http://www.livemint.com/ Livemint.com | © CopyRight HT Media Ltd. 2012 en-Us Sun, 27 May 2012 03:35:47 GMT 60 http://www.livemint.com/ http://www.livemint.com/Images/livemintbeta_rss.gif 144 33 http://www.livemint.com/2012/05/25210630/Drawn-from-memory.html A tribute to the art that a loving couple, folk singers from Rajasthan, practised together Anindita Ghose Fri, 25 May 2012 15:36:00 GMT 32f975b0-a674-11e1-99bc-000b5dabf613 http://www.livemint.com/32f975b0-a674-11e1-99bc-000b5dabf613_39_39SubVpf.gif http://www.livemint.com/32f975b0-a674-11e1-99bc-000b5dabf613_300_200E09Vpf.gif <div>All Teju wanted as a little girl was to get aboard the trains that ran along the edge of the dusty village in Rajasthan where she grew up. On occasions, she would walk to the station 8km away, wait for a train to stop, and whisper, “Take me to the city.”</div><div>At 13, when her family migrated in search of work, Teju did get to the city. Later, she also travelled with her husband, the folk singer and artist Ganeshbhai Jogi, to Ahmedabad and Mumbai. In a beautifully illustrated book by Tara Books, <i>Drawing From the City</i>, Tejubehan, in her late 50s now, and based in Ahmedabad, gives us the story of her life.</div><div><div class="dvbxImg"><img src="FE7203F2-317D-47E1-AB47-3777DD295ED4" alt="Drawing From the City: By Tejubehan, Tara Books, 27 pages, Rs750." title="Drawing From the City: By Tejubehan, Tara Books, 27 pages, Rs750." height="200" width="300" align="left" /><div class="dvbxImgCapt" style="width:300px">Drawing From the City: By Tejubehan, Tara Books, 27 pages, Rs750.</div></div>The energetic lines and rich detail of her work flesh out the memories of the utopian world of her childhood—though the accompanying text betrays a life of endemic poverty. The streams are always full of fish and turtles; the trees—sometimes as many as 16 different kinds on a double page—are robust and flowering. </div><div>“It is like magic,” says Tejubehan, over the phone. “Lines, dots, more lines, more dots…my hands started to draw these things.” When she sees a girl going somewhere on a bicycle, she draws a whole group of girls, “all of them on their way somewhere”. Not one to use the words “feminist” or “women’s liberation”, Tejubehan likes drawing women doing things, being mobile, travelling, working. In her paintings of urban scenes, the cars always carry two women: one drives and the other looks out of the window. “I want to be both those women,” she says.</div><div>Against the norms of their community, Ganeshbhai encouraged his young bride to sing with him. Their repertoire included Kabir, the Vaishnava saints of Gujarat and songs from the Sufi tradition; songs of hope and faith, the passing of seasons, and of love and surrender. In the late 1980s, they even travelled to Mumbai to give playback vocals to a Hindi film, Ketan Mehta’s <i>Mirch Masala</i>.</div><div>But when it became impossible to sustain their growing family (the couple have six children), they returned to Ahmedabad, where the artist Haku Shah encouraged Ganeshbhai to paint. He developed a style all his own—two-dimensional compositions made up of extraordinarily complex dots and lines. Ganeshbhai then encouraged Tejubehan to take up paper and pen. Eventually, their children came to paint as well, and art became a means of survival for the entire family. Ganeshbhai and Tejubehan were invited to art and craft fairs across the country.</div><div><div class="dvbxImg"><img src="C6FD7E38-2FD9-4DC4-A8F8-E039F468EDDE" alt="A double-spread from Drawing From the City" title="A double-spread from Drawing From the City" height="200" width="300" align="left" /><div class="dvbxImgCapt" style="width:300px">A double-spread from Drawing From the City</div></div>It was at one such craft fair, in Chennai’s Kalakshetra in 2009, that Tara Books publishers Gita Wolf and V. Geetha met the couple. “We discussed the possibility of a book with them,” says Geetha, who was particularly drawn by how distinctive Tejubehan’s drawings, women-centred for the most part, were. Together, they discussed the scenes from her life that she would illustrate: her childhood, her wedding, her first impressions of the city, seeing the sea for the first time in Mumbai (and being so terrified that she had to sit with her back to it).</div><div>“When Teju sent us her drawings, we felt that we needed to do something more to capture the worlds she had drawn, her sensibility, of growing up in a village and leaving it behind. We requested a Tamil writer, Salai Selvam, who has just such a lively sense of being from a village, to help us capture the spirit of Teju’s story, without adding or detracting from the events she had narrated,” says Geetha. The English text in the book is a translation of Selvam’s idiomatic recounting.</div><div>Though Tejubehan and Ganeshbhai have been written about extensively, and their story has been told and retold not only in English, but in German as well, they hadn’t authored anything of their own. Given that, this book is a seminal, painstaking effort. Each double-page spread took her four-five days, says Tejubehan, “if she worked fast”. </div><div>Last year, at the Frankfurt Book Fair, when Tara Books was presenting Tejubehan’s visual story—and before she could exult in being the first woman author from her community—Ganeshbhai died. He was 72, and singing at a temple. <i>Drawing From the City </i>is dedicated to his memory. </div><div>Tejubehan says she won’t sing any more. But she will continue to draw, using the Rotring pen that she shared with “Jogi”. </div><div>Drawing From the City <i>is silk-screen printed and bound by hand on hand-made paper. It will be available on</i><a href="http://www.tarabooks.com/" target="_blank">www.tarabooks.com</a><i>from 1 June</i>.</div><div><i>anindita.g@livemint.com</i></div> http://www.livemint.com/2012/05/23205848/Once-more.html Serena Williams last won the French Open tennis title 10 years ago. But with a steady string of successes this year, she looks set to go all the way at Roland Garros Kayezad E. Adajania Thu, 24 May 2012 19:45:00 GMT dac2c49a-a4e4-11e1-9a22-000b5dabf613 http://www.livemint.com/dac2c49a-a4e4-11e1-9a22-000b5dabf613_39_39SubVpf.gif http://www.livemint.com/dac2c49a-a4e4-11e1-9a22-000b5dabf613_300_200E09Vpf.gif <div>Count out Serena Williams at your own risk.</div><div>The former world No. 1, who has not held that position since 2010, last won a Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in July 2010 and has played only sporadically over the last two years, ending 2011 ranked No. 12.</div><div><div class="dvbxImg"><img src="4BD829E1-3DCA-44F8-ADF9-833247F18945" alt="The second coming: Serena Williams has played 29 WTA Tour matches this year. Photo imaging by Raajan/Mint" title="The second coming: Serena Williams has played 29 WTA Tour matches this year. Photo imaging by Raajan/Mint" height="200" width="300" align="left" /><div class="dvbxImgCapt" style="width:300px">The second coming: Serena Williams has played 29 WTA Tour matches this year. Photo imaging by Raajan/Mint</div></div>Yet, if you look at Williams’ recent form, especially in the clay court events leading up to this month’s French Open (27 May-10 June), the year’s second Grand Slam, at Roland Garros, Paris, it is hard to believe that her first—and only— French Open title came here way back in 2002. </div><div>When the event begins, the former top-ranked player, now No. 5, will be one of the favourites to lift her second French Open crown. She is riding on a 17-match winning streak, and has won back-to-back clay court events at Charleston, US (2-8 April) and Madrid, Spain (7-13 May). Her withdrawal from Rome’s Internazionali BNL d’Italia Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) event (14-21 May) in the semi-finals due to a back injury seems like a blip in an otherwise solid run. </div><div>The question is: Can the moody player, often given to long spells of disinterest, hold it together for two weeks in Paris?</div><div><b>Getting dominant</b></div><div><div class="dvbxImg"><img src="84B6C3D0-457F-4C72-A54B-CAA8047FE082" alt="Tough-terrain fight: World No. 7 Li Na. Photographs by Giampiero Sposito/Reuters" title="Tough-terrain fight: World No. 7 Li Na. Photographs by Giampiero Sposito/Reuters" height="200" width="300" align="left" /><div class="dvbxImgCapt" style="width:300px">Tough-terrain fight: World No. 7 Li Na. Photographs by Giampiero Sposito/Reuters</div></div>Williams’ start to 2012 was ordinary. Having lost to players ranked way below her in the first two events—including the Australian Open in January—the 30-year-old hit bullseye at the WTA event at Charleston, losing just 15 games on the way to her first title of the year. Then, even as the men—Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal included—complained about the new blue-coloured clay courts, Williams got her second title in Madrid. </div><div>“Women are way tougher than men. That’s why we have the babies, you guys could never handle kids,” she told reporters after beating top seed Victoria Azarenka 6-1, 6-3 in the final. “We don’t complain, we do our best. On the WTA (tour), we are real performers, we are not about going out there and being weenies.”</div><div>As brazen as she was typically off-court, she dominated on the field too. Williams lost just eight games in Madrid while beating world No. 1 Azarenka of Belarus and No. 2 Maria Sharapova of Russia on her way to the Madrid title. </div><div>Between her semi-final and final wins at Charleston, she lost just three games. “She smoked the top two players. Anytime you beat the top two ranked players that easily, people are going to take notice, saying she’s got to have the best chance to win the (Grand) Slam,” says Brad Gilbert, a former top 10 ranked player who is now an ESPN analyst. </div><div><div class="dvbxImg"><img src="8BF4AB04-BB17-45D3-9533-1A3190969305" alt="No. 1 Victoria Azarenka" title="No. 1 Victoria Azarenka" height="200" width="300" align="left" /><div class="dvbxImgCapt" style="width:300px">No. 1 Victoria Azarenka</div></div>Typically, when Williams dominates, the rest of the field looks pale. But is it that the women’s field is so shallow that it makes her dominance stand out even more?</div><jump /><div>Cliff Drysdale, ESPN announcer and former ATP professional, who was commentating at the Charleston event, feels that “there is no black or white; a little bit of both”. He is quick to commend, though, her dominant form these days. </div><div>“She played nearly flawless tennis. She is so dominant, both as a personality and as a player...when she plays her best tennis, no one comes even close,” says Drysdale. </div><div>Her closest competitors, Azarenka, world No. 7 Li Na (the French Open defending champion) and Sharapova have had modest results so far. While Sharapova did win the Rome event, beating Li Na, clay is hardly her favourite surface. Azarenka reached the final at Madrid but got annihilated by Williams. Given her run at the start of the year (she won four straight events, including the Australian Open), she remains a challenger, though. </div><div><b>Styling the play</b></div><div>One of the reasons why Williams has been able to do well on clay so far this year is also because of her style of play. Says Drysdale: “She is playing on clay courts like she is playing on hard courts. She isn’t sliding as much on clay as you’d expect and she goes for a strong return of serve.” </div><div>Most experts feel that even though she has been dominant on clay this year, there has been negligible change in her game. “She is obviously a good mover, has got good footwork and ground strokes. She is powerful enough to hit winners which not many players get to do. Otherwise, her game is pretty similar,” says Tom Perrotta, a tennis writer for <i>The Wall Street </i><i>Journal</i>.</div><div>There is also no clay court specialist in the women’s draw who can challenge Williams when she is at the top of her form. Since 2007, the French Open has had a new champion every year.</div><div>There is no substitute for practice, and here too, Williams seems to be on track. </div><div>She played her first tournament of 2011 in June; she skipped all the events before it because of a right foot injury. In 2010, she played in just four events (including two clay court events) before the French Open. In 2009, although she was more regular and even won the Australian Open, she lost all her clay court matches at warm-up events leading up to the French Open, before losing in the quarters at Roland Garros. Compared with that, 2012 has seen her play many more matches.</div><div>In 2011, leading players like Caroline Wozniacki (80 matches), who was ranked No. 1 almost the whole of the year, No. 8 Marion Bartoli (83) and Vera Zvonareva (78), who finished 2011 ranked No. 7, battled hard for ranking points. Williams played just 25 matches on the WTA Tour. In contrast, she has already played 29 matches this year.</div><div>Perrotta believes that the more regularly she plays, the steadier she gets. “But the head can go for a toss if there is little or no practice or if the player is out of shape; that’s the bigger problem. When a player is not physically fit, it is frustrating mentally,” says Perrotta. But mentally, he adds, she is as good as any competitor. </div><jump /><div>When asked by reporters at a post-match conference about her preparations for the French Open, soon after she withdrew from the Rome event, Williams said: “I feel fine. It’s just that with a lot coming up, this is a good week to get better and I’m confident that I’ll be 100%.”</div><div>After she won her second-round match in Rome, she even claimed to be getting more confident on clay. “I definitely have developed a lot of confidence on clay and I like it—well, I have always liked it. It’s only that I haven’t won a lot of tournaments on it. But now I’m getting more wins.” </div><div>It’s hard to imagine, reminds Gilbert, that Williams won her first French title 10 years ago—she is again the favourite to lift it. “To me, she has stood the test of time,” he says. </div><div>Age, it would seem, has little effect on Serena Williams. </div><div><i>kayezad.a@livemint.com</i></div> http://www.livemint.com/2012/05/24203750/The-TimeOut-Mint-Planner.html From music and movies to dance and drama, there’s plenty to do or experience over the coming week Thu, 24 May 2012 15:07:00 GMT d4cab104-a5ae-11e1-b454-000b5dabf613 http://www.livemint.com/d4cab104-a5ae-11e1-b454-000b5dabf613_39_39SubVpf.gif http://www.livemint.com/d4cab104-a5ae-11e1-b454-000b5dabf613_300_200E09Vpf.gif <div><b>Delhi</b></div><div><b>Dance</b></div><div><b>Hum Kadam</b></div><div><b>25 May</b></div><div><i>Hum Kadam</i> is the annual performance by students of the Rachana Yadav Kathak Dance Studio. This year’s presentation, <i>Aaraadhya</i>, centres on the depiction of four gods/goddesses of the Hindu pantheon—Shiva, Krishna, Ganesha and Durga. The younger students “introduce” the god through a <i>sloka</i>, and the older ones take it forward through a full piece. The students perform a Shiva <i>tandav stotram</i> combined with a <i>tarana</i>, a Krishna <i>bandish</i> and a Ganesha <i>bhajan</i>. Two guest performers, Rajendra Gangani’s disciples Preeti Sharma and Piyush Chauhan, will also perform at the finale.</div><div><i>7.30pm. Epicentre, Apparel House, Sector 44, Gurgaon (2715000). </i></div><div><b>Film</b></div><div><b>A Screaming Man</b></div><div><b>25 May</b></div><div>Tensions between fathers and sons, with war as a background, rear their ugly heads again in this film from Chad. Director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun’s simple framing and meditative, chat-free storytelling offer a wise parable about ageing, pride and conflict in modern Africa. Here, economics and war disrupt the routine of Adam (Youssouf Djaoro), a former swimming champion who now spends his days guarding a hotel pool. There’s news on the radio of an escalation in war, and financial pressures force the hotel’s bosses to order Adam to guard the hotel gate and replace him with his son, Abdel (Dioucounda Koma). The film is in French and Arabic, with English subtitles. 1 hour, 32 minutes.</div><div><i>5.30pm/7.30pm. Alliance Française, 72, Lodhi Estate (43500200). </i></div><div><b>Music</b></div><div><b>Mob Marley Inc</b></div><div><b>31 May </b></div><div>The Delhi band, formed in 2010 as a tribute to the late Bob Marley, includes Chintan Kalra (vocals), Nikhil Vasudevan (drums), Raghav Dang (guitar, vocals), Rohit Kulkarni (guitar) and Sid Mathur (bass). </div><div><i>10pm. Hard Rock Café, DLF Place, First floor, District Centre, Saket. For details, call 47158888.</i></div><div><b>Buffa Pirate, Nucleya & Reggae Rajahs</b></div><div><b>25 May</b></div><div>Delhi band Reggae Rajahs, comprising Diggy Dang, Mr Herbalist and DJ Mocity, will play at Shroom along with Udyan Sagar’s Nucleya and Buffa Pirate. </div><div><i>10.30pm. Shroom, The Crescent At The Qutub, Third floor, Lado Sarai , Mehrauli (29523737). Cover charge, Rs 2,000 per couple, for entry after 11pm.</i></div><div><b>Theatre</b></div><div><b>Old Town</b></div><div><b>25-30 May</b></div><div><div class="dvbxImg"><img src="B443751F-41BB-493E-AF64-DA91754960DF" alt="Folk and fusion: Roysten Abel’s latest production, Old Town, uses elements of nautanki, folk and puppetry." title="Folk and fusion: Roysten Abel’s latest production, Old Town, uses elements of nautanki, folk and puppetry." height="200" width="300" align="left" /><div class="dvbxImgCapt" style="width:300px">Folk and fusion: Roysten Abel’s latest production, Old Town, uses elements of nautanki, folk and puppetry.</div></div><i>Old Town</i> is set in fictional Maachaland, and revolves around the town’s 2,000-year-old carnival. The play incorporates Koodiyattam and <i>nautanki</i>. It has actors playing giant puppets. The second half has no dialogues. And that’s just the half of it. It narrates the story of a group of performers who must put on a show every night or be cursed by a magical tree (thus neatly incorporating the picturesque banyan out front). </div><jump /><div>And Roysten Abel has called on a formidable array of experts. There’s Ram Dayal Sharma, whom Abel described as “the greatest living <i>nautanki</i> exponent in India”. Ammannur Rajaneesh Chakyar helped train the actors in Koodiyattam. Santosh Bhatt, from Kathputli Colony, contributed gigantic Rajasthani puppets. Adil Hussain, who’s appeared in films like <i>Agent Vinod</i> and <i>Ishqiya</i>, and who also holds a teaching post at the National School of Drama (NSD), was brought in as acting coach. Viewers will be allowed to roam around the carnival (which is complete with <i>sudarshan chakras</i> and erotic <i>nautanki</i> performances set to Hindi film song <i>Chikni Chameli</i>) during the first half, and interact with the performers.</div><div><i>7.30pm. NSD Open Lawns, National School of Drama, Bahawalpur House, 1, Bhagwan Das Road (23384531/ 23383420). Tickets, Rs 50, available at the venue.</i></div><div><b>Art</b></div><div><div class="dvbxImg"><img src="4C016B19-78E1-4BAB-A2F5-D6C910453EA4" alt="Costumes of Hindostan: An exhibition of 18th century engravings." title="Costumes of Hindostan: An exhibition of 18th century engravings." height="200" width="300" align="left" /><div class="dvbxImgCapt" style="width:300px">Costumes of Hindostan: An exhibition of 18th century engravings.</div></div><b>Costumes of Hindostan</b></div><div><b>Till 31 May</b></div><div>An exhibition of 18th century coloured engravings by Flemish artist François Balthazar Solvyns, based on his<i> Costumes of Hindostan</i>—the book is being reprinted by Aryan Books International. Born in Antwerp, Solvyns came to Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1791. In 1794, he began work on a collection of etchings in which he documented the manners, styles of dress and customs of the Bengali-Hindu community. Accompanied by descriptive text, these plates depict the different castes and various aspects of social and cultural life: means of transport, musical instruments and festivals.</div><div><i>11am-7pm. Art Gallery, India International Centre (Annexe), 40, Max Mueller Marg, Lodhi Estate (24619431). </i></div><div><b>Top Pick</b></div><div><b>Music</b></div><div><b>Angelo Daimari Band</b></div><div><b>26 May</b></div><div>This acoustic quartet from Delhi comprises Angelo Daimari (guitar and vocals), Romong Lepcha (bass and vocals), Joshua John (drums) and Christina Dzuvichu (vocals). Apart from the preference for acoustic sounds, what binds the band members is their love of folk, blues and jazz. The band will perform a wide range of covers and some originals. </div><div><i>8.30pm. Dzukoü, 13, Hauz Khas Village, Rooftop (8447703774/9873306174). Cover charge, Rs 599 (vegetarian buffet) and Rs 699 (non-vegetarian buffet), inclusive of taxes.</i></div><div><b>Mumbai</b></div><div><b>Music</b></div><div><b>Lou Majaw </b></div><div><b>31 May </b></div><div>With a guitar slung over his shoulder, long, unkempt ash-grey hair and hopelessly tight, frayed denim hot pants, Lou Majaw is often called “Shillong’s Dylan”. Majaw, who first organized the annual Bob Dylan festival 40 years ago, will be performing with his friends at this concert.</div><div><i>10-11.30pm. blueFROG, New Mahalaxmi Mills Compound, opposite Empire Mills, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (40332300). Tickets,Rs 300.</i></div><div><b>Paradigm Shift</b></div><div><b>27 May</b></div><div>City-based band Paradigm Shift’s music is an amalgamation of genres combining traditional </div><div>Indian classical music with contemporary progressive rock themes. The band comprises Kaushik Ramachandran (vocals), Chinmay Agharkar (guitar), Shrikant Sreenivasan (guitar), </div><div>Ariel Samson (bass), Aamir Ismail Shaikh (drums) and Nikhil Nandakumar (violin). They will launch their debut album at this concert.</div><div><i>9-11pm. blueFROG, Lower Parel (40332300). Tickets,Rs 150.</i></div><div><b>Bombay Bassment </b></div><div><b>31 May</b></div><div>The funky hip hop and reggae band Bombay Bassment will perform at this concert, a tribute to Bob Marley.</div><div><i>9.30pm. Hard Rock Café, Wadia International Centre, Bombay Dyeing Mills Compound, Pandurang Budhkar Marg, Worli (24382888). Entry, Rs 150.</i></div><div><b>Around town</b></div><div><b>Fire spinning</b></div><div><b>25 May </b></div><div>This workshop will teach the art of spinning fire—it also happens to be a great workout.</div><div><i>6.30-8pm. H20 Water Sports Complex, Girgaum Chowpatty (23677546). Fee, Rs 800, all material will be provided. For details, call 9819066376.</i></div><div><b>Theatre</b></div><jump /><div><b>In the Cat House </b></div><div><b>29 May </b></div><div>A strange, magical but truculent cat creeps into a young boy’s room every night. The cat doesn’t seem friendly, but it has a soft spot. Once the child figures this out, a mysterious and magical journey awaits him. The play is in English and children aged 5 and above can watch it. 1 hour, 10 minutes.</div><div><i>4pm/7pm. Prithvi Theatre, Janki Kutir, Juhu Church Road, Vile Parle—West (2614-9546). Tickets, Rs 250, available at the venue. </i></div><div><b>Art</b></div><div><b>The Caucus Race </b></div><div><b>Till 30 May </b></div><div>Mahesh Baliga borrows the title of his show from the reference to the illusory race in Lewis Carroll’s <i>Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. </i>The paintings allude to the futility of the desire for power and control. A concept note explains: “The paintings and sculptures in <i>The Caucus Race</i> portray Baliga’s notion that the urge for order actually leads to disorder and that there is ambiguous, yet obvious lack of control of the consciousness which leads to perpetual and sometimes arbitrary behaviours.” For instance, the painting <i>Journey,</i> which shows seven figures in a boat, with each displaying an identity or function while questioning the notion of order. </div><div><i>Noon-2pm/4-6pm (Sunday and Monday closed). Project 88, BMP Building, NA Sawant Marg, near Colaba Fire Station, Colaba (22810066). </i></div><div><div class="dvbxImg"><img src="8F2F5DA0-5E48-404E-B2D4-79FFBDB2E493" alt="Jungle Book: At Prithvi Theatre." title="Jungle Book: At Prithvi Theatre." height="200" width="300" align="left" /><div class="dvbxImgCapt" style="width:300px">Jungle Book: At Prithvi Theatre.</div></div><b>Top Pick</b></div><div><b>Theatre</b></div><div><b>The Jungle Book </b></div><div><b>25 May </b></div><div>Shivani Tanksale and Sumeet Vyas’ trilingual (Hindi, English and Marathi) adaptation of the Rudyard Kipling classic puts a madcap spin on familiar characters. It’s for children aged 4 and above.</div><div><i>4pm/7pm. Prithvi Theatre, Janki Kutir, Vile Parle—West (26149546). Tickets, Rs 250, available at the venue.</i></div><div><b>Bangalore</b></div><div><b>Art</b></div><div><b>Labyrinth of Abstraction</b></div><div><b>Till 31 May</b></div><div>This exhibition brings together a collection of works by amateur and established artists. The show focuses on the vibrancy, sensitivity and richness of Indian art. In our fast-paced world where life is full of stress and high on commercialism, a good piece of art can provide solace, peace and joy to the viewer.</div><div><i>10am-6pm (Sundays by appointment). Galerie Third Eye, F-2, Epsilon Villas, Yemlur Main Road (41640471). For details, visit</i><a href="http://www.thirdeye-art.com" target="">www.thirdeye-art.com</a></div><div><b>Dance</b></div><div><b>Kathak</b></div><div><b>25 May</b></div><div><div class="dvbxImg"><img src="9CBABDBD-CEC1-4EF4-BC4E-DB7ADE3185B3" alt="Strike a pose: Kathak ki Kahani, Mujre ki Zubani by Ashish Khokar." title="Strike a pose: Kathak ki Kahani, Mujre ki Zubani by Ashish Khokar." height="200" width="300" align="left" /><div class="dvbxImgCapt" style="width:300px">Strike a pose: Kathak ki Kahani, Mujre ki Zubani by Ashish Khokar.</div></div>Dance historian Ashish Khokar will present <i>Kathak ki Kahani, Mujre ki Zubani</i> as part of his monthly series, Dance DIScourse. The production will delineate the story of the figure of the courtesan—from youth to old age, through highs and lows—using the poems of Bangalore-based Urdu poet Tilak Raj Tilak. The production will be performed by the Bangalore-based Nadam</div><div>(Nartan Academy of Dance and Music) dance ensemble. </div><div><i>6.15pm. Alliance Française de Bangalore, 108, Thimmaiah Road (41231345).</i></div><div><b>Around town</b></div><div><b>TCS World 10K Bangalore 2012</b></div><div><b>27 May</b></div><jump /><div>This year’s edition of the annual 10km marathon, hosted by Procam International (which also organizes the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon and the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon), will include categories of World 10K (10km, 18 years and above) Open 10K Run (10km, 15 years and above), Corporate Challenge (10km, 18 years and above), Majja Run (5.7km, 12 years and above), Senior Citizens’ Run (4km, 60 years and above) and Wheelchair Event (4km, 12 years and above). </div><div><i>The TCS World 10K Bangalore 2012 run starts and ends at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium. For details, visit </i><a href="http://www.procamrunning.in/tcsworld10k/abouttheevent/raceday_info.php" target="">www.procamrunning.in/tcsworld10k/abouttheevent/raceday_info.php</a></div><div><b>Tuesdays with the Bard</b></div><div><b>29 May</b></div><div>Mari Eva Mendes, an English language trainer and co-founder of WHaQ!, a support group for lesbian and bisexual women, will read a selection of her poems at this venue’s weekly poetry event, delineating her experiences of loving women. </div><div><i>7pm. Urban Solace, 32, Annaswamy Mudaliar Road, Ulsoor (25553656).</i></div><div><b>Music</b></div><div><b>Lamb of God</b></div><div><b>26 May</b></div><div>The American heavy metal band from Richmond, Virginia, will bring to the city their new album, <i>Resolution</i>.</div><div><i>4pm. Clarks Exotica, Swiss Town, Hollywood Junction, Sadahalli Post, Devanahalli Road (22044000). Tickets, Rs 1,000-2,650, available on </i><a href="http://www.bookmyshow.com" target="">www.bookmyshow.com</a></div><div><b>Top Pick</b></div><div><b>Around town</b></div><div><b>The River Cauvery And Me</b></div><div><b>Till 26 May </b></div><div>A solo show of photographs, short videos and a 12-minute documentary, ‘Journey with River Cauvery’, by Bhavani G.S. The show is about the artist’s connection with the contested river running through the city she lives in, Bangalore. The images captured are from the traditional spaces of worship, of contamination, flooded roads, the rituals of bathing, and other activities. </div><div><i>10am-5pm. Venkatappa Art Gallery, Kasturba Road (22864483).</i></div><div><b>Chennai</b></div><div><b>Around town </b></div><div><b>Vani</b></div><div><b>Till 31 May</b></div><div>The latest collection from Varun and Nidhika Rehani of the label Vani has innovative designs with a rich palette of detailing and edgy silhouettes. They have used an interesting mix of soft colours with metallic accents on fabrics such as chiffon, georgette, lycra and cotton-silks. The collection includes tunics, kaftans and shift dresses and prices start from Rs 5,000. </div><div><i>11am–7pm. Evoluzione, Khader Nawaz Khan Road, Nungambakkam (28333627).</i></div><div><b>Thappattam</b></div><div><b>27 May</b></div><div>DakshinaChitra will host a workshop on Thappattam, a Tamil Nadu folk dance. The workshop will focus on ways to promote the art and increase the number of opportunities for folk artistes. It will also teach the basics of handling and playing a thappu (a small, circular, one-headed drum hung from the shoulder) as well as appreciating rhythm and its importance in theatre. </div><div><i>10.30am-5.30pm. DakshinaChitra, Muthukadu, East Coast Road (9841777779). Fee, Rs 750, all inclusive.</i></div><div><b>Goan Food Fest</b></div><div><b>Till 3 June</b></div><div>Get a taste of Goan cuisine with chef Paul Noronha, who is using traditional techniques. Some of the specialities on the menu are prawn <i>balchao</i>, chicken <i>cafreal</i>, chicken <i>xacuti</i>, pork <i>vindaloo</i>, pork <i>sorpotel, </i>Goan fish curry and grilled-roast chicken. There will also be special performances by Roger and Angelo Fernandes, members of the band Two To Tango. </div><div><i>7.30-11pm (also 12.30-3pm on weekends). Mainstreet, Residency Towers, T Nagar (28156363). Meal prices, Rs 749, inclusive of taxes, per person, without alcohol.</i></div><div><div class="dvbxImg"><img src="0B044885-0C9C-40F7-A820-9050B5728489" alt="Macro art: By Poochi Venkat." title="Macro art: By Poochi Venkat." height="200" width="300" align="left" /><div class="dvbxImgCapt" style="width:300px">Macro art: By Poochi Venkat.</div></div><b>Top Pick</b></div><div><b>Photography </b></div><div><b>Macro Art</b></div><div><b>Till 30 May</b></div><jump /><div>DakshinaChitra is exhibiting 70 photographs of Poochi Venkat—abstracts, themes of flora and fauna and, in particular, macro photographs of insects. </div><div><i>10.30am–5.30pm (Tuesdays closed). DakshinaChitra, Muthukadu, East Coast Road (962523204).</i></div><div><i>By Nandini Reddy</i></div><div><b>Hyderabad</b></div><div><b>Theatre</b></div><div><b>Blood Song</b></div><div><b>26-27 May</b></div><div>Five minutes into the play, all the elements of the “infernal machine” that will lead to a violent death are in place: a knife, and a blood feud that has already taken the lives of a husband and a first-born son. A second son bears the burden of this terrible heritage. All that is left, then, is to watch helplessly as the tragedy unfolds. The English play, directed by David Zinder, is an adaptation of Federico García Lorca’s<i> Blood Wedding</i>. 1 hour, 30 minutes. </div><div><i>7.30pm. Campus auditorium, National Institute of Fashion Technology, Madhapur main road. Tickets, Rs 250 and Rs 400, available on </i><a href="http://in.bookmyshow.com/?gclid=CKPsrf6YmbACFU8b6wodCVbs1Q" target="">www.bookmyshow. com</a>. <i>For details, call 9885288982. </i></div><div><b>Dance</b></div><div><b>International Kuchipudi Dance Festival</b></div><div><b>26-27 May</b></div><div>This year’s edition of the international festival of Kuchipudi, the classical dance form from Andhra Pradesh, will see participants from around the globe. Organized by the state department of culture, the festival will be interspersed with seminars, demonstration lectures and about 17 hours of dance performances. </div><div><i>9am. Ravindra Bharathi, opposite the state assembly, Saifabad (23214603). Entry, Rs 200 and Rs 300 for Indian delegates and $25 (around Rs 1,400) for foreigners. For details, visit </i><a href="http://www.ikdf.org/" target="">www.ikdf.org</a></div><div><b>Top Pick</b></div><div><b>Film </b></div><div><b>Head-on (Gegen die Wand)</b></div><div><b>25 May</b></div><div>Sibel, a 20-something woman from Hamburg, yearns for freedom, but cannot break her mother’s heart and run away. She unsuccessfully attempts suicide before meeting a 40-year-old drug addict, Cahit, and asking him to marry her—a way to leave home. The German film with English subtitles, directed by Fatih Akin, follows the story of Sibel and Cahit. 2 hours.</div><div><i>6pm. Goethe-Zentrum Hyderabad, 20, Journalist’s Colony, Banjara Hills (23350040).</i></div><div><i>By Yogendra Kalavalapalli</i></div><div><b>Kolkata</b></div><div><b>Art</b></div><div><div class="dvbxImg"><img src="54CDA23B-1D5D-4DF1-AE74-CFF6E9A3DC27" alt="Installation: The 100 Pipers by Anita Gopal is on display." title="Installation: The 100 Pipers by Anita Gopal is on display." height="200" width="300" align="left" /><div class="dvbxImgCapt" style="width:300px">Installation: The 100 Pipers by Anita Gopal is on display.</div></div><b>Objects</b></div><div><b>Till 10 June</b></div><div>The group exhibition at the Ganges Art Gallery features the work of artists such as Anita Gopal, Avijit Mukherjee, Nandini Chirimar, Partha Shaw and Tapati Chowdhury. On display is a vivid spectrum of mediums—installations, watercolours, photography and mixed media. </div><div><i>11am-7pm (Sundays closed). Ganges Art Gallery, 33A, Jatin Das Road (24653212).</i></div><div><b>Theatre</b></div><div><b>Swapnasandhani 20 Years Celebration</b></div><div><b>25-29 May</b></div><div>The theatre group Swapnasandhani is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a festival featuring contemporary productions. <i>Notir Pujo</i> will be staged at Madhusudan Mancha on Friday; and <i>Sei Sumouli </i>at Tapan Theatre on Saturday. <i>Caesar </i>will be staged on 27 May at Tapan Theatre; <i>Romeo Julie</i> and <i>Macbeth</i> will be staged at the Academy of Fine Arts on 28 May and 29 May, respectively.</div><div><i>6.30pm. Tickets, Rs 50,Rs 60 and Rs 100, available on </i><a href="http://www.indianstage.in/Welcome.do;jsessionid=8B85D77060BA41EC6EA6C4761B8B6967" target="">www.indianstage.in</a>. <i>For details, call 9836524539. </i></div><jump /><div><b>Around town</b></div><div><b>Bite into the fruits of your labour@ ITC Sonar</b></div><div><b>Till 30 June </b></div><div>ITC Sonar is offering a special discount to class X and XII students who took the board exams this year. Students will get a concession—50% on their overall percentage in the examination—on food and beverages. The offer is applicable to a student and five others with him/her at the multicuisine restaurant Eden Pavilion, North-West Frontier cuisine restaurant Peshawri, East Asian cuisine restaurant Pan Asian and the Awadhi cuisine restaurant Dum Pukht. Students should take copies of their marksheets with them. </div><div><i>Timings vary. ITC Sonar, JBS Haldane Avenue, opposite Science City. For details and reservations, call 23454545.</i></div><div><b>Spargel Fest—White Asparagus Festival</b></div><div><b>Till 31 May</b></div><div>Hyatt Regency is holding the Spargel Fest—White Asparagus Festival at La Cucina. This is the time when Germany celebrates its king of vegetables: white asparagus. The menu includes asparagus with ham wraps, white asparagus soup with garlic croutons, white asparagus salad with gorgonzola sauce, white asparagus salad with hollandaise sauce and rocket, risotto with white asparagus, white wine and pears and open ravioli with smoked haddock and white asparagus.</div><div><i>6-11pm. La Cucina, Hyatt Regency, JA-1, Sector III, Salt Lake. Meal for two, approximately Rs 4,000, plus taxes. For reservations, call 25171661. </i></div><div><b>Top Pick</b></div><div><b>Film</b></div><div><b>Arsenal Shorts</b></div><div><b>25 May</b></div><div>Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan, Kolkata, is hosting ‘Arsenal Shorts’—a series of films and videos presented by Stefanie Schulte Strathaus, co-director of Arsenal, the institute for film and video art in Berlin. Working at the intersection of theory and practice, the institute offers a space for thinking outside the box. The list of films being screened includes Dieter Hormel’s ‘A-B-City’ (1985) , Anne Quirynen’s ‘In a Landscape’ (2001), Ezgi Kilincaslan’s ‘Berlun’ (2008), Effie Wu’s ‘Super Smile’ (2007) and ‘Pau Pau Bau’ (2004), Judith Hopf’s and Katrin Pesch’s ‘The Uninvited’ (2005), Franziska Cordes’ ‘Advokat’ (2009) and Martin Ebner’s ‘Nullpanorama’ (2003). </div><div><i>6.30pm. Max Mueller Bhavan, 8, Ballygunge Circular Road (24866398/6424) . For details, visit </i><a href="http://www.goethe.de/ins/in/kol/enindex.htm?wt_sc=kolkata" target="">www.goethe.de/kolkata</a></div><div><i>By Indranil Bhowmik</i></div><div><i>Content is powered by </i><b>Time Out India</b></div><div>Write to us at businessoflife@livemint.com</div> http://www.livemint.com/2012/05/24200852/Never-back-down.html That’s the motto Yogeshwar Dutt lives by. At the 2012 Olympics, he will face his most crucial test yet Rudraneil Sengupta Thu, 24 May 2012 14:38:00 GMT 98c8ad32-a5a9-11e1-b454-000b5dabf613 http://www.livemint.com/98c8ad32-a5a9-11e1-b454-000b5dabf613_39_39SubVpf.gif http://www.livemint.com/98c8ad32-a5a9-11e1-b454-000b5dabf613_300_200E09Vpf.gif <div>Over 50 athletes are training in full swing at the Chhatrasal Stadium wrestling hall in Delhi. The usual cacophony fills the room: Stocky men of muscle hit the mat with a thud; wrestlers scuffle and slap, trying to get a hold of their opponents; others warm up by running around the periphery of the hall; and coaches hoarsely scream instructions.</div><div>Yogeshwar Dutt, 29, is in a cinch with a training partner in the middle of the mat. Dutt looks like he is about to lose his balance, and spotting the opening, his opponent swoops on his ankle. In a movement almost too quick for the naked eye, Dutt sidesteps, and as his opponent’s momentum carries him towards the mat, Dutt swings around, grabs him by the waist, and takes him down. </div><div>Dutt is at his best when he’s at his most vulnerable—this is what makes him so dangerous in the wrestling arena. “I’m all about the attack,” Dutt says, “even while I’m defending, it’s with a counter-attack in mind.” </div><div>Put him down, and watch him rise.</div><div><div class="dvbxImg"><img src="F4031A63-944A-4444-8B14-913817FC74FA" alt="Courage under fire: Yogeshwar Dutt (in red). Photo by Divya Babu/Mint." title="Courage under fire: Yogeshwar Dutt (in red). Photo by Divya Babu/Mint." height="200" width="300" align="left" /><div class="dvbxImgCapt" style="width:300px">Courage under fire: Yogeshwar Dutt (in red). Photo by Divya Babu/Mint.</div></div>He did it in the 2006 Asian Games in Doha. In the final month leading up to the Games, Dutt would wrap up his practice sessions and head straight to the hospital in Delhi where his father was admitted with a terminal disease. Two days before Dutt was scheduled to leave for Doha, his father died. Dutt was all set to drop out of the team. “I went only because my family and friends told me that I should go ahead, keep doing what I’m doing,” he says. “They told me that those who have left us are not coming back.”</div><div>So Dutt tapped into the reserves of his inner strength, and stepped into the arena. He numbed his mind, ate and slept and fought without thinking, and he hardly spoke to anyone. He made it all the way to the semi-finals, and won a bronze. “But there was no happiness,” he says. “I was just blank. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and it taught me a great lesson—never back down.”</div><div>Two years later, Dutt proved his wrestling credentials beyond doubt by winning the 2008 Asian Championships, becoming the first Indian in 21 years to do so. In the wrestling circle, Dutt was then seen as India’s best medal prospect for the 2008 Beijing Games. He almost fulfilled those expectations—he was a match away from a medal fight when he lost in the quarter-finals in Beijing.</div><div>But almost is not good enough. Dutt’s compatriot Sushil Kumar walked away with a bronze at the Olympics that year, making him an instant national hero.</div><div>This time around, Dutt, who has retained his status as one of the top wrestlers in the world in the 60kg freestyle category, has quietly booked his place for the 2012 London Games, his third straight Olympics. There was little fuss around his qualification. Kumar, who had been defeated in two different qualifying events, finally made the cut for the Games on 27 April.</div><jump /><div>Yet again, Dutt will be going into the Olympics after bouncing back from adversity. He tore a ligament in his knee in 2009, and spent nine months in South Africa for surgery and rehabilitation. This was organized by the Mittal Champions Trust, a not-for-profit body that helps Indian athletes with funding and expertise.</div><div><div class="dvbxImg"><img src="D394E084-A620-43FF-A94E-96F30DBDAF24" alt="" title="" height="156" width="200" align="left" /><div class="dvbxImgCapt" style="width:300px"></div></div>His plan to fight before a home crowd at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi was almost derailed. He put it on track at the last minute, pouring all his energy and will into his training and rehabilitation to get back on the mat in time for the tournament. Then, watched by family and friends, he won a gold. “Every victory has a different meaning, a different feel,” Dutt says. “Every one of them has changed the way I look at the sport, even the way I look at life. All this experience, all the things I did right, the lessons from the mistakes I made... I need them all to come together at this Olympics.”</div><div>It’s at the nondescript <i>akhara</i> at Chhatrasal stadium that both Dutt and Kumar began their careers on the mat, after being initiated into the traditional form of Indian wrestling, practised in mud pits, in their villages. </div><div>Dutt was just 7 when he got his first taste of the game at the traditional <i>akhara</i> in Bhainswal, his village in Haryana. “It was just pure fun,” he says. “The perfect game—you got dirty in the mud, and your parents didn’t scold you. What could be better?” Though Dutt’s family doesn’t have a strong heritage of wrestling, most of his uncles and nephews have dabbled in the sport at some time or the other. But for Dutt, it quickly turned into an addiction. “I felt like never leaving the <i>akhara</i>,” he says. “I would often just lie there in the cool mud for hours after the training was over.”</div><div>By the time he was 9, Dutt was already fighting at a dozen <i>dangals</i>, or local wrestling tournaments, in a year. “It was a great time,” he says. “I would go to various villages and <i>akharas</i> to fight in these tournaments. There were always hundreds of people who would come to watch, and I would earn 50 paise for every fight I won.” By 13, Dutt was winning national school-level tournaments, and had moved in as a resident trainee at Chhatrasal Stadium, entering an athlete’s life of structured training at one of India’s best wrestling centres.</div><div>It was only then that he discovered wrestling wasn’t just confined to village <i>dangals</i> but had global appeal. “It was almost impossible for me to comprehend where you can go with a sport that just a few years back was something I did for fun,” Dutt says. “I did have a vague idea that <i>pehelwans</i> (wrestlers) even went outside India for <i>kushti</i>, but it was only now that I began to understand the sport’s potential.”</div><div>In 1999, at 16, Dutt went for his first international tournament—the World Cadet Championship in Poland. “It was incredibly exciting,” he says. “Everything was new for me—I saw an airport for the first time, got into an aeroplane for the first time. But I was not nervous at all, it was just too much of a thrill.” Dutt won a gold at the tournament, cementing his reputation as one of India’s most promising new wrestlers. </div><jump /><div>From then on, it has been a steady rise through the ranks for Dutt, though medals at the Olympics and world championships have eluded him. “This is it,” Dutt says. “This has to be the turning point for me. I’ve waited for a long time, I’ve prepared, I’ve worked harder than ever before, and I’ve trained smarter. Now I just have to do what I know I can.”</div><div>As one of the most experienced international wrestlers in India, Dutt knows that the onus is on him, and that if he fails to make his mark in London, it might be his last appearance at the Olympics. But these are thoughts for another day.</div><div>“All I can do is train and focus on my strengths, and keep myself sharp physically and mentally,” Dutt says. “No one can predict what will happen on the mat.”</div><div>For the man whose role model is the Russian <i>pehelwan</i> Buvaisar Hamidovich Saitiev, six-time world champion and thrice Olympic champion, the first Olympic medal beckons.</div><div><i>rudraneil.s@livemint.com</i></div><div><b>Also Read</b> | <a href="http://www.livemint.com/dreamcatchers" target="_blank">Previous stories in the Dream Catchers series</a></div> http://www.livemint.com/2012/05/23205940/You-can8217t-buy-sporting-s.html If you could, Germany and the US would establish a duopoly over football’s World Cup, Ferrari would win every single F1 race, and Mumbai Indians would sweep the IPL Extra Time | Jayaditya Gupta Wed, 23 May 2012 15:29:00 GMT c652b6b8-a4ea-11e1-9a22-000b5dabf613 http://www.livemint.com/c652b6b8-a4ea-11e1-9a22-000b5dabf613_39_39SubVpf.gif http://www.livemint.com/c652b6b8-a4ea-11e1-9a22-000b5dabf613_300_200E09Vpf.gif <div>Don’t mess with fat ladies. That was the message emanating loud and clear from football grounds across Europe as a tumultuous two months came to a dramatic end. Those who mistook the sounds of a throat being cleared for the finale itself were shown yet again that sport follows no script. </div><div><div class="dvbxImg"><img src="51CAC432-F1C3-443D-A085-84CEBAE28C9A" alt="Long-awaited: Chelsea won their first Champions League on Saturday. By Leon Neal/AFP" title="Long-awaited: Chelsea won their first Champions League on Saturday. By Leon Neal/AFP" height="200" width="300" align="left" /><div class="dvbxImgCapt" style="width:300px">Long-awaited: Chelsea won their first Champions League on Saturday. By Leon Neal/AFP</div></div>This was the archetypal “whodathunk”, jaw-dropping season. Manchester United had no right losing the league after being eight points clear with six games to play. They never crack; this time they crumbled. Bayern Munich had no right to lose to Chelsea; they were playing at home, they had overwhelming domination in open play, they were one shot up in the penalties. The Germans never flinch in a shootout; this time they flopped. Barcelona had no right to lose to Chelsea in the semi-finals; they were up against a 10-man side for much of the second leg at the Camp Nou, Chelsea were without their captain and most inspirational player John Terry, and Lionel Messi had a penalty chance to put the tie to rest. Barcelona don’t unhinge easily; this time the door was blown down by years of pent-up Chelsea hurt and frustration.</div><div>Chelsea themselves should never have made it that far. They were heading out of the competition at the round of 16, having lost 3-1 to Napoli in the first leg, being beaten so soundly as to render recovery almost impossible. They then lost their manager Andre Vilas-Boas, the latest victim of the passing-the-parcel game favoured at the Roman Abramovich duma, and replaced him with the untried Roberto di Matteo. No matter; Chelsea won the second leg 4-1—only the fourth time a team has overcome a first-leg deficit of two or more goals in the Champions League. </div><div>Perhaps that was when, unknown to them, their script was written; that was when the fat lady saw the potential for high drama and theatrics in this team of professionals and prima donnas. </div><div>And Manchester City? In a roller-coaster of a league, they muscled off the competition early on before succumbing to their own case of nerves, intrigue and inexperience of these situations. When they lost to Arsenal on 8 April, they had turned a five-point lead over United into an eight-point deficit. There were only six matches left to play, including one against United and a trip to dangerous Newcastle. </div><div>There was no way they could overhaul their far more experienced neighbours. And so to their final match, when again they lost their nerve—only to find it again in the most dramatic fashion, with not one but two goals in injury time to secure the title. Whodathunk?</div><div>So the world’s richest teams won football’s two most glamorous prizes. The temptation is to say that they wrote—or bought—their own script, but it isn’t the case. The $1.5 billion (or Rs 8,385 crore) that Abramovich is estimated to have invested in Chelsea to date has so far fetched him only three league titles and a sole Champions League in nine years. In the same time, Manchester United, their resources sucked away by the leveraged debt of their owners, the Glazers, have won four league titles and a Champions League. </div><div>The basic truth is that you can’t buy sporting success. If you could, Germany and the US would establish a duopoly over football’s World Cup, Ferrari would win every single F1 race, and Mumbai Indians would sweep the Indian Premier League season after season. Hang it all, if it was down to money, the Russian oligarchs and the sheikhs of Abu Dhabi would slug it out and the rest would go home. The 2011 film <i>Moneyball </i>would be an arcane treatise in sabermetrics (a statistical analysis of baseball records and player performances) rather than a living, practicable manual on how to marry a clear set of on-field tactics with a group of players picked specifically to execute those tactics.</div><div>The <i>Moneyball</i> parallel is especially striking with Euro 2012 coming up—it was in this tournament, eight years ago, that a maverick German coach took a competent side all the way by playing not necessarily above but to their potential. Otto Rehhagel had a reputation for coaching some exciting teams in the German Bundesliga but for this Greece side, he tweaked his tactics, choosing stifle over style. They played six matches in that tournament and scored seven goals, winning each of their knockout games 1-0. </div><div>I don’t wish to remember that tournament but a few points stick out: the exit of Germany, Italy and Spain in the group stages, Zinedine Zidane’s injury-time double to beat England, and the first sighting of Wayne Rooney. The final, though, topped it all: Portugal at home against an overachieving Greek team. </div><div>Everything pointed to a Portugal win—they had their “golden generation”, they had a passionate crowd and they had the flair and experience. They had one flaw—hubris, to use a Greek word. Their opponents, historically alert to the dangers of mocking the gods, ripped up the script. They had the sense, though, to wait till the fat lady—or, in this case, the extremely shapely Nelly Furtado—had finished her singing.</div><div><i>Jayaditya Gupta is executive editor of </i>Cricinfo.</div><div><i>Write to Jayaditya at extratime@livemint.com</i></div> http://www.livemint.com/2012/05/23205912/French-open-over-the-years.html With its slow and slippery red clay surface, the French Open remains one of the toughest tennis Grand Slams Wed, 23 May 2012 15:29:00 GMT 93b35dbe-a4ec-11e1-9a22-000b5dabf613 http://www.livemint.com/93b35dbe-a4ec-11e1-9a22-000b5dabf613_39_39SubVpf.gif http://www.livemint.com/93b35dbe-a4ec-11e1-9a22-000b5dabf613_300_200E09Vpf.gif <div><div class="dvbxImg"><img src="E682C9F1-A4E9-4DDE-94BE-A5BFD5E4C1B2" alt="Most Singles Titles: Women’s-Chris Evert" title="Most Singles Titles: Women’s-Chris Evert" height="200" width="300" align="left" /><div class="dvbxImgCapt" style="width:300px">Most Singles Titles: Women’s-Chris Evert</div></div>With its slow and slippery red clay surface, the French Open remains one of the toughest tennis Grand Slams. Some of the sport’s greatest players, like Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova, won here, but were much less successful than in the other Slams. </div><div>In the men’s circuit, no one has ruled the French Open like Bjorn Borg did and as Rafael Nadal does now. But some of the biggest names, like John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker, never won it.</div><div></div><div></div><div><b>Also See |</b> French open over the years (<a href="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/5973996/Users/Pooja/G-French%20open.pdf" target="">PDF</a>)</div><div></div><div><i>Compiled by Manoj Madhavan.</i></div> http://www.livemint.com/2012/05/22203943/What8217s-your-gadget-updat.html Techie socialist or flighty fashionista? The gadgets you carry say a lot about you Shweta Taneja Tue, 22 May 2012 15:12:00 GMT dc458e2a-a41b-11e1-9455-000b5dabf613 http://www.livemint.com/dc458e2a-a41b-11e1-9455-000b5dabf613_39_39SubVpf.gif http://www.livemint.com/dc458e2a-a41b-11e1-9455-000b5dabf613_300_200E09Vpf.gif <div>Cellphones, laptops and all the other stylish electronic paraphernalia are fast becoming like jewellery and clothes—a personality statement. “I stereotype people and their gadgets,” says Nilofar Ansher, 28, a communications analyst from Hyderabad. “If someone sports a flashy, brand new gadget as soon as it’s released, then I would mentally tick off tags like rich, brand slave, or show-off.” Even the brand name matters. “If his brand turns out to be an Apple product, then I feel ticked off as I do not subscribe to the Apple code of ethics,” says Ansher.</div><div>She’s not alone. According to a September 2010 study <i>Gadget Census</i>, conducted by Retrevo Labs, a US-based gadgets company researcher, the gadgets you use help people form opinions about you. </div><div>“The prestige associated with brands offers an experience of a ‘class’,” says Girishwar Misra, 61, a professor of psychology at Delhi University. “The hierarchically structured Indian mindset has found it another space for enacting and expressing power differential.” He says people’s notion of self-worth and sense of belonging rest on the opinions of others in their community or society. “Technology has become yet another aspect of reflecting and conveying one’s identity to others around them.”</div><div>“What isn’t a status symbol?” asks Nishant Shah, director—research, Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore. “In the commodified world, where everything is mass-produced, the consumer has to be made to believe that everything they are buying is a part of their expression and personality, and even though this wasn’t created keeping them in mind, it is specially made only for them.”</div><div>This is also the reason, according to him, why most people like to own the most cutting-edge gadgets but end up using them like any other low-end gadget. After all, how many smartphone owners go beyond making calls, sending SMSes and updating their social networks? “This is where you start wondering what then propels people to buy that new gadget,” says Shah. </div><div>We present a tongue-in-cheek analysis of gadget-owner camps in India. Which camp do you belong to?</div><div><b>iBragger</b></div><div><div class="dvbxImg"><img src="370541C8-1863-4FB9-B266-7B2F6E29C244" alt="iPhone 4S: Rs 44,500; www.apple.com/in/iphone" title="iPhone 4S: Rs 44,500; www.apple.com/in/iphone" height="200" width="300" align="left" /><div class="dvbxImgCapt" style="width:300px">iPhone 4S: Rs 44,500; www.apple.com/in/iphone</div></div>There are better gadgets out there than iPhones, iPads and iPods, but it doesn’t matter. Every time there’s a new update or a new gadget from Apple, you have to shell out the money and grab it. A day in your life begins on the iCloud, hanging out with friends who belong to the “iEcosystem”. You don’t know how you would survive if iTunes stopped working for even half a day. You love to flaunt your shiny gadgets and smile when someone asks you about them. You don’t necessarily know how the iGadget works, but can still talk about it with pride.</div><div><b>In your bag:</b> iPhones, iPads, and any other gadget that begins with an ‘i’.</div><div><b>Your personality: </b>You are slightly egotistical and love attention. You also like to get compliments on everything, whether it’s your attire or your gadget.</div><jump /><div><b>Your fashion fix:</b> iPhone 5 is going to be released in a few months. If you don’t want to wait that long for a rumoured 4-inch screen, go for iPhone 4S, the one with that sexy “iSecretary”, Siri. </div><div><b>Retro relic</b></div><div><div class="dvbxImg"><img src="3DD8D0CC-213C-4025-BE18-F335259F3D09" alt="Retro phone handset: Rs1,399; www.excitinglives.com" title="Retro phone handset: Rs1,399; www.excitinglives.com" height="200" width="300" align="left" /><div class="dvbxImgCapt" style="width:300px">Retro phone handset: Rs1,399; www.excitinglives.com</div></div>You believe that overuse of gadgets is responsible for all the diseases in society, from the common cold to cancer. You don’t use Internet on your phone, and have an old desktop on which you might check email once a week. You think that GPS stands for “Going Perfectly Straight” and stay safely away from the time wasters of modern living.</div><div><b>In your bag:</b> Nothing. You have a landline and an old desktop that needs to be upgraded urgently. </div><div><b>Your personality: </b>You prefer talking face-to-face instead of emailing people. You would rather discuss things in the middle of the street instead of shooting off a text message. </div><div><b>Your fashion fix:</b> Turn your cellphone into a landline with the retro phone handset. So even the most modern devices will feel comfortably old. </div><div><b>Beg, borrow, buy techie</b></div><div><div class="dvbxImg"><img src="80C7659A-03C9-4A3B-AD4F-4D82473A84B9" alt="Raspberry Pi: around $35*; www.element14.com " title="Raspberry Pi: around $35*; www.element14.com " height="200" width="300" align="left" /><div class="dvbxImgCapt" style="width:300px">Raspberry Pi: around $35*; www.element14.com </div></div>You love gadgets. You always need to know what makes things tick. Every time a new gadget comes around, you start saving and stop buying anything unnecessary, such as clothes, or food, and go buy the new shiny devices. Brands don’t matter, just so long as you can see innovation.</div><div>You can go on and on about retina display on the latest iPad and how enhanced eBooks are the future. You probably have a blog where you review each gadget, which only other techies read.</div><div><b>In your bag: </b>A pile of new devices that you used once and then discarded for the new big thing.</div><div><b>Your personality: </b>You are an introvert who doesn’t notice the world around you, because your nose is glued to your phone or laptop. You would rather send a text message than talk, even if it is to wish your mother on her birthday.</div><div><b>Your fashion fix:</b> A Raspberry Pi. It’s a full-fledged credit-card-sized computer if you plug in a TV and keyboard, and can be used in a number of ingenious ways by people willing to think creatively.</div><div><b>Paisa pincher</b></div><div><div class="dvbxImg"><img src="318FFBCE-AD56-4567-B349-4B5AE401ED41" alt="Micromax Funbook : Rs6,499; www.micromaxfunbook.com" title="Micromax Funbook : Rs6,499; www.micromaxfunbook.com" height="200" width="300" align="left" /><div class="dvbxImgCapt" style="width:300px">Micromax Funbook : Rs6,499; www.micromaxfunbook.com</div></div>It’s not about whether you like a gadget or not. It’s always about how much it costs and what all it can do for you. If it’s a phone you are planning to buy, you want it to be a flashlight, a radio, an Internet browser and also, if possible, a serving tray. You do weeks of research before you buy any device. The more uses you get for a certain amount of money, the more you might buy it, even if you won’t use those functions.</div><div><b>In your bag: </b>You tend to keep cheap, hardy mobile phones which have multitasking abilities. </div><div><b>Personality: </b>You are a practical, conservative person and like to gauge the value of anything offered to you. You love the word “free” and “offer”.</div><div><b>Your fashion fix: </b>A Micromax Funbook. The Android 4.0 tablet comes with 4 GB internal storage, a multi-touch capacitative display and has a VGA camera for video calls. It’s Wi-Fi only, so you don’t need to spend on 3G either. </div><div><b>Techie socialist</b></div><jump /><div><div class="dvbxImg"><img src="0E4DD1EC-1F1C-4BA7-8D97-BC9B81AECA9C" alt="Playsurface: $1,250 (Rs68,625)* www.kickstarter.com" title="Playsurface: $1,250 (Rs68,625)* www.kickstarter.com" height="200" width="300" align="left" /><div class="dvbxImgCapt" style="width:300px">Playsurface: $1,250 (Rs68,625)* www.kickstarter.com</div></div>You consciously want to protest against the elite ecosystem that the iBraggers create. You tend to stick to the more “open” ecosystem of Linux and Android. You sit on the high horse of open source and loudly preach how people should buy gadgets and software that is open to all and doesn’t end up enriching giant corporations. Secretly, you want to buy the iPhone 4S.</div><div><b>In your bag: </b>An Android-based mobile phone and Linux-based laptop.</div><div><b>Your personality: </b>You call yourself a liberal and want equality for everyone in society. You like to protest against institutions—be it the government or companies. </div><div><b>Your fashion fix:</b> A new Kickstarter is the product of your dreams. Playsurface is a multi-touch computing table, which can be used as a table and as a touch-screen to share the experience with all present.</div><div><b>Fodder hoarder</b></div><div>You have so many old gadgets that you can open a gadget museum someday. You have never ever thrown any electronic/electrical thing that you have owned. You are a recycler and are convinced that everything can be used in some way. You might even dig out stuff that less knowledgeable neighbours have thrown away. </div><div><b>In your bag (or cupboard)</b>: Mixers, ovens, VCRs, phone devices, pagers, big fat cellphones, even devices you’ve forgotten the function of and which are now gathering dust.</div><div><b>Personality: </b>You are a penny-pincher and very innovative in strategies for reusing things. </div><div><b>Your fashion fix: </b>Find people who love to reuse and recycle like you on The Freecycle Network (www.freecycle.org). The network is a worldwide group of people who give (and get) gadgets for free in their own towns. If you have true junk or e-waste, give it off to an e-waste recycling plant. To check if your city has an e-waste recycling plant, visit WEEE Recycle (<a href="http://www.weeerecycle.in/" target="_blank">www.weeerecycle.in</a>). </div><div><b>Flighty fashionista</b></div><div><div class="dvbxImg"><img src="F876039D-6307-41CD-AD64-E6BB05E388E3" alt="Cocorobo : Expected for $1,600* in Japan, later this year ; www.sharp.co.jp" title="Cocorobo : Expected for $1,600* in Japan, later this year ; www.sharp.co.jp" height="200" width="300" align="left" /><div class="dvbxImgCapt" style="width:300px">Cocorobo : Expected for $1,600* in Japan, later this year ; www.sharp.co.jp</div></div>For you, a gadget is like a pair of pretty heels. It’s an accessory to enhance your overall looks. Like everything else, you like to buy expensive, suave-looking gadgets which sparkle as brightly as your diamonds or Rolex watches. Brand names matter to you and you tend to go for the looks and the brand rather than the features. </div><div><b>In your bag: </b>A Vertu mobile phone, a Rolex watch and a few diamond earrings.</div><div><b>Your personality: </b>You come across as polished, suave and sophisticated. You are an impeccable dresser with a tendency to spend too much time on your grooming, and not much time with your gadgets. </div><div><b>Your fashion fix: </b>Talking about inefficient maids is so passé. Now talk about your polite new cleaner, a robot which never takes an off and even takes care of the dog. Cocorobo is not just a good vacuum cleaner, it even has a voice-recognition facility and gives polite answers.</div><div><i>Write to us at businessoflife@livemint.com</i></div> http://www.livemint.com/2012/05/22204023/Shaping-the-new-creativity.html Digital media is making it easier to produce and distribute content, even forging new areas for people to work in—but it’s taking a toll on inventiveness Gopal Sathe Tue, 22 May 2012 15:10:00 GMT ff6c9934-a420-11e1-9455-000b5dabf613 http://www.livemint.com/ff6c9934-a420-11e1-9455-000b5dabf613_39_39SubVpf.gif http://www.livemint.com/ff6c9934-a420-11e1-9455-000b5dabf613_300_200E09Vpf.gif <div>The continuous evolution of technology has made it easier than ever to self-publish, removing all barriers to communication.</div><div>Today, anyone with a computer can create an eBook formatted for the Kindle, which reaches Amazon’s millions of users instantly.</div><div>There are already a handful of eBooks that have crossed one million copies, without having gone through a publishing house. Authors such as Amanda Hocking and Kerry Wilkinson had their manuscripts rejected, but today their books have made both of them very rich.</div><div><div class="dvbxImg"><img src="A075393B-DA42-4D25-B486-98F89F22BEEB" alt="" title="" height="200" width="300" align="left" /><div class="dvbxImgCapt" style="width:300px"></div></div>Tools such as Adobe Creative Suite 6 are enabling similar developments in animation and film-making, and digital media is having a direct impact in shaping creativity.</div><div>Mumbai-based Kushal Ruia, creative head, Amar Chitra Katha India, says: “Technology is removing the barriers of entry. More and more people are able to try new things like animation. Technology doesn’t directly improve creative output, but makes it easier for people with good ideas to express themselves.”</div><div>Cinematographer Aseem Bajaj, who has worked on big commercial movies such as <i>Golmaal: Fun Unlimited</i> and <i>Teen Patti</i>, as well as critically lauded films such as <i>Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi </i>and <i>Bandit Queen</i>, says digital cinema is changing film-making in a direct way as well. “Earlier, setting up a shot took hours, longer than the shot itself,” he explains. “Today, when I tell my assistant to block a part of the set, he says it’s faster to remove it in post (production). The freedom is amazing, but it’s also bringing a little laziness.”</div><div><b>Creating a new industry</b></div><div><div class="dvbxImg"><img src="80FE904F-128C-481E-B1E2-F989B728C62E" alt="Options galore: Technological development has prompted more people to dabble in animation." title="Options galore: Technological development has prompted more people to dabble in animation." height="200" width="300" align="left" /><div class="dvbxImgCapt" style="width:300px">Options galore: Technological development has prompted more people to dabble in animation.</div></div>This development in technology has also been responsible for birthing an entire creative industry in India—animation.</div><div>C.B. Arun Kumar, academic director at Mumbai’s FX School (an animation school), says: “Indians are a nation of animators now, thanks to computers. Before 2000, in the era of hand-drawn art, we had nothing at all.” Kumar, who has worked in the media for over two decades, has been part of the school since it was formed in 2008. It opened for students in 2009.</div><div>But Kumar admits that while the number of animators and schools teaching the subject is on the increase, the quality of their output remains questionable. He says, “A lot of crap is being made, but that will change.”</div><div>Ruia says his company, at least, would welcome a greater influx of students trained in India. He says: “We have a lot of jobs to fill. Today, though, we don’t fill them with Indians, because Americans with a decade of experience are coming here to work, thanks to the global economic situation.” </div><div>He adds: “Unfortunately, the youngsters we get don’t have any real experience. They learn one or two tools, and get only the basics of technology, and nothing of film-making, in a short six-month or one-year course. How is that going to prepare them for real work?”</div><div>Kumar says the situation is changing, but agrees that the majority of institutes still teach only the basics. He says: “A lot of schools teach you how to use a system, how to use short-cuts, and that’s it. They don’t help you to learn the art, only the craft, and the tool you learn becomes obsolete every year. Not everyone with a camera is a cinematographer. Just because you know how to use Photoshop, you’re not a designer.”</div><div><b>Artists vs technology</b></div><div><div class="dvbxImg"><img src="EA7DF206-C222-43BC-9FC0-D0E1F1CA802E" alt="" title="" height="297" width="200" align="left" /><div class="dvbxImgCapt" style="width:300px"></div></div>Says Ruia: “I’d rather have a good artist using bad tools than a bad artist using the best tools. If a person is truly creative, then we can teach them the tools, and that part has become easier than ever, thanks to technology.”</div><div>Kumar, however, feels it’s essential for artists to keep up with technology. He says: “Back in 1993, I </div><div>was working with Real Image Media Technologies—they make Avid, a non-linear editing software. So we went to Kolkata to talk to Satyajit Ray’s editors, and show them what we can do.</div><div>“They literally laughed us out. These were extremely skilled editors, who would regularly do amazing work. But these film veterans couldn’t see how everything was going to become digital, instead of their linear machines. So, after another five or six years, youngsters who had no understanding of cinema and film-making were getting jobs while these guys, who really understood movies, fell by the wayside.” </div><div>Keeping up-to-date with technology is now an essential requirement to be a successful artist in any field. In areas such as animation and film-making, where the technology is changing faster than most, this is particularly the case. But at the same time, evolving technology is creating whole new areas for people to work in, and making it easier than ever for anyone to follow their dreams and make works of art as well.</div><div>Bajaj adds: “I worked during the transition from film to digital, and our industry was the first creative field to really embrace digital. It’s allowed people to experiment and try new things. When I was shooting <i>Golmaal 3</i>, the actors were telling me to try out particular cameras. Technology has become simpler. But while it’s improving art overall, it means that people don’t have to be as inventive either.”</div><div><i>gopal.s@livemint.com</i></div> http://www.livemint.com/2012/05/21205537/Sandeep-Sibal--Core-gain.html How phones are becoming more powerful than laptops, and what’s coming next Gopal Sathe Mon, 21 May 2012 15:25:00 GMT 8498bc00-a359-11e1-b668-000b5dabf613 http://www.livemint.com/8498bc00-a359-11e1-b668-000b5dabf613_39_39SubVpf.gif http://www.livemint.com/8498bc00-a359-11e1-b668-000b5dabf613_300_200E09Vpf.gif <div>It is an accepted fact today that mobile phones are the new personal computers—the Internet and Mobile Association of India’s 2010 and 2011 annual reports on the state of network use in India show that for a majority of users, the phone is their first, and only, Internet-connected device.</div><div>And smartphones have started outselling PCs—according to a 2011, India-specific, report released by chip maker Qualcomm, smartphones now account for as much volume as laptops and desktops combined. </div><div>As the technology improves and becomes cheaper, most people are likely to move to smartphones. Already, Android phones and tablets for Rs 3,999 exist on the market. These low-cost devices may be barely usable, but they are also improving steadily.</div><div>The computing power of a smartphone is already close to that of a traditional laptop. A basic laptop has a dual core 2GHz processor, while similarly priced smartphones have a dual core 1.5GHz CPU. The laptop weighs around 20 times as much though.</div><div>Sandeep Sibal, country manager and vice-president, business development, Qualcomm India and South Asia, talks about the direction it’s moving in with the hardware it makes for mobile phones, and how it sees the devices evolving. Edited excerpts:</div><div><b>How do you see mobile phones evolving as computing devices?</b></div><div><div class="dvbxImg"><img src="90031692-EF1B-41F4-968A-F7D598C75595" alt="Sandeep Sibal, country manager and VP, business development, Qualcomm India and South Asia." title="Sandeep Sibal, country manager and VP, business development, Qualcomm India and South Asia." height="200" width="300" align="left" /><div class="dvbxImgCapt" style="width:300px">Sandeep Sibal, country manager and VP, business development, Qualcomm India and South Asia.</div></div>Smartphones are full-blown computers that you can hold in your hand. If you look at the specifications of a smartphone, you see a lot of similarities with a computer.</div><div>But, in fact, a smartphone is more than just a computer. Today, thanks to silicon integration, where all the different components of the “computer” are made on a single unit, you have all the elements of a computer, along with connectivity, and sensors like accelerometer, gyro, GPS, that allow a lot of unique usage.</div><div><b>Like laptops, phones are also now dual-core, quad-core devices. Can you explain what that means?</b></div><div>At the risk of oversimplifying things, the core is the part of the CPU that executes a command. Every command has to go through the core, and the speed of the CPU is measured by how quickly it can process a command.</div><div>With a dual-core processor, if you have one memory-intensive program running which will make a lot of demands on the CPU, the two cores work side by side, so small tasks are handled by one core, while the big task plugs away on the other.</div><div>So the more cores you have, the faster and more energy-efficient your phone is, obviously, if it is set up properly.</div><div><b>What do you mean by setting up the cores properly?</b></div><div><div class="dvbxImg"><img src="BFE211AA-6B87-436F-992E-1E3A96DA596F" alt="" title="" height="200" width="300" align="left" /><div class="dvbxImgCapt" style="width:300px"></div></div>Balancing power and speed is tricky. If you have two equally powerful cores, then one might not be powerful enough to handle all the functions needed quickly, while the other might be too powerful for the low-priority functions your software is assigning to it. To get around this problem, at Qualcomm we made something called asynchronous cores. Basically, each core gets a different amount of power to do different amounts of work.</div><div>By doing this, the phone is able to use less battery and heat up less, a net gain. So we are able to make the chip more flexible and capable of more, and move towards hardware that is fully context-aware.</div><div><b>How is a context-aware phone useful?</b></div><div>If the phone is smart enough to know what you need of it, without you having to push any buttons, then it represents a true evolution of the device. Augmented reality is growing, and we’re already seeing some exciting work in that direction, but it’s going to get a lot more sophisticated in the next couple of years. For example, imagine an ad for jeans in a magazine. So you’ve seen it, and it’s done, right? But if you hold your smartphone over the ad, it’ll recognize it, and show you some colour options, or different fits, and you press a button on the screen and you can see the ad change to show those instead.</div><div><b>How long will it take this kind of technology to reach mass-market, entry-level buyers?</b></div><div>Today, the focus at Qualcomm is in enabling new mobile experiences. There are two sides to this. First, we have created something I’m very excited about, which is the Qualcomm Reference Design (QRD). The QRD is a template, which includes hardware, software, testing and documentation, along with the phone user interface (UI).</div><div>What that means is that anyone who wants to bring a smartphone to the market can invest in the QRD, and then use that as a base to build their unique phone. This way, they don’t have to start from zero, and this will enable a lot of innovation and development of new mobile phone brands in India, because the starting capital needed is much lower for them.</div><div><i>gopal.s@livemint.com</i></div> http://www.livemint.com/2012/05/21201703/Getting-the-vegan-diet-right.html A guide to eating vegan in India, its health benefits, and how it can help you lose weight Food Files | Vishakha Shivdasani Mon, 21 May 2012 14:55:00 GMT 10339d80-a354-11e1-b668-000b5dabf613 http://www.livemint.com/10339d80-a354-11e1-b668-000b5dabf613_39_39SubVpf.gif http://www.livemint.com/10339d80-a354-11e1-b668-000b5dabf613_300_200E09Vpf.gif <div>The simplest definition of vegetarianism is a diet that is free of meat and fish. But the eating habits of vegetarians cover a wide spectrum. At one end are lacto-ovo vegetarians who avoid meat but eat eggs and milk products, and at the other end are vegans, who forgo all animal-based products, milk, milk products and honey included. </div><div><div class="dvbxImg"><img src="FA2D6D94-1C20-458E-BA9A-B4517A846C08" alt="Alternative sources: Protein-rich products like tofu and soy milk are good substitutes for vegans." title="Alternative sources: Protein-rich products like tofu and soy milk are good substitutes for vegans." height="200" width="300" align="left" /><div class="dvbxImgCapt" style="width:300px">Alternative sources: Protein-rich products like tofu and soy milk are good substitutes for vegans.</div></div>The term “vegan” was coined in England in 1944 by Donald Watson, co-founder of the British Vegan Society, to mean “non-dairy vegetarian”. Singer Paul McCartney and actor Alec Baldwin promote the cause and regard a flesh-free diet not only as a more healthful, but as a more ethical, way to live. Without going into the question of ethics, being a vegan in India or a vegetarian with dairy allergies is fraught with challenges, since the vegetarian diet in India relies heavily on cow or buffalo milk and milk products. Here’s a guide to eating vegan in India, its health benefits, and how it can help you lose weight. </div><div><b>Why choose to be a vegan?</b></div><div>Most doctors will agree that a low-fat diet high in fruits, vegetables and nuts is a boon to health. There is also widespread acknowledgment that reducing or eliminating red meat from the diet cuts the risk of heart disease. A plant-based diet can also improve the health of people with type 2 diabetes, improve overall glycaemic levels (a calculation of the effect of different foods on blood glucose levels) and control lipid levels. A diet based on fruits and vegetables, which are low in calories, will help maintain weight. </div><div>Albert Einstein once wrote, “Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.” Though Einstein’s words remain as true today as when he penned them in 1930, we now know that there are more than a few concerns for those who choose to go vegan. Let’s look at some of these health concerns and how we can circumvent them.</div><div><b>Anaemia</b></div><div>One of the main concerns for those switching to a vegan diet is anaemia. The most common type, iron-deficiency anaemia, occurs when a person isn’t getting enough iron in the diet; the symptoms include fatigue, weakness and dizziness. Since meat, eggs, poultry, fish and dairy products are the primary dietary sources for iron, vegans need to make sure they get enough from alternative sources. </div><jump /><div>Iron is essential for the production of haemoglobin and women, especially pregnant women, need to get enough of it. A balanced vegetarian diet with plenty of green leafy vegetables such as spinach, dried fruits such as apricots, raisins and prunes, and tofu (which is soy-based) will provide enough iron for most people. If you’re concerned you’re not getting enough, ask your doctor to perform a simple test to check the iron content in your blood. Vitamin C intake with meals increases iron absorption, so include some orange juice with meals or have your iron capsule with a capsule of vitamin C. Calcium reduces iron absorption, so don’t take iron and calcium capsules together.</div><div><b>Protein deficiency</b></div><div>Protein is essential for the growth and maintenance of cells. Although protein is abundant in meats, it is also present in vegan sources like peas, nuts, lentils and soy products such as tofu and tempeh. Build meals around low-fat, protein-rich foods such as lentils, beans and quinoa, and substitute meat and dairy products with soy substitutes like tofu, tempeh and seitan (also called “wheat meat”), available at speciality food stores. </div><div>It is a myth that vegans cannot get enough protein—you just need to know how to combine the foods properly. For example, beans are high in an amino acid called lysine, but low in sulphur-rich amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, which are made up of 20 amino acids, 11 of which are manufactured by the body and nine that can be obtained only through food. Lysine is an essential amino acid—so food combinations become vital to get the maximum benefit of proteins.</div><div>Eating a meal of black beans/<i>chana</i> (Bengal gram)/<i>rajma</i> (kidney beans) and rice is one way to get a balanced set of proteins as well as carbohydrates.</div><div><b>Osteoporosis</b></div><div>Osteoporosis occurs when the body does not form enough new bone over time. Adults require about 1,200mg per day (on an average) of calcium. Major dietary sources include milk, cheese and yogurt, but vegans can find it in green, leafy vegetables such as spinach or collard greens and in soy products such as soy milk and tofu. I do prescribe calcium supplements with a combination of vitamin D (required for the body to absorb calcium from foods) to most patients though, especially vegans.</div><div><b>Vitamin B-12 deficiency</b></div><div>This is a deficiency seen commonly in vegans. Vitamin B-12 is essential for brain and nervous-system functioning. It is most commonly found in animal and dairy products such as eggs and milk, so this is a serious concern for vegans. Fortunately, nowadays, many foods are fortified with B-12, including many breakfast cereals, soy milk and nutritional yeast. It is also commonly available as a supplement. Deficiencies in B-12 and omega 3 (also often seen in vegans, since the major source of omega 3 is fish oil), in turn, are linked with higher blood levels of an amino acid called homocysteine, and with decreased levels of HDL cholesterol, the good cholesterol. While high homocysteine levels are an established risk factor for heart disease, higher HDL levels protect the heart. Try and include seaweed (also a good source of omega 3) and greens for vitamin B-12. I would advise vegans to take a supplement of B-12.</div><div>For a boost in omega-3 fatty acids, try plant sources such as flaxseed, walnut, pumpkin seeds and soy, canola oils and soybean oils.</div><div><b>Some Substitutes</b></div><div><i>These items work to provide the health benefits of meats and dairy. </i></div><div><b>• For protein:</b> Pulses and beans , soy products like tofu and tempeh, nuts and nut butters like peanut butter.</div><jump /><div><b>• For iron:</b> Fortified breakfast cereals, soy-based foods, dried prunes and apricots, nuts, beans, legumes, wholewheat bread, and baked potatoes.</div><div><b>• For calcium:</b> Soy products, legumes, almonds, sesame tahini, calcium-fortified orange juice, and dark, leafy vegetables.</div><div><b>• For zinc:</b> Soybean, fortified breakfast cereals, nuts, breads, mushrooms and peas. Wheatgerm (the embryo of the wheat plant) and pumpkin seeds.</div><div><b>• For vitamin B-12:</b> Soy-based beverages, some fortified breakfast cereals.</div><div><b>• For riboflavin:</b> Almonds, fortified cereals, mushrooms, and soy milk.</div><div><i>Vishakha Shivdasani is a Mumbai-based medical doctor with a fellowship in nutrition. She specializes in controlling diabetes, cholesterol and obesity. </i></div><div><i>Write to us at businessoflife@livemint.com</i></div> http://www.livemint.com/2012/05/21201629/What8217s-true-fitness.html There’s information overload on health and fitness, but what works and what doesn’t? Here arethe absolute essentials Ranadeep Moitra Mon, 21 May 2012 14:46:00 GMT a027e614-a34d-11e1-b668-000b5dabf613 http://www.livemint.com/a027e614-a34d-11e1-b668-000b5dabf613_39_39SubVpf.gif http://www.livemint.com/a027e614-a34d-11e1-b668-000b5dabf613_300_200E09Vpf.gif <div>A lot of readers write in to ask about specific issues on fitness. Using these questions as guidelines and cues, we explain some of the most important aspects of being fit. These form the crux of any health and fitness programme—the stripped-down, essential and updated information that should be kept in mind whenever you assess your body’s condition.</div><div><b>What is the best mode or form of exercise?</b></div><div><div class="dvbxImg"><img src="BACC759A-0B91-45EA-96B2-BDB7CC351805" alt="" title="" height="200" width="300" align="left" /><div class="dvbxImgCapt" style="width:300px"></div></div>Contrary to popular opinion that walking or swimming is the “best form of exercise”, there is no one single form or type of exercise that is all-encompassing or has versatile benefits. Each different form of exercise has specific benefits and individuals should choose exercise forms to suit their specific needs. For example, swimming is great for people with joint or arthritic problems, but of little or no utility for those seeking to improve bone density. Ironically, the advantages of swimming—no impact and hence low stress on joints—work against it when the need is to load the bones to improve bone density. Yoga is great for developing flexibility, balance and stability, but of not much use for strength and power development. True fitness reflects a blend of all the fitness parameters. Just as bulging muscles do not reflect complete fitness, so also the ability to shape one’s body into a pretzel or run 10km every morning reflect only aspects of fitness. A truly fit person is one who effectively combines all the different aspects of fitness into his or her being.</div><div><b>Should an exercise programme have variety?</b></div><div>A good exercise programme is one with a little bit of everything. Generally, five parameters comprise physical fitness—cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, strength, flexibility and body composition (body composition refers to the ratio of fat and lean mass in the body). A balanced routine will incorporate all these. Variety and change tax your ability to adapt and keep your endocrine system on its toes. However, from a life-risk point of view, cardiovascular fitness is perhaps the most significant and vital aspect. Lifestyle diseases like diabetes, cholesterol, COPD (or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and hypertension respond best to moderate-to-intense forms of cardiovascular exercise. The disease-preventing ability of cardiovascular exercise makes it perhaps the most important form of exercise.</div><div><b>What comprises cardiovascular exercise?</b></div><jump /><div>Any activity that makes use of the large muscle groups of the body, is maintained continuously and is rhythmic in nature, can be termed a cardiovascular exercise. For example, running, swimming, rowing. In a typical health club or gym, the cardiovascular section comprises the treadmill, bike, elliptical trainer, and rowing machine. It is important to ensure that the pulse rate while doing cardiovascular exercise is kept high enough to burn sufficient calories. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that the exerciser maintain his or her pulse at 60-80% of maximum heart rate. Maximum heart rate is derived by subtracting the exerciser’s age from 220. So a 40-year-old should try to maintain a pulse rate of 60-80% of 180, i.e., between 108 and 144. High exercise pulse rate has a direct relationship with the number of calories burnt and the intensity of the workout. It is better to keep varying the pulse rate rather than maintain a steady rate. A short interval of intense effort followed immediately by a lighter recovery of an almost equal length of time is possibly the best way to increase cardiovascular capacity and burn a lot of calories. This is also called Interval Training.</div><div><b>What about weight training, then?</b></div><div>A lot of people, particularly women, get put off by weights because they think working with weights will give them bulky and ugly muscles. This is far from the truth. Resistance training will not build huge muscles. A very high volume of work is required to induce “hypertrophy”, or increase in the volume of muscle cells. This is a special type of training followed by bodybuilders, and is not meant for the average person. The average person can use resistance training to tone and shape his or her body and correct any imbalances in muscle strength. Numerous studies show that weight training improves insulin action and significantly reduces blood pressure in diabetic and hypertensive adults, respectively. It also reduces total body-fat mass and visceral adipose tissue in both men and women. In addition, the maintained or enhanced muscle mass as a result of weight training is associated with increase in the basal metabolic rate (BMR), which over time will facilitate greater success in weight reduction than can be achieved by aerobic training alone.</div><div><b>Are unstructured activities such as trekking important?</b></div><div>A structured exercise programme will go a long way in improving physical health and appearance. However, it is also important to find time for unstructured physical activity in our lives. These activities help to unwind and relax your mind as well as secrete endorphins (happy hormones) that keep you fit. Examples of such activities include walking the dog, playing with children, going hiking or trekking, or taking a bicycle excursion trip.</div><div><b>Do fad dietsactually work?</b></div><div>The ACSM recommends that normal, healthy adults of average size who engage in physical activity should get 20% of their total calorie intake from proteins, 55-60% from carbohydrates and 25-30% from fats. Fad diets that attempt to eliminate or drastically cut back one or more of these nutrient groups can be disastrous. Diets too low in fats or carbohydrates will work only for a very short while but cannot be sustained for a long duration without health risks. Drastically cutting down on fats and carbohydrates will help to drop body weight initially but the weight will soon come back, only more of it, once you go back to the old diet. </div><div><b>Can stress makeyou fat?</b></div><div>Cortisol is a stress hormone that is part of the body’s fight-or-flight system. Too much stress increases the level of cortisol in the blood and triggers abdominal obesity. Genes that respond to stress evolved to help the body deal with physical dangers, such as fighting predators or other humans. Supplying adequate energy is vital during physical challenges. Cortisol increases appetite and promotes fat storage to increase chances of survival. Chronic stress promotes obesity, because the reward system of the brain that promotes overeating is more powerful than conscious needs to improve health and appearance.</div><div><b>How does stretching help?</b></div><jump /><div>Age and sedentary lifestyle not only weaken but also tighten muscles so that joints tend to get out of alignment. This leads to poor posture and ultimately, pain. About 60% of all pain in the body is due to muscle dysfunction caused by tight and inflexible muscles. Follow a regular stretching routine to keep muscles flexible. Yoga is a great way to stretch muscles. Ten minutes of stretching daily can keep pain and stiffness away. </div><div><b>Is spot reduction at all possible?</b></div><div>Spot reduction—targeted fat loss in specific areas of the body—is the mainstay of exercise programmes designed to cut fat and improve appearance. Scientists, however, say that where you lose or put on weight will be dictated by your genetic pattern and physical form. No amount of exercise concentrated on any one body spot can make you lose weight from that body part. People do repetitions after repetitions of abdomen exercise, hoping to knock off belly flab. It makes more sense to follow a good diet and do compound multi-joint exercises along with intense Interval Training to knock off fat from the mid-section. When the body loses fat, it will be global in nature rather than local, or confined to any individual body part. Of course, some parts are more responsive while others are more stubborn.</div><div><i>Ranadeep Moitra is a certified coach from the National Strength and Conditioning Association of America, and has worked with the Indian cricket team, the Bengal cricket team and the East Bengal Football Club. He currently coaches the Indian golf team.</i></div><div>Write to us at businessoflife@livemint.com</div> http://www.livemint.com/2012/05/20195529/The-return-of-the-prodigal.html Hiring a former employee is useful but there are rules to get it right HR Matters | Hema Ravichandar Sun, 20 May 2012 18:45:00 GMT 94ef0c9a-a281-11e1-b862-000b5dabf613 http://www.livemint.com/94ef0c9a-a281-11e1-b862-000b5dabf613_39_39SubVpf.gif http://www.livemint.com/94ef0c9a-a281-11e1-b862-000b5dabf613_300_200E09Vpf.gif <div>I am going with the tried and tested, Hema. It is much easier than struggling to on-board a completely new hire. Especially when he would need significant handholding,” said this harried CEO to me.</div><div>They call them the Boomerangs, the ones who leave your organization and then return, much like the prodigal son, at some later date. These rehires are also creatively christened retreads or “Comeback Kids”. </div><div>The target of every self-respecting recruitment team, the benefits of hiring a former employee are well-known and documented. Apart from reduced hiring costs and timelines, these hires come pre-wired with knowledge to navigate the complex company landscape and enviable, on-tap access to buddy ecosystems. No wonder then that research shows that the quality of such hires is significantly better. All of which essentially means less time to hit the road running. No surprise then that organizations eye this talent honey-pot covetously and invest assiduously in “green-channelling” them back into their fold. </div><div>But these “hiring miracles” could easily turn into “hiring mortality” if organizations don’t assimilate them right. So here’s a list of Organizational Must Dos culled from recruiters, search firms, bosses and even Boomerangs for such seamless transition.</div><div><b>‘Let bygones be bygones’ mindset</b></div><div><div class="dvbxImg"><img src="DF04977C-BCF7-47D8-A83B-0E26DED19B4E" alt="The Boomerangs: Rehires come pre-wired with knowledge to navigate the complex company landscape. Illustration by Raajan/Mint. " title="The Boomerangs: Rehires come pre-wired with knowledge to navigate the complex company landscape. Illustration by Raajan/Mint. " height="200" width="300" align="left" /><div class="dvbxImgCapt" style="width:300px">The Boomerangs: Rehires come pre-wired with knowledge to navigate the complex company landscape. Illustration by Raajan/Mint. </div></div>Is your organization’s attitude towards rehires one of second-class citizenship or of a grudge mentality instead of being truly inclusive? Does the rehire philosophy have the strong buy-in of all the powers that be? Even passive resistance will corrode the essence of the initiative. An organization that celebrated Boomerangs bade all voluntary departees with a “Just remember you have a round-trip ticket” message. And if they returned, welcomed each candidate with a wooden boomerang, inscribed with the date they quit and the date they returned. Celebratory listings on the intranet, welcome-back letters from top management and membership to the exclusive Boomerang club followed. </div><div><b>Square pegs, round holes?</b></div><div>What is the role you are hiring for? Is there a fit? Rehires may not warrant elaborate selection processes but it would be best to assess their learning agility, critical for success in an evolving organizational scenario. The expectation, not unreasonably, is that the returning employee would have added to their experience repertoire in the time that s/he was away and come back to a more challenging role, better equipped. Someone once told me how a rehire who had left the organization when the service load was 1, was not even able to conceive of the magnitude and type of problems when returning to an organization which by then was handling 10 times the load. </div><jump /><div>To avoid ending up as Rip Van Winkle, the Boomerang would be well-advised to remember that the job has moved on from the old one. In the morrow, the role, the reporting, the power centres, and especially organizational expectations, will be different. Remember also that former peers may well have moved ahead. Tough luck, but that is how the cookie crumbles. New bridges will have to be built and new peer groups formed.</div><div><b>Has the original problem been fixed? </b></div><div>If the reasons for which the attrition happened in the first place have not been unequivocally addressed, it will not augur well for the prolonged stay of the Boomerang. Unfulfilled expectations from a past appraisal, bad chemistry with the immediate boss, location and time constraints—all these are best aired and cleared prior to proffering the employment offer. “It is best to take a hard look at all the major irritants and see if they can be addressed before rehire discussions begin,” says an experienced recruiter. “Even though in most cases, a shot of reality from the big bad world outside recalibrates expectations and brings new-found maturity to formerly peevish employees.” </div><div>Like the proverbial Caesar’s wife, are you both fair and also seen to be fair—to both rehires and their peers, especially when making the all-important fitment decision? A distress re-entry may allow for discounted offers—compensation, designations, benefits, and even reporting. But it will irk, sooner rather than later. Conversely, too liberal an offer to the Boomerang and loyalists who have stayed back in the organization will be justifiably aggrieved. It is indeed a delicate juggling act, but parity with former peers, the current crop of hires and the additional experience or qualification that the rehire has acquired are all important parts of the equation. Refitting a Boomerang who returns after higher studies is indeed tough since the principle of peer parity, with loyalists who have stayed behind, is usually pitted straight against the educational premium. Each company makes peace with this conflict in its own way. </div><div><b>Innovative inductions </b></div><div>Don’t underestimate the importance of a formal induction. Reorient rehires with the same rigour as you would a new hire, but don’t bore them to death with the same content as a newcomer. Instead, it would help to focus on a few key areas where there have been significant changes since the candidate departed. One-on-one or small group interventions, designed specifically for Boomerangs, are found to be most effective. </div><div><b>Sensitive mentorship </b></div><jump /><div>The Boomerang may well be nursing a wounded ego. The causes could be many—failed entrepreneurship, a disastrous job switch or changed family circumstances. Contrarily, he may be on an ego trip, flaunting the return epaulettes, treading insensitively on peer corns. ...and that too needs handling. Sensitive mentorship and sage counsel are invaluable in setting the right expectations and providing gentle guidance. Advise Boomerangs to stay away from derogatory or laudatory comments about current or past employers and prepare them to answer innumerable times the much-asked question ‘Why exactly did you come back?’”, says one manager who has successfully assimilated many a Boomerang. Augment such mentorship with proactive and frank communication to the team, ideally by a senior, highlighting the reason for the rehire decision, and you have the formula for success. “It was tricky. Some team members were aspiring for the role that I was being brought into. The situation was adeptly handled by a mature Leader through a meeting well before I rejoined, involving me and my future team, to clear the air and set organizational expectations on why the hiring was happening,” said a relieved Boomerang.</div><div><b>And finally, air cover</b></div><div>A CEO acclaimed for his success with Boomerangs has the magic formula of one year when he provides “favoured child” status to the Boomerang to help the person resettle and not have to be one among equals. “Just that air cover, and then they fly. It protects them against any residual peer resentment or road-block,” is what he believes. </div><div>This checklist, I found, meets the Portability test too. In conversation with a very successful home-maker, I found that it is these very principles that she employs when assimilating a Boomerang house help back in her kitchen! </div><div><i>Hema Ravichandar is a strategic human resources consultant. She serves as an independent director and an advisory board member for several organizations. She was formerly the global head of HR for Infosys Ltd and was a boomerang herself in another life. </i></div><div><i>Write to Hema at hrmatters@livemint.com </i></div> http://www.livemint.com/2012/05/20195618/Extract--The-20--20-vision-m.html This book explains how Aravind Eye Care System has been able to treat millions of people and build a cost-efficient and self-sustained business model Sun, 20 May 2012 18:45:00 GMT 764efe2c-a285-11e1-b862-000b5dabf613 http://www.livemint.com/764efe2c-a285-11e1-b862-000b5dabf613_39_39SubVpf.gif http://www.livemint.com/764efe2c-a285-11e1-b862-000b5dabf613_300_200E09Vpf.gif <div>A 2010 <i>Forbes</i> article reviewing Aravind Eye Care System’s profitability described it as “a performance worthy of any commercial venture”. In 1976, Govindappa Venkataswamy, better known as Dr V., set up Aravind as an 11-bed eye clinic at his family home in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. It had no outside investment, no safety net and no business plan. The mission was to wipe out curable blindness. </div><div>Over the years, Aravind Eye Care System has treated more than 32 million people and performed over four million surgeries—most of them for free. If you cannot pay for surgery, you don’t have to. If you cannot reach the clinic, the doctors come to you. Aravind Eye Care System, spread out in various locations in south India, is not only a story of the power of human will but also of a smart, cost-efficient and self-sustained business model. </div><div><div class="dvbxImg"><img src="ACADACDA-C613-4931-9E36-85F4B2913D38" alt="Clear strategy: Aravind’s tiered pricing system helps it reach out to those who cannot afford treatment." title="Clear strategy: Aravind’s tiered pricing system helps it reach out to those who cannot afford treatment." height="200" width="300" align="left" /><div class="dvbxImgCapt" style="width:300px">Clear strategy: Aravind’s tiered pricing system helps it reach out to those who cannot afford treatment.</div></div>In <i>Infinite Vision, </i>authors Pavithra K. Mehta and Suchitra Shenoy narrate the inspiring story of Dr V. and Aravind. Mehta is a writer and film-maker, who has made a documentary with the same name as the book, and Shenoy works with the Hyderabad-based Youth 4 Jobs Foundation, in the fields of education and healthcare.</div><div>In the chapter titled <i>The Power of Creative Constraints, </i>the authors show how the pricing model of Aravind works—a tiered system that starts with paying nothing for a surgery, and goes up to paying the market price, a choice left to the patient. Edited excerpt: </div><div>In the field of international development, money can be a touchy subject. To carry out their core work, many non-profit organizations rely on external funding from individual donations or grants from foundations. An unspoken assumption that business and charity do not mix often gives rise to a tension between purse strings and heartstrings.</div><div>In this context, Aravind manages to hold two seemingly contradictory principles with ease: self-sustainability and universal access to its services. Dr V seeded these “constraints” in the organization without a preset plan. But the founding team, over time, evolved effective systems for working within them. “In our experience, self-sustainability is a dynamic process, not a static destination,” says Thulsi (Thulsi Ravilla is Dr. V’s nephew by marriage, and the executive director of the organization’s training and consulting division). “It emerges from a complex interaction of organizational, technical and human factors.” He maintains that Aravind’s own financial health and independence are by-products of careful attention to pricing structures, free and paying patient volumes, effective resource utilization, standardization, and an extremely cost-conscious leadership. In other words, at Aravind, self-reliance is more of an ethos than an end goal. </div><div><div class="dvbxImg"><img src="A07E480A-B5E2-4CB3-8F88-66424250125E" alt="Infinite Vision—How Aravind Became the World’s Greatest Business Case for Compassion: By Pavithra K. Mehta and Suchitra Shenoy, Collins Business, 322 pages,Rs499." title="Infinite Vision—How Aravind Became the World’s Greatest Business Case for Compassion: By Pavithra K. Mehta and Suchitra Shenoy, Collins Business, 322 pages,Rs499." height="300" width="300" align="left" /><div class="dvbxImgCapt" style="width:300px">Infinite Vision—How Aravind Became the World’s Greatest Business Case for Compassion: By Pavithra K. Mehta and Suchitra Shenoy, Collins Business, 322 pages,Rs499.</div></div>“Zero can be a legitimate price point,” declares Thulsi. This is his succinct response to the to-charge-or-not-to-charge dilemma. Aravind’s pricing strategy goes beyond the traditional notions of free care. It positions free service not as a charitable handout but as one of many options in a self-selecting fee system. Its price range—from zero to market rates—is built around a culture that respects every patient’s right to selection. </div><div>“Choice is fundamentally important,” says Dr Aravind Srinivasan, the hospital’s administrator. “We all exercise it when we go to a supermarket and choose what we want from an array of options. Our choices are based on subjective combinations of aspiration and affordability. We believe in empowering our patients with that kind of choice.” </div><div>The organization also believes that a pricing model offering free service as one option within a broader range can serve more patients in need than a system that does only charity. Aravind’s consulting work with an eye hospital named Sadguru Netra Chikitsalaya, in the town of Chitrakoot in rural Madhya Pradesh, is a case in point. Until 2002, the Chitrakoot hospital relied heavily on donor funding and focused exclusively on the very poor. The hospital’s trustees believed that charging patients would corrupt the institute’s charitable focus. Most of its patients paid nothing, and the hospital ran at a loss. But when Dr B.K. Jain, the hospital’s director, visited Aravind, he experienced the power of a different approach.</div><div>With Aravind’s assistance, Jain persuaded the Chitrakoot trustees to adopt a tiered pricing system and broaden its patient base to include wealthier patients. They sought Aravind’s expertise to put together a detailed plan of action. Along with implementing the new fee structure, they developed the skills to do cataract surgery with intraocular lens implants and also began running free eye camps in the community. The ripple effect was dramatic. Five years later, for the first time in its existence, the Chitrakoot hospital wasn’t running at a loss. And it was actually making a surplus. </div><div>To Aravind’s leadership, financial automony is important not in and of itself, but precisely because it allows for this greater command over the many dimensions of quality. </div><div><i>Write to us at businessoflife@livemint.com</i></div> http://www.livemint.com/2012/05/20195551/Unhappy-employees-may-8216r.html The massive middle in any organization tends to be neglected. Recognize their effort before it’s too late L.M. Sixel Sun, 20 May 2012 14:25:00 GMT a1744e60-a283-11e1-b862-000b5dabf613 http://www.livemint.com/a1744e60-a283-11e1-b862-000b5dabf613_39_39SubVpf.gif http://www.livemint.com/a1744e60-a283-11e1-b862-000b5dabf613_300_200E09Vpf.gif <div>If you’re lucky, you bound out of bed each morning looking forward to another day at work. Maybe it’s because your work is fulfilling or you work with a great boss who has your back. Or maybe your co-workers are interesting and fun.</div><div>But maybe your job is boring, your boss is an egotist and your co-workers are morons. And because of that, maybe you’ve “retired” on the job.</div><div><div class="dvbxImg"><img src="B623B718-1233-4BB3-9B34-735C73B909ED" alt="Communicate: Keep your employees engaged with the company." title="Communicate: Keep your employees engaged with the company." height="200" width="300" align="left" /><div class="dvbxImgCapt" style="width:300px">Communicate: Keep your employees engaged with the company.</div></div>That attitude shows up a lot in surveys of folks who want to change jobs. Keeping employees engaged is a huge problem facing companies as the US claws out of the economic doldrums, according to participants in several workshops at HR Houston’s 21st annual Gulf Coast Symposium earlier this month. As the economy improves, more employees who felt stuck during the recession are starting to look around for greener pastures.</div><div>But bosses can make their own side of the fence look better to employees by putting some time and effort into making sure they feel as if they’re a critical part of the team.</div><div>It’s a matter of recognizing their efforts with a simple “thank you” in person or email, celebrating special milestones with a cake for the office, and sitting down periodically to discuss where they’re going next in their careers.</div><div>“We pile on the perks for the top 10%,” says Debra Bogowitz of Accelerated HR Solutions in El Dorado Hills, California, US. The bottom 10% get lots of attention too, she says, with coaching and documentation of deficiencies.</div><div>But the massive middle gets overlooked, says Bogowitz, who gave a presentation at the conference. “They’re known as Popos: Passed over and pissed off.” One great way to make sure newer employees are engaged is to check with them about six months into the job to find out if they’re happy. Bogowitz calls it a “stay” interview. It involves asking employees what they like about the job and what they don’t like, what changes they’d like to see, and what could entice them to leave the company—and then using the answers to make adjustments. “If you aren’t re-recruiting your best people, you’re the only one who isn’t,” she says.</div><div><b>No one solution</b></div><div>And don’t wait until someone hands in a resignation. By then it’s too late. The emotional attachment is gone.</div><div>Doing a better job of driving employee engagement isn’t a one-size-fits-all proposition. Some employees may want more work-life balance, especially the opportunity to work from home occasionally, says Kevin Sheridan, CEO of HR Solutions International in Chicago, who estimates that 60% of workers are ambivalent about their jobs. They feel unappreciated and at times unimportant, and do just enough to get by.</div><div>Melissa Williams, a recruiting manager at the Achilles Group in Houston, Texas, reinforces the notion that being appreciated can keep people around, at least for a while. She recalls staying in a job longer than she should have because she was recognized regularly for her talent.</div><div>Williams, clearly an extrovert, worked in a window-less cubicle where she scrolled the big job boards for résumés. But she couldn’t contact the candidates—that was someone else’s job.</div><div>“That’s like a caged tiger with me not talking,” she says. “But they’d say: ‘You are doing such a great job. Now be quiet.’ So I’d stay another month.”</div><div>Sheridan, author of <i>Building a Magnetic Culture: How to Attract And Retain Top Talent to Create an Engaged, Productive Workforce</i>, says some of the younger employees in his office suggested putting up “personal fact sheets” in the break room. The fun facts spark conversation and promote a friendly workplace.</div><div><b>Higher productivity</b></div><div>Brittany Smith, a recruiter with Houston-based accessory retailer Charming Charlie, believes that strong engagement translates into higher productivity. Each year it surveys workers in its 193 stores to assess employee satisfaction.</div><div>One recent questionnaire uncovered a desire for break-room goodies, and Charming Charlie now provides free Starbucks coffee and healthy snacks. “It’s a little something that shows we appreciate our employees and that we’re listening,” she says.</div><div><i>©2012/The New York Times</i></div><div><i>Write to us at businessoflife@livemint.com</i></div> http://www.livemint.com/2012/05/20183308/Cooking-With-Lounge--Aubergin.html Chef Orhan Gomleksiz of Sheraton Maslak hotel, Istanbul, who visited Le Méridien New Delhi, makes a Turkish starter legendary for its subtle and delicate taste Shreya Ray Sun, 20 May 2012 13:03:00 GMT d1180a48-a27a-11e1-b862-000b5dabf613 http://www.livemint.com/d1180a48-a27a-11e1-b862-000b5dabf613_39_39SubVpf.gif http://www.livemint.com/d1180a48-a27a-11e1-b862-000b5dabf613_300_200E09Vpf.gif <div>Chef Orhan Gomleksiz of Sheraton Maslak hotel, Istanbul, who visited Le Méridien New Delhi, makes a Turkish starter legendary for its subtle and delicate taste.</div><div><b>Imam Bayildi</b></div><div>Serves 6 </div><div></div><div><b>Ingredients</b></div><div>4-6 small eggplants</div><div>Salt to taste</div><div>10 tbsp extra virgin olive oil</div><div>2 medium-size onions, cut lengthwise and thinly sliced</div><div>6 large garlic cloves, chopped</div><div>1/2 pound (around 225g) ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped</div><div>1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped </div><div>2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped </div><div>1 tsp sugar</div><div>2 tbsp fresh lemon juice</div><div>1/4 cup water</div><div></div><div><b>Method </b></div><div><div class="dvbxImg"><img src="C8CC9B39-CE61-4E07-A304-9900895053E0" alt="" title="" height="200" width="300" align="left" /><div class="dvbxImgCapt" style="width:300px"></div></div>Peel off strips of the eggplant skin at 1-inch intervals to get a striped effect. Cut off the stem portion, then cut each eggplant in half lengthwise. Make a deep lengthwise slit along the flesh side of the eggplant, making sure you don’t puncture the skin. Cut a very small portion of the skin side of the eggplant to make a flat section so the eggplant can sit correctly in the skillet later. Salt the flesh and set aside, flesh side down, on some paper towels for 30 minutes to leach the eggplant of its bitter juices. Dry with paper towels. </div><div>Now, in a large skillet, heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil over high heat and once it’s smoking, fry the eggplant, flesh side down, until golden brown, for about 4 minutes. Remove from the skillet to drain on some paper towels. In the same skillet, add the remaining oil and heat over medium-high heat, then cook the onion and garlic until soft and yellow for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently so the garlic doesn’t burn. Transfer the onions to a medium-size bowl and mix well with the tomatoes, parsley, dill, sugar, salt to taste and a few tablespoons of the cooking oil. Arrange the eggplant halves in a large skillet or casserole with the slit side up. Gently open the slits so that they can accommodate as much of the stuffing as possible. Season the eggplant with salt, then stuff each one so that the stuffing fills the slits and is spread to cover all the flesh. Sprinkle the lemon juice over the eggplant. Pour any remaining sauce or juices, along with the water, into the skillet, cover and cook over low heat until the eggplant is soft, in about 50 minutes, adding water to the skillet if it is getting too dry. Let the eggplants cool in the skillet and serve whole at room temperature.</div><div></div><div><a href="http://blip.tv/file/get/Sidin-AubergineDelight279.flv" target="">Loading Video...</a></div><div><i>shreya.r@livemint.com</i></div>