hindustantimes brunch 28 october 2012
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Hindustantimes Brunch 28 October 2012TRANSCRIPT
WEEKLY MAGAZINE, OCTOBER 28, 2012Free with your copy of Hindustan Times
WEEKLY MAGAZINE, OCTOBER 28, 2012Free with your copy of Hindustan Times
VIR SANGHVIGet a fat check
SANJOY NARAYANGrindcore tales
RAJIV MAKHNIThe iPad Mini
SEEMA GOSWAMI A new coming of ageindulge
❖ How to party with success in
the season of excess
❖ Add sparkle to your wardrobe
❖ Diyas and tealights to chase the
gloom away from every room
❖ Dial H for Halwai
❖ Sharp, cutting-edge ideas for
your kitchen
OCTOBER 28, 2012
hindustantimes.com/brunch
Cover Design: MALAY KARMAKAR
DESIGN: Ashutosh Sapru (National Editor,Design), Monica Gupta, Swati Chakrabarti,Rakesh Kumar, Ashish Singh, Ashwin Patil
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
4
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 [email protected] SH
OVE
IT
by Shreya Sethuraman
Before you plug into the FormulaOne Indian Grand Prix today,learn the ropes:■ The Buddh International Circuithas a single lap length of5.125km. With 60 gruelling
GET THE FORMULAFIRST by Manit Moorjani
A Guide To F1 For Today
Drop us a line at:[email protected] or to 18-20Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi 110001
laps in the race, this amounts toa total of 307.249 km. That’sabout the same as the distancefrom Delhi to Jaipur.■ If you drive really fast, Delhi toJaipur can take as little as fourhours. In last year’s innauguralGP here, winner SebastianVettel completed this distancein about 90 minutes.■ The track has 16 turns. Turns
10-11-12 have the most sudden bends. This is wheredrivers overtake like crazy!■ The longest stretch withouta turn is a little over a kilo-metre long, from turn 3 to 4(One of the longest in F1). Expectlightning speeds. Last year,Jaime Alguersuari drove at324.2 km/hr here!■ The competition at the top is
between drivers VVeetttteell and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso. ■ Also watch out for Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg andPaul Di Resta.
Brunch Opinion
We love Diwali. We love thesmell of it, the sound of it, the
sparkle of it. Just two weeks away, welove the idea of it. Starting tomorrow,we’re going nuts shopping for Diwaligifts (Why can’t we just gift a handful of kaju?), dust theundersides of all the tables (nobody even knows tableshave an underside!) and mark card party dates on theplanner (the key to winning is cheating). So, here’s helpfor you. Here’s wishing you a very shubh pre-Diwali. Thechaos is where all the fun is!
by Saudamini Jain
B R E A K FA ST O F C H A M P I O N S
Things You Should Have Heard AboutLOVE IT
■ Diwali. Yes, we can smellit. And yes, it’s okayto indulge!■ Coffee lovers get another hotspot tocaffeine-it-up.■ Tiny surprises. Likethat packet ofFatafat. Or that gen-erous piece of bitterchocolate pastry.■ Muskaanein jhoothihain. Who else butJaved Akhtar couldhave written words so haunt-ing. We love Talaash already.■ Saina Nehwal’s Denmark wingives us a reason to celebrate!
■ Romance will never be thesame, without you.
RIP Yash Chopra...■ The hippest
airline bids adieu■ Celebrity body-guards telling you notto get in the way. In
your office!■ The Indian version
of High School Musical.Or was it Riverdale High?
■ Life expectancy inverse-ly proportionate to TV view-
ing. (We’re mentally throwingTV sets at this study.)
TEEN PATTI
Rules Of The Game...
Now Playing
Everybody gets three cards and they throw in theminimum stake at the start of the game. Then allplayers bet to figure who has the best hand. Or youcan pay nothing and fold. The betting continues tillall except one player have folded (he wins the pot).Or when someone asks for a ‘show’ and that’swhen cards are compared. The winner is decidedon the possible combinations from the strongest tothe weakest■ Three of a kind ■ Pure sequence (sequence of the same suit)■ Sequence (Three cards in a row)■ Colour (Three of the same suit)■ High card (Ace is highest) Pair
Brunch Soirees
A HEALTHY DOSE OF HORROR STORIES"It was a dark and cold night, I was reading
about the legend of the witch on 75th streetwhen the light went off...” and so the#BrunchSoirees began last Monday. We weretrying to weave a horror story with our
favourite tweeple, and the results were hilari-ous! A big thanks to @priyank13904358
@devika_gulati @orphean_warbler @ariioso@Ever_So_Mystic @VenuSpeak @rouble92 and
@flowerfullpower! You killed our Monday morning blues
SOMETHING SANTANA?
■ Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen■ Maria Maria■ Europa (Earth’s Cry Heaven’s Smile)■ Smooth■ Soul Sacrifice■ Dance Into The Night■ Oye Como Va (Tito Puente cover)■ Put Your Lights On■ Just Feel Better■ Evil Ways
by Samar Khurshid
by Manit MoorjaniPhot
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HINK
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THERE IS LIGHT
A rock god is in Delhi! And being the insuffer-able-know-it-alls that we are, we couldn’t helpbut predict what he’s going to play. Brush up!
LETTER OF THE WEEK!The most-wanted haunted KUDOS TO you guys for coming up with The Ghostseekers! Thecover was hilarious with its one-liners, and the haunted mansionstory was a great mash-up of the typical elements in a horrormovie. My friends keep asking me what’s so special about Supernatural. Now I can just hand them a copy of Brunch! Thanks for such a great issue! — RAEESA POTNIS, via emailRaeesa wins a Flipkart voucher worth `2,500. Congrats!
A haunting, fascinating Sunday dawnTHE TALE of the fort of Bhangarh (Curse of the Tantrik, October21) gave me goosebumps. Stories of haunted houses and spiritshave always been weirdly interesting, and Brunch did an awesomejob printing all the horror soirees. — JASMINE SEKHON, via email
THE DIWALI GUIDE6
OCTOBER 28, 2012
Enough embellishment, bling and over decoration.There’s a better way to make a statement this season.The light Anarkali: The new twist on the garment is areduced ghera, less volume and a simpler style. Short, petitewomen tend to get swamped in all those layers of fabric. Sothe new look is more streamlined, with a silhouette thatmakes you look less like a tent. Get one that concentrateson the upper body – a good shape from the bust to thewaist, leaving volume for the lower half – most Indianwomen have beautiful shoulders. And forget heavy bor-ders – discreet trims add length and look better. Thegood thing about the Anarkali is that is always makesyou look dressed up – it’s like wearing a sari. The A-line Jacket: Coordinate a long well-tailoredA-line jacket with a kurta and flared pants. Theseadd length and blend Indian wear with westernchic. Again, don’t overdo the embroidery. Go foran interesting fabric instead.
ANITA DONGRE
This Diwali, it’s not about going heavy. No long dupattas or yards offabric. The big trend is to go minimalistic, but style your ensemblewith lots of accessories. Keep it light with these picks:The maxi dress: Pick one that is long and simple but has Indian
embellishments. You could team it with a churidar and dupatta orjust wear it as a dress.
The statement accessory: Don’t layer it on. Pair your kandoora[full-length kurta] or sari with a brooch. It’s more eye-catching.The new Anarkali: Choose a lighter style and wear it as a dress.And ditch the dark purples. Neons, pastels and nudes all work just aswell and can be festive too. Neons and black, particularly, make avery chic statement.
SOUNIA GOHIL
URBAN FABRICNikasha’s simple kurtasmake a chicstatement
DON’T FLARE UPAnita Dongre’s Anarkalis are low on fuss and high onstyle – they’re fitted to make the most of your bust
DRESS TO IM-PRESSSounia Gohil’s ensemblesblend East andWest
Dress UpYour DiwaliThree designers tell you what to wear,
how to wear it and what to stay away
from this festive seasonby Rachel Lopez
OCTOBER 28, 2012
FOR GUYSGuys need to remember to coordinate anentire look, not just throw on a kurta. And ifthey put on a kurta, they need to do it right.
The bandi: This is a great investment forany young man. A bandi is a shortopen vest with a Chinese collar. It’sso versatile. You can wear it withyour churidar, with jeans and a T-shirt, or with a linen shirt anddrawstring pants for a day event.It’s less restrictive and stuffythan a whole bandgala and if youwant to dress it up, tuck a silkpocket square in a contrastingcolour into the breast pocket. The linen and silk kurta: Fullyembroidered kurtas are out,unless you’re the groom and it’sdone tastefully. Otherwise, stick toa solid colour and let the materialbe luxurious, not ostentatious, withembroidery or handiwork on it.
If you’re going to a formal event such as a wedding or a puja – don’t playaround. Keep it classic with a simple sari or lehenga. But if it’s a mehendior sangeet or a fun party, Indian wear that has been given a funky moderntwist works so much better, and more Indian women are getting comfort-able with it too. Here are three ideas to try:The waistcoat: It’s possible to work androgynous chic even with ethnicwear. Indian waistcoats for women hark back to the Punjab of the late18th and early 19th century, so don’t be afraid of them. Team your kurtawith a well-fitted sleeveless waistcoat, or just wear dhoti pants with ashort kurti and a waistcoat. The fitted sleeveless jacket also goes wellwith a Patiala salwar suit and crosses the boundaries between Indianand western dressing.
The wide-leg sharara: Because it’s just so comfortable. Again this isunique to our fashion heritage – they are from the 16th-century Mughalperiod. Wear it with a short kurta or low-back kurti, andto make things more modern, team it not with a three-
metre dupatta, but a short scarf or stole. The pleated pant: Forget the salwar and go with bottoms in soft silk. Team them with a fitted brocade jacket. Or if you like a little more drama,pleated pants, with a sari blouse and a dupatta draped like a sari pallu Gujarati or
Kerala style. But if it has to be an Anarkali… Choose
a design that ends mid-thigh – so as tobecome an empire-line dress, not a full-on kurta. It makes for a younger look. FOR GUYSMake sure you look good enough foryour sherwani. Remember that kur-
tas are still the mainstay of an Indianlook. Here’s what to keep in mind:
Keep it simple: Avoid embroidery all overyour kurta. Choose colour and tailoring over
embellishment. Try simple white Aligarh kurtasinstead of heavy zardosi and use pops of colour tobrighten up the white – like a crushed silk scarf inorange or fuchsia. This is the time of the year whena bright colour is not sissy.
Red Anarkali suit in georgetterichly embellished with resham embroidery, sequinsand gold silver zari tari patchwork
From Panash, available atFashionandyou.com
Get into the festivespirit in this brightred georgetteAnarkali with a goldprint and coordi-nated dupatta.Available at Biba
IF YOU WANTTO PUMP IT UPDon’t want to be draped in six yardsthis Diwali? Try the Anarkaliinstead. It not only gives you a fes-tive look but does well over bodiesthat have something or nothing tohide. The modern Anarkali islighter so you’ll look slimmer still.
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NIKASHA TAWADEY
Go glam in thisAnarkali in neon yellow gauze with aBanarsi georgettelining. The yoke andthe border are embellished withpearls and Swarovskicrystals. Available at VinayakCouture, GreaterKailash-1, Delhi
Compiled by Veenu Singh
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Photo Courtesy: MYNTRA.COM
twitter.com/HTBrunch
OCTOBER 28, 2012
GET DRESSED, drive throughinsane traffic, arrive at party,have a great time (hopefully),drink a lot, go home, crash.
And get ready for the next one.Partying gains a completely newmeaning during the festive sea-
son. Diwali dos are like parties onsteroids: overdressed, marigold-choked. But there are many differ-
ent kinds of parties. So here’s a list ofthe various kinds you could get invit-ed to this season and how to survive
them...
THE CARD PARTYThe Holy Sweet Mother of allDiwali parties. Someone will even-
tually bring out awad of cards alongwith a fatter wad
of cash and makeyou bet your bottom
rupee in the name of tra-dition. If it is an authenticcard party and you’re aparty pooper (as in,you’re that irritating per-son who doesn’t playcards), then image guruDilip Cherian has a tipfor you: “Reach exactlytwo hours later than the time on theinvite. By then, dinner would havebeen served. Grab your plate, slinkinto a corner, stuff your face and getout. If someone does see you, you willbe pulled to a table and forced toplay.” But you don’t always have toleave, as entrepreneur VN Dalmiasuggests, “I usually don’t play but Iattend these parties to network and
socialise. So I watch the game fromthe sides and hang out with otherswho aren’t playing. The trick is tohang out with more of your kind.”
The dress code? Pull out the blingi-est outfit you have in your closet andtop it with all the gold in your name.Men can try the same with chunkywatches and chains. Narresh, onehalf of the designer duoShivan-Narresh, says, “It’sall about showing howmany Cartiers you canpair with yourLouboutins and Birkins.There are card tables of differentlevels, starting from R1,000 for achaal to a couple of lakhs. Where you
sit determines whereyou stand on the socialladder.”
Of course, the partieswhere a chaal begins ata lakh are only by invita-tion! Author Ira Trivedihappens to have attend-ed some of these. “It’sdramatic to see peoplepull out their Rolexes,car keys or vacationtickets as bets on thetable. Suitcases filled
with cash are a given.” Trivedi rec-ommends knowing the basic rules ofthe game. Traditionally teen patti(see box on the Breakfast ofChampions page) should be played ifyou want to have any fun. “I neverknew how to play cards, butstarted playing since last yearand it’s not been so bad.Especially when there’s money
involved. With my beginners’ luck, Iwon a cool R15,000 last year.”Survivor’s Tip: Carry loose cash –that is, an amount that you wouldn’tmind losing. Else, develop a thick skinor very deep pockets.
THE GREAT CHAAT PARTYThough it originated in the
Capital, we’ve heard Mumbai iscatching up fast. If you’re
wondering what hap-pens there, then it’sjust a bunch of peo-ple chatting over
chaat! Says designerAnand Bhushan, “These parties areusually hosted on the Sunday before
Diwali with chaatwallas serving 15-20types of chaat. Having a bar isn’t thenorm, since it’s usually a family gath-ering, but vodka golgappas aren’tuncommon.”Survivor's Tip: With kids around,wear clothes that can survive a chutney-slinging match.
THE BOLLYWOOD PARTYSince Diwali is ripe season forBollywood stars to promote theirendorsements, you might be invitedto a party where a star makes a five-minute appearance. “It often lookslike a movie set, with most peopledressed like extras from Mughal-e-Azam. The star arrives close to mid-night for five minutes, and everyoneeither takes a picture or gets onetaken. Post which, every one chatsabout how much work the star gotdone to their faces and bodies,” saysDilip Cherian.Survivor’s Tip: Pretend not to careabout the star, until they arrive that is!
THE EXPAT PARTYThrown mostly to ‘introduce’ foreignnationals to this glittery Indian holi-day that is not Halloween, this partycan often be quite hilarious. “Men inkurtas and women draped in sarislook funny if they don’t carry them-selves well. Also, be prepared to fendoff absurd questions like ‘When doesDiwali start in the morning?’” saysCherian.Survivor’s tip: Watch the ‘Diwali’episode of the TV show, The Office.Because it’s awesome!
AnatomyOf ADiwaliPartyA survival kit forfeisty party animals– even as they live it up during the festival of lights by Yashica Dutt
People oftenplace their
Rolexwatches or
even carkeys as betson the table
THE PATAKA PARTYTypically hosted by a club (The RotaryClub/Gymkhana), this is one of ourfavourite parties. You can sit at yourtable (without pressure to play cards)with friends, eat, drink and watch thefireworks. However, if the same scenariotakes place in a farmhouse, then you arein for the usual air-kissing routine. Saysindustrialist VN Dalmia, “It’s like a wed-ding without being one. There’s an out-door setting, the place is beautifully decorated and everyone is in the race tobe the Fat Cat.” Survivor’s Tip: Be the Fat Cat.
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8 THE DIWALI GUIDE
OCTOBER 28, 2012
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Light UpEvery Corner
IT’S A BED OF ROSES Florist Jasleen Kochhar, founder ofBougainvilla Design, likes to take abreak from the ‘marigold’ designscheme of the season, preferringwhite, gold and rose. “Using mogra foryour puja room is a good idea, it hassuch a divine fragrance,” she says.
If you don’t have the patience to oilyour diyas, Kochhar suggests usingmore pillared or textured candles as aquick fix inside the house. She opts forred, orange and purple coloured versions. “Throw some big cushionsaround the sitting area for a cosylook,” she adds. Don’t fret if you don’thave ornate bowls for your flowersand floating candles. Even a fruitbowl will do! “Delhi’s Blind Schoolis a great place to buy diyas.Okhla and Chhatarpurare your flower haunts,”she says.
Do over your home this Diwali. With tipsfrom interiors experts, it can be as simpleas experimenting with the lightingby Shreya Sethuraman
Interior designer Bubble Batra’shouse is filled with ornatewoodwork, which is her forte.However, she says, she likes tokeep it simple during Diwali,relying mostly on tea lights. Thequick-fix tips from Batra includerearranging furniture and plac-ing Ganesha idols across yourhouse. “Instead of brass idols,go for porcelain idols for anabstract touch. You could alsouse silk carpets as wall hang-ings for a period look,” she says.
CANDLES ALL THE WAY
Mumbai architect Shilpa Daga recommends newtheme-based decor every year. This year, she’sgoing with a simple pearl theme. “String thepearls into any number of chains, but ensure thatthe chains don’t overpower the space you have,”she says. “A Diwali must-have is the toran [wallhanging for the door]. Also, a fun way to get yourloved ones together is to host diya painting par-ties. This way, people feel that they’ve donesomething for their homes,” says Daga.
BRING OUT THE PEARLY WHITES
shreya.sethuraman@hindustantimes. com
10 THE DIWALI GUIDE hindustantimes.com/brunch
Light UpEvery Corner
facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunchTHE DIWALI GUIDE
Gourmet GiftsChef Kunal Kapoor lists ten kitchen must-haves. If you
don’t have the entire lot, run to the market now. Shop
for yourself or for your friends. (How on earth were
you managing without them?)
by Veenu Singh
AGOODSETOFKITCHEN KNIVES
A FOOD PROCESSOR
If you love cooking, this is somethingyou really can’t do without. Nothingcan be as irritating as not havinggood knives to work with in thekitchen. And nothing can be betterthan a nice knife block, choc-a-blocwith sharp, gleaming knives. Talkingabout sharpness, you will be sur-prised to know that more fingers arecut due to blunt knives than sharpknives. Even if you are not a profes-sional cook, you should still have atleast two to three varieties of knivesin your kitchen.
The chef’s knife: An all-purposeknife with a 9 to 10-inch blade, use-ful for chopping vegetables andeverything else.
The fish knife: A long knife with athin flexible blade. This is reallyhelpful for deboning a fish or evenclearing the insides.
The paring knife: Want to lend adash of creativity to the way youpresent your salads? This knifehelps carve out small grooves in acarrot or radish to make them lookinteresting.
The cleaver:Also known as
a butcher’s knife, this is a heavyknife with a big blade that helps cutbones or big joints of meat. It is alsouseful for smashing garlic, gingerand spring onions.Kitchen scissors: They come in handyto chop veggies such as spring onionsor to cut other vegetables.
You can call it the all-rounder of the kitchen.A mixer and grinder facilitatesblending,grinding (bothdry and wet),chopping,pureeing, whiskingand the kneading of dough.
A COFFEE MACHINEWhile all coffee machines makecoffee in a similar manner –pass hot water through ground
coffee beansand get theirflavour while doingso – there aresome that canmake an espressoor a cappuccinothat tastes as goodas a barista. They
are available in vari-eties like percolators,
drip and espresso.
A WOKCompared to the traditional kadhai, awok is not just more convenient, it isalso a smarter option as it heats foodfaster. Don’t go for the huge woks yousee in hotels. A 9 to 10-inch diameterwok is ideal for households. Choose one with wooden or stainless steel handles. Apart from deep frying and stir frying, a wok is also ideal for making stock and soups.
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ZESTER, PEELER,GRATER
Peeling veggies isa breeze witha peeler
while a zester canhelp you remove the zest from
lemons and oranges. A good gratercomes in handy to grate cheese andeven some hardspices suchas nutmeg.
AN ELECTRICWHISKIf you like baking, youcan’t do without this. Thegizmo is ideal to whiskeggs and prepare cup-cakes and mixing batter.
These work well togauge both dry foods(spices, etc) as wellas liquids (soups, oil).
While tablespoons areabbreviat-ed to tbsp,tea-spoonsareshort-ened toT or tsp.
MEASURINGSPOONS
The oven toaster grill (OTG) is con-sidered ideal for slow cooking. Thefood is baked or grilled to just theright quality. A bigger OTG en-hances better air circulation, lead-ing to much better, faster cooking.
AN OTGA CAST IRON SKILLET
OCTOBER 28, 2012
A square pan with straight lines, thiscomes in handy for grilling vegetablesand meats. Plus, the dainty grill marksmake the food look delectable.
ALSO GOOD TO HAVE ■ First-aid kit: It’s a useful
thing to have, to deal with asmall cut or a kitchen burn.■ A calibrated thermome-
ter: Ideally, heat the food to 73 degrees and hold it there for 20seconds to keep it bacteria free.This will help avoid food-relatedailments.■ Sanitiser: Not only should youkeep your hands but also yourkitchen free of germs. Kunal Kapoor is executive
sous chef at Leela Kempinski, GurgaonPhotos: THINKSTOCK
Photo: WESTINGHOUSE
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Bakery aficionados in the Westswear by the cheesecake for itssoftness and flavour. Closer home,there are few things as satisfyingas a nice juicy hot gulab jamun,particularly on a cold winter day.What if you want the best of bothworlds? Well, you cook a plain
cheesecake sans flavour (recipebelow). That’s when the gulab jamun will impart its own distinctflavour – and sweetness – to thecake. And yet it won’t be as sweetas a gulab jamun.
Available at the Leela Kempinski, Gurgaon
Here, kalakand, that classic Indianmithai, is blended with almond florentine (almonds in caramelisedsugar). It is then infused with butterscotch and raspberry sauceto create a dessert that is at oncefamiliar and exotic. A small word ofwarning though: this delectabledessert is not for those watchingtheir weight. But frankly, it’s Diwali, so throwyour diet out of the window!Available at the Hilton Mayur Vihar
INGREDIENTS: 150gm mascar-pone cheese; 250gm whippedsweetened cream; 5gm gelatin;20-25 gulab jamuns; 100gmcookie crumbs; 30gm unsaltedbutter; 1tsp cardamom powder,1tsp saunf powder, a few dropskewra water.METHOD: Melt butter, add cookiecrumbs to it. Line base of caketin with crumb mixture. Spreadevenly and press hard to form a
firm base. Refrigerate for 15mins. Soak the gelatin in 20mlwater. Stir the mascarponecheese in a bowl till it is creamy.Add cardamom, saunf powderand kewra water. Add meltedgelatin to the creamed cheese,mix well and fold in the whippedcream. Place a layer of gulabjamuns on the crumb base. Pourthe cheesecake mixture into thetin. Refrigerate for 2 hours, thenkeep at room temp for 10 mins.Slice and serve immediately.
If the idea is to provide a new twist to something that is traditional and yet simple to make, phirni fits
the bill perfectly. But instead of serving itstraight, use chocolate flowers to give
the sweet dish a contemporarytouch. Another interesting varia-
tion is to make chocolateballs and fill them with
shrikhand (not diffi-cult to prepare).
They make greatsweet munchiesfor when
guests visit.Available at The
Imperial, New Delhi
This nouvelle twist to a traditional snack involves prepar-ing a baked mix of soft dried apricot, mixed dry fruit,wholewheat flour, rolled oats, orange zest and orange juice to add that tang. To keep the patti healthyand light, brown sugar, olive oil and oats are used in themix. It can make a great accompaniment to tea or coffeeor you can serve it as dessert. Want to add a special
touch? Drizzle 30gm of meltedwhite chocolate over the
cooked mixture andallow it to set
before slicing. Available at
Dessert Carte,148, East of
Kailash, Delhi
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OCTOBER 28, 2012
ACHEESECAKE with gulabjamun, a blend of phirni andchocolate and a rangoli cakefilled with gulkand. These
exotic-sounding concoctions aren’tthe stuff of fantasy – they’re whatsweetmakers are now devising toplease bored palates.
People like indulging their sweettooth during the festive season, but inthe past few years, there’s much morethan ordinary mithai out there.Chocolate has become the new
‘mithai’ for a lot of us (except that alot of locally made chocolate is prettyghastly). But there’s a new desserttrend now: ‘fusion mithai’, in whichthe best of traditional mithai isteamed with exciting new globalflavours.
“The idea behind creating thesefusion sweets is to offer somethingthat is healthy, tasty and sweet sothat people can indulge themselveswithout guilt,” says Rashma Sud,owner of Dessert Carte, a Delhi bak-
ery. A patti (you can’t getmore traditional thanthat!) filled with apricot, anyone?“Traditional sweets are going in anew direction. Chefs are mixingthem with Western ingredients. Itmakes for a nice change. But tradi-tional desserts and their uniqueflavours will never lose their lustre,”says chef Vishal Atreya, executivesous chef with The Imperial, NewDelhi. Bon appetit!
A Sweet SpinWant tradition with a twist? Fusion mithais offer the bestof both worlds. Gulab jamun cheesecake anybody?by Veenu Singh
PHIRNI IN CHOCOLATE
KALAKAND AND FLORENTINEALMOND CAKE
DRY FRUIT & APRICOT PATTI
THE RECIPE
RANGOLI FRUIT CAKE Want to have the flavour of a fruitcake and also indulge in your paanfetish? This rangoli fruit cake is filledwith dry fruit and a dash of gulkandto add some sweetness. It also con-tains cinnamon and cardamom togive it a spicy twist and keep it fromtasting too sweet. Considering it’s Diwali, you can stick a pretty diya ontop of the cake instead of a candle.The best part about the cake is thecolourful rangoli-like design on topwhich can make for an attractivecentrepiece too. (And yes, this rangoli is totally edible!)
The cake is available at Radisson Blu MBD, Noida
GULAB JAMUN CHEESECAKE
THE DIWALI GUIDE
OCTOBER 28, 2012
ABOUT TEN days before anyIndian festival, Old Delhisweetmaker Ram Sharanhalwai’s phone begins
buzzing with orders. Some ordersare for 40-50 kilos, although that’son the lower side considering hisclientele that includes the tradition-al elite of the city. A third generationhalwai from the Jiwa Ram family ofCheera Khana Maliwara, RamSharan is carrying forward an oldIndian legacy: something that only afew halwais (most of them inChandni Chowk) can boast of. Hevisits the residences of his clientsand prepares mithai for the familyin their homes. “Many families callus over for special occasions andfestivals. For some, it’s a matter ofshauk, for others, it’s because of thepurity that this tradition ensures.They offer mithai to the deity andmany use it for a fast. This traditionis in our roots and over the past fewyears, new families have also beencalling us,” he says.
AN AUTHENTIC LEGACYOne of the families Ram Sharancaters to are the Parakhs, original-ly from Chandni Chowk. His familyhas been cooking for them forthree generations. “We get tradi-tional Chandni Chowk mithais likepista, kaju, khajoor and other dryfruit barfis, made for us,” sayshomemaker Neera Parakh, 54,born and brought up inChandni Chowk, whose fami-ly has followed the cus-tomised sweets tradition forfive generations.“Some,
like the walnut lauz, are not evenavailable in the market; we getthem made in the house on festiveoccasions. Besides purity, we alsoget the same traditional taste.”
Established business families inDelhi have been following this tra-dition for generations, says TVhost Mayur Sharma, one half of thepopular duo Rocky and Mayurfrom Highway on My Plate. “Mahip-at halwai, for instance, has beenmaking pinni ke ladoos for theDeshbandhu Gupta family foryears.”
RIDING A REVIVAL Although Ram Sharan does sell indi-
vidual boxes, his store in themiddle of the bustlingChandni Chowk market has
no display window or seating.One can see people cooking,slicing, and packaging sweets.“A large batch takes 24 hours
to complete,” saysSharan. “Many people
don’t have the time forsuch a luxury. Butstill, these mithaishave their followers,and through wordof mouth, more
people havebegun to get itdone. After all,most of us dowant to hold onto our trad-itions.”
Halwai On CallOld Delhi has a tradition of halwais visitingclients’ homes on special occasionsby Manit Moorjani
A DATE WITH TASTERam Sharan with a boxof khajoor lauz
IT’S A NO-NO Sweetmakers who customise mithai for their clientsdon’t make sweets made of khoya,chenna or besan. HOT FAVOURITES The traditionalfavourites of Old Delhi – badam lauz,pista lauz, walnut lauz and other dryfruit lauz varieties – are the mostpopular among their clients.THE FULL MUNCHY Often, halwaisalso make traditional biscuits and namkeens for the families.GOOD OLD LADOO...Some halwaisspecialise in pinni ke ladoo.
NUTS OVER TRADITION
Photo: M ZHAZO
twitter.com/HTBrunch
FAT IS a foodie issue. For some decadesnow, there has been a divergence of opin-ion between the medical establishmentand people who love good food. Most food-
ies have no real problems with fat. In fact, I wouldgo so far as to argue that if you don’t like butter,the taste of a good olive oil, the little specks of marbled fat on asteak, the delicious fatty taste of top quality bacon (assuming, ofcourse, that you eat meat, pork, beef etc.) or the rich fatty flavourof homemade ice cream, you are probably not a foodie at all.
The medical establishment, on the other hand, takes a viewthat is not only complex but also changes every few years orso. For decades we were told that fat would makeus tubby. Cut out the fat content of our meals(“make your salads without oil….”), and we wouldall become slim. Anecdotal evidence suggeststhat this is too simplistic a view. And besides,research over the last decade suggested that itwas starch (white bread, white rice, etc.) not fatthat made you fat.
That discovery led to the popularity of high-protein diets where you were allowed to eat
butter, bacon etc. as long as you steeredclear of pizza, pasta etc. Medicine nowconcedes (grudgingly) that yes, anybody
who embarks on a high protein diet will loseweight no matter how many calories are con-
sumed. But doctors argue, accurately enough,that too much fat can clog the arteries and contribute toputting pressure on the heart.
Except that it is not as simple as that, either. Somedecades ago, doctors came to the con-
clusion that some fats were reallybad for you while some were okay.The science is a little boring
(monounsaturated, poly-unsaturated, blah, blah,blah) so I’ll spare you all those details. But whatthe doctors said, in essence, was that animal fatwas bad while vegetable fat was good.
So we stopped cooking in ghee. We put away thebutter. And we switched to vegetable-oil based sub-stitutes like Dalda and margarine. Then, medicinehad a change of heart. Actually, said the doctors,stuff like Dalda was worse for your heart than ghee.(They took care to wait for many decades and thou-sands of heart attacks to come to this conclusion.)The real problem was trans fats or hydrogenatedfats. Again, I’ll spare you the science (all aboutadding extra hydrogen atoms to molecules or some-
thing as boring) but basically what they said was that if ‘good fats’(i.e. vegetable fats) were converted in any way (from liquid to solidas in Dalda) then they became Very Bad Fats.
So, a new orthodoxy developed. Trans fats were bad. Animalfat was still not very good. But olive oil was the best. The empir-ical evidence for this was something called the French Paradox
which used statistics to show that the French whoate lots of red meat had low rates of heart diseasebecause they drank red wine and cooked in oliveoil. Both red wine and olive oil contained sub-stances that went through the arteries removingplaque and therefore acted as nature’s own heart-attack preventers.
There were two problems with the FrenchParadox. The first was that the lowest rates ofheart disease occurred in those parts of Francewhere they cooked in butter or lard, not olive oil.And secondly, rates of heart disease are going up in France even as olive oil becomes more pop-ular.
At present, the health establishment is in dis-array when it comes to fat. About all we can agree
on is that trans fats are bad. Vegetable oils in their natural stateare probably okay (but beware of excessive health claims madeby every expensive imported oil) And there’s nothing wrong withbutter, ghee or a little animal fat but don’t eat too much of it.
All this makes foodies feel much, much better. We may ormay not always realise it but most great food cultures are basedon a foundation of fat. When Auguste Escoffier, the French chefwho codified old-style haute cuisine, was asked what the threegreat secrets of French cuisine were, he said “butter, butterand butter”.
And the French use a lot of other animal fat too: they like tocook their potatoes in goose fat, they use lard for baking andtheir great delicacy, foie gras, is nearly all poultry fat. In the
Vir Sanghvi
rude fo
od
GIVE GREASE A CHANCEEat fat in moderation and once it is in your mouth,savour the feeling of melting kebabs (above)
The lean meatkeema comesfrom the top ofthe thigh of thegoat, but goodchefs will not
use the fat fromthat part
18 indulge
FAT CHECKThe healthestablishmentis in disarraywhen it comesto fat. WhileI’m aware ofthe healthaspects, Ithink it is sillyto try andeliminate fatfrom our food
MEDITERRANEAN FLAVOURA good olive oil is worth using for the taste alone
no matter how many calories it has
OCTOBER 28, 2012
Mediterranean, the cuisine is based on olive oil. The Chinese liketo pretend that their cuisine is healthy and fat free but they lovetheir pork fat.
Which brings us to India. When we think of rich and complexvegetarian cuisines, we like to imagine that they have no roomfor animal fat. In fact, the basis of many Indian vegetarian hautecuisines is animal fat: ghee.
Indians don’t like to think of milk as an animal product butthat is what it really is (even if no animals are harmed in its pro-duction). Because all cuisines need a dose of animal fat now andthen to make their dishes work, most Indian vegetarian styles ofcooking respected milk fat for the richness it brought to dishes.
In the North-East they don’t have much time for milk, so theyuse pig fat for the richness; this is why so many of their disheshave large chunks of pork, and a good momo is one where the ani-mal fat in the stuffing has melted and coated the meat. In theNorth, there is a divergence between Hindu and Muslim styles ofcooking. Hindus rely on dairy fat while Muslims like goat fat. Noneof them feels any embarrassment about the quantities of fat theyuse. Tell a traditional Hindu chef to go easy on the ghee and hewill act as though you have destroyed the basis of his cuisine.
Muslim chefs are more upfront. Talk to a traditional Qureshichef and, because he comes from a butchery tradition, he willhold forth at length about the kinds of goat fat that go into hisdishes. Most recipes will specify which part of the animal thefat comes from. The most famous recipe is the one forthe kakori kebab. The lean meat keema comes fromthe top of the thigh of the goat but good chefs willnot use the fat from that part of the animal. Insteadthey will take the fat from around the kidney andadd it to the lean meat.
Though the Qureshis are reluctant to part withtheir recipes, animal fat is often the secretingredient in many of their dishes. Otherchefs have taken those techniques and usedthem but not always with the same finesse.For instance, while judging Foodistan I wasserved a biryani with the unmistakable tasteof goat which was odd because the dish had nomeat – or so we were told. It turned out that thechef had put in a little kidney fat (from a goat) inthe finishing to give the biryani a richness. At dhabasin parts of India where beef is legal, some cooks willput a little beef fat into the gravy at the final stages(even if the curry is made from chicken or goat) just
to give the dish a meaty heft.On the other hand, Hyderabadi cuisine is much less depend-
ent on fat. While shooting for the second season of Custom Madelast week in Hyderabad, I had the honour of enjoying a mealcooked by the great Mehboob Alam Khan. The kebabs at hishouse were divine but he made sure to point out that unlike therival Lucknow tradition, Hyderabadi cuisine relied on the flavoursof meat and spices without requiring chefs to add extra animalfat to everything.
My own view on fat is that while I’m aware of thehealth aspects, I think it is silly to try and eliminate
it from food. Ice cream tastes best when the fat contentis high. Pork is not much of a meat without the fat. There
is simply no substitute for butter. A good olive oilis worth using for the taste alone no matter how
many calories it has.And fat used correctly can be divine.
The single best Kerala-style beef fry Ihave ever eaten was made by Puru-
shotham, the Leela group’s legendarySouth Indian chef who despite being an
Andhraite has mastered Mrs Leela Nair’sMalayali recipes. All of Purushotham’s beef
fries (like the rest of his food) are fantastic buton this occasion, he made the dish with Australian
Wagyu. As the meat cooked, the fat melted andgently coated the masala with delicious richness.
The mixture of fat and spice was simply irresistible.So here’s my advice: don’t worry too much about
the doctors; they change their minds every week.Eat fat in moderation and once it is in your mouth,enjoy the silky richness of good butter, a deliciousolive oil, or a melting kakori kebab.
MADE IN FOODIE HEAVENThe little specks of marbled fat on a steak (above) are what give it taste.Fat imparts flavour to food
FAT NO BARIf you’re a foodie, there’s no way you won’t like the delicious, fattytaste of top quality bacon (assuming you eat meat, pork, beef etc)
A MATTER OF TASTEThere is simply no substitute for butter – and ice cream(right) tastes best when the fat content is high
MEATING POINTThe Leela group’s chef Purshotham (left) has, onoccasion, used AustralianWagyu to make Kerala-style beef fry. The resultant mixture of fat and spice is irresistible
hindustantimes.com/brunch 19
Photos: THINKSTOCK
THE GOOD LIFEThe French like to cooktheir potatoes in goose fatand their great delicacy,foie gras (above), isnearly all poultry fat
OCTOBER 28, 2012
Dear Tim,
Hope things are good with you and your bikingand hiking are going well. I am sure you are wellrested after all the excitement and hard work youand your team put in to launch the iPad Mini. Infact, as I write this letter to you, I’m really hopingthat – THAT is what you released. You see, I’mwriting to you about six hours before your ‘We’vegot a little more to show you’ event. Yes, I know –that is bizarre, but it’s best if we don’t go downthat route. It’s all to do with very stringent ‘goingto print deadlines’ and a tough-as-nails editor who just won’t lis-ten (and don’t get me started on how I have to literally go downon my knees and beg for a two-page column and get it once in sixmonths!). So, like I said, I am really hoping you released an iPadMini (or whatever you finally called it) or I’m going tolook like a bit of a prat!
Timothy, I know life is hard right now – but you’vereally been hanging tough. After the serious bungleof calling the third iPad just an iPad (but that retinadisplay really helped you pull that off), the disap-pointment of the iPhone 5 not having that one jaw-dropping Applish feature (but look at the sales of thatphone) and the total disaster of your mapping tech-nology (at least it got people to drive and walk on topoff water) – you’re still forging ahead. I also know thiswhole Samsung patent war must be driving you battywith all these ups and downs. One day the court givesyou $1.05 billion, and on another they ask you to pub-licly apologise to them. Wish they would just make uptheir minds if Samsung is or isn’t copying your products.
Timmy, my man – I can well imagine what you feel when yousit at your office at 1, Infinite Loop (love that name) and makesuch critical decisions. After all, you head the world’s most valu-able company that has more cash reserves than the US govern-ment (talk about pressure). One single mistake could wipe outthat amazing Apple Fans club that is literally the backbone of all
that you do. You’ve seen Apple shares zoom to $705 and thencrash to $600 and you know firsthand the level of expecta-
tion people have from Apple. The world expects you to beon your toes, to come out with game-changing new
devices every few days, to reinvent each categoryevery time and to do a Steve Jobs every second ofthe day. Even though your compensation was valuedat $378 million (which makes you the highest paidCEO in the world) – I don’t envy you, at all, Timmy.
You’ve got big shoes and big coffers to fill.But, Tim. This iPad Mini thing. I hope you’ve
really though this out. I mean it’s a great idea andall business wise – but isn't this against the wholeethos of what Apple as a company stands for asalso Steve Jobs’ vision? Steve did say that youguys would never get into the smaller 7-inch mar-ket for tablets as then he would also have to getall of us to file our fingers down to small pointyends. He also did add that “7-inch tablets aretweeners: too big to compete with a Smartphoneand too small to compete with the iPad.” I know,it’s smart that you didn’t go for a 7-inch and wentfor 7.85 inches and can now say that you haven’tgone against Steve’s wishes, but come on. Nobody’sreally going to fall for that one. The iPad Mini isa business decision and it’s pretty obvious thatyou needed one bad!
First off, you’re trying to take on the might ofthe Kindle Fire, the Nook and the Google Nexus7 tablet. Those really sold like wildfire and tookaway significant numbers from you. But an iPadMini that takes those on means that those superfat margins that Apple operates on will be goneforever. After all even Amazon has agreed that
they don’t make any money selling Kindle Fire hardware. Thenthere’s this beautiful focus you have with your product line. If Iwant a phone – it’s the iPhone and if I want a tablet – it’s the iPad.With the iPad Mini you’ve just made that fabulously distinctive
product line get completely murky. Customers aregoing to be mightily confused now and an unfocussedApple is the last thing this world needs. It also meanscannibalisation from your own products. And any-thing that has cannibalisation and Apple in the samesentence is never a good thing. Add to this, the factthat to compete in this 7-inch area, you’ve got to bevery well priced. Which means compromise on theproduct. The iPad Mini isn’t really a category chang-er, it’s not an innovators’ dream and it’s nowherenear the next big thing. It’s a lower specced, small-er tablet with no whiz-bang features. Apple is thetechnology leader, the jaw-dropper, the companythat can go where no company has gone before. And
the iPad Mini technology really isn't what Apple isall about, is it?
Tim, dude. I feel your pain. I really do. The pressure to per-form is immense and to fill Steve Jobs’ shoes has got to be thehardest job ever. Business compulsions and the need to keepthose Apple numbers still looking good forces you to do thingsyou would never even think of otherwise. This will be the firsttime ever in Apple where the head rules the heart and businesshas over ruled true tech passion. Don’t worry too much about it,though. The iPad Mini will sell in great numbers, make yourshareholders happy, make you look good and also help keep thosemillion shares you have to grow into a bigger nest.
With a heavy heart, I bid you goodbye and promise to writeto you on the next big Apple launch.
LoveRajiv Makhni is managing editor, Technology, NDTV, and the anchor of Gadget Guru,
CellGuru and Newsnet 3. Follow Rajiv on Twitter at twitter.com /RajivMakhni
Rajiv Makhni
MAN ON THE MOVEApple CEO Timothy Cookknows firsthand the level of expectation people havefrom Apple
techilicious
20 indulge
An open letter to Apple CEOTim Cook: Is the iPadMini technologyreally whatApple is allabout?
THE IPAD MINICONUNDRUM
WHY MINI?A smalleriPad is just abusiness decision
The iPad Miniis really
nowhere nearthe next big
thing
OCTOBER 28, 2012
I’M WRITING this with my headphonesjammed on my ears and the volume crankedup high. It is an ill-advised thing to do. Because
I’m listening to a band called Pig Destroyer. They’refrom Washington DC and they play a genre ofmusic that is known as grindcore. Grindcore isloud. LOUD. It is probably the heaviest, most dis-torted and abrasive kind of music that I have everheard. I’ve heard various types of heavy metal –doom, death and thrash metal, Japanese bandsthat routinely blow out the audience’s eardrumsand cause nosebleeds and heart attacks, and oth-ers of their ilk from the US and Europe. But noth-ing comes close to what I’m getting fed into myears via my headphones right now.
The album that I’m listening to is called PhantomLimb. It was released in 2007 and on its 15 (most-ly mercifully short) songs, vocalist J R Hayesshrieks, growls and emits sounds that I have notever heard a human being produce. The guitarriffs by Hayes’ bandmate Scott Hull are again of the most gratinglyabrasive kind that I’ve encountered in years of indiscriminate lis-tening to music of all kinds. But somehow, I find Phantom Limb abig relief.
Frankly, I never thought I’d be listening to a genre such as grind-core. In fact, I did because of the circumstances. I’d been wander-ing around on the NPR (America’s National Public Radio) websiteand found a first listen stream of Pig Destroyer’s latest album, BookBurner, which had not yet been released and, intrigued by the star-tling violence of their music, I went ahead to Relapse Records, theirlabel, and bought a download of 2007’s Phantom Limb.
But the real reason why I opted for Pig Destroyer on the head-phones was an ongoing weekend disturbance at home. My twogirls – one about to be 18 and the other eight – were duelling
with each other (it’s a routine thing that I’m slow-ly getting used to) over what they wanted to lis-ten to on the stereo. The younger one insisted(and got) to play Best Coast’s The Only Place andthen Kishi Bashi’s 151a, both albums that thishousehold has heard a zillion times and more. Theolder one wanted Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails andsome My Morning Jacket. By then the youngerone, a headstrong Taurean, was obsessively keenon Green Day’s American Idiot. The older oneindulgently gave in but the CD could not be found.The album wasn’t ripped on any of my iPods either.Domestic tension ensued. I retreated, headphonein tow and settled for Pig Destroyer.
One way – not a foolproof one, though -- of recog-nising a grindcore band is by its name. PigDestroyer’s frontman Hayes has been in bandswith names such as Agoraphobic Nosebleed,Japanese Torture Comedy Hour and another onewith a two-word name (one begins with A and theother with C; look it up) that I cannot mention in
a family magazine such as this without risking the ire of, well,everyone. Shrieks, growls, guitars that sear and cut like electricpowered saws and an overall sense of anarchy is what grindcorecan come across as and Pig Destroyer is no different.
Yet, there is something to Pig Destroyer’s music and I realisedit only after a couple of spins of Phantom Limb. It is in the lyrics.Traditionally, grindcore songs have dealt with gore and killing andmorbid violence. But it really doesn’t matter because I am not sureanyone outside the band knows what a grindcore ensemble issinging about. Indeed, after listening to the way a grindcore vocal-ist sings a single song, it is difficult to imagine that his vocal chordscan function normally ever after that. But Pig Destroyer’s songshave something about them that stands apart. And probably that’sthe reason their albums have managed to edge into the mainstream.
As I said, I bought Phantom Limb from Relapse’s website, andthe download comes with lyrics. On Deathtripper, Hayes sings(or rather screams unintelligibly unless you’re reading the words):‘I hold your hand in mine/The rest of you is scattered/ All over/Your rib cage is open/ Like a great white’s jaws/ Your legs/ Lookso sexy out of context/ Out of context. On Lesser Animal, hegrowls: Got no use/ For psychiatry/ I can talk to the voices inmy head for free/ Mood swings like an axe/ Into those aroundme/ My tongue is a double agent.’
Let’s say I was making a playlist for a commute or a workoutor just like that, grindcore will probably not be a genre that I’llreach for instinctively. But, as I recently discovered after aninterlude with Pig Destroyer, it can be a great escape route –your mind pounded by shrieks, shredded sandpaper-like guitarriffs and lyrics that are more gory than gore. By the time I’d fin-ished listening to Phantom Limb (it is around 38 minutes andthe new one, Book Burner, is even shorter), the siblings had set-tled their dispute over what to play and were engrossed in re-watching the The Chronicles of Narnia. What a relief!
To give feedback, stream or download the music mentioned in this column, go tohttp://blogs.hindustantimes.com/download-central, follow argus48 on Twitter
SanjoyNarayan
facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch
DRILL YOUR BRAIN,DRILL YOUR SOULI’ve heard lots of heavy metal, includingJapanese bands that cause nosebleeds!But grindcore is something else
down
load c
entral
American soul singer Cody ChesnuTT’s(yes, two capital Ts, don’t ask me why!)
mainstream recognition came when thehip-hop group, The Roots, picked up oneof his songs and adapted it. I heardCody live on a recent broadcast of theSeattle FM station KEXP and that trig-gered me to try his 10-year-old album,The Headphone Masterpiece.ChesnuTT infuses jazz, gospel andAfrobeat into his soul offerings and hislyrics have a contemporary feel. I’mwaiting to get his new album, LandingOn A Hundred, which will be out soon.
THE JUKEBOX
OCTOBER 28, 2012
Photo: COURTESY FACEBOOK
FAMILIAR TERRITORYTheir lyrics set Pig Destroyer(below) apart from the restof the grindcore genre
SANDPAPER SYMPHONYThe guitar riffs on Phantom Limb (above) are gratingly abrasive
GRIND YOUR COREThe soon-to-released album, Book Burner,seems startlingly violent
21indulge
AS SOMEONE who grew up seeingSridevi and Madhuri Dixit light up thelarge screen with their 1,000-watt smiles,
I must admit to taking a particular pride in theirrecent return to the limelight. While Madhurimade a slight misstep with the massively ill-judged Aaja Nachle (which wasn’t as much come-back vehicle as a car crash waiting to happen)she has recovered lost ground with her mega-glamorous judging stint on Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa.Certainly, more people tuned in to see her workthat old magic on the dance floor rather thanwatch the actual contestants.
And then, there’s Sridevi. What can you sayabout a woman who looks better today, at the cuspof 50, than she did during her 20s and 30s? (Exceptthat she should patent her diet and exercise regimeand flog it to make an absolute fortune.) An actresswho can come back to the movies after a 15-year
hiatus and make us feel like she was never away? A star whodoesn’t need a huge production house to bolster her chances,but has the confidence to take on a small, simple movie, know-ing that she can make it sparkle and shine with her owncharisma?
There’s really not much to say, apart from ‘Welcome back’and ‘What took you so long?’
But who knows, perhaps both Sridevi and Madhuri havejudged the zeitgeist well. And that, in India at least, this isthe exact right moment for the older woman to make herclaim for a spot in the sun.
In the West, of course, women stars of a certain age havebeen flourishing for a while now. In Hollywood, Meryl Streepstill rules, churning out hit after hit (Mamma Mia!, It’sComplicated, Julie & Julia, The Iron Lady), and manages toexude a mature sex appeal even though she is now a ven-erable 63. This year, she won the Oscar for best actress forher portrayal of Margaret Thatcher – and among the rivalswho lost out to her were Glenn Close, 64, nominated for play-ing a cross-dressing waiter in Albert Nobbs, and Viola Davis,46, nominated for her portrayal of an African-Americanmaid in The Help.
On American television, the most popular female comicstar today is the 42-year-old Tina Fey, who created 30 Rock,based on her experiences as a part of Saturday Night Live,and plays the central character of Liz Lemon. The biggestglobal hit to come out of US network television in recenttimes is the series, Modern Family. And of its female stars,Julie Bowen (who won the Emmy this year for her role
of harried mom-of-three Claire Dunphy) is 42,while the Colombian bombshell, Sofia Vergara,who plays her stepmother (and is gloriously preg-nant in the latest season) turned 40 this year.
In fact, if you took a good look across the audi-torium where the Emmy awards were being held,it was hard to spot an A-list actress who was under30. The heavily-pregnant Claire Danes who went
up to receive her award for lead actress in a drama series forHomeland is 33; Christina Hendricks, who was nominated forMad Men but lost out, is 36; while the award for the best sup-porting actress in a drama series went to Downton Abbey’s DameMaggie Smith, now a majestic 77. The biggest loser of the day wasthe 26-year-old Lena Dunham, whose comedy show, Girls, didn’twin a single gong – though she was memorably pictured nakedon a toilet eating cake, in a comedy skit preceding the show.
On Indian television, too, the older woman seems to be cominginto her own. Sakshi Tanwar, who is arguably the best-known femaleTV star after her lead roles in Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii and BadeAchhe Lagte Hain (now that Smriti Irani has abandoned acting for
politics), is now just one year short of 40. Theanchor of choice for reality shows, Mini Mathur,is 36. And on news TV as well, the biggestfemale stars are all well over 30: SagarikaGhose of CNN-IBN is 47; Barkha Dutt of NDTVis 40; Nidhi Razdan, also of NDTV (clearly avery woman-friendly organisation), is 35.
Yes, the day of the teeny-bopper seemsto be well and truly past. This is turn-
ing out to be the era of the maturewoman. A woman who has lived alittle; a woman who has the wis-dom of the years behind her; awoman who just gets better withage. A woman like Sridevi andMadhuri, who may be past thefirst flush of youth, but can stillhold her own against the teenagesensations of today.
And if you ask me, it’s not amoment too soon.
[email protected]. Follow Seemaon Twitter at twitter.com/seemagoswami
SeemaGoswami
Phot
os: R
EUTE
RS
THE TRIUMPH OFTHE OLDER WOMAN
THE AGE OF TRIUMPHIn the West, Meryl Streep (centre) still rules, the mostpopular female comic star today is the 42-year-old Tina Fey (right) and Dame Maggie Smith, now 77,won best supporting actress in a drama series
It’s the season when 30 and 40-pluses arecrawling out of the woodwork – and not a moment too soon
A COMEBACK?Sridevi came back to themovies after a 15-year hiatus and made us feel likeshe was never away
22 indulge
spectator
OCTOBER 28, 2012
Photo: GETTY IMAGES
Sakshi Tanwar, who is arguably thebest-known female Indian TV star,
is now just one year short of 40
23twitter.com/HTBrunch
Five cars you could
consider buyingthis Diwali
by Sumant Banerjee
Hot Wheels
MORE CAR PER RUPEEFrom the Nano to the Hyundai Eon, the Alto has thwartedcompetition for close to 12 years. In its relaunched avatar,critics will bemoan the lack of originality in the new designand cosmetic improvements in the engine, but at a price ofR2.44-3.56 lakh, the vehicle is still great value for money. Itmay help fulfil the dream of owning a car for many Indians.
PEPPY HEAVYWEIGHTThe Quanto is the first sub-4-metre utility vehicle in the countrythat offers seven seats. But the two jump seats at the back aremostly unusable. It has the smallest engine in the world with atwin turbocharger, which means the car feels peppier despiteits obvious bulkiness. In the price bracket of R5.99-7.57 lakh, it isMahindra’s cheapest offering till date.
THE REFINED BEASTM&M’s first offering fromSsangyong Motors, the Korean company it ac-quired in 2010, the Rextonhighlights the shape ofthings to come. Priced atR17.75-19.75 lakh, the Rexton is not as futuristicas a Santa Fe or as ruggedas a Pajero. But it is goodvalue for money.
THE SMOOTH RIDER FROM CHINAThe first Chinese car to enter India, albeit through thebackdoor, the Sail U-VA bites into the premium hatchbacksegment. It has spacious interiors but the petrol engine issluggish. Still, at R4.2-6.5 lakh, it will be a challenge forGM to shed its habit of pricing its cars out of the market.
RIDING ON CLASSThe cheapest three-pointedstar, the Mercedes B-classlays the foundation for aneven more affordable A-classnext year. It has decentspace, good ride quality andthe Merc badge at a price ofR21.49-24.87 lakh. But it lacksa diesel variant at present.
THE DIWALI GUIDE
Prices are ex-showroom Delhi
PROMOTION
24 hindustantimes.com/brunchPERSONAL AGENDA
BIRTHDAYJune 19 (Gemini)
SCHOOL/COLLEGESt Anne’s High School, Jai Hind College, KC College
PLACE OF BIRTHMumbai
HOMETOWNMumbai
Kajal AggarwalActress
If you had an option, which film wouldyou have picked as your debut?I couldn’t have asked for a better debut than Singham, oneof the biggest all-time grossers.Sexiest actors in Bollywood?Salman [Khan] and Hrithik
[Roshan]. What is the best thing about
Bollywood/Tollywood?The fact that the Hindi
and south industriesshare their pool of
talent. That makes it
one big Indian film industry.One director you want to work with? Mani Ratnam.One classic that you would have lovedto be a part of?Mughal-e-Azam.The last line of your autobiographywould read…“And this is my story.” A dessert that describes you.Warm chocolate mudcake anda scoop of vanilla ice cream.What do you prefer – a little blackdress or a black saree?Both actually. Depends on the occasion and the company.What is your fondest memory?Eating ice cream in the rain atMarine Drive.Your last meal would be?Dessert. An item number you would do?I find item numbers very catchyand would love to do some-thing soon. One song that describes your current
state of mind.Moves Like Jagger.One gadget you love to flaunt? I am not a gadget person.Your favourite mobile applications?Zomato and Between. Your dream destination?The Caribbean islands.Who is your 3am friend?My sister Lajja Sanghavi andmy best friend Nisha Aggarwal.What’s on your bedside table?A bottle of water, the book I’mreading, foot moisturiser, TVand AC remote controls.The last time you had a bad hair day?Yesterday.What makes your day?Sweet morning SMSes fromthe people I love.What spoils it?Delays.You destress with?Music, conversations, massage.
FIRST BREAK Lakshmi Kalyanam(Telugu)
LOW POINT OF YOUR LIFEThankfully haven’t seen it yet. Although, Ihave low moments due to over-exertion
HIGH POINT OFYOUR LIFE Acting in Magadheera
CURRENTLYDOINGSpecial Chabbis
THE MOST PAISA VASOOLFILMHera Pheri
—Interviewed by Veenu Singh
Yeh Dillagi
A MOVIE THATWAS A PART OF YOUR CHILDHOOD
Rangeela,Congo
THE FIRSTMOVIES YOUSAW ON THEBIG SCREEN
OCTOBER 28, 2012
BOLLYWOOD’S MOST ROMANTIC PAIR?
Raj Kapoor andNargis, Shah Rukh
and Kajol
my movies
Scent of a Woman,Before Sunrise, Before Sunset
THE FILM YOU HAVE SEENMORE THAN FIVE TIMES
Kuch Kuch HotaHai
THE MOST OVERRATED FILM
