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The four-day Visakha Utsav 2001 promises to showcase the investment as well as tourist potential of the eastern port of Vishakhapatnam. Stalls and kiosks will depict the port's achievements in ship design and building and new growth centres in the region, along with potential products for new industries, including agri-business. Tourists have a lot to look forward to: classical music and dance at Gurajada Kalakshetram, a flower show at Kailasagiri and a crafts display at Madhurawada. The festival also features instant booking counters for stay at the picturesque Araku Valley and the Borra Caves. The festival is on from December 22 to 25.

BOOKS
Classic Poems

There is no genre in literature that Rabindranath Tagore did not successfully attempt, but he will be remembered for posterity chiefly as a great poet and composer of songs. That's the focus of Rupa's two new releases-Lipika and Later poems of Rabindranath Tagore, translated by Aurobindo Bose. In Lipika, written in 1921, Tagore introduced a new genre into Bengali literature-that of the unrhymed prose poem. Most of the poems in the second book have been taken from volumes published in 1930s. The books also include a selection of Tagore's songs-poems set to music by the poet himself. The books are priced at Rs 95 each.

MUSIC
A Melange of Moods

"Music is capable of a thousand indescribable moods," says Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, composer of Music of Soul (Music Today). His eight compositions attempt to make us experience a few. Celebration, for instance, evokes the vatsalya bhava (love for a younger one) and the bonding between a mother and child. These melodies, each based on a different raga, aren't purely classical; instead, Bhatt has fused a melange of influences to create a harmonious whole, along with Ronu Mazumdar on the flute, Ulhas Bapat on the santoor and son Saurabh who assisted in composing. Bhatt plays the primary instrumental melody himself on his Mohanveena. This is music that sounds better each time you hear it. Priced at Rs 75.

TOURISM
Song and Dance

Chennai is the place to head for if you're interested in music and dance. The Madras Festival of Music and Dance will be on at the southern metro till January 1, 2002. For all you want to know about it, log on to www.kutcheribuzz.com for daily updates. The organisers have also published Kutcheri Buzz, a handy guide that contains profiles of the leading singers and dancers, as well as their concert schedules.

WEBSITE
Net Devotion

Here's a site that tells you all you ever wanted to know about Hinduism. www.hinduism.about.com has it all, from gurus to yoga and from vegetarianism to reincarnation. It has links to related sites on Indian cuisine, religion and astrology. Of particular interest is the temple link, which lists the major temples outside India. There's a chat module too. The web page has been designed as a place where devotees from all over the world can inform each other of the devotional activities going on in their area.