Author: The Metrognome

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Guest writer

Hate. Tweet. Rinse. Repeat.

A Mumbaikar writes about the malaise that grips us all – of having a contrary, angry opinion, whatever the situation.
by Jatin Sharma

India is rising but the people in India are lying still. All of us are intoxicated by social networking sites. Any event or incident that becomes news, pressurises each one of us to update our Facebook statuses or tweets. And this pressure has given an impetus to a generation that is like a headless chicken walking on the roads.

Take the case of Arvind Kejriwal. In the entire fracas after he declared his political intentions, what became evident was that we all have started to hate common logic. There is no doubt that Arvind Kejriwal single-handedly took charge to expose different politicians; but there is also ample proof to suggest that people have completely developed a puzzling mindset – that of hating everything that is happening around them.

The moment Kejriwal entered politics by forming a political party, people started talking about how all the dharnas and all the fasts he undertook were under the pretext of gaining political mileage.

But I have a few questions for these ‘thinkers’:

Aren’t the politicians of the country supposed to do the same?

Aren’t the leaders of this country supposed to question and expose the ill-doing of other leaders?

And wouldn’t we like a leader who could make others fear their wrongdoings?

So what did he do wrong by attempting to expose corruption with evidence? Whether he has a political ambition or not is irrelevant. For once, corrupt politicians are feeling the heat. For once, they are being questioned. When was the last time in your memory that you saw this happen in the political sphere?

And another thing: what did we do when he stood as a common man with Anna Hazare? Supported him with a few tweets and a few status updates, and counted how many retweets and likes we got!

I suppose Arvind Kejriwal also understands that to bring about any change, he will need to change his strategy. Without political power, he will just end up as one of those several voices that are muted by the powerful. Whatever his intention may be, or whatever the name of the poster boy is, Kejriwal or something else, for once India should stand up for the greater good.

We can find good leaders only when we can become good followers.  We can become good followers only when we act as per a situation and not according to what people want us to think.

 Jatin Sharma 26, works in the media and doesn’t want to grow up, because he thinks that growing up means becoming like everyone else.

 (Picture courtesy www.indiatvnews.com)

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Big story

A separate university for the physically-challenged?

Maha state Governor promises to consider the demand, which includes filling vacant posts meant for the visually and physically challenged.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

We’re dealing with the finer points of the Right to Education (RTE) Act and how it should be implemented across schools. We’re talking about education for the poorest sections of society through various government-funded schemes. We’re even talking about abolishing exams till class eight.

We’re not talking about integrating physically-challenged students with mainstream education. Nor are we taking into account their aspirations when designing our education spaces, or appointing faculty

As a reflection of this, a delegation from the National Association for the Blind (NAB) visited the state Governor K Shankarnarayan, at Raj Bhavan last week, to demand for a separate university for differently-abled students. During the meeting, K Ramakrishna, honorary secretary general, NAB, appraised the Governor of the fact that rules and stipulations meant for the visually and physically impaired, especially during examinations, were not being applied uniformly. He also added that at the degree and masters’ levels, most of the subjects taught were not conducive to the growth of the physically challenged.

However, a delegation member said on condition of anonymity, “We were surprised when the demand for a separate university was made by Rameshwar Kalantri (who heads the Maharashtra NAB Unit), because we had not discussed the issue prior to meeting the Governor. Certainly it is a very good idea, but we need to sort out the details of the issue first.” The delegation had actually met the Governor on the occasion of White Cane Day on October 15, when the issue cropped up.

The delegation also alleged that most colleges and universities were still not filling up to capacity the teaching posts reserved for the physically challenged. A creation of a separate university for the visually and physically challenged, would, the delegation felt, take care of the issues of a development-conducive syllabus and employing the differently-abled as faculty members.

For his part, the Governor, who is also the Chancellor of Universities for Maharashtra, has promised to study and forward the demand for such a university to the concerned ministers in the state government.

 

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Learn

When I met Gary and George

Our writer had a ringside view of Masterchef Australia’s Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris doing the judging – in Mumbai!
by Pooja Palani

“Indian food has still not made that niche that it deserves in Australia as yet. Indians should come up with more variety in their cooking internationally. There are very few famous Indian restaurants in Australia,” he said. Then he added, “I love the flavours in Indian food, I love the spices that dominate Indian recipes.  The only thing I miss in the Indian food we get in Australia is the ethnicity.”

I was speaking to Gary Mehigan. And George Calombaris. Of Masterchef Australia. In person. In Mumbai.

I was at an event where Gary and George were judges for food cooked by the Kohinoor International Management Institute’s School of Hospitality Management students, for the Oz fest conducted by the Australian consulate General Mumbai at Hotel Kohinoor Elite. The popular duo was more than friendly, and very encouraging of the food presented to them.

Admitting that they were “amazed” with the food put up for their judging, they spent a long while telling the students how to improve on certain aspects of their cooking. Given George’s track record of breaking into a big sweat when eating anything spicy, I waited to see how he would react to the tandoori chicken. But surprisingly, he was very happy with it, and when I suggested that he was probably ‘bazzled’ (his favourite word, that he uses freely on Masterchef Australia), he broke into laughter. “You’ve been watching the show!” he exclaimed.

When asked about their judging style on Masterchef, Gary said, “We don’t believe in de-motivating students by shouting and demoralising them, unlike other celebrity chefs like Gordon Ramsey.” Ouch.

The two also tried their hand at making naan in the hotel’s tandoor, apart from being very impressed with jalebis and rabri, which the students served for dessert. George even said he would include the dishes in his restaurant in Australia. I asked him about Matt Preston, the third portly component of their famous trio, and who is very familiar with Mumbai street food. “Yeah, I really miss him in today’s food fest,” he said.

A student asked about international audiences’ expectations of Indian food and how it should be presented. Gary simply said, “Be aesthetic and traditional. The food should be served and eaten the way it is traditionally done at home. There is no need to add frills and fancy to the dish if it doesn’t demand it,” here he picked up a drumstick wrapped in foil, considerately served that way so nobody would get their hands dirty. “The recipe should do the talking,” he said.

I wanted to know more about Indian influences on Australian food – which, curiously, is not an identifiable cuisine but a mix of several cultures – having been in Australia myself for a year. “India is an important trading partner for Australia, and there are many Indians living in Australia for several generations,” Gary explained. “But Australia is a multicultural country, it has a bit of an Indian influence in the cooking style. For example, the barbeque is very widely used to cook in Australia, as well as in India, but here you just call it a tandoor.” Both the men spoke at length about how Masterchef Australia had been a stepping stone for many of the Indian contestants who were in the show.

“It’s great, how we get to taste various cuisines. But Indian food should get more publicised in Australia, like the other Asian cuisines like Thai, Chinese and Vietnamese food. We want Indian street food to go international. I am a big fan of south Indian food and I wish they start dosa bars in my country,” said Gary. George, on the other hand, loves the buttery garlic naans and parathas.

George could barely contain his glee as he explained his tour itinerary. “We are very excited to try the street food of Mumbai and Delhi. I am waiting to have the chicken bhuna masala and the mutton seekh kebabs from Bademiya and Khan Baba’s,” he grinned. The media asked if they would be visiting again, to which both men said they would come whenever invited. “Follow us on Twitter, you can suggest great foodie joints for us!”George said. After Mumbai, the duo were set for a tour comprising Delhi and Bangalore as well.

Overall, I had the greatest time. And it was made all the more better when I smiled at George, and he winked at me!

(Pictures by Pooja Palani)

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Watch

Aww, su**s!

We weren’t really big fans of this show to begin with, and Ashton Kutcher has only made things much worse.
by The Diarist | thediarist@themetrognome.in

Some people, like Katrina Kaif, should only be burdened with looking pretty. They should not be saddled with more taxing jobs, like acting, or having a screen presence. Take Ashton Kutcher, for example. The guy may be a genuinely nice human being. He may be kind to animals. He may be a hit with the women. He may even have a hot girlfriend like Mila Kunis, after a really hot wife like Demi Moore, who he cheated on.

But put Ashton Kutcher in front of a camera, and he sucks. He sucks right out of the room and into the next one. Expect him to act, and what’s more, fill  in the shoes of Charlie Sheen, and Ashton Kutcher makes a complete fool of himself.

We’re patiently plodded through Season 9 of Two And A Half Men (Star World at 11.30 pm), which necessitated the bumping off of don’t-know-how-to-zip-it Charlie Sheen, who had a panga with the show’s creator Chuck Lorre. So they killed off Charlie on the show and got Goofball Kutcher, who plays a billionaire suffering from ennui and constant rejection from his ex-wife, who he still loves. He moves into Charlie Harper’s home, lets Alan and Jake (and Berta) stay on, and we’re expected to just move on with the new addition to the cast.

Except, we can’t move on. Ashton Kutcher comes across as clunky, awkward, and a grown-up version of the character he played on That 70s Show (and he was good in it, too, no doubts about that). But there’s little else to talk about. He looks like a million bucks, gives off that bewildered vibe really well. But try as we might, we just can’t help but miss Charlie Sheen and how sharp he was on the show. We’ve sat through some really mediocre writing in some episodes of the earlier seasons, and that was possible because Mr Sheen was around. It is safe to say that this show actually worked because Charlie was there – now even Jon Cryer and Angus T Jones look better than Mr Kutcher. Even the writing seems to be circling the drain – most of the punches come from Berta, and the situations are just too contrived to be actually funny.

We’re switching channels on this one.

(Picture courtesy www.hotdvdcollection.com)

The Diarist is a TV show junkie. If you’ve come across a new show or have something to say about an existing one, write to thediarist@themetrognome.in.

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Do

Get these apps for Diwali

Check out new apps for the festive season – some will help you cook, others will help you look nice.

Sweet’N’ Spicy Indian Video Recipes

Food & Drink – Free

Language: English

This app is a large collection of Indian Foods and Recipes with a total of over 4000 recipes and 400+ video recipes across Vegetarian, Non-Vegetarian and Vegan relishes. Use this easy recipe app this Diwali and be the star of the party.

Diwali Recipes

Food & Drink – Free

Language: English

A recipe app containing easy to make recipes for Diwali. This app describes the procedure to make traditional goodies like Karanji, Chakli, Besan Ladoo etc.

Curry Guide

Reference – Free

Language: English

The definitive curry guide for iOS. This app is a handy curry encyclopedia providing you with all the useful information you need for all curry types ranging from mid to extremely hot.

Party Planner!

Lifestyle -$0.99

Language: English

Party Planner! allows people to create party invitations on the fly. Invitations can include party name, theme, what to bring, what to wear, date and time, location on a map, photo and more. Select invitees from your address book or enter new ones.

Party Planning List

Lifestyle – $0.99 (Rs 52.95 approx)

Language: English

This app is all you need to ensure you don’t forget anything. Save hours of typing or noting down the list of things to do before your party. Avoid expensive mistakes and be stress free.

Hairstyle Reference

Lifestyle: Free

Language: English

The APP is one kind of helpful software to assist you to choose your hairstyle, which contains more than 30,000 popular hairstyle pictures, including Celebrity Hairstyles, Casual Hairstyles, Business Hairstyles, wedding hairstyles,Prom HairStyles,Trendy Hairstyles,Women’s hairstyles,Men’s hairstyles and so on. And it updates most stylish hairstyles every day! A great app to have this Diwali with the numerous parties to attend!

My Dala

Lifestyle – Free

Languages: English, Spanish

The very best deals and discounts in your neighborhood, city, country, just a swipe away from mydala.com, India’s first, finest and most trusted deals site. An ideal Diwali shopping idea for those who want to shop from the comfort of their homes. Gift a spa coupon, a romantic dinner for two, gadgets and more to your loved ones this Diwali.

Get in Shape: Effective diets & Workouts

Health & Fitness – Free

Language: English

65 diets that work and get you results and don’t starve you, Over 30 ready made gym workouts for men and women with photo, audio and video guides for every exercise and over 100 activities in the database, professional nutritionists will create individual food and workout plans according to your personal goals and preferences, articles and smart tips on nutrition, health and fitness all in a single app. It can also be used as a calorie counter without choosing and following a specific plan.

Detox Diet

Health & Fitness – $0.99 (Rs 52.95 approx)

Language: English

The Detox Diet App is a good source of information you need to be better educated about the various detox diets out there. If you’re in need of rejuvenation, the Detox Diet App is a great place to start!

 (Picture courtesy www.soulte.com)

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Big story

You’re so polluted, Bandra!

…but Sion and Worli, not much. MPCB readings for one month show rising trend of air pollution and particulate matter.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

If you’re in Bandra, you should probably not breathe till you get the hell out of there. You’re not much better off elsewhere in the city, but Bandra is the worst.

For the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board’s (MBCB) findings for air quality in Bandra for the period September 21, 2012 to October 19, 2012 are not just startling, they will literally take your breath away. As per the MPCB’s daily findings for its station at Government Polytechnic (Kherwadi), Bandra, the suburb has been breathing very polluted air for 18 days out of the 28 days of recent monitoring.

You don’t have to take the MPCB’s word on air pollution in the city alone – an environmental status report for Mumbai was recently released by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC); the report’s findings were similar to those of the MPCB.

What constitutes air pollution? As per the MPCB, there are three parameters for measuring air pollution – sulphur dioxide (SO2), oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) and RSPMs, or Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter. This last, if it exceeds the permissible level of 100 µg/m3, gives rise to such respiratory disorders as asthma or bronchitis.

The RSPM levels for Bandra in the period monitored have been above 100 µg/m3 for the most part. The average reading for Bandra is 111.61 µg/m3; the highest has been 176 µg/m3 on September 30, while the lowest has been 60 µg/m3 on October 10.

The corresponding sulphur dioxide and nitrous oxide levels, however, have been within the permissible range of 80 µg/m3 for Bandra throughout the monitoring period.

Meanwhile, though Sion has recorded below permissible levels of RSPMs, exceeding it only thrice in the monitoring period, the levels of nitrous oxide have been higher than the permissible levels, throughout. Experts cite city-wide construction activities and rising vehicular traffic for the rise in air pollution levels. All recorded levels of pollutants at Worli are below the permissible levels.

The areas that the MPCB monitoring stations are present in the city and the state are chosen for high traffic density, industrial growth, human population and its distribution, emission source, public  complaints if any and the land use pattern.

(Picture courtesy: www.mpg.de. All figures sourced from MPCB)

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