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The Hindu :

The Wind Chasers believe that running should be seen as fun, not just a matter of distance and time records

Photo: Bhagya Prakash K.On the run Adithya Raghavan

Beneath his slender frame, an adventurous, free-wheeling spirit resides in Adithya Raghavan, a sales engineer with an MNC in Bangalore. Running is his passion.

“It is an activity that should be pursued only for enjoyment. The distance covered or the time taken does not matter, as long as you are having fun,” says the 25-year-old Adithya. In collaboration with four friends, he has formed a group called “The Wind Chasers”. Besides Adithya, who is involved in yoga and ‘casual’ marathon, the other members of the group include Nina Breith from Germany — winner of the Sahara Desert Race and Gobi Desert Race, Hanna Ben-Shoan from USA — winner of the Israeli Iron- Man Race, and Ram Sethu from USA, the first person of Indian origin to finish the Sahara Desert Race.

On the activities of the group, Adithya contends, “In October 2009, we ran on the East Coast Road stretch and covered a distance of almost 155 km from Chennai to Puducherry.”

The run proved to be a rewarding experience. “We ran at our own pace, covering the distance in close to three days. It is not about timing yourselves or breaking records, it is just an attempt to enjoy running and spread awareness about the physical benefits of running, along the route,” quips Adithya.

He adds, “We started the run from the Prarthana open air theatre on the ECR ( East Coast Road ) on the outskirts of Chennai and finished at Auroville in Puducherry.”

On the route, the group was occasionally joined by some spectators, who covered short distances. Many others also offered them coconuts and bananas.

Nina was ecstatic, when the idea was first floated and enjoyed the run a great deal.

“The coastal run was a beautiful…More

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Drama Zone Catch Will Smith in action

Ben Thomas is a man at the crossroads. He embarks on a journey to help change the circumstances of seven strangers who deserve a second chance in life. But when he opens his heart to a beautiful woman who needs his help, he risks everything he has planned, for one last chance at love.

Catch “Seven Pounds” starring Will Smith, Rosario Dawson, Woody Harrelson and Barry Pepper on HBO at 9 p.m. on Friday

<FONT …More

The Hindu :

Designer Rajdeep Ranawat marries motifs of the sea, Swarowski crystals and the travelling bride in his collections he brings to town

ALL SET For the south

“Designing to me is like possessing a blank canvas which I can embellish, drape in any which way I feel like and transform into something exquisitely beautiful,” asserts fashion designer Rajdeep Ranawat, who will for the first time be bringing his collection to Bangalore.

Rajdeep has found that his designs usually retail well in the upper half of the country. “Bangalore is slightly more traditional to some extent but it isn’t like I have deliberately not brought my stuff here earlier. I think this place is home to women who are confident and mysterious so I’m looking forward to an overwhelming response over the weekend,” he says.

The fashion evening will first showcase Rajdeep’s resort and cruise line followed by his diffusion and couture line. His creations are synonymous with nature. It is no wonder then that his resort line takes its inspiration from coral reefs and undersea life, and mermaids.

“Some of the motifs I’ve used include starfish, algae and weeds. I’ve done a lot of digital prints and while I’m not someone who believes in OTT (over the top) designs, I use the element of crystallisation.” He has incorporated a palette of hues from sea green to purple and sand combined with pearls and Swarovski crystals.

“I believe in a safe fusion between east and west. My silhouettes are generic. My cuts are simple and basic but the personal touch of embellishments is what gives the collection that edginess,” says Rajdeep.

It is the Oriental and Japanese flowers that lend inspiration to Rajdeep’s diffusion and couture line. This collection is based on the theme ‘The travelling bride’ and comprises attires for a mehendi, sangeet, cocktail party, wedding, reception or honeymoon at an exotic destination. “This collection contains very elegant…More

The Hindu : MINI ANTHIKAD-CHHIBBER

Director Leena Yadav tells MINI ANTHIKAD-CHHIBBER while her film Teen Patti is about mathematics, in the final count it is a human drama

Photo: Bhagya Prakash k.LEANING ON The power of a youthful audience

Though she is now based in Mumbai for work, director Leena Yadav comes to Bangalore often. “My parents are here. Dad was in the Army and after he retired, my parents settled here.”

In town to promote her second film, “Teen Patti” the director talks about the genesis of the film. “The story idea came from music director Vishal and it immediately caught my attention. I was exploring some interesting ideas dealing with the youth and a subject like gambling addressed the highway youth are on today. As I did my research, I realized it is a complex subject and enlisted the help of writer Shiv Kumar Subramaniam.”

The film, Leena says, tells the story of a mathematics professor Venkat Subramaniam. “He is an academician who hits upon a theory of probability. To test the theory, he needs to step into the real world and as he does so, he enters a vicious circle of greed and avarice.”

Gambling, Leena says, is a metaphor for life. “Each character makes certain choices that deeply impact their lives.”

“Teen Patti” was in the news for being similar to Robert Luketic’s “21”. “The script for ‘Teen Patti’ was registered in 2007 while ‘21′ came out in 2008. The similarities are that both movies are based in college campuses and have gambling as the central theme.”

Casting coup

The film, set in the rarefied world of academics and the seedy underbelly of Mumbai, has a high-octane cast. “In all our heads we knew that Venkat could only be played by Mr. Amitabh Bachchan. We had no other options. He agreed to do the role after the first meeting. Post that, Madhavan and the four debutantes came on…More

The Hindu :

Meera Ravi has been able to deal with a lot — from tyres to marital relationships

Photo: K. GopinathanMultifaceted Meera Ravi

Selling automobile tyres for a living and writing books? The unusual combination draws us to Meera Ravi, the lady who has a post-graduate degree in book publishing from Delhi and is married to a Bangalore-based businessman.

“I got into the business of selling tyres as it was the family business. I wanted to have a flexi job, where I could bring in a balance between home and work. Being a woman in the tyre industry I drew a lot of attention and I have worked only with men and have learnt a lot from them,” says Meera, who always wanted to do something challenging.

Once the business grew, they started a second outlet, of which she took complete charge. “Once the children grew up I realised I had more time on hand. I wanted to do something more meaningful. That’s when I got into the Richmond Fellowship Society as a volunteer, where I could work with patients who are into rehabilitation, teach them yoga, and just be there with them.”

That’s when she discovered her leanings towards counselling. She trained herself as a counsellor and also took up advanced courses on the subject. Then, she visited various education institutes to counsel children. “I have a passion for children and can relate well with them. I realised that they go through tremendous academic pressures.” She brought out her first book “Guide to Study Skills” and the second book “Teaching Through The Heart”, both published by Viva Books Pvt. Ltd., Delhi. The latter was just given away as gifts to teachers from various institutions. It does not have any teaching methodology but helps them to reach out to children.

Meera then launched Prerana, an academy for growth and guidance. Children, parents, adults and couples came to seek…More

The Hindu :

Sakti Burman’s serigraphs that encompass his artistic journey over a period of 20 years are on display

Photo: Bhagya Prakash. KA slice of culture His paintings draw on influences from life

French artist Edouard Manet’s revolutionary “picnic on the grass” work — two artists or intellectual figures, a naked nymph or a prostitute looking straight into the eyes, and a clothed woman dipping into the pool — fuses magically with the Mughal ambience of the Taj. “Now, it becomes ‘picnic in Taj’,” says the venerable artist Sakti Burman with an affable smile.

Sakti Burman’s “Taj Mahal” is one among the 24 serigraphs, which are on display at Sumukha Art Gallery. The serigraphs are his seminal works, based on paintings that encompass the journey of the artist over a period of 20 years.

“I saw the painting in Paris in 1956. And, when I was doing a series on Taj Mahal, I wanted to pay homage to the 19 {+t} {+h} century artist Manet and also to Shah Jahan.” The Serigraph Studio of Lavesh Jagasia is showcasing the limited edition serigraphs show titled “The Complete Collection” by Sakti Burman.

“It’s a long, long journey. It becomes a kind of a discipline,” says the artist, who lives and works in Paris. “First I draw, and then put up the colours to get the marbling effect resembling murals, and then I paint in detail the figures, the ornaments and dresses.” This translates into putting in meticulous eight to 10 hours every day for over two months for a single painting.

In “Homage to Kalighat”, he represents Krishna as a flautist with his peacock, and the divine family of Shiva with Ganapathi and Parvathi on one side and a human father, mother and child on the other side. “She is my sister-in-law. I draw sketches from life. There is Krishna with cows and his companion and all the European girls…More