Faux leather is fast replacing animal leather. It’s smart, trendy, affordable and kind to animals too

What is it that makes one look stylish and perfect to set the party meters soaring? Well, if you think it’s only designer wear teamed with matching pair of Prada shoes, then think again.

The jet-age boys and girls with JLo and Paris Hilton as their style icons want to make a style statement wherever they go.

All it takes is a good amount of accessories thrown in a good measure and, voila, you are ready to rock. And when it comes to trimmings, perhaps handbags catch the eye first. Gone are the days when bags would just come in traditional leather in brown and black.

With the approaching summer, leather goods become tacky due to humidity and high temperature. So say goodbye to those heavy leather boots and bulky bags. Time now to switch over to something more trendy and hip.

And there are alternative to leather, which are durable and are chic.

Here’s is what the city store are offering— At Whistles in Sector 17, foot wears, colourful belts and jazzy bags and even coats made of calf leather and foam leather. “In the summer when the temperature reaches 40 degrees, pure leather goods are bound to emanate a peculiar smell. There is a demand for synthetic materials that have some fraction of leather in them,” informs Bhado Singh, working at the store.

As far as the price tags go, one has to shell out a couple of hundreds less than the pure leather stuff. Non-leather belts will cost anywhere between Rs 200 – Rs 550 and for shoes one might have to pay just about Rs 595- Rs 1,200.

Metro Shoes stocks both the leather and non-leather accessories. “Most of our male customers ask for only pure leather accessories, but women customers are not really bothered with the material,” informs Santosh Kumar of Metro.

Moreover, one can’t really spot the difference between the two, as there is hardly any difference in the finished product, he adds.

On the positive side, the shoes, made of synthetic materials such as patina leather and Italian foam, suede, micro, are lightweight and water resistant.

While leather comes mostly in browns, tans and black, synthetic material can easily be dyed into different colours. Here the bags are priced at Rs 790 onwards whereas the shoes are priced above Rs 900.

Even in Mochi and Lotus Bawa store, it’s the non-leather shoes and bags that are occupying most of the space in the ladies corners. “Leather is not a very good option both in summers and during rains as leather gets bulkier when drenched,” says Sanjeev, manager, Lotus Bawa.

Lycra, calf leather, new buck suede and patent (shiny) and soft leather is what most of the women footwear is made of these days.

Ebony in Sector 9, leather alternatives are the front-runners. “Even the designer brands are not manufacturing too many leather pieces these days. Non-leather goods are popular among all age groups and are available in all colours. Sandals, fancy bags, purses are being made in non-leather and even in silk and satin.” One can take their picks from the fancy bags by paying anything between Rs 500–Rs 1,500 whereas the leather ones are priced between Rs 1,100–Rs 1,800.

“Designers can’t experiment much with leather and can be more versatile with synthetic materials,” says a sales attendant at Ebony. Bags in silk and imported denims dyed in orange, cream, blue are also doing brisk business. Instead of leather belts, thermo plastic rubber belts, metallic belts and cotton belts in bright colours are the flavour this season and are affordable compared with leather ones.

At Hyde Out in Sector 9, beaded tote bags with sequins in silver and golden hues have replaced the leather ones.

So go ahead, take a pick from the variety of essential accessories and flaunt it right.

SHAME: Abuse with undertones of racism is what some foreign guests faced in the city

Visiting NRI’s and foreigners frequently fall prey to glaring eyes, unwanted attention, harassment, and even racism. Now is this the way to welcome guests to your hometown?

The spoiled youth of the city run amuck and frequently target and alienate young foreign or NRI women. Groups of boys in expensive cars with hip-hop music booming from their fancy sound systems, shamelessly pursue visitors. Young women travelling alone or in pairs on cycle rickshaws are easy prey. The car stalks the rickshaw. The powerful vehicle rides up alongside the rickshaw, brushing past the victim. The black-tinted windows are rolled down and the boys attempt to initiate conversation. These females largely ignore the pestering, but are still caught up in this cat and mouse game, feeling helpless, threatened and intimidated.

Julia Landro, 19, from Norway, is in Chandigarh on a holiday and has had a similar experience. “Some boys can be relentless. It starts off with staring and then the chase begins. I was worried and concerned, but all I can do is ignore them until they go away.”

The harassment is not restricted to chasing alone. Generally, westerners are treated more kindly than those from areas an example of racism.

Stacey Mitchell, 21, from Tanzania is studying IT in the city and has been subjected to constant verbal abuse. There was a look of sadness in her eyes and discontent washed over her face as she recounted her experiences here. “I receive weird reactions. People act like they’ve never seen a black person before. Sometimes people are very abusive and use bad and insulting words like ‘monkey’. It happens more often than not.” She even described an occasion when some locals spotted her through the window of their house. “They came outside of their house and stood there while they stared and laughed. That was the worst part,” she said.

There are a few people here who are good, she added. “Mainly those who have been exposed to different cultures and people.”

Scholarship student from Ethiopia, Abdi Abraham, has had mixed experiences. “The people are not all that bad and not all good. I’ve travelled a lot in India and some people are rude and racist, but Chandigarh is much better than other areas.”

Abdi said he is trying to teach the locals about Africa. “I am trying to change the mentality of people and help them understand us better.”

Uschi Behrens, from Germany, is in Chandigarh with her husband for two weeks to attend a wedding. They have had no bad encounters, but find the number of poor people in the city alarming and have persistently been asked for money.

It is not solely outsiders who feel threatened in the city. Local teacher Preet Kanwal, 25, has lived in Chandigarh for the past six years and has noticed a dramatic drop in the safety level for girls. “More villagers and less sophisticated people are coming in. The crowd is dropping. When I first came, it was safer to go out at night and for night parties, but not now.”

A local university graduate, Shafaquat Ali Khan, 23, said guys sometimes approach her two to three times a day. She states that young men try to catch a female’s attention by moving around in cars, putting on loud music, hanging outside of eating joints, staring and standing closely to them.

Guys in Sectors 15 and 17, consistently pursue Panjab University student Yashika Walia, 22. “I don’t like to be chased and ignore the attention. It is irritating.”

Boys’ come out with reasons for being uncivil to foreigners as Panjab University student, Anil Sharma, 21, feels peer pressure to chase girls. “My friends say, if you have guts, chase her, propose to her. They challenge me and force me to.”

Even boredom pushes young men to run after girls. Labi Garcha, 25, and Hardy Grewal, 23, hanging in Sector 17 said they chase girls for fun, entertainment and as a time pass. “We don’t have anything else to do”, Labi said.

“Honour to Punjabi Theatre is more gratifying to me. The appreciation of my work in theatre and its recognition at national level is indeed encouraging,” says Rajinder Rozy, one of the winners of the newly constituted Bismillah Khan Yuva Puruskar.

The honour came to Rozy after her achievements in theatrical arts. She has played the lead roles in 95 plays, 15 TV serials and 12 Punjabi films, including Jiona Maurh, Amar Khalsa, Jatt Jodhe and Mein Maa Punjabi Di, which won the national award.

Rooted in theatre she emerged as the only actress, after Zohra Sehgal to play the lead role in Pakistani production Dukh Darya along with her prodigious daughter Mallika recently. She was lauded for her incredible performances in Pakistan again at the Ajoka International festival in Parinde hun jaan kithe. It was written and directed by her partner in art as well as life, Dr Sahib Singh.

Born in sleepy Niamian village, she graduated from GCG Chandigarh. Meeting Sahib Singh at a cultural show resulted in the love affair, which culminated in marriage. “We being theatre addicts complimented each other and were lucky to be in the tutelage of theatre stalwart Gursharan Singh way back in 1989,” says Rajinder Rozy. The devout disciples gave brilliant stage performances in India and fifty theatre shows during their 100-day tour to USA, UK, Canada and other countries. “The award to be presented later at a national level function has inspired and rejuvenated me to serve the society with meaningful theatre for the masses,” feels Rozy.

Extending its product portfolio in the EverYuth Derma Care range, Zydus Cadila introduces the new Light & Clear face wash with active Mili capsules. The face wash is for those who can’t get away from all the dust, the pollution and the sun.

This advanced breakthrough formulation effectively cleanses and clears the skin. Its advanced hydrating and moisturising properties provide natural nourishment to your skin.

L’Oréal Professionnel Hair Spa makes it possible for every woman and man to feel rejuvenated and have healthy, beautiful hair they desire.

Hair is constantly exposed to pollution, climatic changes and stress which makes them limp and damage prone. In addition to home care products, such damaged hair also requires specialised care and treatments. A delight for all your senses, Hair Spa relaxes, rejuvenates and reconditions the hair and scalp in the comfort of the salon.

The hairstylist diagnoses and chooses the ideal products for your personalised treatment, according to your hair and scalp condition. This is then followed by a rejuvenating massage with the cream bath in your hair and scalp, followed by steam. Hair and scalp is then rinsed with water.

Priced Rs 500 onwards, depending on the length of hair.

It is the rustic charm with traditional drums, chaupals, haystacks and bullock carts that makes Rose Festival a must-visit.

Bullock carts along the haystacks to transport you back into the rural past. A make-shift water-well completes the ambience. And customary dances grafted with rustic sports for that back-to-the-roots feeling! That’s the 35th Rose Festival for you.

Right folks. The three-day floral fiesta in Sector 16 is offering more than just 585 assortments of roses wide awake and grinning in the flowerbeds. It is presenting long-established artistes an opportunity to bloom amidst the flora.

And with the Chandigarh Administration keeping the commercial establishments out of the show this year also, it’s still not a village fair. “You can actually come here with your family to give them the taste of customs,” says city-based hotelier Ankit Gupta.

If you haven’t seen the artistes’ encouraging with their time-honoured performances, just hop on your vehicle and ride all the way to the customs, on revival path at the garden.

As you boogie with excitement on the undulating plains of heritage and customs, dancers in colourful kurtis and caps swaying to the thumping beats of conventions convey you back to the days when remix versions were practically unheard of.

Carrying tiny mannequins in popular attires, they offer a glimpse of traditional India, something you can now see only on Discovery and other infotainment channels. Some of them are from Himachal Pradesh. Others from Punjab and Haryana.

And then there is a team of bazzigars all the way from Ferozepore. Though three of them adjust themselves in a ring not more than a foot in diameter, they have not been able to escape from the rigmaroles of daily existence.

“So far, the state government has hardly done anything to encourage us to continue, though we have been in the performance business for several generations now,” says Joginder Singh. Bending an aluminum rod with one end on the ground and other against his neck, he says: “If things continue like this, we too will start looking for something else.”

Accompanying him, another performer Bawa Singh says: “Already out of 100-odd groups of performers in Ferozepore, only two or three are surviving. We, too, aren’t roping in our little ones. In fact, we are supporting them in their studies.”

At CITCO’s Vehra, it is a brush with the rustic past. The walls have been made out of mats coated with mud. For adding a touch of realism to the whole affair, you actually have powered by electricity traditional lamps hanging all around.

And then there are time-honored earthen pots and charpies for you to relax and enjoy the fag end of winters. Of course, some of the youngsters, so used to chatting on the net, are finding it odd to sit on the charpies and talk. But then, downloading culture is fun. Over and above, the taste of heritage in makki ki roti and sarso ka saag has its own charm. saurabh@tribunemail.com

Sunday brunch has caught the city’s fancy. There’s something for every palette and pocket, as Rajiv Bhatia finds out. Read on...

His curiosity to get to the bottom of the things has helped Ish Dhand to bag numerous awards. He is a Class XI non-medical student of Ajit Karam Singh International Public School, Sector 41-B, Chandigarh.

The 17-year-old’s most recent achievement was the prestigious KVPY Fellowship-2006, under the Kishore Vigyanik Protsahan Yojna.

“It feels great to be selected. It was a prestigious competition and I am interested in research so the award is really important to me,” Ish said.

He was the only one to be selected for the fellowship from Chandigarh, and one of only 95 candidates to be selected out of the 11,000 who were short- listed.

This programme was established by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, to assist students of basic sciences, engineering and medicine to realise their potential and take up research careers in these fields.

Ish’s keen interest in science set him miles apart from other applicants and enabled him to shine in the interview, leading to his success. “I was confident.”

His extensive preparation included reading an assortment of general science books, learning about the latest developments in physics, watching the National Geographic channel, and surfing the net.

The young student aspires to gain acceptance into the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, and then pursue a career in research in modern physics in India.

The defining moment of his life was receiving the National Bal Shree in Creative Scientific Innovation in 2004, given by the President of India. “Meeting such a great mind was inspiring.”

The Physics Olympiad serves as the next obstacle to tackle and Ish has already tasted success as the only candidate in the country from Plus 1 to be selected for the second round. He is eagerly waiting for March 2 when the result of the next round will be announced. If successful, he will go on to represent India in the Asian Physics Olympiad in China in April.

It cannot be all work and no play for the youthful over-achiever. In his off-time he enjoys movies, and during his eight to 10 hours of study a day, music in the background is a must.

Ish thanks his father, B.R. Dhand, a bank official, for his academic triumphs. “His help, support, direction and company have lead to my achievements.”

With the winter saying goodbye, it’s the perfect time to bid farewell to those bulky pullovers and coats and slip into the summery linens. If you are already on a hunt for cool summer fabrics, well the ongoing exhibition of designer Chikankari from Lucknow is the place to be.

Brought to the city by Riwaaz Fashions in Lucknow, the collection includes the traditional chikankari works in all possible avatars. One can choose from an array of semi-stitched and unstitched suits in pastel hues of lime yellow, pink, blues and whites with traditional tepchi handwork on kota, crepe, chiffon and georgette.

Assortment of kurtis with aari, zardozi and machine work is also on display. Giving details, Sunny Malik of Riwaaz Fashion says, “the exhibition is running into its third year and this time there is more of experimentation and the focus is on detailing of a particular piece.”

Trousers in crisp cottons and lycra with chikankari work on them that can be teamed with short kurtis and bustiers stand out with the elaborate works.

Chikankari has its own history and dates back to the times of NoorJahan when it was available only in white but later on as civilisations began evolving, so did chikankari.

Back to the present times, the exhibition brings around sarees in pure georgettes with jaali, fanda, ghaaspatt, murri and shadow work on them and are priced between four grand to ten.

Blended with chikankari are muqauish, pita, chalu and crochet work that lend glamour to the sarees.

(At Hotel Aroma till Saturday)

Expect the unexpected like the reshami paneer masala with tofu and pineapple curry or a Goan fish curry with vegetable mazgran. For that is precisely what the newly opened ShemRock restaurant, a unit of Al Kareem, hopes to offer- a fusion of traditional with the ultra – modern. The façade is gracefully muted and is in the heart of food hub of the city in Sector 35. And if you haven’t eaten here yet dig into the delicacies on offer in the newly, redone Al Kareem now known as Shemrock.

“With its earlier name, it didn’t restrict the foodies to come in but it definitely constrained their choices only to Indian and particularly mughlai cuisine,” elaborates S M Khan, the director.

Defying all possibilities of old wine in a new bottle, the multi-cuisine restaurant boasts of new interiors, Hardrock, a discotheque and an all-new food menu. Here’s a quick peek on chef’s recommendations.

For the Chinese food lovers, kung po chicken, a preparation of chicken in cashew nuts cooked in kung po sauce, prawns in honey sauce, succulent prawns cooked and tossed in honey sauce, spanish chilli garlic and mushroom broccoli baby corn is recommended.

Chefs from Delhi dish out the Thai and the continental treats here. Tofu and pineapple curry, a preparation of bean curd and pineapple cooked in spicy red curry paste and Lotus stem in penag curry- spiced lotus stem cooked with milk and penag curry paste and swashed chicken in oyster sauce constitute the specialties of Thai cuisine on offering.

For those who like to experiment with their food and are willing to venture in continental cuisine, the menu has it all for them. From vegetable mazgran - vegetable steak with barbeque sauce to Psecha Ala Vina Binaca - fish cooked with white wine sauce and specialised oriental sizzlers, including chicken pepper steak, lamb bittok ala ruse – minced meat and beet root blended and grilled topped with brown sauce on a sizzler platter is on offering to satiate your taste buds.

Apart from the international cuisines, a variety of Indian food, including the signature mughlai dishes, peshawari Murgh kardia, nargisi kofta, kakori kebab, aloo dum kebab are all retained from the old menu. With a promise of offering more, the Shemrock in its new avatar is sure inviting for you to grab a bite!

smritisharma@tribunemail.com

I’ve had a long love affair with brinjals, though the only desi dish enjoyed by my bacchas was a bhartaa. One day, while playing in their granny’s back garden, my daughter spotted some large, shiny brinjals, dangling in the vegetable patch. She returned home exclaiming, eyes, round, like saucers, chubby little hands held apart screaming, “Mom, today I saw such big-big bhartaas growing in daadi’s garden!” My little one with her pea-sized intellect thought the veggie itself was called bhartaa!