Community

P6
Community
Tropical
Cyclone
Roanu has
brought torrential
rain and widespread
flooding in many
parts of South Asia.
Community
Distinguished
Islamic scholar
and orator from
India Dr Zakir
Naik delivered a
lecture at Katara
Amphitheatre.
P20
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Sha’baan 22, 1437 AH
DOHA
33°C—44°C TODAY
PUZZLES 14 & 15
COVER
STORY
LIFESTYLE/HOROSCOPE 16
My world
A self-taught and multi-talented
musician, who produced the first
English-language album by a Qatari,
Dana Alfardan freewheels on her
passion, and future plans. P4-5
2
GULF TIMES Sunday, May 29, 2016
COMMUNITY
ROUND & ABOUT
PRAYER TIME
Fajr
Shorooq (sunrise)
Zuhr (noon)
Asr (afternoon)
Maghreb (sunset)
Isha (night)
3.17am
4.44am
11.31am
2.56pm
6.20pm
7.50pm
USEFUL NUMBERS
Emergency
999
Worldwide Emergency Number
112
Kahramaa – Electricity and Water
991
Local Directory
180
International Calls Enquires
150
Hamad International Airport
40106666
Labor Department
44508111, 44406537
Mowasalat Taxi
44588888
Qatar Airways
44496000
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
Money Monster
GENRE: Crime, Drama, Thriller
CAST: George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Jack O’connell
DIRECTION: Jodie Foster
SYNOPSIS: In the real-time, high-stakes thriller Money
Monster, George Clooney and Julia Roberts star as financial
TV host Lee Gates and his producer Patty, who are put in
an extreme situation when an irate investor who has lost
everything (Jack O’Connell) forcefully takes over their studio.
During a tense standoff broadcast to millions on live TV, Lee
and Patty must work furiously against the clock to unravel
the mystery behind a conspiracy at the heart of today’s fastpaced, high-tech global markets.
THEATRES: The Mall, Royal Plaza
Humanitarian Services Office
(Single window facility for the repatriation of bodies)
Ministry of Interior
40253371, 40253372,
40253369
Ministry of Health
40253370, 40253364
Hamad Medical Corporation
40253368, 40253365
Qatar Airways
40253374
ote Unquote
u
Q Our goals can
only be reached through a
vehicle of a plan, in which we must
fervently believe, and upon which we
must vigorously act. There is no
other route to success.
— Pablo Picasso
Community Editor
Kamran Rehmat
e-mail: community@gulf-times.com
Telephone: 44466405
Fax: 44350474
The Nice Guys
GENRE: Action, Comedy
CAST: Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Angourie Rice
DIRECTION: Shane Black
SYNOPSIS: In 1977 Los Angeles, a boy named Bobby
witnesses fading porn star Misty Mountains (Murielle
Telio) die in a car crash. Later that week, down-on-his-luck
Mall Cinema (1): Warcraft (2D)
11.30am; The Shamer’s Daughter
(2D) 1.30pm; Angry Birds Movie (2D)
3.15pm; The Jungle Book (2D) 5pm;
Warcraft (2D) 6.45pm; Warcraft (2D)
9 & 11.15pm.
Mall Cinema (2): The Nice Guys
(2D) 12.30pm; X-Men Apocalypse
(2D) 2.30pm; Money Monster (2D)
5pm; Pelé: A Birth Of A Legend (2D)
7pm; X-Men Apocalypse (2D) 9pm;
Money Monster (2D) 11.30pm.
Mall Cinema (3): Pelé: A Birth Of
A Legend (2D) 11.45am; Wild for
The Night (2D) 1.45pm; The Nice
Guys (2D) 3.30pm; Cabin Fever
private eye Holland March (Ryan Gosling) is approached by
Mrs Glenn, the aunt of Misty Mountains who is obsessively
claiming to have seen her niece alive. Holland is sceptical of
her claim, but realizes that a missing girl named Amelia Kutner
(Margaret Qualley) is somehow involved and accepts the job.
THEATRES: The Mall, Royal Plaza
The Nice Guys (2D) 4.30pm; X-Men
Apocalypse (2D) 6.30pm; Pelé: A
Birth Of A Legend (2D) 9pm; X-Men
Apocalypse (2D) 11pm.
(2D) 5.30pm; Money Monster (2D)
Royal Plaza Cinema Palace (3):
7.15pm; The Nice Guys (2D) 9pm;
Money Monster (2D) 11.30am; The
Cabin Fever (2D) 11pm.
Shamer’s Daughter (2D) 2.15pm;
Royal Plaza Cinema Palace (1):
Money Monster (2D) 4pm; Wild
Warcraft (2D) 11am; Ratchet &
Clank (2D) 1.15pm; The Jungle Book For The Night (2D) 6pm; Money
Monster (2D) 7.45pm; The Nice
(2D) 3pm; Angry Birds Movie (2D)
Guys (2D) 9.30pm; Cabin Fever (2D)
4.30pm; Warcraft (2D) 6.30pm;
Warcraft (2D) 8.45pm; Warcraft (2D) 11.30pm.
Asian Town Cinema: King Liar
11pm.
Royal Plaza Cinema Palace (2):
(Malayalam) 3.30, 6, 6.30, 9,
The Nice Guys (2D) 11.45am; Pelé:
9.30pm, & 12am; Ithu Namma Aalu
A Birth Of A Legend (2D) 2.30pm;
(Tamil) 12.30, 4, 4.15, 7pm & 12.45am.
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Guided Family Art Visits
DATE: June 4
TIME: 3pm
VENUE: Qatar Museums
Guided family visits are led by the Public
Art education team at Qatar Museums
Gallery ALRIWAQ. Children and parents will
explore the exhibition together. This will be
followed by an art-making workshop. The
children will make their own clay sculpture.
The workshops are being held from 3-5pm
every Saturday until June 4.
Skydive Qatar
DATE: Until May 31
VENUE: Al Khor Airport
For the first time in Qatar, everyone will
get a chance to experience skydiving with
a team of certified skydivers to jump from
approximately 13,000ft high. Participation
fees: QR1899 for individuals, including
photos and a video footage of before, after
and during the jump. Tickets are available
online, at Lagoona Mall, Qatar Foundation
and Virgin Mega Stores.
Interpretations Art Exhibition
DATE: Until June 6
TIME: 10am- 9pm
VENUE: Katara Art Center, Building 5
The International School of London
Qatar’s Visual Arts Department inaugural
exhibition will take place in the Katara
Arts Center until June 6. The works of the
‘Interpretation’ exhibition represents a
wide range of ages and stages of artistic
development and are selected from the
school’s IB Middle Years and Diploma Years
Programmes students. It is through sensory
exploration and interaction that students
learn to explore their feelings and confirm
their understanding of the world through the
senses.
Summer Festival
DATE: June 2
TIME: 9pm
VENUE: Melia Doha Hotel, West Bay
With the heat upon us, nobody can stand
to stay outside, so the hotel is bringing the
outdoors indoors!
Free entry before 10pm. Price for ladies
3
COMMUNITY
ROUND & ABOUT
EVENTS
GULF TIMES
after 10pm is 50QR. Price for men after 10pm
is 80QR.
Karting & Mini Moto Track
DATE: Until July 1
TIME: 6:30pm
VENUE: Losail International Circuit
The Karting and Mini Moto Track will be
open every Thursday and Friday until July 1
after which the track will close until further
notice. QR100 per session of 15 minutes.
Helmet mask QR15 – not refundable.
Al Gannas
DATE: Until Oct 30
TIME: 9am -11:30am
VENUE: Al Gannas Society
Al Gannas Association is participating in the ‘Our culture is a school’ programme by
organising many activities for the students every Monday and Wednesday of the week. These
activities include explanations on hunting and related tools, kinds of falcons and preys, in
addition to workshop on how to carry a falcon, set a traditional tent (made of goat & camel
hair), prepare traditional Arabic coffee, etc.
Dance Classes with Salsa n Candela
VENUE: Hilton Hotel-West Bay
Salsa n Candela offers variety of dance
classes for kids and adults at Hilton Hotel,
Eforea Spa Studio, such as Salsa, Bachata,
Kizomba, Swing, Tango and Greek classes.
Price at QR60 per class per person.
QSports Summer Camp
DATE: June 19-Sept 1
TIME: 8am-1pm
VENUE: Al Jazeera Academy
Registration for QSports Summer Camp
2016 is now open. QSports summer camps
are committed to providing a safe, fun and
skill-based experience for kids between the
ages of four and 14. We have a dedicated
team of specialist kid’s coaches and classes
and activities are safe, planned, progressive,
active, creative, inclusive and designed to
maximise participation of all children by
offering a variety of activities.
Anti-Doping in Humans and Animals
DATE: May 31-June 1
TIME: 8am
VENUE: Doha Marriott Hotel
ADLQatar’s 6th Annual Symposium:
Anti-Doping in Humans and Animals:
Parallels and Divergences: As with doping in
humans to enhance sporting performance,
similar interventions to ensure outcome in
competition are also apparent in animals
(horses, dogs, camels). Practices such as
administrations of steroids, inorganic
substances such as cobalt, as well as, gene
doping may be far more prevalent amongst
competing animals.
Qiang, is on view at the QM Gallery Al
Riwaq. The exhibition is the major highlight
presented in the context of the Qatar China
2016 Year of Culture. Artworks exemplifying
each and every artist’s unique artistic
language and methodology are displayed in
individual galleries.
Shifting Sands
DATE: Until July 7
VENUE: Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim
Museum, Alsamariyah
MA students of UCL Qatar are organising
and curating an exhibition as part of
UCLQurates. In the very recent past, Qatar
has undergone a significant transformation;
through these developments, people have had
to adapt to the changing landscape in which
they live.
Yamativo Salsa Classes
DATE: Every Monday
TIME: 7pm
VENUE: Radisson Blu
It’s always fun and always challenging.
Let’s meet and learn some moves every
Monday night. You don’t need to do
anything, just join us. Level 1 (intermediate
level) 7pm and for beginner level 8pm. Be
there at Raddison Blu Hotel Cabana Club.
the 4th season of Qatari agricultural product
yards for selling locally produced fruits,
vegetables, poultry, fish and livestock. Work
in these yards will continue for seven months.
The yards will operate three days a week on
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 7am
to 5pm, with livestock vendors in Al Mazrooa
operating at the same times throughout the
week.
Cultural Diversity festival
DATE: Until May 31
TIME: 7:30-9pm
VENUE: Katara Beach
Over 20 countries from all over the world
are showcasing their traditions and heritage.
Spring Exhibition MIA
DATE: Until July 16
TIME: 10:30am- 5pm
VENUE: QM Gallery Al Riwaq
An exhibition of 15 contemporary Chinese
artists, curated by internationally acclaimed
New York-based Chinese artist Cai Guo-
Join in our Walk-in Weekends
DATE: Every Saturday
VENUE: MIA Atrium
MIA art education and calligraphy teams
offer walkin workshops in MIA’s atrium every
Saturday. These walk-in workshops are for
open for all family members.
FOODIE CHOICE
Qatari Agricultural Product Yards
DATE: Until June 30
VENUE: Al Mazrooa, Al Zakheera, Al
Khor, Al Wakrah
The Ministry of Environment has opened
RESTAURANT: Al Batross
LOCATION: Al Bustan Hotel, Museum
Street
Al Batross Restaurant in Doha is located in
the 3-star Al Bustan Doha Hotel. Al Batross is
a popular restaurant for locals and Lebanese
expats alike. The menu is vast, maybe a little
too big, serving a selection of Lebanese,
Mezze and Continental meals. The décor is
traditionally Arabic.
Compiled by Nausheen Shaikh. E-mail: gtlisting@gmail.com, Events and timings subject to change
4
GULF TIMES Sunday, May 29, 2016
COMMUNITY
COVER STORY
“We want to bring
everything together so we
can have an industry here”
— Dana Alfardan,
Qatar’s premier musician
SUNDAY
CONVERSATION
Sunday, May 29, 2016
By Anand Holla
W
What kind of music did you
grow up listening to?
My first real relationship
with music was classical music.
Obviously, at the age of 11, I was
one of those teenyboppers picking
up teen magazines and following
the trend of that time, like listening
to those one-hit-wonder bands
and artistes. But what I did very
quickly was get into rock music.
That brought to me a much stronger
musical element. So I would listen
to bands like Aerosmith and Guns
N’ Roses. Although I loved classical
music, too, I was very removed
from it. It’s with albums such as
Metallica’s S&M, which brought
the orchestral grandeur into metal
music, that I realised there is a
bridge, a relationship between
contemporary music and classical
music that can be explored with this
larger arrangement. And that’s the
path I began to follow.
You were pregnant when you
started following this path of
exploring music as a creative
pursuit and a career. What were
the first thoughts like?
When I got pregnant, I thought I
would give myself a break for nine
months and figure out what I really
needed to do. I thought to myself
— I am about to bring life into this
world. What world am I bringing
her out into? Who am I? One day, I
was listening to music and I thought
I want to make this. So I thought I
should write a story and through
that start exploring different themes,
ideologies and concepts. So I wrote
a musical set in the American Civil
War. But towards the end of writing
it, I realised it is actually a pop album
— this would be Paint. That didn’t
5
COMMUNITY
COVER STORY
ith wide-eyed
awe and innocent
wonder, a fiveyear-old Dana
Alfardan had for the
first time, felt a tug and a pull inside
of her to write a classical album. “It
was my dream ever since,” she says,
sitting in the plush environs of a fivestar hotel.
It took a child to bring out the
childhood dream in Alfardan, in
all its beautiful melodic glory.
Reminiscing about the time she
was pregnant and took the plunge
into music, she says, “There was life
coming out of me and I wanted to
give her something. And that’s why
the first piece I wrote was Layla (her
daughter’s name).”
Leaving her job in the family
jewellery business to chisel out a
career in music during pregnancy,
Dana has covered a stupendous
amount of ground in a short time.
The multi-talented artiste, who
made history by producing her wellreceived 2013 album Paint — it’s the
first English-language album by a
Qatari — is a self-taught musician
with a penchant for reinventing the
wheel.
Community settles down for
a conversation with Dana that
traverses everything from finding
her musical voice to founding DNA
Records, Qatar’s first record label.
GULF TIMES
We are looking to set up a music festival here in
Qatar. It will showcase all the original DNA Records
content and will feature local and regional talents.
We already have the talent, the facilities, and even
access to top quality musicians in QPO
devalue it. It was still good music! I
then met a wonderful producer who
specialises in film music. I loved the
huge sound and the filmic scope
he could create. Even today, I love
listening to Paint.
Singing must have been very
challenging given that someone
else was supposed to sing the
album?
Yes. I was nine months pregnant
and we were all set to record the
album in a London studio. But the
singer couldn’t make it and someone
had to step in. Since I was singing
those songs when I was writing
them, I thought I could sing them.
But I got into the studio and realised
I couldn’t sing one song fully. So I
took vocal lessons for five weeks,
learning everything from tone and
pitch to breathing right, which was
another challenge in itself as I had
this huge thing that was pushing
from within. Sometimes, it would
take me two days to record a song.
It was wonderful for me to actually
have that challenge and overcome it.
Even today it’s something I always
turn back to when I tell myself that I
can’t do something: ‘Well, I learned
to sing, didn’t I?’
Why do you think the moment
of clarity rushed to you at that
particular point in your life?
It was my child. When you are
pregnant, the thought of bringing
your child into the world is the
most profound and overwhelming
experience you can ever have;
whether you are ready or not,
whether you have planned or not,
you start to question everything.
You have to be in a great place
internally. The biggest question you
ask yourself is — what do I want
for my child? What do I want her
to know of me? You become your
harshest critic. Looking back, I could
have only been that person. I can’t
imagine myself being somebody
else. I couldn’t imagine myself giving
birth to my child before I launched
my music career because music is
part of my blood. I had been denying
it for such a long time and shoving
it aside. Had I not done that, my
daughter would have just gotten half
of me. She wouldn’t have gotten
the passion, the excitement and the
enthusiasm. The way she and I now
communicate is such a bonding
aspect of our relationship.
How did DNA Records happen?
I realised I don’t want to sing
because I wanted to write. I figured I
can’t sing better than other people.
While I think I managed to sing quite
well on Paint, I don’t think I could be
one of the best singers. But I do think
I could be one of the best writers. If
I am to go global, I need to feel and
understand that I can be cultivating
the best of the best. I feel like I can
achieve that with composing. And I
thought since I am doing that, why
don’t I develop this structure to
absorb all these different things I am
doing? That’s when I decided to set
up a label and DNA Records came
through.
EXCITING JOURNEY: From finding her musical voice with Paint to founding DNA Records, Qatar’s first record label,
Dana has made waves.
Is the business part as CEO
of DNA Records as passionate
a project as the creative part of
composing music?
Yes, because a lot of it goes hand
in hand. The developer of the
product is also the person marketing
the product because only you can
understand what your music really
is. Having been an artiste in the past,
I understand the pros and cons of
large labels. As an artiste, if I were
to ever sign with a label, I wanted
to have a specific deal, a specific
philosophy, an artiste-centered
environment that would stimulate
me. So, this was essentially an
experiment. We watched our first
artiste Ryan O’Reilly grow as an
artiste, under DNA Records. That’s
the biggest testament to the success
of this model. We launched his
album recently, and from Germany
to the UK, it’s climbing up the charts.
How many artistes has DNA
Records signed up until now?
Our tiny label and team is putting
everything on a huge international
platform. We are focussing on
individual artistes such as Ryan,
and DJ Juan Pestana, who recently
put out a superb show at Rooftop at
The St. Regis Doha. With Pestana,
it’s a collaboration. My songs that
were supposed to go in my second
album found an even better outlet.
I released them under DJ Pestana
featuring many different vocalists
and it’s called These are the Best
Times.
What made you turn your
attention towards more of
electronica?
Of late, I have seen that the
electronic world brings together
a diverse range of music under its
wing; like Robin Schulz’s remix
of Prayer in C, which talks about
the plight of the world and the bad
things that are happening. This is
unusual for dance music which is
usually a bubblegum impersonation
of an invented state of perpetual
Disneyland. So I thought wow, you
can actually address real issues
and deliver that to the masses
through this music. DJ Pestana
came in as a sound engineer. When
I asked him to help me out with
some instrumental bits for my
composition template, I saw that
the man could do anything, from
playing jazz bits with the flair of a
jazz pianist to recreating classical
sounds. I figured this guy could
actually be a DJ as he can produce
tracks. And I love the idea of the
DJ being a musician. So Pestana
is playing it all instead of pushing
loops, which is a perfect fit for our
philosophy at DNA, which is that
we create everything from within.
What is the future, big-picture
plan of DNA Records?
We are looking to set up a
music festival here in Qatar. It will
showcase all the original DNA
Records content and will feature
local and regional talents. We would
want to align ourselves with the local
art scene as well. We already have the
talent, the facilities, and even access
to top quality musicians in QPO. We
want to bring everything together
so we can have an industry here in
Qatar.
6
GULF TIMES Sunday, May 29, 2016
COMMUNITY
WEATHER ADDICT
DESTRUCTIVE: Bangladesh villagers gather around the wreckage of destroyed homes in Chittagong on May 22, after Cyclone Roanu struck the southern coastline. Thousands of Bangladeshis were
left homeless after Cyclone Roanu battered the impoverished southern coastal region, ripping apart flimsy houses and killing at least 24 people.
Photo by AFP
An unexpected and destructive
cyclone hits South Asia
By Steff Gaulter
A
single storm has caused major
problems in many parts of
South Asia. From Sri Lanka to
China, Tropical Cyclone Roanu
has brought torrential rain and
widespread flooding.
The storm first formed to the east of Sri
Lanka, on the leading edge of the monsoon
rains. Storms often form in the initial
monsoon clouds, so the onset of the monsoon
is a particularly hazardous time of year. The
storm started to cause problems even before it
was classed as a tropical system. It started to
bring torrential rain as it drifted slowly north,
parallel to the east coast of the island.
As the rain poured, the ground quickly
became saturated. Huge puddles started to
form that transformed roads into vast rivers
and landscapes into lakes. As the waters rose,
buildings were inundated and hundreds of
thousands of people were forced to leave their
homes.
With the weight of the water weighing
down on the mountainsides, the soil became
unstable and walls of mud began to rip through
the countryside. One survivor said it sounded
like a plane crash, but when she opened her
door, it looked like a huge fireball was rolling
down the mountainside.
Entire villages were swallowed by the
landslides and there were reports that people
were crushed by as much as 15 metres of earth.
To make matters worse for the victims, rescue
operations were hampered because roads
leading to many of the worst hit regions were
impassable or highly dangerous.
The flooding and landslides forced hundreds
of thousands of people to leave their homes.
200,000 were displaced from Colombo alone.
The flood water was so high that people
became trapped in the upstairs floors of their
homes, or marooned on isolated mounds of
dry land.
The rains in Sri Lanka continued for days.
It may have been the storm which initially
triggered the downpours across the country,
but the rains continued even as it moved away.
The storm itself was heading north and still
intensifying. The west coast of India was the
next in the firing line. One suburb of Chennai,
Kelambakkam, reported 226mm of rain from
the system. This triggered major flooding,
which is unusual at this time of year. Chennai
is sheltered from the summer monsoon by
the Eastern Ghats mountain range, so May is
normally fairly dry. The storm brought almost
10 times the average expected in the entire
month.
The storm continued to intensify. It became
the region’s first cyclone of the year, and was
given the name Roanu. Storms of this nature
get their energy from the warmth of sea
water. The shallow water along the east coast
of India had temperatures reaching 30C in
places, which provided plenty of fuel for the
cyclone. Fortunately, however, the winds high
up in the atmosphere were strong enough to
prevent this happening. The winds disrupted
the system, effectively trying to push it over.
The location of the storm also worked against
it, because the outer fringes of it remained
over land, and this causes friction which
weakened the system.
This ensured that the winds were never
the major problem of the storm. Instead, it
was the rain that continued to give cause for
concern. As Tropical Cyclone Roanu marched
steadily along the east coast of India, a
number of locations reported between 200
and 300 mm of rain. This is a significant
amount of water, which caused significant
flooding. Luckily the storm moved steadily
along the coast. It was producing so much
rain that had it stalled, the flooding would
have been disastrous.
After battering the east coast of India, the
cyclone then headed towards Bangladesh.
This is always a cause for concern, because
the shape of the Bay of Bengal naturally
encourages storm surges. These walls of
water can cause immense devastation, due to
the high population density of the region and
the fact that much of the land is less than five
metres above sea level.
Fortunately Tropical Cyclone Roanu only
produced a storm surge of about one metre
(three feet). However, this, coupled with
the torrential rain, was enough to cause
widespread flooding. The cities of Barisal and
Chittagong were hit particularly hard, and
hundreds of houses were destroyed.
The storm then moved northwards,
towards southern China. Once over land, it
no longer had access to its energy source, the
warm sea waters, so the storm started to die.
The winds eased and the rain began to ease.
After battering the region for more than a
week, there was an acute sense of relief when
the storm fizzled out. However, for Sri Lanka,
the process of clearing the mud and drying
their homes will take many more weeks. The
problem is that the monsoon will bring more
heavy rain over the next few months, and this
is certain to make the clean-up operation that
little bit more difficult.
(The author is Senior Weather Presenter
at Al Jazeera English channel. She can be
contacted on steff.gaulter@yahoo.co.uk
or on Twitter at @WeatherSteff)
Sunday, May 29, 2016
GULF TIMES
7
COMMUNITY
IIS gets 100% success in CBSE Class X exams
The Ideal Indian School has recorded 100% success in the Class X CBSE examinations held in March. Thirty-one out of 291 students got the maximum Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 10, by
scoring A in all five subjects. Sixteen students scored A1 in four subjects for a CGPA of 9.8. Seen here are the students who got a CGPA of 10.
1.Aiman Ahmed Quraishi
2. Sriram Gangula
3. Shaik Abdul Ghani
4. Derin David
5. Shreyesh Shaju
6. Azzah Zubair
7. Ayesha Siddiqua
8. Anooja Mariya Antony
9. Anjana Satheesh Kumar
10. Gopika Asokan
11. Marah Shehata
12. Fida Fathima
13. Aamina Rafeek
14. Fawaz Hakim
15. Darren Desouza
16. Hiba Fathima
17. Erica Desouza
18. Muhammed Ali
19. Fahad A Rehman
20. Sofia
21. Reegana Doulath
22. Jerry A George
23. Mansi Manoj
24. Shalini Pillai
25. Basila Abbas
26. Farhana
27. Karthik Sandeep
28. Aamir Husain
29. Hiba Mahdi
30. Liyana Shaji
31. Maryam
8
GULF TIMES Sunday, May 29, 2016
COMMUNITY
DPS-MIS gets 100% pass result in CBSE Class X exams
All DPS-MIS students who appeared in the CBSE Class X exams conducted in March, passed. A total of 99 students got the maximum CGPA of 10, securing A1 in all their subjects. In all, there were 200
students with a CGPA of over 9. The school’s average CGPA was 9.24.
AMMAR AHMED KHAN AISWARYA RAJU
ARCHAN CHIRAG
GANDHI
ANGELA JAIN AJEESH
AFRAH
ASHILESH PANDAY
ANU ELIZABATH JOHN ADITI LUTHRA
ARYAN ADHLAKHA
ARNAB GOSWAMI
AKSHITA SHANKAR
SINGH
ATHIRA
RADHAKRISHNAN
ASNA MOHAMMED
SALEEM SIDDIQUI
ADHRIKA NAIR M
ANIRUDDHA NARAYAN AFRAH IQBAL
REDKAR
VADAKKEANGADIYIL
ANUSHA JAIN
AYUSH GANGULI
AYESHA ALI
BHARGAVI
RAVISHANKAR
MARIA KHAN
LITHIN LAKSHMANAN
MODI VAISHNAVI
KAMLESHBHAI
NADIM UL HASSAN
NAVOS PON GOLDA
DURAI
MOHAMMED ZOHAIB
UR REHMAN
MANSI SAXENA
MALAVIKA VINOD
KUMAR
MADHUR UTTAM
VAIDYA
NAYANTARA PULLIYIL
HIDAYATH
JANANI SRI
SENGOTTAIAN
KULLYADI PALLAVI
SHIVANANDA PAI
JEVIN G
HAFSA KHALID
ISHIKA GOEL
DONSON JAMES
ISHA RAJENDRA
FARHINNAZ PATHAN WAGHULDE
HARSHITA HARI
MENON
JEEHAN SHAMEEM
DONNA LISLY ALEX CHIRAG NAYAK
KRISHA SATISH
SHETTY
GREGARY SAM
GEEVARGHESE
GADEPALLI
CHANDAN
SASHANK
KONDA VARSHA
DHANANJAY SINGH LAKSHMI VIJAY
DHANYA JINOY
FATHIMA RAZANA
GOTTUMUKKALA
VISHNU VARMA
Sunday, May 29, 2016
GULF TIMES
9
COMMUNITY
TWINKLE
RAJEEVKUMAR
VINUTHA RAMADORAI JAISWAL
USHTA PRIYADARSHI
SAMAL
VISHMITA
KANNICHAMY
SWATTIK MAITI
TEHSIN ABDULRAHIM
SHERASIYA
SMRUTI HITESH
KUMAR PATEL
SAMYUKTHA
MURALITHARAN
SHUBHRA BEDI
SNEGHA
RAMANATHAN
SIMRAN SHASHIKANT
SHINDE
ROSY JOHN
PANIKULAM
R SIVA
SUBRAMANIYAN
VRINDA CHENTHIL
KUMAR
VARSHINI
VENKATESAN
TRISHA KESAVAN
SANDRA MARATH
SRUTHY
MADHUSOODANAN
NAIR
SRIPRASATH BALAJI
SIDRA SABA
SAI SASHANK
KOCHERLAKOTA
SHRVAN RAJENDRA
WARKE
SRISHTI SENTHIL
SUPRITI BALAJI
SHRESTHA UPADHYAY SHERIN JOSE
SIDDHANT SINGH
SURABHI PUTTARAJU
SIMRAN MAHESH
HAVAL
SNEHA SALEL
SNEHAL
BHATTACHARYA
PRUTHIRAJ PATRA
NIKITA NAVANEETH
S P AKAASH NIDHISS
RHITHIKAA
JAYARAMAN
PRATHAMESH MEHRA NEIL NORONHA
RAYHAN
PRITHVIRAJ RAY
PRATINAVA DHAMIJA
SAFWAN AHMED
SHAIKH
NIVEDHYA GIRISH
ROHIT RAMESH
NIMRA SIDDIQUI
RIDDHI ATUL
TANNA
S NIKIL ROASHAN
PRIYANKA SANJAY
NEWALKAR
ROBIN JOSEPH
RAGHAV SENGUPTA CHACKO
10 GULF TIMES Sunday, May 29, 2016
COMMUNITY
MES excels in CBSE Class X exams
MES Indian School secured a 100% pass percentage with a record 125 students securing the maximum possible CGPA of 10. All 630 students who sat the exams passed, of which 125 student secured A1
in all subjects. Forty-nine students secured a CGPA of 9.8. A total of 298 students obtained A1 in English, 150 in Malayalam, 39 in Hindi, 64 in Arabic, 29 in Urdu, 9 in Tamil, 9 in French, 175 in Mathematics,
201 in Science, 206 in Social Science and 158 and in Informatics and Technology and 593 in Assessment in Speaking and Listening (ASL).
JIBRAN MAHMOOD
HAYA MURTAZA
PARIHAR
HIMA PAYINADATH
JENITA SAJI
FATHIMATHU ZUHRA
HAFIS JAFOOR
GIBIN GEORGE
ILIN MARIAM ABRAHAM
HASHIRA ABDULLA
HANAN NISAR
INIYA MAGESH
GEORGE MARTIN
HADIYA HARMAIN
IDA AISWARYA
JEWEL MERLIN MATHEW
GLITTA ROSALIA CHEERAN
HARSHVARDHAN
GOUTHAM PAVITHRAN
HAFSA
FAVAZ KHAN
JISS MARIA JAIHAR
HASHIM ABDUL HAMEED
ASIYATH MAHFUZA
BETINA VALENTINE
NERIKAT
FAADIL SHAKIR
FARZEEN SHIYAS
DARRYL SALDANHA
ARSHA ANIL KUMAR
ELIZABETH JAMES
BEEVI JINAN
DEVAPRIYA
ANUJ JOHN MATHEWS
BENEETA PARI BOOS
FATHIMA UMMER
FAEBA PERSIS
BHANUSRI RAJESH
CANDIDA VALENCIA
RODRIGUS
FATHIMA RASANA
ASMA SYED ANWAR
HUSAINI
ANUGRAHA ANN
CHERIAN
DIYA NAZRIN
FAHMA MUNEER
BASSIM
ADONIS JUSTIN
ANILA MERIN SAJAN
ANETA JEESON
ABEL STEPHEN
ALEEF ASHRAF K
AJAL SALAM
AMEENA AKBAR
ABHIJITH SREEKUMAR
AHSANA SADIC
ADARSH ABRAHAM
ADITYAJITENDRA S
ABHIKK AJITHKUMAR
ALWAS
ANN MARIA JIBU
ABU SINAN
AKHIL VARGHESE SAJI
ANJALI KRISHNAN
ANSON JOSE
ANJU ANAND
ANU ANIL NAIR
Sunday, May 29, 2016
GULF TIMES
11
COMMUNITY
ABDULLAH ARMGHAN
MEHBOOB
RUBY SUSAN RAJU
SAEED UR RAHMAN
SRINIVASAN MURALI
SNEHA VARGHESE
SHARON
SERENE MARIAM
THOMAS
SHARON LEELA BIJI
TARANA HAMID
SARANG SANIL
SMRITHIKA
SHERLIN ANN RAJAN
SONA BOSE
SAYED MOHAMMED
SHARON BINO
SRUTHI SHYAM
SATYAM BINAYAK DA
SAFIYA ABDUL
SHUKOOR
ZIYAD IBRAHIM
SAGAR P MADHUDIYA
SUNDUS MANSOOR
RUQAIA SHAHEED
RIZVIN RAFEEQUE
NIMRA MUBEEN
NIKHIL SHARMA
NIMRAH REHMAN
NANDITA MANTHA
NIMMY BENNY
RABECA KHANAM
ROHIT R MENON
NUHA ALI
RIDHAB BINOY DAS
RAJWA ABDUL RAZAK
RAYES ANNA BENSON
RHEA SATISH NAIR
NOBLE
NIHAL NASSAR
NAVEEN
PREMASUNDARAN
PRANAV RAJEEV
NIDA MEHBOOB
RAINA RACHEL RAJAN
KEERTHI SRIJITH
NANDIDA PANICKER
M JOSHU A ALWIN
MALAVIKA
RAMACHANDRAN
KASHMIERA MANOJ
MILAN JOHN PYNADATH
MEGHA ANNA THOMAS
MUHAMMED JASSIM
MUHAMAD FADHIL
MISHAL ANWAR
MOHAMMED FAREEH
MAHESWARI HARIKUMAR
KRIPA SARA THOMAS
MUNEEB ABDURAHEEM
JUWARIA ABBAS
MOHSINA FATHIMA
MARIA BABU
JULIAN JOSEPH
MERLIN ANN SAJU
K SANJAY
KEVIN CHACKO
12 GULF TIMES Sunday, May 29, 2016
COMMUNITY
MES scores 100% result in CBSE-i Class X exams
The MES Indian School registered 100% result in the CBSE International Class X Board Examination for the academic year 2015-16, with all its 42 students qualifying for admission to higher classes. Nine
of them secured the maximum CGPA of 10. Seen here are the students who got A1 in all their subjects and got a CGPA of 10.
HAJARA NAJEEB
S JAGATH RAJ
SANA SAYEED
WASEEM MOIDU
MOHAMMED SADIQ ASLAM
HASSAN ABDUL BASHEER
AMAL ASOK
UJJWALA PUMPERI
AMAAN SIYAD
DMIS gets 100% result in CBSE Class X exams
All 77 Doha Modern International School (DMIS) students who appeared in the CBSE Grade 10 examinations in March passed. Thirteen of them scored a CPGA of 10, while 36 scored a CGPA of 9 or
above. Seen here are the 13 students who scored the maximum CGPA of 10.
UDAY KRISHNA KUROOR
MARSHOODA FATHIMA
YUSRA ANEES
AMAN SULTAN HARIS
NEHHA MARIAM RENJU
NAVANEETH
MOHAMMED
ATEEQUE MOHAMED ALI
SIMRAN KUCHERIA
ARATHI REGUNATH
KEVIN JOJI MATHEWS
Notice: More Central Board of Secondary Education Class X examination results conducted in March will appear in tomorrow’s edition.
ARYA APPUKKUTAN
AMBALATHINKAL VINAY
FRANCIS
MADIHA SADAF
Sunday, May 29, 2016
INFOGRAPHIC
GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY
13
14 GULF TIMES Sunday, May 29, 2016
COMMUNITY
Wordsearch
Adam
Pooch Cafe
EX
ANNEX
APEX
CIRCUMFLEX
COMPLEX
CONVEX
CORTEX
DUPLEX
IBEX
INDEX
LATEX
MULTIPLEX
NARTHEX
REFLEX
SPANDEX
TELEX
TRIPLEX
UNISEX
VERTEX
VORTEX
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
Sunday, May 29, 2016
COMMUNITY
PUZZLES
Quick Clues
Across
1. Wastrel (11)
9. Cockerel (7)
10. Original (5)
11. Stratum (5)
12. Soldier (7)
13. Glib (6)
15. Not there (6)
18. Free (7)
20. Ward off (5)
22. String (5)
23. Diffuse (7)
24. Quandary (11)
GULF TIMES
Colouring
Down
2. Substitute (5)
3. Inherent (7)
4. Flung (6)
5. Allude (5)
6. Stealthy (7)
7. Multiply (11)
8. Raconteur (5-6)
14. Miner (7)
16. Ennui (7)
17. Decimal (6)
19. Improve (5)
21. Unadorned (5)
Cryptic Clues
Answers
Wordsearch
Across
1. Skilled craftsmen? (11)
9. All bent on making a game of
it (7)
10. A swell operator doesn’t get
on (5)
11. Offensive film location (5)
12. Is in hides to see birds (7)
13. Attacked - bombed perhaps (6)
15. A colourless individual (6)
18. New role, but it may result in
difficulty (7)
20. Vessel carrying fuel from Loire
(5)
22. Love to take part in pictures
(2,3)
23. Terminated the sitting,
presumably (5,2)
24. Boring possibly, but shrewd (11)
Down
2. Can’t bear inordinate haste (5)
3. A priest making money in Egypt (7)
4. Very much like sauce (6)
5. Short pants (5)
6. Ends interim arrangements (7)
7. Intelligence in the making (11)
8. It checks on underground movement (11)
14. Rich fabric with an outstanding design (7)
16. Guard gives a warning (4,3)
17. Steer awkwardly round a difficult problem
(6)
19. Club he joined for a swim (5)
21. Like a ship taking many to port (5)
Codeword
Yesterday’s Solutions
QUICK
Across: 1 Gigantic; 5 Tall; 9 Stop; 10 Scimitar;
11 Break; 12 Narrate; 13 Impertinently; 18
Prompted; 19 Tote; 20 Antenna; 21 Rigid; 22
Tidy; 23 Designer.
Down: 2 Interim; 3 Appease; 4 Inconsiderate;
6 Attract; 7 Largely; 8 Emerge; 13 Implant; 14
Plotted; 15 Repent; 16 Nothing; 17 Lattice.
CRYPTIC
Across: 1 Careless; 5 Lira; 9 Wake; 10 Calendar;
11 Typed; 12 Lariats; 13 Statisticians; 18 Stamp
out; 19 Herd; 20 Emotion; 21 Orbit; 22 Toys; 23
Prestige.
Down: 2 Analyst; 3 Element; 4 Scarlet runner;
6 Indiana; 7 Arrests; 8 Metric; 13 Suspect; 14
Analogy; 15 Impair; 16 Inherit; 17 Nursing.
15
16 GULF TIMES Sunday, May 29, 2016
COMMUNITY
LIFESTYLE/HOROSCOPE
Some ways businesses can
cut energy, save money
C
ompanies across the nation are looking
for ways to become more energy
efficient, and small and medium-sized
businesses (SMBs) are no exception.
Reducing energy consumption is one
of the top areas where SMB leaders need more
guidance — up 14 percent from the previous year,
according to the Cox Conserves Sustainability
Survey.
Energy costs are among the largest business
expenses for any company. Simple conservation
efforts will go a long way to lower the power costs
of your current operations.
Here are some quick tips that can help any sized
business improve efficiency and cost savings.
Know your baseline
Your utility company can provide detailed
usage records that show usage and cost totals, as
well as helpful details like peak usage times. This
data helps you measure your progress.
specific to your geographic location.
Sun or wind energy technologies may be
great money-saving solutions. If the sun
sufficiently lights your office or meeting
room, make a point of keeping the blinds open
and the electric lights off.
Look at lighting
Lighting retrofits are a simple and effective
solution that do not interrupt regular
operations and often offer a short return on
investment.
Encourage employees
Turning off computers and other office
equipment when not in use is an easy way
employees can make an impact.
These tips can start your business on a
journey toward becoming a more efficient
and eco-friendly organisation. The benefits
start at protecting the earth and extend to
enhancing the bottom line.
Pay attention
Take note of the natural energy sources
ARIES
March 21 — April 19
It’s time to exhale Aries. It’s been a tough couple of weeks for you
and finally things are looking up. Just don’t push things too far and
try to get things up and running too quickly.
CANCER
June 21 — July 22
Avoid getting caught up in someone else’s dramas today Cancers.
As much as you may be trying to help smooth ruffled feathers, you
could actually be throwing fire on the whole thing.
LIBRA
September 23 — October 22
Unless you really feel as if things are on the right track for you right
now, don’t sign anything or make any promises you might not be
able to keep Librans.
CAPRICORN
December 22 — January 19
Sometimes you are too serious for your own good goats. With your
ruler Saturn out of phase in your past karma zone, some of you will
be thinking back to the things you overreacted to and making an
effort to not repeat the same mistakes again.
TAURUS
April 20 — May 20
There isn’t much you can do about a friend who won’t listen to any
advice you give them. You keep hearing the same story and giving
the same advice and they ignore it. Maybe you should ignore them
for a while?
LEO
GEMINI
May 21 — June 20
Now that your birthday time is here, there is reason to celebrate
and with your New Moon coming up next week, you need to make a
resolution about what it is you want to achieve over the next year.
VIRGO
July 23 — August 22
August 23 — September 22
If you feel conflicted about something today, ask yourself why you
feel this way. Is it because in your heart of hearts you feel you may
be doing the wrong thing?
SCOR
©Brandpoint
PIO
October 23 — November 21
Now that Mars your co–ruler has moved backwards into your sign,
you may start feeling as if things are slowing down and you don’t
have as much energy/momentum as usual.
AQUARIUS
January 20 — February 18
With the Sun and Venus transiting your fellow air sign of Gemini
today and for the next few weeks, you will be full of bright ideas and
feeling very confident about them too.
Stop chasing your tail today Virgos. If it’s not meant to be...you know
the rest. Let fate and destiny determine the outcome and stop trying
to control everything.
SAGITTARIUS
November 22 — December 21
With the Sun and Venus in your opposite sign of Gemini right now,
your relationships and how you deal with every person in your life is
under the cosmic microscope today.
PISCES
February 19 — March 20
Every now and again you have to do a reconnaissance of your home
and family life. Is everyone happy? Are your bills up to date and
paid? What about home owners insurance? The sort of things that
slip through the cracks sometimes.
Sunday, May 29, 2016
GULF TIMES
17
COMMUNITY
BOLLYWOOD
Hollywood is given
too much hype, says
Abhishek Bachchan
H
MAKING A POINT: Abhishek Bachchan
Hope Sultan is another
record-breaker: Sonam
Actress Sonam Kapoor is looking
forward to superstar Salman Khan’s
upcoming film Sultan, and hopes
another record-breaking film for
Khan.
“It is very good, very beautiful.
I’m looking forward to watching
Salman Khan on screen again like
how you all are obviously looking
forward to it. I hope it’s another
record-breaking film of his.”
Sonam, who was present along with
The Lord Of The Rings star Sir Ian
McKellen to inaugurate the Kashish
Film Festival, said about the trailer
of the film.
The trailer with Salman playing
a rustic wrestler achieving success
amidst several hurdles, has already
is father made his
international film debut with
The Great Gatsby, and his
wife has acted in multiple
international films like The
Pink Panther 2 and The Last Legion. But
actor Abhishek Bachchan feels Indians
give a lot of hype to Hollywood.
Abhishek, who was promoting his
upcoming film Housefull 3 along with
his co-stars Akshay Kumar, Riteish
registered more than 3.5mn views
on YouTube in 24 hours.
Sultan is one of the most
anticipated films of the year,
releasing on the occasion of Eid,
often termed as a lucky release
week for Salman with hits such as
Bodyguard, Ek Tha Tiger, Bajrangi
Bhaijaan, Wanted, Dabangg, Kick
among others.
Though Sonam’s only film with
Salman, Prem Ratan Dhan Payo
didn’t release on Eid, but on Diwali,
the film was a success at the boxoffice earning more than Rs200
crores at the box-office.
The film is Sonam’s highest
grosser till date and holds the
records for the highest collections
on first day, Rs40 crores. Sonam
is currently enjoying the supersuccess of her film, Neerja. — IANS
Deshmukh, Lisa Haydon and Jacqueline
Fernandez, said there is instead a huge
demand for Indian films globally.
Asked if he is interested in featuring in
a Hollywood film, Abhishek told IANS:
“There is a lot hype given to Hollywood.
English is just a language and nothing
else. Today there is a huge demand
of Hindi films globally. People from
Hollywood are coming and doing item
numbers and films.”
Akshay is a superstar, but
underrated actor: D’Cruz
Akshay Kumar may be known
as a superstar, but he is an
underrated actor, feels his Rustom
co-star Ileana D’Cruz. Ileana feels
that people talk more about his
superstardom as compared to his
acting skills.
Asked about the experience of
working with Akshay, Ileana told
IANS: “It was really amazing to
work with him... He’s one of the
most underrated actors we have.
He’s a superstar... Don’t get me
wrong, but as an actor, people talk
less about his acting capabilities
than his superstardom.”
The Barfi! star says she was
surprised as to how quickly the film
got over and that she was upset
when the film got wrapped.
“I normally don’t get emotional
when a film gets over. I am actually
COLLABORATORS: Akshay Kumar, left, and Ileana D’Cruz.
excited. I was pretty upset when the
film wrapped up, and that I couldn’t
get back on the set to play the role
opposite Akshay,” she said.
The actress says it was amazing
working with the Boss star, with
whom she felt a unique onscreen
Shekhar Kapur’s documentary on
Mata Amritanandamayi released
IN SOLIDARITY: Sonam Kapoor
Akshay added that he has no interest
in Hollywood and is busy doing a Tamil
film titled 2.0, along with superstar
Rajinikanth. Directed by Shankar,
the film is a sequel to the blockbuster
Enthiran.
“I am doing a Tamil film. I have no
interest in Hollywood,” Akshay added.
Directed by Sajid-Farhad, Houseful 3
also stars Nargis Fakhri and is slated to
hit the theatres on June 3. — IANS
Renowned film-maker Shekhar Kapur launched his
new documentary on humanitarian spiritual leader,
Mata Amritanandamayi, known simply as Amma to
million of her devotees, describing it a “spiritual search
and scientific quest”.
The 50-minute documentary entitled The Science
of Compassion investigates the source of human
compassion and creativity of Mata Amritanandamayi,
who is based in Kerala’s Kollam district.
Shot at her ashram for four days during her 60th
birthday celebrations in September 2013, it includes
a rare private interview with Amma, Nobel laureate
scientist Leland Hartwell and other celebrities who
discuss her unique approach to life and how love
transformed their lives.
“The search for what lies beyond our own
individuality has been with me since I was 15 years of
age. I have been grappling with questions — What is
the true nature of love, is there love beyond ownership,
what is compassion,” said Kapur at the launch.
He wondered whether if a person becomes more
compassionate, does it alter his/her physiology, make
them more intuitive, and is it an act, state of mind or
state of being. “It is not only a spiritual search for me,
but a scientific quest. Meeting Amma on her 60th
birthday was a huge opportunity to investigate these
deeper truths,” Kapur said, describing the “unique
experience” of being in her presence and feeling “the
chemistry. “The kind of scenes we
have done together have immense
amount of chemistry. I haven’t
experienced this chemistry with
any other actor. There was this
beautiful onscreen relationship we
shared,” she said. — IANS
energy radiating from her”. “When you ask infinite
questions, you cannot expect answers in finite
ways — in fact, there are no answers. There is only
experiencing. When you go to Amma, you go for the
experience of her — I have not remained unaffected,”
he added.
Mata Amritanandamayi Math vice chairman
and Amma’s seniormost disciple, Swami
Amritaswarupananda lauded Kapur for capturing her
unique combination of beauty, grace, humility and
wisdom through the biopic. — IANS
INSIGHT: Shekhar Kapur
18 GULF TIMES Sunday, May 29, 2016
COMMUNITY
HOLLYWOOD
Whit Stillman enjoying
his first hit movie at 64
WHIT AND WITTICISM: Whit Stillman
By Colin Covert
W
hit Stillman,
a brainy
screenwriter
and director of
unconventional
films, delivers new surprises in his
latest. Love & Friendship is loosely
based on Jane Austen’s unfinished
juvenile novelette of letters Lady
Susan. It looks like a tasteful
period drama with historic sets and
costume finery.
It is a truth universally
acknowledged that Stillman’s
elegant romp, starring Kate
Beckinsale and Chloe Sevigny, is a
laugh-out-loud delight.
Stillman visited Minneapolis
recently to host its packed prerelease screening. He said that after
creating a quarter-century’s worth
of well regarded but modestly
viewed independent films,
including years when he “was dead
in the water in Los Angeles” studio
operations, it feels wonderful to
deliver his first hit at age 64.
“This has the best commercial
prospects” of anything he’s done,
Stillman said. “All those people
who passed on the script will say,
‘Well, I should give this guy more
credit.’ They read the script without
the laugh track” that audiences
give it.
Stillman began his career
during a period that produced
a high concentration of fine
independent films, launching the
careers of rising notables such as
Steven Soderbergh and Quentin
Tarantino. His 1990 debut feature,
Metropolitan, follows a debonair
group of recent grads through the
social and financial trials of posttrust-fund life.
A few years later, Barcelona and
The Last Days of Disco followed
similar types through the pitfalls of
Spain and Studio 54, respectively.
His fourth, 2012’s Damsels in
Distress, portrays virtuous sorority
girls coping with Ivy League life.
His early acclaim led to
uncompleted propositions,
including an adaptation of Sense
and Sensibility. “That would have
been my ticket” to doing prestige
films for major Hollywood studios,
he said. “But I don’t think I would
have done it as well as Ang Lee,”
who was ultimately chosen to
direct. “It’s a wonderful film.”
Love & Friendship is Stillman’s
first visit to 18th-century England
and the lofty British aristocracy.
The focus is unexpected for Austen
to have written in her late teens.
The protagonist is an amoral,
predatory noble widow using her
powers of scheming and seduction
to control noblemen and arrange
a bad marriage for her unwilling
daughter. Stillman invented
characters and plot points, wrote
most of the dialogue and turned
what was essentially a short story
into a critics’ darling.
It’s a worldview that suits
Stillman. He comes from a
pedigreed East Coast banking
family; his father took a position
in the presidential administration
of his Harvard classmate John F
Kennedy. Stillman’s films feel like
an anthropologist’s examination of
an exotic tribe he’s related to.
Friends have often been key
investors in his films, including
Love & Friendship. “They’re on my
side of the equation,” he said. “We
tend to be workaholics. We lose
sight of our friendships if we’re not
working with them, so when it’s
possible I try to get friends involved
in projects. It’s a chance for us to
talk all the time.”
Such upper-crust characters
have long fascinated Stillman,
who makes fun of them in each of
his movies. He portrays a rarefied
world of privilege resembling
fine fabric that’s a bit threadbare,
his characters worrying like any
socially insecure high school
student. Stillman creates lampoons
not in the form of angry wit, but a
gracious, lovely sense of absurdity.
He takes a pin to overinflated egos,
but punctures them gently.
He regularly works religious
themes into his films, which has
caused studios “to completely lose
interest.” It was his “frustrating”
experience of dead-end studio
projects that made his new film
“my pet, private project,” which he
devised under wraps for nearly a
decade.
“It was a part of Jane Austen that
no one else would control. I had to
keep it secret; otherwise the rights
might be snapped up elsewhere. I
was very worried because a year or
two in, there was a rival project.”
Stillman said that sort of
competition was part of his creative
life in his teenage years, the same
time of life when Austen was
writing Lady Susan to entertain her
family. He was seeking a history
degree at Harvard, working as an
editor on the Harvard Crimson and
struggling as a would-be writer
of musical comedy scripts for the
Hasty Pudding Theatricals. They
were rejected repeatedly.
He was regularly bested by a
highly talented and competitive
classmate from Minnesota named
Al Franken, the current US senator.
— Star Tribune/TNS
Sunday, May 29, 2016
GULF TIMES 19
COMMUNITY
HOLLYWOOD
Won’t marry again,
says Heidi Klum
Supermodel Heidi Klum, who has
gone through two failed marriages
and is currently dating art dealer
Vito Schnabel, has declared that
she will never walk down the aisle
again.
Klum, 42, is currently enjoying
her life and is “very happy the way
things are”, reports femalefirst.
co.uk.
“No. I’ve been there twice,” Klum
told In Touch magazine when when
asked if a third marriage is in the
offing. However, the America’s
Got Talent judge doesn’t regret her
decisions to get married in the past.
“I’ve had a roller-coaster ride of
a life and I have enjoyed all the ups
and the downs,” she said.
Klum was married to stylist Ric
Pipino from 1997 to 2002. She
dated Italian businessman Flavio
Briatore before having a romantic
relationship with British singersongwriter Seal, whom she later
married in 2005.
They have three biological
children together — Henry Gunther
Ademola Dashtu Samuel, Johan
Riley Fyodor Taiwo Samuel and Lou
Sulola Samuel.
Seal also adopted Klum’s
daughter Leni, whom she conceived
while dating Briatore. Their divorce
was finalised in October 2015, after
having separated since 2012. —
IANS
INFLIGHT FILM: Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman in Etihad Airways’ virtual reality movie.
Nicole Kidman stars
in virtual reality movie
N
icole Kidman has
starred in a virtual
reality movie released
by Etihad Airways, the
national carrier of the
United Arab Emirates (UAE). The
Oscar-winning actress says getting
into the virtual realm with the film
was exciting as well as challenging.
Etihad Airways released its
360-degree virtual reality film
last week, and viewers need to
download the Oculus VR app from
the airline’s dedicated website
vr.etihad.com to watch the film.
Viewers can also watch the film
as a 360 degree video on YouTube,
read a statement. Kidman, who
is also Etihad Airways’ brand
ambassador, shares that “the film is
a culmination of Etihad’s vision”.
“It was a great challenge but
one which has definitely paid off
and it was great to be part of such
an exciting project,” Kidman said.
The Rabbit Hole star added: “The
film is a culmination of Etihad’s
vision to tell the airline’s story in
an extremely innovative way and a
commitment to engaging with the
public as has never been attempted
by an airline before.”
The five-minute feature, titled
Reimagine, tries to immerse its
viewers in a fully experiential
journey following Kidman through
one of its new Airbus A380s flying
between New York and Abu Dhabi.
The airline has used cutting-edge
technology and multidisciplinary
mediums in the feature to bring
to life its guest experience and
hospitality story by engaging
the consumer in various sensory
interactions onboard the virtual
flight.
Each scene in the film takes on
a theme intended to stimulate the
senses of light, sound, motion,
and conversation. Throughout
the experience, the viewer meets
and engages with a number of
characters including the actress
herself, her film director, an
opera singer and even an Emirati
guest with a falcon in first class.
The film, which has taken more
than six months to produce, was
filmed exclusively in Abu Dhabi,
and utilised state-of-the-art VR
technology in its creation.
An Etihad Airways A380 was
used for three days and fully
customised prior to filming;
overhead lockers, seats and other
sections of the aircraft’s interior
were removed to allow for the
installation of Red Dragon cameras,
which were used to perfectly
capture the actress’ movement
through the aircraft. The feature
was directed by the renowned
husband and wife directing duo
Anthony Atanasio and Valerie
Martinez. — IANS
DRAWING A LINE: Heidi Klum
Nick Jonas tried to woo Rihanna
Singer Nick Jonas has revealed that he failed to woo singer Rihanna
after attempting to flirt with her. Jonas, who is currently dating actress
Lily Collins, says he once attempted to “flirt” with Rihanna, reports
hollywood.com. “I flirted with Rihanna once. It didn’t work. It didn’t go
anywhere but it was a great conversation,” Jonas told The Sun newspaper.
Although the conversation didn’t go to plan, Jonas hasn’t given up hope
for the future as he believes it has paved the way for a potential love affair
with Rihanna, despite the fact she’s rumoured to be dating rapper Drake.
— IANS
Caroline Flack quits drinking
FOR BETTER LIFE: Caroline Flack
TV personality Caroline Flack has quit drinking in
order to live a better life. Flack embarked on a 12-week
no-sugar and no-alcohol detox plan after getting into a
“rut” where a daily tipple became a routine and she is now
feeling “really good” after making the changes, reports
femalefirst.co.uk.
“I think I got myself into a rut, where I was using booze
as a treat. You know, I’d be like, ‘I’ve had a stressful day, I’ll
have a glass of wine.’ I did that loads of times and, actually,
it was more because I was in a rut than an actual sensible
decision,” Flack told Heat magazine.
“So, I’ve gone a bit yoga-y and got into that side of
things and it’s really good,” she added.
The 36-year-old star thinks she is now a much “nicer”
person for making the lifestyle changes. “I’ve suddenly got
loads of time on my hands as I wake up really early and don’t
feel hungover. I’m like, ‘Why didn’t I do this sooner?’ And
I’m always in a better mood. I’m nicer,” she said. — IANS
Hiddleston in ‘advanced talks’
for 25th Bond movie
WILL HE, WON’T HE? Tom Hiddleston
British actor Tom Hiddleston is
reportedly in “advanced talks” to replace
Daniel Craig as the next James Bond.
According to entertainment news website
birthmoviesdeath.com, Hiddleston “very
much wants the job”, reports aceshowbiz.
com.
“While talks have indeed taken place, and
that Tom very much wants the job (a fact of
which he’s made no secret), no official offer
has been made yet,” the website claims.
Earlier this week, news surfaced that actor
Jamie Bell, who shot to fame playing the lead
role in Billy Elliott, reportedly held informal
meetings with producers about taking over
from Daniel Craig as the iconic British spy.
– IANS
20 GULF TIMES Sunday, May 29, 2016
COMMUNITY
Huge crowds attend
Dr Zakir Naik lecture
The distinguished Islamic scholar and orator from India spoke for more than an
hour followed by an extensive question-and-answer session. By Umer Nangiana
H
undreds of people thronged
Katara Amphitheatre last week
to attend the talk delivered by
distinguished Muslim scholar
and orator from India, Dr Zakir
Naik. In his own unique style, where he takes
open questions from both non-Muslims and
Muslims after his lecture, Dr Naik spoke on
the topic of ‘Does God Exist?’ for more than
an hour.
The subsequent question-and-answer
session, however, extended more than three
hours. Dr Naik gave priority to non-Muslims
among the audience besides a large number
of people on the beachside outside the arena
who listened to the live streaming.
Dr Naik was asked challenging questions
and he replied to all of them. Many people
embraced Islam then and there, to whom Dr
Naik administered ‘Shahada’ (the Muslim
profession of faith).
“This topic is mainly meant for three
categories of people. One category is people
who do not believe in the existence of God,
the atheists. The second is those who are
agnostic, who do not comment whether
God is there or not, and the third category
is people who believe in the existence of
God but they cannot prove it to others,” said
Dr Naik, speaking to the media before his
lecture.
The Muslims fall into the third category,
he said, adding that these are the people
who believe that God exists but they cannot
prove it to others. His talk was for both
Muslims and non-Muslims. Most Muslims
believe in the existence of Allah but they
cannot prove it to the others, he argued.
A dynamic international orator on Islam
and Comparative Religion, Dr Naik is the
President of Islamic Research Foundation
in Mumbai, India. Dr Naik clarifies Islamic
viewpoints and clears misconceptions
about Islam, using the Qur’an, the Hadith
and other religious scriptures as a basis, in
conjunction with reason, logic and scientific
facts. He is popular for his critical analysis
and convincing answers to challenging
questions posed by audiences after his
public talks.
Replying to a question about how he
prepares his lectures, Dr Naik said he
sees what is required. “Some of my talks
are based on how media maligns Islam,
so there is a reply required to remove the
misconceptions. And then it is to convey
the message of Islam to the non-Muslims
depending on the situation as it is,” said the
scholar from India.
“And I am told that lately there has been
a wave, mainly in the Gulf countries and
the Arab world that when people are going
abroad, they are getting influenced by the
Western world. In the last couple of years,
there were many Arabs who were influenced
and I was shocked to know that some of
INTERACTIVE: Dr Zakir Naik replying to a question from the audience. Photo by Umer Nangiana
them even do not believe in the existence of
Allah,” said Dr Naik.
About his style of argument based on
logic and reason and taking open questions
and replying to them with reference from
religious scriptures, Dr Naik said he did not
choose this style, it is just unique to him.
“I did not decide to have an open style.
This is my unique style. I always believe
that whenever you reply you should do it
with reason and logic and with references
from the holy book. I believe that in order
to understand the religion you should not
look at the followers, you should look at
the scriptures,” Dr Naik told Community, in
reply to a question.
“My main forte is that I quote scriptures
of different religions and I try and prove my
point that all the religions speak about one
God and if we follow the commonalties then
the world will be a much better place,” he
said.
About his research methodology, Dr Naik
said he keeps studying. “Research is never
complete. You keep on reading and more you
read the more you realise that you know less.
The more you know you realise the less you
know,” said the Islamic scholar.
In his lecture, quoting references from
Holy Qur’an, Dr Naik argued that science
only proved the information a few decades
or a few hundred years ago that was already
given in the Qur’an 1,400 years ago.
“If there is an object that the world has
never seen before and on one knows about it,
who will be the first person to tell you about
its mechanism? It will be only the maker, the
inventor or the producer of the object,” Dr
Naik told the audience.
Giving dozens of example from different
fields of science including astrology,
mathematics, zoology, botany, physics
…, Dr Naik quoted Qur’anic verses which
contained this information that was later
proved by scientific facts.
“So who put this information there? Islam
is the most logical religion. Everything in
Islam can be proved with reason and logic.
Islam is the most scientific religion,” said Dr
Naik. Speaking about many misconceptions
existing in the world, Dr Naik said Islam was
the most peaceful religion.
“Anyone who kills an innocent person,
Muslim or non-Muslim, it is like he has
killed the whole humanity,” quoted Dr Naik,
saying it was mentioned in the Qur’an.
At the beginning of the programme, Dr
Naik’s 21-year-old son Fariq Naik spoke at
length about different pillars of Islam and
their significance proven scientifically.