talk magazine

Bangalore women are more prone to the disease than their counterparts in Mumbai and Delhi. MARIA LAVEENA speaks to doctors and patients about what is pushing the risk up 10-15

ALSO: SURVIVOR STORIES, ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES

Volume 1 | Issue 36 | April 18, 2013 | Rs 10

the intelligent bangalorean’s must-read weekly talkmagazine

No 1 IN BREAST CANCER

ELECTIONSBroodingYeddyurappa,sulkingSriramulu 7

MOVIESMK Raghavendraon Bollywood’sretro remakebinge 16

BIDARThe monkswho walkedinto a blaze6

AYYOTOONSWhere’s your

looter ID card? 5

2talk|18 apr 2013|talkmag.in

I read Talk’s cover story onthe battle between thestate government andmembers of the Mysoreroyal family over PalaceGrounds (Battle Royale,Issue 35). As someonebelonging to the latter side,I found the JD(S)spokesperson MCNanaiah’s comments to becrass and lacking inconsistency. Just the otherday, he wasafter us togive theGrounds fora JD(S)meet. Infact, theparty wentahead andheld theirevent in anexisting shedthough thepermissionsaid it had tobe done in open grounds!Similarly, BJPspokesperson S Prakash’scomment too shows howignorant these people are.They know neither historynor the Indian Constitution,but persist in making suchinane comments. Ironically,it was a (then) BJP MLA,

Mrs Nesargi who was thelone voice in opposing theBangalore Palace(Acquisition and Transfer)Act in 1996. Also, it wasArun Jaitley, senioradvocate and currently theBJP’s Leader of Oppositionin the Rajya Sabha, whofought for the royal familyto get permission from theSupreme Court to use the

property intheinterveningperiod!Just theother day,the BJPheld theirmegaelectionrally atPalaceGrounds,floutingall rules.The

party’s city chief simplycalled to seek use of thepremises and did not evenmake a formal request tothe state government forpermission to use it. On an earlier occasion,when the BJP held anevent, High Grounds Policehad sent the party a notice

mail

team talkPrinted and publishedby Sumith Kombra onbehalf of Shakthi MediaVentures India Pvt Ltd -FF70, Gold Towers,Residency Road,Bangalore -560025and printed at LavanyaMudranalaya,Chamarajpet,Bangalore-560018.

Editor: SRRamakrishna. EditorialOffice: FF70, GoldTowers, ResidencyRoad, Bangalore -560025 Email:[email protected]:08040926658. © Allrights reserved.Reproduction in wholeor part withoutpermission isprohibited.

EDITORIAL

SR RamakrishnaEditor

Sridhar K ChariConsulting Editor

Prashanth GNSenior Editor

Sajai Jose Chief Copy Editor

Savie Karnel PrincipalCorrespondent

Basu Megalkeri PrincipalCorrespondent

Prachi Sibal Senior Features Writer

Sandra Fernandes andMaria Laveena Reporters and CopyEditors

Anand Kumar K Chief of Design

Shridhar G KulkarniGraphic Designer

Ramesh Hunsur Senior Photographer

Vivek ArunGraphics Artist

EXECUTIVE TEAM

Sumith KombraFounder, CEO andPublisher

Abhay Sebastian Asst Manager - Sales

Mithun SudhakarAsst Manager - Sales

Kishore Kumar N Head - Circulation

Vinayadathan KVArea Manager - Trade

Yadhu Kalyani Sr Executive -Corporate Sales

Lokesh KN Sr Executive -Subscriptions

Prabhavathi Executive -Circulation

Sowmya Kombra Asst Process Manager

asking whether such an event was held.How absurd can things get, because thechief minister and his cabinetcolleagues were on the dais, and thepolice were in full attendance! If this does not amount to malice andharassment, could someone please tell

us why we should not think so?

Raja Chandra, via Facebook

Write to [email protected]

Politicians’ stand on Palace Grounds hypocritical and maliciousCOVER IMAGE:

Courtesy WorldwideBreast Cancer

3talk|18 apr 2013|talkmag.inaround town

editor talkBangalore is perhaps India’s mostwesternised city. We embrace new ideasand products quickly, but we also pay aprice when we take to a lifestyle thatlooks glamorous but pushes us towardsill-health. Bangalore has more womenwith breast cancer than any other city inIndia. Maria Laveena, the youngestmember of our team, came to thenewsroom with the proposition thateating junk food, among other things,was making the city’s women prone tobreast cancer. We didn't want to bealarmist, so we treated her story withcaution and scepticism. But wediscovered, among other things, thatdoctors are convinced the link betweenlifestyle and cancer is the strongest inthe case of breast cancer.

Disturbing news comes from Bidar,Karnataka’s northernmost district, wherethree monks walked into a blaze andended their lives. The incident has noprecedent in recent history. Jains followthe practice of sallekhana, or giving uplife by fasting. An elderly man inShantinath Desai’s classic Kannadanovel Om Namo contemplatessallekhana. Raghavendra Swami, therevered 17th century dwaita saint,attained samadhi by having himselfburied alive. It took a Raja Ram MohunRoy to abolish sati, that practice ofwomen burning themselves on theirhusbands’ pyre. But the Bidar incident islike none of these. Prashanth GN bringsyou an update.

For Chennai, it is December, but forBangalore, April is the season forclassical music. Every year, Sri RamaSeva Mandali in Chamarajpet organisesa month-long festival of high qualityconcerts, but few of this city’s newresidents ever get to hear about it. Partof the problem is that Bangalore’sEnglish-language journalism remainsblinkered to the cultural fare in the olderneighbourhoods. Some of India’sgreatest musicians perform at Fort HighSchool, and if you love good music, youshould head there every summer.

SR [email protected]

MARGOT COHEN

When the citychopped downthe historicsweep ofbougainvillea on

MG Road to make way for NammaMetro, many citizens were horri-fied. The denuded stretch and uglytin sheets came to symbolise thebrutality of modernisation.

Now Metro officials aim torecapture some public goodwillwith a project that strives to juxta-pose the traditional and the mod-ern. In late April or early May, thetin sheets will come down andpassersby will be able to strollinside the new Rangoli-Metro ArtsCentre—which will span two artgalleries, an air-conditioned audi-torium, outdoor play areas forchildren, a chill-out plaza forgrown-ups, and platformsdesigned for demonstrations andsales of traditional crafts and textiles.

The centre is adjacent to theMG Road station and stretchesdown towards Anil Kumble Circle.Officials plan to keep it open from10 am to 10 pm, and make the 130-seat auditorium available for a fullrange of puppet shows, plays, doc-umentary films, book launches,concerts and performance art.

The Rangoli initiative repre-sents a crucial test for a city bereftof public space for the arts.Previous initiatives, such asFreedom Park, have faltered due tobureaucratic intransigence andsudden shortfalls in funding. Upto now, it has been very difficultfor both local and visiting artists towangle permission to show theirwork in public areas (like cricketfields or bus stations) or stage per-formances on the footpaths.Nonetheless, a smattering of‘ambush’ arts events staged with-out permits have occurred, tingedwith risk.

Indie art sceneDespite such constraints, an

experimental arts scene hasemerged at scattered spaces,including 1 Shanthi Road, Jaaga,Bar 1, GallerySKE and Gallery FiveForty Five, while squeezing intosome more conventional spacessuch as the courtyard of theNational Gallery of Modern Art(Bengaluru), the Alliance Francaiseand the Max Mueller Bhavan.With Rangoli in the heart of thecity, however, artists could poten-tially break out of this niche com-munity and interact with a broadrange of walk-in viewers from dif-ferent socio-economic back-grounds.

“This can be a space in whichyoung people try out their ideas,”says Ayisha Abraham, an artist andmember of Bar 1. She says Rangolihas the potential to bridge the gapbetween opportunities offered tofresh graduates of art institutesthroughout Karnataka, and thoseavailable to students from promi-nent Bangalore art schools.

What Abraham finds mostexciting about the project is therole assigned to 46-year oldSurekha, the Metro’s choice forcurator of programmes and exhi-bitions. Fluent in Kannada andEnglish, well-respected in localexperimental circles, and well-versed in the standards of interna-tional exhibitions—having shown

BRAIN STATIONBrainSTARS, a

local company thatspecialises in

innovative mathsand science

programmes forkids, will be among

the first to startfunctioning at

Rangoli

The Rangoli-Metro Arts Centre, next to the MG RoadStation, will open soon. Here's a sneak preview of apublic space in the heart of the city

Namma Metro’sticket to culture


her work in many venues abroad, fromHong Kong to Helsinki and Rio de Janeiroto Trinidad—Surekha is hardly the kind ofblinkered civil servant often tasked withsupervising government-funded arts pro-jects. In recent years, she has focused oninstallations related to the ecology ofBangalore’s disappearing lakes, extendingnotions of the body, and reconfiguredidentities. She has used material rangingfrom rice paper to khadi rope, and fre-quently relies on photography and video inher installations.

One reason she decided to take up thejob was her previous acquaintance with UAVasanth Rao, who currently serves as gen-eral manager for Finance at the Metro andhas long been interested in theatre and thevisual arts. More than two decades ago,while a student at the Ken School of Art,Surekha opted to participate in teachingart classes for blind children at the BalBhavan. Rao had organised those classes,and today he sees the new Rangoli centreas a way to stimulate the public imagina-tion and generate some good vibes in thecity. “It has to be a happy place,” Rao insists.So far, The Bangalore Metro RailCorporation Ltd (BMRCL) has investedmore than Rs 10 crore in the project.

Noise challengeNo doubt, some unhappiness will be gener-ated by the deafening traffic along MGRoad. True to its namesake, Rangoli has anopen, airy design, with just a few shrubsand potted plants separating visitors fromthe careening auto drivers and exhaust-belching vehicles. While the original designcalled for an open-air amphitheatre, thatidea was ultimately ditchedas impractical. According toacoustics engineer StephenJaikumar, who is working tosoundproof the enclosedauditorium, noise levels onMG Road typically rangefrom 90 to 95 decibels.Meanwhile, the ideal level for an auditori-um would be 35 to 45 decibels.

To protect the stage from auditoryintrusions, Jaikumar says it was necessaryto instal airtight doors and expand thewalls with different layers of soundproof-ing material to block noise at different fre-quencies. Another challenge is guardingagainst the structural vibrations created bythe Metro passing overhead, addsJaikumar, on assignment from theBangalore branch of the Sound of Music, aDelhi-based firm that specialises in soundsystems and acoustics.

Would it be possible to inaugurate

and enforce a ‘No Honking’ rule on MGRoad? “There are some things that I can do,and some things that only the public cando,” Rao responds.

For the most part, Metro officials havechosen to keep their plans under wraps.Rao said he wanted to unveil the centrefirst, and then invite the general public andarts practitioners to offer ideas and sugges-tions. (Talk obtained a preview tour).

Neglected labourFor example, members of the media andarts collective Maraa had not gotten windof the soon-to-be launched arts centre,even though they figure among the city’smost active organisers in recent years, stag-ing improvised theatre sessions, poetryreadings, film screenings and other cre-ative events. “I haven’t even heard of thisspace,” says Maraa co-founder Ekta Mittal.“But I find it extremely bizarre that theBMRCL would invest in an arts centre

when they can’t be botheredto find out about the poorliving conditions of workerswho are involved in con-structing the Metro.”

Mittal is part of a teamthat is completing a trilogy ofdocumentary films on the

dreams and desires of Metro workers, or asshe describes it, their “inner worlds.” Theymostly hail from northern India, includingBihar, UP, Chattisgarh, Jharkand, and theNortheast, with some also recruited fromnorthern Karnataka. Generally, the work-ers leave their families behind. In doingresearch for the shoot, the crew visitedseven labour colonies in Yeshwanthpur,Byappanahalli, Yelahanka, Peenya, andother areas, all run by subcontractors. Herteam discovered a striking lack of toiletsand health care, and overcrowding in tin-roofed shacks. A lawsuit is pending.

While Metro officials maintain that

there are 40,000 workers toiling to com-plete the remaining lines, Maraaresearchers believe that’s an underestimateof the actual number. The next line,stretching to the industrial area of Peenya,is slated to be finished in October 2013,while the seven underground stations,including Vidhana Soudha and CubbonPark, are scheduled for completion byDecember 2014.

Early birdsOne of the first groups to launch activitiesat Rangoli will be BrainSTARS, a localcompany that specialises in designinginnovative math and science programmesfor kids, ranging in levels from third stan-dard to eighth standard.

According to Anupama Prakash, adirector of BrainSTARS, the firm will con-duct a variety of activities at Rangoli, frommath exercises to fun science experimentsrelated to a child’s everyday environment.She expects the MG Road location to offermore exposure and appreciation of meth-ods that so far have been applauded withinmore narrow academic circles.

“We’ve always been nestled in theheart of old Bangalore, in Basavangudi.What we do never comes out to the public.I’m hoping the positioning (in Rangoli) isgoing to be grand and celebratory for us,”she adds.

The BrainSTARS debut will also testthe practicality of a profit-sharing modelbetween the BMRCL and a private compa-ny. Prakash says the firm plans to charge Rs200 per child for an hour’s math pro-gramme, and Rs 100 per child for partici-pating in a science experiment. She deemssuch prices affordable for parents of privateschool students, and clarifies that childrenenrolled in government schools will begranted entry free of charge, as long astheir parents bring their school ID cards.Meanwhile, some days may be set aside for

programmes run exclusively for childrenenrolled at government schools within a 5km radius of Bangalore.

With all the simultaneous activitiesenvisioned at Rangoli, there could be somechallenges involved in managing the flowof people who walk in and promptly walkout of those activities, cautioned MeenaVari, Dean of Contemporary Art andCuratorial Practice at Srishti. Still, sheadds, “It’s a great public space to have. It’slike a dead space, coming alive.”

It remains to be seen whether thecrafts on display will be carefully selectedto highlight quality, durability, and, possi-bly, design innovations. Those annoyingMG Road touts for wooden snakes andchess sets will be kept at bay, promises thecurator.

Khadi initiativeRao is known to have a special fondness forkhadi, and has recruited the Janapada SevaTrust in Melkote to host demonstrationsand sell their wares. Accustomed to weav-ing in obscurity 120 km from the state cap-ital, the khadi artisans are eager for a widernet of customers. “If the MG Road locationis going to improve the sales of their prod-ucts, it will give the artisans a lot of energyand strength to expand their activities,”says Koulagi Santosh, secretary of theTrust.

Yet he is also waiting to gauge theresponse. “The younger generation doesn’tknow anything about fabric at all,” hepoints out.

No one will be guaranteed a spot atRangoli in perpetuity. Surekha and her pro-gramming staff are looking to encouragean atmosphere of creative flux. While risk-ing a whirlwind of proposals and sugges-tions, she is most keen on avoiding the sta-tic air of certainty. “It’s better to keepthings open, rather than have one muralsitting there for 100 years,” she says.

What you’ll see at Rangoli Art exhibitions, concerts, puppet shows Science and math programmes for kids Khadi and crafts displays

THE REFUGERangoli will havetwo art galleries,an auditorium,plaza and outdoorplay areas

Rangoli willgive artistsaccess to awider public

RAMESH HUNSUR

5talk|18 apr 2013|talkmag.infun lines

PRASHANTH [email protected]

Some time between 4 and 5am on Monday, threeswamijis, one of them just17, lit a match to a hugepile of firewood, and

walked into the flames. Their actionhas intrigued and shocked not justtheir devotees but people elsewhere.Their charred bodies were found thenext morning.

People in Bidar Talk spoke tosaid Jagannath Swami (40), PranavSwami (17) and Veerareddy Swami(56) perceived a threat to their order,especially in the wake of the death oftheir guru, Ganeshwara Swami.

Ganeshwara Swami, who hadestablished the Chowli Math 25 yearsago, reportedly died in his sleep onFebruary 28, but a good number ofdevotees say he chose to die, or to usea euphemism, “give up his mortalcoils”. Devotees flocked to the mathin the faith that he would help themovercome their health and emotionalproblems.

The Marathi-speaking pontiffhad spent six years in Srisailam inAndhra Pradesh, before arriving inBidar, in 1987, to set up the math inan area of eight acres. He built fourtowers in four directions, besidespooja halls and preaching rooms.Shiva lingas and statues of the swamialso adorn the premises.

Ganeshwara Swami was keen onerecting a statue of Shiva on landadjacent to the mutt. When he pro-posed this, a fight erupted, and theowner refused to part with the land.Disappointed, he decided to set upthe statue inside the math.

Because of reasons beyond hiscontrol, work neverbegan. In the mean-while, the seer hadasked his devotees tocollect funds for thestatue, and they hadgone ahead and done it.When his plans werethwarted, he decided to give themoney back to devotees.

In the process, some moneywent into the wrong hands. Theswami was disturbed, and suspectedsome people were out to discredit hismath. One day, he declared publiclyhe would sacrifice his life as he couldnot see his wish of installing a Shivastatue fulfilled. But locals dissuadedhim. A few days later, he died sudden-ly. Many of his devotees believe hemay have voluntarily given up his lifeas no evidence has been brought for-ward to explain his death.

Minister’s interventionThe buzz in Bidar is also that HomeMinister R Ashok prevailed on thepolice and stopped them from doing apost mortem. Ganeshwara Swami’sbody was buried, and that left littleevidence for the police to go by.

Another theory doing therounds is that a junior monk calledAshoka Swami had started control-ling Ganeshwara Swami, and waskeeping him away from other monks.This had led to emotional distress notjust among the junior monks, but alsofor the pontiff, whom they fondly

called Chowli Mutya.Many of the

monks housed at theChowli Math, includingthe three who walkedinto a blaze of firewood,were reportedly receiv-ing threats over the

ownership of the math. According tomedia reports in Bidar, people wanteda greater say in its administration,while the monks wanted all control intheir hands. One monk, MarutiSwami, was reportedly assaultedagainst the background of this tussle.

The one who disappearedHe suddenly disappeared one day.Did he run away or was he kid-napped? He is still nowhere in sight.In the middle of all this, the math wasapproaching bankruptcy, and themonks were depressed and anxious,locals say.

Some monks reportedlyapproached the district administra-tion, asking them to take over themath, but the officials did not react.Police say they haven’t received anycomplaint about the threats and con-flicts.

According to scholars at HampiUniversity, there is no tradition ofimmolation among any communityin Karnataka. The reveredRaghavendra Swami entered Samadhi(was buried alive) on his volition.Karnataka is dotted with masti kallus,stones commemorating the death ofwomen who burnt themselves on thepyre after the passing of their hus-bands. But no scholar Talk contactedcould think of a precedent to theBidar incident.

The Avadhoota traditionThe Avadhootha sect, to which themath belongs, is not aligned to anymajor religious order in the state.Avadhootas are said to be mystics freeof bodily desire. They do not followany sectarian practices or rituals. Theonly festival Chowli Math used to cel-ebrate was its foundation day, whichfalls on Ugadi (April 11).

Religious orders in Karnatakanot only reject but also abhor self-immolation as a religious practice.The three monks have left behind asuicide note and a video, in whichthey say they had been asked by thepontiff to follow him by immolatingthemselves.

Some fear this could be the firstof many cases of immolation amongthe monks at the math. Questionspersist. Who shot the video? Are themonks simply victims of bullying orblackmail? What is the future of themath?

TRAGIC CHAIN Ganeshwara Swami, the founder ofthe math, is said to have given up his life voluntarily.(Above) His disciples followed suit in an open pyre

6talk|18 apr 2013|talkmag.inmonk deaths

People wantthe monks toshare theirpower

While the self-immolation of three monksin Bidar harks back to the pre-colonial

practice of sati, theories abound aboutwhat pushed them to the gruesome act

Anything for the guru

7talk|18 apr 2013|talkmag.inpolitical diary

When B Sriramulubroke away from theBJP and founded the

BSR Congress, he wasthrilled at the number ofpeople flocking to his newparty. Just three months ago,the party’s office at KumaraPark was buzzing withactivity, with sundrypoliticians clamouring to getin. But now, the party isfacing setback after setback,with some of its mostimportant membersabandoning it. Why are theygoing away?

Convinced that glorious daysawaited the party, Sriramuluhad forgotten to ask himselfwhat brought people to hisdoors. All of India now knowshow his godfatherJanardhana Reddy ran hismining empire. The CBI putReddy behind bars, freezinghis bank accounts. When thegravy train stopped, the partylost its attraction.

Venkatesh Gowda, BSR

Congress Yuva Morchaleader, and CS Dwarakanath,the party’s candidate fromByatarayanapura inBangalore, have already bidgoodbye to Sriramulu.Rakshita, the retired moviestar, has been threatening toquit for some months now,but for the record, described“Reddy Sir” to the Times ofIndia as “one of the wisestpoliticians I have met”.

Insiders say that a desperateSriramalu also triedapproaching the BJP and theJD(S) for a ‘seat-sharing’arrangment, but both partiessupposedly refused to haveanything to do with the BSRCongress.

A party insider admittedcandidly to Talk, “We have noideology. Our party must runon mining money. If there’sno money, no one comes ourway!”

BASU MEGALKERI

The Congress takes pride inbeing Muslim-friendly, and hasgiven to the community 12 of177 tickets announced so far.The BJP is known for itsantipathy to Muslims, andhasn’t allotted a single ticket,of the 140 it has announced,to any Muslim. What about theJD(S)? It is largely seen as afamily party that, at best,represents the interests of theVokkaligas. It has alreadyannounced 122 candidates,with 10 of them beingMuslims. Given thecircumstances, that’s adisproportionate number, saypolitical observers.

HD Deve Gowda and his sonKumaraswamy grandly went toa dargah and announced thelist. “When Kumaraswamy

formed a government with theBJP, he lost the support of theMuslims. They need to do allthis to win the minoritiesback,” a party insider toldTalk. Kumaraswamy iscontesting from Channapatna,and his wife Anitha fromRamanagara, bothconstituencies with asignificant Muslim population.

Deve Gowda’s droughtDeve Gowda has done well inall previous elections, but thetalk is that he is worried thistime around. Gowda takespride in his agriculturalbackground, and has alwaystreated politics the way hetreats farming. He callselections harvest time. Lasttime around, the JD(S) onlyhad national parties as

opponents. Those who didn’tget tickets in the Congressand the BJP migrated to theJD(S). Those who come toregional parties from thenational parties are desperateto win. This worked toGowda’s benefit, with hisparty winning many seats.

This time, two new regionalparties will eat into the pie-theKJP and the BSR Congress.What is more, the Congress isupbeat. Those who do not getCongress tickets will go toYeddyurappa who promisesmoney and support. As a lastresort they will turn to theJD(S). It looks like DeveGowda may not get a goodyield this time. Could that bethe real reason behind thedargah visit?

His colleagues are quietly leaving, and itseems the big parties too won’t haveanything to do with the BSR Congress

Why is everyoneditching Sriramulu?

BLADES B Sriramulu on a campaign yatra, holding the party symbol, the ceiling fan

FRIENDS ALL Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy at a JD(S) rally to woo Muslim voters

How many Muslimcandidates, please?

The State ElectionCommission is keeping aclose eye on politicians. Itshead Anil Kumar Jha lookssoft, but is proving a toughwatchdog. Under hisguidance, the commissionhas already registered over200 cases of electionmalpractice, and seized Rs2 crore meant fordistribution among voters. InKoppal in northernKarnataka, a candidate isbuying motorcycles forpeople who pledge theirvotes to him. Elsewhere,voters are getting gold,saris, and set-top boxes,besides weekend trips (turnto Page 5 for Ayyotoons onthis theme). One candidateis out to provide lifeinsurance for an entireconstituency. Another isgiving out notebooks. Itwon’t be easy for theElection Commission totrack how candidates arebribing candidates, but whatis reassuring is that its flyingsquads get to work themoment they get a tip-off.Call 2222 4195 if you wantto complain about anyelection malpractice

AnilKumarJha

Politicians'cheat sheet


Anand Appugol, who spenta staggering Rs 29 croreand produced the filmSangolli Rayanna, is nowdesperate for a Congressticket. Exceeding allexpectations, his filmbecame a runaway hit.Appugol is neither apolitician nor a filmproducer. He is a moneylender who successfullyruns some credit co-operative banks inBelgaum district. Justrecently, he was fawning onYeddyurappa, saying hewas “just an admirer”. Heis now attending onSiddaramaiah, who is inhospital treating a kidney

ailment. Lakkanna, aCongress leader in thedistrict , has complained toKPCC President GParameshwar that Appugolhas paid Rs 4 crore toSiddaramaiah for a ticketto contest from Kittur.“Appugol was the one whorevealed it to me,” Lakkanais telling anyone who caresto listen.

Many people in the filmindustry were stunnedwhen Appugol poured somuch money into hishistorical film. “I don’t careabout the expense,” he toldreporters just before therelease of the movie, whenthey asked him if he hadgambled his money awayrecklessly. SangolliRayanna, the centralcharacter of the film, is afolk hero among Kannadaspeakers, especially in thenorthern districts. He was achieftain in RaniChennamma’s army, andtook on the British. He isconsidered a pioneer ofguerilla warfare in India. It’snow time to connect thedots. Kittur is whereChennamma ruled. Andthat’s where Appugol wantsto contest.

Movie producer'ssmart gamble

Anand Appugol

LAVISH Anand Appugol produced a historical about a guerilla war hero

Former chief minister BSYeddyurappa is among thesaddest people in Karnatakatoday. His shishyas and closestassociates have abandonedhim. “I’m a fool. I trustedeveryone. They stabbed me inthe back,” is what the weepy

70-year-old leader is saying athis press appearances.

In 2008, Kumaraswamy brokehis promise and refused tohand over power toYeddyurappa, turning him into amartyr. Now, Umesh Katti,Murugesh Nirani, Basavaraj

Bommai, V Somanna andRevunaik Belamagi have allshifted loyalties, leaving theirmentor Yeddyurappa in shockand distress.

So what is Yeddyurappa doing,besides shedding tears? He hasuploaded pictures of politicians

who betrayed him on Facebook,and posted, “What should wedo with them?” And would youbelieve it—hundreds of socialmedia users are showering thechoicest abuses on them?‘Chee’ and ‘thoo’ are the mostcommonly used words.

Yeddyurappa and his Devdas moods

SRIDHAR K [email protected]

The drumming of hooves on thegrassy turf dies out, and tired hors-es head off the Polo practicegrounds at the ASC Centre andCollege on Old Airport Road in the

City.Major Faiz Siddiqui, riding and polo

coach at ASC’s Agram Riding and PoloAcademy (ARPA) jumps off his horse.

He is still pumped up. He turns to one ofthe players. “Did I shout at you today?,” heasks him.

The bemused young man, says, ah, notreally.

“Because,” he continues, “during thegame, if I am shouting, it does not mean I amupset or angry. I shout to get a player to dosomething at that particular point in thegame, which can make a big difference to theoutcome.”

Later, relaxing over a soft drink at theARPA club house, Faiz explains what he wastalking about.

“Our minds work to set patterns. Whenthe game is on, we tend to do the same thingsin the same way. But there are times when adifferent action, a different approach, will

make a large, dispropor-tionate difference to theoutcome of the game.That is when I am shout-ing, because I have topenetrate into the mindof the player, make himbreak his pattern, and dowhat is required.”

Ah, the joys of ridingand being on horseback.

As Winston Churchill famously said, “Nohour of life is lost that is spent in the saddle.”

While what Faiz said is probably true ofall sport, you never come away from a ridingfield without little lessons and metaphors forjust about everything in life.

Takeaway for the day. Infast-moving, challenging situa-tions, there will always bemoments when a fundamentallydifferent action, not somethingthat you would naturally do, canmake a huge difference to the endresult. A useful thought forproject managers, CEOs, stu-dents, professionals, and well, poloplayers.

It’s polo season. Major Faizand his players are getting readyfor this year’s outing. Since 2003,ARPA has been organising polotournaments in Bangalore, andfour of them have been lined upthis April in the 2013 edition.

Eleven teams will participatein this season, from different clubsin the country, including somecivilian outfits—Army ServiceCorps, 61 Cavalry, Indian Navy,President’s Body Guard, RemountVeterinary Corps, NationalDefence Academy, ArmouredCorps Centre & School, Regimentof Artillery, Amateur RidingClub, Mumbai, Hyderabad Polo &Riding Club and Suneendra SportsCorporation, Hyderabad.

Faiz is particularly proud of youngsters,including girls, who have managed to suc-cessfully learn and play what is a demandingand hazardous game.

The season starts with the ‘Gyan Jyoti’Polo Challenge Trophy, a six goal tourna-ment, with the finals on April 13. The‘Alliance University’ ARPA Polo Trophy, afour goal tournament, will be played fromApril 14 to 16, with finals on April 16. TheArmy Commander’s Trophy, an eight goaltournament is on from April 17 with thefinals on April 20.

I’M GAME Afsana Naidu is

one of three girlsbeing coached atthe Army’s Polo

Academy inBangalore

9talk|18 apr 2013|talkmag.inpolo season

Some say it is the oldestrecorded team sport in the world,attributing its origins to the plainsof Central Asia.

The history of the modern gameis clearer, and can be traced toBritish India. Manipur still has apolo ground considered the oldestone in the world. British cavalryofficers instituted the moderngame in the 1860s. It didn’t take

longer than a couple of decades forthe game to spread to the UK andthen the US. It was included insome Olympics, last in 1936.

Players like to think of it as thesport of kings. On a stone tabletnext to a polo ground in Gilgit,Jammu and Kashmir, (on the otherside of the Line of Control, inPakistan Occupied Kashmir), is afamous verse: “Let others play at

other things. The king of games isstill the game of kings.”

The outdoor polo field is 300yards long and 160 yards wide,almost 10 acres, making it thelargest field in sport.

There are four players on ateam. Each round is a ‘chukka’,which lasts for 7½ minutes. Horsesare changed after that. Matchesmay be 4, 5, or 6 chukkas.

Polo facts

Talk caught up with AfsanaNaidu, 17, one of threeBangalore girls coached at

ARPA. Excerpts from aninterview:

What are the challenges thatmost polo players face? Is itdifferent for women poloplayers?The biggest challenge thatplayers face is to establish aconnection with their horse.You have to make the horsedo what you want to do andnot the other way round. Theother challenges are that thesport is very tiring and drain-ing. You need to work reallyhard if you play polo.

It is an expensive sport.How much do you approxi-mately spend a month onthe game?Maintenance of each horseat the club is Rs 13,000 so tomaintain four horses theamount comes up to Rs56,000 a month.

Knowledge of the sport andaccess is restricted to ahandful of people. What doyou think needs to be doneto promote the sport? First of all, people shouldovercome their fear of hors-es! There should be moreclubs, more tournaments.

Is Bangalore growing as apolo centre?Jaipur and Delhi are thehubs, but Bangalore now hasmany teams.

Have you had any injuries sofar? Did that deter you fromplaying?The game indeed is veryscary. I have had manyinjuries but that didn’t stopme from playing. There is a‘rule’ when you play polo-you must continue the gametill you are bleeding or areunconscious! But luckily Ihave not had a serious injury.

SANDRA FERNANDES

It's polo time, and the action isalready on at the Army ServiceCorps grounds near Domlur

‘I’m not deterredby injury’

Thundering hooves

Major Faiz Siddiqui

10talk|18 apr 2013|talkmag.inbreast cancer

HCG Cancer Hospital, says while awareness and betterdocumentation are a factor in Bangalore topping thelist, there is no doubt the city’s lifestyle is contributingto the malaise.

Breast and uterine cancers were earlier more com-mon in developed countries, with cervical cancerafflicting the poor. “But, in the last five years, thingshave changed radically. Our food preferences andadoption of a Western lifestyle have impacted us. InIndia, cervical cancer is no longer the commonest can-cer… it is breast cancer,” Dr Somashekhar observes.

Dr Ajai Kumar, who sees an average of 200-220new patients every month, is convinced breast cancer isdefinitely related to poor eating and work habits.“Many studies have proved that fatty foods can cause

breast cancer. Women who consume more fatty andfried foods, smoke, and are genetically predisposed, aremore susceptible to the disease,” he said.

Catching them youngWhat is more, breast cancer incidence is not only ris-ing, but afflicting younger and younger women. SaysDr Somashekar, “In Western countries, it is still a ‘sixthdecade disease’, but here, of late, most patients arebetween 35 and 40. And they have more aggressive can-cers than older women.” This is something many of hiscolleagues corroborate.

Of course, genetic predisposition plays a big role.As Dr Ajai Kumar puts it, “Not all smokers get lung can-cer. In the same way, not everyone with a poor lifestyle

More women in Bangaloreget breast cancer than in

any other Indian city.Doctors blame it on their

propensity to eat out, popbirth control pills, and

pursue stressful careers

DEADLY BITEAccounting for one

in four cancer casesin women, breastcancer is also theone most directlylinked to lifestyle

MARIA [email protected]

With Bangalore beingdubbed the cancercapital of the coun-try, and breast can-cer accounting fornearly a third of all

cases among women in the city, renewedattention is being paid to the diet andlifestyle link.

That link is clearest in the case ofbreast cancer, say doctors. Dr SPSomashekar, Head of the Department ofSurgical Oncology at Manipal Hospitals,told Talk clinical trials have even estab-lished that exercise and a better diet pre-vent cancer from recurring in women.

“According to studies by theProtocol and Information Office (PIO) ofthe National Cancer Institute, breast can-cer is the leading lifestyle disease, fol-lowed by prostrate and colorectal cancer,”he said.

What is it that Bangalore women dothat the others don’t? For starters, theyeat the wrong kinds of food, delay moth-erhood, and smoke. The latest figuresreleased by the Population Based CancerRegistry (PBCR) show that Bangalorereports 113.4 cases of cancer for everyone lakh males, and 139.1 cases for everyone lakh females every year. Of the latterfigure, 36.1 cases are breast cancer, thehighest among all cancers, ahead ofMumbai and Delhi, both of which report32.3 cases per lakh population. (See box).

Dr BS Ajai Kumar, Chairman of

Bangalore: 36.1 Mumbai: 32.3 Delhi: 32.3 Chennai: 31.5Breast cancer incidence in India

(All figures are of new cases diagnosed per year per lakh population). Source: Population Based Cancer Registry.

RAMESH HUNSUR

The uber-city malaise

is afflicted by cancer.”And there are many other risk factors.

The link between polluted air and ill-health (including fertility problems, seeTalk Issue 24), seems fairly clear, thoughthere isn’t enough hard evidence to suggestthat it is a key cause of breast cancer.

Doctors say they see fewer cases ofbreast cancer in the villages. Some 80 percent of the urban cases Dr Ajai Kumar seesare women who eat fries and burgers, anddine out twice a week, a lifestyle patternseldom seen in villages.

What’s it about the pill? Another risk factor is late marriage, latemotherhood, and consumption of contra-ceptive pills. Some studies say oral contra-ceptives increase the risk only slightly,while it prevents other kinds of cancers.(See box) Prolonged use, of course, is notadvised.

But Dr Somashekar, who sees an aver-age of seven new patients every day, is def-

inite in how he sees this risk factor: “Breastcancer is caused by more estrogen in thebody. Oral contraceptive pills containprogestin, which produces estrogen. Thus,consuming the pills can definitely increasethe danger of the disease.”

Dr Kumaraswamy, another oncologistat HCG, notes: “The causes of any cancerare multi-factorial. Oral contraceptivescould be one of the causes.”

In any case, prolonged contraceptionis directly related to late motherhood.“Many marry late and have their first childonly after 30-32 years. They rarely havemore than one child and don’t breastfeedfor more than six months. And at somepoint they take oral contraceptives or hor-mone pills,” Dr Somashekar explains.

Again, among low income groups,multiple children and regular breast-feed-ing appear to reduce the breast cancer risk,while exacerbating the risk for cervicalcancer.

Most common varietyLike in all cancers, early detection is crucialfor successful treatment of breast cancer.Individual tumour characteristics, healthand genetic predisposition impact survival.

In India, the most common type ofbreast cancer is the Infiltrating DuctalCarcinoma (IDC), where the cancer hasbroken through the wall of the milk ductand invaded the tissues of the breast. Overtime, IDC can spread to the lymph nodes(under the arm pit) and possibly to otherareas of the body as well.

Dr BV Rajaram, Assistant Professor atSt John’s Medical College Hospital, saysmost women are diagnosed only duringthe advanced stages. That means evenamong the urban educated, the need forregular self-examination has not been driv-en home sufficiently. “People are just notaware,” he says.

Dr Somashekar concurs. “I havepatients who say they noticed a lump in thebreast six months earlier, but since it waspainless, they didn’t worry about it.”

A lump in the breast may be a firststage sign of the disease. While lumps maybe harmless, they could also be a dangersign, which warrants an immediate visit tothe doctor. (See box for self-examinationand early warning signs). In fact, the dis-ease can reach an advanced stage in just sixmonths.

A foodie doc’s storyAparna (name changed), a qualified butnon-practising doctor, who was afflictedwith the disease in 2007 when she was 39,seems to best exemplify the lifestyle factor.

There was no family history of thedisease, but she checked the boxes for allother risk factors—obesity, delayed moth-erhood, taking of oral contraceptives, din-ing out three times a week, eating red meatand junk food, and the like.

“I’m a huge foodie and the minute I

was diagnosed with cancer, I cried foreverything, including for the food I could-n’t eat,” she recalls. Diagnosed in the sec-ond stage, she is fully cured today.

She doesn’t regret any of her deci-sions, including delaying motherhood forthe sake of “first creating a strong bondwith her husband.”

Prevention as always, should comefirst, as treatment can be expensive.Aparna spent about Rs 20 lakh for hertreatment, since she opted for foreigndrugs. Other patients spend about Rs 2.5 to3 lakh.

It can strike anyoneVandana Ramane’s case was different: shehad none of the known risk factors. Yet shegot breast cancer when she was 53. “I am ahouse-bound person with no bad habits,”she told Talk.

Vandana believes pollution and astressful lifestyle could have contributed toher problem. She now meditates, practisesyoga, walks, and eats fruits and vegetablesevery day. “I took the first half of the word‘can’ from cancer and was able to get back

to my old normal life. If others practisethis, it will help them bounce back as well,”she says.

But misplaced optimism could also beone of the problems in cancer care.

As Dr Siddhartha Mukherjee, authorof a definitive book on cancer titled TheEmperor of Maladies, tells an interviewer inThe Guardian, it is wrong to suggest a posi-tive mental attitude can cure cancer.

He says: “A woman with breast canceralready has her plate full, and you want togo and tell her that the reason you’re notgetting better is because you’re not think-ing positively? Put yourself in that woman’sposition and think what it feels like to betold your attitude is to blame for whyyou’re not getting better. I think it’s nasty,”he says.

In a spiritual sense, he concedes, “apositive attitude may help you get throughchemotherapy and surgery and radiationand what have you.”

But, he cautions, “a positive mentalattitude does not cure cancer—any morethan a negative mental attitude causes cancer.”


Contraceptive use andbreast cancer A number of studies suggest thatcurrent use of oral contraceptives(birth control pills) appears toslightly increase the risk of breastcancer, especially among youngerwomen. However, the risk level goesback to normal after 10 years ormore of discontinuing oralcontraceptive use.

Women who use oralcontraceptives have reduced risks ofovarian and endometrial cancer. Thisprotective effect increases with thelength of time oral contraceptivesare used.

Oral contraceptive use isassociated with an increased risk ofcervical cancer; however, thisincreased risk may be becausesexually active women have a higherrisk of becoming infected withhuman papillomavirus, which causesvirtually all cervical cancers.

Women who take oralcontraceptives have an increasedrisk of benign liver tumours, but therelationship between oralcontraceptive use and malignantliver tumours is less clear.

Source: National Cancer Institute (US)

Oncologists advise women older than25 to do a regular Self BreastExamination (SBE) for early detectionof breast cancer, which ensures muchbetter chances of successfultreatment. If there is a history of breastcancer in the family, doctors alsoadvice an annual mammogram afterthe age of 30 years. Without suchhistory, women are still advised annualmammograms, after the age of 40.

SBE is done once a month, a week to 10 days before the first day of periods.

SBE is all about how the breasts look and how they feel. Stand in front of the mirror and look at the breasts carefully, from different arm positions, for any unusual change inthe way the nipples look or for any dimples or changes in the skin.

Examine your breasts one at a time.If you’re starting with your right breast, raise your right arm, place your right hand behind your head, and use your left hand to feel your breast. Do the same with the left breast as well.

One way to examine your breast is to think of your breast as a circle. Using the pads of your three middle fingers, move your fingers in a spiralmotion from the outside to the inside of the circle, gradually gettingclose to the nipple. Notice what feels normal and what may feel

different from the last time you examined your breasts.

Use different levels of pressure to feel each part of your breast. This will allow you to feel the various layers of tissue.

When you have covered the entire breast, use your finger and thumb togently squeeze your nipple, watchingfor any discharge.

Feel for lumps under and along the top of the collar bone.

Typical warning signs: Lump or thickening (breast,

underam) Dimpling or puckering of the skin Bloody or discharge from nipple A sore on the breast that does not

heal Unusual pain, itch or rash,

especially in the nipple area Retracted nipple

Source: Cancer, a Comma, Not a FullStop, by Roopa Venkatesh (Sapna

Book House, 2009)

How to do a Self BreastExamination:



SurgeryCancer progression is understood to go from ‘stage0’ to ‘stage IV’. In the earliest stages, surgery isopted for, followed by a round of chemotheraphy.

There are two kinds of surgery-Lumpectomyor Mastectomy-depending on whether only thelump or the entire breast is removed.

Oncologists call this as an ‘era of organpreservation’, so whenever possible, they removeonly the lump. In patients older than 60, mastecto-my is opted for.

“Some women think it is better to die withdignity by retaining the breast rather than remov-ing it,” Dr Somashekar noted. Considering the psy-chological impact, doctors offer oncoplastic sur-gery.

Another important surgery is lymph noderemoval in the arm pit. The lymph nodes areremoved to determine whether the disease hasspread to other parts of the body. “But if we removelymph nodes unnecessarily, and if the cancer hasnot spread, patients develop a big swelling in thehands and shoulder mobility comes down leadingto permanent deformity.” Dr Somashekar noted.

He advices cancer patients to get treated onlyin hospitals where Radio guided Occult LesionLocalisation (ROLL) technology is available. Themachine will only detect the lymph nodes wherethe cancer has spread and leave the rest.

ChemotherapyIn advanced stages, chemotherapy is given in thebeginning followed by surgery. It helps shrinkdown the malignant tumor, making surgery easier.Chemotherapy may range from four to eightcycles, and will be given in cycles of upto 21 days.Daily sessions may last six to seven hours.

Several side effects like nausea, vomiting, hair

fall, dry skin, swollen gums and blisters in themouth occur. Oncologists advise more consump-tion of fluids, fruits, vegetables, and steamed foodduring the course.

Sometimes stage 0 patients are cured withonly chemotherapy and hormone therapy. This isfairly rare in Bangalore, as there are few who comein at the early stages. Doctors, say the ones who doget detected early are usually from well-to-do,health-consciousness backgrounds, who typicallyopt for annual mammograms (sometimes as part ofcompany-sponsored health checkups), besides fol-lowing a self-examination routine at home.

RadiationThis is given after successful surgery andchemotherapy. When oncologists cut out thetumor, there is always a threat that some micro-scopic cancerous cells might be left behind. So,radiation is given to the operated breast to kill thecancer cells. Again, this is a long procedure.Radiation therapy is given up to five to six weeksfor five days a week.

The patient can just walk in, receive the radi-ation and leave the hospital in 15-20 minutes. Mostcancer survivors say that this stage of treatment isthe least taxing.

Hormonal therapyAfter radiation therapy, tests are conducted todetermine whether the breast cancer cells haveestrogen or progesterone receptors. Estrogen andprogesterone hormones in the body can promotethe growth of some breast cancer cells. Hormonetherapy is given to block the body’s naturallyoccurring estrogen to slow or stop cancer growth.In India, estrogen-receptor-positive is the mostcommon type of breast cancer and drugs likeTamoxifen, Fareston, and Evista are advised. Forother types, doctors typically prescribe drugs likeArmidex, Zoladex, Aromasin, Megace, andHalotestin.

As always, early detection is crucial, and treatment options depend on the stage at which the cancer is detected and vary from patient to patient. The treatment involvescombinations of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and hormonal therapy

Breast cancertreatment

It’s that time of your lifewhen your doctor tellsyou to get “a completemedical” done. You go

whistling to the diagnosticclinic, expecting nothingmore invasive than a pinprickor more stressful than a briskwalk on a treadmill. That’sthe story if you’re a man. But,oh brother, do you knowwhat your health checkupwould be like if you were awoman? Listen and beenlightened.

A gloved hand gropesinside your grinning vagina.Not a problem, for it’s anannual ritual that yourgynaecologist conducts. Shealso kneads your breasts tocheck for errant lumps. (Thenearest male equivalentwould be if your doc fondledyour balls and closelyexamined your arsehole.) Onefine day your gyno says,“Time to get onedone.” She means amammogram. “Andbetter check thateverything isokay downthere.” She means apelvic andabdominal scan.

When you fixthe appointmentyou’re told todrink lots of waterhalf an hour beforethe scan. You’re alltanked up whenyou get there. Sorry,the scanning room isnot yet free. Youwriggle and squirm inyour red bucket seatwhile the minutes crawlby. An hour later whenyou’re ready to burstyou’re summonedinto a dim-litroom where twowomen hold up acurtain. Feeling likea stage actor you gobehind it and take

off your pants. It’s show time.As you lie on the narrow bedone woman spreads a cloth tocover your thighs and pullsyour panties down till they’rejust short of exposing yourpubic hair. Another lifts yourtop so that the top part ofyour belly is exposed.

You’re dying to pee. Thedoctor enters. His femaleassistant squirts gel over yourabdomen. He’s decided to dothe abdominal scan beforethe pelvic. You wonder if youcan hold in your piss for thatlong. He moves a cold, flatobject over your belly,exerting a slight pressure. Youimagine the same pressure onyour agonisingly distendedpelvic region. You hope youdon’t wet the bed. Afterseveral minutes he embarkson the pelvic scan.

Once it’s all done yourush out and have the mostsatisfying pee of your entirelife. Up ahead is themammogram room. A nicegirl asks you to take off yourbra. The teats of burden haveno time to rest. She lifts yourleft breast and arranges it

artistically on a largemetal plate. Anotherflat plate descendsonto it. It’s exactly like

a chapathi-makingmachine. The gap betweenthe two plates is barely half

an inch and your flattenedbreast has spread to the

size of Africa. Repeat withright breast. Then, repeat

the whole procedure,standing sideways.

This time the vicegrips them from

the sides.Well, guys, is that

torture or no? I believe it is,if your breasts are smalland firm. If they’re largeand floppy like a bunny

rabbit’s ears, nosweat, trust me.But I don’t thinkI’d be able to look

at a mechanical pressor vice in a factorywithout a shudderand a silent cry:“Mammo mia!”

Gynaecological tests forwomen are no joke, writesnovelist CK Meena

Mammo mia!

Please find a cure.

Pink is not my color!

13talk|18 apr 2013|talkmag.infirst person

Lightning does not striketwice in the same place, Itold myself the moment Inoticed a small lump inthe upper quadrant of my

right breast.Thanks to a history of cancer in

my family, I knew exactly what had tobe done. I directly went to a lab andasked them to do the necessary tests.

My grandmother was diagnosedearly, and is a survivor, having recov-ered from cancer, leading a healthylife 17 years on. My older sister wasnot that lucky. She not only got thedisease when she was just 32, but alsolost the battle within six months ofdiagnosis.

So, in a way, I had assumed thatthe gene had passed on to my sister,and couldn’t strike the same familyagain—after all, even God would havea conscience. But you do wonder ifHe does!

Doctor’s solemn wordSoon after the mammogram resultswere given, I was asked to do a sono-gram. How could I forget that day!Lying on the examination table, Ikept joking with thedoctor that it cannotbe cancer, repeatingthat lightning doesnot strike in the sameplace twice.

After fourhours, he saidsolemnly, “Roopa, I think it has struckagain.”

In denial, I argued with him, say-ing I had a good lifestyle—eatinghealthy, exercising, working hard,enjoying life. But there was no escap-ing the truth.

Devastated, I went to pick up myhusband from work. My 15-year-oldson was surprised to see both parentsreaching home together and on time.

Son’s common senseThe time had come to share the cata-strophic news. I broke down and

cried my heart out. Everyone wasshocked, and my parents were incon-solable. They were not ready to carrythe corpse of yet another child ontheir shoulders.

But it was my son who helpedme to put it in perspective. He askedquietly, “What else did the doctorssay?”

“Well, he said that if I took treat-ment, I would get better,” I replied,trying hard to sound reassuring.

Without more ado, he said, “Oh,okay then, so why worry. Take thetreatment, you will completely recov-er,” he said, hugging me.

I realised I should stop feelingsorry for myself anddecided to takethings in hand. Itrawled the Internet,and did a hugeamount of research.A number of supportgroups and online

forums from Australia, New Zealandand the USA were of great help. Iwould pose a question and theywould respond instantaneously.

I asked whether I should gothere for good treatment. They blunt-ly said, “Only if you need white nurs-es should you come here.” They mademe understand that Bangalore couldoffer advanced treatment.

I was told that I was in my thirdstage. I had surgery first—lumpecto-my (removal of the lump).

This was followed by six cyclesof chemotherapy with a gap of 21

days each. Though I was not new tothe side effects of chemotherapy, hav-ing watched my sister go through it, itstill did not prepare me for what it didto me.

Smileys on my bald pateIt led to disturbing hair fall, and eveneyebrows, eyelashes, and nails areaffected. I ordered an Indian wig. ButI wasn’t too happy with it and wantedto experiment with other kinds ofwigs. In the end, I had four wigs tofool people.

My little nieces, who came homefor holidays from the US, drew smi-leys with highlighter pens on my baldhead. It made me happy that we couldlaugh about something as traumaticas this. My nieces will not get thatopportunity the next time they comedown, as my own shiny hair hasgrown back!

Frustrating daysThere were also days when all I want-ed to do was curl up and die. I havesat in front of the dining table andcried, because I used to be hungry andcouldn’t eat a grain, due to my blistersand swollen gums. Unlike others, Ihad to bear more pain as I wasanaemic by nature. My immunity wasextremely low and it resulted insevere infections during thechemotherapy. But I’m indebted tomy parents, who were there all thetime, supporting me, and keeping mefocused on getting it over with.

I kept saying to myself, “Don’t

worry, it is temporary,” as one of mydoctor friends advised me. I used tosay this to myself every time I feltlousy and down. After chemotherapy,I had six weeks of radiation. Honestly,it was not too bad. Treatments differfrom person to person. I had a sand-wich treatment where radiation wasgiven between two sets of chemo. Itdefinitely helped my body recoup andfeel better.

Eventually, in six months, mytreatment was over. For a week, it didnot really sink in. I was so used tobeing in and out of hospital that Ikept planning my next visit, only torealise that I did not have to go there!They gave me hormonal therapy pillsfor five years and thankfully even thatgot over last November.

The urge to shareYes, the journey was difficult but itcertainly made me a tougher person. Ifelt that I was born again. I am moreappreciative of life and its wonderfulgifts. It helped me create two videobooks on management principles andwrite a book on the disease.

It gave me another focus—toshare with other patients some of theexperiences I have had, to give themcourage and confidence that “this tooshall pass” and further proof that apositive attitude makes a whole lot ofdifference.

And now, I’m proud to say I am asurvivor and not a victim.

(As told to Maria Laveena)

‘There weredays when Ijust wanted tocurl up and die’

GOING STRONGRoopa Venkatesh

at T8 SoftwareServices, the

company she runs

Roopa Venkatesh,support group founder

and entrepreneur, sharesher experience of

trumping the disease

RAMESH HUNSUR

How I survived breast cancer

14talk|18 apr 2013|talkmag.inlocal remedy


After 20 long years ofresearch and develop-ment, Dr Rajah VijayKumar, a Bangalore-based scientist and self-

described maverick, introduced hiscancer treatment device Cytotron in2009, to a cynical reception fromoncologists.

But today, after five years, oncol-ogists are being forced to tempertheir scepticism.

The Cytotron, based on non-invasive Quantum MagneticResonance Technology (QMRT)

claims no known side-effects, usesmild or sub radio frequency radiation,with non-ionising, non thermal elec-tromagnetic waves to treat cancertumors.

“The Cytotron can treat all solidtumors by stabilising the disease andgiving a better quality of life to thepatients,” Dr Vijay Kumar told Talk.

Instead of killing diseased cells,Cytotron alters the intercellular path-ways and their protein synthesis pat-terns by stopping the cells from mul-tiplying. It cannot treat patientswhere there is no targetable solidlesion, like in multiplemyeloma or leukemia(blood cancer).

The treatmentmethod involves expo-sure of the tumor site tothe modulated radio sig-nals generated byCytotron for about 60 minutes, for 28consecutive days. It requires no sur-gery, is painless and comfortable,without any known complications.

“Patients can have a goodappetite and lead a good quality lifewithout side effects,” Vijay Kumarsaid.

Patients are continuously moni-tored in quarterly and half-yearlyassessments. Their youngest survivor

is a four-year-old with brain cancerand the oldest is 95 years, with throatcancer.

Dr Kumar is the director of theCentre for Advanced Research andDevelopment (CARD), the researchwing of Scalene Cybernetics Limited,a company with presence in India,Singapore, Malaysia, South Africa,and Europe.

“The response to Cytotron, fromacross the globe, has been extremelygood. We mostly take only terminallyill patients and they are pretty happywith the outcome,” he said.

They plan toexport the equipmentshortly. Cytotron hasobtained the EuropeanUnion (EU)Certification, he said.

“Now it’s anapproved device and is

available everywhere. It is thepatient’s choice to decide what theywant to do,” he elated. At CARD,patients are treated for free, as it isconsidered part of clinical trials.Elsewhere, treatment costs about alakh.

A clinical investigation was car-ried out on 98 patients at CARD—55were female and 43 were male, from15 years to 84 years. While 86 com-

pleted the 28 day exposure as per pro-tocol (follow-ups were conducted), 31patients were still alive at the end ofthe study period of four years, whichinclude breast cancer patients.

Peter Pattison, a 55 year old, wasdiagnosed with lung cancer in 2007.Even after continuous cycles ofchemotherapy and radiation therapyat HCG, his cancer got worse. Hetried the Cytotron.

He was given two sittings atCARD by Dr Vijay Kumar in 2008. Hewas astonished to find that the stub-born cancer had been destroyed injust two months, which conventionaltreatment wasn’t able to do.

“It’s almost six years now, and Iam leading a very comfortable life,”Peter said.

He had relapsed into smokingand drinking, and was again diag-nosed with the disease. Tests wereconducted at both HCG and CARD.

“I was asked to take the CyberKnife treatment (advanced radiationtherapy) at HCG and simultaneouslyDr Vijay asked me to undergo anoth-er exposure of Cytotron at CARD. Iwent for the latter first,” he said.

When he later went to HCGtests revealed that 75 per cent of hiscancer had come down with just thehelp of the Cytotron, he claims. Peterwent ahead with the Cyber Knifetreatment, costing him about Rs fivelakh, hoping for a better quality oflife.

Dr Ajai Kumar of HCG declinedto comment on the Cytotron.

Dr Somashekar of ManipalHospitals said that the Cytotron isnot a cure by itself. “A surgery ismandatory for cancer. May be aftersurgery, the Cytotron can be optedfor as one of the therapies.”

The Cytotronclaims noknown side-effects

CHALLENGING SCEPTICISMDr Vijay Kumar, Bangalore-based scientist who

developed the Cytotron

The inventors of this newtechnology are currently treatingonly terminally ill patients, whoreport significant benefits

Is the Cytotronthe answer?

RAMESH HUNSUR


SAVIE [email protected]

While some dread cancer, othershold it dear: the same word thatdescribes a deadly disease also

stands for a zodiac sign. The origins of thetwo meanings is similar, and that’s becauseboth have something to dowith the crab.

For many centuries, theterm cancer was used for anytumour or ulcer, irrespectiveof its being malignant orbenign. In the mid-19th century, after theinvention of the microscope, scientistsnoticed the cellular mechanisms of malig-

nant tumours. It was only thenthat the term cancer was

given to life-threateninggrowths in the body.

Around 400 BC,

Greek physician Hippocrates first namedthe disease karkinos, which meant crab inGreek. There are several theories aboutwhy he chose to call the disease karkinos.Some historians believe when Hippocratesexamined patients with cancer, he foundthey had large tumours protruding fromthe skin. When he touched them, he feltthey were hard, like the shell of a crab.Others believe he named it so because hethought the pain caused by a canceroustumour was like being pinched by a crab.

Another belief is that amalignant tumour is as stub-born as a crab, which doesnot let go once it has bitten.

In 47 AD, a Roman,Aurus Cornelius Celsus

wrote De Medicina, an encyclopedia ofmedicine. In it he used cancer, the Latinword for crab, as the equivalent of theGreek one. This term has survived.

In the second century, the physicianAelius Galenus, also known as Galen ofPergamon, studied breast cancer tumours.When he dissected them, he noticed they

had swollen veins and tributaries. He saidthey looked like a crab’s legs extended out-ward from every part of the body. This dec-laration further cemented the term cancerfor the disease.

The term entered Old English andwas used for a varietyof tumours, soresand ulcers. Thisusage still survives inthe word canker,meaning ulcer.The term can-cer was also used for thedisease that we knowtoday. PhilemonHolland’s translationof Roman naturalist Pliny’sThe History of the World,uses cancer in the sense of its currentusage. The 17th century translation explainsthe disease thus: Cancer is a swelling or sorecomming of melancholy bloud, about whichthe veins appeare of a blacke or swert colour,spread in manner of a Creifish clees.

Cancer, the astronomical term, comes

from the Latin for crab, because the con-stellation looked like a crab. It entered theEnglish language around 1000 AD.

The usage can be seen in GeoffreyChaucer’s essay Treatise on the Astrolabewritten in 1391. “In this heved of cancer is the

grettist declinaciounnorthward of thesonne... this signe of

cancre is clepid thetropik of Somer.”

(At this firstpoint (head) of

cancer is the greatestdeclination north-ward of the sun… thissign of cancer is

named the tropic of sum-mer.)

A person born under the zodiac signof Cancer is also called a Cancer. Thisusage came in around 1894. But today,when the disease has become the scourgeof the modern world, it’s unlikely that youwould think of the zodiac, let alone thecrab, when you hear the word cancer.

The Talkcolumn onword origins

K EW O S

YR D

As stubborn as the crab

Cancer

DOUBLE ROLE‘Cancer’ stands for the dreaded

disease and the star sign


While oncologists resortto surgery, chemo orradiation therapy, veganenthusiasts suggest a

simple remedy for curing cancer —achange in diet. They believe thatgoing vegan can reverse cancer, andother lifestyle-related diseases as well.

“Modern lifestyles predispose usto cancer mainly because of foodswhich are unnatural to our anatomy,as well as chemicals, plastics andaltered foods. Refraining from the useof meat, dairy and all foods of animalorigin, and eating only plant basedfoods, can reverse cancer,” says DrNandita Shah, founder of Sanctuaryfor Health and Reconnection toAnimals and Health (SHARAN).

She advises people to rely ontheir instinct while choosing what toeat. “Horses eat grass and lions hunt.Animals eat by instinct. But wehumans don’t know what is best forus. We eat what is advertised and notby instinct,” she says.

The human instinct, she asserts,is to pluck and eat fruits, vegetablesand nuts, but “never to pounce on achicken.”

“We don’t feel like suckling whenwe see a cow’s udders. We do not sali-vate when we see fields of wheat orrice. We have just learnt to eat thesethings and hence it causes diseases

just as feeding grass to a lion would,”Dr Shah says.

Though vegans agree that pro-teins are needed for growth andrepair, they feel today people are eat-ing proteins way beyond their needsand are therefore suffering from dis-eases of protein excess, cancer beingone of them.

“Protein is the food for growthand cancer is a growth,” she notes.“Breast cancers and prostate cancersare the most common cancers in theworld, and these are hormone depen-dant cancers. With milk and dairyproducts, we consume hormoneswhich predispose us to these cancers.The cow is a female mammal and nat-urally produces these hormones. It’sno surprise that breast and prostatecancers are more rampant than lungcancers, despite smoking being a com-mon habit.”

Vegans only consume whole,organic plant based foods. By wholethey mean unrefined, without anysugar or oil. They also keep away fromwhite flour, white rice or processedfoods. They also believe that vegeta-bles and fruits should not be peeled.

Esther Shanti, presently living inthe United States, was dejected whenher grandmother’s thyroid cancerkept recurring. Overtime, due to radi-ation and pills, her grandmother alsodeveloped different cancerousgrowths on her face which had to beremoved. She began a vegan dietadvised by Dr Shah in January this

year, and her health has improvedtremendously in just three months,says Shanthi.

Esther Shanthi’s accountI was asked to make seven vegetablejuices for the first three days. The juiceswere made of many vegetables—toma-toes, asparagus, cauliflower, turnip,broccoli, sprouts, carrots, beets, apple,ginger, lime and green pepper. In caseshe needed more, I would juice berries,avocados and kale (a type of cabbage).

My grandmother had been on painkillers for almost 15 years after an acci-dent, and was never able to sleep thewhole night through. But by day three ofthe vegetable juice diet, she was sleepingthrough the night and was completelyoff her pain medications.

After three days, we added wholegrain and lentil soups into her diet, cut-ting back to four juices per day. She wason this schedule for about a month. Herfood was devoid of oil, refined foods,sugar, meats, dairy and coffee.

By the end of the first week she hadlost about 4.5 kilogram and her skin wasvisibly brighter. By the end of week two,she no longer needed her cane to getaround the retirement community.

By the end of the first month, thetumor on her left side was completelygone and the ones in the back of thethroat have considerably reduced in size.The oncologist says she won’t need atube in her stomach anymore. In fact, hesaid he could even take out the rest of thetumors in her throat.

Our instincts, Dr Nandita Shah avers, is topluck and eat fruits, vegetables and nuts,

but “never to pounce on a chicken”

Canveganism

reversecancer?

Veganism expert Dr Nandita Shah

17talk|18 apr 2013|talkmag.inbox office

If the original Chashme Buddoor(1981) Sai Paranjape is a comedy.So is the new one by DavidDhawan, and both films workwith roughly the same plot. Still,if the new film is a remake of SaiParanjape’s classic, it is as differ-

ent from the original as cheese is fromchalk. In both films Siddharth, Omi and Jaiare students in Delhi University. Omi andJai are preoccupied with chasing girls andwhen they see a new girl (Neha in the 1981film and Seema in the new one) each ofthem tries his luck only to regret it.

When Siddharth meets the same girland the two young people immediately fallin love, Omi and Jai try to get their ownback by casting aspersions on the girl’s char-acter. Siddharth is crestfallen and breaks offhis relationship with Neha/Seema but when

his two friends imagine that he is contem-plating suicide, they try to arrange devious-ly for the two to be reunited. As may beexpected, their schemes do not have thedesired effect. But the film ends happilywhen the two friends confess to theirwrongdoings and the lovers are backtogether.

The original Chashme Buddoor wasmade outside the mainstream as a ‘middlefilm’ which means that it tried to createcredible characters that you could easilyidentify from real life. Siddharth (FarooqShaikh) is studying for his PhD inEconomics. Neha is played by Deepti Navaland she is shown going door to door tryingto sell a detergent named ‘Chamko’.Siddharth’s friends are played by RaviBaswani and Rakesh Bedi, as unglamorous apair of youth as one might imagine. In thenew Chashme Baddoor, the three are nomi-nally students in Delhi but the story hap-pens in Goa where they are ‘having fun.’Seema is also in Goa with only ‘lookinggood’ as a preoccupation.

If David Dhawan’s film had been astandard remake of Sai Paranjape’s original,one would expect it to merely bring theoriginal up to date. Since one cannot havemiddle-class characters in a mainstreamfilm, the three friends could perhaps allhave been wealthy—as in Zoya Akhtar’sZindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011) in whichtoo, the friends are primarily ‘having fun.’

As it is, there is no indication that thethree friends in David Dhavan’s film belongto any class of society at all. The threefriends are behind on their rent but theirlandlady is easily persuaded that rentshould not be collected. There is also noindication that any worries—financial, edu-cational or having to do with their careers—

occupies any of them, even the supposedlystudious Siddharth, although he’s brieflyshown to wear glasses! The plot never getsmoving but the film arranges distractions—songs and dances and, more importantly, ahuge number of references to other Hindifilms.

If both versions of Chashme Ba(u)ddoorare comedies, Sai Paranjape’s film tried toconstruct a comic narrative which onecould follow. Since David Dhawan’s filmdoes not allow us to identify with anyone,the comedy in his film iseither in wordplay and sex-ual innuendo or relies onour recalling lines fromclassics like Sholay andDeewar and responding toreferences to the names ofdirectors like Yash Chopraand Madhur Bhandarkar.Without these references to Bollywood,Chashme Baddoor would fall flat on its face-instead of being pronounced a hit.

Hindi films were once accused of cre-ating an ‘ideal’ or ‘fantastic’ world, a worldfar from reality and which ignored thesocial issues of the day. But there was stillrecognition in this accusation that Hindicinema needed to present a ‘true’ picture ofactual society. Chashme Baddoor makes noclaims to presenting a picture of any kind ofactual society and is, instead, almost entire-

ly a reworking of film motifs. It is verymuch like Om Shanti Om (2007) in that itrelies for its survival on our familiarity withBollywood. Farah Khan’s film, it must berecollected, was a remake of Karz (1980) butinstead of representing an ‘ideal’ or a ‘fan-tastic’ world as Karz did, it was ‘pastiche.’Karz was about reincarnation as well; but ittook the notion seriously, while Om ShantiOm merely played with it.

‘Pastiche’ is a kind of blank parody—aparody in which other texts are invoked

without them beingmocked. Pastiche is associ-ated with ‘postmodernity’.The term ‘postmodern’may be forbidding becauseit suggests high intellectualcontent, but ‘postmodern’artifacts are rarely ‘intel-lectual.’ If the films of

Quentin Tarantino are postmodernbecause they pastiche Kung-fu films, west-erns, war films and gangster films, so isHero No 1 (1997) also directed by DavidDhawan in which Govinda mimics theRajesh Khanna of Bawarchi (1972), amongother things.

Pastiche and postmodernity have aris-en due to a number of factors, but a key oneis the unbridled growth of consumption.Our lives are so taken over by consumptionthat we cannot conceive of the world except

as a collection of consumer images. It is sig-nificant that while the films invoked byChashme Baddoor had their basis in theworld-which they presented as an ‘ideal’ oreven a ‘fantasy’—David Dhavan’s film hasits basis only in the doings of the filmindustry, and in filmic artifacts which havebeen consumed. Chashme Baddoor is, in factlike an elaborate advertisement forBollywood—and this was also true of OmShanti Om. Rather than being a ‘remake’ ofSai Paranjape’s film, therefore, it pastichesit—as it pastiches other Bollywood films.

It is evident that Chashme Baddoor isan execrable and mind-numbing film, butthere are more important things to be saidabout it. The key factor about it is perhapsthat it gives evidence of Bollywood losinginterest in India—as a real, an ideal or a fan-tastic space. It has no interest in the Indianpublic—either the poor or the wealthy.

It provides evidence of Bollywoodgradually parting ways with India, becom-ing a global artifact which could be made inMauritius or some other tax haven. Just asCoke is no longer American but a globalartifact, Bollywood will perhaps not remain‘Indian’ for too long in the foreseeablefuture.

Then, Bollywood will only be anotherbrand like Coke and there will be no reasonfor Indians of any kind to see it as ‘their’cinema.

The David Dhawan‘remake’ of Sai Paranjpe's

comic classic is in effectone long advertisement

for Bollywood—a Bollywood that no

longer wants anything todo with India, real or

imagined

The secession of Bollywood

In an article written a few weeks ago, this writercelebrated the awarding of the Swarna Kamal forthe Best Film to a film which had a paying audi-

ence—Paan Singh Tomar. I had then suggested thatthe older kind of art cinema in India was merely agesture directed towards fulfilling the agenda of theState by displaying ‘social concern’ in areas where theState has failed, ie serve as a token of earnest self-crit-icism by the State, which duly admit to its failings bybestowing awards upon ‘socially crit-ical’ films. The latest Kannada artfilm, P Sheshadri’s Bharath Stores,which has won the award for the BestRegional Film, demonstrates this ingood measure.

The hero of Bharath Stores isGovinda Setty (Dattatreya) a gener-ous merchant of the old school whois driven to financial ruin and mental illness when hiscustomers and vendors, seduced by supermarkets,retail chains and malls desert him.

It may not be quite fair to accuse the director ofinsincerity but just consider how jaundiced his visionof today’s world is. HOPCOMS has outlets on virtu-ally every street but Sheshadri suggests that we arecaptive to the wiles of supermarkets which havealready cornered all the coriander leaves available—even in localities like Basavanagudi.

Govinda Setty is intended to be a sympatheticcharacter but when customers or vendors desert him,he shuts down his shop at mid-day to go to their res-idences or farms to enquire. Surely, shopkeepersmust also safeguard their own business interestswithout insisting that it is their clients’ duty to keepthem afloat! The director also has lectures adminis-tered to us on the evils of global enterprise and, even

if we are against FDI in retail, by the time BharathStores has ended, we are heartily sick of the issuebecause of the relentless moral hectoring Sheshadriengages in.

Govinda Setty has property in the heart ofBangalore, but he is presented as someone financial-ly ruined without a sound enough rationale. One alsoknows that failed shopkeepers vacate their shopsonly when they are paid off by developers but thedirector refuses to acknowledge this factor perhapsbecause it would diminish Govinda Setty as a victim.

The method of art cinema is to identify an issueand construct a ‘typical victim’ who is then givenevery imaginable virtue. To Sheshadri’s credit,Govinda Setty is portrayed as a stubborn family man.But, he is generous to a fault and not only extendscredit without a second thought but also gives helpto the underprivileged. After all this, we wonder whywe feel no sympathy for Govinda Setty.

Is it at least partly because of Dattatreya in thelead role? This actor has a strong cinematic presence

but one does not easily recall a rolein which he has not been miscast.Dattatreya oozes indolence, but inhis last film Bettada Jeeva, Sheshadricast him as a hard working farmer.

The actor, in my view, woulddo well if he is cast in the kind ofBrahmin roles once played by thelate GV Iyer—but directors have

insisted on casting him as a hapless victim in art filmafter art film.

The director is not lucky with the other charac-ters either. Sudharani wilts under the mercilessclose-ups she is subjected to and Gurudatt had thesmall audience laughing when it was meant to bemoved.

One cannot deny that the issues raised are real,but one wonders if an art film which raises them isperforming any kind of useful service. A way ofinforming and entertaining might have been to makea comedy on the subject; the popular film Crazy Boysat the Supermarket-a big draw in the 1970s- comes toone’s mind. As it is, the gloomy art films promoted inthe name of national/regional culture have no audi-ences except film festival juries who, it may beassumed, are adequately informed on the issues tobenefit from them.

Bharath Stores, which won the 2013national award for the Best Regional Film,

is firmly in the mould of gloomy ‘artcinema’ that preaches to the converted,

says MK Raghavendra

Preachy take on Walmart

ETERNAL VICTIMThe talented actorDattatreya (right) isonce again miscast ina victim’s role

NOWHERELAND David Dhawan’s Chashme Baddoor is not a ‘remake’ of the Sai Paranjpe original (below left) but a blank parody of the classic film

The relentlessmoral hectoringmakes you sickof the issue

New Bollywoodis unlikely toremain ‘Indian’for too long

MK Raghavendra is the author ofSeduced by theFamiliar: Narrationand Meaning inIndian PopularCinema (Oxford,2008), 50 IndianFilm Classics(HarperCollins,2009) and BipolarIdentity: Region,Nationand the KannadaLanguage Film(Oxford, 2011).

PRACHI [email protected]

Bangalore born SahityaAkademi Award winnerMahesh Dattani is theauthor of several popularand widely performed

plays like Final Solutions, Tara, 30Days in September and Dance Like AMan.

The 54-year old writer has alsodabbled in film, directing the likes ofMorning Raaga, Mango Souffle and thefilm version of Dance Like A Man.

He spent many years living andworking in Bangalore out of a dedi-cated space he called The Studio—which also used to stage performanc-es—before moving to Mumbai. Hisplays have been prescribed as part ofcollege curriculum in many universi-ties including Bangalore University.

Excerpts from an email inter-view with Dattani:

What role has Bangalore and yourexperience of growing up here played inyour writing?I think Bangalore has played a hugerole in shaping me as a dramatist. Thecity allowed me to work at my ownpace, which is very important to anywriter. I could socialise when I want-ed to, I could reflect and meditate,and above all- write.

Where There’s A Will was written over25 years ago. Would you have dealtwith the same themes differently hadyou written it at another time? Do youoften revisit plays?

Yes, of course. I am a different persontoday and that is bound to reflect inmy writing. I do revisit plays. Forinstance I did a contemporary versionof Where There’s a Will and re-titled itMad About Money.

According to you, does the play stillretain its relevance?I am surprised at it myself! This playis the one that is done the most oftenfrom my oeuvre, most-ly by amateur groupsand colleges. I was alsosurprised whenBangalore Universityprescribed it as anundergraduate text.Although it is a come-dy, the play challenges the patriarchalorder, which endures to this day.

When writing a play, what sort of disci-pline do you abide by? Are there thingsyou do/ don’t on those days? There is no substitute for sittingdown and writing. Writing is a disci-pline like any other. There must beriyaaz. Creativity needs to be exer-

cised like a muscle.

What are the challenges of writingplays over prose?Writing a play requires greater under-standing of craft. One has to under-stand the grammar of the stage (evenif one wants to break the rules).

What are the perils of having othersdirect your plays? To what extent do

you think a playwrightshould get involved inthe production process?If it is a play that hasreceived many produc-tions I give carte blancheto the director. I hate tointerfere in another

person’s creativity.

Has there been an instance when youwere disappointed by an interpretationof one of your plays?Many times! But I won’t go into itnow because that will open a wholecan of worms!

Which is the one theatre company you

most easily trust with your plays?Undoubtedly, Lilette Dubey’s ThePrimetime Theatre Company. Sheand I have a very easy going relation-ship as artistes. She is one of the fewdirectors who understand my writing.

You often write when commissioned; isthat an advantage or a disadvantage?In such cases, how do you tackle viewsand changes suggested by a director?I think it works to my advantage. I getto have someone whet my scriptbefore it is put out to the public. As Imature, I find I am a little less defen-sive of my work. At the same time,one has to know where to draw theline. If comments are helping youstrengthen the work that you havecreated, I am all for it.

What do you think about the theatrescene in Bangalore? What is going rightfor it and what isn’t?It is hard for me to tell, since I haven’tseen much of the new stuff inBangalore. But I have been veryimpressed with the works ofAbhishek Majumdar. His play Gasharecently swept the META awards inDelhi. I am sure there are other newgroups that are doing well. I wonderwhat has become of Kannada theatre.I remember that at one time therewere more than a hundred theatregroups in Bangalore.

Could you list five plays that you recallas the most memorable ones comingout of anywhere in the country?Let me see.1. Stories in a Song: A brilliant

improvisation of stories related tomusical traditions devised anddirected by Sunil Shanbagh.

2. Gasha: Written by Iravati Karnikand directed by AbhishekMajumdar. I was struck by itscomplex and yet simple story-telling. The story itself is animportant one that must be told.

3. Maro Piyu Gayo Rangoon: A bril-liant Gujarati adaptation of As YouLike It, again by Sunil Shanbagh.

4. Matte Ekalavya: A Kannada playthat swept the META awards.How interesting that the twomajor productions that won theMETA awards in Delhi are fromKarnataka.

5. So Many Socks: Written by AnnieZaidi and directed by Q. A movingtale of displacement and Tibetanidentity.

Any chance of you going back to films?I must say I am very disappointedwith the kind of changes in script andcasting that the film industry insistsupon. This had kept me from takingup offers. But times are changing andproduction houses are willing to takerisks, though only to a small extent.

VERSATILEMumbai-based play-

wright MaheshDattani, who also

directs plays, grewup in Bangalore

18talk|18 apr 2013|talkmag.inback stage

‘Creativityneeds to beexercisedlike muscles’

Mahesh Dattani's first play Where There's AWill was staged in Bangalore this week, aftera gap of ten years. In an email interview, theSahitya Akademi award-winner talks abouthis style of working and the state of English

theatre, among other things

‘Writingneedsriyaaz’

Where There’s A Will tells the storyof a middle-class family that hascome into money recently. The

father, Hasmukh Mehta, heads the busi-ness and the house and can’t stop ravingabout his achievements for a moment. Theson, Ajit, who works with the father, hasbig plans for the family business but hardlyhas a say in the company. The mother,Sonal, is aware of the family’s improved

financial status, but can’t get out of themiddle-class life she grew up living. Whenin doubt of any kind, she resorts to her sis-ter Meenal’s advice. The daughter-in-lawPreeti is clever and makes sure she does notdisplease anybody in the household.Hasmukh spends most of his time compli-menting himself, cursing Ajit for hisincompetence and heaping abuse at every-body in the family. A family drama through

and through, it’s not difficult to feel thatyou are watching a familiar television soapopera.

The plot takes a turn when the patri-arch Hasmukh dies, leaving a will that iseffectively designed to ensure his controlover the family even after his death. Allpowers rest with Hasmukh’s mistress,Kiran Jhaveri who moves in with them. Inno time, secrets begin spilling out and thewomen, Sonal and Kiran exchange notesabout their relationship with Hasmukh.The family’s complexities and their rela-tionships form the body of the play. Theplay is intended to be a humorous take onthe patriarchal system, and there are plen-ty of jibes at its oppressiveways.

Produced by Bangalore-based Top Cast Theatre anddirected by N Ravi Kumar,the show lasted for twohours and fifteen minutes,rather long in comparisonwith most plays you get to see in Bangalore.The first 20 minutes of the play managedto be entertaining, but it then kept slidinginto dullness. The roles and charactersappeared alike, given the similar intona-tions of the actors. While Hasmukh’s lineswere clearly audible even in the back rows,the other characters stuck to a regular con-versational tone, creating a stark difference

in volumes. To make matters worse, themovement and gestures were repetitivetoo.

There were a few funny momentsbrought in mostly by Ajit’s reactions. Mostof the one-liners and the humour in gener-al fell flat or were overshadowed by therepetition. There was little or no nuance inthe characters’ reactions to situations, cre-ating the impression that you were stuck ina dated story.

The script evidently has its momentsof shock, sadness and irony, but it seemedhard to tell them apart from the rest of it,given the presentation. There was cleverplay on sounds and music that followed

every blackout. The onlynovel part was the three lay-ered, fully-furnished set ofthe house which was lit effec-tively.

The message againstmarginalisation of womenand patriarchy was unclear

and often ignored. The humour, which wasperhaps the one thing that could havesaved the day, left you straight-faced.Overall, the production offered little totake back home.

Where There’s A Will premiered atRanga Shankara on April 9 and is on till 14.

PRACHI SIBAL

19talk|18 apr 2013|talkmag.inplay review

You felt likeyou werewatching asoap opera

...would have helped Top Cast Theatre’s production of MaheshDattani’s Where There’s A Will, which failed to do justice to the script

A little more will...


Wikileaks revelations: Ahost of US diplomatic cablesfrom the early 1970s havekicked up a storm in manycountries: Revelations onIndia include the role ofRajiv and Sanjay Gandhi inweapons deals, and IndiraGandhi’s offer to sharenuclear technology withPakistan after the firstPokharan test

Death penalty: The useof the death penalty isbroadly diminishing aroundthe world although a handfulof countries that had notused capital punishment forseveral years resumedexecutions in 2012, saysAmnesty International.

Al-Quaeda trial: Osamabin Laden’s son-in-lawSulaiman Abu Ghaith will goon trial in January oncharges that he conspired tokill Americans in his role asAl-Qaida’s chief spokesman.

Iran quake: A powerfulearthquake struck close toIran’s only nuclear powerstation killing 37 people andinjuring 850 as it destroyedhomes and devastated twosmall villages.

Sudan killings: PrimeMinister Manmohan Singhhas expressed anguish overthe killing of five Indian armypersonnel during a UNpeacekeeping mission inSouth Sudan.

Tytler case: A Delhi courthas ordered the CBI toreopen the 1984 anti-Sikhriots case against Congressleader Jagdish Tytler.

Mamata gherao: WestBengal chief ministerMamata Banerjee cancelleda scheduled meeting withfinance minister P Chidambaram to leave forKolkata, a day after she wasgheraoed and her ministerAmit Mitra manhandled byLeft protesters in Delhi.

Suicide: A Bangaloretechie committed suicide byhanging himself at his PGaccommodation inShantiniketan Layout,allegedly due to harassmentby his wife and in-laws.

RewindThe week that was

Kevin Wilson, singer,song writer andmusician, isconducting aworkshop on how touse the iPad andiPhone to create‘professional-quality’music. He plays forthe band RedConnection andteaches at BangaloreInternational School.

Where: Imagine Store, Level 2, UB City

When: April 21 and 22 (Saturday andSunday)

Time: 11 am to 1 pm, 3 pm to 5 pm

You can call 22132000 for moreinformation

Considering the amount of pesticidesfound in vegetables and fruits boughtfrom stores—not to mention theoutrageous prices—spending time andenergy to grow them on your own seemsan increasingly practical option. But theterrace garden is often the only optionavailable to many city-dwellers. The VittalMallya Scientific Research Foundation isconducting a one day workshop onOrganic Terrace Gardening to help thoseinterested in growing their own food in anurban envrionment. To be held on April20 at the VMSRF premises in BTMLayout, the workshop costs Rs 1000 perperson. You can call 2668 7216 for moreinformation.

Free photography workshop Professional photographer SiddharthPabbi is holding a free photographyworkshop titled ‘The Empty Room’ atJaaga on Double Road. The idea is toencourage amateurs to submit their bestsingle work to mark a beginning and fill‘The Empty Room.’ Selected entries willbe published in The Empty Room Mag.

Day 1: Simulated photography workshopon indoor studio photography + exhibition+ group show registration + music bandregistration

Day 2: Photo talks, pro speak, travel story

telling + exhibition + group showregistration + music band registration

Day 3: Group show + music bandperformance.

For more information, email Siddharth [email protected]

A train of stories and poems

The woman Egypt’s rulers fear

NGO platform Pick A Fightis compiling a series ofinspiring short stories andpoems based on thetheme of railways, in aninitiative dubbedRailonama*. Selectedentries will be part of acommemorative book to bepublished later this year.The stories can be abouttrain journeys, stations,fellow passengers,hawkers, or just aboutanything related to therailways. The length of the

stories can be anywherebetween 750 and about5000 words, while thepoems have no minimumword count. Those whosestories get selected will get

a printed copy of the book,which will be published inboth the US and India.Proceeds from the royaltieswill go to the victims oftrain accidents viaPickaFight.in. Entries mustbe in English or Hindi, andmust be submitted beforeMay 31. To submit yourentry and to read theguidelines, log on towww.railonama.com

*Railonama is not in anyway associated with theIndian Railways

Doaa El Adl is a 34-year-old Egyptian whocalls herself a Muslim anarchist. Apolitical cartoonist, she has become thescourge of Egypt’s ruling elite, as well asIslamic fundamentalists like the MuslimBrotherhood. El Adl uses her art to drawattention to domestic violence, underagemarriage, sexual harassment, and thenew phenomenon of attacks againstfemale demonstrators. The first cartoonistin Egypt to face blasphemy charges,she isunfazed by her critics, saying, “I criticisehabits that I think are wrong and shouldbe totally reconsidered, like femalecircumcision, which doesn’t stem from the

Muslim religion at all.”

During the Arab Spring, when thousandsof pro-democracy activists amassed atCairo’s Tahrir Square, El Adl and hercolleagues landed up at the venue toshow their support: by handing outprinted copies of some of their fiercestpolitical satire.

Speaking about the experience, El Adlsays, “I don’t think artists like myselfshould be members of political parties ororganisers, but we should certainly useour art to speak out against injustice andoppression.”

Learn how tomake music onyour iPad

Grow your ownfood, theorganic way


Tense Dhaka: Bangladeshis in the grip of violence as atleast 20 people have beeninjured in clashes betweenpolice and activists nearDhaka on the second day of anational strike called byopposition parties.

Korea alert: South Korearaised its military watch alertto "vital threat" ahead of anexpected North Koreanmissile launch, as UN chiefBan Ki-moon warned theKorean peninsula may beslipping out of control.

Ban lifted: The UK lifted aban on London MetropolitanUniversity to admit foreignstudents. The ban had leftthousands of students,including around 350Indians, in limbo and at riskof deportation.

Water for film: Drought-hitMaharashtra’s irrigationdepartment is expected to acton the controversial supply ofwater from a dam in Sataradistrict during the shooting ofShah Rukh Khan’s filmChennai Express, after localsquestioned the move.

DD News: DD News is inturmoil after its new lookappears to have failed. Barelytwo months after the DD’sprime time news segmentwas revamped, the showappears to be lurching withdipped ratings.

Against Playboy: Both theBJP and the Congress in Goaare expected to step up theircampaign against PlayboyClub’s plan to open a branchat Candolim beach, currentlyunder consideration by thestate tourism ministry.

Ban orders: Bangalorepolice commissionerRaghavendra Auradkar hasimposed prohibitory orders inand around a 100 metre areafrom all centres wherenomination papers forelections will be submitted.

Transfers: Transfers inKarnataka and Bangalore arein the offing as the electioncommission said that transferof officials in the state wasbeing done to ensure betterconduct of polls.

ForwardThe week ahead

Qyuki, the online talentplatform founded byAR Rahman andShekhar Kapur, isholding a short filmcontest. The brief: shoot a film that doesnot exceed a minute inlength and get achance to get your next project funded byQyuki. The top four entries will beawarded grants of Rs 25,000 each fortheir next project, and will also bepresented by Kapur on his Moments InMotion series that airs on the Qyukiwebsite. Log on to Qyuki.com to uploadyour film and to watch other entries.

Homeopath turned vegan activist DrNandita Shah claims that vegan diets canreverse diseases. For those who want tobegin a vegan lifestyle, Dr Shah isconducting a residential workshop atGokarna. According to her, medical testsconducted on participants after theworkshop show a marked improvement intheir physical condition.

The 21-day ‘Heath Holiday’ will be held inSwaswara, a luxury health resort inGokarna. The daily programme willinclude teaching and practice sessions,daily doctor consultations, ‘before andafter’ lab tests, meditation, yoga, outdoor

activities, nature walks, art therapy,massages, healthy cooking classes andhealth related films.

The programme, organised by Dr Shah’sSanctuary for Health and Reconnectionto Animals and Health (SHARAN), will beled by her with assistance from NithyaShanti, a spiritual teacher and NandiniGulati, a lifestyle advisor with SHARAN.

The programme will be held from June 9to 30. Only 30 seats are available. Toregister, log on to www.sharan-india.org

A talk on Vachana literature On April 17, BangaloreInternational Centre willhold a multimedia lectureon ‘Vachana Sahitya — TheEternal Truths of theVeerashaivas’ by SumitraNitin, well-known CarnaticMusician andBharatanatyam dancer.Vachana denotes the bodyof devotional versecomposed by members ofthe Sharana movement,spearheaded by Basavanna,the founder of the Lingayatfaith in 11th centuryKarnataka. Vachanaliterature has been the

source of inspiration formany poets, dancers andmusicians to this day.Sumitra’s talk will trace thehistory of the Sharanamovement and provide

glimpses into the lives of afew Vachanakaras includingBasavanna, Allama Prabhuand Akka Mahadevi. It willalso discuss the universaltruths in Vachana Sahitya,their innate poetry, imageryand mysticism. The talk willuse audio and videosnippets of musical anddance performancesinspired by the Vachanas. Inaddition Sumitra herself willsing some Vachanas. At BIC,TERI Complex, 4th Main,Domlur II Stage. For moreinformation, you can call9886599675

And now, ‘Outside-Insourcing’Corporations in advancedcountries have for yearsoutsourced jobs to lower-paid workers in lesserdeveloped countries. Butnow, Canada’s CBC Newsreports that the Royal Bankof Canada has initiated aprocess it calls “outside-insourcing,” under which, bythe end of this month, 45tenured RBC employees willbe terminated and replacedwith immigrants from Indiawho have already arrived inCanada in the beginning ofthe year. At the moment,the to-be fired employeesare training their lower-paidreplacements in how to do

their jobs, one of the lastofficial duties required ofthem before they would belet go. RBC currentlyoutsources some call centerresponsibilities to India.However, the jobs inquestion cannot beperformed remotely, whichis why the bank has usedCanada’s liberalimmigration laws to import

Indians to work on-site. RBChas claimed that it is tryingto find new positions for thedisplaced employees andmany have already beenplaced in other roles in thecompany, but employeeswho spoke to the press saidfewer than five of 45displaced people havefound new jobs. RBC’sactions have beencondemned as unfair andalso violating Canada’simmigration norms, whichprohibits foreign workersfrom being allowed intoCanada if the movedisplaces a Canadian fromtheir job.

Calling journalistsThe 2013 edition of theIndian InternationalJournalism Festival is invit-ing entries from journalistsacross the spectrum to beconsidered for theirawards. Held to markWorld Journalism Day (May3), the festival will acceptsubmissions in the PrintMedia, Electronic Media,Online Media, PR & News Companies (formedia organisations) and Students. In eachof these, there are multiple categories inwhich you can submit entries.

The last day for submitting entries is April15. To view the list of categories and formore details, log on towww.miniboxoffice.com/awards/awards.aspx

S Anand, well-knownwriter on Dalit issues,will deliver this year'sAmbedkar MemorialNational Lecture atthe Ambedkar Habba.A former journalist,Anand now runs thepublishing house Navayana, which spe-cialises in Dalit writings. He will speak onthe topic 'The Fiction of Caste, The Fact ofHierarchy.' The event is being organisedby Spoorthidhama, a retreat centre forDalit activists and scholars near Magadi.Earlier in the day, there will be a paneldiscussion titled 'The agony of the subal-tern communities,' which will be attendedby subaltern activists, writers and artists.

A contest forshort films

Ambedkarmemorial lecture

Take a veganholiday


Reactions, statements,accusations, complaints,or just straight talk—thisis where you get them all

Questions

?3?

?

What prompted you to enter politics? I am concerned about communities pushedto a corner. I want the government to payattention to them. I am in politics in thehope that I can represent such communities.Gandhinagar is a constituency in the heartof Bangalore with a big presence of tradersand businessmen. They know me, andrespect my community. That’s the reason Iam contesting from there.

Do you see hope for sexual minorities inthe present system?Of course. We will have to put in a lot ofeffort to change things. But the system isus, isn't it?

You are up against heavyweights likeDinesh Gundu Rao of the Congress andSubhash Bharani of the JD(S). Why didyou choose the Bahujan Samaj Party,which has no footing in Karnataka? Over 10-12 years, I have been struggling forthe cause of the marginalised, but myefforts had borne no fruit. The thoughtemerged, in a corner of my mind, thatjoining politics might help. BSP leaderMarasandra Muniyappa called me andoffered me a ticket. I am proud the partyhas recognised someone like me. As forDinesh Gundu Rao and Subhash Bharani, Iwouldn’t call them heavyweights. The realheavyweights are the voters. If they decideto support me, I will win.

echwalk

BASU MEGALKERI

I’m proud the BSPhas recognisedsomeone like me

SowmyaTransgender contesting on aBSP ticket from Gandhinagar

SRIDHAR K CHARISend feedback to

[email protected]

Technology is empowering,but also intrusive, and bothstates and individuals can

have problems with it. The mostcontentious are those aroundsecurity and privacy, and oftenenough, pits individual againststate.

The latest Google attempt togenerate user-generated maps ofDelhi has run into problems,following a complaint from theSurvey of India, which sees itselfas being vested with the soleauthority to create and distributemaps. The Delhi police isinvestigating the case.

Crowd-sourced mapping is toutedas a Google India-driventechnology, with Google’s Indiabased researchers first trying itout extensively in the South, intowns like Trichy and Bangalore.Users help create the map andput in useful bits about publicbuildings, institutions, eatingplaces and the like. Naturally,defence installations companiesget flagged too.

It is not just about the Survey ofIndia. While these locations arenot exactly secret, our ancientversion of the Official Secrets Act(Even the Brits have updated it inthe UK) carries all kinds ofprohibitions. Road users will recall

a board near HAL (a defencepublic sector company)headquarters on Cubbon Roadwhich urged motorists to “movealong” quickly. Lingering nearsuch establishments is a seriousoffence under the Act.

There are other locations, acrosstowns and cities in India, wherethe establishments are not soprominent or well-known. But theyhave their signboards, and withthe dedicated, crowd-sourced,mapping effort, it wouldn’t besurprising if they all end up onfreely available Google maps. Thathas got the government worried.Google has faced these problems

before. Its attempt to launch itsfamous ‘Streetview’ service inBangalore, where streets arefilmed with 360 degree cameras,was stymied after the governmentraised security concerns. Even itssatellite maps have createdproblems around the world, withthe company finally putting uponly dated data to prevent misuse.There is no sign of Streetviewsince its aborted launch, and itwill be interesting to see whathappens to the city-mappingeffort. From a user-perspective-maps are useful, and one wouldlike to know what is where. Asalways, technology itself mightwell provide the solutions.

The recent complaint by the Survey of India against Google’s mapping project in Delhi isonly the latest among the several hurdles the company has run into

Technology and territory

Floating wordsThe website Disinfo.com,which notwithstanding itsname claims to put outgenuine but quirky news,reports that Amazon hasfiled for a patent describinga new form of “lightweight,transparent Kindletechnology that can beembedded in youreyeglasses or your carwindshield and never needsto be recharged.” Apparently,the patent, which namesCEO Jeff Bezos as co-inventor, is for a displaytechnology that receives andshows data from central

stations. So, we read a bookas we drive or take a walk?

And last—I had promised alook last week at HighDefinition Content Protection(HDCP) and how that posesproblems for even genuinebuyers of HD content.Because of spaceconstraints, we will save thatfor one of the followingweeks.

Sowmya (born August 15, 1982) hails from Moodalapalyain Vijayanagar. Ten years ago, she underwent a sex changeoperation. An activist for the transgender cause, she hasworked with groups such as Sangama and Samara. In2009, she founded an NGO called Payana. She is contestingfrom Gandhinagar on a BSP ticket.


OOKtalk

In the news

Event

Review

Paulo Coelho fans will know thatthe Brazilian author writes twokinds of books. The first kind has,

as a central character, a woman whomCoelho encounters, whose story is laterrecounted to his readers. The Zahir andEleven Minutes fall in this category. Theother kind is where he simply preachesthrough notes of wisdom, like in TheWarrior of Light and Like a Flowing River.

Manuscript Found inAccra, his 22nd book, whichhas just been released inEnglish, is of the latter vari-ety. The book is set in 1099,on the eve of the invasion ofJerusalem by the crusaders.A mysterious Greek manonly known as the Coptstands at the square andaddresses a crowd. Peopleask him to speak on variousissues, like defeat, solitude,love, anxiety and the like. The Copt dulysermonises on each of these themes.

Here, Coelho seems to be inspiredby Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet (itselfinspired by philosopher FriedrichNietzsche’s Thus Spake Zarathustra). InGibran’s acclaimed book, a man knownjust as the Prophet is about to leave thecity and people ask him questions onvarious philosophical matters and heshares his wisdom. But Coelho lacks thepoetic skills of Gibran; or, to give theauthor the benefit of the doubt, the lyri-cal quality is lost in translation from theoriginal Portuguese.

The Copt’s teaching tends to be tooelaborate and the reader is likely to loseinterest. There is no narrative to holdthe ideas together, with the result thatthe book reads like one long lecture. Ifyou avoid reading it at a stretch and takein one chapter at a time, the ideas might

perhaps sink in. Like all Coelho books, this one too

has some encouraging lines. Take thisone: “To those who believe that adventuresare dangerous, I say, try routine; that killsyou far more quickly.” Or this: “Don’t tryto be useful. Try to be yourself: that isenough and that makes all the difference.”

The best parts of the book are thethree allegories towards the end, narrat-

ed by patriarchs of the threereligions in Jerusalem:Judaism, Islam andChristianity.

For whatever it’s worth,Coelho tries to add authen-ticity to the book in his pref-ace. He talks of a papyrusmanuscript discovered in1974 by English archeologistSir William Wilkinson nearthe Egyptian city of Accra.Coelho claims the book is

nothing but a transcription of the man-uscript. In interviews to the media, heneither confirms nor denies the exis-tence of the manuscript, leaving you tospeculate if it is anything more than agimmick.

Coelho has tapped into the trou-bles facing the youth today: frustration,a feeling of uselessness, pressure to besuccessful, and loneliness. Does he man-age to give a solution? Well, thatdepends on whether the reader wants asolution from Coelho.

Those who read Coelho for easy-to-digest philosophy may like the book.Those who seek the storyteller in himare bound to be disappointed.

Manuscript found in Accra,HarperCollins, Rs 299

SAVIE KARNEL

The launch of Sreemoyee PiuKundu’s Faraway Music lastweekend resembled a Page 3

party in more ways than one. For one,it was hosted at a posh city restaurantand not a bookshop. The wine flowedfreely and celebrities walked in andout. Partly autobiographical, this is thefirst book by this journalist-turned-PRprofessional-turned-writer. We hear

she has penned three more, all four ofthem in just a year-and-a-half.

The author was full of gratitudefor all those who attended the launchdespite a Royal Challengers Bangalorematch happening next door.

It was actor Chetan and business-woman Gitanjali Kirloskar who chat-ted with the author and read out pas-sages from the book. In the story, abest-selling author is interviewed by acub-reporter on a long-distance flight,and the author’s life emerges.

Chetan did add an extra touch ofglamour to what had already turnedinto an event for socialites. Talk over-heard the writer telling a well knownpersonality that Chetan, who was sup-posed to read a few passages from thebook, couldn’t because a collar micwas broken. Chetan greeted his fans inKannada but broke into an Americanaccent as soon he began reading pas-sages from the book. Like at any otherPage 3 do, there were curious whispersabout the accent.

Four books in a year-and-a-halfwas quite enough to leave us amazed,but only till we heard Kundu promisethe audience that she had two more inthe offing!

SANDRA FERNANDES

Chennai-based publishing houseTara Books, known for suchexquisite titles as Waterlife (above)and The Night Life of Trees, hasbeen awarded the prize for theBest Children’s Publisher of theYear (Asia) at the prestigiousBologna Children’s Book Fair. Theaward was instituted this year tomark the 50th anniversary of thisannual international book event.The delegates picked Tara as win-ner for the Asian region by vote—one among the five selected foreach region— from a shortlist of30 children’s publishers.

Award forTara books

The Times of India recently conducteda survey to determine what ourteachers’ favourite books are. Theresult was a list of 20 popular titleswith Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudicetopping the list. Harper Lee’s To Kill aMockingbird came second and usualsuspects like the Harry Potter seriesand The Lord of the Rings series inpositions three and seven.

The wild card entry, though,was The Book Thief by Markus Zusak,which came in at eight, well ahead ofThe Catcher in the Rye (19) and Life ofPi (20).

Teachers’choice

Book launch meets Page 3 party

Readymade wisdom, Coelho style

Two’s company: This weekend enjoy somerock and metal under thesame roof. Slither is a fivepiece band from Bangalorethat plays melodic metalcore music. Cheisrah on theother hand plays metal andhas Imon Nirvan on vocals,Amit Debnath on guitar,Thejus Nair on guitar,Boynaoon Bass andAmarjeet Karam on drums. Sonido Musicals, OppCatholic Club, Brigade Road,April 13, 6 pm 41251429

A touch of humour: Live Banned is one bandthat lives on humour. Theband’s music is influenced

by South Indian melodies,Bollywood, Disco, Pop,Rock and Metal and theymix their originals andmedleys. The band’s firstsingle The Auto Tune hasreceived many positivesreviews. bFlat, 100 Feet Road, AboveING Bank, HAL 2nd Stage,Indiranagar, April 13, 8.30pm 41739250

Fiery night: Watch The Burning Deckperform some dark downtempo electronic this week-end. The band has FloydSantimano on synthesizer,Sandeep Madhavan onbass, vocals and synthesiz-

er, Alexis D’Souza onvocals and VyshnavBalasubramaniam onvocals.bFlat, 100 Feet Road, AboveING Bank, HAL 2nd Stage,Indiranagar, April 12, 8.30pm 41739250

Soulfulcarnaticmusic: This weekendperformingsomesoulful

carnatic music will be theson and disciple of Dr LSubramaniam, AmbiSubramaniam. He will beaccompanied by VVRamana Murthy on themridangam, T Radhakrishnan on theghatam and G Sathya Saion the morsing. Jagriti Theatre, VarthurRoad, Ramagondanahalli,Whitefield, April 12, 8 pmand April 13, 3 pm and 6.30pm 41248298

Shakey evenings:Watch the four memberband, Shakey Rays performin the city. They are a rockand roll band with mem-bers Dhruva Gautham,Vikram Kannan andNiranjan Swaminathan.Hard Rock Café, # 40, StMark’s Road, April 18, 7.30pm 41242222

Go into a trance:Watch Israeli DJ YahelSherman spin some tunes

from behind the

console. Yahel is ranked asthe number 45 DJ in theworld. He has collaboratedwith artists like EyalBarkan and InfectedMushroom. Pebble, Princess AcademyNo. 3, RamanamaharishiRoad, Bellary Road, NearPalace Grounds,Sadashivnagar, April 13, 6pm 9886004476

Musical night:Groove to some musicfrom the 60s, 70s and 80sas Retronome performsthis weekend. Watch ChrisAvinash on lead guitars,Riccha Paul and RyanColaco on vocals and per-cussion, Trinity D’Souza onlead guitar, Saggy on bassand vocals and Uday Joseon keyboard and vocals.Opus, 4, 1st Main,Chakravarthy Layout PalaceCross Road, Sankey Road,April 12 9 pm9008303330

24talk|18 apr 2013|talkmag.inL I S T I N G S

retail therapy

music

Luscious lips: Don’t let the heat bring youdown this season. SportVitaluscious lipsticks fromAvon that are rich in vita-min B, C and E and organiccomponents likealmond,jojoba andlavender oil.The lipsticksare priced atRs 339. Availablethrough Avonrepresentativesonly

New York ishere: Get the latestin New Yorkfashion asDKNY TwoTone watches

offer their latest collection.The collection has watchesin silver and gold colours.Priced at Rs 4,495onwards. Available at Shoppers Stop,

Lifestyle, Helios,Ethos, Just inVogue and otherleading watchretail outlets

Lovemassages?You need not go toa massage parlouranymore as Osimbrings to you a 3Dmassage chair thatgives you a spalike experience. Itis available incolours like grey,ruby red and blue.Available at Osim

outlets in Langford Townand Home Stop, OppositeGaruda Mall

Look elegant: Men have reason to smileas 21diamonds presentstheir latest offering; cuf-flinks. They are available invarious designs like knot-ted cufflinks, blazing red,on the clock cufflinks,ombre cufflinks and more. Available at www.21dia-monds.com

Tribal prints: This season give yourwardrobe a dash of tribal,Aztec and Mayan prints.Choose from dresses andtops that give you a folktouch. Available at all 109° F outlets

Celebrate Odisha Dibasa: Here’s a chance to sample all things Odisharight here in the city. Head to Odisha divasand celebrate in the traditional way.Organised by the Orissa Puja Committee,the event will see cultural performancesand activities from the state. Also, there willbe food counters serving deliacacies andsnacks from Odisha. An awards function willfelicitate those from Odisha living inBangalore for their contribution to avenueslike literature. There will also be perform-ances of Odissi and Sambalpuri dance,music and stand up comedy by Odisha’scomedy king Pappu Pam Pam. Children canparticipate in painting and quiz competi-tions too. DRDO Community Hall, DRDO ResidentialComplex, CV Raman Nagar, April 16, 2.30 pm9845040735

food

odisha dibasaSlither

Live Banned

For cricket crazy foodies: Cheer for your team with yourfriends as you drown in the spiritof the game. At Blimey you canchoose from a range of drinkslike drought beer, mojito, sangria,long island iced tea, margaritaand more. The drinks are pricedat Rs 1,000 onwards. Blimey, 5th Floor, 1 MG Mall, 11am, to 11 pm 22086777

Flowery treat: This week Chef Vimal Vikramanwill demonstrate the use ofedible flowers in dishes. The chefwill cook and demonstrate athree course meal using flowerslike confetti, lotus, marigold,zucchini blossoms, jasmine,sunflower seed pesto, carnationand chamomile. Grand Mercure Hotel, 12th Main,Koramangala, April 139663308304

It’s raining food: Portland Steak house hasintroduced many new dishes inits menu including a whole newbreakfast menu which has steak,eggs, Spanish omellete,pancakes and waffles. Otheradditions in the menu are sconesserved with jam and clottedcream, delicious sandwiches,cakes and pastries.Portland Steakhouse and Cafe,No. 1, 1st Cross Brunton Road, MG Road, April 13 9886931191

Cupcake time: If you are dying to havecupcakes check out Simplymmmm cupcakes' latest menuwith offering like candy cupcake,almond and orange, caramel withcaramel glaze, red and bluevelvet, whitechocolate and more. For details email [email protected] or call 9740089227

Pasta time: Learn to make pasta from thescratch. At this cooking demoyou will learn to make pasta likeravioli and pasta sauces tocomplete your meal. The demo ispriced at Rs 850 per person. Toscano, 2nd Floor, Whitefield ,Vittal Mallya Road, April 1741738800

Ramanavami celebrations:Celebrate this Ramanavami inthe presence of soulful soothingmusic by many Classical andCarnatic artists. Following arethe details of the artists whoare playing for the next weekApril 12: OS Arun and MRGopinathApril 13: Abhishek Raghuram andDr HemalathaApril 14: Mysore Nagaqraj andManjunath on violin April 15: Ajoy Chakavarthy andAjoy Joglekar (Hindustani music)

April 16: Lalgudi GJR Krishnanand Vijaylakshmi on violin April 17: Pattabhirama Pandit April 18: Saralaya Sisters andNalina Mohan All the events begin at 6.30 pmat Shri Ramseva Mandali, FortHigh School Grounds, KrishnaRajendra Road


Rumours:The play is about four cou-ples who arrive at the tenthanniversary of a prominentcouple on the social scene.Once there, they notice thatthe host is dead, the hostess,the butler and the cook aremissing in action. Funny situ-ations arise when these richpeople try to cover up theevents from the police andthe media. Jagriti Theatre, Varthur Road,Ramagondanahalli, Whitefield,April 13, 8 pm and April 14, 3pm and 6.30 pm41248298

Boeing Boeing: The play is about an archi-tect, Bernard. He is versatile,has organisational skills andhas balance in his life. He jug-gles between his threefiancés Gloria who is anAmerica, Gabriella an Italianand Gretchen a German, withease. But his partner in crimeis his maid Bertha, who isgood at cooking and chang-ing photographs and runs thehousehold. Directed by NRishi, the play has MayureshNirhali, Kunahan Thampi,Sunaina Mudaliar, Chandini J

Naik, Nitya Basrur, ShraddhaSrinath, Kamal Sharma andothers. Alliance Francaisede Bangalore, #16 GMT Road,Vasanthnagar,April 14, 4.30 pmand 7 pm41231340

Sitcom: The play is about sitcomsand how they have affectedtelevision. It has MikeFontana, Avinash Daniel,Karan Tilak Kumar, RamyaSateesh, Divya Sharda and

Pratima. Seva Sadan, 14th Cross,Malleswaram, April 12, 7. 30pm

Workshop on theatre: If your little ones love to act,then this workshop will honetheir skills. For kids between3-14 years, the workshop willallow them to explore thecreative side of dance, vocalmusic, keyboard, tabla, the-atre, art and pottery. Studio Krashala, No: 681, 10thmain, 4th Block,Koramangala,9886759716.

Conversations with NamuKini: The talk show allows threeguests who narrate their lifejourney, personal and profes-sional triumphs, quests forsuccess and contributions to

the community.This in turnallows women

in the audienceto interact withthe speakersand bridge a gapso that women

from the audience can lookup to their success stories. Conversations with NamuKini, Tamarind Hall, Taj WestEnd, Race Course Road, April12, 7 pm 66605660

theatre ramnavami

To get your event listed, write to us at

[email protected]

Boeing Boeing OS Arun

Nautanki Saala Hindi The movie is about a boyRam Parmar, who meets aanother boy namedMandar Lele, who is lonelyand disturbed. The film isabout their bonding, theirfriendship and their story.Directed by Rohan Sippy,it has AyushmannKhurrana, Kunal RoyKapurr and EvelynSharma in the lead. Innovative Multiplex,Marathahalli- 11 am, 1.30pm, 10 Rex Theatre,Brigade Road- 10.40 am,3.10 pm, 10 Rockline

Cinemas, Jalahalli- 12.40pm, 3.50, 9.45

Commando Hindi The movie is about a spe-cial ops secret agent whois associated with theIndian Armed Forces.While on a mission, hischopper is shot down andhe is behind enemy lines.From here on he is on asurvival mission battlingthe enemies, the gun tot-ting environment and oth-ers. Directed by DilipGhosh, it has VidyutJamwal and Pooja Chopra

in the lead role. Rockline Cinemas,Jalahalli- 10.30 am, 3 pm,7.40 pm Rex Theatre,Brigade Road- 12.55 pmInnovative Multiplex,Marathahalli- 4.45 pmLakshmi Theatre,Tavarker- 7.45 pm

Oblivion English From the director of Tronthe Legacy, Oblivion isabout the future wherethe Earth has evolvedbeyond recognition. It isthe story of one man, JackHarper who is one of thelast few drone repairmenon earth. Jack's mission isto extract vital informa-tion from Scavs. Amidstall this he comes face toface with a beautifulstranger who he rescues.Directed by JosephKosinski, the film has TomCruise, Olga Kurylenkoand Andrea Riseboroughin the lead. Urvashi Digital 4K cine-mas- 11 am, 9.45 pm RexTheatre, Brigade Road-5.25 pm

Jai Sriram TeluguThis action packed roman-tic movie has been direct-ed by Balaji N Sai and hasUday Kiran and Reshma in

the lead roles. MSNarayana, ThagubothuRamesh, Nagineedu andChalapathi Rao are thesupporting cast. Music hasbeen composed by Balaji. Lakshmi Theatre,Taverkere- 10 am, 1 pm, 5Manoranjan Theatre,Mekhri Circle- 11.30 am,2.30 pm, 9.30

Bachchan KannadaDirected by Shashank, thisaction thriller starsSudeep, Tulip Joshi,Bhavana and Parul Yadavin the lead. Thebackground score andsoundtrack has beencomposed by VHarikrishna. Triveni- 10.30 am, 1.30 pm,4.30, 7.30 Navarang-10.30 am, 1.30 pm, 4.30,7.30 Siddalingeshwara-10.30 am, 1.30 pm, 4.30,7.30 Eshwari Cinema,Banashankari- 11.15 am,2.30 pm, 6.15, 9.15Rockline Cinemas, JalahalliCross- 10.40 am, 1.15 pm,4, 6.45 INOX, Garuda Mall,Magrath Road - 10.30 am,2.40 pm, 5.35 INOX,Mantri Mall, Malleswaram-10 am, 12.40 pm, 3.30,6.30, 9.20 INOX, Central,JP Nagar- 10.50 am, 12.45pm, 6.05, 9


filmOblivion

Nautanki Sala

When I was young, Ibelieved everythingin my life happenedbecause of my effort.But life and training

taught me differently. They led me tobelieve in a nature, universe and Godbeyond the ‘I’, the ego. When I per-formed with ‘my’ ability, success waslimited, but when I left it to God’sgrace, I transcended my abilities.God’s grace has miraculous powers,and can even change one’s karma (aconcept explained in Talk, Issue 35).

Faith in God is not a matter ofperforming rituals or visiting shrines.It is a truly unconditional acceptanceof God’s will. God is within you. Butto realise God, empty yourself, be lessof ‘you’. Even spending five to 10 min-utes in a day with God is that muchless of ‘you’. In selflessness you findpeace, tranquility and joy. This is noteasy and requires great internal orspiritual strength, something that canbe acquired through training.

Remember, karma is strong. Donot underestimate its power: it caneven make us blind to grace when itcomes by. Nevertheless, with truefaith, it is possible to break free of theeffects of karma.

You can change karma throughlove. Love in other words is about theother and not you. It is a giving up ofthe ego or ‘I’. If there is an ‘I’ with itsattendant wants, it is not love. Lovecan cleanse you and cleansingchanges karma. Mother Teresa, forexample, touched lepers but she didnot catch an infection. Her love waspure. Pure love can be a barrier tonegative energies such as hatred andanger.

Tai chi and kismetTraining cleanses through internalchurning. Tai chi, for example,involves circular movements thatgenerate tremendous power. It can, asMaster Shifu of Kung Fu Panda says,help “achieve the impossible.” Withtraining, we act and behave in waysthat were not a part of our earlier lifescheme. Such changes reflect thealteration in the life-path charted outby karma.

Two of my students lived in an

unhappy marriage. The man was partof a joint family. The woman felt shehad lost her individuality in such aset-up. She contemplated separatingseveral times, but did not, since sheknew her husband was innocent atheart. She believed it was impossiblefor him to move out of the joint fam-ily. He believed his family would beshattered if he moved out. However,with training, he did move out.Now they have rediscoveredlove. The family is happy, too.But this was possible onlybecause my studentsbelieved in the powerof training.

Sabotaged trainingMany times, karmahas the power to keepyou from training.You need to exerciseyour will to breakthis barrier. And itis possible to do itthrough God’s grace. Practise anyform of training. But choose one witha spiritual component.

Perform good deeds. Even if youare not looking for moksha (salva-tion), live this life well. I’m not sayingdeny yourself what you desire. Buygood shoes and travel abroad. Fulfillyour desires. With cleansing, youwon’t feel desire.

Don’t intentionally corrupt thesoul. Avoid negativity. Don’t lookwith lust. Don’t be receptive to thelustful eye, even if the one lusting isgood-looking. These are negative

energies that can ruin your life.Know that a bad deed tends to

repeat itself over and over again. Ifyou fight once with the one you love,you will always fight. It is the begin-ning of the end of your relationship.That’s why I say never have the firstfight. Never, even when angry, tellyour spouse, “I’ll divorce you.”

You cannot escape from the con-sequences of negative thought and

action. You have to pay back in thislife or the next, even if you repent

after the action. Anduncannily, karmawill catch you atyour most vulner-able moment. It

can even kill you. Iventured into a

multi-million dollarinvestment that was

doing very good but allof a sudden turned

sour because of karma.When you realise you

are doing something wrong, stopimmediately. You cannot stop wrong-doing selectively. It is not enough thata man loves his wife while he contin-ues to leer at other women. You haveto transform yourself completely.When a man casts a roving eye, he isnot only cheating on his wife but alsocorrupting his life.

Is it you or your fate?Bad deeds can also be the fruits

of karma. A man becomes a lecherbecause of soul corruption in this or aprevious life. When I say this, don’ttake it as a licence for wrongdoing.

Observe yourself. The moment yousee yourself repeating a negativeaction more than five times over acouple of months, put an end to itimmediately.

When I was in high school, I solda brass pot from home because Ineeded the money. I then sold manymore. The wrong deed repeated itself.I changed only when I trained. TodayI can’t peep into someone’s diary evenif it will bring me great fortune or sal-vation. I now train people to findmeaning in their lives. And I findmyself only repeating that role. Thesoul is like a mirror. Whatever yourage, cleanse.

When you know the path, livewith new maturity. Say you are con-fronted with great suffering. Livethrough it for a period of time asthough you were going through thebest days of your life. Do everythingyou usually can’t when you aredepressed—show love, laugh gen-uinely. Subsequently, every time youfeel low, you only think beautifulthings. If you are an angry man do 10push-ups, 10 squats. You will becomeso healthy and fit that you transforminto a happy man.

Perform a new, changed actionrepeatedly and see your karmachange. Any speech or action repeat-ed over a period of time becomes truebecause it reaches the universe. Say‘my life is shit’ often enough and itbecomes shit. Instead, say ‘my life isbeautiful’ and see it change for thebetter. Use positive words and livepositive. Think, live and feel onlybeauty, success and joy.

Way ofBudo 28


IMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHING In the movie Kungfu Panda, Master Shifu demonstrates how training can help lead to incredible results

Do not underestimate the power of yourthoughts and actions to alter what is charted

out for you, says Sensei Avinash Subramanyam

Change karma through training

In the 1990s, MS RamaiahMedical College was full ofnorth Indian students. Amajority were from Bihar andPunjab. Not very good in aca-

demics, they got seats only by payingfat donations. The CommonEntrance Test for professional col-leges was not yet in place. Collegeswere in the grip of moneybags, andwere raking in huge profits by sellingseats. Poor local students felt cheated.At times, the anger exploded in vio-lence. In one incident, five Sikh stu-dents were killed in Bidar, a city innorth Karnataka.

Rich students who bought seatsdid not hesitate to buy their degreecertificates. Not inclined to studies,they splurged their money on drinksand night clubs. Sanjeev Kumar(name changed), a Bihari student,was an exception. He was seriousabout his studies.

The good-looking Sanjeev suf-fered from an illness since his highschool days: short-term memoryloss. He would forget whatever hehad read, and fail his exams. This dis-order had turned him paranoid.

He found a friend in his class-mate Shelly Mathur. He was hand-

some, and it did not take long forShelly to fall in love with him. Theparents approved of the relationshipand got them married.

Suffering from paranoia,Sanjeev found solace in Shelly’s loveand affection. However, regular con-tact was not possible as she contin-ued to stay at the ladies’ hostel. Theirparents had told them not to set up ahome before completing their stud-ies. His sexual drive aggravated hismental illness.

Sanjeev started calling Shellyover to his room. She gave in to hisdemands a couple of times. Duringtheir privatemoments, Shellyobserved Sanjeev’sbehaviour. Talkinghappily onemoment, Sanjeevwould suddenlysink into depres-sion and start crying the next. Amoment later, he would be laughing.Shelly discovered he was not normal.But she thought he was excitedbecause of their wedding.

One day, when she visited hisroom, Shelly stumbled on some psy-chiatry books. She also found a filewith a record of Sanjeev’s medicalhistory. He had been undergoingtreatment since his school days inBihar. She was startled to knowSanjeev had what the doctorsdescribed as ‘psycho cyclothymicpersonality and manic depressivepsychosis’. A shocked Shelly ran outof the room without informing him.

Feeling cheated, Shelly sharedher discovery with her roommateJasbir, who suggested she avoidSanjeev for some time. The same day,when Shelly and Jasbir were in theirroom, watchman Thimmappa camein to say Sanjeev was waiting outside.Jasbir asked Shelly to stay back, andwent out to speak to him. “Shelly isnot well. She has taken medicine andis sleeping. You can’t see her now,”Jasbir told Sanjeev.

“She was all right when shecame to my room. If she is not well, Iwill take her to the doctor. Pleasesend her out,” Sanjeev said.

“I can’t do that.She has asked not tobe disturbed,”replied Jasbir.

Sanjeev feltinsulted, but wentback without sayinga word.

The next day, when he came tothe women’s hostel, Jasbir againturned up to speak to him. “She ispreparing for a test. She says she can’tmeet you for 15 days,” she said, witha sarcastic grin. Further insulted,Sanjeev went back to his room.

That day, Sanjeev was alone ashis roommate had gone to his hometown. Jasbir’s words rang in his head,and the memory of her sarcasticsmile drove him wild. He cravedShelly’s proximity, and was frustrat-ed Jasbir was coming in the way. Hedecided to eliminate Jasbir.

He walked up to Shelly’s hostelroom again, and Jasbir intervened, as

expected. “Why are you answeringfor Shelly all the time? I want to talkto her. Ask her to come out. Orelse…” Sanjeev screamed. Takenaback, Jasbir ran inside, and Sanjeevstrode back to his hostel. He grabbeda knife from the kitchen and movedtowards the women’s hostel.

There was no watchman at thegate. Sanjeev went straight to Room118 where Shelly and Jasbir stayed.The doors were open. The girls weregetting ready for lunch, and wereshocked at Sanjeev’s entry. Sanjeevlatched the doors from the inside.They looked on petrified. He firststabbed Jasbir and then slit openShelly’s throat. He was in such furythat he stabbed Shelly 17 times, andJasbir 29 times.

As he came out of the room, ter-rified girls scampered out of his way.Even the watchmen didn’t dare stophim. He returned to his room inblood-stained clothes, and some stu-dents ran to the police station tocomplain. Sanjeev tried to end his lifeby slitting his own throat, but someof his hostel mates managed to holdhim back. They took him to a hospi-tal nearby. He was bleeding profuse-ly, but the doctors saved him.

The police registered a caseagainst Sanjeev based on a complaintlodged by Natarajan, the hostel war-den. Sanjeev’s father referred the caseto me. I defended Sanjeev on mentalillness grounds. It was not difficultto get him discharged.

Following the incident, Sanjeevwas a changed man. He underwenttreatment, and completed his med-ical course. He now runs a clinic inRT Nagar. When I met him manyyears on, he said, “Now I am all right,sir. I lead a normal life thanks to you.But I can’t forget I killed two inno-cent girls, Shelly and Jasbir. I can’tforgive myself. Even God won’t for-give me.”

Patting him on his back, I left.

Translated by BV Shivashankar

28talk|18 apr 2013|talkmag.inmemoir

Medical student Sanjeev—undertreatment for mental illness—was

frustrated by his wife’s refusal to meethim. So he grabbed a knife and barged

into her hostel room

Furious, hestabbed Shelly 17times, and Jasbir29 times

Fabled ranconteur andBangalore’s top-notchcriminal lawyer bringsyou moving, sensationaland bizarre stories from40 years of his practice

CH HANUMANTHARAYAcrim

e fo

lio

The doctor-killer

VIVEK ARUN

30talk|18 apr 2013|talkmag.inT I M E P A S S

the intelligent bangalorean’s must-read weekly talk

How do advertisers

talk toBangalore’s

most intelligentreaders?

They call these numbers

Abhay95388 92618

Mithun98864 69787

1st Cross Talk’s weekly crossword for Bangaloreans who know their way about town

ACROSS2 Organisation in charge of distrib-

uting electricity in Bangalore (6)4 The number of women in BJP's

first list of candidates in theupcoming legislative assemblyelections (4)

6 Deputy Mayor of Bangalore (1,8)8 A section of power cables snapped

recently at this power stationthereby causing power outages invarious parts of the city (5)

11 Apartment complex on HMT roadin the news off late (8,4)

12 As per a new rule you need some-one to introduce you if you wantthis important government docu-ment (6,4)

15 Where beer guzzling classic rockershang out off Brigade Road (5)

16 Recently appointed police commission-er of Bangalore (8)

18 The Egg ____ : Restaurant for egglovers on St Marks Road (7)

19 Staff of this airline staged a protest onthe day of the first IPL match of the sea-son demanding payment of their over-due salaries (10)

DOWN1 Theatre at SG Palaya (9)2 Historic city in Karnataka (7)3 Captain of our IPL side (5)

5 Paceman bought by RCB in the last IPLauction (7)

7 Romantic drama film directed and pro-duced by R Chandru (9)

9 BBMP election candidate who was dis-qualified for forging his caste certifica-tion (1,1,6)

10 You will find Congress Bhavan on thisroad (6)

13 Co-operative Bank in the news onaccount of financial irregularities (7)

14 ____ Metro Art:: Name of the to-be-rebuilt boulevard at MG Road (7)

17 ___ lakhs: The amount BMTC earned infines in the month of March (3)

Across: 4 Freedom, 5Suratkal, 6 Provident fund,7 U R Rao, 8 Indiranagar, 11Tiesto, 13 Bull, 14Hamsalekha, 16 Kumar Jha,18 Maari Kaadu, 19Chitradurga.

Down: 1 Helicopters, 2Nandini, 3 Mary, 9Renukacharya, 10 Rockline,12 Take, 15 Deccan, 17Seat.

Last week’s solution

T I M E P A S SProf

Good Sense

I have a 13-year-old son.Recently, I found him lookingat nude pictures and surfinggay porn sites on theInternet. I talked to him, andasked him if he was gay. Hedenied it vehemently butsaid he was surfing the sitesout of curiosity. I amworried.

Su, JP Nagar The problem with surfingsuch sites is that it becomesaddictive. What is 'too soon'or 'too much' is determinedby their peers. Teenagersare growing up surroundedby mainstream culture,which is full of inappropriateimages. Consider installing aparental control software.Talk to him about yourintentions and convince himthat you are doing it in hisinterest and welfare.Hobbies like trekking andteam sports events can helpdeflect his presentobsession.

Prof M SreedharaMurthy teachespsychology atNMKRV First GradeCollege. He is also awell-knownphotographer.

Mail queries to [email protected]


In 2004, when skeletal remainssupposedly belonging to a newhominid species—dubbed the"hobbit" owing to its small stature—were discovered in Indonesia, itcaused much joy among scientists,anthropologists and assortedoccultists who keep track of suchthings. That bubble burst when itwas later determined that theybelonged to the ancestors of modernhuman pygmies and not a separatespecies. Recently though,Indonesian rangers patrolling WayKambas National Park spotteddozens of pygmies no more than 50

cm in height, sporting waist-lengthdreadlocks and no clothes on them,headed to a fruit plantation nearby.When the rangers tried to getcloser, the little people immediatelyhid behind trees and vanished. "Theyran very fast," one of the rangerstold the press. Of course, you idiot.Thought they would stay anddiscuss politics with you? Therangers haven’t given up though:they have now installed surveillancecameras in the forest hoping tocapture footage of the pygmies. Webig people will never grow up, itlooks like.

While the Internet was neverthe wild, wild web it wascracked up to be (it wasdeveloped by the US Dept ofDefense, after all), onlineanonymity did allow people tolet out a little steam every nowand then. It’s true that it hasbred netizens who behave likepacks of hyenas when theycome across an opinion theydon’t like, but the Net is still theone place (not counting barcounters) where us plebs canbitch about the high and mighty

without fear of punishment.That is now about to change.

New software that uses thelatest advances in linguisticscan track anonymous users whopost comments on blogs andunderground forums bycomparing their posts acrossforums. According to researcher SadiaAfroz, “If the dataset contains100 users, we can at leastidentify 80 of them.” Soundslike another milestone in therise and rise of the Snoop State. You’ve been warned,comrades.


Indonesia's dreadlocked little people

A sex bomb against the systemWatch out, anonymous web warriors Just announced, a movie thatwill feature the reigningqueen of Indian porn. No, it’snot Shady Leone we’re talkingabout, but Savita Bhabhi, starof the online comic namedafter her that far outstripseverything else in the desierotica scene in popularity.In fact, in 2009, the Indiangovernment got so worked upover her outrageous doingsthat it forced its creator,London-based PuneetAgarwal to temporarily shutdown the series. NowAgarwal is all set to have hisrevenge, with a new (web-

only) movie which willpremiere next month. Themovie won’t just serve youthe hot stuff straight up—there’s a ‘plot’ involved, and apolitical one at that. The storyis set in 2070 India, a bleakplace where free speech isbanned, and the movement ofpeople heavily controlled.While most citizens havesubmitted to this new reality,Savita and gang won’t take it,er, lying down (except whenthey must). We’ll be loggingin, but purely as a gesture ofsupport for Bhabhi’scampaign.

talk magazine

Documents