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The Hindu : y>There are treks and spa packages galore for the monsoon

Getofurass has come up with a monsoon travel package which combines the option of enjoying the arrival of monsoon with mouth-watering recipes, wine, and unending campfires. The first option is a trip to Malenadu – Sakleshpur and the dates are June 26 to 28, July 24 to 26 and August 21 to 23. It gives an opportunity to experience 8000 mm of rain and explore 7000 acres of private forest that supports a variation of habitats. The next option is Fringe Ford – Wayanad from July 9 to 11, August 7 to 9 and September 4 to 6. You get an opportunity to stay in organised colonial bungalows nestled in faraway estates.

The cost is Rs. 6, 500 (minimum group size includes travel from Bangalore and back, food and barbeques, a bottle of wine complimentary and treks if any in the property.

There is an option to customise the trips too. Call 9845442224/ 26722750 or e-mailcontact@getoffurass.com

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Oberoi Hotels & Resorts offers a special package this monsoon with a spa vacation.

The spa menus at The Amarvilas, Agra and The Oberoi Rajvilas, Jaipur have come up with a new menu. In addition to traditional therapies such as the Balinese massage and a wide range of Ayurvedic treatments, the menus include innovative treatments that incorporate the therapeutic sound and vibrations of Tibetan singing bowls to cleanse and enhance the chakra energy centers; heated lava shells to synergise warmth and deep pressure in a massage andOmorovicza facials and body wraps.

The special package offers a two-night stay at The Oberoi Rajvilas, Jaipur for Rs. 35,000 and The Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra and The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur for Rs. 36,500. Taxes will be extra.

The package includes accommodation for two persons for two nights in a premier room, additional room for up to two children (below 12 years) comes free, is available. It…More

The Hindu :

London Undersound

Nitin Sawhney

Cooking Vinyl

Nitin Sawhney is frankly not my kind of musician. Yet, when this highly active musician came out with his eighth studio album I picked it up simply out of surprise that this not-so-famous man — he is one of those producers that most music lovers have heard of, yet not many are familiar with his music — was releasing his eighth studio album.

I picked up “London Undersound” expecting some standard drab musical fusion of Punjabi and hip-hop that is expected of the Indian Londoners.

It must be mentioned that die-hard fans of this brand of music will tell you he is an award-winning musician and has composed several popular scores, most notably for Mira Nair’s last movie “The Namesake”.

In this album, Sawhney sings about his understanding of the rumblings in the “undersound” in London post the 2005 bombings. The album features several established names in the music industry like Paul McCartney and Faheem Mazhar and several up-and-coming artists like Natty and Anoushka Shankar, to bring out a pleasantly balanced album.

The album starts off with a tuneful lament in “Days of Fire” featuring Natty, recreating the singer’s own personal experience of the 2005 London subway bombings. Though not intended so, this eerily rings true following the ghastly Mumbai attacks late last year. This song finds a worthy successor in “October Daze” featuring Tina Grace, with its dream-like peacefulness that sets the tone for this well-produced album.

Sawhney’s mixing skills come to the fore with the always impressive vocals of Imogen Heap in “Bring It Home”. “My Soul”, featuring the evergreen Paul McCartney is an excellent representation of what a Western and Eastern pop confluence would sound like. “Distant Dreams” with the raw strokes of Roxanne Tataei, was the video single released in India, and is occasionally shown on music channels.

The done-to-death Arabian tune that surface in “Shadowland” make it…More

The Hindu :

The Alpine regions of central Switzerland are a sight to behold

PHOTO: ADITYA SWAMINATHANalpine Highlands Carpeted in snow

As the train chugs along, the ubiquitous postcard-perfect scenery lies ahead as far as the eye can see. The air carries the smell of fresh greenery while the caressing breeze brings with it coolness from the nearby mountains. I am heading out from the charming little city of Interlaken, located two hours away from the hustle and bustle of Zurich, Switzerland’s financial capital.

Connected to Zurich by the efficient Swiss rail service, Interlaken is a good place to be stationed at, while exploring the magnificent Alpine regions of central Switzerland.

The journey takes one through a zigzag path of sloping terrains that lead into deep valleys, out of which majestic mountainous landscapes rise.Nature’s grandeur

Every other moment, you catch yet another glimpse of nature’s grand juxtaposition — hills covered with lush green foliage, with majestic snow-capped mountains sprawled in the background.

Friendly locals wave at us. It is impossible to miss their pretty gardens, in which rare alpine flowers bloom in orange, purple and pink hues. Houses made of log wood and built in traditional Swiss-style architecture dot the rolling slopes. Wonder howthey remain so precariously perched without sliding away!

Soon, the air gets chillier. The snow-capped Alps arenearer now as the train turns each bend. Clanging sounds such as those made by wind chimes are constantly heard, coming from the famous Swiss bells strung around the necks of cattle grazing on the Alpine grasslands. The change in altitude and temperature can be quite sudden, so be prepared for it even while you take in the splendour around you.

At an intersection near Grindelwald, located in the higher Alpine regions, I board a quaint cog wheel train, which slowly ascends the steepest railway route in all of Europe, before reaching my destination — Jungfraujoch. Also known as the “Top…More

The Hindu :

Head here for jewellery, clothes and home accessories and if you like the style quotient of Mumbai

FUNKY ACCESSORIES To go with the fun clothes

Shaan Khanna is a young entrepreneur. She is barely 21 years old and shuttles between Mumbai and Bangalore to sell her handmade bags. It was during these trips, she says, that she realised that there was nothing here like the designs in Mumbai.

“Every time I would be here for exhibitions and sales, people would tell me that they have never seen anything like what I offer,” says Shaan, who has now started the Bombay Bazaarr in Indiranagar.Home-made products

“It’s just out of passion that I have started this store,” she says. The place is homey, with no frills, and offers a range of handmade products. “Everything you see here is made by women at home in Mumbai. You will not get these designs here and for the price we offer. Our products start at Rs. 500 and are below Rs. 5,000,” she adds.

There is the jewellery most sought after by youngsters today. The designs are funky and a wee bit unconventional. In fact, the store is targeted at young girls. A huge glass smiley on a golden bead chain or the very unconventionally cut large neckpiece that can be worn both ways catch the eye. “The jewellery is designed by Sangeeta Khanna. And she is doing very well in Mumbai. And most of the young girls here have liked her designs,” observes Shaan.

Then there are clothes by Manizeh. She has designed daily wear kurtis and shirts for young girls. Like the jewellery, they come in bright and vibrant shades and very trendy cuts and designs. These can be worn with jeans, capris or even chudidars.

There is also a range of home accessories — all handmade. There are coasters, candle stands, bowls, platters, table mats and frames….More

The Hindu :

Mumbai band Reversse Polarity, which won the Channel V Launch Pad III, says its sound is contemporary and experimental

PHOTO: SAMPATH KUMAR G.P.YOUNG TURKS ON A ROLL Reversse Polarity

At the interview of Reversse Polarity from Mumbai at Firangi Paani, I was happy for being a little deaf. Not that I didn’t want to hear their music, but their language was just a wee bit salty. I am sure musically they were strong since they won the Channel [V] Launch Pad III.

A musically-inclined bunch aged from 19 to 23, the band has Gaurav Kataria on vocals, Shikhar Manchanda on guitars, Jordan Veigas on bass and Jonathan Fernandes on drums. About entering the contest, Reversse Polarity says, “We had only done three shows and five originals. Kashyap, our manager, coaxed us into participating.”

There was a range of bands participating at Channel [V] Launchpad where genre or language was no bar. “There were bands from Kolkata, bands playing in Hindi and English…” But they say what the judges looked for ultimately was how tightly knit and musically strong the bands were.

“We loved playing every second of the contest.” The group said they even managed to learn and imbibe new styles, drumming beats, strumming patterns, ways of writing and how to connect with the audience.

“It was an extremely friendly and positive atmosphere. We were having fun all the time — not only the participants — but the judges, producers, waiters.”

The band, which plays a mix of genres from hardcore metal to Rock, prefers to call their sound contemporary and experimental. “We don’t like to dominate in any genre, and we don’t listen to metal. All of us have varied tastes in music, which have found their way into our compositions. Some of our pieces even have an Indian touch.”

Their look is red and black and they say they want to stand out and…More

The Hindu :

Alta Design offered an education in the scintillating world of jewellery

Photo: Bhagya Prakash K.glittering lovelies Komalthip and the mind-boggling collection

A visit to the Alta stall at The Hindu MetroPlus Lifestyle Show is akin to an education on gems, designs and jewellery. At the stall you will meet Alta Design head Komalthip and her colleague Bobbie Bobbiek. The latter sounds like a walking encyclopaedia on gems and jewellery, while Komalthip takes the back seat and handing you the gems Bobbiek is talking about for a closer look. Bobbiek talks passionately about the jewellery making even a non-jewellery lover fall in love with the glittering lovelies.

“We are inspired by designs from all over the world but create them with artistry and finesse from Thailand. Engineers craft the jewellery which makes the difference,” says Bobbiek, who shows pendants in the shape of frogs, scorpions, ants or bumble bees. These are so apt for the young and unconventional. They are made in silver and are platinum plated so that they do not tarnish, explains Bobbiek.Speciality chokers

Besides these there are earrings, bracelets, watches and chokers and neck chains in varied stones and silver. “The specialty of the chokers is in their making. They are so intricate that you can actually roll them up like a mat,” demonstrates Bobbiek. Like a performer he takes another piece of jewellery and pulls it down your sleeve and says: “look the finish is so fine that it will not even pull at the threads of your garment. That is what the Basel setting of the gems do.”

He goes on to add that there is an interesting story to every jewellery range. There is a section that comes with horse shoe setting. “We are proud of our stone cuttings, so will not hide it. We have instead placed the stone in a horse shoe design. That makes the design…More

The Hindu : y>A British Airways package, with tickets and accommodation, is just a click away

British Airways is rolling out a new feature on ba.com that gives customers the ability to book a complete holiday package from various options online, saving time and money.

Announcing the offer, British Airways’ Regional Commercial Manager for South Asia, Judy Jarvis said, “This new feature called ‘Dynamic Packaging’ is easy to use and offers a new range of exciting hotel, car rental and tourist experiences packaged together.”

For example, a three-night stay in London starts at Rs. 44,000 per person, which includes flight tickets and hotel accommodation at London’s four-star Thistle City Barbican hotel. Customers can adjust their search results based on price, type of hotel and location and compare their top three choices.

The new range of hotels available includes 4,000 great value hotels including Marriott, InterContinental, Sheraton, and Hilton, plus an extensive choice of independent hotels, and 3,000 ‘experiences’ from cultural sightseeing trips to action-packed adventures. It also includes Avis car rental and fly-drive packages.

For further information about Dynamic Packaging, visitwww.ba.com.

<FONT …More

The Hindu : y>Young trees take several years before they can offset pollution, writes Marianne de Nazareth batting for Bangalore’s hoary green cover

Photo: Murali Kumar K.Leafy lane Mother nature’s air conditioner

If you take a trip up to Ooty or Coonoor even today, the air-conditioned climate in the cities is what strikes you immediately. That was Bangalore way back in the Seventies when tree cover was optimum and homes were sprawling, old, colonial bungalows. Trees grew in abundance and were of a massive girth with canopies that spread across roads and buildings. The city was famed for its ‘air-conditioned’ ambience. Today we use fans even in January and the city has warmed up to a level that makes air-conditioners essential.

In a recent Climate Change meeting of the UNFCCC in Bonn, an organization called the Global Canopy Programme (GCP) from the UK explained that “old trees go beyond carbon sequestration and storage, and act as giant utilities providing vital ecosystems services to the city. They generate rainfall, buffer the climate, maintain biodiversity and also stabilize the soil. Although we all benefit from these services, nobody pays for them.Therefore keeping them safe, keeps us safe.”

Dr J.K. Vasantkumar, the former director of horticulture, Lalbagh says, “A new tree takes 25 years to grow, whereas an old tree already has a huge canopy which not only gives shelter, but also prevents evaporation of water and soil erosion. Old trees absorb the carbon in the atmosphere and give out oxygen helping to reduce pollution in the city. A sapling is like a child, it has several years to grow before it can contribute to off-setting pollution.”

Trees act as air-conditioners, cooling the atmosphere near the ground through evapo-transpiration. According to the GCP, “one square metre of the oceans surface evaporates one square metre litre of water, old trees release eight to 19 times more moisture into the atmosphere. The…More

The Hindu :

P.S. Wasu’s book provides a look at four confused individuals grappling with issues that youngsters across the country face

SPURRING SEDATE INDIVIDUALS It is not a self help book, insists Wasu

P.S. Wasu has been a life skills facilitator since 1996. His workshop “The Fine Print of Life” is recognised for its ability to spur individuals into transforming themselves. Many participants have described the workshops as transformational and enlightening.

Wasu says, “I do not provide any tips to improve your life. I make individuals prioritise their goals and put them on the path of success.”

His popular workshop series has now been drafted into a book format, “The Fine Print of Life – How Panna Lal Found Happiness, Wisdom and Mishri Devi” by Harper Collins.No dos and don’ts

He quips, “It is a book that provides a look at four confused individuals, reflecting the tensions, doubts and other issues that youngsters across the country face.”

He adds, “It is not a self help book since it does not provide a list of dos and don’ts for achieving success. It deals with the manner in which any individual can bring out spontaneity, boost his own energy levels and bring out his creative side to help achieve a great degree of success. You need to look inwards to become successful.”

Wasu says, “This book cannot be typecast into a specific genre, since it talks about issues that everybody faces and showcases that most of our differences exist only at a superficial level. We are all, as a species, very similar to each other and yearn for peace, happiness and success in our lives.”

He is presently working on his next book, which he says will be released soon. “It will be very similar to the ‘Fine Print…’. I hope to take off from where this book ends.”

Wasu is also associated with a life skills website,www.tickledbylife.com. The 177 page…More

The Hindu :

Sister Jesme’s autobiography is not to be mistaken as an outsider’s view of the faith and therefore misinterpreted

Sister Jesme’s autobiography, “Amen”, (Penguin, Rs. 225), a candid account of life within the enclosure of a convent, begins and ends on a cautious note. She starts by saying that she is “empowered by Jesus himself” to expose the dark underbelly of the religious order and ends by describing herself as a “valiant daughter of the church”. This eagerness, not to be mistaken as an outsider’s view of the faith, is understandable in the present context. After all, we live in a context where any introspection within a minority community is quickly appropriated by right-wing political outfits to serve their own purpose.

That premise made clear, Sister Jesme does not mince words in revealing the pervasive decay in the religious order. She talks about the sad and repressed world of nuns, social hierarchies within, sexual relationships, lesbianism, financial irregularities, corruption and nepotism. A PhD-holder in English literature who served as a college principal, she resigned from the Congregation of the Mother of Carmelites in Kerala after serving for 33 years when she was branded “insane”. She says that she decided to put down her experiences in a book not only because “writing provides cathartic relief and a space for self-reflection”, but also because she felt she had a “responsibility to reveal things as they are”, particularly in a context where the death of Sister Abhaya in a convent in Kottayam is being debated. “I had to speak out because I am alive,” says Sister Jesme.

Excerpts from a telephonic interview with the author:

What made you break the silence after 33 years?

The instinct as a nun is to accept suffering and go on. But what was being demanded of me was to accept that I am insane. Logical thinking is a precious gift of god that…More