Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Rampage of a haute kind

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg


Is the city in for an overdose of fashion this January or will be it be “the more the merrier?”

Just when the Bangalore Fashion Week dates were getting set for announcements on January 25, Prasad Bidapa announced his dates for The Prasad Bidapa Fashion Week.

Are we getting set to becoming the pret-a-porter capital of the country? We speak to both the organisers on whether there’s any rivalry brewing or is it all fair in the world of fashion.

Prasad Bidapa will be presenting his first ever fashion week in the city. After three decades of working behind the scenes, we wonder why the fashion guru who has launched many famous faces didn’t think of a fashion week earlier. We questioned him whether it was a tad too late, “Everything has a time. I realised that Bengaluru designers don’t have a platform of their own to showcase their talent and we thought what better way to kick off the year.

The three-day extravaganza from January 18 to 20 will present the fashion history of Bengaluru, right from the days of Royal Mysore to present day by the city’s talented designers. We have Amanda Bachalli, Anjali Sharma, Calantha, Deepika Govind, Jason & Anshu, Lokessh Ahuja, Manish Saksena, Namrata G, Nimirta Lalvani, Pallavi Foley, Raj Shroff, Ritu Pande, Rony Dutta, Royal House of Mysore, Runa Ray, Sanchita Ajjampur, Seema Malhotra and Shalini Subramanian.”

Commenting on the reason that triggered this “fashion week” of his own, Prasad explains, “I have been thinking of it for a while now. The other fashion week (read Bangalore Fashion Week) has random designers. Bengaluru has enough talent to flaunt. I don’t have anything against anyone. It’s a big city and has space for everyone. If my fashion week is a week before theirs, fashion overdose is not my problem.

My designers are different and I will have top notch models like Bruna Abdullah, Indrani Dasgupta, Acquin Paes, Smitha Rao, Dayana Erappa and other models. I have no problem if my models do other shows, as long as they don’t bring the standards down.”

In its eighth phase, Dream Merchants also announced its Eighth edition of Blenders Pride Bangalore Fashion Week that will be held from January 25 to 28. Nisar Ahmed, casting director for BFW says, “I don’t understand the relevance of having another fashion week in the city, as we are already recognised. I think it will be an overdose of fashion. Now more people will come up and start their own fashion weeks.

They wanted to register themselves as Bangalore Fashion Weekend, but have gone ahead and done it in the name of Prasad Bidapa. I have never seen any fashion show in anyone’s name. We have made a name and are also going global this year with a show in Bangkok in March. This year, we have big designers like Ritu Kumar, Rina Dhaka, Abhishika Dutta and Niki Mahajan apart from other designers.”

Roshan Issac, a model who works for Prasad Bidapa feels, “PBFW is the first fashion week that will have only city designers of repute.” Question the organisers of BFW on the same and they say, “The reason why we didn’t have a lot of local talent was that we wanted to show the city talent from other cities.”

Sajad Mahajan, CEO, Dream Merchants reiterates, “We have also brought in several innovations like our BFW tunes.”

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> Lifestyle> Fashion / DC, Namita Gupta / January 11th, 2013

The misty mountains

About Kodagu / Coorg, Arts, Culture & Entertainment


In an overconnected world of social networking sites and every application that lets you broadcast your every move, the idea of a holiday is not just about leaving workmates behind anymore. Today to me it’s about leaving all this technology behind so you can take a vacation from everything that connects you to the world.

As I landed in Bengaluru, groggy, early one morning, I closed my eyes briefly, took a deep breath and mentally geared myself for a long, almost seven-hour drive to Coorg. Allowing myself the way of listening to some music off the radio in the car, I was determined to use as few gadgets as possible.

The drive was unending, the heat from time to time unbearable and a patch of the road that I was convinced would cause my back to snap. By the time I reached the hotel in Madikeri (seven km beyond Coorg), I was yearning for a bed, waiting to drop into it and pacify my stiffened back, with no intention whatsoever to loo around until I felt adequately rested.

When I walked into the reception of Vivanta by Taj, Madikeri, the staggering view of the hills and ravines took my breath and tiredness away in one swift second. Unobstructed by human habitation stood nature, waiting to cradle you and leave you rejuvenated. Standing at 4,000 sq. ft from sea level amidst a thick rainforest, I was embraced by a short chilly breeze while sipping a Coorg coffee delight bella kaapi.

Within minutes of checking into my room, the very organic feel of the place took me in. Then I discovered that I had stretch myself on the top of my toe and as much away from the room to possibly try and get one bar of cellphone network. If the idea was to get in touch with your inner self on a holiday, that the network was awful most certainly helped.

So I made my way to the Jiva Spa, a much talked about centre of Ayurveda, natural massages and wellness. Sixty minutes later, after the masseuse relaxed every muscle of mine, I stepped out convinced that I’d go back to my room and hit the sack. It wasn’t the best massage I’ve had but it certainly gave me the spring in my step to go out and try to explore a tiny portion of this 108-acre property.

One of the best things on offer is a nature trail. The very knowledgeable naturalist, walked us through narrow paths and dense sholas, reminding us of what we miss out on a daily basis as we live our high pressure city lives.

Rare orchids, bamboo plants, ferns and so many other botanical beauties cut you out of the din of a community and put you one with nature.

When I got ready to come back home, the first thing that got my attenti was just how much noise I was cut off from while enjoying myself in this carefully maintained property. A holiday real should be about relaxing and not Instagramming and updating your statuses. The long drive was worth it but the silence that followed elevated the experience beyond the 4,000 sq. ft where the property was ensconced. Disconnect from your daily din and make this trip to Madikeri.

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> LifeStyle> Travel / DC – by Lakshmi Govindrajan Javeri / January 06th, 2013

Indian Ocean, Shankar Mahadevan to collaborate

Arts, Culture & Entertainment


New Delhi:
Rock band Indian Ocean and composer-singer Shankar Mahadevan are all set to collaborate for the grand finale of Storm Festival 2013.

The two powerhouses of the Indian music industry will be coming together especially for the second edition of the festival, to be held in Coorg, Karnataka.

Talking about the collaboration with Indian Ocean, Mahadevan said, “I really wanted to collaborate with them. I love them as people as well as for them being the wonderful musicians they are… I`m a proud mainstream musician but having said that I do firmly believe there`s more to musical talent in India than just Bollywood…”

“There is so much talent in India and these kind of festivals are fantastic ways to promote that talent. I am really looking forward to performing at the Storm Festival in the fabulous backdrop of Coorg this year.”

Rahul Ram, the Indian Ocean bass guitarist who was Mahadevan`s co-judge on the latest edition of music reality show `SaReGaMaPa`, said, “We`re really looking forward to this collaboration and the Storm festival. Shankar is a fantastic guy to work, a very capable musician and a outstanding singer.”

Festival director Lavin Uthappa said, “Change is what the audience always craves for. What better way to bring about that change than these two fantastic acts coming together for the first time ever especially for our festival. I am sure that this collaboration will be a feast for the audiences at storm festival in Coorg this February.”

PTI
source: http://www.zeenews.india.com / Home> Music / by PTI / Saturday, January 05th, 2013

3 Indian Cuisines We Really Need To See More Of

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Uncategorized


\Image: Sunith Shyam
1. Kodava
For a district that’s barely 4,000 sq km in size, Kodagu (Coorg) in Karnataka produces a surprisingly varied range of cuisine. Few mainland cuisines in India embrace pork as whole-heartedly as the Kodavas do, so it’s only fitting that the pandi curry—a rich, slow-cooked pork dish that takes its signature dark colour from a vinegar called kachumpuli—should be considered an icon, but it ends up overshadowing tangy, light fish curries, delicate vegetable stir-fries and endless variations of staples created with rice. Tickling all the taste buds, this is a cuisine that has made a firm imprint on Bangalore—in the past six years, the number of Kodava restaurants has grown from one to three—and is now ready to take on palates in the further reaches of the country.

2. Saoji
Chances are if you’ve heard of the Saoji style of cooking, you’re from Maharashtra. Born of the working classes, it’s only in recent years that the cuisine has stepped outside roadside shacks—Nagpur and Sholapur are dotted with no-frills Saoji bhojanalayas—and into more upmarket restaurants. Ear-buzzing, sweat-inducing fieriness is the primary distinguisher of this cuisine, along with liberal use of oil. There is little record of the evolution of Saoji cuisine but the spice levels possibly had something to do with the region’s dry heat and the perceived low quality of the offal that was often all the weaving communities were able to afford. Though Saoji mutton and chicken (dry and rassa are the two standard varieties) are the most popular dishes, vegetarian dishes are not unknown. Oh, and did I mention that critics and fans aver with one voice that the food is extremely tasty? Marketed intelligently, Saoji could well replace Andhra food as the go-to meal of choice for hot-heads.

3. Ahomiya

While narrowing down this list, one of the criteria was that the cuisine should be something of a will-o’-the-wisp, that is, familiar enough to be welcome and at enough of a remove to be enticing. For a Bengali, that cuisine is undoubtedly Ahomiya, with its river fish, wild greens, mustard oil balanced by a plethora of fermented and dried foods, exotic tribal ingredients like the pupa of the eri silkworm and red ant eggs, as also the kolkhar—traditionally the water filtered through the ashes of dried and charred banana skins that is now frequently replaced with baking soda—used in cooking the first dish of the Ahomiya thali, the khar. There are almost as many kinds of Ahomiya cooking as there are households, and it’d be a rare eatery that would be able to present all the micro-cuisines from the length and breadth of Assam. But this is a restaurant-ready repertoire, waiting to unfurl its wings beyond Assam House in Delhi’s Chanakyapuri.

Image: Neil McAllister / Alamy

http://www.forbesindia.com / Forbes India / Home> Life/Special / By Sumana Mukherjee / January 03rd, 2013

Showcase: Set the sands on fire

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

With its star line-up, Sunburn 2012 is a year-end treat for EDM fans.

Goa’s sultry beaches are set to pulsate to heady beats from some of the best names in electronic dance music (EDM). Yes, it’s time for Sunburn. This three-day festival has been a much awaited affair since its inception in 2007. Sunburn 2012 has a stellar line-up of performers including S.P.E.K.T.R.E, Nikhil Chinappa and Ma Faiza. Grammy award winner Paul Van Dyk headlines the fest while other showstoppers include Brian Transeau (BT), Jitter, Sashanti and Dutch heavyweights Sander van Doorn and Fedde Le Grand. The festival promises to be bigger and louder compared to earlier editions with more than 150,000 revellers expected to make a beeline to Candolim Beach. Seven stages will be spread over two grounds.

Presented by Micromax, Sunburn is organised by Percept Live, a division of Percept Limited. Shailendra Singh, Joint Managing Director, Percept Ltd., says, “The idea behind Sunburn was to create a sync between EDM and people; their love for music and life. With Sunburn, we have managed to create a ‘Glocal’ music property and brand.”

Asked about the USP of this fest, which is ranked as the ninth best festival in the world and has put India on the international music scene, Singh says, “Sunburn offers the best in EDM, access to world renowned artists, world class sets and stages, the magic of Goa and over a 100,000 music lovers soaking up the sun.”

The festival has thrown up some interesting talents like Jalebee Cartel and Midival Punditz. The ones to look out for this year, says Singh, are “Lost Stories, Sanjay Dutta and Arjun Vagale”. Sunburn encourages budding EDM artists through The Sunburn Anthem & Video Contest (SAVC).” This year the contest has been extended to 15 other countries. The contest has two components: Audio Remixing and VFX creation. The winning track will be featured on the Sunburn Anthem compilation along with acclaimed international and domestic artists.

Apart from the music, sun and sand, some trendy Sunburn merchandise, including the special Sunburn collection of ‘glow-in-the-dark’ flip flops from Havaianas, are also available for shoppers.

“Sunburn has always been about more than the music, it’s an experience. Where else can you get together with friends and meet new people, in the fresh air and with a beautiful soundtrack? Forget the hustle bustle of the city and for three days just… Live. Love. Dance.” Singh signs off.

Sunburn Festival 2012
Where: Candolim Beach, Goa

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> Arts> Magazine / by Reshma S. Kulkarni / December 22nd, 2012

Game time

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports

Rohan Bopanna on brand promotion and tennis

“I am glad to be here today, at the unveiling of Rado’s HyperChrome Collection. I’m pleased that Rado is the new official timekeeper for the Aircel Chennai Open, and am happy to be launching its latest collection,” said well-known tennis player Rohan Bopanna. a watch from Rado’s HyperChrome Collection while playing at the Open. “Its light weight and sturdy. It’s a watch fit for all occasions.”

When asked how he felt on joining Andy Murray as the other tennis player to sport Rado’s HyperChrome, he said; “I’m honoured to have joined the list of international sportsmen and celebrities who have represented this brand.” On his thoughts about the upcoming Chennai Open, Bopanna said that he’s looking forward to it; but refused to answer any questions related to the game. He said he would be looking to start his new season on a positive note; and also revealed that he has a collection of around 32 watches from various watch manufacturers.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> Life & Stylye> MetroPlus / by Ashwin Jacob / December 31st, 2012

Madikeri: Well-known Journalist Anil H T Bags Karavali Cultural Foundation Award

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

Madikeri:
Anil H T, well-known journalist from here, has been nominated to receive the annual award instituted by Karavali Samskrutika Pratishthana, a Kerala-based cultural and literary forum for Kannada linguistic minority, which has been functioning in Kasaragod over the past 22 years.

The forum will hold a two-day meet in Kasaragod on Dec 29 and 30 in the form of Fifth Kerala State Kannada Conference. It will be observed as Kerala-Karnataka festival also.

Pratishthana president Shivaraya Kasaragod has said that Anil H T was chosen to receive the media award, in recognition of his commendable service in the field of print, electronic and radio media in the past 15 years.

Currently, Anil is the Kodagu district correspondent of Kannada Prabha, Udaya TV and Akashvani (All India Radio). In the past twelve years, he has bagged 20 state and district-level awards.

Kannada and culture department secretary Dr Manu Baligar will present the award to Anil at a function during the conference in Kasaragod on Dec 30.

source: http://www.mangalorean.com / Home / by Ashwini Appaiah & Fayaz Bovikan in Kasargod / Team Mangalorean – Madikeri / December 27th, 2012

Did ‘Pyaar Ke Side Effects’ appreciations came as a Surprise for Singer Sophie Choudry

Arts, Culture & Entertainment


Mumbai:
Sophie Choudry, The Singer, The VJ, The Performer, The Actress who was discovered by Ace Musician Biddu goes one-on-one in conversation with Pardaphash.com correspondent Faisal Saif.

Question: Tell us about Sophie Choudry, The world doesn’t know.
Answer: I am an absolute nerd.. I love reading, i have always been a straight A student, i speak fluent French. I have written the lyrics for almost all of my songs, i speak fluent urdu and i prefer spending time at home rather than going out partying.

Question: You were born and brought up in London, How was your Journey in Bollywood as a VJ, Singer and Actress?
Answer: I was discovered by the music director Biddu when i was 12. I always wanted to sing and he launched me in the girl band Sansara when i was still studying! I became a VJ in London with ZEE TV while i was at college and when i decided to move to MUMBAI, MTV hired me! My solo songs “Mera Babu Chail Chabila” and “Ek Pardesi” became massive hits and i decided to stay in india. David Dhawan called and offered to launch me in “Shaadi No1”.. i was a huge Govinda Karisma fan and this opportunity was a dream come true for me!

Question: Why was the sudden Split Up from Sansara Band despite of ‘Yeh Dil Sun Raha Hai’ becoming a Chartbuster?
Answer: We had too many ego issues. generally it’s tough for girls to get along and unfortunately even though we sang really well together, we all had different ideas about how to take things forward. I was dedicated to making it work, even move to India. they werent.

Question: Your reactions when ‘Baby Love’ and ‘Sound Of Sophie’ became talk of the Music Trade?
Answer: Yes, that was incredible for me. Ek Pardesi got me immense popularity, i started doing lots of shows and like i mentioned it got me Shaadi No.1 and even Pyar Ke Side effects. I can never forget that album and T-series promoted it so well!

Question: What about Acting Side? We don’t see much of Sophie nowadays?
Answer: I wasnt getting the kind of roles i wanted so i had to take a step back and focus on myself, my music and my shows. However people thought i didn’t want to do films because i wasn’t signing anything. That isn’t true. Thankfully i signed something recently and hope to do more movies next year!

Question: Did ‘Pyaar Ke Side Effects’ appreciations came as a Surprise?
Answer: Yes it did. I loved the script because it was so different… it was a new kind of cinema with an unusual casting and it made me realize that even if i wasnt the heroine of the project i could make a lasting impact! Til this day, no one has forgotten my character Babygirl volume 3 or the famous coffee!

Question: Was the Raunchy Act video scandal was again any part of Promotional Activity?
Answer: NO!! Not at all! I didnt even know about the video until one of my twitter followers told me about it. then i got more and more tweets! I have no idea how that got out!!! If i wanted to leak something, i would have leaked the song because i want that to get popular not a raunchy clip!!!!

Question: Hows was you convinced for ‘Hungama Ho Gaya’?
Answer: It’s an amazing song which i thought we could work with to create something absolutely new! It was Vishal dadlani’s idea and me and JohnStewart the arranger worked on it for a couple of months to get it just right.. I even wrote new lyrics. I just had a feeling this song would cause a Hungama of sorts and it has!

Question: What took you so long to come up with this Song?
Answer: Non film songs dont get much exposure on TV and radio anymore and since you have to produce the project yourself it takes time to out things together. Also im a perfectionst!

Question: What preparations you went through in the Making of the Video for ‘Hungama Ho Gaya’?
Answer: I got as fit as i could by working out, we did dance rehearsals with my choreographer Arvind, Rocky S spent time on the styling, i even met him in London for some of the shopping. We worked very hard on all the planning with the video director Shiraz Bhattacharya. Most peole can believe we shot the videoin one day because it’s on such a grand scale! I wanted it to be my hottest video ever!

Question: Future for Sophie Choudry.
Answer: I take each day as it comes. You cant make plans in this career or in life. You just have to be true to yourself, live life to the max .. But i will keep doing what i love..making more music, performing on stage and even some films! I m blessed to be able to do what i love!!

source: http://www.pardaphash.com / Homepage> Entertainment / Published by: Nitish Kapoor / Friday, December 21st, 2012

The call of Coorg

Arts, Culture & Entertainment


View to a thrill The outdoor restaurant
You can do Coorg in several ways. You could stay in a luxury resort, camp in a tent pitched on the cool hillside, enjoy a home-stay in Raj-style bungalows of coffee estates, or be a back-packer in a log room on a balcony that you reach by swinging yourself up on a rope and a prayer. Or, you could try a filthily opulent extravagance with heated pools, chocolate-dipped strawberries and champagne. I have tried Coorg in all the above ways and I must confess that while my soul might think otherwise, my body could quite easily get used to this whole filthy luxury thing.

At the slick resort that it unveiled in Madikeri last week, Taj Vivanta has pulled out all the stops to how you can experience this verdant part of the country. While we can go on about all the little details such as service, rooms and banquets that the Taj, and indeed most major hotel groups, do so well, the moment when the resort takes your breath away happens elsewhere. At the moment you enter it, in fact. You step through wide doors to a stunning wide-open, semi-circular lobby that’s perched like an eyrie on the very edge of a high hill with a spectacular view of the Western Ghats and valley spread out below. Standing there on that open terrace edged with a narrow pool of pebbled water, the strong wind tugging at your hair and nothing but sky between you and the view, it’s easy to forget humdrum earth. You could be a bird, resting before taking wing again to tumble freely in the clouds.

A cup of hot bella kaapi — Coorgi black coffee sweetened with jaggery — brings you back to earth but in a comforting way, and you are now ready for the more mundane moments. Not that I can really call the deep tissue massage that follows mundane, as the Tibetan masseuse kneads every kink out of my aching muscles most satisfyingly. I need it, especially after that very long drive (seven hours) from Bangalore that tested patience and fortitude severely. Later that evening, I find that I also definitely need the exotic cocktails concocted by celebrated flair bartender Attila. It’s getting easier to see just why all these little hedonistic details are so indispensable.

The nature walk next morning makes hardly a ripple on the surface of this lotus-eating. It’s a sweet little exercise designed to make us feel all outdoorsy while ensuring we don’t break a single pretty fingernail. But nothing can take away from the sheer beauty of a shola forest and its denizens, and our guide is a genius. We see funnel spider webs and wild cinnamon and learn about the annoyingly pushy bracken. The resort has tied up with Muddy Boots for forest walks and birding sessions and it’s a brilliant idea.

You can’t avoid Nature here — it’s vast, stunningly beautiful, and all around you. And the resort celebrates this in the best possible way. The restaurants, cottages and activity centres, sprawled across 180 acres of rainforest, are all tucked away into the hills and landscape, almost organically blended in. My cottage has three walls of windows that look out on the forest, with both bed and bath-tub facing outdoors. I wake up to the call of a Malabar whistling thrush. We have strawberries at breakfast that are grown on the property.

Of course, they organise activities — there’s pottery and meditation, yoga, tours and walks. For the launch, we even had a champagne dinner serenaded by Grammy award-winning group Deep Forest and santoor star Rahul Sharma. Left to myself, though, I would use every minute to just soak in the amazing atmosphere of the place. Read a book on that breathtaking lobby balcony, look down at a wind-rippled patch of satiny paddy or lazily track swallows wheeling in the sky. Nights would be spent star-gazing, something the manager assures me is very much on the cards. You could call me lazy and you wouldn’t be wrong. But honestly, what better place to be lazy in?

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> Life & Style> Travel / by Vaishna Roy / Chennai, December 21st, 2012

Kodava Sahitya Academy awards announced

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Karnataka Kodava Sahitya Academy President Addanda Cariappa has announced the names of the Academy awards for the year 2012-13 here on Tuesday.

The award winners are litterateur Bacharaniyanda Appanna from Kushalnagar, Madikeri AIR announcer Koopadeera Sharada Nanjappa and Kodava folk artiste Medara Thani. The award carried a cash prize of Rs 10,000 and citation.

Academy Honorary award will be conferred on A T Raghu, director of Kodava serial ‘Ain mane.’

The honorary award carries a cash prize of Rs 5,000 and citation.

The award will be given away at ‘Kodava Sahitya Samskrithika Manamme’ scheduled to be held at Madapura in the month of January.

source: http://www.DeccanHerald.com / Home> District / Madikeri, DHNS / December 12th, 2012