WEDNESDAY 16 NOVEMBER 2016

No point criticising today’s hit songs, says Bappi Lahiri

MARKETPLACE | 6 HEALTH | 9 BOLLYWOOD | 11Msheireb

Properties bags two awards

Take a seat? No, walking is a much

better idea

Email: dohatoday@pen.com.qa

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| 11

SNOW IN

JAPANA meteorological blitzkrieg has spawned the noun “Japanuary” among powder chasers worldwide.

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CAMPUSWEDNESDAY 16 NOVEMBER 2016 03

Kerala formation day celebrated

The 61st Kerala state reorganisation day was celebrated by Bhavans Public School at all three campuses on November 1 with glory portray-ing the traditional cultural heritage

of Kerala state through an array of various cultural programmes that was designed and presented by the Malayalam Department. Songs depicting the cultural glory and the-matic dance projecting the aesthetic charm was presented by the students in all the three campuses.

Students at MidMac also presented Edassery Govindan Nair’s poem “Pooth-apaattu” through dance visualisation. The programme was anchored by students of Malayalam department. Bijeesh at Wakra and Ajith in Matar gave a speech highlighting on

the importance of Malayalam language. Quiz was also conducted for the students

and the winners were given certificates and novels as a mark of honour. Principal MP Philip at Matar, Headmistress Shailaja Krishnakumar at MidMac and Director

Administration Anjana Menon at Matar in their speech highlighted the rich cultural diversity of Kerala.

At Wakra, Soumyapriya, Head of Malay-alam department and Sreekala in Matar proposed the vote of thanks.

Noble International School hosts annual sports day The students of Noble Interna-

tional School conducted their 10th annual sports day meet

at Al Arabi Stadium on November 13 which was filled with great zeal, excitement and frolicsome atmos-phere. The ceremony was auspicated with the recital of verses from the Holy Quran.

The Guest of Honor, R S Moideen, Transport Director, NIS, graced the occasion with his pres-ence. Other management members such as Ahmed Ansari, Faisal, Shibu Abdul Rasheed Principal, Staff & Students were all present at the lively event. The principal wel-comed the esteemed gathering and emphasised the importance of sports in a child’s life.

The students displayed a wide array of colorful and reverberant events such as March past, Yoga, Pyramid, Aerobics, Acrobatics & Relays. The Sports Captain admin-istered the solemn oath to the house captains and the participants. The sports torch was carried by the Sports Captain and the house stu-dents. Once the races began, the air was filled with cheering and tons of encouragement for the young

athletes. The Sports Display, by the four different houses such as Frig-ate, Eider, Teal & Pintail showcased the skills and exercises practiced by the young sports enthusiasts. The event was marked by a string of spectacular performances pre-sented by the students of NIS, who were brimming with enthusiasm

and sportsmanship. The last event, an AHA! Football match between Eider and Frigate house grasped the attention of the crowd.

The Principal applauded the effort of the students and the teach-ers for making the event a huge success. Shibu Abdul Rasheed con-gratulated and encouraged the

winners. The overall championship trophy was presented to Teal (Blue) house and the runners trophy to Eider (Green) house by the man-agement members. The event came to an end successfully with the vote of thanks, leaving thrilling memo-ries in the hearts of each and everyone present there.

COVER STORY WEDNESDAY 16 NOVEMBER 201604

John Briley The Washington Post

You don’t have to go to Japan to ski, eat sushi and soak in geothermal hot springs. But if you want deep pow-der without lift lines for $40 a day, the best sushi and ramen in the world

in intimate, family-run restaurants and a soak in a 105-degree spring with a view of the vol-cano that is heating your water, in the comfort of your hotel, then follow the drifting snowflake to the Land of the Rising Sun.

I am thinking this as I sit in the bustling lodge at a two-lift ski area called Seki Onsen, picking tunes on a public guitar that I pulled from the wall, with the melting vestiges of a 15-inch pow-der day still dripping from my boots.

Seki Onsen is the smallest of six ski areas that hug the lower flanks of Mount Myoko, an active volcano 175 miles northwest of Tokyo that juts, like a clenched fist, 8,051 feet into the sky. In one week here we will ski five of those areas, plus

two of the other 16 ski resorts that sit within an hour’s drive. (The word onsen, which means hot springs, is used liberally as a noun and verb in the many parts of Japan where such waters bur-ble forth.)

Ten buddies and I have come from all over the United States to Akakura Onsen, a village in the highlands surrounding the city of Myoko, in late January, hoping to tap a powder spigot renowned among committed skiers. In a normal winter, cold fronts pulse down from Siberia, suck moisture off the Sea of Japan and spiral ashore, dumping up to 650 inches of snow per season on the mountains here on Honshu and the north-ern island of Hokkaido.

This meteorological blitzkrieg is most active from December through February, a pattern that

has spawned the noun “Japanuary” among pow-der chasers worldwide.

Alas, this isn’t a normal winter in Myoko, something we will hear often. The Myoko area, according to a forecast blog I am following, is having its driest winter in memory. After a partly cloudy shuttle ride from Tokyo’s Narita Interna-tional Airport, we take an exit for Akakura and smack straight into winter.

Snow falls in wind-driven sheets, blanketing the road and the surrounding forests of oak, maple, beech and aspen trees. In the village, rev-ellers and couples backlit by neon signs stroll a snow-quilted main drag of bars, restaurants and stores. The storm, one of two we will get during the week, comes too late to rescue this hobbled season, but to us it feels like a welcome parade.

We find our way to the Morino Lodge, a three-story, Australian-owned hotel. In the morning, we watch the continuing snow through big pic-ture windows as waves of pancakes, eggs, bacon, oatmeal and fruit stream out of the kitchen. We suit up and walk five minutes to the closest ski hill, also named Akakura Onsen, where our lodge manager’s crystal-clear direction — buy ticket here, ride this lift, then transfer to this one — smashes into an impenetrable language barrier. Eventually, the smiling ladies at the ticket coun-ter take a pile of yen from us, slide 11 tickets across the counter and gesture us toward the slopes. After riding one lift over dead-flat ground and another up a bunny slope, we solve the map and make our way to the top of the interconnected Akakura Kanko resort, where the new snow is more than a foot deep and still accumulating.

In Japan, a quest for deep powder

COVER STORYWEDNESDAY 16 NOVEMBER 2016 05

The Japanese, who were largely absent at the Morino Lodge, have gathered in minor force on the mountain, sticking mainly to the centre of the marked runs. That leaves ample lanes of powder on the margins, and we spend the morning feasting on the new snow, bumping farther into the woods with each run.

Akakura, like most Japanese resorts, forbids off-trail skiing, a rule that many foreigners ignore. As the storm peters out, I notice that we are sharing the trees with a broadening multicultural group. Someone else notices too: I emerge from the aspens after yet one more powder bash to see a strategically positioned ski patroller motioning me into a circle of worried-looking dudes. He points to my lift pass and, without a spoken word, adds it to a stack in his hand.

As we plead our cases in our native tongues, the patroller shakes his head and points up at the trees with a clear message: off limits. Just as we’re all giving up and starting to shuffle away, he calls us back and redistributes the seized passes.

I meet my friends for lunch in a smal l mid-mountain restaurant.

“When something gets hot in Japan, everyone - and I mean eve-ryone - does it,” says Bill Glude, an affable Alaskan who has been a ski guide in Japan since 2004. “That was skiing in the 1980s,” a decade when the country’s economy was on fire. “They built up all this infra-structure to support the obsession. Then the economy crashed and people just stopped skiing.”

Some resorts shut down. Oth-ers limped along in bankruptcy

protection, which left little cash for on-mountain improvements. As a result there are few high-speed lifts in Japan, and some areas, including Seki, feature what are affectionately known as “pizza box” lifts — single-seat chairs with only the suggestion of a backrest. There are exceptions to this throwback vibe, notably at the bigger resorts on Hokkaido and in the Hakuba area, a two-hour drive south of Myoko.

We find the best pitches at a burly mountain called Madarao, where 15 lifts serve 30 runs on a vertical drop of 1,500 feet, includ-ing numerous glades and a few shots of steep trees. I can see how this would be a powder hound’s paradise in a normal year, but we make the best of it by finding scraps of unsullied snow in the woods before turning to soft moguls and long, ripping groomers.

MARKETPLACE WEDNESDAY 16 NOVEMBER 201606

Msheireb Properties bags two awardsMsheireb Properties,

Qatar’s leading sustain-able real estate developer, and a sub-

sidiary of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Commu-nity Development (QF), was presented with two awards at the first annual Qatar Sustainability Awards on Monday.

Msheireb Mosque and the National Archive, two iconic prop-erties within Msheireb Downtown Doha, Msheireb Properties flagship urban regeneration project, were bestowed the honours due to their excellence in the successful execu-tion of sustainability in master planning. Msheireb Mosque cap-tured the prize in the religious building category, while the National Archive was the winner in the government buildings classification.

Qatar Sustainability Awards are officiated by Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC) and aim to recog-nise the efforts, commitment, and contributions of individuals, institu-tions and organisations in furthering sustainable development and envi-ronmental protection in Qatar and beyond. A jury, comprised of senior sustainability and green building experts, practitioners and sustaina-bility academics were charged with choosing the winners from a com-petitive list of nominees.

Accordingly, the Msheireb Mosque and the National Archive have been recently awarded LEED gold certification and platinum cer-tification respectively, denoting excellence in green building strat-egies and practices. These two newly built structures have achieved maximum energy effi-ciency in construction and design, which restrict reliance on air-con-ditioning units via environmentally friendly applications. Their energy recovery air systems allow the pre-cooling and regulation of indoor temperatures and their superior district cooling systems deliver chilled water through low energy consumption. Further energy mit-igation features, include solar

panelling that generate high levels of usable electricity in both build-ings throughout the entire year.

“We are truly honoured to receive these awards. As a regional pioneer in sustainability, Msheireb Properties strives to consistently demonstrate exceptional leader-ship and initiative in the areas of sustainable master planning and design. As we move forward with our completion of Msheireb Down-town Doha, these awards reinforce our vision to continue to meet and exceed the highest international environmental standards in com-munity development and urban regeneration projects,” said Ali Al

Kuwari, Chief Officer – design and delivery, at Msheireb Properties.

When speaking of the practices of green building and sustainability, Noora Al Rumaihi, Manager-Com-munication and Public Relations at Msheireb Properties, said, “Often times companies believe that it’s not cost effective and routinely too inconvenient to function and build sustainably. Yet the truth is quite the opposite. Organisations should be encouraged to move beyond cur-rent methods and feel emboldened to look upon sustainability and con-servation as fundamental aspects of societal development and business advancement.” The Msheireb

Mosque is located within Phase 1 of Msheireb Downtown Doha near the Msheireb Museums and is easily accessible from around the Msheireb neighbourhood and the adjoining souq area. The newly opened mosque can accommodate 600 worshippers, and houses ded-icated prayer halls for both men and women. The National Archive is the storehouse of Qatar’s history and heritage and also serves as a facility for public assemblies. It is situated near the northeast corner of Msheireb Downtown Doha, over-looking Doha Bay and adjacent to the Eid Prayer Ground and Souq Waqif.

Msheireb Properties was cele-brated at the Awards’ ceremony for their miraculous revitalisation of the old commercial district of the city while still retaining and recap-turing Qatar’s heritage and architectural traditions. The 31-hec-tare QR20bn development aims to enrich the lives of both individuals and communities – encouraging more sustainable and environmen-tally responsible behaviour, while offering a better understanding of the local and regional heritage through its unique lifestyle and environment.

TOP: Msheireb Properties

managments team at Qatar’s

Sustainability awards. LEFT: Ali

Al Kuwari receiving the award

for Msheireb Properties.

MARKETPLACE/COMMUNITYWEDNESDAY 16 NOVEMBER 2016 07

Standing by its commit-ment to environmental sustainability, Toyota Motor Corporation has

highlighted the UAE’s poten-tial to become the capital of the clean energy world by produc-ing and utilising hydrogen as a promising energy source that powers the most eco-friendly vehicles, namely Fuel Cell Vehicles (FCVs).

At the 2nd International Conference on Future Mobil-ity, Toyota has proposed that the possibility of setting up a hydrogen-based society is studied and evaluated to understand the role it can play in contributing to the UAE Vision 2021’s sustainability goals and help mitigate the environmental impact of fos-sil fuel consumption.

Toyota introduced Prius as the world’s first mass-produc-tion hybrid vehicle in 1997.To date, the company has sold around 9 million hybrids that have already contributed to a CO2 reduction of 67 million

tons and this number is increasing further.

“We believe that hybrids with their eco-friendly tech-nology offer agreat way to reduce fossil fuel consumption and thereby decreased CO2 emissions. However, toboost this even further, technologies such as those that power FCVs are crucial,” said KiyotakaIse, Senior Managing Officer of Toyota Motor Corporation.

“Having identifiedhydrogen as a promising energy source for the future, we are commit-ted to developing FCV as the ultimate environmentally friendly vehicle,” he added.

Highlighting some of the numerous advantages of FCVs, Ise noted that hydrogen as a fuel source for FCVs can be produced using a wide variety of primary energy sources. In addition, FCVs emit only water when driven, thereby produc-ing zero CO2 emissions, with the powertrain offering smooth, quiet driving and excellent acceleration at

low-to-mid range speeds. FCVs can also be used as a power supply, which can prove to be extremely useful in case of natural disasters. Further, they also offer an excellent range, and refueling them only takes three minutes

– giving owners a considera-ble freedom of use.

“If hydrogen usage is extended beyond vehicles towards an establishment of hydrogen-based society, nat-urally, the benefits of CO2 reduction would be much greater,” Ise added.

The UAE already has an abundant supply of hydrogen being generated from using excess capacity atoil refineries and ammonia plants, as well as a byproduct at its existing caustic soda and ethylene plants.

“A careful assessment of hydrogen’s potential as the fuel source of the future can help-the UAE become the capital of clean energy world,” Ise concluded.

Hydrogen Society can drive the future: Toyota

Mada Center supports entrepreneurial ambitions of people with disabilities

The Qatar Assistive Technology Center (Mada) that operates under the umbrella of the Ministry of

Transport and Communications recently took part in Global Entrepreneurship Week, with the aim of supporting per-sons with disabilities (PWDs) as viable members of the entrepreneur commu-nity. In tandem with its participation at the event, Mada also released a report entitled Creating Accessible Services to Support Entrepreneur PWDs, which details the ways in which PWDs can take advantage of the entrepreneurial envi-ronment, and how corporates benefit by supporting PWD entrepreneurs.

“We were thrilled to participate in Global Entrepreneurship Week and to represent persons with disabilities while showcasing our value proposition to entrepreneurs and enterprises in Qatar,” said Maha Al Mansouri, Mada CEO.

“With the release of our report, we aim to educate and help incubation centres, commercial and development banks, and all public and private entities who work in supporting entrepreneurs to understand the needs of PWDs.”

Mada’s report details the reasons and expectations of people with disa-bilities when it comes to entrepreneurial activity. Like any person, there are many reasons why people with a disability choose to become self-employed, or to start their own business. For some it is a matter of necessity when other oppor-tunities have not materialised, for others a specific idea or opportunity emerges coupled with a desire to increase con-trol over one’s work and to manage one’s own work–life balance, whilst increasing job satisfaction and increas-ing income or benefits. The report also looks at the benefits that working with entrepreneurs with disabilities bring on a wider economic and social level.

“Our aim, during this event, is to show various entities how they can ben-efit from supporting entrepreneurs with a disability,” added Rashid Mohsin al-Shahwani, Director of Public Relations and Communications at the Ministry of Transport and Communications.

FOOD WEDNESDAY 16 NOVEMBER 201608The Washington Post

This is best when you have small-to-medium oysters that

are easy to eat in one big bite. If you have larger ones, cut them in half (and place both halves in the shell). MAKE AHEAD: The cure (marinade), minus the apple, can be assembled a day in advance and will benefit from letting the fla-vors meld. The ceviche needs to sit for at least 10 minutes, and up to 1 1/2 hours, before it’s served.

Adapted from “Deep Run Roots: Stories and Recipes From My Corner of the South.”

5 servings (makes 20 oysters)

Ingredients2 scallions (trimmed), white and green parts separated2 teaspoons plus 2 table-spoons olive oil1 small clove garlic, grated or minced2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro stemsFinely grated zest of 1 lime, plus 1 tablespoon fresh lime juiceFinely grated zest of 1 lemon, plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice1/4 teaspoon hot sauce1/4 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon sugar1/2 small apple, peeled, cored and cut into small dice (1/4 cup), 1 tablespoon of that grated20 small oysters, shucked, plus 1/3 cup of their liquor (see headnote), 20 shell halves reserved and

washed

MethodHeat a grill pan or a

cast-iron skillet over high heat.

Split the white scallion parts in half lengthwise. Transfer to a bowl along with the green parts and toss with 2 teaspoons of the oil.

Once the pan is quite hot, add the scallions and cook for a few minutes, until they are well charred all over, tossing them as needed. The green parts will get done faster; remove them from the pan as soon as they are ready.

Whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, the garlic, cilantro stems, citrus zests and juices, hot sauce, salt and sugar in a medium bowl.

Mince the charred scal-lions and add them to the bowl. Cover and refriger-ate until you are ready to assemble the ceviche.

Shortly before serving, add the diced and grated apple to the bowl. Stir in the oysters and their liquor. Cover and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes and up to 11/2 hours.

To serve, spoon the oysters and about 1 table-spoon of the diced apple-scallion mixture into each half shell. Serve right away.

Nutrition | Per serving: 130 calories, 5 g protein, 5 g carbohydrates, 11 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 35 mg cho-lesterol, 270 mg sodium, 0 g dietary fiber, 2 g sugar

Apple and

Scallion Oyster

Ceviche

HEALTHWEDNESDAY 16 NOVEMBER 2016 09Jenny Rough The Washington Post

As I sat in gridlock on the George Washington Memorial Parkway during my 45-minute morning commute into

Washington, I looked out the win-dow. There was a woman my age running along the Mount Vernon Trail. I longed to be outdoors - and vertical.

That moment last fall, when I was 42, marked the beginning of a change in my life that would give me more energy and better fitness.

Like most Americans, my life is sedentary. I sit down to eat. I sit at my desk on days I freelance from home, and I sit at a different desk on days I work as a contractor in the city. I sit when I read at night. I sit at book club, in church on Sun-days and when I get together with a friend at a coffeehouse.

Even exercising involves fre-quent sitting - for instance, on the drive to the tennis courts where, after a match, I climb right back into my car for the ride home. A run rarely takes more than an hour. Half of a yoga class involves seated poses.

“Let’s meet for a walk instead of lunch,” a friend said one day. “I feel like we’re getting sitting disease.”

Yes, sitting disease, a term describing the effects of a lifestyle that makes a person more suscep-tible to illness and early death. Research shows that regular exer-cise isn’t enough to reduce these risks if you spend the rest of the day on your backside.

Trapped in my car that morn-ing, I tried to breathe calmly, but even as I listened to a podcast on happiness, I was miserable.

Washington has some of the worst traffic congestion in the coun-try, and there was no way I could feel anything but tense that day and many others as I watched people engage in the worst of human behaviour: cutting into lanes, yell-ing curses and making obscene gestures, as if we were all a bunch of toddlers throwing an R-rated temper tantrum.

It was clear: After years of city

traffic, I had to escape the constant conga line of cars.

A bike seemed like a good idea. About 4 percent of Washingtonians bike to work, one of the highest per-centages for a major metropolitan city, a 2014 US Census Bureau report found. But it has a huge drawback: sitting.

My body was begging to be upright and in motion. The Ellip-tiGO, a stand-up bike, seemed like the perfect solution until I saw the price: $1,200 for the least expen-sive model.

Paddleboarding across the Potomac River from Virginia into the city side sounded totally impractical, especially if I were in a mad rush. I also nixed the idea of running because I didn’t want to run while lugging a backpack.

My mom lived in Nashville and had a horrible commute. When she and my dad downsized and moved even farther away from her job, I asked how she planned to handle the situation.

“Retire,” she said.Getting desperate, I came up

with a creative idea: rollerblading. It was great. I felt free and over-come with joy at so much fresh air. But all that ended one night last winter when I crash-landed at the bottom of the hill by the 14th Street Bridge. As I plucked dead leaves out of my hair, a woman ambled by,

and that’s when it hit me: I’d walk. No special equipment necessary, just my two feet.

Because I’m not a morning per-son, I decided to Metro in to work (45 minutes door to door) and walk back.My home in Alexandria, Vir-ginia isn’t exactly close to my work, but it’s not insanely far, either: 7.2 miles on sidewalks or paths that take me past the Sculpture Garden at the National Gallery of Art, the Washington Monument and the cherry trees near the Jefferson Memorial until I reach the walkway that leads to the Mount Vernon Trail. The route is well-lit in the city, and I wear a headlamp for the trail’s dark sections.

How often I work in the city varies, but when I’m there, I pack yoga pants, layered tops, a sports bra and my Nike Air Zooms and change out of my business attire in the bathroom at the end of the day. (Walking with a backpack doesn’t bother me the way running with one does.)

What a difference my new com-mute makes. After a little over two hours (arriving home after 7pm instead of around 6pm), I actually feel I have more time in the eve-nings, not less. I feel energized and happier.

On walking nights, I’m not as tempted to be a slug in front of the TV and to eat comfort food in place

of a healthy dinner, as I’m often tempted to do when I commute by car. My calves are firmer; I’m sleep-ing better. Another bonus: not shelling out parking money.

While I’m glad for these perks, the greatest pleasure is the walk itself. I treasure the time to think and be outdoors. Walking has become so enjoyable, it’s now a daily habit, even if only for a trip to the grocery store.

I have spent Sunday afternoons logging 10, 15 or even 20 miles back and forth by the Potomac River, and I recently participated in my first endurance walk challenge: 133 miles along a stretch of the Pacific Coast.

My pedestrian commute has even improved my marriage. I’d always wanted to be a couple who took an evening stroll after dinner, but my husband never seemed game. Reacting to my newfound enthusiasm, he recently said, “Let’s walk the neighborhood loop.”

Walking together is the perfect way to hash out problems. Talking through issues shoulder to shoul-der instead of face to face provides a sense of unity.

The other day, I used a stand-ing desk at work for eight hours and then walked home. As my husband filled me in on his day, I settled into a chair. For the first time in quite a while, it felt good to sit.

Take a seat? No, walking is a much better idea

LIFESTYLE WEDNESDAY 16 NOVEMBER 201610Krisztina ThanReuters

Transforming traditional flowery Roma patterns into bold, modern prints, designer Erika Varga aims to use fash-ion to increase acceptance of the Roma minority in Hungarian society.

She launched Romani Design, Hungary’s first Roma fashion label, with her younger sister Helena Varga six years ago.

Since then her colourful, sometimes flam-boyant, designs have won fans in Hungary, as well as in Brussels, Berlin, Paris and India, where she has also presented her women’s and mens-wear collections.

Inspired by the traditional clothing of her rich Roma cultural heritage Varga, 46, hopes fashion can fight stereotyping in society.

Born in eastern Hungary, she was a jewel-lery maker before turning to clothes. She also worked for several years as a mentor to young Roma people - an experience that she says has had a profound influence on her mission now as a fashion designer.

“We talked a lot about how important it is to find and live fully their Roma identity,” she said of her mentoring work. To succeed in this, she said, society needs to change as well, to be more open towards Roma people, who make up about 5 percent of Hungary’s population.

“The reason why Romani Design was created is that I wanted a much more intensive and stronger communication channel and ... to boost the prestige of Roma culture,” Varga told Reu-ters in the small sewing room in her studio in Budapest.

At a glitzy fashion show in the capital featur-ing Hungarian designers over the weekend, held by Marie Claire magazine, models strolled the

catwalk in Varga’s vibrant Romani designs.“The fact that Roma designs have now inte-

grated into the international fashion world is a huge experience for the Roma community,” said Lorena Dogi, 38, a Roma activist from Romania.

In the audience, Hajnalka Bessenyei, 37, loves Varga’s designs, and the message they send, and

wore a pair of the designer’s black trousers with a red flowery waistline as she attended the show with a friend. The social “mission” behind the designs give the clothes a special value, she said.

“I think the more people wear (these clothes), the more visibility Roma culture gets ... and this can improve relations between the Roma and non-Roma communities,” Bessenyei said.

Roma designer hopes fashion can build bridges

BOLLYWOODWEDNESDAY 16 NOVEMBER 2016 11

IANS

Celebrated singer-com-poser Bappi Lahiri, who has stepped into the Dis-ney world with “Shona”

-- a song for Hollywood film “Moana” -- says he has always made music for the public instead of dwelling on giving a track an archival value.

“I make music for the public. If they like it, it’s a hit song. There is no point in criticising if today’s songs are creatively good or bad. When I compose anything for a film, the audience experiences and makes it popular and a hit. We should respect that,” Bappi, lovingly called Bappi Da in Hindi filmdom, told IANS.

Having said that, he added: “It is like a comparison between Test cricket and a ODI. You still remem-ber songs like ‘Raat baaki’, ‘I am a disco dancer’, ‘Bombay se aaya mera dost’, ‘Aaj rapat jaaye’ and

‘Pag ghungroo...’, and you forget new film songs within a year or two. But in popular culture, public decides hits and flops, and I respect that.”

Known for his signature style of dressing up in a lot of gold orna-ments, Bappi Da is excited about

“Shona”, which is an attempt on Dis-ney’s part to localise their Hollywood content for the Indian market. He has thus voiced the dia-logues and sung for the character of Tamatoa, a giant crab with a fondness for shiny treasures which he hoards.

“My family and I have been big fans of Disney. From its characters to its music, it has always been iconic. It’s a great pleasure to asso-ciate with ‘Moana’. I am always looking forward to doing new things.

“This is the first time I have dubbed for an animated character and I had a lot of fun doing that. I am hoping that people will enjoy this avatar of mine and shower their love on me like they have always done. It’s truly a ‘golden’ memory,” quipped the 63-year-old.

Giving an insight into the char-acter, he said: “The character of Tamatoa has a similarity with my personality. He likes gold and is happy-go-lucky just like me. So when I lent my voice for Tomatoa, I felt like I am talking about my character.

“Though I have sung in western films before, I am very excited about this film because I have done voice acting here for an important

character.”In Indian films, Bappi Da is

known for bringing in the use of synthesized disco music in the 1980s era.

Asked about his western musi-cal influence, he said: “My foundation is based on Indian clas-sical music as I learnt tabla and was surrounded by Hindustani vocal music thanks to my parents, Aparesh Lahiri and Bansari Lahiri. However, from the age of 12, when I started learning piano and listen-ing to jazz music, I got the exposure

to western music.“Naturally, when you get

exposed to the best of both the worlds, it shapes up the composer in you and that reflects on my musi-cal compositions.”

“Moana”, stars Auli’i Cravalho as the titular heroine and Dwayne Johnson as Maui. The film show-cases the life-changing journey of a tenacious 16-year-old who teams up with the mighty demi-god Maui to fulfil an ancient quest. The film releases in India on December 2.

Twinkle Khanna, actress-turned-interior designer and author, feels the idea of adapting novels into a film is good.

“I think it is a good thing to make films from novels as that will give a film a strong plot, if not anything else,” Twinkle told IANS.

The author is ready with her second book, “The Legend Of Laxmi Prasad”, a collection of four short stories.

Asked if she is open to the idea of writing a script of her story for any

Bollywood adaption, she said: “Well, I do not expect anything. I will decide if and when it will happen. I live in the present, and do not plan my future.”

Asked if a filmmaker can do justice to a story when adapting it from a book to cellu-loid, Twinkle said: “How is that possible?

When you read a book, you are creating a world in your head. How can somebody just replicate that?

“For instance, I might just talk about a non-descriptive face in my book. When you are watching that on screen, you are getting a vis-ual reference, and then it is limiting the imagination.

“Your version of the narration might just differ from the film, which is the basic differ-ence between the two medium.”

It’s good to make films from novels: Twinkle

No point criticising today’s hit songs, says Bappi Lahiri

HOLLYWOOD WEDNESDAY 16 NOVEMBER 201612

AFP

She is famous for jealously guarding her privacy, favouring a small wedding to a lavish celebrity cere-mony and taking her

grandmother’s maiden name to shield her family from the limelight.

But Natalie Portman said Monday portraying grief-stricken Jacqueline Kennedy had taught her the virtue of celebrities giving more of themselves to the public.

“Jackie,” Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larrain’s first English-language feature, is a searing and intimate portrait of the first lady in the week after John F Kennedy’s assassination in 1963.

Portman told journalists at the American Film Institute’s AFI Fest in Los Angeles, where “Jackie” was getting its US premiere, how she admired the stoic and dignified

face Jackie put on for the public.“It’s understanding that even

when she was going through something incredibly private, it meant something to other people how she presented herself publicly,” Portman, 35, said.

“It’s like other people share in whatever you’re going through and that’s really impressive that she was able to do that,” she added. Born Neta-Lee Hershlag in Jerusalem to a doctor father and an artist mother, Portman has taken on tough roles since starting her big-screen career.

She got her break at age 11 in “The Professional,” the tale of a hitman-for-hire (Jean Reno) who becomes the mentor to a young girl.

But she turned down 1996’s “Romeo + Juliet” because of the age difference between her and Leonardo DiCaprio, and rejected the 1997 remake of “Lolita,” which she deemed “sleazy.”

She also signed on to “Anywhere But Here” (1999) with

Susan Sarandon only after a nude scene was dropped.

“I value my private life and security way more than getting parts by flashing myself on some magazine or being a sex symbol in films,” she said in a 2000 interview.

Portman won a best actress Oscar for 2010’s psychological ballet thriller “Black Swan”.

It was on the set of that film she met her future husband, French dancer and choreographer Benjamin Millepied, with whom she is expecting a second child.

She has been tipped for a second Oscar for her performance in “Jackie,” with critics raving about how accurately she managed to capture Kennedy’s voice and personality.

“The easier things were... the more superficial details like the way she talked and the way she moved and looked,” Portman said on the red carpet at Hollywood’s TCL Chinese Theatre.

“Those are things you spend a lot of time on but it’s really the way she felt that takes the imagination and the real searching. The other stuff is like learning a skill as opposed to exploring your own depths.”

“Jackie” peaks with the first lady’s real-life strategy of painting a fairy-tale picture of JFK by using

“Camelot” as a sobriquet for the Kennedy administration, an epitaph which stuck.

“I loved that she defined herself as a wife primarily, but then lived a life that was very counter to that where she was her own woman,” said Portman.

“It was like she didn’t know how to be any other way, except exactly herself -- very strong, very able to author her own story. And (she) really became the author of her own story and his story.”

Fox Searchlight Pictures is scheduled to release “Jackie” in the United States on December 2.

Portman praises Jackie Kennedy’s generosity with public

TECHNOLOGYWEDNESDAY 16 NOVEMBER 2016 13

By Joseph MennReuters

One of the world’s most popular means of communication, Face-book’s WhatsApp, is adding fully encrypted video calling to its mes-saging app on Monday, a move that

comes as privacy advocates worry about the potential for stepped-up government surveil-lance under a Trump administration.

WhatsApp, which boasts more than a billion users worldwide, adopted end-to-end encryp-tion early this year, making it technically impossible for the company or government authorities to read messages or listen to calls.

The new video calling service will thus pro-vide another means for people to communicate without fear of eavesdropping though What-sApp does retain other data such as an individual’s list of contacts.

WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum said in an interview that video calls will be rolled out to 180 countries within hours after the feature is introduced at an event in India.

“We obviously try to be in tune with what our users want,” Koum said at the company’s unmarked Mountain View, California headquar-ters building. “We’re obsessed with making sure that voice and video work well even on low-end phones.”

Koum told Reuters that improvements in phone cameras, battery life and bandwidth had made the service viable for a significant propor-tion of WhatsApp users, even those using inexpensive smartphones.

Apple Inc offers its FaceTime video calls to iPhone users, and Microsoft Corp’s Skype offers video calls on multiple platforms. But WhatsApp has built a massive installed base of mobile cus-tomers and has been steadily adding more features to what began as a simple chat applications.

Price of allegianceWhatsApp has operated with some auton-

omy since Facebook bought it in 2014. Koum and co-founder Brian Acton, longtime Yahoo engineers who started the company in 2009, now have 200 staff, mostly engineers and customer support, up from 50 when Facebook bought it.

Koum said Facebook has allowed WhatsApp to use its servers and bandwidth around the world for voice and now video. That support will help spread the souped-up WhatsApp much far-ther and faster, he said.

But the corporate allegiance also has a price. After years of pledging that it would not share information about users with Facebook, which already has digital dossiers on its own 1.7 billion users, WhatsApp revised its privacy statement

in August to say it would do exactly that. That means Facebook knows whom WhatsApp users contact and their phone numbers.

Some users complained, but Koum said that he had not seen a shift in behavior.

“In terms of security and privacy, what peo-ple care about the most is the privacy of their messages,” he said.

The video service is well integrated and adds a few twists. Users can move around the thumb-nail video showing what their correspondent sees and flick a video call in progress to the side to minimize it while checking texts or email.

Koum said WhatsApp remained committed to security after the U.S. election of Donald Trump as president last week heightened fears of increased surveillance.

Trump, along with some leading congres-sional Republicans and FBI Director James Comey, has advocated requiring tech compa-nies to turn over customer information in many circumstances, a position which, if put into law, could require companies including WhatsApp to completely redesign their services.

Other countries including China and the United Kingdom also take a dim view of encryp-tion. But Koum said he not see a major threat to his service, noting that diplomats and officials use WhatsApp in many countries.

“It would be like them shooting themselves in the foot.”

WhatsApp adds secure video calling

BABY BLUES

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE

The film tells the story of happy go lucky young man who is in love. However, in an unexpected turn of events, he and his dear ones are embroiled in a high-risk situation, which demands that he rise to the occasion and stand his ground against the odds.

Note: Programme is subject to change without prior notice.

ACHCHAM YEMBADH

NOVO ROYAL PLAZA

AL KHOR

ASIAN TOWN

MALL

LANDMARK

Operation Chromite (2D/Action) 11:15am, 1:45, 4:15, 6:45, 9:15 & 11:45pmShut In (2D/Thriller) 10:10am, 12:00noon, 2:00, 2:30, 4:00, 6:00, 7:00, 8:00, 10:00, 11:30pm & 12:00midnightTrenk, The Little Knight (2D/Animation) 10:00, 11:40am, 1:20 & 3:00pmThe Accountant (2D/Action) 4:45, 7:10, 9:30pm & 12:00midnight Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2D/Action) 10:15am, 2:45, 7:15 & 11:35pmOuija: Origin of Evil (2D/Horror) 12:45, 5:15 & 9:35pmAndron (2D/Action) 11:30am, 1:30, 5:30, 7:30, 9:30 & 11:30pmAsal Abyad (2D/Arabic) 10:00am, 12:15, 2:30, 4:45, 7:00, 9:15 & 11:30pmTrolls (2D/Animation) 11:00am, 1:00, 3:00, 5:00 & 7:00pmBoo! A Madea Halloween (2D/Comedy) 9:00 & 11:15pmDoctor Strange (2D/Adventure) 12:00noon, 4:30 & 9:00pm Doctor Strange (3DIMAX/Adventure) 10:00am, 12:20, 2:40, 5:00, 7:20, 9:40pm & 12:00midnight

Achcham Yembadh (Tamil) 2:30pm Sahasam Swasaga Sagipo 5:15pmRock On 2 (2D/Hindi) 2:00 & 11:00pmTrenk, The Little Knight (2D/Animation) 2:30 & 4:00pmAssal Abyad (2D/Arabic) 7:30pm Puli Murugan (2D/Malayalam) 8:00pm Doctor Strange (2D/Adventure) 5:00pm Trolls (2D/Animation) 5:30pm Shut In (2D/Thriller) 7:15pmLahore Se Aagey (2D/Urdu) 9:00pmOperation Chromite (2D/Action) 9:30 & 11:30pmAndron (2D/Action) 11:30pm

Trenk, The Little Knight (2D/Animation) 2:30 & 5:45pmRock On 2 (2D/Hindi) 2:30 & 10:30pmShut In (2D/Thriller) 3:00 & 7:15pm Trolls (2D/Animation) 4:00pmPuli Murugan (2D/Malayalam) 5:00pm Sahasam Swasaga Sagipo 8:00pmAssal Abyad (2D/Arabic) 5:00 & 9:00pmDoctor Strange (2D/Adventure) 7:00pm Operation Chromite (2D/Action) 9:00 & 11:00pm Andron (2D/Action) 11:00pm

Trenk, The Little Knight (2D/Animation) 2:00 & 6:00pmAndron (2D/Action) 2:00 & 9:30pm Rock On 2 (2D/Hindi) 2:30 & 8:15pmShut In (2D/Thriller) 3:30 & 11:30pm Trolls (2D/Animation) 4:00pmPuli Murugan (2D/Malayalam) 5:15pm Assal Abyad (2D/Arabic) 5:30 & 9:30pm Rock On 2 (2D/Hindi) 8:15pmDoctor Strange (2D/Adventure) 7:30pm Operation Chromite (2D/Action) 7:30 & 11:30pm Achcham Yembadh (Tamil) 11:00pm

Trolls (Animation) 10:30am & 12:30pm Achcham Yembadh (Tamil) 12:30, 3:15, 6:00, 8:45 & 11:30pm Puli Murugan (Malayalam) 11:45am, 2:30, 5:30, 8:30 & 11:30pm

Shut In (Thriller) 2:45, 5:00, 7:15, 9:30 & 11:45pm

Puli Murugan (Malayalam) 4:30, 6:30, 7:30, 9:30 & 10:30pmAchcham Yembadh (Tamil) 7:00 & 10:00pmSahasam Swasaga Sagipo 4:30pm

WEDNESDAY 16 NOVEMBER 2016

VILLAGGIO & CITY CENTER

CINEMA PLUS14

CROSSWORD CONCEPTIS SUDOKU

ALL IN THE MIND

08:00 News08:30 The Listening Post09:00 Orphans of the

Sahara10:00 News10:30 Inside Story11:00 News11:30 The Stream12:00 News12:30 Fault Lines13:00 NEWSHOUR14:00 News14:30 Inside Story15:00 Al Jazeera World16:00 NEWSHOUR17:30 The Stream18:00 newsgrid19:30 Witness20:00 News20:30 Inside Story21:00 NEWSHOUR22:00 News22:30 The Stream23:00 Witness

13:05 Ax Men13:55 Mountain

Men14:45 Forged

In Fire15:35 Pawn Stars16:00 American

Pickers16:50 Storage

Wars17:15 Storage

Wars Miami17:40 Mountain

Men19:20 American

Pickers20:35 Pawn

Stars22:40 Time Team23:30 Counting

Cars23:55 Counting

Cars

13:50 Lone Star Law

14:45 Gator Boys15:40 Weird

Creatures With Nick Baker

16:35 Tanked17:30 Saving

Africa’s Giants With Yao Ming

20:15 Tanked21:10 Untamed &

Uncut22:05 Weird

Creatures With Nick Baker

23:00 The Vet Life23:55 Gator Boys

13:05 Deals, Wheels And Steals

13:55 Extreme Collectors

15:10 Gold Divers

16:00 Deadliest Catch

18:55 How Do They Do It?

19:20 Gold Divers

20:10 Storage Hunters

20:35 Extreme Collectors

21:00 You Have Been Warned

22:40 Magic Of Science

23:30 Fast N’ Loud

King Features Syndicate, Inc.

BRAIN TEASERSWEDNESDAY 16 NOVEMBER 2016 15

Yesterday’s answer

Conceptis Sudoku: Conceptis Sudoku is

a number-placing puzzle based on a

9×9 grid. The object is to place the

numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so

that each row, each column and each

3×3 box contains the same number only

once.

AEROBICS, ATHLETICS,

BALANCE BEAM, BARBELL,

BICEPS, BIKE, BODY

BUILDING, DELTOID, DIET,

EXERCISE, FITNESS,

GYMNASIUM, HEALTH,

HORSE, JOGGING, MEDICINE

BALL, MUSCLES, NUTRITION,

PARALLEL BARS, PECTORAL,

PHYSIQUE, PUSH UPS,

RINGS, ROWING MACHINE,

RUNNING, SPORT,

SWIMMING, TRAINER,

TRAMPOLINE, TREADMILL,

TRICEPS, WEIGHTS,

WORKOUT.