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The Hindu :

Cascades of white water, lush forest and a spiffy resort make for an ideal idyll

Waterworld Athirapally falls

If location is crucial, then the boutique Rainforest Resort at Athirapally, Kerala, perched on the very edge of the Sholayur Range, gets a headstart.Overlooking the falls

The seven-acre property has just nine rooms. The interiors are a symphony in black palm and teak and the USP is that all the rooms overlook the Athirappally Falls, which come crashing down some 80 feet.

There is a tree house coming up for the next season; it promises a bird’s-eye view of the falls, forest, and palm and cashew groves.

Food is served in the Foliage restaurant, looking out at the falls. There’s a treasure tucked away in the kitchens, going by the name of Baiju (not the guide).

Chef Baiju wields a mean skillet, and offers an array of dishes — old favourites such as appam and stew, puttu and kadala, curry, duck, rabbit, squid, fish curry, chicken fry and some great payasams.

Also on offer are dals,rotis and paneer dishes for those not too willing to try local fare.

I went for a swim in the infinity pool, over which hang the leafy branches of mango and jackfruit trees; it was a short-lived swim because I soon locked eyes with a burly simian.

I hastily withdrew to the comforts of the tiled hot tub in my Zen bathroom, all grey granite and well-aged wood, with picture window views of ripening jackfruit.

Walk through the forest

The resort has some interesting activities for those who would do more than lie back in air-conditioned splendour and stare endlessly at the falls.

Baiju — the guide — takes us for a walkabout to the falls and back through the forest.

He is a skilled angler, leads bird watching expeditions, and also accompanies visitors to the base of the Malayatoor hill and gently urges them up the…More

The Hindu :

Check out the high-end range of upholstery, curtains and cushions at Atmosphere

Photo: Murali Kumar. KChoose your pick From silk, silk blends and velvet curtains

The display of products and the élan with which the store is designed signal that the products are suitably high-end. Called Atmosphere, the store is the retail brand for Himatsingka Wovens Pvt. Ltd. The company offers upholstery, curtains and cushions.

The store space too is very unconventional. It is divided into two separate sections with a narrow passage connecting the two. The first hostsupholstery while the latter offers cushions (floor and the regular ones). The whole place is done up stylishly.Some of the upholstery that is used on the sofa or the comfy chair displayed here are proof of this. “These give the customer an accurate idea of how a particular fabric will look when actually used or when mixed ’n’ matched”.

“We deal with fabric only and we have silk and silk blends at the moment,” says the store’s spokesperson. The upholstery starts at Rs. 1,500 a metre. There are velvets in varied avatars and designs. “Velvets are sturdy and they reflectlight in a different way , hence they are very popular” she says.

There is the suede collection which starts at Rs. 1,500 a metre. “Wehelp with the design and the co-ordination. But finally it all depends on your home décor and wall colours,” adds the spokesperson.

Those who like leather but are against the use of animal skin can opt for the faux option. This section shares its space with light upholstery/curtains. Priced at Rs. 2,400, this sectionoffers fabrics for Chinese screens.

The second section offers cushions. They come in three sizes 31 by 31 inches, 30 by 40 inches and the regular, smaller ones that can be used on a divan.

Besides cushionsyou can pick up varied curtains infloral or geometric prints, botanical or hand embroidered designs. Some…More

The Hindu :

Carved mosques, colourful gardens, sun dappled lakes…Srinagar is still paradise on earth

PHOTO: NISSAR AHMADALL THINGS BEAUTIFUL Shikaras dot the Dal Lake

One of the bonuses of being an Army wife is that you get to see hidden places — little towns and charming cities that seem to have fallen off the map and are sometimes nowhere on the tourist radar. Last month, I was in Kashmir racing up and down the countryside, hiking up snow-dusted mountains, splashing through silver streams, reading Dalrymple under a walnut tree while the daughter strung daisy chains, and riding through rough pony tracks to the Line of Control and back. But that is for later….

It was Srinagar that first stole my heart. Capital of Kashmir, City of Bridges, City of Gardens and Shrines, there is enough beauty to fill a hard drive with digital pictures. I’ve been looking at carved mosques, narrow lanes with their overhanging balconies, bungalows along the River Jhelum, gingerbread trimmed houseboats on the Dal Lake, handsome men from the sepia-tinted pages of an M.M. Kaye novel, beautiful rosy-cheeked women with Persian names and little children who resemble cherubs.

You know you have left the rest of India behind when you first see the ice-tipped Pir Panjal range and the burnt-brown and gold of the stubble bordering other airport runways gives way to green, lush with red poppies. Babloo, our friend and guide with movie-star looks, eases the Scorpio out of the airport gates and I take in the bewitching green landscape, budding into spring, hemmed in by the Zabarwan hills.

The trees are heavy with pink and white blossoms and the chinar trees rich with leaves. Horses pulling cartloads of vegetables trot through the streets. But there is also the disquieting presence of para-military soldiers in bullet-proof vests with rifles, behind a tangle of razor-wire at intervals along the roadside.

After criss-crossing the Jhelum twice,…More

The Hindu : y>NIKHIL VARMAchances upon a Vinay Pathak who refuses to be typecast, has occasional stage fright, and plays himself in a new play

Photo: V. Sreenivasa murthyGETTING IT RIGHT Vinay Pathak: ‘Theatre is a live medium and does not give much room for errors’

Vinay Pathak is an actor who can never be typecast into any particular role, be it theatre or movies. From essaying the role of the common man caught up in strange situations and managing to show us the funny side of life in movies like “BhejaFry”, “Khosla Ka Ghosla” to a criminal mastermind in “Johnny Gaddar” to the goofy friend in “Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi”, Vinay has essayed a melange of roles in his career.

He says, “I do not work on many films. I study the script before taking up the film.”

In town for the play, “The Blue Mug”, directed by Atul Kumar, Vinay says, “I have been involved in theatre as well. In “The Blue Mug”, I play myself. This play was first staged in 2002. We have made some modifications now. You may think it is fairly simple to essay oneself, but it is a difficult job. You are still playing a character and have to get everything right. Theatre is a live medium and does not give much room for errors.”

Despite years of experience, Vinay says that he is occasionally prone to stage fright. “I am always nervous before the start of a play.” He had a blast working in “The Blue Mug” with friends Ranvir Shorey, Rajat Kapoor, Konkana Sen Sharma, and others. “I have enjoyed working in this play a great deal. These guys are great friends and it has been a lot of fun.”

Vinay feels that an off screen chemistry is necessary and helps in projecting on-screen chemistry. “It is vital for actors to share chemistry off screen, whatever roles they essay. It…More

The Hindu :

Fantasy Ride

RCA/Jive

In her third studio album released in May this year, Ciara (pronounced Sierra) has put forth an assorted pallete with a string of guest appearances. A bunch of the usual suspects from the hip-hop scene — Missy Elliot, Justin Timberlake, The-Dream, Ludacris, Chris Brown and Young Jeezy — come together to create a time-pass song list.

This 14-track release opens up with a curtain call – “Ciara To The Stage” followed up by her collaboration with Justin Timberlake “Love Sex Magic” and “High Price” featuring Ludacris.

The album starts off rather feebly.I sat up to listen for a minute when I heard some A.R. Rehman-esque music, remarkably similar to a track from the film “Bombay.” However, “Turntables” featuring Chris Brown is just another fast-paced club number. This unremarkable journey hits a speed breaker with the number “Like A Surgeon” which is simply atrocious and even hilarious in parts. Sample this: “I appreciate your recovery time, but you need a physical one more time’.

The smooth and sweet ballads “Never Ever” and “Lover’s Thing” (feat Young Jeezy and The Dream respectively) whiz by.

The tempo picks up in the Missy Elliott inspired “Work” with multiple layers of synth and an up-tempo “Pucker Up”. The frantic antics of the tracks so far give way to a much mellower sound in a few down-to-earth ballads. Moving into less ambitious but better sounding tracks such as “Keep Dancin’ On Me”, “Tell Me What Your Name Is” and beautifully tragic “I Don’t Remember”.

Ciara does manage to shine through the album, despite a substantial number of tracks being collaborations, on the strength of her strong vocals and superstar demeanour. With decent vocal skills and an air that makes her sit comfortably in this genre, she is probably a diva in the making. For Ciara fans, the album offers a wide range of tracks, some vocal antics and an assorted…More

The Hindu : y>

The power situation in the State and across much of the country has been erratic on account of delayed rainfall and transmission issues, if the government is to be believed.

Power cuts have made an appearance across the city, with cuts up to two to five hours being commonplace in many parts of Bangalore.

Metroplus asked city residents on what steps should betaken to contain the situation and ensure uninterrupted power supply. Most people blamed it on the bad transmission system and expressedthat an overhaul of the distribution system will help in enhancing power supply.

They also added thatpower thefts, which cause a massive loss to the electricity boards need to be reduced. As it created a huge gulf between demand and supply. Some felt that privatisation of power plants will help in reducing the loopholes in the distribution system. And also help rescue the ailing electricity boards, that were struggling to match up the losses on account of transmission losses.

Some also felt that overdependence on hydro-electric projects was also a major reason for the power crisis. They felt that the need of the hour was to develop new energy sources, to prevent another crisis.

We sample some responses

It is indeed a sad situation. We produce a lot of power, butit is lost in the course of transmission. These issues must be sorted soontohelp reduce power cuts .

The authorities should fix these issues, before the situation worsens.

Mukund

IT professional

We need to overhaul the distribution infrastructure and ensure that power is not lost on account of theft etc. Authorities must pump in more money and ensure that adequate infrastructure is put in place to ensure uninterrupted power supply.

Raghavendra

Software engineer

The loopholes in power distribution must be rectified . The government should start looking at other sources of energy to generate electricity. Over dependence on hydro electricity and other non renewable sources of energy…More

The Hindu :

Umesh Ramakrishnan’s There’s No Elevator to the Top compiles life stories of successful CEOs

Photo: G.P. Sampath KumarBalancing work and emotions Author Umesh Ramakrishnan’s book talks about setbacks too

Umesh Ramakrishnan is vice-chairman of the global executive search firm CT Partners and provides consultation to the boards of directors and chief executives of global corporations. Umesh hasrecruited members for boards of directors, CEOs,and other senior management positions. He graduated from Bangalore University in India and holds a master’s degree from the University of Texas. He has currently authored a book, “There’s No Elevator to the Top” (Penguin). About the book, Ramakrishnan says, “I made an attempt to understand management principles and insights by travelling across the world and interviewing CEOs from across the spectrum ranging from the IT sector and the media, to marketing.”

He adds, “The book is a compilation of the path that many of these people took to reach their current positions. It puts forth the successful steps and also talks about their setbacks and failures .”

Umesh comments, “I hope that this book will help people refrain from committing the mistakes andthereby helping them in the path to success. The book is not a self-help guide and does not talk about a series of do’s and dont’s. It isa compilation of life stories that will help people in their quest for senior management positions. It talks about how to balance work with emotional factors that occasionally come to play.” He adds, “I have played the role of the medium, delivering the message to the readers.”

He refuses to fix a specific nicheaudience for the book, stating, “It can be read by anyone who wants to understand what makes a CEOin any company. It talks about leadership qualities, management lessons learnt outside B-schools and the vision that go in making a CEO.”

Umesh feels, “Over the last many years, as a part of…More

The Hindu :

The media ate Michael Jackson up for breakfast, lunch and dinner. How could they forget his greatness? Was it so long ago that he danced like a tiger on vaseline and inspired a million imitations?

Photo: APPeter pan Michael Jackson desperately craved the childhood he missed

Every time I was reminded by the media, through words and pictures, of the horror show that had become Michael Jackson’s life, I would remember the five-year-old cherub with a frizzy halo I had seen on a black and white TV set in 1972.

It was the first time I had seen television and I saw a lot of it that year on my Singapore vacation. In a cartoon show called “The Jackson 5ive”, featuring the fictionalised adventures of a Motown band, the animation would be interspersed with footage of the actual Jackson Five in concert. That is where I saw the chocolate angel with the wide-set eyes and melting smile, dressed in a glittering suit, singing and dancing like the genius he was already on the way to becoming. Because this was old footage, and the boy on the screen had turned 14 in real life. It was the teenager’s picture that I cut out from a Singapore tabloid called “Fanfare”. I had labelled it “Michael Jackson” in case I forgot his name.

Forget his name? Would I ever? Would the world? In the years to come the child star would become the king of pop. He would sell millions, make millions, lose millions, be revered, be reviled, grow up and yet stay a child. But the year I saw the image of the boy with the heartbreaking smile, frozen in time on the TV screen, the tidal wave of fame had yet to engulf him. We had yet to know that the childhood he so desperately craved was the one that he had missed. Most of…More

The Hindu :

Steve Waugh speaks on his passion for cricket,his charity foundation and why he is loved here

Photo: AFPMaking a difference Steve Waugh: ‘The privilegedhave an obligation towards the less fortunate’

He spent his life playing cricket; until he bowed out gracefully to a thunderous ovation at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Five years have passed since that resplendent day. The sight of Indian players converging from all corners of the field to tap him on his farewell walk to the dressing room, his gait as measured and brisk as always, shall remain a high point of India-Australia cricket. Heroes never fade and Steve Waugh is one.

He pursued cricket with a rare passion. Waugh would have turned out for the team even on his wedding day. Such was his commitment. He continues to travel as a sporting ambassador of his country, carrying messages of peace and harmony, conquering hearts off the field in a new role — as a messiah of the underprivileged. Waugh figured in 168 Tests and 325 One-Day matches to emerge a legend in his own way.

He earned rare recognition and salutation for his guts. That unforgettable eye-ball to eye-ball confrontation with Curtly Ambrose is still vivid when the two had to be separated. Life after cricket has been as eventful for Waugh even if his association with the game is symbolic.

“My main involvement is with the MCC World Cricket meeting that happens twice a year at Lord’s. I like to stay in the background and pass on advice based on what I’ve learnt from playing 18 years for Australia. I stay in contact with quite a few players and that keeps me involved.”

Waugh played cricket very hard, not conceding an inch.

Yet, he became the most popular Australian in India. His distress at the sad happenings back home isnot surprising.

“I am shocked and saddened by the reports about the experiences some Indian…More

The Hindu : y>

Rerun time The Bold and the Beautiful

By popular demand, the never-ending soap opera, “The Bold and the Beautiful” makes a return to Star World on June 29. The show will be aired at 3 p.m. on weekdays. The glittering panorama of Los Angeles and the streets of Beverly Hills form the backdrop of this epic tale of two fashion houses and the families that own them: the glamorous Forrester Creations and Spectra Fashions.

Since its premier in 1987, “The Bold and the Beautiful” has had television viewers enthralled with this tale of these two dynasties as their entangled lives, passionate loves, high-stakes battles, and inspiring triumphs dramatically unfold in one of the world’s most popular daytime dramas.

Enter a world of glamour, romance, passion and delicious surprises.

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