The dawn of Twitterature
The power of Twitter is immense. Announcements are made, scandals outed, entrenched dictators toppled — all by them innocuous little comments, all of 140 characters, called tweets. The new medium is the new reality in the world of broadcast media. By being brief and agnostic to the usual grammar rules (and language), Twitter immediately becomes accessible to a wider range of people, and is fast becoming the new-age literature 
Mohit Sharma

I was four and very scared the first time I had a microphone between me and the audience. There was an audience! And there was the microphone aggressively pointed towards me. I had seen how this gadget could make you sound loud and even change your voice. What I learned on the performance day was that it could also get my voice stuck in my throat, my head bow down and my diction muffle up. And there I was, a fairly talkative boy of four, reduced to a scared mongrel, incapable of even whining. Around me, there were some who started crying, some who spoke in monotones. There were others who became even more animated and entertaining.

What did the microphone do? And more importantly, why? All it did was to amplify our voices — and we lost sense of our normal selves. This was the impact of the medium. Broadcast media changes the way we act. The promise of an audience and the facility of amplification bring out uncharacteristic behaviours. A subtle difference can be seen in the way we behave normally and in the way we “pose” for photographs, which are destined for public viewing. A starker difference can be seen in the behaviour of those young men in Guwahati — a pint- sized camera made them forget all morals and respect and had them behaving like performers in a most unfortunate play of events.

In our times, Twitter is the new player in the world of broadcast media. Twitter has just one explicit rule — to stay within 140 characters. By being brief and agnostic to the usual grammar rules (and language), Twitter immediately becomes accessible to a wider range of people than newspapers and blogs. 140-characters are enough to express your thoughts and ideas without having to conform to the learned affectations of long drafts. Two lines and you have said your story. Twitter brought along little microphones for all of us.

However, we didn’t turn into mumbling four-year olds. One reason for that is when we start out on Twitter, we don’t immediately realise how powerful the medium is or what the impact of our actions could be. And powerful it is: Announcements are made, scandals are outed, entrenched dictators toppled — all by them innocuous little things called tweets.

Twitter, at its most positive, gives us a platform to announce or share with our followers our ideas and aspirations. Unlike other broadcast media, however, by tagging people, one can have direct conversations with many people. By hashtagging tweets appropriately, one can ensure that the conversation joins up a larger conversation and make it trend, that is, it becomes the most-talked about topic. Young people in Iran started talking to each other on Twitter and realised that they were not alone in feeling cheated by their government. #iranelection became a label for every such conversation and sowed the seeds of an uprising on the ground.

In everyday life though, the pervasiveness of the social network ensures that we spend more and more of our waking hours constrained by its grammar. The emphasis on popularity and its definitions in terms of followers, retweets and trends, accentuates the eternal need to do or say “something catchy”. Here, the network brings out the same behaviours 24-hour-news brings out in news channels. Every moment has to be tweet-worthy, every cause worth a hashtag, every weekend a series of check-ins, photographs and “breath-taking” moments.

The same way, lines between news reporters and newsmakers are blurred in 24-hour-news, we start making our life’s events into tweets. Life becomes a series of tweets/hashtags/trends rather than a series of moments, which would later be talked or tweeted about. Instead of living a life, we start tweeting one.

The abundance of information we post to the social network with so many potentially note-worthy moments, leads to the medium having a very short memory. Where books are immortal, newspapers fresh for a day, a Twitter trend can be lost in hours, if not minutes, to be replaced by something else equally interesting, but novel.

When looking at Twitter as a medium, it is prudent to compare it with the traditional media. Traditionally, access to information had been scarce and the idea of “breaking news” carried a lot of weight. In the last ten years or so, Twitter, along with Facebook and Google, has broken the news agencies’ monopoly on first information. News makers and eyewitnesses directly report happenings on Twitter. Scandals, natural calamities, terrorist attacks — Twitter beats traditional media sources with reality bites, personal opinions and lucid coverage.

At another level, newspapers, radio, television shows — these held enormous authority since these were broadcast media with one-way communication. What the TV or the newspaper said had a certain credibility attached to it. There was just one version of events, just one way mysteries enfolded. Today, Twitter enables us all to broadcast to our micro-audiences of “followers” and partake in conversations simultaneously, which was never possible with the broadcast mediums of the old.

Whatever its downsides, the reality is that the new medium is the new reality. Traditional media sources will slowly get undercut by its forces, mass society behaviours are going to be captured and shaped increasingly by this new sense of a mass audience and instant answerability. The power of the network, however, is something we are still in the process of discovering. In this interim, it is prudent for us to walk with some amount of caution, lest we end up like one of those kids with four-year-old me, who lost all control when they found themselves in front of the microphone, only to regret it later.

Gals, it’s shoe  time
Indian women have a variety of international designer footwear to slip their feet into and leave footprints in style
Surekha Kadapa-Bose

How one envies our ancestors! No confusion every morning about what clothes to wear, what footwear to go with it, what accessories to match with these? Just drape a good saree and deck yourself up with flowers in hair, neck and wrists. Add to this, a pair of ‘khadaun’ (flat wooden sandals) for your feet and you are ready. While the saree continues its hold, the ‘khadaun’ have undergone a metamorphosis.

Blame it on the fetish for shoes but footwear has witnessed a tremendous transformation. Today we have ballerinas, pumps, stilettos, wedges, peep toes, sandals, gladiators, flats, flip-flops, Kolhapuri chappals, so on and so forth. The list of different styles of footwear has almost become endless.

During her husband’s reign, former First Lady of the Philippines Imelda R. Marcos is believed to have owned nearly 2,700 pairs of designer shoes. It was when the collection of her footwear, which is part of the most-prized collection of the Shoe Museum in Marikina in the Philippines, became public news that designers and fashionistas across the globe woke up to the importance of flaunting different footwear for different occasions. While three pairs are a must for every woman, Imelda is the limit to own the maximum.

Echoing the sentiments of the woman-next-door, Deepika Mehra of brand Vanilla Moon footwear, says, “A woman can never have too many pairs of shoes. Buy as many as your fetish (and wallet) permits.”

But she goes on to say, “While it is important to maintain the fashion element, it is equally important not to overlook the comfort factor; otherwise an enjoyable outing can turn into a painful experience. If it is going to be a long day or evenings with a lot of time spent standing and walking around, then pay more attention to the comfort factor. If it is an occasion which warrants less standing, then go for higher heels and walk tall.”

The problem with shoe shopping is that everything looks great in the window display. When one sees stars like Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Anne Hathway, Angelina Jolie, etc. cheerfully walking with six-inch stilettos or wedges, we, too, assume that we, too, will be comfortable in these. However, one should never make this cardinal mistake while buying a pair of shoes.

According to Payal Kothari, designer at brand Veruschka, “You should make sure that an experienced salesperson measures your foot and gives you a proper fit. It’s never the length of the foot that’s important. It’s the ball of the foot. Make sure that the salesperson is measuring it properly. Go for the shoe that you feel comfortable from the minute you step into. Walk around an uncarpeted area of the shop before zeroing in on a pair.”

Many reputed shoe shops or designer boutiques take great care to offer you advice while selcting a shoe and, however much you may not like the plain-speaking attendant, for the health of your feet and your overall well-being, you should take the advice.

Another point one should always take care of, especially in the warm and humid climate we live in, is to go in for as many natural products for shoes as possible. No doubt, PETA is doing a wonderful job by fighting for the rights of animals but when it comes to shoes, go for leather shoes. On the material best-suited for shoes, Deepika asserts, “Natural products without compromise. Pure leather allows the feet to breathe properly. Synthetic materials may cause excessive perspiration, which should be avoided in our hot climate”.

A must in all-women’s shoe rack is a pair of shiny black patton classic shoe, which can be worn with any dress. For daywear, go in for small wedges, flats. For more comfort, go for a ballerina, and if you are a college goer, nothing is more comfortable than a pair of sneakers. For evening wear, make sure you have a pair of delicate strappy-heeled sandals, gladiators, or stilettos. The height of the heels should depend on your comfort level and balancing abilities.

With the opening up of Indian markets and increasing expendable budgets, several international big brands are finding India the best place to be. Many international brands like Prada, Givenchy, Jimmy Choo, Yves Saint Laurent, MCQ etc. are operating through channel partners in most Indian cities. Competing with them, we have our own brands — the evergreen Bata, Veruschka, Vanilla Moon, Woodland, Metro, Mochi, and several others.

So, don’t be in a hurry to buy shoes. Take time and select the proper fit and style.

Tips for buying shoes Remember your well being depends on your feet. And they are the most used parts of your body. So make them as comfortable as possible. Some tips to buy best foot wear by Payal Kothari, designer brand Veruschka: 1.Avoid buying shoes from the footpath. These may come in attractive shapes, colour and prices but there will be little long-term comfort in these. Stick to a reputed shoe shop and brand. 2.Make sure the salesperson knows what he is selling. He should measure your feet correctly. It is not the length of the foot that is important but the ball of the foot. The shoe has to fit snugly in the arch of the foot. 3.Shoes should be comfortable from the word go. Don't get taken in by the salesperson, who says that the shoe will loosen and fit properly after few days. The moment you step in the shoe, you should be comfortable. 4.Forget Imelda Marcos. Opt for multi-purpose footwear. You can wear multiple number of shoes but make sure these can be matched with different attires and dresses of different colours. Every woman should have black classic leather footwear. At present, neon colours are very trendy. Go easy on these. Versatility and good quality shoes should be the preferred choice. 5.Go for sales. Generally a trend lasts for a couple of seasons. So if sales are on, buy. These shoes will look great in the next season too. But just be sure, these fit you properly.

Givenchy
The name proclaims style, class and money. Available in nude suede leather with the sole also in leather, these pumps will bring out the feminine grace and charm in you. These look great on short skirts. Get set with these with your dress for a lunch date or even the horse race. 
Price on request

Jimmy-Choo
Ivory wedding shoes from Jimmy Choo vary from peep-toe bridal shoes, open toe slingback bridal shoes with ankle straps. With gorgeous soles, leather and twinkling embellishments, these are sure to complete any bridal wear. The most coveted foot wear, it is popular pan universe. These shoes will add sparkle to any outfit and occasion. 
Price: Rs 30,000

Christian Louboutin
Who wouldn’t want to own a real Christian Louboutin pump? The grapevine says that those who can’t afford the brand are painting the soles of their shoe red to pretend to own one! The brand’s latest offering Daffodil 160 crystal-embellished suede pump will certainly set you back with a couple of lakh rupees. Measuring 6.5” heels with a 2.5” platform, you will be close to touching the sky with this real glamour.
Price: Rs 4,00,000

Christian Louboutin
You will look like a princess in these Christian Louboutin’s 6” stilettos. In this Yolanda series, they have several styles with lot of embellishments of colourful beads, crystals, spikes and others. The classic Yolanda series is good for evening parties or a naughty nightout. The multi-coloured footwear will look great on plain nude or subdued coloured attire.
Price: Rs 1,80,000

Nicholas Kirkwood
This is from the latest collection of Nicholas Kirkwood's Erdem collaboration. These luxe pumps are not only chic, but will also add to your confidence of having the best dressed feet at the party. With 5" heels added to 1" platform, this pair will also add height to your persona. Crafted from silk-covered leather and finished with a graphic heel, the pair is the perfect clash of elegant pattern and bold design.
Price: Rs 86,000

Purple Casadei
The purple pumps with style wedges, suede leather and leather sole will add zing to any western attire, be it long or short. These look great on ankle-length crimple cotton skirt, topped by matching purple lose top. Celebrities, including Hollywood stars Anna hatchway, Lucy Liu, Kim Kardashian and several others love Casadei. With more than 50 years of experience in shoemaking, the Casadei family produces shoes, which are entirely made in Italy using exclusive materials finished-off by hands.
Price on request

Cesare Paciotti
These highly colourful pumps with a patchwork design in suede leather with leather sole will add colour to your day. Known for red soles, these look great with denims, short skirts, or even mid-length dress. According to Cesare Paccotti from Italy, his products are for women who are attractive, sophisticated, strong and modern. You can't go wrong with these pumps at all. 
Price: Rs 34,999

Jimmy-Choo
The black nappa leather boots from Jimmy Choo feature a 100mm silver-plated heel, a metallic silver trim, a pointed toe and a zip fastening on side. These look great on narrow-bottomed denims or ankle-length skirt. Jimmy Choo has a huge fan following across the globe with celebrities like Katy Perry, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jenifer Lawrence and others sporting the footwear at all celebrity shows.
Price: Rs 70,000

Vanilla Moon
These ballerina shoes come in suede and soft leather lining. The polka-dotted design is an eye-catcher. The pink piping and a small bow add a touch of glamour.
These make a comfortable everyday wear. Ballerinas have always been popular with filmstars, royalty, or the girl-next-door.
Price: Rs 5,490 

Valentino
The shoe not only looks romantic but even the material used — antique-rose leather — sounds lovely. These Valentino’s sandals, studded with pale gold hardware, are a perfect example of the opulence of Italian brands. It will look great on any classic cocktail dress, or even a sleep urban separates. It defines tough chic style. 
Price: Rs 73,000

Prada 
This design comes from the spring 2012 collection where stilettos and high heels were designed keeping the classic 1950s car models. So you will find heels decorated with automotive parts, including spoilers, wings, taillights, chrome accents or flames. Wear these on short skirts so that the shoes can be admired for their craftsmanship. The shoes are so associated with chic and luxury that a film comedy-drama The Devil Wears Prada starring Meryl Streep and Anna Hathway was also made keeping the hoity brand in mind.
Price on request

Miu Miu
Every fashionable lady dreams of owning a pair of Miu Miu footwear. The classic multi-strap black heels is a weapon a woman won't be able to resist. The 5.5" heels on 1" platform will make you look great in any attire — Western, Indian, or ethnic. The suede peep-toe sandals not only look sleek and classic but will also add to your grace and elegance.
Price: Rs 56,000

Dsquared shoe
Canary yellow 4” heels will go with an evening dinner or party. The shoes are made of leather, including the sole. The Canadian twins Dean and Dan of Dsquared set up their own label in Milan in 1994 from where their tongue in chic collections have earned them a loyal celebrity following. Also famous for creating catwalk shows bursting with energy, the design duo loves cheeky subjects. These canary bright yellow pumps will add riot of colour to your style.
Price: Rs 32,199 

PACESETTER ankur singla akosha
Twentyeight-year-old Ankur Singla is your go-to man for all grievances against brands
Taking on the big boys
Pooja Dadwal

It is a well-established fact that every system creates its own corruption. While we can buy products from exceptional companies, we are also presented with the not-too-pleasant reality of sub-standard services. We have to deal with mediocre, substandard services and defective items. To top it all there is an unresponsive customer care. Bridging this gap seems to be a herculean task and taking stock of the situation and acting as its advocate is Ankur Singla with Akosha, an online consumer rights’ platform.

When Ankur Singla, Founder — Akosha, who is an NLS Bangalore pass out, left his job with Linklaters LLP, London, little did he know that he would end up being in the vanguard of a new concept in India. “When I came back home, I decided to sell legal documents online. I started with wills first (wasiyat.com) and operated from a small space in my father’s office in Chandigarh.” But despite his best efforts, the Indian populace wasn’t too happy or even comfortable discussing wills (and by extension, mortality) or the messy business of distributing one’s wealth, through the aid of an online venture.

Having invested time and energy in this, it was disheartening to see his efforts prove to be not-so-fruitful. But it was somewhere during this time that Singla had a rather bad customer experience through the hands of a leading telecom company, that turned the tide for him. During a call to this company’s customer care, Singla got so frustrated and harassed that he wished he could have literally outsourced his problems. “I so wished that someone could have handled that whole experience for me — calling, waiting, speaking with an incompetent agent, call getting dropped in the middle, and starting again from the beginning.” And it was this thought of his that helped him “get back on track and pivot Akosha’s product strategy to focus on helping consumers resolve their complaints against brands.” From its initiation in June 2010 till date, Akosha, which is now based out of New Delhi, has filed over 44,000 complaints, worked with over 200 brands, saved consumers money to the tune of over Rs1 crore and saved more than a year’s time in all for all its harried clients. Impressive, isn’t it? From humble beginnings in a rented space, with a handful of team members, to its present rising graph, Akosha has grown tremendously under Singla’s leadership.

So what more does Singla envisage for his company? “We want to become the foremost consumer platform in India for resolving complaints and influencing brands,” he says. And going by the reviews and feedback on the site (akosha.com) as well as social media, it seems Singla is well on his way towards achieving this goal.

BLING IT ON

THE EIFFEL OF AUCTION
Imagine owning a piece of towering history. The furniture, crockery and decoratives that formed a part of the iconic restaurant Jules Verne on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower is ready to be auctioned. The eatery that featured in a number of Hollywood movies and hosted kings, presidents and celebrities is going in for a makeover. Going under the hammer will be the famous black-and-white porcelain crockery, wheeled steel-frame chairs and a black lacquered grand piano, among other stuff. The auction is likely to attract collectors from all over the world. If you would like to bring home a part of this heritage, go make a winning bid on September 27!
expected auction bids: In millions

SCENT OF LUXURY
This is the sweet aroma of money. Clive Christian, the creator of the world’s most expensive perfumes, has launched the ‘V’ perfume from his private collection, named after his eldest daughter Victoria. ‘V’ for women comprises orange blossom, associated with joy and betrothal, combined with rose, jasmine, chaomile and lavender for a truly romantic scent. ‘V’ for men is a woody, oriental scent, with frankincense blended with woods and resins along with pink, white, and black pepper. They come in exclusive bottles made of pressed glass in a deep amber colour.
price: $405 per bottle (Rs 22,275)

PERSONAL SOUP CHEF
Back in the 1980s, there was an ad line for a bike that went… “Fill it, shut it, forget it!” Well that’s just what you have to do when you want fresh home-made soup. The personal soup chef Cuisinart does everything once you fill it with veggies of your choice. The blades at the base of the glass jar chop the veggies and a heating element sautés them and then gently simmers them to soup consistency. There is a removable basket that keeps veggie skins, and meat bones immersed in the soup as it cooks yet strains them from the finished dish. Within minutes you have delicious minestrone soup or a silky 
tomato velouté with minimal human intervention!
Price: $200 (Rs 11,000)

GIVE BEER A SHOT
Binge drinking just got more creative. This is a glass that’s a god send if you enjoy more than one kind of a drink or are just short on space. The Beer-Shot Light Glass is a normal beer glass that will hold a pint of your favourite brew but flip it upside down you have a shot glass for something stronger. Made from rugged borosilicate glass, the flip side can also become a votive candle holder when you want to romance the evening away.
Price: $19 for a set of two (Rs 1,045)

GALLOPING HELMET
Don’t get startled. This helmet is not created by Ferrari as an essential for the lightning speed powerhouse cars they produce. But it is for a two-wheeler addict who drives on the fast lane. The Ferrari Style Helmet by NewMax is dressed in a genuine leather trim, with an embossed galloping horse logo. Its outer shell is made from thermoplastic polymer with a high-gloss scratch-resistant finish while the visor is manufactured using injection-moulded, scratch-resistant polycarbonate and offers excellent visibility in all conditions. Little wonder then the top quality helmet is among the sturdiest in the world.
Price: $355 (Rs 19,525)

ANTIQUE GOLD BAG
Her celebrity clientele has included the late Princess Diana, Jennifer Lopez, Oprah Winfrey, Angela Bassett and Reese Witherspoon. American purse designer Judith Leiber’s new Aurelie Crocodile Handbag in antique gold has created a sensation among high-society ladies. The rich, warm gold tones and contrasting chrome top bar combine together to exude an opulent exuberance that would make a lady stand out in a crowd. Owning one is surely a chic status symbol. And looking chic never comes cheap!
Price: $8,000 (Rs 4.4 lakh)

CLASS & OOMPH
The importance of Italian fashion house Emilio Pucci can be gauged from the fact that Marilyn Monroe went to her grave wearing its dress and footwear. Its designs have become the stuff of legend, thanks to celebrities adorning them. Its iconic Cutout Studded Leather High Heel sandals come with a classy oomph guaranteed to bring out the spark in your stride.
Price: $1,545 (Rs 77,250)

A BITE OF THE FIRST APPLE
As far as its sleek looks and amazing performance are concerned, the Apple computer hardly has any competition. But just three-and-a-half decades ago, the first Apple resembled what toy computers look like these days. Apple-I was made by Steve Jobs and his business partner at that time — Steve Wozniak. The computer was unique because it included a complete motherboard that made it ready to use. It was the first of it’s kind and only 200 were made and sold for $666.66 each. Recently, one of these computers was found and auctioned by Christie’s. And the price it fetched proved all the doomsayers wrong who in 1976 had given it a thumbs down.
Auctioned for: $2,10,000 (Rs 1.155 crore)

POP GOES THIS CORN
Though popcorns are meant to be relished in cinema halls but a packet bought from Chicago-based Berco’s may be well worth preserving. That’s because these popcorns are made of ingredients like organic sugar, and very special butter and bourbon vanilla. The salt used is the most expensive in the world and is harvested in Danish island Laeso, using methods that are over 1,000 years old. What makes the treat most exclusive, are the 23- karat edible gold flakes covering the popcorns. The choice is really yours. Eat them or preserve them as a good gold investment that will appreciate in the future.
Price: $100 for 950 gm (Rs 5,500)

AROUSING THE SENSES
It is a multitude of seductive aromas that immediately arouse the senses. The latest vintage from Black Dog’s luxury portfolio is the 21-year-old variant. Hand-crafted meticulously, it is blended from 25 fine single malts and grain whiskies from the highland region of Scotland. It must be held on the palate for at least 21 seconds to awaken its flavours of Seville oranges, ripe sweet mangoes and ginger spice. Only 3,540 bottles are available across the world, giving it a place in every connoisseurs list of favourites.
Price: Between Rs 14,000 and Rs 17,000 in Delhi, Mumbai, Punjab, Chandigarh, Goa and Bangalore.

Travelling TRANSLATOR
Those who have travelled to non-English speaking countries know how difficult it is to get around because of the language barrier. Now VOCAL 7093 is ready to change all that. With this device in hand, you have a command over 30 languages. The talking translator that articulates over 69,000 phrases and 600,000 words across most European languages and three Asian languages that include Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. It also converts currencies and calculates between metric and Imperial measurements. So the next time you are in an alien land, you don’t have 
to feel one!
Price $250 (Rs 1,32,750)

THIS WINE SET IS BOTTLED UP
Though wine is becoming the preferred drink of an increasing number of people around the world, not many know the importance of the accessories accompanying the bubbly. In fact, every wine lover must have the essentials to enhance the taste of fine wine. Web portal Plushplaza.com promises to accentuate your wine experience with accessories in a packaging resembling a wine bottle. A perfect gift for the wine buff, this set is innovative and chic and will boost the status of your home bar.
Price: Rs 1,749