WEEKLY MAGAZINE, NOVEMBER 11, 2012Free with your copy of Hindustan Times

VIR SANGHVIThe restaurant wars

SANJOY NARAYANThe Italian job

RAJIV MAKHNIThe iPad killer is here

SEEMA GOSWAMI Down nostalgia streetindulge

Cracker of an issue■ Return of the kamarpeti■ Gold goes heavy (and light)■ Legend of the metal fest■ Fierce festive looks■ Why steel is a big deal■ Eco-friendly party ideas

Gold and silver, diamonds and steel, gadgets andgizmos – whip up some shopping frenzy this Diwali

hindustantimes.com/brunch4 B R E A K FA ST O F C H A M P I O N S

LETTER OF THE WEEK!From kaapi to cappuccinoYOUR COVER story (Battle of the Brews, November 4) was awell-researched article. It traced India’s journey from the kaapi tothe cappuccino, opening up an aromatic world of lattes andmore! It was enlightening to have the coffee connoisseurs’ viewson the coffee chains that have mushroomed in the recent past.Coffee is more than just a buzzword. This issue was the perfectway to wake up to déjà brew! — DIRGHA SAMPAT, via email

Dirgha wins a Flipkart voucher worth `2,500. Congrats!

For the love of caffeineTHE COVER story (Battle Of The Brews, November 04) was atreat for a coffee aficionado like me. With myriad coffee houses,one can reach out to a fine aroma any time. The assessment ofvarious coffee houses by your distinguished coffee connoisseursmade for a delectable read. — KANIKA CHANDRA, via email

THE MOST commonlyplayed game. Each

player is dealt two cards.Three cards are open onthe table and each playermust make the best combination of five cards.

First the dealer burns(discards) a card and the‘Flop’ (three cards) opens.

Then after the betting isover, the dealer burnsanother card and opensthe ‘Turn’.

Finally, after betting, thedealer burns another cardand opens the ‘River’

card.

Combinations■ High card■ Pair■ Two pairs■ Trips (three of a kind)■ Straight (five cards in a row)■ Flush (five of the same suit)■ Full house (three of akind and a pair)■ Four of a kind■ Straight Flush (a sequence of five of thesame suit)■ Royal flush (a sequencefrom 10 to ace of thesame suit)

THERE’S THAT familiarchill in the air... Every

house has its own display oflights, lanterns, diyas, and itsown pile of goodies. Forsome people, Diwali couldbe a walk down memorylane. And for others, it’s “theday the tummy had toomuch”! (Always). Thenthere’s the shopping and thegifts. There is the puja, thehazaar ke crackers, thestacks of dry fruit boxes andsweets (and of late, also thechocolates!). These are theDiwali clichés that neverbecome boring. And wealways look forward to them.Wish you all a wonderfulDiwali!

Rules Of The Game...

Game Over

TEXAS HOLD ’EM POKER

ANATOMY OF A DIWALI MELA

by Samar Khurshid

Brunch Opinion

WALK OF LIGHT!by Manit Moorjani

■ Two days for the late Yash Chopra’s last love story. Have got your tickets yet?■ Film, music and literature fests. Just follow the path to erudition!■ Sunday brunches. Bring out the wine and cheese, por favor!■ Hoarding all the Diwali dry-fruit hampers. And the firecrackers too. Boom!!■ Test matches are back. Now that’s what you call cricket.

You never want to part with yourprecious gems. And we’ll tell youhow to take good care of them too!Log on for some secret tips!

This week, read Bohemian Rhapsody by ShreyaSethuraman. Poetry ismore than just words.

MORE ON THE WEBBrunch post-itsTreasuring your treasures

NOVEMBER 11, 2012

Cover Design: PRASHANT CHAUDHARYCover Photo: IMAGESBAZAAR

DESIGN: Ashutosh Sapru (National Editor,Design), Monica Gupta, Swati Chakrabarti,Rakesh Kumar, Ashish Singh

EDITORIAL: Poonam Saxena (Editor), Aasheesh Sharma, Tavishi PaitandyRastogi, Rachel Lopez, Mignonne Dsouza, Veenu Singh, Parul Khanna Tewari,Yashica Dutt, Amrah Ashraf, Saudamini Jain, Shreya Sethuraman, Manit Moorjani

LOVE

IT

SHOVE

ITTH

INGS

YOU

SHO

ULD

HAVE

HEA

RD A

BOUT

by S

hre

ya S

eth

ura

man

The best letter gets a Flipkartvoucher worth R2,500!!

The shopping voucher will reach the winner within seven to 10 working days. In case of any delays, please contact chirag.sharma@hindustantimes.com

Drop us a line at: brunchletters@hindustantimes.comor to 18-20 Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi 110001

■ Superstorms and cyclones. What did we do wrong?■ Traffic jams. Mile-long ones at that. Everyone’s shopping!■ Nail extensions... but WHY?■ Happy Diwali mass texts.■ Au revoir, BBC Entertainment. Did you hear our heart break?

Log onto www.hindustantimes.com/brunch

by Jayanto

Photo: THINKSTOCK

NOVEMBER 11, 2012

SO, WE’RE still left with thatone nagging question: what’sDhanteras all about? Whydo we celebrate it? Of

course, most of us know that we’resupposed to buy metal objects orutensils and jewellery, but that’sabout it. So we decided to do somedigging up for you. Read on.

SPARKLERSLet’s begin with how we celebrateDhanteras. Traditionally, every-body buys new bartans and jew-ellery; there is also apooja on that day.“Dhanteras marks thebeginning of the five-day Diwali festivities,”says businessmanNaresh Garg, whosefamily has followed theDhanteras traditionfaithfully, every year,for generations. “Earli-er, we used to ex-change old utensils with new onesfor the home. But over the years, ithas translated into buying newmetal jewellery.”

Adds Sanjay Kamath, a priest atDelhi’s Hanuman Mandir, “Even aninexpensive utensil purchased onthat day is considered shubh (aus-picious). That’s why everybody

buys something or the other, evenif it’s a katori.”

BLINDED BY THE LIGHTBuying shiny new metal is fine, buthow did the tradition actually begin?What is the lore behind the ritual?This is how the story goes: Therewas once a newlywed prince whowas doomed to die on the fourth dayof his marriage, according to hishoroscope. But when Yamaraj (thegod of death) reached the prince’shouse on that day, disguised as a

snake, he was met witha dazzling heap of met-al artefacts and bright-ly burning lampseverywhere.

The prince’s smartyoung wife had beenon her toes makingthese preparations allday. Besides the collec-tion of sparkling metalobjects and diyas, she

had also made her husband bathe inthe evening, sat him down, sungsongs and told him stories all night,so he wouldn’t go to sleep. Blindedby the sparkle of the jewellery andutensils, Yamaraj couldn’t cross thethreshold. He just sat down on theheap of utensils, heard the pleasantsongs and stories and went away in

the morning. So the newlywed wife,by placing gold at the entrance ofthe house (not tough for aprincess!), saved her husband’s life.Ever since, husbands have beenbuying precious metal for theirwives on the day. Now there’s a bar-gain if you ever saw one!

LIFE TRUMPS DEATHBut as with almost any Hindu festi-val, there is more than one mytho-logical tale behind it. Another ver-sion has it that when the gods anddemons were churning the ocean insearch of amrit, the elixir of life,Dhanvantari, the physician of allgods, emerged from the ocean withthe amrit in his hands. That day be-came known as Dhanteras, and itmarks the discovery of Ayurveda,the science of healing using naturalways. Explains Hemanand Joshi, an-other senior priest with HanumanMandir, “Dhanteras is the day of am-rit sidhi yog. Also, an atte ka diya isplaced outside the house for Yamrajpooja to avoid akaal mrityu (prema-ture or untimely death)”.

Both stories point at a commonDhanteras ethos. Dhanteras sym-bolises the victory of life over death.Just like the husband lived on owingto the dhan (wealth) in the firststory, the amrit in the second storyrepresents the knowledge of ahealthy life.

But husbands be warned. Preciousmetals burn holes in pockets!

manit.moorjani@hindustantimes.com

As with anyother festival,there is more

than onemythologicaltale behind it

Phot

os: I

MAG

ESBA

ZAAR

The MetalFest

So what’s the story behind Dhanteras?by Manit Moorjani

MIDNIGHT MANIADhanteras is to jewellers what a carnival is to kids. Buyers visitjewellery shops on that day becausebuying baubles is considered auspi-cious. Some jewellery stores stayopen way past midnight. Says IshuDatwani of Mumbai’s Anmol Jewellers, “We keep our store opentill 1am, as customers just keep coming.”

Delhi’s Kesar Fine Jewellers’ LalitParakh says there’s a surge in demand that begins from Navratrasand goes on till Diwali. “In this peri-od, one can expect double or triplesales, as compared to any other day.But we pull the shutters down by9pm, as after that, staying open be-comes a security concern. It’s only inDariba Kalan in Old Delhi that onecan buy metal items like chandi kebartan till late at night that day.”

“A fit, healthy body - that is the best fashion statement” – Jess C. Scott

6 T H E F E S T I V E G U I D E facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch

NOVEMBER 11, 2012

8 T H E F E S T I V E G U I D E twitter.com/HTBrunch

Take Out TheKamarpetiGirls, go beyond the jhumka-haar routine this Diwali. Traditional jewellery (bajubands, hathphool, kamarpeti) are way more excitingby Yashica Dutt

CALL IT the Instagram effect,but everything vintage is sud-denly desirable when it comesto fashion. And even though

fashion glossies have been asking youto dig into your grandma’s closet for along time, this season is the time totry harder.

Fish out those exquisite pieces ofjewellery that you’ve previouslylooked at with nothing but amusedscepticism. “You mean this gold

waistbelt that crooked-faced mother-in-laws from Eighties Bollywoodwore?” Yes, that’s what you should bewearing, along with other not-so-evil-by-association antiques, like thehathphool, bajuband and matha-pattees. That is, if you don’twant to repeat the jhumka-haarlook from last Diwali. We’ve gottogether a few such pieces andsome sound advice fromthose in the know.

KAMARPETIThese were supposed to keep yourweight in check in a time when therewere no measuring tapes, says Khush-boo Gupta, jewellery designer at Boom-box Designs. Today you can pair kamar-petis with T-shirts and shorts if you keepthe rest of the look simple. For an after-noon event, try this: “Wear a simple cot-ton kurta with white Pakistani pants andfresh flowers in your hair. Use thechunky gold belt to add definition to the

waist,” says Anaita Shroff Adajania,fashion director of Vogue India.

Alternatively, you could also get on thebody-belt wagon. “Maharajas used towear body belts that went across bothshoulders and had a clasp in the middle.Try the same with crystal studdedchains with a fitted sheath dress,”says accessory designer SashaGrewal. Shroff suggests youwear one under a black shirtand a flared pant and let itpeep out for a sultry effect.

PAJEBSGive the tried and tested anklet a restand try the thick gold and silver pajebswith dainty trinkets. Since this is astatement piece, don’t be afraid to showit off. Wear ankle-length pants, a knee-length skirt or even a fitted churidar formaximum effect. And don’t think youneed to wear them only with flats or tra-

ditional footwear. Addthem to your favouriteplatform shoes insteadof the same old crystalheels for a stunning result. “I would love towear them to a brunchwith linen shorts and bal-let flats,” says Anaita Shroff Adajania.

UP THE ANTESonam Kapoor was the modern champion of traditional jewellery at the India International Jewellery Week

ALL TO WAIST This kamarpetifrom Anmol Jewellers can elevate a plaindenim dress tofestival chic

MATHA PATTIS You might remember Malaika Arora doing the whole maang-tikka thing 20years back in a music video, launching herself to super-hot, sex symbolstatus. But that’s not what we’re talking about. Think a maang tikka withtwo chains that trail to the back of your earrings. Except that the chainsare in thin kundan or small pearls and you could partition your hair to tiethem in a bun. Or “pair a maatha patti or the South Indian sagi phool(round, floral design, bridal hair ornament) with a dramatic long skirt and

a fishtail braid along with a fitted embroidered top,” suggests accessorydesigner Sasha Grewal of

Kaabia & Sasha, who show-cased at the last Lakme Fash-

ion Week. You can drip glamourif you listen to Vogue’s Anaita

Shroff Adajania: “Don’t limit tradi-tional pieces to the same context. Com-

bine a maatha pattee with a retro hair-style and long dresses for oomph.”

BROOCHES Get over your Sex and The City hangover and theirboring flower brooches. Think bright, serpent shapesfrom Felix Bendish or the big old ones like the Britishsoldiers of yore.

“Medals and other military ornamentation are veryfashionable right now. Wearing them over a plain Kanjeevaram sari sans any neckpiece and with theright attitude could do wonders,” says Sasha Grewal.

Or work this. “The turban ornament – kalgi – can beused as an interesting brooch or as a unique hair orna-ment. The characteristic paisley shapes studded withcolourful stones and pearls make for a perfect Diwalilook,” says Khushboo Gupta.

BAJUBANDWe’re not talking about the snake-shaped bajuband, the lucky charm ofTV vamps, circa the 2000s. Thinkjadau heirloom pieces that’ve beenposing as statement pieces for quitesome time.

And there are more ways of sport-ing them than you thought. “I saw aman wear a thick gold bajuband overa black three-piece suit and I waspleasantly surprised. I’ve never seen aman do that,” says Anaita Shroff Ada-jania. Women can create the samecontrast by wearing an off-shouldertop, jeans and bajuband for partiesduring the season, she says. Addsjewellery designer Anuradha Chabbra:“Pair a bajuband on a full-sleeveblouse worn with a rich Kanjeevaramsari sans jewellery.”

HATHPHOOLYou’ve seen them in old wedding videos or inChanel’s Paris Bombay Pre-fall collection lastyear. Even Manish Arora used a hathphool forhis Spring-Summer 2013 collection. So youcould either opt for a traditional mommy version as a statement piece with a cottonsalwar-kurta or the modified variety. “Instead of rings for all fingers, we have asingle ring for the middle finger with a deli-

cate pearl/gold chain with ghungroos thatconnects to a single bracelet,” says

Amrapali CEO Akansha Arora.

JHOOMARTraditionally a Muslim headpiece and

a few years back Aishwarya’s jewelof choice in Kajra Re, a jhoomar

works extremely well with theclothing trends of the season.

“Shararas and anarkalis are go-ing to be huge this season too

and a jhoomar looks extremelyelegant with both. But one has to keep in mind thateven if the outfit is slightly ornate, the jhoomar hasto be the key piece of the look. Especially if one decides to go to any card parties this season,” says jewellery designer Anuradha Chabbra.

NATHThe big ol’ nose ring for the bride has beenreinvented for less heavyweight occasionstoo, with a small nose ring and a dia-mante string that connects to the ear-rings. “When you opt for a nath, keepyour makeup minimal and the restof the outfit plain, to not looktacky,” advises Sasha Grewal.

But if you wish to introducean edge to your look, wear itevery day during the festive sea-son. “I have seen people wearing itevery day as a strong style statementwith whatever they are wearing,” saysAnaita Shroff Adajania.

CHOTIBraids are back and

if you too are plan-ning to do your hair ina simple braid, a fish-

tail or even a compli-cated French plait, youcould decorate it with agold/silver clip (choti)that is attached at thebase of the braid andruns along the length,with golden threads hanging from the bottom. “You can addextra gleam to the hair by wearing the hair choti and showing it off upfrontin a side braid,” saysKhushboo Gupta. ARM CANDY

Pull off a heavy brocade dress with this bajuband from Jewels by AnuBRAIDY BUNCH

Use Ganjam’s choti latto showcase your fish-tail braid this season

SUBTLESTATEMENTUse this broochby Dolly Oberoito pin the pleatsof your sari

IT’S ALL IN YOUR HANDSWear this neon Manish Arora hath-

phool with a printed floral dress

RIGHT ON THE HEADMatha patttees work well with

smoky eyes and a shortkurta-salwar

yashica.dutt@hindustantimes.com

NOVEMBER 11, 2012

10 T H E F E S T I V E G U I D E hindustantimes.com/brunch

“Jewellery takes people’s minds off your wrinkles” – Sonja Henie

Photo: IMAGES BAZAAR

12 facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch

GOING FOR gold on Diwaliand Dhanteras has alwaysbeen perceived as auspi-cious. But in case you

want to break away from thosewho dig just 24-carat gold, thereis a range of lightweight alterna-tives available in the market, too.

Of course, the tradition of buy-ing jewellery, particularly gold, ismeant to usher in good fortune inthe festive season. Even as gold con-tinues to appeal to the traditionalinvestor and the aficionado, withfestive frenzy rising to a fever pitchin the run-up to the wedding season,you can also acquire the gilded edgewith substitutes in silver, platinumand lightweight 18-carat gold.

In its purest form, the yellow metalis still the most preferred. But monot-ony has set in among many urbanbuyers. “Every year on Dhanteras Ipick up a piece of gold jewellery, butthis year I am looking for alterna-tives,” says Delhi-based HR consult-ant Shubha Srivastava, 39.

ON THE LIGHTER SIDEFortunately for Srivastava, brandssuch as Tanishq have festive collections that focus on lighterstyles and metals that can be wornevery day. “Our Mia range of 18-karat jewellery is spread across

earrings, finger rings, pendants and bangles,” says Tanishq COO, CKVenkatraman. “Lightweight banglesand chains are in demand and wehave options to suit everyone’spocket,” adds Rahul Gupta of PPJewellers.

For women profession-als such as SapnaSaxena, 42, owner ofa Delhi-based travel

agency, lightweight jew-ellery works best. “Idon’t want to feeldecked up like a brideon Diwali. So, wearing alight chain with a pen-dant or a light braceletis better than a neck-lace. It is safer, too,”says Saxena.

Also, compared togold, silver and dia-

monds offer thatunmistakable white-on-white lookwhich can be carried off well bymost people, says Varda Goenka,owner of Diagold Jewels

SAY IT WITH SILVER AND DIAMONDS Delhi homemaker Shivani Sharma,35, has always preferred silver overthe yellow metal. And she is happyabout the shift towards the shinierwhite alternative. “This Diwali I willwear silver with ethnic clothes andno one can question me about notwearing gold,” she states.

“Breaking away from convention-

T H E F E S T I V E G U I D E

Why Gold Is Old

Get the gilded edgewith substitutes insilver, platinum or lightweight 18-carat goldby Veenu Singh

Alternative jewellery – silver, gold-plated or diamond – goes well with most outfits, be it traditional or Western

■ The white-on-white look (silver anddiamonds) works well for weddingsand other special occasions

■ Don’t match every piece ofjewellery with your clothes. Mix

a little, experiment a little. Contrast is key

■ Instead of decking up likea Christmas tree, wear a

single statement piece – whether it isa neckpiece, earrings or a bracelet

■ Take as much care of your alterna-tive jewellery items as you would yourgold ornaments

■ In case of gold-plated jewellery,make sure you buy it from a certifiedbrand, which offers the best value

■ Look for a guarantee on the polish

THINK DIFFERENT

THE RACE FOR STYLE

A navratna gemstone silver neckpiece fromApala by Sumit could

give gold a run for itstyle. Price on request

PUT A RING ON ITThis floral silver ring fromSafeera Jewels makesfor a bright, festivestatement. Price `5,700

NOVEMBER 11, 2012

“I have never hated a man enough to give his diamonds back” – Zsa Zsa Gabor

al gold jewellery is exciting but alsoprofitable,” says Sumit Sawhney ofApala Jewellers.

The Italian collection by jewelleryportal CaratLane, for instance, keepsthe use of gold at minimal levelswhile still managing to look chunky.

People who still hanker for gold canalways get their silver jewellery gold-plated. “Silver in its original form isbeautiful and sometimes easier tohandle than gold, but I still get cus-tomers who want to buy silver withgold-plating as it is less expensivethan actual gold,” says Mamta Gupta,designer at Zariin Jewellery whichoffers innovative jewellery optionswith 22-carat gold plating.

The Platinum Guild, too, haslaunched a line of easy-to-wear dia-mond jewellery. “It is 30 times rarer

than gold, exclusive and distinc-tive,” says VaishaliBanerjee, country manager India,Platinum Guild International. “Recentresearch indicates thatthe desire to own plat-inum is growing.”

A new, non-goldtrend which is catchingevery designer’s eye isfloral jewellery. Fresh

flowers, combined withjewellery in various designs, canaccessorise formal Diwali outfitsbetter than gold. One way of stick-ing to the Dhanteras tradition ofbuying jewellery in the festive sea-son without breaking the bank is topick up pendants, rings, or earringsrather than elaborate neckpieces.So the purchase is just a token. Or,buy gold and silver coins fromestablished players such as reputedjewellers and trusted banks.

Don’t let the dazzle of gold blindyou to the sparkle of other light-weight options this Dhanteras.

veenus@hindustantimes.com

(Courtesy Varda Goenka of Diagold and Mamta Gupta of Zariin)

Freshflowers withjewellery can

look evenbetter than

just gold

CURVESAHEAD Shubhkamna collection byUtssaav. Available at Homeshop18. Price `13,600

FEELING AIRYLightweight neckpiecefrom Mia by Tanishq. Price `21, 727

SERPENTINE CHARMSDance of Snakes earrings from Sanchi by MMTC. Price R1 lakh to R1.5 lakh

LOUDER THAN WORDSEstelle golden antique braceletfrom Koovs.com. Price `995

RADIANT FOREVER Bangles crafted in 18kgold with jaali work on

the inside. Available at Notandas jewellers. Price on request

AND IT WAS BLUEGold plated necklacewith blue agates and

topaz from ZariinPrice `12,000

ROMANCE THESTONE

Solitaire ring in 18kyellow gold, from

Caratlane. Price, `15,250

SparkleStreet

This Dhanteras check out these options in silver,

platinum, diamond HEAVY PETAL Florals are a statementthis season and you canmake yours with this silver ring by Diagold.Price `25,000

BLACK VELVETBlack onyx sterling silver earringsfrom Radhika Jha. Available at PinkGold. Price `7,250

YOU’RE A GEM! Swan-shapedearrings in bluesapphires andgreen tourmalinesfrom Ganjam.Price on request

WHEN THEMOOD ISDAINTYRuby Embraceearrings in 18kyellow gold.Price on request

TIME TRAVELLERRajputana Collection ofwatches for men andwomen from Nebula. Price `90,000 onwards

TOKEN CHICLakshmi Ganesha silver coins fromApala for good luck. They can be

worn as pendants too. Or choosea 50-gram gold coin

with 999purity from

MMTC. Price on request.

ETERNAL GRACEAntique ring by PosySamriddh in 92.5 sterlingsilver with gold platingfrom Limeroad.com.Price `3,600

STRUNG TOGETHER Diamond solitairering by Forevermark. Price on request

HEAD HELD HIGHMaang tikka made of kundan, diamonds andruby set in yellow gold.Price `40,000

onwards

BEAUTY‘BAND’IT Brilliantlycoloured braceletin enamel. Price `95,000

NOVEMBER 11, 2012

14 T H E F E S T I V E G U I D E twitter.com/HTBrunch

MARK YOUR TERRITORYPlatinum love bands fromOrra. At Khanna Jewellers. Price `10,000 onwards

NOVEMBER 11, 2012

Gadgets ForGood Times

AURAL STIMULATION SSkkuullllccaannddyy SSuupprreemmeeSSoouunndd CCaasssseettttee:: Youmay have seen a gazil-lion wired headphoneswith an inline micro-phone and controls tomanage audio as wellas phone calls. Butwhat if we told youthat you can fold thesecans and carry themwherever you go? And,oh, don’t let us start onits cool blue shade. Price:approx R3,900

THE HEAT IS ONPPhhiilliippss IInndduuccttiioonn ccooookkttoopp HHDD44990077::Giving an induction cooktop to

someone is the easiestway to show how muchyou love and care about

them. We have come tothis conclusion after ex-hausting our annual quota ofsubsidised LPG cylinders.Price: approx R3,500

THE UPPER HANDAAnnnnoo DDoommiinnii LLEEDD wwaattcchh:: Read-ing the time on this watch isquite a task: the manual tellsus that the numbers onthe double hyphenseparator indicatehours and the onesbelow it stand for minutes. It’s not as simple as itsounds. The only reason forthis band to be on this list isbecause it looks very, verycool on your wrist. And itdoesn’t even burn a hole inyour pockets. Price: approx R500

JOLLY WALKER DDeessiirree DDSSMM 110000 SSwwiinngg WWaallkkeerr MMaassssaaggeerr:A good gift for those lazy bums, alwayscribbing about no time to join the gym.Why? This massager dissolves fat, improves blood circulation, relaxesyour spinal column and tones thighs.All while you watch TV! Price: approx R5,000

GIFTS UNDER

R5,000

EXPRESS YOURSELFBBooooggiiee BBooaarrdd:: An idealgift for those who lovescribbling on paper butloathe typing it out later. Make yournotes on theBoogie Boardusing a stylusand transfer them tothe computer with adata cable. Save paper,go digital. Price: approx RR44,,000000

Sick of barfi boxes and chocolate hampers? Pluginto these great gift ideas and have a digital Diwali

by Rajiv Arora

16 T H E F E S T I V E G U I D E

RIGHT HEAR RIGHT NOWiiPPoodd SShhuuffffllee:: One thing you should know about the iPod Shuffle is that itdoesn’t have a screen. So if you don’t mind pressing the next button overand over again in the hope of listening to the song that’s stuck in your head,the Shuffle is a good music player for you (it’s an Apple product, after all). Price: approx R3,700

NOVEMBER 11, 2012

GIFTS OVERR5,000PICTURE PERFECTSSoonnyy DDPPFF HHDD--880000 ddiiggiittaallpphhoottoo ffrraammee: Tired of looking at antique photoframes? Replace all of themin one go with Sony’s digital

photo frame. Its 8-inchLCD display can notonly put over 3,000 pictures on a slideshow,

but also play soothing music in the background.Price: approx R6,500

STORE ALLSSeeaaggaattee EExxtteerrnnaall HHaarrdd DDiisscc((11TTBB)):: You won’t have to worryabout losing data on yourcomputer or laptopagain. The SeagateHard Disc comeswith a 3.0 USB cablebut can work with 2.0USB too. This meansthat it can back up allyour data in about asmuch time as FelixBaumgartner took to create history. Price: R4,950

A GREAT FINDNNFFCC ((NNeeaarr FFiieelldd CCoommmmuunniiccaattiioonn)) ttaaggss:: They work onthe basis of short range wireless technology and actlike a Bluetooth device. Once two objects with NFCtags are placed next to each other, these automaticallyconnect. You can quickly copy contact information from a business associate or a friend, and transfer data between NFC-en-abled phones too. Imagine you pass a posterfor a movie you’ve wanted to see. If it has anNFC smart tag, you could holdyour phone next to it andinstantly get trailers,show timings and linksto buy tickets online. Price: A pack of 10 NFCTag bundles with NFC key-chain and stickers costs about $16 ((aapppprrooxx RR888800)) atAmazon.com (shipping extra).

WATCH WHERE YOU ARE GOINGGGaarrmmiinn NNuuvvii 4400LLMM:: A no-frills navigator for your car

that takes you from point A to point B accurately.It’s easy to understand and has a basic layout.The voice of the navigator may remind you of abad alien movie which you won’t watch ever

again. But as long as it takes you to your destination, who cares! Price: approx R8,450

CAPTURE THISCCaannoonn PPoowweerrsshhoott AA22440000IISS:: Wehave nothing to say about thisproduct. Not because we are feeling lazy but because TVadvertisements featuringBollywood actresseshave said all that there isto say about point-and-shoot cameras. Price: approxR7,270

SEE THE BIG PICTUREEEyyeeccllooppss mmiinnii pprroojjeeccttoorr:: Blow up every photograph and all thevideos stored on your mobile phone or DVD player by projecting iton any surface with the help of this palm-sized wonder. Price: approx R4,500

CONTROL FREAKKKyymmeerraa UUnniivveerrssaall RReemmoottee

WWaanndd:: All you Harry Potter fanscan now relive your wizardly fantasies. You can control many ofyour gadgets (TV, fans and lightingdevices) at home with this wand.The remote control recognises yourhand movements and makes you feel like a sorcerer (oversized robes, nocturnal pets and sorcerer’s hat not included). Price: approx R3,500

hindustantimes.com/brunch 17

IN YOUR HANDSMMiiccrroommaaxx FFuunnbbooookk:Have you been bitten by the iPadbug, but can’t afforda tablet? Then theFunbook is the onefor you. It works onthe Android plat-form, has a 7-inchscreen and an expandable storagecapacity of 32 GB. Itmay not be as goodas Apple, but it’sone of the best in itsleague. Price: approx R7,000

ISITmyimaginationorarepeople inBombaymore obsessed with the Bombay-Delhi rival-ry thanpeople inDelhi?All thepeople I knowin Delhi are fascinated by elements of the

Bombay experience (the film industry, the sea, thetall buildings, etc.)without feelingat all threatenedby the city. In Bombay, however, it is still fashion-able torubbishDelhi, tosayhowsmall townish,howunsophisticated and parochial it is, etc. etc.Oneaspectof theBombay-Delhirivalrythatnear-

ly always crops up when the issue is discussed istherestaurantscene.Havingnowlived inbothcitiesandhavingstudiedthesubjectatclosequarters formany years, I think the answer is clear. Delhihas better food. But – and here’s the twist – as therestaurant scene hots up, Bombay may well begaining an edge.Over the lastmonthorso, I’vebeen to threenew

(or newish) restaurants in Bombay and all threehave been pleasant surprises. The big boy on thelist is Otto Infinito largely because of its pedigree.It is owned byKishoreBajaj whomade his reputa-tion inmen’s tailoring (Bada Saab) and his fortunefrom real estate before venturing into the restau-rant business.

Bajaj owns the Bombay Hakkasan, part of the global chain ofglitzy upmarketChinese restaurants andhisYauatcha (part of theHakkasan group)must rank as one ofmy favourite restaurants inIndia’s commercial capital. It is bright, buzzy and cheerful, andserves dim sumall day.When it opened, therewere teething prob-lemsbut thesehavenowbeen largelysortedoutand it isa funplacethat is usually packed.OttoInfinito isnextdoortoYauatchaintheBandraKurlaComplex

(BKC), but differs from Bajaj’s other ventures in that it is entirelyhis own, not part of some global chain. The idea is to run a happyMediterranean restaurant that can be different things at differenttimes: it does snappy breakfasts for financial analysts who can’t

wait to check on the Tokyo market; light lunches for peo-plewhowork in the area; food-on-the-go for those in a

hurry; andcasualbut elegantdiningatdinner time.Aswithall ofBajaj’splaces,Otto Infinitowill get

betterwith timebut I lovedtheconcept, likedtherestaurant and was impressed by the snackierelementsof themenu(panini, pizza, cheesecakeetc.).Thepastashavecaughtontooandtheravi-olis (chorizo or truffledmushroom)are especial-lypopular.NowthatBombay iscoolingdown,Otto

Infinitowill offeral frescodining,whichwillbenicer.Betterstill is thatunlikeBajaj’sotherplaces,pricesare

Vir Sanghvi

rudefood

BOMBAYBITES1. I wasimpressed by thesnackier elements ofOtto Infinito’s menu2. Umame is a fun place togo to with pleasant ambience,reasonable food and good service atprices that are not excessive3. Ellipsis aims to give you a meal as good as anything you would get in New York

22 indulgeI thinkDelhi has betterfood.But – here’s the twist– as the restaurant scenehots up,Bombaymaywellbe gaining an edge

FOODWARSDELHI v/sBOMBAYEDITION

1

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3

surprisingly low for foodandambienceof thisquality: abasicpizzafor under `300; sandwiches at around `220 to `375; and a fullbreakfast (eggs, bacon, hash browns, fruit, yoghurt etc.) at`275. My favourite breakfast dish was the Moroccan BerberOmelette at `250.Far more ambitious than Otto Infinito is Ellipsis, manymonths

in themaking, located in the heart of SouthBombay and aiming togive you a meal as good as anything you would get in New York.The site has been the graveyard of many good restaurants, mostof which made so little impression on me that I barely remembertheir names (Villa something, Many Flags, etc.). But my guess isthat Ellipsis will break the jinx.The restaurant was recommended to me by Brunch’s Rachel

Lopez, who is pretty obsessed with the Bombay-Delhi rivalry her-self andwho rated it as one of the have-to-go-to places in Bombay.I went for lunch (dinner is fancier) and though I was told that themain chef was off that day, the food was still pretty amazing. Thepork buns, sandwiches, burgers and the like were world class andI can’t wait to go back for dinner to see how that can possibly beeven better.I sneaked intoUmame, a restaurant on the first floor of theEros

cinemabuildingwithoutabookingandformostofmymealremainedentirely anonymous. So I can tell you that though the place had itsshare of celebrities (SRamadorai of TCS,RitaMehta, the founderofCineBlitz, etc.) thewaiters treatedeveryonewiththesamepolite-ness and attention.The food is a mix: pop Japanese (sushi, spicy rolls, etc.); fun

Chinese (crispy aromatic duck); basic Thai (curries); and someWestern. I thought the Japanese was okay (basic conveyor-beltquality sushi with pellets of tightly-pressed, verycold rice) though it may be a good idea to cleanthe fish more thoroughly (it is not nice to find afishboneinyoursashimi).Chinesesoupdumplingswere fun if slightly doughy (but then you’ve gotto keep the soup in); and the Massaman currywas tasty and authentic (though it could dowithsomething for texture: peanuts or potatoes per-haps). But the standout disheswere the scallopswrappedinbacon(notsurethequalityof thescal-lop lived up to the quality of the bacon; the dishwould work as well and have a lower food costwith prawns) and an outstanding pork belly.It is a fun place to go to with a pleasant ambience, reasonable

food and good service at prices that are not excessive, so I wouldrecommend it.Which brings us back to the Bombay-Delhi rivalry. None of the

newer places I’ve been to in Delhi over the last month lived up tothe standards of the Bombay restaurants. What was most note-worthy about them, I thought, was that they had opened in partsof Delhi that I have always regarded as gastronomic wastelands.And that alone is worth celebrating.You don’t usually expect to have greatmeals inOkhla or even at

a Crowne Plaza hotel so I was astonished to find that the food attheOkhlaCrownePlazawas so good. Thismay have something todo with the fact that the Intercontinental group, having thrownaway its historical brand advantage in India, is nowdetermined torecover its lostmarket position bymanaging all of its Indian prop-erties itself. (Crowne Plaza is an Intercontinental brand.)

Sometimes thistakes the form ofbizarre concepts.The menu atChaoBella (theirspelling, not mine)describes it as “anauthentic ChineseItalian restaurant”,thereby robbing theword “authentic” of anymeaning at all. It isactually a multi-cuisinerestaurant with Italian andChinese menus not some idi-otic fusion place.Therestaurant isproudestof its

Chinese food (the dim sum chefworkedattheOberoi’sTaipan)andevery-thingIhadfromhismenuwas fine.But theyneed to take more pride in their Italian food(cookedby Indian chefs)which I thoughtwas betterthan theChinese.But, nomatterwhichof the twocuisinesyouchoose, it isnice togetauthentichand-pullednoodlesandfresh

tagliatelle in Okhla. Who says Delhi’s food scene isnot changing? And Intercontinental finally seemsto be getting it right.Just amonthor soafter I complained that itwas

impossible to get a good meal in Delhi’s SouthExtension.IhadthebestandmostauthenticChinesemeal I’veeaten in India inagesatanewrestaurant,on top of the Croma store.China Doll is run by the family which runs the

(not very nice)MotiMahalDeluxe in SouthExbutit marks an attempt by the new generation to goupmarket anddo somethingdifferent.The room isairy and high-ceilinged and the décor is tasteful.

Butthefoodistherealstar.ThekitchenreliesonSanjeevGoswamiwhousedtorunthe late, lamentedTheChinese inConnaughtPlaceand who owns many Indian restaurants in China. Goswami hasimported a team of chefs from Hunan who serve the sort of foodtheyactually eat inChina. I hadaporkbelly thatwasdrippingwithchilli flavour, velvety, spicy fish, deliciously sour beans, and muchmore. Nobody in Bombay serves Chinese food this authentic andeven in Delhi only two restaurants do Chinese dishes that are asgood (the capital’s branch of Royal China, and China Kitchen).Theproblemis that theservice is terrible–asbadasMotiMahal

DeluxeSouthEx.Waitersdon’tknowthe food,managerial staff arefunctional illiterates, and everyone seems to have been trained towanderaroundtherestaurantavoiding lookingatcustomers.Givenhow brilliant the food is, it is crazy to run this restaurant so badly.With a bit of luck they’ll get it right soon enough. And once they

do, I’ll go back. Asmust you. Food this good is hard to find.

DELHI DELIGHTS4. ChaoBella is actually amulti-cuisine restaurant withItalian and Chinese menus, notsome idiotic fusion place5. At China Doll, I had the bestand most authentic Chinesemeal I’ve eaten in India in ages

New places haveopened in parts ofDelhi that I havealways regardedas gastronomicwastelands

facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch

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5

SIZE DOES matter. Thankfully, in this caseit seems to be the other end of the tape thatmatters. Small seems to be preferred over

big,diminutivewill conquerthe immense,andpetitewill win over huge.

THEMONARCHThe iPadhas been a ground-breaking device thatrewrote market rules and redefined on-the-gocomputing. With sales hovering around 90 mil-lion pieces, the iPad is the undisputed king in itscategory. Many have tried to take it on, the com-petition has played every card it can (price, fea-tures, looks, subsidisation, giveaways) and nonehave comeanywhere close to the iPad inbothauraandnumbers.And suddenly, out of the blue, thereis an iPad killer – and this one is guaranteed totake the crown away from the unbeaten champi-on of the world. The only problem – it’s an iPadthat will unseat the iPad. And that’s not how thisstory was supposed to be written.

THEMINI COMETHThe iPad Mini has taken off like wildfire. While it may not havehad those iconic serpentine lines weaving throughApple stores –the demand has been terrific. Apple released record sales num-bers – threemillion iPads sold in three days. That is huge! That isamazing!That is strange!Yes, strange, as it says threemillion iPads–not individual sales numbers for each.Wedon’t knowhowmanyof the new full-size iPads, nor the breakup of iPad 2 or 3 or refur-bished units. Three million is the straight number. And buried inthat threemillion number lies what I believe is the greatest truthto have come out fromApple: The end of an era. I believe that outof the three million iPads sold, 2.5 million or so were iPadMinis.

ASTORYOFQUESTIONSLet’s trace this story from the beginning. TheiPad Mini was a very important and necessarydevice to take on the numbers that the GalaxyNexus7and theAmazonKindleFirewere rack-ing up. With the introduction of the iPad Mini,the first real doubt in themind of a small tabletbuyer was put into motion: Which one of thethreeshould Ibuy?Due to thepricingof the iPadMini, this became a fairly easy question toanswer. At almost twice the price, the Minihas left enoughroomforGoogleandAmazonto live, breathe and flourish. Had the iPadMini been priced at $249, this whole tabletwar would have come to an end in one shot.

THEBIGGERQUESTIONBut far more important than question one istheadditionalquestion thatnowpopsup.Onceyou’ve made up your mind that you’re not buy-ing from Amazon or Google and going with Apple – and youwalk into a store – that’s when it hits you.Which one? A full-sized

iPad or the new iPadMini? On paper it seems likea fairly easy choice. For just a little bit more thanthe iPadMini,yougetaretinadisplay,biggerscreen,more storage, far more powerful processor andmorecapabletablet.Andyet,early indicationsseemto suggest that the iPadMini is outselling the orig-inal iPad by a widemargin. Even people who orig-inally came in to buy the original iPad seem to bedrawn to theMini instead. And here’s why.

MINI-TASTICThe iPadMini has some serious advantages.Withthe advent of 7-inch tablets, it’s been proven thatatablet’sutility isdistinctlyhigherthemoreportableit is.Thebest tablet is theone that iswithyouwhenyou really need it – and a 9.7-inch device is that

much tougher tocarry than its smaller,moreportable sibling.TheiPad Mini scores big time here. It’s perfectly sized to carry with-outa thought, fitswell intoa jacket’s innerpocketanddoesn’tweighyou down when you put it in a handbag. It’s also easier to hold inonehand,mucheasier to typeon, thumbtyping is verydoableandit doesn’t need you to set it on a table to do so. Add to that theincredible sleek form, thinness and just howridiculously light it is.Reading a book in bed, watching amoviewith it held in one hand,or browsing the Net – if something’s that thin and light, it makesa huge difference. It’s also very well built with almost zero plasticparts. This adds to the whole Apple premiumness and no com-promises approach. And while it not having a retina display is abit of a bummer, do remember that this one has the same displayas an iPad 2, but with more pixels crammed into a much smaller

screen.Text issharp,movies lookgoodandbrows-ing is apleasure.Thebigdeal is that all the appsand stuff thatwork on an iPadwork on this per-fectly and without any compromise. That, in asmaller, sleeker, thinner, 10-hour-battery-life

device is a big deal.

THEUNDEADI believe that the iPad Mini will outsell theoriginal iPad by a factor of 3:1. And that, inthe world of technology is a very large num-ber. I alsobelieve that thenextgeneration iPadMini2willhavearetinadisplayandsomeotherwhizbang featuresand that this iPadMiniwillthendrop inprice to$199.That’swhenAmazonand Google will start to feel the wrath of theMini. Unfortunately, so will the original iPad.The iPad is dead! Long live the new iPad!

Rajiv Makhni is managing editor, Technology, NDTV andthe anchor of Gadget Guru, Cell Guru and Newsnet 3.

Follow Rajiv on Twitter at twitter.com/RajivMakhni

RajivMakhni

NOVEMBER 11, 2012

FINALLY, ANiPADKILLER!Earlyindicationsseem tosuggest thatthe iPadMini isoutsellingthe originaliPad by awide margin.Here’s why

IT’S A WALKOVERAll the apps that work on an iPad will work on the Miniwithout any compromise. That, in a smaller, sleeker,thinner, 10-hour-battery-life device is a big deal

techilicious

24 indulge

POCKET-FRIENDLYHad the iPadMini beenpriced at $249, this wholeTablet war that includesthe Google Nexus and theAmazon Kindle Fire,would have come toan end in one shot

hindustantimes.com/brunch

NOVEMBER 11, 2012

OUTSIDEOF Italy, where he is a superstarwhomeveryoneknows, singer Jovanotti ishardly famous. He ought to be. And prob-

ablywill soonbe.Ever since the46-year-oldplayedat the Bonnaroo festival in 2011, he’s been steadilybuilding up a fan base in the US, a sure sign thathe’s on the road to fame outside his native Italy.Jovanotti’s real name isLorenzoCherubini and

he’s an Italian singer, songwriter and rapper. Hismusic is full of exuberance (as is his personality)and his songs, even though he sings mainly inItalian, are infectious. He may be classified as arapper but he does funk, African and Easternbeat-influenced music as well as plain old popsongs. After his foray into the US, some of hislyrics are inEnglish andhe’s playedwith the likesof reggae rapperMichael Franti with the both ofthem collaborating to compose songs as well.Anyone even faintly familiar with Italian knows

that the letter ‘J’ isnotreallyusedcommonly inthatlanguage. ‘J’ is called i lunga (that’s pronounced eeloonga in Italian) and is usually reserved for use inforeign words that do have a ‘j’ in them. Yet, quite early on (he’sbeenperforming sincehismid-teens), LorenzoCherubini decided,perhaps with an eye focused across the Atlantic from his native

Italy, to renamehimself Jovanotti.Afterall, it’s eas-ier to pronounce in English speaking circles thanGiovanotti would be. What you’d need is a morethan faint familiaritywith Italian to figureout,how-ever, is thewit and humour in the lyrics of some ofhis songs.I was drawn to Jovanotti’s music quite pre-

dictably because I first heard a song of his calledIndia. The first time I heard it, I couldmake out acouple of familiar words. The first was the word‘India’, of course, but the second was the phrasebistecca alla Fiorentina, which means a T-bonesteak Florentine style. It’s the best style of steakthat I’ve ever eaten in Tuscany and I hope I shall

get to eat it again. I was intrigued by these words and the rapid-fire rap style of the song, so I lookedupLyricsMania for the lyricsof the song and then used Google Translate to find out what hewas singing about. And here’s what I found. And I’m not makingthis up. In India, Jovanotti sings about a sacred cow from Indiawho is visitingPalestinewhere,while passing in front of an Italianrestaurant, he recognisesacousinwho“workedasaT-bonesteak”at the restaurant! And then the sacred cowhas a somewhat exis-tential conversation with his cousin, the T-bone steak.SacredcowfromIndia findscousinasasteak inanItalianrestau-

rant in Palestine. There’s little possibility of a chapwhowrites andsings lyrics of that kind to not be interesting. Exploring Jovanottifurther, I caught a very entertaining interview-cum-performancebyhimandhisbandonSeattle’sradiochannelKEXPviatheInternet.There’s a video too of the session and Jovanotti comes across as avery funny guywith a great sense of humour, pride and, of course,not unusual for an Italian, a sharp sartorial sense.His first album in theUSon the discerning label ATORecords

(whichhason its rolls artists suchasAlabamaShakes,MyMorningJacket, Gomez, Trey Anastasio andWidespread Panic) is calledItalia 2008-2011. It’s a compilation actually and has a few songsinEnglish.ViaaFlipkartdownload, I boughtanotherearlier albumby Jovanotti, Safari, which also showcases the singer’s differentstyles – he crosses over from rap and funk to classical and opera-infused songs, easily andmanages to fit into these disparate gen-res so naturally.The interview on KEXP with Jovanotti reveals a lot about the

man.He’s bubblingwith happiness and is someonewho enjoys hismusic enormously. In America, he says, he feels like a little childwithanewtoy.TheAmericanaudiencetooappears to feel thesameway about him.All of the past couple ofmonths, he’s played gigs toraving audienceswho just can’t seem to get enough of him. This isonemusician to watch.

To give feedback, stream or download themusic mentioned in this column, go tohttp://blogs.hindustantimes.com/download-central, follow argus48 on Twitter

SanjoyNarayan

downloadcentral

GOT THEITALIANRAP?Ever sinceJovanottiplayed at theBonnaroofestival in2011, he’sbeen on theroad to fameoutside hisnative Italy

A CHILD WITH A TOYJovanotti seems bubblingwith happiness and issomeone who enjoys hismusic enormously

THE JUKEBOX

The late Robert Moog changedthe course of modern music

with his invention of the synthesis-er. In his honour, every year in Moog’snative Asheville, North Carolina, a festivalis organised where some of the world’s topelectronic ensembles, DJs and producersperform. This year’s two-day Moogfest

was held in lateOctober. If you’rean electronic musicaficionado, youcould get online tolisten to some ofthose gigs. Watchand hear MortonSubotnick, Ana Sia,Andy Stott andmany more,representing thegenre and its manysub-genres (Linksin the web versionof DC).

Jonsi of Sigur Rósperforms at Moogfest, 2010

Photo courtesy: FACEBOOK

26 indulge facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch

IT IS the strangest things that remind you ofyour childhood, at times, evoking memoriesthat lay long buried in your brain. It could be

anything really: an image, a touch, a smell or evena sound. And before you know it, you have beentransportedback in time to relive those childhoodmoments that you had thought lost forever.Last week, I had one such moment of déjà vu.

Aimlessly channel-surfing, I stopped at FTVbecause the clothes on the ramp looked mildlyinteresting, when my eyes were caught by theshoes of one of the models. The square toes; thelittle strap across the ankle fastenedwith a buck-le; the shiny patent leather; it all looked so famil-iar. If you ignored the high heel – as I did – theshoeswere a dead ringer for theMary Janes thatI had worn to school all through my childhood.That one image took me back instantly to the

Bata store on Chowringhee, Calcutta’s busiestthoroughfare, where I would make an annual pilgrimage at thestart of every year to buy the school-mandated black shoes thatmadeupmyuniform.Therewas no agonising over styles, dither-ing over alternatives, or pondering over colours. Therewas onlyone option that I could choose (if choose is the right word) butthat didn’t detract from the shopping experience one bit. Thethrill of buying a new pair of shoes; the joy of seeing thatmy feetwere finally growing to adult size; and theknowledge that I was going into a new classwith all the possibilities it represented; allof this combined tomake this trip to the shoeshop one of the highlights of my year.That same feeling of déjà vu struckmeon

a recent visit to the local Marks & Spencerstore.Oneentire railwasdevoted to leggingswith stirrups, a style that I had last wornwhen I was 10 years old. Now of course, Iwouldnot be caught dead in them, so I quick-ly moved on to the next rail. But quite without volition, an imagejumpedupand tookpossessionofmybrain: thepair of olive-greenleggings with sturdy stirrups that I had refused to get out of foran entire year (andwhich are immortalised in several family pho-tographs taken over the period). And with that image came thememories: of visits to the zoo; of raucous birthday parties whereeveryone ate far too much cake (and which, suffice to say, not

everyone managed tokeep down); of picnicswithfriends; of family weddingswhere I was the only one not in theregulation ghagra-choli.Of course, it’s not just clothes or fashion that

remindsmeofmy childhood. Coming across a re-run of Yes Minister on BBC Entertainment hasmuch the same effect. In the days before satellitetelevision arrived in India and we were all at themercy of Doordarshan programmers, this wasthe one show that I would hurry home to watch.The opening credits of Chitrahaar, which wasprettymuch appointment viewing in those days;the notes of Abide with me, which we sang everymorning assembly; the sound of a tolling bell,which punctuated my day at school; all thesesounds double up as aide-memoires.And then, there’s food. There are some things

that always take me back to the nostalgia-tinted meals of mychildhood.Cupcakeswith old-style frosting and sprinkles (ratherthan the new-fangled dollops of cream) remind me of the pas-tries that I bought every lunch-time from the school cake-wal-lah. I would carefully consider his two layers of cakes (I couldbuy only one every day, given my meagre pocket-money), eachin a different style and colour, before buying the vanilla cupcake

yet again. Clearly, even at that young age, I felta certain comfort in the familiar.Of all things, home-style finger chips – rather

than the new-fangled French fries we all scoffdown these days – conjure upmemories ofmychildhood almost instantly. Cut in chunky bitsand deep-fried to a lovely golden, crisp on theoutside andmoistly crumbly inside, thesewereservedup everySunday lunch-time, right afterMahabharat, with a side of blood-red ketchup.The aromas wafting from a cup of steaming

black tea take me back to holidays spent exploring the groundsofmy aunt’s tea estate inAssam, the gardens redolentwithwhatI only later discovered to be the smell of drying tea leaves. Thetaste of an orange bar, the ice lolly on a stick that was a staple ofmy growing years, reminds me of evenings spent hanging overthe balcony waiting for the ice-creamwallah – with his colourfulvan teeming with goodies – to hove into view.And then, there are the images. The sight of scraggly rows of

roses always takesmeback to the lawns of the old-style dak bun-galows; the good oldAmbassador – a rare sight on the road thesedays – reminds me of road trips taken as a child; and a bouffanthairdo reminds me of the styles my older sister sported in heryouth, andwhich I longed to replicatewhen I grewup.Of course,by the time I grew out of pigtails, the bouffant was long gone,having been replaced by the gamine crop – but that, as they say,is quite another story.

seema_ht@rediffmail.com. Follow Seema on Twitter at twitter.com/seemagoswami

SeemaGoswami

Sometimesjust an image,a sound or asmell, cantake you rightback to yourchildhood

TAKE AWALKIf you ignored the high heel,the shoes that themodelwore on the ramp on FTVwere a dead ringer for theMary Janes that I had wornto school all throughmychildhood

28 indulge

spectator

NOVEMBER 11, 2012

The taste of anorange bar, the

ice-lolly on a stick,was a staple of mygrowing years

BLASTFROMTHE

PASTBACK TO INNOCENCECupcakes with old-stylefrosting and sprinklesand home-stylefinger chips conjure upmemories of my child-hood almost instantly

twitter.com/HTBrunch

Photos:THINK

STOC

K

TRADITIONALLY, theTrehan household erupts ina frenzy of light, sound andcolour every Diwali.

Crackers worth thousands of rupeesare lit, the walls glow with enoughmirchi lights to brighten up anentire village and kalei-doscopic rangolisbrighten every cornerof the house. But thisyear, 24-year-old Nidhi,is excited about a differ-ent idea – an environ-ment-friendly Diwali.“It’s a festival, not atamasha,” Nidhi pointsout. “We will not buyeardrum-burstingcrackers or use chemi-cal rangolis and definitely not wasteelectricity on those blinding lights.”

There might not be too manyfamilies like the Trehans, but a goodmany people are ensuring that thefestival of lights is not an assault onthe senses (and Mother Nature) thisyear. Party planners are organisingmore eco-friendly parties. “We plan everything – from the kind of ran-

goli to the flower decorations ,” saysAnisha V Rastogi, a Delhi-basedplanner. “Green-themed Diwali par-ties are becoming quite commonand are a good change.”

But throwing one can be a trickything. “Serving food on paper plates

is not as eco-friendly asyou think,” says SavitaVijayakumar an eco-crusader from No2CO2.“The recycle value ofpaper goes downonce it gets wetand most of it getswasted. Serve food onareca leaf platesinstead. It is more tra-ditional as well.”

Thinking about theclimate and resources shouldn’t bejust a Diwali concern, but it’s a goodenough start. “It is more of a stylestatement rather than actual aware-ness, but I am not complaining,”says Varsha Pendhekar, a Mumbai-based environmental activist. If youbelieve the festival is the first stepto a greener life, here’s help.

amrah.ashraf@hindustantimes.com

How Green IsMy Rangoli!

Many peopleare ensuring

that thefestival is notan assault on

the senses

GO NATURALDecorate your house with freshflowers and leaves. Apart frommarigolds, use jasmine and redroses to add colour and naturalfragrance to your house. Also,while gifting idols, ditch the onesmade of plaster of Paris, plasticand thermocol and opt forbiodegradablematerials likeclay and pa-pier mache

Community livingIf you must burst crackers, geteveryone involved. Ask everyonein your building, society or colonyto pool in money and buy fire-works. Gather everyone at a fixedtime and burst them. This way,you will not only save money butcreate noise pollution only at oneparticular time

Let there be lightIf you’re just getting started onyour Diwali decorations, ditchthe energy-gobbling fairy lightsfor LED versions that last longer,turn out to be more economicalin the long run and consume lessenergy. If you want to save evenmore energy, opt for diyas andcandles fuelled by scentedbeeswax. They’ll create a greatambience for thefestivities. Also,after you havefried your batchof gujiyas andpakodas foryour party,don’t throwthe oil. In-stead, use it tolight up diyas

FULL BLOOMFresh flowers add colourto your rangoli withoutthe chemicals

Organic rangoliAvoid chemical-based rangolicolours. Use natural colours anddyes like rice flour, turmericpowder, kumkum, lime, petals,coal and leaves. Keeplooking around fordifferent flowersthat could beused for bring-ing more colourinto your design

Reuse, recycleReuse old wrapping paper or usenewspaper to wrap gifts. If thatdoesn’t sound too exciting, youcan also use handmade paperwhich is free of chemicals andtoxins. Also, while throwing aparty, use your own cutlery. Youcan also use plates made ofleaves. Say no to plastic cups,plates and bowls. And say neveragain to styrofoam flatware. Notonly do they look dowdy, they’llbe choking the earth long afteryou’ve bit the dust

Don’t let Mother Earth pay for your festiveexcess. An eco-friendly Diwali is so easy by Amrah Ashraf

Phot

o:IM

AGES

BAZ

AAR

CLEAN BOWLEDPlastic flatware willchoke the planet. Butareca leaf plates will decompose quickly

PHOTOS: MCT

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O: M

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FEAT OF CLAY Plaster of Parisidols are nofriend of theearth. Mud andclay ones are

NOVEMBER 11, 2012

30 T H E F E S T I V E G U I D E hindustantimes.com/brunch

STEEL REALLY hasbeen stealing the showfor some time now [wedon’t make the news,

we just report it]. But it’s onlyrecently that the market’sbeen flooded with steel, orsteel with metal, steel with wood,and steel with many other materi-als. In utensils as well as decorativepieces. It’s like everyone has suddenly discovered the metal’s versatility. “Steel is a sturdy andreliable metal and that accounts forits increasing popularity. Its lustremakes it ideal for home artefacts,kitchenware and decoratives,” says Deepikaa Jindal, managing

director, JSL Lifestyle. It’s alsoscratch-resistant.

This trend works well for every-one, especially on Dhanteras, asbuying steel is considered auspi-cious (read our story in this issue:The Metal Fest by Manit Moorjanifor more info). We’re guessing thatyou have already made up yourmind about what to buy thisDhanteras. But being the opimiststhat we are, just in case you haven’t,here are some choices. Checkthem out and see if any ofthem work for you.

veenu.singh@hindustantimes.com

Why SteelIs A Big

Deal

SERVE WITH STYLEYou will need a number

of these in the nextfew days. To store

and save all thedry fruits you’veprobably collect-ed over the

festive period.They look quite nice

too. From Krome, aset costs R875

SET A TREND THIS SEASONDo something different this Diwali.Along with the traditional earthendiyas, add a few shiny, white stainlesssteel ones. This one, when lit, illuminates the Ganesha. From roomstory.com. It is priced at `475

OVER A CUP OF COFFEESteel is the new aluminium. It isbeing used with many other materials – ceramic,wood, aluminium etc.This steel and ceramic coffee set (of 10pieces), four mugs,spoons, sugar jar andtray costs `1,500

A BASKET CASELoad this steel and aluminium basket from Elvy with sweetsor dry fruits, wrap in gauzypaper and give as a gift. Foodsafe and stain resistant, it ispriced at `2,295

LIGHT UPTry having a party withjust candles and noelectric lights. It sets the bestmood, say event planners. Makesure you take precautions against fire,though. This classic candle stand is fromThe Great Eastern Home. Price on request.

T H E F E S T I V E G U I D E32

Because (in its new avatar) it issleek, sophisticated, reliable,shiny. These aren’t your boring utensils, they’re (almost) artby Veenu Singh

DECK UP YOUR HOMEThis is the season when flowers(truly) get their space in homes.These handmade vases from I’MCenter For Applied Arts at R4,200(pair), are decorative and functional at the same time

NOVEMBER 11, 2012

LIVE LIFE KING SIZEThis season gives youevery reason to dine like aking. You could start with thishandcrafted steel jug (with silver plating) and two glasses(with gold plating) fromAlchemy. Price on request

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CHEERS TOTHATSteel goes smart. How do weknow? It’s making an appear-ance in home bars. This winecooler (with wooden handles)costs R9,750 and is availableat Renovation Factory.

A POT OF LAUGHS!Is it a bird? Is it a mouse? Theguessing game has neverbeen more fun. This kettlefrom Magppie is made ofstainless steel and has awooden handle.Price on request

IT’S AN ACE SERVE Now that you have fancy designs in steel dinner sets, you don’thave to worry about your precious plates and bowls getting broken. Buy this steel scratch- and stain-proof dinner set (of 33 pieces) from arttd’inox. Cost: R9,800

TIME FOR A CHANGEDump those usual round puja

thalis that your grandmomused. Get this interesting

square one with a swasti-ka design (steel with

silver plating).From Episode, it

costs R3,650

NOVEMBER 11, 2012

BLING IT ONAll that glitters (as we mention in anoth-er story) is not gold. It can be steel too.Decorate your home with crystal-en-crusted stainless steel tealights. They will truly bling-up your home. FromSwarovski, the prices varyfrom R2,700 (small),R3,850 (medium) andR5,100 (large).

International luxury brands have gone all out to woo us asthe festive lights come on. But did they really manage it?

by Yashica Dutt

POISED TO CELEBRATEBurberry With their Rose Gold capsulecollection, which includes accessorieslike heels, bags, clutches, watches, sunglasses and jewellery, limited edition trench coats in soft gold tones, perfumes and a mini ready-to-wear collection, Burberry seems to have goneall out this time. They even haveseparate products categorised as ‘Giftsfor him/her/children’, where they makean off-handed suggestion about how tohave a ‘Model Burberry family’. OOuurr ttaakkee: We like! They actually madethe effort of launching an entire collec-tion for Diwali and rounded it off well.Without shoving the glitter-sequins drama down our throats just becausewe like to celebrate. The rose gold tonecomes off as festive while still maintain-ing the Burberry aesthetic.

PAISLEY IS MY PRINTTod’s Here is someone who

went down the paisley routewith a limited edition

D-bag made especial-ly for the festival oflights. A version of

the classic D-bag,named after the

late Princess Diana,the Diwali bag ismade with purplesilk. Only two pieces, one in

orange and the other in powder blue, are available inthe New Delhi boutique and the price is obviously on request. Our take: Even though the motif is not the most uniquerepresentation of Diwali, we’re glad they didn’t justbring something with rhinestones studded on it, liketheir previous India-inspired collection.

KNOT NOW MY LOVEBottega Veneta This isn’t a made-for-Diwali edition, but this is the one that suits the festivalthe best. Interpreting the famous knot styleclutch, this one has a dark, muted tinge thatwould look good even after Diwali. Much like theBottega Veneta Knot India launched a few yearsago, the Bottega Veneta Oro Intreccio Pailletesknot clutch features a combination of dark andgolden sequins and will set youback by `72,000.Our take: Yes, thereare sequins, butthey are the waythey should be. Ifwe’re ever able tobuy it (sigh), thenthis is the onewe’d love to carrythis Diwali.

NOVEMBER 11, 2012

DID YOU get terribly upset when ‘India’was not mentioned in the US Presidentialelection debate? Do you rejoice every timesome international tabloid or magazine

does an India-related story? Then, feel happy that

many international luxury brands did not forgetDiwali and promptly launched special offeringsthis year. But we are not that easily swayed. So wedecided to check out what was on offer. Here’swhat we found.

yashica.dutt@hindustantimes.com

Paul Smith Alwaysone for originality, the label

has come up with the cutest PaulSmith multi-striped deck of playing cardsand a black leather case to store it in. Thiswill set you back by around `11,000, but hey,there’s nothing like a pack of designer cards.The label also ‘suggests’ cufflinks, tie pinsand ties as gifts. Our take: How innovative! It’s great that thelabel has ventured into Diwali accessorieswithout losing its striped touch. But if youstill can’t get on board, there are always

the eternally chic Paul Smith socks to fallback on.

OUTSHINE THE LIGHTSFendi This is not a special edition item for Diwali, but the press release that came to uscarried a picture of a Zucca-embellished Fendibaguette that is all gold and sequins, with thetrademark logo embossed in a different tone ofthe shade. Priced at around `68,000, it directlytranslates into what a Diwali special baguetteshould look like.Our take: It’s not a Diwali-edition bag, but it willwork if you need some-thing to compete withthe lights. Idealfor a card partywhere the ideais to look likeyou are theDiwali partyinstead oflooking likesomeonejust attend-ing one.

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What A DesignerDiwali Looks Like

A DECK FULLOF STRIPES

T H E F E S T I V E G U I D E twitter.com/HTBrunch

1Chew your food at least 46.7778times before gulping it down.

2Don’t drink water during yourmeals, even if that means that

you slowly start resembling theyellow beaked, angry bird.

3Don’t drink water before yourmeals, it might drown out the

precious digestive juices.

4Don’t drink water after yourmeals, at least not until an

hour later, or more. Till yourtongue swells up just enough tostart pronouncing ‘thin’ as ‘fin’.

5Don’t drink water. Ever.

6Drink water. Two litres everymorning after your tongue has

completely withered from beggingfor two drops of it last night.

7Drink water. And don’t eat.Anything. For seven days

straight. Also, don’t work, walk orbreathe. It’s called a water fast.

8Laugh. A lot. And run afteryour dog, or your kids or even

the painters at home for the pre-Diwali clean-up. (A real quote

from a celeb mag).

9Always eat your dinner before7 pm, even if everyone is

outside bursting crackers as youangrily chomp on celery.

10 Do at least 1,000 tummycrunches every day. Then

roll over and die.

11Start running for at leasttwo hours. Twice. Every

day. Then roll over and die, again.

12Paste a cutout of a hotmodel/actress/superwoman

in your kitchen. So in those reallylow moments, there’s somethingto stare at as you dig through a

tub of Belgian chocolate-chipcaramel ice cream.

13Give up sugar. Not even asingle speck in your tea or

coffee. Until you realise you havebeen sleep-raiding the mithaiboxes in your fridge every night.

14Why work out when thereare slimming pills? So that

you still have control over yourbowel movements when you needit most, like in the middle of a pujaor on a hot date.

15Give up meat, fish, eggs, oil,milk, mango, coconut,

banana, oil, alcohol and living.

16Your family is fat? There’sno way you are ever losing

that lard.

17Sleep before 9 pm. At yourwork desk. Sure, your boss

will understand.

18Need a flat stomach for thethe card party of the

season? Don’t eat the whole day.So when you faint later, there’salways the open bar to blame.

19Don’t be stressed about losing weight. Right, that’s

how I gained it in the first place.

20Chant: “I am as light as afeather.” At least you’ll be

one of those awesome, crazy fatpeople everyone is scared of.

21Eat as much chilli as youcan. It cuts out the calories.

And your intestinal lining too! (Iactually figured out this one!)

22Going to a Diwali mela, eh?Eat at home. You can safely

recoil every time you feel remotelytempted by a paani puri. Or spendthe entire evening looking for let-tuce.

yashica.dutt@hindustantimes.com

NOVEMBER 11, 2012

“I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number you get in a diamond” – actress Mae West

Worst Weight-Loss Advice, Ever

LOSE WEIGHT now, ask me how.Or don’t. Not this Diwali. This quipof instant wisdom has become integral to my conversations with

friends/family/co-workers/anyone whohas heard I am trying to lose weight.

And having had three false starts in thepast four years, by this Diwali I am deter-mined to fit into size 26 jeans. But while Iam willing to sacrifice my social life andfestive eating at the altar of a thinnerwaistline, I do not see it happening. Why?

Because the exhaustive list of nonsenseadvice people dish out is, well, exhausting.Not to say that I haven’t tried some of it,or that bits of the advice don’t have thepotential to be the protagonists of myweightloss love story. But truthfully, noneof the advice has worked. And if you thinkyou can lose weight by eating chilli, thenbe my guest. PS. If you want to sue,remember, I didn’t come upwith these.

Feeling fat already? Then nonsense adviceshouldn’t be your thin-down plan post Diwaliby Yashica Dutt

Photos: THINKSTOCK

36 T H E F E S T I V E G U I D E hindustantimes.com/brunch

38

NOVEMBER 11, 2012

SCHOOL/COLLEGEArmy Public School, Bareilly/Jai Hind College, Mumbai

PLACE OF BIRTHJamshedpur

HOMETOWNMumbai

Priyanka ChopraActor/singer

Are you a born singer or a born actress? Neither. I’ve always been academically in-clined. Both of these happened by chance.

What has been the inspiration behind the album?My own life. It’s like my diary. Most

of the songs have been written by me and are a reflection of my

experiences.Your favourite international

singers or bands.I like quite a few, includingThe Doors and TLC.One rock band you wish you were

a part of?No Doubt.

One song you can listen to overand over again.

Can’t pinpoint any onesingle song as there are

too many of them. How come you never wear

any jewellery?I don’t have any-

thing against jew-ellery. In fact, I

quite like solitaires and havenow recently started using accessories also.

The sexiest Bollywood actor?Undoubtedly, it is

Mr Bachchan. Whata personality!

One director youare dying to

work with.

It was my dream to be directed by YashChopra. Unfortunately, this dream will nevercome true now.One classic you would have loved to be a part of?Darr. I have always loved that film.If you were chosen to be a Bond babe?I would jump at the offer as it is an honour tobe one.

Who was your first crush? There was this boy who livedon the floor above my housewhom I really liked. He was inclass 10 when I was in class 6.What is your fondest memory? Of my brother being born.Who are you closest to?Both my parents. While my dadis my weakness, my mother ismy strength.A rumour you’d like to start?That a new law has beenpassed under which all journalists need to disclosetheir source before printingany article.

One lesson about fame you want to teach an aspiring singer.The pressure that comes along with showbizis very hard to deal with. You should neverforget who you are. Which body part would you get insured?My lips and I would also want to make itclear that these are my real lips.Your last meal would be...It would be a nice hearty one with dishes likebutter chicken, good Gujarati food and lotsof other goodies.The biggest risk you’ve ever taken. To be an actor.Three cosmetics you can’t do without.A good moisturiser, mascara and I also love nail art.A dessert that describes you.Gulab jamun – crisp from the outside andsoft and sweet inside. You have five minutes to pack, what do you take?Just a few T-shirts and track pants.One street food you can’t resist.Golgappe.Your dream destination.Home.

FIRST BREAK The Hero: Love Story of a Spy

LOW POINT OF YOUR LIFEThey are a part of life, one shouldjust keep going on

HIGH POINT OF YOUR LIFE It’s now and it just keeps getting higherand higher

CURRENTLY DOINGPromoting my song In my city from my first album and beingthe brand ambassador for Blender’s Pride Fashion Tour

—Interviewed by Veenu Singh

facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunchPERSONAL AGENDA

BIRTHDAYJuly 18

MUSIC ON YOUR PLAYLIST It’s a mix of Hindiand English music.Right from DavidGuetta, Titanium toHoney SinghMUSIC FOR A SEASONWinter - a really nice romantic song

forDilli kisardi MUSIC AS A PICK MEUPSongs from Barfi!WHAT ARE YOU LISTENINGTO RIGHT NOW?In my city

BOLLYWOOD’S MOSTROMANTIC PAIR?

AmitabhBachchan and Rekha

Photo:MANOJVERMA

my music