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The Hindu : ‘Vadam check. Pulikaachal, check. Rice and rava-dosai mix, check. Right, we’re all set!’ It was a bitterly cold morning, late December, and we were heading off on atour to the Alsace region of France, home to some of the world’s celebrated white wines. (But we preferred agmark food products,since we didn’t particularly fancy escargots.) Drenched in the low winter sun’s brilliance one minute, engulfed in a thick blanket of fog the next, it turned out to be a rather interesting six-hour drive across Holland’s characteristic polder-scape. Past Germany’s verdant Rhine valley and gently rolling snow-dusted hills; to France, where the majestic Vosges vineyards et al, rose from the misty plains, delicately silhouetted against a dull-orange twilight sky…Voila, we had arrived in Alsace! The 170 km long wine route, easily ranking high among France’s prettiest regions, stretches all the way from Strasbourg, in the North, to Mulhouse (near Basel, Switzerland) in the South, meandering through 100-odd medieval villages and towns.Our Alsatian experience began, in Bergheim, (the village we were staying in), which sat prettily in the lap of the Vosges. Driving through a magnificently preserved 17th Century archway, we got to our apartment-hotel La Cour Du Bailli. Its elegantly frescoed façade, charming central courtyard with overhanging wooden balconies, well-appointed rooms with thick wooden rafters and polished antique furniture, gave us an inkling why the rooms here are zapped-up months in advance! Bergheim is a stone’s throw from some of the most beautiful places along the wine route; the narrow, cobble-stoned streets of Colmar, with itsmuch-photographed ‘Petite Venice’ district; the typically Alsatian half-timbered houses of Kaysersberg; pretty flower-decked wells in Obernai; grand towers and ramparts of Ribeauville and Riquewihr, a few gently crumbling, others in good repair and the sepia-toned still life that was Mittelbergheim, rightfully classified among France’s most beautiful villages. All along, crowded shops briskly sold the bright, hand-painted Alsatian pottery, the shopkeepers conversing in…More

The Hindu : The sitar and rock is an unusual combination. “But it isn’t something new. Quite a few musicians have tried fusion music before,” says VJ Aditya. The VJ from Channel V has used the potent combination of the sitar and rock to play “Sweet Child of Mine” for a promo on the channel. The Guns ‘n’ Roses number, takes on a new dimension. “It wasn’t entirely my idea,” says Aditya.“One of my producers in the channel thought it would be a good idea to have me do a promo with this concept. But he said I will need to actually play the sitar; imitating the movements would end up looking artificial.”Strumming the guitar was something Aditya was familiar with during his college days in Mumbai but the sitar was an unexplored area. “I took a crash course on playing the sitar. Both the instruments work on the same concept but I found the sitar a bit more complicated. It took me 10 days to learn to play ‘Sweet Child of Mine’,” he recalls. The feedback? “People have been telling me its one cool number,” he says. The video, now featured on Youtube and digg.com, has already attracted 2500 digs, the highest for an Indian music promo. Aditya promises there will be more surprises to come. “The idea was to be realistic and believable. Now that people are appreciating the effort, we are considering more novel promos,” he says.The unruly mop of hair that originally distinguished him from the other VJs is now gone. “And I got rid of it just because of Mumbai summer. It was really tough to manage long hair in summers,” he laughs. At one time, he was the sole male VJ in the channel dominated by women. “I was completely enjoying the attention. But now there are two other male VJs. So I have company,” he says.SANGEETHA DEVI DUNDOO…More

The Hindu : Napa valley in California is famous for vineyards, wineries and vintners. Based in Dublin (about forty miles from San Francisco), which falls under the Tri-valley (the other two being San Ramon and Livermore) as we would proceed towards Livermore we noticed vineyardson either side of the road on far away hill slopes as well as the plains. Butmore surprise awaited us as we drove to the Napa valleyat a distance of 53 miles from Dublin.The Napa town with its geometrically laid roads, presented itself in all its splendour and glory. We had little difficulty in locating the Winery Information Centre at Napa where souvenirs, brochures and magazines had been neatly arranged. Another attraction of this centre was that one could taste an array of orchard produce such as raisins, almond, cashew nuts, cherries, apricot, wine.Then we moved on to visit the most famous winery and vine yard of Mondavi Robert not very far from the Information Centre. The thirty mile long valley of Napa is home to 400 wineries, restaurants and luxury resorts besides, outdoor activities.Actually, Sonama county in California is the birth place of the state’s wine industry, but Napa county is better known due to a famous upset victory in the “The Paris Tasting”.In 1976 a noted Parisian wine merchant organised a formal wine tasting competition for superior French and California wines. And a blue ribbon panel of judges — all from Paris — awarded top honour to Napa valley vintners for their red and white wines. We stepped into Mondavi Robert’s winery around 11a.m. As far as one could see there were vine yards up to the foot of the hills. Black prince, as we call it, is the ruling variety grown here. It is most suited for making wines. For making sparkling wines, grapes are harvested earlier, giving them an edge of acidity that goes well with food. Acidity in wine…More

The Hindu : Keeping things light is her forte. “Who says I am multitasking? I just take care of two things: my career and my family,” says Smriti Irani, who continues to be the most popular female face on the small screen despite her demise as Tulsi.Elaborating her point, Smriti says, “I accepted Vrinda Mausi’s role in “Teen Bahuraniya” because despite being a career woman she professes how personal and professional life could be balanced.”No longer a one-channel girl, she has successfully ventured into production with serials like “Virrudh” and “Mere Apne” and now has her eyes set on Bollywood. “One day I was told Tulsi has to die. Though my fans and the media wanted (her to remain), I didn’t choose to question the producer’s decision, because I didn’t when I was selected for the role.” Was her ambition to venture into production a reason for her parting ways with Balaji?“My first production (“Thodi Si Zameen Thoda Sa Aasman”) was with Balaji and it did quite well. I think the problem started when I decided to be on my own.” Smriti refuses to go into details. She prefers to share what she tells her actors. “Show as much commitment to the serial as the producer shows in your work. If the producer is committed to cast you in all his works, only then you could resolve to work only with him.” Taking pot shots at the TRP ratings, Smriti says while cinema is controlled by the creator, television is in the hands of the advertisers.“Most of the members of TAM, which gives out weekly ratings, are from the advertising fraternity. We have the right to information on government functioning but we don’t know where TAM has put its boxes. A five thousand crore industry is running Ram bharose. We have a Censor Board for cinema, but no regulatory body for television content, which reaches our living rooms.”Write…More

The Hindu : Max, the movies and events channel is screening “Ab Tak Bachchan Special”, an array of Amitabh Bachchan’s most popular and critically acclaimed films, till February 29, Monday to Friday at 8 p.m. They are also having a promotional campaign ‘The Greatest Amitabh Bachchan Movie Ever’ poll where fans can choose his best work ever onwww.abtakbachchan.com. The website will also host the ‘Amitabh Bachchan Quiz’, ‘What kind of Bachchan are you’, a personality test along with other downloads and trivia.On February 11, “Shahenshah”, on Februay 12, “Sharaabi”, on February 13, “Laawaris”, on February 14, “Bandhe Haath”, on February 15 “Deewar”, on February 18, “Satte pe Satta”, on February 19, “Zanjeer”, on February 20 “The Great Gambler”, on February 21 “Suhaag”, on February 22, “Mr. Natwarlal”, on February 25 “Pukar”, on February 26 “Kaala Patthar”, on February 27 “Do Aur Do Paanch”, on February 28 “Khoon Pasina” and on February 29 “Baghban”….More

The Hindu : Beat streetRaag AnuraagParameshwar Hegde Music Academy, CD, Rs. 200Raag Anuraag, the two-CD pack, is the most unusual album of these times. Not just in terms of content, but also as an endeavour. It contains 25 tracks of different ragas of the Hindustani repertoire, preceded by a short introduction to each of these ragas. The most important thing is that they are all sung by students of music and not by professional musicians. However, from the very beginning what is glaring is the remarkable professionalism to the entire production. The crisp renditions, the meticulous scripting of music as well as the spoken word, the structure everything speaks of perfect presentation skills. The credit must go to Pandit Parameshwar Hegde (concept and direction), who’s the guiding spirit of this album. Not many teachers can boast of having trained so many competent students.Every three ragas in the album forms a set and the common features of these ragas are explained, even as the variations are brought out. For instance, Madhuvanti, Patdeep and Bhimpalasi or Marwa, Puriya, and Sohini… the commentary fills you in with details about the That of the raga, vadi-samvadi, the scale, and the time at which the raga should be sung, apart from the subtle differences that make them different. The album at once, caters to the student and connoisseur, with theoretical inputs and the masterly renditions alike.Amrita Rao who opens the album with her rendition of Madhuvanti is outstanding. There’s an amazing poise and an enviable maturity to her singing.The manner in which the special notes are introduced is absolutely graceful. She also sings Kedar, (“Nave ninaar” is lovely) and Shankara in the album. If I was struck by another voice and rendition it was of Shridhar Hegde (he’s not Hedge as it says in sleeve notes). His singing is so reflective, it haunts. As he sings Puriya Kalyan, Maru Bihag, you soak in…More

The Hindu : Listening to Fauji Bhayiyon Ke Liye, the very popular programme of Vividh Bharati had two attractions: the obvious one is the songs that one could die for. The secondis the quaint charm of listening to letters from soldiers in remote corners. Remember Jhumri Talaiyya? Even in those days of the radio, with sets which had to be turned in unimaginable directions to tune into two frequencies, the world would present itself in its most compressed form. Your feelings about that wistful “Tum na jaane kis jahaan mein kho gaye” were exactly the feelings of the faceless fauji bhai. That one song, that one letter and with the cherished magical box as medium, distances collapsed.Now, stormed as we are by urban-centric FM radio channels, forget the back of the beyond Jhumri Talaiyya, we don’t even connect to our neighbouring Srirangapatna. When Shruti S. Prakash, Assistant Programme Director of WorldSpace Sparsha speaks of a Major Kiran who was listening to Kannada programmes in far off Saichen, and is now carrying his set to Congo, where he is presently posted to – it felt human bridges were being built all over again. Worldspace’s 24-hour Kannada channel Sparsha, literally and metaphorically, touches people and at various geographical ends.Not only do you have people listening to it in the other corner of the globe, but there are also people in our own backyard, in places like Kushalnagara, Vitla and the rest tuning in. With their 10 MSN stations getting underway, Worldspace is now accessible anywhere in the world.“We have a wide audience, people with diverse interests. Therefore we make sure that we have all kinds of programmes,” explains Chaitanya Hegde, Senior Programme Director, Sparsha, as he pulls out a 40-page letter from a Hyderabad listener, who gives a detailed analysis of the programmes they air.“It’s very touching that people take so much trouble to share their thoughts with us,” says…More

The Hindu : If you have been shying away from the six yards thinking it has taken a backseat to give room for more comfortable attire like kurtis and suits, all you need to do is walk into the recently opened sari store Rangoli to change your perspective.Saris in breathtaking designs and intricate work line the shelves, each more fascinating than the other. This large outlet houses extensive varieties ranging from Kanchipuram and Benares silks to georgettes and chiffons, to the down-to-earth kota saris.While all these saris are designed exclusively by the outlet, the stocks are sourced from its own manufacturing unit based in Kolkata. Besides offering exclusive work and designs for the saris, this ensures the price is competitive, by eliminating middlemen.A number of these saris are one-off pieces. While all the saris come with matching designer blouses, every sari comes with unique patterns, reflecting intricate work ranging from embroidery on netted saris to cut dana, chutha, peta, gota, bullion, sequence, kundan work, to name a few.Thus, a plain georgette sari is transformed into a stunning creation reflecting gara work with peacocks featuring in the border. An ordinary kota sari wears a fabulous look with kundan work, gold thread and pearls.An equally plain chiffon is converted into a captivating piece with Lucknowi chikan work, interspersed with sequence work.To add variety, a georgette with its embroidery, features a silk border patch, highlighting the body of the sari. Some of the netted saris are embroidered with jute threads, with zari woven into it.Says Mohan Jain, Managing Director, Rangoli: “It calls for exceptional skills to embroider on net and can be accomplished only by very experienced craftsmen.”To cater to customers who look for less intricate work and simpler, sophisticated varieties, saris like the Patan Patolas, reflecting a silk woven design, are on display. Even the plain kota saris show individuality with a bit of embroidery and border patches, making them…More

The Hindu : It’s a clear and crisp winter day, the third day of my Udaipur stint and I’m back in a boat. In Udaipur, I find, you sit in a boat for quite a long time. No great hardship though, since Pichola, the lake I am on, gleams a dark blue, the stunning white mass of the Lake Palace rises whiter than white in front of me, the isle of Jag Mandir sits stolid to my left, and far on the horizon, the Sajjangarh fort rises from a crag. Altogether pleasing to the eye, just about sums it up.Udaipur, the White City. That it certainly is, because views of the place from any height show it to be a mass of white-coloured buildings. Udaipur, City of Lakes. Well, there’s the Fateh Sagar Lake (circa 1678) and then there’s the famous Pichola, which is a pretty shallow man-made lake. There is the Jaisamand and the Udai Sagar lake, as well as the Jiyan Sagar, all on the outskirts of Udaipur. Actually, the moniker ‘Place of Palaces’ too, will not sit awry on Udaipur, which boasts of the Jag Mandir (circa 1615), a palace on Pichola Lake which once sheltered the young Shah Jehan; the jaw-dropping City Palace, an awesome pile indeed; the famous Lake Palace also on Pichola (a hotel now, with its own Catch-22 situation: you need to book for a meal to visit but the hotel has a backlog of booking for three months); Devigarh, the fort palace- turned-star hotel that served as an impressive location for the film “Eklavya”; and the Sajjangarh Palace perched atop a steep hill.Except, the 18th Century Sajjangarh is more fort than palace and bordering just this side of dereliction. Perched dramatically on a crag, with amazing views of the rolling hills, inside you come across the usual regulation number of turrets, empty rooms, fading relics of ancient glory, one pretty…More

The Hindu : I suppose you could call it good tidings. Our maid’s daughter, Sita, is getting married. She’s 18-years-old, definitely considered ‘marriageable’ and her parents were, I was told, rather ‘relieved’ that Sita was now ‘settled’, their ‘responsibilities’ would soon be over, and in a couple of years the young couple would have a ‘family’.They had, but of course, borrowed heavily to meet the substantial, sundry expenses that go with the marital territory; borrowings that they will, in all probabilities, repay over the best part of their working lives. Having known the family for years, it was gratifying that they had struck a good alliance for their daughter; yet, somehow, I couldn’t get myself to offer more than a polite congratulation.It wasn’t just the evil dowry or the other ritualistic demands made in the name of marriage that were annoying, it was a rather more basic question – whether marriage was, in the year 2008, the best option to ‘settle’ a 18-year-old girl?‘But what else can Sita do?’Though a pretty, good-natured girl, Sita apparently didn’t show much interest in academics, and flunked out of school. Her doting parents then decided that marriage was the very thing, swiftly put together a bridal-trousseau and found her a groom.And so, Sita now pins her hopes, dreams and aspirations, besides those of her unborn children, on a ‘boy’ a few years older than her, and not exceptionally qualified either. Of course, if all goes well, she will live the contented life of a happy housewife, taking pride in her children, and obeying every whim, not to mention fancy, of the lord and master of the house…But, God forbid, if life doesn’t run its idyllic, smooth course, what then? Will ten sovereigns of precious yellow metal fashioned into earrings, necklaces and bracelets, and a scooter (or is Nano now the new scooter for the grooms?) stand her in good stead for the…More