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The Hindu :

Haji Noman has entered the record books with his miniature Taj Mahal made of currency notes

Wah Taj! Haji Noman with his creation

The Taj Mahal is a rather extravagant display of love — its construction cost the Mughal exchequer Rs. 32 million, a king’s ransom in those days. Given this fact, Haji Noman can be excused for making a scaled-down model of the mausoleum (8 x 8 x 3 feet, when the main structure and the minarets are arranged in the ideal format) using 4,382 five-rupee notes. Completed in 2007, the rare work was reported to the Limca Book of Records (LBR) much later. Recently, Noman received a letter from the organisation that his work has been accepted as a record and is mentioned in the 2009 edition of LBR.

Pursuing money origami (the art of making objects by folding currency notes instead of paper) as a hobby and a source of additional income for well over 20years, Noman never doubted his ability to make the structure. But, he knew this project would take longer than usual. “I had not created anything as big.” For six months, he spent his evenings, after the shutters were downed at his hardware shop on Broadway, and six to seven hours on Sundays, on the Taj Mahal.

Ironically, Noman has never visited the Taj Mahal. Photos of the mausoleum alone guided his hand as he cut plywood and cardboards, sliced PVC pipes and folded currency notes. The replica has as many domes and minarets as the original and possesses much of the intricate designs that make the Taja grand piece of architecture.

The structure can be dismantled and moved; and it takes Noman one whole day to put it all back together. For friends and the media, he often reassembles his Taj. Noman knows it took 21 years (1632 to 1653) to build the Taj and, therefore, feels…More

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Mudrika Foundation for Indian Performing Arts presents a solo dance debut of Ila N. Gokarn, a student of Minal Prabhu. Dancers Kalashree Sridhar and Anuradha Shridhar will be the guests of honour. The dancer will be accompanied by her teacher on the nattuvangam.

Venue: Ravindra Kalakshetra

Date: May 23

Time: 6 p.m.

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The Hindu :

American George M. Santacroce admires the country for its vibrancy and diversity

BANGALORE’S BEST Weather-wise, says George Santacroce

George M. Santacroce, the CEO of Madura Garments Lifestyle Retail moved to Bangalore from the United States in 2007, to help create a premium men’s lifestyle retail concept for Madura Garments.

George has enjoyed life in India, a country he admires for its rich culture, vibrancy and diversity. He says, “When I got this assignment in July 2007, I decided to relocate from the United States with my family, since I wanted my children to understand the rich culture and vibrancy of India.”

George feels, “India is fast emerging as a major economic powerhouse. There are many issues to be dealt with, especially bridging the gulf between the poor and the rich. High economic growth will help in bridging the gulf a great deal.”

Before taking up his current assignment, George had visited India on some business trips. “After liberalisation and globalisation, India has changed completely. It has maintained its distinct identity, but has also developed a great deal. Bangalore is a prime example of that change. It has transformed from a sleepy little town to a bustling metropolis, with goods and people from across the planet, a plethora of restaurants whipping up culinary delights from across the planet, and has in a way managed to keep up its identity.”

George loves the weather in Bangalore and terms it the ‘best city’ in India weather-wise. “It is not as humid as Mumbai, and does not get as hot as Delhi. The weather is awesome. I find most peoplevery friendly and accommodative, both at the personal as well as professional level.”

He quips, “I have always regretted the fact that I have been unable to travel much within the country, since I have been caught up with work. I would like to see more of this beautiful country.”

George is…More

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A three-hour workshop — De-Stressing – for those aged 16 years and above. The workshop uses the medium of theatre and is designed to create effective de-stressing for the individual.

Date: may 23

Time: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2.30 p.m. and 5.30 p.m.

Venue: Milestone, Richmond Town

Fee: Rs. 500

Contact: 98455-70014

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The Hindu : y>Motormouth RJ Rohit Barker has been breaking new ground and music since he was 16. He tells BHUMIKA K. what an RJ needs is talent

Photo: Bhagya prakash k.EARLY DECISIONS Rohit Barker: ‘I always wanted to be in the entertainment business’

His big grin and his love for music probably crackle on air every time you tune into Radio Indigo. For RJ Rohit Barker is your true sizzler — quite a loaded platter, comes with some hot attitude, makes a brazen entry and creates all the necessary loud noise.

He puts it very subtly when he says, “I grew up listening to music all the time. My parents had to surgically remove the headphones from me!” Not that they seem to have been successful.

This RJ has also been DJ and VJ (and all the other alphabets in between, he swears). He started RJing when he was 16 and it’s been 16 years brimming with music. After insisting that he’s having a bad hair day and hiding behind his army green cap for the photoshoot, Barker takes off at what he does best — talking. “I always wanted to be in the entertainment business — anything to do with it. And it’s music through and through that made me turn to RJing.”Envious

Rohit Barker has led a life that many a youngster would envy. Of course, whatever he says I’m willing to take with huge bags of salt, but Barker insists that he’s serious and stating facts. And thus rolls out the story of his life (between strings and punctuations of cuss words): “My parents are both hippies and I’ve been a true flower child — I mean my mum’s got a degree in surfing from Hawaii, my parents would take down curtains to make bellbottoms for themselves, and my dad at some point wore his hair till his knees!” He was technically born in…More

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There will be a residential music workshop for children aged between eight and 16 years where they can learn to play the guitar from Konarak Reddy in a holistic atmosphere with treks, kalaripayattu and konokkol classes. Accommodation is in tents. Pick up and drop provided.

Date: May 25 to 28

Fee: Rs. 4,000

Contact: 25559291/9845393685

Venue: Infinite Souls Artists Retreat, 40km from the city

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The Hindu :

Dig into some top notch Vietnamese cuisine at Blue Ginger — authentic and innovative

Delicacies all Every preparation was special

Blue Ginger, the Vietnamese restaurant at the Taj Westend is set at some distance from the main hotel complex, among tall trees and small ponds. The restaurant is built to reassemble a normal Vietnamese home, with superb lighting, wooden lighting andbrick tiles, it wins full marks as far as ambience goes, which goes up a few notches, if you choose to have your meal with chopsticks.

We start the meal with the Zucchini and bell pepper salad with lamb pieces. The lamb is fresh and tastes superb, managing to gel with the rest of the salad preparation well. The salad manages to whet the appetite and sets the mood for the rest of the meal.

We move on some samplings of the fried prawn coated with fresh coconut. This is an innovative preparation and manages to bring a host of flavours to the fore. The prawns are fried well, but not heavy on oil. They blend well with the coconut and provide a crunchy preparation.

The grilled chicken with pandanus leaf also deserves mention. The chicken is fairly soft and with the pandanus leaf provides a light, sweet-sour combination.We also try out the stewed chicken in halong sauce and the stir prawns in pineapple sauce with dollops of boiled rice, a combination that works wonders since it manages to bring a delicate mixture of a range of flavours into the meal. The pineapple sauce brings in a hint of sweet, the halong sauce counter balancing it and helps create a tasty combination. The well-cooked chicken is cooked very well and balances the flavouring very well, with the prawn pieces also scoring on presentation and style.

We also try the fried shredded duck with bell pepper and bean sprout in yellow bean sauce and French beans and…More

The Hindu :

Here’s busting some myths about ab exercises

Photo: Vipin ChandranGET IT RIGHT Proper postural alignment increases workout’s effectiveness

You might have read about theminfitness magazines, or seen TV ads for exercise machines that will magically give you ripped abs.But be warned: these don’t really work.

Myth No: 1

Just doing mid-section exercises can reduce your “love handles.”

Fact

You cannot reduce fat from a targeted area of your body just byexercisingthat area alone.

The abdominal area is no exception. If you want to get a flat stomach and show off your abs, losing the fat covering them is the way to go. And the only way to do this is to lose fat proportionately from your entire body by burning more calories than you consume.

How? By doing thesethings:

Eat a healthy and balanced diet — dark green vegetables, fresh fruits, whole wheat and whole grain products, non-fat dairy products, fish, poultry breast, lean red meat and egg whites. You need to cut out all sugar, soda, non-whole grain products and saturated fats; at least, as far as possible.

Start exercising — aerobic and weight training will raise your metabolic rate. As a result,your body will burn more calories. For aerobic exercise, thrice a week, do an exercise that keeps your heart rate elevated for at least 30-45 minutes (examples: walking, running, cycling, swimming, aerobics, etc). Combine this with weight training, by alternating days of aerobics with weight training. You will build muscles, which will burn more calories even when at rest.

Myth No: 2

You have to do tonnes of crunches for that six-pack look.

Fact

Overuse of crunches will only shorten your abs, pull your head forward and give you a bad posture. Any standing exercise that contracts your abs will do but you should specifically target your lower back to strengthen the muscles that support your spine. The easiest exercise is sucking the gut in, known as the “stomach vacuum”.

First exhale….More

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An exhibition of artificial flower arrangements based on the 12 star signs to mark the International Year of Astronomy (2009) by Indira Nadig, from In Creations – an artificial flower arrangement boutique.

Venue: MEWS, 37, Bhooma, 17th Cross, Malleshwaram

Date: May 23 and 24

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The Hindu : y>Tender coconut water, reminiscent of childhood summers, is packed with nutrition

PHOTO: A. ROY CHOWDHURYSUMMER FAVOURITE Tender coconut water

Suddenly, when it comes to health only the most exotic products will do. They have to arrive in funky packaging, swathed with the ardour of dozens of breathless advertising campaigns. They have to be expensive, because — of course — so many of us believe that money guarantees results. And if they’re difficult to track down, consume or pronounce those are powerful added advantages.

No pain, no gain, right?

You couldn’t be more wrong. And thank goodness for that.

There have always, and will always, be cheap, practical, effective ways to get healthy. One of the most powerful of these is the good old tender coconut.

For many it’s the flavour of childhood. Reminiscent of sweaty road trips in clunky Ambassador cars with frequent stops for cool coconut water.

Drunk through a straw by the edge of the road, it’s associated with pretty pictures of little green coconut hills, or huge bunches carefully suspended from the branches of towering tamarind trees for maximum effect. Then, there’s the coconut choreography: the fluid hacking of the husk, followed by a sharp crack of the nut within. Finally, the pleasure of eating the wobbly, sweet, translucent pulp with a spoon fashioned from husk.

Over the years, hip energy drinks, convenient diet sodas and flavour-rich fruit juices seemed to be edging out the far less glamorous coconut water, held back by it’s voluminous husk, intimidating nut and subtle flavour. Coconut also managed to acquire a remarkably bad rap sheet, including everything from heart attacks to the chief reason you can’t fit into your little black dress.

It might surprise you to know that, Rujuta Diwekar, the celebrity dietician and nutritionist whose book “Don’t Lose Your Mind, Lose Your Weight”, is a strong advocate of tender coconut. Her diet plan includes a daily snack comprisingcoconut water,…More