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The Hindu : y>Writing for the sports page is fulfilling, says Kalyan Ashok

It seems like yesterday when I began writing for Metro sports and it is hard to believe that 10 years have rolled by and it has indeed been a fulfilling experience. Writing for the page, one could say, had kept whatever writing skills that I have, sharp as ever.

That way, I would say, Metro gave all of us on the sports desk, enough opportunities to improve our writing. When the sports page of Metro came around, I had mixed feelings about it. I was glad that at last we had a page, all for ourselves, after the stoppage of Saturday Sports Special Supplement and that we got

extra space to indulge in writing off beat stories and articles.

At the same time, I was worried, because the content had to be City centric and I wondered if we could find enough material to write on Bangalore sports alone.

That doubt, had virtually disappeared and we did find enough material to write. I should thank my colleagues, who chipped in with story ideas and also their willingness to write at the shortest possible notice.

Here I must record my sincere thanks to all those, whom we spoke for an interview or for a metro story, as they obliged us without batting an eye lid, despite their star status and heavy schedule.

Snappy heading added colour to our stories, when we had the WTA Championship in 2006-07, I wrote a piece for Metro on Sania Mirza. The heading read “You Are My Sania.” I still have that copy and signed by Sania herself, who broke into her winsome smile, seeing the heading!

Photographs, enhanced the quality of sports pieces in Metro. From veteran K. Gopinathan to youngsters like K. Murali Kumar, made a sincere effort to shoot differently.

The writer is Special Correspondent and heads the Bangalore sports desk.

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The Hindu : y>Karnataka’s cuisine makes a definitive comeback in a cosmopolitan city where raagi mudde and ravioli vie for your taste buds, writes BHUMIKA K.

Photo: K. GopinathanOOTA AAYTA? Colourful and nutritious north Karnataka spread

It’s strange…and it’s not an exaggeration. But there was a time a few years ago when you would hardly find any authentic “Karnataka cuisine” restaurant in Bangalore. In how many places, apart from your mom’s kitchen, could you possibly find gasgasey paaysa and hurnada holige, chitranna, bisibele bhath or akki rotti for that matter, on the menu?

Since forever, to the outsider, the Udupi restaurants were the staunch benchmark — the beginning and end of food coming from the State’s kitchens.

After “North Indian” panned the flavour of the city (along with the ‘Chinese manchuri’ mania), international cuisine from every conceivable corner of the world wreaked havoc on our nascent taste buds. The Darshinis welcomed people to the concept of Indian fast food but lost their charm and purpose somewhere along the way, though they still are your best bet for a quick breakfast.

Then suddenly, and resiliently, the state’s cuisine wedged its way back into the city’s gastro-scape, with all things “halli” or village taking precedence. Somewhere between Kentucky’s fries, and the hundredth Punjabi dhaba were restaurants like Halli Maney, Halli Tindi, Holige Maney, and the north Karnataka jolada rotti counters.

Hotel menus now happily proclaim the availability of ragi mudde, Kundapura pathrode, bas saaru, Karavali kadabu, akki and ragi rotti. Many have made an effort to put the humble huli, saaru, gojju, playa, and kosambri on exotic platters. Old unshakable staples like Mavalli Tiffin Room or MTR (that invented the rava idli during World War II) solemnly stood ground, dishing out poori-saagu, khara bhath and dosas to the devout foodie queuing outside their gate every morning.Old timers in the city will swear by idli-vada in Woodlands, the street food of Vishveshwarapuram, palahara…More

The Hindu :

The jazz scene in Bangalore is thriving thanks to the artistes and promoters

Photo: Sampath Kumar g.p.Noteworthy Gerard Machado is a veteran of the local jazz scene

Sharik Hasan, a young pianist with boyish good looks, has been living and studying in the USA and France for several years. He’s currently on a scholarship at the Berklee College of Music at Boston but often returns to his home town Bangalore. And when he is here, he gives local jazz lovers plenty of reason to cheer. I’ve seen him in several settings — as a solo performer; with Adrian D’Souza from Mumbai on drums and Keith Peters from Chennai on electric bass guitar, augmented by Arati Rao on vocals; and even once in a jam session with the Karnataka College of Percussion (KCP) led by R.A. Ramamani on vocals and T.A.S. Mani on mridangam.

His laid-back style makes the music look deceptively simple, but he is never less than brilliant. Another person who once studied at Berklee and has been in Bangalore, again his home town, is the fluent guitarist Amit Heri. Heri has also been joined by Rao on occasion in the past, but his most regular companions, when he plays straight jazz, are Peters and M.R. Hamesh, also a Bangalorean, on drums. On one occasion in early 2008 the trio was joined by Mili Nair on vocals. On the strength of that performance, Nair is a fine jazz singer with an ability to improvise, as is Rao.

Heri has also collaborated extensively with the KCP and clearly has two aspects, straight-ahead jazz and jazz-Carnatic fusion. He shows himself equally at home in both, and plays fine solos with a facility that belies their intricacy. The Mumbai-based pianist-keyboardist Louiz Banks, the doyen of Indian jazz and an occasional visitor to Bangalore, is among those with whom Heri has performed here.

Gerard Machado is also a…More

The Hindu : y>CITY LIGHTS It’s been a pleasure chatting with readers who have as strong a sense of ownership over this city as I do, says C.K. MEENA

When I mooted the idea of a column at the start of this century I could think of no better name than “City Lights”. It was simple, it was the title of one of my favourite Chaplin movies, and it hinted at a light-hearted approach. I sent a couple of samples to the then editor and indicated that I would be happier writing once a month than once a fortnight. A weekly column, which is the norm, was out of the question: I feared that if I didn’t get breathing space between one idea and the next I would sound stale and uninspired. She wrote back after a few months that they would “slot it firmly” once a fortnight.

Thus, in April 2002, my column crept into this supplement with no warning or fanfare – a piece on the maze that was and continues to be Jayanagar’s street numbering system, called “The Hunt for 36 B”. With my eyes open and ear to the ground I wrote about the city and its people – all kinds of people, not just those who would read me. And talking of who was reading me, I hadn’t a clue, because I hadn’t created an email ID, which is what any sensible columnist would have done.

In the first couple of years I wrote in a void. I soldiered on until, in 2004, I was asked to provide a photo and ID to go with a new logo. In the merry month of May the floodgates opened. And I wallowed happily in the deluge.

What a pleasure it has been, chatting with readers who have as strong a sense of ownership over this city as I do! They have shared with me their anecdotes…More

The Hindu :

MetroPlus was launched as a four-page feature supplement on November 15, 1999 in five cities — Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Delhi and Thiruvananthapuram.

The first issues of what was then a weekly supplement on Mondays contained the ingredients of what has made it popular and successful over the years.

The inaugural issues and those that followed laid the foundation for this supplement by engaging their respective cities in their totality, dealing with subjects such as lifestyle, culture, heritage, fashion and food, and lending another dimension to the newspaper’s overall coverage.

The early years were a period of quick growth. MetroPlus became a bi-weekly in Chennai and Hyderabad in 2000.

At the end of the year, a Kochi edition was launched and the process of converting to colour began with editions such as Thiruvananthapuram shedding their black and white appearance.

In the subsequent years, new editions were started — for example in Visakhapatnam in mid-2002 and in Coimbatore and Madurai in early 2003.

Even as MetroPlus was rolled out in new centres, its frequency was increased gradually in the bigger cities where it was already being published such as Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Delhi and Kochi.

The newest centres to have a MetroPlus were Tiruchi in May 2004 and Pondicherry in February 2005.

Growth was also reflected in the increase in page levels. The Chennai edition grew from four pages a day to eight (on most days) in June 2005 with the introduction of special sections on health (Wellness), women and relationships (Gender), travel (Escape) and the auto sector (Wheels).

Some of these sections are carried in other editions as well. Last year, we launched MetroPlus Weekend in a staggered manner in nine centres by converting and expanding the Saturday editions in some places into the popular tabloid format and launching new editions in others.

Today, we publish independent editions out of 13 centres, with frequencies ranging from five times to once a week.

MetroPlus…More

The Hindu : MUKUND PADMANABHAN

“The column was begun in the belief it would last a fleeting two or three months”<

Before MetroPlus Weekend was launched in February 2008, I frantically tried to locate a wine writer. All I could come up with was a very short shortlist. A few names on it were already wine columnists for other newspapers. There were doubts whether the rest on the list would be able to deliver regularly.

Fine Wine began in the belief it would exist for a fleeting two or three months, or until a wine columnist could be found. But that never happened, and largely I think because of the paucity of wine writers in the country. The column’s unintended longevity never ceases to surprise me since the column seems continuously as if it is on life support. The search for new subjects is a constant struggle.

The feeling Ian Jack, the Guardian’s weekly columnist described as “pure freezing terror” in an interview with this newspaper, is familiar to all columnists as the deadline approaches. What can I write about? Would it be interesting?

If anything, this feeling is even worse when it comes to wine in India. Subjects are not easy to find — how many tastings, for instance, are organised in a year in any Indian city? Not a lot. What access does one have to the world’s best wines? Very little. From the wine corner, the current affairs space looks spaciously unproblematic –— it is in the very nature of politics and politicians to feed off controversies and, in turn, provide fodder for columns.

Still, it’s been fun to write this accidental column, which has been a constant process of learning. You can master your single malts in a couple of years, but wine is a lifetime’s education.

In its short span, the column has received an award, has provided the confidence to initiate the moves to found a…More

The Hindu : y>Take Two brought together two well-known personalities from different fields fora freewheeling discussion on likes, dislikes, and various other issues that crept into theconversation. Starting with drummer Ranjit Barot and guitarist Amit Heri in conversation(Published on March 29, 2005), the popular column featured a slew of prominent figuressuch as Vyjayantimala and Suchindra Bali, Vikku Vinayakram and Taufiq Qureshi,Parveen Sultana and Ustad Dilshad Khan. The column wound up on January 1, 2008, thelast one featuring Soha Ali Khan and producer-director Sudhir Mishra

Photo: BHagya Prakash k.VIVACIOUS Ramesh and Ramya discuss remuneration, relationships and a lot more

He’s donned grease paint for more than a couple of decades and is still as busy as ever. She has reigned for eight years. Strangely they’ve not shared screen space but when they meet the camaraderie is crackling. He likes the way she wears her heart on her sleeve while she admires his innate goodness. The verdant, cool environs of the vast Taj West End Hotel is the perfect setting for two diametrically opposite personalities to meet and catch up. S. SHIVAKUMAR listens to actors Ramesh and Ramya having a lively conversation.

Ramya: Ya. We actually met on a flight. I have fear of flying and was holding his hand.

Ramesh: I was sitting next to her and suddenly this girl grabs my hand and I’m all excited. I thought ‘Wow, my charm still works’. Her confession that she feared flying smothered what little hopes I had.

Ramya: He’s one of the hundred men I’ve held onto on flights.

Ramesh: Okay, other than that what else do you fear? Definitely not the press. We all know that. (Both laugh)

Ramya: I’m scared of flying and heights. What about you?

Ramesh: I’m not scared of anything. Don’t ask me why? We were not brought up that way.

Ramya: I think once you become a father you change. Do your fears vanish?

Ramesh: Not with me. I would…More

The Hindu : y>KALA KRISHNAN RAMESH traces her five-year journey

It’s now about five years since I started doing “Printpick,” the monthly column on books for Metro Plus – long enough for it to have fallen into a comfortable rhythm and not so long that it’s become habitual. I still feel animated picking out titles, and when I begin to write, I still feel uncertain and nervous, humbled by the thought that I am going to tell readers whether the titles featured are worth reading.

If you look at “Printpick” now, you wouldn’t be able to guess how reluctantly I took it on.

When my friend PS – who’d been writing “Printpick” since its inception – moved to the US and the Metro Plus desk asked me, I was sure I wouldn’t be able to do it because my circumstances were so unlike PS’s: he was in the middle of a freelance newspaper career, I was in the middle of domesticity; PS had a scooter to go around the bookstores, I would have to take autos; PS was used to newspaper deadlines, I was inured into a deadening domestic routine.However, I was persuaded to give it a shot, and as it turns out “that has made all the difference.”

The first time I went to a bookstore to select the four books for my first column, the excitement was multiplied since I had rarely gone book shopping over the past nine years, since the birth of my son.

The first installment was trying – I wrote and rewrote to get a suitable tone and style — the four short reviews seemed at first too long, then when I cut, they seemed too brief. After many tormented revisions, I sent it in and when the Metro Plus desk assured me it was reading fine, I sat down and heaved a sigh that was in large part also one of relief that…More

The Hindu :

Bangalore provides a conducive atmosphere for creative work but lacks an active art market

As far the art scene is concerned, Bangalore presents a fairly pretty picture. There are a few grey areas too. The city is home to well-known artists who have made a mark on the national and international scene — senior artists like Yusuf Arakkal, S.G. Vasudev, Balan Nambiar and others have worked consistently for decades and received recognition. There is a crop of relatively younger artists including Sheela Gowda, Kiran Subbiah, A. Balasubramaniam, Ranjani Shettar, and Srinivas Prasad who are making waves and winning accolades in the creative sphere.

“Today, the city can rightfully boast of a vibrant art scene,” declares Arakkal. “It is very easy to identify at least 20 young artists here, whose work is of truly international standard. Thanks to international exposure, they exude confidence and enthusiasm, and that has a positive impact on other younger artists.”

Many feel that after Mumbai and Delhi, Bangalore is the place to be in. Artist Milind Nayak feels it is a happening city and provides an inspired atmosphere which is conducive for creative work. “What is more, the scope and potential to grow and excel is immense, particularly for younger artists.”

“One can see a range of art practices in the city — from very conventional to those at the cutting edge,” observes artist Ravi Kumar Kashi. “This has attracted even international curators to the city.” “As an artist who has migrated from the rural area and living here for almost for a decade, I have witnessed a lot of changes in the city in terms of development and living,” says artist V.G. Venugopal. “The art scene here is very active. The economic slowdown which affected the art market has not really spoiled the spirit of the artists.”

Exhibition spaces

In recent years, the number of private art galleries in the city showing…More

The Hindu :

I t was in mid-October 1999 that “MetroPlus” was thought of as a newer and much softer version of the earlier “Metro”, a no-nonsense forum for a discussion on the city’s civic issues. “MetroPlus” was conceived as a pretty companion to the agelessly handsome main section of “The Hindu”. When the editorial top brass discussed the product with the senior staff what seemingly appeared to be the consensus was that the four-page weekly pullout should attract the young readers to the paper and ultimately emerge as a niche product.

Ten years on, and after several changes both in form and content of “MetroPlus”, which has indeed turned out to be a niche product, I distinctly remember my initial apprehension at the thought of a “soft, pretty, and attractive to the young reader” kind of a product as a part of “The Hindu”. I expressed my fear that “MetroPlus” as it had been thought of would invite the wrath of thousands of our loyal readers, who always made it a point to mention the number of years they have been reading “The Hindu” for, whenever they called us.

My fear was not totally unfounded. Once “MetroPlus” was out, there were several calls. While I was pleasantly surprised when many young women and men called in and wrote back to say that they welcomed the new product as a “refreshing antidote to the seriousness” of “The Hindu”’s news section, some loyal readers of the paper questioned how “The Hindu” could “dilute” its standards by deviating from its well-defined business of discussing the issues that affected the people. One distinguished reader even made a suggestion to me. He said: “Call it MetroMinus, that’s what it is.” It is another matter that this reader was upset that we had no place for reader’s mail in “MetroPlus” and that he was one of our regular letter writers.

When we had…More