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The Hindu : y>

Skoda has expanded the Superb range with two new engines, a 2.0-litre TDi diesel and a 3.6-litre V6 petrol.

The 2.0-litre Pumpe-Düse diesel engine pumps out 140bhp and comes with a six-speed DSG gearbox. The seven-speed DSG seen on the 1.8TSI unit isn’t capable of handling the 32kgm of torque from the diesel unit.

Skoda has also unveiled a performance version of the Superb — a 3.6-litre V6 with four-wheel drive! Using VW’s FSI technology, this naturally aspirated V6 engine produces 260bhp and can take the Superb to a top speed of 250kph.

To help get the power down cleanly, it is directed to all four wheels using a Haldex clutch at the centre.

The 2.0-litre diesel Superb is on sale for Rs. 22 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). That puts the diesel at a premium over the 1.8 TSI by well over Rs. 2 lakh! The V6 costs Rs. 25.3 lakh, ex-showroom, Delhi.

Next year, the Superb will also get a common-rail diesel motor. The Superb’s little sibling,the Laura, will also get more powerful engines soon. These will include the 1.8TSI petrol currently doing duty in the Superb, and the 2.0-litre TDi with 140bhp. The Laura with these new engines will go on sale next month. Expect to pay a premium for the more powerful engines and the face-lift.

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The Hindu :

Harbhajan Singh launches his own brand

BOOM TIME Harbhajan Singh launcheshis own brand

Riding on the success of the just-concluded New Zealand tour Harbhajan Singh has become a brand name.

Call him Brand Harbhajan, if you will but in the days to come you can eat out at Bhajji Da Dhaba, play with HS brand sports equipment and flaunt apparel and accessories with HS brand which he himself will be doing with top designers.

This is the first time a cricketer has officially become a brand for a range of products, leaving behind the days of cricketers as ambassadors of everything ranging from a health drink toengine oil.“Once you grow old, endorsements will stop coming your way, for that you need to have a brand of yourself to sell.

“My fans want to know more about me, what my likes and dislikes are and now they can as I will be actively involved. It is a new thing for me but these people are specialists in their field. I will keep playing good cricket and they will take care of the other things.

“At Bhajji Da Dhaba you will find the dishes of my choice, though I am not a good cook but I am a food lover. The food will be as good as home cooked.”

Like any other Indian, Bhajji is also not very happy about the IPL being hosted outside India.

He went on to say: “I would have loved it if the IPL was played in India, I will definitely miss my fans.”

Asked if he will be targeting some individual players in the tournament, he replied, “I never target any individual, I target the whole team and that is the way you win matches. To win, we have to beat every team whether they have fouror 11 captains.”

S.M. AAMIR

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The Hindu :

The Scorpio Refresh has been through a cosmetic revolution and for its price is still India’s best SUV yet

PHOTO: HIMANSHU PANDYAMUSCULAR MACHINE Scorpio Refresh

Before the Scorpio was launched, Mahindra was known as a company whichmade tough cars to cater to the rural market. The Scorpio changed Mahindra’s imageand it was a success, especially in the urban market. The Scorpio has always been ahead of its game. It’s been through a few facelifts, three engine upgrades and now this, the Scorpio Refresh, an entirely cosmetic makeover. Also, the Scorpio is now available only with the mHawk engine — the CRDe engine is now available only inthe Getaway and Xylo. It also gets the Mahindra’s start-stop system to improve the engine’s efficiency.

The most telling change to the exteriors of the Scorpio is to the front end. The brochure claims the Scorpio Refresh is fresh from the gym, and it certainly looks beefy. Not necessarily pretty though. As is obvious, it sports a new grille with a ‘Bugs Bunny’ tooth at the centre — also present on the Bolero and the recently launched Xylo. There’s the new bonnet scoop, which now looks smarter, and the front bumper looks like it’s been chiselled off Schwarzenegger’s biceps. There’s also the clear lens headlamps and bigger fog lamps up front. The chunky, pull-type door handles, new side cladding and the integrated footstep on the rear bumper finish up the facelift. The changes to the exteriors certainly make the car look very aggressive and beastly.

Mechanically, the Scorpio remains unchanged except that the start-stop system, first seen on the Bolero micro-hybrid, has been added here as well. The micro-hybrid system has been further developed; the engine now turns off after five seconds compared to the 10 seconds on the Bolero and when you depress the clutch the engine starts running again. There is one problem, though. When the…More

The Hindu :

Sharon Prabhakar loves wearing many hats and picks theatre as her favourite

Different roles Sharon Prabhakar emphasises on multi tasking.

Sharon Prabhakar is constantly juggling varied tasks — singing, acting for television, theatre and movies, and is a motivational speaker for corporates. She draws an analogy between theatre and corporate rigmarole. “Whether on stage or meeting deadlines in your organisation, people are always watching you perform. So let us not be apologetic and give people a good performance. After all, we all have ‘performance appraisals’,” she says. Sharon has been trainer for corporates of late and has incorporated basic tenets of theatre in her workshops. “You cannot hold people’s attention with a monologue beyond 10 minutes. So I include role plays and interactive sessions,” she says.

Sharon holds that it is important for women (and men) to multi-task and incorporate theatre into their sphere of activities. “Theatre completes me. Even for non-professional actors, theatre can be part of the journey if not an end point. It gives you freedom of speech, individuality, confidence and you get to live the life of so many characters. I am going to try and get more people to try out theatre,” she says.

Dividing her time between workshops for corporates, theatre and television, she says: “I am having a lot of fun doing different things. Even now, I am considering an offer from a big production house for a television serial. But I don’t know if I will have the time for it. There are two film offers as well.” Last year, she was seen in the TV soap “Yeh Tera Ghar Yeh Mera Ghar” and the movie “Saas Bahu Aur Sensex”.

SANGEETHA DEVI DUNDOO

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The Hindu :

Podiatrist Mahboob Shariff points out his treatments are therapeutic rather than cosmetic

PHOTO: MURALI KUMAR K.Tip toe Mahboob Shariff: ‘I don’t want my service to be perceived as luxurious’

His uncle Azim Khan was said to be the only trained foot specialist in Karnataka. And now, Mahboob Shariff can boast the same. “My uncle was trained in Czechoslovakia and worked in Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi and Kolkata”, says Mahboob at his Pedicure Clinic at Hotel Woodlands. With a grandfather who was a blacksmith in the army, and a father who was in sales at Bata, Mahboob studied medicine to become a doctor. “But my father met with an accident, and I had to discontinue my studies to work part-time, and attend evening college.”

Since his uncle was keen to have an apprentice, Mahboob’s interest in foot care grew. “I wanted to continue medicine and clubbed my practical experience of podiatry with studies by getting hold of some course material.”

In the beginning, Mahboob was aware that his profession was looked down upon. “Serving people who ignore their feet and relieving them of their pain brought great satisfaction and respect.” He feels that Indians unlike their Western counterparts, do not give proper attention to their feet. “It becomes a psychological and sociological issue, when looking after one’s feet is ignored.”

He points out that his treatment are therapeutic rather than cosmetic. That is why I call it a pedicure clinic. Moreover, I treat different problems from ingrown and infected nails, infection, cracks, warts, athlete’s foot and calluses to corns as part of a general check-up.” He feels that people are not aware that podiatry is also a part of medicine. “Nor do they know that the feet are the first to get affected in a diabetic patient.” He lists some symptoms that result due to poor blood circulation in the feet like loss of…More

The Hindu :

Master Saleem, son of famous Sufi singer Ustad Puran Shah Koti, is on a high

High note Master Saleem

The new kid on the singing block, Master Saleem is a daring dreamer. Born toaccomplished singer Ustad Puran Shah Koti — a big name in Sufiana music, Saleem Shah Koti later re-christened Master Saleem possesses immense talent and it showed when he released his first Punjabi album at the age of 10!

Master Saleem was in Delhi recently to promote his latest album “Teri Sajni” which is already ruling the charts for six weeks now. He’s very excited. “I expected this to be hit, but not this much,” he says with a smile and carries on, “It’s a soulful song which touches the bottom of the heart. The song is very divine and I am overwhelmed by the response. Moreover it’s an honour that my song is featured alongside the songs sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Kailash Kher.”

Didhe always want to be a singer? He answers, “Music is in my veins. It’s a medium for me through which I connect to God. My father always influenced me. I am blessed to have him as my guru.” Master Saleem’s resume already boasts an impressive list of Bollywood numbers —“Mast kalandar” (“Heyy Babyy”), “Tashan mein” (“Tashan”) , “Rangeeli raat” (“Money hai to Honey hai”) “Maa ka ladla” (“Dostana”).

There are many more projects in the pipeline, including songs from “Right Or Wrong”, besides Salman Khan’s untitled film and Ajay Devgan’s home production.

The young singer has also been approached for acting!

Master Saleem’s career has begun on the right note and shows enough promise that it will not go off-key.

ABBAS HAIDER

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The Hindu : y>Car and bike questions? We have the answers

I want to buy a Toyota LandCruiser for my son’s birthday in September. He travels a lot and he will use the SUV mainly on the highway, covering 2,000 km a month. Will the diesel model be available soon?

Tejas Garewal

Unfortunately, the diesel LandCruiser Prado will not be launchedin time for your son’s birthday. Toyota will launch the diesel Prado only in April 2010 after the new emission norms are announced in the country. However, there will be the all-new LandCruiser Prado that will make its world debut in June this year and come to India soon after. But it will come with a petrol V8, which is quite thirsty, and your son will be saddled with huge fuel bills for the high mileage he covers. Unless, of course, the fuel for the car is also a part of his birthday present!I have been using a Hyundai Santro for the past seven years and it has clocked 50,000km, most of it on highways. I am now planning to buy a saloon such as the Fiat Linea, Mahindra Logan, Maruti Dzire or the Ford Ikon,

but am in a dilemma whether to go in for a petrol or a diesel car. Please advise.

Sachin Singaram

Since you are driving mainly on the highway, we suggest you go in for a diesel car. Besides the significantly lower running costs, a diesel version makes more sense on the highway as it cruises better than its petrol counterparts. Also, diesel is more widely available on the highway. This makes a diesel-engined car more practical and well worth the premium you pay over a petrol one.I am thinking of buying a small car in the Rs. 3 lakh to Rs. 4 lakh price range and am very keen on the Chevrolet Spark. I have also test driven it and feel like going…More

The Hindu : y>

Floral collection Get the collection at Biba outlets across the country

The new Spring Summer collection by Biba is inspired by exotic African motifs. The design has infused fresh florals, colonial floral motifs with Indian silver khari and paisley motifs.

The colour palette includes summer whites and pastels, ranging from bright yellow to misty mauves and indigo blues. The collection also includes flared, empire lines and an interesting mix of colours and prints and silhouettes. The fabrics for the collection have been picked from the finest cottons, voiles, chanderi, linen and silk blends.

The collection is available at exclusive Biba outlets and malls across the country.

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The Hindu :

Chandrachur Singh is cool about the films he did, and those he didn’t, even as he makes a comeback on the threshold of his 40s

Gentleman actor : Chandrachur Singh returns to the silver screen with Maruti Mera Dost

When someone says Chadrachur Singh is making a comeback, it suddenly hits you: “Hey! That ‘Maachis’ guy! Where in the world has he been?” Out of sight is out of mind in Bollywood.

And when you actually get talking to Chandrachur Singh over phone from Mumbai, you know exactly why he’s been that way. He’s too quiet, soft-spoken, stripped of all killer instinct and marketing savvy – you sum up – all no-nos in the film world.

“Maruti Mera Dost” is the children’s film his brother Abhimanyu Singh was making that prompted Chandrachur into making a comeback (he admits his last success was in 2001). It is a story of good triumphs over evil, with Hanuman as its central character, packed with great visual effects and action, he says. Why a children’s film when everyone knows it hardly works in India? “I’ve never followed trends and believe a film high on merit will do well. Moreover I was involved in the creative process of the film from the beginning…I was interested in participating in the process. The script was appealing.”

I’m not happy with the answer and insist that one is disappointed to see him almost wasted after his intense debut as youngster sucked into the whirlpool of terrorism in Gulzaar’s “Maachis”. “I’m equally disappointed,” he laughs softly. “But nothing good came my way. I believe in working for my satisfaction. In the first place I made an unusual career choice — I moved from being a teacher to an actor. I wouldn’t like to be actor just to be one or for the sake of working. That’s why I chose to wait.”Flashback time

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The Hindu : y>In our frenetic, frantic world, some amount of time to connect with our inner selves is very important for our well being, writes BINDU TOBBY

Photo: Bijoy GhoshSong to solitude Boundless vistas will open up

Can you remember the last time you sat down with yourself, spending precious moments, in the company of none other? Away from the cacophony of the world, reconnecting with your inner self, introspecting, questioning, answering, pondering and ploughing, mining your mind and searching your soul?

Is ‘me-time’ really that important? How do I squeeze it into my day? What is my ‘me-time’ going to be?Find it

The first step is to find that ‘me-time’ in everyday. It can range from minutes to an hour or more; and it can be while you are driving to work, sipping your morning cuppa or even when you are doing your laundry at home.

“The answer to finding ‘me-time’ does not come by dividing the day into two or three blocks and saying this time is for office, this time is for home and this time is for ‘me’,” says Ravi Raman, who works with an MNC. “It is when we say 24 hours is for me (and that includes family and work and my hobbies and interests) and take ownership of all the hours in the day and for our lives and decisions.”

Aparna Vinod says that she is convinced that everybody needs me time “To dwell deeper, to connect with oneself because as adults, as we have all lost sight of the ‘self’. I have noticed that mainly women willingly sacrifice ‘me’ time to the larger demands of marriage and family. But through this journey we forget that the more we become strangers to ourselves, the more obscure we are within!”

She also adds that she has consciously ensured that in three years of being married she has worked towards keeping her hobbies alive,…More