Miss to... Mrs India arriving
Ashima Sehajpal

AWESOME THREESOME: (L-R) Tanvi Vyas, Parvathy Omanakuttan and Simran Mundi Photo: Pradeep Tewari

Everytime we walk down the ramp together, memories of the Miss India contest come alive," say all three winners of the Miss India-2008. In the past 10 months, Simran Mundi, Parvathy Omanakuttan and Tanvi Vyas have sashayed the ramp together almost a dozen times and now that is what they want. We heard the ladies in unison again; "We didn't know each other before the contest. But now we share a wonderful friendship and who doesn't work better in their comfort zone?"

In town, on Friday for the Glitz and Glamour fashion show being organised by Studio Model Creators, they talk about the glam world they have been a part of and their future plans.

Fame and controversies

Parvathy made us all proud by winning the Miss World First Runners Up but that wasn't the buzzword. Rather it was her comment that the selection of Miss World hadn't been a fair process, made headlines. "I never said anything about the judgment. I was a little upset and that was natural." Expressing her shock at how media exaggerated the whole thing, she adds, "Some mediapersons called me up after the contest and instead of congratulating me began with the question 'Do you think it was a fair decision'."

Bollywood dreams

As expected, the ladies are now eyeing Bollywood. But they want to make a point here, "Please don't typecast beauty contest winners. We might even go ahead and work for the corporate sector. We have kept all options open and so will continue with modeling as well," says Simran Mundi, Miss India-2008. Parvathy, instead, prefers to be honest, "I always wanted to be a Miss India and a Bollywood actor. Now when the dreams are coming true, I am not going to shy away." But the Beauty Queen hastily adds, "There isn't any rule that to work in Bollywood, one has to bid goodbye to the ramp. I love both and want to do them simultaneously."

Taking India abroad

Ask them what all they have done in the past 10 months and the reply comes in chorus, "traveling". Seems copied! They have participated in international pageants, so traveling was natural and getting tired was not an option at all. "It is a huge responsibility to represent India abroad," says Tanvi Vyas, Miss India Second Runners Up. And they loved this job. "I realised no other country excited people abroad as much as India. They wanted to know so much about us, right from our movies to music, culture to our political leaders. And we made sure we give them the best inputs," adds Simran.

ashima@tribunemail.com

Maureen Wadia Photo: Pradeep Tewari Jasmine Singh And you thought marriage means a full stop to all desires, secret ‘ambitions’ you ever had? The most common amongst the women — a walk down the ramp in a sexy gown, throwing kisses at the audience, flashing a 1000-watt smile at all and sundry, posing for umpteen camera angles. Well, then all you ‘married’ or once-married women out there, stop hiding yourself behind that extra size kurta or fiddling with the imported dishwasher that your sister-in-law had sent from Canada. It’s the time to realise the ‘dream’, time to hand over the babies to their daddies, the apron to your mom-in-law and get a nice spa at a saloon, and rush to meet the woman, who has a complimentary treat for you. And she calls it — Gladrags Mrs India. Presenting Maureen Wadia, director, Gladrags Beauty Pageants. Married for 38 years, with two lovely sons, and two delightful grandchildren, a successful career, recognition, money and glamour. Did we miss out on anything? Nothing really. “But most married women do. They do not realise the strength in them. Women are the most responsible section of society and at this time of economic recession, they are the ones you can trust to economise family budget,” says Maureen, in the city for the North Zone scanning of Gladrags Mrs India 2009. And when you are told that many ladies are participating in Mrs India, while their kids in mega model hunt, you want to believe in marriage as a new beginning. “It is. Life begins after marriage. Being a homemaker in any day a 24X7, but that shouldn’t stop married women from chasing their dreams,” she says. As for Maureen, more than anything else, it is ‘the’ education that makes a huge difference in the lives of women and youngsters, giving up studying to be a model. “I keep repeating to the youngsters who think ‘we have the look’ to treat modeling as a hobby. There isn’t enough money in the profession. Education is a must for no one can take that away.” And age too wouldn’t have any affect on it! Adds Maureen, “I have seen parents pushing their kids for easy jobs. They need to realise that these are short-lived and to survive the competition, they need more grey cells than a flawless skin.” From one ground reality to another. Ness, IPL and… “I am not answering for the ‘and’. As for Ness, the first season IPL went off pretty well and I expect the same from the second season. Ness is a 360 degree sportsman and enjoys what he does,” offers Maureen. And all the contestants here, apni ki zindagi ki kahani mat sunaeye, apney barey main one line sentence main batao. English or Hindi, be comfortable. Mrs Wadia is back to work. She is looking for the next Mrs India 2009 after Mrs India 2008 Madhvi Awasthi. Do you think you can replace her? jasmine@tribunemail.com

Going for the kill
Ashima Sehajpal

Jai Walia Photo: Pradeep Tewari

It was in the late 90s that the music scene in India evolved considerably. In came, the Indi pop bands and induced the much-needed zing to our music industry. Please pay them gratitude for introducing us to a new genre, even though it was not so melodious 'melodies'. "My pleasure," the acceptance of the fact came readily from someone who too contributed to the Indi-pop culture then. Here we have Jai Walia, the lead singer of the Aryans group, in the city on invitation from Studio Model Creators, eager to represent everybody from that era. "Indi-pop singers and bands taught Bollywood what music is. We were the ones to introduce fusion music in India and brought in modern musical instruments." And as he began to mention Alisha chenoy, Silk Route and of course Aryans' two hit numbers, Yeh Hawa and Aankhon Mein, we got a better idea.

Agreed. But then, where are these Indi-pop singers and bands now? "Like us, most of the bands have broken up. And it's natural. When husband and wife outgrow each other in few years, isn't surprising that the same thing happened to us all," he quips. But then on a serious note, he delves into the reasons behind it, "We have had bands abroad making music together for more than 10 years. Back Street Boys and Westside are the best examples. Here in India it cannot happen, as unlike abroad we don't have music management companies." We raked our brains to understand this but no use. Can you please elaborate? And he obliges, "Indian music companies treated Indi-pop groups as mere fillers. When Bollywood music wasn't doing good, they banked upon us. Where as, in abroad they have companies who look after right from the publicity of the bands and their work."

A strong believer in destiny, Jai tells us more about his group and four albums, "We three were never together. When I approached a music company to launch my music album, I was told there were two other singers looking for a break. That's how we three formed a band."

He says it is for his laid-back attitude that he hasn't done too well but now he is hoping to bring back the same Aryan magic in Bollywood. So, does that mean we will never see original Aryans together again? "You never know. Never say never again," he signs off.

Dance like an Egyptian
Neha Walia

Within the manifolds of its dark, mysterious and fascinating history, Egypt is not less than an enchanted experience. The land of mummies and pharaohs, Egypt has mummified its traditions too. Whether it's the pyramids, the tombs that still spell out stories from the past or the most vibrant part of its culture, dancing, Egyptians have preserved their traditional tonality. For them dancing perhaps is the most straightforward way of expressing joy. Under the umbrella term of belly dancing, the world was introduced to the serpentine moves of their dancing and bringing the more traditional and authentic folk dance forms is this dance troupe from Ismailia, here to perform at Tagore Theatre under the cultural exchange programme of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.

Performing for the first time in India, Ismailia brings some best folk dances from Egypt. "Traditional dances form the base for us. We perform folk dances from south of Egypt, Cairo, and badouin folk dances," says Maher Kamal, the manager of the troupe. This group of 12 members, seven dancers and four musicians, is a heady mix of culture and modernity. "Though we perform folk dances, we try bringing in new ideas and designs, using lot of props and fusion of our music with modern beats," Kamal says. They have performed at international dance festivals and toured countries like Greece, Bosnia, Spain, Malaysia and Italy. But India, he says, feels like home. "We share the same civilization and culture. Just like you have sitar, we have ouds, use tabla in our music and if you play santoor with sticks, we play it by hand. We too use a lot of costumes in our dances," he summarises the similarities for us.

Apart from the vibrancy, another thing common to both countries is the struggle for survival when it comes to their folk art. "We start training dancers as young as 10-12 years of age in our school in Ismailia. Then they further graduate to higher forms till they are 16. It's only then that they join the national dance groups," says Kamal. With all the attention and appreciation that they have earned touring across countries, all their focus lies in preserving the folk dance forms of Egypt. And the next stop? "We will perform at the Surajkund Festival and then off to Jaipur," he signs off.

lifestyle@tribunemail.com

Spacial effects

Rasoi ragaa
Tunda meets tikka
Chetna Keer Banerjee

Chef Gomes from Lucknow Photo: Pradeep Tewari

What does a dental dilemma have to do with culinary evolution? Well, everything, if this tasty tale of innovation is to be believed.

The aged nawabs of Avadh were famous for indulging their taste buds but posed a peculiar challenge to the khansamas: to toss up delicacies that these orthodontically challenged gourmets could chew. Thus was born that gastronomic gem: the melt-in-the-mouth shahi gilauti kebab. Its meat is supposed to be ground 30 times and flavoured with over a hundred aromatic spices that aid digestion!

It is to dish out such delectable fare that an 11 chefs from Lucknow have come to town for the three-day Avadh food festival being organised at Hotel Mountview from Friday,informs D.K.Tewari,MD,CITCO. We caught them all in action, tossing up spices from the potlis that they’ve got from the land of kebabs, kneading mince into tiny patties, et al.

Spice route

“These are the potlis that’ll lend the traditional flavour to the dishes,” informs master chef Samuel Gomes, whose Wahid biryani is the toast of Lucknow. A third-generation khansama he unfolds the raaz of that little pouch, “Is potli mein 55 masale hain: sweet attar, kewra jal, gulab jal…” his voice trails off. He’s not going to give away his family’s trademark recipe. One potli goes into making 10 kg of biryani, he tells us.

Be it the non-vegetarian menu of chapli kebab, kakori kebab and galauti (tunda) kebab, or the vegetarian fare of paneer kakori kebab or moti kebabs, his team brings the authentic cooking style to the city, though the traditional charcoal chulha gives way to cooking gas.

Imli jalaiyle…

“Mutton biryani is cooked over imli ka koyla in tambe ki handi,” the chefs tell us. Why imli coals? “They don’t give off smoke,” tells Gomes.

Not just their technique they’ve gotten their tavas too: lohe ka tandoor, lohe ki lagan, ulte paranthe ka tava.

The accompanying décor paraphernalia, from patangs to haath ka pankhas, completes the ambience of Avadh.

Twist in the tale

What about some Punjabi tadka to the nawabi daawat? Have they innovated some Avadhi dishes to suit Punjabi palates?

“Yes, there are dishes which have a Punjabi touch, like murg nawaabjaan and mutton tabaqnash,” says Gomes.

And what in the Punjabi menu tickles their taste buds, “We love the sarson ka saag ‘n’ makki ki roti,” they chorus.

India dining

And the Who’s Who of India they’ve catered to? A volley of names erupt from their lips. Stars, of course, top the list. “From Dilip Kumar sahib to Salman and Saif Khan, many filmstars have tasted fare from our kitchen,” gushes Gomes. Butt in Abid Ali, Adil Hafiz, Abdul Aziz and the rest, “Among sports stars, Ravi Shastri, Kirti Azad and Vijender Singh have been our clients.”

But what takes the cake, rather the kebab, is Subroto Roy’s sons wedding in Sahara city, where these khansamas gave a taste of their skills for two months. “That was the high point of my career,” says Gomes.

Now, that’s a golden memory marinated in the spice of nostalgia.

Bon Appetit
A spoonful of soup
Kandla Nijhowne

"Beautiful soup, so rich and green, Waiting in a hot tureen! — Lewis Carroll

This famous poem can stir all of the senses. Perhaps you too will stir from your couch and stir up a pot of wholesome hot soup? For centuries, soup has been the first course of a special dinner and the last resort of weary providers with a bag of tired old vegetables and a bunch of grimy, hungry children.

Country Chicken soup
700 gm broiler
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
1 ½ teaspoons salt
Pepper to taste
8 peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1½ litres water
250 gm sliced carrots
5 mushrooms, sliced
2 medium potatoes, diced
2 spring onions sliced
5 tbsp corn
2 slices of bread

Method

Cut chicken into pieces; place in a pressure cooker with the chopped celery, chopped carrots, spring onion (save some sliced green shoots for garnishing), salt, peppercorns, bay leaf and water. Cover and cook on slow heat for 1 hour. Remove the chicken pieces and strain the broth, discarding the vegetables. When chicken is easy to handle, remove from bones and chop into smaller pieces. Meanwhile, add sliced carrots, corn, mushrooms, and potatoes to the broth and cook until tender (about 15 minutes) Add about half of the chicken pieces, reserving the other half for another use, such as chicken salad, or sandwiches. Cut the bread into ½ inch cubes and deep fry till crisp. Lay out to drain on a paper towel. Bring the soup to a gentle simmer, check seasoning and ladle out into bowls. Garnish with croutons and spring onion greens just before serving.

LAUNCH PAD
Fancy footwear

No racism please!
Arun Kumar

For the detractors of Slumdog Millionaire, who suggest that the Mumbai-based film featuring Indian actors would not have received half the acclaim it has had the director been an Indian, Bollywood superstar Anil Kapoor has simple advice: "Grow up."

"It's a very racist statement to make (that if a Westerner had not made it, it would not have been such a sensation)," he said. "We are living in the 21st century. With all this globalisation, the whole world is becoming one. It's very sad for someone to make a statement like this."

"The younger generation in India is getting mature - that's why it has been appreciated so much in India as well as abroad. We need to grow up and not talk like children," he said in a telephonic interview from New York.

Although Kapoor, coldly effective as Prem Kumar the host of the show in the film, is not up for any individual awards, the film's astonishing and near-universal success is a more than adequate reward for him.

"When you are attached to a film that has become such a phenomenon - you are grateful just being attached to it. Even if I had appeared in just one shot of the film I would have been equally grateful. It's once in a lifetime that you get this kind of work," he said.

It was Kapoor's 17-year-old son Harshwardhana, currently enrolled in a four-year course in screen writing in Los Angeles who goaded his father into taking up the role.

Kapoor paid heed to his son's advice and signed up for the film, undeterred by rumours that the role had been turned down by some of Bollywood's top names before it was offered to him.

"When stars like Shah Rukh Khan...turn down such roles I love to do them. I have been asking Aamir Khan, 'When are you going to turn down a role so that I may be asked to do it?' Daane-daane pe likha hai khane wale ka naam. I like to do any role if I like the character and role anywhere - Hollywood, Bollywood, Spain, France - anywhere in the world."

So, is Anil Kapoor set for more Hollywood projects? You can almost see the actor smile over the phone.

"At the moment I'm focusing on Slumdog -interviews by you, others. I don't want to talk about my future plans."

With multiple awards, including several Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild and Producers Guild of America awards, Slumdog Millionaire is raking in the silverware faster than its makers can clear space on their shelves.

But come February 22, a new display case may have to be ordered. That is the date that the 81st Academy Awards ceremony will take place, and with 10 nominations for the acclaimed film, it is a safe bet that the crew will not be leaving the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, empty-handed. — IANS

High-flier

Bees saal baad

Mystery continues

Titanic honour

Private hope

No wedding bells