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The Hindu : Travel dealsNow you can discover Europe as Lee Cooper announces the launch of the first official Lee Cooper Backpacking Expedition, in association with The Backpackers Co. Lee Cooper. The expedition is spread across two weeks, starting with the town of Nice and ending in London. Backpackers can shop at the Lee Cooper stores in London and Paris, visit the landmark locations like Champs Elysees and the Eiffel Tower in Paris, run with bulls in Pamplona, attend the Bread and Butter festival in Barcelona and be the first to enjoy the Lee Cooper Centenary year celebrations there, visit beautiful Cannes in Nice, chill out with a beer at Hard Rock Café in Paris, London and Barcelona to name a few. Shoppers who shop for a minimum of Rs. 2,999 at any Lee Cooper outlet will be chosen for the trip through a lucky draw. The offer is valid till June 10.* * *There will be a series of cultural and other activities that will take place in Italy over the next couple of months.The International Food and Film Festival at Bologna began on May 7. For details log on towww.slowfoodonfilm.it.Maggio Musicale Florentino is on from April 22 to July 1; details can be had onwww.maggiofiorentino.com. This is one of the oldest traditional cultural events of the city of Florence. The opera festival begins on June 13 and is presented again to the public with a full and rich calendar, with both classic and modern operas.Infiorata of Genzano on June 14 ( www.infiorata.it) includes events of spring and will celebrate two centuries in Genzano. There will also be exhibitions besides this.Admired worldwide, the Gold-Working School of Padua will open in the most prestigious exhibition venue of the city, the Medieval Palazzo della Ragione till August 3 ( www.turismopadova.it).The Castello Estense, Ferrara ( www.mostragarofalo.it), on till July 6, is the first exhibition staged in Ferrara by Ermitage Italia…More

The Hindu : Now you can watch the legends of Guitar on Vh1 in the “Gods of Guitar”. The show pays a tribute to some of the greatest guitarists and is a treat for all guitar patrons. As you savour the strumming of the strings by legends like Jimi Hendrix, Mark Knopfler and Carlos Santana, now you can look forward to meet the enigmatic and revolutionary Joe Satriani, perform live in Amsterdam.Viewers can also win a Joe Satriani autographed guitar and one lucky winner can win an exclusive Fender guitar, every week, say the makers of the television show. To enter the contest you need to watch Vh1 “Gods of Guitar” on Saturday at 11 a.m., and SMS the answer to the question that is flashed during the show to 56882. The last date of the contest is May 25….More

The Hindu : Buried by thesands of timeScience and spirituality merge at TalakaduIt is a classical Indian story set on the banks of the River Cauvery. It is the tale of Talakadu, the erstwhile fertile capital of the Ganga Dynasty that is now partially buried under sand dunes. It was a natural curiosity to unearth the secrets of Talakadu that took us there. While a geologist cites erosion and dams as the reason behind this sand-blown town, my local guide blames it on the curse of a woman.The curse on TalakaduHis narration takes us to the time when the Wodeyars of Mysore attacked and defeated Srirangapatna and Talakadu, which were under the Vijaynagar Empire. Wodeyar sent his soldiers to covet the jewels of the ruler’s widow Alamelamma.As she fled, she jumped into the Cauvery, cursing: “May Talakadu always be covered with sand and may the kings of Mysore always remain without heirs.”The locals fear the curse as they say that it has proved true. Talakadu is mysteriously engulfed by a sea of sand and the family tree of Mysore rulers shows a large number of adopted heirs.And, recent excavations have unearthed a Hoysala temple, besides Panchalingas from these hillocks of sand that cover the river basin — the story moves from being a mere myth to historic discoveries as well.We paused to give our feet a bit of rest and heard the story of Tala and Kada, the two hunters after whom this town in named. Sage Somadatta and his disciples were in the forest doing penance when they were killed by wild elephants. They were later reborn as elephants and continued their penance. One day, Tala and Kada watched the elephants offer prayers to a silk cotton tree. The curious hunters axed the tree, only to find it bleeding. A voice instructed them to heal the wound with the leaves, and the blood miraculously turned into milk.The…More

The Hindu : Say yes to yachtingEscape to north Goa and take a yacht out to seaIf you are planning a quiet retreat to the serene beaches of North Goa to escape the hustle of Bangalore, the 360 Beach Resort in Candolim beach in Goa may be the perfect location.The resort is managed by the proprietors of the famous 32nd milestone hotel on NH-8 in Gurgaon.The luxury resort boasts of a gymnasium, a well-equipped spa, and pools.The group plans to set up similar resorts on Calangute and Bagga beaches also.The season tariffs at the resort, by Goa’s standards, are reasonable, ranging from Rs. 8, 000 to Rs. 10,000 for a room with a seaside view. The resort also boasts a Goanese shack ‘Sunny Side Up’.Catch Lady MThe USP of the resort is the yacht, Lady M and procured by the group for a sum of Rs five crore.The yacht is anchored in the Mandovi River during the monsoon months.The owners claim that the yacht is the only one rented out to patrons.The yacht can hold up to 50 people, but due to safety reasons, only 22 people are allowed on a trip. A ride on the yacht costs nearly Rs. 20,000 for an hour-long ride and a lakh to rent it out for a day.The yacht can travel at a speed of 20 knots per hour.It also contains three off-shore bedrooms and is equipped with a state-of-the-art music system.The owner of the group, Anubav Sharma says the resort has special packages with discounts and other benefits for summer.So, for those of you with a sense of adventure and fun, take time-out and head out to sun-soaked beaches of North Goa….More

The Hindu : Liel Kolet has an Indian connection. The 18-year-old singer who has sung with former US President, Bill Clinton, and President of Germany, Horst Kohler, reveals that her surname comes from village Koleti, a village near Alibag on the western coast ofMaharashtra. “My grandfather was an Indian and lived in Koleti. I had heard very little about the place from him but I was curious to know more. I saw the property where my father lived and discovered an old family member. The whole experience was spiritual,” says Liel who performed in Bangalore with her five-member World music band. Liel is the official ambassador for the North of Israel, the UK-based charity institution “Children of Peace” and the American organisation “Seeds of Peace” which is supported by Bill Clinton. Her song “Dream of tomorrow” is the anthem of Children of Peace. While Children of Peace works towards building peace and friendship between Israeli and Palestinian children, Seeds of Peace does workshops and summer camps for teenagers from the Middle East. “As a child, I grew up witnessing war, violence and loss and these children are also seeing that. Children are innocent and they can make the change. The last war was a year ago between Israel and Lebanon. I live in an area which is close to the border. Every time there is a war, we have to hide in the bunkers,” she says. Living in a strife-torn country, she says it becomes essential and natural for her to talk about peace and hope in her music. Her first album Kineret Child released at the age of 13, had a song “Prayer”, for families who had lost loved ones in the wars. “Lot of artistes sing of peace and harmony but mine comes from heart because it is all so real for me,” says Liel who has been invited by the Pope to perform on May…More

The Hindu : It was sushi, cheese, champagne and chocolates at Swarovski’s glittering fashion show organised at Seitoku Kinen Kaigakan — the Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery at Tokyo, (formerly Emperor Meiji’s funeral site). It was expensive sparkle everywhere from crystal tableware to fashion accessories of models as they walked the ramp, showing off the company’s exclusive, haute couture collection. A nice touch was an exhibition tracing the history and evolution of Swarovski craftsmanship from the 19th century.A fashion iconStyles favoured by fashion icons then and now were displayed with personal notes of appreciation and gratitude to the various members of the Swarovski family from Hollywood stars who had sported the crystals on the red carpet and elsewhere. They included thank you notes from the likes of Madonna, Courtney Cox and Meryl Streep.The launch of Swarovski’s flagship store earlier in the evening was pretty ‘red carpet’ too. It was a sparkling event, quite literally, as thousands of steel prisms making up the façade of the store, glinted, shone, reflected and bedazzled onlookers as they witnessed the launch of Swarovski Ginza, the first flagship store of Swarovski, the world’s leading producer of precision-cut crystal for fashion jewellery, lighting, architecture and interiors.The store in Tokyo’s fashion hub, Ginza, opened ceremoniously with members of the Swarovski family, the who’s who of Tokyo, fashion celebrities, the media and champagne in attendance. The inside was spectacular with crystal-embedded floors, ethereal crystal chandeliers, and the store’s two levels connected by a crystal staircase!The architectureTokujin Yoshioka (winner of the Designer of the Year Award), the architect of the store, worked around the theme of a ‘crystal forest’ and had installed a crystal waterfall and ice-branches, all lit up with state-of-the-art lighting and LED displays.A range of jewellery exclusively created for the Ginza store were on display as was the Daniel Swarovski collection offering couture jewellery, handbags and custom-made crystal apparel. Stylish sofas, luxuriously upholstered, added the…More

The Hindu : BeatstreetPiya Piya - CDTimes MusicRs. 150 (CD) – Rs. 45 (cassette)Upbeat, tuneful and melodic, the Times Music album Piya Piya featuring several well-known names in the music world is soft on the ear.What do you get when Ustad Sultan Khan, Roop Kumar Rathod, Richa Sharma, Harshdeep and Vasu Rampal come together for a melodic meet? The expected harmony is no doubt there.Take the title track, “Piya Piya Morey Piya”, for instance. The main singer, Sultan Khan’s prolific Hindustani background comes across and the well-tuned number gets contemporary touches from Hanif Khan and Tarannum, which makes for a smooth aural glide juxtaposed well with the beats.Ustad Sultan Khan, the renowned Indian sarangi player and singer is one of the members of the Indian fusion group Tabla Beat Science with Zakir Hussain and Bill Laswell. Belonging to the Indore Gharana, Khansahib’s sarangi and vocal gayaki ang make his classical repertoire something to remember.The nine tracks of the album, with roots in Indian music, stretch themselves elegantly to bring in more modern overtones. Romance, mysticism, nostalgia and yearning are some of the sentiments that the album spans across with good orchestration.“Chithiyan” by Richa Sharma takes you along a different scale of tune, while an elaborate and soothing pastoral mood is set in “Saajan Aayo Re” by Harshdeep, L. Narayan and Vasant.The lovely, deep voice of Roop Kumar Rathod in “Jhir Mir Jhir Mir” is a treat and the excellent beats conceived for the background is something one should not miss. The raag chosen too aptly suits the mood of the lover yearning for his beloved and it’s full marks to Roop Kumar for his emotive presentation that has some vocal rhythm too for variety.“Soniye Mithi Mithi” by L. Narayan, Uma Shankar and Pratik ripples along the surface, with some soft handling of lyrics by the artists. Vasu Rampal in “Jisko Dekha Hai” also has Tarannum for the styled…More

The Hindu : There was a time when only royalty aspired to haute couture. The rest of us plebs were happy trotting off to Tailor Master with reams of cloth to clothe the entire family. And everyone from papa, mama, chunnu, munnu to the doors, windows and bedspreads, all sported similar motifs. Then came the ready-made revolution and we were equally sanguine about picking up stuff off the racks. As a special treat, there were the generous gifts of sneakers and jeans from uncles and aunties and cousins from across the ocean.All changed, and now, with more money to burn after acquiring the latest phone and sundry gadgets, the janta are turning their sights to couture. And on cue comes Kalpana Wadhwa’s designer store, Bliss. Kalpana, who is originally from Delhi, moved to Bangalore eight years ago. A commerce graduate, Kalpana has also studied fashion and decided to open Bliss to cater those who fancied “high-end prêt”.Kalpana is planning to start her own label soon, but for now the store stocks upcoming designers from around the country including Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta and Hyderabad. The clothes are mainly indo-western and subtle. While on the racks we spied a navy blue outfit with some heavy-duty bling, Kalpana insists there is just enough bling to make the clothes fun.“It is a store for everyone. The idea is to make couture accessible to all,” Kalpana explains. “The clothes are wearable. The tagline for the store is ‘wear your ego’ and that explains it all. We stock clothes that make you feel good about yourself.”Apart from the smart and slinky kurtis, tops, salwar kameez, the store also stocks bags, shoes and accessories. Kalpana will follow the fashion seasons and there would new lines every season. “The new lines would be launched with a glitzy fashion show,” comments the lady who would like to dress Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lopez and closer home Ramya Krishnamoorthy.Clothes…More

The Hindu : Down the street parallel to Grafton Street and opposite St. Stephens Green is the Celtic Whiskey Store. Besides stocking the best of whiskeys (including Dewars from India) this store is popular because of the free tastings you get.One morning, I am there after breakfast swigging at all kinds of Irish whiskeys. And, so, it is with a light head that I walk out of the store and towards the Trinity College.Like is characteristic of Irish weather, rain accompanies me for some of the way and then out comes the sun. And, just like that, a rainbow arches across the sky as I am passing the Christ Church Cathedral.The Trinity College and its Book of Kells dating back to 850 AD make it the star attraction; so, don’t really expect to stand and stare at it at leisure. Because of its immense popularity, the Book gets the same kind of adulation as the principal deity in a popular Indian temple and you have90 seconds or so to dwell on this so well preserved blast from the past.Quite frankly, the stunning Long Room, where the book is housed, is more awe-inspiring. The Long Room houses about 25,000 of the library’s oldest volumes, and just the fact that you are surrounded by the works of great literary minds from across the millennia gave me the goosebumps.Shoppers’ delightShopoholics will get their excitement exploring the area around St Stephen’s Green, especially Grafton Street.Mainly cobble-stoned and with a lot of pedestrian traffic, this is where you can buy anything from connoisseur cigars to the coolest clothes during the day.It is also the place where the crowds descend to party once the sun sets. And should you be pining for a taste of India, it is also home to Rajdoot Tandoori, an Indian restaurant.More up my street are the super-pubs there. Dublin’s public house licensing laws are quite outdated, so pub owners…More

The Hindu : It went as silently as it came. Though it was here for almost two whole months, most people didn’t even know the circus was in town. When was the last time you took your child to a circus instead of an amusement park or an overcrowded mall?Today is Circus Day in memory of the Ringling Brothers’ Circus. From being the last frontier for all that is boho and cool, the circus is fast fading in the collective conscience.Snehita Kumar, a businesswoman and mother of two says, “I don’t get enough time to spend with my children. The little time I get with them, I have help them with their studies. As a family we go out for movies and dinner and most often we go to a mall because we save time doing so many things simultaneously.”Another parent, Dharanesh Prakash, an engineer is of the opinion that “the concept of circuses itself is outdated.” He feels that this generation has been introduced only to the malls and the amusement parks; that children don’t particularly fancy visiting the circus. However, his colleague Paromita points out, “How can you expect a child to fancy the circus when he hasn’t even seen one or has not been told about the magnificent tight-rope walkers or the comical jugglers?”Youngsters claim that the circus isn’t fun anymore. Seventeen-year-old college student Sujith S.K. asks “Who needs the circus when we have television and comedy serials? When you can hire a clown or two for a child’s birthday party, who needs to go to the circus anyway?”Dharanesh thinks “going to the circus is a sheer waste because children are constantly distracted by the vendors that they hardly ever watch the show. Also, the circus tent gets very crowded and stuffy; soon the children begin losing interest and become restless.”His wife Rupa feels sorry for the children who perform at the circus. She also…More