A cut above
In a time when a hefty pay package or an appearance on some reality show has become the yardstick of ‘success’, these three youngsters give a new meaning to the word, writes Ashima Sehajpal
All the club and pub hoppers, the nerds and gadget addicts, the bookworms and living encyclopedias, the efficient, proficient and well-paid managers and those too who belong to the disoriented Wake up Sid league, welcome to the party of youngsters of a different league. The toast is not because of their unusual success in academics or profession or debut in the state cricket team, break in some TV soap or just anything that falls in the usual brackets. They redefined ‘success’ by introducing changes in the lives of people by doing literal groundwork. Don’t assume that the social work is limited to some NGO-run school for the underprivileged or collecting funds. We told you it is different league and we mean it. See the difference…

Hot wheels
Twenty contestants of India’s first Internet reality show Bigadda sizzle on city roads
We’ve seen it all. Real people and bogus melodrama. Unnatural beauties with natural bitching and fighting instincts, real couples ripping apart their love equation, tough men sobbing at the drop of a hat, tough competitors washing their dirty linen at the boot camp! Heavy-duty taskmasters on a revelation spree, behaving as spiritual gurus, helping the contestants with their ‘inner’ journey.

For a cause
Climate change issue is about morals and ethics, says Rahul Bose
Indian leaders at Copenhagen should remember that future generations were watching them closely, says Bollywood actor Rahul Bose, amongst the many well-known faces who have flown to Copenhagen to push for a fair deal on climate change."The essential issue on the climate change debate is one of morals, ethics and justice. If a group of people are responsible for 90 per cent of the damage to a house, surely when it comes to the cost of repairs they should volunteer to pay 90 per cent of the expenses," said Bose, also the brand ambassador for international NGO Oxfam India."Now is not the time for developing countries to budge from this stance-a stance well articulated in the Kyoto protocol.

Phoonk again
RGV prepares to scare again
Filmmaker Ram Gopal Verma is ready with a sequel to his last horror flick Phoonk and is confident that the latest one will be the scariest film ever made in Bollywood. When the writer of the original Phoonk Milind Gadagkar narrated the story of the sequel to RGV, the filmmaker entrusted him with the task of directing it as well.

Clean sweep
Katrina to join hands in spreading cleanliness message
Bollywood actor Katrina Kaif will spread the message of cleanliness in slums to make the metropolis litter-free.Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) along with an NGO 'United Way of Mumbai' are working jointly for the clean up campaign in the city.Nehru Nagar, a slum community in suburban Vile Parle has been adopted for an in-depth cleanliness campaign, through activities spread over the year.

Role call
Ishqiya has challenged me as an actor, says Vidya Balan
After playing a single mother to 67-year-old Amitabh Bachchan in Paa, Vidya Balan is set to scorch the big screen as the scheming seductress in Vishal Bhardwaj's Ishqiya, which the actor believes is the most challenging role of her career. Vidya will be seen with actors Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi in the film. Directed by debutant Abhishek Chaubhey, Ishqiya is eyeing a January 29 release. Vidya will be seen with actors Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi in the film. Directed by debutant Abhishek Chaubhey, Ishqiya is eyeing a January 29 release.

Knotty plan
Dino Morea plans to tie the knot
Dino Morea, who has again been seen often in the company of his long-standing friend Nandita Mahtani, doesn't rule out permanence in his relationship with her. The actor-producer says he needs one special person in his life now. "This time whoever it is, it will be for keeps. I do look for someone to share my life with now," Dino, who turned 34 on December 9, said.

Something fishy
From drunken prawns to pomfret cooked in hot garlic/black bean and schezwan sauce, the twenty-day seafood festival gets an authentic fare for the foodies
2010 is not really far, and the discussion for the festive destinations is already on. Back home, the city is warming up to small knick-knack celebrations. Western Court, Sector 43 and Panchkula throws open an Ocean Platter-Seafood festival from Tuesday, tossing up unique and authentic choice of seafood. First, the ambience, done to match up with the theme, including the waiters dressed in colourful Goan costumes.

Club in
We strive to provide platform to bring out the hidden talents of women who are caught in the web of life, say Monica Singhal and Neepa Arora, founding members of Aspiration club.
With a membership of over a hundred, the club meets monthly to celebrate birthdays, festivals and occasions. "Every time we meet we do something different," says Neepa. "On Karwachauth, we had a small exhibition with candles, oil paintings, envelops made by our members. The idea was to share one's talent with others," she adds.

Dancer's delight
Reebok launches a dance collection for Fall Winter-09
Reebok India, in association with Shiamak Davar, introduces the Shiamak for Reebok Dance Collection for Fall Winter '09. The collection is inspired by the energy and exuberance of dance forms like Jazz and Salsa. SHIAMAK™ for Reebok is a collection of exclusive dancewear designed by Shiamak Davar himself.

One world, one language
Music knows no language and proving it right is Nepali rock band who are here in the city for a performance
Music is a universal language, says Nirakar, member of a Nepali rock band that has come to play in the city. In India on the invitation of Indian Council for Cultural Relations the band is excited over the reception it got in Delhi. "We performed at Delhi in the SAARC band fest and the response we got was amazing," says Nirakar.

Defense less
Why do youngsters opt to be models, comedians, actors, singers, anything but soldiers? We explore…
Some kind of gift of gab makes an overnight comedian, a successful stint at a dance or song reality show promises taking you to dizzy heights, a million-dollar smile and a cat-like gait manages to garner accolades from the audience, a chance bump into a 'some' unknown and 'arty' hi-profile director rolls out the world of lights, camera and action. Last but not the least, writing slogans, preparing banners and a hit rally can get a lesser known party worker a good portfolio one day.

Living in Planet M
Mountains, music and melody-there's a lot more than the first alphabet that connects the three nouns. For example, Atul, the 20-year-old-guy from the mountains, of the music and for the melody. Here're the connecting dots. "I grew up in Solan, in the laps of Himalayas, and have been into music ever since childhood, would listen to a lot of country music, lot of songs, Indian classical, the kind of music I can connect to, but none of the commercial junk," he lets us know before revealing what is he going to be playing tonight at Black Magic-IT Park.

Mapping Europe
Ranjay Vardhan's book European Union Manifesto and Other Essays gives an insight into European society
Ranjay Vardhan is one prolific writer who has recently released his third book in three years titled European Union Manifesto and Other Essays. An assistant professor in the Government College for Girls-42, this sociologist found the inspiration during his visits to Europe.



Ranjay Vardhan at City Hall at Stockholm

Fruit flavoured ciggies?
Dangerous enough!
A new research has shown that thrill-seeking teenagers are especially susceptible to fruit-flavoured cigarettes. The research backs recent ban on the sale of flavoured cigarettes by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in September 2009.

Girls don't wanna be geeks!
Here's a key reason why girls and women shy away from careers in computer science - environment. According to a study, the stereotype of the nerdy computer scientist who stays up all night coding and has no social life may be driving women away from the field.

Movies & magic
Dr Gaurav Chhabra an Independent filmmaker based in Chandigarh, is organizing a 'Garage Film Festival' on December 20. As the name suggests it is a no frill and an informal film festival and would screen short films made by local filmmakers. An open platform for video artists, the film can be about any thing under sun (and beyond) and should be films ideally under 10 minutes. -TNS