OWNER’ PRIDE: A soldier’s armour, some swords and a kerosene-run fan dating back to World War I occupy pride of place at Bhasin’s home.

Peacocks from the Mughal period beckon from the roof-top as we reach his home in Panchkula. Most people refer to his house as the moroin wali kothi. Next, to catch our attention are the wooden fans (1882) in the lobby. Just two traces of history and we are hooked on till the ding-dong of a 19th century grandfather clock brings us back to time.

Ravi Bhasin invites us to the living room and we find ourselves sitting on a 250-year-old maharaja sofa. Right behind us is a sirhana (backrest) that probably belongs to one of the Sikh gurus. Trying to trace the history behind the exquisite piece with rich meenakari work, he says, “The day I find it out, I will donate it to the Golden Temple.” He also has a Sikh wall clock (1882) with original painting of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

A journey spread over past 40 years, Bhasin procured his first treasure as an 11- year-old when he was gifted gold and silver coins by his grandfather. And, thereafter began his quest for the old and the rare. And, as they say the rest is history. Today four rooms in his house are filled with rows of artifacts, including coins, watches, weapons, furniture, decanters, pocket watches, hookahs, et al.

A glance at his collection of swords and you will be awe struck. A sword with Ramayana etched in gold happens to be just one of the marvelous pieces. Others include swords of the knights from England. Also, from the same period comes a camphor chest, which was used by Englishmen to stock their clothes to lend them natural scent.

With this mine of historical information right at his home, Bhasin has even been delivering lessons at schools in Mussorie and Dehradun. On his last trip to the schools, he both educated the kids on the history of coins and shared the treasure with them. Besides, Bhasin frequently visits antique lovers as a consultant on the subject. His coin collection includes silver and gold coins belonging to the times of Kushan, Chandragupt Maurya, and Ranjit Singh period.

Not only this, his taste of music is also defined by antiquity, which includes a 150-year-old gramophone and transistor, a 100-year-old piano and interestingly a paroin wala harmonium of the 19th century. Not surprising, his favourite possessions are locked under antique locks. With pride he shows a hand-written Quran dating back to more than 500 years.

Though, Bhasin’s trips fishing for antiques are now not a very frequent affair owing to his illness, he says, “It is my passion that is keeping me alive.” With only 20 per cent of his vision left and a kidney transplant, he has now decided to part with his collection to meet medical expenses. Undoubtedly, it has been a hard decision to make and his moist eyes tell that. Get in touch with him at: 9872298419

If you too collect unique things and wish to be featured, write to us at lifestyletribune@gmail.com  or Lifestyle, The Tribune, Sector 29,Chandigarh

Flower business in the city is not blooming because so many residents prefer to express their affection through synthetic flowers imported all the way from Hong Kong; but also for the reason that organised market for cut flowers is yet to blossom in the city.

If you are having doubts about the wilted reality, ask ‘iFlora’ president, S. Jafar Naqvi. In city to announce plans to organise Flora Expo 2007 and Land Expo 2007 in New Delhi’s Pragati Maidan from September 12 to 14, he says “Chandigarh-Panchkula’s combined annual flower sale hovers anywhere between Rs 4 and 5 crore, in all there are around 300 budding and blooming florists here.” The figures sound impressive. You actually get the impression that the craze for flowers is growing on cultivated city residents and they deserve a bouquet for it, till you hear about other cities across the country.

“In Punjab, Ludhiana is blooming with annual sales close to Rs 22 crore,” says Naqvi. “It’s even better in Delhi and Mumbai. Every year flowers worth Rs 150 crore are picked up in the national capital. In Mumbai, the sale is approximately Rs 70 crore”.

In all, the domestic market of flowers is close to Rs 1,000 crore. Yet organised market is just not there. “In China, there are over 2,500 proper floral markets. Sadly in India, there is none,” he asserts.  

Back to Chandigarh, Naqvi says the absence of an association to protect and promote the interests of the florists in the city is one of the reasons why the sales have not flowered at the desired pace. There is another reason. Plastic flowers are striking their root.

“They have a longer life. No doubt about it. You buy a basket of artificial flowers and it’s yours for years to come. But then, people do not realise saying it with faux flowers has its own repercussions. Plastic flowers are not only hazardous to health, but also to the environment and the country’s economy.”

Just in case you wish to know something about iFlora and Naqvi’s work, the welfare association of Indian flowers and ornamental plant growers undertakes activities to promote the industry by organising conferences, seminars, exhibitions and also through publications.

“We bring the floriculturists face to face with the buyers through exhibitions and other activities, minimising the role of middlemen in the process,” says Naqvi. “In fact, exports of flowers cultivate by small-time farmers jumped up by 45 per cent within six months of our organising an exhibition.” Sounds flowery! saurabh@tribunemail.com

If you have a mobile phone, or an Internet connection, companies or institutions will bestow you with the title of a judge instantaneously, says Saurabh Malik

You don’t have to perfect that classic action of covering your visage with manicured hands before letting out that synthetic shriek of faux surprise.

What’s more, you are just not required to join in the game of recalling mugged-up names of pals and pets you need to thank for taking you to new heights. For, so many consumer-goods and other companies are nowadays showering the title of judge on almost everyone.

It doesn’t matter whether you are perched up in single room christened studio in Delhi ’s suburbs, or are living life in a palatial bungalow in the core of Chandigarh ’s buzzing social life. All you need is a mobile phone, or an Internet connection. And lo! The companies will bestow the title of an evaluator on you instantaneously.

If you are not too critical about the whole thing, the verdict to reward you with the judge’s title may actually leave you with an all-time feeling of high. After all, the viewers’ choice awards depend solely on your discretion. And, the sense of having power over the destiny of so many budding or established superstars can be more than gratifying.

To top it all, the entire exercising of judging for pleasure is all so easy. You may constantly be at the receiving end in the office or at the workplace, but that really doesn’t matter out here.

You can still hold the scales for creating celebrities out of artistes without placing yourself in the judgment seat right there in your living room or study. And, press the backlit keys of your mobile for rescuing the diva in distress — the one with tear-filled eyes, reading out a telephone number on the silver screen, beseeching you to exercise your franchise in her favour for bringing her back in the little game of singing, even dancing.

“The power the viewers’ wield became evident to them during shows like Lil’ Champs where spectators’ votes made all the difference,” says city-based media consultant Anshu Kataria. “In fact, the discretion exercised by the viewers practically turned the tables.”

Just in case you are wondering why the organisations are bringing you in the big picture, the answer is not very hard to see. Associated with media for almost a decade, another consultant Raman Sharma says: By honouring you with the status of a judge, the company establishes from the award benefits in more than a few ways. The viewers’ involvement increases and the interest is maintained and the ratings go up.

Otherwise, the companies gain credibility. The host company elevates itself to a position from where it can honour your judgment and award titles. In the process, the company builds its brand image. So folks, get ready to celebrate your status by helping others win awards. It’s a win-win situation.

Can art induce a headache? The answer is yes. That’s what the latest exhibition at IndusInd Bank Art Gallery did to us. Here goes the story.

We got a telephonic invitation to cover the exhibition on Day 2. So, when we walked into the gallery we did not expect to catch the artist in person, but were hopeful of at least a little backgrounder on him or her. But the invitation card lying carelessly on the reception desk said precious little – “Bimla Sharma wife of late Dr Bharat Bhushan Sharma cordially invites you on the occasion of Bharat Bhushan Memorial Painting Exhibition” — and that Prem Sharma, director of the Himachal Academy of Art and Culture, was the chief guest at the inaugural function. It left us wondering who the artist was!

So a visit to the gallery authority was called for. “The name of the artist is either Lalit or Lalita Sharma,” we were told. So even the name was not certain. However, the description of the artist gave some valuable insight — she is a woman in her mid-twenties who adores her pet dog!

That left us with the only option available — take a look around and write about the art only, which was again not much. About 16 paintings by the artist are examples of decorative art, if you like that kind of thing – folk motifs, mythological figures, man- woman relationship and nature, both in figurative and semi-abstract form, heavily embellished with glittering rice, pearls or sequins, marring the beauty of lines and colour, rather than accentuating it.

So who is responsible for lowering the standard of art? The authority passed the buck on the selection panel. “We have artists like Aditya Prakash and S.S. Bhatti (both former principals of the Chandigarh College of Architecture) on the panel but nobody takes much interest.”

Not willing to rest the matter at that, we confronted Prakash and Bhatti. “Yes, we are kind of in the selection panel. But it was never formalised,” says Bhatti. “They just send aspiring artists with a few of their works to me before they actually put up an exhibition,” he adds, recalling three incidents when he had sent back artists and suggested that they improve their art before presenting it before the public. “But I never heard from them again,” he says.

Ditto for Prakash. “They send works sporadically to get the go-ahead from us. But if the bank authority wants us to be there, they should inform us. The bank used to organise interactive sessions and get-togethers regularly for both budding and established artists. But now I am not even aware of what is happening in the gallery. Occasionally, some works are sent to us for review. Now I am too old to visit the gallery without any rhyme or reason,” says Prakash.

The IndusInd Bank Art Gallery was the first non-profit gallery in the city. It was established in 1999 to provide a platform to budding artists in the region. A praiseworthy venture gone awry. Time for the bank people to get their act right. The solution may lie in Prakash’s statement: “I am too old to visit the gallery without a reason.” Maybe it’s time to bring in some fresh blood in the recommending committee. After all, we do not want to create Frankensteins in the name of art, do we? 

parbina@tribunemail.com

The thrust is once again on making classroom education a joyful affair. And when CEVA is involved, one can expect a lot of enthusiasm and drama. Their latest innovation is a series of puppet shows to make the learning process interesting for children between the ages of two and three.

The first two shows were conducted at Tender Heart School, Sector 33. And, looking at the children savouring every bit of information disseminated by the live and thermocol puppets can be a cue for the teaching faculty to carry out such experiments at regular intervals.

“It was a low-cost show with our volunteers either making huge puppets out of thermocol sheets or posing as live puppets themselves,” says Harleen Kohli of CEVA. “We are trying to make learning and teaching interesting by bringing colour into the classroom,” she says.

So, the number puppets — we were told the students actually learnt to count up to five — came with song and drama sequences and the story of a flower, bumble bee and cow was narrated to drive home the point that bullying is a strict no-no.

Joban rutte jo bhi marda phull bane jan tara, Joban rutte aashiq marde, jan koi karma wala

Shiv Kumar Batalavi

Some poets become conscious of their special providence at an early age life, visualising both a calling and destiny in their poetry. But, for a few blessed ones life itself becomes an extended exercise in poetic perceptions. Born to give an altogether new dimension to Punjabi poetry, Shiv Kumar Batalavi emerged on the literary firmament of Punjabi literary world and remained its all time pride.

Born on May 6, 1936 in a sleepy village in Sialkot district, Shiv was a class apart right from his childhood. He loved to be in solitude fully engrossed in eulogising nature. The forced partition during 1947 touched his inner self and he took time to settle in the new environment. Shiv wanted to be an academician, however he could not pursue higher education; though his children, Dr Meherban and Pooja are holding doctorates in Punjabi literature and economics, respectively.

As a young poet of promise Shiv gifted with a full ranged voice won the hearts of Punjabi youth who thronged in large numbers to listen to the enchanting poet. Though, with spurt of T.V and western culture the youth in India are not much attracted to mushairas, but the craze for any good poetry especially by Shiv Kumar Batalavi can never die. Says Iqbal Mahal, Toronto based poet, artist, art promoter and owner of Radio TV channel, “Poets like Mohan Singh, Amrita Pritam or Shiv Batalvi are not born every day; Shiv lifted Punjab poetry to spectacular heights with his imagery, sharp vivid and rich felicity.

Another established Punjabi singer Kuldip Deepak from Missisauga, Ontario, who specialises in singing Shiv’ s poetry claims that his timeless poetic creations are always fresh and in demand in alien lands. Recalls Professor Rajpal Singh, secretary, General Punjab Arts Council that in1975 during a live performance at Queen Elizabeth Hall, Vancouver the demand for Shiv’s poetry was so strong that one entire performance was dedicated to Shiv only. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction and some may not believe that the whole audience kept weeping throughout the melodious but touching renderings by late Surinder Kaur, Parkash Kaur and Asa Singh Mastana. It was indeed a rich tribute to the intensity and compelling charm of Shiv , the king of pathos.

Undeniably the most revered Punjabi scholar from Pakistan, Dr Nazm Hussain Sayyad feels that Shiv Batalavi’s poetic elegance should not be confined to the ‘Birha’ alone.’ He said, “ I feel that Shiv Batalvai transcends all barriers to be hailed as a complete poet of celebrations; his mode of expression and close proximity with the folk idiom had energy and resilience.” Nazm was chosen to start and head the department of Punjabi at the Lahore University.

The honking was unmistakable. It sounded like the gaggle of geese I had left in the tender but bemused care of Brother Carrol at St. James, Binnaguri in West Bengal.  They were a rambunctious, noisy lot who produced equally garrulous, hysterical goslings.

Like a well trained commando platoon, they hid in the bushes and charged, necks outstretched, hissing like enraged, winged snakes, in a bid to nip the nearest ankle that walked in through the gate. They were a bunch of terrorists who earned themselves the moniker The Lobo Thugs. This was not a compliment, as is often done in the north when we proudly intone, “Pinky is a naaty boy!” as the rascal interrupts conversation while spitting laddoos and iced water at the guests. Our friends were convinced that we had deliberately trained them as an economic measure against reciprocal hospitality.

As I hung out the washing, late in the evening last November, “the ghost of gooses past” visited me in our backyard at Chandigarh. I looked up and saw a perfect V-formation of dark, talkative, powerful birds winging their way towards Sukhna Lake. Obviously, the migration from Siberia had begun and all was well with global wildlife for another short year.

Driving through the Army area beyond Panchkula we kept pace with a full-grown sambhar. Our speed was due to curiosity, his through fear. Trucks and vehicles could injure or prove fatal. Even the barbed wire fencing could rip him apart. This was our second sighting of the month.

Two months earlier, at Munnar, Kerala, spotted deer stood in herds by the roadside, a lone elephant trumpeted his welcome at the forest’s edge, troops of monkeys jeered at us as a peacock preened in all its male glory. At Georgia Sunshine village — so named after its hostess — an evening walk startled partridges, pheasants and quail.

Twice a day in Sector 19, I see two well-fed langurs sitting on cycle carriers behind their trainers. Charu, my daughter-in-law, tells me they are government employees trained to scare away aggressive, red-bottomed monkeys from the neighbourhood.

All the preceding sightings go to prove that the fauna in our country is multiplying and well — except for the tiger. If he were alive and well, all of the above would not be so bold. During our nation-wide travels we have not seen a single feline because they have been exported to China, Vietnam or some such place where they have been cooked, carved or sold as little aphrodisiac pieces and we Indians will not do anything about it!

I would prefer fried cockroaches or locusts as they multiply faster. Instead, we visit the zoo and feed emaciated animals plastic bags and bottles. We jeer at the monkeys expecting mirror responses and laugh at the giraffe as we cannot understand its needs or its purpose amidst us. It might be a better idea to put us in enclosures and let the animals go free. At least they will feed us berries and grass.

Director: Gautam Ghose
*ing: Rekha, Nana Patekar, Deepti Naval, Nakul Vaid

National award winner Gautam Ghose is back with an off-beat Hindi film Yaatra. The film is about how fiction meets facts. Rekha play the role of Lajbanti, a courtesan who brings about the catharsis in the given ambience. Nana Patekar, Deepti Naval and Nakul Vaid also play important characters.

Trade circles say it is an excellent must-see movie in which Gautam Ghose extracts superb performances from the lead stars. Directed and cinematographed by Gautam Ghose who has also written the screenplay, promises a film that defies the stereotype and give viewers something different. Yaatra has dialogue by Nida Fazli and music is by Khayyam.

Bruce Willis recently revealed that he still loves his ex-wife Demi Moore and considers her hubby Ashton Kutcher to be part of his extended family. “We still raise our kids together, we still have that bond,” said the Die-hard actor.

The 51-year-old, who recently welcomed Moore and Kutcher into his home on the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean, asserted that he still loved Demi and also praised Kutcher. “Demi is the mother of my children and Ashton is the stepfather of my children. I’m thrilled that Ashton turned out to be such a great guy,” he said. Meanwhile Willis, who has been linked to Tamara Feldman, Petra Nemcova and Courtney Love, was recently rumoured to be dating Renie Zellweger. — ANI

Global warming is the result of our negligence. I live in this city and every day I see people burning garbage, wastage of drinking water at public places and electricity being wasted away. It pains me to see such wastage. In most of the areas, sweepers gather the garbage and burn it later. At many places waters running from the public taps. I do not know whom to contact. Even if I have managed todo so , the answer is — ‘this is not the right place to inform’.

There should be a common number for all such problems. I request every one to generate awareness among people to save the environment.