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RAIN
ruining relics
| The increased
rainfall in the shadow area of the Spiti Valley, where the Tabo
Monastery is located, is posing a threat to its rare heritage. Pratibha
Chauhan reports after a recent visit to the site |
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| Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the Tabo Monastery comes under the Archaeological Survey of India for its upkeep |
| For
over 1000 years, the Tabo Monastery, located in the
remote Spiti valley of the trans-Himalayan frontier region, has
weathered many a storm. Considered to be the oldest continuously
functioning Buddhist monastery in India, Tabo is now showing
signs of wear and tear due to the heavy precipitation in the
Spiti valley — a new phenomenon ushered in by global climate
change. It is ironic that the monastery, which has weathered
harsh and extreme weather conditions in the largely snow-bound
valley falling in a cold desert, is now falling prey to the
increased moisture because of the heavy-rain phenomenon. The mud
walls and exquisite thangka paintings of the monastery
are in danger as moisture seepage threatens to widen the
ever-increasing cracks due to intense rainfall. |
Bridle
the boom
Tourism has been a mixed
blessing for the Lahaul-Spiti region. While it has brought in the
much-needed cash, it has also put undue strain on its scarce resources
Manoj Jreat
Sandwiched
between the Zanskar in the north and the Great Himalayas in the
south, Spiti is a secluded border region of Himachal Pradesh. Wild,
rugged and remote, Spiti conjures up images of a lost land forgotten
in time. Sculpted by wind and ice, the surreal landscape of Spiti
overpowers even the most seasoned traveller and the sheer scale of its
barren mountain landscape makes even the greatest human endeavour look
small.
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Mojito
magic |
A molecular Mojito is displayed at a bartender school in Lima. A Peruvian bartender school is using the principles of molecular mixology, the practical application of science and physics, to create new flavours, textures and special ways of serving cocktails. Photo: Reuters |
Women
on a roll
Indian women have realised
that the concept of saving is a thing of the past. They spend
lavishly, live in luxury, and have ensured the same comforts for the
future, writes Vimla Patil
When
Tiara Singh, a 30-year-old executive in a foreign bank,
inaugurated her small new flat in suburban Mumbai, she literally
danced around in the empty rooms with joy. She says: " I was
overwhelmed at my own strategy and skill with which I handled all the
complicated paperwork. I can now advise my single women friends on how
to acquire a property in the buzzing Mumbai city by working through
the mesh of locating the right place, negotiating the price, doing the
paperwork, and, finally, taking possession after paying the down
payment."
The
city of skylines
Everything about Chicago is
larger than life – be it its vertical urban landscape that gave a
new meaning to modern architecture over a century ago, or the
revolutionary personalities, who redefined contemporary social and
political norms, writes Sudha
Mahalingam
Gazing
in wonderment at traffic speeding 1,450 feet below my feet
makes me dizzy. I am in what they call ‘skybox’ sticking out of
the side of the 108th floor of Sears Tower, the mother of all
skyscrapers in North America in the city of Chicago. The skybox is
made of glass, not just its three sides, but even the floor is sheet
glass. You step onto it gingerly, hoping you never hear the dreading
sound of splintering glass, as the mind conjures up images of a great
fall.
Spiritual
frames
Avantika Shrivastava
While
the fracas of modern-day living continues, a collection of
intense photographs by maverick lensman Ashok Kochhar seek to part the
mist on spirituality and offer a journey to the inner self. Titled
The Journey of a Mystic, a series of 30 photographs on Sufism was on
exhibit in New Delhi recently. It represented what Kochhar calls
"spiritual art photography."
The
next big thing
Arun Kumar
Indian-American
actor comedian Aziz Ansari has been named "The Next Big
Thing" among 17 stars to watch by the US business magazine Forbes.
Funny People grossed $70 million at the global box office last
year. The film introduced the world to the foul-mouthed standup comic
Raaaaaaaandy, a creation of comic Aziz Ansari, 27, whose parents
emigrated from Tamil Nadu.
Destination
Bollywood
With foreign beauties making
it centrestage in Hindi films, Nirupama Dutt
checks out the trend as firangi girls make hay in Bollywood
sunshine
Brazilian
beauty Giselle Monteiro was trying to get the role of Saif Ali
Khan’s caucasian girl Jo friend in Imtiaz Ali’s Love Aaj Kal,
but landed up playing Harleen Kaur, the old-fashioned Punjabi girl of
the 1970s, opposite Rishi Kapoor in the same film.
People
will now take me seriously — Sameera Reddy
Sameera
Reddy says those who criticised her for taking her acting
career lightly will change their perception after watching her in Red
Alert and Ye Hausla. "I
have always been scolded by most of the people for my career choices.
They believe I have taken my career very easily. But my next two films
Red Alert and Ye Hausla will help me turn the tables.
After watching these two films, people will take me seriously,"
Sameera said in an interview.
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