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The Hindu : PRINCE FREDERICK

It’s super-light and foldable, but was falling to pieces. Sumanth Chaganti has now turned his BSA Airborne into a smooth runner

Birmingham’s help to the British military engaged in WWII was singular. Two machines that came from the region were integral to the work of the British paratroopers.

The Excelsior Motor Company of Birmingham manufactured Welbike, a 98cc, two-stroke, single cylinder bike that weighed a little over 30 kg. Meant to assist the special operations executive, it however fell in large numbers into the hands of the parachute regiment.

They shoved these machines into their knapsacks before boarding mission aircraft. These diminutive bikes dived into major Dutch towns such as Arnhem, along with these paratroopers.

A set of cycles also dive-bombed in the company of these fighters — BSA Airbornes.

Made by the Birmingham Small Arms company, these cycles were lighter than the Welbikes and a tad shorter in length, thanks to wingnuts and hinges that enabled these cycles to be folded. Like the Welbikes, they came with delicate and far-from-heavy tool kits that were attached to their frames.

Made from 1939 to 1945, BSA Airborne cycles are now collectors’ items. Owner of 69 motorcycles, Sumanth Chaganti’s passion extends to two wheels propelled by non-motorised means. He jumped at the offer of a BSA Airborne on eBay. The dilapidated condition of the bicycle did not matter. Falling to pieces, the cycle had long shed some of its more attractive features — a valise, a leather tool pouch under the leather saddle, rear red lens marker light and a tyre inflator.

With Shakthiman tyres and lots of will power, he turned the cycle into a runner.

“Now, I can turn my attention to procuring those accessories that will make the cycle more special,” says Sumanth.

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The Hindu :

Exam time is here and so are related problems of ill health and lack of concentration. Here’s how to cope

PHOTO: MURALI KUMAR K.THINKING HARD Excessive stress affects memory

Examination time is almost here – a time when most parents ask their children to pull out all stops to get ahead of the rest.

Unfortunately, it is also a time when examination related stress plagues most children. Under the circumstances it is up to parents to avoid pushing their children harder.

Shocking but true, according to Syed Sultan Ahmed, who moderated a workshop aimed at creating awareness on the concept of Healthy Mind and Healthy Body by Horlicks in association with Activity India, “Every 90 minutes a considerable number of students try committing suicide. Of them, one succeeds every six hours.”

Says Dr. Tej Bahadur Singh, President, Executive Council of the Indian Association of Clinical Physiologists, “During exam time, stress levels go up to an extreme extent. While a little stress is essential for effective study and memory, too much may affect memory and cause mental blocks during examinations. And of the commonest problems students face during the build up to exams, declining energy levels and loss of concentration figures prominently.”

Parents fix a benchmark of a certain percentage of marks, which, instead of helping the kid, puts a lot of unwanted pressure.

Dietician Dr. Dipika Malik says, “Sustained levels of stress also affect immunity levels, leading to weakness and sickness. An unhealthy body causes a loss of focus because the sense organs constantly impinge on the brain to address physical health issues first. The situation worsens when environmental factors like temperature fluctuations in February and March are at play. It is therefore necessary to ensure immunity levels are strong enough. The role of micronutrients is essential at this time of the year as they help in building body immunity and…More

The Hindu : y>

I have been driving a Scorpio since 2003 and am keen to upgrade to a more luxurious SUV, preferably a six-or seven-seater that costs between Rs 10 lakh and Rs. 15 lakh. However, I find there’s nothing in this range as most SUVs are priced above Rs. 20 lakh. Is there really nothing to upgrade to from the Scorpio without paying three times its price?

Arun

You are right. There is a huge vacuum in the Rs. 10 lakh to Rs. 20 lakh range. You could wait for the Tata Aria, which will be bigger and more luxurious than the Scorpio. It is built on Tata’s new-generation SUV platform (X2), and promises excellent features and comfort. It is expected to cost Rs. 12 lakh to Rs. 14 lakh when it goes on sale mid-2010.

I have a 2005 model Honda Civic, and plan to buy a new saloon priced within Rs. 40 lakh. My daily run is around 60km and I need a diesel-engined car.

Vibhav Mathur

There is lots of choice in this range, but we suggest you go in for BMW 520d. It is a good car to drive, and since you will be upgrading from the Civic, which is also a driver-focussed car, the BMW will delight you. However, watch out for the stiff ride and run-flat tyres, not suitable for bad roads.

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The Hindu :

Bollywood is engaging audiences with rare illnesses, but is it a healthy trend?

A shift in focus (From top left) Stills from Paa, My Name is Khan and Taare Zameen Par

Every other year, we hear a refrain that Bollywood is changing. The latest hurrah is for the industry’s dalliance with rare illnesses.

In the last couple of years we have had a flurry of films where the central character has a little-known illness. Once it was plague and tuberculosis, today it is progeria and Asperger’s syndrome. It is no longer about a vague mental condition; directors are ostensibly working on details of the disorders. The age-old prescription — characters despite knowing that they are ill would be determined to bring happiness to other people’s lives without a shred of self-pity — is no longer advocated or is administered in newer ways.

The latest spurt started with Taare Zameen Par, where the protagonist was dyslexic. The film scored at the box office and it sparked a sort of trend, for Bollywood loves to replicate success.

“U Me Aur Hum”, “Ghajini”, “Paa” and now “My Name is Khan” all brought to light little-known ailments. If Kajol had Alzheimer’s in “U Me Aur Hum”, Aamir Khan had anterograde amnesia in “Ghajini”. Amitabh Bachchan played a progeriac in “Paa”, and now Shah Rukh Khan is winning accolades for bringing Asperger’s Syndrome to light. It is no longer a ploy to dispense with a character actor, as the biggest of stars are finding it creatively challenging in these times of content drought.

The trend, however, is not all that new. Much before the media put Aamir Khan on a podium for trying an off-beat subject; Revathy had quietly pushed the cause of HIV in “Phir Milenge”, where Salman Khan and Shilpa Shetty shed their glamorous tag without shouting from the rooftops. But recent box office success stories are inspiring more…More

The Hindu : y>Out Of Thin Air documents the nascent Ladakhi film industry, where taxi drivers double as actors, finds VIKHAR AHMED SAYEED

PHOTO: MURALI KUMAR K.EYE FOR THE UNUSUAL Samreen Farooqui and a friend spent a year filming the documentary

The documentary film “Outof Thin Air” is about thefledgling Ladakhi film industry.It is a film of touchingbeauty because the mediumof documentary film indulgesthe innocent world of a nascentmovie industry driven entirelyby passion.

When one watches the documentary,the empathy of thefilmic medium for its subject ishard to miss. The scrutiny of thelandscape and its people in theharsh attractiveness of Ladakhis seeped in a visual language ofimmense feeling and a childishcuriosity. The stars of the filmare monks, taxi drivers, housewivesand even a plainclothespolice woman, all based in Ladakhand all of whom double upas the varied people who makeup the Ladakhi film industry.

Samreen Farooqui, one of thetwo young co-directors of thefilm was present at the screeningand said, “The charactersyou see in the film are the backboneof the film industry in Ladakhand around these peoplethere are loads of other people.”Farooqui made this film alongwith her classmate from the JamiaMilia Islamia’s A.J.K. MassCommunication Research Centre(MCRC), Shabani Hassanwalia.The duo spent more thana year shooting for the film andthe result is a 50-minute journeysoaking in the fervour of atiny group of people who havepioneered a film movement inthis remote part of the country.

The Ladakhi films are also, ina way, an effort by the locals torevive their own culture for eventhough the themes of many ofthe films seem inspired by a kitschyBollywood, the ethos is allLadakhi. While earlier, the onlysound that one heard in Ladakhwas that of Hindi and Englishsongs, there is a whole new cultureof Ladakhi sounds now.

The film may be short, but itworks perfectly as it probes thelives of a core group of peoplewho have been associated withLadakhi films. “Out of Thin Air”has a lightness to…More

The Hindu : y>

Festive spread There are a whole range of silks

The Ugadi Sari show brings the designer collections by Usha Sridhar, a designer from Chennai. Her experience in blending the modern with the traditional and the contemporary designs adds to the beauty of the collection.

The fabrics include Kanchi silk, Bhishnupuri silk from Kolkata, Rasipuram silk, silk cotton, tussar, chiffon etc. The saris comprise embroidery, block prints, paintings, Kundan and cutwork. It also features ready to wear blouses in a range of colours. The exhibition is on from February 25 to 28 at Canara Union, 42,8 {+t} {+h} main, 13 {+t} {+h} cross, Malleswaram. Call 99724 50000 for details.

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The Hindu :

Buying a motorcycle is an emotive decision for a biker. And most of them look for a style-reliability-ride-comfort combination. Here’s a lowdown on Hero Honda Karizma ZMR and Royal Enfield Bullet Classic 500

Hero Honda’s original Karizma set the sports touring ball rolling with its good blend of performance, refinement, reliability and comfort. The Karizma quickly earned its stripes as a reliable companion for adventurers yearning to escape from the confines of city life.

While steady sales from Karizma loyalists allowed it to soldier on for very long, an upgrade was overdue and Hero Honda introduced the Karizma ZMR late in 2009.

Royal Enfield’s Bullets have always been synonymous with touring, thumping forward virtually unchanged from the 1950s. If anything, the venerable Bullet’s old world charm grows with each passing year. Yet the Chennai-based manufacturer has recently rolled out the Bullet Classic 500, a model that keeps pace with the times and employs a relatively modern, fuel-injected engine.

Both bikes are tourers and their styling screams out their respective pedigree. The Karizma ZMR and the Classic 500 look as apart from each other as day and night. The ZMR is about sharper lines and modern cues as seen in its large, angular headlight, full fairing and chiseled tailpiece that features contemporary LEDs. Hero Honda’s flagship model also sports visor-mounted mirrors for better rear vision, a meaty exhaust and well-finished, split alloy grab rails.

The Classic 500’s on the other hand is retro to the core. Everything on this Royal Enfield including wire spoke wheels, capped headlight, teardrop fuel tank, spring-loaded riding saddle through to its simple tail-light looks vintage and does total justice to its ‘Classic’ moniker.

The ZMR’s striking and comprehensive all-digital instruments are in sharp contrast to the 500’s minimalist instrumentation that includes a chrome-ringed dial for its analogue speedometer and another for the low fuel and system check beacons.

In terms of overall quality, the…More

The Hindu : C.K. MEENA

There are people in this world who never forget a face and some who just cannot remember

A face from the 1990s greeted me warmly on a sunshiny afternoon. “How are you, madam?”

Before he could ask me whether I remembered him I launched into a flurry of statements to prove conclusively that I did. I wished to capitalise on an uncommon moment — a moment when I was actually able to place a face. His was an office face, and I had seen it almost daily for over seven years. I had also met him a few times after I had quit 17 years ago, which made it easier for me to recognise him. His name — um — was kind of hazy, but 50 per cent identification is a miracle by my standards.

Even as I was congratulating myself on my acuity, his companion piped up: “I too was in XY office, madam.” I had absolutely no idea who he was. I have to say in my favour that it was a large office with many departments. To ease my guilt I listened to him for 10 minutes while he spoke (swaying ever so slightly and repeating himself often) of turning 51 and being unmarried and lonely and in need of companionship (he thumped his heart several times to drive home the point). I murmured a few sympathetic words and then my bus arrived.

I have always been hopeless with names and am only slightly better with faces. When I had an active career I had a convenient excuse for my failing: “When I’m meeting dozens of new people every day, I can’t be expected to remember all their names.” While the grounds for my excuse disappeared, my weakness did not. I tried mnemonic tricks, I tried mentally saying names over and over to make them stick, I tried castigating myself (“Think…More

The Hindu : y>Ways to improve your athletic performance

PHOTO: APThe more, tje merrier working out in groups beats boredom

You may not be an Olympian, but there are lessons you can learn from them if you want to improve your athletic performance.

“The Olympics symbolise the chance for all of us to push the boundaries of human potential. If you want to compete at a high level, mimic the strategies of those at the top,” says Chris Sebelski, an assistant professor of physical therapy at Saint Louis University, in a news release.

Sebelski offers the following Olympian-inspired tips:

Set a goal and break it down. For example, if you’re planning a long hiking trip, you might start by walking three miles a day for the first two weeks, gradually building up to 10 miles a day by the end of 10 weeks.

Be sure to cross-train . It reduces the risk of overtraining, helps avoid injury, enhances muscle performance and helps prevent boredom.

Work out with others . Sharing a spirit of competition and encouragement will help keep your motivation at a high level. You’ll also gain training benefits from working out with others with different levels of ability.

Think of people who can help you achieve your goal, such as a trainer, nutritionist, physical therapist or physician. There are many different sources of help and you can select the one that works best for you.

While it’s impossible for most people to devote as much time to training as an Olympian does, you can approach the workout time you do have with the single-minded focus of a world-class athlete.

“Train for a couple of weeks with focus and discipline, and lo and behold, you’ll be surprised by what you can do,” says Sebelski.

Anyone can experience the sense of achievement and pride that comes from striving to improve on their personal best.

“Regardless of the scale of your goal, you should have the experience,…More

The Hindu :

Manjunath Pankkaparambil gave up dreams of a Green Card to start his own green organic movement back home

Photo: K. GopinathanGO GREEN Manjunath uses organic produce in his restaurant as well as sells them at his store

For someone who never bothered to even water a plant during much of his life, turning an organic farmer must have been a quantum leap in his attitude to life and his thinking. More so, if you suddenly gave up a flourishing 15-year software career willingly, and the aspiration for an American Green Card too, to see your green thumb sprout.

But Manjunath Pankkaparambil did precisely that and sounds pretty content as he talks about it, driving me to his organic restaurant Lumiere. The journey from the farm to the restaurant table, though, wasn’t as simple as navigating Bangalore’s traffic to Marathahalli. He was in homeland Kerala for a quick vacation before he could go back for his visa processing. A chance meeting with Kochi-based Ambrose, a mason who had embraced the Gandhian movement and was running an all-natural restaurant, got Manjunath thinking. “After much discussion we decided that food is one of the most important things for humans, and what is currently available to eat is not really healthy,” says Manjunath. Ambrose suggested that he try “jaiva krishi” or organic farming. Neither knew much about it.

Manjunath started reading up, bought a few acres of land in Munnar, attended a farming course in Kodaikanal, and coaxed his farmers to start growing carrots. “The farmers themselves were stunned with the colour and taste difference between the regular carrots and the organic ones,” says Manjunath. Slowly they moved to garlic, cabbage and cauliflower. But Ambrose and he wondered how they could fully utilise these vegetables — in Kochi there wasn’t much appreciation for the organic vegetables they tried to sell. So they started an organic restaurant there.

Friends from…More