CHENNAI’S LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE
Volume 2 | Issue 3
Ankit Fadia on ethical hacking
Eat your way to a
Healthy Heart Road to Disinformation:
Media Sensationalism Home Sweet Home
Hiranandani’s Palace Gardens
July ’10
Volume 2 | Issue 3 | July ‘10 LENIN PAUL FOUNDER
VIJETHA RANGABASHYAM EDITOR IN CHIEF
KARTHIK.R CREATIVE AND DESIGN HEAD
NANDITA THOMAS MARKETING HEAD
LEKHAMITHRA SHANMUGAM MANAGER - SALES
JERALD W. ADMIN
REBECCA FERNANDEZ PUBLIC RELATIONS
ASHOK RAJ C.U PHOTOGRAPHY
KATEEJA TALHA , NIKHIL MOTURI, SIDDARTHA GOVINDARAJAN, ANIRUDH J PERAKATH, RENIE RAVIN, SRINI COLUMNISTS
SRIKALS GRAPHICS PVT LIMITED, CHENNAI PHONE: 044 2225 3092-94 PRINTING
EMAIL: marketing@thetaximag.com URL: www.thetaximag.com PHONE: 044 4308 4448 FOR ADVERTISING
IRON QUILL PUBLISHING SERVICES PRODUCTION 2 TAXI July 2010
Letter Editor-in-Chief’s
It’s like the usual conundrum of what comes first, the chicken or the egg? When it comes to the Indian media and its reportage of events, the answer is always ambiguous. While I don’t believe in the “media mirrors society theory”, the hype created by the media is so high that it is hard to strain the truth from fiction. Why can’t mainstream media defy the urge to amplify issues through trends that instigate hyperbolic reactions out of people? And why must tragedy reporting include fear prompting sound-bites and other upsetting rhetoric? Our main story this issue, The Disinformation Highway, speaks about how, media, which is decreed to be the 4th estate of our country, has undergone changes in terms of its nature and the purpose it serves today. News has not been showcased to us as an accurate source of information about local and international issues. In reality, it is motivated by a corporate agenda that has recognized a profit prospect for satisfying our need to understand what is happening around us. Causing a reaction in an audience will get them to tune in the next day. Getting people to tune in everyday is money. However, speaking for the media, are the media professionals, who vehemently say that truth at times seems sensational and sensationalism helps create awareness. Is it okay for stories to be glorified so frequently on the news that it’s hard to be certain of the difference between entertainment and reality? There are umpteen examples that come to my mind when I think of news that was overdone and unethical reportages that gave me shivers down my spine. There are also quite a few instances where a deserving issue wasn’t even featured on one tiny corner of the front page. In lieu of creating responsiveness from the mass, is the media totally becoming disillusioned on what’s important and what’s not? The Disinformation Highway is an attempt to give our devout readers an insight into the problem. On a lighter note, July has been a picturesque month in Chennai. Just when we were stewed in the despicable heat of Chennai, the cool, porcelain drops of rain wafted us away. The raindrop stained windshield on your car that forms blotches of people carrying colourful umbrellas, little paper boats drifting by the muddy waters and the echoing sound of the downpour that engulfs your ears make us fall in love with the monsoon all over again. Much like this weather that leaves your mind to amble in great imagination, the stories we’ve put forth in this issue of Taxi will make our readers pensive. Having said that, I leave you with yet another thought provoking issue of Taxi. See you next month!
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR CAN BE SENT TO vijetha@thetaximag.com Vijetha Rangabashyam Editor in Chief
THE BEST FEEDBACK/OPINION WILL BE FEATURED IN OUR FORTHCOMING ISSUE. July 2010 TAXI 3
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Contents Bottled Rhapsody
8
Go Pearl!
12
The Disinformation Highway
18
Hack-it Fadia!
22
A taste of Thai at Baan Thai
26
Hiranandani’s Palace Gardens
30
Eat your way to a healthy heart
36
FIFA 2010: The world is watching
40
JUNK IN THE TRUNK Gadgets this season
48
Soul Tarot
52
COVER: Photography: Sunder Ramu Hair & Make-up: Samantha, Page 3 Model: Danuta Nunes Stylist: Vira Shah Venue: Radisson Temple Bay
July 2010 TAXI 5
Bottled Rhapsody
F
ine wine is not an alcohol transmission device or a tonic to be quaffed boorishly in response to thirst or base impulses. Simply put, wine is about food and is hence an inextricable constituent to all that food represents. However, wine is larger than the gustatory bliss of bringing together a conscientiously refined product with exquisite food. Wine is an icon of many cultures put together and a representation of our traditions. Its socio-cultural origin is entrenched in our theologies, our celebrations 8 TAXI July 2010
of life, and our respect of the land. Wine is transcendental and its study and appreciation are an urbane and profound endeavour. There’s something special about this beverage, something that attracts our interest, and brings us together through thinking about it, reading about it, talking about it, spending money to buy it and travelling long distances to taste it. Here’s an attempt to steer you through the trails of a tranquil livener that it is; wine.
SYRAH, SHIRAZ, SIRAH Outsized, piquant, convenient and strong, or mellow, fruity and faintly sugary? Serrated and tannic, demanding cellar time, or slurpy and unproblematic, meant for drinking right now? Depending on the situation and the bottle you fancy, Syrah can facilitate either of these ostensibly conflicting descriptions and that’s before we’ve even started talking about Shiraz or Petite Sirah.
POCKET BOOK FOR A WINE COLLECTOR Here’s a guide to everyone who “collects” wine, whether you have a 10,000 bottle cellar or just a few nice bottles on a wine rack in your dining room. • Every bottle in your cellar should be a contender to open. Of course, with the admonition that it’s sensible to hold immature wines, and perhaps reckless to open the extraordinary bottle that you are preserving for that special occasion to enjoy with your pasta. • Be a part of a wine group, or many. Your knowledge, familiarity, and your gratification will increase in proportion to your expanding cellar. • Learning more about wine than your vendors is more important than pretending that you do. • One way or another, 10 percent of a mixed case is less expensive than 1 or 2 bottles at full cost. • Don’t attempt to convert your friends and family into wine enthusiasts. It will cost you heaps and they will still serve you plonk every time you visit. • Every time you travel, particularly on holiday or vacation, buy wine and bring it home with you. These will become the most tremendous and exceptional bottles of your life time. • Share your good bottles with people who like wine. Share your great ones with people who know wine.
SYRAH, according to most oenophiles, one of the world’s handful of justly “cordial” wine grapes, finds its cluster in the Northern Rhone, first and foremost in Hermitage. It is becoming popular in Spain, Italy, South Africa, Washington State and just about every other wine growing region. Syrah, according to legend, was carried back to the Rhone from ancient Persia by a French Crusader, Gaspard de Sterimberg, who is believed to have put down his sword and
shield, planted a vineyard atop an attractive mountain overlooking the ample curve of Rhone, and called the place his “Hermitage.” The French name for the grape borrowed its roots from the Persian city of SHIRAZ, where the Crusader is said to have found it; and by twist of fate, when cuttings were transported to the fresh colony of Australia in the early 1800s, the grape got back its Persian name. Syrah in France, Shiraz in Australia, but it’s the similar grape, even if
local tradition and vinification routines make it seem like two different wines. South Africans, predominantly, have embraced the Australian name, although, oddly, very few New Zealand producers who are experimenting with it - mainly on comparatively soft Waiheke Island near Auckland choose to call it Syrah, perhaps in a placid dig at their neighbours to the west. California producers also use “Shiraz”, conceivably to insinuate that their wine is prepared in a fruit-forward Australian style. July 2010 TAXI 9
PETITE SIRAH, a totally different grape, bewilders the taster with an analogous name that was selected in anticipation of being misguided for the more treasured variety. A California forge, it’s still found in some primordial vineyards, blended together with other kinds that make some of the state’s most remarkable wines. Some tasters find a phony semblance to Syrah in the inky, fruity one-dimensional wine that Petite Sirah makes; classic examples can survive for decades in the cellar, staying little changed until they finally start to develop interesting complexity after 20 years or more.
1
Cabernet Shiraz red wine from a mix of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah (Shiraz) grapes. This is a flavourful wine with mellow astringents and a faint fiery taste.
VINTAGE CHART It is mandatory for a wine collector to carry a vintage chart with him at all times. When you buy superior wines that from the world’s greatest wine expanses, they are the creation of a particular year, and bear the particulars of that year in their DNA. Climate conditions, temperature, and other factors mean that each year can fabricate elusive, and sometimes noticeable, distinctions between years, even in grapes from the identical, miniature vineyards that go to make up some of these exquisite wines. The Vintage Chart will offer a quick hint to the comparative qualities of various vintages, from diverse wine regions of the world that you can stick to your wall, or store in your wallet. Don’t forget that the wines listed on the chart are some of the world’s finest wines you can buy. For most wines that are priced in the middle to the lower end of the price range, vintage will have a lesser influence. A vintage chart is a wine lover’s bible. DRINK ‘EM If you can’t drink the perfect wine, you would rather not drink wine at all. Picking the right wine at a restaurant can be excruciating. However, the time spent in choosing the wine will be realized worthy, when the amethyst cordial allures your taste buds and gently snivels down your throat. The key to choosing good wine is to bone up. It hardly takes time to learn the basics of wine drinking by absorbing the introduction of a wine book. For instance, you can find all the information you need in a natty little paperback called “The Wine Bible” by Karen MacNeil. However, if you don’t want to depart the comfort of your desk, there’s always mankind’s seamless gift to the world, Google. 10 TAXI July 2010
2 Shiraz Rose wine, a clear salmon pink, created from the Shiraz grape. The wine is very fruity, baroque, crusty and is revitalizing to drink.
3
Viognier Clairette white wine, a strange concoction of Viognier and Clairette grapes of the Languedoc region. This golden coloured wine is fruity flavoured with hints of peaches, apricots and honey.
La Reserve red wine matured in French oak barrels. This blood red wine tastes of ripened red fruits with a faint feel of spice and a sweet oaken essence, which leaves a loitering aftertaste.
4
GO
PEARL! T
Photography - Ashok Raj C.U
he month of June saw one of the most-talked about fashion shows of the season come to life on the ramp. Pearl Academy of Fashion, India’s premier institute for fashion, design and retail education showcased PORTFOLIO 2010, a collection of garments presented by this year’s graduating batch of 20 designers.
Choreographed by Prasad Bidappa, renowned stylist and fashion guru, the show was a wild success, with a turnout of well known designers, key persons from the garment industry, fabric dealers, and none other than our favourite page 3 socialites. TAXI had the honour of being a media partner with Pearl Academy for the show, along with NDTV Hindu. There was presence of mainstream retail brands with the likes of Lime & Vodka – Get High on Fashion (Organizing sponsors), Basics (Associate Sponsors), Naihaa and Pothys (Co-sponsors) who felt that this was an incredible way of encouraging young designers, and would serve as a good stepping stone into the industry. The chief guest Mr. Sanjay Pinto, Executive Editor, NDTV Hindu, started off on a humorous note stating that designers and the press both have similar job profiles as they both “spin a yarn
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for a living.” He held the audience and the designers on the note of raising the issue of being socially responsible in creativity and design. There was an air of nostalgia, as the occasion marked the first ever graduation for the Pearl Chennai campus. It was a special moment for both the management and staff apart from the students. Speaking at the event, a sentimental Mr. S. Ramalingam, Director, Pearl Academy of Fashion, Chennai expressed that this batch was like a parent raising their first child, and that this batch would always be special to him. Established in 2006, the Chennai campus is now 4 years old, and has come a long way in making its mark as a fashion leader in South India, and is the first fashion institution in India to be certified under the ISO 9001. Four years of learning, along with the trials and tribulations that the
students have faced, resulted in the show, which is the outcome of their “Final Design Project” – the integration of the learning that the students imbibe during their education at the Academy. Through the media of colours, materials, finishes and techniques, students express individual statements as design solutions. The design students are specially trained to solve problems and undertake explorations relating to the latest technology, raw materials and processes to develop creative collections. Some of the collections which impressed the audience that evening were “The Essence of Michael”, a collection of women’s cocktail dresses inspired by Michael Jackson, “Stand at Ease”, a collection that aimed at replacing the khaki image with a smart new look for our police force, and “Lifting the Veil” a collection of couture bridal wear for the Indian
market that was greatly influenced by five different periods. The evening concluded with a gala award ceremony, which saw three major awards being distributed. The Most Practical Collection award was a tie between Jyotsna Satzoda for her collection “As Pure As A Virgin Soul” and Anusha Balasubramaniam for her collection titled “Take a Break”. The award was presented by Mr. Haneef of Basics Life. Neha Jacob’s winter collection, ”Cup of Solace”, along with Shruthi Singh’s elegant “Dark Poise” bagged the Most Innovative award of the evening. The ultimate award for the Best Design Collection, presented by Chief Guest Mr. Sanjay Pinto, was given to Karthika Prasad, whose collection “Expressions – The Unspoken Language” was the head turner of the evening. Her collection, she said, was inspired from the ritual dance form of Kerala – Theyyam, where the beat of the songs and the hypnotic dance movements led her to express her thoughts through splashes of colour. Speaking post the event, Balachandar R. of “Lime & Vodka – Get High on Fashion” who also happens to be a member of the faculty at Pearl Academy of Fashion says “Our effort and duty is to ensure that the hardwork of our students and their design talent has to be encouraged and highlighted to give them a platform to excel in their career. We are very happy with the response for this years collection both from critics and from industry circles. Next year is going to be bigger and better. We will have 35 students graduating next year and we want to make this annual PORTFOLIO event as the most important fashion event of the Chennai fashion calendar.” If you were not invited or missed this year, make sure you reserve your seats for the next year’s event!
July 2010 TAXI 13
Brazilian Beauty DANUTA NUNES
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White halter top and striped denim shorts: ESPRIT
July 2010 TAXI 15
Me: Kind natured and helpful. My Family: The most precious treasure that I have. My Idols: I don’t idolize. I’m proud of: My cooking skills. India to me is: A blend of infinite cultures that complement each other. I admire the charisma of Indian people. First time in the show business: Rio Fashion Week 2001 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I’m lucky why: I have such an adventurous profession that gives me a chance to understand the world from different perspectives. Floral cotton off shoulder: KAARMA Linky white overcoat: AMETHYST
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Chennai is: Filled with heartwarming people. I want to go back and explore the city better. I wish: To see my family always happy and together.
Traveling to me is: An opportunity to enjoy different cultures of the world. Chocolate or Strawberry: I like to have a combination of both when it comes to ice creams. My workout regime: I try to eat healthy and in all honesty, I hate working out! In my ipod: Brazilian and Indian music. I love Indian pop! I can’t forget: My lucky charm; a rosary from Virgen De Guadalupe in Mexico. In my bag: My portfolio, high heels, makeup kit, sunglasses, bikini and a picture of my nephew whom I miss dearly. Money to me is: Something I am not interested in. I just want to be happy. The kingfisher experience: Just brilliant.
White crochet layered dress: KAARMA July 2010 TAXI 17
The
Disinformation
HIGHWAY
- Vijetha Rangabashyam
“ JOURNALISM CAN NEVER BE SILENT: THAT IS ITS GREATEST VIRTUE AND ITS GREATEST FAULT. IT MUST SPEAK, AND SPEAK IMMEDIATELY, WHILE THE ECHOES OF WONDER, THE CLAIMS OF TRIUMPH AND THE SIGNS OF HORROR ARE STILL IN THE AIR.”
S
cientists of CERN, the European Center for Nuclear Research, as part of their experiment to unleash certain secrets of the universe, awaited the initial signals from a $9 million particle collider. In an unheard of town in Madhya Pradesh, Chayya, the daughter of farmer Biharlal, was fastened to the TV screen, absorbing the imagery concocted by vernacular news channels, who concluded that the experiment would put an end to the world. The world hasn’t ended but Chayya, who killed herself, dreading the experiment’s cataclysmic effects, is nonexistent to see the world in life. Be it print or television, today, every form of media is in a battle to be the preeminent ‘news provider’. In this battle, the media has a very warped sense of the fundamental aspects of journalism. Wealth has become their motivating factor and sensationalism is their desired editorial apparatus.
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The media and the modern world both seem to be amazingly dexterous in instigating both excitement and angst amongst people. The front page of the papers and the headline scrolls on news channels are flanked by reports from probable terrorist threats to a drunken actress’s brawl with the cops. While it can be close to impossible to find news that can’t be linked to something distasteful, where does one draw the line between what’s important and what’s not? What is the media’s prerogative in all this? Press has been proclaimed as 4th Estate for a reason. The colour of journalism, which has undoubtedly been one of the most revered professions of all time, has changed over the years. The epoch of pre-independence saw the press act as one of the most influential weapons, which helped Indians to sense the taste of freedom. Today, media is predominantly becoming a channel of sheer propaganda and have gone
overboard in diffusing gossip and inconsequential news such as M.F Husain wounding the Hindu sentiments, Taslima Nasreen disrespecting the Muslim ego, Sania Mirza marrying Shoab Malik and Amitabh Bachan’s inane controversy with the Maharashtra Chief Minister. Sanjay Pinto, Executive Editor, NDTV Hindu says, “Today, the competition between newspapers is tremendous. Every television channel is aiming to obtain the highest TRP rating. Having said that, by and large, the Indian psyche doesn’t expect sensationalism. They prefer a fairly level headed approach. At times, truth might seem sensational. The camera never lies. Speaking for NDTV, we follow the law and believe in a conservative approach. We take immense care while portraying tragedies and don’t explicitly depict gore. At NDTV Hindu, we concentrate on people’s problems and they form the headlines.”
However, media can also have a striking impact on public opinion. There are some that theorize that, with an accurate combination of fear and anxiety caused by the media and environmental conditions, people can become exceedingly paranoid. And then there is “Yellow Journalism”. Also known as “Yellow Press”, which is a type of journalism that shadows legitimate news in favour of eye catching headlines that sell more newspapers. Sometimes it deceives the audience it is intended for. We constantly catch glimpses of political alliances blabbering
Media personalities rightfully claim that media doesn’t portray matters that are fictitious. “The public didn’t have a clue about the Bhopal Gas Tragedy till the media created hype about it. In a way, sensationalism is good because it creates awareness about so many issues that deserve to be talked about”, says Prem, Station Head, Chennai Live 104.8 FM.
!
ism
l ona i t a s
Sen
July 2010 TAXI 19
about Hindutva and if they get some time out of the publicity stunts, they get a hold of a ‘once-upon-a-time’ 13th, 14th or 15th man of the Indian cricket team and venerate the future of the team. And how can we forget the Bollywood Masala hours, which keep us updated about the celebrity hook ups and break ups? While a thousand eyes are popping out to watch a celebrity scandal, there are less than five pairs of ears that hear about the tragic death of a soldier who has pledged his life for the country. Suchitra Karthik, RJ, Hello FM says, “The media does sensationalize because a lot of people want it that way. News channels today are more popular than TV serials,
for the drama in their content, more than genuine reportage. Whenever a topic on my breakfast show on Hello FM takes on an emotional angle, the response is exponentially more than usual. I think the drama can be forgiven in view of the larger good that this kind of news reporting does making the public react to issues and happenings. There is definitely a line, which unfortunately got crossed during the Taj siege. I personally miss the days of sting operations. It had every politician, diplomat and government official shaking in their boots!” At the same time, over the past few years in India, there has been what can only be called a ‘tabloidisation’ of the national newspapers; printing an exclusive section on the happenings of the city. This section of the paper is bombarded with photographs of glamorous celebrities and is 20 TAXI July 2010
accompanied by content that is a hodgepodge of juicy gossip from the film industry and fashion. It can be said therefore that over the last decade or so the national press has been overly concentrating on lighthearted fare. By introducing lighter fare that comes with the more serious pages, the newspapers have exponentially increased their readership and kept the tabloids at bay at the same time. “Sensationalism is not necessarily a bad thing as long as we are culturally and politically sensitive. It is important to have substance to sensationalism. A gimmicky headline is not good enough. Readership today is a more critical one and we need more than just a clever design to sustain a product. At Expresso, we believe in giving our readers a dose of entertainment and present it in a way they like it. The mantra with sensationalism is ‘there is no smoke without fire’. And we tend to smoke it up, just enough to make it more gripping. With a sensational approach comes a lot of responsibility. We have to make sure it appeals across the board and we try to be sensitive. At the same time we keep in mind our society’s evolving voyeuristic sensibilities too”, says Ajay Reddy, Editor, Expresso, The New Indian Express Group.
Should an “ombudsman” come from outside the news media industry or from within? Keerthana Kumaraswamy, a student of journalism says, “media does more good than bad. It was the pro-active role by the Indian media that led to the triumph of justice in the murder case of model Jessica Lall”. Sensationalism in 24×7 news coverage is fairly new to India, an idea adapted from the western media. In India, every celebrity scandal, murder and rape makes a delightful copy for news forums desperate for the attention of naive viewers.
In India, an unexpected media explosion led by quick economic growth and liberation of entertainment and media markets has given way to a surplus of channels all “bringing news first” and viewers shift loyalties before you can say the word ‘TRP’. It is all very well to argue in favour of freedom of speech and say: ‘Let a thousand flowers bloom’. Creating hype as a means to create awareness is ethical so long as the news that should actually deserve people’s attention is top on the priority list. Fabricating truth out of tragedies and making noise over the common public’s misfortunes inexorably questions the ethics of journalism.
A while ago, in order to stop sensational reporting in Indian media, a government official in the state of Karnataka pitched the idea of a government-appointed “ombudsman” to police media in that region. But after receiving cruel opposition from the media, including some who called the initiative a “fascist move” geared towards preventing the media from reporting freely and fairly, the proposal was withdrawn. What do you think? In regions where media often concoct and sensationalize stories, should media be monitored and regulated by a government entity? If so, under what circumstances? July 2010 TAXI 21
Hack-it FADIA!
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Ankit Fadia, is a 24 year old, selfsufficient computer security and digital intelligence consultant with a prolific experience in the field of Internet Security. He is the author of 14 international best sellers on numerous genres related to computer and internet security. Both the Indian and the American governments have used Ankit’s extraordinary skills during the crucial times of 26/11 and 9/11 respectively. Siddharta Govindaraj chats with Ankit about ethical hacking, Internet security, cloud computing and more. How did you get interested in security management at such a young age? When I was 10 years old, I had a computer and all I used to do was play games and surf the net. Couple of years later, I developed an interest in computer hacking. I still don’t know what prompted the initial curiosity but while I was learning computer hacking I realised that there was no resources or books on computer hacking available in India, which is what inspired me to write my first book. After the success of the book, I realised that maybe I can turn this hobby into a profession. It was definitely the forbidden fruit that attracted me. Your first book was on ‘ethical hacking’. A lot of people know what hacking is. But what is ethical hacking? Ethical hacking is when you use the computer with the knowledge that a criminal has, but you use it for the good purposes. For example, when a company hires you and gives you permission to try and hack into their system and in the process you will be able to find out what the loopholes are, which will help you offer them problems and solutions. Don’t you run a company that deals with security consulting? Yes, I have a company wherein we do security consulting work
for clients. We indulge in both security and penetration testing. Apart from creating security policies, we also advise them on how to maintain security in their organization. I also conduct courses on computer security and ethical hacking across India. There are different types of courses. There is a one month course, a PG Diploma course and also a Masters degree that I offer along with various universities. Are you on your own or do you have other people who work with you? For consulting, I have a team that assists me and for the courses I have partners who do the marketing
People need to realize that they cannot have a single password for all kinds of accounts. I would highly recommend that the Indian Government introduces some basic Internet security tips and tricks course as part of the curriculum in schools across India.
and the ground execution, but the content is mine. Do you see a lot of demand for security professionals and people wanting to get into the security line? Absolutely. Security is becoming a profession in demand in the IT industry. Every programmer in the past has at some point been interested in computer hacking and now many companies are hiring ethical hackers so that they can make a career out of it. Airlines, hotels, retail chains and other industries are all hiring security experts.
Do you think Indian companies are serious about security? Compared to companies abroad, Indian companies are still not very secure, but over the last five years a lot of companies have woken up and realised the importance of security because the incidence of cyber crime and infiltration has been on the rise. Recently, Google said they would not operate in China owing to an attack on their systems. Do you think that could happen in India too? The Chinese government wanted to censor information on the Internet. They want to announce their arrival to the world, even in cyber security. They have a set of cyber criminals whose job is to hack into American, Indian and Japanese government and private websites. The incident has more to do with national security and government propaganda. But yes, it could happen in any country. And what can companies do against these insiders? Strong access control should be maintained. Not all employees should have access to all the files. All the entry points and exit points should be secured. For example, personal email or instant messenger can be blocked. Getting security auditing done from time to time to ensure the policies are being maintained is a must. The latest buzz word in the industry is ‘cloud computing’. More companies are moving their applications and data out of their network and into servers located remotely. What new threats do you see in this kind of scenario? With data being stored elsewhere you wont need a computer for yourself. So there is a radical shift in the security industry. Instead of securing personal laptops and desktops, the industry is moving to securing the cloud and securing data on the Internet. The average user may not have to worry that much about security.
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Recently there was a case on Twitter where someone hacked into an online account of Twitter and got access to all their documents without having to go near their network. Do you think this has led to the fear of security infringement amongst companies? This situation arises predominantly, when the users have the same password for twitter, corporate email and bank accounts. People need to realize that they cannot have a single password for all kinds of accounts. This is an elementary mistake that people make and there needs to be awareness about it amongst employees about security policies. I would highly recommend that the Indian Government introduces some basic Internet security tips and tricks course as part of the curriculum in schools across India. Nowadays, everybody uses Internet and hence they need to know about some simple dos and don’ts. What would you say are some of those dos and dont’s? Everybody must have a firewall on their computer. A very simple firewall to use is ZoneAlarm. You should have an antivirus software on your computer. Most people already do, but you also need to update it once a week. You should use an anti spyware and update it. Lastly choose strong passwords for all your accounts. Use different passwords and each password should be a combination of letters, numbers and special characters. We’ve got hundreds of passwords. Email, laptop, desktop, every online service has a password. People can’t remember all of them. We are telling them not to choose simple passwords and not to repeat them. So what can people do to remember them? First of all, you should never write passwords down. One simple technique is to change certain
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character and have a series, so eight characters may be common between all the passwords and you can keep changing two. It is easy to remember and still strong. You mentioned about firewalls, antivirus and anti spyware. What is the difference between these three? A firewall is like a security guard in the office. The guard ensures that only authorised people can enter or leave the premises. Similarly a firewall monitors data coming into your computer and anything leaving your computer and protects you against external threats. An antivirus is a software that protects your system against viruses and Trojans, which are basically malicious files that can damage your computer. An anti spyware is a tool that protects your computer against spying programs, like a keylogger that monitors the keys you press on your computer or a tracking cookie that is monitoring all your Internet activities. A home user is constantly exposed to all these threats. Is it enough if they install these softwares or do they need to do something more? A big portion of security is the human factor. We have to use common sense. People make a common yet a big mistake of logging into their bank accounts or using their credit cards in Internet cafes. They don’t realise that most public computers like Internet cafes are already infected with spying softwares that records everything that you are typing. These simple dos and don’ts are things that the government and companies need to make people aware of. Just installing software is not going to solve the problem. There is the human angle as well.
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lobalization; let’s forget the fact that it’s an economic term utilized primarily in the financial world. Instead, let’s try and focus on a tangent aspect of globalization; I simply salute the phenomenon for the sheer fact that it has brought about a revolution within the food industry. Through globalization, the world has metamorphosed itself into being one flat land, at least in terms of gastronomy. We have travelled
26 TAXI July 2010
across the world extensively and brought back with us an infinite love for food, which has been created over various culinary adventures. For instance, the Thai food scene in Chennai was still embryonic a couple of years back. Now, Thai food is a cult by itself and the commencement of innumerable Thai restaurants in the city testifies the fact that we have clusters of Thai food worshippers all over the city. I recently had an encounter with one such Thai restaurant -Baan Thai. Before I delve into my experience with the place, I think it is mandatory that one needs to the chefs clucking away in Thai. The interior of the place is simple and rustic, very synonymous to its food. Baan Thai brings us the simple Thai food without too many complexities. It joins the ranks of Lotus and Benjarong in bringing us authentic Thai food in Chennai. If you are a novice when it comes to Thai food, it is better you try familiar dishes and then branch out from your comfort zone. At Baan Thai, one should try the Thai spring rolls. This roll is different from the Chinese version due to the addition of glass noodles with understand the pedigree and the basics of Thai food.
Photography - Ashok Raj C.U
Thai cuisine borrows its culinary roots from China (noodles), Malaysia (satay, red and green curry), and Vietnam (fish sauce and fried food). The Thai basil leaf, fermented fish sauce, tamarind, coconut milk and turmeric pretty much constitute the staple ingredients in Thai cuisine. However, the key ingredients that give Thai food its flavour, is lemon grass, Kaffir leaves and galangal (Thai ginger). Coming back to Baan Thai, the restaurant is fairly new. The board reads ‘Baan Thai – the essence of Thailand and the essence was displayed when I heard and saw July 2010 TAXI 27
Baan Thai, at 10, Khader Nawaz Khan Road, is open for lunch and dinner. For reservations call 28332611 or 28332612.
minced chicken stuffing. The glass noodles provide a lighter texture and I find it tastier than the deepfried Chinese spring rolls. If you are a soup person, I recommend the “Tom Yum� soup. The soup is basically a broth brimming with the essence of lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves. Adding to this mixture is broccoli, mushrooms, soft tofu, Thai ginger, basil and coriander, rounding up the flavour. I started my main course with Pad Thai, a flat thick noodle, accurately fried on the wok (a versatile round-bottomed cooking vessel), flavoured with different Thai ingredients with a fried egg on top. Pad Thai is ideally meant to be sweet, however, Ban Thai modifies the taste to suit the spiceadoring South Indian taste buds. If you are not into noodles, I recommend you to try the Pineapple fried rice and minced chicken in basil to go with it. No Thai meal is complete without red or yellow Thai curry. The tongue tingling spices immersed in the mellow sweetness of the coconut
28 TAXI July 2010
milk, especially when had with rice is a transcendental experience. A true dessert enthusiast that I am, I normally skim through the main course and jump to the dessert section on the menu. I was crossing my fingers to not find the mundane vanilla-chocolate duo and I wasn’t let down. The restaurant has really gone a long way in being genuinely Thai, allowing for exquisite Thai desserts such as sweetened Thai egg yam served with meekly salted rice and gooey tapioca moulds soaked in refrigerated coconut milk. For someone who loves to travel and learn a thing or two about other cultures, Thailand is a truly a treat; for it offers a kaleidoscope of colours through its turquoise beaches, golden bodhgayas, saffron clad monks and of course, the multicoloured food. Be it the ambiance or the food, Baan Thai is an honest attempt to give us a bona fide Thai experience. Go Baan Thai!
thebanana.in / Adapt
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Hiranandani’s
Palace Gardens - Katheeja Talha
W
e are the children of urban propaganda. The civic lessons and public opinion have told us that cities offer the best employment, a fairly open minded society, fresh social standing, more entertainment, opportunity, choices and exposure. However, all of this came with a heavy price of pollution, urban heat, crime, corruption and loss of identity and community. What if we had the opportunity to live in a town which had all the amenities of a city without any of the problems that come along with it? That’s the question that Hiranandani’s Palace Garden tries to answer. 30 TAXI July 2010
THE TOWNSHIP Located at Vadakkapattu Village, between GST Road and Chennai Bangalore Highway, beyond the Chennai Metropolitan Area, Palace Gardens is sprawled across a massive 369 acre site. Designed by HOK Planning Group and Architect Hafeez Contractor, this integrated township will accommodate nearly ten thousand homes in low rise and high rise buildings, a hospital, a school, club houses, fitness centers, swimming pools, sports courts, play areas, retail outlets, banks and ATMs, amidst hundreds of acres of landscape gardens, lawns
and open spaces. The project will be completed in three phases, with Phase I currently on sale. Phase I consists of 928 apartments across two towers of fifteen floors, six towers of twenty seven floors and eleven low rise buildings. APARTMENT BUILDING The low rise buildings are ready for occupation while the high rise towers are still under construction. A low rise block consists of sixteen apartments with an elevator and staircase. The apartments range from two bedroom units to four bedroom units, and each apartment is provided with an open car park adjacent to the building. There is a pedestrian landscaped zone between two buildings, with walkways and elements of interest. The apartments at the ground level come along with a small private garden, which can be accessed from the master bedroom and the living room. INTERIORS
This complex does offer what it promises – a healthy neighbourhood with all the amenities of a city. But this comes at the cost of the city itself, because a city is much more than just its amenities. It’s an organism of change, exchange, of interaction of
multiple circles and societies where differences of all kinds are included and accommodated, if not accepted. While Chennai will eventually grow to accommodate this complex as a part of the city, the question still remains as to whether an exclusive closed community can offer the same vibrancy and culture. Overall, a wise investment for the future, but the present remains uncertain. July 2010 TAXI 31
Photography - Ashok Raj C.U
The rooms are compact and connected to the living room through a passage. This passage also leads to a utility area with provisions for household equipment and a modular kitchen. The cavity walls made of hollow concrete blocks and gypsum plaster offer excellent thermal insulation. Each apartment is finished in neutral white walls and ceilings with compressed marble flooring. Hiranandani allows customers to make suitable changes in the interiors as long as the structural integrity of the building is not compromised. All the fixtures, from lighting to the bath fittings are of the highest quality, and every apartment is fitted with water heaters.
SMILE
away to Glory
A
re you happy with your teeth the way they are aligned? Are you happy with your present smile? Are you happy with the colour and shape of your teeth?
Society is eternally evolving and so are fashion icons, trends and styles. Nevertheless, a wonderful, dazzling smile will always attract positive energy. Moreover, it will always be in fashion, and regrettably, not everyone has pearly white teeth. The finest solution to get that strong, flourishing smile is cosmetic dentistry. Cosmetic dentistry provides you with a comprehensive oral care. It deals with the form, function and physical characteristics of your teeth. It is an art and a science as well, to optimally improve dental health, aesthetics and function. A beautiful smile can have numerous effects on an individual’s self confidence, self esteem and personal relationships with peer groups. Only a cosmetic dentist can get you back the confident and healthy smile on your face. Any general dental practitioner can create a smile, but that will be cold and clinical and may not be cosmetically beautiful. A professional cosmetic dentist creates your smile in an artistic way.
Dr Anupama from Dentistree, talks to Taxi readers about the various cosmetic dental treatment options. Teeth Whitening or Teeth Bleaching: There are many options available in the market but a dentist supervised procedure remains the recommended procedure. Teeth Reshaping: is one of the instant treatments. With this treatment, crooked teeth, discoloured/cracked teeth or even overlapped teeth can be perfectly corrected in just one visit to the cosmetic dentist. Tooth Contouring: can even be a substitute for braces under certain conditions. With this treatment we can even alter the shape, the length and the position of your teeth.
32 TAXI July 2010
Laminates: If your teeth don’t respond well to whitening, this is the best option for you, especially when it comes to closing the gaps between your teeth. Veneers: Composite is a material, which is applied on the tooth surface, sculpted into shape, hardened and then polished. If you have a gummy smile or your gums are pigmented (blackish coloured), your cosmetic dentist can correct it
completely by reshaping the gums as well. Tooth Jewellery: If you are a party animal you can shine with your usual costume, wearing a sparkling smile by fixing jewellery on your tooth. You can even match the tooth jewel with the colour of your clothing. Nowadays cosmetic dentistry is also offered with bridal packages wherein your cosmetic dentist will
prepare your smile by performing whitening, reshaping, fixing of tooth jewellery, etc., to shape up a healthy and a beautiful smile. So, if you have bunny teeth, small /long frontal teeth, an improper smile (overlapped front teeth), black or bluish-black stains on your teeth and more, cosmetic dentistry is the best choice for you to gain that young, urban and professional look.
July 2010 TAXI 33
Eat
healthy heart your way to a
Going back to the medical laboratory to get your test results can be bloodcurdling. Your cholesterol is far above the ground, your blood pressure is skyrocketing too, you weigh 20 pounds more than you should and you don’t remember the last time you exercised. Now, you’ve been warned by the doctor to take necessary steps, failing which, you are definitely prone to heart diseases. Here is the good news: you can make lifestyle choices that will help you restore good health and decrease those heart attack risks. What we eat is a major component of lifestyle and making a few modifications to your diet will definitely keep you fit as a fiddle and will keep those dreadful heart diseases a thousand miles away. Dr. Dharini Krishnan, President of Indian Dietetic Association, answers a few basic questions on how to amend your eating habits so as to prevent heart attack risks.
36 TAXI July 2010
How does the food we eat affect our risk of heart disease? What we eat is directly correlated to our heart, without a doubt. For instance, if your intake has too many simple carbohydrates (refined carbs) like white flour, corn syrup and sugar, the triglyceride in your body increases, which could lead to a block in your artery. Although, white rice is a complex carbohydrate, the way we cook it and the quantity we consume can have deleterious effect on your blood chemistry. . Consuming lot of trans fatty acids as in hydrogenated oils can lead to increase in the bad cholesterol. These are present in puffs that are widely consumed by the public at large. Can eating a heart-healthy diet improve already diagnosed heart disease? Definitely. Adapting a fiber rich diet and altering your proportion of fat from saturated fats to monounsaturated fats (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fats will not only avoid worsening your heart condition but improve it. Changing the proportion of fat you consume, is especially important for youngsters who are diagnosed with heart related diseases.
What are the basic ingredients of a hearthealthy diet? The mantra is fiber. The more you acclimatize yourself to a fiber dense diet, lesser the calories you consume. As most of you already know, you find plenty of fiber in vegetables and fruits. The digestion of the food, the way the glucose is released and the formation of triglycerides depend largely on fiber. There are two types of fiber in food; insoluble and soluble. Insoluble fiber is found in bran, fruit and vegetable peels, legumes, whole grain and flax seeds. For example, when you eat an orange, eating it with the white skin outside is better than eating just the flesh. On the other hand, plantain has soluble fiber, which has its benefits too. The advantage of insoluble fiber is that it fills up your stomach quickly and hence you can lessen your refined carbohydrates intake. This has a very important role to play in a heart healthy diet. What should shopping?
we
look
for
when
grocery
Whatever you pick up, be it baked goods or processed foods, make sure it has zero trans fat. Trans fat has a straight impact on the triglyceride levels in your body. Also, look out for foods that have different varieties of whole grains; multigrain breads or porridge. Today, we’ve become hardcore rice eaters, whereas, traditionally, people used to consume different kinds of millets like , bajra, Indian corn, ragi and so on.
Including a combination of the above mentioned millets in your diet is very good. Resorting to red rice instead of white is a simple step one can take while shopping for heart healthy groceries. What about fats in foods? Don’t we need some fat in our diet? We need about 15-20% of fats every day. Rice, vegetables and even dhal have fat; it is the proportion that varies in each of these ingredients. Taking these natural fats instead of making it unnaturally fat by cooking it in plenty of oil, butter or cheese is when the problem arises. For an average adult, consumption of half kilo of oil is sufficient for a whole month. However, on an average a 4 member family consumes 6 liters of oil a month, which is very unhealthy. Hence, these are small lifestyle changes we have to make in order to avoid heart diseases. What do nutrition labels really mean? Nutrition labels give you a bird’s eye view of what the product contains. We are still in the nascent stages of nutrition labeling and we have made it compulsory; we still have a long way to go. If we take a 100 gram packet of biscuit, the brands give the nutritive value for the 100 grams. The packet may contain eleven or twelve biscuits. It is necessary that they mention it on a per serving basis, which lacks in many brands today. July 2010 TAXI 37
Does heart-healthy eating mean no snacks or desserts? Not at all. If you watch the quantity and the proportion of fat in what you eat, you are definitely allowed to consume snacks and desserts. Most sweets have saturated fat, which we have to avoid. Instead of having a chocolate cake which has layers of chocolate and fresh cream, it is better if you have a tea cake. Earlier, people used to make kheer with dhal and jaggery, which is in fact healthy and still sweet. As with snacks, going for roasted items like puffed rice instead of fried items is always better. When the oil is reused or heated beyond a certain temperature, trans fats come into picture and that’s not a good thing. So, it all depends on the quantity and what kind of snacks you choose to eat. Be smart about what you eat.
any thickening agent, which are normally used in instant soups. Hence, if you make sure you eat five servings of vegetables and fruits a day in any form, you are definitely not running at a risk of getting heart diseases. Is it true that reducing the sodium intake helps reducing heart related diseases?
Any cooking method is allowed except to restrict deep and shallow fry. Many people think it is better to eat dosa than poori, since the latter is dipped in oil. If the cook is going to use a few table spoons of oil to make the dosa, it is going to have much more oil than one piece of poori. . Whereas when it comes to poori, how much ever we immerse in the oil, it is only going to absorb a certain amount of oil depending on the moisture. So, it all really depends on the cook whether dosai can be made without any oil or made with a katori of oil!
There are different kinds of heart diseases. All this while, we were talking about atherosclerosis, which is a condition where an artery wall thickens because of the collection of fats or cholesterol. This condition is a direct outcome of your diet. The other kind of heart disease is the one that results from a high blood pressure. To avoid high blood pressure, one has to definitely control his sodium intake. The heart can also sometimes malfunction, which results in a lot of water retention in the body. Such people should again keep a watch on their sodium intake. Today we’ve moved into the convenient food era in the name of lifestyle. The foods that fall under this category have plenty of sodium because they all have preservatives. Sodium doesn’t mean just salt; all the baked items have baking powder, which again has a heavy component of sodium. A test was done to differentiate homemade soup and instant soup and the latter had 5 to 20 times more sodium than the former per serving of soup. If manufacturers reduce the amount of sodium and increase the fiber content of soups, it would be fantastic.
Are there any foods that should never be eaten?
A little on good cholesterol and bad cholesterol.
None. If you want to eat cheese and you try and fit it in the saturated fat category, you are good to go. Besides, you can eat foods that have saturated fat once in a while. The problem arises when you go overboard. If we regularly dial in junk foods which are rich only in two nutrients fat and carbohydrates, then we need to cut down. But treating yourself once in a way to these junk foods is ok.
HDL, High-density lipoprotein is the good cholesterol. LDL, Low-density lipoprotein is the bad cholesterol. LDL and VLDL (very low density lipoprotein) creates a block in the arteries and HDL removes the block from the arteries. There is no such a thing as no cholesterol. Everybody should have a certain amount of cholesterol in their body. The increase in HDL levels in your body will prevent heart diseases related to atherosclerosis. Foods that raise HDL cholesterol include omega-3 acids, which are found in fish, cold-pressed flaxseed oil, safflower oil, sun flower oil, canola oil, dark green vegetables and the traditional oils like gingelly or til oil.
What are the best cooking methods for a healthy heart?
Do you have any suggestions to help make the transition to heart- healthy foods easier? The American Dietetic Association prescribes five servings of fruits and vegetables a day and we’ve adapted the same in India. However, most of us don’t even cross three servings. There are any number of fruits and vegetables available in the market today and it is important that you choose them wisely. Starchy vegetables or fruits such as mango and jackfruit shouldn’t be consumed much. Whereas eating a bowl of salad with lots of lettuce, cucumber and other leafy vegetables is extremely good considering some of these salads have fewer calories in them. Also, one must avoid using high fat salad dressing as they completely change the nutritive value of the vegetables by increasing the fat content.. A healthy homemade soup is a good option too. It has a lot of fiber and is devoid of corn flour or 38 TAXI July 2010
FIFA
2010
- Anirudh J Perakath
like
s i ld
r o ew
Th
If
‘Waka Waka’ and ‘Wavin’ Flag’ are the only two songs in your mind right now, you’re on the right track. That’s right, the greatest sporting spectacle on earth is here again, and this time it’s definitely bigger and possibly better than ever before. The vuvuzelas, the unique South African instruments that are certainly not designed to soothe the nerves, are blaring louder than a Punjabi baraat, and the big boys 40 TAXI July 2010
g n i ch
t a w
have c o m e out to play in what is only the 19th incarnation of the FIFA World Cup for men.
South Korea and Japan set new standards for co-hosting the megaevent, renowned for drawing the largest TV audiences in the world, greater even than the Olympic Games. Now the world’s focus has shifted to the Rainbow Nation, and it’s South Africa’s turn to show the world what they’re capable of. The hopes of not just one nation, but an entire continent rest on this month-long spectacle of sport and humanity. In the three weeks since the tournament kicked off on June 11, our popular lexicon has expanded to include World Cup buzzwords
Zakumi a n d Jabulani. The former being the greenhaired anthropomorphized leopard chosen as the games’ mascot to accompany the motto “Zakumi’s game is fair play”, and the latter being Adidas’s controversial high-technology football, the eleventh, which has been designed especially for World Cups. ‘Jabulani’ is the Zulu word for rejoice, but the ball has proved to be notoriously unpredictable in flight, drawing criticism from players and coaches. And speaking of buzzing, the trademark drone of a stadium of vuvuzelas is not something a football fan is likely to ever forget! Like every other World Cup, this one has had its fair share of favourites and underdogs. The usual suspects, Brazil, Argentina, Italy and Germany will be hoping to continue their brilliant runs at the World Cup. Brazil is a fivetime winner, while Italy has won the Cup four times and Germany thrice. But current form has
and dissatisfaction to proponents of the healing and unifying nature of The Beautiful Game.
thrown S p a i n , Portugal and Netherlands in the second, third and fourth places in FIFA’s rankings. None of them have ever won the elusive trophy, and the battles scheduled between the stalwarts and the glory-hunters in the last round of sixteen, promises a gripping lineup of matches for fans to take in. As for the players, this edition of the Cup of Life (like all the others), showcases a dazzling line-up of stars, and by and large they haven’t disappointed. Argentina’s Lionel Messi, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, Spain’s David Villa, England’s Wayne Rooney, Brazil’s Kaka and the list goes on. Each one is vying for the greatest honours a footballer could hope for; winning the World Cup for their country, and winning the Golden Boot for himself. The World Cup has always had its fair share of grieves, and this edition gave us one of the biggest howlers in the history of football; Switzerland’s 1-0 defeat of strong favourites Spain. France and England, both former champions with legions of fans and vicious media tearing into them, also struggled badly, failing to win their two opening games in the group stages. Both teams also indulged in some unsightly public laundering of disputes with their respective managements, causing heartburn to their well-wishers
The world has been watching. Sixty-four matches over 31 days. Thirty-two teams have battled it out for survival in ten venues across the group stages, and the best is yet to come. Over three million live spectators and a staggering twenty-six million people watching the television. The statistics have been as mindboggling as the blare of the vuvuzela. It’s been a great run so far, and the build-up to a deafening crescendo come July 6 is well and truly under way, when four teams would have earned the right to be counted as semi-finalists. But tired as they surely will be, none of them will be content to sit back, relax, and watch another team garner all the glory that goes with being a World Cup finalist. The infrequency and unpredictability of the FIFA World Cup ensures that, for all teams bright and beautiful, all audiences great and small: the only victory that matters is the one that will take place on July 11, 2010. That night, at the FNB Stadium (Soccer City)
in the beautiful city of Jo’burg, 95,000 people will bear live witnesses to the polarizing climax of a monthlong saga of sleepless nights and heart-in-mouth moments. The winner will raise Silvio Gazzaniga’s FIFA World Cup trophy, made of solid gold, as high as possible with confetti raining down and fireworks exploding as far as the eye can see. The loser will keep his head low and perhaps accept the consolation medal with as much graciousness as the occasion allows. And when the euphoria dies down and the excitement abates, the clock will start counting down in Brazil, where the next edition of the World Cup will take place. If football ever had a home, it would be in the favelas of Rio, where the greatest of the greats continue to find and retain their unfathomable love, passion and skill for the game. But it’s not over just yet!
July 2010 TAXI 41
S & C Mode Karun Raman with Warner Bros India rejoiced the release of Sex and the City 2 at a premiere party in Distil. The evening kicked off with oodles of glitz and glamour, with Chennai’s stylish women editors, entrepreneurs and models sporting designers’ Satkrit Krishna and Jyoti Rajai’s collections.
46 TAXI July 2010
Mark your dates FOOD
Residency Towers, Seafood Festival – till Jul 4 Southern Aromas offers the best of seafood from the five coastal states of India, which includes mouth-watering dishes made of prawns, crabs, lobster, fish and more. Raintree, FIFA Special – till July 11 Enjoy FIFA special on screen and sip on cocktails named after favourite football players every Sunday. Courtyard by Mariott, 777 for 77 Days – till July 31 Paprika offers a special promotion for dinner this summer. Enjoy the dinner buffet at Rs 777 for 77 days! The buffet ranges from soups, starters and salads to main course and desserts of Continental and Indian ethnicity. Taj Mount, Sunday Brunch – Ongoing A bountiful spread featuring the best of Clubhouse and Beyond Indus, which includes Thai seafood grills, eggs, a chat station and more. There is also a special kids counter, live entertainment performances and unlimited beverages.
ART & &
EXHIBITION
Gallery Sri Parvati, Paintings in Water Colour – 1 July – 4 July A water colour painting exhibition held by Deyali Mukherjee Apparao Gallaries, 18 by 18 – till July 10 Apparao Galleries brings to you a small format show featuring an exhibition of affordable paintings by renowned artists like Varun Gupta, Asma Menon and George Ketal. Ashvita, Hyderabad Hues – till July 15 Artist Sachin Jaltare is excited about the prospect of exhibiting his paintings in Chennai, along with his counterparts from Hyderabad, in a show called Hyderabad Hues.
MUSIC DANCE THEATRE
Sri Krishna Gana Saba, Ojas, Kathak & Contemporary Dance, July 1 Nirupama Rajendra is set to depict a fusion piece of Kathak and contemporary dancing. Sri Krishna Gana Saba, Serene & Serenades Concert, July 2 A spellbinding musical evening to be showcased by Madras String Quartet lead by V S Narasimhan (violin), Hemanthraj Mullyil (violin) B J Chandran (viola) V R Sekar (Cello) & Ramesh Vinayagam.
July 2010 TAXI 47
Harmony one advanced universal remote | LOGITECH
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Have you ever felt like you need a separate coffee table for all those remote controls? With a Logitech Harmony One Advanced Universal Remote, you can store them away for good. Initial setup is easy - Install the Logitech software on your PC, plug the remote into a usb port and tell the software what devices you own. The software is web-based and has a library of over 225,000 devices so you’ll almost certainly find all your gear. The remote itself is sleek, has an intuitive touch screen and backlit, well placed buttons. Priced at Rs.14,000 (approx).
PMX 680 Neckband headphones | SENNHEISER There’s nothing more irritating when your headphones keep slipping off at the gym, or while you’re out for a jog. These lightweight, sturdy headphones from the company that powers the sound of the Scorpions will cling to your head like an auto driver does to an expat. Made of durable strain-relief parts, the PMX 680 sports a Dupont™ Kevlar® reinforced cable and a moisture protection system to prevent damage from sweat or rain. Made for the urban outdoors, it has a reflective stripe on the neckband for night time running, and allows you to hear essential ambient noise like approaching cars and rabid dogs. Priced at Rs.3000 (approx) 48 TAXI July 2010
Mpro 120 pocket projector | 3M Projectors have always been associated with bulkiness and high prices. This inspiringly innovative gadget from 3M breaks that norm with its tiny dimensions, low price tag and up to 4 hours of battery power. And yes, it actually is small enough to carry around in your pocket. It can give you up to 12 lumens of power at full brightness, which is quite adequate for a closed-blinds conference room or a dark bar. This little thing even has stereo speakers; granted, they’re akin to the tinny ones found on most mobile phones, but they’re good for most situations and the device can connect to external speakers. It comes with RCA and VGA connections which will let you connect to any standard laptop; and with an extra convertor you can even hook up your iPhone and play your home videos for anyone who cares enough to actually watch them. Coming soon and estimated to be priced at around Rs. 17, 000.
Monarch ATB (10x42) binoculars | NIKON Think Nikon, think optics; not just cameras and lenses. This rugged yet lightweight creation from the same company that made the optical equipment on Apollo 15 and the Space Shuttle Discovery is guaranteed to bring out the hunter inside you (or the voyeur). The phase correction coated prisms and fully multicoated lenses let you use the Monarch under unfavourable lighting conditions with sharp, vivid results. It’s shockproof, fogproof and waterproof thanks to the armored rubber coating, so it’s perfect for bird watchers and wildlife enthusiasts. Considering the traditional high prices associated with quality Binoculars, the Nikon Monarch ATB is priced at a reasonable Rs. 19,0000/- (approx). If you’re wondering what to buy for Dad on Father’s day, we can’t think of anything better.
G27 Racing wheel | LOGITECH You’re driving a mud-caked 2010 Camaro on a winding mountain road; the roar of the 400 horsepower 6.2-litre v8 motor fills you up whilst you shift down to third and whip around a corner; the tires screech and you realize you’re now sailing off a cliff, screaming like a little girl; the doorbell rings… what? Oh that’s right, you’re at home, and the pizza just arrived. This top-end racing wheel from Logitech is the perfect end to a day you just spent driving in city traffic. The leather wrapped 11-inch wheel simulates tire grip through force feedback and has six programmable buttons, sturdy shifting paddles and a nice RPM meter. An LED illuminator lights up when you need to shift, but most of us would rather let the sound of the engine tell us that. Priced at around Rs.25,000 it’s not cheap, although we hear that Camaros are slightly more expensive. July 2010 TAXI 49
Movies SHE’S OUT OF MY LEAGUE If love is all it takes to land the one you’re looking for, you’re happiness could be just around the corner. You need no muscles or perfect beauty, as long as you’re real and self-assured, something many would take for granted in the world we live in. “She’s Out of My League” is a delicious romantic comedy that sets aside almost everything that we’ve been praising for so long: the art of impressing to be cool. Such behaviour has been with us since we can remember and the rules are plain and simple. We tend to believe that love has a higher price than we can pay and that thought will always walk with us until we realize that things can be a little simpler that they actually are. It is just a matter of looking at the whole picture from a different point of view. Maybe, it’s our other half who’s still struggling with his own issues. And until then, all we have to do is believe and wait for the right moment to come along. Great watch!
ONDINE Magic and reality come together in a film that involves the viewer slowly but graciously. “Ondine” is in no hurry to absorb your attention, nor afraid of letting you go. It lets you free to accept what is there, making sure that whatever happens stays with you after you leave. Neil Jordan is a master of subtle stories and just like “The Crying Game”, “Interview with the Vampire”, and many others, the viewer is well taken care of, consolidating his talent to move you to tears with style and good taste. Colin Farrel is quite good, masking his fame of bad boy and delivering a good performance in an honest and engaging way. The music is not catchy, but subtle, just like the story and the whole thing put together makes it all worthwhile. “Ondine” is like a beautiful dream that turns into a horrible nightmare, with doses of irony and some happy moments. It is the sort of film that you enjoy at a leisurely pace, like sipping a good wine: drink it slowly and the effect is long lasting.
REPO MEN Everything seems to be possible in the future created by Eric Garcia, including staying alive by paying huge amounts of money for a hightech body organ you may need. “Repo Men” is a hilarious idea that doesn’t fall far from the truth. We are living in a society where money makes the rules and if you can’t afford what it can by, you’re out of luck. The irony of mortgaging your own life in order to live longer is as scary as it can be, and if we look carefully, we realize that a future like this is just around the corner. “Repo Men” is quite interesting and the beautiful futuristic sets remind me of films like “Blade Runner”, “Judge Dred” and “I, Robot”, where the system is almost perfect until you become its victim. From that moment on, everything looks and feels different and running for your life is the only solution you may find. Jude Law and Forest Whitaker are quite a match and the way a strong friendship fades way is simply heartbreaking. Not an all time favourite, but it’s worth the watch.
50 TAXI July 2010
Books BEATRICE AND VIRGIL, YANN MARTEL The protagonist, Henry L’Hôte, an author who, having secured global prominence with his second novel, carries more than a passing resemblance to Martel himself. When Henry’s publishers decline his long-winded scheme for a book on the Holocaust, he renounces writing and whiles away his time responding to fan mails. One letter escorts him to a neighborhood taxidermist, an octogenarian who has spent years sweating over a play about a donkey (Beatrice) and a howler monkey (Virgil) that experience horrifying harassment by humans. Now he needs Henry’s help to finish the work to which Henry agrees. He soon realizes that his brusque, impassive keeper of dead animals is trying the exact thing his publishers rejected; stand for the Holocaust through ways other than historical realism. But the old man doesn’t do it with finesse. And for that matter, Martel doesn’t either. The continuous descriptions and plentiful literary references (Dante, Diderot, and Beckett, to name a few) are ill at ease. Although the ending does offer a sputter of enthusiasm, it wavers too close to B-movie theatrics to offer genuine satisfaction. If you were blown by Martel’s Booker Prize winning Life of Pi, you should probably give Beatrice and Martel a try; but don’t expect the same effect Pi had on you. Beatrice and Virgil, lacks the flawless narrative and the ludicrous ending that Pi has.
Music Albums
LCD SOUNDSYSTEM, “THIS IS HAPPENING”
LCD Soundsystem’s main facet James Murphy is at his incredulous finest on the band’s third album, “This Is Happening.” Backed by colourful electronic grains, infectious bass lines and revolutionary rock melodies, the burn conveys the harsh realities of life through nine tracks. He induces the call-and-response method of the Velvet Underground’s “White Light/White Heat” on the single “Drunk Girls.” The cut-a key example of LCD’s original disco-punk-funk--also features the group’s typical tongue-in-cheek humour, contrasting “drunk boys” to paedophiles. In distinction to this party cheer is the insolent “You Wanted a Hit,” an extensive multifaceted jam on which Murphy croons, “You wanted a hit, but that’s not what we do.” SAGE FRANCIS, “LI(F)E” Providence, R.I.-based indie rapper Sage Francis gets private than usual on his vibrant fourth album, “Li(f)e.” Francis--who wears numerous hats as a spokenword artist, MC and impassioned rocker--uses a flexible approach on the set. The songs “Three Sheets to the Wind” and “Polterzeitgeist” exploit inexorable punk bass lines, while the trippy “Diamonds and Pearls” portrays his more belligerent, faintly disillusioned side. The acoustic guitar, strings and organ featured throughout “Li(f) e” are predominantly of use in the closing track “The Best of Times,” where Francis’ cadenced, verbal introspection yields fine advice about keeping your chin up at trying times. Although Francis has expressed himself as a “low-confidence engine” since the dawn of his career, the rapper has presented a powerful and immediately relatable album with “Li(f)e.”
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Soul Tarot - Srini Libra, September 23 – October 23
Aries, March 21– April 20 You may feel you are the last man
A time of combat, either internally or
standing and the only one saddled with
externally. Either way, make sure that
all the burdens. Remember, though that
you work towards a constructive outcome.
you have come this far and this is the last
Getting flustered or giving in to impulses
obstacle you will face before peace reigns.
should be avoided. Hold on to your horses
Be a fighter and not a quitter, says the Nine
and do not lose your cool, says the Five of
of Wands.
Wands.
Taurus, April 21 – May 21 A time when your heart would feel as if
Scorpio, October 24 – November 22
life is showing a finger at it. Pain is often
“….and miles to go before I sleep”. You will
required to jolt us out of a situation and
be bogged with many responsibilities and
see the truth however ugly it is. Lessen
will wish to see the light at the end of the
it by using this time as a period of learning
tunnel. Ease the journey by asking for help; it
and you will pull through, says the Three of
is but a call away, says the Ten of Wands.
Swords.
Gemini, May 22 – June 21 Oh how wonderful is it to bask in the
Sagittarius, November December 21
23
–
warmth of your achievements? The
A time of intense emotional awareness
limelight is on you and you so defintely
and deep feeling. Love is the key word
deserve it. Be as playful as a puppy
here and it is the essence of your situation,
and enjoy the attention at the same time
so whether it is passion, forgiveness, or
preparing for a brand new beginning afoot, says the Sun.
generosity, indulge in it completely and totally, says the Ace of Cups.
Cancer, June 22 – July 22
Capricorn, December 22 – January 20
Examine your life for imbalances. Look
Do not be an ostrich with its head in the
out for all the loose nuts and bolts and
sand as it will not serve your purpose. See
start tightening them. A bit of structure
the situation for what it is and operate by
and order will hold you in good stead and set you back on track, says the Emperor.
being in the know. This is the only way in which you will achieve your ends, says the Two of Swords.
Leo, July 23 – August 23
Aquarius, January 21 – February 18
Delve into your subconscious for guidance
A new beginning awaits you. A time of
or give in to the ministrations of a higher
powerful spiritual awakening, allow the
power. While listening to your heart,
divine hand of the Universe to guide you
do not neglect what your eyes tell you.
towards your destiny and realize your full
A sensible mixture of both will be ideal for you at this time, says the Queen of Cups.
Virgo, August 24 – September 22
potential, be it in love or career, says the Ace of Cups.
Pisces, February 19 – March 20
If you have an inner King Midas in you,
You have completed one cycle and are on
then this is the time to let him out and
the brink of starting another. Stability in
unleash his power. Make use of every
all aspects of life awaits you, but in the
opportunity you have without any
meantime, enjoy this in-between period.
hesitation to create material wealth and
This is one time when being in limbo is
financial stability, says the King of Pentacles.
a good thing so go out and say hello to the world, says the Sun.
52 TAXI July 2010