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PAY MORE, FLY LESS
Costlier aviation
fuel has driven up more than just the fares for flying. Passengers are
being made to shell out for services,
such as refreshments, which were hitherto free. Vibha
Sharma reports on how airlines are coping with the crisis and
what lies in store for fliers
THE smooth flight of the
aviation industry in India seems to have hit a turbulent patch and
with that the customer-is-king attitude, too, seems to have been
grounded. With rising fuel and infrastructure costs, the era of cheap
airfares seems to be over, at least for the time being.
A modern
face behind the veil
On my visit to Saudi
Arabia, I was reluctant to wear an abaya, as the burqa
is known there. But when I saw the elite Saudi women wearing the same
‘to prevent stares from strangers’, I decided to don one. I found
the veil no threat to my personality or individuality, and felt
comfortable in it, writes Sakuntala
Narasimhan
I
decided not to visit
Saudi Arabia if I was required to wear a burqa (veil) while my
husband was free from observing any Islamic dress codes. However,
curiosity ultimately won over feminist indignation. On arrival at
Riyadh airport, I was escorted very politely to the separate ‘Ladies
Lounge’, while husband proceeded to the main lounge.
Moran, the mystery woman
Author Manveen Sandhu’s
research on Maharaja Ranjit Singh put her on the trail of his soulmate,
Maharani Moran. She shares her findings with Aruti
Nayar
THE first thing that
strikes one about tall and statuesque Manveen Sandhu, Principal of
Springdale School, Amritsar, is her involvement with the heritage and
history of Punjab. Associated with Spic Macay for more than 30 years,
she wants to put heritage on the radar of school and college students.
Arms and the octopus
HOW
many legs does an octopus have? The answer should be easy. But not
anymore. For new research suggests they are not really eight-legged
denizens of the deep, as popularly assumed; instead they use their
front limbs more like arms — and can even tackle a Rubik’s Cube.
Business
and pleasure of
homestays
Radhakrishna Rao
THE lush green Kodagu
district, stretching across the southern part of Karnataka bordering
on Kerala, with its magnificent mountain rangers, flourishing coffee
estates as well as cascading streams and lilting brooks, is considered
a veritable showroom of nature.
Himachal
joins the race
Vishal Gulati
THE
Himachal Pradesh is promoting homestay in villages. Residents are now
being encouraged to throw open their doors to both domestic and
foreign tourists for homestay in rustic settings, formalising a
practice that has anyway been prevalent in the state’s scenic Kullu
valley for many years.
Serials used to sell
films
Film producers are using
the popularity and reach of TV programmes to market their movies,
writes Anurag Sharma
IT may have
started as a
mere experiment but its all-round success has made film producers take
recourse to using the popularity and reach of TV soaps to market their
movies. No surprise that actress
Katrina Kaif recently made her debut on the small screen to promote
her flick Singh Is Kinng.
The case for good
war
movies
Bollywood’s efforts at
depicting wars have ended in cheap, run-of-the-mill patriotic drivel
with the usual song-and-dance routine, writes Shakuntala
Rao
FIELD Marshal Sam
Manekshaw died this past June. He was 94 at the time of his death, a
well-recognised war hero having spent 40 years in the Indian armed
forces and, most spectacularly, leading India to victory in the war of
1971. It is hard to believe that a man of his stature and repute hasn’t
had a single film made about his life. But such is the bleak history
of Bollywood war movies.
I can’t involve myself
in an inane film — Nandita Das
Nandita
Das, known for
her powerful performances in Fire and Bawandar, has
completed her first directorial venture Firaaq. She described
her directing experience as "the most overwhelming and yet a
stressful time of my life". Produced by Percept
Picture Company (PPC), Firaaq is a take-off on the infamous
Godhra episode that rocked Gujarat in 2002. It is slated for release
in October this year.
Sai
dons director’s cap again
Radhika Bhirani
National
Award-winning director Sai Paranjpye, who is remembered for the hit
comedy Chashme Buddoor, is ready to don the director’s cap
once again after an 11-year hiatus. "Although I plan to make two
films, only one is 100 per cent final. It is a thriller-comedy called Khoon
Toh Hona Hi Tha. It will be a fun film. Deepti (Naval) will also
star in it," Paranjpye said in an interview.
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