DOHA 22°C—30°C TODAY PUZZLES 14 & 15 D LIFESTYLE/HOROSCOPE 13 L P Jumada II 29, 1437 AH Thursday, April 7, 2016 Community ASD’s sixth graders recently marked their fi fth Qatar History Day with a focus on the dynamic changes the country has experienced in the past 20 to 30 years. Community Filipino forum HERO Qatar has welcomed volunteers to join them in walking more than 150 orphan canines. P6 P20 Dana’s day Top Qatari composer and songwriter makes waves debuting classical crossover album Sandstorm. P4-5 COVER STORY THRILLED: Dana Alfardan
Transcript
DOHA 22°C—30°C TODAY PUZZLES 14 & 15D LIFESTYLE/HOROSCOPE 13L P
Jumada II 29, 1437 AHThursday, April 7, 2016
CommunityASD’s sixth graders recently marked their fifth Qatar
History Day with a focus on the dynamic changes the country has experienced in the past 20 to 30 years.
CommunityFilipino forum HERO Qatar has
welcomed volunteers to join them in walking more than 150 orphan canines.
Emergency 999Worldwide Emergency Number 112Kahramaa – Electricity and Water 991Ooredoo Telephone Assistance 111Local Directory 180International Calls Enquires 150Time 141, 140Doha International Airport 40106666Labor Department 44508111, 44406537Medical Commission 44679111Mowasalat Taxi 44588888Qatar Airways 44496000Weather Forecast 44656590Hamad Medical Corporation 44392222 44393333Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation 44845555 44845464 Primary Health Care Corporation 44593333 44593363 Qatar Assistive Technology Centre 44594050Qatar News Agency 44450205 44450333Q-Post – General Postal Corporation 44464444Qatar University 44033333
Mall Cinema (1): Batman Vs. Superman (2D) 11.30am; The Boss (2D) 2.30pm; Mr. Right (2D) 4.30pm; The Boy & The Beast (2D) 6.30pm; Mr. Right (2D) 8.45pm; Darvinte Parinamam (Malayalam) 10.45pm.Mall Cinema (2): The Boy & The Beast (2D) 11am; Kung Fu Panda 3 (2D) 1.15pm; The Boy & The Beast (2D) 2.45pm; Kung Fu Panda 3 (2D) 5pm; Batman Vs. Superman (2D) 6.30pm; Batman Vs. Superman (2D) 9pm; The Dead Room (2D) 11.30pm.Mall Cinema (3): Darvinte Parinamam (Malayalam) 11.30am;
Darvinte Parinamam (Malayalam) 12.15pm; The Boss (2D) 5pm; Ki & Ka (Hindi) 7pm; Shaket Dabous (Arabic) 9.15pm; Before I Wake (2D) 11pm.Royal Plaza Cinema Palace (1): The Boss (2D) 11am; Mr. Right (2D) 1pm; Kung Fu Panda 3 (2D) 2.45pm; Kung Fu Panda 3 (2D) 4.15pm; Batman Vs. Superman (2D) 6pm; Batman Vs. Superman (2D) 8.30pm; Batman Vs. Superman (2D) 10.45pm.
Royal Plaza Cinema Palace (2): The Dead Room (2D) 11.15am; The Boy & The Beast (2D) 12.45pm; The Boy & The Beast (2D) 3pm; Ki & Ka (Hindi) 5.15pm; The Boss (2D) 7.30pm; Mr. Right (2D) 9.30pm; Before I Wake (2D) 11.15pm.Royal Plaza Cinema Palace (3): The Boy & The Beast (2D) 11am; Shaket Dabous (Arabic) 1.15pm; The Dead Room (2D) 2.45pm; The Boss (2D) 4.30pm; Mr. Right (2D) 6.30pm; Before I Wake (2D) 8.15pm; Shaket Dabous (Arabic) 10pm; The Dead Room (2D) 11.30pm.
EVENTS
Senyar ChampionshipDATE: Until April 16TIME: 8am-10pmVENUE: KataraAs part of its strategy and in celebration of our glorious
heritage, Cultural Village Foundation – Katara is organising for the fi fth consecutive year Senyar Championship. This annual marine competition comprises fi shing and pearl-diving contests for Qatari nationals with valuable prizes allocated to the winning contestants. The championship aims to revive ancestral heritage whilst highlighting the traditions, customs and values associated with Qatari marine life.
The Merlin Magic ShowDATE: April 8-17TIME: 4pmVENUE: The Magical Festival VillageWitness absurd occurrences; in an exclusive 10 days Magic
show at The Magical Festival Village. It will be a mind blowing performance by Cezar Balasoiu, the performance blends amazement and style to create an unbelievable entertainment experience like no other. It will be combined numbers of close-up magic, appearances and disappearances.
Compiled by Nausheen Shaikh. E-mail: [email protected], Events and timings subject to change
Shifting SandsDATE: Until July 7VENUE: Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim
Museum, AlsamariyahMA students of UCL Qatar are organising
and curating an exhibition as part of UCLQurates. In the very recent past, Qatar has undergone a signifi cant transformation; through these developments, people have had to adapt to the changing landscape in which they live.
Comedy In The ParkDATE: TodayTIME: 7pmVENUE: Ritz-Carlton DohaCatch East India Comedy’s Sorabh Pant,
Sahil Shah and Sapan Verma take down Bollywood!An annual show where these three roast the worst performances in Bollywood.
Songkran FestivalDATE: April 15VENUE: Grand Hyatt, DohaGet ready to get soaked with Grand Hyatt
Doha’s very own Songkran celebration. Award-winning Thai restaurant Isaan will be commemorating Songkran with a Thai New Year Gala Dinner on April 13 and closing with a special Songkran Chatuchak Brunch on April 15. For details, call 44481250.
The Proclaimers Live In QatarDATE: April 29TIME: 7pmVENUE: InterContinental DohaFollowing a hugely successful 2015 UK and
Ireland tour, The Proclaimers are travelling much more than 500 Miles in 2016 as they continue to play to fans all across the World. IconicEvents proudly present Scotland’s most well known and loved identical twin brothers The Proclaimers.
Yamativo Salsa ClassesDATE: Every MondayTIME: 7pmVENUE: Radisson BluIt’s always fun and always challenging.
Let’s meet and learn some moves every Monday night. You don’t need to do anything, just join us. Level 1 (intermediate level) 7pm and for beginner level 8pm. Be there are Raddison Blu Hotel Cabana Club.
Beach Volleyball World TourDATE: TomorrowTIME: 4:30pm -9pmVENUE: Gharafa Sports ComplexCatch this event live in The Beach
Volleyball Arena, at the Al Gharafa Sports Complex! April 4-8. Free entrance!
The Tainted Veil (fi lm screening)DATE: Today, tomorrowTIME: 7:30pmVENUE: Museum of Islamic ArtWhether a veil of the soul, the mind or the
body, the layers of the veil in history and the many meanings behind it will be revealed. The hijab is a head covering, and ‘women are either judged for wearing the hijab or for not wearing it’. In The Tainted Veil, the challenges surrounding these ideas are exposed in a debate featuring diverse guests and extraordinary stories. For more info, visit http://www.dohafi lminstitute.com
Let’s Celebrate WomanhoodDATE: TomorrowTIME: 9amVENUE: FCCFCC Vanithavedi has been organising
various programmes for Malayalee women in Qatar as part of the World Women’s Day celebrations since January. The programme, ‘Let’s celebrate womanhood’ will be held at FCC from 9am. Oottupura, presentation and sale of regional food items and various cuisines from Kerala; exhibition and sale of bags, dresses and ornaments paintings and crochet made by women are all being organised as part of the celebration. There will be competitions for children of class 1- 8. For more details, call 30956695,30018879,7321436.
Spring Exhibition MIADATE: Until July 16TIME: 10:30am- 5pmVENUE: QM Gallery Al RiwaqAn exhibition of 15 contemporary Chinese
artists, curated by internationally acclaimed New York-based Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang, will be on view at the QM Gallery Al Riwaq. The exhibition will be the major highlight presented in the context of the Qatar China 2016 Year of Culture. Artworks exemplifying each and every artist’s unique artistic language and methodology will be displayed in individual galleries.
Yamativo Salsa ClassesDATE: Every MondayTIME: 7pmVENUE: Radisson BluIt’s always fun and always challenging.
Let’s meet and learn some moves every Monday night. You don’t need to do anything, just join us. Level 1 (intermediate level) 7pm and for beginner level 8pm. Be there are Raddison Blu Hotel Cabana Club.
3Thursday, April 7, 2016 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITYROUND & ABOUT
BOOKS 1. Jojo Moyes: Me Before You 2.Various Artists: Entertainer Qatar 2016 3. Jeff Kinney: Diary Of Wimpy Kid 10 Old School 4. Bounty: Flowers Gardens 5. Zoe Sugg: Girl Online On Tour 6. Jennifer Niven: All The Bright Places 7. Robin S Sharma: Monk Who
Sold His Ferrari8. Robert T Kiyosaki: Rich Dad Poor Dad9. Jojo Moyes: After You10. Johanna Basford: Lost Ocean
TV-SERIES
1. Suits S1&22. Downton Abbey S 1-63. Arrow S34. Prison Break S25. Gotham S16. Mad Men The Complete Final Sea7. Flash S18. Modern Family S1-69. Walking Dead S1-510. Nikita S1-4
MOVIES1. Spectre2. Goosebumps3. Descendants4. Mad Max 4 Fury Road5. Ant Man6. Malefi cent7. Arthur 3 The War Of Two Worlds 8. Intern9. Paranormal Activity The Ghost10. Black Work
MUSIC
1. Various Artists: Now 93 2.Yanni: Sensuous Chill3.Various Artists: Grammys 20164.One Direction: Made In The A M Hardcoverbook Del Ed5. Rihanna: Anti 6.Various Artists: Brit Awards 2016 Db7. Coldplay: Head Full Of Dreams 8. Adele: 259. Justin Bieber: Purpose10. Various Artists: We Love Disney
top 10
Courtesy: Virgin Megastores, Landmark and Villaggio Mall
FOODIE CHOICE
RESTAURANT : Spice MarketLOCATION: W Hotel, West BayOffering up a generous menu of
Southeast Asian cuisine, the concept behind the restaurant is that through the design and food you are transported into a Vietnamese street market, or a Thai food stall.
Thursday, April 7, 20164 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY COVER STORY
Hit by SandstormDana Alfardan scores big with her latest album as collective verve
of The Doha String Quartet & Friends brings out the essence of
Sandstorm in all its soothing tonal glory, writes Anand Holla
PERSONAL TOUCH: “Sandstorm is a very personal album with every single one of the songs being of significance to me,” says Dana Alfardan.
By the rhythmic crescendo and the fervent tempo of Lustre, the last piece of the evening, one
could swear to have experienced the whole gamut of moods and emotions that the music of Dana Alfardan seeks to stir up.
The art-splattered insides of the acoustically rich Anima Gallery, The Pearl, was the choice of venue for the choicest of audience — a long list of dignitaries and Doha’s upper crest. For top Qatari composer and songwriter Dana Alfardan,
debuting her latest album, Sandstorm, had to be done in fine style and finer grace. Enter The Doha String Quartet & Friends featuring maverick Syrian solo violinist MAias Alyamani, delivering a tour de force of an instrumental concert on Monday evening, much to the cheering audience’s delight.
All 11 songs from Sandstorm have been composed by Dana Alfardan, who was understandably thrilled by the performance. Right after the show, Dana told Community, “I spent the past two years compiling this material; all
the songs and arrangements. My entire life I have wanted to get into classical music, but I have never been classically trained. So, obviously, for me to be able to showcase the entire content of my upcoming classical crossover album, and to actually see the joy on the people responding to it is mind-blowing.”
The 11 tracks that the ensemble played were The Beginning, River Dance, Pride of a Nation, Sandstorm, Music Box, Spirit of Thunder, Tango Swing, Etat D’Ame, Layla, Distance, and Lustre, featuring MAias Aylamani.
Standout tracks on the album include Pride of a Nation, a musical tribute to Qatar, which is a great source of pride for Dana; and Music Box, which is inspired by the magical, haunting and nostalgic quality of music boxes, and successfully translates both the simplicity and purity of that sound.
Then there’s Spirit of Thunder, a song that “captures the emotional storm before the calm” and is characterised by light, hope and growth; and Layla, Dana’s musical ode to her adorable little daughter, who she regards as her
greatest inspiration. “Sandstorm is a very personal
album with every single one of the songs being of significance to me. I am thrilled with the results and the overwhelmingly positive reaction from this evening’s audience,” Dana said, “Since the band has spent the past week recording this album, which is set to release around a month from now, and rehearsing the material and tightening it up, the show worked out wonderfully.” While Dana is the composer of the record, Tim Baxter is the musical director.
5Thursday, April 7, 2016 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITYCOVER STORY
It’s the collective verve of The Doha String Quartet & Friends that brought out the essence of Sandstorm in all its soothing tonal glory. Dana said she knew the show would be a success as she has worked with the Quartet on a lot of occasions.
“Since I did the show with QPO in February, they have been a part of our journey. Now they understand exactly where the vibe is at and they bring their own character to it. Like with Tango Swing, I was completely taken aback by how the lead violinst took the lead, sped up the tempo, and brought a new spirit and character to the piece,” Dana pointed out.
The Doha String Quartet was founded by Nina Heidenreich, violin; Dmitri Torchinsky, violin; Andrea Mereutza, viola; and Christoph Schmitz, cello — all are part of the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra. The group was quick to establish itself as one of the premium quality groups in GCC, and has performed at nearly every stage and venue in Qatar as well as further afield. The Quartet’s repertoire ranges from early baroque through to compositions of the modern day, and the group frequently collaborates with other musicians on projects that include the full range of activities from CD recordings and Opera House recital evenings through to corporate entertainment bookings, company dinners and product launches.
Aylamani said, “Dana composed Lustre and I arranged it. It’s our first collaboration and it was a fantastic experience. I hope to do more of such collaborations in the future because we share good work chemistry. As for the concert, it was great to have an involved audience such as this, as we musicians feed off their energy during a performance and vice versa.”
Ignacio Escobar, Ambassador of Spain to Qatar, who was one of the guests at the show, said, “Attending a concert by Dana in this environment is actually like
being transported to some other place. You don’t think you are in Qatar anymore. Besides, the combination of music and modern art is impressive.”
Escobar finds originality to be the most admirable trait in Alfardan. “It’s very rare to have a person with so many different artistic qualities. I appreciate the value of what Dana is doing as at the end of the day, she is
representing her country, Qatar,” Escobar said, “The music she has composed has a lot of local Arabic flavour and when it blended with classical music performers from the Quartet, who are part of one of the best orchestras in the world, and Aylamani’s violions, the result was incredible.” For Escobar, the music was reminiscent “of tango with local flavours, and swing, blues and jazz played with
classical instruments”.Dana, who is also the CEO of
DNA Records, the first Qatari record label, admits that her music belongs to a difficult genre when it comes to promoting it. “How many people are really into classical music? So I try to make my music as listener-friendly as possible. I have succeeded in that,” she said. Meanwhile, Sandstorm will be available for
download towards the end of May.Of all the post-show
compliments Dana was heaped with, she found the one likening her music to a movie score the most. “I have always wanted to have my music in films,” she says, smiling, “And a lot of people told me that this music took them to a different place. ‘I can imagine this in a film’, they said. I was really thrilled to hear that.”
“It’s very rare to have a person with so many different artistic qualities. I appreciate the value of what Dana is doing as at the end of the day, she is representing her country, Qatar”
— Ignacio Escobar,
Ambassador of Spain
PROWESS: The Doha String Quartet during the show.
CENTRE-STAGE: Dana Alfardan with the whole cast of the evening, including The Doha String Quartet.
Thursday, April 7, 20166 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY
Celebrating nation’s rich history
To enhance the understanding of Qatar’s rich history and its commendable growth, the American School of
Doha (ASD) has been honouring a most welcoming tradition – its annual Qatar History Day celebration.
The school’s sixth graders recently celebrated their fi fth annual Qatar History Day with a specifi c focus on the dynamic changes the country has experienced in the past 20 to 30 years. This week-long event organised by sixth grade Social Studies teachers, Mike Simmons and Andrew Dodd, as well as Middle School Librarian, Lauren Elliott, has become a mainstay at the ASD.
The opening ceremony saw falconer Farhan al-Sayeed share his knowledge of falconry and its deep-rooted connections to Qatari culture. Professional oud player Abdulaziz al-Haidos also attended and performed traditional songs.
Students gathered in small groups and interviewed over 35 local citizens and residents to collect oral histories. Middle School Principal Rob Gohr said, “I was able to listen in as one of our speakers described what it was like growing up in a time when there were no shopping centres. She described what the Souq used to look like and how the community worked together for the benefi t of all.”
Stories were told about a garden as big as a football fi eld, when there was only one hotel, and about the
city of Doha with no streetlights. Also, about times when wells were the primary water source and pearl diving was the main economic force.
ASD Director Dr Thomas Hawkins said, “Qatar History Day is a wonderful chance for American School of Doha students to engage with great Qatari storytellers to learn about the heritage, traditions, customs and lifestyle of Qatar. The Qatari students are proud to have their parents and grandparents
attend to tell their stories, while guests from outside the ASD community are delighted to come back each year to tell more stories to more of the ASD students.”
One of the highlights of the event had the sixth grade students visit the Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim al-Thani Museum, dressed in traditional Qatari attire. This visit enabled the students to gather pictures of artefacts related to the oral histories shared the previous day.
The museum contains more than 18,000 artefacts ranging from bicycles built in the 1880s and a Ford Model T, to pearl diving equipment, full-sized dhows, centuries-old weapons, and rare fossils. A favourite of the students was a replica of a Qatari house with many of Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim al-Thani’s personal items on display.
During the trip, students met Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim al-Thani himself. He answered questions,
revealed the origins of the museum and even gave a tour of some of his private collections, as the students jotted down notes.
Sixth grade Social Studies teacher Andrew Dodd said, “Qatar History Day provides our students the opportunity to examine the history of Qatar in a way they have not experienced before. Oral history has a proud tradition in this part of the world and for our kids to embrace this fi rst-hand was tremendous.”
Dr Hawkins added, “Qatar History Day brings the history of Qatar to life, and presents yet another chance for the ASD community to grow ever stronger.”
Earlier this year, the 18th edition of the ASD’s Friendship Festival was celebrated with great energy and participation. It was not just a family fun day done exceedingly well; it was the culmination of collective celebration for kids, parents, teachers and the community at large. Every year, more than 4,000 people visit the festival in the fi ve hours — 12pm to 5pm — it lasts.
This year, too, every corridor, hall and cafeteria space of the school throbbed with the young energy of children and their excited parents, as several others seemed happy shooting the breeze in the lush lawn, indulging in outdoor fun and games. An open welcome to the community, the much-awaited festival is aimed at promoting community spirit, friendship, and co-operation amongst students, school staff , parents, local business owners, and visitors.
Falconer Farhan al-Sayeed shared his knowledge of falconry and its deep-rooted connections to Qatari culture during the opening ceremony.
Students take notes as Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim al-Thani shares insights.
ASD recently organised their fifth annual Qatar History Day. By Anand Holla
7Thursday, April 7, 2016 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY
Jordanian community football team falls at last hurdle By Umer Nangiana
Living up to the expectations of their huge fan base, the members of expatriate Jordanian community football players made it to
the fi nal of the National Sports Day Futsal tournament, but fell at the last hurdle.
Entering the tournament as underdogs, the Copacabana team comprising Jordanian expatriates remained a tough to beat team to the very end of the tournament hotly contested by more than 40 amateur community teams.
In the fi nal, held at Abdullah bin Suhaim Hall of Qatar Sports Club, the Copacabana team lost to Ezdan Holding team 3-1 to fi nish second in the championship. Both teams received huge support from the fans gathered in good numbers at the arena to cheer their respective teams.
Cheers from the Jordanian fans were louder throughout the match, particularly in the fi rst half when Copacabana scored fi rst to take a 1-0 lead. However, the Ezdan Holding team quickly equalled the score before moving on to score two more goals in the second half of the match, just as the underdogs Copacabana went on an all-out attack in search of more goals.
“The skill level of our players was very good, and at times much superior. However, the Ezdan team players were much fi tter than our players perhaps and in the end that made the diff erence,” Zaid Eideh, the goalkeeper and Sporting Director of Copacabana team, tells Community.
The fi nal match of the tournament started with a colourful ceremony with many Qatari dignitaries in attendance. The match offi cially
kicked-off after an enthralling performance by a Palestinian dance troupe who presented the traditional Dabke dance.
The Ezdan Holding Group team lifted the trophy in a festive atmosphere as they won this cup for the fi rst time. The Jordanian community team, sponsored by Copacabana, a Brazilian restaurant in Wakrah Souq, received the runners-up trophy.
Players from both side received medals with some players winning
individual accolades for best performances throughout the tournament.
The championship featured teams from a large spectrum of society involving teams representing multiple expatriate communities besides public and private entities and community schools.
Professional players were not allowed to participate, as the idea was to give amateur players a chance to participate and demonstrate their skills. The championship celebrated
the spirit of Qatar National Sport Day.
Multiple schools, banks, companies, ministries and sports clubs participated in the tournament.
“We won our fi rst four matches in the group to reach the last 16 and then qualifi ed for the quarter-fi nals before moving on to the fi nals. I think our team did really well to come this far,” says Eideh. “Nobody had expected this team to get this far as we were kind of underdogs in this tournament,” he adds.
Almost all of their players are Jordanian. They have been participating in diff erent tournaments held for communities or companies.
Prior to this championship, the Jordanian community team participated in and won a football tournament and a Futsal championship in January this year. They also won the Nations Cup last year and the Asian Nations Cup.
In that tournament, Eideh says, they managed to beat some really good teams like Lebanon, Tunisia and China. They also intend to participate in this year’s edition of the tournament. He says they have a pool of about 30 players and some of them have been national players back in Jordan.
“They have come here and are working in diff erent capacities as coaches or trainers besides playing with our community team. We are not just playing football, we are also training other young players whenever we fi nd time,” says Eideh.
Futsal, he says, is diff erent from football in that it is a 5-player team event and the ball is a little heavier. It is easier to control but harder to keep. Most of the top players in world football started in futsal as it helps you with skills, says the Copacabana team manager.
Futsal not just helps with developing skillsets, but with temperament as well, as you are playing under pressure most of the time and need to move the ball very fast.
Eideh says their team has always received a lot of support from the Jordanian community living in Qatar. He also praised the facilities available in Qatar, which he said are unmatched.
Copacabana with their runners-up trophy.
Over 40 amateur community teams participated
in the National Sports Day Futsal tournament
CHAMPIONS: Ezdan Holding team with their winners’ trophy.
Thursday, April 7, 20168 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY
Noted Indian cardiac surgeon speaks at Shastrayaan 2016 inauguration
Down in Doha for a brief while on Friday, renowned Indian cardiac surgeon Dr M S Valiathan addressed
the audience at the grand launch of Shastrayaan 2016, an educational initiative by Science India Forum Qatar (SIFQ).
“Significant achievements in research can be made only if the research is discovery-driven, the technological work product-oriented, and the people involved have a clear and positive mindset,” Dr Valiathan said in his speech.
Dr Valiathan, who was the Director of Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology in Thiruvananthapuram for 20 years, has contributed immensely to the development of medical technology by developing indigenous prosthetic valves and a series of disposable devices such as blood bag, oxygenator and cardiotomy reservoir, and vascular graft which are now in commercial production.
In Doha, Dr Valiathan launched Shastrayaan 2016, which is a journey through science. Shastrayaan taps into geniuses amongst school students through various contests, science filmmaking competitions, learning by doing research in sustainable scientific projects and science tours to important institutions in India and
culminates in a gala event towards the end of the year. More than eight Indian schools have pledged support and have delegated enthusiastic teachers to be part of Team Shastrayaan 2016.
Chairman of Science India Forum, Manoj Pillai, welcomed the gathering and released the yearlong activity calendar. Dr Mohan Thomas, founder chairman of Birla Public School and a noted surgeon of Qatar, and principal AK Srivastava commended the selfless work undertaken by the forum.
Citations and awards were distributed to teams who won laurels at the National Children’s Science Congress last December in Chandigarh. NCSC’s Academic Co-ordinator’s trophy was also awarded to Sri D K Varma. General secretary Shreedevi Ananthakrishnan proposed a vote of thanks, the event was anchored by Sweta Bharadwaj, and the hall buzzed with good audience presence.
Having pioneered biomedical research in India, Dr Valiathan is credited with the development of artificial heart valves, blood bags, oxygenerators, and vascular grafts, among other path-breaking devices.
Born on May 24, 1934, in Mavelikara, a small town in Kerala, India, Dr Valiathan’s early education was in a government school in Mavelikara and then
at the University College, Trivandrum. Dr Valiathan’s medical education began at the Medical College in Trivandrum, where he studied from 1951 to 1956. He then received his F.R.C.S. from Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh in 1960.
Later, he received Cardiac Surgical training in the John Hopkins and Georgetown University hospitals, US and served as Professor of Cardiac Surgery at the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology for 20 years. He also led a group which developed a tilting disc heart valve and other cardiovascular devices which are commercially produced.
His professional contributions are recognised by election to
many academies in India and abroad, and by the award of the Hunterian Professorship of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. He has published several outstanding research papers on endomyocardial fibrosis Cardiac Surgery, Bio Materials & Artificial Internal Organs, Health & Health Policy. He has undertaken the monumental work bringing out the foundational text of Indian Medicine in Sanskrit – Charaka Samhita.
His contributions to medical sciences and technology have brought him many honours and awards such as the Fellowships of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Indian National Science Academy, National Academy of Sciences, India, National
Academy of Medical Sciences, Indian National Academy of Engineering, Third World Academy of Sciences, American College of Cardiology, the Royal College of Physicians of London and the International Union of Societies of Biomaterials and Engineering, apart from the prestigious Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan awards.
Currently a National Research Professor of the Government of India, Dr Valiathan is engaged in promoting research in basic science, based on cues from Ayurvedic concepts and procedures. The research in prominent institutes is being supported by government funding in the form of “A Science Initiative in Ayurveda” (ASIIA).
Dr Valiathan speaking at the event.
HONOUR: Dr M S Valiathan being felicitated by dignitaries at the event.
SIFQ’s Shastrayaan aims to tap into geniuses amongst school students
through various contests, competitions and science tours. By Anand Holla
9Thursday, April 7, 2016 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY
QR10,000 collected in donations for Palestinian refugees during RSAT Olympiad Through the recently concluded RSAT Olympiad, student donations of QR10,000 to Rota were sent to Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. More than 300 students from 20 high schools sat the redesigned SAT (RSAT) exams in the Olympiad, ahead of its off icial roll out in the Middle East in May.
Grand Hyatt to host Songkran festival Grand Hyatt Doha Hotel & Villas’ garden will celebrate one of the most delightful and anticipated Thai celebrations of the year — the Songkran water festival. The festival marks the New Year according to the Thai lunar calendar. The hotel will celebrate Songkran on April 13 with Doha’s Thai community along with the city’s top media contacts with a special dinner priced at QR290 for the soft beverage package and QR399 for the special beverage package. Part of the Thai tradition consists of using water to convey love and amity, therefore guests will be soaked wet making it one the most amusing and memorable nights of the year. The celebration continues at Isaan on April 15 for a special Songkran Brunch from 12:30pm to 3:30pm, which off ers a unique and authentic Thai experience in Doha with a very rich and diverse menu. Guests can enjoy a soft drink brunch for QR290, a special beverage package for QR399 and the Moet brunch for QR850. Located on the second floor, Grand Hyatt Doha Hotel & Villas’ signature restaurant, Isaan, has become 2015’s leading southeastern restaurant in Doha. Awarded ‘Best South East Asian Restaurant 2015’ by Time Out, ‘Favourite South Eastern Restaurant 2015’ by Fact and the certificate of excellence from TripAdvisor, Isaan sets the bar high with its authenticity, exotic flavours and warm service, providing guests with an exceptional Thai dining experience.
THE One hosts its 11th blood drive THE One Qatar recently hosted its 11th annual Blood Donation Drive recently. While 63 donors registered, 18 staff members and 16 customers passed the screening tests to donate blood. The blood collected from these individuals can save up to 102 lives, according to the Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) blood donor unit. In 2013, THE One was recognised by HMC’s blood donor unit for being one of the 12 companies in Qatar to consistently lead and organise mobile blood donation campaigns. In the past 10 years, THE One has helped collect over 250 pints of blood, which could potentially save up to 750 lives.
Thursday, April 7, 201610 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY
Eggspectation opens first branch in Qatar
Eggspectation, an iconic Canadian restaurant-café, opened its fi rst branch in Doha at Medina Centrale, The Pearl-Qatar recently.
The newly opened restaurant-café concept, complete with delicacies from across the world, is committed to surpassing ‘eggspectations’ with its extraordinary menu options for the ultimate all day, meet and eat dining experience.
Eggspectation Qatar’s primary focus is in preparing quality food across their menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner, promising extraordinary service while still maintaining a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere. Featuring an innovative menu with over 120 items that promises to tickle your taste buds, Eggspectation has an expansive choice of savoury starters, fresh salads, extraordinary pastas, world-class main dishes, mouth-watering burgers, traditional sandwiches and savoury crepes, as well as fl atbread pizzas and delectable desserts, making for a fanciful globalised fare from around the world.
Staying true to its name, Eggspectation is well known for its signature egg dishes including the egg benedict with its famous hollandaise sauce made from real fresh eggs and butter straight from Montreal, and a number of rich omelette options — heavily infl uenced by Italian and French gastronomy.
Setting it apart from other dining concepts in Qatar, Eggspectation also boasts an authentic Italian pizza oven, tomato sauce made from Italian San Marzano tomatoes, and coff ee beans from Naples, Italy for
gourmet Italian espresso and freshly brewed coff ee every day. In line with its Canadian heritage, Eggspectation Qatar will also be using real, French breads which are imported from Montreal for their bagels and French toast options.
Eggspectation Qatar owner, Sami Azrak said: “Eggspectation Qatar is thrilled to be opening its fi rst café-restaurant in Qatar at The Pearl, and this is a very exciting time for all of us. Eggspectation is renowned for its creative international menu with an eclectic selection of fi ne fare, which includes many styles of eggs that truly make this restaurant a one-of-
its-kind. We look forward to the local community warmly embracing us and are confi dent that Eggspectation Qatar will become the place to meet and eat.”
Co-founder and owner of Eggspectation Restaurants, Enzo Renda said: “Eggspectation has been off ering an elaborate dining experience with its serene ambiance and scrumptious menu, complete with vegetarian and non-vegetarian delicacies from across the world, for more than twenty years now. Now the local community in Doha will be able to dine at Eggspectation, and experience this unique setting,
from an eclectic menu to the modern interior fi nishing’s synonymous with all Eggspectations around the world.”
Creating a unique dining experience, Eggspectation Qatar connects and infuses the food and restaurant service with its architectural design, feel and infl uence. Giving it a distinct look and feel is Eggspectation’s eye catching wall made from real Canadian barn wood that is weathered and treated before being reassembled. Along with a unique marble beverage bar countertop, imported from Montreal, the beverage bar serves as one of the
focal points of the restaurant. At the beverage bar, people will be able to enjoy a number of fresh hand squeezed orange and grapefruit juices, Eggspectation’s famous smoothies which are blended in-house with real fruit and berries for that additional homemade taste, as well as a wide assortment of Italian coff ees.
The restaurant-café is also fi tted out with a private dining room, making it the ideal location for a private gathering, meeting or party.
Originally opened in Montreal, Canada back in 1993, Eggspectation has already made a mark worldwide with multiple locations across North America, India, Dubai and now Qatar. There are plans for an additional two Eggspectation restaurants to be opened in Qatar over the next 24 months.
Eggspectation is located at Building 10 Unit 58, Al Hambra Street, Medina Central, The Pearl-Qatar and is open daily from 8am to midnight.
The Eggspectation Qatar team.
Fried Chicken ‘N Waff les at the restaurant.
Mannai Air Travel holds blood donation drive Mannai Air Travel recently arranged a blood donation drive in co-operation with Hamad Medical Corporation’s blood donation unit. Farukh Sardar, Mannai Air Travel General Manager, said, “Blood donation drives are an extension of Mannai’s corporate social reasonability initiatives. I am very pleased to see both old and new employees participate in this great cause. Their personal commitments are an
integral part of the success of our blood donation drives enabling us to give more to our community.” Mannai Air Travel has organised similar blood donation drives in the previous years and continues to host the programme among its employees. Mannai Air Travel is joined by other travel service divisions within the group including Mannai Holidays, Space Travel, and VFS.
11Thursday, April 7, 2016 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY
BBQ members gather for autism B
est Buddies Qatar members gathered in front of The Torch Doha hotel recently to mark World Autism Day.
Members from Amal Center for Special Needs, Qatar Institute for Speech and Hearing, Step By Step for Special Needs, and Al-Tamakun School participated in the numerous activities designed to spread awareness about autistic people.
The event was organised by BBQ in co-operation with Harley-Davidson Owners Group Qatar Chapter (H.O.G. Qatar Chapter) and The Torch Doha.
In the beginning of the event,
Best Buddies Qatar specialists held a brief training on The World Autism Awareness Day for H.O.G. Qatar Chapter members.
The day was fi lled up will sharing fun time. Over 40 H.O.G. Qatar Chapter members arrived on their bikes — an impressive demonstration for the public and attendees. Most of them came with their spouses, which made the awareness campaign a family activity.
H.O.G. Qatar Chapter members then paired up with BBQ members with Autism to participate in diff erent games and competitions: hula-hops, kids volleyball, baby-
foot, basketball, hoopla, collecting puzzles, colouring motorcycles and others.
Laalei Abu Alfain, The Executive Director of Best Buddies Qatar, said: “Best Buddies Qatar is glad to have this opportunity to hold World Autism Awareness Day. We believe this day will attract attention of numerous people and inspire them to support people with autism. Best Buddies Qatar expresses its gratitude to H.O.G. Qatar Chapter members and The Torch Doha for making this event happen and their support of Best Buddies Qatar mission to enhance lives of people with and without intellectual and
developmental disabilities through social integration and one-to-one long lasting meaningful friendships. ”
Sheikh Khalid al-Thani, director of H.O.G. Qatar Chapter, said: “We are always eager to support the organisations that work with people with special needs. This is not our fi rst experience. We are happy to make the fi rst step towards a long-term co-operation with Best Buddies Qatar and we are looking forward to future mutual events.”
After the Maghrib prayer, The Torch lit up in blue, the symbolic colour of autism. The awareness campaign ended-up with the
release of 200 blue balloons in the sky. Best Buddies Qatar and H.O.G. Qatar Chapter members distributed gifts to attendees and colleagues: bandanas, T-shirts, mugs and cups to mark the day memorable.
Sherif Sabri, the general manager of The Torch Doha, said, “The Torch Doha Hotel accommodated a unique event on World Autism Awareness Day to enhance life of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through social integration. We arranged digital screens inside and outside The Torch to highlight our participation in the campaign to raise awareness on autism.”
PARTICIPATION: There were a large number of activities planned for the occasion.
Lyricist Varma hopeful of Malayalee music’s future
Malayalee music is slowly but steadily getting back to meaningful poetry with the arrival of
a number of young poets who care about and nurture the essence of the language. This was said by popular Malayalam lyricist Vayalar Sarat Chandra Varma.
Varma was answering queries of journalists at a briefi ng organised by the hosts of ‘Upasana’, a music show to be held tomorrow (April 8) at Birla Public School. “While there are some directors who insist on [their vision for the] musical compositions, there are others who grant all the freedom to lyricists and music composers and are prepared to accept changes based on their suggestions,” said Varma.
The veteran Malayalee lyricist said that though there have been repeat requests from music lovers for rollicking numbers at music concerts, such songs last only for
some time before fading away. “Whereas melodies remain forever,” he said while describing why songs composed by Devarajan Master based on his father’s lyrics are still remembered by music buff s.
Varma, who has penned scores of quality songs for the Malayalam fi lm industry and several poems
for publications has come to Doha on an invitation from Changanachessry NSS College Alumni Association (CHANSS-Qatar), which is staging a four-hour music concert in honour of his father and legendary Malayalam poet Late Vayalar Rama Varma at Birla Public School.
Varma added that he felt great that his father is still remembered abroad, even 40 years after his death. He also thanked CHANSS-Qatar for holding a music concert based exclusively on the songs penned by his father and himself. “Such concerts are very rare these days and it becomes so special to me
as this is happening in a country that is thousands of miles away from my homeland,” he said.
Upasana — the title is derived from one of Ramavarma’s famous songs — will be anchored by Varma. About six singers, led by playback singer Nishad Kumar will perform.
Vayalar Sarat Chandra Varma speaking at the press conference announcing the details of Upasana.
Thursday, April 7, 201612 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY INFOGRAPHIC
13Thursday, April 7, 2016 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITYLIFESTYLE/HOROSCOPE
ARIESMarch 21 — April 19
CANCERJune 21 — July 22
LIBRASeptember 23 — October 22
CAPRICORNDecember 22 — January 19
TAURUSApril 20 — May 20
LEOJuly 23 — August 22
SCORPIOOctober 23 — November 21
AQUARIUSJanuary 20 — February 18
GEMINIMay 21 — June 20
VIRGOAugust 23 — September 22
SAGITTARIUSNovember 22 — December 21
PISCESFebruary 19 — March 20
A New Moon in your sign today heralds the off icial start of your
cosmic new year, Rams. Only you know what you are hoping to
achieve in 2016 and for the next year. With the New Moon in your
sign today, it’s high time you visualise it and actualise your plans,
dreams and schemes.
In your career and ambitions zone, today’s New Moon is just the
thing to push you forward professionally — a push that could very
well reverberate for the next year.
Venus your ruler and the planet of love and relationships is joined
today by a New Moon in Aries, your opposite sign and your one
on one relationship zone. If you know it’s time to cut the cord with
someone...today’s the day.
Don’t think you are asking too much at this point goats. A New Moon
along with Venus and the Sun are all beaming around your fourth
house of home and family. If you need to reconnect with someone in
your family, this is the perfect time to do it.
In your past karma and self–renewal zone, today’s New Moon is sure
to have you rethinking the way you have handled things lately and
wish you could redo over. Well luckily for you bulls, you can. Start
redoing today!
Today’s New Moon highlights your fellow fire sign of Aries, your
ninth house of higher education and spirituality. Can you take time
out today to meditate Leos? Even if it’s simply a 10 minute silence
session?
Play hard, work hard Scorpios. That’s your mission statement today
and for the next few weeks, with a New Moon in your sixth house
inspiring you onwards and upwards. If you’ve been slacking off
anywhere, now’s the time to stop.
Being open and honest with people isn’t one of your most favourite
things to do — be honest now! You talk a big game but revealing too
much isn’t really your thing. However, if there is something you really
do want to impart, today is the day to do so with the New Moon.
In your eleventh house of hopes, dreams and wishes, now is a great
time for you to make a new friend or reunite with someone you
haven’t seen in a while but whom you have been thinking about. No
doubt they have been thinking about you too.
A New Moon today in your joint resources and financial sector
suggests that if you feel something isn’t working out for you money
wise — especially when other people are involved — that it might
be a good time to review whatever it is you’re doing or reshape it
somehow.
Venus the planet of love and romance alongside the Sun and today’s
New Moon in Aries, your fun and self–fulfilment zone make this one
of those special days Sags. In fact, if you haven’t made plans tonight
— either with your other half or your friends — make them now!
Money — a necessary evil in life and not something that is as easy
to make as spend, right? Today’s New Moon helps you focus on
your second house of money and self–worth, Pisces — and while
you might be tempted to go out and splurge, the Universe advises
otherwise.
7 steps to patio perfection
Daff odils bloom brightly by the back door, temperatures are balmy, cookout season is on the horizon and you’re ready to give your outdoor living space
a breath of fresh air. Great patios and decks enhance your enjoyment of spring and summer, and boost home value, so it’s well worth the investment to update and upgrade your home’s exterior living space.
Update your patio furnitureWhether your current patio set is worn out,
you need more seating or are just in the mood for a whole new look, new patio furniture can change the way you feel about your outdoor environment — and how much time you spend there! Whether you want traditional wicker, durable metals or exotic woods like Eucalyptus, you can fi nd the right dining set, settee, chaise lounge, glider, ottoman, coff ee
table, rocker or swing among the 50,000 individual home decor items carried.
Replace cushions on your current setIf your current patio furniture is in good
shape but just in need of some freshening, it’s easy enough to give it new life with small tweaks like updated patio cushions. Cushions are the crowning touch to catch the eye on patio furniture, and you can fi nd hundreds of patterns, shapes and styles of patio pillows and cushions.
Add a water featureOne of the best ways to create your own
oasis can be with a water feature. Easy to fi nd and simple to set up accessories like a fountain can bring the harmony of water to your outdoor environment.
Make some shadeWhen you need a break from the sun, but
aren’t ready to head indoors, shade can help you stay outside so you can enjoy the fresh air longer. You can add shade in many ways, from installing a retractable awning over the deck or patio to strategically planting trees or climbing vines on a trellis.
Heat up your grilling stationWhat outdoor environment would be
complete without a great grill? Accessories
make grilling fun and easy, and ensure you’ll look and operate like a pro when whipping up summer fare. From grilling mitts to barbecue tool sets, burger and kabob grilling baskets, grill toppers and even taco shell baskets, you can outfi t your grill station with everything you need for a great grilling experience.
Lighten upWhen you’re having a great time outdoors,
who wants to go inside just because it’s dark? Add some lighting to your outdoor living space to create ambiance and allow you to enjoy your patio long after the sun goes down. You can invest in hard-wired patio or deck lights, go eco-friendly and easy with solar lights, or choose from an array of battery-powered or candle-fi red lanterns.
Use decor to create a themeJust as your home’s interior has a design
theme, choosing a theme for your patio or deck can pull the look together. Whether your taste is diff erent, you can fi nd decor items that underscore the theme. Wall decorations, outdoor rugs, decorative planters and fl ower pots, wind chimes and statuary all work together to create a look you’ll love throughout the spring and summer.
Every letter of the alphabet is used at least once. Squares with the same number in have the same letter in. Work out which number represents which letter.
Puzz
les
cour
tesy
: Puz
zlec
hoic
e.co
m
BASE BINARY CONGRUENCE CUBE DECIMAL DIVISOR EQUATION FACTOR
FERMAT GAUSS INDEX INTEGER LOGARITHM MERSENNE MODULO PERFECT
Across6. Used to swim in the river for a day (7)7. He’s lost one of the prawns, the blighter! (5)9. Time-honoured part of golden wedding reception (3)10. Game Doug played at Middlesex as an agitator (9)12. Rags thrown on one who buys tiny jumper (11)15. State of chicken when red (5,6)17. Change these upon arriving at the flat (9)19. Patient fellow finding employment (3)21. One giving tips without notice of cover (5)22. Can Julie be ready in time for the celebration? (7)
Down1. Retire about fifty? Sleep on it! (5)2. Employ Sue to tidy up (3)3. Get tired on the green? (4)4. A sound business escort (9)5. Possibly team up with egg-head when one has lost a member (7)8. Jacob’s wife in car – a Chelsea supporter? (6)11. I’d tan it or treat in the usual way (9)13. No hesitation in taking solarium round to Jack (6)14. Bird to phone at nine? Possibly (7)16. Melody hasn’t finished playing with the dummy (5)18. Avoid getting involved in senseless hunger strike (4)20. Ladies gathering to see East End comedian (3)
FILM: The Veil CAST: Jessica Alba, Lily Rabe, Aleksa
Palladino, Reid Scott, Thomas JaneDIRECTION: Phil Joanou
No one still knows how or why cult mastermind Jim Jacobs and four dozen of his followers took their own lives in 1985 in the US. The mass
suicide leaves fi ve-year-old Sarah as the group’s sole survivor. Almost 25 years later, documentarian Maggie Price (Jessica Alba) is keen to fi nd out the truth, and she seeks the help of Sarah (Lily Rabe) in fi nding lost recordings that might solve the mystery. Sarah is reluctantly ready to revisit the former compound for the fi rst time since the tragedy as Maggie’s fi lm crew tags along. What none of them yet realises is that even though Jacobs and his cult are dead, their curse most certainly continues.
In search of answers, Price and her crew
stumble upon a pile of old fi lm recordings that reveal Jacobs’ plans, but their poking awakens an evil force. There’s far more to that fateful day than police reports show, and Price is about to fi nd out the hard way.
Thomas Jane is the only performer who walks away from this nightmare unscathed, taking the form of a linen-wearing, existentialist preacher-type who claims to have cracked the afterlife’s code. His long-winded but enthralling monologues are loaded with soothing notes, as he proclaims to have discovered a path to rebirth.
Scares come at a minimum, and the ones that do off er a jolt simply aren’t earned. Joanou loves to slow-pan onto something inanimate before having it jump alive, which becomes a nail-biting bit of frustration as we sniff scares like fresh-baked cookies from the room over. — RN
DVDs courtesy: Saqr Entertainment Stores, Doha
By Barbara Vancheri
FILM: I’ll See You in My DreamsCAST: Blythe Danner, Sam Elliott, Martin
Starr.DIRECTION: Brett Haley
Carol (Blythe Danner) has been a widow for 20 years and long retired from teaching, but her bedside alarm still bleats at 6am each day.
The Southern California woman has her routine — coff ee and a morning newspaper, lunch near her backyard pool, the occasional game of golf and evening bridge games with three female friends, and her sweet dog. When she has to put her ailing, 14-year-old pet golden retriever, Hazel, down, she fi nds herself at loose ends.
In I’ll See You in My Dreams, she befriends Lloyd (Martin Starr) her pool cleaner, tries and is horrifi ed by speed dating and meets a single man, Bill (Sam Elliott), who seems too good to be true. He’s handsome, charming, is a take-charge guy without being disagreeable and owns a beautiful boat named “So What” after the Miles Davis composition.
Bill also has an interesting take on people who retire with all their money and then don’t know what to do with themselves.
That chapter of life, along with the subjects of death, dating and how time speeds up, are among the ones batted around in the screenplay by director Brett Haley and Marc Basch.
“No matter what you do, it’s all going to just run together by the time you’re 50. Time just
goes by quicker,” Carol tells Lloyd, who studied poetry in college and returned home to be with his widowed mother who’s been having some health problems.
Oddly enough, medical woes are not a regular topic of discussion for Carol and her pals played by June Squibb, Rhea Perlman and Mary Kay Place (for the record, Danner is 73 years old, Squibb is 85 and the other two, 67). They get one of those mature ladies-gone-slightly-wild scenes that seems designed to inject some automatic laughs and while it’s funny, it feels a little forced and false, especially for the most conservative of the quartet.
However, women of a certain age are an endangered species on the big screen and while Carol’s East Coast daughter (Malin Akerman) shows up, she doesn’t become the focus.
I’ll See You in My Dreams, which takes its title from a Keegan DeWitt song, is a showcase for Danner, who even delivers a sultry version of a classic at a bar’s karaoke night. She brings a quiet dignity, widow’s mournfulness, banked romantic fi res and a streak forged from independence, stubbornness and vulnerability to the role.
Carol’s relationship with Starr’s character (the now grown-up actor from Freaks and Geeks was in Adventureland and Lifeguard) stays sweet and heartfelt. Her female friends, alas, are sketched in broad terms.
As you might expect from a story set partially at a retirement community, death calls in a surprising, sudden way but so, too, does a renewed vigour for life. And that is a reminder that requires no senior citizen discount to savour. -Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNS
The promise of a renewed vigour for life
17Thursday, April 7, 2016 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITYBOLLYWOOD
To be a villain, you’ve to be a fantastic actor: Gulshan Grover
Bollywood’s ‘bad man’ Gulshan Grover says a good-looking average actor can get away as a hero, but an anti-hero ought to be an excellent actor. “I believe that to be a hero, you can get away with good looks and average acting skills, but to be a villain, you have to be a fantastic actor,” Gulshan said.
On being asked about his favourite villain, he said: “Look at the names of great villains in Hindi films — Pran saab, Amjad Khan saab, Amrish Puri... all of them.
“Villains are not going to do something you can’t predict and yet they create an aura on screen. Therefore, it is very unfair to say any name particularly. I have learnt from all of them.”
Gulshan is also set to star in a web movie called BadMan, which will follow a fictional story of Gulshan Grover as himself, an actor who wishes to now be the hero and not the villain. It will be showcased on Voot, Viacom18’s
new digital platform.A host of Bollywood faces
including Rishi Kapoor, Farah Khan, Shoojit Sircar, Manisha Koirala have made special cameos in BadMan, whose title track has been sung and composed by Vishal Dadlani.
The 60-year-old actor is also happy to see the successful transition of Bollywood actors to Hollywood nowadays.
“I am proud of the fact that I have led a mud path between Bollywood and Hollywood, but I am more proud to see that mud path is being cemented and followed by many actors also showing tremendous success. Priyanka Chopra, Irrfan Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher and many more. There will be many younger actors, who will be making this transition and making us all very proud.”
Asked to pick one film that is dear to him, the I Am Kalam actor said: “Each and every film is dear to me. I put my heart and soul in every film. I do nothing half-heartedly. So I have given whatever I have got to each and every film.” — IANS
By Nivedita
With her not-so-conventional looks and accent, actress Lisa Haydon says that
her USP lies in her unconventional looks and that she never considers her attributes a hindrance.
Asked whether her unconventional looks restrict roles for her in Bollywood, Lisa told IANS: “I don’t necessarily feel that way about it in that sense. Whatever I am is my USP. I don’t consider any of my attributes hindrance. I feel everyone has got their own journey, to be honest.”
The model-turned-actress, who made her acting debut with the 2010 fi lm Aisha, made a career-defi ning move with the portrayal of Paris-based free-spirited Bohemian single mom in Vikas Bahl starrer Queen.
She later on went on to feature in Shaukeens. Asked why she hasn’t been seen more often on the big screen post the success of Queen, Lisa said: “I think you pick from what you get off ered. I don’t necessarily get off ered all the roles that other actresses get and I pick from what I get off ered.”
However, the dusky beauty has some interesting Bollywood projects lined up. These include Akshay Kumar’s Housefull 3 and Karan Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. She says working with Karan is the best thing that has happened to her so far. “I thoroughly enjoyed working with him. It was defi nitely possibly my favourite experience on set working with him. It’s a very
small role, but probably the best working experience I have had so far,” she told IANS.
Besides these two projects, Lisa is also all geared up for her next release Santa Banta Pvt Ltd that stars Vir Das, Boman Irani and Neha Dhupia in lead roles. However, her acting career has never stopped her from coming back to fashion runways.
She walked the ramp for
designer Monisha Jaising’s show presented by Magnum. From being a model in the past to now a showstopper, Lisa says there is not much of a change.
“I am now wearing the last outfi t... Earlier it was the middle outfi t. I feel very much the same about it... I still feel that I am modelling for a particular outfi t and I enjoy doing it and love it too,” she said. — IANS
Whatever I am is my USP, says Lisa Haydon
GOOD POINT: Gulshan Grover
ON HER OWN: Lisa Haydon
Rajkummar Rao wraps up Newton shoot
Actor Rajkummar Rao has fi nished shooting Newton, a
black comedy directed by Amit Masurkar. Rajkummar, who was fi lming for the movie in Chhattisgarh, tweeted: “And it’s a wrap on Newton. Thank you mom and god for all the strength. Big thank you to Manish Mundra and our captain Amit.”
It was during the course of shooting the fi lm last month that Rajkummar lost his mother, who was reportedly unwell for a while and succumbed to a heart attack.
Apart from Newton, Rajkummar also has Ramesh Sippy’s Shimla Mirchi and Hansal Mehta’s Aligarh in his kitty.
The Kai Po Che actor is working on another yet untitled project which is directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, which will also be Rajkummar’s fi rst collaboration with the director.
The actor star will be seen playing the lead role in the fi lm.
He was last seen on screen in Vidya Balan, Emraan Hashmi starrer Hamari Adhuri Kahaani. – IANS
Dance number with SRK ‘best thing ever’ for Leone
Actress Sunny Leone, who has danced with superstar Shah Rukh Khan to a track in Raees, says it is not just a dream come true for her
but also the “best thing” that has happened in her life.
Sunny said: “It was a dream come true for me to do a dance number with Shah Rukh. We all want to work with him and it actually happened ... It’s the best thing that has happened
to me. I am so happy and proud about it.
“When you go through the struggle personally and professionally, you feel so good that something so amazing happens. I hope people like it.”
The song which Sunny is dancing to with Shah Rukh is reportedly a new take on the 1980 chartbuster Laila O Laila from the fi lm Qurbaani. The original track featured Feroz Khan and Zeenat Amaan. Sunny said she can’t talk much about the dance number, but admits “it was fun”. “There are a lot of dance moves in it,” she added.
About her experience of working with King Khan, she said: “He is unbelievable, he is so humble. I am so happy with the fact that I was off ered this song.”
Directed by Rahul Dholakia, Raees is set in 1980s Gujarat. It tells the story of bootlegger Raees Khan (Shah Rukh) whose business is challenged and eventually thwarted by a police offi cer played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui. — IANSBEREAVED: Rajkummar Rao DREAM RUN: Sunny Leone, left, and Shah Rukh Khan.
Thursday, April 7, 201618 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY HOLLYWOOD
To children of the ’80s, Martha Plimpton will always be known for playing precocious teenagers in fi lms like
Running on Empty, Parenthood and The Goonies. But in a four-decade career, Plimpton has shown she can do far more than play the plucky young heroine.
A turning point arrived in 2010, when she was cast as Virginia Slims Chance, the matriarch of a zany working-class family in Fox’s sitcom Raising Hope. Plimpton had spent much of the preceding decade on the stage, earning three Tony nominations, and had never really thought of herself as a comic actress.
“It was the easiest job I ever had,” she said recently between bites of a croque-monsieur at a quiet Brooklyn cafe. “I could be as ridiculous as I wanted to be, and it was fi ne.”
Plimpton’s funny streak continues in The Real O’Neals, an ABC sitcom loosely inspired by the experiences of columnist Dan Savage. Plimpton stars as Eileen O’Neal, a devout Irish Catholic mother struggling to accept her newly coming-of-age teenage son.
The part is not an obvious fi t for Plimpton, 45, an outspoken advocate for reproductive rights, who arrived at a photo shoot in a tunic that had been given to her by a fellow activist and was decorated with hearts.
Her performance in The Real O’Neals has already been singled out for praise. (LA Times critic Robert Lloyd called her “the anchor here, as she seems to be wherever she goes.”) Not everyone is pleased with the series, though, as Plimpton learned during lunch via a text message telling her the Catholic League had taken out a highly critical ad in the New York Times.
How do you respond to accusations that the show is anti-Catholic?
When anybody hears that it’s going to be a show about a Catholic family dealing with their teenage son, they assume that we’re going to be making fun of Catholics, and it’s just not the case. What we’re making fun of is the fear. The character I play is a homophobe, but she’s a homophobe because she’s based her entire value system on her faith. That’s really where Eileen is coming from. It’s not coming from a place of hatred. It’s my hope that when people see the show, they’ll understand that we’re not out to humiliate anyone who is coming from this perspective.
Did you have any reservations about returning to the grind of network TV?
None whatsoever. I felt extremely “hashtag blessed,” man, to have been given another chance to make a living and pay my mortgage.
Your parents, Shelley Plimpton and Keith Carradine, are both actors. Was show business always a given for you?
It was kind of accidental. I was eight years old. You’re not really terribly aware of career decisions at the age of eight, but I was a showoff and a pain ... and constantly performing. My mother and her friend (theatre director) Elizabeth Swados were working together when Liz said, “Maybe we should put Martha in one of my shows?” I think my mother sort of felt like, “Oh, good. It will give her a little
focus and get her out of my hair for a second.” We didn’t pursue it really intensely. My mother was very insistent that I not become famous quickly and that, if I wanted to do this, then I think about myself as an actor rather than as a celebrity.
But you did become quite successful at a young age.
I was lucky. It spoiled me a little. I thought that I would be sort of a fabulous leading lady by the time I was 25, and that was not happening at all for so many reasons. If you’re working with all these incredible people like Ron Howard and Sidney Lumet and Marty Ritt, you start to think that you’re hot ... but life’s got other plans.
I read this really awesome interview with Winona Ryder recently where she said that she had gone through a period in her late
teens where she was losing parts to me, which I found shocking. When I was that age, I was thinking, “Why can’t I play more lead roles?” It’s just a wonderful reminder to let all that go and just be present in your own life or, as my friend Kelly likes to say, “Keep your eye on your own paper.”
You said you were spoiled. Did you feel like there were fewer opportunities as you matured?
Yes. There were so many fantastic actresses in the ’80s who had these unusual, interesting faces and a kind of brio, like Lili Taylor and Mary Stuart Masterson. It was possible to be a tomboy. We don’t have those anymore. That started to go away in the mid-’90s and 2000s. The standards for female performers really started to change. I look like a character actor. Which, by the way, is something I’m
extremely grateful for, but I think I had to wake up to that. I got to play romantic roles in the ’80s, or at least roles that were central to the plot. That all changed as I got older and tastes changed. Because that changed, there wasn’t very much for me to do. That’s why I was doing so much in theatre, because that just doesn’t apply. Women are subjected to these cultural trends in a way that men aren’t. We’re like the canaries in the coal mine.
Outside of your acting work, you founded a nonprofi t organization ...
The radical Republican obsession with women’s bodies is sort of a national illness. ... It’s, to me, a fundamental reality. If you can’t control your own physical life, you have no control over your life at all. — Los Angeles Times/TNS
The funny streak continues
COMIC COMEBACK: Martha Plimpton in The Real O’Neals.
Martha Plimpton builds her comedy reputation in The Real
O’Neals, but not everyone’s laughing. By Meredith Blake
19Thursday, April 7, 2016 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITYHOLLYWOOD
Gwyneth Paltrow loves French fries
Actress Gwyneth Paltrow says she loves French fries and could eat it everyday if she could. “I don’t believe you should rule out any kind of food. I believe in enjoying life. I’m not a good dieter and since I’ve had kids, I have loosened up a lot. My favourite ‘bad food’? French fries. I would eat them at every meal if I could,” Paltrow told You magazine, reports femalefi rst.co.uk.
The 43-year-old star says she is “realistic” when it comes to allowing her children any treats, so long as they balance them with “healthy” options.
“You can’t tell them, ‘No Coke, no cake’. It is not realistic. Their favourite foods are pasta and french fries. It’s about trying to augment that with something healthy,” she said. Paltrow says
food is incredibly important to her. “Food means everything to me. When you walk into a kitchen and smell something simmering on the stove, you get a sense of home. Food creates a feeling of togetherness and nourishment,” she said. – IANS
Actor Will Ferrell is set to star in a comedy based on the true story of a successful 1968 expedition to
the North Pole. With Temple Hill Entertainment producing the fi lm, Ferrell is set to star in the project which is based on Guy Lawson’s article in the New York Times Magazine titled “An Insurance Salesman and a Doctor Walk Into a Bar, and End Up at the North
Pole: The Story of an Accidentally Pioneering Expedition”, reports variety.com.
The story follows a group of six middle-aged men from Minnesota who spontaneously decide to mount a snowmobile expedition to the North Pole. The team manages to overcome a daunting array of obstacles to make the fi rst undisputed expedition ever to reach the North Pole.
No director or writer has been
roped in yet. Jonathan Kadin, who is the senior vice president of Production, Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, will oversee the fi lm for the studio. Ferrell last starred in Daddy’s Home and Zoolander 2. Temple Hill Entertainment produced The Fault in Our Stars and the Maze Runner and Twilight franchises.
Ferrell had worked with the banner in the 2010 comedy-drama Everything Must Go. — IANS
Will Ferrell to star in North Pole expedition movie
FOODIE AT HEART: Gwyneth Paltrow
SAFE BETS: Nicole Kidman, left, and Keith Urban
UPHILL JOURNEY: Will Ferrell
Baldwin fi nds showbiz scary
Model Hailey Baldwin says showbiz can be “very scary, crazy” and that it is a very “fake” industry. “Oh boy! This whole industry can be very crazy, it’s very fake and can actually be quite scary at times. But I think the biggest LOL for me was that I was pregnant and engaged to be married,” Baldwin told a TV channel, reports femalefi rst.co.uk.
Baldwin, the daughter of The Usual Suspects actor Stephen Baldwin and the niece of actor Alec Baldwin, shared that “people defi nitely pay more attention to everything I do because of my family”. — IANS
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Hailey Baldwin
Jodie Sweetin overcame addiction to seek happiness
Actress Jodie Sweetin spent her childhood entertaining audiences with hit American TV show Full House but developed Methamphetamine (meth) addiction during her 20s.
“My story is a story of rising up, overcoming, falling down and getting back up again,” Sweetin told people.com.
After taking a break from acting to attend college, the current Dancing with the Stars contestant developed a meth addiction and was hospitalised in 2005 after a night of partying.
Sweetin entered into treatment and turned her life around, marrying Cody Herpin in 2007 and giving birth to their daughter Zoie in 2008. In 2010, she welcomed daughter Beatrix with singer Morty Coyle, whom she wed in 2012. Sweetin and Coyle separated in 2013, but the actress found love again and got engaged to Justin Hodak in January.
“It’s been a slow process of fi nding myself. It’s made me develop and blossom and fi nd my true happiness in myself and in my career and relationships. The pieces are fi nally coming together and creating a beautiful picture that I never could have imagined,” Sweetin said. — IANS
Fashion industry supports women fi nancially: Dunst
Actress Kirsten Dunst says that the fashion industry is the “only industry that supports women” fi nancially. The Fargo actress believes she would not be able to choose the movies she takes on, without the money coming in from fashion and beauty campaigns, reports femalefi rst.co.uk.
“If it weren’t for fashion and beauty campaigns, I wouldn’t have the fi nances to pick and choose my projects. Literally, it’s the only industry that supports women in that way,” InStyle magazine quoted the actress as saying.
Earlier, the 33-year-old actress has also shared in the past that she used to feel anxious when she wasn’t working but has slowly and surely learned to deal with it. — IANS
Nicole Kidman is a good gambler
Actress Nicole Kidman’s husband Keith Urban thinks his wife is a “very good” gambler, but she says she is very cautious. “She’s very good. She’s disciplined,” he said. However, the 48-year-old actress says she is always cautious with her money and only bets “a little amount”.
“Well I’m not very good. I have a little amount of money, I go and bet that and then I’m done. I’m that kind of gambler, I’m not going to bet the house,” Kidman told etonline.com.
The actress adores her husband’s “passion” when it comes to his work. She spoke about the 48-year-old star’s upcoming LP, and said: “It is such a crazy good album. “I’ve been living with all the songs — and even the songs that didn’t make the album. I’ve seen the work he puts into it and the love. He’s a musician, so every little tiny detail is all him, and I love that. I love that he’s passionate about his music.” — IANS
Thursday, April 7, 201620 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY
In an open-to-all event next week, the Filipino community forum has welcomed
volunteers to join them in walking more than 150 orphan canines. By Umer Nangiana
HERO Qatar to the aid of rescued dogs
In the spirit of giving back to community, the welfare organisation of Filipino expatriates, HERO Qatar, is taking a volunteer initiative to walk rescued dogs at 2nd Chance Rescue
Qatar. In the open-to-all event, to be held on April 15, members of the organisation will welcome volunteers to join them in walking more than 150 rescued dogs.
“This event is open for everybody who wants to join. There are a large number of dogs in the rescue shelter to be walked and we would appreciate as much support as we get,” Cheryl Marielou Valientes, the Secretary-External of HERO Qatar told Community.
Many of HERO’s more than 300 members will participate in the three-hour long event which will start at 8am. Valientes said it was their organisation’s fi rst such activity with the 2nd Chance Rescue, however, they have been actively taking part in community and social welfare activities in the past.
“We have accomplished a lot in a short time since the establishment of the organisation. It is basically working for the welfare of Filipino workers living in Qatar but we also support people in need back home in case of any natural disaster and calamity,” explained Valientes.
To realise its vision, HERO Qatar is committed to provide support in assisting distressed Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and the general Filipino community. Valientes said HERO Qatar works under the umbrella of United Filipino Organisation in Qatar which works under the patronage of Philippines embassy.
The organisation was formed in January 2015 by a group of individuals who felt the urgent need to assist the authorities in helping the distressed Overseas Filipino Workers in Qatar, which led to create that intense desire in their heart to act as volunteers and be of good service to the Filipino community.
HERO stands for Helping, Empowering and Recognizing OFWs. In another meeting, voluntarily attended by 66 individuals, the
organisation drafted together the bylaws and core values of HERO and the group has also elected its offi cers to stand as their representatives to the Philippine Embassy in Doha upon submission of bylaws for approval.
HERO Qatar was granted a certifi cate of recognition in February 2015 as a non-profi t organisation with the purpose to build a strong support group and solid foundation for the welfare of distressed OFWs to uplift
their current situation and to help the Filipino community in Qatar and in the Philippines.
“The outpouring support, assistance, care and co-operation being expressed to HERO Qatar by a good number of volunteers has made it more determined and empowered to share its ideals, hence, the group is now working hard to realise its programmes and activities,” says the organisation.
It continues to grow in the number of volunteers with common goals. It hopes to make achieve a milestone in the Philippines and Qatar history for advancing the welfare and protecting the rights of OFWs besides living by its mission and vision leaving a good legacy to the Filipino community.
2nd Chance Rescue, founded in 2009, began as a solo rescue mission conducted by its founder, Abdulla al-Naemi, to help a family of abandoned puppies he found helpless and homeless.
Six years later, Abdulla’s vision has transformed from a simple rescue case into a full-scale animal shelter that is now home to over 150 rescued dogs and 50 cats.
At 2nd Chance, they work tirelessly to rehabilitate and home the animals, providing all the necessary medical, physical and emotional care needed until each animal fi nds a forever home. As a non-profi t organisation, they rely on the kind contributions and volunteer eff orts of the animal loving community. The Dog Walk event by HERO Qatar would go a long way in helping the shelter attract support for their cause.
2nd Chance Rescue regularly organises events to raise support and awareness towards their cause.
DAY OUT: Diff erent community groups and volunteers take part in dog walking activities at the shelter. Photo courtesy: 2nd Chance Rescue Volunteers take the shelter dogs out for walk on weekends.
