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The Hindu : y>Eyes key U.S. market through its deal with Chrysler

A combo image showing the logos of Fiat and Chrysler and Fiat chief Sergio Marchionne (below).

Fiat is targeting access to the key U.S. market and the chance to revive the ailing Jeep brand as part of its deal to take a 35 per cent stake in Chrysler.

Fiat says the deal will establish a “global strategic alliance”. However, Fiat is not making any cash investment in Chrysler and will not pay for any new model funding; instead, it will supply the U.S. car maker with three front-drive platforms, as well as petrol and diesel engines.

One of the main benefits of providing Chrysler with the technology to build new families of more fuel-efficient cars is that Fiat will get its own access to the North American car market.

Acording to a Fiat source, the company waskeen to “leverage the Jeep brand internationally”. Fiat has long sought to enter the crossover and SUV market; it even considered buying Land Rover from Ford.

Last year, Fiat boss Sergio Marchionne said he did not think that any mass car manufacturer could make a profit unless it had annual volumes of at least five to six million cars. In 2007, Fiat and Chrysler built around 5.4 million cars between them.

After a last-minute bailout by outgoing U.S. President George Bush, Chrysler managed to obtain $4bn (Rs. 20,000 crore) in government support. A further $4bn is due shortly. However, Chrysler has to prove to the U.S. government that it has a turnaround plan which will make it a viable long-term concern.

When Chrysler appears next before the U.S. Congress, the technology transfer from Fiat will be the main plank of the company’s plan. By teeing up federalised versions of the future Fiat Panda, Punto and Bravo platforms, Chrysler will be able to build a new family of smaller, more fuel-efficient cars. Such…More

The Hindu :

Himani Dalmia’s Life is perfect is a coming-of-age novel of a young urban woman

Photo: Sampath Kumar g.p.In writing Himani Dalmia

Mitali is idealistic, opinionated and has a huge intellectual arrogance about her. Her strong views make people think of her as being supercilious. And she is socially detached. “It makes her interesting,” says young author Himani Dalmia about her protagonist Mitali Jaitia.

Himani captures the emotional journey of Mitali in her debut novel “Life is perfect”. She says, what started off as sparkly, light book became an emotionally intense, dark tale. “Over time, a lot of depression has crept into it. Mitali goes through a lot of bitterness, hurt and disillusionment. It leaves you with a disturbing feeling but there is hope. Yes, there are moments to laugh too,” Himani elaborates.

“It is about growing up, a coming-of-age novel for those in age group of 18 to 21.”While the novel, set in Delhi, documents the way page 3 society functions , the author says Mitali’s story is universal.

“It will appeal to anyone growing up in modern India, in a super metro anywhere. Through her detached commentary, the character brings out the essence of India,” she adds.

Mitali goes through a lot of hurt while trying to have an ideal situation. Her father’s many extra-marital relationships, the loss of her cousin in an accident and her own struggles to handle relationships in her life, takes her on an emotional journey of life. Himani wrote the novel when she was 19 and calls it a simple reconstruction of reality infused with imagination and creativity.

The author has drawn on her experiences of growing up in Delhi. “There are aspects of the story which are close to my life or to the people around me. Delhi is socially unique, stratified according to power. Born into an industrialist family, I was exposed to the culture and found myself socially…More

The Hindu : y>English entertainment channel WB has a line-up of English blockbustersstarting today

Fantasy Lord of the Rings

WB, the latest English entertainment channel to hit Indian air waves from Turner International in partnership with Hollywood’s leading studio Warner Brothers Entertainment pays tribute to the legendary Warner Bros. Studios on its 86th anniversary.

WB presents an amazing treat for Hollywood movie lovers -WB86 – a marathon 86 hour line-up with the best from Warner Bros. From April 1 to April 5, WB86 salutes Hollywood’s most prolific studio with an 86-hour marathon featuring some of the biggest blockbusters and critically-acclaimed films released in the last three decades. From box-office successes like “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Shawshank Redemption” to the sensational “Empire of the Sun”, WB86 takes you through some of the many classic, landmark films in cinematic history complete with film trivia, stars, scenes, quotes and much more.

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The Hindu :

The Wilson sisters’ musical path was steady

Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson spent their early years in Southern California and Taiwan before their Marine Corps captain father retired to the Seattle suburbs. After attending college they returned home to Seattle, with Nancy working as a folk singer and Ann joining an all male group in 1970 called ‘Heart’. The group was formed in 1963 by Steve Fossen and the Fisher siblings, Mike and Roger, as the ‘Army’. It was later changed to ‘White Heart’ and then shortened to ‘Heart’ in 1974. After a period of struggle, in the Vancouver area between 1974 and 1976, they released Dreamboat Annie, which upon release sold 30,000 copies in Canada alone. They released it release in the U.S. subsequently, with two songs, Crazy on You and Magic Man, doing very well and eventually leading it to sell a million copies. Little Queen, its second million dollar selling album was brought forth in 1977 and included the hit number, Barracuda. Magazine and the double platinum selling Dog and Butterfly followed suit in 1978. During sessions for Bebe Le Strange, the Wilson-Fisher liaisons ended. Roger Fisher formed his own band in the Seattle area. Howard Leese and Nancy took up the guitar slack and the song-writing department was handled by her childhood mate, Sue Ennis. The group hit the road for a 77- city tour in support of ‘Bebe’ and returned to complete their next album, Private Audition. That offering and the ensuing one, Passionworks, failed to go gold, leaving Heart at the crossroads. 1985 saw them release an album simply titled Heart, which contained four hits namely, “What About Love”, “Never”, “These Dreams” and “Nothing at All”. In June 1986 Nancy Wilson married journalist, screenwriter and director Cameron Crowe. She made a cameo appearance in his movie, “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”. The power ballad, “Alone”, “Who…More

The Hindu :

Dana Kolker, who combines dancing, acrobatics and acting, has come all the way from Israel to learn Kuchipudi

Photo: Murali Kumar K.Tip toe Dana Kolker: ‘Kuchipudi is a powerful form’

She walks in sporting a bright red mirror worked kurta and black slacks. As she gets ready for her work out session, she takes off the kurta to reveal a black mirror worked sleeveless shirt. After a few warm ups, she is ready to do her acrobatic moves and she digs her hands into her shirt and pulls out the sleeves of a ballet t-shirt that hugs her body. You are amazed at how efficiently she is dressed for all her needs.

Meet Dana Kolker, a young dancer from Israel, also trained in classical ballet and jazz. She started dancing at the age of six. “In Israel it is common for girls to take to dancing. We start off at a community dance centre where we dance for three hours a day, five days a week,” says Dana.

“In our country, it is compulsory to serve in the Army once we turn 18. That was the only time that I could not dance. After which I moved towards classical and modern dance.” It was during this time that she met her teacher, Sandra Emsselem, an expert on the Contact Improvisation technique from the U.S.A.

“After training under her, we started the Circus Art School in Israel. This is an art where we combine dance, acting and acrobatics. That is where I started learning acrobalance,” explains Dana who also dabbled in acting. She started teaching even as she was learning. Gradually she became a professional teacher. She is now here to train under Kuchipudi dancer Vyjayanthi Kashi.

“I met her when she was in Israel for a workshop. I was so fascinated with her style of teaching and her dance form that I decided that I had…More

The Hindu : y>

Legal eagles Simon Baker crackles in The Guardian

The US drama series, “The Guardian” starring Golden Globe nominee Simon Baker premieres this month on AXN.

Nicholas Fallin, a top lawyer in a top-notch law firm believes nothing could ever beat his fabulous life. Watch his life take a sharp turn, when Nicholas is sentenced to 1,500 hours of community service for drug use.

Nicholas struggles to keep his successful law career afloat, while serving as a part-time child advocate at Legal Aid services. Fighting to protect those who cannot protect themselves, Nicholas discovers that there is much more to him than just an arrogant corporate lawyer. Catch all the action from 5 p.m. today on AXN.

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The Hindu :

The fad of detox diets refuses to die

Can you eat stuff to purge yourself of bodily toxins? One regular reader wondered in an email, “I see so much on the Internet about detoxing. For example, Gwyneth Paltrow went through some crazy Master Cleanse’ detox diet.The idea, apparently, is to get the body rid itself of toxins by starving it. Aren’t the liver and kidneys supposed to do that?”

The fad of detox diets just refuses to die because deep down many of us view illness as a punishment for the sins of gluttony or eating meat and detox diets, a form of penance, really, lead to absolution via purgation. Those who are delusional in a modern way think that headaches, fatigue and sluggishness result from toxins accumulating via the gut. Detox diets, which apparently flush out such toxins, are a sensible way of keeping the gut clean,akin to periodically reformatting your computer to get rid of accumulated junk files.

A typical detox diet comprises a few days of starvation followed by a few days of eating only raw veggies and fresh fruit, and drinking plenty of water and fruit/vegetable juices. Many people claim to feel “lighter” and more energetic after such a process. There are two reasons for this very real feeling: detox diets cause rapid, albeit temporary, weight loss, and starvation, in the medium-term, brings with it its own high.

Here is the non-surprise: detox diets are pure bunk. There is no evidence that toxins accumulate in the bodies of those with functioning kidneys and liver, and there is even less evidence that starvation followed by a macrobiotic diet will rid one of these chemicals. Moreover, it is not as if the body can do without its daily balanced diet for its cellular processes of repair and renewal.

Starvation has it own potential side effects, including headache, hypoglycaemia, disturbances of heart rhythm, etc. In…More

The Hindu : y>Cyrus Broacha shares his April Fool’s Day plans with NIKHIL VARMA

Photo: S. SubramaniumMouth full Cyrus Broacha feels as a nation we do not laugh easily at ourselves

Cyrus Broacha says he is “bored being a man. I want to transform myself to a woman. I hope every night, before going to sleep that I wake up transformed. That does not happen. They should have shops, where you can undergo such changes.”

The original funnyman of Indian telly is very excited about “Bakra Din” celebrations on MTV on April 1. “Though April will also see the general elections, I am apprehensive about gags and tricks on our politicians. They are very serious and do not take jokes lightly. I do not want the MTV legal team to face numerous defamation cases.”

The man who made “Bakra”, a household name, says: “Even the press does not criticise or make fun of the politicians, expect for small cartoon pieces, which can hardly be noticed in the cluttered news pages these days.”Let off lightly

He says, “We let our politicians get away very easily. The media is also largely silent and does not play spoofs on politicians a great deal. This is very different from the US, where politicians are made caricatures, like during the recent elections in the U.S., when all the candidates were spoofed. In an attempt to gain brownie points, candidates even appeared in talk shows. This phenomenon is yet to take off in India. Here in most cases, you are scared about a lawsuit, every time you make fun of a political leader. I hope that a show like ‘The Tonight Show with Jay Leno’, does manage to work in India.” The motor-mouth feels that the Indian sense of humour works in differently. “We enjoy jokes and laugh aloud, as long as the joke is on another person. The moment someone cracks a joke…More

The Hindu :

Musician Karunesh feels spiritual music is the need of the hour

Truth be told Karunesh: ‘Professional training is definitely helpful, but not necessary’

German-born Karunesh became a celebrity in India with his album, “Punjab”. His music reveals a strong Asian and Indian influences, with liberal use of Indian instruments. Karunesh was interested in music and played in bands as a child, but chose to study graphic design for a career. He felt music was his true calling, after he embarked on a spiritual journey following a serious motorcycle accident.

Talking about his musical inspiration, Karunesh says: “There were different phases in my life and my musical inspirations also underwent changes over a period of time. When I began composing music, I was inspired and influenced by Kitaro, Deuter, Tangerine Dream, Eberhard Schoener etc. In the mid and late 90’s, I was strongly moved by the music of Deep Forest and Enigma. I am also fascinated by a mixture of western electronic and exotic voices with instruments from India and Africa.”

He adds, “I like music that makes me feel good, if it manages to touch my heart.”

When he started composing tracks in the genre of spiritual music he hoped that it will reach out and touch people’s life.

Karunesh says, “In times like these with the economic slowdown and terrorism becoming a part of our daily lives, I hope that this music will help support people and help bring peace to the world. The fact that more people are listening to spiritual music shows that awareness levels are increasing about this particular genre.

“People have started to see that the world needs peace and meditation. Stress and competition are so widespread, that there is a need to look inward and find peace and one-ness in one’s own self.”

The musician feels that India has been one of the main sources of spiritual music. “The world is…More

The Hindu : y>

Photo: M. SrinathMake a splash Cool off this summer

Karana will conduct a summer camp for children in the age group of five to 12 years. The course includes yoga and meditation, light music, creative dance, folk dances and personality development. Contact: 65608979/ 9886600604.

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A summer workshop on ‘photography on the move’ will be organised from April 27. The workshop, designed for children will explore the wilderness of Mudumalai forest. Instructor Hellmuth Conz will lead the trip. Call 9980785225.

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Sanjali Centre for Odissi Dance, run by Sharmila Mukerjee, will conduct a summer workshop in Odissi from April 4 to April 7 at Vasavi Temple, HAL 2nd Stage, Bangalore (Next to Vinayak Temple, behind BSNL Telephone Exchange). Aloka Kanungo, a senior disciple of Guru Kelucharan Mahapatra will conduct the workshop. Call 99864-78000/ 98454-82096 or e-mail:sanjali.odissi@gmail.com

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This summer, Active canvas will offer an adventure of art & culture. It includes origami, batik and bonsai. You also get to learn about writers and artists such as Shakespeare, Van Gogh, Andy Warhol and Ogden Nash. The camp will be conducted from April 6 to May 8 for children aged between three and 13. Call 41609122 or e-mail:info@activecanvas.in

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K.V. Subbanna Apthasamooha will present a cultural summer camp from April 11 to May 3. The activities include yoga and meditation, light music, mask making, story telling, theatre games, children film show and one day excursion. Call 92425-23523/92412-18321.

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NIPMO will organise a summer camp from April 5 to April 25. Activities include training in athletics, swimming, cricket, trekking and table tennis. Call 22421779.

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Ramakrishna Math will organise Vasantha Vihara, a summer camp from April 12 to April 26. It is open for boys from class VIII to class X. Activities include personality development and teaching cultural values. Call 26613159/ 26671010.

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