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Delhi
Monday, January 25, 2016

CINEMA

TELEVISION

ESCAPE

RAJA MENON EXPLAINS

THE THOUGHT BEHIND
AIRLIFT P2

NGC BRINGS A
DOCUMENTARY ON BSF
P3

FIVE SPOTS IN THE NORTH

EAST FOR ADVENTURE
ENTHUSIASTS P4

Admit two

A fair mix
The ninth edition of India Art Fair is more diverse and inclusive than ever,
says Zain Masud, the international director of the fair
SHAILAJA TRIPATHI

Diaries
Entries
An all women exhibition
curated by Gayatri Sinha
which is a mix of
installations and paintings.
From Jan 23 to Feb 20,
Gallery Espace, Community
Centre, New Friends
Colony, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Draupadi
A musical tale of love, land,
war and peace written and
directed by Atul Sata
Koushik starring Rakesh
Bedi and Himani Shivpuri.
Date: January 26
Time: 7 p.m.
Venue: Kamani Auditorium,
Mandi House, Tickets:
Rs.500 and 200.

Talvar
Star Gold will hold the
world television premier
of the film written by
Vishal Bharadwaj and
directed by Meghna
Gulzar.
Date: January 26
Time: 8 p.m.

Show
The exhibition My Own
Planet, My Earth presents
paintings acrylic on
canvas by Raisa
Mukhopadhyay.
Date: On till January 28
Time: 11 a.m to 7 p.m.
Venue: Art Gallery IIC
Annexe, Lodhi Estate, New
Delhi

Music
Swarbandhan a
collaborative venture of
Yoshida Daikiti who plays
shamisen and sitar,
Arunangshu, who plays
multi percussion and Kathak
dancer Archana Singh.
Date: January 25
Time: 7 p.m.
Centre, Lodhi
Venue: The Stein
Road, New
Auditorium, India Habitat
Delhi

ndia Art Fair is not bigger but better, claim all

those associated with
the big ticket visual
arts event held annually in
the country. The number of
galleries has come down
from 85 in 2015 to 70 this
year, for a reason. Zain Masud, the new member on
board as the International
Director of India Art Fair,
reveals the uncharted territories India Art Fair 2016 is
venturing into.
Edited excerpts from an
interview:
Is the fair getting an
academic tilt this year?
This sort of intellectual
content is certainly the hallmark of this years fair. We
have some incredible speakers. We have collaborated
with Asia Art Archive, Godrej India Culture Lab and
we have some great conversations. So, there is more
meat on the bones of India
Art Fair. We are opening the
fair to other players in the
region with respect to their
commercial endeavours but
it also reflects other practices and activities taking place
in these countries.
You were involved with
Art Dubai, which has
some excellent programming. Do you bring any of
those influences and experiences to India Art Fair?
No, I dont but all these
five years I was with Art Dubai, I was keenly following
the programming of India
Art Fair. It reflected all sort
of content. We have some
fantastic collectors from
China, Turkey and the UAE
who tackle the same challenges of tackling public engagement with their private
collections. We reflect regions who share similar
challenges and similar
history.

A FRESH APPROACH Zain Masud

With the inclusion of

Experimenta, a film programme curated by Shai
Heredia, do you think the
fair is getting more
interdisciplinary?
I think it is a natural first
step bringing more disciplines into the fold, whether
it is food, politics, I think it is
a natural progression towards that. Also, the whole
city comes alive with activities during the time India

I think it is a
natural first step
bringing more
disciplines into
the fold

,,

Art Fair is taking place. The

fair is triggering off so many
things which is fantastic. It is
a very relevant position for
us. To have a good balance of
everything is the goal of an
art fair. With so many biennales, art fairs and summits taking place in this
region, what is the distinct identity India Art
Fair is striving to create
for itself?
The more the better. Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Dhaka
Art Summit, Colombo Art
Biennaleall of these grew
in the wake of India Art Fair.
And all these come together
to develop a compelling case
of South Asia. It is really exciting because the region offers so many opportunities.
The fair tries to reflect
on the subcontinent.

There are more galleries

and artists from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal and
Bangladesh? Is there a renewed focus on South
Asia?
Yes, there has always been
that desire to reflect the region well but we have consciously made this attempt
this year. Pakistani artists
Lala Rukh and Ayesha Jatoi
will discuss their practice in
a session. The new programme called Platform will
represent new artists, collectives and art spaces from
Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan for instance
there is Nepal Art Council
from Nepal, Theertha Artists Collective from Sri Lanka, Taseer Art Gallery from
Pakistan.
The number of partici-

HIGHLIGHTS
Speakers Forum will
include panellists like
Stuart Comer (Chief Curator of the Department of
Media and Performance
Art at MoMA, New York);
Osman Waheed (Founder
and Chair, Lahore Biennale Foundation) and Dina Bangdel (Nepal Arts
Council). Significant collectors such as Tariq al
Jaidah (Founder of Katara Art Centre, Doha), Haro Cumbusyan (Patron
and Founder, Collectorspace, Istanbul), and Lu
Xun (Collector and director of the Sifang Art Museum, Nanjing) will speak
on Collecting and Public
Engagement.
Institutional is another
new programme which
will include institutions
like the Delfina Foundation, Dr. Bhau Daji Lad
Museum, Kiran Nadar
Museum of Art, Jindal Art
Center and the Korean
Cultural Centre India
Shai Heredia (filmmaker and Director of Experimenta,
Indias
international festival for
moving image art) is curating a collection of video
art and films from different parts of the world for
the inaugural film programme of the fair.
BMW has replaced Yes
Bank as the title sponsor
and the automobile giant
will be showcasing one of
its art cars the Cesar
Manrique BMW 730i Art
Car, at the event.
pating galleries has come
down. What does that signify?
Every good art fair in the
world has a qualifying process. This year we wanted to
emphasise on quality work
to our audiences.
(India Art Fair will be
held from January 28 to 31
at NSIC Grounds, Okhla.)

Deepika Padukone
PHOTO: AFP

Time to fly

ith two big hits to her

credit, Deepika Padukone stole the limelight in
2015 and in 2016 her eyes are
on Hollywood. She is debuting with XXX:The Return of
Xander Cage. I am excited
and nervous at the same time.
However, most importantly, I
feel proud to be a part of the
film where I can flaunt my
ethnicity. They have roped
me because of my background and so I hope that I do
well in this movie and make
everyone proud, said Deepika on the sidelines of the
launch of Tissots classic
timepieces Chemin des
Tourelles in New Delhi. With
each film the model-turnedactor makes a style statement. She credits her makeup
artist, stylists and directors
for each look that she supports. They are really the
minds behind my looks. The
cat-eye liner in Om Shanti
Om, the kurtis in Love Aaj Kal
and the jhumka and lehnga in
Ram-Leela, all these looks became famous because of
them. She mentioned her
fan-girl moment as how she
herself owned different coloured headbands after watching Kajol in Kuch Kuch Hota
Hai. From a show-piece to the
centre of attention, the 30year-old actor has come a
long way. Recently, she won
the best actor award for Piku
at Filmfare Awards. To be
competitive with myself and
to keep setting new benchmarks for myself is something that I have worked for.
My aim is to keep improving
myself, summed up Deepika.
Vibhana Kanwar

Between good and evil

Italian writer Piergiorgio Pulixi explains why he has given an insight into the life of an Italian cop
with Jekyll and Hyde qualities in his newly released crime novel
DANIELE PAGANI

Chief Inspector Biagio Mazzeo leads a Police Narcotics

Section in the north of Italy.
What sounds as a routine exercise is unusual because
Mazzeo does it his own way,
with his group of corrupted
cops lording over the streets.
Instead of acting as guardians, they take whatever they
want. Hence they are rich and
powerful. But something goes
wrong, they choose the wrong
enemy and Mazzeo ends up in
a game bigger than him. A
crime novel that blurs the
boundaries of good and evil,
The Night of the Panthers is
written by Italian writer Piergiorgio Pulixi and was presented during the Delhi
Crime Writers Festival at Oxford Book Store.
The author explains in the
interview why he kept the
protagonist
multi
dimensional.
Going through the book
one feels that a character
is missing, someone that
the crime fiction reader
expects to find the good
cop. What happened?
I did not want to write
about the police force and its
job. Everything started off
from an article about the
clamorous arrest of an entire
police sub-division accused of
conspiracy. This group was
similar to a mafia family. It
was following a charismatic
CM
YK

leader, Chief Inspector Biagio Mazzeo. It had no informer and the group members
used to cover each other. In
its ten years of activity, it
accumulated a consolidated
fund to be used for its future.
I asked myself what would
have happened if no one had
stopped it? How would the
leader kept the group united
against adversities? This story is about the way power
changes and concentrates on
the relation with other people. The focus of the entire
narration is this group of
crooked policemen and there
is no space for good cops.
The leader of this group
is undoubtedly a bad guy
but he also shows good
moral values. Did you
want to show that no one
is unconditionally bad?
Yes, leaving aside clinically
psychopathic individuals, I
believe that absolute evil
does not exist. Even a mafia
boss has a family and in his
own way he surely loves it. As
a writer, moreover, I would
say that a fully evil character
is not engaging, it is onedimensional. It is much more
interesting to describe all
sides of personality, shifting
from the brutalities that
Mazzeo carries on the streets
to the sweet moments with
the woman he loves. He is a
complicated man with his
own yardstick for morality.
He is strongly attached to his

OF CRIME AND PUNISHMENT Piergiorgio Pulixi

unit, he genuinely feels that a

cop needs to clean up the
streets from criminals. He
likes to have his own emotional microcosm where evil
has no space. Mazzeo is the
perfect pawn for all those
who want to fight criminality
in unconventional or illegal
ways. A corrupted cop can be
used in suicide missions undercover with no risks. And
this is exactly what happens
in my book.
Judging by the recently

released books we are

witnessing an evolution
in the way violence is portrayed; it is often very explicit. Is this change due
to evolution of society?
We are surrounded by violence and its representation
on television, cinema, video
games. A writer knows that
he must venture on the field
of violence; readers are used
to it. It looks like a paradox
but if you write about organised crime and there is no

violence, the story risks to

lose verisimilitude. I feel that
more than physical violence,
it is psychological violence
that imbues our society. It
goes through all the daily impositions that we have to face
in our lives like aesthetic
standards, labour relations,
economic models.
Do you think that crime
fiction can play a role in
fighting
criminal
organisations?
Yes but we have to do it the
right way. If we keep narrating Italian mafia as how it
was, the reader will think
that it still kills regularly in
restaurants, on the streets or
puts bombs. Nowadays criminals wear business suits and
often have a respectable position in financial institutions
where they manage money
laundering or huge investments. They are difficult to
recognise because they are
well integrated in our society. Mafia has evolved into
what we can call a liquid
criminality that deeply penetrates the legal economy.
Narrating this new criminality and its dynamics is what
can help. We, writers, are not
bound by any legal issue and
we are free to talk about
criminal organisations even
during official investigation.
Narrative has the privilege of
being faster than justice and
this helps to increase
awareness.
ND-ND

p2

METROPLUS

Lauchpad

VARIETY

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU Monday, January 25, 2016

The force
behind
the lift
As Airlift garners applause,
director Raja Krishna Menon says
we should give the country a little
more credit than we do
ANUJ KUMAR

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Priced at Rs.499 and
available at Pacific Mall,
Najafgarh Road.

he first thing that

Raja Menon tells
you about Airlift is
Ranjit Katiyal is a
fictitious character. Perhaps,
it has something to do with
his grooming in independent
cinema that it is hard for him
to understand what PR machinery can do while promoting a film. The Akshay
Kumar-starrer about the
evacuation of 1,70,000 Indians from Kuwait when Iraq
invaded the city nation in August 1990 has opened to rave
reviews but many in the audience still dont know where
facts blur into fiction. I keep
on getting messages that this
cant be true or that looks fictitious. Ranjit Katiyal existed
only in my head and now he is
on screen. He is based on twothree people who helped the
people in the difficult circumstances, says Raja who
emerged on the scene with
the critically-acclaimed Barah Aana.
With Akshay at the helm, it
seems he was forced to turn it
into a one man army kind of
story. Raja denies the charge.
He is not one man army. It is
definitely not that kind of
film. Of course, this is the story of one man. This is his journey of a person who almost
believes that he is a Kuwaiti.
He thinks what India has
done for him. He came here,
broke his bones and made his
millions. When he is put in a
war-like situation he goes
through the realisation what
does it mean to be an Indian.
The evacuation is the back-

drop. It is the big picture in

which he is operating.
Raja comes from Kerala
and recalls out of three people one was a Malayali and
the second was a Punjabi
The third, I believe, was a
Sindhi. As I have not lived in
Kerala, I cant make a Malayalam film. From the first
draft it was a Hindi film and
for that I picked the North
Indian character. When I
wrote the film I was sure no
star will talk to me. I didnt
write with a star in mind and
mind you I wrote it 10 years
back. But it would have been
obvious that the film will require a big budget to be
mounted? I always believed
the story is big enough. I also
make films very cheap. This is
a very small-budget film considering the kind of evacua-

Akshay has the

gravitas to look like
a leader. In real life
you may not need
these things but
cinematically you do

,,

EYE FOR DETAIL Raja Krishna Menon

tion process we have shown.

It looks big because the kind
of effort we had put in before
shooting the film. It is a deeply planned film. This is why I
was allowed to make the
film. Raja shot the film in 50
days on location at Ras-alKhaimah, outside Dubai. It
is a city on water like Kuwait
and is stuck in the 1990s for
some reason. It looks fantastically close to what Kuwait
looked like. We spent eight
months in just planning the
details.
When Akshay decided to
back it, Raja told him his
point of view. I told him this
is the script and this is how it
is going to look like and I am
not going to change anything.
I know he hardly plays characters but I told him for this
film he has to become Ranjit
Katyal. He said that is why he
has picked the script.
Throughout the shooting he
kept on asking, is it authentic, Raja and finally I had to

say, yaar! trust me, Raja

bursts into laughter. With his
earnest approach, Akshay is
perfect for the role. He is
honest and comes from a
space where he understands
hardship. He has the gravitas
to look like a leader. In real
life you may not need these
things but cinematically you
do. Audience should look at
the guy and feel that this guy
could lead me. The good and
bad of cinema is that we need
stereotypes for some things. I
should not spend time in convincing you that look this guy
is a leader. You should look at
him and feel that way. Raja
says a Dedi song kind of situation was always there in
the script and has nothing to
do with the fact that T-series
happens to be one of the producers. I wanted to capture
the opulence of the place
through a song. The kind of
song may be a questioned but
you cant dispute is a quick
way to make people under-

stand the kind of life Kuwait

had.
The discussion moves to
geopolitics of the time. Iraq
had been a friend. So things
should not have come to this
pass and the success story
should have been publicised
by the government. The answers emerge from Rajas research. The problem is
Kuwait as a city-state produces absolutely nothing except for oil. So these people
were stuck in Kuwait and
they had nothing to eat. Secondly, 80 per cent of these
people were uneducated.
Thirdly, nobody had proper
documentation because passports are kept by sponsors. At
2 a.m. Saddam Hussains
forces attacked and by 6 a.m.
they had taken over the country. The soldiers who attacked were 16-year-old
teenagers. They could not
distinguish between an Kuwati and an Indian. They
were born in war and they

had not seen such opulence.

Kuwait was the second richest country in the world. They
went mad. These are some of
the fears that we have delved
upon.
He agrees the 59-day evacuation process is largely undocumented. I am from
Kerala so I knew people. But
we should not forget that
1990 was the Mandal period. I
was myself involved in student politics. Ten-15 years
later I chanced upon an article talking about 170,000
people evacuated by 488
flights and said wow! At that
time there was no internet or
mobile. The satellite television started only during operation Desert Storm in 1991. .
The V.P.Singh government
lasted eight months, Chandra
Shekhars lasted four. So
there was political turmoil.
And nobody to take credit!
There is no file. There are
some reports written by bureaucrats. There are some internet articles which are from
international sources. I had
conversations with over 100
people who returned. Each of
the stories was myopic as it
only talked about what they
saw. I had to collate them and
find the truth inside them,
says Raja.
On the layers that the film
explores, Raja, who has been
an advertising professional,
says he has travelled extensively across the country and
feels problems like religious
intolerance are very miniscule. If you go to the interiors people need food and
better future for the kids.
These are intellectual problems of free time. When it
comes to basic survival, religion and caste doesnt matter
and this is what the film
shows. It comes to a point
when you say I dont care.
You could be from Mars the
thing is how do we survive.
In times when the youth is
getting increasingly cynical
over social media, Raja says it
is time we tell tales of patriotism. I think we have become
a cynical nation. The problem
with cynicism is it makes us
hide under a cover. Many
young people feel nothing is
going to happen and keep
waiting to say, I told you, naa.
We need to see success stories of our country and be the
change that we want to see.

IANS

The debate
rages on
Kajol speaks
about having to
watch ones
words
After filmmaker Karan Johars remark on growing intolerance in the country,
actress Kajol has said there
was insensitivity in India
and that people were becoming oversensitive about certain issues.
Words are being measured. We need to watch what
we say in what context. As
public personalities, our duty
is to speak well and intelligently, added the mother of
two, at the ongoing Jaipur
Literature Festival.
Karan had earlier said that
India is a tough country to
express ones views in, with a
legal sword always hanging
over the neck. In a session at
the festival, Karan spoke
about homosexuality in films
and society, as well as the
stigma attached to it.
We are in a tough country
to speak about your personal
life and I feel really sad about
it because being a public figure you are expected to helm
a certain movement, talk
about freedom of expression,
which is the biggest joke in
the world... The director also
opened up about his personal
life, saying that he felt effeminate as a child.
He made the revelation
while talking about his book
An Unsuitable Boy at a session with Shobhaa De and his
biographer Poonam Saxena.
IANS

Down Memory Lane

Tales of a fully free nation

Spontaneous
public
participation
and celebration
marked the first
Republic Day
in 1950
Body perfume
Envy 1000, the leading
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Vanesa Care brings the
Envy 1000 crystal range of
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comes in three variants,
Enigma, Divine and Magic.
The invitational price is
Rs.199 for 135 ml.

Skin care
The God's Own Store, a
wellness solutions provider
has recently brought Dr.
Derm which it claims is a
blend of essential oils and
100 per cent aloe vera gel
which enables the skin feel
soft, moisturised and
crisper without any heavy
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Priced at Rs.295 it is
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CM
YK

henever Republic
Day comes around
one is reminded of the first
Dr. Sukarno and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru PHOTO: THE HINDU ARCHIVES
one in 1950 when the
enthusiasm of the public
Chowk the sweets
was to be seen to be
feet attended to after taking daughter Indira Gandhi
distributed were from
believed. The day January
off the heavy boots that had were present, along with
Ghantewala Halwai, whose caused them much misery.
the chief guest, Dr. Sukarno
26 was chosen to mark the
of Indonesia leaders like
call for Swaraj given on that shop had started business
Ram Lal used to talk about
in Shah Alams reign at the
Rajendra Prasad, Sardar
date in 1930. The parade
that day even in old age
fag-end of the 18th Century. with great details as he was Patel, Maulana Azad,,
did not start from Rajpath
This shop sadly downed
Sardar Baldev Singh and
and proceed to Old Delhi
young and full of spirits
shutters a few months ago
Rajkumari Amrit Kaur,
but was held at the
then. One soldier gave him
for reasons beyond its
princess of Kapurthala who
erstwhile Irwin Stadium,
a 100 rupee note and when
control. Chandni Chowk
had done much to relieve
New Delhi, with a 21 gun
he ran after him with the
was colourfully decorated
salute, and in later years at
change, he waved his gun at the distress of refugees
coming from West Punjab
Kingsway, the Red Fort and on the first R-Day, right
him, thinking he wanted
from Lal Mandir to
Ramlila Grounds.
more. Hundred rupees was and Sindh and the ones
Fatehpuri Masjid and full of equivalent of a 1000 rupee
migrating to Pakistan,
It was only in 1955 that
thronging crowds carrying
camped at the Purana Qila.
the parade started taking
note now.
Going down memory lane
the route it now takes, with marigold garlands and
At night all the public
miniature tricolours. There and most private buildings
in 1960s Pandit
the dancing girls of G.B.
were huge flags and
Ramchander of Kashmere
Road raising the biggest
were illuminated. The
bunting, flowers and
hurrah. One thing worth
Viceroys House, which had Gate, who was over 90 then,
banners. The phoolmandi
recalled that he had never
noting is that the
become Rashtrapati
shopkeepers showered rose Bhavan, looked like a bride seen such glamour in Delhi
participants always rested
outside the fort, around the petals all over. People
in all her finery. Parliament even during Queen
greeted one another as they House, North and South
shrine of Bhure Mian. He
Victorias Golden Jubilee
was a jalali (fiery) saint who realized that eventually full Blocks, the Central
and the Durbar of 1911. The
freedom had been achieved, Secretariat, India Gate and mushairas and kavi
preferred solitude and
for Independence Day was
castigated Aurangzeb who
the All India Radio building sammelans followed a day
sent dog-meat curry to test just the beginning of a free
were among the prominent of exciting kite-flying in the
India. At Gurudwara Sis
his all-knowing power.
places lit up, so also was the streets of the Walled City
Ganj a big langar was held
The parade was not such a
and even the pigeonRed Fort.
and so also at Gurudwaras
grandiose event, with few
fanciers on the rooftops
There was dancing and
contingents of the Armed
Bangla Sahib and
herded their prized birds
merriment at the hotels
Forces taking part in it.
Rakabganj where
and restaurants of New
with the cry of Ab purey
Also there were no State
thousands stood in long
Delhi, prominent being
azad ho gaye (we are fully
tableaux.
queues to eat poori-sabzi
Standard, Davicos and
free now).
Prof. Khaliq Anjum, who and halwa. Connaught
Gaylord. The dance at the
was a young man then,
Place looked very
Anglo-Indian Club was
spoke of the bonhomie in
picturesque because of the
something worth talking
evidence on the occasion
about. Roses are red my
decorations as it was the
and so also Haji
most fashionable market in dear, Violets are blue/Sugar
Zahooruddin, who had been the capital. Among those
is sweet my love and so are
a schoolboy when Queen
who danced in its corridors you was perhaps the most
Victoria died in 1901. Hajiji, was Ram Lal the
liked song, followed by
who owned a hotel in the
Sweet Clementine and the
chiropodist who used to
Jama Masjid area
refrain, Shell be coming
treat bunions and
distributed sweets bought
troublesome toenails of the down the mountain when
from the shop of Haji
British soldiers stationed in she comes. However the
Kallan which were
R. V. Smith
the Red Fort and who came Rastrapati Bhavan dinner
supposed to be most
The author is a veteran
was the most talked about.
to him on Saturdays and
delicious. In Chandni
chronicler of Delhi
Sundays to get their aching There Pandit Nehru and his

THE PARTY CONTINUES (From left) Aftab Shivdasani, Gauhar Khan and Tusshar Kapoor

Kool boys in the city

Tusshar Kapoor says nothing is off limits in his latest
adult comedy
SAARTH JOLLY

Tusshar Kapoor and Aftab

Shivdasani, the veterans of
adult comedies, turned up in
Delhi to promote their latest
outing Kya Kool Hai Hum 3
with Gauhar Khan.
Asked about the experience
of shooting and featuring in
adult comedies, Aftab reminded, We are not new to
adult comedies. Both Tusshar
and I have been part of Kya
Kool series and Masti series
respectively. The kind of humour in normal movies is fit
for universal viewing while
the script and humour in
adult comedies is specifically
altered for adult audiences
and should be seen in that
light.
Tusshar, the seasoned
player of Kya Kool series
mocked at the controversy
building up over the content
of the movie. Out of all kinds
of adult films featuring violence and intense themes, only our innocent adult
comedies are targeted. The
actor clarified, People may
be getting the wrong idea as
the tagline of the movie says
A Porn-Com. See, it is a fun
story of two guys who get into
porn industry to earn money

and end up meeting two

sanskaari girls and the golmaal follows. He promised
that the movie will deliver
quality content and nothing
is out of the limits. He
closed the answer with a
wink, stating, its a family
movie, but not for kids.
Gauhar Khan, who features in a song in the movie
said, Its my first tie-up
with Balaji Films. As for the
song I would say I love the
lyrics and music of the song.
Plus, dancing with the
Kool boys was great fun
too. Gauhar added that she
had done only serious and
heavy roles in Bollywood
and would like to try funny
and comic roles. She also
expressed her desire for

All things in the

movie are done in
good spirit with no
intention of hurting
someones feelings
Aftab Shivdasani

,,

acting in Punjabi movies as

well. Asked about her choice
between acting and dancing,
she retorted, Its like asking a parent to differentiate
between his/her two kids.
When one pointed to the
possibility of big movie banners getting offended by the
parodies and spoofs of
mainstream Bollywood movies in the movie, Aftab
defended, All things in the
movie are done in good
spirit that is of fun and
humour with no intention
of
hurting
someones
feelings.
On clash with Airlift and
release of Mastizaade, another adult comedy featuring
Tusshar,
in
the
following week, Aftab said,
See both Airlift and KKHH
3 are movies of different
genres and have their own
audiences. So, I guess the
audiences will react according to their interests and
lets see what happens.
The release of movies is
not in our hands, but as
both KKHH 3 and Mastizaade are my movies and
are of the same genre, I
hope both of them do well
at box office, remarked
Tusshar.
ND-ND

p3

METROPLUS

Briefly

SPECTRUM

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU Monday, January 25, 2016

The border sentinels

BSF: Indias First Line of Defence brings to fore the
vital role played by the Border Security Force
S. RAVI

Designers
calendar
A calendar focusing on
designers like Rohit Bal,
Rohit Bal, Suket Dhir along
with Indian textiles was
launched in Connaught
Place recently.
Curated by Indian
Federation for Fashion
Development, Unplugged
Courtyard highlights that
Indian textiles are
unparalleled because of
their extraordinary
diversity in aesthetics and
techniques of different
regions. They straddle the
multiple genres of arts,
design and manufacturing.

Soak in
Maharashtrian
culture
Maha Mela, a fortnight-long
festival of Maharashtra
was inaugurated at Dilli
Haat recently.
Bringing together
handicrafts, culture, cuisine
and art of the State, the
mega event is a celebration
of different aspects of
Marathi culture.
The event seeks to create
awareness about how
Maharashtra is emerging as
a tourism destination. It
highlights the unique
experiences and offerings
for tourists.and is open for
visitors till January 31.

ART SPEAK A painting created by Sunanda Khajuria

ON THE VIGIL A scene from the documentary

iles away from

family
and
friends in an area surrounded
by snow and barbed wires,
the Diwali celebrations of S.
K. Singh and his uniformed
colleagues are limited to
praying in a makeshift temple followed by hugs and exchange of sweets. The cheer
doesnt last long as Singh
immediately orders his men
to move to neutralise a sudden infiltration bid on the
border. It is our duty to
safeguard the borders so
that others can celebrate Diwali and that gives us happiness, says Singh. It is not a
piece of fiction heightened
by sounds of violin on celluloid. It is a scene from the
documentary BSF: Indias
First Line of Defence, a fitting tribute to the yeoman
service and sacrifice rendered by Border Security
Force, worlds largest border-guarding force. Cut to
the action shots that provide
glimpse of the force in action
in Naxalite-prone areas of
Central India where they
were inducted after having
proved their mettle in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab. The planning and
briefing of this crack com-

mando unit is intriguing

but what gives goose
bumps are the action shots
of the team led by Anubhav
Sinha, assistant commandant painted black and
green making war movies
pale in comparison.
To be aired on National
Geographic Channel, the
documentary sincerely attempts to match the scale
of the force. From BSFs
training centre in Tekanpur
to different border areas, it
provides a first hand account of the forces operations in extreme climates
and harsh terrains.
The audience will realise
how hard training and discipline has turned these
men to adapt and function
efficiently in all circumstances as they will see
them trudging in deep Himalayan curves donning
snow jackets, boots and
goggles keeping a strict vigil on possible border intrusions. Similarly on the
lookout of illegal intruders
and drug runners, they
seem completely at home
on foot or astride camels in
the blistering and harsh
Thar Desert where temperatures soar beyond 50 degrees Celsius.

AYYAPPA NAGUBANDI

A group of 50 visually
impaired children came
together to dazzle the
Capital with their
performance of a musical
play Khushi Ek Ehsaas at
Kamani Auditorium.
Directed by Ritu R. Chandra
and performed by children
of JPM school, the play
depicts the world through
the eyes of a cat named
Khushi. JPM School is a
government-aided
residential school for
visually impaired children
and is managed by the Blind
Relief Association.

Jammu and Kashmir or

insurgency in the North
East or the challenges
posed today in the Naxalaffected areas or any other
international security challenge, name it and the BSF
has been there, says D. K.
Pathak, the forces proud
Director-General.
On the lighter side, the
documentarys footage of
the BSF men in a theatrical
show of strength during the
Beating Retreat ceremony
are thrilling highlighting
the powerful stamping of
feet, twirling of moustaches
and exaggerated rolling of
eyes. Overseeing it, the

These are the same

men who organise
several medical
camps, sports
activities and
distribution of books
along the remote
and poverty-stricken
border areas

dashing Assistant Commandant Ran Singh Mangawa, a third generation

serving the country, says, I
have been commanding Attari and it has got its own
jazba and junoon (emotions
and passion).
But these are the same
men who organise several
medical camps, sports activities and distribution of
books along the remote and
poverty-stricken border areas. Not just rough and
tough, the border men are
equally adept in tasks requiring delicate and sensitive handling like providing
escort to trains from Pakistan and Bangladesh to ensure no untoward incident
takes place besides protecting the farmers tilling fields
right on the borders.
Wearing their love for
the country on their sleeve
and exuding responsibility,
the BSF personnel many
of whom second and third
generation in the force
want their children too to
follow in their footsteps.
This speaks volumes of the
force, its charm and
cohesiveness.
(To be aired on National Geographic Channel,
January 25, 9 p.m.)

The age of augmented humanity

Technology has given rise to devices
that pre-empt what we want

Musical play

However, The Rann of

Kutch shots make Thar
scenes seem like a cakewalk. Protecting the border
of salt desert they risk skin
burn, blindness, dehydration, heat stroke while operating in extreme climatic
conditions during summer,
floods and winter. The task
becomes doubly difficult as
the border is unfenced.
The mental and physical
conditioning of the personnel is to be seen to be
believed. Taking to water
like fish they guard the
borders on Sir Creek and
Sunderbans lush mangroves on fast patrol boats,
wading through marshy areas while in Tripura they
make it through thick green
jungles wearing net masks
to protect themselves from
plasmodium falciparum the
worlds deadliest malaria
parasite.
This multi-dimensional
force is tasked with policing the borders 24x7 during
peace time and dons the
role of professional soldiers
when at war. BSFs role is
best described by its motto
Jeevan Pariyant Kartavya
(duty unto death). Be it
the war on the Western
borders or militancy in

It is clear that consumer technology has taken a huge leap

forward. Video games that get
harder as your heart rate rises, headwear which gives you
superhuman vision and other
devices that promise to deliver results based on the way we
think, feel and act. In other
words, it looks as though
Augmented Humanity is
here.
Augmented humanity is a
phrase that was coined in
2010 by ex-Google CEO Eric
Schmidt. It defines the use of
technology to both aid and replace human capability in a
way that combines a person
and a machine.
Our TVs, cars and homes
have become more connected. For most of us, the mobile
phone is already like a fifth
limb. Augmented humanity is
the next stage of our reliance

on technology, where wearable devices begin to preempt what we want, through

our mood, heart rate and
body temperature.
This augmentation also
defines machinery used to
replace or enhance parts of
the body. If youve had eye
laser surgery, youre already
taking advantage of the technology. Where will we see
this? Predictions range from
the extremely useful to the
exceptionally ridiculous, but
here are a few interesting
concepts:
Spotifys sensor, which listens to the users body to
measure heart-rate and
choose music based on
mood.
A tiny device called Reveal
LINQ, which sends irregular
heart-rate data from patient
to doctor, via a 3G box that
lives under your bed.
How far will we surrender

formation of Smart Contact

Lenses to measure insulin
levels, as well as Google
Glass, which could be used to
assist doctors in complex
medical procedures.
In a professional sense,
augmented humanity will increase efficiency, translating
our multilingual phone calls
in real time or even providing clothes that improve endurance or efficiency.
As with most influential
technological developments,
there are ethical issues associated with just how far this
technology will be allowed to
hack the human senses or
enhance them.
In the sports arena, in particular, an augmented human
MONITORING THE PATTERNS Goggles made by students from would have much more of an
advantage than a normal
Keio University in Japan projects the true emotions of a
one, and superhuman charperson
acteristics could be difficult
nology will thrive in medical to monitor.
our senses to machines?
Population could also beThis depends widely on research, and could revoluwhen the technology comes tionise the way we treat and come a problem. What if artito the market and how quick- manage specific medical con- ficial organ and brain
ly it becomes affordable. Its ditions. Google has certainly insemination begins to exalready clear that such tech- seen traction, releasing in- tend our lives indefinitely?

Car that brings

a smile
Feted with awards and accolades,
Hyundai Creta is an SUV that
remains stable even at high speed
No to litter
Parle MTV Junkyard
Project was announced to
use the symbol of dumping
ground to communicate the
message of not littering.
Dump trucks across Delhi
will be sporting a colourful
graffiti look with a strong
messaging of Dunk That
Junk. Littering is a bad
habit that needs to be
stopped through constant
reminders. The colourful
dump trucks will be a
reminder of the plethora of
undesignated dumping
grounds across the city.
CM
YK

S.M.UMAIR

This one still manages to keep

a whiff of freshness. Even
though not a recent launch,
Hyundai Creta is still a car
which shall be around on the
streets for a long time to
come.
Marketed as the perfect
SUV by Hyundai, it is a car,
which even if not perfect, will
keep the driver in good spirits. I discovered this while
driving this car some time
ago, for over a week. And I
couldnt find much to be critical. In fact, the manufacturer

bagging a lot of awards

and accolades recently
has, I guess, made inroads
into the competitive SUV
market with this one.
In terms of its exteriors,
Creta stands tall and is a bit
muscular. The design flows
from the trademark Fluidic
2.0 sculpted design of Hyundai. Two things that particularly stand out when
you focus on the front of
the car are its swept-back
edgy headlamps and the
three chromy slats on the
front-grille. Both give the
car a good aggressive pos-

SOLID AND SPECTACULAR Hyundai Creta

ture and sturdiness. Walking to the sides there are

well defined wheel-arches
and noticeably blackened A
and B pillar which extend a
frame and a structure to the
body. The roof rails providing the sportiness of an SUV

merge with the rear. And,

on the rear end we see the
wrapped around tail lights
which even if not the best,
look quite decent.
Moving on in the inside,
the car has a host of
attractive features like the

seven-inch AVN with six

speakers, smart key with
push button start, AUX,
Bluetooth, mobile charging
point and a lot of cubby
holes and storage spaces.
Three variants of the car
1.6l Dual VTVT petrol and

Bond sans
boundaries
An ongoing exhibition of Indian
and Korean artists manifests how
cross-cultural exchanges can
enrich the world of art
KASHISH BADAR

India has always been a

mysterious land in the
minds of Koreans. It has always fascinated them with
their culture and art, said
Park Sohee, president of
the artists group SEOMI,
while commenting on a
newly inaugurated exhibition Art Passion Korean
Passion Meets India.
The exhibition opening
ceremony organised at Korean Cultural Centre in
Lajpat Nagar recently
seeks to give Korean and
Indian artists an opportunity to interact and promote creative partnership.
It also wants to showcase to
art lovers how to reflect upon life.
With a total of 67 artists
from both countries, the
exchange exhibition is an
amalgamation of varied
paintings and art work. The
participating artists feel a
high degree of semblance
between the art of the two
countries exist. And the differences that exist are also
very positive. A myriad of
paintings are figurative
with bright colours.
Giving his take, Alok Uniyal said, It is always good
to work with artists from
different cultural backgrounds. We get to know
about the other media they
are working with. We have
come closer to the techniques they use. While
some are working with the
digital
media,
others
choose to go the traditional
way. There is so much we
get to learn via such endeavours. His work After
Party is a portrait of two
bandwallahs relaxing after
a party.
Kali Charan Gupta, who
worked in Korea for six
months in 2006, observed
that some Korean artists
have chosen to stick to
their traditional art forms,
which largely includes the
use of black ink, but many
have taken a liking for
bright colours like their Indian counterparts.

Nam Jung Ye, a follower

of the Korean tradition of
painting, opined that such
exchange programmes inspire the artistic community. Tiger is a recurring
motif in her painting,
which symbolises positivity.
Explaining her work
The Dreaming of Tiger,
she said, In Korean tradition, the tiger is important
as it prevents evil spirits
and is associated with positivity. This is the reason
that businessmen like to
have tiger paintings at
their workplace, she said.
The peony flower in the
painting stood for wealth
and the butterfly for long
life.
Two of Kali Charans
works are product of mixed
media. The acrylic paint,
he explained, took three
whole days to dry. And that
is what gives it the desired
cracks.
The cracks were prominent at some places, had a
certain structure and
looked exceptionally beautiful.
Blue with Green, a
painting by Dhaneshwar
Shah, is based on tribal
concepts and aborigines.
He felt that events such as
these offer a platform for
discussion, exchange of
ideas and build peaceful bilateral relations. While
Indian art is more natural
and human oriented, Korean art is abstract and
therein lies its beauty,
said the artist.
In one of his works, Kim
Jong Chil, a calligraphy
artist, has stitched together
different fabrics with
message-oriented inscriptions.
He is fond of Indian art
because of its purity and
depth of meaning. Indian
art is very close to life, he
said. With outstanding
compositions,
profound
but hidden significances,
the exhibition organised by
SEOMI in partnership with
Korean Cultural Centre,
India is on till February 12.

maximum power of 123PS,

the 1.6l CRDi VGT oil burner churns out a peak
power of 128PS.
Having driven the 1.6l
CRDi diesel variant I found
that the car holds good and
is stable on speeds north of
100km/per hour. There is
nice seating position for the
driver and a lot of space and
comfort for all the passengers in the car. There
are easy gearshifts and a
steady acceleration.
For the suspension there
could have been a better
make. On the brighter side,
there are ventilated disc
brakes at the front and
drum brakes at the rear
wheels which allow you to
cruise at high speeds letting
you bring it down at a quick
pace.
Overall, it is safe to pass a
1.4l and 1.6l CRDi Diesel
engines are on sale. While verdict for this one which is
all get a 6speed manual all about smiles and happigearbox, it is the 1.6l CRDi ness. Creta is a creation not
variant which offers auto- like many.
It is one of its own. And,
matic transmission too.
While the 1.6l Dual VTVT this is what makes it
petrol motor churns out a exciting.
ND-ND

p4

METROPLUS

ESCAPE

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU Monday, January 25, 2016

Ignore the potholes, enjoy the ride

Nestled in the north-eastern corner of India are eight states that hold treasures that most have
not yet heard of, or seen. They may seem tiny on the map, but in reality, these states will take
you many months of travelling by road, boat, train and foot to cover just the accessible regions,
and possibly much longer, if you want to venture into the mountains and forests. For those of
you looking for a place to begin your adventures, ROHAN K. ABRAHAM picks five highlights
to put on your list:

A thrilling high-altitude
drive to Gurudongmar
Lake, Sikkim
Looking for a memorable
extreme experience? This
could be it. At approximately
17,800 ft (5,400 m) above sea
level, this is one of the
worlds highest lakes, and is
frozen for almost seven
months every year.
Approximately 190 km away
from Gangtok and just ve

km short of the Indo-China

border, it involves a fairly
arduous journey. The
scenery, however, is
dramatic: As you drive North
from Gangtok, through
mountains and valleys, the
green cover is slowly
replaced by snow and rock.
Finally, you are
surrounded by spectacular,
crystal-clear lake waters and
snow-covered mountain

tops. If youre lucky, youll

see the remnants of the
mountain that fell near a
rhododendron forest. Yes,
the mountain collapsed
you will just have to go there
to see what I mean!
Note: Gurudongmar Lake
is occasionally inaccessible
because of heavy snowfall. Be
prepared to be stopped by
the Indian Army just before
you reach the lake; because

of the high altitude and

weather, they check each car
for unt people. (If you fall
into that category, youll just
have to wait it out at the
checkpost while the others
head up to the lake.)
Foreigners are not allowed
without a permit.
Closest airport:
Bagdogra
Closest rail station:
New Jalpaiguri

Live the life of a Naga tribal family, Nagaland

Everything you have heard about Nagaland is true. Well, almost.
They were head hunters. They do eat almost everything that moves.
And they have some incredible customs they still follow.What you
probably have not heard is that these are some of the most hospitable
people you will ever encounter. The architecture is resourceful; a
creative amalgamation of local bamboo and age-old tradition. The
state has about 16 tribes, each of which has its own distinctive style of
building. Then, theres the food. In the mood for another extreme
experience? Try the King Chilli.
A visit must include a few days in a Naga village. Stay with the locals
who will show you around and cook for you. Then you can roll up your
sleeves and help them with their work; chopping rewood, tilling the
elds, weaving shawls or just helping in the family kitchen. : There was
a time when a vegetarian would have had a problem in Nagaland, but
today, youll be ne. Permits are required to enter Nagaland, which can
be obtained through any of the travel agents or directly from Nagaland
House.
Closest airport: Dimapur
Closest rail station: Dimapur

World War II Relic Hunting,

Manipur
A little over 70 years ago, the hills of
Nagaland and Manipur were ablaze with
two very famous World War II battles
between the Allies and the JapaneseIndian National Army combine. Historians
have pegged this as one of the bloodiest
battles of World War II, and the battle was
voted as Britains greatest victory. Yes,
thats right, right here in India!
It is especially intriguing, once you
realise how easily Indias history could
have changed had the outcome of this
battle been different. And it is also even
more interesting to learn how close the
battle truly was. The invading Japanese
forces were so condent about victory that
they arrived with printed Indian currency,
ready for a takeover. If youre lucky, you
can still nd some of the Japanese-printed
Indian currency notes in some houses.
We suggest you dosome homework
before the trip for maximum impact: read
more about the battles and how the

Descending the Mighty Siang [Brahmaputra],

Arunachal Pradesh
In the far-east corner of India, wedged between China,
Bhutan and Myanmar is the magnicent land of Arunachal
Pradesh.
Magnicent because it has it all: at land, rivers, hills,
valleys, rocky mountains, glaciers and mountain passes.
It also has a startling variety of cats from snow leopards to
tigers. Cant picture it? Well, if you put Kerala atop a
Himalayan mountain, thats Arunachal Pradesh for you.
The Upper Siang (Brahmaputra) river, considered one of the
worlds greatest rivers, comes in eastward from Tibet, and cuts
across the Namcha Barwa mountain. Once it enters Arunachal
Pradesh, all hell breaks loose, as the river ows down rapidly.
Picture spending a week here descending on some of the
worlds highest rated rapids.
Note: Travelling through Arunachal Pradesh requires many
hours in the car, and very often through windy and highaltitude roads. Kayaking down the Siang/Brahmaputra river
requires a decent level of tness.
Closest airport: Dibrugarh, Assam
Closest rail station: Naharlagun, near Itanagar

A trek to Jingkieng Nongriat

the double-decker living root
bridges,
Meghalaya
This is probably the only place in
India where our standard daily Met
Department advisory from 1947 holds
good: Partly cloudy skies with slight
chances of rain. Meghalaya, home to
the towns that receive the highest
rainfall in the world, is geographically
stunning with green hills, caves, gorges,
rivers and forests.
While all over the country, we wait for
the Government to build us bridges, the
local Khasi folk of Meghalaya learnt to
build their own natural bridges about

The aroma of vadais and the sound of Tamil being spoken the writer, though
miles from India, feels at home in Kuala Lumpur
PARSHATHY J. NATH

Soodana paruppu vadai... I

am miles away from my
hometown, Coimbatore, and
just out from an encounter
with Malaysian immigration
authorities. And in a noisy
lane tucked away from sight, I
hear these delicious words! I
am in Little India, and there
are more surprises in store
for me. Tamil songs blare
from shops, and a Deepavali
bazaar is in full swing with
diya shops, cracker stalls, and
outlets selling glitzy saris.
Little India is soaked in a festive spirit. A familiar face
smiles at me from a poster on
the door of a Tamil video CD
shop. It is actor Vijay!
Little India is where ladies
head to for traditional South
Indian clothes. Vendors woo
young women with readymade saris. I hear giggles
from a sari stall nearby. Prema Manimuthu and her colleagues,
who
run
an
education foundation, are in
CM
YK

the midst of a festival shop-athon. It is a welcome break

for us from our schedule.
During Deepavali, we drawkolamsin front of the office.
My colleagues celebrate the
festival in a big way.
Prema belongs to the large
community of Tamils, who
have settled in Malaysia for
generations and made it their
home. But, they cherish Tamil culture, send their children to Tamil schools and
watch Tamil lms. Venmathy, an employee at a garments shop, says her father
taught her the Thirukkuralat
the age of three. She drawskolams,is a fan of Silappathikaram and gorges on South
Indian food. Where is she
from in India? Somewhere
in Vellore... she says, unsure.
And then, there are young
men from the small towns of
Tamil Nadu, who pack their
bags for Kuala Lumpur to
make their fortune. Twentysix-year-old Prabhu Thangavel from Salem works at a

shop, selling poojaware. I

stay in a mens hostel nearby.
All of us miss home, but we
are happy and live like family.
Of late, many youngsters are
coming to Malaysia seeking
well-paying jobs. But, he has
no plans to settle down. I
want to earn enough to sustain my family. Once I do that,
I want to get back to Salem,
he says.
I also bump into familiar
gods.A giant golden Murugan
statue looks down on me from
140 ft above the ground at Batu Caves, an eerie and dark
limestone hill-turned temple
at Selangor. One has to climb
272 steps to reach the Murugan kovil, perched on the hill
top.
I make it all the way to the
top without much effort,
thanks to small landings on
the way where I catch my
breath and take seles with
monkeys. Once we reach the
temple, there is pin-drop silence. Only the echoing sound
of devotees feet and the mur-

outcome of these two battles have shaped

the worlds, and more specically, Indias
history. Prefer to explore the real world?
Join expeditions run by the local museum,
where teams explore forests and lakes in
search of war memorabilia. To date, these
teams have found aircraft parts engines,
seats, infantry helmets, artillery, guns,
canteens among others. Who knows what
you might nd!
Note: Relic hunting doesnt happen

On familiar terrain

through the year, so you should plan your

trip carefully, to make sure that it
coincides with one of these expeditions.
Do read up on the Battles of Kohima and
Imphal.
Closest airport: Dimapur for
Nagaland and Imphal for Manipur
Closest rail station: Dimapur

200 years ago using pliable roots of

banyan trees. Living root bridges are
exactly what they sound like bridges
that are alive. Scattered across many
places in Meghalaya, they are used by
locals to cross rivers, especially when the
rains are heavy.
Ever considered walking 3,000 steps
down and then back up just to see a
bridge (covering about 3.5 km each
way)? Some parts of the steps are very
steep, and during the monsoon, they can
be a bit slippery. Be warned, it isnt as
easy as it might seem. You are, however,
rewarded with the Jingkieng Nongriat
or the double-decker root bridge in

Nongriat Village; one of the most

inspiring natural creations of man a
double-level natural bridge made from
the roots of a tree!
Note: For those who cant take on
this challenge, there are many other
accessible root bridges, such as the one
near Mawlynnong village.
Closest airport: Shillong
Closest rail station: Guwahati
Rohan K. Abraham lives in North East
India, where he focuses on inclusive,
ecologically and environmentally friendly
tourism.

attend mykula deivamsfestival. Even though he plays

old MGR songs in his shop, he
is man of modern taste. Harris Jayaraj and Surya are his
favourites. I thank him for his
stories and buy a statue of the
Laughing Buddha (also endearingly known as Kubera).
On our way down, we cross
monkeys, wailing toddlers
and noisy vendors.Iqbal, my
tourist guide, asks us to be
alert. There are stories of bag
snatching. We clutch our bags
closer and check if we still
have our passports. As much
as this place reminds us of
home, the last thing we want
is to be stranded in a dark
cave with a couple of
monkeys!

muring of mantras ll the air.

The priest is a friendly man.
He applies vibhution my
forehead, recites a few mantras andsees me off with a
cheery Have a nice day!
V. Kalimuthu, a chatty
shopkeeper, tells us the popular legend of the Batu Caves.
Many years ago, a man called
K. Thamboosamy Pillai had a
dream, where the goddess
told him about avelhidden
(The writer was at the Shell
inside this mountain. Go nd
it and build a temple for Mu- Malaysia Motorcycle Grand
rugan! she commanded. Prix 2015 on the invitation of
Thamboosamys search for Tourism Malaysia.)
thevel led to this beautiful
temple.
During the famousThaipusam festival, the entire cave is
lit up. Pilgrims from all over
the world throng this place.
The place becomes colourful
with kavadis, just like the
ones you see during thePazsays
hanifestival,
Kalimuthu.
Kalimuthu is from a small
village in Karaikudi. I visit
my home town once a year to

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