Halloween Hungama

With the in-house and guest disc jockeys spinning the tracks in the costume parties, the organisers are promising hours full of tearing excitement to the young revelers celebrating an occasion called life.

Private dancing

This is not the end of the party jingle. In case your kind of deal involves hitting the dance floor with live music and impromptu jam-ups away from the maddening crowd, drop in at one of the private dance parties being organised on the occasion in the farmhouses around the city.

Just make sure you get a pal or a friend’s friend to invite you for the bash in case you are a guy and over-and-above a single. For, like always the entry is strictly on the basis of informal invites and that also for couples. The stags are just not welcome.

But before you hop into your car for driving down to the venue, remember to pick up “special Halloween dance gear” from some of the card and gift shops in the city. “For the occasion, gift galleries have stocked masks to be worn during the costume parties and so many other goodies related to the day,” says Chetan Kumar of the Jewels in Sector 11.

Home adorn

In fact, you can pick up decorations like Jack O’lanterns. In case you do not know, it’s a carved lit pumpkin. You can also take home scarecrows, artificial spider webs and other adornments. Cassettes and compact discs of spooky music are also available in the arcades, though you will have to search for the stuff.

If you are wondering why this clatter about musical Halloween afternoon, ask ex-Capt Rajnish Talwar. The former Army officer running his own card and gift shop on the Panjab University campus will tell you all about the craze for the day that is actually celebrated in the USA.

Celebrating Life

“True, so many younglings in Chandigarh have nothing to do with the day on which children dress up as ghosts and ghouls before visiting strangers’ homes for accepting candies. But then, the young crowd here needs an opportunity to celebrate, be it Divali, St Valentine’s Day, Friendship Day, or even Halloween.”

Running business amidst students for over several years now, he says: “The parents here are also encouraging. They inspire their little ones to celebrate all festivals. In the process they not only allow them to be a part of the elite crowd, but also show how modern they are in their outlook and approach.” Whatever the reason, folks get ready to party. After all, its “Trick or Treat” time!

Gift-wrapped!

Imagination with style is the buzzword for as gifts, letters, trousseaus and even events come wrapped in colourful bows, packaging as trend is all set to reach an all-time high, says Gayatri Rajwade

Photo by Manoj Mahajan

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens Bright copper kettles and warm woollen mittens Brown paper packages tied up with string, These are a few of my favorite things.

This unparalleled feel-good ode to life from the classic Sound of Music relies on the enchanting power of imagery and indeed it is the ‘visual’ that counts. But today simple images are becoming passé.

The buzz is no longer about brown paper packages as swirling ribbons, paper roses, buttons and bows, satin, silk and gauzy gossamer takes the stand.

Hurrah for the wrapping for you, my dear, are judged according to how swishy your packaging is, never mind the value of the gift inside!

Inviting Concepts

Put your finger up in the air Red-Indian style—which way does the breeze blow? Follow the winds of trend to ‘Juneja Design Studio’ in Sector 17 where bits and baubles, funky boxes, pink and lavender, light blue and sea green paper festoon the walls. Right from wedding invite concepts to parties to trousseau and corporate packing to even the text and lettering on your fit, card, whatever, is done by the sister / owner-duo Ashima and Rohini.

Odd shapes and bizarre forms take on elegant silhouettes, events are decorated to look like Christmas cakes and invites make a style-statement as event planners and designers in the city take on the packaging movement.

“Our main aim is to create things that can be reused,” aver the two sisters. So people are encouraged to go in for gift-bags with attractive shapes so that after the gift is pulled out a couple of twigs thrown in or even bulbs inside the bags can be used to decorate corners.

So convention is out and funk is in as designers and event managers prefer to use their imagination and style to create something fun but without trivialising the occasion.

According to Rajendra Garg of ‘Wedding Colour—Cards and Packaging’ in Sector 19, “simpler the better.” A statement echoed by Ashima and Rohini. “Nice does not have to be expensive because an invite reflects your and is a statement of what you believe in.

And today’s buzz, tell us event designers Hema Bedi and Saguna Jain of ‘Event it Right’ in Sector 35 is the ‘theme’. And that translated means the big whole and the whole hog!

“It starts right from the bride wearing orange,” says Hema. Gifts in gold and orange, invites, anything accompanying the trousseau to shagun envelopes to flowers, orange it is! What happens if you do not get orange carnations for instance? “We work with marigold then,” she smiles.

Colour Me Big

What is more, colour is big!

Apart from the classic gold, white and silver, people are now willing to experiment so along with fuchsia, purples and ice and aqua blues, festive greens are also finding pride of place.

But colourful does not necessarily mean jatka. “The aesthetic sense is getting better. With exposure to new things, classy is in as is festive but not tacky,” chorus Ashima and Rohini.

But no one said being creative is easy! “I had a client once who wanted everything in blue and silver. Now you don’t get blue flowers. So we spent enormous time dipping each stem in blue even going to a candle manufacturer and getting blue candles made. But it was worth it, it looked so beautiful,” smiles Hema. Needless to add, her hands were a strange aqua shade for days!

Style Statement

Finally as spending power goes up, remember the first reflection of your taste is what you send out first, so why not splurge. While ‘traditional’ are, cards in scroll form wrapped in brocade fabric and tied with mouli, embossed pink and silver flowers announces a wedding, in avant-garde style.

And how is this for ingenious: a Sahi-Chithi (a letter from the bride’s family to the groom’s family formalising a wedding) with an antique pen adorned with a red feather with every invite!

Everyone loves a good potpourri of tissue, bells, paper and sprinkling of sequins to accessorise, so spray on the goodies! 

HOT WHEELS
Death of a dream: The Yamaha-RD350 story
Sukant Deepak

WRITE TO RENE
Be happy, have a life

I am a 28 year old woman, married for the past seven years having two children both going to nursery school and I have enough time to think about which way my life is going. I would really love to go back to college where I left off to get married and start working somewhere. I see lots of girls my age still studying or working and having a life of their own. Between children and husband and in-laws I have completely lost myself. Now that I have time to think I want to fulfill some of my dreams. But my husband does not want me to go back to study as he feels I will neglect the children and the rest of the family. I feel extremely unhappy, what should I do?

Sushma Negi, Ambala City

You have to be happy within yourself to spread happiness around you. It is my own experience that when people do what makes them feel joyful and fulfilled they are filled with an enthusiasm for life. Go within yourself and trust the process of life to reveal what truly makes you happy. Pursue your dream and your family will definitely support you if you are doing it within a certain time frame and not neglecting your duties towards the family. With children as first priority give quality time and attention to the family and then you can consider pampering your own needs and designs. Try to convince your husband that your inner needs and desires are important. Consider taking a correspondence course.

* * *

I am a university student suffering from severe self-esteem problems. I have a very poor self-image of myself and seem to feel that I am really good for nothing. Although my grades in university are pretty good but I never feel good enough. I am always trying to compete with others on some level or the other. Life seems a constant kind of unhappy situation and I wonder how other students around me can look so self-confident and happy with themselves. Is there any way in which I can raise my self-esteem. I am really envious of my peers around who seem to be moving ahead in life at a very good pace. Is there a way in which I can raise my own self-esteem and become more confident about myself?

Sunil Sehgal, Chandigarh

Stop being so critical of yourself. Just learn to accept yourself exactly the way you are and then move on from there. Everyone can change for the better and so can you. Become self-accepting and start viewing life positively. Trying to compete with others is a foolish way to be. You are your own kind of person with your own uniqueness and special qualities, which you have not nurtured. Stop criticising yourself only then can you see your positive qualities. Be kind to your own self. Self-esteem will gradually start rising as you begin to feel that you deserve all good things and you discover the inherent goodness within you. Take care of your body by exercising and eating healthy food, take care of your mind by having healthy thoughts. Confidence comes naturally as you learn to enjoy life.

* * *

I am a 25-year-old girl who is suffering from many fears and phobias. It is very difficult for me to find a good night sleep as I suffer from terrible nightmares. I also feel that this process has been continuing since my childhood. I grew up feeling extremely afraid of the unknown. There were many servants in the house who would tell all of us kids some scary tales of the unknown and I remember not being able to sleep visualising some strange monsters all the time. Praying to God seemed to bring some relief but it was not a permanent solution. Since I am still carrying all the negative things in my mind I feel very insecure all the time and constantly wish that I felt safe and secure.

Shaira, Chandigarh

Fear is a limitation of the mind and totally self created. Fear is a lack of trust in us. It is when we feel we must control everything at our own level and we can’t, that we begin to feel fear, as after all we can’t control everything. Yes it true that our childhood patterns of love, fear phobias etc. stay with us constantly and play havoc with our minds. Servants and many elders in homes do not realize what damage they do to the Childs fragile psyche when they are telling them these foolish fearful stories, which leave indelible impressions at that age. Please suggest to yourself that you are Divinely protected and safe and nothing can harm you ever. Love is the opposite of fear. Open your love channels. As you will learn to love and trust yourself more you will automatically start attracting those qualities to yourself. You have to work towards strengthening your heart, mind and body. Turn to the power within you and your will nationally feel protected safe and secure.

BEAUTY STUDIO
Let the make-up flow
Vidya Tikari

These are three distinctive groups be it the party, shy, sporty look, which I categorise women make up styles into can be mixed and matched. Experimenting with make up is how an individual can achieve her personal style. The make up should not overshadow your personality. Be prepared to stand out!

The trick to great make up, no matter what style, is the pared down, realistic look. The skin should always show through the foundation and make up should be long lasting. Any make up can be toned down to suit the occasion; more important, the wearer should be totally comfortable in it.

Make up is all about attitude. I find that women who understand their faces and are comfortable with themselves use make up as a support system. For example:

Find a feature on your face, which you like and try to accentuate it. If it’s high cheekbones, then definitely use a pretty pink blush to soften and highlight them. For every feature that you don’t like, try, to think about one which you like and then highlight it. Slowly you will be able to appreciate the features you don’t like.

Another way to get positive about your face is to change the features that you can, simply by make up. The things you can’t change just get over them. One can easily change a ‘fat’ face by losing weight, an unshapely eyebrow by getting it plucked, facial hair by getting a bleach or a pimply skin by getting onto a sensible skin care routine and healthy eating habits. Features that can’t be changed should be left as they are. Cosmetic surgery should be resorted to only if there’s too much distress about a certain feature. Usually we tend to feel that our looks are a lot worse than they actually are.

I find beauty in a lot of features that people don’t accept as a normal or ideal. For example, freckles are my absolute favourite; they are definitely to be showed off and not to be hidden under a thick layer of foundation. Using a neutral gloss on them highlight thick lips. Thick brows should be brushed upwards with a wand. A prominent nose should be celebrated as a unique feature, for example, like Meryl Streep does. Whatever unusual feature one has, it’s important to get the best out of it by flaunting it and not trying to disguise it. Get comfortable about your facial features, remember you are unique and no one else can have what you have.

MATKA CHOWK
Divali Mela(ee)
Sreedhara Bhasin

I was on my way back home on Friday evening – after a speedy purchase of a few quick gifts at Sector 17. I thought it was a miraculous getaway for me that my car was not double-parked and that I managed to leave the fountain with all my limbs intact.

I had almost made it home when I hit the first bottleneck. It was the crossroads of Sector 19 and the traffic lights were functioning quite effectively. As I got close to the lights, it seemed like people had decided to charge at the lights like mediaeval knights and colour blindness seemed to be rampant. People raced to cross the lights when they turned yellow and even red – in the process cars from the other side rushed in and there was no space left for anyone to go anywhere. More cars surged in from behind and hence no manoeuvring could be done to untangle the jam. Soon, the cyclists started seeping in, hoping to navigate the maze. The rickshaws followed suit and in the process, the knot only got denser. In all the pull and push, one Maruti got its wheels entangled with an autowalla’s. Another rickshaw almost toppled over in an effort to ride over the footpath. No one was going anywhere. Then started the incessant honking – as if sheer noise was going to enable momentum. It was definitely looking like a scene from “It’s a mad, mad, mad world.”

I started looking for a policeman. There was none in sight – not even at 7 pm. One rickshaw passenger disembarked and decided to begin a harangue. Another driver just got out of the car and sat on the bonnet. I was getting desperate by the moment. Then I decided to take a long breath and digress from the melee at hand. Amidst the raging chaos, I started reflecting upon the merits of being stuck in a traffic jam. Well, once I got going I could think of a number of things. Surely, the weather God has shown mercy and that too, just in time. I have also managed to retain all the people I love dearly – in my life. And those that I miss terribly are somehow helping me from somewhere above to pursue this train of thought!

Divali gives us an opportunity to be gastronomically sinful and yet, make our friends and family happy. We voluntarily participate in chaos and go home happy. We spend money to see the smile on someone else’s face. We light diyas to warm our hearts and treasure our homes.

I have met some wonderful people in Chandigarh – some of them have restored my faith in humanity and kindness. This Divali, while I sat in an endless traffic jam, I thought of all of them. This is my way of thanking them. I hope you all had a great Divali!!

FUN WITH FASHION
Who’s that??? Don…
Anandita Gupta

Like every consecutive year, this year’s Divali too saw many a firecrackers piercing the skies—their colourful, sprightly sparks flying off high. However, what flew higher than these festive sparks were the sparks of anticipation. For, sweeter than all that ‘mithai’ and chocolates exchanged this Divali, was the joy of seeing King Khan trying to fit into the ever indisputable Big B’s shoes (wearing those much hyped Oakley shades and Tag Heuer watch, of course).

Girls, guns and gadgets— are the fancy frills that accompany the twisting and turning thrills in the Rs 40 crore slick, stylish update of the 1978 Amitabh Bachchan starrer Don. But more than all this, Frahan Akhtar’s new Don offers what a majority of us viewers go to the movies for—style tips for those discotheque dates and cocktail evenings. No wonder, the makers of Don had a 10-day photo shoot at Mumbai’s Mehboob studio for finalising each character’s look. We save you this trouble, yet help you look like the new-age kings and queens by spilling Don’s style beans.

Eye candy

Flip through the pages of any of the recent issue of a film magazine and you’ll come across full-page adds of Oakley eyewear. Why not, when Oakleys has paid Rs 50 lakh to be on Shahrukh’s nose throughout the flick? They could be on your nose too, provided you love 3 D’s—danger, dark glasses and digging a hole in your pocket!

Tied to glamour

Of course, you can wrap glamour around you—twist and twirl it around your neck by sporting these slick ties. Aki Narula has made Don wear paisley and motif shirts, with scarfs in the identical fabrics and prints worn as ties. Or else, make your designer russle up for you a custom made shirt for you like the one with the waistcoat motif, like the shirt Shahrukh sports in ‘Khaike paan’ song.

Watch out

Tag Heuer, that adorns Don’s wrist throughout the thriller, has launched a 100 analog-turning-into-digital Monaco 69’s for Rs 3 lakh each. A great accessory to pamper yourself, especially if you are mad about everything King Khan does.

Briefed with love

If you like to state your style in a brief, crisp manner, what can be a better bet, other than an imitation of Don’s bleach-white brief case, custom-made from London. You can carry you laptop in it, if not Don’s specially handcrafted gun that was etched and fitted with blanks!

Glitzy flair

And all those pretty young ladies out there, get gorgeous with loads of sparkle and glamour. Experiment with short, sequined dresses in gold, silver, mandarin jackets and girlie jeans.

So all you yankee-shankee guys and gals out there, dress the secondgeneration Don way, until of course arrives the third generation Don!