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The Hindu : Virtual MechanicCar and bike questions? We have the answersI own a Santro Xing and a Maruti Zen. I want to replace the Zen with a diesel car. My budget is Rs. 5-7 lakh. I have short-listed the Fabia and Swift VDi. Is the Fabia value for money? Please advise.Neeraj BhandariAfter paying taxes, registration fee and insurance, the Fabia diesel will exceed your budget. However, if you are willing to spend, you can go for it. The Fabia is overpriced and certainly not value for money. The three-cylinder diesel engine is noisier than the Swift’s. However, the Fabia with its fantastic build quality, superb comfort and interiors and amazing ride is clearly several notches above the Maruti. So if you like the Fabia and don’t mind paying, go for it!When is Mahindra-Renault going to change the Logan’s LHD wiper system to RHD? I would like to purchase the Logan, but this is the only reason that is holding me back.K. BaruahThere are no plans to rectify the LHD wiper configuration to RHD. The reason being re-engineering the wiper mechanism for India which would involve huge costs. The regulations in the Motor Vehicles Act don’t demand that manufactures switch to RHD configuration. So companies such as Renault, which has limited sale of RHD Logans on a global scale, don’t bother to make the switch.Is there any indication that Ford India will lower the price of the Fusion diesel? Also, will Tata use the Fiat Multijet 1.3 engine in the Indigo Marina? I like the profile and functionality of both the cars but bothered about these shortcomings.Anil GautamFord has recently announced a price cut of around Rs. 23,000 on the Fusion. There are no plans by Tata to put the 1.3 multijet in the Marina. The multijet will only be available in the new Indica initially. The Fusion is quite a capable car, but suffers from highly priced…More

The Hindu : They created a niche for themselves with their very first album. So, come tothink of it, Fuzon is not just another Pakistani band. Shallum Asher Xavier and Imran Momina (Emu) steered away from the usual to try out something that few bandshad donebefore. They infused melodious classical ragas into the western rock/pop genre, along with jazz and some cutting-edge technology. The result was Sagar, the 12-track debut album which won them rave reviews and innumerable awards.That was 2003. And a lot has changed since then. Theirlead vocalist Shafqat Amanat Ali moved out of the band to pursue his solo career two years ago, and in came Rameez Mukhtar to replace him.And now, the band is back with itssecond album, Journey. A 10-track album produced by EMI, Journey toes the same line as Sagar yet it is an attempt to break out of it. “Sagar was just an experiment. We were trying to put our musical thoughts together and see what comes out. But with Journey we have matured as artistes. The way we play our music has changed, the production quality has improved. We have stuck to our roots,” says Shallum, the lead guitarist over the telephone from Karachi.Love againTheir music may have travelled places, but lyrics-wise the album, like Sagar, is all about love. “Love plays such an important part ineveryone’s life. Maybe that’s why we emphasise on it,” he reasons.Rewind to 2001, and Shallum gets into the band’s history. “When we decided to form a band, we knew we had to do something new, because the pop/rock genre was already flourishing and we didn’t intend to get lost in the crowd. We congregated our decades of experiences to create Fuzon.”Interestingly for a band that’s so strong on eastern classical music, both Shallum and Emu hail from a western rock background. “We grew up listening to western music, but classical music is part of…More

The Hindu : Dzire hasn’t changed much on the inside, which is identical to the hatchback. You get the same modern and classy-looking dashboard. You also get chrome surrounds around the dials, which are now backlit with white lighting. The Dzire has four variants: LXi, VXi and ZXi and a ZDi (diesel variant). The base model will get black seat fabric. The next variant will get grey fabric, while the top-of-the line variant gets beige seats with a black dashboard and door panels. We would have preferred the SX4-style all-beige interiors, which would have also gone a long way in making the cabin feel roomier. The top variant gets steering wheel-mounted audio controls along with an integrated stereo. The stereo is intuitive to operate and delivers decent sound quality as well. The steering wheel has good grip and measures right. On the whole appears decent, but some plastics like that found below the stereo, the controls for the AC and circular AC vents could have got a better finish.You get roughly the same legroom as in the Swift, and that’s disappointing, especially compared to the Logan and Indigo. Engineers have increased the width of the rear seats and have also inclined the rear backrest compared to the hatchback, which we feel is a tad too much, ensuring that passengers slouch rather than sit upright. The bigger rear door with the larger glass area ensures that you won’t feel as claustrophobic as you do in the Swift hatchback. Three can sit in the rear but the limited legroom causes discomfort on a long journey. The wide rear door and the high-set seats mean that getting in and out of the car isn’t a chore.Engine and gearboxThe Dzire uses the same engine as the Swift. Weighing only around 30kg over the regular Swift ensures that performance is similar to the smaller hatchback. The fine steering combined with the slick gearbox…More

The Hindu : Karavalli at Taj Gateway has been a haven for lovers of authentic home-style coastal South Indian cuisine for 15 years now from the Kerala-Karnataka-Ratnagiri-Goa coast.Karavalli is hosting a festival of Moplah Cuisine from the Malabar belt of Kerala. The cuisine is indigenous to the Malayalam speaking Muslim community of Kerala and is a unique marriage of Kerala food with a distinct Arab influence. To bring this unique flavour to Bangalore, celebrated chef and author Ummi Abdulla and Executive Chef Naren Thimmah will bring alive the flavours which Moplah cuisine is famous for.The two maestros will serve specialties such as the arikkadukka or stuffed mussels, a favourite snack, various pathiri or rice chapatti stuffed, the neichoru, exotic ghee rice, ever popular biryanis, chemmeen varatiyathu, which is prawns fried in various spices. Other delicacies such as mutton masala, kozhi chuttad and finally for dessert, traditional Muslim sweets like the muttamala or the egg-garland, made out of egg yolks and sugar and cooked in the shape of a garland and the ever-favourite banana halwa will be fitting finales to a sumptuous feast, and washed down with the unique Suleimani chai or black tea with a few drops of lime.The Moplah festival is on for a la carte dinner till March 30. For reservations, contact 66604545…More

The Hindu : Seasons change. But not Anu Hassan. The cheery chat show host who wowed celebrities with her empathy and attracted viewers with her gentle tell-all approach is back after a break — not a commercial one though!After a successful 100-episode run, the Second Season of ‘Koffee With Anu’ hits the small screen.And Anu spills the beans — about Koffee!“We’re hoping to get a better mix of personalities and also look at talking to two generations of people. We will go beyond cine stars and cover famous people from varied professions as well.”As the photographer goes clickety-click, the chilled-out host continues, “Koffee is about getting beneath the surface and discovering people — their personal beliefs, strengths and weaknesses. I don’t put them on the hot seat. You are supposed to walk away with a smile after a cup of coffee, isn’t it? People love talking about themselves. I simply hear them out and ask questions in such a way that viewers get rare insights into the lives of celebrities.”Anu admits, “I thought a host had to be glamorous. But soon I understood the show wasn’t about me. I was merely controlling and balancing things on the sets. That’s when I thawed.”Comfort quotientOn a serious note, she adds, “Basically, I’m comfortable with myself. I’ve accepted my flaws. There are things that I can change about myself — like my waistline. There are things I know I can’t — like my temper. I can’t let people offend me.“There have been times when I’ve been rubbed the wrong way. That’s when the actor in me comes out. For me, it’s a big challenge to make guests feel comfortable in such circumstances and carry on with the show. You have to wear a mask!”Talk about a change of look for the Second Season, and Anu smiles, “You know I’m not a pancake person. I hate make-up and dressy outfits. This season’s…More

The Hindu : Coffee Day Group has launched a resort and spa called The Serai, in Chikmagalur.This spa offers “complete physical and emotional rejuvenation for the mind and the body,” says M. Venkatesh, Director, Coffee day Resorts.Situated in a 70-acre coffee estate, the spa offers a “natural habitat.” It also offers 30 designer villas with amenities such as private pools and so on. The concept of The Serai is to create an ambience where one felt an innate alignment with nature, by bringing one into a state of tranquillity and serenity, says Venkatesh.For details log on towww.theserai.in….More

The Hindu : I scowled at the limp, brown, crusty object on my plate and turned it over with the two metal forks beside it. The other side looked no better; its cream surface was sprinkled with blackish spots. I began to saw at it with the edge of one fork whileholding it down firmly with the other. Several strenuous seconds later I had managed to carve out a small piece which promptly disintegrated. I carefully balanced the shreds on my fork and conveyed it to my mouth. It tasted like shoelaces. The shoe was right there on my plate, cunningly disguised as a mushroom quiche.I would rather not disclose the identity of this place. All I will reveal is that it is a café on a lovely road. Why did I pay Rs 45 to eat footwear? Because I’m an idiot, that’s why. No, that apart, I’d been on my feet for two hours (teaching, which always drains my energy) and soon after, commenced a longish stroll since the weather was begging me to. Midway through my walk I felt I needed to restore my tissues and I made the mistake of stepping into one of those ubiquitous coffee shops.The place was bustling as usual. Young people were drinking coffee. Some were actually eating. They didn’t look as though they wanted to murder the cook. Cook? Hah! That’s a laugh. Mechanically assembled frozen snacks are delivered to most of these chain cafés, and waiters merely microwave them on demand. If you think I’m making hoo-ha about a one-off cooking accident let me tell you it’s happened to me before, at yet another café belonging to yet another chain. If memory serves me right I ordered walnut fudge. From my table I could see the teenager behind the counter pop a plate into the microwave and whisk it out after 10 seconds. I thought he’d put in the…More

The Hindu : Superb entrySkoda recently unveiled the all-new Superb. It is based on the Volkswagen group’s A5 platform, which underpins the Laura as well. However, it has a substantially lengthened wheelbase for greater legroom. The new Superb’s ‘Twin door’ concept allows the boot to be opened conventionally, but it has a second set of hinges above the rear glass that allow it to open like a hatch. The interiors also go upmarket, the most notable feature being the multimedia steering wheel. Powertrain options include 1.4 and 1.8-litre TSI petrols and 1.9 and 2.0-litre diesels. There is also a 3.6l V6 petrol, but it is unlikely that it will make it here. The excellent twin-clutch DSG automatic gearbox will be an alternative to the six-speed manual.Pricing will be competitive and a hike of approximately Rs. 1 lakh is expected over the current model’s price. It will probably go on sale after March 2009. Skoda will then discontinue the existing model….More

The Hindu : As Adaa, a young girl trapped between her love for an Army officer and a strife-torn Kashmir, Minissha Lamba won countless hearts in Shoojit Sircar’s “Yahaan” two years ago. Her fresh looks and natural acting seemed to promise a lot. But, she ended up doing films in which she went almost unnoticed including “Anthony Kaun Hai”, “Rocky–The Rebel” and “Dus Kahaniyyan”. But as an ambitious and upright employee, Anamika, in “Corporate” and a chirpy, newly married woman in “Honeymoon Travels Private Limited”, she did manage to score points with the audience. .Now Minissha would be seen again playing a lead role in “Shaurya”, directed by Samar Khan. Says the lady who caught the fancy of the film directors after being seen in a Cadbury ad, “I play an ambitious investigative journalist, Kavya, who chances upon a story of two Army lawyers played by Rahul Bose and Kay Kay Menon. These lawyers are on two sides of a case, in which the accused maintains a mysterious silence after killing his Commanding Officer. Kavya wants to exploit this story as a ticket to fame. She wants to bag a front page byline with it. But as she moves into it, it becomes a human interest issue for her. And she starts looking at it from a different perspective. She handles the story with passion.”Minissha’s secret ambition was to become a television journalist and she used to practice at home too. That way, she is living her dream in “Shaurya”. Agrees this Miranda House Commerce graduate, “I really didn’t have to prepare for it. My own practice at home came in handy. I played this role as I would have done if I had been a journalist.” On her earlier choices she says, “Good roles don’t come too often. It is not all right to just wait and watch. I don’t regret the films I have done, as…More

The Hindu : The dull, cloudy weather was no dampener for Sonal Mansingh’s exuberant spirits. A bright sari, with red lipstick and bindi, looked quite the goddess of dance. And she is in the mood to play. “I am a clown and those around me are always in splits,” she giggles. Her laughter eases the tension.Sonal, whose name has become synonymous with Odissi, started off learning Bharatanatya from the late U.R. Krishna Rao and his late wife Chandra Bhaga Devi. Odissi came in much later and she learnt from Kelu Babu (Kelucharan Mohapatra). ““In the ’80s people heard more of my Odissi than Bharatanatya. My group that practised Bharatanatya in Delhi, disintegrated due to age, marriage, health and so on. It’s so difficult to get musicians from the south. Wish I could do as much Bharatanatya as I could in the past. I love both the forms. They are like my two eyes. I can’t blink and look away.”The renowned danseuse insists she still is a victim of prejudice. “The prejudice about dancers is still there in the minds of the people. Six years ago I was having a rehearsal at home. This lady who lived on the floor below hurled abuse at me, calling me ‘nachne wali’.” says Sonal who grew up with artistes like “Rukmini amma and Bade Ghulam Ali khan visiting my home.”A way of lifeFor Sonal, who ran away from home to learn Bharatanatya, “Dance is a way of life for me. My performances are always works in progress. You should have a constant relationship with dance.”Sonal describes herself as “an enthusiastic teacher. Today, if a teacher hits a student, she will have a case slapped on her. I’ve been slapped by Kelu Babu just because I fell asleep at 2 a.m. waiting for him to come and teach me. I was a Padma Bhushan awardee at that time. But that did not make…More