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Animal instinct

While driving down a dirt road in his pickup truck in a rural agricultural part with his pet donkey in the back, a farmer discovered that he had a flat tyre. He gets out of the truck and has the donkey stick its head under the bumper to lift the truck. A passing farmer asks: “Hey, that’s a pretty clever trick. How did you teach your donkey to lift the truck?” He replied: “It’s a simple matter of the breed; this is a jack ass.”

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The Hindu :

Uma Kapoor, an MBA holder, finds joy in igniting young minds through children’s theatre

Photo: Bhagya Prakash K.Showcasing talents Uma Kapoor’s Treasure Tree attempts to bring thoughts and ideas of children to stage

Uma Kapoor is known by the name ‘Urmi’ in her place of work. “I’ve always loved this name as it means ‘the wind’ in Sanskrit,” says this MBA holderfrom SIBM who started off working with multi-national companies.

She quit as she had to move to theU.S. for a short while. Just to keep herself occupied, she started working in a Montessori school close by.

“That’s where I discovered that I enjoyed working with children,” recalls Urmi, who then came to Bangalore and made this city her home.

Here, she got involved with Playback theatre andtrained herself at the Shiamak Davar dance school.

Her passion led her to start Treasure Tree – a theatre space for children. “At Treasure Tree the belief is that it is the right of all children to dream. The approach is through interaction, exploration and discovery. The aim is to delve into individual abilities, interests and passions to create a platform for dreams to take-off,” she explains.

Urmi also started regular workshops called Starlings Theatre Workshop, which means ‘little stars’. “Initially, I was an introvert. I started by doing voice over for a friend. One thing led to another. I realised that such activities could help children to overcome their inhibitions.That’s how I started,” says Urmi, who has worked with the Appu Series of educational CDs. She has many story telling CDs in English and Hindi to her credit. To keep theatre for children alive she visits activity centres like Doodleden and schools to conduct regular workshops.

She also teaches theatre at the Golden Beat School. Urmi’s workshops are held for eight to 10 days.

“I elicit everything – the story, characters, costumes and also lyrics –from the children. Every childhas…More

The Hindu :

GPS, iPod, PC and two cameras…that’s the Techtree bike

A tech geek, a custom bike designer, lots of electronic goodies and a desire to be different. The Techtree Bike v1.0 is born.

It’s fun to test all kinds of bikes — big ones, small ones, long ones, light ones. But the Techtree Bike v1.0 is something else. The small workshop in Jogeshwari, Mumbai, was crammed with low riders custom-crafted by Vardenchi Choppers. Some strange modifications drew our attention to a motorcycle called the Stealth. The plexiglass panel atop the headlight, the holes in the side panels weren’t too much of a giveaway, but the silver Bluetooth dongle strapped onto the handlebar seemed very out of place on this matte-black motorcycle.

Yes, this is the Techtree bike v1.0, a tech-laden scheme proposed by Mumbai-based Sudeep Naik and fortuitously backed by Vardenchi’s Akshay Varde. Akshay arranged a donor bike, the Stealth, and Sudeep had to get the electronic goods to make it “bit” better.

And so, the mods began. To start off, the bike was blessed with guidance of the GPS variety, courtesy Mapmyindia. To make the satnav easy to access, there’s a small plexiglass platform mounted above the headlight. Then, the SatNav is mounted using the standard suction mount provided with the kit! Sorely lacking on motorcycles is the kind of entertainment options that are available in a new-age car. The Techtree Bike is armed to the teeth. There is a Sony PSP for easy gaming at every stop light. An iPod Touch mounted in a special secure case just under the handlebar provides music and videos. All this is made all the more enjoyable thanks to the Bluetooth dongle with the incredible headset that has in-built volume controls. A pity you can’t fit them under a helmet!

But, apparently you can fit a PC on your bike without worrying about it getting wet in…More

The Hindu : C.K. MEENA

From time to time we would all do well to put ourselves in another man’s slippers and remember that our needs are relative to his

When you and I, who’ve booked second class train tickets all our lives, hear of politicians being called austere for not travelling by plane, we cannot but laugh. But everything is relative, isn’t it? I suppose for one used to luxury, curtailing any part if it amounts to a sacrifice. Austerity is not living within your means, which is what most Indians do. It is deliberately cutting down your wants although you can afford more. “From today I’ll travel in my luxury sedan instead of in my Rolls Royce.” Things like that.

It is not only politicians who need a reality check. From time to time we would all do well to put ourselves in another man’s slippers and remember that our needs are relative to his. When we speak, and most often when we complain, we use expressions that, viewed from a different perspective, sound embarrassingly insensitive (and I’m not referring to the royal twit). Take the well-heeled young woman who came to our local store and begged the owner in Hindi: “Will you send the water fast, please? I’m dying of thirst.” All she had to do was boil tap-water, which is by itself a luxury, but she couldn’t live without those clear plastic kegs on which an increasing number of urban citizens are dependent. The pyaas of which she was figuratively dying is a cruel reality for our water-starved millions.

“I’m starving” is another dicey expression. You can say you’re hungry or even ravenous, for that is an internal condition caused by the signals your stomach sends out. Starvation, however, is a condition that can be measured externally, such as the number of times you eat in a week, and the number of grams each…More

The Hindu : y>

Shop till you drop Get a chance to win free gifts at Megamart

Megamart has launched many offers this Deepavali that includes a buy two get two offer on a range of international brands and accessories.

It also provides an opportunity to get free gifts like watch sets, travel bags and stylised t-shirts.

The store will offer attractive Cherokee gifts on purchases above Rs. 2,500. Megamart is a family destination store that offers a range of menswear and women’s wear products, along with a fabulous range of ethnic wear like kurtas, salwar kameez and western wear like jeans from the best brands in the business.

It also houses a select set of brands in non-apparels like personal electronics, luggage, footwear and accessories. Head to the nearest Megamart store to avail these offers.

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The Hindu : y>Ekta Kapoor moves away from the Tulsi-Parvati stereotypes to explore edgy, real characters. HARSHIKAA UDASI tunes in to catch up with the change

Down to earth Ekta Kapoor: ‘I can’t let my life be directly proportional to the TRPs of my shows’

For her press meet for two new shows on Sony Entertainment Television (“Baytaab Dil Ki Tamanna” and “Pyar Ka Bandhan”), Balaji Telefilms’ Ekta Kapoor walks in a good two hours late, unapologetic for the delay. If you are looking for any signs of mellowness in her demeanour post her fall from the high pedestal as the queen of soaps, you are mistaken.

With another new show on rival channel Colors (“Bairi Piya”), this seems to be some sort of comeback for the drama queen.

“No, it isn’t,” she says defiantly, as she settles down for a chat. “I hadn’t gone anywhere; so, I am not coming back. But yes, hopefully, the audiences will come back to us,” she says, giving the only hint of apprehension.

After having tasted failure with rather stiff competition coming up on the TV content front, the daughter of yesteryear actor Jeetendra and Shobha Kapoor has now changed tracks. And, even if she does not want to admit it, Ekta has been bitten hard by the reality bug.

Her fortnight-old show “Bairi Piya” on Colors is about the farmer suicides in Maharashtra, while ‘Baytaab Dil Ki Tamanna’ is about human trafficking, prostitution and begging, as part of a story of two sisters who see life in opposite ways.

Her three forthcoming films are also based on real-life incidents. “No, it’s not just reality. For instance, for ‘Baytaab…’ I wanted something defiant, quirky and edgy, and I immediately locked this subject. I have realised that I don’t need to play safe now,” she says.

In her own words, “Bataab…” is a “grunge and guttural show” about two people who have different connotations of ambition….More

The Hindu :

Be it donning the greasepaint or wielding the megaphone, the younger siblings of stars are all set to sizzle in tinsel town

SIBLING REVELRYEsha and Ahana Deol

Bollywood is all about being a big happy family, and it’s currently overflowing with sisterly love. Katrina Kaif was reportedly trying her best to influence beau Salman Khan to sign her sister Isabel for his forthcoming period film Veer. Ayesha Takia, while publicising “Wanted”, was hoping her younger sister Natasha’s Bollywood debut earns as much public adulation. The sister act is spreading, with sisters of Amrita Rao, Vidya Balan, Esha Deol and Sonam Kapoor trying to elbow into cinema space.

Last year, as photographs of Isabel frequenting Bollywood events with Katrina started appearing in the media, speculation about her film debut began to do the rounds. Isabel is armed with an acting course from the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute.

Kajol and Tanisha Mukherjee

The latest is that she is scouting for work, and her sister is helping her adapt to the ways of the starry world. While Katrina had said that her sister was way too young for Bollywood, she,nevertheless, insisted that Isabel enrol for an acting.

Besides, there has been no denial of reports about her trying to get the kid to play opposite Salman in “Veer”, a role that Welsh model Lisa Lazarus is now doing.Expected move

Amrita Rao’s sister Preeta is a television model who also writes occasionally. Preeta is poised for a Kollywood splash with Manikandan’s “Chikku Bukku”. Another Kannada film she had signed, “Rakthaksha”, could also begin shoot now after running into problems.

Shilpa and Shamita Shetty

While Preeta says she isn’t interested in Bollywood, it’s a move that is only expected to follow. But, the sister invasion is not happening just in acting. Esha Deol’s sister Ahana,long speculated to kick off her acting career, has made it clear she’d rather wield…More

The Hindu :

A discussion on the contemporary literary scene recognised the difficulties of ascribing a single definition to it

Photo: Bhagya Prakash k.What’s current? (From left to right) Dr. Venkatachalapathi, Arul Mani, Dr. Treichel, and Dr. Vanamala Vishwanatha

A discussion on the contemporary literary scene can be the most challenging one: particularly when it has to be packed into a few blinking moments. In these times of global turbulence and unrest, the literary scene (as is the case of most other art forms) is flooded with divergent expressions and experiences — each authentic. Apart from the social ethos of our times, technological strides have thrown up a whole lot of new writing mediums and genres, adding to the complexities of what constitutes “contemporary” literature (literatures?). Is there a single definition by which one can capture it?

Max Mueller Bhavan and Toto Funds The Arts jointly organised a discussion recently on what constitutes the contemporary. Three speakers from three different backgrounds attempted to define the contemporary — German professor Dr. Hans-Ulrich Treichel, Dr. Vanamala Vishwanatha, and Dr. Venkatachalapathi — and agreed that its nature was pluralistic and a straight-jacketed understanding was not possible.

Prof. Treichel who is the author of the award-winning novel “Lost” kept to the chronological mould, tracing the various literary periods in German literature up to now. He listed out important works from the different phases; and in the process also made note of the spirit of those times. In the process of tracing the journey of German literature, Prof. Triechel tried finding his own location in it. “As a young student in the 1970s, the year 1959 seemed as distant as 1888. One reason could be that younger people have a different sense of time than older folk. Another reason could be that the student movement and revolt of 1968 suppressed memories of the 50s. Therefore I had to educate myself about the…More

The Hindu : y>Maruti 800 and Tata Nano are affordable, comfortable and just right for the chock-a-block Indian roads, writes Joy CHAUDHURI

The M800’s 796cc engine develops 39bhp. The Nano is not far off — the 624cc engine developing 35bhp. The 800 has a three-cylinder motor, the Nano uses two

As small as they both may be in size, the Maruti 800 and the Tata Nano are the two of the largest in-demand cars in India.The Maruti 800 was perhaps the most important car to hit Indian roads shortly after Independence. It was India’s first whiff of modern car technology. Boasting a 796cc in-line three-cylinder engine that was both peppy and frugal, the M800 had a monocoque chassis, overhead cams and disc brakes. It was affordable, it was reliable, it was nimble and it was fun to drive. The car even led to an increasing number of women taking to the wheel.

The little car was originally designed for the European and Japanese markets, but here it was happily doing Indian-assigned duties. Little wonder then that for years the Maruti 800 remained the largest-selling car in India. Today, the numbers may have dropped, yet it continues to sell. But its days might well be over.The Nano is the new status symbol. Stop anywhere and hordes of people want to touch it, see it, sit in it and some even ask to drive it. What’s more is that men in their Audis will stop to check out a car that costs a little more than two Audi side mirrors. Why does the Nano catch more eyeballs per km than even the Ferraris did on their Magic Tour of India? The reason is not too hard to see. The Nano is a car that the common man can aspire to own. The 800 too had received a similar welcome in the 1980s. In 1983, there were queues outside Indian…More

The Hindu : y>An exhibition by the Choyal Family from Udaipur

Capturing life In myriad ways

Five artists from a single family from Udaipur, Rajasthan, spanning three generations, will showcase their paintings from October 7 to 11 at Chitrakala Parishad Art Gallery (No.3). The artists include P. N. Choyal (84) well known in the Indian art scenario for his ‘Dissolving Past’ series and the ‘Women series’ where he interpolated the tragedy of Rajasthani women and the trauma of hackneyed social values for women.

Shail Choyal (64) son of P. N. Choyal combines strong musical quality with an evocative visual imagery and uses fantasy as a metaphor in his art.

Surjeet Kaur (60), partner of Shail exhibits a psycho-thematic concern with a strong personal symbolism.

Akash Choyal (35), son of Shail and Surjeet,employs computer generated techniques to create his 3D imageryand surreal illustrations. Charul, Akash’s partner, a theatre artist, gives preference to colour, space and body in her paintings.

The timing is from 10.30 a.m. to 7.30 p.m. The preview is on October 7 from 5.30 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. Call: 22261816.

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