Inspired decor, personal style

Decorating your room? Priyanka Joshi speaks to a few interior designers who offer tips on how to adapt hot styles and trends for your home.

Raise your hand if you know what an inspiration room is. No, no...it isn't a place to meditate or think quietly. An inspiration room could be any room, any attractively decorated room that is, that you've seen in a magazine, a showroom, or even in a friend's home and admire, but don't have the pocket to afford.

Good and affordable home decor may sound impossible, but it does exist. As the clich goes, you just need to hunt around a little to find it. Here are three dominant looks that you are Go green
Chances are parts of your home and lifestyle are already green  you're just unaware of it. A big part of going green is not just about reducing consumption but also reusing and recycling stuff.

If you've decided to remodel your home or room instead of building or buying a new one, you've already taken a step in the green direction.

"Natural fibre rugs, beeswax or soy wax candles can add eco flair to your decor. Another unique, elegant and green decorating tip  adorn your home with mosaic bamboo tiles to add warm tones to a wall or make a floor interesting," suggests Jessica Karani, owner of Mystique, an upmarket home decor store in Mumbai.

Prices vary from product to product, starting at a low Rs 150 for the soy wax candles, and rising to Rs 1,500 and more for the mosaic bamboo tiles.

How eco-friendly your furniture is depends on the material it is made from, how it is processed and what finishes have been used, so choose carefully, recommend design experts.

Buy second-hand (or vintage, if you like), and you're greener than if you buy the most eco-friendly of furniture. Plus, consider how much lighter it'll be on the pocket. "Natural tree bark and old wood artefacts and furniture are part of the green trend too," finishes Karani. Prices here start at Rs 500.

Throw in a grass-cloth wall covering, bamboo flooring and you get a simple, uncluttered room that fosters earthiness. If you're in the market for new furnishings, look for products that are chemical-free or made from renewable or reclaimed materials like paper and discarded wood.

Expressive invention
Of all the trends that are bursting on the scene this year, one is predominant: the ongoing integration of new technologies into everyday lifestyles. Mobile phones, MP3 players, home theatres, speakers and similar digital assistants are part of most households these days.

Inspired by their energy and pace, this trend advocates a decor emphasising graphic lines, in which 1960s- and 1970s-style furniture is arranged beside the high-tech equipment. The effect is "walls down"  functional, bright and clean.

Sounds too austere? Not at all, opines Radhika Gupta, owner of MoonRiver. Gupta's lifestyle concept stores are present in Delhi and Mumbai, and are expected to open soon in cities like Bangalore and Hyderabad.

She and her team of interior artists have styled villas and super luxury apartments for leading real-estate developers and individuals.

"Our patrons are boldly asking for oversized prints, stripes and psychedelic patterns boasting of strong colours," says Gupta, and adds, "Stainless steel, very light or dark wood and glass are also being used for surfaces while people want to accessorise with coloured plastic or dull metal for a touch of the fanciful."

Here too, luxury is the key. Designer labels do hold strong with furniture and accessories by well-known labels more sought-after than ever.

Although walls and other key surfaces are usually seen as providing a neutral background  often in grey, beige, white or black  the use of bold accessories and prints brings colour into play and conveys a refreshing naturalness. Result  decor that expresses a bit of whimsy but is still chic and neat, and all yours for anywhere between Rs 40,000 and Rs 60,000 a room.

Dramatic differences
"Warm-coloured metals like copper, bronze and gold, coordinated with precious woods, crystal, shantung silk, velvet and embroidery create an effect that's as dramatic as it can get," says Karani.

The ensuing look is both refined and welcoming and Gupta wagers that, at Rs 50,000-Rs 75,000 for a sitting area, it won't eat into your budget too. "Bright-hued furniture pieces, mostly in reds, greens and purples underline a dramatic effect," says Gupta.

Inspiration also means infusing your individual style into the design rather than replicating an exact duplicate. Most experts recommend trying to get as close to the "inspired" look and style as possible and then moving on.

Gupta suggests "warm, elaborate, rich, shimmering, embossed and embellished" as the catchwords of the season. So put in an ebony piece from Africa in one corner and a Moroccan brocade pillow and a mirror brought back from a trip to Europe in another.

This season, also go vibrant with spicy tones of red, fuchsia, turquoise and bright yellow for accessories. A symbol of luxury and wealth, aubergine, which emphasises both the sumptuous and the beguiling is the season's hottest colour.

The Business Standard dt. 12.7 2008

Scratch may make web 100 times faster

MELBOURNE: Australian experts have developed a new technology that they claim can make web surfing 100 times faster in the near future.

Professor Ben Eggleton, a scientist at the University of Sydney, says that the novel technology is unlikely to cost users an extra cent.

Describing the university's photonic integrated circuit as "a small scratch on a piece of glass'', he insists that it can boost the performance of traditional optic fibres.

"This circuit uses the 'scratch' as a guide or a switching a path for information - kind of like when trains are switched from one track to another - except this switch takes one picosecond to change tracks,'' News.com.au quoted him as saying of the technology developed over the past four years.

"This means that in one second the switch is turning on and off about one million times,'' he said.

"Currently we use electronics for our switching and that has been OK, but as we move toward a more tech-savvy future there is a demand for instant web gratification,'' he added.

So far, initial tests of the technology have suggested that achieving internet speeds 60 times faster than the current Telstra network is possible, the researcher says.

Professor Eggleton strongly believes that, if developed further, the circuit may reach speeds 100 times faster.

"This is a critical building block and a fundamental advance on what is already out there,'' he said.

"We are talking about networks that are potentially up to 100 times faster without costing the consumer any more,'' he added.

India times.com dt. 12 7 2008

Citigroup may sell its India HQ

MUMBAI: The subprime mortgage market collapse of last year may have an impact on one of the landmark buildings in the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). According to real estate market sources, the New York-headquartered Citibank, which has been hit hard due to the crisis, is believed to be actively considering to put its eight-storey tower Citigroup Centre on the block.

When contacted, a spokesperson refused to comment and said the organisation does not discuss these issues with the media. However, reliable sources told TOI that since the past few months word is out in the property market about the imminent sale of Citigroup Centre. With close to 2 lakh sq ft of built up area, the building could fetch anywhere between Rs 500 crore to Rs 800 crore, according to a market estimate.

Those in the know said that after hiving of this prime BKC property, the bank will lease back the same premises. In February, Citigroup had completed a deal in this fashion with its building in Tokyo, Japan. The transaction was, what is called, a sale-and-lease back deal of the Citigroup Center in the Shinagawa district of Tokyo. Citigroup sold this building to its rival Morgan Stanley in a deal reportedly worth $445 million (approx Rs 1,800 crore).

It was almost a decade ago that Citibank moved its main offices from Nariman Point to the BKC. This decision to relocate led to heads rolling — two senior officials in Mumbai were sacked after top bank officials from New York found the BKC location completely desolate and inappropriate. This was in the late 1990s when BKC was yet relatively undeveloped and the top bankers from the US found it sacrilegious that their counterparts in Mumbai had thought of shifting away from Nariman Point, the numero uno commercial district.

The Citibank has been shedding its real estate (mainly apartments) all over the country. In the past one year, it has sold more than half a dozen flats in Mumbai alone.

These include a flat each in Meher Apartments (Altamount Road), Kanti on Mt Mary Road in Bandra, Hormuzd off Carter Road, NCPA Apartment at Nariman Point and as many as five apartments at Harbour Heights building, Colaba.

The Times of India dt. 12 7 2008

Rise in Maya's wealth is a mystery: CBI

NEW DELHI: From Rs 1.35 crore to Rs 52 crore in just four years. The dramatic jump in Mayawati's assets - with little to show how it was acquired - is the mainstay of the affidavit CBI filed in the Supreme Court on Thursday to justify its decision to chargesheet her in a disproportionate assets case. ( Watch )

The charge listed in detail has been backed by documents running into over 100 pages, which can help CBI counter the allegation of frame-up the UP chief minister has levelled against the agency for insisting on prosecuting her. ( See Ninan’s cartoon )

The affidavit, which CBI sees as strong enough to help it secure a go-ahead from the SC, also includes her own accounts of the wealth.

It says that in April 2004, Mayawati in her affidavit before the returning officer for Akbarpur LS constituency put her assets at Rs 1.5 lakh in cash, Rs 9.78 lakh in bank deposits and properties worth Rs 1.25 crore in Delhi.

The CBI affidavit on Mayawati's assets also takes note of UP CM's submission before the returning officer for Akbarpur LS constituency.

In her affidavit in April 2004, Maya had put her assets at Rs 1.5 lakh in cash, Rs 9.78 lakh in bank deposits and properties worth Rs 1.25 crore in Delhi.

Just three years later, however, in the nomination papers filed during last year's assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, she put the value of her total assets at an enviable Rs 52 crore. No explanation was provided for the sudden jump, said the CBI affidavit.

When questioned by CBI, Mayawati came up with the ingenious explanation - first reported in TOI - that she owed the remarkable rise in her fortunes to the contributions ranging from Rs 5 to Rs 10 she had received from her lakhs of supporters who appreciated her commitment to the uplift of Dalits and backward class people.

CBI, however, said the explanation was not backed up by evidence.

The agency also took extra care to draw a bold line between the Taj Heritage Corridor scam and the DA case and said both the cases were being investigated separately.

Closure of the Taj corridor case because of refusal of sanction for her prosecution did not create any legal bar against CBI to take the probe into the DA case to the logical conclusion, CBI said in its affidavit. CBI said it did a professional job and thoroughly investigated each and every aspect of the DA case, painstakingly gathered evidence and came to a conclusion that it was a fit case for the agency to file final report (chargesheet) against her as mandated under Section 173 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).

The affidavit was in response to Mayawati's petition accusing CBI of harassing her by keeping alive the DA case, which she said was only an offshoot of the Taj corridor scam. With the closure of the Taj corridor case, the DA case should also have been closed, she had said.

Citing her differences with the Congress-led UPA government, Mayawati had told the apex court that the investigation into the DA case was being used by the Centre to harass her politically.

The times of India dt. 12 7 2008

Talwar gets bail in Aarushi case

NEW DELHI: Rajesh Talwar, arrested in connection with the murder of his young daughter Aarushi and the family’s domestic help Hemraj in May, was on Friday granted bail by a special Ghaziabad court. He is expected to be released from the Dasna jail on Saturday.

Earlier, the Central Bureau of Investigation submitted that it had not come across any evidence so far proving the complicity of Dr. Talwar, who was arrested by the Noida police on May 23. The court asked him to execute a personal bond for Rs. 5 lakh and two sureties for a like amount.

In another development, the CBI arrested Vijay Mandal, domestic help of a neighbour of the Talwars. Raj Kumar, domestic help of the Durranis, and Dr. Talwar’s compounder Krishna were arrested earlier.

Vijay was arrested on the basis of disclosures made by Raj Kumar and Krishna and the findings of psychological assessment and polygraph, brain fingerprinting and narco-analysis tests conducted on him in Mumbai and Bangalore.

At a press conference here, CBI Joint Director (Special Crime) Arun Kumar said after the agency took over the case, Dr. Talwar was subjected to a lie-detector test, but it remained inconclusive. “However, in the second test no deception was found.”

Dr. Talwar’s wife Nupur was subjected to polygraph tests twice and no deception was found in the second one.

Mr. Kumar said the Talwars were also subjected to psycho-analysis tests and nothing adverse was found against them. Then, with the help of experts, the agency conducted a simulation exercise during which the air-conditioners in the rooms of the Talwars and Aarushi were switched on. No sound of any activity in Aarushi’s room was audible in the adjacent bedroom when the door was shut.

Krishna’s confession

Krishna then emerged the main accused. The CBI found that a couple of days before the incident, Dr. Talwar had scolded him for a mistake and he publicly expressed his anger over the “insult.” Krishna was first subjected to psychological assessment and polygraph tests, which revealed deception on his part. He was, therefore, subjected to brain fingerprinting and narco-analysis tests. “After the tests, Krishna confessed to having committed the crime along with Raj Kumar and Vijay Mandal,” said Mr. Kumar.

Raj Kumar was put through all scientific tests in Gandhinagar and the findings suggested his involvement. He was then arrested and again subjected to a narco-analysis test in Bangalore. During the second test, he allegedly confessed to his involvement.

“As per the disclosures by the accused, Krishna, Raj Kumar and Vijay gathered in Hemraj’s room and consumed alcohol on the night of May 15-16. They talked about Aarushi and under the influence of liquor went to her room. She woke up and tried to scream, but was gagged and hit in the head with a hard blunt object. The accused then tried to sexually abuse her,” said Mr. Kumar. This led to an altercation between them. Aarushi had lost her consciousness by then. Fearing that the Talwars might wake up, they went to the terrace, where Raj Kumar and Krishna had a scuffle with Hemraj and allegedly murdered him.

They then returned to Aarushi’s room and slit her throat, said Mr. Kumar.

However, the agency is yet to recover the murder weapon and the mobile phones of the victims. Also, individual roles of the three accused have not been clearly established so far.

The Hindu dt. 12 7 2008

Obama reluctant to seek changes in nuclear deal

NEW DELHI: Democratic Party candidate for the United States Presidential election Barack Obama has said he was reluctant to seek changes in the civilian nuclear deal with India, and hoped to see the process concluded before the year-end.

The existing nuclear agreement balanced both issues – America’s strategic relationship with India and its non-proliferation concerns. “I am therefore reluctant to seek changes,” he told Outlook magazine in an interview.

He admitted to some reservations over the “original agreement” but subsequently concluded that it would “enhance our [Indo-U.S.] partnership and deepen our cooperation” to combat global warning.

Asked whether an Obama administration in 2009 would reopen or scrap the deal if it was not concluded this year, he said, “A final judgement on the deal…must await the IAEA’s approval of a safeguards agreement and changes to be agreed [upon] by the Nuclear Suppliers Group. At that point the U.S. Congress will decide whether to approve the agreement. I continue to hope this process can be concluded before the end of the year.”

Indian connections

Disclosing several Indian connections, Mr. Obama said he would continue with the tradition established by George W Bush and Bill Clinton of visiting India during their tenure as Presidents. He was fortunate to have close Indian-American friends. He pointed out that his mother did rural development work in India.

“Throughout my life, I have always looked to Mahatma Gandhi as an inspiration, because he embodies the kind of transformational change that can be made when ordinary people come together to do extraordinary things. That is why his portrait hangs in my Senate office: to remind me that real results will come not just from Washington – they will come from the people.”

Asked in what areas he would like to see U.S.-India relations grow, his reply was, “across the board would the short answer.” Specifically, he would like to focus on counter-terrorism, greater military ties, promotion of democracy in the region and beyond and combating climate change and global poverty. “I would also like to see agriculture given a higher priority in our relations, as India pursues its goal of a second green revolution.”

Mr. Obama spoke against the Bush administration’s Pakistan policy of “putting all our eggs in the Musharraf basket” and wanted the U.S. to align with “Pakistan and its people and not just one individual.”

The Hindu dt. 12 7 2008