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The Hindu : SUBHA J RAO

Yes, the swine flu is going around and many people have succumbed to it. But, that’s no reason to stop living or travelling. Just follow precautions

Make the most of a good chance

Many people are staying back at home and cancelling holidays. This is your chance to head to hitherto popular destinations. There’ll be fewer people and you might get great rates too.

Even among regular touristy destinations, choose places that are not chock-a-block with people. The beach’s a great idea, so are retreats far away from the mainland.

When packing, take along enough sanitisers, masks and other essentials. If you’re particular about pillows and blankets, take along some. You never know if the ones offered by the airline, train or bus have been sanitised.

Dos and dont’s

If you’re feeling unwell, don’t travel. Be considerate to other’s needs. Wear a mask, particularly when flying, to protect yourself in a closed environment.

When outside, everything you touch — tickets, bags, door handles — might be contaminated. So, wash your hands more often. Ideally, use soap. When not available, use waterless alcohol-based hand gels.

Follow cough and sneezing etiquette. Use a tissue or handkerchief at all times to prevent germs from spreading.

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The Hindu : y>

Wishbone is organising a kids’ overnight programme, where the child gets to learn about wildlife and also gets to see the animals in its natural habitat.

The venue is the GeeDee Farms, Bannerghatta Road. Located 35 kilometres from Bangalore, it’s a 65-acre property. There are leopards, bears, elephants, peacocks etc. in the vicinity of the farm. Some of the activities for children are trekking, bird watching, tree climbing, building and setting up bird boxes. Besides this, they will also track nocturnal animals. The event is open to 24 children aged between eight and 16 years. The adult-child ratio will be 1:5, say the organisers. There will also be one female faculty and certified trained wilderness medics throughout the programme, which is on September 26 and 27.

The fee is Rs. 4,000 and the last date for registration is September 16. Contact 9886169698.

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The Hindu : y>

It has been hailed as a decision that has been much delayed in some quarters, but seems to have started a national debate, as the union HRD ministry took the decision to abolish the board exams in class ten for schools following the CBSE system.

MetroPlus asked city residents on their views on this move. While many felt that the step wasin the correct direction, they felt that the new system must be discussed and made understandable to the students and teachers before implementation.

Many felt that continuous evaluation would reduce the pressure on students to a large extent and will prevent a generation of crammers emerging at the top of the education system. They felt that the new system must also take into account non-academic performances and make all efforts to ensure that education is a fun-filled process for the students. Some felt that the examination system should stay, with grades replacing marks. They felt that abolishing the boards would not reduce pressure on students, since continuous evaluation would enhance pressure on both students and parents. They felt that some aspects of the existing system must be taken into account. We sample some responses

This new system is nice, but must be introduced at the junior level initially and then to the higher classes. This would lead to the students being more comfortable with the new system and will reduce the bottlenecks it may face initially.

Sharad

Student

The examination system must be followed though grades must replace marks. This would help students in working within the new system and would reduce useless competition. In the proposed system, students may face heavier work load.

Rahul

Student

It is a much awaited move. This will help reduce the stress on young children and alter the meaning of school education in many schools across the country. Continuous evaluation will aidstudents and help ride the system of crammers.

Anant

Manager

This is a…More

The Hindu : y>For cooking enthusiasts

Oster kitchen appliances has launched the “My Moment of Pride” Contest 2009, which continues till October 31. The organisers invite entries from cooking enthusiasts, where they can showcase their expertise and also share their proud cooking moment, say the organisers.

To participate, you have to creatively describe a favourite moment of your life which made you proud and which inspired you to cook your dish. An evaluation process will be conducted between November 1 to 10, during which the winners will be chosen and announced by Chef Chetan Sethi.

The best entry wins a prize worth a lakh, which is an all-expenses-paid trip to Bangkok and an Oster gift hamper. The next three best entries will receive the Oster gift hampers worth Rs. 15,000 each. The next 21 winners get to receive Oster products worth Rs. 1,900 each.

Lucky participants will be visited by a popular RJ and the special moments and their recipes will be aired live on the radio. Last date for sending the entries is October 31.

Besides this, all the selected entries will be published in the Oster recipe book with names and photographs of every participant.

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The Hindu :

Cartoonist Keshav chronicles events, issues, and politics of our times

Photo: V. Sreenivasa MurthyDetailed sketches Demonstrate a deep concern for the common man

There is little doubt why The Hindu reserves the centre stage for in-house cartoonist Keshav. With a finesse quite unmatched by his contemporaries, Venkata Raghavan .P (Keshav)’s fine line drawings are the final word on the burning issues of the day.

As difficult as it is to retain pride of place in print journalism marked as it is by the sanctity of the written word, Keshav has, day-after-day, captured India’s baby steps into the world of nuclear politics, shaky moments of financial crisis and historical memories of the past.

A visit to the LOL exhibition of Keshav’s cartoons at the Indian Gallery, Midford House, off M.G. Road, is an exercise in reflection, although laughing out loud, in keeping with the theme, is part of the bargain. Keshav has brought under the scanner events, issues and politics in the country since 1987, when he formally joined The Hindu as a staff cartoonist.

Although Keshav studied to be a banker and began contributing as a hobby to the Tamil periodical Ananda Vikatan, his cartoons are bursting with English literary motifs and assumes a complimentary awareness among the readers.

Images such as a school of red herring in the shape of a bull or Mamata Banerjee throwing a spanner in the works at Singur are not uncommon to find.

The cartoon depicting stripes on a tiger’s back melting into a mass graveyard bears the mark of Keshav’s signature adeptness at transforming a weighty political crisis into avisually-powerful picture.

Keshav’s detailed sketches also demonstrate a deep concern for the common man, symbolised by Munjerilal, and his place at the receiving end of policies that are made by people in high places.

Keshavdraws inspiration from Vikatan legends such as Mali, Gopulu, Raju and others. He also has been influenced by…More

The Hindu : y>Fast-paced rhythms and original compositions sure make Supersonic a musical force to reckon with, writes ALLAN MOSES R.

Photo: V. Sreenivasa murthyPushing the envelope No more playing covers for anyone, say Supersonic band members

A wave of tsunamic music roars through the tumultuous crowd as the foursome deliver some incredible compositions; their own. Packing their rock and roll music with a punch, Kolkata-based band, Supersonics performed to a packed multitude at the Hard Rock Café recently, as part of their nationwide tour organised by the Rolling Stones magazine.Power packed

With Ananda Sen and Rohan Ganguli on the guitars and vocals, Nitin Mani plucking the bass and Avinash Chordia beating the drums, the band electrified the young night with a power-packed explosion of musical composition.

They live up to their name with fast-paced rhythms and progressions. “There is power in breaking the sound barrier, which is synonymous with going supersonic, and we like to associate our music with that because we believe in exploring beyond music’s horizon,” says Sen. With captivating lyrics and an array of self-composed music from the rock and roll genre, the band has a blend of the old with the passion and style of the contemporary.

They launched their debut album “Maby Baking” on Detour, a venture of Rolling Stone. “It feels really good to be the first Indian band to launch an album on Detour. We’re even scheduled to be broadcast on VH1! We’d like to think we’re lucky,” expresses Sen.

Ruminating about their first gig at a little pub in Kolkata called ‘Someplace Else’, Mani says, “It was only a one-hour show but we created quite a storm. In a place where people are always looking for bands to play the covers of other bands, we chose to make our own music and that is what set us apart.”

Supersonics ideologically believes in creating its own music. “We all played in other…More

The Hindu : y>

The other side Catch these fascinating life stories

This September, National Geographic channel opens the door to another India through its new series, “India”, premiering tomorrow. The show will be aired on every Tuesday at 9 p.m. The series is a collection of never-seen-before informative films that salute those who struggle to be ordinary.

The series showcases a nation which operates at many levels . It points out just how the scared and the profane co-exist side by side in India. A child who is born with a congenital anomaly is worshipped like a goddess; eunuchs celebrate their third gender and fall in love; girl children are killed or abandoned at birth and a woman lives happily with two husbands.

In India’s “Ladyboys”, to be aired tomorrow; delve into the lives of a group of hijras or eunuchs who have been cast out of the normal Indian society – and those who have chosen to do so. Every year, a festival is held in the village of Villupuran, where around 4,000 hijras gather at a temple dedicated to an ancient warrior Aravan. This film follows the story of an English-speaking hijra called Famila who has lived as a hijra for five years.She has found it difficult to be accepted by other hijras as they felt she was well educated.

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The Hindu :

Branford Marsalis: Royal Garden Blues

Columbia/ Sony Music; CD; Rs. 395

Born in 1960, Branford Marsalis is a member of a famous New Orleans jazz family, father Ellis being a pianist and three younger brothers playing various instruments.

An exponent of several members of the saxophone family, he’s settled mostly for the tenor and soprano versions, the two featuring on this 1986 album.

Made just a year after his controversial first foray into rock/ fusion, this recording finds him back in mainstream jazz. On each of the seven tracks he is backed by piano, bass and drums, with varying personnel.

The pianists include his father on “Swingin’ at the Haven”, the great Herbie Hancock on “Emanon”, and his steady associate Kenny Kirkland on a couple of other numbers.

Among the bassists, the famous Ron Carter is on several tracks, while Marsalis’s contemporary Jeff “Tain” Watts takes a big share on drums.

The pieces are fast-paced except for the haunting “Dienda” and the longest track, “Shadows”. Some were composed by members of the band (“The Wrath of Tain” is an obvious tribute by Marsalis to his drummer), others are hoary pop and jazz favourites (Gershwin’s “Strike up the Band” and the title track by Clarence and Spencer Williams).

Variety marks the treatment of the pieces. We get a bass-drum duo intro on “Strike up the Band”, a tenor sax solo intro on “Emanon”, a couple of drum solo intros and a couple of piano solo intros.

Solos on sax and piano follow the theme on sax on most tracks. We next get occasionally a bass solo (“Emanon”, “Royal Garden Blues”), and on “The Wrath of Tain”, exchanges between piano, sax and drums.

After its intro “Strike up the Band” is almost entirely a tenor sax solo punctuated by brief hints of the famous theme, which Marsalis renders fully only at the end. Hancock’s and Carter’s terrific solos add to the…More