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The Hindu :

PHOTOS: SOMA BASUALL ABOUT ELEGANT LIVING At The Elephant Court

The Elephant CourtThekkadyUSP: Enjoy life close to NatureEverything at “The Elephant Court”, Thekkady, comes in “elephantine” proportions, be it the food, hospitality or the size of the rooms.

Dubbed the “largest luxury resort”, and set in one of the finest wildlife sanctuaries, the hotel spreads over four acres of a beautifully landscaped hillock.The first venture of Vijaya Hospitality & Resorts , the hotel’s 65 rooms reflect the palatial luxury of the Maharajas of Travancore, Cochin and Calicut.

The architecture is a fusion oftraditional design and contemporarysensibilities.”It reinforces the relationship betweenman and Nature. The extensiveuse of teak keeps the interiors cool,”says general manager John Mathews.Swathed in earthy hues of brown andgreen, an attractive feature of the propertyis the “charupady”, in traditionalKerala style. This extended, carvedwooden bench runs around every privateand public space in the resort.

Miniature elephants, over-sizedfrogs, tortoises and crocodiles set amidtall cotton and jackfruit trees, brightmorning glory, green grassy moundsand tall buffalo grass make for a visualtreat.Right from the main entrance to therooms, every inch of space has beenthoughtfully and aesthetically done up.The hotel offers six types of rooms. Therooms with patios have comfortabletwin beds. The exquisite detailing ofthe interiors, especially the tablelamps made of handmade paper patternedwith footprints of wildlife, createsa feel of the outdoors.The Executive Enclaves are distinctivespaces within spaces with separatework and living areas equippedwith state-of-the-art communicationfacilities for corporate travellers.Equipped with a Jacuzzi, the GardenSuite has a secluded, well-manicuredlawn complete with pebbledpaths, a bench and a fish pond. TheHoneymoon Suite is an intimate spacewith a glass wall that separates thebedroom and the Jacuzzi. Then thereis the pool studio which offers a rareexperience – there’s a private pool inthe living room that has glass tiles thatallow sunlight to filter through. Stepout of the pool, and all one has to do isslide the glass doors to enter a…More

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Kshom — art and frames will be displayed

Date: January 31 and February 1, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Venue: Alliance Francaise, No. 108 Thimmaiah Road, Vasanthnagar

Contact: 41231340

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The Hindu : y>Watch Chibi Maruko Chan and answer questions

Are you a ‘Chibi Maruko Chan’ fan? Here’s something you’ll enjoy then. Watch the programme on Nick from February 2 to 27 at 5.30 p.m. from Monday to Friday, and answer questions. With the correct answers, you stand a chance of winning gifts such as tattoos, wristbands and gang badges. Visitwww.nickindia.com to upload your gang’s pictures, download wallpapers, play games such as Maruko Sudoku, colour your own Maruko and even give tips to Maruko.

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MotherTree is having a six-week intensive course on Soul Coaching by Nandinii Sen

Date: February 1 onwards

Fees: Rs. 2,000 per weekPet therapy

There is a session for pets called “Reiki for Animals”

Date: January 31, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Venue: Mother tree Defence Colony, Indiranagar

Contact: 9901851084/ 96323 44144

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The Hindu : y>Choose from a range of merchandise from Archies

News for all die-hard Roadies fans. MTV, in association with Archies, launches a line of Roadies merchandise. The collection comprises wall clocks, alarm clocks, satchels, mugs, metal sippers, photo frames, playing cards, mobile pouches, wallets, wrist bands and more. The range is available at select Archies galleries, and priced from Rs. 50 to Rs. 999.

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Penguin Books India and Crossword are presenting the launch of Jahnavi Barua’s “Next Door Stories”, where Shashi Deshpande will be in conversation with the author.

Date: January 31, 7 p.m.

Venue: Crossword Bookstore, ACR Towers, No. 32 Residency Road.

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The Hindu :

Avoid packaged, processed food to keep healthy

Photo: S. MahinshaUnhealthy bite Children are sold on packaged foods

If you must make one New Year resolution relating to food, make it about avoiding packaged processed foods.

We are not talking about whole-wheat flour or sunflower oil here, even though these undergo “processing” to reach your supermarket shelf.

The foods referred to here have undergone loss of natural nutrients or addition of fat, sugar or salt during processing.

If you have to cobble together a meal only from ingredients recognisable as food even 2000 years ago, natural foods with a greater nutrient/calorie ratio are your only option.

Hummus, a paste of boiled chickpeas, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic, and roasted sesame seeds, is a zillion times more nutritious than jam, ketchup or butter as a bread spread. Similarly, roasted nuts and fresh fruit are better snacks than sweets, namkeen or other fried stuff.

Processed foods do more than just steer you away from nutritious, natural foods. They have serious faults of their own that should give pause to the health-conscious.Empty calories

An itsy-bitsy single serving packet of instant noodles contains 400-500 calories — the energy present in five apples. The equivalence is misleading. An apple is chock-full of fibre, vitamins, and antioxidants; it is low in sodium and rich in potassium.

Instant noodles, on the other hand, deliver few nutrients per calorie: few vitamins, little fibre or potassium, and no antioxidants.

You can do your own analysis for milk versus soft drinks.Sodium: Processed foods use lashings of salt as a preservative (pickles) or as a palate-stunner (potato chips). Sodium finds its way into non-salty processed foods (biscuits, bread and ketchup) in the form of sodium bicarbonate and monosodium glutamate (MSG). The sodium in these foods contributes no differently than common salt when it comes to affecting hypertension.

Trans fats: More atherogenic than lard or butter, trans fat (found…More

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Travel & Living, Saturday, 9 p.m.

Higher than the Eiffel Tower and shaped like a sail, the Burj Al Arab is the first and the only seven star hotels in the world. What do you do to gain a seven star status? The series takes you on a guided tour of the facilities and go beyond the scenes to tell the story on volcano in the atrium, the submarine in the restaurant and the world class water park in the grounds.Fast track,

Zee Studio, Saturday, 10.30 p.m.

A slacker is forced to work for his father-in-law after his pregnant wife steps away from her high-paying job.Cool Stuff: How it Works?

Discovery Channel, Sunday, 9 p.m.

This is a seven-part series, which exhibits the secrets of the most amazing technology used in various experiments. In this episode watch the host reveal the ultimate ID one could possess, the irises of one’s eye, which has only one in a decillion chance of being identical.

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The Hindu : SHONALI MUTHALALY

Ashfaque Qureshi, of the iconic Qureshi family, on cooking, chefs and cuisine

Photo: R. RAVINDRANCONJURING UP DELICACIES Chef Mohammed Irfan Qureshi and Mohammed Ashfaque Qureshi

Sing a song of sixpence a pocket full of rye, Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.

The king, apparently, was in his counting house, counting all his money. The queen was in her parlour, eating bread and honey. Not a bad combination at all, honestly. Besides, considering the royal chef’s wicked sense of humour, I don’t blame her for sticking to the straight and narrow. Who knows what horrors lurked beneath the murky depths of pea soup.

There’s an legend about an Indian chef who did the same thing. Apparently he would bake live birds into pies, so that they flew out the moment guests began their meal. And my guess is, when the pie was opened the birds certainly didn’t begin to sing. It sounds more like a scene from a blood-chilling Hitchcock movie than a pretty historical anecdote. But apparently it was quite charming and clever in those days. (Clear evidence, of course, that a society without ‘Sex and the City’ disintegrates in horrifying ways. Tsk. Tsk.)

Yet, it’s undeniable that royal chefs could — and still can — capture imaginations and create romance. So when I recently met Mohammed Ashfaque Qureshi, of the iconic Qureshi family that’s produced master chefs from more than 200 years, of course I brought up the birds.

Chef Ashfaque says his family “worked for the king’s kitchen: the Nawab of Awadh.” (The nawabs governed in the in the 18th and 19th century. The region is in the centre of what’s Uttar Pradesh today). But he’s still rather cagey about the avian pie.

“Well, if Tan Sen (of Akbar’s court) could create rain, or light lamps with his song, then yes, a chef could create a pie filled with live birds,”…More

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Doodle Den is hosting Madhubani painting sessions for children aged from seven to 16 by Rohini Sen

Date: January 31, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Venue: Doodle Den, Curley Street, Richmond Town

Fees: Rs. 1,350

Contact: 41240090

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