News

The Hindu :

The Nike Run Club has grown by leaps and bounds

Two much V.R. Beedu and Reeth Abraham train the enthusiasts

Nike Run Club’s initiative to have the Bangaloreans up and running on weekends has been gaining momentum and there are about 400 registered runners in the club, today.

The club that started out a year ago prior to the inaugural World Sunfeast 10k, has evoked a keen following among the young and old alike in the city, who joined be it for the maaza run or the serious stuff.

Nike India are the official Running Partner to the World Sunfeast 10k run, this edition of which is to be flagged off on May 31.

Nike Run Club under the guidance of coach V.R. Beedu and former ace athlete Reeth Abraham has grown in numbers.

“Nearly 80 to 90 runners come in every weekend for the last four weeks from 6 to 8.30 a.m. to limber up and run. About 30 odd out of the lot are into serious running and wish to run in the Sunfeast 10k event,” said veteran coach V.R. Beedu adding: “It is promotion of the sport, basically running. In the process it helps people become fitter and healthier. We also guide the serious runners with their style, choice of footwear, apparel and dietary tips.”

Reeth Abraham, who has been associated with coach Beedu since the age of 12, also conducts the training. “There is a 2.5 km course chalked out at Cubbon Park and this is used to keep track of the runners, their timing, distance run and the calories burnt,” said Reeth.

Sanjay Gangopadhyay, Marketing Director, Nike India, said: “India is the most unfit nation in the world and through the Nike Run Club an awareness of sorts is being made to help people stay fit. Through this venture, an effort is being made to inspire people to run and also create a…More

The Hindu :

Getting Bollywood dance moves into workouts

JUST MOVE IT Making workouts more fun

Shiamak Davar’s choreography and entertainment package has represented India at several global events, such as the India-Canada Business Partnership Summit Toronto, launch of the Indo-Japan Friendship Year Tokyo, the World Economic Forum, Davos, and the Commonwealth Games-Melbourne among others.Dance moves

Shiamak is excited as he talks about the launch of the new “Reebok Bollywood Workout”. “The workout has been inspired by many different dance moves, which have been combined to create this new workout routine. It is a fun-filled activity that will also help burn calories and have a lot of fun, while working out.”

Davar has choreographed several Indian actors and celebrities for films and stage shows. Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor was trained as a dance instructor at his Shaimak Davar Dance Company.Child actor Darsheel Safary was also trained there. .

Shiamak is currently busy with arrangements for his “summer funk” workshops that will be held in centres across the country soon. “We started the workshop in 1994. It has been getting more popular over the years. Students are taught a range of dances and provided training in various aspects of stage performances.”

Shiamak feels that the standard of dances in Bollywood has deteriorated over the years. “I feel that Bollywood choreographers have ignored the details and let bad dancers into troupes, resulting in a fall of standards.”

He adds, “Talent is available, but the chorographers must tap them properly, instead of sticking only to the tried and tested formulas.”

NIKHIL VARMA

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The Hindu : y>An overnight stay at a farm may be an exciting summer experience for kids

WILD The farm offers a range of activities

Children aged between nine and 16 years, seeking adventure can register themselves for the Kids Overnight Programme to be held on May 2 and 3 at Geedee Farms, 35 km. from Bangalore.

The activities include a short trek through forest and spending the night at the farm.

It is a 65-acre property, set up by the Late K. Narain over a decade ago, with the intention of “creating a space for children, nature enthusiasts, researchers and other folks from the city to be able to simply enjoy nature”.

Geedee Farms has leopard, bear, elephant, peacocks, wild dog, sambhar deer, gaur (Indian bison), monitor lizards, a myriad of bird species and other wildlife. Other activities that children can look forward to are bird watching, tree climbing, building and setting up bird boxes etc.

The adult to child ratio will be 1:5 and there will be at least one female faculty member, besides two certified and trained wilderness medics, say the organisers.

The faculty will consist of Kaushik (founder, Wishbone and wildlife photographer) and Xavier Barnes (outdoor specialist and artist). The camp is open for a maximum of 30 children.

Those interested can register by calling Kaushik on 98861-69698, Praveen on 98863-10278 or Vasuki on 98865-35840. The last date for registration is April 24.

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The Hindu : y>A study reveals that recession has turned readers to romance. On World Book Day, NEETI SARKAR finds this holds true in the city as well

Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.Great escape When there is so much gloom and doom around, a book provides a ticket to an alternative life

You’ve stopped yourself from splurging on a pair of Jimmy Choos this New Year and instead settled for a pair of unfussy kitten heels that cost like half that price.

This is the first summer you haven’t argued with your husband when planning a holiday. Instead of vacationing on some foreign shores, you have decided to tour a neighbouring State.

With recession showing no signs of receding, cutting back wherever, whenever and on whatever possible is what people have learnt to do, almost mechanically now.To the stratosphere

There is one commodity that has no difficulty finding buyers. According to a recent report in The New York Times, romance novels is the new darling of the market. Today is World Book Day, and MetroPlus checks out if there is a similar trend being followed here.

Kanaga, a college student says, “I haven’t stopped buying books just because of the recession. However, I haven’t bought as many books in the last year as I would have previously. Whenever I can borrow a book, I do so, but being a die-hard romantic, there is always something at the bookstore that catches my eye.”

Apparently, the happy endings are one of the reasons for the spike in the sale of romantic novels. Eisha Oomer, a voracious reader and freelance writer says, “The times are highly stressful. Layoffs, salary cuts, underemployment are some of the harsh realities of our lives. Who wouldn’t then want to sit down to a few pages of fairytale romances where everyone lives happily ever after?”

According to the report, such escapist urges have also increased the sale of books belonging…More

The Hindu :

Mallikarjun Katakol captures the art of displaying products in traditional markets of Bangalore

PHOTO: K. GOPINATHANOrder in the ordinary Mallikarjun finds beauty in the design sense

Mallikarjun Katakol’s eye-catching photos titled “The Aesthetics of Display” are simply shot. The photographer has gone to different markets in the city and has captured in colour, the different items displayed.

So from fruits, vegetables, meat, vessels and knives to undergarments, buckets, mugs, spices, locks and footwear, Mallikarjun has worked on a subject that has been dealt with previously but with a difference.

The bazaar becomes an alluring space, where the shopkeepers have perfected and evolved their own advertising strategies.

Unlike well-packaged goods safely tucked in air-conditioned malls, the goods displayed in bazaars are well within reach. Says Mallikarjun, “The shopkeeper uses his creativity and aesthetic sense to make the products more accessible.”

He has shot in K.R. Market, Johnson and Russell Market and Madivala. “I would go on certain days and times when products would be displayed for a particular reason. The shopkeeper works on the sensory organs — so the customers can touch, smell and even taste.” So from the locks arranged in different sizes to the meats arranged in symmetrical order, Mallikarjun finds beauty in their design sense, passed down for generations. “When I ask them about their aesthetic, they nonchalantly mention this is how they have been doing it for years and so have their ancestors.”

He finds that unlike bigger shops, which use props to bring attention to the products, drama is created in the arrangement of the products themselves. “A product becomes more interesting when arranged with others.”

Advertising photographer Mallikarajun says he looked at the products and shot them through the eyes of the common man, making the shots straightforward and the products, arresting.

The exhibition is on till April 25 (closed today) at the Max Mueller Bhavan, No. 716 CMH…More

The Hindu :

SPA.ce provides some luxurious options in soothing environs

GREEN THUMB Soak in the soothing view during a manicure or pedicure

The first thing that strikes you when you step into SPA.ce, the spa, is Mrs Moore, the character from E. M. Forster’s “A Passage to India” commenting on there being no distinction between inside and outside in India.

SPA.ce on the hyper-busy 100 Feet Road in Indiranagar creates the same feeling. The outside is brought in with structural details. A great, gracious tree languorously grows through the various floors. Terracotta detailing reminds one of red earth and pouring rain. Even cooler is the manicure and pedicure stations that are placed in an atrium with potted plants providing a comforting aura while the sunlight filtering from the high double glazed glass ceiling lends a soothing air to the proceedings.

“Once you step into SPA.ce, you put away the worries and cares of your everyday world,” says Nina Bual, the brains behind SPA.ce. And sure enough you leave behind the bustling 100 Feet Road and enter an oasis of tranquillity.

Nina, a third generation Indian in U.K., left London to start SPA.ce. “This is the fourth in two years. I believe in working with the environment. On Cunningham Road, we have opened a spa in a heritage building. Here, since 100 Feet Road is (or at least was) known for its green cover, we have tried to keep as many trees as possible,” Nina says of the tree growing in the spa.

The spa has pleasant surprises in every corner from the manicure stations to the couples Jacuzzi where you could be snug as a bug in a rug with your significant other. The inside-outside theme continues with the high walls of the Jacuzzi providing privacy while opening to the wide blue sky. Each room has an attached shower. “You would not want to leave the room midway…More

The Hindu : y>

Into the unknown The series explores the paranormal

Experience the bizarre with the Wincester brothers on the latest season of the hit show, “Supernatural”. The brothers, Sam and Dean have been orphaned at an early age and share a close bond.

Watch as they travel across the country, investigating paranormal events, scoffing at danger and unravelling mysteries in their trademark style.

In the mysterious season opener, the brothers reunite after Dean has been freed from hell. As Dean struggles to remember what happened while he was trapped, it becomes evident that Sam is hiding secrets, especially about what happened in the four months of Dean’s absence.

Tune in for the exciting season premiere of ‘Supernatural’ on April 24 at 11 p.m. only on AXN.

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The Hindu :

The husband and wife coaching duo, Jitender Singh and M.N. Triveni, have put Belgaum on the world map in the sport

Photo: K. GopinathanWhat a throw Jitender and Triveni (down) have done Karnataka proud

Judo is one sport where Karnataka does have a record to boast of. Things have changed now, however, with the husband and wife coaching team of Jitender Singh and M.N. Triveni. In the last four years, Karnataka, in the under-20 age categories, is the National champion.

Triveni took to judo under another husband and wife team, Mr and Mrs. Jeevan Sharma.Triveni was a judoka till 1997 before emerging as a topper at NIS Patiala in 17 disciplines. Posted with the Sports Authority of Karnataka (SAK) the then commissioner A.J. Anandan coaxed her to take up coaching judokas in Belgaum. Triveni was at first hesitant but with the assurance of being taken back in Bangalore after a year, she took up the challenge and made Belgaum her base.

Jitender, after his stint as a judo exponent and then as an Indian style wrestler at Jodhpur University in Rajasthan, did a two-year NIS programme (1996-98) at Patiala and then was posted to Belgaum. The two coaches met and got married a year later. The duo then brought about a revolution in the sport.

“Belgaum is a centre of excellence in Judo besides having a sports hostel, academy and a sports school. The raw talent that turned up initially were apprehensive. However with time, the villagers accepted the changes that we brought about and today there is a healthy atmosphere,” said Triveni.

“The background of most of the trainees is pitiful. A few are from middle class families while others are from very poor backgrounds, where even two square meals is a distant dream. It is from one such family that we have Kutuja Multani, a 17-year old girl, who has already won four golds…More