Author: The Metrognome

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Listen

Surabhi Saraf live in Mumbai

The San Francisco-based musician performed for the first time in India on Thursday, at Mumbai’s Max Mueller Bhavan, Kala Ghoda.

Surabhi Saraf performed at Mumbai, and India, for the first time ever. The School of the Art Institute of Chicago MFA degree holder played two tracks from her debut album, Illuminen EP, in which, in her own words, she “layers the sound of my voice over the droning percussions of aged fans that are augmented by lights and live video, creating an immersive soundscape.”

She played Illuminen, which she exhorted the audience to listen to with their eyes closed. This was an attempt by the artist to “draw the focus inward, negotiating ideas of entertainment, experience, sensation and sensationalism with the conviction that it is actually the numbing of certain sensory realities that generates crucial moments in socio-cultural transformation.” Watch the clip of the track below:

Her other performance, Spinning Four, was about “a visually rich immersive sonic experience that stimulates external senses. From my memories of Indian classical music to the multiplicity of sounds emerging from old mechanical fans, this performance deals with the phenomena on which we all depend, wind and breath. I layer the sound of my voice over the droning percussion of the rotating blades of aged fans powered by electric motors. Once on the air, these sound waves become electrical impulses and data that are manipulated through my laptop in real-time.”

(Picture courtesy surabhisaraf.net)

 

Categories
Big story

Want registered house documents for free?

If you’ve purchased or rented a house, you can get the registered documents online, free of cost for a week.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

The State Government made a new Internet facility operational since yesterday – using the site igrmaharashtra.gov.in, you can now download registered property documents without having to depend on your real estate broker to deliver the same to you, or stand in line at the local registration office. However, you can download these documents free of cost for just a week – thereafter, you will be charged a lumpsum amount for the entire document.

The website is part of the Government’s e-initiative to shift the process of property registration in Maharashtra, online. At present, the website is operational on a pilot basis in 14 of Mumbai’s 23 registration offices. The Government plans to extend the service to all centres in Maharashtra soon. Documents for transactions made between the years 2002 and 2011 are available for download.

To access the site and get your registered agreement, you must know such details as the CTS Number, village name, the document number, etc. Downloading of the document takes about 30 minutes. However, the site is not very user-friendly: for instance, a first-time user would not know that he/she needs to look for the ‘eSearch’ field on the left of the home page to begin looking for the registered document, in the first place. Besides, not many users would be stumped by the transaction not progressing beyond the ‘Property details’ page, since users have to enter only the first three letters of the ‘village’ that the registered property falls under.

In the near future, Maharashtra State could also be the first in the country to roll out a process where registrations of rental properties could take place online, followed shortly by other property deals. The State is also mulling a model where registration personnel could be called home for the process.

(Picture courtesy hindubusinessline.com)

Categories
Diaries

Training days

So how did you train for the Mumbai Marathon? Did you train right? An expert offers a quick ready reckoner.
by Deepak Rawat, fitness training manager, Fitness First, clocked in 4 hours 45 minutes in the full marathon, 2012.

Part II of the ‘Mumbai Marathon’ Diaries

Exercise programmes for people participating in marathon runs are designed based on their current fitness levels. Cardiovascular exercises are given more importance as an exercise modality. For a marathon, long distance and interval cardio training are the main features of the exercise programme. However, one must not focus only on cardio but also do endurance training. Single leg, core and bend-to-extend pattern are the main focus areas in muscular endurance training.

On a weekly basis, I advocate a run that takes you to a distance of 30 to 40 kilometres. You can slowly extend this while running and take it up to even 70 km.

I have noticed that some people have the tendency to over-train for events like marathons. Over training can lead to injury, and cause other surprising issues like appetite loss, irritable behaviour and a drop in performance. As soon as this is noticed by trainers, he/she should point it out to the runner immediately.

Those who should not train for the Marathon are people with a higher BMI or with existing health concerns. I have had to tell people not to train for the run owing to physical constraints on their part. We also advise people to rest well during training, but resting times depend on the person’s age and current fitness level.

Besides this, all runners should bear in mind that the knees and ankles are the most prone areas for injury, so they should train carefully. Plus, ensure that you keep yourself well hydrated, and consume up to six litres of water every day while training.

Lastly, during your training and on the day of the race, wear running shorts, a comfortable vest (dri-fit), and running shoes with adequate cushioning based on the arch of your foot.

Diaries is a series of stories on one theme. The Mumbai Marathon diaries aim to lay the ground for the actual event on Sunday, January 20, 2013. Watch out for Part III tomorrow, where a participant tells us about achieving his fitness goals through the Marathon.

 

Categories
Film

May the best of the worst win

The Bollywood Razzies are here. In a year when Bollywood produced piles of rubbish, it’s tough to pick a winner.
by M | M@themetrognome.in

Have you heard of the The Ghanta and the Golden Kela? Before you call the moral police, let me clarify. These are the names of awards especially created for Bollywood. The Ghanta and Golden Kela Awards are the Indian counterparts of the Razzies (for Hollywood). Both the awards are independent and not related to each other. It doesn’t matter who gives them away or if the winners have the b**ls to collect them; what matters is that these awards symbolise the awakening of the janata and that Bollywood can no longer bullsh*t the audience without being b**chslapped in return.

The Ghanta Awards are in their third year and the Golden Kelas are a little older at five. Both are very popular on social media and they encourage users to vote online. 2012 was one of the most creatively-challenged years for Bollywood, hence there is plenty to trash this time. But before I cast my precious vote to elect the best of the worst, let’s review the various categories and nominees in each award.

Worst Actor 2012

Akshay Kumar is a clear winner with four straight flops: Housefull 2, Rowdy Rathore, Joker and Khiladi 786. Ajay Devgn comes a close second with Son of Sardaar and Bol Bachchan in both the Awards. Surprisingly, Salman Khan only features in The Ghanta Awards list for Ek Tha Tiger and Dabangg 2. Kat got your tongue, Golden Kela?

Worst Actress 2012

Sonakshi Sinha for Rowdy Rathore, Joker, Son of Sardaar and Dabangg 2; basically everything she did. Katrina Kaif, Deepika, Bipasha, Priyanka Chopra are the rest of the nominations. Everyone, except for Kareena Kapoor, has made it to the lists this year.

 

Worst Film 2012

Oh, this one is tough. There are just five options for the Ghantas and six for Golden Kelas in the worst films category, but they could very well expand their list to include more from the pile of garbage Bollywood produced last year. I like Golden Kela’s list better. They’ve got the crapfest full on with Housefull 2, Son of Sardaar, Khiladi 786, Dabangg 2, Jab Tak Hai Jaan and Joker. All these films were headache-inducting tortures that took away 80 minutes of the audience’s lives. The Ghantas have Student of the Year on its list, but I think the audience deserves a special award for having sat through this film and lived to tell the tale.

Worst Director 2012

Let’s give Shirish Kunder a lifetime pass for the Worst Director Award in both these awards, along with free home delivery. The Golden Kela has Arbaaz Khan vying for this spot for Dabangg 2. Maybe it’s time Arbaazbhai renounces the world and goes back to his planet. Whenever he does go, he should also take Vikram Bhatt (Raaz 3, Dangerous Ishq) along.

Worst Song 2012

Wikipedia should catalogue this into a series. Even this year, as always, Bollywood will make a generous contribution to this. A special volume should be dedicated to our nasal champion Himeshbhai. All the songs of Khiladi 786 have the magical quality of inducing violent behaviour, enough to start a prison riot. *chops own ears off*

Worst Sequel 2012

Jannat, Raaz, Jism, Housefull and Dabaang should jointly accept the award and officially STOP MAKING ANY MORE SEQUELS! The end has no end. The Dabaang prequel will haunt us soon. *shudder*

Both the awards have other unusual and interesting categories, such as:

Golden Kela Awards:

– Most Atrocious Lyric Awards. My pick is ‘Po Po Po’ from Son of Sardaar.

– Why Are You Still Trying Award – For people like Jackie Bhagnani. “Jackie, who?” you ask. Sigh, never mind.

– Baawra Ho Gaya Hai Kya Award – And the winner is, the Indian audience for spending money on a ride to hell and back with this slushpile.

and the Ghanta Awards:

– Worst Rip-Off/Remake – Barfi!

– Worst Couple – Abhishek Bachchan with anyone, even a log of wood.

– WTF Was That – That one time where you almost threw your shoes at the screen, then remembered you were wearing Osho chappals, so you just closed your eyes instead.

– That’s Anything But Sexy – Tough one again, but nothing can beat the awful dance steps in the ‘Cheeni’ song from Department. Unfortunately, it doesn’t feature on the list.

But are these awards really an eye-opener for for our filmmakers? Will they stop and think about the trash they are serving the audience? I don’t think so. Maybe we need some kind of penalty, where the audience is entitled to a refund for a bad film. This will surely make them behave themselves in future.

Voting for both the awards is now open. You can log on to http://theghantas.com/vote/login.php and  http://goldenkela.com/voting/vote.php

Sharp as a tack and sitting on more hot scoops than she knows what to do with, M is a media professional with an eye on entertainment.

(Pictures courtesy galleryoneindia.in, wikimedia.org, hindi.way2movies.com)

Categories
Diaries

Eat right, run better

A nutritionist explains what a marathoner’s diet just days before the race should be. Plus, diet tips for Marathon runners.
Part I of the ‘Mumbai Marathon’ diaries

Ritesh Shaiwal is fitness manager and nutritionist at Fitness First, Mumbai. He has been consulting on nutrition and training for the last five years, and on a year-to-year basis, he has counselled close to 25 runners. Of these, four are participating in the Mumbai Marathon on January 20, 2013.

If you’re participating in the Marathon this Sunday, Ritesh’s tips on eating and drinking right will hold you in good stead.

What your diet should comprise of:

The diet for someone running the Full Marathon would be completely different from that of a Half Marathon runner. The percentage of complex carbohydrates in the diet of a Full Marathon participant would be at least 30 per cent higher than that of a Half Marathon runner, as he/she would require more energy to complete a 42 kilometre run. The diet for both categories would change every four to six weeks if one has to design a one-month nutrition plan. Complex carbs would increase by five to eight per cent every week, with not too many changes in the percentage of protein and fat consumed.

What to eat while training:

Primarily, the foods that are good to go are whole wheat bread, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, vegetables and salads as mid-meals, plus for dinner, along with a dry fruit meal, peanut butter plus chicken/fish/mutton/tofu/soy will get you all the protein nutrition you require. And last but not the least, a regular intake of fruit will help pace your run as well as your training routine.

What to eat till the race:

The diet, say one week before the race, would be: Carbs (50 per cent), Protein (35 per cent) and Fat (15 per cent) where one should consume complex carbs for breakfast and lunch. A week before the run, one should change the carbohydrates percentage from 50 per cent to 60 per cent, and include complex carbs for dinner. A night before the race, have a good heavy complex carb meal of pasta and chicken because you need the energy for the race the next day.

On race day:

On the morning of the race, two bananas with a slice of peanut butter sandwich does the trick for me. During the race, ensure that you have Electral or Gatorade, as your body requires the nutrition to sustain a long run. Post the race, you can go back to a normal, balanced diet.

Opt for these slow energy foods:

Slow energy foods are basically complex carbohydrates. The best sources for these are oats, whole wheat bread, brown rice, whole wheat grain roti and whole wheat pasta. Whole wheat pasta is my personal favourite complex carb, along with chicken, on the night before the race.

Avoid:

Aerated drinks and chocolates while you are training, as also chips and cookies. These are high in unsaturated fat.

The deal with energy drinks:

Energy drinks are great while training and during the run, as they contain simple carbohydrates which provide instant energy to the body, as compared to complex carbs. So having an energy drink while training or running is important so that your body does not go into starvation mode and gets instant energy. But be sure to only sip on the drink, don’t gulp it in large quantities.

Hydration on the go:

Hydration is key when you are running a long distance. For every kilometre or 1.5 km, one should sip about 100 ml of water, so that your energy levels are up and about. Once you are in the run for, say 45 minutes to 60 minutes, energy drinks should be introduced as a part of the hydration programme, apart from water. Keep sipping while you are on the run – don’t stop to sip as it will affect your timing.

Diaries is a series of stories on one theme. The Mumbai Marathon diaries aim to lay the ground for the actual event on Sunday, January 20, 2013. Watch out for Part II tomorrow, where we speak with a trainer on exercising for the Marathon. 

(Featured image tumblr.com) 

Categories
Eat

Liquid spheres

The Oberoi Hotel, Mumbai, offers cocktails that go beyond mere melting in the mouth – they are designed to explode!

This month, it’s time to raise your glass to welcome the New Year as The Eau Bar offers up a selection of innovative new cocktails that will change the way you drink.

The Oberoi is offering a range of cocktails that are created by the hotel’s resident mixologists, who employ the ‘Spherification’  technique. Sounds intriguing? It is. Spherification is a culinary process of shaping a liquid into spheres. It transforms liquids into what, visually and texturall,y resembles caviar.

Spherification was originally discovered by Unilever in the 1950s, and brought into the spotlight by the creative team at el Bulli under the direction of Executive Chef, Ferran Adrià. The basic technique is ideal for obtaining spheres with very thin membranes, barely perceptible in one’s mouth. Upon taking a sip, the spheres will seemingly ‘explode’ in the mouth, releasing the flavoured liquid within.

The special cocktails on offer include the Cosmolecular, made of vodka and cranberry juice, with orange liqueur on the side; Strawberry Martini, made with vodka, with a strawberry sphere on the side and Champagne cocktails, served with either strawberry pearls or almond pearls, among others.

(Pictures courtesy foodgps.com, touchofmodern.com. Pictures are not of actual drinks but have been used for representational purpose only)

 

 

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