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The Hindu : Holiday placesThis year experience the monsoons by the beach. Here are a few optionsGoa is beautiful, we all know it, but it looks splendid in the monsoons. Enjoy the rains at The Leela Goa, cradled by the heavenly water bodies and amidst green lush gardens.Sip on a hot cuppa of tea in the private patio of your room overlooking the blue lagoons or just walk barefoot along the beach listening to the ocean’s roar and feel the rain and salt spray splash on your face.You can experience the picturesque south Goan countryside by ferry ride or enjoy the carnival like atmosphere at the Bonderam Festival, celebrated at the quaint island of Divar surrounded by rice fields and wooded hills at the peak of monsoon in August. Just take your pick. Cradled between the Arabian Sea and River Sal, the 75 acre resort is 50 minutes by air from Mumbai and a scenic 45 minute drive from the airport through verdant coconut groves. It has luxurious villas, suites and rooms.For further information, please visitwww.theleela.comMonsoon getaways at The Leela Kovalam Beach, KeralaIf the beaches of Kerala appeal to you more then you could head towards The Leela Kovalam Beach, Kerala. Amidst the greens, to get soaked in the rains by the beachside would be awesome. At the hotel’s Divya’s spa, there are ayurvedic massages.Or just savour the cultural flavours of God’s own country by watching Kathakali or Kalaripayattu.You can watch the Nehru Trophy Boat race, held on the second Saturday of August every year at Alappuzha, known as the “venice of the east.”For further information visitwww.theleela.com…More

The Hindu : Any wardrobe is incomplete without this one. It is what every fashion designer, ever celebrity will vouch for. The quintessential blue jeans turned 135 years old recently. Seems like a really long time, isn’t it? But the reality is that this humble piece of clothing is only getting younger with age. May 20, 1873 is when Levi Strauss along with Jacob Davis, a tailor from Nevada, received the U.S. patent on the process designing men’s pants with metal rivets. That led to the creation of the legendary 501 jeans, which still sells like hot cakes.Definitely what we wear now is nowhere close to what it originally was. The rough and tough material has made way for softer and more manageable fabric, and the original indigo colour has split into different hues. The cuts have changed, the looks have changed but the attitude remains intact. “Jeans has survived because it is the most democratic garment ever created by man. It doesn’t matter whether you are thin or fat, you can always find a pair that fits you,” explains says Shyam Sukhramani, Director, Marketing, Levi’s India.But is it just that which makes the blue jeans so popular with people? It has much to with its ability to adapt to cultures. Wear it below an ethnic kurta or kurti, and you will get a chic-Indian look.Team it with a T-shirt for a casual, and with a blazer for a semi-formal feel.The popularity of jeans is somewhat amazing considering that it was initially meant for the hardworking labours. But today most brands target the progressive youth. Even the new trends are created keeping them in mind.Fashion changes every season, and jeans too have kept pace. A new cut or style is unveiled every few months. The choice is ever expanding. As newer patterns come in, does it signify the death of the classic straight fit jeans? It is a…More

The Hindu : We were told there’s no mobile connectivity or landline in that part of the region. At first, the idea of not being in touch with the outside world didn’t perturb us. But would it be as easy as it seemed? The first panic attack hit us aswe entered the boundary of Jim Corbett National Park. Our signals went blank. “Is your phone catching any signal?” everyone was asking the other. “Oh God! How will we survive three days?” was the next worry.Nestled within the protected reserve of the 500-sq km forest, Solluna Resort introduces you to a life without buzzing phones, television and computers, and one where Nature is at its purest best. Suddenly, the mobile phone becomes a thing of the past. A haven for wildlife enthusiasts, Jim Corbett National Park is located in Terai on the foothills of the Himalayas in Nainital district, Uttarakhand. And Solluna Resort is 35 km inside the Park. It is built on the banks of the river Ramganga, and surrounded by rocky peaks with a dense tree cover on all sides. It is 25 acres of sheer bliss — green lawns and tree-lined pathwayson either side.At present, there are 18 cottages, but, by September the number will increase to 51 when the entire resort undergoes a five-star makeover. The resort has tied up with the Sarovar Group of Hotels for this.There are two cottages under one roof, and clusters of such identical buildings in different parts of the resort. Colourful climbers and shrubs adorn the outer walls. There’s a small seating arrangement outside the cottage, where you can sip your morning tea at leisure.The rooms are spacious, with a huge, wooden double-bed and a pair of bamboo lamp posts by the bedside, giving a jungle feel. A skylight allows you to enjoy the landscape lying down. The silence of the place is infectious; you no longer feel the…More

The Hindu : Lord Jeffrey Archer is holding court and all the acolytes rush to him with their much-thumbed copies of “Kane and Abel”, “First Among Equals” and the latest, “Prisoner of Birth” for an autograph.As he settles for yet another interview, as part of his six-city India tour, courtesy Landmark, Archer comments with a certain smugness: “Book tours are a necessary evil only if no one reads your books and doesn’t know your name.” Something the 67-year-old author does not have to bother about, considering the rock-star reception he gets wherever he goes.Talk to him about the obscene sums of money writers get these days and the former MP piously says: “Money does not motivate me any more. For my first book, ‘Not a Penny Less, Not a Penny More’, I got an advance of 3,000 pounds. Now my motivation is just to meet my fans.”While Archer’s books are marked by breathless plots and extraordinary coincidences; they are singularly lacking in the blood and gore department. “My books don’t have any sex, violence or bad language. Forget all the other rubbish. I believe in telling a good story.”The comment brings to mind Ian Fleming who drenched his books in sex and sadism but refrained from bad language, attributing the restraint to his puritan Scottish forebears. However, classifying Archer’s work as pulp fiction has him immediately bristling with annoyance. “Pulp implies something that does not last. ‘Kane and Abel’ is still current, 30 years after it first came out. Of course I would not describe my writing as high literature but definitely not pulp.”It is time to switch to safer spaces like cricket. Ask him about 20/20 and he laughs and mischievously says: “I don’t know anything about cricket! Ah ok, you got me there! 20/20 is hugely entertaining like a circus but has nothing to do with cricket. Cricket is V.V.S. Laxman and Rahul Dravid surviving the…More

The Hindu : On the National Geographic Channel, catch “Situation Critical — Miracle at Quecreek” today at 8 p.m. where a rescue operation of miners battle for their lives . On 24 July 2002, eighteen miners descend into the Black Wolf mine in Quecreek, Pennsylvania. A few hours later, their lives are plunged into peril when one of the miners accidentally breaks through into a long abandoned mine, unleashing 60 million gallons of stagnant groundwater. Nine of the miners manage to fight their way through the raging torrent and escape. The other nine retreat to the highest section of the mine, where they sit and wait to be drowned by the rising floodwater. Their only hope is that the feverish rescue operation underway 240 feet above their heads will reach them before the water does. Seventy seven hours later, the miners are plucked to safety through a 30-inch wide rescue shaft, drilled by their heroic team of rescuers.On June 3, 9 p.m. on “Naked Science — The Deep”, explore the never-seen-before world of the deep oceans.It is home to violent volcanoes, temperatures hot enough to melt lead, the longest living animals on the planet, and earthquakes so powerful, they create giant tsunamis. The episode takes you past the longest mountain range on earth, through thousands of underwater volcanoes.Deeper still, “The Deep” plunges past The Titanic to reach the abyssal plain, a vast expanse of sea floor that is a whale graveyard….More

The Hindu : Breakfast for brainsA complex breakfast can keep children mentally healthyParents, please note, just by adding a piece of an apple or a glass of hot milk to your children’s breakfast, you could protect them from depression, anxiety and disobedience, a new study has claimed. A team at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research in Perth has carried out a study of more than 800 students and found that a complex breakfast is directly linked to better mental health in children.According to lead researcher Therese O’Sullivan, this may be because mental functioning is actually affected by the absorption of a variety of nutrients. Cereal and milk in particular supply calcium, iron and B vitamins that assist neurotransmitters, chemicals needed to transfer information in the nervous systems. that are directly responsible for behaviour and mood. For their study, the researchers enlisted over 800 14-year-old girls and boys and analysed their breakfast intake over three days.They found that just one in four teens ate a high quality breakfast containing three or more of the five food groups, cereals, fruit, vegetables, dairy products, and meats and alternatives like beans, nuts and eggs.Those who ate from more food groups for their morning meal scored higher on a child behaviour checklist, with an improvement in mood seen for every extra food type added, the study revealed.It didn’t matter what they added, just that they added something different like a banana to their cereal to make that meal more complete with vitamins and minerals.From what we found, that makes a huge difference. “For every additional food group added the mental health status improved markedly across the sample,”The Age quoted O’Sullivan as saying.PTI…More

The Hindu : Even if your child didn’t know how to read, the illustrations are enough to keep him hooked. The stories of “Bhasmasura” and “Bakasura” are the latest from Karadi Tales. The tale of the wily Bhasmasura, his trickery, Lord Shiva’s predicament, Mohini’s artful seduction of the asura, and how she vanquishes him, is narrated in a lively style that has one all ears. And when it is Girish Karnad telling you the story that is accompanied by suitably exciting sound effects, the result is pure entertainment.The famous story of Bakasura is as captivating. The Pandavas, during their exile, find themselves in a village where everyone is in a pall of gloom. The reason is Bakasura. Every day, one of the villagers has to offer himself as a meal to the demon. Otherwise, he has promised to come down to their village and create mayhem. Of course, Bhima can’t resist the challenge and he sets off as Bakasura’s prospective lunch, only to tease, infuriate, madden and finally kill the rakshasa. Again, the coherent and expressive narration by Karnad is impeccable, and the illustrations simply marvellous.“Bakasura” and “Bhasmasura” come attractively packaged. They are glossy, attractively designed and beautifully illustrated. And, in the case of Karadi Tales, they are accompanied by amusing songs and foot-tapping music. The twin pack with two books and two CDS is priced at Rs. 200. Talking of its packaging, Kalidasa’s “Abhijnanashakuntalam” brought out by Charkha Books is striking. Packed in attractively-designed corrugated cardboard, the illustrations in the audio book are works of art.A slightly grown up tale the story of Kalidasa’s Shakuntala is narrated by Shobhana. Her voice and the music is mellifluous as are the Sanskrit shlokas and verses that effortlessly merge with the English text.The story recreates Kalidasa’s greatest composition written two thousand odd years ago. Being a story of romance, courtship, heartbreak and reunion of valiant Dushyanta and the beautiful Shakuntala…More

The Hindu : Want to own a Tod’s Luna nylon media bag, the one that Hollywood hottie Halle Berry has or the Ballerina Dee that Jessica Alba wears… then Bangalore’s swish set can head to Tod’s boutique at UB city mall — the brand’s first ever boutique in the entire country.With spaces like UB city, the luxury retail shopping mall, and Indians getting increasingly brand conscious, the time is just ideal for all the foreign brands to make an entry here.The boutique showcases the Spring-Summer 2008 collection. From their famous Gommino shoes for men and women to Malibu penny loafers, natural leather Natti bags, key chains, belts, there is a variety of leather products to choose from.There are dedicated sections for men and women. Yes, their famous Gommino driving shoes are here. In suede, calf leather, they come in different shades of brown, a combination of white, blue and green, priced between Rs. 21,000 to Rs. 28,000. You won’t find much variety in suede or suede combos as the material doesn’t go well with Indian seasons specially the monsoons, and also Indians prefer leather.The driving shoes were originally meant to be only for driving but their comfortable and flexible nature have people wearing them all over. Though Tod’s logo isn’t as prominently visible on the shoes, their signature rubble pebble soles are enough to make out that it’s a Tod’s product.The Ego shoes,priced at Rs. 25,000 can be worn to work and toevening get-togethers. The section has caps, laptop carriers, cardholders, belts and bracelets too.The women’s Ballerina Dee comes with buckle, patent leather toe, elasticised sides, and signature rubber driving shoe sole. The Ballerinas, in different colours and in combination of suede and leather start from Rs. 22,000 and go up to Rs. 24,000. The Malibu penny loafers in turquoise blue cost Rs. 22,000 whereas the Red penny heels are priced at Rs. 29,000. If you are looking…More

The Hindu : I stood on tiptoe, trying to take up as little space as possible. Which, let me assure you, is not an easy task when you have size 12 feet. But I was full of trepidation on that bus, the free shuttle that connects Val D’Isere with all the hamlets strung out along the valley at 1850 m altitude, under the imposing Bellevarde Mountain in the French Alps.The reason for my impromptu ballerina act was that I was the odd one out — the only person whose feet were not shod in clunky and heavy ski boots. Had one of those feet come down on my innocent canvas covered ones, it would have been mashed pota‘toes’ for breakfast on that lovely wintry morning.I had arrived in Val D’Isere in the Rhone Alps region of France for a weekend of skiing as an escape from the searing Indian summer. Though this was the very end of the ski season, there was more than enough snow to give the entire village a whitewashed look and ensure that its slopes were busy with skiers.On my first walk around the village and the ski slopes, what struck me as fantastic was the incredible infrastructure. The sky was crisscrossed with ski lifts attached to cables taking skiers up huge slopes.The mountain side seemed to be buzzing with skiers. For those who had had their fill, cafeterias and snack houses provided a welcome respite.Skiers everywhereThe next morning, fortified by a breakfast of French rolls and various kinds of cheese, I hopped onto one of the free shuttles and headed out to Le Fornet, one of the last hamlets. I was certainly the odd one out because everyone else was either carrying skis or a snowboard.While they hopped off the bus and onto a huge cable car that would take them up the slopes from which they’d come tearing down, I set off…More

The Hindu : People don’t expect me to even enter the kitchen, leave alone cook well,” laments Diandra Soares. Call it stereotype or the nature of work, we get to see a monochromatic image of our models. “Courtesy my bold image on the ramp, people think I’m unapproachable, which is not true,”says supermodel Nina Manuel.These ravishing models are not alone. Sameer Soni, a leading model and actor, says it hurts when the media terms the industry as full of people with loose morals and alternative sexual preferences. “Such people are present in every field. Just because the fashion and entertainment industry are under flashbulbs all the time, we have to face such generalisations,” says Soni, who is playing a gay designer in Madhur Bhandarkar’s “Fashion”.Generally we think it’s the actors whoface the threat from the models, but it’s the other way round as well. “Models are no longer used as showstoppers.Now designers bring in their Bollywood friends. We feel neglected,” says Diandra. “In fact, be it ramp or television commercials, cricketers and actors have taken up lots of assignments, which were meant for models,” she adds. Nina agrees that it is a trend, but doesn’t find it unhealthy. “There is no longer a line between fashion and films.”Once theatre used to be a breeding ground for actors. Today the ramp is giving it competition. Muzzamil Ibrahim, quit modelling to do Pooja Bhatt’s “Dhoka”. The film failed but he doesn’t want to return to the fold. “Modelling is no longer the career it used to be some years ago, particularly for men. Today, almost anybody with a good face and a fake accent can become a model, as many designers don’t value class.”Diandra, who is a mentor on Channel V’s Get Gorgeous, agrees that most youngsters don’t know that modelling and acting are two different worlds with special requirements. “After Bipasha’s success, many young girls use modelling as a…More