This debut rallyst found his calling in a desert
Storming success
"Taking part in it was like getting on the job training. We got the first-hand of experience of driving on sandy and muddy tracks."
Certain things in life cannot be prepared for. They have to be tackled head on as and when they come. And in such a case, the sole option left is to resolve stronger and determine better. So, when we asked Jagmeet Gill, the first-time participant in the Desert Storm about his planning and preparation, the youngster gave us a prudent reply, "We didn't have the exact picture of what lay 100 mts ahead of us from a certain point.
w  Far in the Thar
Behind the wheel: Jagmeet Gill

Desert Rangers
Desert Storm 2009 is over but the rallyists from Team Thunderbolt are still high on the dose of adventure, danger and thrill that the rally offered
Passion does not look beyond the moment of existence, and if it did we wouldn't have the winners of Desert Storm 2009- Suresh Rana (overall first), Varun Davessar, Sandeep Sharma (overall third) and Harpreet Bawa and Yogesh Lakhani (overall fourth) come back with stories of adventure, fun, danger and adrenaline dripping.

(L-R) ONA WINNING SPREE: Varun Davessar, Suresh Rana, Harpreet Bawa & Yogesh Lakhani — Photo by Vinay Malik

No culinary tour this!
They may call themselves Masala Dosa and are on an Electro World Curry Tour, but this French band eats and breathes only one thing - music
Naming the band Masaladosa is like being a question mark, a source of constant queries, no wonder, even before we could, a fellow journo obviates the inconvenience; what's with a Masaladosa? The three-member band, currently on an Electro World Curry Tour 2009 in India, probably must be explaining for the nth time. So answers, Pierre Jean Duffor, the sitarist, "Well, there are many reasons for that. Just like masala dosa, our music stands for fusion, eclectic mix. It's the same way you cook, it's important to keep the same mixing philosophy in mind."


— Photo by Vinay Malik

Rewards of Awards
Post-Oscars, Irrfan Khan, Freida Pinto and Dev Patel bag Hollywood projects
Slumdog Millionaire actor Irrfan Khan, who's riding high on the Oscar success of the film, is up for a part in the movie version of Life of Pi, according to reports. Ang Lee is being lined up to adapt the novel into a Hollywood movie. The director is in talks over the adaptation of Yann Martel's novel. 

Birthday bash
Shahid's birthday a close-knit affair 
Bollywood actor Shahid Kapur, who turned 28 on Wednesday, celebrated his birthday by hosting a party for family and close friends. "Shahid was pretty excited about the party and has been planning it for months," said a source close to the actor. 

Shahid Kapu

Like mother, like daughter
Hema Malini, Esha Deol team up for television show
Bollywood diva Hema Malini and daughter Esha Deol have often teamed up to perform on stage, but this time they are all set to enthrall television audiences with their moves. The mother-daughter duo are set to perform together at the grand finale of dance reality show Dancing Queen on entertainment channel Colors.

Esha Deol 

Politically correct 
I don't see myself as an able politician: Manoj Bajpai
Bollywood actor Manoj Bajpai, who will be seen in Prakash Jha's political drama Rajneeti, says although he often gets invited to contest elections, he doesn't consider himself an able politician.

Manoj Bajpai,

Street smart
Madhur Bhandarkar loves to binge on dilli ki chaat 
Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar has become highly conscious of his weight after making Fashion, but whenever he visits Delhi, he can't stop from gorging on street food.

Mind on moods
After dyslexia, Bollywood to focus on mood disorder
After Aamir Khan's much feted take on dyslexia in Taare Zameen Par, Bollywood is putting the spotlight on bipolar disorder, a psychological illness that causes extreme mood swings in a person.Being made by Prawaal Raman, known for his earlier thriller Darna Mana Hain, the film is tentatively titled Happy Teachers Day and will star versatile actor Farooq Shaikh."It's a story tracing the relationship between a professor and his student. 

Farooq Shaikh

Toast to life 
SAB Miller India, the brand behind Foster’s, launches its drive on safe driving 
It’s a classic case of irony—when a friend gives you the same advice your ‘mommy’ preached a week ago, it’s taken. So when a liquor company deflates its lungs screaming, ‘Know your limits’, ‘Don’t drink and drive’, ‘Underage driving isn’t cool’ we appreciate the gesture and sincerely hope it finds takers, whatever the ‘true intentions’ behind the campaign; image, philanthropy or just whatever!

Weaving creativity
There is a world of colourful paraphernalia waiting to be explored at this handicraft exhibition
The exhibition at Lajpat Rai Bhawan is every inch what you’d associate India with. The crafts have come from every part of India—Rajasthan, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Kashmir and the list is endless. Quiet a, ‘you name it and you have it’ scenario the exhibition also has an endless number of handloom items at display. Pick and choose from; innumerable colours in countless designs, suits, kurtis, bed sheets, table ware, linen etc.

The note collector
The hobby of collecting currency notes might not be new but the way Krishan Garg goes about it is certainly unusual. He collects currency notes according to their serial number. Physically challenged, he spends his whole day at the gate of Sai Baba Temple in sector 27. And what’s more to it, he nurtures his hobby from the donation he gets. “I have been following this hobby from the last eight years and have been successful in collecting notes of all denominations with series of 100, 200, 300 to 1000.”
— Photo by Parvesh Chauhan

Watch of desire 
The TAG Heuer Calibre 16 Day-Date, automatic chronograph gives a new interpretation to the classical codes of the distinguished Carrera line. Furnished with a tachymeter scale on its fixed bezel for calculating speed, it pays homage to the great motor racing legends and “gentleman drivers.” Its large crown and push-buttons reminding the stop-watches are inspired by the mythic universe of racecars driving in the 1950s, while the hand-applied numerals reveal the connection with the iconic design of Carrera Calibre 360. Sophisticated and refined in its every detail, this new model in the Carrera collection perpetuates its historic heritage and the passion that fuels it. More elegant than ever, the Carrera Calibre 16 Day-Date chronograph is, like all Carrera chronographs, an object of desire and audacity, timeless and indispensable. —TNS

Mathematics of matrimony
How frequently does the green-eyed monster raise its ugly head if the woman of the house brings back a fatter pay package? 
When she makes more then him, life takes a 360-degree turn. For good or worse, you decide. Though we don’t want to sound feminist, but the reality is girls are outshining boys in academics and taking charge not only of home but of the office too. And with this changed scenario where increasing number of women are getting into full-time employment some even earn more than their spouses. Well, taking this into consideration, we ask people if this is a reason enough for marital discord or is the concept of ‘men wearing the pants’ changing in a pleasant way?

Positive step
Secure mother-child relationships lead kids to make closer friends
Preschoolers tend to form closer friendships in the early grade-school years if they are securely attached to their mothers, according to a new study. “In a secure, emotionally open mother-child relationship, children develop a more positive, less biased understanding of others, which then promotes more positive friendships during the early school years,” said Nancy McElwain, University of Illinois assistant professor of human and community development and study co-author.

Relatively speaking
Family ties vs work bonds

• We can manage both the worlds
• Individual identity is key
• Money’s taken over family ties

Violent circle
People who play violent video games become insensitive towards the pain and suffering of others, according to the new research. Detailing the findings of two studies conducted by University of Michigan professor Brad Bushman, and Iowa State University professor Craig Anderson, the research fill an important gap in the literature on the impact of violent media.

Going places... Weaves Handicraft exhibition, Lajpat Rai Bhavan-15, 11 onwards Chandigarh Utsav Parade Ground-17, 11 onwards

 

Brawny boy John Abraham gestures at the launch of Bindass TV's I Change India Changes Movement in Mumbai. PTI Photo

Rose-tinted glasses SUN-SATIONAL. This belle’s shades catch the reflection of rose flowers.  Lifestyle photo: Kamal Kishore