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Taken with instagram

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 09:19:09 -0400

Taken with instagram

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 05:58:46 -0400

Taken with instagram

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 12:36:13 -0400

Taken with instagram

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 11:51:30 -0400

Taken with instagram

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 04:13:59 -0400

Taken with instagram

Instagram: Instagram for Android -- Available Now.

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 11:02:57 -0400

Instagram: Instagram for Android -- Available Now.:

instagram:

Today, we’re excited to bring you Instagram for Android^TM. We’ve already seen more than 30 million people join Instagram to create and share beautiful photos on their iOS devices, and now we’re thrilled to offer a way for Android users to join their iOS friends on Instagram to share…

Taken with instagram

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 04:47:35 -0400

Taken with instagram

The baby girl born at 11:11:11 on 11.11.11

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 02:39:45 -0500

The baby girl born at 11:11:11 on 11.11.11

Quake at Prithvi Sanjna walks out.

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 02:35:40 -0500

At a meeting late on Wednesday night Sanjna Kapoor, 44, the indefatigable force behind Prithvi theatre announced that she would be quitting the theatre to start her own company Junoon. The new venture, she told a stunned gathering comprising senior theatre personalities like Preetha Thakur, Om Katare, Mahabanoo Mody Kotwal, would be taking theatre to smaller towns of India. She was taking along with her her trusted assocaite of nine years Sameera Iyengar.

The mantle of Prithvi theatres now falls on her brother and ad filmmaker Kunal Kapoor who was also present at the meeting.

While Kunal Kapoor remained unavailable for comment, Sanjna told this newspaper: “I kept saying that I would leave when Prithvi would grow up but it hasn’t so I’ve decided to leave the baby at home. Jokes aside I think the theatre has really grown and it’s the perfect time to leave, there are new townships and cities being built across this country without any theatre venue-the suburbs of Mumbai have also grown and there are no cultural spaces to engage people. Junoon will fill that vacuum.”

The enterprise is energized by the spirit of Sanjna’s grandparents Prthviraj Kapoor and Geoffrey Kendell who traveled around India with their plays. Junoon intends to replicate the work done by such companies. It will take plays from around the country to smaller towns and revitalise existing auditoriums.

Sanjna explains, “One of our biggest objectives has been to energise venues in the city. The whole burden of giving nights to different groups and sustaining 40 to 45 various theatre groups in the city has really become very difficult. The planning of dates was the toughest job. The lack of venues has been our biggest grouse.”

Twenty-one years ago, straight out of college, Sanjna took over the task of reviliatizing Prithvi theatre. With great energy and networking skills she made over the space into one of the country’s most prestigious theatre spaces. She encouraged fresh talent, revamped the now-famous Prithvi Café, started the children’s festival and increased its patronage.

Sources say that Kunal Kapoor who has been working behind the scenes at the theatre for some time has his own plans to expand it, including extensive renovation of the existing space.

The news of Sanjna quitting has still to sink in for many. Hindi theatre veteran Om Katare who was present at the Wednesday meeting said, “We spoke about her starting Junoon, but I did not realise that she is quitting altogether.” Yet others like Makrand Deshpande believe her moving away might actually benefit the theatre itself. “I don’t think of it as a loss. In fact, I feel with Junoon Prithvi will expand. We will get a chance to take our plays to places we have never been to.”

It would be ironic if Junoon at some point became competition for Prithvi and in turn her brother. But Sanjna believes that it would only make things more interesting. “I realise that with Junoon we would at some point be in competition with Prithvi for an audience, but honestly there can only be healthy competition in theatre. For example, the NCPA festival is a great thing to have happened to the city. I think competition, will only increase audiences, and hence hopefully generate more income through sponsors. If it does come to it, it will only make things only more exciting and interesting.”

Butt & Co were habitual fixers!

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 02:13:11 -0400

Butt & Co were habitual fixers!:

Even as three Pakistan cricketers and their agent were given jail sentences yesterday, the focus shifted away from a few pre-arranged no-balls during last year’s Lord’s Test. Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt received 30 months in jail, fast bowler Mohammad Asif was sentenced to one year, 19-year-old speedster Mohammad Amir got six months and agent Mazhar Majeed was sentenced to two years and eight months.

Despite the fact that they were convicted for the no-balls bowled at Lord’s on August 26 and 27 last year, Justice Cook, in his sentencing remarks to Butt, said: “I cannot ignore the fact that these were not isolated incidents,” — implying that the former Pakistan captain was involved in numerous other fixing activities.

He continued: “The evidence of the text message between you and Majeed in the West Indies in May 2010 (World Twenty20) shows your involvement in such activities outside the scope of the period covered by the indictment. I sentence you in respect of the no-balls bowled at Lord’s alone but bear in mind your prior agreement in respect of the maiden over at the Oval, of which telephone evidence was heard, as well as the West Indies exchanges.”

In another development that rocked Australian cricket yesterday, there emerged new evidence that their two-Test series against Pakistan in England last year was rigged too. The Sydney Morning Herald reported: “Messages sent and received by (Mazhar) Majeed and uncovered by police — but not allowed as evidence in the trial of Butt and Asif — indicate there were also attempts to fix a bracket of Australia’s first Test against Pakistan at Lord’s in July last year.

Among the most startling evidence was a message received by Majeed on July 12, the day before the Lord’s Test against Australia, from a British phone, thought to be of a bookmaker. There was further correspondence in the lead-up to the second Test at Leeds between Majeed and a suspected Indian bookmaker codenamed ‘Raj’.”

Amir previously claimed he rigged the 2010 Sydney Test between Australia and Pakistan, boasting in undercover footage filmed during a sting by the now defunct News of the World that “we made 1.3 million pounds”.