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ACHIEVER
It should be a village for
the arts
ART
Stars
splashed on chairs U SHARE YOUR BIRTHDAY
TODAY WITH The
Westside story
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Nail them down It is not just painting or tattoos, but an overall style that adds to the persona, Gayatri Rajwade finds what nail art is all about
Reinvent yourself! Not the usual fashion
statement that comes off a new fad, but something different! A style
mantra that will add allure to hitherto ignored slices of the trendy pie!
Nails. Buff and polish them, spruce and ‘spring clean’ them and then
go for that magical appeal, nail art! The city is waking up to style
with a flamboyant flair and can beat the gloss off the big metros of the
country—any day! With its pink overtones to the walls, goldfish
forever munching, with drooping silver slivers of moustache and a flurry
of activity—Cleopatra in Sector 8C claims to be the first to have
launched a Nail Art studio in Northern India, two years ago. “It is not
just about painting or tattoos, it is about an overall style, occasion,
what is being worn and the personality of the person,” explains
Cleopatra Clinic Manager, Harveen Kathuria. Crystals, sequins,
airbrushing, studs, nail piercing—the choices are aplenty. The designs
can range from the ultra funky tiger stripes to pretty, delicate flowers!
Cosmetologist, Makeup artist and Nail Art Expert, Ritu Kolentine,
ferried Nail Art back to the city, all the way from Canada. “Our quality
of Nail Art work is far superior and we have a plethora of Indian designs
and images to choose from which are much appreciated.” Ranging from an
affordable Rs. 50 for a simple design for a hand to Rs. 200 to 300 for
acrylic nails with Nail Art, (in case you chew your nails and need to
cover them up or simply want longer nails!) Cleopatra is also offering a
special package for Karva Chauth this year with Nail Art coming for free
with the special Mehndi. This at Rs. 50 a hand is perhaps a steal!
However, it certainly was not easy going a few years ago. No one knows
this better than Jaswinder Matharoo who has been dabbling in Nail Art for
over two years now. Jaswinder works from her home in Sector 8A and
recounts an amusing episode of how someone recently approached her
thinking nail art was a form of therapy! In her sparkling pink salon,
you are treated to nail extensions—a speciality for which Jaswinder has
done a special course, and an array of plastic and acrylic nail
extensions, cool designs on nails and French Manicure kits that can give
your hand instant fame! With her price ranging from Rs. 200 to Rs. 2000
for the works, there is something for season. “Taking care of nails and
treating them well, is an important part of your look,” believes
Jaswinder. So what is Chandigarh’s style tune? “Not very crowded
designs, nice sophisticated patterns, floral or diagonal motifs or then
French Nail Paint with Nail Art on the tips,” says Harveen. For that
instant polish, gloss and funky outline there is instant gratification at
the Nail Art counter at Fun Republic. With the whole ‘art scene’
computerised, all you have to do is choose your design, place your hand in
a machine attached to the computer and hey presto, your prêt wear for
nails is all ready! Priced at Rs. 80 for a single hand and Rs. 120 for
both, the price may be a little high but for a quick job, it may be well
worth it. Started three months ago, the counter is doing brisk business
amongst the youngsters getting over 20 hands day. With over a 1000 designs
to choose from this sure is fun! With the art work lasting for a few
weeks just like your nail varnish does, this seems a more delightful
option to choose, for nails are just as important to what you wear as your
latest Gucci handbag on your arm is!
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ACHIEVER Good news to friends home comes from model Urvashi Chaudhary, reports Kuldip Dhiman
Urvashi was working on Krishna Hoon
Main Krishna and Retake, which is almost complete, before she left for
London. “Another good news is that evergreen Dev Sahab has chosen me to
do the promotional song for his new venture,” adds the happy girl. Urvashi
is well known to fashion show aficionados in Chandigarh as she won the
title of the Best Catwalk at Miss North in June 2003, followed by being
short-listed by Gladrags for their Mega Model Contest in 2004. She was the
second runner-up in Miss J&K held at Jammu the same year. She has done
over a two dozen ramp shows in the region. She got ample training before
the film cameras by doing music albums such as Dhol Punjab Da with Sunil
Pinta, Yoban with Hardev Mai Nangal and Dil Vich with Rajinder. Urvashi
owes her success to her mother and father Vinod Chaudhary, and her mentor
Arvind Prashar Jolly. But her newfound success has not robbed her of her
memories of her beautiful city, which she still misses.
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Down and Across It is criminal when errors creep up in this addictive checkered game, says Sai R. Vaidyanathan Only the coup de grace was left to be
delivered on the plane of black and white checks. Unlike the game of war
played with 32 coins on a similar board, this one is played with various
combinations of its 26 characters. Instead of rallying around a single
coin, this one required all of them to fit harmoniously and completely. In
either case, it didn’t matter if the board was right-side-up or upside
down. Being just as addictive as chess and having brought it so far, the
idea of leaving the crossword unfinished troubled me. The lingering taste
it would leave made me turn over a lot of pages in the dictionary and look
up a lot of related words in the thesaurus, but to no avail. The clue read
“Answer to a change (4)”. It became clear that there was an error. The
pieces didn’t fit in properly. While it is difficult to give time to
this harmless yet addictive pastime on weekdays, the Sunday crossword
takes care of the forenoon on the day of the Sabbath. And on the onerous
task of fitting in the right alphabets, it rightly seems criminal if any
human errors creep in, preventing the completion of the puzzle. On one
such fateful Sunday, to my horror, I discovered that the given grid
didn’t have the right scheme. But to the eyes of a regular, the cyclic
rotation of grid patterns become evident quite early. Each grids is
repeated after a while and only the clues change. The only task that
remained was to find the right unfilled grid from the heap of previous
issues. A Sunday another week, the solution of the puzzle lay at the
bottom of the clues instead of answers to the previous one. It was
impossible to resist the temptation of throwing a glance at the solution
when a clue didn’t yield. The exercise didn’t appeal to my ethical
side and I left the pursuit midway. This black and white grid gives one a
sense of achievement on the day of rest and no leaf is left unturned to
completely fill the white squares. The traditional method required one to
go through bulky volumes of thesauruses, dictionaries, atlases and
encyclopedias. But modern technology has eased the search. There are
computer softwares and sites on the worldwide web which suggest words if
the clue and pattern is furnished. If a grid budges too easily on paper, a
diehard fan who wants more, can go to many interactive applets of this
game of letters in the virtual realm. But what do you do when the clue
itself isn’t there? The grid showed “_D_A” to a four-lettered word.
It seemed that the clue didn’t want to spell out this four-lettered word
in a decent newspaper. As Archimedes shouted “Eureka” from the
bathtub, I yelled IDEA jumping up from the couch! As mentioned earlier,
another four-lettered word still blocked the way to the finish. The answer
to “Answer to a change” had “P_E_” as the pattern. I jumped up
again with the answer “PLEA”. The typesetter had wrongly spelt the
word “charge” ! |
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Kalagram Blues Can the Kalagram blues be transformed into pinks and greens, asks Nirupama Dutt It is a long stretch of green on the
Chandigarh-Shimla highway just short of Panchkula. There are beautiful
little huts with sloping roofs and bougainvillea creepers clinging to
them. This is Kalagram for you that was envisioned as a place that would
become the hub of art and craft. Many years have passed but Kalagram has
yet to acquire a character of its own. It is neither an up-market classy
place like Delhi's Habitat Centre or for that matter the older and more
somber Triveni Kala Sangam. Instead it seems to be functioning in a
lackadaisical 'sarkari' way as goes with most such institutions. However,
it is a pity that such wonderful a space is not being put to better use.
One of the reasons cited can be that it is away from the city heart and
located at a traffic-busy highway. But this perhaps is not all. What seems
to be lacking is a certain vision in designing meaningful activity
involving crafts and arts. Craft bazaars are organized from time to time
but they are not even a pale shadow of say a Dilli Haat. "We
regularly organize sculpture camps and young sculptors are called from the
region to participate in them. We also have regular art workshops from
children of the slums," says Jassi who is in charge of the complex.
But these things could be done better with a more definite design. The
rows of sculptures seem to dot the place like tombstones. Painter Malkit
Singh says, "There is not much use of these sculpture camps. The
sculptors are poorly paid and there work is not highlighted in any way.
This is no promotion of art." Sculptor Shiv Singh has been suggesting
for long that studio space should be created for artists but no one
listens. In fact those at the helm of affairs should be now designing a
more vibrant plan for this precious spot.
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It should be a village for the arts
Let us learn something from Nrityagram in Bangalore, says theatre director
Rani Balbir Kaur
Kalagram, the very name suggests an art
village' or 'a village for the arts'. Therefore the quiet ambience of a
village is a prerequisite. Performing and other Arts have their own purity
of form. There are the folk, classical and modern arts and the
experimental arts. It is most essential that the sanctity of every Art
form be recognised and maintained. It is appreciable that in an effort to
popularise and draw people to the Kalagram, multifarious activities have
been introduced and these efforts are commendable. Yet I would like to
cite an example of a very fine art village called Nrityagram near
Bangalore. It has most successfully preserved the purity of Arts and
created a village ambience that has a magnificent class. The Kalagram
must have an atmosphere of a village, quite and reflective for works of
art separate area should be created for other activities that involve
hustle and bustle. We all must develop a sense of discrimination between
the popular and the classical and the amateur and the professional. Its
true that an artist flourishes with encouragement and performances are a
must but we must not forget that encouragement should be given only after
assessment so that encouragement is not given at the wrong place.
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ART
It's an enduring saga of struggles for Aruna, a young
teenager, whose little world of art has endeared her to art enthusiasts.
Eldest among her eight siblings, this little sculptress, armed with
amazing artistic capabilities, is seized with an indomitable spirit to
storm the sculpting scene. The passion to pursue an age-old family
tradition heart and soul, forced her to drop out from 5th standard.
"She had a rare spark of creativity in her eyes since the days of her
innocence", confide in the proud parents Phool Chand and Gayatri
Devi, who claim to be the third generation of sculptors. Hailing from the
sleepy Sadhri outpost under Palli district of Rajasthan, the land of
golden sands, her parents migrated to Zirakpur, near Chandigarh, in 1981
to eke out a living. A fair share of the days of their youth was spent
going places as far as Kolkata, Karnataka, Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad.
Aruna and her seven siblings were born and brought up here, once this
nomadic family finally decided to settle down here for good. Wedded to
sculpting since childhood, Aruna took over the reigns of the family at the
age of eight and blazed a trail that evokes awe and admiration. At 19 now,
Aruna has emerged as the family's sheet-anchor. Aruna, an inborn artist,
learnt the subtle nuances of sculpting from her father and continued her
roller-coaster ride to perfection. But she gives the credit of shaping her
into a consummated artist to her paternal aunt Dariya Devi. The unique
world of art that Aruna has created over a piece of land, adjacent to the
busy-ever Zirakpur roundabout on the Chandigarh-Ambala highway, has a wide
range of alluring Plaster of Paris (POP) images of Lord Shiva, Lord Rama,
Krishna, Ganesha, Ma Saraswati, Vir Hanuman, Baba Vishwakarma and other
deities in dazzling shades, shapes and sizes. Many of them astride their
traditional mounts and create an imagery of the paradise . The life-sized
image of Lord Ganesha here painted in alluring shades is a virtual visual
treat. Meticulously arranged in rows by Aruna, the other corner of her
world of creative art, with sky as the roof, offers a mosaic of figures of
the multi-hued peacock, pigeon, parrot, sparrow, and captivating replicas
of the cat and canine-families, which speak volumes for her impeccable
creativity.Aruna's Rajasthani woman in her traditional attire, with a set
of pitchers precariously perched on her head, offers a peep into the
hardships of the hardy woman of the desert land. In yet another corner
lies in cheek-by-jowl ceramic pottery including pots, pans, flower vases
and a host of other household items of daily use, including assorted
toys. Aruna is equally comfortable at sculpting larger-than-life human
figures. "But, no worthwhile offer has poured in so far to prove my
sculpting power. God will bestow upon me one, some day, I am sure",
says Aruna with oodles of confidence. Aruna has an in depth knowledge of
colours and brush which adds beauty to her captivating figures. Aruna,
who has accomplished herself as Plaster-of-Paris artist in the area,
informs that the sales register a marginal upswing during the peak
festival seasons, including Durga Asthami, Ganesh Chaturthi, Janmasthami,
Vijay Dashmi, Vishwakarma Puja when local buyers throng in good
numbers.
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Coming Closer Here comes a chance for audience to interact with actors, says S.D. Sharma Only the culture-savvy souls can comprehend and relish the ‘rasa’ of an artistic creation while others, because of their preconceived notions and doctrinal prejudices, fail to appreciate a work of art, be it a painting, a literary or music composition or a drama. Art historians believe that many of the artists died dismayed, frustrated because of the lack of a knowledgeable art aficionado and a sympathetic critic. Inspired by such an ideology and based on a genuine analytical approach, the Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Academy, in collaboration with the department of Public relations and cultural affairs, Haryana, has brought out an educative programme for theatre lovers, under the support of the Central Sangeet Natak Academy, New Delhi. Undeniably, the first venture of its kind ‘ Theatre Interaction Programme’ is likely to be a boon for the naïve theatre enthusiasts as well as connoisseurs beside the playwrights, musicians, technocrats associated with theatre productions, says Kamal Tewari, the Akademy Chairperson. The three-day programme has been carefully planned to ensure a close exposure of the audience, artists and theatre experts to all the processes involved in theatre production like play-writing, set designing, make up, blocking, costume design, music, lighting and acting. The academy had roped in the living legend of theatre, Rudra Prasad Sengupta, with his theatre troupe- Nandikar from Kolkata and the Abhinet theatre group from the region for theatrical performances and deliberations in the theatrical realms. The programme commences with the interaction of the performing group- Nandikar artists and an introduction about play at the Academy Hall on October 16th. In the afternoon session, Rudraprasad Sengupta will share his lifetime experiences, achievements and struggles for the theatre. On 17th October, during the morning session, theatre experts from region will present deliberations on the ‘theatre scene in North India’. The theatre icon Rudraprasad Sengupta will speak on ‘the process of playmaking and the struggle and achievements’ as an actor, director in particular and the Nandikar group. The group will stage a play in Bengali ‘Feriwalaar Mrityu’ at the Tagore theatre in the evening. There will be a discussion and critical appreciation on the play and performance in the morning session on 18th,in which the audience, critics and all artists will participate. Again, in the evening, the Abhinet group will stage a play ‘Who is afraid of Virgina Woolf?’ under the direction of Harish Bhatia. The performance and related points will be open for discussion by the theatre lovers, artists and critics at the Akademy Hall in the morning session on October 19, disclosed Kamal Arora, the academy Vice Chairman. The academy also plans to screen the works of Rudra Prasad Sengupta.
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Stars splashed on chairs
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U SHARE
YOUR BIRTHDAY TODAY WITH Elected by an overwhelming majority (more than 90%) as the President of India on July 18, 2002, this Czar of Indian science and technology has the unique distinction of receiving honorary doctorates from at least 30 universities, and India's three highest civilian honours- 'Padma Bhushan' (1981);'Padma
Vibhushan' (1990) and 'Bharat Ratna' (1997). Besides he's authored several inspirational books, including 'India 2020', 'India-my-dream', 'Ignited Minds-Unleashing the power within India' and his autobiography, 'Wings of Fire'. He's also dabbled in writing poetry. And, like so many great men, his greatness manifests itself in simplicity. No wonder, 'India's Missile Man' observes strict personal discipline in his personal life, practicing vegetarianism, teetotalism and celibacy. He reads both Quran and Bhagvad Gita, hoping to heal factionalism from the Indian fabric. This man is indeed indefatigable. He strongly advocates an action plan to develop India into a knowledge superpower by 2020. Dr Kalam's whole life and vision is captured in these lines written by him in one of his poems: "Dreams float on an impatient wind, a wind that wants to create a new order. An order of strength and thundering of fire."
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The
Westside story
Pop
diva and actress Jennifer Lopez has put aside her usual glamour and is
filming in a hilltop shanty town for a gritty movie about the murders of
hundreds of women on the US-Mexico border. Wearing
a blond wig, slacks and long-sleeved shirts, Lopez plays a Chicago-based
reporter sent to Mexico to investigate the wave of more than 300 slayings
in Ciudad Juarez, a violent border city in Chihuahua state across from El
Paso, Texas. Directed by Gregory Nava and co-starring Antonio Banderas, ‘Bordertown’ is being shot in the Mexican city of Nogales on the border with Arizona.
—Reuters Banderas back as director Spanish actor Antonio Banderas is looking forward to a second stint as director, breaking away from his adventures as swashbuckling legend Zorro, the latest episode of which hits screens later this month. That is not to say that he did not have fun playing the masked Mexican hero. "It's a character that I always found really likeable. I'm fond of Zorro because he was a popular figure who worked for the people," Banderas told reporters in Madrid. He is getting behind the camera again in November to film "El Camino de los Ingleses" (The Way of the English). It is his second feature after ‘Crazy in Alabama,’ which starred Banderas' wife Melanie Griffith and which received mixed reviews. Rowling, Dylan win prizes Rowling led the list of writers who won prizes at the first Quill Book Awards on Tuesday, and singer-songwriter Bob Dylan was awarded the biography-memoir prize. Rowling won the prize for book of the year and best children's book for "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" while Dylan won best biography-memoir for "Chronicles: Volume One," his personal history as a musician and tortured pop icon.— Reuters Jolie helps young artists Oscar winning actress Angelina Jolie gave a helping hand to young upcoming artists in Africa by buying a few of their paintings during a visit to a Canadian bar. According to contactmusic.com, Jolie was in Canada visiting Brad Pitt when she stopped by the Auburn Saloon to see an exhibit of artwork by Ghana's impoverished children. Jolie bought five of the paintings when she found out that the proceeds would help the children build a school.
—IANS Jolie gets
Humanitarian Award Actress Angelina Jolie said it felt strange to receive an award for her work as a goodwill ambassador for the UN refugee agency because it has been "the greatest thing" in her life aside from her two children. At a dinner attended by 700 diplomats and VIP guests, Jolie accepted the Global Humanitarian Award from the United Nations Association of the USA on Tuesday. The actress said she hoped to live up to the promise she made to herself when she became a goodwill ambassador four years ago to do everything possible to help refugees all over the world because "they deserve every bit of our effort."— AP |
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A Tip a
Day Dr
Rashmi Garg is Senior Consultant, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Fortis Heart & Multispeciality Hospital, Mohali. |
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Urvashi Chaudhary, the graceful and
lissom model from Chandigarh called from London to tell us that she is
there shooting for Balam 420, a Bhojpuri film. “All these years I have
seen Indian films that were shot in London and other foreign locations,
but I never imagined one day I would be here facing the camera. It is a
thrilling experience,” she says.
Artists all over the world have tried their hand at design. This means
putting art to use in jewellery, furniture, garments, lamps and many such
things. In India too, painters and sculptors in the past few decades have
been turning their attention to design. What is interesting is that this
innovation was first started by artists of the big league who’s
creations fall in the category of high art. Among them is the celebrated
Anjolie Ela Menon who is the seventh most expensive painter in the country
as far as the Christie’s and Sotheby’s auctions go. She has done
several experiments with framing paintings in carved old windows. Not just
that she has also painted furniture including cupboards, chairs and
tables. We bring to you two chairs on which she has taken two subjects
from popular art_ Hrithik Roshan and Shilpa Shetty. Of course, this would
mean sitting on the stars, literally! — ND
This little boy, born to a working class Muslim family in Tamil Nadu, while growing up on a South Indian island, was fascinated by the flight of seagulls. But who knew then, that his love for flight would make him India's frontiersman in technology. A technology that not only fired ballistic missiles like 'Agni' and 'Prithvi' , but has made India a competent Nuclear Superpower!
A tip a day is likely to keep the doctor away. So let us a make a beginning
with: Salt! Learn to love salt a little less even if you have to curb your
desires. Eating too much salt leads to high blood pressure, risk of stroke and heart attacks. So let us start shunning salt a bit from today.