Outer Ring Road

If you’re heading to Shamshabad airport, taking the Outer Ring Road (ORR) from Gachibowli is the no-brainer route except for one problem — the entire 24 kilometre journey is bereft of any illumination. Opened to public in a bid to ease congestion, the wide expanse is fast turning into an accident-prone zone.

Kasturi Rangan, a gaming consultant, says “The whole stretch is dark and drivers have to rely completely on their vehicle headlights, which is insufficient. When I recently took that route to the airport, I was forced to sit on the edge of my seat squinting all the time while driving.”
In addition to the blinding darkness, the route throws up unexpected turns and bumps. Michell Liu, a student, who took the ORR to reach the A.R. Rahman concert at GMR Arena, last week, was alarmed, “When the road began at Gachibowli it was ok, since the surrounding buildings provided some illumination. But later the whole road got pitch-dark. Being a highway, we were driving at a high speed when suddenly we swerved because there was a speed breaker on the road. If there was a street light, we could have avoided it.”
“It’s a good thing that two-wheelers aren’t allowed on the ORR,” says Rajesh Kandregula, a financial consultant. “It’s such a dangerous stretch; the reflectors on the median and the barricades by the side of the road guide us but with the road’s sharp twists and turns, even that does not provide much relief. If work on the road was not yet complete they shouldn’t have opened it to public,” he adds.
The authorities however, claim that the stretch will be illuminated soon. Jagannadha Rao, chief general manager, Hyderabad Growth Corridor Limited, says, “Work on the ORR is still going on. We opened the stretch from Gachibowli to Shamshabad only to ease traffic. Beyond village limits, highways anyway don’t have illumination. However, since the ORR is an urban expressway we have decided to provide street lights once the 8-lane facility is operational from May 2010.”
He adds that the HGCL has temporarily provided high mast lights at major junctions along the ORR like Narsing Road junction, Rajendra Nagar, Police Academy and Shamshabad.

1. Waterfront
2. Zafraan Exotica
3. Zafraan Laguna
4. Chutney’s
5. Al Fresco (Taj Krishna)
6. Aromas of China
7. Ohri’s Serengeti
8. Peshawri (ITC Kakatiya)
9. Encounter (Taj Krishna)
10. Little Italy

Moonstone Art Gallery has an international reputation for exhibiting the best in natural oil paintings by an extraordinary self-taught artist. Moonstone concentrates on art’s role as a part of human experience and believes art can offer consolation and touching experiences in the changing world. We offer a fascinating glimpse into the work of renowned artists who can actually change the fabric of the world.

Both science and art use creative thinking, investigation and experimentation. However, science is concerned with the workings of the material world while artists are interested in the ways we experience it. Scientists work to understand and change the physical environment. Artists are more concerned with touching human emotions and imaginations. At Moonstone, we are concerned with changing the way we see things by exploring feelings and emotions. The way a story is told can alter your perceptions and perspectives. One way our artists do it is through metaphors by representing pairs of opposites like good and evil or knowledge and the unknown by Light and Dark respectively.

Every theme is very important because of the metaphorical journey that artists undergo in the process of creating art. Every canvas is a journey on its own which echoes individual’s paths in life.

‘Tis the season of extra calories: cocktails and cookies aside, your workout routine often gets lost in the holiday shuffle, so you’re not only eating more, you’re burning less.

Not to mention the usual stress, which can trigger the body to release excessive amounts of cortisol, the “cravings” hormone that makes you reach for comfort foods high in fat and sugar. “Stress can affect how you sleep and eat, and binge eating may be a result of your body’s natural rhythms being disrupted,” explains Cynthia Bulik, PhD, author of Crave: Why You Binge Eat and How to Stop. These three strategies will keep your body in sync:

Visualise your last meal

A recent British study found that women who were asked to write a detailed description of what they’d eaten for lunch that day snacked significantly less in the afternoon than those who didn’t focus on their last meal.

Recalling a specific, vivid memory activates the hippocampus, an area of the brain believed to be responsible for both decision-making and memory recall, giving would-be snackers better appetite control.

Meditate

It not only increases activity in parts of the brain associated with positive emotions, but it may also boost production of the crave-controlling neurotransmitter serotonin.

Sit in a quiet place with legs crossed, palms on knees, chest lifted, shoulders back and down. Close your eyes. Inhale and exhale five to 10 times, focusing on your breath. Shift your attention to your back. Inhale, visualising your breath rising up your spine to the crown of your head. Exhale, watching it fall back down. Repeat for five to 30 minutes.

Get enough shut-eye

Researchers at the University of Chicago found that just two sleepless nights (4 hours or less) dropped the satiety-signalling hormone leptin and boosted levels of gherlin, an appetite trigger. Those two shifts caused participants’ cravings for starchy foods such as cookies and potato chips to jump. Aim for at least 6 (ideally hours of sleep regularly.

source: hindu.com

Hyderabadi biryani
(By Vinita Pittie)

INGREDIENTS

250 gms basmati rice
2 cups chopped and boiled vegetables (potatoes, beans, cauliflower, carrot, mutter)
1 cup onions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp ginger, chopped
A generous pinch of saffron strands, soaked in warm water and crushed
Pepper, crushed
1 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp coriander powder
2-3 bay leaves
3 green chillies, chopped
A handful of cashewnuts
2 pods cardamom seeds, powdered
4 tbsp oil

METHOD
Heat a pan, add a tablespoon of oil and fry onions and cashewnuts till crisp. Boil water in a large vessel and add the basmati rice, cover with a lid and cook until just done. Drain the water and add powdered cardamom and saffron to the rice and mix well. Heat oil in a pan and add bay leaves, green chillies, ginger, garlic, garam masala, coriander powder, salt, pepper and the boiled vegetables. Fry well till the masala coats the vegetables, add the rice and stir fry it till the masala and vegetables are evenly distributed. Garnish with fried onions and cashewnuts. Serve hot with onion and tomato raita.

Basic Curry

Just like every cuisine has their trademark spices and curries, so does Hyderabadi cuisine. Once the basic Hyderabadi gravy is mastered, the same can be used a base for several preparations, right from mirchi and baingan ka salan, to koftas etc. Here’s how it can be done.

INGREDIENTS
A handful of peanuts,
2 tsp sesame seeds
2 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp khus-khus
2 dried red chillies
1 tsp chironji seeds
1 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp ground coconut

METHOD
Dry roast the peanuts, sesame seeds, khus-khus, red chillies, chironji, coriander powder and garam masala. Add ground coconut and roast it till the mixture becomes dry. Grind it to a fine powder.

* * *

E veryday culinary prepared in Hyderabadi households has a fairly large repertoire of vegetarian dishes, that are both healthy and yummy. Whenever I get a craving for Hyderabadi food, I indulge in a dish made with horse gram, that my grandmother still prepares. One of my all time favourites, this is a popular Hyderabadi vegetarian dish that is both wholesome and delicious.

Kulthi (horse gram) Ki Kut
(By Zia Bilgrami)

INGREDIENTS
½ kg + 125 grams kulthi seeds (horsegram)
2 tsp tamarind paste
Salt to taste
¾ tsp red chili powder
½ tbsp ginger-garlic paste
½ onion (finely sliced)
½ tsp coconut (ground)
½ tsp poppy seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds (ground)
½ tbsp coriander powder (dry roasted)
1 tsp roasted gram flour (besan)
1-2 bay leaves

For seasoning:
1 ¾ tbsp ghee (you could use olive oil or low fat oil if you are on a diet)
¼ – ½ tsp cumin seed
3-4 cloves garlic
1-2 dry red chilies

METHOD
Wash the kulthi seeds, boil it till it softens and grind it in a blender. Heat a pan, add the horsegram paste, tamarind paste, salt, chilli powder, ginger-garlic paste and chopped onion and cook on a slow flame. When the mixture has thickened, add the coconut, poppy seeds, cumin and coriander powder and bay leaves and cook for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Add gram flour, mixed in water, to thicken the mixture. Cook for five minutes and remove from heat. For seasoning, heat ghee in a pan, add cumin seeds, garlic and red chilies and fry till they brown well. Pour over the curry. This goes well with steamed rice or phulkas.

Source: deccanchronicle.com

“Yes, it was a pretty good performance but for the last 6-7 overs. We did a good job batting first but 290 was chaseable in such conditions. The wicket really held up well,” Ponting said after the match.

“But we started well with the ball, had them under pressure and we were just good enough to cross the hurdle,” Ponting said.

“The Indians are always known for their fighting spirit. The fought till the last ball and Harbhajan was terrific with the bat. Overall, it was a good game of cricket,” he said.

The Aussie skipper also lauded his top-order batsmen for setting the platform for the victory.

“Initially, the ball swung a bit but it was a nice toss to win. The top order did a great job today even though they could not manage to score big runs,” he said.

Asked what was his message to Peter Siddle as he gave him the ball with India needing nine runs off the last over, Ponting said, “I just told him to be calm. I told him not to get confused what to do and just go there execute his plans and he really did a great job at the end.”

Man-of-the-match Michael Hussey said partnerships from the top-order made it easy for him to open up at the later stages of Australia’s innings.

“It was good fun. I really enjoyed the partnership with Cameron White in particular. I think we had some good partnerships. Tim Paine and Ricky got us to a good start, so we could afford to relax in the middle period,” said Hussey, who made 73 of just 54 balls.

“We were not really looking for any specific target but obviously we wanted to get as many as we could,” he said.

Courtesy: deccanchronicle.com

* Best feature film: Gamyam
* Second-best feature film: Vinaya-kudu
* Third-best feature film: Parugu
* Award for best home-viewing feature film: Ashta Chemma
* Best film on national integration: 1940 lo oka gramam

* Best director: Radha
Krishna Jagarlamudi for Gamyam
* Best lead actor:
Ravi Teja for Neninthe
* Best lead actress:
Swati for Ashta Chemma
* Best supporting actor:
Allari Naresh for Gamyam
* Best supporting actress: Raksha for Nachavule
* Best character actor: Mukkuraju for 1940 lo oka gramam
* Best comedian: Brahmanandam for Ready
* Best Villain:
Sonu Sood for Arundhati
* Best child actor:
Bharat for Ready
* Best child actress:
Divya Nagesh for Arundhati
* Best debutant film director: Sai Kiran Adivi for Vinayakudu
* Best screenplay writer:
A. Karunakaran for Ullasamga Utsahamga
* Best editor: Marthand K. Venkatesh for Arundhati
* Best art director: Ashok for Arundhati
* Best audiographer: Radhakrish-na and Madhu-sudhan Reddy for Arundhati
* Best costume designer: Deepa Chandar for Arundhati
* Best makeup artiste: Ramesh Mahanti for Arundhati.
* Best male dubbing artiste:
P. Ravi Shankar for Arundhati.
* Best fight master: Ram Lakshman for Neninthe.
* Best choreographer: Prem Rakshit for Kantri
* Best female dubbing artiste: R. Haritha for Nachavule
* Special jury award: Anushka Shetty for Arundhati
* Best special effects:
Rahul Nambiar for Arundhati
* Second-best children’s film: Durgi
* Second-best documentary: Memu Manushulame
* Second-best educational film: Adavi Naa Thalliro
* Best film critic on Telugu Cinema: Parcha Sarath Kumar

Murthy, a former MP who played a key role in the formation of the PRP last year, met the Congress party’s state unit president D. Srinivas, setting the stage for his entry into the ruling Congress party.

Murthy later told reporters that he had faxed his resignation letter to PRP president Chiranjeevi. He also announced that he would be joining the Congress party on Nov 1.

He said despite the glamour, Chiranjeevi failed to build the PRP into a formidable political force. He alleged that the election funds which were collected by the party were not spent on the campaigning, resulting in the defeat of the party’s candidates.

Murthy, who was the guiding force behind the party in the initial days and was also convener of the party’s manifesto committee, was sulking ever since the party’s defeat in this year’s elections.

The PRP won only 18 assembly seats in the 294-member house and drew a blank in the Lok Sabha elections.

Several key leaders of the party have quit ever since the poll debacle. Chiranjeevi’s close aide P.S. Mitra and former minister T.Devender Goud were among those who resigned while many others distanced themselves from the party.

Source: DeccanChronicle.com