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Categories
Event

Legal Counsel India Awards announced

The 4th Annual Legal Counsel Congress took place at Hotel Trident recently. Siemens, BPCL, IDFC won awards at the ceremony.

The Ideas Exchange, in association with Lex Witness, presented the 4th Annual Legal Counsel Congress in Mumbai focused on helping General Counsels and Heads of Legal work towards attaining greater operational excellence and preparing them for the legal department of the future. The evening also hosted the second edition of the Legal Counsel India Awards at Hotel Trident BKC; the awards recognise and honour excellence amongst the corporate legal fraternity.

The conference was chaired by Nilanjan Sinha, General Counsel, GE Capital, who introduced the Chief Guest, The Honourable Former Justice Deepak Verma, Supreme Court of India. Justice Verma briefed the legal counsel on strategies for effectively partnering with the Bench in order to expedite the judicial process for the benefits of the Indian legal system.

Speaking on the occasion, Vikas Vij, Managing Director, The Ideas Exchange said, “The Ideas Exchange is committed to working with business leaders across sectors and business functions and focused on delivering knowledge based platforms for a discerning and informed industry to ideate and enable business exchanges in a creative, efficient and responsive manner.”

Some of the prize winners:

Amarchand Mangaldas, National Law Firm of the Year Award 2013

BPCL, Best Employer of the Year

Persistent Technologies, Best Use of Technology and Innovation Award 2013

Siemens, Team of the year

IDFC’s Rajeev Oberoi, General Counsel of the Year Award

IDFC’s Rohit Sharma, Young In-House Lawyer of the Year (Male) Award

BIAL’s Kavery Madappa, Young In-House Lawyer of the Year (Female) Award

Wockhardt’s Debolina Partap, Woman General Counsel of the Year Award

 

Categories
Event

New stamp commemorates late Aditya Birla

State Governor released the stamp in the presence of the Birla family; slammed other family-run businesses for lack of ethics.

The Governor of Maharashtra, K Sankaranarayanan yesterday released a commemorative postage stamp on late industrialist Aditya Birla. The function was held at Raj Bhavan, Mumbai, in the presence of other prominent Birla family members such as Kumarmangalam Birla, Neeraja Birla and Rajashree Birla, among others. The Post Master General of India was also present on the occasion.

In his speech, the Governor said, “Only five days ago, the Honourable President of India had released the commemorative stamp on late Shri Aditya Birla at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. I am happy that we are celebrating the occasion here in Raj Bhavan, Mumbai. Although belatedly, I am glad that we are honouring one of the greatest pioneering business leaders of India late Shri Aditya Vikram Birla in a befitting manner.”

However, while praising the late business icon, the Governor slammed other businesses in India. He said, “Unlike other family-owned businesses in India, the Birla Group definitely stands out as one of the most respected business groups for two reasons. The first and foremost reason is the association and involvement of the Birlas in India’s freedom struggle. The late Shri GD Birla (Aditya Birla’s grandfather) was a close confidante of leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Nehru, Sardar Patel and many others.

The second reason why the Birla Group is a respected name is because of the integration of ethics and values by the Birla Group with business. The name Birla at once inspires trust and confidence because of the adherence of the Group to these values.”

The Governor went on to extol the virtues of the late business leader, saying that he was “a silent business revolutionary who foresaw the winds of globalisation coming to India much before others. He was not one to blame the system for the unfavourable business atmosphere prevailing in those days. He worked his way out to put Indian business on the global level as early as in 1969. He went on to set up 19 companies outside India in countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Egypt. The postage stamp is a just recognition of his formidable work for the Birla Group and for the nation at large.”

(Picture courtesy Raj Bhavan, Mumbai)

 

Categories
Event

An enCounter between art and the city

Nidhi Qazi catches up with Hong Kong-based artist Clara Cheung, who creates electricity using plastic bottles, metal waste and seawater.

Artist Clara Cheung from Hong Kong sees Mumbai’s sea water, used plastic bottles and metal waste as an opportunity. And how? She uses them all to unleash the Energy of Sea- the theme for her installation work at this year’s edition of enCounters.

I catch Clara in action at Bandra’s Carter Road promenade, a hotspot for various cultural activities the city hosts. From setting up the panel for her installation to getting down to work all details, Clara is all smiles. “My work tests the idea of how sea water of Mumbai can be used to generate electricity and help people.” ‘Best of waste’ is a known practice internationally, and Clara’s work is a case in point. She uses plastic bottles, seawater, aluminium cans and copper wires to generate electricity.

A standing panel is hung with plastic bottles cut in the shape of a bowl, and painted. The copper wires and aluminium waste from the cans have been fixed inside the cups, which are filled with saline seawater from the sea. With the forces of physics and chemistry backing them, the cups emit a faint and feeble glow, thanks to the electricity produced in the tiny bulbs attached to the copper wires.

“The amount of electricity is not great but it still gives us hope that we can find alternatives all around us. We can use the existing resources and wastes to construct something that is needed,” says Clara. A curator with the C&G Artpartments, Clara is in Mumbai for the fourth edition of enCounters.

Celebrating art in the public spaces, Powerplay enCounters is a platform that brings artists closer to common people. “We want to create a connection between art, the people and their problems,” says Claudio, co-founder, ArtOxygen – the organisation behind this project.

Claudio adds, “Such events don’t aim at producing immediate outcomes. We use arts to generate curiosity among people. Through aesthetics, we want to trigger people to question their lives, surroundings, environment. They should not be satisfied with anything and everything around them.”

The week long event closes on Sunday, January 20. A collaboration of ArtOxygen and Asia Art Projects, enCounters is a Mumbai-based the art initiative. Its previous themes in the three editions were Identities, Water and Land.

During the week, various artists from India and abroad displayed their works with the theme of Energy as the backdrop. The event had a number of workshops and interactive sessions to help artists connect with the people. One such event was the floor painting by artist Wai lun Chung whose objective was to make people think from other perspectives, apart from the obvious ones.

(Pictures courtesy Nidhi Qazi)

Categories
Listen

Surabhi Saraf live in Mumbai

The San Francisco-based musician performed for the first time in India on Thursday, at Mumbai’s Max Mueller Bhavan, Kala Ghoda.

Surabhi Saraf performed at Mumbai, and India, for the first time ever. The School of the Art Institute of Chicago MFA degree holder played two tracks from her debut album, Illuminen EP, in which, in her own words, she “layers the sound of my voice over the droning percussions of aged fans that are augmented by lights and live video, creating an immersive soundscape.”

She played Illuminen, which she exhorted the audience to listen to with their eyes closed. This was an attempt by the artist to “draw the focus inward, negotiating ideas of entertainment, experience, sensation and sensationalism with the conviction that it is actually the numbing of certain sensory realities that generates crucial moments in socio-cultural transformation.” Watch the clip of the track below:

Her other performance, Spinning Four, was about “a visually rich immersive sonic experience that stimulates external senses. From my memories of Indian classical music to the multiplicity of sounds emerging from old mechanical fans, this performance deals with the phenomena on which we all depend, wind and breath. I layer the sound of my voice over the droning percussion of the rotating blades of aged fans powered by electric motors. Once on the air, these sound waves become electrical impulses and data that are manipulated through my laptop in real-time.”

(Picture courtesy surabhisaraf.net)

 

Categories
Film

May the best of the worst win

The Bollywood Razzies are here. In a year when Bollywood produced piles of rubbish, it’s tough to pick a winner.
by M | M@themetrognome.in

Have you heard of the The Ghanta and the Golden Kela? Before you call the moral police, let me clarify. These are the names of awards especially created for Bollywood. The Ghanta and Golden Kela Awards are the Indian counterparts of the Razzies (for Hollywood). Both the awards are independent and not related to each other. It doesn’t matter who gives them away or if the winners have the b**ls to collect them; what matters is that these awards symbolise the awakening of the janata and that Bollywood can no longer bullsh*t the audience without being b**chslapped in return.

The Ghanta Awards are in their third year and the Golden Kelas are a little older at five. Both are very popular on social media and they encourage users to vote online. 2012 was one of the most creatively-challenged years for Bollywood, hence there is plenty to trash this time. But before I cast my precious vote to elect the best of the worst, let’s review the various categories and nominees in each award.

Worst Actor 2012

Akshay Kumar is a clear winner with four straight flops: Housefull 2, Rowdy Rathore, Joker and Khiladi 786. Ajay Devgn comes a close second with Son of Sardaar and Bol Bachchan in both the Awards. Surprisingly, Salman Khan only features in The Ghanta Awards list for Ek Tha Tiger and Dabangg 2. Kat got your tongue, Golden Kela?

Worst Actress 2012

Sonakshi Sinha for Rowdy Rathore, Joker, Son of Sardaar and Dabangg 2; basically everything she did. Katrina Kaif, Deepika, Bipasha, Priyanka Chopra are the rest of the nominations. Everyone, except for Kareena Kapoor, has made it to the lists this year.

 

Worst Film 2012

Oh, this one is tough. There are just five options for the Ghantas and six for Golden Kelas in the worst films category, but they could very well expand their list to include more from the pile of garbage Bollywood produced last year. I like Golden Kela’s list better. They’ve got the crapfest full on with Housefull 2, Son of Sardaar, Khiladi 786, Dabangg 2, Jab Tak Hai Jaan and Joker. All these films were headache-inducting tortures that took away 80 minutes of the audience’s lives. The Ghantas have Student of the Year on its list, but I think the audience deserves a special award for having sat through this film and lived to tell the tale.

Worst Director 2012

Let’s give Shirish Kunder a lifetime pass for the Worst Director Award in both these awards, along with free home delivery. The Golden Kela has Arbaaz Khan vying for this spot for Dabangg 2. Maybe it’s time Arbaazbhai renounces the world and goes back to his planet. Whenever he does go, he should also take Vikram Bhatt (Raaz 3, Dangerous Ishq) along.

Worst Song 2012

Wikipedia should catalogue this into a series. Even this year, as always, Bollywood will make a generous contribution to this. A special volume should be dedicated to our nasal champion Himeshbhai. All the songs of Khiladi 786 have the magical quality of inducing violent behaviour, enough to start a prison riot. *chops own ears off*

Worst Sequel 2012

Jannat, Raaz, Jism, Housefull and Dabaang should jointly accept the award and officially STOP MAKING ANY MORE SEQUELS! The end has no end. The Dabaang prequel will haunt us soon. *shudder*

Both the awards have other unusual and interesting categories, such as:

Golden Kela Awards:

– Most Atrocious Lyric Awards. My pick is ‘Po Po Po’ from Son of Sardaar.

– Why Are You Still Trying Award – For people like Jackie Bhagnani. “Jackie, who?” you ask. Sigh, never mind.

– Baawra Ho Gaya Hai Kya Award – And the winner is, the Indian audience for spending money on a ride to hell and back with this slushpile.

and the Ghanta Awards:

– Worst Rip-Off/Remake – Barfi!

– Worst Couple – Abhishek Bachchan with anyone, even a log of wood.

– WTF Was That – That one time where you almost threw your shoes at the screen, then remembered you were wearing Osho chappals, so you just closed your eyes instead.

– That’s Anything But Sexy – Tough one again, but nothing can beat the awful dance steps in the ‘Cheeni’ song from Department. Unfortunately, it doesn’t feature on the list.

But are these awards really an eye-opener for for our filmmakers? Will they stop and think about the trash they are serving the audience? I don’t think so. Maybe we need some kind of penalty, where the audience is entitled to a refund for a bad film. This will surely make them behave themselves in future.

Voting for both the awards is now open. You can log on to http://theghantas.com/vote/login.php and  http://goldenkela.com/voting/vote.php

Sharp as a tack and sitting on more hot scoops than she knows what to do with, M is a media professional with an eye on entertainment.

(Pictures courtesy galleryoneindia.in, wikimedia.org, hindi.way2movies.com)

Categories
Eat

Liquid spheres

The Oberoi Hotel, Mumbai, offers cocktails that go beyond mere melting in the mouth – they are designed to explode!

This month, it’s time to raise your glass to welcome the New Year as The Eau Bar offers up a selection of innovative new cocktails that will change the way you drink.

The Oberoi is offering a range of cocktails that are created by the hotel’s resident mixologists, who employ the ‘Spherification’  technique. Sounds intriguing? It is. Spherification is a culinary process of shaping a liquid into spheres. It transforms liquids into what, visually and texturall,y resembles caviar.

Spherification was originally discovered by Unilever in the 1950s, and brought into the spotlight by the creative team at el Bulli under the direction of Executive Chef, Ferran Adrià. The basic technique is ideal for obtaining spheres with very thin membranes, barely perceptible in one’s mouth. Upon taking a sip, the spheres will seemingly ‘explode’ in the mouth, releasing the flavoured liquid within.

The special cocktails on offer include the Cosmolecular, made of vodka and cranberry juice, with orange liqueur on the side; Strawberry Martini, made with vodka, with a strawberry sphere on the side and Champagne cocktails, served with either strawberry pearls or almond pearls, among others.

(Pictures courtesy foodgps.com, touchofmodern.com. Pictures are not of actual drinks but have been used for representational purpose only)

 

 

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