1. DOHA 14°C—24°C TODAY PUZZLES 14 & 15D LIFESTYLE/HOROSCOPE 16LP
Rabia II 7, 1437 AH
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Community
M S Bukhari,
a Qatar-based
businessman
and sociocultural activist,
was bestowed with Bharat
Samman Award 2016 for
NRIs in New Delhi.
Community
Slated to
take place on
February 9,
Doha Dash
will bring the community
together at Losail
International Circuit.
P7 P20
The
comeback
Sameer, a Canadian expat of
Indian origin, on how he beat
cancer — twice — even as he
pushes for public awareness. P4-5
COVER
STORY
BOLD: Sameer Ahmed atop Mt Aconcagua in Argentina.
2. Features Editor
Kamran Rehmat
e-mail: features@gulf-times.com
Telephone: 44466405
Fax: 44350474
Emergency 999
Worldwide Emergency Number 112
Kahramaa – Electricity and Water 991
Ooredoo Telephone Assistance 111
Local Directory 180
International Calls Enquires 150
Time 141, 140
Doha International Airport 40106666
Labor Department 44508111, 44406537
Medical Commission 44679111
Mowasalat Taxi 44588888
Qatar Airways 44496000
Weather Forecast 44656590
Hamad Medical Corporation 44392222
44393333
Qatar General Electricity and
Water Corporation 44845555
44845464
Primary Health Care Corporation 44593333
44593363
Qatar Assistive Technology
Centre 44594050
Qatar News Agency 44450205
44450333
Q-Post – General Postal
Corporation 44464444
Qatar University 44033333
USEFULNUMBERS
QuoteUnquote
PRAYERTIME
Fajr 5.01am
Shorooq (sunrise) 6.21am
Zuhr (noon) 11.44am
Asr (afternoon) 2.46pm
Maghreb (sunset) 5.09pm
Isha (night) 6.39pm
Look up
at the stars and not
down at your feet. Try to
make sense of what you see,
and wonder about what makes the
universe exist. Be curious.
— Stephen Hawking
Sunday, January 17, 20162 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY ROUND & ABOUT
Chalk n Duster
GENRE: Drama
CAST: Shabana Azmi, Arya Babbar,
Gavie Chahal
DIERCTION: Jayant Gilatar
SYNOPSIS: This film is all about
teacher and student’s communication.
It highlights the problem of teachers
and students where teaching
methods in the education system is
changing by the day. The film is an
emotional journey of two teachers
Vidya (Shabana Azmi) and Jyoti
(Juhi Chawla), serving at a Mumbai–
based high school. Their passion
and love for teaching, bonds them
in a special relationship with their
students. However, in an evil turn of
events, a wicked lady, Kamini Gupta
(Divya Dutta) gets appointed as the
principal, thus changing the fate of the
administration.
THEATRE: The Mall
Dictator
GENRE: Action
CAST: Balakrishna, Anjali, Sonal Chauhan
DIRECTION: Sriwass
SYNOPSIS: Dictator is a romantic action thriller
with a good dose of comedy. The story revolves around
the mysterious murder of a narcotics bureau officer, who
busted a rave party conducted by a minister’s son. How does
Chandrashekhar Dharma, who works at a mart in Hyderabad,
get into this mess? Who is dictator? What is his connection
with the murder mystery? The answers to these questions
form the crux of the story.
THEATRES: Landmark, The Mall
Mall Cinema (1): Soggade Chinni
Nayana (Telugu) 2pm; Suffragette (2D)
4.30pm; The 5th Wave (2D) 6.30pm; The
Hateful Eight (2D) 8.30pm; Ride Along 2
(2D) 11.30pm.
MallCinema(2):The Good Dinosaur (2D)
2.30pm; Dragon Nest: Warrior’s Dawn (2D)
4.15pm; Ride Along 2 (2D) 6pm; Charlie
(Malayalam) 8pm; The Hateful Eight (2D)
10.30pm.
MallCinema(3):Nannaku Prematho
(Telugu) 1.15pm; Chalk “N” Duster (Hindi)
4.15pm; The Revenant (2D) 6.30pm; The 5th
Wave (2D) 9.15pm; Dictator (Telugu)
11pm.
CinemaLandMark(1):Dictator (Telugu)
2pm; Ride Along 2 (2D) 4.30pm; Charlie
(Malayalam) 6.30pm; Ride Along 2 (2D)
9pm; Soggade Chinni Nayana (Telugu)
11pm.
CinemaLandMark(2):Dragon Nest:
Warrior’s Dawn (2D) 2.30pm; The Good
Dinosaur (2D) 4.15pm; The 5th Wave (2D)
6pm; The 5th Wave (2D) 8pm; The Hateful
Eight (2D) 10pm.
CinemaLandMark(3):Nannaku
Prematho (Telugu) 2.30pm; Suffragette
(2D) 5.30pm; The Hateful Eight (2D) 7.30pm;
The Revenant (2D) 10.30pm.
RoyalPlazaCinemaPalace(1):Dragon
Nest: Warrior’s Dawn (2D) 2.30pm; Dragon
Nest: Warrior’s Dawn (2D) 4.15pm; Ride
Along 2 (2D) 6pm; The Hateful Eight (2D)
8pm; The 5th Wave (2D) 11pm.
RoyalPlazaCinemaPalace(2):The
Good Dinosaur (2D) 3pm; The 5th Wave
(2D) 5pm; The 5th Wave (2D) 7pm; Ride
Along 2 (2D) 9pm; The Revenant (2D)
11pm.
RoyalPlazaCinemaPalace(3):Wazir
(Hindi) 2pm; Star Wars: The Force Awakens
(2D) 4pm; Suffragette (2D) 6.15pm; The
Revenant (2D) 8.15pm; The Hateful Eight
(2D) 10.45pm.
AsianTownCinema:Charlie (Malayalam)
5.15, 6.15, 8, 9 & 10.45pm; Dictator (Telugu)
5.15pm; Soggade Chinni Nayana (Telugu)
12.30, 3 & 8pm; Nannaku Prematho (Telugu)
5.30 & 10.30pm; Thaarai Thappattai (Tamil)
3, 10.30pm & 1am.
3. Compiled by Nausheen Shaikh. E-mail: gtlisting@gmail.com, Events and timings subject to change
3Sunday, January 17, 2016 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITYROUND & ABOUT
EVENTS
VCU Qatar Faculty Exhibition
DATE: Jan 20- Feb 15
VENUE: VCU Qatar Gallery
VCU Qatar will organise its annual
exhibition of works by artists and designers
who are teaching and researching at the
university. Entrance is free. This exhibition
aims to give faculty members an opportunity
to present their results of current artistic and
design research and exploration in a select
exhibition.
Art Exhibition
DATE: Jan 18- April 18
VENUE: Porto Arabia, Pearl
Diffusion by Peter Zimmermann — A
mesmerising solo exhibition of colourful,
futuristic works. Anima Gallery, Parcel 17,
Porto Arabia, The Pearl-Qatar. Contact:
40027437
Listen to Jazz music
DATE: Jan 30
TIME: 3pm-5pm
VENUE: Jazz at Lincoln Center Doha, St
Regis
Take the whole family to learn more about
the world of jazz at one of Jazz at Lincoln
Center’s monthly music talks. Kids and
adults will both love this fun and interactive
afternoon in equal measure. Free entry, à la
carte menu. Contact: 44460105.
Aspire Aquathon Series
DATE: Feb 20
VENUE: Hamad Aquatics Centre
You can join this popular combination of
swimming and running sport race, organised
by Aspire Zone Foundation in Hamad
Aquatics Centre pool facility and around the
Aspire Zone precinct. Entry fees: QR20. Entry
is open for all ages and talents, aged 8 years
and above. Adult groups will run for 5km and
swim 500m long, while kids will run between
1.5 - 3 km and swim between 100-200m long,
according to their age group.
Falcons and Hunting Festival
DATE: Until January 30
VENUE: Sabkhat Marmi — Sealine
Al-Gannas Society is hosting the seventh
edition of Qatar International Falcons and
Hunting Festival.
This international competition, deeply
rooted in Qatar’s culture and traditions, is
showcasing some of the most beautiful and
well-trained falcons.
Qatar Motor Show
DATE: January 28-February 1
VENUE: Doha Exhibition Convention
Center
Offering motor-lovers and visitors a
journey to ‘Explore the World of Motion’,
the popular Qatar Motor Show will return
between January 28 and February 1 at Doha
Exhibition and Convention Centre. Visitors
can enjoy convenient onsite parking, close
proximity to 5-star hotels, and more easily
accessibility by foot for the local community
and wider regional and international tourists.
How to Become Youtube Creator
Workshop
DATE: January 30
TIME: 10am-2pm
VENUE: Entube Center
Entube Center invites you to join a
workshop on How to Become Youtube
Creator from 10am to 2 pm. Participants will
learn the basics of online TV, the incentive
and drive behind the phenomenon of online
TV, the composition of the online TV market,
how money is being made and how to
capitalise on the phenomenon, the standards
that need to be met in order for the channel to
be successful, and more.
Neuroscience Conference
DATE: February 18-20
VENUE: Sheraton Hotel
The 1st Qatar Annual Neuroscience
Conference, organised by the Neurological
Institute at Hamad Medical Corporation,
offers a comprehensive educational
programme specifically designed for the
Mena region that will have significant
emphasis on practical aspects of common
neurological and neurosurgical disorders. The
scientific programme committee has invited
world leaders in their fields to share their
knowledge with the attendees.
Jewellery and Watches Exhibition
DATE: February 23-27
VENUE: Doha Exhibition and Convention
Center
Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition
(DJWE) is being held once a year in Qatar.
This show is one of the most exclusive in the
world for wealthy individuals interested in
fine jewellery and unique pieces, watches,
gemstones, and diamonds, all represented
by more than 500 exclusive international
brands. Additionally, a number of educational
seminars will be delivered on jewellery and
watches throughout the week.
Aspire Run the Park
DATE: Until February 13
VENUE: Aspire Park
Aspire Zone Foundation will organise a
series of four races on Saturday once a month
on January 16 and February 13. Participants
should compete in at least three out the four
races to win a medal and prize. They have to
be there an hour before the race.
Aspire Park Cinema
DATE: Ongoing until Feb 5
TIME: 6pm-8pm
VENUE: Aspire Park
Aspire Zone Foundation, in collaboration
with Jeem TV, is presenting for the first time
children movies on its giant screen behind
Hayat Plaza, every Thursday and Friday from
6pm to 8pm.
Qatari Agricultural Product Yards
DATE: Until June 30
VENUE: Al Mazrooa, Al Zakheera, Al
Khor, Al Wakrah
The Ministry of Environment has opened
the 4th season of Qatari agricultural product
yards for selling locally produced fruits,
vegetables, poultry, fish and livestock. Work
in these yards will continue for seven months.
The yards will operate three days a week on
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 7am
to 5pm, with livestock vendors in Al Mazrooa
operating at the same times throughout the
week.
Luc Tuymans: Intolerance
DATE: Until Jan 30
VENUE: Qatar Museums Gallery Alriwaq
Qatar Museums is presenting a
retrospective of the work of Luc Tuymans,
the first solo show of the artist in the Gulf
region. The exhibition, Intolerance, a
comprehensive survey of the artist’s work,
includes a series of wall paintings and a new
body of work, ‘The Arena’, created specifically
for the show. Curated by Lynne Cooke, Senior
Curator of Special Projects in Modern Art at
the National Gallery of Art Washington.
VCUQatar Spring 2016
DATE: January 25
VENUE: Al Tadamoun Signal, Doha City
Learn new skills and deepen your
understanding of art and culture at
VCUQatar. Choose from a large selection of
art, design and craft courses at VCUQatar
in Education City or at IAID (Academy for
Dance, Music & Arts). Register online now,
visit www.qatar.vcu.edu/community. For
more details you can call IAID at 44320974
/ 44411234 / 66710589 or e-mail us at
enquire@iaidonline.org.
Harrods Doha
DATE: Until January 24
TIME: 4pm-1:55pm
VENUE: Katara Cultural Village
Harrods celebrates their inaugural launch
of the Harrods Doha Village. Be there and
experience luxury in style.
Pottery workshop for kids
DATE: Every Monday
TIME: 5pm-6pm
Kids will learn a new hand building
technique for creating and finishing artworks
in clay. For more, call 44865201.
Sketching with pencil and charcoal
DATE: Sunday and Wednesday
TIME: 5pm-6:30pm
If you can hold a pencil, you can draw
… Discover techniques to make your
drawing more realistic. Every Saturday
and Wednesday from 5pm-6:30pm. For
reservation: arts-crafts@live.com.
Works from Mathaf Collection
DATE: Until February 14
TIME: 11am to 6pm
VENUE: Arab Museum of Modern Art
The artworks collection to be exhibited
will reflect a number of important defining
moments in Arab history and artistic
innovations in the region.
Hip Hop for kids
DATE: Every Sunday
TIME: 5-6pm
VENUE: Hilton
Join our Hip Hop classes instructed by
Beats and Bytes every Sunday at 5pm @
Hilton Hotel, Efora Spa. For more info, call on
33003839
www.salsancandela.com
Salsa Beginners
DATE: Tuesday, Friday
TIME: 8-9pm
VENUE: Hilton Hotel
Whether you’ve danced salsa before or not,
you will find what you want. Different salsa
classes with different levels at your service,
taught by the best instructors in Doha at
Eforea Spa, Hilton Hotel. No need for a
partner, no need for reservation, come as you
are. Prices are QR60 per person per lesson.
Visit: www.salsancandela.com
Ladies day at Beach
DATE: Every Monday
TIME: 9am-7pm
VENUE: Sheraton Doha
For all the ladies in Doha! Do you feel
like taking some time off for yourself?
Come join us at the Sheraton Resort for
an all-day-access to the beach and pool,
along with aqua gym aerobics for free.
Nestled on the edge of Qatar’s West Bay
with an unbeatable and uninterrupted
views of the blue sea. Our pool and beach
adds a tempting and exciting experience to
enhance your senses of relaxation. Enjoy
only for QR100 per person.
Swimming lessons for kids
DATE: Saturday to Thursday
TIME: 10am-6pm
VENUE: H2O Swim club
The Swim Club’s goal offers a variety of
swimming programmes for adults and kids.
They run the following programmes from
competitive squads, leisure swimming for
kids, up to adult swimming. Operating hours:
Saturday to Thursday between 10am and 6pm
To find out more, please visit their website:
http://www.h2oswimclub.com.
Fitness Training
DATE: Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday
TIME: 6pm-7pm
VENUE: MIA Park
There are fitness classes in the park on
Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday nights
between 6 and 7pm. Open to all levels of
fitness, Bootcamp is an intensive and fun
way to train and also meet new people in the
open and friendly group atmosphere. More
information from Bootcamp Qatar or info@
bootcampqatar.com
Join in our Walk-in Weekends
DATE: Every Saturday
VENUE: MIA Atrium
MIA art education and calligraphy teams
offer walk-in workshops in MIA’s atrium
every Saturday. These walk-in workshops are
for open for all family members.
Qajar Women
DATE: Until January 30
VENUE: MIA
This exhibition demonstrates the centrality
of women in the artistic expression of
19th-century Iran and how it continues
to inspire contemporary artists. The most
popular representations of the Qajar era have
been of male sovereigns, whose life-size
portraits exaggerate masculinity to depict
power. Yet this era also saw a period of
artistic modernisation in Iran, particularly
in paintings and photography, in which
depictions of women became essential
elements of the scenes. This exhibition
explores rarely told narratives of the Qajar
artistic tradition.
FOODIE CHOICE
RESTAURANT: Fuego
LOCATION: Shangri-La Hotel, Doha
Fuego delivers the culinary fire and passion
of the Argentine pampas for diners who wish
to channel their inner gauchos and paisanas.
Lively, fun and engaging, it offers the finest
selection of prime beef prepared in the time-
honoured traditions of the Argentine grill.
The convivial atmosphere is heightened by a
lovely repertoire of Argentine folk music from
a professional duo.
4. Sunday, January 17, 20164 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY COVER STORY
“Ialwaysfeltlikemylife
hadnotstartedyet”
— Sameer Ahmed, cancer survivor and philanthropist
SUNDAY
CONVERSATION
THE MESSAGE: Sameer Ahmed, a two-time cancer survivor, says raising awareness is key to fighting the dreaded cancer. Photo by Umer Nangiana
ameer AAhhmed, cancerr ssuurvivoorr aanndd pphhiillaannthrooppiist
There
were definitely
times when I felt
this is the worst
thing that can happen.
But because I had a
support system, I
felt hope
5. 5Sunday, January 17, 2016 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITYCOVER STORY
By Umer Nangiana
S
ometimes what gives you
courage to fight off the
worst in life is nothing
but positive attitude.
You fall flat, yet you
keep thinking of getting back on
your feet and do all those things
you always wanted to do in life. It
works!
Ask Sameer Ahmed and he
would tell you how. Sameer, a
31-year-old Canadian expatriate of
Indian origin, survived Hodgkin’s
Lymphoma, a type of blood cancer,
twice. He was first diagnosed at
the age of 24. He fought it off.
It returned in six months. He
defeated it, again.
Strong enough, he is now out
conquering some of the most
dauntingly challenging mountain
peaks in the world. In a recent
attempt, he scaled 5600 feet on
Mt. Aconcagua in Argentina,
bad weather stopping him from
reaching the summit.
And he is doing all this for a
cause. His ‘Climb Over Cancer’
campaign is for cancer awareness
in Qatar and to raise funds for
cancer charity. In an interview,
Sameer shares with Community
the story of his fight with the
deadly disease and his inspiration
to scale mountains.
He grabbed the opportunity
when one of his cousins from the
United States, with experience in
mountaineering, offered Sameer
to join him on the trek to Mt.
Aconcagua.
“It had not really crossed my
mind. But then I thought why
not. I thought let’s try something
different and get out of the comfort
zone. We started talking about it
and I said why not do something
for cancer awareness. And that is
how ‘Climb Over Cancer’ came
up,” Sameer recalls.
A calm, lucid speaker, this young
athlete is also a basketball player.
He intends to team up with Qatar
Charity for his next climbing
expedition to raise funds for
awareness campaign.
In the first attempt, he says, he
was focusing on raising awareness.
In his preparations for the climb,
he did altitude training and general
hiking in Nepal where he also
visited the earthquake-hit areas.
“That was pretty tough but
Mt. Aconcagua was way harder.
I was going strong until the end.
I probably had a few days left in
me to be able to get to the summit
but the weather was really bad.
The winds were 100 km/hr at the
summit so it was not safe,” says
Sameer.
He would however, love to give
it another shot. It is expensive and
takes time. He hopes to attempt
some other mountains before
he makes his second attempt in
Argentina. And this time, he plans
to take a team with him.
“I have already spoken to a lot of
people who are very interested. It
can be cancer survivors or others,”
he hopes.
Now running a contracting
company, Sameer was studying to
go to law school in Canada when
he was diagnosed with cancer. And
the symptoms started appearing
close to his examinations. He
thought it was just burn out.
“You just feel lethargic, body
pain and loss of appetite and
the latter is probably the biggest
symptom that you should pay
attention to. Then more rare
symptoms appeared like bronchitis
but I thought it was my asthma.
I was giving myself excuses,” he
recalls.
“This went on for two months.
Then I went to doctors, told them a
few things because I thought it was
all related. They gave me medicine
asking me to return if it got worse,
but the fever would go by itself in a
couple of days and I would think it
was all well. I would never go back
so they never tested,” he goes on.
In summer that year, he came to
see his parents in Doha. His drastic
weight loss, sunken cheeks and
fragile physical stature worried his
parents. Something was wrong.
And then a lump appeared in his
neck.
After going through private
clinics here, he contacted a doctor
in Hyderabad, India. His biopsy
was done and within a week he was
diagnosed with blood cancer. But
Sameer did not panic.
“I read my report again and
again and I realised it was serious.
Then my first thought was that
there should be some solution to
this problem. I said, ‘okay we have
to find the treatment and we have
to do whatever it takes right now,’”
says Sameer.
His treatment began
immediately because it was already
stage IV-B, the most advanced
stage. It was in his chest, neck and
lungs. In India, he went through
chemotherapy for six months
with complete bed rest. Sameer,
however, had a support system in
place.
His grandmother was there. His
mother got leave from work and
spent time with him. He believes
support system plays a big role
when someone is going through
something like this.
“There were definitely times
when I felt this is the worst thing
that can happen to me. Why is this
happening and stuff like that, but
because I had a support system
around me and people encouraged
me, I felt hope,” he narrates.
“And I also thought I was still so
young and that there was so much
that I wanted to do. I always felt
like my life had not started yet.
There was so much I wanted to do
and I needed to get better to be
able to do it. That was partly the
motivation that had me going,” he
adds.
Sameer loved playing basketball.
He was always visualising himself
back on the basketball court, being
able to play again. It was about the
little things like being able to go to
his favourite restaurant and eat his
favourite food that had him going.
Bearing the chemotherapy
ordeal, he was on his way to
recovery when he was re-
diagnosed. This time he was in
Canada and he was prepared. “I
was like, okay what do I do now
and this is why I think God is great
because Canada is one of the few
places where stem cell transplant
is legal and they have been doing
it since 1970s and they have
perfected it,” he recalls.
He got his stem cell transplant
done but the chemotherapy this
time, Sameer recalls, was ten
times harder than the first one.
His studies got disrupted but he
says his school was good in a way
that it allowed him to submit
essays to finish the semester and
then he went back to complete the
course.
He decided to come to Qatar,
find work here and live with his
parents. And it was here that he
realised there was not a lot being
done in terms of cancer awareness.
People were not talking about
cancer. Sameer approached the
Supreme Council of Health and
volunteered to be a spokesperson
for cancer awareness. “My whole
interest was to talk about it as
much as possible. Even if people
don’t want to hear it, they are
forced to hear and then it might
just click somewhere, sometime
and might just help,” says Sameer.
He says if you figure out your
symptoms early enough, you
can still be cured and it might
not recur. And that is where the
awareness comes in.
Today, he is leading a healthy life
and plays basketball in leagues in
Qatar with players who are semi-
professionals. Sameer thanks his
sponsors Aspetar, Go Sport, The
Look Company and TechnoBlue
for supporting him in his hiking
campaign.
By Umer Nang
ometimmees wha
courage to figh
worst inn life is n
but posittive att
You fall flflat, yet
keep thinking of geetting ba
your feet and do alll those t
you always wantedd to do in
works!
Ask Sameer Ahhmed and h
would tell you hhoow. Sameer,
31-year-old Caannadian expatr
Indian origin,, ssurvived Hodg
Lymphoma,, aa type of blood ca
twice. He wwas first diagnosed a
the age ofof 24. He fought it off.
It retururnned in six months. He
defefeaated it, again.
Strong enough
c
FOR A CAUSE: Sameer Ahmed started his Climb Over Cancer campaign to help raise awareness about the disease.
AWARENESS DRIVE: Through his campaign, Sameer intends to raise funds
for charities working on cancer awareness in Qatar.
DETERMINED: Sameer intends to take a team of climbers with him on the
next expedition.
In a recent attempt,
Sameer Ahmed
scaled 5600 feet
on Mt. Aconcagua
in Argentina, bad
weather stopping him
from reaching the
summit. He is doing
all this for a cause. His
‘Climb Over Cancer’
campaign is for cancer
awareness in Qatar
and to raise funds for
cancer charity
6. Sunday, January 17, 20166 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY WEATHER ADDICT
By Steff Gaulter
R
ain has finally started to
fall in California.The rain
is desperately needed in
the parched state,which
is in the grip of the worst
drought in over a hundred years.The
drought started in 2012,and since
then the rains have been consistently
below average.
The majority of California’s rain
normally occurs in winter, but over
the past few years, the usual flow
of moisture has been blocked by
an area of high pressure that has
persisted off the coast. In total, over
the four years between 2012 and
2015, there was 25 percent less rain
than usual, meaning that by 2015,
California was missing an entire
year’s worth of rain.
The rain this winter started in the
second week of December, and so
far its delivery has been ideal. It was
brought by a series of storms, none
of which have been exceptionally
heavy or destructive.
The storms have simply been
marching into the state from
the Pacific, one after another,
delivering generous amounts of
rain. This is fairly impressive, given
that storms in California often fall
on ground which has been baked
hard by the sun. Parched ground
cannot readily absorb moisture,
so when it rains in southern
California, the water often triggers
flooding and landslides.
Initially, the rain started in
the northern and central parts
of the state, but in January, the
downpours spread to the south. As
the rain slowly filled the rivers and
dams, the Sierra Nevada mountains
were coated in thick snow. This is
vitally important because during
the long hot summer, it is the
melting ice pack which replenishes
the reservoirs.
This winter’s snow is a complete
contrast to the weather of last year.
On April 1, 2015, the snowpack on
the Sierra was a mere 5 percent of
the average, by far the lowest ever
recorded. This year, however, the
heavy snow has ensured that for
the first time in several years, the
amount of snow currently in the
mountains is above average.
The increased reservoir levels and
the healthy-looking snowpack are
promising signs for the population
of California, but the drought is
not over yet. For this to happen, we
need the storms to continue for the
next four months. Many residents
might balk at the idea of four
more months of rain, but in a state
which has suffered such extreme
conditions for such an extended
problem, it is essential.
Sadly, even if parts of California
are wet for the next few months,
the drought might not necessarily
be broken. The moisture needs to
fall in specific areas: rain is needed
in the catchment areas of the
reservoirs and snow is needed in
the mountains. Once the reservoirs
are full, the aquifers (natural
underground reservoirs) need
to replenish as well. Only if this
happens can we say the drought is
officially over.
Clearly breaking the drought is
more difficult than many people
might imagine, and even once it’s
broken, it could just as easily return
next year. California is a state which
has a history of water problems;
the rain is far heavier in the north,
but the majority of the population
live in the south. In the north, some
places receive over 900mm (35
inches) of rain per year, but further
south, the rainfall is far less. Los
Angeles, with its population of
almost 4 million, has an annual
rainfall of 379mm (15 inches), and
further inland, Bakerfield has an
annual rainfall of less than 144 mm
(5.7 inches).
Much of Southern California
relies for its water supply on a
network of reservoirs, aqueducts,
power plants and pumping plants,
known as the California State Water
Project. This moves water from the
water-rich north, to the parched
south, supplying water to two-
thirds of California’s population.
The Water Project also
distributes the water from the
melting snow in the mountains,
ensuring the amount of water
is regulated. Before the network
was constructed, it was common
in spring for the melting snow
to cause flooding in central
California’s San Joaquin Valley.
Now the Water Project regulates
the amount of water entering the
waterways, preventing the rivers
from overflowing. The water is
stored and carefully distributed,
allowing major cities to boom along
the river banks and enabling the
semi-arid desert of the San Joaquin
Valley to be transformed into
productive farmland.
The recent plentiful rains in
California are good news for all
those living in the state, and it is
likely that there will be more wet
weather in the next few months
thanks to the current El Nino
conditions. El Nino is the slight
warming of the waters of the
Pacific, a natural phenomenon,
which occurs every two to five
years.
The change in the ocean can have
a dramatic effect on the weather
around the globe, causing flooding
to northern Argentina, bringing
drought to eastern South Africa
and disrupting the monsoon rains
over India. El Nino is also known
to enhance the winter rain over
California.
This year’s El Nino is one of the
strongest on record, so it was hoped
that it would bring much needed
rain to the state. The recent wet
weather is certainly encouraging,
but more is needed before the
drought is over, and the trouble is
that even if the drought is broken,
there is no guarantee it won’t return
as soon as El Nino fades away.
(The author is Senior Weather
Presenter at Al Jazeera English
channel. She can be contacted on
steff.gaulter@yahoo.co.uk
or on Twitter at @WeatherSteff)
POIGNANT: This was the SOS call in California until rain finally came calling. File photo
Atlonglast,rainforCalifornia
7. 7Sunday, January 17, 2016 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY
HONOUR: M S Bukhari, a Qatar-based businessman and sociocultural activist, was bestowed with Bharat Samman Award 2016 for NRIs at a glittering ceremony in New Delhi by General V K Singh,
Minister of State, External Affairs and Overseas Indian Affairs, at NRI Diwas 2016, organised by NRI Institute, an oldest organisation for felicitating NRIs at a global level for the last 27 years.
By Anand Holla
I
f the events of the first
two weeks of the year are
anything to go by, 2016
appears to be a momentous
year for the region’s
entertainment arena.
US-based Internet TV network
Netflix finally debuted in
Qatar by ending geo-blocking
of its services in Qatar, and
beIN entered into a strategic
partnership with Turner, a
division of Time Warner, to
exclusively air Turner-owned
channels in the Middle East and
North Africa region.
The signing ceremony that
marked this partnership featured
Nasser al-Khelaifi, Chairman and
CEO of beIN Media Group, and
Giorgio Stock, President of Turner
EMEA. Post the agreement,
Turner’s popular channels
including Cartoon Network,
Boomerang, TCM, HLN and CNN
HD will now be solely available on
beIN Pay TV DTH networks across
the Mena region.
At the event, al-Khelaifi said,
“These channels have earned the
trust and loyalty of viewers across
the globe and we look forward
to entertaining our subscribers
with exclusive access to their
award-winning programmes and
premium content.”
Industry experts have long
wondered whether unlimited
access to online streaming and
downloading of content will
adversely affect TV broadcasting
business. In a recent interview
to Community, Stock explained
why it won’t. “More than ever
we see the importance – and
benefits – of having strong brands
that have a clear identity. At the
same time, it’s an opportunity to
marry the new technology to our
own content in exciting new ways
providing audiences with the
experience they crave, and have
now come to expect, and one can
do that with a range of platforms
from Spotify to YouTube,” he said.
“Our role as entertainment
creators and media owners is
to curate our brands through
the many and varied paths to
our audiences – delivering
experiences that essentially look
to new technologies and platform
partners. The best model for
delivering quality content is
one where technology enhances
and facilitates the consumer
experience. This supports loyalty
and repeat use with powerful
brand experiences and storytelling
at its core,” explained Stock.
The proliferation of next-
generation platforms is a positive
on all fronts: it gives the consumer
easier access to content, content
providers more outlets to market,
and broadcasters – like Turner –
options to go direct to consumers
or team up with providers with
space for us to curate our content,
according to Stock. “Keeping
an ever-closer eye on audience
consumption habits will be key at
a time when they have more choice
and quality than ever,” he said.
Following the event, in a quick
chat with Community, al-Khelaifi
shared his views:
In what way will Turner’s
partnership with beIN Media
Group transform the existing
industry scenario?
For beIN, it’s an important
development as it helps us expand
our content portfolio. For Turner,
this partnership enables them to
access a much larger audience
through beIN platform.
Why was this strategic
partnership necessary for beIN
Media Group?
BeIN wants to position itself
as the most comprehensive pay
TV platform in the region. This
partnership helps us achieve that
objective.
In the past year or so, what
sort of audience trends or
patterns has emerged related
to the region’s entertainment
industry?
Usage to multiple devices to
access content and watching
content in non-linear manner are
a couple of important trends that
have come to the fore.
Does the near future look
exciting and promising for the
business? Why?
Indeed. For beIN, 2016 is an
important year. In this year,
we will continue to strengthen
our entertainment content
proposition. On the sports
front, we have the Euro next year,
which is on our platform,
and it’s a big subscription driver.
We are certainly excited about
2016.
‘ForbeIN,2016is
animportantyear’
NEW VISTAS: Nasser al-Khelaifi, Chairman and CEO of beIN Media Group.
8. Sunday, January 17, 20168 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY
Sherborne Qatar appoints
new head of Senior School
T
he Board of Governors of
Sherborne Qatar is delighted
to announce the appointment
of Stephen Spicer, who will
succeed Michael Weston, as the
Headmaster of the Senior School.
Spicer holds a first-class degree in Business
Administration from the University of
Cardiff. He gained his teaching qualification
(in Economics and Business Studies) at
the University of London’s Institute of
Education, a leading institution in the UK for
training teachers. He taught for several years
at Boston Grammar School in England before
moving to the British School in Bahrain where
he earned promotion to become Deputy Head
of the Senior School. He is currently serving
as the Headmaster of the Secondary School
at the long-established and well-respected
Academia Británica Cuscatleca in El Salvador.
Michael Weston retires in July 2016 after 30
years with the Sherborne School community.
He has spent the last five years in Doha,
setting up and overseeing the development
and growth of the Senior School. Together
with his hand-picked colleagues, he has
established a first rate school based very
closely on the ethos and education standards
of the historic British school.
Weston commented: “The success
story of Sherborne Qatar and its pupils is
a remarkable one; and one in which every
individual has played an important part. I
shall miss friends, colleagues and pupils.
Doha will have a special place in my memory,
largely for the warmth of the welcome from
the Qatari and international communities
alike.” NEW BEGINNING: Headmaster Stephen Spicer
ICChonoursstudents
withUtkarshSamman
T
he Indian Cultural
Centre concluded the
month-long ICC–
Utkarsh Samman
2015 — an interschool
competition on performing arts,
participated by 13 Indian schools
in Qatar at ICC Ashoka Hall with
the prize distribution ceremony on
January 11, 2016.
The chief guest, RK Singh,
Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy
of India, inaugurated the function.
Anjali Singh was the guest of
honour.
In his address, Singh
congratulated the ICC committee
members and the special
subcommittee formed to conduct
the event and judges for initiating
and conducting this mega event
for the Indian schools and thereby
fulfilling the objectives of the
Indian Cultural Centre.
ICC President Girish Kumar gave
the welcome address,highlighting
the importance of the competition
for the young generation.He thanked
students,staff and management of all
Indian schools and parents for their
active participation and promoting
rich performing arts in the region.
He also thanked Bhavan’s School for
providing venue for the event.IBPN
President K M Varghese encouraged
the students to nurture rich Indian
culture.
Divakar Poojary, General
Secretary, ICC, compered and
conducted the public official
inaugural function. Unnikrishnan,
Head of In-house Activities, ICC,
introduced the judges panel and
the 10 committed subcommittee
members to the gathering.
The entire prize distribution
ceremony was conducted by
Unnikrishnan with active support
of dedicated volunteers.
Jayati Maitra briefed the
audience about the objective of the
competition. Vishal Mehta, Head
of Membership, ICC conveyed
a special compliments to the
gathering.
The month-long event was headed
by the Head of Cultural Activities
Jayati Maitra,Head of In-house
Activities, Unnikrishnan and Head of
Membership Vishal Mehta with the
active support of other members .
ICC Utkarsh Samman 2015
is initiated to promote various
forms of Indian classical dance,
vocals, music, arts & crafts and to
encourage the young performers.
Recognising the stellar role played
by the schools, Indian Cultural
Center (ICC) has considered it
prudent to organise this event as an
inter-school competition.
Birla Public School was declared
the overall winner with ICC
Utkarsh Shresthho Samman —
2015 with maximum points for the
competition. RK Singh, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of India, inaugurating the function.
ACCOLADES: Winners of ICC–Utkarsh Samman 2015 with officials.
9. 9Sunday, January 17, 2016 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY
DMISANNUALDAY: Doha Modern Indian School (DMIS) celebrated its 11th Annual Day last week.
The ceremonial welcome was accorded by Head BoyJustin Mathew and Head Girl Anugraha Arun
respectively. The chief guest of the day on January 13 was Satish Pillai, Executive Director, Galfar Al
Misnad Trading and Contracting Co. WLL, and on January 14 was Dinesh Udenia, First Secretary
Press and Education, Embassy of India. Guests of Honour Jayashankar Pillai and Krishna Roy
Chowdhury, Director, Library Information Technology, Qatar Foundation addressed the gathering. All
the programmes presented by students from KG to that of High School were well received. The vote of
thanks was cast by KG Co-ordinator Moushmi Dutta on Day 1 and Sabu Thomas on Day 2.
10. Sunday, January 17, 201610 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY
Coffee:Notjustabeverag
Colombia,butatouristdr
By Michael Juhran
O
ne of Gustavo Patino’s
joys in life is his
morning cup of coffee
from freshly-roasted
beans. His wife Gloria
makes sure it is filtered through a
very finely meshed textile filter.
The enticing scent spreads
through the recreation room of
their finca, El Ocaso, luring the
first vacationers out of their beds.
Sipping from his cup, Gustavo
lets his glance glide over the
Colombian landscape of mountain
peaks and deep valleys. The
morning mist is rising, revealing
off in the distance the central
Cordilleras range of the Andes
Mountains.
This is the Triángulo de Oro del
Café region — the golden triangle
of coffee — where coffee plants
dominate the flora. Ten years ago
Gustavo and Gloria began to offer
tourists guided excursions around
their coffee plantation. Last
year, he welcomed nearly 8,000
visitors. For the couple, tourism
has become a welcome additional
source of income, stabilising
their family budget, a factor not
to be underestimated given that
income from coffee beans is always
fluctuating.
“Fewer and fewer farmers
can live off the harvest from
two to three hectares of coffee
plantation,” Gustavo says matter-
of-factly. “In the past, we could
count on temperatures ranging
between 20 and 25 degrees that
are ideal for our plants. But now
we are feeling the effects of global
warming. It is causing more leaf
disease and attracting more pests.”
He hands each of his guests a
small basket and then sends them
out among the 150,000 coffee
bushes of his farm. The group
is accompanied by the sound of
chirping birds. At first it is difficult
for the guests to make out the few
red — the ripe — beans amid all the
green ones. But the deeper they
go into the plantation of shrubs,
the more abundant the red beans
become. “This is good for just
about one cup of coffee,” Gustavo
says later, inspecting a visitor’s
basket with about 3kg of red
beans, which are also often called
cherries.
After they are processed, it
will be enough for about 500g of
roasted coffee. A good hour goes
by before the visitor’s basket is
halfway filled up. Then comes
the sobering moment, when the
visitor sees that each of a nearby
group of Colombian coffee pickers
has gathered about 40 times that
amount in the same time.
The beans are dumped into a
large funnel, and then they go
through each stage of processing —
pre-sorting, washing, separating
the skins from the “meat” inside,
fermenting, drying. Then a woman
named Rosa sternly does a final
inspection.
“Top-quality coffee must be
sorted by hand,” Gustavo says, now
roasting 250g in a pan and then
giving them to Gloria to grind up
and filter. Next comes the taste
test. Will it taste like coffee? It is
pleasantly sweet, even though no
sugar has been added. The visitors’
taste buds make out traces of
cocoa, and vanilla.
Juan Pablo Echeverre is another
who has discovered tourism
as a side occupation. With
his 200-hectare plantation in
Manizales, about 50km north of
Pereira, he is one of the few large-
BEAN THERE: Juan Pablo Echeverre with a coffee shrub on one of the steep hillsides where he grows Colombian coffee.
11. 11Sunday, January 17, 2016 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY
gein
raw
Gustavo Patino and his wife Gloria enjoy a semi-roasted Arabica, their favourite
coffee, at El Ocaso.
Workers and tourists in a four-wheel-drive vehicle on the Hacienda Venecia, a 200-hectare plantation owned by Juan Pablo Echeverre.
The Hacienda Venecia in Colombia has welcomed tourists as paying guests for seven years. Initially the accommodation was basic, but is now classy with a garden and pool among the amenities. The
200-hectare plantation is located in Manizales, about 50km north of Pereira.
Roasted coffee at the stage where its full aroma is released. Colombian coffee
earns the best prices when it provides a rare taste that coffee aficionados crave.
scale coffee farmers in Colombia.
“Seven years ago the first
American backpackers arrived
here,” he recalls. Now his Hacienda
Venecia has some comfortable
guest rooms to offer. A swimming
pool with sunloungers lends a
Mediterranean air to the place.
Except for the mountains all
around covered by coffee plants,
it could be somewhere in Tuscany.
Juan Pablo invites his guests
to come along when, during
the harvest season, anywhere
between 100 and 500 pickers — the
“cafeteros” – are taken out to the
mountains. It is hard work, with
the pickers earnings 350 to 600
pesos (11-18 US cents) per kilogram
of cherries.
In the main harvest period in
October, roughly 2mn Colombian
pickers are at work 10 hours a
day, be it in the searing sun or in a
pouring rain. “In the coffee trade
you need a great deal of human
energy, strength and stamina,” Juan
Pablo says. He says he would not
have achieved what he did without
always coming up with new ideas.
As for buyers’ tastes, the
Japanese prefer the expensive
geisha coffee, an exclusive type
that Jesus Martin offers with his
coffee roastery in Salento. Five
kilograms of beans were now
undergoing special processing.
Then, mouth-watering tests
are made to compare it with
many different aromas — cocoa,
nuts, berries, citrus fruits, honey,
bergamot. Acids and tanning
agents combine for a harmonious
composition.
For European taste buds, the
geisha coffee might seem more
like tea than coffee. But, there is
always time to try out something
different. A tour of Colombia’s
coffee regions is a good place to
start. — DPA
12. I
ndonesian Ambassador Deddy
Saiful Hadi and Madam Endang
Deddy Hadi,accompanied
by Second Secretary for
Information,SocialandCulture
of Indonesian Embassy,Nurwenda
Sucipto,attended the 1st anniversary
of Garuda Indonesia Riders
Brotherhood of Qatar-GIRBOQ
held recently at the ambassador’s
residence.
The event was marked by a cake-
cutting ceremony,performed by
Arham Ariefudin and Arie Prihutama
W,on behalf of the caretakers and
witnessed by members of GIRBOQ.
Ambassador Hadi is the Honorable
Patron of this organisation.
Garuda Indonesia Riders has
20 members who are working
in the oil & gas sectors, banking
& financial services, airlines,
embassy, etc. This occasion was
also a platform for GIRBOQ to bid
farewell to Ambassador Deddy
who will be finishing his tenure by
the end of January 2016.
Speaking on the occasion,
Ambassador Deddy reiterated the
important role played by GIRBOQ
in enhancing the relationship
among Indonesian citizens in
Qatar through active participation
in social and culture activities,
including sports.
Ambassador Deddy stressed
the importance of unity among
Indonesian citizens under the
umbrella organisation of Indonesian
community in Qatar-PERMIQA.He
requested the Indonesian diaspora to
observe good conduct — respect and
follow the laws,rules and regulation
of the host country.
Sunday, January 17, 201612 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY
Indonesianbikers
completefirstyear
ANNIVERSARY: Garuda Indonesia Riders (GIRBOQ) has 20 members who are working in the oil & gas sectors, banking & financial services, airlines, embassy, etc. Seen here are GIRBOQ members
with Indonesian Ambassador Deddy Saiful Hadi at his residence on the first anniversary celebrations.
14. Sunday, January 17, 201614 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY PUZZLES/CARTOONS
Adam
PoochCafe
Garfield
BoundAndGagged
Codeword
Wordsearch
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.
Puzzlescourtesy:Puzzlechoice.com
ANDREAS
ANGELO
ANTONIO
BERNARDINO
CARLOS
CRISTOBAL
DIEGO
FERNANDO
FRANCISCO
JOSE
JUAN
LUIS
MARINO
MATEO
MIGUEL
PEDRO
RAFAEL
SALVADOR
SEBASTIAN
SIMEON
San
Sudoku
Sudoku is a puzzle based
on a 9x9 grid. The grid is
also divided into nine (3x3)
boxes. You are given a
selection of values and to
complete the puzzle, you
must fill the grid so that
every column, every anone
is repeated.
15. 15Sunday, January 17, 2016 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITYPUZZLES
Colouring
Answers
Wordsearch Codeword
DOWN
1. Barrier (9)
2. Refill (9)
4. Ceiling (4)
5. Material (5)
6. Dust (6)
7. Team (4)
9. Woodland (5)
11. Tale (5)
12. Canteen (9)
13. Involve (9)
17. Fish (5)
19. Possessing (6)
22. Vision (5)
23. Dandy (4)
24. Stupefy (4)
ACROSS
3. Swap (9)
8. Summit (4)
9. Universal (9)
10. Alleviation (6)
11. Scoff (5)
14. Waterway (5)
15. 20 quires (4)
16. Scum (5)
18. Sprint (4)
20. Toll (5)
21. Robust (5)
24. Still (6)
25. Outline (9)
26. Sand (4)
27. Opinion (9)
ACROSS
3. Put a chap ashore - he’s a bailiff (4-5)
8. In days of old you kept gold inside (4)
9. The moral made play different (9)
10. Chief after the same estate (6)
11. It’s a dog’s life to be restrained by this (5)
14. This dance can go all over the place! (5)
15. A cold shower, we hear, is healthy (4)
16. They’re always on hand for use by the
carpenter (5)
18. The flavour of seaweed (4)
20. Exemplary transcription of unfinished
melody (5)
21. An inclination to tear to pieces by the
end of the fight (5)
24. One entering designs for the lowlands
(6)
25. Rotten oak has become established (5,4)
26 & 24Dn. Lanky type standing up to
support the runners (8)
27. They depict views of oceans and
headlands (9)
DOWN
1. Any edicts misconstrued by business
combine (9)
2. Men in port could be conspicuous (9)
4. Showing a bit of temperament, you’ll have
the last word (4)
5. He’s a lazy individual after a doctor (5)
6. A piece from Elgar is highly showy (6)
7 & 23Dn. One with identical title will make
Sean upset (8)
9. Fifty in main diversion to Italian location (5)
11. One hemmed in by fat land-owner (5)
12. Difficult speech for the actor? Bad luck
(4,5)
13. Getting to know what encashment means
(9)
17. Fish gave off an odour (5)
19. Where clubmen are putting the
vegetables (6)
22. Roman girl in disguise (5)
23. See 7Down
24. See 26Across
QuickClues
CrypticClues
Yesterday’sSolutions
QUICK
Across: 1 Pick; 3 Cogitate; 8 Ring; 9 Displace;
11 Overabundant; 13 Collar; 14 Smirch; 17
Impermanence; 20 Trueborn; 21 Loot; 22
Redeemer; 23 Grin.
Down: 1 Perforce; 2 Congeal; 4 Odious; 5
Impediment; 6 Again; 7 Ever; 10 Manageable;
12 Threaten; 15 Rancour; 16 Emerge; 18 Mound;
19 Stir.
CRYPTIC
Across: 1 Mice; 3 Confirms; 8 Noah; 9 Billy-can;
11 In other words; 13 Strike; 14 Ascent; 17 Cash
register; 20 Eternity; 21 Fare; 22 Detested; 23
Eton.
Down: 1 Mantissa; 2 Clamour; 4 Osiers; 5
Follow suit; 6 Raced; 7 Sent; 10 Shake hands;
12 Sturgeon; 15 Extract; 16 Settee; 18 Agent; 19
Lead.
17. 17Sunday, January 17, 2016 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITYBOLLYWOOD
ChalknDuster:
Mawkishlyexecuted
yetinspirational
Kangana wants to write
book on her struggles
Actress Kangana Ranaut intends to write
a book on her struggles in her life, which
includes the period before she came to the
film industry as well as her stint in it.
“The way I dealt with my failures has
been very heavy and I would like to write
a book about that, how success will never
teach you anything,” said Kangana at the
launch of journalist Barkha Dutt’s book
This Unquiet Land: Stories From India’s
Faultlines.
“So I’ve been through struggle for 10
years, and I think that’s what shaped me
up as a person today. I don’t know how
much a success people see me as — that is
very external aspect of one’s growth — but
I think I’m a very successful person on a
very personal level. And when you lose
something or face failure, it’s about how you
deal with it and not lose your self-respect
and self-worth,” she said.“Ten years of
humiliation, rejection, embarrassment
could have made me believe what the whole
world thought about me — like if they
thought about me as a loser, but I didn’t
think of myself as that or as what the world
or my parents thought of me. That’s why I
could do what I did in my life... Not just in
India but all over the world, winning and
success in so overrated,” she added.
Kangana, who was aspiring to be a
doctor before she decided to enter the film
industry, says that right from schools, the
system of success or ‘standing first in class’
is prominent. She also faced trauma due to
her parents’ strange behaviour if she didn’t
stand first in class.
“We need to tell our children that it is
okay to fail, there’s nothing wrong in it.
Nothing lasts forever. That kind of spirit
needs to be there,” she said.
Kangana also feels that this kind of
prominence given to success and winning,
creates a feeling where a rejection is hard
for people to accept. She believes that’s the
reason violence against women happen,
having seen her sister Rangoli suffering an
acid attack. “So rejection is so hard to deal
with for anyone, especially men, there’s
no acceptance for the fact that this women
doesn’t want or that she doesn’t have
feelings for me. Usually that is the intention
and I feel that for 90 per cent of the violence
against women — that kind of rejection
triggers it.”
Kangana also confessed about being
physically abused by an industry celebrity
and how she is fighting back physically and
legally. — IANS
STAR CAST: Actresses Shabana Azmi and Juhi Chawla during a presser for their
upcoming film Chalk n Duster, in New Delhi.
By Troy Ribeiro
J
ayant Gilatkar’s Chalk n Duster honestly
and compassionately reflects our
deteriorating education system, albeit in
a straight, on-the-face and old fashioned
manner.
Despite being mawkishly executed, it is
inspirational. It is the story of the incredible
teachers of Incredible India.
With the premise, “keep education as
education and not as business”, the plot delves
into the trials and tribulations of the teachers at
Kantaben High School, who are being subjected
to the unwarranted harassment by their overtly
insensitive management, in their bid to make
their school numero uno.
While the treatment is overdramatic and
exaggerated, comparing tradition with modernity,
the messages hit the right nerve. It especially hits
you, when you hear science teacher Jyoti (Juhi
Chawla) speak directly to the audience, “Can you
imagine what the world would be like without
teachers?”
The screenplay is taut and engaging despite
the cliches. It blends the teachers’ professional
lives with their domestic one, in ample measure,
especially that of the senior mathematics teacher,
Vidhya Sawant essayed by Shabana Azmi and that
of her younger colleague Jyoti.
The performance by the ace star cast is what
keeps you hooked. With her powerful screen
presence and brilliant histrionics Shabana Azmi
as the mature and lovable Vidhya Ma’am, is
adorable.
Juhi Chawla, in a well-etched character packed
with light comic, as well as serious moments,
supports Shabana, literally and figuratively. She
is sincere and natural but does not offer any new
shade to her character or performance.
The surprise package is Divya Dutta, who holds
her own and excels as the antagonist Kamini
Gupta, the school’s principal. Her horrendous wig
adds to her thick-headed persona.
Of the male cast, Arya Babbar as Anmol Parekh
the pea-brained foreign returned MBA whose
family controls the school, supporting Kamini in
her endeavour, is passive and stereotypical.
Girish Karnad as Vidhya’s wheel bound
husband who is fond of playing chess and Sameer
Soni playing Jyoti’s husband, are perfunctory.
These flat, one-dimensional characters who let
their spouses flourish are underdeveloped.
Of the rest of the supporting cast, Upasana
Singh as the Arts teacher Manjeet and Richa
Chadha as Bhairavi Thakkar, the India News
Reporter, are wasted.
And Rishi Kapoor and Jackie Shroff in guest
appearances are reduced to caricatures.
This modest subject is well mounted. The film
boasts of a decent production set-up. The annual
day function with the well-choreographed dances
and brilliant lighting is worth a mention.
The background score at times is so
overpowering that it drowns the dialogues,
but nevertheless the message is loud and clear.
Cinematically this may not be a brilliant film, but
it has its heart in the right place as there is never
an instance when a teacher may not have tugged
your emotional chord.
A must-watch film for all those who have been
to school. — IANS
CATEGORICAL: Kangana says it’s okay to fail.
18. Sunday, January 17, 201618 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY HOLLYWOOD
Isgreatdramajustwhite
menbattlingadversity?
By Mary McNamara
T
he winner of the 2016 Oscar in
practically every category is …
white men facing adversity.
Just two years after the
much-touted breakthrough of
12 Years a Slave, the best picture nominees
announced on Thursday, with a few notable
exceptions, follow a dishearteningly
repetitive story line of white men
triumphing over enormous odds: The
Hollywood blacklist (Trumbo), the vagaries
of Wall Street (The Big Short), Cold War
politics (Bridge of Spies), life alone on
Mars (The Martian), a grizzly bear attack,
murderous companions and the hostilities
of a cruel winter landscape (The Revenant).
Even Spotlight, with its supporting actress
nomination for Rachel McAdams, showcases
a group of mostly male journalists struggling
to expose the brutal crimes committed by
the Catholic Church. And though there is
feminine power aplenty in Mad Max: Fury
Road, the film’s titular character is, of course,
Max, and its lead actress didn’t even get a
nomination.
To be clear, these are all good stories,
powerful, well told and beautifully acted. But
in world filled with billions of people who are
not white men, they are certainly not the only
good stories, not by a long shot.
Though our demographics and attitudes
continue to change, Hollywood’s definition
of great drama has remained stubbornly
attached to standards and expectations set
back when men were men (if they were white)
and everyone else needed to just shut up and
listen.
Obviously, plenty of films have challenged
this sensibility, telling a wide variety of
stories from many points of view. But when it
comes to Oscar bait, the default remains too
often set at literal reading of the four essential
categories of conflict: Man versus man, man
versus nature, man versus society and man
versus himself. As many have already pointed
out, the characters in the lead actor category
were a writer, scientist/astronaut, tracker,
inventor and artist. The characters in lead
actress? Homemaker, mother/rape survivor,
inventor, wife, clerk.
Certainly Straight Outta Compton, Creed,
Concussion and Beasts of No Nation fit the
“classic” definition of literary conflict. They
just didn’t fit, apparently, academy voters’
ideas of a classic best picture.
Film is not the only narrative art struggling
with a limited notion of excellence. The
publishing industry is in the midst of a
long-standing battle over why certain
writers (mostly white men) are considered
“significant” while others (often women,
white and otherwise) are dubbed “popular.”
With its increasing number of platforms,
television has done a better job in recent
years of expanding its repertoire of characters
and stories, but the “prestige dramas” of
premium and basic cable remain almost as
fascinated with the perils and problems of
white men as film. Of recent Emmy winners
in drama, only Game of Thrones gives equal
emphasis to its female characters.
Ironically, television has benefited, and will
continue to benefit, from film’s increasingly
narrow focus. There are many reasons for
TV’s recent renaissance, but it certainly
began when female film stars, unable to find
good roles, left the big screen for the small.
Film writers, unable to sell stories outside the
prescribed margins, soon followed.
Although there are still too few women
and people of colour writing and directing
television, there are far more than in film. The
nominees for virtually every category that
was not lead or supporting actress included
only a scattering of women. And director
Todd Haynes, who in Carol told a lovely and
lyrical story about two women, was shut out
of his category and the best picture group.
Before chalking all this up to a discussion of
political correctness, Hollywood should take
note that there is money at stake.
The movie and TV industries won’t solve
their main problem — how to capture the
eyes of young audiences — by hewing to
hallmarks of excellence set by previous
generations. Millennials and post-millennials
aren’t just big franchise fans, they are also
the most racially diverse and socially tolerant
generations in history. As the crossover
audiences for Straight Outta Compton
and The Hunger Games series proved, they
don’t “need” their heroes to be white and
don’t expect them to be male or straight or
anything but interesting.
So instead of panicking about the
logistical challenges of the digital era,
Hollywood should remember its own time-
honored mantra: What matters is the story.
The size and shape of the screens are, to a
certain extent, outside the entertainment
industry’s control. What is playing on
them, and how much it moves the audience,
is not.
“Diversity,” the lack of it and need for it,
has been discussed and debated ad nauseam.
But diversity isn’t a civic duty, it’s an artistic
necessity. For any art form to remain relevant,
it must grow with the society it explores,
questions, criticises and represents.
Yet here we are, with white men braving
storms both real and symbolic, in the hostile
landscapes of several states, two countries
and a distant planet to win the Oscar gold. —
Los Angeles Times/TNS
WHITE NOISE: Actor John Krasinski and Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs announce Best Actor at the announcement of the 88th Academy Awards nominations during a live news conference
at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California. All nominees are white.
19. 19Sunday, January 17, 2016 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITYMUSIC
H
e arrived sometime
between the Beatles
and Led Zeppelin
wearing a space-age
metallic cape, singing
about spiders from Mars, moon
dust trailing out of his flaming
orange hair.
Even in rock’s risk-taking heyday,
David Bowie stood out.
From Ziggy Stardust to the Thin
White Duke to the Elephant Man
to the Goblin King, the singer
and actor, who died January 10 at
age 69, embodied an impossible
combination of dark and light, the
alien and familiar, the spooky and
the intimate.
Bowie was a freak before disco
made the term cool; before thinking
differently was shortened into a
slogan to sell computers rather
than a liability. And he flirted with
transgender themes long before
anyone imagined that Bruce
becoming Caitlyn would become a
hit TV series.
He was a joyful misfit who
existed in a galaxy light years away
from the popular kids club that is
pop today — a universe he created
out of every genre that came and
went over his decades-spanning
career.
Glam, new wave, electronica,
jungle, jazz were all steppingstones
for Bowie, inspirational pit stops
in his penchant for adventure and
change. Why stay in one place when
you don’t really fit in anywhere?
Though it may seem hard to
believe when faced with the likes
of One Direction and Katy Perry,
Bowie’s influence is there. Everyone
actually wants to be different now,
even if they aren’t.
Nicki Minaj’s outrageous alter-
egos, Dave Grohl’s occasional
skirt onstage, Lady Gaga’s mere
existence (for better and worse) all
owe something to the man who fell
to Earth before them.
Challenging norms, feminising
rock, busting gender roles seemed
so easy for Bowie. A playful swipe at
the square culture around him. But
the difference between shtick and
the real thing is depth, and he had
plenty of that.
It was somewhere between the
boundless twinkle of space and the
sentimental corners of the soul that
Bowie connected, orbiting just out
of reach to preserve his weirdness
from the crush of conformity but
close enough to touch us with songs
that fully embraced the fallibility of
being human.
He sang about scary monsters
and super creeps in one song,
painting his child’s crib on
another. He fed off society’s ills
as a Diamond Dog, then escaped
the cabal by nesting in the messy,
misfit love affair that was Heroes.
(The latter has to be one of the most
beautiful love songs ever written for
those of us who never believed, or
found ourselves in, the billion other
love songs that were aimed at but
missed our hearts).
Still, even Bowie, a master of
the unexpected, would have been
surprised by how many people
— pop stars, rappers, politicians,
music fans of all stripes —
considered his gentle, flamboyant,
charming and extraterrestrial
musings part of their own DNA.
The outpouring of grief in the
days since his death has been
overwhelmingly personal, and
multi-generational.
The usually cynical comedian
Ricky Gervais tweeted, “I just lost
a hero. RIP David Bowie.” Singer
Lorde, 19, posted on Facebook: “He
was a piece of bright pleated silk we
could stretch out or fold up small
inside ourselves when we needed
to … I realised everything I’d ever
done, or would do from then on,
would be done like maybe he was
watching. I realised I was proud of
my spiky strangeness because he
had been proud of his.”
And during a talk at the Pasadena
Civic Auditorium, astrophysicist
Neil deGrasse Tyson paused to
honor Bowie and earlier tweeted, “I
wonder if some forms of creativity
can only be generated by a Space
Oddity that Falls to Earth. RIP
#DavidBowie”
Fame, however, wasn’t really a
crusade for the lithe Londoner born
under the unassuming name of
David Jones. Just listen to the song
that became his first No. 1 hit in the
US, (coincidentally titled “Fame”),
off an album that cemented his
fame, and you’ll find he even viewed
that pursuit through the eyes of an
outsider.
The androgyny when everyone
else was oversexed, the oddball
movie roles (Merry Christmas Mr.
Lawrence, The Hunger), the lyrics
that likened death to the journey
of an untethered astronaut. Not
exactly sure-shot moves toward
Top of the Pops or The Tonight
Show but rather a path burned out
of necessity.
How many spaces were there for
an eccentric who even stood out
in the glam scene he came from
— a curious optimist among the
brilliant yet tortured forefathers of
punk rock.
His career was a study in
reinvention and that often-said but
rarely followed idea of staying true
to one’s self even as he explored
new personas.
Bowie didn’t always hit the mark,
but as a high-wire risk-taker he
never hit the ground either. The
singer played a vampire and, of
course, an alien in film, an elephant
man on the theatre stage, and was
one of the first music stars to put
his name to a video game.
His last album, Blackstar, was
released two days before he died.
An existential journey set to music,
it made it clear that Bowie was
still exploring his own depths and
that of the great unknown before
him. But he also returned to an old
theme, one that Ziggy Stardust and
Major Tom knew well — mortality.
What comes next, as it turns out,
was always at the front of Bowie’s
mind.
Yet his death was unexpected
by the rest of us, and not because
he’d just released an album
days earlier or that he kept his
fatal illness a secret from the
public for nearly two years. It’s
that this father of reinvention
finally succumbed to something
predictable.
A constant refrain has been
that we believed the singer
would last forever. Wishful
thinking, of course, yet the kind of
nonconformity we always expected
— and usually got — from David
Bowie. — Los Angeles Times/TNS
Bowiewasdriven
byhis‘otherness’
ON SONG: David Bowie performing at the Shrine Stadium in Los Angeles.
TRIBUTE: With David Bowie music blasting from speakers, fans place memorabilia at a growing memorial for the rock star at his star on the Walk of Fame on
Hollywood Blvd in Hollywood, California.
20. Sunday, January 17, 201620 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY
Slated to take place on February 9, the run, spearheaded by Dolphin Energy,
will bring the community together at Losail International Circuit for a chance
to participate in one of the three distances on offer. By Umer Nangiana
GetsetforDohaDash
I
t is all about participation.
This is an opportunity for
everyone and anyone who has
never before tried running in
a competition. Open to public
in different categories from 10-km
run to 1-km walk, Doha Dash returns
next month.
Created by Professional Sports
Group to support the vision of Qatar
National Sport Day, The Dolphin
Energy Doha Dash will take place on
February 9 this year and will bring
the community together at Losail
International Circuit for a chance
to run in one of the three distances
on offer.
The event is accessible for
everyone with 10km, 5km and 3km
races from ages eight and above, a
1km race for children and a ladies’
1km walk. Doha Dash is a family
event and a fun, active day out for all
to enjoy. The Race Village, situated
in the pit lanes, provides a wide
range of activities suitable for of all
ages.
All the races in the Doha Dash
take place on the track at Losail
International Circuit and start and
finish in the home straight, with
warm-ups for each race taking
place in the pit lane. All races are
chip timed and participants will
be able to view their finishing time
following the race.
“We are proud of Dolphin
Energy’s long-standing association
with Doha Dash. We believe that
practising sports and leading an
active lifestyle is integral to personal
and social well-being and we are
committed to promoting these
values, especially at a local level
in Qatar,” said Hassan al-Emadi,
General Manager Qatar, Dolphin
Energy, the title sponsor of event, in
his statement.
The registration for the run was
officially launched in November
last year and Qatari hurdler
Mariam Farid, the 400m hurdles
silver medallist at the West Asian
Championships, was appointed the
Doha Dash ambassador.
“There is no event like Doha
Dash in Qatar. It is not just a
wonderful sporting event, it is
a community event that brings
everyone together. I attended last
year’s event and was really pleased
with the overall organisation and the
fact that anyone can take part, not
just experienced runners, but also
beginners and even children,” said
Farid.
“This year, I am delighted to
be a Doha Dash 2016 ambassador
and take this opportunity to invite
everyone to the event. I am really
looking forward to running with my
family and friends,” added Farid.
The Doha Dash is an inclusive
event which caters for everybody.
The 10km Doha Dash is open to
ages 14 and above. A new addition
for 2016 event — the 10km race —
is for those who want to take on a
challenge.
The 5km Doha Dash is open to
ages 12 and above. Runners in the
5km category will complete one
full lap of the Losail International
Circuit. However, the 3km Doha
Dash is open to ages eight and above.
The 3km race is perfect for families
who want to run together and
participants who want to sample
the experience of mass participation
running but do not want to push
themselves too hard.
There is a 1km Mini Doha Dash
with free entry and is open to
children aged five to 12. The 1km race
will start and finish on the home
straight. For women, there is 1km
ladies’ walk, also on free entry and is
open to ages five and above. The 1km
ladies’ walk is perfect for ladies who
want to participate, but don’t want
to run. Ladies participating in the
1km walk are invited to bring small
children and pushchairs.
Since 2013, the Dolphin Energy
Doha Dash has raised QR150,000
for charitable causes through a
donation of 25% of its registration
fees, sponsor pledges and
participant fundraising. In 2015, the
Dolphin Energy Doha Dash donated
to the creation of a new playground
for the Shafallah Center for Children
with Special Needs.
The run was launched in 2013 by
Dolphin Energy and Professional
Sports Group.“The objective of the
event is to support the vision behind
Qatar National Sport Day and
encourage citizens and residents of
the country to live more physically
active lives,” said Adel Ahmed
Albuainain, CEO, Dolphin Energy
Limited.
Since its launch, the Doha Dash
has seen a steady year-on-year
increase in participation. As many
as 2,546 participants took part in the
2015 event, which is approximately
a 77% increase from the inaugural
event in 2013.
RUN, DOHA, RUN: Since its launch in 2013, the Doha Dash has seen a steady year-on-year increase in participation.
There is an opportunity for everyone to participate.
