Q 1. Unesco has lauded India for guarding its...
a. Heritage sites
b. Traditional medicine
c. Linguistic diversity

Q 2. Reacting to a public interest petition seeking two time zones for the country, the Government has...
a. Decided on different time zones for east and west India
b. Appointed a committee headed by a judge
c. Said one time zone is enough

Q 3. The Bangalore Police will now videograph and punish
a. Two-wheeler drivers who drive on pavements
b. Anyone caught urinating in a public place
c. Those who use cybercafes

Answers: 1(c), 2(c), 3(b)

OPERA
Taking Off On a High Note

SCENE ONE: A preview at Neemrana

After a whole year in the making and many curtain raisers, the Indo-French opera project, The Fakir of Benares, premiered at Delhi's Siri Fort auditorium on February 27. Produced by Francis Wacziarg, French-Polish businessman and restorer of heritage properties, this somewhat unique event in India's cultural calendar is being directed by filmmaker-designer-impresario, Muzaffar Ali. With a cast and orchestra comprising mainly of passionate amateurs and part-time professionals both Indian and French, the music is conducted by Frederic Ligier and the lead female part is played by Aude Priya, Wacziarg's charming young daughter who has been learning opera singing in France and Italy.

Written by Leo Manuel in1922 The Fakir of Benares was produced at the Theatre Mogador in Paris and then promptly forgotten till Priya chanced upon its liberetto in a Paris music shop. It is the tale of an ugly but pure girl finding a handsome blind lover whose woes are magically righted by the blessing of a fakir. Priya thought the opera would serve well to create "a space for western classical music in India". With a little magic.

-S. Kalidas

CINEMA
Q&A: TOM BROOK
"Jury is taken by Lagaan"

The anchor of BBC World's Talking Movies, in India to launch Hollywood Years, on Lagaan, the Oscars and Bachchan:

Q. What's your take on Lagaan?
A. I watched it in two phases, the first in New York and the next in my hotel room in Delhi. I was intimidated by the film's length but found it very moving.

Q. Will it win the Oscar?
A. Sony Classics, which distributed Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon last year, is distributing Lagaan, so it is in good hands. It has stiff competition, but a well-connected friend in Los Angeles says the jury is very taken by Lagaan.

Q. Are the Oscars fair?
A. I've been covering the Oscars for 19 years now. It has reduced films to a horse race and is being overdone as a promotional event.

Q. Tell us about the Oscar night.
A. It's nerve-wracking.

Q. Do you know of Amitabh Bachchan?
A. No. I don't follow Hindi cinema much.

Q. But a BBC poll voted him actor of the millennium last year.
A. Is that so? I didn't know.

-Methil Renuka

NEW RELEASES
Ghulam Ali (Music Today; Rs 65) Excellent ghazals recorded at Swar Utsav. Includes famed thumri Ka karun sajni	Siddhi Vinayak (Times Music; Rs 65) Chants by the priests of Shri Siddhivinayak Temple, Mumbai, with flute music by Ronu Majumdar.	Jeena Teri Bahon Mein (Magnasound; Rs 65) Hemant Manohar fails to impress as a singer in his debut album. Music is also poor.	Yeh hi Maqsad (Pratidhwani; Rs 45) Eight patriotic songs sung by the Murchhona Choir Group. Good attempt, worth the money.