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As the moment draws near for Abhi Alvida Kehna to the year, it’s time to replay Album-2006 for moments that brought rang and Dhoom too. Though a year of less adventure in matters of palate and prêt, and more venture into beauty and brands; a year of baby steps rather than a giant leap towards a more vibrant socialscape, it nonetheless saw the tricity keep up its march towards becoming Destination Next, with the spirit of (what else?) Lage Raho..... Chetna Keer Banerjee presents some winning and not-so-winning performances, remixed, of course. Jhalak Dikhla Jaa Running
Trophy of the Year This belonged to none other than all the glitterati from far and near who were dashing in and out of the city, for a brief jhalak dikhla jaa. In what could be seen as a consolidation of the thrust provided the preceding year to make the tricity into a fashion and entertainment destination— with initiatives like the proposed film city and fashion technology park— xzthe city played host to celebrities galore, from socialite Shobha De to beauty queens Amrita Thapar and Sindhura Gadde and former Ms India Manpreet Brar to Bollywood biggies. And the star trek continued in every season, and for every reason, from endorsing baby wipes to promoting saris and stripes. Miss of Spices Consolation Cup This has been earned by all the gourmets who missed out on a spiced up gastronomic tour in 2006, what with the city not experimenting with new cuisines and hardly any specialty restaurants coming up. The food scenario was practically bland and the only consolation for gourmets hungering for something fresh were the kebab-specialist O-The-Grill, a European Bakery, Nik Bakers, the multi-cuisine The Manor or the liqueur coffee bar at Antidote-26 that opened shop this year. Expansion was more the flavour of the season as the Copper Chimney came to SAS Nagar too and Monica’s in Chandigarh diversified into Gelato Italiano, a parlour devoted to sorbets and gelatos. The food festivals at various eateries may have kept up the foodies’ taste buds busy for a while, but only till the city’s cuisine conservatism hit them again. Scene Steel-ers Shield of the year It went to the two leading brands that showed a resolve of steel in casting a local, even regional, footprint. In a year that had the starry brand ambassadors stealing the show on the city stage and Laxmi Mittal steeling a march in the global arena with his takeover of Arcelor, two big players known for manufacturing lifestyle products in steel—Magpie and Art d’Inox—made a foray into the city with exclusive showrooms. From sleek wine bottle holders to shining decanters, their products certainly raised the bar for the style-conscious and spelt unalloyed joy for those wishing to prove their metal. Inheritance of Gloss Role of Dishonour In a literary season that spelt a windfall for one author (Kiran Desai winning the Booker) and fall from grace for another (How Kaavya Vishwanathan Got Dismissed, Got Mild and Got an After Life), this title was meant to be shared by the disgraced author with all those publishing agents who, in their eagerness to attractively package her manuscript, chose to gloss over borrowed passages and thus played a role in earning her an inheritance of loss. As for the city’s book lovers, they were fully booked, from participating in meetings of Readers’ Club to attending book launches. Though wine-and-cheese book launches were an inheritance still to be gained from the Big Brothers of Book Bashes—the metros—Chandigarh nevertheless had its share of book events, like the high-profile launch of the Punjabi translation of Gurcharan Das’s ‘India Unbound’ by political heavyweights to a relatively low-key release of city-based author Neelkamal Puri’s ‘Patiala Quartet’. But what really opened a new chapter for local book lovers was video conferencing with authors, whether it was Kunal Basu of ‘Rascists’ fame or Manju Kapur. Kiran They certainly learnt to be at ‘Home’ with an author.
Fame X Chal Udiye Spiritual Upliftment Award This was an honour truly deserved by all those wellness gurus and inspirational speakers who trooped into the city to take its residents on a ‘chal udiye’ trip, one that promised to be spiritually uplifting. Whether it was proponents of the Art of Living like Rishi Nityapragya or motivator and management guru Shiv Khera, the residents got liberal helpings of soul curry in a year that brought variety in curries of the gastronomic kind. And the GenY too got plenty of food for thought on how to chase the X-factor. It’s another matter if any of them took this to mean the ex-factors in their love life. Rang De
Basanti O’Scalp Nomination This was bagged, no, not by all the Page 3 people zipping in and out of town, but by the Tress Passers. Hair’s why. For, the hair stylists, who descended on the city from the US, New Zealand and elsewhere to hold workshops, did for the denizens’ pate what master chefs do for the palate. And with some existing hair studios going into expansion mode and others offering irresitible packages to gain a head start, the Great Indian Crowning Glory was spoilt for choice and demanded : ‘Mohe rang de’, basanti, dark tan, auburn and what have you.
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Parbina Rashid catches up with an intercontinental couple who met on the net and are now partners for life and for the moment on the India trail
Mario Moreira da Silva Lamaras from Portugal fell flat for a ‘sand dune’ in Nepal. Wait, before you reach out for that copy of atlas to check out if there have been some drastic changes in Nepal’s topography, let us assure you that this ‘sand dune’ is not a ordinary dessert feature. It stands for Shiro Dutt (now Shiro Moktan) who hurriedly coined the name with her initials to get into a chat session on the Internet. This cyber collision of Mario and Shiro continued for quite sometime. One thing led to another and soon they were pronounced man and wife in November 2001. And the rest, as they say, is history. But since we like digging into history, we meet up with this couple, currently in the city. And we find an ally in our endeavour. Mario teaches history! First thing first, we ask Mario what was it about Shiro that attracted him towards her? “I am an Aquarian, not an easy person and so is she. A fiery Aries, head strong and independent,” he describes their persona with a twinkle in his eye and it follows with a self confessed “I am a clever guy.” Well, to see through a person who describes herself as ‘sand dune’, one has to be! Jokes apart. Shiro, a Darjeeling Nepali, then 50 years old and mother of five daughters from her previous marriage, was running Kathmandu Academy, one of the best schools in Nepal, when Mario happened. “It was my son-in-law who initiated me into the cyber chat when I met Mario in one of the sessions that followed later. We got along fine for we had a similar background, both educationists and he too had four daughters who were almost of the same age as mine,” she says. How did the marriage happen? “Marriage was not in our minds when it started,” says Shiro maintaining how as a head of female oriented family for 18 long years, she did not even have an inclination to be in a relationship. Even Mario was happy with his single status. “But things changed. There was a big fire that destroyed my house in Porto. When I was in the hospital, I felt the need to be close to someone and I knew that person was Shiro,” chips in Mario. Shiro too felt the need and here we have Mario and Shiro, now discovering each other and discovering India as a couple. Mario too has an Indian connection. His great-great grandfather (a Brazilian by origin) had come to Goa had married a Goan woman and he took her and their four daughters tack home to Portugal. One of them was Mario’s grandmother. So the next destinationsfor Mario and Shiro are Goa and Cochin to look at the reminiscence of the Portugese settlements. It will be followed by a visit to Shiro’s hometown Darjeeling and Assam to round up their Bharat darshan. So what is Mario’s impression about India, whatever little he has seen so far? “I will never be able to drive in India but I love the food here,” says Mario. “He discovered samosa in Shatabdi and ever since he has been eating samosas and chole bhature in the road side rehris,” Shiro gives her input. “I am an historian (besides teaching history in various instituts, Mario had been a cultural attaché in Cairo) and I am empathetic to other cultures so much so that I accept it fully,” he counteracts. Well, it’s nice to know that our humble samosa is getting appreciated. But we just hope it leaves Mario with enough appetite to sample the fermented bamboo shoots and dry fish when visits the North-East.
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Corporate
Jatti Go a step beyond your limits and success is all yours, is the moto apni corporate Kudhi, Navpreet Mann, lives by. And success has for sure been her mate all along, be it at the Deemed University Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Patiala or entering the revered Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. Now this youngest investment banker of the Merges and Acquisitions Advisory of HSBC, London, U. K says having penetrated the traditionally white male dominated sector makes her feel she has made it though there are deals to seal before she rests. Working in London this Aries Carmelite says it is the questions like, if she studied in a foreign country to know such good English and how come she wears western outfits, amuse her no end. “I have a lot of fun educating them about us as they still have those India is a backward country clichés in mind”, says Navpreet. “Exceeding expectations in a highly competitive corporate environment is what IIM trained me to do,” says Navpreet. Talking about her work environment she says even women from other countries cannot stand the highly demanding profession though there are those purely for their face value and ones that only whine all the time but they are not the ones you see rising ten years down the line. It’s your choice what you want to be known for”, Navpreet makes clear. The Indian advantage in the big bad international corporate world is that “we are highly focused and good at English and have seen competition trying to make it into prestigious institutes like Thapar and IIMs to take to it like fish takes to water”, she says. “I am not seeking any concessions on working hours or anything else to be treated as an equal and thus never whine and this has got me respect. I am looked upto because I add some value to my work. The mantra is to exceed expectations,” says Navpreet. Handling retail and consumer brands she is having all the fun checking out different stores. Thanking the city for giving her the educational advantage the only thing she strongly feels her generation must do is to be more education oriented, simple and concentrate on hard work. They must focus on acquiring skills rather than just entering the shopping malls”. Pestered for getting married, yes she is but she is sure ready to “strike a balance when the time comes though for now its work, work and more work.” Home now for the hard-earned holiday, Navpreet says, she has “mastered the art of doing nothing”. You deserve it girl!
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Budding artist What does one expect a nine-year-old to do in his leisure time? Chances are that most kids will be playing around with their latest gizmos or the bay-blades (the latest fad but not Arshdeep Singh, who is mostly seen with his pencils and scrapbook. A student of class IV at the K.B. DAV School, Arshdeep started drawing and making portraits when he was barely four years old. At the time, when others just start getting aware of their surroundings, he knew a lot more. “As a four-year-old, he just wanted to play with colours,” says Jaswinder Singh, his father. Little did he realised that Arshdeep had a flair for making portraits. It was much later that Arshdeep’s parents began to comprehend their child’s interest. He started making diagrams from his science and ‘EVS’ book at first and when he copied the human skeleton with perfection, everyone was taken by surprise. Equally good at studies, Arshdeep made an exact portrait of Guru Gobind Singh from a calendar. He even made a replica of the wicked queen from the storybook of ‘Snow White’. His personal favourites are the portrait of Guru Nanak Dev and Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Interestingly, the portrait of Maharaja Ranjit Singh has a story behind it. “There was a very small picture of him in one of his text books with only one side of his face showing. He made th.e entire portrait with his sheer imagination. Not knowing that Ranjit Singh had only one eye, he drew both the eyes as normal,” says his father. Ask Arshdeep as to what he wants to be? And comes the reply, “artist”.
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For the New Year celebrations Khyber has come out with a food festival. Harvinder Khetal savours some delicacies Khyber, Sector 35, has once again brought the cuisine of the Nawabs of Avadh for the city foodies longing to savour the dishes that exude a unique earth flavour as they are cooked and served in earthen pots. And the secret of the chef is quite simple. As you sample the yummy ravishers, you realise that the seal made of dough to cover the earthenware has a dual purpose. It not only keeps the stuff warm, but also helps retain the aroma and flavours of the highly aromatic spices that make the dish special. As you take off the seal, the whiff of basmati mixed with the essence of saffron and cardamom hits your nostrils, taking you on a sublime platform. And the feeling stays with long after you have devoured the dish. Of course, the symphony is complete with the steaming hot subzis and meats. “The special slow heating or dum is done on the soft smouldering coal inside the tandoor,” informs Sanjiv Verma, the man behind the festival. He gives credit to the specially trained chefs of Khyber who specialise in this art of cooking. No wonder, they are successfully satisfying the gastronomic buds of Chandigarhians for the past nine winters with this food festival and leaving them craving for more. So go ahead and savour once again the famous biryani in dum. While the Kewara Ki Subz Biryani with its overwhelming fragrance of the strong kewara and Badami Paneer with its curry enriched with cashewnuts are the all-time favourites of the veggies, the restaurant has added new items on list. Among them, Dum Khumb Hara Piaz and Gobi-Kaju Kali Mirch Wali are sure to appeal some palates. As always, the non-vegetarians enjoy gorging on Murg Kaju Kewara and Dum se Rogan Josh. The new addition for them to taste is Keema Matar. Don’t forget to start with the Dhaniya Tamatar Ka Shorba or Murg Mirchi Shorba to set the ball rolling to a meal that warms into your heart. The muted earthy interiors of the eatery along with soft music playing in the background only serve to heighten the atmosphere of ringing in the New Year with your near and dear ones. The festival is on till December 31.
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BON APPETIT A bowlful of steaming hot soup is a perfect way to chase away the winter chill. Besides, given the option, I would rather a hot soup was inside me than poor ME in a HOT SOUP! Some thick and hearty soups can almost be a meal in themselves, especially those that have diced vegetables, cooked chicken, noodles etc. added to them. After attending an endless string of wedding-dinners, a soup and boiled vegetable meal is my saviour. I agree that powder-sachets of soup get prepared at the speed of greased lightening but the best soups are based on homemade stocks. The “packet” soups are rather salty and lend a sameness to all soups. Besides, most of them lean rather heavily on monosodium glutamate to flavour them. I suspect the manufacturers are going to chuck a hand-grenade into my verandah! In keeping with today’s healthy approach to eating, its wiser to make a vegetable or meat stock in advance and then only lightly cook the sliced vegetables. This way you get the maximum nutritional benefits from the soup. Research has proven that chicken soup has the power to combat the symptoms of flu and the common cold. A reccee to the veggie stalls has made me settle for some unusual soup ideas for today. Borsch
(Beetroot soup) 1 tbsp butter Method Boil water in a large pan, enough to barely cover the chopped carrots, onion and beetroot. Simmer gently, covered, for about 20 minutes. Add butter, stock, cabbage and vinegar and cook for another 15 minutes. Season and serve into bowls. Garnish each bowl with a tablespoon of cream. Authentic Russian borsch would be topped with a little grated cucumber as well. Potage St. Germain
(Green pea soup) 3 cups shelled peas Method Chop the lettuce, onion, celery and parsley and sauté them gently in the butter until tender. Add the bay leaf, 2 cups of peas and 2 ½ cups of chicken (or vegetable) stock. Simmer till the peas are soft. Blend in a liquidizer and strain. In the meanwhile, boil the remaining one cup of peas in the leftover stock till they are very tender. Add these peas along with the stock into the strained soup. Correct the seasoning and serve hot, topped with finely shredded mint leaves. Always try to prepare only as much soup as you hope to consume immediately. It may be convenient to do up a large batch, but soup, re-heated, is soup, cooked-to-death. The nutrients, as in all foods, are slowly destroyed with every additional minute of cooking time. However, if you’re lumped with a large amount of ready cooked soup, please re-heat only as much as you hope to consume just then!
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SIDELANES Yesterday Milkha Singh, the Flying Sikh, came for dinner. He has a car, dresses tastefully, very well mannered and can make one laugh!” A complete and concise picture of a man amongst men.’ This is a quote from an 18 year olds diary, dating back 47 years. The place? Government College for Men, Ludhiana. My father, Principal K.N. Dutt, had trouble with a few of the teenagers from wealthy families. They would steal the green baize from the pool table, wreck a few chairs in the hostel and intimidate the reticent students. Ever the pragmatic teacher, Dad decided that a real man ought to show his inspiring prowess to the ne’er- do – wells. He could think of no better person than the great Olympian and athlete. The Man came, mingled with the students, ran on the track and gave useful tips to budding sportsmen and a few women. His stride was of unbelievable length and height. His hair seemed to fly behind him like the wide wings of an eagle. Our jaws dropped and we ran forward to get his autograph. Here was a mere soldier, who through persistence and courage made it to the very top. Dad made his speech, doled out appropriate accolades and used the national idol as a shining example. He hoped some inspirational thoughts would sink into restless young minds. Being the Principal’s daughter I had the privilege of meeting all visiting dignitaries. Mr Singh recounted his travels around the globe, his meeting with the British monarch and the Duke, his experiences in all the great hotels of the world. He was confident, calm and matter- of- fact. He wore his Olympian mantle with humility and gratitude. He did not complain about the brown keds given to all sepoys – runners or otherwise, or the lack of sponsorships, funds and strengthening food. In a poor country he made do with what he or the nation could afford. He wore a gold karha and I swore I would get one too- some day. (I wear one today.) Today, this remarkable man’s son has risen too. Jeev’s (Chiranjeev Milkha Singh) name is on everyone’s lips; his photograph adorns every paper. He is focused, courageous and persistent – just like his old man. Companies wait in line to offer sponsorships. India is striding forward economically and the prize money is good. World recognition has come in and the ever- smiling parents often appear on T.V. to express pride in the scion of the house. A simple jawan, with stars in his eyes and dreams in his head, went onto the world stage to take a bow. His son is doing the same. My father’s therapy for mischievous students was great but could not foresee the glorious future. I often wonder how many young men and women followed in Milkha Singh’s flying footsteps. Somewhere I see a new- year message in this.
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WORD PLAY
Beer before whisky, For those whose favourite tipple was missing in Santa’s stockings, here is a dose of ` Uisge
beatha’ [water of life] for New Years. It has widely been accepted that whisky has been distilled in Scotland for hundreds of years, the origin being attributed to Irish monks and even the Crusaders who learnt distillation techniques from the Arabs [ delicious irony]. It may well have evolved simply as a means of utilizing barley which would otherwise have been ruined after a wet harvest.!!! Although whisky of some type or the other is made all over the world the are only three distinctions worth considering are American, Irish and Scotch[With apologies to Suntory and all the other wannabes]. 1. American — Bourbon and Rye. Tastes sour, raw and harsh as against the smoothness of Scotch. Popular brands, Jack Daniels, Wild Turkey, Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark. 2. Irish — Primarily made from grain without using peat in the stills. Brands: Jameson, Bushmill’s. 3. Scotch — a. Blended Scotches: Those combining whiskies from more than one distillery. Brands include the most popular names, like Johnny Walker, Chivas Regal, Royal Salute, Cutty Sark, Haigs, Dimple, J&B, Teachers, 100 Pipers and the Indian movie favourite Vat 69. b. Single Malts: As the name suggests they are the product of a single distillery. Further subdivided into Highland and Lowland whiskies. It was on a trip to Scotland that terms like Highlands and Lowlands became clear to me, the Geographical feature being the fault ridge dividing the two. The aficionados will be familiar with with the brands but for the uninitiated a brief list of names is given. Speyside — Glenfiddich, Glenlivet and Macallan. Highland malts — Cardhu, Dalmore and Dawlwhinnie. Lowland whiskies: Glenkinchie, Auchentoshan, Girvan. Isle of Islay: The Islay brands are today the most popular in the world, famous names being Ardberg, Lagavulin, Bowmore and Caola. So enjoy your whisky with a word of caution, Do Not Drink and Drive. A Happy 2007. See you next year!!!
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COOL STUFF
Engine food TVS Motor Company, has launched TVS TRU4 Engine Oil specifically for 4-stroke two wheeler engines. The launch of TVS TRU4 makes TVS Motor the first vehicle manufacturer in India to develop engine oil with its own formulation after extensive research taking into account customer requirements. TVS TRU4 is the first engine oil in the world to meet the latest JASO MA2 specification with API SL 20W-40 grade, which is one the highest grades in its product category. Get slimmer i-mate SPL the new mid-range hybrid device to appeal to a wider audience that demand all the benefits of Windows Mobile powered devices at a lower price point is finally here in India. A perfect blend of slender, style and sophistication, i-mate SPL smart phone is all set to give a new look to the Indian mobile handsets market. For the first time ever, the i-mate SPL gives you all the power of Windows Mobile packed inside an ultra slim phone.
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FILM & FASHION Bootylicious singer Beyonce Knowles has revealed she turns into a make-believe person to help her perform. The star admitted she has created an alter ego called Sasha who is fearless and seductive onstage. “I developed my stage persona to protect myself so when I go home I don’t think about what I do. Sasha isn’t me. I wouldn’t like her if I met her offstage. She’s too aggressive, too strong, too sassy, too sexy. I’m not her in real life. I’m not flirtatious and super-confident,” she was quoted by the Mirror, as saying. Beyonce also confessed she has suffered depression and was so down when her ex-Destiny’s Child bandmates LeToya Luckett and LaTivia Roberson quit that she spent days in her bedroom refusing to eat. “I was in a really bad place, going through that lonely period, ‘Who am I? Who are my friends?’ My life changed,” she added. But now it seems her troubles are clearly behind her. She is dating music mogul Jay-Z, starring in movie Dreamgirls and has been nominated for four Grammy awards for her music. Mariah’s fantasy Her love for the snowfall over the Christmas period took Mariah Carey to Aspen, where she spoke to a local magazine about the things she likes to do in the snow. In an interview to Aspenpeak Magazine, Mariah talked all about the things she likes to do in Aspen like wearing Santa Claus bikinis and rolling around in the snow. She also said she has a new scent in the works for Elizabeth Arden. The multi-Grammy winner said she is heavily involved in creating her own scent, and is reportedly enjoying the whole process by selecting the scents and deciding on the ‘notes’ of the final product.
— ANI
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Health tip of the day
A workout is 25 percent perspiration and 75 percent determination meaning thereby, it is one part physical exertion and three parts self discipline.
— Dr Ravinder Chadha |
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Shoppers seeking the perfect gift for Christmas and New Year can look no further than Mitashi This year, Mitashi Edutainment ltd., introduces an array of sleek, contemporary and trendy new MP4 player, ‘the MPL 1003’ just in time for the upcoming gift-giving occasions. Mitashi’s latest innovation, a chic MPL 1003 player, is designed to fit active, “on-the-go” lifestyles. The new offering by Mitashi will surely turn up the volume on vacations, pool parties, barbeques and other festivities.