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Radio Station Imaging
MATKA CHOWK
WRITE TO RENEE
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City youngsters have put on their dancing shoes and are all set to twirl their way into history by tripping the light fantastic in best ever 18-hour long party, says Saurabh Malik
Chandigarh’s rocking to the rhythmic notes of bass guitar and drums all the way into yet another record of sorts! For touching new heights of excitement and excellence, city guys and girls have already slipped into their jiving shoes. And are twirling all around the polished dance floor of life into history! Right, by tripping the light fantastic in an 18-hour-long Pre-Friendship Day dance party! Folks, even before you pick up the Sunday morning newspaper for reading something more about the amendments in the Code of Criminal Procedure, the youngsters would have changed the past by losing their blues in the longest-ever dance party to be held in the city full of beautiful. “For the first time in Chandigarh’s history, such a long party has been organised,” claims Rohit Kumar, the man behind the skipping and hopping concept that’s swinging into the hearts of so many residents. “Up till now, 14 to 15 hours was the maximum time the youngsters had devoted to cut the rug”. History in jiving
Just in case you know little about the fandango of the youngsters, the bash started on Saturday morning at Rendezvous in Sector 26 an hour before the hands of the clock kissed each other — 11 am to be more precise. You may find it hard to believe, but the jitterbugs are actually expected to continue clogging and hoofing until the wee of Sunday. Well guys, the party picked up momentum at about 12 noon. As the thumping beats of reverberating music filled the air with ecstasy, it was time to loose control for so many revelers out to create history. Among them was BA first year student Jasmine Kapoor (name changed to protect identity). Pulling out the pack of cigarettes from her hip-pocket, she asserted with a smile: “I found the idea of going down in history quite lucrative.” Good for you Jasmine. Seeing your attitude, it hardly seems college-work is the right field for you to score a goal. Footloose and fancy free
Anyway, back to the party! Heaven is a place on earth was the impression the revelers got as pretty damsels in mini skirts with twin slits on either side, or in backless chollis, descended upon the dance floor to cut foot loose, merrily and gorgeously. In fact, you could actually feel the pulse the minute you set your foot into the joint. No matter what your party style was, the place had something to offer. As the Saturday afternoon fever caught the revelers in its exciting high-temp’ grip, their exhilarated figures, illuminated by nice little psychedelic lights, swayed breathlessly in sync with the rhythmic throbs of high-wattage music. Close dancing followed with his hand around her reed-thing waist and her arms around his neck, feeling each other’s breath on the face. Oh, yes! The beats Rakhi Sawant remixes got the crowd grooving in no time with the in-house and the guest disc jockeys (DJs) spinning tracks to produce some cool funky music. You could actually gyrate to some of the best tunes dished out by the DJs, fervently. As good old retro and classic rock gave way to hip-hop music, not just the teenyboppers, but also young professionals from call centers joined in to lose their blues amidst the melodious tunes! Well, the couples had to pay for the pleasure, but “single” damsels were let in free, absolutely. Discrimination on the basis of gender, but guys you just can’t do anything about it! “The intention was to organise a pre-friendship bash that would continue till the arrival of the big day,” says another organiser Raj. “That’s why we organised the longest-ever dance party.” Sounds swell, folks!
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She Rolls in Beauty A stunning lady in white is sometimes seen chugging majestically on the geri route these days. Those who happen to pass by its side only but marvel at the sheer simplicity of its charming beauty. The demeanour of the petite beauty carries an envious royal elegance and an inimitable classical grace with a perfect ease. What strikes the most about this femme fatale is its adherence to simplicity with accessories reduced to bare minimum, stating the eternal principle of less is more! It arouses the curiosity of the onlookers instantly and admiringly fixes the gaze at every curve and parts of the body. By now, a thought crosses the mind what’s the name of this pretty dame? The car is a Standard Herald, modified to look like1906 model De Dion Bouton of French origin, lovingly called ‘Geraldine’. However, the ageless beauty has undergone extensive modifications to keep it in a working order. Ravi Mann, the owner of the car, states; “It was a challenge for me to restore the pristine glory, which I accepted and won, just within four years of buying this car.” He has painstakingly modified his ‘Geraldine’, clearly evincing an intimate bond that he shares with his car. The bonnet of the car juts out at the head of a Trojan horse rather unique lantern indicators double up as parking lights. An old time French traffic signal system with green and red lights on the left and a shining long brass horn on the right, all giving the car a classic look and evoking the memories of Rag times. H. Kishie Singh, a motoring journalist remarks, “De Dion Bouton has an excellent rear suspension and even today some of the car makers use this suspension in their modern age cars Being an open type, it is fitted with white netted curtains and a black canvass roof top with frills on both sides to give a royal look to the car. Apart from Geraldine, Mann, a retired banker and the founder president of the Chandigarh Vintage and Classic Cars Foundation, has a fleet of four vintage and classic cars parked in his garage. His love for cars is remarkable, he says, “When an idea comes to my mind, nobody can stop me from fulfilling my dream. I have a habit of challenging myself and winning those challenges.” It was a trip to Detroit, U.S.A in 1954 that transformed his childhood fascination for expensive cars into modifying these vintage beauties. Needless to say that these modifications comes with a price but this connoisseur of cars gets a little irritated when asked about the total cost of the whole endeavour. He says, “It’s not the money, but the commitment, patience and years of hard work that makes these cars valuable.” His love for vintage and classic cars was acknowledged in the book “Automobiles of the Maharaja” besides he has featured in many documentaries on various TV channels. But right now, Mann and his cute ‘Geraldine’ are enjoying their moments of glory after their long arduous journey.
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Just friends or? It’s a breezy Saturday afternoon and couples seem to throng Mr. Beans, a hip coffee haunt frequented by many. Sitting pretty on a plush recliner are two girls and a boy. Two is company, three crowd, say the wise men, but the these three seem totally unaffected by the ancient wisdom. For, while two of them are lovebirds, one girl’s best friend is a bum chum with her boyfriend. A girl and a boy—just friends? Is a platonic friendship possible between the a boy and a girl? Or does the cupid play naughty, whizzing some of his amorous arrows at ‘just friends,’ transforming them to lovers, even before they realise it? We try and scoop it out from the couples hanging around in town, celebrating Friendship Day with much fanfare. Labour of love
Meet Panchkula-based Vikram and Sunaina Bansal, a chirpy, bubbly, innately hospitable duo, married for 12 years now. But what they treasure still, more than their rock-solid marriage, is their friendship. “ We had a friendship at first site,” they chuckle delightfully. Adds Sunaina Bansal, “We had come for the admission in GCB’s, Commerce Dept. together and were hence classmates to begin with. We discussed everything from class notes to news headlines, over a cup of steaming chai and Samosas from the canteen. But before we realised it, we were in love. After all it was very hard to find as thoughtful person as him and I felt proud to be his wife. ” So love came as a natural consequence of friendship? “Oh yes, and in fact, both of us had known each other so well during college, that we were sure we’d adjust very well to each other’s family post marriage,” chirps Vikram. Chips in Mahendra Pratap, heading his own construction company, “My wife Anu and me were good friends at school but fell in love as soon as we joined college. I was got selected for engineering at Thapar’s, Patiala, and the distance made us realise how much we loved and missed each other,” There are, however, those who believe in demarcating the boundaries of love and friendship well. Sakshi Kohli, Manager INIFD, and her friend Bharat Sharma are among them. Beams Bharat, an insurance professional, “Sakshi is a great buddy and we do freak out in a group. Both of us are very choosy about things and have constant fights too. But our’s is more like a sibling friendship and we are very clear about it.” Adds Karan Sharma, a design student, “When I joined college, I was a little weak in my studies and a girl was asked to help me. We stayed at the college post our classes and worked very hard together. Gradually we became the best of pals but that was it.” Explains Sumit Rana, Assistant Manager, FR, “My friend Charan seems so very compatible, but we have a beautiful friendship, as compatibility does not necessarily mean love.” So friends, most of the city youngsters today are keeping their eyes open and are very clear about their relationships. But if love does strike between the best of buddies, they are not shying away from it either.
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Threads for a cause “Charity begins at home and but now we are trying bring it out to our college too,” said Avantika Sharma, president of the Rotaract Club. ‘Charity with fun’ is the concept of the newly established Rotaract Club at the Government College for Girls in Sector11. One such charity event which just concluded had multi-coloured rakhis and vibrant friendship bands on sale. There was a well-organised system of payment for the material sold and every detail was entered through proper entry. The money thus collected will help the underprivileged students of the college and also enhance the treasury of the club. The beautifully woven rakhis were accompanied with sandal beads and sleek ribbons. Some hand-made rakhis with fine-looking tiny velvet flowers were fixed on them to add attraction to it. The soft silk thread rakhis with beads were indeed a treat to the eyes. There were also innovative ones with four small packets of chandan, kumkum, misri and rice, stapled to one thin cardboard. These packets were for those sisters who cannot go to their hometowns on this special occasion. Besides these, there were attractive and eye-catching friendship bands displayed in the stalls for the Friendship Day that included, seven-shaded beads were tugged to delicate strings from Korea.
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Radio Station Imaging
If music and content be the blood and oxygen of a radio station respectively, then you will surely ask me as to what is it’s heart and soul. Well, I would say it’s the ‘imaging’. You will all agree with me on thing, that one of the most important parts of a radio station’s sound is its produced stingers, promos, one-liners etc, that comprises it’s complete sound and feel. Imaging can set a feel for the moment or promote an upcoming station event; more importantly, station imaging instantly expresses what your radio station is all about. Poor imaging can act like an anchor and drag the whole sound of the radio station down, while on the other hand ‘great imaging’ can elevate the overall sound of your station to major market status. But how do we achieve it. I mean it’s not that simple but, it isn’t that difficult too. Ironically, station imaging sometimes seems to fall on the back burner of most production departments. Let’s face it, it’s more important to get paid client advertising on the air — that’s what pays the bills — than it is to get a promo or a stinger done. Most production departments do not have the time, equipment, production libraries or the talent necessary to create award-winning imaging. But, if whatever available talent is used creatively, then the result is a stinger that really packs a big fat punch. Creatively produced stingers or IDs normally make the station give out a special feel to the listener and at times are in much higher demand than it’s music itself. Yes, it is true. I mean things like, ‘The hottest station in town’, ‘The number one station’, ‘The sound of the southern peninsula’, ‘The heart and soul of London’ etc. I remember when I first went to New York, I came across a radio station which had an ID that went ‘Broadcasting to you from on top of the world’ and on enquiring from the locals, I came to know that the station had it’s office and transmitter on the top floor of the famous Empire State building (which was the tallest in the world at that time). Creativity at it’s best. The main aim of a special image is that, when the listeners tune-in they know immediately as to what kind of music you play? What is your format? And as to what is your station’s unique identity in the jungle of innumerable FM stations. One has to accept the fact that no matter, how good RJs you have or how huge is your huge library, it is the effective station imaging that will play a vital role to help you survive in today’s competitive radio marketplace. Successful stations recognize the impact of station imaging and give it the full credit it deserves. The result is —— distinctive liners promo and ‘On-air’ imaging, which ensures the best impression. And in the world of radio this surely counts. (The writer is a renowned Radio Personality running Radio Buzz and The Take-One Academy of Broadcasting, a Radio Jockey trainer, voice expert and an international broadcaster)
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FUN WITH FASHION Gold and silver jewellery are glittering like never before on
Rakshabandhan. Brothers’ quest to give something unique to their sisters to fortify the bond of love, combined with all-time low price of gold, is making the gift all the more memorable. No wonder, lockets, bangles-cum-bracelets, earrings and pendants have proved to be the perfect gift for this
rakhi. “Jewellery is always the in-thing,” says Vipin Anand, owner of Rama Jewllery in Sector 35. “But the collection was never so dazzling,” he adds. The cost of bangles-cum-bracelets and pendants range between Rs 7,000 and Rs 12,000. “With Rakshabandhan just round the corner, brothers are also going in for silver pendants and lockets for their sisters,” says Raman of The Jewels in Sector 11. “This time silver jewellery, stone jewellery with multi-colours and some fancy pendants are in trend. We have sold near about 100 silver jewellery sets this week alone.” “I will go for nice jewellery items for my sister as she loves to wear jewellery,” says Sumit, a resident of Sector 44. So, on this
Rakhi, gift your sister something that is close to her heart and she will always remember you for it! Sensual in sparkle
Glamour-studded glitter, sparkling studs, loads of swarovskis and tons of mirror work— we can’t get more flashy than that. The dazzle of these flashy embellishments is slightly maddening, in fact, blinding no less! Shimming up the yesterday’s plain-Jane looks are the exotic embellishments. Clinging delicately to those plunging necklines, riding hemlines and those delicate mulmuls and chanderis, these can make a woman feel sensual and very feminine, yet traditional. And for all those apsaras who wanna look sensual in sparkle, here are a few cues on what embellishments to go for. No longer restricted to utensils and accessories, metals today are adorning feisty fabrics. And not just Gold and Silver. We have trimmings in copper and dull gold, which are a rage. And the shapes and patterns they are flaunting are mind boggling. Besides, hotfooting the city’s markets are metals with Geeta Shlokas printed on them! Colours galore
The brightest of colours play peak-a-boo on our garments, thanks to the coloured stone embellishments. Yes, they aren’t something new to fashionistas, but are still very hot. Generally recommended for embellishing the V necklines of kurtis and borders of ghagras and skirts, they can be combined with golden thread embroidery for a regal effect. Fashionably flashy
Mirrors definitely, have jumped out of the Moghul architecture, to shine and smile on our outfits. Tucked at those signature low necklines, these seem like a kingdom of sparkling and insane nymphets, longing to come out and play. “Sequin work has replaced the more flashy and spunky mirror work, that’s ideal for semi-formal wear,” informs designer Kavita Gautam of Mansi Boutique, Chandigarh. Glamorous gold
jewellery may have been pushed backstage, in favour of precious stones, silver and diamond jewels, but Gold reigns supreme on outfits. Yes, Gold is the new bling in today’s hot couture and seems just about everywhere. “Silver work is totally out and copper and dull gold work is ruling. Gold trimmings, Gota Patti work and golden thread embroidery is selling nowadays,” informs Kavita. Shelling out magic
Tassels have for long been hung with duppatas and skirts to sizzle their appeal. However, shells are being used nowadays for shooting up the garment’s stylo meter. These shells flaunt different colours, as they are first dyed and then dappled with sparkle. Who says glittery little fantasies can’t be seen?
— AG
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MATKA CHOWK
This morning when I opened my eyes, I heard the rain falling outside and I knew our prayers have been answered. School children have been asked to pray for rain and malingering is not condoned in our household! I was also getting quite tired of watching the rain fall in every other city on TV, people wading through water-logged streets while we were winning the perspiration race. Chandigarh has been like one giant sauna lately and I saw people sweating it off everywhere – while shopping for brinjals, school books and langda aam. I also saw a pillion rider on a scooty wiping off rivulets of sweat from the forehead of the driver of the vehicle – a sight rarely seen. The street dogs looked so hot and exhausted that even the most martial ones have not cared to chase the cars lately. Neighbourhood women discussed weather with the sabziwalls everyday and commented on how dry all the sabzi looked and protested the high price. The sabziwallas looked enervated, even their calls seemed less loud. In the evenings black clouds started showing up, raising great hopes that showers would follow. Instead, gusts of wind blew away all the clouds. This game of titillating the hapless folks went for the entire week. Ants dealt with the heat with a display of great enterprise. They chewed through all the plastic zipped bags in my house – these are apparently heavy duty bags sold in the US as ziplocks. The Company promotes the bag under the brand name ‘Gladlock’ and the TV ad shows a woman who puts tomato sauce and spaghetti in an ordinary bag and it bursts, spilling bright red sauce all over her beautiful white carpet and the slogan says –“Don’t get Mad, Get Glad.” This ad would be so hopelessly incorrect, if the adman saw how the ants have punctured the bags and devoured all the badaams and the cup cakes. My maid very wisely said –“baarish nahi hoyegi to aisa hi hoga.” The heat has not helped the traffic temper. Cyclists who are already drenched in perspiration are anything but ready to stop even at the cost of being run over. Traffic Disobedience has been at its peak. The lake has fewer joggers. It seems like the heat has even dampened the business of suicides in the Sukhna Lake. After all that, the rain this morning has been truly heaven sent. It was great to see the puddles forming on the streets and school children walking under oversized umbrellas and yet getting wet in the rain. There is nothing like smelling the damp earth after a long spell of heat! Now, we have to pray that the raindrops keep falling on our heads!
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WRITE TO RENEE
I am a 24-year-old woman who is extremely dissatisfied with her present state of life. I am just tired of my own attitudes about myself. I am feeling overly anxious and self-critical. I am always worrying about what others think of me. I am rather nice looking, dress very well, come from a good family and also have a good career situation. But I am constantly living under the feeling that I am just not good enough. I cannot make friends very easily and usually like to avoid parties and social situations. Even when I am home I pick up fights with my parents on my other sibling and seem to blame them for my lack of confidence and inner happiness. Why do I live in this constant state of discontentment? Please give me some helpful advice. Shalini, Chandigarh Dear girl, you are unnecessarily badgering yourself listening too much to your ego is what is actually getting to you. You must realise that this is what gives you that “not good-enough feeling”. The more you are discontent, the more comfortable your ego feels, you are not only your outer self, there is much more to you on the levels of your spirit. Your emotions and problems are definitely not as large as they look right now, just get out of this negative syndrome and try to get in touch with your inner self. True peace only comes from within and this only happens when you will silence the mind’s chatter and listen to your inner voice. Sit in a quiet meditative posture for ten minutes every morning and tell yourself that you are guided by the true Divinity and you are at peace within. It will happen, your ego will calm down and the negativity will start getting released. Learn to trust yourself. The rest will follow. I am a 28-year-old guy, considerably good looking and quite the charming man. And yet I have noticed that I am not very popular with women. Every time I try to get close to any women they seem to want to run. I don’t think I am overly overbearing or even giving any awkward comments yet I feel I offend most of the girls unknowingly. Why do I have this pattern repeating in my life. Will I ever have someone liking me for who I am or just the way I am. I am an only child of my parents and grew up having everything I ever wanted materially or even emotionally, my parents never denied me anything. I was always so used to having my way that this one particular aspect of life is getting me. Please help to sort out this problem in my life. It is getting to me. Anil Narang, Ambala Dear young man take heart, brace yourself up, life is great and life is happening, just that you have to make it happen. Women are sensitive. It is all about the vibration you are sending out. It is not about the words you say or the comments you make. If you are not coming across correctly the women sense the vibe unknowingly and react to you accordingly. You obviously in the inner recesses of your mind are carrying some negative beliefs about women or about relationships; you must learn to rid yourself of these. It may surprise you but your conscious belief system is just a small part of who you really are. At an awareness level you might not really be in touch with your true nature. Just because you have had your way with everything over the years does not mean that it is will continue to happen in all spheres of your life. I suggest you spend some time with yourself. Probe within, touch your inner beliefs and heal them. I am a nineteen-year- old girl on a holiday to India from the U.S.A. I come to stay with my grandparents every year and I simply enjoy being here. I feel very strongly about my roots and want t come and live and work in India. My parents are very much against my decision and feel that I will be wasting my life and talents over here. I have a firm belief in Karma and destiny and the old values of the traditional Indian belief system. I feel my destiny lies in India and no matter how much the Material pull of the western world seems enticing I feel that there is a purpose to my life and my destiny lies in fulfilling that. Am I wrong to think this way. How can I convince my parents about the way I feel. I want them to be happy as much as I seek my own happiness. Lisa John, Jalandhar Dear girl, it is a pleasure to hear such deep views from someone as young in years as you are. Definitely I believe that we all come into this world for a purpose and indeed fulfilling that particular dream is our primal duty as human beings. Getting caught up on the material world is of course a very natural course of events that takes over due to our environmental and circumstantial sphere of functioning. Remember many questions in our life are beyond our immediate level of understanding. They are a part of our spiritual evolution on this journey of life. We must be convinced about what makes us happy and tread on that path with serious conviction. It is only when you are happy that you can spread happiness to others around you. If you feel that India is your country and you need to fulfill your passion for being here then be true to your dream and it will come about. May the divine spirits be with you.
Rush in your queries to Renee at lifestyle@tribunemail.com
or care of Lifestyle, The Tribune, |
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Looking good is something that occupies a major part of our energies and thought process. And so come those expensive cosmetics, branded jewellery and designer clothes. However, if your looks can be glammed up without blowing a fortune, wouldn’t you rejoice? Well, you can stop reading and begin rejoicing as Indian designers are redefining prêt as spunk and sparkle.