Blink issue 82 august22 2015

SURVIVAL OF THE SWIFTEST The Japanese Honda and the home-grown Hero try to outrace each other in the world’s largest twowheeler market p6 saturday, august 22, 2015

kishor krishnamoorthi

The ‘strugglers’ of the Telugu film industry aren’t hopefuls who have just gotten off the red bus. They are cool and connected like Krishna Madhav: a newcomer hoping to make it big with his army of PR personnel, gym instructors and acting coaches p9

Almost famous

THE A-B-C OF S-E-X Mahinder Watsa is the 91year-old doctor who helps Indians in the bedroom p14

PO BOX AUTHOR Anita Nair on writing in Mundakkottukurussi, where her words emerge true p17

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War ofatwords Binge the Borough The Film Writers Association (FWA) provides those with an idea and a script what they need It’s not—just the freshest produce that makes London’s oldest food market a must-do most guidance and protection

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of the prime seven sins, gluttony, and I decided throw my of hands up and dive in. Employalso the most complex of them all. thetoFederation Western India Cine After around various stalls meat Presently, the soft boards of the FWA office ees.

“Thesniffing maximum action we can takeof against and pies, I finally settlednon-cooperaon one sellare festooned with congratulatory flyers pastries the guilty producer is to order duck wraps with homemade about Jyoti Kapoor, a screenwriter who won a ing tion.aromatic All our members of the Federation boysauce at a stallset. runObviously, by a robust, legal battle last month against filmmaker Ku- plum cott the producer’s thisrosywill ladyfinancial with a booming countrywithout voice. I nal Kohli for stealing her script for his film Phir cheeked cause him losses because up for thecan’t delicacy, handed over the Se. The Supreme Court ordered Kohli to pay queued these artists they shoot,” says Pandey.

He andproducers dipped my hot find wrapain theout juicy Kapoor ₹25 lakh and credit her as scriptwriter change adds that often way of maroon sauce.this Thetoo. meat“They was cooked right in his film. Kapoor’s victory is a are sojust mischie— not very tender, not very and the major shot in the arm for the vous that they chewy change—the name sauce sweet and This was just the tip of FWA, which also ruled in favour of fresh. the production house.

They the iceberg. Asfind I jostled through the crowds, of the screenwriter before Kohli all kinds of escape routes soI found in a maze of olives, decided to take the matter to this order of condiments, non-co-operA case that is myself that cheese, confectioneries Local court. “The FWA is seen as a force ation doesand notcharcuterie. apply to them,” currently doing the customers that is getting stronger in the he rues.(with great gusto) over rounds of the court haggled fresh catch fromLike the sea, surveyed of fight for the rights of our writers. in the case mounds of Kapoor, concerns the sequel and studied bread The mindset of many producers some cases haven’t giant been settled of Rocklettuce On! and celery, loaves. Tourists clicked photos with farmup prois still feudal. They are unprofesinternally and have landed in duce and farmers, and those on the sional, dishonest and exploiters,” the High Courthungry or Supreme hoof tucked inCourt. the free samples on offer. says Pandey.

A case currently doing the Despite therounds throngs I was not concerns pushed of the courts around.

I strolled past rowsOn!, of juicy toWin some, lose some the sequel to the hitendless film Rock which mushrooms andfilm’s pumpkins, enThat said, the FWA doesn’t have any legal matoes, starred giant Farhan Akhtar. The director, givingwho livewill food for their standing. So high-handed producers tend to trepreneurs Abhishek Kapoor, notdemos be making Rock workshops and stallsdenied sellingwriting exotic be dismissive during the investigation, and of- products, On 2, claims that he’s been such ostrich and kangaroo. reten don’t even turn up for important meet- meats credit for theassequel.

However, the writerI Pumyself with tall glass watermelon ings. But what FWA lacks in legal backing, it freshed bali Chaudhuri, whoa has been of commissioned extracted from fruit that I was makes up for in pluck. Like the FWA, all sec- juice, to write the film, has aanother story to allowed tell. pick. And around just a few steps when from Ihere tions of filmmaking — hairdressers, stunt- to “Sometime mid-2013, learntI uponKapoor my greatest find: Truffles. the An men, make-up artists, and so on — have their chanced that Abhishek will not be directing theI big, own trade union body. Together they make up entire sequel stretch of RockofOn!, was uneven, asked bypungent, the proheavenly piecesEntertainment, of the choicestto fungi.

I wasmy in ducers, Excel honour gourmet heaven. agreement with them as the story and screenI ended day On at Borough with the Abhpurplay writerthe of Rock 2. Understandably, chase of my dream souvenir, a bottle of preishek was not pleased with the development and wanted me to walk out of the project,” In gourmet heaven Sitting on one end of London Bridge, Borough Market is an enticing display of over a hundred food stalls shikha tripathi says Chaudhuri. Later, she attempted to work with Abhishek again on another assignment, t was my first time in London and, Borough High Street, its prosperity became a but that too did not end well. She is yet to be strangely, I was more anxious than de- cause for concern for other London markets. paid for her work on that project. “I was fruslighted. It was performance pressure — The main reason behind its popularity was the trated, of course, and to add to the complicathe list of must-see gardens, monu- relative cheapness compared with stalls on tion, I was suddenly informed by one of his ments, museums, palaces, abbeys and stores the north bank of the river. associates that Abhishek had gone and regiswas intimidating. Jostling for space in the In the 1600s, King Charles II issued a charter tered the last draft of screenplay of Rock On 2, same list were childhood heroes: dinosaur dis- mapping the market’s limits, extending it which he had received from me, under his coverer Sir Richard Owen, Newton, Sherlock from the southern end of London Bridge to name with the FWA. So I went ahead and regisHolmes, Charles Dickens and the former home of The Tabard, tered two complaints against him. One for many more. Tips on ‘dos and the legendary inn from where non-payment of dues and the other for wrongdon’ts’ were far too many, but the pilgrims set out for Canterful registration of the draft of the sequel script there was one that seemed thobury in Geoffrey Chaucer’s acthat he had received from me in June 2013,” rougly comforting: A walk claimed work. The market was she adds.

It’s only once you through Borough Market, Lonfinally abolished in 1756, but the Though her case seems far more complex, settle in that the don’s oldest food market.

Southwark Cathedral was given Chaudhuri says Jyoti Kapoor’s win is hugely surroundings make While a boat trip down the the right to set up one in a new encouraging for defenceless writers. “Jyoti’s sense to you; the Thames is part of that things-tospot.

A bunch of Southwark resivictory feels like my own. For the entire fraterblurred sights and do list for tourists, it is indeed a dents raised £6,000 and bought nity, she has set an amazing example of raiswhirlpool of smells great way to explore many other a piece of land south of the Caing your voice when it really matters and not materialise into parts of London if you’ve had too thedral. Known today as The Trigiving up. She’s really a positive example for gingerbread cookies, much of the tube. I took the boat rhubarb crumbles and angle, it remains at the heart of all writers, especially younger ones who may to the stop nearest to Southwark the market. feel daunted at the thought of taking on a Gocustard puddings in Central London, where the I took the steps near the Catheliath,” she says.

Borough Market is, the most fadral leading down to the market, To empower writers, the FWA tries to counmous landmark near it being the and for a moment stopped to ob- cious (I really mean ‘expensive’) truffle sel them on business matters. white “Writers are London Bridge. I didn’t know serve the booming space below. oil.

I knew Ipeople. had to cradle it carefully andideas, keep emotional We start sharing our how ‘big’, literally and figuratively, Borough Drawing in a long breath, I plunged into the it safe allisevening, for itthere was a from different and if it interesting will travel perwas until I got there. It was chock-a-block with madness that is Borough Market. It’s only ‘London by night’ arranged a son to person.

Butexperience you can’t even trust by your locals, tourists, farmers and buyers. It was once you settle in that the surroundings make friend in town.

Butcan the prospect the and oil addown friends.

They steal yourofidea sell gluttony at first sight. sense to you; the blurred sights and whirlpool ing a bit of heaven my humble kitchen back it elsewhere.

Even to when you meet a producer, The present Borough Market, a sprawling of smells materialise into gingerbread coo- home was enough to theciting task. immediately followto it inspire up withme an email entity on the southern end of London Bridge, kies, rhubarb crumbles and custard pud- For I was glad I had taken touristy the once, details of the meeting.

It is some considered as is a successor to the one that was first men- dings. There are over 100 food stalls here. I advice seriously. evidence in the court of law,” says Pandey. tioned in an official document in 1276. Some started to regret the heavy breakfast I’d tucked Clearly, it is better to be safe than sorry. claim the Borough goes back to 1014. First into before heading out to the Borough. Nev- shikha tripathi is a writer and photographer based Binsar chaudhuri launched as a street market on what is now ertheless, the place has a way of inducing one inmohini ll Bollywood scripts take birth in a tiny second-floor office tucked away in Andheri West. The office belongs to the Film Writers Association (FWA) — the backbone of the screenwriting community in Mumbai. Writers flock here to register their scripts and officially lay claim to their many ideas. On any given day, this space buzzes with aspirants young and old, clutching onto files that could possibly contain the next big blockbuster.

Yet, in most cases, writers wind up in this office when they’re in trouble. Their problems are predictable — either a shrewd producer has plagiarised their story or is dodging payments. For all such grievances, the FWA, a trade union since 1956, is the first and only recourse for the screenwriting community. “We are like a panchayat. We try to settle our disputes internally so that our members do not need to go through an expensive legal process,” says Kamlesh Pandey, general secretary of the FWA. Over the years the body, which has 14,000 writers, has peacefully resolved numerous disputes through out-of-court settlements. In a month, the Disputes Settlement Committee (DSC) of the FWA receives close to 35 complaints. Vinod Ranganath, the chairperson of the DSC, says around six to eight of these cases deal with copyright infringement. These are

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Arifa means business A Kashmiri woman in her late-20s running a company in the busy streets of Lalbazar in Srinagar is indeed a rare sight

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urrounded by rugs embroidered with green paisleys, autumnal maple leaves and cherry blossoms, Arifa is a picture of poise and confidence, one that belies her young age. After all, a woman in her late-20s running a business in the busy streets of Lalbazar in Srinagar is indeed a rare sight.

In Kashmir, frequently hit by shutdowns and strikes, and where violence is a part of daily life, women are forced to lead sheltered lives. Unlike many girls her age, Arifa did not marry after her studies. She decided to start a business instead, “I always wanted to be an entrepreneur… so I graduated in commerce.”

It was while trying to find work for a relative’s widow that she discovered the Srinagarbased Craft Development Institute (CDI), which trains young people for entrepreneurship in handicrafts. Arifa decided to pursue a course in business administration.

The ₹95,000 fee was daunting, but the tougher battle was to convince her parents.

Her father, a state government employee, worried about the reaction from their conservative society. His only advice to his young daughter was: “Kuch bhi karna, par ghar ki izzat bani rahey (Do what you want, but preserve the family’s honour).”

Arifa has not looked back since. Convinced of her talent and zeal, the Crafts Council of India gave her a grant. Together with two business partners, pashmina weavers Mohammed Salim Sofi and Farooqh Amar Ghanai, Arifa set up Incredible Kashmir Crafts to sell handmade ‘numdha’ rugs.

The laborious manufacturing process involves carding the wool, spreading it on a grass mat and compressing it manually. The back-breaking work often leaves the artisans with bleeding palms. The painstaking embroidery work is done by women. “I want to revive numdha-making. The artisans are paid so badly that they are no longer interested. These days only the old artisans know this specialised craft. Educated youngsters prefer to do lowly-paid jobs instead,” says Arifa.

She hopes to one day set up a company with artisans as shareholders. She started out by employing 15 workers, paying them three times what they were getting. Sofi, her business partner, says, “I decided to join because she has her heart in this. She has an attachment to the artisans and thinks differently.”

The other partner, Ghanai, says “the peace

Confident smile Arifa co-founded Incredible Kashmir Crafts to sell handmade ‘numdha’ rugs

which has prevailed in Kashmir over the last two to three years has helped. Tourists are coming, and they bring business...”

Arifa’s life has transformed completely. The once shy, diminutive girl, who used to be reprimanded for coming home late, now travels on her own, scouting for new markets and attending exhibitions.

Successive governments in the State have made efforts to encourage women entrepreneurs. In fact, the former social welfare minister Sakina Itoo had allocated ₹10 crore to the Women Development Corporation (JKWDC) towards this cause.

Dr Naheed Soz, managing director of JKWDC, says, “The last 20 years or so have seen women becoming house-bound due to the

law-and-order situation. The Kashmiri woman has been sewing, embroidering and doing small work from home. Now we are helping them market their products directly.”

Gazalla Amin’s six-year-old aromatic oil business today has a turnover of ₹1.5 crore. “Finances are hard to come by, society doesn’t accept women entrepreneurs easily… There are often problems for such women when they want to get married,” she adds.

Arifa, however, prefers to focus on the positives. “I think, today the mindset has changed quite a bit. Even the thinking of boys has changed. Now, I can think of becoming someone, before becoming someone’s wife.” renu agal Women’s Feature Service

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Devotees on the loose Now and forever I SPY

While ‘godwoman’ Radhe Maa might be embroiled in controversy, her followers and she The face of a new insurance campaign for cancer patients, Lisa Ray takes us to South Africa remain unflappable for her next film, Ishq Forever 7am It’s never too early for smiles and selfies. In Hermanus, South Africa

7.30am The yoga studio has to look inviting

9am Catching up on news from India

9.05am Breakfast, the other good thing about mornings

11am Ready for the day. Off to the sets of Ishq Forever

11.20am Grooming squad in action

Red riding hood No one knows how Radhe Maa’s obsession with red started vivek bendre

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ast Sunday evening, 48 hours after being questioned by the police, Radhe Maa, resplendent in vermilion and gold, arrived at the Mahalaxmi Temple. A minor stampede ensued. As she reached the steps of the temple, trishul in hand, two 11.45am Manicure on the sets women in baby pink turbans hoisted her out of the car. Someone wiped her brow, someone adjusted her hair, someone opened the door.

An infant was thrust at her, but Radhe Maa remained unmoved. Only a few mortal beads of sweat dotted her face as she moved slowly from one temple to the next, flanked by chanting followers and a convoy of police, which kept selfie-seekers out of bay. She appeared oblivious to the controversy surrounding her — the police dragnet, the legal entanglements and the calls for worldly accountability. Wearing her typical beatific smile, she glided through the evening.

After the darshan, a wide-eyed devotee sighed, “There really is something indescribable about her. Nothing else matters.”

For the past fortnight, this Mumbai god2.30pm Lunchhas from a cute cafe in around woman been roiled legal tangles — from the corner charges of obscenity to instigating dowry demands to cheating. Not to mention the patina of fraudulence that clings to her since all this — and her glamorous skirt-wearing avatar on Twitter — was revealed. But one man’s fraudulence is another man’s call for further devotion. “This has only reinforced my belief,” said one devotee. “This would have happened to any divinity.”

‘Naiveté’, ‘peace’, ‘positive energy’ — these are the qualities devotees attribute to her. “I first went as a non-believer, out of curiosity,” said one such believer, who didn’t want to be named, “But I was hooked.” He said he had earlier shunned godmen, but with her there was “no mumbo jumbo, no black magic, just her

aura and energy.”

Her passport puts her age at 50, yet her ageless face is attributed to her ‘innocence’. “She is like a gudiya (doll),” said the same devotee.

“Just like a child.” “When we hug her or carry her,” said one follower, “it is with love in our 12 noon Awaiting the director’s instructions. hearts, like between parent Until then, there’s vegetable juiceand child.”

As expected, the online world credits her with ‘miracles’, from bringing back sight to curing the terminally sick. Some even claim she is an incarnation of goddess Durga. But devotees say such specifics are irrelevant.

With two grown-up sons and two school-going granddaughters, Radhe Maa lives for the most part in Borivali, the venue of her fortnightly satsangs. Her husband stopped being her husband some 25 years ago, not in law but rather by a cosmic route. “She sacrificed every12.10pm Sunny day in Hermanus thing in her worldly life,” said one devotee.

This obsession for her results in the mass hugging and carrying, which has even attracted obscenity charges. But her devotees see a different kind of logic.

One 65-year-old said he’d fallen prostrate at her feet once when she was disembarking Other avatar from an aircraft. He had been Born Sukhwinder Kaur in Doranyearning for the special privilege gla in Punjab’s Gurdaspur disof carrying her and she saw his trict, she studied till Class X, was face, read his mind and told him There really is married at 18, and had two sons he could do so. “There were tears something before turning spiritual at 23. in my eyes,” he said. “This is what I indescribable about Her official website states that as had been waiting to hear.” He her. Nothing a child, “she had the gift of then walked 15 steps bearing her. else matters prophesy”. Later, her husband For followers who need to left to explore business opportuknow when her next event or apnities abroad. “However,” the pearance is there is an app 3.20pm Toying with “[she] guns behind 5pm Coffee and croissant this duoGuru rocks Maa. profile goes on, was the notscenes. named Shri — Radhe Almost done for the day daunted”.

In addition to the gift of prophesy, Press on it and a miniature icon of the largershe had the “god-given skill of sewing,” and than-life icon comes to life. spent time tailoring and teaching. Many temThere was no word on the app, however, on ple visits later, she gave up life as she knew it her police station appearances. That proved and took on a life of “spiritual wandering”. She no impediment to scores of devotees who arrived in Mumbai, more than 10 years ago, showed up on Friday and waited all day as she where her following grew and prospered after was questioned inside. They came wearing the one Mumbai-based Gupta family took her in. merchandise — red bandanas emblazoned She now lives with them or, as one family with gold lettering, one flaunted a tattoo of member put it, “I live at her feet”. her etched into his skin. When she emerged It is unclear why Radhe Maa is so partial to from Kandivali police station after five hours red or how she chose the title. One explana- of questioning, her mini trishul in hand, rose tion is that devotees think the colour suits her, tucked behind right ear and sunglasses happianother is that it is the colour of the goddess ly perched on nose.

Parvati. A third theory is that the name Radhe bhavya dore is a Mumbai-based journalist Maa refers to ‘raah de’ or show the way.

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BAWDY LINE

Operation theatre Live surgical broadcast is a blood sport because calamity is what the viewers avariciously wish for

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Ambarish Satwik is a Delhi-based vascular surgeon and writer

his tract is about the alleged sins of the LSB (live surgical broadcast) at surgical conferences and workshops — aka surgery as spectator sport, which is the subject of an extended rant in the forthcoming issue of the journal Current Medicine: Research and Practice (Kumaran, Nundy). I propose deferring, but for a very short measure, any remarks on the ethics of the LSB, for the purpose of introducing you to Robert Liston, Esq, the first Professor of Clinical Surgery at the University College Hospital, London (anointed in 1835). It might be argued that, historically, the LSB owes its provenance to the popularity of this man’s performance.

But first, a bit of a preface: in addition to its peculiar suitability as a Gothic locus, the Victorian operating theatre (with its symmetrically tiered seats rising on both sides and its small, central court or deck illumed by a large, lowhanging gaslight) was indeed a form of theatre. Where all surgical discourse happened, in constantives and performatives, as an accompaniment to the spectacle of live human vivisection, in the sight of students jostling in the galleries. Where the lecture-demonstration had all the elements of stagecraft thrown in, including, I daresay, art direction.

Always in his best Edinburgh scowl and his bottle green coat, double breasted shawl-vest, grey trousers, Wellington boots, and, on top of that, his blood stiffened apron, Liston’s popularity amongst the students was attributable, in equal measure, to his surgical swagger and his surgical velocity. He could, in the days before anaesthesia, amputate a leg in two-anda-half minutes. He’d lurch over the restrained patient, pick out his favourite knife from his long, narrow leather case and declare to his students and colleagues in a cold, level voice: ‘Now gentlemen, time me’. He was a flourish of flashes: a dozen lightning strokes, and the limb would drop into the bucket of sawdust.

Sometimes, to use both his hands, he’d hold the knife between his teeth.

His later oeuvre was marked by something of an unpleasant episode. It was the only time he amputated a limb under two-and-a-half minutes: the patient died subsequently from

est care from a gora celeb surgeon coming in to operate could also be restated as an industry-paid outsider promoting a newfangled, possibly insufficiently tested widget or technique for the entertainment of other surgeons. Most (desi) patients will say yes to anything if the surgical charges are waived off.

Salus aegroti suprema lex: beneficence; all actions in the best interests of the patient. I remember watching the great Andrej Schmidt, the king of his species, at a live endovascular event, opening up an impossibly long segment of the blocked aorta and iliac arteries with almost bovine serenity and unerring precision. It was an archly brilliant performance, as was his wont. But at least a fourth of the audience kept asking themselves if the procedure was really indicated in an 84-year-old man with minor symptoms and severe, limiting, cardiac dysfunction.

Primum non nocere: non-maleficence; first, xmee/shutterstock do no harm. Lustitia: justice; the morality of suppuration and hospital gangrene. In his who gets what treatment. Kumaran and Nunshowboating flourish, he also, accidentally, dy describe a complete abomination wherein amputated the fingers of his assisting house the itinerant surgeon tried to resect an unresurgeon, who also died from hospital gan- sectable cancer of the pancreas unto a point of grene (these were Pre-Listerian times). And, he near exsanguination. The outcome was never managed to incise the frock coat of an es- reported to the participants in the workshop teemed associate standing right behind him, but they found out later that the patient was who dropped dead from a fright-induced fatal re-explored by the home team for intra-abcardiac arrhythmia. dominal bleeding and died.

The LSB is surgery’s continuing thralldom The LSB is a blood sport because calamity is to the live performance. It is an interactive ses- what the spectators avariciously wish for. sion that has become the staple lead event at Once, at a live robotic aortic surgery event, we most conferences now. The whole nub of the had this celebrity surgeon very sedulously thing is that an illustrious surgeon is called in looking for and securing the lumbar arteries to demonstrate her method and her surgical (almost like a dog sniffing excrement) to preprowess to an audience of avid peers, live, via a vent blood loss from the aorta upon incising video link. It is an audiovisual production, so it, and then enlivening the proceedings by inthe surgeon is all wired up and juring the vena cava (with all the is usually required to provide a guileless wrongness of a sixspoken account of the proceyear-old walking in on his naked dure as it happens or at least anaunt). He then repaired it so unswer questions from the flappably that the audience very In his showboating moderator or the audience. nearly genuflected. flourish, he also, There’s a camera crew and mulBut I need scarcely enlarge upaccidentally, tiple cameras in the OR, to cap- amputated the fingers on the unholy combination that ture disparate POVs. It works is the itinerant celebrity surgeon of his assisting house particularly well for videoendowho hasn’t seen the patient presurgeon scopic, laparoscopic and angiooperatively, who has to take the graphic procedures, because, by night flight out, and the organisdefinition, they’re done by looking committee that has proming at a screen. The broadcasts, ised to relay six live cases increasingly, are on full 3D HD screens. back-to-back to a bloodthirsty audience.

There has been a lot of righteous indignaThen again, if truth be told, each one of tion expressed about the LSB, particularly after those Latin bylaws is violated (at least in part) a patient undergoing laparoscopic liver resec- in our teaching institutions where instruction tion at a live event in AIIMS died recently. Kum- in surgery is given to residents; particularly aran and Nundy’s critique is clear-eyed about when unsupervised residents operate in extrethe agenda of live surgery. In a sternly pre- mis in the middle of the night. That is just the scriptive way they pose the fundamental ques- nature of the beast. Surgical pedagogy is withtion upon which any discussion of the ethics out doubt ‘a conspiracy against the laity’. of live surgery should take place: is participaCuriously, it was Liston, in his waning years, tion in live surgical workshops harmful for who wrote this: ‘Surely the man to whose the patients? The four hallowed principles of hands and knife the living flesh of a fellowmedical ethics must be courted individually creature is to be submitted should expend in the course of answering that question. some trouble in acquiring that manual facility Voluntas aegroti suprema lex: recognising that, controlled by the higher mental qualithe patient’s autonomy and right to self-deter- ties, will conduce to his material safety.’ Amen. mination. The informed consent is a pliant asatwik@gmail.com thing. What could be described as the best, lat-

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All creatures small and wonderful Douglas Dewar’s book is a valuable addition to the library of anyone interested in our birds and everyday animals, and is a pleasure to revisit

Keita Muramatsu, president and CEO of Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India, the largest seller of scooters in the country reuters/b mathur

Pawan Munjal, chairman and MD of Hero Motocorp, the undisputed leader in the motorcycles market kamal narang Alpha personality Four chapters are devoted to babblers — this untidy, raucous, if affectionate clan

Divorcees doing wheelies k ananthan

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eavy-duty wildlifers (past and present) often give short shrift to the little folk — the small animals and birds that are so much more a part of our everyday lives than, say, tigers and elephants and rhinos. In the ‘old days’ (prior to Independence), and to a certain extent even afterwards, everyone lapped up the tales of Jim Corbett and Kenneth Anderson, who tangled with he thePatliputra big guys one-on-one.

But thankHonda dealership of fully for the folk, there were naturalists thelittle Japanese automaker in Patna is espousingbustling their cause well, and amongst withas activity.

People are the Britishqueuing civil servants were legion.

In to buythey the Activa — India’s this charming and handsome Douglas largest-selling scooter.

Young book, professionals Dewar (1875-1957), civilof servant, took and students formone the such majority the buyers, up their he have went out into the fieldthan and some ofcause: whom travelled more watched howHajipur, sparrows, white-eyes, 100km from Chhapra, Siwan coppersand othmiths, mugooses (sic),showrooms geese, squirrels, er places.

Across four in the babcity, blers, et al livedsells theirnearly lives out intwo-wheelers the vast, hot, the dealership 1,200 dusty subcontinent. a month and nearly two-thirds of these are This scooters. book contains enchantingHonda character Honda Not surprisingly, Mosketches of many of the birds and athe fewlargest small torcycle and Scooter India is now animals commonly encountered seller of scooters in the country. in India — though thataway, emerges (at least Hefor Just a the few picture kilometres at a Chandan city-dwellers) is that ininthose days thearea, countryro Service dealership Kankarbagh moside seemed more teachers accessibleand to torcycles arefar thecloser rage. and Farmers, human habitation than is now, and micro-entrepreneurs are it discussing the birds, maxisquirrels and mongooses werecan happy toon share mum discount that the dealer offer Hetheir residences (our bungalows) chhota ro’s motorcycles.

A farmer wants toand know if his hazris (especially toast)aswith us. But Splendor bike willbuttered last as long his father’s whether it is about bee-eaters tucking up Kufor did — 12 years.

Showroom executive Sujeet the theirbikes Machiavellian best, marnight, assertscorvids it will. at “Hero look macho.

Its rascally squirrels, also or those if noisy 90cc motorcycle lookssociable, like a 110cc mababblers, goescentre beyond descripchine. AndDewar its service nearmere my village in tion andisinto interpretations of behaviour.

Purnea efficient and reliable,” says another He was a trained naturalist and studied natfarmer, Vishnu Mandal. ural science Cambridge.

He was a creThis, then,in sums up the battle foralso supremaationist and founder of the Protest cy currently underway in Evolution the world’s twoMovement in London 1932.of He a wheeler capital: Honda isin ahead Heroheld in the healthy contemptwhile for ‘those [ornithologists] scooter segment, Hero is the undisputwho studyfor nature inside the museum with the ed leader motorcycles.

The erstwhile jointmicroscope and scalpel’ thanin‘those venture partners went forrather a divorce 2010who live have to observe birds infor theeach open and end and been gunning other’s

study their habits.’ animals lie doggo when being pursued). Many The text is thus peppered with potshots at other ground-dwelling birds which display the likes of Wallace and Darwin, as Dewar this behaviour — such as the lapwing and points out instance after instance where, ac- black-winged stilt — lay eggs which are stonecording to him, the theory of natural selection coloured and impossible to spot amidst the falls apart and is not sustainable. Incidentally, rocks and clods on the ground. it needs to be pointed out that both Wallace That apart, Dewar’s affection for our neighand Darwin arrived at their monumental con- bourly everyday birds comes shining through clusions after arduous field work — in differ- in the text and is a delight to encounter. I have ent corners the It’s globe — Lombok territory everofsince. a bitter divorce(if likeI always had a soft corner for babblers and, to urban population is gravitating towards globremember right) and the Galaany other, and the battle is one of equals — one al trends? “We myhave pleasant fourbrands chapseen surprise, that foreign pagos islands, respectively. is a master of Indian roads and the other is a have a certain ters are tosegment this untidy, pull in devoted the urban and Theretechnology are instances where global leader in Dethe two-wheeler we expect them raucous, affectionate clan. to beiffairly strong in the top war’s arguments seem to fall segment.

If Hero can topple Activa,Those it willdays be the There is a lot of satisfaction to 20-25 cities,” says Kumar Kandaswami, senior birds, apart themselves.

In but discussing an all-round winner; if Honda gets the bet- director be hadIndia. by taking a close look at at Deloitte squirrels and intelligence and ter of Splendor, Heroinstinct will havein to abdicate the evendominate the commonest birds of — These brands over a period mongooses were birds, heThe provides theisexample top slot. question who will blink first? crows, parakeets, mynas, babtime for several reasons: one, for the young, happy to share their of Honda the famous dis- in FY11, sold‘broken only 15 wing’ lakh units the hazris blers,buyer, et al it— isand checking outa first-time urban about making chhota play ground-nesting birds, inLast (especially first of year after the breakup. fiscal, it buttered your observations with statement. Two, theown perceived higher levels of this casesales the partridge.

Theunits, dis- trebling clocked of 42.6 lakh its those of naturalist writers, past sophistication in the product.

Three, increastoast) with us play serves distract a predator growth into four years.

“Our and may be — suringlypresent. defined There segmentation as from thehas location of chicks, hidgrowth been very satisfactoprises too: fact thatforstared opposed to aOne motorcycle coming in the ground. But Dewar ry and significant (since the me in theleisure face, which I hadn’t muting, biking grows rein then tells One us, of sometimes the breakup). the baromealised, was why many statebirds prominence as asolifestyle mother bird drags her ‘broken’ wing painfully, ters to assess performance is caused of spider silk as he ‘cement’ ment, adds. to hold or bind One is a master before the chicks have hatched. such pacity utilisation.

All our three ‘Under — it was Moreover, thealmost abilityde torigueur bring a Indian roadstheir and nests the together circumstances, it is nottoonly but posi-is a building factories are running full useless cacourse itresearched had to be:and it’s range Of of globally other global material. tively harmful since itYSprobably the leader pacity,” says a smiling Guleria, distracts stickierfor than tested any cement and six timesforeign stronproducts gives technology attention of the intruder toand her whitetwo-wheelers eggs. ger than steel! senior vice-president — sales brands an upper hand in the doThe feigning injury would thus appear to be marketing atof HMSI. Whether or not market. you agree with Dewar’s mestic a purely instinctive course Equally upbeat is act, RaviaSud, se- of behaviour viewpoint regarding natural selection, this As Guleria explains, “Globally, dictated by natural selection.’ nior vice-president and CFO at book is a valuable the library of Hondaaddition has beentoinvesting heaviAndMotoCorp. which, presumably, not in the best in- anyone interested Hero “We haveiswell our birds (and smallbeen anily in in technology.

We have terests the partridge itsdomestic progeny. motorThe ar- mals), over 50of per cent share inorthe and it(vehicles) can only for be hoped that three it encourinto racing more than decgument comes undone by the of just one ages cycle market and sold 66.3 lakhuse units in FY15, people to pen are down own ades. New technologies testedtheir in extreme word: ‘since it probably That’scomcon- observations our highest-ever annualdistracts…’ sales. In a highly andthe experiences. is far too conditions and learnings There transferred to jecture. it’s something petitive To andnitpick volatile(and market, we have notI just little informed, natural history vehicles used forpopular commuting.”

The resultswritare checked with Salim Ali): the eggs of partridges consolidated our leadership status, but also ing in a country as rich kaleidoscopic as top-selling products like and Activa and Dio. vary between pale cream, café he ausays. lait, and ours, expanded our global footprint,” theretracks are discoveries to be Honda made and Theand racing also enable to chocolate — and are not white. Also, a predator documented doorstep. come up withoutside vehiclesevery that offer good mileage is usually Stylish andmuch sturdymore attracted to a moving, and safety. Its mono-suspension technology is lal is an author, environmentalist and it in Inostensibly target than something But is thatstruggling enough in a market like India, ranjit a case in point.

Honda first introduced lying onaspirations the groundare (which why some wherestill rural risingisfast and the bird-watcher dia in its Unicorn motorcycle in 2004. The

Formerly joint-venture partners, the Japanese Honda and the home-grown Hero now try to outrace each other in the world’s largest two-wheeler market

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mono-suspension replaced the trim suspension at the rear, leading to improved handling and balance.

the competition from Honda.

“Indian companies have to develop a range of products to compete with foreign brands and create a differentiated brand perception,” Learning from scratch says Kandaswami.

Meanwhile, Hero is not sitting quiet either. For Yet, if global branding is Honda’s strength, 26 long years, it was dependent on partner the ability to reach every nook and corner of Honda for design and technology. Suddenly, it India is Hero’s plus point. “The cost structure has had to invest big bucks on R&D and new that domestic players have mastered and the product development, as it cannot survive networks they have created and their reach with refreshes for long. Besides setting up a are immense. They are typically the first set of ₹450-crore R&D centre in Kukas, near Jaipur, it wheels anyone buys, and the fact that they are has tied up with Italian twopresent across the country wheeler design firm Engines Enmakes them strong players. They gineering and bought 49 per are able to maintain strong cent stake in US motorcyclebrand recall by virtue of commuIndia is a large maker Erik Buell Racing (EBR). geography. It will take nicating with the market for a However, with EBR shutting oplong time,” Kandaswami adds. time to reach every erations in recent times, it is unHero’s sales and service netnook and corner clear what technological work now has more than 6,000 advantage Hero can get from the customer touch-points, includbankrupt company. ing authorised dealerships and “Since charting our solo jouroutlets for service and spare ney in 2011, we have brought a number of parts. “We keep adding more outlets to this products with industry-first features carrying network,” says Sud. On the other hand, Honda Hero-patented technology and innovation,” added 1,000 outlets last year and plans 800 says Sud. He cites the Splendor iSmart technol- more this year. ogy, developed in-house, which automatically “India is a large geography. It will take time cuts the engine when idling and restarts with to reach every nook and corner, as we don’t a simple press of the clutch, thereby offering want to compromise on quality (of partnermore mileage in congested cities. The compa- ships),” says Guleria. ny claims a mileage of 102.5km per litre for this model.

Country roads beckon But this is just the beginning. Hero has to The key to Honda’s success now definitely lies consistently bring in newer products to beat in conquering rural India, which brings in a

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Ravi Sud, senior vice-president and CFO, Hero MotoCorp

little over a quarter of its revenues. Rival Hero gets half its revenues from rural sales. Over the years, it has penetrated deep into the hinterland on the back of initiatives like Service Har Jagah (SHJ), where customers can get their bikes serviced in their own villages instead of travelling to nearby towns. Over 1,100 specially-designed Hero MotoCorp motorcycles, fitted with customised boxes, move across the country for the SHJ camps.

“There is a fair amount of investment that home-grown brands have made and it will stand them in good stead. Foreign brands have to figure out a way to deal with the markets beyond the top cities,” says Kandaswami.

In 2012, Honda embarked on a new approach to create a differentiated brand identity for the masses. In rural areas, it came up with wall paintings, road shows and even nukkad nataks (street plays) to promote the Honda wing mark — to emphasise that Honda is separate from Hero.

“We knew there was confusion in semi-urban areas and the hinterland. After our campaigns, there was a significant jump in awareness and this helped us accelerate our entry,” says Guleria.

As things stand, both Hero and Honda need to change gears — the former has to expand its product portfolio while the latter must find ways to connect better with the hinterland.

With time, the market will evolve and, as logistics and communication improve, the lines between urban and rural markets may get blurred. “What is impossible today may not be much of a challenge in some years from now.

As affluence spreads to rural markets, they may want a product not just for commuting but also for lifestyle,” says Kandaswami. And whoever can provide those products faster will race ahead.

One for the village road The sales pitch at a Honda motorcycle showroom at Ramgard in Alwar district, Rajasthan. The manufacturer gets a little over a quarter of its revenues from the rural market

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And she plays her story Another false start STATES OF MATTER

A Mangai’s Acting Up explores theatre’s tryst with gender A meeting between the Indian and Pakistani Prime Ministers became the prelude to a fresh bout of ceasefire violations and angry exchanges

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n July 10, the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan met on the sidelines of a multilateral summit in Russia while top diplomats conjured up a joint statement and a commitment to resume talks. Perhaps they were anticipating the mood of an imminent Bollywood release, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, where a man of almost saintly goodness works a miracle, spiking guns on both sides of a bristling border and calling forth a rousing display of people’s power. In the real world, the magic evaporated within hours. India was insistent on avoiding any reference to Kashmir in the joint statement. Pakistan yielded to the extent of putting that part of the conversation under the term “all outstanding issues”. But they did not let that stand too long.

Explaining the intent of the meeting three days later, Sartaj national security advisTheatre for change Groups like Theatre Union (left) performed outdoor playsAziz, highlighting dowry and sexual harassment; A Mangai’s Aanmai O Aanmai critiques the Dravidian movement from a gender-based point of view s james er to the Pakistan Prime Minister, designated to start talks with Indian counterpart Ajit Doomen in cinema, artistes val, clarified that it took place at as India’s re- together, to outline what hasn’t really been placed in a ghetto; for others, it is precarious andofsubjects, is now a topic of recognised. It began with my Fulbright in to assert feminism while being in an industry quest, in a context “growing international much foreign discussion.

The same, 2004 when I was away from India, and that’s that is yet to embrace it; and perhaps for the support for Pakistan’s policy stance”. cannot said theat- when the similarity in the work of many prac- rest, being in a liberal social milieu makes it No dialogue washowever, imminent, just abe preliminary re. A Mangai’s tracestensions. the history of titioners unravelled. It was a book waiting to less immediate to articulate a feminist standengagement toActing reduceUp mutual A diato square one In a joint statement after the Ufa meeting — “Many Pakistanof insisted it tookbegan place atwith India’sa politiwomen/feminist in India.

“Thison book is Back logue could thentheatre conceivably begin matbe written,” she says. point. my peers pti/manvender any reference to Kashmir being ancal issue of bilateralbut interest a conversation,” says Mangai, after the launch ters of bilateral interest, including “the core request Akin—toIndia theavoided approaches in gender studies, intention, moved away. Ivashist had a similar in Chennai recently.

“It is a dialogue between the book brings together work of issue of Jammu and Kashmir”. beginning but sustained because I theatre practitioners and women’s groups, be- rative Soon afterwards, the guns opened up along women under rubricsculpability. such as about Pakistani the from rest 2013, of my social Doval is alsofound on record before he tween activistsThe andcustomary artistes. More importantly, ‘Revisiting the frontier.

Independence ‘NegotiaA certainMyths,’ frustration has been evident in re- assumed his current worldcharge, less liberal,” she says. with the comit is exchange an attemptoftosweets legitimise the genre of cent Day between border tionsmonths, with including Classicalin the declaration by ment that if Pakistan Talking were to doof“one social more women’s theatre.” guards did not take place. And in his address home Texts,’ minister and ‘Female Im- Singh on July 31 that Mumbai”, it would “lose Rajnath worlds, an important Balochistan”.

This book marks the ’80s the decade “Hindutva” onThe the occasion, Pakistan’s HighasCommissionpersonation.’

They are was a distraction from passed without serious play terrorism of Mangai’s comment in Indiathat but where the organised women’s movements led the er in Delhi, Abdul Basit very pointedly undermainly attempts singular focus at required to deal with cur- since Doval’s appointment doesn’t to a find key mention national to a search for expression in commitment theatre. ‘Theatre lined his country’s undying to rent recovering re- Unsurprisingly, this led security position, has been security or threats. in the book isacross Aanblazoned for Kashmir social change’ the cause. was the zeitgeist; Janam’s to imagining histori- of the circumstances in the border and condemned a fresh excavation mai Aanmai (Maas aOdeclaration of Aurat, Theatre Union’s Om Swaha, and India’s Deputy High Commissioner in Jyoti Isla- which cal figures to give and others, including a ill-intent. And then came another Aseemanand cho O Macho), which brazen case Mhapsekar’s Mulgi Zali Ho (A Girl is Born) awere mabad, JP Singh, was meanwhile having bu- serving them agency since Army intelligence officer, Colonel Shri- of misspeaking at the highest critiques Dravilevel,the with depopular plays that explored of dowry, sy month, summoned no themes fewer than five kant history has were rarelycharged with terrorism.

Purohit, movement fence minister Manohar dian Parrikar’s avowal in sexual to harassment and education of girls. times the Pakistan Foreign Office toVenbe been From An her-story. explanation after a fashion has been of- May that the best way ofTamil Nadu from neutralising terror-a ues were mostly outdoor or and ap- fered served stern demarches onmakeshift; matters ranging the austere Manimeby a former intelligence operative, RSN ism was through terrorism gender-based of anotherpoint order.of proaches to performances varied, asof they from the border firing to the extension bail Singh, kalai to thehas bold and who since retirement view.

ManyTariq leaders of Early this month, Khosa, intended not only to create awareness but also from for terrorism-accused Swami Aseemanand. irreverent bard found Avvai,his politactive duty the movement couched retired director-general of Pakisstir and awaken.

Aditi Desai’s work in Gujarat Responding to a like summons in Delhi on Au- ical playwrights moorings have in thechalHindutva the issue of language, tan’s Federal Investigation Agen-a is worth special mention. moved to pogust 16, Basit accused India Desai of no fewer than 70 right. lengedPurohit’s notions around femimission, Singh political then, in cy, deeply wrote an op-ed one in Karachi’s litical theatre hesitantly but worked with wrote, ceasefire violations in two months. ninity was andto womanhood

by Pakistan had found in Dawn, infiltrate Islamic gendered terms. was prourging his Hindi government to women in the tribal areas of the Sabarkantha and terror Whatever may have been prime-minisadapting these stories to stage. outfits and follow all jected as Draupadi, the one to acbe respond to the demand for Swami Aseemanand Panchmahal.

The agencies plays were staged under terial intentions, down the line in available What istrails on stage is also a reto their benefacdisrobed or compared to a 2008 prostion against the Mumbai the perfect weapon Acting Up moonlight withwere no paraphernalia toproblems jazz it up. tors both countries clearly having flection of that which behind in Pakistan.

“The is Colonel”, titute. Tamil waswould accorded the culprits.

Yet, what normalfor countering every A factor hindering Gender and Theatre in Desai integrated tribal getting on board. And forpractices India, thewith efforteleto wrote it. ‘Women talks inof Singh,Performers’ “is a legitimate status of the respected wife, and ly have been read in Indian demarche involving the recognition of India, 1979 onwards mentsdown of modern theatre and tookfrom up health, speak to a pesky neighbour a pos- telligence the challenges womenNo have had operative… intelliEnglishasthe desired courtesan.

It media a damaging mea culpa, Zakiur Rahman A Mangai feminist theatre as LeftWord education and ascendancy human rights issues to ensure ture of moral was proving diffi- gence to face agency to prevailissues and create in written was a demanding says Manpassed with merelyplay, a few cursory Lakhvi and other a genre has been Non-fiction practical solutions for women in villages. In- orders cult to sustain. the world of theatre. of It intelliis also in pursuance gai, not The onlyreason because it was dementions. simply suspects in the 2008 resistance from ₹495 advertently, herfound approach addedAseemanand to the reper- gence Pakistan had in Swami sensitive to the The dynamics of operations. entire sysnounced ruling party the that the the article made a of much terror attack practitioners toireperfect of theatre practice. the weapon for countering every de- tem class,iscaste how basedand oncontext, trust andand faith.

It time, but alsothat as some of her closlarger case: Pakistan had themselves However, this seamless link between marche involving Zakiur Rahman Lakhvitheatand is they experiences.

“When yetshape to be established howI est friends andfrom colleagues were much to gain cooperation re andsuspects activism wasn’t Mangai other in the fully 2008exploited. terror attack in much got dropped home at 11 pmisorbe12 disconnect there committed to the investigations, movement. in the Mumbai says, “Those ought be fellow travellers Mumbai.

Outwho on bail fortoclose to a year, Asee- tween am after there were therehearsals, legitimate and illegitiDifferences disagreement since it could and demand reciprocin art andis politics end up not always so;in dismanand one among several accused a mate all these prying eyes in during my the course ity in the Samjhauta activities of the officer with colleagues an essential Expressare investigations, daining andincluding demanding to be of string ofcultural terroristwork, attacks, theit2007 neighbourhood.

I used to make sure whoever the his duty.” partinsurgency of theatre, in and especially activist theatre, Balochistan and ending the of simple functional relevanceExpress is disheartenfire-bombing of the Samjhauta which dropped metelling had alocutions, word with my husband.

These are especially the ca- sustenance which Mangai practises. However, of terrorism in Karachicriticising and the ing to68, its mostly practitioners who are convinced of sual killed Pakistani civilians.

Liberal is not something that just admission of “legitimate andemerges; illegiti- Federally one aspect does not mean entire moveAdministered Tribalthe Areas. itsDevelopments fundamental political importance.”

Was mate” in Kashmir and its near you build it through methods beingyour usednegotiations,” in intelligenceManand ment wrong. statement rings proThis is was a clearThis statement, in other words, this gulf the impetus for the book?

Shesecurity admits the neighbourhood, meanwhile, had the gai says.

However, hinderingbetween the rec- that possibility of a afactor “disconnect” foundly It isofperhaps what is missing in thetrue. policy mutually inflicting pain, part of it in didoverdrive stem from herthe own trajectory — these, agencies and media falling ognition of feminist theatre a genre has which suggests the equalasprobability of with our understanding of criticism today. no thought of gain for either side, And has from on a left/activist to theatre. back the drill ofbackground blaming every breachShe of abeen resistance from on practitioners them“connect”.

Intelligence both sides may, in- gone that ison the biggest takeaway from the book. long enough. perceives this move a gradual extension, peace on Pakistan.

Butas factual challenges were deed, selves.have Theyfrequently refrainedbreached from being labelled the dividing niharika muralidharan mallimadugulaisisana independent Chennai-based writer not a resignation from mainstream activism. quick to emerge, posing some difficulties for lines ‘feminist’ and preventing, there are reasons for it. and For sukumar between pre-empting freelance writerbased in Gurgaon and Shimla researcher “The impetus to bring body of work India’s effort towas maintain anthis unwavering nar- provoking some beingterror called a woman director is to be and attacks. sukumar muralidharan

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In character I believe in good acting, not a car, says young Telugu actor Krishna Madhav sipping chai at an Irani cafe kishor krishnamoorthi

The Fortune Star With the Telugu film industry grappling with an infinite supply of newcomers but no demand for them, the ‘strugglers’ do all they can for that one elusive hit — from conjuring up the perfect title for themselves to creating the most likeable social media image to breaking plates with the jet set

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“T Doctor is in… the bedroom he chimp isn’t returning my calls,” says Madhav, putting the phone down. Krishna Madhav is a young Telugu actor looking for a ticket to herodom. The release date of his debut feature, Hrudayam Ekkadunnadi (Where is my Heart?), is drawing near. And he needs to drive crowds into the theatres. Madhav’s PR team has hit upon an idea. The talk of the town is a man in a monkey suit whose short films have gone viral on YouTube. The plan was for him to hit malls and sing along to songs from the film. But the monkey has been having second thoughts. He has claimed his brand will suffer — and has spurned Madhav’s calls.

Today both Chiranjeevi’s and Nagarjuna’s sons are in the fray. Some stood on their own strengths. For example, Chiranjeevi’s brother, Pawan Kalyan has carved out a unique image for himself while Mahesh Babu, despite being Krishna’s son, also went through the cycle of hits and flops before establishing himself as the ‘Prince’ — as his fans call him.

Nonagenarian sexpert Mahinder Watsa had all the answers all these years. Now these have found their way into a book and even inspired a film on him

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eanwhile, Madhav and his team are brainstorming on a title that should prefix his name. This is important if you want to marriage has not been consummated because be around for the long run. It all began with the bride is afraid,” he says. “I explain to her Nataratna NTR and Natasamrat ANR. Their that the vagina is made of elasticated rings sons inherited these titles — Yuvaratna for Ba- that can expand to allow a baby’s head to pass lakrishna and Yuvasamrat for Nagarjuna. The through. Sometimes the men are not knowlhat was two years ago. But Madhav is still problem now: Everything cool has been taken. edgeable enough and do it in a painful way. I just another of the new wave of actors tryMega Star is Chiranjeevi, Power Star is Pa- counsel the man to indulge in more foreplay ing to break into the Telugu film industry. In- wan Kalyan. This has continued to the next to ease intercourse.” formally called Tollywood, it has nearly 250 generation — Chiranjeevi’s son has a prefix refUnrealistic expectations and negative body releases every year, with total grosses exceed- erencing both his father and uncle, hence images fuel a whole range of anxieties. “Woming ₹1,000 crore at the box office.

Mega Power Star Ram Charan. Others take up en write asking how to increase breast size, beIn days of yore, strugglers got off a ‘red bus’ adjectivals like Stylish Star Allu Arjun or Mass cause unattractive.

I inform them Bowledthey over feel Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao or NTR, — namely, a rural service, took a room in a bas- Maharaja Raviteja. Prabhas, the hero of Baahu- that the on purpose of the is who went to become chiefmammary minister, wasglands the leading man of by ’50sthe Tollywood and and continues have thi, and travelled every day to the studios, hop- bali, is Young Rebel Star as his uncle Krishnam not affected bust size they to should mohd their arif a cult following on ing to get a role as an extra and then work Raju was the original Rebel Star. Down the lad- concentrate assets instead,” Watsa their way to the top. der, character artists get names like Fish Ven- says. “I see this in men. One judge came to me That organic process is long over. The ‘strug- kat or Vizag Prasad foisted on them.

Naidu’s son to Balakrishna’s daughter because he could not stop himself goingmeans to sex glers’ of today are the sons, nephews, cousins, “We were thinking of Maverick Star or For- workers a new dynasty in the offing.

Naidu’s because nephew just tois fondle their breasts, brothers and brothers-in-law of stars and pro- tune Star. But all this only after I deliver a hit,” his Nara Rohit already beenIaasked hero him for some wife washas small-breasted. why ducers. They do yoga classes, spend long hours says Madhav. Why fortune? “Good fortune for he years now.consider this while marrying her… didn’t at top gyms, have personal method acting producers who put their money on me,” he HeThe launches elaborate productions.

Rey said he wasare busy studying and left the coaches, and drive BMWs. says with a laugh. with Sai Dharam Tej had a choice to his(2015) parents.”

To understand this transition, we have to This need to differentiate and a producWhile onebudget sectionofof₹30 thecrore population is ignostep back to the origins of the industry. Eco- oneself is understandable. tionsection time ofthinks three years, withitlocarant, a larger it knows all. nomic growth was fuelled by abundant agri- Currently Tollywood is experitions ranging New Jerseypill to “There’s abuse of the from morning-after cultural yields in the fertile Krishna and encing the reverse of peak oil — the hero in being student (which cause abortion the afirst few The ‘strugglers’ of canJamaica, Godavari districts. The key breakthrough was infinite supply and no de‘Bob Marley College’. irregular ingestion of contraceptoday are theweeks) sons, andof when improvements in irrigation allowed mand. Earlier, newcomers no instances guarantees, tives,” he says.There “There are are more of nephews, cousins, three crops of rice in a year. It is said that one were restricted to the scion of though.

Tarak Ratna, one of NTR’s premarital sexual activity now than when I brothers and harvest would be for personal consumption, each major house — but now launched with 12 started, most times was the onus of protection brothers-in-law of butgrandsons, the second harvest for saving and the third almost everyone in the family muhurat shots in is left to thesimultaneous male partner, who will rely on the stars and producers harvest would be invested in a film. is jumping into the act.

But changed withdrawal2003. method (or,everything as in one misguided It was from this rice bowl that the duumviFor example, from Chiranonce Bhadradri Ramudu (2004) attempt, take thehis morning-after pill himself).”

Heavy Watsa, seeing the wryTaraka side of passion paulhouse, noronha after his son and rate ofpetting TeluguMahinder filmdom — Nandamuri jeevi’s hit Dr theatres.

The website Idlebrain “I would say Watsa is a feminist,” says SinRama Rao or NTR and Akkineni Nageswara nephew Allu Arjun, there are it as in “a typical story that ha, whose described film is now post-production r Mahinder Watsainlives the sea in variations Rao or ANR — was formed theby 1950s.

Then in the questions.

The documentary several more nephews — Allu Sirish, Varun Tej stage happens village-smart boy and andbetween readying for film festivals in west2016.

Mumbai. bikes and on is came Krishna in the Parked ’60s andon ’70s.

Chiranjeevi very about manallbehind the deco- “His and Sai much Dharam Tej — the who’ve made their ern-haughty girl withwomen a aunt-challenge backattitude towards is open-minded. the footpath hisall house are lumn,” ruled the roost after that.below Till then, the stars says Sinha in a telephonic interview. but recently.

Collectively, they are called the It drop to it”. It toexploded the box office, felt shocking see this inatthe mainstream.” samplings of began the ilk to that sends with him ‘Mega were self-made.

Things change Films about sexuality and reproductive dropping Family’. thedoctor curtain on Ratna’s career.extendWhat the ordered included questions hormonal by canoodling couples, the second—generation; the ’80s, NTR had health are Mumbai-raised Sinha’s fortenever and ed foreplay, putting her orgasm first and physThe combination of politics and film, who mighthis write to him fewhis weeks launched son urgently Balakrishna and aANR son passion.

Having to led New in ical far apart in southmoved India, has to York moreCity potenMadaffection scientistoutside at call the bedroom in the form later about missed periods, the side-effects of 2005, Nagarjuna. she stumbled upon Watsa’s columns of tial debutants.

The marriage of Chandrababu With so manyordebutants, how canand onecaring break massages bathing together, excessive masturbation or whether lemon during one of her research projects. “I had left and through the clutter?

Telugus themselves sharing.

“Women go pride through many juice can be a contraceptive. On the phone India by the time his columns were publish- stages,” on having solutions every issue.when I headthe to heIT explains.

“Iffor a girl is born with him is a 61-year-old asking what he can ed... I found that this is where people were ask- family ‘Whacked Out Media’, whose website assures is expecting a boy, there’s that first retake to prolong his erection. And how often he ing questions without any shame... basic jection. me that Then they have mad-scientist’ the an fear‘honest, and ignorance surcan take it. questions about sexuality and its anxieties. rounding approach menstrual to Digital Image or cycles…Management trauma of the In a country that shies away from discuss- His way of communication — addressing the first DIM.sexual I am encounter... ushered into the office of menoKunal dryness during ing sex, in the school or home, there’s Dr Wat- query in a few lines, with clarity, was also pause Wadhwa, a VPmakes of business development. which intercourse painful, but sa. The questions have piled up rapidly during unique,” she says. start?would “We need theWhere libidoshould is high.aAnewcomer skilled partner use his decade-long stint as the Sexpert at the comHis body of work also threw a singular light atolubricant get you here.” onto the feeds,” he explains, “nopact newspaper Mumbai Mirror — 20,000 on female sexuality. For instance, while a good body searches or even typesabout in anything.

Watsa has been talking sex longThey bequeries in all, according to editor Meenal 70-80 per cent of the questions see something the newsfeed and click. fore iton became acceptable to do so, Baghel, and many of these have found their are about masturbation, only That’s it.” Hethrough reels offthe statistics they manage free-sex— revolution of way into his recently released book It’s Normal. 3-5 per cent is about female 250 celebs, the have over Twitter, Facebook ’60s, the800 licentiousness of the The bizarreness of the questions and his masturbation. “Teachers and and Instagram accounts.

As he talks henow pecks decades that followed, and in He fears thatatmany matching wry wit have earned him cult status. parents tell me that girls mimhis phone.

“I’m a member of 165 talk WhatsApp the internet era where about suicides by hanging When a man asked whether it was okay to ic sexual activity like rubbing groups”. The groups him, the celeb birds andconsist bees areofseemingly irrelare actually have sex with Ramila the goat, Watsa replied, their thighs together while, and the celeb’s manager.

This is where the disevant.

“Sometimes, adolescents masturbation ‘Why don’t you ask Ramila whether she would say, watching a film; there is litcussions take place on what toitpost next. know more about than parents. experiments gone like it?’ Yet another wanted to know if he tle knowledge about this outWhat turns a proto-celeb into a to star?

“Tothis be This is an opportunity turn wrongvery commercial could squeeze a few drops of lemon juice into let. Much later on, they may use has tolearning be an element of into athere positive experihis partner’s vagina as an emergency contra- a foreign object,” he says. But fantasy, because starparents,” is larger than life.” ence the for the he says. ceptive, to which the untiring obstetrician there are no terrifying myths One of their successful camHe most has been sued forDIM vulgarity and gynaecologist — whose 60-year career in- around it, like in the case of paigns is Kajal Agarwal, whose page has 17 milmore than once. cludes stints in private practice, the Family male masturbation (promptlion likes. “WeAt shared lots ofsigning, candid pics: Kajal his book he sold a Planning Association of India, and as health ing a flood of nervous enquiries about poten- few at the temple, withthat her most parents, etcetera. copies andKajal was told sales would expert for readers of Femina, Flair and Fantasy tial loss of energy/ sperm reserve/ hair/ sight/ happen With thelater, big guys, they whenyou the can’t olderdo lotthat, could slipare in — shot back, ‘Are you a bhelpuri-wallah? Use a concentration). He fears that many suicides by unnoticed up there,” he explains.

“You don’t want to deto make a purchase. condom next time.’ hanging are actually masturbation experi- mystify them.”

A plaque overlooking the 91-year-old doctor Such is his fame that New York-based film- ments gone wrong. newcomer, he says sweaty picture in in For his astudy says, “Bless mea unto usefulness.” maker Vaishali Sinha is now making a docuThe wedding night is another wellspring of That a gym willhas do been better than a portfolio shot. desire fulfilled. mentary on him. “While you can broadly insecurities and fears of pain. “Sometimes Wadhwa suggests a caption — ‘Cardio 45 mins parekh a Mumbai-based categorise problems, Revolving door Power equations flip dizzyingly. One moment Madhav isthe plaintive and the there next theare bosslimitless kishor krishnamoorthi couples come to me after a year, saying their mitali Woohoo!

Whoisis at the gym columnist today guys?’ “It

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FILM FATALE

It’s not just Bollywood, stupid!

Language propagandists or a lazy media? Who floated the myth that the Hindi film industry aka Bollywood is India’s only — or largest — film industry?

anna mm vetticad

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apki yeh karambhoomi Bambai hai. Aapka Kurukshetra ka maidan Mumbai hai (Bombay is the land where you will work, Mumbai is your battlefield),” he declared to listening students of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune. The speaker was actor Mukesh Khanna. The comment came during a recent panel discussion on NDTV India about Gajendra Chauhan’s selection as FTII chairperson.

Why did Khanna assume that the students’ karambhoomi would be Mumbai? Did he not think these youngsters would, could or should work in any of the other dozen-plus Indian language cinemas emerging from centres located across the country?

Sincerely The fanschief of Tollywood give their lives to actors who have become stars; here they wait for the gates to open for Baahubali gn rao Khannayours — current of thewill Children’s Film Society India — sidestepped my annoyance as a fellow panelist. Not surprising. As he has to haveduring a Call tothe Action,” The target happens when you meet a producer? “The first ducers like to keep you waiting outside the struggled showhe tosays. name Dadasademographic, urban youth are fuelled bydirecthis. thing he wants is the budget breakdown,” office. Or not take a call until you’ve called heb Phalke Award-winning Malayalam is not impressed whenhim I explain torMadhav Adoor Gopalakrishnan, calling “Gopal Madhav says, “he is not so interested in the sto- about 10-20 times. “A producer told me he althis strategy to him.

“I need a f***** hit,knows not a ry but has his own equations on how to recov- ways does this to test the director’s stamina, Adoor” instead, it became clear that he Bigithero, bigfield.” f***** Twitter he snaps. and/or caresaccount,” little about Indian cinema be- er the money”. because you need a lot of in this bucks Rajinikanth is yond the Mumbai-based Hindi film industry As we talk, I get a sense of déjà vu. I’ve seen What tips can he give a newcomer? He reportedly India’s up Madhav and we decide to talk while this scene before. This café was used as a loca- thinks for a moment: highest-paid akacall Bollywood.

“Observe auto actor drivers he around for his appointments. tion in Madhav’s film — for a scene where he when they demand extra. the hindu archives He is is driving not a solitary example.

They are natural “How doescinema the car is look?” is hisBollywood. first question.

Indian not just Try sees the heroine for the first time. While I pon- actors.”

I’m notthat surethough what he means.

It’s a mid-segtelling to the vast sections of the der thisin Baudrillardian hyper-reality, conspoken more states than Telugu andheTamil.

Nothing exemplifies this bias better than over JubileeFilm Hills.Awards Madhav ment “Does itthough look battered? it tinues, publicsedan.

— especially, not only,Does those “A movie is like a wedding I don’t the vening Now combine Bollywood’s laudable—marketcoveragefalls of the National by callsTV up, he is in In thewhat neighbourhood, at a look he asks.

This linethe of enquiry puzzles fromold?” northern India — and supposedly ‘na- think there here is anyand wedding mankind’s his- English ing efforts abroadinwith the underchannels. is now an annual bistro.tiny An entire overlooking a me.

“People are headquartered f***** me up,” he in says.

“Change tional’ media Delhi and tory came within plannedlanguage budget. theme handwhich success of the Hindi ritual, every awardcliff-side to a Hindi film or star has beenwhile modelled look like a Cretan your car, change your car. a hero now, So Mumbai who casually useYou theare terms “Indian the producer needs knowwell whether we lake propagandists who havetolearnt from this is headlined, majortoawards such as Best windmill turns slowly in the still air. people shakes “Bollywood” his head. “I say cinema”will andjudge”.

“HindiHe cinema”/ in- can get attributed what we want within the budget.” theory to Hitler’s minister Joseph village.

Film areAdownplayed if they don’t go to Bollynetsmore are hung out to dry.press A boatignores lies on f*** that s***.” He turns and they givesatmeleast one acof Goebbels: A lie repeated a million times be- Fishing terchangeably.

Sometimes wood. The the ‘national’ side in the gravel.

TheBollywood, whitewashthe is striped those 1,000-watt that they have to knowledge the smiles existence of allwhat is The complete packageTheir efforts have en- its comes the truth. industries other than more distance, the spires of Cyberamaster, “I believetermed in good “regional acting, not acinema”; car.” patronisingly Even if thereanother can be a gap of twoinyears between with blue. In the trenched myth they help increase Bollywood’s night while falls, the place We finallynot stop at that. a coffee shop Banjara sometimes even Sadly, thein rest of the releases, Madhavconsciousness: doesn’t take it easy. He rat- bad glitter. Asmarket Indian public alsowhole furthering the light of Chinese Hills. usually catch Madhav in the interstitial tles worldI is picking up this vocabulary. his schedule: “Kick-boxing the off myth that Hindi is the na- in the morn- transforms. Under the impression that it is —lanwe partytovenue Hyderaspaces — between withmisconceppotential ing.

So what has led tomeetings the common Then Bikramwhen yoga.inInfact theInevening I have terns it becomes tional language, comea back that — for India’s only Smaller industries are an intersection politics producers, potentialisdirectors and potential tion that Bollywood India’s only — or largest dance practice acting exercises.” What do bad’s jet set — film dia has no and constitutionally industry or of thefilm, largest one. treated as intellectual andAnd realsoestate that the drives the co-producers.

He The explains hislies modus — film industry? answer in a operannear-in- they entail?national “My coach gives me designated language. we have bizarre footnotes (example: city.

On Friday nights di.

“Ninety-eight cent of Telugu films are vincible cocktail per of political propaganda, pa- characters, and Icircle. have English to play It’s a vicious phenomenon of an they entitysomethat Satyajit Ray) times have the plate-breaking flops nowadays,” he starts off. “If the budget is each rochialism, historical happenstance, media characterand for aTVweek.

Try to newspapers channels calls itself InternationalparInties.

Madhav tells approme, ₹3-5 crore, should be something different. be laziness anditmarketing. somebody else.

For example, headquartered in India’s politidian Film Academy (IIFA) “1,000-1,500 plates“Indian can film” get People arethree not accepting mediocre content.

It there India’s largest film industries — Hindi, might beDelhi Arjunand who is cal capital New compriating the term When you hear ‘all minutes.” annual has be Telugu a concept-oriented film.

Routine Tamiltoand — have rivalled each other flamboyant and Mumbai spontaneous, mercial capital are the best’, you know it smashed to holdina10 travelling Is this meet the profilms for earliest routine talking disaster.” since are theheading days of the films. Ac- Alex who doesn’t much,than toisthe physically closer tospeak Bollywood awards function for where Hindi you films.

Equally binotTahappening ducers andchief directors, I ask. “Some Madhav’s confidence stems from cording to Ashish Rajadhyaksha and his Paul“360Wil- but when he does peoplebased get in Chennai zarre was then mil and Telugu industries Delhi minister Sheila arewhile veryaddressing posh — they degree — he got his as Cinema, an assistant lemen’sview” Encyclopaedia of start Indian the scared.” and Hyderabad, respectively. As is the norm Dikshit’s fauxdirectors pas in 2012 the offices infilm Manikonda or her Sridirector in in a couple Mahesh Babu (his cou- with first talkie each ofofthese languages — Alam I meet his journalism, coach Bavani Ganti, all lazy what is closer is given audience at have the Cinefan festival in nagar Colony, they ask you to sin) films. His eyes light up: “‘Babu vostunnaAra — (Hindi-Urdu), Kalidas (Tamil) and Bhakta in yetimportance. another coffee shop, the more city: Indian cinema had completed a century there.

NRIchose people say ru (he is (Telugu) coming)’, the cry goes around Prahlada — were all made in 1931. the next day. This time just opposite the FilmnaBesides, most of these media houses have come that year, butWhile Dikshit to generally term it “100 Park. Other directors pick anBachIrani studio.

Everyone onHindi, their toes.

Asand soonTelugu as ac- gar In other areas is too, Tamil temple. who will direct in Hyatt north IndianGanti, owners and/or editorsMadhav who tend years or of The Bollywood”.

Last year, Amitabh they don’t feel real inspeech hi-fi places.” tion is called, he surrenders to the camera. run neck-and-neck.

Annual reports of the Cen- his next film,Indian emerges fromasathe meeting a café to see north culture Indianwith norm chanasdelivered a 25-minute purportedare“Indian interrupted by the chime of an inAnd with cut, he isCertification back to being a superstar. tral Board of Film show that 206 producer.

“Producers say regions ‘tell me are the deemed story in ly We while traditions of other about cinema” at the International SMS. of HeIndia shows to me — of ‘Good Night The way he sits,were the presence projects — ev- two Hindi features certified he in 2011, followed lines.’ When narratehire it, the producer exceptions.

Most,you therefore, critics to re- coming Film Festival initGoa. Out the scores dayfilms I getand twopersonalities messages from this erything in a fraction of a second.” closely bychanges Telugu with 192 and Tamil at 185. The must feel safe. They all thefilms, elements — Sir’. view Bollywood and want Hollywood invest and “Every scores of he cited ‘good morning’ andnot ‘good night.’”

Who is The power flip dizzyingly. previous year’sequations figures: Hindi: 215, Tamil:Min202, when a hero punches, Bollywood 10 people reportage, must fly”. guy, resources in extensive though, only four were from Bollywood. metCentral him at government a function. Heprepares is a Mahesh Bautes after to convince producer Telugu: 181.trying The costliest Indian afilm till dateto is How can you telland if the meeting has to gone well he?As“Ithe and treat Telugu Tamil as asides be occato celefan.Hindi He got my number and called me once. part with aBahubali few crores, goesfilm on into or reportedly fromMadhav the Telugu not? He smiles, “When you hear ‘all the bu sionally acknowledged for exotica (example: brate Week in September, it is worth askanswered it’s been likeisthat Fans meet directorsAsdesperately to best’, dustrywannabe aka Tollywood. per mediatrying speculayou it is not Rajinikanth’s happening”. cut-outs Iing: visuals of know fans bathing if yourand karambhoomi notsince.”

Mumbai’s such that “ifdoes youitreciprocate, catch a break.

What do you look for when a di- inOur tion, Tamil film legend Rajinikanth is India’s punctuated by the are milk)conversation or when that is rare, heavily promoted, Hindi cinema, not count?they give you rector approaches highest-paid actor. you? I ask. “I prefer direc- sound of bells from the nearby Scripts tentpole project comes aroundtemple. (example: Ba- their life.” tors with one strong idea which they Hindi’s distinct advantage over thebelieve other are sentSmaller here forindustries special poojas before produchubali). are treated as intel- anna mm vetticad is the author of The Adventures unudurti is a Hyderabad-based t@annavetticadwriter of an Intrepid Film Critic in, make otherssince believe it.” What twoand is inwho terms of reach the in language is tion starts.

Ganti (example: goes on toSatyajit explainRay). that pro- jaideep lectual footnotes

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In search of thh red dot

An illustration project nudges you to walk awa phone apps and find the notifications embedd

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hat ‘small red dot’ has been a source of constant distraction in my life ever since some apps that live in my phone realised the true potential of a red circle with a number inside. The circle that at times changes colour, and at times also changes shape, shouts out only one thing: “Look at me!” I have given it the power to take me away from where I am and place me somewhere else, somewhere in-between, without moving me.

In revolt, on the World Environment Day (June 5) this year, I started a short illustration

project that will inspii outside of our screen n meaning in somethin n feel the texture of a lee nate, to log nightly m to find out that a flo o bloom also lives long g a feather and to finalll Go out, leave your the circles in nature.

sriparna ghosh is a Dee photographer and trekker

Happy feet You use the ‘gyarah (11) number bus’ mostly to get into automated vehicles. Give them a break from routine

Tree of life You know more names of cars than trees. You’d probably cut a tree to make room for those four wheels

#Maketimeforthesettingsun Don’t miss the best part of this theatre for those ‘hearts’ on Instagram

And the stars shii need an app (theree admire the night skk

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saturday, august 22, 2015

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way from your dded in nature

ire i us to seek that red dot ns. n To look away and find n ng not made of pixels. To eeaf, to watch a seed germimovements m of the moon, ower o that takes longer to ger, g to enjoy the colours of lly fall in love with rain. phone at home and find

Look who’s here It makes for a surprised cat when you walk into her grooming session

In full bloom Because ‘the earth laughs in flowers’, said Ralph Waldo Emerson

eelhi-based designer,

iine down You don’t e is one, though) to kky

Fluid charm You see a sky that is begging to be clicked, but by the time you take out your camera the clouds have transformed. Enjoy the moment, forget the photo

Drop by drop You may have travelled the world, but have you watched the dewdrops on a leaf or a blade of grass?

Look into my eyes Give the Twitter bird a miss. Find a feathered friend around you.

Even today, the cities have many birds

Watch my moves The honeybee has a pollen basket on its hind legs. Plant a seed, watch it take root and flower. And when it comes buzzing, admire the ‘bee’s knees’

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“T Doctor is in… the bedroom he chimp isn’t returning my calls,” says Madhav, putting the phone down. Krishna Madhav is a young Telugu actor looking for a ticket to herodom. The release date of his debut feature, Hrudayam Ekkadunnadi (Where is my Heart?), is drawing near. And he needs to drive crowds into the theatres. Madhav’s PR team has hit upon an idea. The talk of the town is a man in a monkey suit whose short films have gone viral on YouTube. The plan was for him to hit malls and sing along to songs from the film. But the monkey has been having second thoughts. He has claimed his brand will suffer — and has spurned Madhav’s calls.

Today both Chiranjeevi’s and Nagarjuna’s sons are in the fray. Some stood on their own strengths. For example, Chiranjeevi’s brother, Pawan Kalyan has carved out a unique image for himself while Mahesh Babu, despite being Krishna’s son, also went through the cycle of hits and flops before establishing himself as the ‘Prince’ — as his fans call him.

Nonagenarian sexpert Mahinder Watsa had all the answers all these years. Now these have found their way into a book and even inspired a film on him

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eanwhile, Madhav and his team are brainstorming on a title that should prefix his name. This is important if you want to marriage has not been consummated because be around for the long run. It all began with the bride is afraid,” he says. “I explain to her Nataratna NTR and Natasamrat ANR. Their that the vagina is made of elasticated rings sons inherited these titles — Yuvaratna for Ba- that can expand to allow a baby’s head to pass lakrishna and Yuvasamrat for Nagarjuna. The through. Sometimes the men are not knowlhat was two years ago. But Madhav is still problem now: Everything cool has been taken. edgeable enough and do it in a painful way. I just another of the new wave of actors tryMega Star is Chiranjeevi, Power Star is Pa- counsel the man to indulge in more foreplay ing to break into the Telugu film industry. In- wan Kalyan. This has continued to the next to ease intercourse.” formally called Tollywood, it has nearly 250 generation — Chiranjeevi’s son has a prefix refUnrealistic expectations and negative body releases every year, with total grosses exceed- erencing both his father and uncle, hence images fuel a whole range of anxieties. “Woming ₹1,000 crore at the box office.

Mega Power Star Ram Charan. Others take up en write asking how to increase breast size, beIn days of yore, strugglers got off a ‘red bus’ adjectivals like Stylish Star Allu Arjun or Mass Bowled cause they unattractive.

I inform them over feel Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao or NTR, — namely, a rural service, took a room in a bas- Maharaja Raviteja. Prabhas, the hero of Baahu- who thatwent the on purpose of chief the mammary is to become minister, was glands the man of by ’50sthe Tollywood and and continues have thi, and travelled every day to the studios, hop- bali, is Young Rebel Star as his uncle Krishnam leading not affected bust size theyto should arif cult following mohd ing to get a role as an extra and then work Raju was the original Rebel Star. Down the lad- aconcentrate on their assets instead,” Watsa their way to the top. der, character artists get names like Fish Ven- says. “I see this in men. One judge came to me That organic process is long over. The ‘strug- kat or Vizag Prasad foisted on them.

Naidu’s to Balakrishna’s daughter because son he could not stop himself goingmeans to sex glers’ of today are the sons, nephews, cousins, “We were thinking of Maverick Star or For- aworkers new dynasty in the offing.

Naidu’s nephew just tois fondle their breasts, because brothers and brothers-in-law of stars and pro- tune Star. But all this only after I deliver a hit,” Nara Rohit already been Iaasked hero him for some his wife washas small-breasted. why ducers. They do yoga classes, spend long hours says Madhav. Why fortune? “Good fortune for years now.consider this while marrying her… he didn’t at top gyms, have personal method acting producers who put their money on me,” he HeThe launches elaborate productions.

Rey said he wasare busy studying and left the coaches, and drive BMWs. says with a laugh.

(2015) with Sai Dharam Tej had a choice to his parents.”

To understand this transition, we have to This need to differentiate and a producWhile onebudget sectionofof₹30 thecrore population is ignostep back to the origins of the industry. Eco- oneself is understandable. tionsection time ofthinks three years, withitlocarant, a larger it knows all. nomic growth was fuelled by abundant agri- Currently Tollywood is experitions ranging New Jerseypill to “There’s abuse of the from morning-after cultural yields in the fertile Krishna and encing the reverse of peak oil — the hero in being student (which cause abortion the afirst few The ‘strugglers’ of canJamaica, Godavari districts. The key breakthrough was infinite supply and no de‘Bob Marley College’. ingestion of contraceptoday are theweeks) sons, andofirregular when improvements in irrigation allowed mand. Earlier, newcomers no instances guarantees, tives,” he says.There “Thereare are more of nephews, cousins, three crops of rice in a year. It is said that one were restricted to the scion of though.

Tarak Ratna, one of NTR’s premarital sexual activity now than when I brothers and harvest would be for personal consumption, each major house — but now launched with 12 started, most times was the onus of protection brothers-in-law of butgrandsons, the second harvest for saving and the third almost everyone in the family muhurat shots in is left to thesimultaneous male partner, who will rely on the stars and producers harvest would be invested in a film. is jumping into the act.

But changed withdrawal2003. method (or,everything as in one misguided It was from this rice bowl that the duumviFor example, from Chiranonce Bhadradri Ramudu (2004) attempt, take thehis morning-after pill himself).”

Heavy Watsa, seeing the wry side of passion paul noronha after his son and rate ofpetting TeluguMahinder filmdom — Nandamuri Taraka jeevi’s house, hit Dr theatres.

The website Idlebrain “I would say Watsa is a feminist,” says SinRama Rao or NTR and Akkineni Nageswara nephew Allu Arjun, there are it as in “a typical story that ha, whose described film is now post-production r Mahinder Watsainlives the sea in several Rao or ANR — was formed theby 1950s.

Then variations in the questions.

The documentary more nephews — Allu Sirish, Varun Tej happens village-smart boy and stage andbetween readying for film festivals in west2016.

Mumbai. bikes and on and came Krishna in the Parked ’60s andon ’70s.

Chiranjeevi is very much about man the deco- ern-haughty Sai Dharam Tej — the who’ve allbehind made their girl withwomen a aunt-challenge back“His attitude towards is open-minded. the footpath hisall house are but ruled the roost after that.below Till then, the stars lumn,” says Sinha in a telephonic interview. recently.

Collectively, they are called the drop to it”. It toexploded the box office, It felt shocking see this inatthe mainstream.” samplings of began the ilk to that sendswith him ‘Mega were self-made.

Things change Films about sexuality and reproductive dropping Family’. thedoctor curtain on Ratna’s career.extendWhat the ordered included questions hormonal by canoodling couples, the second—generation; the ’80s, NTR had health are Mumbai-raised Sinha’s fortenever and ed foreplay, putting her orgasm first and physThe combination of politics and film, who might write urgently to him fewhis weeks launched his son Balakrishna and aANR son far passion.

Having to led New in Mad apart in southmoved India, has to York moreCity potenscientistoutside at call the bedroom in the form ical affection later about missed periods, the side-effects of tial Nagarjuna.

2005, she stumbled upon Watsa’s columns With debutants.

The marriage of Chandrababu so manyordebutants, how canand onecaring break of massages bathing together, excessive masturbation or whether lemon during one of her research projects. “I had left through the clutter?

Telugus themselves and sharing.

“Women go pride through many juice can be a contraceptive. On the phone India by the time his columns were publish- on having solutions every issue.when I headthe to stages,” heITexplains.

“Iffor a girl is born with him is a 61-year-old asking what he can ed... I found that this is where people were ask- ‘Whacked Out Media’, whose website family is expecting a boy, there’s that assures first retake to prolong his erection. And how often he ing questions without any shame... basic me that Then they have mad-scientist’ jection. the an fear‘honest, and ignorance surcan take it. questions about sexuality and its anxieties. approach to Digital Image or rounding menstrual cycles…Management trauma of the In a country that shies away from discuss- His way of communication — addressing the DIM. I am encounter... ushered into the office of menoKunal first sexual dryness during ing sex, in the school or home, there’s Dr Wat- query in a few lines, with clarity, was also Wadhwa, a VP makes of business development. pause which intercourse painful, but sa. The questions have piled up rapidly during unique,” she says. start?would “We need theWhere libidoshould is high.aAnewcomer skilled partner use his decade-long stint as the Sexpert at the comHis body of work also threw a singular light to get you here.” onto the feeds,” he explains, “noa lubricant pact newspaper Mumbai Mirror — 20,000 on female sexuality. For instance, while a good body searches or even typesabout in anything.

Watsa has been talking sex longThey bequeries in all, according to editor Meenal 70-80 per cent of the questions see something the newsfeed and click. fore itonbecame acceptable to do so, Baghel, and many of these have found their are about masturbation, only That’s it.” Hethrough reels offthe statistics — revolution they manage free-sex of way into his recently released book It’s Normal. 3-5 per cent is about female 250 celebs, the have over Twitter, Facebook ’60s, the800 licentiousness of the The bizarreness of the questions and his masturbation. “Teachers and and Instagram accounts.

As he talks henow pecks decades that followed, and in He fears thatatmany matching wry wit have earned him cult status. parents tell me that girls mimhis phone.

“I’m a member of 165 talk WhatsApp the internet era where about suicides by hanging When a man asked whether it was okay to ic sexual activity like rubbing groups”. Thebirds groups him, the celeb andconsist bees areofseemingly irrelare actually have sex with Ramila the goat, Watsa replied, their thighs together while, and the celeb’s manager.

This is where the disevant.

“Sometimes, adolescents masturbation ‘Why don’t you ask Ramila whether she would say, watching a film; there is litcussions take place on what toitpost next. know more about than parents. experiments gone like it?’ Yet another wanted to know if he tle knowledge about this outWhat turns a proto-celeb into a star?

“Tothis be This is an opportunity to turn wrongvery commercial could squeeze a few drops of lemon juice into let. Much later on, they may use has to learning be an element of into there a positive experihis partner’s vagina as an emergency contra- a foreign object,” he says. But fantasy, because starparents,” is larger than life.” ence the for the he says. ceptive, to which the untiring obstetrician there are no terrifying myths One of their successful camHe most has been sued forDIM vulgarity and gynaecologist — whose 60-year career in- around it, like in the case of paigns is Kajal Agarwal, whose page has 17 milmore than once. cludes stints in private practice, the Family male masturbation (promptlion likes. “WeAt shared lots ofsigning, candid pics: Kajala his book he sold Planning Association of India, and as health ing a flood of nervous enquiries about poten- at the temple, withthat her most parents, etcetera. few copies andKajal was told sales would expert for readers of Femina, Flair and Fantasy tial loss of energy/ sperm reserve/ hair/ sight/ With thelater, big guys, they happen whenyou the can’t olderdo lotthat, could slipare in — shot back, ‘Are you a bhelpuri-wallah? Use a concentration). He fears that many suicides by up there,” he explains.

“You don’t want to deunnoticed to make a purchase. condom next time.’ hanging are actually masturbation experi- mystify them.”

A plaque overlooking the 91-year-old doctor Such is his fame that New York-based film- ments gone wrong. newcomer, he says sweaty picture in in For his astudy says, “Bless mea unto usefulness.” maker Vaishali Sinha is now making a docuThe wedding night is another wellspring of aThat gym will has do been better than a portfolio shot. desire fulfilled. mentary on him. “While you can broadly insecurities and fears of pain. “Sometimes Wadhwa suggests a caption — ‘Cardio 45 mins mitali parekh categorise problems, Revolving door Power equations flip dizzyingly. One moment Madhav isthe plaintive and the there next theare bosslimitless kishor krishnamoorthi couples come to me after a year, saying their Woohoo!

Whoisisa Mumbai-based at the gym columnist today guys?’ “It

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saturday, august 22, 2015

FILM FATALE

It’s not just Bollywood, stupid!

Language propagandists or a lazy media? Who floated the myth that the Hindi film industry aka Bollywood is India’s only — or largest — film industry?

anna mm vetticad

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apki yeh karambhoomi Bambai hai. Aapka Kurukshetra ka maidan Mumbai hai (Bombay is the land where you will work, Mumbai is your battlefield),” he declared to listening students of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune. The speaker was actor Mukesh Khanna. The comment came during a recent panel discussion on NDTV India about Gajendra Chauhan’s selection as FTII chairperson.

Why did Khanna assume that the students’ karambhoomi would be Mumbai? Did he not think these youngsters would, could or should work in any of the other dozen-plus Indian language cinemas emerging from centres located across the country?

Sincerely The fanschief of Tollywood give their lives to actors who have become stars; here they wait for the gates to open for Baahubali gn rao Khannayours — current of thewill Children’s Film Society India — sidestepped my annoyance as a fellow panelist. Not surprising. As he has to haveduring a Call tothe Action,” The target happens when you meet a producer? “The first ducers like to keep you waiting outside the struggled showhe tosays. name Dadasademographic, urban youth are fuelled bydirecthis. thing he wants is the budget breakdown,” office. Or not take a call until you’ve called heb Phalke Award-winning Malayalam is not impressed when I explain torMadhav Adoor Gopalakrishnan, calling him “Gopal Madhav says, “he is not so interested in the sto- about 10-20 times. “A producer told me he althis strategy to it him.

“I need a f***** hit,knows not a ry but has his own equations on how to recov- ways does this to test the director’s stamina, Adoor” instead, became clear that he bigfield.” f***** Twitter he snaps. and/or caresaccount,” little about Indian cinema be- er the money”. because you need a lot Big of ithero, in this bucks Rajinikanth is yond the Mumbai-based Hindi film industry As we talk, I get a sense of déjà vu. I’ve seen What tips can he give a newcomer? He reportedly India’s up Madhav and we decide to talk while this scene before. This café was used as a loca- thinks for a moment: highest-paid akacall Bollywood.

“Observe auto actor drivers he around for his appointments. tion in Madhav’s film — for a scene where he when they demand extra. the hinduThey archivesare natural He is is driving not a solitary example.

“How doescinema the car is look?” is hisBollywood. first question.

Indian not just Try sees the heroine for the first time. While I pon- actors.”

I’m notthat surethough what he means.

It’s a mid-segtelling to the vast sections of the der thisinBaudrillardian hyper-reality, conspoken more states than Telugu andheTamil.

Nothing exemplifies this bias better than over JubileeFilm Hills.

Madhav ment “Does itthough look battered? it tinues, publicsedan.

— especially, not only,Does those “A movie is like a wedding I don’t the vening Now combine Bollywood’s laudable—marketcoveragefalls of the National Awards by callsTV up, he is in In thewhat neighbourhood, at a look he asks.

This linethe of enquiry puzzles fromold?” northern India — and supposedly ‘na- think therehere is any wedding mankind’s his- English ing efforts and abroadinwith the underchannels. is now an annual bistro.tiny An entire overlooking me.

“People are headquartered f***** me up,” hein says.

“Change tional’ media Delhi and tory came within plannedlanguage budget. theme handwhich success of the Hindi ritual, every awardcliff-side to a Hindi film or stara has beenwhile modelled look like a Cretan your car, change your car. a hero now, So Mumbai who casually useYou theare terms “Indian the producer needs knowwell whether we lake propagandists who havetolearnt from this is headlined, majortoawards such as Best windmill turns slowly in go theto still air. people shakes “Bollywood” his head. “I say cinema”will andjudge”.

“HindiHe cinema”/ in- can get attributed what we want within the budget.” theory to Hitler’s minister Joseph village.

Film areAdownplayed if they don’t Bollynetsmore are hung out to dry.press A boatignores lies on f*** that s***.” He turns andthey givesatmeleast one acof Goebbels: A lie repeated a million times be- Fishing terchangeably.

Sometimes wood. The the ‘national’ side in the gravel.

TheBollywood, whitewashthe is striped those 1,000-watt that they have to knowledge the smiles existence of allwhat is The complete package comes the truth.

Their efforts have en- its industries other than more distance, the spires of Cyberamaster, “I believe in good “regional acting, not acinema”; car.” patronisingly termed Even if thereanother can be a gap of two trenched myth inyears between with blue. In the they help increase Bollywood’s night while falls, the place We finallynot stop at that. a coffee shop Banjara sometimes even Sadly, thein rest of the releases, Madhavconsciousness: doesn’t take it easy. He rat- bad glitter. Asmarket Indian public alsowhole furthering the light of Chinese Hills. usually catch Madhav in the interstitial tles worldI is picking up this vocabulary. his schedule: the off myth that Hindi“Kick-boxing is the na- in the morn- transforms. Under the impression that it is —lanwe partytovenue Hyderaspaces — between withmisconceppotential ing.

So what has led tomeetings the common Then Bikramwhen yoga.inInfact theIn-evening I have terns it becomes tional language, comea back that — for India’s only Smaller industries are an intersection of film, politics producers, potentialisdirectors and potential tion that Bollywood India’s only — or largest dance practice acting exercises.” What do bad’s jet set —film dia has no and constitutionally industry or the largest one. treated as intellectual andAnd realsoestate that the drives the co-producers.

He The explains hislies modus — film industry? answer in a operannear-in- they entail?national “My coach gives me designated language. we have bizarre footnotes (example: city.

On Friday nights di.

“Ninety-eight cent of propaganda, Telugu films are vincible cocktail per of political pa- characters, and Icircle. have English to play It’s a vicious phenomenon of an they entitysomethat Satyajit Ray) times have the plate-breaking flops nowadays,” he starts off. “If the budget is each rochialism, historical happenstance, media character for aTVweek.

Try to newspapers and channels calls itself InternationalparInties.

Madhav tells approme, ₹3-5 crore, should be something different. be laziness anditmarketing. somebody else.

For example, headquartered in India’s politidian Film Academy (IIFA) “1,000-1,500 plates“Indian can film” get People arethree not accepting mediocre content.

It there India’s largest film industries — Hindi, might beDelhi Arjunand who is cal capital New compriating the term When you hear ‘all smashed in 10 minutes.” has be Telugu a concept-oriented film.

Routine Tamiltoand — have rivalled each other flamboyant and Mumbai spontaneous, mercial capital are to hold a travelling annual the best’, you know it Is this meet the profilms for earliest routinetalking disaster.” since are the heading days of the films. Ac- Alex who doesn’t much,than toisthe physically closer tospeak Bollywood awards function for where Hindi you films.

Equally binotTa-happening ducers andchief directors, I ask. “Some Madhav’s confidence stems from cording to Ashish Rajadhyaksha and his Paul“360Wil- but when he does peoplebased get in Chennai zarre was then mil and Telugu industries Delhi minister Sheila are veryaddressing posh — they degree — he got his as Cinema, an assistant lemen’sview” Encyclopaedia of start Indian the scared.” and Hyderabad, respectively. As is the norm Dikshit’s fauxdirectors pas in 2012 while the offices infilm Manikonda or her Sridirector in in a couple Mahesh Babu (his cou- with first talkie each ofofthese languages — Alam I meet his journalism, coach Bavani Ganti, all lazy what is closer is given audience at have the Cinefan festival in nagar Colony, they ask you to sin) — films. His eyes light up: “‘Babu vostunnaAra (Hindi-Urdu), Kalidas (Tamil) and Bhakta in yetimportance. another coffee shop, the more city: Indian cinema had completed a century there.

NRIchose people say ru (he is (Telugu) coming)’, the cry goes around Prahlada — were all made in 1931. the next day. This time just opposite the FilmnaBesides, most of these media houses have come that year, butWhile Dikshit to generally term it “100 or The Park. Other directors pick anBachIrani studio.

Everyone onHindi, their toes.

Asand soonTelugu as ac- gar In other areas is too, Tamil temple. who will direct in Hyatt north IndianGanti, owners and/or editorsMadhav who tend years of Bollywood”.

Last year, Amitabh they don’t feel real inspeech hi-fi places.” tion is called, he surrenders to the camera. run neck-and-neck.

Annual reports of the Cen- his next film,Indian emerges fromasathe meeting to see north culture Indianwith norma café chanasdelivered a 25-minute purportedare“Indian interrupted by the chime of an inAnd with cut, he isCertification back to being a superstar. tral Board of Film show that 206 producer.

“Producers say regions ‘tell me are the deemed story in ly We while traditions of other about cinema” at the International SMS. of HeIndia shows to me ‘Good Night The way he sits,were the presence projects — ev- two Hindi features certified he in 2011, followed lines.’ When narratehire it, the producer exceptions.

Most,you therefore, critics to re- coming Film Festival initGoa. Out—of the scores dayfilms I getand twopersonalities messages from this erything in a fraction of a second.” closely bychanges Telugu with 192 and Tamil at 185. The must feel safe. They all thefilms, elements — Sir’. view Bollywood and want Hollywood invest and “Every scores of he cited ‘good morning’ andnot ‘good night.’”

Who is The power flip dizzyingly. previous year’sequations figures: Hindi: 215, Tamil: Min202, when a hero punches, Bollywood 10 people reportage, must fly”. guy, resources in extensive though, only four were from Bollywood. metCentral him atgovernment a function. He is a Mahesh Bautes after to convince producer Telugu: 181.trying The costliest Indian afilm till dateto is How can you telland if the meeting hasto gone well he?As“Ithe and treat Telugu Tamil as asides be occaprepares to celefan.Hindi He got my in number and called me once. part with aBahubali few crores, goesfilm on into or reportedly fromMadhav the Telugu not? He smiles, “When you hear ‘all the bu sionally acknowledged for exotica (example: brate Week September, it is worth askanswered it’s been likeisthat Fans meet directors to best’, dustrywannabe aka Tollywood.

Asdesperately per media trying speculayou it is not Rajinikanth’s happening”. cut-outs Iing: visuals of know fans bathing if yourand karambhoomi notsince.”

Mumbai’s such that “ifdoes youitreciprocate, catch a break.

What do you look for when a di- in Our tion, Tamil film legend Rajinikanth is India’s punctuated by the are milk)conversation or when that is rare, heavily promoted, Hindi cinema, not count?they give you rector approaches highest-paid actor. you? I ask. “I prefer direc- sound of project bells from the nearby Scripts tentpole comes aroundtemple. (example: Ba- their life.” tors with one strong idea which they Hindi’s distinct advantage over thebelieve other are sentSmaller here forindustries special poojas before produchubali). are treated as intel- anna mm vetticad is the author of The Adventures unudurti is a Hyderabad-based t@annavetticadwriter of an Intrepid Film Critic in, make otherssince believe it.” What twoand is inwho terms of reach the in language is tion starts.

Ganti (example: goes on toSatyajit explainRay). that pro- jaideep lectual footnotes

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saturday, august 22,22, 2015 saturday, august 2015

And she plays her story Another false start STATES OF MATTER

A Mangai’s Acting Up explores theatre’s tryst with gender A meeting between the Indian and Pakistani Prime Ministers became the prelude to a fresh bout of ceasefire violations and angry exchanges

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n July 10, the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan met on the sidelines of a multilateral summit in Russia while top diplomats conjured up a joint statement and a commitment to resume talks. Perhaps they were anticipating the mood of an imminent Bollywood release, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, where a man of almost saintly goodness works a miracle, spiking guns on both sides of a bristling border and calling forth a rousing display of people’s power. In the real world, the magic evaporated within hours. India was insistent on avoiding any reference to Kashmir in the joint statement. Pakistan yielded to the extent of putting that part of the conversation under the term “all outstanding issues”. But they did not let that stand too long.

Explaining the intent of the meeting three days later, Sartaj national security advisTheatre for change Groups like Theatre Union (left) performed outdoor playsAziz, highlighting dowry and sexual harassment; A Mangai’s Aanmai O Aanmai critiques the Dravidian movement from a gender-based point of view s james er to the Pakistan Prime Minister, designated to start talks with Indian counterpart Ajit Doomen in cinema, artistes val, clarified that it took place at as India’s re- together, to outline what hasn’t really been placed in a ghetto; for others, it is precarious andofsubjects, is now a topic of recognised. It began with my Fulbright in to assert feminism while being in an industry quest, in a context “growing international much foreign discussion.

Thestance”. same, 2004 when I was away from India, and that’s that is yet to embrace it; and perhaps for the support for Pakistan’s policy cannot said theat- when the similarity in the work of many prac- rest, being in a liberal social milieu makes it No dialogue washowever, imminent, just abe preliminary re. A Mangai’s tracestensions. the history of titioners unravelled. It was a book waiting to less immediate to articulate a feminist standengagement toActing reduceUp mutual A diaBack to square one In a joint statement after the Ufa meeting — “Many Pakistanof insisted it tookbegan place atwith India’s women/feminist in India.

“Thison book is be logue could thentheatre conceivably begin matwritten,” she says. point. my peers a politipti/manvender any reference to Kashmir being ancal issue of bilateralbut interest a conversation,” says Mangai, after the launch ters of bilateral interest, including “the core request Akin—toIndia theavoided approaches in gender studies, intention, moved away. Ivashist had a similar in Chennai recently.

“It is a dialogue between the book brings together work of issue of Jammu and Kashmir”. beginning but sustained because I theatre and women’s groups, be- women Soon practitioners afterwards, the guns opened up along under rubricsculpability. such as rative about Pakistani the from rest 2013, of my social Doval is alsofound on record before he tween activistsThe and customary artistes. More importantly, ‘Revisiting the frontier.

Independence ‘NegotiaA certainMyths,’ frustration has been evident in re- assumed his current worldcharge, less liberal,” with she the says. comit is exchange an attemptoftosweets legitimise the genre of tions Day between border with including Classicalin the declaration by ment that if Pakistan Talking cent months, were to doof“one social more women’s theatre.” guards did not take place. And in his address Texts,’ and ‘Female Im- Singh on July 31 that Mumbai”, it would “lose home minister Rajnath worlds, an important Balochistan”.

This book marks the ’80s the decade personation.’ onThe the occasion, Pakistan’s HighasCommissionThey are was a distraction from passed without serious play “Hindutva” terrorism of Mangai’s comment in Indiathat but where the organised women’s movements led mainly er in Delhi, Abdul Basit very pointedly underattempts the singular focus at required to deal with cur- since Doval’s appointment doesn’t to a find key mention national to a search for expression in theatre.

‘Theatre lined his country’s undying commitment to recovering re- Unsurprisingly, this led security position, has been rent security or threats. in the book isacross Aanblazoned for Kashmir social change’ the cause. was the zeitgeist; Janam’s imagining histori- of the circumstances in the border and condemned to a fresh excavation mai Aanmai (Maas aOdeclaration of Aurat, Theatre Union’s Om Swaha, and India’s Deputy High Commissioner in Jyoti Isla- cal figures to give and others, including a ill-intent. And then came another which Aseemanand cho O Macho), which brazen case Mhapsekar’s Mulgi Zali Ho (A Girl is Born) awere mabad, JP Singh, was meanwhile having bu- them since servingagency Army intelligence officer, Colonel Shri- of misspeaking at the highest critiques Dravilevel,the with depopular plays that explored of dowry, sy month, summoned no themes fewer than five history has were rarelycharged with terrorism. kant Purohit, movement fence minister Manohar dian Parrikar’s avowal in sexual to harassment and education of girls. times the Pakistan Foreign Office toVenbe been From An her-story. explanation after a fashion has been of- May that the best way ofTamil Nadu from neutralising terror-a ues were mostly outdoor or and ap- the served stern demarches onmakeshift; matters ranging Manimeferedaustere by a former intelligence operative, RSN ism was through terrorism gender-based of anotherpoint order.of proaches to performances varied, asofthey from the border firing to the extension bail kalai thehas bold and Singh,towho since retirement view.

ManyTariq leaders of Early this month, Khosa, intended not only to create awareness but also irreverent for terrorism-accused Swami Aseemanand. bard found Avvai,his politfrom active duty the movement couched retired director-general of Pakisstir and awaken.

Aditi Desai’s work in Gujarat Responding to a like summons in Delhi on Au- playwrights ical mooringshave in thechalHindutva the issue of language, tan’s Federal Investigation Agen-a is worth special mention. moved to pogust 16, Basit accused IndiaDesai of no fewer than 70 lenged notions around femiright. Purohit’s mission, Singh political then, in cy, deeply wrote an op-ed one in Karachi’s litical theatre hesitantly but worked with ninity ceasefire violations in two months. andto womanhood

by Pakistan had found in gendered wrote, was infiltrate Islamic terms. was proDawn, urging his Hindi government to women in the tribal areas of the Sabarkantha and adapting Whatever may have been prime-ministhese stories to stage.all terror outfits and follow jected as Draupadi, the onefor to acbe respond to the demand Swami Aseemanand Panchmahal.

The agencies plays were staged under terial intentions, down the line in available What istrails on stage is also a reto their benefacdisrobed or compared to a 2008 prostion against the Mumbai the perfect weapon Acting Up moonlight withwere no paraphernalia toproblems jazz it up. flection both countries clearly having of that which behind tors in Pakistan.

“The is Colonel”, titute. was would accorded the culprits.Tamil Yet, what normalfor countering every A factor hindering Gender and Theatre in Desai integrated tribal getting on board. And forpractices India, thewith efforteleto it.

‘Women talks inof wrote Singh,Performers’ “is a legitimate status of the respected wife, and ly have been read in Indian demarche involving the recognition of India, 1979 onwards mentsdown of modern theatre and tookfrom up health, speak to a pesky neighbour a pos- the challenges womenNo have had telligence operative… intelliEnglish desired courtesan.

It media asthe a damaging mea culpa, Zakiur theatre Rahmanas A Mangai feminist LeftWord education and ascendancy human rights issues to ensure ture of moral was proving diffi- to face to prevailissues and create in gence agency written was a demanding says Manpassed with merelyplay, a few cursory Lakhvi and other a genre has been Non-fiction practical solutions for women in villages. In- the cult to sustain. world of theatre. of It is also orders in pursuance intelligai, not only because it was dementions.

The reason simply suspects in the 2008 resistance from ₹495 advertently, herfound approach addedAseemanand to the reper- sensitive Pakistan had in Swami to the The dynamics of gence operations. entire sysnounced ruling party the that the the article made a of much terror attack practitioners toireperfect of theatre practice. the weapon for countering every de- class, and how tem iscaste based oncontext, trust andand faith.

It time, alsothat as some of her closlargerbut case: Pakistan had themselves However, this seamless link between theatmarche involving Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi and they shape experiences.

“When is yet to be established howI est friends andfrom colleagues were much to gain cooperation re andsuspects activism wasn’t Mangai other in the fully 2008exploited. terror attack in got dropped home at 11 pmisorbe12 much disconnect there committed to the movement. in the Mumbai investigations, says, “Those ought be fellow travellers Mumbai.

Outwho on bail fortoclose to a year, Asee- am after there were tween therehearsals, legitimate and illegitiDifferences disagreement since it could and demand reciprocin art andispolitics end up not always so;in dismanand one among several accused a all prying eyes in during my the course ity in the Samjhauta matethese activities of the officer with colleagues an essential Expressare investigations, daining andincluding demanding to be neighbourhood. string ofcultural terroristwork, attacks, theit 2007 I used to make sure whoever part of his duty.” of theatre, in and especially activist theatre, the insurgency Balochistan and ending the of simple functional relevanceExpress is disheartenfire-bombing of the Samjhauta which dropped metelling had alocutions, word with my husband.

These are especially the ca- which Mangai practises. However, sustenance of terrorism in Karachicriticising and the ing to68, its mostly practitioners who are convinced of Liberal killed Pakistani civilians. is not something that just sual admission of “legitimate andemerges; illegiti- one aspect does not mean entire moveFederally Administered Tribalthe Areas. itsDevelopments fundamental political importance.”

Was you in Kashmir and its near build it through mate” methods beingyour usednegotiations,” in intelligenceManand ment wrong. statement rings proThis is was a clearThis statement, in other words, this gulf the impetus for the book?

Shesecurity admits gai neighbourhood, meanwhile, had the However, hinderingbetween the rec- foundly the says. possibility of a afactor “disconnect” It isofperhaps what is missing in that thetrue. policy mutually inflicting pain, part of it in didoverdrive stem from herthe own trajectory — ognition agencies and media falling of feminist theatre a genre has these, which suggests the equalasprobability of our of criticism today. with understanding no thought of gain for either side, And has from on a left/activist to theatre. back the drill ofbackground blaming every breachShe of been resistance from on practitioners thema “connect”.

Intelligence both sides may, in- that the biggest takeaway from the book. goneison long enough. perceives this move a gradual extension, peace on Pakistan.

Butas factual challenges were selves.

Theyfrequently refrainedbreached from being labelled deed, have the dividing Chennai-based sukumar mallimadugula muralidharan isisana independent writer not a resignation from mainstream activism. quick to emerge, posing some difficulties for ‘feminist’ and preventing, there are reasons for it. and For niharika lines between pre-empting writerbased in Gurgaon and Shimla and researcher “The impetus to bringanthis body of work India’s effort towas maintain unwavering nar- some beingterror calledattacks. a woman director is to be freelance provoking sukumar muralidharan

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saturday, august 22,22, 2015 saturday, august 2015

HOME SPUN

A post office of my own Mundakkottukurussi, a village in Kerala which is the birthplace of neither a mahatma nor a movement, is home to me

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y now I have gotten used to the response the name of my village elicits: “Mundakkottukurussi???!!!” “Where is that?” “Is that a tongue twister?”

And then, as we take the turn from Kulappully Junction towards the road that leads to Mundakkottukurussi, be it cabbie or friend driving me there for the first time, a muffled laugh with a what-is-this-place? glance at me.

A few minutes onto the narrow road, the cabbie — a town slicker from Kochi or Thrissur — would usually mumble, “Thank god, there is still daylight. I would never find my way back in the night.”

As for friends, I have heard everything from “Do you have wild animals here?” to “So what’s the movie running here in the village talkies?

Chemmeen?” to “Are we going to have children running after the car?”

That in this time and age, there still is a village like Mundakkottukurussi is almost a conundrum. Pristine, untouched and truly god’s own village, it hasn’t been eaten up as yet by real estate sharks or turned into a setting for a resort by earnest tour operators.

Mundakkottukurussi is one among the villages along what is now an arterial road linking Kulappully or Vaniamkulam to Cherpulassery. On either side of the wooded road you will see a medley of dated tile- and concrete-roofed homes, and garish new bungalows built with money sent home from the Middle East. There are little temples that dot the landscape as there are minarets of mosques here and there. The cross and a church are conspicuous by their absence.

No building looks like another but all structures have in common sizeable acreages filled

with many trees, giving the villages a certain Cherpulassery, bus stops were still being desdensity of shadow that one usually sees in the ignated and so the hub of the village with a peripheries of forests. handful of shops came to be called MundakThe terrain is hilly and interspersed by vast kottukurussi City. tracts of paddy fields. In the distance is the Traditionally an LDF stronghold, in the ’50s Anangan range, grim, brooding, dark moun- Mundakkottukurussi was known as Moscow. tains but Mundakkottukurussi has its own Nevertheless, the Congress and the BJP and Pulmooth Mala. A hill on the western side of the Muslim League all have their own followthe village where rain clouds break first, so it’s ers, making politics a round of Russian roupossible to see the rains come sliding down lette during the assembly elections. the hillside into the valley. To this day women Amidst all this, in a little dip is my little tilerush to the clotheslines as soon as they hear roofed cottage Symantakham, 999 sqft, of the distant hiss of the rain on the hilltop. which 333 sqft is a long veranda that runs the The thing is, Mundakkottukurussi, my an- breadth of the house. On either end of my garcestral village (the family tree traces our linea- den, edging the road are the two landmark ge to the 16th century), has buildings of Mundakkottukunothing that would make anyrussi — the village Post Office and one come looking for it. So much the library. I take a special deso, when I set out to create Kaikulight in telling my visitors: Do Eventually when I sit russi, a fictitious village in my you know of any other writer down to write at my first novel, The Better Man, I simwho owns a post office? table, I know what ply looked around MundakkotI do own the building, for will emerge will be tukurussi and described it: It is which I receive a princely sum of true and right the birthplace of neither a ma₹50 as rent every month. hatma nor a movement. There The roof leaks. A civet cat lands are no craft forms originating on my roof every night without from here to fill government cotfail. Rats, squirrels scurry this tage emporia shelves. No miraway and that and spiders are the cles have ever happened here. In fact, nothing size of kittens. Nevertheless, if there is a place of significance happens to anyone here. in the world that seems striated by a sense of Whatever the people of Mundakkottuku- permanence as much as transience, it is this russi may lack in, it is compensated by a sense home of mine. My doll’s cottage, my family reof wicked irony. We may not have a movie the- fers to it jokingly, but here I become who I am atre or an ATM machine, but we have a cricket when I write. club called MCC (Mundakkottukurussi CrickHere I am a wide-eyed child trying to comet Club); and even though we are a village, we prehend the world and life. And everything I refer to ourselves as a city. In 1984 when a bus hear, see, sense, taste and feel are a millionservice started plying between Shoranur and fold enhanced, so this place imbues my writing with a visceral power that I can rarely achieve elsewhere. Be it the bleakest or the most romantic of scenes, the most violent episode or a most tender gesture, in Symantakham, the words flow without restraint or censure, fear or consciousness.

In that little cottage are designated spaces; a bench, a swing seat, an old four-poster bed, an easy chair… in each one of them I spend a while thinking, watching the fireflies in the night and hearing the cicadas; sometimes I am forced to stay indoors when there is a storm blowing outside, but within, I can see In character I believe in good acting, not a car, says young Telugu actor Krishna Madhav sipping chai at an Irani cafe kishor krishnamoorthi and hear the rain as it drips into the various buckets placed hither and thither. Eventually when I sit down to write at my table, I know what will emerge will be true and right.

It is possible to recreate the magic of the cottage elsewhere but it wouldn’t work if it wasn’t in Mundakkottukurussi. For here I have a sense of being rooted to the land even if my cottage may fall in a decade’s time. It gives me a true understanding of what literature could be. The words matter. And not the writer. This is the blessing of my Mundakkottukurussi.

(In this monthly column, authors chronicle the cities they call home)

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The Fortune Star

With the Telugu film industry grappling with an infinite supply of newcomers but no demand for them, the ‘strugglers’ do all they can for that one elusive nair is the author of many novels including hit — from conjuring up the perfect title for themselves to creating the anita most Lessons in Forgetting. Her new novel, Alphabet Soup likeable social media image toa breaking plates for Lovers, will be published later this year Alone together That in this time and age, there still is a village like Mundakkottukurussi is almost conundrum hareesh p warrier with the jet set

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All creatures small and wonderful Douglas Dewar’s book is a valuable addition to the library of anyone interested in our birds and everyday animals, and is a pleasure to revisit

Keita Muramatsu, president and CEO of Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India, the largest seller of scooters in the country reuters/b mathur

Pawan Munjal, chairman and MD of Hero Motocorp, the undisputed leader in the motorcycles market kamal narang Alpha personality Four chapters are devoted to babblers — this untidy, raucous, if affectionate clan

Divorcees doing wheelies k ananthan

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eavy-duty wildlifers (past and present) often give short shrift to the little folk — the small animals and birds that are so much more a part of our everyday lives than, say, tigers and elephants and rhinos. In the ‘old days’ (prior to Independence), and to a certain extent even afterwards, everyone lapped up the tales of Jim Corbett and Kenneth Anderson, who tangled with he thePatliputra big guys one-on-one.

But thankHonda dealership of fully for the folk, there were naturalists thelittle Japanese automaker in Patna is espousingbustling their cause well, and amongst withasactivity.

People are the Britishqueuing civil servants were legion.

In to buythey the Activa — India’s this charming and handsome Douglas largest-selling scooter.

Young book, professionals Dewar (1875-1957), civilof servant, took and students formone the such majority the buyers, up their hehave went travelled out into the fieldthan and some ofcause: whom more watched howHajipur, sparrows, white-eyes, 100km from Chhapra, Siwan coppersand othmiths, mugooses (sic),showrooms geese, squirrels, er places.

Across four in the babcity, blers, et al livedsells theirnearly lives out intwo-wheelers the vast, hot, the dealership 1,200 dusty subcontinent. a month and nearly two-thirds of these are This scooters. book contains enchantingHonda character Honda Not surprisingly, Mosketches of many of the birds and athe fewlargest small torcycle and Scooter India is now animals commonly encountered seller of scooters in the country. in India — though the kilometres picture thataway, emerges (at least Hefor Just a few at a Chandan city-dwellers) is that ininthose days thearea, countryro Service dealership Kankarbagh moside seemed more teachers accessible to torcycles arefar thecloser rage. and Farmers, and human habitation than is now, and micro-entrepreneurs are it discussing the birds, maxisquirrels and mongooses werecan happy toon share mum discount that the dealer offer Hetheir residences (our bungalows) chhota ro’s motorcycles.

A farmer wants to and know if his hazris (especially toast)aswith us. But Splendor bike willbuttered last as long his father’s whether it is about bee-eaters tucking up Kufor did — 12 years.

Showroom executive Sujeet the theirbikes Machiavellian best, marnight, assertscorvids it will. at “Hero look macho.

Its rascally squirrels, also or those if noisy 90cc motorcycle lookssociable, like a 110cc mababblers, goescentre beyond descripchine. AndDewar its service nearmere my village in tion andisinto interpretations of behaviour.

Purnea efficient and reliable,” says another He was a trained naturalist and studied natfarmer, Vishnu Mandal. ural science Cambridge.

He was a creThis, then,in sums up the battle foralso supremaationist and founder of the Protest cy currently underway in Evolution the world’s twoMovement in London 1932.of He wheeler capital: Honda isin ahead Heroheld in thea healthy contemptwhile for ‘those [ornithologists] scooter segment, Hero is the undisputwho studyfor nature inside the museum with the ed leader motorcycles.

The erstwhile jointmicroscope and scalpel’ thanin‘those venture partners went forrather a divorce 2010who live have to observe birds infor the open and end and been gunning each other’s

study their habits.’ animals lie doggo when being pursued). Many The text is thus peppered with potshots at other ground-dwelling birds which display the likes of Wallace and Darwin, as Dewar this behaviour — such as the lapwing and points out instance after instance where, ac- black-winged stilt — lay eggs which are stonecording to him, the theory of natural selection coloured and impossible to spot amidst the falls apart and is not sustainable. Incidentally, rocks and clods on the ground. it needs to be pointed out that both Wallace That apart, Dewar’s affection for our neighand Darwin arrived at their monumental con- bourly everyday birds comes shining through clusions after arduous field work — in differ- in the text and is a delight to encounter. I have ent corners the It’s globe — Lombok territory everofsince. a bitter divorce (if likeI always had a soft corner for babblers and, to urban population is gravitating towards globremember right) and the Galaany other, and the battle is one of equals — one al trends? “We myhave pleasant surprise, fourbrands chapseen that foreign pagos islands, respectively. is a master of Indian roads and the other is a have a certain ters this untidy, pullare in devoted the urbantosegment and Theretechnology are instances where global leader in Dethe two-wheeler we expect them raucous, affectionate clan. to beiffairly strong in the top war’s arguments seem to fall segment.

If Hero can topple Activa,Those it will days be the There is a Kandaswami, lot of satisfaction to 20-25 cities,” says Kumar senior birds, apart themselves.

Inbut discussing an all-round winner; if Honda gets the bet- director be hadIndia. by taking a close look at squirrels and at Deloitte intelligence and ter of Splendor, Heroinstinct will havein to abdicate the evendominate the commonest birds of — These brands over a period mongooses were birds, heThe provides theisexample top slot. question who will blink first? crows, parakeets, mynas, babtime for several reasons: one, for the young, happy to share their of Honda the famous dis- in FY11, sold ‘broken only 15 wing’ lakh units the hazris blers,buyer, et al it— isand checking outa first-time urban about making chhota play ground-nesting birds, inLast (especially first of year after the breakup. fiscal, it buttered your observations with statement. Two, theown perceived higher levels of this casesales the partridge.

Theunits, dis- trebling clocked of 42.6 lakh its those of naturalist writers, past sophistication in the product.

Three, increastoast) with us play serves distract a predator growth into four years.

“Our and may be —suringlypresent. defined There segmentation as from thehas location of chicks, hidgrowth been very satisfactoprises too: fact thatforstared opposed to aOne motorcycle coming in the ground. But Dewar ry and significant (since the me in theleisure face, which muting, bikingI hadn’t grows rein then tells One us, of sometimes the breakup). the baromealised, was why many statebirds prominence as asolifestyle mother bird drags her ‘broken’ wing painfully, ters to assess performance is caused of spider silk ashe ‘cement’ ment, adds. to hold or bind One is a master before the chicks have hatched. such pacity utilisation.

All our three ‘Under — it was Moreover, thealmost abilityde torigueur bring a Indian roadstheir and nests the together circumstances, it is nottoonly but posi-is a global factories are running full useless cabuilding material. course itresearched had to be:and it’s range Of of globally other tively since itYSprobably the leader pacity,”harmful says a smiling Guleria, distracts stickier than tested any cement and six timesforeign stronproducts gives technology for attention of the intruder her whitetwo-wheelers eggs. ger than steel! senior vice-president — salestoand brands an upper hand in the doThe feigning injury would thus appear to be marketing atof HMSI. Whether or not market. you agree with Dewar’s mestic a purely course Equallyinstinctive upbeat is act, RaviaSud, se- of behaviour viewpoint regarding natural selection, this As Guleria explains, “Globally, dictated by natural selection.’ nior vice-president and CFO at book is a valuable the library of Hondaaddition has beento investing heaviAndMotoCorp. which, presumably, not in the best in- anyone interested Hero “We haveiswell our birds (and smallbeen anily in in technology.

We have terests the partridge itsdomestic progeny. motorThe ar- mals), over 50of per cent share inorthe and it(vehicles) can only for be hoped that three it encourinto racing more than decgument comes undone by the of just one ages cycle market and sold 66.3 lakhuse units in FY15, people to pen are down own ades. New technologies testedtheir in extreme word: ‘since it probably That’scomcon- observations our highest-ever annualdistracts…’ sales. In a highly andthe experiences. is far too conditions and learnings There transferred to jecture.

To nitpick it’s something petitive and volatile(and market, we have notI just little informed, natural history vehicles used forpopular commuting.”

The resultswritare checked with Salim Ali): the eggs of partridges consolidated our leadership status, but also ing in a country as rich kaleidoscopic as top-selling products like and Activa and Dio. vary between pale cream, caféhe ausays. lait, and ours, expanded our global footprint,” theretracks are discoveries to be Honda made and Theand racing also enable to chocolate — and are not white. Also, a predator documented doorstep. come up withoutside vehiclesevery that offer good mileage is usually Stylish andmuch sturdymore attracted to a moving, and safety. Its mono-suspension technology is lal is an author, and it in Inostensibly than something But is thatstruggling enough intarget a market like India, ranjit a case in point.

Hondaenvironmentalist first introduced lying onaspirations the groundare (which why some wherestill rural risingisfast and the bird-watcher dia in its Unicorn motorcycle in 2004. The

Formerly joint-venture partners, the Japanese Honda and the home-grown Hero now try to outrace each other in the world’s largest two-wheeler market

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Jungle Folk Douglas Dewar Aleph Natural history ₹295

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mono-suspension replaced the trim suspension at the rear, leading to improved handling and balance.

the competition from Honda.

“Indian companies have to develop a range of products to compete with foreign brands and create a differentiated brand perception,” Learning from scratch says Kandaswami.

Meanwhile, Hero is not sitting quiet either. For Yet, if global branding is Honda’s strength, 26 long years, it was dependent on partner the ability to reach every nook and corner of Honda for design and technology. Suddenly, it India is Hero’s plus point. “The cost structure has had to invest big bucks on R&D and new that domestic players have mastered and the product development, as it cannot survive networks they have created and their reach with refreshes for long. Besides setting up a are immense. They are typically the first set of ₹450-crore R&D centre in Kukas, near Jaipur, it wheels anyone buys, and the fact that they are has tied up with Italian twopresent across the country wheeler design firm Engines Enmakes them strong players. They gineering and bought 49 per are able to maintain strong cent stake in US motorcyclebrand recall by virtue of commuIndia is a large maker Erik Buell Racing (EBR). geography. It will take nicating with the market for a However, with EBR shutting oplong time,” Kandaswami adds. time to reach every erations in recent times, it is unHero’s sales and service netnook and corner clear what technological work now has more than 6,000 advantage Hero can get from the customer touch-points, includbankrupt company. ing authorised dealerships and “Since charting our solo jouroutlets for service and spare ney in 2011, we have brought a number of parts. “We keep adding more outlets to this products with industry-first features carrying network,” says Sud. On the other hand, Honda Hero-patented technology and innovation,” added 1,000 outlets last year and plans 800 says Sud. He cites the Splendor iSmart technol- more this year. ogy, developed in-house, which automatically “India is a large geography. It will take time cuts the engine when idling and restarts with to reach every nook and corner, as we don’t a simple press of the clutch, thereby offering want to compromise on quality (of partnermore mileage in congested cities. The compa- ships),” says Guleria. ny claims a mileage of 102.5km per litre for this model.

Country roads beckon But this is just the beginning. Hero has to The key to Honda’s success now definitely lies Beauty in curves Driving along Lake Wakatipu consistently bring in newer products todmitryserbin/shutterstock beat in conquering rural India, which brings in a

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Country roads

YS Guleria, senior vice-president — sales and marketing at HMSI

TRAVEL LOG Getting there

Your best bet is to fly Malaysia Airlines or Thai Airways to Auckland and take a flight onwards to Queenstown.

Stay

The cosy Heartland Hotel (www.heartlandhotels.co.nz/hotels/ heartland-hotel-queenstown) Ravi Sud, senior vice-president and CFO, comes with stunning views of the Hero MotoCorp Lake Wakatipu and The Remarkables.

a quarter of its revenues. Rival Hero A drive through the Southern Alps prepares you for the drama little overTip gets half The its revenues from rural sales. drive from Queenstown to Over at Milford Sound, New Zealand’s most stunning fiord the years,Milford it has penetrated deep into the hinSound takes four hours

terland on theway. backAdd of initiatives like Service one to it the cruise and Har Jagahtime (SHJ),spent whereatcustomers can get Milford Sound; betheir y friends, in all their years of wis- in Fiordland National Park were created over bikes serviced in their villages instead prepared for own a long and tiring day.of dom in planning holidays for 1,00,000 years of glacial activity. The park is a travellingFuel to nearby Overon 1,100 stops towns. are limited thespecialothers, were insistent that we do World Heritage Site, described by the Unesco ly-designed HerosoMotoCorp fitroute, remembermotorcycles, to fill the tank the coach tour to Milford Sound. as ‘superlative natural phenomena’. ted with customised boxes, move across the before you leave Te Anau.

The husband and I were equally sure that we Part of the Fiordland National Park, Milford country for the SHJ camps. wanted to drive the entire way from Queen- Sound is its most popular attraction. Indeed, it “There is a fair amount of investment that stown. They argued that the route was so stun- is the top tourist destination in New Zealand — home-grown brands have andtoitbewill sharp-angled Mitre Peak thatmade seemed risning, we would stop every few minutes and located in the west coast of the South Island — stand them in good ing from the very sea. stead. Foreign brands not get to our Milford Sound cruise on time. attracting half a million visitors each year. have to figure out a waydrive, to deal thetaken marAfter the peaceful wewith were But what was the point of a road trip if we had And we were booked on a cruise at Milford kets beyond top cities,” says Kandaswami. aback by thethe babble of voices on the cruise to park the car in town and take the bus on Sound around lunchtime, and therefore, Te ship.

In 2012, Honda embarkedthat on rose a new apBut even the Mandarin above one of New Zealand’s most scenic routes?

Anau on, aimed to step on the gas. proach to create a differentiated brand identithe others quite effortlessly, faded into silence Keeping their advice in mind, we got on to It was a feeble attempt, I must admit, since ty for ship the masses. rural it came up as the made itsIn way intoareas, the deep blue wanukan early start from Queenstown, driving along the drive was through the Southern Alps, with wall paintings, shows and even ters. Milford Sound isroad a moody place, with over promote the Honkad nataks (street Lake Wakatipu, which hugs the town and kept which means winding roads 6,800plays) mm oftorain every year, and da wing mark — to thatProffering Honda is us company for the next many minutes. and more stunning scenery. Our just 150emphasise sunny days. separate fromthanks Hero. to the patron saint of sunDriving in New Zealand means driving on friends’ warning ringing in our “We knew seeking there wastravellers, confusionwe in semi-urcurvy mountain roads almost everywhere. ears, each stop on the way was stepped I felt a sharpban pang of and areas the After The our wind camAnd so it was on this drive, as we looped along all too brief. out onhinterland. the open deck. envy at those paigns, there was a our significant jump in the mountain range, aptly named The ReWe ignored several alluring brushing cheeks, ears and evcampervansawareness ambling and helpedbody us accelerate markables. The sun was just coming up across walks signposted along the way erythis exposed part, we our solon these roads, entry,” says Guleria. the lake in the distance, painting the skies a — short and long, for various fitdiered on, marvelling at the which could,As and things stand, both Hero andlining Honda need flattering shade of pink and orange. The mist ness levels. I felt a sharp pang of rugged mountains the wadid, halt anywhere to change gears former has to expand its stayed low, giving us only occasional glimpses envy at those campervans amter — onthe either side. product portfolio the latter find of snow-capped mountains. bling on these roads, which On while our way back must — having ways to connect with the hinterland.

On those spectacular roads, our car ate up could, and did, halt anywhere. comebetter within waving distance of With time, the marketSea will — evolve as logisthe miles and we pulled up at the town of Te And finally the Homer tunnel Tasman we and, stopped for tics and communication lines Anau just a couple of hours later. Now, Te Anau appeared, running for 1.2km, seal-watching.improve, Lazy the animals urban and ruralthemselves markets may get is a sleepy provincial town, like dozens of oth- cutting right through the heart of the moun- between these, they lay sunning on the blurred. is impossible may not be ers we had passed on our drive across the tain, and then Milford Sound. rocks all“What day. We also made today side trips to the a challenge in somedown years the from now. country. It has earned its place in the sun beMany young people fitter than us walk the much base ofofwaterfalls cascading mounaffluence spreads to somewhere rural markets, cause of its location midway from Queen- Milford Track, a trail of over 50km and consid- As tains.

Much later, I read thatthey Rua product notcalled just for commuting stown to Milford Sound. Plus, Te Anau is the ered one of the finest walks in New Zealand. As may dyardwant Kipling had once Milford Sound for wonder lifestyle,”ofsays And gateway to fiordland, which marks the most for us, we were content to walk from the park- but the also eighth theKandaswami. world. The man canwhat provide those products picturesque — and remote — part of this drive. ing lot to the main terminal. And in a day filled whoever clearly knew he was talking about. faster A fiord (spelt with an ‘i’ here in New Zealand with photogenic vistas (which we had no time will race ahead. instead of ‘j’) is a U-shaped carved by gla-motorcycle to stand and stare), we had our first real jaw- charukesi ramadurai is a Bengaluru-based One for the village road The valley sales pitch at a Honda showroom at Ramgard in Alwar district, Rajasthan. manufacturer littlethe over14a quarter revenues from the ruralamarket freelance pratap writer-photographer ciers andThe replenished bygets theasea; fiords of its dropping moment: distant view of the rashmi

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Devotees on the loose Now and forever I SPY

While ‘godwoman’ Radhe Maa might be embroiled in controversy, her followers and she The face of a new insurance campaign for cancer patients, Lisa Ray takes us to South Africa remain unflappable for her next film, Ishq Forever 7am It’s never too early for smiles and selfies. In Hermanus, South Africa

7.30am The yoga studio has to look inviting

9am Catching up on news from India

9.05am Breakfast, the other good thing about mornings

11am Ready for the day. Off to the sets of Ishq Forever

11.20am Grooming squad in action

Red riding hood No one knows how Radhe Maa’s obsession with red started vivek bendre

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ast Sunday evening, 48 hours after being questioned by the police, Radhe Maa, resplendent in vermilion and gold, arrived at the Mahalaxmi Temple. A minor stampede ensued. As she reached the steps of the temple, trishul in hand, two 11.45am Manicure on the sets women in baby pink turbans hoisted her out of the car. Someone wiped her brow, someone adjusted her hair, someone opened the door.

An infant was thrust at her, but Radhe Maa remained unmoved. Only a few mortal beads of sweat dotted her face as she moved slowly from one temple to the next, flanked by chanting followers and a convoy of police, which kept selfie-seekers out of bay. She appeared oblivious to the controversy surrounding her — the police dragnet, the legal entanglements and the calls for worldly accountability. Wearing her typical beatific smile, she glided through the evening.

After the darshan, a wide-eyed devotee sighed, “There really is something indescribable about her. Nothing else matters.”

For the past fortnight, this Mumbai god2.30pm Lunch from a cute cafe in around woman has been roiled legal tangles — from the corner charges of obscenity to instigating dowry demands to cheating. Not to mention the patina of fraudulence that clings to her since all this — and her glamorous skirt-wearing avatar on Twitter — was revealed. But one man’s fraudulence is another man’s call for further devotion. “This has only reinforced my belief,” said one devotee. “This would have happened to any divinity.”

‘Naiveté’, ‘peace’, ‘positive energy’ — these are the qualities devotees attribute to her. “I first went as a non-believer, out of curiosity,” said one such believer, who didn’t want to be named, “But I was hooked.” He said he had earlier shunned godmen, but with her there was “no mumbo jumbo, no black magic, just her

aura and energy.”

Her passport puts her age at 50, yet her ageless face is attributed to her ‘innocence’. “She is like a gudiya (doll),” said the same devotee.

“Just like a child.” “When we hug her or carry her,” said one follower, “it is with love in our 12 noon Awaiting the director’s instructions. hearts, like between parent Until then, there’s vegetable juiceand child.”

As expected, the online world credits her with ‘miracles’, from bringing back sight to curing the terminally sick. Some even claim she is an incarnation of goddess Durga. But devotees say such specifics are irrelevant.

With two grown-up sons and two school-going granddaughters, Radhe Maa lives for the most part in Borivali, the venue of her fortnightly satsangs. Her husband stopped being her husband some 25 years ago, not in law but rather by a cosmic route. “She sacrificed every12.10pm Sunny day in Hermanus thing in her worldly life,” said one devotee.

This obsession for her results in the mass hugging and carrying, which has even attracted obscenity charges. But her devotees see a different kind of logic.

One 65-year-old said he’d fallen prostrate at her feet once when she was disembarking Other avatar from an aircraft. He had been Born Sukhwinder Kaur in Doranyearning for the special privilege gla in Punjab’s Gurdaspur disof carrying her and she saw his trict, she studied till Class X, was face, read his mind and told him There really is married at 18, and had two sons he could do so. “There were tears something before turning spiritual at 23. in my eyes,” he said. “This is what I indescribable about Her official website states that as had been waiting to hear.” He her. Nothing a child, “she had the gift of then walked 15 steps bearing her. else matters prophesy”. Later, her husband For followers who need to left to explore business opportuknow when her next event or apnities abroad. “However,” the pearance is there is an app 3.20pm Toying with “[she] guns behind 5pm Coffee and croissant this duoGuru rocks Maa. profile goes on, was the notscenes. named Shri — Radhe Almost done for the day daunted”.

In addition to the gift of prophesy, Press on it and a miniature icon of the largershe had the “god-given skill of sewing,” and than-life icon comes to life. spent time tailoring and teaching. Many temThere was no word on the app, however, on ple visits later, she gave up life as she knew it her police station appearances. That proved and took on a life of “spiritual wandering”. She no impediment to scores of devotees who arrived in Mumbai, more than 10 years ago, showed up on Friday and waited all day as she where her following grew and prospered after was questioned inside. They came wearing the one Mumbai-based Gupta family took her in. merchandise — red bandanas emblazoned She now lives with them or, as one family with gold lettering, one flaunted a tattoo of member put it, “I live at her feet”. her etched into his skin. When she emerged It is unclear why Radhe Maa is so partial to from Kandivali police station after five hours red or how she chose the title. One explana- of questioning, her mini trishul in hand, rose tion is that devotees think the colour suits her, tucked behind right ear and sunglasses happianother is that it is the colour of the goddess ly perched on nose.

Parvati. A third theory is that the name Radhe bhavya dore is a Mumbai-based journalist Maa refers to ‘raah de’ or show the way.

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BAWDY LINE

Operation theatre Live surgical broadcast is a blood sport because calamity is what the viewers avariciously wish for 5.30pm And finally, it’s time to say hello to Lisa the traveller

6.30pm There is always time for shopping

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Ambarish Satwik is a Delhi-based vascular surgeon and writer

his tract is about the alleged sins of the LSB (live surgical broadcast) at surgical conferences and workshops — aka surgery as spectator sport, which is the subject of an extended rant in the forthcoming issue of the journal Current Medicine: Research and Practice (Kumaran, Nundy). I propose deferring, but for a very short measure, any remarks on the ethics of the LSB, for the purpose of introducing you to Robert Liston, Esq, the first Professor of Clinical Surgery at the University College Hospital, London (anointed in 1835). It might be argued that, historically, the LSB owes its provenance to the popularity of this man’s performance.

But first, a bit of a preface: in addition to its pe9pm The sun is not done with us yet culiar suitability as a Gothic locus, the Victorian operating theatre (with its symmetrically tiered seats rising on both sides and its small, central court or deck illumed by a large, lowhanging gaslight) was indeed a form of theatre. Where all surgical discourse happened, in constantives and performatives, as an accompaniment to the spectacle of live human vivisection, in the sight of students jostling in the galleries. Where the lecture-demonstration had all the elements of stagecraft thrown in, including, I daresay, art direction.

Always in his best Edinburgh scowl and his bottle green coat, double breasted shawl-vest, grey trousers, Wellington boots, and, on top of that, his blood stiffened apron, Liston’s popularity amongst the students was attributable, in equal measure, to his surgical swagger 10pm bed looks so tempting and hisMy surgical velocity.

He could, in the days before anaesthesia, amputate a leg in two-anda-half minutes. He’d lurch over the restrained patient, pick out his favourite knife from his long, narrow leather case and declare to his students and colleagues in a cold, level voice: ‘Now gentlemen, time me’. He was a flourish of flashes: a dozen lightning strokes, and the limb would drop into the bucket of sawdust.

Sometimes, to use both his hands, he’d hold the knife between his teeth.

His later oeuvre was marked by something of an unpleasant episode. It was the only time he amputated a limb under two-and-a-half minutes: the patient died subsequently from

est care from a gora celeb surgeon coming in 6.05pm personalised gift from friend to operate couldA also be restated as aan industry-paid outsider promoting a newfangled, possibly insufficiently tested widget or technique for the entertainment of other surgeons. Most (desi) patients will say yes to anything if the surgical charges are waived off.

Salus aegroti suprema lex: beneficence; all actions in the best interests of the patient. I remember watching the great Andrej Schmidt, the king of his species, at a live endovascular event, opening up an impossibly long segment of the blocked aorta and iliac arteries with almost bovine serenity and unerring precision. It was an archly brilliant performance, as was his wont. But at least a fourth of the audience kept asking themselves if the procedure was really indicated in an 84-year-old man with minor symptoms and severe, limiting, cardiac dysfunction.

8pm Dinner in my new dress 8.20pm Stunning is the word Primum non nocere: non-maleficence; first, xmee/shutterstock do no harm. Lustitia: justice; the morality of suppuration and hospital gangrene. In his who gets what treatment. Kumaran and Nunshowboating flourish, he also, accidentally, dy describe a complete abomination wherein amputated the fingers of his assisting house the itinerant surgeon tried to resect an unresurgeon, who also died from hospital gan- sectable cancer of the pancreas unto a point of grene (these were Pre-Listerian times). And, he near exsanguination. The outcome was never managed to incise the frock coat of an es- reported to the participants in the workshop teemed associate standing right behind him, but they found out later that the patient was who dropped dead from a fright-induced fatal re-explored by the home team for intra-abcardiac arrhythmia. dominal bleeding and died.

The LSB is surgery’s continuing thralldom The LSB is a blood sport because calamity is to the live performance. It is an interactive ses- what the spectators avariciously wish for. sion that has become the staple lead event at Once, at a live robotic aortic surgery event, we most conferences now. The whole nub of the had this celebrity surgeon very sedulously thing is that an illustrious surgeon is called in looking for and securing the lumbar arteries to demonstrate her method and her surgical (almost like a dog sniffing excrement) to preprowess to an audience of avid peers, live, via a vent blood loss from the aorta upon incising 11pm Hot brew and Rumi. Good night world video link. It is an audiovisual production, so it, and then enlivening the proceedings by inthe surgeon is all wired up and juring the vena cava (with all the is usually required to provide a guileless wrongness of a sixspoken account of the proceyear-old walking in on his naked dure as it happens or at least anaunt). He then repaired it so unswer questions from the flappably that the audience very In his showboating moderator or the audience. nearly genuflected. flourish, he also, There’s a camera crew and mulBut I need scarcely enlarge upaccidentally, tiple cameras in the OR, to cap- amputated the fingers on the unholy combination that ture disparate POVs. It works is the itinerant celebrity surgeon of his assisting house particularly well for videoendowho hasn’t seen the patient presurgeon scopic, laparoscopic and angiooperatively, who has to take the graphic procedures, because, by night flight out, and the organisdefinition, they’re done by looking committee that has proming at a screen. The broadcasts, ised to relay six live cases increasingly, are on full 3D HD screens. back-to-back to a bloodthirsty audience.

There has been a lot of righteous indignaThen again, if truth be told, each one of tion expressed about the LSB, particularly after those Latin bylaws is violated (at least in part) a patient undergoing laparoscopic liver resec- in our teaching institutions where instruction tion at a live event in AIIMS died recently. Kum- in surgery is given to residents; particularly aran and Nundy’s critique is clear-eyed about when unsupervised residents operate in extrethe agenda of live surgery. In a sternly pre- mis in the middle of the night. That is just the scriptive way they pose the fundamental ques- nature of the beast. Surgical pedagogy is withtion upon which any discussion of the ethics out doubt ‘a conspiracy against the laity’. of live surgery should take place: is participaCuriously, it was Liston, in his waning years, tion in live surgical workshops harmful for who wrote this: ‘Surely the man to whose the patients? The four hallowed principles of hands and knife the living flesh of a fellowmedical ethics must be courted individually creature is to be submitted should expend in the course of answering that question. some trouble in acquiring that manual facility Voluntas aegroti suprema lex: recognising that, controlled by the higher mental qualithe patient’s autonomy and right to self-deter- ties, will conduce to his material safety.’ Amen. mination. The informed consent is a pliant asatwik@gmail.com thing. What could be described as the best, lat5.55pm Lisa, the gelato freak

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War ofatwords Binge the Borough The Film Writers Association (FWA) provides those with an idea and a script what they need It’s not—just the freshest produce that makes London’s oldest food market a must-do most guidance and protection

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of the prime seven sins, gluttony, and I decided throw myof hands up and dive in. Employalso the most complex of them all. thetoFederation Western India Cine After around various meat Presently, the soft boards of the FWA office ees.

“Thesniffing maximum action we canstalls takeof against and pies, I finally settlednon-cooperaon one sellare festooned with congratulatory flyers pastries the guilty producer is to order duck wraps homemade about Jyoti Kapoor, a screenwriter who won a ing tion.aromatic All our members of thewith Federation boysauce at a stallset. runObviously, by a robust, legal battle last month against filmmaker Ku- plum cott the producer’s thisrosywill lady with a booming countrywithout voice. I nal Kohli for stealing her script for his film Phir cheeked cause him financial losses because up for the delicacy, over the Se. The Supreme Court ordered Kohli to pay queued these artists they can’t shoot,”handed says Pandey.

He and dipped my hot find wrapa in theout juicy Kapoor ₹25 lakh and credit her as scriptwriter change adds that producers often way of maroon sauce.this Thetoo. meat“They was cooked right in his film. Kapoor’s victory is a are so just mischie— not very tender, not they very change chewy —the and the major shot in the arm for the vous that name sauce sweet and fresh.

This was just the tip of FWA, which also ruled in favour of the production house.

They the iceberg. Asfind I jostled through the routes crowds,soI of the screenwriter before Kohli all kinds of escape found in a maze of olives, condiments, decided to take the matter to this order of non-co-operA case that is myself that cheese, Local court. “The FWA is seen as a force ation doesand notcharcuterie. apply to them,” currently doing theconfectioneries customers that is getting stronger in the he rues.(with great gusto) over rounds of the court haggled fresh catch fromLike the sea, surveyed mounds of fight for the rights of our writers. in the case of Kapoor, concerns the sequel and studied giantsettled bread The mindset of many producers some cases haven’t been of Rocklettuce On! and celery, loaves. Tourists clicked photos with farmup prois still feudal. They are unprofesinternally and have landed in duce and farmers, and those on the sional, dishonest and exploiters,” the High Courthungry or Supreme hoof tucked in the free samples on offer. says Pandey.

Court.

A case currently doing the Despite the throngs I was notconcerns pushed rounds of the courts around.

I strolled rowsOn!, of juicy toWin some, lose some the sequel to thepast hitendless film Rock which mushrooms andfilm’s pumpkins, enThat said, the FWA doesn’t have any legal matoes, starred giant Farhan Akhtar. The director, giving livewill food for their standing. So high-handed producers tend to trepreneurs Abhishek Kapoor, who notdemos be making Rock workshops and stalls sellingwriting exotic be dismissive during the investigation, and of- products, On 2, claims that he’s been denied such ostrich and kangaroo. reten don’t even turn up for important meet- meats credit for theas sequel.

However, the writerI Pumyself with tall been glass commissioned of watermelon ings. But what FWA lacks in legal backing, it freshed bali Chaudhuri, whoahas extracted a fruit that I was allowed makes up for in pluck. Like the FWA, all sec- juice, to write the film,from has another story to tell. pick. And around just a few steps when from I here tions of filmmaking — hairdressers, stunt- to “Sometime mid-2013, learntI uponKapoor my greatest Truffles. the An men, make-up artists, and so on — have their chanced that Abhishek will notfind: be directing theI was big, asked uneven, own trade union body. Together they make up entire sequel stretch of Rock of On!, by pungent, the proheavenly pieces of the choicestto fungi.

I wasmy in ducers, Excel Entertainment, honour gourmet heaven. agreement with them as the story and screenI ended day On at 2.

Borough with the Abhpurplay writerthe of Rock Understandably, chase was of my souvenir, a bottle of preishek notdream pleased with the development and wanted me to walk out of the project,” In gourmet heaven Sitting on one end of London Bridge, Borough Market is an enticing display of over a hundred food stalls shikha tripathi says Chaudhuri. Later, she attempted to work with Abhishek again on another assignment, t was my first time in London and, Borough High Street, its prosperity became a but that too did not end well. She is yet to be strangely, I was more anxious than de- cause for concern for other London markets. paid for her work on that project. “I was fruslighted. It was performance pressure — The main reason behind its popularity was the trated, of course, and to add to the complicathe list of must-see gardens, monu- relative cheapness compared with stalls on tion, I was suddenly informed by one of his ments, museums, palaces, abbeys and stores the north bank of the river. associates that Abhishek had gone and regiswas intimidating. Jostling for space in the In the 1600s, King Charles II issued a charter tered the last draft of screenplay of Rock On 2, same list were childhood heroes: dinosaur dis- mapping the market’s limits, extending it which he had received from me, under his coverer Sir Richard Owen, Newton, Sherlock from the southern end of London Bridge to name with the FWA. So I went ahead and regisHolmes, Charles Dickens and the former home of The Tabard, tered two complaints against him. One for many more. Tips on ‘dos and the legendary inn from where non-payment of dues and the other for wrongdon’ts’ were far too many, but the pilgrims set out for Canter- ful registration of the draft of the sequel script there was one that seemed thobury in Geoffrey Chaucer’s ac- that he had received from me in June 2013,” rougly comforting: A walk claimed work. The market was she adds.

It’s only once you through Borough Market, Lonfinally abolished in 1756, but the Though her case seems far more complex, settle in that the don’s oldest food market.

Southwark Cathedral was given Chaudhuri says Jyoti Kapoor’s win is hugely surroundings make While a boat trip down the the right to set up one in a new encouraging for defenceless writers. “Jyoti’s sense to you; the Thames is part of that things-tospot. A bunch of Southwark resi- victory feels like my own. For the entire fraterblurred sights and do list for tourists, it is indeed a dents raised £6,000 and bought nity, she has set an amazing example of raiswhirlpool of smells great way to explore many other a piece of land south of the Ca- ing your voice when it really matters and not materialise into parts of London if you’ve had too thedral. Known today as The Tri- giving up. She’s really a positive example for gingerbread cookies, much of the tube. I took the boat rhubarb crumbles and angle, it remains at the heart of all writers, especially younger ones who may to the stop nearest to Southwark the market. feel daunted at the thought of taking on a Gocustard puddings in Central London, where the I took the steps near the Cathe- liath,” she says.

Borough Market is, the most fadral leading down to the market, To empower writers, the FWA tries to counmous landmark near it being the and for a moment stopped to ob- sel cious (I really mean ‘expensive’) truffle them on business matters. white “Writers are London Bridge. I didn’t know serve the booming space below. emotional oil. I knew Ipeople. had to cradle it carefully andideas, keep We start sharing our how ‘big’, literally and figuratively, Borough Drawing in a long breath, I plunged into the and it safe foritthere was a from different if itallisevening, interesting will travel perwas until I got there. It was chock-a-block with madness that is Borough Market. It’s only son ‘London by night’ arranged by a to person.

But experience you can’t even trust your locals, tourists, farmers and buyers. It was once you settle in that the surroundings make own friend in town.

Butcan the steal prospect theand oil addfriends.

They yourofidea sell gluttony at first sight. sense to you; the blurred sights and whirlpool it ing a bit of heaven to my you humble back elsewhere.

Even when meetkitchen a producer, The present Borough Market, a sprawling of smells materialise into gingerbread coo- immediately home was enough inspire to theciting task. followto it up with me an email entity on the southern end of London Bridge, kies, rhubarb crumbles and custard pud- the For once, glad I had taken some touristy detailsI was of the meeting.

It is considered as is a successor to the one that was first men- dings. There are over 100 food stalls here. I evidence advice seriously. in the court of law,” says Pandey. tioned in an official document in 1276. Some started to regret the heavy breakfast I’d tucked Clearly, it is better to be safe than sorry. claim the Borough goes back to 1014. First into before heading out to the Borough. Nev- shikha tripathi is a writer and photographer based Binsar chaudhuri mohini launched as a street market on what is now ertheless, the place has a way of inducing one in ll Bollywood scripts take birth in a tiny second-floor office tucked away in Andheri West. The office belongs to the Film Writers Association (FWA) — the backbone of the screenwriting community in Mumbai. Writers flock here to register their scripts and officially lay claim to their many ideas. On any given day, this space buzzes with aspirants young and old, clutching onto files that could possibly contain the next big blockbuster.

Yet, in most cases, writers wind up in this office when they’re in trouble. Their problems are predictable — either a shrewd producer has plagiarised their story or is dodging payments. For all such grievances, the FWA, a trade union since 1956, is the first and only recourse for the screenwriting community. “We are like a panchayat. We try to settle our disputes internally so that our members do not need to go through an expensive legal process,” says Kamlesh Pandey, general secretary of the FWA. Over the years the body, which has 14,000 writers, has peacefully resolved numerous disputes through out-of-court settlements. In a month, the Disputes Settlement Committee (DSC) of the FWA receives close to 35 complaints. Vinod Ranganath, the chairperson of the DSC, says around six to eight of these cases deal with copyright infringement. These are

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Next part, Tin Machine

Arifa means business

Want to play cop?

An unusual experiment unfolds in Uttar Pradesh To know Bowie, be Bowie A Kashmiri woman in her late-20s running a company in the busy streets of Lalbazar in range hair, blue eye shadow Ziggy irf ek din… sirf ek din ke liye CM Srinagar is indeed a rare sight Stardust persona is done. So is the bannke dikhao. Remember the one-

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Thin White Duke. Academic Will Brooker day challenge in the Anil Kapoor-starrer will soon live like the ’80s David Bowie.

Nayak (Mudhalvan, starring Arjun, for our urrounded by rugs embroidered with which has prevailed in Kashmir over the Brooker is doing a monograph on the South readers)? situation.

Now, replace the law-and-order The Kashmiri woman last Indian green paisleys, autumnal maple leaves two to three years has helped. Tourists British pop superstar, and the best way CMare in the with police.

Would and doing hasdialogue been sewing, embroidering and cherry blossoms, Arifa is a picture coming, and they bring business...” of doing it, he thinks, is by being Bowie. you like small to be awork cop from for 24home. hours,Now write we are helping of poise and confidence, one that beTo crack the goings-on in the singer’s FIRs, get bad press?

In products Saharanpur, Arifa’s life has transformed completely.

Theandthem market their directly.” lies her young age. After all, a woman in her once shy, diminutive girl, who used to be head, Brooker dresses, drinks, reads and Uttar you can.

Across 21 police aromatic oil rep- Pradesh, Gazalla Amin’s six-year-old late-20s running a business in the busy streets rimanded for coming home late, now travels becomes what Bowie was at critical stations in the district, is invitbusiness todayUP haspolice a turnover of ₹1.5 crore. “Fiof Lalbazar in Srinagar is indeed a rare sight. points in his 40-year career. Sourcing ingat-applications from on her own, scouting for new markets and nances are hardcitizens to cometo by, take society doesn’t acyellow suits online, reading occultist In Kashmir, frequently hit by shutdowns tending exhibitions. over theircept posts for a day.

As per National women entrepreneurs easily… There are and strikes, and where violence is a part of daiAleister Crowley, going sleep-deprived Bureau’s for 2014such statistics, Successive governments in the StateCrime have Records often problems women when they and gulping six packs of energy drink ly to life, women are forced to lead sheltered made efforts to encourage women entreprethe state want has the highest number kidto get married,” she of adds. lives. Unlike many girls her age, Arifa did not neurs. In fact, the former social welfare minismatch the cocaine high — Brooker is donappings and dowry deaths, and secondArifa, however, prefers to focus on the posimarry after her studies. She decided to start a ter Sakina Itoo had allocated ₹10 crore to ing all he can to fathom Bowie. So, if Lady highest robberies.

Despite the has changed the number tives. “I of think, today the mindset business instead, “I always wanted to be an en- Women Development Corporation (JKWDC) Gaga’s your research subject, start scoutstaggering numbers, thethinking depart- of boys has quite a bit. much Even to the ing for the meat dress replica now. trepreneur… so I graduated in commerce.” ment’s surprise, applications have altowards this cause. changed.25Now, I can think of becoming someIt was while trying to find work for a relaready Alas, there will besomeone’s no guns, wife.”

Dr Naheed Soz, managing director of arrived. one, before becoming tive’s widow that she discovered the Srinagar- JKWDC, says, “The last 20 years or so haveuniforms or lal battis. seen based Craft Development Institute (CDI), women becoming house-bound due to the renu agal Women’s Feature Service which trains young people for entrepreneurship in handicrafts. Arifa decided to pursue a course in business administration.

The ₹95,000 fee was daunting, but the tougher battle was to convince her parents.

Her father, a state government employee, worried about the reaction from their conservative society. His only advice to his young daughter was: “Kuch bhi karna, par ghar ki izzat bani rahey (Do what you want, but preserve the family’s honour).”

Arifa has not looked back since. Convinced of her talent and zeal, the Crafts Council of India gave her a grant. Together with two busiSpiderman, his good Samaritan ness partners, pashminaveryone weavers loves Mohammed traits,Ghanai, his orange Salim Sofi and Farooqh Amar Arifasuit set — but best of all, his flying ability.

It has been discovered that spiders are up Incredible Kashmir Crafts to now sell handmade ‘numdha’ rugs.even better at flying than we had first imagined.

Dropped from 65 to 80 The laborious manufacturing process in-feet, they can deftly stir in mid-air and come to aaperfect landing. Their flatvolves carding the wool, spreading it on nessitcertainly helps grass mat and compressing manually.

Thethem, as do their front feet. The most important lesson we back-breaking work often leaves the artisans have learned from Charlotte is — with bleeding palms. The painstaking embroiwho needs wings to fly. dery work is done by women. “I want to revive numdha-making. The artisans are paid so badly that they are no longer interested. These days only the old artisans know this specialised craft. Educated youngsters prefer to do lowly-paid jobs instead,” says Arifa.

She hopes to one day set up a company with artisans as shareholders. She started out by employing 15 workers, paying them three times what they were getting. Sofi, her business partner, says, “I decided to join because she has her heart in this. She has an attachment to the artisans and thinks differently.”

The other partner, Ghanai, says “the peace

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Soaring spiders

Jungle arachnids have a surprising ability, they can fly

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Kaun banega sarpanch

In Sirsa, Haryana, the most educated bahu

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odhi village, in Dabwali subdivision in Haryana’s Sirsa district, worships a Master’s degree. Or so it seems, considering that Pradeep Kaur, its most educated bahu, is the new village sarpanch. The decision, however, comes as little surprise. The post of the Modhi sarpanch is reserved for women and the minimum qualification for candidates is Class X. What is encouraging is that Kaur completed her Master’s after marriage, thanks to the supportive husband. Only time will tell if Kaur’s election as the sarpanch is anything more than just Modhi’s eagerness to be part of the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ wave. Question is, will Pradeep Kaur be sarpanch Confident smile Arifa co-founded Incredible Kashmir first, bahu later?

Crafts to sell handmade ‘numdha’ rugs

Robbery at Raj Bhavan

Kolkata governor’s house turns burglar-haven

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idnight marauders have been visiting Kolkata’s 212-year-old Raj Bhavan. Giving the slip to over 150 cops, burglars are regularly straying into the 27-acre heritage zone. And why wouldn’t they? Modelled on Lord Curzon’s ancestral home, the building houses a treasure trove, including the urn that carried the ashes of Mahatma Gandhi, Warren Hasting’s silver ‘throne’, and Tipu Sultan’s elephant seat. Priceless artefacts that could turn the robbers into millionaires. But what have they been stealing? LED lights. Yes, you heard right.

Those energy-saving, expensive LED lights. All that extra security, those new CCTV cameras for a robber of bulbs.

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in-faq by joy bhattacharjya

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n August 22, 1902, the Cadillac motor company was founded. This week’s quiz is in honour of one of the finest makers of automobile ever.

here,there & elsewhere

Wheels

Speed punk

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e’re speeding along in our bright blue hearse like a gramophone needle in an LP the size of the expressway. We’re playing the classic anthem of the road-warrior: no tickets, no schedules, no tension. The landscape scrolls past our windows in a hypnotic blur of trees, rocks, fields, towns, sky, clouds, on and on. And on again.

As a non-driver, I’ve spent large chunks of my life being transported like this, passive as a parcel. Maybe it’s because of the accumulated months and years of happy childhood journeys that I find it utterly soothing. In my past, we travelled in family groups where the children sat cushioned between the large soft bodies of mothers, aunts and sisters. No wonder these memories are laced with the iron-clad security of those days, the absolute absence of fear, of doubt, of loss.

I can’t read because I get car-sick and I’ve slept enough to last me a week. So I’m reclining at full length, listening to Birk and Bins singing along with the radio, swapping anecdotes, telling jokes. I can barely understand what they’re saying. They sound more like two old dogs, yipping and howling companionably together. Punky the skunk is asleep on Bins’ lap as Birk drives, but when Bins is at the wheel, the skunk is draped around his neck.

cornerstone

We’ve been on the road for four days now and the little critter seems completely relaxed around us.

One of the running jokes on this journey has been about what to do if we’re caught transporting a wild animal across state lines. Birk doesn’t know whether or not it’s illegal. Bins doesn’t care. “If some police-guy stops us, so what, man? We’ll just aim little Punky with his tail up and — paf! Stink bomb!

No more police-guy!” Much wheezy laughter. “Can you imagine using Punky to hold up a bank? He would totally clear the building!” According to Birk,

1 the average American citizen is scared witless by skunks. “We believe the spray is worse than napalm,” he says. “Causes nerve damage. Instant gangrene.

Madness.” As a one-time pest controller, he’s been sprayed a couple of times.

“Sure, it’s awful — but the fear is worse.

You survive the spraying, but the fear of going mad drives you mad.”

So we’re racing along and laughing and paying no attention to the speed limit when all at once we hear a familiar sound. A kind of wailing. A police siren.

We’re being told to pull over while other cars shoot on by. Bins is at the wheel. Deathly silence in the car. The cop walks up to us. I can only see his torso. Slender as a whip, shiny and tight. He speaks softly to Bins through the open window. Bins hands over his license. The officer makes a note, hands it back to Bins.

Just then the skunk stirs. And the officer sees him.

Time stops. Then, very slowly and without making any sharp-angled movements, the officer backs away.

He backs all the way to his car. Gets in. Drives away. “Good boy,” whispers Bins. “Whatever,” says Punky. manjula padmanabhan, author and artist, writes of her life in the fictional town of Elsewhere, US, in this weekly column

This legendary manufacturer started as the Swallow Sidecar Company in 1922. After the war, the SS logo did not seem a good idea and they rebranded, fortunately with great success.

What is their brand name now?

2

With Fast and Furious and Gone In Sixty Seconds franchises, car chases have become a huge cinematic attraction. But the sequence that really created the genre was a 1968 film in which Steve McQueen pursued a Dodge Charger around San Francisco in his Ford Mustang. Name this iconic action film.

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In which extremely well-known work of fiction, released in the early 20th century, is one of the main characters jailed for 20 years for stealing and crashing a car? He subsequently escapes.

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What is common to the naming of the Lamborghini Islero, Diablo and the Murcielago?

Which company, famous for a completely different product range, was started specifically to manufacture a record player for automobiles? Their name was a play on the most well-known record player of the time.

6

What sporting tradition was started at the Le Mans endurance race in 1967 by champion Dan Gurney when he spotted the Ford CEO and team owners in front of the podium?

7

Rarely has one car model dominated international production. But in 1916, 55 per cent of all cars produced were of a single model.

Which one?

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Which bestselling novelist wrote about a poor rusted Plymouth Fury that became evil after being restored?

Which car sold 20 million units between 1970 and 2002, and is the highest-selling automobile to be continuously produced without major design changes?

10

The D-Day was the name given to the launch of Operation Overlord, the invasion of Europe on June 6, 1944. In that case, what was E-Day? Answers

1. Jaguar, now a part of the Tata Group 2. Bullitt. In 2008, the 40th anniversary of the film launch, Ford released a special Bullitt version of the Mustang 3. Toad from Wind in the Willows. The book is silent on whether he was ever arrested again 4. They are all named after fighting bulls. The Islero killed star matador Manolete in 1947 5. Motorola named after Victrola, the best-selling record player model 6. Presented a magnum of champagne, he sprayed it all over the crowd instead of drinking it. Life photographer Flip Schulke made sure the world got to see the celebration 7. The Ford Model T, the first mass-manufactured vehicle. This record is unlikely to be ever beaten 8. Stephen King. The car was called Christine. A film version was released in 1983 9. The Lada, produced in the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact partners. Who needed to make changes when the customers had few other options!

10. The day the Ford Edsel was launched in the US — September 4, 1957. It was one of the most spectacular flops in motor history

joy bhattacharjya is a quizmaster and Project Director, FIFA U-17 World Cup t@joybhattacharj

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