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She is here
Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan of You Are Here fame is in the city to interact with booklovers Lingerie, a beer bottle, angels of love and the protagonist puffing a cigarette; with no intentions to show any streak of rebel though, just to state some straight facts. Facts about a modern, young urban woman’s life brought forth through the cover page that has all the above-mentioned components imprinted. But that’s all, there are far more important ones mentioned in the book, presented in the form of a story of Arshi’s life, the protagonist of You Are Here, the book that went into its third edition in a year’s time.
A few more details would be, "Arshi has got stuck in her life. She hates her job, is in love with a boy who doesn’t reciprocate, has dated many guys before too, her parents has a broken marriage, she is directionless, she is, in fact, everything a young woman in a cosmopolitan is (some accept it, some don’t)," asserts Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan, the author. Based in Mumbai and brought up in Delhi, it doesn’t require much thought process for Meenakshi to conceive the idea or to even develop the main character, Arshi. "Because I saw shades of Arshi in every girl around me, the same complexities, confusions and uncertainties, faced by all." Before you go on to presume further, it’s not a tragic story. As Meenakshi hastily says, "Every story has to have an arch that takes you from negative to positive and sadness to happiness," so this one has it too, "By the end of the book, even with all the problems, Arshi becomes optimistic and resolves to make her life better." There is no philosophy or moral justification to end the book on a positive note, but it came after a pragmatic thought. "As a reader, I would too like to read something that makes me feel happy once I am done with it. The book has a lot of humour as well, to balance the poignant situations that characters face," reasons Meenakshi. And, the sad situations make Arshi booze and puff. Not the ideal Indian girl image indeed! Hey, she even indulges in pre-marital sex. Thus post the book release, some reactions were expected and they came of course! "Mostly from men, who were uncomfortable with the real image of an urban woman and expressed their displeasure through mails." She has a reaction too, "I wish I could in person talk to them about it and argue, if a man can, why can’t a woman?" says Meenakshi, who’s also a columnist and has a popular blog, The Compulsive Confessor. The 27-year-old author is now ready with the same story as a script and is looking for financers to take it up for the movie, in which the protagonist would be, "either Konkana Sen or Sonam Kapoor. They are so much like today’s women." In the meanwhile, work has begun on the second book that would again revolve around a young person, his relations with his friends and family. But other than love, friendships and family ties, she believes there is something else to the youth, "They are working towards a better future of the country. My friends casting their votes during elections is the best example," Indeed it is! ashima@tribunemail.com
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Luck by chance
Naresh Kumar has everything going for him — talent, a job that he loves and a supportive wife Coming from a modest musical family in Jind, Naresh Kumar Malhotra carved a niche for himself in the realm of music, to be hailed as the third generation exponent of Indore Gharana, started by Ustad Amir Khan Saheb. Prodigious Naresh foreshowed the coming glory much earlier, during his childhood, when he won the HRD Ministry scholarship in music as a school student. Holding a master’s degree and M Phil in vocal classical music from Delhi University and ‘A’ grade artiste from Akashwani, Naresh is presently serving the All-India Radio as a programme officer. He is the foremost disciple of Guru Tejpal Singh, of Singh Bandhu fame. In the city for a music concert at the Pracheen Kala Kendra-35, he shares his views on music, ghrana concept and contemporary scene. Doubly blessed you are, as your passion meets with your profession. Does being with the AIR gives added advantage? Rather fortunate thrice, as my sitarist wife Geeta Malhotra is always co-operative as I do riyaz or teach my disciples with then same sanctity and devotion as my revered guru Tejpal Singhji has been imparting it to me. A guru does not only teach music but the whole philosophy of life to make one an ideal human being first than an artiste. Do your disciples too hanker after the glamour that reality shows prvide? It is the age factor and experience that matter. I too was drawn to light music and won laurels as a ghazal singer at youth festivals but found ultimate satisfaction when guruji made me submerge in the tranquil and serene spells of classical music. Reality shows must include other classical genres as we do at the AIR. What Indore Gharana means to you and do you strictly adhere to its norms while it is believed that the gayaki style of its founder Ustad Amir Khan bore the influence of Kirana Ghrana? Any gharana, in fact, attains recognition while it represents a school of performing music with a particular style for three successive generations. As it is imperative that any musical genius, capable enough to launch a gharana like my dada-guru Ustad Amir Khan Saheb, is supposed to learn from others too. He learnt sarangi from his father Shamir Khan before Ustad Wahid Khan of Kirana Ghrana taught him the nuances of vocal music. But Amir Khan Saheb made unique contributions in khayal gayaki with innovated embellishments, which merited for the establishment and recognition of Indore Gharana.
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Triple treat
I saw him closely. He is damn cute. He looks different from what he looks in Kaminey. But, he is not tall enough. He looks chilled out," a pretty girl who was on the flight with the trio, Shahid Kapoor, papa Pankaj Kapoor and mom Supriya Pathak, couldn’t stop raving about what a gem of people they were. "They don’t have an iota of attitude," chips another passenger who in fact went up to Shahid kapoor to express her appreciation for him. As for the family, who descended in the city for a personal tour, and to pay a visit at Beas (Amritsar), the flash of cameras is not always comforting. However, unlike other actors, who shy away from being captured off-guard (on airport), this family knows how to take things in their stride. They aren’t ruffled easily, save for the fact that they are surprised to see media follow them everywhere. "How come they (journos) come to know about the a personal visit?’ they question. "I am like any other person. I still don’t understand why I have people approaching me for pictures, autographs," is how Shahid Kapoor feels, as he heads for Rampur (Himachal Pradesh) to shoot for a movie in a day or two. It happens once a blue moon, if you can break through the entourage and get close to a celebrity. You are luckier, if the celebrity smiles back, and are ready to share anything, when on a ‘strictly private tour.’ Now, this brings us to conclude, the stars are not that bad, it’s the entourage, which gives them an impression that they could be taken hostage any moment. jasmine@tribunemail.com
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Healthy invasion
British fitness guru Crispin Lamont is here to make India fit Never missed an iron pumping session? Share a bond with your treadmill that is deeper than that with your spouse? Follow a diet that can be categorised as rabbit food? Compare yourself every day with a poster of Bebo or Aamir Khan while working out in the gym? Then you join the league of the bulge fighters, in their only pursuit. To have big muscles and small waist. "We will give you that, but without any steroids, protein shakes, crash dieting or mindless iron pumping," Crispin Lamont, COO of Anytime Fitness and fitness guru who has authored Moments of Darkness, a book on fitness for sportspersons, guarantees. Ahem`85another dose of guarantee sounds standard? "Maybe. But we bring fitness and leisure solutions with educated, professional and total scientific approach that will not fail to give results," he says. Marking its entry into the Indian fitness industry, Anytime Fitness, a global giant with over 20 international leisure and fitness stand-alone facilities and resorts throughout the Europe, Middle East and Australia, will be opening nine facilities across cities like Chandigarh, Pune, Nagpur, Ludhiana and Amritsar. "India is still a developing market in terms of fitness and wellness. You have the awareness but lack the knowledge. Fitness demands a thorough knowledge of the body science and not everybody can afford a personal trainer. The USP of our facilities will be to bring in highly educated trainers from the US and Europe who will be focusing on basic fitness and providing best service levels to our clients," he emphasises. Well, no quick fixes and fads work when talking about fitness. "Which is why we will work on plans like ‘O2G’ that works on controlling oxygen levels in the body and using 60 per cent nutrition, 30 per cent exercise and 10 per cent sleep for healthy results," he explains. As for the diet, he informs, "It means you can eat anything to everything, including chocolate." Now that’s tempting. Of course, with health comes a little luxury as well. A scientific atmosphere, best of equipments, read a specifically designed computerised techno-gym that provides for your personal trainer, state-of-the-art interiors and a DJ inside your gym. Call that a little luxury? "Our target group is the three-star middle class, who wants to be fit and healthy without plastic promises." Like they say, there are no ugly women, just poor women. But in the end, he comes with just one aim, "To make India fit." Well, as long as that doesn’t come in a size-specific format, its win-win situation for all. nehawalia@tribunemail.com
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Gastronomical
Jigyasa Kapoor Chimra Moving away from the city food joints, we present you Katani—the crown in the Mohali food scene
Dhaba junction
Brainchild of Harvinder Singh, the dhaba started functioning in the year 1985. Says Harvinder, "We've been into this business for more than 25 years. First, we had a sweet shop in Sector 15, Chandigarh, by the name KC Sweets. It was in 1985, we shifted to Mohali and started
Katani." Having started with one joint, Katani now boasts of four outlets - two family restaurants, one sweet shop and one shop especially for snacks. Seeing all this we must say they've made quite a progress, but comes the humble reply of Harvinder, "We have toiled for 25 years to be where we are today." A family affair, Harvinder says, "I am not alone in this venture. I have my cousins along in the business." Fare deal A pure vegetarian eatery, one can have a complete five course Punjabi meal here. Starting with snacks that includes their specialty panner tikka, in the winter (starting September onwards) Katani serves one of its another specialty, vegetable soup. Loaded with veggies and chunks of paneer, the soup is a must-try for all foodies. Getting to the main course, the food here has a true Punjabi flavour - masaledar and rich with gravy. From Punjabi kadi to dal makhani, kadai paneer and malai methi muttar, you can also try their aloo or gobhi parantha (served at breakfast). And one of the best things is their winter menu that includes saag and makki ki roti thalli. Priced genuinely, the thali has two makki ki rotis, saag (loaded with butter) and a glass of lassi. A must-must have, this thali is enough for two people in quantity but its taste will leave you wanting for more. Says Harvinder, "It's masalas that give the food its true flavour and we make sure the right ingredients go into the dishes. We never compromise on quality and make sure seasonal vegetables are included in the menu." Sweet delight
For the sweet dish you don't have to go far, as the adjoining Katani sweet shop has all that you can ask for. From hot ghulab jamun to ras malai, they have ice-cream or any other Indian sweet dish that you would like to have. In the winter, you can try moong dal or gajar ka halwa. For milk lovers, they also serve kada hua dhoodh. A delicacy that only the older generation would know. Well, we leave you with a sweet taste in your mouth and let you come out with your own verdict! jigyasachimra@tribunemail.com |
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Care for curry?
Indian food does roaring business in Britain
Britons' love affair with Indian cuisine can be traced to the early 1980s when celebrated food writer and television presenter Madhur Jaffrey made Indian cooking popular across the US and Europe with her simple and easy recipes. The curry houses have now become a flourishing industry. And adding some glamour to them is Shilpa Shetty's Gourmet Creations. The 34-year-old Bollywood actor and her fianc`E9 Raj Kundra recently bought 33 percent stakes in V8 Gourmet group, one of the biggest Indian restaurant groups in Britain. Shilpa is teaming up with Andy Varma, celebrity chef and head of the wholesale division and business development of V8 Gourmet group, to bring out ready meals, pickles and chutneys. The success of the curry houses stems from the fact that they are popular with everybody in this country, not just people of South Asian origin. "Oh I love Indian curry. My favourite is lamb biryani with chutney. It's yummy. I don't mind spending 100-150 pounds a month for eating out at Indian curry houses," said Peter Forester, a British accounts executive. Alberto Furlan, an Italian now settled in London as a journalist, said: "I love Indian curry and my favourite is Rogan Josh (Kashmiri lamb preparation), though I don't know how the authentic chicken tikka masala tastes because each curry house makes it in its own style." For NRIs, the d`E9cor of the curry houses with displays of Indian handicrafts and murals gives a feel of home away from home. Das Sreedharan is typical of the entrepreneur who has started a curry house in Britain and has never looked back. He came to London 20 years ago from Delhi with the ambition of becoming an accountant. Initially he worked part time as a manager in a local restaurant in Stoke Newington in East London. Armed with that experience, Sreedharan borrowed some capital from his friends and the first restaurant, Rasa, was born in 1994. "I made a vegetable dish and made some people taste it and the chef whom I had hired said 'you don't need me'," he said. Since then there has been no looking back for Sreedharan who has added seven restaurants to the chain. Jamie Oliver, the celebrity British chef, spent a few days at Rasa's kitchen to learn the nuances of Indian curry. Sreedharan was one of the first restaurateurs who introduced the snack and pickle basket as starters for both vegetarian and non-vegetarian customers. He regularly conducts 'an evening with Das', taking his clients on a culinary journey to his world of food making and the Rasa experience. Since the early 60s Indian restaurants here have been christened curry houses, much to the disappointment of 44-year-old Sreedharan. "Indian food is much more than curry. Earlier people did not respect Indian food and the food too did not live up to expectations," Sreedharan, who has penned four cookery books, said. But celebrity chef Varma thinks it's not a derogatory term. "At the end of the day, if British people like lager and curry, why spoil the term, if that's what they want?" Varma, whose clients include KLM, Delta Airlines, and Malaysian Airlines, said. Aylur believes that his mantra of "delight your guests with tasty authentic Indian food and fun" has helped bring the foodies to his seafood restaurant. The prices charged by Indian curry houses suit all types of pockets. — IANS
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Spicily iced tea!
Kandla Nijhowne
Flavonoids are believed to have antioxidant properties, which neutralise the crazy free radicals running around in your body, hence reducing the instances of heart attacks and strokes. Tea flavonoids may also lower the risk of certain cancers and if that weren't enough, tea contains a snazzy substance called L-theanine, which aids the immune system in fighting infections, bacteria and viruses! We usually rely on sachets available in the market to make ice tea but actually, it is surprisingly easy to make at home. Moreover, the homemade concoction is healthier as it doesn't contain any artificial flavours, chemicals or additives. A tall glassful of iced tea, golden hued, crowned with mint and beaded with condensation is a visual delight, waiting to be savoured! Some teas have additional spices like cinnamon and cloves infused into the brew. Though added in small quantities, they contribute a fragrant character to the drink, enough to make a delicious impact! Calypso mango iced tea 4 cups cold water 4 tea bags 2 cups mango nectar Sugar to taste ¼ cup fresh mint leaves Thinly sliced mango for garnish Method Bring water to a boil and turn off heat. Add tea bags and steep until tea is dark. This will take about five minutes. Remove bags and add mango nectar and sugar, to taste. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Place in pitcher and add mint leaves. Put ice in individual glasses, pour over the tea and garnish with mango slices. Citrus-mint iced tea 5 ½ cups boiling water 4 Tea Bags Sugar to taste ¼ cup Lemon juice Fresh mint sprigs and sliced lemons Method Place tea bags in a heat-proof pitcher and pour boiling water over them. Let steep for about five minutes and then remove tea bags. Add sugar, lemon juice and a few fresh mint sprigs. Let cool. Pour tea in tall ice filled glasses and garnish with fresh mint and a slice of lemon. Peach rhapsody 2 cups peach nectar 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 4 - 5 tablespoons granulated sugar 2 cinnamon sticks 4 tea bags 4 cups cold water Method Bring cold water to a boil and drop in the cinnamon sticks and the tea bags. Allow to steep for four to five minutes or until the desired strength is acquired. Strain tea into a pitcher and stir in the sugar, lemon juice and peach nectar. When cool, pour into ice-filled glasses and garnish with lemon or fresh peach wedges.
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Dip, sip and eat
The 'Worcester Feast Dunker' is held together with slithers of sweet potato. It is made by layering flour and oat-based dough to build strength and has an egg-based glaze on top, reports The Sun. Tocchini, 44, who runs the Fusion Brasserie restaurant in Worcester, said: "The intention was to make something tasty that when you dunk it in your tea it won't fall apart. "We tried a lot of different mixtures trying to make sure the biscuit wouldn't break up and die in the cup - it's virtually unsinkable. "The trouble with ordinary biscuits is that they were never designed to be dunked a few seconds in hot tea or coffee and they simply disintegrate. "There is nothing more off-putting than biscuit mush at the bottom of your mug. "The Worcester Feast Dunker is made for dunking, and can be submerged in tea or coffee for twice as long as ordinary biscuits before it breaks up. "I'm very pleased with the result and they taste lovely. But I'm keeping the recipe quiet." The biscuit will be unveiled at the three-day Worcester Feast food and drink festival, starting on Saturday.
— ANI |
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Dil Bole Hadippa (YRF Music): You have to hand it to Yash Raj Films. They know how to market their films as well as music. They give it such saturation coverage pre-release that you sort of start looking forward to it. The music of this film is a true example of this market-savvy attitude. In no way is it out of the ordinary but it has been playing ad nauseam and has gotten stuck to one’s ears nice enough. It is faux Punjabi music by Pritam with some funky lyrics by Jaideep Sahni (sample this: Hand pump hai dabbi ja, or nach karenge nach karenge yara, ajj to hum too much karenge yara). No wonder words like chakk de phatte are freely used. In the Pritam scheme of things, Punjabi music only means bhangra and high spirits. The first song is by Mika Singh while the second Discowale khisko, asin desi been bajani has been crooned by KK, Sunidhi Chauhan, Rana Majumdar. These two songs also have their remix versions. While Abhijit Vaghani has worked on discowale khisko, Hadippa has been retouched by Sandeep Shirodkar. A slightly sober song is Japhion sa des hai mera where Shreya Ghoshal gives a good account of herself. With her is Sonu Nigam. This is one song, which is typically Yash Raj. Things again get boisterous with Aa gaye jee Punjab de sher, bas bhangra, bistar, beer, bater. It has Alisha Chinoy and Sunidhi Chauhan at full throttle. The rap is by Hard Kaur. Gym shim kar lai ve has been composed and sung by Joshilay. The album comes with another MP3 CD of Yash Raj films. Dance to the tunes
Wajid of the music duo Sajid Wajid sings many of the songs here. In fact, the album begins with his Love me love me sung along with Amrita Kak. It has been penned by Jalees Sherwani. Its remix is by Akbar Sami. Kamaal Khan manages to mould his voice admirably to playback for Salman in Ishq vishq, which is right down the lane for Sunidhi Chauhan and Suzanne as well. DJ Amyth has done the remix. Shreya Ghoshal’s voice is becoming the byword for sober songs. Here that comes in the shape of Dil leke written by Arun Bhairav. Her co-singer is Shaan. It goes out of shape in the remix by DJ Amyth. Le le mazaa le sung by Suzanne, Saumya Rao, Hrishikesh Kamerkar and Nikita Nigam has some Spanish vocals thrown in. Its lyrics are by Wajid and Shabbir Ahmed while the Spanish lyrics are by Carlyta Mouhini. But at least to me, this one sounded more like a West Asian number. Wajid sings Yahan bhi hoga, wahan bhi
hoga, ab to sare jahan mein hoga, mera hi Jalwa solo. This one itself
looks like a remix song but happens to have another remix Tose pyar karte hain is inspired by Rajasthani folk which also takes elements from the old hit de de pyar de pyar de. It has been sung by Sunidhi Chauhan and Wajid. The "song" sung and written by Salman Khan is unabashedly titled "Most Wanted Track" but is actually comprises only a few dialogues from the film. What an easy way to turn a "lyricist"! — ASC
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Another week, another food joint! But this time we venture out to the so-called poor cousin of the city - Mohali. Underprivileged, maybe in infrastructure, but when it comes to food, Mohali boasts of some of the best Punjabi food joints. And, the most famous of them all, that serves food morning, noon and night, is Katani in Phase III-B2, Mohali.
Steaming
hot biryani, mouth watering tikkas and kebabs,
delicious south Indian dosa, laced Kerala appam and stew are
now part of the British palate through the thousands of Indian curry
houses that are doing roaring business in Britain.
One of summer's simplest pleasures, ice tea is not only healthy, but also a super refresher. Fresh-brewed tea in its purest form is one of nature's most-perfect beverages, which is zero calories and loaded with flavonoids. "Just what" you ask, "are flavonoids and why should I care?" Well. It's not so simple, but here's the quickest answer I can muster up.
Dunking biscuits in your tea could soon be history, thanks to the "unsinkable" biscuit. Chef Felice Tocchini claims to have created a snack that can be dipped in tea for up to two minutes without breaking.
Wanted (T-Series):
When it is a film directed by Prabhudeva with Salman Khan in the lead, it
is bound to be a never-ending dancing carnival. So, bubblegum music
prevails. To keep the party going, it has as many as 11 tracks, including
the remixes of course. They may not be great on quality but are enjoyable
nevertheless.