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The Hindu :

Experience the magic of Ayrveda on the shores of the Ashtamudi

Photo: Sharath KrishnamurthyGently by the WATERS Ashtamudi Lake

The kohl-rimmed eyes smile at me. “It is the aroma of jasmine,” she says by way of introduction.

My eyes close as the heady fragrance lulls me to sleep. The distant flicker of the lamp slowly goes out of focus. A lilting melody floats out of nowhere.

“This is the Shrishruka thailam. It treats sinus,” she adds softly. I open my eyes as Sandhya, my therapist, pours the oil from a miniature bronze jar onto her palms, and works magic on my scalp. I am in God’s Own Country, getting a taste of God’s own medicine, at Svaastha, an ayurvedic spa in Ashtamudi.

Outside, the waters from the lake gently lash against the coconut trees as the sun’s rays paint silvery hues.

I try not to think. After all, massages are about shutting your mind and pampering your body. The fingers soothe every ache and coax the rigid muscles as they move from the head to the neck.

“That’s Ayurveda, a 4,000-year-old science, a part of Atharvana Veda, created by the Gods and preserved by man,” explains Ayurvedic doctor Ratheesh Kumar.

He refers to the bio-energies in the human body — vatha, pitha and kapha. I step out rejuvenated, and the beauty in front is mesmerising.

The Ashtamudi Lake stretches in front, coconut trees interrupting the seamless flow. This is one of the best-kept secrets of Kerala — the second largest lake after Vembanad, and yet, tourism is a recent phenomena here.

The Chinese nets lie on the waters as the fishermen wait for the night. Small green islands glisten like emeralds against the blue horizon, some of them home to just three or four families. And their connection to civilisation is only narrow canals and wooden bridges.Paradise regained

My boat takes me into a cruise to paradise. The Kallada…More

The Hindu :

An orchestra must work as a single entity, says David Murphy, conductor of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra

DAVID MURPHY Drawing inspiration from many styles

David Murphy, the conductor of the world famous Scottish Chamber Orchestra was always a keen student of music, right from childhood. “I felt music was in my veins. I studied professional music, violin, and chamber music at the Guildhall Schoolof Music, after I had bagged a scholarship. Initially, I gave many solo performances across Britain and Europe,” he says, on telephone from England.First break

His debut in conducting an orchestra happened by chance. “It was sheer luck. The conductor had suddenly taken ill and I was the only person in the troupe who had a cane to conduct an orchestra! I was asked to conduct the show. I enjoyed the performance thoroughly. A Welsh arts scholarship helped me pursue conducting classes in the United States.”

David is thrilled about joining ranks with the Indian sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan for the 100 Piper’s Orchestra performances across the country. “It is a great privilege to perform with great classical musicians.”Talking about the event, David says: “It will broadly encompass a mix of Indian classical and western music. It is a new and interesting concept and has not been attempted before elsewhere in the world. The music draws inspiration from many styles.”

“Music is a language in itself. As many musicians point out, good music can be appreciated by anyone, regardless of the language.”

He feels conducting is a difficult task — it requires a great deal of concentration and an ability to manage people. “It is tough as you have to ensure you are not distracted by anything. Even if a note goes astray, you have to make sure the audience is not able to make out the difference.”Team work

David feels that a background in learning various music forms…More

The Hindu : y>Pack your holiday bags for great deals

For a song Take this trip to Sri Lanka

SriLankan Holidays, the leisure arm of SriLankan Airlines, has launched a specially created “second-passenger-travels-at-one-rupee-only” holiday package, where Indian tourists can enjoy a two-day three-night tour. The offer is valid tillApril 30.

These special packages start from Indian Rs. 13,599 and include visa on arrival, return economy airfare on SriLankan Airlines, accommodation on bed and breakfast basis, and airport transfers. Every accompanying passenger on the package pays only Re. 1 for the identical holiday in Sri Lanka.

For details contact SriLankan Holidays on 019-733 3838

***

Oberoi Hotels and Resorts offer the Oberoi Exotic Vacations package for Rs. 57,000. The package offers a two-night stay and includes accommodation and breakfast for two persons and return transfers from the nearest airport or railway station. Booked independently of the package, tariff for a night’s stay for two person’s starts at Rs. 30,500.

Log on towww.oberoihotels.com

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The Hindu :

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, who is creating a composition for an orchestra, sees western music lending itself well to the concept of a joint concert

DIFFERENT NOTE Ustad Amjad Ali Khan believes we are very individualistic in our approach to music

Music has no religion. It preaches tolerance and interdependence. Incidents such as Mumbai underscore the need for peace and harmony across the planet,” says renowned sarod player Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, over the phone from Delhi. The soft-spoken musical maestro will perform a self-written composition, based on different seasonal ragas, with the Scottish chambers orchestra that is being led by Welsh conductor David Murphy. The event will be held across the country.

Amjad Ali Khan feels that creating music for the event was a very different experience. “I had attempted something similar nearly 25 years ago, but this is the first time I have written a composition for a Scottish orchestra.” He feels that western music must be commended for allowing orchestra performances to gain prominence.

He feels that Indian music is far too individualistic for the evolution of orchestra music. “Orchestra requires coordination and depends on the skills of both the conductor and the performers in the performance. It is a team effort.”He laughs: “We are very individualistic as far as our music and other performing arts go. If you provide a platform for a coordinated musical performance, we may end up fighting with each other. It is not part of our musical tradition, as such. We are trained for individual performances than synchronised performances.”

He faced a tough time convincing the team to perform in India, after the 26/11 attacks.

“I went to Britain and convinced the entire team that an India tour was very safe. Music is a great unifier. It is in times like these that we need to send out a message that peace is the only way forward. Even…More

The Hindu : y>

IMPACT Portrays the ills of war

A television series portraying the realities of the on-ground war situation in Iraq, “Over There” will premiere on Fox History and Entertainment tonight at 10 p.m.

“Over There” was the first television series on the deeply unpopular Iraq war and was nominated an Emmy award in 2005.

The series has been directed by Steven Bochco and Chris Gerolmo.

The show deals with a dramatic presentation about a sergeant and his platoon stationed in the warzone Iraq and portrays the manner in which ills of war and the ensuing conflict affect the lives of their families.

The series makes an attempt to bring the effects of war on a soldier and their families.

So catch all the action only at 10 p.m. on Fox History and Entertainment.

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The Hindu : y>Jahnavi Barua tells AYESHA MATTHAN that her Next Door Stories tell the tales of misunderstood characters and universal themes in Assam

PHOTO: K. GOPINATHANBACKDROP Jahnavi Barua: ‘Despite the setting of Assam, the stories could be transposed anywhere and still be relevant’

Jahnavi Barua grew up in a more peaceful Assam in the 70s and early 80s. The doctor-turned-writer moved all over the country as a young child, but always went back to Assam and was surrounded by grandparents, aunts and uncles.

And “Next Door Stories”, a collection of 11 short stories all set in Assam, published by Penguin Books India neatly strings a multitude of characters and situations, with the nuances and settings of the state colouring the background. “When I was growing up as a young child, it was peaceful then — you could step outdoors. Assam is known for its simplicity in culture and little class-divisions. With the tribal lifestyle and village setting, it was straightforward and drastically different from the reality of Assam today.” But for the last 25 years, she notes, the state is in turmoil and the situation, complex. “Though it was physically cut off from India with fewer opportunities, it has integrated into mainstream India now.”

The overpowering Brahmaputra also hydrates and floods the novel with its force. “The beautiful, male river lives up to its name. It is majestic and wide — a life-giving force that swells during the monsoons, creating havoc for the people. But tribes of upper-Assam have lived and moved with the flow of the river by migrating accordingly.”Scotland of the East, Shillong, also maps its way through some stories, with characters moving back and forth from Assam to Meghalaya’s capital. “The seven sister states were pretty much like one state before they were split. But the transition from the Khasi hills to the plains was something that my great-grandfather did.” She also says…More

The Hindu : y>Technology Here’s how you can avoid becoming a victim of Internet prowlers

Photo: C. Ratheesh KumarSafety issues Address them first

The Internet is a great tool of knowledge and has changed the way people connect with each other.

But there are risks involved. With so many children and teens going online, the risk of them becoming victims of online prowlers is very real. February 10 was Safe Internet Day.

Here are some tips for parents and children to ensure that browsing remains a safe experience.

For parents

Guide children about appropriate online behaviour.

Opt for the filter option in search engines.

Depending on the age of your child, set it at

“strict” or “moderate”.

If your child is young, stay with him / her when going online.

Guide your child to explore child-safe websites.

If your child is under 13, ensure he/ she stays out of social networking sites.

Teach children that information on the Internet can be valuable, but sometimes not reliable.

Encourage children to tell you about anything that makes them uncomfortable.

(This information has been provided by ISOC India Chennai(http://isocmadras.blogspot.com),with inputs from other ISOC chapters.

The Internet Society addresses issues that confront the future of the Internet)

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The Hindu : y>A nationwide scholarship programme for students of classesfour to nine

HDFC Bank has launched “HDFC Bank Meritus scholarship”, an education initiative, which aims at covering students from Classes Four to Nine across the country.

The best 5,000 students will be shortlisted foreducational scholarships, to the tune of Rs. 1.5 crore per year, based onvarious academic and non-curricular criteria. The bank is running this programme in association with Horlicks.

The scholarship programme seeks to reward all-round excellence among students and help contribute to their overall development. The awardees will receive a scholarship ranging from Rs. 2,500 to Rs.10 lakh.

Parents are expected to register their wards by filling in the registration form available in respective schools. Alternatively, one can also register online by visiting the websitewww.hdfcbank.com/meritus. The last date for registrationis February 22, 2009. To qualify for the scholarship, registered students have to undergo four rounds of tests — two telephonic and two written, over a period of 16 weeks. To ensure that parents are equally involved in the overall progress of their child, the first two participation rounds will be conducted via telephone through an Interactive Voice Recording (IVR) system. Parents can guide their children while taking the IVR test and help them get to the final rounds where the student alone has to take the written tests.

The questions will be broadly picked from the existing curriculum so that this programme assists them in preparing for their school exams too. The final 5000 awardees would be selected based on the final round scores, extra-curricular achievements and academics. The scholarship awardees will be selected by an independent panel of qualified judges.

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The Hindu :

Harvard Squareholds within its arms many legends and institutions

Photos: BY AUTHORInspiring awe (clockwise from left) View of the Memorial Hall, the façade and the Grolier poetry bookshop

The city of Boston, unlike most American cities, is visibly historic. The North End teems with Italian restaurants and little red brick houses stacked against each other like squatters on either side of narrow roads.

The row houses on Commonwealth Avenue bring to mind the gilded age and old family money.

Throw in Boston’s various landmarks as the centre of the American struggle for independence and a hurried tourist could very well overlook its little twin — the city of Cambridge — were it not for the college it houses: Harvard.

The first time I rode the subway system that connects Boston, it was by chance that I got off at Harvard Square.

The station is situated in a circle of sorts, right in the middle of the square with Harvard College behind it, the Harvard Coop in front and streets and shops shooting off from the remaining corners.

I returned to it after three years and remembered upon arriving, how the busy criss-crossing streets, plied by buses and cars and SUVs, seem to bear a historical grudge against motorised transport.

The cars that ply Harvard Square appear to be squeezing themselves between its only rightful occupants — the pedestrians.

A 10-minute walk away from the station’s brick landing is the home of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. It was here that George Washington took command of the army during the American Revolution.

The square’s unassuming 300-year-old Christ Church has bullet holes in it (safely, respectfully preserved), bringing to the fore the comparison that our old forts have too many bullet holes to preserve; the American independence struggle was a blink compared to ours. But above this short story of rebellion towers Harvard and it’s many offshoots in the…More

The Hindu :

Actor Sonam Kapoor is excited about the release of her second film Delhi 6 next week. She says working with so many talented people on the sets has been a great experience

DOING DAD PROUD Sonam Kapoor is glad her dad is an actor

While Sonam Kapoor awaits the release of her second film “Delhi 6” next week, dad Anil Kapoor is globe trotting with “Slumdog Millionaire” to various award functions, culminating in the Academy Awards on February 22. His daughter’s film premieres just three days prior to that and she says she will ensuredaddy is right there at the premiere. “Wherever he is, he just has to be back for my film, be it my second, third or fourth or nth release,” she says, with mock petulance.

The 20-something is obviously all nerves and excitement. Not only is this her second film after the lukewarm response that “Saawariya” received more than a year ago, but it has created the right buzz with its purani (old) Delhi theme and songs, and is being directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, known better as ‘Rang De Basanti’ Mehra.Mass appeal

“I have not even seen the final cut of the film yet. I have only seen it without the background score and still it’s very gripping. The best part is that it will appeal to people of different age groups,” says the girl, who began preparing for her role when “Saawariya” was yet to be released.

“Delhi 6” is an almost autobiographical tale of director Rakeysh Mehra, who spent his childhood in the lanes of old Delhi which bears the pincode 110006. The story is about a young man Roshan (played by Abhishek Bachchan) who brings his ailing grandmother (Waheeda Rahman) to Delhi so that she can spend her last leg of life here. The story juxtaposes the alienated life in the West to the warmth of the…More