Mumbai, Saturday, October 22, 2011 10 lifestyle htcafé GOING RETRO IN PICTURE FOR REPRESENTATION The capital of is home to more than 800 buildings built in the late 19th and early 20th century

Kalpana Sunder Stunning apartment block with lions on culpted cats and top on Alberta Street larger-than-life Q&A faces of women, men growing out inbox of trees, winged Slions astride turrets, a shepherd, a satyr and exquisite peacocks... all Many places to see embellished on the facades of buildings... this is an architec- tural feast. The Art Nouveau around Gangtok Movement was a rebellious reaction to Victorian sensibili- ties by a new wave of Currently I am posted in What will be the flight and architects and designers, who QGangtok and I wanted to train charges? And how much used futuristic elements and know about where could I time will it take for both the artwork to express them. travel to from Gangtok? I have routes? Riga, the capital of Latvia, fours days on hand and Aditi has an amazing wealth of want to go to some places and You must stay at least more than 800 Art Nouveau do some sightseeing. Kindly Afor four days (exclud- buildings built in the late 19th suggest some good places. ing the days of travel) and early 20th century. How Abhishek to cover all the sightseeing did Riga’s buildings survive? There are many (in a hectic manner). Ideal- When Art Nouveau was Aattractions in and ly, I would recommend a popular, Riga was riding a around Gangtok for week's stay. Do make it a wave of prosperity and the you to see. You can go point to visit the Peshwe Russians, Jewish, German and for a day’s excursion to Park Zoo. It is quite far off, Latvian merchants poured Baba Harbhajan temple, covers a huge area, and their riches into its real estate. Changu Lake and Nathula worth visiting. The white Later, when Art Nouveau went Pass. For all this, you tiger is simply superb. out of fashion, many buildings School of Economics (above) Art Nouveau counterparts. need to get the permit two At Pune, you could visit all over Europe were pulled and Riga School of Law building The recurring motifs in the days prior to your visit temples, forts and museum down but Latvia‘s economic (below) Art Nouveau buildings had Local sightseeing like Bhimashakkar temple, position compelled many of some meaning-lions symbol- contains visiting Raja Dinkar Kelkar the buildings to be converted the gorgeous Art Nouveau ized safety and protection; flower gardens or shows, Museum, Panshet Dam, into Soviet communal apart- Museum in Alberta Street, the women symbolised beauty. Rumtek Monastery, Parvathi temple, Rajgad ments. Many of the buildings building owned by Konstantin There are women’s faces — Ganesh Tok, Hanuman Fort and many more. became shabby and unkempt. Peksens, another genius of Art smiling, shy and screaming in Tok etc. For shopping, The Delhi-Pune-Delhi In recent times, foreign invest- Nouveau. There are stylised horror, kings and queens and you can go to MG Road and roundtrip air fare is ment as well as banks and cul- plants, pine cones, squirrels on even macabre dragons and Lal Market. around R 6,500/- per head. tural preservation funds have the facade; windows have wolves. Many of the buildings You can also visit north The fastest train is helped to renovate buildings to stained glass representing are today embassies, some Sikkim (Lachung , Duronto Express travelling their past glory though many exotic plants and the spiral like the Neiburgs building Yumthang Valley, Zero non-stop. The round trip of them are still in the throes staircase has ornamental with a woman’s head is a Point, Lachen, train fare for 1AC is of transition. Apartment on Elizabetes Iela The staircase and ceiling designs in the Art Nouveau Museum building motifs on the ceiling. design hotel, others are Gurudongmar Lake), R 7,000 (costlier than air One name that appears with Art Nouveau in Latvia went apartment blocks or schools; which can be a five-day travel) and for second tired amazing regularity in the Art “He must have had night- geometric motifs. We see Isaiah with motifs of through a phase of ‘National unfortunately some are still excursion if you want AC, it is about R 4,000. Nouveau Movement in Riga is mares, putting all that detail Mikhail Eisenstein’s creations Egyptian Sphinxes. Romanticism’, when Latvian crumbling from neglect. to cover both Lachung and Three tier AC costs about Mikhail Eisenstein, the father into his buildings,’’ and called especially on Alberta Iela Art Nouveau was not con- architects introduced ele- Though many tourists come Lachen. R 3,000. of the popular film director, him a “ a maker of cakes, who where five of his buildings lie fined to the facades of the ments from ethnic mythology to Riga for the nightlife and Hope this helps. , who made placed statues of human next to each other. Wrought buildings alone. It spread to and folklore in to their designs. cheap beer on lucrative airline movies like Battleship beings one and a half storey iron balconies attract, giant posters, furniture and perme- Many of these buildings have a deals from across Europe, What are the places to Potemkin. Sergei was not a fan high”. Mikhail was known for faces peer down at us and gar- ated to the interiors, the bath- rough finish with sandstone Riga’s eclectic architecture Qsee in Pune? How can I of his father’s work and said of his use of coloured bricks and goyles look menacing. There is rooms and even the kitchens and plaster and look much less is a reason in itself to visit this travel from Delhi to Pune? his father’s fanciful creations, tiles, decorative masks and the home of the philosopher of apartments! We see this in ornate than their flamboyant historical city!

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■ Dr Kavan Lakdawala SENT on your sleeve AT 20 year old ION complained about Amar Chitra Katha launches official range of T-shirts with organic Afeeling sexually stimulated after surfing clothing company to coincide with city’s first Comic Con porn on the net for a few minutes. He said that the penis became erect and secretions followed. ejaculation. This is I reassured him that it is indicative of a absolutely normal. normally functioning “Many people get sex- genital system. ual feelings upon hitting However, in a few, puberty. This is due to surfing becomes akin to interplay of hormones. sex addiction. They can- Sexual urges need to be not live without it. Few satisfied from time to may develop withdrawal time. Self-stimulation is pangs if they miss their Set reminders for regular payments like credit card or phone bills a healthy way to relieve daily does of porn. This this energy. Watching or situation warrants psy- reading sexually explicit chiatric help. Try to material may be fol- involve with other pro- lowed by arousal and ductive hobbies.” Bidadieutolatebillpayment,fines Website lets people monitor their bill’s payment dates, send reminders to in the safe period. As the friends to return money and even offers a financial planner’s services name implies, during this SEX & period there is little Sneha Mahale chance of a woman becom- ■ [email protected] THE CITY ing pregnant even after DR KAVAN LAKDAWALA unprotected sexual inter- ver had to pay a course. This is one of the humongous penalty I am a mother to a 10-month- natural methods of contra- for late bill payment old baby. Since his birth, I ception called the calendar Eor been embarrassed have not got my period. Are method. Remember that because you didn’t return The line is available on there chances of me being all the above figures are your friend’s borrowed money i DoUSpeakGreen.com for pregnant again? prone to natural varia- in time? There’s hope. Bill R 790 (adult) and R 570 for Breastfeeding is a natural tions. It offers no protec- Baba has come to the kids. It will also be available at the Comic Con, World Trade Centre, method of contraception. tion against STD. rescue. The website that was Nariman Point. During the initial few started earlier this year months after childbirth, Is it fact that a girl has a reminds subscribers via exclusive breastfeeding better sex drive? email, SMS, Facebook or a feature characters like the does increase levels of Women are aroused combination of all three, bumbling hunter Shikhari various hormones. gradually and like to about their bill’s due date, a single alert daily or even Shambu and India’s most Hence ovulation does savour the moment. Men as well as informs when one after a week. Once you iconic sweet simpleton, not occur. However, are tuned to go for the kill it is time to pay money bor- complete the payment, you Suppandi. “At the moment, once the frequency of directly. Women do not rowed from a friend. If that’s need to send an email saying Make money Rochelle Pinto AmarChitraKathatoldustheyare we have nothing on offer for breastfeeding reduces, the want to stop till they are not enough, people can also your task is done and the To help people realise their goals of buying a dream car or ■ [email protected] participatingatComicCon,so women,” Goenka says, menstrual cycle returns to sexually satisfied, but sign up to remind their alerts will stop. Apart wedecidedto maketheline adding, “Since we settled on normal. There have been majority of their partners friends when to return from bills, you can also set home, the website allows you ven if you can’t tell only a few designs in the definite reports about are done and dusted. The money. The system has reminders for tasks you tend to employ the services of a the Green Hornet availableattheeventitself. beginning, we decided to rate pregnancy even during human sexual drive begins 600 subscribers. to forget like returning financial planner. The service is from Flash Gordon, —ShishirGoenka, the response and then decide this time. Visit a doctor at from puberty and lasts till “The average person borrowed books or picking up especially for those who want Ethere’s no reason you on creating pieces for the earliest. old age. It does fluctuate to go beyond fixed deposits or DoUSpeakGreen spends hours tracking and grocery. can’t be involved in the city’s women. Though the T-shirts from time to time. In the paying bills. Service If that’s not all, you could savings accounts. The first first Comic Con, at least sar- up for sale last week,” reveals start from a size small to I want to have sex with a olden days, it was believed providers send reminders, also remind a friend who has session is free, but there is a torially. Organic clothing Shishir Goenka of DoUSpeak XXL and are fairly unisex friend and without a condom. that sexual drive reduces but at the last minute when borrowed money from you to charge for every session company DoUSpeakGreen, Green. “Then they told us in design.” Is it safe? with increasing age. the bill’s due date is near. pay up. “Borrowing and lend- after that. which retails online, has tied that they would be participat- Ask if they expect any It is said that most However, recent reports Also, there is no centralised ing can become embarrassing For more info, log on to up with popular Indian comic ing at Comic Con, so we trouble, given that India has humans are product of suggest that this is not system for bill monitoring,” for individuals. This helps i www.billbaba.com Amar Chitra Katha, to be decided to expand the line, not always been kind to those accidents. Please stick to the rule. says Sarika Saxena from prevent it,” says Saxena. The their official clothing partner, and make it available at the seeking to reinterpret its condoms. Though not fool- Bill Baba. website also has a feature releasing a line of T-shirts event itself.” mythology, and he says, “We proof, they offer additional Mail your queries to As part of this service, peo- that breaks down each bill, due and where they are going that bear the series’ most The line features Gods like were very clear that the protection against STDs. Dr Kavan Lakdawala at: ple can set reminders for telling you how much you to pay it. Other members loved characters. Lord Shiva and Krishna, designs would only be The safe period is usually HT Media Limited, their regular payments like spend and where. heading in the same direction “The team at Amar Chitra along side characters from released once they were the seven days before and 2nd Floor, Mahalaxmi Engg credit card or phone bills. Bill Baba has moved out of to pay their own bills lend a Katha had approached us to Indian history like Chanakya, approved of by the legal after the girl has her Estate, Mahim (W), The frequency of alerts too the virtual world as well. The hand and clear the bill along design something for them all chosen because they are team. And we have taken menses. The days of the Mumbai: 400016; email: can be customised. This community on the website with their own. “Thus you can before, so we had made limit- considered powerful mascu- pains to make sure they are menses are also included [email protected] means that you could ask for often leaves posts giving harness the power of the ed edition pieces which went line icons. T-shirts for kids non-controversial. multiple alerts on a single day, details of when their bill is community,” says Saxena.