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The Hindu : Women of the world are up in arms….and they have reasons to be!The atrocities that working women face, more so in bigger cities, has often resulted in them joining classes in self defence. And taekwondo, a Korean form of martial art that uses both fists and legs to thwart and fend off likely attackers, is a favourite. “A competent exponent can easily fend off a challenge from two or three offenders,” said J. Pradeep, secretary and chief instructor, Karnataka Amateur Taekwondo Association (KATA). “But then taekwondo is a non-contact sport in competitions…we control ourselves so as not to injure the opponent. But when if it comes to real-life situations there is no holding back,” stressed Pradeep, who is a 3rd degree black-belt and has more than 2,000 students under his wing.Taekwondo, founded by Gen. Choi Hong Hee in 1955 has had two world bodies — International Taekwondo Federation (ITF), the more popular version that has its roots in North Korea, and the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF), which is more pronounced in South Korea.The ITF has won many followers because of different forms like sparring, pattern, self defence techniques, and power breaking techniques.“Though taekwondo was a demo sport in the Atlanta Olympics (1996) it has become a medal sport since and there are six medals at stake in each section (men and women). In the Asian Games, the sport was introduced in the Busan Games,” said Pradeep.Pradeep, a student of B. Rajendran, a 7th degree black-belt, the highest graded Indian and A. Gunashekaran (3rd degree black belt), has met with resoundingThough Karnataka has been fielding a team in the Nationals since 1987 its only since the Bangalore Nationals in 2004 that the State has been figuring prominently in the medal bracket, finishing second best to Delhi. Even in the recently concluded Nationals at Kolkata (December 28 to 30), Karnataka with 19 gold, finished second best to…More

The Hindu : As howls rent the air and our hair stood on end, we watched a dancer take the stage. Dark lighting, dramatic sounds and eerie music set the tone for the reading of writer Anita Nair’s new book “The Puffin Book of Magical Indian Myths”.Illustrated by Atanu Roy, the book has 50 mythological stories, some familiar and some not so familiar. Penguin Books India, in association with Crossword book store launched the book. “The moment Taraka was born, jackals howled, donkeys brayed, the skies darkened and owls hooted,” read Anita Nair, sitting comfortably on a stool, with the spotlight shining on her.Storytelling went hand-in-hand with dance and music as Preeti Sunderajan of the Shiri Dance Company complemented the reading. As Anita Nair read out the opening lines of Taraka’s story, Preeti danced to denote the extreme forms of penance that the rakshasa performed to please Brahma.The book, inspired by the story-telling of the author’s mother and grandmother, includes the stories behind six of Vishnu’s avatars. Apart from the familiar stories about Ganesha’s elephant head, and Nachiketa’s tryst with Yama, the book contains some stories that are not well-known. Not many children would know “How Pushan Became Toothless”, or “How Indra Prevented Drought”.“There are many books about Indian mythological stories, but the beauty is that there are so many different versions,” said the author. “During my talks with experts of Kathakali I found so many stories within stories. One of the beautiful things that I realised was that gods don’t always have to be nice and that demons often get the lean side of the stick!”Atanu Roy’s painstaking illustrations do justice to Anita Nair’s prose. Whether it is the fine lacy fin of Matsya, the exaggerated foot of Vamana, or the pretty Parijatha tree that Krishna stole, the illustrations are a mixed bag, and they follow different styles of artwork. “This is the first time I have…More

The Hindu : Ever felt like turning around and slapping the next person who said “cool”? Or “chill”? Or just peppered an entire sentence with the f-word, so much so that there weren’t many other words left in the sentence?That’s what people do annually. Not go about slapping people. But striking off or slamming down words through America’s Lake Superior State University’s annual List of Words Banished from the Queen’s English for Misuse, Over-Use and General Uselessness. Released annually on new year’s eve, this year’s list had, among other words and phrases “post 9/11”, “surge”, “perfect storm”, “organic”, “wordsmith” etc.Puneet, an engineering student, says he saw the list of banned words in the newspapers. “What else will you say to describe the situation post-9/11? Just because some university bans it, how many people will know? I don’t think when I’m talking to my friends, I can remember any of this! Of course in college each of us has our own set of words, till someone comes up with something more brilliant or fundoo.”Vijayalakshmi, a technical editor at a software firm, finds it odd that words can be banned. “I don’t think it makes any difference to me at all with one university banning a word. I don’t think people will care.” She believes she wouldn’t think twice before using them. “It would perhaps make an impact if a word is removed from a dictionary. You usually use a word that first comes to you instinctively. After a point, a phrase like ‘post 9/11’ gets to you… but banning is not the solution.”Her colleague Nita, though, believes that language is dynamic with words and phrases being filtered out or added constantly. “I think 9/11 is overused and for us it’s actually 11/9…French fries were renamed Freedom fries – then what happened?” Many of the Old English words don’t exist anymore and such efforts only help in the evolution of…More

The Hindu : Petrol punchIt’s back in the news again. The hike in petrol prices. Everyone’s back at the guessing game — will it go up by Rs. 2 or Rs. 4. And what does the common man do? With the city bursting at its seams with a never-ending stream of two and four wheelers, will this be the solution to crammed roads, making most commuters switch over to public transport? Or… may be not. For most of the BMTC buses look like they are transporting human sandwiches! People are hanging out on footboards, putting their lives in danger.So how does the city come to terms with the price hike? Or is it just one more hike, like the milk price hike, where you will pay and get on with life, whatever the hike, despite grumblings and protests? Even if you are the kind that is considering making a switch to electric or gas vehicles, eco- friendly vehicles don’t come any cheaper.Then why does the government not do anything to help the situation?What does the common man have in mind? How will the hike in petrol prices affect him?MetroPlus got out to the streets to hear people’s angst.I have a car pool system with colleagues. So I save up on that front.Even otherwise, I live close to my work place, so I don’t spend much time or money on conveyance.Generally my commuting is also very less.Ambrish,ProfessionalThe petrol price hike is going to slow down the Indian economy. The market and roads are brimming with two and four-wheelers. The government should provide us with proper transport , what with all that money it takes in the form of tax.Kiran,ProfessionalIf it goes on like this, then the middle class will suffer the most. The price even before this hike was high for the common man.Many will have to switch over to alternative mode of transportation, no matter how difficult it…More

The Hindu : One of the leading lights of the Impressionist era, Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) was a prolific artist. In a long and illustrious career that spanned well over five decades, he painted thousands of joyfully vibrant canvases.In his final years, even when he was crippled by muscular rheumatism, the French master found ways of being one with his art. When it became too painful to even hold a brush in his hand, he navigated towards sculpture. With the help of two young sculptors he created several works of beauty. Renoir never gave up painting and even on the last day of his life, he painted, holding the brush between his twisted fingers.He chose to enter the world of art at the age of 13, becoming an apprentice decorative painter in a porcelain factory. During lunch time, he would visit the art galleries of Louvre. Renoir’s best paintings are remembered for featuring extraordinarily effervescent portraits, splendid nudes, vibrant landscapes, lively sea-scapes, and colourful still-lives. His outdoor paintings caught the spirit of flashing and flickering light, and portrayedjoyfulness and laughter of holidaying men and women.Through these paintings, Renoir became one of the most representative figures of the Impressionist movement. In its series titled “Private Life Of A Masterpiece”, a BBC documentary looks at his painting “Dance At The Moulin De La Galette” closely, revealing not only the celebratory aspects of Renoir’s painting but also tracing the bloody and turbulent times which Paris was still recovering from, in the mid-1870s.The film also divulges that Renoir actually painted two pictures, both dated 1876 and virtually identical apart from the size: one six feet across, the second half that size. A century later, in 1990, the smaller painting hit the headlines when it was sold for $78.2m (£48m) at Sotheby’s in New York – the second highest price ever paid for a painting.The engrossing tale can be watched on BBC World at…More

The Hindu : Kabira stands in the market, staff in hand/ He who can burn his house can come with me.Amandeep Sandhu’s debut novel, “Sepia Leaves”, opens with this Doha of Kabir. Burning a house is not an act of destruction. It is one of finding liberation and making a new beginning, says the great mystic poet.This, the novel suggests, is not only a matter of the metaphysical realm. A broken home can lead one to a more sensitive understanding of the world that surrounds us here and now too.The novel chronicles a boy’s growing up years with a schizophrenic mother and a dysfunctional family. Moving back and forth between the narrator’s boyhood years in the industrial town of Rourkela and his present home in Bangalore, “Sepia Leaves” breaks stereotypes about “normal” and “mad”. It makes one wonder what really defines a happy family or happiness itself.Amandeep candidly admits that the novel is intensely autobiographical and writing it was a cathartic experience. “In fact it should be read as the account of a care-giver of a mentally ill person. Maybe I have not yet become a novelist.”If “Sepia Leaves” insists on maintaining a placid tone even in the most intensely emotional moments, to the point of sounding too staid, it is because equanimity at all times is the necessary state of mind a care-giver has to achieve. He or she has to be at once distant and close. “In literature, madness is beyond the pale, even exotic. But for me it was my mother,” says Amandeep. The biggest lesson he leant in the course of tending to his schizophrenic mother was that all human beings are extremely vulnerable. “There is no saying when someone slips off the sanctioned code of behaviour. We are all different. There is no centre called normal.”Amandeep started writing the novel the night his father passed away because “only writing can bring a person…More

The Hindu : Shanthala Arts Academy is holding a cultural festival in memory of Raghusutha, a renowned author on January 22 at Ravindra Kalakshetra. The Raghusutha Award will be conferred on Dr. T.V. Venkatachala Shastry, veteran writer and scholar, and a foundation “Raghusutha Pratishthana” will also be formally inaugurated. Mysore V. Subramanya, senior dance and music critic will preside over the function and Manu Baligar, director, department of Kannada and culture and K.C. Ramamurthy, ACP Traffic and Dr. Mahesh Joshi, director, Bangalore Doordarshan will be the guests. Internationally acclaimed dancer Prathibha Prahalad and young performer and teacher Pulikeshi Kasthuri will give a Bharathanatya recital. A Kannada play written by Raghusutha and directed by S. Subramanya will also be staged on the occasion. There will be an admission fee for all programmes. For more details, contact 9448074748 or 23374758….More

The Hindu : Seagram’s Royal Stag presents Saif Ali Khan, Parikrama and Strings in a four city concert tour across India. The tour begins on January 18 in Bangalore and goes over to Mumbai, Kolkata, and then concludes in Delhi on January 27. Trained in theclassical piano, Saif’s musical repertoire includes the soul of rock, the lead guitar. Parikrama, one of India’s most popular Rock and Roll bands toured in India and abroad with the legendary Iron Maiden.Tickets are priced at Rs. 450 and Rs. 600 and are available onwww.bookmyshow.com. Tickets are also available at Music World outlets on Brigade Road, Koramangala, Malleswaram, Jumbo Saver (Mysore Road) and at Landmark (Koramangala). For tele-bookings and home delivery of tickets call 39895050….More