Who did what?

Saturday, 04 February 2012 15:02 Ushasri Ponnaganti

RNH Events presented ‘Remember Shakti’, live in Hyderabad on the 10th of February 2012. They performed live in concert on 10th February at Chowmahalla Palace. The troupe included John Mc. Laughlin on electric guitar, Zakir Hussain on tabla, Selva Ganesh on kanjira, ghatam and mridangam, U. Srinivasan on electric mandolin and Shankar Mahadevan on vocal.

Shakti is one of the first combinations of musicians trying to do something that crossed all musical boundaries. Formed in 1975, Shakti pioneered a groundbreaking and highly influential east-meets-west collaborative approach. The group, whose name means creative intelligence, beauty and power, now consists of legendary British jazz guitarist John McLaughlin, North Indian tabla master Zakir Hussain, mandolin player U. Srinivasan; and kanjira and ghatam [percussion] player Selva Ganesh, both of whom hail from South India. Together, they create a fluid and organic sound that manages to successfully combine seemingly incompatible traditions. Hussain and McLaughlin, along with rotating co-conspirators, are on their current reunion tour of India and Dubai.

An innovator of jazz-rock fusion with Miles Davis and later his own Mahavishnu Orchestra, McLaughlin formed Shakti to explore his interest not only in the music but also in the spirituality of India. He enlisted for the project tabla master Zakir Hussain, violinist Lakshminarayana Shankar and mridangam (the classical drum of South India) players T.H. Vikku Vinayakram and Ramnad V. Raghavan.

The group debuted with the eponymous album Shakti in 1975, making a strong mark on the world music scene, then in its infancy. It introduced to Western audiences the percussion firepower of tabla player Zakir Hussain, who has worked with Western rock stars like George Harrison and Van Morrison. Hussain, later went on to win a Grammy for his 1992 collaboration with Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart. After two more albums, A Handful of Beauty in 1976 and Natural Elements in 1977, Shakti disbanded as the members each went their various ways to pursue other projects. But in 1999 the group reunited as Remember Shakti, touring and recording a new double CD of the same name, which appeared in 1999.

They have now added Indian maestro singer Shankar Mahadevan who is one of Bollywood’s brightest and most successful singer / music directors. He is also a Carnatic vocalist and his joining the band is the completion of the Musical Circle!

Month: February 2012.

Tuesday, 01 March 2011 16:56 Rajeshwari Kalyanam

“Hum Calcutta mein rehke bhashaon ko todte hain”, said Usha Ganguly at the end of her Hindi play, the Rangakarmee production, “Chandalika.” The prolific theatre artist Usha Ganguly’s productions defy language barriers. In her plays music and dance bring to fore the emotions and the powerful performances take care of the rest. The depiction of Basant Ritu (spring) and the youthful celebrations associated with it, was rendered so beautifully during the play, that words would have been inadequate in comparison.

The play is an adaptation from Rabindranath Tagore’s work, “Chandalika” based on a story from a Buddhist text. Prakriti, a young girl is anguished with her life as an untouchable. Life passes her by, with her being denied even the simple pleasures. The bangle seller refuses to sell her colourful bangles, while the flower seller refuses to sell to her. Prakriti’s mother (enacted by Usha Ganguly herself) has magical powers and hopes to be acknowledged for her power. When water dries up and people are dying of thirst, the king orders her to find water, but when she finds water, they are not allowed to use the same water. Prakriti calls her mother’s magic useless as it does not redeem them of the suffering and humiliation. But when Prakriti is smitten by a Buddhist monk “Ananda” who treats her like a normal human being, she compels her mother to use her spell. However she realizes her folly and requests her mother to take back the spell at the cost of her mother’s life.

Turna Das who plays the role of Prakriti is endearing in her performance; the rekindling of hope for happiness despite the sadness in her life and the changing emotions are well enacted. Usha Ganguly is a theatre school – her distinct style of theatre, makes the play powerful in its message. She is as energetic as always and it was a treat to watch her perform the role of Maya – the Chandalika who has learnt to accept the ways of her life, yet in her own way tries to control it, whose tough exterior hides a loving mother, who gives in to her daughter’s wishes despite knowing the danger in doing so.

While showing the conflict of love in its varied forms, the play shows the stark reality of the society – disparity, prejudice, exploitation and the universal search for love and happiness. This makes Chandalika written in 1933 relevant even today.

The play was presented by Qadir Ali Baig Foundation at Taramati Baradari.

Month: March 2011

Friday, 25 February 2011 14:20 C S Manoj

Weddings are just getting grander and the recent wedding of the Sirigiri family at Hyderabad was literally the talk of the town. Sirigiri Ravinder and Anupama hosted the weddings of their sons Rohit and Ranjit, a weeklong affair culminating in one of the grandest wedding that Hyderabad has seen. The wedding on 25th February was planned to coincide with Ravinder and Anupama’s wedding anniversary on the same day. Anupama has been planning for the wedding for over three years now and brand new venues were created for this gala wedding - a royal Jodha Akbar set for the wedding with Sivamani performing live; an aqua based theme for the reception with Karthik and orchestra; and an Arabian Desert theme with belly dancers. With the choicest of food and beverages on offer and the who’s who of Hyderabad and international guests attending, this wedding will be remembered for long.

Ravinder chose Hyderabad for the wedding, since his roots are from Hyderabad. Born and brought up in Hyderabad, he shifted to New Zealand in 1996 and today has business interests in diverse fields – real estate, oil, transportation, logistics, import & export, events & entertainment and movie production. Ravinder is a revolutionary thinker. He migrated to New Zealand to establish business in unknown waters and achieved great success. When India is looking at the West for higher education, he sent his sons to Hyderabad to do their graduation. He says, “I wanted my sons to maintain their Indian connections and be in touch with their culture. Also I wanted them enjoy their college life in Hyderabad, as I have enjoyed mine.” Rohit and Ranjit have been assisting their father in the business since their school days. They chose to marry girls from Hyderabad in true following of their father’s efforts to continue with their Indian connection. Now the gala wedding has bonded them with Hyderabad much more.

The week long celebrations were held at the Novotel Hyderabad Airport Hotel. “With a different theme every day, we ensured that each day of the celebration was turned into a memorable event,” said Srinivas Srirangam, Director of Food and Beverages at Novotel.

Thursday, 24 February 2011 17:23 Ushasri Ponnaganti

Green Park Hotel at Greenlands - one of the landmark places in Hyderabad and an iconic one by itself! And within it lies another landmark of the city, its multi-cuisine restaurant Once Upon A Time - a restaurant that has been a trend setter for other restaurants along the same lines in Hyderabad, for close to two decades now. Being the signature restaurant for the Green Park Hotel group, it has truly stood in good stead with its tribute to the princely cuisines of India. Just recently revamped with an entirely different decor harking back memories of a Hyderabad bygone, it aptly reflects their specialty, Hyderabadi cuisine, what with a nawabi feel and murals of forts completing the picture.

Once Upon A Time, one of the largest (it can easily accommodate 110 people) and undoubtedly one of the best restaurants in town, has become synonymous for its exquisite décor and choicest cuisine where one can actually savour the delicacies of the royal past. Open for lunch and dinner (with buffet and a la carte options) on all days, and for a sumptuous breakfast only on Sundays, it is surely affordable amongst the most luxurious restaurants in town.

With over 60 items on the menu, their ‘Tycoons Lunch Buffet’ is the talk of the town. Speaking about their immensely popular buffet Joydeep Mazumdar, the F&B Manager says, “We give main emphasis on adding things as per guests’ requirements and also on having more live counters,” and adds, “We have live counters for pasta, noodles and very soon we will have one for desserts too.” The items on the menu are as vast as they can get for a measly per head price of Rs. 399/- plus taxes. A welcome drink, sugar cane juice, do-it-your-way boiled corn, two starters, soups, salads, ten non-vegetarian dishes, 22 desserts (with over 15 Indian and some more diet-free sweets) - are just some of the items. To promote Pan-Asian cuisines, which have become very popular here, they have included Thai, Malaysian, Sri Lankan and Vietnamese cuisine in the buffet for each day. For the true-blue health freaks, the buffet also includes select ‘health foods’, which are cooked with less oil, spices, etc. On Sundays, they have an extra chat counter at no extra cost. It just cannot get better than this, for the hard-core food connoisseurs of Hyderabad. Their dinner buffet too, is a good match to its lunch counterpart here!

For those who love to wake up late on a Sunday morning and then head out for a sumptuous breakfast, their ‘Sunday Breakfast Buffet’ is an ideal bet. The main USP here is their live counters for dosas, apart from the buffet spread of parathas, idlis, vadas, poha, appams - you name it, they have it all. Compiling them here would be a futile attempt. “Being a Sunday, we want families to come and have a good time,” says Mazumdar and adds, “We have a special counter for kids too.” The kids counter here includes noodles, juices and fruits amongst others. Open from 7.30 am to 10.45 am, with over 30 dishes on the menu, it is a steal at Rs. 125/- plus taxes, per head.

From their multi-cuisine a la carte menu, South Indian and Chinese dishes are enormously popular. Talking about their ‘Guest Delights’ Mazumdar says, “We take care of our guests very well.” Guest Delights like giving gifts for kids’ drawings, sending wishes on customers’ birthdays and anniversaries, initiatives like the free dessert counter (wherein guests can help themselves to free desserts irrespective of opting for the buffet or not), add a personal touch and leave a lasting impression.

One of their many other reasons for being popular are the food fests that they have very frequently and the buffet fest that occurs almost every quarter. In the past they have had South Indian, Christmas (complete with turkey and Yule log), Hyderabadi, Bengali fests - wherein the authentic tastes were recreated. They are now planning to repeat their very popular Hyderabadi Food Fest again in February 2011.

Mahendra Tripathi, Sous Chef, speaking about their dishes emphasises, “We do not use artificial colours. In fact no colour is used in any of the dishes” and adds, “Tandoor items are popular in starters whereas in main course and desserts Indian cuisine is extremely popular.” With a parting thought he adds, “The interactive kitchen wherein the chef meets customers, is liked a lot by the customers.”

Signature dishes from their vast menu include Mutton Gosht Biryani, Haleem, Mutton Rogan Josh, Butter Chicken, Mausam Ki Rangeela Sabzi, Butani Vegetable, Fried Corn and more. Other dishes from the a la carte menu that are on the ‘definitely-try’ list are - the farm fresh seasonal Green Salad, Canja De Galina (a curried soup with diced chicken, rice and crushed peppercorns), Cheesy Kalmi Kebab (succulent legs of chicken marinated overnight with yoghurt and cheese, and cooked in the tandoor), Til Mil Ke Kebab (spinach and fenugreek kebab with spiced hung curd), Nalli Alishan (tender lamb pieces with Indian spices), Bengali Fish Curry (murrel fish cooked with mustard oil and perfect blend of vegetables), Guchhi Mutter (a unique combination of button mushrooms with green peas), Subzi Biryani (a mild and light vegetable biryani and a great favourite of the Nawab of Awadh), in the Indian cuisine. In Chinese, do try the Cantonese Soup, Golden Fried Prawns, Mongolian Chicken, Vegetable Lollipops, Crab Meat Balls, Black Beans Chicken, Crispy Shredded Lamb, Sweet & Sour Vegetables, Mixed Meat Noodles, Chilli Garlic Fried Rice. In desserts, savour the Pot Kulfi, Ginger Creme Brulee, Peach Melba and Coupe Jamaica.

For those who’d like to indulge in a drink or two with their meal, they have a wide range to choose from - both foreign and Indian.

To sum it up, ‘Once Upon A Time’ at Green Park Hotel, is where you should head if you are looking for a grand culinary experience at tempting prices!

Chef’s Recommendations’:
Salad: Chicken & Lettuce Salad.
Soup: Man Chow Soup
Starters: Pepper Chicken, Murgh Malai Kebab, Buttani Vegetable, Vegetarian & Non-vegetarian Kebab Platter.
Main Course: Mutton Biryani, Dal Makhani, Mutton Rogan Josh, Mausam Ki Rangeela Sabzi.
Desserts: Rasmalai, Double Ka Meetha, Qubani Ka Meetha.

RESTAURANT
Once Upon A Time @ Green Park

LOCATION
Begumpet

OUR RATING
4 stars

Month: January 2011.

Thursday, 17 February 2011 15:00 Rajeshwari Kalyanam

Shreyasi, the international festival of dance presented by NatyaTarangini opened with an enchanting performance - Classical Moscow Ballet directed by Natalia Kasatkina and Vladimir Vasilöv. The troupe formally named the State Academic Classical Ballet Theatre is known world-wide as the “Moscow Classical Ballet”. The ballet was established by the USSR Ministry of culture in 1966. For thirty years Natalia Kasatkina and Vladimir Vasilyov have assumed the roles of the Theatre's artistic directors and they have been choreographing new performances and presenting new talent to the world. The troupe performed in over 30 countries across 5 continents.

The opening piece for the evening featuring Diana Kosyreva as Odetta and Alexei Orlov as Prince Seigfried - the second act from the famous Swan Lake, started with Andrei Bolbot as Rothbart showing his fiery side. Prince Seigfried in pursuit of the Swans reaches the lake and takes his aim to shoot and a swan transforms into the beautiful Odetta. The Prince falls in love with Odetta. The saga of love, betrayal and sadness was heart touching and a perfect opening to the evening.

The repertoire for the evening was very well chosen including the most popular ballets, “Swan Lake” was followed by the dancers enacting portions of five different ballets; “La Esmeralda Pas De Deux”, “Don-Quixote”, “Spartacus”, T Chaikovsky’s composition and “Gran pas”.

The passionate love between captive king Spartacus and his wife Phrygia and their fear of separation was one of the best performances of the evening leaving the audience speechless while the portions from Don Quixote, the gypsy dances from the La Esmeralda had the beautifully dressed ballerinas amazingly nimble as they danced to perfection, defying the laws of gravity was totally endearing. The group ended the show with T Chaikovsky’s composition followed by the Gran Pas. The repertoire showcased the tremendous talent of this world famous group, displaying the various techniques of the classical ballet with ease, elegance and brilliance.

There was inadequacy as far as the introductions to various ballet pieces and the acts that were performed are concerned. Especially considering the fact that for most of the Hyderabad dance lovers this may be the first time they are watching the live performance of classical Moscow ballet.

However this did not dampen the joy of the audience. There was not one dull movement through the entire performance and the audience continued to applaud through each and every scene and act. If the standing ovation at the end of the show is anything to go by, the Moscow Classical Ballet was a stupendous success and a great start to the dance festival slated for the next four days; Jose Parcel’s Flemenco Dance from Spain is scheduled on 17th at Shilpakala Vedika. Raja Radha Reddy’s Kuchipudi dance, Whirling Dervishes from Turkey and Contemporary Dance by Paul Taylor are scheduled from 18th to 20th at the Global Peace Auditorium at Gachibowli.

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