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The Hindu : If you’ve watched Fight Club, you might think that travelling alone is drudgery, what with Edward Norton’s “single-serving sugar, single-serving cream and single pat of butter”.At solotravel.org, the theme is to not let your single status get in the way of having a great time. They list locations that are ideal for people who are venturing out alone and are looking forward to exploring everything from underwater adventures to unexpected romances.Unusual adviceThe site suggests places to stay, activities to consider and provides snippets on the culture of those regions. There are tips on budgeting, given that travelling alone is not always economical.While their safety advice focusses on avoiding petty crimes and exploitation, some of it is rather unusual, like when they recommend wearing a ring on your wedding finger and wrapping the strap of your bag around your foot before sitting down at a café, lest someone makes off with your worldly possessions when you’re lost in thought, cappuccino in hand.It has links to information on books for solo travellers and similar websites.Their travel stories are written by people with diverse points of view. There are some who set out with no fixed plans (one British backpacker strongly believes in ‘following the wind’) and there are those who have elaborate itineraries that have been designed to accommodate as much beautiful scenery as possible.Dean Melmothe, who talks about his experience touring in India, says that you’re never really alone and that lugging around his guitar was an awesome idea because “it’s a social magnet. On the back-packer trail in India, you’re never far from a sing-along”. So if you want to hit the road when you’re footloose and fancy-free, stop by at solotravel.org where there are others of your kind who are ready to give you a shove in the right direction….More

The Hindu : Diamonds divineDiamond shoppers have a new destination as Krishniah Chetty opens an exclusive store dedicated to the sparkling lovliesRang Rangeeli Yeh Duniya by GijuRaga to Rocky Records,Rs 150This man is just unbelievable. Engineering, Carnatic music, Bharatanatya and Salsa…yes, Giju has dabbled with all of these, and is still not a ‘jack’ of all but a master of each! Giju is an Indian born vocalist. Brought up in Thiruvananthapuram, he completed his engineering course even as he was passionately pursuing Bharatnatyam and Carnatic lessons. The spirited musician now lives in the U.S., and is an engineer with the R&D department of a major chip manufacturing corporation. He has participated in professional music bands both in India and in the U.S.Says Giju, “Since childhood I was enamoured with Bollywood, the beats of Hindi songs, the spirit and temperament of the swaying music and the poetic language.”So, it must have been a dream come true for Giju to bring about his debut album “Rang Rangeeli Yeh Duniya” who has set the music to suit Salsa dance steps. “It’s the lyrics, tune and the beats that collectively bring about an upbeat Latin-American mood,” he says.Why the Salsa influence after Indian forms of music and dance? “It happened without my knowledge. I was with my friends at an evening party where I saw a captivating Salsa performance and I was smitten. The Salsa bug bit me hard, and that’s it, I wanted to get trained and here I am,” he says. Giju is now a recognised Salsa dancer and choreographer and a member of the Salsamania Dance Company, a world ranked No. 3 Salsa dance troupe. Giju has since performed in the U.S., Europe and Mexico.Eight original tracks in Hindi make up ‘Rang Rangeeli Yeh duniya’ (brought out by Raga to Rock Records) including a duet with the renowned playback singer Sadhana Sargam. Teaming up on the album are composer…More

The Hindu : In the dark, the mountains take on a life of their own. The green trees, which seem so inviting in daylight, look like extensions of the mountains.Down below, Shimla is waking up to life. Standing in the middle of a narrow lane in The Mall, I try to find a pattern in the crowd that throngs the road.Both cosmopolitan and ‘mountain people’ seem to enjoy walking on this historical road. I look around, and then, like many others, wander around aimlessly. Walking along the road, I can’t but help recall how, during the days of the Raj, Indians were restricted from taking a stroll here. A little walk takes you to the Church above the notorious Suicide Point, a surprise mix of both Catholic and Protestant features.Bathed in the yellow light from the lamps in the evening, it stands with an air of architectural authority.A road behind the Church leads to the library and offers a glimpse of the far-off plains and the mountains on the other side. The Mall road is punctuated with bakery shops offering mouth-watering pastries. Further up is theThe Indian Coffee House, whichhas got lost among the multiple Baristas and Café Coffee Days. But, it manages to retain its old-world appeal.Earlier in the day, I visited Naldhera, which boasts of a beautiful golf course. A good getaway from the noisy Mall road, it is ideal for spending some quiet time in the woods. For golf enthusiasts, a round at this place is perhaps a great opportunity.The next morning’s walk takes me to Viceregal Lodge, a treat to the eyes. A magnificent building against a cloudy sky, italmost intimidates you with its presence. Accommodating multiple Governor Generals during the British years, the Lodge now houses scholars and has been renamed as the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies. Soon, I am back in town to catch a bus to another destination.NITIN CHOWDHRY…More

The Hindu : Time changes and people change with times. With themarket having so much to offer, it is obvious that the “spending power” of the youth is one of the most debated topics.With achange in perspective about the difference between a “necessity” and a “luxury”, it is not surprising to hear a teen or sometimes even a pre-teen demandthe latest mobile phone, bike, and MP3 player or in some cases even a sports car, claiming it is almost essential to their survival!Recently, a survey conducted by the ASSOCHAM (Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry) found that children’s pocket money which used to be Rs. 300 ten years ago, has now shot up to a staggering Rs. 1, 800!It was concluded that a teenager in Bangalore is given an average monthly allowance of Rs. 1,600. While youngsters collectively claim that most of their pocket money is spent on food, movies and transport, boys say they splurge mostly on electronic items, while the girls who are known to have a penchant for shopping, spend most of their monthly allowance on clothes, shoes, bags and make up.According to Subhadip G., a college-goer, “Those who have high-maintenance girl friends need more money than singletons.” His classmate Anu Priya however sympathises with the “girlfriends who have to keep gifting their boyfriends for monthly anniversaries and to make up for a fight, considering gifts for boys are more expensive.”On the goAuto fares have increased. Some parents are apprehensive about giving their children a car while those youngsters who have cars enjoy long drives and end up using all their money for fuel.With all the international food chains springing up, theatres being replaced by multiplexes and steep prices of tickets,pocket money increase is an expected change?Says Kaveri Krishnaiah, a software engineer: “We can’t blame youngsters for expecting a big allowance, neither can we blame parents who shower their children with money. Today, we have…More

The Hindu : After a long night in a Turkish Airlines plane to Istanbul, studying tourist literature and deciding what our 10-day vacation should be like, we end up with more questions.Looks like Turkey is nothing but a land of contradictions. Is it in Europe or Asia? Will it eventually belong to the EU or end up as part of the Middle East? Is it Muslim or Christian? Is it modern or traditional? Will it be good or, will it make sure that we don’t experiment while choosing our destination next time?Chance destinationWe must’ve been nomads in our previous births. Which is why, we decided to avoid doing the Indian thing of going to Switzerland in the summer, and booked tickets to Istanbul on a whim. No information about the country, no recommendations from friends, no package tour. We left with just hope, expectation, thrill and apprehension. And, a copy of the Lonely Planet.One fine sunny morning, we landed at Kemal Ataturk Airport.Istanbul buzzes with activity, and looks like it hasn’t slowed even for a moment since Roman Emperor Constantine moved his capital there nearly 1,700 years ago. A maze of roads, streets, walkways and canals run like veins through this throbbing heart of modern-day Turkey.A strait that unitesA heart that’s divided. By the beautiful Bosphorus — a strait between the Black and Maramara seas that is punctuated on either end by welcome signs to Europe and Asia. This is where the two continents meet. Or part, depending on whom you ask.Istanbul’s skyline is marked by several domes that look like heads bowed in devotion, with innumerable minarets rising into the sky likehands raised in prayer.The Sultan Ahmet Camii or the Blue Mosque is a spectacular 400-year-old structure which doesn’t really look blue from outside. It takes its name from the colour of the tiles inside. The inside succeeds in imparting a serene and spiritual shroud to one’s…More

The Hindu : Two poets, young and old, Aditi Machado and K.V.K. Murthy read their poems and discussed the art of poetry at the Toto Funds the Arts poetry-reading session at the Crossword Bookstore on Residency Road. Aditi Machado who is studyingB.A. in EnglishLiterature, Communication Studies and Psychology at Mount Carmel College, started writing at the age of 14, recalled that her grandmother would dig up her embarrassing poems. She read from “What if she came out into the sun?” published in “iota” from her collection “The People I knew” which opened with the well-known lines from Virginia Woolf’s “Mrs. Dalloway”.The poem had a free-flowing, light and clear feel. Her other poems – “Kabir” from “Umbrella”, “Ila”, “According to Prabhu” and “Dear Ragini” again, were lucid and artistic.K.V.K. Murthy whose poems have been published in The Telegraph of Kolkata, Poetry Journal of Mumbai, Poetry India: Voices in the Making, published by the Poetry Society (India) in 1988 and The Guardian UK, explained that they were always triggered off by a reaction; historical event or personality. He read poems that dealt with a Tibet that is twice-removed from the Lhasa Central – a traveller’s Tibet of ancient history where the idea of a railway from China to Tibet is bizarre. For Aditi, “The song that I came to sing” which opens with lines from Rabindranath Tagore’s “Gitanjai”, it was an attempt to move away from the bond between God and devotee and “Naina” was a poem to evoke the senses.K.V.K. Murthy read from “Signature” and “Cleopatra” – ‘a poet’s take on history’ and an idea that he had been nursing for 40 years. “Judas” was inspired by the Gospel of Judas screened on Nat Geo two years ago about the ‘imaginary interlocutor’. The witty and feminine “Single again” which was an attempt to write from the woman’s mindset, developed after Murthy’s online weekly writing theme was to write from…More

The Hindu : Felicity Jones (“The Worst Witch”) stars as the young Ana Catherine Moreland in Andrew Davies’ (“Bridget Jones’ Diary”) in a sumptuous retelling of the Austen classic, “Northanger Abbey”.Inducted into the wealthy society of eighteenth century Bath, Catherine manages to attract the attention of two men and an invitation to stay at Northanger Abbey. However, her over zealous imagination and passion for gothic romance sets to work and her subsequent behaviour begins to jeopardise her already fragile social position. Watch the movie at 9 p.m. on April 28 on the History channel.A 747 Combi is on a routine flight to South Africa when the cabin fills with smoke. After the plane disappears in the Indian Ocean, an unprecedented recovery operation is launched to locate and raise the wreckage from the ocean floor. Rumours swirl. Did illegal weapons bring down Flight 295? Nat Geo unravels the naked truth at 8 p.m. on April 28.The second season of Dogfights will continue the trend that has made this series such a success. Viewers will feel like they’re in the battle. First-hand accounts will drive the story. Rare archival footage and original shooting will supplement the remarkable computer graphics. Catch the show at 9 p.m. on April 29 on the History channel….More

The Hindu : On the non-assuming wooden stool bordered with little unlit candles and a diya, a table with a worn-out violin case and a vibrantly-hued mirrored jacket, a thick, hard-bound “The Complete Works of Shakespeare” is basking in a pool of light. At the contained stage at the Nani Arena, Centre for Film and Drama, Arka Mukhopadhyay begins his solo performance of “Shreds and Patches” by Logos Theatre and Natakvalas.In a plain white-t shirt and black trousers, Arka pulls out the violin, plays it and a stream of Shakespeare quotes gush out. “Music is the food of love…” he wistfully quotes from “Twelfth Night” and begins to read aloud the audience’s thoughts of whether this is some “bizarre, modern theatrical experiment” that they have paid Rs. 200 for and invites an audience-member to light a candle to consecrate the space.Multi-tieredThe performance is a refreshing experiment on many levels – in invoking the effect of the sights and sounds of Elizabethan theatre during William Shakespeare’s time, in fusing the performer’s personal association with the exalted playwright and in articulating him and his works in modern-day happenings.The ambience also creates the mood to go back and forth in time, in the dark lights used and the bright side spotlight which fell in different layers on Arka, surrounded by stark, black stage-curtains to give him an almost ghostly appearance.The pronounced and emphasised British accent while Arka read out the Shakespeare’s works, the measured tones for lines for the famous plays, quoting the Victorian poet Matthew Arnold’s sonnet on the dramatist, and then engaging the audience to share what comes to mind when they think of Shakespeare, all reveal a deep love and regard for the “Bard of Avon”.Lovingly handling the works, Arka puts on the brilliant jacket festooned with shells and mirrors, and gives contemporary examples to show how Shakespeare’s works would always be relevant. From the bloody assassination of…More

The Hindu : If “Jodhaa-Akbar” whetted your appetite for the splendours of the Mughal era, take a short detour from the tourist trail around Agra and head to Fatehpur Sikri. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the most splendid and intriguing ofEmperor Akbar’s legacies.Located in the state of Uttar Pradesh, this magnificent “deserted city” was once the seat of the 16th Century Mughal Emperor, Akbar, and is 40 km drive from Agra. Having no expectations about what lay ahead, there was a sense of intrigue on sightingthe high walls of the fort which hinted at the scale of the ancient complex.Then along came the auto-rickshaws. For Rs. 30 they drove us up the steep hill and deposited us at the bottom of the steep sandstone stairs that lead to the Buland Darwaza — “The Gate Of Magnificence”.The short journey provided views of the sun rising above the misty city below. Fatehpur Sikri, meaning “Victorious Place (at Sikri)” was chosen by Akbar to be his dual capital along with Agra. His inclusionary reputation is reflected throughout this multi-purpose complex which once contained palaces, masjids, audience halls, residences, gardens and pools. Its architectural style is also multi-faceted with Muslim, Hindu and Jain influences. The fort not only was home to his royal household but also his Hindu and Muslim ministers, his harem and members of the Muslim clergy.Although the fort was abandoned towards the end of the 16th Century, the vivid colours of the building contained within it, the countryside surrounding it and the sky above it almost convince you that there is still his regal presence here.The majority of the buildings inside the fort, including the impressive Panch Mahal or five-tiered palace, are made from the red, pink and brown-hued sandstone found in the surrounding area. However, the courtyard is dominated by the stark white marble mausoleum built to honour the Sufi Saint, SalimChisti.Stories are still told…More

The Hindu : Diamonds are forever, the saying goes. Diamond aficionados in the garden city now have a new haven. The city’s renowned 130-year old C. Krishniah Chetty and Sons (CKC) have set up an exclusive diamond showroom, near Safina Plaza.The showroom spread across two stories boasts nearly 14 main varieties and numerous sub-varieties of diamonds. The store apparently has diamonds to suit all pockets, ranging from tiny solitaires for the earlobe to necklaces containing over 20 diamonds. The shop has a collection that ranges in pricing from thousands to crores of rupees.The ground floor of the store contains a wide variety of diamonds. Many diamond-studded earrings, watches, small necklaces, bangles, bracelets are on display.They also house a heritage collection, comprising diamond necklaces re-created on the basis of traditional diamond sets from an earlier era, from CKC’s own bank of designs.The store also showcases a rather unique collection, featuring diamond necklaces that have been designed based on a series of paintings by artist Triveni Hayagriv.The store not only sells diamonds, but also provides a great deal of information about precious stones. Books, LCD screens, touch screens adorn the store and provide a great deal of information about diamonds, pearls, emeralds and other precious stones, their characteristics, their maintenance etc.The fibre-optic lighting in the store and on the panels showcasing the diamonds is subtle and allows the customers to browse through the collections for longer periods. The store also has trained personnel providing information and suggestions to customers.Meanwhile, the second floor of the store mainly deals with high-end jewellery. Exclusive personal lounges, which allow the customers privacy in selecting diamond sets, aided by diamond experts is a key USP of the store.The second floor features collections ranging from rubies, emeralds, pearls etc with diamonds.The section features diamond sets designed on the basis of earlier designs crafted in the last century. Some of the designs used by the CKC group…More