Where’s the party tonight?
With the party scene hotting up in the city, in addition to the ample joints for eating out and shopping, Chandigarh has become a preferred weekend destination for people in the region
The buck stops here…a fleet of cars, gypsies and all sorts of fancy cars flashing Punjab and Himachal numbers lined up outside city-based discotheques every weekend; families patiently waiting for their number to be called outside chock-o-bloc restaurants hotels and cafes, car pool dropping youngsters at malls… of course, Chandigarh is a favourable weekend destination for domestic tourists.

Social stage
Theatre is meaningful only when done for the betterment of society. — Rakesh Bedi
It’s pseudo sensitivity and pseudo sympathy; you realise this harsh reality of a society that boasts of being closely-knit after one meeting with these theatre artists. Since years, Rakesh Bedi, Aasif Sheikh, Jaspaul Sandhu, Avtaar Gill and Ramesh Talwar have been working relentlessly for theatre, in a bid to expose the evils of society. They have been successful to an extent, but one thing they’ve failed to change is the way people treat theatre. 

Incredible India
WORLD TOURISM WEEK
Bahadur Singh, who owns a small welding shop in Basian Baidwan, three kilometres short of Chuni in district Fatehgarh Sahib, has never seen any Aamir Khan advertisement about Incredible India…but it people like him who make India truly incredible!


French tourists with Bahadur Singh and his family members. Photo by writer 

Trip-toed
Bollywood actor Sonakshi Sinha tripped while walking the ramp at the grand finale of Blenders Pride Fashion Tour (BPFT) held in Bangalore over the weekend. She, however, gathered herself quickly and completed the walk wearing a golden gown. Sinha and Zayed Khan set the ramp on fire as showstoppers for designers Vikram Phadnis and Gavin Miguel.Khan was the showstopper for fashion designer Vikram Phadnis, who showcased his latest collection of bridal wear at the fashion extravaganza.

No ‘Mean’ feat
Neil Nitin Mukesh is itching to play the baddie in the Hindi remake of Hollywood film The Italian Job and the actor promises that he will be 100 times meaner than Edward Nortan.The Jail star would be playing the character which was originally enacted by Norton in the 2003 released Hollywood thriller. Directed by F Gary Gray, The Italian Job was about a gang of robbers who created the largest traffic jam in Los Angeles history, hence giving them time to pull off a theft of gold bullion.

All gain
Actor Aarti Chhabria, who stars opposite Manoj Bajpai in upcoming film Dus Tola, had to put on about 5 kg to fit in the character of a village girl.The actor, who played a bar dancer in her last hit Shootout At Lokhandwala, says that the role demanded a completely different approach from her previous glamorous avatar."I was put on a special diet of rice and fish to gain about five kgs throughout the shooting of the film.Swarnalata, my character in the movie, is not a prim and proper girl but a village belle. So I decided to go for the plump look," Aarti said.

Birthday girl
Singer Lata Mangeshkar, who mesmerised millions with her golden voice in a career spanning seven decades, turned 81 today, spending a quiet day with the family even as fans, including famous names, wished her a happy birthday.The Bharat Ratna winning singer who has lent her voice to generations of Bollywood actors from Madhubala to Kajol, is celebrating her birthday in her ancestral home in Kolhapur, said sources close to her."I don't celebrate my birthday.

Oh my God!
After two prison stints and a confession to drug addiction, Hollywood beauty Lindsay Lohan is finally making an effort to clean up her image.Just hours after being released from a 14-hour prison spell, the 24-year-old visited a church near downtown Los Angeles which specialises in caring for the city's homeless. The Mean Girls star was accompanied by her mum Dina, her sister Ali and her new manager Lou Taylor, as she spent an hour talking to some of the centers residents and signing autographs on Saturday, reported TMZ online.

Daughter’s day out
Even a busy Hollywood star like Brad Pitt doesn't disappoint as a father. The actor took time out from shooting baseball drama Moneyball to hang with five-year-old daughter Zahara.

Happy feet
Lily Allen has given up her much-loved high heels, because she is pregnant. Allen, who is expecting her first with boyfriend Sam Cooper, normally loves wearing stilettoes but had to adapt what she wears on her feet because they are no longer practical.

Fresh on ideas
Want a reason to party? Bollywood is the answer. Well, at least for the students of INIFD-8, having fun meant going a little (or may be a lot) filmy. The seniors welcomed the freshers under spotlights, with a lot of Bollywood glamour and glitz. Sticking to the theme Bollywood Mania, and not restricting themselves to just the music, all the stars descended on to Mountview, or it definitely seemed like it! The dress code, the hairdo, accessories and, of all, the attitude, INIFDians got it right with their 'star' appeal.

Feel fit 
An apple a day keeps the doctor away…goes the well-known proverb, and spelling the goodness of apple in a fitness centre is the newly opened — Apple Gym & Spa in Sector 9. Following the mantra of moving its clients to a new era of health and fitness, this gym comes with latest training equipment, steam and spa rooms, well-trained personal trainers and natural health boosting supplements as well. What makes this gym different from others is not their spa or trainers, but their love for nature and use of eco-friendly products. Right from the use of natural hues to tropical showers, the gym utilises solar energy for warm water and lighting. 

In dialogue
Rajinder Singh Bedi and his contribution to Urdu has been undermined; the author has not been given the stature he deserves," opined Urdu scholar Irteza Karim from Delhi University, who was here for a seminar on the life and achievements of Bedi. The seminar was organised by the Haryana Urdu Akademi at Panchkula on Monday.

New thought
It was a grand finale to a six-day extravaganza - the National and Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi's National Art Week of New Media. The panel discussion on the final day of the week got together on stage Rahul Bhattacharya, Editor Art and Deal, artist Vibha Galhotra, Awadhesh Misra, Editor, Kala Dirgha, and Dr Rajesh Vyas, an art critic and painter.

Namaste India Hollywood actor and Breitling Brand Ambassador John Travolta during the launch of Breitling Navitimer Caliber 01 Limited Edition watch in Mumbai on Sunday. — PTI photo