Talkmag mar 21, 2013 by Suhas Shankarappa

talk Volume 1 | Issue 32 | March 21, 2013 | Rs 10

magazine

the intelligent bangalorean’s must-read weekly

AYYOTOONS Marine go round 5 TIHAR JAIL Story behind rape-accused Ram Singh’s ‘suicide’ 8 SUMMER Cool off with unusual fruit recipes 16 DELHI POST A slice of Malleswaram in the capital 19

FLAT GLUT

More than half of all new apartments built in Bangalore in the last three years remain unsold. Yet prices continue to rise. Blame it on how builders read the market, reports PRASHANTH GN 12-15

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Brilliant story on Salaam Bombay child star Shafiq Syed Read the latest issue of Talk. Savie Karnel's story on Shafiq Syed (A child star's enduring sorrow, Issue 31) was insanely good. Brilliant work. Aishwarya, by email New explorations I wonder how you arrive at your cover topics, ever fresh and leading readers to newer areas of experience. I find the windows of your exploration interesting. Yasmeen Premji's story, for instance, is the story of a graceful woman with a healthy sense of the private and the public. Talk holds the young and the not-soyoung with its special rhythm. S Sarvamangala, Uttarahalli

not know much about her and was surprised by the information in the story. She seems very down to earth and active as a social worker. Like her husband Azim Premji, she has also managed to dodge the spotlight all these years. I expect Talk to carry more such stories on the less known, interesting personalities in Bangalore. Anita S by email

Siddiqui's story I must thank Talk magazine for being among a handful of newspapers bold enough to publish the real story of Muthi-ur-Rahman Siddiqui, the Deccan Herald journalist arrested on false terror charges and later released for lack of evidence. The commoners, the non-ruling masses of Nice to meet Yasmeen India—be it Dalits, The cover story of Talk’s backward castes or latest issue, on Yasmeen minorities—are indebted to Premji, was interesting. media organisations like Despite her being such a prominent personality, I did yours for keeping the flame

team talk EDITORIAL

EXECUTIVE TEAM

SR Ramakrishna Editor Sridhar K Chari Consulting Editor Prashanth GN Senior Editor Sajai Jose Chief Copy Editor Savie Karnel Principal Correspondent Basu Megalkeri Principal Correspondent Prachi Sibal Senior Features Writer Sandra Fernandes and Maria Laveena Reporters and Copy Editors Anand Kumar K Chief of Design Shridhar G Kulkarni Graphic Designer Ramesh Hunsur Senior Photographer Vivek Arun Graphics Artist

Sumith Kombra Founder, CEO and Publisher Abhay Sebastian Asst Manager - Sales Mithun Sudhakar Asst Manager - Sales Kishore Kumar N Head - Circulation Vinayadathan KV Area Manager - Trade Yadhu Kalyani Sr Executive Corporate Sales Lokesh KN Sr Executive Subscriptions Prabhavathi Executive Circulation Sowmya Kombra Asst Process Manager

Printed and published by Sumith Kombra on behalf of Shakthi Media Ventures India Pvt Ltd FF70, Gold Towers, Residency Road, Bangalore -560025 and printed at Lavanya Mudranalaya, Chamarajpet, Bangalore-560018. Editor: SR Ramakrishna. Editorial Office: FF70, Gold Towers, Residency Road, Bangalore 560025 Email: info@talkmag.in Phone: 08040926658. © All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without permission is prohibited.

(Phone heist, Issue 31) was Ameen Ahmed informative. This kind of theft from via Facebook cars happens all over India, and the same modus operandi is used in many of our major cities. My Phone heist trick common friend's iPhone was stolen in the The story on gangs carrying out same manner at a traffic signal in planned mobile phone thefts of justice alive.

Delhi. The police have to put an end to this menace. The public also need to be educated. S Srivastava Koramangala Write to letters@talkmag.in

war on rape

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The fiery one Bhanwari Devi, the Rajasthani woman raped by men of her village 20 years ago, is still fighting for justice. Though honoured elsewhere for her spirit, she continues to be an outcast in her own village. Recently in Bangalore, she says rape victims should come forward to challenge their tormentors

savie.karnel@talkmag,in

Housing is a big problem in Bangalore. Since the 1990s, governments have completely abdicated their responsibility of providing land and houses for citizens. The BJP government has not distributed a single site in the five years it has been in power. Urban Development Minister Suresh Kumar admitted to our magazine it was a shameful lapse. Mumbai is hemmed in by the sea, but Bangalore’s topography is such that it can stretch and expand without hindrance. Yet, our governments complain about land acquisition hurdles and resistance from farmers. The private sector is doing fine, though, acquiring the same land, building thousands of apartments, and in many cases, forcing buyers to pay unrealistic prices.

We also found the private sector stepping into the ‘affordable’ housing space, where the government ought to have been active, and doing a good job. Since 2009-10, the Tatas, Ramesh Ramanathan’s Janaadhar, and Jaithirth Rao’s Value and Budget Housing Corporation have been building houses priced between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 25 lakh. As for the non-budget segment, read Prashanth GN’s story to understand why prices haven’t fallen despite the oversupply.

WAITING FOR JUSTICE Bhanwari Devi’s case is still in the court, and she’s harrassed by her rapists to this day

editor talk

When we set out to do a story on housing, we found a startling fact: over a half of all flats built in the last three years have remained unsold. But that hasn’t, as you might expect, resulted in a price drop. A majority of the flats built in Bangalore today fall in the Rs 40 lakh to Rs 80 lakh range, which the trade says Bangalore’s double-income families can afford.

SAVIE KARNEL

hen she says. “Phaansi lagao,” she may sound like just another social media feminist repeating what others are saying, but in Bhanwari Devi’s case, she really means it. The unlettered woman from Rajasthan is today honoured and respected for her feisty spirit. “I will fight till my last breath. No matter what, I will punish my “When people see me, they rapists,” she says. She has also taken up cases of other rape vic- shut their doors. They don’t invite me for any social events, and avoid tims. The law has been of no help talking to me,” she says. The vilto her. In fact, she has been paying lagers do not buy vessels made by her potter husthe price for filing band, and no one a complaint The police is willing to give against her rapists. refused to file him a job. Twenty years after When a kind she was raped, her her complaint; man once offered case is still in the the doctors, to Bhanwari a job at court. Two of the examine her his shop selling accused men died a water, he was natural death, and the other three are living beaten up. From then, no one comes forward to help her. The ‘respectable’ lives. Worse, she continues to be only source of income for the famthreatened and humiliated by her ily is a buffalo, and the Rs 1,600 rapists. “I keep coming face to face that Bhanwari gets for work as a with them in the village and they ‘saathin,’ a field worker for the use the opportunity to insult me Rajasthan government’s anti-child in the foulest language,” she says. marriage campaign. It was her sincerity at work They even threaten to rape her daughters. While the men hold that set the stage for the crime prominent positions in society, that changed the course of her life. Bhanwari has been living the life In 1992, on one of her field trips, she found that a nine-month old of an outcast.

infant was being married to a oneyear-old child. The baby girl was the daughter of Ram Karan, who belonged to the Gurjar community, and was a member of the panchayat of her village Bhateri, 55 km from state capital Jaipur. When the girl’s family didn’t pay heed to Bhanwari, she informed the senior block officer. “I was only following Collector saab’s orders,” she says, recalling the events. On the day of the wedding, the police arrived to stop it. “But they took a bribe and went away saying it was some religious programme and not a marriage.” The family conducted the wedding ceremony the very next day. The Gurjars held a grudge against her. They were livid at the thought that a woman from a lower caste kumbhar (potter) community had brought the police to their doorstep and “insulted” them. On the evening of September

Savie Karnel met Bhanwari Devi, and brought back a rape victim’s story of courage. And from Delhi, DP Satish writes about a café that specialises in the cuisine of old Bangalore. Ironically, no comparable restaurant exists in Bangalore. Happy reading! SR Ramakrishna ram@talkmag.in

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“My brothers, in-laws and relatives all cut ties with us.” Despite the social boycott, Bhanwari refused to leave the village. “Why should I? Only thieves run away. I haven’t done anything wrong,” she says. Even when people said she had become impure, not only did she disagree with them, but she also spoke boldly to reporters who came visiting. “Rape victims are supposed to hide their faces and their pictures are blurred in the media. TV channels show them as crying and depressed. This should stop,” she says. When news of the rape appeared in the national media, the accused offered her Rs 3 lakh to withdraw the complaint. Despite her dire situation, she refused the money. “I told them to apologise in public for raping me. I didn’t want the money, I wanted my dignity,” she says. The then Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao gave her Rs 25,000 as compensation. But her brother used the money to conduct a kumbhar caste panchayat which he hoped would make her community accept her back. But it turned out the money was wasted, for the ostracism continued. Her four children too were made to pay for their mother’s decision to fight back. Her sons were teased and beaten in school. “My elder daughter’s in-laws still scold her, saying things like your mother is a whore,” she says. Till recently, when her youngest son went to college to a neighbouring town, he was beaten by Gurjar boys. “These things have affected the youngest son very badly. I can see it in his behavior,” says women’s rights activist Du Saraswati, who is been close to Bhanwari’s family. BRUTAL ORDEAL A scene from Bawandar (2000), the award-winning movie based on her life. (Top) Bhanwari Devi at the Bangalore event. Seated behind her is daughter Rameshwari.

6, 1992, five months after the marriage, Bhanwari Devi and her husband Mohan Lal were working in the fields. Ram Karan and four others attacked Mohan Lal, rendering him unconscious. When Bhanwari went to his rescue, three men held her to the ground and two others raped her. Bhanwari later went to her pracheta (block level officer), who accompanied her to the police station to file an FIR. The police just wouldn’t believe her—they could not imagine that a woman who was raped would dare to file a complaint and bring ignominy to herself. They also taunted the social worker accompanying Bhanwari, saying, “Madam, do you know what rape is?” Bhanwari recalls how the pracheta responded, “My madam was bold and she replied that she could show them what it was.” The police then relented and sent her for a medical examination to the Primary Health Centre. Since there was no female doctor present at the time, the male doctor refused to examine her. He gave her a chit and asked her to go to the hospital in

Jaipur. On reaching there, she found that the doctor had asked for confirmation of the age of the victim on the chit, and not for a medical examination for rape. When she insisted on being examined for rape, the doctor said he needed a magistrate’s order. Since it was past working hours, the magistrate asked her to come the next day. “I was examined 48 hours after the rape, when the law states that the examination should be conducted within 24 hours,” she says. On going back to the police station, the police asked her to leave her lehenga or skirt as evidence. Without any other piece of clothing, she wrapped herself with her husband’s turban and returned home.

No milk for her babies The worst was yet to come. The villagers ostracised her at the behest of the Gurjars. They didn’t let her take water from the well and stopped buying pottery from her husband. “My children were small. My youngest son was just four years old, but nobody would sell milk to me,” she says.

As for the case, a sessions court had acquitted the accused in 1995. The judgment kicked up a storm because the court’s reasoning was that higher caste men would not rape a lower caste woman. Since the two rapists were an uncle-nephew duo, the court also maintained that an uncle would not have committed the crime in his nephew’s presence. After the acquittal, the accused were felicitated by the local MLA. The case is now in the High Court. Ironically, even as her own case languishes in the High Court, a public interest case was cause for a landmark judgment by the Supreme Court. On August 13, 1997, in response to the PIL filed by a group of NGOs, the Supreme Court issued guidelines to address sexual harassment at the workplace, which is known as the ‘Visakha judgment.’ The group, lead by an NGO called Vishakha, had cited Bhanwari Devi's case as proof of the dangers women faced in the course of their work.

After the movie came out

In 2000, NRI filmmaker Jagmohan Mundhra made a movie on her life called Bawandar, which won many international awards. Nandita Das played Bhanwari’s role. The movie added to her ordeal. “I was unable to watch the film,” she says. The villagers started insulting her even more. “They said I have no shame and have allowed people to show me getting raped.” Rameshwari chooses to look at the bright side, “The time the movie was released was very difficult for us. But I think it was necessary so that people know mother’s story.” In 2002, the then Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot gifted Bhanwari a plot in Jaipur and Rs 50,000. “I have used the money to construct a boundary wall Daughter’s achievement Bhanwari also had a tough time finding around the plot,” she tells us. In 1995, she brides for her sons, but for all her efforts, was also awarded the Neerja Bhanot the sons moved out with their wives after Memorial award for her courage. “I get a lot marriage. Unable to take the affronts, they of respect outside, but not in my village,” she says. do not keep in touch with Bhanwari is as resther. “My sons are lost to ‘I had young less as ever. “I want jusme,” she says. tice. I want my rapists to It is only her younger children, but the be punished. It shouldn’t daughter Rameshwari villagers would happen to any other girl,” who stood by her. refuse to sell she says. Women from Rameshwari too has now milk to us’ other villages who have moved out of the village, been sexually abused where she used to live with her in-laws, and now stays with her come to seek her help. “A boy had attacked husband in Jaipur, who she says is support- a girl and torn her salwar kameez. We women beat him up,” she says. ive. When she met young girls on her visit Bhanwari was married at the age of four and bore children when she was 14. to Bangalore, she affectionately touched Both her daughters were married as chil- their cheeks and said, “Stand up for dren. “I didn’t know about the ill-effects of women. Fight for your sisters.” Fiery, smilchild marriage then. I learnt about them ing and bold she says her motive is to make only when I became a saathin,” she says. all women stand up for their rights. Rameshwari, who has now finished her Bhanwari Devi was in Bangalore to MA and B Ed, recalls: “We went to our husbands’ houses when we were 14 years old. attend the Women's Day celebrations organWe had to listen to a lot of taunts and ised by the Kannada Women Writers' Association at Kannada Sahitya Parishad. insults there.”

fun lines

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political diary

talk|21 mar 2013|talkmag.in

Expect strange bedfellows Given the iffy local body election results, an alliance between a desperate BJP and a not-so-successful KJP cannot be ruled out

BASU MEGALKERI basu.megalkeri@talkmag.in

ssembly election dates will be announced next week. The results of the urban local body elections held in 207 towns seem a good reflection of the mood of the people. The Congress, has recovered from by-election defeats and surged ahead. The BJP is down, with the JD(S) neck and neck with them. Yeddy’s KJP and Sriramulu’s BSR Congress have not done well either. The Congress won three out of seven city corporations, 10 out of 43 city municipal councils, 38 of 92 town municipal councils, and 19 of 63 town panchayats. The Congress has also gained a strong hold in three other city corporations, 25 city municipal councils, 38 town municipal councils and 33 town panchayats. Many politicians are not ready to accept that the local body elections are an indication of what might happen in the assembly election results. They cite the example of the 2007 elections. In 2007, when the JD(S)-BJP government ruled the state, elections were held in 209 local bodies. The Congress led with 1,606 seats, followed by JD(S) with 1,502 seats, and then the BJP with 1,180 seats. But in the assembly elections held the next year, BJP came to power. The Congress ended up in the opposition. The JD(S) lost miserably. “This is no victory for the Congress. Tired and angry with the BJP’s bad administration, people have naturally voted for the Congress. It is not because they favour the

FRIENDS AGAIN? Eshwarappa, Yeddyurappa and Jagadish Shettar in happier times. Insiders say the BJP and KJP could unite for the polls

of Janardhan Poojary, we held a padyCongress,” says a political analyst. Leaders of the BJP, KJP, JD(S) atra from Ullal to Udupi and instilled and BSR Congress naturally echo the confidence in the people. This has inspired them to vote against the BJP. same sentiments. Opposition leader Siddaramaiah The Congress has been careful in of the Congress attributes the results choosing its candidates. We are confito the Congress’ campaign against dent that the Congress will win the illegal mining in Bellary and the cen- assembly elections as well.” Former Congress minister tre’s special packages to the Motamma said that the “collective Hyderabad-Karnataka region. “The BJP came to power because leadership” of the Congress prevailed. “People have realised of the Bellary that the BJP is corReddys. The ‘If at all Yeddy rupt.” Congress took a Senior Congress strong stand agrees (to a poll leader Janardha against their illegal pact with BJP), Poojary is a little careways, and even held it may be only ful: “It’s not just a lesa padayatra. The for the 2014 Lok son for the BJP. Even Congress led UPA the Congress has to government in the Sabha elections’ learn a lot.” centre too introFor the BJP, the duced special packages for people of the area. This has local body polls were the first elecmade people realise that the Congress tions under the leadership of chief is people friendly, and they have minister Jagadish Shettar. In the Hubli-Dharwad city corporation, the voted for us,” he told Talk. The BJP fared poorly in BJP has won just 14 seats. Keeping Dakshina Kannada, earlier its strong- personal differences aside, Shettar hold. Congress leaders feel that the had joined hands with Basavraj Sangh Parivar’s excesses in terms of Bommai. But the BJP couldn’t get a moral policing and blatant commu- clear majority in the twin cities. Even in the 28 constituencies nalism worked in their favour. Congress MLA from Ullal UT represented by Shettar’s cabinet minKhadar said: “It had become difficult isters, the BJP lost in 17 local bodies. BJP strategising has intensified. for people from minority communities to live here. Under the leadership While the results were coming out,

BJP leaders were huddled in a meeting at Shettar’s house. A BJP leader said, “We have made a comparison of where the BJP has lost to candidates fielded by Yeddyrappa’s KJP. We have shared this information with BJP national president Rajnath Singh over the phone. Joining hands with the KJP will be a wise move,” he declared. A KJP leader who wanted to remain anonymous told Talk that they were not aware of any discussions with Rajnath Singh. “Yeddyurappa may not easily agree to join hands with the BJP. He intends to destroy some BJP leaders. If at all he agrees, it may be only for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections,” he said. BJP minister CT Ravi hopes that Yeddyurappa will join hands with them. “The BJP and KJP have differences because of personal opinion and have no differences in ideals. Moreover, there are no permanent foes in politics. It is even possible that Yeddyurappa returns to the BJP. Anything can happen,” he said. While talks of bringing Yeddyurapppa back into the BJP are making the rounds, there is also speculation about BJP leader Ananth Kumar and JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda discussing a seat sharing agreement. The BJP and JD(S) are keen to keep the Congress away from power.

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“If Yeddyurappa doesn’t return to the BJP, the JD(S) will join hands with BJP and share seats. In Padmanabhnagar, we have fielded a dummy candidate against BJP’s Ashok. We will follow a similar pattern throughout the state,” says a JD(S) leader. The JD(S) too has faced a setback in the local body elections. Ramnagar constituency has an

MLA and MP from the JD(S). But the JD(S) lost there in the local body polls. JD(S) state president HD Kumaraswamy told Talk that they have learnt a lesson from the election results. “We still have time to prepare for the assembly elections. We aren’t going public with our plans,” he said. Leader of BSR Congress B Sriramulu also wants

to learn from his mistakes. On his part, Yeddyurappa is sticking to his guns and his stated aim of destroying the BJP. He says he has no plans of returning to the party. “Even if they plead, I am not going to return to the party. Let there be no confusion among party workers, My main aim is to make the BJP bite the dust,” he says.

Fr Ambrose Pinto former Principal of St Joseph's College of Arts and Science

End of the road for BJP The writing on the wall is clear after the debacle at the Urban Local Body Polls

once known as ‘the Godmother’ of the notorious Bellary Reddy brothers, vitiated the atmosphere further.

DP SATISH

When the political tide and public sentiment turned against both Yeddy and Reddy in the state, Jaitley and Swaraj dumped them overnight.

The public perception is that the current BJP government is one of the most corrupt ever. In 2008, the BJP came to power on its own due to various reasons. BS Yeddyurappa used to his advantage JD(S) leader Kumaraswamy’s betrayal of their agreement to share power. He campaigned like a man possessed. He cleverly managed the moneybags and disgruntled leaders in the Congress, and shamelessly played the Lingayat card. The voters also wanted to give a chance to Yeddyurappa’s ‘party with a difference’. They were tired of both the Congress and the Janata Parivar, which ruled and looted the state by turn since 1983. Congress’ infighting and the alleged sale of 20-25 MLA tickets to moneybags were also factors in BJP winning the polls. What happened after the BJP came to power on a very hot afternoon in May 2008 is now a sad chapter in the political history of Karnataka. Sometime in early 2010, a senior citizen from Mangalore with BJP links remarked in disgust that BJP leaders in Karnataka would demand a bribe even from their own mothers. The BJP that has seen three chief ministers in the last five years had little time for governance. It was busy handling internal rebellion or one or the other scam on a daily basis. The BJP high command in New Delhi, which also has too many ringmasters with their own vested interests, used Karnataka as a platform either to assert their supremacy over others or to settle petty personal scores with each other. Central leader Arun Jaitley, who was the strongest backer of Yeddyurappa and Sushma Swaraj, who was

It is a fact that a scorned Yeddyurappa has caused major damage to the BJP in his strongholds and this is now benefitting the Congress. There is some talk of Yeddy returning to the mother party, but any such attempt will surely backfire. Blatant communal politics, brazen corruption, sex scandals and dangerous liaisons with all kinds of criminal elements have discredited BJP so much that it will take the party years to rebuild itself in Karnataka. In fact, a few decent men and women in the BJP are hoping that a humiliating defeat in the Assembly elections due in May will help them rebuild the party. The writer is Senior Editor, CNN-IBN, New Delhi

‘The Church can't be just the voice of Europe anymore’ Francis is the first non-European pope in the last millennium. Why do you think a non-European was chosen this time? The public image of the Vatican City and of the church has gone down in the last couple of decades. Accused of intrigues, and the kind of scandals, clearly says that the Church can't be just the voice of Europe anymore. It is time for the Church to take up issues pertaining to the entire world. Do you think he will be able to face all the challenges a pope must? The pope may not find it difficult as his own lifestyle shows that he can absolutely overturn the status quo at Vatican City and the Church. From giving up a palatial bishop's residence to cooking his own meals and travelling in public transport, he is an inspiration to everyone. In a lifetime of teaching and leading priests in Latin America, which has the largest share of the world's Catholics, Francis has shown a keen political sensibility as well as the kind of self-effacing humility that fellow cardinals value highly. He is known for modernising an Argentine church that had been among the most conservative in Latin America. What explains the choice of name, Francis? The name is given after St Francis of Assisi as Francis I meets all the qualities of the saint. Just like the saint, the new pope lived with the poor, worked with the poor and identified himself with the poor. Even when he was elected as the Cardinal, he requested all his people from Argentina not to travel to Rome and instead, donate all the travel money to the poor in their city.

Fr Ambrose Pinto is a Jesuit priest and former Principal of St Joseph's College of Arts and Science. An academician and social worker, he has authored and edited many books and written scores of articles in journals and newspapers. He is a recipient of the Karnataka Government’s Rajyotsava Award for social service. Presently he is the administrator of St Joseph's Evening College.

Questions

Reactions, statements, accusations, complaints, or just straight talk—this is where you get them all

convict death

talk|21 mar 2013|talkmag.in

Why did Ram Singh die in Tihar jail? What could he have said to deflect attention away from his own crime? Let’s go back to that night. Earlier that night, a man had stopped two policemen on a bike and told them that a white bus had picked him up near Sabji Mandi at about 8.30 pm, and that the men in it had beaten him up, robbed him, dropped him near the IIT flyover and sped away. The NIVEDITA MENON cops on the bike told him that the area came under the jurisdiction of Vasant he chief accused in the Vihar police station, and that he Delhi gang rape “found should register a complaint there. In dead” in his cell? Killed effect, they did nothing, not even to with his own shirt? help the man, with no money and no Hanging from a grill, with mobile, to get back home. Familiar his three cell mates sound asleep all callousness. Not much of a story here, the while? The moment I heard the apart from “had they acted in time…” But let’s move on. After the rape news on Monday, every conspiracy theory-oriented cell in my body did a was reported and a huge outcry quick cartwheel. Promptly I sent out a ensued, how was the bus tracked mail to the sisterhood on the down? First we heard that some very slick detective work was carried out— Feminists India e-list: I’m wondering whether there is based on information from the friend something more than police negligence of the woman that the bus had Yadav involved here. I have always felt that the written on the side, Delhi Police role of the police on that night was more Commissioner said: “We contacted than simply their usual laparwahi—that bus body builders and transporters of bus may have been used often in the past Delhi and NCR and asked about a for such activities, remember they didn’t Yadav transporter. We took a list of follow up the complaint of the man who 370 such buses which run on charhad been earlier that night robbed by the tered routes from the transport same guys? And how they located the bus department. We zeroed in one Yadav from their hafta diaries? I’m wonder- transporter…” …and the rest is history. ing—and going to sound paranoid and Barely had we recovered from like a loony conspiracy theorist— whether the key accused in court would the dizzy sensation of living in a crime have revealed more about police com- novel set in some civilised place where police actually conplicity in rapes and duct enquiries other activities on Every single cop rather than base buses like Yadav’s than their cases entirely we imagine. Prisoners in Delhi knows on “confessions”, in jail often carry out and is in on the than we learnt that attacks on other prisgame the reality was oners on the orders of rather more murky, the police themselves. Yes, Indian prisons are violent as it tends to be With Delhi Police, and brutal, and the police callous and Always. According to this report in the vicious. Yes, there should be an inquiry to assign responsibility. But The Pioneer, apparently, “A traffic I’m pretty certain I know who killed policeman had reportedly recorded Ram Singh—some other prisoners. the registration number of the bus in And I think that they did it on orders a ‘hafta’ diary—a record of illegallyplying buses for which bribes have from the police. So what could Ram Singh have been paid for exemption of prosecurevealed if he had his day in court? tion. That immunity from police,

The Delhi gang rape accused found hanging in his Tihar jail cell could have been killed by fellow prisoners acting at the behest of the police

Nivedita Menon Feminist activist, writer, and translator who teaches Politics at JNU, Delhi

NEXUS Delhi’s notorious private buses brazenly flout rules thanks to a corrupt police force. Officials at Tihar Jail claim Ram Singh (bottom left) hanged himself in his cell.

however, is seen as the sole reason the gangrape was not detected as no cop intercepted it while it circled the area slowly. The cop identified the bus when the police relayed the description provided by the victims. It finally led the police to zero in on two transporters with Yadav as their surnames. It was after this that the list of 370 chartered buses was procured, and Dinesh Yadav identified. Every single cop in Delhi knows and is in on the game. The cops on the bike knew that “white” buses are immune as long as they pay their weekly bribe. Traffic Police know, Delhi Police know. They all know that these buses don’t simply ply on unauthorised routes—they know that crimes are carried out on them, they know very well why the same bus might slowly drive by, again and again, circling, circling. They know what could be going on inside. Chances are, this was not the first rape carried out in this way, on that bus, by those men. Chances are

this was not the first such “protected” bus on which such crimes have been carried out. Chances are the police were not just turning a blind eye in return for bribes. Chances are that policemen participate in what goes on under the protection of the hafta racket. If not this time, another time. On other occasions. If you’re a working class person, if you live on the streets, you experience the brutal fact that the police are simply another crime mafia. But people like us are still thinking—suicide, brutal fellow prisoners, police negligence; at best, ubiquitous bribery. All of which can be competently dealt with—some scapegoats, some cosmetic changes. What if there’s a more chilling truth yet to be revealed, about the intimate weaving together of prisons, crime and the police ? No way Ram Singh could have been allowed to stand up in that court room. (Published with permission from Kafila.org)

idea lab

talk|21 mar 2013|talkmag.in

RAMESH HUNSUR

NURTURING IDEAS NSRCEL at IIM-B incubates start-up entrepreneurs who have little more than a good idea

IIM-B’s decade-old incubation centre has given birth to dozens of new enterprises, and now wants to do more in diverse fields

A cradle for startups PRASHANTH GN prashanth.gn@talkmag.in

ust Books, the community lending library chain, is familiar to many Bangaloreans, but few know it started life at the NS Raghavan Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning (NRCEL) of the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, (IIM-B) in 2008. NRCEL is now 11 years old, and most of the 40 startups it has incubated are in information and communication technology, clean technology and embedded systems and design sectors. Just Books is one of the few exceptions. While Prof G Sabarinathan, Chairperson of NSRCEL, wants to continue engagement with those sectors, he wants more diverse companies in their fold. The centre has now begun an exercise to extend incubation support to potential entrepreneurs in other fields, like the social, financial and biotech sectors. And while e-commerce is now quite crowded, they will consider projects here too, he says, “depending on depth and scale of innovation.” An incubation cell at an established institution can prove invaluable for would-be entrepreneurs with

a team and a good idea, but little else. campus setting. They have an idea of Says Sabarinathan: “Assume you the market, they have an idea of have absolutely nothing with you impact and will suggest utility initiaexcept an idea. We can start you off if tives,” Rajan said. He warns however not to go to you convince us that your idea is a differentiator, that it can have impact the centre mainly looking for a fundof some sort, and has a realistic ing cheque. “While NSRCEL will certainly chance of doing well. We’ll offer all facilities necessary for a brand new put you in touch with investors, they company, for a period 18 months.” are not primarily looking to generate funds for you. They are looking to Then you ‘grow up’ and move out. Take R Sunder Rajan’s Just fine tune an idea and make it impactBooks. In 2008 it was a single library ful through strategic thinking,” he said. in Whitefield, with Of the 40 com10,000 books. Today it ‘The aim is to panies that NSRCEL has 60 libraries across has incubated, at least 11 cities with a million fine-tune 35 are doing well, books. In their model, ideas and give Sabarinathan says. a member can borrow them impact’ Some have received a book from any of first stage funding, their libraries and return it at any other in any city. An others second stage. Some are ready online presence makes requesting with product plans, others have prodbooks from other centres easy—it will ucts ready for the market. A few are come to your centre and you can pick firmly established ventures. These companies include it up there. Rajan told Talk that at NSRCEL, Mango Technologies, a software soluhe was able to take his idea and trans- tions (user-interfaces and applicalate it into a viable business model. tions) provider for handsets and He declined to disclose his current tablets, and Amagi Media Tech, which provides advertising services to cityrevenues. “If you value intellectual and region specific audiences on national strategic conversations, strategic TV channels. Amagi buys air time, inputs, and quality mentors, NSRCEL strips it and in collaboration with is extremely valuable. You get access satellite broadcasters targets local to a variety of entrepreneurs coming audiences on DTH and digital cable. When the centre evaluates profrom very different backgrounds in a

posals it is looking for innovative ideas, even if it is a second or third such venture in the market. The idea should be implementable, and backed by the right management team. NSRCEL manages up to 14 incubations at a time with four or five members in each company, over an 18 month period. “We have 75 seats. We can’t seat more people. We charge a nominal rent for the facilities and physical space we provide,” Sabarinathan said. NSRCEL provides office space (which cannot be the registered office of the company), computer systems, Internet, uninterrupted power supply and financial, accounting, legal, tax and secretarial services. The companies can also draw on the services of academic mentors of the institute who closely engage with startups and share knowledge. NSRCEL also provides seed funding in certain cases, with government funds allocated for the specific purpose. Sunil Maheshwari, co-founder and CEO of Mango Technologies, says the stint at NSRCEL gave his company “tremendous visibility,” and the advisory inputs were very useful. “The work environment was very healthy and productive. NSRCEL is a very good bootstrapping centre,” he said. Engineers Baskar Subramanian, Srinivasan Karapattu and Srividhya

talk|21 mar 2013|talkmag.in

Srinivasan launched Amagi Media Tech at IIM-B in 2008. “It was at NSRCEL that we homed in on the business model,” they say. The model is simple: buy time on television channels and sell it to local advertisers. Amagi initially started with retail, jewellery and real estate, and moved on to regional consumer product brands and small and medium enterprises that need regional advertising. “Geographic targeting in advertising is the future,” say the engineers. Their product is in a program that goes into the advertisement insertion devices of the cable operator and the software on DTH set-top boxes. They have taken their technology to Asia-Pacific, Europe and Latin America. In India, the company has sold more than 8 million ad seconds. It has sales offices in 22 cities, and has tied up with 12 television channels. Abhishek Humbad, Chief Executive of clean technology startup NextGen, says incubating at NSRCEL in 2009 helped his company make the right contacts. Microsoft Accelerator CEO Mukund Mohan says IIM-B has a good incubation record. “They’ve been fairly successful in creating, on their own, an eco system for entrepreneurs who begin with nothing,” he

Have an idea?

IIM Bangalore's NS Raghavan Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning is conducting its ‘Next Big Idea’ Business Plan Competition, offering participants a chance to be incubated at NSRCEL and raise seed funding of up to Rs 25 lakh.

GEN NEXT Startup ideas incubated at the NSRCEL range from lending libraries (Just Books) to chemo and bio informatics (Metanome) to online social lending (Milaap)

told Talk. What is more, they have made an impact in the product space. “This is very difficult because 60 per cent of India’s startups are still in the services segment,” Mohan says. What Mohan and others would like to see is incubated startups really grow in value, say into the 100 million

dollar-plus range, making possible highvalue exits, which investors look for. “It’s way too early to expect IIM-B to do that. But they are not alone in that, and I wouldn’t blame them because in India, it takes 10 to 12 years for a startup to rake in decent returns, whereas in the West, it takes about five years.”

Last date for entries is April 5. Shortlisted candidates will attend a three-day workshop between May 20 and 22, with intensive mentoring and opportunities to interact with venture capitalists. There are 10 cash prizes from Rs 25,000 to 1.5 lakh. Two winners will be sponsored to participate in the Intel/University of California, Berkeley, ‘Technology Entrepreneurship Challenge’. Contact NSRCEL on 2699 3701 or log on to www.nsrcel.org

real estate

talk|21 mar 2013|talkmag.in

Too many flats, too few buyers Even in the high-demand Rs 40 lakh-plus segment, apartments aren’t selling as soon as they are constructed. But don’t expect the builders to tell you that

PRASHANTH GN prashanth.gn@talkmag.in

bout 43,000 apartments, more than half of the 81,900 built in Bangalore since 2009, are yet to find buyers, according to real estate consultancy firm Jones Lang Lasalle (JLL). Before you conclude this is a good time to buy, be warned. This over-supply isn’t bringing down prices. Apartment prices have, in fact been moving upwards, and you can blame this on the builders’ assessment that demand will grow in the coming years. They keep a close eye on the IT sector in particular, and the trends there influence strategies. The world over, real estate prices are notoriously ‘sticky’ on the way down, as builders and property owners prefer to wait it out rather than lower prices to make a sale. For cashrich builders, operating as they are in a high-margin business, waiting is not so difficult. NS Srinivasa Reddy of JLL Bangalore, assistant vice-president for Research and Real Estate Intelligence Services, told Talk vacancy levels had jumped from 38 per cent in 2010 to the current 52 per cent. “The number of residential projects has gone up sharply across Bangalore. While demand is going up, absorption of new apartments has not kept pace,” Reddy said.

WE’LL WAIT Builders recover their investment even when an apartment is sold two years after completion

RAMESH HUNSUR

talk|21 mar 2013|talkmag.in

Farooq Mahmood, managing director of Silverline Realty, says residential projects have seen at least a three to four fold rise between 2010 and 2013. “There is no shortage nor is there a glut, but there is a bit of oversupply,” he said. Overall estimates of annual price increases vary, with analysts putting it in the 15 to 35 per cent range since 2010. Nagaraja Reddy, president of Confederation of Real Estate Developers Associations of India (CREDAI) Bengaluru, told Talk apartment prices went up between 20 to 25 per cent from 2011 to 2012, and 15 per cent in the year before. “We haven’t seen measures by builders to drop prices to sell apartments.” According to Srinivasa Reddy, prices have increased between 15 to 35 per cent over the last two years. While there was a small increase from 2010 to 2011, 2012 saw a sharp rise. “In fact, we haven’t seen prices drop over the last four years, except during a brief six months when recession had set in around the second half of 2008. At that time, freebies were on offer like car park and club membership. Now even that has disappeared,” Srinivasa Reddy SHANTI HOME Apartments that cost Rs 40 lakh and above cater to IT professionals and said. double income families

Anticipated sales Builders price apartments based not only on cost of construction and returns, but on their assessment of demand based on job sectors, particularly information technology. Builders see that over the last two years, the IT-ITES sector has been doing fairly well. “They take into account billing rates and cycles, percentage of increments and overall job security. They feel the technology sector is stable and this is a good time to sell. Builders have estimated that in the last two years increments have been in the range of 8 to 12 per cent,

Where apartments are selling the most Whitefield Hebbal-Yelahanka Sarjapur Bannerghatta Road BTM Layout JP Nagar

Lukewarm sales Kanakapura Road Mysore Road Tumkur Road

which means higher disposable incomes,” he said. While builders watch the technology sector keenly, there are also buyers from banking, manufacturing, services and small scale industry. “The guiding sector, however, seems to be IT-ITES. Conditions in that sector influence real estate strategies,” Srinivasa Reddy explained. According to JLL and Silverline Realty, demand is high for properties in the Rs 40-80 lakh bracket. Mahmood says, “Apartments costing below Rs 30 lakh are not pushed as the margins for builders are lower. Builders are focused on apartments over Rs 40 lakh as they see a market for it. Double income families and the IT sector are key factors.” JLL’s Srinivasa Reddy echoes these views.

Price of proximity Working couples want to be closer to the city centre, but a good number choose proximity to the work place. A 1,000 sq ft apartment in Jayanagar costs in the range of Rs 1 crore to Rs 1.2 crore, but the same dimensions may cost up to 50 per

cent less in the new layouts. Generally, apartments in the higher bracket are closer to the city centre or to work hubs such as Whitefield, Bannerghatta Road and Airport Road.

No stress on builders Builders are not feeling any pressure because of their inventories piling up. Typically, apartments in Bangalore get sold over a period of one and a half to two years, while it takes a little more than two years in other metros. “Builders rely on this average cycle and build new projects or expand existing ones. This simply means they are reasonably sure they will get their money back in two years. Builders also maintain high margins and use gains to cover their loans, including those on unsold apartment,” says Srinivasa Reddy.

In phases Sushil Mantri, managing director of Mantri Developers, says apartment projects are executed in phases, thereby reducing the pressure on finance. “As and when a phase becomes successful, the returns are

Bangalore’s housing problem, and how they plan to fix it Karnataka goes to the polls in May, and Talk asked the three major parties in the fray what citizens could expect on the real estate front:

was the chief minister, we had recovered government land, and identified encroachments. The BDA exists just in name. The BJP has not allotted No work gets done a single site to citizens there. It’s under the control of private during its five-year tenure. If we come to developers and those who gain from power, we will not collude with the land denotification. We mafia. In 2004, we had promise to take back land from encroachers, spelt out in our and distribute it among manifesto how we would provide housing the poor and the middle class. for the poor and the middle class. In 2006, YSV Datta when Kumaraswamy JD(S) spokesman

The BJP tried to form Kempe Gowda Layout, and had planned it well, but couldn’t proceed because of legal tangles. How much can you do in a growing city like Bangalore? How many people can you give

sites to? In the past, those in the real estate business would use politicians. Now they have become politicians and ministers themselves. We can’t bar them. But this much I can say: if we come to power, we will pay attention to solving Bangalore’s water, drainage and garbage disposal problems. BK Chandrashekhar Congress spokesman

worked out a formula. The farmers would get 40 per cent of the land, and the BDA 60. That way, a farmer would get eight sites for every It is true our acre. But the farmers government hasn’t insisted on 50:50. That distributed a single site. delayed the process. We ran into land Let’s see how the next acquisition problems. government will take The farmers were this forward. unwilling to give up S Suresh Kumar their lands. So I had BJP, Urban Development Minister

talk|21 mar 2013|talkmag.in

used to address loans. But if apartments close to the workplace. Young families remain unsold despite phase by phase also realise the high amounts they pay as construction, we present the factual, real rent might as well be used to pay EMIs on situation to the banks. If you are a reput- property,” Srinivasa Reddy said. The Hebbal-Yelahanka sector is ed builder and have demonstrated credibility in the market, the banks allow more doing well because of its proximity to the time for vacant apartments to be sold,” airport. Special economic zones are expected to come up Mantri told Talk. in the vicinity. An The average information technoloturnover for a resigy investment region dential project is two Time taken to sell years in Bangalore, new flats in Bangalore (ITIR), spread over 16,000 acres, is coming and this time period prompts builders to launch new projects up on the Devanahalli Road over the next 10 years. Work has also begun on an aeroin this city, he explained. In 2012, projects that sold well space park. Airport Road, which also leads to include Nikoo Homes, DLF Maiden Heights, Prestige Ferns Residency, Hyderabad, will see an elevated expressPhoenix One, Bangalore West, Prestige way, in addition to a Metro line. Bannerghatta Road, all the Misty Waters, Sobha City, way to the zoo and nationBrigade Golden Triangle al park, is a mini IT corriand Prestige Tranquillity, Pricing has dor, with apartments comaccording to JLL. held stable ing up on either side. Its New launches in the despite unsold proximity to Hosur road, same period include Koramangala, BTM and Woodland Heights by inventory MG Road makes it an DLF, New Heaven by Tata attractive option for apartHousing, Purva Whitehall by Puravankara and Royale Gardens by ment buyers. Mysore Road and Tumkur Road do the Prestige Group. not have an employee class similar to the IT sector. The region is also far away from Whitefield fastest growing The fastest growing area in Bangalore for the city centre and the IT belt. apartment construction and selling is Rajarajeshwari Nagar and Kengeri are not Whitefield, followed by the Hebbal- doing too badly, and new residential layYelahanka sector, Bannerghatta Road, outs are coming up there. While Tumkur Road has the Peenya BTM Layout, JP Nagar and Sarjapur. Regions where sales aren’t so great are Industrial Area nearby, a good part of the Kanakapura, Mysore Road and Tumkur workforce is from the lower income bracket, and the employers are traditionRoad. “Whitefield to Sarjapur, with ally from outside the Peenya area. Overall, pricing has held stable Marathathalli, Koramangala and BTM Layout in between, constitutes the IT belt despite the unsold inventory. That means of Bangalore. The largest number of edu- Bangalore will see fewer project launches cated, high earning young professionals in 2013. Whitefield, Hosur Road, and work in these areas. There has been a Bellary Road are expected to see a modest trend among them to buy apartments number of launches, though.

Is this a good time to buy an apartment?

1.5 to 2 years

In Bangalore now, people would rather buy apartments than plots. That's because land document frauds were reported in the last couple of years. As for apartments, it is true supply is greater than demand, but prices are not falling. Mid-size and small builders who depend on bank financing of their projects are likely to give you good bargains because interests go up and they can't afford to hold on for too long. The mega-scale builders go in for private equity, and are not affected too badly by

unsold inventory. In 2008, the real estate sector went through a liquidity crunch, and prices did drop. Rentals have stabilised across Bangalore, and area-wise variation isn't too dramatic. It is now Rs 15,000 to Rs 18,000 for a two-bedroom house, and Rs 25,000 for a three-bedroom house. Buying a house for rental income is no longer a good idea. The returns are just 3 to 4 per cent. Experts who study macro trends keep talking about a possible crash in real estate prices, but apartment resale value may not drop too badly as long as Bangalore remains a job-creation centre. Srikala Bhashyam RS Consultancy, Investment advisors

A huge number of apartment projects are coming up because there is demand. Else why would they build? For the end buyer, there is no choice. Prices go up because of higher cost of construction and raw material. So if you are in need of an apartment, you have to buy, whatever the price.

Ram Chandnani Deputy managing director, CB Richard Ellis (CBRE), Real estate firm

Ideally in an oversupply situation, prices fall and this should be a good time to buy. But I agree with your perception that Bangalore currently sees a price appreciation despite the oversupply. No builder will agree there is oversupply, but if a buyer is sharp and is aware there is oversupply, real estate

players will offer lower prices behind the scene. You will not get an apartment at your price, but you will definitely get one at a price lower than that quoted. All this happens under wraps. The real estate players know there is oversupply, but in order not to disturb the market, they will not publicly take any position. Approached informally, they will give you discounts. Navin Nandwani Director (South), Cushman and Wakefield, Real estate firm

In an oversupply situation, choice for the buyer is high. In Bangalore you now have multiple options. The prices of apartments keep appreciating. Consumers gain in terms of the rise in total value. Karun Varma Managing director, John Lang Lasalle, Real estate firm

talk|21 mar 2013|talkmag.in

Budget homes keep pace with demand he ‘affordable housing’ segment, where apartments cost less than Rs 30 lakh, makes up about 25 per cent of Bangalore’s real estate market. But here, unlike in the premium segment, sales keep pace with creation. What is common to budget projects is that they are far from the city centre. The message is clear—you can own a nicely built budget apartment, but be prepared to live at least 25 km away from Vidhana Soudha. As the Mint reports: “India’s Rs 5-20 lakh housing segment is seeing renewed interest with a slew of new developers, investors, home finance firms and corporate groups planning pan-India expansions and investments in advanced technology in this space.” Among the big players building budget homes are Tata Housing Development Company and Ramesh Ramanathan’s Janaadhar Constructions. The Value and Budget Housing Corporation Limited (VBHC), promoted by Jaithirth Rao (formerly of MPhasis) is building 1,894 apartments in the range of Rs 7.5 lakh to Rs 28 lakh in Bangalore. Pradeep K, Sales Manager, told Talk: “Two phases are done and we have sold nearly 49 percent of apartments—800 homes—

homes. A representative told Talk: “We are building 10,000 apartments ranging in the range of Rs 25 lakh to Rs 52 lakh, from single bedroom to high-end three bedroom. The maximum number will be in the range of Rs 29 lakh to Rs 41 lakh—two and basic three bedroom. We are building at Mysore Road, Yelahanka-Doddaballapur Road and Thanisandra.” The Home First Finance Company (HFFC) is funding about 11,000 affordable apartments. “The bulk are in the range of Rs 20 lakh to Rs 28 lakh, while apartments lower than Rs 15 lakh are 10 per cent of the total,” says Kiran B, who heads HFFC operations in Bangalore. . Janaagraha’s affordable housing project, Janaadhar, plans to build 2,000 750 sq feet apartments off Hosur Road. It is targeting buyers who earn between Rs 8,00013,000 a month. A buyer who went looking around the Electronics City area said, “Janaadhar’s HOMES FOR ALL Vaibhava, on Anekal-Chandapura Road, is VBHC’s flagship budget project starting point may be Rs 5 lakh to Rs 7 lakh, but it is difficult today to get anything for Anekal Road. They plan more projects on less than Rs 14 lakh.” Clearly, single bedbelow Rs 14 lakh.” The remaining two phases will see Mysore Road (near Kengeri) and Tumkur room flats in budget housing projects are selling out fast. apartments priced at between Rs 15 lakh Road and at Hoskote. Provident Housing, a subsidiary of and Rs 26 lakh. Their flagship project, called Vaibhava, is on the Chandapura- Puravankara, is also building budget PRASHANTH GN

Sealing a deal

Broker SAVIE KARNEL savie.karnel@talkmag.in

f you have ever tried to buy a house in Bangalore, or even tried to rent one, you would know the pivot of the process is the broker. In fact, an expat travel website advises newcomers house hunting in the city to be aware of two common words: owner which means landlord, and real estate agent or broker. A real estate agent is not W the only person to call himself a broker: be it a watchman, shopkeeper, cable TV guy or a bootlegger, brokers abound in the city. If we look at the origin of the term, calling shopkeepers brokers may not be entirely wrong. A possible source for the term is the Arabic word albarka, which means The Talk blessing or a gift. The column on Arabs had a tradition

where a gift was presented to the middleman at the end of a business deal. Trade between the Arabs and Europe took the term to the Western continent. In the middle ages, most middlemen in Europe were Arabs. The Europeans made many variations to the term al-barka. It Spanish it became alboroque, meaning “sealing of a bargain.” There is evidence of the word being in use in as early as 1020. The meanings changed slightly as the term spread to different places. The term became alborcar in Portuguese, which meant barter. Some etymologists believe the origin of the word could be from the French broucour. It meant someone who broaches a wine cask and sells wine. A broche was a pointed tool or keg, which was used to pierce through a cask. The wine was then taken out and sold. Hence the man who did that was called broucour. This term could have then been used for wine dealers, small traders, shop keepers, and later for middlemen and agents. There are also theories that broucour could have got the meaning of a middleman, because of confusion with a similar

K E Y

O R D S

word origins

HOLD ON! A Wall Street stockbroker in action on the trading floor

sounding Latin term. In Medieval Latin abbocator meant one who brings the buyer and seller ‘mouth to mouth’, boca in Latin being mouth. This would have given the meaning of broker to the term. When it entered English in the 14th century, the term became broker. It continued to have the French meaning of small trader or wine dealer. Over the years, variations were added into the language. The term pawnbroker, a compound of pawn and broker was first

recorded in 1657. It meant someone who offered loan on collateral. The term stockbroker was recorded in 1706. Around the time, broker also came to be used scornfully for peddlers and pimps. Even when used spitefully, the term retained the meaning of the middleman. Over the years many compound words were formed with broker. Among them, the most popular words were real estate broker, followed by stockbroker. In common parlance, we simply call them brokers.

fruit mix

talk|21 mar 2013|talkmag.in

Grapes and Cheese Ingredients 1 kg green seedless grapes, 1 kg red seedless grapes, 240 ml sour cream, 240 gms cream cheese softened, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method Mix sour cream, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until blended using a hand mixer. Stir washed grapes into mixture, and pour into a large serving bowl. Refrigerate for about two hours. Serve chilled as a sweet salad topped with basil leaves, or a light dessert topped with some brown sugar and a handful of roasted walnuts.

Grape and Ginger Glazed Chicken Ingredients 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1 tbsp olive oil, 6 cloves of garlic finely chopped, 3 cups of grapes — a mix of green and red, 2 inches of fresh ginger peeled and minced, 1 1/2 tbsp mustard, 1 tbsp butter, salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instant cool

Summer

Two cocktails and a mocktail to see you through the heat

surprises Tarts and pies, cocktails and mocktails, and even a chicken dish with a blend of fruit. Sandra M Fernandes compiles some unusual recipes that allow you to create some offbeat dishes with the fruits of the season

Watermelon Martini Ingredients

A big chunk of watermelon, 20 ml sugar syrup, 30 ml lime juice, 40 ml cranberry juice, 30 ml orange juice

Recipes provided by Smitha Sujir, designer and baker; Monika Manchanda of Sinamon; Rui Principe, beverage consultant and Katherene Deborah of Ms K Cupcakes

Method To make the sauce, blend together grapes and ginger until smooth. Strain juice into a bowl, then whisk in the mustard. Preheat oven to 180°C. Rub chicken breasts with 1/2 tsp olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic, then place all in a roasting dish with 1/2 cup of the grape sauce. Marinate for 10 minutes. Warm remaining olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add chicken breasts and heat till they are brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Keep the browned chicken breasts in the pan with garlic and grape mixture, and roast for 15 minutes, uncovered, until chicken is cooked through and tender. While the chicken is in the oven, cook the remaining grape mixture on medium heat until it has thickened slightly to form a sauce, stirring continuously. Add the butter to the sauce to finish and remove from heat. Serve the chicken with the sauce drizzled on top.

Method

Put chunks of watermelon in mixing

Strawberry Balsamic Preserve For the pie crust and pastry top 1/2 cup (300 g) all-purpose flour plus extra for dusting, 3/4 cup (150 g) vegetable shortening plus extra for greasing, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 tbsp sugar plus extra for glazing, 1 tbsp milk to glaze

Ingredients

heat them, bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Add freshly ground pepper and let it simmer for about 20 minutes or so till it thickens. Add the balsamic vinegar and let it simmer for another five minutes. Switch off the gas and Method Cut and scrape the vanilla pods let the preserve cool. Take off the vanilla pod and put it in to gather all the vanilla seeds. Soak washed strawberries with sterilised jam cans. sugar, lemon juice and vanilla Shelf life (both the seeds and pod) for two hours — they will leave a lot 1 week at room temperature, 1 month in the refrigerator of water. At this point start to

Strawberry Smoothie

Strawberry Pie excess pastry, then chill for 15 minutes. Roll the remaining 1/3 dough into a 11 inch round and then cut lattice strips to drape over top of filling like a cover.

Ingredients

Making the filling

Place the frozen strawberries, strawberry jam and milk in the blender. Place the lid over the top. Puree until smooth. Pour in a glass and garnish with strawberry pieces.

In a bowl, add the orange zest, sugar, salt, and flour and mix. Then add strawberries and toss For the filling the mixture and spoon into the 1.3 kg strawberries halved or pie dish lined with pastry, quartered, 1 orange zest finely doming the mixture slightly in the grated, 1 cup (200 g) sugar plus centre. Cut the butter into small 1 tbsp to glaze, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 pieces and sprinkle all over the cup (30 g) flour, 1 tbsp unsalted filling. Brush the edge of the butter, 1 tbsp milk to glaze pastry shell with cold water. Then drape the rolled lattice strips Making the pie crust over this filling as shown in the and top image as a lid sealing the edges. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Brush with milk to glaze and Add the vegetable shortening sprinkle with the sugar. Chill for and cut it into pieces. Then use 15 minutes. fingertips to mix and form breadcrumbs-like consistency for Preheat the oven to 220°C with the dough. Add sugar and 5 tbsp a baking sheet placed in the of cold water, mixing slightly with centre of oven. Bake on the a fork. Press the crumbs into a sheet for about 20 minutes, ball, wrap and chill for 30 reduce the temperature to about minutes. Roll 2/3 of the chilled 180°C and bake for another 30dough, keeping within foil, into a 35 minutes until the crust turns round two inches larger than brown. Use a skewer to test the dish. Use the rolling pin to drape fruit. Transfer to wire rack and let the pastry over the greased dish cool. Cut into slices and serve and shape the edges. Trim any with ice cream.

2 cups strawberries chopped, 1 cup sugar, 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp black pepper, 2 tbsp cup lemon juice, 1 vanilla pod

3 cups frozen strawberries, 1 1/2 cups milk (any variety), 1/3 cup strawberry jam or preserve

Method

Strawberry tart Ingredients

need to add a splash of cold cook for 10 minutes more. water if the mix is dry. Knead 200 gms plain flour, 100g Leave the pastry to cool a briefly until smooth, then butter, 2 eggs, 100 gms little, then remove from the wrap and chill for 15 minutes castor sugar (or soft brown tin and transfer to a serving sugar or muscavado sugar), plate. When it is totally cold, Heat the oven to 190°C. four large tbsp of strawberry Lightly butter a 24 cm tart spread the mascarpone or preserve, 100 gms tin. Roll out the pastry (use a clotted cream over the flan mascarpone, 500 gms fresh bit of flour to keep it from base. Mix the strawberries ripe strawberries and preserve together until sticking) and use to line the the strawberries are lightly tart tin, then chill again for coated. Put the preserve25 minutes. Line the base of Method: coated strawberries upright the pastry with baking paper To make the pastry, rub the in a single layer in the case and bake for 15 minutes. flour and butter together (or and spoon in enough Reduce the heat to 150°C whizz in a food processor), preserve to cover. and bake for a further 10 then mix in the sugar. Add minutes, then remove the the egg yolk and mix until Leave to set. you have a dough - you might baking paper and beans and

glass. Muddle the watermelon pieces, then add cranberry juice, orange juice, lemon juice and sugar syrup. Add crushed ice and shake vigorously for about 10 seconds. Double strain it and serve with a piece of watermelon.

The Bebbo Cocktail Garnish Orange zest/cocktail cherry

Ingredients 45 ml gin, 2 1/2 tsp honey, 2 tsp freshly squeezed orange juice, 30 ml freshly squeezed lime juice

Method

In a cocktail shaker, combine the honey and orange and lemon juice, and stir until the honey is completely dissolved. Add the gin and fill the shaker with cubed ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a cocktail cherry or orange zest.

Jack The Pirate Garnish Pineapple wedge

Ingredients 2 green cardamoms, 5 pineapple chunks, 80 ml pineapple juice, 30 ml fresh lime juice, 2 1/2 tea spoons caster sugar, 60 ml spiced Captain Morgan rum

Method

In a cocktail shaker, combine the pineapple and green cardamom and muddle together. Add the rest of the

ingredients and fill the shaker with ice cubes. Shake vigorously and fine strain into a pilsner full of cubed ice. Garnish with a pineapple wedge.

fruit mix

talk|21 mar 2013|talkmag.in

Grapes and Cheese Ingredients 1 kg green seedless grapes, 1 kg red seedless grapes, 240 ml sour cream, 240 gms cream cheese softened, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instant cool

Summer

Two cocktails and a mocktail to see you through the heat

Watermelon Martini Ingredients

A big chunk of watermelon, 20 ml sugar syrup, 30 ml lime juice, 40 ml cranberry juice, 30 ml orange juice

Recipes provided by Smitha Sujir, designer and baker; Monika Manchanda of Sinamon; Rui Principe, beverage consultant and Katherene Deborah of Ms K Cupcakes

Method

Put chunks of watermelon in mixing

Ingredients

Strawberry Smoothie

Strawberry Pie excess pastry, then chill for 15 minutes. Roll the remaining 1/3 dough into a 11 inch round and then cut lattice strips to drape over top of filling like a cover.

Ingredients

Making the filling

Place the frozen strawberries, strawberry jam and milk in the blender. Place the lid over the top. Puree until smooth. Pour in a glass and garnish with strawberry pieces.

2 cups strawberries chopped, 1 cup sugar, 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp black pepper, 2 tbsp cup lemon juice, 1 vanilla pod

3 cups frozen strawberries, 1 1/2 cups milk (any variety), 1/3 cup strawberry jam or preserve

Method

Strawberry tart Ingredients

The Bebbo Cocktail Garnish Orange zest/cocktail cherry

Ingredients 45 ml gin, 2 1/2 tsp honey, 2 tsp freshly squeezed orange juice, 30 ml freshly squeezed lime juice

Method

Jack The Pirate Garnish Pineapple wedge

Ingredients 2 green cardamoms, 5 pineapple chunks, 80 ml pineapple juice, 30 ml fresh lime juice, 2 1/2 tea spoons caster sugar, 60 ml spiced Captain Morgan rum

Method

In a cocktail shaker, combine the pineapple and green cardamom and muddle together. Add the rest of the

ingredients and fill the shaker with ice cubes. Shake vigorously and fine strain into a pilsner full of cubed ice. Garnish with a pineapple wedge.

back stage

talk|21 mar 2013|talkmag.in

t u o b a t o N

a bird

-value of its ck o sh e th e it p es d , Cock r a lead title and a bisexual fo onships lati character, is about re nces, refere rather than sexual p Manish Gandhi r to ec ir d rto ac s st insi

PRACHI SIBAL prachi.sibal@talkmag.in

t first, it’s the meant-toshock title that intrigues you. This Olivier Awardwinning play by Mike Bartlett deals with a theme and gives insights into characters that is rarely seen on stage. A joint effort by AllMyTea Productions, Mumbai and ClutsalZ Theatre Repertoire, Chandigarh, the play premiered at last year’s Thespo Festival in Mumbai. It tells the story of John (played by director Manish Gandhi), a young man in a gay relationship with an older man M (Nakuul Mehta). While M is assertive and comfortable with his sexuality, John is full of trepidation. John returns to M after a short breakup, but not without having discovered his bisexual nature through an encounter with W (Sayani Gupta). While W makes him feel confident and gentle, M reminds him that being gay was all he had experienced of sexuality until then. Much confusion follows and John finds himself in a spot, forced to choose between M and W. John tries to resolve the situation by calling W over for dinner to M’s, and predictably, an unpleasant situation follows. The play uses no sets or props, except a circle drawn out on stage that facilitates effective movement of the actors through their conversa-

LOVE TRIANGLE Nakuul Mehta, Manish Gandhi and Sayani Gupta in Cock

tions and confrontations. While intimacy between John and W is handled with much ease, moments between M and John (conveniently) rely on darkness. Manish Gandhi is the star of the play, effortlessly portraying the character of a confused young bisexual man. He however fails to effectively convey the shift towards confidence in the second relationship. Set in Britain, the play also treats John’s apparent homosexuality as conditioned, a concept that Indian audiences would find hard to connect to. The most memorable parts of the play are the love-making scenes between John and W, where a seamless alternation of light and shadow creates the effect of nudity. There are also witty exchanges that, without giving any offence, caused the audience to burst into laughter. Talk spoke to Manish Gandhi about his experience of directing and acting in Cock, one of the bolder efforts on stage recently. Excerpts from the interview: What made you want to do this play? The playwright has put out clear instructions to do the production without sets. This, according to me, makes the actors push themselves and reclaim their space on stage. What was it like to direct and act at the same time? I am essentially an actor. I try to choose the kind of work that not everybody will pick up. I am used to

both acting and directing, but believe the director’s job is merely to create a setup and choreograph. It is the actors who keep discovering various parts of the script and the characters to create a play. John, the lead character, is shown as ‘accustomed to homosexuality.’ Can an Indian audience relate to this? Yes, in our country people are accustomed to being straight. But, the things we seek in a relationship are the same. We all look for love. The man and woman in the play don’t have names and are called M and W. If you look closely, the letters too are a reverse of each other. It is to signify the literally opposite. The characters have been stripped down to represent a typical man and a typical woman. People relate to the man and woman, their needs and insecurities. It is out of these things that the connect and humour emerges. Does the shock value of the title work to your advantage? It does. I picked up the play in a library the first time because I was shocked by the title and wanted to know if it really meant that. No public relations person has to work too hard to sell this play, the title does the job. But, there have been times when we have been denied permission to perform, by people who assumed it is a pornographic play. Frankly, ‘cock’ here is not just the organ but also used in the sense of a cock fight. The entire choreography is based on the

cock fights I have witnessed. I wanted to make it more animalistic in that sense. What were the challenges of doing a play with homosexual characters? The play is not really about homosexuality. To attach such tags would be to go against what the playwright is saying. We like to tag things often and categorise, even stereotype them. In that sense, the play is an attempt to rid us of these tags. There is a difference in the way homosexuality is dealt with in every city. Especially in India, what the person sleeps with becomes more important than who the person sleeps with. Were the intimate scenes a challenge? And why is heterosexual and homosexual intimacy treated differently? We didn’t really look at it as homosexuality. We dealt with it as a relationship between a man and a man and a man and a woman. As actors, it pushed us out of our comfort zones and was, in fact, more liberating. If you go purely by the text, there are no stage directions on intimate moves. I have been accused of letting the boy and girl in the play kiss and while I refrain from showing physical intimacy with the gay couple, but that’s not true. With the two men, there was no need for it and for the man and woman the kiss seemed to fit into context. I wouldn’t want to make the two men kiss for the mere shock value. I look at it as a narrative choice, and I would’ve kissed if I had to.

Delhipost

talk|21 mar 2013|talkmag.in

Malleswaram dosa for Rahul Gandhi

BASTI DINESH SHENOY

A little eatery is turning netas of the national capital into connoisseurs of Kannada cuisine

hen you are in Delhi, check out this little eatery. Rahul Gandhi, reluctant 'PM in waiting', goes there every now and then to tuck into his favourite ragi dosa. It is here that Arun Jaitely, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, savours piping hot rava idli and paddu. Other regular guests are the families of Delhi chief minister Sheila Dixit, BJP spokesman Nalin Kohli, Rahul Gandhi's prinicipal advisor Kanishka Singh, and corporate leader and author Gurcharan Das. Carnatic Cafe, located on the ground floor of a mall in the posh New Friends Colony Market, is becoming a hangout for the rich and the famous. It is perhaps the only Mysore cuisine restaurant in north India, and is owned and managed by an unassuming 31-year-old man from Bangalore called Pavan Jambagi. Contrary to what most people think, Pavan has no Udupi restaurant background. Pavan's father Dr Prakash is a popular physician in Malleswaram.

DP Satish Senior editor with CNN-IBN. He is passionate about everything

After studying at Sainik School in Bijapur, Pavan chose to take up business management, and did a BBM from C h r i s t University, Pavan Jambagi Bangalore. Later he went to Mumbai University to pursue his MA in anthropology, and worked with brand guru Santosh Desai in that city for four years before switching to the restaurant business. Carnatic CafĂŠ serves the Old Mysore cuisine Pavan loves. "This is the stuff Kannadigas of Mysore and Bangalore eat at home," as he explains. After marrying Shilpi Bhargava, a Hindi-speaking girl from Uttar Pradesh, he moved to Delhi in 2008. Here he saw an opportunity in the ever-growing food business. Shilpi holds a senior position at Dunkin Donuts and helps him on weekends. Pavan started Carnatic Cafe in April 2012. Footfalls increased after

a month. He serves a meal with kootu, gojju, chitranna, palya, anna, saaru, majjige and mosaranna. The snack menu offers at least a dozen varieties of dosa. Pavan has introduced the Malleswaram 18th Cross dosa, named after the street where he was born and brought up. I would also recommend the crisp mandakki dosa. His ragi dosa is a hit. Among his other Mysore specialities are akki rotti, uppittu, kesari bath, Maddur vada, mosaru kodubale, ambode and curd vada. Time Out Delhi describes his filter coffee as the best available in all of North India. Pictures from different parts of Karnataka adorn the walls of Carnatic Cafe. All his employees, except two, are from Karnataka. He puts even experienced workers through some training before they start working here. Pavan is an expert cook; he inherited his culinary skills from his mother Prema. "She taught me the secrets of grinding the masalas," he says, when I ask how he stands out in Delhi's restaurant business. "Mysore cuisine

is rich in coconut, mustard, jaggery and hing, and if you know how to blend them, you can get many dishes right." Pavan grew up observing Madhwa Brahmin rituals at Bangalore's ancient Uttaradi Mutt. He then volunteered as a cook at the mutt to learn new techniques. For experience, he worked for many years as a cook for a group of Raghavendra Swami devotees who go to Mantralaya by foot every year. He travelled along with them. He now wants to organise Carnatic and bhavageete concerts in Delhi. "I want discerning people to savour our traditional food while they enjoy our music," he says. Pavan has no plans of expanding his business now. "For me, success in business is secondary. My primary goal is making this restaurant a landmark. This should become the first and last stop for lovers of Old Mysore food," he says. Carnatic Cafe is at: Ground Floor, India Mall, New Friends Colony Community Centre, Near Hotel Suryaa, New Delhi. Phone: 011 4100 8630

talk|21 mar 2013|talkmag.in

Rewind The week that was  New pope: Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio from Argentina has been elected as Pope Francis. He is the first pope to hail from outside Europe.  Killed: Five members of the NATO-led international force fighting in Afghanistan were killed in a helicopter crash in bad weather in the country’s south.  Srinagar attack: Five CRPF men were killed when four militants disguised as cricketers opened fire at a playground in the heart of Srinagar in the first such suicide strike in the Valley in three years. The militants were killed in the gunfight, which also left four CRPF men and four boys who were playing cricket nearby, injured.  India-Italy spat: With the diplomatic tussle between India and Italy intensifying over the latter’s refusal to return two Italian marines, accused of killing two Indian fishermen, the Supreme Court has restrained the Italian Ambassador Daniele Mancini from leaving the country.  Kashmir uproar: There was an uproar in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly as the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) demanded that the mortal remains of Afzal Guru be brought back to the state.  Copter scam: The CBI has registered a case against former Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal (Retired) SP Tyagi, and 12 others for the alleged bribery scandal while procuring 12 VVIP helicopters.  Tihar death Delhi rape accused Ram Singh was found hanging in his cell in Tihar Jail  Fatal slap: A researcher with an MNC in Bangalore allegedly slapped his wife with fatal consequences at their apartment in the city late Sunday night.

Safer cabs for women Popular cab company Meru has launched a unique Trip Tracker service for women to mark Women’s Day simultaneously across metro cities. The service, available at no extra cost, enables the sending of text messages to a family member at regular intervals. The service can be booked when booking a cab online or through the telephone. SMS alerts are sent out with location and name details at the beginning of the trip. Subsequent SMS updates are sent at 15 minute intervals during the journey and at the end of the trip.

Why you ought to donate blood IndianBloodDonors.com claims that India has only 48,632 blood donors against the 12 crore it needs. Among the donors, 40,320 have helped save lives during medical emergencies. The website, which has a registered database of blood donors across cities, allows you to put up posters with emergency numbers on your Facebook wall. One of these recently displayed on the Facebook wall of Bangalore Traffic Police urges you to call 07961907766 or sms BLOOD to 55444 to get in touch with voluntary blood donors. Log onto indianbloodonors.com to register and become a donor

Wanted: women leaders

covered criteria such as According to a recent employment, education survey, the MasterCard and leadership. Each of Worldwide Index of these was measured with Women’s Advancement, a ratio of women against women in India and the the 100 men and anything Asia-Pacific are still missing below 100 marked gender from leadership positions inequality. The overall in comparison with their findings across 14 male counterparts. The countries from the regions numbers also indicate that covered by the survey: New women in these regions Zealand ranked first, are way behind their followed by Australia, the female counterparts in Chanda Kocchar, Philippines, Singapore and regions like New Zealand ICICI Bank chief Taiwan. At the other end of and Australia as well. The spectrum, India, Japan and Korea had survey aimed to measure the socioscores indicating that much more can economic standing of women across be done to achieve gender parity. Asia- Pacific, Middle East and Africa. It

Baker's showcase Baking seems to the new fad in town. Perhaps it is the flood of TV food shows, food blogs, the latest ovens or the easy availability of baking items that has made baking so popular these days. Two years ago, a group of home bakers came together to form Home Bakers Guild. These talented home bakers will put up a show of their baked delicacies. The

Baker Showcase, in its second year, promises to cover everything from the humble to the exotic. You could also buy home-baked products at the venue. The Baker Showcase will be held on March 23, at Builder’s NGV Club, National Games Village, Koramangala, from 3 pm to 7 pm. For more information, log on to www.facebook.com/Home BakersGuild

Mohandas Pai to address Wharton

Manipal Global Education Chairman Mohandas Pai will address the prestigious Wharton India Economic Forum meeting held by the Wharton School of Business. Pai, former Infosys Human Resources Director, is actively involved in the economic debates of the country. The WIEF has been engulfed in controversy for its decision to invite Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to deliver a keynote address, which it later rescinded following protests from a group of professors and students. Apart from Pai, Arvind Kejriwal of India Against Corruption, and Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission will speak at the forum. Launched in 1996, Wharton India Economic Forum is an annual Indiacentric conference that brings together business and political leaders, professionals, academics and students from around the world to discuss issues related to India.

talk|21 mar 2013|talkmag.in

Forward

A film about eating

Gasha shines at META It was an evening full of awards for citybased Indian Ensemble at this year’s Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards. Gasha, which premiered last year, brought back three awards, and came second only to Kerala-based Sadhana Centre for Creative Practice’s After the Silence in number of awards won. Besides being declared the best play and best ensemble of the past year, Gasha also brought its playwright Irawati Karnik an award for best original script. The play tells the story of friendship between two boys, a Kashmiri Pandit and a Kashmiri Muslim, against the backdrop of violence in the region. Other highlights of the META included a lifetime achievement award for veteran theatre director Ebrahim Alkazi.

Airfare deals

Air Asia is back with its promotional offers. You can fly from Bangalore to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia for as little as Rs 5,500. This time low fares are available for travel for bookings done from March 11 to March 17. The travel dates could be from March 14 to June 15 2013. You could also check for destinations in Australia, Singapore and Bangkok from airports in Kochi, Chennai and Kolkata. For more details log on to airasia.com

Veganism, the lifestyle that rejects all animal products in one’s diet, also promises to reverse diseases. Dr Nandita Shah, a homeopath turned vegan activist, has been promoting the idea of reversing diseases by changing eating habits. She is holding a screening of the film Eating, aiming to promote healthy eating habits. It will highlight ways of reversing diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and cancer by adopting a vegan diet. The screening will be followed by a question and answer session and lunch. The audience gets to

The week ahead  Tension: US-Venezuela relations are set to get tense with two Venezuelan diplomats being asked to leave by the US after Caracas expelled two American diplomats on March 9.

interact with doctors as well as people who have reversed their medical conditions through veganism. Dr Shah will be available to address participants’ queries. The screening will be held on March 23, from 11 am to 2.30 pm at Carrots Healthy Restaurant and Store, No 607, 80 Feet Road, Koramangala 6th Block. The participation fee is Rs 500 if you register before March 21 and Rs 600 if you register later. For details call Gouri 88793 85913 or Rani 98202 21998 or email seminars@sharan-india.org.

Dr Nandita Shah

 Rift: US, Iran and Pakistan are engaged in a war of words after Pakistan president announced plans to to travel to Iran for a ceremony to mark the start of construction of a pipeline to bring natural gas from Iran.

Switch off for the planet social media. Every year Earth Hour is observed on the last Saturday of March. Since this year the Christian festival Holy Saturday falls on the last Saturday of the month, it will be observed on the third Saturday.

The Earth Hour is back. This year, Earth Hour will be observed on March 23, from 8.30 pm. Organisers World Wildlife Fund have requested people to switch off their lights for an hour on that day. But they can use renewable energy like electricity from solar or wind energy. Started in 2007, Earth Hour has become an annual event worldwide, with consistent campaigning on

The objective of Earth Hour is to raise awareness on climate change. This year the focus is on creating awareness on renewable sources of energy. The organisers aim to inspire individuals and organisations to adopt renewable sources of energy. They are also pushing governments to adopt policies favourable to renewable energy production. If you too believe that renewable energy can save the planet from climate change, switch off your lights for an hour from 8.30 pm on March 23.

Calling (original) songwriters Penguin Books India and Artistaloud.com are holding ‘Be Original’, a unique contest that could make you a songwriting star. The chosen winner will be announced by Penguin during the launch of their book You Stole My Song on March 22 in Chennai. The winning entry will then be turned into a song by the band Paadhai and released and promoted digitally on www.artistaloud.com. To participate, send them your

lyrics in 150-200 words, along with your name, age and location to contest@artistaloud.com. Don’t forget to mention ‘Be Original’ in the subject line.

 Probe: Harvard professors are seeking a probe after revelations that they secretly searched email accounts of resident deans to learn who leaked information about a student cheating scandal.

The contest started on March 9 and ends midnight on March 18. For more information, log on to www.facebook.com/artistal oud

 UK push: British PM David Cameron plans to enhance university admissions among UK students to take on competition from India and China.  Shanghai scare: China is facing a health scare after Shanghai found hundreds of dead pigs in a river passing by the metropolitan city.  Money-laundering banks: HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and Axis Bank may face investigtation following an expose by website Cobrapost accusing them of running a vast, nation-wide money laundering racket.  Parliament: Parliament may fail to transact business until the Centre agrees to probe land deals allegedly involving Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra, and the plight of Sri Lankan Tamils.  UPSC exams: DMK chief M Karunanidhi and other leaders have urged the Centre to change the recent notification of the UPSC exams, which they say is against the interests of aspirants in non-Hindi speaking states.  New building: Bangalore Police will work from a new building located just behind the existing old building.

celebspeak

talk|21 mar 2013|talkmag.in

‘I’m not afraid of losing fans’ That's what acclaimed actor Rahul Bose—in town recently— said when Talk asked if he had been apprehensive about playing a negative role in Vishwaroopam

PRACHI SIBAL prachi.sibal@talkmag.in

ctor-director Rahul Bose has scored a double whammy with a much-talkedabout role as a Taliban-like villain in Vishwaroopam and a more marginal, but critically acclaimed one in Deepa Mehta’s Midnight’s Children. When Talk met him for an interview, he spoke about his love for Salman Rushdie’s novel, his disappointment at not getting the lead role in Midnight’s Children, and his method of dubbing in Tamil for Vishwaroopam.

How comfortable are you with the tags of ‘urban’ and ‘arthouse’ being attached to you? Have you tried to rid yourself of them? I have always consciously done something to keep the ‘arthouse’ tag intact, though not as much for the ‘urban’ tag. I play a village boy in the upcoming film The Japanese Wife, so there goes the ‘urban’.

BADDIE BOSE Rahul Bose plays a Mullah Omar-like villain (top right) in Kamal Haasan’s Vishwaroopam

Your role in Vishwaroopam came as a surprise. What was your reaction when you received the call from Kamal Haasan? I was excited—and was looking forward to reading the script. It was an interesting character even though it did not give me the same breadth of expression as arthouse

cinema. Did you have any reservations playing a negative role, going especially by the hero-centric fan frenzy in Kollywood? I wasn’t afraid about losing any fans. I don’t think I have fandom anywhere.

What would you say about challenges to artistic expression faced by Kamal Haasan and Salman Rusdhie? I wouldn’t have anything to say that hasn’t already been said. Facebook posts and films passed by the Central Board of Film Certification are legal, but both are opposed. But we are entering a dangerous phase where the victims are the ones the state acts against. For instance, following the Delhi gang rape, instead of enforcing law and order, the police cracked down on couples travelling at night. This was, of course, stopped later.

How was the experience of dubbing in Tamil for Vishwaroopam? Were you against dubbing your own voice? The challenge, of course, was speaking in Tamil. But, I asked Kamal Sir how to do it and simply parroted out everything he taught me. He is a great teacher and I left the decision of the You were recently part of the Lit For dubbing entirely up to him. Life festival in Chennai, one of the rare ones this year to have passed without a When did you first read Midnight’s Children and what was the experience controversy. What is going wrong with our lit fests? like? Controversies innately I read the book first ‘I’ve consciously take away from what lit 25 years ago and fests are. Writers lead completely loved it. kept my such solitary lives and It was beautiful. I re‘arthouse actor’ come together for such read it after I was tag intact’ fests to interact with considered for the each other occasionally. lead role in the mini-series. I didn’t revisit the book Controversies in a place like that are until recently, when I read it for the unnecessary. film a third time. As Rushdie puts it, it is a love poem. I feel it is a love poem What should we expect from you in the near future? about his childhood in Bombay. A Bengali film titled Shesher Kobita that is due for release in October. I You were the first choice for the lead have already done one Hindi character of Salim Sinai when (Vishwaroop), one Tamil Midnight’s Children was planned as (Vishwaroopam) and one English a series, but your role in the film ver(Midnight’s Children) film this year. sion, that of Zulfikar, is considerably smaller. Was it disappointing not to be That’s quite enough for a year, isn’t it? offered the lead? Of course, it was a disappointment, Will we see you getting back to direcbut I can’t expect to play Salim Sinai tion soon? Or to theatre? at 45. It is easily one of the greatest I am in the process of generating roles for an actor. I hadn’t paid much funds for Pakistani author Mohsin attention to Zulfikar until I read the Hamid’s novel Moth Smoke, which I book the third time. I did the film have been meaning to direct for a long time. As for theatre, I did it for 12 partly for sentimental reasons. years of my life and then stopped doing it for the following 12. I think What would you say to Mamata Bannerjee for preventing Rushdie from it’s time to complete the circle and start again. I do have an interesting visiting Kolkata? I still don’t know why he was banned offer for a play on the cards. from visiting Kolkata or what really happened. But, I would say, if there is Rahul Bose was in Bangalore as an an official ban on him, it should be ambassador for Gillette’s Soldier For Women campaign imposed, not otherwise.

OOKtalk

talk|21 mar 2013|talkmag.in

Comic icon

Remembering DNA As the Google doodle reminds us, March 11 is the birthday of late author Douglas Adams. An ardent fan pays tribute to the legend

Launch

Archer strikes again J effrey Archer is a consummate showman, and naturally, a delight for any reporter. “I am not a writer, I am a storyteller,” was how the best-selling British author, infamous for serving a jail-term for perjury, kicked off the city launch of The Best Kept Secret, his latest book in The Clifton Chronicles saga. Not above having a bit of fun at the expense of the organisers, ‘Lord’ Archer pointed to the two rows of empty seats in the front and said, “This is typical of India. The first two rows are reserved for VIPs who won’t even bother to attend the event.” He then urged fans standing at the back to come forward and

occupy the seats, and dismissed his bodyguards saying he didn’t need protection when he was with ‘his people.’ Archer also had some finer sentiments to share, and spoke about the three women he admired the most: his mother who got a bachelor’s degree at the age of 53, Margaret Thatcher, and his wife, Dame Mary. Archer surprised everyone by saying he prepares at least 14 drafts for each of his novels. When a poet in the audience asked how he could get his work published, he got this reply: “It’s hard to get a novel published, short stories are nearly

impossible and my dear friend, if you’re an unpublished poet, you should simply shoot yourself. But whatever you do, don’t lose your day job.” He announced that his intended five-book saga may extend to seven books, and added that people back in England never believed him when he told them that the average age of his readers in India is between 18 and 22. Fans waiting to get their book signed were permitted no more than two at a time. “I was in Mumbai and I was signing books for two and a half hours. By the end of it I had to be carried out,” Archer explained with a wink.

In the news

Ensler monologues Eve Ensler, the writer-activist known for her hugely popular play The Vagina Monologues, will soon release her new memoir In the Body of the World, published by Random House. The memoir details her battle with uterine cancer, drawing parallels of her illness with the devastation of planet earth. It has already received praise from Siddhartha Mukherjee, author of the Pulitzer-winning The Emperor of All Maladies, who described it as a book meant “not only for patients, but for anyone whose life has intersected with illness—in short, for all of us.”

Man Asian for Malaysian author Thayil (Narcopolis) and This year's Man Asian Nobel-winner Orhan Pamuk Literary Prize has been (The Silent House). The prize awarded to Malaysian is awarded annually to an author Tan Twan Eng for Asian writer for a novel, his novel The Garden of Evening Mists. The first Malaysian either in English or translated into to win the Rs 16 lakh prize, Tan English, published in the previous beat, among others, India's Jeet calendar year.

Right ho, Jeeves In a first since legendary author PG Wodehouse’s death, aristocratbachelor Bertie Wooster and his butler Jeeves, the much-loved characters he created, will reappear in a new book. Sebastian Faulks, author of Birdsong will be bringing out the new title, Jeeves and the Wedding Bells, scheduled for release on November 6. Faulks was earlier

commissioned to write a James Bond novel, Devil May Care, and says he has been a Wodehouse fan ever since he first read the comic author at the age of 12.

Douglas Noel Adams—or DNA for short—was a dramatist, environmentalist and writer extraordinaire. He was, according to me, a mutant; like the X-Men among writers. Best-known for The Hitchhiker's Guide to Galaxy series, he also authored many other fiction and non-fiction books and created some radio programmes too. His work has many traits that make him my favourite author of all time, especially his pictorial writing style. His use of metaphors too is exemplary. One of my favorite quotes is from his book The Long Dark Tea-Time of Soul, where the dangers of Driving Under Influence (DUI) are explained, magically transforming a tragic situation into a comic one: Dennis Hutch had stepped up into the top seat when its founder had died of a lethal overdose of brick wall, taken while under the influence of a Ferrari and a bottle of tequila. The second shot of brilliance for me is Douglas Adam's characters; a zany lot, to say the least. Who can forget Ford Prefect, Zaphod Beeblebrox and Marvin- the paranoid androidof the Hitchhiker series. Even more intriguing is the content of his books, and the Hitchhiker series especially has been applauded by philosophers and cosmologists alike. And then there is The Meaning of Liff, a dictionary of words yet to be. An idea crazier than DNA's many characters, he and co-author John Lloyd here pulled up names of places in Britain and then gave them their own meaning. For example, Yarmouth could be a verb which means "To shout at foreigners in the belief that the louder you speak, the better they'll understand you." The book covers social occasions, relatives and awkward meetings, amongst others. It is easily the most interesting dictionary ever created. Hilarious situations encountered in DNA's work include Marvin talking a computer to death, a whale materialising in the upper atmosphere, a renegade bunch of men in love with 'Krikkit'(pronounced Cricket) who set out to destroy the universe and even the secret behind the poem Kubla Khan. But I've only touched upon DNA's work, of course; for the real thing, you must go to the books.

VIVEK MISRA

L I S T I NGS

talk|21 mar 2013|talkmag.in

food

Bonjour India Toscano, 2nd Floor, UB City, Vittal Mallya Road, March 20, 10 am 41738800  Muffin for free: Ever walked into your favourite eatery and relished a free breakfast? This Monday you can walk into any Mc Donalds outlet serving its breakfast menu and you will be given a free egg McMuffin as a part of their National Breakfast day celebrations. Available at all Mc Donalds outlets

 Gourmet lunches: Whether you are at home or in your office, you can try the White Collar lunch. It offers home delivery too if you are within a radius of one km. You can choose from a three-course option or a four-course option, which includes soup, starter, main course and dessert. The three-course meal is priced at Rs 500 and the four-course meal at Rs 600. Le Cristaal, # 36, Vittal Mallya Road, Monday to Friday 41462747  Baking mania: At this baking workshop you will learn to cook cup-

cakes, thin crust pizzas, savoury rolls, cinnamon buns and more. The workshop will be conducted by Priya Bala. At the end of the workshop you will receive recipes and some tips from her. Cilantro, Halcyon Condiminiums, 4th Main Road, Kormangala 4th Block, March 16 , 4 pm to 7 pm 9844707517  Master class with the master chef: Be a part of the master class with the winner of Master Chef Season 3 Kate Bracks. Kate will showcase some of her famous recipes that were on the show as

well as her signature dishes. Bengaluru Marriott Hotel, 8th Road, plot # 75, EPIP Area, Whitefield, March 16 67320000

 Celebrate Ugadi: This Ugadi celebrate with your family and friends at Karavalli where you can try out some traditional Ugadi dishes like kaalu usli,

southekai pachadi, ananas saasive, gatti saaru, dal thovve and kadlebele payasa, served on a banana leaf. Rs 950. Karavalli, Ground Floor, Gateway Hotel No. 66, Residency Road, March 20 66604545  Celebrate in style: Douse yourself in Irish fervor as you celebrate St Patrick’s day this weekend. Apart from having their special dishes you can choose from cocktails like Patricks Julep, green spade, Irish saint, green ice and Irish flag. Blimey , 5th Floor, 1 MG Mall, 8 pm, March 15 2208 6777  Say Salut: Presenting a surprise package of choreography and digital arts, Bangalore Fiction promises to be a unique experience. Choreographed by Nicole Corsino and Norbert Corsino, the performance will be like a graphic novel complete with text and images that are together in a narrative form with body movements. The performance will have a series of 12 fictions in a choreographic pattern. Bangalore Fiction is a part of the on-going Bonjour India, Festival of France. The festival aims to boost the relations between artists from India and France. Music has been scored by Jacques Diennet and the dancers are Revanta Sarabhai and Pooja Purohit. GallerySke, Berlie Street, Langford Town and St Marks Road, March 18 to 22, 11 am to 7 pm 22238312

 Summer fun: Here is the best way to beat the summer. Learn to prepare citrus summer salad, traditional whole roast chicken, and spinach and feta quiche. Fees: Rs 800.

retail therapy

music Edward DeGenaro

 Happy feet: This summer season give your sneakers or canvas shoes a miss and slip on these comfortable range of slippers. The range offers styles like Glenn, Romano, Maestro, Bergamo and Zeus. Prices start at Rs 3795. Available at outlets like Metro, Mochi, Regal, Inc.5  The Sante is back: Haven't made plans for this Sunday? Then head to the Sunday Soul Sante, where you can shop, eat and enjoy some nice music. Witness live performances from bands like Lagori, cROCKchets and One Night Stand and a fashion show by Prasad Bidapa. With over 150 stalls you can choose from a range of clothes, accessories, jewellery, footwear, home décor and more. ITPL, Cricket Grounds, Whitefield, March 17, 11 am onwards  Flowery bloom: This Spring season revamp your wardrobe with Fresh Blooms, the Spring collection from 109°F. Choose from tunics, floral dresses, blouses, tops and floral printed jumpsuits. Apart from the colour blast you can also try out their monochrome section. Available at 109°F outlets  Spring surprise: Men can try out the newest fashion trends this spring season. Choose from brands like Ted Baker, Simon Carter, Hackett, Paul & Shark, Vivienne Westwood and more. The Collective, # 40, Vittal Mallaya Road, till March 20 67678888

 From foreign shores: Watch Edward DeGenaro from Germany perform this weekend in Bangalore. Edward is a fusion guitarist whose music is a mix of bebop and metal sounds. Giving him company is Ujjayinee Roy, a playback singer from Chennai, Shyam Rao, Wayne Fernandez and Anthony Karuna. bFlat , 100 Feet Road, Above ING Bank, HAL 2nd Stage, Indiranagar, March 15 , 8.30 pm 41739250

 Tap your feet: Put on your dancing shoes and let yourself loose as Mathias Stubo Band is here to perform. The band has Mathias Stubo, DJ from Norway, DJ Kimichi and Johan Simonsen. Watch them as they churn out some electronic, funk and disco tunes from behind the console. bFlat , 100 Feet Road, Above ING Bank, HAL 2nd Stage, Indiranagar, March 16 , 8.30 pm 41739250

 Get ready for some jazz: Enjoy some soulful jazz this weekend as Malcom Braff is here to perform live, along with his band. Windmills CraftsWork, No 331, Road No. 5B EPIP Zone, Whitefield, March 15 and 16, 8 pm 7259024652  Soulful performance: Known for his romantic tracks, you can watch Lucky Ali perform live this weekend. Lucky will perform some of his most popular songs like O Sanam and more. He has lent his voice for many Bollywood films like Anjaana Anjaani, Kaho Na Pyar Hai and others. Phoenix Market City, Mahadevpura, Whitefield Road, Whitefield, March 16, 6.30 pm  Get your dose of rock: Bangalore’s very own rock band Thermal And A Quarter will be performing live. Watch Bruce Lee Mani on guitar and vocals, Rajeev Rajagopal on drums, Leslie Charles on Bass and Michael Dias on guitar and vocals. Bak Bak BAR, # 1, Kira Layout, Kormangala, March

15, 8.30 pm 9243777970

 Rain time: Watch one of Bangalore’s popular bands Rainburn perform this weekend. The band’s influence lie in the The Beatles, King Crimson, Yes, Dream Theatre, Pain of Salvation and others. Watch Vats Iyengar on vocals and guitar, Praveen Kumar on drums, Ashwin Ethiraj on vocals and keyboard and Shishir Gupta on bass and vocals. Obsidian Art Deco Baar, 1st Floor, Lobby Area , Movenpick Hotel and Spa, Mathikere,Gokula Extension, March 20, 9 pm 43001000  Folk magic: Watch Anthony Dasan perform some folk music this weekend. Anthony and his band have performed in several cities and have always tried to promote and bring out the folk music of the country, to which he has at times added his own touch. Opus, 4, 1st Main, Chakravarthi Layout, Palace Cross Road, March 15 9844030198

L I S T I NGS

talk|14 mar 2013|talkmag.in

performance

theatre C Sharp C Blunt Alliance Francaise de Bangalore, # 16 GMT Road, Vasanthnagar, March 17, 4.30 pm and 7 pm 41231340  Blackened Petals: The play is about a girl named Jasmine who belongs to a village and is married to Jim, a workaholic from the city. In the midst of this is Geoff, who loves her immensely but his dreams of being with her are crushed. Once in the city, she realises that Jim loves his work more than her. In the meantime she meets Robby, who lends a shoulder to her and wins her heart. The play is directed by Pradeep Sastry. Seva Sadan, 14th Cross, Malleswaram, March 16, 7 pm  Baghdad Wedding: Things are a little different when it comes to a wedding in Baghdad. The play is about three friends who are torn between two worlds. They are distraught and are caught between their cultural, political and sexual identities. All this plus a wedding that goes horribly wrong. The play is directed by Akarsh Khurana and has Nimrat Kaur, Karan Pandit and Faisal Rashid. Ranga Shankara, #36/2, 8th Cross, 2nd Phase, JP Nagar, March 15 and 16, 7.30 pm March 17, 3.30 pm and 7.30 pm 26592777  Boeing Boeing: The play is about an architect, Bernard. He is versatile, has

organisational skills and has balance in his life, quite literally! He juggles between his three fiancés, Gloria who is an American, Gabriella an Italian and Gretchen a German, with ease. But his partner in crime is his maid Bertha, who is good at cooking and changing photographs and runs the household. Directed by N Rishi, the play has Mayuresh Nirhali, Kunahan Thampi, Sunaina Mudaliar, Chandini J Naik, Nitya Basrur, Shraddha Srinath, Kamal Sharma and others.

 C Sharp C Blunt: An Indo German collaboration, C Sharp C Blunt is musician MD Pallavi's first solo theatre performance. The play throws light on the nature and difficulties of succeding in the entertainment industry. It is directed by Sophia Stepf . Jagriti theater , Varthur Road, Ramagondanahalli, Whitefield, March 15 and 16, 8 pm and March 17, 3 pm and 6.30 pm 41248298

 Long Way Home: The play is about a widow who called her daughter on the pretext of arranging a groom for her but actually wants to save their estranged relationship. Thirty-yearold Shikha is pre-occupied with her painful past, and stakes her happiness on finding her sister’s baby. Her elder sister Meera is coming to terms with her grief. Directed by Karthik Kumar, the cast includes Anita Ratnam, Lakshmipriyaa C and Amrutha Varshini. Alliance Francaise de Bangalore, # 16 GMT Road, Vasanthnagar, March 16, 3 pm and 7.30 pm 41231340

 Classical night: If you love watching classical dance, then this is where you should head to this weekend. Sumana Charitable Trust presents Vasanta Nrithyotsava where dancers like Dharani T Kashyap will perform Kuchipudi, Vidya Shimladka will perform Bharathnatyam and Sankhya Gopal will perform Kathak. Watch them move gracefully as they showcase their dance routines. Nayana Auditorium, Kannada Bhavana, JC Road, March 15, 6 pm

 Theatre workshop: This weekend learn the intricacies of theatre at First Rush. Here you will be introduced to a basic acting workshop; trained in voice, movement, character building, marketing and theatre lighting and sound. Finally, at the end of the workshop you will perform on the stage in front of an audience. To register, mail in to firstrush@evam.in or call 98406 12333.

To get your event listed, write to us at listings@talkmag.in

film The Master Whitefield- 10.20 am, 12.25 pm, 5 , 6.25, 9.35 Fmae, Shankarnag, MG Road- 2 pm

 Jolly LLB Hindi A satire on the judicial system of the country, Jolly LLB is about a struggling lawyer, Jolly. He wants to make it big in the field just like his idol. But, things take a different turn when he is against his own idol fighting for a case. Now is his turn to prove his worth. Directed by Subhash Kapoor, the movie stars Arshad Warsi, Amrita Rao and Boman Irani in the lead. Rockline Cinemas, Jalahalli Cross- 12 pm, 4.35, 9.20 Fun Cinemas, Cunningham Road- 10.30 am, 1.15 pm,

6.45, 9.30 Cinepolis, Bannerghatta Road- 10 am, 12.10 pm, 2.45, 5.15, 7.25, 10 Gopalan Cinemas, Bannerghatta Road- 10.10 am, 2.50 pm, 7.30, 10 Gopalan Cinemas, Mysore Road- 10 am, 2.55 pm, 5, 10 Rex Theatre- 12.45 pm, 5.20, 9.55 Everest Theatre, Frazer Town11.30 am, 2.30 pm INOX, Swagath Garuda Mall, Jayanagar- 10.50 am, 3.50 pm, 6.25, 9 INOX, JP Nagar- 10.45 am, 1.25 pm, 4.05, 6.45, 9.25 INOX, Mantri Mall, Malleswaram10.45 am, 4.05 pm, 6.45, 9.25 Fame Forum Value

Mall, Whitefield- 10.40 am, 1.20 pm, 4.15, 6.50, 8.30, 9.30 CineMAX, Bellandur10.30 am, 1.15 pm, 4, 6.45, 9.30 Fame Shankarnag, MG Road- 11.15 am, 4.10 pm, 9.25  Mere Dad Ki Maruti Hindi The movie is set against the backdrop of a loud Punjabi wedding in Chandigarh. It is about a boy who sneaks his dad’s fancy new car out to impress the college hottie but in turn ends up losing the car itself. Directed by Ashima Chibber, it stars

Saqib Saleem, Ashima Chibber, Rhea Chakraborty, Prabal Punjabi and Ram Kapoor in the lead. Fun Cinemas, Cunningham Road- 10.45 am, 4.45 pm, 10 Cinepolis, Bannerghatta Road- 10 am, 12.35 pm, 5.15, 7.55, 10 Gopalan Cinemas, Bannerghatta Road- 12.45 pm, 8 INOX, JP Nagar- 10.05 am, 2.55 pm, 7.30, 9.55 INOX, Mantri Mall, Malleswaram10.05 am, 2.55 pm, 5.25, 7.30, 10 INOX, Swagath Garuda, Jayanagar- 10.15 am, 2.50 pm, 10 Faame Forum Value Mall,

 3G Hindi The movie is about a couple who become the victims of phantom calls when they buy a second hand phone connection. A series of events take place where they find themselves tangled. The phone is somehow responsible for the events taking place around them. Directed by Sheershak it has Neil Nitin Mukesh and Sonal Chauhan in the lead. Everest theatre, Frazer Town- 6.30 pm, 9.30 Innovative Multiplex, Marathahalli- 11 am, 1.15 pm, 3.30, 7.45 Fun Cinemas, Cunningham Road- 11 am, 4,30 pm, 9.45 Rex theatre- 10.30 am, 7.40 pm INOX, JP Nagar10.25 am, 5 pm, 9.35 INOX, Magrath Road- 10 am, 2.35 pm, 5.05, 9.40 INOX, Swagath Garuda Jayanagar- 12.20 pm, 9.30 INOX, Mantri Mall, Malleswaram- 10 am, 9.40 pm Rockline Cinemas, Jalahalli Cross- 2.20 pm, 7 Gopalan Mall, Mysore Road- 10 am, 5 pm  The Master English The movie is set against the backdrop of USA post World War II. The film is about a veteran Naval offi-

cer who returns home after a war. He is unsure about future until he is excited by The Cause and its charismatic leader. Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, it stars Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams and Philip Seymour Hoffman in the lead. PVR Kormangala4.05 pm, 7, 9.20 INOX, Garuda Mall, Magrath Road- 11.05 am, 7.10 pm  Texas Chainsaw 3D English The movie is about the famous homicidal event that took place in Texas in 1974. During this time people went missing without a trace for a very long time. Everyone suspected the Sawyer family and their fears came true when one lady escaped the Sawyer house. Many years later one of them named Heather learns that she has inherited a large part of the Sawyer land. Directed by John Luessenhop it has Alexandra Daddario, Dan Yeager, Trey Songz, Scott Eastwood, Tania Raymonde and

Shaun Sipos in the lead. Fame Forum Value Mall, Whitefiled- 12.25 pm, 10  Yaarivanu Kannada Directed by Madan Patel, the film is based on real life events that took place in the life of Swami Nityananda. Ravichetan is the lead actor. Triveni- 10.30 am, 1.30 pm, 4.30, 7.30 PVR, Koramangala- 10.30 am, 3.15 pm PVR, Orion Mall, Rajajinagar- 10 am, 9.15 pm INOX, Mantri Mall, Malleswaram1.10 pm

Yaarivanu

box office

talk|21 mar 2013|talkmag.in

The RJ-fication of Kannada cinema

Talk recommends  Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster Returns: No big heroes, no big talk. But this film, with Irrfan Khan playing a street-smart gangster, scores with a taut screenplay, and writerdirector Tigmanshu Dhulia’s colourful sense of irony.

The runaway Kannada hit Simpallag Ondh Love Story is garrulous, and forces all its characters to wisecrack their way through life, writes SR Ramakrishna

impallag Ondh Love Story, the Kannada romantic comedy running to packed halls across Karnataka, is directed by a newcomer called Sunil Kumar (he calls himself Suni). But it owes much to Yogaraj Bhat, the director who delivered one of south Indian cinema’s biggest hits in recent decades with Mungaaru Male (Monsoon Showers). If you have heard Bhat speak, you realise why his characters tend to be so talkative. Yogaraj Bhat is extraordinarily witty: he can connect anything with anything, and tickle you endlessly. After Hale paatre hale kabuna became a hit, his talent is in demand as a lyricist, too. He invests his heroes with this same cheeky attitude. That is the style Suni follows in Simpallaag Ond Love Story. His characters can’t respond to anything without a smart repartee. Luckily for him, the young audience at Meenakshi Cinepolis was cracking up at almost every dialogue. For all practical purposes, Simpallag Ondh Love Story is made with a cast of two: a hero (Rakshit Shetty) who goes to Kodagu (Coorg) to meet his sister’s friend (Shweta Srivastav) with the idea of considering her for marriage. He likes the girl, but she is an impersonator. It also turns out she has a medical

problem—overnight amnesia. The third character is a real-life RJ called Rachna. She works for Radio City, Bangalore’s first private FM channel. Cast as an RJ, she plays the hero’s sympathetic sister. In a film that creates situations for dialogues rather than dialogues for situations, she comes across as the most credible of its characters. The others mouth cleverer lines, and that is also their undoing. Their emotions are obscured by all the smart talk. After all, not all characters want to wisecrack their way through life. In a bleak business season, Simpallag Ondh Love Story's runaway success is cheering up the Kannada film industry. You can’t ignore a film made with a healthy disregard for formula, but this is not a pathbreaking film. If you enjoy RJ-style chatter, there’s a chance you might enjoy the film. But if you expect pictures to tell you a story, you will be disappointed. Simpallag Ondh Love Story makes its characters talk so much that they forget to breathe.

Now showing at: Fun Cinemas, Cinepolis, Gopalan Cinemas, Fame Forum Value Mall/ Lido, INOX Jayanagar/ JP Nagar/ Magrath Road, Innovative Multiplex, Q Cinemas

Destiny transforms every character to its opposite: the manipulators become the manipulated, the hunters become the prey, the innocent become worldly wise, and the happy become melancholic. * MUST SEE Now showing at

Fun Cinemas, Cinepolis, Gopalan Cinemas, Cinemax, Fame Forum Value Mall, Lido, Inox Magrath Road, PVR, Kormangala  Kai Po Che: Rejected by many heroes, including Ranbeer Kapoor, this is a heart-warming film about the way Gujarat lives and loves. Based loosely on a

Chetan Bhagat story (looks like he can spin a yarn!), it is set in the days of the Kutch earthquake and the Godhra arson and violence. Many things work for the film: a sensitively woven screenplay, acting that's not over the top, and Amit Trivedi’s evocative music. Directed by Abhishek Kapoor (who also made Rock On), Kai Po Che is way better than the preachy Three Idiots (also based on a Chetan Bhagat novel), which also talks about the lives of three friends. * MUST SEE Now showing at

Fun Cinemas, Cinepolis, Gopalan Cinemas, Fame Forum Value Mall, Inox Jayanagar/ JP Nagar/ Magrath Road, Rex Theatre, PVR, Forum/ Orion Mall

talk|21 mar 2013|talkmag.in

echwalk

Apple vs Samsung battle just got hotter As we go to press, the Apple vs Samsung battle is set to intensify, with Samsung ready to unveil its latest Galaxy smartphone, the S4,at a high-profile launch in New York targetting Apple’s home market, the United States.

Farhan Akhtar Director, actor and singer user is looking at it, and not only holds off going dark (in case of no user action), but also adjusts the image to the line of sight.

Samsung is the worldwide leader in smartphones currently, while trailing Apple in the US. It is growing there too, however, and analysts are saying Not only is it touted to have a bigger this is probably the most serious screen, better camera and faster eight-core processor in comparison to challenge to the iPhone yet. the iPhone 5, Samsung’s powerful Hampered by slowing sales growth, marketing machine has created Apple’s share price has slumped excitement around cool features like recently. eye tracking and wireless charging. The Guardian newspaper observed With eye tracking, the screen that "the Galaxy S4 should outdo the responds not just to touch, but also latest iPhone in areas such as to the eyes. photography and processing power, if Already, in some existing Samsung the leaks are correct, but will still lag phones, the screen senses that the behind Apple on the quality of

materials and the selection of apps available to the Google Android operating system it uses."

‘Music is 50 per cent of my genes’

Trademarks called ‘eye scroll" and "eye pause" have been registered by Samsung in Europe.

Would you say songwriting and music is in your genes? You could say that it is, because my father is a songwriter and that’s 50 per cent of my genes. He has always been very supportive of my music. Apart from that, I have learnt music since I was three and then later on I used to jam with my friends.

Eye tracking can reportedly adjust scrolling speed on e-mail and web pages to the movement of the head, and pause videos if the viewer looks away. The rear facing camera is reported to be 13 megapixels, as against iPhone’s 8, while the front-facing camera is also higher at 2 megapixels. If the S4’s screen hits 5 inches, it will also be an inch more than its rival. There are also rumours of 3D cameras.

How difficult was it preparing for your role in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag? It was a very intense experience and required a lot of preparation. The role helped me push myself as an actor. Milkhaji (the veteran athlete) supported me as well. Playing his role in the film was both challenging and satisfying.

Sony Xperia Meanwhie the Sony Xperia Z in India has got handset aficionados excited, with reviewers gushing about its look and feel, full HD screen, excellent battery life, camera, and the unique water and dust resistant feature.

iPad trail And while Apple still leads with the number of apps, it is a fact that Android is the leading smartphone OS. What is more, Apple’s iconic iPad itself may be losing ground. International Data Corporation (IDC) is predicting that the iPads will end up trailing Android tablets in 2013. IDC is estimating that iPads may account for only 46 per cent of the market in 2013, down from 51 per cent in 2012. Android-based tablets will grow from 42 per cent to 49 per cent this year. IDC has also raised its estimate of tablet shipments in 2013 to 190 million—from 128 million in 2012. Apart from Samsung tablets, the Google Nexus 7 and the Amazon Kindle use Android.

Priced at Rs 38,990 it is bang in the zone of highprofile devices like the

iPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy and the Blackberry Z10. It may well be the best Android phone that Sony has made.

Tell us about your campaign MARD? The campaign basically is about men standing up against rape and discrimination against women. Through my concerts, I want to promote the idea that even men can fight for women’s rights.

An excited Sony is now saying it wants to be among top three players in the Indian Smartphone market targeting a share of 15-16 percent in the next three years from the current nine per cent. In the coming weeks, it is planning to launch the Xperia E, and has articulated hopes of tripling Xperia sales to Rs 3,500 crore in 2012-13. The E Series will cost Rs 10,000 upwards.

Farhan Akhtar is a director, actor, song writer and singer. He is the director of movies like Dil Chahta Hai and Don and has sung for films like Luck by Chance and Rock On!

SRIDHAR K CHARI Send feedback to sridhar.chari@talkmag.in

Questions

Reactions, statements, accusations, complaints, or just straight talk—this is where you get them all

memoir

Human sacrifice in the heart of Bangalore The sadhu had won the confidence of Okalipuram residents, especially the children. They had no clue about his sinister plans

n the political history of Karnataka, R Gundu Rao’s regime as chief minister (1980-83) has left behind cruel memories. To recall just a couple of incidents: Farmers in Naragund in north Karnataka were gunned down, and over 200 children died of burns when they were watching Venus Circus. Even corrupt politicians were stunned at the brazenness of Gundu Rao. He used to say, “I am a chickeneating Brahmin.” His liaison with his cabinet colleague Renuka Rajendran had given rise to gossip. It appeared like he was working hard to earn a negative image. Amidst all the turbulence, a blood-curdling case of human sacrifice rocked the government. It all started with the lock-up death of the evil sadhu Lakshmana Giri. Lakhmana Giri lived in the burial yard of Okalipuram, near Srirampura. He had no wife and children. The yard, behind Devi cinema, was a quiet expanse with houses all around. The cemetery was fenced with a strong wall and the sadhu lived in a corner. He reared cattle, and was outwardly mild. He wouldn’t hurt anyone

VIVEK ARUN

Greatly influenced by his pleaswith harsh words. In his 60s, he was not a stranger to the neighbour- ant ways, the women started imaghood. He was popular, too. He used ining his miracles and spreading the to offer fresh cow milk to children word that he had healing powers. visiting his house. He would also The women mostly worked as hand them sweets, toffee, and pieces domestic help for the rich, and they of coconut. The children of the told their employers about the slum, for whom milk and sweets sadhu. Some rich women started were a luxury, were delighted. The coming secretly to him, complaining that their husbands were cheating sadhu had charmed them. The children told their parents on them or that their sons were drunkards, and about him, making seeking help to him further popular. The tantric asked find grooms for Some mothers starttheir daughters. ed going to him. He for the sacrifice Men from the treated them in a of 11 boys on slums sought his dignified manner, full moon nights blessings for their addressing them as work, which ‘Amma’ (mother), and ‘Devi’ (goddess). Poor mothers included picking pockets and bootwould consult him whenever their legging. Lakshmana Giri’s fame spread children fell sick, and he would give them talismans to tie around the across the state and many businesschildren’s necks. Gradually, he men and industrialists became his became well-known for treating sick devotees. They promoted him in children with his talisman. On full their circles. Once, when he was moon days and new moons days, invited to a senior politician’s house, he shocked everyone by digging out women thronged his house. Lakshmana Giri never took a voodoo object from a corner, money from his devotees, which was claiming someone had buried it another reason for his popularity. there to bring bad luck to the house The women would throw coins at owner. This incident made him a the picture of the deity he wor- household name among the VIPs. Intoxicated by the fame, shipped, but he collected them only to push them into the pockets of Lakshmana Giri became greedy and decided he would acquire magical children standing around. powers by pleasing a black magic god called Smashana Taradevi.

crime folio

talk|21 mar 2013|talkmag.in

Fabled ranconteur and Bangalore’s top-notch criminal lawyer brings you moving, sensational and bizarre stories from 40 years of his practice

CH HANUMANTHARAYA

He went to Kerala for training under a tantric. There, he heard about a weird trick called Shavasaadhana, where he had to meditate sitting on a corpse and eat it. It was supposed to symbolise transcendence of the lower self and a realisation of the allpervading power. The tantrik recommended a ritual that involved the sacrifice of 11 boys to Smashana Taradevi on full moon nights. Lakshmana Giri returned to the Okalipuram burial yard after learning black magic tricks and verses. He soon started his preparations for the ritual. He performed the first ritual on the very first full moon night after his return. (Continued next week) Translated by BV Shivashankar

budo in action

talk|21 mar 2013|talkmag.in

When a company embraces tai chi Tesco HSC celebrated its Foundation Day with an unsual programme—a live demonstration of the power of martial arts training, reports Radhika P

hirty men and women in traditional tai chi attire swayed to the rhythms of Chinese music on Thursday, March 14. A motorcycle rider raced towards a man lying with a wooden plank on his stomach. In a flash, the bike mounted the plank, crossed over, and receded into the background. Loud applause. The occasion: Tesco HSC Foundation Day. The thirty men and women: Employees of Tesco. The man: Sandeep Dhar, their CEO. Dhar is a practitioner of budo (way of the warrior) and student of sensei Avinash Subramanyam, whose columns Talk readers have been following over the last six months. Dhar believes a successful career devoid of good health leads to an unfulfilled life, and has incorporated a wellness programme into the company’s routine. Since September 2012, Seefar, headed by Avinash, has been teaching Tesco employees a combination of lian gong, tai chi, qi gong, dao yin and ESP (effortless self protection). “This is a pro-active push rather than a pull to health. If corporates really care about their people, they need to show it; it should not be mere lip service. I wanted wellness to be a reason why people work in Tesco,” Dhar told Talk, as he was rehearsing for the show. After evaluating programmes ranging from walking and running to yoga, he zeroed in on Seefar’s training. In his words: “It didn’t require special equipment, time or place. It gave a sense that everyone could do it.” The first question sceptics would ask: Can tai chi be learned so quickly? And isn’t budo something you spend a lifetime on. The six-month programme has touched about 4,000 of the 7,000 employees. They have trained between an hour to 15 hours each. “Practising these forms for 20 minutes a day,” says Avinash, “is enough for you to retire well.”

Many employees who trained seriously have reported reduced body ache. A 36-year-old man was able to walk up Sabarimalai without a break. Another was cured of frozen shoulder. Many report improved posture, body flexibility, greater stamina and calmness. Rekha Warrier, director, Retail, mentions colleagues who have overcome back and thyroid problems. Madhu Menon, chief finance officer, who suffered from migraine since 1996 now says is less frequent and less intense. He avoids painkillers. Of course, not all were open to the programme. Jogesh Midha, head, Corporate Purchase, says most people, especially the young, do not take their health seriously until some calamity strikes. Some mistook the gentle form of tai chi to be closer to dance than fitness. A few of them changed their minds once they experienced its power. What is crucial though is that a corporate house took the initiative towards employee health. In his opening speech, Dhar put in the forefront the importance of health. Avinash credits Dhar for his commitment: “He is a man of great spirit and one who leads from the front. He urges employees be present at the training sessions and attends many sessions.” The sensei’s spirit is no less responsible for the impact. In the words of Kannan Sundaram, “This is something you look forward to with excitement.” Faith in the programme is such that employees approach Avinash with problems such as obesity, stress, and anger. Rekha Warrier pointed to Avinash’s unusual and holistic approach to self-defence. He showed how women could harness inner energy to deal with harassment. “We feel confident even though we have no muscles.” After the motorbike demonstration, to show that the ride was genuine and not a stunt, a dumbbell made of iron and weighing 15 pounds was dropped on Dhar’s stomach from a height of eight feet. For a man without any visible muscle or special training for the act, he took the impact with ease. It showed how tai chi performed by the 30 Tesco employees has the potential to generate power that can be directed to combat stress, physical and mental.

RAMESH HUNSUR

NO TRICKS (From top) 1. Sensei Avinash Subramanyam runs a bike over Sandeep Dhar’s stomach. 2. Sandeep and colleagues perform tai chi. 3. Sensei drops a 15-pound dumbbell on Sandeep’s stomach

T I M E P A SS

talk|21 mar 2013|talkmag.in

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How do advertisers talk to Bangaloreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most intelligent readers? They call these numbers Abhay 95388 92618 Mithun 98864 69787

T I M E P A SS 1st Cross

talk|21 mar 2013|talkmag.in

Talk’s weekly crossword for Bangaloreans who know their way about town whopping 162 on her IQ test (4,4) 13 Used to be the most popular event venue in the city (6,7) 15 Ravikumar ____ : Poet who was recently awarded the Kannada Putsaka Pradhikara award (5) 17 ___ Eye Care Hospital: City hospital which successfully performed a lens transplant on a one month old child (5) 18 Organisation in charge of our city's water supply (5) 19 Legendary batsman who hails from Bangalore (5,6)

8 10 12 14

1 2

DOWN Talkies at Gandhi Nagar (6) According to experts , residents of Mandur might be vulnerable to this disease after the landfill there caught fire (6)

Last week’s solution Across: 2 Double decker, 8 Manpho, 9 Kannada, 13 Epoch, 14 Lakshmi, 16 K C Reddy, 17 Six, 18 Amaresh, 19 Ramnagaram. 3

5 6

ACROSS Renowned Hollywood director who was impressed by an animated documentary made by Krishna Shenoi, a 19-year-old student from Bangalore (9) BMRC recently ran trial runs on this line (5) Eye hospitals organised a ____ last

Sunday (9) Karnataka High Court has suggested municipal corporators take a walk at this hour (3,2) Area in the news when a fight led to a 37-year-old realtor's murder (12) 12-year-old girl born and brought up in Bangalore who scored a

Down: 1 Ambedkar, 3 Cubbon, 4 Seven, 5 Banaswadi, 6 Hint, 7 Assembly, 8 Malleswaram, 10 Norah Jones, 11 Gun and drug, 12 Celtycs, 15 Krishna.

He recently stepped down from his post of President of the state unit of the BJP (10) Airline which operated a flight consisting of an all-woman crew from Bangalore to New Delhi on International Women's Day (3,5) Their shortage is causing chaos at city RTOs (5,5) Oye ____ : Punjabi restaurant on Church Street (8) Town in the news when 19 people were arrested for attacking a prayer hall (5) Press Council of India Chairman who feels the Chief Minister should apologise to people arrested wrongly on terror related charges (5) National park home to tigers, panthers and elephants (5)

Prof Good Sense  I am 19 years old. I am a very meek and unassertive person. Even my parents tell me that I’m not mature enough for my age. My friends avoid me. What should I do to overcome this? Paddu, Shimoga You seem to accept this label. You need to find out why people around you treat you as immature. However, you seem to be aware of the problem—which is a positive sign. Much of good manners is about knowing when to pretend that what's happening isn't happening! The best way to know about the world is through literature. Read the classics. Theatre is the best way to enhance your social skills. If you have a flair for fine arts, join a hobby class. If you willingly help friends, you will be liked. An experienced counsellor will be of help in your case. Prof M Sreedhara Murthy teaches psychology at NMKRV First Grade College. He is also a well-known photographer. Mail queries to prof@talkmag.in

talk|21 mar 2013|talkmag.in

How the Vikings got around The Vikings were famous for their seafaring skills, and their legendary 'longships' are believed to have taken them to places as far as Russia, Turkey and Greenland. Now, some researchers are claiming to have found the first ever remnant of a sunstone, a crystal which according to legend helped these ancient

Scandinavian tribes perform their incredible feats of oceanic navigation. The group claims that the Alderney Crystal — a rough, whitish block of Icelandic calcite

Saudi says no to beheadings recovered from a 16th century shipwreck in the English Channel— was used as a solar compass, which helped sailors locate the position of the sun even

when it was hidden by clouds or fog, or when it was below the horizon. Luddites that we are, it’s quite thrilling for us to think that the Vikings went globetrotting with just a transparent piece of rock for their guide, which really puts modern ships with their hi-tech doo-dahs to shame.

Is the United States of America getting ready for civil war? As you might have noticed, our paranoid minds are always on the alert to any signs of trouble that may show up on the smoggy horizon. The latest one, which has got the web buzzing, is the giant ammunition order placed by the US' Department for Homeland Security. The DHS stunned observers last year when it procured 200 crore hollow-point bullets (extremely lethal and rarely used even by the army). That's more

than six bullets for each American. No explanation was given for the purchase, and the DHS even tried to blackout news reports of the procurement. Recently,

they ordered an additional 2 crore bullets, apart from large numbers of assault rifles, riot gear and militarystyle armoured vehicles. Reportedly, other

government agencies too are procuring large quantities of arms and ammunition. Experts estimate that the DHS ammunition order alone is enough to wage a '24year long Iraq war.' Some are even speculating that the government is preparing for an economic crash which could create a civil-war like situation. Radio host Michael Savage put it best, "If you want to get paranoid, Obama can really help you in your work."

In a stunningly radical move that is bound to warm the hearts of liberals and humanitarians everywhere, Saudi Arabia has decided to put an end to the country's centuries-old (and Sharia-compliant) practice of beheading people. Instead, they are now likely to opt for fatal shootings as a more efficient, quicker and less messy option, which would also be, naturally, the modern thing to do. (Never mind if at least one newspaper has reported that the move was prompted by a shortage of swordsmen). That said, given our weakness for old world charm, we are not exactly thrilled by the news. We fear that with this move, the last bits of colour and drama will be drained out of executions, only to be replaced by dull, bureaucratic modern-style ‘humanitarian’ state murder. After all, from the death-row convict’s point of view, Saudi is still the only country in the world where you can go out in style, with full medieval-style theatrics. Where else do you get to earn your 15minutes of fame live, with an executioner chopping off your head in a public square, accompanied by what's probably the closest any criminal can get to a standing ovation.