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The Hindu :

A leisure den Vishranti, the resort at Dehra Dun

VISHRANTI

LOWER KHANDOLI VILLAGE, DEHRA DUN

USP: Every room is a different experience

It’s with some anxiety and a where-are-we fidgetiness that we slowly move away from the more populated part of Dehra Dun, past the Indian Military Academy and others, in our tempo traveller and head into densely-forested sal tree territory, following the red-and-black jeep that’s leading us. We’re later told that too many signboards have been avoided to prevent walk-ins and preserve the private nature of the place, and soon realise why.

Vishranti is on Madhyant Farms, a 23-acre estate. Completely self-sufficient, right down to the vegetables on your plate (grown on the estate’s own organic farm), it’s a pampered existence you lead there.

Vishranti is a seven-suite resort, each named after a synonym of ‘Vishranti’ (Sanskrit for ‘rest’) – Aman, Chain, Sukoon, Khamoshi, Aaram, Shanti and Vishranti & Vishram. Originally the home of Michael Dalvi, who owns Madhyant Farms, it has recently been taken over by Leisure Hotels.

A conscious effort has been made, though, to see that the nature of the place doesn’t change. No attempts have been made to clone the two suites and five rooms that are let out to guests — the standardisation that characterises hotel rooms deliberately avoided. As the people at Vishranti tell you, each room has acquired the personality of its original inhabitants. Every room has the furniture and décor it originally had. This could vary from the warm beige-and-brown interiors of Shanti to the green cheerfulness of Aaram or the floral airiness of the twin-bedroom Vishranti & Vishram. Art, part of Dalvi’s private collection, is something that’s common to all the walls and there are Picassos in the bathrooms too.

The dining room is a blue-walled, china-lined apparition, but you can also have your meals in outdoor dining areas spread around the resort.

A popular part of Vishranti is Holdy’s…More

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Being overweight affects people in more than one way: recent studies have shown that obesity can also lead to cartilage loss.

Researchers from Boston University Medical School studied cartilage loss in the knee in obese people. It was found that an increase of one unit in body mass index led to an 11 per cent decrease in cartilage thickness!

The study has said that the best way to keep cartilage loss at bay is to avoid putting on body fat. Several studies have shown that weight training increases metabolic rate and prevents arthritis. Scientists say that strengthening the muscles will also support joints and prevent excessive stress on cartilage cells.

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The Hindu :

Football fan Jean-Marc Dalle from France is amazed at the popularity of cricket

Journey man Jean-Marc Dalle believes in travelling to know the country

When he first arrived in India, nearly three years ago, Jean-Marc Dalle was in for a major cultural shock. “It is very different from Europe, both at the personal and professional level. It took me some time to adjust, but now I am enjoying my stint a lot.”

Marc feels that initially most expatriates would find themselves facing adjustment problems. “I was taken aback by the noise, the diversity and vibrancy. I took time to get used to it.”

Now, after these many years that he has spent here, he realises India is too huge a country to have homogeneity. The beauty of the country lies in its diversity and the fact that it has managed to keep its culture and traditions alive, even as it is emerging as an economic superpower, he feels. As far as the sports goes, Marc is a football fan and has watched a few games of cricket. However, he is not very enthusiastic about cricket. “I feel that it is too slow. It is not as fast paced like football. However, I am amazed by the popularity that the sport enjoys in the sub-continent.”

Getting used to local cuisine and food is an issue that most expatriates struggle with initially. However, Marc faced no such issues. “I was never very particular about food. I enjoy Kashmiri and Kerala food. I enjoy the rich flavours of Kashmiri food. I enjoy seafood and Kerala food since it is high on flavours and low on spice. I like North Indian food as well, but it is a bit too spicy for comfort.”

He enjoys the weather in Bangalore, but like many others, he often loses his cool due to the constant traffic snarls and increasing pollution levels, apart from…More

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Two rock bands — Transition Elements and The Resurgents — from Mahindra Satyam and Tech Mahindra will perform at the “The Future Roxx” concert. Proceeds will go to the flood victims in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Tickets are available at Coffee Xpress.

Venue: Mahindra Satyam Development, Electronic City

Date: November 28

Time: 5.30 p.m.

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The Hindu : APARAJITH RAGHURAMAN

Bryan Adams

Summer of 69

This rock song, from his fourth album Reckless, has energetic tunes, energetic steps, friendly lyrics. “Those were the best days of my life” a punch line such as this makes you feel nostalgic. Adams has sung this song in his typical unorthodox voice which somehow suits all of his songs. The guitar notes of this song are fantastic as well. The song talks about youth, love, and the things one does when he is young and it makes you connect very quickly to the time. The lyrics are poetic. A real masterpiece from Adams.

The Beatles

A Day in The Life

This song, from their 1967 album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, is the greatest pop song of all times. Paul McCartney and John Lennon had written a few short verses independently of each other, and as neither of them had found a way to create a full song out of what they had recorded, they decided that the best thing to do would be to incorporate the two into a single track. Lennon’s singing sings and McCartney’s bass float together — the sound is magical.

Led Zeppelin

Stairway to Heaven

If there’s truly one song that can claim immortality, perhaps it is “Stairway To Heaven” . The 1974 mega hit classic by Led Zeppelin, in their best-selling album, Led Zeppelin IV, not only captures the heart, but also the imagination. Sung by the charismatic Robert Plant with amazing guitar play by Jimmy Page, it combines folk and metal music perfectly.

Metallica

Master of Puppets

Master of Puppets remains, to this day, Metallica’s most successful combination of that epic quality laced with accessible metal hooks. With a classic, distorted riff by Kirk Hammett, and no fewer than five time signature changes, the song is scintillating. Hetfield’s theme of control now centres around the horror of drug addiction: “Taste me you will see / More…More

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DJ Rohan Kapoor will provide the music for Wicked Saturdays.

Venue: i-Bar, The Park Hotel, M.G. Road

Date: November 28

Contact: 25594666

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PERFORMANCE

It’s big and bulky and will

probably not be everyone’s cup of tea, but

it’s a powerhouse of a business phone

LOVE Sturdy keyboard. High-res screen.

Generally impressive and slick interface

HATE Lacks media options. Slightly

underpowered processor

SPECIFICATIONS

SCREEN 3.6 inches, 480×800 pixels

CAMERA 3.2-meg, no fl ash

SIZE 116×59.2×17.3mm

WEIGHT 179g

Look up www.htc.com/in

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A sale of Basta bags and clutches in reds and canary yellow along with metallic shades of silvers, whites and browns is on.

Venue: Collage, Wood Street

Date: On till November 30

Contact: 25566818

Time: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

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PERFORMANCE Almost the perfect

business device, with Wi-Fi, 3G and a QWERTY keyboard fronting a surprisingly sleek case. Best looking BlackBerry yet

LOVE Slim dimensions. Super-fast HSDPA. Outstanding email service

HATE The screen’s good, but cramped

SPECIFICATIONS

SCREEN 2.6 inches, 320×480 pixels

CAMERA 2-meg, no flash

SIZE 127×66x13mm

WEIGHT 133g

Price: Rs. 34,990

Look up in.blackberry.com

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Kriyative Theatre presents the 73rd show of Laxmi Chandrashekar’s solo play in Kannada “Singarevva Mattu Aramane”, an adaptation of Dr. Chandrashekara Kambara’s novel. The play is directed by Soumya Varma. Tickets are priced at Rs. 50.

Venue: Tarabalu Kendra, R.T. Nagar (near BDA Complex)

Date: November 28

Time: 7 p.m.

Contact: www.indianstage.in or SMS “TICKET” to 9986016207

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