gulf times

Transcription

gulf times

P7
P20
Community
Indian
Community
Benevolent
Forum is organising a
free medical camp for
low-income workers
in Industrial Area.
Community
Lebanese
musician
and vocalist
Fady Harb will
perform live at
a concert in La
Cigale today.
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Rabia II 10, 1437 AH
DOHA
16°C—24°C TODAY
LIFESTYLE/HOROSCOPE 13
PUZZLES 14 & 15
All at home
COVER
STORY
Wilfredo C Santos, Ambassador of
Philippines, on the old world charm
of Doha with all its modernity —
and the soft image created by hard
working Filipinos in Qatar. P4-5
2
GULF TIMES Wednesday, January 20, 2016
COMMUNITY
ROUND & ABOUT
PRAYER TIME
Fajr
Shorooq (sunrise)
Zuhr (noon)
Asr (afternoon)
Maghreb (sunset)
Isha (night)
5.01am
6.21am
11.45am
2.48pm
5.11pm
6.41pm
USEFUL NUMBERS
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
ote Unquote
u
Q
You will never do
anything in this world
without courage. It is the
greatest quality of the
mind next to honor.
– Aristotle
Features Editor
Kamran Rehmat
e-mail: [email protected]
Telephone: 44466405
Fax: 44350474
The Hateful Eight
GENRE: Crime, Drama
CAST: Samuel L Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh
DIRECTION: Quentin Tarantino
SYNOPSIS: The film is set some years after the Civil War
Dragon Nest: Warrior’s Dawn
GENRE: Adventure, Animation
CAST: Jiao Xu, Guanlin Ji, Ying Huang
DIRECTION: Yuefeng Song
SYNOPSIS: Alteria is a land divided among humans,
elves, beasts and dragons. Decades ago, the elves and humans
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.
Mall Cinema (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.
Mall Cinema (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.
Cinema Land Mark (1): Dictator (Telugu)
2pm; Ride Along 2 (2D) 4.30pm; Charlie
(Malayalam) 6.30pm; Ride Along 2 (2D)
in Wyoming, and revolves around eight strangers who seek
refuge in a stagecoach stopover on a mountain pass during a
blizzard.
THEATRES: The Mall, Landmark, Royal Plaza
drove the beasts and dragons back into the Dark Mountains.
Evil thrives on darkness and draws strength from it. Rage and
fury gather in the gem possessed by the Black Dragon Karas,
waiting for the dragon to reawaken.
THEATRES: Landmark, The Mall, Royal Plaza
Along 2 (2D) 6pm; The Hateful Eight (2D)
8pm; The 5th Wave (2D) 11pm.
Royal Plaza Cinema Palace (2): The Good
Dinosaur (2D) 3pm; The 5th Wave (2D)
9pm; Soggade Chinni Nayana (Telugu)
5pm; The 5th Wave (2D) 7pm; Ride Along 2
11pm.
(2D) 9pm; The Revenant (2D) 11pm.
Cinema Land Mark (2): Dragon Nest:
Royal Plaza Cinema Palace (3): Wazir
Warrior’s Dawn (2D) 2.30pm; The Good
(Hindi) 2pm; Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Dinosaur (2D) 4.15pm; The 5th Wave (2D)
(2D) 4pm; Suffragette (2D) 6.15pm; The
6pm; The 5th Wave (2D) 8pm; The Hateful
Revenant (2D) 8.15pm; The Hateful Eight
Eight (2D) 10pm.
(2D) 10.45pm.
Cinema Land Mark (3): Nannaku
Asian Town Cinema: Charlie (Malayalam)
Prematho (Telugu) 2.30pm; Suffragette
(2D) 5.30pm; The Hateful Eight (2D) 7.30pm; 5.15, 6.15, 8, 9 & 10.45pm; Dictator (Telugu)
5.15pm; Soggade Chinni Nayana (Telugu)
The Revenant (2D) 10.30pm.
12.30, 3 & 8pm; Nannaku Prematho (Telugu)
Royal Plaza Cinema Palace (1): Dragon
Nest: Warrior’s Dawn (2D) 2.30pm; Dragon 5.30 & 10.30pm; Thaarai Thappattai (Tamil)
3, 10.30pm & 1am.
Nest: Warrior’s Dawn (2D) 4.15pm; Ride
Pravasi Vanitha sports meet
FCC Vanithavedi, a women’s forum,
is inviting entries to a sports fest being
organised on the occastion of Qatar Sport
Day. The event is to be held on February 5 at
Shantiniketan Indian School.
Individuals can participate in items like
1km walk, 100m race, 200m race, sack race,
lemon-and-spoon race and shot put. Group
items include relay race and tug-of-war.
Only women of 18 years and above are
eligible to participate. Interested women
can register their names online at: www.
fccvanitavedi.wordpress.com or directly at
the FCC office. Last date for registration is
February 3. Contact: 44661213, 44663757,
44315099
VCU Qatar Faculty Exhibition
DATE: Until 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: Until 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.
QNHG Talk
Purple Island: 4,000 years of
occupation on a very small island in the
bay of Al Khor
Talk by Prof Robert Carter, PhD, Professor
of Arabian and Middle Eastern Archaeology,
UCL Qatar
Date: Today
Time: 7pm
Light refreshments from 6:30pm — Q&A
afterwards
Where: Doha English Speaking School
(DESS), Madinat Khalifa South
Synopsis: Purple Island (Bin Ghanim
Island) is best known as the location of a dyemanufacturing site dating to the late second
millennium BC (Kassite or post-Kassite
Period), excavated by a French team in the
1980s. Here expensive dye was made from
a specific species of gastropod, possibly
for redistribution to the elites of Bahrain,
Mesopotamia and neighbouring regions.
This recalls an enigmatic connection with
3
COMMUNITY
ROUND & ABOUT
EVENTS
GULF TIMES
the Phoenicians, who later manufactured
purple dye in the Mediterranean and
whose original homeland, according to some
authorities, was not far away in Bahrain.
This was not the only archaeological
occupation discovered on the island.
The island contains a scatter of earlier Bronze
Age pottery and features (early Dilmun
period, ca. 2000 BC), suggesting that it was
integrated into the maritime trading and
fishing activities of the Dilmun civilisation,
based in Bahrain. Additionally, there
was re-occupation during the Sasanian
period, comprising a possible village or
extensive campsite in the western part of
the island, as well as remains dating to the
most recent three centuries AD. Apart from
the (post-)Kassite dye-manufacturing site,
all of these occupations are represented by
campsite remains or relatively ephemeral
villages, probably connected to sea-fishing
and pearl-fishing activities as well as woodgathering, hunting and grazing. In this
respect the archaeology of the island is highly
typical of the coastal and islands region of
the Gulf coast, where a surprising amount of
archaeology of many different periods can be
found scattered across small and apparently
isolated islands, the legacy of many thousands
of visits across the millennia. More details on
the QNHG website: www.qnhg.org
IAID Talent Development Programme
DATE: Jan 30
VENUE: Al Tadamoun Signal, Hilal St
Introduce your kids to the wonderful world
of music smile emotion. Music is a natural
part of life for toddlers. They might sing to
their stuffed animals, tap their feet to the
rhythm of nursery rhymes, and enjoy the
sound of their parents singing to them. But
this early introduction to music does more
than entertain. It can kick-start learning,
serve as an important cue in a child’s routine,
and offer lifelong benefits.
Interfaith Dialogue Conference
DATE: Feb 16-17
VENUE: Sheraton Doha Hotel
12th Doha Interfaith Dialogue Conference
will be held this year under the theme:
“Spiritual and Intellectual Safety in the Light
of Religious Doctrines”. The conference
gives a great opportunity to experts and
professionals from all over the world
discuss the issues related to the conference
theme, and provide a certain framework for
dealing with the challenges that threaten
the spiritual and intellectual freedom and
security of our times.
Doha Dash 2016
DATE: Feb 9
VENUE: Losail International Circuit
TIME: 7am
The Dolphin Energy Doha Dash was
created by Professional Sports Group
to support the vision behind the Qatar
National Sport Day. The event will bring the
community together at Losail International
Circuit for a chance to run in one of the three
distances on offer.
Compiled by Nausheen Shaikh. E-mail: [email protected], Events and timings subject to change
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: QR 20. 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.
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.
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.
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.
FOODIE CHOICE
RESTAURANT: Debs W Remman Doha
LOCATION: Medina Centralle, PearlQatar
Debs W Remman is a 300-seat Lebanese
casual dining concept, dubbed as the
“Ambassador of the Levant Cuisine” – that
recreates the atmosphere of the old streets
and souqs of Beirut. Headed by Chef Bashir
Zeitouni, the restaurant serves a wide variety
of traditional dishes that capture the essence
of authentic Lebanese cuisine.
4
COMMUNITY
COVER STORY
“I de-stress by belting
out karaoke numbers”
— Wilfredo C Santos, Ambassador of Philippines
By Anand Holla
S
ometime in 2005, Wilfredo
C Santos came to Qatar on
an official visit. In the guest
book at the Embassy of the
Philippines, he penned a
few heartfelt words and capped it off
with his name and signature.
Fate would dutifully appropriate
this gesture into a seal of
commitment. Ten years later, when
Santos took charge of the embassy as
the Ambassador of the Philippines
to Qatar, last year, he reached for the
guest book.
“There it was, my note and my
signature,” he says, togged in a crisp
suit, sitting in the living room of his
residence near Doha Golf Club, “Fate
had it that I would be assigned here.”
The posting seems to have come
through at a most opportune time —
when Qatar is gearing up for the FIFA
World Cup. “I consider myself lucky
to be here at this moment,” Santos
says, “I am very much impressed by
the modernity of Qatar. It’s a country
that strictly adheres to Islamic
traditions but it’s also very modern
in how it plans its infrastructure,
how focused it is in implementing
big plans, and the image it projects
through all its work. Education City,
Aspire Zone sports city, Museum of
Islamic Art, Katara cultural village,
REFLECTION: Children who grow up abroad learn others’ cultures, appreciate them and their way of life, which is key
to shaping perspective, says the ambassador.
Photos by Jayan Orma
top-of-the-line airport and port,
and the emerging economic centre
of Lusail; Qatar seems to have
everything in place,” Santos says.
For Santos, Qatar is kind of a
familiar territory — his first posting
was in Kuwait in 1996 as a consul.
That was followed by Singapore and
later San Francisco, USA, before
returning to Manila, and eventually
Qatar, around eight months ago. “I
think in foreign service, you need to
undergo a certain process of maturity
and accumulating experience. My
24 years as a diplomat has helped me
prepare well for the task that awaited
me here in Qatar,” says Santos.
Preparation has culminated
in multiple ways for Santos. His
father, a senior diplomat, was the
Philippines’ ambassador to Vietnam
and New Zealand. “But my father
never brought his job home. Once
he entered home, he would talk to
us about us. He was a disciplinarian,
like the older generations of Filipinos
who are very strict about proper
behaviour. I think such discipline also
helped me,” he says.
Born in Manila, Santos grew
up in the US and even studied in
Switzerland but returned home
to finish his education. “Staying
abroad in my formative years and
the exposure that it provided helped
me immensely,” he says, “Children
who grow up abroad learn others’
cultures, appreciate them and their
FITNESS FIRST: The ambassador likes to ride the bike to keep himself in shape.
5
COMMUNITY
COVER STORY
way of life, which is key to shaping
perspective.”
Following his father’s footsteps felt
rather natural for Santos, who started
off as a journalist. “In Manila, I used
to contribute to various newspapers
such as Philippine Daily Inquirer,
The Manila Times, and wire agencies
as well, writing everything from
opinion pieces on foreign affairs to
my experiences in Europe,” he recalls,
“All that experience prepared me
for my eventual career in Foreign
Service.”
Having first visited Qatar in
1997, Santos, like most people,
is taken in by the unabated wave
of development — and yet that’s
not what pleases him the most.
“Underneath the glittering skyline
and giant beacons of modernity, I
can still experience the same feeling
that I did when I had come to Qatar
before,” Santos explains, “It’s their
hospitality that I admire the most.
Whether I visit the Qataris at their
office or their home, they welcome
me warmly. That’s a trait we Filipinos
share with them.”
The Filipino community in Qatar,
numbering 200,000, is also among
the most active. “My work keeps me
occupied from Sunday to Thursday.
On Fridays, I commit myself to
Filipino community events, which at
times can mean attending five to six
in a day,” he says, while crediting his
officers and support staff for getting
the work done.
“In Qatar, we have about more
than 160 organisations under one
umbrella group called United Filipino
Organisations in Qatar (UFOQ).
Recently, the Filipinos in Qatar took
an active interest in registering
themselves for the elections,” Santos
says, pointing out that 17,500 voters
have registered thus far.
The Filipino community in Qatar
is employed in a diverse range of
sectors as skilled workers. “Filipinos
are in oil and gas sectors, or they
work as engineers, architects,
accountants, and lately, a lot of
the workforce in the medical field
like doctors and nurses has come
from the Philippines,” says Santos,
“What is heartening to know is that
Qatar has routinely expressed its
appreciation for the contribution of
our Filipino workers. I am proud of
my community because Filipinos are
a hard-working lot who are helping
GULF TIMES
To soak up some
culture and
catch some calm,
Santos heads
to the Museum
of Islamic Art
and enjoys the
panoramic views
that its coffee
shop offers.
“But it’s Souq
Waqif that I love
going, most of
all, because it
captures the old
world charm so
well,” he says
build a good image for our country.”
While the trend of Filipinos
moving to the Gulf countries has
been rather steady, statistics show
a rise in the number of workers in
the region, particularly in the UAE,
of late. “The number of Overseas
Filipino Workers (OFWs) in the
UAE is now nearly the same as that
in Saudi Arabia. Most people had
anticipated that OFWs in Saudi
Arabi would reach 1 million, but it
never did. In Qatar, the flow has been
steady. In the Gulf, Saudi still has the
most OFWs with more than 800,000,
UAE now has close to 800,000, Qatar
has 200,000, and Kuwait 180,000,
and so on,” says Santos.
There must be some strong
reasons for Filipinos to feel at home,
here in Qatar or elsewhere in the Gulf,
to have continued to move here. “I
feel it’s the simplicity and warmth of
the people here that makes the place
welcoming. Filipinos are accepted
in Qatar and their contributions are
recognised.”
And of course, the large
community of Filipinos here helps
newcomers feel safer, and at home.
“So that makes it easier for you to
adjust. Like it was for me; everywhere
I went, I saw Filipinos,” he says, and
laughs.
What Santos misses the most
about home is the festive atmosphere
of Christmas. “But then, here, they
have an equivalent,” he reasons,
“They have Ramadan, which makes
you not miss the Philippines here.
It’s a festive atmosphere similar to
Christmas in the Philippines.”
For Christmas, Santos had his
house plastered with Christmas
decorations and mostly Santa Clausrelated embellishments — because he
likes Santa, he confesses. “I invited
my whole staff for dinner, and a chef
from The Village restaurant came
down and prepared two Turkeys,
which we all shared.”
Apart from his keenness in
improving his nation’s bilateral
relations, Santos is now in the thick
of working on projects focused on
promoting Philippines as a tourist,
business, and cultural destination.
“One of my major projects is about
promoting Filipino cuisine, and
hence we established Kulinaria,
which is a movement comprising
Filipino restaurant owners. The end
goal is to use food as a vehicle to
attract tourists from Qatar and the
region,” he says.
Also on the cards, towards
achieving the same goal, is a megaFAM trip of the Philippines for the
region’s travel agencies and the
media, in the first half of the year.
This is being hashed out in coordination with other embassies and
their tourism department. “Back in
the Philippines, they have already
started finding hotels and resorts that
will cater well to the region’s tourists
by making those properties more
family-friendly and more Muslimfriendly — something that Thailand
has already done by taking note of
Halal food and so on.”
With five days spent on official
duty and Fridays reserved for
attending community events,
Saturdays are when Santos gets
some much-needed R&R. “I spent
Saturdays resting at home, playing
OUT AND ABOUT: Ambassador Santos, centre, with Filipino sport and wellness group during their regular Friday morning programme at the Corniche.
tennis with my friends, and riding
the bicycle I recently bought to keep
myself fit. In the summer months,
I swim in my pool every day,” he
shares.
What also features in his unwind
plan is to catch up on films. “I like war
movies and comedy movies,” says
Santos, “I love listening to jazz and
pop music, and I often de-stress by
belting out some karaoke numbers.”
Even if he is caught off-guard,
Santos will have his numbers ready.
“I always have three songs prepared
just in case,” he says, smiling, “Frank
Sinatra’s New York, New York, Lionel
Richie’s Still, and Eric Benet’s The
Last Time.”
To soak up some culture and
catch some calm, Santos heads to
the Museum of Islamic Art and
enjoys the panoramic views that its
coffee shop offers. “But it’s Souq
Waqif that I love going, most of all,
because it captures the old world
charm so well,” Santos says, before
hastily adding, “Then, of course,
there’s Villagio for all the pending
shopping!”
File Photo
6
COMMUNITY
RIVETING: Aparajita Troupe delighted the crowd with performances of traditional Indian Bharatanatyam dances.
Indian dancers mesmerise
Cultural Diversity Festival
C
ultural Village Foundation —
Katara, in collaboration with
The United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural
Organization (Unesco) office in
Doha, hosted the India World Cultural Forum
(IWCF) for the second night of Katara’s
Cultural Diversity Festival. Held outdoors
and adjacent to Katara Beach along the Katara
Esplanade, the IWCF presented Aparajita and
troupe, an 11-member performance group
from India.
A significant number of Katara visitors
attended the performance where Aparajita
Troupe delighted the crowd with a collection
of traditional Indian Bharatanatyam shows.
Dressed in colourful traditional dress, the
performers offered a series of synchronised
poses and dances with traditional Indian
music acting as the soundtrack for their vast
array of routines. Performers also provided
music with the ankle instruments affixed to
each performer which acted as the tempo
within a number of their displays.
Aparajita Troupe has performed in
countries around the world including
Indonesia, Oman, Spain, Switzerland and on
numerous occasions across India. Performing
for the first time in Qatar, the troupe helped
inaugurate Katara’s Cultural Diversity
Festival, providing a fitting introduction to
the country for the global performers long
familiar with presenting their culture to
various parts of the world.
“Katara’s aim as a Cultural Village is to
stage the very kind of performances which the
dance troupe brought to the Cultural Diversity
Festival tonight,” said Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim
al-Sulaiti, General Manager of Katara.
“During the first night of the Festival
we presented a glimpse of the Philippines
culture and tonight, with the help of Unesco,
we are proud to offer yet another dazzling
performance for Katara visitors. There will
be another 18 performances to come over
the next five months which will each offer a
similar level of engaging culture and fun for
people from all walks of life.”
The performances not only entertained
those familiar but also enlightened the
dozens of other spectators unacquainted with
the displays. It is worth to note that Nairobi
National Dance Ensemble will present its
performances next month on 1st and 2nd of
February, as part of the Cultural Diversity
Festival.
GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY
BLOOD DONATION: Chiyoda Almana Engineering Company held its annual blood donation campaign in co-operation with Blood Donation Unit of Hamad Medical Corporation, recently. In its 4th
year, Chiyoda Almana is arranging this campaign as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility with a participation of more than 100 employees. Shizuka Ikawa, Managing Director of Chiyoda Almana,
commented on the event saying “we are so proud of the willingness of our employees to participate in our 4th Blood Donation Campaign.” Ikawa added: “Over the years and through our business in
Qatar we are always striving to contribute to local community in ways that show our strong commitment to support Qatar Social Development as per Qatar National Vision 2030.”
TRIUMPH: Keralite Engineers Forum emerged as champions in EF Doha Cables Football Tournament defeating MESCEQ Engineering college by 3-2 held at Al Sadd Stadium. As many as 15
engineering college alumni participated in the six-week long tournament.
Free medical camp
Indian Community Benevolent
Forum (ICBF), under the Embassy of
India in association with Indian Doctors
Club Qatar, Aster Medical Centre and
Wellcare Pharmacy is organising a free
medical camp for low-paid workers
on Friday January 22 at Aster Medical
Centre premises in Industrial Area from
7am to 1pm.
This medical camp shall provide
free medical consultation including
orthopaedic, dental, dermatology
specialised treatment as well as
hypertension, fasting blood sugar
level checking with free medicines for
around 400-450 low paid industrial
and private workers residing in
Industrial area.
ICBF unit has started preregistration
of workers for the medical camp.
Registration forms will also be available
at ICBF Helpdesk at Indian Embassy and
Aster Medical Center, Industrial Area.
However, spot registration will also be
done on the day of the camp for any
deserving patient.
A team of 12 doctors (GP &
specialists), paramedical staff and
pharmacists from IDC and Aster will
assist the medical camp. This camp is
approved by Supreme Council of Health,
and supported by a group of enthusiastic
ICBF members, volunteering for this
benevolent cause. The camp will be
inaugurated by Indian ambassador
Sanjiv Arora.
Any deserving person living in
Industrial Area can register themselves.
Contact: 55814150, 55817883, 55842693,
30287133.
Doha resident dead
Indian expatriate and a long-time Doha resident,
Puthenpurayil Ibrahim Kutty (70), passed away following
a brief illness at Hamad Hospital on Monday. He was
hospitalised earlier this month following a stroke that
left him paralysed, it is learnt. Kutty, who had been in
the country for more than 35 years, had been running a
readymade garments shop at Souq Waqif. He was a native
of Orumanayoor in Kerala’s Thrissur district. Kutty was
one of the first non-Arab expatriates to start a garment
business in Doha, sources said. Efforts are on to send the
body home.
7
CINE
8
COMMUNITY
MARKETING
WAY TO GO: Jiao Jian, President, Huawei Consumer Business Group, at the launch ceremony in Dubai.
Huawei unveils
flagship devices
The tech major takes innovation to the next level with the launch of
the all new Mate 8 smartphone and M2 Tablet in the Middle East
L
ast night at the Madinat
Jumeirah Dubai, UAE,
Huawei Consumer
Business Group (CBG)
revealed their latest
Flagship devices — the Mate 8
and the M2 tablet to the Middle
East region. Dubai became the
second city globally for the Huawei
Consumer Group to launch the new
flagship devices, post the global
launch last week at the Consumer
Electronics Show (CES) in Las
Vegas. The spectacular event saw
over 400 attendees including media
from across the region, VIP guests
and partners who were all there to
witness the unveiling of Huawei’s
latest innovations.
The evening’s stellar
entertainment was presented
by renowned comedian Tony
Abou Joude who kept the crowd
entertained, by introducing the
spectacular launch of the two
devices. The night was then rounded
off with a beautiful recital by violinist
Hanine El Alam.
Featuring the most powerful
chipset, a high-capacity battery
and stylish design – including a
unique mocha brown color option
– the Huawei Mate 8 is the ideal
smartphone for today’s on-the-go
professional. The Mate 8 is designed
Huawei Mate 8 and M2.
from the ground up for productivity
and its hardware and software
have been fine-tuned to provide an
elegant, efficient experience.
Commenting on the launch of
the devices, Sandeep Saihgal, Vice
President of Huawei Consumer
Business Group said, “2015 was
a successful year for the Huawei
Consumer Business Group here in
the Middle East and we anticipate
2016 to be an even bigger one with
immense growth in the region
following the launch of these two
flagship devices. The Mate 8 is the
ultimate high-end smartphone
designed for the professional,
striking the perfect balance between
high performance and long battery
life. And when designing the M2,
we equipped it with an impeccable
sound system to take the user’s
experience to the next level. Both
of these devices reflect Huawei’s
continued dedication to bringing
the latest innovation and style to our
consumers’’
Featuring groundbreaking
hardware, the Mate 8 is the first
smartphone to run the Kirin 950
chipset, with CPU boosting power
up 100 percent, GPU performance up
125 percent, and power efficiency up
70 percent vs. the Kirin 925.
Equipped with a 4000mAh
high-density battery, the Mate 8
delivers industry-leading power
efficiency offering over two days
of normal usage. And with rapid
charging technology, the phone is
able to charge a day’s worth of power
in just 30 minutes. In fact, regular
users can go without charging their
phone for 2.36 days, and heavy
users can go without charging for
1.65 days. The Mate 8 also features
an advanced six-layer thermal
mechanics, which allows higher heat
dissipation leading to an excellent
holding experience and lower power
consumption.
Running on Huawei’s EMUI 4.0,
based on Android Marshmallow 6.0,
the Huawei Mate 8 offers hundreds
of user experience tweaks and
improvements, including a built-in
automatic defragmentation service
that continues optimizing system
performance. Additionally, the Mate
8 features a split-screen mode that
enables enhanced multitasking
between apps.
Those using the Huawei M2
Tablet will have an opportunity to
enjoy the rich sonic experience of
Harman/Kardon, as the result of
a new partnership that integrates
that company’s leading audio
technology into the 10-inch tablet.
Harman International, with its
core brand Harman/Kardon, is the
world leader for personal audio
solutions at home, in the car and
on the go and is known for its
innovative design and enterprising
spirit. In the M2 Tablet, Harman/
Kardon will provide its cuttingedge Clari-Fi audio restoration
technology designed to recover
the lost details of compressed
digital music. The resulting audio
is clearer, crisper, wider and more
dynamic - resulting in improved
realism and fidelity.
EMA
GULF TIMES
9
COMMUNITY
MOTORING
Infiniti reveals daring Q60
sports coupe at Naias 2016
I
nfiniti has unveiled the new
Q60 sports coupe at the 2016
North American International
Auto Show (Naias) in Detroit
recently. Designed and
engineered to perform, the Q60
offers a compelling combination
of daring design and exhilarating
performance and dynamics.
The bold exterior of the Q60
expresses a powerful elegance
through its expressive proportions
and taut, muscular lines. The sports
coupe maintains the distinctive
lines and sharp angles of the original
concept, first revealed at the 2015
Naias 12 months ago.
Speaking in Detroit, Carlos Ghosn,
CEO of Nissan Motor Corporation
and the Renault-Nissan Alliance,
commented: “As the thirdgeneration version of Infiniti’s iconic
sports coupe, the new Q60 builds
on Infiniti’s brand heritage and
history of technology leadership. It
reinforces Infiniti’s reputation for
performance, elegance, and driverfocused design.”
Innovative drivetrain technologies
deliver a powerful drive, bringing
the Q60’s dynamic promise to life.
The high performance 3.0-litre V6
twin-turbo engine from the new
and exclusive ‘VR’ powertrain family
continues the brand’s longstanding
heritage of six-cylinder powertrains
production. The new V6 engine
comes in two power ratings: 300hp
or 400hp, with the latter offering one
of the best power-to-efficiency ratios
in the sports coupe class.
The Q60 delivers a truly engaging
experience, thanks to Infiniti’s
unique balance of ride comfort and
agile handling. Maximising this
balance is Infiniti’s new optional
Dynamic Digital Suspension, which
has been engineered to provide crisp
handling responses and superior ride
comfort.
Infiniti’s available second-
ZIP, ZAP, ZOOM: The bold exterior of the Q60 expresses a powerful elegance through its expressive proportions and taut, muscular lines.
generation Direct Adaptive Steering
brings improved levels of steering
feel and feedback to the Q60, and the
Drive Mode Selector gives drivers the
option to personalise the steering’s
precise responses to suit their
preferences.
Roland Krueger, President of
Infiniti Motor Company, added:
“The Infiniti Q60 conveys a powerful
elegance through its daring design,
next-generation ride and handling
technologies, and powertrains
offering up to 400hp. The Q60 will
attract new customers to the Infiniti
brand and affirm our position in the
sports coupe segment.”
The world premiere of the new
Q60 sports coupe comes at a time
of rapid growth for Infiniti, released
in the midst of an intense global
product offensive. Infiniti sold a
record 215,250 new vehicles in 2015, a
year-on-year rise of 16%.
Infiniti Q30 is the best performing
“small family car”
The all-new Infiniti Q30 premium active
compact car has been awarded best-in-class
“small family car” 2015 by Euro NCAP, the
independent vehicle safety organisation in
Europe. The announcement of the “small
family car” award coincides with the new
model arriving at all Infiniti showrooms
across Europe.
Having a host of state-of-the-art safety
systems on board, Q30 delivered outstanding
results in all test areas, such as crash test
performance as well as child and pedestrian
protection.
In the latter category, the active bonnet
helped it to gain results that were among
the best of 2015. Q30 clearly surpassed all
of its competitors that were tested in this
segment. This achievement directly follows
The interior of Q60
the maximum five-star rating Infiniti Q30
has received in Euro NCAP’s latest safety test
at the end of 2015.
“We are honoured that our all-new Q30
has been awarded a ‘best-in-class’ rating by
Euro NCAP”, emphasised François Goupil
de Bouillé, vice president of Infiniti Europe,
Middle East and Africa. “This is a clear
testament of the many excellent qualities of
our first premium compact car and the result
of our continuous development of innovative
safety technology for all of our models. Our
goal has always been to deliver our customers
a unique driving experience while offering
maximum safety for all occupants.”
The report of Euro NCAP’s best-inclass comparison can be found on the
organisation’s website via http://www.
euroncap.com/en/ratings-rewards/best-inclass-cars/2015/
ONE FOR THE FAMILY: Infiniti Q30
10 GULF TIMES Wednesday, January 20, 2016
COMMUNITY
TRA
Waterfall wonders of th
SPECTACULAR: The Niagara Falls on the US-Canadian border. The very broad, curved ledge that the water plunges over is what lends the falls their powerful attraction.
By Florian Sanktjohanser & Philipp Laage
S
ome people like them
towering and plunging,
others like them
wide and powerfully
massive. Everybody likes
waterfalls for what they can do
for a landscape. Water tumbling
over a precipice is often the key
ingredient for a romantic setting or
for an unforgettable film set. Here
is a look at seven waterfall wonders
of the world.
Niagara Falls, USA/Canada
The Niagara Falls is quite
possibly the most famous waterfall
on the planet. Yet the height that
the plunging water descends, at
52m, is not all that great. But the
very broad, curved ledge that the
water plunges over is what lends
the falls their powerful attraction.
The Niagara Falls is impressive
when viewed from either the US or
the Canadian side. There is also a
circular trail through a tunnel that
leads past Horseshoe Falls, a drop
which comprises one segment of
the site. Another spectacular view
is from a boat, looking up at the
mighty mass of water.
Iguazú Falls, Argentina/
Brazil
The tropical-green cascades of
the 20 major Iguazu waterfalls,
together with their tributaries,
look like something out of an age
long before our time. It is easy to
imagine flying dinosaurs soaring
above the falls. A listed Unesco
World Heritage Site, the Iguazú
Falls can be viewed from both the
Brazilian and Argentinian sides.
A footpath leads to the circularshaped Garganta del Diablo –
the Devil’s Throat — where the
hiker comes very close to feeling
the sheer power of the mass of
water. Travellers will usually stay
overnight at Foz do Iguaco on the
Brazilian side or Puerto Iguazú in
Argentina.
Victoria Falls, Zambia/
Zimbabwe
From a 1,700m-wide ledge,
the Zambesi River plunges 108m
down into a gorge. Measured by
height and width, it creates the
world’s largest curtain of water.
A circular trail leads past the falls
to the other side of the gorge. But,
your attention please: The mists
are as dense as a shower, so expect
to get wet, and keep your cameras
safely tucked away as you walk. In
Livingstone (Zambia) and Victoria
Falls (Zimbabwe), there are good,
and in some cases expensive,
accommodations.
given it by the indigenous Pemon
inhabitants. In order to see the
waterfall in the southwest of
Venezuela, it is first necessary to
fly to Canaima National Park. From
there, boat tours take visitors to
the waterfall.
Angel Falls, Venezuela
When in 1933 the pilot James
Angel flew over the Venezuelan
jungle, he espied a river plunging
over a mesa into a gorge. The
plunge was so deep that the water
was vaporised into a veil of mist.
The waterfall today bears the
American pilot’s name and is
considered to be the tallest in the
world. It consists of several steps,
the tallest one alone being 807m.
In 2009, late Venezuelan president
Hugo Chavez announced his
aim to get the waterfall renamed
“Kerepakupai Meru” — the name
Tugela Falls, South Africa
Much easier to reach are the
Tugela Falls in the Drakensberg
mountain area of the Royal Natal
National Park in South Africa’s
KwaZulu-Natal Province. Two
hiking trails lead from a parking
lot directly to the 948m-tall
falls consisting of five cascades.
Especially impressive is the hike
to Mont-Aux-Sources, the source
of the Tugela River, and from there
to the plateau leading to the edge
of the falls. In the dry season the
waterfall vanishes altogether. In
the rainy season, by contrast, the
GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY
AVEL
he world
The Victoria Falls on the Zambia/Zimbabwe border. From a 1,700-m-wide ledge, the Zambesi River plunges 108m down
into a gorge.
A listed Unesco World Heritage Site, the Iguaz Falls can be viewed from both the Brazilian and Argentinian sides of the
watercourse.
The Angel Falls of Venezuela has a drop of 807m. Late Venezuelan president
Hugo Chavez wanted them renamed “Kerepakupai Merú.”
waterfall can be seen from as far
away as the main road of the Royal
Natal National Park.
Vinnufallet, Norway
The tallest waterfall in all of
Europe is at the same time one of
the most impressive ones anywhere
in the world. The melt waters of
the Vinnu Glacier rush through
a crevice high up on a cliff and
then plunge 865m downward.
The highest stage is 730m, where
the water crashes onto rocks and
branches out to create a curtain of
water up to 152m wide. Vinnufallet
is easily reachable, and located
near the town of Sunndalsora,
some 400km north of the capital
Oslo. Motorists can see the
waterfall while driving the RV 70
highway along the Sunndal valley.
Yosemite Falls, USA
They are not as famous as the
Niagara Falls, but for all that, the
Yosemite Falls are much taller. In
fact, at 739m they are the tallest
in all North America. They are
relatively easy to reach, what with
Yosemite National Park, located in
California, being one of the most
popular travel destinations in the
American West. The accessibility
and infrastructure are very good.
One drawback is that in the dry
summer season, there is not much
water plunging down, and so
it is not quite the spectacle that it
is in May, when after the winter
snow melt there is great deal of
water. A hiking trail that travellers
should plan a day for will lead
right up to the edge of the falls. —
DPA
The Tugela Falls in the Drakensberg mountain area of the Royal Natal National Park in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal
Province.
11
COMMUNITY
INFOGRAPHIC
GULF TIMES
13
COMMUNITY
LIFESTYLE/HOROSCOPE
Five smart upgrades for the
most-used rooms in your home
K
itchens, bathrooms and bedrooms
are typically the rooms in any
home that get the most use, which
could also be why homeowners,
when surveyed, consistently cite
those rooms as the ones they most want to
renovate. It makes perfect sense to upgrade
the rooms where you spend the most time, but
in high-traffic areas, you can’t afford to make
changes just for the sake of cosmetics. You
want improvements that can enhance your
enjoyment of a room and its functionality.
Here are five smart improvements to make
in the rooms users of Ranker.com voted as the
most popular ones in their homes: kitchens,
living rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms and game
rooms.
Adding skylights is a practical, cost-effective
and attractive way to bring more natural light
into virtually any room.
Add natural light
Most rooms in the home look better and
are more functional in natural light, and more
daylight can help reduce the need for artificial
light. What’s more, there’s no arguing the
positive mental and physical health effects of
natural light. Daylight stimulates the body to
produce vitamin D and boosts brain levels of
serotonin, which is thought to be associated
with positive moods.
Improve ventilation
Air flow is critical to the health of your home
and everyone who lives in it. Ventilation in
kitchens and bathrooms carries away excess
moisture that can cause mold and mildew, and
creates a fresher, more healthful environment
by exhausting stale indoor air.
Bathrooms should be equipped with exhaust
fans, and kitchen hoods should vent to the
exterior of your home whenever possible. You
Add organisation/storage
Clutter and chaos not only make a room
function less efficiently, it can impact your
mood as well. Adding organisation and storage
to rooms where clutter typically collects — such
as bedrooms, living rooms and game rooms —
is an easy, cost-effective way to improve the
function of the room and how you feel about
spending time in it.
In bedrooms, maximise closet space by
installing organisation units. A variety of
manufacturers offer ready-made units you can
install yourself.
ARIES
March 21 — April 19
Now that the Moon is hanging out in Gemini, your third house of
conversation for the next few days, make the most of it by picking
up the phone and chatting with those people you haven’t spoken to
in a while.
CANCER
June 21 — July 22
If you are oblivious to something which is pretty much staring right
at you today, you can be sure someone will be happy to point it out!
And while you might feel embarrassed or disappointed in yourself,
be glad someone at least pointed it out to you.
LIBRA
September 23 — October 22
The Moon shines brightly in Gemini today, your fellow air sign and
ninth house of spirituality and overseas travel. A phone call from a
far flung loved one is just the thing to put you in a great mood today
and lift your spirits.
CAPRICORN
December 22 — January 19
In your sixth house of health and wellbeing, the Moon is the
emotional wakeup call many of you need goats. If you haven’t been
looking after yourself, not eating right or exercising, now is the time
to do so.
can further improve ventilation by installing
Energy Star-qualified, solar-powered fresh-air
skylights, like those made by Velux. Because
these skylights open, they provide passive
ventilation to allow stale indoor air to escape
and admit fresh air. A sensor operates a motor
to close the skylights automatically in case of
rain.
Replace older, inefficient fixtures and
appliances
Fixtures and appliances are key elements of
kitchens and bathrooms. Older ones not only
look dated and shabby, they can cost you money
because they use more electricity and water
than newer, more efficient models.
Replacing old faucets, shower heads,
dishwashers and washing machines with
newer models that use less water can
reduce your water bill and give kitchens and
bathrooms a whole new look. Energy Starqualified appliances such as stoves, clothes
dryers, refrigerators and washers also use less
electricity than older appliances, so you can
also lower your energy bills.
and that doesn’t just mean sturdy flooring.
Wall colour, flooring materials and trim are
fundamental elements in any room. Simply
repainting walls and woodwork can completely
change the way any room looks. Or, if you like
the colours you have, a fresh coat in the same
colour will make the room look brighter and
newer. Replacing worn carpeting or dated tiles,
or refinishing a hardwood floor are also great
ways to improve the foundations of any room.
Freshen the foundations
Every room benefits from a good foundation,
TAURUS
April 20 — May 20
Talking about money is not something you earthlings naturally enjoy
however with the Moon transiting your second house of money and
self–worth today, you might feel it necessary to ask for advice from a
trusted someone about money today.
LEO
July 23 — August 22
There is nothing worse than feeling as if you have lost some sort
of bet or competition, is there? You are a very competitive sign by
nature and sometimes you get a wakeup call such as many of you
will get today.
SCORPIO
October 23 — November 21
Money is a bit of a tender subject right now for many of you, with
Venus the big spender and Saturn the planet of restriction both
transiting your self–esteem and cash flow zone. If you don’t have it
and you can’t afford it, don’t buy it.
AQUARIUS
January 20 — February 18
You have options today to do something you want to do or do
something others want you to do. What’s it going to be? Luckily with
the Moon in Gemini, your fun zone, the cosmic money is on you
getting your way.
©Brandpoint
GEMINI
May 21 — June 20
The Moon in your sign is just the cosmic ticket you need to get
up the energy (and maybe the nerve) to do something that needs
doing. Venus and Saturn in your relationship zone suggest that a
Sagittarius is a sign that will be happy to help you today.
VIRGO
August 23 — September 22
There is nothing to be done about those one or two people who
have seemingly nothing better to do than boss you around today.
Whatever you do, don’t fall into their trap and let them direct you
around. You’re the boss of you!
SAGITTARIUS
November 22 — December 21
Venus the planet of spending and the planet of love in your sign
through (January 24) has had many of you overdoing it with the
plastic of late. If you can take things back great. That’s the beauty
of going on a shopping spree. As long as you have receipts, you can
return it.
PISCES
February 19 — March 20
If you have doubts about something or someone today, listen up.
Mercury the planet of clear thinking remains out of phase in your
eleventh house of hopes, wishes and friendship. Not everyone is as
concerned for your wellbeing as you might think.
COMMUNITY
Wordsearch
Adam
Pooch Cafe
The Old West
AMBUSH
BOOT
BOUNTY
COACH
CORRAL
COWBOY
DEPUTY
DRAW
DRIFTER
FAST
FORT
GUNFIGHT
HIDEOUT
HILL
HORSE
OUTLAW
POSSE
RANCH
RANGER
REDEYE
ROPE
SADDLE
SALOON
SETTLER
SHERIFF
SPURS
TRAIL
WAGON
Codeword
Puzzles courtesy: Puzzlechoice.com
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.
Garfield
Sudoku
Bound And Gagged
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.
PUZZLES/CARTOONS
COMMUNITY
PUZZLES
Quick Clues
ACROSS
7. Angry (5)
8. Unavailing (7)
9. Cautious (7)
10. Express (5)
12. Colony (10)
15. Teenager (10)
18. Claw (5)
19. Open-air (7)
21. Let off (7)
22. Throng (5)
GULF TIMES
Colouring
DOWN
1. Sorcery (10)
2. Hirsute (5)
3. Unhearing (4)
4. Vent (6)
5. Sky-blue (8)
6. Pagan (7)
11. Backward (10)
13. Regularity (8)
14. Gather (7)
16. Overcast (6)
17. Engine (5)
20. Pleat (4)
Cryptic Clues
Answers
Wordsearch
ACROSS
7. Lady-love with a bad back (5)
8. Distribute information for the press (7)
9. He’ll make enquiries if one is unusually
late (7)
10. Enter the office uninvited (5)
12. Solemnly declare as almost cut-rate
(10)
15. Six balls caught by mischievous beggar
(10)
18. Not all separate (5)
19. Don’t agree to leave the ranks? (4,3)
21. He’s at liberty to be a privileged citizen
(7)
22. Work-time entertainment (5)
DOWN
1. Harmony in a musical instrument (10)
2. They falsify their accounts (5)
3. Close to the average (4)
4. Order a cavalry attack(6)
5. They’re used by those wishing to take
cover (8)
6. Turns up in chilly surroundings, yet well
received (7)
11. Up-to-date description of Christmas?
(7,3)
13. Make minute economies? (4,4)
14. Clothes appear different when over
fifty (7)
16. Clarify matters (6)
17. Out-moded description of St. Paul’s
Cathedral, for example (5)
20. Ring the swimming bath up (4)
Codeword
Yesterday’s Solutions
QUICK
Across: 1 Shortness; 8 Eke; 9 Strangeness;
11 Comment; 12 Prior; 13 Mingle; 15 Depart; 17
Alter; 18 Brazier; 20 Accountancy; 22 Out; 23
Literally.
Down: 2 Hit; 3 Tense; 4 Events; 5 Steeple; 6
Destination; 7 Generator; 10 Remonstrate; 11
Companion; 14 Lyrical; 16 Abrupt; 19 Actor; 21
Col.
CRYPTIC
Across: 1 Copyright; 8 Cox; 9 Grizzly bear; 11
Retorts; 12 Lawns; 13 Scrawl; 15 Usurer; 17 April;
18 Cleaves; 20 Train-bearer; 22 Ere; 23 Easy
terms.
Down: 2 Oar; 3 Razor; 4 Gayest; 5 Trellis; 6
Screwdriver; 7 Exposures; 10 Interpreter; 11
Restarted; 14 Welfare; 16 Scenes; 19 Erect; 21
Elm.
15
COMMUNITY
CINEMA
Will he finally cut the Oscar?
DiCaprio is Jordan Belfort. That sleazy,
slimy character was a totally different
avatar we saw of DiCaprio, whose
extraordinary talent deserved an Oscar.
But...
Will DiCaprio’s name pop out of the
white envelope on that magical night at
least this year on February 28?
** *
AWARD DELAYED IS AWARD DENIED! Leonardo DiCaprio has done more than a fair bit to deserve an Oscar, but is still waiting to get there after
all these years.
By Gautaman Bhaskaran
L
eonardo DiCaprio’s Titanic
immortalised a scene that
dozens of films since 1997 have
been copying with gusto. Arms
outstretched, DiCaprio stands
with Kate Winslet, also with her arms
stretched far, at the tip of the Titanic, their
passionate love all set to be doomed on an
icy night on the high seas.
Despite the 14 Academy nominations
which Titanic clinched (garnered only by
All About Eve in 1950) and the 11 Oscars it
actually sailed along with on the big night
in 1998 (only Ben-Hur in 1959 and The
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in
2003 have equalled this), DiCaprio went
home unsung for playing a poor boy on
board that “unsinkable” ship who falls in
love with a rich girl. The Best Actor Oscar
went to Jack Nicholson in As Good As It
Gets. DiCaprio was not even nominated
that year!
DiCaprio, one of the finest actors with
this rare ability to sink into the skin of a
character, has received the nod for the Best
Actor Oscar from the Academy of Motion
Picture Arts and Sciences several times, the
latest being for The Revenant this year.
The Revenant is a revenge drama directed
by Alejandro Inarritu (who has given us
gems like 21 Grams, Babel and Birdman),
and tells the tragic tale of fur trapper
Hugh Glass, who lived in Montana and
South Dakota during the 1820s. As the
protagonist, Glass, in the movie, DiCaprio
is brilliant, playing a hunter who is left
behind by his fellowmen thinking that he
is dead.
Will DiCaprio, who has been gutsy to
experiment with a variety of characters and
has come out with flying colours, win the
coveted trophy this year?
His chameleon-like ability has seen
him essay widely different roles which
certainly deserved an Oscar. Here is a look
at the films where his nomination did not
translate into an actual honour.
In the 2004 The Aviator, DiCaprio
becomes Howard Hughes — that eccentric
millionaire who turns into a crazy reclusive.
DiCaprio’s own transformation was an
example of sheer cinematic genius.
Two years later, DiCaprio became Danny
Archer in Blood Diamond — a story woven
around death and destruction during the
1999 civil war in Sierra Leone, where the
precious stones were traded to fund brutal
conflicts in Africa. Archer is a gunrunner,
who despite all the gore around him,
shines in a splendid portrayal of a man torn
between emotion and avarice.
DiCaprio plays a US Marshal, Teddy
Daniels, in Shutter Island (by Scorsese,
2010) — restrained, layered and with no
trace of overt heroism.
As the highly mean and selfish
businessman making money without
morals in Wolf of Wall Street (2013),
Thaarai Thappattai
Bala’s Thaarai Thappattai is a powerful
documentation of a folk form in Tamil Nadu
that is performed by extremely agile women
to the beat of several musical instruments,
but chiefly a drum called thaarai thappattai.
Narrated through a gripping plotline and
embellished with some haunting Ilaiyaraaj
music and almost acrobatic dances, the
film is a tragic reminder of how ancient
Indian traditions and arts are falling prey to
modernism, struggling, in the bargain, to
retain their purity and the very essence of
their cultural uniqueness.
Thaarai Thappattai’s opening sequences
draw us most bluntly into this conflict.
We see a foreign television crew eager
to capture the essence of Tamil Nadu’s
temple town of Thanjavur, chance upon the
ageing Pulavar Samy (G.M. Kumar), whose
brilliance as a drum player is unrecognised,
a rejection that pushes him to anger and
alcoholism.
The crew is not impressed with Samy’s
performance and wants something
more “commercial”. His son, Sannaasi
(Sasikumar), who heads a troupe of folk
players, steps in to give the television crew a
saucy, seductive number in which the chief
dancer, Sooravali (Varalaxmi Sarathkumar),
produces the fireworks with her skimpy
costumes and fiery steps. Off the ground,
Sooravali is a drunk, in love with Sannaasi
and extremely fond of his old man.
When the troupe gets a chance to sail to
the Andamans for a show, the members are
deliriously happy, but things take a nasty turn
on the island when the sponsors expect sexual
favours from Sooravali and other women.
The movie weaves into its fictional
narrative a whole lot of unsavoury truths
about folk forms in general — and this
includes abuse of women, considered
easy prey because of their provocative
mannerisms. And, finding their source of
livelihood getting battered in the face of
poor patronage, a couple of members from
Sannaasi’s group branch off into a vulgar,
degrading form of dance.
A subtext of the film is the love story
between Sooravali and Sannaasi that
takes on an ominous pattern — perhaps
conveying the death of traditional beauty.
Bala, sometimes referred to as the Mike
Leigh of Tamil cinema, has been an expert
in characterisations, tracing the dark and
disturbing lives of the working class. A
excellent example of this has been Naan
Kadavul. In Thaarai Thappattai too, his
characters come alive most vividly as they
struggle to survive, fighting the modern world
that is unfeeling towards history and culture.
Sasikumar has always been a great
actor, but the surprising find has been
Sarathkumar, who plays the dancer with
a kind of unbelievable strength. In an
important way, the film belongs to her.
z Gautaman Bhaskaran has been
writing on Indian and world cinema for
over three decades, and me be e-mailed at
[email protected]
GULF TIMES
17
COMMUNITY
BOLLYWOOD
Akshay likes being
out of comfort zone
My journey in showbiz like a fairytale: Nimrat
T
READY TO ROLL: Actors Akshay Kumar and Nimrat Kaur during a press meet for their
upcoming film Airlift in New Delhi. The film releases this Friday.
Sunny Leone not to endorse
tobacco product in future
Actress Sunny Leone has promised she
won’t be advertising any product related to
tobacco in the future, following the Delhi
government’s appeal to a couple of actors
urging them not to endorse pan masala and
tobacco products.
However, the future of her current
endorsement contract for a pan masala
will be governed by the outcome of her
discussions with the concerned company.
“I received a call from Daniel Weber,
husband of Sunny Leone, and he has
promised that in future, Sunny will
not sign any contract for such kind of
THE RIGHT CALL: Sunny Leone.
advertisements,” the Delhi government’s
additional director for health S K Arora said.
Earlier, the Delhi government had written
to a couple of actors, including Ajay Devgan,
Sunny Leone, Govinda and Arbaaz Khan,
not to endorse any tobacco and pan masala
product.
The Delhi government also asked the
actors to join its anti-tobacco campaign to
save the lives of lakhs of people who die due
to oral cancer every year.
According to experts, areca nut, the main
ingredient in pan masala, was in the league of
caffeine, tobacco and alcohol when it comes
to addictive properties and also leads to a
high number of cases of submucous fibrosis,
which can easily turn cancerous. — IANS
hat he’s a fearless man is
something that Akshay Kumar has
often proved with his ability to
perform daredevilry for his films.
But the actor says he also likes
to challenge himself as far as his roles are
concerned.
Akshay, who often juggles between
different genres, does not prefer to stick to
characters which are in his comfort zone.
Known for his ‘Khiladi Kumar’ image
courtesy his action avatar, Akshay has also
tried his hand at films like Baby, Brothers
and Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty,
which he feels get him out of his comfort
zone.
“I keep on changing myself all the time.
I want to enter my comfort zone and then
want to go to more challenging places. Singh
is Bliing and Housefull are in my comfort
zone, but Airlift is not. Even Baby was not,”
Akshay said during the press conference of
his forthcoming film Airlift.
“Next, I’m doing a film like Rustom. Also,
I’m a part of Robot 2 where I’m playing
a negative part. So I like doing films in
my comfort zone and then I go on to try
something different. Like there is Brothers,
which had mixed martial arts. It was the
hardest film I’ve ever done. That’s what I
keep on doing and I love it,” Akshay added.
The Namastey London actor, whose real
name is Rajiv Om Bhatia, says he doesn’t
feel comfortable when he’s given different
monikers.
“I’m both Rajiv and Akshay. I don’t like
people tagging me with other monikers.
I’m Rajiv for my mother and Akshay for the
audience,” he said.
Directed by Raja Krishna Menon, Airlift
is based on the evacuation of Kuwait-based
Indians during the Iraqi occupation in 1990.
The role of his wife in the film is essayed by
Nimrat Kaur, who shot to fame through her
internationally acclaimed role in Bollywood
film The Lunchbox and American TV show
Homeland.
A face that found fame through the world
of advertisements, Nimrat started her tryst
with acting via music videos. It was a role in
The Lunchbox with Irrfan Khan that gave her
a massive boost.
“The journey in showbiz has been like a
fairytale to me. It’s been a really interesting
journey because of the unpredictability
factor... You can’t plan your career when you
are starting out. Whatever comes to you, you
have to decide... whether to do it or not,”
Nimrat said at the presser alongside Akshay.
Talking about the Raja Krishna Menon
directorial, Nimrat said: “I really consider
myself very fortunate to be a part of this
story. It’s a story that I didn’t know about.
When I read the script, I didn’t know that
this has happened and I was shocked about
that.”
In the movie, Nimrat plays the wife to
actor Akshay Kumar’s character.
“I play the role of Ranjit Katyal’s wife
Amrita Katyal. She is a very outspoken
person, and not fearful of speaking her
mind.”
Asked about her experience working
with Akshay, Nimrat said: “I was extremely
excited to work with Akshay. He is someone
whose work and choices I have admired
completely.”
Airlift will release on January 22. —IANS
National award winner Kapri to
build toilets with prize money
Filmmaker Vinod Kapri, who received the
National award for his documentary Can’t
Take This Shit Anymore, has taken a positive
steps towards Swachh India, pledging to
build toilets in rural area of Uttar Pradesh’s
Kushinagar with the prize money.
Joining Swachh India Cleanathon
campaign with ambassador Amitabh
Bachchan which aims to get people to pledge
their time to join the clean-up drives across
India through the year, Kapri announced:
“The amount I have received as a token of
appreciation from government for my work,
I pledge to build toilets with the amount of
money.”
Kapri’s promise was welcomed by
Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan who were also
present at the show and expressed that
this kind of initiative deserves “a round of
applause”.
His Bollywood debut film Miss
Tanakpur Hazir Ho had also received
great reviews from B town which included
Amitabh, director Rajkumar Hirani and
National Award winning director Madhur
Bhandarkar.
The film starred actors such as Annu
Kapoor, Om Puri, Sanjay Mishra, and also
featured Ravi Kishen, Rahul Bagga and
Hrishitaa Bhatt. —IANS
COMMITTED: Vinod Kapri.
COMMUNITY
HOLLYWOOD
Chelsea pushes even more
limits on Netflix docuseries
By Amy Kaufman
A
ll it takes is two sips,
and then she’s done.
She lies back on a
mat and closes her
eyes, listening to the
shaman’s hypnotic chanting.
There’s a bucket next to her, in case
she starts vomiting.
But she doesn’t. She isn’t even
nauseous. In fact, she barely feels
anything at all. Chelsea Handler
has travelled all the way to Peru to
get high on ayahuasca, and it isn’t
working.
“I was feeling buzzing, and then
it just went out the window,” she
tells friends Jenny Mollen and
Daniel Maurio, who have also
consumed the Amazonian plant
brew.
“I feel like I had too much,”
Maurio replies, looking sweaty and
scared.
“It’s just the initial, then you’ll
be OK — just breathe it in,” Handler
says, before muttering to herself,
“I could easily operate a 747 right
now.”
Somehow it’s not entirely
surprising that Handler was
immune to the effects of the
hallucinogen. There’s a toughness
to her that even substances seem to
have a difficult time permeating. In
high school, after doing mushrooms
or acid with her friends, she was
always selected as the designated
driver.
“I just have a high tolerance for
things. But I’m sure now that I’ve
said that, someone’s gonna see me
face down in the lobby of a hotel,”
she says, sitting in her bedroom
months after her trek to South
America.
Handler decided to experiment
with ayahuasca as part of her new
docuseries, Chelsea Does, which
will premiere at the Sundance Film
Festival, a day before it launches
on Netflix on January 23. In each of
the series’ four episodes, Handler
explores a different topic: There’s
one about race and prejudice, in
which she visits an old Southern
plantation and sits down with
prominent leaders like the Rev.
Al Sharpton and former Israeli
President Shimon Peres. In one on
marriage, she goes on a painfully
awkward series of blind dates and
then grills an ex-boyfriend.
She explores technology by
travelling to Silicon Valley to
pitch her own app and learn what
streaming is from Netflix cofounder Reed Hastings. And of
course there are drugs and she
also invites her friends over for a
marijuana-infused dinner.
The series, Handler says,
is meant to serve as a tonal
introduction for her new late-
TALKING SHOP: Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content officer, said he expects users will binge-watch the three new
episodes of Chelsea Handler’s show each week.
night talk show, which will debut
in May on Netflix, where it will be
streaming three times a week in
May. After eight years on E!, she
quit her show Chelsea Lately in
2014. She loudly declared that she
was ready to distance herself from
the Kardashian-affiliated cable
network, telling Howard Stern that
she felt she was “getting dumber”
with each episode she filmed. It
wasn’t long before she’d teamed
with Netflix.
It seemed a logical move for
Handler, who has always had a
reputation for pushing boundaries.
She’s the first major star to
experiment with the platform on
a streaming service, which has the
potential to reach far more viewers
than the 600,000 who typically
tuned in during her final season
on E!
Handler clearly aspires to be
taken seriously, though that desire
sometimes seems at odds with
her reputation. Even though she
publicly trashes many celebrities,
she also pals around with them,
counting Jennifer Aniston,
Gwyneth Paltrow and Sandra
Bullock among her closest friends.
Tabloids reported that her recent
40th birthday party — attended
by a handful of A-listers — was so
raucous that neighbours called the
police to complain.
“I know what people think of
me. I’m not an idiot,” she says.
“People never show you the ugly
side of things. … But I can be myself
and have my same personality and
explore richer or more interesting
topics. I want these docs to inform
viewers of the direction I’m going
in with my show. Imagine Google
but as a TV show with me as your
host — and swearing. You’re finding
READY, STEADY: Chelsea Handler in the Netflix documentary series Chelsea Does.
out information in a cool way that’s
fast, so you don’t feel like you’re
watching 60 Minutes.”
It’s raining, and Handler’s room
feels like a Zen retreat. It smells
like pot, and there are books piled
everywhere. One of her dogs, a
German Shepherd-Chow Chow
mix named Chunk, is curled up on
a shag rug.
She’s lived on this Bel-Air hillside
since 2010, when she bought
the home from Esther Williams
for $5.9 million and completely
renovated it. Now it looks like one
of those modern marvels featured
in Architectural Digest: pristine
gallery walls, a pool lighted with
wicker lanterns, televisions that
descend from the ceiling.
“I spent a lot of time on this
house,” says Handler, who speaks
at a frenetic pace. “This is my first
year living alone since I was 26.
I’ve always had a roommate. And I
thought I would be so scared, but
I love it. I take baths now. Once I
turned 40, my whole life changed in
the most mature — not boring way
but much cooler way. I feel much
more like an adult.”
That growth is reflected in
Chelsea Does, which was executive
produced by Morgan Neville, an
Oscar-winning filmmaker who
brought an added level of credibility
to the project. Though the series
is peppered with jaw-dropping
moments, it’s clear the experience
was more than a superficial exercise
for Handler.
“When I said I was working with
Chelsea, I can’t tell you how many
people in the industry said, ‘Oh,
she’s really smart,’” recalls Neville,
who directed the popular doc about
backup singers Twenty Feet From
Stardom. “Even on her E! show, she
showed a lot of smarts — she just
wanted the chance to flex those
muscles in a bigger forum. I don’t
think anyone was surprised that she
had something to say.”
That’s particularly apparent in
the race episode, in which Handler
discusses her humour with a table
full of representatives from groups
like the Anti-Defamation League,
the NAACP and the Council on
American-Islamic Relations.
During the roundtable, Guy Aoki,
head of the Media Action Network
for Asian Americans, tells Handler
that he took umbrage with a joke
she made on The Tonight Show
With Jay Leno.
The joke poked fun at Angelina
Jolie’s son Pax, whom the actress
adopted from Vietnam when he
was a toddler. Pax was so young,
Handler said, that he was probably
still unaware that he was Asian and
would go on to become a “horrible
driver” who could be “amazing at
doing nails.”
“Angelina Jolie also adopted a
girl from Ethiopia. But you did not
MUSIC
go after her because the NAACP
would have been protesting outside
the E! channels the next day, asking
for your head,” Aoki argues. “He’s a
three-year-old kid. He didn’t ask to
be a public kid.”
“I would say I’d write him a letter
of apology, but I won’t,” Handler
responds.
“Is it that big a deal, comedians
making a joke on television?” asks
Aoki. “Yes, because it affects people
watching it. You basically told the
audience watching at home, ‘You
can make fun of this kid, even
though he’s a three-year-old kid.’”
Handler thrives on confrontation
like this, and it’s the kind of
conversation she’s hoping to have
more of on her talk show. Though
the programme will feature a
“live” segment filmed on the Sony
Pictures Studios lot in Culver
City, she’s adamant that the show
not stick to a rigid format with
an opening monologue, celebrity
guests and a musical performance.
“I want it to be richer than that
and fuller than that,” she says. “We
already have those shows. There are
11 shows which celebrities rotate
around. If I’m gonna have five
celebrities on, I want to have them
in a roundtable situation where we
talk about racism or sexism or drugs
or who’s sober and who’s not and
why. The way Dick Cavett used to
have on, like, Henry Kissinger and
Janis Joplin and a cosmonaut.”
Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief
content officer, said he expects
users will binge-watch the three
new episodes of Handler’s show
each week.
“Most people watched Chelsea
Lately not at 11:30 — they’d DVR
the episodes and watch them in
stacks, spending Saturday catching
up on the shows,” says Sarandos.
“One of the things I find frustrating
about late-night TV — and I’m a fan
of it — is that there’s such intent to
create a viral moment that the show
becomes kind of chaotic. Chelsea’s
show will become viral just in the
way it’s watched.”
If the talk show ends up being
anything like Chelsea Does,
it’ll likely spur online chatter.
And Handler — who last year
continuously posted topless photos
of herself on Twitter because
Instagram censored them —
recognises the value of her shock
factor. Maurio, her ayahuasca buddy
who was a producer on Chelsea
Lately, believes that’s what viewers
like about her — how genuine she is.
“I think people pick up on the
fact that she’s exactly the same
on camera as she is off camera,”
said Maurio, who is married to
Oscar-winning writer Diablo Cody
and starts work on Handler’s new
show this week. “It’s, like, ‘Let’s
watch this girl go out into the world
and get unfiltered responses.’ She
doesn’t do multiple takes.”
As for the ayahuasca journey,
Handler doesn’t give up after her
first failed attempt. She decides to
visit the shaman alone for a second
night, and this time things unfold
rather differently.
“I don’t have a problem being the
one to embarrass myself — asking
the questions that people pretend
they know the answers to,” says
Handler, who wanted to experiment
with even more drugs before Netflix
lawyers nixed the idea. “I think if
you’re gonna do something as silly
and lighthearted as entertainment,
then why not be interesting when
you’re doing it? I don’t want to play
it safe.” — Los Angeles Times/TNS
COMMUNITY
Cebar, the eternal
rock ‘n’ roll tourist
MOVER: There are few constants in my life, says Paul Cebar.
By Steve Knopper
T
CANDID: “Once I turned 40, my whole life changed in the most mature — not
boring way but much cooler way,” says Handler.
GULF TIMES 19
he first time Paul Cebar
travelled to New Orleans,
he was enrolled at New
College, in Sarasota,
Florida, and hitched a ride
in a classmate’s sedan after waiting
a week for repairs. It was 1977, and
Cebar crashed with a communityorganiser friend who’d helped the
city contend with a hurricane that
had flushed water into AfricanAmerican communities.
“I recall it being enormously
hot and humid,” says the veteran
Milwaukee rock-and-blues
bandleader. “I went to Tipitina’s,
and it was like a human pageant. It
was like going to see The Canterbury
Tales. Every sort of walk of life was
going by.”
The headliner at the famous New
Orleans nightclub back then was
the late R&B pioneer James Booker,
hunched over a Hammond organ in
an Army jacket and an eye patch. “I
wasn’t prepared at all,” Cebar adds.
“I remember being quite moved
by the whole scene.” He returned
to the city four years later, and has
attended the Jazz & Heritage Festival
every year since then, adapting the
city’s second-line rhythms, horn
sections and swamp-blues spirit to
make a run of albums such as 2013’s
underappreciated Fine Rude Thing.
“There are few constants in my
life,” Cebar says of New Orleans,
“but that’s one of them.”
Cebar, 59, is one of those barroom
rock ‘n’ roll mainstays, like Joe
Grushecky of Pittsburgh or Webb
Wilder of Mississippi and Nashville,
who eternally tour nightclubs and
roadhouses, but, sadly, never get
famous beyond a core group of a
few hundred people in every city.
Fronting the R&B Cadets, then the
long-running Milwaukeeans and
now Paul Cebar Tomorrow Sound,
he says, “I’m celebrating my 30th
bandleading year.”
By phone from Topeka, Kansas,
where he’s helping his girlfriend’s
mother move into a new house,
Cebar spends a half-hour interview
rambling about his musical history
in Milwaukee, New Orleans, New
York and Florida. He’d been playing
guitar for just a year or two when
he first attended New College in
1975, and hooked up with a local
community of folk and blues players.
He wrote a 100-page thesis for his
undergraduate programme titled The
Blues What Am, named after a Jazz
Gillum song, with a lofty subtitle
along the lines of “an appropriative
inquiry into rhythm-and-blues
practice.”
“I’d caution you that it may look
a little more impressive than it really
was. But I worked hard on it,” he
says. “I had found my early niche as
an interpreter of that music.”
Although they’d played together
for seven years, the Milwaukeeans
didn’t put out their first album until
1993’s spirited That Unhinged Thing,
offsetting the singer’s grizzled Dr
John voice by showcasing vocalist
Robyn Pluer on original songs. The
Milwaukeeans continued in this
bar-band vein for years, until Cebar
switched things up a decade ago,
changing names and collaborating
with veteran songwriters such as
Nashville’s Pat McLaughlin and
home-state colleagues Peter Mulvey
and Willy Porter, the latter two of
whom are touring with Cebar as an
acoustic trio called Peter, Paul and
Willy.
“The bookings were in a certain
place and I’d been feeling we were
being taken for granted. … I thought,
‘I’d kind of like to freshen things up.’
The last two or three of my records
reflected how effective the cowriting has been,” he says. “We’re
working on pretty low budgets, so
it’s a deal of trying to figure out how
best to capture us. I do think we’re
quite a fine live band, and the idea
was to try to go after the power of the
band.”
In describing his sound, like
many musicians, Cebar emphasises
his band members — drummer
Reggie Bordeaux and keyboardistsaxophonist Bob Jennings have
been with him 19 years straight,
percussionist Mac Perkins is a
New Orleans native who was in
the band early on and bassist Mike
Fredrickson also spews out albums
with the Mosleys.
For Cebar’s many decades in
the music business, his recording
resume has been surprisingly thin
— between them, the Milwaukeeans
and Tomorrow Sound have released
only a half-dozen albums. But he
has two “in the can,” including some
earlier jazz-blues sessions with New
York singer Olu Dara (also rapper
Nas’ father). “I’ve been trying to
figure out how to get those out,”
says Cebar, who is also plotting new
material.
Cebar is old-school — he’s
waiting for a record label to offer
him a bit of a budget for the past and
present recordings before releasing
anything. But he also considers
following Fredrickson’s model with
the Mosleys, spewing out albums
regularly via Bandcamp, Spotify and
other music-streaming services. “It
probably would be prudent for me to
seek that out,” Cebar says. “You tend
to get mired in whatever way you’ve
learned how to do things. When you
finish these things, you’ve spent a
bunch of money and time, so you
actually hope it gets a fair shake out
there and some kind of attention.”
“(Fredrickson) has this idea of just
getting it out there. I’ve been the guy
that wants to work forever on it,” he
adds. “A hybrid approach is probably
in order.” — Chicago Tribune/TNS
COMMUNITY
Lebanese
hitmaker in
Doha live show
Musician and vocalist Fady Harb, known for popular
songs such as 3a2el Baytouti and Homma Youmein,
will perform at La Cigale today. By Umer Nangiana
T
he man responsible for
a plethora of hit songs
in recent years, Fady
Harb from Lebanon
is all set to enthral
the Doha audience with his live
music concert. Accompanied by
DJ Mike and maestro Dani, the
young Labanese music sensation
will bring all his popular songs to
an expected packed house at La
Cigale Qatar today.
Since his musical debut in 2002,
Harb has entertained audiences
not just in his hometown Beirut,
but outside in different countries
of the region as well. His catchy
numbers resonate particularly well
with the young audience and he is
loved for his stage performances.
Interested in music since his
teen years, the young Lebanese
singer had attracted attention
right with the launch of his debut
single within three years of his
award-winning participation in a
TV show.
Since then he has worked with
a number of renowned lyricists
and music composers from the
region to produce hit singles and
popular music albums that have
been hitting the top of the charts
for years.
He has also mastered the
classical dance style that he
performs in his shows. Harb’s
songs of love and life are set to
resonate with everyone listening.
His alluring voice along with his
stage presence and incredible
charisma offers an unforgettable
Harb’s songs of love and life are set to resonate with his fans.
experience.
Once in the spotlight, he
captures his audience and fully
engages with everyone in the
room. Fady Harb without variation
is a true star.
Harb was born and bred in
Beirut with roots in Gharife,
Chouf. As a child, Harb had a
remarkable passion for music,
singing and dance but he didn’t
take performing seriously until he
was in his teen years.
He studied Law at the Lebanese
University graduating in 1997.
Later, he enrolled in the National
Conservatory of Music, where
he took concentrated courses
in playing the oud instrument.
Eventually, Harb was taken under
the wing of Aida Shalhoob — a
SHOWSTOPPER: Singer Fady Harb is an interactive live performer and fully
engages with the audience.
renowned musical instructor —
who helped him continue and
shape his path in the musical arts.
Harb’s debut was in 2002 in
the popular music competition
TV show Studio El Fann where he
brought home the silver medal for
the category of the Arabic Folklore
Song. In 2005, he launched his
first single Homma Youmein
written by the Egyptian poet
Ameer Taeema with tunes inspired
by the Greek culture.
The music video for the song
was shot under director Tony
Kahwaji. Homma Youmein’s catchy
tune with a blend of Egyptian
and Greek styles gained huge
popularity and was a big hit for a
long period of time.
After the unwavering success of
Homma Youmein, Harb released
a re-mix of the popular folklore
song Mariam Mariamty arranged
by Jean Mary Riyashy.
In 2010, Harb released his first
album; a collection of songs with
a variety of music, rhythms and
a mix of Egyptian and Lebanese
lyrics working with top poets and
composers in the Arab world.
The album was titled Mish Bass
Bhibbik, a song from the album
for which he released a successful
music video directed by Elie el
Semaan. This song was written
by Nizzar Francis, composed by
Samir Sfeir and mixed by Kareem
Abd el Wahhab.
Harb’s hit song is 3a2el Baytouti.
This new song was released in
August 2013 and quickly rose to
the top of the charts. With the new
song, Harb had made a smooth
transformation to a classic dance
style which is already gaining
momentum in the region.
The video clip was recently
shot and also directed by Elie el
Semaan. 3ael Baitouti was written
by the poet Fares Eskandar,
composed by Salim Salameh, and
mixed by Fadi gigi.

gulf times

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