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The Hindu : y>The international brand’s line-up to be launched in India

The long-awaited debut of Ferrari will finally take place in India with the launch of its first dealership in Delhi. The official importer for Ferrari in India will be the Shreyans Group.

Ferrari will unveil its entire line-up, starting with the California which is priced at Rs 2.22crore. Also, the 458 Italia (Rs 2.57crore), the 599GTB Fiorano (Rs 3.57crore) and the flagship FF (Rs 3.41crore) will also grace our roads with the launch of the dealership.

Bookings for the cars start today and the delivery time for a Ferrari could take between 3 to 12 months, depending on the model and level of customisation.

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The Hindu :

Engineering student Amit Anand dreams of conducting orchestras and is rising, note by note

PHOTO: K.GOPINATHANMUSIC WITH A REASON Amit Anand believes you must grow with your music

At 21, if you’ve already decided that college bands are passé and music should be, like Bach said, the recreation of the soul, you should be headed in the right direction. Amit Anand putting his heart and soul into his music is trying to make inroads into the music industry brimming over with newbies by the minute.

It’s a tough call, considering his parents also expect him to anchor himself securely as an engineer. The final year medical electronics student recently, along with friend-lyricist Vinay Kumar B.S. cut a Kannada album “2Way”. He’s already feeling the irony of the industry — he’s had to hand out more free copies of the CD than he’s had people buying them; he’s flattered that websites have already pirated his music and made it available free on the Internet…but what the hell, no one will buy now. He recorded a lot of the analog bits in his home studio, raised money from his father and friends, sponsorships, and put together the album of eight songs that treads across jazz, blues, hip hop and many other genres.

Trained in western classical piano, Amit comes from a family of musicians — his father plays the guitar and tabla, his mother is an AIR artist, his mother’s sister Chandrika Gururaj is the famous Kannada playback singer. “Indian classical music has been in my family right from my grandfather. I thought ‘That’s anyway in my blood’ and decided to give western classical symphonies and orchestras a try. It’s my dream to conduct a symphony.”

Self-taught on the keyboard, he’s been learning the piano for the last three years. “I’m not happy with the band culture happening in colleges. Once a person matures in music, I…More

The Hindu :

Mercedes-Benz R-class is a luxury MPV that can seat seven in comfort

Mercedes-Benz’s R-class, claims the German company, is the quintessential jack of all trades — a MPV, 4×4, estate and luxury car rolled into one under a rather extended roofline. But can the R-class live up to its wide range of duties and is this monstrous, van-like car really what people want? Costing Rs. 60 lakh, it comes with seats for seven, an all wheel drive system powered by a 3.5 litre V6 petrol.

This face-lifted R-class is a more cohesive looking design that benefits from new headlamps, grille, bonnet and bumper — all reflecting the latest Mercedes-Benz lineage. But no matter how sophisticated the looks are, you still can’t get away from the fact that this does look like a shapely, low-slung van. This is true especially when you look at the rear three-quarters — the sheer length between the axles and the rear styling do nothing to hide the fact that this is essentially a people-mover.

It is based on the same platform as the Mercedes ML and GL 4×4s, which means the R-class is a monocoque and comes with 4MATIC, a four-wheel-drive system. Suspension is by way of double wishbones up front and a multi-link setup at the rear and Merc’s AIRMATIC adaptive dampers.

Enclosing all this is the massive body. At 5.1 metres, it is longer than the GL and broader than the S-class. This substantial length and width adds a lot of weight and the R-class weighs a massive 2230 kilos.

Interiors

Getting into the R-class is easy. Because it is low slung, you slide into the seats rather than climb into them. Once inside, you’ll find yourself in familiar Merc territory. In fact, if it wasn’t for the steeply raked A-pillar, you could fool yourself into thinking you are in an ML or a GL. Still, we can’t help…More

The Hindu : y>Theatre has seen a transformation over the years, but Nadira Zaheer Babbar tells DEEPA GANESH that there is enough happening to keep hopes alive

Photo: V. SudershanRain or shine Nadira has kept the show going

Life as an actor was not even faintly in her scheme of things. The charming and perceptive Nadira Zaheer Babbar, daughter of the communist leader Syed Sajjad Zaheer and Urdu writer Razia Sajjad Zaheer, lived each day as it came by. “I had no plans. We were four daughters and my sisters were always toppers at academics, the kind whose pictures appear in the newspapers. But I was a horrible student; with great difficulty I scraped through my exams,” says Nadira, who was in Bangalore with her theatre group Ekjute for a four-play festival.

Nadira’s parents were the founders of the Progressive Writers’ Association and had strong ties with IPTA as well. Though her father did not write many books, he was a highly respected critic. Writers, activists, theatre persons were walking in and out of their house all through the day, with the atmosphere abuzz with art and literature. From anti-nuclear protests to peace marches, to poets’ meets and seminars, their house was the rehearsal room for a range of things. Without being thrust into it, Nadira and her sisters had been thrown into the perfect brew of culture and politics. “We were fortunate to have parents like them. They gave us such a rich legacy of values and ideals, and without ever making us conscious of it. It was a natural part of our upbringing; much later in our lives, when we were on our own, slowly these things moved up to the surface,” Nadira says, slowing down, suddenly preoccupied with her past. All kinds of people were part of their childhood: her parents had place and time for everyone. “Not even once, did my parents talk…More

The Hindu : y>

LADAKH CAPTURED Through a new eye

Capture Ladakh and Zanskar with photographer Varun Gupta. He has travelled extensively across India and the globe and wants to share his experiences and insights into the culture and lifestyle of Ladakh and help interested people capture the breath-taking beauty of the Himalayas. He is conducting a beginners’ travel photography workshop in Ladakh from July 2 to 16.

Participants will be taken to five of the highest motorable mountain passes in the world and will get a chance to visit locales like Pangong Lake. Experience the awe-inspiring landscape of Ladakh and learn photography hands-on — minimum requirement is a Digital SLR camera. Last date for registration is June 15. It is priced at Rs. 65,000 for Indian citizens and USD 1,600 for foreign nationals. It includes all meals, accommodation and transport except meals in Leh and Manali.

There’s also a guided photo tour of Zanskar from July 19 to August 4 that will take participants into Ladakh’s most remote region, where they can witness the Arsha Monastery Mask Dance festival, trek to Rusilla (18,000ft) for a 360 degree view and walk on the DrungDrung glacier. Last date for registration is July 1. The tour costs Rs. 95,000 for Indians and USD 2,200 for foreign nationals. Visit travellinglens.com for more information.

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The Hindu :

The Geronimo Stilton series has revived the joy of reading among children

Photo: K. GopinathanANOTHER KIND OF RAT RACE And this one’s to grab the best Geronimo tale

Here’s some good news. Children have a new favourite pastime: journeying through Geronimo Stilton’s world. The new Geronimo Stilton series is fa’mously’ funny, tastier than Swiss cheese and is full of ‘whisker-lickingly’ good stories. From hickory dickory dock, the versatile Mickey Mouse to Stuart Little, the mouse has been inexplicably charming children for generations.

Now, Geronimo Stilton — the editor of the Rodent’s Gazette who lives on Mouse Island — is rapidly capturing the imagination of children the world over. It was a treat watching children from age five to eleven from across the country gather at Reliance Timeout to attend the launch of the Geronimo Stilton series.

The children rushed forward to shake hands with Geronimo who was dressed in a deep green suit with glasses dangling on his long snout. At one point though, the poor mascot felt tired and took off his mask to drink water. Some of the children noticed this and exclaimed: “It’s a man!”

The real treat of the evening was the wonderful reading by June Felsinger. The children listened with rapt attention as June read out excerpts from a Geronimo book. The children occasionally chimed in with answers and suggestions.

When June asked whether they prefer books over television, the children shrieked: “We love books!”

Aditi Sundaram, a bright young girl, spoke eloquently about the magic that Geronimo Stilton has cast over her. “I first heard about Geronimo from a friend. I really liked the first book, so I went in search for more in the school library. Of the books I’ve read so far, I loved ‘Magic Tree House’. I begged my mother, who is a journalist, to let me attend the launch and she finally agreed. Shaking hands with Geronimo…More

The Hindu :

Singapore-based artist P. Gnana takes a worshipful look at the nation’s most revered animal

DIVINE BOVINE Rustic themes and vibrant colours

Given the many connotations that the expression “holy cow” has acquired, we wondered if the art show titled “Holy Cow!” would be iconoclastic or maybe a wry or humorous look at things.

It turned out, however, that it was an entirely and traditionally Indian view — a worshipful look at the nation’s most-revered animal.

Fabric collage too

At the Galerie De’ Arts show inaugurated by Consul-General of France Dominique Causse, all 30 works –– paintings and sculptures –– of Singapore-based artist P. Gnana are a tribute to the cow and its sanctity and association with piety.

This well-known international artist was born and bred in Tamil Nadu’s Neyveli. His works have been collected in South Asia, South-east Asia, Australia, and Europe.

Most of these paintings are oil on canvas, a few in acrylic and the others, interestingly, use colourful fabric in a collage. Rustic themes, vibrant colours, innovative use of mixed media, and a tendency not to crowd the canvas are evident in these works. The arresting sculptures in steel and bronze drew much admiring attention from art lovers who attended the inaugural event.

The choice of the cow, says Gnana, was because of the enduring and strong childhood memories of assisting his mother in the breeding of cows. “I would watch and help her while she was feeding and washing them and even accompany her when she was taking them to the vet.” Some images appear to be inspired by the decorated bulls of the Pongal festival while human bonding is an element in others.

Always fascinated by aesthetics, Gnana followed up his mechanical engineering degree course with a formal degree in painting, having resolved to make a profession of his passion. He won the Lasalle Scholarship from the Lasalle College of the Arts, Singapore, where he…More

The Hindu : y>Sara, the highlight of Naana, is at ease fielding queries

Ready to roll Sara

The cherubic Sara is just five years old but works like a professional. She has recently signed a film for Vipul Shah’s production house to be directed by Vani Shukla and “Tomorrow” to be directed by Amjad Khan. While she was seen in the recent release “Room No: 404” , with a short screen time, the forthcoming bilingual starring Vikram revolves around her.

She rattles off extempore: “You may write that she is a baby, acting is my passion, I love to be a super star and I’m going to be a heroine like Anushka.” Sara was in Hyderabad for the audio release of “Naana”.She was barely two when she shot her first commercial. She’s done 60 ad films and three feature films. The current one is a Tamil-Telugu project that will release in June.

Once she is in front of the camera, she transforms completely, gets her dialogues and expressions right, asks the director the type of mood that needs to be created.

Sara’s family is from Bhopal, but her parents have made Mumbai as their base for the past 11 eleven years. Her mother Sanya is a dance teacher, her father is an actor. Y. SUNITA CHOWDHARY

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The Hindu : KARTIKEYA SINGHEE

Post-facelift the Corolla Altis offers better drive, smoother engine and good fuel efficiency figures, writes Kartikeya Singhee

Photo: Rajeev GaikwadThe right changes The CVT option is a significant step-up in the new Corolla Altis

To buy Toyota’s ageless Corolla has always been a decision authored by the head. However, the 10th generation Corolla, or the Altis, did its best to appeal to the buyer’s heart with a younger and more aggressive design. Unfortunately, the drivetrain was left largely unchanged and this affected its performance. Now, however, the face-lifted Altis comes with changes under its skin that makes it more than just a cosmetic surgery.

Facial changes are noticeably minimal thanks to Toyota’s policy of keeping the changes evolutionary. The headlamps have been re-sculpted and the grille in the petrol models gets some chrome. The new front bumper features a much taller air dam and the foglamp housings have been redesigned and look all the better. Another noticeable touch is the turn indicators, which are now integrated into the side mirrors. The rear bumper looks sportier too with stronger grooves and a more sculpted shape. The rear tail-lights with clear lenses and circular elements look more distinctive. And to give it some bling, there’s a wider chrome strip above the number plate.

The new Altis comes with keyless entry and a start-stop button but the ‘smart’ key fob looks a bit tacky. Cosmetic changes to the interiors include new perforated leather seats with motorised adjustments but the front seats could do with a more generous base for better under-thigh support. The faux wood trim and the dashboard top are now darker and this colour helps improve the perceived quality. The Corolla also gets more features such as a parking sensor and a touch-screen DVD/Media player.

Now to the business end of things. Toyota has made a significant change to the 2ZR 1.8-litre motor by…More

The Hindu :

Govind Hari Singhania speaks about the biography of his father, Sir Padampat Singhania

photo: S. SubramaniumFamily Man Govind Hari Singhania

In the times of Antilla and 2G, it is difficult to use adjectives like nationalist and philanthropist for an industrialist.

But once upon a time there were tycoons like Sir Padampat Singhania, with whom compassion came naturally. The magnate from Kanpur who built the vast J.K. empire is brought to life all over again with a lucid biography by his sons Govind Hari Singhania and Dr. Gaur Hari Singhania.

Edited excerpts from an interview with Govind Hari Singhania, director, J.K. Organisation:

Though not intended, the biography gives you a sort of guideline about the course of correction that Indian industry requires.

It depends on how you take it. We have tried to depict his life. How he lived it. He always thought of the welfare of society. He believed that a portion of the profits must go to society. He used to say people come to you because they know that you have the capability to help them.

That perception of business houses is no longer the same.

Not every business house. Even in Kanpur there are many rich business houses; I don’t remember anything built by anybody except for my father. That’s why the people of Kanpur remember him. It depends on how much a group thinks about the society.

But in popular culture the image was different. In the 1970s and 80s, almost every other well-dressed urbane Bollywood villain was called Singhania.

Perhaps they thought this is a surname that people would know (laughs). I don’t remember anybody like that in my family. But we didn’t mind. It happens with Louis Vuitton. There are lots of fake products available in the market. It may be fake and of inferior quality but it popularises the brand.

While reading the book one gets an impression it was easier to run a…More