-RW, BD-Combo Weight: Starting at 5.3k

Price ` 1,65,000

MapMyIndia Carpad MapMyIndia, India’s leading navigation systems manufacturer recently launched this navigation tablet for cars - named aptly as the CarPad. CarPad is powered by Android and Aura 3D maps. Coverage is quite impressive, with even 3D building schematics available on the map for selected cities. The device is fast enough and features the SnapDragon dual core processor from Qualcomm. Apart from navigation, CarPad also offers 3G internet connectivity with built-in social networking features.

It also sports WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, FM radio and HD video playback.

3D navigation with detailed maps, including house numbers, streets and buildings Android 2, 7” TFT-HD (800x480) Capacitative Touch Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM7227-1 with Adreno 200 GPU screen Standby time: 420 hr GPS & GPRS 2 MP Camera, Touch Screen

Price ` 22,900

Nokia Lumia 800 The much awaited Windows Phone from Nokia is finally here.

The phone looks super cool, and Nokia has put its bets on this model to recapture the premium phone market. Time will tell if they succeed; but it does have the juice to compete with the iPhones and Androids of today. It is powered by a 1.4 GHZ processor, has 512 MB of RAM, 16 GB internal storage, 8 megapixel camera and off course Windows Mango..

AMOLED capacitive touch screen, 16M colors Microsoft Windows Geo-tagging SMS, MMS, Email, Push Email, IM Phone 7.5 Mango Standard battery, Li-Ion 1450 mA Talk time Up to 13 hr

Price ` 29,000

Walkman Android Sony has finally released the first Android Walkman device. The device comes with Android 3.0 and is seen as a competitor to Apple›s iPod Touch. It however supports more music formats, including native support for MP3, AAC, WMA & ATRAC Losless codec. The device also boasts WiFi, Bluetooth and even a GPS receiver. Sony promises a batter life of 20+ hours for this new kid in the block.

600 MHz Processor Powered by Latest Google Android OS virtual QWERTY keyboard Available in three colors Red, Azure and Orange Access your favorite MP3 Songs and apps with just one click

Price `11,000

Adidas F50 Technology is not just for your hands; but for your feet too.

That’s what Adidas’s new hitech shoe the F50 promises. The shoe is powered by a special sensor which can detect a range of parameters about the style you walk, run and play - like the distance travelled, average speed, acceleration etc. You can download all this information to your computer and get advice on your running schedule and your posture. special sensor Detects the walking style Calculates average speed, acceleration

Price ` 21300

Light Field Camera This new device by a little known company called Lytro, promises to completely change the whole landscape of photography. Unlike conventional cameras Lytro cams records the entire light travelling in every direction in space. This gives it capabilities that you could only dream of even in the most expensive of DSLRs.. Lytro comes at a price tag of $499 for the 16GB version and $399 for the 8GB version. Lytro is expected to release in the begining of next year and has already begun pre-orders for customers in the US. 8x optical zoom lensr Lightweight aluminum body HD quality images alleled speed Low-light sensitivity Significant storage

Unpar-

Price ` 25900 for 16 GB, ` 20800 for 8 GB 2011 DECEMBER |

Life

| 075

GAME

EVIEW

DEFENSE OF THE ANCIENTS

D

efense of the

ily guarded structures at the

Ancients, or

opposing corners of the map.

D.O.T.A., is a

Each human player controls a

hugely popu-

powerful unit - a Hero, and is

lar online real

assisted by AI controlled units

time strategy multiplayer

called “creeps”. Like all role-

‘game’. I‘ll refer to it as a game,

playing games, heroes can

even though it‘s actually

be leveled up and equipment

freely downloadable map for

can be bought. Unlike most

Warcraft 3: Frozen Throne. One

traditional real-time strategy

of the reasons it‘s so popular is

games, this one does not fo-

Warcraft 3‘s hardware require-

cus on resource management

ments, or in this case - the lack

and base-building.

of any. It runs on pretty much

The only resource the player

any hardware released in the

has to manage is gold. As

is when the player attacks a

There‘s also the rather deep

last ten years.

heroes earn gold by killing

hostile unit when ‘its hit points

item list which involves a form

hostile units, base structures,

are low enough to kill it with

of alchemy, whereby more

is to destroy the opponents’

The objective of the match

and enemy heroes, a tech-

one blow” becomes the

powerful items are created

Ancients. These are heav-

nique called “last-hitting,” which

best strategy. Every hero

by joining together weaker

is unique in play style. All of

ones, allowing the same hero

them have (at least) four

character carrying two dif-

unique selectable skills, and

ferent item sets to play very

differing base attributes.

differently.

Strategy Tips for beginners Making money in this game is dependent on the hero getting the hit that kills creeps (last-hitting). This takes quite a bit of experience to get the hang of.

Where to play D.O.T.A. is best played with your friends on your home or office network. However, once you’ve got a hang of the game, you’ll

It© s incredibly important to not get killed. If your hero targets the enemy hero within range of enemy towers or creeps, all NPC enemy units will automatically target you Most gamers who decide that they don© t like D.O.T.A., and quit early, are turned off by how weak their selected heroes can be early in the game, especially if they© re playing against other, more experienced players. They have to realize that this is by design.

It© s best to have a friend teach you the basics of D.O.T.A. While an incredibly fast-paced game, it has some very deep mechanics.

There are many commands that you can enter during 076 |

80 |

Lif Life

Life

| 2011 DECEMBER

| DECEMBER 2011

want to check out the large online game-community which can be accessed through a freely downloadable match-making application called Garena.

During peak hours (late evening, till midnight), Garena logs many thousands of D.O.T.A. players from India alone. At present, Garena hosts 14 separate chat rooms dedicated to Indian D.O.T.A gaming, each supporting a maximum of 235 players, where gamers can interact to set up new matches.

the game, some impact the game itself, while others display useful information. All must be entered on a single line preceeded by "-" to work, for instance, "-tips”, which gives you various helpful pointers about your hero throughout the game.

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