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Benazir’s India link
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In his latest book, Goodbye
Shahzadi,
Shyam Bhatia traverses the highs and lows of a
34-year-long friendship with Benazir Bhutto to present a personal
account of the woman and her politics. In the course of many candid
conversations with the author, Benazir spoke about her family and
Pakistan's defence and foreign policies. In this book Bhatia reveals,
for the first time, details of conversations that remained
confidential during her lifetime.
Although America had
provided much of Islamabad’s military hardware and been the major
source of foreign economic aid, any suggestion that a Pakistani ruler
was prepared to get overly close to the US was bound to be viewed with
suspicion on the Pakistani street.
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I-Witness
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Startling
Revelation
MUCH
of what Benazir told me that evening (2003 in Dubai) I committed to
memory, as I was not permitted to take notes or make use of my
taperecorder. We had got to the dessert stage when she came out with
the big secret. The gist of what she told me was that before leaving
for North Korea in 1993, she shopped for an overcoat with the
‘deepest possible pockets’ into which she transferred CDs
containing the scientific data about uranium enrichment that the North
Koreans wanted.
The lost heritage
Murals depicting events
from Sikh history were lost during the reconstruction of Akal Takht,
writes Kanwarjit Singh Kang
AKAL
Takht, constructed
a few paces from Harmandar Sahib at Amritsar, is the highest seat of
Sikhs. Guru Hargobind, the sixth Guru, raised it as an open brick
platform. Later, a hall was constructed on the site. In the 18th
century, Sikhs gave it a better shape and Maharaja Ranjit Singh raised
the edifice to its five-storey height. It was embellished with murals
about the middle of the 19th century.
Masters
of art
Madhusree Chatterjee
IN
an interesting trend in the Indian art market this summer, parity in
prices between works by contemporary artists and modern masters is
prompting buyers to settle for the latter. A large body of first-time
buyers are choosing works by established artists primarily because of
the timeless quality and the brand attached to their works.
Tales from the tiger
trail
Lalit Mohan
IN the Ranthambhore
Forest Reserve you have to carry your luck along with the usual
paraphernalia needed for tiger spotting. There are five routes into
this vast sanctuary from the direction of Sawai Madhopur. But all
visitors are not allowed to crowd onto any one route which, based on
the last rumour, is rated as the big cat’s favourite at that moment.
So the trails or routes are assigned by draw of lots.
I prefer
multi-starrers: Sudhanshu Pandey
Shweta Sharma
SINGER,
model and actor Sudhanshu Pandey, who is eagerly waiting for the
completion of his new film Alibaug, says he doesn’t mind working in
a multi-starrer because it stands a better chance at the box office. "Even established
actors like Saif Ali Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan feature
in multi-starrers.
Reel funk
Film music has moved to
a stage where lyric writers fit words to pre-composed tunes,
writes Derek
Bose
HINDI film music is no
longer what it used to be. From radio and television, it has spilled
on to the fashion ramp, promotional events, cricket field, cell
phones, computer games. It is just about everywhere. And the funny
part is there is no getting away from its spell. Unconsciously, you’d
find yourself humming the same tune you had detested some time back.
Bollywood music has become so very infectious.
Indiana Jones is back
Paul Vallely
on Harrison Ford’s return to the silver screen after 18 years
THE jokes have been
wearily predictable. The news that Harrison Ford is to return to the
silver screen as Indiana Jones, some 18 years after what was billed as
his Last Crusade, has prompted a deluge of dodgy ageist puns. The
66-year-old star is ironically rebranded as Indefatigable Jones, and
the film, variously, as Raiders of the Lost Memories, The Saviour of a
Lost Art, and The Temple of Zimmer.
Positive way of life
Keen to do something for
HIV-positive women and children, Sushila has formed a network of 325
women—most of them widows from across Rajasthan—to rehabilitate
those infected,
writes Renu
Rakesh
THIS is the tale of a
woman who has persevered for over two years to be able to become the
foster mother of 10 HIV-positive children. Sushila and her husband,
Buti Ram, are neither people living with HIV/AIDS nor a childless
couple. So why has Sushila waged
a lonely battle against stigma and discrimination for the sake of
children orphaned by HIV/AIDS? She has even welcomed them into her
two-room house in Jaipur.
The
vital handshake
NEVER
mind polishing your resume. Work on the handshake instead to get that
job—at least that's what a new research suggests. According to
University of Iowa researchers, a firm handshake is key to getting a
good job. In the study scientists had put 98 students through mock job
interviews with business people. The students also met those trained
in firm handshakes who, unknown to the students, rated their grips.
Pushpa Girimaji’s column, Consumer Rights, is not being carried this week.
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