Come To Where The Action Is

Skywalking, bungee jumping, a touch of history, non-stop excitement at the casinos and endless shopping opportunities – Macau has it all

By Shevlin Sebastian

Photos: A young woman in front of the chapel of Our Lady of Penha. Photo by Sudipta Saha. Skywalking on the 61st floor of the Macau Tower; Shrekfast

When the Indian group steps out on the walkway, for the Skywalk, butterflies are dancing in the stomach. The location is the 61st floor of the Macau Tower. A stiff breeze is blowing and all around you can see the island of Macau – buildings, bridges and boats now reduced to matchbox size.

The width of the walkway is 5.8 feet. And as you saunter on it, you have this 288 feet drop on one side. But a Chinese helper, a youngster by the name of David, suggests a run followed by a leap into space. There are anxious cries of “No, No” from the women. The helper laughs and says, “Try it.” And it is indeed exhilarating, to say the least. To leap off the walkway, the legs going skywards, and then to be held back by the safety harness.

Right next to this is the bungee jump, the world's highest commercial leap, at 788 feet. And when you look down from the edge, have no doubt that your stomach will churn in fear and excitement. An 18-year-old Chinese girl, slim and fragile-looking, takes the jump with an insouciant smile. Here are some statistics: you reach a speed of 180 km/hour. However, the jump lasts only six seconds. But the adrenalin flow does not come cheap, at Rs 23,000 a jump.

All this excitement is taking place on an island, which is only 33 sq. kms in size and has a population of 5 lakh. Of course, Macau is world-famous for its casinos, with their 24 hour non-stop action on the tables: slot machines, baccarat, blackjack, roulette and poker, among many other games. Last year's annual gambling revenues were a mind-boggling $45 billion. Not surprisingly, education is free till Class 10, but their new university is only the size of a high school in India.

It is a place where the hotels, like the Venetian Macau, the Conrad, the Holiday Inn, and the Four Seasons will take your breath away by their sheer size and polish. And there is the Sheraton Macao Hotel, which is the largest, with 3896 rooms. 

Near the lobby, there is a natural forest, with palm trees, reaching up to the second-floor, a free-flowing stream with pebbles, flower pots and green grass. Many guests stop to stare at the sight.

The Managing Director of the Sheraton Macao Josef Dolp has a smile on his face when he says, “Most of our visitors are from China, Hongkong, Taiwan, Korea, Japan and India. There are 500 million people in the new middle class in India, China and Indonesia. We expect tourist arrivals to carry on increasing for the next several years.”

Old Charm

Much as the new Macau is dazzling, there is a charm to the old city. The streets are narrow and paved with coloured tiles. At the Senado Square, there is a striking wave-like pattern on the mosaic stones. You get clothes and knick-knacks at an affordable rate (1 Hongkong dollar = Rs 8].

And in the food shops, they have one unusual custom. Men will stand with trays, the straps around their necks, outside the shops. All visitors are allowed to have a taste of the Portuguese egg tarts, almond cookies, pork chop buns or egg rolls. In case you like it you can enter the shop and buy them.

At Macau, there is also a lot of history. Step into the Lou Kau Mansion, located at 7 Travessa de Sé, and immediately you are transported into the past. The house was built in 1889 and belonged to Lou Kau, who was a prominent businessman of his time. The two-storied house has gray brick walls, stained glass windows and wooden furniture. Thanks to the high ceilings, it is cool inside. This is natural air-conditioning, at its best.  

Another historical place is the Chapel of our Lady of Penha. It was built in 1622 by the crew and passengers of a Portuguese ship which had escaped capture by the Dutch.

However, on a sunny November morning, there is a different scene outside the chapel. On the steps, at the entrance, sits Petty Tam, 25, in a white wedding gown, the helm lifted to her knees, to show off her legs. Photographers buzz around taking snaps.

Standing next to her is AO Allan, 28, in a blue suit. Allan met Petty three years and fell in love. Now he is working in Sydney as an engineer. And they are planning to get married, but this will take place only in March, 2015. “We are taking things slowly,” says Allan. “This is a photo shoot for our album.”

Other places of interest include the Formula 3 Grand Prix Museum, Wine Museum (where you get to sample three types of wine at the end of the visit), the A-Ma temple, the Ruins of St Paul's, and the bronze Kun Iam Statue, of the Buddhists, which reaches a height of 60 feet, and has a dome-shaped lotus base, with sixteen petals.

In Macau, the past and present are intertwined in a nice way. 

Boxes:

Shrekfast

This is held at the Urumqi Ballroom of the Sands Cotai Central. Inside, against the walls, there are turrets of castles, and giant water colour paintings of scenes from animation films like 'Shrek', 'Kung Fu Panda', 'How To Train Your Dragon', and 'Madagascar'.
During the breakfast, you can eat 'Kung Fu Panda' red bean buns, Shrek-shaped pancakes and waffles, and Princess Fiona cupcakes and muffins. Later, giant-size models from these films dance on a stage. And after that, you get a chance to take photographs with Hiccup and Toothless from 'How to Train Your Dragon', the penguins and King Julien from 'Madagascar', Shrek, Puss in Boots and Fiona from 'Shrek' and Po from 'Kung Fu Panda'.

Indian food 

There is a touch of Bollywood glamour at the Aruna Indian Curry and Cafe House. On the walls, there are photos of numerous celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan posing with the owner Aruna, who has lived in Macau for over three decades. 
“Any Bollywood celebrity who arrives at Macau, comes to my restaurant, because they crave Indian food after a couple of days,” says Aruna. The food is typical: dal, chicken tikka, paneer and mutton dishes, along with nan and chappati, topped up by a dessert of gulab jamuns and ice-cream. 

(Published in The New Indian Express, Thiruvananthapuram and a slightly different version in Indulge, Kochi)  

A Cultural Immersion

Andie De Arment, the Cultural Affairs Officer, of the US Consulate General at Chennai, talks about her experiences in different countries

By Shevlin Sebastian

Photo by Ratheesh Sundaram

Andie De Arment sweeps into the Aspinwall Hall at Fort Kochi. And one of the first exhibits she sees, at the Kochi Muziris Biennale, is the 'Powers of Ten' video installation by the late American artists Charles and Ray Eames. After seeing a few other works, the Cultural Affairs Officer of the US Consulate General at Chennai is all smiles.

“I appreciate the international aspect of it,” she says. “You have artistes from the US, Europe, Japan, Holland, Australia and so many other countries. They are all here, offering something to the festival. And I am so glad I could be a part of it.”

On her recent visit to Kochi, Andie had a busy schedule. She went to the Sacred Heart College, and spoke with the students. She gave two students, called cultural exchange grantees, certificates for completing courses in Pittsburgh and New York respectively. Then Andie attended a conference called  'Energy security challenges in India’, which was organised by the US Consulate General at Chennai, in partnership with the Centre for Public Policy Research. Later, Andie spoke with 15-year-olds at Choice School about the options of studying in the US.

“There are one lakh Indian students in the US,” says Andie. “And we want to increase that number. We want to ensure that students have the information they need, about visas, courses and how to apply to universities.”

Having just arrived in India three months ago, following a two-year-stint in Karachi, Andie is coming to terms with the country. “India has such a rich cultural heritage,” she says. “The US, at 238 years, is a young country. When I first arrived in Chennai I felt that there is thousands of years of history in the place. I feel the history every day. The temples are literally on the street, and you can see people practising ancient rituals. One of my favourite visits was to the Meenakshi temple at Madurai.”

And she loves the contrast in different cities. “In Bangalore, there is a lot of hustle and bustle,” she says. “Chennai is a little laid-back, while Kerala is green and completely different.”

Andie pricks the curiosity of people, because she is married to a Pakistani writer, Khaver Siddiqi, and has two children, Eva, 9, and Grant, 2. “This makes for interesting situations,” says Andie.

Recently, she was on a panel at a Bangalore literary festival. The discussion was titled, 'The Outsider Inside – India Through Foreign Eyes'. The moderator, Sunil Sethi, said, “An American diplomat, married to a Pakistani, living in India: all the complexities and contradictions of that.”

Andie met a trade group in Chennai that was going to Islamabad to help increase business between Pakistan and India. One member went on a tirade about Pakistan. Then somebody elbowed him and said, “Her husband is from Pakistan.” Andie says, “The man was very embarrassed, but I appreciated these opportunities for candid conversations.”

But Andie’s marriage is no longer uncommon in the US. “There are so many inter-racial, inter-ethnic and inter-religious marriages,” she says. “And it is increasing every year. When I look at my family I feel that we are a typical American family, with our multi-culturalism.”

In fact, she says, her children are becoming global citizens. “They have a perspective which is so unique,” she says. “To them Chennai is home now, and they have embraced it, whether it is the food, traditions, or festivals like Pongal or Diwali. They love the life here in India.”

And they were in Karachi, too. “Karachi is a flourishing city,” says Andie. “It is a huge metropolis. Of course, there are security concerns, but I moved around a lot, including Balochistan and Sindh. The people were very welcoming, even though, at most of the places, I was the first American they were seeing.”

She was also one of the rare Americans in Havana, where she had been posted for two years. “The Cubans are warm, expressive and optimistic,” says Andie. “Most of the action takes place on the streets. People hang around and play football. The music tradition is unlike anywhere in the world.”

And there is also a connection to the US. “It is not just the geographical proximity,” says Andie. “About two million Cubans live in the US, while there are only 11 million in Cuba. Everyone in Cuba has relatives in the US. And things are gradually changing. But it will accelerate now that President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro have agreed to resume diplomatic ties.”

Asked whether diplomacy works in a world, which is ridden with strife, Andie says, “Diplomacy takes a lot of work. You have to take into account the personalities of leaders, language, culture and people. It is a lot more tougher than resorting to guns and violence. Despite that, diplomacy always needs to be the first option. I believe that American influence is strong all over the world. And we need to be active in events like the Kochi Biennale, so that people get a better idea about us, and our culture.” 

(A shorter version appeared in The New Indian Express, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram) 

A Big Happy Life

COLUMN: Spouse's Turn 

Jaimie Maya talks about life with the disc jockey cum actor Sekhar Menon

By Shevlin Sebastian

One afternoon, in 2012, Jaimie Maya and her husband, the actor and disc jockey Sekhar Menon, went to the Penta Menaka building at Kochi to buy a mobile phone. This was just after 'Da Thadiya' was released, in which Sekhar plays an obese youth. “Things went crazy quite quickly,” says Maya. “People were taking videos of us buying a phone. They wanted to take photos with Sekhar, hug him and shake his hands. There were many camera flashes. But they were all friendly. Sekhar was worried because I was seven months pregnant.”

Today, the couple are proud parents of Kaamaakhya. “Sekhar was busy when Kaamaakhya was born and felt that he was not able to bond with her,” says Maya. “But, at seven months, Kaamaakhya looked at his face, held his chin and said, 'Accha'. This was the first word she uttered. That blew Sekhar away. At ten months, she was already scolding Sekhar on the phone. She would say, 'Where are you?' and walk up and down the living room, with the phone placed next to her ears.”

Sekhar is not at home often, because he is busy with his DJing as well as his film career. At present, he is acting in 'Kandhari', directed by Ajmal, and '100 Days of Love', which has Dulquer Salman and Nithya Menon in the lead. It is the debut film of director Kamal's son, Jenuse Mohammed.

Maya met Sekhar for the first time, when, as part of a group of girls, they asked the DJ to provide some music for a fashion show which was part of the cultural fest at St. Teresa's College. “At that time, he was wearing his signature clothing: jeans, a check shirt and a beret,” says Maya. “However, I did not feel an instant attraction.”

Thereafter, because they had mutual acquaintances, they continued to meet each other at coffee shops and malls. “We were friends for a long time,” she says. “But, at some point, we began to feel attracted to each other.”

When asked whether his size was a hindrance, Maya smiles, at her apartment in Kochi, and says, “I am a big-size myself, so that was not an issue at all. I find Sekhar handsome and sexy.”

And he has other qualities that she admires. “Sekhar is a self-made man,” says Maya. “He is always positive minded. He says, 'If not this, what is the next opportunity?'”

Sekhar is also close to his parents. “Day-to-day they know what is going on in his life,” says Maya. “That usually does not happen with a young man who is into music. But what I like most about him is that he is God-fearing. No matter where he is, he makes it a point to go and pray at the Ernakulathappan Shiva temple on every Saturday. This was a big wow for me. I believe that at the end of the day you need to place yourself in God's hands.”

But there was one searing moment which tested their faith in God. On November 20, 2006, Shankar, who was Sekhar's elder brother, by two years, died in a motorbike accident at Bangalore. “In a way it was a turning point for me,” says Maya. “I realised that life is too short and if you love somebody you should not wait for everything to fall into place. Sometimes, we think, we may be too young to get married and should wait for two or three years.”

But Maya and Sekhar did not wait, for too long. They had a registered marriage on January 16, 2008. “We had a small get-together at Sekhar's home,” says Maya. “The most memorable moment for me occurred when, after lunch, like a true husband, Sekhar dropped me off at work.” At that time, Maya was working as an operations manager in a private banking firm.

And although they did not have a honeymoon, Maya would accompany Sekhar whenever he had his gigs as a DJ. So far, he has done over 500 events. “Sekhar plays the best music that I have ever heard, and I am not saying this just because he is my husband,” says Maya. “He is superbly talented, confident and relaxed. He is always smiling and dancing and his adrenalin is flowing.”

But Maya's own adrenalin-flowing moment occurred when she went, along with Sekhar and the family, for the first-day, first-show screening of Sekhar's debut film, 'Da Thadiya', at Saritha theatre, on December 21, 2012.

“He acted vulnerable in the film,” says Maya. “That surprised me. He does not show this aspect in real life. Throughout the show, people were coming up and congratulating him, because they had recognised Sekhar. And when he came out of the theatre, they all wanted to hug him.”

The film was a hit, but there were good signs much earlier. “The first day he went for the shoot was the day we came to know that I was pregnant,” says Maya. “The director, Aashique Abu, said that it was a good omen.”

And the good omens continue for Sekhar and Maya Menon. 

(The New Indian Express, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram)  

Okay, here's Kay Kay!

After stirring performances in ‘Haider’ and the upcoming 'Saat Uchakkey', where he stars with Manoj Bajpayee, and 'Baby', Kay Kay Menon has confirmed to a wider audience that he is one of the top talents in Bollywood

By Shevlin Sebastian

In the second week of November, last year, Kay Kay Menon was shooting for a Navneet Bahal film called 'Sann 75', which is set during the Emergency (1975). For several days, the shoot took place at night, in a jungle, two hours from Lucknow.

Inside the forest, there was a huge banyan tree. “It was the size of two trees put together,” saysKay Kay. “I realised that this tree, which was hundreds of years old, must have seen people, of all kinds, from different ages. And it had spread its arms so wide, while we were doing the shoot within its confines. It was a magical moment for me.”

Kay Kay is going through some magical moments in recent times. Recently, he completed the shoot of a heist film called 'Saat Uchakkey', where he is pitted against Manoj Bajpayee. “It is great fun when you work with a brilliant actor like Manoj,” says Kay Kay. “There is so much of creative input and the level at which both of you operate is so high.” And word is out that he has done well in Neeraj Pandey's 'Baby', in which he stars with Akshay Kumar andRana Daggubati. The film will be released on January 23.

Kay Kay also impressed in last year's surprise hit, 'Haider', where he plays Tabu’s brother-in-law, Khurram, who lusts after her.

Asked whether he felt nervous about doing a film on the explosive subject of Kashmir, KayKay says, “Not at all. The fact that the film was set in Kashmir was not an issue. For me, my only criteria is whether a role is interesting or not.”

Kay Kay has been acclaimed for his interesting roles in 'Paach', 'Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi, 'Black Friday', and 'Sarkar', among many other films. “I believe that, unlike the many blockbusters of today, these films will stand the test of time,” he says.

One reason for his impact is his ability to immerse himself in the role. And his method is simple, as well as difficult. “When you are acting, don’t play the role, but the person,” he says. “The roles are finite: you can be a policeman, lawyer or a crook. Instead, you must understand the character of the cop or the crook. And then play him.”

Another tip is linked to pride. “Try and surrender your ego when you are acting,” says Kay Kay. “Without doing that, you cannot take on a character.”

Kay Kay seems an unlikely person to make a mark in Bollywood. A middle-class Malayali, he grew up in Ambarnath and Pune, but remained in touch with his home state of Kerala in his childhood. During summer vacations, he would go to Kozhikode where his grandfather, Raghava Menon, a former Major, lived in a large house.

“I used to play cricket with my cousins,” he says. “The branch of a coconut tree was used as a bat. When I look back, those were happy times.”

After doing his MBA from the University of Pune, Kay Kay embarked, without hesitation, on a career in the arts. “When I was very young, one day, I realised that acting was my calling,” he says. “So I had no doubts. I was lucky that my parents did not raise any objections, even though I am an only child.”

And unlike most actors, Kay Kay does not look on his earlier years as a struggle. “People become anxious because they are unsure about their talent,” he says. “But I was always sure that I had a gift. I believe opportunity comes to everybody. It depends on how ready you are to accept it.”

Meanwhile, when asked about how Bollywood has changed over the years, KayKay smiles, and says, “Creatively, Bollywood always threatens to change. But they just come out with the same melodrama and songs, but in different forms. But the success of a film like ‘Haider’ gives hope to film-makers who want to try different things.” 

Kay Kay has tried different things throughout his career. No surprises that, today, he is regarded as one of the top talents of Bollywood. 

(Sunday Magazine, The New Indian Express, South India and Delhi)

Moving from Place to Place

Veteran artist Sudhir Patwardhan's work, at the Kochi Muziris Biennale, is a rumination on migration, language, nature, and the links between the past, present and future

By Shevlin Sebastian

Photo by Ratheesh Sundaram

“Isn't the view fantastic?” says the Baroda-based artist Rekha Rodwittiya.

“Yes it is,” says artist Sudhir Patwardhan, as they both stare at the sea.

They are standing on a first-floor verandah of the Aspinwall House, a prime venue of the Kochi Muziris Biennale. Rekha then goes inside and observes, with rapt attention, Sudhir's triptych, 'Building a Home: Exploring the World'.

“It's wonderful,” she says.

Indeed, the 15' x 5 1/2' acrylic on canvas is a wonderful rumination on nature, language, the links between the past, present and future as well as migration. Right at the top of the left panel, there is an excerpt from a poem on migration called 'Time to Fly' by British poet Ruth Padel:

'You go because the cold is coming,

Spring is coming, soldiers are coming. 

Plague, Flood, an Ice Age,

A new religion, a new Idea.

You go because you have the kingdom of heaven in your heart

And the Kingdom of hell has taken over someone else's heart.'

Beneath it there is an image of an African woman as well as an old man trudging up a hill. In the background, there is a river which is snaking across the landscape, beside a town which has gone up in flames. And at the far distance, there is a modern warship on a sea.

“The migration of the human species to all parts of the world began from Africa,” says Sudhir. “The old man resembles someone who had to leave his village suddenly because of violence, like in Syria or Iraq. This is symbolised by the burning fires as well as the warship in the Gulf.”

Migration is a perennial theme in the history of man. “Many of us have migrated from our ancestral villages,” says Sudhir. “In my case, my family moved from the Sangli district in Maharashtra to Mumbai. Later, my son moved to the USA.”

In the middle panel, Sudhir has recreated the iconic Tower of Babel painting by Pieter Bruegel (1525-69). And leaning on it is the incomplete Tatlin Tower, which had been commissioned in 1919 to be put up in Petrogad, Russia by architect Vladimir Tatlin. And in a deft touch both these structures have been placed on the island of Fort Kochi. “These structures represent Man's aspirations for an unified world, without class differences,” says Sudhir. “Language is like a home. The people who share a language belong to one home.”

And at the right side, a double helix, of the DNA, made famous by scientists, Francis Crick and James Watson, extends to the third panel. “What is the language of science?” says Sudhir. “Is it a universal language? Can extraterrestrial beings understand it also?”

In the third panel, astronauts, holding a golden disc, are floating in space, right next to planet earth. At a distance, buildings can be seen on another planet. Interestingly, Sudhir has borrowed this image from artist Jyoti Basu.

“A gold disc was sent on the Voyager 1 and 11 spacecrafts,” says Sudhir. “It is intended to communicate the story of our world to extraterrestrials. Today, the earth is our home, but in another hundred years there may be humans who may have never been to earth. Their parents might have settled on another planet and children would have been born there. Like the Indian diaspora today. There are third and fourth-generation Indians living in the US who have no idea of their mother country.” 

Apart from this, on another wall, there is a set of framed lithographs, called 'Encounters in Time'. These are images of people, with different types of headgear and masks. Sudhir had been inspired by a Vermeer painting called 'Maid Pouring Milk', as well as an anonymous Deccani miniature of a gentleman with a beard and a cap. There are a couple of faces with no eyes. “I wanted to indicate that this is a spiritual person,” he says. “And it is about looking inward, rather than outwards. Overall, it is an imaginative take of encountering people from the past as well as the future.” 

(Sunday Magazine, The New Indian Express, South India and Delhi)     

It’s a Sunny World

Diamond Merchant PP Sunny talks about the ever-lasting charm of the gem. More people are buying diamonds these days

By Shevlin Sebastian

Photo by Melton Antony 

A few years ago, Kanthi Balakrishnan went to hear a concert by singer KJ Yesudas at Hyderabad. At the interval, she met Prabha Yesudas, who was wearing a glittering diamond necklace. A curious Kanthi asked for the jeweller’s name. It was the Kochi-based PP Sunny, the chairman and managing director of Sunny Diamonds Pvt. Ltd. Their retail outlet, a three-storeyed white-painted building on Rajaji Road, is impossible to miss when you go past.

So Kanthi, who is 90 now, contacted Sunny and asked for a bangle. After making it, when Sunny was about to send it, Kanthi requested a personal delivery. So, when Sunny next went to Hyderabad, accompanied by his wife, he presented it to her. Later, when Kanthi came to Kannur for treatment, she asked for some more jewellery.

“Once you start buying diamonds, you will keep buying it all the time,” says Sunny. “Diamonds are forever. My finger ring, after several generations, will remain the same. This is unlike gold, which can be melted.”

As he talks, in his first-floor office, a call comes on the intercom. Sunny goes down to the shop floor to meet Pattabi Raman, a former chairman of Dhanalakshmi Bank, whose wife has come to buy some jewellery.

When he returns, Sunny says, “When I decided to launch Sunny Diamonds, Pattabi Sir gave me advice which I took to heart. He said that when you embark on a retail outlet, you should have double the assets. In other words, if you are investing Rs 50 lakh, one should have assets of Rs 1 crore. The idea is that in case, the business fails, you can pay off the debts.”

There are two ways to start a retail outlet. One method is to take a loan from the bank and start with a rented building, with limited furnishing and investment. When you get a good profit, you can pay off the loan. “The other way is the way I did it,” says Sunny. “I bought land, and made a building. The reason is because I am not working for my generation, but for the next one, too.”

Sunny has three children. While the eldest, De Paul, 26, lives and works in New York, Prem, 21, is doing his Bachelor’s in Business Administration while Rohan, 12, is in school. 

And things are going well. On January 9, Sunny Diamonds will celebrate its tenth anniversary. The company has retail outlets in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode also.

And in order to generate sales, Sunny began a unique Money Back Guarantee. “You can bring back the diamond at any time and I will pay back the price,” says Sunny. “If a customer feels he has been cheated, he can return the diamond. My shop is like a trading facility. Other jewellers cannot do this, because they have a huge profit built into the selling price.”

So how does he manage? “I make my margins at the buying point and not at the sale,” he says. However this money-back is not available for solitaires, uncut diamonds, polky and rose-cut diamonds. 

All sorts of people are his customers. They include middle-class professionals, women who could not afford diamond jewellery earlier, businessmen and even farmers.

Sometime ago, a farmer and his wife came from Kattappanna. “They said that they did not know much about diamonds, but their Bangalore-based daughter wanted a diamond for her wedding,” says Sunny. “They were giving Rs 5 lakh as dowry, out of which Rs 3 lakh was in the form of diamonds. They chose a wedding set.” 

In fact, 50 per cent of the sales of Sunny are of wedding sets: necklace, earrings and finger ring. The price range is from Rs 45,000 to Rs 4.5 crore.

While getting photographed, next to a shining necklace, with green emeralds, Sunny says, in a casual voice, “This is about 35.” Then he pauses, and adds with a smile, “Lakh.”

Sunny usually deals in Belgian diamonds, because, according to him, they are the best in the world. “If you want to know whether a diamond is internally flawless, you have to verify each and every diamond manually,” he says. “I can do this because the manpower cost is less in India than in other countries. Abroad, this will cost $10 an hour and I cannot afford that.”

Before a customer buys a diamond, he has to look for the four C’s: Cut, Colour, Clarity and Carat Weight.

Cut:  Diamonds are renowned for there ability to transmit light and sparkle intensely. “The quality of a cut is crucial to the diamond's final beauty,” says Sunny. “Of the 4Cs it's the most complex and technically difficult to assess. Cut is often confused with the shape of the diamond.”  

Colour: The colour gives an idea of the beauty and brilliance of a diamond. “However, colourless diamonds are of the highest purity,” says Sunny. “But they appear white most of the time.”

Clarity: There are surface defects known as blemishes. The less the blemishes, the higher the price.

Carat: A carat weight is the measurement of how much a diamond weighs. A metric carat is equivalent to 200 milligrams.

Meanwhile, when asked for reasons behind his successful enterprise, Sunny says, “You should be sincere and honest. It is with these twin qualities that you will gain a name, trust and credibility. If you become greedy and make money at all costs, then you will not succeed in the long run. Secondly, you should be dedicated at all times to your work.” 

(The Indian Express, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram)  

Loved By The Public

COLUMN: Spouse's Turn 

Film director Boban Samuel talks about life with the actor Reshmi

By Shevlin Sebastian 

Photo by Mithun Vinod 

One night, in 2007, film director Boban Samuel went to the terrace of his house in Thiruvananthapuram. He was accompanied by his wife, Reshmi, and their two small boys. He was feeling low. His career was going nowhere. Boban looked up at the sky and saw that it was cloudy. “My life has become like the sky,” he told Reshmi. “I have no work. I don't know what to do.”

Reshmi said, “Everything will become all right.”

Suddenly, in between the clouds, a small star appeared.

Reshmi saw it and said, “There is one star. So there is hope that something will happen.”

Boban nodded. Suddenly, his mobile started ringing. He looked at it: it was an Ernakulam number. He did not want to take it. Reshmi urged him to do so.

So Boban took it. The call was from a production controller of television serials. He said that Chavara Advertising wanted to do a serial on a Christian theme and would Boban come to Kochi the next day to meet the producers, Sibi Chavara and George.

Boban was not interested in doing religious serials. But Reshmi prodded him to go. At Kochi, Sibi told him that it would be on the life of Sr. Alphonsa, who was made a Saint on October 12, 2008, by Pope Benedict XVI.

Boban said that he had no idea about the life of this nun. So they gave him a book --  ‘Snehabaly’ by Father Romulus. On the train back, he read the book and realised there were incidents in the nun’s life which could be made into a serial.

When the serial was telecast -- 101 episodes of one hour each -- it became a hit. “Because, at this time, Sr. Alphonsa was declared a saint,” says Boban. “So the timing was perfect.”

Soon, the actress Reena offered him a film. Boban met the actor Jayasurya. Thankfully, the actor's wife, Saritha, was a fan of the Alphonsa serial. So, Jayasurya agreed to act in Boban's first film, ‘Janapriyan’. The film was well received and Boban's career took a different turn.

“The sighting of the star, such an accidental event, was the turning point in my life,” he says.

Meeting Reshmi was also an accident. In 1999, Boban was working as an associate director for a TV serial, ‘Peythozhiyathe’, in Thiruvananthapuram. They needed two fresh faces. “So we got a lot of photographs from all over,” says Boban. “Among the lot, there was one of Reshmi, who was working as an anchor in Surya TV. I looked at the photo and felt that it did not suit the character and said so.”

However, after a few episodes, the director KK Rajeev introduced a new female character. “This time, we selected Reshmi,” says Boban. And when they met, there was an immediate attraction between the two.

It was during this time that Boban was looking to get married. In two months, he proposed to Reshmi. But there were family objections from her parents. While Boban is a Christian, Reshmi is a Hindu (Nambiar). But Reshmi stood firm. And finally her parents accepted her decision graciously.

The marriage took place at Thiruvananthapuram on January 29, 2001. Soon, after the wedding, they went to the cemetery where Boban’s father was buried. He had died when Boban was 14. “It was the first time that Reshmi was going to a cemetery,” says Boban. “Later she told me that she felt that she was getting some blessings from my father.”

Today, the couple presents a happy image at their 12^th floor apartment in Kochi. They sit on adjoining sofas, smile often at each other, and finish each other's sentences.

Asked to list the plus points of Reshmi, Boban says, “She had come into my life before I became a film director. So she saw my struggles. Reshmi was supportive in those difficult times and she is supportive now. I am grateful for that.”

Reshmi is a good mother to Nidheesh, 13, and Akash 9. “She ensures that they do their studies well and provides good food for them,” says Boban. “I am not very good at being a parent. I get immersed in my work and become distracted.”

Reshmi is also a good cook. “At the time of our marriage, she did not know cooking at all,” says Boban. “She made a chutney, of onion and tomato, and as soon as I had it, I spat it out. The mistake was that she had not added tamarind. But today she is a No. 1 cook. And I like her fish curry the best.” 

When the family has free time they go out to eat at restaurants and see films at multiplexes. And, increasingly, Boban is being recognised.

“Sometimes, people come up and talk about my films,” he says. “Many have said that they liked ‘Janapriyan’ the most even though ‘Romans’ was the hit film. Some will ask for a role. Others will say that they have written a script and ask whether I would like to read it. It is rare for a man behind the camera to be recognised in public. So it is a big morale-booster for me.” 

As for tips for a successful marriage, Boban says, “Think of this: brothers and sisters are all so different from each other. Then imagine a person who comes from another family. How different he or she will be. So, to get along well, spouses have to learn to adjust to each other. There should not be ego tussles. When there are fights, you should come to a compromise quickly.” 

(The New Indian Express, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram)

Staring Into The Vortex

Sculptor Anish Kapoor talks about his work at the Kochi Muziris Biennale and says that Indians need to develop confidence in their contemporary culture

By Shevlin Sebastian

Photo: With Anish Kapoor. Photo by Ratheesh Sundaram 

Anish Kapoor looks a bit anxious, as he stands besides a nine-feet high container. It is embedded in the floor of a large room of the Aspinwall House, a site of the Kochi Muziris Bienalle. A propeller, which has been placed at the bottom of the container, that contains blackish water, is not turning at the speed that Anish wants. Workers mill around. Anish has a chat with his assistants. Instructions are passed. Nuts are tightened, wires are re-laid, and buttons are pressed. Finally, everything falls into place.

As the propeller increases in speed, there is a swirling effect in the water, and, right in the middle a vortex is formed. A visitor says, “When problems mount up in life, it would seem as if we are sucked into a vortex.” When Anish hears this, he nods, smiles and says, “As human beings we bring all our meanings and possibilities to a work of art. Artists have to provide the scene in which those things can arise.”

Incidentally, the work, 'Descension', is the first that Anish has specifically made for an event in India. And he looks happy. “I have always had a connection with Fort Kochi,” he says. “My father was in the Indian Navy. And I remember coming here when I was ten years old and staring at the sea.”

Like the place, Anish also loves the Biennale and states that it is making an important statement. “India has a wonderful old culture, but there is almost no confidence in contemporary work,” says Anish. “In arts, music and architecture, we are stuck in the past. Bollywood is just not enough to give a re-interpretation of the past. What this Bienalle is saying is that we must have confidence in today's culture.”

Anish is one who has never been short of confidence. Born in Mumbai, to an Indian father and a Jewish mother, he studied in the Doon School at Dehradun. In the early 1970s, after a brief stay at a kibbutz in Israel, he moved to London to study at the Hornsey College of Art, followed by postgraduate studies at the Chelsea School of Art, London.

In the 1980s, his work consisted of geometric sculptures, made of granite, limestone and marble. And soon he made his mark. In 1990, he was awarded the Premio Duemila Prize at the Venice Bienalle, and the prestigious Turner Prize in 1991.

His well-known sculptures include the Cloud Gate (Chicago's Millennium Park), Sky Mirror (Rockefeller Centre in New York), and the ArcelorMittal Orbit, situated at London's Olympic Park,which, at a height of 376 feet, is the largest public art project in Britain. Each of his works sells for two million pounds, on an average, and his net worth is estimated at 100 million pounds. In 2013 Anish was knighted by Queen Elizabeth for his services to the visual arts. And this year, he received an honorary doctorate degree from Oxford University.

Asked whether he is living a charmed life, Anish says, “Yes, I spend all day doing what I love to do. And when I think of people all over the world who have to struggle to earn a living, or are jobless or in poverty, I know that I am unbelievably lucky.” 

(Sunday Magazine, The New Indian Express, South India and Delhi) 

A Touch Of Foreignness

Puducherry, with its French influence, as well as the Aurobinda Ashram and Auroville, is a place with a distinctive heritage and charm

By Shevlin Sebastian

Photos: Church of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception; Auroville Ashram. By G. Pattabi Raman 

On Christmas Eve, the lights are resplendent at the Church of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception. Plastic chairs are being put outside. This is being supervised by the parish priest who is anticipating a large crowd for Midnight Mass.

On one of the chairs sits Rahul Sharma, a 21-year-old law student from Pune. He has come to Puducherry for the Christmas vacation. Dressed in a yellow T-shirt and Bermuda shorts, he stares raptly at the 300-year-old baroque-style structure. “It is a beautiful church and has been preserved well,” he says.

Outside the church, 11-year-old Dharmajan is selling large balloons at Rs 10 apiece. “I study in a Tamil medium school,” he says. “I am trying to earn some money for Christmas.” 

The streets are crowded. There is a festive spirit in the air. At 9 p.m., people are still rushing into bakery shops to buy last-minute cakes and pastries. On the terrace of the Corbelli Hotel, guests are sitting on wooden chairs and staring at the skyline. This is the Don Giovanni restaurant which is run by Massimiliano Morsiani. “It’s a long name,” he says, with a smile. “Call me Max, for short.”

Max, who is originally from Bologna in Italy, settled in Puducherry more than three decades ago and makes all types of pizzas. “I import ham all the way from Italy,” he says. Not surprisingly, it is a magnet for people from the USA, Germany, France, Italy and many other places. “Lots of Indians also come,” says Max.  

On a cloudy morning, when you walk down Perumal Koil street, you can see a yellow painted house with a tiled roof. This is the home of one of Tamil Nadu’s great poets Bharatidasan. His work was instrumental in the growth of the Dravidian movement in the state.

Today, the house has been converted into a museum. So there are photos of Bharatidasan meeting the eminent people of his time. His spectacles, walking stick, the white shirts that he wore – they have all been preserved. There is also a photocopy of a 1942 letter, which the 18-year-old M Karunanidhi [former Tamil Nadu chief minister] wrote to the eminent poet and the latter’s reply.

Outside, a swift breeze is blowing about. On the beach, there is a large signboard which states: ‘Puducherry is not the same when you litter’. However, this exhortation does not prevent a shop-keeper from throwing litter at the side of the road. Several tourists walk about, talking animatedly and taking snaps.

When somebody exclaims, “It is beautiful,” a local journalist says, “It was beautiful. I have lived in Puducherry all my life. Corruption, environmental degradation and government mismanagement have spoilt a lot of things.”

But democracy is alive and kicking in the small union territory. Outside the main post office, the Left parties are holding a demonstration with their familiar red hammer-and-sickle flags. 
The leaders are making various demands to the state government.

Near the post office, a Mumbai-based father tells his son, “Why don’t you buy an inland and write a letter to your grandparents about your experiences in Puducherry?” The 15-year-old son looks glum and makes no move to go inside. In the end, the duo walks away without buying the inland.

On another morning, on the Rue Romain Rolland, a group of youngsters are painting a tent in different colours, just outside the Indianostrum theatre building.

This is part of a ‘People’s Puppet Project’. Inside a large hall stands Rebecca Rutter, the Workshop Director of the Melbourne-based Snuff Puppets, which is having a collaboration with Indianostrum, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, and Urban Design Collective. So, a 12-foot high model of Ravana, with his ten heads, is getting readied. “The aim is to raise awareness about Puducherry’s French-Tamil cultural heritage, through puppetry and street theatre,” says Rebecca. “I have been here for two weeks and am having a wonderful time. The people are friendly and the place is beautiful.”

The French part of Puducherry is, indeed, beautiful. Many houses are painted in white. The roads are neatly paved and there are several tree-lined avenues. Outside a café sits Gregory Hemart, who is a bookshop owner in Paris. “This is my second visit,” says Gregory, as he sips a cup of coffee. “I will be here for a fortnight. I like it, because there is so much of France here.” Indeed, many locals, including drivers and watchmen, know how to speak French fluently.

Many of the landmarks are in this area. These include the Bharati Park, the Gandhi statue, the Puducherry Museum, the Romain Rolland Library, the Assembly, the Governor’s house and the Alliance Francaise, which has a ‘French Corner’. A notice says, 'Visitors are free to come over, share a drink and have a conversation’.

And, finally, there is the Aurobinda Ashram, whose walls are painted in a distinctive grey and white. Inside the ashram, in a courtyard, under a large tree, is the Samadhi, a marble shrine, which is the burial place of Sree Aurobinda and the Mother (Mirra Alfasa). There is utter silence as people come in, kneel down in front of the Samadhi, pray and move on. A few foreigners, with their eyes closed, sit cross-legged on the floor.

The sprawling Auroville Ashram (2000 acres), 15 kms from Pondicherry, is also worth a visit. The striking feature is the Matri Mandir, a dome-like structure, which represents divine consciousness. The dome is made of 56 kgs of gold. For visitors, there is a viewing point. But garrulous Indians can never be silent. They are busy taking photos and having a chat.

Among the crowd are two senior Mumbai-based professionals. “I just don’t want this holiday to end,” said one of them. “This is the first time in a long while I have taken 20 days off.” The other man said, “You are not going to believe this, but I have bought a retirement home near the beach. The price and the place seemed so right.”

Yes, Puducherry is the right place to be, if you are looking for rejuvenation and relaxation and to experience a place that has a touch of foreignness to it.

(Sunday Magazine, The New Indian Express, South India and Delhi)