Continuing with our series “Colors of India”, today we move to south of India. Presenting some more pictures from our readers Preethi Kannath and Deepthi Paul, which takes you to Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Pondichhery. Thrissur, Kerala Vadakkunathan Temple, Kerala Munnar, Kerala Chinese Fishing Net, Cochin, Kerala Goubert Avenue, ...

Continuing with our series of pictures from all over India to mark the Independence day, here is the next set of pictures from our reader Preethi Kannath. Click here to check the first series. Qutub Minar, Delhi Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkatta CST, Mumbau India Gate, Delhi Jantar Mantar, Delhi Taj Mahal, Agra Neemrana, ...

To celebrate India’s independence we are presenting a series of pictures from all over India as provided by our readers. Following are set of pictures from our reader Rajesh Maurya. Enjoy! Dal Lake, Srinagar Jaipur, Rajasthan National Museum, Delhi Khajuraho, Delhi Humayun Tomb, New Delhi Red Fort, New Delhi

Los Angeles, July 11 (IANS) The last thing singer Una Healy wanted on her wedding day was a groom with a puffy face. So on the eve of her D-day, she asked the bar to shut down at midnight as she didn't want her husband to get drunk. Healy, 30, married Ben Foden June 30. "They asked me how late I wanted the bar to open the night before the wedding. So I was sensible, for me, and said midnight. I just didn't want people getting drunk the night before and I told Ben, too. I didn't want him having one of those 'puffy faces' you get after drinking in our wedding photos," Healy told okmagazine.com. Meanwhile, Healy and Foden decided that their four-month-old daughter Aoife Belle would play an important part in their wedding. "It was really important that Aoife Belle played a part so that when she's older we can tell her that she was there when we got married. Even when I went to pick up my dress it was just she and I, so I'll be able to say to Aoife Belle that she helped to pick out my wedding dress," she said.

London, July 10 (IANS) Rapper Nicki Minaj says she was "overtly fondled" by a woman security guard at an airport. The 29-year-old did not name the airport where the incident took place Monday but posted on Twitter: "Pretty sure I was just overtly fondled at this check point by a very old lady with an accent." She even posted a photo of the woman, who was patting her, on her Twitter page, reports contactmusic.com. Minaj further got upset when the security told her not to take photos of them after the incident.

Mumbai, July 10 (IANS) The romance in "Aashiqui 2" will be "gentler" and the film will have a "U/A or U-certificate", says filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, who has of late been churning out erotic and violent dramas. Directed by Mohit Suri, "Aashiqui 2" features Shraddha Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapoor. Scheduled for a Valentine's Day release, the film's shooting will commence from next month. "I would say he (Suri) would perhaps be making a film which is certainly a U/A or U-certificate film. Because the theme is slightly mature, the romance will be more gentler with palatable scenes unlike 'Murder 2'," Bhatt told IANS. "There will be people who will be reliving the romantic eras; they will come to check out how 'Aashiqui 2' has shaped up." Bhatt said Suri was making a product catering to "the constituency that always asks me why do I make only 'Murder 2', 'Jism 2', 'Jannat 2' - erotic films and not the kind of cinema that I used to make earlier like 'Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahi' and types." The filmmaker, known for serious meaningful cinema high on emotions like "Arth", "Saraansh", "Naam", "Kaash" and "Daddy", says that he was just following the thought process of new breed of filmmakers. "I did not have this within my fold as I have filmmakers who wanted to venture into this part. Filmmakers decide what they want to make. So, after making 'Raaz 2', 'Murder 2', gory violent films, he (Suri) wants to now go to a completely virgin area of innocent, enduring love that families enjoy. That is the choice that Mohit has made," said the 63-year-old.

New Delhi, July 10 (IANS) Rains are a cause for celebration in India and there is nothing better than welcoming it with music and song. Classical music lovers herald the arrival of the first monsoon showers with a festival centred around the 'malhar', the rain-invoking raga, one of the six musical modes in the pantheon of Indian classical music. Over the weekend, heavy rain drenched the parched capital after nearly two months of scorching summer to coincide with the three-day Malhar Festival which opened Sunday at the Kamani Auditorium. It poured even on Monday in a strange repeat of 2011, when rain in the capital timed with the festival. "Rains are a seasonal event. When the earth is parched and dry, the rains come. But I think classical music has psychic link with seasons... They reflect the mood of the season," Karan Singh, the president of the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR), told IANS. Singh, a scholar of classical music, said the rhythm and melody of the raga malhar - the theme of the festival - had worked on the atmosphere to soothe the intense heat and invoke rain. Historians point to an interesting 500-year-old Muslim legend. Mughal emperor Akbar once asked his court musician Tansen in Fatehpur Sikri to sing raga 'deepak' - the raga of light (lamp). The power of the music was such that the lamps in the courtyard lit by themselves and Tansen's body burned with heat. He had to dip in a nearby river to cool himself. The river began to boil and Tansen realised that he had to find someone to sing raga malhar to him. He reached Vadnagar in Gujarat, where he found two sibling musicians, Tana and Riri, whom he asked for help. When they sang the raga malhar, the rain came down in torrents, cooling Tansen's body. Raga Malhar has been popular in Hindi movies too and K.L. Saighal sang "Diya Jalao" in Raga Deepak for the 1943 movie "Tansen" after which he sang "Baagh Laga Doon Sajni" in Malhar. Naushad used the raga in "Mother India" to herald the rain in "Dukh bhare din beete re bhaiya ab sukh aayo re". "Legends come from reality, ragas affect cycle of seasons. The most beautiful thing about the Indian ragas are their time boundedness. We have ragas which are related to seasons like 'malhar' for the monsoon and 'basant' during spring," vocalist Meeta Pandit told IANS at the festival. She rendered Soordasi Malhaar - a variation of Malhar. "Malhar has several variations with slight technical differences," she said. Some of these variations of Malhar include, Suddha Malhaar, Megh Malhaar, Gaud Malhaar, Miyan Malhaar, Ramdasi Malhaar, Nat Malhaar, Mirabai ka Malhaar, Dhulia Malhaar, Charju ki Malhaar, Des Malhaar and many more. Bharatanatyam dancer Rama Vaidyanathan says dance has an effect on the cosmic cycle because of the vibrations it generates. "Dances set to compositions in rain-invoking ragas can bring changes in the atmosphere," Vaidyanathan told IANS. The dancer said she chose three equivalents of the Malhar raga in Carnatic music: Amrutha Varshini or a rain-invoking raga, Varunapriya like Miya ki Malhaar and Madhyamavati, corresponding to Megh Malhaar for her performance. "Legend says more 100 years ago, Carnatic vocalists could bring rain in the dry seaon by rendering these ragas with all their intensity, complexities of melodies and rhythms," the dancer said. Over the years, musicians have lost the power (memory) to sing the ragas in their purest form because traditional knowledge of music in India has been oral, she said. According to mythology, the Carnatic versions of the rain-invoking malhar raga date back to the 'thretayug' - the ancient era of the Ramayana. It is said when Hanuman set fire to Lanka with his burning tail, the demon king Ravana played the Amrutha Varshini raga on his veena and brought rain to douse the blaze. As a viewer remarked at the end of the recital Sunday, "The spirit of Akbar must be watching over us for Malhar to bring rain". The three-day festival, presented by ICCR, featured Uma Garg (vocal), Shubhada Varadkar (Odissi), Madhumita Ray (vocal) and Vidha Lal (Kathak) who themed their renditions on the raga Malhar. (Madhusree Chatterjee can be reached at madhu.c@ians.in)

Mumbai, July 9 (IANS) Actress Amrita Puri, who will be seen in "Kai Po Che", a big screen adaptation of "3 Mistakes of My Life", says after reading the book she understood why Chetan Bhagat is so famous. "The only Chetan Bhagat novel I have read is '3 Mistakes of My Life' and that is because of the film. I loved it and it is only after reading it I came to know why is he so popular," Amrita told IANS. Directed by "Rock On!" director Abhishek Kapoor, the film also features TV actors Sushant Singh Rajput and Amit Sadh along with Rajkumar Yadav. The film portrays the journey of three friends as they discover cricket, religion and business in their respective fields. The 28-year-old, who played a bhenji-turned-modern girl in her debut film "Aisha", plays a vivacious character in "Kai Po..." -*- 'Ek Tha Tiger' won't affect '...Wasseypur Part II': Reema Sen "Gangs Of Wasseypur Part II" is releasing a week before Salman Khan-starrer "Ek Tha Tiger", but actress Reema Sen is positive about the real life gang war drama's box office performance. "Had the first part not come before, it would have affected because Salman is a great actor you can't deny that," Reema told IANS. "I am sure it will affect a little. But there are films like 'Shaitan' and 'Khosla Ka Ghosla' doing well. I think at the end of the day, the script matters," she said. -*- Aditi Rao Hydari to sing for 'Ice Age 4' After acting, it seems Aditi Rao Hydari's singing career is also taking shape. The actress, who earlier crooned for "London Paris New York", has now been roped in to sing Hindi version of "Ice Age 4: Continental Drift" theme song. "Fox Star Studios India will give a unique touch to fun family theme of 'Ice Age 4' with the peppy song 'We Are Family', which is a global hit already. I will be singing in Hindi and I feature in a special music video as well!" Aditi said in a statement. The international version of the song has been sung by Latina star Jennifer Lopez. "The series just grew on me. I feel that the antics and funny camaraderie of Sid, Manny and Diego make this series watchable again and again! I love how these completely different animals become friends unwittingly and go through the most unusual and unique adventures together in each film," she said. "It is perhaps one of the best examples of a complete family film, where there is something for everyone. It has a powerful story, fantastic action, eccentric wit and comedy, and it's in 3D!" she added. The film releases July 27.

Mumbai, July 9 (IANS) Childrens' entertainment channel Disney India and Jet Airways unveiled a Disney-themed aircraft wrapped with images of cartoon characters at the Mumbai International Airport Monday. Disney's Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy, Goofy and Pluto featured on the colourful aircraft that marks the culmination of Disney Channel - Jet Set Go - campaign. The Boeing 737-800 from the fleet of Jet Airways will be in the air beginning July 10. "At the heart of Disney DNA is our passion for telling the world's best stories and providing unique experiences for kids and families. Jet Set Go is one such initiative which has seen a phenomenal response from all corners of the country," said Vijay Subramaniam, Executive Director of Disney Kids Network, Disney UTV. The Disney Channel's Jet Set Go campaign generated a recordbreaking six million entries that were submitted from all over India. As many as 37 winning families were awarded the grand prize of an all expense paid trip to Hong Kong Disneyland Resort where they will be able to meet cartoon characters. Mickey and Minnie were joined by the entire cast of Disney Channel's popular locally produced shows - "Best of Luck Nikki", "Suite Life of Karan and Kabir"; and "Art Attack". The stars congratulated the 37 winning kids and their families who were headed to the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. Jet Airways is delighted to collaborate with Disney through this unique opportunity to deliver a creative and memorable experience to kids and their families," said Manish Dureja, Vice President, Marketing, Jet Airways.

Beijing, July 9 (IANS) A tourism park to be built in Tibetan capital Lhasa will feature attractions themed around an ancient Chinese princess who married a Tibetan king when she was 16 and brought a dowry of numerous treasures including golden furniture. According to Chinese history, Princess Wencheng, daughter of Emperor Li Shimin of the prosperous Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.), married Tibetan King Songtsan Gambo. The princess travelled 3,000 km from central China to her new home in Tibet, Xinhua reported. The city government of Lhasa will now invest 30 billion yuan ($4.7 billion) to build a massive culture and tourism park in her honour in the next three to five years. The park, with a planned area of eight square km, will improve Tibet's tourism credentials and be a landmark of its cultural industry, an official said. Visitors will get to see outdoor performances and educational and entertainment programmes tracing the footsteps of the princess in Tibet.