News

The Hindu : y>Head to the Adventure Zone campsite for an exciting weekend

Looking for some adventure during the weekends? Check out Adventure Zone in Madhuranthankam for some adrenalin rush.

The campsite, set on several acres of beautifully-landscaped gardens in the peaceful countryside, offers activities such as rock-climbing, rappelling, shooting and obstacle course.

However, you can rough it out in luxury — there are comfortable tents and delicious meals.

Adventure Zone is at Site No. 37, Cheyyur Rd, Village Zamin Endathur, Taluk Madhuranthankam, Kancheepuram.

Call 94443-84608 for details, or visitwww.adventurezone.8k.com

<FONT …More

The Hindu :

Farah Khan is a reluctant cook but a keen host

Photo: Rajeev BhatStraight talk Farah Khan

“My figure shows that I am a foodie but this size is not because of food.” Farah Khan is known to be straightforward and somebody who doesn’t mind laughing at herself. “It is puppy fat, you know,” she quips as she settles for a quick bite.

“I have not been able to lose weight after pregnancy. I deserve some time. After all, I gave birth to triplets,” says Farah sipping sweet lime juice.Most of our noted female choreographers have an abundant presence. “Yes, Saroj Khan has been fat since ages. I believe she was born fat!In fact one of the apprehensions before going for the talk show was my size. I feared whether I will fit in the frame or not, but then I always believed in taking new challenges.”

The latest being making Kylie Minogue dance to her steps in “Blue”.“I am keeping away from choreography assignments because there are hardly any challenging offers but I could not say no for Kylie. Abbas Tyrewala has written some naughty lines in ‘Chiggy Wiggy’. Director Anthony D’Souza wanted to present Kylie as what she is — the international pop diva.I worked in sync with her style and she rehearsed for three days before the shoot.”

Farah says she is a reluctant cook but when she is in form she is unbeatable. “My speciality is yakhini pulao, which I make in olive oil. However, once it got me into trouble. I was in Australia for a shoot and decided to cook pulao for the crew. Somehow I forgot and it got burnt. The sensitive fire alarm went off and everybody had to rush out. Thankfully, it was the last day of the shoot…what a lasting impression!”

Farah points out her habit of straight talk no longer gives her the jitters. “Earlier I…More

The Hindu :

In Macao, the past rubs shoulders with the glitzy present in myriad ways

Photos: BY AUTHORCultural jackpot Senado Square and St. Paul’s Cathedral

Macao is rapidly re-inventing itself as the Las Vegas of the East, with 31 of the world’s glitziest casinos towering over the tiny peninsula off the coast of China. Where just decades ago there was farmland, you now see clusters of glass-covered sky-scrapers with names familiar from all those Hollywood heist movies flashing in the night — MGM Grand, Sands, Wynn…

But, it isn’t until I go up Colina da Penha, the quiet hill in South-Western Macao, that I really feel like I’ve hit the jackpot… culturally speaking, that is. Because, that’s where I begin to uncover the unusual history of this Chinese protectorate, where the past rubs shoulders with the present in a quirky and singularly charming mix.

Overlooking a glittering expanse of the Pearl River Delta is the peaceful old grey-stone church, Ermida da Penha, surrounded by a graceful old-world garden that’s all shaded nooks and stone benches. Originally built by Portuguese sailors in 1622, the church is the highest point in Macao, approached via narrow tree-lined streets that wind through charming European-style homes.

We are now, our guide tells us, in ‘Old Macao’, where the over 400-year-old colonial influence on the peninsula (Macao was under Portuguese control until 1999) lives on into the 21st Century. Nowhere is this more apparent than at the enchanting Senado Square , which has been Macao’s city centre for centuries and still houses several of its major administrative buildings.

Gorgeous old yellow, pink and white buildings in the distinctive Mediterranean neo-classical style surround the square with its quaint black-and-white mosaic flooring and its dancing fountains at the centre.Delightful amalgam

Mc Donald’s and Starbucks, Levi and Gap stand alongside City Hall, and colourful little Chinese flea markets selling handkerchiefs and toys nestle in the picturesque…More

The Hindu : y>

Ghost capers Catch Casper and his friends in action only on Nick

Casper, the friendly ghost, who stays in the enchanted forest with Wendy the witch has been our faithful companion for ages providing unlimited fun. We followed Casper’s adventures in comic books as he tried to convert the Ghostly Trio and Spooky the tough little ghost.

Now Casper is coming on telly on Nick. The show will air on weekdays at 5 p.m.

The Casper Scare School series promises to provide a great deal of entertainment.

Catch his hilarious escapades as he tries to save the world from an evil plot by the school’s principal or stopping the school bullies to help a friend.

Join Casper and his team of interesting ghost buddies who invariably find themselves in situations that will have the audiences in splits.

<FONT …More

The Hindu :

A fighter by his own admission, V.V.S. Laxman has faced many a battle with grit and determination

PHOTO: : K. RAMESH BABUNo worries V.V.S. Laxman with wife Shailaja, daughter Achinthya and son Sarvajit

It’s hard to fathom what was on Puttaparthi Satya Sai Baba’s mind when V.V.S. Laxman beseeched him to name his daughter. ‘Achintya’ was the prompt reply and in that one word lies Laxman’s meaning of life: no worries as it loosely translates into. That also is quintessentially Laxman of 105 Test matches vintage, nice as they come; a gentleman who never lost out on life, its values and traditions while doing battle against all comers at the highest level.

With both parents accomplished doctors it was but logical for young Laxman to have followed in their footsteps. It wouldn’t have been a hard task to accomplish for Laxman given his meritorious ways. “That was the toughest conflict of my life, to choose between cricket and a course in medicine. My maternal uncle, Baba Krishna Mohan, who’s also my mentor, realised my potential as a cricketer and convinced my parents. And my father’s belief that one should excel in the profession one chooses made it easier for me to take a decision,” says Laxman.

There were naysayers aplenty. “My father’s friends couldn’t understand my decision. They always used to ask my father as to how he could allow me to choose cricket over studies. Most of my friends, who were as talented as me, if not better, were pushed into medical schools, whereas my parents gave me that freedom to choose cricket. The confidence they had in me is my motivation to excel,” says Laxman.

The support role is now played by his wife Shailaja, who put her ambition on the backburner after their marriage. “I had requested her to travel with me on all my tours and she accepted it. She…More

The Hindu :

Suren Vikhash U, founder of Thunk in India, is in the business of innovating with waste

Photo: K. AnanthanKING Of SCRAP Suren Vikash’s recycle line

It’s a magical riot of colours, textures, designs, and most importantly, The Concept. Curious? Suren Vikhash U, founder of a wonderful new movement of sorts, sheds more light.

Suren is many things. He’s a social entrepreneur. A design facilitator. He’s the initiator of Thunk in India, an organisation that officially came to life in January 2009. He’s also a conscientious citizen. What Suren is not, is your average 24 year old. But then, Thunk in India is also not your average lifestyle accessories brand. “Thunk seeks to innovate with waste. We transform waste into useful, durable and well-designed day-to-day products,” Suren explains.Waste manager network

But Thunk doesn’t stop at erasing carbon foot-prints. “The idea is to empower the livelihoods of underprivileged communities through the making of our products,” says Suren. His network of co-creators includes slum dwellers, weavers, and rag pickers. “How about calling them our waste-managers instead of rag pickers?” Suren asks.

Thunk is not a one-person initiative. “Our different stakeholders are also equal shareholders in the company. Thunk is about collaboration, co-creation, and innovation,” Suren says. The idea for Thunk germinated in 2008, during Suren’s final year project at Shrishti School of Arts in Bangalore.

He interned at Daily Dump, a brand that converts household waste into high-quality compost. “The theme was to bring together experts in the field of waste-management,” he explains.

As an off-shoot to his project, Suren visited landfills across Bangalore. While getting sensitised to the problem of waste, he also understood the problems faced by waste managers. He lived with the community in order to establish a link and their trust.

“I began designing prototypes of products made from waste, like plastic, cartons and old wine bottles,” Suren narrates.

His products were displayed at an…More

The Hindu : y>Chetan Bhagat’s latest book, 2 States-The Story Of My Marriage, inspired by his love story, deals with inter-community marriages the fun way, finds K. JESHI

It’s a love story of a Punjabi boy and a Tamilian girl. They meet at IIM, Ahmedabad and decide to get married. But the underlying problem is the resentment from both families. “Parents still have the remote control when it comes to emotions,” says Chetan Bhagat, the author of best sellers “Five Point Someone”, “One Night At A Call Centre” and “Three Mistakes Of My Life”. “However independent you are, getting married without parent’s approval is not good for the relationship.”Not a memoir

The author was in Bangalore to promote his latest book “2 States – The Story Of My Marriage”, an adaptation based on his marriage. “It’s not a memoir,” he clarifies. “It was nice, the feeling of suspension of disbelief, but it involves my family so I want to make it clear that it is a work of fiction.” So, there are character changes and the dramatisation is higher.

Calling it a fluffy novel, he says the book is personal and treats a complex issue of inter-community marriages, the fun way. And sends home a bigger message of a homogeneous society. “Homogeneity is important for a country to move forward. Today’s youth are travelling to different cities for studies and work, and they will meet someone. But, parents are still rooted in prejudices, which has to be addressed,” adds the former banker. He cites the success stories of Korea, Taiwan and China as countries that have progressed from a developing country, by adopting homogeneity.

Photo: k. GopinathanTHE PHENOMENON Chetan Bhagat believes he’s popular because youth identify with him

What he strives to achieve is to unite youth through his books. “Youth power is a myth. Leaders are not listening to them and they are considered a non-politically…More

The Hindu : y>

The recent floods in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh have caused awidespread misery and destruction across the region. As the festival of lights is being celebrated, MetroPlus asks city residents whether Deepavali should be celebrated in such times, when many people across the State are facing a great deal of loss to life and property.

Most residents felt that though the floods and the resultant devastation was tragic, not celebrating Deepavali may not help the people affected by the disaster. They felt that the primary focus should be on providing relief to all those affected by the floods as soon as possible. They felt that the intensity of the celebrations could be reduced to some extent and donations must be made for flood relief operations.

Many felt the festive season must be used to spread more cheer in the lives of those affected by the tragedy and steps must be taken in that direction. Some felt that celebrating a festival in times of such a tragedy must be avoided.

Spending money on buying new clothes and other luxury items was in bad taste, especially when people were in a slough of despair having lost everything in the flood.

We sample some responses.

Life must go on as usual. Deepavali marks a new beginning and must be celebrated. The festivities could be toned down and bit and donations should be sent to the flood victims affected by the tragedy. Doing something productive is more helpful than mere symbolism.

Girish

Engineer

The flood situation is very sad. Though stopping celebrations altogether is not a great choice, I feel that we should tone down the festivities. We should ensure that more food, clothes, medicine and relief material is sent to those affected by the floods.

Narashiman

IT professional

Deepavali is a festival that denotes hope and talks about the end of an unhappy chapter. The festival must be celebrated and the spirit of the festivities…More

The Hindu :

Go salmon fishing on the Kymijoki River in Finland, and take in the historic sights of Kotka, Hamina and Rankinkotka

Photos: BY AUTHORRiverside sojourn The salmon-stocked Kymijoki River

My shoulder felt as if it was being wrenched out of its socket. The line was so taut that it could very well have been a strand of steel as it reflected the mid-morning sun. The fibreglass rod was flexing to its maximum, and as I fought to keep the upper hand in this riverbank tug-of-war, I wondered what kind of monster had taken the bait.

I was in Finland, or to be more specific, five km north of the city of Kotka in Southern Finland at the Langinkoski Imperial Fishing Lodge on the salmon-stocked Kymijoki River. The fishing lodge, though simple in its wooden construction, has a regal air to it. Built in 1889 for the Russian Tsar Alexander III who visited Langinkoski frequently, it has been well preserved.

Visiting the lodge itself is like a peek into the past as most of the furniture and even artefacts and cutlery are from back then. Naturally, this is a heritage structure and tourists can’t stay here, but its riverside forest setting is beautiful.

Hamina’s Town Hall

There are walking trails by the river that are scenic and serene. I had got myself a fishing permit from the tourist office in Kotka and, now, even as I sweated in the 10 degree cold, I was wondering who was having more sport — me or whatever was at the end of the line.

I wasn’t kept wondering about the latter, because, in a last-ditch effort, the fish broke surface to dive deeper.

Its scales refracted the sunlight into a myriad rainbow of colours as the three-foot-long salmon twisted and turned mid-air to gain some slack and knifed back into the water. I was so stunned at the prize that had taken…More

The Hindu :

The Fiat lovers club had a whole lot of youngsters taking part

STRENGTH A car you will love for its comfort

The idea of a Fiat lovers club naturally conjured up stereotypical images of older men in their sixties, drooling over a collection of Fiats. So it did come as a huge surprise to meet 21-year-old Sujith Thomas from Koramangala, with other founder members – Karthik Makam, Kedarnath, Karthik M.B. and Arun Srinivasan. All in the age group of 20 to 30 years, and all quite obsessed with the Fiat car. Called the Fiat 1100 club, Sujith gives me the low down on how it all began. “We founder members ‘met’ on the social networking site Orkut in 2006 and finally met in Cubbon Park with two cars and decided to start this club. Karthik Makam brought his 1973 President and I brought my 1978 Padmini.”

The FIAT 1100 Club Bangalore is a unique club for all FIAT – 1100 car enthusiasts, lovers and owners living in Bangalore. Through the club, members share their experiences, exchange technical information and jointly hold all fiat rallies.

“Most people today hate the Fiat because it is a gas guzzler and pollutes the environment, but you need to own one to realise that you love it also for its comfort,” says Sujith. The car has a 1100 cc engine and that’s the inspiration for the name of the club.

Names of the various models from 1956 are Milicento, Elegance, Select, Super Select and Eleven hundred (in words). In 1973 when the Fiat began to be manufactured in India it was christened the Padmini. “The 1100 cc engines are actually racing engines of the ‘60’s and ‘70’s and Ferrari bought the same engine for their cars. Imagine a racing engine in a family car,” says Sujith with a chuckle. “My car is as old as I am and…More