Michael Lynch won London over with his renovation of an icon, writes James Button.

THE orchestra's hypnotic performance of Ravel's Bolero had brought the crowd to its feet. As people filed out, some slapped the back of a beaming, middle-aged man. A fruity English voice said: "Ah'd call that lift orf, wouldn't you?" Michael Lynch drawled: "Yair …"

His broad Australian accent stood out among the rounded vowels of London's Royal Festival Hall audience on Monday night, and so it should have. In 2002 Lynch was headhunted from his job running the Sydney Opera House to complete a huge renovation of the much-loved London music venue on the south bank of the Thames.

It was a tough assignment; the project had been troubled for decades. But this week the chief executive of London's Southbank Centre, which runs the Royal Festival Hall, finished the £115 million ($270 million) refurbishment on time and virtually on budget.

More than 18,000 performers and an estimated 250,000 people thronged the building as itreopened last weekend. Bollywood dancers performed alongside a same-sex Latin cabaret. Jarvis Cocker took a turn as a DJ, and Billy Bragg gave guitar lessons.

Meanwhile, critics sing the building's praises. To The Guardian's Jonathan Glancey, the new hall is "great, not as in the biggest, shiniest and most extreme, but great as in big spirited, a building of substance rather than spin".

Despite his apparent triumph, though, Lynch's thoughts are turning to home. He plans to spend 18 months bedding down the changes then return to his beloved Sydney and make a pitch for the last big job of his career.

"I might come back as lord mayor of Sydney," he says with a grin. "Yes, I'm serious, though Sydney might not be serious about it for me. But I would love to grab hold of Sydney and give it a shake while I am still standing."

If Lynch - who has also run the Australia Council and the Sydney Theatre Company - is not short on chutzpah or self-belief, that's why he got the London job.

The Royal Festival Hall opened in 1951 as part of the Festival of Britain, the Labour Government's "tonic for a nation" emerging from the gloom of war and postwar austerity. The prime minister, Clement Attlee, said it would "show that we are not just a nation of shopkeepers but a people who appreciate and practise the arts".

Hailed as Britain's first major modernist building, the Royal Festival Hall was avowedly democratic, despite its name. The 3000-place auditorium had no bad seats. Entrances were at the sides, not front and back, and foyers were spacious and open, with no private bars.

Roping in Bollywood for Hillary Clinton Campaign?

The media reports that some US resident Indians are planning to rope in Bollywood stars for the Clinton campaign. I thought our biradari in the US had better sense. I can understand their enthusiasm for the US presidential race. But getting Bollywood stars to campaign for Hillary appears a corny idea. Does anyone really believe Amitabh Bachchan or Rani Mukherjee can sway the electorate? Indian-Americans account for less than one percent of the US population.

I can understand Bollywood stars doing a door-to-door in Mumbai to collect old clothes and cash for flood or quake relief. Involving them in a poll campaign, even in India, has been little more than a media hype. In the recent UP elections the Samajwadi Party featured Amitabh Bachchan in TV promos. The super-star probably was more effective flogging Dabur Chyawanprash on TV.

I can’t see Shahrukh Khan or that Zinta girl campaigning for Hillary at community centres in the US suburbs and the gurudwara Sunday congregations. Whoever has thought of drafting Bollywood stars may be having in mind a song-and-dance programme as a fund-raiser . Which is old hat. Besides, live shows of filmy item numbers may no longer be the money-spinners they once were. Someone mentioned a recent Asha Bhonsle concert bombed, insofar as there were hardly a thousand people in a venue that could hold ten times that number. One reason is that there are too many of them in the US, held much too frequently, featuring the same old faces.

For her Senatorial bid the New York Indian community had chipped in $50,000. Accepting the gift, at a fund-raiser held by a Maryland dentist, Rajwant Singh, Hillary had reportedly joked, “I can certainly run for a senate seat in Punjab and win easily”. At a more recent fund-raiser in San Jose, a participant identified as director of a Mumbai-based tech firm is reported as saying, “If Bill Clinton ran for president or prime minister in India, he’d win”.

Hillary Clinton spoke at the Maryland fund-raiser what her Indian audience wanted to hear. But her folksy talk hasn’t evidently gone down well with the Americans, for whom India has come to be identified with one word – ‘outsourcing’. The point is, in her bid for Indian-Americans' support, Hillary may stand to lose more votes than she might gain. Her opponents are making an issue of the Clintons’ apparent closeness to India and Indians.

A recent newspaper headline said, "Clintons’ support to Indian companies deserves attention". The media article, by Newsday columnist James P Pinkerton, reasons that America under Hillary wouldn’t be such a good idea. As he put it, if Hillary could cruise to the Democratic nomination, and perhaps, the presidency, ‘American jobs will continue to cruise to India’.

In Pinkerton’s reckoning the Clintons seem to have, what he terms, ‘unnaturally close connections’ with foreign companies interested in draining American jobs. “Shouldn’t this be of interest to Americans”, asks the columnist, and answers his own question, “but the mainstream media seem to say no”.

To strengthen his case Pinkerton says Bill Clinton has invested $50,000 in an India-based electronic-transactions company. He has accepted $300,000 in speaking fees from Cisco Systems, which, among other enterprises, helps American companies outsource jobs to India.

The flaw in Pinkerton’s piece is its statistics. The columnist cites an economist’s projection that “40 million American jobs could be lost to outsourcing in coming decades”. How many decades? That is not made clear in Pinkerton’s commentary.

Retired Times of India correspondent, based in Mysore.; hosts MysoreBlogPark, a parking lot for a bunch of Mysore-connected bloggers; writes a column

On the road to Rishikesh

By Stefanos Evripidou
LIKE THE toilets on the Shatabdi Express, my experience of Rishikesh was divided into two styles: ‘Indian’ and ‘Western’. The former was by far the more adventurous but credit to the backpacking community, there was something to be said about the latter… wiling away the days attempting yoga in the morning and recovering with Ayurvedic massage in the afternoon.

The first adventure began one Friday morning when four Delhi-ite friends invited me to join them on a weekend trip to Rishikesh river rafting on the Ganges. Now, I was raised to believe you had to earn your rest. ‘Work hard, play hard’ was the mantra my father drummed into me before I could even speak. He realised early on the work ethic gene had failed to make the crossover. Despite my efforts, the teachings never really rubbed off. But this was Friday and I had an article to submit for the Sunday Mail. It was time to stand up and be counted. Without hesitation, I accepted the offer of adventure but explained that I had some work to do first.

“It shouldn’t take too long. I’ll be done by 2-3pm.”

By 5pm, feet were tapping, tempers fraying and fingers typing. An hour later, bags were stuffed like sardines in the boot, frustration and anger dissipated and the five of us squeezed into the nippy city car, ready for our weekend adventure. The latest Bollywood Hindi love songs blasted from the radio as we all sat bursting with weekend energy, or in my case, with the elation of a new day, new life.

As we crawled through the city traffic to the outskirts of Delhi, the car’s accelerator, in an uncanny display of union audacity, called a wildcat strike and conked out, leaving us stranded in the middle of a major cross-section. Nobody seemed to panic as a rather large truck made its way to the side of the car where I was sitting; nobody, but me of course. The car had cut the road at a neat right angle, inviting a bashing from cars, trucks, water buffalo and camels. In the same random manner it stopped working, the accelerator picked up again in time for the Grim Reaper, sitting in his truck and rueing his chances, to blow the horn as he narrowly skimmed the car door, taking instead the side mirror. That was my first near-death experience in the nine-hour ride to Rishikesh.

Ten minutes later, a roadside mechanic, and there’s one every 100m in India, gave us the all clear and we were off again. As the stomach returned to its upright position, the thrill of adventure was restored, but this time with even more passion and intensity. Until, that is, I heard about the bandits.

“OK, we should be fine as long as we pass dacoit (bandit) territory before dark,” I heard our driver Shuddho mention in passing.

“What bandits exactly are we talking about?” I heard me stutter.

Apparently there was a good reason why everyone had wanted to leave Delhi on time. While I was arguing that art could not be rushed or manufactured like a tin of tuna, the others were hoping to make it passed the strip of road before dark where highway bandits frequently stopped cars and, at the very least, robbed passengers, especially foreign ones.
“Oh dear,” was all I could muster.

From that point, the sense of adventure evaporated from my body faster than the sweat chasing out the pores of my skin. I took out the bag from under my feet and started dividing money, business cards and other important documents.

“What are you doing?” asked Nandita.

“I’m diversifying risk, what do you think I’m doing?” I said, continuing to wedge money between the back seat cushions and hiding my passport under the foot carpet.

“Don’t worry Stef. If they stop us, you can wear this and they won’t tell you’re a foreigner,” said Nandita, lifting up her mother’s bright, white, three-sizes-too-small rain jacket.

The next four hours were not fun for me. Everyone but the driver was fast asleep. The fear of being abducted kept me more awake than a packet of pro-plus tablets the night before an exam. Add to that seven more near-death experiences, and it was safe to say I was wired. The chances of passing bandit territory before dark were diminishing by the minute. I learnt the hard way that ignorance was not something people easily owned up to in India. We had asked six people for directions to Rishikesh, and each time, you could see it in their eyes, they would have no idea and yet an arm went up here, a head bobbed there and a finger pointed the way it felt like pointing. We decided instead to rely on the path recommended by a helpful police officer. Fifty minutes later, driving 10km an hour on a dirt path even a Hummer would have difficulty negotiating, we concluded this could not be the highway leading to Rishikesh.

After five hours, a series of wrong directions, car troubles and appalling roads, we had only covered half of the 250km to Rishikesh. It was 10.30pm, there was no lighting on the road and we were about to enter dodge territory. We passed one unlucky soul who was trying to fix a punctured tyre in the pitch dark. In front, a bus was choking up the road at a snail’s pace, creating a cloud of dust for those behind. All the exhilaration I’d felt in anticipation of white water rafting down the Ganges had gone. I’d seriously lost my credibility in the back of that car, hoping, praying that the other four would voluntarily decide to stop somewhere for the night and carry on the journey in the morning. Then someone’s mobile rang. It was a concerned mother. My hands tightened in a grip as I said a little prayer.

“OK, my mom says we’re better off staying the night in Cheetal. She thinks bandits are gonna jack the car and leave us in the forest. We have family friends who can put us up there. What do you guys think?”

Heads shook and turned as my four co-passengers debated whether to stop or push on. They turned to me for opinion. Dressed in a tight white rain jacket with a face to match the colour of the moon, and my money dispersed in five different parts of the car, I spoke.
“Well, I don’t mind. It’s up to you guys, but I think it’s probably wiser to stay the night and start fresh in the morning.”

I bit my lip in anger that I hadn’t been more forceful in giving my opinion.

“Well, it is late, and I am hungry. OK, let’s stop the night,” said Shuddho.

I released my arm in relief and for the first time in a while, let my thoughts body surf to the cleansing, holy water of the Ganges.

The MacGyver Insurgency

Time, June 25
An article investigates the increasingly inventive tactics of Iraqi insurgents. Some improvised explosive devices are now made from "electronic deritus"—TV remotes, toy walkie-talkies, and washing-machine timers. Other tactics include concealing explosives "in loose rubble, then [stacking] human feces on top" so soldiers are less likely to investigate closely. They also use cadavers as bait, "dumping them on the street and detonating them when a military or police patrol stops for an inspection." One official says, "They know that we can't just leave a body to rot in the street." … Michael Kinsley writes that for Americans younger than 40, the ban on gays in the military must be "simply weird." Children "grow up today with gay friends, gay parents, gay parents of friends, and gay friends of parents" and see depictions of gays and lesbians in popular culture. The fact that GOP candidates voiced their support for the "don't ask, don't tell" policy in last week's debate proves that their party "has stood still as history has gone charging past."—M.S.

New York Times Magazine, June 17
The cover article looks at the use and misuse of medicinal opioids, focusing on the story of former Dr. Ronald McIver, "a crusader for high-dose opioids." McIver is currently serving 30 years in prison for the overprescription of Oxycontin, which may have killed one patient. Balancing the costs and benefits of opioid usage is difficult because among medical professionals and laymen alike, "pain is discussed amid a swirl of ignorance and myth," despite the one in five Americans who suffer from chronic pain. In the DEA's battle to insure harsh penalties for criminals, "pain patients are the collateral victims." … An article looks at "gold farming," the market selling virtual goods from online games like World of Warcraft, an industry based mostly in China that brings in $1.8 billion annually. "[O]n the surface, there is little to distinguish gold farming from … any of the other industries that have mushroomed across China to feed the desires of the Western consumer. The wages, the margins, the worker houses, the long shifts and endless workweeks—all of these are standard practices."—A.B.

metro

Different emotions in a Metro life
Thursday, November 23, 2006

When you have actors like Shilpa Shetty, Shiney Ahuja, Kay Kay Menon, Konkona Sen Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Sharman Joshi and Kangana Ranaut coming together with Anurag Basu as a director, one thing that you can be assured is that performances would be superlative in the film. METRO is about relationships based in cosmopolitan India.

Romance
Who said love cannot blossom after marriage; well with a different person!? After KANK and 'Bas Ek Pal', the emotion is hardly considered a taboo and same happens for Shilpa Shetty too who gets into a romantic rendezvous with Shiney Ahuja. How about some old fashioned yet beautifully subtle realization of love with Shilpa's flying umbrella in a rain and Shiney acting as a cool Samaritan?

Anger
Romantic rendezvous is all fine but then there is always a home to return! And this is where one faces the reality, or rather announces it as Shilpa and her screen husband played by Kay Kay Menon get into an argument. Watch out for some histrionics on display here. With Kay Kay around, that's the least to be expected!

Greed
All I want is a lot of money....and some honey. This is what the character of Sharman Joshi is based on which works as an executive in a call center. Never feeling shy about his love for money even while he is shy of expressing his true feelings to his lady love, Sharman is seen with a twinkle in his eyes and tongue firmly in cheek as he explains the true value of money!

Love
Love. Now what's that? Ask Konkana Sen Sharma and she is certainly going to give an answer....and that too with a smile! After all she is one woman here who is still looking for that elusive love...and a man, even if she is on the wrong side of the 30s. As she changes from a bespectacled woman to a glamorous working woman of today, she encounters a man who even says 'I Love You' with a straight face and asks in return "You Love Me?' with the same (lack of) intensity sans any display of emotions. The man is Khan...Irrfan Khan! Will LOVE bloom here?

Lust
There is a sequence or two for the peeping toms as Kangna shares her most intimate moments while sharing an illegitimate relationship with Kay Kay Menon. Affection, taunt and hurt are all rolled into one as she asks Kay Kay a question about bringing her out for a night out!

Deception
Feeling of hurt is prevalent once more as Shilpa realizes that her marriage is on the rocks. And she tries to hide her emotions to the best, but not to much avail...even though she claims that a marriage teaches one to act at the least. Yes, there is some pain visible here indeed!

Happiness
But depression and pain cannot be for long, isn't that so? Especially when a woman realises that there is a world outside home....and probably even a man. As she watches a movie while laughing her heart out with Shiney, Shilpa finds a bundle of happiness in those small moments. Or were those small bits of happiness just making her moments bigger?

Jealousy
Can you have everything forever? Even when you have let it go off your hands yourself? This is one question that Kay Kay certainly needs to answer before he asks Shilpa if she has slept around with Shiney! Meanwhile Konkana Sen Sharma too has her reasons to be furious with Sharman as she believes that he is being a chauvinist!

One City Countless Emotions
Shots of Mumbai from different camera angles are shown at the beginning and end of the promo as numerous clippings of characters in their happy and sad moments are interspersed. However what comes a surprise is the soulful background music which comes straight from 'Aashiq Banaya Aapne' where it was played number of times when Tanushree Dutta came on screen!

In the end it is just apt for Irrfan Khan to sum up the essence of the story in a single line - "Rishety koyi guarantee card ke saath thode hi aate hain!"

Coming this February 16th, METRO is one movie that may just pep up your Valentines!

VINOD -the golden man

Vinod Khanna to be back on silver screen
Friday, November 24, 2006

It is going to be a full circle for actor turned politician Vinod Khanna who will be again back on silver screen soon. The 61-year-old thespian says, he will make a balancing act between the cine world and politics after a temporary lull from the film industry.

"Because of my hectic political activities, I was away from the film industry for about five years. Now I will start acting in films. However I will not bid adieu to politics," he told PTI. Khanna, who has already acted in over 100 films, will resume his second innings with a "negative" role in "Risk" which will hit the theatres next month.

"Randip Hooda is the producer of this film. I am playing the role of a father, which is a negative character. I hope the movie will be appreciated among viewers," he remarks. The shooting of the film has already been completed. Besides Khanna, the star cast include Tansushree Dutt and Sheema Viswas.

Khanna has already started working for another film also. The name of that movie is yet to be finalised, he says. Khanna's transition from cine world to politics dates back to 1998 when he was elected as the Member of Parliament from Gurdaspur constituency. Since then he has won the seat for three consecutive terms.

"I was getting film assignments. But I did not have time to do those work. My last film was 'Diwana Pan' five years ago," he points out. Khanna is optimistic about his performance. "Yes at this age, I will play character roles. In the industry there are a few people like Amitabh and some others to do such roles. I hope I can will be able to satisfy the viewers," he says.

Khanna, who had held certain Government posts including Union Minister of State for Tourism and Culture and Chairman of Film and Television Institute of India, is presently pursuing classical music as well.

On his son Akshaye's marriage, Khanna says he does not want to interfere into the matter. "I have given him the freedom to chose the girl with whom he can lead a pleasant life. He is a sensible person and he will take a right decision," he says. "But I do not want to interfere in this matter. I do not have any problem regarding his selection of a partner for him," he says.

hollywood millionaire

Top Story

Sarah Kozer, one of the three women finalists on Fox's reality series Joe Millionaire, has starred in about a dozen bondage and fetish films under the stage name "Cindy Schubert," the Web site The Smoking Gun reported Wednesday. Often bound and gagged--but usually clothed--Kozer appeared in films such as Hogtied and Helpless Heroine. The pictures on the Web site depict Kozer dressed as a cheerleader or a nurse, and in some instances she is seen tying up men. A spokesman for Fox, which describes her occupation as "sales and design" on the show's Web site, told Reuters they do not comment on the personal lives of our reality show contestants. The show, a surprise hit for the network, has 20 women competing for the affections of a man they believe to be worth $50 million.

forbes rich list

t has been a busy year for Forbes' team of fortune hunters. Strong equity markets combined with rising real estate values and commodity prices pushed up fortunes from Mumbai to Madrid. Forbes pinned down a record 946 billionaires. There were 178 newcomers, including 19 Russians, 14 Indians, 13 Chinese and 10 Spaniards, as well as the first billionaires from Cyprus, Oman, Romania and Serbia.

Ingenuity, not industry, is the common characteristic; these folks made money in everything from media and real estate to coffee, dumplings and ethanol. Two-thirds of last year's billionaires are richer. Only 17% are poorer, including 32 who fell below the billion-dollar mark. The billionaires' combined net worth climbed by $900 billion to $3.5 trillion. That equates to $3.6 billion apiece.

The average billionaire is 62 years old, two years younger than in 2005. This year's new billionaires are seven years younger than that. Of list members' fortunes, 60% made theirs from scratch.

drug abuse

South Asia has 584 million children, the largest number under the age of 18 of any region in the world. Of these, 330 million suffer from poverty and deprivation, according to a Unicef report.

Street children constitute a marginalised group in most societies. The harsh environments in which they live and the nature of their lifestyles make them vulnerable to drug abuse.

This threatens their mental, physical, social and spiritual health. Most of these children use alcohol and other drugs. Due to their experiences, they view health and social services with suspicion.

Some aspects of street life such as extreme mobility, low knowledge of HIV, recreational sex, lack of adequate responsible adult protection and supervision compound the vulnerability of street children.

Very little data is available on street children living with HIV/AIDS in South Asia. The latest HIV/AIDS estimates prepared by Unicef indicate that in 2005 there were 36,000 new infections among the children in South Asia less than 14 years old.

Street children are vulnerable to HIV and other sexually transmitted infections primarily due to sexual contacts with multiple partners, forced sex, drug abuse, related risky behaviour and injecting drug use.

Intravenous drug users (IDUs) are at risk of contracting HIV and can pass it on to their sexual partners. Drug users are also more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviour.

Street children spend a lot of time in settings where casual sexual encounters occur. They run more risk of being infected because they often have sex with persons who practice risky behaviour themselves, like having multiple sexual partners or sharing injecting equipment.

Any intervention by anybody trying to help street children is a challenge.

To start with, these children are hard to reach. Voluntary groups who work with street children often find they are unable to carry out follow-up activities because they simply cannot find the children.

There is no comprehensive package of services for addressing HIV prevention for street children, such as voluntary counselling and testing centres or appropriate outreach. There are very few drug detoxification facilities for children. The few facilities that exist are expensive. As a result, it is a huge challenge to motivate street children to opt for detoxification.

The United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has been advocating an approach in which the friends of the street children take the lead in all intervention activities. The intervention should be designed to bring about a change at individual and community levels.

Any prevention strategy for street children should create awareness on risks associated with drug use and HIV by delivering 'key messages' on how to reduce risk. It should use the peer network to provide information on drugs, HIV and life skills. The information should be child friendly. Drug treatment centres also need to be made more child-friendly and approachable, UNODC suggests.

A long-term approach to working with street children has to take into account basic needs like food, clothing, shelter and access to health services. Such an approach should include vocational training so that these children can lead productive lives.

Voluntary groups working with street children should be specially trained to address issues of drug abuse and HIV.

Each year, June 26 is observed as the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. It provides an opportunity to focus on a largely neglected population that needs urgent attention.

aids

A colourful puppet show, narration of real life experiences of the fight against drug addiction and some soulful music were part of events in the Capital on Monday on the eve of the International Day Against Drug Abuse.

'Celebrating the spirit of recovery', as the event was called, invited recovering drug abusers from across the society to participate and share their experiences with the audience.

Organised by the ministry of social justice and empowerment and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the event was one of the many lined up to mark the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking June 26.

Tushar Sampad, one of the many recovering from drug abuse and now helping others recover as well, stood up to relate his experience.

"I have been very lucky that I had a strong support system in the form of my parents who were confident that I will overcome this challenge. It was difficult initially, and to top it all people look at you differently because of the social stigma attached.

"But today, nothing makes me more happy than reaching home and meeting the smiling faces of my parents. No one takes any decisions in my home without consulting me. That's the confidence they have in me," Sampad related soberly to the packed auditorium.

MONEY

middle age

1 As with most names from the Middle Ages, you will find both "Abelard" and "Heloise" rendered in a variety of ways, including, but by no means limited to: Abélard, Abeillard, Abailard, Abaelardus, Abelardus; Héloise, Hélose, Heloisa, Helouisa. The forms used in this feature were chosen for their recognizability and their ease of presentation within the limits of HTML.

beautiful

Biography

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was born in mlore, in the South Indian state , Krishnaraj Rai, a marine engineer, and Vrinda Rai, a writer. Her ancestors are from the of Mangalore. Her family later relocated to bombay. Rai has one brother, Aditya Rai, who is three years older than she is. Aditya initially followed in his father’s footstep and became a Marine Officer. Later as Aishwarya's star ascended he became a film producer. He has occasionally produced films in which Rai acted. Aditya got married in early 2004.

Rai attended the Arya Vidya Mandir at Santacruz, , then entered , Matunga, Mumbai. She was an A student and was on track to become an architect.

Rai began modeling on the side while studying architecture. In the 1994 contest, she was placed second behind , and went on to win the title that same year and the Miss Photogenic award. After the one year reign as Miss World in london, she then worked as a professional model, in advertising and Indian fashion magazines.

After much speculation concerning their relationship, her engagement to ab was announced on . The event was heavily covered by the media.They married on in a private ceremony held at the Bachchans' bungalow Prateeksha

friends

True-life romance in the 12th-century

He was a brilliant scholar at the University of Paris, charismatic, engaging, and handsome. He drew students like moths to his flame, challenging his masters as well as his peers with scintillating displays of logic. His seemingly unshakable core of self-confidence was justified by his talents for dialectic, teaching, and poetry. His name was Pierre Abelard.

She was a rare apparition in the cloister of the Paris cathedral: a young woman, still in her teens, pursuing philosophical studies with no evident desire to take the veil. Though undoubtedly lovely, she was renowned more for her keen mind and her thirst for knowledge than for her beauty. Her name was Heloise.

That two such extraordinary individuals in the same academic world should find one another seems inevitable. That their eloquent expressions of love should have survived for us in their own words is a rare gift of history.

That tragedy should await them makes their story all the more poignant.

love

The Pursuit of Love

While Abelard surely caught sight of Heloise at some time in the busy academic scene of Paris, there were no social occasions on which they were likely to meet. He was occupied with his studies and university life; she was under the protection of her Uncle Fulbert, a canon at the cathedral. Both turned away from frivolous social pastimes in favor of a happy absorption with philosophy, theology, and literature.

But Abelard, having reached his thirties without ever knowing the joys of romantic or physical love, had decided he wanted such an experience. He approached this course with his usual logic:

It was this young girl whom I, after carefully considering all those qualities which are wont to attract lovers, determined to unite with myself in the bonds of love...²

Canon Fulbert was known to care deeply for his niece; he recognized her academic ability and wanted the best education that could be provided for her. This was Abelard's route into his house and confidence. Claiming the upkeep of a home of his own was too expensive and interfered with his studies, the scholar sought to board with Fulbert in exchange for a small fee and, more significantly, for providing instruction to Heloise. Such was Abelard's reputation -- not only as a brilliant teacher but as a trustworthy individual -- that Fulbert eagerly welcomed him into his home and entrusted him with the education and care of his niece.

learning

Learning of Love

We were united first in the dwelling that sheltered our love, and then in the hearts that burned with it.

There is no way to know what entreaties or wiles Abelard used to seduce his student. Heloise may very well have loved him from the moment they met. The force of his personality, his razor-sharp mind, and his handsome demeanor undoubtedly resulted in an irresistible combination for a young woman. Not yet twenty, she had no hint of how she and her uncle had been manipulated, and she was at just the right age to see Abelard's presence in her life as ordained by Fate -- or by God.

Moreover, rarely have two lovers been so suited to each other as Abelard and Heloise. Both attractive, both extremely intelligent, both enraptured with the arts of learning, they shared an intellectual energy that few couples of any age -- or era -- have been fortunate enough to know. Yet in these early days of intense desire, learning was secondary.

Under the pretext of study we spent our hours in the happiness of love, and learning held out to us the secret opportunities that our passion craved. Our speech was more of love than of the books which lay open before us; our kisses far outnumbered our reasoned words.

However base Abelard's original intentions had been, he was soon overwhelmed by his feelings for Heloise. Finding his once-beloved studies burdensome, his energy for learning flagged, he delivered uninspired lectures, and his poems now focused on love. It wasn't long before his students deduced what had come over him, and rumors swept Paris of the heated affair.

Only Canon Fulbert seemed unaware of the romance that was taking place under his own roof. His ignorance was fostered by his trust in the niece he loved and the scholar he admired. Whispers may have reached his ears, but if so they did not reach his heart.