Month: March 2013

Categories
Do

A rubber stamp existence

Reena Kallat’s ongoing exhibition at the Bhau Daji Lad museum has literally stamped its authority all over the building’s façade.
by Medha Kulkarni

An off-the-beaten-track thing to do this Sunday – if you haven’t already planned a movie/outing with family and friends/a booze party/ all of these would be to head to a museum. Not just any museum; specifically, the Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Byculla.

Why? Because it’s hosting a stunning exhibition by artist Reena Kallat. Titled ‘Untitled (Cobwebs/Crossings)’, the exhibition is a part of ZegnArt Public/India, an international project created by Ermenegildo Zeg

What it’s about

‘Untitled’ is an impressive work that captures the attention of the viewer with its sheer presence. Several rows of rubber stamps are strung together to create a cobweb that covers the entire façade of the museum (see featured pic). The work seeks to invoke ideas of bureaucracy and the passage of time; thus each rubber stamp actually has the name of a street (in the city) that has since been renamed.

According to Kallat, the work is “a visual representation of the cobwebs of the past and of memories that clutter our spaces and will eventually fade away with time.” The project was chosen out of a group of seven artist proposals (by artists like Gigi Scaria, Sakshi Gupta, etc.) by the museum and ZegnArt Public. A separate gallery space is devoted to the other artists’ ideas and works, for the benefit of the viewer.

ZegnArt Public believes that the public space can be inhabited in several ways to facilitate negotiation and exchange and encourage critical thinking and dialogue and thus aims to explore this possibility within diverse contexts. India has been selected as the first country for this intervention and thus ZegnArt has partnered with the museum to put to test this notion of public space vis-à-vis the urban fabric of India’s most dynamic city,Mumbai.

On view till April 14, the museum also organises curated walks every Sunday that seek to create a dialogue between art and the viewer. Kallat has referenced old street names and forgotten histories as nodal points in her exhibition, and these are used as a starting point for the walk. The walk covers the length and breadth of the exhibition and then continues on through the Museum’s permanent collections that highlight the faded memories and the constantly changing identity of the city.

The best part about the walk is it is organised in English and Hindi/Marathi and the price is included in the Museum entry fee. Walk timings are 11.30 am for the English walk, and 30 minutes past noon for the Hindi/ Marathi one.

(Picture courtesy blog.saffronart.com)

Categories
Enough said

Rich past, uncertain present

Delhi hosted cultural events capturing the essence of bygone times, which only served to remind us of sharp, present-day realities.
by Humra Quraishi

Delhi recently played host to a series of exhibitions on the life and works of Amir Khusrau. Then there was a three-day seminar on Dara Shukoh, the eldest son and heir apparent of Shah Jahan. There was also an exhibition on the art of Calligraphy. Sadly, I could make it to only one of these three events.

I attended the Amir Khusrau exhibition at the National Archives. Let me just say it was splendid. It captured the genius of Amir Khusrau, his poetry, his thoughts, and his philosophy. Credit ought to be given to the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and also to the curator, Shakeel Hossein, who, I’m told, came all the way from Boston to set up the exhibition.

I couldn’t attend the three-day meet on Dara Shukoh, organised by Anjuman Taraqqi Urdu (Hind), but going by the list of speakers – Gopal Krishna Gandhi, Professor Irfan Habib and several well-known historians and critics – it must have been a wonderful, full-fledged seminar. Dara Shukoh has always fascinated me a lot; so much so that I find  my visits to the Kashmir Valley incomplete if I don’t go and visit the unique school of Sufism, Kas-I-Mah, which he had set up. Its ruins lie close to the Chashm-e-Shahi Springs in Srinagar. It is the first-of-its-kind in the whole of Asia and Central Asia, and the school, now in a dilapidated state, was built near the Chashm-e-Shahi springs at the suggestion of his spiritual teacher, Akhund Mullah Mohammad Shah, who came from Badakhshan, in Afghanistan.

The more I read on him, the more I begin to feel that if only he’d lived, he could have changed the entire complexion of this land. In fact, one of the rather fascinating books on Dara Shukoh is penned by Gopal Krishna Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson and former bureaucrat-turned-Governor and now full-time writer. Soon after his book, Dara Shukoh: A Play was released, I‘d asked him why he’d written a book on this bygone Mughal prince. He’d said, “It was his story which was, in fact, history. Where do you find failure trouncing success, defeat making victory counterfeit, as in the life of Shahjahan’s eldest-born?”

Meanwhile, the exhibition on the Art of Calligraphy by the Siasat Group (and set up at the Jamia Millia Islamia’s MF Hussain Art Gallery) drew large crowds. I feel that calligraphy ought to be revived in a  big way, as it is one of those art forms that hasn’t received its due recognition in the country.

But all these events that helped me delve into our rich past has only forced me to ponder over our present and the future – what can we take away from the present?

Nothing. For today, we are busy chasing even those militants who are begging forgiveness and want to give up a life of violence for a second chance. Today, we are calling every bearded person a terrorist.

This week, on World Water Day, UNICEF released these grim findings: ‘Globally, an estimated 2,000 children under the age of five die every day from diarrhoeal diseases and of these, some 1,800 deaths are linked to water, sanitation and hygiene. Almost 90 per cent of child deaths from diarrhoeal diseases are directly linked to contaminated water, lack of sanitation, or inadequate hygiene. Despite a burgeoning global population, these deaths have come down significantly over the last decade, from 1.2 million per year in 2000 to about 760,000 a year in 2011.

UNICEF child mortality data show that about half of under-five deaths occur in only five countries: India, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Pakistan and China. Two countries – India (24 per cent) and Nigeria (11 per cent) – together account for more than a third of all under-five deaths. These same countries also have significant populations without improved water and sanitation.’

The report also states that, ‘The figures for sanitation are even bleaker. Those without improved sanitation in these countries are: India 814 million; China 477 million; Nigeria 109 million; Pakistan 91 million; and DRC 50 million. Improvements in water and sanitation would greatly contribute to a reduction in child mortality in these counties.’

This is the present we are grappling with.

Humra Quraishi is a senior political journalist based in Gurgaon. She is author of Kashmir: The Untold Story and co-author of Simply Khushwant.

(Picture courtesy bbc.co.uk)

Categories
Tech

Google starts rental movie service for India

You can buy and rent movies, TV shows from Google’s Play Store. But the Hindi film collection isn’t too exciting.
by Manik Kakra

Here’s some good news for you Android users out there. Google has started its movie rental service on the Play Store. Users in India can now buy and rent movies and TV shows from Google’s Play Store.

To start off, you have to download the Google Play Movies and TV app on your Android device. Then, search for the required movie, and hit buy or rent.

Use it: If you rent a movie, you can watch it within a month, and for the next 48 hours once you start watching it. If you download a movie or a TV show, you can enjoy it on five devices, but rented movies can only be watched on a single device.

Pay for it: If you are not aware of the payment system, this is how it works: a user has to add his credit or debit card information on Google Wallet, in order to buy apps, games, e-books, movies, and more from the Google Play Store.

What we didn’t like: The movie collection right now isn’t too extensive. Hindi movie lovers won’t have a very good time browsing through the new catalogue. Movies start Rs 50 onwards, and go up to Rs 590, available in SD and HD options. Some of the Hindi titles available as of now are Ta Ra Rum Pum, Ek Tha Tiger, etc., but a lot of good films are missing. Meanwhile, the English collection looks much better, with The Hobbit, 21 Jump Street, Seven Pounds, and so on included.

A few days ago, Google started selling the Nexus 7 (16 GB WiFi) on its Play Store for Indian users, priced at Rs 15,999. A few weeks back, Google introduced e-books for Indian users. Back in December, Apple opened its iTunes store for India. Looking at these developments, it is sure that Google and Apple are becoming serious about the Indian market, especially on the content side. Though we have services like hungama.com and saavn.com for music and movies, brands like Google and Apple can really work the magic to bring better content to India, quality and quantity-wise.

I hope Google and Apple start bringing their devices quicker to Indian shores. We have a lot of users here, waiting for the devices and content, while their US and Europe friends enjoy it way before. Here’s hoping this start doesn’t disappoint, and companies have many more goodies in store for its users.

(Picture courtesy gogi.in)

Categories
Beauty

Be fresh-faced all summer long

With increasing heat and humidity, you’ll need to keep your face clean and fresh all day. Try these easy tips.
by Beverley Lewis

Ah, summer. A time for cold showers and water-rich foods. This is also the season when you need to keep your face fresh and cool – often, just having a clean, sweat-free face does wonders to get you through the day.

Try these tips for a fresh face all summer:

1. Get cleansed. Use a high quality cleanser to wash your face off sweat and grime. Make sure the cleanser is suited to your skin type. Try and wash your face twice a day to get rid of all impurities and keep the skin fresh. But ensure that the facewash you use does not contain any lauryl or laureth sulfates, as well as petroleum-based ingredients, as these tend to damage the skin due to the harsh chemicals in them.

2. Scrub it! Exfoliating skin helps remove dead skin cells and brings new skin cells to the surface. This helps keep the skin soft and gives you a glowing complexion.  

Make this simple scrub at home: You will need a tablespoon of sugar or salt, plus a tablespoon of almond or coconut oil. Mix this until you get a coarse paste. Add a few drops of your favourite essential oil to this mixture if you like a bit of fragrance. Use this scrub daily.

Or if you don’t have the time, simply use a natural bristle brush to get rid of dead skin on your body. Your skin will feel invigorated after you exfoliate and you will end up looking young and healthy. You can also buy readymade scrubs to suit your skin type.

3. Get toned. Use a good toner, as this will help close your pores and remove any excess cleanser and dirt and also help restore the skin’s natural pH balance. If your skin is oily, you’ll want to use an astringent as this helps get rid of the excess oil. For very dry skin, use rose water and witchhazel for oily or acne-prone skin. Using a toner or an astringent is an important step, as it helps prep the skin.

4. Moisturise. Make sure that the skin on your face and body is well-moisturised during summer, as air conditioning zaps moisture from your skin. Try and use a light water-based moisturiser and avoid thick body butters and creams, as they do not get absorbed into the skin and can lead to skin infections and breakouts.

If you want to go natural, apply grapeseed oil with a few drops of rose hip seed essential oil, as this is easily absorbed into the face and body and gives you a fresh, glowing complexion.

5. Back to nature. There’s so much fresh fruit available at this time of the year, and this is the ideal time to take advantage of all that Mother Nature has to offer our skin. Putting fresh fruits on the face and body helps revitalise it with vitamins and minerals. It is also a quick and easy fix.

If your skin is oily, grab a lemon or strawberry and apply some of the juice on your face and let it dry. Do this if you want a fresh dewy complexion.

For dry skin, mash a banana or avocado and let sit on your face for about 30 minutes and then wash it off. A face mask made from fresh cucumber is also great for any skin type and can help reduce red, puffy eyes.

6. Summer essentials. Whether you’re heading to the office or to the beach, you need to apply a good sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or higher. Make sure that the sunscreen you choose is labelled ‘broad spectrum’, which means it blocks both UVA and UVB sunlight.

Always apply sunscreen before heading outside. Remember to cover often-forgotten spots such as the back of knees, ears, eye area and neck. Apply sunscreen 15 to 30 minutes before going outside. Then reapply every two hours, or sooner if you have been walking around in the sun, especially between 11 am to 4 pm. Also, remember that water-resistant sunscreen wears off sooner, so keep reapplying it every hour you spend outdoors.

Clothing can also help. But forget about tossing on a flimsy white tee. A white T-shirt has limited protective value. If you can see through the tee, the sun can shine through and burn the skin. Dark, tight-woven clothing that covers all exposed skin is best. You can also buy clothing that is specially treated with chemicals that help protect against ultraviolet sunlight.

On a side note, if you do get sunburned, aloe very gel is a great way to treat the burn and heal the skin. You can also use a wide brim hat to protect your face and hair and a good pair of shades to protect your peepers.

7. Drink plenty of H20. This is extremely important. Your skin is a reflection of your state of health on the inside. Drinking lots of water flushes out toxins and helps keep the skin moist and hydrated. Also, in summer we tend to sweat more, so replenishing lost fluids is important. Make sure you drink filtered water. Tap/city water usually contains lots of added elements like chlorine and fluoride, plus heavy metals like lead or iron. The point is to get rid of toxins, not introduce more into your system.

So, although the summer might try to throw you and your skin a curveball,  if you follow these few simple solutions you will look and feel great and have everyone complimenting you on your healthy glowing complexion.

Have a beauty question? Write to us at editor@themetrognome.in or tweet your query @MetrognomeIndia and Beverley will answer it for you.

(Pictures courtesy sibubeauty.com, elizadomestica.com, skincancer.org)

Categories
Places

Singapore is India’s most-visited destination

However, Indians are increasingly gravitating towards Europe destinations; more Indians depend on online sources of information to make holiday decisions.

It seems that India’s love affair with Singapore continues. However, the liking for Singapore, while still high, is increasingly being tempered with an interest in other places outside Asia.

According to a March 25 release from AC Nielsen (India), “Singapore continues to be the first most-visited destination (for Indians), but has dipped in preference for leisure and business travelers from India. Only 16 per cent leisure travellers, and 11 per cent business travellers have visited Singapore in the last year, as against the 23 per cent for leisure and 15 per cent for business in 2010.” These are findings from the India Outbound Travel Monitor 2012, by Nielsen, a leading  provider of information and insights into what consumers watch and buy.

The Nielsen India Outbound Travel Monitor is a biennial study carried out across leisure and business travelers in 10 cities in India, with over 2,500 respondents across Tier I and Tier II cities. Nepal (11 per cent), the United States of America (6 per cent), Bangladesh (6 per cent) and United Kingdom (5 per cent) are the gainers as compared to 2010, basis those countries visited in the last year. Malaysia (8 per cent), Thailand (7 per cent) and UAE (3 per cent) have dropped as visited destinations, while Switzerland comes in as a new entrant in this category.

Countries that show a rise in Business Travel are the US (8 per cent), Malaysia (8 per cent), Australia (5 per cent) and UK (5 per cent). 

“Indians are looking to travel and explore beyond their comfort zones, increasingly guided by a healthy sense of adventure and discovery, combined with a healthy spending power. This is attributed to the freely available and accessible information on different destinations, and details on cuisine, tourist spots”, said Dinesh Kapoor, ED, Nielsen India. “This is also balanced with the fact that the Indian traveller is still value conscious, and careful when it comes to food habits – and these particular attributes are incorporated in customising experiences for them”.

Additionally, the Indian leisure traveler is open to exploring new destinations in Europe, shifting from destinations in South East Asia. 15 per cent of the respondents aspire to travel to Singapore, and 14 per cent to Switzerland. United Kingdom (10 per cent), Spain (3 per cent) and New Zealand (3 per cent) are new entrants as aspirational destinations. Over one in five respondents (22 per cent) from Tier II cities in India were found to be keen to explore Nepal, respondents from Tier I cities cite Singapore (15 per cent) and Switzerland (15 per cent)  as  top destinations they are looking to travel to.

“While cities in South East Asia will continue to be popular owing to relatively shorter, economical travel, and currency conversion, increasingly Europe is gaining popularity  as well. This may be attributed to increased exposures via media channels, cross marketing via films and television shows, and tailoring packages that appeal to a cross section of travellers from different parts of the country” said Kapoor.  

64 per cent leisure travellers and 56 per cent business travellers cited search engines and travel websites as the preferred source of information for their travel plans.  Seven in 10 leisure travellers (70 per cent), actively researched and planned trips via Internet search engines, up from 57 per cent from 2010. Online travel portals (33 per cent) and travel websites (20 per cent) are also critical sources of information. Travel agencies have reduced in influence from 60 per cent to 35 per cent; while that of tour operators remained the same at 31 per cent. 

“Easily accessible information via the Internet makes it a preferred source of information for travellers today. Consumers can explore a destination across budgets with regards to  places to stay, what to see and do, with user-generated reviews, travelogues and tourism websites. This knowledge also helps them negotiate on the best deal for their holiday from ticketing to hotel itinerary, ” Kapoor said. “Tour operators are still important in planning group holidays, where the actual planning and organising of the trip is taken care of.” 

(Picture courtesy thempreport.wordpress.com)

Categories
Big story

At last, State to reward police who investigated 26/11 attacks

Five years after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, State Government clears proposal to reward investigating police team for their efforts.
by the Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

It’s almost like a belated Christmas spirit has taken over the highest offices in Mantralaya. While the Government made the news yesterday for awarding Rs 1 crore each to three women kabaddi players who clinched the World Cup for the country last year, the State has also passed a Government Resolution (GR) to reward a contingent of 46 police officers, mid-level officials and constables, who investigated the horrific 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai.

In a GR issued on March 25, 2013 by the Home Department, it is learnt that the Government is setting aside Rs 6,58,000 to be awarded in lieu of cash rewards to 43 of the 46 police personnel investigating the 26/11 attacks. Three officers – Rakesh Maria, Deven Bharati and Ashok Durafe – are to received commendatory letters, the GR said.

It may be remembered that after the terror attacks on November 26, 2008, in which timely and courageous police action helped nab a terrorist alive – probably a first in a terror operation of this kind anywhere in the world – and helped conclusively prove Pakistan’s hand in the strikes, a police crack team got to work to investigate the case. Headed by Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Rakesh Maria, and supported by Additional CP (Crime) Deven Bharati and ACP Ashok Durafe, the team probed the attacks and prepared a mammoth 11, 750-page chargesheet in three months after the attacks. Thereafter, a 1,500-page supplementary chargesheet was filed.

A few months after the attacks, the State Government had announced that it was mulling a cash prize for the police personnel investigating the case. However, the final amount and how much each of the 43 officials will receive, has been decided only now.

Of the awardees, the highest cash prize goes to Ramesh Mahale, the chief investigating officer who was in the Crime Branch (and who has resigned from his post a few months ago) – he gets Rs 1,00,000. Five others get Rs 25,000 each, while constables get Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,000.

About the case:

– The reward comes in recognition of successful investigation into the attacks, and the capture of a live terrorist, Ajmal Amir Kasab.

– The attacks took place over a period of 62 hours, and resulted in the death of 170 people.

– The trial in the case started on May 8, 2009. The State examined 649 witnesses during the trial.

– Kasab was held guilty on 31 counts, and awarded the death penalty on five counts.

– Kasab filed an appeal against the lower court’s verdict in the Bombay HC, which upheld his death sentence on February 21, 2011.

– Kasab was hanged to death at Pune’s Yerawada Jail on November 21, 2012.

 (Picture courtesy outlook.com)

Exit mobile version