Author: The Metrognome

Categories
Trends

Of reshuffles and survival instincts

Humra Quraishi writes on Delhi’s recent Cabinet reshuffle, and how the common man has more serious issues to think of.

The recent Cabinet reshuffle in Delhi happened and within minutes, one could hear the rumblings of people reacting to the news of over 20 changes in the old team – wherever you went, you could hear people saying, “BJP , SP, BSP or Congress, there are thieves in each one of them!” The reshuffle doesn’t seem to have impressed anybody here, in fact, it is becoming increasingly difficult for politicians to sway today’s Indian with reshuffles and promises, whether at the Cabinet or the municipality level.

Placements and displacements, shifts in portfolio and power, changes and re-changes, moves and  counter moves…they are no longer good distracting tactics. Those days are gone, dear politicians!

The small screen, together with the likes of constant rabble rouser Arvind Kejriwal are responsible for bringing about a greater awareness about what really goes on in the corridors of power. This awareness is nudging the average Indian to look beyond the obvious, crane his neck to look for what goes on behind the faces and the people at centre stage, occasionally glance at the Right too. And with this increased awareness and greater surveillance by the media, skeletons are rapidly tumbling out of several high-profile closets.

Each time I see Arvind Kejriwal on TV, he looks frailer but more determined to fight the good fight. He  is  diabetic, so it is a sheer wonder that he is managing to take on the accompanying stresses of his campaign – and its invariable offshoots – and still going strong with mini or full-blown revolts.

These recent movements have certainly caused a churning in the political landscape, but its gathering momentum could well be derailed not by being trampled by police boots and brute force,  but simply because the man on the street, who can really drive this momentum, has more important things to do – like fight for his survival. Political shifts and rumblings go on almost parallel to the malnourishment and semi-starvation faced by the common man due to rising inflation. The daily  realities and ongoing struggles for survival are what take centre stage for the common man just now, so to expect him to have some more grit for a larger fight is a bit much.

And though I have never been to Egypt, I’ve keenly followed the unrest there, and seeing the average  Egyptian’s well-built form, I remember thinking that they seemed better fed and structured  than us Indians. Perhaps their good health helped them relentlessly march  towards Tahrir  Square. If we had a similar demonstration here, we would get bullied on the way by thugs, or at the very least, faint in the heat.

Humra Quraishi is a senior political journalist based in Gurgaon.

 (Picture courtesy PTI)

Categories
Event

At the iPhone 5 launch

Mahafreed Irani attended the India launch of Apple’s newest and most eagerly-awaited iPhone in Mumbai on Friday at Phoenix Mills.

An announcer on a mini stage that’s been erected in the courtyard of Lower Parel’s Phoenix Mills heralded the launch of a new gadget. “The real moon of Karva Chauth: the iPhone 5 is here,” she said. A long queue of Apple fans had been waiting to buy the iPhone5 on the day of its launch. They’d been standing for over an hour to make sure they lay their hands on the very first phones sold in the country.

Amongst the many standees were Apple fanboys, phone resellers, and office peons and servants that had been delegated to pick up the product for their masters. The contrast was very clear between those who would own the phones and those who were just there in lieu of somebody else.

“I want to be part of the experience. There is a sort of vibrant energy here,” said Shreyam Desai, a student who had been part of another Apple queue in the past. “I stood in line for the iPhone 3G in the US. There was never anything like that in India and now that there is, it’s a very nice experience.”

Another iPhone fan waiting was Siddharth Shetty.

“It’s important for me to be here on the first day. I want to be part of the tradition that Apple has been carrying out in other countries,” he said, referring to the cult-style enthusiasm in which thousands of Apple customers stand for hours and sometimes days outside stores to be among the first people to get their hands on the phone.

In the meantime, reporters and camera crew cramped and pushed each other to get the best shots of actress Esha Gupta of Jannat 2 fame, as she held the phone in her hand, pouting for the cameras. Veena Parikh, a lucky customer was handed the phone, making her one of the first to own it after the official launch in India. She’d been handpicked perhaps because of her interesting story – her husband was buying her the phone as a gift on Karva Chauth.

“She can use it to facetime with our daughter who is in the US,” he smiled.

Mahafreed Irani is a Mumbai-based journalist and co-editor of The Report (youtube.com/thereportlive)

Categories
Big story

‘Why do they ignore my daughter?’

Upset by India No 2 Kyra Shroff’s non-inclusion in upcoming tourney, father Firdaus slams AITA and questions their selection process.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

The current No 2-ranked tennis player in the country, Kyra Shroff, will not play at a November 6 WTA tournament in Pune. Her angry father has taken things into his own hands, questioning why Kyra was not given a wildcard to the event.

The upcoming event at Balewadi, Pune, will feature four players – nationals winner and runner-up Prerna Bhambri and Rishika Sunkara, and the other two supported by the USD 1,25,000 event’s sponsors, the Lakshya Group – who have been selected as wildcard entries by the Pune WTA to the main draw. Kyra has been “left out again,” says her angry father Firdaus.

Speaking to The Metrognome, Firdaus said, “The AITA (All India Tennis Association) needs to decide if they want to pick players based on whether they play at state-level Maharashtra games, or their rankings. I was dumbfounded when the names for the tournament were announced and Kyra was left out. They don’t realise that Kyra has won the Nationals three years ago. She does not need to play any more, but she needs to focus on her ranking.”

Firdaus pointed out other examples of his daughter being repeatedly passed over for other players in the past as well. “When she was ranked no 3 or 4, the AITA gave an excuse (for not including her) that she was not ranked 1 or 2. Another ironical thing is that the Central Sports Ministry gives Rs 5,00,000 if one wins the Nationals. When I applied for Kyra, who had won the previous year, I was told that she was not eligible for the grant because she was not the current national champion. Why does the AITA not guide the players through these things?”

Fracas with the AITA

Firdaus has already written a strongly-worded letter to the AITA, alleging that Kyra had been overlooked by both the AITA and the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) “several times over in the past few years for no reason…When a wildcard in our own country, where Kyra is ranked No 2, is not given, what more can one expect from you all? You have given me talks about 2014 Asian Games, 2016 Olympics and the Fed Cup next year. But do you really think it will happen?”

He said, “I got a call from the AITA at 7.30 pm on Thursday, asking if I would like to give Kyra entry in the Thai Asian Circuit, where if she wins, she will get a direct entry into the main draw. I refused, because it is not possible – the best 100 will be playing there.” He added, “If she ever gets the chance to play in the Olympics 2016…it’s a question mark. She has to be in the top 50, which is not possible.”

Firdaus says that since his letter to the AITA, he has had only an SMS interaction with tournament director Sundar Aiyer. “He sent me a text at 2 pm on Thursday, asking, ‘Do you still want a wild card?’ I simply replied, ‘No, thank you.’” But why did he pass up the chance to get Kyra a wild card? “They’ve already announced the players. I just want to tell them that I am not going to beg any more. We’ll see what happens next,” Firdaus said.

He says that he is looking for financial help from the government because it is taking approximately Rs 75 lakh every year for Kyra to keep playing. “I cannot bear the expense. I had written to (Asian Tennis Federation President) Anil Khanna a year ago, asking him to support us. But they don’t even have the courtesy to reply,” he fumes.

‘Injustice in Indian sport’

“The injustice in Indian sport is so blatant…you spend more time and energy getting the system to back you, than actually playing. There are no norms, no rules, no set guidelines…all is done as per the convenience and decisions of a few people and it always goes against my daughter. Speak to anybody – Mahesh Bhupathi, Kyra’s coach Shrinath, Akhtar Ali, all of them will tell you what they have been through,” Firdaus says.

“Kyra has been very mature and understanding, but all of this does affect the child. Despite being No 2, they took Rushmi Chakravarthy to the Olympics with four others, and that time too, they had announced their four players but a fifth, Rushmi, got through at the last moment. I really have no answer why Kyra is repeatedly treated this way. When it comes to her, there seems to be some ulterior reason, but we don’t know what it is, because they are quick to say that they do not ignore Kyra, but what is this if not ignoring?” he sighs.

(Pictures courtesy www.photodivision.gov.in and Firdaus Shroff) 

 

Categories
Enough said

A tryst with Gulzar

Gulzarsaab talks to Humra Quraishi about writing in Urdu, ageing and what gave him a complex when he was young.

I always bond with the emotional. Probably that explains why every time I have interviewed Gulzarsaab,  it’s the emotional poet in him that has left an impact on me.

Once, during the course of an interview, I asked him about the Kashmir valley. I was taken aback to see tears roll down his cheeks, and he took some time to answer. Overcome by his emotion, he said  that  the Kashmir valley fascinated him and Raakhee (film actor, who he was married to for a while) so much that they’d chosen it  for their honeymoon. He’d said, “Kashmir is an integral  part of my emotions, it’s a region  that is close to my heart. I was planning to make a film on Kashmir earlier. I’d  even named the film, it was to be titled Is Vaadi Mein and it was based on Krishna Chander’s short story collection Kitaab Ka Kafan, but then the Kargil War broke out.” He said that for now, he was only focussing on his writing.

“In fact, my colleague Salim Arif is keen to make a film on the Kashmir valley. If he decides to go ahead with it, I could do the script and story for that film,” he told me then.

True to his word, Gulzarsaab is focusing only on writing these days. But ask him if he would be penning  his autobiography, and he says, “Kahaan gunjaish hai! You journalists have already written  every single detail of my  life. Nothing’s hidden. Also, a few years ago, my daughter Bosky has written a book on me,” he smiled.

And he is one of those rare Bollywood personalities who still concentrates only on Urdu, reading, writing, and conversing in Urdu. I asked him, “In the times we are living  in, is it tough to speak in Urdu? Did you ever suffer a complex on account of this?”

“No, never. I have always been very comfortable with Urdu,” he replied. “In fact, the only thing I’ve suffered from a complex from was the fact that I couldn’t complete my graduation. This bothered me for a long time, as in those days, a degree meant a lot. But I couldn’t complete my graduation because of financial constraints. And perhaps to make up on that front, I took to reading and  writing.” He added, “Writing has the capacity to absorb all upheavals, shocks, pains, and the  conditions you’re going through. It is like driving along a road which could be rough or uneven or bumpy, yet you somehow manage to go along.”

And I simply had to ask him this: “Gulzarsaab, you haven’t aged in all these years. How is that?”

He simply smiled. “Of course I have…the hair is thinning. But if you insist on knowing the reason, then it is the joy brought into my life by my grandson, Samay. Every evening, I play with him, take  him to the park. Being with him is so rejuvenating, so very joyful…”

Humra Quraishi is a veteran journalist and author of Kashmir: The Untold Story and co-author of Absolute Khushwant. 

 (Picture courtesy Amit Kanwar, www.hillpost.in)

Categories
Diaries

Let them eat cake

Give a miss to the shaadi ka laddoo – bite into the trendiest cakes that Mumbai bakers have to offer.
by Ritika Bhandari

Part II of the ‘Shaadi Mubarak’ Diaries

When American cartoonist James Thurber said, “The most dangerous food is the wedding cake,” little did he know that a three-tier, rich plum cake is a delicacy not to be missed for the world. Borrowing from the traditional White Wedding concept of Christian weddings, today several Mumbai couples are opting to cut a beautifully-decorated cake to spread the sweetness of their wedding.

Every function, from a sangeet sandhya to a cocktail party, calls for a cake these days, and definitely, the D-day is when out comes a special, unique, satiny rich cake covered with fondants and marzipans. Aditi Limaye Kamat of The Cake Studio, Dadar, says, “Indian weddings have started to give a lot of importance to cakes. Earlier, we would get requests only for church weddings. But now it is definitely changing.”

Aditi is the co-owner of The Cake Studio along with cake decorator, Niketa Patil Rampal. “Niketa is the reason for our good looking and tasty cakes,” says Aditi. “Her chocolate cakes with truffles or cream icing are really famous, but the cakes with marzipan can be decorated more beautifully. We can create designs like flowers, couple figures and also add food colours like pink, blue, gold and silver.” Along with the cake’s looks, Aditi stresses on the taste as well, because the Big Fat Indian Wedding has to be a palate-pleaser.

22-year old Sonica Baptist runs Crimsons with her family. While her mother Marceline bakes the cakes, her elder sister Malaika juggles with the baking and decorating, with help from Sonica, who works as a graphic designer. Sonica says, “The tier form of designing is the most popular style for any wedding cake. The oldest way of enhancing the cake’s complete looks is with edible sugar work of drapes, flowers, ribbons and a centre piece of the couple.”

With the humongous crowd that one tries to accommodate at weddings, cakes start with three tiers and can go up to an eye-popping 10-tiers, too. “Also the flavour of the rich plum cake is substituted for a chocolate cake, vanilla cake or a red velvet cake among favourites,” Sonica tells us. “A wedding cake is a big deal and one should book it at least a month in advance to enjoy the culinary delights of their favourite baker.”

As with weddings, special requests are de rigueur and the decorator at The Cake Studio complies by matching the marzipan bride and groom’s outfit colours. Another customer favourite is topping the wedding cake with real flowers like orchids and anthurium. “The elegant look of a pastel-coloured marzipan on a gooey chocolate cake made on a bed of orchids, or topped with anthurium is our bestseller,” reveals Aditi.

Bride to-be Khushi Baldota says, “Tiered cakes are way too usual. I wish to have cupcakes as my wedding cake.” And with all the icing and frosting showered on cakes in Mumbai’s patisseries, one cannot blame her for diverging from the beaten path. Sonica says, “Cupcakes can be used, but they need to be arranged in a tier form. One can use the cupcakes as an element in the larger design of a cake, but the right essence of a wedding can only come through a cake.”

With couples marrying throughout the year, a wedding cake really has no season. So chocolate, strawberry, or rum and raisin, Indian couples love the fact that they can cut the cake and eat it too.

‘Diaries’ is a series of stories on a single issue. The ‘Shaadi Mubarak’ Diaries aim to capture the essence of the wedding season in Mumbai. Look out for Part III.

(Pictures courtesy The Cake Studio and Crimsons)

Categories
Big story

Cult classic: At a PVR near you

Digitally restored Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron opens for the public today at PVR Cinemas in 10 cities. Go watch it!
by The Diarist | thediarist@themetrognome.in

Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron is the classic. You remember most of its dialogues, you chortle at all the jokes you’ve already replayed in your head, and you just can’t get that iconic Mahabharata play (and what really happens to it) scene out of your head, ever. But most of us have watched this film on TV. If you want to relive this gem of a film on the big screen, today’s your big chance.

The Worli-based National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) has re-released this film in association with PVR Cinemas in 10 cities in India – Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Pune, Surat, Chandigarh, Vadodara and Ahmedabad. The film – directed by Kundan Shah and starring Naseeruddin Shah, Vivek Baswani, Bhakti Barve, Om Puri, Satish Kaushik, Neena Gupta, and Pankaj Kapur in his first film role – has been digitally restored and can be played on a 2K projection. This is NFDC’s first film restoration project for a theatrical release – previously, the organisation has only restored home videos.

“It took about six months to restore the film entirely, and this included cleaning up the sound, colour and picture quality, too,” said a member of the team that worked on the project. The entire restoration work was done in-house. “We had to be careful to select the film – it had to have a mass appeal, it had to have a connect with today’s audiences, and it had to be entertaining. Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron ticks all these boxes.”

However, NFDC is only testing the waters with the release of this film, and will wait to see audience response to the experiment before turning to other, equally important films. “The thing about these films is, and especially with Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron, is that the current generation has not seen it and don’t know what it is about. It is important for the youth to watch this film in the present time – not only have they missed out on a fantastic film, but they must see it because it is so relevant in today’s times as well,” the official said.

In Mumbai, Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron will be showcased at PVR Juhu, PVR Phoenix Mills, PVR Goregaon and PVR Mulund.

(Pictures courtesy www.boxofficeindia.co.in, NFDC)

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