Baz Luhrmann instructed us to 'always wear sunscreen'. A better idea for women in India today might be to 'always carry pepperspray'. Or maybe not, if  Shilo Shiv Suleman, graphic designer and champion of all things women, has anything to say about it. Creator of the poster for the brief and effective Pink Chaddhi campaign, she has recently launched “Fearless”, a poster collective which invites designers/artists to send in their vision of what being not scared looks like.

Fight the Good F(r )ight

Check out artist Alicia Souza’s girl on a swing, Abhishek Choudhury’s Red Riding Hood, Graphicurry’s pink umbrella amidst a sea of black and Shilo’s own take back the night poster, featuring a classical dancer against the moon. 

Keep for Poster-ity

These works of art might soon be seen across the country. Shilo plans to take the posters on a tour, starting with exhibitions and then plastered across Delhi Metro stations. If you want them for your room, you can email her for a high resolution file to print out: most of the artists are willing to share their work for free. And if you want to participate, you can send in your entries as well.

Maybe you could leave that pepperspray at home after all.

Getting there: View the posters here. For high resolution prints and to participate, email Shilo  at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

In this weekly column, filmmaker Danish Aslam will be your purveyor of the finest quality random facts, useless trivia and other esoterica from the world wide web. He lives mostly behind a keyboard and may or may not be a wizened old green man who speaks in grammatically incorrect aphorisms. You can find more on his home page http://pictually.me/dontpanic

We Don't Need A Death Star

To start off, I'd like to share a lovely piece of political communication done right. The White House website has a section for public petitions where you can ask the Obama government to do something that you feel strongly about. Some time back, a George Lucas fan (one can only assume) put up one such petition asking them to consider building a Death Star. Last week, Paul Shawcross (the Chief of the Science and Space Branch at the White House Office of Management and Budget) replied to the request with this brilliantly composed tongue-in-cheek letter. This is how you respond to people, no matter how goofy the request. And this is why the Obama administration, all their failings aside, is probably one of the coolest teams to occupy the White House.

Here Is What Happens When You Cast Lindsay Lohan In Your Movie

The making of some movies is often a way more interesting story than the movie itself and makes for a  damn good longread. Paul Schrader (of Taxi Driver & Raging Bull fame) hasn't had a good run lately. And his latest movie, Canyons, has been funded using crowd-funding and is being made on a shoestring USD 250,000 budget (which, in Hollywood, is like the budget of Bheja Fry). But the biggest (pun not intended) problem on this set isn't even the male lead - porn star James Deen - but the heroine of the movie: the poster-child for rehab, Lindsay Lohan. In Here Is What Happens When You Cast Lindsay Lohan In Your Movie, one of the most nakedly honest pieces ever written about a movie and the people who make it, Stephen Rodrick has shown the underbelly of the magic machine that is Hollywood in a manner that hasn't been seen (or read) in a while.

Tech You Wear

This is not a post about Google Glass. There have been, I admit, a few of those lately. But apparently, wearable tech is the next big thing that's going to take us one step closer to becoming like the human race as envisioned by Wall-E. And Business Insider has put together a list that ranges from drum machine T-shirts to jeans that let you update your Facebook status. Now all they need is a pair of shorts that transforms into a Porsche convertible and science can call it a day.

Who's Driving The Car

Parkour videos are fun. But somehow most of them involve grim-faced men dodging bullets/running from Daniel Craig or people trying to sell us soft drinks. In this happy little creation  from Substance Over Hype, nobody's fighting for their lives or making you choose one brand over another. This is just a bunch of guys having fun with a car that drives itself. The parkour isn't the best I've ever seen, but they make up for it with sheer exuberance and, sometimes, silliness.

The Scooter-Suitcase

Hate lugging your bags all over the airport while waiting three hours for your flight? Samsonite has created a product  that is going to excite every frequent traveller who's had to deal with the almost marathon-level distances that one has to cover to reach a flight in Delhi's T3 terminal. An overnight suitcase, this compact piece of luggage comes equipped with a fold-out kickstand that transforms it into a scooter. While you may attract the occasional eyeball (who are we kidding, this is India: they're going to stare at you like you're a naked terrorist), you can at least ignore them in style as you glide your way towards your check-in counter (and possible middle-age obesity). If you're still not convinced, here's a video of said luggage in action.

The Toughest iPhone Case In The World

And since we are on the topic of products-we-didn't-know-we-needed-until-we-were-told-we-do, here's the world's toughest iPhone case. Literally. And to prove that, the guys at G-Form who made it, tied the case to a weather balloon and sent it up a 100,000 feet in the air with a working iPod touch inside shooting the whole process on it's camera. On its way down, the case also survived temperatures of -51 degrees Celsius and heavy winds. And the iPod came out unharmed and functioning. Here's a video of the entire stunt. Now all we need is Felix Baumgartner to flash one of these while attempting the first human jump from Mars to Earth & we've got ourselves an ad campaign.

Snoop Dogg aka Snoop Lion brought the house down in Pune with a huge performance that left hip-hop fans reeling with emotions.

Snoop rifled through his almost-two-hour-long set with an ease only expected from a legendary rapper like him. Highlights from the set included 'Snoop's Upside Yo Head', 'Nuthin' But A G Thang', 'Ain't No Fun', 'Beautiful', 'The Next Episode', 'Who Am I (What's My Name?)', 'Gin and Juice', House Of Pain's 'Jump Around', a unifying 'Young Wild And Free', and in an emotional moment for hip-hop fans, '2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted' ending in a tribute to the late Makaveli as Snoop asked fans to put their two's in the air. Snoop has never forgotten all the people who ran wild and free with him in his 20-year-long, illustrious career, and makes sure to big them up whenever he can.

He closed the show without debuting his Snoop Lion avatar in Pune (maybe he'll have more stage time over in Delhi where rules are more flexible), but no one could really complain. Friday night in Pune saw one of the greatest concert experiences any Snoop Dogg or hip-hop fan could ask for.

View the photo gallery on NH7 here.

For more stories from NH7.in, click here.

Snoop Dogg aka Snoop Lion brought the house down in Pune with a huge performance that left hip-hop fans reeling with emotions.

Snoop rifled through his almost-two-hour-long set with an ease only expected from a legendary rapper like him. Highlights from the set included 'Snoop's Upside Yo Head', 'Nuthin' But A G Thang', 'Ain't No Fun', 'Beautiful', 'The Next Episode', 'Who Am I (What's My Name?)', 'Gin and Juice', House Of Pain's 'Jump Around', a unifying 'Young Wild And Free', and in an emotional moment for hip-hop fans, '2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted' ending in a tribute to the late Makaveli as Snoop asked fans to put their two's in the air. Snoop has never forgotten all the people who ran wild and free with him in his 20-year-long, illustrious career, and makes sure to big them up whenever he can.

He closed the show without debuting his Snoop Lion avatar in Pune (maybe he'll have more stage time over in Delhi where rules are more flexible), but no one could really complain. Friday night in Pune saw one of the greatest concert experiences any Snoop Dogg or hip-hop fan could ask for.

View the photo gallery on NH7 here.

For more stories from NH7.in, click here.

Letternote, the paper and stationary company has opened their flagship store in the middle lane of the village. Highlights include gorgeous notebooks, digital framed art prints and canvas duffel bags. While some prints are the motivational poster sort and therefore quite cheesy, we did lose our hearts to a set of Blanco Gomez prints depicting Paris, London and New York. The Do Epic Shit 2013 planner also caught our eye, but we’re glad we didn’t buy it after all, as a friend tells us that each month has less than 31 pages. Go instead for the fun cassette cover notebooks: it will keep your office schedule chirpy. 16 A, HKV, Rs 2,400 for a print.

Round The Clock is meant to be a 24/7 grocery store, but at the moment it’s only open till midnight. No home delivery, but it’s nice to have a proper grocery store amongst all the cupcakes in the village. Plus they do machine hot dogs, just what you would jones for after a drinking binge next door. 31 HKV.

Fashion label Bodice is opening a new and more accessible store next month (you can currently find them one floor below Gunpowder), which will carry an expanded stock of clothes, as well as cool accessories like bow ties, some fun stationary and a few alternative magazines. Keep an eye out! 2 HKV, first floor, opposite Elma's.

Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter Norah Jones will be touring India this March. Jones will headline A Summer’s Day Festival in Mumbai on March 3, which she will follow up with performances in New Delhi on March 5 and Bangalore on March 8. Norah Jones began her music career in 2001 when she released a set of samples called First Sessions, but her 2002 debut album Come Away With Me catapulted her into the global spotlight.

The album reached the top of the US Billboard 200, UK Album Chart and Australian Albums Chart, and its singles ‘Don’t Know Why’ and ‘Come Away With Me’, proved to be instant radio hits. Jones then swept the 45th Grammy Awards winning five awards including ‘Best New Artist’, ‘Album Of The Year’ and ‘Record Of The Year’. Come Away With Me was awarded diamond certification by the RIAA, and has sold more than 26 million copies since its release.

Jones followed this up by releasing her second album, 2004′s critically and commercially successful Feels Like Home, for which she bagged another three Grammy Awards. The singer-songwriter released other albums such as Not Too Late and The Fall before releasing a compliation called …Featuring, which features collaborations she has made with a wide variety of artists such as The Foo Figthers, Outkast, Herbie Hancock, Talib Kweli, Belle and Sebastian and many others. Last year, she released her latest album, Little Broken Hearts. Jones is the daughter of legendary sitar player, Ravi Shankar (who recently passed away), and the half-sister of Anoushka Shankar, a frequent visitor to the country, who also headlined the Delhi edition of the Bacardi NH7 Weekender 2012, in October last year.

Tickets for the upcoming tour are now on sale at www.nh7.in/norahjoneslive and Bookmyshow.com. Tickets for the Delhi show are priced at Rs 2,500, Rs 3,500, and Rs 6,500. In Bangalore, regular tickets are Rs 2,500 and VIP tickets are Rs. 6000. Early Bird tickets are on sale in Mumbai and Bangalore at Rs 2,000 in the regular category and are available for a limited period of time only.

 For more stories from NH7.in, click here.

Shushed repeatedly at the dinner table as kids, we took our arguments to the Vox Pop, an after school debate club that, unlike our parents, appreciated our contrarian natures. Which is why we're super excited about the Debating Society of India, a six month old group that organizes debates featuring leading experts across the country.

Object(ion) Of Desire

Their first event, coming up on Thursday at the Taj Palace, is an Indo-Pak (of course!) joint debate featuring speakers like Salman Haider, Kabir Bedi and Mani Shankar Aiyar for India and Javed Jabbar, Salman Raja and Najam Sethi for Pakistan. The whole event will be moderated by Shashi Tharoor and the subject is “Engagement between members of civil society is by far the most important factor in promoting a lasting peace between India and Pakistan.” Entry is by request only, and the seats are filling up fast, so get in there soon. You can also watch the debate live on their website.

Shake That (Re)buttal

Also look out for more debates, including one on India-Sino relations and another between globally famous academics from Oxford and Cambridge. You can also join the society, and participate in debate workshops presided over by seasoned debaters, scheduled for later in the year. Sustained!

Getting there: On January 10, at 6.30 pm, Taj Palace, Sardar Patel Marg, for passes email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with name and contact details or watch live webcast at www.debsocindia.com, to join the society email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or follow the Facebook page here.

What: Radio 79, New Delhi, http://www.radio79.com/delhi.php, free.

Why: Because Delhi’s radio channels are beyond redemption, and iTunes is so 2012. Wave hello to online-streaming Radio 79’s new Delhi-centric channel, which showcases indie Indian bands like Koniac Net, Neel and The Lightbulbs and Colaba Point, as well as some international ambient tracks. The website is slick, easy to navigate, and offers a ton of extras, but we suggest you stick with the music: the “Interviews” category currently has only two yawn-inducing chats, and “News” is coming soon. We did, however, legitimately download some fun music from “freebies”.

When: You want to jockey for the 79 position.

What: Safecity, www.safecity.in, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or download the Android app here, the iPhone app here, free.

Why: Ladies, how many times have you ignored a lewd comment on your way to work? Apart from maybe complaining about it to some friends, there’s really no way to pin point that location for other women passing through the same area. Or is there? Safecity aims to do just that, with a real time updated map that shows areas where women are harassed. We clicked through to Delhi and learnt that auto drivers made kissing noises in Faridabad, vehicles slowed down in South Extension and a flasher followed a girl for a while in Nehru Place. Even though it’s a new site, the updates have (sadly) grown since we checked in a couple of days ago, but it’s nice to know that someone has your back.  Location and incidents can be posted via email, Twitter, phone app and the web.

When: You want to end New Year’s Eve teasing.

They come at you relentlessly, teaching you to strike and grapple, showing you how you can fight back when you’re down, break the arm of someone fifty pounds bigger than you are. Next month, you’ll move on to standing-up combat.

All in all, useful skills to have. 

This Saturday, Crosstrain Fight Club is holding an hour-long free self-defense lesson for women, presided over by a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu coach. Depending on the response, the yet-to-open MMA and fight studio in Saket aims to conduct at least one such class a month, walking women through how to respond in several worst-case scenarios. More power!

Training Day

If you can’t make it on Saturday, or want to study combat more seriously, you can also sign up for regular classes at Crosstrain Fight Club, which officially opens next week. The studio is housed in a 2,000 square feet space in Saket, and according to promoter Siddharth Singh (who started boxing while a teenager at Doon) will come with a fully loaded, matted gym complete with a boxing ring, boxing pads, weights and other equipment.

In the house will be five coaches, one trained in Muay Thai, another in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, two from Mumbai’s Sanjay Dutt-promoted Super Fight League and a stamina and endurance specialist. You can pick from memberships of three, six or twelve months, during which you can take an unlimited number of beginner, intermediate and advanced classes across different fight forms like kickboxing, boxing and Muay Thai.

The good fellows at Crosstrain will also do a free assessment of your skills and requirements, and are offering 50% off on membership if you sign up before January 15. 

See, we told you. The sweetest kickbacks! 

Getting there: A-7 Anupam Enclave, Saket, call Siddharth at 08826914097, free class at 12pm on Saturday January 5, view the Facebook group here, memberships start at Rs 3,000 a month after early bird discount.