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The Hindu : For a clear titleA new era in land mapping has its positive implications. A look at the possible transformation in technology by K. SUKUMARANThough some time ago it was stated that the Bangalore Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (BMRDA) did use the scanning facility of ISRO satellite to draw up the Comprehensive Development Plan-2015, not many would have gone into the unlimited scope for such technology in updating our land records even in remote villages. One of the 10 satellites put into orbit recently by ISRO is Cartosat 2A, which is intended to beam pictures of our hinterland. This has given new opportunities for maintenance of land records.What is this Cartosat, how does it help in keeping land records and what business opportunities can it generate? These questions lead us to some fundamental issues relating to this subject.Land records in IndiaThe village is our basic survey unit for many purposes. Land records too are primarily kept by village accountants. A map of the village is the basic document and identification of land is made through survey numbers given to each piece of land owned by a family or individual. Apart from land, roads, lakes, water fronts and forests are marked in the village map. Over a period of time, the area of such land and other objects shrink due to soil erosion, floods and human encroachments.Surveys and re-surveys have taken place over many years and together with sale and partition of family property, the survey numbers have also undergone changes over the years.What has been done to maintain land records in the modern era? To be honest, very little has been done.The onus of facts on the owners and document writers. Many sale transactions are registered in sub-registrars’ offices without any verification, a sad commentary on our landed property supervision system.Yet, there have been isolated efforts by some States to computerise land records. The ‘Bhoomi’ Project…More

The Hindu : Art showMaya is hosting “Melange”, a show based on the works of five artists — Andani, Santosh Rathod, Uday Jain, Nirasimha Kumbar and Mallikarjun Kathe.Venue: Maya Gallery, No. 59 Nandidurga RoadDate: June 7 to 22Contact: 9844662547/ 9844662546…More

The Hindu : On the Job2MTV, Sunday, 7 p.m.Time to chase your dreams and take your pick from a variety of alternate careers such as fashion photographer, promo producer, stylist and visual merchandiser each week. MTV will help you find your dream internship in 13 fun and offbeat careers on Intel MTV On the Job2 premiering this Sunday (June at 7 p.m. VJ Bani will play the counsellor and guide as the host of the show. Besides VJ Nikhil Chinnappa and Pritish Nandy, who are part of the jury panel, an expert from the field will be invited. The contestants will have to prove their worth to the jury to win their dream internship. Each episode will include three contestants. Viewers can get to know about different career options and also a chance to win an internship in EMDI, Dubai! At the end of every episode a question will be flashed based on the show. SMS ‘OTJ’ with the right option to 56882.* * *Sunday BrunchVh1, Sunday, 11 a.m.This week’s guest is Chris Martin, the lead singer, pianist and rhythm guitarist of the popular rock band Coldplay. Coldplay’s singles “Shiver and Yellow” were applauded by critics for their dreamy vocals and bittersweet lyrics; Martin’s warm, comforting voice on the song “Yellow,” a moving declaration of love….More

The Hindu : Until the age of seven, she thought that the Venice International Film Festival, which coincided with her birthday, was in her honour. She wept and howled on her seventh birthday, when her parents did not take her there, as she felt she’d been denied her celebrations.This is Lou Doillon. The daughter of famous and controversial English actor and director Jane Birkin and prolific French film director Jacques Doillon.In the country recently as the face of her own jeans collection, Lou Doillon by Lee Cooper, Lou unleashed her design beliefs and life tales. “I want to bring back the younger woman’s opinion to jeans,” she says. As a Givenchy model and the current Pirelli calendar girl, Lou brings her signature rebellious style to the line. Lou says she has been involved in the process from the drawing board stage, to working with prototypes to visiting the factories. “I didn’t want to just sell my name,” asserts the woman, often described as the French Kate Moss.Everyone’s doing jeansShe loves chic basics: “There’s not one great designer who is not doing jeans.” To Lee Cooper’s line, she brings “ridiculously high waists with tiny shorts”. Tossing her unkempt hair, she says, “Shorts make you feel naked. But high-waists make you feel dressed.”With no plans of starting her own line, she hopes to continue with such tie-ups. But she might consider doing her own accessory collection of unique pieces.While she started her acting career as her mother’s daughter in “Kung-Fu Master” (1987) at five years, she says she is not a child star. Her first movie was an independent one, and her next was her father’s movie, nearly 10 years later.While she comes from cultural aristocracy, she says her father ensured she had a “normal” childhood. She went to public schools and travelled by metro.But a “chameleon” is what describes her. “My mother is from an aristocratic rock ’n’ roll…More

The Hindu : Foodie treatTempt your taste buds at the Gourmet Bazaar, with a foodie treat of homemade jams, preserves, chocolates, organic produce and more.Pastry Chef Tanmoy Savardekar will shares his recipes at a demonstration of desserts.Venue: Olive Beach, Wood Street, Ashok NagarDate: June 7, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.Contact: 41128400…More

The Hindu : In Anita Nair’s sun-drenched garden, where cobwebs and gnats wander droopy-eyed through the labyrinth of electrical wires, one would not be surprised the writer has just finished a decade of her literary career. Her eleventh book in her eleventh year of writing, also her “quickest book”, “Goodnight and God Bless — On life, literature and a few other things with footnotes, quotes and other such literary diversions” is published by Penguin Viking.Dressed in a sunny yellow top with her brown streaked curly mop tumbling down her shoulders , Anita says: “It was written in the three months when I was immobile witha slip-disc last year. It was a time when I was looking more inwards than outwards.” She feels that it is not just literature but everything from the wind to parties, woven together with a collection of published literary essays. “I had total freedom to poke fun at myself, rip and delve.”When it comes to being part of a lonely writers club in Bangalore, “It is just you, the computer and the worlds you are creating. Writing becomes a lonely process — there is no going away. There are a countless hours by yourself, which are compensated in the final book.”It becomes less difficult when she meets other artistes who go through the same struggles. Interestingly, she doesn’t see herself living in established literary domains like Mumbai or Delhi. “The distance allows you to maintain a certain literary detachment that makes for unruffled, concentrated writing. I can’t write anywhere else other than in Bangalore.”Anita calls book festivals “media circuses”. “It can do a lot for young writers but for an older fraternity of established writers, it becomes unhealthy and unnecessary as you don’t even know the audience. It becomes a closed writers’ wrestling ring where everyone gets sized up.” On the other hand, book fairs are spaces for writers to interact and know their…More

The Hindu : TheatreLogos Theatre is organising “Selves, Masks, Performance — the stage and beyond”, an introductory workshop , facilitated by Arka Mukhopadhyay.Venue: above Chung Wah on Church StreetDate: from June 7 to 117.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m.Fees: Rs. 3,600Contact: 9880966313…More

The Hindu : Loco MocoA fast food staple and a favourite of Hawaiians. Deconstructed, it’s a very simple dish: a fried egg or two and a hamburger patty on top of a bed of rice served with brown gravy.Variations on the theme include bacon, ham, spam, kalua pork (cooked in an imu), sausage, teriyaki beef or chicken, shrimp and other meats.Believed to be of relatively recent origin (1949), it is supposed to have been created by the Inouye family that owned a grill on the islands. A dish that is an interesting mix of East and West and can be whipped up pretty quickly….More

The Hindu : Bard in KannadaSanket is staging the 50th show of its comedy “Neenaanaadrenaaneenena”, a modern-day adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Comedy of Errors”, written and directed by S. Surendranath.Venue: Ranga ShankaraDate: June 7, 7.30 p.m., June 8, 3.30 p.m. and 7.30 p.m.Contact: 9886924362….More

The Hindu : Gastronomical heavenSavour different flavours at various food events happening in the cityMasterstrokes food festivalBlue Ginger at Taj West End is holding the masterstroke food festival showcasing the southern style of Vietnamese cuisine. Master chefs Guong and Dong will stir up Vietnamese cuisine from the city of Ho Chi Minh, heavily influenced by the French style of cooking.The menu offers delicacies such as the grilled fish in Halong sauce, stewed chicken in salted lime and stir fried vegetables in southern style, to name a few. You can try out chef’s favourite Halong sauce which is made with chilli, lemon grass and garlic as the main ingredient. Those who prefer stronger flavours can opt for the preserved bean curd sauce. In the dessert section, try out root vegetable based dessert — one of the chef’s specialties.The festival is on from June 6 to June 15. For reservations contact - 080-6660 5660* * *Designer lunch buffetIt’s a double whammy for oriental food lovers. Mugen has come up with new designer lunch buffet comprising Indonesian, Thai and Chinese cuisine. Priced at Rs 275 plus taxes for both vegetarian and non-vegetarian, the buffet includes two starters (veg/non veg), a soup, three salads (veg/non veg), three non vegetarian dishes (fish, chicken and lamb), three vegetarian dishes, rice, noodle and three desserts.What makes it special is that the starters are not kept pre-cooked.The open kitchen would help guests interact with chefs and the personalised offering give you a chance to design your own food as you decide on your own flavouring, your own type of noodles/rice, and your own combination of vegetable preparations.Designer Buffet Lunch is available from Monday to Friday from 12:00 p.m to 3:30 p.m. For reservations call 41481414/9945300004* * *Beer & BBQMake your breezy monsoon evenings even more fun with bottomless beer and live barbeque fare at Aqua, at the Park Hotel. Choose from an array of meats, seafood…More