Author: The Metrognome

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Event

An Able woman in a Nano

An evening of discussion on Vanessa Able’s book had the author lavishing praise on India, its people and the Nano.
by Nidhi Qazi

“There’s a feeling that something is at stake.”

“I met nothing but warmth.”

“I felt a sense of emptiness when the journey ended.”

Vanessa Able at the talkThese and many more such experiences came alive in an evening hosted at the British Council, India Bulls, for journalist Vanessa Able, author of The Nanologues, a book about her experience of travelling more than 10,000 kilometres driving the Tata Nano across India. The discussion, facilitated by Rakhee Geelani, a writer, and Vardhan Kondvikar, Editor, Lonely Planet Magazine, India, made for a fun narrative of Able’s journey.

Why did she choose Nano, of all cars, to undertake such a long journey? She said, “I had read so much about the car. From the fact that it was not just a car, but a piece of truly local engineering with a significant price tag; to the fact that it represented hope which cut across the social spectrum made this car worth driving.”

Able chose to do a road trip in a car because she felt that a car drive gives a different kind of energy and “one sees a different level of life depending on the means of transport one chooses.” The fact that she did the entire journey on her own did not make her feel lonely, because as she put it, “I am someone who enjoys my company the best. So I kept talking to myself.” Probably that explains the title of her book.

The author also went on to describe her experience of being a woman driver unaccompanied on the roads. “I know that many women in India do face dangers when they travel unaccompanied, but it’s not just in India. Incidents keep happening in Australia, USA , the UK and all other countries, too. You just got to be smart. But talking about India, I met nothing but warmth. We also need to see that a lot of people around do try to make you feel safe and protected, but unfortunately such incidents don’t get highlighted.”

What was the highest point of the journey? Able replied, “From the start to its end, this journey’s been on a high. Though initially, coming from England, I did get shocked at the roads and driving culture and traffic did play on my nerves, but as time passed, I adapted, got into the journey fully and tried engaging with the landscape as much as I could.”

With the journey’s end, Able felt a sense of emptiness, desolation and not to forget, achievement.

And that signalled the end of the evening, hosted for the author who feels “it takes a little bit of gumption, a whole lot of patience, and the world’s cheapest car, the Tata Nano, for one woman to drive in a land where bullock carts vie for space with SUVs on eight-lane super-highways, where GPS systems fail to give directions, and where a blessing from the gods is considered better road insurance than safer driving.”

(Pictures courtesy Vandan Kajaria, The British Council)

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Overdose

This is why Mumbai is not Shanghai

It is through its consistently stupid decisions that the BMC is holding Mumbai back from being a truly international city.
Jatin Sharmaby Jatin Sharma

It’s true that the tongues of our politicians and of those in authority have always been slippery. Or rather, there doesn’t seem to exist a filter between their brains and their tongues. From blaming chowmein for rape to shutting down bars at 1 am to make the city safer for people, our authorities have, to be fair, always worked overtime to come up with the most innovative solutions to problems that plague us all.

But the BMC’s newest decision takes the cake. I continue to be amazed by how the biggest municipal corporation of India consistently comes up with highly original solutions for cost cutting. But before I get into really praising them, I would like to throw light on the fact that these are the same people who have been claiming to turn Mumbai into Shanghai or a world class city that would be lauded by all.

What did the BMC do now, you ask. Well, the Corporation has had a task at hand: that of cutting costs that go towards paying its drivers. The BMC hires drivers for all official works, and these may range from driving their bosses around, to even manning ambulances at all hours. These drivers, like other Government employees, work within an eight-hour schedule, and any overtime is to be paid for in their salaries. However, the BMC found that it was paying highly ridiculous amounts of overtime, because most drivers were working way beyond their eight-hour schedule. The problem of overtime pay was escalated such that the drivers were found to take home more salaries than their bosses!

And so the good folks of the BMC hit upon an easy solution: get retired drivers back to work so that costs do not escalate further.

Dear BMC, I would like to bring your attention to a couple of points. One, the retired drivers retired for a reason. That reason could be age, failing health, failing eyesight. Ultimately, it all leads to safety, or the lack thereof. There is every possibility that you made them work round-the-clock when they were still in service, so it makes me wonder if they are really up to Round 2 with you again.

Second, I assume you are going to pay your retired drivers some salary, right? So why are you not hiring young blood, instead? Also, what extra provisions are you making for these retired-but-back-to-work drivers? Are they contractual employees liable for benefits and leaves? Besides, have you considered the costs if these drivers are unable to drive properly (due to health reasons) and bang your cars into other cars or, worse, people?

I am sure this latest decision was given as much thought as the earlier ones that even considered covering up mannequins peddling underwear. Or refusing to fine their engineers for the city’s bad roads instead of making them accountable for the same. Or lowering the rates for hoardings that featured politicians. Or still not inaugurating a park in the city 11 months after its completion, because there’s nobody to inaugurate it. We could go on and on…

What else can be expected from a Corporation that wants to improve Mumbai’s look and standard by travelling to foreign countries and coming back with ideas to ‘cut and paste’ what works there? A city becomes a world class city when the municipal corporation is committed to identifying its real problems and coming up with local, workable solutions. It’s time that people in the BMC realise that the city has suffered for long because of such harebrained ideas. I wonder if the BMC will soon outsource its think-tank to a foreign agency as well.

Jatin Sharma is a media professional who doesn’t want to grow up, because if he grows up, he will be like everybody else. ‘Overdose’ is his weekly take on Mumbai’s quirks and quibbles.

(Picture courtesy www.panoramio.com) 

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Enough said

Pehle AAP?

What set the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) apart was their fresh approach to campaigning, which the Congress and BJP lacked.
by Humra Quraishi

From Gurgaon I have been travelling to New Delhi on almost all the days of this last week, and on my travels and at my destination, I have been watching and observing the election build up in the national capital. As expected, in the so-called ‘strongholds’ of the Congress and the BJP camps, the mood has been nothing but typical.

When I say ‘typical’, I speak from the experience of past elections, when one saw the same mood and campaigning tactics as those employed in recent times. There have been the same hackneyed slogans and shouting matches between opponents. The same mud-slinging. The same one-liners and cheap shots. Yes, there have been a couple of new inputs concerning Mr Modi, but there has been nothing novel or exciting about the two parties’ campaigning. Which is why the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) came as a breath of fresh air.

I was actually taken aback on seeing the enthusiasm amongst the AAP volunteers and workers, who did not look like they had been ‘bought over’ or ‘paid’ to do their jobs. They looked sincere in their efforts, making it quite obvious that they were out on the streets to campaign because they genuinely wanted to bring about a change in governance at the grassroots level. With brooms in their hands and topis on their heads, they were seen interacting with all people, establishing an instant connect.

Interestingly, while so many of the AAP volunteers walked the streets and campaigned, there was never any need for any police bandobast. I was rather touched on seeing these AAP men and women mingling with the crowds and getting a very positive response from the public. There was also a lot of cheering as the party’s topis were placed on each head. I also received one such topi!

There is no saying what the influence of AAP will be on the future course of politics, but if ever an indication was needed for those currently in power that the country is desperately looking for a change in leadership, the welcome AAP received in Delhi should sound a loud warning bell to all.

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

(Picture courtesy www.livemint.com)

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Uncategorized

This is how you nail it

The party season is here, and when the rest of you is all styled up, why leave your nails undone?
by Ankita Pathak

If you want an easy and affordable way to jazz up your outfit this winter, look no further than a bottle of nail polish. Need some ideas? You’re in luck! Because we give you one of the biggest accessories on the runways of late…your fingertips!

V-shapeV-shaped: Take your French manicure to the next level: angle your brush to create a ‘V’ shape (see pic on left) and use complimentary pastel shades for fall/winter. Rock the winter with some chevron design!

Neon shimmer love: What is better than a good dose of glitter with neon nail art? Nothing, honestly. Invest in a good glitter polish for an instant style fix and let those neons make a statement.

Finger twist: Spice up your one-colour manicure polish by painting the ring finger with a sequined color. There is nothing like a mix and match lilac and purple sparkling nail art design.

Side-by-side: No need to wait for warmer weather to embrace pastel polishes on your fingers. Go with a side-by-side manicure, with pastels, and flaunt the two fun sides of your personality!

Half-moon: If you have long nails, then you have to follow the half-moon manicure pattern. The half-moon style is Half Moonglamourous and has been seen on most runways (see pic on right). Want to give it a fun twist? Reverse a usual French manicure to make that classic half-moon style.

So many dots, so little time: A collection of inspiration for cool nail designs throughout the year. For the holidays, or a red carpet event, or even a relaxed style at the beach, nothing can be ideal than polka dots. Getting those perfect little circles on your nails is a major favourite right now!

Shimmer tips: If you don’t have the time, or just like playing with nail polish, here is a simple way to have somewhat similar results to a French tip, but this one’s inexpensive, and takes half the time. Finish off those tips with a similar colour family glitter polish and let the tips do all the talking!

ChevronChevron nails: A summer style (in pic on left) that has carried on to the winters is the boho chic look. If you love feathers and tribal prints, this is the design for you! With the winter holidays, style just gets a little more relaxed. So try tribal print nail designs for a super fun and perfect Christmas!

Studs: It’s all about studded accents, from iPhone cases to jeans shorts to high heels, so why not add some studs to your nails? Buy some microbeads from your local craft store and stick them onto your wet nail polish to add a funky and edgy touch to the girliest of outfits!

Mosaic works: Mosaic manicures are the most daunting manicures to look at…but in reality they are much easier to do. Clean lines and creative shapes will make this trend stand out in your entire outfit. Try this if you’re feeling creative or just want to do some hands-on artwork. There’s no better canvas than your nails!

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Tech

State of Zen – the new Ultrafone 701 FHD

Zen’s new smartphone, the Ultrafone 701 FHD could do with a few bug fixes for a device at that price.
by Manik Kakra

Zen has been one of those Indian brands that have getting a lot of attention recently. The company launched the Ultrafone 701 HD a few months back, and has now come up with its successor –the Ultrafone 701 FHD. The Ultrafone 701 FHD is an Android 4.2.1 smartphone powered by Mediatek’s MT6589 chipset, along with 1 GB of RAM. Boasting a full HD screen, the phone makes the sub 20k phone range more interesting. Without further ado, let’s start with our review.

Hardware and design

The Ultrafone 701 FHD follows the usual slab design without much added or removed from the picture. As soon as you hold the device, you realise it’s not bulky and fits well in the hand. A glossy back with plastic coating on top, it is probably the only design part which makes the phone different from a lot of slab-styled phones out there. Having matte grey edges, just like its front edges, these are certainly better while holding the device and performing a task with one hand.

The front sports the screen with speaker grill and camera above, and three capacitive buttons – Options, Home and Back – on its bottom. The bezel below the screen is a bit too noticeable, especially considering how much space is left even after providing some for buttons. On the right side, you only have the Power/Lock key. On the left, you have the volume rockers. And the top gets 3.5 mm headset jack along with microUSB port. The back boasts a 13 MP camera, Zen logo in the middle and loudspeakers at the bottom – all black back with a diagonal pattern.

New Zen UltrafoneScreen

Talking about the screen, the phone has a full HD display, which is pretty much its USP. The screen quality is, let’s just say, good. It’s not very bright, but videos mostly look just fine. Colours are not very rich, but a bit washed out, and probably the way you would expect when the company wants to save on some bucks. The resolution seems good when viewing images. And visibility under direct sunlight it also average. I was expecting the screen to be much better, considering how much effort the companies make on them these days.

Camera

The phone sports a 3 MP rear camera that has a Bsi 2 sensor for better photographs under not-so-good light conditions. Here are a few sample images: http://imgur.com/a/cgfZT

The images mostly came out nice and clear. My experience with this camera in low-light conditions wasn’t too good. It was just okay, but in daylight and in general, it’s probably as good as you can get from an Android device priced around Rs 15K, apart from unusual over-sharp images. Just that the stock camera app isn’t the best, and you may well try a few third-party apps to get more out of the camera.

The front facing 8 MP camera is nice, wide angled and really good for your video calling and mirror needs.

Audio

I was very irritated due to the placement of the loudspeakers – right at the bottom on the back. I had missed so many calls and alerts due to sound getting all muffled with the phone New Zen Ultrafoneplaced back side down. Though the sound is actually quite loud and clear, the moment you place the phone down, you wouldn’t hear a single thing. In-ear sound quality is just fine, but I have tried phones with much better sound quality than this, even at this price point.

Call quality wasn’t an issue with the smartphone. I was satisfied with the audio during call, and also didn’t notice any network reception trouble during my usage.

Battery

The phone is equipped with 2.050 mAh battery, and takes more than three hours to get charged, which is a bit too much for a battery cell this size. I usually got about 18 hours of battery life with about four hours screen on time. It’s apparent that the full HD screen takes a toll on the battery life, and the phone could do with a firmware update to get better battery utilisation.

Software and Performance

The Ultrafone 701 FHD runs on Android 4.2.1 with near stock software. You get a few pre-loaded apps like WhatsApp and Saavn, but it is more or less stock Android Jelly Bean. Under the hood, there is a quad-core MT6589 SoC, along with 1 GB of RAM. And here’s the thing: the phone works smoothly when you are using two to three apps and keep exiting each one. But when you are in an app, using it for more than, say, half an hour, you realise that the RAM capacity isn’t enough.

The company says the chipset used here isn’t much optimised for 2 GB of RAM, so that had to put in 1 GB. That was my main issue with the phone’s performance; it will remain smooth but definitely lags and stutters in apps when an app or two are used (on-screen) for a bit. The capacitive keys, when pressed in an app or when using the default keyboard, will show you what I am saying. Smooth initially, but mostly sluggish performance after using for about half an hour.

New Zen UltrafoneThe OS isn’t much different from stock Android and that isn’t really a bad thing. We have been told that the phone will get Android 4.3 update in a month or so, but there is no official word on 4.4. There are five Home screens by default, you can customise the way you need. The App Drawer, Notification Center, all are exactly how we are used to seeing, not much different even from the 701 HD.

All in all, it is clear what Zen is trying here – bring in quad-core devices with full HD screens and offer them in sub 18k range. The 701 HD was a pretty good device for under Rs 13,000, but the 701 FHD could do with a few bug fixes – battery optimisation and general performance – on order to give the Sony and Nokia phones in this range a run for their money.

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Swaad 'Anu'saar

Nashta bole toh, sirf Mumbai mein

Aamchi Mumbai is defined by its nashta, the street food that serves as a meal between all our other meals.
anurita guptaby Anurita Gupta

Part 1 of 2

Mumbai ka chai nashta bole toh Mumbai’s lifeline. A city that never stops loves its food on the go. So let’s take on this gastronomical journey of exploring various kinds of snacks and beverages inspired by the various communities residing in the island city.

Vada Pav: Internationally known as the ‘Bombay burger’ and having gained worldwide culinary accolades, the humble vada pav sits crunchily on the No.1 position of all Mumbai snacks. I am sure there is no need to explain, but for the uninitiated, the vada pao is a brilliant carbohydrate overdose which has a mashed potato spicy patty deep fried in gramflour batter and then put in a freshly baked bun loaded with coriander (green) and tamarind (red) chutney.

The special zing is added by the dry garlic chutney which is famously available only in Mumbai. Vada pav is best vada pavenjoyed with a nice masala chai from the nearby street vendor or if hygiene is your concern, then you can try the vada pav burger at Jumbo King outlets across the city. The other favourites in the pav category are samosa pav, bhajji pav and ussal pav that are devoured and relished especially by the college crowd.

Masala Chai: Chai mein bhi masala? Clearly India is the masala capital of the world. No wonder then, the busiest city of this country thrives on masala, be it Bollywood or chai. While chai has become a worldwide term for many tea aficionados, clearly masala chai stands apart. Found at almost every nook and cranny and every train station this thick milky tea fuels our city.

One would typically see a tea vendor vigorously stirring the aluminum vessel of chai, alternatingly adding an elaichi or kaali mirchi or dalchini to it. You can have half a cup known as ‘cutting chai’ or a full chai. While there is no specific time to enjoy it, the best evening companion for one and all in aamchi Mumbai is its heavenly chai.

brun maskaBrun Maska: No Parsi household can enjoy its leeli phudhina choi early in the morning or evening or in fact any time in the day without the kadak brun (bread) and soft maska (butter). It is not just the Parsis but most Mumbaikars who enjoy this Parsi specialty that comes in the ‘light snacks’ category. Available at most Irani bakeries and cafes, Brun pav is a famously fluffy soft round bread with a hard crust and looks a lot like the soft bun. Freshly baked brun tastes the best with a nice amount of butter slapped on it along with a small drizzle of sugar…yum!

Enjoy it at a famous Irani café ensconced in a corner of a busy Mumbai street. Bite into the crunchy brun while taking in the historical ambience of the café that typically has glass top tables with rosewood lacquered chairs, old time posters of beverages and even international pop stars, a grandfather clock, antique stain glass windows and white and yellow block flooring.

Bhelpuri: Mumbai ki bhel ko kabhi mat bhool. That should be the slogan for our city, ‘cause if Delhi can make a teekha gol guppa, then Mumbai’s robust chatpati bhel puri can give it a good run for its money. Bhel puri is a true chai time favourite because it gives just the right amount of tang, zing and healthy crunch that is easy on the calories and the pocket. A combination of thinly chopped kachhi kaeri (raw mango), murmura (rice crispies), roasted dal, poori (semolina crispy disc) bhel puriand of course, some nylon sev is then tossed in khatti meethi chutneys and served in a cone-shaped newspaper with a sprinkling of fresh coriander. The bhel puri is the pride and joy of every street vendor. It is most sought after at various chowpatties and snack centres.

My favourite is at Swati Snacks, Tardeo. You can also enjoy other ‘sister’ snacks like sev poori, sookhi bhel and dahi batata poori if you have more time and tummy space. Bhel can never be enjoyed with a spoon. Always ask for a crisp poori to enjoy this plateful of nashta.

This is not where our tryst with Mumbai ka chai nashta ends. Wait for Part 2 that will explore the Sindhi sel bread, khamman dhokla, sev gathiya, dosas and vegetarian sandwiches galore, complemented by the South Indian kaapi and Irani butter chai. Toh ho jaaye!

Anurita Gupta is a media professional who is passionate about two things – food and radio. Her love for all things food makes her a foodie with a cause.

(Pictures courtesy sailusfood.com, wikipedia.com)

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