Monumental mistake
While in the West one has to pay six pounds to visit Wordsworth's Dove Cottage, we do not even know where our homegrown poets Shiv Kumar Batalvi or Kumar Vikal lived and died
If…There were a serious 'littérateur worship' culture…It isn't that India doesn't have its share of Margaret Mitchell and Bard of Avons. How many can answer without guesses where was Munshi Premchand born? Who knows, probably Gone with the Wind might have actually gone to the wind and not sold more than 30 million copies, if there weren't a museum, movie, a Margaret Mitchell House to back the magnum opus. Culture, literature, heritage, civilization, history…are inextricably interlinked and unfortunately form a vicious circle of neglect.

Finding an Anchor
California-based Asha Sharma is known as the Tabassum of Punjab
"I owe my success as an anchor to the rich religious texts like the divine utterances of great Gurus and Sufi mystics as enshrined in holy scriptures and the contemporary Punjabi literature, authors and my passion for reading books with an analytical approach besides my audience," maintains Asha Sharma, the California-based Punjabi anchor hailed as one of the best in the world by artistes and art lovers. In the city for a Ru Ba Ru, organised by Punajbi magazine Hunn, where she had spent formative days serving in the Education Department Punjab, she shares her literary background and plans ahead

Happy & gay
Abhishek calls me ‘jiggly poo’, says John Abraham
Bollywood hunk John Abraham, who is back to playing his gay self in the sequel to Dostana with Abhishek Bachchan, says that the junior B has named him "Jiggly poo". The actors became friends while working together in the gay comedy and continue to share the same equation. "After we starred together in Dostana, Abhishek has nicknamed me as his ‘jiggly poo’. He sends me messages on my birthday saying ‘Happy Birthday Jiggly Poo’!," said John. John and Abhishek called each other the same even in the film, and the name seems to have stuck on since then. The 2008 film, which had John playing a lothario pretending to be in a homosexual relation with Abhishek, was directed by Tarun Mansukhani and also starred Priyanka Chopra. 

Side Lanes
Power of people
A New Year heralds hope and betterment. On January1, we make lists on how we will change old and destructive personal habits and become nicer people. There are skeptics who say this cannot happen but 2010 is heralding a movement that is bearing fruit. The people of India and the media have teamed up to empower a nation, which often seems to be spiralling out of control. Righting wrongs seems to be our collective New Year wish.

Matter of concern
City-based theatre group Samvaad presented a street play on female foeticide
Whenever there is a street play happening, you know it has to be socially and emotionally stirring. For street plays have to live up to their image of being social mouthpieces. Just working on the lines, here comes a loud cry once again on the issue of female foeticide, which refuses to let go of our social system. City-based Samvaad theatre group presented a street play, Yeh Kaisi Vidai, highlighting the issue at the Plaza-17. And this arrow shot reasons too many.

Root to reality
Mitti, a Punjabi film deals with the real life issues
It’s the age of real cinema where characters are closer to life. And, all this throws up a challenge for an actor," says actor Vaquuar Shaikkh, who has graduated from small screen to 70mm. In city to promote his movie Mitti Vaquuar says, "After a deluge of NRI subjects forming the core of Punjabi films so far, Mitti comes as an experiment." Active in theatre, modeling and acting he says, "I was involved in the pre-production stage of Mitti as the producers were known to me. Eventually, they offered me a role, Initially I was reluctant as I was shooting for two Telugu films, but after the narration of my character and the script, I thought it was a cult film that will change the face of Punjabi cinema."

Zoom in!
Sanjay Kumbkarni’s photography exhibition brings out the best in nature
Look around, press the pause button, stop, think. Think of things you never thought before. Take a leaf? Some shrug while some stare. So how about the beauty of a fallen leaf floating on water? What of the charm of a fallen autumn leaf dying in a rivulet? How many would stop and stare at a fallen autumn leaf against light? The nature photography exhibition Try my Shoe by Sanjay Kumbkarni white balances, focuses, zooms and does a click on the nature like never before.

art-i-fact
Eye spy
So that was the famed French photographer Cartier Bresson who gave photography the term Decisive Moment, also the name of his book. Photography, he said, is not like painting. In photography he held, "There is a creative fraction of a second when you are taking a picture. Your eye must see a composition or an expression that life itself offers you, and you must know with intuition when to click the camera. That is the moment the photographer is creative."

Piggy on music launch: Actor Priyanka Chopra at the launch of the DVD of The 13th Day in Mumbai. —PTI Photo

Dimensions of visual thoughts
Art essentially is a language, having its own vocabulary of audio- visual expressions. Both the spoken language and its written form breed from the cultural context of the relevant country. In order to understand the language of art, the most important thing therefore is to understand the cultural milieu of its heritage. However, for the appreciation of art the mind should be very sensitive and receptive. The technical aspects art is not important for a beginner. But more exposure to the different types of art makes one understand the works of art in a better and systematic way.

In tune
For Ram Nath Raman, music is the food for soul
Enriching his inner-self, the mind and soul with melodic strains of music and keeping physically fit with games and sports is the success mantra for Ram Nath Raman. A passionate singer, from his primary school to masters in Punjabi from Patiala, Raman has incredible achievements as an educationist, in sports and an amateur lyricist, composer and singer but of a higher magnitude.

Back in business
I will be doing several movies this year, says Preity Zinta
Preity Zinta has been off the Bollywood radar for a long time as she was preoccupied with the Indian Premier League (IPL) and a management course at Harvard Business School in the US.

One night stand!
Shahid, Genelia to spend night together in a car
Out of all different movie promotion ideas, this one seems new. Bollywood actors Shahid Kapoor and Genelia D’Souza spent a night together in a car to promote their forthcoming film Chance Pe Dance. "Shahid and Genelia will be spending a full night in a small car at the Kamalistan Studios today. There will be vada pao (bun) vendors and khatiyas (string cot) nearby for the people. We want to make this the most talked about promotional activity in Bollywood and it’s being done on a major scale," a source from the film unit said. In the film, Shahid plays a struggler who comes to Mumbai to make it big in the movies.

Going places
Vishal Bhardwaj to compose for Nair’s Monsoon Wedding musical
Noted filmmaker Mira Nair is set to bring alive the magic of her internationally acclaimed movie Monsoon Wedding in a musical broadway with plans to rope in the original star cast including Naseeruddin Shah.

Click & go

Samsung India Electronics Pvt. Ltd. unveiled its 2010 Digital Imaging (digital camera and camcorder) lineup in the Indian market. Samsung’s new 2010 digital camera range has models across the ES, PL, ST and WB Series, with each series having its own differentiated features. The new  digital camera range includes for the first time ’Made for India’ models that are dust proof and moisture proof; Dual LCD models in the more affordable PL series, as well as the waterproof camera, WP10. The Company is also for the first time showcasing its ultra portable NX10 Hybrid Digital camera model that contains intelligent features to put professional quality images within reach of the amateur photographer.  

Safe bet

Another food experience comes to Panchkula with Blue Ginger, a fine dine restaurant that was launched in Sector-16 on Thursday. Offering Indian and Chinese cuisine, it has a complete menu right from starters to the main course and desserts. The brainchild of Sanjay Julka, a London based businessman, who has switched from owning a number of retail stores in UK to opening a fine dine restaurant, Blue Ginger promises value for money.

I’m not playing Buddha in my next, says Amitabh Bachchan
It’s budda not Buddha
Bollywood mega star Amitabh Bachchan has clarified that he is not playing the role of Gautam Buddha in Puri Jagannathan’s film Budda.