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The Hindu : TALHA CHOUDHARY

When language becomes fun…

Photo:G.P.Sampath Kumar.Celebrating stories: Honing language skills.

One fine day, a baby jackal wakes up to find his fur all blue…Children are bound to be all ears as the story of the jackals unfolds. Karadi Tales, the company that brings out books and audio and video CDs for children, believes that such imaginative stories can also help children improve their language skills.

The company organised a workshop for principals and teachers of Bangalore last week on “The science of language learning”, conducted by its founder-director C.P Viswanath. Twenty teachers and Principals participated in the workshop.

Karadi Tales bring to life a world of deities and demons, kings and queens, and a universe of times past. Stories from Indian mythology are woven and sung by award winners and celebrated film and theatre personalities.

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The Hindu : SUDHINDR. A.B.

The message of love was evident at the Ebenezer International School.

RINGING IN THE FESTIVE SEASON: Service-minded

The cold Sunday morningbrought much warmth to thousandsof people from the marginalisedsection of the city recently.These “most special ones” (accordingto Abraham Ebenezer, founder chairmanof EISB) felt the warmth as theyentered the sprawling eco-friendlycampus of Ebenezer InternationalSchool Bangalore.

For the down-trodden

For the tenth consecutive year, hehas invited people from orphanages,old-age homes, institutions for thevisually impaired, physically challenged,HIV affected and street childrenover for Christmas fellowshiplunch. Over 4,000 people from 50institutions attended the function.Students enthusiastically participatedin the programme. A sumptuousmeal with a variety entertainment bythe staff, students and also some ofthe invitees present brought muchcheer and joy.

Ramachandra Gowda, Minister forMedical Education, P.C. Mohan,Member of Parliament, were presentand lauded the service-mindednessof the school students.EISB had organiseda voluntary blood donationcamp on the same day. Justice H.G.Ramesh, Judge, High Court of Karnatakaand Dr. Sharan Shivraj Patil,Chairman, Sparsh Hospital, inauguratedthe camp. It was organised inassociation with Bangalore MedicalServices Trust, Rotary Club, TTK andRashtrotthana Blood Bank. Over 400volunteers that included parents aswell as staff donated blood. Chittibabu,a driver at the school and Ruthik,a PU student had motivated about150 volunteers to donate blood.

“What touches me the most is tosee their bright smiling faces, yearafter year and I miss some of thefamiliar faces, as they are no morewith us,” remarked Mr. Ebenezer.

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The Hindu :

Nisha aka Priyanka Kothari talks about her Bollywood innings

Bollywood ho! Nisha now calls herself Priyanka Kothari

Nisha Kothari, now known as Priyanka Kothari, belongs to the new breed of Bollywood actors confident of their body and mind. A Ram Gopal Varma discovery, Nisha did all that is required to be a successful actor — learnt dance and acting, attended grooming workshops, etc. Brimming with confidence with a few films under her belt, Nisha believes, “If you believe in yourself and luck is by your side, you will succeed. It is our own doubts which bring difficulties to our lives.”

Under an oath of secrecy, Nisha is not ready to talk about her future films. She is, however, ready to share everything else with media persons including what made her change her name. “I was christened Nisha in the film industry as that was the name of my character in my first Hindi film ‘James’. My father, however, was very upset and wanted me to retain my real name Priyanka and that is how I am Priyanka Kothari today.” The actor says she wanted to be an actor since childhood. “To become an actress I learnt kathak for six years, then I attended acting classes with Kishore Namit Kapoor.” Born in Kolkata, she spent her early years there and shifted to Delhi after her class 10th. “I got my bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Dyal Singh College,” she says. Priyanka chose chemistry as her subject as her father, a businessman, deals in chemicals. But acting was always at the back of her mind. Shestarted with some modelling assignments while at college and after completing her studies she moved to Mumbai to chase her real dream — Bollywood. She started by distributing her photographs to film directors.

One of her portfolio snaps caught the eye of South Indian actor Madhavan who at that time was…More

The Hindu : y>How you judge the book scene in Bangalore depends on where you are judging it from. You can choose between a hip store or a public library, writes Bageshree S.

Photo: Sandeep SaxenaGotcha! The virtual stampede at book fairs indicates that the reading habit is alive and kicking

Every other discussion on books ends with one rhetorical question: “Oh, but then, who reads these days?” This final judgement stands on the foundation of the theory that mindless television serials have denuded people’s attention span to such an extent that they gloss over all things that are not offered in mega pixels.

Counter pose this theory with some straight-forward facts: This year’s Bangalore Book Festival had an average of about 15,000 visitors each day. And it was a virtual stampede on the last day of the 10-day fair. Unless we believe that people bought all those books to decorate their houses, these statistics dent our pet peeve on the death of reading habit.

Bangalore Book Sellers and Publishers Association President, Balram Sadwani, is hugging himself in glee because “sales were exceedingly good” at the fair, double what it was last year. And mind you, this is the recession year.

In fact it is hard to find a book seller or publisher in Bangalore willing to buy “who reads these days?” theory.

Shanbhag, who ran the bibliophile’s haven Premier Book Shop for over three decades, has never seen a big slump in book sales. “Eighties onwards people have started to buy more books since they have more money to spare,” he says. No wonder you are offered a shopping basket as you enter any book sale these days, just as in supermarkets.

While second-hand book stores like Blossom have people elbowing each other to grab their favourite book, corporate book chains like Crossword are not complaining either. “Bangalore has our second largest store after Mumbai both in terms of size…More

The Hindu : y>

Max Mueller Bhavan has launched the ARThinkSouthAsia. It’s a fully funded Fellowship in Arts Management and Cultural Policy. The Fellowship is designed to help develop skills, knowledge, networks and experience of potential leaders in the cultural sector of South Asia, which include museums, the visual and performing arts and digital media, say the organisers.

The Fellowship includes a two-week residential course in March 2010, a secondment/internship in Germany over the year 2010-11 and a concluding seminar in March 2011.

Applications are invited from practitioners working across a wide range of creative and cultural activity or anyone who has a passion for culture.

It is open to graduates with an experience of at three years either in employment or freelance work. Send in your proposed/ongoing project along with two letters of recommendation to arthinksouthasia @gmail.com or courier to Manjari Sihare, Fellowship Applications, ARThinkSouthAsia, Goethe-Institut, Max Mueller Bhavan, 3 Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi-110001.

January 1, 2010 is the last date. Log on to www.arthinksouthasia.org.

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The Hindu : y>Meera Balaganesan feels that providing to charity is the best way to celebrate birthdays

Some years ago, birthdays were celebrated occasionally and were great fun, however that trend has changed and there are parties practically once a week.

The way in which birthdays are celebrated has also changed significantly. New clothes, the mandatory visit to temples, homemade sweets, distribution of chocolates and greeting cards have all been replaced by grand celebrations with magic shows and the like.

Such parties result in spending a great deal of money.

The money put in by parents for such festivities must be treated with a great deal of respect. In a country, where a single meal in a day is a dream for millions, is an extravagant celebration for a birthday justified? The flurry of gifts and return gifts only add to the massive collection of the well-to-do children, while it could have helped a poor child in many ways.

Children today seldom understand the value of money. A peek into the other side of the world will help them realize how blessed they are and will leave them thankful for everything they possess. This practical education will go a long way in shaping them up as a better human being.

Instead of celebrating occasions like birthdays with friends and relatives, the opportunity could be used to reach out and help the needy. Going to an orphanage and donating food, books or clothes will not only make the children happy, it will also bring immense satisfaction and exceptional joy to the donors. We must train our children to think beyond the cakes and typical parties.

While there are parents who enjoy throwing a grand celebration, majority of the parents celebrate birthdays only under peer pressure and to maintain social status.

Some working parents, who have very little time to spend with their children, try to assuage their guilt by throwing a glitzy party.

Children,…More

The Hindu :

Part 2 of the five-part series “Fibroids: what every woman should know”

Thulasi is in tears. She is 46 and has been diagnosed to have a fibroid on an ultrasound scan. Her periods are regular and she had no inkling that she had a fibroid. The gynaecologist that she has consulted told her she needed a hysterectomy. “You are not going to have another child. What do you need a uterus for?” asked her gynaecologist. Thulasi should seek a second opinion. Just the presence of a fibroid is not a reason to undergo major surgery.

Are fibroids common?

Fibroids are extremely common. If 100 women undergo an ultrasound scan, 40-50 of them will be found to have fibroids! By age 50, fibroids can be found in 70 per cent of Indian women. Fibroids can vary in size and number. Most women will not even know they have fibroids unless they undergo an examination or a scan. Unfortunately, the knowledge that they have a fibroid causes them needless anxiety.

Do fibroids always cause symptoms?

Most women with uterine fibroids have no symptoms or just mild symptoms. The majority of fibroids do not need treatment. Almost 80 per cent of women who choose no treatment for their fibroids have no major changes in their periods, pain, bothersome symptoms, general health or routine activity. After menopause, fibroids will shrink. Women who are close to their menopause should try to wait till menopause so that they can avoid surgery if possible.

What are the troublesome symptoms of fibroids?

Heavy and prolonged menstrual flow

Sometimes fibroids may lead to heavy bleeding. This usually happens when the fibroid is pressing on the uterine cavity, thereby enlarging the area from which bleeding occurs. In such a case, the ultrasound report will usually say that the fibroid is ‘impinging on the cavity’ or ‘distorting the cavity’. A submucous fibroid is a fibroid that grows into the cavity…More

The Hindu :

A positive attitude has helped Neerja Malik overcome cancer. She talks about what inspired her to support others battling the disease

Photo: R. SHIVAJI RAOSPIRIT TRIUMPHS Neerja Malik: If you’re down and out and the going is tough, accept what has happened and move on’

“Think of the disease as nothing but a word,” says Neerja Malik, cancer conqueror, Counsellor and Consultant, Apollo Hospitals’ Cancer Support Group, and founder of Sahayika, an NGO that has funded cancer treatment for over 1,500 needy children. Coming from her, that sounds entirely plausible.

With two surgeries for breast cancer in 1998 and 2004 behind her, Neerja is a double survivor as her daughter puts it. Despite her own health problem, Neerja would unfailingly call her daughter at 2.30 every morning to wake her up to study for the Board examinations. She even counselled another patient just after she had recovered from anaesthesia, post surgery.

Offering a word of advice to patients and their families, she says, “There are two ways of looking at cancer — positive and negativeMy way of looking at cancer was, ‘Ok, God you have given me the problem; it’s your problem to give me the solution. The point is, you might be knocked down once, twice, thrice but you have the capacity with faith in Him to get right back on track. I want to tell people who are suffering from cancer that treatment is just a temporary detour.”

It is precisely this positive attitude and fighting spirit that fetched Neerja the Positive Health Heroes Award instituted by Dr. Batra’s Positive Health Clinic.

She attributes this spirit largely to her parents, their faith in God and spirituality. “I once fell off a horse and my father said, ‘Get on, right now’. I was hurting but he knew that if I didn’t get on right away I would later have to fight fear. So I have…More

The Hindu : y>

Slice of royalty Stay at the Gateway hotels to explore Jodhpur

The Gateway Hotel has opened a five star hotel in Jodhpur. The Gateway Hotel Jodhpur combines traditional influences with modern conveniences to make it an idea destination for the leisure and business travellers.

Spread over 15 acres, the hotel comprises 88 rooms and suites, a palace-styled courtyard and landscaped gardens. It also offers an eclectic dining experience in its restaurants.

The restaurant cum café, Sir Pratap, offers the best of Rajasthani, Indian, Chinese and Continental cuisine. Frontier, the al fresco restaurant serves delicious North–West Frontier cuisine . Dune bar,offers a range of wines and cocktails.

The group has also launched some attractively priced winter holiday packages under the Taj Holidays banner.

Starting at just Rs.10,000 for two nights on double occupancy, the package includes room, breakfast, sightseeing, discounts on meals and laundry services and access to numerous recreational facilities.

For more information, log on to www.tajhotels.com/gateway or www.thegatewayhotels.com.

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The Hindu :

Music composer Biddu turns a writer

photo k. gopinathanMONEY MATTERS Biddu says music albums pay little in India

Biddu is back. No, he has not come up with a new music score. This time he has decided to wield the pen. Yes, Biddu who has given an uplift to the careers of the likes of Tina Charles and Carl Douglas besides introducing Nazia Hasan to Indian fans, recently bagged a deal with Harper Collins “to write” three books, including an autobiography and two novels.

The novel

Says this Indo-British self-taught musician and song writer, “My autobiography will come out by January-end next year. One of my novels is set in Darjeeling in India of 1951. The other is a comedy.”

He might be prolific writer but he is no recluse. He is also “pitching for a retro-disco show for a known television channel”.

Though Biddu came to India a few years ago to do Indian Idol Abhijeet Sawant’s album, he didn’t stay for long. He reasons, “I am very clear about one thing. Music is business for me. If I sold a million copies of my music albums in the UK, I sold only 10,000 to 15,000 copies in India of Alisha, Shweta and Nazia. See, success can go to bank, head or brains. I work under western rules and not in ‘lum-sum’ situation. I try to make Indian singers famous abroad. I worked hard to give hits after hits in the UK. And it’s not the NRIs who buy my music in Europe.”

Biddu, who started playing guitar at the age of 13, irked his parents when he decided to take up music as a career. “They weren’t happy as in 1960s, it was unusual in India, but they allowed me as they were ‘cool’ by temperament.”

He has taken a sabbatical from making music for now. “I need a break”, he reasons. However, he would do…More