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Read

Review: The Year I Met You

Set in Ireland, this Cecilia Ahern novel gently, slowly reels you in with its philosophy on love, life and friendship.
by Ritika Bhandari Parekh

I read this book around Valentine’s Day this year, and it was worth the time I invested in it. Cecilia Ahern’s latest book, The Year I Met You, is quite unlike her previous novels. This one, set in her home country of Ireland, keeps us guessing on the love quotient in the story.

The plot revolves around Jasmine and Matt, who are neighbours, but have no idea that the other exists. Both are workaholics, and their paths intersect due to some pretty interesting circumstances. Soon and steadily, the author introduces us to the world as Jasmine sees it. A high-flying job involving the selling of start-up businesses, an older sister with Down Syndrome, a father who remarries and a ‘gardening leave’ clause in her contract are the reason for her turmoil and happiness.

Matt, on the other hand, is a famous and controversial radio jockey. His drunken rants introduce us to his family. But it is his unlikely relationship with Jasmine that is the cause of more than a seasonal change in his life.

Ahern sketches the character of Jasmine in minute detail by taking us through the constant talk in her mind. With no job (she gets ‘fired’ subtly), Jasmine tries her hand at gardening. Though futile at first, she tries and eventually succeeds with some neighbourly help and guidance from YouTube videos. As the months go by and the new seasons come, Jasmine’s life picks up. While most of us would love to take a break and do some soul searching, Jasmine is handed an opportunity on a platter.

Her insecurities, manic moments, suspicious behaviour, peeking from windows…all of these habits make the reader eager to know more about her story. Her bond with Heather, the older sister, verges on motherly affection and a guilt-ridden sibling love. The writing charms the reader and prompts him to look beneath the exterior and scrape off the superficial to reveal the truth about Jasmine’s philosophy in life.

If the book was a movie, it would have two parts and the second part would be more interesting; this is where the novel actually reels you in. One has to reach that part patiently, where the intrigue sets in and the story flows naturally from that point on. Like a caterpillar, the story progresses and as the seasons change, its metamorphosis into a butterfly is revealed.

With secondary characters to support Jasmine, the book is a lengthy read. But if it is for the love of reading you have picked up the book, Ahern doesn’t disappoint. With sprinkles of love in the story and friendship amongst the most unlikely candidates, The Year I Met You is worth a dekko.

Order the book from here.

(Picture courtesy thebookwormery.wordpress.com)

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Do

Walk along the river Cooum

Join famous photographer Pa Madhavan as he follows the river Cooum and documents the culture and the people alongside it.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

This one’s a wonderful experiment in documenting the life of a river, the microcultures around it, the life it gives to those who seek refuge in it, and how well one can follow a meandering path to its successful conclusion.

Noted photographer Pa Madhavan is taking a walk along the river Cooum in Chennai in the last week of July 2015, and is inviting like-minded enthusiasts to take the walk with him. The project is called ‘WAT R’ (Walk Along The River).

Madhavan says, “WAT R is a project about walking along the river Cooum; the river is narrow, with twists and turns, flows slowly through the fields, collecting smaller streams along its path and enters the fourth largest city in India, also a major industrial, business, and cultural center of South India Chennai. It is the shortest classified river draining into the Bay of Bengal and is only about 72 kilometers long.”

He explains that the walk is “an aimless wandering along the banks, encounter talks, and casual recording of content appropriate to sense perception with my Nikon FM3A and a pinhole camera. I walk along the river, stay where I can, eat whatever available and not overindulge in austere practices.” He intends to cover 10km a day to span the entire length of the river in just seven days. “There are no maps to follow or sign posts to see or manuals to refer to; the only cue to follow is the river,” he adds.

There are no rules to joining him on the walk, but he cautions that the route is one of the highly polluted ones. There is high pollution by industrial effluents, drainage and open defecation from the thousands of hutments along its banks.

“On the other hand, with the culture of its own, with its own rationale, structure, and moral, Cooum river bank all along has a port, a fort, a university, palaces, graves of the common men and saints alike, museums, 1,500-year-old temples (mostly Chola temples) and also scientific astronomical observatories, which will definitely be a visual treat as much as a historical record,” he explains.

If you wish to join Pa. Madhavan on the walk, send him an email at madhavan@goa-cap.org.

(Picture courtesy www.thehindu.com. Image is a file picture)

Categories
Eat

5 early morning meal places in Mumbai

Want a good breakfast but tired of your usual neighbourhood haunt? Try these five city-based places for your day’s first meal.
by Ravi Shet

Anybody will tell you that breakfast forms the most important part of one’s daily diet. Skip breakfast and you end up feeling lethargic and tired for the rest of the day.

But where should you go to have your day’s first fulfilling meal? We picked out five places for you to try out.

1. Bele’s Ashok Dugdhalaya, Byculla West

Jalebi Papdi_Bele's Ashok DugdhalayaCraving hot jalebis with fafda, papdi and dhokla? Visit Bele’s Ashok Dugdhalaya, situated near Byculla station. This place has been serving Mumbaikars from the year 1950 and has been serving piping hot jalebis (Rs 20 per plate), papdi (Rs 20 per plate), and dhokla (Rs 20 per plate). They also serve masala milk (Rs 30) which is a definitely worth a try. Their sweet samosa (Rs 12 per piece) has a coconut, mawa and nut stuffing and is really good!

Chaitanya Bele, owner of the establishment, says that they are open for public from 6 am to 10.30 pm on all days and most patrons ask for hot jalebis with papdi or fafda. He also says that earlier people who were working in nearby mills and markets use to frequent the place for their jalebis along with hot milk, however these customers have disappeared after the mills closed down and the market shifted to Vashi.

Must try: Masala milk with jalebis and sweet samosa.

2. City Bakery, Worli

If you are passing by Worli naka in the early morning hours, your nose will immediately pick out the unmistakable aroma of freshly baked food in the area. Jam Danish Pastry_City Bakery WorliEstablished in 1953, City Bakery opens at 5 am and instantly overwhelms the surrounding Worli naka with the aroma of baked goodies. Co-owned by the Dashti brothers – Mehdi Dashti and Jafer Ali Dashti – this bakery is a haven for people looking for good baked food for breakfast – right from kadak pav to croissants to pastries. Mehdi Dashti says, “Our place opens sharp at 5 am on all days irrespective of the weather. Our prices are also not heavy on the pockets, so that we can cater to all people.” Their mint chutney croissants (Rs 23), jam Danish pastry (Rs 23), pizza sandwich (Rs 36) and chocolate éclair (Rs 39) are awesome gastronomical delights!

Must try: Jam Danish pastry and chocolate éclair.

3. Hotel Ram Ashraya, Matunga

Located near Matunga railway station, this place is a hub for people craving South Indian breakfasts. Founded in 1939 by the late Shyam Shetty, this place is open as the clock ticks 5 am, except for Mondays when it is closed. Pudi upma (Rs 38), idli (Rs 32), sabudana wada (Rs 37) and tea (Rs 20) are the stuffs worth trying out here in the early hours of the day. Also try their yummy kesari sheera (Rs 35) loaded with ghee, nuts and raisins. Amarjeeth Shetty and Akshay Shetty, the family’s third generation, are maintaining their legacy today.

Must try: Pudi upma and kesari sheera.

4. Madina Hotel, Mahim

Vegetable Stew_Madina HotelLocated opposite Paradise Cinema, this hotel with yellow benches and tables is worth visiting for its awesome food at unbelievable prices. Running from 1975, this hotel has been serving its customers right from 5.30 a to 11.30 pm. Be it Special Tea (Rs 20), or appam (Rs 8) along with vegetable stew (Rs 25) are super-hits (also on your pocket!) You can also try their chana masala (Rs 25) if you like spicy food. Mr. Krishnan who has been running this place for the past 33 years, says that there used to be a crowd waiting to rush in the moment the place was opened; however, for the past five years, people are coming in good numbers mostly after 7 am. This is a good destination for authentic Kerala style food.

Must try: Appam with vegetable stew and special tea.

5. Neo Welcome, Ghatkopar West

Looking for creamy white chutney and thick delicious sambhar along with soft and hot idli? Head to this place which is opposite Ghatkopar railway station. Founded by the late Muddanna Shetty in 1956, this place has been rolling up its shutters from 6.15 am on all days, except for Tuesdays when it is closed. Sheera upma mix (Rs 50), idli (Rs 45), bread butter (Rs 30) and tea (Rs 20) are their hit items in the early morning hours. Sagar Shetty, co-owner, says that his grandfather never compromised on the quality of food. “Treating customers well and giving them home-like feeling was his mantra and the second and third generation Shettys are also continuing the same tradition,” he says, adding that their food uses their own masalas.

Must try: Idli and sheera upma mix.

(All pictures courtesy Ravi Shet)

Categories
Film

Kashish Film Fest to return next month

The ‘Queer Film Festival’ comes back for the sixth time at three iconic locations in South Mumbai; registrations have opened.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival returns for its sixth edition this May – with a lineup of around 180 films from 44 countries, it is bigger tha previous editions. South Asia’s biggest and India’s only mainstream LGBT film fest will be held between May 27 and 31, 2015 at three venues – the iconic art deco Liberty Cinema, Alliance Francaise de Bombay and the Max Muller Bhavan. Online delegate registrations have opened on the festival website www.mumbaiqueerfest.com.   

“We are indeed very happy to continue to organise our festival at Liberty as the main venue. Its grandeur and scale is befitting the ambitious scale of KASHISH this year,” said festival director Sridhar Rangayan. “Considering the sheer number of entries we received and the diversity of experiences each of them offered, we decided to expand the framework of KASHISH. We have included one more venue to accommodate more films, so that the audience has more varied choice of films to pick and view. In terms of venues, films, allied events there is a lot the festival has to offer this year,” he added.

There will be film screenings, book readings, panel discussions and performances, all of them highlighting the cultural diversity of its host city Mumbai. The theme for this year, ‘Reaching Out, Touching Hearts’ reflects the urgent need for all of to reach across barriers and boundaries and reach out to everyone – parents, families, friends, colleagues and peers. KASHISH is not only a platform for showcasing quality cinema, but also a platform for creating awareness about human rights and equal rights, the organisers said.

“This year the influx of film submissions was so high, the preview panel had to work hard to pick the best. Our festival is slowly and steadily becoming a platform for filmmakers and audience to come together to share and experience quality LGBT cinema,” said Saagar Gupta, Director of Programming.

KASHISH is organised by Solaris Pictures, and The Humsafar Trust is the co-organiser.

The schedule

May 27 to 31, 2015 at Liberty Cinema,

May 28 to 30, 2015 at Alliance Française de Bombay, and

May 29 to 30, 2015 at Max Mueller Bhavan (screening only on May 30, 2015).

Look up www.mumbaiqueerfest.com for details. There is a 20% early bird discount till April 26, 2015.

Categories
Watch

NGO children perform for live audiences

NCPA’s outreach initiative for NGO-supported children in Mumbai will feature various kids’ stage performances in front of a live audience.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

It is always a joy to see young children performing songs, dances and other acts. Today, you will get the chance to see a lot of great shows put up by children, at the NCPA.

This multi-genre,  multilingual event will feature performances by young children from different NGOs based in Mumbai. As a part of the NCPA’s outreach initiatives, these talented performers will get the opportunity to perform on a professional stage in front of a live audience. The event includes a range of wide performances from group singing, a puppet show featuring the Panchatantra tales, a Judo pyramid and dance performances in the styles of Bollywood, folk music, Odissi and Gotipua depicting the Dashavataar from Geet Govinda.

Talent from NGOs such as the Bal Jeevan Trust, Apun Ka Club, Mumbai Mobile Creches, E.A.R., Aseema and Seva Sadan and others will be showcased as a part of this show.

Admission for all on a first-come-first-served basis. Head to the Experimental Theatre, NCPA, at 3 pm.

(Picture courtesy ncpamumbai.com. Image is a file picture)

Categories
Tech

Review: CyanogenMod 12 OS on the OnePlus One

We take a look at the OnePlus One’s hardware and software specs, and come away impressed by CyanogenMod 12 OS.
by Manik Kakra | @Manik_K on Twitter

OnePlus’ story in the Indian market has been quite unique. The company gained popularity on the social media for its invitation-based buying procedure (which the company has now stopped). So, when I got a chance to try the phone (64 GB sandstone black model) for more than just five minutes at my own leisure, I was obviously interested in checking how well its hardware and software really stack up for its price of Rs 21,999.

The looks. As soon as you pick the device up, you realise how different it is to other smartphones and how well it fits in your palm. The phone is not small, which has a lot do to with its thick bezel in the front. The front has a 5.5-inch full HD (JDI) panel (Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on top) with three touch keys at the bottom and ear-speaker grille, sensors, LED notification and 5 MP front-facing camera above. The top and bottom have a silver ring all across and a noticeable curve to them and gel well with the overall look of the phone.

The left panel has the SIM card tray – you get one nano SIM card tray inside the phone and one micro SIM card tray in the box, so you can use whichever you need. The right panel gets the Volume rocker and Power/Lock key – I just wish these keys had more tactile feedback for pressing. The top has a nicely-drilled 3.5mm headset jack and secondary mic; while the bottom gets the microUSB 2.0 port in the middle and speaker grilles and primary mic around it. The back sports a 13 MP oval camera module with a dual LED flash, and the OnePlus logo near the middle. The more you use it, the more it seems the company had a good idea on the paper for its design.

Software and performance. Under the hood, the One carries a Snapdragon 801 chipset (2.5 GHz quad-core processor, Adreno 330 GPU) coupled with 3 GB of RAM. The phone had CM11S (Android 4.4.4) out of the box, but I flashed its official CM12 zip file (though the official OTA update must have started rolling out when this piece goes up).

The first thing you notice on getting CM12 (based on Android 5.0.2) is the new Cyanogen boot animation. On getting the phone started, I liked how refreshing the new icons looked. There are no shabby or ill-fitted icons here. The default launcher has been assigned to the Google Now Launcher. The OS supports Ambient Display, which gives you a glance at notifications as soon as you pick the device, something we have seen on the Moto X and the new Moto E. It also supports double-tap to wake and double-tap to lock the screen. In the previous OS version, you can choose to either have on-screen navigation keys or keep using the physical touch keys.

As soon as you enable on-screen keys, the touch keys fade out and become non-functional. The pull-down notification and toggle button has been tweaked a bit. You can pull down to check notification and if you pull it lower you get toggle buttons, something that requires two swipes in stock Android, and this one feels better to use. You also get to see downloading speeds when updating or downloading an app from the Play Store, another thing that might be useful for a lot of people.

CM’s App Themer allows you to apply themes from their store, and also change icons, font, sound options. Using your Cyanogen Account, you can choose which ones you want to download and apply. Another interesting feature is Privacy Guard, which gives you full control of what apps (whether a system app or a third-party app) on your phone are required to access your location, network data, messages and phone resources.

The recent app Menu is same as card-like stock Android with an added clear button for clearing all apps from the list at once. Though I was a bit disappointed by the camera app, which could do with a bit of work on its viewfinder, focus and even sharpness, there’s some work in progress for the same, apparently. It won’t be wrong to say that CM looks cohesive and nice on the OnePlus One. There are not too many changes done, but quite a few useful changes and addition made to Android that many will like how their phone functions. The phone works smoothly, is able to load u and exit apps just as one would need and can handle multiple Web browser tabs without struggling. The phone’s battery life is also satisfactory.

The verdict. Overall, the OnePlus One’s OS is cohesive, smooth, well-designed and has many options users will like. You get a good 64 GB (54 GB available space) smartphone for these many bucks (and about Rs. 19,000 for 16 GB), an active community if you’re interested in tinkering with your phone, which makes it even better than several other phones for some. The invite system is still the procedure you would have to follow (can’t say I like it), though there are now also no-invite normal online sales once every week.

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