WEEKLY MAGAZINE, SEPTEMBER 25, 2011Free with your copy of Hindustan Times

GET SET FOR THENEW STYLE SEASON WITH THE HOTTESTTRENDS FROM INDIA AND ABROAD

Man hater I AM certainly no misogynist but MsGoswami (Spectator, 18 September) iscertainly a man-baiter, if not altogethera man-hater, writing as she so oftendoes about ‘unreconstructed’ males(whatever that means, as this word isnot reflected in the standard dictionar-ies). Indeed, workplaces do have‘whingers’, but how is she so certainthey are only males? Must be her femi-nine intuition at work – or, rather morelikely, her bias. The take on Lothariosseems ripped off from a smutty comicbook; it is so antiquated and irrelevant.Today’s normal working women are nopushovers to be targeted by suchmales; nor are workplaces so unprofes-sional as to condone such social ex-cesses. It is equally ridiculous to treatmost women as flirts. Surely, womenreaders have a right to register theirstrong protest against such stereo-types. The writer remains on track withher I-hate-men focus by undeservedlysuggesting that suck-ups and slackerssimply have to be men. Men andwomen in the workplace have movedon. Regrettably, methinks the ladywrites from a time warp.

— RAJ MEHTA, via email

Worried sick MIGNONNE D’SOUZA in her story(Doctor My Child is Sick, 18 Septem-ber) is absolutely right in stating thatparents are more confused these daysthan their older contemporaries. It is afact that because they are small andhave a lower level of immunity, kids dofall sick often but it is up to the parentsto not panic and rush to the paediatri-cian every time their child sneezes,whether it’s because of a cold or other-wise. The time has come for parents notto put their children, their doctor andthemselves in a state of panic by creat-ing unnecessary stress even whenthere is none.

— G K ARORA, New Delhi

Beyond cricketI REALLY enjoyed your cover story onF1 (Race The Wind, 18 September). Itwas good to read about a sport that is-n’t cricket. And it was also good toknow that filmmaker Asif Kapadia hasmade such a wonderful documentaryon Ayrton Senna. Actually, Senna isone of my heroes, and I am dying to seethe film. You mentioned it will be shownduring the F1 weekend. Any ideawhere?

— AVINASH, New Delhi

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Riz Rehman Rajiv Makhni , no weare not entering the dark age of tech-nology, we can see more light at theend of tunnel.

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Rohini Murthy Seema goswamisure has a knack to convert evenmundane topics into interestingone...Brunch ...u have an amazingset of columnists like seema, rajivetc..Great going team Brunch!

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Cover design: Ashutosh Sapru, Photo: Raj K RajLocation: Aman, New Delhi, Lodhi Road, Styling: Parul KhannaTewari, Models: Vani and Mohit, Courtesy: Elite Model Management,Girl: Wendell Rodricks dress from Ensemble; Zara jacket, Guy: Zara

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Get a complete lowdown onhow the Fall fashions from therunways are going to shape yourwardrobe in the coming season.

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SPRING INTOFALL 18Glide through thechange asSummer turns toFall with ourguide to transi-tion fashion.

PERSONAL AGENDA 22

Girl: Rishta Black wide-legged pants from Ensemble,Zara bustier and jacket. Guy: Armani bandgala jacketand Polo Ralph Lauren pants from The Collective

INDULGELIVE

Public Figures; Private LivesIt’s time to make the case for privacy, associal media creates personas for us all

DRINK

Wine’s Cheat SheetHotels charge what they think the marketcan bear. There is no set formula.

PLAY

A Deadly Case Of UpgradeitisOn my self-inflicted home theatre rebuildjourney, here’s what I’ve learned so far

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All Mixed Up (And Boxed In)If you grew up in the Seventies or wishyou had, download this mixtape – now!

SEPTEMBER 25, 20116 HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE

NOW THAT SUMMER’S OVER AND WINTER IS ALMOST HERE, WE BRING YOU THE BEST OF WINTER FASHION FROMINDIAN RUNWAYS. CHECK OUT THE TOP TEN TRENDS YOU’LL BE WEARING LATER THIS YEAR BY YASHICA DUTT

MORE ORANGEY THAN EVERTangy, fiery and adding just the right amount of zing to your Fall wardrobe,this hue found favour like fire on the Indian runways. With designers eitheropening (Hemant & Nandita) or closing (Namrata Joshipura) with orange, even the most staid collections relied on it for vibrance. Be it KallolDatta whose eclectic collection had a set of asymmetrical jacket andshorts in orange or Anand Kabra’s luxurious drape top, Shantanu & Nikhil’scolumn dresses or Tarun Tahiliani’s cheery sari, everyone wanted a piece.Try out a bright scarf or wear an orange tee under a sheer shirt.

3D AND CUT-OUTSThe other realm remained afavourite with many de-signers as they exploredconical wooden corsets (Alpana & Neeraj), Japan-ese embroidered basketskirts (Pankaj & Nidhi),plastic and synthetic em-bellishments (Ritesh Ku-mar), floral and colour-clashing cut-outs (ZubairKirmani and Rahul Reddy),and tight surface coils(Anand Bhushan). The fo-cus shifts from shoulderpads to the surface, be itjackets or dresses, andwe suggest you pair adramatic separate witha neutral one or pickthe wearable Namrata Joshipura cuboidskirts.

am:pm

Gaurav Gupta

TUNIC OVER SKIRT: Seen at allmajor shows from Sabyasachi toAnamika Khanna, this cleverstyling tip will leave you cosy andothers gasping. But it works onlywhen done with two oppositeprints or materials. Otherwise thelook could fall flat.

VISIBLE ZIPPERS: Nowthis trend demands yourfull attention. Varun Bahl, Walnut by Nidhi & Divya Gambhir, ShivajiDutta and Anamika Kha-nna all showed their zipsupfront.

OPEN SECRETS OFRUNWAY STYLING

Don’t just get yourfoot in the fashiondoor, have it heldopen when youstyle the way prosdo it

Pankaj & Nidhi

Alpana & Neeraj

Zubair Kirmani

Shantanu & Nikhil

ANDROGYNYFirst they wanted you tosteal your boyfriend’s jack-et, his trousers, shoes andhats. Now it seems theywant you to be him. Well,add your twist to a man’swardrobe, that is. Snakingin from previous seasons,the androgynous trendtakes a feminine curve withwide-legged palazzo pantsand saris paired withwaistcoats (Tarun Tahilianiand Abraham & Thakore),fitted waistcoats (RohitGandhi & Rahul Khanna),leather pants and boots(Varun Bahl and RajeshPratap Singh), sharp blaz-ers and button-down col-umn dresses (RuchikaSachdeva) and fabulouslytailored coats and pants byArjun Saluja. Time to turnDude Looks Like a Lady onits head with a well-fittedpin stripe blazer if youplease.

This straightforwardmonotone combinationhad at least a billion in-terpretations on the Indi-an ramps this Fall (okay,not billion, but not farfrom it either), not unliketheir international coun-terparts. From vintagehoundstooth (Abraham &Thakore) to the silkgraphics of Rahul Mishra,the pixelated hotness ofRajesh Pratap Singh ormesmerising sweetnessof am:pm by Ankur &Priyanka Modi, everyoneand their assistantseemed keen on fittingout at least one model inthis classic permutation.So either layer a blackscarf with the very popu-lar white dress of lastSummer or just pull thatskinny black skirt and acrisp white shirt fromyour closet and you’regood to go.

BLACK WHITE&

SHIMMY THAT SHIMMERBefore you go all Lil’ Wayne (a bling-obsessed hip-hopstar) on us, let us warn you, we don’t mean bling foryou, your teeth and your dog. All we are suggesting isthe warm, muted and tasteful shimmer that justabout glittered on most runways this Fall. The earthygold of Abraham & Thakore and Rohit Gandhi & RahulKhanna or the muted blue fish scales of AtsuSekhose, the sheen of wires and cables of RimzimDadu, the holographic sheen at Rajesh Pratap Singhand the typical gold-vaganza of Rina Dhaka. There’senough fodder for you to oscillate between a blingedout Christmas tree to a red carpet siren, dependingon your mood.

Rahul MishraRajesh Pratap Singh

Neeru Kumar

Rimzim Dadu

Atsu Sekhose

Varun Bahl

SEPTEMBER 25, 2011HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE 7

Abraham & Thakore

Ruchika Sachdeva

Arjun Saluja

SEPTEMBER 25, 20118 HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE

DON’T HIDE, ACCESSORISE!It's the age of the risk-taker this season, so if you want to sport Lennon-esque glasses (Arjun Khanna), slip into transparent shoes (Karan Johar with Varun Bahl), team canvas shoes with a formal suit (Abhishek Gupta),don a bright floral turban, (Sabyasachi Mukherjee), tie a stone buckle beltover your shirt (Tarun Tahiliani) or carry a cross body bag (Abraham &Thakore), you can! And did we forget the hat? Ashish Soni (bowler), Sanchita Ajampur (fedora) and Arjun Khanna (cloche) demand you wearone while you’re at it.

CROPPED/ANKLE-LENGTH PANTSThe reckless dandy is in town and doesn’t give two hoots before cuffing his well-cut pantsand showing some ankle. Finally making a debut on the Indian ramp, this extremely populartrend showed up at Sanjay Hingu, Krishna Mehta, Tarun Tahiliani and Abraham & Thakore’srunways. Time to roll ’em up boys, but do make sure you are wearing safe socks.

Rajesh Pratap Singh

Sabyasachi MukherjeeAtsu Sekhose

Sanchita Ajampur

Arjun Khanna

Abraham & Thakore

PRINTED LEGGINGS:When layering summerdresses with leggings,make sure you get stylish printed leggingsas shown by TanviKedia, Prama Pandeyand Ritu Kumar.

WILD CHILD: Forget leop-ards, it is pythons whichare ruling the urban jun-gle. A must-have eitheras a clutch, scarf, bootieor dress. Cue: RahulAnand and Anushka Lal’sand Jatin Verma’s lines.

SHORT KURTIS: They arehigher and sleeker. Pair aruffled one with a skirtlike VJ Balhara or do it asPayal Singhal did, with apatiala. Loosen the fit ifyou aren’t blessed with amodel’s body!

SKIRTS THAT GO THELENGTH: Hemlines aregenerous and not at allboring. Mid-length likeAtsu Sekhose and RahulMishra or in full flow likeAneeth Arora andDrashta, your pick.

SHAWLS: Guys, don’tshy away from lookingthe sensitive poet.Loosely drape it onone shoulder (TarunTahiliani) or go forrich variety (Shantanu& Nikhil).

VELVET DREAMSIf you’re thinking of the column dress of the’90s that would hug every embarrassingcurve or its lower cousin from the 2000s,shaneel, which we only recently got rid of,then you couldn’t be more wrong. Velvet isback this season, and as luxurious as it de-serves to be. It’s rich and burgundy in aSabyasachi sari and regally purple in a Ra-jesh Pratap Singh duster coat; has a beltedvintage structure in Atsu Sekhose’s collec-tion and is gloriously ruffled in an YvesKlein blue Gaurav Gupta jacket. Pick yourpoisons at one go or start with a slim waist-coat for baby steps, that’s your call.

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COLOURSPLASHGovinda with his redpants and yellow shirtsmight have scarred youfor life. That is why we’retaking it slow this time.Pair a neutral hue with abright colour, like a pinkT-shirt with an all-whitesuit (Ashish N Soni) orgo inside out if you darewith a bright suit andwhite tee (Rohit Gandhi& Rahul Khanna andKaran Johar with VarunBahl). You can even trycoloured pants but remember to pair themwisely like SanchitaAjampur with a printedtee and a blazer in a solid hue. And if you stillneed more time for therapy, we suggest youstart with bright socksor a coloured pocketsquare as Ashish Sonishowed.

SEPTEMBER 25, 2011HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE 9

MAD ABOUT PLAIDSexy woodcutters unite! Nothing else is more remi-niscent of sinewy arms and all-male ruggedness thangood ol’ plaid. While you might still have it lyingaround from the early ’90s, we suggest you look at theall-print suits (Troy Costa), riding pants (Arjun Khan-na), low-key shirts (Rajesh Pratap Singh), relaxedblazers (Sanchita Ajampur), kurtas (Rajvi Mohan) andstylish trousers (Manoviraj Khosla,Ankita & Anjana Bhargavaand Abhishek Gupta)that are going to be arage come Fall. That oldfashioned charm willwork like magic on theladies, believe us.

Sanjay Hingu

Shantanu & Nikhil

Krishna Mehta

Rohit Gandhi & Rahul Khanna

Ashish N Soni

Abhishek Gupta

Troy Costa

Sanjay Hingu

Manoviraj Khosla

SEPTEMBER 25, 2011HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE10

SKIRTSIf hemlines (a usefulbarometer of the state ofthe West’s economy) areto be believed, there is ut-ter chaos in the world.This Winter, skirts of alllengths (the youthfulmini, knee-level pencil,mid-calf midi and toe-touching maxi) and kinds(pleated, flouncy, plain,printed, A-line, fitted,high-waisted, long withthigh-high slits) are domi-nating the imaginations ofdesigners. At ChristianDior, Ted Baker, Tom Fordand Alexander McQueen’sshows, skirts made acomeback, replacingdresses. Chloe gave thepencil skirt a funkyleather makeover. TTiipp: Pair flouncy with fit-ted and soften the leatherand fitted skirts’ austerelook with soft blouses.Wear the trendy thin belt.

JEWEL TONESWhat neons were to this Summer, jeweltones are to this Winter. In Summer, theentry of bright neons was a clear indicationthat the recession-inspired depression ofgreys and browns was finally over. And thatmood hasn’t changed. This season, rich jewel shades dominatedmost designers’ collections, includingChristopher Kane, Diane von Furstenberg,Chanel, Versace, Yves Saint Laurent, EmilioPucci, Carolina Herrera, Ralph Lauren, Guc-ci, Brioni and even Christian Louboutin.Dresses, jackets, skirts, denims and evenaccessories were flaunted in emeraldgreen, scarlet ruby, blue turquoise, topazyellow, purple amethyst – all colours signi-fying opulence. If you’ve got it, show it.TTiipp:: There’s rich and there’s silly. If you’regoing jewel, wear only one colour at a time.

POLKASThe wacky, colourful polkas of the ’60s areback. But this time, they are sombre, ele-gant and very classic chic. Polka dots are demure and feminine inwhite or black. Marc Jacobs had tiny dotson jackets, Stella McCartney had sheer polka dresses, Diane von Furstenberg, YvesSaint Laurent and even Gucci did the polka. TTiipp:: Never wear polkas on polkas. Stick toone kind.

TURTLENECKSLast season the turtleneck made a blink-and-you-miss-it appearance on the run-ways, but this time the trend is here tostay. Designers Roberto Cavalli, MaisonMartin Margiela, Calvin Klein and Her-mès all had turtlenecks in their collec-tions. They mainly layered them beneathsmart blazers and classic suit coats,overcoats and leather jackets. As witheverything else in fashion this year, theturtlenecks went from staid and safeblacks, greys and blues to becomingstatement shades. TTiipp:: Avoid heavy knit turtlenecks(though these are trendy too) if you arenot skinny. They’ll just bulk you up. Optfor thin cashmeres or knits that will al-low you to slip on a blazer, overcoat oreven a denim jacket. Turtlenecks have aformal appeal. You can also wear themwith a suit and leave out the tie.

Hermès

Versace

Gucci

THE MOOD WAS UPBEAT, THE CLOTHES CELEBRATORY, THE DESIGNS NEW. INTERNATIONALLY, FASHION WASWEARABLE AND FUN. LOOK. CHOOSE. COPY BY PARUL KHANNA TEWARI

Givenchy

Christian Dior

Stella McCartney

Gucci

PHOTO: AFP

PHOT

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LOOSETAILORINGThis is great news for allthose who didn’t knowwhat to do with with thoseuber tight, crotch huggingskinnies that hogged thelimelight until now. Andalso for those who, un-der duress, were aboutto succumb to the pressures of the natu-rally slim and lean. Theskinnies are still hot,but a parallel trend ofloose tailoring andloose pants was seenon the ramps. De-signers experimentedwith pants fitted at thewaist, relaxed at the thighsand crotch, and pleated. De-signers Dolce & Gabbanashowed loose pants, Vivi-enne Westwood had pleatedpants, and Jill Sander, Er-manno Scervino and Her-mès had variations of thesilhouette. TTiipp:: This is a versatile trendand one that would suitmost body types. Thesepants work great with a full-sleeved body hugging sweatshirt as well as with a loose plaid coat.Wear a belt to add definitionto your silhouette.

VELVETIt's been a favourite fabric withthe designers for women’s wear,but this season a whole lot ofthem used velvet in their men’scollections too. Velvet suits,sports jackets and a classic coatin the fabric were showcased byDolce & Gabbana, Corneliani,Alexander McQueen, Etro, TomFord, Bottega Veneta, Cavalli,Gucci and Lanvin. While theclassic greys and blacks wereevident, there were also the newrich greens, burgundys, maroonsand deep blues. TIP: A velvet suit (as shown inthe pic) is not an ‘everyone cantry’ option. A smartly tailoredvelvet jacket is safer.

Roberto Cavalli

Lanvin

Dolce & Gabbana

Vivienne Westwood

PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES

SO, ONCE more we return to that old chestnut: are public fig-ures entitled to keep their private lives private? This time,the question is prompted by recent media reports on the stateof a chief minister’s marriage. So relentless was the specu-

lation and so vicious some of the rumour-mongering that the chiefminister had no choice but to issue a statement to set the recordstraight – which, of course, only gave a further fillip to the coverage.Now all the newspapers which had ignored the story ran holier-than-thou pieces on how the fine line between public and private lives hadbeen transgressed by the media – quite ignoring the fact that theywere just as guilty.

I am aware that I am laying myself open to such criticism as well,but now that the issue is on the top of most people’s minds, I think it’sworth risking opprobrium to make a few points.

And so, back to our question: are public figures entitled to privatelives? Well, there’s no easy ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer to that one. But thereare some rules that the Indian media have, on the whole, adhered toall these years. And for the most part, they have served us well.

First up, there has always been a clear distinction between how wetreat politicians and other people in the public life. Film stars, mod-els, singers, sports stars have always had their love lives scrutinised,their marriages and affairs reported, their break-ups gossiped about.But politicians and, to some extent, businessmen have always beengranted a measure of privacy as far as their love lives are concerned.

And no, there was no double standard at work here. The logic wasthat film stars and other entertainment celebrities had no problems dis-cussing their private lives in their interviews. They happily talked abouttheir boyfriends/husbands, dished the dirt on their break-ups, andannounced their engagements/weddings with much fanfare (think JohnAbraham and Bipasha Basu or Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya). Sogiven that they themselvesopened the door to theirhomes, in a manner of speak-ing, they had no right to com-plain if we all turned intoPeeping Toms.

But when it came topoliticians, the game wasplayed according todifferent rules. Aslong as politiciansdidn’t bring theirwives and familiesinto the publicdomain, we steeredclear of reporting ontheir private lives, nomatter how tangledthey might be. As longas their private livesdidn’t impact on howthey performed theirpublic duties, wetook the line that itwas no one’s busi-ness but their own whothey did or did not sleepwith. In other words, if a

politician was dating someone, it wasn’t a legitimate news story. If hisgirlfriend was using him to make money, well then it was.

In this respect, the India media took their cue from the French pressrather than the rabid British tabloid culture, which has made a fetishout of dabbling in the stuff of other people’s souls. We may have knownfull well which minister was having an affair, which one was unhap-pily married, which one was homosexual; but we chose not to reportthis on the grounds that none of this was in the slightest bit relevant.

All of this seems to be changing now. The old rules are in the processof being junked as the tabloidisation of our media continues apace.Now, it seems that even mainstream publications have no problemrunning speculative stories about the private lives of politicians, all ofthem brimming over with unproven rumours and unverified gossip.

And that, if you ask me, is a pity.The argument used to carry such stories goes roughly like this.

Anyone who enters public life should get used to the concept of pub-lic scrutiny at all times. If you are a public figure, well, then your entirelife should be lived out in public. And the public has the right to takean interest in whatever part of your life they see fit. In other words,public interest is defined as anything that the public is interested in.

To see just how dangerous this concept this, just extrapolate it out-wards to include all those who exist on the fringes of public life. Andin this age of social media, that would include you, me and all the sev-eral thousand people who follow you on Twitter or read your blog.

To that extent, most of us are public figures now because we havea presence on social media networks and platforms. Journalists, blog-gers and just regular folk who like to post their wisdom on Facebookor Twitter – all of us have created public personas for ourselves. Weare constantly blogging and tweeting about our spouses, our kids,where we went on holiday, what we ate. And in that sense, we are

opening the door to our pri-vate lives on a public forum.

But in doing so, have weforfeited all our rights to pri-vacy? Are our private livesfair game as well? Shouldour marital problems bepublished on Facebook forall to see and snigger at?Should our divorces becometrending topics on Twitter?Should our shouting match-es with spouses/partnersbe posted on YouTube for

the amusement of theworld?

If your answer to anyof the questions aboveis a horrified ‘no’ thenthink long and hardbefore you dip into astory about a chief min-ister’s marital problems.There, but for the graceof God, go you...

seema_ht@rediffmail.com.Follow Seema on Twitter attwitter.com/seemagoswami

SeemaGoswami

indulge

12

It’s time to make the case for privacy, as social media creates public personas for us all

live | sip | play | listen

LOVE TO HATEShould our marital

problems be publishedon Facebook? Shouldour divorces become

trending topics onTwitter?

spec

tato

rPublic Figures; Private Lives

PHOT

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EUTE

RSOPEN SECRETSFilm stars like John Abraham and Bipasha Basu and Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya had no problems discussing their private lives in their interviews

HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 25, 2011

Vir Sanghvi

indulge live | sip | play | listen

IHAVE MY ex-boss to thank for this piece. It happened thisway. I was sitting at the Orient Express having a quiet fami-ly dinner when I noticed that the restaurant’s staff was buzzingaround a VIP table at the end of the restaurant.

It turned out to be Aveek Sarkar, who paid my salary till 1999(when I left ABP and joined the HT), along with TN Ninan (anoth-er ex-employee of Aveek’s who now heads Business Standard), ChikiSarkar (Aveek’s daughter who has just been appointed head ofPenguin – on her own merits, though Penguin India is also part ofAveek’s empire) and Nandan Nilekani (who needs no introduction).

This star-studded gathering was interrupted when Aveek set offfor the loo. He passed our table, took in the very nice, but hardlyexceptional, wine that we were drinking and generously promisedto send over a bottle of the stuff his table was quaffing. It turnedout that Aveek, Ninan and gang were drinking one of the world’smost famous wines: Mouton Rothschild, a first growth fromBordeaux. It also turned out that they had drunk the hotel’s entirestock of Mouton 1998 (according to Aveek, “an exceptional year”)so Aveek asked the sommelier to send us a bottle of the 1999 vin-tage (“good but hardly in the same league,” he said, stroking hisbeard thoughtfully) and to put it on his bill.

I would never have been able to afford Mouton Rothschild at theOrient Express so we accepted the bottle gratefully as a gift froman ex-boss to an ex-employee and did not dare ask how much thewine cost.

But the next day Aveek called. “Do you know how much theMouton cost?” he asked. I gulped and said nervously that I had noidea.

“Well, the 1998 we were drinking cost R39,900,” he said (and therewas a pause in the conversation owing to my sharpintake of breath), “but the 1999 I sent you was R28,900.”

“Ah, yes,” I said, not sure where the conversation

was heading.“I am having dinner with a very high profile person today,” he

continued (more high-profile than the claret-swilling Ninan andNandan?), “and I thought I would order the same wine at the Oberoi.But do you know how much the Oberoi charges for exactly the samebottle?”

I indicated that these were not wines I ordered on a regular basis,the way he did, so could he please just tell me what the Oberoi pricewas?

“It is one hundred thousand rupees!” he expostulated. “Not the1998, which is the more expensive one. That is how much the Oberoicharges for the 1999! And the Taj Palace only charges R28,900! Howcan they justify it?”

I mumbled something about how the Oberoi’s prices includedtax while the Taj Palace’s prices do not but I knew that taxes, thoughhigh (around 29 per cent) could not account for the vast price difference. (R1 lakh versus R28,900.)

“There is a piece in this,” said Aveek.

rud

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Wine’s Cheat Sheet

HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 25, 2011

One Wine –Many PricesThe Cloudy BaySauvignon Blanc is oneof New Zealand’s mostfamous wines. The wineryis now owned by Moet etChandon, which suppliesthe wine to Indian hotels.Even so prices vary.Here are the prices of the2010 vintage.Taj Mahal: R7,000Leela Palace: R7,500The Imperial: R9,100The Maurya: R8,000The Oberoi: R8,000(includes tax)Taj Palace: R4,700(2007 vintage)

The Taj Palace isthe cheapest. TheImperial and theMaurya are themost expensive.Every hotelshould be able tobuy the wine atthe same cost.The differencein selling priceonly demon-strates the lev-els of greed.

Hotels charge what they think the market can bear. There is no set formula. Pricesof wine are based only on a desire to maximise profit

DIFFERENT COSTSThe Oberoi charges R1 lakh for the 1999 Mouton Rothschild(left), while the Taj

Palace only chargesR28,900! The Mouton

Rothschild Vintage 1998

(below) is the moreexpensive one

DECENT RANGEAt the Imperial and the Taj, where prices are higher than the Taj Palace,

the range of the wine list makes up for the prices to some extent

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And as the man had been my boss (Editor-in-Chief of all ABPpublications) for over a dozen years, who was I to disagree?

Besides, he was right. If there are such huge disparities in winepricing, consumers needed to be made aware. None of us will orderthe same wines as Aveek does, but the principle of variable pric-ing is a dangerous one.

So, I looked at the wine lists of other deluxe hotels. The 1999Mouton on the Imperial list (the wine Aveek had sent me and whichcost R28,900 at the Taj Palace) was R62,000 or more than doublethe Taj Palace price. (But still cheaper than the Oberoi!)

The Leela Palace had an even more outrageous price: R1,25,000.If you include around 29 per cent in tax, that meant that the winewould cost around R1.6 lakh or 60 per cent more than the Oberoi’sprice! (The Maurya doesn’t have much quality wine so the Moutondoesn’t even feature on its list. Though I am assured that ITC willnow take wine seriously.)

I then had another thought. There are two Taj hotels in Delhi.Do they charge the same amount for wine?

Apparently not. At the Taj Mahal, they did not have the Mouton1998 (the wine that Aveek, Ninan etc. drank the Taj Palace out of)but they did have the 1999. They were selling it at R58,000.

That was nearly twice the price of the Taj Palace’s Mouton 1998but still a fraction of the R1,25,000 that the Leela Palace charges.Even so, it seemed a bit odd for one Taj to charge twice the pricefor the same bottle of wine as the other.

All this got me thinking. Is there any logic to wine pricing? Howcan the Leela charge R1,25,000 for a wine that costs R28,900 atthe Taj Palace, a mere 10-minute drive away? I can understandLe Cirque charging more than the Orient Express (thoughAveek also insisted that the food at the Orient Express wasfar superior to Le Cirque) because restaurant prices are sub-jective. But a bottle of wine is the exact same product.

Could it be that hotels think that the rich don’t care; thatif somebody is willing to pay R30,000 or so for a bottle of wine,he won’t mind paying R1.6 lakh for the same bottle?

If so, then they are clearly wrong, judging by Aveek Sarkar’sreaction.

Given that most of us will have to mortgage our homesto pay for the kinds of wines that Aveek Sarkar drinks on a regular basis, I don’t suppose we should worry toomuch about the prices of first growth clarets. On theother hand, many of us will order say, a bottle of cham-pagne, at one of these hotels to celebrate a birthday oran anniversary or something special. Does the same principle apply? Do champagne prices vary as

dramatically?It turns out they do.I took as my starting point, the price of basic Moet et Chandon,

the world’s best-selling champagne. Nobody will confirm this in writ-ing but hotels buy it for something like R1,800 to R2,000 a bottle.

What they sell it at is a different matter. Here is a comparativelist of the prices of a bottle of Moet et Chandon.Taj Palace: R5,500The Oberoi: R9,000 (includes tax)Taj Mahal: R5,000The Maurya: R7,700Leela Palace: R7,200

So will somebody explain to me how the same champagne cango from R5,000 (the Taj price) to R7,700 (the Maurya price) toR 9,000 (the Oberoi – though that includes tax)? It is an easily avail-able wine bought from the local outpost of Moet et Chandon byeverybody at roughly the same price.

When you look at premium champagnes, it gets even more con-fusing. Here are the prices for the 2000 vintage of Dom Perignon

(also made by Moet et Chandon).The Oberoi: R22,500 (includes tax)Leela Palace: R20,000The Maurya: NA but the 1999 is R27,500Taj Palace: R15,900Taj Mahal: R22,000

So how does the Taj Mahal justify charging R6,000 morethan the Palace (about 40 per cent more) for exactly the samewine?

I think you have got the point by now. Hotels charge whatthey think the market can bear. There is no set formula.Prices are based only on a desire to maximise profit. Asa general rule, I found that the cheapest wines (across allprice brands) were at the Taj Palace; and the most expen-sive were at the Leela. At the Imperial and the Taj, whereprices were higher than the Taj Palace, the range of thewine list made up to some extent though, in my view,

there is nothing to touch the Taj Palace’s list, for priceand range.

Perhaps I am wrong. Perhaps Aveek Sarkar is anexception. But my guess is that as Indians becomemore knowledgeable about wine, they will start resent-ing being ripped off. Even if they can afford expen-sive wine, they will not condone highway robbery.

They will just stop frequenting hotels that cheattheir guests by ripping them off on wine sales.

HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 25, 2011 15

THE BESTVALUE OF AGLASS OF

CHAMPAGNE ISAT THE TAJ

MAHAL. THEWORST IS

THAT SERIALOFFENDER,THE LEELA

PALACE

It is a common enoughphenomenon at five-star hotels. Guestsarrive for dinner. Thewaiter suggests anaperitif of a glass ofchampagne.

Guests think itsounds too cheap toask ‘how much’? So,they just say yes, thinking it can’t cost

that much.Actually, it can.

Most hotels buy theirbasic champagne ataround R2,000 a bottleor less. But, as I dis-covered, that isn’talways reflected in theprices charged toguests.

My colleague,Tavishi Paitandy

Rastogi, asked Delhihotels how much theircheapest glass ofchampagne was. Thevariation in price wentup to 90 per cent.

Shangri-La: BollingerSpecial Cuvee; R850

Leela Palace: LouisRoederer NV; R1,350

Taj Mahal: Pommery;R800

Taj Palace: Mumm

Cordon Rouge; R1,100

ITC Maurya: Piper-Heidsieck; R950The Oberoi: Moet etChandon; R1,500(includes tax)

The best value is theTaj Mahal. The worstis that serial offender,the Leela Palace, moreexpensive even thanthe Oberoi once youhave added tax.

Storm in a wine glass

LUXURY PRICEThe cost of the 2000

vintage of Dom Perignon isdifferent in every hotel

GOOD PRICEThe Taj Palace has the cheapest wines

across all price brands

NOT LISTEDThe Maurya doesn’t have much quality wine so

the Mouton doesn’t even feature on its list

TAXING FAREOberoi’s prices include tax but that does not

account for the vast price difference

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK

TOO STEEPThe Leela is the most expensive

when it comes to wine prices

indulge

Rajiv Makhni

live | sip | play | listenindulge

16

A Deadly Case Of Upgradeitis

IT’S A serious disease, one that affects a very large part of thepopulation, and one that has devastating symptoms. It’s a dead-ly ailment and has almost no known cure. It’s called ‘upgradeitis’and even though it largely affects the male

of the species, its deadly tentacles are alsotruly entrenched on the opposite side now.

A four-month-old mobile phone and youare already itching and reading up on newones. You’ve just installed a nice 42-inch flatscreen TV and yet the 55-inch LED TV ismaking you swoon. Your laptop isn’t evena year old but the new ultra sleek andthin one is what you’re already eyeing.It’s a deadly disease that is brutal, merciless, self-defeating, ignores allcounselling and defies all logic. Hi, I’mRajiv and I’m a victim of upgradeitis.

I have a pretty good home theatre. Abig room, nice seating, a large flat display,good speakers, an awesome receiver – and I’vejust chucked it all and am starting the wholeprocess from scratch. I want the perfect hometheatre from every aspect and every angle;I’m poring over the latest reviews; I am talking to the top experts in each field, look-ing at specs like a man obsessed and basical-ly home theatring myself to near death. Thisreally is quite a minefield as this involves amix of almost every category (and not everyaspect is tech-related). Room interiors (theexperts say paint a room matte black and you’llget the best picture, but who wants to watchmovies in a dungeon?), room acoustics (toomany conflicting views on fabric walls, sharpedges, effect of furniture and carpeting), roomsize (rectangular is best but what size of perfect), projection versus big flat screen,speaker choices and layout (5.1 or 7.1 and which speakers), receiversand amplification, projector screens (curved, with gain, aspect ratio).It’s an incredible array of decisions and conflicting opinions and it’salmost enough to want to give up. While I’ll keep updating you on myprogress, here’s a primer on all my new learnings.

PROJECTION TECHNOLOGY HAS GROWN UPA projector-based home theatre doesn’t need a completely dark roomany more. Projectors are super bright, and, when mated with high-gain screens, allow you can keep the light on. Imagine a set up with a150-inch screen, a full HD broadcast cricket match, ten friends overand no need to be in a pitch-dark room. This is totally possible now.

ASPECT RATIOS ARE A PAIN IN THE A$$HD Movies are mostly in ‘scope’ (cinema-scope). That’s usually called2.35:1. But then some of them are not. Some are also in 16:9 and somein 4:3. Most HD television broadcast is 16:9. If you’re going with a flatscreen TV, then you’re pretty much stuck with that and you’ll learn tolive with it. If you’re going PJ, then this is a whole new can of worms.If you go with a scope screen, you’ll end up with a smaller screen andHDTV will look all boxy. Decisions, decisions....

SOUND IS BIGThere are really no two ways on this one.Satellite speakers, lifestyle speakers andother little thingies are great, but they justdon’t compare to a good solid floor-stand-ing speaker solution. I’ve tried demos andwhile those small little speakers have comea long way and are neat, clean and easy onthe eye, they can’t match their big broth-

ers when it comes to the ear. When you needyour home theatre to roar and thunder andexplode – you need to think and hear big.

7.1 VS 5.1Yes, there is one more standard now in HTsound. Seven speakers and 1 subwoofer.Seven speakers mean two in the front, onein the centre, two on the side and two behindyou – thus perfectly replicating the amaz-ing whizbang of true surround sound wizardry in a movie hall. Unfortunately, thereare very few movies that are released thathave true 7.1 sound. You’re better off spending more on a higher quality five-speak-ers set up then wasting time and money onthis right now.

SUBWOOFER PLACEMENT ISANOTHER PAIN IN THE A$$You’ll get most of your speakers in the rightplace as they have a logic to them. Whatyou’ll definitely screw up with is your

subwoofer. And this is critical. All your dialogues can get muffled, soundwill be boomy and most actors will sound like they have a sore throat.Not nice. While nobody has really broken the science of subwooferplacement as it is very relative to room size and furniture, placing asubwoofer dead centre underneath your display can be best. A fewinches here or there can give you perfection.

PLAN YOUR ROOM BEFORE ALL ELSEMessy cables, light that shines directly on to the screen, speaker wirehanging in all places, too small a room and speakers that are too large(or vice versa), a room with direct sunlight streaming in from behind,the colour of the walls, a room also used as a gym or living room, toomuch bling, glass and chrome... all this can make the final effect of thehome theatre underwhelming. You need to get your room planning inplace much before you start thinking that you’re going to have alittle IMAX theatre in your own house.

I’ve just started my self-inflicted home theatre rebuild journey and willkeep posting as I learn and build. It seems like it’s going to going to be along and painful journey. But those are the exact symptoms of upgradeitis.

Rajiv Makhni is managing editor, Technology, NDTV and the anchor of GadgetGuru, Cell Guru and Newsnet 3. Follow Rajiv on Twitter at twitter.com/RajivMakhni

BIG BOOM THEORYHT sound must gobig if you want the

best deal

HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 25, 2011

DREAM ON Plan your room before

you can dream of havingthis in your home

tech

ilici

ous

I’ve just started my self-inflicted hometheatre rebuild journey, and here’s

what I’ve learned so far

SOUNDING OFFGetting the sound all perfectlymixed (above) needs extreme

patience WOOF, WOOF

Subwoofers (left) don’t needto be ugly but you still need

to place them right

A CENTRE SPEAKER ISCRITICAL TO REPLICATE

THE AMAZING EXPERIENCE OF A MOVIE HALL

SEPTEMBER 25, 2011HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE

indulge

Sanjoy Narayan

WHEN A Facebook friend sent aDropbox link to a mixtape calledSan Francisco Dues, I just hadto explore what it was all about.

San Francisco Dues is a Chuck Berry albumthat was released 40 years ago and any mix-tape that evokes Berry needs to be given a listen to post haste! So I wasted no time indownloading the mixtape and to my mostpleasant surprise, it turned out to be a bonan-za. But before that, a bit about Dropbox. Doyou use it? I’ve just started and I can’t stopraving about this most convenient way to ferryyour files to wherever you want on whateverdevice you like or happen to have with you. Inmore technical terms it is a Web-based filehosting service that uses cloud computing toenable users to store and share files and folders across multiple devices as well as withother people.

Okay, 80-word plug (sans any honorarium)on Dropbox over, here’s what I found on theaforementioned mixtape: a total of 105 tracks.Yes, 105. It’s put together by a chap who goesby the name of Goodboy who quite clearlylives up to that moniker (but more on that injust a bit).

The 1971 San Francisco Dues album had aparticularly rakish photograph of one of mod-ern music’s most influential rock and rollerson the cover, complete with wild hair and all.It had 10 tracks, including the title track, SanFrancisco Dues. Berry, who’ll turn 85 inOctober, still tours. And simply put, he is synonymous with rockand roll. Famously, John Lennon once said “if you tried to give rockand roll another name, you might call it Chuck Berry”.

But I digress from Goodboy’s mixtape that dropped into mycollection via Facebook. The high point of the compilation is itslength – 105 tracks is a lot of songs. And yes, Chuck Berry’s SF Duesis on it. But so are so many gems by so many greats. The familiarones include the Everly Brothers, blues-rocker Lonnie Mack, MuddyWaters (his You Gonna Need My Help comes pretty high up on theplaylist) and Mike Bloomfield. Even Paul McCartney marks hispresence with Mama’s Little Girl. But it is the rare ones that I really enjoyed. Remember Neil Young’s one-time band, Crazy Horse?They’re there doing a track called Dirty, Dirty. So is Dave Mason(the British singer and guitarist who is best known for his psyche-delic folk-rock and for his stint with the rock band, Traffic). Mason’sShouldn’t Have Took More Than You Gave showcases his uniquevocal style on Goodboy’s mixtape.

Much of the mixtape is bluesy. You have BoDiddley, John Lee Hooker and you have BBKing. But you also have familiar songs covered by not so familiar names. Sometimesit is the original you never heard. HeardSteppenwolf’s The Pusher or Blind Melon’sversion of it? Well, the original is by countrymusic singer Hoyt Axton and that’s the

version you get on the Dropboxed mixtape.Bluesy, I said, but it’s not all blues. There’s

soul, folk and funk. And lots and lots of psy-chedelic rock. Remember Arthur Lee’s band,

Love? Or Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band? Or Funkadelic?If you grew up in the Seventies or wish you had, you’ll have a ball.Many of the bands are from California, a hat-tip no doubt to Berry’salbum title, but several of the songs are by people from all over.

I’d say Goodboy’s mixtape is replete with goodness. And bandsthat you may have missed. You may have heard Bill Monroe andhis Bluegrass Boys but what about The Louvin Brothers, TheDelmore Brothers or The Wallace Brothers? I hadn’t heard of anyof these and – after sampling them – I thought that had been sucha shame.

On the web version of DC, there’s a link to Goodboy’s mixtapeand to many other mixtapes. Goodboy is a prolific compiler, apparently and his website is a portal to a trove of music worthexploring.

To give feedback, stream or download the music mentioned in this column, go tohttp://blogs.hindustantimes.com/download-central, follow argus48 on Twitter or

visit our website: www.hindustantimes.com/brunch

17

live | sip | play | listen

BROTHERS-IN-ARMSThe Dropbox mixtape,

put together by achap called Goodboy,

has gems by manygreats, including

familiar ones like theEverly Brothers (left)

PSYCHO MANBritish singer and guitarist Dave Mason is best

known for his psychedelic folk-rock

If you grew up in the Seventies or wish you

had, do yourself a favourand download this mixtape – pronto!

All Mixed Up (AndBoxed In)

do

wnl

oad

cen

tral

BOOM BOX BLUESDropbox (that big, blue box

on the left) allows you toconveniently ferry filesacross the Internet. So

when I received a Dropboxlink to a mixtape called San

Francisco Blues, named after a Chuck Berry album(above), I had to check it

out. It also contained original music by countrysinger Hoyt Axton (right)

SEPTEMBER 25, 2011HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE

NOW THAT you’ve read and seen all the Fall-Winter fashiontrends (well, we can hope!), we know what you’re thinking.What about all those Spring-Summer pieces we so raucous-ly recommended at the beginning of the year? The full-

length maxi skirts, the leather shorts and sheer blousons. Should yougive them the back-of-the-closet treatment, or even worse, the ParisHilton one (for the unaware, she allegedly donates her only-one-time-worn designer duds to her maid)? We recommend neither. Stride con-fidently into Fall with your Summer closet, with just a few tweaks andtricks. And since we don’t want you to go from bare-armed-beauty towool-wrapped-polar bear overnight, we tell you how to make it looklow fat butter-smooth too.

Seasons don’t changeovernight; neither

should yourwardrobe. Girls,here’s your guide

through the fashiontransition

by Yashica Dutt

IF YOU WENT shopping this summer and werenot bombarded with the craziest clashes of colour– pinks with yellows, bright greens with reds andindigo blues with mustards – then you visited thewrong malls, vendors and thrift stores. Colourblocking was the mammoth trend for last season,colouring almost every closet with its eclecticbrush. So when you have such eye-popping pieceslying around, why not take them out for a spin?The key is to still clash the colours but keep themin the same family. And as designer NachiketBarve says, “Pick and choose what you have andaugment your existing wardrobe. Match a hot pinkwith a burgundy, sunny yellow with mustard or adda hint of grey or black to ultra bright colours to tonethem down.” Pick autumnal hues of tangerine,deep brown, weathered green, greys and rust andwhip them into your existing wardrobe.

colours

MATCH A HOTPINK WITH A

BURGUNDY, SUNNYYELLOW WITH

MUSTARD OR ADD AHINT OF BLACK TO

ULTRA BRIGHTCOLOURS

dresses

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COURTESY: ARUSHI KHOSLA, BOHEMIANLIKEYOU.NET

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FULL SKIRTS THAT graze theankle have always been an Indianwardrobe staple. The good newsis that they are now extremelystylish too. Pull on a pair of trustytights to keep warm underneathand make the ’70s your styledecade. A chunky cable knitsweater goes on top, fastenedwith a belt. Add ankle-lengthbooties, a floppy hat and roundsunnies to the equation and youcouldn’t have a more perfect Fallformula. Designer Anand Kabrasays that separates are a bigtrend this season and it’s a goodidea to mix sheers with it. “Trans-parency is the key this Fall,” hesays. “You can wear a sheerblouse over a printed camisoleand a maxi skirt to create a greatlook. The colour blocking trendcan also be achieved by teamingbrightly coloured underclotheswith a sheer shirt for the lighterdays of Fall.”

maxi skirtsand sheerblouses

SPRING INTO FALL

EVEN THOUGH STYLISTSof the world were united againstthe ‘dresses’ you wore so loving-ly this year, there’s no reasonwhy you should listen to them inthe Fall when you didn’t inSpring. Thanks to the biggestturnaround trends of the year –pairing thin gauzy fabrics withthicker fabrics like corduroy andtweed – the dress has been ele-vated from a fashion faux pas tothe wintry look of the moment.Don’t ditch the floral in chiffon.Pair it with a tough leather jacketand thigh-high boots for maxi-mum effect. And since the lacedress was the most coveted itemof Summer, you can’t ignore it inthe Fall either, says Vogue In-dia’s fashion director, AnaitaShroff Adajania. “From the clas-sic black, white and nude togreen and red, the lace dress is amust-have,” she says. Match itwith a thin cardigan in cashmereor fine wool, pull on some tightsand make a night of it.

HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE20

A LAYERED LOOK screams ‘incomplete’ unless accessoriesplay for the same team as well.So keep the thin trinkets andslim chains in your summer boxand bring out chunky, embel-lished metallic and woodbaubles. Try darker colourspaired with Fall tones and look atsome vintage brooches to dressyour outfit. And while you’re at it,don’t forget the most importantFall accessory – the scarf. Team itwith a tube, with jeans, a summerdress or a maxi skirt. But do re-member the thick with the thinrule – chunky warmers go with aslim scarf, and gauzy cardiganswith a thick one. Any look caneasily be dressed up or down de-pending on your scarf pattern,when a bright scarf pops the lookand a sombre one pitches itdown. “A chic dress with silverflats can go straight from Sum-mer to Fall if it’s paired with heelsand a decadent bag with embell-ishments,” says Nachiket Barve.So, don’t forget to pay attentionto your handbag. It can instantlybump up your appearance. Fur’sa huge trend, so look for hand-bags with that texture and otherembellishments, such as feath-ers, studs and buckles.

accessories

WE ARE SURE you already own this winterstaple and in some cases might even livethrough the entire season in just a single pair(we all know at least one person who doesthat!). But when it comes to being stylish,just pulling on a Christmas sweater won’tdo. So get a well-fitted blazer and then getinto a bright tank top and flared jeans to finishthe look. But do remember to wear comfortablehigh heels like platforms or wedges. They are amust for the hem to just about skim the ground.You can try loose, ruffled blouses or buttoned-upshirts with knee-long coats when the chill sets indeeper. “The ’70s staple is still big forAutumn/Winter,” says Anaita Shroff Adajania.“Choose from classic denim, corduroy or silklounge trousers for the months ahead and matchwith your favourite blouse.” If you still don’t feel like giving up your skinnyjeans, then wear them with a slouchy cardigancinched at the waist. Designer Priyanka Modi ofam:pm suggests jersey wraps and jackets wornover your daily tee and jeans. “It’ll also keep youextremely comfortable and snug,” she says.

jeans

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JERSEY WRAPSAND JACKETS WORNOVER YOUR DAILY TEE

AND JEANS WILLKEEP YOU SNUG AND

COMFORTABLE

COURTESY: ARUSHI KHOSLA, BOHEMIANLIKEYOU.NET

DENIM WAS THE hottest-coolestfabric last Summer and we don’tsee why it shouldn’t be so for Fall-Winter. Just pair your denim shirtswith darker jeans or trousers inshades of burgundy and oxbloodand pile on a vest in corduroy orwool. “You can wear a pair of loosefitting or tight trousers and teamthem with a ribbed top,” says stylist Rashi Verma. “I prefer wearing the denim shirt as an over-throw and slipping into brogues,still hot this Fall.”

denim shirts

SPOTTED EVERYWHEREfrom Greater Kailash to Ban-dra, shorts were seen inevery colour, length and onpractically every figure thisyear. And you needn’t dropthem just because it’s cooler.Pair your shorts with leg-gings or tights, not just inboring black now that youhave different hues, texturesand hosiery materials tochoose from. Though dochoose darker colours thatconvey the essence of Fall. Ifyou experimented withleather shorts this summer,team them with a cute PeterPan collar or a polka dotblouse (loved not just byMinnie Mouse but Marc Ja-cobs too!) and add aboyfriend blazer on top toprovide structure. Finish the look with balletflats or high heels.

shorts

SEPTEMBER 25, 2011

COURTESY: LESLY LOBENI,LAZYMANXCAT.BLOGSPOT.COM

LAPTOPWhile laptops boast of being size zerothese days, they are making peopleobese. Other ailments attributed tooveruse of laptops include sleep depri-vation, headaches, spine-related prob-lems and indigestion. Laptops have alsobeen linked to low sperm counts.

MIND BODY SOULSHIKHA SHARMA

Today, people who take care of themselves can remain radiant and youthful well past their fifties.There are some aspects you must keep in mind tomaintain your skin.

SLEEP: If you are sleep deprived, you age much faster. Yoursleep should be proportional to the amount of mental workyou do. If you do not have time, meditate twice a day for 15minutes to improve the quality of your mental rest.WATER: Many of us may not be aware of the fact that waterpoor in minerals can be nutritionally deficient. Drink one totwo litres of water per day. The best time to drink water is assoon as you wake up, and several times after that till sunset.Sipping warm water one hour after meals helps to keep thedigestion going, especially if you have eaten oily food.HEALTHY BLOOD AND BLOOD FLOW: If your blood is full of tox-ins, you can develop sallow skin. To keep blood healthy, drinkaloe vera juice, amla juice, tulsi and neem juice (1 tsp each di-luted with water). Unani and ayurvedic medicines have reme-dies to ensure healthy blood. The second aspect is the circu-

lation of blood within the body. To achievegood circulation, do some aerobic ac-

tivity daily. CHEMICAL-FREE FOOD: Foods

laced with preservatives and sta-bilisers cannot contribute tohealthy skin.

A LOVELY SMILE: Many people donot realise that their thoughts are

mirrored on their faces. If you arecarrying thoughts of anger, criti-

cism, bitterness, etc., then over timeyou develop a grumpy look.

BASIC CLEANSING: Taking offmakeup at night is impor-

tant as makeup can clogskin. Nail varnishes

make nails yellowand dry, so apply

oil regularly andkeep nails free of

varnish for weeks.Lipsticks make the lips

dull, so apply natural oils ormoisturisers regularly.

DETOXIFYING ROUTINE: Keepaside one day a week to eatfruits, salads and nuts and drinkwater to detoxify body and skin.

ask@drshikha.com

IN THE GLOW

TAKE ACTION ■ Clean the Tab screen constantly. Use ahand sanitiser before and after use.■ Minimise the number of people touch-ing the Tab.■ If you have a cut or wound, put on abandaid and then use your Tablet.■ Reduce brightness to avoid glare.

TAKE ACTION ■ Always keep the laptop on a small tablewhile working.■ Your arms should be bent at 90 degrees.■ Make sure your spine is erect while working on the laptop. ■ Take a break every 20 minutes to do basic stretching exercises.

GLANCE INTO any workingprofessional’s briefcase orhandbag, and you’ll find anumber of gadgets. According

to experts, overuse of electronic devicesis leading to unhealthy lifestyles and ail-ments like cerebral cancer, arthritis,psychological breakdown and prema-ture cataract formation.

Doctors claim they are seeing a sharprise in the number of patients complain-ing of sleep deprivation, anxiety, indiges-tion, bone abnormalities and blurredvision. “Earlier, arthritis was mostly lim-ited to people in their fifth or sixthdecade,” says Dr VK Rastogi, senior con-sultant, internal medicine, Jaipur GoldenHospital. “Now, patients aged 12 com-plain of bone and spine problems.”

Health apps make things worse, saysAligarh Medical College paediatric sur-geon Dr Tabassum Shahab. “They ensureyou don’t go out to exercise,” she says.

NOT-SO-SMART SMARTPHONESYour smartphone can cause wrinkling,hearing disabilities, joint pain, andincrease the risk of developing cancer.“Early wrinkles have been seen amongstpeople who use cell phones for over onehour a day. Also, mobile phones increasethe brain’s temperature, reducing its cog-nitive functionality. Keeping the phone onvibration mode in your pocket can causereduced sperm count among men andlead to bone damage,” says Dr Rastogi.

TABLET TRAVAILS Not only is overuse of Tablets bad forthe eyes, it leads to the ‘bent-spine syn-drome’. Users bend their neck to workon the Tab, causing the spine to bend.This leads to spondylitis and other spineailments. “We have seen abnormal for-mations on the fingertips of Tab users.The skin becomes thick. Chances of der-matitis also increase because Tabscreens get dirty, and this can lead toskin infections,” says Dr Rastogi.

As we acquire gadgets,the number of aches wesuffer multiply as well

by Amrah Ashraf

TAKE ACTION ■ Avoid using Bluetooth earpieces and usethe speaker option as much as you can. ■ Reduce phone use to one hour a day.■ Instead of calling, text people.■ Right-handed people must use their rightear for listening to reduce cerebral damageto the left side of the brain, which is moreactive for righties and vice versa.

Wellness

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WHICH SUPERHEROWOULD YOU LIKE TO BEAND WHY?BATMAN. HEHAS THE BESTSUITS, GADGETS, CARSAND BIKES

IF YOU COULD HAVE A STAR PERFORM AT YOUR WEDDING, WHOWOULD IT BE?I WOULD GO FOR THE DRAMATIC LADY GAGA

A PLACE WHEREYOU WOULD LIKETO BE LOST FOR AMONTH?IBIZA. THEPARTYSCENE ISROCKING

PERSONAL AGENDA

SEPTEMBER 25, 2011HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE22

PRATEIKOne word that describes you best?Dreamer.

If a traffic constable hauled you up, whatwould you do?I would roll down the window and say“Kay sahib, jau deya na…”

Your first kiss was…It happened when I was 13.

What makes you feel sexy?My cologne.

You get high on…Music.

The colour ‘pink’ for you is…Good to look at, but I’d hardly wear it.

A tune you can’t get out of your head?Don’t Cry by Guns N’ Roses.

What did you do with your first pay-cheque?I blew it up.

The one law you would break if you couldget away with it?Speeding.

Choose: Air India or Indian Railways.Indian Railways, they are more or less ontime.

Do you love Luv Storys?Yes I do.

The last time you rode on a bus?Quite recently during the shoot of DhobiGhat.

What is the weirdest thing that ever wentinto your mouth?You may not find it too weird, but for megetting mud in my mouth was weird.

Share a secret with us…you can trust us,

we’ll only print it!……… (Print the dots)!

You are late for work and all the roads arejammed. Choose a mode of transport: a cycle, a horse or a skateboard. Why?I will certainly go with the skateboard, be-cause it’s cool!

Earth’s crowded and full of trash. Chooseanother planet.Pluto, the furthest of the lot.

If you could have chosen your own name,what would you have chosen?That's a tough one!

Life in the fast food lane: Choose yourmenu.McDonald’s.

If you could be born either rich or intelligent, which would you choose? You can't say ‘both’.If that’s the case, then I will definitely gowith intelligence.

What makes your day?A good workout.

What screws it up?Being late.

The last movie that made you cry?I cry in almost every film.

Your favourite freedom fighter?Mahatma Gandhi.

Love is…Dreamy.

If you were the last person left on earth,what would you do?I’d keep walking/driving.

— Interviewed by Veenu Singh

Prateik started his career as a production assistant with ad filmmaker PrahladKakkar and then stumbled into acting. His first film was Aamir Khan Productions’Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na for which he won critical acclaim for his role as an eccen-tric young man. After that, offers just poured in. This year alone, Prateik, son ofthe late actress Smita Patil, has done films like Dhobi Ghat, Dum Maro Dum andAarakshan, working with directors like Kiran Rao, Rohan Sippy and Prakash Jha.His next film, My Friend Pinto with Kalki Koechlin, will release in October

ACTOR

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK PHOTO: CC/JOHN ROBERT CHARLTON