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The Hindu : How does one react on seeing a face that leaves a thousand offenders quivering, and an equal number of law abiders in smiles? With a standing ovation, such as the one given by students of the GRD School of Commerce and International Business during arecent Face-to-Face with the cop with a heart, Kiran Bedi. She was here to talk about the role of youth in transforming society, and talk she did. About how they should improve and equip themselves with knowledge and focus on self-education.“There is so much to tell. Where do I begin?” she asked. And, if some in the packed hall expected her to talk about “how I ran my prison or towed Indira Gandhi’s car”, they would have returned disappointed. Instead, she focussed on what made and influenced Kiran Bedi. Her mantra was simple – read, absorb, get inspired and act. And, don’t do what is minimally expected of you, but what you can maximally do.“When you are inspired, your batteries are charged. You want to do something nice,” she told the eager listeners. Make knowledge a need; else you will get left behind. And, prioritise. Include an outdoor activity every day. A walk clears you mind, and allows new ideas to flow.”Some wanted to know what inspired her. “My dad, mom, books, teachers…. And I am only giving you what I got from them.”And, then came the contentious question: Why did she quit the service? And, Kiran Bedi’s answer only showed how she thought with her heart.“My last posting (as Director-General, Bureau of Police Research and Development) had all the comforts, and paraphernalia. But, it did not value my time fully. I wanted to do something that challenged me. That is howwww.saferindia.com, a website for free registration of crime, was born,” she said.Later, she spoke about how she started her NGOs, Navjothi and India Vision Foundation. Today, they reach out to…More

The Hindu : Be true, be youSOUND OFF! Anoop Bharadwaj wonders why some people just can’t be themselves. He scoffs at the pretentious lot that acts as if they appreciate high-art and the high-life“It is the chiefest point of happiness that a man is willing to be what he is.” The legendary quote by Desiderius Erasmus, the Dutch theologian of the 15th century, pretty much conveys what it intends to.We are living in the jet-set age apparently and, more increasingly than ever, men and women are ruled by the mind more than the heart. Which is fine as far as profession and career go. To close business deals or to succeed in an extremely dynamic work environment, a fair amount of tact and craft is essential, agreeably.But it’s quite remarkable that people are making their lives more complicated than necessary, by trying to be someone they aren’t, in every aspect of life. We could take the instance of people talking about tastes in the arts; though it might sound slightly inconsequential at first go. Haven’t we come across scores of men who profess to know much about music other than pop, and feign interest in esoteric stuff as such? More often than not, they are driven more by the desire to be in the company of a certain class of individuals who enjoy a good bit of popularity by the dint of their acquired tastes, than a true love towards an art form or any such thing.It’s really a waste of valuable time, trying to appreciate something that doesn’t strike a chord with us naturally. It’s fine if someone doesn’t understand Beethoven, can’t digest Tom Clancy, or can’t sit through “Othello” on stage. He could still trip on Rahman’s tunes, devour a BusinessWeek or catch up on every Bond flick that hits the screens. What’s desirable perhaps is the spirit of enquiry and adventure; discerning the stuff he…More

The Hindu : Last year’s Download Festival held at Wolverhampton, England, was the biggest of its kind so far. It saw the likes of Iron Maiden, Linkin Park and My Chemical Romance headlining and bands of the stature of Dimmu Borgir and Kids in Glass Housesmaking their first festival appearance.Alongside such international rock acts performed our very own Parikrama, a band whose origins lie in New Delhi and a band that the British media claimed to be India’s biggest rock band. With such humungous responsibility on their shoulders, and courage in their hearts, Parikrama did not fail to deliver. They gave the massive crowd at the Donnigton Park the first taste of Indian rock ’n’ roll, as Parikrama has already been booked for Download 2009.Recognition of this calibre does not come easy. After 10 years of experimentation, Parikrama has finally reached a stage where they can proudly say that they don’t improvise Pink Floyd tracks anymore. In fact, every rock fan in India can identify with their sound. For a band which was formed by two brothers Nitin (lead singer) and Subir Malik (keyboards) with their old classmate Chintan Kalra (bass), it has been an uphill task from the very beginning. When Parikrama came together in the mid ’90s, rock stars in India were treated like outcasts of society.But with the turn of the century, the rock scene in India took a pleasant turn as well. As international artists like Roger Waters, Mark Knopfler, Scorpions and Iron Maiden became frequent visitors to the cities of Bangalore and Mumbai, the not-so-well known Indian bands started getting the right exposure. It was the opening gig at Eddfest, Bangalore, that helped Parikrama book their ticket to the Download.In a career mixed with success and failure there has always been one itch in their musical comfort zone. A full-length studio album has always eluded Parikrama; though, on the singles front Parikrama has…More

The Hindu : Video watchThis fortnight at indiaplaza.comAlien ResurrectionCast: Sigourney Weaver, Winona Ryder, Ron Perlman, Dominique Pinon, Gary Dourdan, Michael Wincott, Kim Flowers, Dan HedayaDirector: Jean-Pierre JeunetScreenplay: Joss WhedonCinematography: Darius KhondjiDVD, Rs. 499This is the fourth instalment of the “Alien” movies and cannot top Ridley Scott or James Cameroon. Once you accept that, this instalment of the super-popular science fiction franchise stands up to a fair amount of scrutiny, offers some interesting visual thrills, has enough sly humour to make you smile and some truly creatively horrifying moments.The first Alien (‘79) movie was directed by Ridley Scott and frightened the daylights out of everybody with a story of wicked monster with many, many razor-sharp teeth with a nasty habit of ripping out of people’s stomachs to make a grand, though messy entrance.The only one to stand up to the alien was Sgt Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver). Then in ’86, James Cameron did the unthinkable. His “Aliens” was even better than the first. The tension levels were ratcheted to unbearable levels while the introduction of the little girl, Newt, gave an emotional subtext to the proceedings. “Aliens” incidentally was aired on recently in Hindi and still has not lost its ability to scare and thrill.Aliens 3 (’92) directed by David Fincher was a disappointment with muddled, murky screenplay that ended with Ripley leaping into a fire with an alien ripping out of her stomach on the long journey down. So then you thought that was the end of it but before you knew it Ripley and the alien are resurrected.“Alien Resurrection” takes place 200 years after the third movie ended. While Ripley and the alien are dead, there are scientists who want to clone her to study the alien she was carrying inside of her. They obviously have not seen the earlier films. So after many trials, they finally get it right on Ripley version 8. There is also…More

The Hindu : If Shakira’s hips do not lie, why should yours then? Well keeping your hip in shape and dressing in style is the mantra of this season. Finding a pair of jeans that look just right is sure a nightmare, but if you know your hips seriously, thennothing flatters like denim.Keeping Indian women in mind, Bangalore-based fashion designer Deepika Govind says, “Most Indian women are generally curvier around the hip. This has been a grievance against most brands. Most of them have fits that do not seem to help curvy hips. Except for some high-end brands, the cut and fit of most brands are ghastly.”Agreeing to this fact, and adding perfection to your hip, Bina Mirchandani, brand head, Jealous 21, says: “According to research, the Indian woman’s body structure is completely different from that of her Caucasian counterpart. When jeans fit around the hips, they generally need to be taken in at the waist. Thus the hip size is taken into consideration to provide women with that look where you think they’ve been custom made to fit your hips”.Denim, being an all-season comfort fabric, is a hot favourite with all age groups as it allows you to experiment with a wide range of casual, trendy and stylish clothing.Women who are blessed with long and straight legs, its time to pamper yourself with a pair of low-riding jeans that are slim and allow you to heighten those curves that look natural.This style will generally have an eight-inch difference between the waist and the hip. It is also advisable to shape your hips with slanted front pockets.For those who are curvy around the hip, a slim fit, boot-cut leg is most suitable — a curvy style has an 11-inch difference between the waist and the hip.Back pockets in such styles must be avoided, as it can make your behind appear larger. Minimise your back with a low-rise cut….More

The Hindu : Lilting fiction arranged to the heartbeat of facts seems to be the order of the day in the literary world. The latest to take a swim in this genre is “Jahajin”. Penned by Peggy Mohan, this Harper Collins novel brings alive the extraordinary journey across two oceans and the relocation of girmityas, the migrants, who moved from Calcutta to Trinidad to work as indentured labourers on the sugar estates. A linguist by vocation, Peggy, who once wanted to write the story as a screenplay, has used the bite of metaphors and the cadence of Bhojpuri to shape her compelling characters. Right from the cat on the cover page to the myth of Saranga, torn between her monkey lover and her prince, Peggy has seamlessly entwined metaphors in the tale, pulling, as she says, one level of story to the other. “A cat fears water. Her presence on the ship denotes people who were crossing kalapani, prohibited by their religion, never to return.”Peggy’s ancestors migrated from a village near Ayodhya. She studied in Trinidad, specialising in Trinidad Bhojpuri and the basic story is the offshoot of her research done in the ’70s. In fact, her lead character, Deeda, the 110-year-old-woman, is a combination of five women she interviewed for her research. The novel brings out a little known fact that many single woman also travelled on the ship. “I interviewed women, and that too Dalit women, because as a linguist I know that it is the woman who passes on the language. Also, it is the Dalits and the Brahmins, the top and bottom of the social hierarchy, who keep the purity of the language intact. The middle class in an attempt to rise up the social ladder compromises with the culture. I allowed them to speak freelyletting them share their stories and folktales.”She insists Bhojpuri is a language, not a dialect of Hindi. “It’s certainly…More

The Hindu : If there is a musician who can dare tread the path of presenting serious Hindustani classical, light music, film numbers and bhajans, it is Padmaja Joglekar. The voice with an unbelievable range and timbre can handle any genre with ease. Padmaja hashad the fortune of being trained under Pandit Jasraj, the Sarangi maestro Pandit Ram Narayan and the renowned music director Hridaynath Mangeshkar. It’s not the training that gains importance here, but her ability to mould herself to the demands of the different class of melody that stamps her as a versatile artiste.It is this quality that has helped Padmaja stride several platforms and here she is lending her voice to Anup Jalota’s bhajan CD Mangaldeep – an album that sings the praises of Lord Rama, Krishna and Ganesha. The vandan brought out with Anup Jalota’s music flags off with ‘Hai Dukh Ka Koi Paar Nahi’ sung by Padmaja and Anup, forms a soothing beginner that leads to a piece in Yaman, “Mai Mangal Deep Jalawun” of Rajesh Johri.The album, released recently by Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, has some pacy bhajans like “Mere Man Me Krishna, Mere Tan Me Krishna,” where the chorus also adds to the rhythmic grandeur.The higher octave notes with which the next number “Namami Purushottam” starts off is a serene beckon to Lord Ram that pleads for protection from Him, as the lyrics transport one to several facets from the Ramayana. The music is not jarring, even as it is a smooth sail with thoughts on the Lords and their Divine play.It’s the soul-stirring Bhairavi for “Ab To Mujhe Ubaro Ram” that wraps up the album just before a Ganesh vandan where the opening swar more than talks of her classical clasp and Hindustani training, making the treat a wholesome one.Padmaja has set to tune poems of former Prime Minister Vajpayee, and was awarded the Padmashri in 2001. The Hindustani/ghazal/bhajan exponent from…More

The Hindu : Radio Farishta, the 24-hour classic Hindi film music station on WorldSpace Satellite Radio celebrates Khayyam Saab’s 81st birthday with a special series dedicated to his music and his journey in the Hindi film industry.Mohammed Zahoor Khayyam Hashmi, popularly known as Khayyam composed music for the heart and from the heart. Khayyam is part of what is known as ‘the golden era’ of Hindi films.Famed for working on his own terms, Khayyam was one of the most expensive and sought-after composers of his time. In this exclusive series, Khayyam shares never-before-heard facts about his life along with hand-picked songs from his library with Radio Farishta listeners. Aired at 10 p.m. from Monday to Friday through the rest of February, the series promises listeners a peek into the veteran’s life, love and his music….More

The Hindu : Later this year, a theatre production based on Paulo Coelho’s “The Alchemist” and a dark musical based on Suketu Mehta’s “Maximum City” will tour India.At the helm of the affairs, identifying and buying rights of national and international productions, is Ashwin Gidwani. “We’ve taken Mahesh Dattani’s comedy ‘Mad About Money’ and its Hindi version ‘Arre! Mad About Money’ to several cities in India and other countries. In Britain, we had seven shows in eight days,” he says. His productions like “Funny Thing Called Love”, “Funny Business” and the children theatre production “Punch-a-Tantra” have mixed theatre with commerce and speak of a success story.Ashwin, unlike most of his contemporaries, does not cite money as an issue for theatre.“We get all the funding and then we do the job. It doesn’t work the other way for us. Theatre, in general, lacks funds; so we created unique models for corporates to invest and use new ideologies to drive theatre across India. We aren’t talking of 17 cities in India but also 18 countries around the world,” he says. For example, ‘Punch-a-Tantra’ had 71 shows in 22 cities of England.“Some of our English plays have been staged in Britain to a predominant British Asian audience. The process was back-breaking but wonderful,” he recalls.He entered theatre by accident, he reminisces. “I was looking to pursue higher studies in the US before I started working with UTV. I worked with Ronnie Screwvala for his theatre division and handled the production of five plays apart from overseeing 3,000 events. I wasn’t enjoying events and focused on theatre.Around 10 years of producing Bharat Dabolkar’s comedies helped me learn to balance theatre and commerce. After this, I started my production house.”He feels the need for theatre to evolve like cinema did. “People want to see innovative entertainment,” he says. At the same time, he’s clear there is no room for dilution. “We don’t take…More

The Hindu : Animal Planet presents canines like never before in – ‘Pedigree Dogs Rule’ which will explore global positioning systems for locating lost pets and special acupuncture sessions, dogs have never felt more pampered!The channel will delve into the multiple behaviours, characteristics, emotions and roles performed by dogs around the world in its new 13-week long programming slot called “Pedigree Dogs Rule”. Sponsored by Mars India, the owners of Pedigree brand of dog food, the programming line-up will include real-life stories centred on dogs, ranging from astonishing medical breakthroughs emanating from dogs lives to arresting convicts based on evidence gathered by dogs.Balasubramanian, Head of Sales & Marketing - Pet Care, Mars India said, “The programme is an innovative route to reach out to our target audience. Commanding a strong and well-defined target viewer base, Animal Planet is an ideal platform for our brand Pedigree. The programmes will be a treat for dog lovers and owners.” “Pedigree Dogs Rule” will present a whole new dimension of this wonderful animal. Alongside highlighting the variety of roles performed by dogs, ranging from prison dogs to peace dogs, it will also present their life-saving capabilities and prediction powers. Pedigree Dogs Rule will air on Animal Planet every Tuesday at 9 p.m….More