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The Hindu : y>

Just chattingUdita Goswami and Sagarika Ghatge compare notes

Udita Goswami and “Chak De India” star Sagarika Ghatge shared facts about their upcoming movie “Fox” on “Bollywood Business”, a show on ETC.

The duo share screen space with Arjun Rampal and Sunny Deol in the movie. Sagarika talks about the importance of “Fox” in building her career, while Udita discusses her preparation for the movie and the similarity of her career graph with Aamir Khan.

Catch the show on ETC tonight at 8.30 p.m.

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Watch Fox History & Entertainment for the true story of Napoleon. The first episode opens in the year 1816. Napoleon, held prisoner by the British on the island of St. Helena, is telling the young English girl, Betsy, his life story — his meteoric rise to military prominence with his first victory over the Royalists in 1795, up until the final battle of Waterloo. “Napoleon” will be aired tomorrow night at 9 p.m.

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The Hindu : y>

WORKSHOP

Samarpan organises a folk dance workshop from September 7 to 12 at Tapovana Yoga Therapy Home, 5th Cross, 10th ‘D’ Main Road, 1st Block, Jayanagar and Brigade Millennium — Cassia Block, J.P. Nagar, 7th phase. The fee is Rs.1, 000. Call: 98802-68862 or visit www.samarpanfine arts.com

EasyLib.com organises a creative writing workshop on September 5 from 4.30 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. for children above eight years. It will be conducted by writer Shinie Antony.

On the same day, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. there is storytelling by Kathalaya for children between five and eight years. Venue for both the events is EasyLib.com, 972 H, 1st A Main, S.T. Bed Layout, 4th block Koramangala. For details, call:41102231 or visitwww.EasyLib.com

KANNADA PLAY

Guru Institute presents ‘Sahi Ri Sahi’, a humorous play on September 5, 6.30 p.m. at H.N. Kalakshetra, Jayanagar 7th Block, Bangalore. The play written by Kedar Shindhe in Marathi is translated and directed by Yashavant Sirdeshpande.

SALE

Mothercare offers up to 60 per cent discount on maternity, baby and kids products, baby fashion, pushchairs, baby sleep suits and kids’ wear. It is on till September 6 across all Mothercare stores.

HomeStop announces end of season sale and offers 50 per cent discount till September 6 at the HomeStop Store at Magrath Road.

PROMOTION

McDonald’s has introduced Monster and Aliens, a happy meal promotion, which features exclusive characters from the DreamWorks Animation “Monsters v/s Aliens” film. McDonald’s young guests will receive one of eight Monsters and Aliens toys with the purchase of a Happy Meal. The eight characters include Dr. Cockroach, B.O.B, Insectosaurus, Robot, Mothership, Gallaxhar, Gianormica Viewer and Missing Link Viewer. The toys will be available till September 30 at all McDonald’s outlets.

DANCE

Natyashree School of Dance presents the Bharatanatya Rangapravesha of Jalpa Mahadev on September 6 at Mangala Mantapa, NMKRV College, Jayanagar 3rd Block.

EXHIBITION

Women entrepreneurs organise an exhibition and sale of products at…More

The Hindu :

Nikhil Kashyap emerges as the champion at the JK Tyre karting challenge in Kohlapur

Photo: Murali Kumar k.Starting young Nikhil Kashyap is all set to make a mark in motor sports

Nikhil Kashyap was 10 yearswhen he first visited a go karting centre in Bangalore.

He says, “I was curious to try out the sport, since it was fairly new in Bangalore.”

The 16- year- old student has recently made his team, Amaron, proud by emerging as the champion at the JK Tyre Rotax Max Karting Challenge held in Kolhapur recently.

As the youngster completed his rounds without any major errors and managed a professional finish, the trainer told his father that professional training would help the lad hone his talent.

Nikhil says, “The trainer felt I had some natural talent that could be tapped by professional training.”

Nikhil went to Coimbatore and enrolled at the Meco Institute, operated by Akbar Ebrahim. “It was in the institute that I learnt the basics of the trade. It was quite rigorous, but helped me hone my skills and be successful at the junior level.”

He says, “Training isvital in motor sports. Technical knowledge is important to understanding the sport and I owemy success to the training I have undergone under Akbar sir.”

On preparations before any race, Nikhil says, “I usually drive around the track to get a feel of the track and have a walk around to check out the track surface . This procedure remains same in tracks across the planet.”

Do the long hours spent preparing for an event affect his academic performance? The tenth grader replies: “The time spent on training and preparing for the event does eat into my study schedule a lot. However, my school has been very supportive. They provide me the much-needed study material . My class mates have also helped me a great deal.”

Nikhil follows Formula 1 racing intently on TV and is…More

The Hindu :

Indian magic has evolved over the years. While it may not be on a par with international standards, older tricks are making way for new

Photo G. R. N. SomashekarBlink and missMagic shows still hold their charm

A group of students are attentively watching the white cardboard kept on the stage.

A magician puts a black dot on it and covers it with another cardboard. After pausing for a few seconds, he opens it in his trademark style.

The young crowd is stunned seeing the end result – the white cardboard has changed into a black one!

“One black spot has made the entire sheet appear black. Even if there is one mean boy, the whole group is termed as a bad one. It is very important to cultivate good habits,” smiles the magician and the group breaks into applause.No trick is old

Hyderabad-based magician K. Dhayanithi says : “The magic depends on the magician and how he performs it. It is not whether the trick is old or new, it is how much of a reality factor is present in the trick.”

Dhayaa (Dhayanithi’s stage name) agrees Indian magic is still far off the international mark.

“I had been to China recently and the magic performed there was quite ahead of what we perform here. But I am sure in a three-year period we can take on the international magicians too,” he says

Indian magic has evolved over the years. Sadly, some of the magicians still continue with their old tricks and try to mesmerise the crowd. “We have to change according to the times and if we do not change, magic will lose its shine,” rues noted magician Samala Venu. He claims his ‘bag’ of tricks is a different one.New avatars

“Earlier in my vanishing acts, I would make a girl disappear in the air. Now, three girls disappear in my shows,” he says….More

The Hindu : y>Moulin Rouge and Romeo + Juliet are available on DVD

Two modern classics from visionary director Baz Luhrman — the musical “Moulin Rouge” (2001) and a contemporary take on Shakespeare’s “Romeo + Juliet” (1996) are available on DVD from Excel Home Videos and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

Part of Luhrmann’s Red Curtain Trilogy, “Romeo + Juliet” and “Moulin Rouge” bring to life colourful dazzling classic tales of doomed love and succeeding against odds. The term Red Curtain refers to the style of film-making devised by Luhrman to promote audience participation, featuring an emphasis on heightened worlds, musical elements and comic tragedy.

“Moulin Rouge” starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor, tells the tale of a passionate and penniless poet Christian (Ewan McGregor) who stumbles into the sensuous, flashy world of Moulin Rouge. There he falls in love with the beautiful, sickly Satine (Nicole Kidman), a star at the club, and a well-known courtesan. Unfortunately, their growing love is threatened by a duke, who wants Satine all for himself.

Mesmerizing and exuberant entertainment, this exotic musical love story throbs with a contemporary, chart-topping soundtrack.With “Romeo + Juliet”, Luhrman gives a modern Californian twist to the classic tale of feuding families and star-crossed young lovers. Romeo (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Juliet (Claire Danes) come from a pair of families locked in a deadly feud, but they fall in love anyway. Their desperate efforts to be together leads to tragedy.

This brilliant and contemporary retelling of Shakespeare’s tale of star crossed lovers replete with a rocking soundtrack featuring the incredibly successful “Love Fool” and Prince’s “When Doves Cry” and iambic pentameter make the film a spellbinding experience.

Both the DVDs are available in all leading stores for Rs. 399.

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The Hindu : y>Tribute With Teachers’ Day coming up, NEETI SARKAR doffs her cap to those who, apart from their teaching duties, mentor and mould us to be able to face the world better

Photo: V. Sreenivasa murthyWhat did you learn today?Kids don’t just take back textbook lessons from school

There is a Jewish proverb that says: “Since God could not be everywhere, he created mothers.” A corollary would be since mothers cannot be with us all the time, God gave us teachers.

With Teacher’s Day a few days away, MetroPlus takes a look at the myriad roles teachers’ play, responsibilities that don’t necessarily figure in their job description and significant tasks they execute, for which they aren’t paid.

Considering a child spends most of his day at school, a teacher is responsible for things beyond teaching Math, Science or History. Students, past and present, tell us about the things that teachers do that are usually overlooked and more often than not, are things we fail to thank them for.

Jason Pereira, a 14 year old says, “When we are small, especially in playschool and in kindergarten, teachers entertain us. They play with us, sing and dance for us, tell us stories very animatedly and even make funny faces when we cry.”

As important a role as parents play in disciplining their child, a teacher’s role cannot be ignored. According to Alfiyah Chinoy, a 12th-grader, “We often get irritated when we are corrected by our teachers. We are punished for everything from late-coming, not completing our homework and wearing the wrong uniform, to talking in the assembly, failing to answer a question in class and for screaming on seeing a creepy crawly! Sometimes, we think we are reprimanded for things that seem too trivial, but this disciplining is something that we all need and it is important in the shaping of our character and personality.”

Very often, when students face problems…More

The Hindu :

Stand-up comedian Vir Das started out getting hooted off stage

TICKLING THE FUNNY BONE Vir Das

Vir Das, was hooted out by audiences at Amateur night shows in Chicago, where the young engineer decided to give a shot at stand-up comedy. He says, “Initially I did not even cross the 15 second barrier at amateur nights. After a string of bad performances, I managed to get the audience attention, when I yelled at them.” This started his journey as a stand-up comedian. He was in Bangalore for a similar amateur night show that provides upcoming comedians an opportunity to showcase their talent.

He says, “That act went down well with the audiences and they enjoyed it thoroughly. I believe that you have five minutes to make a good impression to an audience. If you are unable to grab attention in that time frame, the show will never be successful. Those two-minute gigs in Chicago helped me a great deal in my career. Amateur nights helped build my career.”

On his style of comedy, Vir says, “I am not a very nice person on stage. I am rude, mean and edgy. I always hope that my gigs are intelligent. The audiences will let you get away with anything, as long as it is intelligent and funny.”

He believes that the Indian sense of humour is superb. “Many comedians think that Indians lack a sense of humour. It is not true. Indians love intelligent humour. They take offence only if the humour lacks the fun element and is not intelligent, which holds true for people across the world.”

An engineer, Vir was hooked to theatre and acting during his student days in the US. “I joined acting classes and was part of the Harvard Theatre Group. Stand-up comedy happened by chance. It was not a fairytale start to a career in stand-up comedy. I was hooted out more…More

The Hindu :

Can copper protect people against the disease?

PHOTO: AFPJUST A SNEEZE AWAY Kids wear masks as a preventive measure

The death count mounts on the H1NI highway and mask makers are making a killing.

“It’s a pandemic,” say some reports. “Panic,” say others. With newspaper columns and television channels giving us a sneeze-by-sneeze account of the flu-spread, the fearful micro-organism has acquired celebrity status.

Several things should surprise us in this national event. As one medical practitioner said, “In a country where several people die of malaria and tuberculosis, how come HINI deaths get a daily tally?” Because of its “imported” tag? Also, do those porous masks really clean up the air we breathe in? (Most wear it over the mouth!).

More surprising are the remedies. Suggestions include yoga, cloves, Nilgiri (eucalyptus?) oil, turmeric and amla juice.

One Ayurveda proponent said, “Avoid junk food and eat stuff that strengthens immunity. Modern eating habits and “white foods” (refined rice, sugar and maida and processed salt) reduce our ability to fight infections.” A wise guy suggested cleaning up public places till the flu passed. And here is one to top them.

A study by Professor Bill Keevil, University of Southampton, presented to the Life Sciences World Summit in Beijing declared, “extensive use of copper in public places can help combat the spread of H1N1 flu.” Said Professor Keevil,

“…copper surfaces may contribute to the number of control barriers able to reduce transmission of the virus.”Used traditionally

Ha, that’s carrying laptops to Silicon Valley. Indians across the nation have traditionally used copper plates to place offerings, copper pots to store and drink water from, copper panchapatram to do their ritualistic prayers and worn copper bangles, bracelets and rings to ward off evil. And they’ll tell you offhand: “the red metal has anti-bacterial properties.”

The study concluded: The H1N1 virus spreads mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing. Sometimes, people…More

The Hindu :

The Indian team had a good training stint in the city in a bid to shed rust, gain polish and hit the ground hard as a long season starts

PHOTO: BHAGYA PRAKASH k.Training dayThe team at a practice session in Bangalore

The annual tree-climbing exercise near the Chinnaswamy Stadium was back in vogue last week as cricket fans craned their necks to catch a glimpse of M.S. Dhoni and his men. Irritated cops prowling around, failed to scare the fans as mobile cameras were whipped out to freeze Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh and other cricketing heroes forever on film.

The Indian cricket team’s varying training methods over four days, might have been a spectacle for the fans but more than that it was also about sweat and strain as the players geared up for a long season ahead. The current Sahara BCCI Corporate Trophy tournament will be followed by a Tri-Series in Sri Lanka, the Champions Trophy in South Africa and a seven-match limited overs home series against Australia.

The camp focused on enhancing fitness levels as well as tightening up technique with coach Gary Kirsten expressing delight over the way his players have shaped up. “They have had a six-week break and are looking fresh and keen. I am happy with the team’s consistency over a long period of time ever since we played against Australia and though the ICC World Twenty20 Cup in England proved to be a setback, we are confident about doing well in the coming weeks,” Kirsten said.

India’s young batsmen were caught napping against short-pitched deliveries in recent times and Kirsten with the support staff did try to iron out that chink by subjecting players such as Suresh Raina to a long stint against the bowling machine.

Seniors Tendulkar and Dravid, who are members of the 10,000 run-club in both Tests and One Day Internationals, also shared their…More