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The Hindu : y>

I plan to buy a Ritz VXi, but Maruti is not offering any discount. Will the company offer one soon?

Deepak Joshi

The Ritz VXi, which uses the petrol engine, is a popular car, and much in demand. Hence, there is no reason for the company to give discounts, especially if there is a wait list in some parts of the country.

What is a Teflon coating and can one apply it immediately after buying a new car? I want powerful headlamps for my next car, perhaps, a Swift Dzire, as I cannot handle the glare from the high-beam headlights of oncoming vehicles at night. Which lamps should I buy and what are Xenons? Is white light better than yellow? Are there any products I can apply to the windscreen to avoid glare at night? Which sunfilm is good? Are tubeless tyres better than tubed ones, and are radials better than cross-ply tyres? And, lastly, what is the difference between AC and climate control?

Rajeev Agrawal

Phew. That’s quite a battery of questions. Teflon coating is a protective coating. A new car does not need such a coating as it is already polished. Get the Teflon treatment done at an authorised workshop, even if it is a little expensive; some also give warranty. Higher wattage lamps are available. Ensure you buy ceramic bulb holders and a relay (cutout) and good quality wiring when you install these. The bulb in a Xenon lamp uses Xenon gas. These bulbs generally run much cooler than regular halogen lamps. But, stick to the regular lamps as most Xenons available in the market are not good, and some are very expensive. White light is not better than the regular light as it gets dispersed more easily; when there is oncoming traffic, your vision will not be as good as with the regular yellow lamps. Using Colin spray on the windscreen will help keep…More

The Hindu : y>

Wishbone is organising a trip to Sakleshpur from January 30 to February 1. It will include a trip to the Kadamane estate, a low elevation tea estate spread across nearly 7,000 acres. The estate also includes a forest area featuring many animal and bird species.

The trip will also include a trek to a nearby ridge. A camp will be set up near a waterfall. Customers can also swim in the stream or go swimming in a natural pool. The accommodation facilities include two bathrooms with running water. For more information, call Kaushik on 9886169698 to book your place or log on to www.wishbone.in. The last date to register is January 16.

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The Hindu : RENUKA KIRPALANI

Volkswagen Beetle is not a people’s car anymore. It is for the passionate few who do not mind designer price tags, writes Renuka Kirpalani

The Beetle is so much more than a car. It’s an icon — a cute, lovable, head-turning icon.

It has played many roles over the years. Originally conceived by Ferdinand Porsche under orders from Hitler, it was meant to be a people’s car, one that was cheap to buy and to run. But the car had other ideas. It became the symbol of love and peace for the Woodstock generation, filmstars drove it, collectors bought it, a gazillion owners’ clubs were formed and the love-bug even became a movie star!

The car we drive in today is its grandson. At Rs. 25 lakh, it’s nothing like its ancestor. But, like its predecessor, it’s special.

And, it rarely gets more special than the way the Beetle looks. There’s a certain charisma to this little bug-shaped car. The design has evolved over the years from the original to become a little more modern with the times, but it still retains its original character, and that’s the charm. The rounded curves, the bulging wheel arches and the bubble roof all make it irresistible. The happy smile of the bonnet line and headlamps that look like startled, wide-open eyes give the Beetle an endearing quality that makes you want one. This car makes you smile, and you really can’t have a bad day if you are driving it.

The inside of the Beetle is a stark contrast to the outside — it’s all black, which is not really feminine. The quality of all the materials inside feels generally good. There’s a sporty three-spoke steering with metal touches and a single instrument dial behind it. The dashboard is deep enough to play table-tennis on. This might get women and newbie drivers a little worried, because…More

The Hindu : C.K. MEENA

Food, as a debate rather than its consumption, can rouse stormy passions in us

What an over-fed victim of the festive season really needs is a “multi-cushion restaurant”. I wonder if that signboard is still up, at a little eatery in Koramangala. Can’t you just imagine patrons, nourished to the point of exhaustion, closing their eyes and reclining on gigantic, multi-coloured cushions in interesting shapes, strewn invitingly on the floor?

Offering a range of cuisines under one roof is no longer the prerogative of food courts in malls and multiplexes – or, for that matter, of Sukh Sagar near Upparpet police station in Majestic, which was a pioneer when it came to each floor serving a different cuisine. Every neighbourhood today, however humble, has its fair share of “hotlu’s” which have transcended Udupi fare and Meals-Ready. You can see the takeaway menu on the outer wall, with names and prices of dishes painted on by an unsure hand. If one offers “Goan and Konkani”, another sells kori roti and chicken curry. Meanwhile, a pushcart parked on the street vends a lamp-lit repast of Chaines noodles and gopi manjoori.

I think there has been a trickledown effect. The hotlu is mimicking the middle-class restaurant, which has gone multi-cuisine with a vengeance. It’s been some years since local restaurants altered the north-south binary (one counter for idli-dosa and another for chaat) to include Chinese (you can be sure of getting it even in a place that specialises in, say, Mangalorean seafood) but the more recent additions are pizzas and pastas (“Chats and Italians”, as one joint memorably has it) and of course the ubiquitous café chains. Italian is the new Chinese.

While the upper crust samples Lebanese and Japanese and Korean and Mediterranean cuisines and awards them marks for authenticity, the rest of us couldn’t give a damn about whether the Chinese or Italian we eat…More

The Hindu : y>C.G. Krishnaswamy was a big force in the Kannada amateur theatre movement. A 10-day theatre festival is on in the city in his memory

SPEAKING FOR THE UNDERDOG A scene from Aache-Eeche; C.G. Krishnaswamy

A ll those who came in contact with the late C.G. Krishnaswamy — theatre director and Natak Academy chairman — were sure to experience his characteristic warmth; it had no urban sophistication but came with a rustic wildness.

Nevertheless, one instantly knew that it was genuine. You could have a dialogue, disagree, argue and quarrel but CGK wouldn’t nurture an ill feeling. On the contrary, he would urge you to meet him, only to surprise you with: “I think you were right. But I am going to stick to my position.”

CGK, as he was fondly addressed by one and all, came from very humble circumstances and became a strong voice of the underdog. Even in theatre, he always championed the cause of the marginalised.

He was one of the major forces of the Kannada amateur theatre movement. The modernist, who raised a strong anti-establishment voice, identified himself with all the progressive movements of our times, including the Bandaya and Dalit movements. Greatly moved by the alarming living conditions of the rural community of Karnataka, CGK strived to bring rural talent to mainstream.

He became synonymous with plays like “Odalaala”, “Mahachaitra” and “Kanakadasa”.

In memory of CGK, Ranga Nirantara has organised a 10-day theatre festival which has been underway since January 10 at Ravindra Kalakshetra, 6.30 p.m. On January 14, Samudaya will present “Kalyanada Koneya Dinagalu” directed by Venugopala Haleyur and Shashidhar Bharighat. Abhinaya Taranga will present “Corialanus” on January 15 directed by Prakash Belawadi. On January 16, Parivarthana, Mysore presents “Kefa Prapancha” directed by S.R. Ramesh. Ranga Adhyayana Kendra, Kundapura, brings “Aache-Eeche” on January 17 directed by Joseph, “Yehudi Hudugi” will be presented by Roopantara on January 18, directed by KSDL Chandru,…More

The Hindu : HARSHIKAA UDASI

Perfect dad, consummate businessman, successful actor… in Discovery Travel and Living’s new show, King Khan opens up on his life like never before, writes HARSHIKAA UDASI

BENEATH THE POWDER AND PAINT Shah Rukh Khan: ‘I am a simple, normal, honestly boring guy’

He is shooting for a particularly complex scene of “My Name Is Khan”. A church set has been erected in Mumbai, for the only shot taken in the country, and the actor is giving the emotionally-charged scene his all. He peers into the camera as Rizvan Khan, and even after director Karan Johar has declared ‘cut’, Rizvan takes some time to snap back to Shah Rukh. “I always leave something of me in a film. Sometimes, it’s there in just one scene, sometimes two or three. I have worked in 65 films till date. Even if I were leaving one per cent of me, that’s 65 per cent gone,” he mulls.

This is just a scene out of the second episode on Discovery Travel & Living’s new show “Living With A Superstar — Shah Rukh Khan”. The show takes audiences into the personal space and work life of the star.

The actor has opened up his life to the cameras for a documentary series on his lifestyle as a superstar, and it means access to his most personal spaces and special moments. “I’d like to tell people so much that they don’t find out the truth,” he winks, adding: “Actually, I am very shy about sharing things with my family. I am strangely formal … If they are around, I can’t even act. But, through this exercise, I felt I could convey to them how I felt. Also, I have often been called a number of things — business head, great father, manipulative guy… I wanted the world to see me and decide what I am like.”

Also, with Red Chillies being…More

The Hindu :

Hitesh Sharma from Infosys shows the green way on campus and at home

GREEN RIDING HOODHitesh Sharma

In the massive halls of the COP 15, among the milling crowds, was the heavily built and affable Hitesh Sharma, 25, working as a market analyst for the Product Engineering unit at Infosys, Bangalore.

Generating debate

Asked what he was doing at COP15, he explained, “I am the member of the DC Management Council based at Infosys, Bangalore as its ‘Voice of Youth’ representative. Voice of Youth is an initiative in Infosys which gathers together a group of top-performing 20-somethings and gives them a seat on the company’s management council. Members of all ages are expected to ‘debate, discuss, and critique’ any and all aspects of the business.”

So what made him go green in such a big way? “Two years ago my dad and I were debating on where humans must draw the line between need and greed. He told me a story of a man stranded thirsty in the desert who comes across a borewell with a bucket of water and a note. The note forbade him to drink the water; instead use it to recharge the borewell. He did what the note told him and wrote below the note ‘It really works!’ Not only did he get water to drink, he could share it around as well.”

Get over greed

“That is what is required in the world today. We make decisions for posterity for everyone; not just ourselves. That touched me and made me meet with the head of my company Management Council who was generous enough to let me set up Green Connect.”

Hitesh is the founder of Green Connect, an environment sustainability initiative at Infosys with nearly 712 active volunteers. Green Connect initiates green initiatives including car pooling, tree planting and setting up of a biogas plant on and off the campus. At home Hitesh…More

The Hindu :

SACON’s nature trek lets city dwellers taste the beauty and diversity of the Ghats

Photos: BY AUTHORA PEEK INTO LIFE IN THE WESTERN GHATS At a hamlet called Doomanur

Susi, the speech-impaired dog, greets visitors to the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), Anaikatti (Coimbatore district). Susi is a little white mongrel who can only squeal, but not bark.

She and senior scientist P. Pramod lead 30 nature enthusiasts up the Western Ghats to the hamlet of Doomanur in Veerapandi Panchayat.

Pramod says that of late, moisture levels in this dry deciduous forest have increased without any significant increase in rainfall. The hills that surrounded the valley throw a rain shadow over it.

Certain species, like leopards, are less common but regeneration of flora has been quite high in the last nine years.

Infestation of the parthenium weed has been replaced by that of lantana. The clusters of lantana flowers vary in colour. The flowers at the centre of the cluster are orange, while the outer ones are red. The orange ones are those that have already been pollinated. It’s like a signpost for bugs to go for the nectar in other flowers that haven’t been pollinated yet.

The call of the wild

As we ascend, the jungle gets denser. Pramod hears the call of a Drongo. Drongos are fiercely territorial, he says.

It chases away other birds from building nests near its own nest. Other birds build their nests on the circumference of the Drongo’s territory, unwittingly giving the Drongo a ring of protection.

In a couple of hours we reach the Irula tribal settlement of Doomanur. Lost in the hills, Doomanur not only has a school, but also solar-powered street lights and even a community television room! A small thatched Ganesha temple greets visitors.

Goats happily hop about and a goatherd offers us wild gooseberries, which are sweeter, smaller and have large seeds, unlike those…More

The Hindu : y>The SUV is the first model that was jointly developed by the Renault-Nissan Alliance

R enault is seriously evaluating the attractive Koleos SUV for the Indian market. The Koleos is the first model that was jointly developed by the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Unlike other Alliance models that share already developed parts, this grounds-up exercise was executed together from scratch.

Renault did the initial design work, with Nissan using its extensive SUV experience to engineer the car and 4×4 system. The vehicle is built at the Renault Samsung motor plant in Korea for various markets and this will give the Koleos a cost advantage.

The Nissan X-Trail’s excellent ‘All Mode’ four- wheel-drive system has been used on the car and this gives it a fair amount of off-road ability as well. The Koleos can be powered by a choice of engines. One of them, the 2.0 dCi Euro-4 diesel engine (code M9R), also seen on the Megane and Laguna, is available in a choice of two power outputs — 150hp or 175hp.

It features the very latest diesel engine technologies, including Piezo-electric injectors, common-rail 1600-bar fuel injection and a water-cooled variable-geometry turbo.

The Koleos can be ordered in either the 4×2 or 4×4 versions and mated with either a six-speed manual gearbox or six-speed automatic.

Also, the 175bhp version of the 2.0 dCi engine can be mated to a six-speed manual gearbox and all-wheel drive.

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