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The Hindu : y>XF saloon to be powered by a diesel engine soon

Jaguar plans to launch the diesel version of the XF saloon powered by a 3-litre, V6 diesel engine in the near future.

Mike O’Driscoll, managing director, Jaguar Cars, said, “It is a matter of months before the diesel version makes its debut in India.” Seeing the massive growth in demand for diesel luxury cars, the company decided not to develop a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) version of its 3-litre diesel engine.

“We are introducing the 3.0-litre diesel with a non-particulate filter and will ensure that this engine can run on the type of diesel fuel available in India,” O’Driscoll said.

Pricing for this version is estimated to be around Rs 50 lakh when it is launched later this year.

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The Hindu :

Chennai- based designer Rehane’s couture speaks a language of global aesthetics

Photos:Thulasi KakkatGLOBAL APPEAL Rehane has launched a prêt line for younger clientele. Left: Models displaying Rehane’s collection

Rehane Yavar Dhala, is one of India’s established courtiers. This young designer is currently working on a Hollywood film project “999 Dam” by Sohan Roy. Rehane graduated in design and photography from the European Institute of Design and Calligaris in Rome, Italy. She says, “I was always surrounded by women who were beautiful, glamorous who dressed stylishly and who had great personalities.” This evoked in her a sense of fashion at a very young age.

Her design house started out from a friend’s house. It had a Singer machine and she used to employ a master and cutter for half a day. She says, “I could have invested heavily and borrowed funds but I wanted to understand the nuances of my business.” These small beginnings made her understand every thread and needle behind the business of fashion. “The growth was excruciatingly slow for me,” she recounts. As she was tutored in western silhouettes, most of her garments were of that sensibility. Destiny took a U-turn when she started discovering markets beyond Chennai. There was a big demand for her creations in cities like Delhi, Mumbai and also international markets like Kuwait, Bahrain, Jeddah, Washington and London. Today she has a sampling and embroidery unit that employs around 100 people.

Fine detailing

Rehane describes her collections as chic, edgy and feminine. She adds, “though sensuality is important in my creation, I do not believe in showing skin unnecessarily.” Great attention to detail is what sets her collections apart. Rehane’s originality lies in surface ornamentation and fabric transformations.

The crafts and textures used on the fabrics are inspired by India. Her cuts and drapes are as unique as her silhouettes. Her entire collection speaks a language of global aesthetics.

Rehane has…More

The Hindu : y>

I test drove the BMW 520D and liked it. But will the new 5-series be introduced in India this year? If so, do you think the 520d or the smaller engine will be part of the model line-up?

Rajib Ghose

The new 5-series won’t come to India till around October this year. There will be certainly be a 520d variant but it’s not clear at what stage BMW will introduce it. The existing 520d is a terrific vehicle for the price and now that it is entering its run-out phase, there is a good possibility of getting some good deals on it.

I plan to buy a new Honda CR-V for my five-member family. Is it true that Honda plans to introduce a new CR-V diesel?

Prashanth Fernando

Honda has been testing a diesel version of the CR-V but there are no immediate plans to launch such a model yet. It’s likely that Honda will wait for the next-generation CR-V to be launched in 2012 before giving a diesel option for it. If you like the present model, we suggest you go in for the 2-litre version, which is refined and has adequate performance.

What is the difference between the maintenance costs for diesel and petrol cars? What is the difference between a TDCI engine (Ford Fiesta) and a CRDI engine (Hyundai i20), and which is more refined? I plan to buy a new car within a Rs. 5 lakh budget and my daily usage is 20km. Which car do you recommend? Is it a good idea to wait until March 2010 for the Ford Figo and VW Polo to come in and is it worth going in for diesel cars?

Appanna Muddappa

Diesel cars are generally more expensive to maintain as the service intervals and, hence oil changes, are usually more frequent; service parts such as filters are costlier too. Also, key hardware such as the fuel pump is costlier…More

The Hindu :

Shahid Kapoor strikes a chord with the audience

photo: Bhagya Prakash K.LOOKING AHEAD Shahid Kapoor

He charms you with his warmth. He answers questions on unsavoury topics willingly. Meet affable Shahid Kapoor.

Talking about Ken Ghosh’s “Chance Pe Dance”, that was released last week, Shahid says: “Of late, I have not been taking any film where dance is an added burden. This film is about a talented but struggling dancer who dreams of hitting the zenith in the world of dance. So dance comes as part of the story and not to ‘complete’ a package.”

But in most of the dance films and even in reality shows, the audiences end up watching similar steps. “And it still works,” interrupts the actor, adding in haste, “This time around the audiences would get an absolutely different feel.”

He owes this “feel” to American choreographer Marty Kudelka, who taught him new steps. “For instance, we took certain compositions and did it our Indian way. But when we saw him, he did just the reverse.

He pumped it up with an unmatched energy and made it hip-hop. And it is the ‘attitude’ in those dances that matters. He also added an extraordinary synchronisation of face, steps and costume. For instance if you see Mithun Chakraborty or Sridevi dance in their old films, their faces and steps used to show two different ‘attitudes’, Kudelka has welded them together. He also taught me American street dance krumping. It was a little tough.”

After the success of “Jab We Met” and “Kaminey” , the young audiences have labelled him the next Shah Rukh Khan — a hero who can draw audiences to the cinema hall. Shahid takes it as a compliment.

He chuckles, “With the success of ‘Kaminey’ my safety net has widened. Now I can take the ‘risk’ of doing diametrically opposite roles and still be accepted. If the audiences think I am the…More

The Hindu : y>The more you type, the greater the chance you could develop aches and pains

Dr. Fredric E. Gerr, an occupational medicine physician at the University of Iowa College of Public Health in Iowa City, has been studying work-related musculoskeletal injuries since the mid-1990s. Here are five things he thinks people should know about aches and pains caused by computer use.

The more you type, the greater the odds of developing pain. In a 2006 review paper, Gerr and colleagues analysed 39 studies examining the link between computer use and musculoskeletal disorders in 45,000 people.

The scientists estimated that the risk of injury starts rising when a person uses a keyboard more than about 20 hours a week.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is relatively uncommon, occurring in about 1 per cent of workers within a year of using a computer on the job. Although persistent tingling in the thumb, index and middle fingers almost always occurs in carpal tunnel syndrome, other conditions, like a pinched nerve in the neck, can cause the same symptoms.

The most common upper-extremity musculoskeletal ailments from computer work are neck and shoulder pains, which develop in about 60 per cent of office workers in their first year of a job requiring 15 or more hours of weekly computer use. About 40 per cent experience hand and arm symptoms.

Recommendations for safe computer ergonomics have been evolving.

A decade ago, many experts advocated “neutral posture”: wrists poised flat over keyboard, forearms parallel to the floor, elbows at 90 degrees and the back positioned upright in the chair.

But based on recent studies, certain adjustments to these guidelines are better.

In particular, providing support to the forearms appears to lessen shoulder and neck pain, Gerr said, “presumably because you’re not holding the weight of the arms up with the muscles of your shoulders while you’re typing.”

NYT

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The Hindu : BHUMIKA K.

Sonam Kapoor has her pretty head firmly planted on her delicate shoulders, taking her acting surprisingly seriously for a star-child, feels BHUMIKA K.

Photo: V. Sreenivasa murthyEYES WIDE OPEN Sonam Kapoor

The stunningly beautiful almost six-footer is saying all she can to convince us that she’s just another girl, like any other, without boyfriend (with her grandma admonishing her for it), a very emotional person, loving dressing up and having fun. Yet, it’s hard to believe that Sonam Kapoor is like any of us. Okay, so she doesn’t exactly fit into the essential Bollywood “star-kid” image. For starters, she keeps time. The daughter of Anil Kapoor (and well hidden from media glare till she debuted) she suddenly crawled out of the woodwork to dazzle and stun everyone in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Sawariya”. And then she charmed everyone in “Delhi 6” as the rebellious Bittu Sharma.

But it’s not everyday that you bump into a star’s child who’s first been an assistant director to a prominent filmmaker before turning actor, and who zoomed from being over 90 kgs to the cover of Vogue this month.

It’s intriguing to see Sonam stress that while she’s working now on “Aisha” (based on Jane Austen’s “Emma”) that sister Rhea has produced under the family banner, her father has not been involved in her career till now. Does she see herself as daddy’s girl? “I guess so. But I’m also my mother’s girl. My father has been a good father, giving me good advise and a support system, but only as a dad.”

The 24-year-old has us know she has serious designs on Hindi cinema. Having assisted Bhansali during the making of “Black”, Sonam says she definitely has plans to write and direct films. She’s lucky to have two perspectives of the industry — from behind, and in front of the camera. “One helps the other. Behind the cameras,…More

The Hindu : y>

Cat and Mouse game catch it on Cartoon Network

Enjoy a laughter treat from Cartoon Network with the legendry Tom and Jerry in ‘Chooha Billi Chor Police’ from Monday to Thursday at 6 p.m. It presents an hour of non-stop hilarious escapades from the world’s most popular cat and mouse duo – Tom and Jerry.

Tom, the cat, is an opportunist, always crawling up to the powerful, whether it is the housekeeper, the dog, or even, the mouse. While Jerry, the mouse, is a schemer, happy with his world until he is corneredTogether they form an incredible pair where Tom chases Jerry and Jerry chases cheese. They also team up at certain occasions to get rid of an outside menace. The series of animated theatrical shorts featuring a house cat, Tom and a mouse, Jerry was created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.The duo created 114 cartoons between 1940 and 1959. The series won the Oscar seven times for Best Short Subject (Cartoons) and was named by Time one of the greatest shows of all time in 2000. Apart from Tom and Jerry, other regulars in the show include the mean, short-tempered bull dog, Spike and his adorable son Tyke. There is also the ever-hungry Tuffy, Jerry’s friend, Quacker the duck, Tom’s rival Meathead and Mammy Two Shoes, the help who hands out rough justice.

Though criticised heavily for their violence, the Tom and Jerry is an all-time favourite for youngsters and adults.

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The Hindu :

Saarang gets bigger this year, and brings together high-voltage rock, classical ragas, interesting interactions with maestros and more

Photo: R. RaguPARTY ON DUDES At Saarang

The stage is all set for the dream fest — the mother of all cultural festivals. Metal-heads, Skid Row is coming to Saarang this year. Yes, the Skid Row.

And, Hammerfall from Sweden. Live the dream because if you are really good, you may just get to open for them on January 25, the final day of Saarang and also record your album.

Music-lovers, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy will rock the woods with their filmy chartbusters on January 24. If classical is music to your ears, Dr. Balamuralikrishna will enthrall you on the opening night (January 21).

Also on the Saarang playlist are electro-rocker T. Raumschmiere and band from Germany (January 22), hybrid contemporary music by Ziskakan from France (January 23) and Indie rock band Hurricane Bells (January 25) as part of the World Music Festival.

Movie-buffs, how do you feel about attending a lecture by Kamal Haasan to kick off the events on January 22? Also, pick up a few tips on filmmaking from Gautham Menon.

Art-aficionados, critically acclaimed art director Sabu Cyril is coming down for a lecture. Theatre-enthusiasts, watch an author-endorsed reworked version of ‘Five Point Someone’ staged by Evam (January 24). For free!

Dance-fans, Daksha Sheth’s dance company represented by the gorgeous Isha Sharvani will bewitch you on Choreo Nite (January 22). And, attend a master class by Padma Subramaniam.

News-geeks, how about a talk with Arun Shourie? There’s a lot more in probably the biggest edition of Saarang yet (January 21-25), and the students are so excited that sleepless nights have become a ritual this time of the year.

As Kaushik Anand, the Core for Publicity and Sales, says: “The pro-shows have got bigger, more diverse and better with the biggest names performing this year. There’s a heavy demand for tickets.”

Over 500 colleges…More

The Hindu : OUSEPH CHACKO

The Toyota Landcruiser Prado is large, has a fantastic image and lineage and diesel power too. Ouseph Chacko takes a drive

This new edition of the baby Landcruiser, in India for the first time, comes with a 3.0-litre diesel lump similar to the one in the Fortuner. We say it’s similar because it makes an almost identical 170bhp. However, at 41.8kgm, the torque output is a huge bump up. The extra torque is welcome because at 2140kg, it’s a good 185kg heavier than the Fortuner. This extra weight doesn’t make the Prado particularly quick when you put your foot down. But what you don’t realise is that the speedo needle is actually rising pretty fast and without much drama. The Prado’s engine is effortlessly torquey and the five-speed auto pleases with its discreet shifts. The gearbox is best left to its own devices though; there’s not much point in you hurrying it through the gears in tiptronic mode. It’s slow to respond to taps on the gear lever and slow to upshift. This is the only bug in the Toyota’s engine and drivetrain; for all other purposes, it’s very accomplished. It responds well when you tap the throttle, it’ll cruise at acceptable speeds and it’ll do all this without much ado. It’s also acceptably silent when cruising, but a bit too raucous when revved.

This is a very large car, but the driver is saved from its enormity by good visibility and a light and surprisingly accurate steering. Sitting miles above the road, you’ll feel like a heavyweight as compared to other vehicles on the road. The seats are comfortable, there’s good space and the sense of security you get is quite something. The insides are well built and fitted, though the textures and surfaces shout “durability” louder than “luxury”. It has seven seats and there’s a very neat trick up…More