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Flight of the camels
 Flying is always full of challenges, but landing on a “virtual” runway under extreme weather conditions is, no doubt, the ultimate challenge for the man and the machine.
Vijay Mohan recounts the heart-stopping moments from the landing of an AN-32 at the world’s highest airstrip — Daulat Beg Oldie
The aircrew had just about 30
seconds and barely 1,500 metres to level-out a sluggish AN-32 from a
virtual dive and slowdown to an acceptable landing speed for a maiden
touch down onto a bumpy, unpaved airstrip amid towering snow-capped
mountains.
Golden moments
A boy runs across a giant copy of the Mona Lisa as it is unveiled in Wrexham, north Wales. The giant
version of Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece measuring 17.5 m across and 50 times bigger than
the original, is an attempt to produce the largest ever reproduction of the painting Photo: Reuters
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Aloe vera for that glow
The herb heals the skin. It is able to penetrate the skin’s layers to reduce pain and inflammation. It is also a natural moisturiser, says
Dhanvanti Keshavrao
Aloe Vera herb (known
as ghritakumari in Sanskrit and ghikanvar in Hindi)
seems to be everywhere in the fashion world — in moisturising
lotions, sunscreens, shampoos and even soaps. To quote a few brands:
Shacleanse (aloe vera skin treatment); Biotique (aloe vera protective
cream); Doy Care (aloe vera soap); Herb Line (aloe vera shampoo);
Albeau (aloe vera hair conditioner).
Tune in to
tumbakhnari
Tumbakhnari, a traditional Kashmiri percussion instrument, is still very much in demand among the people of Kashmir. Any ceremony, especially a marriage, is incomplete without tumbakhnari (a sort of dholak), which is made of clay and
sheepskin.
In God’s own GARDEN
Devbagh, a small island on the coast of Karnataka, offers a rare luxury – a peaceful holiday on a private island, writes
Sumitra Senapaty
The small wooden boat wallows through the rolling waves. Late summer sun glistens on the water. Up ahead a small island rises from the horizon, rocks topped with a sliver of green vegetation. As I draw closer I can see the log hut that is to be my home for the next few days. I walk round to the island’s far side, which conceals a little cove and stone pier.
Indian puppetry sheds traditions
Takes up reality issues
Madhusree Chatterjee
Traditional puppetry, an integral part
of Indian culture for centuries, is becoming a potent tool for
spreading social awareness. A genre of folk art in India, puppetry
traditionally drew its themes from myths, folklores and popular
literature of the hinterland.
A saga of hope & despair
Supriyo Sen’s Hope Dies Last in
War, which won the Best Documentary Award at the 55th National
Film Awards, is the story of individual and collective struggle of
relatives of missing defence personnel, spanning three generations, to
get their men back, writes Shoma A. Chatterji
‘I only represent myself’
Imtiaz Ali says he can’t think of a film without
man-woman relationship in a chat with Robin Bansal
He is not resting on his laurels after the success of Love Aaj Kal. Imtiaz Ali is already thinking about different stories and scripts to make into film but says whatever he makes will have the man-woman relationship as its focus. “I haven’t decided yet which story I am going to make next. I have a few stories swimming around in my mind. I don’t know how they are going to take shape or which one is going to become a compulsive reason to make a film,” Ali said in an interview.
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