See 28 Olympics In The Same Venue!
By Emma Ross
The 2008 Beijing Olympics is almost on usÿ and it is interesting consider, if one could witness highlights of all the 28 Olympicsÿ held since 1896! The first Olympic Games of the modern era were held in Athens in 1896 with just 245 competitors from 14 countries and Olympic games 108 years later in 2004 had 10625 participants from. 202 countries!
Unfortunately in 1896, there was no video recorders and even the movie film camera was barely one year old, being invented by the Frenchman Louis Lumiereÿ in 1895. But happily, in the Olympics Museum at Lausanne- Switzerland created in 1993, you can see the all the available photographs/films/literature of all the Olympic contests.
In the words of Martin Callanan, chief researcher of the Museum, "We had to distil all this and the spirit of the Olympic movement into a sort of showcase. And the challenge was more practical. Where would we find the images that would reflect the scale and significance of the Olympic movement? The period 1896 to 1936 was the most difficult, but that was just one eight-panel section. Then we had 1948-68, 1972-84 and 1988-92. Following that we moved on to an equally massive display on the opposite side of the museum, covering the Winter Olympics from 1924 to 1992. Other displays were the history of the ancient Greek Olympics, the story of the Olympic Flame, major events of the 20th Century, and a homage to great Pierre de Coubertin-(reviver of the Olympic Games) himself."
The present Olympic Museum, successor to three earlier smaller ones is the museum of an idea. Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who revived the Olympic Games, had the idea of creating an Olympic Museum. He proposed it for the first time in 1915 after setting up the headquarters of the IOC in Lausanne. The baron felt the museum should not only be the legacy of the newly restored Olympic Games, but should equally embody the ideals of Olympism. Later when Juan Antonio Samaranch became President of the IOC in 1980, he made it a major priority to create a vast, first-rate Olympic Museum and Olympic Studies Centre in Lausanne, which would genuinely correspond to Pierre de Coubertin's wishes and promote the Olympic Spirit. Samaranch's goal was to make the museum a living cultural centre endowed with modern audiovisual and computer-based presentation techniques. The construction of the present museum began in 1988 following the acquisition of properties, located on the slopes overlooking Lake Geneva at Ouchy. The total budget for construction and fittings (building, museology, infrastructure and equipment) amounted to Us dollars 114 million, 84% of this sum was been collected in the form of donations to the Museum Foundation, mostly by sportsgear makers with the IOC provided the remaining 16%. Actually the planning of the museum was 99 years old on the inaugural day, 23rd June 1993, and this date coincides with the foundation of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894. The architectural style of the building is that of classical modernism.
The Museum houses permanent and temporary exhibits relating to sport and the Olympic movement. It features everything you could want to know about the Olympics, from the founding of the Olympics in ancient Greece to the addition of the Winter Olympics to how new sports are added to the competitions.ÿWith more than 10,000 pieces, the museum is the largest archive of Olympic Games in the world. The Olympic Games saw many political overtones too. Of these, the Berlin Olympics of 1936 is memorable because Hitler refused to acknowledge the successes of the black American athlete Jesse Owens who won four gold medals, and walked out rather than see a non-Aryan athlete honoured . Among the numerous exhibits are the shoes belonging to Jesse Owens during his 1936 record-breaking long jump of 8.06 metres. The Captain of the Indian team at the Berlin Olympics of 1936, Dhyan Chand's hockey stick figures in the Hall of Fame and you are reminded that he is a triple gold medallist, being part of the team that won three successive hockey gold medals. In 2000, the then world's oldest surviving Olympic medallist, 103-year-old American Hal Haig Prieste, handed back a unique Olympic flag, which he stole eighty years earlier, after getting the bronze medal for diving . Mr Prieste, who won a bronze Olympic medal in diving in 1920 confessed, that he had climbed up the flagpole at night on a dare from a team-mate, Duke Kahanamoku. He escaped with his trophy by giving Belgian police the slipand kept the flag, the first to fly the famous five ring Olympic symbol, hidden in a suitcase for the next 80 years Today this flag is displayed at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The IOC medal tally chart ranking based on the number of gold medals for different countries is an interesting item in the Museum.. Where the gold medals are equal, the number of silver medals (and then bronze medals) are counted to determine rankings. Since 1896, the only countries that have appeared in the top 10 medal tallies for summer Olympics have been the Russian Federation, United States, China, France, Germany, Australia and Italy. The countries that have appeared in the top 10 medal tallies for winter Olympics have been Norway, the Russian Federation, the United States, Canada, Germany, Austria, South Korea, Switzerland, France and Italy.
Visitors can go to the Olympic Studies Centre in the Museum to refer to the periodicals and CDs linked with the Games and use the documentation services as well as browse through the photo library with its 4,30,000 documents. The Images and Sound department has more than 17,500 hours of film footage. In short, this Olympic museum can make you live through the 28 Olympics held since 1896.
-(Maharaja Features)

A Dad's Promise
He could not let go, unlike many others he could not sleep, THE promise kept him earth bound.
He had promised her that he would always be with her, all the way, at every step, he would give her a helping hand. His wish to fulfill the promise had been strong; after all she was his little princess. She was the sweet daughter whom he had loved with all his might.
But destiny had something else in store, time stole him away from her, he did not realize when the messenger of death came and stole his life. He hazily remembered that he had been sitting on his table writing out her birthday card, her 18th Birthday was to be the day after. All of a sudden a blinding pain had gripped his heart, he recalled praying fervently to God, not to let him die. His last thought, as he had struggled to breathe, had been that he could not leave his little princess unprotected in the big bad world, and then he had blacked out.
The next thing he saw was his beautiful little princess sobbing out her heart. Big tears were threatening to fall, from her round almond eyes. He saw her gazing lovingly at his picture. Wait when did she get it framed? He hated the gilt frame! it made the picture look like a picture of a dead dad!!! Wasn't it the same picture that she took from her camera that he had gifted her on her 16th birthday. It was then that he had realized that the elusive life had slipped away from his fingers like sand grains. It had shocked him to the core of his being.
How could he die? He wondered. he could not leave his little darling alone, in the big world, the though of her all alone was too much for him and he closed his eyes as if to shut out the thoughts that crowded his brain.
" You cannot go like that dad, how could you break your promise" those words fell like molten iron on his ears and he knew then, that he would never be able to leave. After all he had promised her, he had to be by her side always. He knew then that he would be joining the motley group of souls left hanging in between; tied too strongly to their loved ones, and could not cross over.There were a few of those who were tied by an equally strong hatred and just could not leave and cross over, they were the sad lot. Thankfully he did not belong there; his strong bond with his daughter had kept him grounded.
So he had became his daughter guardian spirit. He followed her to college, kept hanging around when she went with friends. Often when she felt indecisive and he wanted her to follow his advice, he pricked her 'gut feeling' and she eventually did what he would have wanted her to do, believing all the while that it was her gut feeling.
Time flew, it flew past with rage sometimes and at others it dragged its insolent feet noisily across the corridors of life. But time did pass. Two years went away and he could used to hanging around his daughter, he shared her joys and sorrows unknown to her. He shared her agony and escasy and she was unaware all the while. But at times he thought that she knew he was around, cause she did address him at ties, like the other day, whne she was reading a book and he had been sitting around looking across her shoulder, she had suddenly turned around and said,' dad stop it!'.
He had also noticed subtle changes in her little princess, off late Anshu took lesser refuge of her" gut feeling" and often when she was in a difficult spot, she simply called up Abhay. Abhay was a rock of support to his little Angel, he had often seen, a rarely found devotion and respect in Abhay's eyes.
Often he thought that as a spirit he had been able to keep a better eye on his little girl, after all how many father's would have the good fortune of following the man in their daughter's life , day in and day out to ensure his character was of solid gold. He had been able to do that. He had no doubts that Anshu was lucky to have found Abhay, he would take care of her and treat his daughter like a princess that she was, he was sure of that. He had seen Abhay in his most unguarded moments and had tickled Anshu's gut feeling as soon as he had realized that Abhay was in love with her. He knew it would be a matter of days before Abhay popped. the question and Anshu accepted it.
And finally on a bright Sunday morning, as they were walking hand in hand across the garden at the back on his spacious house( him following them just two steps behind), he had popped the question, Anshu had demurely nodded her head and accepted it., just like he had advised her to. He was relieved, so relieved that he felt tears well up in his eyes.
That evening when they had been alone, she had turned to his gilded picture and with a smile of peace on her lovely face , she said, 'dad I was wrong to say that you did not keep your promise, you did and you did it in the most unique and in the most wonderful way, I am not angry with you any more' Suddenly he felt cool raindrop on his face, her tears had touched him. Something melted away the bonds of the unkempt promise and her anger suddenly melted with her warm words and he felt free. Free to finally let go and cross over.
He stood for a moment longer and kissed her forehead, she turned around startled, of course she could not see him, but she had often felt a presence near her, she had convinced herself that it was her dad. And toady she was sure. He was glad that she had finally freed him of his promise. As if on cue, he felt a subtle lightening of his being and slowly he floated away, to join the Creator, satisfied that his duties on earth were done.
-(Witchonthebroom) courtesy: sulekha

FILM CITY AND GLAMOUR WORLD
Asha Bhonsle & Sachin Tendulkar to sing duets!
Melody queen Asha Bhonsle will soon invite cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar to sing with her and she is confident that the master batsman will not say 'no' to her. Bhonsle and Tendulkar recently met in Delhi for receiving the Padma Vibhushan honours.
In her words "As I have said earlier, that I want Sachin. I have not spoken with him on this matter. He is so busy. He does not have time to do anything apart from cricket. But I have decided to invite him on dinner and formally make a proposal to sing with me. . He is so soft spoken and his voice has that sweetness. He is so fond of music. I guess he is a good. I am confident that he will fulfill my wish".
Song of Five generations of superstars.
Aditya Chopra is leaving no stone unturned to make his ambitious film Shah Rukh khan starrer- Rab ne Bana Di Jodi- a grand success. He has recorded an eleven minute song in the film for one important sequence in the film, that will have Sonu Nigam paying tribute to five different generations of yesteryear stars.
The song tracks the journey from 1950s to the 90's to the present era and will be picturised on Shah Rukh Khan. The specialty of the song is a tribute that SRK give to stalwarts like Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand, Shammi Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna and Rishi Kapoor. Music composes Salim Suleiman and Jaideep Saini were asked to compose, the song, which would have the first line of the most famous numbers with their romantic icons and these involves songs sung by singers ranging from Mukesh, Rafi, Kishore to Jolly Mukherjee. Ranging from the '50s to the '90s. The Voice had to encompass the spirit of the old and the new equally, and Sonu was the only option. Apparently Sonu who was traveling extensively obliged thrice to rehearse and work on the song and then finally sang in less then 45 minutes.
"Singh is Kinng" makes up with the Sikhs.
After having been the cause of much controversy with the Sikh community in recent days, the crew of Singh is Kinng thought it best to bring out the proverbial white flag.
After having specially screened the film for a cross section of Sikhs, certain scenes and segments of the film have been reshot, redubbed and even omitted on the basis of the advice given by those present. The producer, Vipul Amrutlal Shah, confessed that it was not possible to correct all the so called mistakes in totality. But he went on to add that the ones that still remain are only mild in nature.
Sylvester Stallone in a Bollywood movie!
Producer Sajid Nadiadwala is a man on a mission these days. International sensation Sylvester Stallone had agreed to play a role in his film Kambakkht Ishq. The latest is that he will be acting as himself in the movie.
That is not all - for the first time in Indian history, the shooting will take place inside Universal Studios - one of the biggest known studios in Hollywood. The film has hit pair Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor in the lead. Akshay plays a Hollywood stuntman in the film, hence Stallone's inclusion. Our desi action hero will be seen with the international action icon. The expected budget of the movie (so far) is Rs.90 crore.
Bhutto family refuses help in movie on Benazir.
In the backdrop of reports that a Mumbai based production house was producing the film in which Aishwarya Rai may play Benazir's role, a lawyer for her husband Asif Ali Zardari said that the family would not provide any help for the project. But a documentary on the life of Benazir who was assassinated in Rawalpindi in December 2007 was currently being made by a US production house. Zardari spokesman Farhatullah Babar said, that the documentary has been okayed by Benazir herself during her lifetime. "As far as we are concerned, this is the only official documentary that we are currently assisting in production" Babar told the media.
"People want us to expose"... Rakhi Sawant
Be it her dance 'jatkaas' canny publicity stunts or the Mika kissing episode, Rakhi Sawant is the girl, who drew people's attention in her own way. For the longest time, janta knew her as an item girl but now Rakhi speaks of stepping out of 'sex-bomb' or 'item-girl' image and say " Through reality shows I want people to know me closely". In an exclusive of her adventurous journey.
Q. Your views on exposing in bollywood... do you set any limits for hot chicks like you?
A. You can expose to the extent, you feel comfortable. Atleast, we are not exposing as much as is done in Hollywood. We shall see what our time demands. Exposure is not just our choice, but actually it is people's choice. We, as actors, serve that stuff which people want to see.
-(Maharaja Features)

The Sepoy Mutiny As Seen By Queen Victoria
By K.R.N.Swamy
The First War of Independence, known to the British as the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, was directed against the British and it is quite interesting to consider as to how Queen Victoria (1817-1901) the Queen of Britain, reacted to the Mutiny.
Reading one of the official dispatches on June 8, 1857, Queen Victoria found a memorandum from the Prime Minister Lord Palmerston, that 'widespread mutiny and dissatisfaction among the native troops of India is reported and it is hoped that the situation will be controlled.' This was the very first indication Queen Victoria received of the Sepoy Mutiny, although as early as December 1856, her husband, Prince Albert had predicted the possibilities of such an emergency, and had warned the British Cabinet that the Indian subcontinent was seething with unrest and that the number of British regiments in India should be increased .
But the true import of the conflict had not yet dawned on the British and London was at its gayest. As such it was a surprise to the Queen, when the next intelligence from India brought news of the capture of Delhi by the sepoys. The Queen was unaware that the Mughal Emperor of Delhi was to be the titular leader of the revolt and when she heard the Mughal capital had fallen, she felt great anxiety about the welfare of the Mughal royal family.
In common with the average Briton, the Queen suffered acute mental torture, as news of rebel successes continued to arrive. 'We are all in sad anxiety about India, which engrosses all our attention,' she wrote to her uncle, King Leopold of Belgium. "Troops cannot be raised fast or large enough. We have nearly gone to the full extent of our available means and may with difficulty retrieve the situation".
At that same time, conveying troops to India in ships via the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, was a long process. It took six months, whereas via the isthmus of Suez, it would be only nine weeks. The Suez canal was not built then, but was the isthumus, was a transshipment point for passengers wanting to make a quick journey to Britain. The Queen asked her Ambassador in Istanbul, Lord Stratford de Radclyffe, to request the Sultan of Turkey for permission to allow British troops to cross the Isthmus of Suez. After crossing the isthmus, steamers were to take the soldiers to India. The permission was granted.
From then on, till the end of the Mutiny, Suez isthmus became the transhipment point for news and army personnel. Couriers arriving with information about the mutiny were to be send immediately to the palace. The Queen, with the Prince Consort, spent hours before a map of India, marking the fortunes of the British Army with paper flags.
Hundreds of petitions reached the Queen from the relations of soldiers stationed in India, requesting her to force the British cabinet to take more speedy measures to send succour to British soldiers, India being the place where everyone had been anxious to place a son.
As the tension and feeling against the rebels in India mounted among the British , the handful of Indians in Britain, mostly Indian Princes, deprived of their territory by the East India company and exiled by the British Government from India, found themselves the target of white fanatics. The worst to suffer was Maharaja Duleep Singh, the son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1779-1839) of Punjab and the last independent ruler of the Sikh state. Even the members of the British House of Lords found it difficult to control their animosity against him. One of them, Lord Claranden wrote to the Queen, that he heard that Duleep Singh was either from nature or by early education very cruel. The Queen, it must be noted in her favour, did not share this view. 'I am very much surprised at your observation,' she wrote back to Lord Clarendon . 'It is hardly to be expected that he, a deposed Indian sovereign, not very fond of British rule as represented by the East India Company, should like his countrymen called fiends and monsters and to see them brought in thousands to be executed. His best course is to say nothing".
By September 1857, it became apparent to the British Cabinet, that the situation in India might have got out of control and that it would be judicious to prepare the British nation for the worst consequences. The prime minister decided that a day must be set apart as National Prayer Day, so that the people would realize that their sovereignty over India was in jeopardy and wrote to the Queen for permission. October 11, 1857, was designated as the 'Day of Prayer and Intercession'.
But as the months rolled by, due largely to the lethargy displayed by the majority of Indian princes, the Sepoy Mutiny began to peter out and the fall of Delhi to British forces on September 14, 1857, marked the beginning of the end of the revolt, and that of the East India Company.
Now that the Empire was directly under her rule, the Queen decided to issue a formal proclamation to the Indian Nation to convey her warm feeling towards it. Accordingly , she requested Lord Derby to compose a proclamation, ".. In his excellent English , bearing in mind that it is a female sovereign, who speaks to more than hundred millions of eastern people, after a bloody Civil war. Such a document should breathe feelings of generosity, benevolence and religious feeling". As far as she was concerned, the Sepoy Mutiny was over.
-(Maharaja Features)

Want To Smell Fresh?
By Hector Choksi
For fresh MBA graduates today, it's a smooth journey from campus to their AC-ed cubicle. But as the HR and admin heads train the recruits to handle software, work sheets, accent, speech, hours and the company's privacy policy, they are discovering to their dismay, that the employees need education in something basic. That is Body odour.
And for the regular office goer traveling by trains/buses/taxis ofcourse it is a near fatal comatose experience.. That's what happens every time you step into a crammed train compartment, getting past the bumping and grinding, jostling and showing, only to be slammed straight up the nostrils with wretched body odour.
O.K. Agreed that most of our cities, water supply for the bath is a problem and if you have to decide between cooking or bathing , with your quota of two buckets of water, cooking gets first preference.
It is commonly felt that perspiration causes body odour. This is true, but perspiration is not the only cause. Perspiration is essentially odourless. The odour develops when the bacteria starts acting on it. The bacteria is present on everyone's skin and is active in warm and moist surroundings. Covering our body are around 3 million sweat glands. Most body odour comes from the armpits and groins. And there are two types of sweat glands - eccrine and apocrine. Eccrine is found all over the body surface and their primary function is to regulate body temperature. Heat, humidity and tension stimulate these glands to produce sweat that cools the body as it evaporates. Eccrine does not usually create an odour problem. It's the apocrine glands that are to be blamed mainly from the armpits (a region that produces 1 per cent of sweat, but 90 per cent of body odour).
Body odour may also be influenced by diet. Certain foods, such as curry, garlic and strong spices, contain chemicals that may be excreted in the skin. The smell almost always disappears with a shower or bath, but can return rapidly, especially if a person puts on unwashed clothes covered in old sweat and bacteria. The reason that some men/ladies smell more than others might be because they have higher hormone levels Athletic men tend to perspire more because their pores get bigger with use.
How to control: Bathe at least twice a day. Use a medicated soap. Odour forms six hours after you sweat. Bathe twice a day, and wear freshly washed clothes, because old odour can cling to them. Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) is said to help prevent body odour. Make a paste of baking soda using water (you can also add lemon juice) and apply it on areas such as the underarms. Leave it on for 10 minutes and wash with water. Or, mix a little baking soda with talcum powder and apply it on areas like your underarms, or feet, where sweating is more profuse.
Wear washed clothes: Ensure that the clothes are washed in water as hot possible and is dried till it is moisture free. Damp dress breeds bacteria, which gives a characteristic foul smell. Says Krishna Ghorpade sales manager in Canada-based Thomson Research Associates, a company whose anti-microbial treatment is being used on dress material in India. This brand of clothes known as Ultra Fresh essentially create an environment that is not conducive for bacteria growth, thus, the treatment restrains gas-emitting bacteria , which otherwise reproduces rapidly with perspiration and causes foul smells. Other companies like Invista have introduced technologies in dress material like Coolmax, that manages moisture.
Use deodorants: In India we find that generally talc and to a less extent deodorants and antiperspirants are used. The market for the talc is constant at 600 crores an year, while the deodorants and antispersiprants have reached to 150 crores an year and are still climbing. Deodorants and antiperspirants are not the same. Deodorants have antiseptics and fragrance ingredients that keep you smelling good. Anti-perspirants help to reduce sweat.
Talcum powder has played the same role with its multiple benefit deliveries. There is a perceived value for money issue deos vis-a-vis talcs.. According to Chadha of Universal Perfumeries "Considering that for the average price of a deodorant, one can get 2-3 packs of talc, which delivers similar benefits, deos haven't become popular".
Keep in mind that the most effective deodorants contain aluminium or zinc (both fight odour causing bacteria) and that antiperspirants , on the other hand, clog sweat glands so that bacteria have nothing to interact with. . Another economic sweat buster is boric acid, which in thin paste form keeps sweat bacteria under control.
But this 2008 summer, an unusual remedy for this sticky situation was injecting botox. The process of injecting botox is simple. After performing a harmless and painless starch test to locate the sweat glands, a very fine needle is used to inject small amounts of botox (Botulinum Toxin) into the skin of the underarms in approximately 12 to 15 places on each side. Doctors say that botox only help in reducing the amount of sweat and doesn't completely eliminate the problem, People are slowly beginning to realise that. this is a quick solution and it lasts for about 11 months, which means that you need do it about once a year, and for many people, this is the ultimate remedy.
-(Maharaja Features)

Starfocus
SUNIEL SHETTY
"I AM NOT INSECURE AS AN ACTOR"
By V. Ananth
Suniel Shetty is quite excited about his role in˜ One Two Three. "I play the role of a perfectionist in the film One Two Three. Ashwini Dheer whom we call Ash affectionately has conceived an entirely different role for me. The film is all about three different characters coming from different cities. The film is very hilarious right from the first frame till the last one and deals with the problems which the three face because they have then same name-Lakshmi Narayan", quips Suneil.
Q. Why had you stopped taking up offers to act in outside banners? Pat comes the reply, "I should admit, that though of late I had stopped taking up offers to act, after Hera Pheri it is after a long time that I have got a role to perform in a film where all the characters are equally good. I was keen on working with Ashwini because he is a good director."
When asked In what way is Ashwini different from Priyadarshan as a director, Suneil quips. "Priyadarshan is the king of comedy as well as visuals, as far as Bollywood is concerned. I should know because I have worked with him in quite a few films including Yeh Tera Ghar Yeh Mera Ghar, Hulchul, Hera Pheri, Chup Chup Ke etc. Ashwin is like Priyadarshan. He is a writer-director with a great vision. Like Priyan, Ashwin too does not demand respect but commands it. Though there is a similarity with Priyadarshan, Ash is different from the other directors".
Suneil confesses that he did not even act in his own production Bhaagam Bhaag. "I would not say that I have become a very selective actor. I turn down offers which come to me, because believe me or not, the vast majority of the offers which come to me are nothing but outright trash. As far as possible, I try to see to it, that I eliminate myself as an actor in my own projects. I did not act in Bhagam Bhaag though Priyan was keen that I do a role. Instead I asked him to cast Chi Chi because he was going through a low phase then as an actor". Suneil asserts that when pitted with seasoned actors like Paresh Rawal, he is not at all insecure as an actor. "I enjoy working with every actor. When you are pitted alongside an actor like Paresh Rawal, the level of performance becomes very difficult. Paresh is one actor who can easily make out the size of your chaddi by just looking at you".
Suneil admits that besides One Two Three, he has just one more film in his kitty-Mission Istanbul, produced by his own company Popcorn. "It is pay-back time for me as an actor. As an actor, I only think these days about how I can give back to the film industry which has made me what I am today. I choose to do only what I believe in and hence with the exception of One Two Three I do not have any film of mine on the floors, except Mission Istanbul."
Suneil Shetty has joined hands with Ekta Kapoor to make films. "I understand the problems which an actor or for that matter technicians face because I have risen from scratch both as an actor as well as a producer. I have a great amount of respect for Jeetuji, Shobhaji and Ekta Kapoor and hence I decided to join my hands with Balaji as a co-producer. The whole canvass of film production has undergone a sea change. I am slowly mastering the art of production.You would not believe this. Even though Ekta and I have not signed a written contract, we have mutual trust and that is the reason we are now producing not one or two, but seven films".
Q. Tell me something about your production Mission Istanbul! Suneil, who is known as Anna in the film industry replies "Mission Istanbul is a very entertaining, yet issue-based film which will hit you in the eye, with its gutsy treatment by director Apoorva Lakhia. Mission Istanbul sets out to talk about terrorism, which is a contemporary topic. Mission Istanbul has a very riveting story line.If a terrorist runs a satellite channel, there cannot be a bigger lethal combination".
Is it true that you are on a spree of recommending Sanjay Dutt to every filmmaker? Anna retorts, "It is all bull-shit that I am on a spree of recommending the name of Sanjay Dutt, who is a dear friend of mine to every producer. It is actually the other way round. It is Sanju who is graciously recommending my name to all the producers. I have never exploited any actor under the guise of friendship. I gave Sanju the praise which he deserves as an actor. I did not ask him to reduce his price for my sake, because I am a professional."
-(Maharaja Features)

Photo-Framing -- Bhutan
By Sanjay Kansal
Back in 2004 when she put up her first photo exhibition of Bhutan there was a flurry of excitement among art lovers. Not because this was the first time someone had brought back professionally clicked pictures of Bhutan but because of the images that captured the spirit of the Land of the Thunder Dragon.
Serena Chopra has done it again now. And this time it is a double whammy- a book titled Bhutan: A Certain Modernity that has some stunning black-and-white pictures and an exhibition. This exhibition comes after she displayed these pictures in New York and Thimpu.
Over time the photographer-writer has visited the Himalayan kingdom 13 times and has travelled to its remote corners with guides and locals. She says what strikes her on every visit is the fact that the place has not changed in centuries. The pristine glory of its hills and its amazing variety of climates and ecosystems are a lifetime's experience for any traveller.
Serena a keen photographer and wife of a Delhi doctor, first went to Bhutan with a group of friends and instantly fell in love with the country. What struck her were not merely the natural landscapes and the monasteries but the way people actually made Buddhism a way of life. She put her camera to good use. The result was a very captivating black and white exhibition. "It's such a colourful country that you can only capture its beauty in B&W."
Serena says that her endeavour was to portray a country that was taking its first steps to modernity after the recent general elections and simultaneously preserving its rich cultural past. The pictures are evocative and show the contrasts in a society that is moving into the new age while keeping alive its links with the past. Most of the images are scenes of daily lives of ordinary Bhutanese people.
Happiness Index
Her pictures also capture the concept of the Gross National Happiness-an innovative concept created by King Jigme Singye Wangchuck to measure prosperity not by Gross Domestic Product but by Gross National Happiness-an index that has become a model for economists and planners the world over and is now being adopted by other countries including Canada and Switzerland.
"In these stressful times such people who are at so much peace with themselves can only be found in fictional books. You seldom see them in real life," says the 53-year-old Serena who's had the rare privilege of visiting the hallowed nunneries and an even rarer privilege of being allowed to click pictures of the sacred rituals conducted in these holy places.
Serena who has left her textile export business to devote all her time to photographing Bhutan says she does not regret her decision. In fact she is happy to have switched to a creatively satisfying profession that is more a labour of love. She says there were some pictures that took a lot of time. On an average she spent over an hour for one picture.
Right Angles
Using a manual Hasselblad-considered to be the world's best camera-she would at times have to painstakingly mount it on a stand and wait for hours for the right angles to click. She has not used any digital imagery in her new exhibition. Earlier she was using a Canon camera.
Sarena is particularly proud of the pictures that depict the daily life of Bhutanese who she says are very fun loving and happy. "Their innocence simplicity and warmth is all-pervasive. It touches you in many ways," says Serena.
On an earlier occasion when she had visited Bhutan she attended a village festival in the interior of the country. There during a performance she saw an elderly dancer gesticulating at her and bowing before her. When she asked her guide what he was saying, he said that the old man was proposing marriage to her with all the gracefulness he could summon. "I thanked him profusely but said I could not accept his offer as I was already married." The old man was overjoyed when she suggested that he consider her his daughter. He accepted the offer instantly!
Such incidents in the book give a rare insight of a place that has been shrouded in mystery and closed to the outside world for centuries. And despite the fact the kingdom opened its portals to tourism in 1974 it hasn't been touched by commercialisation. "Most inhabitants are blissfully unaware of the world outside Bhutan and are happy doing their own thing. Let the world come and meet us, seems to be their motto."
It is this spirit that Serena has captured with skill and sensitivity. The involvement, she says has been so intense that it would not be wrong to say that she has become one with Bhutan!
-(Newsmen Features)

Monsoon Tourism Succeeds In Kerala
By Anthony Kuriakose
When it comes to tourism in India, the experts found that they have to face two factors. One, as it is the tourism industry gives job to nearly 25 million Indians (3-4 percent of the GDP) by way of hospitality/travel etc, the international standard being, that for every tourist, three local jobs are created.
The second was that for three months in a year, that is June/July/August, the months of the monsoon were traditionally the off-season for the tourism industry. Though vital for the country's economy, the monsoon had proved a wet blanket for the tourism industry, with hotel and resort occupancies dropping by nearly 50 per cent and revenues of travel and domestic tour operators going down sharply.
As early as 1986 the Tourist authorities in Goa,had proposed a monsoon tourism package, But it did not take off. It took nine more years for the Indian Tourism icons to popularize, what is known as Monsoon Tourism. In 2005 the decision was that that Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttaranchal, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh and Orissa could be initially considered for promoting monsoon tourism,
Then it was researched, as to who are the tourists willing to come to India during the monsoon.. Obviously, these are the travellers, who love monsoon and have not seen monsoon of this intensity in their countries or even in their home states in India. Further the Indian monsoon during June-September, coincides with the summer vacations in the Gulf countries. Thus one can witness a steep increase in tourist in flow this monsoon. The Indian tourist industry has created tours and activities aimed at rain-starved Arab visitors Open-air discotheques are billed as "rain dance floors." Tour operators peddle sight-seeing trips, or "rain walks," as relaxing excursions for "introspection" and "family bonding".
From inside India itself, it was found that states, where the rain is scarce like Rajasthan had lot of domestic tourists, willing to savour the monsoon in the coastal states.
Besides, there has been an increase in travel by the double-income-no-kidsÿgroup for monsoon tourism.. These people believe in beating the rush and getting a truly relaxing holiday. "As they do not have kids, they are not bound by the school holiday cycle and during this time they get quality holidays", adds an Indian tourism official.
Further one great advantage during monsoon, is that the holiday packages are available at an all time low. After the summer heat, the tourists desert the hill resorts and the beaches. Monsoon sees empty accommodations. Without reservations too you may plan and enjoy a holiday in monsoons. All overall expenditure goes low in the monsoons and attracts the budget tourists out of the house. Further with no teeming tourists around, monsoons allow you to enjoy your holiday to its fullest.
On an average, based on the destination, the mode of travel and the accommodation chosen, a domestic holiday package would cost anywhere between Rs 12,000 and Rs 20,000 per head for a week and an international holiday package would cost anywhere between Rs 20,000 and Rs 35,000 per head per week.
But so far monsoon tourism has succeeded only mainly in Kerala and to an extent in Goa. While Goa was able to offer the tourist facilities, for a fraction of the price, it would have cost during the season, thus attracting the guests, Kerala under three successive tourist administrations has succeeded in building up monsoon tourism,
Another advantage Kerala has over other states, when it comes to monsoon tourism, is that the Ayurvedic - medical tourism famous in the southern state, is very effective only in the monsoon months and Kerala could tie it up with monsoon tourism. As nature recoups with the rains, it is rejuvenation time for humans too. According to Ayurveda, monsoon is the best season for rejuvenation therapies. During the monsoon, the atmosphere remains dust-free and cool, opening the pores of the body to the maximum, making it most receptive to herbal oils and therapy. These Ayurvedic/Monsoon tour packages could cost anything between about 4000 rupees and 11000 rupees a day. However, two-week packages carry discounts compared to daily packages. And hence the most popular packages are those spanning one week, two weeks and three weeks.
At the same time, Kerala Tourism is also working out a schedule of events to be conducted across the State during the monsoon months, A 'monsoon food festival', a music festival and a theatre festival are some of the events being planned. Kerala Tourism is also looking at organising a folklore festival, as many of Kerala folk traditions and arts are strongly associated with the monsoon. The Kerala handicraft department is also working on creating niche "monsoon tourism' products to help the local handicrafts. Special 'monsoon treks' and other activities are being developed as part of this process.
In the last five years, the number of tourist places offering monsoon/ ayurveda-related services in Kerala has more than doubled. Capital investment for a cottage in a resort now ranges from Rs.500,000 to Rs.5 million. As the gulf returned Malayalee is keen on investing in this sector and thus has sprung up numerous ayurvedic centers/restaurants/resorts etc.
After their monsoon tourism programme started in 2005, Kerala found that in the rain soaked months of June/July/August there was a twenty percent increase in the number of tourists. With the help of monsoon tourism Kerala hopes to raise the annual domestic tourism in Kerala from the present six to twelve and international tourists from 350,000 to one million by 2013.
No longer is the monsoon considered a deterrent for tourists, thanks to the consistent efforts of Kerala Tourism, which has paved the way in successfully promoting Kerala as a round-the-year destination. -(Maharaja Features)

Encroachments-A Permanent Nuisance In Srinagar
By Syed Yasir
Time and again the officials of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) carry out drives for removing the encroachments from footpaths and pavements in the Srinagar city, but minutes after doing so the encroachers return and resume their business, as if nothing had happened.
In the Srinagar city and more so in the prime areas, it becomes difficult for the pedestrians to walk on pavements and footpaths and thus they are forced to walk on the main roads. This results into accidents and people tend to get injured, several times seriously, in such mishaps.
This phenomenon gets repeated and a comprehensive action is lacking in this respect. In the heart of Srinagar city, footpaths and pavements have been occupied by roadside vendors at Residency Road, Abi Guzar crossing, Lal Chowk, Hari Singh High Street and some other places.
People selling merchandise of varying types can be seen busy in their profession and they seem to be less bothered about the inconvenience being caused to the common masses.
"When the SMC officials feel that the sword is hovering over their heads they tend to carry out a drive against the encroachers. But as the pressure ceases or dies down, they are least bothered to take a broader view of the whole issue. They seem to work hand in glove with the encroachers and there is nobody who would hold them accountable. Lack of accountability is the main reason for the failure of such drives and one can only hope for better things in future", said Ali Mohammad, a resident of Koker Bazar.
There are people who allege that the roadside vendors pay amount towards the police as well as SMC officials and it is only after this that these people tend to sell the things on the footpath or pavement. This section of people opine that once the roadside vendors fail in doing so, they face the music and scattering of their merchandise is the extreme step taken by the monitoring agencies.
"If the people at helm would have been serious in solving this glaring civic issue, then it was not a big deal to solve it forever, but that is not the case. The monitoring agencies earn bucks from the same deal and the roadside vendors work in connivance with them. Once the money stops flowing, the officials take action against the roadside vendors and they scatter the articles on the main road", said Fayaz Ahmad, a resident of Chattabal.
There is a section among masses which attribute another important aspect to this whole affair. They say that big business houses and shopkeepers receive a hefty sum from the people who display their articles on the roadside and footpaths. They add that big business players usually clear their off season stocks at the hands of the roadside vendors.
"The leading shopkeepers in the heart of Srinagar city allow the roadside vendors to set up their shop only after they pay the hefty sum to them. In some of the cases the deal is a daily one and in the others it is on monthly basis. During the off season it has been seen that these big business players hand over their products to these roadside vendors and sell it through them", said Mohammad Ramzan, a resident of Hyderpora.
In addition to the occupation of the pavements and footpaths, it has also been seen that the main roads are also occupied by push cart owners as they sell their products on them. This is mostly seen in the evenings and one can easily see people selling products like sweaters, jackets, trousers, shoes and others on the hand push carts on the main roads.
"The monitoring from the concerned agencies is very less during the evenings and people can be seen selling products of varying types in the heart of the city. Somehow, no action has been taken against these people and here too the matter seems to be fishy.
everybody is in a hurry once the dusk sets in, the people selling merchandise on the hand carts make a good business since the common masses prefer not to bargain more", said Imran Ahmad, a resident of Karan Nagar.