Taking to the street
Street dancer Joseph Nantanovan, from the US, is in the city for a Hip-hop workshop
The only street dancer we knew before formally being introduced to the art was Govinda (no pun intended, only facts). More than hip-hop, it was hip gyration that fascinated and got us grooving! But contemporary and street dancing has come a long way since then. Just like folk dances, this too has become a part of the ‘underground’ urban culture. Hip-hop, B-buoying, Popping, Locking…and a whole new lingo has taken dancing to the streets; for real this time. Call it an American influence, but we are out on the streets (not literally) interacting, improvising and socialising through street dancing!

What’s on offer?
The festival season is round the corner and it’s raining discounts. Be it in the automobile sector, fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry or even in the realty sector, everyone seems to have an offer to entice customers and boost their sales. Though the discounts offered this year are not as attractive as during the previous three years, freebies at this time of the year definitely attract huge business. Since the festival sales generally mean a volume growth of about 10-20 per cent in sales and an estimated 30-50 per cent growth in value terms, everyone seems to have come up with an attractive offer.

Royal fan
Bollywood bombshell Mallika Sherawat's turn as a snake woman in Hisss has impressed her co-star, Laxmi Bai Nalapat, a member of the Travancore royal family. Nalapat plays a prominent role in the multi-lingual film and said she was happy to be making her debut with the ‘highly talented’ artiste. "Mallika is a very hardworking and dedicated actor. She spent hours to perfect a four-minute snake dance scene in the film," Nalapat said. The wife of eminent journalist MD Nalapat and daughter-in-law of celebrated writer late Kamala Surayya said it was purely by chance that she came to be associated with the movie.
Mallika Sherawat

Shining in the West
Bollywood veteran Om Puri is back as George Khan in the cross-cultural comedy West is West, which premiered at the London Film Festival. Puri, along with co-star Illa Arun walked the red carpet at the premiere of the sequel to the 1999 film East is East, which vividly charted the conflicts of a mixed-race Pakistani-English family and went on to win a BAFTA for Outstanding British film.

A hug for Prince Charming
Pakistani popstar Ali Zafar got a fitting reward for a daring rescue act on the sets of the film Mere Brother Ki Dulhan when he stepped into save leading lady Katrina Kaif from a mishap. The Prince of Pop jumped in to rescue the Bollywood head-turner when her hair got stuck in a pedestal fan on the sets of the Yash Raj movie which is being shot at Nabha near here.

Katrina Kaif

Out to perform
On Day 2 of Panjab University Youth and Heritage Festival at GCG-42, performing arts were a huge hit
It continues…the excitement, celebration and the cultural exercise spills onto second day at the ongoing Panjab University Youth and Heritage Festival at GCG-42. From the traditional crafts it moves onto performing arts. So even literally speaking, there's drama, histrionics, mimicry…there are eleven items apart from a host of events under ladies traditional song.
Photos: Vinay Malik

Pen drive
A cardiologist with a flair for writing, Dr Jaideep Singh Chadha’s latest book Why Are We Still Like This Only has been inspired by ‘pseudo-sophisticated’ Indians. Ask him about the book and he says, “The hero of the book is a donkey called SaMule and it is through him that I have expressed the sad affairs of our country and the thought process of our people.”

Changing canvas
It begins with making two identical works in different colours. Then, these are cut into horizontal or vertical stripes. In the final phase, the different coloured strips are arranged in an alternate sequence. The whole process, as Subhash Shorey, the artist claims, is an attempt to create an art form based on experiment.

Jewel in the crown
Chunky beads, semi-precious stones, dazzling designs; encompassed with traditional jadau pieces, rudraksha and coral…different is the word for the jewellery collection by Sagiri Dayal, which is being showcased at Samsaara, Hotel Taj. Based in Hong Kong, Sagiri’s collection is not for the faint-hearted, as the design and size of the ornaments need some poise. Drawing inspiration from combining varied elements and colours, the collection has an oriental touch to it and displays a strong provincial theme.

Clarification
Due to some technical fault, the story ‘Don’t count on this’ that appeared on October 20 was wrongly used. The facts used in the story were outdated. The error is regretted.

Karan Vir Arora, MD, Vimanika Comics, launches character Kalki at English Book Shop-17 on Wednesday.