Tehelka trail
Madhu Trehan takes us on a journey through her book
A book-reading event on Monday evening brought Madhu Trehan, a known name in investigative journalism, to the city. Her book Prism Me a Lie Tell Me a Truth: Tehelka as Metaphor, released in January this year, has already made it to the bestseller’s list in non-fiction. She talks about her six-year journey that went in to making of the book. "When I was commissioned by Roli to write the book about Tehelka’s Operation West End, I expected it to be no more than six months’ job. But then, as I interviewed and researched, Tehelka remained to be the skeleton and the book became more about India." Going further, she discussed various aspects of the book: "While exploring Tehelka, I probed why dishonesty is a part of the system in India. Almost every one of us has done sometime, something little. It’s all right to bribe instead of standing in a long queue for a driving license.

(P)RAISE in times of recession
In these times of meltdown, when most of the companies are cutting costs and salaries, thus lowering morale, there are some who’re taking up initiatives to raise employee motivation
In this world of stiff competition and high work demands, we are all losing peace of mind, family ties, personal space and, of course, health. With little or no time left for social interaction or what kids of the 80’s generation were blessed with — daddy, mummy’s precious time, life has become a virtual treadmill for all, where everyone’s running to meet the rising demand and supply curve of cut-throat corporate competition. But waking to the mounting pressure of work and realising the importance of a light head works wonders for work, some of the companies have found a way out with employee-oriented, fun and health management programmes. We check out what’s happening on the corporate front.

Spade work
B for Bougainvillea
When a particular plant species allows breeding and evolving of new varieties, it ensures its place in almost every house, garden, park and institute. And it is also due to this fact that you can get different species and varieties. Bougainvillea is one such plant. With an origin in South America, it has made India its second home and first choice with every gardener. Due to the varied nature of different species so far as the growth is concerned, bougainvillea has a wide use. It is suitable for hedging, as climber, for making a globe on the ground, a standard shrub, a pot plant and a miniature, as a bonsai. It is also used as a trailing plant for trellis and pergolas for fast effect.

Dragon’s day out

This boat’s outing on the lake makes for a colourful spectacle. Lifestyle photo: Parvesh Chauhan

Launch PAD
It’s in the jeans
Authentic details, original graphics, urban innovation, true wild-west attitude and an unmistakably Italian styling. Flying Machine combines the best of both worlds to present the young, bold and deadly look for SS09. And taking the pursuit of true combination of attitude and innovation further Chicco, Italian designer of the brand says, “The spring summer collection is a beautiful blend of fabric, finish innovation combined with true Italian styling and top of the line construction and wash techniques packaged in three stories true to jeans wear and youth. Three remarkable fashion stories are packaged together to create an interesting blend of attitude and innovation.”

Geek SPEAK
Data back up
The subject of computer backups has always been a topic of importance when it comes to preserving the data on your computer. These days there are more options available to us in this field, which is very helpful because of better solutions have been brought to the open market from which we can now choose to fit your need and pocket. We all know that backing up can preserve the information that is stored on our computers, but how far do you take your backup period, longer the period larger the data count

Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan smiles during the inauguration ceremony of an auditorium of a cosmopolitan education society in Mumbai on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

Class apart
Post-class mentoring for students
An innovative technology start-up in the online solutions in education and virtual meeting space, eAge Software Services Private Limited, has announced the launch of Gurumantra – a virtual classroom coaching that provides any time – anywhere post-class mentoring, as per user requirement.  It facilitates a collaborative learning environment for students ranging from Class VI to Class XII in a cost-efficient manner and also provides a unique blend of mix and match of study groups and 1:1 student time with coaches and teachers. Question banks, practice papers and expert advice for parents and students are just some of the services available in this feature rich product.

Haute pick
Floating wireless speaker
These unique submersible waterproof speakers are specifically designed for the water and feature wireless technology with a 150-foot outside range. They receive the audio signals from an included transmitter that simply plugs into your iPod, MP3 player or any other audio source with a 3.5mm jack. The transmitter itself can support up to 10 additional speakers if you really want to rock out. It’s too bad these speakers aren’t soft though, because then you could play catch with them in the pool too.

Big flick
Twitter enthusiasts who spend hours on the trendy social networking could be struck with painful muscle problems, warn experts. Physiotherapists and Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) sufferers have advised Twitter users to moderate their time on the site - or risk it ruining their health.

Knowing Kishore
Nagesh Kukunoor and Sudhir Mishra also plan movies on the legendary actor-singer Kishore Kumar
Shoojit Sircar’s film on the life and songs of Kishore Kumar written by Rensil d’Silva might be on hold for now, but that hasn’t stopped Nagesh Kukunoor and Sudhir Mishra from planning their own movies on the legendary actor-singer. Mishra says making a Kishore Kumar biopic would be a “dream come true”.