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Dance for a
cause Muffin Race
& English Tea Banish Those
Stains Film
& FASHION WEDDING WEAR BOMBSHELL Santa caps a
scream Pizza Time
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Of the twenty students in the Masters of Fine Arts class, there are only six boys. And the boy-girl ratio at the undergraduate level too is almost similar. Balvinder speaks to the brave young girls on the art scene Renaissance (German) artist Albert Durer, commenting on a drawing by a woman. Even women in the arts talked this way. Louisa May Alcott, the writer of Little Women, said of Mary Cassatt’s pictures, “She has a touch of strength one seldom finds coming from women’s fingers.” The above stated western quotes are quite old and dated. However, here, until recently, the attitudes were similar. An art school was considered as a place for young girls to pass the time between high school and marriage. In this regard some one has rightly stated that, “With attitudes like that, it’s a wonder that women artists existed at all, and no wonder at all that laymen know little of them”. Making history No wonder that Reny’s entry to our first year class in the local art school, (later christened as college), in early sixties, created not only flutters but also history! She was the first-ever girl student to join Commercial Art section in this college. Painting section used to be the only choice of girls. Slowly things got changed here too; but still the sculpture section remained dominated by male students alone for many more years. Chiefly because of the laborious nature of handling heavy and complicated materials and methodologies of sculpture-making even male students having frail and small structures were not encouraged to join this section. Little wonder the number of seats in this particular section never remained fully occupied. Now the scene here at the Sculpture section, currently the most vibrant one, is totally different. Out of a total of twenty M FA (I & II) students, a ’house-full’, there are only six boys. And the boy-girl ratio at the undergraduate level too is almost similar. Changed times The most encouraging thing in this regard is the fact that the sexist bias, stated at the outset against the girl students, that used to be the hallmark of the sixties, is absent to the point that many of the young students seemingly are unaware of it. Not so strangely, none of the students of MFA II (Sculpture), that I have interviewed, have ever faced any gender bias against them either at home or at college. Though the sculpture stream was not her first preference, bubbly and
brilliant Simrat,(a product of Sector 19 Model school), joined this section because she frantically wanted to enter this institution to realise her yet-to-fully-develop artistic dreams. Once after entering into this interesting and challenging world of 3D-art she has no regrets for joining this stream. “I am ‘lovin’ it”, she chuckled in the familiar jingle-tone. “Gender bias in our household? It is neither my bro nor my sis but I who always calls the tune”, she tells with a questioning expression. Right choice A bright eyed Priya Kapoor,(a product of 18 Model School), who had joined the college to pursue only sculpture, is very comfortable with various tedious looking sculptural materials and processes. She finds them more satisfying than painting. Her artistic fundas being clear enough she looks up at sculpture as a more lucrative profession than painting. “While the demand for 3D art is increasing many folds there is a scarcity of talented artists in this field”, she says in a clear matter-of-fact manner. Youngest of three sisters Arvinder Kaur,(a product of Sectoor 37 Model school) joined the college because she was good at art in school and wanted to pursue a career in art, preferably teaching. But now after spending five long years in this institution she would like to explore, besides doing some or the other odd job to earn her livelihood, the creative art field thoroughly. Soft touch of the clay, sweet clink of the chisel on a stone and the nauseating smell of melting bronze all this has become an inseparable part of me”, she tells dreamily while looking up towards the sky. Flamboyantly confident and attentive Avneet Vasudeva (a product of DAV 15) too wanted to join this institution for the unbounded art-craze that she had been nurturing since her childhood. “As far as the talk of gender bias is concerned I have found it to be in our favour,” she laughed away the issue. For, when a few of the sculptural projects that this young group sold recently their male class-mates grumbled about the sexist bias! “Artists should be recognised not by their sex, or even by their region, but by their artistic products. We condemn all such meaningless classifications”, all of the four said in unison and with sincere concern.
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Dance for a cause The New Year spirit is already here. Not in Sector 17 but in the corner of Government High School in Sector 24. As the sun goes down, the place reverberates with music kajrare, kajrare and if one can find one’s way to the dark corner, one is presented with the pleasing scene – about 35 slum children matching step for step with their dance director Vinod Azad. They are getting ready to dance in the city discotheque Aerizzona on December 29. As many as 250 children from different slums and colonies under the banner of ‘Theatre Age’ are going to celebrate the New Year spirit dancing away to glory at a discotheque for the first time in their lives. “Most of these kids, who have to work hard for a living, have never visited such a place before,” says Zulfiqar, who runs Theatre Age, a voluntary organisation for slum children. The project is taking shape by a few like-minded people like Surinder Singh, Dr Avinash Jolly and others. “Surinder Singh, who owns Aerizzona has booked the disco for the entire day for these children. Others have contributed for refreshments, gifts and other things. But still there is so much that has to be done,” says Zulfiqar. Though it looks simple enough a project, it is also an endeavour to know the social behaviour of such children. “We are coming up with a questionnaire to assess the social behaviour of slum children and the final report will be published on that day,” he informs. A quiz contest is also part of the itinerary on that grand occasion. There is more to come. On December 31, the Theatre Age is organising an inter-slum dance contest in which children between 10 years and 18 years are going to take part. “We are going to play host and our home team is going to present five dance items that include a prayer item and choreographed dance items like kajrare kajrare and the song Amar Akbar Anthony among others. Though the dance party at Aerizzona is not open for all, one can be a part of the celebrations by contributing a small amount. So folks are you are game to dance for a cause?
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Girls’ day out at Misty Greens on the Landra-Sarhind road was a charming affair aimed at re-living old-world charm, says Nirupama Dutt
There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea
- Henry James Some forty women, or should we call them ladies even though the era of lords is long over, gathered at the Misty Greens resort on the Landra-Sarhind road for an afternoon of fun, games and the pucca-pucca English tea. Naunihal Singh and Nauneet Kaur, who own this newly opened resort, hosted the event. What was the occasion for this return to the
mem-sahib style celebration reminiscent of the colonial era? “Friends wanted to have a little gathering out in the open and we thought that it would be a good idea to organize something interesting for them and we decided to a bit of the Brit thing,” says
Naunihal. The Brits, as we know, cannot do without tea. It becomes the lifeline in the cold land. Nowhere near the Japanese tea ceremony, but the Brits too have their own special rituals associated with afternoon tea and high tea. In fact the standard of the afternoon tea reflected the social standing of a person or family. It was, of course, a part of the leisurely lifestyle of the aristocracy.
Now in our parts, money is floating aplenty and people are trying out different lifestyles from the past and present to while away their time. And since it is a global mood, there is a choice of cultures to take from. If the Brits in their homeland are eating chicken masala tikka and hot curries, why can’t we here orgainse tea ceremonies their way. Nauneet, whose brandname is Noni as far as private orders for puddings and cakes go, says: “The whole event was so enjoyable. I had a great time baking a few days in advance and taking out my collection of tea-cozies.” A special game for the afternoon was a muffin race. Nauneet says, “I baked these muffins and I packed them cleverly so that the ladies would have difficulty in balancing them on their heads but they managed well.” The prize was to eat all those muffins and Radhika Agarwal who came first was give a beautiful porcelain plate. There was lot of spice to the teas offered for one cannot be a purist like Mark Twain who liked his tea sans milk or sugar. So Nauneet had laid out cardamom, cinnamon, vanilla, Chantilly and Darjeeling teas and the bakes that were served along with this variety of flavours were banana cake, orange cake and lemon liquer cake. So tea once again at Mystic greens while the sun shines kindly through the winter would not be a bad idea with delicate cucumber sandwiches and scones accompanying the Brit tea for a change.
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TECH TALK You urgently want to locate that piece of important information on your computer. You know it’s there, but you just can’t seem to find it. You desperately look towards the Windows search for help and wait impatiently while it takes it own sweet time looking around and returns with nothing! Finally you’re left with little choice but to comb through an endless array of folders, Inboxes, Outboxes and Sent mail folders. Sounds familiar? Well, Goggle’s here to rescue you from the grind and the frustration with its application ‘Google Desktop Search’. Popular as the favorite search engine among many, Google has now gone a step further with Google Desktop Search. Google Desktop is a free to download search application that gives you easy access to information on your computer and from the web. It provides full text search over your computer files, email, chats, music, images and web pages that you’ve viewed. Google Desktop Search is an excellent tool that sits in the background going through your files and folders, indexing your email messages, listening on your instant messenger chats and browsing the web with you thereby making your computer searchable. It not only frees you from manually organizing your files and emails but also puts your information within your reach. Google has very aptly described the application as “ Info when you want it, right on your desktop”. Google Desktop indexes Text files, Microsoft Word documents, Excel workbooks, PowerPoint presentations, PDF as well as meta-information stored with music, image and video files. Email from Outlook or Outlook Express, Thunderbird and G mail. Chats from AOL and MSN Messenger. Web pages browsed in Internet Explorer, Firefox, Mozilla, and Netscape. How to get started? Google Desktop can be downloaded free at http://desktop.google.com/ When you first install Google Desktop, the program makes use of any idle time to go through your files, emails, instant messages and browser cache. The application does all this indexing without interfering with your work. After the initial indexing, the program within seconds indexes any new files, emails, instant messenger chats etc. on a continuous basis. From here on, any time you’re looking for something on your computer, just click the small desktop icon and type in your query. You’ll see the results displayed the same way as you see Google’s web results. The results for Google desktop are sorted by date, but you also have an option to sort them by relevance. You can now scan your computer for information the same way you have been using Google to search the web. Google Desktop also helps you gather new information from the web with its new feature “Sidebar” that shows you your new email, weather and stock information, personalized news and more. What all you can do Find your email, files, web history and chats instantly. View web pages you’ve seen, even when you’re not online. Search as easily as you do on Google. Sort Results by Date or Relevance. Gain control over the ever-growing mountain of information on your computer and Google your Desktop now! Courtesy: Atul Gupta, CEO of Red Alkemi
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Banish Those
Stains
Beer: Blot to remove excess liquid or stain. Soak in little water for 1 minute and blot. Repeat water/blot procedure until no stain is evident and then blot dry. Apply small amount of detergent/water solution, work into stained area with sponge and blot. Repeat detergent/water application until no stain is evident. Coffee:
Blot thoroughly and then saturate the spot with white vinegar solution using a spray bottle. Blot to remove excess moisture. Alternatively, apply a small quantity of detergent solution to the spot. Blood:
Blot and then saturate spot with cool ammonia solution using a spray bottle. Do not wet backing. Blot to remove excess moisture. Candle Wax:
Spread brown grocery paper or terry cloth towel over the area and iron with warm setting. The wax will be absorbed into the paper or towel. Remove any traces with alcohol or dry cleaning fluid. Chewing Gum:
Freeze the gum using an ice cube. Shatter the frozen gum with a knife handle and vacuum. Perfume:
Blot and saturate with white vinegar solution using a spray bottle and blot to remove excess moisture. Use blotting motion to work detergent solution into the stain. If spot is being removed, continue applying detergent and blot until spot is removed. Nail Polish:
Remove as much of the nail polish as possible using a spoon or dull knife. Apply a non-oily nail polish remover to a clean white cloth and gently rub in one direction or blot the spot. Continue until spot is removed. Do not allow nail polish remover to get to the latex carpet backing. Follow it up with the mild detergent solution. Courtesy: A.P. Singh, Besten & Co.
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Film
& FASHION The pop star dismissed claims by Campbell’s former personal assistant Rebecca White, who had said that she once caught the pair in the throes of passion. “I would love to have had a year-long tryst with her but the fact of the matter is I didn’t,” Contactmusic quoted Williams as saying.
— ANI Paparazzo blames Aniston for topless pictures!
Brandt claimed that he never had any intention of clicking such photographs of the former Friends star and said Aniston was also partly at fault for sunbathing topless in an unfenced backyard. “She’s the one who went out there topless. I didn’t go looking for it. She has no fences around her backyard. I did not trespass...She exposed herself to everybody in the neighborhood. I happened to have a camera, so I wouldn’t have had a problem,” E!online quoted him, as saying on ABC News Radio.
— ANI Claire ‘ghostbuster’ childhood therapy!
‘Romeo and Juliet’ star Claire Danes recently revealed that as a child, she had been sent to a psychotherapist because she thought she was seeing ghosts. The sexy Hollywood actress said she had found her growing up in New York so stressful as a child, that it had led her to imagine that she was seeing ghosts. “I had trouble, I was seeing ghosts and stuff, but it’s to do with the New York environment, I guess,” Femalefirst quoted her, as saying to the Guardian Films and Music Magazine.
— ANI Tap dancing is Kelly Brooks’ secret for slim figure
British beauty Kelly Brook has revealed that the secret behind her gorgeous figure is tap dancing. The model-turned-actress has learned to dance for her new musical movie In The Mood. Speaking at the premiere of The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe, Kelly revealed that tap dancing helps her keep in shape. “I do a lot of tap dancing. It’s fun and keeps me in shape. I’ve just filmed a 1940s tap dancing musical called In The Mood,” she was quoted by the Sun, as saying. “I’m definitely not the kind of person who goes to the gym every day. But I do like dancing,” she added.
— ANI Baldwin loses first round of custody battle
Actor Alec Baldwin has lost the first round in the custody battle with ex-wife Kim Basinger and his plea for more telephone time and holiday time with his daughter has been denied. Internet Movie Database reports that Baldwin
dragged his ex-wife into the court last month after claiming that she had violated a court-imposed custody. Liz Hurley and Arun Nayyar not ready for marriage yet!
Liz Hurley, who is dating Indian businessman Arun Nayyar, has denied reports she is tying the knot on Valentine’s Day next year. The British actress was said to be marrying Nayyar at the luxury Devi Garh Hotel in Rajastan on February 14, but she insists she isn’t even engaged yet. “Look at my hands - no diamonds. We haven’t even got engaged. We’re not getting ready for the big day yet,” Contactmusic quoted Hurley as telling The
Sun. — ANI
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WEDDING WEAR
There’s something about our North Indian weddings. They just refuse to set the limits! Each one seems to be more resplendent than the other. But what actually gets them to have our chattering circles in a social tizzy is the bride’s outfit. No wonder, Karishma’s Pink lehenga done by Manish Malhotra and the mast-mast girl Raveena’s ornate wedding outfits by Manav Gangwani captured all the attention and spotlights, no less. Coming to the bridal dress for ‘the’ day, times have indeed changed. A bashful bride, coyly clad in a nine-yard saree or her grand mom’s lehenga, is passé. The Gen-X bride would settle for nothing less than something that is classy, ultra-feminine, stylish and trendy. She’s ready for a major splurge, her only requirement being an exclusive outfit that makes a distinct style statement. And adhering to this need is the city based apparel store Gulati Editions. Started by Madan Gulati in 1988, the store stocks bridal lehengas, sarees, shawls, stoles and suits. The latest addition, however, is a new floor that stocks trendy lehengas and sarees for the brides. Informs owner Hitesh Gulati, “What girls want today is class and exclusivity. Every bride wants to wear a lehenga which has been never seen before. And yes, it needs to be chic and contemporary, no doubt. So we have added on this exclusively bridal wear floor where we house designer lehengas, sarees and suits within a range of Rs 15,000 to Rs 30,000.” And how about the designer tag? Laughs Gulati, “We believe in stocking the stuff of in-house designers. Some of our lehengas are sourced from Delhi and Kolkata, but most of them are embellished by our own karigars. You may wear a Rs 2 lakh lehenga by Ritu Beri and find another girl sporting a similar imitation by her local darji. But, our bridal dresses remain exclusive as they are not being sold at different outlets.” And how’s the stuff like? A riot of colours and embellishments of course. A touch of the traditioal,where a swirl of embellished embroidery and coloured stones weave their magic. While the colours played with are fuchsia, shocking pink, ferozi and ivory, the embellishments remain copper zaris with stones. The chic sarees are in flowing georgettes and crepes, while lehengas are in brocades and raw silks. The cuts are straighter and cholis more fitted. “We don’t prefer to design fish cut lehengas as they are very uncomfortable. What we have instead are the comfy yet trendy straight cuts,” says Gulati, seeming to know the prêt mantra by heart. All in all, the collection is almost like watching a rainbow settle on earth!
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Who is responsible?
For the martyr: For the one who sacrificed his life for it, it is a small gift for Bharat Mata. For the soldiers on the winning side:
A trophy worth cherishing with life as so much blood was shed for it. For the visitor to the Museum:
A background perfect to click a few pictures. For lovers: Inside the tank, they find a place to get some private moments away from the public eye.
For children: A place to explore from the outside, top and inside. For the security staff at the Museum:
The tank probably lies outside their jurisdiction. For the administration:
This tank might not have crossed their mind in a long while. For the scrap dealer:
A piece of metal worth its weight…for a few pennies. For us citizens:
A time to think whether the martyr's blood has been wasted…and has our blood become water?
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Fashion has become religion for the masses as so many city youngsters are saying ho! ho! ho! with Santa caps, says Saurabh Malik Cutting a caper, she joins her gang before trotting down the road meandering through the hearts of city guys, gorgeously and glamorously. Yes, folks, you have guessed it right, this time at least. Santa caps are the latest scream amidst pretty damsels all set to grab loads of gifts on the Christmas. Now guys! don’t feel jealous. Accepting gifts is their birthright. Well, going back to Deepal and her cap, the little angel removes all doubts. Folding her hands arrogantly, the under-grad says she has no intentions of playing Father Christmas to the young innocents. “It’s just that the caps look so cute and lovely,” Deepal chirps before tilting her head just a little bit. Fluttering her eyelids coquettishly, she whispers, “Now, don’t I look gorgeous with the cap on?” Well, you can’t help but agree. Clad in a black pullover, she does look cute with the red cap on. Her excitement adds to the charm. With a cap in hand, you bow your head in reverence and pay a compliment, hesitantly. Anyway, you try to convince yourself about the existence of guys and dolls wearing caps just to ring in the Christmas. “Of course, there are such revelers, but their number is limited,” your mind tells you, authoritatively. As you begin to count, Deepal breaks your reverie. Flashing a broad smile, she says, “My friend Radhu and me did not have to pay much for the cap. You won’t believe me, but we bought the stuff for less than Rs 100”. Taking you along to a gift and chunk jewellery shop in Sector 11, the two show you caps in all styles and sizes. Some are with nice little lights on the brim, others with faces. A few have Santa himself painted on the border. All reasonably priced between Rs 45 and Rs 100. Sitting behind the counter, Raman agrees, “Their popularity is increasing. Though Christmas is over a fortnight away, we are capping the climax by selling about 15 to 20 Santa hats a day”. So folks, what are you waiting for? Go out, grab your cap, now. Merry Christmas.
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Pizza Time
Hey foodies, here’s another reason to rejoice. For, Nirula’s at Sector 9, Chandigarh has introduced some feisty pizzas at its ongoing Pizza festival. While there is Butter chicken, Chicken Keema and Red-hot Chicken pizza to delight the non-vegetarian taste buds, There’s Kadhai Paneer, Bar-be-que Mushroom with red chilli and Peppy Paneer for the veg loyalists. The family restaurant offers services between 10.30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on all weekdays and free home delivery service between 12:00 noon to 11:00 pm on all weekdays to the nearby areas within the radius of 3-4 kms. —
TNS
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Drug Abuse : Self medication is a dangerous and forbidden habit. Keep all medicines out of reach of children. All types of cough syrups and decongestants can be habit forming and should not be taken in routine. — Dr Rashmi Garg is senior consultant, Fortis, Mohali.
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TAROT TALK
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Let’s progress from general stains beginning last week to specific stains this week. 
Robbie Williams has denied secretly dating Naomi Campbell, but admitted that he would love to have an affair with the supermodel.
Peter Brandt, the paparazzo who shot topless photographs of a sunbathing Jennifer Aniston at her Hollywood Hills home, has claimed that the actress herself was partially responsible for the photos.
An enemy tank, standing in front of the Museum and Art gallery, Chandigarh, procured at the cost of many a martyr's blood is vanishing part by part. Sai R. Vaidyanathan and Vinay Malik try to find out what it means to different people
and 
For spicing up her life with the flavour of Christmas, Deepal has just bought herself a nice little Santa cap. Slipping it on her silky brown highlighted tresses, she looks around excitedly before waving at her chums, cheerfully.
Looking at her adjusting the cap, you realise Deepal and so many of her companions are fashioning a trend, religiously. Your mind races back to all those damsels of the world who wear T-shirts with deities, Swastika and other symbols neatly embossed. Standing there, you realise that religion has become fashion for the masses. You wonder how Karl Marx would react to the assertion. After all, he said, “Religion is opiate for the masses” 
ARIES : You feel a bit wild and may act in an impulsive manner. Emotional outbursts are also possible, especially if you’ve been feeling constrained. Enjoy what you have rather than hanker for what you don’t have. Lucky number: 9. Lucky colour : White.
LIBRA : An excellent time to be out and about. There are significant opportunities to make connections, exchange information. Learn something through a meeting or chance encounter. Letters, phone calls, and conversations are productive at this time. Lucky Number : 8. Lucky colour : Peach.
TAURUS : Your usual routine is likely to be disrupted today. Do not abandon your dreams but do put them into context. Relax and adopt a light and playful attitude today. Lucky number: 10. Lucky colour : Black.
SCORPIO:
Your long-range goals, or career aims come into focus now. Many relationships are in for over haul. Ending a family dispute will require the parting with tainted money. Lucky Number : 10. Lucky colour : Wine red.
GEMINI : You’re likely to take the path of least resistance. Stay with whatever has proven trustworthy and safe, rather than making significant changes. Relationships with females are helpful if name starts with alphabet S or J. Lucky Number : 2 Lucky colour : White.
SAGITTARIUS : You gain what you want through diplomacy or charm and by enlisting the support of your friends. You are willing to make concessions in order to maintain harmony in your environment. New source of income is likely. Lucky Number: 13. Lucky colour: White.
CANCER : There is no substitute for hard work, so do not shirk responsibility but complete jobs and assignments. Ego conflicts are likely. Lucky number : 17. Lucky colour : Magenta
CAPRICORN : Making decisions or long-range plans are favored now. Your judgment is sound. You finally achieve an inner balance of Yin and Yang energies and feel rooted within. Think before you speak. Lucky Number: 2. Lucky colour: Green. 
LEO : A need for support, sympathetic understanding at personal level is accented now. You respond to others much more emotionally than you usually would. An excellent time to seek out your superiors or those in a position to help you. Lucky number : 1. Lucky colour : Green
AQUARIUS : Duties and obligations seem burdensome. You may feel self-pity or temporarily down in the dumps. You are not in a sociable, gregarious mood no matter what surroundings you find yourself in. Lucky Number : 12. Lucky colour : Green
VIRGO : You can’t quite get into a comfortable rhythm or flow with what is happening in your environment. Over sensitivity and childish impulses are stronger than usual. Look at the gains not the losses. Lucky Number : 7. Lucky colour : Green.
PISCES:
Avoid serious and heavy attitudes at work. Party and fun times are here and it’s good to catch up with old friends and family. Love and romance are on the cards. Lucky Number : 10. Lucky colour : White.