Little has been changed. The emphasis is on retaining the original charm of the Rajendra Kothi or the Baradari Kothi which once served as the residence for Maharaja Rajinder Singh, barring the closing down of a few redundant staircases here and there. The tall glass panel teak wood doors and bright yellow and blue floor titles are original. The lobby, which is again an open area with 12 arches similar to the adjacent Baradari Garden from where it derived its name, the charpois, which is the only element of the décor here, showcases some exquisite Phulkari works, another pride and joy of Patiala.

The 19th century beds and chairs in the palace

A visit opens one’s eyes to the royal way of living. And the affect comes from the fact that each room bears the name of a king or a queen, most are from Punjab with a few imports from Rajasthani royal khandans, decorated with 19th century-old four-poster beds and chairs and almirahs. The most attractive part of the hotel is its dining area, which once upon a time served as the royal darbar. The ornate ceiling embellished with exquisite chandeliers merges into a small balcony from where the queens and princess used to observe the proceedings of the court. Today, one can stand here and soak in the view below – the view of pretty bone chinas and cutleries laid out on sleek tables.

After a complete round of the palace, what one carries back home is the painting of Maharaja Bhupinder Singh with his eight Patranis, the most important ones in the brood of his 365 wives. Somehow the image those simple yet elegant ladies did not match up to one’s preconceived notion of Bhupinder Singh as a Casanova king or his queens as frivolous pay mates. You may have to shell out a little more than you would normally in a place like Patiala, but then history does come with a price! — Parbina Rashid

There are stories and rumours galore about film stars, but celebrities are no longer willing to tolerate gossip that will affect their relationships. Many like Aishwarya Rai, Saif Ali Khan and Akshay Kumar have threatened legal action to stop gossip-mongers from spreading false news about their personal lives.

Recently an article titled, “Career more important than family”, published by a website infuriated Aishwarya so much that she issued a statement saying she would take legal action against those who are spreading rumours about her.

According to Archana Sadanand of Imagesmiths, who handles the publicity for Aishwarya, a celebrity’s life is in the public domain but circulating untrue statements about them affects their personal lives.

“A rumour is a rumour until it takes the shape of newsprint or media space... when we authenticate any such information by broadcasting, we in a way are adding to our readership or viewership,” said Archana.

“But we seem to forget that a life, a person is attached to such rumours and in most cases these rumours have a snowball effect,” said Archana, whose client list also includes big names like Akshay Kumar and Imran Khan. In the past actors like Saif Ali Khan and Akshay too have threatened legal action against gossip-mongers.

Saif was at the receiving end when The New York Post reported that he had thrown attitude in a local bar and was thrown out. He then threatened to take the newspaper to court.

Akshay too decided to act against those spreading rumours of a discord in his married life with Twinkle Khanna.

Akshay also threatened to sue a British tabloid for giving false “details” of his and ex-girlfriend Shilpa Shetty’s personal lives. It was published soon after Shilpa won British reality TV show Celebrity Big Brother in 2007. Said Rajnigandha Shekhawat, another publicist: “Rumours can take a completely nasty turn sometimes with absolutely no bearing on the truth... I think it’s fair if the actors threaten to sue.”

“However, rumour-mongering is a big part of a celebrity’s life and most of them are now aware that there is no escaping it,” said Rajnigandha, whose clients include Shahid Kapoor, Sonal Chauhan, Vir Das and Purab Kohli. But rumours about stars have always done the rounds. So are celebrities becoming more impatient now? — IANS

His fans and music lovers went back in time as radio stations and TV channels played old melodies of Kishore Kumar, the versatile Indian singer-actor-director-composer who would have been 80 on Tuesday.

Often called a genius, he held sway over Bollywood playback music for two decades and is remembered to this day for his ability “to create drama through singing”. No one has been able to take his place till date, say many in the industry.

Remembering him on his 80th birth anniversary, ace composer Anu Malek said: “His birthday is a very special day and emotional day for me. I believe that he was made of music. I had this great fortune to work with dada when I was growing as a composer. I did many songs with him and that was a great experience.”

Malek said he listened to some of his everlasting songs in the morning and plans to watch any of his best films on DVD.

Born in Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh, he was one of four siblings who included famous actors Ashok Kumar and Anup Kumar.

Despite not having any formal training, Kishore Kumar dominated the Indian film music scene from the 1950s to the 1970s, making people laugh and cry with his performances.

From fun numbers like Ek ladki bheegi bhaagi, Mere samne wali khidki, Dekha na hai re to romantic songs such as Pal pal dil ke paas rehti ho, Ye naina, ye kajal and Roop tera mastana—he sang all kinds of songs.

He also achieved success as a lyricist, composer, producer, director, screenwriter and scriptwriter. Kishore famously acted in Half Ticket, Padosan, Mr X in Bombay, Jhumroo. He also wielded the megaphone for Door Gagan Ki Chaon Mein, Door Ka Rahi.

“Kishore Kumar had this ability to create drama through his singing. He was one of those very few singers who had a certain amount of acting involved in their singing. With that he could easily create different characters and emotions through his voice, which was great. His singing was so effortless. People called him an Indian star but for me he was a world star,” said lyricist Prasoon Joshi.

“He was plain genious. I wish I had got the fortune of writing a few songs for him. He was so versatile,” he added.

According to singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan, Kishore Kumar was an ardent K.L. Sehgal fan and had a god gifted voice. “I think the greatest musical talent that the indian film industry had produced ever is Kishore Kumar. His voice itself was a god given asset, which did not require to have technical expertise, classical knowledge, etc. Only once in a million years can an artist like him be born,” he said.

Even young and budding singers look up to Kishore Kumar and consider him their inspiration.

“He was an ultimate performer, impeccable singer behind the mike, terrific professional and humour par excellence. A perfect artist with a blessed tone and unmatchable versatility. Nobody can be him. I am so inspired by him,” said singer Akriti Kakkar. — IANS

Terribly hurt” by the programme Sonsunny mimicking the Deol family, Bollywood actor Sunny Deol has sent a legal notice to Big FM radio channel asking them to withdraw the show or face defamation suit for a compensation of Rs 200 crore damages.

“I and my family are terribly hurt, we have tolerated the programme for long but there is a limit to how much one can take,” Sunny told a press conference here today. The legal notice, served on the respondent last Saturday, has asked them to withdraw the show forthwith or else the Deol family would consider filing civil as well as criminal defamation cases.

“We will wait for a week and let us see how they react...

if need arises, we won’t hesitate to file a criminal case along with civil suit for damages,” said Ashok Sarogi, Sunny’s lawyer.

Alleging the show was not in good humour, the actor said “things have gone out of hand. Deol family is being defamed.

My blood boils. It hurts. Please understand our anguish.” “You know our family and my father particularly. We have always been upright and never harmed anyone in the society.

You are also aware about our family’s contribution to the society. After all, there is a limit to making fun of people,” the actor said. — PTI

Bollywood item girl-turned-reality TV star Rakhi Sawant’s swayamvar is also making news in Pakistan with reams being written in the English and Urdu media about her impending marriage.

Sawant chose Indo-Canadian businessman Elesh Parujanwala as her bridegroom on NDTV Imagine’s reality show Rakhi Ka Swayamvar late on Sunday evening.

Rakhi Sawant ne jeevan saathi chun liya went the headline in an Urdu newspaper.

The news was also put up on several news portals, including popular pakmahfil.com and e-zine pakteahouse soon after the grand finale of the much followed reality show.

Titled “Bollywood, Reality TV and Indian secularism,” a post on e-zine pakteahouse talked of Sawant who became “a sensation in Bollywood through her hard work and determination despite an obvious lack of education and family background”

While a post on pakmahfil.com said, “The 30-year-old Gujarati NRI came all the way from Toronto to marry television’s drama queen...Rakhi has been bowled over by Elesh’s charm. He is the quietest of the lot and most sensitive when it comes to showing his emotions.” Sawant had zeroed in on Delhi’s Manas Katyal and Chittiz Jain, but finally chose Parujanwala.

“If Rakhi ties the knot with him, he is willing to leave Canada for good and settle in Mumbai forever. Rakhi has time and again said that at no cost she is willing to quit her showbiz career,” another report read. — PTI

If you work in the same office, chances are that you’ll end up treating each other as colleague and not spouse. Your bedroom will turn into conference room; your only discussions will be on what went wrong with that project or why things worked for one and not the other. Having your spouse as colleague may be difficult, but there are some who are glad to find each other playing two different roles successfully— in office and at home. For them working together is fun, and comes with incentives and not cut-offs.

Dr S.P Singh and Gagan, relish their moments together as a couple, in home and at office too. He works as a doctor and she as a lecturer in the same institute, “I think its fun to be working at the same place. It comes with benefits like going together, sharing the same professional vibes and teatime gossip sessions. She tells her stories and I have mine. Oh! and one more thing, it means sharing breakfast, lunch and dinner together,” he sums up. Well, did anybody hear any issues? “Though in the same office, we have totally different profiles. Since, we don’t cross each other’s domain there are no power issues. It’s all about good camaraderie and understanding each other,” he says.

Agrees Atul Gupta, CEO, Red Alkemi-34 with his wife Anuja Lath, COO of the same company. “When you have defined professional radii, there are no conflicts. In fact, I believe by working together, one can lean on the other to solve problems and channelise each other’s professional energy to the best.” Well, to make their work-related processes more defined, they have bifurcated their profiles. Atul takes care of the infrastructure, finance and research while Anuja is responsible for operations, sales and production. They believe that knowing each other personally, the accountability and control at work comes easily. “We’ d say that we complete each other at home and at work as well,” says Atul. Well said, but are their brain storming sessions restricted to office only. “At home, we don’t discuss work. That’s an unspoken rule,” he declares.

lifestyle@tribunemail.com

I am 24 years old and share room in a hostel accommodation with another girl. We both work in a software company together and belong to a small town in Punjab. We’ve always shared most of our things. Now I have started dating a young guy and my girlfriend has started showing signs of extreme jealously. She suddenly seems to get angry over small things and acts very jealous and possessive. Every time I have to go out with my boyfriend, it’s a difficult situation to deal with. I like her, but I don’t want to loose my boyfriend either. How do I deal with this situation.

Ravneet Nijjarm, Chandigarh

So, you are single, experimenting or married (because there is a category for them in the dating rulebook), available and ready to maximise the benefits of your status. With sharp prowess and heightened senses to spot or smell another single or prospect one-night stand, hunting becomes the favourite game. The possible habitat to find easy and interesting prey is a club, bar or lounge. And once you set eyes on your target hunt, that naughty little sound from inside yelling out aloud, “Kill! Kill! Kill!” the last thing you want to do is waste time flirting with a dumb twit or worthless loser. So, you need to know who’s out for hunting and who’s the one being hunted.

Mr Narcissist: He will look in the mirror every time you try talking to him. His hands will caress his hair more than you while you dance. And you’ll be lost keeping the track of what he thinks his best feature is (you wish you could tell him while your ‘cultured’ side refrains you to). In another 15 minutes, you’ll be informed enough to write his biography.

The Butterfly Babe: She is easy to find. Look out for camera flashes, and she will be there. Get ready to be called by embarrassing names (that’s cute for her) every five minutes. Animated rather than excited, at the end of the night you’ll wish if you could understand her accent, remember her name and see her real face (of course the make up piles on didn’t give you that opportunity)

The creep- cheap: He would prefer to call you ‘baby’, try touching or nudging you when possible, will give you spine-chilling looks (yeah, he thinks that will turn you on) and you are right, has just one thing in mind. Keep distance and make sure you find his feet with your stilettos.

The BEP: Oh he is the opposite of an MCP (Male Chauvinistic Pig). The Bill Evading Pig. When its time to pay, his best friend or Mom will call, if not that then nature calls. He tells you how he respects women who are financially independent, after he is done with half a dozen booze shot and gorged on that chef’s special.

The Activist: Sure, she’ll look a little out of place here, but the moment you would like to know more about her, you’ll end up knowing how green house gases are killing aquatic life. And just when you are enjoying your steak, you’ll be reminded of kids dying of hunger in Sudan.

But don’t worry, you’ll find the nice guy and cool girl types who will laugh on the perfect lines, will hold your hand, accompany you till the night ends. — TNS

You had an early-morning fight with him and yearn to get away by sneaking into office. You have a funny office anecdote to share and can’t wait to meet her at home…but what if it’s the other way around? A half-cracked joke from the breakfast follows you to the office, a smile to one special colleague also brings that twinkle to the eye, half-finished files proceed back home, because you didn’t put that cap back on the tube of toothpaste means that your co-worker treats you as an irresponsible person.

Yeah! What if the lines between the personal and professional get blurred, what if your spouse is also your colleague in office? What a lethal mix, is what we think! There are many in the city, who manage to pull it off. But how do they manage the roller-coaster ride, is what we so want to know.

“We faced this problem initially but now we have learnt to deal with it,” says Saurabh, a software professional working in IT Park. His wife for the past 10 months, Khushboo, is also software professional working in the same company. “Now when we cross each other, we just smile and pass rather than stand and chat for two minutes, like we used to do earlier. We have learnt to be thorough professionals, ” he says.

“We have had our share of initial hiccups. We would keep bickering about non-issues all the time,” says Khushboo, “But as time passed, we started to share a good understanding and it was a different story altogether. Now I think, it is easier to clear out official issues with your hubby. In case there is a work related stress, I text Saurabh and we just meet at the cafeteria to talk it out.”

Gaurav Kalra, a 25-year-old working in Infosys, agrees. “Also, working in the same office does not mean that one is working on the same project. Like my wife Poonam works with the other team, and so there is no question of disagreements at the workplace to be taken back home,” he says.

His wife Poonam, in fact, lends an entirely different perspective, “Whenever we work together on any assignment, it works to our advantage because we are so clear about each other’s strengths and weaknesses. And naturally, we help each other perform the best.” And she winks to add, “Rather than asking how difficult it is, you should be asking me how convenient it is! You can have lunch everyday with Mr Husband and also have him waiting for you in the car to take you shopping every evening!” Ummm…now, that’s pretty lucrative!

So, any tips for those uninitiated to such a situation? “We have consciously made a decision not to discuss personal problems at work and not to take work home, and since then we have been doing fine”, smiles Khushboo. “Being professional is the mantra. Just don’t do something as silly as sending her flowers in the office, and you will be okay. With a little effort, it will become one of the boons of your life and you will in fact enjoy it!” cheers Saurabh. Well! Happy Married life is all we can chant!

Now, this would explain further why Wordsworth or Keats devised the term ‘mother nature’. The North East arts and craft exhibition in Sector 34 has on display furniture, home décor items, clothes, accessories and even art, all made from natural products. “All we do is optimally use natural resources, team it up with creativity to make the end products,” says Subir Kundu from Assam who has a stall of cane and bamboo furniture every year here. The designing of the furniture has undergone a major change and is not limited to a uniform pattern that’s been there ever since. “People usually buy cane furniture for the garden. But with the designs that we have come up this year, we hope, the furniture would find place in the living room as well.” The furniture ranges anywhere between Rs 8000 to Rs 20,000.

The natural flowers from Nagaland are another attraction. Dry flowers painted in different colours are the best bet for home décor, with one stick costing a maximum of Rs 20. Also available here are flower vases. Made in cane they are a wonderful artwork of local artists, costing a little high at Rs 600.

For those, who wish to adorn the walls of their house with affordable art, this is the place to be. “We have brought here Pattachitra, a traditional artwork from Orissa, in which just one side of the character is shown. The paintings are made with herbal colours on silk and also on palm leaves,” inform Jeewan Das. One can also pick contemporary works of budding artists from Northeast here. Also available are coconut shells, varnished in wooden colours; depending on your choice they can be used as flowerpots, key holders, and incense stick pots.

Fashion freaks they can go ahead and try some bamboo and cane chappals and for those who prefer to wear natural fabrics, available at the exhibition are handloom cotton and silk fabrics.

On till 11 August. — Ashima Sehajpal

While aggression in dogs is a major problem accounting for more than 90 per cent of all the behavioral problems, the remaining 10 per cent can also be as vexing.

In complete house breaking is one such challenge. Normally, house breaking habits crystallise in a puppy up to 8.5 weeks of age. A puppy, not house broken properly by that age or bought by some one after that age, poses a challenge.

“He relieves himself where ever it suits him,” is the common lament of a harried dog owner in such cases. Such dogs need to be retrained by frequent trips to the earmarked area, praise or treat as the dog squats and total avoidance of punishment. In an era of flat system of housing, it is important to remember that a properly house broken dog may again revert to inadequately house broken dog and may start using your carpet for elimination if there is no sufficient access to proper elimination area.

“He doesn’t do excrete outside on the road when I take him for a walk, but soils the lawn as soon as he is inside the gate,” is another common complaint which is caused by an anxiety response due to roadside noise. The dog will tend to relieve himself as soon as he is in a noise-free atmosphere.

Other common anxieties and phobias in dogs are:

Separation anxiety: It is the fear of being left alone. It may start as whining as soon as the dog sees the owner putting on his shoes or picking up the keys. In some acute cases whining may soon be replaced with frenzied tearing at the door, pulling at the curtains or even damaging the stuffed furniture. In some cases, the dog may cause injury to itself. While desensitisation remains as the standard behavior modification tool in such cases, in specific cases, new strategies may have to be evolved with the help of the veterinarian.

Fears and phobias: They are very close to one another and may be treated as same for all practical purposes. Fear or phobia towards  particular stereo types like men with ungainly appearance or with long hair and also of particular places which quite interestingly include the veterinary clinics also. Firecrackers burst during Diwali also cause extreme phobic reactions, which may cause them to become irritable and aggressive and may also go off feed in extreme cases. 

Obsessive compulsive disorders: While obsessive compulsive disorders are fairly common in men, in dogs also repetitive behavior patterns like compulsive licking or excessive pacing or tail-chasing constitute such disorders.  Lick granuloma, which is an open skin wound caused by excessive licking, is a manifestation of such disorder. There disorders also point towards an under lying anxiety which has not been treated and may require anti anxiety medication.