Kishwar Desai

Mar 31, 2010
KISHWAR.JPG

Kishwar Desai

FloCam to the rescue

When in trouble there are a few things a Prime Minister or a President of a country can do, with a little bit of luck. If it is US President Barack Obama, he can ensure that a dangerous terrorist is picked out in Pakistan, killed and buried quietly at sea;

Designer riots, brand Britain

If it were not so terribly sad, it would actually be funny. Young kids and drug addicts, drunks and unemployed youth made up most of the mob that went on a rampage for four nights around Britain. And what was the main target? Designer labels! Clothes, shoes and alcohol that many of them would not have been able to afford in normal circumstances. Their excuse for the “spontaneous” uprising was the alleged accidental shooting of Mark Duggan, suspected of drug running, by the police.

Kalmadi effect plays out in UK

Recently, I have been experiencing many “flashbacks” as the countdown to the London Olympics 2012 has begun. With exactly one year to go, a giant electric clock at Trafalgar Square has started ticking down to the exact moment.
But the problem is that every time anyone comments something good about the London Olympics I cannot help contrasting it with the glorious mess we showcased to the world during the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Politicians put media in dock

The Rupert Murdoch saga gets more and more murky with each passing day, and one wonders how far the ripples will spread. All his efforts at damage control so far (shutting down News of the World, buying back his shares) have not been too successful. Already some shareholders in the United States have lodged a legal case and the

Fatal sting in the media tale

If Pranab Mukherjee thought that he is the only finance minister being “bugged” he should be relieved. George Osborne, the British Chancellor of the Exchequer, has recently been told that he might have been a victim of phone hacking as well. The only difference is, in his case it was a sting organised by the tabloid News of the World (NOTW).

Irish message for Kashmir

Before appearing on a TV show it is never a good idea to trip and stumble on the pavement, or to hit your head and nose so hard on the ground that it swells up double its size. Anyway I managed to do all of that and had a very dramatic flight to Belfast for a BBC programme, bleeding all the way.

Royal romp to Brand Britain

After Kate and William — the Wedding and Kate and William — the Honeymoon, we are on part three of the fascinating reality show. Kate and William — the Official Tour. After weeks of speculation whether the Duchess of Cambridge will take along her personal hair stylist (she will) and dresser (she won’t) we now also know that the young couple have decided that they will have a “hands on” approach on their visit to Canada next week.

A restless summer

In London, you know that summer has arrived when the sky is overcast, your umbrella becomes your favourite accessory, you head home groggily every night from a party and friends from India are as visible as the red double-decker. So, in this last one week one has already met Harish and Meenakshi Salve, Suhel Seth, Shobhana Bhartia, Soli Sorabjee… to name just a few.

Husain uncensured

Of course we will miss him. Even if Maqbool Fida Husain were in exile, he was now a Londoner. One of us. It was a sight that always cheered us up — the flowing white locks and beard — and the trademark barefeet. In fact, it was this time of the year that he would be spotted the most, with London warming up, the start of the cultural get-togethers, the celebration of the art exhibitions and auctions, and also the arrival of Indians “summering” in London.

What makes a celebrity

For once, I agree with Boris Johnson, the mayor of London. I think he has every right to be proud of the way the beginning of the 2012 London Olympic tickets sale has been handled through an open lottery in the United Kingdom.
And he is happy despite the fact that he had also taken a punt but was “massively disappointed” that he “won” no tickets at all along with 2,50,000 other equally morose applicants.

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I want to begin with a little story that was told to me by a leading executive at Aptech. He was exercising in a gym with a lot of younger people.

Shekhar Kapur’s Bandit Queen didn’t make the cut. Neither did Shaji Karun’s Piravi, which bagged 31 international awards.

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