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The Hindu :

W.V. Raman says he enjoys being on a different wicket now

Man with a mission W.V. Raman

Some years ago Woorkeri Venkat Raman donned the national cap with pride. Now, he wears quite a few; as a coach, columnist, soft skills trainer… and everything with a high degree of confidence.

“I only do things which I enjoy, because I fully know and realise that each has its own set of challenges. It makes life interesting,” he says.

Raman’s stroke-filled 114 against South Africa at Centurion obviously figures high in his list of best innings, but the most special moment of his international career, according to the elegant southpaw, was making Test debut on his home ground.

“For me, making it into the Indian squad was in itself an achievement. Representing the country is the greatest honour. And playing in front of home crowd in the maiden match was an unforgettable experience,” he recalls.

Did he have a role model in his playing days? “I am a great fan of Viv Richards. He was one player who played his natural game irrespective of the match situation. But I never tried to model myself on anybody,” he explains.A treat

Raman says that he see shades of Richards in the Indian dasher Virender Sehwag.

“His philosophy about batting is that the ball is meant to be whacked and he would do that as often as possible. In full flow he is a treat to a watch,” says Raman.

As the coach of Tamil Nadu team, Raman is happy that three players from the state have made it to national side, but quickly adds that he would be gladder still if they figure in the starting eleven. Terming the current Indian side as a bunch of confident cricketers, Raman says they are playing “extraordinary cricket.”

As wicket-keeper, batsman and skipper, Mahendra Singh Dhoni juggles the hats very well, he said praising the Team…More

The Hindu : y>

OSCAR DELIGHT Slumdog Millionaire

PIX, the English movie channel from Multi Screen Media Private Limited brings alive the magic of Hollywood this April. PIX presents its Summer Innings with a new line up of movies from Oscar winning performances to some of the biggest hits in recentyears. The channel will showcase over a 100 new films this year and has also redesigned its schedule around the IPL with its Summer Innings everyday at 7, 9 and 11.30 p.m.

The new movie library includes movies like “Slumdog Millionaire”, “Da Vinci Code”, “Outlander”, “Spiderman 2”, “Passion of the Christ”, “Goodbye Bafna”, “Honey Dripper”, “I’m Not There”, “Austin Powers”, “Gandhi”, “August Rush”, “Terminator”, “Godzilla”, “Hitch” and many more titles.

So get ready to be bowled over by your favourite Hollywood stars as they take on the pitch every night from April. Catch “Passion of the Christ” uncensored version on Good Friday, April 10 at 12 noon.

<FONT …More

The Hindu : y>Vivek Vijayakumaran tells K. JESHI his play, Beyond the Land of Hattamala, explores the simple side of life

Method acting For a feel of Beyond, Vivek took his team to his ancestral home in Kerala.

It is a simple story that asks you to find that honesty, love and trust inside you.“Tap into it and you will find it,’ says Vivek Vijayakumaran about his play “Beyond the Land of Hattamala”. He makes his debut as a director professionally with this play, which is inspired by a book written by Badal Sircar, published in 1976.

“I read the English translation of the Bangla original. It really moved me. It is intelligently-written and plays with simplicity,” says the young theatre artist. The play is basically about two impressions — ‘Hattamala’ and ‘Beyond’. Two thieves, Kena and Becha, jump into a river to escape. The river takes them to a new land, where buying, selling and money are alien concepts.

Vivek says Hattamala is a fictitious name. “Hattamala is not defined as Mumbai or Bangalore. There is mention of recession and people using abusive language. I have intentionally mentioned bomb blasts. The thieves see smoke and one of them says ‘maybe it is a bomb blast’. We have played with English and Hindi dialogues,” he explains.

Vivek says the script allows for a multifarious understanding. “Beyond is a society where everyone does the jobs that they like. People make food because they love to cook. Everyone works together to produce what the entire community needs. So, there is no reason for money.Being thieves, the main characters do not understand the concept of ‘no-money’.”

“There is not much of intellectualising happening. Kena is the leader and Becha is the follower and there is a lot of humour as they journey through this land. What drew me to the script is the intelligence with which the writer has handled simplicity,”…More

The Hindu :

Saroj Kering’s Festive Indian Recipes brings to book sweet and savoury temptations loaded with taste, memories and of course, calories

PHOTO: MURALI KUMAR K.SOME LIKE IT HOT, SOME LIKE IT SWEET A book with recipes featured festival-wise

Can you imagine a school-going girl who wakes up early to cook up a different and interesting snack for her own “tiffin box” every day? No wonder Saroj Kering persists with her interest in cooking even today and has now launched “Festive Indian Recipes”.

Born and brought up in Bangalore in a large food-loving joint family, marriage took Saroj to Pune to another large joint family. “I’ve never looked at cooking as a chore to be finished with. It was more of a Sunday pastime when everyone cooked together. I love to experiment with everyday food,” she says on a visit to Bangalore, where she launched the book at the Reliance TimeOut bookstore. “Even right through college, I was more interested in what my friends’ mothers were doing, in terms of cooking, rather than what my friends themselves were,” she laughs.

Her first book, “Festive Indian Recipes” puts together recipes for 25 festivals that cut across communities and across Indian regions, all vegetarian. Starting with Pongal, Mahashivratri, Holi, Chetti Chand (Sindhi New Year), Navreh (Kashmiri New Year), Easter, Ramnavmi, Vishu, the book also includes recipes for Raksha Bandhan, Teej, Onam, Ramzan, Dassera, Durga Puja, Karva Chauth, Christmas, Navroz/Pateti. The selections include not just sweet dishes, but also savoury ones, specially the fried kind. It does have the must-haves — pongal, poli, ghevar, laddoos, modak, kheer, parathas, vadas, pooris, flavoured rice, etc.

Not all the recipes listed in those particular sections are really made traditionally during that time. Saroj makes it clear that the book is targeted at a global vegetarian audience, “Especially the younger generation of Indians, where parents don’t have time to culture-educate their children.” So each…More

The Hindu :

Inverted asanas remove toxins from the body, slow down ageing, makes you healthier and happier

INVERTED ASANAS(Clockwise from top left) Sirsasana, Karnapidasana, Sarvangasana and Halasana

Inverted asanas are the essence of asana practice. They reverse the natural gravitational force. Inversions actively reverse the internal organs, massage, renew and bring real joy. They efficiently remove toxins and slow down ageing.The biggest obstacle is fear which can be overcome when you learn from an experienced and competent yoga teacher. As a preparation for the body and mind, one has to practise for a year with commitment the semi inverted asanas such as adho mukha svanasana, prasarita padottanasana, viparita karani and ardha halasana.

To achieve the active reversal effect, you must stay in an asana for at least five minutes. With the guidance of a teacher, you will become aware of how to perfectly ground your head or shoulders and balance the rest of your body on them. Props such as a wall or a chair and folded blankets must be used to avoid strain.

Inverted asanas are Sirsasana (head-stand), Sarvangasana (shoulder-stand), Halasana (plough), Karnapidasana (blocked-ears posture).

Sirsasana or the head-stand is considered the “King of Asanas”. The ancient yogis believed that “Amrita”, the nectar of immortality is increased, bestowing health and longevity.

This asana reverses blood pressure — blood pressure in the head increases, while it decreases in the legs. The brain and all the organs get soaked with oxygenated blood. An experienced practitioner can adjust well to the internal changes.

Sarvangasana is called the “Queen of Asanas.” It follows Sirsasana. This asana actively reverses organs in the thorax and abdomen and strengthens the neck and the spine. Beginners may start with Sarvangasana using a wall or chair for support. Sirsasana creates heat and makes you more alert, while Sarvangasana cools and calms you down.Caution

Do not practise these asanas when you have uncontrolledBP, eye, ear problems, dental…More

The Hindu :

Half the country’s population suffers from osteoarthritis of the knees. We talk to experts about what can be done to prevent the problem

PHOTO: AFPWEAR AND TEAR Sportspersons are specially vulnerable to knee injuries

Aaaah, that twinge in the knee joint! It won’t go away. Apply the balm mom recommended. There it is again. Pop the pain-killer; got to go out. Okay, it is worse, time to consult an orthopaedist.

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is the commonest arthritis in our country. Internationally, we’re in high-profile company. In 2008, Tiger Woods and baseball star Tom Brady had to have knee surgery. “Knee problems fall into two categories,” said Dr. Marya, on a TV programme. One, due to injuries, the other is wear and tear with age or causes like gout and diabetes. “Unless someone has suffered an injury, joint pain in the 50 + age group usually means osteoarthritis, a degenerative disease in which the joints’ natural shock absorber — cartilage — begins to break down,” said Dr. A.K. Venkatachalam, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon. “Without their protective layer, bones begin to scrape against one another, causing pain.” Don’t start a self-diagnosis, he warns. “The average person won’t know if it’s the joint, a torn tendon or ligament, or pain in the area. An orthopaedic surgeon needs to evaluate it.” Treatments range from lifestyle changes to medications to surgery — tried in that order.

“Indians suffer more from age-related OA of the knee,” said Dr. Phani Raj, who consults in the IT corridor. “Delay in treatment leads to severe deformities of the knee.” Squatting, he said, is a leading cause. “The load on the knee joint is more while getting up from squatting.”Watch your weight

The major culprit is the extra body baggage we happily carry. Watch Your Weight Research tells us even a little extra weight triples our chances of developing arthritis. Women of average height cut…More

The Hindu :

Beautiful creations from the tribal regions of various states are showcased at the Triblaa exhibition

Heavy metal The decorative figurines tell stories of bygone days

Iron crafts from tribals of Bastar region is a must see at the ongoing Triblaa arts and crafts exhibition. The decorative brass figurines, narrate rich tales about people, animals and birds of their region, and give you a peek into their wonderful world of natural expression.

Each piece is unique and crafted with elaborate detail. You will also find the brass wire art, another intricate craftsmanship from the region.

Organised by Arts and Crafts, Triblaa is an effort to bring together traditional tribal arts from the states of Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Rajastan, Madhya Pradesh and promote their rich traditions. From the Kutch region of Gujarat, it is mirror work all the day. Vibrant thorans with exquisite mirror work and white metal jewellery are their speciality.

The ikkat weaving tradition of Orissa, which draws heavily from the tribal motifs also find a place. You have saris, dupattas and dress materials to choose from. “It takes 20 days to weave a sari,” says the artist at the stall. Book marks in pattachitra work that double up as an envelope and palm leaf diaries are some of the interesting exhibits

The hut like arrangement inside the exhibition hall lends a rustic charm. Colourful bags, jewellery, pattachitra work and appliqué wall hangings complete the picture. Kalamkari prints, Pochampalli, Mangalagiri, Kantha work, tussar painting in vegetable dyes and warli paintings are available.

Warli art, from southern Gujarat and northern Maharastara, can be found on the walls of warli tribals’ huts. The walls are coated with a paste of cow dung and then a coating of gheroo (red mud commonly found in the region) is applied. Once it dries, the process of painting begins using wooden sticks as brushes.

Kashmiri stoles and woollen shawls talk…More

The Hindu :

Vijay Mallya believes Royal Challengers Bangalore is a contender for the IPL title and the players too fancy their chances under new captain Kevin Pietersen

Photo: APOh captain! Kevin Pietersen has his work cut out

The Chinnaswamy Stadium may have nearly embraced a summer siesta after the Indian Premier League moved to South Africa. However, the thud of boots and the thwack of bat on ball continues to ring aloud on the turf. Members of the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad limbered up over here for the last two weeks in a bid to shed the rust as well as sharpen their fitness levels.

After coach Ray Jennings did his initial rounds and left for South Africa, assistant coach Sanath Kumar and physio Bash Naidoo held the reins. “Expect the unexpected,” proclaimed Bash Naidoo as he did stringent fitness tests on the players. “The camp is going along well,” said Sanath while the players ranging from the Karnataka bunch led by Anil Kumble to other State players like Virat Kohli worked hard despite the uncertainty that hovered on the tournament until its shift to South Africa.Augurs well

In a recent press conference to announce Kevin Pietersen as the captain, team owner Vijay Mallya said: “I believe that we are one of the top contenders for the title and I would be mighty pleased if we could get the cup to Bangalore.

“Last year I think our batting was a bit weak but this time around we have strengthened it. We have got Uthappa in and besides Pietersen we have also selected Jesse Ryder and the way he has played for New Zealand in the current series against India augurs well.

“At the auction in Goa, we had a list of five players whom we wanted to buy. The number one and two on that list were Pietersen and Ryder and we got them both.”

The decks might…More