When and how did your hobby of hacking originate ? What propelled you to start the website ‘Hacking Truths’?
My parents gave me a computer when I was ten years old. That completely changed my life. The first couple of years I used to just play games and surf the Internet. However, at the age of 12, I suddenly developed this interest in Computer Hacking. Hacking is forbidden, so maybe that is why I got interested in it. Initially I learnt everything through self-study and experimenting on my own. I remember sneaking books on programming to school and reading them while class was going on. I would then come back home and experiment on my sister’s computer. I realised that in India there were no proper resources to learn Computer Hacking, That is what inspired me to start writing tutorials on my website 'HackingTruths’. The response that I received was fabulous. In less than six months I had more than 40,000 registered members. This is when I realised that this was a field I could think about seriously.

Industrialist Asit Shah’s Hexen Exports, situated in Vadodara’s GIDC Industrial Estate at Makarpura, is now home to ‘Vibrant Gujarat’, a huge mural project that celebrates the economic and cultural growth of the state. Conceptualised and curated by art critic Johny ML with artist Somu Desai as project director, the mural was painted by Bhavin Mistry, Heena Mistry, Parmesh Surti, Payal Bhalala, Bhavesh Patel, Devendra Patel, Ashwin Patel, Vijay Makwana and Somu Desai. Inaugurated in February by Asit Shah’s mother, Jyotsnaben, the workshop area in which the mural is situated has now been rechristened Art Home Experiment & Project Space.

A mechanical engineer by training, with a gold medal to boot, Asit Shah did what well-brought up Gujarati youngsters are expected to do – join the family business and make sure it grows exponentially. Asit established Hexen Exports in 1992 to expand the family’s business in light engineering, manufacturing castings from metal and sheet metal. “My business is 100 per cent export-oriented and that, too, only to the USA. Colfax, IMO, ITT Industries, New York City Transit Authority, Progress Rail Services, Floway Pumps and the Idex Group are some of our major clients,” he explains.

When the legendary Sir David Frost compared him to Elton John, it was no exaggeration. Based on the sheer strength of his meaningful lyrics and soulful vocals, Shayan’s MySpace page became the fastest growing MySpace profile for an un-established artist (15,000 fans in 10 weeks). His was the first unsigned act ever to appear on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs and he became the first person in eBay history to auction a portion of his life’s earnings in music even before cutting an album, ending up raising £9,000 in seven days! Born and raised in India and currently based in UK, the talented musician and marketing wiz talks about his journey through the perilous world of music.

What was it like being compared to Elton John by David Frost?
You should have seen the expression on my face at that moment. It was priceless! I could not have asked for more. For one it was an exclusive interview with David Frost and secondly when introducing me he asked, “Is the new Elton John going to come from India?”

Tell us something about your family? What was it like growing up as an Indian in Canada?
Growing up initially in Montreal I do not think I even noticed or knew that I was any different from the other kids at school. My parents did their best to raise us with the same experiences given to Canadian kids, enrolling us in dance classes, skating/swimming lessons, after school programs etc. It was not until I was older living in Toronto that I became more aware of being Indian. I remember riding the public transit in high school and being very conscious of other Indians on the bus. I would actually make a point of not sitting next to them because I did not want people to think we were related or have them associate me with being Indian (like my skin colour was not a dead give away!). When I look back on that I think how ridiculous! But I was young and very sensitive to appearance. It wasn’t until university when people started to show interest in Indian culture that I actually started to embrace it. The Indian kids I grew up with were all Parsis. I didn’t really start hanging around with other Indians till after university when I created a theatre company geared towards developing South Asian talent and a sketch comedy troupe.

Urmi Popat has followed in her father’s footsteps. An architect like him, she has also inherited his lust for travel. Holiday trekking was a must for the Popats and they have trekked all over India including the Everest base camp. After Urmi completed her architectural training at Rachna Sansad, the Popats travelled extensively around the world. Their travels resulted in the publication of two magnificent coffee table books with stunning pictures taken by the family. ‘The Arctic and Antarctic – Journeys to the Extremities of the Earth’ was presented to the former President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam. More recently, ‘Dream Destinations’ covered eleven countries and proved to be a delight for travel buffs. “Whenever we travelled together, our father insisted we make notes. We were never interested in shopping or eating. For us trips were knowledge based — to learn about the cultures and people of the world,” reveals Urmi.

Arctic Adventure
Their Arctic trip in summer 2000-01 was to Barrow, near the shore of the Arctic Ocean, reached by air from Fairbanks or Anchorage. “The frozen Arctic Ocean is a treat to look at as the plane taxies down at the Barrow airport. It is simply amazing to travel around in the middle of the night on this frozen ocean in dogsleds. The 24 hour daylight enables you to discover the area’s unparalleled beauty and the almost extinct white polar bears. Barrow has research stations and one of the world’s largest Eskimo settlements.”

More and more women in India are beginning to make a mark in the corporate and business worlds. As a result, cosmetic companies have begun to look covetously at the relatively neglected market of office make-up. With the wide range of items available today, we could all use a few tips on how to use these products to our best advantage. Applying make-up is an art and it is best learnt from the experts.

BARE SKIN
To prepare a smooth canvas for your make-up, always start off with clean and moisturised skin. You will find that your make-up glides on and blends more easily. For glowing skin, use a gentle cleanser in the morning and at night. When cleansing your face, do so gently in upward motion strokes. Follow the cleansing with a toner that has ingredients that suit your skin type. This will help freshen up your skin. Indulge your skin by keeping it hydrated with a good quality moisturiser. Make sure your daytime moisturiser contains an SPF of 15 or higher to protect your skin from the harmful effects of exposure to the sun. Exfoliate at least once a week and follow this with a face mask.

Devyani Parekh retired in 2001 as Medical Director of the Railway Headquarters’ Hospital. Way back in 1974 she exhibited her art at the Jehangir Art Gallery. She also had the distinction of having a painting published alongside those of Raza and B Prabha in 1976 in the prestigious Bombay Art Society’s Journal. Since then Devyani has continued to create,
holding several successful solo exhibitions. Swathi Jhaveri in conversation with the artist …

What are the major themes of your exhibitions?
My exhibitions cover various themes. It keeps me evolved and prevents me from being confined by monotony. My first solo show featured boats from around the world — from Switzerland, Venice, China and southeast Asia. It had Kashmir’s shikaras as well as boats from Kerala, Maharashtra and Calcutta with colourful landscapes, sunrises and sunsets. My last two solo shows were based on Buddha. One was on the major incidences in the life of Buddha and the other drew a parallel between enlightment and Buddha. There is almost always a story behind every painting. With different themes, I use different elements like sand, wood shavings, small black glass beads, stucco, resins, glue, cloth and net. Oil, acrylic or mixed media help give texture to the theme.