News

The Hindu : The tortoise-shaped land on the extreme left ofthe map of India always intrigued me. What would it be like to live in a place wherenature is eccentric, making nearly half the district uninhabitable? With theArabian Sea on one side, the Great and the Little Rann of Kutch on another, the Kutch district of Gujarat becomes an island of a different sort. Despite the hardships, the place hasa vibrant culture and is often called the ‘cradle of craftsmanship’.As we arrived in Bhuj for the three-day Rann Utsav, an annual festival organised by Gujarat Tourism, a warm sun welcomed us at the small, fort-shapedairport, which till some time agowas run by the Army. The main town of Kutch, Bhuj has every element of a small town. Narrow roads,not much crowd, no pollution, no sky scrapers and no congested malls.We saw many buildings with fresh coats of paints, and many relatively new constructions,representing the rebuilding doneafter the 2001 earthquake.First on our itinerary was a carnival, where the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi inaugurated the festival.Illuminated lakeWe made a trip to the Kutch Museum, which was opened to public that day for the first time after it was razedin the earthquake. Earlier built in 1877, the museum has a rich collection of Kshatrapa inscriptions,arms and specimens of various crafts of the Kutch region.In the evening, the entire citygathered to watchdance programmes,held with the illuminated Hamisar Lake as the backdrop. Brightly litboats floating on the lakeadded to the beauty. Rann Utsav is easily the best time to visit Kutch.The otherwise sleepy city comes alive with colour and gusto. Our next destination was Dhordo, a desert 85 kilometres from Bhuj,and our base for the next two days. The road to the desert was bumpy, and feltlike a camelback ride. Huge stretches of barren land wereall youcould see. At Dhordo, the organisers had builtabout 450 tents to accommodate nearly 1,000 tourists…More

The Hindu : For womenFropper.com, India’s first friendship and social networking site, has announced Bravery Awards for Women’s Day.The aim is to “salute the silent bravery shown by strong Indian women”.The website is inviting all women to share their brave moments and experiences with the world, which can vary from family problems, education, profession or even standing up for their rights.The three best and most inspiring entries will win attractive prizes, along with 10 consolation prizes.And men, who are members, too can send in entries about the women in their lives whom they look up to or about those who inspire them.Fropper.com has tied up with Indiwo.com for the initiative. The contest will be on for a period of two weeks wherein other members can vote and rank the blog entries/anecdotes by participating women members.Fropper.com will also provide tips to girls on having a healthy and effective online experience.For details log on to Fropper.com….More

The Hindu : During my recent sojourn in the U.S. with base at Dublin, San Francisco lying at a distance of about 40 miles south-east of Dublin attracted us since the day we disembarked at the airport. We made three visits to this amazing cosmopolitan city bristling with life and exuding irresistible charm.We first headed to the international airport in the car to enjoy leisurely its structural opulence, the magnificent technocracy embedded in the various floors for smooth flow of passengers and checking of baggages, restaurants and museum. It is the largest in the U.S. with a 2.5 million square foot international terminal. This terminal was opened in December 2000 and offers 24 wide-body aircraft gates.Air train, an intra-airport rail transit system links all the four terminals as well as the rental car centre. The BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) has a station which connects Silicon Valley and San Jose through the Caltrain network at the nearby Milbrae internodal station.Dublin is well-connected to San Francisco city as well as its airport by road and rail. Our first visit to the city proper was by rail, and this system is called Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). It starts from Dublin and goes to destinations beyond San Francisco. In fact, San Francisco and its surrounding counties are called Bay Area. The train, after West Oakland station passed through tunnel laid beneath the sea, and what a thrillingexperience it was!We alighted at Embarcadero station and got on to the pavement of Market Street through elevators. Our guide, my daughter-in-law, accompanied us up to Bay Street and left us at Ferry Tower with instructions to get inside the spacious hall of Ferry Tower and enjoy the scenic beauty of the bay and the two-tier San Francisco-Oakland Bay bridge and then to the 39th pier to see the sea lions. We had tea at the cafeteria and went round the area clicking pictures.We…More

The Hindu : No wardrobe is complete without matching footwear or bag. With people becoming style and brand conscious, they don’t mind investing on products that will not only look good but will also make them feel good. The latest store to enter the Bangalore market is the VNC. Launched by Landmark Group (Dubai), a retailer in the Middle East and India, this is an international footwear and accessories brand that “is made in Malaysia”. The showroom is on 100 Ft. Road, Indiranagar.The store caters only to women. There are shoes and bags in varied hues and sizes. The range features hip and chic styles. All products are non leather. Some of the designs are kitschy and designed just for those with loads of attitude and style. There is also a section that offers sober designs and colours for those who don’t walk much.But, for the dancing kinds with party feet VNC has lots.The shoes are priced between Rs. 795 and Rs. 2,995. “They are made to suit the needs of every urban woman,” says Sandeep Krishan, Brand Head, VNC. The footwear section offers casual wear, which comes in “non-fussy styles in cool and easy designs”. Here there are loafers, slip-ons, clogs, ballerinas, and sling back.The formal range includes designs that can be worn to work and also to a formal function. The party wear is what adds brightness to the store. They come in every imaginable colour and design. There are sandals, T-bar, platforms and wedges. Don’t even try looking for a plain design here for this one is loaded with bead work and golden thread plaits or huge bright stones. Or there is a bright white stone on a shiny navvy blue shoe or in plain netted material. These bags can be matched with the shoes.Then there are plenty of hand bags and wallets. There are little purses, bags and travel bags, which come in silver,…More

The Hindu : The Emmy-winning cartoon series, “King of the Hill” will premiere this evening on Star World. The series will be aired on Mondays to Fridays at 5. 30 p.m. and Thursdays at 8. 30 p.m. The series creator, Mike Judge, shot to fame when he launched “Beavis and Butthead” in 1993 and later wrote and directed the cult-hit feature, “Office Space”. With “King of the Hill”, Judge confirmed his status as one of TV’s most innovative and daring producers. The series chronicles the life and times of propane salesman Hank Hill, his family and their neighbours. A resident of Arlen, Texas, Hank is a blue-collar Everyman who sees himself as a voice of reason in a world of incompetent sales clerks, meddling bureaucrats and do-good liberals.Hank’s most loyal supporter is his wife, Peggy (voiced by Sister Act’s Kathy Najimy), and his pride and joy is his 13-year-old son, Bobby (Pamela Adlon). Included in Hank’s household is his nubile 18-year-old niece, Luanne (Brittany Murphy), who lives with the Hills to escape her dysfunctional parents.The premiere episode also introduces viewers to Hank’s neighbourhood buddies, Dale (Johnny Hardwick), Bill (Stephen Root) and Boomhauer (Judge). Dale’s a conspiracy theorist who never notices that his wife Nancy is having a secret affair, Bill’s a lonely-hearted Army barber and Boomhauer is a ladies’ man who speaks unintelligible English….More

The Hindu : Ashok Amritraj wishes he were in Bangalore for the Bangalore Open. “The whole family is there. I was supposed to come for a day but things got a little crazy…” he trails off.Ashok made it in Hollywood in Eighties in an “extremely white world, where there were no Asians, forget Indians,” he commends candidly over the phone. “It was almost laughable to try to make films. The first five years were incredibly tough. I did the rounds and had umpteen doors slammed in my face. I would not want to call it racism. The doors were slammed for a variety of reasons, not particularly for the colour of my skin. Then I started to make small films to learn the craft. It was in ’90 that a young man sent me his picture. He had sent his picture to many other producers but I was the only one who called back. The young man was Jean Claude Van Damme and the movie was ‘Double Impact’. We made the film for $ 11 million and it went on to make more than a $100 million. And people started to take my calls.”Twenty-seven years and over 95 films later, Ashok says: “When I look back I really don’t know how it all came about. How an eight-year-old boy watching ‘Sound of Music’ in Chennai could be sitting with Robert Wise who produced that film on the Academy of Motion Pictures Art and Sciences. I told Bob, he is the reason I was in Hollywood!”Ashok says: “it has been an extraordinary run of luck,” and the suave producer of films like the hot house thriller, “Original Sin” starring the jolly Ms Angelina Jolie and crazy, kookie “Bandits” with Billy Bob Thornton, Cate Blanchett and Bruce Willis, feels it is time to give back.Pay back“I was having dinner with Sunder Aaron, the Business Head of Sony Pix, and was…More

The Hindu : Bowling safeA weak shoulder need not end the career of a playerThe shoulder is the most abused joint in cricket. You’d think bowling causes most shoulder injuries and, in fact, spinners can rightly blame their bowling action for them. However, fast bowlers like Courtney Walsh owe their busted shoulders to throwing rather than to bowling. Fall on an outstretched arm can also damage the shoulder joint.Most shoulder injuries in cricket are rotator cuff tears. The rotator cuff ties four trunk muscles (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, terer minor, and subscapularis) to the arm at the shoulder. Eighty-yard throws from the deep can tear the rotator cuff, hampering lifting the arm sideways. Weak muscles are one predisposing factor, but strengthening shoulders in the gym can make matters worse. Gym-goers tend to focus on the deltoid, trapezius and the pectoralis, ignoring the rotator-cuff muscles. The result is throws that are more powerful causing more severe cuff tears.Right after an injury, the shoulder might be too painful for movement. Examination is usually possible after two days of rest and anti-inflammatory drugs.Damage to supraspinatus will prevent initial abduction of arm. Pain on resisted external rotation of arm usually means damage to infraspinatus. Pain on resisted internal rotation occurs with subscapularis damage. Injection of local anaesthetic into the subacromial space will help differentiate a partial tear from a complete tear. With a partial tear, movement is possible once pain subsides; with a complete tear, the movement fails even in a painless joint. Radiography, MRI and arthroscopy are diagnostic tools that aid clinical examination.The treatment of a complete tear is surgical repair. Incomplete tears and inflammation of the cuff require a few weeks of rest, anti-inflammatory drugs and physiotherapy. Avoiding throwing for a few weeks is essential. Chronic case might require injection of corticosteroids into the shoulder joint, decompression of subacromial space and excision of coracoacromial ligament.During recovery, it is important to strengthen the…More

The Hindu : Marriage changes a whole lot of things. For one, laziness becomes callousness. If single men and women put off a task like tidying the room, an unpleasant living environment is all they have to tolerate. Put another person in the picture, there is suddenly more to deal with. It is amazing how procrastinating over a chore, thanks to ‘the laziness chromosome’, can lead to a bewildering array of accusations. “Do you expect me to do your part of the work too?”Your “No, I just didn’t feel up to it this morning. Believe me, I was going to do it in the evening,” may not be heard. Welcome to the world of marriage, misunderstandings and maladjustment.Source, an organisation working with married couples to better the quality of their marriage, organised a rally on Valentine’s Day for 20-odd couples in Chennai. From Marina to the Madras Christian College School in Chetpet, they drove with huge glossy banners that had been tacked on to their cars. These banners tersely explained the value of marriage (example: ‘Happy Marriage, Happy Children’).Oneposter pasted on the rear-shield mirror was appealing. A sample: “Just Married Twenty-Two Years, Still Going Strong”.‘Marriage’ worksThese are not couples who have managed to sustain the honeymoon high. Like any other couple, they have had their share of marital muddles. But unlike some, they had one thing going for them. They have taken a conscious decision to cling on tenaciously to one another. The reason for the commitment is simple – they believe “marriage is the only thing that works”. They have lived through separation (due to work commitments), boredom, sickness and a whole lot of things that can happen between two people tethered for life.Unity always comes at a price. No, it was not easy to sacrifice self-interest for the marriage. Dr. Shanthi Davidar put off higher studies in medicine for it meant living away from her husband…More

The Hindu : Chill outThe Kenilworth Beach Resort and Spa’s spring packageThe Kenilworth Beach Resort and Spa has come up with a spring package valid till March 31. The package costs Rs. 36,000 per couple for deluxe and garden view rooms while single occupancy package comes at Rs. 30,000 (Rs. 8,000 for a third adult). For children (6-12 years) it will cost Rs. 3,500 (extra bed for Rs. 1,500). No charges for children below six years.The special spring package for three nights and four days comes with several facilities.You will be received at the airport or railway station and welcomed to the hotel with a bottle of Goan Port wine, a basket of fruits and cashew nuts. Plan your time according to the many in-house events scheduled during the day, including a half-day sight seeing trip by an air-conditioned coach to spice plantations, old Goa and Mangeshi temple (fixed common departures).Stressed-out souls can relax at the Agua spa, which offers various massage therapy treatments such as Thai, Swedish, Balinese, and Hawaiian.You will enjoy a unique half-hour deep tissue friction and synchronised massage.For water lovers, the Kenilworth Beach Resort and Spa has a 17,500 sq. ft. pool with multiple depths for swimming and deep diving.It also has enough room for a game of water polo or volleyball. Nestled in the white sands at Utorda Beach (Salcete), resort and spa sprawls across 14 acres.For details call 022-26418669 or 0832-2755555 or emailkenilworthgoa@kenilworthhotels.com or log on towww.kenilworthhotels.com…More

The Hindu : School children, should you use foul language? Aren’t there better ways to express yourself? Walk into an eighth, or for that matter a sixth grade classroom, and you are more likely to come out with a massive heart attack, thanks to the kind of language children these days use in class. A quick peep into classrooms reveals a rather appalling fact. More and more children are comfortably using foul language in school.Recently, a friend’s daughter returned sobbing, unable to bear the harshness of foul language her peers used in class.Another child suffered a throbbing headache after “day-long torture” what with having to listen to girls and boys play word-building using foul words!Since when did a day in school become a day of torture? Wasn’t school meant to provide an environment of safe learning instead of an environment of vulnerability? One thing is for sure, society has an enormous task at hand – to refine and remind kids to Mind Their Language.What parents should doChildren pick up foul language from just about anywhere. Adults have a responsibility to ensure that children are not exposed to such language. So where does this education start? Many parents believe it is the school’s job. The schools argue that they can only be partners with parents but the base clearly has to be laid at home. A good number of parents have little time to spend with children and the person mothering the child is the helper at home. Reason enough for a child to pick up a colourful vocabulary.Some educated adults fling abuse at children who think the best platform to try it out is the classroom. That slowly ‘graduates’ into defying school rules, hurting or even ‘impressing’ other children.Students who spoke on the condition of anonymity had some shocking stories to narrate.Some said children shot paper rockets with foul words on them and enjoyed coining “vulgar code words”…More