TGS Life 01/10/2016

PUNE, OCT 1-7, 2016 | www.thegoldensparrow.com

‘THERE ARE NO SHORT-CUTS WHEN IT COMES TO FITNESS’ PG 15

RAHUL RAUT

READY,

PLAYER ONE BILLION PG 8-9

DRESS TO KILL PG 14

SG

2

TGS LIFE OCT 1-7, 2016 PUNE

STAGE

By Gulal Salil @gulalsalil

P

arikrama is a 25-year-old rock-n-roll band. With a legendary legacy, it has become a household name for almost every urban college student and rock music listener. They have opened for Iron Maiden multiple times, toured the globe and India’s numerous colleges with its award-winning music and yet, they rarely step into studios to record their songs. When asked in a 2012 interview whether they plan a compilation album of their live recordings, they encouraged listeners to download their songs from Facebook or Reverbnation, and “make your own album, the way you want it”. This speaks volumes about the footprints they’ve left wherever they’ve performed.

We spoke with the band’s driving force, Subir Malik, who was recently awarded the Dewarist title alongside two Indian artists Ehsaan Noorani and Usha Uthup.

The story of Parikrama’s formation is common knowledge for fans. For the ones who don’t know, it was the year 1991 when Subir Malik was poised to join his family business.

Within a window of four months, he realised that he had to play classic rock on stage before having to bid goodbye to music forever. He put together a small crew, got rocking, and Parikrama thus played its first gig. This pet project received city-wide acclaim as their pictures hit the papers the next day. Naturally, it was just upwards from there. Subir recalls, “Our parents were pretty supportive from the beginning. Of course, their kids’ picture in

PARIKRAMA TO ROCK

“Believe in peace, trees and rock n roll, stay off drugs, enjoy what you do… now go have a beer” is the band Parikrama’s advice to their Puneri fans

the newspapers in 1991 also helped.”

The band made an unusual and strict rule in their first year not to make Parikrama the only source of income, so as to ease the pressure on the crew in the off seasons. This arrangement worked wonders for them, as they have been together for 25 years and are still fresh as ever. Every member has their own business or does freelance work either in music or outside it, in the rare intervals when they are not occupied with gigs.

Parikrama doesn’t record its songs in studios. They say, “we believe in piracy of our own music.” They shaped themselves like that

Parikrama got in tabla player Shambu Nath and they’ve also fused a lot of their compositions with classical Indian instruments like the mridangam and flute. It is risks like these which have been instrumental in the band becoming what it has.

Their journey is an example of a particular kind of success. They have widespread recognition, even amongst those who are not familiar with the alternate. “We are very lucky that we’re still playing music that we like to and not have to. It’s still a hobby that pays us well,” he adds.

When: October 1, 9 pm Where: Phoenix MarketCity, Nagar Road gulal.salil@goldensparrow.com

OKTOBERFEST

Amsterdam-based mystery EDM duo invaded the city with their house music, relentless energy and a passion that hid behind their masks

because back then, the policy was to give away music for free. “It all happened as we had no better way for our music to reach out. If people like it, they will call you back for a paid gig, just like you get to see the trailer of a movie free, and then if you like it, you pay for tickets to go watch it.”

Their songs have a very Indian sound to them, which was uncommon in Indian indie music when they began. “One of my most favourite albums is by Dr. L Subramanium titled Conversations.

After I heard that I think in 1985 I said if I make a band it will have a violinist. We were just lucky that it gelled in,” says Subir. From there on,

2 FACED FUNKS COME TO TOWN

By Zainab Kantawala @kantawalazainab

T

he 2 Faced Funks, who have been taking the world by storm with their high-energy music, treated Pune’s party-lovers with their performance recently at MiaMi, JW Marriott. The two Dutch talents surprised the city audience by playing numbers like Life Is A Casino, Underdog and their latest track, Superbass.

The duo got together in 2008 and decided to rock the house scene with masks on ala Daft Punk, keeping their identity a secret and getting the crowd warmed-up for music. They also got onboard, worldfamous special effects make up artist Rogier Samuels to work on a set of masks for them. “It all started as a joke at a friend’s birthday party. We bought some cheap, pink masks and that night sold out completely, with 1500 people dancing to our set. We thought that masks added the

fun and curiosity aspect in the audience.

That was the moment we decided to take

the 2 Faced Funks project to the next level. And it works for us,” they say.

With years of experience as DJs, the duo has played crowds in China, Russia, Poland, Abu Dhabi, Germany, Japan, Sweden and beyond. They’ve hit the Beatport charts three times with their tracks ‘My way with you’ and ‘Home Run’. “When we started, there weren’t many DJs, unlike today. Also, there weren’t many festivals. Now, the whole dance industry is blooming. India too has a large demand for DJs and dance music. Though we believe EDM will stay longer,” they say. They are inspired by the likes of Swedish House Mafia and Armin van Buuren, and describe their sounds as uplifting, energetic with a pinch of catchy melodies.

They are currently working on collaboration with DJ Quentin Mosimann and the tracks are scheduled to be released soon. After their performance in the city the duo, will be performing in Bali for the first time.

After taking on the console at some of world’s best venues, their fondest musical memory till date remains the time they performed at Abu Dhabi a couple of years ago. “There were people in Burqas entering the party place. It was weird for us to see that, but when they were inside, they removed them and partied like crazy,” they say. zainab.kantawala@goldensparrow.com

3

A LOVE STORY IN THE MUMBAI LOCALS

TGS LIFE OCT 1-7, 2016 PUNE

ENTERTAINMENT

Faraz Ansari’s directorial debut Sisak is India’s first silent LGBTQ short film, and hopes to make some noise in favour of the community

By Salonee Mistry @SaloneeMistry

E

ven as a four year old, Faraz Ansari loved to tell stories.

There was something about it that appealed to him, and becoming a filmmaker is all he has ever dreamt of since. He studied film-making in the US for six years and has been working in the industry for some time. Wanting to create films that were mainstream and yet stood out in some way, it took him two years to write the script of Ravivar.

When he approached producers and actors for the film, even though they liked the script, he was turned down because the protagonist was a homosexual. It was during this time that he would aimlessly travel in the local trains of Mumbai, silently observing everyone around him.

The conversations he eavesdropped on in his commutes is what gave birth to Sisak .

With limited funds but ample drive, Faraz set out to script, cast and

Faraz Ansari

shoot this film, which is currently in the post-production stage. “The film, I decided, would be silent so as to resemble how the voices of the LGBTQ community had been shut down by Section 377. I hope that the film can be a political statement.

It was a couple that I met during my train journeys that inspired the thought. They had been dating for five years,” he shares. Sisak has been shot in the Mumbai locals over a period of three nights, with

a heterosexual crew that worked on it free of cost.

Writing the script was not an easy task, he recollects. He wanted to show relationships being built and bonds being formed, without dialogue. The characters in the film do not even touch each other, and yet one can sense the intimacy that they build during their train journeys. The budget of the film was so minimal that there was no monitor to check the scenes, or

spare time on hand for re-shoots.

There was, however, three weeks of intense research and study that Faraz did with the lead actors Jitin Gulati and Dhruv Singhal. Jitin plays the role of a corporate guy in the film, who can afford a much better ride, travels by train for the comfort of intimacy that he finds simply being around others. Dhruv portrays the character of a young boy also lost and in search of some sort of connection. This research,

he tells us, ensured that during the shooting, everyone knew exactly what they were doing, leaving minimal space for errors.

“It was my experience of travelling on the locals that motivated me to make this film. I saw a world that exists in the middle of all the chaos that the Mumbai stations are well-known for. The film, I am hoping, will reach out to people from outside the community and stir up things so filmmakers like me don’t have to face rejection when we write scripts with homosexual characters,” he adds. Faraz has made a few other short films like Syberia, which has been to 46 film festivals to date. He remains committed to Ravivar, and hopes to be able to cast Ranbir Kapoor in it. salonee.mistry@goldensparrow.com

David Dhawan and his modest exchange with Pune Filmmaker David Dhawan was in town. He reminisces about his Pune days, his tastes and future ventures

By Gulal Salil @gulalsalil

A

n alumni of FTII, celebrated filmaker David Dhawan has fond memories with Pune. He was recently in the city for the launch of Indian Television Academy School of Performing Arts (ITA).

With him was Shashi Ranjan, his batchmate from FTII and co-founder of ITA. The Partner director believes that from theatre to cinema, the city has a very deep-rooted culture of creativity. “This place has something else, kuch baat hai,” he says as he talks about how it is a great place for students, adding “The way a mother treats her children, FTII has taught me.”

His personal tastes veer to films like Chupke Chupke and Gol Maal by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. The director feels that his education in editing has helped him a lot in his directorial ventures. While the Bollywood film industry has been producing films with risqué humour in the recent past, he says that adult comedy doesn’t suit him. “I don’t believe in adult comedy. Films that you will not be comfortable watching with your family and

would want to walk out from, I would not indulge in those,” he says. He also believes that slapstick comedy is slowly withering and that sarcasm and satirical genres will see more traction in the near future, thus encouraging such films and creators.

The filmmaker is really intrigued by digital platforms acting as film and media hosts. While “old films have and will retain their charm”, web media keeps pushing technical limits. There is a tectonic shift taking place in the ways films are shaping up for the web, and he is interested in growth. “Digital is going to go very strong and it will soon host good film-making.

If there is something good, I will do it”, he reckons.

As a father, David is all pride. He believes that all of Varun’s success is entirely his own. “Varun picked up Badlapur at a time when nobody would have touched it”, he says, “He told me one day that ‘dad you wouldn’t have let me do this film’ and I said, nahi yaar, you are right.”

Both father and son are currently hitched to do Judwaa 2, the sequel to Dhawan’s 1997 Salman-Karishma hit.

David remains a simple man with a seemingly humble upbringing, and his attitude towards cinema and the arts is also about an innocent showcase of family-oriented stories. In an endnote of inspiration to aspiring actors and filmmakers, he says “Bombay is not just two hours away from Pune, it is a lot longer than that. However, if you have the confidence to do great, you can do great.” gulal.salil@goldensparrow.com

VISHAL KALE

SG

TGS LIFE OCT 1-7, 2016 PUNE

STAGE

A

story of strength amidst tragedy, violence and annihilation, Esperanza is a musical based on the atrocities committed in El Salvador in the 1980s. Written and directed by Fr. Cyril Desbruslais and staged by the Searching and Service in Unity (SSU), a Pune-based youth

group, the play is anything but conventional, claims the team.

A set of students studying at the University of Central America were inspired by their teachers to conscientise the oppressed peasants and make them aware of their human dignity and rights. The oppressive government came down hard on these youngsters, ruthlessly killing many of them. It is on this true story that the play is based.

a member of the crew. SSU works with quarry-workers, prostitutes and their children, impoverished peasants of the Nagar District, among others. After successful productions like A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Boy and Girl, The Prince of Whales and many others, this will be their 45th performance.

The crew comprises kids, students and young working professionals with the youngest being seven years old while the eldest is 75. Practices are generally held after everyone’s done with college and work. The play is being co-sponsored by High Spirits Café and the team generates additional funds through sponsorship. They also depend a lot on the generous donations they get from family and friends.

A large part of the funds that they collect from the performance go towards Project Seed, which is an initiative to provide highyielding crops and education to the farmers of Maharashtra.

“The play is not a conventional one. It conveys the message of hope, as we believe that this is something which is essential in today’s times.

Punekars can expect some great music, heartbreaking and thrilling scenes and a few surprises too,” she adds. Andrea is an advertising professional and also a writer. This is her first play with SSU and loves how much she has been able to learn from working with the diverse range of people that make up the crew.

When: October 3, 7 pm onwards Where: Mahatma Phule Sanskrutik Bhavan, Fatima Nagar salonee.mistry@goldensparrow.com

They took to the stage to spread a message

Hoping to reach out to as many youngsters as possible, this play asks the audience to feel responsible for the disadvantaged and work towards helping them live better lives

By Salonee Mistry @SaloneeMistry

4

Founded by Cyril Desbruslais in 1971, SSU is open to students and workers of all cultures and religions, and is a group that helps young people grow and develop. It encourages them to be of help to the less fortunate and celebrate India’s unity in diversity.

“Esperanza is our annual play to raise funds for some worthy cause, in collaboration with an NGO and is just one of the innumerable

activities that we do each year.

Rehearsals are all about working hard and playing hard too. All the songs and dances are composed and choreographed by the cast and crew and we have had a blast doing it all. We spent hours at the studio recording the songs and many sleepless nights getting people who had never danced before to learn salsa moves,” shares Andrea Pinto,

Madari is a band dedicated to emotions. The group’s uniqueness lies in that its members are all working professionals and turn musicians at night

VISHAL KALE

Singing for the one ultimate Madari

By Akshay Dixit @TGSWeekly

M

adari is an upcoming Pune-based music ensemble which is replete with emotional spirit. It is a stage name synonymous with Lord Shiva’s rudra avatar, carrying a damaru (a two-headed hand drum) and a trident and this is their inspiration too. He, who controls the world to his rhythm as the world drowns itself in romance, grief, hope and longing to his command.

The seven piece band resounds with the belief that “he is the one who plays and we are the ones who act on it. Our life belongs to him and each moment is his blessing.” The members are devoted to celebrating the divine gift of existence and their Hindi and Marathi covers are loaded with transcendental harkats.

The team is an atypical mix of multifarious personalities with multiple professions. Sujeet Soman is the eldest member at 37 and he is the master folk vocalist for the band. Apart from being a visualiser and software engineer by profession, Sujeet takes pride in having improved twenty-one dhol tasha thekas. He has also played live with the famed percussionist Sivamani.

Mayuresh is a practicing Ayurveda doctor

and Yoga guru. Along with being the bands lead guitarist he is also the manager. He has managed various bands with his expertise in composing and singing. Film and TV industry professional Piya Bodas is a vocalist for the band. She shifts between being an assistant director, executive producer, costume designer and researcher.

Although indistinguishable, Ajit Vispute is the only classically-trained artist alongside Amita Ghugari, having been taught by Pandit Hemant

Pendse and Saleel Kulkarni. He sings for the band and is a professional lyricist and composer.

A heavy metal enthusiast, Commerce graduate Shubham Naik plays the rhythm guitar for the outfit while his parallel Ansh Naik plays the bass. Ansh is also a Flamenco guitar player who started pursuing his music in the second year of his computer science bachelors’ program.

Finally, there is the youngest classically-trained vocalist Amita who is 22. Besides singing for Madari, she is also a music arranger and programmer.

Madari is a troupe of people equipped with diverse skills, some of which are completely unrelated to music. While they do a wide range of work during the day time, they come together to jam at night. Just like their inspiration, they are the ultimate identity of the One with distinct avatars. The band doesn’t outsource any work and and neither does it have any sponsors. It is a group of people who are investing their essence to perform. Founded on the 16th of July this year, they have played once before and their first grand performance is planned with the poster designed, venue booked and tickets on sale.

When: Saturday, 1st October 2016 from 9 PM Where: Yashwantrao Chavan Natyagruha akshay.dixit@goldensparrow.com

TEJAS GAIKWAD

5

A NATURELOVER’S ABODE

TGS LIFE OCT 1-7, 2016 PUNE

FEATURES

Humble and courteous, the Kohli family has found a way to make their home in the city a place that most of us would consider for a staycation

By Salonee Mistry @SaloneeMistry

A

fter a short service in the army, Captain Promod Kohli settled in Pune about twelve years ago. He bought a bungalow in the Hills and Dales Society in Undri and turned it from an empty space into a picturesque home. From land that did not have a single blade of grass, today his house is surrounded by a huge 8,000 square-foot garden, which has forty fruit trees. The two-storey bungalow has a terrace on top and four bedrooms in all.

“When we bought the place, it was empty. While we were deciding how to furnish it, the only thing we wanted was for it feel warm and homely. For us it’s our house and a farmhouse, and we are most comfortable vacationing at home too,” tells us Promod. He is currently the owner of the well-known Lancer travels and Holidays and is the ex-president of the Travel Agents Federation of India.

Living in the house with his son Nikhil, the two have quite a tough time maintaining it. “The garden turns into a mess if the gardener doesn’t show up for even one day. One has to be passionate enough to take care of a garden and house that is so huge,” says the young boy. He is already working with his father and shall soon take over the business.

Almost cinematic, this house too has a small red gate that welcomes you inside. With just enough space for cars to be parked on one side and a little bit of walking space, the rest of the area is covered by trees of all kinds. A small porch-like structure in the front shelters a small cane table and four chairs that create the perfect environment for your morning cuppa. Time spent on the porch overlooking the garden feels well-spent too.

As you enter the house, there is an immediate feeling of comfort that greets you. Small showpieces in every corner of the living room add charm and everything appears coordinated. There is a smaller balcony attached to this living room, encouraging another cuppa. Another garden at the back of the house is big enough to accommodate a small gathering too.

Several paintings and pictures occupy the walls in the living room, with lamps in all possible corners. The items and decor add to the home without taking away from its simplicity. salonee.mistry@goldensparrow.com

Captain Promod Kohli with his son Nikhil (left)

TGS LIFE

KEEPING IT REAL FARZI

OCT 1-7, 2016 PUNE

INDULGE

By Zainab Kantawala @kantawalazainab

T

he word Farzi can have many connotations, but at Farzi Café, Kalyani Nagar, it has just one: creating an illusion with its cuisine. True to their word, they serve food amidst foam, air and smoke. The place has great ambience, and is perfect for a candlelight dinner too. While the lower level has a mix of lounge and table seating, the terrace is openair with an island bar. The space is covered with reflective mirrors that illuminate the entire space without being intrusive

coupled with lamps and candles creating a warm ambiance.

The menu offers Continental and North Indian. While the bar was sending out colourful cocktails, beers and other alcoholic delights, we opted for a refreshing Litchi Panna Desire and Farzi Apple Foamtini, that was made with green apple, mint and vodka, served over a bowl of smoking dry ice, orange peel and mint. Our meal started with Mishti Doi Spheres, an amuse-bouche of sweet yogurt with a drop of fruity sauce, and later moved on to Tempura Fried Prawns which were crispy and juicy.

Next, they brought in Dal Chawal Arancini — the name itself made me roll my eyes. But to my surprise, it did not disappoint.

The street food favourite Mini Raj Kachori looked impressive, with cloud of

The People’s Chef

By Salonee Mistry @SaloneeMistry

J

ust like for so many of us, his grandmother was the best cook in the world for him. She always made the most delectable version of everything and it is this feeling that he hoped his food would inspire in others too. He started cooking in 1996 when he was 20 years old and fell in love with it so much, that not only did he make it his profession but a preoccupation. Chef Pradyuman is always thinking of ways to push boundaries when it comes to food and is constantly juggling ingredients in his mind to conjure up new recipes. It is this love and passion that keeps him motivated. So, the next time you head to the Marriott Suites for a meal, make sure to say hello and try some of his specials.

With the philosophy that food should be cooked using only fresh ingredients and in a hygienic kitchen, he has worked in several

restaurants and hotels across the world and has been with the Marriott Suites for the past five years. Previously, he worked in Malaysia for six years and even in the Mediterranean region for a while. “My stint with cooking began while I was living in a

hostel and cooked for my friends and myself.

The appreciation from them was extremely motivating and this got me researching food. It was then that I realised that it could be turned into a career and the decision was almost immediately made,” he recalls.

chutney foam on the top and crispy okra salad on the side. Besides the fancy presentation, the flavour was excellent. The main course consisted of Bheja Fry, Tandoori Guchchi Risotto and Prawn Chettinad, which was spicy and beautifully seasoned. The portions were generous as well.

While the rest of the food was nice, the dessert failed to end the meal on a high note.

Unfortunately, we didn’t really enjoy the Parle G Cheese Cake, but the Rasmalai Tres Leches was fluff y and delicious. All in all, the place packs a lot of potential. The service here is quick as well.

Where: Farzi Café, Fortaleza Complex, East Avenue, Kalyani Nagar zainab.kantawala@goldensparrow.com

TEJAS GAIKWAD

After working in the culinary world for over 19 years, the only thing that defines success for Chef Pradyuman is the smile that his food brings on the faces of the people eating it

ZAINAB KANTAWALA

Amidst the bustle of busy Kalyani Nagar Road, Farzi Café is a quiet, cosy place to dine

Everything that he has learned over the years, the previous day and the people that he meets become his inspiration when he enters the kitchen. For Pradyuman, the most rewarding moment for him as a chef is when he sees the person eating his food smile.

The biggest challenge he faces is fi nding loyal staff that will stick to the hotel or restaurant for a long time. Changing trends also keep him dabbling, he tells us. Adapting to whatever is present in your kitchen and being able to think on your feet is a quality that he feels every chef must have. Asian cuisine is his favourite and Chinese in particular. He not only loves eating it, but cooking it too. Apart from this, since he hails from Uttarakhand and has grown up eating the delicacies from there, Rajma Chawal and Rice prepared by his grandmother, of course is also a favourite.

“I believe that the defi nition of success is to be able to smile after a tough day. If you smile, it only means that you are satisfied.

If you are satisfied it implies that you like what you are doing and that the job is done well,” he explains. For him, happiness is an achievement in itself whether it is big or small. Meeting new people while on the job and being inspired by them is routine. In the future, he wants to travel to learn more about food and keep growing. salonee.mistry@goldensparrow.com

ROASTED, NOT BURNED

By Gulal Salil @gulalsalil

I

ndia ranks sixth in exporters of coffee to the world. It has a deep-rooted history of drinking filter coffee, and estates all over. Yet, the culture of coffee drinking is limited to a consumer chain buying packaged powder and adding it to boiled milk. The understanding of coffee beans, roasts, and even self-grinds is what even the most passionate Indian aficionados lack. There is a science to it, relevant only to professionals, pedants and hipsters. However, to enjoy the beverage at different times of the day and in different forms makes a more enjoyable cup for a passionate drinker. Like any other city, Pune also has an endless number of global cafés, but only a few gourmet-styled kitchens roast their own. Here’s the swing.

COFFEE JAR BY CINI BAIG This café is the oldest in Pune to make its own blends. Owner Cini Baig from Delhi was a marketing student in the UK who came back and told his father that he wanted to become a Barista. His father’s agonised reply to Cini’s dismay was, “You want to sell tea?” Cini is 42 today and this story dates back to an India which didn’t think beyond Nescafé. Cini left Delhi and went to the US to work in the coffee industry. He came back from his informal education in the science, and started Coffee Jar. Since his first day as a Barista, Cini has been passionate about roasted beans from various Southern and Eastern estates. He has held seminars on coffee beans, different types of roasts, flavours, profiles and so on. He’s tried to educate every customer about brews. It is through this effort over a decade that his customers have now started asking for specific blends.

Cini has two blends at Coffe Jar. One of them is the Espresso, which is a 100% roast. This means that the beans have been roasted to their optimum. If they are roasted more, they’ll burn. Espresso roasts are lighter than the other blend that he serves, which is called a French Press, also termed Full City. It is a medium-dark roast and where the seed remains intact and has retained moisture even if the bean is cracked open. It is also a little bitter and has a heavy body to it. He says the problem with coffee chains is that they serve coffee which is not freshly roasted. This is a strategy which makes the consumer have more. “A good cup would never make you feel like you want to have more”, he remarks.

Coffee Jar changes its blends every two months and therein lies its success. The blend is the talisman of any barista. He describes, “I try to make my blends as complex as I can. That way, no one can figure out what kind of blends I have used and in what quantity. Otherwise, committed cuppers can figure out simpler blends from the aroma itself.” Cini prefers to decide his roasts based on the time for which they have been roasted. This is because each second compliments the profile of the bean. He also gets his coffee beans grown at altitudes higher than 4,500 feet,which he believes is good for quality.

Cini is zealous and meticulous about coffee, a drink many would consider routine. He describes the hardwork and struggle a farmer has to go through to grow good beans, pointing out how one tree provides only a kilo every year. He says, “We need to do justice to the beans. For me, this is a person.”

CLASSIC ROCK COFFEE CO. Classic Rock Coffee Co. is not gourmet. It is an American coffee brand. But what sets it apart is that unlike Starbucks and Café Coffee Day, this one doesn’t serve standardised coffee.

They have their own live coffee roasting units. The Kalyani Nagar outlet in Pune -- the first in India -- follows the same tradition. A spectacular coffee roaster sits grabbing centre space in the café. Classic Rock Coffee Co. is headed by businessman Avinash Agarwal. Avinash is not a coffee aficionado, but he has been a DJ for the past seven years, and an investor. Unlike the commonly perceived image that cafés have soft music, yellow lights and long conversations, the chain combines coffee with rock music, which somehow fits Avinash.

Classic Rock roasts its beans every three days before serving, to let the profile-stealing gases escape. The outlet serves single-origin coffee brought in from Kerala and the

VISHAL KALE

CAFÉ MESTIZO Chef Deepu lived in South America for ten years for reasons unrelated to the culinary arts. His business interests didn’t pan out, and he started working as a waiter at his friend’s restaurant called ‘Dublin’ in Colombia. Dublin was about to shut down when he bought it and opened his own restaurant in its place, called Soul of India. He had three branches set up in the country, before he returned India.

Café Mestizo is a four-month old café in Balewadi High Street owned by him and two of his childhood friends, Dheeren and Rajev. They serve gourmet teas, freshly-made sandwiches and freshly-brewed coffee. He also has his own food show on the Living Foodz channel. Boat Club road will see the second branch of Café Mestizo soon. The coffee beans that he procures are unpolished and free of chemicals. He gets them roasted directly at his unit in Chikmagalur. Of the two blends that the café serves, one is a mediumlow roast composed of 100% Arabica, while the other is a medium-high Arabica roast mixed with 20% Robusta beans. The Robusta is added to give a partially bitter flavour to the coffees which have milk in them, as the milk tends to overpower the coffee.

His concern is similar to that of Cini’s. The idea that Indians casually add boiling milk to the powder really troubles him. The reason why various beans are roasted at different settings is to ensure that they develop the required profiles.

He humorously observes, “what is the first thing that you think of when someone tells you that they had great coffee today? They mean more powder!”

It is not that more coffee powder won’t make any difference, but that is probably the last factor for strength. “If you add boiling milk to packaged coffee, which was once roasted long back and sold to you after being ground in factories, you burn the coffee itself ”, he remarks.

TGS LIFE OCT 1-7, 2016 PUNE

INDULGE

beans are roasted till they achieve a caramel taste; bitter or burnt is not their profile. For this reason, their brews are not dark, and their espressos are also more ‘palatable’. For milkbased coffees, the amount of espresso used is 1.5% more than industry standards.

Classic Rock is not just a café. It is a restaurant as well as a bar. The reason for this unusual setup is to keep the café alive at night. It has gigs and festivals every now and then. It doesn’t matter that the coffee sales are only 10-15% of the total revenue. The idea is to make good coffee and introduce good cupping culture among people, while being a global chain.

The bar also sells six types of coffee cocktails and a few coffee shots, similar to alcohol shots. This is just the beginning for Classic Rock Coffee Co. as a global chain of gourmet-style coffee, entering India. gulal.salil@goldensparrow.com

OCT 1-7, 2016 PUNE

FEATURES

By Gulal Salil and Zainab Kantawala @TGSWeekly

I

n a list of 'Ten things you didn’t know about mobile gaming' published by the Microsoft Devices Team, there is a factoid that will inspire almost universal nostalgia. The nineties saw the rise of possibly the most popular mobile game before Angry Birds hit the scene in 2012. This game was called Snake, and it was released in 1997 on the Nokia 5110. Now, while a few ardent lovers of Snake and Nokia 5110s may be aware of this, it may come as a revelation to most that Snake could be played in realtime across phones. The Nokia 6110 (a higher-end business version) used infrared technology to enable multiplayer mode in the game.

Back then, phones were almost entirely used for voice and text, so this didn't exactly catch on.

RAHUL RAUT

TGS LIFE

READY, PLAYER ONE BILLION

The gam stages si designers journey

THE MILLENNIALS

It was not till the middle-class nineties generation started playing Space Impact on their uncle's Nokia, that India saw the ballooning of a real mobile gaming culture; a culture which had already bowledover the rest of the first world. The ‘cassette vaale video games’ or Nintendo knock-offs were the only affordable gaming devices available before the phone. The internet really hit the mainstream in the new millennium and real-time multiplayer gaming became a reality. For so many Indians — just like mobile internet access — mobile gaming is the only form of gaming. Casual, cheap and accessible, you'll see them being played across socioeconomic strata, age groups and any other segments you can think up.

Mobile game design is where the money is shifting to. So is it a bleak future for PC and consoles? Can the phone ever replace the mouse and the gamepad? Will our flitting thumbs kill the careful hand-eye coordination of traditional video games? We spoke with five developer outfits to find out.

DSK Green Ice Games (DGIG) is one of the leading studios based out of Hadapsar and funded by DSKSupinfocom, as the name suggests. DGIG recently set up a mobile game design department, but its vision since 2014 has been to create high-quality PC and console games. They've recently launched their first mobile title, 'Core: Seekers of life' for iOS and Android but their first title was for the PC and console called 'Devil God University' which won a FICCI Baf award.

Then there is the indie undercurrent, with globally recognised Dropout Games which operates out of a house in Viman Nagar. This company lives to experiment, and ultimately wants to makes PC and console games. It was founded by dropouts from DSKSupinfocom, Ankush Madad, Sujeet Kumar, Saurabh Bhavsar, and Siddesh Khatri (the only non-dropout). They've released two mobile titles, 'Unwynd' and 'Blyss' for the App Store, which — in a rare feat — have been consecutively featured as"Editor's Choice" titles.

There's June Software, also based in Viman Nagar, which is one of the top five mobile game design companies in India.

June was incorporated in 2008 and they are a full-fledged team

dedicated to only mobile game design. Their game 'Th!nk', released for the Windows, Android and iPhone marketplace has received exceptional fame and popularity amongst players.

There is Game Designer Pranav Paharia who has designed six titles. One of the six: 'Song of Swords' under the company Nautilus Games, won the People's Choice of the Year award at the NASSCOM Game Developer Conference, 2013. His game 'Chota Bheem Ladoo Runner' has been downloaded one million times and garnered mammoth popularity among kids. He grew up playing all retro art games like Mario, Contra, Doom, and by teenage I got a hold on Counter Strike. His college years were filled with latenight gaming sessions in the hostel. He soon decided to turn his passion into profession. “I like this thing about games that they are so expressive. They can be good about story, gameplay or social experience or they can be an 'immersive meaningful experience'. I use my creativity and skill within the boundaries of game design and brainstorm,” shares Pranav.

Another game design sophomore at DSK, Sreeram Gollangi is currently working on his end-of-year project with five of his mates. He has worked on Farmville 2 as an intern at Zynga and was responsible for designing a lot of new features in the game. "I was inclined towards gaming just like every other kid is. Even with limited access to video games, I did all I could to get my hands on them. But the decision to work in the gaming industry is a different story. I graduated as an architect in 2014, after which I wanted to continue my education and go for a post-graduation. As a student of design, I wanted to explore other disciplines of design. My love for both design and gaming made me consider video games as a career choice," he says.

BEHIND THE SCENES

A game usually needs many iterations before it gives you an engaging experience says Pranav. The process involves making a lot of play test models with a variety of gameplay elements. “To make sure it’s exciting, you have to find out unique ways to keep the player’s mind absorbed. You give it to general play testers, your target audience, groups of about 10-20 players and then observe and document the players’ experience. It takes a lot of time and effort to execute this activity to perfection,” he says. A game production process has three stages; in pre-production high-level concepts and a working prototype are built. In production, the game is expanded with content and mechanics with a team of designers, artists, sound engineers and writers working on the game. “Initially, a high-level concept of the game gets ready. After that, a detailed game design document is made by the designer, where each rule and situation

Pranav Paharia

possible in the game is explained briefly. Then, a team of engineers work on the framework, building game systems and the rest of the team can integrate the content into the game. Designers make lot of iterations of the systems. Once they’re balanced, the game is sent for testing and packaging,” he explains.

As for Sreeram, coming up with ideas for any game starts with a set of requirements that one has to fulfill. “Requirements like, what platform will the game run on, who’s my target audience or what kind of game genre do I want to explore. Answering these questions sets a framework for the ideation process. This helps us get a sense of direction with a solid framework to work within,” he says. This is followed by brainstorming sessions, taking notes, making sketches, throwing balls of paper in the dustbin, sleepless nights, endless discussions, arguments and gallons of coffee – all, an integral part of coming up with a game idea.

He believes play-testing is an integral part of game development.

He has worked on a story-driven game, but one of the interesting trends that he has noticed in the gaming industry is giving players narrative choices which have consequences.

Sometimes, games — being so visual with their approach — can tell stories without dialogues or definitive story lines. “In games like Dishonored, the developers tried to tell small stories with the environment art. In a particular level, the player comes across an abandoned room where tiny little shoes are placed near a pair of big

ming world has evolved through many ince its inception. ­These budding game s and developers walk us through their y of falling in love with programming

TGS LIFE Veerdhawal Khanvilkar and Shantesh Patil

OCT 1-7, 2016 PUNE

FEATURES

shoes and with some other gruesome details, this clearly shows that something bad has happened to the residents of the house, one of which was a little child,” he says. These little touches sometimes add a lot to the fiction of a game for people who notice.

THERE IS AN EVOLUTION TAKING PLACE

“No, it will never happen. The genre may keep changing, games may evolve, but PCs and consoles will always live on and strong”, says Anirrudha Jowadekar, Project Manager and Game Designer at DGIG. For the present, mobile games are designed as short-lived experiences, played to pass time. The shelf life of a title, as Senior Game Designer Virdhawal of June Software puts it, “depends completely on connectivity, and the fact that features are constantly churned out.” His coworker Shantesh Patil believes that “a mobile game is not just a game anymore, it is a service.” So for instance, June’s latest game called MaskGun — essentially Counterstrike for mobile — will keep introducing new features such as powers, army units and upgrades to retain customers. As is primal to phone gaming, all their games have real-time connectivity through social media, and a gamer can always invite a friend to a battle. MaskGun recently released in India, and as the game picks up, June will also introduce clan culture in it, just like Counterstrike.

However, there is no full-bodied dedication in mobile gaming, which is where the difference lies between an immersive medium like a PC or console and a phone. Apart from the screen size, a game like DOTA cannot be played over the phone for various reasons.

“Phones don’t have great battery life, PC like graphic quality on them is unavailable and mobile connectivity is not always present”, says Pranay, lead artist at DGIG. The usage of only two thumbs for a game as intense as DOTA is again an obstacle in the immersive quality of the experience.

But are technical limitations the only things that define the quality of a game on a certain medium? Isn’t it possible to create an great gameplay on any given platform? Who decides this?

Benchmarks continue to change. The benchmark for the videogamer born in the 80s and 90s is the screen size of a TV and a computer. Aniruddha argues that “by the time the generation which currently ranges from the ages of 12 to 18 grows up and starts earning money, hardcore games would’ve shifted to mobile devices.

This is because their benchmark has been mobiles; they’ve grown up on that.” Already, companies like Nintendo and Games Workshop have started making hardcore titles for phones and tablets. However, “The fact that PCs are always upgradeable — unlike consoles — a hardcore gamer will still play PC games”, says Shashank, Technical

Art Leader at DGIG. New technology will always keep everything moving forward.

Virtual reality has already started making a mark, and “in the future there could be an Age of Empires which people could play in virtual reality”, Aniruddha predicts. Pranay concludes with a sweeping analogy, “It is just like this. With the advent of TV, everyone thought that people would stop going to theatres to watch films.

But they didn’t.”

Perspective and mindfulness is everything, Sreeram believes.

“I usually find surprising inspirations from simple everyday things around me. Cultivating this habit as a designer has helped me a lot with my designs, both in architecture and gaming,” he adds.

But where does India stand in this evolution?

According to Ankush, Business head at Dropout Games, it is near-impossible for just about any aspirant to make console games in India. PC and console game development require much more time, finance and manpower than mobile game design. But the obstacle is not the size of the company.

Console giants like Sony and Microsoft sell development kits for game designers to purchase. These ‘devkits’ are essentially a set of software development tools added to the console and provided to developers. Barring certain clauses that come with buying a devkit, these are available all over the globe to those who want to make games. However, these are unavailable for purchase here.

For DGIG, getting a kit is tough, but not impossible. There is a

FINAL ROUND Game development fundamentally comes from the understanding of the medium it will be played on. Sreeram Gollangi observes design for mobile and says, “It could also be reinventing a game like Match Three. Take a game like Tetris for example, it’s a game with no story or characters. Or a game likes Candy Crush, where there is a subtle fictional touch for people who notice it.”

Pranav Paharia’s take on the importance of a story in a game is that “the narration has to be in such a way that player gets

Ankush Madad, Sujeet Kumar and Siddhesh Khatri

Sreeram Gollangi

process to go about it. But then, DGIG is also a globally-affiliated company. Even then, the kits that DGIG gets are on lease, with a clause that the games made using it ought to be launched within a certain timeframe. This kind of a contract can only be entrusted to those who have established themselves. This closed network clearly doesn’t help independent developers.

Dropout games, which has brought critical acclaim to the mobile game design industry of India, envisions making computer and console titles in the future. “We released our games in the global market because of the currency value. Blyss is for $2 at the App Store and because it got featured, we have enough money to keep going for the next two years from now”, Ankush says. He mentions “We have nothing to lose, really. We made two good games, and now we are looking to work on a PC title. The idea is to experiment as we don’t want to go through any publisher.” immersed in the experience. Every twist and turn in the story leaves an impact on the player to retain its excitement.” But then, at least at the moment, mobile gaming is not about detail. It is about a different immersive experience that takes place only in short intervals broken up by real life. Pokemon GO is a complete example of this. Augmented reality saw its moment in the sun with the mobile game. Gaming has moved out of the rich kid's bedroom into the hands of near-everyone. By sheer numbers, mobile games now dominate the landscape.

TGS LIFE OCT 1-7, 2016 PUNE

THRILL OF DRIVING

Toyota launches Platinum Etios, New Liva

Provides standard ABS with EBD across all variants

T

oyota has done fairly well in India with it’s Etios compact sedan and to some extent, with the Liva hatch. The only problem is that sales have been significant to commercial fleets, which can pose perception problems for potential buyers. Toyota have smartly followed other manufacturers in their strategy of introducing a new, feature-rich variant alongside the old Etios. The new “Platinum Etios” comes with ABS/ EBD across all trims and starts at Rs 6.43 lac for petrol,

and Rs 7.56 lac for diesel (ex-showroom, Mumbai).

Safety is a big talking point for the Platinum Etios. Apart from ABS, it also gets dual front airbags, ISOFIX child seat points on all variants, ELR seatbelts for all five seats, unlike those loose-hanging straps we’ve seen on some recent cheap hatches. This applies to the new Etios and Liva.

Exterior design changes are almost obligatory, and include a new front and rear bumper, new fog lamp bezels, new grille and chrome bits for the Platinum Etios, and new alloys for the Liva. Interior refreshes include a rear centre arm rest, two-tone dash and upholstery and folding seats.

The new Platinum Etios is priced in the range of Rs. 643,000 to Rs. 774,000 for Petrol & Rs. 756000 to Rs. 887,000 Diesel (Ex-showroom Mumbai), while the new Liva is priced in the range of Rs. 524000 to 628000 for Petrol, and Rs. 661000 to Rs. 744,000 Diesel (Ex-showroom Mumbai)

Jaguar’s all-new XF in India

PRICES (EX-SHOWROOM, DELHI) Jaguar Jaguar Jaguar Jaguar Jaguar

T

he Jaguar XF is a competent contender in the mid-size luxury sedan segment, but has been getting long in the tooth.

That has changed with the new XF sedan, which is all-new and packed with features. For starters, Jaguar have refined their design language, which was getting a bit incongruous

with those strange afterthoughts of LED DRLs. The new car has a more feline stance, those headlights are much improved and it loses a massive 190kg over the previous generation. Prices start at Rs 49.50 lac ex-showroom, Delhi for the fullyimported car. Bookings are open now with deliveries expected to begin by

end-September.

The new XF is the first Jaguar in India to receive the new ‘Ingenium’ series 2.0-litre diesel motor. This series was developed alongside the XE sedan that stands at the bottom of the range. Like with the XE, Jaguar has made strides toward efficiency with heavy use of aluminium in the

XF XF XF XF XF

2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0

(177hp) Diesel (177hp) Diesel (177hp) Diesel (237hp) Petrol (237hp) Petrol

chassis and smaller, more efficient engines. Exterior design takes cues from the F-Type, with the LED tail lamps being particularly reminiscent.

As is the norm these days, the LED headlamps are also adaptive.

Jaguar is also playing up their ‘dramatic startup sequence’. When the door is opened, the engine start button pulses with light. Once pressed, the interior mood lighting

Pure: Rs49.50 Lakh Prestige: Rs55.90 Lakh Portfolio: Rs62.10 Lakh Prestige: Rs55.65 Lakh Portfolio: Rs61.85 Lakh

kicks in, while the AC vents open and the drive selector rises up from the centre console. Dramatic, it certainly is, now borrowing some tricks from the larger XJ. Out back, kneeroom is up by 24mm and legroom is up by 15mm.

Jaguar is also offering a 237hp two-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine in the new XF in addition to the 177hp petrol 4-cylinder.

Forget the traditional techniques of destressing. Gen-Y finds new creative breaks to cope with stress

Heal yourself creatively

By Zainab Kantawala @kantawalazainab

S

tress is everywhere; at work, school, and even at home. Dealing with stress comes naturally to some, and requires creative solutions for others. By intensely focusing on a hobby, game, book or movie, one may tend to give less thought to problems. But dealing with it effectively requires a bit more effort and planning, as so believe the therapists.

We caught up with some city-based creative therapists who talk about some of the new ways that are currently being used to cope with this issue.

ANUBHA DOSHI: DANCE THERAPY When Anubha Doshi, owner of Artsphere, started dancing at the age of eight, she did not know that she would take it up as a profession. After graduating in English Literature and a Masters in Communication Management, Anubha found her true calling in Psychology and Dance Therapy.

“At the age of 24, I attended a workshop conducted by Tripura Kashyap, a pioneer of dance therapy.

That was my first brush with how I could combine my passion for dancing with healing others. I left my corporate job and started pursuing further studies in psychology to become a therapist,” she shares.

Dance therapy is a form of expressive therapy that uses the body’s natural movement.

It consists of activities like warm-ups, mirroring, dancing with props, moving through space, trust exercises, improvisation, body rhythms and hand-gestures which are therapeutic as well as fun. “People are generally scared of the word therapy and there is the stigma of being mentally ill attached to it.

That’s the first hinderance. But now, people are opening up to the various concepts of therapy and are ready to experiment with the different forms,” she says.

She believes that dancing helps gain selfesteem and confidence, while sharing thoughts, ideas and stories through one’s body. “We have

seen people’s lives change in our workshops, where they even change the course of their career. They have an emotional catharsis, and understand where they are stuck in life. They have realised the real path of their life and have started walking on the path of healing others,” she adds.

Get in touch: artsphere.pune@gmail.com ANSHUMA KSHETRAPAL: DRAMA THERAPY Anshuma was always a ‘nautanki’. Her actions, gestures, expressions, and body helped her emote and express herself more than words.

She has been dancing and performing in plays SUSAN BULLOUGH KHARE: ART THERAPY Susan Bullough Khare received her education and training in England. She has pursued several courses with the British Association of Art Therapists, Inner Sound Therapy, Naked Voice, British School of Anger Management, and Somatic Healing & Life. Participants in visual art therapy explore a range of art materials including paint, charcoal and collage, consider relevant art work and reflect on how art can benefit themselves. “Visual art therapy in itself may not cure anything but it does give us important insights into ourselves and provides a bridge for communicating things that are very difficult to put into words. Visual art therapy can be a very valuable communication tool for the elderly, and those with mental or physical health challenges. It’s for anyone who feels isolated and misunderstood. Art therapy is always non judgmental,” she says.

since she was just three years old, so the choice for her was either drama-therapy or stand-up comedy. “I cannot even remember the first time I performed, because I have been inclined to the arts since I was born. My parents are doctors, but liberal and artsy folk. They have always preferred plays to movies, and encouraged the arts. They believed in making sure that I took part in everything and anything that caught my fancy,” she says.

After she finished her masters in Psychosocial Clinical Studies, she attended a movement therapy workshop. She quickly realised that her body had much more to say than her words were permitting. “In fact, my body had emotional She undertakes sessions on themes such as anger, self, grief, health and powerlessness, always focusing on process not product. Images are not only means of communication for those with limited, or impaired verbal skills, but they are also vital for those whose words can distract, defend and deceive. “Working through art therapy with emotions connected to grief can be valuable. Relationship break-ups and heartbreak can be expressed through art therapy too. Sexual orientation and related issues can often be more easily shared through art than talking. Art therapy can support many forms of healing,” she adds.

Everyone has the potential to be creative, but art therapy is unconcerned with the product; be it painting, drawing, or collage. “It’s what we feel and learn during the therapy. We don’t need to wait till we are depressed or sick; art therapy can help anyone anytime,” she adds.

Get in touch: s.bulloughkhare@gmail.com

TGS LIFE OCT 1-7, 2016 PUNE

FEATURES

memory and when I accessed it, I saw that it held flashbacks to forgotten experiences and gave me deeper insight than words. I took further training in Creative Arts Therapy and then left for London to do another Masters programme, this time in Drama and Movement Therapy,” Anshuma Kshetrapal she shares.

Just like any psychotherapy, a drama therapy session varies greatly between individuals and also from practitioners. A session includes breathing and relaxation activities, psychodrama, imaginary role-play, story-making, storytelling, enactments, visual art reflections, verbal processing and movement activities. There are sessions where an individual can only process their thoughts and feelings verbally, and not choose any artistic expression.

“Drama and Movement Therapy is for everyone, whether you are an adult with work stress or a child with learning difficulties. The beauty of working with metaphor, stories, movement and drama is that it is non-confrontational and indirect. Yet, it could be revelatory of the unconscious processes and patterns of an individual in their choice of role, dialogue, movement,” she explains.

Get in touch: anshuma_kshetrapal@yahoo.co.in zainab.kantawala@goldensparrow.com

Walking from Pune to Sri Lanka

TGS LIFE OCT 1-7, 2016 PUNE

FEATURES

By Zainab Kantawala @kantawalazainab

M

otivational speaker and self-styled “peace warrior” Yogesh Mathuria is all set to take a walk all the way to Sri lanka without money or worldly possessions. He is on a pilgrimage with his team, with the aim of promoting the message of peace and happiness.

Yogesh, a life coach by profession, started his journey on September 21, International Day of Peace from his home in Baner. He treats his pilgrimages as tapasya (penance), and has already walked to Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Shirdi and the Wagah border in the past four years. “I was inspired by my master when I was nine, who walked till the US to spread the message of world peace.

I want to do something similar, and I am looking forward to covering all the Asian countries first,” he says.

His proposed route to Sri Lanka is a walk of around 4,840 km through six Indian states and about 760 km in Sri Lanka. He will be covering a total 5,600 km in six months. He will be followed by the Walk it Out and Talk it Out, a group of walkers throughout Pune, while Kailash Narwade, his disciple will also walk with him for a month on his journey.

Yogesh used to be an IT professional and has travelled worldwide for his work. His hectic schedules, frequent travel and faulty eating habits made him a victim of obesity,

Yogesh Mathuria is all set to spread the message of love and peace all the way to the pearl of the east diabetes, hypertension and other lifestyle diseases. “I have a history of health issues.

But I have maintained myself so well that I am now free of it all. I walk a lot and have a healthy diet. All this has helped me in keeping myself fit,” he adds.

The sudden death of his wife due to cancer changed him completely. He decided to dedicate his life to helping others and bringing about the change that he wanted to see in himself. Believing that inner transformation and world peace go hand in hand, he started these unique peace pilgrimages. He simply walked from place to place without spending any money on the way. “It is like completely trusting the universe. Based on this deep trust in universal energy, I have decided to dedicate

the rest of my life to working toward world peace. People that I have met at the Wagah border have been so generous and supportive, that I have rebuilt my faith in humanity,” he shares.

His vision is to walk through 100 countries and over 80,000 km for world

peace by December 31st 2025. “However, I am still not able to visit Pakistan. But I also know that all the religions in our world are man-made and so are the boundaries across countries. So, I still hope that my dream will come true someday,” he adds. zainab.kantawala@goldensparrow.com

Book your tour guide before your journey begins Filling a gap that he saw when he himself needed a tour guide for a holiday, Ashish Tewari set up Touritor two months ago

TEJAS GAIKWAD

By Salonee Mistry @SaloneeMistry

W

hether one goes backpacking or on a planned luxury holiday, the avid traveler will want to know more about their destination than what meets the eye. Avinash Tewari was travelling to Kerala last year and was keen to hire a tour guide to enrich the experience. He wanted to know all he could about the local culture, participate in events if possible and explore infrequently travelled roads off the tourist trail.

He was disappointed, unable to find a single website that listed certified guides in India. He did stumble upon some community sites where one could meet up with the locals and then plan tours with them. While he dropped the idea to hire a tour guide, he saw opportunity in bringing certified guides in India together. This is how Touritor was born.

Touritor is something that Ashish is ver passionate about and is always finding ways to expand. In two months, the response that his venture has garnered has been great and the future is looking bright.

The website currently has over 25 tourist guides, while more than 50 are in the pipeline. His mother Sushila, a former teacher, is based out of Lucknow and is the director of the venture. While her son came up with the idea, she found a way to make it all happen.

“The biggest challenge setting this up was to reach out to the tourist guides and to convince them of the start-up. We started gathering data from reliable resources online and offline and contacted hundreds of guides, explaining what we are trying to do. Initially, they did not realise the benefit of going digital on

a single platform, but after a few interactions, they started understanding and appreciating our project and overall vision,” he says. The current team has five people, including the director who look after everything from social media marketing and promotion, to tour guide operations, website development and enhancement. There are also a few freelance bloggers on board.

Ashish has a very simple vision for his venture. His idea is to be able to bring all certified tourist guides in India under one umbrella. Promoting the culture of hiring tourist guides first in Pune and then elsewhere will also help boost tourism, he believes.

Touritor’s website features tourist guides from across all major tourist destination in India. “It is a common sight to see foreigners travelling in India with a tourist guide, but as Indians, we are not very keen on this idea.

However, if you ever meet someone who has travelled a city or country with a guide, they will have innumerable exciting stories, insights and facts to tell you, and this makes the trip even more memorable. In so many ways, hiring a guide often enhances the journey and brings to the front a completely different side of the place that you are visiting,” he adds. salonee.mistry@goldensparrow.com

ART OF EXPRESSION

City artist Trishna Patnaik believes she was born to paint

By Zainab Kantawala @kantawalazainab

F

or city-based artist Trishna Patnaik, art is her life and identity.

Being self-taught, she combines realism with her imaginations. Known for the intensity of her artwork, Trishna skilfullywields her brush to create moody and atmospheric pieces. She is now a fulltime painter, pursuing her passion to create and explore.

After a three-year stint in the corporate world,she realised that she was destined for something more meaningful.

Painting for her has been analogous to meditation. It has been her stress buster, and a platform for expression. Getting a decent job after a decent degree was always a priority in her traditional service-sector family. But there was a perpetual uneasiness in everything she pursued. “I found my true calling in my strength, my hobby, my inner voice, my passion that is painting. Contemporary art is what gets me going. I am working smart on developing my unique style. It’s a road less travelled but a journey that I look forward to everyday,” she says.

As a child, she was never inclined towards art. In her 10th standard vacation, she took to it and enjoyed the learning process. “I use to dislike the whole thought of an art class in my

school. It was so rule book-based and so full of marks. Draw and paint a rainy day or accident on a road or a mela, were the usual topics in school. I could never Trishna Patnaik really understand whether I am good in this or inclined towards art. Probably because of this, the idea of going to an art school never occurred to me at all,” shares.

She has dabbled with all mediums from pencil, charcoal, pastels to watercolours, acrylics and oil. She applies techniques based on what the piece requires. Each medium, she believes, is beautiful and has something unique to offer. “I never paint on paper or canvas.

I always paint in my mind first and then I only manually pursue my artwork with my hands. I love how a small charcoal stick or crayon can create fire on paper,” she says.

Trishna draws inspiration from her life and everything around her.However, she’s more inclined towards abstracts, graphics and faces. “The whole point of being a painter is to express rather than impress.And once you are set to only express, the medium of expression can vary and the techniques could be straight out of the book or even something which has never been seen before,” she adds. zainab.kantawala @goldensparrow.com

TGS LIFE OCT 1-7, 2016 PUNE

FEATURES

L

ast Sunday evening at Phoenix Marketcity was truly an evening of madness as The Improv, Bangalore’s most laughed comedy experience came to Pune with two exciting shows. The show featuring Saad Khan (Host) and actors Danish Sait, Darius Sunawala, Sumukhi Suresh, Abel

Mathews and Tim Schultz, had six hilarious novel rounds, madical actors, and universal comedic moments that were created live and on the spot. The Improv is India’s first of its kind interactive comic act were the audience are involved throughout 90 minutes of the show with the professional comedians.

VISHAL KALE

A first-of-its-kind live comedy experience for Punekars

SP

14

TGS LIFE

DRESS TO KILL

OCT 1-7, 2016 PUNE

SHOPPING

Day out with friends

RAHUL RAUT

A dress ornate with patterns, red lipstick and heels is perfect for a day out with friends. This attire is sure to make heads turn.

Dress: Singapore Cotton Price: Rs 1,500

Kritika Bali a student who dabbles in modeling as well as films believes in comfort over trend. Here she gives us a sneak peek into her chiccum-sophisticated wardrobe and lets us in on her secret to effortless dressing

Solid stripes

You can pair this skirt with any solid coloured top. Avoid going over board with the accessories. Plain stud earrings and a small neck piece will work fine.

Skirt: Forever 21, Rs 800 Top: Splush, Rs 700

For a date night

This is the perfect attire to compliment your evening date. The red top and the blue denim shorts is a no frills combination.

Red Top: Stravidarius, Rs 1,800 Denim shorts: Forever 21, Rs 1,500

Getting together

Meeting old friends?

This tribal print skirt and crop top is the perfect combination for a weekend of nostalgia filled fun. Team it with stud earrings and a delicate bracelet and you are good to go.

Skirt: H&M Price: Rs 1,200

— Compiled by Gulal Salil

On the beach

This is a perfect vacation dress. Just put on slippers, and accesorise minmally and you are ready to hit the beach.

Dress: Forever 21 Price: Rs 1,000

RAHUL RAUT

TGS LIFE OCT 1-7, 2016 PUNE

FEATURES

SIMPLE MAKE-UP HACKS

Seen in films like Olakh and Bernie, Bhushan Patil has the perfect chiseled body. He tells TGS about his fitness regime

‘There are no short-cuts when it comes to fitness’

By Salonee Mistry @SaloneeMistry

A

LOCATION: HOTEL NOVOTEL, NAGAR ROAD

civil engineer by degree, acting never occurred to him until much later in life. Now that he has ventured down this road, he is absolutely loving it and there is no looking back, says Bhushan Patil. In college, he took part in dancing and modelling competitions, which sparked his interest. Not being academically inclined, this seemed like something he could spend the rest of his life doing, and so he eventually moved to Mumbai. He was first seen in the Balaji Telefilms reality show Kaun Jitega Bollywood Ka Ticket and then in ETV’s Perfect Bachelor, which he won. “The one principle that I live by is that I must never regret anything. Had I not taken up those reality shows, I would have later regretted it and that I wanted to avoid,” tells us the 30-year-old actor.

When he isn’t busy shooting, or managing his Nasik-based construction business, Bhushan loves to travel. Well-traveled in India, he’s exploring other countries and cultures. Ajay Devgan is his inspiration when it comes to Bollywood, and he would love to play his role from the film Once Upon a Time in Mumbai.

FITNESS MANTRA For Bhushan, being fit is a huge part of his lifestyle. He almost never misses his workout and tries to accommodate it, whatever his schedule. “Fitness is something that must come from within. You must be patient and give time to yourself and your body to show results. There are no short-cuts in fitness,” he says. If one is forcibly going to the gym or working out only because they are made to, it will either take really long to see the results or you might just never see them, he believes.

M BHUSHAN PATIL Age: 30 Weight: 76 kg Height: 5’10

Fitness is pretty much a part of his lifestyle now and he would not have it any other way.

A huge cricket fan, his Fridays are reserved to play the sport with his friends and this is when he gets most of his cardio done, he adds.

DAILY LOG Bhushan’s day begins at around 8 am, after which he tries to consume at least a litre of water. To keep his energy levels up, he has an apple which is the first thing he eats every morning. This is followed by a scoop of protein. Breakfast is usually around 10:30 am and comprises an omelette of four egg whites. He also has four boiled eggs and a cup of coffee. Lunch is after about three to four hours and is usually a bowl of chicken, dal and green salad. There’s a cup of tea around 4 pm and a four-egg white omlette or bhurji around 7:30, just before his workout. This lasts for an hour or so, and is essentially weight training. Cardio is taken care of by the weekly cricket session. Bhushan has a protein shake immediately after his workout and dinner is around 11:30, and is just like his lunch.

Bhushan doesn’t have a specific cheat day, but will accommodate his favourites when his schedule makes it impossible to stick to a strict diet. Even so, he makes it a point to have as much healthy food as possible and lots of water. He loves trying different cuisines on his travels, but keeps a tab on what and how much he consumes. salonee.mistry@goldensparrow.com

EXPERT SPEAK Omkar Singh Seema ACSM Certified Trainer Golds Gym, Aundh

Lot of water in the morning is going to cause bloating, instead make sure you have about 6-8 litres water throughout the day. I would also advice you to have the omelette and boiled eggs meal in the morning and apple and protein shake as ameal at around 10:30 to avoid an insulin spike. You must also add another cardio session along with cricket as well.

Expert rating: 6.5/10

ost of us always want a flawless skin but the weather conditions or the way our body works doesn’t always permit it. One can’t always apply heavy make-up if you just have to go to a gathering for a few hours or for a day out with friends. Make-up artist Khushbu Tolani, lets you in on a few simple make-up tricks that are not only easy to implement but will give you the desired results too. · Cleanse and moisturise your skin It is important to start with a clean slate. Wash your face with a gentle Khushbu Tolani cleanser and then follow with a lightweight moisturizer. If you will be spending time out in the sun, then use a moisturizer that contains sunscreen. · Cover dark circles with a concealer If you have dark circles under your eyes, then apply a few vertical steaks of the concealer over them and then blend them well. Your concealer should be a shade or two lighter than your foundation and using one that has a yellow tone to it will also help to cover dark circles better. · Apply extra concealer over pimples After you have finished applying your foundation, you might notice a few pimples that are still visible through the makeup. In this case, you can apply a little extra concealer to cover these pimples · Apply your foundation Next, apply foundation to your entire face to give it an even coverage. Make sure that you blend the foundation evenly, especially around your hairline and in the creases around your nose and chin · Set your makeup with powder To ensure that your makeup will stay flawless all day long, apply a dusting of translucent powder over your makeup. This will also help to soak up any extra oil and provide a matte look.

TGS LIFE OCT 1-7, 2016

ALWAYS FINDING HER WAY

PUNE

By Ekata Katti @Ektaak

family life.” The movie is expected in October 2017.

hen it comes to acting, Bollywood actress Kalki Koechlin has always kept an open mind. Whether in her brave role in The Girl in Yellow Boots or the girl next door in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Kalki persistently strives to take her craft to the next level. The versatile actress is back on the big screen, paired opposite Sumeet Vyas, of Permanent Roommates fame. The drama flick Ribbon will be directed by newcomer Rakhee Sandilya.

Talking about the movie, Kalki in an exclusive with The Golden Sparrow said, “I am looking forward to this movie. It talks about a married couple living a fast-paced urban life, and the problems they face in their

ON THE HIGHWAY Cinematic projects apart, Kalki also stars in a travel show – Kalki’s Great Escapeon Fox Life. It follows her motorcycle journey to India's North-Eastern states.

The show is particularly close to her heart, as her travel companion is her father, Joel. “The complexities of urban life have distanced us from nature. The show gave me a chance to be in nature’s lap once again,” she says. Kalki has recently finished shooting for A Death in the Gunj, a drama film which is a directorial debut for Konkona Sen Sharma.

What lured her into signing a travel show we asked, and pat came the reply, “The show is raw, that is what I like about it. It has no script, it’s spontaneous. The silver lining surely is that I got to spend

W

COLSTON JULIAN

BUZZ

‘I do not want to be W stereotyped’

By Salonee Mistry @SaloneeMistry ith a charming personality and super-fit body, Taaha Shah is all set to steal your heart once again with his upcoming flick, Gunday aur Gudiya. Recently seen in Baar Baar Dekho, he has also done films such as Love Ka The End opposite Shraddha Kapoor, along with Gippi and Barkhaa, for which he received some acclaim. Selecting scripts solely based on how much he connects with them, this young actor believes that this is just the start of his exciting Bollywood journey.

While the shift from running a business to becoming an actor was not an easy one, it is something that he knows he will never regret. Talking about his role in Baar Baar Dekho he says, “My role in the film was both easy and difficult.

While there was a lot that I could relate to like the scenes where I had to tell my brother off, or that of being a casanova, learning Japanese was one hell of a task.

I discovered a lot about myself while shooting for this film too.” After working with his mother as a recruiter, a short stint in hotel management, real estate and even

an import-export business, he decided to follow his heart and pursue a career in acting. The fitness freak is trained in martial arts, gymnastics, acrobatics and parkour. He went to the New York Film Academy in Abu Dhabi and got a degree before he moved to Mumbai to chase his dreams.

“I like to read the script of a film myself, as it helps me visualise everything.

This is when I know if I fit the part or not. I hope and pray that every script is different from the previous one so that I get to learn and grow, both as an actor and as a human being. I do not want to be stereotyped as a particular type of actor,” he tells us. The graph of his character, its potential and the attitude are all factors that help him decide if he would like to play a role or not, he adds.

In Gunday aur Gudiya, he plays one of the main characters -- an underdog trying to achieve his ambitious dreams.

For Taaha, his dream role would be to play a Mughal ruler and work with Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan. Caught up with several projects at the moment, he’s eligibly single, but hopes to find the right partner soon, he says with a smile. salonee.mistry@goldensparrow.com

A POWERHOUSE OF TALENT

By Salonee Mistry @SaloneeMistry

H

e’s funny, entertaining, and so much fun to talk to. Winning hearts across the country with his slow-motion moves, Raghav Juyal who goes by the stage name Crockroaxz, is taking stepsin Bollywood as well. A dancer, anchor and an actor, he's already been in two films: Sonali Cable and ABCD 2. He will soon be seen in another film along with Dharmesh Yelande.

Apart from anchoring the TV show Dance+, Raghav is an avid traveller. “The minute I get off from work and have a few days off, I immediately head out somewhere with my childhood friends. Travelling gives me the solace that one needs in life and camping is the best part of it all,” he tells us.

Growing up, he wasn’t studious at all and

the dancing bug bit him at a very young age.

He's not one for strict scripts, though. “Even on stage I am just like I am in real life. I go, have fun, be myself and we are done shooting for the day,” he adds. No one from his family is even remotely related to the entertainment industry,but he cannot fathom any other sort of life for himself.

Raghav hopes to work alongside Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Shah Rukh Khan some day, and considers Dharmesh Yelande a great inspiration, no matter what he is doing. The young boy believes in living in the moment and chooses scripts, shows, and projects depending on what he feels about them. Emotionally connectingwith the script is important to him before he signs onto a project. Raghav is grateful that he has the opportunity to do so much so early on in life, is confident of giving his all to his work.

ample time with my father. Due to my hectic life, I haven’t been fortunate enough to spend time with my family.

The sh0w gave me that chance.”

THE STAGE IS HOME Theatre remains very important to Kalki, and she feels that it helps chisel her into a better actress. Having been drawn to the stage from a young age, Kalki has done several notable plays. In 2009, she even won The MetroPlus Playwright Award for the play Skeleton Woman. “Working on the stage has transformed me, it has made me more spontaneous. My love for theatre has always been consistent, which is why I make sure I do plays every now and then. I recently wrote a poem which I also performed at a Poetry Slam,” she says. She will also be seen acting in a new play Far Away directed by Rehaan Engineer. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

Smita waiting to play unglamorous roles

By Zainab Kantawala @kantawalazainab

M

arathi films have been known for exploring uncharted territory and churning novel subjects for their audience. This trend continues with the movie, Mr. and Mrs. Unwanted starring Rajendra Shisatkar of Crime Patrol fame and Smita Gondkar of Kantabai Chi Selfie in lead roles.

“The film is about a couple and their struggle to reach an equilibrium between their private and professional lives. I play an independent working woman who wants to explore the world. She juggles work and family and her priorities change with situations,” says Smita.

She had been around for a while, but it was one particular music video that catapulted her into the limelight. “I am thrilled with the response the Pappi de Paru la music video received. It brought me closer to the audience.

People recognise me with this song, and it feels great,” she says.

She has acted in films like Vijay Dinanath Chouhan, Hip Hip Hurray, Ashi Fasli Nanachi Taang, among others. Having played glam roles throughout her career, Smita now wants to experiment with different characters. “It’s a coincidence that most of my films have been comedies and commercial in content.

I do like playing glamorous characters, but I sincerely crave for other roles too. I was undernourished as an actor, till this film came to me. This films brings out the emotions and moods I haven’t done in the past,” she says.

Smita feels that she has the capability to get under the skin of the character. “In my next film Bhay, I play a young married girl, and in the next Machivarala Budha, I play an Adivasi. So I am glad that parallel cinema too is coming my way,” she says. She will soon be seen in the play Saujanya Ki Aise Taise directed by Kedar Shinde. zainab.kantawala@goldensparrow.com