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Galli Cricket with Mandira

IT looks as if life has changed for TV anchor and actor Mandira Bedi ever since she took a liking to cricket. Once again, it is that time of the year when bricks become stumps, passersby become wicket-keepers and balconies become galleries. And to herald the occasion, it is Max which is back with another season of Galli Cricket.

Samir Khan and Mandira Bedi

Also this time round, Mandira will not be alone since she is being joined by Samir Khan, the Toss ka Boss boy who has been taken on by MAX as the brand ambassador as well.

Recounting her experience, Mandira Bedi acknowledged that MAX has given her the opportunity to be able to go out and play cricket with everyone.

"Galli cricket is played in a galli (lane) where there is place but here people have come to see that is why there is no place. It is my second time that I am playing galli cricket in Nagpur," said Mandira Bedi.

"I’ve always enjoyed the game as a fan and not really as a follower. However, with the recent merger of the BCCI with the Women’s Cricket Association of India, things are looking up for girls," she added.

Women were happy to play cricket with Mandira as they admitted that they hardly got time to see cricket.

"I am very happy that I have played cricket with Mandira Bedi. We are housewives and we do not get chance to play cricket but I am happy to have played cricket with Mandira Bedi at Venkatesh Nagar," said Savita Parate, a resident of Nagpur. As per the promotional programme, Mandira Bedi will visit Amritsar on September 23. — ANI

Richard Gere, star of Pretty Woman, is paying tribute to the spiritual leader of the Buddhists the Dalai Lama in the first authorised DVD that many believe is the ultimate guide to the religion.

Gere, a long-time Buddhist, has added commentary to the three-disc set titled On Life + Enlightenment: Principles of Buddhism with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama that covers all major aspects of Tibetan culture, philosophy and Buddhism.

The set also features music from Indian musician Rahul Sharma, and is already a hit with other international spiritual heavyweights, like Hollywood guru Deepak Chopra.

Chopra said the film series that was rich in ‘meaning and truth’, was very powerful as it ‘inspires reflection, beauty and prayer’. "This film series inspires reflection, beauty and prayer... It is rich with colour, meaning and truth," Contactmusic quoted him, as saying. — ANI

On Christmas eve of 1999, Indian Airlines IC 814 is hijacked by five masked men after it takes off from Kathmandu on its way to Delhi. The 189 passengers and crew are held at gunpoint as the hijackers force the plane to first go to Amritsar, then Lahore, Dubai and finally to Kandahar.

In its series on major terrorist attacks in recent years, National Geographic Channel investigates terror in the skies in IC-814—Hijack on Monday, September 18 at 10 pm

The Indian Government takes days to send in a team of negotiators. The hijackers are demanding the release of terrorists as well as Rs 20 crore in ransom money. The show follows IC-814 through its journey as it travels for hundreds of kilometres with the terrified passenger locked inside.

BBC as English teacher

The BBC has decided to launch two new channels "BBC Entertainment" offering drama and comedy, and "Cbeebies" in India, with the latter being in both Hindi and English.

The Cbeebies channel would be both in Hindi and English with the objective of making children learn the English language, said a BBC report.

Cbeebies is a British TV channel produced by the BBC, aimed at children under six and offers pre-school characters and lots of fun games.

After being launched in India, the two channels would be gradually launched in other countries too. BBC Worldwide said the expansion of the channels would be decided on a country-by-country basis.

The channels, also including BBC Knowledge and BBC Lifestyle, will be available online and on mobile phones as well as in linear channel form.

The report quoted BBC Worldwide as saying that it also planned a high definition channel in future. — ANI

Mughal mosaic

The Mughals were great conquerors and the more time they spent in the war zone, the more they learnt to innovate. Composite bows, matchlock guns, rocketry, chain mail and cannons were some of their
inventions.

Warrior Empire: The Mughals on Saturday September 23 at 10 pm on the History Channel defines this amazing skill of the Mughals.

The documentary investigates five of the key rulers during this period and explores their power struggles, excesses and accomplishments. It also features the other great contributions of the Mughals in terms of art, culture and architecture. — NF

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