Pensha

I interviewed Neetu Bhatia, co-founder and Chairman of Kyazoonga.com  Excerpts from the interview. It was carried in a daily which has special pages dedicated to female readers   a) What does Kyazoonga stand for? Kyazoonga — Jump the Q, stands for seamless experience for the end customers when it comes to buying tickets for an entertainment or sporting event in the country. It’s a name, which would initially stand out as a recall factor, but once an association has been established, Kyazoonga would guarantee a hassle-free experience. b) Why an online ticketing store? And, why cater to only entertainment and sporting events? My brother Akash, who is also the co-founder of Kyazoonga came up with this idea when he was on a holiday here. He was taken aback to find that bookings for a movie/ play could be done only in person or on telephone. He called me up and asked if I was game for setting up an online ticketing store in India. I agreed and in April...

I wrote this under the "wellness" section for the Sunday supplement. An event notification on Vkontakte, a Russian social networking site, intrigued Julia Kazarina. The event invited everyone to attend a workshop on weaving mandalas or Ojos de Dios (Eyes of God) and therapy. “ I was surprised to know that one can weave a mandala. I knew that we could draw them, or create them from coloured sand, stones and shells. I found weaving a mandala intriguing and new, so I decided to attend it. Three days after the workshop I started to weave them non-stop. Thenceforth it became my life,” says Julia. Julia, who recently held a workshop on mandala weaving in Pune, explains the art of Ojo (pronounced as Oho). Ancient roots Weaving Ojos de Dios is an ancient art practised by native Indian tribe called Huichol, in Mexico. However, similar art forms are practised in other parts of the world like Namka in Tibet and God’s Eye in ancient Russia. “According to the Huichol In...

I met Meghna Pant last month when she had come to Pune to promote her debut novel, "One & A Half Wife". This interview was filed for a women's supplement. She juggles numbers and words with equal ease. Her day begins as the deputy editor of a business magazine in Dubai, and at night she escapes into the world of literature. Meghna Pant, first-time novelist, admits that it’s crazy working from day into the night, but wouldn’t like to change her schedule one bit. “My day job and the stories that I write, when I get back home, are both very dear to me. I can’t choose between them,” Meghna, who was in the city to promote her book One & A Half Wife, said. Talking about her “baby,” the 31-year-old business journalist said, “The idea for the novel germinated when I returned to India from the US where I was working with the Bloomberg. India had changed in the two years that I was away — right from the expensive onions to the mushrooming malls on every street. It ...

This is the unedited piece I wrote for a women's supplement. I’m sorry, I have to take Mr G’s call. I’ll talk to you later,” P cut short our chat. One Sunday, P splashed some water on his face to wash away the signs of the afternoon siesta and took to the wheels. He was to drive Mr and Mrs G to Mumbai. A few months later, he went to pick up Mr and Mrs G’s daughter from the airport. The Gs were always a priority with my husband. And, when I met them a few months later, I realised why. A weary-looking Mr G opened the door and on seeing us, his eyes sparkled behind his lenses and he burst into a wide smile. His thin, bony hands pulled us into the living room where a disheveled Mrs G was sitting. “ Arrre tu...” (Oh! It’s you!) she smiled at my husband. Mr G exhaled a sigh of relief and nodding in P’s direction, said, “It’s a good sign that she recognises you.” “ Aani..hi kon ? (Who’s this?)”, she asked looking at me. “ She’s my wife,” P answered. “ Chhan (N...

A man who wears many hats – engineer, poet, writer, actor, model, photographer, and documentary-maker – Milind Gunaji's down-to-earth charm and candid confessions at a recent event succeeded in adding to his admirers. Milind, who was in the city on Friday at the book reading session of Meghna Pant's debut novel, “One & A Half Wife”, frankly admitted to the audience that he hadn't had time to read the book beforehand. To correct the folly, Milind settled down for an informal chat with Meghna to understand the story before reading out from the novel. While discussing the various themes of the book – fortune-tellers, recession, East vs West – Milind revealed that he could read and prepare horoscopes very well, but didn't believe in road-side fortune tellers. “ I was told by one such fortune-teller that I would make a good politician. I don't want to test the accuracy of his statement by plunging into politics. I am drawn to mysticism and spirituality than ...

Exquisite Pattachitra art. Pic courtesy: Tilak Shetty, Graphiti All of us have, sometime or the other, seen wall paintings in Madhubani art, with their rich and eye-catching geometric designs. Now visualise this traditional folk art form in an animated film for children. Mind-boggling isn’t it? The man behind this imagery, Tilak Shetty, director of Krish,Trish and Batliboy II, has picked popular folk-tales and brought them alive on the big screen using this medium of art. Tilak, who was at the inauguration of the two-day Children’s Film Fest held in the city recently, confesses that he cannot draw or paint “to save his life” and hence, chose this medium because “someone has to archive and document our folk history for posterity. And, films assure you of that,” he says. A Commerce graduate, Tilak also dabbled in computer programming before setting up his animation company, Graphiti. He reveals that it is the art that decides the stories. “We first decide on the folk art and...

A night stroll on the almost deserted 18 th June Road was quite a revelation. What we had missed out during the hustle-bustle filled mornings, popped up in our consciousness, beckoning a closer inspection on the dimly-lit road. No, it wasn't an apparition, nor was it a road block, but a house. A typical Goan house with red roofs, large windows and since the curtains were parted, we could also spot the altar. It quite fitted the description of what we had seen earlier in the day – a museum dedicated to houses of Goa. House Watch Having decided to skip beaches, temples and other touristy sights of Goa on this trip, we headed to Tordo, Salvador -do- Mundo in Bardez taluka. A red structure shaped like a ship was our destination. The Houses of Goa Museum isn't your typical museum; in fact it's warm, welcoming and cozy like your own home. The polite and warm receptionist, on learning that we were not architects, offered us discounts on the entry tickets (Rs 50 for o...