REGGAE & DANCEHALL SINGER WILL ROCK YOUR WORLD TONIGHT

King Jassim

He is a Rastafarian soul; body, Indian. King Jassim is a Reggae & Dancehall singer-songwriter with beautiful dreadlocks flowing down his lean back. He is also one of the founding members of India's leading hip hop band, Low Rhyderz. 

2014 saw him release a track called UPLIFT with an  emerging Russian alt. rock band. On Feb 6th, 2015, which coincides with Bob Marley's birthday, he released his solo debut album, READY FI RULE.

READY FI RULE, King Jassim's indie solo debut album has eight songs 8 songs and covers reggae, raggamuffin, dancehall, bass, world and pop genres. The musician has collaboorated with Bharath Kumar and Subtracktor from Bangalore, Mukul from Delhi, Original Dub Master from Venezuela, Zafayah of Roots Rocket Label from Bulgaria, Odory Gs from Sudan on this album. 

The music video to lead single, TAKE IT AS IT COMES,  was shot on the beaches of Maharastra, Goa and Karnataka. Directed by a British film maker Sal Yusuf, the video will be released in April 

Jassim followed his heart to make music his life, way back in 2006.  He hosted India’s first & only exclusive Hip Hop show on the radio called Party At The Shack on SPIN #44 , Worldspace Satellite Radio Network, which beamed through out Africa, Middle East & Asia. He, along with the rest of LOW RHYDERZ, became the first ones in India to play caribbean and urban music in clubs as DJ sets thus forming Low Rhyderz sound system DJs. 

You can watch King Jassim rock the house tonight - 11th March - at The Humming Tree, in 12th Main, Indiranagar from 9.30 pm onwards.

      

TURKISH AIRLINES LOOKING FOR AN EPIC SPORTS FAN. ARE YOU ONE?

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Are you a sports fan? Would you ditch everything to catch a game? Then Turkish Airlines is looking for you. 

Turkish Airlines is calling for epic sports fans.

If you are the 'chosen' one then you get to travel — from 28th March to 20th April — to seven different countries and watch 10 sports events. Hold your breath...you also get to meet Messi and Drogba in person. 

To participate, you are to fill a form on their website www.epicsportsfan.com

Upload a video or photo either on Instagram, Vine or Twitter to prove that you are THE epic sports fan. Don't forget to use the hashtag #EpicFan

Requirements:

Creativity

Experience in watching sports 

Articulate

Good knowledge in using social media

A sense of responsibility

Solution-oriented personality

Compatible with teamwork

English speaking (preferred) with no restrictions on travelling. 

The winner will get to attend basketball, football, tennis and golf events in Japan, Netherlands, Germany, Spain, France, UK and UAE.

Due date: 13th March, 2015.

Whatcha waiting for.... logon to www.epicsportsfan.com and prove to the world that you are a mother of all sportsfans. Good Luck!

FOOD WALKS IN BANGALORE #NTNEWS

Bangalore is a foodie's delight. There are foods of all kinds and all kinds of food walks. Here's a list of food walks from Unhurried 

Walk	Date	Time	Cost (per person)	Category
The Biryani walk	March 7, 2015	5.00 PM	Rs 999	Neighbourhood history, people & food
The Bungalow walk	March 14, 2015	8.00  AM	Rs 550	Local history
Tipu Sultan’s Bangalore Saga	March 22, 2015	TBA	Rs 999	Old City History
Nagartapete Walk	March 29, 2015	TBA	Rs 550/-	Old City, communities, culture

You want to attend one of these walks, then mail reachus@unhurried.in. 

Unhurried also conducts private walks or  day tours for you. They just need at least two people for a walk and a group of three to four people for a day tour. 

COMIC CON 2015 TO BE HELD IN APRIL IN BANGALORE

Comic Con India is all set to host Bangalore Comic Con 2015 in April. This year the convention will be spread across 80000 sq feet with over 200 participants from across the world.

Bangalore Comic Con 2015 will be hosting one of its kind, interactive and experiential over 50 Hours of Programming through panels, launches, gaming, video hangouts and more. JASON LATOUR, famous international comic book artist and writer, known for his work WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN (vol. 2) will be attending the event.

There will also be two exclusive live chats (via SKYPE) with MARK MILLAR & GREG CAPULLO.

Mark Millar is the writer of  the New York Times bestselling novel Wanted. His other works include Kick-Ass series, The Secret Service, Jupiter’s Legacy, Nemesis, Superior, Super Crooks, American Jesus, MPH, Starlight, and Chrononauts. Wanted, Kick-Ass, Kick-Ass 2 and The Secret Service (as Kingsman: The Secret Service) have been adapted into feature films, and Nemesis, Superior, Starlight, War Heroes, and Chrononauts are in development at major studios. Mark has been an Executive Producer on all his movie adaptations and is currently creative consultant to Fox Studios on their Marvel slate of movies.  

Greg Capullo is a self taught Illustrator and the current artist on the best-selling and highly acclaimed BATMAN series for DC Comics. Prior to that, he was best known for his 80 issue run on Image Comics' SPAWN, created by Todd McFarlane. Other popular comics work includes Marvel Comics X-FORCE and QUASAR. He is also the creator of The Creech, a Sci-Fi/Horror comic published by Image Comics. Greg has contributed lead character designs for the the award winning HBO animated SPAWN series, was the cover artist for many popular musical groups including Korn and Disturbed, and worked behind the scenes on many projects ranging from toy design to video games for TME.

One of the main attraction at Bangalore Comic Con 2015 will be The Game of Throne’s special Photo-op Booth. Comic Con India has officially tied up with HBO to bring the Throne replica exclusively at Bangalore Comic Con. There will be a Throne replica as a special photo - op where the fans & visitors can get their pictures clicked.

Cosplay (Costume Contest), another  major attraction at Comic Con India, will continue to give assured prizes to everyone in costume. Comic Con India has created 5 categories to increase one’s chances of winning gifts. Each day, one winner will be chosen from each of the five categories: Comic book/graphic novel; Animated Series/Movie; Manga/Anime; Sci-Fi/Fantasy and Gaming. One lucky winner out of the chosen 5 will get a chance to win a ticket to an Awesome destination & a chance to enter in Indian Cosplay Championship!

For the first time ever, Comic Con India Awards will be given at the convention — on the second day.

Besides, Comic Con India will be be setting up an exclusive Gaming Zone and it will be spread across 200 sq meter.

Also, 8 new titles are being planned to get launched at the convention. Marvel, DC & Dark Horse Comics among others will be bringing in the international content.

There will also be interesting Anime and Manga merchandise from Japanese Merchandiser IINE, along with the best and most exclusive International merchandisers like Kidrobot, NECA, Hot Toys, Mimobots, Funko and many more from across the globe. They will participate alongside Indian merchandisers including — Band Box, Wacom, Art Beat, Bewakoof Brands, Hysteria, Wear Your Opinion, Kudi Firang, Planet Superheroes, F Gali, Sky Goodies, Bollyscope, Lazy Ninja, Graphicurry, Below the Belt and lots more!!

The main participants for the Bangalore Comic Con 2015 are Amar Chitra Katha, Orange Radius, Pop Culture Publishing, Random House, Campfire Graphic Novel, Holy Cow Entertainment, HarperCollins Publishers, Aayumi Productions, Raj Comics, Blossom Book House and many more!!

Get ready to celebrate comics and pop culture.

• For  Bangalore Comic Con 2015, tickets will be available online via Book My Show as well as at the Venue.  
• Only a limited number of VIP tickets will be issued.
• The tickets would be priced at Rs. 350 Per day (Online); Rs. 450 Per day (at the venue) and Rs. 999 for the Super Fan VIP Ticket for all 3 days.
• Super Fan ticket offer is available in limited numbers and can be booked online only, these will not be available at the venue.
• Other than the Discount, The SuperFan Ticket Holder will also get: Special Entry (No Registration Required); Super Fan Customised CAPE & Special Offers/Discounts from over 20 brands exhibiting at the show!

 Venue: White Orchid Convention Centre; Date: April 3-5; Time: 11 am to 9 pm

LOVE BY CARATLANE

Delighted and surprised employee

We love employers like CaratLane. The makers of urban-chic diamond jewellery recently treated their women employees to a lovely surprise on Valentine's Day. A day ahead of D-Day, elegantly wrapped gift packages were placed on every woman employees desk with sweet personalized note conveying words of appreciation like:“You’re are Beautiful, You are Amazing, You’re Loved!”. When the employees came to work the next day, they were in for a pleasant surprise. Each gift package contained  five of their favourite jewellery pieces from CaratLane.com. Needless to say, their expressions were priceless. We think this gesture by an employer to the employees is just F.A.B.U.L.O.U.S. 

PS: We also love the jewellery. AND this is not a paid post. Nothing on Nila Tamaraa is. What we love and enjoy, we share it with our readers. :)

Gorgeous pieces

Love those little notes of appreciation

THE BANGALORE QUEER FILM FESTIVAL — 7TH EDITION

MAGIC. STILL FROM THE FILM TO BE SCREENED AT BQFF

Bangalore Queer Film Festival (BQFF) is back!  The annual event of queer films — from the world over — photo exhibitions, art exhibitions, performances and panel discussions will be held from February 27 to March 1 in Bangalore. The three-day festival will be held at two venues — Day 1 at Max Mueller Bhavan in Indiranagar and days 2 & 3 at Alliance Francaise in Vasanth Nagar. Since it's inception, BQFF

MUNICH'S CHRISTMAS MARKETS

Munich's Christmas market. Photo Bernd Roemmelt

Munich, with its air of polished prosperity, is quintessential Germany. The old and the new co-exist here with cherished traditions like Oktoberfest, the world's largest beer festival, rubbing shoulders with designer shopping, sleek cars and high-powered industry.

Indeed Munich today is the flavour of the year. The Bavarian capital on the Isar river has strong roots in the past. Its Baroque and Rococo architecture, lush parks, museums and historic venues such as Schloss Nymphenburg, the summer palace of the rulers of Bavaria, are

UAE NATIONAL DAY CELEBRATION INCLUDES SPECTACULAR NITRO CIRCUS LIVE -ACTION SPORT

Nitro Circus Live – the action sport collective led by extreme sports legend thirty-one-year-old Travers Pastrana, is planning to perform a one-off salute stunt for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during its Arabian Gulf debut show in Abu Dhabi over the 43^rd National Day weekend.

It will perform a brand new, two hour, over-the-top stunt spectacular for one-night only at Zayed Sports City this December 5. Everything will be set to the score of the Abu Dhabi song. The song was created earlier this year by Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority. It is sung by the Arab star Orayb and features the lyrics of celebrated Emirati poet Ali A. Khawar and the score of UAE musician Fayez Al Saeed.

On  December 5^th Nitro Circus Live show will feature a cast of 40 of the world’s best action sports athletes riding dirtbikes, base jumping and performing stunts. It promises to deliver some of the most difficult and dangerous stunts in freestyle motocross, BMX and skate with star athletes from across the world performing their biggest and best tricks of Nitro Circus Live’s multi-million dollar set and famous 50-foot high Nitro Gigant-A-Ramp.

The crew will push their limits and skill on skates, scooters and a range of crazy contraptions; including, a rocking horse, Barbie car, kids tricycles, bath tub, lazy-boy couch, boogie board and many more.

One of the craziest stunts in the new show includes the extraordinary - hole-in-one - where riders launch 50 feet into the air off the Gigant-A-Ramp and attempt to land with pinpoint accuracy inside an inflatable Zorb ball.

The show is being brought to the emirate by Alchemy Project in association with Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi).

Tickets for Nitro Circus Live in Abu Dhabi, which runs from 8pm – 10pm on December 5, start from AED149 (US $49) and are available at www.TixBox.com.

CHICHIBU YOMATSURI FESTIVAL IN JAPAN

Photo courtesy:Japantravel.com

Chichibu Yomatsuri

Chichibu Yomatsuri is a festival of the 2000-plus-year-old Chichibu Shrine. It  is  one  of  Japan's  three  greatest hikiyama  (float)  festivals -- the others being  the  Gion  Matsuri  of Kyoto (July 1st-31st) and the Takayama Matsuri of Takayama City, Gifu Prefecture (April 14th - 15th, and October 9th - 10th). Chichibu Yomatsuri will be celebrated from 2-3rd December. 

On the first day is Yoiyama and on the second and last day is when the main attractions of the festival unfold. Two kasaboko, which are large parasol-like objects decorated on the top with weapons such as spears and artificial flowers, together with four yatai floats shaped like small houses are paraded through the city streets. In the afternoon, the floats are transformed into stages by pulling out the wings on either side, where Kabuki plays are performed.The most exciting scene of the festival is reserved for the evening of the last day of the festival when kasaboko and yatai floats weighing 10-20 tons each and lit up with countless lanterns, make their way up a steep slope with a mikoshi (a portable shrine). The excitement reaches the pinnacle and culminates with fireworks. 

If you are planning a trip to Japan you might want to catch the Chichibu Yomatsuri festival.

Venue: Chichibu Shrine, 1-1, Banba-machi, Chichibu City, Saitama PrefectureFrom Tokyo:About 3 minutes' walk from Chichibu Station. Chichibu Station is about 65 minutes from Kumagaya Station on the Chichibu Tetsudo Line. Kumagaya Station is about 40 minutes from Tokyo Station on the JR Shinkansen Asama.Date: December 2-3

Know more about the Chichibu Shrine

ROUND-UP OF TRAVEL NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

EATING ONE GRAPE FOR EACH CHIME

One of the most important celebrations of the Christmas period is New Year’s Eve – a special dinner where the last night of the year usually becomes one big party.

As the clock strikes twelve, signalling the arrival of the New Year, families in Spain come together to eat 12 lucky grapes. Tradition has it that those who manage to eat the grapes, keeping time with the striking clock, will have 12 prosperous months the following year. The tradition dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. People also celebrate out in the street, at specific locations such as squares and Town Halls – the important thing is that there is a clock. Madrid’s Puerta del Sol Square is one of the busiest places to be at this time of year.

Details. Visit Madrid 

Photo courtesy: shedexpedition.com

Celebrate White Christmas in Philippines

Forget the snow this year. Try spending Christmas on the beach with white powdery sands and crystal clear waters. It's fun in Boracay. Truly! Celebrate Christmas the Island-way: hire a boat, explore the island's many beaches, scuba dive, be amazed by a zillion corals, explore the underwater tunnels and caves. Or just ride up to Mt.Luho, the highest peak in Boracay. For more info go here


The Canary Islands Music Festival

Usher in the New Year with some great music and wonderful vistas that side of the Atlantic. And if you are planning to visit Morocco then you have got to visit the Canary Island, which is directly opposite the coast of Morocco -- if only to witness the world renowned Canary Islands Music Festival, which will be taking place simultaneously on the islands of Gran Canariaand Tenerife and also on stages around the surrounding islands.It is also the only European festival to be held in winter, thanks to the islands’ excellent climate. The festival will be hosting top-level international artists, both orchestras and soloists. But the highlight would be the various debut performances that take place throughout the event. Dates: January 11, 2015 to

THE SECRET TO A COMFORTABLE BACKPACK

Travellers and backpacks are like bread and butter. You need to know how much butter to slather on the slice if you want to prevent yourself from feeling sick later....mmm...you get the drift, right?

Here's an interesting infographic on how to pack your backpack from Tortuga Backpacks

Now that you have learnt how to pack the backpack right...here's how to adjust your backpack's fit

And the final step....walk around with your backpack. How does it feel?

If the weight is still on your shoulders...make small adjustments to the shoulder straps and hip belt until you feel the weight transfer on to your hips.

If the weight is unbalanced...adjust your packing so that the weight is evenly distributed.

LOOK WHAT I FOUND — A BOX OF MAPS

I got  my hands on Locus City Cards — Bangalore Edition. Swell! These are a set of pocket-sized maps/city-guides packed in a simple, but arty, well-crafted brown box with interesting illustrations, and it is brought out by Locus Infotainment Pvt.Ltd.



The Bangalore Edition consists of:

1. City map
2. Map of MG Road
3. Map of 'in & around Koramangala'
4. Bangalore heritage & sightseeing
5. Bangalore cuisines
6. Bangalore 'in & around' Lavelle Road
7. Bangalore 'in & around' Whitefield
8. Bangalore essentials — population, climate, getting around...those kinda essential guide-book-variety info
9. Bangalore bazaar
10. Banglaore 'in & around' Indiranagar
11. Bangalore art and culture
12. A card introducing Locus.

Likey....

MORE INDIANS DOING BUSINESS IN CHINA.FORBES INDIA TELLS YOU HOW TO BRIDGE THE CULTURAL DIVIDE.

If you are travelling by train, keep enough time to get to the station. Inner city or downtown traffic at peak hours can be bad

So you’ve got your Chinese visa, your flight ticket, hotel booking. You’ve learned to say Ni Hao to greet someone and XieXie to thank him or her, and packed your suitcase with some Darjeeling tea, or fine leather folios to gift your potential business partner. You’re feeling proud of Mumbai’s new T2, or New Delhi’s T3 … and then your flight lands in Beijing’s Capital International Airport, the world’s second busiest airport, handling over 60 million people a year. As you make your way out of the gargantuan Norman Foster designed building, there’s an all-too familiar scrum of people holding up hotel or company signs. Except, most of them don’t speak English. If you’re lucky, or have arranged it in advance, you’ll be received at the airport and whisked to your hotel... Read More