The sound of furtive distance

“A hybrid of different musical influences”. Welcome to Distance, Dhruv Ghanekar’s debut solo album. “The album’s a journey of a musician. This is a culmination of 18-20 years of my life with jazz specifically jazz harmony. I grew up listening to a lot of hindustani classicals and a lot of R.D. Burman and while Indian music has a strong melodic tune, it lacks a certain harmony that jazz has. For me jazz has a very deep and natural extension to the environment its been played in and the album is an organic blending of the harmonic complexity of jazz. Jazz has the highest form of complexity and it just turned me on,” says Dhruv with reverence.
With that very “organic” blend of jazz, classical and world music, it has taken the talented musician almost five years and a journey across the world that has culminated to collaborations with numerous other talents, some of which transpired into music in the album. “Music is a team sport. Certain things you create in isolation but, magic can happen when you come together with other musicians. Especially with jazz, it’s completely essential. Composition can be created in ways that sound can never be created without,” he says. A pool of the collaboration include Joey Heredia, The Ploctones, Husain Jiffry, Carl Clements, Ashwin Shrinivas flute and Nicoli Freisman.
Besides being one of the founding partners of Blue Frog Productions that seems to have revived if not unearthed the live music scene and brilliant artistes — local and international — and bringing in a new dawn for a mass of music lovers, Dhruv has also composed music for over 3,000 commercials, several feature films and music for television. “My commercial commitments put my album on hold for a while. I had to complete all of them and get it out of my system to mentally get into my music. Drona took a really long time, and while it was scheduled to be released last year, I decided to launch the other artistes signed on with us before bringing my own,” he says in a rather exasperated tone.
While the alumnus of the Berkelee School of Music believes that “there should be more Blue Frogs in the country”, he is still wary about the the “unigue” mainsteam music in India that solely piggy-backs on Bollywood. “We need to create something new rather than emulate others. We need to take our unique creations to the world rather than ride on the wave of the Justin Timberlakes and Britney Spears of the world. Unique, talented artists are at most times a product of the underground. While I live on both side, I always try and bring mainstream values like marketing concepts into the underground scene,” Dhruv says.
And his music? “It’s a niche within a niche,” he states.
And yet as a musician, producer and businessman, the man doesn’t seem to fazed by apprehension that the economic slowdown might do anything to album sales as he puts it, “I don’t think it would really affect the music. Of course the business aspect of it — lesser artist, lesser commercials etc., — no doubt, but I’m not worried really.” A captivating album ain’t that far away. Distance is available for Rs 200 at Blue Frog Records.

Keep off the celluloid

With the international film awards season kicking off with subtle surprises and some obvious ones, predictions are on with writers, bloggers and the works throwing in their two cent worth. While Danny Boyle’s Slum dog millionaire — an adaptation of Vikas Swarup’s bestselling novel Q & A — is winning its way to the critics good books, closer home international media giants are taking a keen interest in producing films in India. Close on these tracks, Mosaic Media Group — the producer of blockbuster international hits Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, Talladega Nights, Get Smart etc. — will be collaborating with Ben Rekhi, the 29-year-old whiz-kid producer-director of cult, independent Hollywood hits, Waterborne and Bomb the System to bring Karan Bajaj’s best-selling novel, Keep Off the Grass to the big screen. “Like thousands of other readers, I was immediately hooked on to Karan’s story and his distinctive literary voice. Being of Indian descent and moving to India to work, I instantly connected with his characters and internal monologue. My dad was an IITian and the mix of campus life coupled with a spiritual journey was a fascinating juxtaposition. I have yet to see a film like this in Hindi cinema, and for me it is exactly the type of story I want to tell,” says Ben on taking the book to the celluloid.
And just as we have learnt with Chetan Bhagat’s One Night at the Call Centre (Hello) and wait with bated breath for another of his book adaptation Three Idiots, an author must surely be apprehensive about the portrayal of his word onto live images. But with Karan, the confidence and faith might just get the better of him as he says, “I have a sneaking suspicion that the film will be way better than the book. This is because I have met the Ben (director) in person and his vision for the book is extraordinary. I almost wished I had met him while writing the book since I would have added some scenes in the book!”
And the admirations is somehow mutual. “Karan has a hilarious way of building anxiety and doubt internally that will have to play out externally on screen. For example, the way each chapter ends with the title of the next chapter - this is a tool that I want to build into the film version in a new way. In any adaptation, things will condense, change, and evolve from book to screen. Even if the details change, my goal is to retain the heart of the story. The trick of any work of storytelling is nailing the tone,” says Ben.
While Karan’s book was launched, he had said that ideally he would just sign the film and have no desire to be personally involved in any capacity with the film. Changed his mind ever since? “A little bit! I am helping the director with the screenplay a bit since he is making some major changes. But on the whole, I am not very involved with it. It’s a different medium and I will let the experts do their job without meddling in it,” says Karan. While he may be leaving it to the experts, Ben might just be swinging from his take on the book to a more stringent approach to adapting it. “It is too early to talk about what will come out of an adaptation. The ideas are still forming as we speak. The only thing I would say is that I see a lot of Fight Club angst in it, mixed with Good Will Hunting friendship and mentorship, splashed in with the Motorcycle Diaries road journey to spirituality. If people recognise these films as influences in our final movie, then we will have done our job,” says Ben.
Keeping in mind the sensibilities of the writer, Ben adds, “Everything is a challenge when you set out to make a film. One of the major challenges is making the conflict more immediate and external, whereas the book has an existential philosophy to it. The surrealism to me is very real — we all have our own notions and daydreams of the way we interpret the world around us. This is what gives the book unique character, and what hopefully will set the film apart from other movies.”
While Ben’s choice of actor ranges from Dev Patel of Slumdog Millionaire to Irrfan Khan, if they sky is the limit he'd “love to see Abhishek as a college student”. “After I saw Guru I said to myself, ‘this guy is the real deal’. Given the right roles, he can knock it out of the park. But first things first, let’s get the script ready,” he says. But the range ends someplace else for Karan. “:I think a younger Rahul Bose would have been great. Maybe Abhay Deol since I really liked him in Manorama Six Feet Under.” Says Karan. And just how is the cult of the overpaid, under-worked manager coming along so far? “With the job market and the recession the way it is, it is probably going to be the unpaid, unemployed manager!” Karan says. As he wraps up his second novel which isn’t “a sequel to my first, or has anything to do with the first” let the hilarious journey of Keep Off the Grass capture the sentiment of the new Indian youth.

Keep off the grass, step on the screen

When the notes stood still

Joint Official Statement fromLive Earth Founder Kevin Wall, The Office of the Honorable Al Gore andDr. R.K. Pachauri, Chairman IPCCRegardingLive Earth IndiaFriday, November 28, 2008Everyone involved with Live Earth India, from our U.S.- and India-based staff, artists and crew to our India-based broadcast, production, non-profit and marketing communications partners, is stunned and saddened by the tragic events of the past few days in our host city Mumbai. We always felt very welcomed and safe as we spent more time on the ground in Mumbai to finalize plans for Live Earth India, scheduled for December 7. Due to circumstances far beyond our control, we are saddened to announce that Live Earth India has been cancelled. We will continue to work for solutions to the climate crisis for the good of the people of India and around the world. But for now, our thoughts and our prayers are with the victims of this terrible attack, with the bereaved, with the people of Mumbai and with everyone in India. For updated information, please visit www.LiveEarth.org
A series of high-profile performances scheduled in Bombay over the next fortnight have been cancelled or postponed, and one put in serious doubt. A report by Himanshu Bhandari and Lakshmi Govindrajan for The Asian Age:

Against the backdrop of the terror attacks, the last thing security forces would want are large gatherings of people in heavily populated areas and including foreign nationals — both artistes and audiences.
The highly-anticipated Live Earth concert, the first in Mumbai, is scheduled to feature international acts like Bon Jovi and Roger Waters, as well as a host of Bollywood celebrities, at Bandra’s MMRDA grounds on December 7. But doubt had been cast on the show’s go-ahead in light of the current situation.
At the time of going to press, Anuja Choudhary, PR and corporate communications head of show organisers Wizcraft said a final call had yet to be taken. Asked of the possibility of an international act refusing to perform, she said, “It’s a collective decision. There has been no statement from the Live Earth organisation yet. Right now their prime concern is the safety of their staff. We’ll have to wait and watch.”
The Mumbai leg of Jethro Tull and Anoushka Shankar’s series of nationwide joint performances has definitely been cancelled. On Thursday, E18 chief executive officer Farhad Wadia had said the show was still on, while band leader and flautist Ian Anderson said, “If there’s ever a good time it’s now, people must be looking forward to happy things.”
But a day later Wadia revealed the decision to cancel after learning the police couldn’t assure maximum security. “The band even offered to perform for free, with the show’s proceeds going to victims of the attacks. But we can’t go ahead with it. We are now looking at rescheduling the show to December 4.” However the venue, he revealed, could shift from the original Shanmukhananda Hall.
The 2008 Jazz Utsav, a three-day festival scheduled to open on Friday at the Bandra Amphitheatre, has been postponed. First held in 1975 as Jazz India and latterly as the Jazz Yatra festival, the event is one of Mumbai’s longest-running and most identifiable music festivals. This year’s edition, organised by Blue Frog and Capital Jazz, did not open as scheduled on Friday.
Blue Frog communications head Tina Kapur said, “There were two things — one’s obviously the security aspect. Plus, it’s a decision out of respect. We’re looking to reschedule but since there are so many parties involved — bands, sponsors and organisers — there will be changes, including line-ups.” Asked if a rescheduling will push the event into the new year, she said, “We’re looking to have it before that, in December.”
For the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA), the terrorists’ choice of location could not have been worse. The cultural centre is a stone’s throw away from the Oberoi-Trident, and the inaugural performance in its Arties India series of biannual chamber music festivals did not go ahead as planned on Thursday evening. Two subsequent performances on Saturday and Sunday featuring renowned French ensemble the Arties have had to be cancelled too, NCPA chairman Khushroo Suntook said.
“The police is not allowing us to go ahead with the performance, although we will make for all security arrangements. We have top people, our own staff, who will sweep and sanitise the entire area. For the moment, the Arties performances have been cancelled for this weekend. But the artistes will definitely be back for their next scheduled mini-festival in March,” said Suntook. Mumbai’s status as India’s financial capital is much touted, but few would argue its position as a cultural hub too. Its fabric and collective consciousness shaken, perhaps a dose of the eclectic is exactly what Mumbai needs right now. As Suntook observed of the NCPA’s cancelled performances, “This is music played defiantly in Moscow even as the Nazis were at the border. Music is a great medium to show resolve against brutality, and a way of calming people too.”

Firefighters tale

The old saying “fortune favours the brave” came true for the scores of firemen who went into the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower to help douse out fires amidst a fierce gun battle between terrorists and commandos with only two of the firemen returning injured despite none of them having bulletproof vests. Only one fireman and one driver were injured from the Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) in the long drama.
Mr Yuvraj D. Pawar, (35), a fireman with the Colaba Fire Station narrated the sequence of events right from getting the emergency call till the end of the saga. For Mr Pawar this was one of the worst incidents in his career with the fire department that spans over 15 years. “On Wednesday night we headed towards Oberoi Hotel on getting a call. After parking the fire tender, we started enquiring with the police about the status of the siege,” said Mr Pawar. By then there was a grenade attack from the upper floors of the Oberoi Hotel. “Luckily none of the fire personnel were injured in this blast,” said Mr Pawar. “It was touch and go for us,” said Mr Prabhat Rahangdale, assistant division fire officer at Colaba fire station.
When firemen learnt that the Kandahar Restaurant was in flames, they started dousing the fire from outside.
“We put up an aerial ladder to start our work and police personnel gave us cover since we did not have any protective wear. The fire was put off within 30 minutes. However, crossfiring was still on,” said Mr Pawar.
After sometime, there was another call, this time however, the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower was in flames. While firemen were preparing to make a move, three grenades were thrown; all of them missing the target.
“We started putting up the ladders and rescued around 300 to 350 people,” said Mr Pawar. The terrorists continued to ignite the fire wherever possible. Fortunately, no grenades were hurled nor were any gunshots fired in the night. However, what remained in store was a chilling discovery. A live grenade was lying on the road beneath a car on the pay and park lot for almost eight hours. “The grenade could have gone off at the slightest vibration, hence, killing many of us,” said Mr Pawar.
On Thursday afternoon, while firemen were extinguishing the fire between the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower there was heavy crossfire between the commandos and the terrorists. “The situation was very dangerous, since bullets were being exchanged. The thought of my family kept running through my mind but I had to overcome it,” said Mr Pawar.

The Asian Age correspondents

R.R. Patil on resignation

Deputy chief minister (DCM) R.R. Patil doused all speculation about his resignation as he expressed his determination to hold on to the portfolio of the Maharashtra home ministry on Sunday. Defending his stand, Mr Patil said that Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi did not resign after the attack on Akshardham temple neither did senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L K Advani resign after the attack on the Parliament. Chief minister (CM) Vilasrao Deshmukh and the DCM have been under tremendous pressure to quit, after failing to prevent the terror attack on November 26 in Mumbai. “I have heard that BJP leader Gopinath Munde had demanded for my resignation following the multiple terror attacks in Mumbai,” Mr Patil said. He added, “When Akshardham was attacked, the Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi did not resign. When the Parliament was attacked the then Union home minister L.K. Advani also did not resign. Then why should I resign after the Mumbai attack? What morality is BJP talking about?” Mr Patil questioned.
On Sunday, following Union home minister Shivraj Patil’s resignation, there were speculations that the Maharashtra CM and his deputy, Mr Patil, would also resign.
Mr Patil had a meeting with the CM at his official residence Varsha in Malabar Hill on Sunday afternoon. The meeting was held to discuss the law and order situation. After the meeting, both of them said that they would not resign. The CM also dismissed reports about the Centre asking him to resign. “There is no question of my resignation. Nobody has asked me to resign,” he said.
The Centre has claimed that an intelligence report about a possible terror attack on the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel was forwarded to the Maharashtra government few days before the incident. The Gujarat government also claimed that they had informed their counterparts in Maharashtra about terrorist movement in the Arabian Sea. Fishermen’s unions from Mumbai and Porbandar in Gujarat also claimed to have alerted the Maharashtra home ministry about suspicious boats moving in the sea.
However, Mr Patil denied that there was any security lapse. Earlier, Mr Patil also received flak for a statement he made, while speaking with the press regarding the terror attacks on Saturday. He said, “In big cities, one or two incidents like this do happen. The terrorists had planned to kill at least 5,000 people. But the police’s efforts ensured minimal damage.”

‘Attacks were planned by Let’

The Mumbai police crime branch investigating the terror attack said on Sunday that Ajmal Kasab (21), the only terrorist captured alive, has told his interrogators that this was a Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) operation. Ajmal had said that they were handpicked for this operation by their handlers and were trained extensively before carrying out the attack.“Ajmal has told us that he joined the Pakistan-based terror outfit one-and-a-half years ago and that the group of 10 including Ajmal were trained in camps in Pakistan. The group was extremely well equipped and well trained,” said Mr Rakesh Maria, joint commissioner of police, crime. Ajmal also told his interrogators that they were handpicked for the operation. “We are verifying the identities of their handlers and shall disclose them once they are confirmed. Ajmal told us that the group was handpicked for the operation,” said Mr Maria.According to Mr Maria, the crime branch is now in touch with Central agencies to verify what Ajmal has told them. “Ajmal gave us the names of the other nine terrorists, some of them may be aliases. We are now in touch with Central agencies to verify the information given by Ajmal,” said Mr Maria.Meanwhile the police only has CCTV footage of the CST attack and not of the Taj Hotel and the Trident Oberoi. “The systems of the hotels are currently down. We are however hopeful of getting the footage once the systems are restored,” said Mr Maria.