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The Hindu :

Karan Ambardar talks about his career upswing post the Gladrags title

A second look It’s been a long but successful journey for Karan Ambardar

Modelling is not a profession for life. Karan Ambardar knows it well. Probably why he keeps his cards open. Karan garnered attention when he won the Gladrags Manhunt title in 2008. The model, who popularised brands such as Airtel and Real Active juice, walked the ramp for quite a few designers at the recent Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week.

“The Gladrags title catapulted me to the big league,” says Karan. From being yet another face in the sea of aspiring models, he acquired a new identity. “I have been modelling for the past 18 months and the title made me a more serious model and not yet another new face,” he says.

Outsiders may be impervious to the hardship a model endures in his march to the top. In a world of teeming aspirants and limited opportunities, getting noticed makes all the difference. The Gladrags crown brought Karan attention and made the path ahead less rigorous.

“That one moment changed everything for me. People were willing to give a second look,” says Karan. Toeing the line of well-known Gladrags winners such as John Abraham, Karan, too, hopes to make the cut in Bollywood.

“I want to grow as an individual and don’t want to stick to modelling. I will explore other avenues, including acting. There are a couple of offers,” says Karan.

For Karan, it has been quite a journey from being a graphic designer to a model, and now a possible innings in Bollywood. For this Kashmiri, born and raised in Delhi, modelling was never an alien affair. “My father did modelling as a hobby,” saysKaran.

However, modelling continues to be branded a woman’s world, and male models are often dwarfed by the sheer number of women on the ramp. Karan prefers…More

The Hindu :

As star vocalist Shubha Mudgal joins the ranks of TV mentors, she talks about what made her do it

Photo: R.V. MoorthyVOICE OF REASON Shubha Mudgal

In a field full of artistes unwillingto take a stand in case their programmeoffers are affected,Shubha Mudgal is known forspeaking her mind and followingher heart. When music realityshows became the Indian middleclass TV addiction, she spoke outagainst the trivialisation of conceptsintrinsic and sacred to traditionalarts – like guru, gurukul,gharana, and the like. She warnedthe giddy masses that if they wantedtheir children to pursue a careerin music, they should send themfor proper classical training insteadof queuing up for televisedcompetitions that concentrated onthe ability to reproduce hit filmsongs by rote.

Today however, Shubha Mudgalhas joined the ranks of TV mentorsas a member of the jury on “AmulVoice of India – Mummy ke Superstars”- another film song-basedcompetition that went on air lastweekend on Star Plus.It is not apparently a case ofjoining them when you can’t beatthem, however. Here too, Shubhahas followed her heart, since “twovery special women on the crew” ofthe programme convinced her tojoin. They have known her foryears and are aware of her temperament,says the versatile vocalist.The children chosen for theepisodes are certainly talented,and many are learning music systematically,says Shubha. She approvesof the show’s concept ofhaving the aspirants’ mothers withthem. “Hence the role of theguardian, the importance of mentoringand guiding, is part of theshow,” she notes.

Artistes reiterate the importanceof the classical arts in nurturinga culture of peace andtolerance. Yet our education systemlargely ignores them. “I feelthe issue is not only classical arts,”points out Shubha. The educationsystem will not nurture such tolerance”unless exposure to arts ingeneral is made compulsory for allchildren.” Across the world, shenotes, it has been discussed thatarts are considered good for thedevelopment of the child, yet performingarts are relegated to leisureactivities.While concedingthe overriding preference for filmmusic is “part of the generaltrend,” Shubha does…More

The Hindu :

Canadian Idol Ryan Malcolm tours India

WE ROCK Eagerly received in India

I prefer playing as part of a band rather than giving a solo performance. It is best when you perform with a group of close friends,” says Ryan Malcolm, the first winner of the Canadian Idol competition, who also manages the vocals and acoustic guitar for the band “Low Level Flight”.Solo vs band

A promotional tour of their first album “Urgency” has brought the band to Pune, Bangalore and many other cities, and the band has enjoyed the India experience. “The tour has been great fun. We were deeply impressed by the audience involvement. We got massive crowds in Pune that spurred us on to perform better.”

Other than Ryan, the band comprises of Shaun Noronha (bass, vocals), James Rooke (rhythm guitar, vocals), Dave Carter (lead guitarist) and Brandon Merenick (drums).Ryan says, “Performing solo and with a band are very different things. I have always worked in bands, and find the chemistry among band members reflects on the overall performance. If you perform with a hired troupe, you will be unable to perform like you would with close friends.I prefer performing with a band, especially in places with live music.”

Though rock has always been his genre of music, “mainly owing to the energy levels that it possesses,” Ryan grew up listening to a wide range of music, from The Beatles, to Billy Joel, Aerosmith to Greenday among others. “From childhood, I liked listening to different forms and genre of music. I still enjoy listening to other genres, apart from rock.”

He feels rock is alive and kicking, in India and across the world. “The fan base has kept on increasing. It is much more refreshing and full of energy. We have been very impressed by the interest and support that rock music has in India. Youngsters must be encouraged to take…More

The Hindu : y>

Fight back Is our meddling the cause of elephant’s violent behaviour?

Discovery Travel and Living is presenting “Natural Born Traveller” Steve Crombie, a 29-year-old Australian thrill-seeker who has travelled half-way round the world in search of adventure. Steve takes his 7,000 km bone-breaking adventure along the length of Australia’s toughest mountains — The Great Dividing Range. Catch this programme tonight at 10 p.m. on Discovery Travel and Living.

Nat Geo visits an elephant orphanage to find out how you would treat an elephant with psychological damage. The psychological effects of war are no longer considered just a human condition. African elephants are becoming edgy — with 30 years of poaching and conservation management beginning to backfire, resulting in abnormal violent behaviour. In Kenya, elephants are targeting and killing the Maasai tribes’ cattle. Has our meddling caused this violent behaviour? Find out as Nat Geo talks to neurologists and psychiatrists to explore the science of stress on “Predator CSI — Revenge of the Elephants” tonight at 9 p.m. on Nat Geo.

Watch the crime boss, Al Capone, take violence to a new level with gangland’s weapon of choice — the Thompson Submachine Gun. The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre will become one of the most famous mass murders in history. Watch “Man Moment Machine — Al Capone and the Machine Gun Massacre” on Fox History, tonight at 10 p.m.

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The Hindu :

Ram Gopal Varma on Rakta Charitra

On a mission Ram Gopal Varma

Ram Gopal Varma is intrigued by the life of Andhra Pradesh minister, late Paritala Ravi. “The life stories of dangerous men — such as LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran, Dawood Ibrahim — pale in comparison to Ravi’s story.” Varma feels the story of how a soft-spoken Ravi took to violence and eventually became a minister in N.T. Rama Rao’s cabinet is far more gripping than fiction.

Months after announcing his decision to make a Telugu feature film on Paritala Ravi and his alleged killer Suri, the filmmaker has changed tracks. The project has taken on a larger canvas — a two-part film in Hindi “Rakta Charitra I and II”. “The first part will show the rise of Ravi and the second will unravel the story of the killer,” says Varma. He has decided not to make the film in Telugu since “it would be too close to the people and the region where it all occurred. The cases are still on. I have no political intentions, and neither will I be taking sides. It’s the human drama that fascinates me.” Varma discloses that he did receive threats when he announced the Telugu film. “I was asked whether I am on Ravi’s side or Suri’s. The human story will be in the forefront; not politics,” he says.

Varma met Suri, now lodged in Anantapur jail, family and associates of Suri and Paritala Ravi, and recorded versions of eyewitnesses and police officials.

SANGEETHA DEVI DUNDOO

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The Hindu : y>Tanvi Shah of Jai Ho fame teams with Rap-Hip Hop star Snoop Dogg for his upcoming album, findsT. Krithika Reddy

On a roll Tanvi Shah

Tanvi Shah is flushed with that flattering glow of too much attention. A few moons ago, life changed so suddenly for this girl who hit the right note with A. R. Rahman’s “Jai Ho” for “Slumdog Millionaire”.

Predictably, her scrip’s been soaring ever since. Recently, she was invited by rap star Snoop Dogg to sing for his upcoming album. In a breezy interview, the diligent designer-singer reveals all — from Snoop Dogg’s cool to why 24 hours is simply not enough for a day! Excerpts:

‘I became a Snoop Dogg Millionaire’ just happened Snoop’s people got in touch with me when I was in the U.S. and said they would like to try something new with me. I didn’t have any expectations. It just happened, and voila, you have “Snoop Dogg Millionaire”!

Working with an international name Any kind of experience is good. And obviously, this was really fantastic as I was working with such a big name in the music field. It felt good because they wanted Hindi verses in-between.

They are open to different ideas and styles. For this number, they used Chase and Status’ Eastern jam and then Snoop and I do our parts. Musically, dub-step is distinguished by its dark mood, sparse rhythms, and emphasis on bass. This genre originally started in early 2000 in the U.K. It’s more underground garage kind of music. I sing the Hindi lyrics… “Kahan se aaya aur kya ban gaya… yeh kahani hai Snoop Dogg Millionaire.”

But Snoop has his own bag of controversies… I was a bit shocked. Sometimes, you think the worst. He might have had his controversies, but honestly, he’s a simple guy, down to earth and chilled out. The entire team has been really nice.

The feedback to…More

The Hindu :

For rapper Bohemia, everything is about originality

Desi hip hop The Bohemia way

Most of us have heard the Bohemian Rhapsody. Now it is time to hear Bohemia’s rap, if you have not already heard it. Bohemia, the pioneer of desi hip hop is out with his third album Da Rap Star. “The album has been written, composed and recorded by me. It’s got original music, and a few great artists,” says Bohemia.

Originally known as Roger David, Bohemia has been rapping for close to six years now. He did not have any formal education in music, and got his initial training from his father, who was a “shaukiya harmonium player”.Being blunt

A passion for music coupled with his love for writing poetry made him come up with this genre of music, desi hip hop. “I wanted to make music that represented my style. I wanted to stay original, and, therefore, I got the name Bohemia — which also means somebody who doesn’t follow others and creates his own trend.” His lyrics are in Punjabi. As most rap / hip hop lyrics go, his are a bit explicit too. Which explains why his album cover mentions ‘Parental Advisory Explicit Content’. Bohemia explains: “Rap is blunt, and I try to keep it real.” Coming back to the album, the Punjabi rapper from California says: “‘Da Rap Star’ has 15 tracks, and most of the tracks are based on incidents in my life.” His favourite song is ‘Dil’, a slow love ballad that talks about his being in love. “Apart from rapping, I also sang this.”

Remember the old school hit ‘Gur Naal Ishq’ by Malkit Singh? As a tribute to the famous singer, Bohemia has reworked the Bhangra track giving it a desi feel.

While hip-hop lovers rejoice over Bohemia’s music, the rapper has also found a fan in Akshay Kumar, who approached him to write…More

The Hindu :

Cartoonist G.S. Naganath prefers cartooning for the magical meaning that it conveys in a glance

PHOTO: SAMPATH KUMAR G.P.Forever morphing Naganath: ‘Bangalore was the garden city, then the IT capital and now it’s a concrete jungle’

G.S. Naganath started drawing at the age of five like any other child. He used to subscribe to cartoons and at 16, seriously started drawing cartoons. “I enrolled for a B.F.A. at Davangere and was inspired by the cartoonist Nataraj.”

He started writing articles for various publications about problems that people face and on topical issues, but felt it took too much time. “That’s when I felt cartoons will convey the message better to intelligent readers.”

His first cartoon was published in 1987. And since more than 5,000 of his cartoons have been published in numerous publications from Prajavani to Sudha.The genesis

He gets his ideas from reading or speaking to people. He makes a note and illustrates his ideas for cartoons. “A cartoon strip could take one hour, and a cartoon 10 minutes.”

He started out in Mudra Communications, then moved on to multimedia and is now a web designer at Mphasis. The visual designer, illustrator and animator says that his professional and personal interests of cartooning and designing have complimented each other. “My professional skills of using digital technology have sharpened my cartoons”, says Naganath who draws a cartoon on the computer, scans it and emails it to the required publication.

He has sketched Bangalore through its many changes and phases. Explaining one cartoon strip he says “Bangalore was the garden city, then it became the IT capital and now it’s a concrete jungle.”

He recalls that before the IT industry, there was no concept of malls, bad roads and infrastructure and one-ways. “First they wanted big buses for narrow roads, bigger roads and flyovers, and now the metro-rail — who will use the roads now”, he…More

The Hindu :

The Pub Bharo campaign and walking the ramp at Wills Lifestyle Fashion Week are just the beginning forTejuswini Chowdhury

Photo: K. Ramesh BabuDifferent choices Tejuswini Chowdhury

The well-manicured lawns and landscaped gardens at her residence are a world away from the sweltering heat of Khammam, where Tejuswini has been campaigning with her mother, Union Minister Renuka Chowdhury. She isn’t camera shy, a trait that wasput to good use when she walked the ramp for designer Kavita Bhartiya and J.J. Valaya at the Wills Lifestyle Fashion Week.Ramp moments

“When J.J. Valaya asked me, I thought ‘why not?’ It turned out to be fun.”

Her mom was cheering her at the event. “Mom asked me where I learnt to walk like a pro! I think the fact that I started wearing high heels much earlier than I was supposed to helped,” she laughs.

The things she wants to do are as varied as making short films, venturing into meaningful film and TV content, and, perhaps, politics in the distant future. “My mom used to attend meetings with me wailing in the basket. She was practical about being a working mom and made no excuses. I don’t know if it’s easy or tough to be a politician’s daughter because I don’t know any other way of life,” she states.

With her mother busy with politics, she and sister Poojita spent more time with dad Sridhar Chowdhury and grandparents. “Being with dad influenced my thinking about male-female relationships. I am close to my grandparents,” says Tejuswini.

Being a young voter herself, she observes: “Information Technology has bridged distance and generations.For my generation, traditional word-of-mouth campaigns won’t work.Using mobile phones and the Internet are the only ways to reach us.”

Looking back, she is amazed at the response her ‘Pub Bharo’ campaign generated. “A little group on Facebook could do so much,” she laughs.

Taking on the Sri Ram Sene was her…More