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It’s less Masti this time
Expect the unexpected or let's just put it straight, expect the expected! Kings XI Punjab and 'oh what a flop show performance' are doing everything that is expected and a wee bit unexpected. It's okay, after all it's a game not everyone can win. How about winning for once, just for your fans?
Please roar on the field too. Or see some astrologer. You can probably take some help from our city-based 'famous' astrologer PK Khurrana! The Royal guys here at PCA Mohali seem to be in no need of any kind of help or soothsayer. Dr Vijay Mallaya's Royal Challengers are all set to take on the Kings, and they are geared up for it too. (No comments about their fielding, balling, batting. It must be good, how else have they have reached to the top five teams in the ongoing IPL.) With all set, we mean all set with the cheering squad, which has the bold and the beautiful. Siddharth Mallya and Katrina Kaif fly down to boost the morale of the team. But, it's not only the team that will benefit from the bold and beautiful cheer squad. The cricketing audiences at PCA on Friday take back a 'beautiful' experience and memories of Katrina Kaif. Earlier in the day, we approached the unapproachable - Siddharth Mallya at Hotel Mountview. What we see is another MF Husain. The boy born with a silver spoon in his mouth walks to and fro in socks, shorts and teams tee! "Please talk to my media manager," says Siddarth after pumping iron in the gymnasium. For once we are impressed, the young, spiked hair boy, even when he owns the team wants to follow a protocol. He has been travelling with the team and needs time for himself. We give it you Sid! Back in the stadium Punjabi singer Ashok Masti does his best to cheer up the teams. "I wish with my heart and soul that Kings XI win today. I will try my best to pep up the mood," says Ashok jiving on the stage with superhit numbers 'Glassy', Masti hi Masti, Panga pai jaavey. The singer jives, the crowd foot taps, it looks like they are having an awesome time till we rove our eyes and find near empty stands. How nice is to perform in front of empty stands? But Masti doesn't let the empty stands affect his energetic performance. "I performed in Delhi for the first IPL; this is a good experience too." We hope. Ashok you can blame it on the Kings if you can. Had they performed well in the previous matches, you would have had a swelling audience. Not bad, there's always a next time! jasmine@tribunemail.com |
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Down memory lane
It is hard to live without them, and sometimes it is a pain to have them around. Sometimes they come gushing through from a bleak opening, and sometimes it is hard to conjure them up. Memories, no matter how much one tries to segregate the bad from the good, try and slot them in different compartments, come calling whenever they have to, whether one summons them or not.
The characters of Ballantine's (Leave An Impression), The Blue Mug, faced a similar situation, wherein they had to walk down their memory lanes, in bits and parts. A slight remembrance here, a sad moment there, a happy revelation in one corner, unabashed acceptance: the characters shared their memories through a series of onstage interactions. Staged at Indradhanush Expocentre on Thursday, The Blue Mug had a star-studded star cast comprising Konkona Sen Sharma, Rajat Kapoor, Vinay Pathak, Ranvir Shorey, Sheeba Chadha and Munish Bhardwaj who had the audiences hooked to the 75-minute performance. Directed by Atul Kumar, who has acted and directed over 80 plays, The Blue Mug draws inspiration from Oliver Sack's The man who mistook his wife for a hat and is a true reflection of the emergence of experimental theatre as a force to reckon with. The characters somersaulted with their memories of eating bhutta (corn) in winter afternoons, collecting glass pieces by the ocean, eyeing a girl from the roof top, trying to explore the secret inside a hidden cupboard, making us realise with our hearts what it must be to live and feel as they do. And one character that came close in doing that was Ranvir Shorey's who played Joginder Singh Chauhan, a patient caught in time warp. His chaste Punjabi dialects and jat accent was received extremely well by the audiences. Vinay Pathak was as usual at his animated best with his description of a joker spitting water from his eyes at a circus. Theatrical expertise fused with cinematic light-hearted narrations of facts and figures of his memory too added a 'fun' element to The Blue Mug. Memories of eating mangoes, spanking little kittens, Rajat Kapoor shared his intellectual aberrations along with Sheeba's details of how she hated going to Saharanpur, and Munish's funny incident of how going to a cemetery as a routine with the family were also appreciated by the audiences. Adding excellence was the lighting and acoustics that gelled well with the theme of the play. jasmine@tribunemail.com |
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Play act
Classical music, folk dances, theatre, documentary films marked the second Chandigarh Arts and Heritage Festival, which concluded with the presentation of a play Chekhov Ki Duniya by acclaimed film personality Ranjeet Kapoor at the Tagore theatre on Friday.
Known for scripting human emotions, relationships and life in all its manifestations, Anton Chekhov had drawn thematic content from the common folk. And he was rightly represented in the instant play Chekhov ki Duniya a collection of six meaningful short stories. Be it the Chheenk, Besahara aurat, Dooba hua aadmi, Surgery, Gift or the captivating Shikari, all the stories dealt with human emotions from trite boss-subordinate to sublime love relationships, from the abyss of poverty-ridden survival to idle games of
the rich. Behind the riot of genial laughter generated after each dialogue lay the wisdom of didactic messages on life. Although accomplished actors led by Amitabh Srivastav, Nutan Surya and Ashvin Chadda gave a sterling performance, credit must also be given to the director who weaved it all. The chief guest SC Aggarwal, Chief Secretary, Punjab, later honoured the artists. Director's cut
An actor, screenplay writer, music director, adaptor of plays…Ranjeet Kapoor has directed scores of television serials, including Basanti, Ameer Khusro, Chaye Ke Bahane et al. He has written dialogues for popular films like Jane Bhi Do Yaaron, Mohan Joshi Haazir Ho, Woh Saat Din, and Bandit Queen, as well as screenplays for Ek Ruka Hua Faisla, Khamosh, Lajja, The Legend of Bhagat Singh, Mangal Pandey, Halla Bol et al. Kapoor has also written songs and composed music for several films. Recently he directed his first feature film starring Rishi Kapoor, which was produced by Bobby Bedi. The film received the 'Stardust Awards' for Best Feature Film' and 'Best Direction'. He is a recipient of the Sahitya Kala Parishad Samman of Delhi (1991-92), Shikhar Samman conferred by the Government of Madhya Pradesh (1999), the Sansui Award for the dialogues of 'The Legend of Bhagat Singh' (2002) and Sangeet Natak Akademi Award 2006. And his take on theatre? "Theatre remains the only realm that is still a true test of caliber. And to survive, theatre productions must ensure an issue-based potent plot, and scripts that depict life's realities. |
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Nature’s best
Themes may vary, so may mediums, style of art and source of inspiration, but the one subject that graduates every artist to the next level is somewhat universal. Be it the intrinsic subject of miniature paintings, landscapes by Paramjit Singh, or the works on display at Punjab Kala Bhawan by Gurleen Kaur and Darshan Dingh, nature has been given ample space on canvas.
Gurleen and Darshan have projected Divine Inspiration, nature's bond with man and spirituality in their works. The sketches by Darshan Singh were initially done without colours, with a black ink pen directly on the drawing sheet. Only of late, colours have been added, "Because I thought, depiction of nature can't be done without colours," says Darshan. Also peculiar about his sketches is the face of mother nature. The landscapes have mountains on either sides and a stream flowing between them, "The streams are in the shape of fantasized face of mother nature as it forms the bond between the two monstrous mountains." A sketch has a face of poet Rabindra Nath Tagore, as he was a nature lover too. His sketching technique is similar to miniature form of painting, which focuses on minute details like the shape of leaves, branches and the stem of trees. Gurleen Kaur's work is more elaborative. She has used mixed media to paint nature. Most of the works are illustrations of quotations from Gurbani. "Nature and spirituality are intertwined. It's natural for a nature lover to be spiritual as he understands that there's some mystical behind every creation," says Gurleen. The paintings, without any quotation, contain a message too. In a work, she has painted fish in water, which she explains as, "Our bond with the almighty should be as strong as that of fish with water. Also the fish painted are of the angel species, which might go extinct if enough measures are not taken to conserve them." But she has focused more on the Gurbani. Her work titled, Sahas Tav Nan has numerous eyes painted with green in the backdrop, "The colour is synonymous with mother nature. The message of the painting is that god through the eyes of all organisms sees the world. He thus has many eyes to appreciate the beauty of nature". — Ashima Sehajpal (On till April 4) |
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Something new
Giovani, the brand was launched in the year 2001 by M.K Dhir, the managing director of Dhir group, made its foray into Chandigarh on Friday with the launch of its first showroom in Sector 17. Giovani garments are in sensual colors like coral, white, lavender, and beige, blue, brown and black.
There is a great many variations of prints, ranging from symmetrical to a renewal of the floral prints giving the garments a sexy and sophisticated touch and feel. —
TNS |
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BonAppetit I think fools are one of the most appropriately named desserts! One goes madly foolish just looking at them! — Anonymous Kandla Nijhowne All Fool's Day just passed us by so I cant resist talking about fools.....the 'fools' we love! Ridiculous as it may sound, fools are desserts where fresh fruit and cream are enhanced and given a face-lift, resulting in a gorgeous looking dream! To someone uninitiated, the name would be mind-boggling! Imagine being asked, "Would you care for a fool?" Surely you would reply," No thanks, I'd rather settle for someone wise...err....more cerebral!" The term 'fool' is believed to have originated from the French word 'fouler' which means 'to mash' or 'to press'. Fruit is pureed or mashed, then sweetened, chilled, and finally folded into stiffly beaten whipped cream. For a special rippled-effect, there should be streaks of the white cream showing where the fruit has not been completely folded into the whipped cream. You can reduce the calorie tag by substituting some or all of the cream with custard or hung curds. Let me warn you....The resulting fool will neither be as delicious nor as foolish! There are a few things to keep in mind when making fruit fools. When you use seasonal fresh fruit, there is no way of knowing, without tasting, the exact amount of sugar needed. So, make sure you taste the sweetened puree and adjust the sugar as needed. The same is true for the cream when you mix the puree with the whipped cream. Taste and adjust the sugar and add more if needed, before whirling the two together. The cream should be only whipped to a thick stage without being allowed to go too voluminous or 'flouncy'. Fools are best showcased when served in a long-stemmed wine glass, garnished with fresh fruit. Then they may be termed fools but will decidedly look a showstopper! Gooseberry Fool (Rassbhari)
1-2 tbsp melted butter 200 gm fresh gooseberries 2 tbsp water 100-130 gm powdered sugar 1cup double cream, whipped Method Chop and place the gooseberries in a saucepan along with the water. Cover and simmer gently for 10 to 15 minutes, until very soft. At the end of that time, stir in half the sugar, and then use your stick blender (my preferred method) to blend them into a puree. Alternately, pop them into your regular blender and puree roughly. Taste and add more sugar if necessary. Leave aside to cool completely, or pop in the fridge to chill it faster. Whip the cream with the leftover sugar and check for sweetness. Mix the gingernut crumbs and the butter together. Scatter some buttered crumbs into the bottom of six stemmed glasses. Spoon half of the fool over top of each. Sprinkle another layer of crumbs over this and then the remaining half of the gooseberry mixture. Top with a final layer of gingernut crumbs. Chill until completely cold. Serve to six lucky people. Listen to the ooohs and
ahhhs! Strawberry Fool
(reserve a few pieces for garnish) ½-¾ cup powdered sugar 300 gm heavy cream A little grated chocolate for garnish Method Wash the strawberries and de-husk them (remove the stem and green sepals). Chop roughly and add to a pot with a few tablespoons of sugar. Heat gently and bring to a boil. No water is required, as the natural juices of the strawberries will be sufficient. Stir regularly with a wooden spoon as they begin to break down. Do not attempt to mash further! Some chunky bits in the puree will add a little bit of bite and character to the finished dish. Remove from the fire and allow the puree to cool completely. In the meanwhile, whip the cream with some of the sugar till thick. Adjust the sugar quantity if needed. Gently fold in the strawberry puree, being careful not to lose the trapped air from the cream. Serve well chilled, garnished with some sliced strawberries and maybe a sprig of fresh mint. |
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Egypt on menu
If you can't dance like an Egyptian, then at least eat like one. Well, that was the point students of the School of Hospitality and Resort Management Singapore (India Campus) had in mind while organising the Egyptian Food Festival on their campus. And their guide to the culinary tour was an Egyptian chef who helped them prepare a lavish four-course menu based on Egyptian ingredients and recipes.
The special cuisine included essential Egyptian delicacies like Amush Buss, Laban Shorba, D'jez Souvalaki, Kufta Bi Fama,, Taigen Firakh and Basbussa: chicken stuffed with rice and veggies served with Pita bread et al. Egyptian Food Festival is just one of the events organised by SHRM to give the students an opportunity to practice in an international environment, working with chefs and guests from all over the world. And it was the first time that Chandigarh got the taste of the cuisine, which is a blend of Mediterranean, North-African and Arab traditions. It was complimented by some Egyptian music as well. —
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100 gm gingernut biscuits, crushed
250 gm fresh strawberries