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Bowled over
"An Australian was given such a warm welcome in India. The fans embraced me; how can I not feel the Indianess in my heart," shares Brett Lee during the practice match of Kings XI Punjab at the Sector-16 cricket stadium. For once, we wanted to tell him it was Brett Lee the rockstar (this is what he would be, if not a cricketer) that interested us more than Brett Lee the cricketer. "There is a kind of similarity between cricket and music - the challenge, the mystery of what will happen next," he says, enjoying the comparison between his two favourites. "A 9-5 job does not sound mysterious. It could be challenging. In cricket, we never know what follows. Similarly for music, I don't know how the gig would turn out, good or bad," he shares. As it turns out, Brett Lee is a passionate cricketer and an equally passionate music buff. Five music albums to his credit and numerous charity concerts, the Kings XI Punjab player has some 'bang on' music plans. "I am in the process of putting my band together, and getting ready for some gigs too." His kinda music? The curve on the face widens. "Rock, a bit of pop and some Indian flavour, which is slow and classical. I liked working with Asha Bhonsle. I would want to do something like Asha & Friends again. I am heavily into cricket. No time for anything else." He juggles with his own statement. "I have more to me than cricket. I have a kid back home who wants my company. I have other interests as well, which I would pursue in times to come," adds Brett. Interests like strumming guitar, jamming in for the love of music, acting, and yes, dressing up people through his fashion line BL- the label. First, the fashion. "If you take care of your clothes, the clothes will take care of you," he defines fashion. "My fashion line based in Sydney aims at developing a menswear label that is stylish, modern and comfortable. I would be working more on it too." (Give me time! We could read between the lines). The guitarist speaks. "Nobody like Elvis Presley and Asha Bhonsle, simply amazing people." (You might just see the cricketer jam'n' in Kings XI series). Acting? We bet, he might have a rocking affair with Bollywood as well. "You never know (no time factor again)," he smirks. Probed. We finally get an answer. "Preity Zinta is a good actor. Knowing her is like knowing Bollywood a little better. Then, of course, the King of Bollywood, Big B, I would (maybe) want to work with them." Also, Brett Lee has some charity work running in India, which is close to his heart. The affair continues… jasmine@tribunemail.com |
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Hooked onto it!
But had that been the case, it wouldn't have been able to keep us glued all the while. Television has its own way of getting back. Switch it on for a while…then seconds change to minutes and minutes to hours and hours to several hours. Ironically, it's still called the idiot box! It's smart, intelligent and has a hypnotizing effect, the confirmation of which comes from Olivier Culmann, a French photographer who has his exhibition of works, which captures expressions of people watching TV, on display at the Alliance Francaise-36. In association with the Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi, the exhibition is the culminating event of Bonjour India, a festival of France. Clicked in various countries like US, Morocco, UK, Nigeria, China, Mexico, France and India, Olivier has captured people's expressions while watching TV. It might be criticized for various reasons, but TV doesn't 'discriminate'. Not on the basis of age, colour, gender, status and nationality, it engages everyone equally. In fact, in one of the photographs, Olivier has shown how the TV treats even animals on an equal platform. The photograph has a girl from China and her cat reclining on a couch and watching TV. All the faces have neutral expressions, probably because TV numbs the senses and involves a person so much that he or she does not respond to stimuli! Those clicked in India has a man sitting on a chair in a dilapidated room. The backdrop here hints at his poor financial condition. In another one, a South Indian couple is sitting around a dining table, glued to the television. This points to the fact that the pose of viewing might change but the focus will not, which is also conveyed by another picture in which a girl is lying on the floor with her eyes fixed on the TV. The expressions on the face of the middle-aged South Indian couple are similar to those of the kids from Morocco. The picture clicked in France shows a man who falls asleep on his wife's shoulder while she is hooked onto the television. One picture shows a TV that has the Earth on its screen, which depicts how 'the idiot box' is ruling the world. Another one has a pair of eyes on the screen, which signifies: "It's not you watching, now it's the TV watching you." Time to reconsider who's actually an idiot! ashima@tribunemail.com (On till March 18) |
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Old blends with new
The old civilization ushering in the modern era had many contradictory attributes, at least for Russian author Alexander Pushkin. And one can find its reflection in his classic creation Gypsy, sculpted while he was in forced exile, Gypsy is also considered a romantic narrative poem of high order for its attempt to grapple with real issues of human psychology and morality. The author recovers an explosive truth that people who live away from the modern and advanced civilization relish their life in harmony with nature. The classic was translated into Punjabi by octogenarian Karanjit Singh for Raduga Publications, Moscow, and distributed on a large-scale alongwith Russian literature during the disintegration of USSR. An alumnus of PU Department of Indian Theatre Kanwal Nain Sekhon, a noted actor-director, will now stage the complex yet meaningful play Gypsy Urf Khana Badosh at Tagore Theatre on March 7. The play, to be staged under the aegis of Chandigarh chapter of Indian People Theatre Association (IPTA), will be sponsored by NZCC Patiala.
Sekhon is an accomplished actor and has performed in over 100 plays, besides films and TV serials. Some of them include Campus, Kikran De Phull, Mann Jeete Jag Jeet, Lori, Ghadar Di Goonj, Dooriyan, Shikanja, Mein Gonngi Nahin, Thandian Chhavaan, and the more popular Walaitia, Waris, Cahnchal and Suche Moti, among others. He is presenting Timi Sharma and Goti Singh in the lead roles for this production. The 70-minute classic will reveal the psyche of a wandering gypsy girl and an educated, civilized, young boy, both of whom represent diverse lifestyles and cultures, and yet have a lot
in common. Catch them live at the Tagore theatre on March 7 from 6.30 pm onwards. |
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Bon Appetit
We did not grow up knowing this first cousin to cabbage and cauliflower since it's a new entry to our variety of veggies. Broccoli is high on the list of healthy foods for various proven benefits. It reduces the risk of heart disease, as it is a rich source of flavonoids. It also helps fight cancer cells. Broccoli is a rich source of calcium and vitamin C. Vitamin C helps in the absorption of calcium, which improves bone density. Needless to say, eating broccoli would certainly prevent the onset of osteoporosis.
Cherry tomatoes and corn too marry well with broccoli to make a nourishing salad. The florets of broccoli are lovely and crisp in texture so don't overcook them and kill their goodness. Creamed soup of broccoli
1 head broccoli Method Broccoli and carrot salad
1 medium-sized head of broccoli Method |
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Chandigarh Institute of Hotel management organised the first Tricity Inter Hotel Management Institutes Patisserie Competition at the institute premises recently. Over nine colleges participated in the contest. The categories of making products were plated desserts, decorated cake and bread making. Chef Neeraj Chaudhary, executive chef Taj-Chandigarh and Nikhil Mittal from Nik Bakers were the judges for the competition. — TNS
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The love affair is relatively old now. But, a reminder of the pleasant acquaintance brings a glint in his eyes and changes the facial contours from straight to a little impish. And the smile just widens, refusing to let go of Brett Lee's face. It casts a spell, reminiscent of how much he fell in love with the music, the food, the people and the ambience on his first visit to India in 2004.
This is in honour of something that hasn't been given its due share of respect. Condemned, criticized, censured…yet the poor thing has been serving mankind. And look at the injustice; those who spend maximum time in its company call it the idiot box!
Broccoli intrigues me. Its almost like God picked up a paintbrush and cauliflower, and decided to paint it green! Its almost like he too was playing Holi!
Do not let the smell of the sulfur compounds that are released while cooking keep you away from this highly nutritious vegetable. Choose broccoli with floret clusters that are compact and not bruised. They should be uniformly colored, with no yellowing. In addition, they should not have any flowers blossoming through, as this is a sign of over-maturity. Broccoli is very perishable and should be stored exposed, in the refrigerator crisper. Since water on the surface will encourage its degradation, wash it only just before cooking. A combination of lightly cooked cauliflower and broccoli florets look very appealing to the eye. A pat of butter, seasoning, a topping of cheese, and you're done!