|
|
Single chance
Notwithstanding the hue
and cry that actress Khushboo’s comments on the subject evoked,
premarital intimacy and one-night stands are finding many takers in
urban India, writes Shoma A. Chatterji
ARE
you a virgin?"
was the first question Preity Zinta asked Shah Rukh Khan in Dil Se,
when the two met on arrangement by their respective families before
finalising a marriage between them. |
 |
Tree
treat
Lieut-Gen
Baljit Singh (retd) on Sita-Asoka and golden tabebuia,
or the tree of gold, the two incredibly beautiful blossoming trees
FOR
about two weeks each year when the month of March leads on to April, I
witness Kilmer’s charismatic epigraph in full play as two species of
trees come into their peak-blooms, almost simultaneously. While one
species is indigenous to India, the other was originally grown in
South America.
Sound
logic
Steve
Connor finds out why distress calls from the wild are the
secret of a good horror film
IT
is probably the most scary scene in cinematic history. The shower
curtain is drawn back and actress Janet Leigh lets out a
spine-chilling scream that warps into a frenzied cacophony of staccato
music as she confronts an unseen, dagger-wielding madman.
Striking
gold with tulsi
Women of Azamgarh district in
UP have improved their financial status by growing tulsi for
Organic India, an MNC. In return, the firm has given them medical
facilities and provided education to their children, reports Tarannum
THIS
story dates back to 1998, when some women of the impoverished district
of Azamgarh in UP decided to change the way farming was done in their
villages, and in the process build better lives for themselves and
their families. Most of these women were wives of migrant labourers,
who had left their land and families behind in search of more
sustainable employment elsewhere.
Veil
of style
The designer burqa,
made of chiffon or georgette, is here to stay,
says Banalata
Bipani
THE
last 10 years — since the 9/11 disaster in the US — have been
years of tribulation and success for fashion maestros trying to
rejuvenate the burqa. There was a time when burqas were of one
piece, and all white, with the portion covering the head elaborately
done up. But these have gone out of fashion, and the two-piece burqa
is in vogue now.
The
Indian Venice
Made up of over 900 km of
inter-connected waterways, rivers, lakes and inlets, the backwaters of
Kerala offer a perfect blend of beauty and tranquillity, write Hugh
and Colleen Gantzer
Drifting
on the backwaters is a very special experience. So are the backwaters:
slow, flowing, jade-green, webs of rivers and canals`85 most of them
winding between banks of overhanging, whispering palms `85 lakes and
estuaries. They have given us some of the most effortless, leisurely
holidays we have ever experienced.
The
‘garbage girl’ of Himachal
Vishal Gulati
EVERY
morning, along with a handful of volunteers, including some
foreigners, British national Jodie Underhill sets out to collect
non-biodegradable waste dumped carelessly in the mountains surrounding
McLeodganj, the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile in Himachal
Pradesh.
Political
dramas on screen
As Prakash Jha’s Raajneeti
stirs the hornet’s nest by borrowing heavily from the Indian
political scenario, M. L. Dhawan checks
out how the lives of political leaders and incidents of national
importance have inspired many a filmmaker
Politicians
and political dramas never fail to entice audience as well as
filmmakers. A peep into the lives of political leaders and incidents
of national importance has been the theme for many a filmmaker.
Leading political stalwarts and the prevailing political issues have
often prompted filmmakers to return to the subject time and again, the
refrain being, ‘There is so much left unsaid.’
Chocolate
boy to desi Corleone
As a ruthless manipulator in Raajneeti,
Ranbir Kapoor has won accolades, writes Robin
Bansal
HE
is being dubbed as the true Kapoor scion post- Raajneeti. After
playing a chocolate boy, a spoilt brat and a salesman, Ranbir Kapoor
has now stunned all as the ruthless manipulator a la Michael Corleone
in The Godfather. Audiences and critics are applauding his role
as Samar Pratap Singh in Prakash Jha’s dark political thriller that
is inspired by the Mahabharata. "Ranbir is fabulous in Raajneeti...
|
