Ever wondered why Indians across the world, will often inaugurate or complete an important task that invokes God himself by breaking the coconut? What do we have against this humble fruit?

Lets understand the deeper meaning behind this otherwise silly action....

      Why do Indians Break Coconuts on Every Occasion

Interview with Umair Khan - Model, Mumbai, India

Umair Khan 

Profession : Model, Freelance
World Map : Mumbai, India

Born and brought up in Mumbai, Umair has always been an ardent lover of football playing professionally in many an elite club. But as he progressed through life’s many an unexpected twists, he found his calling in the spirit of dance and trained under the legendary Shiamak Davar himself and has since found himself dancing with the stars in many a television programme such as Zee Cine Awards, Star Guild Awards , Star Parivaar Awards and many more. 

It was here that his talents and hard work were given credibility and he was soon made the poster boy for a myriad of companies ranging from Fogg Adverts to prints for Jet Airways and Smaash apart from a host of small scale enterprises. 

One of his crowning achievements however would definitely be a character role with the Bollywood Actor Farhaan Akhtar in the movie Bhaag Milkha Bhaag as an Indian athlete.

Come and hear his story of perseverance and get a glimpse of the world that lies beyond the glimmering curtains!

Q> What is Modeling to you? What goes through your mind when you express yourself through it?
Modelling to me is the love for fashion. It's the classic case of passion turned into a career. When expressing myself through it I'm completely myself be it on a runway or on a set/studio. It's a give and take relationship with the camera. I think passion is the difference between having a job and having a career. And like they say choose a job that you love and you will never have to work a day on your life.

Q>  What is the role of modelling and dance in impacting today’s generation? How tough is it to make a career here in today’s market?
 It's Everything ! Because of the Media I feel there's too much pressure on the youth to be attractive, athletic and popular. This means they are indirectly pushed into the notion of being fit like a model and be a good dancer to have their talent and credibility acknowledged. Every youth today has a role model they look up to and want to imitate. A positive role model, though few, has the power to make change desirable in society.

It's very difficult to make a career in this field in today's market. You have to be perfect in everything to be able to make it to the final auditions. And just when you think the worst is over, there comes the selection round. Crossing this barrier itself is a task. It's this unseen hard work that people fail to see behind the glossy magazine photographs. Each commanding hours of training at the gym, eating the right food, maintaining a healthy diet, correct amount of sleep, looking after your looks is certainly no rosy lifestyle. Besides, after all, at the end of the day it's the face that sells.  What makes is more exciting is the endless running around for auditions and waiting in a line with a minimum of a 100 people even for a short character role of an unheard advert!.

Q> What were the initial difficulties you faced when making modeling your career? And the small moments that inspired you to be steadfast in your perseverance?
One thing everyone needs to know is that modelling is a full time job. It's a career and a very difficult one. It's not like a 9-5 job. You've got to give everything you have and there's no fixed timing. Work shifts may go on a full day and night schedules. It's an All in poker game where you risk your career, hard work and money put in if you don't make it.

                                           

Initially, I was very thin so I had to start with getting my body in the right shape. Hours of training for months went into that. When I thought I was ready and started with the auditions, the requirements kept changing with every audition! Some wanted lean, some asked to bulk up more. The requirements, though frustrating, differed with every project. Three months of auditioning in the heat and running around for almost every possible audition and not being shortlisted for a single thing was difficult to accept. It's at this point that you need to stay focused and give it all. You become your best or your worst enemy. I made sure I got it because I really wanted to and that kept me working to achieve it. Everyone around you will criticise you and that's when you need to prove them wrong. That became my mission and strangely, my inspiration.

 Q> How do you strike a balance between work and family? Is there any support or pressure?
 Family support is the most important thing you can ask for in this field. If you family is supportive, you've got everything you can ask for. I’ve been blessed with a very understanding family. They always let me do whatever I've wanted to but in a good way. Even if you are out of town for weeks, just a phone call from home is all that you need to rejuvenate. I'm really very thankful to my family for everything they've done for me.
                                         
Q> Is the modelling world really as glittery as the common man sees it to be? Could you give us an example of the reality you see?
 Yes. It's very fascinating. But again the amount of hard work it takes to reach there and see it, is a lot. In the end, it's totally worth it. You just have to make sure you're ready for the hard work and struggle which hides behind the glamour.

Q> How have you been able to keep in touch with the ones that have made you who you are today? Is it important to do so?
 Yes. I'm in touch with everyone who's made me what I am today. It shows that you actually care and love them. Wealth of good manners is something that no one can steal from you. You keep it with you wherever you go.

Q> Tell us about the real Mr. Khan who sits behind the curtain.
I'm actually not a party person. I don't go out clubbing or partying all the time. I'm a fitness freak. Love working out all day and all night and the credit to this fitness goes to my trainer Yogesh Bane. Apart from that, when I'm not out for work you will find me with my friends, just enjoying a good chat. So behind my curtain, life is much simpler and not that fancy which balances me with the glamorous side.

Q> If given a choice to chose an alternate career what would you have chosen and why?
 Dancer without a doubt! Being a Dance graduate from Shiamak Davar International School and working and learning under the maestro Shiamak himself is just something you can't leave. It’s like being with family, a bond that is hard to break.

Trying a timeless cocktail @ the Harbour Bar - Taj Mahal Palace Hotel

The Taj Mahal Hotel has always been an iconic landmark that has caressed the imagination of both the tourist and the local for over a century. From the regality of its clientele to the taste of its furniture and façade, the hotel has found a very special mark in the lives of the people living in the Financial hub of the World’s Seventh Largest Nation.

But unlike other hotel’s who find it a task to compete with its rich heritage, the Taj Mahal Palace, over the years has doled out may a trick from her hat that are so unique that each became a crowd puller in their own right. The Taj has always prided itself in being a trendsetter and who could blame them; from being the first to employ German Lift Technology and Turkish Hammams, to registering the City’s First and Second License Bars and even till date make their own ice creams!

Each addition into the legacy that is the Taj have carved out their own competitive niches built over the years with innovations and personal touches from guests and staff alike that ironically compliment the existence of the hotel itself! Once such jewel can still be found at the Harbour Bar.

Located at the Lobby level of the Timeless Hotel, The Harbour Bar has prided itself in having uncontested views of the seaside promenade and the marvellous Gateway. But seldom do people know that unlike most bars that are famed for its views or drinks, the Harbour Bar is not just a combination but more.

Opened in 1933, to quench the thirst of many a traveller, the Harbour Bar is officially Bombay’s First License Bar, a record the Taj proudly hold. And with such a historic title, come many an experienced staff who fondly remember the aqua blue décor of old with wooden ships decked up on walls that complimented the deep sea headgear that graced the Bar Counter. Even food could be ordered from any Restaurant: Indian, Chinese, Continental – making this place truly lively and International; capturing the hearts of many a sailor leaving his home, at times and quite literally, half the globe away!

And it is said that when emotions connect memories abound! So also was the case in 1930’s when two American Sailors stepped into the Bar to quench their thirst in celebration of the withdrawal of the Prohibition of Alcohol back home. They demanded the bar tender to conjure a unique concoction that could best compliment their bliss.

The bartender, at his innovative best mixed Gin with an array of fruit juices to create that special blend and just when the sailors thought the best was over, he set fire to the alcohol as he pored the flaming liquid gracefully into the drink. On taking a sip, the sailors were so spellbound that they demanded a name and on invite of the Bar Tender, they stood up raised their glasses and christened the drink to be “The Harbour since 1933” a name that has still stuck on.

Today, however, a lot has changed. Tehmton Mistry, a pillar of the Hotel and having worked for over 32 years mentions that the bar has changed its look to keep with the times. From unique artworks done by Rajesh Pullevar and Ram Kumar to the furniture and even the Bar Counter, the Bar is made to give that truly Bombay feel.

Even the cocktail has survived many a marketing adversity over the years and has managed to still grace the pallets of the bewildered tourists who come with curiosity but leave in enchantment. Even though the enactment of the story is done with fervour and former staff like Salim from stewarding who specially crafted six stands to enhance the heating of the alcohol, the cocktail has managed to capture and retain its identity in a world where innovation and trends rule.

If you pass by the southern tip of Historic British Bombay, drop in at the Harbour Bar and be a part of a legacy that even the Second World War nor the Birth of the World’s most populous democracy could not wipe out!

CHEERS!

Old Harbour Bar

"Harbour Bar 1933" drink at Harbour Bar at Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai, India. December 30, 2013

Capturing Mumbai at Sunrise - Live from Marine Drive

It’s 7 am. The air feels cool. Mumbai’s pride; Marine Drive, is awake and alive. The broad promenade stretches along the Arabian Sea. In the evening, the shining lampposts form a necklace, the Queen’s Necklace as they call it.  Beautifully rounded, accompanied by the waves that steadily hit the rocks. But it’s early morning now, the sun is about to rise and break through the morning mist. A faint breeze strokes my chin as I listen to the ever present Mumbai crows.

To the north, the skyline stretches towards the sky, mostly made by the high-risebuildings offancy Malabar Hills. They seem quite a distance away behind a haze of mist, or smog as it might well be. I turn around and my gaze falls on the Air India building, who has become my landmark. Tall hotels together with ordinary corporate buildings form the Northern skyline. People come to work here, but right now, people come to walk.

They walk alone, or in pairs. In long strides, and short strides. The men, retired perhaps – in their white, big jogging shoes. Loose trousers, shirts with rolled up sleeves. Some stroll along leisurely, some walk briskly. They walk the talk. Old colleagues, neighbours, brothers, friends. Twos and threes, sometimes in fours.

Then there is the retired couples; the women in their salwar kameez and a woollen cardigan on top of it. It’s still cool for a Mumbaikar. The wide trousers flutter around old legs above big shoes. Good shoes. They don’t talk, there is no need. They walk. Before the sun emerges and makes walking unbearable. Some wear track suits, swinging their arms energetically from side to side.

An old woman walks towards me, she is wearing a burka. She sits down next to me, breathes heavily. She seems distressed, restless. After a while she heaves her heavy body and leaves, perhaps she needed a rest.

A suffering body or a suffering mind.

A young man is chasing a football, all by himself. The ball goes this way and that, always captured by the man who puts it back on track. He’s moving along with the ball, in between people. Nobody interferes. I follow him with my gaze, soon the restless figure is lost among the people.

The stream of people thickens. The sun is about to break. Four women are sitting side by side, chanting. Om, they chant. Ooomm...  They are unmoved by the stream of people, by the looks of any odd tourist. Closed eyes & deep in concentration.

The concrete wall along the promenade doubles as a bench. People also walk on top of it, or they sit down cross legged with their faces turned towards the sea. Contemplating; about the day that lies ahead or even life itself…

Even at this hour, some young couples sit close together, captured in secrecy perhaps, a more than common sight in the evening. Some do yoga, stretching their bodies towards the soft sky. Some is lost to the world in deep meditation. Or, we simply let our gaze wander. Up and down the promenade. Thinking how lucky this overcrowded, polluted, dirty megalopolis is to have such freedom and space for everybody to share.

The joggers emerge among the walkers. Long trousers, short trousers. A woman in a sari even. Chubby young girls adamant on losing a few kilos, their feet heavily touching ground. Sweaty foreheads come alone, but also in pairs. Mutual struggle. Mutual pain. Being two is always a small comfort. Athletic men in shorts glide along, fancy sun glasses, even more fancy shoes. Expats trying to keep fit, trying to beat the forever-glaring sun, trying to keep up a lifestyle from colder countries. Foreign business men from nearby hotels follow suit.

But people mostly walk. Arms swinging from side to side. Stretching limbs as they walk. Serious looks on their faces. Trying to fight old age. Middle aged women in western clothes and big sunglasses walking fast and furious. Fighting yesterday’s many-a-tantalizing laddoo. Young girls in threes and fours. Serious sometimes if not giggling, discussing that very special boy in school. Avoiding the many stray dogs that scuttle about. And there he is; the little boy with the monkey in a chain. Frowned upon by the regulars, but always attracting interest from tourists before they realise he’s not there to entertain, but to earn a living.

I’m leaving, still not at risk while crossing the street. Walking towards the Air India building, and then straight ahead on uneven sidewalks towards Colaba. The odd stalls are coming to life along the way, people are queueing for their buses, the Oval Maidan is quiet, but the traffic is picking up as I reach the other side of the city where the sun has hit the Indian Sea with full force.

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Meet the Author:

Courtesy - Mr. Kjetil Alsvik.

Anne-Trine Benjaminsen lives in Stavanger, Norway.She is a frequent traveller to India, and passionate about Indian literature. She works as an in-house journalist/web publisher in the Norwegian oil service industry where she has also taught cross-cultural communication.But as time permits; she tries to pursue different creative projects within writing and photography. She volunteers for the Norwegian development organization Indias Barn (Children of India) as their magazine editor.

“I fell in love with India and Mumbai from the very start. I love the city’s vibrant atmosphere, the chaos and control… the crowds and the crows, the tempting book stores, the many markets, the soothing sea breeze and of course; the magnificent Marine Drive. What more can you ask for…”

Read more about India travels and Indian literature on www.benjamuna.com or email: anne-tb@online.no 

My Date with Shantaram - Living a Novel in Mumbai

It was my last night in Mumbai. The end of a perfect holiday. But the flight wasn’t due until 3.30 in the morning. I thought of ways to while away the hours.

“Let’s go to Leopold’s,” I said to my friends and travel companions. “We need food, we need to sit down a bit.” They all agreed, and waited for me – still the experienced one – to find a way to cross the busy Colaba Causeway.

It was getting dark, traffic had slowed down, the heat was bearable. And then I saw him, on his motorbike, outside Café Leopold. I spotted him from across the street, even though my vision always fails me in the twilight. A wave of sensation surged through my body; could it really be…?

I forgot my friends, crossed the street oblivious to cars in every direction and went right up to him.

“Shantaram, is it really you?” (In retrospect, the famous quotation by Henry Morton Stanley upon locating David Livingstone in Africa; “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?”now has a totally new interpretation).

David Gregory Roberts, the author of almost legendary novel and never-made-it-into-a-movie Shantaram sat astride his huge motorbike, simply said yes, leaned back and smiled at me.
Words came stumbling out although I felt completely in control. I just couldn’t believe my luck. People come to Mumbai all the time. His readers and admirers come to Mumbai all the time, and for them, “Leo” is the number one attraction even though most of them are reluctant to admit it. The café cum restaurant is full of mostly young backpackers and they all have this secret hope; to meet him in person; Shantaram. I shan’t deny it. I have been to “Leo” many a time and you tend to look around…. Because when you read the book, you really believe (although wrongly) that this is Robert’s autobiography. And that makes the 8-900 page novel even more intoxicating.

Roberts seemed perfectly at ease, he must be used to people of all kinds approaching him. He told me there were a few Scandinavians inside the café tonight, that he had been to Norway recently, to see his publisher.

I looked over my shoulders, my friends had been able to cross the street and stood gazing at me – a very enquiring look on their faces. I could feel their many questions, or maybe just one;Who on earth is he?

I turned to Roberts and asked the inevitable question; “Do you mind posing in a photo with me?”

   “Of course,” he said amiably. As in; I’m all yours. I don’t remember who took the photo, but it’s a good one. Because I look at it almost every day, a memento in my window sill.

We bade farewell. I don’t know how long the encounter lasted, I can’t remember exactly what we said, but I remember the motorbike as it swung out of the pavement and onto Colaba Causeway, and roared towards the north. The last I saw of him was his flapping, grey ponytail.

We got ourselves a table. I did my best to explain, four pairs of ears eagerly tried to grasp what I said. The noise at “Leo” is almost unbearable. And then I reached for my cellphone and sent a text message to a booklover friend in Norway; “Guess whom I just met…”.

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Meet the Author:

Courtesy - Mr. Kjetil Alsvik.

Anne-Trine Benjaminsen lives in Stavanger, Norway.She is a frequent traveller to India, and passionate about Indian literature. She works as an in-house journalist/web publisher in the Norwegian oil service industry where she has also taught cross-cultural communication.But as time permits; she tries to pursue different creative projects within writing and photography. She volunteers for the Norwegian development organization Indias Barn (Children of India) as their magazine editor.

“I fell in love with India and Mumbai from the very start. I love the city’s vibrant atmosphere, the chaos and control… the crowds and the crows, the tempting book stores, the many markets, the soothing sea breeze and of course; the magnificent Marine Drive. What more can you ask for…”

Read more about India travels and Indian literature on www.benjamuna.com or email: anne-tb@online.no