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The Hindu :

Sportscar performance, diesel economy and a large boot, you won’t feel the need to complain about Audi A4 3.0 TDI

From the exterior, only the 3.0-litre badge on the bootlid helps you tell the difference between this car and the regular A4 — even the wheels and tyres are the same size as on the A4 2.0 TDi. The badge symbolises the 2967cc V6 diesel, breathing through 24 valves, making 240bhp and a huge 51kgm of torque at 1500rpm. Audi’s famed Quattro all-wheel-drive system with a 40:60 front/rear split is standard makes sure all those horses are headed in the intended direction. The torque on hand makes the car react like a racehorse out of the gates every time you stomp on the throttle pedal. It’s what makes it growl past the 100kph mark in just 6.7 seconds. It’s so quick, that it pretty much makes a light appetizer of the A4 3.2 petrol, eats the Porsche Boxster for lunch and makes dessert of the BMW 530d. Our quest to find the fastest car meant we had to go through our road test archives. We found three — two are powered by big 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8s and one a supercharged 3.0-litre motor — all of which run on petrol.Lighter too

This one is diesel, which means diesel running costs. It’s the result of taking the 240bhp 3.0-litre motor from the Q5 and slipping it into a car that is 175kg lighter. This means that the car can deliver a mighty knockout punch if needed to. Because it makes its torque so early in the rev band and has a six-speed auto instead of the Q5’s DSG, there’s almost no lag between you pressing the throttle and the car lunging ahead.

Acceleration is effortless. It will potter around town all day, and all it takes is a simple dab of the throttle to…More

The Hindu : y>

Sing along Gunagaanapays tribute to the music and key musicians of the Kannada industry

Zee Kannada has launched the third season of “Gunagaana”; a musical tribute from July 19. The show will be telecast on 11 a.m. on Sunday. The show pays tribute to the music and key musicians of the Kannada industry. The show will be hosted by film star Varsha.

It focuses on hit songs of film stars of yesteryears, who have made many of these songs immortal in the hearts of millions. In the last season, the show had paid tribute to evergreen Kannada movie music.

The new season will see an host of artists and popular contestants of “Little Champs” and “Rock N Roll” such as Ashwin Sharma, Ajay Bharadwaj, Dhanush and Chetana come together to recreate and relive the songs of cinestars like Dr. Rajkumar, Shankar Nag, Ravichandran and many others. Here is a chance to go down memory lane on Zee Kannada at 11 a.m. on Sunday.

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The Hindu :

Omer Basith, an engineer, is intrigued by the hospitality industry

A good start This entrepreneur divides his time between his electronics company in Hoskote and the restaurant

At first, Omer Basith seems like a soft-spoken, unassuming man. As we sit eating lunch at the French Quarter in Indiranagar, the restaurant where he is a managing partner and the consultant chef, it takes some prodding to get him to talk about himself.

But ask him about French Quarter and the conversation flows.

This mechanical engineer started French Quarter in partnership with three friends about seven months ago. He says, “It was really the space which drew us into the project. It was exceptional with the trees growing inside the building. We had the roof modified and that is when we decided we could start a restaurant.”

Though the Metro work is going on nearby, it doesn’t seem to bother him. He says, “The station is going to come up here. So it is good if you look at it long-term.”Fun thing

About theshift from mechanical engineering to the hospitality business, theentrepreneur says, “Some people can be content with doing the same thing all the time. The hospitality business is something that has always intrigued and interested me. It was a good opportunity and a good place to get started. It’s a fun thing to do.”

The younger of two children, Omer grew up in the area, his house being on Old Madras Road. He divides his time between his electronics company in Hoskote and the restaurant.

Interestingly, Omer has not attended culinary school. However, he doesn’t see it as a problem. “We had a consultant helping us and we have a great team in the kitchen which helps execute what I have in mind.”

So why French food? Omer says, “I felt this place would lend itself to a French colonial look . We had these big open…More

The Hindu : y>Taking what is not yours is not easy. But once it happens in kids, dealing with it tactically is crucial, says NEETI SARKAR

Photo: T. SingaravelouASPIRATIONAL Many kids steal because they want something parents won’t buy them

Are you one of those parents who suddenly found something new and out of the blue in your child’s school bag? Maybe a fancy pencil case that didn’t belong to him? Or maybe an expensive chocolate box you never bought him?

Then it is time for a chat with your child, because stealing is one of the most common issues among school children. Most of us have gone through this phase as children. As long as it is only a phase, there isn’t too much to be worried about, although you need to confront your child because if this habit goes unchecked even once, it never is going to be easy to sort the problem out later.

Always make it a point to carefully check your child’s belongings, not necessarily because you suspect he has been stealing. You might notice a fancy new eraser or even a small toy in his bag. Do not jump to the conclusion that your child has been lifting stuff that doesn’t belong to him. It could be in there because somebody gave it to him in class as a gift. However, to ensure that these items aren’t stolen, you have to talk to your child. Before you do that, it is important to understand why children are susceptible to thieving.

Tarana Mohsin, a teacher believes, “For some children it is the lack of understanding that makes them want to take what doesn’t belong to them. They are unable to differentiate right from wrong. In some cases, one cannot blame the child because the parents should be held responsible for not teaching their child that stealing is wrong.”

According to Rani Mathew, a mother of…More

The Hindu : y>There are exciting deals on the purchase of e-scooters

BSA Motors has launched the Triple Dhamaka offer on E-Scooters. A purchase of BSA eScooter in July, gets an assured cash prize through the scratch card worth between Rs. 2,500 and Rs. 10,000. There is also a free insurance that is priced between worth Rs. 800 and to Rs. 1, 100 and BSA Motors customers do not have to worry about the hike in petrol prices and can now save up to Rs. 23,340 in two years in comparison to using an petrol run scooter, say the makers.

This offer is available in all the five Models of BSA eScooter – Smile, Diva, Street Rider, Roamer and Roamer.

For effective after sales service, BSA Motors has set up a centralised customer care call centre. BSA Motors’ customers can call 1800-209-4488 or SMS “BSA” to 56677 for product queries. You can also log on towww.bsamotorsindia.com.

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The Hindu :

As Luck makes its presence felt this week, Imran Khan shares his takeon the subject

Photo: Anu PushkarnaBreaking boundaries Imran Khan says Luck is his first true-blue action film

Imran Khan wants to be in touch with his fans.

“I feel if you remain within the confines of the industry, you cease to grow. It gets cloistered. That’s why I try to be interactive. I write a newspaper column and whenever I get time I participate inevents. If you can touch the heart of a person in real, I think you can make him or her fan for life.”Variety roles

Lack of elusiveness apart, Imran represents the new generation that is swarming Bollywood. He doesn’t hide his relationships from the media and he is choosing subjects which don’t bracket him.

He could have easily toyed with the chocolate boy tag for a few years, like his famous uncle Aamir Khan did, but Imran preferred roles simmering with tension after the cute non-violent Rathore boy in “Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na”. This week he has “Luck”, where he plays an executive who gets entangled into a betting racket, where life is at stake.A challenge

Do films choose him or is he choosing films? “It is not like that. People are not running after me with scripts. The only effort on my part is that my job doesn’t get repetitive or boring. So every time I try to pick roles which challenge me to do something new.”

Coming up next is “Delhi Belly”. “After action, I wanted to try comedy.”

With “Luck” in the air, it is imperative to ask him about something that is treated as a commodity by Soham in the film.

“I am in two minds about luck, not the film, but the concept. My education says it’s all superstition and only hard work can get you through but then I feel fortunate to be born…More

The Hindu :

Author Pinki Virani talks about her new book Deaf Heaven and the thoughts that went into it

Photo: by authorA new reading Pinki Virani says her book deals with every issue that affects India

In her first book, “Aruna’s Story”, journalist-author Pinki Virani recreated the real-life tragedy of a nurse Aruna Shanbaug, who was raped in the very hospital that she worked.

Another book of hers, “Bitter Chocolate” provided disclosures about men and women who sexually abuse their children. Her latest book “Deaf Heaven” is a departure from her earlier works of non-fiction. The book will also be made available on mobile phones.

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“The novel deals with every issue that affects India, from the Bhopal gas tragedy to the decline in the population of vultures.I have experimented with a new format by narrating the story through a sutradhar (storyteller),” says Pinki Virani.

The sutradhar, is a soul on its way to heaven, she explains. “Deaf Heaven” is about the dead sutradhar, who begins talking to women, including her sister Damayanti.

So how was the experience of writing fiction after her earlier non-fictional genre? “Non-fiction requires research. But the experiences that moved me were non-fiction ones. When asked why the book has Bengali words Pinki said: “My character is Bengali. I wanted to use a lot of cuss words in Bengali but just couldn’t find too many.” To a suggestion to have Punjabi characters, Pinki says “yes I have a few Punjabi words too. Some parts of my book take readers to Delhi.”SMS format

Discussing the new format, Pinki says, the book will also be made available in 90 SMSes. The Adult Audio-Mobile Book can be read via SMS and heard at any time via voice portals readers in a condensed form.

The author says it is targeted at the SMS addicts. Pinki says thebook is also an attempt to introduce a new genre of reading.Book…More