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Celebrate this Valentines at Alila Diwa Goa, the newest five-star hotel in Majorda, South Goa with a package that includes a three-night accommodation with daily breakfast, in room champagne welcome, terrace dinner by candlelight, a special Valentine menu, variety of cocktails and a private beach picnic. It is priced at Rs 36,000. Email diwagoa@alilahotels.com or call 0832-2746800.

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White Mantra Spa celebrates February, a month of love with the ‘Wine and Strawberry Exotica’. The hour-long indulgence with a natural mix of strawberry and red wine is priced between Rs. 4,000 and Rs. 6,000 (per couple).

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Escape with your partner to The Zuri Kumarakom, Resort & Spa for a holiday, with a Valentines Day package (Rs. 13,000 per night per room) that includes a lagoon view room, buffet breakfast, choice of personalised spa cuisine and health food, cultural programme, yoga and meditation, a sunset cruise and more. Call 0481–2527 272.

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The Hindu :

Pragati’s Futurewise calendar will be as relevant in 2100 as it is in 2010

DATEWISE The calendar focusses on science and environment

A calendar in some ways is a futuristic document. It tells us about days and weeks to come over the next year. However, ever heard of a calendar that will be valid even 90 years from now? The impossible has now come true with Pragati’s Futurewise calendar which, the people behind it point out, will be as relevant in the year 2100 as it is in 2010.

“The theme of this year’s calendar is futurewise. The Gregorian calendars for the year 2010 and the year 2100 are common, which simply means that one can use the calendar of the current year in 2100 and this strange coincidence is the inspiration behind the theme,” says Rajeev Gupta, designer of this year’s calendar.

The Futurewise calendar takes a look at what the world may be like in 2100. While on the one hand, rapidly-changing technology will lead to amazing new inventions, on the other hand, our planet may be devoid of its flora, fauna and resources, a consequence of global warming. All this has been visually translated on to the six sheets of the calendar.

Narendar Paruchuri, CEO, Pragati Offset, Hyderabad, says, “We all have a responsibility to future generations, to ensure we are taking care of our planet so they have the same opportunities as we do. In this year’s calendar, we have not only used environment-friendly materials and procedures, but also strongly conveyed that every person has to join the fight against global warming, else future generations will have no land to live.”

The calendar focuses on science and environment and also has some predictions and observations to make. Going by the calendar, NASA is likely to create a space elevator by 2100 which would enable travel to outer space. By around the same…More

The Hindu :

Former Test cricketer Venkatapathy Raju now coaches the Hyderabad Ranji team. He talks of the highs and lows of his cricketing career

THE GAME AND THE MAN Venkatapathy Raju

“It has been the most fulfilling journey,” former cricketer Venkatapathy Raju swells with pride, as he recollects his days of playing cricket and sharing Irani chai and samosas in Hyderabad with friends.

On a warm February afternoon, the former Test cricketer rewinds taking a flight back in time and space, when as a 12-year-old he would take two buses to travel from Ramanthapur to Gymkhana just to play cricket.

Raju’s teacher Anjaneya Sastry played a key role in shaping the cricketer in him.

“Initially, the lure for us to play cricket was the announcements made in school assembly about the students who played well in inter-house matches. It was a high to receive the applause and appreciation. There was no pressure from my parents so it was easy to balance cricket and studies,” he smiles.

Strict disciplinarian

Raju, who coaches the Hyderabad Ranji team watches the young cricketers as they go about their rigorous practice, even as he speaks. He is a strict disciplinarian, a quality imbibed from his cricketing days. “The coaches were very strict earlier. One day I was five minutes late for my practice and I was made to run six extra rounds. Adding to the agony was the decision that I could not participate. I had to hand over the ball, standing in one corner. I was never late again,” he reminisces.

He considers his hostel life the most exciting phase of his life. “I always spent time with friends. I am never used to being alone and enjoy being in a crowd,” he says. This friendly nature helped him break the ice with cricketers of other countries too.

Some good friends even popularised him with names like Mr. Muscles (a name given by South African…More

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Aarohi presents a tabla solo by Aditya Narayan Banerjee and vocal recital by Ravindra Parchure

Venue: Ananya, Malleswaram

Date: February 13

Time: 6 p.m.

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The Hindu : ALLAN MOSES R.

Moonarra wants to discover the limitless boundaries of music, writes Allan Moses R.

Photo : Murali Kumar k.THREE STREAMS A coalition of immeasurable talent

Creative, musically gifted, soulfully enticing, down-to-earth and excitingly funny, city-based world fusion music band Moonarra believe music goes all the way to the soul. Freshly returned from a tour of the exotic Goan soundscape, Moonarra flaunted their well-established music in an exclusive interview with The MetroPlus.

“Playing amidst in a place rich in heritage took us back in time. Such a reflection of civilizations and Goan culture was a welcome change from the usual tours we do. A packed venue and an amphitheatre setup also took us by surprise for an almost unplanned tour,” said founder Jagadeesh. He adds exuberantly: “To be frank, this was one of our best tours ever! We were in our comfort zone and so at home.”

Meaning three streams in Sanskrit, Moonarra’s theme is strongly rooted in the quest and fascination for beautiful sounds. The five’s varied passions in classical, Hindustani, rhythmic and harmonic jazz and an array of other genres helped merge their abundant talents into a celebration of music. Playing world fusion music, these artistes believe that there is never a point to stop discovering music’s limitless boundaries.

Moonaara is an amalgam of exceptional talent comprising Madhuri Jagadeesh on the vocals, Jagadeesh M.R. plucking the acoustic guitar and the Oud, Prakash Sontakke playing the Hindustani slide guitar while also handling the vocals, Karthik Mani beating away on South Indian Percussion instruments and the drums along with Wilson Kenneth on the bass guitar.

After receiving rave reviews on their performance at the Java Jazz Festival in March last year, Moonarra went on to perform at the Fete De La Musique, Bengaluru Habba jazz festival and began this year 2010 in Goa at the Heritage Jazz and Goa Chitra Musuem.

Moonarra strongly believes that the audience…More

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Motown Love, a Valentine’s special feat with the best love songs

Venue: Opus, Palace Cross Road

Date: February 13

Time: 9 p.m. onwards

Dress Code: Red and Black

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A German Christmas staple, it is a spiced, sweet cookie somewhat like gingerbread. The biscuit is made with flour, butter, salt, sugar, honey, and spices such as aniseed, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, powdered ginger, pepper and lemon zest. A variety of nuts such as walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts and candied fruit can also be added to the dough. Lebkuchen are generally had with a cup of tea or coffee.

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Hindustani classical vocal by Tulika Ghosh

Venue: Seva Sadan, Malleswaram

Date: February 14

Time: 10 a.m.

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The Hindu :

Spanish and Arabic tango with Mediterranean at Ruh, to fashion a laidback ambience

Have a bite In an exotic location

As the door to Ruh opens, you feel that you have been magically transported to the Mediterranean region, with Moorish Spain and the desert sands of Arabia very close by.

Let me explain — the restaurant has three separate seating areas, a Mediterranean section with white walls, pebbled walkways and cushioned seats, an Arabian section, complete with desert sand and lanterns set in the ruins of an old fort.

Tents and all

The Spanish section alludes to the mixed history of the region. It is shaped like a cathedral and with lampshades, and the Arabic tents manages to add to the Arabic feel a great deal. Swinging chairs, which the bartender informs us are a great hit, seem to be a great place to relax over food and drinks.

We book our seats in the Arabic section, with the cool Bangalore breeze blowing softly.

We start with the vegetarian garlic mushroom starter. It fits perfectly with my idea of a start to the meal, moderately spicy, with a hint of tanginess thrown in for good measure. The fresh mushrooms blend well with the sauces and tastes excellent.

Vegetarians could be more enthused by the fact that the dish manages to keep the garlic content in check and it does not affect the taste much. This is followed up by a portion of the chicken garlic soup, which is a great antidote for a bad throat. The mild pepper adds to the taste and would also open up your nasal cavities quickly, making you able to gorge on a delicious meal.

The non-vegetarian mezze platter, with a host of short eats (including the Spanish version of samosa) scores on the fact that it offers a melange of flavours that allows a glimpse of the beauty and diversity of Mediterranean food….More

The Hindu : y>Do’s around the city for Valentine’s Day

PHOTO: APLOVE In all its colours

The world loves lovers and this time the calendar too has conspired to make sure Valentine’s Day is on a Sunday. The city is pulling out all plugs to make sure everyone celebrates, yet again, this time in the name of Cupid, and very generously over the weekend.

Mama Mia! has a Valentine’s Weekend offer with a strawberry and hot chocolate fondue at Rs. 149. They also have a strawberries and cream for Rs. 149, a fresh strawberry gelato sundae for Rs. 139 and French vanilla and fresh strawberry gelato topped with fresh strawberry pieces and whipped cream. There are gourmet gelato cakes at Rs. 399 in various flavours. Call 41149423 or 42109853.

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Booster Juice offers two Chocoberry smoothies at Rs. 99. . It’s available at Barton Centre, M.G. Road, Garuda Mall, Forum Value Mall in Whitefield, Bangalore Central, and BIAL.

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Gelato Italiano presents the Strawberry Festival this month, with eight strawberry flavours to choose from.There’s a special offer — choose any two strawberry flavours (to be served in the waffle cup) for Rs.49 across Bangalore up to February 14.

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At The Park’s Aqua, on February 13, Retro numbers will be played by a band and there’s a special menu for the evening. At i-Bar sway to romantic numbers by DJ Ayesha. Enjoy aphrodisiac shots. On February 14 at Aqua there’s a brunch with Indo-European food, and a four-piece band to set the mood. At i-Bar catch DJ Vicky whip up romantic numbers. At i-t.ALIA there’s a four-course menu with sparkling wine. Call 25594666.

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Barista Lavazza celebrates with a new menu featuring Strawberry Dream, Cupid Smoothie, Strawberry Temptation, available at all Barista Lavazza and Barista Crème Lavazza stores. They are also launching a range of Valentine cuddles that make for gifts, priced Rs. 175 to Rs.299.

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Fireflies, a Mediterranean seafood grill restaurant, brings to you a…More