Monsoon, Mehndi & Mahl Puas: Teej on Aug 4 promises to be a swinging affair!

Sawan ke jhooley
Teej is a small red insect that comes out of the soil during rains!
Jigyasa Kapoor Chimra
IT’S a festival that has dazzled through the ages. Teej rejuvenates senses, as it brings with it a fresh lease of life in form of tiny droplets of rain. An age-old festival that spans across generations, Teej is celebrated throughout North India and Nepal. This colourful festival sees women observing fast for their husband’s long life, marital bliss and children. 
— Photos by Manoj Mahajan, Pradeep Tiwari

The Third Link
City has two solid connections with Swiss city, Lausanne: Corbusier & Rock Garden. Claire de Buren completes the triangle
Parbina Rashid
WHEN Claire de Buren flew from Geneva to Kerala, her aim was to enjoy a holiday with her relatives there. But curiosity got the better of her and she cut short her family time to be in Chandigarh. Firstly, having seen Nek Chand’s miniature rock garden Muse de l’art Brut in her hometown, Lausanne, she wanted to see the original. Second, an admirer of Le Corbusier, also from Lausanne, she wanted to understand what motivated the master architect to come here to build a city. — Photo by  Pradeep Tiwari

Studies first 
For Darsheel aka Ishan of TZP, acting is fun but academics are priority
Limelight-aspiring youngsters — be it Indian Idol star Abhijeet Sawant or Rahul Vaidya of Jo Jeeta Wohi Superstar — may have packed their books to chase what we call easy stardom but there is one star who is surely not playing the fame game. Taare Zameen Par star Darsheel Jaffery is clear in his head: Fame apart, studies are his first priority. Well, this sure comes as a pleasant surprise for us.

Telly Tales
Let mythology be!
Sagas of flamboyance & distorted reality?
Epics are all about Manish Malhotra saris, garish make-up and weird camera angles
Jasmine Singh
I remember how my whole family would plonk themselves in front of the television set every Sunday at 9 a.m. sharp. Work would come to a standstill as the characters of Mahabharat came alive on screen. Ravishing Rupa Ganguly as Draupadi and her long tresses that started the whole musibat, the very Arjun-looking Arjun, trying to make up his mind whether to fight against his own kith and kin, and the most impressive, the throaty-voiced Bhisma Pitamah (Mukesh Kapoor), a real Krishna (Nitish Bhardwaj), villain Shakuni (Gufi Paintal), blind king Dhritrashtra (Girja Shankar). It was the real Mahabharat, B.R. Chopra’s Mahabharat. 

Frozen in time
There may be a million ways of setting an alarm but the clock still  has a loyal following 
Jasmine Singh
A loud shrieking noise coupled with a little propeller-driven key that leaps off your nightstand, alarm clocks make sure you wake up on time. Take it from people who swear by it, still. And apart from your caring mother, who else has so far managed to wake you up on time, fixed by you. None else than your alarm clock.

Do the dare
For city-based mountaineer Harmeet Singh, hiking is a  way of life
HE wants to conquer all the dangerous peaks, and with God by his side Harmeet Singh vows to do it one day. “You can call it a passion or pagalpan. I like to trek unknown, untouched and dangerous routes. It gives me some kind of unexplained satisfaction,” says forty-year-old Harmeet Singh Oberoi, who works with Tech Mahindra, Chandigarh.

Eclipse the evil 
Darkness at noon and moonless at night, eclipse has always rapt the human mind. And it was August 1 that saw the rare combination of a solar eclipse and a new moon fall together. A day full of unusual blends, the date also spells an odd combination of number one and eight — the former representing the energy of the sun and the latter representing the saturn — the planet of cause and effect.

Light the candle Here’s your pick Aries: Light pink Taurus: Turquoise blue Gemini: Golden Cancer: Dark green Leo: Lavender

Virgo: Rust or black Libra: Silver Scorpio: Dark red Sagittarius: Light sea green Capricorn: Orange Aquarius: Indigo Pisces: Aquamarine

Spice up
It’s much more than black & white...
Shahnaz Husain
Whiteheads are different from blackheads, although they both contain hardened sebum (the skin’s natural oil). The excess oil collects in the pores and hardens. In blackheads, the pore is open. The tip oxidises and turns black. In whiteheads, oil and dead cells collect in pockets just beneath the skin.

Kebabs calling
Neha Walia
CARE for some juicy and lip-smacking kebabs? Copper Chimney-26 starts its 15-day kebab festival. Here you can try a variety of Lucknawi kebabs, all exclusive and delectable. Aneet Bakshi, GM, Copper Chimney-26 says: “We have been organising this festival for four years now.