The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - The Tribune Lifestyle

Tube of knowledge
When was the last time you really learnt something? When you were in school, right? The classes, the teachers and the laboratories took up all the time in the world. Let’s peep into a more modern, more today way of learning. Well, move over burdens and deadlines, the Gen Y is busy learning the strangest things, from tying a bow-tie to cooking, from YouTube! Like someone has said: “Life is like Youtube. Everything we do, we get comments from people.

Creative LINE(S)
Ramya Mishra Pandey is out with her latest book Love Lasts Forever. Here’s a tete-a tete with her.
Who motivated you to choose this profession?
Behind every successful man there is a woman and trust me behind every successful woman there is again a woman. My inspiration is my mother, I learnt so many things from her but primarily I learnt time management and dedication from her.

Costume-made!
Sitting pretty in Bollywood, she couldn’t have styled the Janes and Janets of Lucknow or Sao Paulo. Cut. Having styled Sonam Kapoor for Aisha, the next graduation in her career couldn’t come calling easily. Cut. The move to be a curator from being a stylist was rather a natural progression than an impulsive decision. “Before this venture, there wasn’t really a website that was fully curated by a stylist.” Having connected the dots, Bollywood stylist Pernia Qureshi moves on to speak of her labour of love, the e-commerce venture Pernia’s Pop Up Shop.

Laughter — a challenge
A woman's ultimate fantasy is having two men in two different positions ….one in the kitchen-cooking; another cleaning! Well, a day before the World Laughter Day, our first laugh came from this SMS. In today's mechanical life, sometimes it's a SMS that makes for the only laughter in the day. Like it or not, gone are the days when families would sit together and share a hearty laugh on a daily basis. One connects with friends over the phone or Facebook more, than in real.

Chic style
It’s about time the questions deviated to Bollywood’s first officially tagged stylista. “Sonam Kapoor is amazing to work with. Pernia Qureshi is very enthusiastic about things; someone who’ll be ready to try out even at 1.30 in the morning.” She adds, “For the movie, there were as many as 87-odd changes; we had prepared for 100 dress changes and for that I must have made her try at least 200 outfits.

Act II
The theatre lovers of Chandigarh are in for a treat as Ran Virasat and Vivek High School bring the National School of Drama Repertory Company to the city on May 6 and 7. It is after a gap of seven years that the Repertory company, which has started a new wing Yayawar, will be showcasing its trained actors and some great stories.

Swim in style
Shivan & Narresh, a luxury swimwear brand, run by Delhi based designer duo—Shivan and Narresh —was launched at Soh-Koh, Sector 26. The designer label which is known for its flawless lines, detailing and sophistication is the first Indian brand to showcase at the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week 2012 at Miami and Swimwear Association of Florida's Swim Show2012. It is the first mainstream beachwear designer label in India doing 100 per cent handcrafted stitch-free surfaced beachwear.

green thumb
A thing of beauty...
We have been talking the utility of a particular species when it comes to plantation. But then there are exceptions. The beauty of some of the trees, shrubs etc is such that they cannot be ignored. Even a bad trait may be given an overlook. Dillenia is one such plant. Also called Chalta, this plant has attractive parts. When the tree is in foliage, one can easily say that such bold foliage makes it a good shade tree but it sheds leaves in the summer when the shade is needed the most.

Doc talk
Gift of nature
Fruits are nature’s healthiest gift packed with vitamins, minerals, and anti-oxidants. The fruits and vegetables available during the summer are naturally blessed with extra fluid and electrolytes (sodium, potassium and chlorides). Fruits in the initial of the season are orange and grape, throughout the summer mango, papaya, cantaloupe, melon and loquat and by the mid and end of summers we get juicy lychee and peach. This gives us a large variety to enjoy.

the ‘in’ side
One-room wonder
A studio apartment is one large room that is partitioned off into a kitchen, living and a sleeping area. The bathroom is the only separate room. Decorating these can be very tricky because all the things are part of a single undivided room. Here are a few tips to keep in mind.