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Point blank
When a body is hauled from River Tyne, Sarah Tucker heads north for a closer look. She identifies the dead woman as private detective Zoe Boehm…A smooth-tongued stranger conquers the ladies of Lochdubh with fatal results…The tranquility of a cruise along the Nile was shattered by the discovery that Linnet Ridgeway had been shot through the head. She was young, stylish and beautiful…It's a world of one murder, countless suspicions, thousand possibilities, clever alibis…who wouldn't give in? To the world of detectives, suspense, murder mysteries, strange incidents, dead bodies coming tumbling of the closets…
Sujoy Sagar, business management student, puts it crisp and clear, "Oh c'mon, they are gripping. It's as simple as that. The guys been into the suspense and detective genre ever since. Adds Mehak Chhina, B. Sc (IT) student, "Undoubtedly it's a hard to resist genre, but either you're in it or not. I mean, one ought to be introduced to this segment at an early age which builds your interest and hooks you on." She adds, "In my case, it all began with Sherlock Holmes short stories." No wonder, it's been early conditioning for Udayveer Gupta, Class VII student, Mayo College-Ajmer. "I like Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes and even adventure stories." What for? "I like them for their detectiveness, the suspense thing in it." Never mind the demography, the profile, the age or the group, if they like it, what they like is simple, the suspense element. Adds Christina Singh, deputy manager, British Library, "Inspired by the popularity and loyalty the genre commands, we're coming up with two to three days crime festival sometime in the beginning of next year." She adds, "But the general observation is, this segment has better takers among boys than girls." Whatever! Whosever is hooked onto Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Enid Blyton or even the M.C. Beaton's complete series (Read Death of a Macho Man, Death of a Gentle Lady or Death of a Dentist), knows what we're talking about. And, who wants to find out what's actually gripping - if the Murder of Roger Ackroyd took place in Agatha Christie's bestseller, the murder, the one who committed it, or how it was committed? The title Body in the Library, is enough to grip if not the brand Agatha Christie or the back-page summary, 'When the Bantrys wake up to find the body of a beautiful, young stranger in their library… Who cares? Adds Mehak, "At times, it's even the covers that lures you into buying one from the shelf." No wonder, Amrit Nagra, Nifd student, says, "Honestly, so far I'm not a big fan of the genre yet, but I wouldn't mind giving it a try. Because it does sound enticing." Blame it on the cover comprising shadows, a room with just a still window, shadow, darkness, phone, scissors, spades, to drive home the haunting quality. Or, even the beautiful countryside on the cover of Death of Charming Man to drive home the contrast. Take your pick. Manpriya@tribunemail.com
Know the truth
First rule, get behidn the surface. Here's some trivia about your favourite authors.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, studied medicine. The practice initially was not very successful, so while waiting for patients, he one again in his life began writing stories. And the rest, as they say, is mystery! Sherlock Holmes too was partially modelled after his own former university professor. Agatha Christie was a dame, well literally speaking. For Dame Agatha Christie once did the disappearing act, as a result of her husband's infidelity, and was found after eleven days as a guest at a hotel under a fictitious name! The speculations on her disappearance were both rife and varied. |
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Chemical reaction
Unlike those blessed ones whose profession meets their passions in life, Uday Narayan Shahane's life has been marked with recurrent phenomenon of contrasts. A born theatre devout Uday, who wanted to study and practice drama, had to complete his M Sc in chemistry and later serve in the State Bank of India. Better late than never. Uday finally opted for voluntary retirement to be a fulltime theatre practitioner. The Bhopal-based writer director, now credited with superb acting spells in 133 plays and directorial assignments, is associated with the famed Rang Vidushak (Theatre of Clowns) established by legendary Bansi Kaul. He was instrumental in staging of Hindi plays in Surinam, Columbia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Singapore, Denmark, Germany and Bhutan. In the city to direct a play in the ninth National Theatre Fest- 2009, he shares his views on the contemporary theatre scene and role of Rang Vidushak. What fascinated you to the world of drama and how has your journey been? A born theatre enthusiast, while studying in class XI at Gwalior, I happened to play a role for the Artists Combine Group, one of the few ensembles in India who own a 500-seated auditorium with modern infrastructure. My performance and the ambience inspired me to be a full time professional but God had other plans. My father Narayan Rao Shahane too was an accomplished dramatist but had to leave after he became a DSP. But I kept my passionate art moving and winning acclaim. What is special about your group? It is an integrated family of disciplined actors and artistes drawing inspiration and guidance form our mentor Bansi Kaul. Our actors like Amit Richharia or Harsh Dhawan have been associated with us while they were just six. Harsh now, a movement master, takes classes in the film institute. Rang Vidushak group as such is like a multidimensional institute of learning through experience and 14 of our actors have passed out from the National School of Drama. How is the audience and growth of theatre in India? Encouraging indeed. Unlike the Indian classical music, theatre has no threat of piracy or alien influences. The audience has cultivated a sense of appreciation for drama. I recall an overwhelming response from Chandigarh audience for the play Tukke pe Tukka two years back. At Bhopal, actor Om Puri was amazed at the receptive audience during his staging of his play Dhwast Dharmshala.
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‘I know I am desirable’
"Gracing the cover of India's largest selling men’s magazine was a fantastic opportunity and it just goes to show that I am one of the most desirable actors in tinsel town," said Amrita Rao. The actress who had reportedly gone under the knife to boost her assets, was photographed wearing a curve-hugging white mini said that she was happy with the cover as it made her look sexy without baring it all. "Maxim represents the sensual woman, the woman within, who reveals her darkest, sauciest secrets. I loved the cover a lot as it portrayed me as natural and sexy without baring everything," said the actress. The magazine is known for it's daring cover girls like Minissha Lamba, Neetu Chandra, Sheryln Chopra and Jiah Khan. —PTI
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Your Honour
Om Puri, who embellished the occasion as chief guest, while shared his memories of the college and the initial exposure in the college that encouraged his grooming as a leading actor in the film industry.
Like when he was adjudged as best character and best actor for his role played in the drama Anhoni during the Youth Festival, which proved to be a stepping stone for his tremendous success as an actor. He remembered that how, impressed by his performance, renowned figure of his time, Harpal Tiwana, showered praise on him. He proudly declared that it was from this college only, he embarked upon his long and successful journey to Bollywood and Hollywood.
— PTI
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Cold Shoulder
This is a terrible condition to be in. I need to avoid any kind of deep infection because it sets of various alarms in my rather frail system," the Bollywood icon told his EF (Extended Family), as he calls his readers. "I am requesting an early exit since bed rest has been advised for as long as I can manage," he wrote on his blog. "There's also a matter with my shoulder that convulses with sporadic spasms inadvertently. Sitting and lying down brings it on severely and since most of our acts during the day involve us in these specific modes it is binding my activities to a level that I do not like," Bachchan said. The actor said he was under treatment to control the cold and chest condition, drugs to ease the pain in the shoulder, and also an electronic physiotherapy session twice a day to minimize or cure the pain in his shoulder that sends a "lightening like spasm into my life and my existence". Bachchan said those concerned with his health have attributed this to changed climate conditions, flu-like symptoms in the atmosphere during the time of the year. "I accept all these, simply because it would be futile to argue against it," he said.
— PTI
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Bigg gets bigger
So, amongst the ritual fights for food, chores and bitching, each character is successfully carrying on the act. Ask to pick up the most mazedaar ‘item’ on the show, we bet it’s a task tougher than Amitabh Bachchan surviving in the Bigg Boss house for a day. “I think this time, the inmates seem to have their job cut out for them. To entertain in whatever way possible. They are quite detached from each other, and I personally like Raju Srivastav, At least his humour is intentional,” says Jaswant Hans, an advocate from the city. Well, he sure makes for being the joker of the pack but will he have the last laugh? Let’s see.
“I like Rohit Verma. The guy is really funny and not hoity toity like others. Bakhtiyar and Claudia too are cute. While everybody seem to have a game plan, they look composed and genuine on the show,” feels Upjeet Sandhu, a UIET student. Whatever happened to touted stalwarts like Sherlyn Chopra, Shamita Shetty and Tanaz Curim? While Tanaz maintains her track, Shamita seems be under heavy sister advice, too scared to ruffle a few feathers. As for the Sherlyn, the babe turned out to be a bit thanda for the spicy flavour of the show. Though our heart goes to Jaya Sawant, had she been on the show, the drama would have been high-rise. But, why cry over spilled milk? Ask Vindoo Dara Singh. nehawalia@tribunemail.com
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Candlelight drama
As enshrined in celestial thespian Bharat Muni’s Natyashatra, a complete Drama is an imitation or representation of the inner psychological conditions, external manifestations of these mental states, and situations to which human beings react psychologically and physically. These features and more are embellished in yet another new and boisterous theatrical spectacle Brief Candle in English, being brought to the city by the Durga Das Foundation, is all set to illumine the aesthetic vision of art aficionados on October 27 at Tagore theatre. The Tribune group of newspapers, HDFC Home Loans and others are the co sponsors of the much awaited event. An exalted English drama by celebrated playwright Mahesh Dattani finds absolute thematic expression under the directorial elegance of acclaimed actor Lillete Dubey. The stellar cast of accomplished actors Amar Talwar, Suchitra Pillai, Joy Sengupta, Zafar Karachiwala, Satchit Puranik and Manasi Parekh augments the production level. A 90-minute production, it is a dark-comedy about love, life and death. A farce which has some light humour, Brief Candle is set in a hospital for cancer patients and those terminally ill. Through a play that the inmates put up for the hospital’s cultural event, they find the dead playwright’s presence steering the rehearsals and comic situations developing, as issues related to life and death get reflected upon. A poignant and humorous play, it leaves you misty eyed at the end because you somehow connect with the characters and their dilemmas. A completely executed script by Dattani comes alive in the proficient handling of theatre veteran Lillete Dubey who is acclaimed for her nuanced portrayal of different characters on celluloid too. Besides the stellar cast of accomplished actors Amar Talwar, Suchitra Pillai, Joy Sengupta, Zafar Karachiwala, Satchit Puranik and Manasi Parekh augments the production level.Watch them live at the Tagore Theatre on October 27 at the Tagore theatre but be in your seat before 7.00 pm and the entry is strictly through invitation only, according to Atul Khanna, director, Durga Das Foundation.
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Spade work
The pot culture has attained importance due to the changed living style. There are more residents in flats now. Even in big houses or institutes, the emphasis is more on pots as they are the best fillers of space. Another big advantage with pots is that they can be shifted to strategic locations. This could be a show factor as exhibition of plant and flowers. The placement could also be for division of area, to block the movement or both human being or vehicles or above all, to hide a place from direct glance. Times have changed and the pots have changed too, from simple pots to the fancy ones. The pots are now selected as per the location and the purpose for which these are being used for a given location. These are available in sizes varying from a tiny two inches to three or four feet big pots. The smaller pots are used by the bonsai lovers to raise miniatures and by cactus and succulent freaks to raise very slow-growing rare specimens. The size depends upon whether it will be used on a stand, on the ground or on the wall or kept on the floor. This factor also decides about the material used to make pots as heavy pots cannot be used for hanging or on wall stands. For such locations, normally plastic pots are
used. The design is also a deciding factor. In big institutes and hotels, clubs etc, what matters the most is the fancy factor. Where as in markets and near the shop entry point, mostly cement pots with big-sized plants are used. However, now when the pots are being rented, smaller earthen pots are being used. It is important to understand a few things for planting in pots. The plant growth should be proportionate to the size of the pot. Too big a plant for a 10 inches pot will not only give it an odd look but will also not be safe as with any swing of air it will topple. It may prove dangerous on upper stories where we keep them on corners, unsecured. See the accompanying picture. This will give you an idea what kind of plants can be planted in pots kept in such a manner. The plant does not have heavy head or leaves that will make it unstable. Moreover, the sight of swollen plant base can be enjoyed form below. In the second picture, you will see plastic pots placed on small stands near the exit point. There are two things to notice in this case, one, the display is for visitors leaving the house, a factor which is normally not considered and the second, the plants used are very small but with coloured foliage and small blooms to go with the black colour of the pot. And this makes all the difference. It is not only the plants for which the pots are used. Now, we can get the base hole sealed pots that are being used to grow aquatic plants. If these are not available in your locality, you can get such pots made on order by telling the pot maker to seal the hole while making the pot.
satishnarula@yahoo.co.in Myth of the week These beliefs have no basis. Development of colour is totally dependent upon the genetic set-up. You cannot change the colour of white grapes to red by adding additives and red grapes will not lose colour if not added any red coloured additive. No doubt blood is good for plants as it has essential nutrients but nothing more. There are many a substitutes available in the market rather than adding blood etc. Similar is the case with pomegranate.
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Charity begins at cyberspace
This is precisely why NGOs and groups dealing with community services have started online charity websites, which allow you to choose a cause and then pay in cash or kind. Whether it is helping flood-hit victims, supporting an orphan or donating toys to preschool kids, online charity ensures that your money reaches the right place. All the same, there is a hitch in this too. Shares Gaurav Chhabra, who has managed to generate Rs 35,000 through online charity for the feeding programme that he will be initiating through his NGO, Humlog. “I was never in the favour of online donations. After seeing Mudcake, a documentary I made on slum kids, people wanted to send money to the kids, which I thought wasn’t a good idea. However, after reading the requests from the keen-donors, I created a facebook page for charity.” You can now watch the documentary on the Facebook and make donations through the NGO’s account number. Ditto for Theatreage, which accepts any kind of charity through theatreage.com. However, Zulfiqar Khan, who runs the NGO, feels people are not very comfortable with online donations. Agrees Payal Sodhi, founder trustee, People For Animal, Chandigarh. “The Delhi chapter of PFA has the online charity facility, while in Chandigarh we use our website to give information about the organisation. “Presently we are getting charity in kind from the people who read our website and want to donate something for the animals.” Payal also feels that online charity is a concept that does not go down well with Indians. “This is a concept that is accepted in the western countries. In India, people are generally skeptic about donating online. They probably doubt where the money will be wired or they don’t trust the credit card numbers left on the sites,” she says. Despite the hesitation to raise funds online, web portal like giveindia.org is doing pretty well. Giveindia.org sources funds and contributions from individuals across India and the world and directs these donations to causes and requirements of NGOs. The portal does not operate any charities directly. It only acts as a channel connecting donors with certified non-government organisations across India. jasmine@tribunemail.com For the donors As far as possible, make on line charity for only local NGOs. Read or if possible study the ground working of the NGO you wish to do charity for. Check the given credit card numbers authenticity. It is not always possible to keep a check on whether the charity has reached the right place, nevertheless you can always note down the address of the NGO and their contact number for any kind of information.
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Cancer call?
Studies on whether mobile phones can cause cancer, especially brain tumors, vary widely in quality and there may be some bias in those showing the least risk, researchers reported on Tuesday. So far it is difficult to demonstrate any link, although the best studies do suggest some association between mobile phone use and cancer, the team led by Dr. Seung-Kwon Myung of South Korea's National Cancer Center found. Myung and colleagues at Ewha Womans University and Seoul National University Hospital in Seoul and the University of California, Berkeley, examined 23 published studies of more than 37,000 people in what is called a meta-analysis.They found results often depended on who conducted the study and how well they controlled for bias and other errors. "We found a large discrepancy in the association between mobile phone use and tumor risk by research group, which is confounded with the methodological quality of the research," they wrote in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The use of mobile and cordless phones has exploded in the past 10 years to an estimated 4.6 billion subscribers worldwide, according to the U.N. International Telecommunication Union. Research has failed to establish any clear link between use of the devices and several kinds of cancer. The latest study, supported in part by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, examined cases involving brain tumors and others including tumors of the facial nerves, salivary glands and testicles as well as non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. It found no significant association between the risk of tumors and overall use of mobile phones, including cellular and cordless phones. —Reuters
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Movie bosses are reportedly prohibiting stars from leaking film information on popular social network sites such as Twitter. Studios were said to be including the ban as part of the clauses in their contracts, believing the "tweets" were damaging showbiz. Affected celebrities allegedly include Cameron Diaz and Mike Myers, who will both feature in a Shrek follow-up next year, reports the Sun. The story comes after singer Paula Abdul dramatically resigned from the post of American Idol judge this year on Twitter. —ANI
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Electric vehicles powered by hydrogen are not new. They have been speeding along the highways in abroad for a few years now. With the help of modern and advanced technology, a power unit providing 30-hours of continuous talking has been created, topping the three-five hour limit of normal batteries produced. Special feature
Now, the question is ‘how does this magic charger works?’ Skip the details they are to deep, in case you don’t want to, here they are: A multi-layered structure known as a non-porous membrane is at the heart of this innovative device, and it is here that the electric current is generated by a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen comes from a compound within the device and the oxygen comes from the air. It is this structure, which allows for the small-weight and long life of the device. Every square centimeter of the membrane contains something about 1000 lakh pores, each having several nanometers in diameter. Hydro future. This new device will enhance traveling immensely, as it can be carried in your pocket and be used on long journeys anywhere with no electricity. (Even if you are on the top Mt Everest) Rest the possibilities for tomorrow are endless.
amitpalsinghgrewal@gmail.com
Haute pick Pocket-size entertainer
What the music lovers would find most amusing would that, the Nokia X6 is all good in its entertainment value a pocket size speaker Nokia Mini Speaker MD-9 and Nokia Bluetooth Stereo Headset BH 505 together a re bound to keep anyone grooving till you stop. This new smart phone would hit the market in the sometime next month or later, but definitely before the year end and would be priced at approx Rs 30,000. It could be a little more too. Details Display: 3.2 inch widescreen Camera: 5 mega pixels with Carl-Zeiss optics and dual LED flash Music player supports nearly all formats Video: Recording and playback with TV-out support, video editing and online-share Full web browser (OSS) v7.0 with Macromedia Flash Lite 3.0 Email support including Nokia Messaging Built-in GPS with Assisted GPS (A-GPS) support, compass and Nokia Maps 3D stereo ringing tones and video ringing tones Memory: 32GB internal memory 3.5mm AV connector for stereo headphone jack Data Connectivity: High speed MicroUSB connector, WLAN (China WAPI), Bluetooth 2.0, WCDMA, GPRS/EDGE, HSDPA Talk time: Up to 8 hours Standby time: Up to 406 hours Music playback: up to 35 hours Video playback: up to 4 hours |
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Actress Amrita Rao, who has shaken off her girl-next-door image with a sexy makeover, is the latest cover girl of the men's magazine Maxim and believes that she is one of the most desirable actors in Bollywood. The 28-year-old actress who played the coy beauty in films like Vivaah and Ishq Vishq went for a glamorous makeover for Shortcut and she continues to sizzle on the cover of the magazine's October issue.
Renowned and celebrated actor, Om Puri, an old student of the institute was honoured with `College Ratan Award' at the Old Students Meet organized by Khalsa College, Patiala at the college campus.The function had been organised to commemorate and celebrate the Golden Jubilee Year of the college.
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan is unwell and has been advised bed rest following severe cold and shoulder pain, according to his latest blog post."A beastly cold sets upon me and a chest condition that threatens to develop into a disturbing congestion, drains all my energy.
It’s the third week now, the madness, the chaos and the tamasha is getting scandalous. Not that it is supposed to be a clean show, but the Bigg Boss steps up the entertainment quotient this time as the contestants expose themselves a bit too early. Not wasting time, everybody seems to be working hard towards the purpose, to win.
Another favorite, and hands down winner he is, Kamal Rashid Khan or KRK (weren’t we happy with a SRK only). The ‘multimillionaire’, who lives in 20,000-acre palace, and orders milk from Holland and water from France (Oh, c’mon) is by far the best entertainer we have seen in all three seasons. “He really rocks with his faiku tactics, put- on attitude that he carries with elan and a new panga every day. 
His negative image too works to his advantage,” says Ramninder Madaan, a media professional from the city. Sure, for someone who enjoys the idea of being hated and whose ego is probably bigger than Big B himself, Bigg Boss is a smooth sail. 
No matter how beautiful you have made your garden and added many a rare feature, the bad things attract the attention the most, and fast. This may be a broken tile in the garden path, a disfigured statue, a mangled light system, a rusted stand, or a disproportionate or damaged pot. The last factor makes the difference as even the most beautiful plant cannot distract the eyes. It is the human nature.
So as to get red colour in grapes, one must add blood obtained from butchery to the plant at the time when fertiliser is added. Similarly, for colour in pomegranate, one must add brick pieces in the plant basin. 
Flood, earthquake, landslide, famine, hurricane…unannounced and most-dreaded natural calamities can turn the existence upside down, anytime and anywhere. Worst still, are the remnants of the tragedy, a painful insight of which, we get to see on our small screens. The slow-paced rescue operations, victims facing hardships due to lack of adequate infrastructure, deplorable condition of the relief camps leave a bad taste. The ghastly picture of kids marooned and wailing, ruffles the conscience, and springs in a desire to do something. But, the ‘how’ factor mars the whole ‘let’s do something’ enthusiasm.
The continuous growth in the number of electronics in use around the world has tempted researchers to think of ways to keep them charged, with minimal impact on the environment and also sparing a thought or motivation about altering them. Common power supplies for either cell-phones or laptops is (as they have been for a very long time) a non-reusable battery or presently a rechargeable one. Now that we are in the 21st century, it’s time to introduce ourselves to the “21st century fuel” known as hydrogen.
According to the sources, this ground breaking hydrogen-powered charger weighs only about 180 gm (18 tolas) and is health and environment friendly. Compared to a standard charger of the same weight, which renders usually about 1.5 charging cycles, this new charger offers five cycles. If a phone has been totally run-down with this new charger, only 10 or 15 minutes are enough to bring it back to life. 
The Nokia X6 has a smooth 3.2" finger touch screen interface, a 5 mega pixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens and dual LED flash, 32 GB memory space and 35-hours of music playback and as if that is not enough, the X6 also gives you direct access to Ovi Store (it’s a new Service buy Nokia), that allows to you to interact with friends and communities, such as Facebook.