CHANDIGARH INDEX

 





Yesterday once more
The judicial system has travelled far from the time brass pencil-sharpeners and portable typewriters were used in the courtrooms. The evolution of judicial process and the Punjab and Haryana High Court makes for a fine display, says Saurabh Malik
It is yesterday once more at the Punjab and Haryana High Court. As you amble your way through the annals of judicial history at the museum inaugurated Saturday morning at the High Court premises, things from the past, including murder trial records, weapons and even handcuffs, catch your attention.

LOOK BACK AT JUSTICE: The exhibition celebrating 50 years of the High Court is attracting many visitors as it has interesting judicial memrobalia on display. LOOK BACK AT JUSTICE: The exhibition celebrating 50 years of the High Court is attracting many visitors as it has interesting judicial memrobalia on display. LOOK BACK AT JUSTICE: The exhibition celebrating 50 years of the High Court is attracting many visitors as it has interesting judicial memrobalia on display. 
— Photos by Pradeep Tewari

Tutak tutak guy in town
Gayatri Rajwade
He flew in like a green bird of paradise! Pea-green pagdi coupled with an olive t-shirt, Punjabi singer Malkit Singh greeted the heady crowd with practiced élan posing patiently for people clicking photographs galore on their cell phones!

TECH TALK
Gone Phishing?
You may have heard the term ‘Phishing’ (pronounced - fishing), on the Internet in relation to fraud and online scams. It is the name given to Internet hackers attempting to ‘fish’ for personal information from other Internet users. The phonetic use of ‘Ph’ symbolizes the popularity amongst hackers to substitute ‘Ph’ for ‘F’. Phishing is an attempt to fraudulently gather personal and highly sensitive data from the unsuspecting public.

Paint Proud
It indeed is a moment of pride and joy for us. After a gap of 13 long years, Mahesh Prajapati and Rakesh Bani, faculty members of the Government College of Art have put the city in the national map by winning the most prestigious national award at the 48th Annual Exhibition of Lalit Kala Akademi, Delhi. The works of both artists were chosen under the category of visual arts.

Yet another Bhagat Singh
Ajay Kumar Verma
Come March 23 and it is time once again to remember the sacrifices of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev. Yes, it is the 75th martyrdom day of the three who made India proud.

Crowning Glory
Anandita Gupta
Resting delicately on smooth ‘n’ silky streaked hair; ‘they’ seemed to have been plucked off a fantasy fairyland. Sizzling, sparkling, shining—they put a hundred flashbulbs to shame. Sitting snugly on some pretty little heads, they definitely grabbed a share of limelight’s little flirtation with the pretty and petite ladies who won the contest.

A dog’s day out
Gayatri Rajwade
Imagine a soothing sea-kelp conditioner with coconut jojoba oil to moisturise and rejuvenate along with tea-tree oil soap for a squeaky-clean feel—for your dogs!

Jilted Pup
Sreedhara Bhasin
Last week, when I was at the Sukhna lake, I felt like singing out aloud – an old country song – “Smokey Mountain Blues,” so blue were the hills. You could feel the impending rain in the swirling air. The Salvia and the Asters were swinging abundantly. The water turned choppy and dark. Far away, over the hills, black clouds started fanning out like strips of thick gray ribbon, swirling and billowing. Lightning struck and the white temples on the gray hills shone like crystal pyramids.  

A reflection of poor vision
‘Jigyaasa’ is a film that deals with the dreams of Bollywood aspirants. The film stars Hrishita Bhatt, Vikas Kalantari, TV star Jaya Bhattacharya, Milind Gunanji, Rakesh Bedi and Naseer Abdullah. It opened yesterday at Suraj, Panchkula.

IN CITY NOW
The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail
By Michael Baigent Richard Leigh Henry
Anybody who does not believe everything written in the bible will find this book interesting, and even those who believe in the gospel truth of the bible and have an open mind about it will still enjoy the probing nature of the book. The author said it himself that he does not believe or disbelieve what he wrote because they are more of the opinions of others. He used the particular phrase of “it is said that “ in presenting his case.

DANCE DANCE: Youngsters gyrates to the latest beats at Noodles Bar.Saturday afternoon fever
It was Saturday afternoon fever at Silver in Noodle Bar in Sector 26. Tearing excitement broke lose as exhilarated figures illuminated by psychedelic light twirled around the dance floor to the thumping beats of reverberating music during a dance party ‘Jhoom’ organised post-lunch.

DANCE DANCE: Youngsters gyrates to the latest beats at Noodles Bar. — Photo by Pradeep Tewari

WRITE TO RENEE
Don’t ever give up on yourself
I am an extremely good-looking young man fitting into the tall dark and handsome category but my problem in life is that I can’t sustain a steady relationship.

PAMMY’S BEAUTY TIPS
Hidden dangers of mehndi
Mehendi has gained lot of appreciation in the last couple of centuries as an art to be appreciated at any time. It is considered among the most auspicious ‘ornaments’ of married women. It is a significant wedding ritual in the weddings in South Asia and is celebrated on larger canvas than in the arlier times.







 

 

Yesterday once more

The judicial system has travelled far from the time brass pencil-sharpeners and portable typewriters were used in the courtrooms. The evolution of judicial process and the Punjab and Haryana High Court makes for a fine display, says Saurabh Malik

It is yesterday once more at the Punjab and Haryana High Court. As you amble your way through the annals of judicial history at the museum inaugurated Saturday morning at the High Court premises, things from the past, including murder trial records, weapons and even handcuffs, catch your attention.

Bang at the museum’s entrance, the realisation of fathoming the evolution of court process dawns upon you beyond the shadow of reasonable doubt. In fact, you do not have to listen to the arguments for reaching the verdict. The photographs and the relics are enough to tell you that the judicial system has traveled far since the time pencil sharpeners made from brass and portable typewriters were used in the courtrooms.

Judicial advancement

In case you still haven’t savoured the irrevocable past and the High Court’s glorious tradition, just drive down to see ‘original’ courtroom’s replica complete with a “Jaykay” portable typewriter and wooden ink soaker, along with other remnants of the past, pulled out of oblivion just for you.

Enjoy the journey of the High Court through its buildings. See the High Court of Judicature at Lahore before the seat of justice administration was shifted to Peter Hoff building at Shimla under the name of “East Punjab High Court”.

The black and white photographs clicked in February and December of 1953 show the High Court building under construction. Other rare snaps of Punjab’s former Chief Minister Partap Singh Kairon, along with so many other dignitaries, during the inauguration of the High Court building on March 19, 1955, are also on the display at the museum.

Bhagat Singh’s trial

Did you know that the court described Bhagat Singh’s daring act of Saunder’s murder as a cowardly act? Excerpts from the judgment pronounced way back in October 1930 on display at the museum clearly say: “Having regard to the deliberate and cowardly murder which took place and to his position as a leading member of the conspiracy, he is sentenced to be hanged by the neck till he is dead”.

The pen used for writing the dearth sentence is also on display. You can further read the details of Partap Singh Kairon’s murder trial. This is not the end of it. The High Court authorities have created history by presenting the chronicles of another patriot Kartar Singh Sarabha’s trial.

Godse’s handcuffs

In one section of the museum, the sight of handcuffed mannequin with black cloth covering the face, kept in a glass case, catches your attention. As you approach the mannequin, the inscription takes you by surprise. It says: “handcuffs of Nathu Ram Godse”.

Just in case some of the youngsters today do not know who Godse was, he was convicted by the Court on the grounds of committing Mahatma Gandhi’s murder.

As you look towards another corner on the museum’s first floor, you find in a showcase bows and arrows, along with spears and other “conventional” weapons, used in the commission of offences.

Final decree

You do not have to be associated with the legal system for appreciating the relics and records on display at the museum. For, the High Court has fashioned history out of the glorious past by setting up the museum. Just visit the place for going down into the days of the yore to understand your today in a better manner.

Tutak tutak guy in town
Gayatri Rajwade

Malkit SinghHe flew in like a green bird of paradise! Pea-green pagdi coupled with an olive t-shirt, Punjabi singer Malkit Singh greeted the heady crowd with practiced élan posing patiently for people clicking photographs galore on their cell phones!

Making an appearance at the Music World store, Sector 17, just hours before his performance at an awards function tonight he credited his popularity to “the family appeal” within his songs and videos. “My music draws people from all generations and I know I have my own audience which likes my style.”

For this singer who has been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records, Millennium Edition as the biggest selling bhangra artist, he is surprisingly modest and sweetly down-to-earth. “I listen to every new artiste who comes in for there is always something to learn even from him or her,” he declares.

“Music is like fashion, like a pair of pants, the shape, size and length may get altered but the fabric remains the same; it is the same with Punjabi folk, the essence cannot be taken away.”

A bright spark on stage, it is singing to a live audience though that gives him a high and for tonight he has a special khichri prepared—a medley of all his hit songs.

Life is on a roll, a video to be shot in Pakistan and an impending announcement on a Punjabi film he wants to make, Malkit has his hands full—with music and with admirers.

As one turns to go he gets ready to croon a few lines from his latest album, ‘Nachna aaj Nachna’ and they go something like this, “if you do not dance today, then when will you dance.” Bhangra rules! 

TECH TALK
Gone Phishing?

You may have heard the term ‘Phishing’ (pronounced - fishing), on the Internet in relation to fraud and online scams. It is the name given to Internet hackers attempting to ‘fish’ for personal information from other Internet users. The phonetic use of ‘Ph’ symbolizes the popularity amongst hackers to substitute ‘Ph’ for ‘F’. Phishing is an attempt to fraudulently gather personal and highly sensitive data from the unsuspecting public.

Phishing Pond: The Kind of Attack

Phishers are only as good as the information they target and manage to secure from you. Minor scams may target securing your email ID, address or personal profile information for the purpose of selling it to advertisers or spammers. The more serious scams can cause you financial loss, create financial liability for you or get your name listed against an illegal activity.

The latest Phishing scams target people’s financial data. The two main reasons people fall prey to Phishers are –

Ignorance of the existence of such schemes.

Creative and realistic looking correspondence from Phishers leads people to believe that they are genuine.

Phishing Line: How To Spot A Phisher

Online Phishers will use some form of technical deception to cajole unsuspecting users. This may include misspelled look-alike URLs and domain names. Sub-domain names are also cleverly used, like. – www.bankname.com.anotherdomain.com . (where anotherdomain.com is owned by the Phisher). Other deceptive URLs use the @ symbol, producing a URL like www.bankname.com@anotherdomain.com , clicking on such a link will direct users to ‘another domain’ rather than to the domain of your bank. In many cases, even if a link shows in the email text as www.bankname.com , clicking on it can actually take you to a different site. Many web browsers, including Internet Explorer and Mozilla are waking up to such scams and are often able to flash a warning notice before these type of links are accessed. Java script commands in the address bar can mislead users to fraudulent websites without their knowledge. Intelligent Phishing scams now direct users to replica web page of their original financial institution (known as Cross Site Scripting).

Phishing Hooks: Most Used Phishing Phrases

Being able to identify a scam email is surely the most proactive method of protecting yourself and your data. Phishing scam emails usually begin with “Dear ‘bank name’ customer” or “Dear Member” or “Dear User”. Reputed financial institutions will never address you in a generic way. Official correspondence from financial institutions will always use your full name or your company name to address you. Text commonly used in scam mails is – ‘Please verify your account details’ or ‘Please confirm if your billing address is correct’. Some emails would attempt to alert you by saying ‘Your account has been temporarily suspended because of unauthorized access. Always be weary of verifying any details through online sources.

Phishing is a worldwide problem. Perpetrators who are found guilty for defrauding and Phishing scams are being prosecuted in courts of law. The Anti-Phishing working group believes conventional Phishing techniques could soon become obsolete as users become aware of the techniques used by Phishers. However, most Phishers rely on trapping the new netizens who do not have much experience in handling such situations. With Phishers and their entrapment methods becoming more sophisticated, Internet users need to be more vigilant now than ever before. Prevention really is better than cure – remaining educated about Phishing scams is the best way to curb their threat

— Courtesy: Atul Gupta, CEO – RedAlkemi.com.You can reach him at atul@redalkemi.com 

 

Phishing Tackle: How to Stop Phishing

The first rule of avoiding Phishing scams is to never ever disclose any personal, financial or sensitive information through emails. If your financial institution is yet to introduce this initiative there are other steps that can be taken to safeguard your data online.

Make sure the email is from your bank or financial institution by checking the originating address or URL provided.

Never click on a link in an email even if it appears to be legitimate. Always open a new browser session and type in the URL manually.

Delete mail that is not addressed to you personally.

Emails that require urgent action should not be given any consideration. This is outside of regular banking procedures.

Delete any emails that contain misspelled words in the text. Reputed institutions hire highly educated staff who scrutinize each email before sending out to their members. Official correspondence from such institutions will never carry incorrect spellings.

If you suspect an email to be a scam, forward it to spoof@bankname.com and delete it permanently from your computer. Do not reply or attempt to trace its origin. Most financial institutions maintain spoof@ email addresses to constantly monitor Phishing scams.

The Golden Rule – Never share any of your personal information with anybody, regardless of the circumstances.

Paint Proud

Grand graphics: ‘Soldiers after a war-I’ by Mahesh Prajapati It indeed is a moment of pride and joy for us. After a gap of 13 long years, Mahesh Prajapati and Rakesh Bani, faculty members of the Government College of Art have put the city in the national map by winning the most prestigious national award at the 48th Annual Exhibition of Lalit Kala Akademi, Delhi. The works of both artists were chosen under the category of visual arts.

This is a lifetime achievement award and both the artists, who still in their prime, could not have asked for more. “We feel proud because we are in the footsteps of our senior artists like Shiv Singh, Brahm Prakash, Subhash Gupta, Jodh Singh and J.S. Garcha, all of whom were awarded at different times, ” says a visibly beaming Mahesh Prajapati. Mashesh, whose graphic print ‘The Soldiers After a war-I’ brought him the honour, has another reason to rejoice. He has recently won the Grand Award in the International Print Biennial in Bhopal.

For Rakesh, it was his print ‘Nature-VII’ that bagged him the award. Rakesh, a product of the Indira Kala Sangeet University, Chhattisgarh, is a recipient of prestigious Lokmanya Tilak Award in Pune and also by AIFACS and Chandigarh Lalit Kala Academy among others. — TNS 

Grand graphics: ‘Soldiers after a war-I’ by Mahesh Prajapati

Yet another Bhagat Singh
Ajay Kumar Verma

Come March 23 and it is time once again to remember the sacrifices of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev. Yes, it is the 75th martyrdom day of the three who made India proud.

The heroic deeds of Bhagat Singh and his two friends have never ceased to catch the fancy of our Bollywood filmmakers. After three consecutive films, a couple of years back, the next in line is director Tarun Wadhwa, who is working on his project Aye Watan, which is nearing completion. Earlier, this film too was titled Shaheed Bhagat Singh. Wadhwa has tried to show miseries and turbulence of the trio, including unsung heroes of the freedom movement, who had laid down their lives for the cause of nation.

He has cast Tarun Khanna is in the lead role of Bhagat Singh, Sameep Kang as Sukhdev and Gaurav Ghai as Rajguru. Renowned film star and TV artiste Puneet Issar is playing the role of Udham Singh. Punjabi film artiste Yograj Singh, father of the cricket star, Yuvraj Singh, is playing the father of Bhagat Singh.

Wadhwa says Punjabi Pop singer Harbhajan Singh was to play the role of Bhagat Singh. However, due to his busy schedule he opted out.

Ved R. Gandhi produces the film. He is in the film industry for the past 30 years. He has worked as production executive to J.P. Dutta’s films, ‘Border’, ‘Refugee’ and ‘LoC’. ‘Aye Watan’ is his debut film as a producer.

On the shooting locations, Wadhwa says, “We shot the film on real locations like Central Jail, Ambala, Police Training Centre, Phillaur (Punjab), Budia and Sadora villages, Yammuna Nagar and Kurukshetra.

Crowning Glory
Anandita Gupta

The awe-inspiring Miss India crown from Tanishq Design Studio with the large red stone, set slightly on the side, that symbolises victory.
Simply Spectacular: The awe-inspiring Miss India crown from Tanishq Design Studio with the large red stone, set slightly on the side, that symbolises victory.

Resting delicately on smooth ‘n’ silky streaked hair; ‘they’ seemed to have been plucked off a fantasy fairyland. Sizzling, sparkling, shining—they put a hundred flashbulbs to shame. Sitting snugly on some pretty little heads, they definitely grabbed a share of limelight’s little flirtation with the pretty and petite ladies who won the contest.

Welcome to the dazzling world of glamour and glitter, where lissome ladies with perfectly chisled bodies and fitted off-shoulder gowns singe the ramp with their charm, effervescence and style.

The Pond’s Femina Miss India contest has rocked again, spilling back lots of masti and mayhem. But guess what grabbed maximum attention other than the beautiful participants?

Well, it weren’t the cleavages running their famous depths, of course. Nor were it the pristine off-shoulder gowns, cleaving a magnificent path.

What steamrolled into every eye, instead, were the shimmering, glittering tiaras that the winners were crowned with. Crafted with a painstaking detail, these tiaras were a stunning combination of trillions, baguettes, round brilliant cuts, pears and specially cut coloured crystals.

Designed by innovative jewellery brand Tanishq, these crowns conveyed the essence of India through the use of distinctive motifs like the traditional ‘Teeka.’ And, with rubies, emeralds and sapphires sprinkled amidst diamonds to create a symphony of designs and colours.

No wonder, before the gleaming spell of these tiaras, everything seemed to pale into insignificance!

A dog’s day out
Gayatri Rajwade

Imagine a soothing sea-kelp conditioner with coconut jojoba oil to moisturise and rejuvenate along with tea-tree oil soap for a squeaky-clean feel—for your dogs!

From pet syrups to slipper shaped chews, comfy beds to even a veterinary doctor and a grooming salon all under one roof—this one-stop pet mall is the animal enthusiast’s manna from the animal kingdom no less!

Indeed, Animal Kingdom as the store is called, is spacious and airy and lined with nooks and crannies, aisles and kennels to cater to all your pet’s needs.

The plans are big, a virtual ‘all-you-need’ animal centre.

Cane baskets with soft cushions, potable and foldable kennels, protein chews in chicken and mutton flavours, twisted ropes that clean tarter and can be used to tug and play with, noisy toys, clothes including Harley Davidson jackets, dumbbells to build muscles, tooth-brushes and paste for that fresh breath, there are stacks and heaps of goodies to choose from.

Beauty products, grooming merchandise even bath and body spray—these creatures have it as good as us beings, each of these delectable sounding wares serving a definite purpose like keeping unwanted dogs at bay!

Owner Rajat Handa is driven by passion no less. Of all the things in the world, this young man wanted to open a pet shop, which would provide animal lovers with everything under a single roof. “I once saw an entire store in Seattle dedicated only to pet clothes!” adds this earnest man.

Chandigarh seemed the ideal place for this Delhi lad for what he wanted was a roomy area “to bring about an ambient mall culture.” So what you have is a place where you can walk around without bumping into a protein bone!

Check out this ‘mall’ on Madhya Marg, Sector 26, because apart from your bird’s favourite seeds or that lovely dark brown saddle you saw in London, there is much more on offer.

What you get

  • Bloodline Certified, Pedigreed and KCI Registered puppies to buy backed by facilities such as consultancy, vaccination and treatment by the in-house veterinarian.
  • “Dog Parking” facility where owners can park their pets for 2–3 hours after meeting the in–house veterinarian should they desire to go out shopping
  • A pet grooming parlour and salon to be opened shortly
  • Guides on CDs on nutrition and training of dogs, carefully selected from advanced training centres in Europe and Canada
  • Specialisation in conceptualising, designing and fabricating rooms for pets including special kennels and boarding facilities
  • A special division dedicated to equestrian sports to be introduced by the end of May this year
  • Finally a library with magazines and books to rummage through

Jilted Pup
Sreedhara Bhasin

Last week, when I was at the Sukhna lake, I felt like singing out aloud – an old country song – “Smokey Mountain Blues,” so blue were the hills. You could feel the impending rain in the swirling air. The Salvia and the Asters were swinging abundantly. The water turned choppy and dark. Far away, over the hills, black clouds started fanning out like strips of thick gray ribbon, swirling and billowing. Lightning struck and the white temples on the gray hills shone like crystal pyramids.  

As many of us, quickened the pace, bursts of unruly wind showered us with confetti of deep magenta Bougainvillea petals. A puppy that must have got separated from its mother took to the jogging track and started following me.

The wind raged even harder and soon both of us were making very little headway. Somehow, we made it to the end of the trail. The waterfowls in the little pools there were very agitated. The place sounded like Fun republic on a Sunday. We stopped at the water’s edge and watched for a while  - the puppy looked intrigued.  

When I started running back – it followed suit. By this time, a slow drizzle had started and I was huffing and puffing. The puppy decided to test my ambulatory strength, ran ahead and stopped to glance back at me with a “Hey! You can’t keep up?”   Sometimes, it fell back to inspect a freshly arrived snail. It was now my turn to wait. We crossed the pink lighthouse, by now the air around it was black with the swirling swallows that live on our lake. We stopped again to watch. 

Then, we got close to the landmark Banyan tree. I got to the walking trail, under the canopy of the Deodar and kept on, puppy in tow. When I crossed the courtyard to get to my car, the puppy stopped. That was the last frontier for the dog – its Laxman Rekha. As it saw me leaving, it sat under the bleachers, and let out a pitiful wail, soon to be followed by many others. I stood in the courtyard, getting completely drenched, not knowing what to do. It cried like a child, with the hurt and the ferocity of an abandoned child, making me feel like a murderer. 

I went up to the puppy and started talking to it, saying meaningless, soothing words. What was I doing? The popcorn walla, who by now had come out to preview this, looked at me with grave doubts. The puppy gave me one final scornful look and then turned away indignantly and ran away – away from me and all the disappointments that humans offer the animal world. 

I am going to try and find that one again – I need to salvage some lost faith here – how do I begin?

A reflection of poor vision

‘Jigyaasa’ is a film that deals with the dreams of Bollywood aspirants. The film stars Hrishita Bhatt, Vikas Kalantari, TV star Jaya Bhattacharya, Milind Gunanji, Rakesh Bedi and Naseer Abdullah. It opened yesterday at Suraj, Panchkula.

Produced by Raju Chand, ‘Jigyaasa’ can be termed as a loose sheet from gossip magazines to real life dramas our celebrities face. It is a biographical journey of the Bollywood aspirants who face the stupid attitude of Bollywood. The poor vision of the debutant director Faisal Saif sums up the figure of this low profile sex flick. ‘Jigyaasa’ will not help Hrishita Bhatt in getting more films despite her good performance. Kader Khan, Varsha Usgaonkar are good among the best of the star cast. Another flop movie from Bollywood.

‘Umar’

Director Karan Razdan is back with a subject, which the viewers have already seen in Amitabh Bachchan-Hema Malini starrer ‘Baghban’. Though Karan has come up with an unadulterated concept but fails to deliver despite good performance from the stars.

Jimmy Shergill has strings of flops to his credit whereas ‘Ishq Vishq’ fame Shehnaz Treasurywala has just one release. Both are ok. Kader Khan, Prem Chopra and Satish Kaushik do a good job. ‘Umar’ won’t add to cash register at the box-office. It opened yesterday at Fun Republic, Manimajra.

— D.P.

IN CITY NOW
The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail
By Michael Baigent Richard Leigh Henry

Anybody who does not believe everything written in the bible will find this book interesting, and even those who believe in the gospel truth of the bible and have an open mind about it will still enjoy the probing nature of the book. The author said it himself that he does not believe or disbelieve what he wrote because they are more of the opinions of others. He used the particular phrase of “it is said that “ in presenting his case.
The book is written to present the cases of those who held the belief that Jesus didn’t die in the cross and began a bloodline hat survived him and still survives until today.

The Seven Rules of Success
By Fiona Harrold

Top life coach and best-selling author of “Be Your Own Life Coach”, Fiona Harrold, shows just what successful people have in common - and how you can be successful too. More and more people are finding that chasing only material success feels hollow, unfulfilling. What people desire now is a career that stems from their highest personal vision and deepest creativity and that is richly enjoyable and fruitful not just materially but on personal and spiritual level.

Top life coach Fiona Harrold has talked to some of the world’s most successful people and discovered the rules that they live by to make their astonishing achievements.

Managers Not MBAs: A Hard Look at the Soft Practice of Managing and Management Development (Paperback)
By Henry Mintzberg

“Conventional MBA programmes train the wrong people in the wrong ways with the wrong consequences,” states this academic and author, who here examines and proposes drastic change in our traditional form of management education. He believes MBA programmes are schools of business that pretend to develop managers, and he addresses such issues as what can be done to develop managers in a serious educational process, offering a critique of MBA programmes and an analysis of the practice of management itself. Mintzberg’s recommendations include programme changes, as well as his observations on faculty tenure, prima donnas, and entrenched thinking. He believes MBA programs have failed to develop better managers who should be improving their organizations and thereby creating a better society. This book offers an important perspective for the global MBA community, which serves its students, business, and society in general. 

The Wayward Mind: An Intimate History of the Unconscious
By Guy Claxton

In this lively history of thinking about what lies behind thinking, Oxford-trained cognitive scientist Claxton (Hare Brain, Tortoise Mind) ranges across societies from ancient Egypt to 20th-century Vienna and individual thinkers from Aristotle to Eugene Gendliln to trace the long development of three broad narratives that have been used to explain the mind: the supernatural, the psychological and the biological.

The author’s purpose in this erudite intellectual history is not to settle the question of what lies behind our conscious selves, but to explore the richness of the untidy notions of the unconscious we have inherited. His summaries of the ideas of poets, priests, philosophers and psychiatrists are colorful and brisk but fair, and his criticisms, notably of Descartes as hyper-rational and Freud as unoriginal, are balanced by assessments of their contributions.

He concludes that no single account can fulfill the complex social purpose of the stories we tell ourselves about the underlying quirkiness of our minds, but he argues persuasively that we can live fuller, happier lives by embracing that waywardness.

Saving Fish from Drowning
By Amy tan

Amy Tan, who has an unerring eye for relationships between mothers and daughters, especially Chinese-American, has departed from her well-known genre in Saving Fish From Drowning. She would be well advised to revisit that theme which she writes about so well. The title of the book is derived from the practice of Myanmar fishermen who “scoop up the fish and bring them to shore. They say they are saving the fish from drowning. Unfortunately... the fish do not recover,” This kind of magical thinking or hypocrisy or mystical attitude or sheer stupidity is a fair metaphor for the entire book. It may be read as a satire, a political statement, a picaresque tale with several “picaros” or simply a story about a tour gone wrong.

Courtsey: Browser, Sector 8

Saturday afternoon fever

It was Saturday afternoon fever at Silver in Noodle Bar in Sector 26. Tearing excitement broke lose as exhilarated figures illuminated by psychedelic light twirled around the dance floor to the thumping beats of reverberating music during a dance party ‘Jhoom’ organised post-lunch. Heaven is a place on earth — was the feeling so many guys tripping the light fantastic got at the Bar as so many damsels in micro-minis with twin cuts on either side descended on the dance floor. As the high-wattage overhead speakers boomed one hit number after another, there was no stopping the crowd. Jackets, and even sweat-shirts, went up in the air as the party gained momentum with the in-house disc jockey spinning tracks. “Its cool man!” said student-cum-visitor Dinesh Goyal. “The music is fast enough to get you grooving.” The bash, which started at about 2.30 pm, continued till past 7 pm. — TNS 

WRITE TO RENEE
Don’t ever give up on yourself

I am an extremely good-looking young man fitting into the tall dark and handsome category but my problem in life is that I can’t sustain a steady relationship. I am twenty-three years old and have just returned from America after getting an M.B.A. degree. I am the only child of very devoted parents. I seem to like girls immensely and each time I fall in love, I feel this is going to be forever. But after a few months, I start feeling completely caught up in the relationship and want to free myself. I feel, I need my space, which no girl seems to understand. Most of my relationships have lasted about three to four months. Then I just get out of them. Tell me will I ever find a relationship that can last.

Gaurav Pahwa, Chandigarh

Young man, now come on! Don’t give up on yourself ever so easily. Of course, you will find an absolutely ever-lasting relationship, for each one of us on this planet there is a partner who reflects us, who gets along with us, and who relates to us. The question is only of attracting the right partner. You seem to be caught up within yourself at the moment. May be, this is of the follies of youth. We all seem to think we are “it” and someone else must just fit into our lifestyle, as it is the best one. But life is not like that. Each one of us is unique in themselves in their own way, and we all have a beauty of our own. Question is of striking the right chord with some one. It is of companionship and understanding. Believe me, when the right woman comes into your life, you will just willingly accept her and not let her go.

I am a thirty-two-year-old woman who has just been through a divorce. I have a little daughter who is three years old. Ever since she was born, my husband started telling me he didn’t want to be with me. At that time of course, I was shattered but somehow pulled myself together. It was hard, as from a loving devoted husband; he turned into a complete stranger. He even found a girlfriend. Somehow I felt the situation was too much to deal with and we settled for a mutual separation. He then came to me saying he is very sorry and he wanted me back, and feeling that he is genuine I went back. Then he started his old abusive way again until I thought divorce was the only answer. I gave him a very favourable divorce settlement and now that he is married again, I feel I have been cheated.

Poorvi Shah, Panchkula

My dear girl, what are you supposed to do in a situation like this except heal some of your wounded pride? Your husband’s emotional problems are obvious. He can’t bear the attention shifting from himself. Just think it has been good riddance and move on. You married the wrong man and now you’re rid of him. Count yourself lucky. Imagine spending your whole life in the same pattern and then at age of 60, looking back and saying I wish had lived my life otherwise. Yours is a common experience of emotional immaturity and cowardice. Experiences like this get us to believe that love is a gamble. But well, that’s the way life is. No one knows what’s waiting round the corner. It’s good that you’ve taken a positive decision for your life. Now just stand by it and stay happy. You have much to look forward to.

I am thirty-six years old and have friendship with this guy since the past nine years. I always thought that over the years, slowly we would just end up getting married. He works in another city now, as his job is transferable. During his initial three years over here he wanted me to marry him every day but ever since he has been transferred to Delhi, he sounds different. Although every weekend he is here, I still feel he is not the same. Now, when I bring the subject of marriage, he puts it off for some reason or the other. I feel he is making excuses. We have a lot of fun together and I am extremely fond of him. I simply cannot imagine being with him. How should I deal with this.

Sapna Wahi, Chandigarh

It’s a hard fact of life but no matter how much we put away our decisions, we have to take them sometime in life. We all love to float along in life and allow life to take its own course. How convenient! A real no pressure situation. Allow things to just happen. More so because of our belief in karma. It all sounds very simple but at some point in our lives we have to stop and think and take a decision for ourselves. In your case you have given this relationship more than enough of time, life is not only about having fun together. It is also about meaningful conclusion to a lot of life’s issues. So give your life a serious thought, you owe it to yourself to be happy. Stop living a yo-yo existence in life. If you are not emotionally secure in a relationship, it is not worth keeping. So please weigh your pros and cons well before arriving at any conclusion.

Rush in your queries to Renee at lifestyle@tribunemail.com or care of Lifestyle, The Tribune, Sector 29-C, Chandigarh

PAMMY’S BEAUTY TIPS
Hidden dangers of mehndi

Mehendi has gained lot of appreciation in the last couple of centuries as an art to be appreciated at any time. It is considered among the most auspicious ‘ornaments’ of married women. It is a significant wedding ritual in the weddings in South Asia and is celebrated on larger canvas than in the arlier times. It is believed that deeper the colour of mehendi, deeper the love the bride will receive from her in-laws, in particular the mother in law, whose blessings are particularly important for the Asian bride.  

Since the designs are done on hands and feet intricately –it is deeply satisfying for the work to last longer. The love for deeper colour has brought on with it the use of hair dyes mixed with mehendi, which are very harmful on the skin. Black mehendi is the name given to an artificial colour product by addition of para-phenylenediamine (PPD) to natural henna to create a black stain. PPD is usually used in black dye and is a sensitizer, which means that it is something your body is naturally allergic to. It can cause severe reactions which can take anywhere from 5-15 days to appear, can cause permanent scarring and may even be life threatening with people who have history of allergies or asthma. Reactions to black mehendi frequently necessitate immediate medical attention from a doctor or allergist.  Reactions can be from mild to severe, can cause serious skin burns as a result of the chemicals added to it to produce the black colour effect. 

It can become a problem when children suffering from this disease develop infection as certain medications such as pain relievers, certain antibiotic increase the damage to the body’s red blood cells. 

If the mehendi mixture is coffee colour or black, it is probably para-phenylediamine based hair dye mixture. A good way to test it is to take a little of the powder and mix it with water, the surface of the water will turn brown. The powder should smell like frozen peas or hay. Black mehendi mixed with PPD is usually dark brown or black. Some mixtures have no colour; others have an awful chemical smell. If mixed with water, black dye will drain out. 

Mehendi oil is a blend of eucalyptus, clove and essential oils .According to aromatherapy, a test spot must be done on your skin if the concentration of these oils is high, use in moderation; only in low dilution. Avoid having it put on children under the age of three as their skin is very delicate and clove oil can cause skin and mucous membrane irritation and in some cases can be a cause of dermatitis. A mixture of sugar and lemon could be a good substitute for children. But bear in mind that lemon is acidic- right proportion must be used. 

Remember, Mehndi is best appreciated in its purest form.




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