Christian Potenza talks about 'Last Car Standing' (Deccan Herald, 30 March 2014)

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/395495/mad-wheels.html

Mad about wheels

Juanita Kakoty, March 30, 2014:

In conversation

“Last Car Standing is unique because the contestants are using and competing with their own property, in the hope for upgrades for that same property. It isn’t like they go on a show with nothing and gain something.
They go on a show with something that belongs to them, with the hope that they can improve it. And that sets this show apart from any other competition show,” is what Christian Potenza, the host of Discovery Turbo’s automotive series, had to say.

Last Car Standing pitted proud owners of lousy cars against each other in a sequence of escalating driving challenges. The temptation was a $10,000 upgrade for the driver of the last car standing; or, the $10,000 upgrade could be passed on for a chance to compete in a playoff episode for a complete $50,000 automotive resurrection.

Potenza says, “Proper Television sent out a national call to find people with decrepit cars that they loved. From there, they narrowed it down to the best people for the competition. The contestants and their cars were meant for each other. They had a special bond. The first thing I saw was the love and pride that they had for their cars, which made me confused and empathetic at the same time.”

In each episode, cars were grouped according to class: From rusty old boats and sub-standard subcompacts to faltering 4x4s to rundown vans. Each of these cars must have been a pristine showroom beauty at some point in time; but over the years, these automobiles have been allowed to fall apart. The cars in each group were put through four elimination rounds and the challenges started with a race around the treacherous Hot Lap; then a gruelling climb, tow, or launch up LCS’s giant adjustable hydraulic ramp.

Then there was a head-to-head battle up and down the dreaded Drag Strip Challenge; and finally the Beater Buster showdown, which is the ultimate, punishing, automotive obstacle course designed to push each car’s capacity to its breaking point.

Hosting such a show takes a lot of energy and composure. In Potenza’s words, “There was so much chaos on set and I had to react while at the same time get the shot. And you can’t write or do another take of something that can only happen once.

The biggest challenge was learning to keep up with the energy of the show, yet remain calm and centered so I could do my job as the host.” He also gives a lot of credit to the crew of the series. “It was absolutely amazing. I have never done anything like this before and it was a learning process.

The crew was absolutely incredible, supportive, and enthusiastic. It was a real joy to come to work every day and all we did was smile! Everybody loved their job that summer. That show was a bunch of moving parts that had to work together at different times and different speeds. And everybody was in charge of their own parts. The crew ran like a well-oiled machine. It was a real pleasure to work with those people.”

Last Car Standing has given him, what he calls, “a bouquet of assorted flowers” for memorable experiences. He remembers, “In our second episode of shooting, a BMW shot out four foot flames on either side of it.

And then another moment, which I’ll always remember, was during the head-to-head race, when a 4x4 ricocheted off an obstacle and came directly towards me. And then there was this time when I saw a grown man cry after watching his beloved truck hoisted three stories in the air and then impaled. I have never seen a grown man cry.”

And talking of hosting a series where five drivers go through four high-impact elimination rounds until there is a sole survivor, Potenza says, “The most exciting part for me was watching these people go and push themselves out of their comfort zone and do something they have never done before and just fight for the honour of their car. To share that human experience of ‘I’m going to win and my car is the best’ was amazing.”

My short story "The Call" published by Writers Asylum...

My short story "The Call" has been published by Writers Asylum. An excerpt:

"Roshan met Maya through a common friend. She had that thing about her. Long after you met her, her smiling eyes and shy smile stayed with you. She was staying at Malviya Nagar with a few friends and preparing for “IAS”. He was a senior in the field and introduced to her as somebody who could guide her. So for one whole year, she came to his room every day and studied as well as did other things with him. He told her about his not much adventurous lower middle class life in a joint family in a small town; and she told him about her childhood sweetheart Pawan and how she pined for him every day, separated as they were by continents. He was in the United States for close to a decade now, pursued a Master’s in engineering there and stayed on for a job. To Maya, he was beginning to seem like a virtual character, yet she had warned Roshan, “Don’t ever forget I belong to Pawan.” He understood. “I will marry Pawan.” He said, yes. “You comfort me, this is a practical arrangement between us, but once Pawan is back, you will have to move out of my life and never be in touch again.” He had said, yes.

Neither of them cleared the Prelims that year. The next year, Roshan joined this call centre at Delhi City Teleshopping and since he was available only in the nights, Maya started living in with him."

Read rest of the story at http://www.writersasylum.in/2014/03/fiction/the-call/

Zaara and I in the land of the Holkars, Feb 2014

Zaara and I just made a short trip to Indore in Madhya Pradesh. Indore is like any other north Indian city dotted with old havelis that now stand pressed against ugly concrete buildings on all sides. The old part of the city is hugely dense with people, houses and shops and cows in the narrow lanes who were touched in obeisance by people who passed by them. And then there was more to the city. The palaces and chatris of the gorgeous Holkars. I felt a tremendous positive vibe in that place. Indore has been charming. The new part of it is neat. But the old part is where the charm lies. 

I thought of coming up with this photo-essay, dedicated to that trip I made with my two year old daughter.

 We landed in Indore early morning. The Indore sky was lovely when it greeted us.

 The Indore airport at a distance.

 Zaara at the hotel, all set for sight-seeing.

 She carries my camera like her bag. Hence, I had to take all these pictures with my phone!

 I was informed that if I were in Indore, I couldn't miss Chappan Dukaan for namkeens and chaats. I thought it was just one shop, one 'dukaan'. But when I reached there I saw that it was one whole line of shops that was callled 'Chappan Dukaan'. 

We settled at a place that had been awarded for its chaats.

The shop had some tempting sweet drinks too.

People inside and outside the shop.

 Next, we visited Rajwada - the magnificent palace built by the Holkars in the 1700s. The palace exhibits a blend of Maratha and Mughal styles. Near the entrance is a courtyard, adjacent to a hall for Lord Ganesha, with Mughal arches. The palace has a number of jharokhas (hanging balconies) with Mughal ornamentation.

At the entrance of the beautiful Rajwada Palace.

Here at the entrance, as one enters, up ahead is the Ganesha Hall with Mughal arches.

Being directed where to visit the Holkar's museum.

Some corner of the palace.

Very peaceful it was. Not many people around. And there was a lovely breeze blowing.

Beautiful chandeliers in the gallery upstairs.

Beautiful pillars and arches.

Reflections on the floor caught my eye.

Regal.

Here I sat for a long time while Zaara caught a quick nap in my lap.

peaceful sky... embroidered by the birds.

The space outside Rajwada palace.

An old haveli near Rajwada stand in line with commonplace buildings, transformed into an office or something.

This is at Lal Bagh palace, the erstwhile residence of the Holkars. Royalty drips from every corner of this palace. Awesome architecture and interiors. Pity cameras or photography is not allowed inside. Let me give you a glimpse of the palace's grandeur through a picture I have sourced from the Internet (http://www.travelindore.com/story_description.php?s_id=24):

There was a little lift inside the palace. An official informed that the palace did not have a kitchen. Its kitchen was located across the River Khan, on the banks of which the palace was built. There was a tunnel from the palace to the kitchen. The food would come from across the river through this tunnel to the pantry in the palace's basement. Once the food was warmed in the pantry, it was moved up through the lift. Thus, the lift was not for people, but for food! This is perhaps the only 'food lift' I've ever come across in my life!  

This is Zaara and me at the garden of Lal Bagh palace. 

We were sitting along with many mermaids that ornamented the garden :)

Lives blessed by 'barkat'

I shifted to Shaheen Bagh with my husband in 2012. At that time, Shaheen Bagh was the only place in the whole of Delhi NCR where we could afford to buy an apartment. I was a little skeptical, not quite knowing how my life would be in a predominantly Muslim neighborhood. Now I know. It is not any different from the kind of life I have led before in different parts of Delhi or Assam or elsewhere. Yes, may be, there are more women to be seen in the hijab, and a few other outwardly "Muslim" characteristics; but other than that, life has been as usual. Just that, I have been fortunate to have amazing neighbors. And now, I really don't want to shift out of this place until and unless my neighbors shift out too :)

My two closest friends here are Rashida Baji and Munni Baji. Both of them are tailors and they are so good with their work! What is extraordinary about them is not just their work, but how they live their lives and inspire me and others who come in touch with them. I dedicate this photo essay to them.

Munni Baji and Rashida Baji at the terrace of Rashida Baji's building

These is a lot to learn from these two women. Munni Baji's husband has been ill for almost a decade now. His health does not permit him to move much out of the house. Hence, the onus of earning this household's livelihood now rests on Munni Baji. She has three children: One girl is still in high school; her son is in Mumbai with his uncle since last year after he passed his high school, learning the trades of his uncle's business; and her eldest daughter joined work last year. So, for quite some time, it was Munni Baji who was running the household. And she has been living in Shaheen Bagh with her family since 1996, before the real estate boom hit it in the 2000s and turned an idyllic piece of land into the clutter that it is now. "I can't tell you the beautiful life we led here," she tells me. "It was almost like we were living in a village with lots of open space for my children to play and for me to grow vegetables!"         

Munni Baji with her husband Islam Bhai in the courtyard of their house 

The courtyard has several trees and cats. And many children from the neighborhood have grown up here. I am glad that my child is growing up here too, in the midst of sand, trees, plants and cats. This is such a blessing in Delhi!

Rashida Baji moved to Shaheen Bagh with her husband and two little daughters in 2002 and took up a place on rent near Munni Baji's house. The two women became friends and soon started working together. They work in a small room by a corner in Munni Baji's courtyard. They work very hard and proudly run their households. 

There is a term called 'barkat', which means a blessing of abundance. Munni Baji and Rashida Baji's households have 'barkat'. Always and for everyone, there is good food coming out of their kitchens. There is a lot of warmth for whosoever visits them. And they look after the road in front of their houses. Both these two women and their husbands. They clean it by themselves every morning. Not only are their houses clean, but the road outside too. This sense of ownership for the road and the neighborhood is something that I have not even seen "educated" people in Delhi maintain. And for keeping the area clean, if they have to shell out of their pockets, they are not even complaining! Has anyone seen many "educated" people do that? Only a few days ago, Islam Bhai got a few people to clean the manholes in the lane. He paid extra of course because despite many rich and educated people living in the flats around, they refused to pay for work being done on the road. Which they say is the government's job! But of course when Islam Bhai pays from his pocket to keep the road well and clean in front of their houses, they have no objections!       

My toddler cries at late in the night and these two households, where people go to bed early, call me up to find out if all's well and if they should come over to help. There is 'barkat' in everything they offer, even in their generosity.

I am so happy that they have included me in their circle of family. 

Rashida Baji and Munni Baji at their workstation

Rashida Baji's husband owns an auto and he runs it in Noida. Very recently, some newspaper had covered the story of how he had tracked one of his passengers who had left behind a suitcase full of thousand rupee notes in his auto and returned it to the man without a single note missing. The man was overwhelmed and offered him some token money as gratitude. Rashida Baji's husband, Samneer Bhai, refused and came back with satisfaction at having located the man. The man spoke about this fortunate incident to a few journalist friends and soon they covered the story of this hero for their papers.  

Sameer Bhai and Rashida Baji with their daughters and two young neighbors, plus my daughter Zaara on Eid  2013 

celebrating Eid 2013 with my two closest friends in Shaheen Bagh

Rashida Baji and her sunshine smile just like her sunshine persona :)

What I have learnt most from these two women is that nothing can and should come in between a life that is lived with generosity, kindness and gratitude.      

for those interested in the MIDIval Punditz...

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/373290/on-musical-quest.html

On a musical quest

Juanita Kakoty, Dec 8, 2013

The music based travel show Sound Trek on Fox Traveller is a kind of cross-country musical journey promising to bring alive some unique jugalbandhis like fusion of rock with sufi, electronic with Indian tribal folk and soul with choral. 

“The show captures the travels of musicians from different styles to various parts of India. Part of the show is about discovery of a new place, in our case, it was the Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad. And another part of the show is to do musical jam sessions with local musicians of the place where we travel to,” says MIDIval Punditz, one of the bands to feature in the show that is aired every Thursday and Friday at 10 pm.

The Punditz — Delhi-based musicians Gaurav Raina and Tapan Raj — are celebrated as trailblazers in electronica, and their style mostly covers jungle, electronica and North Indian classical music. “For this show, we travelled to Hyderabad,” continue the Punditz. “We had to jam with the local Burra Katha musicians, the traditional folk musicians from Hyderabad. We did a new version of a track called Baanwarey from our oncoming fourth album. The version performed on the show is different from our album version.”

The Punditz carry the honour of being the first Indians to get signed for an electronica act by an international label, Six Degrees Records. In 2002, they released their debut album Midival Punditz, which created quite a stir. Midival Times, released in 2005, further cemented their position as Indi-electro pioneers, and Hello Hello (2009) earned them a spot on Amazon’s top picks for 2009.

The Punditz are renowned for their jam sessions, where they have blended electronica with live percussion, vocals and Indian elements like the flute and tabla. They have performed at the biggest clubs and music festivals in the world including Fabric (London), Joe’s Pub (New York), 9:30 (Washington D C), Glastonbury (UK), Paleo (Switzerland) and Stern Grove (US).

Travelling has always enriched their music, relate the Punditz. “Our travels and experiences play a very big part in our music. We pick up all these inspirations from meeting new artistes and also by performing for new audiences. These experiences always make their way into our music, perhaps subconsciously.” They are also optimistic about the electronica scene in India. “The electronica scene in India is exploding, especially with so many festivals pushing the style of music. Earlier, there weren’t too many platforms for an electronic musician.”

Apart from the MIDIval Punditz, Sound Trek features other musical geniuses like Lucky Ali, Advaita, Parikrama, Avial, Indus Creed, Soulmate to name a few. The show will take the audience, along with the musicians, to popular Indian destinations like Ladakh, Goa, Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Auroville, Kerala, Kalimpong, Maheshwar, Srinagar, Orchha and so on.

My latest short story "the utterance" (published by Writers Asylum, 4 Jan 2014)

I begin 2014 with my short story "the utterance" (published by Writers Asylum, 4 Jan 2014). An excerpt:

"A month after he had sneezed and uttered “Allhamulldillah!” he was still looking for a place to move in with Yamini. The whole cycle had started again: Of going through affordable houses but unlivable existential conditions, love-at-first-sight houses but burn-holes-in-pocket prices.

They finally moved into a Muslim neighborhood in Jamia Nagar. The owner, Jumman Mirza, happily handed them the keys to the apartment although he didn’t recognize the boy who now stood in front of him as an adult, and whom he had once hero-worshipped for having shown the thumb to the skies. The boy, whom he had seen once in a while, heard a lot about but never had a conversation with.

To start from the beginning, he might have been born in a Muslim ghetto in the small town of Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, but people, without much appreciation of course,knew him as a rebel. They said he had got into the bad habit of objecting to everything around him and that it was in very bad taste."

Read the rest of it at http://www.writersasylum.in/2014/01/fiction/the-utterance/

on Ittars... (Deccan Herald, 1 Dec 2013)

Source: http://www.deccanherald.com/content/372003/fragrance-royalty.html

The fragrance of royalty

Delhi’s Nizamuddin is better known for Sufi saint Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya’s dargah (mausoleum). 

Walking towards it, one cannot miss the waft of fragrances that awaken and enliven our senses. During my last visit, instead of going straight to the dargah, I took a narrow lane and found myself in an exquisite ittar market. Glass-panelled shops with beautiful crystal bottles holding perfume oils enchanted the passers-by.

Walking into one of the shops, I started a conversation with the owner, Mohammad Faizan (23 years), who is taking forward his father’s business. “My father came to Delhi some 60 years ago from Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh, and he started this business for Islamic reasons. There is sunnat in it, and no work is considered purer,” Faizan tells me. This reminds me of Eid, when it is customary for every Muslim man and woman to apply ittar. Muslim men also wear ittar on Fridays for their jumma prayers.

Ittar, a term with Persian roots, is natural perfume oil derived from herbs, flowers and wood. The Arabic word is attar. The oil, obtained through hydro or steam distillation, is aged. No alcohol is used in ittars. Hence, unlike synthetic perfumes, ittars are worn directly on the body: insides of wrists, behind ears, insides of elbow joints and back of the neck.

History relates that the Mughal nobles of India were great patrons of these oils. The Jasmine ittar was a particular favourite of the Nizams of Hyderabad. It is also mentioned in Ain-e-Akbari by Abul Fazal that Emperor Akbar used ittar on a daily basis. 

It is also said that a Mughal princess’ bath was incomplete without ittar; particularly Oud which was, and is, prepared in Assam. Legend has it that Mughal Empress Noor Jehan discovered one of the most expensive and exotic ittars, Rooh-e-Gulab, while in her bath. 
Faizan informs, “Our Indian products are home-based and mostly come from Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh.” It is today the ‘Ittar city’ or the perfume city of India. 

“Our products have varied markets within and outside India. Oud is most in demand outside India, especially in the Gulf.” He tells me that Oud is like wine, gets better and more expensive with time. “Oud starts at Rs 10,000 for 10 grams and can go up to lakhs, often auctioned. This perfumed oil is mostly for the royal families of Saudi Arabia.” 

And that, “Arabs don’t use it as perfume 70 per cent of the time; they mostly use it as an aphrodisiac. The perfume increases the body pressure.” 

The Indian government apparently, reveals Faizan, has put a ban on the export of Oud since its source Agarwood (dark resinous heartwood) is a rarity. “Arabs mostly come all the way to Delhi and Mumbai to purchase them.”

The popular ittars within India, Faizan tells me, are the flower extracts Raat ki Rani and Bela. “But these perfume oils, in natural form, come very costly because of the processing mechanism. Hence identical products, not natural but made of essential oils, are in demand in Indian markets.” 

Though ittar has a steady clientele, Faizan states that pure ittar is almost a thing of the past because of its price. “People, especially youngsters, can’t afford pure ittar and so go for western perfumes available in good price.” But he does admit that they get clients from diverse religious backgrounds and not just Muslims. Besides, they get corporate demands too. 

“Denim makers approach us for water-based ittars. When denim is being processed, the heavy chemicals used leave a very pungent smell. To remove this smell, they use water-soluble ittars.”

Faizan shows me a bottle of Ruhkhas, which is used in summer for its cooling effect. “The more you sweat, more will the fragrance last,” he says. 

Then he dabs a drop of some bliss on my right wrist. It is Shamama-tul-amber, he tells me, which is priced at Rs 1,200 for 10 ml. “It is made of garam masala (Indian spices), amber (a rare extract from the Salmon) and sandal oil. It is in huge demand in the Gulf and India and all other cold places. It keeps you warm.” 

On my left wrist, he adds a dash of Oud. I came back smelling divine, with fragrances on me that survived two showers.