Hindustantimes Brunch 31 july 2011

SUNDAY MAGAZINE, JULY 31, 2011Free with your copy of Hindustan Times

● Can there be a monsoon without the bhutta? ● What should you read on rainy afternoons? ● Is it possible to look elegant when you’re wet? ● What is the baarish-Bollywood connection?

Here ComesThe Rain AgainAnd we love it more than everbefore! Come, get drenchedwith us and learn how to bestsavour your corn, the mon-soon magic of the moviesand what books to read withthe raindrops. Soak it all in!

Against all odds THE COVER story (The Next Chapter,July 24) was a fabulous read. It clearlyshowed today’s publishing world wherea number of publishing houses arecoming up. It is an inspiration for peoplewho want to make it big in the world ofpublishing as well as upcoming authors.

— SHALINI KAUSHIK, Delhi

Understanding Kamla THIS IS with reference to Tavishi Pai-tandy Rastogi’s article Kamla ComesHome (10 July). I have also read the re-sponses to the story. Kamla’s situationis faced by many and I feel that it is aquestion of maturity – you might not getrespect even if you work outside; on theother hand, if you conduct yourself withdignity as a ‘stay-at-home’ educatedmother, it might put you on a ‘better’pedestal. A helpful mother-in-law or anefficient nanny may be the answer, butdo you want your child to be reared us-ing systems which are not relevant intoday’s world? Also, with online andother options available, one can workfrom home too. At the end of the day,it’s more about making that extra buckrather than getting dressed and escap-ing the house! Lastly, it does not have tobe permanent. One can always workonce the children are self-dependent. Ispeak from experience because bothmy daughter-in-law and daughter havegiven up their high-profile jobs to lookafter their kiddos and I do see them en-joying parenting which they would nothave experienced if I was looking afterthem.

— POONAM BINDRA, Ludhiana

I HAVE been an avid reader of Brunchbut the Kamla edition is the one closestto my heart. Today, I am forced to com-ment as I am amused by some of thefeedback. For some reason, some re-spondents are under the impressionthat Kamla lacks identity. I don’t thinkthey have really understood Kamla. Herdecision to stay at home isn’t forced bycircumstance, rather it’s her own choiceand that is a mark of independence and‘identity’. She doesn’t need to be‘saved’ because she isn’t doomed to alife of ignominy. It’s as exhilarating asany other job, it’s just that success hereis 100 per cent emotional. I would like to reiterate that the decisionto ‘go out and work’ is an individual'schoice and there is no right or wrongabout it. So let’s leave it at that.

— REKHA NAIR, via email

HINDUSTAN TIMES SUNDAY MAGAZINE4

DESIGN: Ashutosh Sapru (National EditorDesign), Swati Chakrabarti, Rakesh Kumar,Ashish Singh, Saket Misra

EDITORIAL: Poonam Saxena (Editor), Kushalrani Gulab(Deputy Editor); Tavishi Paitandy Rastogi, Mignonne Dsouza,Veenu Singh, Parul Khanna Tewari, Pranav Dixit, Yashica Dutt

Write to [email protected]

Sarthak Negi The article based onthe myths about tech products wasabsolutely brilliant. It helped me un-derstand what all does help one tomaintain one’s gadgets. Hats off!

Ankur Dhawan Rajiv Makhni can imarry ur brain??

Rohini Murthy I didn’t get HTBrunch along with my paper today.I’m quite cross with my newspapervendor for making my Sunday incomplete!!

Salis Afaque ‘‘The Next Chapter’ isreally a very attractive heading givento the cover story of this week’s HTBRUNCH!! Brunch crew membershave very nicely described thechanges in publishing in the last 20years . :P

Binoy Dass vir sanghvi is a foodmagician.

Nikhil Dhawan 2days Brunch wasawesome. Good job Brunch Team.

JULY 31, 2011

Calling All Tweepletwitter.com/HTBrunch

INDULGE

3 1 . 0 7 . 1 1 I N T H I S I S S U E

FEEDBACK

STAY

Back With A BangThe Hilton hotel chain now has massiveopportunities in the non-luxury space

PLAY

Tech Myths; The Nonsense and theReality (Part 2) The final part of finding new tech truths

LISTEN

The Net Is The New RadioEarlier we heard the radio to discovernew music; now we simply go online

LIVE

Double Trouble In a world that swears by political cor-rectness, double standards are the rage

Cover image: Images BazaarCover design: Ashutosh Sapru

@abir_sanyal I’d wish that @HTBrunch@virsanghvi dedicates an edition on‘Street foods in India’

@marathonofhope Now following 6thmost influential tweeters @uday-chopra as per HTBrunch stats, lets c

@iratrivedi A fab article by VikramadityaSingh on Kashmir in @htbrunch

@GautamGhosh @amisht gets coveredin @htbrunch today as one who self-published his book. Waiting forhis second one!

@preetsur Pure manipulation – despite31 upset comments for story ‘KamlaComes Home’, mainly positive responses were published?!

@_nirmalya @rajivmakhni this was writ-ten on phone rt? ;)

You might be slim/muscular, but areyou fit? Can you last through any ofthese three routines mentioned in our fitness story? Read an exclusive pre-view from Brunch Quarterly to find out!

!“A consistent gymming routine will onlyshape and tone your body. It does nothingfor your overall fitness,” says Crossfit trainerPiyush Pandey. “And people who do yogaand Pilates can claim to be healthy, not fit.”

facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunchWe’re Logged On

NINJA SINGHDental studentand winner of theIndian edition ofthe ‘Ford SuperModel of theWorld’ Contesttalks life with us

PERSONAL AGENDA 22

BRUNCH ON THE WEB hindustantimes.com/brunch

We are delighted to meet your ‘PerfectPets’ as a part of this week’s theme.Now get ready for the next theme:‘Bazaars’. Visit ffaaccee--bbooookk..ccoomm//hhiinndduuss--ttaannttiimmeessbbrruunncchh fordetails. And don’tforget to check in-side for last week’sresults for the ‘Magi-cal Monsoon’ theme.

POINT, CLICK, SNAP!The HT Brunch Photo Contest

Corn On The Top 8What would the monsoon bewithout the bhutta? We don’t dareto find out!

And an all-access-pass to your favourite stories from this and past Brunch issues!

OUTON THE STANDS

Elegance Ain’tEasy When Wet 10It’s hard to be elegant in the rainbut not impossible.Read our trendy tips

The Weekly Khamba:Raving, ranting and more.Watch out – he bites

Pagal Papers:Incisive insights from Fak-ing News’ Pagal Patrakar

RJ’s Secret Dossier:The myth, the icon, the avenging force

Comic Relief: ‘Rezi Vastav’ by comicartist Rajneesh Kapoor!

Check out our weekly bloggers!

Winners of The HT Brunch PhotoContest Declared!Turn to page 6 fordetails!

MMoonnssoooonn SSppeecciiaall

6 JULY 31, 2011HINDUSTAN TIMES SUNDAY MAGAZINE

THANK YOU everybody forsuch a tremendous response toour POINT, CLICK, SNAP!:The HT Brunch PhotoContest. Your entries for our

last theme ‘Magical Monsoon’ almostdrowned us with joy! So, choosing from thehundreds of photographs on our Facebookpage, the Hindustan Times Photo Editor T Narayan, selected the five best picturesand named the five best photographers –

AAaavviinn SSeetthh, AAmmaarr BBhhaannddaarrii,AAnnoooopp RRaannjjaann DDaass, DDhhaavvaall JJ PPaatteell andKKsshhiittiizz SShhaarrmmaa. Congratulations! We will soon contact thewinners who will receive a subscription toBrunch Quarterly for one year. The rest ofyou can log on to facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch to post pictures onthis week’s theme: Bazaars. Also, we willchoose a Grand Prize winner, from all win-ning entries! So, snap!

ARMS WIDE OPEN Capturingthe bliss of the monsoon KSHITIZ

SHARMA

AAVINSETH

ANOOPRANJAN

DAS

WATERY WORLD A view of a submergedMumbai area during the monsoon

RAY OF HOPE Catching the morning sun after a dark night of rain

PASSING YOU BY Seeing the worldthrough the eyes of a mannequin

LONE RANGER A pedestrian on a rain-soaked road in Mahabaleshwar

DHAVALJ PATEL

AMARBHANDARI

Winners ofThe HT BrunchPhoto Contest!

POINT,CLICK,SNAP!

IT ISN’T just umbrellas that pop upon the roads at the sign of the firstshowers of the monsoon. Stalls sell-ing bhutta can also be seen every-

where and anywhere – selling the onesnack that is most associated with therains. It is impossible to walk past asteaming bhutta stall on a rainy day, andnot have your mouth water at the sight offresh corn just waiting to be roasted,smeared with masala and handed over,hot and piping, to you. Ever wonderedwhat makes bhutta so irresistible in therain? It’s the perfect combination of some-thing hot, something spicy, and for thehealth-conscious, something very healthy.

And of course, this street food, like mostothers, tastes best when had from a road-side stall. No matter how well you roast

corn and flavour it with chaatmasala at home, it will

never have the tasteand flavour of

roadside bhutta.That, say

corn sellers inDelhi, isbecause of the

unique masalas they mix to go along withthe bhutta. Sharif, one such vendor, has asimple explanation backed by his knowl-edge of the ‘family business’ – six bhuttastalls in Delhi for about 25 years. He says,“The masala is the trick. No matter whatyou do, you can never make it like us.After all this is our work.”

Sharif, his father and uncles, run thestalls that he says are huge crowd-pullers,especially in the monsoon. Ask him whatgoes into the masala and he says he does-n’t want to give away his trade secret. “AllI can tell you is that we buy 16 kinds ofkhada (whole) masala and then grind it.That is what we have been doing foryears,” explains Sharif.

What makes their ‘family business’ spe-cial is also the chutney they use. Boiledbhutta is first doused with a generousheap of ground masala; then chutneymade from tomatoes and tamarind ispoured over it. Five seconds later, whenthe masala and chutney have made theirway into the grooves, a little bit of lemonand rock salt finishes the delicious steam-ing maize for you.

If your mouth has stopped watering,we’ll take you through more masala trails.If you like your bhutta roasted rather thanboiled, the masala is usually a little differ-ent. Shankar, who has been selling roastedmaize in Panchsheel Park for four yearsnow, swears by his wife’s skills with themasala. “She mixes rock salt, jeera andchaat masala to make a yummy masala,

What would the monsoon be without thebhutta? We don’t dare to find out, sohere’s how to savour this seasonal snackby Prachi Raturi Misra

INGREDIENTS: 200 gm baby corn5 gm sesame seeds50 gm mushrooms20 gm bell peppers, diced10 gm curd5 gm jeera powder5 gm red chilli powder5 gm ginger-garlic paste12 gm salt (1 tsp)4 satay sticks20 gm desi gheeMETHOD: Beat the curd and add thesalt, red chilli powder, jeera powder andginger-garlic paste to it.On a satay stick, arrange the baby corn,mushroom and bell peppers. Mix the abovemasala into it, then roll on white sesameseeds and grill till done.

(Recipe courtesy, Baluchi – Intercontinental the Lalit, Mumbai)

SERVES: 4

INGREDIENTS250 gm green apples100 gm tomatoes, diced150 gm fennel bulbs100 gm corn kernels250 gm lollo rosso lettuce250 gm iceberg lettuce100 ml balsamic dressing50 gm walnuts5 gm black pepper5 gm parsley5 gm ginger7 gm lemon5 gm salt

Corn On The T

FOR THE BALSAMIC DRESSING:Blend together 75 ml of extravirgin olive oil with 25 ml balsamic vinegar. Add a pinchof salt to taste. METHOD: Cut the fennel and apple finelyinto a bowl. Add the corn, walnuts and diced tomatoes.Drizzle the dressings over thesalad. Mix it lightly. Garnishwith parsley and sprinklecracked pepper.

(Recipe courtesy Alain Coumont,Founder, Le Pain Quotidien)

Apple & fennel salad with corn

Tilnaaz makai aur kumb

00

PHOTO: MCT

PHOTO: MCT

PHOTO COURTESY:LE PAIN QUOTIDIEN

JULY 31, 2011HINDUSTAN TIMES SUNDAY MAGAZINE8


“During the monsoons, Ipine for roasted bhutta. I remember a lady at a Delhimarket who used tosell bhuttas. Ofcourse, her cornwas tasty. She wasalso a pleasure tolook at. And that wasalso the reason whyI would frequent hershop. Imaginemy surprisewhen one day,she asked me foran autograph forher daughter!”The late M F Husain in an October 2009 interviewto Calcutta Times

which makes my customers love my bhut-tas,” he says with a smile, fanning thebhuttas, their magical smell floating in themonsoon air. According to Shankar, thethree months from July to September arewhen maize sells well, thanks to the rain.

Another vendor, Meera, reveals whythis is so. “Mostly when it rains, peoplelike to have something warm,” she smiles.Meera, however, does not mix her ownmasala - she picks it up from the AzadpurMandi in Delhi when she picks up herstock of maize for the day.

A trip to this mandi, considered thelargest vegetable and fruit market in Asia,is a memorable one on our masala trail.Shaukat, who sits at the entrance of themaize corner in the mandi, selling packetsof masala he picks from a local supplier inthe area, says as many as 25 truckloads ofmaize make it out of the mandi in themonsoon. “I’ve been here for a decade andthe monsoon is definitely the time whenpeople love having bhutta,” he smiles,handing me a pinch of the masala to taste.

The taste of the tangy masala still in mymouth, I finally make it to the popularmasala shop in Azadpur Mandi that sup-plies bhutta masala to maize sellers in themandi. Run by Shri Prakash CharanSharma for 28 years, the shop is knownfor its bhutta masala, besides other spices.Sharma’s young son Rajeev sits behindheaps of masalas – chaat masala to bhutta

masala to chilly to coriander powder andgaram masala, he has it all. Ask him whatgoes into the bhutta masala and heexplains patiently, “Ajwain, kachri, dhania,kala namak, kali mirch, lal mirch, haldiand kaccha jeera.” Ask him how it’s differ-ent from his chaat masala and he says,“This has turmeric, which gives it a nicecolour and yes, the jeera is not roasted.Roasted jeera can make the masala lookdarker, something that will not make thebhutta look so appealing.”

Some masala trail we [email protected]

INGREDIENTS: 1 cup yellow corn kernels, crushed1 cup coriander leaves(kothimbir)1 cup gram flour1 tbsp rice flour1 tbsp ginger-chillipaste1 tsp roasted sesameseeds1 tsp lemon juice1 tsp turmeric powder1/4 tsp asafetida1/4 tsp sodium bicarbonate (soda)Salt to tasteOil for frying

e Top

Makai vadiMETHOD:Chop coriander leaves finely. Mix the gram flour and rice flour. Add ginger-chilli paste, sesame seeds, lemonjuice, turmeric powder, asafoetida and saltto the above mixture. Add some water tomake a thick batter (dosa batter consisten-cy) and mix well to remove any lumps. Grease a flat vessel approx 8" x 8". Pour thebatter into the vessel. In a pressure cooker, steam this for about25 minutes, or grease a microwavable con-tainer and pour the batter into it. Microwavecook the batter for 5-7 minutes (microwavesettings may vary). Remove and insert aneedle into it to check if it is done. Allow it to cool and cut into triangles. Heatoil in a pan and deep-fry in hot oil. Removewhen golden brown and crisp. Serve withgreen chutney.

(Recipe courtesy, SOAM, Babulnath – Tel: 23698080)

BHUTTA ISTHE PERFECTCOMBINATIONOF A DISHTHAT IS HOT,SPICY, ANDHEALTHY

“When the kernels hadchanged colour and beforethey could turn black, hewould take the bhutta off thecoals and ask how spicy Iwanted it. My answer was always the same: as spicy aspossible. So, the bhuttawallahwould take a wedge of lemon,dunk it into a mass of chillipowder and other spices andthen smear my bhutta with adelicious chilli-lime mixture”

VIR SANGHIin Rude Food :‘Trackingthe bhutta story’, April 15, 2007

PAVAN K VERMAon Jan 1, 2011, in his column Hyde Park Corner, exclusively for HindustanTimes.com

“Children disregard theirmothers’ concerns and getdrenched. Watching the curtain of rain outside, familiessit contentedly and sip chai,and eat pakoras and freshlyroasted bhuttas and succulentjamuns. It is festival time”

PHOTO: MCT

JULY 31, 2011HINDUSTAN TIMES SUNDAY MAGAZINE 9

JULY 31, 201110

HAVE YOU been thinking that it was that iconic Givenchy little blackdress and the extended cigarette holder that made Audrey Hepburn’sHolly Golightly the ultimate fashion idol? Then try kissing your angrylover (while holding a cat in one hand) as the sky tears open and stilllook half as elegant as she does in the final scene of Breakfast at

Tiffany’s. In our opinion, this is her biggest feat in the film, which we are reminded ofmost poignantly when we try following suit on our potholed, slushy streets post aheavy downpour. The time when neither bright neons, nor waterproof makeup, oreven the big, floral umbrella (a suggestion dished out every year by sundry monsoonguides) are able to help us recover our slowly crumbling elegance. So we decided tofind out how to remain elegant (trust us, mere pretty is no match) this monsoon.

[email protected]

Style might come easy, but being elegant in therain can be a tough proposition. Here’s how to be

high and dry even when it’s all wet outsideby Yashica Dutt

BOLLYWOOD MIGHT havetaught you to wear only sheer fab-rics in the rain, but we are con-vinced you know better than that.Staying away from materials thatcrush easily like linen, cotton andpure silk will leave you de-stressedabout the wrinkles later.

Designer Anupama Dayal tellsus, “It’s better to stay realisticabout your fashion choices andinclude the weather in your styledecisions. It’s advisable to notwear fabric that’s too thin, or

handlooms. You must also avoidman-made fabrics like polyester,as the chemical fabric could causea reaction and upset your skin if itgets wet. It’s best to opt for organ-ic fabrics that don’t turn transpar-ent and could dry on their own.”

Anyone who’s ever worn wetjeans might already know whatwe’re talking about. But that’s notthe sole culprit of foul odour post agood walk in the rain. DesignerRahul Mishra says, “T-shirts injersey might seem like the most

comfortable material in this slight-ly chilly weather, but I would sug-gest avoiding it completely. Evenknits and crochet could do a lot ofharm to your stylish image aftergetting wet as they turn limp andheavy.”

He adds, “Cotton silk and chan-deri are great options which aretailormade for the Indian mon-soon. They even work well if youchoose to wear a raincoat as theyare very light and don’t absorbmoisture easily.”Fa

brics

HINDUSTAN TIMES SUNDAY MAGAZINE


SOAKED IN STYLEAudrey Hepburnepitomised rain

chic in her trenchcoat in the

closing shot ofBreakfast at

Tiffany’s

LIGHTEN UPChoose light

fabrics like theseChanderi dressesby Rahul Mishra

Elegance Ain’tEasy When Wet

FORGET HOW crafty layering makes you seem and ditch all thoseclever tricks you might have learnt over the summer. Single out just onesummer dress and wear it without any jackets, waistcoats or shrugs.Anand Bhushan says, “A dress on its own is your best option this sea-son, as many layers tend to get wet and absorb more moisture. Layersnot only take ages to dry, but will also make you look frumpy.” Apply thesame rule to accessories as well. Too many chains, necklaces, ribbonsand danglers look clunky and instantly pull your look to the bottom.

THE MONSOON is the time tostrike a careful balance betweentoo much and too tight. While frills,ruffles and gathers are merelymore fabric to get soaked, some-thing too clingy isn’t a good lookwhen wet either. Pankaj Ahuja ofthe duo Pankaj and Nidhi says,“Avoid any fitted or sticky silhou-ettes that sit too close to thebody as they could look unap-pealing and be highly uncom-fortable while giving rise tounsightly wet stains.”

Hair andmakeup

Colours and prints

TYING THOSE long locks upis beyond common knowledgenow, but your style also needsto be fuss-free. ElaborateFrench braids and trickyupdos will only add to yourdistress and you never knowwhen they could need to beredone. “You should not havehair falling on your face andit’s better to not blow dry inthis weather. With a lot ofmoisture already in the air,there are chances that yourhair might get bigger than youintended, ruining your stylealtogether,” says AnupamaDayal, who also recommends ano-makeup look and keeping afixer handy. “It’s better to havevery light makeup than towear waterproof mascarawhich could also run over.Also, you must use the fixersavailable in the market as theycould really make you lookdone up in two minutes flat,”she adds.

And while this promises tomake you Holly instead of herwet, gnarly cat, a dazzlingsmile will put you just there!

Minimalism


THE MONSOONIS THE TIME TO

STRIKE A BALANCEBETWEEN TOO MUCH

AND TOO TIGHT

INSTANT FIX-ITS FOR A RAIN-FREE LOOK

TOP TIPA secure top

knot is handyand trendy,as seen at

Varun Bahl’sA/W show

WARMING UPWarmer toneshelp you stand

out, like this Urvashi Kaur

ensemble

THE SIMPLELIFE

Go simple inthis GauravJai Gupta

dress

■ Always keep an extra pair ofshoes in your bag. Crocs maybe convenient for the road, butthey sure won’t impress yourinterviewer/date.■ Carry some wet wipes/towelsto get rid of the humidity andextra moisture from your face

and hands.■ Wet hair on board? Find thenearest public restroom anduse their hand dryer to themaximum. Also, do a neat backcomb, which would work per-fectly in this weather.■ Distract by using colourful

hair accessories and pins.Place them strategically overstray hairs and no one will no-tice how wet your hair is.■ Never leave your good qualityperfume at home; a damp smelland wet clothes can be alethal combination.

THE BRIGHT colour scheme does remain, but it’s important to chooseyour brights carefully in the monsoon. “Don’t wear colours like turquoiseand bright yellow in the rains, but choose warmer tones instead. Coral,watermelon red and aquatic orange work really well here,” says designerPankaj Ahuja. Designer Anand Bhushan, in turn, doesn’t advise wearinga print that looks too busy. “It looks too chaotic and has the same effecton the person wearing it and those around them. With so much activityhappening around you, it’s necessary to counterbalance that with yourattire. So choose monochromes or very light prints,” he says.

Silhouettes

JULY 31, 2011

FIT AND FANTASTICOpt for a fit that’s comfortable yetflattering, without too many frills,

like this Anita Dongre dress

Vir Sanghvi

JULY 31, 2011HINDUSTAN TIMES SUNDAY MAGAZINE

YOU MAY not know this but the Taj Mahal in Bombay wasnearly a Hilton. Or, to put it another way, if the Tatas hadacceded to one proposal, then there may not even have been a Taj Mahal Hotel in Apollo Bunder, just the

Bombay Hilton.The story (told to me by Taj executives of that era) is that some-

time in the early Sixties, JRD Tata tired of running the Taj, then anold and badly-managed property. Bobby Kooka, the creator of theAir-India maharaja and one of JRD’s old associates, has written thatonce, when he complained to JRD Tata about how bad things wereat the Taj and asked why, considering that JRD was so intolerant ofthe slightest imperfection in Air-India (of which he was chairman),he did nothing about the Taj. “There is so much wrong at the Taj,”JRD replied, “that I would not know where to begin.”

It was during this phase that Bombay House toyed with the ideaof getting an international hotel chain to take over the Taj. TheTatas brought in Hilton, then the world’s most famous name inhotels, and asked the executives to take a look at the property. TheAmerican executives who flew into Bombay saw the hotel and saidthat Hilton would run it but they thought that it needed more rooms.So, they suggested, the Tatas should pull down the existing build-ing and construct a large multi-storey tower in its place. That wouldbe the Bombay Hilton.

Fortunately, JRD was horrified enough by the thought of demol-ishing one of Bombay’s loveliest buildings to turn down the Hiltonproposal. Instead, he turned to indigenous managers who took overthe Taj, turned it around, built a multi-storey extension next to theold building, and then spun off the name to create one of India’sgreatest hotel companies.

But that wasn’t the last we heard of the Bombay Hilton. BobbyKooka pops up again in our story. The top management of HiltonHotels decided that the company needed to construct a BombayHilton even though the Tata proposal had not worked out. Kooka,who knew the Hilton management, introduced the company’s exec-utives to Indian investors and a spot was found for the proposedBombay Hilton: near the sea in Worli. The distinguished Indianarchitect IM Kadri was hired to design the hotel and sent on a tourof Hilton’s hotels around the globe. Kadri designed the property and

construction was about to begin when Hilton pulled out.Apparently, visiting Hilton senior management decided that

the sea at Worli smelt too bad and that, therefore, this was thewrong location for a hotel. The Hotel Hilltop (a three-star) waseventually built on that spot (Hilltop sounds near enough to Hilton)but it neither achieved any fame nor lasted very long. Kadri wasthe real gainer. He put that experience to good use and went onto design many great Indian hotels in the 1970s and 1980s, includ-

ing nearly all the Taj hotels built in that era.Though Hilton lost out – it should have been the first global chain

in India – the domestic hotel industry gained. While the greatAmerican chains – chiefly Hilton, but also Sheraton and Inter-continental in the 1970s – introduced five star hoteliering to theworld, India created its own brands. The Oberoi learnt a lot from atie-up with Intercontinental in Delhi from 1965 onwards but it wasthe Oberoi brand (rather than Intercontinental) that gained – whichwas as true of the Oberoi-Sheraton tie-up in Bombay in the 1970s.

The Taj created its own culture and though ITC tied up with

MAN ON A MISSIONIn India, Hilton is headed by Lenny Menezes, one of India’s

best-known and most experienced hoteliers

12

Back WithA Bang

With plans to open one hotel every 45days over the next two years in India,

the Hilton chain has massive opportunities in the non-luxury space

– and it seems to be grabbing them

indulge

STATUS SYMBOLIconic hotels such as the one on London’s Park Lane

continue to be called Hilton

stay | play | listen | live

EASY COMFORTThe rooms at the Doubletree, Mayur Vihar, seem to have everything that

any middle-level business executive would need

rud

e ho

tels

Sheraton in the late 1970s, itretained its own identity: do youknow anyone who called theMaurya Sheraton the Sheraton?We’ve always called it the Maurya.

Perhaps as a consequence,Indians have been insulated fromthe legend of Hilton. Created byConrad Hilton (familiar to TVviewers from the recent MadMen) in 1919, it was the firstAmerican chain to expand intothe whole world. In many coun-tries where Hilton landed, therewas no conception of modern

hoteliering till Hilton came and taught the local industry how it wasdone. Even in sophisticated London, the opening of a Hilton on ParkLane – at the time, the tallest building in Mayfair – represented anepochal event and the hotel became linked with the Swinging Sixtiesespecially when Allen Klein took a suite and made the Beatles andthe Rolling Stones come there to pay court to him.

In the old days, Hilton was a family-owned company (yes, ParisHilton is descended from Conrad) but it soon split into two com-panies. The family ran the US hotels while TWA owned HiltonInternational. When TWA went bust, the international companywent through a bad patch with a variety of owners (including bet-ting-shop conglomerate Ladbrokes) failing to recognise the valueof the brand while the US company seemed unsure of how to copewith the arrival of new competitors.

In India too, Hilton has taken decades to make a mark. Propertieshave come and gone from the Hilton fold (the Lalit in Delhi, SanjayKhan’s spa resort outside Bangalore etc.) and apotentially rewarding tie-up with Oberoi Hotels(under which the Tridents were rebranded asHiltons) did not last the course. A vast develop-ment deal with DLF has also floundered becauseof the real estate slump.

But the hotel industry has changed so muchin the last two decades, that the time is probablyright for Hilton to make a more assured returnto India. While the Indian chains have success-fully filled the luxury space, there are vast areasthat have still not been addressed.

You only need to look at the development ofHilton Worldwide to recognise how consumerneeds and hotel offerings have evolved. Once therewas just a single Hilton brand (plus Conrad forHilton International’s US properties). Now Hilton

has ten different brands rang-ing from Waldorf Astoria (fromthe New York Hotel that wasHilton’s US flagship) andConrad (both luxury) toDoubletree and Hilton GardenInn (more mid-market). Iconichotels (such as the one onLondon’s Park Lane) continueto be called Hilton but other-wise the old Hilton name onlymeans “five-star but not over-ly luxurious.”

It is a formula that seems tobe working. Hilton Worldwide(now owned by Blackstone)has over 3,750 properties and6,15,000 rooms in 85 countriesacross ten brands. The US andinternational companies arebetter integrated and the brand architecture is fully in place.

In India, Hilton is headed by Lenny Menezes, one of India’s best-known and most experienced hoteliers who made his name withthe Taj Group in the years when the chain was growing rapidly. Ithas six hotels under three brands in three cities and so many moreare planned that Lenny aims to open one Hilton-branded hotelevery 45 days over the next two years.

Of the Indian Hiltons, I’ve been to three. The Hilton Garden Innin Saket (Delhi) ended up serving me the best thin-crust pizzas I’veeaten recently – which was a surprise because Garden Inns abroadare not renowned for their F&B. I went to the Doubletree (anoth-er mid-priced brand) in Delhi’s Mayur Vihar (which is actually justoff the DND flyway so is ideally located for Noida) and was againstartled by the calibre of the food (great steak). I saw the Hilton(next to Doubletree) which has yet to open but seemed like a greatfive-star option for that area.

Lenny is close-mouthed about the chain’s expansion plans (whichis sensible given that each hotel requires a separate deal with an indi-vidual owner) but from what I could gather, the strategy is to focuson basic five star with no needless frills at rates that are truly com-petitive. Indian hotels can be expensive so success will come to any-

body who offers a good product at reasonable rates.Where I do foresee a problem is in brand-archi-

tecture. The rooms at the Doubletree, Mayur Vihar,seemed to me to have everything that any middle-level business executive would need. The restau-rant at the Saket Garden Inn had food and ambi-ence that you expect to find at a much fancier hotel.Hilton has raised its minimum standards in Indiato levels that are higher than abroad – which couldlead to confusion.

There are plans for Waldorf Astorias and Conradsthrough nobody will talk about them. When thesehotels do open then we’ll see how the granddaddyof all hotel chains can fight its Indian competitionin the luxury segment. Till then, however, Hiltonhas massive opportunities in the non-luxury space– and it seems to be grabbing them.

13JULY 31, 2011

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CHANGING WAYSJRD Tata refused to pull down the Tajbuilding and construct a multi-storey

tower in its place

FAMILY NAMEParis Hilton is descended from

Conrad Hilton

PARTING WAYSProperties such as the Lalit in

Delhi have come and gone from the Hilton fold

LAUNCH PADThe Waldorf Astoria

hotel in New York wasHilton’s US flagship


NO IDENTITY CRISISITC tied up with Sheraton in the late 1970s,

but retained its own identity

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TIME FOR part two of Tall Tech Tales. No time for chit chat or lofty openings – lots of myths to cover,very little space – time to hit the

ground running.

MAGIC CABLESThe whole wires and cables myth has beenaround for years. It’s most prevalent in thesound sphere (you need very, very expensivespeaker cable to get pure sound); but it’s now very wide-spread in the display field too. Selling HDMI cables hasbecome a big racket. You buy a new TV, and immediately theperfectly packaged R5,000 HDMI cable is thrust intoyour hands. You are made to believe that the onlyway you’re going to get that perfect picture isthrough the magic of this incredible cable.Hogwash! HDMI ports emit a purely digital signal.Just zeros and ones are transmitted. They are not goingto lose anything to interference or signal loss. Eitheryou’ll get a picture on the other side or not. Unless you’rerunning a very long HDMI cable, you’re perfectly fine with astandard R399 HDMI one. Spend the money you’ve saved tobuy a bigger TV.

IT’S GONE FOREVERAn important document, a confidential file, thatembarrassing picture – you’ve deleted it and alsoemptied it from your recycle bin. Now it’s goneforever. Not really. It’s right there. All that hashappened is that your OS has just marked thatarea on your hard drive as empty, it doesn’t touchor remove the data itself. Any file recovery soft-ware (there are thousands) can bring it right back in a second.Great news for those who may have accidentally deleted something,terrible news for all those who deleted that secret letter.

THE DEADLY SWITCH OFFSwitching off your computer (any kind – laptop, desktop, net-book) – will kill either the hard drive or the whole computer.This is now called the grandfather debate as it’s a ques-tion that has been around for years. The answer is – itwill not. At the time of the switch off if you have unsaveddata – that may get lost (most applications will stilltry to retrieve it) – but that’s the extent of damage itmay cause. Chances of errors on the hard drive orsome component inside going phat are near impos-sible. Don’t make it a habit, don’t do this as a rule, butif your computer’s frozen or not responsive – then goahead and switch it off. It’s not going to implode on itself.

SIZE ZERO DOESN’T WORK HEREConventional wisdom said that you must drain yourbattery to zero before you recharge. This was trueearlier as the underlying battery technology at thattime was Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH), which had anotorious memory effect. Modern equipment, includinglaptops, phones and tablets, use lithium ion batteries and they

do the exact opposite. They can actu-ally lose maximum battery charge ifyou take them down to zero as the bat-

teries develop a chemical resistance torecharging, which can kill their lifes-

pan. Recharging often and every day isa more idiot-proof and safer option.

THE 750 MILLION DOLLAR QUESTIONA myth that rears up every few months. Facebook is going

to start charging for its services. On the face (!!) of it, itmakes a lot of sense. At about 750 million users, each

charged just a dollar a month – Facebook could gen-erate an incredible sum of money. The probabili-ty is nil. Facebook makes embarrassingly ugly sums

of money from advertising and selling off data (andkeeps finding new ways to do it). The whole busi-ness is based on getting more and more people there.A subscription model would kill that phenomenal

growth within seconds. And now with Google+ giv-ing it a few shudders (25 million and growing); thechances of you paying for Facebook are as much asBill Gates giving you free money. Which convenient-ly brings me to the next big myth.

HE’S NOT THAT RICHBill Gates is conducting an experiment. Forwardthe test email (tracked by them) and for every per-

son you forward the message to, Microsoft will pay you hundreds ofdollars. And for Bill Gates it’s no problem as he will just write it offas a small marketing expense. Be truthful. How many times have yougot this mail and how many times have you frantically mailed it to

everyone you know? And the cheque still hasn’t come. It never will.It’s an old practical joke. Nobody is going to ever pay you to for-

ward a mail; even Bill Gates isn’t that rich! (And while we’reat it, no Nigerian uncle of yours has left you a fortune and

no bank in London has suddenly found a secretaccount opened in your name by an admirer.)

Next week, I’m going to take on legends from theworld of the mobile phone. From petrol pumps that may

catch fire if you use a phone, to how you can kill patients inICUs by using a mobile in their vicinity, to how you can

open a locked car door with just a mobile phone, to howcarrying your cellphone in your pocket can render youchildless and what is the secret technique to recovera lost or stolen mobile phone. And no, I haven’t for-gotten – the code that will unlock a secret battery inside

your mobile phone that will power it upwhen all hope is gone.

Rajiv Makhni is managing editor, Technology,NDTV and the anchor of Gadget Guru, Cell Guru

and Newsnet 3. Follow Rajiv on Twitter at twitter.com/RajivMakhni

Rajiv Makhni

14

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Busting a few claims, legends and rumours – read on for all this and more in the second part of the series

Tech Myths: The NonsenseAnd The Reality (Part 2)

TAKE THE CHANCE(Top) It’s a power off button, not a detonation

switch, so go ahead and switch your com-puter off. It’s not going to implode on itself

KEEP IT CHARGEDThis guy doesn’t

need to go down tosize zero

HINDUSTAN TIMES SUNDAY MAGAZINE JULY 31, 2011

CABLE QUESTThat’s not realgold, so don’tpay a king’sransom for

HDMI cables

tech

ilici

ous

THAT SECRETDOC IS STILL IN

YOUR HARD DISKSOMEWHERE

THE FORWARDRACKET

You can’t get thisto forward an

email

WHEN I was small and taking the first baby steps intothe world of popular music, it was a few vinyls that oneof my uncles played on which I cut my teeth. FrankSinatra, Nat King Cole, Ray Charles, Elvis Presley... he

even had a Nana Mouskouri album. I actually remember the Nat KingCole album that he had – a 10-inch LP named Nat King Cole Sings ForTwo in Love (the slightly tattered cover – it was released in the early1950s – didn’t show King Cole but a white couple who seemed to beout on a date). The eight or ten songs on that album, as on most of myuncle’s vinyls, were about love. I was seven or eight when I heard thoserecords and quite possibly didn’t know what the heck they were aboutbut they were an introduction to pop songs, jazz, blues and all of whatshaped my later taste in music.

A few years on, I got to hear The Beatles and the Stones and Simonand Garfunkel. My father had a few tracks on his spool tapes of GeorgeHarrison songs – if I remember right, only the ones that had him play-ing the sitar. But strangely, music in physical form was not the way Ibegan listening to and getting introduced to rock and roll and all theexciting stuff. It wasn’t records or tapes that you could actually keepin physical form but the radio. As soon as I wasallowed to touch the knobs of the old Bushvalve radio that we had, with its strange net-like antenna strung across the ceiling, I dis-covered two afternoon programmes – theweekday Lunchtime Variety and Sunday’sMusical Bandbox. I don’t remember whetherjust one or the both of them were requestprogrammes but those one-hour programmeswere the primary source of ‘new’ music formy ears as I was growing up in Calcutta.They were great programmes, both ofthem, produced by Bulbul Sarkar, a leg-endary producer at the city’s branch ofAll India Radio. We would wait for thoseevery day during the summer holidaysand on Sundays and get treated to rockand roll and pop songs that became a kindof a primer for me.

It is strange how things come full cir-cle. Today, four decades later, I am intro-duced to new sounds, not through phys-ical formats such as CDs or vinyls (yes, they’ve made a comeback buthow many records, if any at all, are you buying a month?) but via some-thing quite like the radio, the Internet. Just as we used to wait for programmes like Lunchtime Variety and Musical Bandbox, I wait forpodcasts to drop into my iTunes app. Or, just as we would dial the knobof the radio in the 1970s to find a BBC music programme on short-wave or an obscure European radio station, I surf the Net tocheck out different music blogs and what they’re streaming or offering for download.

That’s how last week I got to hear an NPR programme titled CryBaby, Cry, Songs That Make You Weep. It was a 50-minute programmewhich played narratives from listeners who shared their experienceabout personal tragedies and sadness and the song that they felt

empathised most with theirfeelings. So, you had a NewOrleanian who talked about thedifficult days after Hurricane

Katrina ravaged that lovely cityand played Louis Armstrong’s mov-ing Do You Know What It Meansto Miss New Orleans?; a parent ofa girl who died when a drunk driv-er rammed into her car talkedabout her tragedy and playedsinger-songwriter Sufjan Stevens’To Be Alone With You, a song thathad helped her cope; a woman whorued her lost yet not forgotten loveand played The Avett Brothers’ IfIt’s The Beaches…. and so on.

It got me thinking about sadsongs. There is something aboutsad songs that we love. I mean youcan argue that when you’re feeling blue and low and very depressedwouldn’t it make things worse if you heard songs that were blue andlow and very depressed? It doesn’t always. In fact, I find that it is usu-

ally the opposite. A sad song can, in some man-ner, help share your sadness. I actually like sadsongs and (this may be weird) they seem towork for me regardless of where my spiritsare – soaring high in the sky or languishingin the depths of some dark well. I even havesome favourite sad songs. Lots, really. Suchas Radiohead’s (who, as we all know, spe-cialise in sad songs) How To Disappear

Completely. Simple lyrics and a refrain (I’m not here/This isn’t happening/I’m nothere, I’m not here…) that never fails towork for me, whether I’m sad or not, but

specially when I’m sad. It’s not the onlyRadiohead ‘sad’ song that I like; thereare many more on their usually melan-cholic albums. Not as many as there arein The National’s catalogue of songs. Fewbands have as many sad songs as TheNational does and few singers do sad asnicely as frontman Matt Berninger does.

But yes, before I digressed into blab-bering about sad songs, I was talking about how alike discovering newmusic today is to what it was 30 or 40 years ago. If the radio was a goodway to listen to bands that you hadn’t heard before, today it is theInternet. The only difference is that you’re spoilt for choice. If I wantto keep track of hip-hop’s latest (the new Jay-Z and Kanye West col-laboration), I have the Fader podcast that will alert me about a leakedtrack from their new album; if I want to discover new blues musicians,I have the Roadhouse podcast to go to; if I want to listen to yet-to-be-released albums by rock and pop’s best, then there’s NPR; if I wantsomeone’s quirky take on garage rock or doom metal or even alterna-tive electronica, there’s someone somewhere dishing it out for me….That’s the thing about the Internet, the long tail, which ensures thateven an audience of one can get a song that he or she likes, regardlessof whether it is a sad one or not!

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

15HINDUSTAN TIMES SUNDAY MAGAZINE JULY 31, 2011

WEBBED AUDIENCE If I want to listen to yet-to-be-released albums by rock and

pop’s best, there’s NPR

AMOROUS BEGINNINGI remember this Nat King Cole albumas my introduction to popular music

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Sanjoy Narayan

THE WEEKDAY LUNCHTIME VARIETY AND SUNDAY’S

MUSICAL BANDBOX WERE THESOURCE OF NEW MUSIC THEN

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK

The Net Is TheNew Radio

Earlier, we heard the radio to discovernew music; now all of us simply go online

stay | play |listen | live

MELANCHOLY RESPITE Radiohead specialises in sad songs,

which never fail to work for me, whether I’m sad or not

SO POSH Spice finally has what she‘really really wanted’ for a long time:a baby girl, a much-awaited andlonged-for daughter after three

strapping boys. With each pregnancy, or sothe gossip rags maintain, Victoria hoped fora daughter, a teeny-tiny Baby Spice to dressup in pink and to whom she could pass onher wisdom about Girl Power. But it wasn’tto be. The Beckhams instead became par-ents to three beautiful boys – Brooklyn,Romeo and Cruz – but they never gave upon their dream of a daughter.

So even at considerable risk to herself –all her children were born by C-section (cuethe usual jokes about being too Posh to push)and three is generally considered to be thesafe limit for this procedure – Victoria becamepregnant again in the hope of bringing fortha baby girl this time. And this once, the Godssmiled upon the Beckhams, who welcomedtheir first daughter, Harper Seven (really,what is it with celebrities and outlandishnames for their offspring?) into the worldlast month.

But even as the media gushed about thefact that Victoria and David’s family was nowcomplete and how absolutely fabulous it wasthat they had finally got the daughter of theirdreams, even if it had taken them four triesto get there, an uneasy thought popped upin my mind.

Would we have reacted in the same way ifthe Beckhams had been trying for a son ratherthan a daughter? Would we have been quiteso indulgent about their desire for a child ofa particular gender if the genders had been reversed?

Somehow, I think not. There seems to be some sort of peculiar dou-ble standard at work in the world today when it is perfectly okay toexpress your desire to have a daughter. But if a woman ever dares men-tion that she is hoping for a son, or would even like to have one, wellthen, she is no better than a traitor to her own gender.

So while it is fine to keep ‘trying’ in the hope of pro-ducing a baby girl, doing so in the hope of getting a babyboy marks you down as being obscurantist, old-fashioned,gender-insensitive and, of course, politically incorrect.

Strange, isn’t it?Of course boys have been universally preferred down

the ages, being seen as the heirs to the family fortune, whowill carry their proud name forward, while girls marryand leave for their own homes. And in a country like Indiawhere female foeticide is endemic, it is always a refresh-ing change to have someone say that they would prefer agirl over a boy.

Surely, however, it is human nature to want one of eachkind, to want to experience the joy of having a son as wellas a daughter. But such is the strength of the double stan-dard – and so despicable are some of the means we employ

to have boys rather than girls – that it takesa brave woman to say that, yes, she does hopeto have a son this time round.

But in a world where political correctnesshas run wild, such double standards are well-established now.

Let’s take a look at how we refer to foreignvisitors to our shores. Anybody who is Whiteis unthinkingly referred to as a ‘Firangi’ or‘Gora’, without the slightest fear that thismay give offence or be perceived as racist.But nobody with the slightest sensitivitywould ever refer to a Chinese person as‘Chinki’ or call a Japanese a ‘Nip’. And any-body who did would be promptly accused ofbeing vilely racist – as indeed they should.And yet, when you think about it, what’s thedifference? Why do we get to use ‘Gora’ inpolite conversation when we wouldn’t dreamof saying ‘Chinki’? Surely, the offence is muchthe same?

Similarly, nobody bats an eyelid when youimitate English and American accents to sendpeople up. But God forbid that you shouldever do the same with a German, French orItalian accent. For some reason that is seenas racist while the first two are just dismissedas so much good fun. And imitating Japanese,Thai or even Chinese accents is simply beyondthe pale.

Then, there’s the politically correct takeon fairness creams. Surely by now all of you must know that they areA Very Bad Thing. The manufacturers prey on the insecurities of dark-skinned people and make them pay obscene sums of money to lightentheir complexions with creams that are no more effective than a goodsunblock. Shame on them! Don’t they know any better?

That said, nobody objects to the booming fake tan business, in which people try to darken their light complexions to prove that theyare rich enough to holiday in spots where they can get a nice sun tan.And yet, you can't deny that both are two sides of the same coin; amanifestation of the desire of people to improve their appearance in amanner that pleases them. So why be judgemental about one and notthe other?

And then, there’s the usual gender-bender stuff that comes withpolitical correctness. There is no harm in sending up your husband bycomplaining how he does no housework, doesn’t help with the chil-dren, is too messy (remember Michelle Obama’s famous reference toher husband’s ‘smelly socks’?) and just so useless all around. But whatif the same put-upon husband were to retaliate by pointing out howrubbish his wife is at driving and how she still can’t parallel park? Well,I’ll just leave it to you to guess how that story would unfold.

[email protected]. Follow Seema on Twitter at twitter.com/seemagoswami

SeemaGoswami

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HINDUSTAN TIMES SUNDAY MAGAZINE JULY 31, 2011

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VICTORIA BECKHAMBECAME PREGNANT

AGAIN IN THE HOPE OFBRINGING FORTH A BABY

GIRL THIS TIME

In a world that swears bypolitical correctness, double

standards are all the rage

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DoubleTrouble

PRINCESS DIARYThe Beckhams welcomed their first daughter,

Harper Seven (with Victoria, top left, and David,top) into the world last month

REGULAR MESSThere is no harm in

sending up your husband by complain-

ing that he is too messy(remember Michelle

Obama’s famous reference to her hus-

band’s ‘smelly socks’?)


SLEEP HAS a lot of functions and consti-tutes an essential part of being and living.Some of its known functions are:

1During sleep, the body rejuvenates and regen-erates itself. This process is very important for

the health of organs and tissues, because tissuebreakdown happens on a daily basis, and if re-pair and regeneration doesn’t happen in a timelyfashion, the chances of mutations, cancerousgrowths, etc., can happen at a faster rate.

2During sleep, neuronal systems in the brainconsolidate information into systematic stor-

age, so that in future when we want to remembersomething, the information can be retrieved.

3During sleep, muscles are rested, otherwise,muscles, spine and joints are always in use.

Side effects of not getting adequate sleep:■ Irritability at work ■ Weight gain and thyroid problems ■ Lack of concentration ■ Inappropriate aggression ■ Higher incidences of accidents ■ Increased vulnerability to various allergies ■ Tissue breakdown, joint and knee problems ■ Digestive problems ■ Significantly increased vulnerability to stress How much sleep is essential■ For adults, six to eight hours of sleep is essen-tial. The number can vary from person to person, ■ In small children, sleep requirements are high-er; this decreases with age. There is a sleep spurtduring the adolescent years.Sleep patterns have changed due to the following reasons:■ The Net, games, jobs that entail night shifts ■ The cosmopolitan city culture■ Higher consumption of alcohol and stimulants ■ Certain easy-to-obtain sleep medications ■ Increased business travel across time zones ■ We live in a culture where work addictions andstaying awake longer have become aspirationalNext week: How do we balance our sleep in thecurrent environment?

[email protected]

SHIKHA SHARMAMIND BODY SOUL

Sweet Dreams

THERE’S ONE odd thing about themonsoon. Even though it’s associat-ed with some of the worst of healthproblems – gastroenteritis, infec-tions, colds, coughs and viral fevers

– we look forward to it with all our hearts andsouls. Which Indian, having burned under thesummer sun, doesn’t like the rain?

And there’s another reason to love the mon-soon. According to ancient texts, this is the bestseason for any kind of rejuvenation programme.

“According to ayurveda, the human body is atits weakest during this season and thereforeneeds to be rejuvenated with massages that helpstrengthen the body,” explains Dr Rishi Mahajan,general manager, alternate therapies, VLCC.

Since the atmosphere in this season is rela-tively cool and dust-free, it helps the skin to openthe pores and absorb herbal and medicinal oilsto the maximum. People of any body type canget the benefits of ayurvedic therapies duringthe monsoon.

“During the wet season, people tend to retainwater,” says Divita Kanoria, founder, Tatha…Nature’s Blessings. “Massage increases the cir-culation of blood and lymph that helps to easethis condition. It also helps increase immunityand decrease muscular tension and pain.Massage therapy also gives relief from acutestress.”

Ayurvedic rejuvenation therapies do morethan ease physical stress, adds Dr Shyla Vahab,an ayurvedic doctor at Therapy Ayurveda inDelhi’s Dwarka area. “They also help preservelongevity, restore youthfulness, revitalise thebody and mind, enhance body resistance andimmunity and improve the functioning of bodyparts,” says Dr Vahab. “Plus, ayurvedic therapiesbring calmness, improve the skin’s complexionand texture and increase the sensing capacity ofsense organs. They also build up proper tissues(dhatus) in the body and continuously repair

them, helping the body to resist diseases. Ideally,a 14- or 21-day session can bring out the bestresults.”

In fact, according to Dr Vahab, one of the bestmassage therapies for the monsoon is ‘abhyan-ga’, meaning oil massage. “Abhyanga is done asa pre-process of panchakarma (a purificationprocess) and also as a major process by itself,”says the doctor. “It helps improve concentration,intelligence, confidence, and youthfulness. It alsohelps alleviate vata disorders and provides com-fort to the eyes, ensures sound sleep, and tonesthe body. It is the most ancient method used toremove muscular fatigue and pain.”

In another massage, shirodhara, certainherbal oils (thailadhara), medicated milk(ksheeradhara), medicated butter milk (thakrad-hara) etc., are poured on to the forehead in aparticular method for about 45 minutes a day.“This treatment is effective for insomnia, stress,fatigue and lack of vitality. It stimulates thenervous system and is also effective in differentconditions of vata aggravation,” adds Dr Vahab.

Even if you are unable to go for a proper mas-sage therapy, you can do some simple things athome that will help in this season.

“Put a few drops of either coconut or mustardoil in your nostrils after bathing. This will helpclear the sinus and any congestion also,” says DrMahajan. “Even applying a few drops of mustardoil on your navel can be beneficial.”

[email protected]

According to ayurveda, whenit rains – get a massage

by Veenu Singh

Oil’s Well

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DISCLAIMER FIRST:Please note that we haveabsolutely no intention ofinciting you to defy yourboss or your company’s HR

department. But we do want to pointout one little fact that everyone willagree with (even your boss and the HRpeople if, for one minute, they stop beingboss and HR and remember that they’repeople). It’s this: while we all appreciateour legitimate days off work (such asthe weekend), a day off when we’re sup-posed to be working but have decidedthat we’d rather not, is much nicer.

And if there’s one thing the monsooncan give us (aside from rain songs, bhut-tas, bhajiyas, chai and fungus on ourshoes), it’s the occasional opportunity to

bunk work and stay at home, curledup with a book (or several). After all,when the skies are grey, the rain iscoming down so hard that yourset-top box can’t catch a TV signaland the road outside your house resem-bles the Indian Ocean (there could evenbe sharks in there), there’s nothingmore sensuous than texting your bossto say you won’t be in, bunging themasala into the chai on the stove, climb-ing back into your pajamas, switchingon the lamp with the golden glow, cud-dling into your favourite armchair, andpicking up that book you’ve been mean-ing to read for ages.

But if there’s no particular bookyou’ve been meaning to read for ages,allow us to recommend a few.

There are many joyousthings about the monsoon.But best of all, it gives usthe chance to stay at homewith a good bookby Kushalrani Gulab

THE SEQUELThe Secret of the NagasAUTHOR: AmishAuthor Amish presented us with The

Immortals of Meluha, thefirst book in his Shiva tril-ogy, in early 2010. It was agripping book, one thatportrays Shiva not as agod, but as a man. Now,the second book in the tril-ogy, The Secret of theNagas, is due in the book-shops by mid-August.

When we turned the lastpage of The Immortals ofMeluha, a sinister Nagawarrior had killed Shiva’sfriend Brahaspati and

clearly had his eye on Shiva’s wife Sati.Now, Shiva must seek out the Nagas, thepeople of the serpent. The signs of evilare everywhere: A kingdom is dying as itis held to ransom for a miracle drug. Acrown prince is murdered. The Vasudevs– Shiva’s philosopher guides – betray hisfaith. Even Meluha has a terrible secret.Unknown to Shiva, a master puppeteer isplaying a grand game.

CRIME / MYSTERYThe Inspector Ghote booksAUTHOR: HRF KeatingWhile you’re waiting for the third book inTarquin Hall’s Vish Puri series of detec-tive novels set in and around Delhi (if youhaven’t read the first two books, get TheCase of the Missing Servant and The

Case of the Man Who Died Laughingimmediately), you may want to seek outBombay-based Inspector Ghote, the cre-ation of HRF Keating. Keating createdInspector Ghote way back in 1964 in thebook The Perfect Murder (which laterbecame a movie starringNaseeruddin Shah), andcontinued to write booksabout him all the way to2009.

Life is not easy for Ghote– it never is for any honestpolice officer. But no matterwhat the mystery – and nomatter what the oppositionto its solution – InspectorGhote always comesthrough. And in the mostdelightful way possible.

It’s RainingBooks



PHOTO: THINKSTOCK

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GRAPHIC STORIESThink books with animals asheroes are for children? Especiallybooks with pictures? Think again.Better yet, see and read for your-self in Animal Palette, a collectionof animal stories by authorChetan Joshi, ranging from theromantic to the outright terrify-ing. Lock horns with the big bullywho bashes and bluffs everyone insight. Or play a gruesome game ofhide and seek with crows andowls. Go tiger hunting with themost ferocious and megalomania-cal wolf in the jungle. And meet

the frog who has the answers to every-thing in life except his own fate. The bookis illustrated by Tejas Modak, who hasused a different medium and artistic stylefor each story making it a palette ofgraphic fiction.

The Secret of SirikotAUTHOR: Shivani SinghThere may no longer be any such thing asroyalty in the democratic republic that isIndia, but we’re fascinated by it nonethe-less. And we learn about the lives of theroyals in The Secret of Sirikot, a mysteryset in the fictional princely state of Sirikotin 1947 – just before Independence andjust as the royals were about to mergetheir states with the larger nation ofIndia. When Leela, the 13-year-old narra-tor, daughter of Sirikot’s First Princess,arrives to visit her maternal grandpar-ents, she hears of the murder of a patidar.But soon her grandfather, the Raja, iskilled. And her grandmother, the Rani,kills herself. Leela knows her eldest uncle,the Yuvraj, is desperate for the throne.But could he really have done it?

FEEL-GOODSomeone Else’s GardenAUTHOR: Dipika RaiWhat would you do if we were to tell you:there’s this book you should read. It’s abouta poor low-caste village girl whose fathertells her she’s just a girl, soon to become theproperty of a husband. As a girl, society saysshe doesn’t have a life of her own.

You’d run, right? Who’d want to readsomething so depressing?

Well. The thing is, we are telling you toread this book: It’s called Someone Else’sGarden and it’s about a poor low-caste villagegirl who society says has no life of her own.We’re telling you to read it because it is a good book and not inthe least bit depressing. Rather, it’s uplifting. A real feel-goodbook, well-written, and gently humorous. You’ll be smiling fordays after you finish it.

Here’s a short interview with author Dikipa RaiSomeone Else’s Garden could so easily beseen as a book that’s intended to shakereaders out of their smug, urban, middleclass existences. But it’s not. How bravewere you, pitching this idea to publishers?

Surprisingly, it was extremely hard topitch to Indian publishers, but not to for-eign publishers. The book was firstlaunched in the US and then in the UK.The feedback to the initial launches hasbeen overwhelming with several overseasreaders describing it as ‘an eye-opener’.How did you work out the characters?You’ve made no judgements – even aboutthe heroine Mamta’s nasty husband. Wasthat a conscious decision?

I didn’t consciously not make anyjudgements about my characters, but mynarrator wasn’t entitled to judge them,not having walked in their shoes or livedtheir lives. Somehow my narratoremerged as a sympathetic observer asmuch trying to understand as to examine.In particular, how did you create the char-acter of Mamta? She’s so real.

I think we have all met many Mamtasin our lives. I know we had somany working for us. I aman observer and I askquestions, file awayanswers. I am lucky tolive in a land of storiesand layers, where thedistance between urbanand rural India is butone person deep.What have readers saidabout the book?

I think the story isbeing received as aredemptive tale.Several readers saidthey were ‘changed byit’, which is the bestcompliment a writercan receive.


QUICK READSBombay Duck is a FishAUTHOR: Kanika DhillonWhat really happens when you work inBollywood? Neki Brar doesn’t know, butshe’d rather do this than any marketingjob, so though her father is against it, shequotes his favourite book – Siddhartha,by Herman Hesse – at him and abandonsAmritsar for tinsel town. And then shelearns – in Bollywood, nothing is as itseems. Just as Bombay duck is not aduck. It’s a fish. A screenwriter herself,author Kanika Dhillon really knows whatshe’s talking about.

Reality bytes BitesAUTHOR: Anurag AnandIf you’ve ever lived in a hostel, prepare toindulge in much nostalgia as AnuragAnand takes you into the world of theDelhi High School hostel, where unbreak-able friendships are made, unbreakablebonds are created – but hearts, unfortu-nately, remain as fragile as ever.

Starstruck AUTHOR: Rajal PitrodaWhen New Yorker Sapna Shah visitsMumbai for a wedding, she also has anassignment from her boss at That’sEntertainment! magazine. She has to do astory on Bollywood. But an interviewrequest with top producer Gautam Guptaturns into an interview of another kindaltogether – Gupta asks her to work forhim. Soon, starstruck Sapna is on thesets, hanging out with megastars andopening markets for Hindi films in theUS of A. But then a co-worker diesin mysterious circumstances…

1/7 Bondel RoadAUTHOR: Gautam BenegalIndulge in much nostalgia in10 short stories by GautamBenegal, about growing up inthe ’70s in Calcutta. Even ifyou’re not a Calcuttan, thesegentle, funny, sometimes sadstories will bring back mem-ories of your own child-hood – and remindyou of how differentlife is for kidstoday.

CINEMAFirst Day First Show: Writings from the Bollywood TrenchesAUTHOR: ANUPAMA CHOPRA

I have rarely interviewed SalmanKhan. In the early days, he had littleinterest in talking to journalists. Inthe mid-1990s, on David Dhawan’srequest, he agreed to see me overlunch at a shoot in Bandra. I showedup at the appointed hour. He ignoredme while he devoured two tiramisus.Then he said he would do the interview but onlyif the magazine I was writing for donated R10lakh to his favourite charity. When I said we did-n’t pay for interviews, he said it was only fairthat if we were going to make money by puttinghim on the cover, we should also compensatehim. The interview didn’t happen.

Since then I have done television interviewswith Salman, which have always been great fun.In one, he became fascinated with a thread on

the floor and insisted on picking itup mid-answer. In another, I askedwhy he pretty much played himselfin film after film. He said: Why, doyou have a problem with my person-ality? Clearly Salman plays by hisown rules. You can, as millions offans are, be entertained by his rock-star persona or be bored by it.Either way, he’s not changing.

ESSENTIAL VIEWING:Hum Aapke Hain Koun…! (1994): He is the rich boywho loves large but is committed to family values. Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999): The chemistrybetween Salman and Aishwarya Rai is crackling.Dabangg (2010): The cheerfully corrupt cop is anunstoppable force of nature. He delivers killerone-liners, defeats armed gunmen with a waterhose, and makes fart jokes. What’s not to like!

Over the years, I haverepeatedly interviewedShah Rukh Khan and he

remains Bollywood’sundisputed king of con-

versation. It is his missionto entertain you, whether

you are sitting in a theatreor in a one-on-one session in his living

room. In 2007, I wrote a book about him called

King of Bollywood: Shah Rukh Khan andthe Seductive World of Indian Cinema. Iinterviewed many of the people who havedirected Shah Rukh, including AdityaChopra. He said to me: “What comes acrossmost strongly is Shah Rukh’s desire to

please... Shah Rukh doesn’t wantyou to love him as a star. He is try-ing in a very strange way throughhis acting to make you love him. Ithas a lot to do with the loss of hisparents. They aren’t there anymoreand he’s reaching out and substitut-ing their loss with the world.” I thinkhe might be right.

ESSENTIAL VIEWING:Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa (1993): Shah Rukh plays aloser but with such sweetness and vulnerabilitythat he stays with you long after the film is over.Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995): This perfectworld is artificial but the emotions are real.Chak De! India (2007): Shah Rukh is pitch perfectas the bitter coach redeeming himself by convert-ing the losing girls’ hockey team into winners.

The first article I wrote aboutAamir was titled ‘Mr Perfection’. Iremember going to interview himwhile he was shooting for DharmeshDarshan’s Mela. It was May and theheat was scorching. They wereshooting a dance sequence and bymid-morning, the dancers had wilt-ed. But Aamir stood stoically, wearing a leatherjacket. He did not take it off until, after manyretakes, the shot had been canned. Thatsummed up, for me, his passion and drive to dothe best job possible. Not much has changed.Aamir remains a consummate storyteller andarguably, the best actor of his generation.

ESSENTIAL VIEWING:Rangeela (1995): Who can forget Aamir asMunna, the tapori black-market man, taking

the love of his life Milli on a date in acanary-yellow jumpsuit and tellingthe waiter to move the air-conditioning in the restauranttoward him? Rangeela is irresistible,frothy fun. Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India(2001): Lagaan is one of the bestfilms to come out of India indecades. Aamir put his might and

muscle behind a failed director – AshutoshGowariker – and a difficult story – villagers incolonial India taking on the British in a game ofcricket – and created movie magic. 3 Idiots (2009): Aamir’s Rancho is mischievous,mysterious and superbly clever in his subver-sion of the education system. The film isoverblown and simplistic. It wears its heart onits sleeve but it has an inherent sweetness andcharm that made it the biggest hit in the historyof Indian cinema.

Salman Khan

Aamir Khan

Journalist Anupama Chopra has covered films for 20 years, and First Day First Show: Writings from theBollywood Trenches is a compilation of some of her best articles from India Today, The New York Times,and Vogue, among others, offering a ringside view of the industry as it’s changed. Naturally, we couldn’t letall that experience go, so we asked her to compare Bollywood’s three Khans from a journalist’s point of view.

JULY 31, 2011


20

Shah Rukh Khan

‘YOU CAN LIKE HIM OR NOT. BUTSALMANWILL NOTCHANGE’


INDIA IN the monsoon is asymphony, which slowly rever-berates in every living soulwith a thousand dreams. The

whole country celebrates when themonsoon arrives; farmers, busi-nessmen, politicians and childrencheer the downpour. The rainsmean that the country will be ableto grow the crops needed to feed its population, and a land parched byharsh summer will be able toquench its thirst.

It’s no wonder the monsoon hasplayed such an important role inHindi films too. The rains are a life-line, a symbol of joy and prosperity.Our sense of joy at the sight of rain-fall is traditional, and no religion,caste or creed comes in between. Itcomes to me as no surprise thatmonsoon songs have always beenused to represent many emotions. Iwas so influenced by the rains thatmy first composition was Ab kesawan sung by Shubha Mudgal.

The video showed the magic of themonsoon and how it affected peo-ple. My inspiration was the legacyof film songs celebrating the rainthat I had been hearing for years.

Here are the other songs thatcome to my mind when I think ofthe monsoon. Allah megh de, paanide from Guide – a desperate plead-ing for rain has been so beautifullyexpressed in the song. It’s a plain-tive cry; cattle plodding through thedust amongst hordes of thirsty vil-lagers and their reluctant localsaint, played by Dev Anand. Thesong’s very moving tone and thehaunting voice of SD Burman makeit more so. Much later, Ghananghanan from Lagaan expressed thesame sentiments and showed usthat even 50 years on, the monsoonis still pivotal for rural India.

Then when the rains do come, nosong represents the feeling betterthan Hariyala sawan dhol bajataaaya (Do Bigha Zameen, 1953, SalilChoudhary, Shailendra, LataMangeshkar and Manna Dey).Shailendra’s lyrics are evocativeand full of lovely metaphors. Theearth, decked out like a bride in aveil of green; the thunder of theclouds likened to the drumming of adhol; the sheer joy of a parched

farming village that rejoices at thearrival of the rains.

Of course, the ultimate romanticrain song for me is O sajna barkhabahaar aayi (Parakh, 1960, SalilChoudhary, Shailendra, LataMangeshkar). Not only is the musicsuperb, so is the singing – Lata’s ather best. And while a youngSadhana (in one of her first films) isendearing, the imagery of the rain iswhat makes O sajna… stand out.Beautiful shots of rain drops as itfalls on the leaves and trickles downforming pearls… can the monsoonget any more romantic?

Of course, where there is love,can lust be far behind? In the ’80s,monsoon songs meant wet chiffon-clad heroines shivering with rainand desire. Two songs that realystand out for me are Kaate nahi kat

te ye din ye raat from Mr India inwhich Sreedevi looks stunning andBhaage re mann from Chameli in which Kareena Kapoor is in a wetsari. The song is so beautifully shotthat Kareena looked the best shehas in a long time. Later she looksequally stunning in 3 Idiots as shegets wet with Aamir and they bothgyrate to Bheegi bheegi saree meinyun thumke lagati tu.

But as the language of cinema ischanging, so is the dependency onrain decreasing to express emo-tions. However, trust me when I saythat in Hindi film songs, the rainswill never go out of fashion.

[email protected]

■ Pyar hua ikraar hua hai –Shri 420■ Ek ladki bheegi bhaagi si– Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi■ Rimjhim gire sawan –Manzil■ Rimjhim rhimjhim – 1942:

A Love Story ■ O sajna barkha bahaaraai – Parakh■ Ghanan ghanan – Lagaan■ Barso re – Guru■ Bhaage re mann –Chameli

■ Saawan ki raaton meinaisa bhi hota hai – Prem Patra ■ Kaali ghata chhaye morajiyaa tarsaye – Sujata■ Aaj rapat jaaye to humena – Namak Halal

Singin’ In The Rain

RAINDROPS KEEPFALLING

Kareena and Aamir inZoobi doobi from 3 Idiots

celebrate one of thebiggest cliches of

Hindi cinema

MONSOON DESIREKareena in a wet sari in Chameli looked

the best she had in a long time

SHANTANU’S FAVOURITE MONSOON SONGS

SHANTANUMOITRA

Joy, romance, desire and emancipation – in Hindi cinema therain has been used to express many emotions. That’s why it

will never go out of fashion

REEL ROMANCERain and romance go hand in hand. Nargis and RajKapoor epitomise love in the rain in Pyar hua ikraar

hua hai from Shri 420



musiccomposer

PHOTO: RAHUL DUTTA PHOTOGRAPHY

One word that describes youbest?

Tomboy.

If a traffic constable hauls you up, whatwill you do?I would say Bhaiya jane do.

What makes you feel sexy?Poker-straight hair.

What did you do with your first pay cheque?Haven’t got one as yet!

Earth’s crowded and full of trash. Chooseanother planet.Pluto.

The last time you rode on a bus?I travelled on route number 611 in Delhi justlast week.

Do you love Luv Storys?No, I don’t.

A tune you can’t get out of your head?Wish I was your lover by Enrique Iglesias.

If you could have chosen your own name,what would you have chosen?I would have chosen Piya.

Share a secret with us… you can trust us,we’ll only print it!I’m in love.

Your favourite free-dom fighter?

Rani Lakshmibai.

The one law you

would break if you could get away with it?Driving a car without a licence.

A place where you would like to be lost fora month?Venice. It is so romantic.

Which superhero would you like to be andwhy?Wonder Woman, because she has a greatbody.

The last movie that made you cry?We Are Family.

Love is......Momentary.

You are late for work and all the roads arejammed. Choose a mode of transport: a cycle, a horse or a skateboard. Why? I would choose the cycle as I can’t ride and Idon’t know how to skateboard either.

What is the weirdest thing that ever wentinto your mouth? Nothing. I always see what I eat.

What makes your day?My dad shouting at me.

What screws it up? My brother smiling when I’m getting ascolding.

If you were the last person left on earth,what would you do? Sleep, and get over the nightmare.

— Interviewed by Veenu Singh

IF YOU COULD HAVE ASTAR PERFORM ATYOUR WEDDING, WHOWOULD IT BE?MEGAN FOXON SHEILA KIJAWANI. THATWILL BE FUN

LIFE IN THE FAST FOODLANE: CHOOSE YOURMENUMCCHICKENBURGER WITHFRENCH FRIESAND A MCPUFFAS WELL

THE COLOUR ‘PINK’FOR YOU IS...IT REMINDSME OF JOHNSON’SBABYPRODUCTS

She describes herself as a ‘tomboy’, but this 20-year-old Delhi girl just won a spot inthe international Ford Supermodel of the World contest to be held later this

year in New York. Studying at a dental college, Ninja Singh decided to tryher luck in modelling and auditioned for the contest. Besides winning

the Indian edition, Ninja will also participate in the next WillsLifestyle India Fashion Week

PERSONAL AGENDA

MODEL

NINJA SINGH


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Hindustantimes Brunch 31 july 2011