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The Hindu :

Soak away your cares at this majestic Ananda spa in the Himalayas

Calm balm Ananda is the perfect destination for some rest and relaxation

Sitting in a tiny plane complete with propellers, I grin to myself when the pilot announces we will be touching down at Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun, in a bit. “Jolly good,” I tell myself as I get off the plane on the last leg of my journey to Ananda in the Himalayas, the delicious destination spa.

The smiling driver ushers me into a capacious car and drives off rapidly along the vertiginous (to my plateau eyes) road. All of a sudden, a gracious palace is revealed, and I fall into awestruck silence at my first glimpse of Ananda.

We sweep into the majestic driveway of the Viceregal palace. There is an aarti, rudraksh beads are put around my neck and I am served this absolutely refreshing ginger lemon tea. A smiling Aleeza who greets me, gives me my schedule for my three-day stay.

The office and the library are in the palace, loaned from the Maharaja of Tehri Garhwal. An electronic buggy transports us past the musical fountain and rolling grasslands, where a magnificent peacock looks on disdainfully, to my room — mind-blowing with wide windows and a sunny balcony. Even the bathroom with its picture windows ensures you could soak away your cares looking at the Rishikesh valley come alive.

As the smiling attendant indicated the pristine white kurta-pyjama, the all-important question of what to wear had been solved in a flash. And, best of all, the kurta pyjamas are laundered for free.Burgers with a twist

I was feeling peckish and called room service for a bite. They suggested the Ananda special burger (hallelujah! There is junk food!). I decided to have it sitting at the balcony, listening to a bubbling brook. The burger had crisp apple slices instead of…More

The Hindu :

Arjun Rampal talks about his new projects

Photo: Sandeep SaxenaOut of the woods! Arjun Rampal is a great believer in destiny

“Delhi is the city that made Arjun Rampal. I studied here, I got my first break in modelling here and then I met my wife Mehr (Jesia) here. I still remember it was a Suneet Varma show.” Arguably, the country’s best looking man; Arjun says he was never conscious of his looks when he was studying. “I was just a regular student. It was when I entered the ‘society’ that people made me conscious. People began to think ‘supermodel hai, arrogant hoga’. Now I love watching myself in the mirror,” he quips pointing towards his friend and now business partner AD Singh, as an embodiment of high society. The two have come up with Lap, a luxury fine dining restaurant and bar and exclusive members club in Hotel Samrat, Delhi.

“During my college days Ghungroo used to have an aspiration value. I couldn’t afford it, but I loved to be there with my friends. So you can say the idea was there at the back of my mind. Then an Economics degree from Hindu College helped in putting ideas to use,” says Arjun, who already has film production house, “Chasing Ganesha”.Safety is paramount

Arjun, however, points out that those days discotheques were not totally safe for girls. “I wanted to make sure that when a bunch of friends go out to have fun, the girls should feel safe. They should not feel conscious of what they are wearing.” That’s how, he adds, the idea of controlled entry germinated. “When I saw the 17,000 square feet space in Hotel Samrat, I immediately realised that is the place though at that time it was in shambles. You don’t find such open spaces in heart of Delhi.”

To create the desired impact, the tables are designed…More

The Hindu : y>Head out to these resorts for a romantic holiday

Pushkar Resort has launched an exclusive offer for coupleson a honeymoon to celebrate theirrelationship. The resortis a preferred getaway destination for couples, as it offerssoothing ambience and serenity. At the resort, guests areprovided an accommodation that boasts of a host of modernamenities. The guests also get the opportunity to dine in thelawns, while in-room dining may also be preferred. Thespiritually inclined can visit the Brahma temple in Pushkartown.

The guests can indulge themselves in customised massagesand treatments, jacuzzi at the Kaivalya Spa, aphrodisiacmenus, candlelight dinners, Royal Kafila rides, special dinnerarrangements in the dunes under the stars are also someof the indulgences that can be planned at the resort. Theresort is well connected by road (a six hour hour drive fromDelhi). The nearest railroad is at Ajmer and the airport atJaipur is a two hour drive. For more information visitwww.sewara.com.

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At the Devi Garh resort in Udaipur, you can get the opportunityto walk around the palace grounds while watching thesun rise followed by a champagne breakfast for two in apalace alcove, with a view of the surrounding mountains.You can also visit the colourful bazaars of Udaipur andrefresh yourselves with a couple’s massage at the spa. Book aspecial private dinner at a venue like the Sheesh Mahal wherethe reflected candle light in the mirrored room creates asuperb ambience. The mood of the evening is enhanced by thesound of a flute melody, while you enjoy dinner. For moreinformation and online bookings visit www.deviresorts.com

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The Hindu :

Dil Bole Hadippa!

YRF Music, Rs. 149

First I need a translator. It’s Punjabi lyrics for a Hindi film! And my Punjabi friend who offers to translate is aghast with the inane lyrics… so am I after trying to piece together some sense from the tracks. It’s unbelievable that Jaideep Sahni who wrote the nuanced lyrics of “Chak De India!” could have penned these.

The album is an overdose (OD) of all things Punjabi (including stereotypes — I know the film involves Rani playing a Sikh, but still we need a break). I do appreciate that the film with its Punjabi setting has to bank on traditional folk and bhangra. But this album makes sure you OD and die of it. “Hadippa”, “Discowale khisko”… take any of the tracks — they sound the same.

And oh! There’s all the English thrown in for some disastrous effect (of the “what you doing I liking” variety). I think Jaideep’s formula was “take one Punjabi word, add one English word, put in an exclamatory Punjabi word like ‘hadippa’, or non-existent Punjabi words like “fukarey” (which seems a distortion of the F word!!), throw in rhyming phrases like ‘gym-shim’ and ‘slim-shim’ and lo ji, the lyrics are done”.

Then there’s Pritam to tackle. The music director’s bunged in the bhangra beats and the dhol, revved up the volume, and roped in singers like Mika and Sunidhi to just lay it on. I’m crying because this is the guy who did the amazing soft rock tracks for “Life in a Metro” that held up such hope for a fresh sound in Bollywood.

The lyrics spell desperate — the “touch karenge… too much karenge”, the “hand pump hai dabbi ja, life ka joosa kaddi ja” — the innuendo is quite obvious.

And then in a track titled “Bhangra bistar” (which, incidentally, stars Rakhi Sawant) there’s the catch line — “Aagaye ji Punjab ke sher,…More

The Hindu : y>

FEEL THE FEVER Catch the cricket season

Neo Sports has announced the beginning of an action packed cricket season on Neo Cricket that will continue till March 2010. Cricketer Harbhajan Singh and Bollywood actor and a self- confessed cricket fan Amrita Rao launched the cricket series on the channel.

The cricket season starts with the Corporate trophy that features the best Indian players playing against each other followed by a string of international cricket tournaments: the India-Australia ODI series in October, the India-Sri Lanka in November-December, a tri Series featuring India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in January 2010 and the India-South Africa series in February and March next year.

The channel will also feature a host of domestic cricket tournaments also. Catch all the cricket action only on Neo Sports.

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The Hindu :

Germany’s Rosenthal porcelain opens its luxurious doors in a toast to the high life

Classic and contemporary The Rosenthal meets Versace collection comes in a bold combination of gold, black and red, and in arabesque motifs

The hushed and sacrosanct atmosphere, the sparkling crystal, the gold-trimmed porcelain, the long elegant champagne flutes, all announce that you are in the territory of uber luxury. It has to be, when Versace meets Rosenthal, and it’s all about “owning” a collector’s piece with pride.Elegant collection

Rosenthal AG, the German lifestyle brand world renowned for its elegant porcelain collections, has recently made a nook at, where else, but UB City.

Getting right down to business, we are told their collection here features dinnerware, stemware and accessories. Accessories include vases, candle holders, ash trays, bowls, lighters, clocks, and more.

The vases I must say are the most contemporary. Very geometric, very dapper. Round glass vases etched into glass cubes make for interesting highlights on the coffee table.

Clean simple lines that still surprise you and make you believe that simplicity is the best way to go.

Even if you are paying Rs. 19,000 on an average for a vase (not all that simple money). There’s also a line of platinum-coated vases, fruit bowls etc. for the asking.

Their “Rosenthal meets Versace” collection is really the centrepiece of the display, with the Medusa head popping out of plates, bowls, wine glass stems — the works. With a very bold combination of gold, black and red, in arabesque motifs, this is not for the weak-hearted lover of traditional staid white porcelain. Of course they scream lavish.

Two soup tureens in this set come at about Rs.58, 800. The dinnerware sets start at around Rs. 2.5 lakh for a 21-piece set for four people. The price almost doubles for a table setting for six. There are also tea service sets if you are the kind that…More

The Hindu : y>

In beat Aishwarya

Indian Council For Cultural Relations presents a Bharatanatya recital by Aishwarya Nityananda on September 11 at 6.30 p.m. The venue is Yavanika, State Youth Centre, Nrupatunga Road.

Aishwarya is an ICCR empanelled artiste. She has trained herself under Radha Sridhar and has also completed her Vidwath examination. This young artiste has performed in India and abroad and has 300 performances to her credit.

Aishwarya won awards which include Government of Karnataka’s Kishore Prathibha, Chennai’s M.G.R. Award for best young danseuse and also the Aryabhata Award.

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The Hindu : y>NEETI SARKAR lashes out at matrimonial ads — those that make it seem every man is a straight drop from heaven and woman from the nether

Photo: APALWAYS THE DARK HORSE The colour of the bride’s skin

As I was rummaging through some magazines one uneventful evening in a desperate attempt to find crosswords and Sudoku that would keep me busy, I happened to find more interesting company in the form of matrimonial ads.

Believe me, I for one, had never thought I’d spend a good three hours scanning through these ads, considering I do not belong to the club that’s on the lookout for their better halves.

As entertaining and amusing as the ads sounded, they were more of an eye opener for me. It is only when one snaps out of the bliss of matrimonial lingo that one becomes conscious of the fact that these ads, apart from sounding like promotional offers do in fact perpetuate existing stereotypes in our society.Coveted possessions

Fair skin is the most coveted possession, especially for men looking for brides. It is somewhat plausible if the man himself has something similar to offer.

According to Psychologist Jamuna Tripathi: “What we tend to do while placing matrimonial ads is that we overestimate ourselves in an effort to get the best offer. What people don’t realise is that if one expects certain attributes from his potential life partner, he should himself have something decent to offer. A person’s tall claims are often devoid of any truth.”

As far as marital lexicon goes, “slim” is in, “beautiful” has no substitute, “rich” is the USP, “affluent” seems to be the latest addition to the glossary of matrimonial terms, “only son” has remained an evergreen bargain and according to the graph, the demand for the “green card holder” has far surpassed the supply.Does that mean dark equals ugly? Fat amounts to revolting? And…More

The Hindu : y>The Leela Kempinski offers special festive packages

festive deals At the Leela Palace Kempinski, Bangalore

The Leela has come up with offers during the coming months for each of its properties, be it the cliff top Leela Kempinski Kovalam or the sprawling 75-acre property in south Goa where you can soak in the scent of the sea.

The Leela Palace Kempinski, Bangalore, has festive offers for Dussehra, Deepavali, Thanksgiving, and Christmas/New Year. Opt for the Leela Kempinski Goa Getaway Offer, and you could get great bed and breakfast deals on the three room categories — Pavilion, Premiere and Lagoon.Meals and facilities

The rates are on double occupancy, and for three nights and four days. The package includes arrival and departure transfers by an air-conditioned coach from the airport / railway station, Indian welcome with tender coconut on arrival, buffet breakfast for two at The Café.

Under the all-meals package, you can have breakfast, buffet lunch and dinner at The Café. You also get complimentary usage of the steam bath / sauna and swimming pool facilities.

Packages are valid for stays up to October 15.

At the Leela Kempinski Kovalam Beach, Kerala, the Monsoon Getaway, valid up to October 15, offers bread and breakfast, and all meals package for the garden view pavilion, beach view superior and beach view deluxe rooms.

The packages are for two nights / three days, and include two-way airport transfers by coach from Thiruvananthapuram and complimentary usage of the gym and swimming pool. For reservations, call 044-25323936 or 044-25323503.

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The Hindu : y>

The tragic death of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and four others in a chopper crash on Tuesday has sent shockwaves across the country. As the country and AP mourns the deaths, questions arise about the airworthiness of the chopper used and the reasons that resulted in this tragedy. MetroPlus asks city residents whether this tragedy could have been prevented and those lives saved.

Many blame the bad weather conditions for the crash and felt that the chopper should not have been allowed to take off by high ranking security officials. Some felt that the accident could have been averted if the communication linkages would have broken down. Many felt that choppers need to be equipped with satellite phones and other such communication devices that would help in rescue missions, if a communication breakdown occurs. The time taken by the various government agencies to launch a hunt and confusion that prevailed on the status of the missing aircraft also played a part in the tragic incident.

Many felt that a disaster management drill must be put in place to ensure that such incidents are minimised. We sample some responses

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It is a very sad incident and the circumstances make it even more tragic. The safety of choppers must be placed under a competent authority and rules must be made stricter to ensure that no choppers are allowed to take off in bad weather conditions.

Gautam

Engineer

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It is an accident and could have been avoided if the necessary safety drills were taken. We need to ensure that chopper accidents are reduced and VIP’s are made aware of the weather conditions. Security norms must be followed to a tee.

Afzal

Govt.official

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Safety norms must be followed by everyone. The special protection group must not allow any flight to take off in adverse weather conditions. The choppers must be inspected regularly to ensure that it does not have any…More