SUNDAY, MAY 8, 2016 (PAGE 4)

BOLLYWOOD-BUZZ CULTURE “I am thrilled being directed by Aditya Chopra” Ranveer Singh, who is now shooting for Immortal ‘God Shri Parashuram Ji’ Aditya Chopra's Befikre, is unfazed Shiv Charan Dass Sharma to him by Sh Parashurama Ji. about all the attention around him Puranas indicate frequent battles between several rival In Sanskrit Parshu means an ‘axe’, hence Parashurama lit- clans and kingdoms. Shri Parashurama lived within the Hai- and is focusing only on acting. He erary translates as ‘Rama with axe’, Parashurama is sixth Avtar haya kingdom located in modern day Maheshwar; on the banks of Lord Vishnu; son of King Parsenjit’s daughter Renuka spoke to Gaurav Sharma on films, of the Narmada River. The generations of enemity between the (mother) and sapatrishi Sage Jamadagni (father). Shri ‘Kshatriya-Haihaya’ and the Brahmin-Bhargavas from whom life, his favourite directors and more Parashurama left home to please Lord Shiva. Considering Parashurama hailed were mentioned in the Mahabharata. extreme devotion and unending meditation, Lord Shiva According to Mahabharata; once the king Kartavirya of You seem to be the man of the moment. pleased with Parashurama; presented him with Divine Haihaya visited the hermitage of Jamadagni (the father of Sh I am very chilled out with everything happening around weapons; Included was his unconquerable and indestructible Parashurama). At that time Parashurama was away in the for- me. I am happy with the kind of work I am doing and it real- ‘axe’ shaped weapon ‘Parashu’. Lord Shiva advised him to go est. The Sapt-rishi sage served the king with a grand feast. ly gives me immense satisfaction to learn that people are and liberate the mother earth from criminals, murderers, il When the king asked how he was able to do so, Jamadagni loving my work. So everything seems to be going the right behaved people, extremists and all those blind with utter pride. showed him a Kamdhenu calf given to him by Lord Indra; way. Being immortal Parashurama Ji played important roles in which was able to fulfill the wishes of his master. The king being Are box office results and critical acclaim to your Mahabharata and Ramayana and served as trust-worthy advi- greedy stole the sacred animal. Knowing this Parashu- films the reason behind this confidence? sor to Bhishma, Karna and Drona. Shri Parashurama ji is wor- rama was too much in anger and straight way rushed to Not really. I am happy because I am getting the kind of shiped as founder of the Niyogi Bhumihar Brahmins, work I want to do. I am neither confident nor do I want to Chitparam, Daivdnya, Mohyal, Tyasi, Anavil and the royal palace; and killed the mighty king Kartavirya Nambudiri-Brahmins Communities. Parashura- be complacent because my films are working at the box and brought back the sacred calf. His father was too ma is also the Kulguru of Bhardwaj office. I have always wanted to do certain kind of films and much pleased; to see the calf. But was worried to see Gotra. Parashurama ji belongs to a the blood stained ‘axe’ of Parashurama. He cautioned work with some people I have grown up watching and luck- Gaud Brahmin of Bhargav Gotra. The ily I am being able to do both. him to be aware of the violent anger and arrogance of exact birth place of Shri Parashu- the King’s sons. Parashurama accepted the repri- You are also liked by most of your co-stars. rama is controversial’ although I think I am liked by everyone. I have got lots of love from mand of his father and went on a pilgrimage to the history of his ancestory took holy religious places for one year in purifica- everyone, my co-stars, my fans and even those who I haven't place in the Haihaya kingdom tion. Meanwhile, the sons of king Kartavirya worked with and I think it's because I too like and love them. located in modern day Mahesh- I am a very simple person. I love talking to people, interact- war. knew that only Parashurama could have killed ing with them and being a part of the crowd. this is some- There are several unique legends him. In revenge they murdered Jamadagni and thing I have learnt from my father. Love is the biggest associated with the life of Sh Parashu- took his head with them. When Parashurama strength a person has with which he can overcome all bar- rama Ji. Being Chiranjivi (immortal) he returned; he found his mother crying hysteri- riers. I am never uncomfortable interacting with people. I interacted with different Hindu Gods cally next to the dead body of his father. Furi- can keep chatting with anyone for hours. In fact, I enjoy occurring in different yuga. According to ously, Parashurama hunted down the sons of Kar- doing that. Puranas, Parashurama went to Himalayas tavirya at the palace. He killed all of them and You are also known to be hyper energetic. to pay respect to his teacher; Lord Shiva while returned home with the head of his father and con- Yes, I think that is what keeps me going. I can't sit idle travelling his path was blocked by Ganesha; son ducted the cremation. and that why you will find me talking to people all the time. of Lord Shiva and Parvati. Parashurama threw In another legend in the Ramayana, Parashura- that gives me a lot of positive energy. It is my way of keep- his axe at Ganesha. God Ganesha knowing the ma had given the bow of Lord Shiva to the father of weapon had been given to Parashurama by his ing myself energised. I try to look at the positive side of life Princess Sita for her Swayamvar. As a test of worthi- father; allowed it to dis-join his left tusk. Moth- and that's why I am always seen doing something. ness suitors were asked to lift and string the mystic er Parvati was too much in anger and declared weapon. None were successful except Ram, but in the You have been part of some really good films in she would cut off the arms of Parashurama and the last few years. process of being strung the bow broke in half. This took the form of omnipotent Durga. But at last produced tremendous sound that reached the ears of (Laughs) I think I have been really very lucky to have got moment Lord Shiva was able to pacify her; by Parashurama as he meditated atop the Mahendra the chance. But more than anything, I would say I was giv- making her understand that the Avtar (Parashu- mountains. As per the Valmiki Ramayana, Parashura- en the chance. I don't come from a family of actor. I was rama) is her own son. Parashurama also asked her very new to the industry but I got spotted by the right peo- forgiveness and she finally gave up harsh intension; ma stopped the journey of Sh Rama and his family after ple and then some really good directors showed their faith When Ganesha himself spoke on behalf of the war- his marriage with Sita. Parashurama threatened to kill in me. I am lucky to have worked with Yash raj Films and rior-saint. Parashurama gave his divine ‘axe’ to Sh Rama and his father. King Dasharatha begs him to filmmakers like Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Maneesh Sharma, Ganesha and blessed him. Because of this Lord forgive his son and punish him instead. Parashura- Vikramaditya Motwane and Aditya Chopra. Ganesha is also called ‘Ekadanta’. ma neglects Dasharatha and invokes Sh. Rama for a You have become a favourite with Sanjay Leela Once Lord Shiva challenged Shri Parashurama to challenge. Shri Rama meets his challenged and tells him Bhansali. a battle, to test his skills in warfare. Both were that he does not want to kill him because he is a Brah- I really enjoy working with him. He is one of the few great locked in a fierce battle which lasted for twenty min; and related to his Guru Vishwamitra Maharishi. directors we have in the country. He is in fact an artist and one days. While plunging to avoid being hit by the But he destroys his merits earned through terrible knows what he wants from his actors. But at the same time ‘Trishul’ of Lord Shiva; Parashura- ‘tapasaya’. Parashurama arro- he is not like a strict taskmaster. He gives ample room to ma attacked Lord Shiva with his PARASHURAM JYANTI SPECIAL gance gets diminished and he his actors and always open to improvisation. In fact, if you Parashu (axe). It stuck Lord Shiva on returns to his normal mind. In improvise, most of the time he retains those scenes. He is a the forehead creating a wound. Lord Shiva was pleased to see one version it happened so because of the blessings of Sh the astonishing warfare skills of his disciple. He embraced Shri delight to work to. working with her. The shoot has just begun and I am look- Parashurama to ‘Sita’ saying ‘Dheergha Sumangali Bhavah’ i.e And now Aditya Chopra too will be directing you. Parashurama and preserved this wound as an ornament; so as ing forward to some great time with her on the sets. you will have your husband alive for your lifetime. Yes he has so far only worked with Shahrukh Khan and to keep the reputation of his disciple insurmountable. ’Khan- How do you go about choosing scripts? Unlike other incarnations of Lord Vishnu Shri Parashura- I am extremely thrilled about being directed by him. He is da Parashurama’ is one of the thousand names of Lord Shjva. There are quite a few things. Firstly, I choose the script ma is ‘Chiranjivi’ and is said to still doing tapasaya in ‘Mahen- another filmmaker who has great sense of filmmaking and In an another legend Parashurama clipped the thousand only if I am able to relate to the character and believe in it. arms of a cruel king Kartavirya Arjuna (Sahasrarjun) one by dragiri’. There are numerous temples and statues of Parashu- understands the pulse of the audience extremely well, which rama throughout the Indians subcontinent including states of If I am not able to do so, I think the audience too won't be one with his ‘Parashu’ and killed him. He repelled his army by makes him such a successful filmmaker. "Befikre" is one of Andhra, UP, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maha- able to believe in it. Secondly, it's the director who is helm- showering arrows on them. The whole country heaved a sigh his ambitious projects and the way things are shaping up rashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Goa, HP, Bihar, Punjab, J&K; and ing the project. Luckily, I have been able to collaborate with of relief and greatly welcomed Parashurama. King of Deities we all are really hopeful about the film. It is going to be real- many other places. The birthday of Sh Parashurama Ji is cel- some of the best filmmakers, who are more like visionary Indra was so pleased that he presented his most beloved bow ly a very different kind of film. I am getting to know Aditya ebrated throughout India with great fervour and gaiety on third and very confident about the product they want. named ‘Vijya’ to Sh Parashurama. Dev Indra had destroyed Chopra in a completely new way and we have really come demon dynasties with his bow. Shri Parashurama after getting day of Sukla Paksh of Vaisakh month. Fast is kept on this day Are you happy with the way you career has very close. This film is certainly going to be one of the it used it and destroyed the miscreant kshatriyas twenty one to be blessed with son. Akshay Tritya is also known as the birth- shaped up? biggest releases in the months to come. times. Later Parashurama presented this ‘Vijya’ bow to his dis- day of Sh Parashurama Ji. There is a strong belief that merits You will be seen alongside Vaani Kapoor in the (Laughs) I think it's still shaping up. I am trying to give ciple ‘Karna’. When he was pleased with his intense devotion gained by good acts on Akshay-Tritya day remain permanent. film. my best and I am happy with the offers I am getting. I hope to the Guru. Karna used this bow in Kurukshetra war and (The author is senior executive member Dogra Brahmin Pratinidhi Sabha (Regd), She too is full of energy and I am really excited about I continue to get this kind of work. (TWF) became unconquerable with the help of ‘Vijya’ bow presented Jammu)

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY HEALTHLINES How Facebook decides photos Yantragyan more time with it. Secondly, the company has a "feed qual- Diet and Fertility ity panel" of about 1,000 people in the U.S. Indonesia, and Ever wonder why some items appear high in your Brazil, who spend four hours a day ordering stories to com- Dr. Richa Sharma and Dr Amit Basnotra sperm motility. Facebook news feed and others don't? It's because pare what people actually think with what the algorithm * Alcohol – it moderates the creation of progesterone, can stop ovulation in women and lessens sperm count & motility. comes up with. That way, when Facebook changes the way Health is wealth but its not only to Facebook is trying to show you the things it thinks * Coffee - Women who drink more than 300ml of coffee a you most want to see. But the actual process it ranks items, it can see the algorithm it is getting closer acquire it but to maintain it also.Excess day are twice as likely to experience infertility for a year or more. behind that is far more complicated, and at the to the order of what people find most meaningful. Pre conceptual Care The single most important thing that determines what of everything is bad so try to maintain a Techonomy conference earlier this week, Facebook The months leading up to conception can have a significant you see is who your friends are, Mosseri said. He noted balance.When our body and mind are impact on the health and development of your future family. If Director of Product Adam Mosseri, who is charge of that every post from all of your friends actually shows up you are thinking about starting a family ,there are a number of the news feed, gave the clearest explanation of how it somewhere in your news feed, but that most people don't strong then only we can support a new physical and lifestyle factors that you and your partner can works that I've heard. scroll through most of it. "We do our best to figure out what life and have an amazing journey of adapt in order to improve your chances of conception and give people find interesting," he said, which is why taking action your child the best start in life, to ensure you are fully prepared Mosseri said the company uses a blend of automated on posts and the amount of time you spend on each item parenthood.This all just begins from few as you embark on your journey towards parenthood. ranking and manual curation by individual users to deter- matters tips which we all should know because A preconception visit will also help you determine any indi- mine the feed. At the heart of this is a ranking algorithm He said most people don't know that they have a lot of vidual risk factors meaning you may need additional care dur- that looks at all the content it could show, and determines control over their news feed. One big thing to do is unfol- if beginning is correct then only we can ing pregnancy. what to show based on the things you like. He said the com- low a person or a product; after that his or her posts won't It needs a health and lifestyle audit, taking into account any pany is interested in trying to figure out what people are appear in your news feed. People don't get notices when expect results. fertility issues and/or existing health conditions.It ideally really interested in seeing at that moment, and uses tech- someone unfollows them. Another useful feature is "See Here we give few prac- should be inclusive of- niques that are always learning, trying to figure out the rel- first," which lets you pick someone who you want to appear tical and daily use tips for evance of each potential piece of content. at the top of the news feed every time they post. our readers- Mosseri thinks it's impor- 1. Eating unwanted items tant for users to understand can stop women from produc- how the news feed works, ing eggs or releasing on time saying, "You should under- what we call as ovulation. stand it, so you can make it 2. Excessive consumption useful." He believes Face- of hard drinks and cigarettes book could do a better job of can Reduce man’s sperm qual- teaching users about the ity and quantity- best is to stop and if not at least to cut it down tools that are already avail- to maximum because poison able, such as hiding content will always be poison even if or unfollowing people. Like less in amount yantragyan on facebook for 3. A lack of iron, vitamin D, more tech news. But he selenium or iodine can also be wants controls that have a standing between you and broad appeal.He noted that pregnancy the advertising team has a Common deficiencies- similar process, but that the * Iron - iron deficiency can teams and the ranking sys- inhibit women from ovulating. tems are independent, with Good food sources are red the content integrated only meat, eggs and leafy green veg- on the front end where you etables. Interviewed by Techonomy founder David Kirkpatrick, see it. * Iodine - iodine deficiency Mosseri said Facebook has three goals in this: to connect Answering audience questions, he said that Facebook can impair the health of the you with friends and family, to inform you about the world thyroid gland, a major cause of infertility. About 50 per cent of is used differently in different markets, such as being used Health checks e.g. BMI, blood pressure, blood tests & genet- around you, and to entertain, in that order. He said the more to follow soccer in Brazil, and as a source of news in patients are deficient in iodine .A supplement should only be taken if a blood test shows a deficiency. ic screens average Facebook user has 200 to 300 friends and could Myanmar. He said the company takes things like violence * Nutritional advice to enhance fertility- eat what is right potentially see about 2,000 items per day. But most real- very seriously, manually removing content people find * Omega-3 – This is essential fatty acid inspires the produc- tion of the hormone progesterone for ovulation to take place. and balanced ly see only about 200, because they have a finite amount objectionable. He thinks the company has more to do to * Vitamin and supplement guide- prenatal vitamins * Vitamin d - vitamin D deficiency can inhibit ovulation, and of time to spend on the site. He noted that in the U.S., every * Ovulation calendar & fertility charts-know your fertility build tools to help people in cases of natural disasters. As women with polycystic syndrome are particularly likely to be day 150 million people use Facebook for an average of 40 window for helping people discover new content, he claims the deficient. minutes a day. Worldwide, about 1 billion people use Face- * Relaxation techniques and managing stress company is working on some ideas. What to avoid? book.Like Yantragyan on facebook for more Overall, he said, Facebook has a responsibility to con- * What to expect during your pregnancy * Bad fats - like Trans fats found in processed, packaged and * Complete health check up to ensure that you are not car- As a result, he said, Facebook tries to predict content it nect people to the stories they find meaningful, and that fried foods, biscuits and cakes can keep a woman from ovulat- thinks you care about. It measures its success in two ways. while "we're not bad at it," he added "we can do better." rying any risk and a multidisciplinary approach as and when ing. Consume the good fats found in extra virgin olive oil, avo- required. The first-and what seems most important-is based on And next time you login to your facebook. you know what cados and nuts and seeds instead. ( The authors are senior IVF consultant Delhi NCR and Senior Gastroentrologist whether you like, comment, or share the item, or spend goes behind all that ;). * Cigarettes – it will stringently reduce sperm count and Delhi NCR)