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The Hindu :

PHOTOS: SOMA BASUSERENITY At Saaral Resorts

SAARAL RESORTS

COURTALLAM

USP: Rejuvenate in Nature’s embrace

There is a bit of something for all here. From luxury and greenery to serenity, massages and spa to temples and waterfalls — the choices are aplenty.

SERENITY At Saaral Resorts

Courtallam is known for its natural beauty. Though the peak season is between June and September, when the monsoon literally brings happiness, I drove down from Madurai on a hot summer morning.

Three hours later, I found myself surrounded by greenery in a 110-year-old heritage property owned by Chennai-based industrialist V.S. Arunachalam. Two years ago, when he purchased the property, then known as Kariyar Bungalow, little did he realise that this monkey-infested location would turn this popular among tourists and the film crew. The original bungalow has been converted into two Kottarams or heritage rooms with lot of antique furniture to lend a feel of the bygone days. Around it are 10 newly-built plush cottages with spacious living rooms, bedrooms and modern bathrooms. Another three-storeyed building has been constructed with 24 deluxe rooms and two penthouses that provide an enchanting 360 degree view.

The restaurants serve wholesome, fresh food. Also, they have a facility to take care of children when parents relax in a Jacuzzi or indulge in an ayurvedic massage.

SOMA BASU

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The Hindu :

The Golden Metro offers no-nonsense food in an interesting ambience

Tasty trip Unpretentious and hearty in every bite

The name, Golden Metro, evokes memories of “The Jewel in the Crown” and Sarah Layton’s picnic lunch for her father returning from the War. The other association is of course is much more recent — of the swanky luxury train, the Golden Chariot.

Golden Metro at Dew Drops Hotel has a dining area modelled as a train compartment, complete with windows and partitions. While the vegetarian restaurant is multi-cuisine, we steer clear of the continental side which includes regular suspects including stroganoff (rather strangely spelt, but well, that seemed to be the case with the menu as a whole), lasagne and au gratin.

The Manchow soup is hearty — thick, sour and spicy and the crisp noodle garnish adds the requisite crunch. For starters, the harabara kebab offered no surprises. Wholesome and nutty, the multi-coloured minced vegetables lent their distinctive flavours and textures to every bite.

Crispy corn chilli pepper also followed the “what you see is what you get” policy with the corn being crunchy and deliciously tangy. For the main course, Chef D’ Souza suggested a mix of North Indian and Chinese food.

We had lovely, soft, light-as-air phulkas to go with the regulation paneer dish — if it is a vegetarian restaurant, there is no escaping paneer! The paneer chatpata is vigorous with piquant flavours all busily trying to catch the palate.

The palak dal was jolly with the palak and dal blending just right holding onto their individual tastes without becoming a homogenous gloop.

Schezwan fried rice was dry with the ubiquitous fried noodles drying it out further.

And then it was time for dessert. For someone with a confirmed sweet tooth, the lychee with rabdi was divine. Scoop upon scoop of silky smooth rabdi tempered with chunks of lychee made for the perfect end to an…More

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The Bangalore School of Music, The Faculty of Architecture – Bangalore University, Fundação Miguel Vicente de Abreo, CLP/Instituto Camões and Alliance Francaise together have organised the Indo-Portuguese Cultural Festival.

On March 20 at 11 a.m. the exhibition “The Art of Azulejo” on famous Portuguese tiles will be inaugurated. At 11.30 a.m. there will be conferences on “Languages and Literatures: Talks on Portuguese Literature and Reading Session with the Portuguese poets — Luis Filipe Castro Mendes and José Luis Peixoto. At 3 p.m. there will be conferences on art, cultural relations and history by S.V. Ravindra and Pavan Kumar.All the events would be at Chitra Kala Parishath

On March 21, the events will be held at Alliance Francaise, which begins with conferences on culture, Indo-Portuguese art and historical relations between Asia and Portugal at 11 a.m. At 5 p.m., the Portuguese Cinema Festival begins. There will be a closing concert with Chico Fonseca and Sonia Sirsat.

For details, call 23536090, 23546090.

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The Hindu : MUKUND PADMANABHAN

David Banford

Most people who love wine have flirted with the idea of investing in it. After all, price appreciation can be staggering. For instance, a case of Chateau Lafite Rothschild, which went for around Rs. 20,000 at the time of its release in 1983, fetches around Rs. 20 lakh today. Along with such things as art, antiques, coins and stamps, wine has become a focus for those looking for alternative investment avenues, beyond such things as stocks and bonds.

Wine investors fall into two broad categories. There are the genuine wine lovers who do it as a serious hobby; these collectors of fine wine are generally happy to use the profits made on some bottles to consume others with friends. And then, there are the serious investors, some of who make a living out of trading in fine wine and are concerned solely about the bottomline.

David Banford, the Director of the Wine Society of India, falls squarely in the former category. Interestingly, his passion for wine and his entry into investing began around the same time. He was on the QE2 from London to New York in 1976 and dined every evening with someone knowledgeable about wine during the journey. Before he got off, Banford picked up three bottles of Chateau Petrus ($40 a piece) and another three of Chateau d’Yquem ($25 each), purchases that set him on the way to acquiring a collection that now stands at some 200 cases, stored in a facility in London.

Not all the bottles are premier crus or super seconds, Banford hastens to add. There are some which are “mainly for drinking”, though he is not averse to withdrawing a $200 bottle for a “really special occasion.” While he is convinced that wine is a great investment, he advises “caution”, saying he recommends it only for those looking for alternative investment avenues and never for…More

The Hindu :

Here’s how to power up your health when you hit middle-age

PHOTO: K.R. DeepakLive it up Let your friends be your anchor

Every new decade brings its own rewards. To make sure you take advantage of each, you need to recognise the challenges that arise, and refine the good health habits you’ve already put in place. Our guide forecasts the physical and emotional changes to expect, gives you a power-up strategy to handle each one head-on, and previews the lasting benefits you’ll receive if you follow the plan.

You still feel invincible but subtle changes are occurring that need to be addressed before they become problems. Establish preventive habits now that will keep you healthier, sharper, more energetic, and more fulfilled for years to come.

By this age, metabolism slows down by two per cent and muscle down by six to seven pounds from 10 years ago. Libido levels have declined because of high stress levels and hormonal changes and stress is high because of worries about kids, parents, health, career, and finances. Depression is more likely now than later in life.

Power-up plan

Eat breakfast

Nutritionists agree that eating breakfast is essential to keeping weight down and calorie-burning metabolism up. In a new study, women who ate a big breakfast lost 21 per cent of their body weight after eight months, compared with 4.5 per cent for women on a low-carb diet who made breakfast their smallest meal. The healthy-breakfast eaters continued losing over time even though they ate more total calories, while the low-carb group started regaining weight after four months. Reason: A solid meal at the start of the day works in concert with metabolism, which is highest in the morning, fuelling activity and preventing cravings that arise when blood sugar drops.

Jump-start your metabolism

Strength-training for six months can increase your resting metabolism so you’ll burn more calories even when you’re sitting on the sofa….More

The Hindu :

It isn’t easy to keep a scared audience constantly on the edge of their seats, admits Vikram Bhatt, out with another scary flick Shaapit

Peddling fear Vikram Bhatt

This is his third horror flick after “1920” and “Raaz”. Ace director Vikram Bhatt is keeping his fingers crossed as “Shaapit” hits theatres this weekend. ‘“Shaapit’ is an interesting story about a girl who has been cursed and there exists an ancient belief that the curse sticks to an evil spirit, which ensures it is carried forward through successive generations,” Vikram says over the phone.

“The girl’s fiancée is in search of someone who might be able to break this curse and destroy the spirit. The movie tries to see if his love can conquer all.”

Vikram feels the movie is a combination of different genres from romance and adventure to horror and suspense.

It also marks the debut of Aditya Narayan (singer Udit Narayan’s son), and Shweta Agarwal, who will be seen in the lead roles. “Horror is not a ‘star’ genre. People don’t watch a thriller like this for the stars so it was a good idea to cast newcomers. Also, Aditya and Shweta have done a very impressive job for first timers,” says Vikram.

The film, which was a year and a half in the making, will impact people as Vikram had intended for it to. “All of us directors have a particular sensation that we want to market to our audience. I peddle fear!” he quips.

Having made three horror flicks, Vikram finds that “the biggest challenge about making a film in this genre is that it’s got to be scary enough. Often, what is expected to be a thriller turns out to be something entirely different. It isn’t the easiest thing to keep an audience gripped by fear at the edge of their seats.” But for someone who claims he always delivers what he…More

The Hindu :

Making it at home may not be as easy as popping it into your mouth, but give it a shot. You’ll reap sweet rewards

Photo: Bhagya Prakash K.RATHER HAVE IT OFF A PLATTER? Chef Ramasamy Selvaraju offers sinful dark chocolates

Do you love your chocolate so much that you’re willing to labour over it? I don’t see why the making of chocolate is made out to be such a romanticised and sexualised experience, because, honestly, it seems quite a clinical process. If you don’t get it right, it just goes kaput.

Do you have a double boiler, a food temperature meter at home? If you do, goodie! Else just enjoy the therapeutic effect of dipping your finger in some gooey chocolate ganache, drink some Cointreau or wine as you make the chocolate. Most ingredients are available off the shelves. Dig a little deeper into your pockets for the more ritzy imported varieties.

Ramasamy Selvaraju, executive chef at the Taj Residency recently whisked up some savoury chocolates.On his “to do” list were chocolates with fillings of lemon, rosemary, black olives, orange, basil, and dried red chillies. “You could buy moulds available in the market or use your ice cube tray,” Chef Selvaraju offers. I would stick to that if I were a beginner. To make homemade chocolate, you need to make the gooey filling, and the chocolate to make the outer shell. The shells are made out of tempered chocolate and the filling piped into it. The chocolate shells are sealed with tempered chocolate again, after filling them up.

Here’s how you temper chocolate for the shell — melt the dark chocolate (or white) in a double-boiler at 39 degree C and slowly bring down the temperature to 32 degree C, till it comes to a pouring consistency. If you don’t follow this procedure, you’ll have crystals in the chocolate. Wipe the chocolate moulds thoroughly, leaving…More

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To celebrate 100 years of International Women’s Day, Mahila Horaata Okkoota, Information Department and Pedestrian Pictures presents the Women’s Film festival.

The festival, which commenced on March 19, continues at Badami house, N.R. Square, J.C. Road.

On March 20 at 2 p.m. the film “View From The Grain of Sanddir” by Meena Nanji will be screened. This will be followed by the screening of Girish Kasarvalli’s “Haseena” followed by a panel discussion.

Watch “Unlimited Girls” later in the evening. Directed by Paromita Vohra, the film is an exploration of engagements with feminism and “Maria full of grace”, directed by Joshua Marston.

On March 21 at 2.30 p.m. the film “Killing Us Softly” will be screened. At 3.10 p.m. watch “Budha Collapses Out of Shame”, directed by Hana Makhmal after which there will be a panel discussion.

This will be followed by the screening of “Godessess” by Leena Manimekalai and “Once Were Warriors” by Lee Tamahori.

For further details call 94483 67627.

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High-protein diets followed by sportspersons and bodybuilders were considered harmful to bone health by some persons. However, several studies have disproved this perception.

A latest study was reported in the Journal of Nutrition. Researchers from McGill University studied two groups of rats for a period of 17 months.

At the end of the study, the group which was fed a high-protein diet showed higher bone-mineral content than the control group! This just means denser and stronger bones, researchers concluded.

As expected, the protein-fed rodents had less overall fat, less abdominal fat and more lean muscle. However, such dietary and training recommendations are for healthy people. They should not be experimented on those with a pre-existing medical condition.

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The Hindu :

Dilip Kumar, Waheeda Rehman, Manoj Kumar, Simi Garewal and Pran

Engrossing The film depicts subtle interplay of human emotions amidst conflicting situations

Love triangles have dominated our lives since time immemorial and obviously, Hindi films have been no exception.

But “Aadmi” (1968) is perhaps one of the few films which digs deep into the psychic conflict of right and wrong, guilt and obsession and yet portrays a simple story.

And so, while a lay viewer apparently enjoys it as an engrossing family drama, to a serious observer, it depicts subtle interplay of human emotions amidst conflicting situations.

Despite its length, the film binds you with its twists and turns, providing an enjoyable cinematic experience. Produced by P.S. Veerappa and directed by A. Bhimsingh, “Aadmi” shines because its life-like characters portrayed by Dilip Kumar, Waheeda Rehman, Manoj Kumar, Simi Garewal and Pran not only share the screen honours but also provide the film with several moments of compelling brilliance.

Based on how innocent lives are distorted by bizarre interventions of fate leading to inexplicable periods of suffering, “Aadmi” revolves around the insecure and inscrutable wealthy Rajesh (Dilip Kumar) orphaned at a young age.

His suffering is enhanced when his childhood sweetheart Meena dies suddenly and the family substitutes her presence with a doll, implying Meena had turned into a doll after death.

Obsessed with the doll, young Rajesh guards her with unswerving loyalty but one day, when a young neighbourhood boy mishandles the doll, he kills him in a fit of rage.

Years later, the grown up Rajesh falls in love with a woman named Meena (Waheeda Rehman) though he still retains the doll in a closet.

He gets engaged to Meena with the approval of his best friend Dr. Shekhar (Manoj Kumar), who on account of his indebtedness to Rajesh for his monetary support hides the fact that he is Meena’s lover.

Shortly thereafter, Rajesh is crippled in an automobile…More