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Ride the wave It is exhilarating. It is exciting. It is the thrill of a towering wave lurking in the gurgling waters just waiting to be ridden. And as you ride the wave, it first hoists you up and then down the steep descent till you come hurtling in a haze of a white curtain of water.
Surfing is as old as the times when man first invented boats and learnt to row down rivers. However, it is only in the last century that it took the shape of a sport when people discovered that riding down a wave on a surf board can be an adventurous experience. With over 7,000 km of near-virgin coastline, India is a surfers’ paradise. But the water adventure, so popular in most western countries, had, so far, surprisingly not attracted many enthusiasts. Best surfing beaches Some of the best surfing beaches on the east coast are in Goa, Karnataka, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Kovalam in Kerala. Other destinations associated with surfing are at Mahabalipuram, Auroville, Rameshwaram and Puri. In fact, India hosted its first surfing festival at the scenic Puri beach in Orissa in February this year. Surfers from around the world participated in the festival which highlighted the spiritual aspects of the water sport. The event was a boon for those new to the sport, as they learnt the basics of surfing from experts from around the world. Those familiar with surfing, rode exciting swells, then relaxed while floating on the water. The experience was typically sunny, with a bit of serenity and plenty of action. In this stretch of the sea, surfers encountered exciting rapids which are graphically termed as rastas (named after celebrated American surfer Dave Rastovich) and satyas which are powerful high tides. When to surf Though there are waves in various southern coasts throughout the year, some of the best months are from March to September (pre-monsoon and monsoon) when waves can rise to a dizzying height of 15 to 20 feet. Most of the coastal areas down South are loaded with different grades of waves. During monsoon at places in Mahabalipuram and Kovalam gradients can drop to mindboggling 30 to 40 feet giving thrill-seekers a time of their lives. Water levels can be unpredictable, which makes these areas a rare treat even for the most experienced surfers. The golden sands of Bangaram in the Lakshadweep Islands offer excellent sea adventures. Surfing here is one of the most thrilling experiences. At places, the magnificent coral reefs start from the shore and then drop sharply from 10 metres to a mind-boggling 50 metres, which can send a shiver up the spine of the toughest professional. So it is best to be accompanied by a skilled guide while surfing here. Surfing can also be enjoyed in the Jolly Buoy /Red Skin Islands in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The sea here offers exotic views of marine life and coral sea beds. The surf on the beach can be rough, so here too it is advisable to go with a tour operator who provides the full gear for surfing and has a professional who will be nearby for any support you need. Many hardcore adventure seekers go to the Maldives for some spectacular surfing action. Here coral islands in north and south Malle offer both paddle and barrel-level waves. Beaches like Kandooma, Laamu, Huvadhoo and Hudhurafushi attract avid surfers from all over the world. Crystal-clear waters In fact, many small islands around Maldives like Kirritimati, Addu and Christmas Islands offer crystal-clear waters and uncrowded conditions for professional and recreational surfers. These islands are also home to some of waves with exotic names like lohis, cokes, chickens, sultans, jails, honkys and Ninjas. These breaks offer a mix of rights and lefts and average three to eight feet in ascent. Action awaits you on the golden beaches of these islands. Here you can play out your deep-sea adventure fantasies in the most graphic ways. Nearer home, a group calling itself Surfing Yogis is introducing stand-up paddle (SUP) surfing in Orissa. The still waters of Chilika Lake, River Mahanadi and the amazing coastline provide immense potential for the nascent sport. If the enthusiastic overseas and Indian participation of the first-ever festival held at Puri is any indication, then surfing as a sport seems to be headed for a great future. Surfing essentials Water surfing, though exciting, is also a very expensive sport. For beginners, it will be best to look for adventure clubs that not just teach surfing but also rent out equipment. Once you have mastered the sport then you can go in for your own surfing board and other paraphernalia. The following is the basic equipment required… Surfboard
There are five types of boards in surfing. The shortboard is meant for speed and manoeuvrability and requires a lot of experience. The longboard is easy to manoeuvre and provides safer surfing for the beginners. The fishboard is wide and recommended for beginners. The gunboard is a big wave board, which is narrow and pointy at the nose and tail, and is best handled by experts. The stand up paddle board which comes with a paddle. The board is used like a boat and the safest of them all. Shortboard: Between
Rs 33,000 & Rs38,000
Price: Between Rs 660 & Rs 3,190
Price: Between Rs 1,265 & Rs 2,750
Wetsuit A Prices: Between
Rs 4,400 & Rs 23,375
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Games people play Back
in the 1980s, video games were big news. Most of the teenagers, and even adults around the world, spent millions to play Space Invaders, Donkey-Kong, Crossfire, Speedway and more. At that time, author Martin Amis wrote in his book Invasion of the Space Invaders, “Hospitals are fighting an epidemic of new maladies — Asteroid Elbow, Pac-Man Finger, Galazian Spine... Police stations maintain swelling dossiers on space invader-related crimes.” And now, after three decades, video games are back and are flashing and zapping the world all over again. Earlier, it was the money-guzzling video games parlours, today it is the hand-held consoles, laptops, PCs and mobile phones that hold sway over urban teenagers and many pin-striped, tie-clad yuppies are seen busy playing snooker or racing cars on their screens. Intense competition The popularity of PlayStation-1 made way for PlayStation-2 Slimline in 2004 and PlayStation-3 in 2006 and PlayStation-Vita in 2012. Microsoft came up with XBox followed by XBox 360 and XBox 360S in 2010. Nintendo launched Wii in 2006, which it upgraded to Wii U in 2012. These days an increasing number of games are inspired by hit films — from Harry Potter to Tomb Raider, from Lord of the Rings to Star Trek: The Next Generation and from Ice Age to The Amazing Spiderman. Such is the rising popularity of the games that now the reverse process has started. Games are being made into Hollywood films. Universal Studios has picked up the rights of films like Tomb Raider, Assassin Creed, Resident Evil series, Far Cry, God of War. And earlier this year, Mortal Combat and Doom were other video games-inspired films. Booming piracy Anyone who had played Space Invaders or Asteroids at that time will surely love to have a go at the new games being developed. In the early 1980s, a series of mega-arcades had come up all around India and were doing booming business till the lack of new games led to their closure. This time around, there are no such problems. The video game software is available aplenty and more than thousands of sites on the internet and new ones are launched every month in the US and Japan. This trickles down to India through the net and CDs and is enough to keep the kids blasting away. Moreover, in this second coming, adults are as keen as children about the games. World’s biggest maker of computer games, Nintendo, has launched a chain of adult-management games. Games are influencing the way we live in the most amazing ways. There are games developed around various sports, adventure, movies, politics, and even sex. Pain management is the latest target of developers: Researchers are creating interactive games designed to help patients cope with post-operative pain. With such an all-round impact, it is little wonder that the gaming industry is booming like never before. Here’s looking at some popular gaming consoles:
from movies to games Forty years later, The Godfather is once again on top of the popularity charts — not as a film but as a video game. Marlon Brando as Don Vito
Corleone, Al Pacino as Michael Corleone and James Caan as Sonny Corleone — are doing for the new generation what the movie did for an older one. Ever since, it was introduced Godfather — The Game is changing fortunes of the gaming industry. Much the same way as Space Invaders, Pac-Man, Crossfire, Speedway and other games did in the 1980s. Worldwide video games are raking in more money than films or CDs.
BIZARRE GAMES Its latest console ‘Toylet’ can only be installed in (you guessed it) toilets. Costing around $1,750 (~96,250), it is played by gamers while they are urinating. The surface of the urinal contains four censors which act as the “controls” for four different mini-games. The winner is the person who releases the maximum volume at the highest speed. This is not the only time when game developers have brought out a weird console. Earlier, there have been such whacky concepts where gamers have to wear special electronic gloves and then rub their fingers to get the game moving. A games developer Emotiv System is working on a concept called Project Epoc that uses a set of sensors to tune into electric signals produced by the brain to detect player thoughts, feelings and expression. Another game titled Metal Wolf Chaos has a fictitious American President Michael Wilson single-handedly fighting to stave off a coup attempt by his vice-president Richard Hawk, who has captured many cities. The game revolves around the president liberating cities from the hands of his evil deputy. There have been many such peculiar games but none as bizarre as the Toylet that has already been installed in many public urinals in Japan and can be played while the gamer is peeing.
This is the big daddy of gaming consoles. The XBox 360 by Microsoft comes with XBox Live, a paid service which allows gamers to download arcade games, TV shows, music and movies. It has another service called Microsoft Kinect that facilitates motion gaming. It has 250GB hard drive, built-in wi-fi, five USB ports, dedicated Kinect port and onboard optical digital audio. It is is available in India in the 4GB and 250GB versions and is designed to provide a great gaming experience. Price:
Rs 4,990 (for 4GB) and Rs 21,990 (for 250GB)
There is a great deal of excitement surrounding Ouya a new Android-based gaming console to be launched later this year. The gaming console with a dedicated joystick will use the Android platform to play games the good, old fashioned way - on the television screen. Experts feel that this console can be a game changer with its open source technology as it will be able to leverage thousands of existing android apps available for smart phones and tablets and bring the costs
down considerably. Price: $99 (Rs 5,445)
EVO2 by American gaming company Envizions is a new generation gaming console and a successor of the EVO Smart Console that was a huge hit in 2009. It has a built in wi-fi and brings the power of the android to your television set. It acts like a set-top box that brings video games to the TV screen. The console comes with a TV remote, game controller, and a HDMI cable for hours of gaming thrills. Price: $250
(Rs 13,750)
The Switchblade by the American computer peripherals manufacturer Razer is a virtual power house. The first dedicated gaming laptop is set to redefine gaming. It comes with a 2.8 GHz processor with 8 GB of DDR RAM and a 17.3-inch LED-backlit touchscreen with full HD resolution. Weighing 3.16 kilos it has been developed in partnership with Intel. It provides gaming experience on-the-go with true portability, great performance and an all-new
user interface. Price: Rs 1.5 lakh
This has to be a one-of-its-kind console. The Retro Duo is the only console in the market that plays both the 8-bit NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) and the 16-bit SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System). There is no other system that can play both. That is what makes the Retro Duo so popular as it gives the gamer an access to the huge content library of Nintendo and its reasonable price makes it all the more attractive. Price: $40
(Rs 2,200)
As of now, this is Mattel Toys’ only entry into gaming consoles. The Hyper Scan based on the Radio Frequency Identification technology works via character cards, which have chips hidden inside. The gamer scans in a character card to engage the video game. It targets younger gamers, who are not ready for mainstream consoles. Though the console has been discontinued by Mattel but it can still be found in many gaming outlets. Price: $70
(Rs 3,850)
The Sega Saturn is a 32-bit fifth generation console with a grey case, black cartridge flap, blue oval buttons and a drive access light. It comes with a black controller which has a bottom row of buttons. It had two CPUs and six other processors and was released with a view to compete against Sony’s PlayStation. It was been voted as the 18th best console of all times. However, it could not do too well because of its high launch price and managed to sell a little more than nine million units. Though discontinued now, there is talk of reviving it in an HD version. Price: $399
(Rs 21,945)
One of the most popular gaming consoles, PlayStation Vita — or simply PSVita — is the third generation device of Sony Computer Corporation and eighth generation of the gaming industry. The company has released 59 games for this handheld console which is a successor to such worthies as PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 3. Ever since its release in February 2012, PSVita has a 4 GB memory card, two analog sticks, touchscreen and is wi-fi and
bluetooth-enabled. Sony has sold nearly 1.5 million pieces. Price:
Rs 19,990 (wi-fi only) and Rs 24,990 (wi-fi & 3G)
This gaming console is soon being launched with a target audience in mind. The Zeebo by Brazilian Zeebo Inc. has been produced for BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China), which have traditionally not had easy access to video games. It comes with games and educational content delivered via wireless digital distribution. Though not as technically advanced as the XBox 360, Wii or PlayStation 3 but it has the huge advantage of making use of free 3G networks to download games. Price:Rs
5,000
The Japanese electronics giant Nintendo's Wii U gaming console is an extension of its 2006 Wii. Though it will be released sometimes in September 2012 most of the details are out. The game controller looks like a tablet with a touch-screen feature. It doubles as a tablet wherein you can browse the Web and it also serves as a car navigator. It will use slot-loading disc drive compatible with 25GB storage capacity and Nintendo hopes it will be a runaway success as its earlier avatar. Price: $375 (
Rs 20,625)
Flashback 3, the iconic video game console from Atari is high on the popularity list because of its 60 built-in games that defined an entire generation and the Atari craze was all-prevalent. Included are classic games like Asteroids, Centipede, Missile Command, Space War, and more. It has easy-to-manoeuvre controls and is successor to the original Flashback and Flashback 2. It comes with two retro joysticks and is a plug-and-play-into-your-TV console with a pause facility in between games. Price: $60
(Rs 3,300)
Gaming aficionados would remember with fondness the Nintendo’s fourth home video console called the Game Cube. It was one of the most versatile consoles that hit the markets some years ago. A successor to the Nintendo 64 and the predecessor of the Wii its 40MB of onboard memory meant bigger games, bigger challenges and bigger battles. The 6 inches long, 6 inches wide and 4.3 inches tall (15 x 15 x 11 cm) console is still high on the popularity list of gamers having sold 21.74 million units worldwide. Price: $199
(Rs 8,955)
Like the Hyper Scan, VTech's V-Motion gaming console is for very young boys and girls between the ages of three and seven. It is an active learning system that initiates young audiences to the world of video gaming and education. It comes with one wireless controller and one game, along with standard cables to connect to the TV set. There are plenty of add-on games that can provide hours of fun to the young. Price: $45
(Rs 2,475)
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It was her desire to leave a clean planet for her daughter that spurred Shalinni to make environment-friendly wedding invites
Green card specialist Anuradha Shukla While
making a new beginning in our lives we start by chopping off so many trees just to make cards for weddings. Not that we want to do that but in our ignorance we take away a lot from the future of our children,” feels Shalinni Sharmaa. This young mother from Solan in Himachal Pradesh sure wanted to save the beauty of a lush green earth for her daughter. A year back, Shalinni started designing wood-free wedding cards and gifts. “It’s a small change to make a big change for our future,” says Shalinni. The earthy appeal of herbal colours, use of flowers and recycled paper and cloth has wowed many at exhibitions held at Delhi and Solan. “The idea clicked with those who want to do their bit for the environment as well as wedding planners. This gives me a lot of hope,” says Shalinni who recently shifted base to Chandigarh to fulfil her passion. “For my first exhibition at Delhi I did not even pluck flowers as that would be wrong. Going wood-free not only gives a new lease of life to the environment but also gives livelihood to so many people who make herbal colours and paper. All this does cost a bit more but not at the cost of our environment which if we lose once we can never get back. Already our children would not be able to see what we have seen,” feels Shalinni.Celebrating at the cost of ourselves and our children is against her ethos. She made a mark at her first exhibition at Ashoka in Delhi about an year ago. Her work appealed to many wedding planners there who expressed the desire to work with her. She had earlier designed for friends and family and after this exhibition her confidence grew. For her natural colours, she gets handmade paper made out of old newspapers to which colour is added and processed to bind them into grass sheets. Besides, she also uses paper made out of old clothes to which fruit skin is added to give texture to the paper. “For the paper and herbal colours I go to Chawari Bazaar in Delhi as well as to Solan and Dharamsala”, she says. Shalinni goes to Dharamsala to buy herbal colours. Beetroot and carrots are used to give the red colour and spinach for the green. She also uses the saas flower for non-toxic colour. An MBA in HR, Shalinni has worked on the radio as well. As she says: “I wanted to give back to my daughter, that is why I started my business in her name.” But the effort to go green does come at a cost. “Yes,” says Shalinni. “To cover the cost factor I offer a buffet of cards. Different cards can go out to different set of people that can help to bring the cost down,” she says. The cards cost between Rs 21 and Rs 1,100. Shalinni takes help of a group of around 10 women who are a part of self-help groups from her village in Solan, Salogara. In Chandigarh, too, she plans to employ women who need employment. An effort can surely save millions of smiles on the faces of future generations on seeing a butterfly fly past them.
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BLING IT ON
WEIGHTY ISSUE
PUMP UP THE GAS
MAKING WAVES WITH MUSIC
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Back
While
lthough in warm conditions one can do without it, in colder conditions a wetsuit becomes absolutely essential. The wetsuit is warm and flexible made of a synthetic rubber that contains thousands of tiny air pockets. No professional surfer or anyone who wants to become a pro can do without a wetsuit. 
Back in 1972, it took just one movie to change the fortunes of Hollywood and re-defined the way films would be made. The Godfather enhanced everything. From technique to performances and from dialogue delivery to audience reactions around the world. No movie had ever done that before and no movie has ever done that since.
Xbox
360 S: Ultimate gaming console
Ouya: The game changer
EVO2: TV screen gaming experience
Switchblade: World's first gaming laptop
Retro Duo: Double advantage console
Hyper Scan: Mattel's gaming foray
SEGA SATURN: PLAYSTATION’S COMPETITOR
PlayStation Vita: Sony's success story
Zeebo: Console for BRIC nations
Wii U: Nintendo creates magic again
Atari Flashback 3: Back to the past
GAME CUBE: POPULAR & VERSATILE 
V-Motion: Fun for the very young
JUMBO TIME
PICTURE-PERFECT PRINTER
A WELCOME NEXUS
GOLDEN SHOE-SHAKE
SAY HELLO TO A SPIDER
This device is a medical lab in the bathroom. The Full Body Composition Measuring Scale is a high-tech, user-friendly weighing machine that not just measures your weight but uses bioelectrical technology that sends a harmless current through the entire body to measure its composition, including body fat percentage, visceral fat level, skeletal muscle mass, resting metabolism and body mass index (BMI). The scale stores personal profiles of four users for up to 180 days making it redundant to run to a doctor every time you feel under the weather.
FOR THE RAINY DAY
LIGHT UP IN STYLE
What do you do when you run out of petrol on the highway? Hitch a lift to the nearest petrol pump with a jerry can in hand? To avoid this ordeal all you need is the Moeller DuraMax Flo n' Go Pump which is your own portable petrol station that will fill your empty tank in just five minutes. The 50-litre petrol pump comes with a siphon handle that instantly starts and stops the flow of petrol with the squeeze of the handle. Its 10-feet hose will let you re-fill without having to lift the heavy device from the boot. So drive on without the fear of running out of gas!
Experience lifelike, room-filling sound for all your music from Bose. The new Bose Wave Music System III will make you redefine expectations from one-piece music systems. Its waveguide technology delivers lifelike‚ room-filling sound. You can connect it wirelessly to your iPod, iPhone or any other Bluetooth-enabled device. The in-built CD player plays your audio and mp3 CDs as well. And with the digital AM/FM tuner and a 3.5mm auxiliary input to connect your portable media player‚ you'll never run out of music to enjoy!
Dior VIII spells timeless chic
ONLY ONE OF ITS KIND