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Classic @ 2009
He loves donning many hats, the latest being that of an actor (Luck By Chance) but its direction where his heart lies. In city to promote his latest Dev. D, a modern take on 1917 classic novel Devdas by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay that has already seen as many as nine silver screen versions, Anurag Kashyap claims, "Dev. D is a vibrant musical take on the modern youth. The flick is contemporary where in we have picked up headlines from newspapers and tried to create today's scenario. And yet, you will be able to see a reflection of classic Devdas." On being asked why he chose Punjab and Delhi as the setting of his latest film, the talented filmmaker said, "Original Devdas was son of a rich zamindar, it would have been difficult to portray that in today's scenario. Punjab, being the richest state of the country, fitted the bill perfectly." The movie promos look intriguing and the director does the explaining. "The film talks about sex but does not show sex," he quips and in the same breath adds, "The movie will appeal to women largely. I feel the portrayal of women on screen has been very superficial. I interacted with women while writing the script and have tried bringing in their perspective." However, the director says on personal level he still doesn't know what women want. Regarding the direction in which the cinema is heading, he says it's high time that moviemakers start celebrating the common man. "I have tried to do this. Go, watch the flick with an open mind and you are sure to enjoy it," he says. So, with already so many takes of the classic available in the market, does comparison, bother him? "Well, Dev. D is as hard hitting as Black Friday," says the confident director. Next in line is Gulal and director is pretty excited about it too. Look for its trailer. It's releasing on March 13," he beams. mona@tribunemail.com
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Historical blunder
Filmmaker Ramesh Sippy has apologised for a scene in his latest film Chandni Chowk to China, which mentions India instead of Nepal as the birthplace of Lord Buddha.
Nepal witnessed a huge uproar over the issue when the film released last month. The opening scene where a voiceover described the hero (Akshay Kumar) as a man hailing from the birthplace of Lord Buddha (India) was deleted in Nepal, however the scene was retained in India and elsewhere. Buddha was born in Lumbini in Nepal, which is revered by Buddhists all over the world. The neighbouring country witnessed large scale demonstrations when Bollywood's first kungfu comedy hit the screens. Talking to reporters, Sippy said the film did not intend to hurt anyone's feelings. But he admitted the film's script team fell short in research while handling a historical fact. "The controversial scene is just a voiceover and was not even required. It would be deleted," he said apologising on behalf of the entire cast and crew. The film starring Akshay Kumar and Deepika Padukone has been panned by the critics and declared as a box office failure even though producers have claimed that it has earned Rs 45 crore.
— PTI |
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We shall dance again
Television actor Shveta Salve, who lost to Mona Singh in dance reality show Jhalak Dikhla Jaa, will show off her dancing skills once again on small screen by making her entry in Dancing Queen. "I'm very excited about doing the show. I'm very passionate about dancing and this show will give me yet another opportunity to showcase my talent," said Shveta. The show's format has a dancing diva paired with a protégé and Shveta will make an appearance along with her protégé Aashnay. "Earlier, I was being trained by a choreographer, but now I will be training Aashnay and this will be another big challenge for me to prove my capabilities. I am not exactly here to win for myself, but indeed to share my experience with my protégé and groom her," she said. Dancing Queen is aired on Colors channel and is being judged by veteran actors Hema Malini and Jeetendra. Shveta was seen in TV shows like Hip Hip Hurray, Kittie Party, Kahin Kissi Roz and Lipstick to name a few. Now, she is also set to make her Bollywood debut with Dharmesh Darshan's Bhanvraa. — IANS
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Animated accomplishment
Yashraj Films' animation film Roadside Romeo has bagged a nomination at the Visual Effects Society (VES) Awards.Roadside Romeo, written and directed by debutant Jugal Hansraj, was India's first ever three-dimensional (3D) mainstream animation project and co-produced by Yash Raj Films (YRF) Studio and Hollywood studio Walt Disney Co. The film, which has voice-overs by Bollywood actors Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor, has been nominated in the "Outstanding Animation in an Animated Motion Picture" category alongside big Hollywood animation films such as Dreamworks' Kung-fu Panda and Disney's Wall-E, apart from Bolt-the Chase and Waltz With Bashir. Yash Chopra, chairman of Yash Raj Films, said: "We are extremely proud about the film's nomination in VES Awards. This is not just an honour for us, but also a recognition and a tremendous boost for the collective vision that Yash Raj Films and Disney had set out to achieve through this unique alliance." The awards will be held in Los Angeles on February 22, just a day ahead of the Oscar night. — IANS
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Basant beats
Promising classical music vocalist Meeta Pandit and acclaimed sarodist Mukesh Sharma were in the city to light up the Basant Utsav concert organised by the Department of Music, PU, at its auditorium here on Wednesday. While the vivacious and versatile Meeta Pandit is acknowledged as the scion of the Gwalior Music Gharana and one of the finest artistes in the world of Hindustani classical music, the globetrotting sarod maestro Mukesh Sharma is the foremost disciple of Ustad Amjad Ali Khan sahib. The Gurgaon-bred maestro is better known for his musical genius abroad than in India. Both shared their views on their experiences in the realm of art and related issues. Obviously perturbed about the delayed arrival of the Shatabdi, which left her with no time to relax and prepare for her performance, Meeta summed up things quickly: Being sixth in the unbroken lineage of classical musicians of repute and the only female to make it to the international level, how do you feel about it? You may call these as contradictory attributes, but my holding the proud legacy has been blissful always and it has also burdened me with bigger responsibilities and challenges ahead to prove myself. Aren’t an honours degree in Commerce from Lady Shriram College and a doctoral degree in music again a contradiction of sorts? My passion for music is not cultivated but comes from the in-depth layers of my mind and soul. Reveling in the music is my sole aim and duty. How did the journey start and was the training tough or easy ? Still can not recollect, seemingly it all began much before I learnt to speak. My training under grandpa, Padmabhushan Krishnarao Shanker Pandit was rigorous and disciplined, with no relaxation under my papa L.K. Pandit. The endless sargams, the lengthy slow alaaps irked me sometimes but sehaj pukke so meetha hoye is what I feel now. With loads of awards and adulation, especially from concerts abroad at such a young age, do you feel at the top of the world? No rather it worries me and inspires me to put in more riyaz to meet all the expectations. Deviating from the purity of classicism, even some great stalwarts have gone in for light music albums. Your comments? It depends on their thinking but one thing is very clear that if the classically trained vocalists opt for Bollywood, the standard of film music will at the epitome of its glory. Though classical music is my first love, I have done a lot of work in fusion music and composing ghazals. I have even given playback for a Bollywood film Khamosh Pani. I would love to do any such project coming on my way.
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Incredibly Indian
Click! And there goes the transformation of ephemeral into eternity. Remember? Picture’s worth a thousand words. A photograph speaks no language, yet tells all to everyone. Just like the images captured by Joel Suganth’s camera and culminating into an exhibition Children of India, at Alliance Francaise, Chandigarh. No beating about the bush, what you get is actually children and truly of India; the ‘rural, real India’. So what you have is children in various moods and elements, in the crowd, alone, with the sibling, with a pet, along with mother, sleeping, playful, nervous, naughty, sad, oblivious, questioning, happy, hungry. All this and more in a span of fifteen frames. Didn’t we tell you about each speaking the thousand parts? Yet, what binds all of the pictures is the poignancy of emotions, effortless and compelling. The first photograph of kids in school uniform, curious and casual with tiny Indian flag as the crest, is as obvious as open to interpretation. A picture which Joel Suganth describes as ‘It’s only when I see such faces that I feel that there is hope for India’ Perhaps his presence would have given the ‘beyond curtain’ perspective to other pictures as well. Moving on, there’s a cradle tied to tree barks with the mother at the back, yet another black and white picture of kids atop a haystack with dog on the ground. While yet another, shows two kids mounted on a buffalo, with a probing look, against dense greens at the back. It’s the India we see, everyday, all around; therefore never pay attention to. Interestingly, what’s noteworthy is that artist chose to focus only on rural kids and background while displaying his version of Children Of India. Also, as much as the children, is the attention to background detail and the understated elements in each picture, that seem to stand out. Like a child carelessly leaning against a parked vehicle while another potbellied, malnourished child passes by. The sight, sadly, everyone in our country is accustomed to. On at Alliance Francaise-36, till Feb13.
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THEORY Jumping act Shiv Kaushal Jumping is normal dog behavior; so most dogs will jump up on people unless they are taught not to do so. All canines, wild or domesticated live by a set of ‘canine etiquette rules’ taught to each pup from birth. As soon as they are able to eat solid food, the mother canine carries bits of food in her mouth back to her waiting pups. On her return, the young pups greet her by licking the bits of food from around her lips. As canines grow older, this behavior translates into acceptable, canine greeting. If you have more than one dog, or if your dog encounters a dog friend, they are likely to lick each other around the mouth to say hello. This behavior is similar to the human habit of shaking hands. When a pup moves from its litter into your family, it retains this ‘Glad to see you,’ greeting behavior. However, humans walk upright and have mouths that are high off the floor. When your dog is happy to see you and wants to greet you in the only way he knows how, he has to jump in an attempt to lick you around this high-up mouth. Some new owners pat them or hug them and keep them in their lap. Now in another way they are appreciating the dog to jump on them and it will start jumping whenever it wants the attention from side or sit in your lap. Some people find the jumping up and the mouth licking rather disgusting and often react by scolding the dog or pushing it away. To a dog not taught differently, this can be very confusing. To put this in human terms, if you have been taught that the polite, proper way to meet a new person or greet an old acquaintance is to shake hands, and you suddenly found yourself in a different culture where shaking hands was not the custom and was even found to be repulsive, you would be confused if you were pushed away and looked on with disgust. If someone took you aside and taught you that in this culture people bow to greet each other instead of shaking hands, you could easily comply and soon be out greeting people in their acceptable way. Your dog is this stranger in a new culture, and can be taught an acceptable way to greet people. There are many training methods to break a dog of jumping up. One of the oldest is to bring your knee up on his chest as he’s in the act of jumping. I have not had a great deal of success with this method, nor have I heard of others using this method very well. This method is useful only in that condition when you don’t want put the leash and collar to your dog. Another way is to have the dogs leash and collar on. When he jumps pull him with a sharp jerk down and away, saying a command in a very sharp pitch like “Off!” (Do not use the word ‘down’ to make the dog stop jumping. If you do the slightest bit of further training, ‘down’ will be used to tell the dog to lie down.) The best way to train a dog not to jump is to teach him an alternative behavior that is more acceptable to humans such as ‘sit,’ and ‘sit-stay’. Each time you return home from running errands, have a dog biscuit handy. When your pet rushes to greet you, say ‘sit’! If he jumps and squirms, ignore his advances. When he sits, he gets the treat and the greeting. When friends come to your home and when you meet people outside, tell ‘sit-stay’ by your side before he gets petted. shivkaushal@yahoo.com
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Nothing to CRIB about
The soul of a child is the loveliest flower That grows in the Garden of God It’s a plant that is tender but wondrously rare The sweet wistful soul of a child Parents are very special people to each other and to their children. The child’s world with parents, siblings, home and immediate community is secure. His foundations are laid in relationships with parents and others around him. The child becomes steady, solid, and confident in early years of life..He gets ready to bear the weight and balance of whatever super structure of life and personality is to built upon them. One never lives alone. As human beings we are naturally social animals and many of the skills needed in life are learnt through interaction with others and in particular from peers and sibling. This element is of course missing in one child family, while the added attention from loving and caring parents is certainly to be welcomed. Yet, it is no substitute for the lesson we can learn from a wider group of circle. There are the usual worries, sickness, sleep, tantrums, germs and health. But the big one — the nagging worry that has latched on to parent’s psyche with all the strength and perseverance of a toddler — is his solitude. People say that only child is bossy, spoiled and aggressive, lonely and maladjusted and the list goes on, which suggest that being an only child is undesirable, but this is a myth. This myth relating to only child dates back to the late 1800 when G. Stanlley Hall known as the founder of child psychology said that being an only child a disease in itself. Adler, a psychoanalyst supported the view and opined that the only child cannot develop confidence in himself, expects too much from others and try to dominate as he dominated his mother. Adler stressed the family situation and early years as the critical factors in the development of the child’s character. Susan Newman a social psychologist and the author of the book Parenting an only child says the myth has been perpetuated ever since. After 30 years of research it has been proved that being an only child is not a disease. The perception of an ‘only child- a bane’ is rejected. Parents who want single child find only child parenting immensely rewarding as they focus their attention on the development of one child only. Fifty years ago about 10% of household in the U S were single child household and today the figure has more than doubled to over 14 million. In 2004, 17.4 percent of women ages 40 to 44 reported having one child, compared with 9.6 percent of women 40 to 44 in 1976. Single-child families now outnumber two child families (20 percent versus 18 percent), according to the 2003 Current Population Survey of the U S. It has affected the third world countries also. statistics show a great increase of single child families in India also. It is impossible to quantify the various factors fuelling the trend of having an only child but few factors are generally observed; ?
Infertility and late first child ?
Working women and high pressure job ?
High cost of raising and educating ?
Higher divorce rate ?
Increased number of single parent ?
Late marriage ?
Marital discord ?
Nuclear families having no joint family support system ?
Escapism from holding extra responsibility. Besides all these the obvious advantage is that good quality rearing and education. Private school education is horrendously expensive, many families can’t afford to find funds necessary to educate one child, meeting the cost of education for two or more children is simply out of reach. Amit Kaur an architect in the U S mother of one-year-old girl is interested in having another child but because of her husbands non-cooperative attitude in rearing the child and refusal to share the responsibility has forced her to have a single child. She says, “Working and bringing one child is already hand full, I can’t think of having another child.” Jaswinder Aneja a mother of 10-year-old son opted for single child because of her own health problems. Such like examples are many, each family have different reasons. It can be said raising an only child is as complex as raising two children. People opt for one child but sometimes they are under pressure, they worry for various things. The common worries parents usually have are: “I worry he’ll be spoiled,” said Parmod, 37. “I want him to know the world doesn’t revolve around him. I worry he’ll be clingy to Mommy, that he will never be independent.” “I worry that when he’s older, he’ll feel lonely.” “He won’t have a companion in life — someone in the family he can share every feeling with. Even if you get in fights, there’s unconditional family love with a sibling.” Statistically speaking, such like fears aren’t likely to come true. Study after study proves that only children are no more spoiled, lonely or maladjusted than their peers who have siblings. They’re also, oddly enough, not alone. There are lots of practical solutions for parents to let their children feel positive about themselves and become winners. Children have abundant energy and spark, parents can channel that energy to allow them to be used by the power source. The goal of parenting is to teach kids to develop into a successful self disciplined adults. Many parents feel that spanking is necessary for effective discipline. But when parents use three F’s i.e. Firm, Friendly and Fair, they find yelling, punishing and spanking disappear and a positive relationship is established. We believe the children are the future of our land, so teach them well and take them gently by the hand.
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How to cheat and not get caught!
AshleyMadison.com, a website that lets people cheat- without getting caught!“Life is Short. Have an Affair”: that’s the mantra behind Ashley Madison.com, a website that helps people cheat on their partners, without getting caught. AshleyMadison.com, the largest online dating site for people in relationships, has a whopping 3.5 million members, according to CEO Noel Biderman.
“If you already have the inclination to cheat, we (AshleyMadison.com) can help you,” the New York Daily News quoted Biderman, as saying. “This is a safe way to do it,” he added.
As to what makes the site “safe” for cheaters - the answer is: the fact that everyone going on the site knows what they are getting into, as the members of the site are either cheaters themselves or looking for a cheater.
Karen, a 52-year-old from New Jersey, says she’s grateful for the birth of AshleyMadison.com. Karen and her husband fought about sex a lot, she claims. “I knew he had a low sex drive but he was good to my kids so I figured it would be fine,” she said. “But then it (sex) went from once a week to once a month. We’d fight about it,” she said.
She said the lack of sex got her down. She asked herself why it was happening, occasionally wondering if she was too chubby or just not good-looking to her partner anymore.
She went on AshleyMadison.com and met a man who desired her, and it changed everything, she says.
— ANI |
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A new survey suggests that kids are being ‘damaged’ with more and more mothers going to work. It has been said that the growing economic independence of women from their male partners is contributing to family break-ups. As per the report from The Church of England-affiliated Children’s Society and the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams’, more mums with babies just under a year old are working, and carers are looking after their kids. About seventy per cent of the mothers of 9-12 month-old babies do some paid work compared to a quarter 25 years ago, and family break-ups are up, with a third of 16-year-olds now living apart from their biological dad, reports the Sun. The survey also showed that around 50 per cent more kids of separated parents had problems than those from a ‘nuclear’ family, and looking at the growing number of broken homes, the study says working mums are contributing to it. “Women’s new economic independence contributes to this rise,” the study noted. It calls for parenting classes, psychological support when couples hit the rocks, and more help with affected kids. But work advisory service Mums in Control have a different view to the whole thing. “It’s nonsense to suggest all mothers should stay home,” it said. “Many work because they have to financially. And far from damaging their families, their salary is what allows them to stay together. This is even more true in a recession,” it added. — ANI
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Parental point
Advantage child
— Gurmeet
Kaur, No regrets
— Sunita
Menon, Spoilt, nah
— Ramesh Sharma, |
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Long and short of it
I am a 27-year-old girl and have got involved in a long distance relationship. I met this very interesting man on my last trip back from Delhi on the Shatabdi Express. It was one of the most interesting encounters of my life. We exchanged ideas and I realised that we had shared interests in almost everything. Whether we spoke of music or art, travelling or reading even the designers. I am completed fascinated by this person as I feel, this is the person I have been looking for all my life. We met a few times in the city, but he had to return back to the U.S. where he works. Though we have not spoken about any future together but I am hoping it will happen. How do I sustain this long distance relationship? —
Kamini, Long distance relationships are a lot of hard work. Discovering a person is initially very exciting prospect especially in a new city and a different country. It has a special kind of romance attached to the whole concept. We are fools to expect a relationship that revolves around a shoot burst of intimacy to last a lifetime in the very same way. Life cannot be perceived in phases it has to be taken in its own totality. A long distance relationship requires much resilience and a lot of effort. You are basically surviving on grabbed moments of intendancy on separate commitments. Well try to give it time and effort there are no short cuts to life. If you feel you still want him as much just tell him. Give vent to feelings I am a 23-year-old serious-minded young girl. My main problem is that every few days, I go through a serious period of depression. Each time I recover, go out with a friend and enjoy myself but then a small thing would upset me and I feel negative and depressed all over again. I really cannot figure out what this whole cycle is all about. I seem to be fairly cheerful otherwise and have no special reason to feel the way I feel. Depression does run in our family but I would love to change myself. Please advise me on how to get about a new pattern of thought in order to remain more cheerful and happy. —
Rukmini, My dear girl depression in itself is representing anger inside you, which you feel you do not have the right to have. This is a kind of feeling of sadness actually. Take yourself back into your childhood did you have these kind of feelings even then? Do you have a tendency to repress your feelings or are you most of the time holding back your emotions? A lot of times we go through life just covering up our feelings, as we grow older. We also find ourselves many distractions to keep ourselves away from experiencing these unwanted feelings. Do try and find someone to talk to about your inner feelings. It seems as though you have a lot of pent-up emotion. When you release this you will release your pain and your depression will naturally just walk away. Born to be free I am an 18 year-old college going girl and would love to know how to build up my self- confidence. As a child I was often physically beaten by my mother and also teased by my peer group in school. As a result, I feel that my self-esteem is very low. I am in constant state of panic. Many times when I meet new people I start to perspire in nervousness. If I feel I have to accomplish a task given by my teacher. I always seem to feel that I will not be able to do it. I either hesitate or hold back. I would love to learn to trust myself and take initiative in things. Right now we have a few holidays but I know a part of mine does not want to go back to college. I feel very hopeless and helpless. Can you please help me to feel better and more self-confident? — Vasundhara, Panchkula My dear girl, at your age you should be brimming with a certain level of confidence. You have absolutely no business to feel the way you do. It is evident that you are still carrying your childhood fears. Take time out to reassure yourself that you are safe just tell your inner child that you are not alone in the world. It seems as if your body is living in a constant state of alarm. Just love yourself and repeat this like a mantra “It is safe for me to forgive all my childhood traumas and love myself totally for who I am”. |
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“Well, any day one can give better attention and care to a single child. Having no sibling to play with is only good as the child gets to channelise energy in creative pursuits. So, the child doesn’t necessarily feel lonely. Also, it gives parents and the child a chance to bond better.”
“It’s quite challenging especially when both the parents’ are working. We had our daughter after 10 years of marriage. And we decided to be completely devoted to her. She has grown up to be a confident, young girl and we are pretty satisfied with our decision. Though sometimes I think, if she had a sibling, I would have got more time to myself.”
“It was a well thought out decision to stick to single child. With both of us working, we wanted to make sure that that the child gets all the attention required. One can surely give better care and facilities to a single child, rather than dividing the resources between the two or more. And then the stereotype that single child is pampered is a myth. It all depends on the bringing up one provides to the kid.