Monthly Archives: December 2013

We are Deluding Ourselves: Naseer on Global Reach

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, World Opinion
"You compare our story telling with the kind of films made in Iran, Poland, and Brazil and we stand nowhere, " says Naseeruddin Shah. (File/EPS)
“You compare our story telling with the kind of films made in Iran, Poland, and Brazil and we stand nowhere, ” says Naseeruddin Shah. (File/EPS)

A handful of Indian movies have won international acclaim in the last few years, but veteran Naseeruddin Shah says that we still have a long way to go.

He said: “We are deluding ourselves that we are making world-class cinema just because the photography has gotten better and the editing has gotten better, but our special effects with something like ‘Iron Man’ doesn’t stand anywhere.”

The 63-year-old has worked in international projects such as “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” and says that Indian movies are still not on par with international storytelling standards.

“You compare our story telling with the kind of films made in Iran, Poland, and Brazil and we stand nowhere.”

“We have stars, who pander to their own egos all the time, we don’t have a single guy like George Clooney or Brad Pitt, who will use their star clout to change things around them. Catch any of our stars doing a films like ‘Syriana’, we won’t do it yet we say we have conquered the globe,” he added.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Entertainment> Hindi / by IANS – Chennai / December 30th, 2013

Biker Alisha to Replicate Her Real Avatar on Reel

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Sports
In the film, Alisha is paired with Vietnamese actor Johnny Tri Nguyen, who had debuted with Tamil film "7am Arivu". (Publicity Material)
In the film, Alisha is paired with Vietnamese actor Johnny Tri Nguyen, who had debuted with Tamil film “7am Arivu”. (Publicity Material)

Alisha Abdullah is set to make her cinematic debut with upcoming Tamil thriller “Irumbu Kuthirai”, which will portray her in the role that’s true to her real life persona – a bike racer.

A Promotional Poster of the film, 'Irumbu Kuthirai'. (Publicity Material)
A Promotional Poster of the film, ‘Irumbu Kuthirai’. (Publicity Material)

“The film is about two biker groups with a passion for racing. We thought it would be ideal to have a real racer as part of the story. I was told Alisha had turned down several film offers in the past, but I still approached her and she happened to love her role, which is of a racer,” director Yuvaraj Bose told IANS.

“She instantly agreed to do the role. I think she will fit the bill because she just has to be herself in the film,” he added.

In the film, Alisha is paired with Vietnamese actor Johnny Tri Nguyen, who had debuted with Tamil film “7am Arivu”.

The film also features Atharva Murali, Priya Anand and Lakshmi Rai in important roles.

Alisha, who started driving at the age of 9, won her first championship title when she was 13 years old. She is also a popular Indian car racer and has participated in several national championships.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Entertainment> Tamil / by IANS – Mumbai / December 31st, 2013

Happy New Year first poster to be out January 2

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

The first poster of Shah Rukh Khan starrer “Happy New Year” will be launched Jan 2 on the film’s social media pages – Twitter and Facebook.

The poster will be first sent to all fans and fan clubs on the social media sites as a gratification for their support, said a statement.

The action-musical-comedy, also starring Deepika Padukone, Boman Irani, Abhishek Bachchan, Sonu Sood and Vivaan Shah, is being directed by Farah Khan and produced by Red Chillies Entertainment Pvt Ltd.

ShahrukhMPos31dec2013

The film’s social media platforms have been very active and their first topic ‘wacky wishes’ has been trending on Twitter.

A huge social media campaign has been set around the launch of the first poster of the film and the lead actors are actively participating in the campaign for the first poster launch.

source: http://www.indiatoday.intoday.in / indiatoday.in / Home> Movies> Bollywood> Story / by IANS – Mumbai / December 31st, 2013

A starring role Farooque Shaikh kept hidden: How he helped a 26/11 victim

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues
Shruti with her sons. “I regret I couldn’t thank him,” she says./ Pradip Das
Shruti with her sons. “I regret I couldn’t thank him,” she says./ Pradip Das

The country knew and loved Farooque Shaikh as the actor behind many a sublime role. Few knew another side of him, as a fiercely secretive philanthropist who kept his identity hidden even from his benefactors.

On Saturday, Shruti Kamble discovered that the man who had helped her and her two sons after her husband’s death in the terror attack of November 2008 was Shaikh. Offering a silent prayer for the actor, the 40-year-old says: “My regret is I could never thank him.” All that the Kambles knew, from the many envelopes Shruti saved, was that a “Shaikh sa’ab” was helping them.

The 65-year-old actor died of a heart attack in Dubai on Friday night. The funeral is on Monday.

Exactly a month after the 26/11 incident, The Indian Express had received an SMS from Shaikh, characteristically self-effacing in tone, regarding a story that had appeared in the paper on the wife and two small sons of Rajan Kamble, a maintenance worker at Taj Hotel who had died in the terror attack. Shaikh had also read a previous story on Rajan in the paper, detailing how he had been shot by terrorists while ushering hotel guests to safety.

Reading that Rajan had wanted elder son Rohan to go to a military school and younger Atharva, only 2 at the time, to become a pilot, Shaikh had got in touch. He offered to fund the children’s education, after extricating a promise that his identity would be kept a secret.

The Indian Express would call him at the beginning of every academic year and inform him of the amount needed, and he would promptly dispatch a cheque to the Kambles. He never asked how the money was spent.

While Atharva is one of the best students in his Class II now, Rohan, who is in Class IX, plans to work at the Taj. “While the Taj management has taken care of us, if not for Shaikh sa’ab, my children couldn’t have dreamed of making it so far. Today I can finally tell my sons that this was the stranger who looked after us when everyone we called our own gave up,” Shruti says.

source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home / by Shalini Nair / Mumbai – Monday, December 30th, 2013

Rashid Khan wins PGTI Order of Merit

Sports

GolfMPos30Dec2013

Kolkata:

Rashid Khan claimed number one position on the 2013 Rolex Rankings, the PGTI Order of Merit, after finishing sixth at the McLeod Russel Tour Championship at the RCGC on Sunday.

Last year`s runner-up, Rashid earned sixth place at eight-under-280 to end up in number one position in the PGTI Order of Merit for 2013.

The Delhi lad, who posted 10 top-10s including two wins in 2013, finished the year with earnings of Rs 46,38,284 to seal the title.

His tied eighth place finish in the Year-Ending championship meant S Chikkarangappa of Bangalore was second on the Order of Merit with earnings of Rs 32,65,313.

“It`s been a highly satisfying year for me. I won two events and was in contention in a number of events,” a delighted Rashid said.

“Importantly, I`ve improved on last year when I finished second in the rankings. This is a huge boost for me as I`ll be playing as a full-card holder on the Asian Tour next year.”

Fondly called `Chikka`, who had one win and nine other top-10s in the season, also won the Emerging Player of the Year race as he recorded the maximum earnings among all the rookies in the 2013 season.

“When I began the year my target was a top-10 finish on the Order of Merit… But as the year progressed, I thought I had a realistic chance of finishing in the top-3 for the season.

“I`m delighted that I managed to finish second on the rankings and win the Emerging Player race as well. The rookies were very strong this year and coming out on top among the rookies is special.

“My putting was the highlight of the season. I really started putting well midway through the year when I started using a new putter,” Chikkarangappa said.

Angad Cheema of Panchkula ended up in second position in the Emerging Player of the Year race with earnings of Rs 26,50,448.

Order of Merit: 

1 Rashid Khan (Del; Rs 46,38,284);   2   S Chikkarangappa (Ban; Rs 32,65,313);    3   Angad Cheema(Panchkula; 26,50,448);   4    Shamim Khan (Del; Rs 26,08,508);       5 Mukesh Kumar (Mhow; 22,59,917);      6   Chiragh Kumar (Del; 21,30,135);       7 Mohammad Zamal Hossain Mollah (Bangladesh; 19,06,180);      8   M Dharma (Ban; 18,21,539);      9   Shankar Das (Kol; 16,41,278);    Abhijit Singh (Chandi; 15,11,702).

PTI
source: http://www.zeenews.india.in / Z News / Home> Sports> Golf / by PTI / Sunday – December 29th, 2013

Veteran actor Farooq Sheikh dies in Dubai after suffering a heart attack

Arts, Culture & Entertainment,

Veteran actor Farooq Sheikh, who is best remembered for his performances in films like ‘Garm Hava’, ‘Shatranj Ke Khiladi’, ‘Chashme Buddoor’ and ‘Kissi Se Na Kehna’, died after suffering a heart attack in Dubai.

He was 65.

“He has passed away,” a family member told PTI, without disclosing any further details.

The actor was in Dubai apparently for a concert when he suffered the heart attack on late Friday night.

His body will be brought to Mumbai later in the day after completing the formalities in Dubai.

Sheikh made a tremendous contribution in theatre, films and TV as well. He started his career in Bollywood in 1973 with ‘Garm Hava’ and is best remembered for his performances in films like ‘Shatranj Ke Khiladi’, ‘Chashme Buddoor’, ‘Kissi Se Na Kehna’, ‘Noorie’.

His last film was ‘Club 60’ and before that he was seen playing the role of a father to Ranbir Kapoor in ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’.

He also hosted the popular Zee TV show “Jeena issi ka naam hai” in which he interviewed many Bollywood celebrities.

source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home / by Press Trust of India / Dubai, Saturday – December 28th, 2013

Former President Kalam to grace Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology’s convocation

Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Leaders

Allahabad : 

Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad (MNNIT-Allahabad), is poised to hold its 10th Annual Convocation-2013 on Thursday at the Rajiv Gandhi MP Hall Complex. The occasion will be graced by former President APJ Abdul Kalam as the chief guest while Prof VK Saraswat, chairman, Board of Governors, would preside over the function.

Speaking to newspersons on Wednesday, director, MNNIT, Prof P Chakravorty, said that during the convocation, 693 BTech, 77 MBA, 72 MCA, 9 MSc, 6 MSW, 404 MTech and 34 PhD students will be awarded degrees. For academic session 2012-13, 23 gold medals will be awarded to postgraduate students and nine to the undergraduate students.

Further, 18 sponsored gold medals are to be awarded across various academic programmes. This is in addition to the medals to be awarded to the toppers of the first, second, third and fourth years of undergraduate programs.

The coveted and prestigious Institute Gold Medal will be awarded to Shobit Srivastava of BTech (Computer Science & Engineering) for standing first amongst students of all branches of the Institute in the Final Year Examination of 2013. He will also receive a gold medal for standing First in BTech (Computer Science & Engineering) Final Year Examination 2013.

Archan Mudwel of Mechanical Engineering will be awarded the gold medal for standing first at BTech third year examination 2013, while Tanu Agrawal and Priyanshu Srivastava, both of Computer Science & Engineering, will be awarded gold medals for standing first in the second and first year examination 2013, respectively.

He said that the institute has continued to take large strides in its mission of academic excellence. In 2012, 66 new faculty members were inducted in various departments. This has taken the total faculty strength to 199, with 50 professors, 36 associate professors and 113 assistant professors.

During academic session 2013-2014, 1,485 students were admitted for various programs of BTech, MBA, MCA, MSc, MSW, MTech and Ph.D, out of which 92 students are from other countries.

In a new initiative, the institute has organized 22 Short Term Training Programs, Faculty Development Programs and Workshops during 2012-2013. Under the TEQIP II program, the Institute has been sanctioned an amount of Rs 12.5 crores towards implementation of several schemes such as innovative research, curriculum development, educational tours, training programs, networking, procurement of equipments, purchase of books, international visits and laboratory upgradation.

The Institute has maintained its excellent record of placements up to 85% during the session with ongoing placements of post graduate students also.

In terms of providing technical assistance to industries, government organizations, the institute has offered more than 290 testing and consultancy activities during the financial year 2012-2013. Altogether 40 research projects, with total sanctioned amount exceeding Rs 10.91 crores have also been sanctioned from various funding agencies, notably DRDO, DAE, ICSSR, DST, CSIR, UGC, DBT and UPPCB.

The Institute is looking at further initiatives towards renewable energy, rainwater harvesting, reusage and recycling of waste water, disaster management and energy conservation as its focus in coming years, he added.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Allahabad> Mnnit  / TNN / October 31st, 2013

INS Circars celebrates 74 anniversary

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, Science & Technology, Transport, , , , ,

 

Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command Vice Admiral Anil Chopra along with Commanding Officer INS Circars Commodore Saleem M. Anwer cutting a cake to celebrate the 74th anniversary of ENC Depot Ship INS Circars in Visakhapatnam on Thursday./ by Special Arrangement / The Hindu
Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command Vice Admiral Anil Chopra along with Commanding Officer INS Circars Commodore Saleem M. Anwer cutting a cake to celebrate the 74th anniversary of ENC Depot Ship INS Circars in Visakhapatnam on Thursday./ by Special Arrangement / The Hindu

The premier depot ship of the Eastern Naval Command, Indian Naval Ship Circars, celebrated its 74th Anniversary here on Thursday.

Initially established as a small base by the Royal Indian Navy in December 1939 shortly after the outbreak of World War II, the role of Circars changed over the years from coordinating naval operations, functioning as a repair organisation and being an establishment for Boys training, to its present status of being the premier depot ship of the ENC.

Festive look

The establishment currently provides administrative and logistics support to as many as 44 naval units in and around Visakhapatnam, catering to an approximate strength of over 3,500 personnel. Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Vice Admiral Anil Chopra was the chief guest for the celebrations marked to commemorate the occasion. The naval base wore a festive look, and saw active participation by personnel and families of INS Circars and allied units. A large number of serving and retired officers participated in the celebrations. The traditional cake cutting ceremony was followed by release of in-house Hindi magazine Circars Vaani. Speaking on the occasion, Commanding Officer, INS Circars Commodore Saleem M Anwer said that the depot ship was fully prepared to meet all challenges in its assigned role of supporting the ENC.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by Special Correspondent / Visakhapatnam – December 13th, 2013

Noted Urdu scholar and poet Dr Kamal Ahmad Siddiqui dead

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education

KamalAhmedMPos24dec2013

Mumbai:

Noted Urdu scholar, poet, linguistic expert, a specialist of Mirza Ghalib and litterateur Dr Kamal Ahmad Siddiqui died in New Delhi Monday at around 11:30 p.m. He was 87.

Family sources while talking to ummid.com said that Dr Kamal Ahmad Siddiqui was admitted to New Delhi’s Apolo Hospital after his kidneys failed to respond some fifteen days ago. He died in the hospital.

Dr Kamal Ahmad Siddiqui was regarded as the expert of Urdu language and Mirza Ghalib, and he was also associated with radio and television for a very long period.

Due to his work on Mirza Ghalib, he was awarded with the ‘Ghalib Award’. His book ‘Ghalib ki Shankaht’ was published by Ghalib Institute.

He was a regular in Delhi’s elite circle of Urdu scholars and was among the most respected ones. He was also one of the key figures in various seminars of Ghalib Institute.

He was also associated with journalism and had a good command over mass communication.

His love for literature can be gauged from the fact that he completed his doctorate from Jawaharlal Nehru University after retirement.

source: http://www.ummid.com / Ummid.com / Home> National / by ummid.com Staff Reporter / Tuesday – December 24th, 2013

GRAB YOUR GRUB : Breaking bread

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Travel & Tourism, , ,
A view of the open space outside the Griffin. / Photo: Nagara Gopal / The Hindu
A view of the open space outside the Griffin. / Photo: Nagara Gopal / The Hindu

From artisan breads to scones, pastries, sandwiches and pastas, Griffin has something in store for everyone

Fancy some sourdough bread or maybe some ciabatta? You could try Griffin- The Artisan Bread Store in Madhapur, which promises to dish out fresh breads of various kinds. Fairly new, this store was the brain child of Mohd. Mujahid, who wanted to give the city a taste of different breads. The store, which is already a hit with the expat crowd in the area, also offers a variety of short eats for gastronomes.

The little bread store-cum-café has an interesting array of baked goodies that are perfect for those long conversations over a cup of coffee. You could take your pick from their cookies, scones, donuts, croissants, muffins, cheesecakes or tarts. Priced at around Rs. 50 each, they hardly burn a hole in your pocket.

The artisan bread store at Madhapur in Hyderabad. / Photo: Nagara Gopal / The Hindu
The artisan bread store at Madhapur in Hyderabad. / Photo: Nagara Gopal / The Hindu

Griffin can also be a pit-stop for a quick lunch or casual dinner with its selection of pizzas, sandwiches and pastas. You could choose from their delicious pastas in an array of sauces like arrabiata, pesto, alfredo or a juicy sandwich with some smoked or grilled meat or roasted veggies of your choice. You can’t really get bored with their selection of sandwiches, which are served in different breads each day. “I started this store mainly so I could introduce people to different varieties of breads. The idea behind serving sandwiches in different kinds of breads is to give our clients an idea of the kinds of breads we offer and how they can use them in different ways,” says Mujahid.

You can’t really get bored with their selection of sandwiches, which are served in different breads each day. / Photo: Nagara Gopal / The Hindu
You can’t really get bored with their selection of sandwiches, which are served in different breads each day. / Photo: Nagara Gopal / The Hindu

The café section of this bread store is also a good place to spend an afternoon just reading or browsing the internet with a free wi-fi connection available to patrons. For the coffee lovers there are a variety of coffees to choose from while those watching their weight can pick a salad of their choice.

Griffin also has a bread shelf with different breads like sourdough, ciabatta, bagels and baguettes among others that you can choose from. The breads that are baked in two batches a day are brought in from the Griffin factory in Shamshabad. “We want to keep the products as fresh as possible,” explains Mujahid. The breads like the items on the menu are priced affordably with a whole wheat bread costing as less as Rs.50, while a sourdough could go up to Rs.100 The ciabatta and panini cost around Rs. 30, while a Scottish Bap comes for around Rs. 20.

Griffin – The Artisan Bread Store

Where: Kavuri Hills, Phase-1, Madhapur

When: 7.30 a.m. to 11p.m.

Contact: 040-30512844 ext:454

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Food / by Ranjani Rajendra / Hyderabad – December 12th, 2013