Common wealth of melody Madhushree lends her voice for the opening song of the Commonwealth Games From Kolkata to Holland to South America and finally to Mumbai, humming her way into people's heart, singer Madhushree came into limelight after she sang Kabhi neem neem, kabhi shahd shahd for Yuva. Though her musical journey started way back in her childhood, her first break as singer in Bollywood came with Moksh. "Though I sang a number of songs, but it was after Kabhi neem… that I got recognition in Bollywood." Having bagged the best female singer award for the song, she admits, "I can say my real career as a singer started only after this song and since then there has been no looking back." SPORTS TO SUR: Madhushree Photo: Parvesh Chauhan

To Sir, with love Ahead of Sobha Singh's birth anniversary on Nov 29, a pictorial tribute Seven yours ago, when I was sent to cover an exhibition of paintings by Sir Sobha Singh at Punjab Kala Bhavan, I expressed my desire to meet the artist in person to one of the organisers. 'You are a little too late, Sobha Singhji passed away in 1986', I was politely informed. All I could do was to curse myself for not doing my homework before landing at the venue.

OBJET D’ART New face of Miniature Art Last year, when Naresh Pandit from Himachal exhibited his paintings under the title ‘An Exhibition of Pahari Art’, we saw the emergence of a new trend – mixing of the traits of Pahari painting with that of modern art. The soft and dreamy expression of Himachali women, in his paintings, was replaced by harsh reality. The changing face of Pahari art, we were told.

Comedy kings enliven film preview A star-studded event attended by the entire cast of Chakk De Phatte, including Jaspal Bhatti, Gurpreet Ghuggi, Jaswinder Bhalla, Vivek Shauq, Savita Bhatti and B. N. Sharma, marked the film’s preview at the Fun Republic in Chandigarh on Thursday. The Chak de Phatte cast: (From L) Gurpreet Ghuggi, Smeep Kang, Mahie Gill, Vivek Shauq and Jaswinder Bhalla Photo: Parvesh Chauhan

Pashmina passion From a wind protector to an accessory, shawls have a come a long way. What has not changed is people’s obsession to experiment with this piece of garment. So, when Rama Sud tells us her company Down the Ages has been putting up exhibitions for the past seven or eight years and only on shawls, stoles and capes, it’s understandable. STOLE IT RIGHT: Rama Sud presents her collection of shawls stoles and capes Photo: Parvesh Chauhan

Fun, fashion & feast The annual two-day fest of NIIFT mohali is the place where fashion, food and fun converge. Arc En Ciel’ 08 is just the platform for the creativity and imagination of the students of fashion designing to take shape. DEXTERITY AT WORK: Students of NIFD dish up a creative ensemble with greens Photo: Vicky Gharu

One-piece wonders Lovers of one-piece dresses couldn’t have asked for more. A show of contemporary Western wear by India’s leading young designers, including Gaurav Gupta, Namrata Joshipura, Prashant Verma, Lecoanet Hemant, Nachiket Barve, Siddharth Tytler and more, was held at Kidsown-17 on Thursday. And no, with so many names it was not a patchwork. Rather a selection of wearable pieces chosen carefully. LAYER-UP: Designers present a collection of contemporary western wear Photo: Parvesh Chauhan

Number game It’s all in the numbers and going by our growing interests in numerology that is what seems to be the mantra for life these days. In a media interaction at Shivalikview on Thursday, renowned astrologer P.Khurrana asserted that numbers can influence the life of a person in terms of career, food, love, sex, Vastu and other areas. “The science of numerology helps in Mantraism and Spiritualism.

SIDE LANES
Who cares the most?
Who makes you feel ten feet tall when you are crawling around like an insecure worm? Who offers you unabashed love even after a sound thrashing? Who thinks you are God and Goddess rolled into one? Who looks at you and appreciates every morsel, even if your food tastes like garbage? Who warms your feet in winter?

Gut guy
Abhay Deol, who is set to turn producer, says he trusts his instinct while choosing a script
Actor Abhay Deol has decided to turn producer and will launch his first home production Junction, to be directed by debutante Atul Sabrawal under the banner Forbidden films. According to Abhay, "Junction would go on the floor next year."

Autumn return Actor-politician Rajesh Khanna makes a comeback with Wafaa In spite of the poor box-office performance of his last movie Janaa - Let's Fall in Love in 2006, Khanna has signed as many as eight movies, of which Wafaa will be the first to be released. Perhaps Bollywood's first superstar, in this movie Khanna will be courting a much younger actor. RETURN ROUTE: Rajesh Khanna

Kajol, Nandy get Karmaveer awards
Bollywood actor Kajol, danseuse Geeta Chandran and filmmaker Pritish Nandy were among 52 awardees of the third Karmaveer Puraskar awards given away in the capital on Wednesday for their social service work.

Rajnikanth over Craig
Bollywood actor Priyanka Chopra said, she preferred to act with Tamil superstar Rajnikanth than with Hollywood actor Daniel Craig. "I am very much interested to act with Daniel Craig but I would prefer to act with Rajnikanth than him," she said.

KOFFEE BREAK
Back on track
Wife of ace golfer Jyoti Randhawa, Chitrangada Singh made a dream debut in Hazaron Khwaishen Aisi in 2003 and then made her impression with Kal, Yesterday and Tomorrow. And now after a gap of two years the actor will be seen in Director Onir's Sorry Bhai. Touted as the next Smita Patil, we talk to her about, movies, marriage and acting.

Sounds of the seasons
RITU: This is a series of three albums dedicated to music of different seasons: Sharad-Hemant, Shishir-Basant and Grishma-Varsha sung by such stalwarts as Pt Sanjeev Abhyankar and Gundecha brothers; Pt Ajay Pohankar and Rajan and Sajan Mishra; and Acharya Gokul Utsav Maharaj and Pt Ajay Chakravarty.

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