CHANDIGARH INDEX


Young yet well recorded
Albeit the city has a history of a few decades, much has been written and archived
Delhi finds mention in the Mahabharata; Mumbai and Kolkata were among the first cities to catch the attention of the West; Shimla was the erstwhile summer capital of the British Raj…most cities have a history, a past, which has been recorded and archived. But is it so for Chandigarh? Considering that the city is merely 57 years old, with no historical monuments, shambled buildings or meandering bylanes, one really wonders.


Rajnish Wattas


Sangeet Sharma


DS Gupt

Words no bar
Textlish may be in, but correct syntax and vocabulary are of much importance
The abbreviated teen speak of textlish, social networking sites and Internet chat rooms can be amazing and confusing at the same time. While it’s not the only ‘new’ language taking over teens today, it is having a significant impact on the vocabulary of youngsters.

Three Khans
Aamir is focused, Salman is cool and SRK is charming, says Asin
She has worked with the two and is looking forward to work with the third, but actor Asin Thottumkal has already formed an impression about the three Khans in Bollywood.The Southern beauty started her career in Hindi film industry with Aamir Khan starrer blockbuster Ghajini in 2008 and went on to work with Salman Khan in her second film London Dreams last year. When asked to pick out adjectives to describe the three Khans, Asin said, “Aamir is very focused, Salman has a cool attitude and Shah Rukh, from what I have seen of him, seems to be very charming.” The 24-year-old actor was in the capital recently to announce the 55th Filmfare Awards to be held on February 27 this year.Asin has already bagged three Filmfare awards - the first one in 2003 for being the Best Telugu Actress, second was the South Filmfare Best Actress Award for her performance in Tamil film, Ghajini and the Filmfare Best Female Debut Award for the Hindi remake of the film.“I hope to be nominated this year too, but my favourite film for this year’s awards would be 3 Idiots,” said Asin, adding that the film was an “obvious choice” since it has been appreciated by all. Even though she stepped into the film industry as a teenager, Asin, who hails from Kerala, never dreamt of becoming an actress in her childhood.

Name game
I wanted to be named Vijay in Rann too, says Amitabh
Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, who first used the onscreen name Vijay in 1973 film Zanjeer, said he wanted the lucky name in his forthcoming Rann as well. The actor added that the much-hyped movie was not aimed at media bashing. “Ramu (Ram Gopal Varma) wanted my character to be called Harshvardhan Malik. But I told him naam se pehle Vijay laga do, shayad picture chal jaayegi (Prefix the name with Vijay, the movie might work)’,” Amitabh told reporters at a press conference.

No comparison
I don’t compete with my father, says Abhishek Bachchan 
For Abhishek Bachchan, constant comparisons with dad Amitabh are an “honour” and not a problem. But as he gears up for his television debut with game show National Bingo Night, he says he is not competing in any way with Bachchan senior, who hosted the popular Kaun Banega Crorepati TV show in 2000. 

I owe!
I will take the blame if Veer fails: Salman Khan 
It is a film that has been in the making for more than two decades and cost a whopping Rs 40 crores, but actor Salman Khan is unfazed while announcing that he is ready to take the blame if Veer fails. The period drama is the brainchild of the Bollywood heartthrob, who also turned scriptwriter for his dream project. 

Sound of music
Bollywood actor Farhan Akhtar unveiled the music album of his upcoming flick Karthik Calling Karthik in Mumbai. Directed by Vijay Lalwani and produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani, this romantic-thriller stars Farhan Akhtar and Deepika Padukone in lead roles.Bollywood’s renowned composer trio: Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy have given a melodious touch to the music album.

Traveller’s check
Puneetinder Kaur Sidhu writes about her European experiences
Where there’s a will, there’s a way; where there’s a way, she’ll go…so there she goes, to Scandinavia, to the Netherlands, Germany, Hungary, Austria, France…comes back and pens down the ‘been there, seen that’ experiences into a first person account, Adrift: A Junket Junkie in Europe. The self-confessed ‘have or no money, will travel’ philosopher Puneetinder Kaur Sidhu, talks her escapes and the escapades across Europe. “I feel so much at home in Europe, it is really my favourite continent and everything about it is wonderful, its culture, food, customs…” she answers the initial questions on subject of her first book.

Cinematic chemistry
Cinema and chemistry, they have no link as far as we can think. But for Surinder Sharma, a retired professor of chemistry from Panjab University, a veteran comedian of Punjabi films and now advisor to the vice-chancellor for culture and academics, this is one combination that has been a passion throughout life.

A gastronomical journey
Pitha in Assam, siddu in Himachal, gate ki sabzi in Rajasthan and hobloo in Punjab, we find out a few rare and traditional offerings from these states 
Every state of India has its traditional cuisines unique to that place only. Though it’s traditional recipes that score high even today, but who can deny the new experiments with food. And, for an Indian cuisine that includes an array of delicacies, both hot and spicy, cold and mild, cultural influences have added a lot of variety to the Indian cuisine, be it Mughlai, Portuguese or British influences. 

Wine course
Drinking wine is more fun than reading about it unless you have a book in one hand and a glass in the other.Wine can be complex or simple but several books can help clear any confusion. The global market for wine is similar to a waterbed – when sales go down in one area, such as bottles costing over $30, they go up in another such as sales of $15 bottles.For consumers looking for popular wines under $15, the latest edition of Robin Goldstein’s and Alexis Herschkowitsch’s “The Wine Trials for 2010” may help.

Wall of temptation 
The Great Wall never looked so tasty: a team of Chinese confectioners have built a 10 metre (33 ft) long replica of the structure entirely out of chocolate in a bid to entice Chinese to eat more of the sweet stuff.The chocolate wall is made from solid dark chocolate bricks stuck together with white chocolate and is one of the attractions at the World Chocolate Wonderland exhibition and trade show which will open to the public later this month. Chocolatier Wang Qilu said his version of the ancient wall was a feat of engineering in itself, with a carefullyconstructed crumbling section at one end to resemble the real thing. He also had to make sure his materials did not melt.

Bon Appetit
Pickle that tickles

Have you had the honour of meeting the gorgeous red chillies that are in season now? They are plump, glistening, and a glorious fire-engine red in colour, but beware…for a fire engine is just what you will need to summon, if you were to as much as nibble at one! I admit to being a complete coward when it comes to chillies, having a very poor threshold for teekha. 

Signature style, for less
When designer studios in the city go on sale once a year, the clothes fall into the budget for most
Sale, discount, off…even the mere mention puts our shopping senses in the ‘out-of-control’ mode and our ATMs on high alert. Clothes, bags, accessories, shoes…let it come with the ‘on sale’ tag and we don’t care if we already have ten pairs. And there is nothing more valuable in this world than having an exclusive designer piece in your wardrobe!

Switch over
Dj Switch. The name is pretty okay for a deejay. What more, every second a deejay has a name tweaked and turned with affects to make it catchy and jazzy. So, Sarabjot Singh becomes DJ Switch, and justifies his work too. Anyways this is not where the buck stops. As Shakespeare said, What’s in name. Switch aka Savi or Sarabjot is better known for his work. His genre? “Progessive, tech and minimal,” says Dj Switch, performing in Crystal, Sector-26 on a Saturday night. “Me and my band member Dj Bhabuk play an interesting mix of all.” Bollywood music doesn’t figure on the list? “Sure it does, puts in the deejay. 

TRIOgenic
Metal, Funk, Progressive House, Tech House, Techno, Electro or Minimal House. What makes you let loose and tear apart the dance floor? And mind it, when that happens you’ll not be alone. Three of a kind, Leon Russell, Doktor Daniel and DJ Knightvision along with DJ Divij K from the UK, will provide the required energy flash with their music.

Good, bad and the ugly
It’s the same social cause that inspired lectures, researches, books, seminars and drives. This initiative is just one of them, the only difference being the activists who promoted the cause. It isn’t the usual NGOs but students of various schools of UT who has tried to spread awareness about drug abuse through photographs and posters.

Apparel and more
Warm wraps, fine linen and comfy quits — if that’s on your mind, check out ‘n & n’ exhibition at Hotel Aroma-22. A dream project of two young, enterprising friends, Preetinder Kaur and Fatima Khanam, this kids’ designer brand gives you an option to customise apparel and linen.