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The Hindu : y>Launch Of Conde Nast Traveller’s online readers’ travel award 2010

Celebrating the much-awaited launch of Condé Nast Traveller, the British edition of the magazine has announced a digital Readers’ Travel Awards 2010 for India.

This one-time online award gives an opportunity to the well-travelled in the country to determine the finest that India has to offer.

One can visit www.cntraveller.com, www.cntraveller.in and www.vogue.in to vote.

The 15 categories to vote for are Favourite Leisure Hotel in India; Favourite Business Hotel in India; Favourite Indian Hotel Chain/Group; Favourite Boutique Hotel in India; Favourite Palace Hotel in India; Favourite Indian City; Favourite Indian State/Region; Favourite Tour Operator/Travel Agency; Favourite Indian Airport; Favourite Indian Airline for Domestic Travel; Favourite International Airline To and From India; Favourite Destination Spa; Favourite City Spa; Favourite Travel Portal; and Favourite Up-and-Coming Destination in India.

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The Hindu : y>Ridden with controversies, the IPL, tailor made for the market, has managed to rope in some good cricketing too, says NIKHIL VARMA

Photos: Bhagya Prakash K.GOING GREAT GUNS Marriage of two Indian obsessions – cricket and Bollywood.

I magine an Indian cricket fan feeling jubilant that a South African bowler’s bouncer got the Indian batsmen — sounds blasphemous to the traditional cricket buff. But with IPL, all barriers are broken.

The nation’s cricketers have split into multiple teams and now play alongside those from other nationalities — it has turned the notion of allegiance topsy turvy. It was also unthinkable a couple of years ago that vacation time would be spent vegetating in front of the television watching cricket.

In those halcyon days, one was busy playing cricket in neighbouring playgrounds, unmindful of the scorching sun. IPL is a family package of sport coupled with entertainment. After blazing the stadiums of South Africa last year, the game is now back in India.

As critics wondered if the tournament would continue to be popular, the game has been besieged with many controversies right from start. Ranging from an alleged ploy by franchises not to pick Pakistani players, to a rumoured boycott by the defending champions, security concerns to a a war of words and more. Just before the tournament began, one even wondered if the audiences would turn up or the games would be played out to empty stadiums.

However, once the tournament began, many of these concerns have been unfounded. Most stadiums have seen close to full occupancy for the matches, two new teams are all set to join the bandwagon next year onwards, controversies have been absent, and the cricket has been competitive.

As the third season gathers steam, A.B. Dev Villers, playing for the Delhi Daredevils says about his IPL experience, “I feel that over the past few years, the bonding among the players has…More

The Hindu :

Indian travellers are willing to try local cuisine and want to go off the hackneyed tourist circuit

Discover Europe By coach

Indians are famous for staunchly sticking to desi khaana even while travelling outside the country. The growing number of companies offering ready-to-heat meals is proof of how much we love our pongal, dal makhni and pindi chole! But, the winds of change are slowly blowing, if Globus’ study of Indian outbound travellers is any indication.

The company, known for its escorted coach tours, interviewed 1,500 experienced travellers — 93 per cent of the target group was between the ages of 30 and 60.

Some of the results were predictable, but others surprised the company. Only 14 per cent wanted to have all meals included, and Indian at that. As many as 66 per cent wanted a few meals included in the tour, with the opportunity to sample local cuisine.

Gauri Jayaram, Regional Director, South Asia & Middle East, Globus says : “To an extent, the results did surprise us. It is possible that we got such feedback because we interviewed people in the metros, who are open to new experiences.”

And, despite the recession, 23 per cent of the people wanted to stay at least in first class hotels. Forty-nine per cent preferred budget hotels and a tour price of less than $100 a day; the rest wanted superior tourist hotels.

Says Gauri: “I won’t say the industry has not been hit by recession, but there is a segment of the super-rich that is recession-proof. They are used to luxury options, and high-end coach tours suit them, because it offers a nice balance of things being done for you and a chance to explore a place on your own.”

Another result in the survey was that 60 per cent of respondents preferred coach touring, and 72 per cent of those interviewed wanted a tour director to help…More

The Hindu :

Vijai Singh Katiyar pays tribute to the weaving tradition in his coffee table book Indian Saris – Traditions, Perspectives – Design

A work of love Vijai Singh Katiyar has spent years working with the weaving community across the country

This is no ordinary book on saris; it is an ode to saris. The coffee table book “Indian Saris – Traditions, Perspectives – Design,” collated and written by Vijai Singh Katiyar, offers more than just pictures of beautiful women, fancily draped for photographic effect.

The author, who is both a designer and senior faculty member at NID, Ahmedabad, has been working with handlooms across India since 1987.

This 212-page book has 900 colour pictures and is printed on thick art paper. The book is a work of love by Katiyar, who has spent years working with the weaving community across the country.

Nuances of weaving

“I have worked with 15 weaving clusters over the last seven years,” says Katiyar, “and have realised all the issues that need to be addressed to help the weavers. In Tamil Nadu, I have worked in Kancheepuram, Salem, Paramakudi, Coimbatore, and in Kerala and in the North with the Kota Doria and in Gujarat with the Patola weavers.” The experience helped him understand the nuances of weaving.

“Handloom weaving involves large scale . Over the years, I have come to realise that the sari is not just a product but a creative concept too,” adds the author.

The 900 pictures include 50-year-old period pictures as well as contemporary ones. “These have emerged over the years from field visits,” he says.

“In fact the pictures that you see have 60 per cent of the saris designed by me and my team. Therefore, I have not only conceptualised the product but have also seen it through to the final product stage.”

The author says there is a lot of debate on what constitutes an authentic Indian design.

“Besides our…More

The Hindu : y>

Discover India With Harsha Bhogle

Discovery Channel has launched a new avatar of Harsha Bhogle, as he travels across the Indian subcontinent for the series “Travel India with Harsha Bhogle”

Having visited many cities and countless business hotels during his career, Harsha makes an effort to uncover the local flavour of each destination. He travels across the country discovering the local charm and revealing fascinating places, off the beaten path.

The series will take viewers to spiritual sites like Golden Temple in Amristar, Bodhgaya in Bihar or Rat Temple in Rajasthan, an adventure trip in Sun

derbans, and visits to the lush vineyards of Nashik etc. Harsha begins his journey from India’s western tip at the desolate Rann of Kutch and ends the journey at Nashik. The show airs on the Discovery Channel at 8 p.m.

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The Hindu : LATHA ANANTHARAMAN

Whodunit Stories about a detective from Botswana have unexpected resonances for readers from India

Just before the century turned, an elderly writer from Scotland created a traditionally-built lady detective and threw us all back to an earlier, near-idyllic age. Precious Ramotswe, on the death of her beloved father, sold her rich legacy of cattle and started a detective agency, the first in Gaborone, Botswana. Within days, she had an office, filing cabinets, a formidable secretary, and her first doubts about the viability of her enterprise. But then a client showed up, and the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency became a success. As did the book.

For the Indian reader there is something particularly pleasing about Alexander McCall Smith’s Precious Ramotswe novels. With the purity of a line drawing, a small universe is created in which decent, humane people tot up small successes and help each other along. They have a strong sense of family ties, look out for each other, and work with a sense of building their nation, feeling the kind of patriotism that is simple love of one’s own country, not belligerence toward another.

There is something as familiar as coming home in reading about the dry earth, the white sky, the gratitude that rises along with the scent of wet earth when the first rains of the season come. The way a heavy bird lifts up from the rooftop, the way the yellow stray dogs yap in the streets. The way the good-for-nothing apprentices at Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors look at the girls walking by. The way those girls walk by.

The Indian reader, in fact, inevitably connects McCall Smith’s prose with that of R.K. Narayan. “Art that conceals art”, as one reviewer put it. He has the same unobtrusive way of making us laugh, a deceptively ordinary style of writing that can make us weep with just a touch.

“When I…More

The Hindu :

Kavade – The Toy Hive is a haven of traditional games, toys and brainteasers — a perfect offering this summer

Bringing back a tradition Kavade triggers the child in you

Remember a time when summer holidays were filled with time spent playing board games with cousins? Now board games, cousins and summer holidays with time to play — all are rare to come by. That’s when Kavade’s offerings catch your eye. It triggers the nostalgia, the child in you; the need to roll dice and rub your palms in glee.

Kavade, A Toy Hive is a little nook in Sheshadripuram that sells traditional games and toys — and by that I mean those where you play with cowrie shells, wooden stick dice, pawns, marbles, and set to be played on palm mats with little blocks and chequered squares.

A welcome change from the flood of plastic and electronic goods in the market. The store, lined on one wall with little wooden sections, displays an array of old-word games and toys.

Games like lagori, pagade, huli-kuri aata, pallanguni/ alugulimane, navakankari. And boy! When was the last time you saw a kaleidoscope? If you haven’t heard of them, ask around in the family, and watch their reaction.

It was started about a year ago by Sreeranjini G.S. With a masters in applied genetics, she seems an odd one to be running such a store, but she says “I’ve played these games at home with my grandmother, aunts and cousins. Kids today don’t get them at all and it’s a good addiction compared to TV. And they don’t really need much ‘infrastructure’. It also means more family time, because most of these games need to be played with others.”

When she took a break from her job to be with her child, she started off toying with this concept. Today the store stocks goodies for kids under five categories —…More

The Hindu : y>

Amitabh Bachchan has a right to endorse any State in his personal capacity. As long as he does not make any political statements, not much should be read into his any of his business moves which, is in the final count a personal decision.

Prabhu Dutt

Software engineer

It is not fair that the media targets people like Amitabh Bachchan for speaking their minds. He is a citizen of this country and holds the right to free speech.like everyone else. The media must focus on issues facing the country, instead of such trivial issues.

Kumar Banker

A mitabh Bachchan’s decision to become the brand ambassador for Gujarat has created a controversy with many political parties and people across the country offering their reading of the situation. The latest controversy, where the Congress pulled up the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Ashok Chavan, for attending a launch that saw the superstar in attendance has raised political temperatures. MetroPlus asks city residents on whether stars like the Big B must make an effort to avoid being embroiled in any politics. Some expressed that in his individual capacity, he has the right to choose his endorsements and deals. They felt that not much should be read into his endorsement of Gujarat, as it was a purely professional decision. Some felt that sharing the dais with controversial figures such as Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi will reduce the stature that the star commands in society, though he has clarified that he would only be endorsing the State and not any government.

Some felt that though legends like Bachchan must have the choice to air his personal views and to endorse any brand in his personal capacity, he must take care to ensure that he does not appear to be a political turncoat. We sample some responses

Amitabh Bachchan must make his political alignments more clear, instead of trying to team up with all…More

The Hindu :

There’s so much to see and do in Annapolis, the sailing capital of the U.S. A list of the must-visits

PHOTO: APRich in history The best way to explore this lovely, quiet city is by foot

Centuries blend in the charming city of Annapolis. Horse-drawn carriages, tiny alleyways adjacent to red brick streets, colonial-era buildings standing shoulder to shoulder… you are transported in time. Most of these streets lead to the City Dock, a harbour where boats and yachts are anchored.

Annapolis, with more surviving 18th Century buildings than any other city in the U.S.A, is a quiet, beautiful, quaint city. Situated just a hand’s throw away from Washington DC, this city is known as the sailing capital of the U.S.

The heritage city is located on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, a paradise for water lovers, famous for its crab cakes, lighthouses, and 500 miles of gorgeous shoreline.

It is believed that the city is named in honour of Queen Anne of England. The entire early town is within the designated National Historic Landmark area.

On November 22, 1708, Governor John Seymour, appointed by Queen Anne of Great Britain, granted a charter to Annapolis, making it the oldest incorporated municipality in the State of Maryland. In fact, Annapolis is the only Maryland city whose charter was issued under the royal seal.

During this period, Annapolis was the site of the nation’s first state house, the first printing of the Maryland Gazette, the resignation of George Washington, the signing of the Treaty of Paris — which officially ended the American Revolutionary War — and the 1845 founding of the United States Naval Academy. And, for a short period, between November 1783 and August 1784, Annapolis even served as the capital of the U.S. The City Dock is the heart of historic downtown Annapolis. The waterside park here is the site of summer band concerts.

At the head…More

The Hindu :

Enjoy the nutty flavour

P umpkin seeds, also known as pepitas, are flat, dark green seeds. Some are encased in a yellow-white husk, although some varieties produce seeds without shells. Pumpkin seeds have a malleable, chewy texture and a subtly sweet, nutty flavour. Whether purchasing pumpkin seeds in bulk or in a packaged container, make sure that there is no evidence of moisture or insect damage and that they are not shrivelled. Pumpkin seeds should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Pumpkin seeds are a good source of the minerals phosphorus, magnesium and manganese. They’re also a good source of protein and vitamin K.

Now, for a recipe.

Roasted pumpkin seeds

Ingredients

Raw whole pumpkin seeds: 500 gm

Butter, melted: 20 gm

Salt: a pinch

Method: Preheat oven to 300 degree F. Toss the seeds in a bowl with the melted butter and salt. Spread the seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes or until they turn golden brown. Stir occasionally.

BHOLANATH JHA

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