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All rolled up and raring to go...
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Write to Renee Navaz Sandhu Jyoti Subramanian MOVING ON: Rajesh Patel wants to step out of side roles and play the lead The Westside story BOLLYWOOD BUZZ
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All rolled up and raring to go... The jean generation makes a statement with denims folded up, Saurabh Malik discovers how
JEANS rolled up to the knees are giving a leg up to style, gorgeously. If you haven’t seen them, just leave the cool comfort of your home and drive downtown. You will see young girls zipping down the road on single-cylinder machines with denims folded up, nicely and properly. Or else, go to an upper cut cafe steaming with fashion. Savour a blend of piping hot cappuccino and dames merrily displaying wee bit of niftiness in trousers with bottoms turned over to advantage. Sit down on a comfy sofa for some time. Hear gasps escape the lips of city guys over the din of thumping music as pretty lasses smoothen the folds with manicured fingers, swankily. “Rolled-up jeans are the latest scream among teenyboppers, even the elderly. In fact, folding them up is the easiest way to wrap up the hearts of forlorn guys. They are comfortable and simply look chic. No doubt about it,” asserts Zahira Kapoor, a young fashion designer running a garment house. Zahira is selling up to 20 long-length trousers daily. Her patrons include “bouncing babes” all across the fashion map. Some pick them up for bashes, others wear the stuff to college campuses. Tavleen Singh has just purchased three in oceanic blue, baby pink and alluring green. Riding high on vogue, the under-grad student plans to wear them to her late evening music classes, not just for style. For her, it is all very convenient. Brought up in a family where conventions are more important than fashion, skirts are strictly prohibited. Tavleen was in class X when she wore an asymmetrical skirt for the last time, she recalls in a voice punctuated with emotion and regret. “Granny gets angry,” she whispers. No wonder, she leaves the protection of her house wearing “slim” jeans. Goes round the corner. “Glams up” the denims by wrapping up the bottom. In seconds, she changes into an up-to-date young lass from a conventional girlie. She is not alone. Her best chum Koel dons them for similar reasons. Her brother is strictly against `displaying business’. Until a few years ago, she would change her clothes, and image, in the college washroom on occasions like the Valentines and the Halloween. “Now, I simply double over the bottom,” Koel reveals, with a smile playing on her crimson painted lips. “It looks so captivating. I love the way guys cast admiring glances”. Explaining the trend, socio-psychologist Nainika Sharma says, “So many girls here-a-days believe it is absolutely essential to display toned up body for revealing a mod’ attitude. If they can’t wear skirts, some of them roll up the jeans.... They are so divorced from reality. Well, that’s another story”.
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Savour the flavour of the season in the delicious cakes that are making the way for the festival season. Gayatri Rajwade goes around Chandigarh sniffing the aroma from the ovens Hurrah for the festive season! For here come the bakes and cakes, puddings and pastries! Savour the flavours letting them tingle and mingle, give in to that wilful, unruly craving for nothing is finer that a delicious, sumptuous, opulent slice of cake dancing a merry jig on your taste buds! As the festival season takes over, bakeries produce their finest fare to gladden hearts and palates. Does a ‘Sacher Torte’, a dense cake with orange chocolate icing sound good? Well! This is just the tip of the gooey iceberg! The Torte, a speciality of ‘Monica’s Puddings and Pies’, is one among more than two-dozen delectable offerings up for grabs. Their Chocolate Gateau is a city favourite as is the Chocolate Mud Cake—“a favourite amongst the youngsters,” says Monica’s owner, Monica Sood. This tiny little cranny in the Sector 8 market in Chandigarh has notched up an avid clientele with its innovative recipes. “This season too, we have special concoctions like the California Prune Cake, Fig and Raisin Cake, lots of dry cakes like Almond and Raisin and the moist Double Chocolate Cake.” In the pipeline is also the mouth-watering Cherry Liquor Cake in tandem with other fruitcakes like Mango, Raspberry, Blueberry and the Passion Fruit Cake. Perhaps one of the oldest bakeries in Chandigarh is the one at Hotel Aroma in Sector 22. With the unique distinction of having catered to the developing Chandigarh taste buds for more than 40 years they know what clicks. “Chocolates are fascinating to the city,” declares Aroma’s Food & Beverage Manager, Rajan Arora with certainty! Along with the usual Pineapple, Butterscotch, Chocolate Mud Pie is the Chocolate Truffle Cake, and the Mixed Fruit Cake that has their flavours firmly entrenched in the city. However what really gets the city going is are their Rum Balls no less! Another speciality is the hand-made soft nut chocolates, which begin at Diwali and are available only till Christmas and New Year. With 7 to 8 outlets around Chandigarh, Polka, has been catering to the city’s sweet-tooth for the last 25 years and it is their Swiss Roll which has caught the city’s fancy for all these years. A recipe which owner Ashwini Kumar claims has been developed by them first and which “no one else makes, like we do!” New entrant Sweet Nothings tempts with its delicious looking creamy wonders. Owner Jasjot Singh bakes the cakes, 15 to 20 of them, herself everyday. Look forward to their Autumn Passion, an apple, carrot and walnut splendour or the Dry Jaffa Nut Cake, a chocolate cake with chunks of orange marmalade and dry fruits that will make their appearance for the celebratory season! Mountview, whose in-house bakery is displayed most tantalisingly in their Coffee Shop have the city running for their Chocolate Truffle cake.
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INTERIORS Mouthwatering laddoos, breathtakingly beautiful dresses, dazzling jewellery, warm family get-togethers, a canopy of glittering lights and markets bedecked like a bride. Well, the much awaited, much cherished and nowadays, much hyped festival season’s here again…. A time to take a break from hectic work schedules and create some special moments with people closest to you. A time to leave behind fond memories in their hearts that they can cherish forever. In short, the time to conceptualize a signature gathering of close friends. And when it comes to adding loads of signature- style to your festival bash, it’s your Décor that comes first. Décor that must have a cute traditional touch along with being jazzy. Well, here’s how to go about it.
So, lets hope these décor cues help you sprinkle some spice on your festival-bashes pep them up like never before.
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I find myself the object of office gossip. I am an extremely sensitive woman and get really upset over this. Can you tell me how to deal with this? —Jaspreet Kaur, Patiala If you are the butt of gossip at work you are definitely on people’s minds. Either they find you very interesting or they feel you are doing something they would love to do but do not have the guts to do it. Just don’t let it bother you. Remember gossip is a part of our culture and most of the time people do it to get over their own frustrations. Ignore it and feel proud that people should find you interesting enough to want to talk about you. Dear Renee, I am in my 30s and am a single working woman. Life is quite good as it is but there are times when I feel very lonely. How can I feel simply happier? —Anita Singh, Chandigarh For women in our country at this stage in life this is a particular problem. Invitations are mostly for couples. Even if you are invited and you strike a conversation with a man a lot of people give you the look as if you are desperate. Well honey, just ignore them. The best thing that you can do for yourself is that you just have to get there. Join a fitness class so that when its time for the blues to hit you, you’re already fighting “fit” or maybe if you are a reader, go to the library, join a readers club or something. The great thing about being single is this sense of possibility. A life changing moment happens anytime and anywhere! Count yourself lucky and move on. My teenage daughter seems to be the big problem. I really don’t know how to deal with it. In today’s fast changing world I seem to have become the outdated mom. I want to keep up with the times but at the same time I do not want her to lose sight of her own culture and heritage. How can I guide her to keep her a balance in today’s modern world? — Priti Kapoor, Chandigarh Being a good mom is one heck of a responsibility. Once we have our kids we have to remember life is not going to be the same ever. Whatever you do in life now reflects on you as a parent. So just be your natural self and set an example for your child through your own behaviour. Remember don’t push because that always makes them rebellious. Give way gently and they could come around more easily. I never seem to be able to lose weight no matter how hard I try and how many diets I have been on. My body is like a yo-yo constantly swinging between the plump and the almost slim. How can I be slim always? — Ritu Singh, Chandigarh Now here we have an emotional problem and it must be dealt with accordingly. Remember, you have to help yourself. So spend as much as you can in introspection. Look deep within your heart and see what are the emotions that you are constantly battling with. Do stop finding comfort in food for it is your spirit that needs nourishment and not your body. We are constantly in denial of ourselves and are looking for substitute happiness. Food is one of these substitutes. So now it is time to give up these aids and go for the real thing. We have been together for years and now our life is more of a mechanical drudgery together rather than the great fun and feeling that we had for each other when we first met. How can we return to the high of the lost times? —Sushma Sharma, Ambala I think the two of you have to reinvent your lives. You must work together to bring about a shift of perspective. For a start, try going out for a romantic film. Maybe ‘Salaam-Namaste’ would be the film for you. You could even take a trip to the mountains or plan just a quiet evening dining out. Start feeling sixteen again and I assure you that the lost magic will return. It is far better to regenerate your current companionship than to learn to love a stranger again. Excitement comes and goes but the emotional security of a permanent relationship lasts out forever. So just hang on and there it will happen for you all over again but that is if you let it.
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Navaz Sandhu was born to motor sports and the driving force keeps her going, says Mahima Pushkarna Speed thrills. But being behind the wheels of a motor vehicle as a sport can be more than just thrilling. Who should know this better than Navaz Sandhu, who was virtually born into motor sports ! Her mother Katie and father Darayuz Bhakhena were rallyists when Navaz was no more than a toddler. Her older brother Farad has been three times a national champion and younger brother Zoro won that laurel once. Navaz cannot count her trophies, but she does talk happily—almost partially— about the Sportscraft Summer Rally of 1989, when she won the 500-km rally behind the wheel of a borrowed gypsy. And she married the sport too, with husband Karandeep Sidhu himself a national champion. After fourteen years of active participation in the rallies, Navaz has moved on. She is organising the Third HPCL Power M1 Challenge rally that comes to the city once again. Round 4 of the prestigious Motorsports Association of India’s Indian National Rally Championship will be flagged off from Fun Republic on October 21. Ace drivers like Karandeep, Sunny Sidhu, Vikram Mathais and the current champ Arjun Kumar apart, there will be the Asia Zone champ Naren Kumar. He is four times national chhamp. The dirt track through picturesque lower foothills of the Shivalik range will end in Shimla on October 23, but they will do a Spectator Super Special at the Kala Gram on Oct 21, and at Shimla on the concluding day. “It is all fun because you are pushing yourself against nature and against clock. There will be 30 participants. It will be thrilling for them. I get a kick out of this even though I will not be behind wheels,” says Navaz, as she busies herself with the meticulous groundwork that necessarily precedes such events.
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LIFE POSITIVE Yoga trainer Jyoti Subramanian elaborates on the various branches of Yoga. Good health is not just related to the physical body. Complete health has to permeate the physical, emotional and mental. This is where the practice of yoga plays such an important role. The practitioner not only cures the physical ailments but also moves in to cure the emotional or mental reasons for the disease and progresses to understanding his innate divine nature. Often novitiates are perplexed by the variety or branches of yoga available and propagated—Patanjali yoga, Kundalini yoga, Hatha yoga, Ashtanga yoga, Raja yoga, Kriya yoga, Hamsa yoga, Iyengar yoga and now Bikram yoga— the list is endless. Patanjali codified yoga in the treatise ‘Yoga Sutras’ in the year 200 BCE. Even then, he is not the originator, the knowledge of Yoga having come from the Mahayogi Shiva himself. All yoga that is taught today, which includes the ones mentioned above has its origin in Patanjali who has systematically recorded all the practices of yoga. So we can visualise Patanjali as this big umbrella from where all forms of yoga come. Ashtanga means 'eight limbs'. Now according to Patanjali the Tree of Yoga has eight limbs, yama (restraints) and niyama (observances) are the first two and comprise the following qualities taught to children by their parents and teachers through example: non-violence, truthfulness, freedom from greed, control of sensual pleasures, non-stealing, compassion, moderate eating, austerity, contentment, belief in divinity, charity, company of men of wisdom. Third comes asanas, for steadiness of posture, good physical health and lightness of body. Fourth is pranayam, a technique to make the respiratory organs move intentionally as against automatic habitual breathing. One learns to harness the mind via the medium of breath. Pratyahar being the fifth limb is a process of reversal of energy. Our sense organs, always attracted to the external, are drawn inwards seeking their own divinity. Dharana, Dhyan and Samadhi are final three stages; a single point attention with the mind unwavering and unruffled, a merging of the one meditating and meditated upon- the true state of meditation and finally the state where the yogi realises the individual self to be a part of the universal self. Therefore all yoga has to be part of ashtanga. Hatha Yoga ignores the first two: yama and niyama and concerns itself with the practice of asanas, pranayam and pratyahar. Raja yoga concerns itself with dharana, dhyan and Samadhi. Most yogis normally practice a combination of Hatha-Raja yoga. The former to maintain the physical body as a fit vehicle and the latter for spiritual evolution leading to union of the individual self with the divine self. By tradition, Kriya yoga was never taught publicly, normally communicated verbally by master to disciple. Even today though many masters are authorising their disciples to teach this practice. It is essential to be initiated by the master to enliven the process. Kriya yoga is the practice of Kundalini yoga and both are part of Raja yoga. Hamsa yoga, a special form of yoga practiced by the Himalayan yogis is also part of Raja yoga. — Hamsacharya Jyotii Subramanian was introduced to yoga in 1972. She teaches the New Life Awakening techniques of Hamsa Yog and Babaji Kriya Yog.
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He played Amisha Patel’s good friend in Rakesh Roshan’s ‘Kaho Naa…Pyaar Hai’ and also had a significant role in Ram Gopal Varma’s ‘Company. Actor Rajesh Tandon who discovered he could act while he worked with a theatre group in Delhi (he’s also worked with the likes of Ebrahim Alkazi) also excelled in Varma’s ‘My Wife’s Murder’ starring Anil Kapoor and Nandana Sen. He also did a guest appearance in ‘Naach’. Though he would rather have done the lead role in ‘My Wife’s Murder’, he played Raj, Nandana’s boyfriend. Patel says: “It’ was an interesting role and working with Ram Gopal Varma’s company is always a pleasure. I mean, who wouldn’t want to work with someone like Ramu who I think is great in terms of spotting talent and backing it.” Though Rajesh feels that some times life is unfair and “the film industry too like every other industry is parochial and feudalistic. Those with a film background probably get more chances to prove themselves but then even if one is not too happy about it, one is realistic about it.” The soft-spoken graduate in Political Science says though he has no regrets about the roles he has done so far he is “not very satisfied. I want to do more roles, do good films. Right now, all I am waiting for is a good lead role. Once I do that and if I do it successfully then I can try out other things as well, comedy and negative roles.” Rajesh says he has some interesting roles and films in the offing and has a wish list of directors too. “Every actor has a wish list of people he wants to work with. From Ramu to Rajkumar Santoshi to Yash Chopra and Sanjay Leela Bhansali to Rajkumar Hirani, each one of them is incomparable and so naturally one does look forward to working with them. Though I have done both theatre and TV, I feel film is the ultimate medium for an actor. Every little nuance of acting is captured on the big screen and that I think can help an actor for making his mark.” — Dharam Pal
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Gloria Estefan writes kids’ book
Latin pop singer Gloria Estefan children’s book ‘The magically mysterious adventures of Noelle the bulldog,’ has hit the bookshelves. Estefan, known for hits like ‘Conga’ and ‘Rhythm is gonna get you,’ told Reuters in a recent interview, “I’ve been offered a lot of things that celebrities do that I wouldn't do, like perfumes, lines of clothing...,” she said. “...but this is right up my alley.” Estefan's book stars a wide-eyed bulldog, wide-mouthed Dalmatians, bulbous goldfish and a few birds. “I'm totally animal-oriented,” she said. A long line of stars from Jamie Lee Curtis and Jerry Seinfeld to Madonna have written children's books. — Reuters Who will be the next 007?
The decision on who replaces Pierce Brosnan as the next James Bond remains a mystery just weeks ahead of the official announcement. Shooting of the 21st Bond film, ‘Casino Royale’ will begin in January. British media and countless Bond sites have been reporting leaks, rumours and gossip about who will be next to don the “007” tuxedo. Only five actors have played Bond since Sean Connery took on Dr No over 40 years ago. Dozens of actors have been linked with the role in recent months, including Englishmen Clive Owen and Jude Law, Australia's Hugh Jackman and Croatia's Goran Visnjic. Daniel Craig is tipped to be the favourite as the finishing post nears. Bond is one of history's most profitable film franchises. It has netted nearly $4 billion in ticket sales of which Brosnan's four films grossed $1.5 billion. Arnold’s no to violent video games
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has passed the law that will prohibit the sale or rental of violent video games to minors. With retailers facing a $1,000 fine for each violation, the gaming industry already has vowed to challenge the new law and for being vague as to what constitutes a ‘violent’ game. The legislation requires the violent games to be prominently labeled with an ‘18’. Yee, a child psychologist, said these games present a danger to children. “Unlike movies, where you passively watch violence, in a video game, you are the active participant and making decisions on who to stab, maim, burn or kill,” Yee said. “As a result, these games serve as learning tools that have a dramatic impact on children.” —
Reuters Film saved O'Connor from drugs
Irish singer Sinead O'Connor says the hit movie ‘Trainspotting’ literally saved her from taking drugs. O'Connor found some scenes in the film so terrifying that it convinced her to never let drugs destroy her life, reported contactmusic.com. She said she is also grateful that she had her child before she became famous. She adds, “I was lucky that I was a mom before I got success because I probably would have gone a lot wilder on the drugs.”
— IANS Madonna incurs rabbis’ ire Madonna, the middle-aged queen of pop and kabbala enthusiast, has incurred the rabbis’ ire with her song ‘Isaac’. The track is on Madonna's forthcoming album ‘Confessions on a Dance Floor’, which will be released in November. The song is believed to be about Isaac or Yitzhak Luria, the 16th century scholar who founded the modern version of the Jewish cult. Some rabbis have reacted strongly to the song and have accused her of trying to cash in on the association with him. One has gone so far as to suggest Madonna will suffer divine retribution for her actions. Neither Madonna nor her spokeswoman have commented on the dispute. Madonna was born a Catholic but in recent years has been attracted to kabbala. She has reportedly adopted a Hebrew name Esther, wears a red string around her wrist to ward off the ‘evil eye’ and has introduced other celebrities to the cult. Models in bikini upset Karzai’s aide
Mohaiuddin Baloch, a religious adviser to Afghan President Hamid Karzai, denounced two women who appeared ‘half naked’ recently at a beauty contest and fashion show, saying their actions were illegal under Islamic law.Sutara Bahramia wore a bikini at the Miss Earth beauty pageant in Manila while Vida Samadzai appeared in a bra and loose skirt at a fashion show in India. Both Bahramia and Samadzai have lived abroad for many years.
— Reuters
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Bipasha mobbed
Bipasha Basu was greeted by almost a ‘sea of humanity’ wanting to have just one glimpse of her as she arrived in Delhi to inaugurate a store at Gurdwara road here on Monday.She has earned a huge fan following her portrayals in 'Jism' and 'Raaz'.Utter chaos prevailed at the venue with hundreds of people forcing the star to remain in her vehicle for half an hour. The state of affairs remained the same for a long time forcing Bipasha to cut her programme short and leave the venue. — UNI Saint appears in Meera’s dreams
Pakistani actress Meera has said that she turned religious after having some ‘meaningful dreams’ while staying in India, wherein a saint asked her to offer prayers. “I started praying regularly because a saint, who would appear in my dreams after my visit to Hazrat Nizam-ud-Din Aulia's shrine, asked me to pray,” the Daily Times quoted her as saying. Sushmita’s Karma confession The much-talked about Sushmita Sen-Randeep Hooda-Drena de Niro project ‘Karma Confession & Holy’ is “very, very Hollywood,” says Harish Dayani, chief executive of the movie division of Sa Re Ga Ma. The film is being directed by New York based Indian filmmaker Manish Gupta whose credits include the diaspora comedy ‘India Fish in American Waters’. The film will have some of the topmost names from Hollywood including Lysa Cooper, one of the world's biggest stylists. Lysa will be doing Sushmita and Drena's looks. The director of photography is Lisa Lene. While Sushmita and Randeep play the younger Indian couple, Suresh Oberoi and Rati Agnihotri star as the older couple. Suchitra Krishnamurthy will appear as a traditional sari-clad Indian woman married to an American. “It will be a very Woody Allen kind of film covering three layers of characters - the Indians from India and in the US, the Indians born and bred in the US and the true-blue Americans,” says Harish Dayani.
— IANS Amitabh cancelled his b’day
bash Amitabh Bachchan on Tuesday
cancelled his birthday celebrations in view of the devastating earthquake in
Jammu and Kashmir. Earlier, Amitabh had planned a get-together of family and friends on the occasion. However, respecting the sentiments of those waiting fans standing in the heat outside his residence to greet him, the Bollywood superstar accepted their greetings. Amidst the fans was Rajan Soni who had cycled all the way from Delhi to Mumbai for 12 days to wish the actor on his birthday.
— UNI Meera to play Parveen Babi After appearing in two Bollywood potboilers, Pakistani actress Meera is all set for her third Indian venture, a film based on the life and times of the late actress Parveen Babi. The film will provide cinegoers with a glimpse into the life of Babi, who passed away in January this year in her Mumbai home.
— PTI
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