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Getting bossy?
Vishal, the dada of the show, ensures that every step taken by the contestants is nothing short of a walk through the hell. If you think sobs and tears can do any good, people you are dealing with someone called Vishal! In the city to talk about Dadagiri 4, Boys Vs Girls, the anchor of the show, suave-looking Amit Tandon and bad, bad dada Vishal talk about the show and what intimidation can do. They
call him Vishal dada
We try hard to scout the intimidating factor in
this guy standing on the podium. We've seen him shout, mudsling, shout
and illtreat contestants on his show. He is known to break the toughest
of contestants with his 'no-nonsense' looks, designed for the show.
Vishal, the dada of Dadagiri 4, laughs, jokes around sans any stiff
muscle. Intimidating, are you kidding? He twitches his eyebrows,
"Do I look scary." Oh, are you trying to scare! "Maybe,
he laughs, fear is the heart and strength lies in attitude and
character. I am a no-nonsense man, I am good to people who are good and
I hit back if I am treated that way. Yes, I can be intimidating,"
Vishal wants us to be clear on this point. No messing around, we can
hear it loud and clear. So do the contestants on the show. "Well,
this time Dadagiri 4 has less abuses and more sarcasm." More
sarcasm, awesome! "You wouldn't believe last time many contestants
touched my feet for they believed that without my shouting, screaming
and insulting them, they couldn't have delivered their best," says
Vishal, who is everything but conventional. "I am extempore and
spontaneous in life, which is what I like about Dadagiri. I don't have
to think what to say or how to say. I am given a graph about what the
show wants, but rest is left to me," adds Dada. Full-on
mud-slinging and insulting, the show will have loads of it. We wonder
how much is too much for Vishal, but youngsters don't understand as long
as they are not pushed or instigated to do something. "Instigation
is a tactic to get the best out of us, it works well most of the
times." (Please do not overrule the exceptions). From shouting and
screaming to subtle things - acting. Vishal is not too happy with his
debut in the movie Kaminey. "It is a case of once bitten, twice
shy. I want to do a role, which has some scope of acting. I am not stuck
up on lead roles, but a unconventional genre is what I can best relate
to." Sing along
He is a suave-looking man getting ready for a
battle, a battle that will bring him face-to-face with his own toughness
of character. How far can he stretch himself, how far can he go? Amit
Tandon, who made his debut on television as an aspiring singer on Indian
Idol is ready to rock the world. This time as an anchor for Dadagiri 4.
"I was excited about being on the show that has youngsters fighting
it out. I can relate to their fears and ambitions, yet I feel I cannot
relate to them," says Amit with a streak of maturity in attitude
and talk. jasmine@tribunemail.com |
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World of words
"My father was horrified to see my illegible handwriting. So he asked me to fill five pages in a good hand. I couldn't bring myself to repeat the same sentence each time so I started to weave words in a way to capture the flights of fancy," Manav Sachdeva Maasoom, flashes back to "how words became his world." The Sufi's Garland, his debut book published on the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, is a Fakir's weave of words in poetry. The book is due for a February release in India and the rest as they is history (or rather geography) as far as the inspiration behind the endeavour goes. "I grew up in Ludhiana till I was 14. After that it has been a roller coaster of going to the US and coming back to India," says the US-based author He adds, "The book is something I have been working on since the age of eleven, but it was in Kabul that it all came together — the name, the edits, the dancing sounds of children playing on God's streets; the inspiration behind The Sufi's Garland is buried in the beautiful soil of Afghanistan. It is easier to write with all the changes that Kabul has gone through." Needless to say, the stony hills of Afghanistan form the backdrop. Anything that he's currently working on? "I'm working on several books. Some are in Urdu, some in Punjabi, while some are in English. Mostly they are in the form of poetry." Just like the words of poetry! manpriya@tribunemail.com
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UTV Bindass is confident that this new offering of Dadagiri will only add another distinguished feather to their cap of innovative programming and have the nation cheering in front of their television sets. The season 4 begins on January 15. Dadagiri 4 also brings a new twist to the show - a revenge task where the team winning the main task can take revenge on their opponents.
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The mystique of fog
When Bheem Malhotra painted the roads, the trees and
the landscape against fog in watercolours, he too could see the
proverbial difficulty associated with the fog. “Fog is difficult to
capture in watercolours, you have to achieve maximum effect with minimum
strokes. Also, you cannot see and hence visualisation becomes
challenging, but the effect of light and shade it involves makes any
object assume an altogether different meaning.” He adds, “The idea
to do a series on fog came from the ordinary landscape around us. When
you go for a morning walk in winter, fog is all you see. Every object
appears a little obscure and unlike.” A photograph, a picture, a
poem or a painting, there’s a world of art waiting to be dedicated to
the nature’s veil. The mountains, the hills, pine, oaks, the fog lends
a topography to the photography. No wonder an online group is
exclusively for photographers who share a passion to shoot in the fog or
mist. “You look at an object without fog, ordinarily you might not
even stop to look at it, but with the presence of this hazy element it
assumes a completely different connotation,” shares Surinder Mohan
Dhami, who clicked the countryside in all its richness in black and
white hues, and against the set-up of fog. “In the countryside, fog
plays an even important role. It changes the landscape completely. This
is because you do not see any disturbing elements in the presence of
fog.” Somewhat similar thoughts were penned down by TS Eliot in the
‘Morning at the Window’. He talks of the brown fog tossing up
twisted faces from the bottom of the street. Among the significant
works on fog are French impressionist painter Claude Oscar Monet’s
Waterloo Bridge, which showcases the effects of sunlight in the fog.
Also his London Parliament brings out the dynamism of the structure
surrounded by white haze. There’s also a whole range of fog-inspired
art auctioned online; prints of a morning clearing up, of January fog
and cloudy trees. Shares Bheem Malhotra, “Some people say fog has an
inherent quality attached to it. While others say it has a mystery
element to it because it creates a distinct mood.” Agrees Surinder
Dhami, “There’s a mystery about fog. When you’re in such an
environment, you feel you are alone and there’s no one else.”
Perhaps, exactly what Ben Hecht meant when he wrote, “I see a lot of
fog and few lights; I like it when life’s hidden. It gives you a
chance to imagine nice things, nicer than they are.” manpriya@tribunemail.com |
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Canine tricks
For Sonu, the hardwork has paid, but rolling back in time he sees the whole training exercise as a collective effort. “I understand Buddy and he recognises the whole effort,” shares Sonu sharing a few tips on training pets for dog shows. Every pet is not meant to run and beat it out in a dog show. “This is the biggest misconception with pet owners. They think every pet is cut out for a show. So, they end up spending money on the dog and also putting undue pressure on the creature.” According to Sonu, who also runs a pet show and kennel club, Sheena Pet Shop in Sector-22, “First make sure for what purpose you need the pet. If you have decided to take it for shows, then go in for a good breed of dog. Kennel Club India issues certificates that carry the name of the breeder, the complete details of the dog and its entire lineage,” says Sonu.
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Sweet something
Jaggery or what we popularly call gur is made of sugarcane and palm tree; an ingredient that is used in sweet and savoury dishes across the country. Used appreciably in Karnataka and Gujarati cuisine, gur is even added to dals in these areas to balance the spicy, salty and sour contents. Maharashtrian dishes too include gur, especially during the Makar Sankranti. And, in rural Maharashtra, water and jaggery are offered to the people on their arrival. The famous dish puran poli is made of jaggery. For apna Punjab, a dalli of gur is a must-have after meals. Talking from the health point of view, gur scroes over cream-filled and chocalate layered desserts. Considering the goddness of gur, this week we get for you a receipe of Gur ka Parantha from Master Chef Abdul Salam Qureshi from Page 3's restaurnat Kebab Khan in Panchkula. Before listing the ingredients and the method of cooking this dessert, let's intoduce you to Chef Abdul Salam Qureshi who has invented this dish. Into this profession since 1972, Chef Qureshi learnt the nuances of cooking from his father and grandfather. He says, "Cooking is in my blood. I come from a family of khansamas." Having worked in various restaurnats across the country and Singapore, Qureshi is the grand master for Kebab Khan, a chain of restuarants. All for innovations, he says, "In this business, one needs to be innovative. We have to change the menu every six-months. So, we keep trying new recipes. And one of the latest invention is Gur Ka Parantha."
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Bon Appetit
Moroccan-style chicken
hot-pot
4 carrots, peeled 4 zucchinis 1 large onion 1 cup corn 4
cloves garlic, diced 200 gm mushrooms 1 small head broccoli 1 small
cauliflower 4 chicken breasts 3 tbsp oil 5 cups chicken stock. ½
tsp each rosemary and oregano 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar Salt and
pepper to taste 1 cup tomato puree (optional) ½ cup grated parmesan
cheese (optional) Method Cut the onion, carrots and zucchini into
large chunks. Break up the broccoli and cauliflower into florets. Halve
the mushrooms. Cut the chicken into 1inch dice. In a large-sized deep
pan, toss the garlic into 2 tbsp of hot oil and stir briefly. Add onions
and cook for 1-2 minutes. Follow with carrots, zucchini and the florets.
Stir briefly before adding the softer veggies ie mushrooms and corn. In
a separate pan, heat 1 tbsp oil and sear the chicken pieces, adding a
pinch of salt and the dried herbs. Tip these contents into the larger
pot along with the stock and seasoning. If you prefer a tangy dish, add
the tomato puree at this stage. Cook on low heat or transfer into a
casserole and bake in a moderate oven till the veggies and chicken are
tender. Top with grated cheese before serving. |
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There are three things that a battlefield does not
permit - no ifs and buts, no time to turn back and absolutely zilch
scope of losing focus. In case you don't follow instructions…you are
gone, history in matter of seconds. As simple as it sounds, the rules of
the game are simple - do or die. The rules haven't changed, whether it
is battlefield or the grounds of Dadagiri 4, the reality game show
starting on UTV Bindaas. Prepare for the best and expect the
worst!
His first story came about as an exercise in
cursive writing, and has as much of a history behind it as the poems
that he weaved from then onwards.
UTV Bindass Boys Vs Girls with Dadagiri 4 is a show where the girls
rough it up with the boys on a level playing. Starkly different from the
previous seasons, this year the channel pits them against each other to
survive the wildest challenges thrown by the opponents. The two teams
will be competing with each other in numerous tasks, breaking
stereotypes, busting myths and re-writing age-old norms.
Fog is a chance subject, not available like the
twilight or the sunshine. For some it blurs what you see, for others it
brings out whatever little you see; brings out the elements unknown,
lends a mystic touch and reveals the beauty hitherto hidden in a point
of view. Of all the things obscured by fog, art is certainly not one.
For, the Red Fort clicked against the backdrop of Delhi fog will
accentuate the monument, as also give an idea of the terrain where
it’s situated.
You had to see Buddy’s face, he was jumping with
joy. My dear Buddy, he is a real champion,” smiles Sonu, as he pats
his Lhasa Apso, Buddy, who has won the best breed award in various dog
shows at Kanpur, Lucknow, Dehradun, Amritsar, Mohali, Gurgaon, Shimla
and Mohali. Buddy has also won six awards for ‘Best In Show’.
The cold wave doth blow in all its severity.....! My husband has been
dragging a very unwilling me for a walk on most frosty days and I have
been digging my heels in, almost like a dog on a leash! Who wants to
trudge around with numb fingers, frozen toes, teeth chattering like
castanets and a runny nose that's threatening to snap off? The chill
outside results in a rumble in the belly and a desire to curl up and
munch on foods that are hearty, filling and high in kilojoules. Food is
the foundation of the body and it has the most amazing effects on our
system ... . In the winter when the outside temperature is dropping, we
need specific foods, which have an intrinsic ability to warm the body.
Here are some personal sensible favourites: