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Getoffyourass is organising the Andamans expedition. “We have designed this trip for the hardcore travellers,” say the organisers.

The trip is planned to keep one away from the tourist map; to explore the hidden away treasures in the most unexploited of islands and faraway seas, they add.

The trip will explore canoeing and camping on islands with researchers and also take one through unexplored areas which are “tourist free” like trekking to the highest point Saddle Peak, exploring uninhabited islands and visiting lime stone caves.

The trip, add the organisers will be led by local people. This is a 13-day expedition and is priced at Rs. 32, 000. For details log on towww.getoffurass.com.

Etihad Airways offers a chance to fly in business class for the price of an economy fare, or in first class for the price of a business class fare.

Customers can travel to Geneva, Frankfurt, London and Paris at Rs, 39,990 in Pearl Business Class and Rs. 84,990 in Diamond First Class; Brussels at Rs. 41,990 in Pearl Business Class and Rs. 84,990 in Diamond First Class; New York for Rs. 74,990 in Pearl Business Class and Rs. 1,57,990 in Diamond First Class from Mumbai.

The offer is also available from New Delhi, Kochi, Kozhikode, Chennai and Tiruvananthapuram.

For details, visitwww.etihadairways.com or call 5991000.

Operative out of seven Indian cities — Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Tiruvananthapuram, Goa, and Tiruchy, the packages start at Rs. 13,599, inclusive of 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. Parents can take two children for Rs. 2.

You will receive a discount booklet containing vouchers. For details, visitwww.srilankan-holidays.aero.

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The Hindu :

Nalli Next stocks a lovely variety of cotton and silk fabrics as well as saris

TEMPTING You’ll want to buy every sari that you set your eyes on

Nalli Next is a 15,000 square feet store that offers saris, saris and more saris. And the range covers both ends of the spectrum. You can pick up anything from a beautiful cotton for Rs. 400 to a bridal with intricate hand embroidery and bead work for a lakh. There is something for every kind of pocket and taste at this large store.

The store, at 8, Magrath Road (opposite Garuda Mall), is a branch of the Nalli’s on M.G. Road. Lavanya Nalli, President, Nalli says: “Nalli already has a very strong brand image. Sensing the huge opportunity and growth potential in the domestic retail market, the group has steadily expanded its national presence and diversified its product offerings.”

While the old outlet is for the hardcore conventional, Nalli Next is for the Gen X, she adds. The saris are “hand picked” and this store offers a wide range of dress material. There is fabric in cotton (Rs. 105 a meter), polycot with Mangalgiri border (Rs. 62 a meter) and village cotton (Rs. 59 a meter). The last one is called so for “most people in rural India use this kind of cotton”.

At this section you can also mix ’n’ match your clothes. It also offers duppattas – cottons (Rs. 80), polycot (Rs. 100) and kalamkari (Rs. 100). There are also dress materials in printed cottons, kalamkari, pure silk and crepe silk.

If you are the type who prefers to buy readymade garments then Nalli Next offers a wide range of salwar suits. The range here is more suited for party wear. If that too does not please you then you can move to a section that sells dress material in sets. This one offers fabric from…More

The Hindu : SUBHA J RAO

What fun is a holiday if you can’t take your pet along? A few suggestions to make the trip pleasant for you and your pet

Mode of transport

Car

Ensure you take frequent breaks to allow your pet to relieve itself.Flight

Check with the airline about its ‘animals on board’ policy.

If they permit carrying pets, invariably as part of cargo, consult your veterinarian to see if your pet can handle it.Caged

You pay for your pet’s travel depending on its weight and the kennel’s. Check with the airline about the permitted size of the kennel.

If you are in a transferable job and need to move homes often, buy a sturdy kennel. And, train your pet to stay in the cage for a few minutes every day.

Opt for one with wheels so that it becomes easier to move your pet around. But, once the pet is checked in, the wheels must be locked to avoid movement inside the cargo hold.

Don’t chain the pet inside the kennel. But, leave an identification tag on them.

Place a litter box in the kennel. Also, a familiar toy or something he / she likes.Food facts

Carry your regular dog food with you. You don’t want to tackle health issues on a holiday.

Avoid a milk diet when travelling.

Preferably, feed the pet treated water to avoid contamination.

Feed it water at regular intervals, even if the pet is too distracted to drink voluntarily. This will ensure it stays hydrated and does not experience heat stroke or other conditions.

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The Hindu :

DJ Iggy says music helps him connect with people

Rhythm divine: Iggy believes music and style changes with time

Djing and modelling happened simultaneously for DJ Iggy a.k.a Ignatius Camilo. And he doesn’t think either complements the other. The Goan from Anjuna says, “Yes, I might play at the after-party post a show. For me, there is no soul or connection in modelling. Music is the soulful expression.”

He won the MTV Lycra Most Stylish Model Award in Mumbai in ’07 and was on the cover of Cosmopolitan. “I really don’t pay much attention to these awards, as I’ve been working hard in the industry for 10 years now. It is all about being at the right time and right place with the right people. And I can’t publicise myself as I don’t believe that’s being true to myself.”Never repeat

“He feels that Danny Boyle’s “Slumdog Millionaire” is overrated. “It is a good script which is badly shot and edited. It appealed to the masses. But if you want to be original, you can’t try and go the Bollywood way.”

Music, he feels, helps him connect with different people. “It doesn’t matter if the person is a chef or a designer.” He also says that though club music is improving and evolving, the pace is slow. “It will get better and better.” He is constantly evolving as a DJ too. “Like most serious DJs, I am working on my music and style, which changes with time.”

He says that while the genre might change with venues and events, he neither repeats his music nor compromises on its quality. “I also don’t believe in changing my style completely and play request tracks that go against it — especially at weddings! You can’t cater to everybody’s taste.”

When it comes to his line, he feels as a Goan, there are more disadvantages than advantages. “We didn’t have…More

The Hindu :

Veeneya BedaguCompositions of Veene Seshannaby Mambalam Sisters – R. Vijayalakshmi & R. Chithra)Vara Enterprises, CD Rs. 80.

Veeneya Bedagu brought together and directed by Mysore V. Subramanya has six rare pieces of the Mysore maestro’s compositions, sung by vocalists R. Vijayalakshmi and R. Chithra (Mambalam Sisters). R. Hemalatha on the violin, C. Cheluvaraju on the mridanga and Sukanya Ramgopal on the ghata provide good support.

It is in its choice of swarajathis, varnas, kritis and tillanas that the album offers a different fare, a rare package of nearly 75 minutes. If bringing in swarajathis and varnas were by themselves an atypical offering of Veene Seshanna’s works, the raga alapane preceding the swarajathi too adds to an extra zing.Veene Seshanna’s skill was not only in the kriti, but also with essential learning exercises that spoke of his mastery over his subject, says Mysore V. Subramanya.

Veene Seshanna (1852-1926) born in Mysore, was the son of vainika Chikkaramappa, a descendant of Adiappayya of the ‘Viribhoni’ varnam fame. Having shown samples of his genius even as a boy of 10 in the Mysore Palace, his 53 compositions today offer ragabhava and gamaka-patterns peculiar to the veena. Known for his affinity to rare ragas and talas, his compositions include sankirna matya and misra triputa tala.

Abherini, poorvi, gumma khambhoji and chittamohini were the unheard scales that the maestro brought out as early as in the 18th Century itself. His compositions were in Kannada and Telugu, and his varna and tillanas were dedicated to his royal patrons, Chamaraja Wadiyar and Nalavadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, the then rulers in Mysore.

“Veeneya Bedagu” flags off with a beautiful swarajathi in Kamach and it is in the brilliantly patterned dhatu-swara prayogas that the raga unfolds like a petal. The varna “Kamakoti Sundara” in Jhaalavarali and yet another swarajathi in Vanaspati aptly convey Veene Seshanna’s raring to use uncommon scales while his tillanas that reflect his…More

The Hindu : y>Filmmaker Shabnam Virmani chases the many meanings of the poet saint Kabir, finds BHUMIKA K.

PHOTO: BHAGYA PRAKASH K.THE K FACTOR: Shabnam Virmani says the semiotics with which Kabir is presented makes a difference

Kabir for many may invoke memories of the dohas in school textbooks. For some he is the true mystic. For some others, his name may conjure eloquent poetry that reveals life itself. In the case of Shabnam Virmani, Kabir drew her out into a quest that eventually brought her back inward, toward herself.

The noted documentary filmmaker, who has been an artist-in-residence at Bangalore’s Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology for the last five years, now unveils her journeys and learnings at “Koi Sunta Hai: A Festival of Kabir”. The festival starting today, celebrates the 15th century mystic weaver poet through images and music.“Journeys With Kabir” is a package of four films by Shabnam that take us to an urban folklorist, Pandit Kumar Gandharva, a Dalit folksinger, a Muslim qawwal and many others — each offering their own interpretation of their personal sense of Kabir.

Shabnam, a former journalist whose iconic story on Roop Kanwar reinforced the ban on the practise of Sati in the country, has made films about grassroots women’s movements in the country. The last five years have taken her in another direction. “I have looked at Kabir as an external entity…Kabir as a thought stream, awakening a Kabirean spirit in all,” says Shabnam. “What fascinated me is the diversity of Kabir…wherever you go, you find Kabir’s voice with other voices of the region. He takes on their languages and dialects wherever he goes. He is the champion of the Dalit community, he is sung by classical musicians, he is part of the sacred texts in the Sikh religion, and he is part of the oral tradition in much of north India,” says Shabnam.

“The journeys began to…More

The Hindu :

In The Tamarind Tree and The Spider’s Web, Lata Mani writes about life’s simple joys

Photo: M. Vedhanstory time Lata Mani imagined telling a story, not writing it

As an academic, Lata Mani used the past to understand the present — she taught History and Women’s Studies at the University of California in Davis. But a head injury taught her to focus on the fragile present, spirituality and Nature. She was also a poet and author, but the last thing she expected to do was write for children. “I did not read much as a child. My stories were oral. I imagined telling a story, not writing it,” says the soft-spoken Lata.One for the nephew

All that changed when her nephew Gautam asked her to write a story for him. “When you promise a child something, you have to fulfil it. I bravely ventured into new territory, and enjoyed doing it. That’s because I love children’s books. Take A.A. Milne’s “Winnie the Pooh”. Earnest H. Shepard’s line drawings of Winnie are still alive… and, the discovery of innocent relationships among species (a tiger, donkey, bear, rabbit, kangaroo and elephant are friends). That is so important at a time when the world of Nature is often shown as uncertain and dangerous,” says Lata, whose “The Tamarind Tree” (her gift to Gautam) and “The Spider’s Web” have just been released by Tulika Publishers in English, Hindi and a host of other Indian languages.

So, did she follow a plan to capture children’s attention?

“No, but I realised that my nephew and his friends had very little time to do nothing. As a child, I spent a lot of time looking at the clouds, apparently aimlessly. Now, everything is so activity-and plot-driven…movies, television, books. I wanted to give them a chance to make a discovery that was not didactic.”Languorous

That is probably why her books are about…More

The Hindu :

The Samir Akika dance troupe from Germany performed as part of the Attakkalari India Biennial recently

PHOTO: BHAGYA PRAKASH K.ECLECTIC: For the group, it’s been a good experience to work with dancers of different disciplines

There is Christian Robozee Zacharas, Denis Koore Kuhnert, Julio Cesar Iglesias Ungo, Gabrio Leoniola Gabrielli and others. The Samir Akika dance troupe from Germany performed in Mumbai, Chennai and recently in Bangalore as part of the Attakkalari India Biennial at the Chowdiah Memorial Hall. They came together for “Extended Teenage Era” (E.T.E.) with “slapstick, pantomime and shadow games” with background music ranging from “Bob Marley, Franz Schubert to Justin Timberlake”, having rehearsed for three months.

So different styles and dancers — funk, salsa, bebop, contemporary to “German expressionist” merged their moves. Says the group: “It’s been a good experience to work with dancers of different disciplines. Individual forms of the seven dancers work their way into the production.” They feel that working under director-choreographer Samir Akika has been liberating. “While he is a workaholic and directs the team well, he gives you enough space to explore on your own with teamwork.”

About the theme of the production, the Samir Akika troupe say that one is always stuck in between being a teenager and an adult. “We don’t think we’ve grown out of this era. It’s always good keeping a bit of the child in you to make life worth living. And there is nothing wrong or right about it.”

While they say that the dance production is not meant to be preachy at all, it definitely lets the dancers be their own persons. “Different teenagers have different dreams and desires. And we’ve been asked to also bring our personal objects from our childhood.”

The mood of the piece definitely fits in with the music. “We have completely mixed and played around with art forms and we don’t…More

The Hindu : y>Vijayshree Heritage Village promises five-star comfort amidst a rural setting

Green theme The resort will use only renewable sources of energy

Vijayshree Heritage Village, an ethnic five-star village resort opened recently in Hospet city. The RRB Group’s resort is set in an area of 17 acres midway on the Hospet-Hampi highway, about five km from Hospet, near Bhurat Nagari.

The resort now provides livelihood to nearly 150 local youth, as well as local artisans. Vijayshree Heritage Village has plenty of surprises in store for customers. The theme village, offering international 21st Century hospitality locked in a 11th and 12th Century setting, takes everyone back to the grandeur of palaces and gateways of the broken city, telling tales of man’s infinite talent and power of creativity. Set amidst sprawling lawns, and an artificial lake, there is also an open amphitheatre where programmes by professional artists from Rajasthan and Karnataka will be held everyday.

It is also unique in being a non–alcohol zone. The food is pure vegetarian. The resort is eco-friendly, disabled- friendly and will use only renewable source of energy (solar) and water harvesting technologies, says a release.

There are 43 suites that come with AC, cable TV, telephone, internet and mini fridge, spacious bathrooms. A health club with swimming pool and a spa, jacuzzi and massage centre are the other facilities offered.

A fully air-conditioned multi purpose hall that can seat 1,000 people is open for conferences and functions. The theme village will cater to tourists daily from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. A hall for children, with giant wheel and a merry-go-round are also on offer. Cart rides, camel rides and buggy rides have also been arranged.

Contact: 08394 225890/91/92/93. Or visitwww.vijayshreeheritagevillage.com

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The Hindu :

Filmmaker Sudhir Mishra talks about the films he lovesand a tea-coffee seller, who is the protagonist of his next film

Sudhir Mishra has just seen Zoya Akhtar’s “Luck By Chance”, a perspective of the Hindi film industry just like his own “Khoya Khoya Chand”, and thinks it is a job well done. “There are few filmmakers who amaze me today. Anurag Kashyap, Dibakar Banerjee, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Ashutosh Gowariker, and now Farhan Akhtar and Zoya are among them,” says Mishra, who has made films such as “Dharavi”, “Chameli” and “Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi”.

When UTV World Movies asked the National Film Award winner to pick four of his most-loved films for their viewers for February, Mishra picked out the best filmmakers to introduce to Indian audiences.

Mishra says: “When I think films, I think directors. Buster Keaton and D.W. Griffith are grandfathers of global cinema. The action cutting, the close-up or the straight-faced humour would have not been part of our cinema but for these guys.”

Mishra’s handpicked filmmakers include Keaton (“The General’, 1927), Aki Kaurismäki (“The Man Without A Past”, 2002), Andrei Platonov (“Three Brothers”, 1981) and Kieif $Capital {return “Œ”} else {return “œ”}lowski (“ White”, 1994).

Mishra says that Indian filmmakers should realise that the cinema of understanding and reality does not mean moving away from hope. “If there is any value to art, I believe it should provoke and compel you to think. I like filmmakers who don’t sell dreams. You are not selling toothpaste after all. Our cinema and our education system are producing a world of the ‘literate dumb’ with zero capacity to think and no cultural liberalism. That has to change.”

He feels that starting discussions on differently-made films, even if for the sake of panning it, helps the film.

“The audience is too lazy to react to good films. We have to tone down and gently win them over. For example, of…More