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Outlaw or Artlaw?
His project,
glorify Punjab A glitzy affair Make-Up Magic Hanuman sings to his tunes Rajai
season is here again The spinning wheels |
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Mari Newman of Minneapolis in the USA wishes she was Nek Chand because her attempts to make a junk-sculpture garden on her own piece of land have met with an outrage. Nirupama Dutt tells the story of this artist’s struggle
Mari Newman, an artist living in Minneapolis in USA has been fighting a losing battle in trying protect her junk sculpture in her homeland and her thoughts fly down Chandigarh’s Nek Chand whose Rock Garden is celebrated all over the world. In anguished letters to The Tribune, she writes: “Nek Chand is lucky I am not. Nek Chand has been so lucky in realising his dream and earning respect and regard, but I still have to complete my dream…” Mari has become a victim of the Minneapolis zoning code and according to it a garden figure, a sculpture and even lawn chairs in the front yard could be considered a violation of the city’s zoning code. And Mari in her house at 51st & Penn has created a surrealistic sculpture garden and her whole house is an object d’ art but it has earned her the wrath of the neighbours who will just not appreciate art.
The trouble seems to be with the law of the land and Mari writes: “In America, it is very difficult to build a sculpture garden even if you own a piece of land because it is illegal and so is trash hunting. How lucky Nek Chand is to have had piles and piles of rubbish at his disposal. It is so difficult to find good trash and so often I have been picked up for dumpster diving.” Of course, Mari does not know that Nek Chand too has had his lows and he made the Rock Garden secretly over long years in the PWD dump yard where he worked as inspector. The insensitive administration made several attempts at several times to pull it all down, Nek Chand was fortunate in finding friends and admirers for his art and they stood by him through thick and thin. The Rock Garden is there for all to see and admire. In fact, it is one of the tourist highlights of the city. Her work is colourful and creative although her neighbours find it a bit too much. Southwest Journal reports a zoning official Said Carison complaining: “It’s the intensity, it’s the volume of the work displayed in the front yard. If we can reduce it down to a reasonable level, we’ll assume success until we receive another complaint. The anger of the neighbourhood is such that people paint slogans of ‘Die Bitch!’ on her garage. Ah! Mari one can just say that there never was an art loving period and never an artistic nation. Mari has given two of her works to the Nek Chand Foundation in UK and wants the Rock Garden creator to put them up in his garden. One hopes that Mari too finds some admirers and things become easy for her because looking at the pictures of her arty home, one is quite impressed by them! |
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Chitraarth is set to capture Punjab’s glory through a 200-episode TV serial. Parbina Rashid talks to this director who gave Punjab its very first national award winning film Chan Pardeshi
Chitraarth, the man who took the Punjabi film to its zenith in the year 1980 with film Chan Pardeshi, is back again; this time to project the glory of Punjab during the time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh through a television serial “Land of the Five Rivers”. What makes this venture special to the Punjabi audience is that his serial will see, once again, their favourite combination - Chitraarth as director and Raj Babbar as the lead character, a combination, which started with Chan Pardeshi and continued through memorable films like Shaheed Udham Singh. The combination is singular not just for the audience here, but also for Chitraarth. “Raj and I clicked when we worked in Chan Pardeshi, a debut venture for both of us and it continued,” recalls the director. What makes Babbar unique? “He is absolutely passionate and focussed about what he does. He is not just a director’s actor but also an inspiration for the entire unit. A perfectionist, he can motivate everyone from the spot boy to his co-actors. He is a leader in the truest sense of the word,” says the star maker. We just agree with him and for he is a man who knows what is he talking about. He has worked with scores of big names, both in TV and the silver screen, ever since Doordarshan became a household name. He launched Shekhar Suman in his serial “Wah Janab” in 1984 and many more like Sonali Kulkarni, Manoj Bajpai, Anup Soni- the list is endless. But what makes the “Land of the five Rivers” close to their hearts? “It has always been Raj’s dream project. We toyed with many other topics like the Gaddar Movement and all, but settled for Maharaja Ranjit Singh,” he says. So why this brave soldier-king? “That’s the whole point. He was a famous king, but how many people know about this king who ruled for 40-long years except for that he lost an eye?” he asks. “Through this 200-episode serial we are going to portray the struggle of this last sovereign king who fought tooth and nail to retain the Khalsa identity, his secularism, his fair ruling, who never awarded even a single capital punishment during his time,” he explains. The serial is being made in Hindi but will be dubbed in many regional languages, including Bangla and Tamil. This weekly saga will be telecast on Doordarshan. So this is also an endeavour to revive the dying popularity of the channel. As the team gets on with the preparation for a press conference at Hotel Piccadilly, we throw him one last question. Why no one has come up with another Chan Pardeshi till date? “The Punjabi film industry is ignored because so many good film makers like Yash Chopra and Harry Baweja and exceptional cinematographers like Manmohan Singh moved to Hindi films. It is only the second rung filmmakers who are now making Punjabi films.” But Chitraarth is coming back with “Ek Jind Ek Jaan” with actors Aryan Vaid, Nagma and Deep Dhillon and we certainly look forward to see some crowd pullers in the near future. |
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As four famous designers showcase their creations at Hotel Mountview, Gayatri Rajwade captures the mood of the evening
Reminiscences of a spry summer! Colours flouncing with gay abandon, sparkling embellishments and flowing lines added allure and verve to a chilly evening at the Fashion Knowledge Forum fashion show on the verdant lawns of the Mountview Hotel. The twinkling evening provided the perfect backdrop for the sheer vibrancy of style and glitz as the collections of designers Ranna Gill, Anshu Arora Sen, Sunita Shankar and Suneet Verma came together, adding spirit to a festive evening. Vivacious, colourful and cheerful, Ranna’s collection flowed free, unfettered and streaming in symmetrical and asymmetrical lines-skirts and dresses in a range of colours, length, fabric and structures coupled with vibrant tops. Part of her 2005 collection, the showing opened with a red crunchy skirt adorned with Indian motifs followed skirts and dresses with bright prints, appliqué work, tie and dye, tribal patterns adorned with exquisite embroidery, coins, satin trimmings and pin-tucks in cascades of orange and blue garnished with chunky accessories, which is her signature style. “Interesting” is the word she uses to define her collection, “in vibrant colours like plum, petrol green with funky accessories.” Gypsy, vivid and feminine- the collection is eminently wearable and one that reflects the joie de vivre that comes across in her obvious passion for fashion. In contrast, Anshu Arora Sen’s collection floated through with childlike innocence. Lots of pinks, greens and oranges-fluorescent and fresh-the lines are classic, clean cut and simple. Easy-to-wear silhouettes with a vibrant palette of colours with simple yet interesting shapes, the look is trying a different style without frills and flounces worn with floppy footwear in maroon fabric. Bright yellow with blue slips enhancing the sunflower appeal with stingy tie-up’s revealing bare backs. Pink and yellow dresses with fairy patchworks, polka dotted cherry dress with a blue feminine bodice with twinkles, raggedy slips, beads adorning patterns, stark pinks, mauve and lilacs the look is casual, easy-to-wear in reams of orange pink and gentle flows. Petite, warm and charming Sunita Shankar delighted with her festive collection reflecting the vibrancy of summers and going onto the warmth of winters. Chanderis and silks used in smart flows, classical lines for skirts with red and gold bootis, lovely bandhanis in non-conforming black and white, tribal motifs and pretty embroidery of flowering stalks on orange, jackets with “cut, paste and stitched pieces of fabric” in bandhani to give a hand-painted appeal in lovely russets, bronze and burnt rust. Churidaars in vivacious reds, short silk with Kutch motifs make for a celebratory collection. Treatment of fabrics is Sunita’s forte as are colours and silhouettes. “This is the start of the party season so there is little embroidery, stitch-detail with motifing, pin-tucks, even kantha work appliqué work used to augment the fabric.” She has worked closely with craftsmen in Kutch, Sikkim and Bengal, drawing from their motifs and patterns. And it is also the “clean and creative” lines of Italian designers that she draws her inspiration from and the “craziness of Japanese designers.” In fact, a summer showing in Japan is slated for next year, which is creating heady excitement. The last showing highlighted Suneet Verma’s collection with bold embellishments and ritzy designs. The summery, asymmetrical, layered dresses have animal prints with trademark corsets and exuberant saris highlighting his detailed work; bold funky boots, satin, mauve, lilac and pink with big floral patterns, intrepid motifs and heavy embroidery on pants. Pink and white flowing dresses and red sequins made for a bright collection startling like the summer sun! Albeit an hour late, the showing was well crafted, short, crisp and flawlessly conducted with a simplistic set which only served to enhance the appeal of the designers’ creations. —
Photos by Vinay Malik
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Thanks to those master strokes from make-up magicians, metamorphosis for models is just a heartbeat away, reveals Anandita Gupta
Wisps of wavy curls resting on a beautifully chiseled face. Ready to kill kohl-rimmed eyes set against eyebrows- arched like a half moon. Sprayed shimmery eyeshadows complementing that oh-so perfect brow bone. Flawless skin flaunting the freshness of the morn breeze. And stunningly luscious lips that whisper colour and charisma. Well, these are the looks, that create quite a stir among the overawed spectators. As arch-lights and men (of course) pamper these models with envious attention, accompanying women get a major complex about their own plane Jane looks. But before branding these gals and guys as God’s gift to mankind, lets remember that they are very much human. And much of their beauty is made-up, thanks to those deft master strokes from make-up magicians. Don’t believe me? Read on- “I was always in awe of models and film stars. I believed they had those killing looks which any normal person would not have.” confesses a stunned Supreet Kaur, revealing, “But very recently I happened to make it to a rehearsal for some fashion show and was amazed to find that models rehearsing there were very normal looking. In fact I couldn’t recognize any one of them.” Chips in Sakshi Dhir, working at a reputed fashion institute in the City Beautiful, “My institute keeps organising various parties, conferences and fashion shows with reputed models. This gives me a lot of exposure with the models and I’ve seen that most of them have very ordinary faces.” Adds her friend Aditi Sharma, “Definitely, most models have well-worked out bodies and the right kind of attitude and confidence. But if you say that they are actually glamorous looking, I won’t agree.” So what is it that adds all that spunk and sparkle to these lasses? “It’s a lot of things. Partly the glamorous dresses, partly the spotlights and mainly their heavy make-ups.” says Indira Alhuwalia, a renowned beauty expert from the region. So folks, a model’s face is like a canvas where beauty experts paint their imagination. Even models may have patchy skins, dark circles under their eyes and chipped lips at times. But, thanks to make-up magicians, metamorphosis for them is just a heartbeat away! |
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HE’S young, a newcomer to feature film music direction, and listens to singers like Michael Jackson , Peter Gabriel and A R Rehman. He has composed several popular advertising jingles, including the famous Kya aap Close Up karte hain and has recently gave music for India’s first animated film “Hanuman”. Here’s a conversation with Tapas Relia. You couldn’t have asked for a bigger break into Hindi film music direction, could you? For Hanuman, your first Hindi film, you had singers like Shaan, Shankar Mahadevan, Dr. Palash Sen, Kailash Kher, Sonu Nigam, Saapna Mukherjee, Sneha Pant, Madhushree and others! What was the experience like? Very good indeed. The singers were excited about singing for the greatest Super Hero, Lord Hanumanji. I must appreciate their patience. Even though they were working with a newcomer like me, they never threw any tantrums, and all were very cooperative. And hopefully, that shows in the music of Hanuman. Hanuman has excellent songs. Most of them will be loved by kids. What did you keep in mind while scoring the music for these songs? Yes, you are right, kids will definitely love some of the songs, but all the songs are not just for kids alone. When I started composing the songs my purpose was to bring the thoughts alive. I wanted it to sound more lively and appealing to not only kids but also to college-goers and not to pass out like another religious album. While composing the music, I have treated Hanumanji as the greatest Super Hero. Which song has been your favorite in this film? All the songs in the movie have shaped up very well. I am sure you will fall in love with all of them. But yes, I particularly liked the song set in Hanumanji’s childhood - Akdam Bakdam. That is one song that kids will definitely love. I am very much in love with two other songs too. One is Jai Hanuman by Shanker Mahadevan and Dr Palash Sen, and the other is the Hanuman Chalisa, sung by Vijay Prakash. You have given a rousing and powerful feel to the traditional and beloved Hanuman Chalisa prayer. Tell us about your thoughts and experiences while composing it. The one that you get to hear in the movie is not the first version. I wanted the music to be more lively and appealing which was missing in the first one. I scrapped it and reworked and the music shaped up the way I wanted it to be. It is lively, appealing and very smooth. I am sure it will be liked by all specially the youth for its energy. What orchestration and instrumentation did you use for the songs of Hanuman? I have used all kind of instruments possible — be it Indian or Western. You can call it World Music for the kind of instruments I have used in it. Any memorable incidents? Let me share a very pleasant memory. For the recording of the song Akdam Bakdam, I had booked the studio for the entire day, considering the fact that a kid (Shravan) was to sing it. But Shravan did a marvellous job and completed the entire recording in two hours flat! Considering the song was so complex, it was an amazing effort from Shravan. I will never forget that. And I will never underestimate young singers ever again as I did for Shravan that day! Hats off to him! What was it like, scoring the music of an animation film like Hanuman? I didn’t quite understand the bigness of the movie initially, but once I started working on the film, I realized how big it really was. That was when it really started growing on me. What kind of research and preparation did you do before or while scoring the music of Hanuman? A lot. I bought every possible audio material available in the market place related to Hanumanji. Watched a lot of other animation films just to study the kind of impact music should make in an animation film to make it stand out and attract the audience. Is there anything else about yourself or the film or its music you want to tell us and the viewers of Hanuman? I would like to say just one thing: watch Hanuman! It has been an honest effort from all of us. It’s not a religious movie as the name suggests. Hanuman is a complete family and kid bonanza for the festive season. I would like to thank Sahara One Motion Pictures and Percept Picture Company for making me a part of such a prestigious project. Your path to success started with— The Close up jingle “Kya aap Close Up karten Hain…” is what I will call the first milestone of my career. You know what? At first, the jingle “Kya Aap Close Up Karte Hain” written by me was rejected. But I must thank Pyush Pandey who showed faith in it and gave it a go ahead in spite of rejection by the research team. And the rest is history. I have also done jingles for other popular brands like Dominoes, Amaron etc. |
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Rajai season is here again
COME winter and we go on an overdrive, invent ways and means to beat the bone-rattling chill that takes on the city residents unawares. It is time to draw out woollen cosies, like ‘lois’, shawls, scarves and other winter wears to withstand the hostile weather conditions. As the weather changes its mood and the volatile winds turn chillier still, we instantly look up for quilts, blankets and other heavy woollen gadgets to combat the freezing cold. With the sharp nip in the air already making its presence felt in the city and elsewhere, quilt manufacturers and those who stitch quilts have been working overnight to meet the bulk orders that they have received from their local clients and also from Punjab, Haryana and remote areas of the hill state of Himachal Pradesh. Rajbir (35), his wife Angrejo and nephew Raju (24) are amongst hundreds of migrants eking out a living by stitching quilts in the city. Rajbir migrated from his home town Dahar, an outpost under Panipat district of Haryana, to this city pinning up hopes of a better tomorrow. “My hopes to bag a petty job of domestic help were belied when runing from pillar to post failed to secure me one. I was introduced into the trade of stitching ‘rajais’ by an acquaintance. Rajbir, who operates from the bustling Bijwara market here, rues the day he adopted ‘rajai’-stitching as his vocation. “Din-raat kaam karke bhi mushkil se do waqt ki roti chalti hai”. (Working for even 12 hours a day fetches only two square meals a day). Many the likes of Rajbir, drawn from Haryana, Bihar, UP and elsewhere have to make do with what they earn, precisely between Rs 80 and Rs 100 a day on an average. The quilt stitching rate ranges from Rs 20 to 25 for an ordinary quilt which at times goes up to Rs 35 and Rs 50 depending upon the size and design a quilt bears. Stitching of a single-bed ‘talai’ means a paltry sum of Rs 8, while a heavily-crafted Jaipuri and double-bed ‘rajai’ fetch Rs 40 and Rs 80, respectively. Stitching of a pillow means no extra payment. “Double the labour hence double the rate,” quips Raju another young lad at quilt-stitching. In an interface with a section of the quilt-stitchers revealed that besides their regular clientele, apple growers from Himachal Pradesh and the managing committees of various gurudwara and temple place bulk orders with us for ‘rajais’ and ‘talais’ that they need for the labourers they engage during the season. “But this is a once-in-a-blue-moon phenomenon”. “We are expecting a marginal upswing in the orders this year in view of the rumblings of a comparatively more harsher winter in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and elsewhere” says Papu, another migrant from Bihar engaged in the trade. “At times we have to work day and night at a stretch keeping in view the urgency of the order placed,” pitched in Ram Samajh, a new comer in the trade. “Daily we reach our place of work around 9 in the morning and work till late evening” Ram Deo said with indignation writ large on his face. “Customers do a lot of haggling even over a rupee or two. We have no options but to reduce the stitching charges even up to Rs 5 rather than losing a customer”, said Shamli of the Sector 38 market in reply to a query. Rajai-stitching, henceforth a female bastion, has been stormed by the males, who too have entered into the trade in a big way. They have outnumbered their female colleagues over the years. Earlier only womenfolk would undertake the job of ‘rajai-stitching’, whom manufacturers would engage during the peak winter season. Times were when rajai-stitchers would provide this service at your doorstep by charging a little extra over the market rate. |
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The spinning wheels AN understanding of the location, function and area of influence of the chakras is necessary for a practitioner of yoga. Rather than learning from books, this knowledge is better revealed through practice of particular yogic exercises. The student, with help from the teacher, learns to discern problem areas and work to clear malfunctioning in the particular chakra, thus curing the body of disease, physical, emotional and mental. To do this it’s not essential to intellectually explore the cause, the practice of the prescribed techniques will take care of the ailment. There are seven major chakras aligned along the spine that gather energy and distribute it in the body. We will discuss them in sequence of progression of the human life from a child in muladhar to a realised soul in the sahasrar. Muladhar,
meaning the root or foundation, is situated between the anus and the scrotum for men and in the posterior side of the cervix for women. It is graphically illustrated as a red lotus with four petals and vibrates to the sound of ‘lang’. The seat of all our issues of survival, its element is earth. People who have had a secure and loving childhood have stronger muladhar and are better able to face and survive life’s battles as the root have received nourishment in the early stages. We store all our fears about life, death, money, love, family, property etc; gathered over the years and many past lives, in this chakra. Congestion here affects the knees, excretory and urinary organs. Some diseases related to this chakra are colon and prostrate cancer, piles, arthritis of knees and ankles. As this chakra is cleared and balanced we overcome fear and gain confidence, becoming more stable and secure in our surroundings. Swadhishtan, the sacral chakra is situated at the end of the coccyx or the tailbone. The Swadhishtan, meaning ‘one’s own dwelling place’, is an orange lotus with six petals vibrating to the sound of ‘vang’, its element being water. Here we store all our sensual and sexual desires and passions and so naturally it is the storehouse of our guilt too. Society has created and maintained unnecessary pressure on natural adolescent desires and needs leading to disorderly habits in teenagers. A disturbance in this Chakra shows up as extreme guilt, inability to display emotions or conversely erratic emotional actions and a difficulty in sustaining meaningful relationships. The suppression of natural desires may lead to abnormal behaviour such as alcohol and drug abuse, overeating and sexually deviant activities. The physical organs that are effected are the kidneys, the reproductive organs, the large intestine, the legs and the disease that manifest may be failure of the kidneys, sciatica, fissures and cysts in the organs in this region, fibroids, varicose veins etc. Balance in this chakra brings a great sense of calm and peace, emotional stability, comfort with ones own sexuality, ability to show and share affections strengthening relationships with both sexes. |
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Film & FASHION
THE passing of a new law in the UK that legalises gay marriages in the country, has prompted British singer-songwriter Sir Elton John to set the date of his nuptials with long-time partner, Canadian film producer, Dave Furnish for the 21st of December this year. The couple, who have been together for 11 years, are reportedly planning to hold their wedding at Windsor’s MacDonald Castle Hotel. Sir Elton John has revealed that he would like ex-Spice Girl, Victoria Beckham, to be his best man and that his choice for Maid of Honour would be Lulu.
— ANI Diaz wants to ‘live happily ever after’ It seems actress Cameron Diaz literally believes in the phrase “they got married and lived happily ever after”, as the Hollywood beauty is convinced that she would have a long and happy married life with current boyfriend Justin Timberlake, with whom she wants at least a 34 year old marriage- just like her parents. The Charlie’s Angel star, who is said to walk down the aisle soon with her 24-year-old lover, has been dating the pop hunk since May 2003, and is convinced they could have decades of happiness ahead. “My parents have been married for 34 years. They’re so inspiring to me,” Contactmusic quoted the 33-year-old actress as saying. “Their commitment is so strong; I’ve always dreamed of something similar for myself,” she added.
— ANI Hollywood to glow better The iconic Hollywood sign, erected in 1923, is to glow even brighter, with it getting a new paint job for the first time in 10 years. The sign, which became a tourist attraction soon after its erection, has weathered a little due to its constant exposure to the elements, and hence needed a touch-up, with two private San Diego companies donating the time and money. The giant letters will first be stripped back to the metal before they are repainted.
— ANI Bikini wax works for Eva in bedroom Eva Longoria, the Latino beauty who has set the small screen alight with her performance as the sexy Gabrielle Solis in the hit TV series “Desperate Housewives” has said that getting a Brazilian bikini wax has improved her off-screen sex life. Longoria who currently dating basketball cutie Tony Parker says that her advice to all women would be that they should try it out the extreme wax at least once in their lives and swears that once they try it out, they’ll keep coming back for more. She added that even though it hurts like hell the first time, it makes things a lot more interesting in the bedroom.
— ANI Justin’s new line Pop star-turned-fashion designer Justin Timberlake unveiled his new clothing line, called “William Rast”, in Bloomingdales last week. The 24-year-old star worked on the “Tennessee-inspired” vintage tees and jeans, available for both men and women, along with his Memphis pals Trace Ayla and Danny Guez. The singer, expressing his heartfelt thanks to his friends, especially to Trace, has claimed that Trace dealt with all the business stuff, helping him to sit back and concentrate only on the designing part. He added that with his latest creation, he had not only surprised himself, but his friends and family as well.
— ANI |
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