Beyond Blogs
Bollywood after the blasts. Chetna Keer Banerjee in conversation with actor Gul Panag on terror, tinsel town and Tata Sky
Gul Panag
Virtual voice to real sound byte. Some of the anger and angst emanating from Bollywood that has swamped the blogosphere in recent days found an echo in the city’s lush-osphere on Thursday afternoon as we got actor Gul Panag chatting about 26/11 and beyond.
Photos Vinay Malik
Girl golfers with Gul
Cyber concerns Here are some of the issues Gul Panag raises on her blog:
Burying the episode
Post 26/11, the Bollywood fraternity debates on what should be done with militants’ bodies
Director-actor Farhan Akhtar feels the slain Mumbai terrorists should be sent back to Pakistan on the same dingy they came on, but another filmmaker Anees Bazmi says "we're humans first, so let's bury them here".
After a prominent Muslim organisation refused to bury the Mumbai militants in
cemeteries here, Bollywood personalities have reacted differently to the issue. Mahesh Bhatt suggests let army take the call as there is a "code as to how to handle the enemies' corpses".
Political games
Politicians trying to gain mileage from the terror attack: Gulzar
Prolific writer-director-lyricist Gulzar, who has made two films on the issue of terrorism, blames laxity on the part of the Maharashtra government for the Mumbai terror strikes and says politicians are trying to gain political mileage out of the attacks.
"Why are politicians trying to gain mileage out of this gruesome incident? Our home is burning, we don't have ample security to protect ourselves," Gulzar said.
Gulzar
Ashish Chaudhary says the loss is irreparable but thanks all who stood by him
Loss beyond compare
Bollywood actor Ashish Chaudhary, who lost his sister and brother-in-law in the Mumbai terror attacks, says he has not come to terms with the loss but wants to thank all those who stood by him in his hour of grief.
Ashish Chaudhary
Love conquers all
Actor Aamir Khan has appealed to the youth to start a political party and shun the feeling of hatred
What I would really like to see emerge from all this is the youth of this country starting a political party. A group that stands for strong, clean, honest and fresh leadership. A group that we can all support, Aamir said in his blog yesterday. Warning them to desist from taking the country towards a feeling of hate following the dastardly attack, he said, ''If we really want to make sure that terrorists fail in achieving their end, then these terror attacks should not take us towards hate but instead towards love.
Aamir Khan
COUNTER VIEW
In defence of netas
Coming to the defence of political fraternity in the face of public anger over Mumbai’s terror attack, actor and politician Shatrughan Sinha said blaming only politicians for the incident was wrong
Like any other common citizen I also feel deeply hurt by the terrorists audacious attack on Mumbai...the people's outburst on the incident is natural...but it is wrong to single out politicians for the incident, the actor-turned politician and former union minister said.
Croatian artist Kasum Cana paints to help others When art and charity come together, it shows. Just as in the case of Kasum Cana, an artist and a writer from Croatia, who is here with his paintings, Gypsy World, which he intends to donate. The name itself, effortlessly evokes curiosity, questions and queries. We set the ball rolling.
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Photos Vinay Malik
Five to fiftyfive
The annual art exhibition of Bama Academy of Fine Art has 57 artists from a diverse age group
The annual affair of Bama Academy of Fine Art always has one thing similar - that of varied profile of its artists. Yes, here you have a housewife sharing space with professionals and works of a five-year-old displayed right besides the paintings by someone 55. No discrimination. Complete democracy.
COUPLE OF ART: Ram Kumar Sharma and wife Bharati
Har ghar kuchh kaheta hai
BIG 92.7 FM, and Asian Paints, are busy hunting for Chandigarh’s ‘Most Welcoming Home’ these days. A six-week long campaign on BIG 92.7 FM is inviting listeners to nominate a home in the city, which they find most welcoming (excluding their own/relative’s home). Participants require backing for their nominations with strong reasons. If their reasons are impressive enough, they win an I-pod shuffle and the living room of the home that wins the nomination, receives a colour makeover, courtesy Asian Paints.
X'mas bonanza
Discovery Travel & Living's popular host and chef Nigella Lawson is back in her kitchen to present special Christmas recipes
Nigella Lawson's mantra is that cooking should be fun; if it becomes stressful then you're not doing it right. She believes that Christmas is a great excuse to potter about in the kitchen, to slow down, take cover from the frenzy of the holiday season and realise how comforting it can be to cook. For Kitchen Goddess Nigella Lawson, Christmas represents everything that she loves — food, entertaining, home and family.
Side
Lanes
Should we share the blame?
It has started again. The sick feeling in the stomach; a racing heart; the desire to curl up in bed, not face the world and avoid TV and the morning papers; pent up anger; lack of appetite and repeated nightmares. All these are symptomatic of the insecure citizen. An SMS on the mobile asks me to inform the police about suspicious movements of unknown people. Do I report the already harasssed Kashmiri who is selling shawls or do I talk about a neighbour against whom I have a long-standing grudge? Everything is a knee -jerk reaction to what has happened in Mumbai. Four days of agony will end in a whimper because the daily wagers and service providers, the very backbone of our country, cannot go to sleep on an empty stomach. They have a commitment towards their families.
Post 26/11, the Bollywood fraternity debates on what should be done with militants’ bodies
Director-actor Farhan Akhtar feels the slain Mumbai terrorists should be sent back to Pakistan on the same dingy they came on, but another filmmaker Anees Bazmi says "we're humans first, so let's bury them here".
After a prominent Muslim organisation refused to bury the Mumbai militants in
cemeteries here, Bollywood personalities have reacted differently to the issue. Mahesh Bhatt suggests let army take the call as there is a "code as to how to handle the enemies' corpses".
Ashish Chaudhary says the loss is irreparable but thanks all who stood by him
What I would really like to see emerge from all this is the youth of this country starting a political party. A group that stands for strong, clean, honest and fresh leadership. A group that we can all support, Aamir said in his blog yesterday. Warning them to desist from taking the country towards a feeling of hate following the dastardly attack, he said, ''If we really want to make sure that terrorists fail in achieving their end, then these terror attacks should not take us towards hate but instead towards love.
Croatian artist Kasum Cana paints to help others 
When art and charity come together, it shows. Just as in the case of Kasum Cana, an artist and a writer from Croatia, who is here with his paintings, Gypsy World, which he intends to donate. The name itself, effortlessly evokes curiosity, questions and queries. We set the ball rolling.
—
Photos Vinay Malik
The annual affair of Bama Academy of Fine Art always has one thing similar - that of varied profile of its artists. Yes, here you have a housewife sharing space with professionals and works of a five-year-old displayed right besides the paintings by someone 55. No discrimination. Complete democracy.
BIG 92.7 FM, and Asian Paints, are busy hunting for Chandigarh’s ‘Most Welcoming Home’ these days. A six-week long campaign on BIG 92.7 FM is inviting listeners to nominate a home in the city, which they find most welcoming (excluding their own/relative’s home). Participants require backing for their nominations with strong reasons. If their reasons are impressive enough, they win an I-pod shuffle and the living room of the home that wins the nomination, receives a colour makeover, courtesy Asian Paints.
Discovery Travel & Living's popular host and chef Nigella Lawson is back in her kitchen to present special Christmas recipes
It has started again. The sick feeling in the stomach; a racing heart; the desire to curl up in bed, not face the world and avoid TV and the morning papers; pent up anger; lack of appetite and repeated nightmares. All these are symptomatic of the insecure citizen. An SMS on the mobile asks me to inform the police about suspicious movements of unknown people. Do I report the already harasssed Kashmiri who is selling shawls or do I talk about a neighbour against whom I have a long-standing grudge? Everything is a knee -jerk reaction to what has happened in Mumbai. Four days of agony will end in a whimper because the daily wagers and service providers, the very backbone of our country, cannot go to sleep on an empty stomach. They have a commitment towards their families.