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Thanks to writers like Salman Rushdie, Arundhati Roy, Jhumpa Lahiri, V.S Naipaul and many more, the Indian novel in English has finally been accepted as an important literary endeavour. And taking it a step ahead is the success of Indian women writer’s who have epitomised social history, gender bias and the diversity of woman into a fable. More over, the work of Indian female writers is significant in making society aware of women’s demands, and in providing a medium for self-expression and, thus, re-writing the History of Indian literature in English. And it was on Saturday that we met two women writers who have scripted success in their own way. Githa Hariharan and Manjula Padmanabhan. In city at Govt Museum and Art Gallery-10, as part of the ongoing Chandigarh Heritage Festival’s interactive session, we talk to the writers about nothing else but writing. When dreams travel…
Born in 1954 in Coimbatore, Githa Hariharan’s first Novel, The Thousand Faces of Night won her the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book. With more than a decade-and-a-half experience, the writer says, “It’s the same ecstasy. After writing a book when you read it, it’s an incredible feeling, a high and a disbelief that it has come out of you.” Is writing the first novel difficult or the subsequent ones? “It is not difficult to write. Everyone can write, but she adds, “All of it is tough, be it the first one or the second.” And how does on conceive characters, “It’s an image, situation, a real life character and very rarely an idea.” Known for her Power Relation writing, we ask has the position of woman changed over the years. “ We are here talking of a long time period. Things have surely changed but not for that good.” Comparing her first novel to her latest she says, “I had written The Thousand Faces of Night with spontaneity, had written about the world that I knew very well. My world has expanded since then, so has my writing.” About her latest novel Fugitive Histories, she says, “It’s easier to write than say what is the book about.” But in prose she says, “It exposes the legacy of prejudice that, sometimes insidiously, sometimes perceptibly, continues to affect disparate lives in present-day India.” She portrays the web of human connections that binds as much as it divides. Last, an audience member asks how should a new author get his book published. And she answers, “The Internet is a boon here. Search and you’d find options.” She adds with a grin, “Searching for an ideal agent or publisher is actually equivalent to searching for the right man.” Literary harvest
Meet Manjula Padmanabhan— writer, artist and cartoonist. Having created Suki, one of the few Indian female comic characters, which was serialised as a strip in Sunday Observer Manjula also won the first Onassis prize for Theater, for her play Harvest, which was later made into a movie (Deham) by Govind Nihalani. A speculative fiction writer we ask Manjula are Indians intrested in speculative writing. “I never think beyond writing. But, yes, the market is underdeveloped for speculative writing.” Having written several plays, authored a collection of short stories Manju’s latest book, titled Escape, is a story set in a dystopian world which focuses on the last surviving girl in a world where all women have been exterminated. Talking about speculative writing we ask if it’s depressing. “It isn’t an obituary about future, but it shows possible paths to avoid. My latest book Escape also talks about the problem that we may face in the future. We have pockets in our country where female ratio has weakened, all I can say we are suggesting positive solutions in a negative way.” Back to her creative stint, we ask why don’t we see her cartoon strips anymore, “To be precise, I have not stopped but there was no interest from the readers, so there is no point going on without being noticed.” Ask her what next and she says, “I am working on a sequel to Escape.”So far so good, but like the younger brigade of novelists do we see some of her stories being picked for a movie, “Not so far, but you never know,” she signs off. jigyasachimra@tribunemail.com |
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Faith, fully yours
If Navratras come can the badshahs of bhajan be far behind. And so, this season of jagrans brings to the tricity bhajan samrat Anup Jalota, who’ll be performing at the Mata Mansa Devi Mandir festivities. What’s in store for the city’s devout this time? We hear it straight from the voice that has come to spell devotion, “I’ll be rendering some Krishna bhajans along with the usual Mata ki bhenth.” Talking about his latest project, Jalota says nowadays he’s shooting for a TV serial, Netra, that has a rustic theme and has him in the role of a sarpanch. But what about a role reversal, from acting in TV shows to judging them? Nah, that’s not his cup of tea. “I’m not in favour of shows where the judgement is basically through SMS,” reacts Jalota, who at one time was known better as junior Kishore Kumar. It’s also production that’s keeping him busy nowadays, “I’m working on four Bhojpuri and two Hindi films. The film Malik Ek is almost ready for release. It’s on the life of Shirdi Sai Baba, with Jackie Shroff playing the lead.”Piety isn’t the only subject close to his heart, for the other flick, Boys Will Be Boys, on which work starts this June, is a romance starring Danny Dengzongpa and Naseeruddin Shah’s sons. Back to the genre that’s become his signature tune. The singer, for whom doing playback for Shirdi Ke Sai Baba was the turining point towards devotional sangeet, tells us about his new albums. “One is a double album Ek Nai Bhajan Sandhya. And the other is a collection of ghazals, Ishq Mein Aksar, in which he has worked with cricketer Kiran More’s wife, Raavi. Mention Chandigarh and it’s but natural to get him relative-ly speaking. “The city’s like a second home as my sister-in-law resides there.” That’s homing in on sasural and a sacred soil in one go. chetnabanerjee@tribunemail.com
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Ek…ladki, Ek..ladka
Smart, effervescent and bright eyed, Ananya Bandlish, a Class VI student of Ryan International, is somewhat close to being what we can call a ‘child star’ (at least in the tricity) with two Bollywood and one Punjabi movie already in her kitty, the latest being a role in new release, Ek-The Power of One, which has been shot extensively in nearby Ramgarh Fort.
Dreams unlimited, but this little girl has another dream to fulfill, she wants to act with SRK. “I have already acted with my favourite hero, Salman Khan (in London Dreams) and now I want to act with Shah Rukh.” Way to go girl, but carry on, as they say, dreams do have wings to fly. Another small star to join Ananya from the tricity is Hardik Bhalla, who was part of 40-day shooting schedule in and around Chandigarh. “I play Bobby’s brother in Ek…,” says the boy who’s all preoccupied with board exams this year. A student of class 10 at St Annes, Hardik has already worked in a few serials including Gopi Chand Jasus and Kajal. A part of the Bhangra team, Hardik found his inspiration in his big brother: “My brother was into bhangra and I started dancing following him. “Performing together at PCA, Mohali during match breaks was certainly a high,” shares Hardik. But then it’s not Bollywood that beckons this dreamer: “My aim is to be an IPS officer. I love acting and would love to carry on working in movies and serials in my spare time.” — TNS
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Kabeer calling
We wished the surroundings to remain unstirred for sometime so that we could enjoy the scarce peace we found in our subject's room. But we knew the wish wouldn't be granted for all scribes were ready with the volley of questions. And, we weren't wrong as that exactly happened until our subject, Shekhar Sen, an acclaimed singer started answering them all. Peace prevailed and became apparent in a while, even when his voice echoed in there. It then didn't take us much time to realise what makes audience thoroughly enjoy his performance in his mono act plays. "I promise peace to people. After watching my play, they go back with thoughts that jostle them but bring them at peace with their conscience." No wonder, watching biographies of great personalities like Kabeer, Tulsidas and Vivekananda being performed are bound to do that. The selection of biographies was done after extensive research, "I played Tulsidas character as he worshiped an idol with exemplary faith. I then went on to play Kabeer because he with conviction said god is within all of us and then I played Vivekananda for he believed in theories of both and added his own theory of patriotism to it." He further reasons, "All three of them were visionaries. They revolted against the injustice. They were idols for the masses and expressed their beliefs in the common man's language which still are meaningful" The audience of the city will get to enjoy the two hour play having 37 characters played by a single actor, Shekhar. The improper proportion was the next obvious question, "As I begin to perform, the artist within me eventually takes over and makes me feel every character. The challenge no more remains one then." With over 1000 stage performances, he still believes in improvising. "More than a singer, music composer, lyricist and actor, I am a student, who does not wish to put a full stop to the learning process. I am ever ready to introduce changes for better." Having performed his plays across the world, he doesn't consider the language as a barrier. "Language of love is universal. Every age group comprehends it the same way and my plays preach everything in the same language. I don't believe in translating as that would diminish the essence of significance of my plays." ashima@tribunemail.com
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Pet issue
Dogs don't care if they get whatever you are eating, they just want to eat. But, they wouldn't certainly like, if you change the 'profile' of their food, no matter how great it is. Which means, it is not easy to persuade them to shift from eating carrots, tomato, bread, ice cream, corn to dry Pedigree. It's pretty challenging! Dr. Saurabh Shekhar, regional manager, north -eastern region, Mars India and Dr. Kallahalli Umesh, Waltham scientific communication manager, South Asia Mars India are in city to tell us how and why pet owners should feed their dog. "Pedigree, the pet care brand, manufactured and marketed in India by Mars International PVT Ltd is a complete nutritional food. However, most pet owners look at it as a kind of food supplement or a complimentary diet," says Umesh. "This is where the problem lies. If given along with home-cooked food, a packaged diet can create imbalance for the pet." Now, for the trick. "Dogs like to eat wet food, and home cooked food or stuff is 80% water. On the other hand, packaged food, which they don't like. The trick is to follow a conversion process of 7 days, wherein you can replace home-cooked food with readymade one," offers Saurabh. "Better still, pet owners can start by giving pedigree weaning (stuff that can be mixed with warm water) to the pups." But before this, these men would have to take out the misconceptions attached to dog food in India. For we feel, whatever food we give to our pets is the best and nutritionally satisfying. Umesh, on the contrary feels that typical dog food does not meet the nutritional requirements of the dog. People need to understand that readymade food is not a medicine. It is a complete pet food, which is rich in nutrients, like chicken (proteins), rice (carbohydrates). We would want to work in association with practicing vets to make pet owners aware about responsible pet ownership." Adds Umesh, "We want people to zero in on certain points before buying a pet- whether they really need a pet, it would suit their lifestyle or not, which dog to go in for.
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chowk Crowning crows Sreedhara Bhasin I see an unknown danger lurking in Chandigarh. It is not Sukhna drying up, or vehicular emissions or errant bees. It is not over population or illegal construction. It is the possible invasion of the crows. I know - it sounds laughable. But, those of us who have gone through a feel-alike "Birds" (as of Alfred Hitchcock) situation, know what a formidable force a brood of city crows can be - especially the ones who eat leftover biryani and bust open plastic packets to forage on half-eaten tandoori chicken. I come from Kolkata - a city now completely ruled by Talibanlised crows, who dictate their own terms, severely punish humans and other breeds that come in their way, loot in the name of feeding and torment the others, specially the humans, emotionally and territorially. They sit on the verandah with total insolence and make mocking eyes at you and when you shoo them, jump up a foot in air and sit down right at the same spot making you mad as a crazed grizzly. You cannot match its wits or its alacrity and you are completely incapable of dominating it, frightening it and making it feel like what it is - a lowly bird. You can see, I don't like crows. I have been pecked by them, just because they did not like my face. I have been defeated by these birds in every mind game I devised to scare them. These birds were pestilential, always hanging around the house and stealing food, silverware, fish and whatever took their fancy. And of course you cannot kill them. One dead means a congregation of teeming millions and the cawing is louder and longer than the rumble of a slow-spewing volcano. I noticed quite a few crows hopping over the neem tree this morning. Gave me a bad feeling in my stomach. I think the lovely and protected people of Chandigarh are not aware of what this can lead to. They think of trees in terms of squirrels and parrots. They cannot visualise a tree clouded with dark shadows of a million hungry and rapacious crows, making noise and scavenging at the same time. I also see the crows at Sukhna these days, wrestling over pieces of bread and grain meant mostly for kabutars and ducks. Where there is food, they will converge - where they converge - they take over and rule - driving away all other birds and critters. Sometimes, I feel like telling some of these animal lovers - that they are hurting our eco system by helping a handful of creatures. People who feed dogs and birds at the lakes and the parks are really not helping them. They are disturbing a balance, by bringing in forces those often get out of whack. matkachowk@gmail.com
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TIMEPASS Mona What happens when Deepa Mehta gets Provoked? Simple, she discards her elemental (read Fire, Earth & Water) theory and turns to oft-repeated and telecast theme of battered bahus in heartless homes of working class Indian immigrants abroad. But being a celebrated filmmaker, she must do it differently. So, she gives it a ‘tadka’ of mysticism, adding to it a pinch of folklore and an ounce of literary inspiration. But unfortunately, Videsh works only in bits and spurts. With a zing in her step and heart full of hope, charming Chand (Preity Zinta) flies to Ontario from Ludhiana to meet her taxi driver husband Rocky (Vansh Bhardwaj) and his family. Though in an alien land, Chand appears unflappable initially. But when her dream home turns into house of horrors, there’s nothing much she can do. The torment, which begins with a resounding slap during the honeymoon, grows to monstrous proportions as the young woman is turned into a punching bag by her abuse-spewing frustrated husband who is goaded on by the family, especially his mother (very convincing Balinder Johal). Chand, no better than a slave in the house, is also required to wash the dirty hotel linen in a laundry during the daytime. However, she still lives a penniless existence with no right on her salary, which directly reaches her home. Holed up in the world, which is difficult to understand, Chand is desperate to please her husband. So when her feisty Jamaican colleague hands over a bottle of magical herbs, she quickly grasps it. The potion is expected to ‘work wonders on the bastard.’ But it finds its way to a King Cobra, who takes shape of Rocky and falls hopelessly in love with Chand. The woman now has a companion — a perfect foil to her brutal hubby — with whom she can be herself. But soon she is suspected of infidelity and has to give a bizarre naagpariksha to prove her innocence. Videsh is a well-intentioned film, but lacks in impact, primarily because of hard-to -digest fang factor. It robs the film of its realism. The inspiration to introduce the metaphor is said to have come to Mehta after watching Girish Karnad’s play Naagamandala. As a story, your heart goes out to the silently suffering Chand. But her self-realisation hasn’t been developed properly. Add to it, her repetitive poetic outbursts, which are hard to comprehend. Also, the film has a jerky pacing. While the first half sets the mood, the latter gets dramatically surreal and becomes a collage of myths and fantasies. The climax is equally absurd. Zinta as toned down, fear struck desi girl is captivating. It is easily one of her best performances till date. Theatre boy Vansh makes an impressive debut, while Johal as an archetypal saas is detestable. Camera work by Giles Nuttgen is arresting and beautifully captures dingy lives of immigrants. mona@tribunemail.com
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Recession or not, opulence in fashion may be hard to do away with, but Indian designers are being practical in terms of their pricing strategy and target markets. The downturn has forced renowned Indian fashion designer, Manish Malhotra, to bring down prices of his creations by about 24 per cent. "Yes, there is the recession. I have brought down my prices by 23-24 per cent. We need to be very, very practical on the pricing point. My clothes are grand but not expensive," Malhotra told mediapersons at the Lakme India Fashion Week 2009 - Fall Winter Collection. "But my rents don't get cut," Malhotra quipped, adding, "I don't do clothes that are not wearable. I hope to sell." The designer today showcased a traditional bridal collection for men and women dressed in chiffon and organza in varied hues ranging from red to peacock blue to biege. "I just love going to back to my pastels and so I've used biege, ivory, peach...my collection is inspired by tradition, there is not much bling, there's not much jewellery," Malhotra said of his "Superb" collection named after sponsor Skoda's flagship auto model. — PTI
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TAROT TALK ARIES: The Prince of Wands rides in his flaming chariot of gold to instigate dynamic changes. Profits are expected from a new deal if it comes through on Monday. Overseas business enquiries are encouraging. Romance may blossom at work place. Keep home and work strictly separate. Journalists; teachers, advocates, models and cine stars are in the limelight. Lucky colour: Creamy white. Tip of the week: You must share responsibility with others before continuing. TAURUS: Nine Golden Cups full of lights and happiness light and lotus blossom greet you. Contentment, emotional well being and harmony prevail in your personal relationships. A date with your lover will at last come up. Do not try any short cuts as they may misfire. Be understanding and keep in mind the likes and dislikes of your mate. Lucky colour: Burgundy. Tip: Think positive and be optimistic. GEMINI: Your card The World reveals love and close relationships are important. But now, you wonder whether a commitment was quite what you wanted. Loved ones may be irritable or quietly thoughtful. Don't be unnerved. Complicated family issues, past romantic promises or repeated social patterns require consideration. Lucky colour: Silver Tip: Do not give money to strangers. CANCER: You draw Ten of Wands and will review a close partnership, wandering whether it gives you what you want. Expected good news comes at the end of the week. Beware of over indulgence in food, drink or emotion. A Leo person is a loyal friend. Lucky colour: Black. Tip: At work don't hold back anything from your employer. LEO: You draw Emperor. Even a smallest change makes you feel like the sky is falling. An extremely favorable week for the culmination of a legal case. Your health improves as you focus on fitness routine and healthy diet. Lucky colour: Green. Tip: By applying yourself you can build great success. VIRGO: Like The queen of cups you are dreamy, poetic, tranquil and imaginative in loving relationships. Students get good grades in tests and are well prepared for the approaching exams. Family life is peaceful and happy. You bring abundance in business aspects. Lucky colour: Emerald green. Tip: Focus on the better to mitigate the bitter. LIBRA: Two of wands spin in speculation luck. Your speech may be good and also you may be able to convince people very fast. Artistic and creative pastimes are elevating. Don't let a misunderstanding cause the rot to set into a close relationship. You have been so busy recently that you may have forgotten to pay attention to those closest to you. Lucky colour: Yellow. Tip: You have to push to succeed and your efforts will pay off. SCORPIO: The Magus brings movement; change and travel in your life. A pure spiritual and exalted influence transforms your professional priorities. You are right not to rush into things, but others will not wait forever. Things have been all work and no play and you have let things get out of balance recently. Lucky colour: Wine red. Tip: Empty promises are certain, therefore try to put your terms and conditions in writing. SAGITTARIUS: The Sun shines on you to enhance new beginnings at work. A brief pleasure trip is on the cards. Children and family demand quality time and attention. A protective aura and light surrounds you as you move through different aspects of life and a variety of experiences. There is a blossoming of consciousness and the fragrance is all around you. Lucky colour: Forest green. Tip: You find within yourself a fountainhead of will power CAPRICORN: The Ace of Wands reveals that you make progressive professional and personal commitments. You could be revisiting a previous relationship and enjoying the connection. Follow the trends; resisting will only lead to frustration. Lucky colour: Burgundy. Tip: You gain by being practical; don't be emotional. AQUARIUS: Your card is Ten of Coins so friends could get on your nerves. Mixing business with pleasure works well for you. Professional people may have to go slow, lest they may incur losses. Family situations may be generally tensed and you may have to adjust with your partners. Lucky colour: Baby pink. Tip: Do what is right and watch your best interests. PISCES: The High Priestess reveals family pressure and responsibilities. Be careful, as you are sufficiently distracted to run into trouble if you don't pay attention to what you are doing. Be realistic and practical about your approach to financial matters. In a relationship you need to express yourself more openly, so that others around you know your true inner self. Lucky colour: Silver grey. Tip: You are advised to focus on professional changes.
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Having played cameos in movies like Jab We met, London Dreams (to be released) and Jag Jeeondeyan De Mele, with innocent charm she says, “I have always played the character of a cousin sister in all my movies.” Ask her how she got started in acting, she says, “I was two years’ old when I started modelling and for the movies, I have bagged the roles through auditions.” That’s her story to stardom, but the question is, does this child want to choose acting as her career or is she fulfilling Mummy dear’s dream? “No, I want to become an actor and if I don’t then I want to be a doctor.”