Jan 31, 2003 12:13 PM
6554 Views
(Updated Jan 31, 2003 02:39 PM)
A Times of India and western railway presentation.
It’s tag line is for people on the move.
This is a fortnightly presentation complimentary to passengers of four major western railway trains viz.:
Rajdhani Express and August Kranti Rajdhani Express – Mumbai – New Delhi,
Shatabdi Express– Ahmedabad – Mumbai,
And Palace on Wheels.
When travelling in train, if you’ve not had the foresight of carrying some reading material, you’re bound to get bored. In such a situation the only two choices you have is either take a nap or strike up a conversation with your co passengers. Now thankfully you have a third option too – To read this special paper supplied free on the train. Does not really compare with in-flight entertainment but fairly interesting.
The copy that I read was the December 22, 2002 – January 5, 2003 edition. As the dates indicate, this was focussed on Christmas and the new year and the front page articles were “Some little-known but important facts about Christmas” and “I Resolve.” There were about 9 facts but the best fact was: “Kissing under the mistletoe, our favorite sprig of green leaves and white berries, dates back to a 17th century English custom. At that time, a berry was removed every time a kiss was made, which meant there were no kisses when no berries. We seem to have since forgotten about the berry removal – allowing us to fully concentrate on the kissing!”
This Reading Material is in the form of a News Paper but it does not have any current affair or news items. It is mostly containing a wide variety of general information. I guess we can call it a news magazine.
This news magazine has a total of 16 pages. Each page is a category in itself. Leaving apart the front page (already described above) and the last page, which is a full page advertisement, we have a total of 13 categories plus the second last page had a half page AD and the other half was for a contest.
The 13 categories are as follows:
Page 2 – Over a Hot Cuppa – Here the articles were: Chalo Crawford – describing the shopping scene at Crawford market. Dance – Something about promoting Indian Culture. Movies – review of Santa vs Snowman, and I’m Dreaming of a white Christmas – Christmas in Bombay.
Page 3 – Travel Bug - Here they have described two of the best places in India under the headings ICY SPICY (all about shimla) and The Little Lhasa in India (About Dharamsala)
Page 4 – Celebrity Circuit - Here again as per the spirit of the season the article is Christmas comes to Hollywood. It describes all about how the Hollywood stars decorate their houses at Christmas and also how they celebrate the season.
Page 5 – Tech-Talk Three articles here, the first was about Cheats. This gave away many cheats for the game – Return to castle wolfenstein. The next one was “Monitor this” where Vahista Mistry gives you the real dope on flat screen versus dubba monitors. And the final article was Exploring The Unknown – Handy tips’n’tricks for IE5
Page 6 – Really!!!? This page has many facts which when you read them will make you say out loud – Really ! For example Chocolate Kills Dogs True, chocolate affects a dog’s heart and nervous system; a few ounces are enough to kill a small dog.
Page 7 – GOA Holidaying in Paradise Well that was the category, and the article was all about how biking is a huge pastime in Goa. Having visited Goa myself, trust me, whenever you go to Goa do all your sightseeing by going around on a hired bike. It is fun and you would just love it. A word of caution though. Please ensure that you’re using enough Sunscreen and wear full sleeves when riding a bike. Else your skin will never forgive you.
Page 8 – Mind and Body Three articles on this page, all about food. Thank God they serve food on this train. The first article was Satvik, Tamasik or Rajasik? Ancient Indian Dietary principles. Next was Fitness where they ask you to Balance the food you eat and also tell you how. Last was Hope at home which informs you about all the natural remedies available that harmonize with the body and promote its healing abilities.
Page 9 – Wonder Why Here they have some very interesting tidbits which were:
How did the handshake originate?
What is a Panchang?
Why are coconuts broken to symbolise auspicious occasions?
What is the significance of the crow in Hindu rituals?
Why is mehndi applied on a bride’s hand?
In answer to the last question – Mehndi, the delicate practice of painting henna dye on human skin, is a 5000 year old Indian tradition that could mean liberation from housework for the bride. A bride with mehndi on her hands is not expected to do anything for herself until the pattern fades away. It is also to signify the strength of love between a couple in marriage. So I guess when the pattern fades, the honeymoon is over. Also if you have ever attended an Indian Wedding you’ll notice that mehndi is applied even on the hands of the Mother In Law – Now I wonder why!
Page 10 - Stumpvision This page obviously was for cricket, which half the world is thinking about right now with the world cup right round the corner. They included a Quiz and various other snippets.
Page 11 - Lifestyle Again taking a cue from the season here they tell you how you can win when Fighting Holiday Obesity. I am in Shape. Round is a Shape. Enough said.
Page 12 – Life & Beyond Two articles. First we have Pet Lore. There are myths and myths that surround almost all the animals and birds that abound this earth. And even the shastras mention them, writes Seema Kumar. A snippet for you – If you feed bananas to elephants on Thursday and feed fish on Wednesday both rahu and ketu in your planetary chart will benefit. Next is Tarot for you A tarot reading by Shirley Bose.
Page 13 - Moneywise NET VALUE – What should you know and do while shopping online? Narendra Kamath gives some tips to the net-shopper.
Page 14 – HA! Well what can this be but the Jokes Page. There were Joke’s on Santa like Why did Santa have three gardens ? – So he could say HO! HO! HO!. Then there was Court Matters – Q: How was your first marriage terminated? A: By Death. Q: By whose death was it terminated? And then there was the article “English is a crazy Language” This article most of us must have read when received in mail as it has been circulating for a couple of years now.
Overall I liked this novel news magazine and liked reading it on the train. So whenever you’re on one of these trains make sure you get your copy.
PS: Recently this paper completed its first year in printand they celebrated the anniversary with a contest which was also published in the Times Of India.
