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Alone into
the New Year Merits of
Meditation Colours
Count BOLLYWOOD BUZZ TASTE of
WINE Film
& FASHION Sheer Silk Youth
NeT
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Deepa Mehta to film Kamagata Maru Over a delicious
Christmas lunch at Chandigarh, Kabir Singh discusses with her the
journey she has taken as a director and as a person while making her film
‘Water’. Tucking into the succulent turkey with cranberry sauce, the
cold air was negated by the luminous warmth of Deepa Mehta’s
personality. Indo-Canadian director Deepa Mehta’s film ‘Water’,
which received accolades with its recent North American premiere, has been
listed among the top 10 Canadian films of 2005. The film set in 1938, in
colonial India depicts the plight of widows and the injustice meted out to
women. Water
has been dogged by controversy. Now it’s filmed and released, and has
also received unprecedented accolades. How do you feel? It was part
of my trilogy, the last of my trilogy. When it was prevented from being
filmed five years ago, there was a strange feeling of incompletion. Now I
feel a sense of closure, a sense of completion. It had to be made, before
I could move on to something different. As far as accolades, along with
the box office returns and festivals go, these are consequences, not the
motivational reasons for making a film. We all work hard on our films,
whether it is ‘Black’ or ‘Garam Masala’, each director puts
everything into his or her film. But you have no control over how the film
will be received. My father was a film distributor, and he had this
wonderful philosophy - he used to say "two things we can never
predict, the time of your death and the fate of a film". The
shift of locale from Varanasi to Sri Lanka, did it in anyway dilute the
specificity of the subject mater (a story about widows in Varanasi) When
I was writing ‘Water’, the story was generic rather then specific to
Varanasi. During the course of my research I had also spent time in
Vrindaban as well as the widow’s homes in Pune. My story amalgamated all
these images and elements. In 1993, when I visited Kashi, my story became
more specific to the location. The hurdles experienced for making the
shooting possible, had me interacting with politicians on a daily bases. I
found that I was continuously justifying my film to politicians, making me
feel like one, rather then as a creative person. It was almost as if I had
become a facilitator. Shooting the film in Sri Lanka, freed me from the
tedium of having to explain my film to a group of people who had nothing
to do with the act of creativity. Sri Lanka liberated the script - the
place became incidental, and the script acquired a universality by
removing the specificity of its locale. Sri Lanka is the best thing that
happened to the film. When do we see your film water in India? I
have no idea. Being labeled as a controversial film, it carries its own
baggage. Ironically the film has not even been made in India. You will see
it in India when I find a distributor who is not afraid of Hindu
extremists. The distributors are also scared of the sort of vandalism
that we have seen certain films suffer from destruction of the cinema
house, the trashing of the film by the tearing up of posters, raising
slogans and the burning of effigies. From Amritsar to the
International scene: It has been a long journey. Tell us about certain
milestones? Your question sounds like a Gurinder Chadda’s film Balle
Balle. Films are about stories and story telling. Stories learnt when
we are growing up – it’s about oral histories that are embedded in our
memory. Stories told by our nana, nani, mali, doodhwala, the dhobhi, the
people we are surrounded by. As I grew up in Amritsar, all my stories are
from there. Somehow I have a link with the city in ways that are
mysterious. When I see my characters on the screen whether in the film ‘Earth’,
or ‘Fire’, I see in them a resonance from the people that I have met
and bonded with, when I was growing up. What Next? ‘Exclusion’!
This film is about true historical facts. This film is about a group of
immigrants from Hosiharpur who dreamt of reaching Canadian shores and
making a life for themselves. They took a coal ship from Yokohama in Japan
called Kamagata Maru and traveled to west of Vancouver. The leader of
this mission was Bhai Gurdit Singh. The ship included 379 Sikhs, in this
is included two women and two children. The Canadian did not allow them to
disembark, fearing a brown invasion. The Diaspora, which included Hindus,
Muslims and Sikhs, pooled in their money and hired legal help to give them
asylum. The court battle lasted for two months, which ultimately they
lost. The ship was then sent back to India, where they landed in
Calcutta. The contingent disembarked. The British Army opened fire,
killing most of them. Mewa Singh one of the survivors went back to
Vancouver and shot the immigration officer. As an Indo-Canadian Punjabi I
feel deeply connected with this story, which is part of our folklore.
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For partner-less guys, it’s a tough time. Denied entry into discotheques and night clubs, they are looking for partners to take them into the New Year, says Saurabh Malik
It’s tough to be a single on the New Year’s Eve in a world of hip-hopping couples twirling all around the polished dance floor of life — Ateet Sharma realised it a bit too late. Desperate to loose his blues after severing ties with his lady love, the young business executive went to a discotheque after gulping a few drinks, only to be turned out ruthlessly. “Singles are not allowed”, a macho bouncer with rippling muscles, standing at the doorway between him and excitement, told him bluntly…. Sad, isn’t it. But folks, all this was last year. In the fag end of 2005, the 30-plus is just not taking any chances. He is looking for a lady to open the shut doors of life. Believe it or not, he sounds determined. “I would have loved to advertise in the newspapers: Wanted desperately a partner for cutting footloose in a discotheque on the New Year eve. Age, caste and complexion are no bar. But no one would have taken me seriously. So, I am pressing the hard dull keys of my mobile phones with tired fingers for arranging partners,” whispers Sharma, putting up in a palatial Sector 8 house. He doesn’t know, but there are others “have-nots” like him raving about their admission into `entry-for-singles-strictly-prohibited’ zones on December 31. They too have been running around with passes to merriment, looking for damsels. Looks do not count, willingness to join them in the celebrations is all that matters, you realise. Talk to them and you become conscious of the fact they are actually bitter about the whole affair. “It is nothing but pure simple discrimination between the haves and have-nots of the society,” sobs Rajiv Bhatia, a partner-less college student. “Just because there is no damsel to hold my hand on the New Year Eve, the doorway to celebrations is closed for me. This is just not fair”. His best chum Dinesh Goyal has something similar to say about “the policy of intolerance towards unfortunate creatures thrown into this uncompassionate creation”. “It’s a bad world for singles,” he cries. “Charles Lamb was right in his essay on a bachelor’s complaint of the behaviour of married people. Throughout the year, couples eye us with suspicion. And now, as the sun is about to set on 2005, the doors are being slammed on our faces.” The grievances sound genuine, but the discotheque guys have there own reasons. “Forlorn guys create ruckus. They even indulge in activities you just cannot term decent. That’s why we allow couple entry,” says a discotheque director unwilling to be quoted because of obvious reasons.
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Merits of Meditation One dictionary defines meditation as “sustained reflection” and also as “the continuous application of the mind to the contemplation of some truth, mystery or object of reverence.” Meditation is like a long walk that suddenly opens up into an extraordinary vision of something that has always been available but has been unrecognized. it is a practice that is used to empty the mind of distracting thoughts. We see it as the only way to achieve spiritual enlightenment. William Blake’s lines, “If the doors of perception were cleansed, every thing would appear to man, infinite,” is the goal of many meditators. Beginners usually begin by focusing on their breathing. The simplest way to do this is to sit in a darkened room, with the eyes closed, and for 20 minutes silently direct all attention to the act of breathing. To overcome the mind’s natural tendency to wander, it may help to think the word in with each inhale, out with each exhale. In the early 1970’s Dr. Herbert Benson, a cardiologist at Harvard medical school, studied practitioners of transcendental meditation (TM). People sit in a quiet room, with their eyes closed and silently repeat a mantra - a special word or sound used to facilitate meditation. Devotees meditate for a half hour, twice a day. Dr Benson found that during meditation his subjects’ heart and respiratory rates were slower. For most of them, blood pressure was also lowered. They were awake but relaxed - a state Benson named the “relaxation response”. Studies also have shown that meditations modify reactions to stress. Dr Benson stalled using it for high blood pressure. It may prove useful for migraine and chronic pain which is rooted in uneasiness and dissatisfaction with values of society. It is also used to describe numerous states of reverie from which new ideas and even personality changes may spring. Like pearl divers, meditators plunge deep into the inner ocean of consciousness and hope to come swimming back to the surface with newels of great price. Meditation prolongs life as it reduces stress. A new study of 202 persons found that transcendental meditation prolonged life. Based on ancient Hindu writings, transcendental meditation involves repeating a mantra to achieve a state of relaxation. The study evaluated men and women who had mildly elevated blood pressure. The subjects, average age of 71, were monitored over 18 years. The death rate for those who meditated was 23 per cent lower. The results are reported in the American Journal of Cardiology. By providing a way of staying with an issue long enough to turn all its facets to the light, meditation also helps solve day-to-day problems. One practitioner says, “I don’t think about my troubles. 1 concentrate on the sun, on stars, I see the wind. 1 sail in the calm sea. My mind too is calm. Then I begin to see things as they really are, and find I can deal with them.” Even if meditation accomplishes no more than that. it has done a great deal. Once asked for a practical solution to the problems of living, psychoanalyst Erich Fromm replied, “Quietness. The experience of stillness. You have to stop in order to be able to change direction.” Problem solving is only the kindergarten of meditation. The technique can also be a path to self-discovery. We can’t sit in concentrated silence for very long without learning something about our physical self. Our minds and bodies become strangers. Meditation can bring them back together. Sitting alone in quiet contemplation, one can get a new, sharpened sense of the miracle of his physical being by taking note of body movements, or feeling muscles move and flex. One can also rediscover memories, the past dreams and experiences which total up in personality. If you meditate often enough, forgotten details are recovered. You also discover that you have spent your life changing, and that you will continue to change. The stream of consciousness that runs through your mind runs through other minds as well, and so you can find much that is universal, much that unites one with others, by looking within. That’s one reason many meditate together in halls and, ashrams. It gives a feeling collective oneness. Without speech, they feel a warm tide of love flowing between them. They experience likeness, shared humanity. They are like torches lit from each other; light up the one and the other takes fire. Meditation is not a cure-all. Properly used, however, it can give us back the wonderland of our minds: the happiness that we find in dreaming alone, the joy of sages. We live life with renewed strength and purpose. There is a feeling that meditation is seen as a prelude to transformation a way of preparing, a way of changing lives for the better. Suggestions. How do today’s meditators set about their search for inward understanding? A few simple recommendations are almost universal-Anyone who wants to meditate successfully must set aside a quiet time each day, usually about half an hour. This must be done consistently, because the results are cumulative and will not appear in a single session. Place also matters. Many meditate best in an empty place. Perhaps even more often, experience mediators turn to natural locales - a forest or a lonely place. One should be alone for a feeling of space. Most important is attitude. All the various techniques of meditation seek to produce a state of openness, of inner calm and an increased self-awareness. No one can see into the depths of his mind when it is spinning about in a whirlwind. Hence the need for posture and concentration, which are designed as aids to quiet the storm of daily concerns. They leap. Meditation is when you listen to Him !
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Colours Count
Forget dust-like mukaish, chunky swarovskis and all those glittery flip-flops for a glamorous look. Get wrapped in a surreal riot of colours and that instant leap into the limelight, says
Anandita Gupta Guess what’s the sizzling fashion fever setting the bone-rattling December chill on fire? Lending a seamless edge to hippie-chic, ‘they’ve’ taken us all by storm. Whether it’s daytime’s fresh sunshine or a moonlit night’s evening allure, it can’t ever match the heavy duty magic created by ‘them’. Twirl them around to get that Cindrella-like transformation. Like a magic wand, ‘they’ll’ create a look that varies from festive fun to flirty flutter. Exaggerated, embellished, fringed and slashed, colours have taken a pivotal position in today’s fashion idiom. Flaming, sizzling, swishing — they are fast donning those city youngsters, making them seem like hue dipped butterflies. When it comes to enhancing their free spirited nature by embracing vibrant colours, the city youngsters are all to eager. For, the pepper reds are preppy, blushing beiges are bohemian, inky blues are hip and peony pinks are adorably cute. Besides, there are those burning oranges and sunshine yellows that a lend a warmth to cold winter evenings that no amount of fireplaces can. Seems like the glitzy romance of dazzling colours, that’s doing the rounds of the fashion circuit, is here to stay. Be it those sexy stillettos, high heeled boots, that sophisticated Louis Vuitton hand bag, the boring blacks and greys are odd enough to be out. Even our crowning glories are flaunting everything from reds and golden to purples and silvers. Even men are fast changing their wardrobes opines, Aditya Sharma from Patiala. “ Pinks are no more a taboo for the fashionable Gen-X men. Like I’ve got a cool jacket in shocking pink.” Laughs Ridhima Khanna from Chandigarh,“ Take a round of any shopping mall or apparel store and you’ll no longer find it flooded with navy’s blacks and steel greys. Rather, there are outfits in the brightest of colours that smile at you.” So, embrace the ultimate trick for that great look, these winters and get colour speckled. Drench yourself in vivacious colours and don that haute and hot look.
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BOLLYWOOD BUZZ Actor Bobby Deol is very optimistic about his new release “Dosti” and doesn’t mind sharing the success with Akshay Kumar as long as the film does well. Bobby says, “I am hopeful about ‘Dosti’ and won’t mind sharing the success with Akshay as long as the film does well.” He, however, jumps to the defence of his earlier film “Barsaat” with Suneel Darshan. “‘Barsaat’ did well, much better than some of the over-hyped films. It was like when my brother Sunny’s film ‘Gadar’ was released on the same Friday as ‘Lagaan.’ “‘Lagaan’ was made out to be the biggest ever when in fact ‘Gadar’ was miles and miles ahead. Today some of the supposedly dependable sections of the press don’t even acknowledge the success of ‘Gadar’. “‘Barsaat’ didn’t get hyped.” “Our family is always given a raw deal. It upsets me. But as long as we do good work it’s fine. What else can we ask for?” says Bobby. Bobby admits “Dosti” is very different from “Barsaat”. He says: “The film portrays the loneliness of kids from very rich families. It’s about my friendship with the character played by Akshay Kumar. We do have more prominent roles than Lara and Kareena. But they haven’t been sidelined or anything.” He sighs. “After a long time we have a film about male bonding. I believe in serious friendships. I have friends who have been with me since childhood.” “Akshay and I really get along well. He’s one of my close friends from the film industry. He advises me about some very important issues, like healthy living.” “Me and Akshay did ‘Ajnabee’ which had an interesting plot. At that time, we were just getting to know each other. Shooting with him for ‘Dosti’ was like a holiday.” “Next is Anil Sharma’s ‘Apne’. My father, brother and I are playing our real-life roles. But the drama and tensions are different. It’s the story of a father who tries to live his unfulfilled dreams through his sons.” “Fortunately my dad has fulfilled his dreams. He never had to depend on us for anything.” Also on the anvil is another film with Suneel Darshan. “It would be very different from both ‘Barsaat’ and ‘Dosti’. I guess there’s a great comfort level with Suneel. Directors find me hassle-free. I like that.” Right now, Bobby is the happiest man on earth. “I have got my entire family here with me in Chandigarh. My mom, dad, wife and my two sons are here.
— IANS Aamir to remarry in New Year
Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan is all set to ring in the New Year with his marriage to Kiran Rao and the subsequent grand party at the hill resort of Panchgani. This is the second time at the altar for Khan, who has divorced his first wife Reena. They have two children, Junaid and Aira, both of whom are expected to attend the wedding celebrations. The couple has opted for a registered marriage which will take place on Wednesday, after which close family and friends will drive down to Panchgani for wedding celebrations which will culminate in a grand reception on Sunday. Three resorts have been booked entirely for the reception, sources said adding all the preparations have been personally supervised by Rao and Khan. The reception is likely to be attended by Bollywood bigwigs Shah Rukh and Salman Khan as well as Aamir’s heroines Rani Mukherjee and Juhi Chawla. The couple met on the sets of the hit film ‘Lagaan’, where Rao was assistant to director Ashutosh Gowariker. The bride’s parents will host a reception for the couple in Bangalore, the sources added.
— PTI Locking lips with Amit uncle was tough: Rani
Bollywood actress Rani Mukherjee may have performed several intimate scenes on the silver screen in her film career, but locking lips with megastar Amitabh Bachchan in her critically-acclaimed film ‘Black’ was the most ‘’difficult’’ one. Rani said, “I cannot describe how awkward it was for me. For me, he is Amit uncle and locking lips with him was the most difficult scene for me in the film.’’ ‘’ We had to show the intimacy and seriousness of the scene where a mute and deaf girl, the role enacted by me, wanted to be loved and caressed. It was the most intimate scene where she had to ask her teacher to make her feel what love is all about. And locking of lips said it all,’’ the actress added. It may be mentioned here that Rani also did intimate scenes with Kamal Hasan in ‘Hey Ram’ and Abhishek Bachchan in ‘Bunty aur Babli’. ‘’My whole perspective towards life changed to the hilt after doing ‘Black’. After portraying the role of a deaf and mute girl, I could understand the sensitivities and sensibilities of the physically-challenged better and I could sense that they are stronger than we able-bodied people,’’ the actress
asserted. — UNI
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The experienced wine taster can immediately locate the village in which the wine is made and guess the grape variety used. Pammy Kaul helps you know your wine better and get more pleasure out of it
In the olden times, wine appreciation in the west was considered to be the domain of snobbish and pompous. There was mystery and romance attached to it always. But these charms are now part of every home in the west-and now the wine culture is fast spreading in India with variety of wines adorning the dinner tables. Living in England with the pub culture flourishing around and connoisseur friends helped me to enhance my understanding and pleasure out of every wine glass. Wine is one of life’s perks, an indulgence and a mood lifter. Understanding a bit about the wine brings the confidence to relax and enjoy it. The wine does not have to be expensive to be exciting —to appreciate you have to have interest and a sense of smell. Perfect wine is an expression of the exact slope of the vineyard, its latitude, altitude, soil texture. The experienced wine taster can immediately locate the village in which the wine is made and guess the grape variety used. In today’s world you don’t need to learn all the names of the villages around the world. All you need to remember are the seven names; the seven main varieties from which most wines are made; sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and Riesling for whites and merlot, cabernet sauvignon, pinor noir and shiraz for red wine. Knowing how to taste the wine can really enhance your appreciation of wine. Look at the clarity of the wine- it should be bright and clear. Tilting the glass away from you against a white background will give away variety of shades, especially around the rim where the age of wine is revealed. Brown colour suggests how old the wine is. The best wines have a sheen to them. Red wines change from purple to pale tawny. The white wines go from pale greenish yellow to deep gold. The palest white suggests cool climate and bright straw gold suggests a warm climate. The red wine might be ruby, garnet or bright purple. You can pick up clues to the age of red wine by looking at the colour. Tip the glass about 45 degrees, a deep coloured centre and pinkish rim indicate youth; a paler red with an orangey- brown rim speaks of age. The importance of smelling the wine- to be able to experience the flavour of wine to the full, molecules should be encouraged to escape the wine surface by swirling the wine around before taking a sniff. Swirl the wine fairly energetically in the glass to release the aromas, a good wine should let of lovely aroma’s . The smell should be clean and inviting. Try thinking of them in terms of fruity, floral, and see what other adjectives come to your mind. The ideal wine glass goes in towards the rim so that the swirled wine stays in the glass and also the vapour. Grapes contain thousands of compounds. The process of fermentation and maturation can add their own layers of flavour as a result of different compounds reacting with each other. Take a mouthful of wine, making sure that the pallet is exposed to the liquid. Swoosh the wine around in your mouth. The first thing you will notice is any sweetness, your mouth will water if there is lots of acid; if your gums and teeth feel dry that is tannin. Take little air into the mouth, it helps draw the vapour up. The feeling left in your mouth should be gripping, rasping or satin smooth. How does the wine feel in your mouth, heavy and warm; suggests higher alcohol or perhaps flabby owing to low acidity. This is the time to assess wine as a whole. You will find in young red wines tannin often dominates whereas the white ones are often acidic. The other great indicator of quality is the length of impact the wine leaves after swallowing. A fine wine will continue to reverberate for 30 seconds or more after swallowing, whereas other might not leave any trace on the pallet. A good wine will leave you with an impression of balance. All these elements working together in harmony produce a delicious mouthful that leaves you wanting more.
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Film & FASHION Steven Spielberg’s hit 1982 movie “ET”, which lost out to “Gandhi” for best picture at the Oscars that year, has been voted the best family movie of all time, says contactmusic.com. The top 10 movies according to a British TV network Channel 4 are ‘ET: The Extra-Terrestrial’; ‘Shrek’; ‘Mary Poppins’; ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’; ‘Toy Story’; ‘The Lion King’; ‘Back To The Future’; ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’; ‘Star Wars’; ‘The Wizard of Oz’.
—IANS When Joan Collins
met an eager fan
Fans following celebrities at public places is a common phenomenon, but somebody chasing one for an autograph to the loo, is quite outrageous. Actress Joan Collins experienced one such awkward moment, when she was asked for an autograph while she was in the toilet. The glamorous star confessed that she was in a public restroom when a crazy fan demanded she sign a piece of paper. “I was in a cubicle and the girl next door, who had seen me walk in, asked for my autograph,” Femalefirst quoted the former Dynasty actress, as saying. “I asked her if it could wait until I came out but she said she’d like it now and passed a piece of paper under the door!” she added.—ANI Sienna role model
for teen girls
An agonising year for actress Sienna Miller has ended with her being voted the most inspirational celebrity of 2005 in a poll of teenage girls. She had a much publicised break-up with her film star partner Jude Law after he was caught cheating on her with his children’s nanny. Now the two are said to be back together again —although he is spending the Christmas break with his ex-wife Sadie Frost and their three children in Kenya. During the break-up, she continued with her stage role in the West End play, As You Like It, and was said to have flirted with her ex- partner Orlando Bloom and new James Bond star Daniel Craig. The poll, to be published in the teen magazine Sugar on Wednesday, was designed to find the ten most inspirational girls of 2005. The teenagers’ choices appeared to favour women who had battled through adversity during the year. The full list is Sienna Miller, Gwen Stefani, Kerry Katona, Kylie Minogue, Hilary Duff, Charlotte Church, Jessica Simpson, Paris Hilton, Jessica Alba, Christine Aguilera.—The Independent Scarlett wants another role with Woody
Actress Scarlett Johansson enjoyed working in Woody Allen’s latest movie “Matchpoint”, so much that she has asked for a part in his next film for Christmas. Contactmusic.com quoted her as saying that she would happily devote the rest of her acting career to Allen since he is humble and shares her sense of humour. “All I’d really like under my Christmas tree is a part in another Woody Allen movie. I’d work with him the rest of my life. He’s shy but always available. Funny. No ego at all,” she said. She added, “And we have the same humour. We badger each other. I love him.”
—IANS Brad Renfro arrested
in drug sting
Actor Brad Renfro, former child star of such films as “The Client’’ and “Tom and Huck,’’ was arrested in a skid-row drug sweep by Los Angeles undercover detectives rounding up suspected heroin buyers. Renfro was one of 14 people detained on suspicion of attempting to buy heroin during Thursday’s sting operation by the Los Angeles Police Department. The actor spent several hours in jail and was released on $10,000 bond. —Reuters How Sienna Miller boosts her assets
Actress Sienna Miller has confessed that squeezing into corsets for her new movie Casanova gave a boost to her breasts, something she never realised she had. The British actress, who earlier claimed that she tried to get rid of the painfully tight girdles by setting them on fire, as they were very uncomfortable, has now said that she was happy wearing them, after feeling the impact they had on her assets. “I got to wear corsets in the movie. They are so romantic, they look fantastic, although they are agony. They squeeze you to within an inch of your life,” the Sun quoted the blonde actress, as saying. Sienna plays the role of independant Francesca, who gives her legendary lover a run for his money in the romantic comedy, Casanova, starring Heath Ledger in the title role.
—ANI For Laden’s niece Wafah, US is home
Her uncle may be the world’s most elusive fugitive, but Osama bin Laden’s niece is about as conspicuous as she can be in a photo shoot in the January edition of the men’s fashion magazine GQ. Wafah Dufour is an aspiring New York-based musician who told the magazine that her family ties to the al Qaeda leader, suspected of masterminding the September 11, 2001 attacks, have prompted death threats and sent her into a bout of depression. As part of an effort to distance herself from her massive Saudi family, Dufour appears in a GQ photo spread, reclining on satin sheets wrapped in feathers in one picture and posing in a bubble bath. “I was born in the States and I want people to know I’m American, and I want people here to understand that I’m like anyone in New York. For me, it’s home,’’ said Dufour, who took her mother’s name after the suicide hijacking attacks that destroyed Manhattan’s World Trade
Centre. — Reuters
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The richness of colours is too alluring not to stop and take a second look. Enter the exhibition hall of Lajpat Rai Bhavan, and one is bombarded with metres and metres of silk cloth, brought to the city for the first time under the banner ‘Silk Fab’. Maybe you have seen it all before, at different exhibitions. But never has one seen such a huge collection under a single roof. Muga silk from Assam, Baluchari, Kantha Tangil from West Bengal, Tassar, Kantha from Bihar, Chanderi, Maheshwari from Madhya Pradesh, Bandhej from Rajasthan, the brain refuses to register more details as eyes rove around feasting on the rich fabrics. Organised by the Ministry of Textiles and coordinated by the National Handloom Development Corporation Ltd. Lucknow, the exhibition gives platform to 44 handloom groups from 14 states to showcase their collections. “Handloom covers a wide range of fabrics in terms of usage and pricing. Silk is an important constituent of handloom industry and of late, it is entering as a product for mass consumption due to its special wearable characteristics,” says R.B. Singh, one of the organisers. Considering the potential, price and high value, it requires a different approach, for providing marketing support to the poor artisans. The wisdom came in 1996 when the first SilkFab was organised in New Delhi. Based on the response, the exhibition took a regular form and have been organised at different places all over the country. So if you are on the look out for a graceful muga saree or a dress material in kosa silk with tribal work from Chahatisgarh or printed silk sarees from Jammu and Kashmir, Lajpat Rai Bhavan is the place you should be heading to. The exhibition is on till December 30. — Parbina Rashid
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Youth NeT Both Indian chic and the chic Indian have come of age. Not only do the youngsters in India love to flaunt their latest dresses and accessories, but also take fashion designing seriously. The end result is there for all to see. Our models and fashion-designers have broken into the haute couture scene in the picky Paris, snooty London and the happening New York. Indian ethnic chic has inspired many a nouvelle couture around the world. Expectedly, there’s been a trickle-down effect. You find elegantly dressed persons not only in colleges but also in offices around the country. GB Shaw is right when he calls fashion as “induced epidemic”. But, an epidemic that is welcome. The portal scene is very much alive to this trend. So, you have www.fadspot. com that has info on the latest and coolest products from India’s super-brands. It gives details like prices and features of various goodies, their availability etc. However, if you are interested in experimenting with dress-designs, there is www.fluxuries.com. For students of hi-fashion, there is any number of opportunities in India and abroad. In fashion design, employers prefer university degree-holders who are knowledgeable in the areas of textiles, fabrics and ornamentation, and are well-versed in trends in the fashion world. One can get relevant info by clicking on such websites as www. fashion design schools. com and www. fashion-schools.org. Wannabe fashion designers must pay a visit to the Canadian website http://www.sfu.ca/sfufit/ where a collaborative project called Ratava’s Line has been created by students at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York and Interactive Arts of Simon Fraser University, Vancouver. Hi-fashion is more than a fad; it’s a high-stakes profession.
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Men-beware! Men after the age of forty, can be troubled with benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH). It affects almost 90% of men aged eighty or more. It can eventually result in obstruction of urethra and obstruction of the flow of urine from the bladder. — Dr Rashmi Garg is senior consultant,
Fortis, Mohali.
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Deepa Mehta,
the film director with roots in Amritsar and a degree in philosophy,
started her career by writing scripts for children movies and
documentaries, and went on to direct her first feature film in 1991, which
won the Camera D’Or at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival. 
Mehta wanted to shoot at Varanasi but had to shift her location
to Sri Lanka after protest from local religious groups. ‘Water’ is the
last in Deepa’s trilogy, following ‘Earth’ and ‘Fire’.
ARIES : Singles just say 'yes' to friends for accompanying them for a function or a party. A journey for business or for pilgrimage accompanied by your family is on the cards. Lucky number: 9. Lucky colour: Blue.
LIBRA : Prioritise playtime and personal time. Planetary energies draw your attention to family and home base. Students with problems will come to their teachers. Lucky number: 8 Lucky colour: Deep crimson.
TAURUS : Today will be a great day for sports persons. You will win more games or matches. Family gathering at your house will bring bliss to the faces of elders in the family. Lucky number: 5. Lucky colour: Lime
SCORPIO:
Be clear and precise in your interactions with colleagues. Friends or family members may be depending on you for emotional support. Lucky number: 3. Lucky colour: Saffron.
GEMINI : You manage business affairs with skill and capability to achieve financial stability. Love and romance in a relationship lead to promise and commitment. Lucky number is 7. Lucky colour: Deep red.
SAGITTARIUS : "The Magician" conjures up some travel and business opportunities. There will be hectic activity at work and you may feel overwhelmed. Lucky number: 1 Lucky colour: Pink
CANCER : You must have a thorough study over matters before signing any contracts today. Unexpected distractions will make work lag for accountants. Lucky number: 6. Lucky colour: Brown.
CAPRICORN : A residence or office is redecorated to infuse fresh energy. Try and study all aspects of the situation before making any commitments. Lucky number: 6. Lucky Colour: Cherry. 
LEO : Your life is busy and tiring. It's best to go beyond the ego and ask for help, support and clarity when needed. Your efforts will put you in line for satisfying gains. Lucky number: 12. Lucky colour: Green.
AQUARIUS : Dear Aquarian, you will have a rendezvous with a person who can bring glitter to your eyes. You will be articulate and express your view points with passion. Lucky number: 12 Lucky colour: Sky blue
VIRGO : A surprise is in store for you. You may be required to travel some distance in order to bring a pending matter to a completion. Accidental benefits are indicated. Lucky number: 12. Lucky Colour: Silver.
PISCES:
Close associates could turn to you for help and though this will add to your workload, helping them will increase your goodwill. Beware of waste and dissipation. Lucky number: 12. Lucky colour: Sea green.