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Let the boys play with
Bikes with high-tech features may come and go, but youngsters are still targetting the Bullet His heart thumping with excitement races faster than the bike as the fretting and fuming engine trembles tumultuously before exhaling deep short and infrequent sighs. As it pounds against his chest in sync with the deep thumping resonance of the bike’s inner conscience booming out of the silencers, thrill surges through his veins. Over a decade has lapsed since he first felt almighty with enormous power propelling him to glory, but business executive with a multinational firm Rahul Sharma is still sticking to his jet-black Bullet. For, it’s more than just a bike passed on to him by his retired Army officer father. It’s the force beneath his wings that helps him to fly high. “The howling roar, the powerful revving up of the engine and metal under tension; all beg me to touch and go every time I kick-start my day by getting on the bike,” he says. “Though my friends tease me of running around with a milkman’s bike, I zoom away from their sentiments into the world of delight.” And he is not the only one. Though almost after every three months a new bike rolls into the market with high-tech features like direct fuel-injection system, disc brakes, electronic tachometer and self-start, so many youngsters continue to target Bullet. Well guys, it’s easy to recognise a Bullet rider. Their trousers are more often than not smeared with oil. The boots too provide a testimony of a tough ride. Yet they always wear a smile. Go to the univarsity campus and you will find not just the bhaijees from Punjab, but other students also looking for transient pleasures with their enduring accomplices. In the city’s downtown, you will be greeted with the familiar sight of foreigners cruising on the four-stroke wonder from Delhi to Himachal Pradesh, via Chandigarh. No wonder, combined Punjab and Chandigarh sales of Bullet have zipped up by almost 25 per cent compared to the previous year, says Balwinder Singh Oberoi, managing partner of Sector 27 Manmohan Auto Stores, one of the country’s oldest Bullet showrooms. “The craze for the bike can be gauged from the fact that you still have to wait for almost a week for taking home a Bullet.” The mechanical workhorse, he adds, has something in it which no other Indian bike has — unleashed power and a macho image. To top it all, it is cost effective. “You get a 350 cc bike for as less as Rs 66,700, while motorcycles with one third the power are costing approximately Rs 40,000,” he adds. Otherwise also, it is the only 350 cc Indian bike dazzling the onlookers on the road. The only other Indian bikes in the segment, Yamaha 350 and Jawa 350, are currently out of production. “The bike may not have been able to keep pace with the changing technology, but has withstood the test of time, there cannot be any doubt about it,” says motorcycle mechanic Hanuman Singh. “In any case, now you can pick up a Bullet in dual-colour version with gear on the `correct’ side.” Flashing a smile, he says: Let the boys play with their toys. In a man’s world, you need a man’s bike”. Indeed! AGE NO BAR
Singh started participating in rallies only in 2002 when he navigated a distance of 106 km as a part of the India Endure rally. And, well as they say, the rest is history. Soon, the helmet-headed youngsters of SJOBA approached him and he joined them as the senior-most rider. A master in motorcycle mechanics, Singh has been a part of three rallys with them. NO ENTRY
Ajay frequently hops on his machine and rides up to Dharamshala and Shimla for dinner over the weekend. He has even made certain modifications to his machine, which includes seats and rear lamps from the Thunderbird. And, further adding colour to his black Bullet, he has done the mudguards in chrome. The tyres of his machine are also three times thicker than the standard model. A possessive owner of the machine, Ajay recalls an incident when he was not allowed to enter a five star hotel in the city on his bullet. “I understand the fact that two–wheelers are not allowed, but the fact that they didn’t let a Bullet in, got me furious,” he says. SHRI 420 Daredevil, Pawan Shergill (24), is known in the campus for his black Bullet with an intriguing number! A student of UBS, Shergill tells that he almost pestered his parents five years back to buy him the bike. “They were not keen to let me ride a two-wheeler, forget a Bullet,” he chuckles. Well, once he procured the machine, next he applied for registration and got a special number–0420 for his machine. “The bike adds to your personality and represents your attitude,” he tells. “My number plate spells a ‘Don’t mess with me’ attitude and riding the machine gives me a rugged and rough look,” he shares. Spending over Rs 800 per month on servicing, he says the money spent on his bike is worth every penny. Shergill’s hot-machine is working wonders when it comes to wooing the girl folk!
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Treasure Trove “We wish to preserve our heritage for posterity,” tell the Sekhons. And, just one look at their Sector 2 home and one knows that the couple’s hobby of collecting antiques is much more than a passion and love for things of the past. “It is our mission to safeguard the past for the future generations,” they assert.
Hailing from a family whose genealogy goes back several generations, the family still has an ancestral house in Kalbanjara village of Sangrur. “My family was in charge of the jewellery of the Maharaja of Patiala for seven generations till the time of Maharaja Yadavindra Singh. My ancestors chose the jewellery the Maharaja would wear for the day and would then put it back safely,” tells Jotinder (43), an advocate by profession. Well, though quite well rooted in tradition, Jotinder says he developed a keen interest in preserving the past only after tying the knot with Opinder (43). A freelance writer, the theme of culture not only happens to be her favourite when it comes to penning her pieces, but is also what she calls her “mission for life.” “My mother’s love for the grand and the exquisite rubbed on to me,” she smiles. Interestingly, Opinder inherited several pieces of jewellery and clothes both from her mother and mother-in-law. Her mother-in-law passed on a 75-year-old antique kundan necklace to her while she received a gold, emerald and pearl set complete with bracelet and a tikka from her mother. Also, in her treasure trunk is a collection of phulkaris and baghs, all of which date back several decades. On display, on one of the walls in her home is a multicolored bagh embroidered on khaddar that was used as a shagan ka dupatta. At present, Opinder is trying to restore some phulkari pieces. “Though some of them are almost torn, they are all very dear to me,” says Opinder. Another piece that she is working on is a 75-year-old pure silk lehnga with 60 kalis! “I plan to wear it on my 25th wedding anniversary,” she shares. Opinder is also the proud owner of a 60-year-old golden pure tissue suit she inherited from her mother-in-law.
And if you happen to be a houseguest with the Sekhons, you too can get a flavour of the past. Their guest room is home to an antique sword and pictures of their ancestors. Tells Jotinder, “During the wedding season, many bridegrooms borrow the sword to carry it on their big day.” The sword engraved in pure gold belonged to Jotinder’s great, great grandfather.
“We have not purchased a single item. The entire collection belongs to our ancestors,” they share with pride. With each corner of their home literally a slice of history, the couple just wishes to see their children carry forward their work.
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youth speak Cricket is a game that is enjoyed, played and watched by one and all. Talk about cricket and everybody goes Ga....Ga over it. I think cricket has two aspects - stress and uncanny. Incidents like match fixing, disrespect of coaches and the latest being the death of the Pakistani coach Bob Woolmer have proved the stress factor . The coaches are also like one of us, who have expectations in return of their hard work. And, anyone who puts in extravagant efforts, feels more responsible for the loss. The ‘uncanny’ aspect of the game should be considered, after all it is a game of chance and anything can happen till the last ball. To conclude, I would request everybody to neither dump nor stump the team. Let them gear and grip the position, which they deserve and not which they desire.
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New Releases Shivaji Productions, the production banner founded by Sivaji Ganeshan returns to Hindi cinema with Jimmy Shergill and Neha Dhupia starrer ‘Delhi Heights’. Rohit Roy, Simone Singh, Om Puri, Vivek Shauq and Kamini Khanna support the lead stars. Rabbi Shergill makes his debut as a music composer and a lyric writer in the film. Likely to appeal a huge variety of audiences, the film’s story line is unconventional. It portrays the stories of the characters who reside in the apartments called ‘Delhi Heights’. Showing at Piccadily, Fun Republic Khanna & Iyer This medium budget narrates the adventurous story of a runaway couple. A romantic comedy, it stars the winners of Zee Cinestars Ki Khoj in the lead roles. Directed by Hemant Hedge who makes his debut with the flick, it has already created buzz among audiences of all age. Showing at Fun Republic Namesake Based on Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel, the much-awaited movie was an official entry at the Toronto Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival and London Film Festival. Produced by Lydia Dean Pilcher, it stars Tabu, Irfan Khan, Kal Penn, Zuleikha Robinson, Brooke Smith, Sahira Nair and Glenne Headley. The film was also at the opening night film at IAAC Film Festival. Showing at Fun Republic — Dharam Pal
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Mane Man
Indian American teenage singer Sanjaya Malakar moved a step closer to becoming the “American Idol”, literally locking his position among the top nine in the contest with his hair and not his voice.
Malakar’s hair playing a ponyhawk — seven ponytails in a row to look like a faux-hawk — totally upstaged idol guest Gwen Stefani on Tuesday night to become the talk of the town if not the toast of the town with everyone going gaga over the “Idol’s Mane Man”. Those who know their music have rated him “atrocious” to “horrific”. “He sang a Stefani tune about wanting to wash in some chick’s used bathwater because she’s so naughty and hot, but came across like a shy little child who didn’t really understand the lyrics, while his ponyhawked hair flounced and strutted like a drag queen,” as one critic put it. Judge Randy Jackson said he was once again left speechless by Sanjaya but added a tell-all, “Come on, man,” about his singing. “If you have the gumption to come out with your hair all done up like one of the Lipizzaner stallions, why did you sing like a frightened pony at the petting zoo?” wondered judge Paula Abdul. “I presume there was no mirror in your dressing room?” judge Simon Cowell asked rhetorically, only to have Sanjaya snap back, “You’re just jealous because you couldn’t pull it off.” Said an exasperated Cowell, “I don’t think it matters anymore what we (the judges) say. I genuinely don’t. You are in your own universe. If people like you, good luck.”
“Well, thank you!” Sanjaya shot back.
Cowell and other judges have been critical of Malakar’s performances from Day 1, but they have only themselves to blame for the original sin — it’s they who narrow down the field from a few hundred to the top 24 before the voters take over. Malakar’s antics on the show have spawned spoofs galore on YouTube seeking to “Send Sanjaya Home”, but his “hair raising” performance on Tuesday night pushed him centrestage with mainstream news channels discussing if the desi kid wasn’t making it all a big joke. “We want to run our collective fingers through the versatile tresses of “American Idol” hair god Sanjaya Malakar. One night they’re fluffy; the next, flat. One night, spiral curls; the next, pin-straight,” said the Washington Post, offering readers a chance to “fool around with his gorgeous locks” with seven cut and paste styles. Coming from a family of singers, he auditioned for Idol in Seattle, Washington, with his 19-year-old sister Shyamali, and both received invitations to the Hollywood round. However, Shyamali was cut from the show at the end of the round. When he learnt that he made the top 40, Sanjaya did not celebrate. Instead, he hurriedly went to console his sister. Malakar cites Stevie Wonder as his idol, having sung Wonder’s Signed, Sealed, Delivered at his Seattle audition. He made it to the top 24 with another Stevie Wonder song, Knocks Me Off My Feet. Malakar moved to the second round with Irving Berlin Steppin’ Out With My Baby and the next one with John Mayer’s Waiting On The World To Change. He sang to Diana Ross’ theme of Ain’t No Mountain High Enough to make it to the final 12. — IANS
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Solar power
Like his previous works, the sun continues to dominate the mountain-scape and face of the hill women have also metamorphosed from a docile pretty one to a woman of substance. If you are looking for the tale-tell signs of Pahari paintings than you will be disappointed. For there is none, except for that the artist has just retained two dimensional forms and the purity of colours, all bright and with a range that touches both ends of the spectrum. That is exactly what the artist is trying to achieve—to break the stagnation point that had set in the Pahari School of Painting by giving them a contemporary feel. And he has achieved that by mixing a few traits of miniatures with modern themes. Hence the flat look of his complex themes come as a refreshing change from the all-modern abstracts or too-old traditional miniatures. Well, technicalities apart, the exhibition will also reveal one long-forgotten chapter of the artist. “I just chanced upon this self-portrait of mine which I did in 1977 and I decided to exhibit it along with my recent works.” However, the story behind the painting, which shows the artist in a crucified position, is that it signifies the turbulent period he had faced at that time. “I was just drifting along, unable to decide what to do in life—take up writing or painting or become a doctor. So great was the frustration that I tough of committing suicide.” Well, one does not have to spell it out that he overcame his dilemma to become a successful artist, but what one does not know that Naresh is a writer too. In fact, he is going to give a sample of his writing by reading out one of his short stories during a story reading session (on March 31) that goes side by side with his exhibition. There is more. Hamshira, which is organising the exhibition, will also provide an opportunity to young artists of the city to interact with him and learn the techniques of Pahari paintings in a two-day workshop on March 30 and 31. On till April 4
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SIDELANES “They shot Gandy! I just heard it on the radio.” An ashen-faced clerk by the name of Martin walked into our home in Ludhiana and whispered the dreadful words to my father. His wife was a doctor at the CMC. There was stunned silence. We sisters, toddlers at the time, did not understand what had happened. Ma cried but my father was stoic. Martin added, “He was Christ without a cross… they have given him his cross now!” The late 1940s fell prey to the Gandhian charisma. He strode through India like a colossus. Ugly, dark, bald, half-naked, with thin, praying-mantis legs, he walked so fast, others had to run to catch up. He was a man in a hurry with many missions to fulfill. He harried the Brits, gathered huge crowds around him and argued about policy with our great Indian leaders. He could not and would not be ignored by anyone. He even visited Buckingham Palace in chappals and a muslin dhoti, much to the horror of Churchill and Atlee! When he was murdered, nations mourned. Years later, Nelson Mandela followed his teachings and won South Africa. Lage Raho Munna Bhai has just picked up a few Gandhiisms to tickle youthful palates. Those who were in contact with the flesh and blood being were affected forever. Bapu, as he was fondly called, sold his autograph for Rs 5. An added personal message cost another fiver. All this went into the kitty for Harijans. Pushpa maasiji was proud of the following advice: “Roz kaato,” signed by MKG himself. She spun miles of cotton thereafter! Not to be left behind, Sarla maasiji went to the station for Bapu’s darshan. She could not get close enough to touch his feet, but when his chelas came around asking for money and jewellery for the Harijans, she took off her gold bangles and slipped them into the khadi bag. No one understood why she had such a beatific glow on her face despite a well-deserved bollocking. Recently, I met a fascinating gentleman at the British Library. In his hey-day, he travelled and taught around the globe and spent some memorable hours with Albert Einstein. AE told him that the greatest man to walk the face of the earth was Gandhi. My gentleman friend said that AE sounded wistful. Perhaps he knew he could not affect the world as MKG had done. Bapu lived in the Bhangi colony. He wore homespun khadi, a great change from the pinstriped suits of his bar-at-law days! He cleaned human excreta and forced his wife to do the same. (I am positive I’d not like him as a husband.) He was brilliant, humble, a visionary, a leader, and a man above most men. Maybe Gandhigiri is finally coming to roost in Bapu’s country, from where it flew out worldwide. It will certainly energise and progress India.
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FILM & FASHION After Shilpa Shetty and Yana Gupta, it is now the turn of Bollywood’s item girl Rakhi Sawant to join a PETA campaign against cruelty to animals. Sawant appeared in the make up of a tigress in a cage to spread the message to stop cruelty on animals at circuses. “The governments should pay attention towards the misery of animals and do more to protect their rights,” said Sawant. Versace’s daughter dying from anorexia Renowned fashion designer, Donatella Versace’s daughter, Allegra (20) who is the heir to the Versace fashion empire is said to be suffering from acute anorexia. “My daughter is very ill and the disease is consuming her,” said Versace. Allegra is fighting the disease in a protected clinic in Los Angeles and it is said that her heart and kidney can fail any moment. “Donatella is distraught, but Madonna has been a tower of strength,” a close friend of the designer said. Padma Laksmi to dump Rushdie? It seems that actress Padma Laksmi is all set to dump her novelist hubby Salman Rushdie. Daine von Furstenberg, a designer and a long time friend of the couple was heard saying that the reality TV hostess was set to drop the 59- author, her husband of three years. Lakshmi’s reasons for putting an end to the relationship seemed to be to focus on her big bravo hit, Top Chef. Longoria spellbound American actress Eva Longoria’s fiancé and basketball star Tony Parker is a multifaceted man. The San Antonio Spurs guard recently showed that he had much more to himself than just basketball, after recording his own rap album.And Parker’s wife-to-be, who is spellbound by her lover’s new found talent, is also his foremost fan.” I’m so proud of Tony. He is such a talent,” people quoted Longoria, as saying. Parker has recorded a duet with Jamie Foxx and has even sung verses about Longoria.Parker will tie the knot with the Desperate Housewives star in July this summer at an exclusive location just outside Paris. — ANI Song bird A fine vocalist and a sitar artist during her university days, Sagarika Runjhun enjoys all kinds of music. The young singer who first caught our attention with a remixed classical number in Rakhi Sawant’s album, is now ready with her debut album Nigght Birds. — TNS
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Romancing the RAGINIS
Yes, that is what the 10 miniature painters from Udaipur at Kalagram had done during an NZCC-sponsored miniature painting camp, which concluded on Thursday. The grandeur of Indian classical music, especially its sublime character seems to have influenced the sensibility of artists. They captured the emotional ingredients of six ragas and their 36 raginis. “Creating a miniature painting is not only an arduous task but a challenge, especially if it has to be based on a complex theme like raga or ragini within their specified formats,” says leading miniature painter Sharad Bharti, winner of the Kalidas award. His classic paintings depicting the melodic character of Raga Asavari on a hand- made catalogue paper, are a beauty. Explaining the intricacies, he disclosed that the perception of a composition, sketching, cutting for colour treatment, to a final finish involves skill, experience, motivation and inspiration. Despite all that hard work, unfortunately there is no immediate financial return or glamour as there are only a few takers for such kind of works, leading the art form to the verge of extinction, says Bharti. According to this proponent of guru-shishya tradition, the paintings are sold in foreign markets through the Indian Art Trust, Asian Heritage Foundation and other private art promoters and in that process, the agents get more benefited than the artists. Another senior artist Raja Ram Sharma, a winner of Kalidas Samman, has captured the essence of Raga Hindola and Raga Todi in his paintings. While his two disciples, Kailash Parjapat and Ganesh, captured the features of Raga Meghmalhar and Bhopali. “Working in a camp along with 10 reputed artists is a learning experience,” adds Raja Ram complimenting the NZCC for their pursuit in propagating the art and the artists. The other artists who took part in the camp included Suresh Sharma with paintings based on the theme of ragini Kumbhaawti, Radha Raman with Todi, Gopal Sharma illustrating Raga Lalit, Babu Lal Sharma on Raga Basant, Raj Kumar with Raga Hindola. Yugdeepak Soni had stolen the moments in love of Lord Krishna and Radha in his works Ganesh and Radha- Krishana.
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More and more established and budding artists are sharing space in group shows, as Parbina Rashid finds out It’s not that the city never had group shows earlier, but these shows now come with a fancy logic — art curators are bringing established artists and budding ones on a common platform.
So it was not very surprising to see Anita Gupta, a teacher from the Government College of Art, or veteran artist from Hoshiarpur, Ashwini Kumar Verma, showcasing their works with Art College students at the exhibition put up recently by Creativity Connect at Punjab Kala Bhavan. As one would expect from a group show, showcasing at least five works from 14 different artists, the paintings were of different genres and themes. One could sample the good ol’ watercolour magic in its simplest yet aesthetic form in Ashwini Kumar Verma’s on-the-spot hill series or Anita Gupta’s three paintings on Osho Vatika in Pune. Even Rajesh Siwach’s lone watercolour landscape stands out, making one wonder how the same artist who achieved such wonderful effects with subtle colours, could go overboard with his floral series. The complicated works came from Inder Singh, who stepped into less- trodden territories like social maladies and a woman’s sexuality. But he executed his theme well, keeping himself within the limit of aesthetics.
For Sadhna Sangar, flowers signify colours and she executed it by splashing vibrant colours on the canvas. The movement each one of her frames showed was appealing. Others like Poonam Arora, a student of the College of Art, shows promise with germinating plants in a brick-like backdrop. Charanjit’s Singh’s wooden sculptors came as a relief for the eye after going through rows of paintings. The works will be put up at AIFACS, New Delhi, from April 5 to 7. parbina@tribunemail.com
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Kishwar’s literary voyage began when she participated in a college mushaira in 1956 and later published her first collection of ghazals,‘ Labbe Goya’ in 1969. With no family legacy of poets or fiction writers, Kishwar says that she was born as a ‘vakhri’, which made her understand and agree, that poets are born and not made. With books giving her company at all times, she says, it was this ‘pakki dosti’ with books that furthered her efforts. Khushi ye thi ke tera khwab dekhne ko mila, Ye veham bhi udaasi smetne ko mila’, she shares a couplet laced in romantic fervor. Credited with over 20 publications, including 12 poetry books, eight volumes of international poetry works and three others, Kishwar is always ready to strive for more. Working on her mission of economic and social empowerment for the women, she maintained that amidst all round decadence of moral values; the results would come though not so easy. She further shares a couplet on restraint and vigilance, “ Sulghati ret pe aankhen bhi jere paa rakhna, Nahin hai sehal hawa se muqabla rakhna/ Usse ye jo ke aagosh gul bhi uss ki hai, Jo chahta hai parindo ko navva rakhna ”. ”There is absolutely no love lost between the awaam of Pakistan and India, infact the ties have strengthened in the past few years,she says. There is a perceptible departure in the mahaul, Iss shehar mein darya ko bhi rasta nahin milta , Voh tehat (drought)-e- Tuallaq hai ke saya nahin milta’. — S. D. S.
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Brad-Angelina worried over son’s security The actor couple, Brad Pitt and his partner Angelina Jolie beefed up security arrangements near their house after claims of a plan by a notorious gang to kidnap their newly adopted son Pax Thien. Guards heard of a credible and meticulously planned attempt to kidnap Pax as he was flown to the US from Vietnam. The gang ordered their LA members to devise a plan to kidnap Pax, before demanding a ransom of 50million pounds. While Pitt was stunned to hear the news, Jolie is barely letting the child out of her sight, despite the elaborate security set up. — ANI
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Health TIP OF THE DAY Sciatica is the referral of pain to the buttocks, leg and foot due to compression of
sciatic nerve.
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TAROT TALK
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The bike that comes from perhaps the oldest motorcycle manufacturers in the world has worked its charm on a 67-year-old rider too. As a teenager, Mukhtiar Singh rode a smaller version from the Enfield in the 1950’s. A decade later, he procured the 350 cc machine for a mere Rs 3,625. Singh would then traverse the towns and villages all across Punjab and Rajasthan on his Bullet to collect payments from his father’s employees. Says Singh, “Being a son of a contractor gave me a chance to master the turns and curves on both the narrow kutcha and metal roads.”
For Ajay K. Jacob (23), bullet is perhaps the most elegant machine that a man can own. “It is symbolic of power and strength”, he says. A management student, Ajay purchased the standard model of the bullet in 1996 and says that since then it is the revving and roaring of the engine that has kept him going. “The bullet can’t be compared to any other bike,” he asserts. 
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While Opinder passionately collects these adornments, she says she has passed on the responsibility for other artifacts to her husband, Jotinder. An almost 100-year-old double-barreled rifle occupies place of pride on the wall behind the staircase in the Sekhon household.
One blogger “J” is on hunger strike to see him out of the show and judge Simon Cowell has vowed to quit if he indeed becomes the idol, but Sanjaya backers again voted on Wednesday to let Malakar, 17, son of an Indian father and an Italian mother, to keep singing his own tune.
If the last exhibition of Naresh Pandit had acquainted us with the changing face of the Pahari paintings, then his forthcoming Mountain Mantra at Government Museum and Art Gallery, Sector 10, will teach us more about it. For Naresh, the zeal to promote Pahari art continues, so is his obsession with mountains.
Painting and music are complimentary to each other but if traits of both are combined and brought alive in one compositional piece of miniature painting, it is nothing short of a charisma.
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Mohan Dhiman’s works Towards Light urging one to never give up or Holi capturing the plight of Indian women stands out for his spatula technique while Balbir Singh explored the much-trodden path of man-woman relationship. However, his Check Mate stands out for the philosophy it represents. Even a theme as common as a flower takes a new hue as Varinder Kaur presented it in an all-scientific manner while Sanjeev Kumar gave universal shape to his lone flower.
Born at Buland Shehar in India and educated in Lahore, Kishwar Naheed has emerged as a proponent crusader of women empowerment on the international literary scene. In the city, to participate in the Indo-Pak mushiara, the former bureaucrat, CSP (Civil Services of Pakistan) gave up a lucrative post of additional secretary in the Pakistan government in 1998, to fight for the rights of the woman. “It is better to die with conviction than to live in compromise,” she says. She felt the establishment tended to contain her march for representing the ethos of the poor masses through her literary creations.
ARIES: ‘The Emperor’ gets you in touch with your leadership qualities. You will be able to find solutions to the problems that may arise. Keep other people’s secret well guarded. An Aries person is supportive. TIP OF THE WEEK: Set the unpleasant set of events into motion. Lucky colour: Sea green
LIBRA: ‘The Empress’ takes you towards the fast and protective lane. Love and romance lead to promise and commitment. Make adjustments in relationships, as they are a bit fragile in the moment. On Thursday decisions are made and conflicts. Tip: Be firm and stand ground. Lucky colour: Citric green.
TAURUS: ‘The Princess of Swords’ brings you face to face with truth. You will network, mesh, interact with others but may be a little touchy. A business-cum-pleasure trip is on the cards. Try to forget your failures and mistakes. Lucky colour: Brown. Tip: Take responsibility for your own action.
SCORPIO: The ‘Strength’ gives you a taste of freedom and releases you from emotional restrictions. Beware of an insolent and proud person who is destructive and selfish. Its best to accept the challenges life throws at you. Tip: Frankness is your strong points. Lucky Colour: Pink.
GEMINI: ‘The Wheel of Fortune’ spins in some good fortune. Your sense of humour and willingness to help others will put you in the spotlight at work and at home. Music or art moves you very much now. Try to be diplomatic. Tip: Don’t be bullied into accepting situations you dislike. Colour: Emerald green.
SAGITTARIUS: You draw ‘The Ace of Cups’ to inspire confidence, loyalty and trust in your partner. Pay heed to the signs your body gives, you could be pushing your endurance limits. Love will add meaning to your life. Tip: You have well-wishers who will give you sound advice. Lucky Colour: Rust.
CANCER: ‘Nine of Cups’ full of light, lotus blossoms and happiness greet you as loving relationship flower into commitments. You easily become enthusiastic but you must stay grounded on Sunday. Make good plans and clear decisions.Tip: Spend time meeting experienced people. Lucky colour: Brick Red.
CAPRICORN: Your card ‘Justice’ reveals an emotional outburst at work or at home. You manage business affairs with skill, capability and creativity. Family and children handle their own affairs and support you. Tip: Consolidate your gains instead of throwing security to the winds. Lucky colour: Blue. 
LEO: Your heart chakra is energized and there is a feeling of good will. Family support and friends add to your feeling of self-confidence. An older woman could be a useful ally in a family conflict. Tip: You have to realise that even way-out ideas can be put into practice. Lucky colour: Golden yellow. 
AQUARIUS: ‘The Prince of Pentacles’ infuses financial stability. Be honest with yourself. Despite trying your best, you may fail to cut any ice. Be cautious of strangers on Wednesday. Tip: Dare to accomplish those tasks, which normally take up a lot of time. Lucky colour: Red.
VIRGO: ‘Ten of wands’ highlights relationships and finances. Don’t let a misunderstanding creep into a close relationship. Job satisfaction can be increased if you decide to be more independent and entrepreneurial in everything you do. Tip: Don’t allow your confidence to be dented. Lucky Colour: Lotus pink.
PISCES: The card ‘The Devil’ reveals that you will be running late on everything you do. Don’t encounter people, blocks or situations at work, but rather go around them and beyond them. On Wednesday you can feel hopeless, worried and oppressed for a short period. Tip: Don’t allow others to interfere in your way. Lucky colour: Pink.