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Midlife awakening
The woman who went to bed for a yearSue TownsendPenguin2012, pp 437499Eva, Sue Townsend's 50-year-old protagonist from her latest book, says it all early on: "I preferred it when there were three...
View ArticleRoyal portrait
This account of Udaipur's purple past presents the illustrious life of Rajput princes, writes Monideepa sahuThis scholarly yet very readable history of the erstwhile princely state of Udaipur brings to...
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'Amar Prem': A neglected gem
Like so many unrepentant South Indian chauvinists, I grew up memorising old Hindi movie songs and paying no attention to the movies themselves. And so I wasn't affected by Rajesh Khanna's passing away...
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Art in the outdoors
In Toronto, art is almost everywhere — by the sidewalk, in galleries, in museums, as graffiti on brick walls, as spray paint on burly boundaries and as signposts outside cafes and galleries....
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Musical expressions
The several tributes to Kishori Amonkar on her 80th birthday, including the beautiful film made by Amol Palekar titled Bhinna Sadja, show her to be a great musician of emotion.Everyone agrees on the...
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Instruments for every occasion
When I embarked on a month-long trip to Africa, little did I know that this short trip of mine would offer me an introduction of the unique musical instruments of Africa. To begin with, in Africa,...
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Jumping for camera
Photographer Philippe Halsman believed that when a person was asked to jump, his mask fell and the real person emerged, writes Giridhar KhasnisSixty years ago, the Ford Motor Company, celebrating its...
View ArticleMusic Review
Candy popEnglish pop bands from Scandinavian countries have always been popular in India and other Asian countries. They include A-Ha, Aqua, ABBA, Ace of Base, Roxette and The Cardigans. Danish pop...
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Policing our TV screens
This actor is the face of the longest running television series. He is part of the Guinness Book of World Records. He is a name to reckon with in films, theatre and television. A powerhouse of talent,...
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The jingle of success
Srabanti Chakrabarti talks to talented singer Vijay Prakash, who has made quite a name for himself down south, and seeks to replicate the same in the field of Bollywood playback.Decades back, Gulzar...
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Flying high
Over the years, Telugu cinema has been blessed with a fair sprinkling of talented directors who have boasted of the Midas touch and whose films have inevitably clicked at the box office. Names that...
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A studio with violence in its bones
Family films are in the DNA at Walt Disney. Universal Pictures has a weakness for monsters. And Warner Brothers? Its movies have often displayed a violent streak. For decades, Warner's films have...
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Czar of rebel cinema
Rajiv vijayakar speaks to one of the most offbeat talents of tinsel town, critically acclaimed director Anurag Kashyap, on the unconventional manner of his cinema, his mode of operation, and more.You...
View ArticleIt's on our shoulders...
Are we, Indians, a responsible lot? If yes, how strong is our sense of responsibility? Revathi Siva Kumar attempts to find answers.In India's 65th Independence year, we can rejoice that at last, she is...
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A question of responsibility
Our responsibility towards our fellow citizens cannot be ignored. However, responsibility is not just about what we do, but how we do it too. If we do not respect our fellow citizens enough to listen...
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Timing of advances is important
Advancing pawns to create weakness in the enemy camp is one of the tried and tested formula in a game of chess. However the timing of these advances is very crucial and depends on the position. Missing...
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Drama at the biggest theatre
Losing at the Olympics hurts. But suffering an injustice, real or imagined, is agony. The 2012 Games have been peppered with debatable refereeing, a technical glitch in fencing, post-race relegation...
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Raising the speed bar
Over 116 years the Olympic 100 metres final has produced drama, pain, controversy, disillusionment, incredulity and unbridled joy -- all crammed into a race lasting little longer than it takes to say...
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A teen sensation's incredible journey
At the Chen Jing Lun Sports School in the picturesque city of Hangzhou, the slogan, ''Today's sports school student, tomorrow's Olympics stars'', that greets all who enter the compound was a prescient...
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Phelps, the greatest?
The races at the Aquatics Centre ended on Saturday, but, in one sense, the race was already over much earlier for Michael Phelps. Phelps has now won more medals than any Olympian: summer or winter,...
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