News

The Hindu : The first thing that strikes you about Shashi Tharooris his youthfulness; it’s hard to believe that this urbane-looking, silk dhoti-and-kurta sporting man is 50 plus and the former Under Secretary-General of the United Nations.Members of the book clubs have braved the slashing rain and stormy winds to hear him speak; the former U.N. official is something of a celebrity, especially after he ran eventual winner Ban Ki-moon of South Korea a close second in the poll for a new U.N. Secretary-General as India’s official candidate; not that he wasn’t well known on the literati circuit even before, considering his nine books and columns in various newspapers (including The Hindu).Tharoor is here to talk about his latest book – The Elephant, The Tiger and The Cell Phone – and finds an audience fully receptive to the message he wants to get across. He is a votary of all things Indian; the economic rise of India since the liberalisation unleashed by P.V. Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh in the ’90s provides Tharoor the springboard to project Brand India on the global and Indian stage.His thesis is simple: lumbering India of the past, shackled by the licence raj for the first four decades of Independence is now rapidly morphing into an agile, lithe tiger; hence the title. The cell phone is a metaphor for the change; Tharoor hammers home the fact that the cell phone has become ubiquitous now, even in the hands of the so-called underclass: istri-wallahs and fishermen. For him, this is emblematic of the economic and social transformation under way, a transformation that marks India’s emergence as a 21st century power, which is, in fact, the subtitle (or more accurately, the sub text) of his book.Tharoor is too canny a speaker, and publicist, to sound over optimistic; he acknowledges the problems that India still faces: the grinding poverty, the illiteracy and failure to educate our…More

The Hindu : When Bollywood producer-director Sudhir Mishra and actor Soha Ali Khan met for a conversation recently, it invariably veeredtowards their first venture together — the recent “Khoya Khoya Chand”.And out came close observations on the Hindi film industry, some with reasons to smile, some of complaint. RANA SIDDIQUI tuned in.Sudhir Mishra: Thank God, the film industry is undergoing apositive change these days.Otherwise, as a film director, I was getting frustrated. Till a while ago, I barely saw films of my kind. Directors like Anurag Basu (of “Life in a Metro” fame) have filled the much-needed gap between the so-called mainstream and parallel cinema.Soha Ali Khan: You are right. I was looking for a film of my heart’s choice to enter the film industry, but it came quite late.I think it began with “Rang De Basanti” and has become stronger with your “Khoya Khoya Chand”. In fact, your film is my first author-backed solo role.Sudhir: (Smiles at the compliment) I couldn’t zero in on any face other than yours for that ‘old classic’ look. I wanted it for my heroine. People are so short-sighted here.They discouraged me and told me you were a wrong choice. But after watching the film, they had to eat their words!Soha: (Laughing) This film has made me look at myself with a different perception. Though I was aware of my ‘classic’ look, the ground-breaking role in “Khoya…” has proved it on screen.In fact, the use of Urdu diction in the film, the dialogue delivery and the body language transported me to that era. Despite working back-to-back for several months, I never felt tired.Sudhir: I think those filmmakers who have been wishing to make films with that good old golden touch of the ’60s and the ’70s will now look at you…Soha: Since no one so far encashed on it, I once even thought that it was a drawback…Sudhir: Yes, if an actress…More

The Hindu : Theatre workshopEvam Youth Forum has organised a 12-day workshop for theatre enthusiasts.The workshop, conducted by Anamika Haksar, will explore rhythm as a tool to tell stories.This actor-oriented workshop will focus on strengthening the actor’s ability to use the sensory information. The workshop is between January 2 to January 14, Bhawan’s College, 4.30 p.m. to 8.30 p.m.For registration call Sachin Kamani 98201 92778, 26301294….More

The Hindu : Here we are, in the middle of the Christmas break, possibly the world’s most popular holiday season; a time when one half of the world is snorkelling/skiing/surfing, while the other half is impatiently waiting to board a budget-flight to go snorkelling/skiing/surfing. But wait! Before you start wondering if this is a treatise on exotic holidays or a rant about the impact of budget airlines and their carbon footprint, we’ll cut to the chase… We are here to substantiate, with evidence from highbrow scientific experiments, how differently the two sexes approach the holiday season.Now, for the experiments…!We sat a group of youngish, upwardly mobile men – whose names we shall withhold (you’ll soon know why) – and conducted this really path-breaking trial. We asked them to close their eyes, focus on the Great Nothingness, and tell us the first thing that came to their mind when they thought of the word ‘holiday’. The answers were um, interesting, but not entirely surprising. Almost every single man, told us that their dream vacation was to be stranded on a remote, God forsaken island with Angelina Jolie, read aloud The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne. Well, ok, we cooked up the last bit, but that’s only in the interests of any readers below 18 or above 65.Holiday wish-listsNext, we repeated the experiment with stay-at-home mums…the answers were, surprisingly, similar, as the vast majority said they too would like to be stranded on a remote, God forsaken island…only, they didn’t care much for the Jolie bit. Instead, they saw themselves surrounded by a solicitous, extraordinarily good chef (preferably good enough to eat), eager-to-please masseur (more eye-candy), and most importantly, not a clothesline, lunch dabba or steam iron in sight. Their idea of a perfect vacation, they said, was putting as much distance as possible between the gas-range and themselves. And then, we got onto working women… and guess…More

The Hindu : The popular Dummies series finally has an Indian author. And about time too. Chennai-based Ranjini Manian, Founder and CEO of Global Adjustments — a destination and cross-cultural services company — has written the series’ first book on India, on what’s probably one of the hottest topics in the world right now, “Doing Business In India For Dummies”.Launched in 1991, at a time when new technology and fancy gizmos started sweeping the world, the path-breaking Dummies series bravely used irreverent expertise to break down complicated concepts. They began with “DOS For Dummies” and were such a huge success, they currently have 125 million books in print. Dummies is now available in about a dozen languages, including French, Arabic and Bulgarian. Hungry Minds Inc., the company that started the series, was bought over by John Wiley & Sons, a venerable old company founded in 1807.Comprehensive series“It’s an automatic ‘Go To’ in America,” says Ranjini, holding up the distinctive yellow and black book…whether it’s cooking or bringing up a Labrador retriever.” The astonishingly comprehensive series actually does seem to have thought of everything, whether it’s “Dating For Dummies”, “Grieving for Dummies” or a cheerful title called “Reconstructing Clothes for Dummies”, which — among other things — tells you how to “turn your old pants into a new hat”.Ranjini says acquiring the Dummies brand of humour was one of the most difficult challenges, although the American Wiley team really helped. “I’m not really funny,” she says. Her unpretentious, down-to-earth tone, which she carries into “Doing Business In India For Dummies”, is actually her strongest point as a writer. The book is filled with anecdotes culled from the twelve years she’s run Global Adjustments, giving practical and logistic help to the many expatriates from about 70 different countries, who have all moved to India to do business.It all began a little more than a year ago, when Dummies sent her…More

The Hindu : This Christmas, Cartoon Network and Pogo are all set to make winter holidays exciting. Cartoon Network’s “A Very Jerry Xmas”, a week long fun extravaganza featuring the classic pair Tom and Jerry with the “Tom and Jerry Show” is on till December 27 from 12 noon to 1 p.m. “Tom and Jerry The Movie” on December 28 at 12 noon, “Tom and Jerry Show” on December 29 from 12 noon to 1 p.m., “Tom and Jerry: The Fast and the Furry” on December 30 at 12 noon.Pogo presents the national premiere of the animated TV Special, “Shrek the Halls” on December 25 at 1 p.m. Tiny tots can watch Christmas special episodes of their favourite characters Noddy, Baby Looney Tunes, and Foster’s Imaginary Friends on Pogo today from 10 a.m. onwards. “Noddy saves Christmas – Make way for Noddy”, “Out Back Christmas – Koala brothers” at 10.30 a.m., “Christmas in July – Baby Looney Tunes” at 11.30 a.m., “Lost Clause – Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends” at 12 noon. There is “A very Woody Christmas from Woody Woodpecker” at 12.30 p.m., “Shrek the Halls” at 1 p.m. and “Merry Christmas Mr. Bean” at 1.30 p.m.Nick is celebrating Christmas with brand new episodes of the super hero “Perman”, back to back from 12 noon to 8 p.m. “Perman” will be followed by the premiere of “Wallace and Gromit” at 8 p.m….More

The Hindu : Going green this gift-giving season is a profitable plan. Make gifts innovative and one-of-a-kind. Make them earth-friendly. While you’re at it, drop hints that you would like to receive in kind. Stuff that’s kind to the planet — non-toxic, non-polluting and non-depleting of the earth. Tell people you are looking for a present for the future.Where do you begin? At the shopping mall. By not visiting. What’s so great about giving something that somebody made somewhere? Why should a gift come from a swipe of plastic? Why can’t it be a personal, made-myself one? A little imagination, some work and you should have a memorable gift all wrapped up. One that tells the giftee he/she is worthy of your time and energy. It could just be a well-chosen service. Better than what you can put in a box.Gift movie/concert tickets with an offer to baby sit on the show day. Pay for a massage – we can all do with a strong shoulder rub. Bake a cake or cook a special meal. Reimburse music lessons or tuitions. Spruce up a garden.“Should gifts involve money?” asked a Class XII student, writing about “My Summer Job”. “I ran the house this summer. Mom had a break from work; I learned the value of what she does.”Accompany the elderly or the disabled to an exhibition, sport event or the museum. Isn’t lasting memory a gift too? What do the elderly want anyway?Look around the house and the loft. Do you have antiques, end tables, large vessels, clocks or pieces of jewellery that no longer fit in? Scores of people would love to have some of those.The ancient swing in Sankari Amritkumar’s living room is a gift from her sister. “Everyone takes a few swings,” she smiles, “plus it came with a bag of memories.” Have you had the fortune to be handed down household tools? They are matchless…More

The Hindu : Drive away fearsNot all drivers break every rule in the book, insists Meena R. Shankar in her ode to trustworthy men at the wheelThe man may be boss at office, and she, at home. But on the road, both are under the complete control of the chauffer, as he takes charge. It’s a highly responsible and accountable job, where the mind and body have to be on a constant alert. The contribution of dedicated drivers is admirable and thanks to them, we are safe.When there was a blast in Delhi’s Govindpuri area, it was the bus driver who saved hundreds of lives, risking his own life. A decade ago when my husband and I went to Almora by a night bus from Delhi, we were fascinated by the driver’s attitude. He enjoyed his work, drove carefully and said a silent prayer before he started. At Meerut, he even told us about the specialty of the natural spring water there. As night approached he played soft music for himself, took a tea break and made sure he was invigorated for the night drive in mountainous terrain. At dawn he woke passengers to the strains of devotional music.As we were in the front seat, we observed him and appreciated him for the wonderful job. We took his photograph, noted his address and sent it to him by post.He was so overwhelmed, he started writing to us regularly. He blessed us with kids assuming we were honeymooners, as we were travelling alone on that journey.When we told him we had two kids, he wanted us to send him our family photo. We did, and he continues to keep in touch. Two years ago he even invited us for his daughter’s wedding in his village in Almora. There was much joy when our entire family went there and stayed overnight at his place to attend the wedding.Frequently we come…More

The Hindu : “I have climbed too many mountains. But there is always a wish to do something new. So I thought of this desert trip,” says Bachendri Pal, India’s first woman to get to the summit of Mount Everest. Bachendri led an all-women Thar Desert expedition early this year. The first such expedition on camel back by any civilian, it has recently entered the Limca Book of World Records. “All the 12 members of the expedition were women. Some of them were housewives. I met a couple of them during my various expeditions and all of them were keen on doing something interesting. On camel back, treading that gruelling route from the Rann of Kutch through the Thar Desert to the Wagah border is not an easy task not only for women, even for men, so I salute all of them,” said Bachendri, during a telephonic chat from Jamshedpur, where she heads the adventure team of Tata Steel.Bachendri, soon after climbing Mount Everest in 1984, was offered a job by J.R.DTata in Tata Steel and her latest expedition was to celebrate the completion of 100 years of the company this year.Born in 1954, Bachendri was 30-years-old when she scaled the Everest. Now well into her 50s, she says, “If you have the will, you can do anything.”She had to break out of the fetters of a traditional society and disprove those who often asked her the same question after she climbed the first mountain peak: “Pahar charke kya milega? (What will you gain by climbing mountains?)“Now, I feel good when the same people tell me to train their daughters to become a mountaineer,” she says with a laugh. In the Thar Desert trip, tea, members had to deal with doubt from skeptics. “Hope you won’t leave the expedition half way.” But she has a lot of praise for the Border Security Force, which facilitated the 48-day trip….More